Serenity

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.”
― Rumi

    The fight is within. The fight is in accepting that everything is not in one's control. Neither I have to be blamed for everything nor I have to be absolved. Some say intention matters, if that's the case mine was never impure. I need not submit to any single philosophy, logic, idea fully but sometime the way forward is to lean onto any idea that just reduces the chaos and brings about peace. It may not be the most constructive or romantic way, but might be suitable in practical reality.

 

Deviance?

Red Rose by Masaaki Komori

 “It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”
― John Joseph Powell, The Secret of Staying in Love

    Aberrations or deviant behaviour, as they call it, are not easily accepted. But, as humans, we naturally seek bonds beyond conventions. It is our basic desire to connect with people at deep levels, to grow together, share ideas, thoughts and plans. We all seek people to fallback on, to rely upon in our weak times. We aspire to achieve together as well as to feed our souls. As a normal human being, we seek multi-dimensional growth. Material well being is to be supplemented by expanding and expressing our inner worlds for best of life. And somewhere, we desire to be prioritized and cared for without judgements.. We do not wish to feel lonely.

 

Doldrums

A post shared by Manik Doomra (@manikdoomra) on Oct 26, 2017 at 9:47am PDT

Sunsets are proof that endings can often be beautiful too. - Beau Taplin

There are patches when you are not vocal, you wilfully refuse to speak out. Often it is the period you are not sure/aware of your own feelings. The pangs are recurring and you are bewildered. If you don't understand yourself, what to expect from several others. Silence appears really golden in these times, at least ab initio. The longer the lull, distant you tend to travel from humanity. As someone would pronounce "solitude would engulf you" and the path back is not some meditated one, it just happens as in a spurt. Some sort of a reflex.

During such doldrums, while you traverse equators of mind amidst lack of guiding winds and gusts, you have that silent time to revisit the basics. The need to talk, to yourself, openly and free of several biases that social living shall bring about. You have this opportunity to recollect and re-examine your own moorings, the anchors that you devised to stick to in this otherwise sandbox world. The infinite directions often blind you to some constructs that you planned for yourself in the start. You realize you are missing the goals.

Besides, these depressions in psychic oceans are welcome rewinds to numerous mates and situations which have shaped you over the time. Some you might never meet again, some you are desperate to revisit, but at the same time you are 'losing' several for reasons perfectly naive but trade-markedly 'you'. But as it has been observed on a regular basis, this calm and silence is very vulnerable and therefore requires tremendous safeguard from noises and aberrations omnipresent. Potential of this calm can be achieved if it is ensured a plateau and finally resolution.

Currently listening - Knights Of Cydonia (Muse)

32nd Milestone

Tropicana by Jeremy Bishop

There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. - Jane Austen

 Amidst the lofty high-rises and mundane offices is the offing. A simple retreat, missed a number of times for no reasons of particular merits. It is the unfinished business and it lingers on. The itch that persists past its usual date. And they say you rid the itch by satisfying it.

The ideas of ridding the itch bring you that little gleam. But the key to it stands lost in sands of times. Another layer is burying it down every passing second and thus is becoming remote - the idea of finishing the long standing business.

Often the venue is half the detail, the true worth being much more intangible. Just picture that winter sunshine, mild breeze, that mug of coffee or the wet sand on the beach, a nightly ghost story and certainly that silky bed sheet on a cold morning... You crave not the 32nd milestone, but the golden-black locks that blow in your face, certain sea of calm to paraphrase...

Old Kent Road

Leisure Weekends! #games #fun #design #colours #monopoly #home

A post shared by Manik Doomra (@manikdoomra) on May 3, 2015 at 12:29am PDT

Do you know the difference between a beautiful woman and a charming one? A beauty is a woman you notice, a charmer is one who notices you.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adlaieste114102.html?src=t_beautiful

Do you know the difference between a beautiful woman and a charming one? A beauty is a woman you notice, a charmer is one who notices you.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adlaieste114102.html?src=t_beautiful

If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads. - Anatole France

The cheapest property on a standard Monopoly board is incidentally the most practical one. It often is available for free and it yields good returns. It is an easy and workable investment, low-maintenance and promises good and safe growth. It might very well enrich your pockets.

The life lesson it gives is that while the high price and desire for Mayfair and Park Lane are attractive and charming, being over-invested in these lofty goals beyond reasonable risks is not worth the pursuit. The chase is addictive and might turn tumultuous, irrational as most passions.

Measuring pros and cons is very business-like; unemotional. But, so is most modern life. It is but bland and high ideals are often butt of jokes. You seek and chase the big dreams, often ignoring numerous small and benign opportunities.

Old Kent Road is the escape you seek and the bargain is, often, not bad, but essentially heart-breaking. The beginnings are often humble. And the high prizes come in due course... So is the never-dying hope for Mayfair...

With Love To The Monopoly Board (metaphorical and philosophical one)...

Lahore

Tangible Intangible #spiritual #Delhi #diwali

A photo posted by Manik Doomra (@manikdoomra) on Nov 25, 2016 at 10:34am PST

Old man pours him milk, breadcrumbs dipped in it. Early morning pedigree.. 7:20 am north-bound mail just departed 15 minutes ago. Peeling oranges, he instructs Chotu to arrange bread on display and sprinkle water to settle the dust on the street. A red Coca-Cola truck parks in front, laden with bottles - black, orange, green and white. Marigolds plucked fresh being sewn into garlands...

An hour later, sun has risen up in the sky. Old wrinkly hands carefully oil his young body, working oil deep in his skin. Sun has started burning their skin, but towering old figure commands him to finish the exercises. Flesh of his young bony figure yearns for touch of water. Burnished he sweats hard - the regular Sunday routine. It is now that he doesn't mind those silent moments of being drowned into water, mornings that he would wake up underwater. The magic touch of water comes in due course, followed religiously by buttered Paranthas.

By afternoon, the old man is dwelling on a bed, clad in his trademark white attire - a shirt and a lungi. His moustache glorious and charming. Turban sitting pretty on his perennially bald head. Young lad adores the crisp touch of his white shirt and bony body, looking forward to the stories from eternity. Stories of Mughals, Marathas, Rajputs, but mostly stories from Lahore, stories from lost Punjab and stories of adoring English masters.

