wish!!

These days i have been getting a strange wish. something that i ve not been achieve for a very long time.
its a simple thing and lot of ppl in India achieve very high standards in the same. but i ve not been able to be a novice in it. in fact , such is the proficiency level in the field in our country that had it been an Olympic event, we would be unchallenged champions.
though its not a big feat. it can be performed easily even in buses/trains, classrooms, library, at home, in the office and almost everywhere and any time.
by this time you must be very close to guessing what it is.
my wish is that i want to get bored.
ya i really want to get bored!!
i want to feel for some time ( may be a day) that i dont ve anything to do. and i have to kill time.
i want to play solitaire on my PC.
these past few months have been really very busy. there is so much on that everything moves like clockwork governed by the 'To-Do' List.
even the lves have also been very busy. lets see when can i achieve a foothold in this activity.
till then Cheers. keep working hard.

PS:

"REWARD FOR GOOD WORK IS MORE WORK"
- DAD.

Calvin and Hobbes

i ve become a complete fan of this comic strip.
it appears in indore times along with HT. its refreashingly different and very original.
the meaning is conveyed within those three pictures and although it's a series , still every day is a good enough new 'joke'.
i think it's a better strip than even garfield and has definitley become my favourite.
try it.

TuneUp Utilities 2009

Tune up utilities 2009 is an amazing piece of software that i have come across and i have been using it succesfully for about 6 months now. its absolutely fantastic and takes care of the complete pc health and keeps monitoring critical issues incl windows registry entries. it also can help 'program' the Windows by letting the user change the windows start up page et al.
absolutely fantastic gui and easy to use features make it easy for even a grandmom to use it.

its easily downloadable from the net. u just have to google for it. the actual software comes with a 30 day trial version but there are numerous cracks available on the net, which one can use with ease.
so happy tuning up.

Luxuries!

THE HOT SEAT AT 12000 Ft.

Life teaches you so many lessons and one amongst them is luxury.

what sometimes we take for granted may be actually a blessing.

i have made a list of my own through my own experiences and you are requested to contribute ur own.

Breath

scale a mountain with entire battle load of around 22 Kgs at 17000 Ft and you realise what i mean. u thank God for allowing you to take every breath.

Running Water and wash-basin.

i was so sick of using pots and pans of water for about 2 and a half months that when i saw a wash-basin and running water , i let it flow unbelievingly for good about 2 mins.

22 degree celcius.

its a luxury to be at a place where u can do with just one layer of clothing on you. u feel u ve become weight less compared to 4 layers u used to put on earlier.

Sight of your complete bare body.

its a luxury , believe me.!! u get to see only piece meal.

and last but not the least..

WC.

believe me friends. its a blessing to have WC and not go out in the open. trust me on this. i know its importance.

Busy!!

I am busy infact very busy these days. but as somebody mentioned i am enjoying it. i like to keep my brain excercised.fauj, in any case make sure ur body does get excercised.so thats not an issue.

i am going to sign an important document tomorrow. it has taken me abt 2 weeks to prepare it. it has got legal implications also. but may be it'll get over tomorrow. finally!!
but , is it the end of the ordeal or beginning of one?
only time will tell.

till then , lets keep having fun. guzzle the gallons. and protect the world from an evil!

Snooze!!

sometimes ppl make small discoveries or inventions and it really becomes a giant leap for mankind.
i think the 'snooze' in ur alarm is one of those. i think presently my life is all dependent on snooze.
i am able to reach wherever i am supposed to ,in time only coz the snooze. i generally put the alarm for 20 min before the desired time and then keep snoozing and zzzzing to glory.

its a great boon. long live snooze.

Solar eclipse

so the much awaited event is finally over.
i had my squash match in the morning and after that when we came out we experienced the eclipse. although it was badly clouded but we could experience it. it got completely dark for abt 3 minutes.
it was breathtaking and awesome. what strikes me most abt these celestial events is that how well and accurately they get predicted. predicted till the last second. Awesome. and come to think of it. even the ancient greeks and indians cd do it. science must have been so well developed .
now i am already thinking abt my next chance of viewing such an event. i hope its soon.

