Things I lost in the fire

Exactly 15 months today

15 months ago my life changed forever.  I lost so many things in that fire, that I'm still sifting through the ashes in hopes that I may still have something left to rebuild.
I was reading that night before I fell asleep, I haven't read a single book ever since. I don't know why, but my excuse being, "ohh I don't have time". I drank red wine that night and ate fried sausages while reading my book and thinking "life is good". So much for believing that good things happen.
I haven't written anything in eons, except for the occasional fb status.
I gave up believing in so many things. I gave up believing in god and banished him from my home (if he even exists that is) I burnt the effigy to depict the burning of my life. I don't pray nor do I have any interest in religion.
I don't celebrate anything. I hate being wished on my birthday and I don't even feel like wishing people on theirs. I sort of hate any kind of celebration.
I've cried and I've cried every single day for a year and yet nothing changed. I ran away from everyone and everyplace that was a reminder, and yet nothing changed. There is still a giant hole in my chest and an oversized wall around me. And no matter what I do nothing seems to heal me, not even time. Because it always feels like the fire happened just yesterday.
I got myself a cat thinking she might be able to fill some of the void. I know she loves me and even though I feel great affection towards her, I'm not sure if I love her the same way that she loves me.
I'm going through life as though everything is normal and the people around me think the same.  Only problem is, people don't know about the things I lost in the fire.

I am blessed

Was reading an article the other day about how everyone complains about things they don't have... How we keeping dwelling on how our lives would be better if we had more things but forget to acknowledge everything that we already have and how blessed we are to have them. .. It's only when we lose it that we miss what we had. ...

I don't want to be one of those who keeps wanting more and never happy with what she has. ... It is ok to want more,  that's ambition. . But it's also important to acknowledge what we have and be thankful for it. ..Because believe it  or not, everything that you get is a blessing and you get it when you are ready for it... and you always get what you really want... You might get it a little late but if you want it really bad you will get it.

In hindsight everything is clear. . . There are so many things that I've wanted really bad and I have got it... Most of them I've fought for. ..
There is this incident I remember where u had been to tarot reader and she told me that I will not be able to get the career I wanted. ... In my mind I was thinking "like hell I won't"... At that time I was trying hard to get into retail and really wanted to be a buyer. .. and I really also wanted to work in dubai. ...I tried really hard. .. But as I had zero expedience in buying no one wanted to give me the job,  let alone anyone in dubai wanting to hire me... The Dubai guys told me that I don't have enough exp that I should try again in a few yrs. .. But I kept fighting for it. .. Then ONLY happened.... an international brand newly introduced in India. .. and my boss had hired me for my passion & potential and was happy to teach me what I didn't know. ..a month later I was buying in Denmark. .. How is that for getting what you really want?  :D
2 yrs later the same company from dubai that had rejected me 3 times for 3 of their concepts finally hired me for a concept that I didn't really believe I was eligible for. .. SHOES. .. I moved from a garment background to shoes, from ONLY to SHOEMART,  from India finally to DUBAI .... How is that for getting what you really really want ?😆
I am blessed,  absolutely blessed. ...God's favourite child. .. He gives me everything but he also remembers not to spoil me in the process. .. He has taught me that I need to work for everything that I want and I'm thankful for it. .. There are some things missing but I'm not sad because I have come to accept that they will come to me when it is time , when I'm ready. Until then I should be happy with what I have and most important enjoy what I have. Because what God gives he can take away too.

When my childhood caught up with me

I am home for the holidays now, after spending one full year in Dubai. Mumbai is good it will always be home but Dubai feels more like home now.

This time being in Mumbai was all about spending time with my parents. I know they miss me loads and i also know that mum will cry again when i leave this time around, hence i have literally not left the house to go and meet any of my other friends. But last Sunday 2 of my childhood friends visited me at home for lunch. Tejasvi and her brother Aditya. Had been a year since i met Teju and around 4yrs since i met Adi as he lives in Miami now. But its been ages since all 4 of us had been together, Teju, Adi, Isha(my sis) and me.

I think now-a-days no meeting is complete without people comparing their phones and Hi-fiving because we have the same model. Teju and Isha the NEXUS and Adi and me the galaxy S4. What to say, its the ancient habit woven into us through evolution - "Who has the bigger one?"
Everything was pure nostalgia after the phone comparing session. The games we played as kids, the school we went to, the fights we had the, the problems we had and the problems the kids have now, the simple life with no mobile phones or Xboxes. Life was so good back then, so simple with no worries. I mean all you had to worry about was your homework and exams. We wanted to grow up fast so that we could earn our own money and buy our own things, because being a kid sucked apparently. We talked about our neighbors, their dogs, the annoying little kids, the affairs and the colony stud.

It was a Sunday well spent with lots of joke and laughter. It felt good that in the busy lives that we all spend, 4 friends found time to go back to their childhood :)

Just belive

So it's been 3 months now in dubai and I'm still going strong. Although I really miss my family back home, I know that I can't live in India again.  But I'm also not sure if I can live here forever. 
So where do I see myself settling down? Well I got just 3 words for you - London, Paris and NewYork :) I see myself living in London and working in Paris and New York.
I am after all the metro City girl.  Life in the fast lane is all I can see.  I lovely job in fashion in London with travels to Other places for fashion shows, donning the latest fashion with a nice fur coat and knee high boots.  That's the life I see for myself and I am pretty sure I'm closer to it now.
How do I know this? Well coz I belive in it.
I believe that life has great things in store for me.  Look at me now working in dubai by myself, living by myself and just 4 months ago I was crying in a stuck up job with a boss from hell and a crappy pay check.  And now I live in dubai, in a posh locality like marina , earning 3 times my salary in India.  Life is good I say and it definitely is moving towards better :)
  The only thing missing now is LOVE and I know that is just round the corner too, just hidden from view.  All I have to do is just believe that it is there and that I will see it soon enough.  :)
Until then enjoying Singledom till it lasts.

Dubai :)

Wow! I am posting again almost a year later. Been caught up with life i guess.
Life has changed and how! I now live in Dubai! Dubai Marina. The life line of Dubai.

