Be Real , Be Smart - Without the Smartphone

Why do I forget things these days ?
Why cant I recall 10 cellphone nos these days ?

Just in case you are reading this on that 4'x 2' device , the answers to these questions lie in the palm of your hand. This is the smartphone, silly human effect.

May 2000: It was the fist time I was going out to a movie with my school friends. The movie was "Hera Pheri". Back then, waiting for someone meant " Standing and waiting".

Moving on to 2013, we have moved on from waiting to staring..at the smartphone.

- Gimme a miss call once you reach ABC place
- Whats app me once you leave from your place
- Or god forbid if you reach some place and your friends haven't reached you call them " Kahaan hai yaar ! Kitni der "

So what does one do to kill time while waiting ?
" Stare at your phone "

The other day, I hopped into an auto and started staring on my phone. The typical whats app, fb, twitter, economic times etc.
The auto guy initiated the conversation. He started:

" Beta, 20 saal se auto chala raha hoon. But 2-3 saal se kaafi kuch badal gaya hai. Log aaj kal auto main baithte hi, apne mobile mein lag jaate hai. Jaise mobile hi

unki duniya ho. Jaisa aas pass to kuch hai hi nahi. Pehle in sab se baat karta tha.
Main kuch apne kisse batata tha. Par aaj kal agar main kuch baat karne lagun to logon ko disturbing lagta hai. Sab apne phone mein mast hai "

This got me thinking and I begun  relating to the auto guy. Just see across a busy street. What are people doing. "Staring at their phones". Board the bus. Board the metro. Walk into a restaurant. Walk into a library.
Stand in a queue. The same thing everywhere.

People having " Real -time communication with artificial device"
What are we getting into ?  Is that day near when we'll have our mom whatsapping us :
 " Food ready. Come onto the dinning table" .

I shudder at this thought. Just imagine earlier days.
Travelling in the auto people would talk to the auto guy. Get to know his views. Learn about his life. How difficult it is to  be at the bottom of the pyramid  in a big city like Mumbai ? Or just look outside

 " How the municipal guys are working hard to clear the water that has filled up the street"

" How the old lady has been trying to cross the street "

" How the sapling that was planted last monsoon has now turned into a tree "

We are missing out on tons and tons of things. By being connected virtually, we are getting disconnected to where we actually are. To our surroundings. To our families. To our friends.

Have you lately met your old friends in a cafe ? After taking all the time and effort to meet them why would one stare into the phone and laugh at a stupid joke sent over IM's.

What about talking and sharing things with those who are actually hanging out with you. And by hanging out I didn't mean Google Hangouts please !!

Aren't we bombarded with all the "tings tangs...zing zing " as soon as the plane lands. To tell you those 3 hrs without the phone are actually when I have got some of the best thoughts. Times when I decided what to do with my career, life ...basically time to introspect.

- The age of forgetfulness: Our memories are diminishing. Just compare your memory with your grand ma or parents. They can easily count 100-200 people who are to be invited for a function on their tips !

We need to check Facebook for that.
Sorry I don't recall the clients name. But I have him right here on my Linkedin !
Ahh that place that serves delicious Sarso da saag ? What was it. Let me just check it on Zomato.

Do we really need to be that connected with the world ?

Isn't the instant communication, messaging doing more harm than good ? So many CEO's for example don't own a cell phone. Yet, they manage their tasks, manage businesses worth billions of dollars, keep in touch with their client etc.

What an advantage it is to not have one of the smart devices these days ! I am shortly gonna go back to a Nokia 1800.

- Great Battery Life
- Ruggedness
- Talk more with your family then on whatsapp( Connecting People indeed)
- No last seen at
- No emails in the middle of the night
- No pings and alerts

Research has proven that smartphone addiction has had disastrous results. Lack of concentration among children ( Attention Deficit Disorder), the constant urge to check whats happening in others life ( FOMP - Fear of Missing out), Trauma, decrease in academic performance, anxiety and death too.

Clearly apart from the physical problems such as headaches, tendinits, bursitis, fatigue the psychological effects are far worse.



Promise yourself :

- Not to check your mails, IMs while driving

- To respect others when you are out with them and not alienate yourself with your phone

- To have real conversations

- And please stop discussing about virtual life ( You posted that on Facebook, that tweet was awesome) in real life !! You are together with them. You don't need to discuss how amazing their profile picture was !!

- Stop using it in the bathroom. You are not deciding the fate of millions of citizens !

- Stop checking your mails, IMs in the middle of the night ! Have a good sleep !

- When you are walking on the beach or strolling in the garden, don't let your smartphone out ! No even if how much so ever beautiful the sunset might be !

- Make it clear that if something is urgent, people can always call you. Whatsapp, IM's aren't sacrosanct devices for URGENT Communications !!!

- We need to understand that all the apps affect us. They tax our attention. As humans, we can focus only on few tasks per day. Research has reveled that we aren't great at multitasking( although we think and feel we are). But the infinite loop of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, whats app and other notifications  fragments our attention and we don't concentrate on the important tasks.
To be honest, I  haven't checked my smartphone for 3 hrs now while I thought I will write this. Contemplation and Reflection takes time and they demand undivided attention.

Take time off your phones regularly. Dedicate regular intervals during the day in which you will respond to your mails, IMs, comments etc.

