Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Strings :)

“Friends are like strings of a guitar. It plays the best sound when all the strings are involved.”

Turn the clock to early 2006. “Guys, wake up. Aaj jogging la jayache aahe na?” Then every day creative minds responded differently … such as “Baher paus padto aahe”, “Aaj khup thandi aahe”, “Road var traffic khup jast aahe”, etc ;-) As world knows, “Phase-II was a lot of versatile people”. However, some people always play pranks and contend to the saying. ;-)

Music, One of the beautiful things ever created... Two of us started learning guitar. As always, S wanted to impress his friends (obviously girls) ;-). I don’t know how many girls were impressed by his musical performance. ;-) In fact, he also tried to print his ‘musical’ image on class girls. I think, I better stop here otherwise … some body is gonna hurt very badly ;) hehehe! Enthusiastic about music, we put our foot in the door of music. But, we could not keep up the pace with the classes.

Practice makes every one perfect and unfortunately we lacked practice. One day, during the class, our ‘Puneri’ sir asked us to play ‘D major’. Ooops! Through the corner of my eyes, I could see the 'notes', written in my book, associated with the chord. Played well… ‘Aha’, cool and relieved. I don’t understand why we took long time to learn the musical notes. I guess we concentrated more on something else. ;-) Anyway, the next day, sir asked to play ‘G major’. That day, book did not help us survive. We both played the wrong chord. Then, the fun began. Oblivious of the correct chord, we started playing ‘newly created’ own chords in the guitar history and I could see the anger creeping up on sir’s face. I understood it was not a bed of roses. We gave up saying, “We don’t know, sir”. He replied with a harsh tone. “Tumhala sorry mhanava lagel. Sorry mhannn, sorry mhannn.” After the class, we laughed our heart out on the statement. But, we do appreciate our sir’s integrity towards music and classes.

Turn the pages of time. Think of a situation, what if I see the same sir unexpectedly while sauntering near my apartments. It would be as easy as pie for me to recognize him and recall his words. I feel, however, he would not retrieve his memory to identify me. I will ask him a question. “Hello Sir, olakhala ka?” and I am sure he will come up with “Nahi”. May be he will recognize me after reminding him his own words. :-) Our Guitar sir, a maverick, unforgettable personality... :-)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Surprise Dear :)

In June, I decided to go back to India, the place where I belong… the sweetest place on the earth, home. :) Although I had been to India during Diwali, seven months seemed seven years to me. The second innings to US was full of traveling and reading. I had been to wild Vegas, heavenly lake Tahoe, scenic blue Pacific beaches and many lovely places in bay area. Once you stay at any place for almost two years, you get attached to the place, to the people. Even though it was a mixed feeling, I was happy. Happy … because I was going home … because I wanted to meet my old buddies … because I wanted to add more colors to my life … because something inconclusive and uncertain was on my way :)

Generally, I am poor at giving surprises. Can’t keep myself controlled till the apt time. ;)
I think… once in a blue moon I got success. So, thought of turning the tables of prevailing trend with a pleasant strong comeback. One night, I was sauntering after my dinner and planned to give a sweet surprise to Aai, my mother. I called her and told that I would be at home on fourth Tuesday of June. She was glad and I could imagine an avid curiosity in her eyes. But, the reality was I would be at home on third Tuesday. I involved my sister in this plan. :) Rather I had to. What would have happened if I had gone home and learned that the lock on the door was waiting for me ;)

For few days, I kept switching the dates in my conversations. When I talked to Aai, I used later dates and when I talked to my sister, I used previous dates. It was fun…thumbs up to my sister that she kept mum.

Finally, the departing day, second Saturday of June arrived with the oceans of mixed feelings. My flight was in the evening. Interestingly, it was the first ever Jet Airways flight from San Francisco to Mumbai. So, action filled first day events and inauguration were on their way at the airport. The ambiance was filled with zest and happiness. As the plane took off, the sun was already settled in the west and a red-yellow haze was inevitable over the blue pacific. I liked the service of Jet and especially one yellow uniform dressed airhostess. But, the history repeats again, unfortunately she was serving through a different aisle. ;(

After a long journey for almost a day, I landed in the financial capital of India, Mumbai. :) Fortunately and surprisingly, one of the immigration officers did not ask me to go through immigration check and I escaped without spending a penny. Had my luggage been gone through immigration check, it might have cost 50 to 100 bucks to me with my 2 bags that include loads of electronic stuff. I could feel Indian-ness everywhere. ;) I was excited and a glittering zeal was locked in my eyes that I was on the way of giving a great surprise. My friend came to pick me up, we chatted for a while and I made my way to Pune.

