Since the day I saw trailers being aired, I started counting days. Fever simply grew and my anticipation was running wild. We were expecting an opulent saga drawn in love. Eight years gap added on to our conviction. I behaved with audacity in putting up a blog dedicated especially to Mr. Adi’s earlier flicks.
Music was good. I liked it. But sadly, from the start itself, I just liked it. It wasn’t the stuff I expected lacking that versatility and soul. I didn’t have any options rather than being optimistic about the whole thing and hence I just gave the feeling a passé holding on to hope that it has got to be the movie which will be the real trick. What with the music? But what a disappointment it was. It was real looser. I liked the way it started and everything I saw; I felt it certainly will stand up to my expectations. It was moving fast, scenes had that extra magic specially added, and I felt that I was in for something quite different. Another thirty minutes and the real drama started. They expected me to believe that a man with trimmed hairs and moustache can pass on that easily as a separate existence itself. They expected me to believe that a girl, all set to marry her love, doesn’t even care to think of him once after his death. They expected me to forget that here is a lady who has just suffered a loss which sums up her father too. They expected me to believe that god certainly exits in a form in that someone special and that can happen like the way it happened out there…..close your eyes, pray to god and ask him to show you the same…and ooppss!!!….just open up and see that someone in front. They expected me to believe that love happened for the leading lady without a hint for us as to how it happened and that to an extent that she agrees to flee. They expected me to believe that the other SRK was real cool(he seemed more pathetic and boring than Suri itself…with all those put ons…hope the spiky look could have all been that is needed…….at least I felt so). I must say that my expectations from the movie were killed due to so many expectations that the movie maker had from the viewers.
Critics said that the movie was contrived. I go by the same. It doesn’t look like an honest effort at all except for the start. The lead actors were awesome in their acts but still, the poor scripting and the second supposed to be cool spiky SRK……ah….I just can’t express what I went through whenever I used to hear “Taani partner”…..on screen. It was an experience which will certainly be hard to forget. Might be true that some of the greatest of movies you love were never made, they just happened. Just that they happened twice with Mr. Adi and I mistook it for something called talent. I just pray….that if ever again Adi comes up with another release……..may god give me the power too, to withstand the movie all through coz the way he have started putting things on screen, he has become a real killer of time, expectations and presentation.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A Proactive Text
I hate inspirational and self-help books. My affair with reading started from Sheldon and after having made a complete go for around seven to eight authors, am totally a fiction lover with my heart always rating Rowling as the best. A day back in my life, I got a chance to peek into one of those boring, dreamy, faith restoring books of self improvement and came across a word as the first chapter which I can never ignore in life. That word is “proactive” taught to me by someone I can never forgive in my life but still, just to have a look and to get the picture; I read on and ended up at page sixty-nine. Quite surprisingly, the text put up some questions which i still don’t have answers for. Let me share the thing. Hope every one turns out wiser than me. :))
As per the text, every one has his/her own internal freedom. Good or bad or best or worse, but every mortal has that freedom inside to project his perceptions in the way he likes and choose his/her own response. That freedom of choosing one’s own behavior to a situation or a scene is always with that oneself. No one can curb or take it. It’s totally at one’s own command. As a scene, I might want to react to someone’s saying in an instant in front of that very face or I might prefer terming it. So baseline, I have that freedom to choose my response. One might consider all these scenes stimuli for us to act. They are certainly which do trigger the cells in us. And as every stimulus has a reaction, and since every response is with us to decide, logically it gets proved that me, as an individual is responsible for all that I have and all that I have faced and done. On the road ahead, text has to say that responsibility can be split up as response and ability. One has two circles, circle of influence and circle of concern. Circle of concern has all that one can never do anything about and the other that of influence has got all that one can do. And to have yourself got counted in being proactive, you need to understand that proactive people are those who can subdue their stimuli and choose their reactions. There in lies their power and certainly can lead to increase of circle of influence. Phewwww!!!!!!
What is stated above is my version of points I remember after a night’s sleep and a day’s work. But there are questions to answer. If I certainly can choose my own response at my will to a situation, have I done that ever correctly? I can answer that……..I haven’t. What’s at stake if I start now? I can answer that too………nothing. So finally, did I try it for at least a day? I can answer that too…..yes I did and I already know the difference. What is it that can put me off-track? I can answer that……………….my heart.
Between stimulus and response is our greatest power…….the freedom to choose.
