Another night, another normal routine of surfing The Net aimlessly, and then something grabs my attention. Oh, a friend of mine has shared a blog from somewhere. The post is titled ‘Ode To Nice Guys’. I look carefully, and it looks familiar, surely seen somewhere before. A bit intrigued, I click on the link. What the fuck, it’s my own blog, rotting and unattended for ages (if months qualify to be termed as ages.) Being honest, I had myself not browsed through my home on Internet for quite some time now. A couple of you have been reminding me of my blog for a long time; I know, I am guilty. Understandably I have been busy with my round the clock job, but still I could have treated this page a little better.
Finally some sense prevails, I go invisible on Gmail , and here I am once again. Cribbing on my Crib sheet. So, from where to start?
Ok, I have completed almost 10 months of my yearlong onshore assignment and it’s confirmed that I will be reuniting with my friends on night of 11th September. I’m sure that will be ‘A Night to Remember’. I’m sure some of you definitely missed me all these days.
It was the same June last year, when my onshore role was confirmed. I so desperately wanted something new, some change in my life then. And boy, what a change it has been. From braving the chilling cold and snowfall to working late hours, what an awesome challenge it has been. And how lovely it has been. From spending weekdays in pensioner’s paradise (Worthing) to roaming on the streets of London on weekends, everything has been so exciting.
I must admit that this phase has impacted me in so many ways. I feel more confident about India than ever, and more importantly I feel much more confident about myself. I’m sure that if I’m hell bent, I can easily get a job here in UK and earn more than what I’m getting now. Having worked here with Brits, I now understand how much more effort and heart we put in everything we do. If only we work a bit smarter, there is no stopping us. The only thing which I feel lacks in us is self-respect. Indians, in general have a tendency to feel inferior with their foreign counterparts, which needs to change. Also, I got to know how it feels to be a NRI, and trust me it feels no different from resident Indians. So I say ‘Fuck You’ to filthy NRIs who think themselves of a superior breed and act like retards on their short trips to their motherland. I always desired to eventually settle in India, and my desire has grown even stronger in last 10 months. Everything said, it was far easier to work here, and life never became hectic at all. So a heartiest ‘Thank You’ to UK for giving me this wonderful opportunity and making me tough and stable, both professionally and personally.
Here on, one of the things I’m really looking forward to is to get my lovely cycle along with me. It will sure turn some heads on Bannerghatta Road. And yes, the most important thing ‘A Bike Trip To Ladakh’. Thanks to everyone who have decided to join in. For others, there is still sometime left and I would love all my friends to join in and make it ‘One Hell Of An Experience’. If you didn’t get my email invitation, then I apologize for that and request you to kindly accept this as an invitation for the trip. The only pre-requisite is that you should be able to arrange a bike and should know how to ride, apart from being mentally tough for extreme weathers. The trip starts 12th September, and will end by 24th of same month. I must say, I am really excited about this and I am sure the day will reach there, will be the best day of my life so far. It will be a feeling of ecstasy.
Well, how can I miss this; I am aware that some of my friends/acquaintances have broken up/got committed/decided to call it a day and marry soon. I am sorry for the ones who had a break up. It hurts, but life moves on. And as I always say, Replacement Theory works everywhere. Just give it a try. Congratulations to new couples on the horizon. And what to say about the people planning to tie the knot. Oh guys, I never knew you’ll lay your weapons down so soon and bow to the ultimate reality. Nevertheless, congratulations and I’m looking forward to some grand treats. I will surely catch up with you guys in 3-4 years of time.
To wrap up things, Football WC is going on, and it’s like a festive season here. My office looks so gorgeous with all those decorations. I’m sure it will be a grand celebration here if England manage to do well this time. Will post some pics soon, positively by weekend. It’s party time everywhere, with food, booze and what not. And I say, forget AutoTuned B.E.P for tonight and listen to Owl City and Adam Young’s pure genius.
And yeah, I will sincerely try to be more regular @ this corner.
Yes, yes. I am guilty. The title is lifted from ‘The Week That Wasn’t’ hosted by Cyrus, but the content is original. So I can safely term it as an inspiration. As the title suggests, I am trying to do a brief round up on the year which is about to give way to it’s succesor.
We entered this year when the world was suffering from one of the worst recessions, fearing if we will become one of the unfortunate victims. But the spirits were high as I had one of the best nights partying with friends.
It was a year which saw me taking a short break from Orkut to try and do something good, but found myself giving in to the temptation and coming back to online social jungle in few months. It was a year which saw me hosting my mom for the first time ever in B’lore in last 6 years.