He would hear of classrooms full of Musalmans and Sikhs, reading Urdu and Sanskrit, together. Sikh villages surrounded by Muslim populations and vice-versa. Memories of a rickety truck distributing ice in Lahore and 20 miles around, leaving dust trails along the Grand Trunk Road. He would tell him, "Musalman aurataan dudh vargiyan chittiya si" (Muslim women were white as milk). Long tales of his pursuits and how he managed to please Maulwis (teachers in Madrasa) with intellect unusual of a Jatt. The boy was particularly amazed to hear of Mughal lineage, stories of Harems and how Aurangzeb taxed Hindus and imprisoned his own father, viciously with a clear view of Taj. These were not stories from text books, these were oral stories generations told each other.

Out of curiosity, he would ask him to write "Delhi" in Urdu. The result was pure art, a calligraphic imprint. Sifar, he learnt, was how zero is called in Urdu. So much more seductive than any pronunciation in any other language. Amazingly, he didn't hear much negative about English, people or language, from old man's Punjabi mouth. Cheerful mentions of English madam wishing to take him to England and tears she had when India was being left behind. Little guy had often wondered how England would have been... While English dream was never fulfilled, Fortunes and toils left behind in the land of Five Waters. But, little could anyone complain, it was but shared fate of everyone they knew.

Delhi to begin was a refugee camp. Societies having little choice, but to flourish. Coming together in honeycombs spread across city, the beginnings were needy and benign. Fortunes were founded on qualities of perseverance, collaboration, spirit and vigour. We could say it was a Phoenix...

First Jury

A customized version of Jenga, being played in an architecture studio session.

Clad in formals, they come in a variety of sizes. Small, Medium, Large and XL. A particularly tiny one seems perplexed and serious. A gentle smile relaxes the kid and those eyes appear appreciative of the support. Another variety of support is 'Moral'. Which is nothing but presence, an active presence! Over cups of coffee and clatters of portfolios, the knitty-gritties flourish. Like everytime social butterflies, story-tellers, shy chipmunks, rational thinkers, budding rebels, lazy sloths, fresh couples and all formed the pack. Talks, discussions, motivations and a general energetic flow form order of the day. Marking is done, shop is now officially closed. In the afterhours, the extra class begins. The semester ends with general talks and discussions with students livid and enthusiastic... while the sun sets and a cold winter night takes over for some peace. Some new stories have started shaping up, amidst preparations of further routines.

Cha(n)t

Bird on the branch.
Courtesy : Rob on Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0

There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy. - Mark Twain

A fantastic chat with a stranger! (I have many.) Like to talk, learn, discuss...

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

Stranger: hi

You: hi

Stranger: Have you been in love?

You: y?

Stranger: just like that

You: don't know actually

Stranger: dont know?

Stranger: how old are you

You: 21

You: u?

Stranger: 26

Stranger: where are you from?

You: cool

You: india

Stranger: me too

You: m/f?

Stranger: whats ur name?

Stranger: m

You: manik

Stranger: you?

You: m

Stranger: okay

You: actually i don't like taking abt love

Stranger: why?

You: it's like every 6 months one can fall for different girl

You: just his wish

Stranger: well

You: biologically designed like that

Stranger: i guess thats not true of everyone

You: thats what m saying

You: one can choose to stay loyal

You: or one can simply choose to slip away

You: be loyal = love

You: strange

Stranger: if what you are saying is really true or many people, then there wouldnt be so many people who are depressed because they lost their love. they could easily find someone else.

You: they are actually trying to defend themselves

You: by being depressed

You: it's like they liked someone who didn't care for them

You: and they are depressed coz they are like lost

Stranger: im not only talking abt someone who dint care, maybe someone cared, but they died

Stranger: ofcourse you could be 'attracted' many people because its biologically designed that way, but loves way more thatn that

You: hmmm

You: died is a diff case

You: thats sad

You: m not denying existence of love

You: but it is rare

You: very rare

Stranger: well maybe

You: in general i feel people exaggrate

You: may be i do

You: :O

Stranger: haha

Stranger: yeah maybe

You: so for a guy like me

You: it is more of learnng

Stranger: but i guess love needs exaggeration, whats love without exaggeration!

You: learning

You: it's kind of telling urself that you like some1

You: again and again

You: and then u hate yourself when you find yourself lone

You: :O

You: crazy thing

Stranger: hmm yeah i guess

You: but then u r determined to do better things with new zeal

Stranger: yeah

You: as if u r doing it as a revenge

You: lolz

Stranger: haha

You: to show them that u can do without them

You: and they lost a great thing

You: haha

Stranger: but its perhaps better to have ups and downs and extremes, rather than have nothing

You: yeah

You: when u get some thing easily

You: u miss a lot more

You: and u do not get to try

You: compare

You: check out

You: evaluate

You: haha

You: m going to save this chat

Stranger: haha

Stranger: why?

You: will put it on my blog

You: show off

Stranger: nice!

Stranger: it was interesting for sure

You: http://sign9.blogspot.com

You: will put it here

You: check if it interests you

You: :D

You: in which city are you?.

Stranger: sure

Stranger: Bangalore

You: oh kool

Stranger: you can check my blog too blog.**************.com

You: my friend is visiting bangalore for training

You: nice

You: will check it

Stranger: ok

You: u do web designing?

Stranger: not designing

Stranger: why?

You: i do

You: :)

Stranger: thats nice

You: and ur blog layout looks professional

You: and domain name told that you have a site

Stranger: thats the standard layout of nucleus

Stranger: yes

Stranger: i do

You: and i got it

You: :)

Stranger: got what?

You: that site

You: what is nucleus?

Stranger: the blogging engine

Stranger: which ive installed on my site

You: ohk

You: tell me about some places to have fun at

You: in bangalore

Stranger: depends on what Fun means to you

You: we are young

You: so fun means anything and everything

Stranger: haha

You: culture art

You: rides

You: everything

You: bars pubs

Stranger: where do you live?

