Outdoorsy

Now, this is funny. Today, I appeared for India's second toughest exam and surprising as it seems, I finished the test in half the time. However, I should admit the fact that it was not a very proud moment for me as I was not able to answer half the questions on the test.

From the time I was doing my engineering, I had made up my mind. Some day I will appear for the CAT, get a call from IIM A, complete my post grad there and join some fancy company that will pay me mega bucks for doing nothing. Completed my engineering, started working and shunned the idea. But still, whenever I would read reports of IIM grads being placed in MNCs with astronomical pay packages, I would sit and ponder upon my next move. Finally, this year, I decided to prepare for the GMAT, a test for gaining admissions to B schools abroad. GMAT is relatively easier to crack and so, I decided to retouch my basics by joining a well known coaching center, Endeavour. Turns out, they were just after my money. Or maybe, after being away from books for such a long period my brains couldn't adapt to the fact that I had to solve equations and comprehend passages with words that can't be pronounced. Gradually, after completing the coaching, I shunned that idea too.

Come November, the CAT adverts were all around the news, something that has become a kind of a ritual. More so, because for the first time in the history of the test, it was going to be held online. So again, I was tempted. I pondered on it for a long time. But, finally gave into my heart's desire. I did register for the test alright, but didn't prepare. I had even got some reference materials from one of my friend. But, it just lay there in my room. My mom finally, got sick of it and dumped it in my cupboard. I am glad she didn't dump it anywhere else as it had the CAT admit card (which I realized the night before the test). LOL.

7th December was the date I picked up as this was the last day for the test. Somehow, I had fantasized that during the rest of the days, the media and the newspapers would leak out some questions about the CAT or there would be some amazing miracle which enables me to crack the CAT. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort happened.

7th Dec, Monday, an excuse to stay away from office. The previous evening, I was out till 11.30 PM, chilling out with friends on the highway while others mugged up the formulas. I had decided, I ain't going to prepare for something in a day that the whole country does for a whole year.

It was insane and impossible. I just wanted to appear for the test. Nothing to lose.

Monday, early morning, I rush to the center. We were told to come to the center almost 2 hours in advance to clear the check in process, i.e., 8 AM for the test at 10 AM. I reached at 8.30 AM. Venue: Vishwakarma Engineering college, Chandkheda. Contrary to the huge crowd that I expected there, it was scarily deserted. The guard told me that the check in had already begun. Who cares? The test is at 10 AM. I strutted along.

Now the check in process is quite stringent. I felt as if I was entering the HQ of RAW. First I had to remove my watch, Cell-phone, key and even my pen and submit it to the guard, followed by a physical check-up. The lab that I was allotted to was a dump with 24 computers lined and no space even to breath. The class was amazingly silent. All the students had already taken their seats and were busy memorizing stuff. I took my seat and checked out my PC. Unfortunately, it was working. Damn.

A few minutes later, the invigilator called upon me. I had to how them my ID proof, the admit card and submit my fingerprints for identification purposes. That done, he announced that we could go out of the classrooms and take a break till 9.30 AM. What a relief!

9.30 AM, everyone's back. and the invigilator announced some basic dos and don'ts. Sharp 10.00 AM, we start. I had decided to apply the strategy of the movie, 'The beautiful mind'. For every question, I would check out all the options, close my eyes and then mark the option that appeared in my mind more than once. It is indeed stupid, but with this strategy, I was able to attempt most of my questions with almost an hour to spare. LOL.

They had also given us a 4 page 'Scratch paper' to solve the mathematical questions and other calculations. I did my own bit to decrease global warming and used just one side of the first page. Other relentless buggers scribbled on all the four pages. Damn!!

Anyways, 12.30 PM was the time when the test was supposed to end and I had to sit there the whole time pretending to solve imaginary equations. Another bad thing about this test was that I could not relax and even stretch myself. The computers were so close to each other that any movement you make seemed like an attempt to peek into your neighbor's PC and would lead to your disqualification. I somehow managed to while my time reviewing the answers and pondering over those that I had no clue about.

Finally, when I had approx 5 minutes left on the clock, I ended the test. I was the first candidate to give in the papers. Slowly, people had started to realize that it was about time and that test that they had been preparing for almost an year was finally done with.I was not sad or upset. I was actually glad that finally, I had tried to bell the CAT. Unfortunately, if I had not left the bell back home (read 'prepared for the test'), I could have actually hoped to make it to the IIM A (not for the chai, ofcourse).

Aah…… Did I mention? I had a great time this Diwali. Like every year, this year too our church’s student group had a meeting in Mumbai where youngsters from all over Mumbai and the nearby regions come along for worship, study and service (well, that’s actually the purpose).

A couple of months back, all the churches in Gujarat were bifurcated and separated from the Mumbai region and we were elevated to the status of a separate diocese itself. Proud moment eh!! Not exactly. This meant that we were no longer a part of the conferences in Mumbai which we had grown to like and anticipated eagerly, all year long.