Its you who own a smartphone, ensure that it doesn't end up owning you

Kya Kare Yaa Naa Kare

Not much to do in Mumbai?? Is it??

So here comes a list of must-do when you are in Mumbai. 

You'd come across the 'Real' Mumbai as they say it. 

Although, this list may not be exhaustive, I guess it covers a significant bit 

1.Sit on the steps of Asiatic Society Library

2.Sit on the tetra pods at Nariman Point, lay down on the promenade and see the boats leaving for high seas at 5 in the morning

3.Count the diamonds of the Queen’s necklace from the Hanging Garden

4.Karaoke at Not Just Jazz by the Bay

5.Ride on the open deck bus Neelambri run by MTDC

6.Check the butterflies at BNHS

7.Dene ka bhow bolo at Fashion Street

8.Catch the sunrise at the Gateway of India and don’t forget to ride the ferry

9.Feed the cows at Panjrapole

10.Search the Fort Wall

11.Ride in the oldest elevator in Navsarri Building,Fort

12.Cheer for your favourite football team at Cooperage Stadium

13.The city's relation with Cricket at Wankhede, Brabourne, Oval, Azad Maidan and the innumerable gullies

14.Visit the INS Vikrant when it is set open for the public in Nov–Dec Navy Week

15.The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and the Chatrapati Shivaji Museum offer a perfect time to those who want to dig into the history of Mumbai

16.For art lovers: Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art and the JJ School of Arts are the places to visit

17.The docks (Sasson, Bhaucha Dhaka) offer an insight into the times of British India. Keep a two minute silence for the dying mills around

18.Wall Street? That’s the Americanised Dalal Street. Hit the 'Bulls' eye!

19.Catch a glimpse of Mumbai University Convocation Hall

20.Music Festival at Banganga Tank and the KalaGhoda Festival

21.Buy books from the roadside vendors at the Fountain (they know their Pulitzers and Bookers) and pay tribute to the martyrs

22.Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir

23.Visit Mani Bhawan to get insights into the life of the Mahatma

24.Wake up early in the morning and head to the chor bazaar to get the best discount

25.Byculla Zoo. Don’t even dare to lock your horns with someone over there

26.Laughter Quotient? The Comedy Store at Parel

27.AER Lounge, with an amazing view of the Worli skyline, is the place if you want to groove on some music

28.Bet on the Horses at Mahalaxmi

29.Enjoy virtual star gazing at Nehru Planetarium or sleep under the stars at one of the night trips organized by Khagol Mandal

30.Visit the Haffkine Institute at Parel, and you'd get to know slimy creatures that are more venomous than the vamps of the K-serials

31.Party at HRC,Zenzi, Blue Frog,Shiro and Man-U Cafe that have sprung up in the mill-land and still give that old world feeling

32.Zip across the Bandra Worli Sealink also termed as the heavy duty beauty

33.Visit the forts of Mumbai such as the Bandra Amphitheatre, Mahim Fort, Worli Fort

34.Watch Pink Flamingos throng the Sewri mud flats in the winters.

35.Visit BARC to experience the Nuclear Reactor and get impressed by India's technical prowess. Yup, you actually go inside one.

36.Music Buff?? Head for Bandra Kurla Complex. Someone must be playing there

37.Visit Jalsa or Mananat and ask the watchmen "Abhi andar hai kya"

38.Catch the Sunset at Juhu and simply relax on the sand

39.Enjoy a Play at Prithvi Theatre, NCPA and Gujarati plays at Bhaidas Hall

40.Visit Gilbert Hill the monolith, still fighting for its place among high rises and still standing tall

41.Jump over the Garden Wall to get into the Vihar Lake, before the policeman comes and shoos you away

42.On the rocks at Versova

43.Catch a celebrity at Lokhandwala, BandStand or Juhu Beach

44.Experience the Calm at Marve Beach, ride the shortest ferry in the world from Madh to Versova and walk through the Koliwadas

45.Visit the Film City posing as a student of Whistling Woods International and visit the famous Temple where all the marriages in Bollywood films take    place, or the court where the “Kannon is Andha”

46.Head to the Aarey Milk Colony and enjoy boating at Chotta Kashmir, if its fresh air that you seek

46.Visit the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. If lucky you may spot a leopard. Get to the highest point and see a different Mumbai. Very different

47.The Glory of Indian rock-cut architecture at the Elephanta and Kanheri caves, and the Mahakali caves (very much in the city)

48.Essel World Mein rahoonga mein ghar nahi nahi jaaonga mein. Enjoy a day at Essel World and Water Kingdom. You must visit the Pagoda, next to it

49.Head to the Vasai fort, and experience East Indian culture

50.Sneak into the PandavKhada Waterfall at Kharghar

51.Visit the Buddhist Temple, the Chinese Temple, the Jewish Synagogue, Siddhivinayak Temple, Haji Ali, Mumbai Devi Temple, Mahalakshmi Temple, BAPS Swaminarayan  Mandir, Mother Mary Church, and the Gorai Pagoda. Truly the world in one city

52.Govinda aala re during Dahi Handi and Pudcha varshi lokarya during Ganpati utsav

53.Pray for the incessant rains to stop or head to any of the promenades to see the waves crashing (Marine drive, Priyadarshini Park (BWSL looks amazing in the morning from here), Worli Sea face, Bandstand or Carter Road