Life is very different and yet better. Ofcourse i miss India no doubt but i am not ready to go back yet.
I had so many apprehensions before coming here. All the obvious misconceptions that Indian women have about an Arab country. Things like you can wear what you like, you will have to wear a hijab, women are treated in a lowly manner, women dont have any freedom etc etc.. But it is exactly the opposite here. Women here are highly respected, getting preferential treatment even. They have equal rights as men although a certain level of modestly is expected. Obviously. Cant really expect a women to roam topless, except for in a nude beach, which, by the way does not exist in Dubai.

So what have my experiences been like in the past 1.5months that i have been here? Well to say my 1st disappointment was that my workplace feels like a cross between Kerela and Phillipines. If i use my statistics then 33% are filipinos, 33% are Kerellites and the 33% is represented by the rest of the world. I always keep grumbling that the 66% of the population are gonna take over the world soon.

My first real celebration of Dubai was  a free dinner by Janhavi's cousin at Souk Al Bahar. The lovely Bice Mare which stands right at the egde of the fountain lake of Dubai mall and Bhurj Khalifa. Sitting there watching the fountain and going through a 3 course meal with coctails and wine is what life in dubai is all about. We sat there for a whole 4hrs just talking and laughing and enjoying delicious food and wine. The very close 2nd celebration was with another close friend-Moiz who is also the only other person i knew in Dubai. The amazing hot pot that he cooks and along with rounds of LIT that i make... bliss.

My first couple of weeks were pretty stressful as it is like a full time job trying to find a habitable apartment here. I got to see places that resembled watering holes to downright caves. Smelling all the time of some South Indian chutney. No offence to south Indians really, its just that if you are not used to smelling sambars and chutneys 24hrs a day then this can really get to you. Now was the time to set your priorities. You  either lived in a hole or you let a hole burn in your pocket and live it up in Dubai. And it took me three weeks of contemplating to get this straight. Always hunting on dubizzle to find a cheap yet "not hole in wall" kind of place to live in. Then 3 weeks later, lady luck smiled and i found the right place and just loved it right when i saw it. I partied hard that night ;)

So my new apt is the huge Horizon Towers which is a whooping 44floors high and can be seen form mostly anywhere in Marina. I live on the 7th floor, any higher and im sure i would have had vertigo problems. MOE as they call it aka Mall of the Emirates is my fav hangout i think.I am in there 3 days out of 7. And when i am not at MOE or at work, then i am at the pool which is a great respite after a long 9.5hrs shift at work. My roomates are nice mixture of Irish, Scottish/Pakistani, Ukranian, Egyptian, German and British/Filipino. They are a fun bunch and we generally do a lot of things together, like swimming, cooking, dinner, super markets, outings and partying ;)

Somehow out here, i havnt cooked much Indian food. Living mostly on salads and sanwiches. And i realise now that it has become more difficult to digest rice products, if and when i do eat it. I am moving to healthy eating i guess. Getting more of yoghurts and milks. Have given away with sodas. I still love chocolates, never gonna give them up.

I miss my car the most and i fear that i might either forget driving or might get a downright phobia of driving on Mumbai roads. The roads are as smooth as silk here. No bumps, no potholes. And yet somehow the Emiratis somehow manage to crash their cars, inspite of such a long list of rules. I thought that you'd be scared to break rules in the middle east, considering otherwise. The European road rules apply with left hand drive.

Night life of dubai rocks!. And Dubai Marina is the place to be. Clubs here are mainly dominated by the expat crowds. Then again the entire Dubai marina is dominated by expats. And since i am an expat too for UAE, i live here too ;) And if your are a woman, you are showered by women's nights which generally have free booze and free food. Unlike mumbai where women's nights are generally wednesdays, here different clubs have their's on different days of the week. Barasti i learnt is a very popular hangout which is right on the beach. I love my night trip here.

Well thats most of the updates from my 1st 6 weeks of stay in Dubai. I hope that i will add more updates here sooner.
psst...my boss is not at work today and i am updating this from office ;)
cheers

OWDC - My First Open water Dive

My recent trip, although a holiday, kept me busy most of the times and hence i am documenting my 1st Dive experience right now.

After a few hours in the swimming pool session the day before, i was feeling excited and yet apprehensive about my 1st open water dive. And as i know that i suffer from sea sickness, i was fearing that it might spoil my dive. As i precaution i had taken an anti-nausea tablet before i jumped into the boat.

We had to get into a small speed boat which would take us to the Dive boat which was anchored a about a km away into the sea. It was a nice an sunny day and the sea was calm. Dive boats as they are called are small launches with an upper and a lower deck. They are customised to hold air cylinders and other diving equipments. They also various dropping points from where the divers drop into the water.

As soon as we got into the dive boat we had to get our equipment ready, which was BCD attachment to tank, 1st stage attachement  to tank, and getting fins, weights and masks ready. After getting the equipments ready, we had to go for a briefing with our instructor, who was giving us a briefing of what exercises and activities we would be doing in dive-1.

Dive-1 majorly consisted of us getting our bouyancy control right, which meant neutral bouyancy or floating underwater. This takes a while as you need to get the perfect weight and air balance to be neutrally bouyant.
And as we are more bouyant in sea water than in fresh water, it was more important to learn bouyancy control in the open. So there we were in Mango bay floating on the surface and awaiting instructions from our dive master. We had swam close to the shore and standing on the ocean floor with the water upto our chins. The next step was to get underwater and kneel on the ocean floor and then lying down on it face down, equalising all the time (equalization is what you do when you are in an airplane about to land and you pinch you nose and blow to pop you ears). As we layed on the floor we had to release air into the BCD little by little until there is a perfect balance of the weights and the air and we are neither floating nor sinking - we are neutrally bouyant. Neutral bouyancy is important to be able to effortlessly glide through the water.

It takes a while to get this right but when you do, it open the doors for you into the underwater world. After getting our bouyancy right, we had to do some more exercises on the ocean floor like, half  flooding and clearing your mask, purging the 2nd stage, practising a controlled ascent and so on. After this was done we were allowed to glide around spotting fishes and corals which was the most exciting part.

