Jogging day

I went for jog today. It's been a while since I crossed 4 kms straight, so I thought why not. So, I decided let's pump it up today. I was initially planning to do 5 but decided I'd stop if I get really breathless since I been irregular on the loop. The first couple are always a sucker. I'm always concious of the breathing and try to concentrate so I can establish a good breathing pattern and steady pace. Most people run like a mule the first mile and find themselves out of breath and decide that's their threshold, which is just wrong. Once you get a steady rhythm, you're good for atleast 3-4 km. 

I crossed 3 and didn't break a sweat so I thought what the hell let's push it today. My legs felt fine, lower back was in super shape, calf and feet didn't give bad indications either so I kept on going. You know the great thing about jogging is that it gets a lot of rotting energy out of the system. And somehow I produce energy in bucketloads. If I'm not doing some activity I get all twitchy. Jogging helps me get off some steam, physically as well as mentally. If I keep sitting on my ass, I just go crazy. My concentration time span reduces to a you-know-what. Food becomes less enjoyable - than usual. And all in all, things take a decidedly darker form.

So, after 5 I still felt that I could stretch a bit and kept going. I stopped at 6 kms which is not bad considering that I'm not doing it regularly. Walked back for a mile or so to keep my legs warm and stretched a bit to escape from cramps. I reached home at around 7:30, in a sweat, and did a complete body-stretch to ease off the muscles. Should definately try >6 once a week.

Time for a holiday

Life's a waste of a journey. Sometimes I wonder what's the point? That's actually a good indicator. When you're thinking this way about your life then you're waking up. And waking up means issues. Fucking, loads of issues. Whys and fucking why nots. So, the only sensible thing is to go on a holiday and take some rest and recharge your batteries to go back to sleep. Weird isn't it? You need to stay charged to stay asleep. That's life. 

Most of the time, I don't feel like taking a break. I've even acquired this ill reputation of being lazy when it comes to adventures. But there's a whole different angle there. I'm not averse to adventures, quite the opposite but most of the time, I've much more pressing things to do. Secondly, I don't just get up and go. I go when I feel like going. People are often interested in destinations, mostly too interested and they make worse journeys to reach there. I'm always interested in journeys and don't bother much about destinations. I like my journeys to be stimulating, and that comes only when I'm in a certain frame of mind. Destinations offer little stimulation, it's a temple or a beach or a hillstation. What's there to be excited about? Journeys hold a different flavor. I love travelling on foot as much as I can. So obvious choices are a forest or a hill. Jeez I'm just crazy about quiet places. Barren forests, dark uninhabited riversides, secluded hills. I'm not much of  a crowd guy, and if I have to go on a holiday to a crowded place I sulk big time. Different tastes I guess.

Then there are places that you want to go back to. You know, where you left some memories, some long passed moments that refuse to fade with time. And you being an ass go back to refresh them to relive whatever little you can. I guess that's what an addiction is. You drink or smoke because it makes you feel good although you know it'll kill you but who gives a shit. That hedonist is there in every one of us and some feel its push more than others.

So, I hope I find some time for myself and get away to one of such quiet places. All this fucking bustling of life makes you a little numb sometimes and you stop feeling yourself at times so it's important you sit with yourself a little while and get to know how awful you actually are.

Watched Fast and the Furious...

Yup. One hell of a kickass movie. If you're not into SRK and CC to China stuff, you'd like it. The cars are awesome and Vin Diesel looked great. I was impressed with FATF-TD but this is a different pie. It ain't no mere racing flick. Has a nice story and direction for a change. And the soundtrack just blows you away. That reminds me - I need to get the OST for this one.

Counter Strike - After a lifetime

The best thing in CS is the Sniper. A great sniper is a ghost who is never visible. If you're lucky you see him when you're dead and at worst he'll stake you out regardless of whether you're a gangbanger or a wait-and-shoot killer. He moves in the shadows and leaves no traces. You're not supposed to get within 10 yards of a sniper, alive.

That's your perfect strategy sniper. The gung-ho sniper is altogether different. He doesn't give a fuck as to who's watching and who's coming. He ain't no shortgun smasher and though he might shoot only one bullet at a time, he kills like shit. Then there's always the NightHawk that protects him and one headshot with this baby and you're on your way to graceland.

If you haven't played CS then you wouldn't know what the fuck all this is about. But that's Ok. It's like reading the dialogues of a Rambo movie, and why am I making a Rambo here? I ain't. I just played CS after a fucking long time so I thought I'd write something about it.