54.Pav Bhaji at Sardars, Green Chilli Ice cream at Bachelors, Naturals Ice cream, Thali at Friends Union Joshi Club, Haji Ali Juice Center, Falooda at Chowpatty, Gola at Juhu, Lassi at Malad, Kheer and Fruit Cream at Crystal, Paan at Muchhad Paanwala at Breach Candy, Cafe Mondegar and Leopold, Fererro Rochers Milk shake& Sandwiches at Ice and Rolls, Early morning Bun Maska at Ideal Bakery

55.Dabbawalas – Dude, they are into Harvard and have met Prince Charles

56.Spunky?? Try and get into the Virar Fast in the evenings

57.Find out what bar-coding system do they use at Dhobi Ghat

58.Lose your weight, run the Mumbai Marathon 

     

Hope you have a good time in Mumbai

Well, on later thoughts the title of this blog means 

What to do and what not to do ? I leave it to your own Shakespearean interpretation :-) :-)

P.S. I have tried to arrange them in a geographical order (South to North)

P.P.S. However, some of the things like forts and food-joints have been clubbed together

This P.P.S was highly irrelevant

    

Till then,Blogtey Raho !!

Randomness

Parashar Likes "I stay up late and i dont do anything productive"

The breeeze blowing past the window
The early morning door bell
The Late Night Walks
Gilbert Hill,Airport, and Juhu Beach from terrace
Frequent trips to Andheri Station, IRLA ...you get everything in this 100m lane
Chinese Food Stall
Movies at Chandan
Aaj Iska Case lete hain sessions
Gtalk Group Chat
Anderi Station,Vile-Parle Station...
Wearing Belt in the Lift,Socks in the Rickshaw, Hair who cares ?
Brushing Teeth after Bathing(RSB special)


Randomness ..It Once Prevailed

Uthh Jaa salle...DM ke pracs hai

aaj assignment submit karne ka last day tha kya ?

test postpone kara yaar...

yeh trisem mein to lag gayi...

Mass Bunk karte hai yaar....

Next test de denge...

Abey IP pe aana/ start karna ...

Chal Jani chalte hain...

Sounds so familiar, like it was just yesterday

There Used to be days when we used to say " Lets Meet and Plan sumthing"
Now we say " Lets Plan and Meet Sometime"...
Friends are the same, Feelings are Same, Life takes Control and Priorities Change...

So heres a word of advice to those still in college..

Appreciate those guys who do walk out at 2am with you for a snack, soon you will have doze off by then

Appreciate the Canteen, Its no fun watching Tendulkar hit a century on A LED TV when you are all alone

Appreciate the Roomie, who watches each Hindi Movie on a loud speaker, soon you will be left with no movies.

Appreciate the College Watchmen with whom you can strike a conversation on any random topic, Soon you will be left with Sirs and Madams

Appreciate the Library, you would soon forage for books you always thought could be issued any time you want

Appreciate the Football,FootBottle,FootDuster, Foot(anything), Soon all u'll be looking for is a footmassager.

Appreciate the Administration, Soon youll have difficult ones to deal

Appreciate the Proxies and Sleeps on Last Bench,
Soon you'll have a desk.( Otherwise do sumthing like DiCaprio in Inception -- After all he gets paid for sleeping and dreaming ...What a Job)

Appreciate the uncountable sharing of movies,songs,documentaries,ebooks,external harddrives etc.
Soon you wont be hearing IP chalu kar for months and months...

Appreciate the Indolence, Soon you may have to lose you days salary for it.

Appreciate the Timepass Sessions with the Group, soon  you'll have KT's(Knowledge Transfer Sessions)

Appreciate the Vivas, Soon you'll be left without answers

Appreciate the Momos Junction.

Appreciate the teachers , who do take a no,soon you'll have a boss, who wont take one.

Appreciate the Tapri, Soon you wont feel good hanging out alone

Appreciate the Fests, Events etc Soon these terms may be unfamiliar.

To sum it all Appreciate the Randomness...Soon everything will be mechanised, robotised, mundanised

On This Day....

On this day,
i wish you certain simple delights,
may the time ahead be free of fights,
"In the City of Blinding Lights"

u dont have to walk that extra mile
and all your Code Compiles,
Even if this poem doesnt rhyme
Remember "Its all about The Climb"

u get to see your favourite 'Friends' Episode
and flowers bloom in your garden,
You turn on the TV and watch the movie you've longed for
and Come across someone who you really adore
After all " Yeh Dil Maange More"

u Get to see the beautiful sunrise
and a full moon in the dark night.
u get a discount at your favourite mall,
and the song playing in the background is "You're my wonderwall"

u hear a PJ and laugh out loud
and a visit to the beach without the crowd,
When caught by a traffic cop, you dont have to pay
Well, Well "You've took my heart away"

u dance in the rain and stomp in the puddles
And No one dare muddles,
In a garden you get the last Swing
Hell Yeah "I dont want to miss a thing"

u wake up early and realise you have more time
No,waking up at 12 isnt a Crime.
Do that one thing you always wished to do When you were small
But I've realised "You Say it best when you say nothing at all"

See the Paper full of Topics You Studied,
And smile secretly knowing yeah I've Done it
Rock on the stage in the College Fest
hmmmm I have it "All In My Head"

Look at the sky and feel someones looking at it too,
Alas "Everything i do i do it for You"
I'd "Write you a song" For No Particular reason
Hope it brings some smiles for you this Season.

