Amazing grace...

Hi.

Some of my friends met with an accident couple of days back while they were driving around Scotland during the Christmas holidays. I don't have the complete updates yet, but by God's grace all of them are safe.

Some of the folks suffered minor injuries whereas for the others, the wounds were more severe.

Note ~ I understand the trauma casued if someone from a family meets with an accident. I have been a part of one when my Dad met with a near fatal accident in 2003. God has given my family the strength to cope up with it.
Our loving Lord has miraculously healed my dad's wounds and has blessed him by returning back his memory. We are praying for further miracles each day.

I pray that our lord give strength to all the family and friends of the people involved in this accident and let them rejoice in God's magnanimous grace that preserved them all.

Please pray with me for my friends and their families.

God Bless,
TLT

Aisa bhi hota hai...

Manager : Your India travel plans have been approved!
Me : Great!
Background : Tak dhina dhin... Tak dhina dhin...
Dhuchchik dhakchik...dhukchik dhakchik..dhum!!

Manager : You may book your tickets for this weekend!
Me : Ok.
Background : Yipeeeeeeeeeeee! Yaaron sun lo zara, Yaar main india chala... dhooom machale ... dhoom machale... dhoom!

Manager : Book a return flight for next week.
Me : What?
Background : WTF?????????????? Dil aisa kisi ne mera toda! Barbadi ki taraf aisa moda....

Joyeux Noel

Hey Friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

★★　　 ★★～* *～★　 ★★
*°★ ★Merry X'mas　*°★
‧*°∴°°☆☆★　*°☆☆*°
     °°☆°∴★*°☆∴
      °∴°°☆★∴°
       °∴★☆∴
        ★　　☆∴
        *樂°∴°
        ☆☆*
         ☆
       ﹨/
         ▏
       \●

Note~ To learn how to wish Merry Christmas in various languages you may click here.

This is my second Christmas in London. And I am missing my family and friends back home... :(

Cheers,
TLT

Pssssst, I guess The Lonely Traveller is feeling very lonely this X'mas!
We should something to cheers him up. What say you? ;)

Crushed...

I started watching 24, Season 4 last weekend. 16 episodes are over and I still can't get over the cute Leighton Meester who starred in the initial 3 episodes.
Just check out her smile...Amazing!!!!

P.S> I have lost count. I can only say that Leighton is my Umpteenth Crush!

Monkey Sense!

This monkey has been feeling weird all day long! His monkey sense is telling him that something's gonna happen real soon!
Good or Bad, He doesn't know! All he knows is that Good things happen to Good people.
And he is sure that he ain't Bad.

Lord, We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Today... Tomorrow... And Evermore!

The Sp'Octa'cular Adventures of Soooper (GREEN) Man!

Having been tagged by Life Lover, whose Eight Wonders were as brilliant as it were honest, this post deserves a lot effort.
And being slightly out of breath due to my current project crisis, so this most definitely will have to wait ;-(

*Banging my head against my laptop now.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ouch! It hurts!

There have been so many Sp'Octa'cular events in my life, that I am not sure what to write and what not to. But, I promise myself that I will complete it by this weekend.

Take care folks! Have a good evening.

To be continued.....
----------------------------
Hello. I am back!
Yours Truly a.k.a the Sooooper(GREEN)Man (hereinafter called "SGM") would like to share some stuff from the past.
And continuing in the tradition of other super-hero/heroine friends, he will disclose eight Sp'Octa'cular events from his Sp'Octa'cular life.

One---> Chillies and Thrills

As there was a legend behind the Superman's cape, there is a powerful story behind his Green pants. Here it goes...
SGM hated Green in his chilhood days, from green leafy vegetables...to the green jumping peas....to the green "Kerala" canopy that prevented SGM from running to his Soooper parents.
Note ~ SGM's early childhood was spent under his grandparents tutelage, while his parents toiled in the land of the Tatas(Jamshedpur)

Now this chain of events triggered an OCD in SGM. Whenever he saw a "Padre", his demons used to force him to spit on them. He was cautious enough to hide this fact from his grandparents.
But, his Grandparents also being Sooooper Grandparents, caught him in the act. Granny rushed out into her garden and pulled out a bunch of Sooooper Green....Soooooper Hot chillies. She then came into the room, held SGM by his ears and laboriously proceeded to rub the chilies onto his palate.
He cried and cried... but Granny wouldn't stop!
SGM now loathed Green more than ever. Green had caused him enough hurt.

But, later when the fire was finally put out by lots of sugar and honey, and when SGM finally regained back his composure, he was happy!
He was CURED of his ailment! His tongue would never again curl to spit when he saw any Padre.
Years later, when the time came to choose the color of his Soooper pants.. Green was the only color that made sense!

Keep watching this space for more adventures.....

------------------------

Two---> Ball Thumbing

It was a dull evening @ Bari Maidan, Jamshedpur where Your's Truly was keeping goals for his soooper football team.
There was a stiff wind accompanied by a slight drizzle but the match had to go on. The visiting team from a colony nearby were actually quite good.. and to be frank everyone expected the home team to lose.
Note ~ SGM was 6 years old then.

Your superhero SGM had already let two goals slip through. And from the way the opponents were playing a third was certainly on the cards. SGM wiped the prespiration from his forehead, as he saw a charged up 4 footer, dribbling the ball smoothly, sprint across to him. As his huge frame entered the D, he swung a mighty kick at the ball.
The ball rushed at incredible speed to wards SGM, who charged forward to gather it.
The ball brushed his right thumb and got deflected away from the the brick that signified the goal post. Teammates gathered around and hugged him, as he had saved them from further embarassesment.
It was at that instant when SGM to his horror realized that his soooper thumb had bent the other way. He quit the game then and there. Then rushed to his soooper mom who held his thumb under cold water and gave it a jerk the other way round.
The thumb slipped back in it rightful place.
SGM presently can use his right thumb for all purposes. But there sometimes is a slight weird tickling sensation at the joint, which he thinks is a constant reminder to the fact that even soooperheroes are human!!!

------------------------

Three ---> First Crush

When SGM was 10 years old, that's when he first saw her. She was standing in another class's queue during the school assembly. She gave him the most beautiful smile that he had ever seen. All day long he thought about her. Even when the History teacher smothered him with barrage of questions, all he could think was her smile.
Two years later.... His first day in the 7th grade...
Note ~ He had not seen the smiling gal again for a couple of years.

He saw a beautiful damsel walk up to and sit next to him. He saw her smile. It was the same smile that he had fallen in love with.
Later they were to become the best of friends!

------------------------------

Four ---> The Reunion

SGM was not a very popular kid in his class. The reason was that he was a studious dork! He had a very limited set of friends. Few months back he met a friend from school thru Orkut. And to be frank, he never expected her to remember him but she scrapped him back. SGM was ecstatic. They chatted for days! But, then one fine day she said:
"Hey Rosh! You know, I don't remember anything about you. Can you upload some snaps of yours onto Orkut!"
And that was the day when SGM crashed back to reality! ;-(

--------------------------

Five ---> Sooper Sis saves the day

Note ~ SGM's Soooper Sis is 2 years younger to him.

