AB IMO PECTORE

Tribute - A life well lived (1949-2010)

2011-09-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

It's a year today.September 2nd 2010 - A beautiful soul, a true fighter and a wonderful human being left the material world. This day my mom gave in to her battle against cancer after a year long fight.

Her Childhood and Marriage.

She was born on Oct14th, 1949, Deharadun. She was named - "Sudha", which means 'Superb, wealthy, pure, nectar. She was true to her name. She maintained a sweet and simple demeanor throughout her lifetime - Saving her sisters when they sneaked out watching movies, doing their homework, or saving them from my grandmother. She got married to my father - Mr. MadhuSudan Gupta on Nov 11th 1976 . It was an arranged marriage where they didnt even see each other. Can we imagine this now? A lawyer by education, She decided to be a home maker till we grew up.

when i was growing up,i never observed her. i guess, somethings are always taken for granted and never cared. In 2009, when she was sick i spent 4 months beside her, noticing her every moment. This is the time i actually knew her.

Her Smile and Confidence
A perfect libran. A thread that tied all of us toghther - My Father, My Brother and I. She is the person who knew what is happening at my end by just listening to a hello on phone. It's very difficult for older generation to accept change but she not only absorbed the changing times but molded into us the strong values.

Her Patience and UnderStanding
She knew whaz cooking in my head. I was a brat. She understood us without saying a word. it was never easy to lie to her. She understood that mistakes are made. I never saw her holding a grudge against anyone. we should learn to forgive/forget who wronged us.

Her Unconditional Love
She respected and showed her unconditional love to every soul who came in touch with her - from the person who delivered milk to the person who worked at our place to her friends to US(my brother and I). She understood every individual has his/her personality.She respected their individuality. Never judgemental and handling ego issues with care.

Her organised ways
She was an Independent women. She was a perfect manager.She started working as a Teacher in sometime. My father worked with ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission). His job required him to travel 28 days a month. She managed both home and work gracefully. Managing brats such as My brother and I was definitely a challenge. she patiently tolerated our mood swings and tantrums. In the last few months i spent with her, I was amazed to see how she scolded the nurses when they didnt do their job properly and showered love afterwards. She told me - every one is a kid. you need to handle them with care. No wonder she was one of the best teacher.

Her culinary skills
She was an amazing cook. She was unbeatable with all kinds of Indian foods - from home made pickle, South/North Indian food.My friends waited for me :). Every Sunday we had different cuisine to taste. No wonder i was an healthy kid. I can only imagine her carrying me everywhere in her arms. My friends waited for my lunch box and invitations.

Her Never-Say Die attitude
In the year of 2009, she was diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer- Stage IV. we didn't know whom to blame - the pathology report which didnt detect the cancer in early stages or the gynecologist who didnt pay attention to her. She went through 13 chemos and an operation but she was calm, courageous, and ever smiling. Never once through her battle she cried "why me". The excruciating pain could never rob her contagious smile. The journey was long. The end was sure. The question wasnt if. The question was when.Her cancer was stronger than medicines but she pulled along with a
smile and grace.

Her Strength at the time of adversity
Going through 13 chemos - the inexplicable pain that none of us can even imagine. Her doctors admired her Strength. Her doctor once told me - she never complains. Always greets us with smile. It's always easier said than done.

Take Life as it comes
I was a short tempered and easily stressed out individual. She always asked me to relax and take things as they come.

you were there

when i opened my eyes to show me the world.
when i was sad to console me,
when i was lonely to hold me,
when i made mistakes to scold me,
walk beside me in every step i took,
to take me through my failures,
patiently, calmly moulding me to who i am,
you are my strength and guide
i wish i was you.
we love you and miss you.

Fat to Fit

2011-08-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Date : Aug 25th 2011
Venue : AdvancedExpression Toastmaster
Event : Humorous Speech Contest

My journey - FAT to FIT

I was always a fat kid but my Mom's love made her say “You are not fat but you have a structure that makes you look broad." I believed her, until a few years ago, when I met a group of environmental activists who were organizing a skit on preserving the environment. They offered me the lead role. While they were narrating the story, I was building the castle. And when I got to know that my role was that of a healthy broad tree, to be saved, the castle came crashing down on me, smashing my dreams, and sorrowing my soul. Fortuna’s wheel had turned on me - throwing me from my mom's protected shield to the world of reality.The fat became my insidious enemy. However, I gathered the ashes of my dream and decided to do something about it, like join a gym or go on diet.