A year which was one of the most significant ones for me till date. A year in which I transformed myself for one more time. From growing my hair long to learning a few guitar notes and changing my attitude towards people/life. It was time when I decided to do some tidy up and got rid of some things/habits/people which were never fruitful to me. Better late then never..lol.
This was a year when India screwed up their T20 title, only to find themselves reaching the top spot in tests later. A year When chief of a nation involved in 2 endless wars got Nobel peace prize. It was a year which saw companies cutting down on salaries and increasing work hours, only to find sky rocketting attrition rates towards the end of the year. :p
2009 cemented my firm believe in power of money and my lust for it. As I find myself 6K Kms away from home, I am looking forward to explore the powers of mighty piece of papers a bit more. As the year comes to an end, it’s time to renew old resolutions, as most of us never succeed to honor them anyway. So once again my most important resolution is to shed some weight in early 2010.
Well, music is my lifeline and I could not wrap up without writing something around it. Once again we have seen a masterpiece Studio EP coming from Coldplay. Prospekts’ March . The single ‘Life in Technicolor II’ and its video are front runners for this year’s Grammy.
Being a Coldplay fan, I am backing “Life In Technicolor II” till the end. I will leave you with the video of the song to enjoy. I’m sure you will love it.
To wrap up, it rarely snows in Worthing. But it did this time, and allowed me to witness the first snowfall of my life.
You can enjoy some the pics I clicked while I will enjoy the last few chilly days of this year roaming in and around London.
I am kind of a WebLogger who basically prefers writing things which are directly affect or in some way linked to him. So naturally, you would normally find me writing on discrete topics which are very much independent of others. Obviously it helps me avoid any confrontation on touchy issues. ( a smarta** that I am)
But for a change, I have picked one of the very controversial topics of all times “Relationships”. Ohh, yes, I have plans to become the most hated person of 2009 :p.
I am sure you would have definitely asked this question to your conscience sometime “After all, what are these relationships I have all around myself, and why do I need them. What ifffff…I lose them all !!!..”
So tonight (I should rather say morning), I am going to make a lame attempt to try and understand relationships around me, around all of us.
We have so many forms of relationships around us, and that too in so many forms, that most of times we simply fail to acknowledge the very existence of one. So let me ask you, have you ever realized that you experience a relationship as soon as you get up every day. You get out of your bed, go to you balcony and you find that your Paperwallah has already thrown daily dose of news for you. As soon as you open your main door you realize that your Doodhwallah has put packet(s) of Milk for you. Suddenly the maid shows up and cleans all you dirt followed by a possible entry of Cook who feeds you with those delicious curries. You get ready, get down and find a cabbie waiting to take you to your office.
Just keep on counting.
Peon in office cleans your desk. Office cafeteria serves you lunch and snacks. Your cable operator, mobile operator, your ISP, electricity and gas suppliers. You are in midst of an ocean of Relationships. An ocean, which you build and grow along with you. But we fail to acknowledge them all. Isn’t it.
the condition or fact of being related; connection or association.
3.
connection between persons by blood or marriage.
4.
an emotional or other connection between people: e.g. the relationship between teachers and students.
5.
a sexual involvement; affair.
I will try to define some of the relationships which I have already mentioned before and some of the new ones with these Five.
Yesterday you hit a cyclist with your posh BMW and he suffered a major injury. I would say your relation to the mishap falls under First definition.
All the relationships I mentioned before would fall under the Second definition, as there is an association between you and the organization/people who provide you various services. Remember, Vodafone quotes your ‘Relationship Number’ on the monthly post-paid bill they send you.
The relationship you share with your parents, siblings, cousins, uncle, aunts, spouse and in laws goes under the Third definition.
The Fourth definition is easy to understand as well. Isn’t it? Your relationship with your friends, is there a better way to define it?
Fifth one is probably the most risky to touch I would say. A layman like me would think that the very first reason someone would like to get into a Relationship with a complete stranger of opposite (nowdays same as well) sex is very much explained here.
So why do we have all these relationships? I say NEED. In My Arrogant Opinion (IMAO :p), it’s the NEED which creates all relationships, it’s the NEED which drives them all and it’s the absence of NEED which kills them in the END. I was good friends with a music store owner as I used to buy at least one music cassette from him every week and he used to give me discount. One day, I switched to digital media, the NEED was gone and so was my little relationship with the music store.
It holds so true with, well everything I can think of. If I suddenly decide to go into exile at Himalayas, I won’t need any of the relationships said before. Same holds valid for a relation between 2 or more individuals. I am not trying to be rude or grateless, but I need parents as I would not have survived on my own, I need friends as life would be so boring without them, I need Internet as I can’t do without browsing, chatting, music, movies and obviously some uncensored stuff. And so I have a relation with all of them.
