ST Buses.. The Red Riding HOODS.....

Another test under the scanner, it was time to hit out... & be away from the gang & all that college talk..... No booze this time round.. In fact, booze was never meant for me..I feel... The overhanging feeling makes the effort come to naught....

So, decided to hit out on an ST Trail.... well yes.. roaming around in an ST Bus..
Uran; which lies in my backyard... has been on my mind for a while... Given that, the marketing test got over in an hours time, meant I had some free time to make use of...Caught the ST bus for URAN.. . was there in about 30 min.. Wonder if Dronagiri & Uran are one & the same place..
Anyways, from there on, decided to hit out to the Ferry to catch a glimpse of the boats & the activity around it... The nearest Ferry was @ Karanja... a 20min auto drive from the ST stand.

Karanja is like any other fishing village, with trawlers large & small bobbling in the low tide. As i reached the jetty, the thoought of extending the trip, kind of hit me... And so it began...with Alibaug just a stones throw away... wanted to make the most of the opportunity to hit the water.. A brief wait, some chai & bang.. hadmanaged to reach the opposite shore.... REWAS.. the ferry ride was short.. lasted about 15min.. South Mumbai, seemed so close from there... Wonder how it would be to travel to S-Mumabi, everyday by the oceanliner...!!

It was dusk, by the time i set foot on Rewas... the plan was to reach Alibaug & come back in an ST. Having been there about 12 years back, had vague memories of the place... So, was a good time to test my knowledge & also revisit the place. Had grossly underestimated the time between Rewas & Alibaug.. The 23 km distance took about an hr to cover, in teh 10 seater TUM TUM... being a Sunday, ST traffic was minimal on that route...

The smells & sound while travelling through vast open country side is always a pleasure.. especially after an overdose of late nights & exam stress... the 23km skimmed through with ppl moving & out of the Airawath... Reached Alibaug by abt 7.45pm... & headed straight for the ST stand.. Had mentally prepared myself to spend the night @ the ST stand, in case buses were not available.... But hey, when in Maharashtra, there is always an ST to take u around...

With the bus for Dadar leaving @ 8.30pm, had some spare time to catch up on my memories....apart from hogging on chikkos & local alphonso's.....

The sight of an incoming ST bus, creates a beehive of activity & frenzy.. the young & the old, the plump & puny.. all seem to be confident of stopping the goddam busin its tracks, even before it has parked... The smallest of the lot, have the dishonour being dumped through the window..with the only intention of reserving a space..... As for the elderly lot.. the BUS seems to have no feelings... well, lets say, atleast in one place they show no reservation & believe in equality....

After the initial harakiri, i managed to get a seat, right @ the back.... It took a while before the storm/excitement to subside..... The less fortunate ones had to stand all the way through....

Once peace & normalcy is restored, it gave me an opportunity to study the various characters in & around my vicinity....
To my immediate left was an elderly chap returning from a marriage; he was busy munching samosas with Pepsi...
To my left was a young couple. When she was not yelling on the phone, informing her folks abouyt her whereabouts, it was Snoooze time...
Behind me were a boisterous bunch, who were low on excitement & so had managed to bring along 1/2 a bottle of whisky. Water was always @ hand.. & so the spirits were relatively high.
Ahead of me, was a kiddo & next to her came this aunty of a reasonably good frame.

Standing in the midst of all this, were 2 gujju business men.... When one of them was not explaining about the various business opportunities, the cell ensured that he was kept busy....

And so the Journey began.... @ the said time..8.30pm.

No sooner had we done a 20 min drive, the bloke next to me, would time & again retract his head from the window.... This was in sync with the lady ahead who would peek out of the window.. After a while, there was tablet of Ovamil being offered... Then , it dawned .. it was case of Tummy Upheaval accompanied by some Desperate Face Saving measures ...

With cell phones ringing, the one among the Whisky boys had a plan... & this is what he said....
" Mala phone de na... majha ITEM la phone karto......!! "
reply - " Aigeee... ata naaahi... Ajoon IDEA aaahe......; Panvel nantar, use kar... tya pudhe roaming nasnaar.." Wonder how good or bad an IDEA it was to keep the ITEm waiting.....

As for the gujju bhais... there was an incident which led to one of the Mota bais to blurting out..
" Aisi cheejein, kabhi kabhi LuckBy Chance hi hota hai....."

Finally managed to hit base @ about 10.30pm, after a 2 hr return journey back...
All in all, it was a chill trip, decided on the fly..

I guess, as people evolve, they just tend to loose touch with reality.... & develop hangups .... Travelling in an ST bus, with broken seats, window frames, hard cushioned seats, etc..etc... seem to draw the ire & frustration of those who are used to other luxuries....