When I was growing up, I was told that I there are two roads to success - the long, righteous one and the short one. I chose the easy, short one – The unbeatable google gave me a long list – Atkin’s diet, Fruit diet, Vegetarian diet, protein diet… I scanned and decided to go on Lemon water diet. However, the universe had decided to conspire against me. It appeared to join the God of evil-fat and determined to spell evil days ahead - showing me food and invitations in every direction I looked- from my mailbox to the dark streets i walked. How can one fight the nature that made Fat people better at smelling food.

Disheartened, I decided to join a gym. I tortured myself in the gym but no drastic results. I manipulated and concentrated and at last reduced from 200 pounds to 140 pounds. Today, I am going to share the secret tips. However, please try these "At your own risk"

I want to ask a question: what is the next best thing that is in abundance after free advice - Stress.

1. Use Stress - You don't have to hunt for it. With economy crashing and stock process going down faster than earth's speed, you dont need anything else to reduce.If you have not invested in stock market then worry about everything in life - from your kids to office issues to bitter/better half issues. Worry is the key to fight the evil fat. You have not invested in stock and have no major worries - befriend a person who always cribs. Crying is contagious. if you don't have problems, you will be stressed out with their problems.

2. The next tip is gender specific - if you are a gal- go shopping. Buy a dress from a boutique at full price. The size should be smaller than your current size. This is your motivation and the rest would be history. I am a gal - trust me and this works every time. Guys - give your credit card to your better half. Either you will reduce because of starvation or because of depression of losing money.

3. Every ounce of fat has its own character - abs fat, muscle fat. It has to be beaten for hours - irrespective of season - summer or winter. For such fat - start traveling through NJ transit. The gods of weather always succeed in crashing human efforts to run the transit on time. This process will beat away the hidden fat.

4. The next 2 tips are easy ones - there is so much competition. Know your friends. Buy them deals from living social. First, these deals are economical - the icing on the cake is you don't have to join your friends and at the same time you are cutting competition.

5. With the advent of iPhone things have become easier. A few days back i downloaded this app- myfitnesspal - where you can log everything you eat. Scan the items. Real hitch, first day i logged, it advised me - " if you continue eating this way you will gain 10 pounds”. I was heartbroken, but then i saw my roommate's log - if you keep eating this way you will gain 20 pounds. My guilt disappeared and i started praying hard- GOD if you cant make me thin make my friends fat :)

Heal Your Body - By Louise Hay

2010-07-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

This book got my attention as the author of the book survived incurable vaginal cancer without taking medicines. Two concepts got my attention - Metaphysical healing and Patterns [ as said in "SECRET" ]. The book emphasizes that one has to clear the patterns of resentment that one has been holding. It is imperative to let go of the blame. This is definitely difficult but not impossible. The resentment would literally eat oneself with cancerous growth because one hadn't forgiven.

Metaphysical healing is based on the belief that negative mental patterns, left unchecked, can eventually result in physical disease or illness; and that the reversing of those negative mental patterns into positive patterns can in turn lead to healing.

For example, worry about money issues tend to manifest as lower back problems, as the back represents support. A believer in metaphysical healing who was experiencing soreness in his lower back would examine his thought process to see if he had been over-anxious about money issues of late. Once the negative thinking pattern was identified and replaced with a new habitual positive pattern, the backaches, if caused by the old negative pattern, should subside.

In modern world we see a lot many people affected with diseased such as Diabetes, Blood Pressure etc . These are caused by the old negative patterns.

The idea behind metaphysical healing is that the individual is his or her own healer, responsible for creating both health and illness. When an individual falls ill, the believer in metaphysical health does not think it was by chance, but by mental patterns that can be identified and replaced. The type and point of origin of the ailment gives a clue where to look in the thinking patterns.

According to this belief, the most compromising emotions to health are longstanding guilt, resentment, and anger. The biggest healers are self-love, self-acceptance, and self-worth.

