Overheard: A local train chat!

Overheard this conversation in the train today:
Fan A: Arre, Sri Lanka Pakistan final mein aayega! Aur dekh, Sri Lanka jeetega dekh! (Sri Lanka & Pakistan will play the finals and Sri Lanka will come out victorious)
Fan B: Nahi! Pakistan maarega yeh baar! (Nope! It will be Pakistan this time.)
Fan A: Abbey, Sri Lanka dekh LTTE ko udaa diya. Abhi Pakistan ko udaayega (Sri Lanka has just finished LTTE. Now it’s Pakistan’s turn)
Fan B: Arrey Pakistan poora duniya ko udaa raha hain! Phir Sri Lanka kaunsi badee baath hain! (Pakistan is finishing off the entire world, then what can Sri Lanka do to them!)

Of DLF Maximums and Citi Moments of Success!!!

While KKR might see some sponsors pulling out of the team for IPL 3 after their abysmal performance in South Africa, the IPL itself might see a lot of new corporates in their kitty.

This commercialisation of cricket has made a lot of “early” cricket enthusiasts lament about using brand-names as adjectives before a six, a four or a wicket! So, every time Robin Jackman shouts out “It’s another D L & F” for a Yusuf Pathan six and Ravi Shastri says, “Another Citi Moment of success” for a Suresh Raina blinder, the purists roll in their graves. I, for one, would like to call myself a purist, but a purist who enjoys cricket in all forms! And this blogger sees no harm in calling out these brand names! For one, calling a six, “A DLF Maximum” is much better than calling it a “Haywards 5000 Club Soda Solid Six!” Most of the little who read my blog wouldn’t have a clue of the latter! Well, that’s what the commentators “barked” in ICL! And by the time the Hindi commentators finished saying that long ‘paragraph’, you could be watching another “Haywards 5000 Club Soda Solid Sixer!”

IPL is all about cricketainment – cricket married with entertainment. And any fool would be able to tell you that neither cricket nor entertainment can survive without the corporate money! And there’s little doubt IPL entertains! And in a big way! Many call it a circus! For IPL followers like me, it’s a festival. Time to unwind after a hard day at work! And for a multi-mega buck event like IPL to survive, you need the DLFs, the Citis, the Vodafones, the Hero Hondas and the Fly Kingfishers! Call it an unholy marriage or a marriage borne out of compromise and compulsion, it’s, however, still a successful marriage, the gross product of which is a 40-odd day carnival!

Perhaps the only complain I’d have about IPL is over focus of television cameras (and commentators at times) on Lalit Modi! Surely a case of “you got to please your boss” to stay where you are (in this case, South Africa). But what’s a carnival without a few fingers being pointed? “Purists” would do well to bear with some commercialisation and instead focus on some good cricket being played at the IPL! So, just enjoy those DLF Maximums and those Citi Moments of Success!

Jersey "Blues" in IPL - 2!!!

A few surprises, a few shocks and a few expected results! That’s IPL’s second edition so far! While I am not surprised at the huge turn-out despite it being held in South Africa, I must admit I didn’t expect teams to get bundled out to scores of around 100 and below!

The seven and a half minute strategy break apart, one other thing that has put me off in IPL’s second edition is the choice of colours for team jerseys! Check this out:

• Mumbai Indians – A shade of sky blue
• Rajasthan Royals – Dark blue
• Delhi Daredevils – Prominently blue with red along the sides
• Deccan Chargers – Another shade of dark blue
• Royal Challengers Bangalore – Shade of red
• Kings XI Punjab – Another Shade of Red with white at the sides
• Chennai Superkings – Yellow
• Kolkata Knight Riders – Black and golden

No issues with the last two teams as they definitely stand out! But some serious thought need to be given by the teams if they have to maintain some exclusiveness in their jersey colours! While MI and RR already had blue last season, it’s just baffling that DD and DC opted to change to blue! Surely, blue mustn’t have been the only colour in their designing boards! The Daredevils now look like the English cricket team!

Can we have more creativity guys? Or at least a better colour sense? No way would I want to see a jhataak and dinchaak colours, but take lessons from SRK’s KKRs!