What do you write about CS? It's bloody, gory but it's not mindless. It's attitude. Some people play like the bullet's gonna fucking break the screen and get into their head, others don't even see where they are firing, some hide and wait for the right moment and some are showstoppers. You'll get all kinds and that's the fun in it. Then there are duels. Snipers against Kreigs, AK against Mavericks, Shortguns against SMGs and Snipers. Ohh...it's just too much of a killer to resist. But, I haven't played it for ages now. 

Yesterday WL was playing the sniper round and my fingers started itching. So I had a go. 4-5 rounds. Enough to whet the appetite but then let go. This ain't the road to go.

Delhi Visit...

Went back after almost six months. Things seems to have changed a little bit. But the mornings hold their charm. Geez, I just love early mornings in Delhi. I still remember how I used to travel 4 km in the morning with my Cricket backpack on my shoulder to the ground, 5 in the morning. Group of 8-9 boys, rubbing their hands out of cold, we used to play for 3-4 hours and then come back for breakfast. 

But those days are behind. Somebody in Delhi reminded me this, that every passing day, every passing second won't be coming back. But then I'm not the type of guy who looks back. I guess it'll all be accounted for once and for all.

I spent much of my 2 days at home. Ma cooked some really delicious stuff and I for a change gorged without a thought. Sunday morning I sat down with parents and watched some old videos of their trip to Badrinath-Kedarnath. I remembered some of the places from my own visit and that felt good. That was a wonderful trip. I don't know whether I'll go on another such trip. I'm not left with many reasons for it.

Hmm. I was thinking of a more exciting post but the visit was uneventful, although very soothing but little to write about. I guess I'm charged for the next six months and looking forward to a few things in life.

Dilli Diaries 1 - Traffic Banter

[Famous Chandni Chowk traffic]

I was itching to write about Dilli (for others it's Delhi, but for us it's good old Dilli), for a long time. There are so many things about this beautiful place that are close to my heart. Sometimes, when I sit down and think about the moments I have spent in this eternal city, it opens a Pandora's box of memories. I never wanted a long life, in fact, I always wanted to live for 35 years, no more. This isn't because I don't like to live. It's just that I don't want a long life, I want a big life. What is life, except those moments that you created and faced. And Dilli is the city of moments.

If I got a chance to choose my place of birth again, I won't swap it for anyplace else. Not many would but it's not because I was born here. But because, it's more than just a place of birth for me. A place that I keep coming back to whenever life breaks me down. It's a place that don't ask questions, that don't judge, that don't prove theories, that don't argue. Dilli is pure heart. When you reach this place, there's nothing more than open arms that wait for you. And it's not sentimental. Dilli is a heart-centric city. I carry the spirit of this city within me. A spirit that knows how to go with the flow, that opens its heart to strangers and let them be friends.

Dilli is often called Dilwalon Ki Dilli (Delhi of those who have a heart). It's not an undue sobriquet. But we Dilli-walah aren't your run-of-the-mill maudlin straight guys. We are equally sharp-tongued when we want to be. If you don't believe me, just try to be a hot-shot biker on the Dilli roads, you won't cross a Km before hearing a barrage of Ma-xxx and Behan-xxx stuff. Hey, just because we don't say it doesn't mean we don't know it. So, don't let the pleasant nature fool you. Think twice before getting on the wrong side. The good thing is, it's all forgotten quickly.

Traffic situations are really something that gives you an idea about this place. These days, the traffic isn't such a big issue because of the Metro and the non-stop flyovers but sometimes you do get stuck. And I remember being in the middle of a 2Km jam with the temperature right up at 45. Sometimes, somebody gets really pissed and start giving horns. And immediately you'd see the "take-off" gesture. It's one of my personal favorites. And you'd see an immediate smile on the horn-blower. If you're thirsty, just ask the car-walah standing next to you if he's got some water and he'd hand you over whatever little he's got. Chilled or boiling, but he'll share. And sometimes you'd meet some Sardar Ji, he'd say something like - "Yaar, is baar te ruj ke garmi payi hai (Yaar, this time the heat has really come down hard)". His back would be wet with sweat and he'd have some boxes on his old Chetak scooter, a middle class businessman, heading to Daryaganj or Karol Bagh. And I'd reply, "O ji, is baar April wich hi chali paunch gaya hai, agge pata nai ki hoyega (This time, the temp. has hit 40 in April itself. Don't know what'll happen next)". Sardar Ji - "Yaar, lassi wassi honi chaidi ai naal". And we'd babble about other stuff and when the traffic opens we'd be off to our own destinations. But that's how things go.