About the Author -

Most of her childhood was spent enduring both physical and mental abuse, with a lot of hard labor thrown in. Her self-esteem got lower and lower, and few things seemed to go right for her. This pattern got reflected in her outside world.

she had this “already confirmed belief” that she was worthless and did not deserve anything that put her at the end of the line with no cake. It was her pattern. They were only being a mirror for her beliefs.

In those early days, the violence she experienced as a child, combined with the sense of worthlessness she developed along the way, attracted people into her life who mistreated her. Gradually, however, through positive work experiences, Her self esteem grew, and those kind of people began to leave my life. The book "SECRET" also talks about the same concept. "PATTERNS" attract people and situation in our life. They no longer fit her old pattern of unconsciously believing that she deserved abuse. She didn't condone their behavior, but if it were not “her pattern,” they wouldn't have been attracted to her. Now, a person who abuses her does not even know I exist. Our patterns no longer attract.

Having been abused in childhood and holding on to her old resentments, the author was diagnosed with Vaginal Cancer. The word incurable, which is so frightening to so many people, means to me that this particular condition cannot be cured by any outer means and that we must go within to find a cure. If she had an operation to get rid of the cancer and didn't clear the mental pattern that created it, then the doctors would just keep cutting her until there was no more Louise to cut. She didn't like that idea.

She immediately took responsibility for her own healing. She read and investigated everything She could find on alternative ways to assist her healing process.

She knew she had to clear the patterns of resentment that she had been holding since childhood. it was literally eating her body with cancerous growth because she hadn't forgiven.

So LET GO the anger, blame, and resentments. Love is the ultimate healer. Love yourself just as you are, with all your seeming conflicts and inner turmoil. Do not withhold love from yourself, and don't use your confusion to further judge and criticize yourself.

Apologize Like a Celebrity in 5 Easy Steps!

2010-07-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

To err is human. I came across this article in One of Toastmaster's magazine.

This gives a clear idea how asking for forgiveness should be done.

#1 Play the Blame Game

Start by saying how sorry you are. Then shift the focus from your actions to the other person's reactions: "I am sorry that you were offended by what I did or said." Make it sound as if the other person's think-skinned sensibilities, outdated notions of fairness and decency, or failure o understand what you really meant - not your misdeeds - are the real culprits.

#2 Offer an Excuse
According to Witt, if you can't pass the blame on someone, you can always blame extenuating circumstances. I think this is very applicable in the Philippines, where I live. We have so many options to put the blame on - from corrupt government officials, skyrocketing electricity bills to poor garbage disposal system - we can always point at something that's beyond our control. For instance, I if arrive late at work, I can always blame it on heavy traffic or the slow railway train. Or if I can't finish an article, I'd say I have writer's block.

#3 Use the Passive Voice
The author says that in making apologies, using the passive voice does the trick. Instead of saying "I made mistakes," use "Mistakes were made" or "There was an error of judgment". By saying it this way it moves the offender away from the harsh media glare.

#4 Be as Silent as a Lamb
The moment we've done something wrong, it's common for us -people with a conscience often do - to apologize right on the spot! But in the world of show business, some celebrities delay as long as possible and some are brazen enough to steer clear of apology. They just wait and see how things play out, hoping people will forget about what they did or someone else will do something even worse. Then they are off the hook!

#5 Hide your Feelings
If you feel remorse, regret or even guilt because of what you've done - people with a conscience often do - make sure no one knows it. Make an apology the way sincere people do.Tell people you are sorry. Accept responsibility. Offer to make amends. Do the whole enchilada! But like some celebrities, read from a script. Speak in a monotone.Avoid eye contact. And never reveal a heartfelt emotion.

It may be difficult to backpedal your way out of a messy situation, but the art of saying sorry is something we should never deal so lightly. Void of well-crafted PR and choreographed apologies and other theatrics, I think we should use appropriate words and actions to make our true intentions known.

Just like what Witt said, "You may not win an Oscar for your performance, but you'll receive something far more important: Forgiveness."

Recipes From Other's Kitchen - Ras Malai

2010-05-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Get recota cheese. Add sugar according to taste. Mix Sugar and recota cheese. Meanwhile Pre heat oven at 400C for 15-20 minutes. Keep the mixture in oven 20-25 min till the base becomes brown.

cool the recota cheese mixture in freezer for an hour.

Get Half - Half milk. Add sugar. Boil the milk till the thick cream appears.