P.S.

I know there are certain "Things I'll Never Say",
All i am doing is "Hanging By the Moment"
This was Just My Imagination
But Now I am on "Cloud Number Nine"

Me Mumbaikar? If not then where else am i from?

Heartfelt Words From a Fellow Pal and a Proud Mumbaikar

Latest from MNS chief RT: 

“Just because one can write, read and speak Marathi does not entitle him to local jobs...For getting jobs in Mumbai, one has to be a Maharashtrian by birth. Just the knowledge of reading and writing the language will not do,” he said at a party meeting here... "

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/give-jobs-only-to-those-born-in-maha-raj-thackeray/384368/

So earlier it was that somebody who has lived for a few years only can avail jobs in m'tra. 

Then it was doesn't matter if you live here since 1850, you need to know the language. Fair enough. (Though I doubt that MNC's offices in Chennai, Honolulu or Pakistan use any language other than English or their National Language, but lets leave that). 

Then it came that even people who know the language don't adhere to the culture and have a 'hindi' culture. whats that supposed to mean? 

If a person has been born (in bombay) and bred (in mumbai now and bombay earlier) we all know that person has a urban-city culture, which differs city to city, not state to state. Ask a person who lives in nagpur and ask a person who lives in mumbai whether they share the same culture. yeah i know the answers. forget about that - ask a person from pune and outskirts of pune whether they have the same culture, the answer is no. A resounding NO. even my own family has several cultures, for example if iv lived in mumbai all my life i might have a distant cousin who is in ladakh, but that doesnt make me any less mumbaiya, or him any less "wherever-hes-been-brought-up".

Latest statement from mr. RT is given above. it's weird. i hate to admit it, i just find it spectacularly super duper strange.

Thats a bit unfair for some tax-paying, law abiding people who hold maharashtra domicile's and call this city as their home, and then the home state will ostracize them...seriously, arguments and debate will always continue, thanks to politicians trying to use the policy of divide and rule and people getting swayed by emotion rather than thinking of the bigger picture which is called the republic of india. in fact i would want an attack by pakistan or india's million other enemies, just so that we unite.

being a mumbaikar (yes i love tendulkar, eat misal pav, love the city and its people, support Mumbai indians) im appalled by how many people support curbing jobs for people of other cultural origins, whom they happily thought of as 'next-door-neighbours', 'doodhwala's', 'paanwala's', 'watchmen', 'governtment/railway officer saab', etc etc

maharashtrans, to other indians, were basically known for the Maratha Regiment and Chattrapati Shivaji. Other than that Maharashtra was obviously known for Bollywood, Tendulkar and MUMBAI - the city of dreams.

We know what people think now. the words 'intolerant' and 'division' seem to be harped by politicians and the common man alike. hopefully this will reach an end.

Else our city of dreams will only turn into a nightmare.

Ek Saal Baad - There's absolutely no bubble in technology.

Hey .Its been a year since i have been quite active on the blogging scene now. Feels Great.
Well, to all my blog readers, i have landed a job. Finally, i was placed at Accenture yesterday.
And today again i am blogging on the last day of this month.
2010 - Hope it will be a good year ahead.
By the way i had seen a video late last year. Its called Here Comes Another Bubble.
Check it out. Its funny and a must watch.
The lyrics and music also stand apart.
Blog Blog Blog it all ......yes i would blog about this song.

Here's the Link. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IQ_FOCE6I

I am sure you'd love it. And i agree with the concept so much.

There’s absolutely no bubble in technology”
Peter thiel october 31, 2007
investor, Facebook

got me a CS degree
honor roll, MIT

moved to Palo Alto
opportunity Knocked

thought I had the perfect plan
took a job at webvan

traded in my twenties
for a worthless pile of tech stock

Suffered thought the market crash
lost a giant wad of cash

Pink slips, burger flips
would you like some fries

happy days are here again
lary page, sergey brin

time to write a business plan
so i can be like those guys!

here comes another bubble

it’s a monster rally
all around the valley

first you need a buzzword
then a second and a third

pick at least two industries
you’ll revolutionize

find yourself an engineer
feed him pizza, buy him beer

Give him just a fraction
of a fraction of the pie

need a good domain name
must be cheap, can’t be lame

something cool like
flickr, meebo, wikiyou, mahalo, bebo

“telephone” without the “t”
“digg” but with a triple “g”

make your elevator pith
code it up and flip the switch

here comes another bubble
the VCs are backing
baby let’s get cracking

blog, blog, blog it all
blog it if it’s big or small

blog at the cineplex
blog while you’re having sex

blog in the locker room
babies blogging in the womb

blog even if you’re wrong
won’t you blog about this song?

launch party, nicely dressed
what the point? sausage fest

blue shirt, khaki pants,
looking like a line of ants

need to get a facebook page
all these guys are half my age

twenty nice, past my prime
i feel so behind the times

here comes another bubble
in a year we swear
we’ll all be billionaires

make yourself a million bucks
partly skill, mostly luck

now you can afford a down payment
on a small house

if you want a bigger one
hillsborough, atherton

better hoipe the same thing
happened to your spouse

IPO… luky you
have your cake and eat it too

Party yacht, party jet
why not buy a matching set?

build yourself a rocket ship
blast off on an ego trip

can this really be the end?
back to work you go again

here comes another bubble
and when we are gone
this will still go on

and on and on and on and on

2010

I want to , but i don't know when

Slap the people who always irritated me.

