Tagged....Again!!!!

Well...I was tagged by a blogger friend long long ago and I did this at 12.36 in the night :)...Anyways here goes...

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
A. Am a typical virgo....one thing I cannot stand is betrayal!!!No chances...I tend to get very destructive.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
A. MBA...and the most cherished dream....send my parents off for a world tour :-)

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
A. Always my managers....whoever he is or will be :)

4. Why do you blog?
A. Giving vent to my feelings, try to get my creative side out (if I have one he he he)....and seeing my imaginations come alive

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
A. NO WAY!!!!

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
A. Definitely being loved by the person you love.....

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
A. If that person also loves me, then I would wait till eternity....else ladkiyaan, bus aur train......:)
8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
A. Ladkiyaan....Bus AUr Train...: I follow this religiously.

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
A. Old age homes and under privileged children.....

10. What takes you down the fastest?
A. The fear if losing my loved ones.

11. What resurrects you the fastest?
A. Shreya Ghoshal/Mohd Rafi/SPB's voice.....my mom's songs and ya GOOD FOOD!!!!

12. What’s your fear?
A. Heights...can be called my greatest fear and my source of entertainment....I've skydived 3 times :)

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A. A typical scorpion...I need not add anything else :)

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
A. Single and RICH....Any Problem?

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
A. Brush My teeth

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
A. Do Phool Ek Mali..??Interesting...depends on who likes me out of the two

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
A. YES!!!!

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
A. I can forgive but cannot forget...unfortunately God has gifted me a wonderful memory and I cannot erase these things no matter how much i want to.

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
A. Single.....if I dont get the person I like

20. Tag 6 people.
A. Nasreen, Venkat, Nirenjan, Arthi, Aditi and Ananya

Coffee And Rain

Last weekend it was raining cats and dogs in Dallas (courtesy hurricane Ike in Houston)...one of my favourite seasons sine childhood...really missed jumping on the mud puddles and dancing in the rain. This time, I was in an alien country with strangers...all I could do was get a hot cup of coffee and stand by the window watching the waters trickling down. I always felt that this was the most romantic weather and ya, many bollywood movies would agree with me too :-). Guess the stong coffee was having its effect on me too.....I was humming some of my favourite tunes when I suddenly realized these could be made into a cd. Most of them are the typical slow numbers you would like to listen by your warm fireplace or stand near the window with the music playing in the background. I want to trim this list to fit it in an audio cd so some help would be appreciated...and ya additions are welcome too....I can make this a 2 cd collection :)...I have tried to cover all emotions a man undergoes when he is in love so pls bear with the sad songs.

The list is as follows :-

01. Jab We Met - Tum Se Hi 
02. Thakshak - Khamosh Raat 
03. Babul - Bebasi 
04. Saawariya - Masha Allah 
05. Adnan Sami - Tera Chehra 
06. Adnan Sami - Kisi Din 
07. Duniya Dilwalon Ki - Jaa Ri Jaa 
08. Kyun! Ho Gaya Na - Dheere Dheere (Shankar Mahadevan) 
09. Stolen Moments - Aur Aahista Kijiye Baatein 
10. Pal - Pyar Ke Pal (KK) 
11. KNPH - Na Tum Jaano Na Hum 
12. Fuzon - Mora Saiyaan 
13. Metro - Dil Khudgarz Hai 
14. Metro - In Dinon Dil Mera 
15. Deewana - Yeh Pehli Mulaqat (Sonu Nigam) 
16. Mukesh - Kabhi Kabhi 
17. Rafi - Husnwale Tera Jawaab Nahi 
18. Kishore - Pal Pal Dil 

 

Pa.....

Before anyone reads this, let me warn you that I had written this after gulping 2 bottles of beer...ha ha just kidding.

Pardon the writing...I know the sentences were not formed perfectly or there is no continuity but I wrote the whole thing from the heart and I am not going to edit this!!!!