The water was blue/green with a slight eriee feeling to it. Everything looked green underneath. The fishes had accepted us as some bigger underwater creatures and were swimming around us lazily. There were live and dead corals which i assumed were brightly colored but which we could not see underwater. For dive-1 we were alowed a maximum depth of 12mts for about 40mins after which we had to ascend and swim our way back to the boat.

Once in the boat we had to change our air tank, and get the equipment ready again and go for the next briefing for Dive-2. Hydration is necessary at this time as the ocean dehydrates you. The out of water time was about 1hr, where we had tea and biscuits while our dive master briefed us about the next dive.

Dive-2 was a much better and less clumsier dive. We were still in Mango bay but on the other side of the reef. There were much more fishes here and swimming here was a total delight. Here our bottom floor excercises consisted of full flooding your mask and buddy breathing. Now full flooding ur mask is a piece of cake and so is breathing from the alternate air source from ur buddy. But when i took the alternate 2nd stage from my buddy to breathe it started flooding and i drank a mouthful of sea water. So i purged it and tried again... again i drank a mouthful of sea water....3rd time i purged the regulator for a longer time in attempts to remove any sea water from it, and tried breathign again... again a mouthful of water. All this while i am under water kneeling on the ocean floor at 10mts depth. My divemaster noticed soething was wrong and immediately gave me my primary air source. The she tried to breathe through my buddy's alternate to check it and it flooded again. She then confirmed that there was something wrong with it. But i was in no real danger here as my regulator was working properly and i had the dive master around me.

We finished the rest of the dive which was a total of 40mins and went back to our boat. Once in the boat we dismantled our eqipment and put them back in their proper places. We then had a review meeting to talk about the dive. My dive master appoligised to me for the faulty equipment saying that this happens very rarely with training equipements.

But at the end of the day i was really proud of myself having completed Day-1 of the OWDC successfully.
Sweet memories and looking forward to Day-2

(pics below courtesy Ban's Diving Resort-Koh Tao)

Open Water Diver Certification

Blogging after exactly a year now.. not good not good but...

Yay!... I am a certified scuba diver now... finished my training dives today and did everything from, mask flooding and emptying to a summersault.... Although i am feeling pretty hungover now due to some pressure variations in the dive and extremely choppy sea... I am so excited that i have now crossed off another form my "To Do" list... (see my to do list here - http://heightsoflife.blogspot.com/2011/01/things-to-do-before-i-die.html)

Cheerz people

Delayed to miss....

Aah... been so so long since i blogged.. finally made time for this one :)
I had put up a short version of this one as my FB status, but i wouldnt do it justice if i didnt write a full fledged version of it... so here goes.

So my 2nd buying trip to Denmark was in the last week of June. After a hectic 2days in Delhi for the Super Saturday event, Shaz and Me left for Denmark. Everything went off as schedule during our stay there, the buying, the orders and the innumerable meetings. The real story starts when we were supposed to leave Denmark to get back to India. I'll add the events here chronologically date and timewise so as to provide a clearer picture :)

30th june - 3am

Shaz and me woke up and got ready asap as our taxi was supposed to arrive at 4am to take us to the airport. We had to go out the back door of the hotel as the front door was closed and everyone else was asleep. But for some wierd reason, the path from the back door till the front door where the taxi was waiting, was lined with smooth, loose pebbles. Which meant that it was practically impossible for us to drag our trolly bags, so we had to carry them. 4:03am we are safely in our taxi.

30th june - 4:20am

We arrive at Billund airport and the cab fare is a whooping 350Kr which converts to 2900INR. Getting into the airport we find it a bit crowded and there are queues at the self service counters. We try out one and it refuses to print us our boarding passes. So we moe along to the the checkin counter instead. After 1/2hr in the queue, we reach the counter only to find out that our flight to Amsterdam has been delayed by 6.5hrs Me: "Excuse me!!... 6.5hrs!!!! You do realise we have a connecting flight from Amsterdam to Delhi?"
Checkin Lady: "Yes maam, but you will need to go to the Airport ticket office to clear this out"
Shaz: "Couldn't you have announced this or something? We simply stood in line for 1/2hr.
Checkin Lady: "Sorry maam!"

So we go to the ticket office and there is obviously a huge line outside it, so we join the line. A few minutes later a lady comes around giving some instructions to each person in danish. When she came to us she just overlooked us and went to the people behind us and gave them instructions in Danish.

Shaz: That is so wierd, she just passed us by without saying anytthing.

Me: Go go ask her what she is saying.

Shazcame back after a couple of minutes saying that the lady was asking us to take a token number and stand in line and we would be then called.

Me: Yeah so what! Just coz we dont understand Danish, she would not give us the instructions in English???

For the next 2hrs we just sit around doing nothing, with me constantly cribbing and Shaz trying to console me. At one time we also sat down to relish some Danish Pastries :)

30th June - 6:30am

At the Airport ticket counter-
Checkin Lady: "Klm has booked new tickets for you via Dusseldorf and Frankfurt. So your next flight to Dusseldorf is at 7:50am" and the flight from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt is at 10:10am"
Shaz & Me : "OK"

30 June - 9:15am

In the BA flight to Dusseldorf, still in the air
Me: "Shit we are not gonna make it"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu, we'll make it, we still have an hour to go"
Me(looking out of the window and hoping that Dusseldorf has a small airport): F**k! look how big the Dusseldorf airport is! We are screwed man!"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu!"

30th June - 9:35am

Flight landed and we running to the next checkin counter
At the self service counter we get the boarding pass for a different flight which is as 12pm. (Klm apparently saw that we were late for the 10:10am flight and rebooked our tickets. We go to the Customer service counter to enquire.
Checkin Lady: "Klm saw that u are late for the 10:10am flight and rebooked your tickets for the next flight.
Me: But we have a flight to catch from Frankfurt at 1:45pm, will we make it?
Checkin Lady(getting agitated): You have a 55mins buffer, if you dont wait to shop around then you can make it. Junt run like the wind" (yes people these were her exact words. Shaz & Me looked liked such shopoholics to her that she automaticallt assumed that we would loiter around to shop when we were in an 'Amazing Race' type situation to catch the next flight)
So we now had 2hrs to spare so we went around looking at the duty free shops and then sat down to have some breakfast.

