If you have it, you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have.

A lot can happen over a cup of coffee...!!!

These days I am having a lot of coffee and each time I have a cup of coffee, innumerable memories flood my mind.

It reminds me of the days when every day after our classes (sometimes even before our classes) we used to head for the IC for a cup of coffee. That used to be the sole "energy drink" which helped us sail through the lectures. The special coffee served in our mess during exam nights used to serve as the harsh reminder that it's high time we need to stop gossiping (still don't understand why we were flooded with gossip topics only during exams) and start studying.

The well known CCD tagline 'a lot can happen over a cup of coffee' reminds me of the day (holiday actually) when we were just gossiping in our hostel room and someone mentioned this line. And almost simultaneously all of us said 'Let's go to CCD..!!'. It was around 1030 in the morning, we were just lazing around and were not even out of our beds at that time. And at 1100, we were on the bus which took us to the nearest CCD (that was around 20kms) from our college. That was the day and today is a day when in spite of wanting a cup of coffee we would not despise our laziness to walk up to a CCD just 200 mts away.

I have been to barista only a couple of times but the one which invariably is on my mind is the day when my cousin, my bro n I had gone to a Barista in Mumbai. We had ordered the best of coffees (with every topping possible as my cousin was treating us). During those days, I used to be crazy for the cream they used to serve. So after finishing up mine quickly, I took some cream from my bro's cup to which he resisted (quite a normal reaction). But I was just too hell bent on having it and amidst the small tu tu main main, accidently my bro spilled his coffee partially on me and partially on himself. Without realizing that it was a public place and I was equally at fault, I shouted at the top of my voice at my bro for spoiling my dress. I still remember he cleaned up my dress with a tissue first ( in spite of the fact that even his dress was spoiled),then apolozied for the entire thing and sweetly offered the remaining coffee with cream to me. All this while I was still shouting at him and everyone else was looking at my bro as if he had done some gross thing to me. I still remember his sorry look and his sweet nature at that time even when I was at fault and I was being irrational. I never said sorry to him for that act but whenever I have coffee with cream, I always think of that day and feel sorry.

And jab baat coffee ki ho rahi hai to how can I forget this one. While going uphill to Vaishnodevi, I spotted a CCD. I was with my cousin and asked him to stop there for a cup of coffee. He refused my request bluntly and dragged me uphill. I insisted a lot but nothing was of any use. He was adamant on continuing without wasting time. But then while coming down, he himself offered me a treat in CCD and asked me to order anything from the menu. That was too big and unexpected a treat at that time (when I was totally exhausted).

Worth mentioning is also the innumerable coffee treats both at college and at office :) I still remember our unusual trips to the coffee vending machines to eat the coffee beans and even now my aim usually is to reach office before the morning coffee is served there..!!!

Fettered...

Fettered by this...
I can not say what is at my heart,
when I can not even chase a hart.

Time is ticking by,
second by second.
Will I get a chance second
before I bid goodbye?

Fettered by this...
I can not be happy like a child,
when I can not even run into the wild!!!

Dream vs Reality

I turned left, then right, then left again.
Something was not letting me sleep,
somewhere, some part was in pain.

But what was that? I should not think about it now.
All I wanted was a few hours of sleep somehow.
Again turned right, this time with an urge,
An urge to dial your number.

Phonebook...search...A..B..K...
with trembling hands I reach till Z.
Pain with a tinge of sorrow and a pinch of fear
made me forget your number.

And as I checked the number dialed last,
memories flashed from the past.
Everytime I couldnt sleep or was up from some dream,
I would dial your number fast.

Sleep...Sleep...I forced my brain,
Turn left, turn right...but don't think of this again.
And lo! suddenly my eyes open
to realize that it was all a dream.

Yes, it had to be a dream - a second later I thought
because in reality there's no 'you' and no 'your number'..!!

Pleasure is now my pleasure !!!

It's been around 6 months since I bought Hero Honda Pleasure....it has covered 2500 kms and has gone for two free servicing but still while chatting i get replies like 'when did u buy a vehicle..and which one??'...'oye...u drive to ofc??..kab se..kaise..' .. ' u bought a 2-wheeler and didnt tell me....u hv forgotton me...'etc from my friends. To avoid all such allegations in future, here is my declaration 'I bought a honda pleasure (dual tone black) on Jul 30th 2009...learnt driving in the next 15 days and now I drive decently to my office..to muv theatres and to malls..'

In these 6 months, I have noticed a few things which I always thought I would include it in some of my blogs some day. What better post to include them than this one which officially (though i dont mind including them in my posts without any context also) is about by new purchase and my driving.

• Everyone says 'Turn left/right from the next red light'......shouldn't it be from the next green light???