You: delhi

Stranger: okay

Stranger: you can find pubs and bars in Delhi as well so i guess thats not much use

You: well actually i don't visit them

Stranger: haha

Stranger: ok

Stranger: neither do I

You: k

You: but it's like

You: my friend and i were sitting in a restaurant

You: and he told me

You: that first time is best time to do anything

You: and i agree

You: so when in bangalore he would like to do everything

You: that's why

Stranger: yeah

Stranger: right

Stranger: thats true

You: Life is like software, one bit turned, one small thing missing or one broken link, and it can go horribly wrong. But even when nothing seems to work, you can, with perseverance, make it work and make it beautiful.

You: very true

You: just what i said

Stranger: haha

Stranger: yeah

You: but in a different way

Stranger: yeah

You: Trying to make my life interesting....Or is it already?

You: and this is 100% genuine question

Stranger: are you asking me that question?

You: nopes

You: it is very personal

Stranger: yeah

Stranger: maybe

You: today i started gardening again

Stranger: again

Stranger: ?

You: yup

You: in hostel i can't maintain plants

You: but in my home I can

Stranger: yeah

Stranger: thats good

Stranger: gardening is nice

You: yup

You: just mom has trouble

You: cleaning

Stranger: haha

Stranger: yeah

You: but when i will be in hostel

You: she will have to takwe care of the plants

You: she doesn't get a choice

You: even on mother's day

You: lol

Stranger: haha

Stranger: yes

You: u work in what kind of company?

Stranger: i work at amazon

You: awesome

You: today i met a honda emplyee

You: and amazon guy

You: and an australian navy officer

You: great day

Stranger: haha

Stranger: thats good!

You: they all are lucky

You: that am so free

Stranger: haha

You: anyways one thing

You: do help me if amazon doesn't pay me

You: :)

Stranger: haha

Stranger: sure

You: m just too scared after seeing your profile

Stranger: why?

You: have to work a lot

Stranger: haha

Stranger: whats scary?

You: so many big names

You: and qualifications

Stranger: haha

You: how much time it took to get them all?

Stranger: what do you mean by how much time?

Stranger: do you mean how much work?

You: mean so many associations and work

Stranger: I think i havent worked too hard

Stranger: but i have always done what is necessary, no shortcuts, thats all

You: u mean smart work

You: good

Stranger: smart work yes

Stranger: but more than doing what is necessary

Stranger: even the small tihngs

You: but tell me one thing

You: do you believe in enterpreneurship?

Stranger: yeah

Stranger: ofcourse

Stranger: im trying to start something of my own

Stranger: lets see how it goes

You: yeah

You: thats great

You: full freedom

You: :)

Stranger: yeah

You: wish you the best

Stranger: thanks

Stranger: Wish you the best too!

Stranger: in whatever you do

You: thanks

You: yup

You: i will revolt

Stranger: against?

You: against many simple people

You: like my teachers

You: :D

Stranger: India needs people who revolt

Stranger: in the right way

You: they are good and knowledgeable

You: but they don't know how to teach

Stranger: yeah

You: doesn't affect me

You: but revolt is kind of fun

Stranger: yeah

You: and must do some good

Stranger: yes

Stranger: India needs change

You: happy doing my bit

Stranger: yeah

You: k time to leave

Stranger: ok enjoy!

You: have fun and enjoy

You: :)

You: bye

Stranger: Have a goo dlife

You have disconnected.

Why Read Horoscopes?

Some Chinese Horsocope!
Courtesy: AndWat on Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0

Life is a box of chocolates, we never know what we get!

Well I don't believe in horoscopes (lest they promise me good things, that chick of my choice, a Porsche 911 (wouldn't mind a Suzuki Swift or Chevorlet Beat), but still I read them. Why? Entertainment, timepass (got enough of it... ...a lot of time is with me.) and yup why not appreciate the efforts of some people putting excellent effort in creating such fluent and nice master-pieces of literary work. No harm in going through daily horoscope coloumns of magazines and web-magazines (my favourite - Shine by Yahoo, specially when you know that you will forget it in next 10 minutes.

Here are two days of horoscopes for Piscean people and am pleased to see the efforts put by the people in co-relating the two days...

Jan 18' 2010

Try to take care of yourself today -- you have exactly the right energy to give yourself almost anything you need, and you've been plenty attentive to others lately! Make a move and see what happens.

Still got those tissues handy? Well, you've got one more day of sniffling to get through, so you'd better be sure you're all stocked up. The stars are turning up the volume on your already tender heart. It's like walking around wearing a t-shirt that says 'Can't Stop Feeling.' You can't change your feelings, but you can take precautions. Like wearing a second layer to protect against the cold, so to speak. Protect yourself. Get out your emotional long underwear.

Jan 19' 2010

Even before your coffee, you've got plenty of good energy today. Make the most of it -- you know you can do almost anything you want! Create a situation that suits you better than yesterday.

Prepare yourself for a flood -- a flood of emotions, that is. You're quite ready to talk about that certain issue that's had you baffled for a while now -- but are your dear ones ready to hear it? Better warn them before you get going, because getting you to stop will be next to impossible. Fasten your seatbelt. It could be a bumpy ride. But it certainly won't be a boring one.

Zip Zap Zoom - VI : Pink Ecstacy

A 500 CC Royal Enfield Bullet
Courtesy: nwflightdesign on Flickr | License: CC BY-NC 2.0

There is no spring without winter, there is no life without death!

Have numerous rides in mind and want to write about all of them. But this time I am writing about today's ride! It started with a call last night, it's true am made enough to waste 30 minutes talking to a guy, planning a bike ride next day! No offense, becuase I believe only good starts happen automatically, but sustaining good things need effort on our part. So that 30 minute long call ended in me influencing Pawan to join me with scooty today. He must be at my room at 12 but as usual no one cares for time, me included!