30th June - 11:30am

At gate no 84 awaiting the boarding call
Pilot: We are facing some technical difficulties because of which the flight has be delayed by 1/2hr
Shaz & Me: "FUCK!"
Me(After a few enquiries with the pilot): "Aah! well , we are not going to be able to get the next flight any way so we might as well go and eat some nice cheezecake. So much for running like the wind... ahhahaha"
After we picked out some delicies pastries at the nearby cafe, we sat down to eat it while still discussing the happenings of the day. At one point of time we were laughing our heads off as we actually found our situation amusing :P
The flight finally took off at 12:45pm

30th June - 1:45pm

At frankfurt Airport Searching for the customer service counter.
On finding one
Shaz - telling the whole story to the Chekin lady
Checkin Lady: " Ohh you poor dears! let me check what i can do for you." (After checking on her comp) " Well it looks like you have been booked on a flight to Helsinki. but then you will not be able to catch that too as it leaves in less than 30mins.
Me: "HELSINKI!!!!??!!"
Shaz: "Maam we were supposed to take 2 flights home, now because of all this rerouting we are taking 4 flights home andnow you say KLM has booked us to Helsinki???"
Checkin Lady: "I can understand dear. But i will not be able to help you from here. Maybe my colleagues at the Luftansa ticket counter can help you."
Shaz & Me: "Thanks!"
Checkin Lady gives us directions to the checking counter.
Me to Shaz: " Cant believe they were gonna send us to Helsinki. Have they gone fucking crazy?!!"
Shaz: "I know man. From Germany all the way to Finland"
Me: " What are we on a 'touch the airports of europe' trip?"

30th June - 2pm

Luftansa ticket counter
Me - explaining the whole story to the ticket guy
Ticket Guy: "I see... and you have also missed the flight to Helsinki now"
Me: "Ya well we didnt intend to go to Helsinki anyway. Is there anyway you can find us the next flight to mumbai?"
Ticket Guy: "Maam you prev tkts were till Delhi so we can only book you to delhi:
Me: "Ya but becoz of your flight delays we are also missing our flight from Delhi to Mumbai, who is gonna pay for that?"
Ticket Guy: "We cant do anything about that maam, it the rules"
Shaz(getting agitated) "We would like to speak to your supervisor:
Ticket Guy: "He will also tell you the same thing maam"
Shaz: "The checkin lady downstairs asked us to talk to the supervisor as he would be able to help as as manner of goodwill"
Ticket Guy goes and calls supervisor
Supervisor: "Let me see wat i can do for you maam.... There is an AI flight that leaves in the evening at 10:10pm. We may be able to book you on that."
Shaz and Me both didnt want to fly AI but the only other option was to wait another dat for the next flight and Shaz didnt want to wai tanother day. So after contemplating a bit we took the AI flight. This also meant that we were going to miss our flight from Delhi to Mumbai on 1st July at 3:45am as our flight would now arrive in Delhi at 9:30am. So we called up our travel desk and rebooked our Del-Mum tickets for 12pm.
We then enquired if we could go into the city, which train to take, what to see etc etc and left for Frankfurt city.

30th June - 4:30pm

At Frankfurt city. We look around the Central Square clicking pictures and enjoying the lovely weather. Also enjoy a huuge banana split each. Yummm.. the Germans sure know how to make their desserts :)

30th June - 7:30pm

Back at the airport and at the checkin counter. As usual an international flight coming to India has a huge Checkin line.
Me: "Hi! Finally we made it to the flight to India"
Checkin Lady: "Hello my dears you look tired.
Shaz: Explaining the story in short
Checkin Lady: "Ohh you poor dears, you've had a long journey"
Shaz: "Can you please give us some good seats?"
Checkin Lady: "Let me see what i can do for you..... I can give you some economy comfort seats"
Shaz and Me: "Yay! Thank you so much"

30th June - 8:30pm

We go and eat some really nice and expensive dinner at a Chinese place, clicking some pics and reliving the events of the day. In hindsight it made us laugh our heads off :) But we had a nice evening out in Frankfurt :)

30th June - 9:30pm

Boarded flight. Learnt that the flight is going to be 1 to 1.5hrs late.
Me: " Ohh my God! dont tell me we are goin going to miss the flight from delhi to mumbai also"
Shaz: "Dont worry Anu, They make up for the time on air by flying fast"
Me: "Ohh ok then"
The AI flight finally left for India at 11:30pm and i slept all through the flight only waking up next morning.

1st July - 10am

In the flight still
Me: "Shit we are sooo gonna miss our next flight"
Shaz: " Yah :( i'll call travel desk when we land"
We finally land at 10:40am and our lugguage arrives at 11:30am. Shaz calls up travel desk and books us a 2pm flight.
We reach the domestic terminal, each some lunch and wait for our flight.
This one for goodness sake is on time, but then again, we didnt have any other connecting flight to catch :P.

1st July - 6pm

Reached home safe and sound 38hrs later and yet smiling about the entire episode and made a good friend. Sharanpal Kaur :)

On Friends and Friendship...

Webster defines 'FRIEND' as 'one attached to another by affection or esteem', 'acquaintance', ' one that is not hostile' and 'a favored companion'.  So what really is a friend? At what point does one become a friend? What are the qualities of a friend? They say friendship comes in various degrees, so what is the degree of a friend? Why are there so many categories into which friendship get classified? And what about those that do not fall into any category? 


So what really is a friend? According to me He/She is someone whose company you like. Someone you like talking to. Someone who you trust. And someone who is by your side even in difficult times. Someone who will scold you when you do wrong and yet someone who will forgive your mistakes. Someone who will laugh with you, cry with you and also lend you a shoulder to cry on. Someone who will raid your fridge without asking, borrow your new dress for a party, or steal your favorite jacket. Someone you fights for you and who you will stand up for. Someone who knows what your flaws are and yet accepts you just the same. Someone who will call you at 3am just to tell you he/she is drunk or that they are lonely and needed someone to talk to.... Someone, with whom you can talk about anything under the sun and not feel awkward..
Wow! now thats a loooong list of qualities to be attributed to one person and yet there are people who are blessed with these. There isn't even a time frame for someone to develop these qualities, some may slip into this role as easily as a hot knife through butter and yet others take their own sweet time. None the less, both still have the same qualities.