My friend Carlo is already capturing moments at Port Elizabeth that he will surely like to show his grandchildren a few years down the line! Carlo, I hope you get to see one of those “I was there” moments! My next few posts will include the view through his lenses! Beware, some of them would make you jealous! It already has in my case!

IPL is here: My Loyalties

Recently, the firm that I work for (by now, you all know which one) became the ‘Tech-Partner’ for the Rajasthan Royals squad in IPL. Must say, quite an impressive term is this ‘technology partner’! Ok, now without really going beyond the obvious (interpretation), the loyalties of some of the people in my firm have slowly shifted towards the Shane Warne-led side. No issues whatsoever! Everyone’s got their own choices! So, which team will be rooting for this IPL season?

Without the blink of an eye – Mumbai Indians! Reasons? Pretty Simple!

1. It’s my city and I am a Mumbaikar!
2. Sachin Tendulkar, the opening batsman alongside Sanath Jayasurya
3. Sachin Tendulkar, the captain in the shortest version
4. Sachin Tendulkar, the bowler who can bowl almost everything!
5. Sachin Tendulkar, the bubbly fielder!

These of course are reasons other than the fact that I love the involvement of Shaun Pollock (lovingly called Polly kakka by the MI paltan last year) and Jonty Rhodes (My nephew is named after him)! There’s no way that I would think twice before supporting MIs!

And where does this leave Rajashtan Royals in my scheme of things? Not in the top 3 for sure! Kolkata Knight Riders (despite the confusing multiple captain theory by Prof. John) and Bangalore Royal Challengers (despite it being owned by a ‘what’s that guys name?’) would be rooted for as well by this mallu. And now with one of my favourites Mohammad Kaif being shown the door by RR, they may not even be in my top seven! My company’s loyalist may not like this blog post at all! All I can say is I am waiting for Saturday! Fourty-odd days of fun! Go Indians go!!!

Right now, if you ask me who I am most jealous of. I’d say my good ol’ buddy Carlo Bugger! He’d be around in South Africa during the IPL! Carlo my friend! Have a blast at Port Elizabeth! Guys, check this blog for more as Carlo will be sending some of the pics he took at the IPL! Would be fun to watch them “from a viewer’s perspective!”

Mission Impossible?

Place: 5 Spice, Fort, Mumbai

Date: March 13, 2009

Time: 1:55 PM

Number of People: 6

Food: Dessert - a 5 Spice Special!

Mission Impossible

Mission Accomplished!

A Confession: I ate about 70% of that! Was challenged to eat the entire thing, but the others around me couldn't resist and had to dig in!

Happy Eating! But watch that water falling from between your two sets of 16!!!

Why do women talk so much?

I tried to ask MasterFind. Here's what I got (Click the image to view it properly yaar):

The mystery continues...

I think I gotta look for a gal now!!!

Was on my way back home in the Ambernath slow, when suddenly this flood of thoughts hit me hard!

 “I think I should start looking now! 
And start looking seriously for a girl!
I think my time has come to find a gal!
And be committed to her forever!
I really think it’s time for me to get married!”

- Majority of the men who thought along these lines and went ahead with these thoughts have now lost the ability to think and find themselves not thinking any more! ;) 

And all the married men said, "Amen"! ;)

God bless you!

Media: A victim of circumstances?

A couple of days ago, I was quoted in the Indian Express’ supplement - Mumbai Newsline’s article ‘The Blame-game’ by my friend, Pooja Pillai. I must admit I wasn’t too surprised to find that I was the only one who went against the flow of the entire article.

Indeed, I too, like others, felt that at times, the media was insensitive when it came to the coverage of the attacks. And I don’t even need to mention the names of the ‘culprit’ channels that have ‘sensationalism’ tagged to their hearts. In fact, in the coming weeks, am planning to include ‘media reviews’ as part of my blog’s genre!

Coming back to the point I made in ‘Blame-game’, I honestly feel that quite often media’s (read TV channels’) sensationalism is generalised and thus, they all fall prey to the bashing-game. I was hooked on to CNN-IBN and at times, I was frustrated when the reporters kept saying, “We are unable to divulge too many details as of now as we have been advised against it.” Images and bytes that were taken about half-an-hour before being actually telecast could have made me switch to another channel. But then, these were understandable. The DG of NSG apparently later came out and thanked all the channels for not airing visuals of the operations live “except for one channel”!