Add dry fruits - kesar, illayachi, almonds, kaju to milk.

cut the recota cheese in cubes and add to the milk.

Recipes From Other's Kitchen - Aaloo Posto

2010-05-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

I love eating. I have amazing friends who are very good cook and i eventually land up eating.This time when was in india i went to calcutta. I had some amazing authentic bengali food. One of them is - Aaloo Posto. For lunch today am planning to make Aaloo Posto. (This recipe is for reference). Your suggestions are most welcome.

Note - I have copied this directly from the email :) .. didnt wanna to put much effort in organizing the content :)..

Here you go -

Keep the poppy seeds in lukewarm water for 30 mins. Make a fine paste of poppy seeds with a lil dry red chilli. it helps to make a paste fine and smooth. chop the potato in small cubes. and sprinkle a lil salt and tumeric on them. keep them aside for 10 mins. now ... heat oil in a pan.and put methi seeds in hot oil.use methi seeds not powder.once the methi seeds turn a lil dark ... put the potatoes and fry them

dont over fry the potato.juss fry em in low heat till then turn a lil brownish.now ..pour the posto paste ... and stir well for 5 min. Add salt and a few green chillies (cut vertically )

put in low steam, cover the pan ..and keep it.check every 5 mins .. shud be ready in 20-25 mins.

one red chilli is enuf for 100 gms of poppy seeds

if u wanna put onion ..then use black jeera seeds in stead of methi. methi n onion dont go together

Apollo Anthem :Touching Lives Today

2009-09-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

2009 - Adventure

2009-08-29T18:46:00.001-07:00

Am back after a hiatus to talk about the most daring event of 2009

I always wanted to take a long drive since the day i bought my car.

My driving skills - The general perception is gals are not good drivers.. I completely agree with this fact :) and am no exception... entry into one way and hitting the car in parking lot is normal... I had a bad driving history in India.. with just a couple of accidents in my pocket .. :)... i still remember the trip when i started driving rental cars in US and almost escaped a fatal accident. My friends would never forgive me for this... So, when i told my friends .. you know am planning to drive to jersy all by myself.. The first question they asked me was .. Are you Crazyy??? .. well I am :)

I was very excited about the trip. The drive was little difficult...as i was the only driver. Driving in night is definitely challenging, but I started my preparation.. Loaded my ipod with all dance numbers i could collect.. got AAA membership(incase my car breaks down i can get some help)..

I started the drive around 4pm. The weather was awesome. Summer is the best time to drive. The only companions were loud music and hot coffee... and ofcourse some friends whom i bothered with phone calls..After couple of hours boredom could engulf you especially on these long and lonely roads...Solution.. watch out for other cars..They are not only the best companions but also your competitors who engage you when you drive...they challenge your speed and slow down when a cop is spotted...I drove for 12 hours from Charlotte to NewJersy.I completely enjoyed the experience....Speed is definitely fun, but watchout for the cops...

The trip aint complete without a ticket.. but alas i escaped only with a warning..:)

Himalayan Trek - A Dream Come True

2008-06-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

DREAMS ... each one of us has variety of dreams and would love to transform them into reality. One such dream nurturing for quite sometime was to trek in himalayas. The lure of indomiatble, capricious Himalayas is irresistible. Its beauty,vastness, and mystery always attracts one to venture into this region.... am no exception.

The first time ever i heard about this place was from my friend D. He purported it to be the best place he had ever been.Though in Youth hostel,a trekking group, himalayan expeditions are well planned and economical, but firstly, GGT (Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan) was not in its itenary. Secondly, all trips organized were 10-11 days long.

Initially R,A,and V were suppose to join the plan, but alas R broke her leg and A got busy with his projects. Finally, SE,VP and me decided to follow our dreams. As this was our first trekking expedition, we didn't want to venture without experience and guidance.Information on GGT on net is limited. Then SS suggested to search Orkut. We posted our query in "Trekking in Himalayas" forum. The active participants not only helped us to plan the itenary, but also gave loads of information to amateurs like us. Thus, After reaching chennai. i contaced GMVN, Government of Uttarakhand Enterprise, which directed us to Kishan, the person who arranged for permit,guide and porters.We had 8 people accompanying the three of us. It felt strange, but we definitely could not carry the tents and stocks on our own.