Now there are various kinds of friends and they are classified into 3 broad categories, where friends come into you life for a) A reason b) A season c) A lifetime


Now lets look as the first classification
A reason: These category of friends are in your life to serve a motive, either for your benefit or their. And when that motive is fulfilled either you or they will end this friendship. It is nobody's fault. They were in your life for a purpose and since that purpose is over, they are no longer required in your life and will leave. 
For eg. Lets say you got your heart broken and didn't want to turn to your 'friends' as you didnt want their pity. You in turn, turned to an acquaintance or maybe even a stranger. You poured your heart out and he/she absolutely understood. You both got on like a house on fire. Your heart healed in like 4-5months and you are back to you usual self. This is when your friendship with this new friend starts wavering, rocking and finally ends. It was nobody's fault. He/she was sent into your life for a reason, the reason here being 'to help you heal your broken heart'. Now that the reason no longer exists, the friend has to leave. 
It could be the other way round too, wherein they came into your life as they needed you. But now that their need is fulfilled, they will leave.
Do not dwell upon or feel bad about this relationship. It has served its purpose and you need to move on.


The second classification is
A season: These types of friends generally come into your life for a pre-determined amount of time, in other words 'a season'. They will not cease to be your friends but they generally go from being a stranger-->acquaintance-->best friend-->acquaintance. These types of friends are generally made in schools, colleges, offices, trips etc. So you get the idea.. when you were in school you had a set of friends who you hung out with all the time. You grew out of school, went to different colleges and had different sets of friends who you hung out will all the time now and so on. You dont really end your past friendships but somehow new friends now are more important.


The third type are the ones that pass the tests of reason and season and stay for
A lifetime: He/she will be that person from school who is still your closest friend, who probably even went to the same college as you. Someone who you met at college, who works in a different office and still makes it a point to meet up with you once a week. Someone who who you met on a trekking trip who lives far away and yet finds time to chat with you every night. Someone who makes it a point to call you atleast once a month just so you don't lose touch. 
These are the people who will remember your birthday and will give you a call, although there will be some shameless ones who you forgive every year. These are the people who will come to your wedding no matter where they are and shamelessly gift you your first negligee for honeymoon night. And for 8/10 times these are the people who have all the qualities of a friend :)


I was thinking about a few people while writing this post. Can you identify yourself in here?

Things to do before i die...

So everyone has a list right? Things they wanna do, things they wanna accomplish in their lifetime... I too have one such list...

The best part about such lists are that they don't have to be realistic or reasonable, they can have things as simple as 'getting a dog' or as crazy as 'skydiving in the Arctic'. Nothing is impossible right! as long as you have the will and the passion to go for it, and just imagine the satisfaction and the happiness you feel when you actually do one of these things. In the journey of life you atleast did something YOUR way.

Not necessarily everyone religiously tries to complete their list, but atleast they have it somewhere in the back or their minds that there is something they always wanted to do but havn't done it for whatever reasons. They will keep saying to themselves that the thing in question is too crazy to be actually carried out and that only eccentric people would do it, but on the other hand they would also secretly wish that they had the courage to do it. They will find a million reasons and excuses for not doing it, but not ONE reason to go ahead and do it.
ME..!! well i wanna do a lot of things, experience a lot of things, but not everything happens according to ur will right? but i still strive to do whatever i can :) Sooo... here i am sharing my 'Things to do before i die' list . I've managed to complete a couple of them.. marked in red

Things to do before i die

1. Find love
2. Get my dream job done 1st April 2011
3. Take my ma n pa to a foreign country holiday done 20th Aug 2011
4. Earn a master’s degree done 11^th Nov 2010
5. Go to in Leh Ladakh done on 9^th June 2009
6. Get the paragliding flying license
7. Skydive
8. Take a week long vacation  - SOLO -  (did double) 2 weeks in Thailand 8th to 21st July 2012
9. Go to Paris - done 26th - 28th Aug 2011
10. Go to New York
11. Go to London- done 29th May to 6th June 2010
12. Visit the land of kangaroos-Australia
13. Visit atleast one off-beat place in the world which would make people say "Why did u decide to go there of all places"
14. Learn a foreign language - spanish
15. Get the scuba diving license - completed on 12th July 2012
16. Learn to play a musical instrument
17. Learn to Salsa – completed 3 levels in Oct 2008
18. Go white water rafting – done on 26^th Oct 2008
19. Get a dog/cat
20. Visit Rajasthan – Done 25^th to 31^st Mar 2010
21. Go to Kaziranga National Park
22. Go for a North East trip - Done Sikkim in Jan 2010 more left
23. See atleast one wonder of the world - done London Bridge-30th May 2010, Eiffel Tower-27th Aug 2011
24. Trek the Himalayas 
25. Fly first class
26. Go skinny dipping :P
27. Do something that makes someone say, "You know, I really admire what you did/do!"done on 10^th jan 2009
28. Go cliff diving
29. Finish this list before 30 so that i can make a new one :)

5 friends, 2 tents, 1 waterfall and a barbeque under the stars...

daSmall pleasures with a bunch of friends is what life is made of. A compilation of many such pleasures was what comprised my 1st weekend of December. A camping trip to Jawhar consisting of a barbecue dinner.

Certain unavoidable technical problems had delayed our departure time from Vashi. Certain last minute preparations and shopping sprees were threatening to throw us off schedule and it managed to do it too. Our 1:30pm departure time got stretched to 3:30pm and the traffic we found on the 'Priyadarshini' signal did nothing to help but delay us by another 45mins. After picking up Dheeraj from sion we were speeding towards Goregaon to meet up with Praful and Manish. At 5:30pm we were at Goregaon. Now our destination from here, according to google maps, would take 2hrs 30mins to cover. And we were off. Next stop - Manor. We reached Manor at around 7:30pm and waited for Praful and Manish to catch up wid us on their bike. From Manor we had to take SH33 towards Jawhar. This is a 45km stretch of secluded road and i wanted us to be together although Moiz had different views. But then Praful n Manish arrived some 15mins later and all of us now went on to SH33.