Over the years, I had made some gem of friends in such conferences and this time too, I decided to go there instead of being at another conference being held at Udaipur for which our region had been invited. I did not want to start the whole process of making new friends, interacting with new people and starting all over again. I have Facebook for that. LOL.

So, we five long lost friends (i.e. Me, Jojy, Glori, Sumi and Julie) decided to meet again at the Mumbai conference and have a whale of time. Me and Sumi would be boarding the train from Gujarat, and would meet the rest of them at Mumbai. That was the plan. So here goes…..

I started from here on a Friday morning, boarded a train, with both mine and Suni’s tickets. She was to board from Bharuch but her ticket was from Ahmedabad. Fortunately, the TT did not check her whereabouts and so her seat was not given to someone else. 3 hours into the journey, she joined in from Bharuch. It was already 10.30 AM in the morning. I had started at around 6.30 AM so couldn’t have any breakfast. The almighty heard my prayers and Sumi’s mom had packed some breakfast. Well, we went on. 3.45 PM was the time we would reach Dadar, I think, and Jojy (the big shot from Dubai) would come to receive us. Miraculously, the train on time and Jojy was there to pick us up.

Before I go ahead, let me introduces these 2 characters.

Sumi, is literally a child, a cuddly toy. She has this cute way of getting her way with her Bambi eyes which leads to me and Jojy tugging her huge bags almost everytime. This time was no different. However, fortunately for us, her bag was smaller in size. I had warned her a couple of weeks before this journey itself that if her bag was bigger than any of us, I would kick her out of the moving train……. And it helped. Nevertheless, it was heavy. Damn.

Jojy, our big shot from Dubai (say Doofaai), is a resident of Mumbai. We met at a conference in Vashi a few years back and instantly hit it on. Jojy, last time was literally a balloon. He had put on so much weight that we could exemplify the shape 'round' with him. He works in Doofaai, the land of endless opportunities for all mallu. Every year, he would fly back to India to attend this conference. He is indeed very attached to it. He is looking for a ‘sundar’ and ‘susheel’ mallu girl and looks to settle down, probably next year (ROFL). Jojy is a girl’s man. He is a smooth talker and gives in easily to pretty smiles and Bambi eyes. Needless to say, he lugged her bag. LOL.

Now, from Dadar, we had to go to Kalina where Julie lived and from there we had to go to Vashi where Gloria would join us. After a short journey in the Mumbai Local train, we were at Santa Cruz from where we boarded a rick to Kalina. We still din’t have our lunch. Our initial plan was to go to Kalina, get Julie, who would get back from her office around 5 PM and then roam around in Bandra or some other good place and by 7 leave for Vashi. By the time, we reached Julie’s place, we got the news that she is still not in and would arrive by 6 and so we dropped our plans of sight seeing. Julie’s mom is a darling. She made us some delicious pakodas and we just sat there and talked.

It was almost 6PM, so we decided to start with a game of UNO. It was 6.30PM and Julie still was no where in sight. Jojy called in to check and she said that she has already started. We expected her in 20 mins. I, in the mean time, was mastering the game of UNO with Jojy and Sumi. 7PM, and Julie finally arrives and that too in a saree. A girl whom we have always seen in a Jeans and Tees, she looked good in a saree.

From ac09

Let me introduce Julie. Julie is a brat. She’s like the ring leader. Tomboy looks and always up for masti. She’s been a regular in church activities and commands good respect among the MGOCSM office bearers. A kid by heart but mature by brains. A no nonsense girl and always has the last say in things.

She was dead tired but still we asked her to get going as we had already got some threatening calls from Gloria who had changed her schedule to join us at Vashi. We asked her to come to Kurla, where we will all meet and leave for Vashi from there. Hurriedly, we packed our bags at 7.30 PM, to get to Kurla as we had promised to meet her in 15 mins, which is exactly the time it takes in a rick from Julie’s place to Kurla station. We did realize that it was a day before Diwali and the infamous crowd of working class people were out in the streets shopping for Diwali goodies. The rick stopped almost half a kilometer away from the Station as the road was blocked and choc-a-block with enthused shoppers. Me and Jojy rushed to the station just in time to get the tickets and meet up with Gloria, who we expected to be fuming with anger. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. She was just smiling away, maybe she was cursing us in her heart! LOL.

Gloria; beautiful, suave and composed. Looks like an angel but a devil within. She’s another ring leader in all kinds of masti and no one even suspects her. Damn! Very moody but loads of fun. She’s always up for some prank anytime of the day. Easily irritated (by me and Jojy).