The results in Internet and most of the forums suggested either to catch a bus via Rishikesh to Uttarkashi or to catch a train to Haridwar and get to our destination via Rishikesh that is around 30 hours of travel from Delhi to Uttarkashi. To our relief, a family friend managed to get us tickets for the direct bus. We reached delhi at 8 p.m. Thanks to bhaiya, we managed to catch the bus just in time. [9.30 p.m]

We reached uttarkashi at 11 a.m after tiresome 14 hours. We met kishan and his group. He introduced us to the guide,P, and the porters.After co-ordinating with Kishan for arrangements, we boarded bus to gangotri at 1 p.m. The inadverent attitude of drivers, resulting in traffic jams, and bad roads made this journey uneventful. we reached gangotri at 8 p.m and stayed overnight to stretch our limbs and to gear ourselves up for the adventurous days ahead.

We rose from our peaceful sleep to welcome the first rays of sun. This beautiful morning overshadowed our weariness and invigorated our spirits.Devouring breakfast, we moved along the beaten path. The target was to reach Bhojwasa , 14km from gangotri, by evening. walking along the temple street, we passed through the forest check post where the guard checked our permit.The path was narrow hugging the mountains.The sumptuous landscape was a beautiful contrast between vibrant colors and the brown mountains.Looking down one could see the tiny streams of river Ganges.

Just a few kms in the trek, the three week hiatus from my physical regime sprained my left leg muscle. However, We reached Chir(=pine)basa by 1p.m.The second half of the stretch was difficult but camping at Chirbasa would have disturbed our schedule. The cramp got worse as the day passed.I slowly crawled towards Bhojwasa listening to Kalindikhal trail adventure of P.Beyond Chirbasa the terrain became desolated and barren. In fact, it has been referred to as the arctic Tundra by many trekkers. we were hastening our walk in order to reach the campsite before shadows became longer.

By the time we reached the camping ground, the porters had already set up the tents next to the river Bhagirathi.The best combination was chill wind and the hot masala tea. we had amazing candle light dinner prepared by the cook before we sneaked into our sleeping bags.I was not able to move my left leg because of excruciating musle sprain. I was surprised to know wearing jeans could be one of the reasons.However, a steely determination to trek till Tapovan kept me going next day and ofcourse all credit goes to the Painkillers :))....

The stretch Gaumukh-Tapovan was slightly more strenuous than the previous day as we were going to climb the glacier. I had never walked on a glacier and had imagined the glacier walk differently . I expected some dirty looking snow, but nothing appeared as expected.... I could only find Kilometers of brown, dry, ugly looking rocks, covering the glacier. The last 5 km was a steep climb up.Just the view of the climb ahead took the wind out of us. We walked along the fall buring our last Calories.Half way P informed us we can go no furhter and have to cross the fall. P and the porters quickly made our path.Reaching the top, we could see the snowy Shivling Peak.we finally made it... :)))) ...

Next morning,the Tapovan Gods gave us white carpet welcome. It's difficult to describe the breathtaking beauty in few words. As per our itenary, we were suppose to trek to Nandanvan instead we decided to trek back to Bhojwasa. While descending , P advised us to land on our heels first. this seemed simple. First step and i realized i cannot do this. i was too scared to lift my foot. Then i noticed a group of tourist walking side ways. i was glad ... this technique was doable :)

The target was to reach Gangotri ASAP so that we can reach uttarkashi by early evening. we started early by 6 a.m. We reached Gangotri by 10 a.m ... 14 km in 4 hours .. quite an achievement :))). Next day SE and VP boarded bus to delhi.. they left for chennai and i went to deharadun, my native for my next adventure.

THE BEST PART OF THE TRIP

I lost 10 pounds in 10 days :))) .. something i couldn't acheive in a year ... :)

TIPS

1) Direct bus from Delhi(ISBT) to Uttarkashi: The direct bus from delhi to uttarkashi are booked either on previous day or on the day bus departs. This depends on when the bus arrives.

2)Permit : According to the study conducted by the Geological department of India, Global warming has been seriously affecting the Gangotri Glacier. It has been receding by 83 feet every year. The rate at which it shrinked in the last three decades is more than the rate at which it shrinked in the earlier decades. Commercialization in the area is the main cause of pollution in the river that is causing the glacier to melt. Thus, From this year, Govenment is permitting only 150 trekkers a day to venture beyond Gangotri. One has to meet DFO (District Forest Officer) to get the permit.