SGM was once confronted by 5 bullies from the colony where they lived in Jamshedpur.
He had nowhere to run! Nowhere to hide!
That was when Soooper Sis jumped in. She said : "If anyone dare lay a finger on my Bro! I am gonna beat the hell out of you".
The dare being too much for them, all the goons fled that very minute.
That was the day when Soooper Sis saved her bro.

Another Note ~ SGM's Soooper Sis was 6 years old that time.

------------------------------

Six ---> Soooper Mom - Soooper Athelete

SGM's Mom was a amazing athlete during her teens. She had kept her Soooper Athletism a secret. It was only when SGM was in his late teens, he found way too many certificates confirm this fact! Throwball, Volleyball, Javelin, Shotput, Hurdles to name a few sports she excelled in.
Later that day, she confided that she owed her current job to her Sooper Athletism.
The only question that the company asked her during her job interview was "Would you play for us?"
Note ~ She worked in the same company for over 25 years without ever getting on the field!

----------------------------------

Seven ---> The Underdogs

From his childhood days, SGM was sympathetic towards the Underdogs in Cricket. He cheered for Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Holland. He cheered when Lance Klussener smacked the ball all around the park when there was no hope for the South Africans. He cheered when Holland mocked the Indian batting lineup and bowled them out for a meagre 200. He cheered when Kenya beat the crap out of Indian attack. He cheered when Bangladesh sprinted to a Test victory over the Mighty Australians.
Note ~ SGM's dad hated when SGM cheered for any country who played against India. Even though SGM wanted India to win, he loved teasing his dad into thinking that he was cheering against India.
:-)

Eight ---> The Graduation Night!

Yours Truly hasn't mentioned this to anyone about this. So whoever is reading this, please be discreet! You know what was the first thing that we friends did when we graduated out of school.
One of us went into a bar, and bought few cans of beer. Afraid of being caught red-handed by friends or neighbours, we went to a park in the nearby colony. We gulped the booze in the dark of the night.
Note ~ SGM did not like the taste of the beer but it was the excitement of doing the forbidden that tasted much better!

--------------------
This was a rather long post but I totally enjoyed doing this.
I thank LL for tagging me, but I am sorry coz I won't be passing on the tag to anyone.
Sorry again! ;-0(

Cheers,
TLT

Thoda sa roomani ho jayein...

Today I was going through some snaps taken during a party at a friend's few weeks back. I recalled a song that one of my mates had sung that night, in a bout of drunken frenzy, but with so much passion that all of us stared at him in awe.
"Raah mein unse mulaqat ho gayi... Jisse darte they wahi baat ho gayi" from a Ajay-tabu starrer Vijaypath.
Now talking about romantic songs, I too have some favourites.

1> "Everything I do, I do it for you." OST Robinhood: Prince of Thieves, concocted in a soul-stirring melody by Bryan Adams, a mastermind behind other romantic hits like "Please forgive me" so on and so forth..

2> "Kahe sataye..kahe rulaye...Raam kare tujhko neend na aaye" OST Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. A young and vibrant, Juhi and a handsome charmer, Aamir .. sure recipie for success. I almost fell in love with Juhi when I watched this song on screen for the first time.

3> "Leaving on a jet plane" by John Denver. There was pain in this song... pain of leaving his girlfriend...pride(patriotism) of fighting for war for country.... and more than that... hope of returning back to his beloved. Everything was captured to perfection in this song.

4> "Jab kisi se dil" OST Pyar To Hona Hi Tha. There is something about Kajol and Ajay, a mysterious chemistry that never could be captured with the lenses. All of their movies tried it in vain, but it was this one song that won over my heart. Even though it's is cover of the Bryan Adams hit - "Really love a woman", I love it.
I loved the way Ajay tries to shy away from Kajol.. Really Sweet!
"Yeh pyar bhi badi ajeeb cheez hai, Sanjana. Jahaan iqrar ki ummeed ho wahin kehne se darta hai..aur yahaan to inqaar ka poora bharosa hai!"

5> "Na bole tum..na maine kuch kaha! Phir na jaane aisa kyon kaga?
Ke dhoop mein khila hai chand..Din mein raat ho gayi!
Pyar ke kahe suna bhi baat ho gayi". I don't remember the movie but it was the ordinary charm of the spec'tacular Amol Palekar and the charming Tina Munim. That's what an ordinary love song looks like. I loved it.

These are mentioned in no order. there is no way that I can pick up five favourites. These are just the five lovely songs that I remembered tonite.
Another new song also comes to mind... "Jiya dhadak jaye." OST Kalyug. Beatiful song. Earthly lyrics..Great music...Kunal Khemu and the director's sister.

P.S> Well, Who thought that he would ever play the lead actor in a movie? And Boy oh boy! He sure knows how to act?

Later,
TLT

Bas yun hi...

I love my customized Google Homepage. I have my calendar on it. I also subscribe to various news feeds... local weather... quotes of the day... so on and so forth.
And BTW today's quote was not too bad!

There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking. - Alfred Korzybski

P.S> Meri (project wali) jung abhi bhi jaari hai! And we are not holding back.
Jeetne ke ab kaafi aasaar nazar aa rahe hain...
Bhai log, koi nazar mat lagana. ;-)

A Prayer.

Hello dear friends.
You know how sometimes a little prayer can make you feel at peace with the world around you! It's magical. Ain't it?
Nothing short of a miracle!

The prayer quoted below has always been a favourite of mine.

When I pray this, I repent.
When I repent, I am forgiven.
And when I am forgiven, I am at peace... with the world... with myself.... with everything!


All that we ought to have thought and have not thought;
All that we ought to have Spoken and have not spoken;
All that we ought to have done and have not done;
All that we ought not to have thought and yet have thought;
All that we ought not to have spoken and yet have spoken;
All that we ought not to have done and yet have done;
For all that has been wrong, 0 God, we pray for forgiveness.

May this prayer help and guide you too.

Praise the Lord!
TLT

I need thy SUPPORT!!!!

This beautiful photograph has been captured by a friend of mine, Abinash.
Dude, I am using it here without your permission. I trust that you will forgive me ;)

Well, As you would all be knowing by now. My project has gone LIVE! Now it's SUPPORT Time!!!
Stuff not happening...Analysts complaining....Users complaining....Business being affected....And it's a miserable time... ;(

Lord, I need you SUPPORT to make the project support go smoothly. As you have guided us throught our life, please guide us through this phase too!
And my Lord replies,

I know that faith is easy when everything is going well
But can you still
believe in Me when your life's a living hell?
And when all the things around
you seem to quickly fade away
There's just one thing I really want to know

Will you let go? (I'll trust you, Lord)
Will you stand on My word?
(I'll trust you, Lord)
Against all odds will you believe what I have said?
(I'll trust You, Lord)
What seems impossible ... (I'll trust You, Lord)
Will you believe? (I'll trust You, Lord)
Every promise that I made will
you receive? (Yes, I will trust You, Lord)

Thanks you Lord!
TLT

Victory at Last!!!

Yipeee!!!! The project I was working on went LIVE!! A massive morale booster for all of us!
Today, I am reminded of a beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson named "Success".
I will just quote the first verse. If you are interested to read the complete poem please click here

Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

You know; when you are a software engineer, and that too a passionate one, you tend to treat your project as your kid. And you would certainly want the best to happen to him/her. I have had the traumatizing experience of losing one of my kids, so this SUCCESS sure tasted much sweeter..