Given I have almost uncovered the origin and reason of existence of relationships, it’s time to do some analysis around that WHAT IFF part. What if, I lose one or more relationships I am currently into?
Well, I see two possibilities:
I would crib for few minutes/hour/days/months depending on how important it was to me and then:
1. Search and find an alternate if I can’t do without it. 2. Forget it and carry on with my life, as it didn’t mean much to me anyway.
Few examples lifted from my own life.
I am so much addicted to computers that I got myself a new laptop in the very first month I arrived in The UK. I did get one from my employer, but obviously I don’t like working under restrictions and I had no other option than to get a personal one. Obviously computer was something which I could not have lived without (option 1) and went for an Alternate when my desktop was no more accessible to me. One relation gone, another created as a replacement. Simple? Not so I say.
On a similar note I don’t remember more than half of my school and college friends as their friendships were anyway not a lifeline for me and I was so cool moving on without taking them along.
Now comes the complexities. What if I am presented with more than one relationship to choose from, or I am able to find a better alternative to the current relationship I am having.
Relationships are more like a business process, where it should be profitable and advantageous to everyone involved. If anyone feels he is not getting what he expects, or if there is a better option around, he will switch. Don’t tell me you have never changed you preferred hang out place; your telephone operator, your house, your roommates. If you don’t get something fruitful from a relationship, you just GET OUT of it… Plain.
It’s a natural process and we should not be offended if our partner left us for something which was better to him/her. In the course of our lives we will come across situations where we will find people moving out of our lives as well, for their own good, without thinking about us. But it’s fine, because obviously they won’t be able to do something better for themselves if they start thinking of you. You see, they could get sunk in a guilt feeling.
So personally IMAO, I find myself in the best possible situation when I take Relationships as nothing more than a Scheme of Arrangement. An arrangement created to fulfil my NEEDS and it’s always better to either Find a Replacement or Learn to Live without it rather than cribbing. To add, I have never seen someone dying for a lost relationship.
After all, Life is more like a Multiple Choice Question where more than one options are correct. You have to choose the most accurate of them all, or else FAIL the test. As simple as that.
Your invaluable comments are welcome and please excuse any eshhpelling mishtakes, if present. They are bound to occur when someone is typing half asleep.
P.S–> This useless thread was written in my complete consciousness on early morning of 29-Nov-09 (GMT), and I was not intoxicated at all while writing it … LOL. ROTFL
Well, it has been a month I have been in UK, and a post like this was very much inevitable .
To start with I never realized when and how my 10 hour flight from Bangalore to London finished. For most of the times, I was either sleeping (and snoring, my co-passengers in the flight, please excuse me) , or feeding myself.
It was a very pleasant experience at Heathrow considering all the probabilities of getting my luggage/myself lost. . The 90 mins drive to Worthing was something nice to feel with greenries all around. The cab driver was a bit surprised to see that I was not at all overwhelmed by the feeling of being in UK. Earlier he had mistaken me to be from Bangladesh. (God knows how he mistook Bangalore to be Bangladesh). As soon as I clarified about the Bangalore thing, the first thing he spoke of were “Computers”. lol..This was funny to see how keen he was to understand what exactly we Indians do with Computers. Well, you know, being a SMART and Responsible Indian, I didn’t reveal our secret (obviously, if they learn it, our jobs will be gone ). Jokes apart, he was a real nice guy, and he ensured that he drops me at the correct address. So this is about my very first few hours outside my homeland.
I am based at a very calm but large seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex county. It’s probabily one of the warmest places in England. Now to keep everything short let me jump to the significant differences Idiscovered between India and The UK.
Mostly, people and fair and white skinned… hahahahaha, what an observation.
Cars are cheaper and popular than bikes, complete reverse of India.. Well, its a known fact. I just validated it.
Surprisingly no packaged grocery item will have a printed retail price. So you can get the same 2ltr Coke bottle for 1.8£ at Tesco, but for 1.5£ at Iceland. It takes time to analyze and find cheap stores.
There are loads of Indian restaurants, hardly owned by an Indian. It’s mostly Pakis and Bangladeshis making money in name of India. You see a business oppertunity here, don’t you.
Typical English food is not Pizzas and Burgers, but non-spicy,boiled sort of vegetbles and soups with very less salt. hehehehe.
Here 5 minutes mean 5 minutes, it’s very much different from Indian Standard Timings. isliye +- nahi chalta yahan.