Yes, shoving their microphones in the faces of the rescued hostages just as they were coming out insensitive to say the least. It was a race for that exclusive first byte! Ridiculous, I say!

Those who gave genuine coverage to the attacks would have found themselves in the wrong end of the stick and unfortunately for them, both there was only one end to that stick! Had they not covered the attacks in the manner they did, surely flak would have come with idlers like me sitting at home. And now that they did cover the way they wanted it, they gotta be ready to have some mud slung at their face. Well, they would have got it anyways!  

Times Now, on the other hand, was very vocal (and you expect that with Arnab Goswami at the helm). Someone ought to remind him that the guests on air need time to answer his essay-length questions! But I thought some of Times Now’s questions were thought-provoking (they always claim to be), while some were plain stupid!

Post-terror attacks, coverage moved around debates on the action or the lack of it from the politicians, funeral of the heroes, visits by the politicians to their homes and their barking comments, which was idiotic to the core. Blame Kerala CM E. S. Achuthaananthan’s doggie remark for that! Exactly the stuff that the folks with microphones were looking for! Having heard E. S’ bytes in the past, I know for sure that his mouth is larger than his brain!

I wasn’t complaining about the coverage till I read Pooja’s article and today’s HT Café’s last page piece on the media coverage. I, do however, stand by what I said. Seems I missed out a lot by avoiding the ‘spicier’ channels! Thank God I did!

God bless you. God bless Mumbai!

Rallies... What next???

I’ve heard of many “peace rallies”, but I don’t remember being a part of any of them. Therefore, I decided to be a part of the Enough is Enough Peace Rally organized close to Gateway. In fact, this was one of those ‘last-minute-yes-call’ I made as like other rallies, this too, was not really in my radar till I had a discussion with a couple of colleagues at my workplace.

Post-26/11, there has been a lot of talk about action to be taken and the need for citizens to rise up and raise their voice. But honestly, even the most eternal optimist would have some sort of pessimism about a rally of this considering the way this city acts, reacts and then, forgets!

“What’s gonna be the outcome?”
“It’s just gonna fizzle out!”

Yup! These were at the back of my mind, when I was on my way to the rally! “But at least it’s a start! It's better than sitting back and doing nothing!” I told my colleagues.

It didn’t take me too long to realize that this one was not just another one of those small demonstrations or rallies. From inside the comfort of the car, with the A/C hitting your face and the tyres hardly getting a chance to move, it seemed half of Mumbai’s youth was out there for a ‘cause’ (Please note the inverted comas). But the young and odd-old were out in quite a few thousands (avoiding the phrase – large number – for it would then be an understatement).

We couldn’t reach the Gateway and had to be a part of the crowd by foot at the turn towards Regal. And that was as close to Gateway as we could get. The roads were jammed and so were the networks! I was to meet another friend at Regal and could only try my hand at messaging hoping that somehow it would break the network barrier and reach the other side. We did meet up. But where was THE Rally? Turned out that this wasn’t just one rally (or maybe I just missed the main one). At every turn-of-the-head distance, there were pockets of people, and attractive ones I must add, with their placards, slogans, white t-shirts with “I love Mumbai’ (which I later bought and wore too), tricolours, candles, etc. The ‘Free Hugs for peace and prosperity’ poster definitely caught my eye. I wished - for the hug, but more so to hold that poster myself.

At the end of it all, the question re-emerged, “What next? Blame-game again? Talks and protests about Government’s inefficiency?” I don’t know and I hope not! I will pray for my leaders and stop blaming them for once!

Outside The Leopold Café, where a week back, there was hardly a soul except a few men in khaki perhaps, amongst the large crowd and the ‘Mumbai’ t-shirt sellers, there was a group of youngsters with separate posters, each holding a word – “We-are-lucky-to-be-alive!”

‘Grace-of-God!’

Siege and after...

As the siege on Mumbai ended, honestly, I don’t know what to write, for I now have mixed emotions. Relieved, disappointed, frustrated, saddened all rolled into one. Add a little bit of anger to that as well.

