I have not posted anything since my mega post on Sunday, been busy with work and stuff. Since that post I have been telling a lot of people about it and asking them to take a look at it. And guess whats!! a friend in the publishing biz even gave me a real nice compliment..WOOHOO!!! :)
I am actually very happy about the post. Yeah, I was having a slow day and did it to kill time but then I did show a lot of patience in doing it and people who know me, know that I am NOT the patient types. And this feels good...it actually feels really good.
Oh, guess what. I will be going on another trip this weekend with folks from work and thats gonna be fun too. Would look to post some more pics and stuff, thats assuming that I can hold the camera and point it in the right direction after all the alcohol consumption that is...
Ahh alcohol consumption, a beautiful subject. Thats another post in the making....
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Day 5 in Kayrala
Hmmmm my last day in Kerala:(
Woke up awfully late, around 10 in the morning and headed back to his place for breakfast. Once I was through with breakfast we planned out the day's activities. He wanted to spend the day out shopping and showing her around the city. I had been instructed by folks at work to get them banana and jackfruit chips and black halwa. So a day in the city it had to be and we went ahead and hired a Qualis and did just that. Lunch, shopping and another trip to the beach was all packed into one day. The last thing we did was to go to the harbour where the fishing boats were coming in with their catch for the day..Not such a smart thing to do because we absolutely stunk of fish just by walking around the harbour. The picture of the fishes was the last one I took in Kerala because my battery ran out as well.
Come 9 PM and it was time to head out to the bus stand to catch my bus back to Blore. Incidentally, I had never travelled in a Volvo so did that as well on this trip. By 6 AM I was back in town, heading home in an auto, reflecting back on the week that was...
Woke up awfully late, around 10 in the morning and headed back to his place for breakfast. Once I was through with breakfast we planned out the day's activities. He wanted to spend the day out shopping and showing her around the city. I had been instructed by folks at work to get them banana and jackfruit chips and black halwa. So a day in the city it had to be and we went ahead and hired a Qualis and did just that. Lunch, shopping and another trip to the beach was all packed into one day. The last thing we did was to go to the harbour where the fishing boats were coming in with their catch for the day..Not such a smart thing to do because we absolutely stunk of fish just by walking around the harbour. The picture of the fishes was the last one I took in Kerala because my battery ran out as well.
Come 9 PM and it was time to head out to the bus stand to catch my bus back to Blore. Incidentally, I had never travelled in a Volvo so did that as well on this trip. By 6 AM I was back in town, heading home in an auto, reflecting back on the week that was...
Day 4 in Kayrala
The Marriage.
The big day was finally here. He got up at 3 AM to go back to the temple for some alone time and he came back smiling. I knew he was ready. He was actually happy that he was going to get married. There was the usual chaos and confusion leading up to the marriage. I hear they do about 40 marriages in Guruvayur, a DAY !!! Now thats possible because each marriage ceremony lasts for about 4 mins....
When our turn came there was pushing and pulling to get all the main people into the crowded mandap. The priest then did his thing. Everyone was scrambling for a better look. There was a band somewhere but I could not see them but essentially the marriage itself was simple and uncomplicated. My friend entered the mandap as a bachelor and a few minutes later stepped out as a husband....Once the ceremony was completed we had the photo sessions and then after a mini reception in the hotel we were staying in, it was time to head back to our rooms and rush back to Calicut for the main reception.
Even though the marriage was complete, the drive back was still very stresssful because we had to be back in time for the start of the reception and I had to drive them back. We did however have time to stop for a bit near this bridge overlooking a river bed and it provided an excellent photo op. Word was the this river slowly dried during the summer months and you can actually see that in the pic. The reception went on without a hitch and by the end of the day we could barely even move. I just remember checking in to a nearby hotel by around 10 in the night (could not obviously stay at his place that night) and then checking out as soon as I hit the bed...