Check this for more on my birth city: http://thedelhiwalla.blogspot.com/

Pony Update...

As I discussed sometime back, which most people didn't take seriously - I'm quite serious about the pony. I've made huge strides towards acquiring one. I haven't seen the barber since last three weeks. Every time I go past a hair saloon, I control this urge to get the load of my head off. My hair are now 4 inches long which is a new personal milestone. The problem is that I need to shampoo everyday as my hair get really rough and wavy if I miss it even for a day.

The sideburns are getting messier by every passing day and one of these days when I'm going to have a bad hair day at office and that would serious send this whole thing packing. The problem is that the hair are neither long nor short. They're kind-of in-between. I can neither keep them tight nor let them fluff. Precarious situation! And the back hair are twisting and turning true Roman style. They get the least attention and are making the full use of it. But it's still manageable, the problem is that I'd be going home next Thursday and I doubt I'd be breaking any ice with these locks of mine.

The other interesting thing is, today ST bought one of those hair clips that guys wear these days. You know the black one with curls that make roads in the hair. Umm, like the one Abhishek Bachchan wore in the Idea add when he was the guide of a mute girl. So, he dangled it in front of me and I asked him to try it out. He moistened his hair and put it on - nice. So, I joked that maybe I can also try it, my Moses act is going to get harder so maybe it can help me manage that. He gave me one of the dismissive looks, like, YOU!!! I guess, I come across as an ultra-conservative, but that's because the conservative look suits me (I imagine it does :) ). It's not like I have a mental block that I can't wear freakish but I don't feel like differentiating on the basis of clothes. That's lame. If you're different then others notice, simple clothes or flashy. [Mental Note: Clothing preferences should be discussed in a separate post.]

So, the game is still on. I might be tempted to keep a high pony, more like GoldenBalls than Boondock. Let's see how that comes across.

WL Status

WL has started firing on 2 cylinders now. He just rode the bike yesterday. If you're a late-comer, then I'd let you know that our Rambo got a bad one and was bed-ridden for the better part of March. The injury started on 5th and got progressively worse. WL had an operation and stayed in the hospital for a week or so and now he's back home. 

Yeah, so he's grown quite itchy now. He's like a zoo animal hoping to break out. Just to get out of the house has become a joyride for him. So, the update is that he's started moving (bloody fiddles around the house, when the injury is still there). He drove to his Citibank ATM and looked quite smug while telling me this. I, obviously took quite a dim view of this and let him know this too. But WL didn't mind it.

From next Monday he might join office too, which is great news. He's been really sick of sitting at home. And I'm sick of his asking for movies from me. He's watched all fucking four seasons of Supernatural and watched a bit of Lost too. He handed me the first season of the later but I haven't started it yet. I'm just too lazy for this. And the awful thing is, every time I suggest a movie, he'll make a face like he's swallowed a frog and then not 15 minutes later he'd be back asking whether I had any good movie. I guess I need to find another one like "Zodiac". [Fucking serious warning!!! - Do not, in any case, watch this movie. Even if somebody is willing to pay for this.] I still get a lot of stick because I was the one who made them watch this movie. But then I went by the site ratings, so how was I to know the awful, super sucking experience that waited ahead of us. We are planning to courier this movie to all our enemies before dying.

The weather is just awful and I'm red hot all the time these days (not in the usual, sexy way). My face has grown browner than a cookie and I look like I got twice the usual tan, like Ross did in one episode.

Sennheiser HD 202

[Click image to enlarge...]

I've been starved of music for quite some time now. I used to take really long walks with my SE but it's got horrible earphones; not quality wise, they're Ok, but very fragile. So, I was getting ready for office when I dropped it against the floor and it's head burst open. I was already in a not so good mood and the moment it broke I went all Darkseid.

So, I've been without music whenever on the move and when I'm back home, my old headphones play selective. It has an evil policy of making sounds from one side at a time only. Rehman song's get special flavor with these babies. I don't know whether you remember or not but in that Pappu song, there's a flashing music that moves from left to right or vice versa. When you hear it with these chicks it starts from one side and never reaches the other side. Awesome. What more can you ask for? So all in all, life was getting along excellent till one day I was watching Supernatural and the damn thing got so annoying that I decided to buy a new pair.

Now, I had to buy two sets, one for lappy and one for SE. And presently I don't really have a Sheikh's ransom to spend so I thought to buy a cheaper SE ear-set and a nice headgear for the lappy. I had heard about Sennheiser and thought what the hell, why not?! 