So finally, we all meet up, hug each other and wait for last local to Vashi. We missed 3 trains because of the crowd. But finally, we had to board one. We expected this to be a little less congested, but unfortunately, it was late for a few minutes and a huge crowd had already descended on the platform. I feared the worst. And I was right. The train halted and before I could realize what was happening, the people were all in. I was hesitant but all of them were already in, I hurriedly grabbed on to the door and two other guys hung on to my bag. They were hanging dangerously outside and were constantly urging me to move into the compartment. And forget me, even if a fly could have made it through that crowd, I would have tried; it was jam packed. After a few stations, I was able to push myself in, still no place to move. I felt violated. LOL.

After 20 mins of hell, we finally arrived at Vashi station. Sigh of relief. Took a rick and reached the bus depot, from where according to Jojy, the church was just a stone’s throw away. And so we walked, and walked and walked some more. No church in sight. Another group of youngsters from Jojy’s church joined us. So, there were almost 15 of us and we were still walking. Given an opportunity, I could have pounced on Jojy and killed him at that very instant but due to too many witnesses, I just walked. And finally, after 30 mins of walking, we were there. The time was already 10.30 PM and we were hungry and tired and almost dead. The only saving grace was, we were finally together. We kept our luggage in the church and walked onto a nearby restaurant, Sanjog. This restaurant was a special one. Few years back, we had gone to this same place around 9 of us after the conference, had food, got a bit tipsy and had a whale of time. This time too, the food was good, the ambience better and the company priceless. We gulped down the food and made our way back to the church for a good night’s sleep.

Next day, we were up just in time to attend the morning sessions. Caught up with a few familiar faces but the rest of them were all new. Unlike the rest of the years, it was hard to find someone we actually knew. Well, anyways, we had our breakfast and settled in Gloria had left for her office as she had report there for half day. By noon, the seniors, including us, thought of creating a group of ourselves and instead of attending the sessions, have a session of our own.

From ac09

After lunch, Gloria came back and even Sophie.

Sophie, Gloria’s elder sibling, is my evil twin. She is a fantastic singer and a big prankster. She’s getting married in a few months so this was the last conference she would probably attending. All the 3 days, she was hooked on to her phone talking to her beau. She was more calm this time and I hated it. LOL!

By evening, we all stealthily made our way into the room where the choir was practicing and had a great time playing UNO. I thought of showing off my expertise in the game there but alas, I was playing with a National champs, Gloria, Jisha and Jojy. Damn.

From ac09 part 2

Soon, it was almost nightfall and so we attended a session,

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to mark our presence and then retired after the dinner.

Next day, Sunday, early morning mass. Jojy had left for his home to meet some guests who were there to meet the big time lad from Doofai. It was probably a traditional meeting to check out the boy from some marriage proposals.

From ac09

After the mass, we again slithered out of the church campus with Julie’s big bro to check out some malls in Vashi. Vashi Central, a huge structure, built near the Railway station. Structurally amazing, but not a good place for shopping around. We spent almost 2 hours there, window shopping and even had our lunch there at a restaurant in the mall. It sucked, big time.

From ac09

Around 4, we hopped in back to the church. Gathered again for a game of UNO and then attended a session to mark our whole day’s presence. Dinner was fun.

From ac09

I went around to talk to a friend and these people secretly filmed me and left for Ice cream without even letting me know. Damn, selfish buggers. Sophie was, well, still on the phone. LOL. Then, it was followed by a great Talent night and performance by Divine Ragas.

From ac09

Total fun.

Next day, Julie and Sophie had to leave for some wedding and it was down to just 4 of us, me, Jojy, Gloria and Sumi. Fortunately, being the last day, the organizers had arranged a trip to Khargar hills, a tourist spot with a waterfall (it was imaginary, as we found out later).

From ac09

Everyone of us was up at 6.30 AM to board on the bus and leave for the spot which was a half hour drive from Vashi. However, the bus only came at around 7.30 AM, and the sun was already out. Nevertheless, we had a great time at the hills, a long trek, followed by a great session of photography

From ac09

that ended with some hot herbal tea (only the chai patti was herbal. We were actually duped).

From ac09

Back at the church, we had our lunch. Sophie and Julie already left. By evening, most of the people had already started to leave. Sumi had decided to stay back at her cousin’s place in Mumbai, so like last time, I had to travel alone back to Ahmedabad. After the closing ceremony, it was just the 3 of us, Me, Gloria and Jojy. Gloria had to go back to her office to rejoin the next day, but I persuaded her to stay back for a while to give us company. We went for a long walk into the markets of Vashi looking for a place to have dinner and chill out. Finally, at around 7 PM, we decided to come back to the locality near the church as there was a Café Coffee day outlet there. All 3 of us had some coffee, talked a lot, caught up with old memories. It was amazing.

Finally, it was time for me to pack up and leave. We went to the bus depot from where Jojy and Gloria boarded the bus to their respective places and with a heavy heart, I bid them goodbye as we just met once a year.

