8. Wow ! ! ! ! this is happiness, atleast for now.

its afternoon now, just finished my brunch at a nearby restaurant close to my bank, Yeah thought I'll draw some money and have a good meal [the first one of the day] but the plan did not quite workout the way I had hoped for. Still had a pretty decent meal, as usual . . . .

The reason for me to be writing this, I don't know, the thought of writing about the day crossed my mind on my way back from the bank, well not the bank but the Restaurant, why I say not the bank is because the reason I was at the bank was not finished so I rather call it by the job that was done and done well, on the way back from the restaurant while riding my bike.

Its been an very interesting day till now, there are many reasons for why I'm calling the day interesting other than the reason why I am writing the blog now. For a change I got up early today, at 8:57 am to be precise, how can I be so precise because My landlady called me up to remind me that I had not paid the rent for this month as yet, It was a peacefully sleep until then but I would not go back to sleep unlike any other day as I had slept for a long time last night, in a long long time and also on time. . . . . . In fact I had given the house rent last night to the tenant in the lower floor, that was probably the reason why I could wake up in the morning when the landlady called on. . . . Now I don't want to embarrass myself by writing, where I got the money to pay the rent from . . . I leave it at that.

As usual had morning tea, read the newspaper, searched for the sports channel to catch a glimpse of Sehwag's heroics yesterday after seeing the main page news that read - 414-411 = threeler. In the mean time I overheard my sister was speaking to my mom about her exams and how she was busy studying and not being able to travel to my hometown. . . . I'm still lazing on my bed, yet to remove the blanket that's keeping me warm on an early mid December morning[early - is very much a personal expression]. I freshened up on time to be at the office and as I was above to leave the house, my sister said she'll be going home, well I don't exactly know what My Mom told her or what made her change her mind to go home after what I heard while she was speaking to my mom, I said OK. Money . . . . . I don't have money to go home - she said, I said I will give you the money later and told her I too don't have the money. . . .

I reached the office, definitely not thinking that I will be the first one, was in for a pleasant surprise, It was in fact me who was the first one at the office, some accomplishment for someone whose office timing starts well past 12. . . . I was not bothered why others were not at the office, I was happy that I was the first one today. . . .

Sent some mails that were to be sent last night itself, now you'll understand how I managed to sleep on time last night and why I be at the office on time today. well all that is fine, Money is still running on my mind, Money that I'm supposed to be giving my sister to go home, in the mean time Money is what me and akbar were talking about, money from the clients, money in the office, money for the office . . . . lots of money was in the talk, As I'm writing about the money so many times here, All I can think of is the scene from Quentine Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs - only difference is that There were lots of DICKS in that one and lots of MONEY in this one . . . . DICk = MONEY, Hehee...... Akbar came to office just ten minutes after I was there, still I was the first today. I am mixing things up big time, I sent those mails after akbar came to the office, which you would've understood as he came just ten minutes after me......but I did tell him i was there fifteen mins back . . . . trying to take some advantage of being the first at the office.

Akbar left for a meeting that was scheduled at 2 in the afternoon, so I also thought of going to the bank to draw some money and having my Brunch after the BANK JOB. I wrote my cheque and went to the bank only to find out that it was Lunch time. I went back to the Bank after the Lunch, once again to find that the Employees were on strike for the day. . . . There ends my Bank job. . . . . . Well what the strike of the bank employees did to my lunch was that - If my bankjob would've been over before lunch, then I would've been Sitting and having my food but then things do go awry and the bank job never was done for the day . . .

Now, had i known that the bank was not working today before the lunch, then maybe I would've gone home for lunch instead of standing and having a meal . . . . I did enjoy the whole experience though, But that wasn't to be. I remembered having some money in my pocket and had my my Brunch standing on the roadside on the same table as a father and his daughter -In my time Dosa was only 2 rupees per plate and by the time your kids will grow up it'll be 100 rupees, he said to his daughter. Now you know much my dosa cost me . . . . I had a glass of juice also and put the remaining change back my pocket and left for the office. . . . It was while I was riding back to the office that It Stuck to me about writing about the day till then on my blog. . . .