I was watching this movie "Mere Baap Pehle Aap" today...it was a typical priyadarshan movie( except for the fact that this time, he did not have too many people running here and there like his earlier films THANKFULLY!!!!). Though I knew it was a remake of yet another South Indian movie,this movie took me to my days when I was happy with my family...My Parents!!! Its said that sons are more close to their mothers and I am no exception.

Everytime I call home, the first thing I used to say is "Where's Mom??" I never even thought that my dad or lil sis would have something to say. It was always mom. Its not that I had a strained relationship with dad...we were BINDAAS together..it was just that I used to give mom too much importance compared to dad.

But this movie forced me to think about all the moments I spent with dad. My childhood saw very little of him, given the nature of his job. But he had always seen to it that every whim of mine was fulfiled. He made me feel that I was born with a silver spoon. The first 12 years of my life were extravagant.

Then bad times struck when dad decided to enter the stock market and in the end, thanks to one Mr. Harshad Mehta, we lost everything. But kudos to dad. He never let this get to him. But the world saw him with a different view now. Everything he did was criticized in the worst possible way. I was sent to my uncles place in Chennai where I completed my 10th. Dad had never let this get to him. He got another job and within 3 years, got the family to a respectable position once again. But he did this with only my mom to support him. I was kept away from the entire problem and my lil sis waas just 3 years old then.

Anyways, focussing more on my relation with dad...unlike most father and sons who fought because of the generation gap, dad and I got along really well. Yes, we did have our share of heated arguments but dad was much more accomodating. In the end, I realized how right he was. We used to fight in the morning and then make up in the evening...(he used to get me my fav shoes or cd's everytime we fought :p)..Once I was really upset that he gave our driver more importance than me and made it a point to curb the drivers wings which I did and in style (this impressed dad too). We are a total mismatch..not a single characteristic is similar. Dad loves casuals...(and I love formals :D) Dad prefers bikes while I am always game when its a 4 wheeler and so on.....

I always had problems with every little habit of his...he was more carefree while i was a perfectionist!! I am a neatness freak while dad doesnt even care about it. I am totally into music while dad doesnt even know the M of music!!!!

Slowly, we became more of friends than father and son..and I started taking him for granted. It was always mom for me...it was like "Dad ka kya...dekha jaayega!!!"

This particular incident always brings a smile on my face. We shifted base to Coimbatore after dads retirement and I moved to Chennai to pursue my MCA. During a singing competition, I saw a girl (she was the comperer and I won the second prize for Tere Dar Par Sanam) and asked her out the very same day :-) Surprisingly she agreed. After dinner, we were walking by th ebeach when she asked me whether I smoke...I said No...Then she asked me whether I drink!!! I said no...She laughed saying Kaise mard ho??Main 2-3 peg gatak leti hoon!!!!That turned me off!!!I left for Coimbatore and was mulling over what she said when my dad noticed it...I am going to replicate the conversation with him at that point of time...

Dad: Dude (dad calls me that), what happened??Girl problem?

Me: Correct pa...you know this girl...she said this to me...(And told him the whole story)...

By the time I finished, dad rushed to his room and came out with 2 bottles of beer.......and said this

Dad: I was waiting for this moment...chal...aaj bete ke saath ek peg maar leta hoon!!!!(This is how I started drinking...gave it up pretty soon too :D)

How many of us could talk to our dad like this??Very few!!My maama is so strict that my cousin refuses to go home.... mom still doesnt know I used to drink :p...and dad instigated it!!!!

My girlfriends (girl - friends) used to come home to meet my dad thanks to his BINDAAS nature. He was a big hit among my friends and was always invited to our outings...pity he never joined us even once...;-)

When fathers day came, I sent him a big senti card (knowing he hates such stuff :D) and a watch. He called me back and said this...

Dad: Kameene....baap ko fathers day pe rulaayega kya??Now make up for this and send me a scotch!!!!..