He calls me to join him at main-gate at 2 in noon. I go to the place, and I learn that he got a Hero Honda Splendour and I am not pleased (...because this means I will not be riding, pillion again)! Anyways, we see off Priyanka and zip on J.L.N. Marg. We decide to visit the only Royal Enfield showroom in Jaipur City! It's on Ajmer road and instead of going straight to the location we move towards Crystal Palm and delibrately ask a couple for the location, and the guy is smart - he doesn't embarasses himself and directs us in wrong direction. Well we are quite understanding guys, we know one must not give any hint to her girlfriend of his own ignorance!

We ask a few more guys and they are grown up folks! Been through life they prefer not to dupe us and give right directions. Once to the showroom Mr. Pawan has to set his hair up (we are going to have a photo session on this royal ride!). I too am wearing a new shirt, well this means I don't have to worry about my hair style. People will be more interested in bike and shirt! We shake hand with the showroom guys and give all hints that a potential customer throws!

Showroom is glass panels, posters of bikes, some models on display, an office table (a big one) and a whole wall with a poster giving timeline of Royal Enfield history. Being a cult, we know quality is prime concern for these guys and the way they exhibit professional eloquence a person understands what their work means to them. We get all the details we need, we had the info but we wanted to know how much the people their knew. And they knew a good deal. Two similar bikes give different experience because one has rear view mirrors and the other doesn't, and to add to it the one with mirrors had 18" tires and other one had 19" ones. We click pictures sitting on bikes and Pawan gets a test ride. At a minimum price of 86 grands, the bike is an experience worth living for.

Back on road we move towards M.I.Road and visit a Bajaj showroom. The experience is not worth telling. It was just visiting a general store and grabbing some grocery items (...brats rarely go shopping grocery!) Pawan drives to SBI branch in the area and wishes me to see girl of his choice! He doesn't accompany me but she being the only girl in bank I am able to recognize her, she is nice (...I must not label her an eye-candy!), but she doesn't gives me any heed!

In Bapu Market we have some street food, all three flavours available on the stall. I have to pay for it, oh bad idiot doesn't even gets his petrol tank re-filled. You will not be able to fool me next time! We ride fast on J.L.N. and talk about things very vague and random. An uncle in Santro is big time nymphomaniac and drives rash to chase a girl sitting pillion to his boyfiend (...he could be his brother or friend also!). Anyways important is too take care of the poor guys who break their leg in mishap just in front of our institute. We call 108 and feel free to leave, people are good and are acting paramedics to the injured.

Good Start!

Chapter One - A new start!
Courtesy: Kate Ter Haar on Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0

Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do!

It was a perfect start to 2010. I was at my romantic best, with parts of me stopping me from being like that. Oh you know what it was a sunny and cold day, so it had to have an azure sky. Early morning wake up, a lovely morning walk, Paranthas in breakfast and a deadline (flunked, for good's sake) to meet. Bank people are always good, reliable with your money! Got another site escalated to pagerank 1. Many good things happening on the same day. And I am sure whole year is going to be sexy like this, simply because I have goals to achieve, deadlines to meet. Earliest of them being Jan 15. It was an excellent start like last year and therefore this got to be equally exciting, but this time I am excited so it is going to be more flamboyant.

And yes with this post my 31 posts consecutively challenge is complete, though I had my share of leniency from Shri Krishna.

Bye Bye 2009! Happy New Year.

Image courtesy : jurvetson on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

This would be a boring post, though I have tried my best to make it readable. But at the best it just accounts my whole year of 2009.

January
------------------------------------------
1) Jan 5 - Back to college, after long winter break! We all love that slow journey on Indian railways.
2) We had cards sessions in Shashi's room, while his roomies exercised to guitar's tunes! Tried for 2 days, after that my abs were extinct. And I was not able to keep track of my losses! Time is spent setting things up!
3) Jan 14 - Guddu's birthday! :O Hardly matters, I am busy flying kites in the sky!
3) Jan 23 - Got my laptop. Love it, exclusive purple matte finish for me only. Shall I say this? But nice to find Shrey and Nilabh welcome you at home along with your family, late at night. Boosts na!
3) Jan 26 - Back to Jaipur. A fantastic journey, will never forget! Forgot Foo's birthday! Movies and a truly effortless laugh-riot.

February
-----------------------------------------
1) Feb 6-8 - Blitzschlag days! Funny times. Nice outings.
2) Feb (end-week) - Pune visit, met Debz, Mumbai-Pune expressway journey! Mumbai was dull experience, kill you Foo I think you could manage flunking an exam!
3) In true sense it was dumbest month of the year!

March
----------------------------------------
1) Mar 19 - A distinct birthday, can't be more thankful for the fun and surprises you provided.
2) Mar 22 - fabulous scooty ride with Abhinav.
3) Newly acquired Nokia slider (miss you buddy) made me click happy!

April
----------------------------------------
1) Blogging month of the year, not actual blogging but management stuff, networking, socialising!

May
----------------------------------------
1) Vacations begin! Lazy times! Did nothing, just eat, sleep, friends and Mafia wars.

June
----------------------------------------
1) A month of communications. Internet networking comes into play.
2) Phone livens up again.
3) Evening cricket matches and socialising did things great.
4) Jun 29, a college reunion.

July
---------------------------------------
1) July 1 and 3 - Outings with college friends!
2) July 8 - Agra visit. Hotel was a sucker. Enlightening train journey, poor kiddos still in my mind. Piyush, Nilabh, Gaurav and Me! Monuments were just nice.
3) July 9 - Return from Agra, still remember that we didn't try to convince Spaniards to join us on the bus journey! The leaking roof of bus was fun. Nilabh and Piyush must be able remember my most jolly and outrageously ecstatic moods in the beginning of journey. One of most crazy adventures of life, after long time did something so out-of-mind, ran away without paying auto-rickshaw, got caught resulting in a 2 month long cold war with Nilabh!
4) Colleges reopen in end week - Probably the busiest day of the year was registration for the 3rd semester. Totally exhausted after moving into new room.
6) Enjoyed long late night strolls to Gandhi Nagar station with Abhinav.