• Auto-walas derive sadistic pleasure in blocking the get-away for 2-wheelers by inserting their front wheel. They always think they are as sleek as bikes and would get between the cars and would make sure that if they cannot go ahead neither does any 2-wheeler!!


• It's very dangerous to drive close to a bus...not because they drive erratically but because people sitting in the bus have the strange habit of spitting out from the window without even checking outside!!


• Why do people waiting towards the trailing end start honking as soon as the signal turns green? Even the people at the front want to cross the signal asap!!


• Why does it never rain (in spite of thick dark clouds) if you want your vehicle to be washed by the rains?


• And yes...I do acknowledge the fact that traffic police men are lenient towards female drivers. They have not issued challans to me in situations where my other friends have been issued challans if they drive..!!

PS : This list is not exhaustive and would be updated as and when something strikes me. Any additions are most welcome :)

Welcome 2010 !!!

I have often heard that the entire year depends on the way you spend the first day of the year..Last year,I had spent the first day just whiling away in my room itself in Chennai...so I guess 2009 was kind of boring and uneventful. But this 1st Jan was rocking.

We reached gurgaon after completing our rajasthan trip on 1st and straight went to the accomodation our dear host had arranged for us. All along the trip, we had heard stories about the way our host had kept his room...unusually tidy and unorganized to an extent that even the guys said they want another acco n were not ready to share his room. So after persuading the security gaurds of his hostel for quite some time, he allowed us (gals were strictly not allowed inside the hostel...but ye India hai...bit of deviatons always work) to have a look at his room. And the moment we entered his room, I felt like throwing up....it was stinking and was a horrible sight. Still the host was proudly showing his room and posing for pics.



After a bit of rest and quick lunch at MacD, the rocking new year evening started. We played at the gaming zone like crazy people....the host was too liberal in purchasing the gaming coupon and we were too enthusiastic to swipe the card at each game counter. Right from bike racing to ice hockey to sniper shooting to basketball to jackpots...we played everything. Some of them didn't start at all but still who cares till we are having fun.



After around an hour of crazy games, we went to the bowling alley. This one is the best I have been to till date (though the most expensive also). My bowling is horrible and out of 20 chances, I can barely manage 3-4 throws where at least it hits the target. All others just go sideways (may be I need some health tonic like humdard ka cinkara..!!). Saw some very gud shots by my friends and enjoyed the music which was being played and it was already dinner time by then.

After dinner started our long drive to India Gate. The host had a car but didn't know the route. But as usual, he boasted that he knew the route and that he would take us all to India Gate and bak to G'gaon safely (considering that delhi is not very safe at night). It was already 10 in the night and it was biting cold outside. The thin layers of fog could be seen on the wide deserted roads. Till some distance, the road sign boards were showing India Gate and we were following that...but we came to a point where there were no further sign boards and no one on roads to ask the directions....Luckily one of my friends had the nokia naavigator phone with GPS facility and he started that.

But how could our host take the help of a machine when he considers himself superior to everything else. He started giving fundas like 'humans ne machine banaya hai...machines ne humans nahi' etc etc..n all this time he didnt follow the route shown by GPS and followed his intuition. Then after lots of shouts and rebukes from us, he agreed to follow the GPS and finally we reached India Gate. But what a scene..!! We were barely able to see India Gate due to the thick fog and no lights (cost cutting yahan bhi..). I had always wanted to drive to India Gate at midnight...and it was a dream come true for me... :)



After 2-3 pics...we knew it was a waste since even the best of cams couldnt capture fog at night without lights..!! It was time for us to find our ways back to g'gaon. Again the host declared his supermacy and that he knew the route better than GPS and started the car. But in his heart even he was scared...he knew the truth and so did we...that we have to find for the way back....After giving umpteen fundas and wasting litres of petrol, he finally requested to swtich on GPS..!! :P But then even machines have a unique way of taking revenge. The phone's battery went down and we were left to rely only on humans.... That was a time when our host forgot all his fundas and was worried about getting back. Some how we managed to get close to some defence area where 2 army people were on the roads even at that late hour and we reached g'gaon finally with their help.

This atleast convinced our host that we can rely on machines also!! Next day he agreed to use the GPS throughout the drive (to any place). This was the day when I had to come back...but the fog and cold was at its best in Delhi and my flight got delayed by 3 hours. So we enjoyed tea and maggi at a small shop outside his hostel and then back to airport.

Later I heard that it was one of the coldest days in Delhi and the chilling winds had forced one of my friends to dance at platform no 9 of Delhi railway station that night to keep his body warm (he was already under 3 layers of body warmers :D).

All in all, a complete funfilled and eventful day. Hope the year also follows the footsteps of the 1st day :)

Happy New Year to all :)


PS : 3 cheers to our host for such a wonderful stay in g'gaon..!! :)

What an end and what a start of an year..!!