Premchand

we've all heard of munshi premchand. these days i m reading one of his first books titled "sevsadan". and let me tell u folks awesome is an understatement.
i am enjoying reading it very much. the story is set in early 20th century and its really very interesting to read about the contemprory issues at that time and the social situation.
so it's wonderful.
we in india know atleast 2-3 languages.but get so obsessed by only english. there is so much literature avail in other languages and you will derive great pleausre.
so i ask of you to read some hindi and local language books and not waste this extra knowledge of language that all of us have by not reading. we should not use these languages merely for conversation but also read extensively.

Code Of a Warrior

"This is the code by which the entire Indian Army lives by. and dies too.

"I am a Warrior.

Fighting is my Dharma.

I will train my mind, body and spirit to excel in all devices and weapons of war, future and present,

I will Always protect the weak,

I will Be truthful to bluntness,

I will Be humane, cultured and compassionate,

I will Fight and embrace the consequences,

GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH THAT I ASK NOTHING OF YOU."

omegle

www.omegle.com is a wonderful website that i came across recently. it did not have much zing-bang of other networking site. and that is what makes it refreshingly different. no concept of login or an acct. in fact the beauty lies in anonymity. as soon as click on chat u will be randomly connected to a stranger. u talk about general issues and things u like to do or dont.
but generally don't discuss ur name et al.
in fact the site mentions that 'asl' is a taboo.
u are also free to pretend to be somebody else and pose and chat like him.
its great fun. and keep posting me on ur exploits.

some praise!

there's a n old friend of mine. she recently showered some praise for the blog that i write.
u can read the same in my scraps on orkut.
Finally ! something to cheer about.
Thanks Payal.

Worli sea link - Pride of India

it is not just an architectural marvel, it is the jewel in the crown. it comes at a time when india is moving and there's a general "feel good" around. The worli-bandra sea link was dedicated to the nation yesterday and i felt so proud of my country. last time i had such a feeling was ahen Chandraayan soared in the sky.

the sea link is by no measure a mean feat. it proves India's position as one of the technology leaders and certainly by far the most advanced in the subcontinent. bridging the sea is one of the biggest challenges of the contemprory times and we have done ourselves proud by achieving it.

i would like to congratulate the entire team of ppl who were involved in the project.

way to go India.

Union Budget 2009-10

from the nation's pt of view it might be a good budget. but as a salaried person and a layman i have been disappointed. there are 2 major issues which did not meet my expectations:
1. IT slab raised by just 10,000/- . it will effect a net saving of Rs 1,000/- on my IT for the yr.(out of something around 40,000/- which i am expected to shell out).
2. ceiling for savings under 80-c still remains at 1,00,000/-. a total shocker. with the entire nation expecting encouragement for savings and investments it was a total anticlimax.

which means that i have to definitely take some house loan to save on some tax. may be thats what the fin min wants!

but there's a silver lining also. the prices of LCD TVs have gone down by 5%. i.e by about 2K. i am planning to buy a LCD in the very near future. though the prices of set top box has gone up.
may be will have to live with such things.
cheers.

mohit

thanks mohit for posting those comments which encourages me to write more.
and dont think too much abt we guys meeting each other. we are as eager to meet u as u must be. so come to india you must.
waiting..

post nupitl POA!!

it was in my mind for quite some time but now it has started to take some shape. my plan of action after my marriage is quite simple. but it is subject to so many small and big ifs. and it is something which not many ppl do or even plan. i am of the firm belief that if the majority is doing something , then it must be the best and most right thing to do. and put conversely, if not many ppl are doing something then it's not a great idea for u to do it either. or the time tested path is much better than the 'path not taken'. but since my idea doesn't put much on stake( except the wrath of my would be better half) , i ve almost decided that i will do it. ( now pl don't start jumping to any conclusions .)