August
-----------------------------------------
1) As a general trend it was an ecstatic beginning to the semester, it at least to me was enthralling to discuss designs with Kalpana madam and have those climatology lectures.
2) Aug 2 - A nice friendship day. Thanks Tanvi and Kriti.
3) Oh! Mr. Siddharth got new really fantastic approach! A legalised way of bunking classes, mail me assignments! Not being sarcastic, I in reality like this approach, saves time.
4) Jantar Mantar! Shaily, Kriti, me and Abhinav. Tell me guys if it was fun or not?
5) Jumped into ANDC thing! Learned a lot from this thing, but now-a-days I cease to be appreciative of everything and I really shall repent getting into this endeavour, and for the first time I am ready to accept I was not firm in my approach, it was just an outlook. Talk more, do less attitude of every single person in the team and every group and even from my side made me go haywire and I acted out a moron in later parts of months. But this fiasco taught me some of the nicest chapters! (What the fuck! Why am I even yelling????)

September
-------------------------------------------
1) Partially realised my errors, made amends in first week, roped in Himanshu (Oh! Manik Doomra is an asshole and considers himself the in-charge of some big projects!). Love you friend, my first Photoshop tutor (I will never need another). Salute, to everyone who was a partner...
2) Ran to Delhi, don't now but now I consider myself lucky to have been through a 65 km long jam which made Jaipur-Delhi travel last 14 hours!
3) All submissions delayed by at least one week, aftershocks I guess! With no reasons to give I made my own joke in class-rooms!
4) Dusshera celebrated with a ride (tripling), Pawan, me and Abhinav. Crossword and Dhabas!


October
--------------------------------------------
1) Started revival, got organised.
2) Great I was exercising for a change! (Happens when you want to drain out that extra energy!)
3) Diwai breaks! Abhishek and me are jolly doing something common (...silly he made me think it as of a mutual thing, it was a distinct case with me!) Social I was becoming, sickening even to think I hosted family members with courtesy! :O
4) Back in college, had a plan (Like most things involving more than one person failed miserably! Avneet dear sorry, I can't keep the bet!)
5) Now I was bunking with an excellent degree of precision, but now I was careful not to misuse this time!
6) Got friendly and frank with room-mates and visiting friends! Bike rides are back in scene, Oct 26 - Zip Zap Zoom - V! Since Diwali break, everyone was asking where Himanshu boss has vanished.
7) Got back to reading habits, 2 states and City of Djinns (yukk, its real bore stuff!) Sidney Sheldon (couldn't read more than 50 pages, not because of boredom or heavy lingo, but my lazy nature (killed it anyhow) . Senuti's recommendations!)

November
-----------------------------------------------
1) I love this month. Exams, movies, magazines, thadi nights, cricket matches, strolls...
2) Room-mates, me and few new found acquaintances (Shri Krishna Meena, Mani and xyz), that's life.
3) Madam Foo is there on the other end of the fan. Guddu and Mom are among other regular callers! These people are punctual. Must tell you, am a sucker. If these guys can be so good despite their hectic and busy lives, why the hell I do fail?
4) Everything was Photoshopped! Exams were fun (for last time I guess, expecting a dip in scores!)
5) Later in the month, I was getting ecstatic as well as hasty to leave for Delhi. Plans were set and abuzz on net as well as phone!)

December
-----------------------------------------------
1) Blog is the new life. Shri Krishna challenges me to post once daily! And I do accept and here you see results.  I write poems and social stuff!
2) Dec 4 - Blown by jury, totally injured state of mind! We are back in Delhi, nobody knows my whereabouts for next 3 days.
3) Contacted friends one after another. Even tried to make a plan of excursion with few college friends (frankly a half-hearted attempt, and essentially a half-hearted response!)
4) Mumbai and Chennai both were turned down! Thankful to myself for the decision, loved to be with friends and family in the city only.
5) Daily morning it was a walk, basketball, badminton or cricket, sweet-corn, bread-butter, fog and sunshine, dipping temperatures are fun!
6) A girl comes back and makes space to linger in my mind and I tell you she does no bad any more. And I like to dance (edit, go on long strolls, vo hand-in-hand wali walks, head on shoulder wali talks, banayengey buildings saath-saath with her (in my dream world) as 95 FM and MP3 buzz in my ear-plugs. :)
7) I try to complete some works and take time (...ajeeb dastan hain, vacations mein
busy college days mein ye ladka free hai) to not annoy family people by joining them to various places. (I actually don't want to deny this thing, it is true that I can spend hours sitting on floor of that District Centre Wordsworth book shop if Guddu gets along with me. And madam don't dare tease me for this confession as you know I still have that option in mind, though she thinks me as no option ;) )

Chalo! Account closed! New Year, probably a new Manik, the experiment continues!!! :D Perfect nahi milega, item yeh pango se bhara hai!!! :D :P :$ :O

This was a summary of my 2009, complete to best of my knowledge! Though I do not guarantee not missing some things. An excellent year passes by! No regrets. Happy New Year to everyone. Make sure you all make 2010 even more successful and fun.

3 Idiots - A Pragmatic Approach

Image courtesy : antwerpenR on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

Through this post I am not trying to be critical of anything depicted in the movie or any particular view. I just want to bring to focus an alternative view, which I consider must be highlighted and brought to the light, and surely it is not entertaining but intriguing!

The flick talks of changing education system, but does it serves the purpose to make comedy of an existing system to promote another one which actually does not exist, or better say does good at individual level only (I for one practice that free-spirited approach to life, speak what's on your mind, do what you want, live by mood, don't follow any rules), you simply cannot ask others to jump with you into the mad race, at the most you can tell them the good and bad. At institutional or organizational level the idea of grading still serves the purpose, how else you want an external observer to grade you? In the movie a person decides to 'help' others achieve their dreams "photograph and become engineer", clinching from them the experience of working for themselves.

Even I too don't like practical and feasible approaches because they are not easy-going and are intensive and painful but then they are sustainable. Why not they show in the movies the true struggle paths one should follow (ask Aamir if he didn't struggle to reach this stature where he can just make one flick a year and share his concerns about society and get people applauding to his excellent skills at delivering babies on a college TT table!) and not some elusive dreams. Why don't they people tell that in true sense hard-work got no substitute, because there are no, or very few limited edition Renchos in the real world to help you out of your own fears, inabilities to communicate your views properly and take those essential steps to visualise your dreams. You are the one with wholesome control of your life, losses and gains being part and parcel of a good life game.