I carry on with a little change to certain things, to see how it fares. If hours can count, then it did well for the last twenty two hours. But, what I wonder is, can one certainly choose that inner freedom in a complete sense? Feel free to answer them for yourself. I have already answered them for myself and I know yours too. :))
As per the text, every one has his/her own internal freedom. Good or bad or best or worse, but every mortal has that freedom inside to project his perceptions in the way he likes and choose his/her own response. That freedom of choosing one’s own behavior to a situation or a scene is always with that oneself. No one can curb or take it. It’s totally at one’s own command. As a scene, I might want to react to someone’s saying in an instant in front of that very face or I might prefer terming it. So baseline, I have that freedom to choose my response. One might consider all these scenes stimuli for us to act. They are certainly which do trigger the cells in us. And as every stimulus has a reaction, and since every response is with us to decide, logically it gets proved that me, as an individual is responsible for all that I have and all that I have faced and done. On the road ahead, text has to say that responsibility can be split up as response and ability. One has two circles, circle of influence and circle of concern. Circle of concern has all that one can never do anything about and the other that of influence has got all that one can do. And to have yourself got counted in being proactive, you need to understand that proactive people are those who can subdue their stimuli and choose their reactions. There in lies their power and certainly can lead to increase of circle of influence. Phewwww!!!!!!
What is stated above is my version of points I remember after a night’s sleep and a day’s work. But there are questions to answer. If I certainly can choose my own response at my will to a situation, have I done that ever correctly? I can answer that……..I haven’t. What’s at stake if I start now? I can answer that too………nothing. So finally, did I try it for at least a day? I can answer that too…..yes I did and I already know the difference. What is it that can put me off-track? I can answer that……………….my heart.
Between stimulus and response is our greatest power…….the freedom to choose.
I carry on with a little change to certain things, to see how it fares. If hours can count, then it did well for the last twenty two hours. But, what I wonder is, can one certainly choose that inner freedom in a complete sense? Feel free to answer them for yourself. I have already answered them for myself and I know yours too. :))
Sunday, November 9, 2008
My second Love..
I never like putting in something regarding something I love, for public display. But still, just to have it as a part of my page, let me put in a few words about my second love. It’s a DELL XPS 1530. Her persona includes 4GB of RAM with an Intel Core-2 Duo 2.4GHz processor having 250GB of space and a NVIDIA 8600 graphics card.
Choosing her was tough. I was confused changing attributes every hour. After a lot, I settled for three configurations for a start. Google days and nights followed with me sneaking into forums in between my work. The hardest part to decide was how long I wanted it to be there for me. I had read somewhere that 2GB works wonders. I read somewhere that NVIDIA 8400 rocks. I read somewhere that 2.1 GHz of processing is cool. Initially, I had a mix of all these in my mind. But I made a mistake I guess…..i took time. But as love is blind and nothing really matters and everything has to fall in place, I went in for a grade more in almost every section that mattered when it comes to computers. What followed is out here.
I might be crazy and might be behaving in an unsocial manner but movies and games, they rule my day. I thrive on them and they are my necessities of existence as my life becomes more and more parameterized. Friendship is something which is too much to ask for from anyone. Things have changed a lot since I landed up at Hyderabad. The city is special to me in its own way. I am self made. I believe in doing what I like and mistakes are something which I never repent for. I still think that given the same life, same people around, and same circumstances and with the same frame that I am, I will go on the same way all over again. I don’t have anything to repent for, till date. Hyderabad taught me what loneliness is. How it feels and what it takes to deal with it. I had to take refuge. Not that I didn’t had prior exposure to it, but that I was normal in my behavior when it came to computers. I had a desktop, but there was little that I could do with it. It started going bad and one day, it was time to let it go. I had it for five years with me. But as they say, and as I had already become a computer lover, my dependencies on movies and games became huge with time. Three movies and four hours of gaming on a holiday was all I looked up to after 5 days of work and boredom. And that’s how it all happened.
It was a Tuesday, I came back from work to find it right there in my bedroom. It was one of a kind of feeling. Maybe another four years or so, and it will be gone and I shall be looking out for another make, but still, first love is first love. Nothing ever replaces the same.
Choosing her was tough. I was confused changing attributes every hour. After a lot, I settled for three configurations for a start. Google days and nights followed with me sneaking into forums in between my work. The hardest part to decide was how long I wanted it to be there for me. I had read somewhere that 2GB works wonders. I read somewhere that NVIDIA 8400 rocks. I read somewhere that 2.1 GHz of processing is cool. Initially, I had a mix of all these in my mind. But I made a mistake I guess…..i took time. But as love is blind and nothing really matters and everything has to fall in place, I went in for a grade more in almost every section that mattered when it comes to computers. What followed is out here.