So, I went with ST to get my very own pair. We reached Chroma at around 9:00. We had to buy WL's medicine too so we made a quick deal. I paid through the nose and the guy had it tested on an IPod Touch. It felt pretty ordinary. But the deal was made and I said whatever...

We roamed around to get WL's medicine but couldn't get it after scouring some 9 medical stores. We were swearing at the bloody doctor who prescribed the drug. ST told me about the MR (read - Medical Representative) and the games doctors play. I wasn't aware and was pretty disgusted on hearing this. I felt like tearing this doc's head and do a Beckham. 

So, we finally had to get this medicine from the hospital. But it was a nice ride, cool wind blowing across the face. We reached home at 11 and I got the chance to plug the beast in the lappy. I didn't discern anything at first but when I heard "Masakalli", I went WOW! I mean I never heard all those instruments in my WWII headsets. I tweaked the equaliser a wee bit and the response was awesome. Set the middle bass a little higher with the treble comfortable for the ears. The sound was coming really smooth. I checked "Rehna Tu" and Rehman's voice sounded so cool it was absolutely worth it. I check a few more. "Jind Sadi" from Bally Sagoo and a few other Punjabi songs; it gave me superb beats. Changed to a few more Rehman...Geez just hear Saathiya on the beast! Tried some ghazals, Udhas, Ghulam Ali and Jagjit, all went well. I don't think you've heard of it but if you get the soundtracks from Age Of Mythology, try it. "Adult Swim" absolutely will blow you away. I played around and felt very nice with the acquisition.

I've installed SRS Audio Sandbox and this is one hell of a plug-in. If you really want to hear something really smooth, check this thing out. Next stop, BOSE... :)

Sneaking inside the hospital

ME and AK went to the hospital to check on WL. The problem was that we didn't have any passes. And at 9 at night we can't maraud the in-patient premises. So, we were talking about how to get in. AK said we should split up as the guard would certainly stop the two of us, if together. So, we split up, I moved ahead and sat down in the visitor premises and AK was behind.

There were two ways to get in. The first is guarded and at 10 paces from this guarded door is the lift that takes you in the patient section upstairs. The other way is a little roundabout and not guarded but takes you to the same lift. But since the lift is so close to the guard you need to be careful when taking this way. So I waited for AK to appear; after sitting in the premises for 15 min, I called him up. He was already in. Apparently he just walked past the guard.

I didn't try it because if you fail then the chances of getting in gets very slim. I thought about buying some stuff from the hospital shop and walk straight past like AK; if the guard asks anything I could say I just came down to make this purchase. So, I purchased some chips and just when I was about to make my move I heard my mobile ringing. Old friend called to catch up. So, I sat down and talked for a while and finished the chips.

AK called asking me if I need help. I said I'd be through in 5 min. Now the only way was the roundabout one, through Emergency ward. So, I went in, with a languid, non-chalant demeanor and strolled around to find the lift. It was just a few rooms away. I didn't wanted to wait in front of the lift and be caught by the guard as he'd eyed me at the outside premises. So, I waited for somebody to get the lift down; it was on 3rd floor. A couple of docs passed and I fiddled with my already folded jeans. Finally, a nurse came and as soon as the lift door opened I went for it. While going in I sneaked a glance at the guard who was making his mind to halt me but took too much time.

So I went 20 mins late, AK was smiling smugly at me. Our damsel in distress was feeling sleepy and was asking for a painkiller. He said he'd gone through all the episodes of Supernatural and asked me to bring next ones. I said, sure. So, me and AK left after an hour and came back with the episodes in usb. WL was already asleep.

WL update...

WL underwent a  minor op today. When I met him at night he was still under anesthesia. I got late in getting there and in an hour of my reaching the hospital WL was feeling sleepy. He fell asleep at around 11. I chatted up with WOMS for half an hour or so and then left for home. Hopefully, WL will be discharged in a couple of days and will start his recovery. This place is a little drab without him so the sooner he comes back the better.  I hope things turn for the better in a couple of days. WOMS stayed back in the hospital and would be spending the night there itself. 

I did a good thing today. Finished some long standing business that was becoming a spot of bother for more than a few people. I know I'm on the right track, sometimes things get messy but that's life. I'm very fond of my ways...some people say a little too fond for my own good but that's Ok. I don't like to change them on other's behest. It's better to take it on the chin and move on, if you're making the choices. 

WL is in hospital...

WL got a bad one and the start of it seemed innocuous enough. He had an injection or two and things seemed Ok. I even urged him to go for Pink Panther 2 on Saturday morning but he was less cheerful than normal. I should've guessed then itself. WL never misses on movies.