But as all roads to Success are, this one was not without it's fair share of fights and challenges!!
But we overcame them all!
CHEERS to all of us who made this happen!!
I am thankful that I was blessed with exceptionally brilliant colleagues who challenged and overcame all obstacles that came our way. Thank you friends!

And May GOD Bless Us All.

Your pal,
TLT

P.S> I thank you Lord for helping us overcome our challenges. Please keep your watch over us, your most humble sheeps.

This life is most jolly!!!

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly."

This is an amazingly simple poetry by William Shakespeare.
When I read this there is only one thing that comes to mind -
LIVE! For you have just one earthly life...
LIVE! For there may be no tomorrow...
LIVE! For LIFE is most jolly...

This poem inspires us all to look in the face of adversity and still have the strength to urge oneself to put a brave face... and to stay happy!

Stay HAPPY! God Bless!

Cheers,
TLT

The Lone Ranger

For how long has Tendulkar stood out like The Lone Ranger amidsts the other indian batsmen who heave and puff whenever there a decent opposition bowling attack?
Na I didn't mean for you to answer that!!
It was supposed to be a rhetorical question ;-) (*Wink...Wink).
Just take the Durban ODI (played y'day 22nd Nov 06) for instance. India getting bowled out for a meagre 99 runs and Tendulkar scoring a third of them.
My fav news channed ISTARRR News had rightly called the match " Durban ka Darr!!!"

But it's not an Old Western any more; where a Lone Ranger could demolish a pack of tobacco chewing, gun slinging Outlaws!!! He calls for support....

Is there anyone who can hear???
Dravid...Dhoni...Sehwag...Anyone???

P.S> Same has been the case with Brian Charles Lara.... But slowly the WI team is learning to share responsiblities! Hope this rubs onto us Indians too.

Cheers,
TLT

Counting days!!!

Got a MAJOR project release coming up this weekend!!! I hope everything goes well!!!
My travel plans to India, so much depends on its success!!!



Dear Friends, Please pray for this deeply troubled soul!!!

Ur pal,
TLT

P.S> A friend commented that my nick (The Lonely Traveller) was too long... I agree.
TLT sounds much cooler ;)

P.P.S> I am counting days.. 2 more to go for the release!!

P.P.P.S> On top of everything else, I have put my faith in my Lord! And as usual, I believe that he'll never disappoint me ;-)

Tales from Down Under...

The battle for the ashes is one of the most eagerly awaited sporting events of this year. As the battle is edging nearer, there is so much of buzz around.
"Jones surprise recall!!"
"Marcus Trescothic's sad departure from Australia, probably even from cricket!!"
"Monty Panesar being called a stupid Indian by some weird spectator, who probably left his brains back home!!"

This seems to be the only challenge that the English Cricket Team fights to WIN. I personally don't think that the English team can create an impact during the World Cup, but this Ashes series they might be able to dent the Aussie psyche....

Maybe enough that allows the other teams a chance for the Glorious World Cup.

I sincerely hope that Flintoff and his gang beat the crap out of the haughty Aussies!
And that's my heart speaking... My mind, for obvious reason, doesn't think that the Aussies cannot be beaten in their backyard.

P.S> A sampler of how mighty the Kangaroos think they are:
"We've got Stuart MacGill sitting in the dressing-room, so if all else fails we just bring him and Warnie out and I'm sure the Pommies ... they'll all be going home with depression."
Tact and sympathy from Jeff Thomson

To News or Not To News.....

If you have been following ISHTARRR News for some time you would be aware of their main area of expertice.
You guessed right. It's MASALA!!!
I think ISHTARRR News is fighting a batle against IshTimes Of Bharath.
The winner takes it all!!! "Who is more Masaledaar?"

Note: The last time I read it maybe an year back it was full of the same MASALA
...just a tad milder!

And its not that I dont like MASALA, I love it provided it's within my digestible range ;-)

I can quote examples from the last couple of weeks that would make you pull out all the hair from ur head....
Disclaimer: "The author has no intention of creating a bald readership. Any case of balness, total or partial, arising from reading this article cannot be blamed on the author!!!"

1> Ramu ki Sholay--> "Sirf Esha ban sakti hai Basanti!!!"
Interviewer speaking to Hema Malini: "Aapko pata hai Ramuji Sholay ki remake karne wale hain!"
Hema: "Yes"
ISTHM: "If you has a choice, whom would you cast in your role of Basanti?"
Hema: "Ji, Agar mujhe poocha jaye, to obviously mein apni beti Esha ko hi recommend karoongi."
NewsReader: "App logon ne sahi suna! Hema ji ka kehna hai ki Basanti ka koi kirdaar nibha sake to bas unki beti Esha hai!!"

My Expression at this stage: "What The F***!!! Hema never said that???

2> Indian Cricket Team--> "Cricket -- Yeh Dil Mange Money Money !!"
Some wierd guy: "Indian Team ka kehna hai ki woh tayyari nahi karenge Africa ke daure se pehle"
"Tendulkar team ke liye bahut hi kharab role model sabit ho rahe hain!"

My Expression at this stage: Disbelief!!! Most of the youngsters want to be Tendulkar...
What's wrong with the Media?? Even Sehwag joined the team a Tendulkar clone!!!

SWG, continuing his monologue: "Tendulkar ne abhi ek advertisement shoot kane ke liye ek poora din bitaya.
Unse inspired hokar, Dhoni aur Pathan ne bhi ADIDAS ke liye ramp par chad gaye. Kya yehi sikha rahe hain Tendulkar apne juniors ko??"

My Expression at this stage: "WTF!!!" And I change the channel.

3> Rahul Dravid's Captaincy: "Captaincy Zaroori, Ballebazi nahi!!"
NewsReader: "Rahul Dravid ka kehna hai ki unke liye sirf captaincy zaroori hai ballebazi nahi.
Aaj kar nets par bhi woh practice nahi kar rahe hain Dravid"

Now they show a clip from press conference with Dravid.
Dravid: "Ya I am batting well these past few months, but the team is not been able to acheive much success.

My Expression at this stage: Shocked.. as the clipping has no relation to the Headlines!!!

4> Ravi Chopra: "Phir banegi Mahabharat---Rani banegi Draupadi!!"
Interviewer speaking to Ravi Chopra: "Aapki Mahabharat mein, draupadi ka role to Rani Mukherjee nibha rahai hai"
Ravi: "Nahi aisa nahi hai... Abhi to script bhi finalize nahi hui hai. Casting to hum script ke baad hi start karenge"
NewsReader: "Ravi Chopra ki 100 Crore ki Mahabharat mein Rani Banegi Drapadi!!"

Same news continued:
Interviewer speaking to Mukesh Khanna: "Aapke Bhishm Pitamah ka kirdaar, Amitabh Bachachan nibhane wale hain! Kya kehna hai aapko iske bare mein?"
Mukesh Khanna: " Mahabharat phir se banana bahut mushkil hai."
NewsReader: " To dekhiye, Mukesh Khanna ka kehna hai ki unka kirdaar nibhana Amitabh ji ko bahut mushkil ho sakta hai.."

My Expression at this stage: I throw the remote at my roommate, who take a diving single handed catch.
And then I issue a waring: "Is ghar mein aur kisi ne ISHTARRR News lagaya to uski khair nahi..."


