Its been a week since the last update.. the pace @ which time zips kindof keeps me awestruck... Its been 2 months since I have embarked on the not so Mast Bekar Araaam routine.... Last weekend was meant to roam around town with mates from college.. visit the Jehangir Art gallery, Sugar cane juice @ gateway, grubs @ Vithal Bhelpuri, watch Zinda @ New Excelsior , followed by a visit to Strand Book Exhibition followed by a breezy evng along the necklace.

The few incidents that struck a chord were... the vendors of greeting cards @ Gateway. Have a feeling, these smart slaesmen work on close to 200-300% ,margins. Speaking to one of the blokes, revealed his modus operandi. He too can't make much sense @ the craze for these snaps amongst the tourist populace. But, he is always on the lookout to get a killer deal... I guess, he appreciates the value & power of an inflated GREENBACK. The arrival of QE2 along the Mumbai coastline, has soared his spirits sky high.....

Old Theaters.... Though the slow transition of these single screen masterpieces into fancy & expensive ,multiscreen entertaintment hubs has already begun; I still feel these golden oldies indeed provide great value in terms of experience.... For starters, as one walks into New Exelsior, Regal or Eros; there is a certain visual appeal & old world charm that these places poccess... I do agree, the seats are not as plush & comfy, the view positioning not very erogonomic & other blah blah..reasons.. But boy, I still prefer them to the new age multiplexes..unless one were to go there on a date !!! to spend a cosy time... planting u'r ass on leather upholstery , reclining seats & tons of foam. Else, they seem to provide little value for money..

Strand Book Exhibit... it is a mad house.. My eyes just get exhausted @ the sight of so many books... I prefer the road side stalls .. cheaper , & one has a small collection to look upto. An already increasing backlog of books to be read; meant I was in no position to accumulate any further hard bound.

The Sunday was spent attending the engagement ceremony of a close friend... right in my backyard... It was a chill affair.. Mallu functions are efficieny personified.. Even before u realise, the function is over & the junta is either heading to the stage or attack the gourmet that has been laid out. So, there goes another friend; soon to be tied in knots...... Phew man... single ppl seem to be a diminishing specie....

The Business Plan that we were supposed to come up with ... was weighing me down.... Earning profits & money..have never realy made much sense to me.. So when it is forced up u'r throat, u almost suffocate... But like everything; one gets to adapt to the new requirements. Having sweated around with 4-5 inconsequential plans; finally managed to wrap up the stuff in about 2 hrs. I guess, when under time pressure; even the most mundane idea seems to make sense.. As if enlightement is supposed to strike only @ the nth hour... Wonder, how frustrated & irritated Buddha might have become, if he was not given a deadline to attain enlightenment...
Can't reveal the fineprint..might do so, someother day... i am sure u all know about Known Disclosure Agreement & IPR... Check the BlackBerry legal tangle..if u need any further evidence...

Mumbai festival...... I guess that was inevitable ...Being part of a global economy,,implies there is homogenity in the concept, all across.. the content is what differs.... On thursday , we had Indian Ocean performing @ Bandra Reclamation... Their song Bande from the movie Black Friday has hit the charts... Heres one rock group, which has a unique Indian Flavour...be in their dress sense, their use of hindi, the lyrics taken from traditional sources & most of all the music; which is very much like fusion. This also gave me an oppurtunity to meetup with a few friends & also make a couple of new ones.. These blokes ( all of them from the tech industry in US) had quit their jobs & were in search of their real objective.... in the meantime, were involved in helping an NGO in Mumbai
by the name of AVSAR ----->http://www.avsarindia.org/new/Avsar%20India.htm
Yuva Parivartan ---->http://www.yuvaparivartan.org/index.htm

Well, its another Saturday.... was hoping to go & climb a bit..but given the mountain of work, that looks remote....Hopefully, tmrw morning plan to do some high adrenalin cycling & a visit to the rocks....Inshallah... presently listening to Bob Dylan.. & Louis Armstrong

( the earlier post was filled with varying degrees of typo errors... there were so many, I just didn't bother correcting.... in case any of u had to endure the crap, kindly accept my sympathies )

The week that was.....

The week started off from Sunday... another week has zipped past; & we are already 2 months into our 12 month long intergalactic space odyseey.. before turning into Space Dust!!

Lectures are piling on & so is the load... Since the past few days, i seem to have developed a decent rhytm.. starting the day @ 5.30 & winding up by 11.30... The time management or the lack of it, during the day still seems to be an issue...