I might be crazy and might be behaving in an unsocial manner but movies and games, they rule my day. I thrive on them and they are my necessities of existence as my life becomes more and more parameterized. Friendship is something which is too much to ask for from anyone. Things have changed a lot since I landed up at Hyderabad. The city is special to me in its own way. I am self made. I believe in doing what I like and mistakes are something which I never repent for. I still think that given the same life, same people around, and same circumstances and with the same frame that I am, I will go on the same way all over again. I don’t have anything to repent for, till date. Hyderabad taught me what loneliness is. How it feels and what it takes to deal with it. I had to take refuge. Not that I didn’t had prior exposure to it, but that I was normal in my behavior when it came to computers. I had a desktop, but there was little that I could do with it. It started going bad and one day, it was time to let it go. I had it for five years with me. But as they say, and as I had already become a computer lover, my dependencies on movies and games became huge with time. Three movies and four hours of gaming on a holiday was all I looked up to after 5 days of work and boredom. And that’s how it all happened.
It was a Tuesday, I came back from work to find it right there in my bedroom. It was one of a kind of feeling. Maybe another four years or so, and it will be gone and I shall be looking out for another make, but still, first love is first love. Nothing ever replaces the same.
Adi-Mania
I am a movie buff. I don’t prefer sticking to any wood. Be it Holly or Bolly, I enjoy movies alike. And when I move on to the Bolly side of the wood, I can never forget my affair with two movies which I consider can never be re-made ever in the time to come.
It was 1995 when DDLJ hit the screens. It said “Come fall in love” and that’s what happened. A spoiled brat having deep rooted Indian values sees that all is done and goes to all ends he could have, for a girl about to get married, for the sake of achieving his love. A marriage gets halted. A father had to bend his ways. Traditions and promises had to wait and watch. Love triumphs and Raj and tyle:italic;">Simran become a history just for a beginning. It was a movie, so original in concept, that it’s really hard to even have another for a mere comparison considering love. The movie made history as the longest running movie ever. The music was perfect. You simply can’t better that. Direction comes from a media shy guy of 19, making a debut and what a debut it was. The most successful pair confirms their authority with an awesome chemistry at display. Apart from being a winner at all sectors of movie making, the tale glorified love like no other movie could have done. I can go on and on and on about it. I watched it a wobbling hundred and eighteen times and still feel that I should have scored more. It was not just about SRK or kajol, the presentation and approach towards the concept was so masterly, the dialogues so beautifully crafted, and everything was so perfect that it was admittedly the touch of a genius. It was all the way Aditya Chopra. I still have that one wish that someday I shall watch it on the big screen. I was too big at that time, to go for a theatre. I missed out the special Valentine’s Day screening of the movie at a nearby multiplex last/this year, but still am always ready to fall into such a love and am keeping a watch for it.
After five years, in the year 2000, Mohabbatein hit the screens. It said “Some love stories live forever” and that’s what happened again. This time it was Raj again, standing up to show us a completely different take on love. Once again the presentation was very different, one never seen before. Eleven scenes with dialogues delivered with intense and conviction glorified love. It was certainly the perfect sequel to a movie like DDLJ. Music was once again flawless. Gurukul was the word. It was a tale of love, surviving a generation, with memoirs of your loved one, dead. Thankfully I was able to go for a big screen experience. Although I had to return back eight times, I still had no regrets with having made other thirteen tries a success. Love was certainly in the air in those three and half hours. Those specs, those trousers and the way to have a jumper over your shoulder became a craze. I still remember, a bunch of thirty, going for a screening having zero power frames on. The movie had a feeling, and I can only wish that others might have experienced that. For people, yet to discover what love truly means, it was just another commercial hit. To me, it was a very different outlook on love and depicted in such a way just to make the point clear that love never dies. It was once again Mr. Adi through and through. I don’t think it would have been wrong had he said “Some movies live forever”.
And now, once again, after eight years of wait, when I see that its Adi again I simply can’t help feeling nostalgic about it. It’s planned for 12/12 and I am waiting for it to happen. Keeping everything aside starting from the SRK factor to the music/cast, I just want to see what a man can come up with after two genuine concepts on the same matter. Agreed that presentation will be the trick but still, having seen the way he has delivered, and the way he frames things, there has to be more to it. And I can only wish that I shall experience the same love in the air thingy in those three hours. As this one says “There is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary Jodi”, I just hope this is what happens again.