SH33 is a beautiful stretch of road with trees on both sides, gradually winding along the country side and ghats. The only things marring its reputation are the huge potholes that just appear out of nowhere. Praful was riding right behind us this entire stretch until we reached Jawhar. I remembered Dabhosa waterfall being just about 5-6kms from Jawhar but at arriving at Jawhar and inquiring, the owner of a dhaba told us that it is another 18kms away. He even made us a rudimentary map of the route. But after a little further, Moiz decided to go and get a second opinion. Lo n Ho, he came back with a drunkard who claimed he was going the same way and would show us the direction. He came and squeezed himself behind Dheeraj. Following is the conversation we had in our car. (Actual dialogues in bold, translated in red, my comments in blue)

Moiz (in makeshift marathi): Tumcha naav kai ahe? (translated - what is your name?)

Drunkard (in fluent, superfast marathi): Majha naav "something i cant rmbr name" ahe. (translated: My name is blah blah?) (actual tranlation : My name is blah blah and im so glad i found u guys to gimme a ride home)

Moiz: Tumhi kai kaam karta? (translated - what do u do? ) (Actual translated - do u even work or are u just a useless drunkard?)

Drunkard: Arre me ikadcha sarpanch! Ithe sagle lok mala olakhtaat. Tumhi bas tethe jaun majha naav saanga ani te tumhala aat gheteel. (translation - I am the sarpanch of this place. Everyone knows me here. Just take my name whereever u go here and they will all let u in. ) (Actual translation - I just saw the 'DUNCE' stamped across your forehead, so even if i tell you that i am the king of this place, you have no way to prove it otherwise :P )

Me (in english so that drunkard dsnt understand): Moiz this guy is reeking of alcohol.


Moiz (in english so that drunkard dsnt understand): Yeah i know, but he said he can show us the way.


In the meantime, "The Sarpanch" has already taken us on the wrong route.

Drunkard: Arre tumhi galat mod ghetla, parat ja parat ja. (translation - Hey you have taken the wrong turn. Now turn back and go till the intersection) (Actual translation - Now i know how badly lost you are and know shit abt this area)

Moiz: Arre me vicharla tumhala konta mod ghyacha mhanun. (translation - Hey i asked you which turn to take.) (actual translation - F****R)

Me (in english so that drunkard dsnt understand): Moiz are you sure this guy is taking us the right way? I have a feeling we are being led to an ambush point.


Moiz (in english so that drunkard dsnt understand): Arre dont worry, nothing will happen.


Drunkard: Tumhi loka kuthun aalaat? (translation : Where are you guys from?) (actual translation - i am trying to see if you guys are smart enuff to put up a fight later)

Moiz: Aamhi mumbaihun aalo. (translation - We are from Mumbai) (actual translation - we sure can kick your ass)

Drunkard : Arre me pan Mumbaila gelo hoto. Majha baiko cha motha bhai tithe rahto. To shivaji nagarcha Sr. Inspector ahe. (translation - Ohh i have been to mumbai too. My brother in law lives there. He is the Sr. Inspector at Shivaji Nagar) (actual translation - i am not faking being the sarpanch of this place as i know big contacts in mumbai too)

Moiz: Arre tumcha lagna jhala. Mule aahet ki naahi? (translation - Ohh you are married. Do you have any kids?) (actual translation - I am just trying to catch u off guard with my clever questions)


Drunkard: Arre naahin naahin, majhya lagnala fakt 6-7 maas jhalet. Itke laukar mule naahin. ( translation - Oh no no no.. I got married just 6-7 months back, so no kids so soon) ( actual translation - you cant bog me down wid ur "clever" questions)

Me ( thinking aloud in english): He claims to be a sarpanch and he got married just 6-7 months back!!!!


Moiz: Premacha lagna ka? (translation - was it a love marriage?) (actual translation - i know there is a loophole here somewhere. Im gonna get you) 

Meanwhile we are on a deserted road with no lights anywhere and not even a lone dog in sight. Let alone a whole village. Praful is still close behind us on his bike.

Drunkard: Arre prema shivai kai lagna. Prema shivai kahihi chalta ka? ( translation - Ohh its a love marriage. Wot is life without love. ) (Actual translation - While im at it, i might as well give you lessons on love)

Praful stops us to point out that he saw a signboard that said 'take right for dhabosa'

Drunkard: Arre naahin naahin, me tumhala shortcut varun gheto. Tumhi to raasta ghetla ki tumhala 1 taas laagel pochaila. (translation - Oh no no, i am taking you from a shortcut. If you take that route it will take you an hr to reach dhabosa) (actual translation - u are all dumbnuts :P )

Me (in english so that drunkard dsnt understand): Duuuuudeeeee... we are so headed towards an ambush point. In case of an ambush you are to keep driving, no matter how many you run over :P




Then at one 'Y' intersection "The Sarpanch" gets off and asks us to keep driving along the road ahead and take a right. This is when i see the drunkard's face for the first time. He looks no more than 30 and one of the roadside lafangas. As we leave him behind..

Me: From which angle did he look like a Sarpanch??


Dheeraj: Whatt?? He was the Sarpanch? (well the entire conversation was lost to Dheeraj as he cud not understand marathi)


Me: Yeah and he was reeking of alcohol.


Dheeraj: Yeah, and how much he talks!.. Non stop bakbak.


Me: He made fools of us, just wanted us to drop him home. Now we will have to drive double the way to get to Dhabosa im sure.

Moiz: Kya re Pam, Kitna darti hai. Woh kya hamare liye hi baitha tha kya Ambush karneko? ( translation - What man Pam! You are such a scared little cat. Did he have telepathy that we would come along and he would have someone to ambush?) (actual translation - Ohh I am so glad we have not encountered an ambush yet :P )

Then after many laughters and a few stops to find the right way we finally arrived at Dhabosa waterfalls at 10pm. Now there was no way we would trek down to the falls to set up camp. Hence we decided to camp at the parking lot next to our car and the fenced railing.