I took a rick to the other bus stop on the highway from where I had to board a semi sleeper bus to Ahmedabad. This was the first time I was traveling such a long distance in a bus and that too all alone. I had my own inhibitions, but fortunately, the bus ride was comfortable enough and at around 8 AM, I was back in Ahmedabad.

Truly, one of the best holidays I ever had. Every year, I look forward to the Diwali holidays just to spend some quality time with my friends. It is wait, which is indeed worth it.

Time for me to get back to reality, office!! Damn!! :)

Here’s another chapter of my life, down again but still not out.

I liked a girl and she probably liked me. I liked her company and she liked mine. I liked to talk to her and she probably did too. I liked to flirt with her and she probably liked it too. We talked for hours almost everyday. I felt special with all the extra attention and with time, I developed some romantic feelings too. But then, déjà vu!

I probably misread her feelings and had a confrontation. I learned the bitter truth. I was upset. I felt that I had been suddenly left out in the cold. Suddenly, the good times stopped. No calls, no messages, no anything. And I still miss her!

Unfortunately, unlike movies, this story does not have a happy ending and so I presume. Suits me, I guess. With almost 4 years of friendship at stake, I wished it to be different and have my voice heard. But alas, wrong person, wrong time and wrong me!! Damn!!

Some people never learn and I lead this ‘group of some people’ from the front. LOL!! Enough said……. Damn!

Professionally, good times for me now. I like the profile and extra responsibilities. Chai at the kitli everyday. Weekends again with friends. Registered for a few entrance tests this year, but lack the preparation. Who cares?! I am just gonna give it for the heck of it. A few weddings to attend, a few bike trips to be realized. Life goes on and everything fell back in place, but……. the memory still remains.

Allritey!!

It had been almost an year since I had been on a bike ride and I was so looking forward to it. At our unending discussions at the kitli (me, Vinu, Yash, Ryan, Arun and Nishant), we would always discuss our roadtrips on bikes and our fun moments. Somehow, we wanted a roadtrip pretty bad. Last time, we dropped the idea of bikes and went in a cab to Mount Abu instead due to the sweltering heat. The trip was ok kinds and the best part was that we were not exhausted!! This time, with the rains not coming in, our patience was growing thin. We knew that once it rains, it would take us almost 2 more months to go on a long bike trip due to wet roads and oil spills. And so, one day, I put up a proposal of getting on the road, just before the rains. am not always the first person to agree on roadtrips, however, with my parents at Kerala, there was nothing more enticing. I skyped Ryan to decide on some spots and also skyped Vinu about the idea and he was surprised as I was always who backed out on a trip. Later, in the evening, we met at the kitli and the idea was welcomed by all.

However, we had a few issues. Yash's bike had some gear shift problems, so he was skeptical about joining us. Arun has a 100cc bike, so he opted not to take his bike as he would not be able to keep up with our 150cc bikes. Nishant did not have a bike and was pressing on bookng a cab again. However, with mutual discussionns and brain storming sessions at the Kitli, we were able to overcome these hurdles. Finally, Yash and Arun decided to ride pillion. Nishant was averse to the idea of riding pillion as it was his first bike trip, so he decided to get a bike from one of his office coleagues. Ryan had his 350cc bullet all ready after almost 6 months in the garage undergoing some major overhaul. Vaquar just needed the time and place and he would be there. Pushkar (lambu) also showed interest if we were to ride on a Sunday, however, we were sure
to our last breath that he will back out. Typical Lambu. So finally, we all decided to ride on Sunday. Jaisamand lake, Rajasthan was picked as the spot as it was the nearest among
other options and we would be able to ride back on the same day. We met again on Friday at Kitli to finalise the trip. Yash was stiil unsure whether he should get his ZMA. Though we advised him to take it, the Mechanic advised him not to. So now we had 3 pulsars, 1 Bullet and 7 people and we were good to go. Arun was very excited as he would be able to test his newly acquired 25k lens that he got for his SLR.

So, with all set, we met again on saturday nite to decide on the route and chill out. Lambu was there and as usual he backed out citing some antique bike exhibit in the city (lousy excuse). Everyone was there except Ryan. He decided to stay home and sleep early to start early in the morning. Vaquar had been SMSed all the details. However, we still had to decide the route and Ryan usually plans the trip. So, at around 8.30, Yash decided to call him up and ask about the details. And here comes the first shocker. Ryan's first statement is 'Are we going'?! Though we are infamous for cancelling or backing out at the last moment, our last few discussions at the Kitli did not help Ryan realise that we were indeed going. He told Ryan that he did not trust us and told him to call back after 10 pm with the final decision and only then would he fill up fuel in his Gas guzzler for the trip and he hung up. We were surprised, but still, we understood his concern. Vinu was not at the Kitli yet so we decided to wait on him and then confirm with Ryan. Finally Vinu arrived and Me, Pushkar, Yash, Arun, and Brahma started to discuss on the routes that we should opt for the trip. As most of us stayed near the Highway, we decided to assemble at Nishant's place and then leave from there. Yash finally called up Ryan to inform him so that he could reach Nishant's place. And then, the drama unfolds.