It was 1995 when DDLJ hit the screens. It said “Come fall in love” and that’s what happened. A spoiled brat having deep rooted Indian values sees that all is done and goes to all ends he could have, for a girl about to get married, for the sake of achieving his love. A marriage gets halted. A father had to bend his ways. Traditions and promises had to wait and watch. Love triumphs and Raj and tyle:italic;">Simran become a history just for a beginning. It was a movie, so original in concept, that it’s really hard to even have another for a mere comparison considering love. The movie made history as the longest running movie ever. The music was perfect. You simply can’t better that. Direction comes from a media shy guy of 19, making a debut and what a debut it was. The most successful pair confirms their authority with an awesome chemistry at display. Apart from being a winner at all sectors of movie making, the tale glorified love like no other movie could have done. I can go on and on and on about it. I watched it a wobbling hundred and eighteen times and still feel that I should have scored more. It was not just about SRK or kajol, the presentation and approach towards the concept was so masterly, the dialogues so beautifully crafted, and everything was so perfect that it was admittedly the touch of a genius. It was all the way Aditya Chopra. I still have that one wish that someday I shall watch it on the big screen. I was too big at that time, to go for a theatre. I missed out the special Valentine’s Day screening of the movie at a nearby multiplex last/this year, but still am always ready to fall into such a love and am keeping a watch for it.
After five years, in the year 2000, Mohabbatein hit the screens. It said “Some love stories live forever” and that’s what happened again. This time it was Raj again, standing up to show us a completely different take on love. Once again the presentation was very different, one never seen before. Eleven scenes with dialogues delivered with intense and conviction glorified love. It was certainly the perfect sequel to a movie like DDLJ. Music was once again flawless. Gurukul was the word. It was a tale of love, surviving a generation, with memoirs of your loved one, dead. Thankfully I was able to go for a big screen experience. Although I had to return back eight times, I still had no regrets with having made other thirteen tries a success. Love was certainly in the air in those three and half hours. Those specs, those trousers and the way to have a jumper over your shoulder became a craze. I still remember, a bunch of thirty, going for a screening having zero power frames on. The movie had a feeling, and I can only wish that others might have experienced that. For people, yet to discover what love truly means, it was just another commercial hit. To me, it was a very different outlook on love and depicted in such a way just to make the point clear that love never dies. It was once again Mr. Adi through and through. I don’t think it would have been wrong had he said “Some movies live forever”.
And now, once again, after eight years of wait, when I see that its Adi again I simply can’t help feeling nostalgic about it. It’s planned for 12/12 and I am waiting for it to happen. Keeping everything aside starting from the SRK factor to the music/cast, I just want to see what a man can come up with after two genuine concepts on the same matter. Agreed that presentation will be the trick but still, having seen the way he has delivered, and the way he frames things, there has to be more to it. And I can only wish that I shall experience the same love in the air thingy in those three hours. As this one says “There is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary Jodi”, I just hope this is what happens again.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
To pass a port..
My job requires frequent abroad travels. My destined affair with passport had to finally start.
A lot many things of my life now a day’s start with Google. Online forms, no standing hours at the queues and an appointment on my chosen day made me wonder why didn’t I gave it a try earlier? Though the government registered portal didn’t had a security certificate yet I was able to trick Mozilla. I filled up the form and clicked. For my appointment I was assigned a month, a year but not a day. Yeah, the day drop down was empty. As a web developer I still don’t have any clue how that could have happened or how someone in charge could have missed that. With due respect to effort and hope, I tried the page a number of times without success.
Why not try out the agents? I caught a Hindi speaking agent, got three copies of Xerox done and paid my agent a visit to finally learn that I had lost my original 10th certificate. It was a copy, and I was confident that I had the master piece. That was all he needed to get me and there I was, once again lost and confused and irritated and frustrated and mad and tiered with bags of hope. He was an optimistic chap and soon he came up with an affidavit certifying that I can sign but am unable to read and write. An awesome joke that it was, it certainly made a good read and I wish I could had it scanned and pasted here for reference. He had his own rules which I was supposed to abide by and as per his version; even a birth certificate was of no use. A couple of more tries followed without success.
I feel trying is fun as long as you don’t have any options. But sadly I had some left.
Again with no idea as to what made me do it, I tried the online application portal as I was waiting patiently for one of my friends to be available for a chat and it clicked. I got a date and it was there all populated. I was scared enough to suggest my own and a couple of screen shots, downloads and self addressed mails followed with attachments so as to make sure that I don’t lose any a bit of it, if at all needed. It was supposed to be the coming Friday. I took a leave, asked a friend to come along and after an hour I was at the main passport office. The guard over there shooed me off to the gate no-2. It was pretty organized and for a moment I was feeling good. There was no chaos, all rules at play and ten faces was all I had for a passport crowd. I delivered a patient wait of 40 minutes with my friend outside. Knowledge session followed. I was in the Tatkal queue and to my surprise online applications were supposed to be that only. And since it was the Tatkal scheme I was supposed to procure three residential proofs. I didn’t had any. More learning was in store as my friend suggested me to try out the nearby police stationIt was 13:40 and the counter was to open at 14:10. Printed information suggested that we didn’t had any registered office to apply for passport as it depends on the place you presently belong from. JNTU rocks. I had never heard of a sad adventure.