Pull out all the students attending classes and make them enjoy life and nature.

Do the crazy spiderman wala thing in class. if u have seen the video on facebook.

Read all the novels which I have missed reading.

Sleep and sleep and sleep

Get rid of all obligations.

Go to Mt.Kailash, Mansarovar, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshwadeep and Leh & Ladakh.

Visit the most haunted place in India.

Ride to the most remote and highest place in the country

Educate one soul at least.

Express my love to somebody I did not have the guts to in my past.

Resolving as many conflicts as I can.

Start my own farm do kheti.

Go and meet all my teachers from school

Go back to all the secret places, nooks and corners that I cherished.

The Climb by Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"


Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking


But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high


There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose


Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb


The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking


I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going


And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on


'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose


Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!


There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose


Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!


Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

Realizations

1.  I Have Learnt that you should Never Give UR Name to UR Pendrive...Can Get u into  trouble(ISM -- GAWDE)

2. I Have Learnt that "People Forget and Forgive". So Never have a Permanent
"36 ka aakada" with Anyone.

3. I Have Learnt that People you Care About the Most in Life go Away and all the Others Remain.

4. I Have Learnt that no Matter how Much u Care, Some People just dont deserve it.

5. I Have Learnt that you can Keep on Puking Long after you think "Its Almost Done"

6. I Have Learnt to "Be Specific" and ask " How Much Exactly is WALKING DISTANCE" the Person is Referring to. I mean I can Walk Up till Kanyakumari if I Want to.
What exactly is 'WALKING DISTANCE' a km , 3km , 5 km ???

7. I Have Learnt that Never Look Back after Breaking the Traffic Signal.

8. I Have Learnt that Never Ever tell urself "M Gonna Sleep Just for Half an Hour" When u Have to Catch a Train in 2hrs and u Havent Packed UR Bags.

9. I Have Learnt that " U Cant reach BORIVALI in 15 minutes from ANDHERI" even if it is 6am and u tell the Rickshawallah "I'll pay Double."

10. I Learnt it Long Back that in a Mumbai Local if Somene asks "BOSS, GOREGAON??" Dont be Oversmart and say that " Nai Abhi to MALAD Aaya Hai".
He's Asking If YOUUUUUUUU Want to Get Down at "GOREGAON" or Not.

11. I Have Learnt That if Someone Tells U
" I'll see What can i Do about It", Its a Negative Response( So Dont Expect)

12. I Have Learnt That " Some Songs Just Pop Up in UR Head at Wrong Times"
('Hey There Delilah' during Multimedia Systems exam
'Ami Je Tomar' frm "Bhool Bhulaiya" in DCOM )

13. I Have Learnt That "Never Make Promises if You Have the Slightest Doubt " coz they are just like Babies Fun to Make, Difficult to Deliver.

14. I Have Learnt That " Time Travels Faster than Light"(No Complex Scientific Reasoning Behind It Please.....).

15. I Have Learnt That "Baroda Cant have Beaches" and "Mumbai Cant have Sindhrot".

16. I Have Learnt That i can Listen "Seasons In The Sun -- Westlife" Forever.

17. I Have Learnt That "Some People do Have the Habit of Sleeping in their Balconies, Even if They have a 2BHK Apartment"
(Internal Joke --- 804,KRISHNA CHS)

18. I Have Just Learnt that "This Post is Getting too Far...and Many Would have Left it Half-way and Those who Would Reach Here, Will Take a Deep Yawn and Curse me For Wasting their Precious Time.

( No, They Couldnt have Already Slept)

P.S. : This Post was Written at 4 am ( and i am feeling more sleepy than You) just because I dont miss out on OCTOBER.
 
Till then BLOGTE RAHO !!

My Tryst With Poetry( Part 2) --- That Look Is Killing Me

Ahh ! That Look Of yours Is Killing me

the one, when you play with your hair

and you don't seem to be aware

that someone is getting killed

Ahh! that look of yours, I am so thrilled

Ahh! That Look of yours Is Killing Me

The one, when you walk around

without a sigh or a sound, I tell you my joy knew no bounds

And then you sit relaxed

Ahh! that look of yours,my heart beats get axed.

Ahh! That Look of Yours Is Killing me

The One, When You Smile Secretly

And that's the moment for me, Its so precious

Do You ever realize ?

Ahh! That look of yours, Thats what every guy would idealize.

Ahh! That Look of Yours is Killing Me

The One, with the tied hair'

Ohh I swear !

What if tomorrow never comes, I wonder

Will holding back, be my biggest blunder ?

Ahh! That Look Of Your is Killing Me

Killing Me, Killing Me,Killing Me....

The Hitchiker's Guide To End Trimesters/ Semesters

Lately i have noticed a certain grimness entering my classmates. So its the time of the year ( it comes thrice -- due to trimester) when you realise that "there ARE only (X) days left before we i start emptying my Ball Point Pen's Ink. ( At times i wonder the pen might be feeling so lonely, so unused with a guy like me )

The feeling :

Just keep going, don't break down now, you are mortgaging your body with lack of sleep and too much effort, but keep going, you only have a little bit left, and then you can sleep kind of thing. Does that sound familiar?