this idea erupted because a no of people have invited me over to their places for my much awaited 'honeymoon' . Actually, sometimes i feel they are waiting for it more eagerly than i am. so i ve decided to oblige them all and enjoy the grand , large hearted , warm indian hospitality.i am going to vis all my relatives ( maybe her also if she is very keen) and my coursemates at nice stns and other offrs who are posted at 'good' places.
i will drive, take train journeys et al to underatke this large excursion.
let's see if this fructifies.
let me know of how u feel about this idea.
cheers

busy day.

today was quite a busy day. and tomorrow its going to be busier. Lets see what happens.

Nice Sunday

today was a nice sunday. not the typical bright yellow. but the gray gloomy day. but was definitely great for staying indoors. sunday newspaper type day. i just love the sunday newspaper. i used to just wait for the sunday toi and still cant resist it sometimes during train journeys.( most of the suffixes being sundays end up in trains.) but over a pd of time the quality of content has deteriorated quite a bit. and now i am hooked on tlo ht.
i specially liked it with the leisure time that was available today.
tomorrow is again monday morning.
just another one.
i am taking on another resp tomorrow.
big task and i am going to be very busy from tomorrow.
lets see how i handle it.

Great Feeling: KVFRI rocks.

http://kvfri.org.in/passouts.html
this is the link to the blog below.
u must visit.

Back on the net!!

hi , my pc was giving a no of problems . and finally them seem to have been resolved. problems like error code 39 et al. but now they all seem to be over. (for now atleast!) i have so much to blog and was not finding a vent.
oh ! its great to be surfing on my own laptop.
will be blogging a lotz.
tomorrow is some pleasantly surprising holiday. dont know why but it's there.
looking fwd to it.

Jyotsna

i met her in mumbai during this lve. she was sitting next to me and through the corner of my eye i could see that she was looking very pretty. all the time as she was adjacent to me and damn it! i couldn't even see her properly. i met her with bhanu and all the time the 3 of us were talking. i mean i didn't get a chance to spk to her . there was quite a bit i wanted to spk to her. i think i was getting carried away in the moment. something which i never let myself do. so i checked myself and for good.
i ve known her for a good abt 11 yrs and the thing that strikes me most abt her is her confidence and the fact that she knows what she wants in her life.
be it her career , her job, or her personal life she is absolutely clear abt it. kudos to her for that.
if there's anyone who might be interested in me, don't lose heart after reading this blog. i must tell u that she is happily settled in her job and has already found " the right man "for herself. so ppl i am still available. like Anthony Gonzalvez said "
dil bhi hai khali, ghar bhi hai khali.
is main rahegi koi kismtwali"

Lve over

So finally the lve is over. the much awaited lve is already over.
but it was very good this time. i enjoyed it very much and it was a wonderful break.
it was so nice that it doesn't pinch at all to be back in the rut.
only thing i cdn't do this time was watch a movie. coz there were none. infact me and my bro had even planned to watch 'mee shivajirav boltoy' at nasik. somehow it didn't materialise.
But it was great. it was an awesome experience to drive on the present roads in maharashtra. i drove to pune from nasik and then from nasik to mumbai.
Mumbai was an fantabulous experience. it was a great outing avec la famie. and all of us really enjoyed. the beauty of marine drive - nariman pt never fails to amaze me.
if u think of it, what is it. a curved road near a water body. but the beauty of the place justifies the name 'the queen's necklace.
but this time around , there was another feeling too. the feeling of why i wasn't here to save my country on 26/11. infront of trident and taj i felt so helpless; helpless because of my politicians for they are so spineless.
in mumbai, i met couple of my dearest school time friends bhanu and jyotsna. it was a great reunion. i had an awesome time with them. we discussed school days and it was great.
And this post won't be complete without a mention of my journey in the lifeline of mumbai, its locals. i greatly enjoyed the journey and also enjoyed the renedition of 'dulhe ka sehra' from dhadkan by an urchin. over all the lve was great fun and i am already looking fwd to my next vacation.