Me: Dad, main kameena hoon to aap mere baap ho ;)...I need not say anything more :D

(This was the first thing I recollected after seeing the movie)

Looking back, I think of all the times when my dad didnt get the importance he deserved from me. Despite doing so much, he never said a word. Maybe it was his bindaas nature which didnt allow me to notice it. Or maybe he never bothered!!! When Mom had high BP, I was tensed. When dad had it, I joked telling him to quit smoking!!! He just smiled and said nothing. This seemed so natural but now I realise...deep down his heart, he does feel that his son does not give him the importance he deserves and today, I feel really guilty. To all the people out there reading this, its not too late. Do tell your dad what he is in your life. I am going to do that right away...I dont wanna spend the rest of my life regretting!!!

Anyways, I never said this to him till date.....I am proud to be his son in this lifetime and will always be.....Love you Dad!!!!!!

P.S.-On a lighter note, now I know why Abhishek Bachchan keeps eulogizing his DAD!!!!!:p

A Lot Can Happen Over Coffee And Music

Hey All, I am back with a new story in my life and that too after a brief hiatus. Well, the last one month just whizzed by leaving me in a trance. I had to go back to India and after a month, was packed off to the US again (Oh ya....so freakin bad right!!!).....Lots happened this one month. There was a person whom I had proposed in the past and had rejected me then...this person suddenly felt I was THE GUY for her after 5 years.....unfortunately for her, I had moved on. Currently, I am enjoying my single status and have made up my mind for an arranged marriage. Till then, I have my cricket, Shreya Ghoshal's music and of course coffee for company ;-).

I spent this month honing my cooking skills and now am a master chef...OH YA I can give all the girls out there a run for their money ;)....anyways sorry for digressing. I had to leave my homeland in a hurry as I was given just a days notice to pack. I landed at the airport waiting for the boarding call. My flight was delayed by an hour. Irritated, I was walking aimlessly around when I saw a group of airhostesses walking by. Mostly firangs and I am NOT attracted to firang women....it was then I noticed an Indian face among them. And I thought she was really cute...actually, her smile was amazing. I stood as if I was struck by lightning and was shamelessly looking at her for a long time. She met my gaze as if she knew I was looking (whats with these girls man...how do they come to know when a guy looks at them???I get caught everytime...grrrrrr)..A small frown followed as she was whisked away by her colleagues. I made a silent prayer that she should be in my flight as I proceeded to board.

As soon as I entered my flight, she was the first person to greet me inside....I couldnt help smiling(THANK YOU GOD!!!!!) and she smiled back knowingly (I think so)... and as luck would have it, she was the one who attended to me in the flight. I did not take undue advantage of that and tried not to look whenever she passed by but couldnt...heheh all the guys put there would understand. And I would get caught everytime too :D.

Almost all the passengers were fast asleep while I was struggling to get some (which is a prob for me...I dont get sleep in flights usually...the beautiful miss doesnt have anything to do with this...or maybe she did ;D). I switched on my N73m to listen to some good music. I was listening to the number Lambi Judaai from the movie Jannat and as luck would have it, she passed by. In excitement, my hands pulled off the headphone from the phone. She stopped by as I sheepishly plugged the headphones back. I thought she would just frown at me for being a nuisance but yet again...lady luck was by my side. We had our first informal conversation and it went like this....

Me: Heheh sorry, guess the headphones slipped. I will take care next time.
She: thats ok and by the way, thats a nice song. WHich movie is it from?
Me: Oh, its from the movie Jannat.....so you havent heard this before?
She: Oh no...we dont get time though music is my hobby too. frequent air travels do not allow me to keep in touch.
Me: I can understand. But the job must be kinda exciting right....a new place every day and new people....
She: Of course!! I love my job and yes, meeting new people everyday and handling them is not as easy as it sounds.
Me: I know...so many might have tried to hit on you I guess ;) Putting them in their face without offending them would be tough :)
She: Oh...maybe (with a surprised look)....
Me: (interrupting her) but I guess some good people like me do not mind a frown too ;)
She: (Laughing)...You guys are all the same....so you admit hitting on me...
Me: (Laughing too)...Well...was just trying my luck and ya are you a Punjabi?
She: Thats perfectly right....how did you know that?
Me: Typical Soni Kudi I guess ;) And I love Punjabi food a lot :D
She: Too much :) You know what, people might get disturbed. Why dont we talk somewhere else if you dont mind?
Me: Sure...