The immediate priority is to get a Business Plan in place. To do what ..one might ask... Well, if i had known that, the plan would have already got executed..
The idea is to come up with a concept wherein technology acts as an enabler & also as a source of competitve advantage... Jzz, i get a feeling; i am blasting u'r grey cells with management bakwas... coming back to reality....

Just back after a jolly good cycling workot along a decent uphill.. The place was Parsik Hill; adjacent to Belapur Station... It has a beautifull winding road; @ a steep gradient. Ever since I saw the route, it has been playing with my senses. Finally, today evng after the Economics lecture, it was time to destress... jumped into my shorts & blasted off to Parsik. Given my reasonably good state of fitness; maanaged to cover the distance in good time. The Uphill part was the most satisfying. Hope, to make it a regular part of my weekly activity. On reaching the dead end, parked the cycle & rambled up to the top.. & viola. there is another route coming from the other side... A deserted place with a police check post on top. .. The view from their is similar to what one gets to see from 120 @ National Park.. My camera is need of a roll asap.. the view of a fast developing city like Navi Mumbai is
quite an impressive sight. Hope to grab as many shots of this beautifull place; during my short
stay.
Winded up the cycling trip by having a onion filled frankie from Belapur Station...

Talking of Belapur, this place has its unique charm n appeal.. starting from the Station, to the deserted roads, the plethora of beer bars solicited by a beeline of fancy cars... Hope to pivk up some night snaps; with the buildings guarding the city like sentinels.....

The weekend is long..as our HR prof has flown down to New York.. Time Management.. hope, that doesen't remain a pipe dream...
Adios.

Day... hmm..forget it... lost track... Going Bald...Bald....Bald..... almost99.9%

Updating the blog daily is turning out to be quite a task; unless if i were to get paid for doing the same.... But the question is.. who would want to read such gibberish... May be, they might earn a fortune in the future... sad part is their Net Present Value (NPV) seems to be zero.... But hey..it's not all about the money Honey..!! is it?? Naaaaaaa......

Lugged myself home over the weekend; with the noble intention of doing some valuable studies... Nobility was never meant for me i guess; never realised how the 2 days zipped past.

The only achievement... Chopped off, 99% of my hair.. the last time, I achieved 100% hair decimation was about 2 yrs back... So, it was long overdue. This time too, intentions were similar... except, the barber boy introduced an element of doubdt in my otherwise clear consiounce.

He asked.. " Zaaab.. Ek number ka blade uuuse karoon ; ya Zero number...!! "

Though, it was an Indyan Geek, who invented ZERO many a circa back; we have been trained almost consistantly & passionately to shun this figure & never ever get an affinity for the same.

So much so, we shun , shriek & look down upon anyone who deals with the circular figure; in singularity. I too succumbed to this falasy; albeit inadvertently.

So, it didn't turn out to be a clean shave after all;left behind was a carpet of smooth black n velvety patch... good enough to reduce aerodynamic drag; while cycling. Actually I can feel the jest straems skimming past my skull; even while walking.. Gives u a rather breezy & relaxed feeling... As for affecting my rather curious personality; all the influential woman have given it a favourable rating.

Time @ home was spent eating .. sleeping & chatting up with friends.... Wasn't surprised to know that, Telephone bills have drastically reduced in my absence..... All this might lead to me being labelled a blabber mouth... Need to reform myself.. & soon...phew..!!

Momsies incessant desire to keep me well fed meant; I was carying back more stuff than I had intended.... A scorn from my sis; managed to express her innermost disgust @ my being pampered. Don't intend to analyse her thoughts much.. the exam stress is telling on her, i guess!! The dame needs a break from playing with horny animals... as part of her practical exams.

The food stock got consumed, no sooner was it opened in the class. Comprised of hot n happening APPAM & Elle unda aka Rai Balls aka Till Gul... with so much food intake, it meant, had to get some valuable sleep during the HR lecture.

Presently educating the new crowd to some of the old songs by Nancy Sinatra.... The spkr is blasting... Summer Wine....

"(NANCY): Strawberries cherries and an angel´s kiss in spring

My summer wine is really made from all these things

(LEE): I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to

A song that I had only sang to just a few

She saw my silver spurs and said lets pass some time

And I will give to you summer wine Ohh-oh-oh summer wine "

Day 36-37: Muscle Id ...!!!

Late yesterday night, had to climb up all the way to the first floor, through the balcony to waken the
fellow from his slumber; else, we would have ended up spending the night @ college.
That was some grill climbing... the good part was atleast some climbing happened.