Werewolves of London!!

i recently watched the Tom Cruise starrer oscar winning 1986 movie 'the color of money'. i ve downloaded one of it's songs called ' Werewolves of London'. good song. its kind of retro. beautiful song.

Maps Of India

i really came across this very cool site called mapsofindia.com. it is very comprehensive. it goes down to the city level. it has got all the maps that u can ever think of. visit it , check it out and let me know.

BUSY- NESS

very busy these days. ain't getting any time for any personal work. will have to find time somehow.

Daily Daru

these days i am boozing daily. actually we are a great bunch of youngsters in the unit. and we share great bonding. so they are making me practice for my dining out by forcing me to drink daily. tomm is my dining out. hope its good. i got to prepare a speech also. but i am having a great time in the paltan.

yoohoo!! MY First Solo

Col Pandey and Self After the solo . background M1 X-Air Microlight Aircraft at Gaya International Airport with Runway lights On.

The First Step




Yoohooo!!! That’s what I yelled when I took my first turn for the crosswind leg during my first solo. The feeling is yet to sink in that I’ve done my first solo flight on a microlight aircraft. This means that I actually took the aircraft up in the sky solo and after completing a ‘circuit’ got the aircraft back and landed safely.
It was a remarkable experience and one of a very unique, rare and exceptional kind. I did it on the 15 Jan 2009 at 1730 h and the day also happens to be the Army Day which makes the occasion even more special. On 14th Jan , our instructor Lt Col A K Pandey told me that I was flying well , and if I could be consistent the next day also , he would consider me for a solo on the 16th.
On the 15th at morning, I didn’t fly well at all had some problems in landings. So I thought it were still few days that I would get my solo. At morning, Col Pandey taught me some emergency procedures and the morning session was called off. At around 1635h he flew me again and took me to Gaya International Airport. There we flew few circuits and he gave me few landing practices and checked my reactions for emergency landings. I had not the slightest bit of hint that I would be getting the most extraordinary experience of my life soon.
It was already getting dark and even the runway lights had come on. Col Pandey then asked me if I would be able to do my solo then. I answered in affirmative and he asked me the same question me a no of times to which my answer was the same. Then he told me that if I could make the next landing good enough then he would send me.
As soon as we landed he said that I was going and asked me to backtrack till the threshold. Then he got down and passed me a few instructions on the radio.
Now I was on my own and it suddenly struck me that I would be up there alone. I had dreamt of this day since a long time and now here was it. I was cleared to takeoff and I gave full throttle and started rolling on the runway. It was a great feeling. I remembered the takeoff procedure and did it. Before I could realise I was up in the air and was cruising at 250 Ft. Then I heard Col Pandey’s voice on the radio and he asked me to keep reporting on the radio. I was doing fine and was gaining height. At 300 Ft , I cut throttle to the required value and told him that I was turning left for the crosswind leg. As the aircraft was now lighter with only one person on board, I was gaining height quicker than I had ever experienced. I cut throttle to make suitable adjustments. Now I realised that I was there all alone and actually doing it myself. It was a great feeling. Soon I turned left for the downwind leg and aligned myself with the given landmark.
Col Pandey then asked me if I was enjoying myself and I said yes which I indeed was.
Then I leveled out at 500 ft and bingo all my parameters were doing perfectly fine. I gave an “All Ops Normal” report on the radio. I saw the point where I did the emergency landing. I kept going ahead maintaing all my parameters. The winds were absolutely calm and I was very comfortable.
Then Col Pandey reminded me of the landmarks which I was not to cross. I acknowledged , gave a call for ‘turning base’ and again turned left for the base leg. Thereafter I cut throttle to lose height to prepare myself for the descent. Then I gave a call for ‘turning finals for runway two eight ’and aligned myself with the runway and took left. Now the most difficult part of landing was ahead of me and I was not going to mess it up at any cost. I cut the throttle to the required value and maintained required heights at the various landmarks. All the time I was repeating and maintaing speed -­ ball – centre line of the aircraft. Thereafter I started focusing on the landing and carried out the landing. It was a ‘good’ landing as Col Pandey later put it. Thereafter I forgot to cut throttle to zero and Col Pandey reminded me of the same. Then as I was backtracking, he asked me to stop and turn off ignition there itself. I did the same and saw Col Pandey, Col Kaushik and Maj Ranjeev coming towards me. I got down from the aircraft and Col Pandey congratulated me and gave me a bear hug. It was the greatest feeling I had felt in a long time. Then other Officers also congratulated me and I was shivering out of excitement. It was an extraordinary and incredible feeling. I had finally done it. I wasn’t able to contain it and was feeling on top of the world.
It would not have been possible without the constant encouragement and support from my instructor and other course officers. I thank them all and as I write this , my heart is full of gratitude for Col Pandey who took all the efforts to train me to get me to some basic standard in flying.