What about fresh general applicants? Three hours of sleep (blame it on being a Friday) and one hour down, we were instructed that the main office is only for renewals and tatkal services. Begumpet and Osmania university post office were the options and applications would be accepted based on tokens and that were distributed before ten in the morning. Tokens were limited. It was already thirty five to nine, and there was no point even in going for the nearest one. Still just to have a taste of things, we went ahead to the office and as expected everything was done. But as the person over there had to say, the Osmania one was a special one and tokens were available till two in the afternoon. I had cabbie….
Osmania was on the outskirts and above all it was a city in itself. Two hours under the sun and after loads of confused roads we finally had it in front of us. It took two minutes to get the thing done with. Tokens were over by as scheduled ten in the morning. The info with us was wrong. Post offices don’t accept cash for passport. It has to be a DD. Well, I never have options and it was certainly foolish of me to have gone for one. With that the story ends for that day at around four in the evening with the meter adding up around hundred kilometers.
I got the DD prepared. Again a few hours of sleep (blame it once more on being a Friday) and me and cabbie were at the post office, with around fifty people in front of me, all waiting since five in the morning. It was seven thirty and it was certainly our best score to reach at the earliest. No complaints, the wait had to be done and my iPod co-operated quite well.
I was numbered fifty-two after one and half hours of standing ovation for the policies of my land. It was nine and my slot was timed eleven thirty. More songs, a few puffs and a few calls. With a state which can’t be put into words, I finally was in there waiting for my turn. With trepidation I approached the counter and was turned down coz I didn’t had the current moth’s bank statement. Last one year’s statement certainly did matter but still the current one was mandatory according to the whims of the man. He had all the power to quench his foolish curiosity. After many a pleadings to adjust he approached a senior lady to consult and with a smiling face she turned it down. LOL.
I got that done too. Once again, with all hate in me for keywords hope and faith, I was ready once again for the same venture. This time it was all me. With no one and again a few hours of sleep (this time you can blame my work) I was there quite early with six on the clock. Pheww…..songs, few puffs, a few calls and yeah, an audacity which I always feel usually in my second attempts. I waited three hours on two bones and I was ranked fifty first. An improvement of one with one and half hour as a bargain. My slot was again scheduled to be at thirty minutes to eleven as I missed the earlier one by a count of one. Nez…I was ready for whatever. I passed those same hours, minutes and seconds all alone, sitting there, thinking of nothing which always feels awesome and expecting whatever to happen. I was in, was at the same counter in front of the same person. Re-review of documents followed. This time it was the discrepancy in the way my permanent address was written on the form and on my voter ID card. Though a voter card in my case has nothing to do with the documents that needs to be provided yet it was a passing thought of the gentlemen at the counter and that of course needed to be treated with respect. The same old lady, but this time it was a go. To my utter disgust I got to know that she belongs to my apartment. I didn’t feel a bit as finally the thing got done. Neither was I happy nor sad. I was simply alive.
It was my longest and the toughest slog. Some may say it an effort or something quite natural or a struggle against fate, but ask me and I would like to put it as that there comes a point when you just want to move ahead, face the things without feeling a bit or care for them and that’s exactly when things start working for you. It’s simple by me. Either you give up or make things give up. Depends who’s got more to show and how badly one can make a go for it.
A lot many things of my life now a day’s start with Google. Online forms, no standing hours at the queues and an appointment on my chosen day made me wonder why didn’t I gave it a try earlier? Though the government registered portal didn’t had a security certificate yet I was able to trick Mozilla. I filled up the form and clicked. For my appointment I was assigned a month, a year but not a day. Yeah, the day drop down was empty. As a web developer I still don’t have any clue how that could have happened or how someone in charge could have missed that. With due respect to effort and hope, I tried the page a number of times without success.
Why not try out the agents? I caught a Hindi speaking agent, got three copies of Xerox done and paid my agent a visit to finally learn that I had lost my original 10th certificate. It was a copy, and I was confident that I had the master piece. That was all he needed to get me and there I was, once again lost and confused and irritated and frustrated and mad and tiered with bags of hope. He was an optimistic chap and soon he came up with an affidavit certifying that I can sign but am unable to read and write. An awesome joke that it was, it certainly made a good read and I wish I could had it scanned and pasted here for reference. He had his own rules which I was supposed to abide by and as per his version; even a birth certificate was of no use. A couple of more tries followed without success.
I feel trying is fun as long as you don’t have any options. But sadly I had some left.