Yash: Ryan, we have decided to start at 6 AM. As we have to go via Chiloda, we should assemble at Nishant's place at ^ and start from there.

Ryan: What? Nishant's place?! No we will go via the airport (which is quite near his place, Maninagar). You guys come down to the airport.

Yash: But Ryan, it is nearer from Nishant's place. We can directly get on the highway and reach Chiloda in no time.

Ryan: No. I won't come there. You guys come to the Airport and we will leave from there.

Yash helplessly looked around and told us what Ryan had to say. I volunteered to talk to him then.

Me: Ryan yaar, Nishant leaves just near the highway and 6 of us live right here. So, the airport would be much farther for us. So, the six of us can easily manage to get on from here, so why don't you come down here and join us?!

Ryan: No. So what if you guys live there. You have to come down to the Airport or else I am backing out

And he hung up.

We were all so pissed off at his snobbish behavior. Even a blind person could make out that Chiloda would be easier to reach from the highway near our place but this guy wanted us to travel all the way to the Airport, which is almost 10 to 12 kms away and join him there to start for Chiloda. Everyone was pissed off.

Vinu thought of talking to him one last time to see whether he agrees. He tried calling, but Ryan had switched off his phone. After trying a few more times, we decided to forget that idiot, lets decide and leave.

Finally, the last time we tried, Vinu was able to get through. Ryan was still adamnant. Vinu tried to put some sense into him, but in vain. Well, atlast we asked Ryan to meet us directly at Chiloda at 0615 hrs. We told hm to reacnh via airport and we will reach by the Sarkhej Gandhinagar highway. And that, he agreed, at one condition. He will be there at 0615 hrs, wait for another 5 minutes, if still no one shows up, he will leave.

The condition surface because Yash and Vinu were famed for being late always. Yash gets late because of his beauty antics and Vinu because of his oversleeping habit. We parted for the day as it was already past 12 AM. We decided to meet at my place at 0515 hrs and then proceed to Nishant's place so that we could reach Chiloda, which is a 40 minute drive.

D day!!

I woke up at 0430 hrs, got my bag ready with first aid and the bike's possesiobn papers as we were travelling out of state. At 0510 hrs, Arun dropped in. He was always on time. No one else was in sight. We waited for a few more minutes and then Yash came in at 0520 hrs. Vinu was still no where in sight. We We decided to wait and wait and wait. We tried calling him, but in vain. Finally, he arrived at around 0530 hrs and we were already running behind schedule. We raced to Nishant's place with Arun riding pillion with Vinu and Yash pillion riding with me. I called Nishant and informed him that we are coming to his place, be ready. We reached there, but Nishant was still not there.

Vinu left with Arun for the Highway to meet up with Vaquar, while I and Yash waited for Nishant. And this guy takes all the time in the world. He made us wait for more than 10 mins. Then we 3 raced to Nirma University where Vinu and Arun were supposed to meet Vaquar. By the time we reached there, it was already 0555 hrs, but as we anticipated, Vaquar hadn't reached. Vinu called him up and then we learned that he was still almost 5 kms back!! Damn!!

It was almost 0600 hrs and we had to reach Chiloda, which is a 40 min ride, at 0615 hrs to meet up with Ryan. Me, Yash and Nishant decided to race to Chiloda to meet up with Ryan while Vinu and Arun stayed back for Vaquar. We dashed toward Chiloda at over 100kms/hr. It was an open highway and a lazy morning. We still weren't halfway when we received Ryan's call. Time: 0615 hrs. We told him that we are just about to reach and told him to wait for a few more mins. The mad dash finally ended as we reached Chiloda at 0625 hrs.

Ryan, as usual was still angry with us on not being on time. My bike seemed to be overheated with such speed as we could smell the fumes from the engine. I was surprised as I had replaced the oil just a week back and that too with an oil with Synthetic blend that boasts of good performance. We quiclky decided to have a round of chai as we waited for Vinu, Arun and Vaquar.

Soon, they arrived too. And after havin round of chai and smoke, we decided to embark on the journey. I asked Ryan about the time it will take to cover this much distance which is aorund 248 kms and he said it would take us a minimum of 4 hrs.

Well, 4 hrs, it is. It was only in the middle of the journey that we understood why it would take us 4 hrs. There were 5 bikes, 4 Pulsars and 1 bullet. Pulsars are illfamed for their racing abilities (I am not comparing them with MotoGP and dirtbiking events) and bullets are illfamed for their great ride quality and top speed. While, all of us with pulsars took off at a speed of 70 to 80kms/hr, Ryan dragged along with his bullet at a speed of 40kms/hr. Arun was riding pillion with him. Now, we realised how he came up with the minimum 4 hr duration.