I wish all of us Happy Landings.

I dedicate my First Solo to
Col Pandey for being the most patient and wonderful instructor and a great and splendid person.
Maj Ranjeev for listening to all my silly doubts and clearing them at all odd times.
Col Kaushik for wishing well for me and encouraging me whenever I was down.
Lt Dinah for always removing any negativity from my mind.
The entire ground crew of AANC, Gaya for keeping the aircrafts in an excellent condition and always giving me small tips and advices.
My parents, relatives and friends for constantly praying and wishing for me.
Swr Avdhesh for being such a great support during the entire course.

Pune

after this course i am going to kalimpong for some time and then will be proceeding to Mhow. In the meanwhile i hope to go to pune. I ve to meet few very special people and who are the driving force in my life. Besides, i feel so much at home in the city. I ve already started day- dreaming about my trip. Lots of things to do , and limited time at hand. will have to chalk out an itieranary.
Hope this is a good and refreashing trip before i head for Mhow.

Flying Progress

yesterday i flew better than other days. Hats off to my instructor Lt Col Pandey for bearing with me and having so much of patience. when i kept( still keep) doing mistakes , he just kept(still keeps) giving me another chance. yesterday, i could get a feel of how to land. starting of a new phase in learning.
but today my horoscope in TOI says that i should be not expect immediate results and will have to put in more. Ready for that. No probs. Lets see how the day turns out to be.

Calling One and All

Today i watched the movie 'A Wednesday'. A very Nice film indeed. Through the means of this blog i wish to invite all u wizards, geeks and the hackers to come forward and contribute your bit to the national security. This is our duty towards our motherland. Today the war is being fought on a different dimension all together and this war uses technology.

India has got the best brains in this world and most of us are working for some other country through some MNC. The security agencies are only able to pool in the second bests.
when such an occurance as 26/11 occurs we all are angry but when it comes to make a sacrifice and contribute to national security, we all back out. This war isn't being fought on any borders. it is being fought in our homes. Let us all fight back and be cyber soldiers.
I know u have it in you. Lets start this movement.
If this blog strikes a chord, pl feel free to get in touch with me. Please prolifirate this blog so that it has a maximum reach.