The big day was finally here. He got up at 3 AM to go back to the temple for some alone time and he came back smiling. I knew he was ready. He was actually happy that he was going to get married. There was the usual chaos and confusion leading up to the marriage. I hear they do about 40 marriages in Guruvayur, a DAY !!! Now thats possible because each marriage ceremony lasts for about 4 mins....
When our turn came there was pushing and pulling to get all the main people into the crowded mandap. The priest then did his thing. Everyone was scrambling for a better look. There was a band somewhere but I could not see them but essentially the marriage itself was simple and uncomplicated. My friend entered the mandap as a bachelor and a few minutes later stepped out as a husband....Once the ceremony was completed we had the photo sessions and then after a mini reception in the hotel we were staying in, it was time to head back to our rooms and rush back to Calicut for the main reception.
Even though the marriage was complete, the drive back was still very stresssful because we had to be back in time for the start of the reception and I had to drive them back. We did however have time to stop for a bit near this bridge overlooking a river bed and it provided an excellent photo op. Word was the this river slowly dried during the summer months and you can actually see that in the pic. The reception went on without a hitch and by the end of the day we could barely even move. I just remember checking in to a nearby hotel by around 10 in the night (could not obviously stay at his place that night) and then checking out as soon as I hit the bed...
Day 3 in Kayrala
Day 3 and we are off to Guruvayur for the marriage. Guruvayur was about 110 kms away from Calicut. My friend and I were in the car along with his mom and a cousin and the rest of the marriage party that was coming along, the cousins and aunties and uncles and whoever else were related to him in one way or the other were in the blue bus ahead. We reached Guruvayur by around 5 in the evening and I took the chance to walk around. I have never been to a devotional/religious place like this and they say that Tirupathi is much more crowded!!!!. The line of people on the left seems to just go on and on and never seems to end. I spent about an hour there and barely saw the line move. I am not the types to even go to church on Sundays and I dont understand the kind of devotion one needs to have to actually go through this kind of strain in the maddening heat just for a moment or two with the diety inside. There is nothing wrong with having faith but all this...it just does not make sense to me...
Day 2 in Kayrala
Day 2 was the first day I really got the see the roads in Calicut. Long.Clean.Wide winding roads. The pic below is of NH 17, the road we took the following day when we went to Guruvayur. Driving in Kerala was an absolute pleasure especially for someone who suffered the hell was call roads in Blore. Ahhhh,the sugarcane stand. The best sugarcane juice I had in my life. Pure, unadulterated sugarcane juice with just a bit of lime to add flavor. We must have had atleast 3 stops at that stand that day. Ummm, that would be my friend standing there giving the sugarcane guy the Superman pose. The sugarcane guy was not much impressed however.
Most of the day was spent roaming the city. We checked out S.M road, the equivalent to Commercial St and also the square (I forget the name of the square, will check with my friend and update it later on) I also sampled the the all-famous Kerala liquor, toddy… We didn’t have to go far, just a few fields away from his house we came across a shack where it was served in bottles of all shapes and sizes. This was my first time tasting the stuff and I must say it is an acquired taste. I did finish 2 glasses (about half a bottle) but that’s about all I could manage. My drinking partners however were poor drinkers. They must have had as much as me but by the time we were ready to go they were high as kites. No pics taken at that time, will check on his camera if we took any...
Day 1 in Kayrala
The road to my friends place. First thing I noticed was the sheer greenness of my surroundings. His house is smack dab in the middle of paddy fields and all this is just about 9 or 10 kms away from the heart of Calicut city. The green-ness continues!!!! Love the 2nd picture took it by placing the camera on the parapet wall along the side of the road....
Wow!!!!
The Calicut beach on a Sunday evening. Chock full of people...My friend and I spent more than an hour there talking about the good old days in college and the non sense things we have done when we have been together.
Wow!!!!
The Calicut beach on a Sunday evening. Chock full of people...My friend and I spent more than an hour there talking about the good old days in college and the non sense things we have done when we have been together.