The movie does not highlights the problems actually occurring to the youth and generally mocks things like economic consideration or probably the movie still takes a 15 year older approach to education system, which used to be insensitive. In my opinion need is to make schools and friends to act as true support system for each other and help youngsters brave their career choice decisions at the very time of joining colleges, sometime or probably many time convincing parents to the core. What the movie does is, giving a point-of-view of situation from a successful group of people overlooking the things that situations are not actually so rude in colleges and institutions. I don't know, but I must say pseudo-sympathetic approach sells but to me it fails Aamir's social cause philosophy of recent years.

As Guddu speaks teacher-student relationships have been given a nice treatment. Ego clashes, to the extent of forcing one to commit suicide is just disgusting to look into. We essentially need to stem these problems and it has roots somewhere deeper, probably where parents come into play. Or shall a whole genre rebel?

Any way now the good things. I like the portrayal of characters. Aamir looks a true young-adult, unbelievable to find some 40 something so fitting in a 20 year old's role. The guy called Silencer beats many hands down, probably an implacable character. Truly fond of Mr. Boman Irani, I want that bird's nest and the whole getup he wears in his first interaction with students, just perfect check shirt, spectacles and coat. Madhavan and Joshi are excellent bits, superb punches added to the comedy! Baba on scooty is something so true and sacred that hardly people speak it out on the face. Cinematography dimensions extended to levels excellent. Shooting of north-Indian terrain is appalling, Shimla, Manali and Ladakh. Just awesome to find a dirt-clad Volvo running on exclusively Indian terrain. And yup purple windows on white facades of Cannaught Place give me another colour scheme to toy with....

Nocturnal?

Image courtesy : Lunchbox Photography on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

As the dark sets in and things begin to go for their regular sleep.
This is the time a different breed comes to life.
It is creative, likes peace and enjoys to peep.
Ambitious, hard working and is certainly not afraid of strife.

After dark, when details are sharp!
This breed rises to the small resistance thrown to it.
Continues on its path, in the warp.
It looks in the dark to achieve its theme, "Go Get It".

Focussing on the self-being,
It proceeds to do the cardinal deed.
Breath and thoughts numb, senses benign,
This way thrives the self-proclaimed, "Nocturnal creed"!

Zip Zap Zoom - V : Shopping And Food Fiesta

Image courtesy :travellingtamas on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.


Its a Monday and everyone in the hostel room is bored to the core, but this time no one wants to curse things but everyone wants to make an effort to be happy and have fun.

Soon they all decide to go to nearby mall called Gaurav Towers. The 4 guys got 2 bikes. I decide to sit pillion to Vikas, because am told that he drives crazy and its not the speed but his driving style that drives you mad. He in their words can make you scream even at a slow speed of 20 kmph. Hearing all the appraisals I had to experience the whole thing to believe it.

Sitting pillion to this guy I understand what the whole talk was about. Late night bike rides are not new to me, but this driving style was surely. The only limit with this guy was his CD Dawn. He would throttle it to the full, even on the curves. We definitely jumped 2-3 road dividers and half the way was passed, bike making an angle of 45 degrees with the road.

At the mall, all 3 guys are busy checking out clothings as I continue to check myself out in the mirrors simultaneously giving my expert comments on the things they choose for themselves. In a Pantaloon showroom Hrithik Roshan's life size posters grab my attention and I let myself loose to imagine wearing the expensive clothing he endorses. After the mall, we guys come back to hostel for a short refreshment and continue with the plan.

The break ends as we make move for our next destination, a Vaishali Nagar rented house; Vikas lives here. Guys mock me, "You can switch rider if you are afraid". But reality is actually opposite as I liked the road-rash kind riding of this guy who is excellent with Hindi literature, Premachandra and likes being his favourites. This one is a guy with as wide a range of tastes and moods as I do have. We enter a virtual race as my two room-mates zip pass us on a Pulsar while we cruise on Ajmer Road passing Gopalpura Bypass, Gujjar Ki Thadi and several known landmarks in south-western Jaipur before we go off the main roads to enter the streets of western Jaipur, where we shop for some vegetables and water. Soon we reach Vikas's house and now it is time for Vikas and Mahendra to cook food for 4 of us while me and Rohit get busy calling friends, checking out newspapers, browsing Vikas's collection od Hindi literature and yup I train Rohit in Spider Solitaire, a cheap and quick but extensively engrossing time-pass. We do a bit of help too, but that can be discounted for.

As we get the food, we eat a plenty ignoring the fact that it was not awesome but definitely a 1000 times better than the hostel shit. Going by Punjabi standards food had no salt and was good only for a blood pressure patient. Having our share of food and enjoyed it nice, we decide to move back to hostel quickly, mostly to avoid closure of colony gates. Vikas has to guide us out of the mesh of streets. Once on the main road it takes us barely 15 minutes to cover a distance of about 10-12 km, while we do tripling, avoiding the heavy commercial traffic of the nights.

Slang Bang

Image courtesy : jetheriot on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

I chat a lot and I love using slangs! And the best thing is there are no universal slangs so everything works! Plain language is tasteless, so it is like adding spice to the lingo!

Some words that are mast include 'Bidu', 'Machak', 'Item', 'Jhakkas', 'Hakuna Matata' and more . Mixing of tongues, 'Hinglish', 'Punglish', 'Hinch' (I made this Hindi + French) is something that keeps the conversation going! Tongue twisters in Bihari and Punjabi are nice to laugh at. Mockingly adding a double meaning helps in creating that special spark! And once the frankness is lost the talk essentially will loose the purpose, it will then be just another meeting to discuss a deal of work. 'Bhasad', 'Thuss', 'Tadka', 'Masala', 'Spice', 'Chicklet' etc add to language slightly slapdash munches and slippery twists and you will surely tune in with any group, I usually fail or I usually don't want to! Need too much of openness and familiarity to communicate!