Have a good day!

Ur pal,
The Lonely Traveller

Gazzag mujhe gussa na dila!!!!!!

I was shocked when I opened my gmail account yesterday! 90% of my mails were from friends who were sucked into the Gazzag Trap...
From an acquaintance who was dumb enough to sign up for Gazzag, I understand that as part of the signup, they offer to import all friends from Orkut. Gazzag then took it upon themselves to email all people in his friends list.... And, that included me too ;-(

I am really shocked to know that so many of my friends are interested in social networking that so many of them have signed up for it. And there have even been instances when people have actually mailed back and told me that it was not done intentionally ;-P

Ha ha...

Anyways, I hope this issue subsides soon!

And for heaven's sake
PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP ON GAZZAG!!!!

P.S> I am really bitter today. I don't know why. I even shouted back at a poor li'l gal..... I guess it was because I had so litle sleep in the past 2 days...
I think I should apologize. Sorry dear!!!

Life on Earth...

I haven't written a short story for very long time. The last one I remember writing one was "Addiction".

So when this theme came to me, I couldn't resist.
So here it goes...

Alan Goodman was a very lonely man.
He had recently broken up with his wife after 10 years of marriage, 8 of which were near blissful!!
Well, I guess, you are intelligent enough to guess what happened with the other two.
The court had punished him further by granting custody of their only child, the cherubic little Wendy, to the mother.
Dissapointed with life after the divorce, he chose to move to a smaller town. He assumed that life would be simpler if no one knew him.

The packing was almost done, barring a few pictures of his family. He did not want to keep the pictures. Every glance at those pictures... those wonderful times... those beautiful memories.... gave him jitters. The pain was too much to bear. For one last time he thought....for one last time I shall cry!! And tears rolled over like the thunderous rains.
O Lord! Why have you forsaken me!!! He dropped on his knees and kept sobbing.

He got back on his feet, gathered his luggage, and locked the doors one by one behind him. One last glimpse at the beautiful house, which once was his home! He pulled the gate shut and did not look back.

He thought he was safe now. Safe from all the pain and anguish... safe from the world... away from the life that had caused him enough grief.
He walked slowly to the railway station. He looked up at the clock tower outside the station. It read 14:10.
Another twenty minutes for the train he said to himself.

Entering the station, his caught sight of a beautiful girl. She was wearing the most beautiful dress that he had ever seen... an emerald green scarf that accentuated the light green color of her eyes.
She looked back at him and smiled. He did not know what do so he looked away.

She walked towards him and said : "Alan! Is that you? Remember me? Cathy! We met at the Christmas luncheon last year."
He remembered her very well. They had met at a party and had hit off instantly. But, today he was in no mood for unnecessary banter.
So he looked into her beautiful green eyes and rudely replied :"Sorry! I don't!".
And he glanced down for a moment and then stared back at her.

He could see her expression change. It was like the bright blue sky was being covered up with a gloomy cascade of dark clouds.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "I am so sorry.", she barely managed to mutter and walked off.

He turned to look at her, but she was gone in an instant! It was at that moment that he realized what a fool he had been.
LIFE had given him a second chance, and he had even let that slip by.

His train had arrived at the platform. He stepped in and sat down at a window seat. there was no one around. His whole life revolved around his eyes.
He reflected at the mistakes he had committed... his decisions... and he realized that it was he who had designed his life.
He could not blame anyone else. He was responsible for his own life.

He broke the promise... and cried again!!! There was no one to hear.. no one to console... Just then, he remembered he had the work revolver with him.
He pulled out his bag, and took out the revolver. He felf the cold metal against his skin. The chill gave him shivers.
14 years of service and he had never got an opportunity to use it. Maybe he had saved it all for today!

He raised the barrel to his forehead. He remembered Wendy's face. He remembered the look on his wife's face when she first saw Wendy.
He smiled and cried at same time. His fingers slowly pressed the trigger.

"Tring! Tring!" It was his mobile phone.

He kept the gun aside, and received the call. It was his daughter on the line. "Papa! I already miss you. Mom said that you can pick me up this Sunday".

Tears and prespiration rolled down his cheeks.

"I will Wendy! I will." He cried with joy.

LIFE had give him another chance and he wasn't a fool to miss it this time.

Chasing colors

Hi Dudes and Dudettes,
I had heard a lot about the beautiful autumn colors from a lot of friends, so decided to give Winkworth Arboretum a visit.
The head arboretor told us that the best time to visit the place would be the first week of November.
So off I went....chasing colors.

And trust me! It was worth a visit. Don't believe me? Look at the pics again!!!

P.S> The colors are going to stay at least a week. So, if you get time you know where to go!

Cheers,
The Lonely Traveller

I am back!!!

Hey Dear Blog,

I am sorry that I was away for a long time. I have been busy lately. Busy doing shopping. ;-)
Look what all I have bought...watches, toys, media players, ipod!! Cool na ;-)
And I cannot write much today coz I am looking for a good IPOD Video converter.
Lets see if I find one today.

Take care and see you later!

P.S> Why are people criticizing DON and Shahrukh so much!!! It was an awesome remake. Hats off to you farhan for making such a brilliant picture.
A lot of moments have been inspired by Hollywood... like MI, Usual Suspects etc.
And believe me when I use the word INSPIRED!!!

P.P.S> I hate when people blatantly copy some Hollywood movie scene by scene and call it inspiration. Watch, The Killer for instance. Its a Z Grade rip off of Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox!!! Irrfan Khan let me down this one time by signing this movie.

Main hoon DON!!!

Yipeeeeeeeee! Don is releasing tomorrow, and I an overtly devoted Amitabh fan, am going to watch the remake. Even though Shahrukh plays the title role, and Kareena plays Helen's part, Even though "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala" Remix is the worst insult to the magical tune of Kalyanji Anandji, I still have promised myself that I am going to watch it. And why?
Is it just because Farhan, The "Dil Chahta Hai" Akhthar is directing the movie? Initially I thought it was just that, but its only today I realized that this is not the entire story.
Somewhere in me lies, A Priyanka Chopra fan. Hate me or Love me, but I am as devoted a Priyanka fan as I were a Kajol fan during her "Wonder Years".
I have watched and admired Priyanka grow as an actress. She knows her boundaries, and she sticks to that. She is way better than all the model turned acresses that we have in the industry now. And her being in Don's remake give me enough reason not to miss the movie.
Priyanka!!!! Main aa raha hoon!

P.S> I like the way Shan croons, "Mujhko pehchan lo .. Main hooon DON!!!"

Thirty One - Answers

I had promised myself that I would wait for 31 replies before answering this. But, 15 seems like a good number. Thanks to all my friends who took time off from their hectic schedule to reply to a weird questionaire set up by a crazy friend of theirs ;-)...
Well, it is 31 minus 1 divided by 2... So 15 it is!!! And here are the answers and the justifications.

1. YES! I am scared of Roaches.. Well, these creatures have been there from the time of dinosaurs... Wow!! And if you have watched "Mimic", "Creepshow" and other B-Grade counterparts you have more reasons to hate 'em!!!!
Did you know: The world's largest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, which can grow to 9 cm in length and weigh more than 30 grams.