All said, ST buses in some way do mange to link u with the masses & gives one an oportunity to appreciate the enoromous task they undertake of transporting ppl across the state; with the bare minimum of facilities.....

Hats off to the ST Red Riding Hoods.........

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

Douglas Adams

Exam .... what a stressfull word.....

Wonder why....Wonder how.. those 4 letters could make u growl.... I wonder....!!
They say Familiarity breeds contempt. Would that be so....

From Yell(L) KG to Ooo(U)KG, right through those golden years of yore, into adolescence & adult(Robin) hood, the 4 letters keep pace, following u'r every move... keeping track of all that wasted time; be it playing around, getting drunk, courting,... as diligently as the Hutch Puggy would.
Try to outwit it; & ghosh ... it mutilates your score card.....
Try to bunk it; & society for no better reason; throws u into the dungeon.....
Some have even tried the technique of " To Win Some, you need to loose some"... failure in exams; have always had a detrimental effect on the most genial of souls....

King Cliff was one lucky soul to have sung the song....
"We’re all going on a summer holiday.
No more working for a week or two.
Fun and laughter on a summer holiday.
No more worries for me and you.
For a week or two.

We’re going where the sun shines brightly.
We’re going where the sea is blue.
We’ve seen it in the movies.
Now let’s see if it’s true.

Everybody has a summer holiday
Doing things they always wanted to.
So we’re going on a summer holiday
To make our dreams come true
For me and you."

Summer Holiday.... sounds like a relic as precious as space dust. Summer are meant for Suresh Dani Classes, Agarwall Classes, Brilliant tutorials & many more... not to mention the space age names like Career Launcher, IMS, or whatever.... talking of names, why no Zaphod Beeblebrox Patshala or Venus'n'Veronica's Tutorials or a PlayboyPlaystation... atleast, there should be some motivation to enter the premises of these hollowed institutions....
Hey,.but that's not, what I was trying to convey..... The 4 letters whom i intend to nickname HYDRA- The BigBULLY ( see latest snapshoot of Hydra) for reasons I cant fathom, has already spread its tentacles. Just like the carnivourous pplant HYDRA, this chap keep luring unsuspecting souls into its Honey trap. At this juncture, I am tempted to give it some feminine attributes; considering its abilities to lure wide eyed boys.. More research needs to be done & also the feminists voice needs to be pacified..More on that later....

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so. Douglas Adams

So, where were we...Hydra has managed to wreck havoc with the productive lifecycle of a homo sapien. But surprisingly nobody seems to be complaining.... Nuclear, Narmada, Rabri's & Dubya seem to be grabbing world attention...... Even after all these years, with no sight of reforms being applied to reign in the wily old Control Freak called HYDRA, she still manages to torment me.

Only if she could present her physical self, I would be fighting a public interest litigation against her for causing general Amnesia, Dark Circle, Alopecia (loss of hair), & many more of such ghastly disorders..... Huhh.. got myself worked up .... what else to do...

Economics, the most philosophical of subjects got marauded under the spell of...whoe else but Hypnotic Hydra... the DEeeepp Daark Circles... as mysterious as they might sound, occupying the contours of my gentle face...share a tale of struggle, perseverance, endless cups of chai & tummy ache... ( blame it on the chai... n acidity n gas...n .... hunger)..Some say, hunger makes the head muscles work more efficiently... I must agree to this Prognosis.. there definitely is some truth in it..

But all said... the Hydra babe does manage to make an impact on the object of her desire..in this case, it is yours truly......
All those Eco concepts which never made sense; rather was never given an opportunity to do so, has in the twinking of an eye, become so very easy.. ( i hope, i am not shooting my mouth off.... the results are still awaited...) Once u r numbed to the point of insanity by the hyddish scent of Hydra, the late nights, candle lights, ..etc tend to make the grey cells more efficient,Centeris Paribus( as per Eco..everything else assumed to be constant).

With increased efficiency, the marginal utility of each & every moment spent worshipping the books have a +ve effect on the general psyche... However such benefits are rather short lived.... Even before u have managed to take a breather for a job well done, Horny Hydra is back to her dirty tricks....

I guess, this is where i need to say Adeau... for by now, you have been infected by the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility... Anymore, & u might just start cursing me....

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Douglas Adams

From a week, I seem to moving into a month..between posts... You might call it laziness, lack of time management, drive to write or whatever.. . I don't intend to give any justifications fr not writing....