We also ate something called Manga while we were on the beach. Its nothing more than slices of raw mango which is pickled in Vinegar. This makes it exceedingly tangy on the surface but as you bite in to it there is just a bit of sweetness to offset the tanginess. Check out the pic on the right....Pretty dramatic isnt it??? There used to be a bridge constructed here which fell a while back (you can actually see pieces of it in the water) The iron structures left back are testament to the awesome power that nature can unleash when she so desires...
Hi Honey!!!! I'm Home!!!!
Ehhh...not quite. But im back!!! Missed me??? YES!!!!!!!!! Liar...
I came back to the Blore on Friday morning. It was an exhausting but an absolutely awesome week. Tons of things done, new places seen, new memories created...yeah sounds cliched. So what??? My blog!!!! And of course the main event, his marriage, which went off pretty smoothly in the end.
This had been the first time I took 5 days off from work. I have never considered myself to be a workaholic but then this was the first time that I chose to go ahead with a vacation in my 4+ yrs with this organization. Was it time well spent, you ask???
Answer : - Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!.
Agreed, while this was not exactly one of those slow and relaxing vacations but time away from work, with friends and in a new, different place is still a vacation.
Kerala is an amazing place. I have never understood why folks who visit Kerala rave about the place but trust me, now I know. Kerala is a place that im gonna visit again and I already know where - the backwaters...Look out boss, I might just ask for another 5 day vacation before the year is over but thats for another posting, another day.
I thought it would be nice to put up some pics taken on each day of my trip so the next couple of postings are going to be about the trip. Just a warning the pics are rather large thanks to my 6 megapixel cam..I rule!!!!
Roll on Day 1...
I came back to the Blore on Friday morning. It was an exhausting but an absolutely awesome week. Tons of things done, new places seen, new memories created...yeah sounds cliched. So what??? My blog!!!! And of course the main event, his marriage, which went off pretty smoothly in the end.
This had been the first time I took 5 days off from work. I have never considered myself to be a workaholic but then this was the first time that I chose to go ahead with a vacation in my 4+ yrs with this organization. Was it time well spent, you ask???
Answer : - Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!.
Agreed, while this was not exactly one of those slow and relaxing vacations but time away from work, with friends and in a new, different place is still a vacation.
Kerala is an amazing place. I have never understood why folks who visit Kerala rave about the place but trust me, now I know. Kerala is a place that im gonna visit again and I already know where - the backwaters...Look out boss, I might just ask for another 5 day vacation before the year is over but thats for another posting, another day.
I thought it would be nice to put up some pics taken on each day of my trip so the next couple of postings are going to be about the trip. Just a warning the pics are rather large thanks to my 6 megapixel cam..I rule!!!!
Roll on Day 1...
Friday, April 27, 2007
A New Beginning...
Long day today. Have been up since 6 PM last night and its close to 3 PM the next day. Working in a call center does that to you sometimes, Ahhhh, I have forgotten to mention... My best friend is getting married in a few days time and i'll be going over to Calicut for a few days. Yes, he broke the gentleman's agreement that my friends group had struck way back in college wherein we decided that nobody marries before 30. He breaks that solemn agreement...and in some style too..he is still just 26!!!! But I'm also suitably excited. A trip to a new place. The chaos and confusion. Add to that witnessing the start of a new phase in my friend's life..Yup, I'm excited...
I would be leaving by late Saturday night so my blog and me will be away from each other for a good 4 -5 days but I hope to make a happy reunion with it when I come back with pics and new memories to look back on...
I would be leaving by late Saturday night so my blog and me will be away from each other for a good 4 -5 days but I hope to make a happy reunion with it when I come back with pics and new memories to look back on...
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Random acts of Kindness...
WOW!!!! I am back home after another 12hr day in office but I have still dragged my butt over to the PC to work on my 2nd post. Hey, did I mention earlier???...WOW!!!!