2. NO I don't! To tell the truth, I don't remember anything from my childhood! I din't even remember my friend from 10th class initially... and think about remembering the first sip of alcohol!!!

3. That's again true! I really haven't seen the Taj ;-( Just on movies! But, I will surely next year. Its a promise to myself!

4. NO, I bat right handed and also bowl with the same hand. But there was a time when I used to TRY to bat and bowl left handed ;-)

5. YES! I was an ardent follower of "Popular mechanics for Kids" and I really loved Elisha ;-) Ain't she CUTE?

6. NO (and YES)! Well, I did not bunk school, rather I bunked my English tuitions!! Deepak, you remembered that!! Cheers ;-)

7. YES I am scared to ride two wheelers. I think I don't have it in me! ;-(

8. NO, It was NOT!!!! Chemistry and Biology were the subjects I hated the MOST!!

9. YES! I flunked in mathematics in 8th Class. I scored 24 out of 100 ;-(
Note: 8 out of 80 and 16 out of 20 ;-) Well, You are thinking right! I cheated in my class test

10. NO! My teacher used to scold me for not putting those lines above all the letters..
Note: I forgot the script. ;-(

11. YES! Always! My friend and more than all, My Dad used to fight with me for that!! I remember last WorldCup's match between India and Holland! I was the only person in the College Common Room, cheering for Holland! I did receive a bashing for all my efforts ;-)

12. NO! No way...... (Psssst just once, not multiple times!!!)

13. Yes! I still don't believe it, but I really did! Vineeth, you missed it dude! It was Brajesh who pushed me into taking such a rash step! I looked ugly!!! You know my Mom did not let me in when she saw me that way. I had to remove my earring and put on a cap before she let me in.

14. Yes I do. They are the easiest Non-Veg food to cook!! ( Some vegetarians eat eggs!!! And...Hello!!!! Eggs are NOT Vegetarian!!!

15. No, I never did that! I actually had a friend who did that ;-)
I am always in an amazing company of friends!!

16. No!!! Yuck!! Gutkha... I might even puke at the tought of being an addict.

17. No. It was not! My first cycle was a ladie's cycle ;-( Forgot the brand though!

18. Yes, and don't laugh Puhleeez!!! . I have tried a lot to push myself into learning to type properly but in vain.

19. No! I never did actually learn to swim. Well, technically speaking..I did try a couple of times. But that hasn't served the purpose! I still can't swim.

20. Yes. That is true. I am really bad at remembering numbers. My History teacher will vouch for that ;-)

21. Yes. I am really scared of speaking in public. As a matter of fact, when I am speaking in front of a crowd, I can hear my hearbeats more than my speech. ;-(
P.S> By the way, some of my friends say that I am really good at it.

22. Yes. This is really true. I flicked the O. Henry story and converted it to Hindi... LOL!!!
And I won... ha ha..

23. No yaar! I would never have the audacity to do that... ;-)

24. Ha Ha...Its still brings smile to my face. Part of this is actually true... ;-) I had a major crush on her and I did confess it to her. Patient as she was, she explained me for one whole month why it was impossible for us to be together ;-)
P.S> She is now happily married in CANADA.

25. Yes. Saldy I was caught once. They found a ticket for a night show in my pocket. I never did watch another such movie after that!!!
Pssst! Now that's a blatant lie!!!

26. NO!!! This is another example of a plain lie... Jithin, I know you would have been the happiest person in the world if this happened to you.

27. My folks tell me that this is true. I am as usual oblivious of this.

28. Yes. This was in 9th class. She baked me potato chips. And she showed me her finger, which she injured while slicing potatoes.

29. Yes I do. I hate MONSOON.... P.S> There's a movie by that name, that featured Helen Brody, which I like though ;-)

30. If 4 times can be called multiple times, then I sure graced the newspapers lot of times, the best among them was "The Asian Age" ;-)

31. No I don't! I would love to learn to play the guitar. But there was a time, when I told my folks that I want to learn tabla when there was an opportunity for me.

So, there you are. So, my dearest blog and friends, you have learnt more about me today than any other day!! ;-)

Have a good evening.

Sky full of Hope....

Beautiful photograph! Ain't it? I took this one when I was in Derbyshire.

My dear Blog,
I want to share something important with you today. A message that may help you overcome all the pressure that falls on you...
A message that may help you spring back to your usual happy self....
There are lot of times when we feel depraved of hope... we feel there is nothing we can do... just look at the sky for some time. (Well, at least that's what I do!) It fills my otherwise gloomy life with so much happiness that I cannot explain.
I have never seen God, and I can never visualize how he may look like... But, I can for sure see his creations... the sky... the stars.. the sun...
It gives me the strengh to fight and resist the demons that try to persecute me... the demons that terrify me... demons that drain me of happiness....
But, God rejuvenates me....And, I am filled with hope...in ABUNDANCE...like a sky full of hope
Stay happy!!
God Bless.

Your friend and composer,
The Lonely Traveller.

A Lazy Kinda Day.....

You know, even though the weather was perfect for an outing...A lazy dude as I am.... chose to lie down warm and cozy in my bed..... Woke up nice and slow at noon.
NOON!! the realization was like a kick in the nuts. What the $$$$ you dumb MORON!!! You nincompoop... You wasted half a day!! Do something!!!
Have some FUN!
But, with the Laziness factor looming large, I decided to watch back to back movies ...first CRANK and then SIN SITY!
One hell of a lazy day.... just slept and ate ... and slept ...and watched movies... and slept.

Cheers!

Thirty One - Truth, Lies and Stuff

I know you think that I am CRAZY. I can prove that I am. Why the hell would I be publishing this post?
My thoughts are blocked.... there is nothing to blog about. So what does an insane mind like mine do? Well, it suggests me to follow the bandwagon of fellow bloggers who some time or the other have published "Stuff you know about me!!".
Some are perfect truths, others blatant lies and there are some that are sorta truthful recollections.
So here it goes!

1. I am scared of cockroarches.
2. I remember my first sip of Whiskey. I was in the 6th class that time.
3. I have not visited Taj Mahal.
4. I am a right hander, but I bowl and bat left handed.
5. I had a crush on "Elisha Cuthbert" when she anchored Popular Mechanics for Kids on Discovery channel.
6. The first movie that I bunked school for was "Bandit Queen".
7. I am afraid of driving two wheelers.
8. Chemistry was my favourite subject in school.
9. I flunked in Mathematics just once in my school life.
10.I got appreciation for my Hindi handwriting in school.
11.I always support the team that is playing against india in cricket.
12. I have gone commando at multiple occasions.
13. Once during my college days, I shaved my head and wore an earring.
14. I love eggs.
15. To complete a challenge posed by a friend, I have pissed in the dustbin in the classroom.
16. I was a gutkha addict before I joined Infosys.
17. My first cycle was an Atlas Ranger
18. I need to watch the keyboard while typing.
19. I am one of the best swimmers in Jamshedpur. I was in the school swimming team.
20. I am not good at remembering numbers and other statistics.
21. I am scared of speaking in public.
22. I plagiarized "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry for a creative writing contest and won the first prize.
23. I fell in love with one of my best pal's girlfriend.
24. I dated my Computer lecturer.
25. I was reprimanded by my parents for watching an Adult Certified movie.
26. I was mugged in West Ham once, and the guy who called for help was Shaka Hislop, the West Ham goalie.
27. I nearly died at the age of 6 due to a reaction to Penicilin.
28. A girl once baked potato chips for me coz I told her that I love chips.
29. I hate Monsoon.
30. I have been on the newspapers multiple times.
31. I prefer to learn the Tabla, than Guitar.