3) Traffic Jams : Be prepared to get stuck in these jams for 3-4 hours.

4) Phone: BSNL works till gangotri... No manager can reach you beyond this point..:).

5) ATM : Uttarkashi has only one SBI Atm that doesn't work most of the times, and one will find no ATMs in Gangotri.

6) Survival Kit : Avomin and Pain Killers :)

7) Clothing: Tracks ... No tight Jeans

8) Cost : Be ready to pay exorbiant price for any service you need.

9) Trivia ...

Gangotri

Gangotri glacier is 2nd longest glacier of Indian Himalaya after Siachin.It is the largest glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas, with the length of 30.20 km and width of 0.20 – 2.35 km and is the primary source of water feeding the Ganga River. It is the combination of large number of glaciers that forms the huge mass of ice. Gangotri glacier originates from the northern slope of Chaukhambha range of peak and terminates at Gaumukh (4,000m). Mythology Bhagiratha is said to have prayed at Gangotri to save his relatives. The Pandavas are said to have visited this place to atone for the sin of killing their relatives during the Kurukshetra war. At this point the Ganges River flows north, giving this village its name, Gangotri, which means “Ganga turned north.” Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, “Of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.”

Bhojwasa

In earlier times, the bark of the bhoj tree was used to write letters. It is now almost extinct as locals use the bhoj timber as fuel, despite a government ban, and trekkers use the branches as walking sticks.

Gaumukh

Gaumukh glacier lies at the distance of 18 kms from Gangotri. It has been given the name Gaumukh by the sage because it appears like the mouth of the cow. It is the point where the sacred water of Ganga comes down from the glacier. P informed us initially gaumukh glacier extended till gangotri.The entire route offers several evidences of the fact that the Gangotri Glacier was indeed terminating at Gangotri.The glacial remains in form of the rocks by the distant mountain sides..now covered with greenery, the soil, the rocks within the soil, the dried up remains of smaller glaciers that would have dried up ages ago, the easy gradient up the path and the wide river bed all tell the story that

Mythology

The place is considered as holy where thousands of pilgrims are seen taking bath in its icy cold water. It is believed that by taking a dip in the water of Gaumukh, one can be free from all sins of life. The guide informed us gangotri glacier extended till gangotri, but has been receding for centuries now.

Bhagiratha is said to have prayed at Gangotri to save his relatives. The Pandavas are said to have visited this place to atone for the sin of killing their relatives during the Kurukshetra war. At this point the Ganges River flows north, giving this village its name, Gangotri, which means “Ganga turned north.” Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, “Of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.”

Memories

2008-06-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Enroute to Uttarkashi

Our Carrier

Candle Light Dinner (Bhojwasa)

Gaumukh Height : 4000 mt

Amar Ganga : Some call this...Akash Ganga....starts early morning and stops at 10 in the night during late spring/early summers/late autumn/early winter and winter

Making Path To Tapovan

Deep Crevass

Tapovan - After The SnowFall

Raktavarn Nala...emanating from Raktvarn Glacier

Bhagirathi II, I and III...from L to R

Thats the stream flowing on the dried up Meru Glacier.... that glacier dried up few decades back . Climb up to reach Tapovan.

Tapovan After Snow

Camping in Tapovan

Gaumukh Glacier

Mt Shivling- 6543 Mtrs...also termed as the Matterhorn of the East.

Bhojwasa - Camping Site

Hi-Tech Kitchen : In Cave Making Chicken Soup

Guide , Cook and Porter (L -> R)

Trek Path

qUoTes - Take A Moment To Think

2008-03-30T03:21:00.001-07:00

fIrSt bReAk aLL tHe rUlEs
- Anon

1700$ GIFT ................