Anyways, we raced ahead. I, Vinu and Nishant were driving single while Vaquar took Yash as Pillion. Nishant was still a bit raw in his Highway driving skills so we had to time and time again reprimand him and ask him to drive in a proper manner. We took the first stop at Himmatnagar crossroads.


We had some hot steaming Gotas, chai and smoke. Posed for some pictures and took off again.

We all are particularly big fans of Rayban Aviators. Everyone had one except Vaquar and Arun. Nishant had got the new ones recently at Rs 5400.

We all sped up and in almost an hour we were nearing the border. I decided to check my bikes top speed and zoomed off. I had crossed the 110 to 115 km/hr speed but alas my speedometer and RPM meter weren't working. The maximum my speedometer would go was was 80kms'hr, then it stalled. Then suddenly, it would again cross 100kms/hr and then back to below 80. Something was wrong. Anyways, I left everyone behind and dashed off to the Gujarat border. I crossed the Shamlaji temple, the last spot before crossing the border and then decided to wait for others and catch up with a smoke.

I parked on the side and checked my mobile. 3 miscalls!! Yash and vinu had tried to call me. Damn!! I had all kinds of thoughts creeping up into my mind and I readied myself for the worst.

Did someone crash? What happened? I tried calling back but couldn't get through. Then Vinu called me back. I told him that I was standing just after the Shamlaji temple on the side of the highway. He told me that Nishant had lost his goggles and so they were searching for it and will join me shortly. 10 more monutes and they were there. (except Ryan and Arun. They still were doing 40kms/hr)

Nishant came in and told that his goggles had flew off from his shirt pocket and I was like, giggling. I still didn't realize it were his aviators. Then, suddenly someone told me that it were those Rs 5400 aviators and we all were laughing hysterically. Oh damn!! We grilled him and he was really upset. We had a good laugh. After about 20 mins, Ryan and Arun passed us and we geared up for another dash.

We overtook them, crossed the border and zoomed ahead. The weather was exceeding pleasant and it was almost 1130 hrs. On the way, after a ride of almost 40 mins, we decided to stop on the road, click some pics and wait for Ryan to join us.

After about 20 mins, Ryan crossed us and we started over again.

The next stop we took was at a snacks shop near the diversion on the highway that would lead us to Jaisamand lake.
We had some refreshments and the sun had started to burn us too.
We were tired and hungry. The whole time we rode to this place, the weather was pleasant and now that we reached here, it's hot. Damn. Anyways, we got on our bikes and headed towards the villages.

Now the way to Jaisamand is via a vllage, small kucha roads lined by small houses on both sides. People and cattle sharing the space on the streets and jostling with each other and we trying to make some way in the midst of all this ruckus. Now, this is really an adventure. Needless to say, this 30km ride was the most tiring of the 240 kms that we rode and by the time we reached the lake, we were all dusty, tired and in volatile moods. And now the lake, Jaisamand lake it is, the second largest artificial lake in Asia, and believe me when I say, we were hugely disappointed. Damn! It's just a lake, nothing else. There were some other stupid tourists around and a huge crowd from some nearby village.
Apart from that, there was practically nothing.

We were looking for someone to put the blame to ride so much and come to this mud pit, but alas, it was a collective decision. To make matters more worse, it was getting unbearably hot and to top it all off, the only sight seeing attraction on the bank of the lake, a palace situated on top of the hill which looked quite picturesque was closed for visitors. Reason; rains, though there was no sign of any clouds anywhere. What a waste. What next? Well, we pondered on for a while and only option we were left with was a boat ride on the lake. Cost us 50 bucks per person, but well, no other option. The boat ride was a bit soothing. Floating on water is a stress buster in itself. Ryan and Arun were busy clicking pictures of the surroundings.

Now, these are 2 characters that need a special mention.

Ryan, is I guess, the eldest amongst us. He is very informative and spends a lot of time researching a lot of things on the Net and is very obsessive about his things and his views. Needless to say, he spent most of the time clicking things which were absolutely absurd and we used to actually beg him to turn the lens towards us. He will never part with his camera even for clicking a single pic and when nagged on, easily turns into a snob.

Arun, the greater snob. He is the uncrowned king of the snob dynasty and will react every little thing we say. He is also obsessive about his things, especially the camera. But it is justified. After all, it is DSLR with a custom telephoto lens. He clicks good pics but that is when he is not sulking. Sulking is woven into his DNA and we derive great pleasure by getting on his nerves.

These 2 people who had their equipment and would go on clicking random, good for nothing pictures. But, our only option was the camera that Nishant had. We had specifically instructed hi to get his camera as we were aware how these 2 guys were and we did not want any unnecessary confrontation on the trip.

Enough said, after the boat ride, we decided to head home, back on the highway and have our lunch on the way. As we were totally pissed off about the place, we wanted to get out of there asap and head homewards so that we could reach home by 8 pm. This way, we could have enough time to ride back and also enjoy the ride back home.