I would like to make a special mention of our own Toy Lingo, with its different variants, has a patterned set of words which include - 'Saax', 'Taax', 'Maax', 'Faax' and more such 'aax' stuff. While Jaipur version of it comes with more meaningful and intellectual things like 'Phantom', 'Farzi Phantom' and more.

I like updating such stuff on my Twitter feed, which in itself is a super sexy way of communication with all the short forms and new lexicon like 'Tweeps', 'Tweeple', 'Twooshes', '#tags', '@eds' and likes. 140 character limit make you go for innovation and this adds zing to what might be rather boring conversation! Twitter = SMS of the internet!

What more is - you always love to enjoy your time and the best movies I find in India, all have a regional slangish identity to them, be it Khosla Ka Ghosla, Rang De Basanti, Omkara, Bheja Fry, Dil Dosti Etc and many more...

Lipstick

Image courtesy : ZedZap(Nick... NEVER slow ) on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

Those beady eyes are no longer there,
Chirp is missing and nobody seems to care!
Hairstyle is not good I must say,
But I'm told to stay away! :|
Lost and Found I felt oft,
And wished I could flee soft,
Most of the time, most of the days!
Come December, And we will be on our way!
Because now we realize, Not everything goes by our say!
Limerence continues to stay,
Get back to work before you go too astray! :)
Rebellion continues... Fire still burns in the foray!!! :| :$
Not my fault that I do not believe in pray!

One of my attempt at poetry. Actually written on Nov 18' 2009, I tried to modify this one a bit but kept it largely in its original form.

As for post title, I interpret it as Lip + Stick. Hope I got myself clear!

Busy Bee

Image courtesy : Kıvanç Niş on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

I am in Jaipur for about 68 hours now. I knew the classes would not begin until 26th but had plans to execute and assignments to complete. Anyways the task still hangs loose as I enjoy my time completing works and preparing for the coming Monday as we would have teachers expecting us of completed assignments, as if they don’t know we have more important and urgent things to do, including the maintain-weight drives in this haunted-food zone!

In last 3 days, I have been part of a happier lot, crazy things of life being more visible to me. As I make my 3rd round to library to return a book which is already 3 weeks overdue I see this guy walking as if a tall camel is cat walking in this dry but colourful (have too say this, need to be gentle and generous) city. The person is my ex-roommate, and you never get over friends and roommates, tells another ex-roommate of me (I hardly can make any difference between both, they all are people who are part of your life), certainly another ex-roommate of mine will never understand this thought as to him a birthday party is a regulated buffet (a Chapatti costs Rs. x, Curd will be another Rs. y and so on… annoying 3rd-first-year-roommate of mine, he is still with me!) thrown to repay birthday parties and treats given by, classmates, roommates, friends and those who wished him on Orkut.

Anyhow I was able to complete this novel by Chetan Bhagat, reading 38 chapters over night, writing two page letter by myself and avoiding internet for some more time. Don’t blame me for I couldn’t help but compare myself with the protagonist of the novel, with some edits. Ananya is a heart throb and am jealous that am not totally Krish, or say there probably is no girl who likes me like Ananya liked Krish! Some answers were there in the novel apart from the entertainment and yup I accept Punjabis are like this, can I oblige by showing you milder and more tamed versions of the breed?, but that is the way they have to be!

As I find some time free from drafting, shopping, anti-ant and break-lock drives in room am engrossed in Call Of Duty. Turning my room into a war zone and taking pride in killing morons from Japanese and German sides. Gun battles, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, grenades, head-shots… … is all that my world is comprised off. Am trained enough to take any bastard trying to tease a north-eastern chicks on the streets of New Delhi, or for that matter Jaipur, Goa or any other city, as the morning newspaper tells me of another such thing happening. Currently I can take pride in saving the world from getting assaulted by German and Japanese forces.

Sheets hanging at window are keeping my room comfortably dark, excessive light doesn’t let this rather sleepless soul have his share of peace. Feel like killing Aman for the asshole has not yet booked the domain I need, though I too have not completed the final design of the website that is likely to shape our future.

Excessively busy for I made rather excellent efforts in about last 3 months to land me in a situation with no time to think of anything else but to meet deadlines. Hardwork pays off, but only if you continue to be patient and don’t loose hope any soon.

And to tell the truth, this life has turned really unpredictable and more in control of me, except the fact that am 99% sure that I will receive a miss call from Foo daily. :) :D Hope you learn to make calls buddy!

Unwind

Image courtesy : Carmela Neva on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

You wake up late, 11:02 AM, to find no newspaper being delivered in the house, Diwali break! Make your bed and arrange your laptop and stuff. Its time for the 'morning walk'. Headphones in your ears and you are busy walking round the garden footpath, listening to that English punk, romance, soft rock and electronic stuff while letting your brain fantasize about the drifs along some nice boulevard, a coffe cup in Central Delhi, walk down South Delhi malls and that stage performance ending in a proposal to your dream girl.

Suddenly a call breaks the fantasies and you are back in real world! Guddu asks you to come to another park, you should walk some rounds with her. As we walk the talk and discuss some 'serious' issues the phone rings again! It's Abhishek, still recovering from dual heart-break. He asks to get ready to leave for Divya's house as we have to meet his father who is just out of hospital after getting treatment. You argue over the timing but can't borrow more time than 12. You quickly call Piyush and ask him to reach your home by 12 and meanwhile take bath and brunch.

12:20, Piyush is here and you have no time, even to discuss his 10 month effort growing those lovely shoulder length curls as he strives to correct popular opinion of IIT people being nerds, geeks and dorks, since Abhishek must be at bus stand and you as usual will be target of his blames for being late. Leaving apart the 'tension' of being tagged 'late-comer', you and Piyush talk things. And it is going to be a sexy day, as you brag having knocked 6 or may be 7 hapless night-owls during single chat session last night. Abhishek is obviously target of pranks before you meet him. Reach the meeting point and this time Abhi is smart enough to not wait for you and make you walk towards his house, time teaches. As you meet this estrogen starved hunk, you are all but praise for him as he looks smart in that black ironed shirt and blue denim. :D

You take route 801 to Dabri Mod. And obviously it in itself is an experience to have a ride on almost endangered, rickety, 'no horn' old DTC buses. Get tickets and sit to talk. Chocolate you got is still not eaten and Divya should be given his share! We reach the place soon, nobody noticed but the bus probably made no noise. You call Divya to recieve us as you learn that volleyball was a game invented, or probably designed for athletic old guys and not teenagers neither young adults! :( As Divya comes with two guys you are terrified at the thought of being beaten in an unknown territory, but for the time being you are pleased that your favourite game is no more being humilated in a modest way.