We walked all the way to the back where these airhostesses usually stand. All had gone to sleep leaving just the two of us. A perfect romantic setting...all alone with a beautiful girl and....sigh anyways back to the story...

She: So you listen to a lot of music huh...whom do you listen to?
Me: Usually Shreya Ghoshal, Mohd Rafi and Dire Straits...I do listen to lots of country music too.
She: I love country music......not many takers these days and Shreya Ghoshal is amazing too...at such a young age, she has achieved so much...so what else you do other than music?
ME: Talk to a beautiful stranger in a flight ;) to pass time
She (blushing):....well...I guess its getting late now...it was fun talking to you...I had not interacted with passengers like this....thanks for that
Me: Hey, this conversation is definitely incomplete without a cup of coffee :D...it would be perfect to end it with that....cmon.
She (Thinking)...: hmm....trusting a stranger is dangerous but I will do it for the coffee (smiling)...hey one more thing, sing a song for me a good old one....
Me (wondering why ): Well....I hope the coffee stands because I am really bad at that :D...anyways this one is just for you.....Sang Abhi Na Jaao Chodkar (Surprisingly sureela)
She: Oh My, that was wonderful....you never told me you could sing....alrite....the coffee is on me....how about the coffee shop in the airport if you have the time?
Me (Thanking my stars): wouldnt mind missing the flight too ;)

We called it quits for the day and ya, she did mention that she will not ask for my number nor I should for hers....this will strictly be a one off meeting only (for the time being and no pics...SIGH!!!!!!)

I slowly drifted off to sleep not knowing when and ya...she was in my mind throughout and when I woke up, she greeted me with a smile (I didnt mention that she had a beautiful smile and that forced me to look for her always)....and that smile was for a lil baby in the row ahead of me...that suited me perfectly...saw her best smile so far and ya, got caught again...:D Hum Nahi Sudhrenge (Thirundave Maatom!!!)

She opened the window to let the sunlight embrace her adding a glow to her face. I was waiting for the flight to land and when it finally did, I rushed to the door so that I wouldnt miss her. She came out with her colleagues and as soon as she saw me, she whispered something in their ears and bade them goodbye. They gave me a knowing smile and left, giving us the much needed privacy :D.

I asked her whether it was ok with her. She responded by placing my arm in hers leading me to the cafe. We spoke for 2 hours about everything...my first crush, her first crush, all the dark secrets and what not....Guess it was the coffee but what the heck!!These two hours saw us become friends from strangers (wish I could have taken this further) and I could feel a strange connection between us.

Sadly, the time came for us to leave. Both of us sat there not wanting to go but life goes on.

She: This cup of coffee was the best I ever had. Thanks for everything.
Me: You must have meant it because you didnt frown at me even a single time :D
She (smiling): That what you get for being such a bad boy but you know what, deep down, I think I like the bad boy more....
Me: So can this bad boy break his promise and ask your number/contact details?? Heheh
She: That still stands. But unlike most of the guys, you stuck to your word. Not even once did you ask for my number or tried to take my pic without my permission...I think I am going to miss you. Thanks a lot for everything and I hope we meet again.....for coffee

I was sure I heard her choke but chose not to reply. She gave me a hug followed by a peck on the cheek and just left. I didnt ask her why we shouldnt exchange numbers or not keep in touch though I was curious. She might have had extremely personal reasons for the same and I didnt want to interfere. For the first time, I looked up to catch her staring at me....and she didnt move her glance.