2008-03-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

One of my friend after her research decided to buy an hightech laptop that costed her 1700$. This laptop is amazing.It has everything one can ask for.....the Internet never connects and the sound system is so amazing ........ sometimes i wonder whether my ears are fine:)...so after 6 months she finally decides to call the vendor to fix her problem....she starts collecting data such as payment date etc etc ...To her surprise she realizes that though she made the payment, her account was never debited.she calls the bank to check the reason. The bank informed her the vendor has not yet claimed the amount. She calls the vendor who inform her that the balance sheet doesn't show any difference. :)). The amount is settled and the account is closed :) ....

tHe yEaR tHaT wAs : 2007

2007-12-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here comes December and one can hear words like targets, goals and achievements made by individuals/companies in different domains. I recollect this portentous year with those events that one can call "Comedy Of Errors" :))

1. CHEF: My friends call me a good cook. On a faithful saturday night, my stomatch started growling, making strange noises. So at 1 a.m, i decided to make "Maggie". Around 8 a.m, we could smell something unusual, but the unshakable faith on the "Fire Alarm" made us believe nothing was wrong inside the apartment. At 9 a.m one of us with lot of effort got up to find the maggie and the cooker turned into charcoal...... I forgot to switch-off the STOVE:)

2. CRAZY ME: COLD-Not my cup of tea. My roomie calls me THERMOSTAT. As asked in Shantaram "Will you restrain or go ahead with an option where you will fall but will get some pleasure in doing so". I would say count me in later genre. so camping for four days, when the temperature was as low as 37 F, was one of my craziest decision. Thanks to my friends with heads on their shoulders and ears shut to my whining, we camped for a day. Believe me, i almost froze(how did i do it???). hhhmmmm... will i camp again in winter !!!!!!... Y not ...Crazy me :)

3. Story of A^2 : Thankfully not me this time. My roomie "A1" is stupendously great with maps and directions. Last year,2006, we were enthralled , when a short trip from Mrytel beach to Charlotte got extended to Florida. [ Charlotte is located north of Mrytel and Florida South of Mrytel :)]. "A2", the driver, went crazy.

This year, we come again with the perfect driver-navigator tale. One Saturday afternoon we congregated at our residence not to discuss india's next five year plan, but to plan our day. N and Me shopping. A2 and his friends decided to explore the mountains. A1 planned to slouch at home.

I miss Indian roads, whose vastness gives us black carpet welcome and confidence to move without fear and ofcourse maps.

On these barren, perfect roads "A2" had no other option but to call A1 for directons to the mall. As luck would have it, instead of reaching mall he landed in front of the restaurant. :))

4.A Perfect Filter : When you don't find tea filter. This option isn't bad? ain't it?

5. Oops what went wrong with this?

6. Dangerous Me:

Diwali in Charlotte

2007-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

Shayari

2007-11-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

खुद को तफ़सील से समझना, इंसान के ज़हानत में नहीं ,
शायद इस रास्ते पर चलना उसकी फिदरत ही नहीं,
अपने से अंधी चाहत का जब गिलाफ हटाएगा,
दुसरो के जस्बातो के मायने तभी समझ पाएगा

[khud ko tafseel se samajhna, insaan ke zahaanat mein nahi,
shayad iss raaste par chalna ushki fitrat hi nahi,
apne se andhi chahat ka jab ghilaaf hatayegaa,
dusaro ke jasbaato ke mayene tabhi samaj payegaa]

Can you believe, " I " did This .. :)

2007-11-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

My First Glass Painting

Card made of Handmade Paper and Cardamom

Making Of Witch House

2007-11-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

You need : 80 % - bunch of creative folks(A,A,G,N and R) ; 20 % - Few Junk Items : Waste Paper, Oil / Water Paints, One Doggie, Thread, Black CardBoard,Garbage Bag ,Black Duppatta,Scissors

Dated: oCt 26th, 2007

BackPacking @ YellowStones

2007-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 5 th Sep '07 : I called up one of my friends to discuss our last minute shopping list. He suddenly suggested backpacking in Yellowstones. i jumped at the idea as this was in my to-do list for a long time. He suggested that we could hike for certain distance and then camp. The idea sounded very adventurous.

Thursday,6 th Sep '07 :The next major task was to buy a backpack.As luck would have it, i left from work late and reached Concord, a shopping outlet in charlotte, by 7 p.m. A friend of mine suggested "Outdoors" to shop for backpacks.I was running out of time as i had to get back and finish packing for the trip, but the gal attitute tempted me to look for other options.Thus, i went to "Sun & Ski sports". Here, i entered an unexplored world of Backpacks. The salesperson informed me that backpacks for women are different from those of men and the size of backpack should be equivalent to one's torso length not the height.But again... 4000 ci wouldn't suffice 3 days' clothes and food. so after 30 minutes of my session.... i went back to "outdoors" for the 5000-6000 ci one... The salesperson here gave me tips on packing stuff in a backpack.She also suggested taking a rope for the trip as Yellowstones is a bear country and we would have to 'hang' our food.