Me and WOMS went to see him in the hospital and WOMS was his cheeky self. He left for a call a few minutes later and I had a nice chat with WL on the usual stuff. WL was in a bit of pain but cheered up when he saw us, but that was momentary. When WOMS was back we teased WL to the core. He was more than Ok in handling the slack. 

WL was feeling a little bit of pain because of the drip being a little too fast, so he called the nurse to have it reset. WOMS was paying close attention to the apparatus and when she left started fiddling with it. He made some intelligent observations about this drip thing and was eager to play with it a little. We also discussed the dreadful implications of a bubble inside the drip and we tried to put one in WL's drip. WL went ballistic when we tried to touch the drip apparatus. So we sat there with nothing to do. 

No apparatus to play with, TV wasn't showing anything good. And it was getting a little boring when WL told me that some girls called WOMS at 8 yesterday. Apparently, they called to ask the size of a stamp size photograph. WL got his way and it was WOMS turn to take it. So, we discussed the intricacies of stamp size photos and the magnetic field of WOMS, which is way too strong. And after half an hour or so, we agreed that the girls were not at fault in calling WOMS. It was all his fault and he agreed quite gracefully, not that he had a choice. 

The nurse came some time later and for no apparent reason WOMS started giggling. Now the thing with him is that he can't stop once he starts the ride. Imagine the scene, WL on the bed moaning in pain every 3 seconds precisely, and me and WOMS giggling like idiots in front of the nurse. I tried very hard to put up a serious face but WOMS was shaking like a bloody mast in the wind so I couldn't stop myself. The nurse must've felt pretty obnoxious but we didn't know for sure. We weren't looking.So, when she left we roared with laughter and WL watched us in puzzlement but later joined in.

WOMS and I were planning to stay in his room for the night. AC and TV and we could bring our laptops and play AOE the whole night and mess up WL occasionally too. That would've been fun. I told WL that we'd be back after dinner and laptops and if he can move his hand we'll have him play AOE too. But WL pour cold water over our plans and shooed us out. He said he'll sleep without us buggers messing around and will see us tomorrow, if he has to.

Beginning grad...

Schooling was one of the most difficult things in my life. Not so because I was dumb but because I was obstinate to a fault. College was a different experience. There was an altogether different environment, I was doing something which I liked unlike school where I needed to produce a notebook full of answers copied from the book or guides 4 times a year and since I never made a notebook for most subjects, I was often on the receiving end of some exquisite treatment. Old Chemistry teacher would bellow dangerously close to my year telling me I'll amount to nothing and I used to make a very discouraged face though I was smiling smugly not 5 mins later. Because as far as I was concerned he'd just as well go to hell. But to be always on the receiving end of one thing or the other was tiring.  

So, in the first few days I went to college many things changed. I remember sitting in a C class (I'd gone through a bit of C myself so could make the head and tail of it nicely), KS sitting on my left and Ravi on his left. SRK (not the movie star!) was just behind. We were given a not very difficult exercise and Me and SRK immediately went into gear to solve it. KS was sitting there making alien shapes in his notepad and mumbled "Fuck" pretty much out loud. I was mildly surprised but wasn't caught off balance. The instructor was all pretty patronising about it, telling us to think collectively. But KS couldn't make it out without "Fuck"ing at least 4 more times. Needless to say I went along quite well with these three like water on duck's back. And everybody brought a different color to it. 

KS was the loudest; damn it, still is the fucking loudest. The first thing you'd hear when he calls is a nice little greeting that I don't care to elaborate. Ravi was typical Delhi guy. Baadshe...masti.  The fun of "Check karo" while biking was just awesome. SRK was the serious one :). Surprise, surprise. He'd always be upto some criticism. More like dissection. He'd dissect almost everything from a C program to a food recipe to the female instructor (in technical matters, of course). I still remember how he made one of the interns cry who came for a guest lecture. I was pretty much myself and that's the mark of a friendship. It's a beautiful experience just to be. We never pretended.

Fifa...

RTR threw a challenge to score 5 past in worldclass...I said OK. No problemo. I think I scored 4 but next game messed the keeper real bad. Scored 11 past him in worldclass and the keeper was shitting a brick everytime I went on a counter.

But it's off for a while now. I don't see what to play for now. Switched to Mafia and this game is bloody fucking slooow...I feel old already; when I put my hands on a new game, I'm awfully slow off the blocks. Geez, after CS, adventure and theme games feel like slow deaths. 

WOMS keep playing AOE and asks me occasionally, whether I'd play but it feels like too much work. And what's the point of a game if it looks like work?