This night wasnt cold, it was more like damp and wet and dewy. A little hot even as i was sweating. We set up our tents first and then started working on the barbeque. I was having fun sitting like a queen, while Moiz tended to the coals and Praful skewered the meat. Dheeraj and Manish were taking turns in fanning the coals :P. Praful made the drinks too later :P. I just ate and drank. Wow! this is life I say ;). I had made some pani puri at home that i had carried to camp. We ate this while the chicken got cooked. After a lot of chatting and some really delicious barbecue chicken prepared by Moiz, we went off to sleep at around 3am.

Our morning started at 9am. It was now a task to get the coal burning to make breakfast. Our plan was to eat breakfast and then head down to the falls. Only problem was - coal refused to burn. We had practically emptied every kind to flammable liquid on the coals, from kerosene to vodka to old monk to even petrol, to get them to catch fire. After maybe 1 1/2hrs the coal started burning. 1st task was boiling water for the tea, which took all of 5-10mins. I used the hot water to cook my beloved cup noodles. After tea we still had some leftover chicken from last night which we decided to cook and eat off as brunch as it was already 11am.

After a delicious meal, we pack up all our stuff and headed off to the falls. It was already 12:30pm and the sun was burning down our necks. The was already a huge crowd below as we reached the bottom. Hence after a few snaps near the falls we headed off to the opposite direction where there were no people to disturb us.
The was was nice and cool and as soon as Moiz got in he started swimming off towards the falls. Me as usual sat down to blow up my float, which later Praful did :P. And i got down into the water and onto my float and floated lazily in the pond. Praful refused to get in and was just showing off in his trunks. Dheeraj got into the water after much cajoling but Manish totally refused.

After a lot of splashes and photography sessions, we all got out and started our trek towards our car. Once at the top, we set up our tent again to be used as a changing room. After changing we neatly packed off our stuff and the tent and started our journey back. On the way we stopped near a lake for some photography sessions. I even drove some of the way back.

Our plan was to stop for a quick chow at Manor and then speed off towards Mumbai. Hence we stopped at a Dhaba at Manor and stuffed ourselves as we were really hungry. Then at around 7:30pm we started off towards Mumbai. But only 1/2hr into the drive and we encountered a traffic jam from hell. The vehicles moved at snail's pace and it seemed to us that we would be reaching home only in the morning.
At many instances we saw vehicles jumping over the low divider and moving off to the opposite lane which was absolutely empty. The one instance that we tried it, it turned out to be one horrifying scene. We were 3-4 cars behind each other driving down the right side of the opposite lane and then we saw a big truck coming up from behind us and driving down the same lane as ours but on the left side. We got so so scandalized seeing it, that we though one headlong collision was surely in the cards for that truck. Twice it nearly missed 2 huge vehicles. This was enough to send us back to our own traffic ridden lane. We were really in no mood to end our perfect trip with a sad story. Just for the record, that truck had come back to the traffic lane too :P.
By the time we reached Borivali, it was already 10pm. Once we entered the Mumbai city limits, the roads were emptier and Moiz used this opportunity to speed home. We dropped Dheeraj back to sion and headed back to Vashi. At was 11:30pm by the time i reached home.

For me it was an awesome trip. 5 friends, 2 tents, 1 waterfall and a barbeque under the stars...this is life :)

Looking back on my trips this year...

Well the year 2010 is about to end soon, just about a monthish to go. And as i look back to the trips i made this past year, i feel a sense of achievement. I love to travel, as all my loved ones know by now, and i strive for an outing, at least once every 2months if not less. So here is a summery of my travels this past year.

January: My New year's eve and new year was spent in Dalhousie - a beautiful hill station nestled in the picturesque mountains of Himachal Pradesh. I started this new year with a nice trek around the region with a group of 50 people. Witnessed glorious sunsets, stunning sunrises, the first snowfall, the chills and colds, the mists and the fogs and everything that makes you believe that you are in a dream. The 6hr long treks each day for 4days tested my limits and yet provided a huge sense of satisfaction when you reach that summit and view that sunset. Hoping that my 2011 starts with an offbeat trip/trek too. :)
  

The weekend of 26th Jan saw me visiting Gangtok and Darjeeling. This trip holds many sweet memories as this was my 1st duet trip with another female. Just the two of us, reaching Siliguri at different times and trying to find the Bagdogra AF stn, where we had stayed for the 1st night. Next morning we left for Gangtok where we stayed for 2 nights and explored the city on foot, the lonely planet way. I must say it should either be the lonely planet way or no way. :) We ate authentic North Eastern cuisine, hogging on pork & beef, drank the live mullet beer (which i must say i didn't like one bit) and shopped for curios. 4th day we left for Darjeeling. Must mention that Darjeeling is very filthy for a hill station, although it provides a mind blowing view of the Kanchen Zonga. The beauty of the endless tea gardens also keeps you mesmerized. The next morning took us to see the famous sunrise on the horizon from Tiger hill, and back to Siliguri in the World Heritage Site established, narrow guage, steam engine train. In the end it was one of my most memorable trips although getting back to Delhi from Siliguri had turned out to be a real pain in the a**.






February: This month remained mostly uneventful except for the huge burden of assignments that college had weighed us with.

March: March dragged in another impromptu, duple trip to Rajhasthan. After the grueling month full of exams, re-exams and assignments. This trip to Rajhasthan was a welcome break. We went from Delhi to Jaipur in a over night bus by managing to get the get the last tickets and hence seats at the back of the bus. Whole day was spent site seeing the famous monuments, namely the Hawa mahal, Jaipur fort, Jantar Mantar and Raj mandir and a little bit of shopping. The evening we spent at the beautiful  and picturesque village of Choki Dhani. Dancing with the colorful dancers, watching tight-rope walking performances, knowing your future by palm readings, getting palms tattooed by mehandi designs and stuffing ourselves with authentic rajhasthani food was the theme of the evening (although we were loo ridden later that night :P ).