The answers and explanations will follow shortly!

Cheers!

Total CRAP!!!

Just came across this article while reading today's Metro (a free newspaper circulated in UK and Ireland) :
'I have been called shallow on a number of occasions and I suppose my critics are right,' says Freja Kensington, owner of Belle Baise, a swinging club based in Nottingham. 'I am prejudiced against ugly people but I have to be.'

Well she might have some reason to be biased! But, why the hell should I? You know how you instantly like someone... you just seem to hit it off... connect instantly;
Similarly you meet people whom you take a disliking to immidiately. You don't know why they turn you off, but they do.
Same thing happens to me a lot of times. There's this person who sometmes comes to play Table Tennis. And, to be frank, I just hate the sight of him. You may feel that I am cheap and shallow and stuff like that. Maybe, I might later find out that he is a very nice person, but the way he carries himself currently, he is totally filled with CRAP....
Or am I?

Few things that I don't understand...

I took this photograph during the `Fun Quay Beach Weekend` during the summer. The carnival was zimbly awesome! There was this couple that performed some circus tricks that really left all spectators spellbound.

Did you note something peculiar about the pics? See how the roles have interchanged between the images! Well it reminds me of the currents times when both the sexes are thought of as EQUALS. All this is perfect!!! But.....

As they say : "There is always a BUT!!"

I don't understand the following:

Women say they should be treated as equals, however they fight to secure a reservation wherever they can!!!

If "Ladies first" doesn't apply anymore, why is it that they stare at you if you get in the lift before them?

Nobody has any problems if the so called "weaker sex" stares at us!!

Ladies, If you have read this, please don't be offended!

P.S>
Being ignorant as I am , there is a lot of stuff that I dont understand, and one of them is WOMAN.I cannot understand what goes thru their minds.. Why can't their thoughts be a simple as ours? I cannot understand their tantrums (Pssst : I am also accused of being Moody!!)..

Hasta La Vista, Baby!!!! T2 is Back!!!

Now, puhleeez don't confuse T2 to be Terminator... It's Titanic, Baby!!! A friend of mine, who really thought that this was the trailer of a sequel to Titanic, forwarded this to me.
I did not know what to expect! I could never visualize a part 2 of Titanic.. But when he mentioned that Leornado looked brilliant in the trailers, I wanted to have a look at this.
It was a brilliant trailer!!! The creator has taken clipping from various movies and made this gripping preview. I just loved how he used the "warm goo phase" ;-)

Bells!!!! Remember Austin Powers ?

At least after viewing this, no one will ever think of ruining the masterpiece called Titanic ;-).

P.S> The following movies have been used for making this clip.
1. Catch Me If You Can
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Iceman
4. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
5. The Hulk
6. The Beach
7. Ghostship
8. Con Air

Can you spot more????

Achcha Ullu banaya na?

I dunno why, but today I am reminded of a prank that couple of my friends and I played on some unsuspecting friends from college. It was the time of Cricket World '03, with peoples daily routine being watching, speaking and thinking about the outcome of each and every match.
At the stroke of midnite, we used to call unsuspecting friends from a newly acquired mobile connection, by the name of "Midnite Raffles!!". Asking them random and often wierd questions that crossed our mind, finally promising them a World Cup ticket in return.
Many fell to this trick, the most notable among them being "J" Boss(a.k.a. The Mastermind). We I heard a rumour that he even visited the website we had suggested to claim his prize. We did make an "Ullu" out of him.
On the similar lines, we tried to play the same prank on another friend from Bangalore. And unluckily it turned out that his sister who had come to visit them from Singapore was using the phone. We woke her up at midnite, asked her wierd questions like "Did mobile phones come first or did Sim cards?" ;-0
It was only late in the call that I realized that it was not a "Dude" but a "Dudette"!!!
Lucky for us that she didn't call the cops on us!!

Divine justice, I would say. I think I got what I deserved!!

Maine us din Zindagi ko door khade muskurate hua dekha!!
Maine poocha ki aise kya ghoor rahi hai? And sarcastically, she smiled and replied : "Achcha Ullu banaya na? "

The Good and the Bad that happened to me lately...

Note: These are some of the events that come to my mind when I think of the good and the bad that has happened to me recently. And these are not in any specific order!!.

Bad:

1> One of my colleagues, with whom I was in regular contact over phone, thought that I was a gal!!! Later, she thought that I was a old guy (in mid thirties!!!)
Do you believe that??
And her reason, I had taken a sick leave!!
Are only oldies eligible for sick leave? :-(

2> Bought an IPOD on ebay from a powerseller!!!! The IPOD doesn't work ;-(

3> Got into a restuarant and ordered food !! Realized later that I had left the wallet back home ;-(

4> Warney came to Canary Wharf. The queue was so big that I did not get chance to meet him. ;-(

Good:

1> Shifted my residence to a beautiful apartment in Canary Wharf

2> Played Indoor Cricket @ PlayOnSports along with some colleagues. Though i was in the losing team, it was awesome!!

3> My trip to the Scottish Highlands. ;-)

4> The number and the seriousness of the defects in my project has drastically reduced!! Yipeeeee!!

The Walk - Part Two

I had promised myself that I would record my complete trek details for future reference. It's been a long time since I wrote the first part, so most of the details are rather blur.

My map read -

Terrain: Hilly in places, but mostly easy walking. A section of the climb up to Shacklow Wood can be difficult under foot in wet weather.

And as the weather was just perfect - perfectly wet!!! ;-(

Our route:
1. Walk across the field guided by the marker post to the far right hand corner and go over a stile onto a farm track.

2. Go to the left up the track until it enters a field, when you immediately turn left up a slope, keeping close to the wall on your left.

3. After crossing the stile in the top corner of the field, turn sharp right keeping close to the stone wall and go through the next stile onto another farm track.

4. Continue along the well signed track, shortly to follow the edge of the steeply sided valley round to the right, to climb a short flight of steps to Monsal Head.

5. From here take the signed path down a flight of steps to Monsal Dale and the viaduct, turning left at a gate by the end of some farm buildings.

6. Cross a footbridge and turn left to follow the path close to the River Wye for just over a mile to reach the busy A6.

7. Walk across the road to the far side of White Lodge Car Park, and take the surfaced path across the field heading for the trees high up on the left.

8. On reaching a waymarker bear to the left to enter a narrow limestone valley. In about 50 yards cross a stile on the left and follow the winding path to another waymarker taking the route signed ‘Ashford and Sheldon’ leading up the hillside to the left.

9. Go through a stile into Shacklow Wood heading for Ashford. Continue along the path as it gently descends to follow the riverbank to the Sheldon Road where you turn left.

10. After a short distance turn right along the A6 and then left at Sheepwash Bridge into Ashford. Carry straight on up Fennel Street, turning to the right at the top back to the start of the walk.

Amazing trek!!!! And we had our map to guide us.