Saturday, 8 th sep 2007 : After taking permit for backcountry camping, we reached cascade lake base and parked the car. we hiked for 2.5 miles to reach our destination.How I wished we met atleast one bear on our way to the camp site, but alas i guess the bears were scared of us :))))). The stretch was so beautiful.I was so tempted to take snaps, but one of my friends, knowing this attitute, decided break time for snaps ... Grrrrrr ...........Though later we realized how important it was to reach the destination before sunset.

Our destination, campsite,4E, was near cascade lake.We pitched our camp between tall trees that rustled their dry leaves in the night.we cooked maggi and soup using the lake water.The toughest part was to hang food.We packed all our toiletries and garbage in a school bag.Check out the snaps.

The sun went down.The sky was clear and the stars were growing bright.We could hear strange, weird echoes of crying woman or wolf.Scared,I squeezed myself inside the sleeping bag and slept till i could greet the beautiful morning.I strolled towards the lake and I felt .....

the meadow so peaceful yet full of life,
joy and happiness felt in the calmness of sky
the lake, in the middle of mountains, solemn and quiet
engulfed by silence speaking mystery hidden deep inside.

पुकार

2007-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

हे मानुष, तू किसे पुकारता,
तू झुलसता जा , करहाता जा, झुकता जा,
पर कौन सुन रहा है तेरी पुकार,
कैसे करेगा तू अपने काम साकार,
कैसे देगा तू अपने सपनो को आकार,
तू जो तूफानों को करना चाहता था पार,
पर यह कैसे है मंझधार
अमीर गरीब सब चिन्ता में है डूब,
वाह कुदरत तेरी नीति है ख़ूब,
हे मानुष, तू किसे पुकारता

पुकारना है तो पुकार अपने श्रम को, अपनी शक्ति को,
अपनी सोई हुई संवेदना को जगा,
हाय हाय की रट को मिटा,
अपने कर्त्तव्य को सीने से लगा,
फिर पायेगा तू वो सब, जो तुझे पाना है,
दृर्ढ़ कर तुझे खाली हाथ नहीं जाना है,
तुझे अपना नाम रक्त के कणों से,
धरती पर नहीं, बादलों में लिख जाना है,
यहीं है आज, जमाने की पुकार,
देश की पुकार, और यहीं होनी चाहिए,
तेरी अपनी पुकार

- December '94

मेरी डायरी से

2007-09-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

१. हमारी हर कोशिश में एक कशिश थी
वो बात दिल्लगी नहीं, दिल की लगी थी

२. नादानी में हम भी पेजर खरीद लाए,
जर-जरित हो गए, जब घर से बुलावे आये

3. अक्सर ऐसा होता है कि हम चाह कर भी
नहीं चाह पाते उनको जो हमे चाहते है

४.हमे अपनी तकदीर पर भरोसा था, खुद पर नहीं,

इसलिये तो आजमाया तुम्हें, अपने आप को नहीं

दो शब्द

2007-08-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

परिस्थितीयों कि ढाल में ढल गए हम, ऐसा क्या हुआ की बदल गए हम

बस यू ही

2007-08-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

कुछ उलझी कुछ सुलझी हुई सी जिन्दगी,
रात के अँधेरे में करहाती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
कुछ रुलाति कुछ हंसाती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
भोर की हर किरण के साथ बदलती हुई सी जिन्दगी

कभी रुकी कभी भागति हुई सी जिन्दगी,
हमेशा कुछ तलाशती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
कुछ देती कुछ छिनती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
रात की करवट में समाई हुई सी जिन्दगी,

कुछ लोगों से बनती कुछ से बिगड़ती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
हर बदलाव को समेंटती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
अपने दर्द को सीने में दबा कर,
कई दास्ताँ सुनाती हुई सी जिन्दगी,

कुछ सवाल कुछ ज़वाब देती हुई सी जिन्दगी,
बस क्षितिज पर चलती हुई सी जिन्दगी