Yes it does.

so finally its the time of the year when you will be caught with

1) making the last ditch effort( chits, asking your friend to write the test on behalf of you--that again depends if he himself hasn't screwed his)( YES, It works in MPSTME) to get a good score in the 2nd test, coz u screwed/missed/bunked the 1st one

2) you will be finishing the assignment which ought to be submitted a month ago, but outta your laziness u didn't care about it

3) or either you would be spending sleepless nights making presentation for some subject, as your professor( a narcissist) suddenly had some divine intervention and decided to have the last few chapters as a self study.

4)there is also a chance THAT YOU WOULD BE PESTERING YOUR CR/SR TO further postpone the submissions/tests and giving that poor chap a hard time in dealing with the teachers.

5) Ahh how can i forget the submissions.Well they are called Practicals.But what we finally do is we take pieces of paper, A Pen( Ideally you should use two coloured pens--- Black for the headings, and blue for the internal content)and a pencil ( if u dont care about diagrams--lets be oblivious to that part ).PRACTICALS HAVE MORE THEORY THAN THEORY ITSELF.

I can offer a Ticket to the latest Movie to anyone who proves that more ink was consumed while taking notes in class than in writing practicals.

See it proves my point.

6) And in the meanwhile some Great Students Like Me, Who work on the principles of Rockets ( Yes we work only when our ass is on fire ) recall its the end of a trimester. Another Three Months Spent in Doing Nothing.

( Wake Me Up When Trimester Ends)

7) So what else happens during these times to the Avearge JOE in the class

a) He's always worried that someone submitting everything before time and the prof would further lessen his already neagtive grades due to the delay on his part.

b) He's worried that some another student would have gone on a rapport building excercise with the prof(jus before the exams) and would have some imp ques or topics marked  which again would not be relayed to the class.( competing for GPA)

8) Suddenly the library is full of students, completing assignments, journals, making presentations.

You Play musical chairs in the library( for lack of chairs).

Bags are Piled up outside and u better be good at treasure hunt to find yours.

9)Xerox --- Nobel Prize for Peace Should be given to the guy who made this wonder. Peace because he has done so much to bring repose and serenity to the life of the students. Life would have been so Difficult Without Xerox. Imagine notes, Books, Practicals.

10)Sleep Deprivation will be high at this time. Also Your Mind Wanders The Most In the Times Of the Exam.

The Laws Of Exam:

a) The probability of a the prettiest girl sitting besides you in library is the highest when you have the toughest exam next day.

b) The probability of you waking up at 5.00 am to complete your half unfinished portion is almost like expecting a Jet to Land on the ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

c) The probability of the compulsory question being the one you studied is 50 percent.

d) The probability of the an easy invigilator coming to your Exam Room Is Less than the probability Of Someone Monstrorous.

e) The Probability of SomeOne asking a supplementary Before You and You Left Wondering ( HOW ???) is very very high.

f) The Probability Of the You Not Getting a Rickshaw, Lift Not Working, Trains Getting Late also increases drastically during the days of examinations.

g) The Probability Of THe Person Coming For an Exam Without Bathing is On the Higher Sides If They Come From a Certain Place.( Read Between The Lines)

h) The Probability Of The Average Loser (The Median Student) troubling, whispering you for the question you dont know is at its all time high.

i) The Most Sought After Book In The Library Will Be Gone Long Back( WAKE UP SID).

j) The probability of your High School Crush or College Crush Coming Online On the day of exam is 50% ( Again depends if you have a geeky crush or a non- geeky crush, a localite or non-localite) . So start Studying And Dont Wait In Anticipation.

K) THE MOST IMPORTANT LAW: NEXT TIME SE SAB KUCH PEHLE SE KAROONGA.

My Tryst With Poetry --- Widout U

Widout u ... Mumbai falls asleep;

Widout u ... The roads are empty;

Widout u ... The Sun cant be bright;

Widout u ... The moonlight not white;

Widout u ... Cloud disappears slowly;

Widout u ... Trees forget the winds;

Widout u ... There ain't no stars;

Widout u ... Night is chagrined;

Widout u ... The rains I detest;

Widout u ... My joys disappear in thin air;

Widout u ... Hours are days;

Widout u ... Casablanca seems boring;

Widout u ... Its the lonely walk;

Widout u ... Thoughts prevent me from going to bed;

Widout u ... I don’t distinguish the horizon ahead;

Widout u ... There are no heavens;

Widout u ... Time forgets it reasons;

Widout u ... Am afraid of the last day;

Widout u ... Haze conceals the splendid ocean;

Widout u ... I don’t figure or picture anything pleasant;

Widout u ... I am wondering this ques @ dis moment;

When should i let the cat outta the bag...

I better don't post it here …Samaj Mein Aa Raha Hain ??

Rattva 06-07-08-09 Anti-ROTE

Let Me Give it a Thought.

And People Try and Think About it.

Imagination is the only thing a Man Truly Possess.

It is our only Hope, only Salvation.

It is the gift that man has. Imagine a time when there were no Aeroplanes, no Internet, no Missiles , no Electricity, no Bulbs, no Computers, no Cars ... Ad-Infitum

But Then man had courage to I-magine.( doesnt it begin with a I. Its what I want to Do)

If you don't have Imagination, you don't have Anything.