I boarded my next flight with a heavy heart but as I said, life goes on. Maybe Lufthansa will be kind enough to depute her in my flight again :D...That one cup of coffee made a huge difference to my life. The aroma of both, our little rendezvouz and the coffee is still fresh and will always be....who knows, we might meet for another cup pretty soon :)...pray for me folks!!!

Shaurya - A Tribute To Friendship

Sensible movies have become a rarity these days. Movies like Om Shanti Om, Partner etc have been flooding the market. First, let me clear the air. I felt the above mentioned movies were entertaining though they dont provide food for thought. But when you always come across a Rahul Bose movie, you need to look at it from a different viewpoint.

I am talking about his latest movie Shaurya. Set against an army backdrop, this movie revolves around a court martial case where Rahul Bose defends the suspect and is against his best friend Javed Jaffery. Both of them are under-rated actors and rank very high in my favourites list. First, I need to give credit to director Samar Khan (whose first film Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye was a dud) for handling this sensitive subject brilliantly. The film was perfectly handled thought the second half could be trimmed by 15-20 minutes. All the actors performed brilliantly within their scope. Kay Kay Menon was amazing as the corrupt and dogmatic Brigadier. Nothing much for the ladies Minisha Lamba and Amrita Rao(a glorified special appearance) but they did well.

The film focusses on the court martial case where the two best friends try to upstage each other in the case. The director has paid attention even to the finer points here. I am not going to rant and rave about the army plot as every single review focusses on that.

The best thing I liked about this movie is despite the two best friends are pitted against each other in the case and they come out all guns blazing against each other, their friendship is not affected at all. Once they are out of the courtroom, things are totally normal despite their bitter arguments in the courtroom. The scene where Rahul Bose brought a Kashmiri Pundit just to get Javed Jaffery married in the middle of the night was touching. This movie reminded me of my close friends who would do anything for me and I would sacrifice everything just to be there for them. Despite the high profile case, despite the tension surrounding them, they have come out with their friendship intact which in the real world is tough.

I have seen many friendships destroyed in a single second and that too because of a small misunderstanding. Friendships built over a period of time (from childhood too) have disintegrated in todays world and are losing their importance. Friendship is the most beautiful relation we can get. As it is known, we dont get to choose our family or life partner(if it is an arranged match - mostly the case in India) but we definitely get to choose our friends and the greatest joy is keeping the friendship intact till the last breath. I have had interesting rivalries with some of my good friends and experienced keeping the friendship intact despite the intense debates we've had.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends from the bottom of my heart for being there with me, putting up with my idiosyncracies and for loving me for what I am. This is to let you all know that I value all your contributions in shaping me up and making me the achiever I am today. You are God's gift to me and I am always there for you all whether you need me or not ;) (why do I hear voices which say OH NO?? :D)

The below video is a song very close to my heart. I had sung this as a farewell gift for a close friend when he left to pursue his MBA in IIM - Calcutta. I would like to dedicate this song to all my friends without whom, my life would be incomplete.

My Storied Life - 1

Okies.....My next post after a looooong time :-) The credit goes to my good friend Shiladitya for pulling me out of the writers block here :-) It all started when I had to mail a package to his friend which reached my own house much to my amazement. I didnt realise that I had interchanged the from and to addresses and mailed it to myself :-) WHen I sheepishly admitted this to him, he said this has to be a blog story...well, my life is full of incidents like this so I thought this could bring a smile to your face....am mentioning some of them down(just to mention a few)...I would like to add a disclaimer that they all are true..believe it or not!!!

Meeting a close friend's boyfriend

Now how simple this looks but rest assured, this story is not. Lets go back to my school days in Chattisgarh when I was a lanky boy with long hair and a beard (in short I looked like a terrorist). I was a leading fast bowler for my school team and was pretty aggressive by nature. In one of my matches, I came across a batsman who was continuously taunting me and hurling expletives at me. I tried to be very patient but he didnt stop. I decided that enough is enough and greeted him with a superfast bouncer(for school standards) which missed his mouth but took his nose :-). I walked upto the fallen guy and dished out words o my own in typical Rajinikanth's style. We won the match and the incident was forgotten.