The interesting addition to my life after having moved to Belapur.. apart from cycling i.e is getting back to the ROCKS..... something I resisted for long..but couldn't hold on to any longer.... Self control.. phew.. Now what on earth is that supposed to mean.. I have tried it ample times.. It has been a lost cause.. So why bother..Might as well make the most of the time spent @ Belapur..climbing apart from studying.. If this news were to find its way home, I can expect my mom giving me company out here.... Anyways, let me leave it @ that.. The fact is ... most of my climbing mates have shifted base fr their wknd passion from Borivili ( SGNP) to Belapur Hills...
Speaking of Belapur Hills, kindly read this article ....
http://www.newbombayplus.com/fullStory.asp?articleID=NBP1ART0372006

Woke up today mrng..with the hangover of an impending exam .... distorting my dreams... to find the sky sparkling bright @ 4.30am.. It couldn't have been the cash starved MSEB, going on overdrive to brighten up the dawn of a new day... The thunder that followed lifted my spirits.... fr soon; the first drops of the same liquid that had swept Mumbai of its feet in the deluge of 26th July started sprinkling the balcony & the courtyard.... This was immediately followed by the sweet fragrance of earth scented from heaven.. ..( ah a..Now i seem to be getting nostalgic...)

Well... let me tell u it was the best stress reliever.... when issues like Capital Budgeting, Cost of Capital have tormented u over the previous night... in tandem with the mossies...

Staring @ the overcast sky with a garam chai in hand.... blindly admiring the lightning razzmatazz & egging for the big thunder to bring in the downpour.. ..( I need to confess.. The motive out here was to get the rains be reason enough to postpone my exams.. Come on .. Who would want to sit & exercise the forearms, scribbling on a piece of paper; when the weather was so inviting....!!)
I am sure, by now..u would have empathised with my plight & shared my state of mind...

My place @ Belapur, has the luxury being infested with sparrows who make a fly past through my room, given the slightest opportunity.. Now that I have been feeding them Bajra .. has made these plumpy sparrows demanding fr more..

With day break, I could see the pigeons & the sparrows roaming along the footpath... as if playing a game of "cutting the cake".... The place was steaming with life.. Didn't realise, 2 hrs had gone by, while the chai & me was engrossed in this delightful spectacle.... With energy levels high, rushed to the college in a pair of shorts.... ( dress code exists only in the prospectus... who said.. to get gyan; one has to get enclosed in a cocoon....hmm Man, Society & its crazy ... idea...are just meant to make u a slave of screwed up ideologies... those who don't agree, kindly read the book FREEDOM by Jiddu aka J .Krishnamurthi...might help open up u'r shrunk heads..)

But, anyways, why am I diverting from the topic.. ( must be my excited state of mind..with songs from Rang De Basanti.. blasting in the bkgrnd).. The exam went of much better than I had expected.... took a light nap later & then convinced my frnd to accompany me fr a cycling trip.. This was along a new climbing route... a beautifull uphill road; which takes u along the Belapur-Khargar Hills right to the top of Pandav Khada.... Had done 3/4th of the route earlier, on a hot sunny afternoon... & had got roasted.. But was equally excited @ the thought of doing it , when the weather was as good as it was today... Breeze, drizzle & the charged up environment.. Need u ask for a better invitation to cycle.. After a good grub & chai @ my favourite chai shop, pushed off to the hills..

It is a steady uphill; which keep tempting u to move up a gear @ every turn.. Since I didn't have a gear; was more keen on working out my legs which had undergone some stressful workout @ the gym; a day earlier. Well, honestly..geared cycles are a pleasure to ride..especially when u r doing long distance..But for such power cycling workouts, gearless is the way to go about...Else, might as well push pedals on flat grnd.. I know, some of u might not share my logic.. Don't bother... !! Now that u have read so far, might as well take the trouble to reach the end...

The route, does provide a great overhead view of Belapur-Khargar-Panvel, the Hill Range of Matheran starting from Haji Malang, Karnala, with the creek snaking its way along.... resisting the rampant reclamation that threatens its very existence..... The new road, bridge connecting Belapur to Uran & an assortment of man made & natural sentinels enthral you.. until a bunch of brash / generation next dikros & dikris create a rumpus as they buzz through in their cars & bikes... Well, there are no issues with that, as long as they avoid littering the place with plastic & other eyesores... Which made my frnd comment.. Human being take enormous effort to blast a way through these hills; only to find others like them putting in greater pains to turn the clock back in time... But still, things are not as bad as SGNP....

There is small village @ the top by the name.... PhanasWadi.. a small hamlet .. who, thanks to the new road have to endure the blaring of the hifi car audio spkrs .....

Finally, was time to descend back to civilisation.... & have some hot chai & kanda bhajji...
Now wasn't that a bright way to end .. what was a wonderful trip...

In the 3 months @ Blpr, I seem to have experienced Winter, Summer & Monsoons.....I just hope, the heat doesn’t come back to haunt us with a vengeance....

Untill, if the weather holds.. Its time to pedal push towards Rajmachi via Lonavala....

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...