Money is still on my mind, the money that I'm supposed to be giving my sister to go home, which i don't have. . . . Yeah now the only option was to arrange the money the way I arranged the House Rent. I had reached the office gate and thought I'll go get the money, once and for all and go to the office, but I was reluctant to go, so I thought I'll go to the office and keep my helmet and then go. . . . Now i didn't want to go, I searched my pocket to see how much I had after the Standing Lunch, I found 50 bucks in my pocket with the cheque that I had taken to the bank.
I opened my wallet to put the cheque and found 200 bucks . . . . I did not have to GO . . . . isn't it supposed to be happiness . . . . isn't it worth writing the blog. . . . Now as I'm writing, My sister called up and asked me if would like to have some coffee, she brought two cups of tea, yep you read it rite, She asked for coffee and brought Tea, that's how it works at my home. . . . she came to the office for the first time, Wow thats a big office - she said. By then akbar was back from the meeting, shared the tea, played the game - yeah a game of TT[table tennis] We have a TT table in our office. . . . Won the game 4 games to 1 . . . . Well I am happy that I had the money to give my sister, what more could I ask for. . . . . at the end of the day I Am HAPPY, Happy because I could give the money to my sister to GO home without me having to GO to arrange the money. . . . This is what I call Happiness. . . .

If you don't find the ending of the blog quite interesting, It is because I was out of the office in the middle of blogging, Even I am missing the flow of the events, but it is time to end. . . . It is the END.

7. status . . . .

I am what I am today for what I am doing NOW, but NOW includes the yesterday, not just today but also tomorrow..... now if NOW includes yesterday that is the past, today that is the Present n tomorrow that is the future, then isn't it right to say that there's only NOW in time....... ACT NOW. . . . inspired interpretation of time from the movie - Ten Minutes Older: The Cello

Some of my fav . . . lines

I talk to myself because I like dealing with a better class of people . . . . don't know who said this.

A kannada phrase . . . . Anthe Kanthegala santhe - Chinthe - sometime at the end of nov 2009.

Gods did exist on Earth, but before the Climate change. . . . Thank god I'm born NOW - dec 2009

my wall portrays me as someone I want you to see me as......n the someone may not be ME - end of nov 2009

When I receive something from someone, I always think what is it that I'm supposed to be giving back. . . dec 2009

I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul - Invictus.

Winning or losing makes no difference until the game is on . . . . . 16 Dec 2009.

Good things come to those who wait . . . better things to those who run - sometime while in CnT

Its always at the end of something that you realize how beautiful was the beginning. . . . season 2008

I decided to quit smoking and it worked . . . . . for a day - dec 2009

MONEY = DICK - refer my blog for details....

I try not to hurt people . . . . I speak only manipulated truth. . . . dec 2009

I am Good at Heart, its the mind that is bent . . . 21st dec 2009

IF Urinating in public is public nuisance, then curbing someone from doing it is HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION. . . . 21st dec 2009

Beauty of an argument is that - You don't have to be right, all you need to do is prove the other is Wrong. . . . from the Movie "Thank you for SMOKING"

I am God and GOD is great . . . upendra
I can find solitude in the middle of avenue road . . . . . Solitude is not about being alone

optimism of a Pessimist - Dreams are best cherished when Unfulfilled . . . Sri sri sri Yatisa - dec 2009

Pessimism is any day good, because when things do happen I'm in for a pleasant surprise . . Juhi said this while training in redshift.

When I feel optimistic of something - I only ask for a pritzker . . . . or a D-SLR - Dec 2009

When intellectually challenged - I talk philosophy - Oct 2009

Will add more as n when I come across them . . . .

6. remembering 26 november 2008......

Remember Remember the 26th of November......

I would like to trace back to The Day a year ago, to try and recollect what were the things that I was up to and what went through my mind on The Day when the whole of India watched helplessly, what a Group of Evil Men [Its the intentions of their Mind that were Evil which makes them the Evil Men] were doing.... when I look back today, its perhaps because of what those Men did, that I remember a lot more things about The Day and even the day before, than what I would otherwise have.....

Before I begin about the day in the picture, I would like to add a li'l preamble, with a small flashback of the day before the actual DAY..... I find it really important for me to talk about the day before, as That Day would have been the topic of today's discussion If what happened This day wouldn't have happened.....yep I'll now call the day's by the names we know rather than This Day and That Day as I'm pretty sure it would confuse the reader. What I meant by what I said was that, If it wasn't for what happened on 26th of november, I would have been talking about the 25th of november, today instead of the 26th of November. I'll still talk about the 25th of November but will restrict myself only to the most important things of the day....

It was only later in the night of the Day before 25th of november, that it was decided that i travel to Chennai for a regular site visit.... well, not a regular time to decide the time of travel, but we still call It the Regular Site Meeting. Yes, once again I jumped back in time, Now I'm talking about the night of 24th of November. When the decision comes so late, that you travel the following day, its hard to even imagine that you wake up on time the following morning to catch the train scheduled to depart before the sunrise....