Romancing the cities!!

there have been a no of cities where I ve been to or rather stayed. But there are 4 of them i really love and which make me feel at home. i just love being there and even whenever i am alone and down i open their Maps and traverse on the very familiar roads and paths. Just talking about them is a great stress buster.
Let me break the suspense; they are Delhi, Kolkata,Mumbai,Pune ( In alphabetical order). each of them have got their own charm and culture. Very different from each other but still very likable. Critics may feel free to find a no of faults in each of them but the truth is that all of them in some way define the Great Urban Indian Culture. Delhi is the prime city of North India and is a amalgam of many cultures. u will find the chic, the not so chic , the traditional, and the not so traditional, the rich and the poor, and all seemingly happy.
I Love Mumbai just for the sheer pace of it. Nobody can be seen wasting time and is bound by a routine. Daily commuters using the lifelines of BEST and the local form the main working class. Infact, she's India's most professional city in every way. Busses and trains operate dot on time and a 7:29 local arrives and leaves at precisely that time. the best part about this city is that it never sleeps.
Kolkata is a slow city where the pace of life is quite slow. People have little problem in wasting time by means of traffic jams, stagnant locals and jammed trams. But it has a culture of its own. It has a very rich heritage and this is what i love about the city. Eminent British and Indian personalities with their own claim to fame have resided here. off late, tremendous development has taken place in the way of flyovers, malls, discs and the night life has also considerably improved.
Pune is undoubtedly the Youngest city of India. Courtesy the vast student population pursuing various courses, this city is forever youthful. the general people are also very intelligent and aware. The city can be clearly divided into the regions for the young and the the grownups.
Deccan , FC rd, MG Road are represent the freedom every Indian Urban Youth desires.
A great city to feel young.

Visit to Nalanda

It was a very good experience and the you could still feel the ' charge' of the place seeping in your veins. their we took a guide and he told us about the kind of learning methodology that was being followed some 13 centuries ago. he said that it was based on three sub processes and they were and i quote" Learning, practice and Realisation" all three being equally important and to be strictly followed in sequence.
i think all of us should try to get it into practice.

For the Indian Soldier

INTERESTING READ. i recd this as an email attachment.

While the average age of the army man is around 30 years, at the time of enrolling / commissioning he is around 19 years.
He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.
He's a recent school/college graduate; he was probably an average student from one of the Kendriya Vidyalayas, pursued some form of sport activities, rides an old mo'bike / scooter, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.
He listens to bollywood music or ghazals or rock & roll or hip-hop or country or swing … ………. and a 155mm howitzer.
He is 5 or 7 kilos lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting insurgents or standing guard on the icy Himalayas or the jungles of the North East from before dawn to well after dusk or he is in Mumbai engaging the terrorists.
He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark.
He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs trenches and weapon-pits and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. His pride and self-respect, he does not lack. He is self-sufficient.
He has two sets of combat dress: he washes one and wears the other.
He keeps his water bottle full and his feet dry... He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humour in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the Jana Gana Mana vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hands from their pockets, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom.
Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He is your nation's Fighting Man that has kept this country free and defended your right to Freedom.
He has experienced deprivation and adversity, and has seen his buddies falling to bullets and maimed and blown. But, he has asked nothing in return, except our acknowledgement of his existence and understanding of his human needs.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. . .... A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets. Prayer wheel for our military... Please sat this after this short prayer. 'Lord, hold our Indian Armed Forces in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our soldiers, sailors and airmen, on all frontiers and wherever else they are needed. Pray for the Indian Soldier. Unlike your 'Babus' or 'Netas' He will always do you proud.

A time for introspection and retrospection

today is the first day of a new yr. amidst all the celebrations its the time for introspection and retrospection. like an accountant work out your 'credits' and 'debits' of the balancesheet of your life. whatever u have done wrong, whatever u didn't want to do, missed opportunities, right decisions, achievements , accomplishments, work left to be completed et al. this yr dont lose focus from ur aim.
Also and more importartantly, have a life. see what is it that u are running after. ask urself, if this is worth spending ur precious golden period. and if ur answer is yes, then go all out for it , full throttle. but if the answer is no, tis the time to rework ur priorities. stay close to ur family and relatives. they are the ones who will bail u out in any crisis.
And lastly , live life king(or queen as the case may be)size. live in the present and stay cheerful , healthy , wealthy and wise.
my best wishes.