Lets Get Back Into History. We have seen so many people who have acheived greatness by doing the unconventional, doing the not so popular.

The First Man who was Willing to Undertake a voyage "Around" the world( Ferdinand Magellan to be more specific), Relied on Nothing more than mere Suspicion that the world may not be FLAT as Everyone else Believed, and his own Undying Belief that the Earth was round.

Didn't The People Believe Him to be stupid . Some Sought of Psycho.

And, I Respect Him, Because He had the Courage to Say " Bring It On, I'm Ready to Rumble"

So people give your Whims and Fancies a chance. They Might Just Turnout To Be True.

And Even If They Dont, You Havent Lost Anything.

You Have Pampered Yourself( By Trusting Your Instincts)

I mean, what evidence did he have in the 15th century that corroborated that the earth was round? None.

So his Adventure was based on a Wild, Risky plan. He had the nerve to do something Wild and achieve something Extraordinary. He knew he Might Fall off the Edge of the Earth if he was wrong and the rest of the world was right.

But if there was a Risk, he was Willing to take it. If he had to be Laughed at, or Die for attempting something that Stupid, then so be it. That was the Price he was prepared to pay for his conviction.

Thats It.

"Free Me From The Shackles Of Marks and Grades

And Let Me Soar High Into the Skies Of Knowledge And Imagination"

( Just Got Carried Away)

What we need today is that scientific curiosity. What we need are people who would be willing to trade all they have for one moment of revelation.

See thats the point. We need people who would rather be Laughed at for Defending their "FANTASTIC" ideas than Spend their Lives Wondering about What Might have been. The Educational system should reward Inquisitiveness as opposed to mere Rote.

The education system we have now rewards the ones who can Imitate best.( The one who fills pages, writes non required crap, at times i think they weigh the answersheets before giving marks. Also, Handwriting is more important than knowledge...they have changed the 'Imagination is more important than knowledge' thing)

So does Handwriting= Knowledge ??

Or well that way doctors shud be the most Stupidest people in the world.( No hard feelings, fellow docs. I know the Chemists do recognise Your Handwriting)

But what good is imitation if we aspire to move forward? Curiosity should be incentivised. Knowledge should not be a means to a better or richer life. It should be a reward in itself.

Memory Is Important. And No doubt that xams cant be done away with. But Mere Grading On the Basis of reproducing the text book, is not what it should be.

Is the education system producing inquisitive minds or copy writers ??( Xerox Machines to be more specific)

History textbooks should carry historians' opinions, not politicians'.

Science textbooks should come with a very visible disclaimer that all of science is merely based on our interpretation of observable facts, and it may or may not give the complete picture.

Scientific rules exist only until proven otherwise. Give in the reins. It's time to be bold and declare our ignorance.

There is nothing shameful in a search to find the truth, inspite of our very human limitations. And nothing is more dignified.

Words learnt in Mumbai

Mumbai has its own mix Hindi . Its influenced by all - The Gujaratis, Sindhis, Marathis, Christians, Muslims, Parsees, Jews( yes !!)

This makes it a truly Metrpolitian City .... If u come from outside Mumbai then u would be hearing majority of these words for the first time and would take time in infering the meaning

and then u would say " Err....excuse me ...what did u say ..You see i am new to this place....So cheers to Mumbai and Mumbaiya hindi ...

keeda karta hai-- causes problem/ pest

tujhe bahut keede hain- you have lots of ( dont know how to explain ..its keeda )

jhol-- problem

wandha --big problem

raada-- real big problem

taang mat dena  dont break ur promise

ye to latest hain --- sum new funny incident

aayla-- well this means oh my god ..or sort of ...mostly used wen surprised...aayla ...sachin ...( etymology: derived from hai allah)

ghanta-- in literal sense it means bell ....but often used as a slang ...

dhaape chhe-- used wen sum1 is faking stories ...

woich to --- means "that only"

khunnas-- used throughout india now...means attitude

khunnas nikala--- take out grudge

jhakkas-- awesome

khopcha-- corner

yeda/ yedi hai  --- he/ she is a crackpot

baap hai -- mind rattling or awesome

full to -- full to bakwass ki

vaat-- i am in trouble

khali fukat main kaiko takleef mod lene ka-- why to take up problem unnecessarily

mandvali-- settling things down

BTM- behenji turned into Model

jugaad-- used all over india ( knack of getting things done ....by hook or crook)

dhakkan-- 

atrangi-- strange

shana hai re--used sarcastically

rappak--slap

mahim-matunga

vasai-virar

used for squints

buskya--dont take me granted

chindi giri mat kar---dont act cheap

shendi mat laga--- dont try to fool me

alibaug se aa ya hai kya---- r u insane

chaayla--- no meaning ...used casually

fatte-- awesome , cool

sab kaam sumdi mein hona chahiye--- no one must be able to know this

kaltii maar---- i am leaving/ get out of here

" arre listen , tera test to dhinchak gaya hoga" --just a typical mumbaiya lingo

dhasu --- good

teri faat gayi -- u were scared

abey to " hill" jayega --- doesnt mean going to a hill--- but u'll be shocked to hear this

pakka mat -- dont bug me

kya thakela hai re tu -- u sound too boring, unintresting

wantas ki gole le ke nikal--- i dont know what does it mean ...but still have heard it often

marathi words i have learnt after coming to mumbai

striyan sathi-- seat reserved for girls

pudhe chala-- the conductor shouts this in the bus " go ahead"

apanga sathi-- seat reserved for disabled

kisi bhi sthanakan par thamana nahi ----means the train is not goin to stop on these stations