On the morning of 25th of nov, as expected the train departed as per schedule before the sunrise and I woke up to seen the sun.... Since i was to be at the site on that day for the site meeting, I did make an effort to go to the train station and took the next train out of the town.... You know it was inevitable for me to not take the next train out of the town, as I couldn't have gone back to the office and told them I missed the train because I was fast asleep.... It wasn't untill I was aboard the train and travelled some distance that I figured out that It was a passenger train scheduled to reach Chennai well past Sunset....

Wow, believe it or not, this journey, of the many that I've made to Chennai was the most memorable one, for more reasons than one..... First of all it was an unreserved general ticket that I was travelling with, that brings me in contact with people from all possible diversities that our country boasts off.... As usual I had my newspaper with me for company for sometime, for I fall asleep everytime I read.... I wouldn't be elaborating much about the journey or the Train or the Junctions the train stopped by or the things that I noticed at all the stations or the unseasonal rains that poured down from the dark clouds - hoping for a better place to fall or the people I spoke to or the two kids at one of the junctions playing with each other like there's no tomorrow or the rain drops through the window grills waking me up everytime I fall asleep or the cigarettes I smoked at all the stations, The movies that I watched on the way - I was carrying my office laptop, I mean these are the things that make the journey that much more special and memorable....
Finally I reached Chennai late in the night, now you must be thinking what happened to the site meeting that was scheduled for the afternoon, well It didnot happen.... I was informed that my boss would be travelling the following morning i.e. 26th of November, for the client meeting, so I was asked to prepare some details for the meeting.... I went to hotel, booked my room, only to spend a night in the darkness. As the whole City of Chennai was submerged in the rains. In the dim light of the candle that burnt itself to keep me in light for the best part of the night, I did manage to pull off some of the important details for the meeting the following morning....

As I told you earlier had it not been for what happened in Mumbai on 26th of november, I would only be talking about 25th of november than 26th of november, It was just one of those regular days for all the indians until late in the evening, I must say it was not a usual day in Chennai for sure. After the adventures of travelling in the rain drenched Chennai roads for the meeting that went off pretty well, I was informed by my boss That MUMBAI was under attack..... we were glued to the TV at the client's house for the rest of the night only to find that It wasn't going to be a single day affair. The saga continued for three days....


India witnessed one of its worst terror strikes and many parts of Mumbai were held hostage, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College were attacked by the men who entered Mumbai near the Gateway Of India.... It was a moment when the whole nation came to realise, that India was our home, all Indians were part of a large Family with larger internal differences but today we had Intruders.... Intruders with intensions of raising havoc at our Home.... Hundreds of people were Killed and many were injured, Death came calling not just the helpless people at the CST but the rich and the powerful at the Taj too. [anyone interested for more - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks#Entry_into_India ]

We lost people, people who were strangers, who will remain strangers but now we know them and remember them as Strangers who died on that fateful day. Some of the officers died for the cause of saving the helpless people in the mindless shooting spree of the terrorists.... It was heartening to see that people from all over the country coming out in large numbers to light up a candle in memory of the dead strangers, But how long can we go on lighting candles, holding rallys, signing up electronic memorandums to the authorities to take action against the offenders.....

Today after a Year, we have a captured terrorist being interrogated for where he came from, who sent him here, what, how, when ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? are we still searching for the answers or is it time for us to find our own solutions, rather than requesting Uncle Sam to interfer and solve our problems.....We claim to have enough witness to nail the offenders but end up submitting a dosier to the offenders who claim that the witness is insufficient..... At times it makes me wonder if at all our Judicial system is capable of delivering Justice at all, earlier this week we had the report tabled for the demolition of The Babri Masjid - which does not name a single individual as offender..... and the irony is that it took 17 long years to submit a report to the center. There have been many instances when there have been offences within the country, for which we have not been able to stand up and say, this is wrong and you are culpable for your acts......

Today We know Ajmal Kasav better than the officer who captured him, the officer who captured him was given a reward, but not given the necessary equipments to fight the offenders if confronted once again....are We prepared just yet to prevent something similar from happening once again..... its quiet natural for us who never faced the terrorist face on to speak our hearts out against the Man and condemn him for his acts and seek death penalty for the offender, but wasn't he always prepared to die when he decided to be part of the sinful mission.....

If a nation of more than a billion people can only stand together when a group of Evil Men set out to create Havoc and mass destruction, I feel its time for us to come together to stand for what is RIGHT rather than coming together against what is WRONG.... thats exactly what we did long ago to gain our Independence.....

Remember Remember the 26th of November, it was a Wednesday............. I Personally enjoyed tuesday......
I would like to end this here as I'm feeling sleepy, with something that a girl who confronted a terrorist at the TAJ said, "there's no point in killing the terrorist, the problem is terrorism".....