Now fast forward 6 years after. I had completed my post graduation and returned to Chattisgarh to visit my old school and friends. And not to mention my trimmmed locks and clean shaven face. Most of the people whom i knew back then couldnt even recognize me.....as long as the change is for the better, I dont mind at all ;). I was staying in Aditi's place for 3 days and was having a great time till the minute she thought of introducing me to her boyfriend (then boyfriend, now husband :D). We were supposed to have lunch together in one of our adda's (hangouts during school days) and I was eagerly looking forward for that. Aditi and I reached the place 5 minutes early and saw the other guy waiting for us. I thought the guy looked familiar. It was when I saw the mark on his nose I realised who he was :( .

Well, thanks to the drastic change in my appearance he couldnt recognize me. Aditi was the one who did most of the talking. We spoke about everything except cricket (I had consciously avoided the topic till then for reasons known only to me)...but with two cricket players there, who can stop this from coming?

The discussion started with his nose(ahaaaaaaa.....). The very mention of the mark on his nose prompted Aditi to curse the bowler and his future generations....I was listening to Aditi cursing my children (the ones yet to be born - I am still single and if any beautiful single girl is reading this, do contact me ;) ) that their noses will be worse than Shah Rukh Khan's nose. Till then she had no clue that the offender was sitting right there. I couldnt say anything or stop her from saying anything. Suddenly, Aditi asked me..."Vicky, tum bhi cricket team mein the na...tum aur gaurav(her boyfriend) to ek do match mein meet kiye hoge")....and I pleaded ignorance :D...easy way to escape. Nothing more was said and we were enjoying our lunch.

Suddenly Gaurav shouted "Yehi Hai Woh!!"....Poor Gaurav...Aditi who was drinking water literally spit it on his face out of shock :D...it was a sight to behold...I almost fell out of my chair laughing which contributed to his anger. he continued..."yehi tha woh lambe baalwala now I remember....I knew I had seen you somewhere but man...you have totally changed..."

In the end we had a good laugh and Gaurav was an addition to my friends circle. Its been a year since Aditi and Gaurav are married and we do laugh about this whenever we get together....

Such a simple thing....meeting a friends boyfriend...but look at how this happened...my life is full of anectodes like this. I will be presenting them one by one as and when I find time...hope you people are smiling reading this......

Fall From Grace - Just Not Happening!!!!

This month has been one of the worst ever so far in my professional life. Got a screwed up appraisal despite an excellent performance in the previous time period and now looks like I am suffering from a serious case of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)...since Feb last week, I have seen so many slip ups in my work which is uncharacteristic of me. I was known for my perfection and precision at work. I was the perfectionist who according to people was never there till they met me. Now I just seem lost somewhere trying to find myself. I am being yelled at in my workplace, something which had never happened all these months. My lead used to say he sees himself in me when he was my age...now he doubts my capability. he says maybe I need someone to watch over my shoulder when I work!!!! No one would dare to check my work knowing it would be perfect in every sense.....now forget perfection, I am not even getting it right repeatedly despite been given chances again and again....does this mean I have just lost my capability?

If this was a match, I would have said this is not my time or day. I cant afford to say this when I am at the clients place or this early in my fledgling career. This is indeed a fall from grace. People who said I achieved the impossible time and again are chastising me left right and center now. My performance drop is puzzling to everyone around me. I dont know what went wrong and where did this happen. No amount of introspection helps. I am giving my best even now though that bad appraisal did dampen my spirits a bit. Work which I used to finish effortlessly is increasingly found fault with now. Is is that I am not able to carry the huge burden of expectations on my shoulders? I have carried much bigger ones in the past time and again. This is seriously unfathomable. I have endured loss of form in sports a couple of times but never have I seen such a performance dip in my professional life. Maybe a break from everything will help or maybe I need to channel all my energy into this but I do that,..whatever I work on, I give my best. All I can hope is I get out of this very soon before it is too late.