Inference: I need to learn Marathi...

barc industrial visit

well , yesterday 24 th our college had planned an industrial visit ..well actually by CSI(taking no credit away from them)....the visit was the 1st one i guess ...During the 1st year we(me, ip,gsb, dev, neavin and niraj) had visited DAKC. that was also a great experience. This time it was going to be BARC, trombay. well, considering it is a sensitive government installation we were not allowed to take any cell phones there,,,,i was eagerly waiting to be at trombay ,....it all began at 8 am ...we left by bus from mpstme....and guess who was accompanying us ..." bhushan sir" ....

so we were all prepared k aaj to iski marni hain.... and we recall his shayri in class once

" kehdo un padne walo se, k jitna course padke woh top karte hain . utna to hum chod diya karte the "

so we all persuade him to receite a shayri ......

he refuses. he is sitting on the 1st seat...and sab uski le rahe hain .....the bus has barely reached andheri flyover....

and juniors start singing and challenge us to play antakshri ...( cant recall wen was the last time i had participated in antakshri....)

dont have the capacity to recall songs.....and all the songs i recalled were the ones i used to sing when i would play antakshri as a kid...songs of 90's .....''

what we did to the juniors was that we would end the song abruptly...like " jag sara jag sara nikhar gaya hud pyaar ka vaashe vich bikhar gaya th ....so we would put a th in the end....."

and since there are very few songs starting with "th" they wont be able to sing ...( we had to do pass time as barc was 90 minutes drive from coll)

also if we would not know a song beginning with a particular letter like "ka"

then we would start singing " kasakali kasakali ".........mazze aa gaye the...

also i recall some pathetic songs

" sarkai lo khatiya jada lage "

" kya ada kya jalwe tere paro "

" jhanjariya uski chanak gai"

"ankhiyon se goli mare"

" kisi disco main jaaye"

" bholi bhali ladki...."

my mind recalls pathetic songs more as i can relate to the pathetic lyrics being a pathetic singer,,,,

coming back to bhushan ...we asked him to sing...as we coulnt recall any song starting

so bhushan starts" mein shayar to nahi ......./........................shyari aa gayi"

and anjaney goes crazy ...he shouts " abey chup baith shayar ki aulad...sala gaana gaye ga "

also to mention how we all r thinking for a song from " chhh"

and shikhar or aseem i dont know who...suddenly starts

" chaat pe soya tha behnoi ( if u recall from karan arjun)"

that left many dumbfounded...( including me)

so finally we reached barc.....must say what a place it is ....

we reached barc. there we waited for sumtime for clearance and all security checks....while we were sitting in one of the buses we were told that..u mustnt have a sim card also in ur pocket ...if u have it give it right away.....if u go inside and the machine detects it ...u r screwed....under the govt laws..no one will be able to help u later...

and i being the disaster king....how can there be any disaster where i am not involved....

so finally when we are just going inside ....the man comes to check evry1s wallet...and i find my old hutch ka sim card inside......chupa k rakha tha kisi wallet k kone mein,.,,,, good i found out before going inside ...else i wont be writing this post !!( i was thinking to throw it out of the window,....but thanks to the prudence of ip who told me to be honest and tell the security guard...)

so we enter the place....

and we are first taken to an audi where we are introduced to barc ....

then we move on to see a supercomputer ...man what an experience ....seeing a super computer in front of u ....having a huge screen where all the images are being processes.... and u can zoom down to look at the car number from the satellite...( heard a lot abt it, but seeing it is believing it)

well this is where india and china stand apart i guess....in china socialist mentality would have never allowed someone other then scientists and defence personnel to view a supercomputer and let students enter a place of such strategic importance to the country ......

well the fastest supercomputer in india is currently at crl( computational research laboratory, pune) of the tata's......and in the world is roadrunner( los alamos lab,usa)

after witnessing the super computer we are taken to the nuclear reactor ...

we actually went inside the reactor ...there was a hydraulic door at the entrance ,,,,,

also a control room could be seen.....the reactor was
Cirus the plutonium obtained from this reactor helped india conduct its first nuclear test .....

also the other reactor apsara and dhruva are research reactors ......

i saw things which i had learned back in class 10

coolants, fuel rods( cadmium), reactor core.....

after coming out we were wandering about ...

barc has sea on one side and mountains on other...

we see a tank on the top of the hill . we find out that water would come down from there to cool the reactor....

i had crazy thoughts "there could be something below that landscaped garden,,,,,( ha ha )...say a secret lab...nuclear bunkers ....."

then we have our lunch ...must say was decent.

our final stop was a laboratory wher instruments were kept and testing was done so that nuclear waste isnt passed outside....

we were taken into a room .....a device like thermometer which measures radioactivity was placed into bhushan sirs pocket and we went inside the room.... must say that was scary....going into a place where nuclear waste is treated .....we came outside and the reading was same ...so no radioactive loss had taken place.....

and that was the end of a trip .....

visiting barc made me proud of our technological prowess....we have indigeneous nuclear reactors .,....unlike our neighbour;

also our nuclear reactors are in the safe hands of GOI.