Here is where all the fun starts. Yash hopped onto Ryan's bullet to ride pillion and we started. Almost 30 mins onto our ride back home, we came across a huge hotel with inviting doors and a large garden laden with trees. We decided to have our lunch there and rest for a while. We were in Rajasthan and still didn't have any alcohol. This place looked warm and comfortable. However, there was one problem, Ryan and Yash were nowhere to be seen. We waited for a while and in the next 15 mins, they arrived. yash had a sly smile on his face and then and there we knew, something was wrong. Ryan's huge beast the 350 cc, gas guzzler, king of the road, mean machine felt out of breath. Yash hopped off the bike as soon as it stopped and Ryan was upset. The bike seemed out of breath. Fortunately, it stalled just in front of the hotel. We managed to get it in and went to check out the food. Unfortunately for us, they were out of lunch and did not serve non veg food. The attendant at the hotel told us to travel 2.5 kms more where we would find a restaurant with non veg food and beverages. In the meantime, Ryan tried to call up his mechanic frantically to tell him about the problem, but in vain.

Finally, he decided to ride it in the same condition. Luckily for us, the bike did start, but he could not ride beyond a speed of 40kms/hr. Anyways, we thought of reaching the hotel and recharge ourselves.

2.5 kms along the highway, we finally came along the restaurant, a dhaaba to be more precise. Hotel Satnaam. He had beer and non veg food too, so we decided to eat there. Hardly, 10 mins of us being in that dhaaba, there was a power failure. Damn!

It was back in some time, probably half hour and we hogged on the food like a pack of hyenas accompanied by chilled Kingfisher Light beer. Heaven!! As there was no menu, we were not able to ascertain how much we had eaten. When the bill finally came in, it was Rs 1400, quite high considering the quality of food and amenities at the restaurant. Ryan began grumbling, again. It was around 4pm and we decided rest outside in the garden for some time. Ryan decided to start a bit early as he could not go beyond 40kms/hr and we decided to start half hour after that as with our Pulsars, it would be easy to catch up with him in a 10 mins. We started half hour later and rode at a speed of 80 to 90 kms/hr.

After 15 mins, we still couldn't catch up with Ryan. 30 mins later, still no sight of him. A few kms ahead we came across a very brutal accident. Our hearts feared the worst, fortunately, it wasn't him. All of us started wondering, where the hell did he go if he could not ride beyond 40 kms/hr. 45 mins into our ride, we finally managed to catch up with him and he was riding at speeds beyond 60. Idiot. Sigh of relief. We went on and on and then took a stop at Himmatnagar crossroads for some chai and snacks. It was already 7 pm and we had rode continuously for 2 hours. A little over 100 kms and we would be back home.

My butt was aching due to the continuous ride and so were the others. We started soon after with the target of completing the remaining 100 kms in 1.5 hours. The ride was smooth and it was getting darker. Cars and heavy vehicles with blinding lights were the only concern, but we managed to get past them.

Nearing Ahmedabad, we took the last stop at Chiloda circle, the place where we assembled in the morning. Spent some time on the roadside with some refreshments and Ryan was still grumbling. Probably, he was not able to get over the fact that his beast of a bike which had spent almost 6 months in the workshop had stalled. He was ashamed and we made sure he felt the same way (LOL) for the very reason that he always used to bicker about how puny our bikes were, compared to his bullet.

Anyways, we departed from Ryan at Chiloda as he went to Maninagar and we went our way.

9 pm, we were back home, tired and weary.

A trip gone awry, a place that sucked and we exhausted for no apparent reason. Luckily, we were back home early enough to catch a good night's sleep and without any untoward incidents.

A trip, we will never forget not for the good times we had, but for the time we wasted and the grumbling faces. LOL

Adios!!

Yet another post after a long time!!

So where was I during this long interval? Well, I was just feeling too lazy to write. Lethargy is something which is woven into my DNA.

After my previous post, I went along to join a MBA coaching institute, Endeavour, to prepare for GMAT. It's a 3 month course. I had my hopes high when I had first joined in, but lady luck seemed to have been snubbed by me. First of all, of all the beautiful girls in the institute, there were none in my batch. We were a batch of 8 boys. To top it off, the teaching has been pathetic. No doubt some faculties are good enough, but the one for Mathematics (co-incidentally my weak point) is a jackass. A thin bespectacled guy, with hair tied into a small pony. He teaches at breakneck speed, with no stops at all. An IVR has better voice modulation than him. Incidentally, all the 15 grand that I put into this circus of a Preparatory course seems to have been another one of my stupid choices. No doubt people call it Underwear instead of Endeavour. Damn!!!