The only problem was point 6 : `follow the path close to the River Wye for just over a mile to reach the busy A6`.

We walked and walked and walked......for more than a mile... more than 2-3 miles but no sign of A6...
Either that, or our definition of a mile was way off target!!! :-0

P.S> We completed this trail in 5-6 hrs at quite a steady gait!!! And I still do have nightmares about the almost 45 degree climb in Shacklow Wood, under very slippery conditions and inadequate shoes and nothing to stop my fall before the valley hundreds of feet below!!!!

Life is beautiful...

On a gloomy day while travelling through the highlands of Scotland, the rain decided to give us a break. The sun came out beautifully through the clouds. And thats when I saw this most beautiful rainbow that spanned from one village to the next. This was a sight that would have brought cheer on many faces that day....

And I couldn't help singing to myself : "It's a beautiful day!!"

While travelling on the bus on my way to office i saw this mom of two smartly dressed kids, and a toddler, dropping her kids to the stop nearest to their school. The brothers took their turns to kiss their mother and kissed the youngest sibling goodbye."Cross the road safely!" reminded the mother.

The mom stood looking from the back window of the bus till her children were out of sight.

At "Heights of Abraham", a theme park, said a father to his 2-3 yr old son : "You know this was the place where Mommy and Daddy decided that we wanted to make you. Now after these 3 years all three of us are here".

The mom continued hugging her hubby and kept smiling!

While climbing dowm a very tricky 500 spiral steps of a watch tower, I saw a saw a couple of kids ahead of me all alone. Since I could not overtake them I chose to observe them carefully. The elder gal had a firm hold on her younger sis. When at last we reached the ground, I saw a guy running towards them shouting "Where have you gals been? Why did you climb the tower without telling us?". "Your mother and I were worried!"

The younger of the two gals replied: " Don't worry Dad. Sis was holding my hand all the time."

It' when you see instances like this, you realize that life is so beautiful.... If only we open our eyes and look around!!!

Munnabhai's Chemical Locha...

Well if you felt Munnabhai MBBS was the best movie that the Dutt-Warsi-Hirani could pull off, you definitely need to watch the 2nd installment.
You will be left spellbound diring the entire course of the movie and in some cases even days after.

"Lage Raho Munnabhai", is about our 'sweet as Halwa' Gangster Munnabhai, played by Sanjay Dutt, who recreates magic once again in the awesome company of the the 'crunchy as Popcorn' sidekick Sarkeswar (a.k.a. Circuit) played to perfection by Arshad Warsi.

One request. Please for God's sake don't call this a SEQUEL!!! This is an entirely new chapter in Munnabhai's life. A chapter thats is entirely new and refreshing but still retaining the essence of their first outing.

This time, Munna's love interest is a cute RJ Jhanavi, played by the beautiful Vidya Balan of Parineeta fame. Her "Good Morning Mumbai" really seemed like a good show and her voice was near perfect for a RJ. I say near perfect because the last time someone played an RJ was so horrible.(Remember RJ (S)ambhar of Salaam Namaste :-0).

In this instalment too, we have the talented Boman Irani, playing a punjabi contracter. What he likes to do best apart from usurping other peoples houses and lands, is to pose for photograph which he morphs later with Aiswarya, Bush, The Queen, and so on and so forth. He shows us why he is considered one of the finest comedians in indian cinema.

Also it was nice to see Parikshit Sahni on screen after a long time.
Jimmy Shergill is refreshing as ever and Dia looked beautiful.

But the best part of the movie was Munna's interactions with Mahatma. Those scenes were truly endearing. Hirani really managed to teach us all a bit of Gandhian principles... principles that we had long forgotten. For once, there is a sane director who doesn't shove 'Gandhigiri' down our unwilling throats; Instead he lets these feelings sink in rather smoothly.

Warning: SpoilerAhead!!!

Abhishekh seems to be the only choice for all directors for a special appearance. He is totally wasted in this movie.

This movie was one of my best cinema experiences. Hirani really shows us that the exotic locales, grand sets, superstars need not necessarily make a good movie. There is more to it.

There is a thing called HEART!!!!

The inS(h)ane Way...

Guess what! It was my lucky day today. I had the good fortune to being within couple of metres reach from my favourite cricketer.
Warney had come to Canary Wharf for the launch of his new book "Shane Warne - My Illustrated Career". Unluckily for us, there was such a long queue for his autograrh that we had to returned empty-handed. ;-(
I just love Warney .....for his for his wildly beautiful legbreaks and the perfectly pitched flippers(..or zooters or whatever you care to call it),... his intense concentration interspersed with the broadest of smiles, ....his sporting nature(I just love the way he applauds the batsman who has thrashed him all over the park), ....for his ability to stage a comeback when almost everyone had lost hope(remember the diuretic drama).
And the list goes on.... and on... and on..... Like the energizer bunny they show in the advertisement. ;-)
His life is nothing short of a fairytale crafted in the most inS(h)anely way possible!
If only everyone had a little bit of Shane in 'em... Life wouldn't have been this Ordinary!!

P.S>While we were standing in queue for buying the book, we noticed a much bigger queue for shane's autograph. So we decided to split and one woul buy the book and other block place in the autograph queue. But, Your's Truly noticed that no one in the queue were buying the "Shane Warne" book.
Me: Arey yaar!! yeh book to koi nahi khareed raha hai... There is no point in splitting up and me standing in the autograph queue. Jisko bhi wahan jana hai, woh yahin so to jayega!"
Atul: "Yaar. Woh aagey wali ke haath mein hain na, Dekh
Me: "Kahaan yaar!!"
That aage waali (in the most Britishest of indian accent): "Main hindi janti hoon!!"
Me(dumbfounded): "Sheeesh!" ;-(

A place called HOME...

John Denver is one of my favourite singers. Whenever I feel like relaxing, I just put on some tracks of his. They take me to a different universe altogether... where everything's beautiful. If you haven't heard "Country Roads" then please do listen to it.
I am quoting couple of stanzas from it:

"Almost heaven, west virginia
Blue ridge mountains, shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home
To the place, I be-long
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads"

Take me home ... to the place I belong... Beautiful! Ain't it?

And talking about HOME, my home is where my family is. Dad, Mom, Sis and our Loving Lord. A small happy home. It wasn't always happy, but we reached there finally.
All thanks to our wonderful God.

O Lord, today I pray that you stay in our home and our hearts for ever. My family needs you.. My friends need you.. And more than all I need you in my life for ever.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I just saw part of this quote on one of my friend's msn, and I couldn't refrain from quoting it here today.

This is one of my favourite verses from the Bible. Whenever I am in trouble of any kind. I just think of this verse. It calms me.... for I know that I can face the vilest of demons because My Lord is with me and his grace is sufficient for me.

I wish.....

Note: This picture was taken during the fun beach carnival last month at West India Quay. England is trying hard to promote cricket, so URBAN CRICKET was distributing free softball bats. I too picked up one. ;-)

Cricket being my favourite subject, is the topic for today's post too. Here it goes...

After being hit all over the park on my bowling today, I have only ONE wish.

I wish, I could bat against my own bowling......

Among the bubbles....