Next day was planned for Ajmer and Pushkar. Pushkar being the only place in this world where Lord Brahma is worshipped. Pushkar is a quaint and colorful town full of temples on the banks of the lake. We rode through its narrow streets in our Activa to get a feel of the town. After visiting a few temples we made our way back to Ajmer where we visited the Jain temple and the Durgah. We hurried back to Jaipur later in the evening to catch a train to the next destination - Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer is rightly named the Golden city for every thing here is in the colors of gold. The Jaisalmer fort itself looks like a Golden sand castle rising out of the earth. The beautiful Havelis and the quaint town take you back through time into a era where the princes ruled. A trip to Jaisalmer is incomplete without a trip to the sand dunes and a camel safari. Sleeping under the stars on the sand dunes with the camels to keep you company is an experience of a lifetime, and even more so if you can go to a more private place where there aren't hordes of other travelers to trouble you.

   

April: This month again was uneventful except for me making a small trip back home from delhi.

May: The May trip has been my most memorable one this year as i went international. This was my 1st trip out of India and i went to the UK. Two weeks at my mother college in Lancaster, a weekend in Scotland and a week in London. UK is a beautiful place, not too crowded and inhabited with a polite bunch of people. i know many will not agree to this, what with they ruling over us for over 300yrs, but they are. Good manners, civic sense and politeness is what i noticed in everyone that i interacted with. I even had a bus driver stop the bus in the middle of his route just to give me proper direction as i was standing all alone and seemingly lost in Morecambe. :) I will always remember this guy :) . As they so rightly say "A little kindness goes a long way".

     

  

     
The weekend in Scotland was the best part about my UK trip. This was again a duple trip covering Glasgow, a small to Loch Lomond on the west highlandway and Edinburgh. Glasgow was my solo trip until my friend arrived. I roamed the streets alone, sightseeing, walked by the waterfront and also checked out the various malls. After my friend arrived we had lunch and left for our trek. It was an 8mile hike from Belmaha to Loch Lomond. Although extremely tiring and with blisters in our feet, this trek was highly satisfying, considering the view we got to see in the end and the location of our youth hostel. This quaint little cottage that served as the youth hostel is located right at the shore of the Loch and the view is breathtaking. We cooked dinner for ourselves at the self catering kitchen and then went to bed. The next morning showered the area with rains and a beautiful foggy mist. The view cannot be explained in words only captured in the mind. After a few photo sessions and breakfast of hot steaming instant noodles, we decided to move towards belmaha and then to Edinburgh. But we were in no condition to trek back and didn't even have the time as we had to reach Edinburgh for siteseeing. We tried calling for cabs but to no avail. Then after a 45mins trek back we managed to hitchhike our way back. This is again something i have never done before and doing it in a foreign country seems like an achievement to me :). Once we got back to Glasgow, we caught a train to Edinburgh.

  

  

        
Edinburgh like Glasgow is an old city, with old Victorian architecture. It was fascinating to walk along the Royal mile and see all the old buildings and the underground closes. Even the Scottish accent is very different from those of the British, it sort of mesmerizes you. After a tour of the grand Edinburgh castle, i took a tour of Mary King's Close, and underground close that was inhabited by slaves in the time of the great plague. Its eerie and claustrophobic down there and makes you sick to know how the slaves were treated back then. We walked back to our hostel late evening and made ourselves hot steaming noodles and had a good night sleep. Next morning, i made my way back to Lancaster.

  

    

After the 2 week stay at Lancaster, we moved to England, my classmates and I. A night partying out with them at London and I moved to my Tejasvi's place at Ealing. It is rightly said, there is always something to do in London; u can never get bored. And hence all my 7 days in London were occupied with something to do. I went to see all the major attaractions, Piccadilly circus, Trafalgar square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, London eye and ofcourse Buckhingham Palace. London Bridge and Greenwich are also places that are not supposed to be missed, and the best way to get there is to take the ferry. And who can forget shopping at Oxford street and Portobello market. Then there is South hall -  the biggest Indian community settled in London, that will make you forget that you are actually in London and not Chandni Chowk of Delhi.

It was tough to say goodbye to London and get back to India. Really hoping that i will be going there soon :)

  

             
  
  
June: I returned back from UK on the 1st week of June after which the rest of the month was pretty uneventful except my severe allergic reaction to bed bug bites and my cousin sister's wedding towards the end of the month.
Weddings in my family are nothing but a reason for a get together. It feels really good when your entire extended family is staying under one roof, eating, chatting, smiling, laughing and having fun together. I always look forward to such gatherings. Unfortunately the next one id gonna be when its my chance to get married *shudder*.
  
July: Again nothing exciting except for working hard to finish my dissertation. Went for the first monsoon trek of the season. Around 15 of us, some known some unknown and yet we had an awesome time as it kept pouring all through the day.
  

August: Went to Delhi for the project submission. Towards the end of the month went for my toughest trek of this season - Rajmachi from Karjat side. I could not walk for 3days after it :P. But is was all in all a nice trek. Again it kept pouring all day and we were soaked to the bone, which was the best part about this trek.

  

September: Beginning of september went for another monsoon trek to Nakhind. We wanted to pool in as many treks before the monsoons got over. This was another nice trek wid non-stop rains all day and a hell of a ride back to mumbai on one of the worst roads i've ever seen.
   
October: Entire october i was bored to death. Then end of october i.e. 30th and 31st i made a camping trip with Moiz and Sunanda to Lonavala. It was a great adventure as we first went to Pune to pick up Sunanda, then went to pick up the tent, then met a friend of Moiz, then got stuck in traffic, then the car started smoking and we started to panic a bit, then hunt for the Maruti service center, getting the car checked, then finally leaving for lonavala, reaching lonavals and packing food and drinks, leaving for Korigad fort, darkest roads with no street lights, lone car on the road, reaching the fort base at 11pm and deciding to camp at the base. The night was fun with the yummy food and the beer, although i started panicking at 4am, being jumpy at every little sound. Next morning was reserved for photosessions. By 8am we were ready to head back.  
  

 

   
  
November:  Hmmm... nothing interesting has happened yet except for a quite diwali at home... waiting for my next adventure.

Watch this place for updates on November and December :)