In Divya Prakash's house its time to get a bit serious as it is learnt that it was a major health care issue that his father has gone through and prevention is always better than cure! Learning all the details, RBCs, WBCs, plattelets and ECGs and all those big things that only those white coat wearing big docs know better than you but all pretend to have learnt them over years. You share your concerns but are obviously hapless as the best you can do is to advice or better let the person have rest and not visit them frequently. Enough of Sanskaar TV, guys make move to have some chat with Mr. DPS.

Well cricket is hot discussion topic, not scores but play! Mind it you don't know who Andrew Symonds is but an off-spin is what you know how to throw! There are ingenious talks about pads and l-guards and then talks are about football and yeah the room has a PC with an 'active MTNL' internet connection! Broadband means minimum 256kbps, but if you are able to log into Gmail and chat fluent, its a nice deal.

So here you go, happy-go-lucky. It surely is not a good start for Miss Raj Laksmi, teacher's-most-obedient-student-in-school-day-girl, as Abhishek pranks her by coming up with quite bold and assertive talks, engrossing all in the thing and later pranking us too! She downplays the things to the best but soon it is out-of-her-wits to stand the wicked things as her statement, "Shastri sir is not OK abhi bhi? Or is he out of home?", tells that she is not able to take more of it!

Well here is this girl, one of the heart-breakers, online and Abhishek just gets you into the things because of your so-called experience at wooing girls online! Well you must confess you are not good at it as you just know to have simple chats that are amusing but thrown to a challenge you had to do it, and as you are supposed to be good at it, it ought to be fun! This girl in some NIT was quite kool in start but went hesitant in later parts of chats as she probably was convinced that Abhishek is really serious about her and the group had to act out fastly to not let things go too haywire! Soon she was reassured that it was all prank and it is supposed that she must be happy that you were good fun and she got so many admirers, though Abhishek was worried a bit too much, and obviously he must be. Well almost forgot, but Piyush and Abhishek try to dupe you of the whole packet of Dairy Milk as you are 'busy' setting a girl for later.

On way back to home you talk all things but girls, you have to make carriers so GPAs, placements, prospects are to be discussed. Get to meet Abhi's parents. It always is fun to be with this really frank family :) Lovely are these people as you need not listen to those daily big doses of serious talk and obviously you learn that you are someone to be trusted upon! You love that Kaju-Katli and cold drink. Abhi you are great at making sketches and it is still unknown if Emma Watson was more beautiful or, being formal, you were more cute in childhood.

Back in home you are again aloof not knowing what to do. Having newly learnt patience and practiced happiness you enjoy this lazy day, checking laptop, talking and doing almost all things you hardly expect of yourself! :D

Multi-Task

Image courtesy : Ollie Cradoord on Flickr, check usage terms before using the image.

02:46 by the clock on my mobile. I turn off my laptop and take out the latest novel by Chetan Bhagat, my fourth one and the latest bought by me – I have read all of them till now. This red covered paperback has been titled 2 States - the story of my marriage.

Earlier I had a chat with Foo and one more friend of mine. The later one was mixed stuff, I just acted as if I actually believed this guy’s rather ‘true-looking-jokes’. A walk in the colony’s garden at 01:15 made me an object of suspicion and I had to explain to this guard and another night-crawler, why I like to listen to music on HIT 95 FM at this unearthly hour on an early winter night in mid-October.

Anyways, I read first 3 paragraphs under the dim light of reading lamp and soon move to loo with novel, only the second time I have made an effort to read a book in the washroom. Last time it was social sciences book during class X. I used to be determined to score perfect 100s and was on occasions lucky enough to get 99s, reasons being beyond comprehension, sounds embarrassing these days.

The novel seems interesting for it has a feline and quite real feminine character introduced on page 1. One reason I love writings by this guy is that these are real, even if he claims them to be fictional then. Ruskin Bond too catches my fancy, these guys make it appear so easy and fluent and are not fond of those ‘out-of-the-box’ heavy words.

Anyways I keep on reading and drawing analogies between the main male lead and me, do you really need to know the reasons for this behaviour. Am not much like him but there are similarities, though am in a technical field and like it, still given choices I would like to go for more leisurely works like writing or mark-up coding.

It is fun to flip through the pages of the novel in the loo and taking note of some words, to be looked out for meanings in dictionary, on your mobile phone. Of course it is tough to handle all this stuff, but then multi-tasking is all about being efficient and enjoying the stints. As I flush it is difficult to handle the book and maintain its sanity, though a little practice makes you perfect.

Back in my bed, I continue reading under the lamp and wonder how similar hostel traditions are all around the campuses, my buried love for economics; I still regret not having changed my school in class XII to get a bio-economics combo in science stream, and yeah eye-candies are always the part of the gossip, somewhere I feel nobody wishes to be next on the dump-list of the girls and everyone wishes to have a backup list (…do I have one yet?Let it to be to you to guess!). Hey guys suggest me, need I be silent a bit?

03:20 - 2nd last line of chapter 3 and I plan to write up this blog post and start writing as soon as I save message I have composed, containing the ‘difficult’ words. 3 minutes down and am posting this article, still looking for sexy vocabulary and acting critic as well as editor to my own writing. And please do tell me, for I am still doubtful, is it nice to multi-task in loo? Your opinion will not change things as I will continue to respond to SMSs, listen to music and do more such important things from the ‘best place’ in the world.

04:17 – Still no sleep in my eyes, internet forbids to work properly. So, I would continue with my reading. Wish to experience the fun most of my friends get in completing a novel in a day or two, while for me it is a task needed to be done at a rather slow pace…