Again with no idea as to what made me do it, I tried the online application portal as I was waiting patiently for one of my friends to be available for a chat and it clicked. I got a date and it was there all populated. I was scared enough to suggest my own and a couple of screen shots, downloads and self addressed mails followed with attachments so as to make sure that I don’t lose any a bit of it, if at all needed. It was supposed to be the coming Friday. I took a leave, asked a friend to come along and after an hour I was at the main passport office. The guard over there shooed me off to the gate no-2. It was pretty organized and for a moment I was feeling good. There was no chaos, all rules at play and ten faces was all I had for a passport crowd. I delivered a patient wait of 40 minutes with my friend outside. Knowledge session followed. I was in the Tatkal queue and to my surprise online applications were supposed to be that only. And since it was the Tatkal scheme I was supposed to procure three residential proofs. I didn’t had any. More learning was in store as my friend suggested me to try out the nearby police stationIt was 13:40 and the counter was to open at 14:10. Printed information suggested that we didn’t had any registered office to apply for passport as it depends on the place you presently belong from. JNTU rocks. I had never heard of a sad adventure.
What about fresh general applicants? Three hours of sleep (blame it on being a Friday) and one hour down, we were instructed that the main office is only for renewals and tatkal services. Begumpet and Osmania university post office were the options and applications would be accepted based on tokens and that were distributed before ten in the morning. Tokens were limited. It was already thirty five to nine, and there was no point even in going for the nearest one. Still just to have a taste of things, we went ahead to the office and as expected everything was done. But as the person over there had to say, the Osmania one was a special one and tokens were available till two in the afternoon. I had cabbie….
Osmania was on the outskirts and above all it was a city in itself. Two hours under the sun and after loads of confused roads we finally had it in front of us. It took two minutes to get the thing done with. Tokens were over by as scheduled ten in the morning. The info with us was wrong. Post offices don’t accept cash for passport. It has to be a DD. Well, I never have options and it was certainly foolish of me to have gone for one. With that the story ends for that day at around four in the evening with the meter adding up around hundred kilometers.
I got the DD prepared. Again a few hours of sleep (blame it once more on being a Friday) and me and cabbie were at the post office, with around fifty people in front of me, all waiting since five in the morning. It was seven thirty and it was certainly our best score to reach at the earliest. No complaints, the wait had to be done and my iPod co-operated quite well.
I was numbered fifty-two after one and half hours of standing ovation for the policies of my land. It was nine and my slot was timed eleven thirty. More songs, a few puffs and a few calls. With a state which can’t be put into words, I finally was in there waiting for my turn. With trepidation I approached the counter and was turned down coz I didn’t had the current moth’s bank statement. Last one year’s statement certainly did matter but still the current one was mandatory according to the whims of the man. He had all the power to quench his foolish curiosity. After many a pleadings to adjust he approached a senior lady to consult and with a smiling face she turned it down. LOL.
I got that done too. Once again, with all hate in me for keywords hope and faith, I was ready once again for the same venture. This time it was all me. With no one and again a few hours of sleep (this time you can blame my work) I was there quite early with six on the clock. Pheww…..songs, few puffs, a few calls and yeah, an audacity which I always feel usually in my second attempts. I waited three hours on two bones and I was ranked fifty first. An improvement of one with one and half hour as a bargain. My slot was again scheduled to be at thirty minutes to eleven as I missed the earlier one by a count of one. Nez…I was ready for whatever. I passed those same hours, minutes and seconds all alone, sitting there, thinking of nothing which always feels awesome and expecting whatever to happen. I was in, was at the same counter in front of the same person. Re-review of documents followed. This time it was the discrepancy in the way my permanent address was written on the form and on my voter ID card. Though a voter card in my case has nothing to do with the documents that needs to be provided yet it was a passing thought of the gentlemen at the counter and that of course needed to be treated with respect. The same old lady, but this time it was a go. To my utter disgust I got to know that she belongs to my apartment. I didn’t feel a bit as finally the thing got done. Neither was I happy nor sad. I was simply alive.
It was my longest and the toughest slog. Some may say it an effort or something quite natural or a struggle against fate, but ask me and I would like to put it as that there comes a point when you just want to move ahead, face the things without feeling a bit or care for them and that’s exactly when things start working for you. It’s simple by me. Either you give up or make things give up. Depends who’s got more to show and how badly one can make a go for it.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Crazy Lounge!!
I got to know them at Hyderabad. No idea how long we three are going to be together like the way we are now……but still……just to log it somewhere let me introduce two new flavors of craziness personified.