I enjoyed my one and half days in Pune and on Tuesday afternoon, I started my journey from Pune to Aurangabad. In the mean while, one of my friends called my home to talk to me. And luckily, my sister spoke to him. If Aai had picked up the phone, the plan would have been a failure and the prevailing trend of my missed-surprises would have continued. Eventually, I arrived at Aurangabad, took an auto and landed in front of my apartment. The bubbles of happiness were flooding in my heart. It was around 10 PM. I rang the bell and there was a pause of 5 seconds. My sister already knew that it was I who was at the door so she involved herself in some work and indirectly pushed aai to open the door. Aai opened the door…. She was stunned for a while. A benign smile was dancing on her surprised face. Similarly, my sister came and started smiling. Aai later told that she thought the watchman of the building knocked the door at 10 in the night. ;)
In this way, I broke the old trend and set a new one. Although I took help of my sister, it was one of the sweetest memories and the biggest surprise I ever gave to anyone. :)

Friday, June 27, 2008

A night to remember!

Here I am This is me There’s no where else on earth I’d rather be..
I fell in love with this song when I listened it for the first time. Bryan Adams, the name is enough. If anyone loves music then Bryan is inevitable. Over the years, I have become an ardent fan of this intriguing personality.

Thanks to Makarand, who called me for the live concert of Bryan Adams, I could experience the masterpiece of music. The high water mark of the show was his solo performance. The acoustic concert was convened in San Francisco, a city with great alacrity. I would say San Francisco is cleaner and smaller version of New York.;) It’s difficult to drive through the ups and downs of the city but don’t miss these roads if you love driving. :)Fortunately, I could drive successfully all the times with my heart bumping. The most alluring site is the golden gate bridge bathing in the mist.

Bryan Adams started the concert with the same song, Here I am! One by one, he covered most of his admired collections. Straight from the heart, Summer of ’69, Cloud # 9, Somebody, etc. Like Swades movie, the next song is really close to my heart and I think I have listened this song a million times.. :)
Oh - thinking about all our younger years there was only you and me,
We were young and wild and free…. It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven..

Many people sing songs and write the scripts but the most amazing thing about Bryan is how he plays guitar. Incredible! More than two years ago, I learned some basic concepts of playing guitar and I know how much practice and dedication it needs for mastery. ;) Albeit, Bryan did not sing some of my favorite songs such as Everything I do and Wherever you go whatever you do I will be right here.., it was a night to remember and cherish. It was a dream came true!

Indeed, some birds are born with golden feathers. :) From January to December.. Let's make a night to remember all life long.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

स्वप्न

आज पुन्हा रस्त्याच्या मध्यावर मी उभा
समजेना कुठली वाट पकडु?
पुन्हा धुसर आणि अद्न्यात ह्या वाटा
ह्यातुन कसा माझा मार्ग शोधु?

निघालो होतो काही वर्षांपुर्वी ह्या प्रवासावर
डोळ्यात जग जिंकण्याचे स्वप्न घेऊन
लढत होतो स्वबळावर
मनात निर्धार आणि रक्तात ताकद घेऊन

विचारांचा मगोवा घेत
आठवण आली जुन्या वाटांची
दाही दिशांच्या संकटांना सामोरे जात
सापडली होती वाट इन्द्रधनुश्याची

आयुश्याच्या समस्यांना उत्तरे देत
वाट मात्र सुरु होताच संपली
कुठे गेल्या ह्या यशाच्या वाटा
जणु सगळ्या कुलुपांची चावी हरवली

अपेक्षाभंग झाल्या, स्वप्नं तुटली
जुन्या वाटा सोडल्या आणि नविन वाट पकडली
मृत्युलेख लिहायला मला आवडत नाही
भ्याड होऊन युध्ह सोडणे मला जमणार नाही

जिद्द आहे जीवंत आणखी
जग जिंकण्याचे स्वप्न मेले नाही
मान्य आहे मोडुन पडलोय, परन्तु संपलो नाही
संपेन ही कदाचित, .... परन्तु लढणे सोडणार नाही.

P.S: It's just a poem :)

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Umm Starbucks..

“The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.”

A dialogue from You’ve got mail, one of my favorite movies. I love watching this movie and I bet you can’t find anyone as charming as Meg :-)

Cappuccino… In recent months, Starbucks has become a favorite pastime for me. It’s one of those places where I can spend hours without looking at the time. Although I am not a great coffee lover, I do enjoy trying different coffee types and flavors at Starbucks. Today, I am a big fan of Starbucks! Sometimes you don’t like the things at first sight but as time plays the game, you start liking the things. When I landed to this extreme west of the world, I didn’t like green tea. But, today I usually have 3-4 cups of green tea daily at my office.

Starbucks Vanilla Café Latte – I simply love it. Café Mocha is good but a bit stronger than Café Latte. French Roast and Italian roast are the strongest of all! Ambience plays an important role in any place to make it out of the world! Starbucks is no exception to this rule - Great soothing music, with pristine smell of great taste. I still remember my first experience at Starbucks when I saw a charming, beautiful young lady, with turquoise eyes, at the counter. Eventually, I couldn’t resist myself praising her eyes.. May be this is the reason that started loving Starbucks ;-)

All in all, it’s a wonderful place for hang out - Great music, wonderful coffee and charming ambiance!