After a very tiring day out at the beach (We went there as a group of 17 people. Also I haven't been at a beach in a very long time.) at Bournemouth, I came back home and had the most amazing bubble-bath ever..and I mean EVER!
I don't have the patience to take bubble-bath daily, so most often than not, it falls on a Sunday.
I could feeld my pains just vapourize and float away leaving me with the most intense feeling of peaceful calm within.
And that's the time I reflected on my past. I wasn't the two shaded soul, I thought I was. I had lot's of different shades to me.
Only that it too ages for me to realize this...

Warm bath with muscle soak bath salts and lots of bath creme to get the required fragrant bubbles.... And just lie down in it for an hour... It's a beautiful experience. Now, I know it sounds kinda girly stuff.
But, if Chandler Bing can love bubble-baths (Remember the Friends episode?), so can I.

Cheers.

P.S> I am trying hard to finish off my "Ashford in the Water" trek details( i.e. the Walk - Part 2). I have almost written it twice and deleted, soz I am not able to capture the beauty of out trail in words.

Addiction....

Bob Coorgy and his family lived in a small crack in the wall in Mr. Sharma's house. Papa Bob...Mama Sue...The triplets Peggy, Megan, Rea ... and young Randy! A perfect family!!

Mr. Sharma was a very religious man who worshipped with so much rigour that it used to shake the entire Coorgy household. Apart from his pooja hours, Mr. Sharma was as gentle as a lamb.

Mrs. Sharma on the other hand was an Amazon. She was very beautiful but could look menacing when she needed to be. One glare of her's could make you wet your pants.
The Coorgy household had learnt by experience, never to cross Mrs. Sharma.

One morning, the entire Coorgy family woke up to the hysterical screams of Mrs. Sharma. Bob, looked through the crack and saw Mrs. Sharma weeping, holding a saree to her bosom. Mr. Sharma sat beside his wife and tried had to console her. Someone had dared to venture into Mrs. Sharma's closet and bitten her favourite saree to shreds.

That was the day when all hell was set loose. Mrs. Sharma wanted "those darn rats" to be exterminated.
She went to the Tuesday market and bought a rat trap and a big packet of cheese. Bob and his family were totally oblivious of this happening.

That day Mrs. Sharma put some cheese in a small bowl and left it overnight. Bob and his family had a feast,the same night, not knowing what the future had in hold for them.

Now this became a practice. Mrs. Sharma would place some left over cheese and the Coory family would wipe it clean. Cheese was the best food that the family had ever fed on. Slowly, they were so addicted that could not live without cheese.

The following week, the mouse trap was set and cheese was placed on it. It was the little Megan who first saw it. She looked back if any of her family was in sight. Seeing no one, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she had the whole cheese slice to herself. She steathily crawled towards it.

SNAP!
Mrs. Sharma knew what had happened. She rushed towards the trap. She was victorious. She asked her husband to get rid of the mess and set up the trap again.

From the crack in the wall Bob and his family witnessed the aftermath. They knew that something bad had happened to Megan. Bob and Sue, explained to their kids what Mrs. Sharma had done. They prohibited their kids not to eat cheese out of the trap again.

That same evening, a trap was set again. A beautiful round piece of cheese lay within. Peggy and Rea both saw it. They had witnessed what had happened to Megan. But, they loved their cheese.

Peggy tried hard to look away from the dazzing white cheese ball. She could not resist any longer and leapt for it, even before her sister could.

SNAP!
This time the cheese ball fell out of the trap. Rea ran after it, not even bothering to look what happened to Peggy.
Randy, playing behind the chairs, saw the cheese ball roll towards him.

He had never seen such a beautiful sight in his life. He wanted it. He wanted the cheese real BAD!
He sprinted out of his hiding towards the cheese only to find Rea take a huge bite of it. How could she take something that belonged to him? His own sister had tricked him. Without any further thought, Randy attacked her.

Rea, small as she was, could not protect herself from the sudden attack and lay bleeding nearby. Randy fed on the leftover cheese. He took the largest bite possible, so that no one else would take his share. He tried to chew it but the chunk was too large for his small throat.

His face turned pale as he chocked to death!

Bob and Sue, not finding their children at home, came out only to find the the blood soaked body of Rea..and a motionless Randy, lying next to a half eaten piece of Cheese. A metre ahead, lay the trap with Peggy in it.

Tears flowed like streams.... But there was nothing Bob or Sue could do. Their life were changed for ever!

The Walk - Part One

Aug 27th 2006

7:35 a.m:
I woke up to the buzzzzz of the big radio clock on the nightstand. What a wonderful day!
Yes. That's the first thing that I said to myself.
Got out of my bed... walked over to the window... pulled the drapes away... and witnessed the most beautiful morning in a very long time.

7:40 a.m:
"Hey buddy, We are getting late for breakfast!", I shouted at "X" who still sleeping. He jumped up at once, as if he had seen a nightmare. "Chalo. Get ready." I said.

7:45 a.m:
Took my toothbrush and walked over to bathroom. It was one of the best bathrooms I have been to. I don't know how to compare it.
Let's see. For the benefit of all my female audience. It was equivalent to the best dress that you have seen at Harrods.
Or, for the guys this was more pleasing than witnessing the best game of Football or Cricket.
I bolted the door, and looked at the beauty of the place for some time, before I £$$$$%^&*(($%^& It's all CENSORED %&*(("£$%"£$%% :-0

8:03 a.m:
Fresh as a daisy, I stepped out of the bathroom. As soon as I came out, "X" sprinted towards the bathroom, beating the elderly next door neighbour, by almost a metre. When he bolted the door from inside, I saw the poor old man frown, disapprovingly shaking his head, and then walk back into his room.
"Y" had got ready much before me. "Chalo let's start for breakfast. X will join us later", Y told me.

8:10 a.m:
"Good morning Martha. Hi Paul!", I greeted my hosts before moving towards the dining table.
"How are you boys doing today? Please help yourself with the cereals." said Martha.

8:18 a.m:
After a huge round of cereal hogging, we were served hash browns and vegetarian sausages, we had requested, without any peas, beans, roast mushrooms or tomatoes.

8:20 a.m:
"X" joined us. After our breakfast, we rushed back to our room and carried all our luggage out.
We thanked Paul and Martha for their hospitality.

8:30 a.m:
Your's Truly plays the guide. We had downloaded a walk map online, that promised to show us the entire township of Buxton.
Our first bus to our final pitstop, "Ashford-In The Water", was supposed to leave at 9:55 from Buxton.

9:56 a.m:
And due to our lousy estimate of time, we had to run at the last moment to catch it. I think the Peak District is only meant for the retired,
coz I did not see any young gun there. Even, the bus we boarded was packed with people over 50.

10:13 a.m:
"That's our stop" said I. Y, looked at the old quiet village, and asked if we wanted to change our plans?
"Do you want to get down here? Or we can go further to Bakewell.".
Fatty got excited at the thought of Bakewell tart/Pie/Pudding and tried to convince myself and others that its better we skip our Ashford trip for Bakewell.
But, Yours Truly, rose to the occasion, wore his backpack and moved towards the exit.

10:14 a.m:
"This village looks deserted!" said Y. "I think we should have gone to Bakewell instead".
Fatty gave us that, "You did not listen to me" look.
"Guys, lets give this a try. We have this 6 mile walk trail. Let's see if this is any interesting and then we will decide on further plans.
said I.


To be continued...... ;-)