Mr. Cabbie: He knows/loves/lives three things: His bike, his helmet and his cell. Well cell is in this list coz it’s programmed to play songs for him which he loves to hear not just to hear and enjoy it but to hear/enjoy it with “shanti”. Yeah, he is the father of the “shanti” concept. Anything which doesn’t has “shanti” in it certainly can’t afford to have Mr. cabbie. Get him kilometers to drive and he is fine. He simply can’t resist the idea of driving on and on and on. That’s where the Cabbie concept came in. He has all the ability and capability of mind to put a professional cab driver to shame when it comes to driving miles or be it the wacky hours of night.His concern for his helmet is awesome. Any girl would have fallen for him, had she seen the degree to which a man can go just to make it sure that his helmet is safe, secure and fine. Sometimes it feels as if it’s the helmet which wears his head. Nez…….one fine day my dear subject found himself standing at the door, all ready to go to office, wearing a helmet and jeans without a shirt. Oh sorry, it wasn’t he who found it but in fact the credit lies with me as I was the one to point it out. Well one might think that it can happen and to whosoever who thinks alike let me vow that it wasn’t an act of casualty or forgetfulness but instead it has everything to do with the way my subject feels when he wears a helmet. The three things which he all cares for are with him. Does he need anything else…certainly a big NO unless someone points that out for him. They make him feel as if he is the complete man………………………….. That’s what the point is all about. Just to make things more clear….let me cite another incident. You go for the bed……close your eyes……feel your strained parts getting relaxed and suddenly a song starts playing. With Mr. Cabbie around things with music certainly can’t be that simple………you have to get up three/four hours later to stop that same song from playing with your sleep. Be it a medicine or demand of APPY or be it any lame need……just let him know about it. That’s the thing he waits for. This species is best found at the night, on the road, with music playing and wheels on the roll for a cause, masked so well with problems and needs of life, that it’s hard for anyone to get what’s on…….well certainly it’s always rock on.
Mr B.A. : He works with my previous employer as a business analyst. He is man of whims. If someone wants to see a physical manifestation of the workings of a human brain….you all are cordially invited to a one day two nights free stay at my place over at Hyderabad as the subject is available for demonstration without a penny. Talk to him and you will know what all a human brain is capable of thinking and planning. Ask him and he says with conviction what his plans are …..call him again and get stumped. Yep….that’s what he is……and he is the best at it. He is probably the best my country has got when it comes to being whimsical. As far as my mind can work it out...we all have stopped giving his plans and ideas any heed. He had the most genuine cause of all when I asked him why he wanted to go for a bike. The daily harassment which he faced on the road while on his way back to his home (a ten minutes walk) at night due to street dogs was what made him go for a bike. His week end plans are the only ones which are always practical. If you want to do something real crazy….sitting in the office and with no work @ hand….just give him a call. You will have your day. He tries whatever comes to his mind…at least once and it’s just a matter of time until it becomes the last try. With a pretty good sense of humor, this species is certainly an endangered one. It is easy to find one, who knows not what he wants but indeed hard to find one, who knows that it’s all that he wants and gives each a try…..sadly just a try.
Mr. Cabbie: He knows/loves/lives three things: His bike, his helmet and his cell. Well cell is in this list coz it’s programmed to play songs for him which he loves to hear not just to hear and enjoy it but to hear/enjoy it with “shanti”. Yeah, he is the father of the “shanti” concept. Anything which doesn’t has “shanti” in it certainly can’t afford to have Mr. cabbie. Get him kilometers to drive and he is fine. He simply can’t resist the idea of driving on and on and on. That’s where the Cabbie concept came in. He has all the ability and capability of mind to put a professional cab driver to shame when it comes to driving miles or be it the wacky hours of night.His concern for his helmet is awesome. Any girl would have fallen for him, had she seen the degree to which a man can go just to make it sure that his helmet is safe, secure and fine. Sometimes it feels as if it’s the helmet which wears his head. Nez…….one fine day my dear subject found himself standing at the door, all ready to go to office, wearing a helmet and jeans without a shirt. Oh sorry, it wasn’t he who found it but in fact the credit lies with me as I was the one to point it out. Well one might think that it can happen and to whosoever who thinks alike let me vow that it wasn’t an act of casualty or forgetfulness but instead it has everything to do with the way my subject feels when he wears a helmet. The three things which he all cares for are with him. Does he need anything else…certainly a big NO unless someone points that out for him. They make him feel as if he is the complete man………………………….. That’s what the point is all about. Just to make things more clear….let me cite another incident. You go for the bed……close your eyes……feel your strained parts getting relaxed and suddenly a song starts playing. With Mr. Cabbie around things with music certainly can’t be that simple………you have to get up three/four hours later to stop that same song from playing with your sleep. Be it a medicine or demand of APPY or be it any lame need……just let him know about it. That’s the thing he waits for. This species is best found at the night, on the road, with music playing and wheels on the roll for a cause, masked so well with problems and needs of life, that it’s hard for anyone to get what’s on…….well certainly it’s always rock on.