So my shift was done and I made my way to the underground parking. I got into my green, very old and rickety Omni van, switched on the radio and pulled away from my space. I noticed a new rhythm, seemed strange, very unnatural but I shrugged my shoulders. Im too tired to care, that is until I saw one of the security guards running, waving and pointing, at the back end of my darling. I stopped and craned my neck to see what the fuss was about and there it was. Her right back tyre. Flaaaat!!!!
I spent a moment thinking about what had to be done and then figured it better to turn back and head back to my spot. Once there, I got out, cursing the gods and then proceeded to spend a good 10 mins looking for the jack. I looked under the carpeting and in the dickey and then followed the same routine twice over. But no jack!! I came to the conclusion that the Maruthi people have screwed me over and left me...jack- less. I despondently trudge back to the office. I was rushing home to enjoy mom's cooking but now that did not look likely. So, I went ahead and had breakfast with some folks from work and then it hits me.
The goddamn seat!!!
I swallow, choke the rest of my breakfast and run back to the van. I checked under the passenger side seat and lo!!!, sitting there snugly, right next to engine, is the jack!!!
Delighted, I reach down and try yanking it out but it does not budge.I try pushin, pulling, tugging, glaring angrily but hey, its not budging!!!. The damn thing is just not moving!!! And just when I feel like life has lost all meaning now that I have been bettered by my tyre jack, I hear muttering behind me. I turn back to find 2 men walking over to me. One indicates that I need to step back and the other continues muttering in Kannada to the first one. The first guy reaches in and in an instant returns with the stuborn jack in his hand. The other guy moves to the rear of the van and while I try in vain to attempt communication in English and my broken Hindi, they get busy with the tyre. I continue attempting conversation but its futile. They are here to help and help they shall. I shut my mouth and a min later another guy approaches. In what seems like nothing more than 5 mins the 4 of us had the van jacked up, the offending tyre off the van and the stepney pulled out from under the van and tightly secured in place of the flat. Even the tools were back in place. We did a slicker job than the best of F1 teams and all done by 4 guys who barely uttered a word to one another. I so desperately wanted to thank them but my Hinglish was a poor means of communication. At last I just said a genuine heartfelt thank you and gave each of them a firm handshake. They smiled and nodded their heads and went back to doing what they were doing before they met me.
Its time to call it a day...
Monday, April 23, 2007
I Actuallly made it..
A blog (short for web log) is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. ...
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. ...
A blog gives you your own voice on the web. It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, ...
So these are definitions that we know and associate with the word blog. First time this smart kid heard the word, he started wondering..blog...hmmm....sounds funny. I remember how back then the word was associated with so much of hype. The new internet funda!!!
Now we all blog. (Notice the use of the word "We" inspite of this probably being my one and only posting ever...) My uncle blogs...my ex boss blogs...a lot of colleagues blogs...my best friends...err well they are as dufus as me so they dont actually blog. But thats not the point, I have never been one to open myself to people.....Atleast not until im really drunk or until it serves my purpose to be someone i really am not. Im amazingly lazy to even THINK of keeping a damn diary and to make the time to pen my thoughts and then go through the torture of viewing my day condensed to some scribblings on a sheet of paper.
..But Still....Im here..I actually made it
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. ...
A blog gives you your own voice on the web. It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, ...
So these are definitions that we know and associate with the word blog. First time this smart kid heard the word, he started wondering..blog...hmmm....sounds funny. I remember how back then the word was associated with so much of hype. The new internet funda!!!
Now we all blog. (Notice the use of the word "We" inspite of this probably being my one and only posting ever...) My uncle blogs...my ex boss blogs...a lot of colleagues blogs...my best friends...err well they are as dufus as me so they dont actually blog. But thats not the point, I have never been one to open myself to people.....Atleast not until im really drunk or until it serves my purpose to be someone i really am not. Im amazingly lazy to even THINK of keeping a damn diary and to make the time to pen my thoughts and then go through the torture of viewing my day condensed to some scribblings on a sheet of paper.
..But Still....Im here..I actually made it
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