Monday, January 28, 2008

The colors of rainbow :)


It was a month of rains. :) Rains every now and then with temperature falling near to the freezing point. Although it is chilled with strong breeze moving around, it is far better than the deadly cold of east coast. I have never been to the east coast in winter but I can imagine the life by my experience in Lake Tahoe. However, Lake Tahoe is a truly masterpiece of nature. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Generally, cold weather fascinates me. But, I really struggled when I did skiing in the national park for more than 3 hrs. I had to take 2 full syrups of Vicks Nyquil for my survival!

Last weekend, the sky was clear with very few clouds sitting in the sky. It was a wonderful evening and after a long time I saw a perfect sunset. The sun disappeared and the sky went to shades of red and orange above the horizon. These scattered colors are always fascinating to watch. That’s the beauty of colors. :) I started thinking how the world would be if there were no colors. No blue, no green, no pink! It is impossible to live without colors. Colors are like friends. They are parts of life rather oxygen of life :) Colors make life interesting; they make it beautiful, more meaningful. Moreover, every phase is associated with different colors. However, some colors never disappear. They last long forever with their persistent shade. Enjoy each color and when all these major colors combine it becomes a rainbow – and that’s the life.

Somehow, these sunsets are associated with feelings. When I came to the reality, a black-blue haze was already landed on the horizon and slowly the darkness started dominating all over. Again colors! I walked away trying to figure out the colors in my rainbow! Thanks a lot for being a color in my rainbow :)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

A Famous Win :)

When chips are down and expectations are high, there comes a real test of strength!

Has anybody ever imagined that India will win the third test match against Australia in Perth specially after losing the first two tests and the controversies of Sydney test match? I think most of us would answer a strict NO. But, the Indian team came from the dark and enlightened with a sensational win in Perth, the winning bank of Aussie team.

I have been watching Cricket since I stared reading and writing. And I would rank this victory as the most glorious and best of all in recent times.

First, it was the first victory in Perth of any sub-continent side in the history of game. Nobody could defeat Australia in the last two years. So, a victory for tourists in the host country means a lot.
Second, Indian team was down and almost out with 0-2 in the test series. So, it was a huge pressure from all ardent Indians. Many were thinking of 0-4 around the corner. Australians were eyeing for their world record of 17 straight wins.
Third and the most important one is it was a perfect team effort. Everyone contributed in this win with whatever they could. Young guns with their bowling and experienced lot with their batting.

Really, Indian team made my day :) Resurgent team with jubilations! One of the greatest wins in the history of Cricket! Congratulate India :)

Sunday, January 13, 2008

मन माझे

क्षितीजावरुन कधी आपल्या ह्या अनोख्या जगाचे चीत्र रेखाटावे तर कधी सागरी किनार्यावरील ओल्या वार्याशी मैत्री करावी.. भन्नाट कल्पना आहेत, right?

कधी जीव ओतावा आपल्या लोकांवर तर कधी जीवापाड प्रेम करुन अमाप लळा लावावा एखाद्याशी ..

धुंद होऊन कधी आपल्या मित्रांसोबत गायलेलं गाणं म्हणावं तर कधी बेभान होऊन आपल्या गावी पळत सुटावं.. कधी बालपणीच्या शाळेत जाऊन 5th चा class attend करावा आणि शाळा सुटल्यावर वेड्या पावसात मनसोक्त भिजुन घरी परतावं.. College च्या कट्ट्यावर बसुन छान गप्पा माराव्यात मित्रांशी कधी class सोडुन hostel च्या TV रूम मधे Cricket match पहावी..

बरच काही वाटतं ह्या वेड्या मनाला .. सुरेख साथ देतोय जीवनाची पण ऊणीव नक्कीच आहे आईच्या प्रेमळ हातांची आणि जीवलग अश्या मित्रांची...

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Happy New Year 2008

Hundreds of eyes were locked up on the watch of famous watchtower at San Francisco peer 1 from 11:45 PM. It was an electrifying atmosphere with people shouting and screaming. Time ticked away and camera clicks started so as celebrations, jubilations, and exultations. It was perfect 12:00 and beginning of a new year, new hope and new colors. Then all eyes turned to the lights! The most awaited fireworks started with a bang over the bay bridge. Dark sky glittered for around 15 minutes with all types of colors and fireworks. Truly, a fascinating experience!

Unlike last year, this time I couldn’t see the reflections of lights in the bay. But, I did enjoy the beauty from the branches of palm trees. From the day one, I fell in love with this beautiful city. Every time I visit, I started liking SFO more and more. After the fireworks, people came from nowhere and streets were densely crowded. It was a hard time for the cops as well. While coming back home from Embarcadero, I experienced Mumbai local traffic. Just stand in public and you will automatically go along with them.
All in all, it was wonderful yet another time.

So, it was the start of 2008. :-) I always like welcoming new things so as New Year. Like last year, this year also I have jotted down my resolutions. They do help in analyzing yourself. Ultimately, it is all up to you how you follow these resolutions. The funniest thing is one of my resolutions – “to be an early bird and not night owl” started in such a fashion that I went to bed around 4 AM and got up at 11 AM ;-) But still resolutions will continue and continue with persistence.

Wish you a very happy, satisfying and wonderful new year! Spread the wings, expand the horizons, follow your dreams and live life delightfully :-)