From Business Developer, now, I am a Business proposal writer and I also write articles. Yippie!! Atlast, something that I like to do. But as the rule of my life, I have now started hating this too. Not much excitement here. I wished to write on current happenings or wanted to opine upon the talk of the town. Unfortunately, I have been writing regular informative articles for all our clients based on their website. The topics range from Financial market, prescription drugs, Jewelry and even Sex toys. Phew!!! What a waste!

The world is reeling under recession and everyone is in the fear of losing their job. There are a few openings coming around, but I am just not applying as I am sure that it will screw my chances at the MBA entrance tests.

Another of my friend is moving to Mumbai for finding a job and I wish I could join him too. But, I am just not finished here, in Ahmedabad. Though we are running out of hangouts and something exciting to do in weekends, however, due to very limited resources there's absolutely no development in that area.

With no respite from heat, the days are slowly becoming tiresome and uninteresting.

With my dad retiring in a couple of months, the pressure is on. I need to take some big risks but I am a coward. Risks are not something that I can handle.

I am stuck in a long dark unending tunnel, looking for a ray of light through a small opening that can guarantee my freedom. But, will I ever find it is anybody's guess.

Damn!! A few of my school friends actually got married. And ya, they were guys. If any of my girl friend's were getting married, then it was justified, coz according to the word of the elders and our never ending social traditions and all that blah blah...... if the girl is not married by the age of 24, its a disgrace!! Is it that their hormones are the most active at that time?! Damn, I will have to google it!!

Anyways, this ain't a post to discuss about female hormonal changes and stuff. The thing that bothered me was.... how could those friends of mine get married at this age, i.e. 24. I feel so pity for them. One of them actually mentioned in his invite that it was his father's decision and that he and his fiance gradually got to know each other and now are ready to take the plunge. The other, well, it was a Love marriage. Weirdos!!!

And to top it off, a friend of one of my office colleague attempted suicide as he was lovelorn. The girl apparently, was no more interested. Moron!!

I am glad that I am not surrounded by such people in my daily life. Its more about enjoying life than worry about commitments and stuff. A more sensible lot. Most of them are much older to me and are living life on their own terms. That's a relief!!

I've been in and out of love lately. The first time I was in such a phase, I was badly smothered. I was under the impression that she liked me too, romantically, and after a long time of remaining under this impression, when she revealed that I was mistaken, all hell broke loose.

I've been more careful since then. And trust is something, I use scarcely.

However, as it may be, even now, I am stuck in the same situation. The only difference this time is that it is a different girl. I tried to be more cautious, however, my feelings do overtake my mind at times and the result is...... I am not sure if this is gonna work out. Though, she is sure that this is not gonna work out, I had been pushing my luck hard. But now, with a lot of communication gap and with her disinterested and aloof attitude, it has taken its toll on me. I have a huge ego, that is almost invisible, but the moment I feel a bit of discrimination.... whoosh... that's the end of it!! I better conserve my luck for better times as I don't like it when someone makes me feel low.

People tell me there's no place for ego in such relationships. Yeah, I know that and I do advise others the same. But, it doesn't work out the same way with me. I am already recovering from a bruised ego and if there's another one on the the way, I better be invincible.

And then when people ask me, 'How come you are still single dude?!', I say 'That's not my priority right now!!' Isn't that the best defense! Damn, I love my way with words!! Sarcasm is my best offense and defense!!

Last few days in office. Time passes by very soon. The evening classes are fun but boring. The faculties are a pain in the ass. Made some good friends there.

Switched over the evening hangout from the 'Chaiwallah' to 'BarleyWaterwallah'. Its a place where you get Barley water, that tastes the same as Beer, sans the alcohol. Its a great place. We try out various combination and chat away!!

Back home, its internet again. Sometimes, I sit and think, if it wasn't for the Internet, I would have lost out a lot in life. Damn!!

Hasn't this post grown in size. Time to stop, and get back to work. After all, that's what I am paid for at work.

Ciao!!!

Damn!! Posting after a long time. Phew!!

Strange but true, I have begun to like my job now. I get my own space, make my own decisions and have become an integral part of the process. Closed some good and important deals and now there's no looking back!! Though, I have already quit, to make up some time for studies as well. But, I will be working part-time for the experience.

Another good news, is that I will be also doing some content writing for our websites. It was a long time plan, and finally I was able to convince me that I can do much better than the dimwits they have employed!!

And finally, after years of pondering on, I started the preps for MBA. Damn!!! Never knew, it would take so long.

Seems like God wants me to be away from distractions, so still no luck with any ladies romantically. Though he prefers me to be confused than being sure, I am used to it as confusion has been a big part of my life and has sometimes worked in my favor too. Loved this video, kinda of romance I would like to be in:



Joined the gym too , but just went for 2 weeks. I am unable to stick to it. But, I guess, I will have to make it a part of my routine. Its on my 'To-do' list!!

Suddenly, once again it seems, so much to achieve and so less time. Gotta speed things up a bit and focus.

Though, I am pushing my luck hard, I am wishing to take some calculated risks.