Mr B.A. : He works with my previous employer as a business analyst. He is man of whims. If someone wants to see a physical manifestation of the workings of a human brain….you all are cordially invited to a one day two nights free stay at my place over at Hyderabad as the subject is available for demonstration without a penny. Talk to him and you will know what all a human brain is capable of thinking and planning. Ask him and he says with conviction what his plans are …..call him again and get stumped. Yep….that’s what he is……and he is the best at it. He is probably the best my country has got when it comes to being whimsical. As far as my mind can work it out...we all have stopped giving his plans and ideas any heed. He had the most genuine cause of all when I asked him why he wanted to go for a bike. The daily harassment which he faced on the road while on his way back to his home (a ten minutes walk) at night due to street dogs was what made him go for a bike. His week end plans are the only ones which are always practical. If you want to do something real crazy….sitting in the office and with no work @ hand….just give him a call. You will have your day. He tries whatever comes to his mind…at least once and it’s just a matter of time until it becomes the last try. With a pretty good sense of humor, this species is certainly an endangered one. It is easy to find one, who knows not what he wants but indeed hard to find one, who knows that it’s all that he wants and gives each a try…..sadly just a try.
Monday, September 15, 2008
A day Off...
It’s a Wednesday. I had some work at the bank. Not possible for me until Saturday. I can never mind a break from work at the middle of the week. I decide to take a day off. Why not go for a leave when I had such a genuine problem. Another 30 min and I was on my way. HUDA (Hyderabad Urban Development Association) has always found new ways to change my life. Anyone who belongs to Kukatpally/JNTU probably knows what it takes to reach Cyber Towers on a working day. But surprisingly it was pretty smooth for me. I must admit that it struck me then that why the heck something didn’t go wrong but, well, i took myself for a dog with its day on the roll. Only to be proved wrong.
I needed to deposit hard cash at the bank. Went straight for the Axis Bank ATM on reaching the Towers. Getting inspired every second by the people standing in a queue I waited patiently for my turn. Another one in and it’s me. Well….the ATM has to say “Host down”. Arghhh…… shucks. But still one thing or the other can go wrong...right? I headed for HDFC.
Another display of patience was required. I didn’t have any choice though. Finally my turn. Needed nine. Oops….HDFC says that the transaction can’t be completed. Well I tried for a lesser amount. Let’s try with four. Same reply. Ok….you wanna play…fine…let it take nine tries…….I tried for one. It gets me one with no issues. I enquired the matter and got to know that it can’t be more than three for cross bank users. Fine…I got the bucks with three tries of three each. But something was different. My whole money was in hundred’s. Well that makes ninety. My purse complains. I can’t help it.
Now….Cyber Towers…..just on the other side of the road.
The security has to say that I can’t get in unless I show him my banking card. My tries to make him understand that I was here to deposit failed miserably. He rejected me a pass. With twelve eager eyes upon me, and with a perfect case of communication gap at hand, I wondered where I have headed towards today. Let’s screw things a bit. That’s what I thought and went for the security manager. I was quite surprised at the way he behaved and to my relief he knew English. My company ID got me an entry as he called up the security to let me a pass. Finally……..
Nope….it doesn’t end. I at the counter and a voice shoots “we can’t take that”. “We aren’t allowed to accept more than thirty hundred’s. It’s a security issue.” Well I felt like screaming I am a SIMI fan. I love laden and my dream is to blow off myself. Nez….after all said and explained about the ATM notes all he had to say was “These banks are playing games intentionally. It’s not how we work. It will come down upon me. It’s a rule and I can’t break one.” Ah!!! Three things were needed….. please, please and please. It got done.
Now…. recharge at the reliance counter. Simple man……
In twenty minutes I was done with a word from the man at the counter that the recharge would take hardly five minutes. Three hours later, back at my home, I was quite eager to know when that five minutes counter was about to start. I call up reliance. Was greeted by a voice, explained him the issue, and was put on hold. Six minutes follow, with me listening to reliance music. I get the informative update as “Sir, you will get the SMS when it’s done.” And to add on a question follows “Can I help you with anything else Sir?” I love these people. They are so cute, so passionate about their work and they are so disgusting. It took a movie to get the SMS.
It started with ten at the clock and now at four, it was all done. I wonder why things go wrong. Just think of what would have happened had I not gone for a leave. All of these and then I start for the office. I made the most of my excuse by taking a leave but it looks like as if someone also took a day off and came after me. Hope you know who that someone is.
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