Today being ID, decided to get myslef a body massage @ the gym befr lvng for college. As I was doing it for the first time, was a bit apprehensive. The gym instructor was waiting fr me on the terrace, with a bottle of mustard oil. Then it began..
The Mustard oil was all over & he began the process... Intially all was well, untill the muscles began to rebel....
Never before had my muscles endured so much pain. While the protein fibres were begging fo rmercy, my mind under the influence of newly acquired finance gyan, was in no mood to relent & wanted to make optimum use of the 100 bucks invested.
The sound of goats being slaughtered, ran in the background.... All along, the instructor was trying to raise my spirits, with comforting words.." Abhi aapka muscles ekdum acha badega..!! Holy hell... after the whole process ended, I smelled like an genetically modified MUSTARD... should I say, the aroma was everywhere... As I made my way out, the instructor, adviced me to workout & return after another 15 days.. these very words made my triceps pop out....

Climbing down from the terrace, my thighs felt like heavy metal, which squeaked with every move. Cycling back home, was another ordeal. Eventually, as I scrubbed my way to glory, felt like a mahout bathing an elephant.... Finally, the smell of mustard had reduced.. the balance was negated by applying moisturiser...

Since then, I have been following an altogether different aproach to walking.... This is expected to last for another day I guess, befr the muscles start bulging.... Wonder when that would hapen...

For the moment, picked up 2 videos of Hazaron Khuwahishein Aisi & Catch Me If U Can....
Admiring the aluring & ravishing Chitrangada for the moment...

Day 35: Well, college is slowly getting into a routine. The lectures & our emotions are beginning to follow a familiar cycle. But the most interesting & saddening news of the day was the demise of Heinrich Harrer; for the uninitiated; the author of " 7 years in TIBET" .

A msterpiece of a book; recounting the mesmerising travel of the author & his colleague through India; before escaping to Tibet & later back to Germany (his homeland). One of the most rewarding & fulfilling books, i have read in the recent past; echoing the true spirit of Adventure in ever page. There might have been many more accomplished individuals like him; but his trials & tribulations; the desire to escape British confinement, the single mindedness to reach Tibet, the wittiness to find his way into the forbidden kingdom, interacting with the Dalai Lama are truly mindboggling. Through the book, he paints a vivacious image of Tibetians & their lifestyle. That to me, was the highlight of the book. He manages to capture the essence of life in 19th century Tibet, through his narrative.

Through his interactions Dalai Lama, he manages to project the young Dalai Lama, as a person of imense knowlege, wisdom & intellect; & also brings out his playfull , inquisitive & innovative side.

The highly acclaimed book was converted to a motion picture with Brad Pitt potraying the author. A well made movie; which conveys in a short 2hrs; his journey of close to 20 years.

Sadly, this man; who to me was a icon of immense proportions; seizes to exist.

Born on July6,1912, the so of a postal worker in the Carinthian village of Knappenberg (Germany), he made the first ascent of the dreaded Eiger North Facein 1938. For his axploits, he earned a handshake from the Fuhrer aka Hitler.

Interesting Links:
1) http://www.harrerportfolio.com/Intro.html
2) http://www.tibet.com/Status/harrer.html

Day 34:

Eureka.... Archimedes cried out loud in delight...

I do that in despair.... I am jacked...

Accounts-Finance-Techno-HR-Eco- ....& many more....

Don't u guys get that sinking feeling... or r u still singing.. the Simon Garfunkel no... Feeling Groovy!! (I ask my colleagues) in case u r, do share a bit of the magic potion that keeps u chugging along....

2 months back , ATLAS Shrugged was the heaviest book, i had the pleasure of reading... in a short span of a month, i have lost count of the no of books that have zero entertaintment value....but, Have great value to be placed in a book shelf, & share tales with; about the secrets they behold to all & sundry without having read even a single page.

The unfortunate part is, I have no option but read; else the NPV of my investment might go bust....

don't bother what NPV is all about... just swallow it like a pill that induces indigestion...Grrrrrr......

Day : 33

Managed to cycle upto the boulders yesterda along with a colleague. Though, didn't carry my shoes along as it wa salready late. It was a pleasant evening. It is hardly 15 min from my dacha.
On the way back, we managed to pick up a bat & a brrom... after scouting for a long time in the Belapur market. It is an action packed place as compared to our side .. which is more sedated.

Cricket is what we play to restore the mental balance in between lectures. It is a welcome distraction.
Just reliased what a complex web, the whole process of Tax planning can be. If used intelligently, ppl can save a fortune .. But, I am yet to get a hang of this subject... but making slow progress..dheere..dheere....

Day 31-32:

Tomorrow is a welcome break.. so, spent the night @ college watching the movie Fight Club...
Was 2.00, by the time, we reached home...

Hope to spend the day . .. solving Finance problems & doing some climbing.. let' see...
Though, there are plans to get hold of a cricket bat.... as of now, just practising bowling...