Human labour is considered precious and is given the value it deserves, so you gait paid extra if you work overtime. Unlike India, where you can keep slogging 24/7 for no extra penny.
Average working hours across organizations is 7.5 hours. And people rarely work beyond what they are hired for.
The only thing I didn’t like about angrezan is that they don’t wash their as**s. Khali tissue se kya hota hai
This is enough for this post, there is still so much to see and experience. But, later.
And in between, I got my first salary. So I am looking forward for this weekend.
This is let everyone (as if thousands come to this site :p) know that I am planning to migrate my page from PhP to .NET. I have already switched my server and will be loading up new content in sometime. During this migration, you might see this site going down for few hours / days.
How often do you feel put in the same situation once again?
Well, by same situation I do not mean commuting to office in the same bus everyday, or listening to the same music every 2 hours. I want to emphasize on situation and events which are significant. A phase of time which leaves an everlasting mark on your life, on the way you perceive and look at things.
I am damn sure you can count such occurrences on finger tips, coz there will only be a handful of them, or may be not even one.
You must be wondering why I am taking about such situation and circumstances which rarely repeat. After all, there has to be a rationale behind it. The reason is that I am currently experiencing one such event in my life (whoa, how lucky I am ) .
I have already bragged about how significant 2009 has been for me. Continuing on the same, I had so many things circling inside my physically small mind this weekend. A weekend which meant so much for me, a weekend which I won’t probably have once again. As I celebrated each and every moment of it with my friends, I had memories of last 21 (21 coz I can’t recall first 3) years playing on the media player on my subconscious mind.
It must have been a genius like me who said that everything runs in a circle, including Life.hehehehe. Well this is what I am currently feeling. I can relate last few days so well with May-June 2002, another significant time of my life.
It was then when I left home (Muzaffarpur), It is now when I am once again leaving my current home (Bangalore). Then I had to part with my parents with no idea of when the reunion will happen. Now I am parting with my friends, and once again I have no idea when will you reunite, if we at all do. World was so huge and new for a 17 year old boy then, when he got to Delhi. World will again be huge and new when a 24 year old not so boyish will find himself 7000 kms away from what he calls home. It was so easy to get lost then, it’s as easy to get lost even now. It was sheer ruthlessness and confidence which helped me stand on my own then, and I am sure it will be the same even this time. Delhi taught me so many things. About people, about the society we live in, and above all about me. It was transformation of a small town shy boy into a bold and courageous guy. Once again it will be transformation. In fact it has been a year of transformations for me. Only time will tell when will the end result of this transformation this time. I have my fingers crossed.
Indeed, I have every reason to say that I have been put under the same situation once again. This is surely going to leave mark on me. Now whether this mark will be beautiful or like a scar, has to be seen. But I don’t have complaints, because somewhere inside, I desperately wanted it. Let’s see what life has to throw on me. The Fish is waiting for the challenge.
While I get ready to embark on a new journey, of which I don’t know an end, I am enjoying each and every second of the time I have got. From hogging chicken like anything to drinking Coke like a person who has never had a drop of water. From consuming alcohol to smoking weed. From a day when even 2 rs coin given by my Dad were like a treasure, to a day when I have just lost track of how much I am spending. From a time when staying awake beyond 11 was bad, to a day when late night rides and parties rule my world. I am living every bit of it.
As I leave India for a minimum of one year, with money on my mind, I except to earn a lot of experience as an added bonus as well. Good or bad, whatever it may be, it will be fun and a something to learn and add to my ever-growing list of fundas.
This is me, signing off for tonight. Next post from Sussex, United Kingdom with all my initial experience covered.
Hi friends,
the primary reason of putting this up here is the fact that many of you are not on Facebook .
Frankly speaking, the questions are a real throw away.
And its an opportunity of lifetime for you to waste some precious time of yours.
Email me you answers @ alok4best.yahoo.co.in.
Let’s see how well do you guys know me .
So here they are:
How well do you know Alok
1) What cell phone network do I use?
a) Airtel
b) What an Idea Sirji
c) Whever U go, the Network follows
d) Aircel, aur bolo
e) Reliance
2) My favorite flavor of ice cream is ________.
a) Strawberry
b) Chocolate
c) Vanilla
d) Cranberry
e) Tom n Jerry
3) What is my favorite type of music?
a) Rock (all flavors),Rap & Hip Hop
b) Trance, Techno & Fusion
c) Himass
d) A + B + C
e) A – C + B
4) What is my favorite movie?
a) Lord Of The Rings
b) Matrix
c) Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag
d) 300
e) Mai Imraan Haasmi Banana Chahta Hoon
5) Which is my fav color?