Every year towards the end, I start counting days and hours for the new year to arrive but last year (technically :P) it was not the same. After 26th Dec I just knew it was 2nd Jan. Time flew by like a second and all thanks to the awesome rajasthan trip....wonderful friends...and a great host. I have been to many outings and trips with friends (my orkut and picasa albums would vouch for that) but this one was unique in its own sense. This trip was more like a movie than a tour. Yes a typical bollywood movie which starts with the arrival of each charachter one by one and the host receiving each of us followed by a lunch and shopping(courtsey our host). While some of us were busy shopping, others were busy in the 'roothna-manana scene' :P :D



And thereafter started a once-in-a-lifetime journey, a journey which had moments which one would want to live again and again......the first sight of sand dunes, camel ride or rather camel race, sunset from dunes, bakkar on sand dunes under a clear moomlit sky, some awesome pics and the laughs that followed, search and experiments for decent food in rajasthan, DDLJ poses in sarson da khet.....and many more.

Jodhpur didn't have many things to see..just a couple of forts and palaces which all could be seen from the mehrangrah fort top (so we saved a lot of time).



And then started our ordeal to find a decent place to eat. Our hotel owner had recommended us a place called 'fun and food' so without exploring much we decided to go to that place. But finding that place turned out to be an ordeal and to add to it the fact that people there somehow are not clear about road directions. They say left and show the right hand and vice versa. So we had a tough time locating that place. However we were determined to find that place and after around 45 minutes of struggle we finally tasted success. However the food served there was not worth the efforts. It was already evening by this time and we decided to go back to our rooms and play cards. Since I didnt know the game, we had a few rounds of trial games after which started the 'rang-a-rang' game..!!! With beginner's luck on my side it wasn't difficult to win that day but after that day, I lost badly on all other days :(. Then again started the search for 'On the Rocks' (another place suggested by the owner for dinner). This time even our driver was irritated by people's direction sense and after making 2 rounds on the same road and still searching, he said ' On the rocks hai ya xerox hai!!!'. But this time, the place was worth the pains.



And how can I forget to mention this. Jodhpur turned out to be the most eventful place as far as my trip was concerned. I had a bet with one of my friends (who claims that Don kabhi Wrong nahi hota) and the stakes were too high. The topic of bet was as simple as the time taken to drive from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer and the stakes were my fav sunglasses (if i lose) and my trip expenses to be borne by my friend (if he loses). The distance between the 2 places is 285 km and it might sound a simple time and distance calculation. My estimate was 3 - 3.5 hrs and his estimate was 5 - 5.5 hrs. Thanks to the awesome roads of rajasthan and the low population density(though the highway boasts of some 'ghani aabadi aage' boards), the drive was successfully covered in 3 hrs and 1 minute. Though throughout the drive, he prayed for some delays like railway track gates closed or vehicle breakdown and tried to add all sorts of terms and conditions to the bet (which included conditions like finding the 'Jaisalmer 0 milestone' etc). Par sach ki jeet hui and I won the bet. :D



Jaisalmer is the best place to go if u wanna goto rajasthan to see the desert. Without wasting time, we went to Sam (40 kms from jaisalmer) which has sand dunes to the extent you can see and the sight is just awesome.



Camel ride or rather camel race added to the fun and then started the much awaited event of the trip 'the sparta..!!!'. But amidst all this fun in the sands, one cam started showing lens error due to sand. The sun setting in the sand was also a scene too good to miss and while we were still enjoying the sunset, started the emergency exit :P



Our next halt was at Ajmer where our day started the earliest of all. It was also the last day of the year and the last day of our trip and we had to cover as much as possible on that day. So we went to the famous dargah at 6 in the morning, then to the Pushkar temple and then rached jaipur by afternoon. The Amer fort there is truly huge and well maintained and one of the best in rajasthan. And helping us seeing this huge fort, we had raju guide at our service....who knew nothing except posing and overhearing other guides..!!!



We spent the new yr eve at Choki Dhani which included reliving some childhood moments like the swing and playing hide and seek. We all laughed and giggled like children once again...with no other thoughts in our mind and no other feelings in our hearts. That was just awesome. Then came the dinner part. Though the food there tasted good, it was rich with ghee. We could take out spoon-fulls of ghee from any prepration there. By the time we finished our dinner, it became very cold and we returned back to our rooms, wished for a great new year ahead and went off to bed.


The next day we started early as one of us had his train in the evening from Delhi. But en route there were so many sarson da khet which reminded us of the DDLJ days and in spite of the tight scheduled, we spared 5 mins and jumped into the fields for posing. Seeing the golden flowers of sarson, Wordsworth lines about daffodils came to my mind and the feeling was quite the same.



"Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

.....

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils (read sarson :P)."


Thinking about this trip, innumerable memories come to my mind and it's impossible to put them all in words.




Cheers !!!