Net is such an addictive sucker.. i end up spending valuable time, loitering around all the goddamn places, befr i realise the day is coming to an end.. pathetic....

Time to stop this nonsense... the rocks are wailing... Adios...

New Year razmatazz @ Belapur

Day 31-32:

My Gym schedule has started becoming erratic. All the same, met an interesting bloke @ the GYm. All of 57 yrs, a product of IMA Dehradun, 1971 war veteran, MBA from Pune University,
National Level Weight Lifting Silver-Bronze winner, ex Materials manager with London Pilsner,owns a printing unit, a advanced level -certified Gym instructor, presently an agriculrural & animal husbandry consultant. He owned large tracks of land near Dindioshi Depot; which was used for diary farming. Awesome isn't it.. A wonderfull bloke to talk to. In fact, while I was busy stregthening my lower back, he came along & rectified the flaw in my exercise routine. Having shared his thoughts on single hand roving exercise; there began a discussion between the two of us.
An absolutely interesting personality with a wealth of knowledge & experience & best part is, he stays just across my bldg. Intend to share thoughts with him, more often.

Well, today, i managed to get hold of a second hand bicycle from a nearby shop. That was the highlight of the day. Took it to college & all across Belapur. Now, that I can freely move around where the heart takes me, I am more @ ease.... Traversing & Exploring this place would become a daily part of my routine.

The study pressure is reaching boiling point. Days are becoming longer... The candle is burning bright & my vision is going bonkers...stretching into the night.

Day 30:

The presentation went in the dumps... The problem.. there were so many diferent scenarios in my head.. it just got too cluttered.. so..lost the flow . Started off with the Lyrics of Money by Floyd.... & ended with Money by ABBA... that was the only highlights of the whole activity...
Later managed to analyse my recorded presentation. I appeared quite comfy on the podium .. but it was the thoughts that never sounded coherent.... Anyways.. there is always a second chance...
All the same, pleased at getting rid of the book. Hope to get a better book to present the next time round...Inshalla...

Day 29:

Under Pressure.... No..for heavens sake... I am not in the loo ... The mountain of work staring @ me on this wonderfull new years day..is driving me sick.... Decided ot take my mind off, with a sudden desire to clean the house... Felt a sense of achievement after having played with the broom for a while... My mom would have jumped with excitement @ this sight.. By the time, i was half way throgh my lecture, the cleaning effort was showing up.. My nose was turning Nasty... The fountain of youth was trickling its way ... adding to my discomfort.... By evening, it has become a torrent.. Right now.. as I write, there is a glass of Hot n Yellow Milk .. giving me company.. It happens to be the medival concotion called Cosmic MILK.... Hmm hope it puts a lid on the fountain; befr tomorrows presentation..

cosmic milk recipe: Full glass garam milk, ginger, turmeric, sugar to taste

Day 27-28
Rushed home on Thursday after lectures to meet my cousin who had dropped in from Bangalore....
Being my foster mom... ( every woman..elder than me..seems to take the liberty to test their parenting skills on me); I was ordered to be with her for the whole of next day... Now isn't that an impossible task.. with the childrens camp happng @ the park...
Made some mighty promises; befr ziping off to the park in teh early hours of Fri... It was good to be back in the semi wilderness of teh camp & amogst 2 dozen or more wilderbeasts.... No better way to relax than enjoy u'rself in the open with some wonderfull ppl... Only if my cousin would have accompanied me, it would have made the remainder of the day..all the more fun....

But no.. that was not the case.. managed to reach home, a cool 5 hrs beyon the promised time.. Had to confront the Rage Of Angels.... all becs of my outdoor mom, had her plans in a spin..thereby delaying my exit from the camp.

Rushed back to Belapur on New Years eve , after bidding adeau to my sweet cousin. On reaching bk with a whole lot of goodies to eat..realised...plans have been made to celebrate New Year..out in the open.. courtsey ..collg sponsorship...with DJ & some serious belly dancing.
Its been a while, since i gyrated my belly ... it still appears to carry hangover of all that shaking..

NEW YEAR 2006... phataka..dhaamm..dhooom... Holy Hell.. always wondered.. what's so significant about this particular day. which makes ppl go bonkers....Balle Balle.... Shawa Shawa..
Not the slightest idea..... It is a wiered custom.. followed by eartlings , for no apparent reason.
My question for an answer to this balle Balle pheomenon shall continue....
Reached home @ abt 2.00am only to crash... Need to attend a lecture in another 6 hrs.... Grr..!!

any ways.. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006.... from the Master of the Universe..to all earthlings...