a) Black
b) Blue
c) Red
d) White
e) VIBGYOR
6) Which wrist watch do I have?
a) Rado
b) FastTrack
c) Rolex
d) Swatch
e) Tissot
7) What would I be willing to eat for 10,000 dollars?
a) Squid .. ppl do actually eat it.
b) Tortoise .. shud taste okay
c) Cockroaches … yuck
d) Leech…. argh..
e) All of the above
What did I wish to be when I was little?
a) Engineer
b) Doctor
c) Lawyer
d) Cross dresser
e) IAS
9) What Do I wish to be now?
a) Happy being an Engineer.
b) Wish I could become a Doctor.
c) Part of Discovery, NGC or AP crew.
d) Cross dresser
e) IAS seems still possible
10) If given for free, I would go for which car?
a) Corvette.. Sergeant Cross used this in Most Wanted
b) Lamborghini Gallardo.. My fav car in Most Wanted
c) Rolls Royce .. Heard Osho had dozens of it.
d) Bugatti Veyron .. It just rocks
e) Hummer .. The best ever SUV
11) What is my real date of birth?
a) 3rd March 1985
b) 23rd July 1986
c) 5th September 1984
d) 19th November 1983
e) 29th February 1985
12) A best match for me would be a girl..
a) very very talkative
b) with good attitude and nice humor
c) simple and sweet
d) with some good cash reserve
e) anyone will do
13) Why did I create this quiz?
a) Just because Naren created one for him.
b) To know how much you know me. as If I care
c) I like being famous and in news
d) Because u have nothing better to do
e) Because I am a dumb ass who can’t do better :-O
14) Then why the hell a 14th question?
a) 13 questions are just not enough.
b) 13 is an unlucky number.
c) 14 is my favorite number.
d) I like to continue crap.
e) U all just loved the quiz and wanted more.
Well, IPL2 has started and has already had an influence on me. You can see this with the heading for the post. “Off the mark for April” highlighting that it’s my first post for this month.
I know there are a few who are waiting for me to vomit out something. lol. So, I am leaving these lines as a precursor for the actual content that has to come.
So fingers crossed, just a little wait
Alok Like my page? Use the subscribe button @ bottom.
Been 2 weeks since I put something here.
something new coming soon, keep visiting.
Aaah, thank God.. Finally managed a night free enough to think something, to write something.
Last few weekends have been quite busy for me, a bit to due to ever mounting work pressure and more due to Insane night outs me an my friends are having. Aam aadami roaming on this page must be wondering what exactly does this Insane means !!!
Well, when a bunch of guys burn some midnight fuel to ride 70KMs out of Bangalore just for the sake of coffee @ Barista at 4AM, most of us won’t think it as “A Sane thing to do”.
Naren has already come up with an idea to name out “Not so sane gang” as “18th KM riders”. Sounds nice to me.
However, these insane rides are not about a cup of coffee. One can get it even at Reddy’s shop, in by 2 versions as well..lol
It’s about reliving good old days, when people were more important to us than money. It’s about recreating some of the magic moments once again. Sharad rightly puts it on his Orkut (read Chirkut) profile: “Most people look forward to yesterday”.
The yesterday, when we exchanged more calls, missed calls, messages and chats, even though they were costly. And compare it to The Today, when we have corporate plans, CUGs, free minutes. Yet we lack time and a willingness to talk.
Although it won’t be possible to reverse the time entirely, but still we can try and squeeze out time for things and people which actually make a difference to our lives, and this is exactly what I am trying to do.
A such person, has started talking to me again after a gap of few months. Though not so regularly, but a start is what all matters.
I know you will be reading this some time (sooner or later), and all I want you to know is that I know you have so many things to tell, and so have I. And I need you to speak out whatever you want to. I have all the time in the world to listen to you, in fact I always had. In my mind and my heart, there lies infinite possibilities, which you have to explore and find.
In between, I am trying my hand on my latest addiction: My digicam.
It has so many features that I guess it will take me months to master it fully..lol.
Few samples of my “Behind the lens skills” can be found @ my Chirkut profile..
Oh, well, yes. I am back on Orkut. A renovated Alok. lol. Who is living in his own celestial zone.
Time to wrap up I guess, it has been a while since I treated you all with some class music. To make up for this, I will put up a track by Coldplay. A live version of “See You Soon”. One thing I can say for sure, the more I hear of them, the more I fall in love with their music.
This song goes out to you, my friends, my life:
, and here I am once again. Cribbing on my Crib sheet. So, from where to start?
What did I wish to be when I was little?