Relieved, cause’ I was just one phone call away from being a part of not-at-all desirable drama at VT (not CST). I got out of office at 740 pm. Took out my cell to call up a friend, who I was supposed to meet the previous day. Kept my phone back in my pocket, and told myself, “Some other day!” Caught a train back home at 8 pm. One and a half hour later, the station had become a war-zone.

Relieved also, cause’ it’s finally over!

Disappointed, cause’ yet again an intelligence failure, yet again a security lapse and yet again, Mumbai – my favourite city - fell prey!

Frustrated, cause’ I could just sit at home and do nothing, but watch the drama unfold on CNN IBN and Times Now.

Saddened, cause’ some of Mumbai’s and country’s heroes, other than the common man of course, fell victims to this dastardly act.

And angered, cause’ finger-pointing, blame-game and politicizing began even as brave-hearts were still fighting it out inside Taj, Oberoi and Nariman!

A friend told me, we must catch these terrorists alive and cruelly torture them in full public view. “It just won’t work. These guys would consider this a privilege to be tortured to death. Remember, they came to kill and to get killed,” I told her. Interestingly though, today’s Mirror’s lead story revealed this didn’t hold completely true. On seeing his colleague’s mutilated body, the terrorist caught suddenly “wanted to live!”

As is always the case, everything will soon be forgotten. The oft used and now abused phrase “Spirit of Mumbai” will re-emerge! We used it after the '92 serial blasts. We used it after July 26. We used it after 7/11. And am afraid we are gonna use this term again! And now I'm beginning to wonder if this is more a matter of the ‘paapi pet’ than the so-called spirit. Indeed it’s all about filling one’s tummy! 

The sacrifices of the few heroes will soon be forgotten. For public memory is short! It’s even shorter in Mumbai!

All I can do is hope and pray that we don't need another November 26, 2008 to remind us of November 26, 2008!!!

PS: Like many Mumbaikars, even I got this particular message about Where is Mr. Raj Thackarey now? As NSG commandos (most of them North Indians) battle it out to save Mumbai, where are the MNS and SS now who only knows to destroy and create havoc on the innocent folks!
- Good point, and taken too

Moment of Truth!!!

Being a holiday, I had nothing better to do than to surf through the many channels- an activity I was alien to for quite a while! And now that the internet at home was down, this seemed like the next best thing to do (come to think of it, there were much better things that I could have done)!!! I am not a regular to any Star World shows, but I had heard about “Moment of Truth” from a colleague and wanted to check it out!

The Moment of Truth is an American show that first aired in Colombia as Nada más que la verdad ("Nothing But the Truth"). Contestants answer a series of 21 increasingly personal and embarrassing questions to receive cash prizes.

Prior to the show, a contestant is hooked up to a polygraph and asked more than 50 questions; there is no polygraph testing conducted during the actual show. Without knowing the results of the polygraph, he or she is asked 21 of those same questions again on the program, each becoming progressively more personal in nature. If the contestant answers honestly, according to the polygraph results, he or she moves on to the next question; however, should a contestant lie in his or her answer (as determined by the polygraph) or simply refuse to answer a question after it has been asked, the game ends. [Source: Wikipedia]

Lauren Cleri, with her husband Frank, brother, sister, mother and father, in front of her, was the contestant on the episode that I happened to watch! “Mera dimaag ko shot lagaa”, I told my colleagues the next day after I saw the episode! I thought the affirmative answer to the question, “Did you ever get fired from a job for stealing?” was embarrassing enough! But what was to follow was even worse!

“Did you have the feeling you were in love with one of your ex-boyfriends on your wedding day?” asked Mark Walberg, the host. “Yes,” Lauren replied!

As if that was bad enough, the host then says, “Next question will not be asked by me, but by a special guest.” The camera’s focus shifts towards an electronic sliding door. Surprisingly, there’s no music. Not even a drum-beat! Or maybe I just didn’t hear! Out walks a guy in a blue shirt with a cue-card in his hand! Lauren’s face turns red as she sees her ex standing in front of her!

The question: “If I ask you out now, would you leave your husband?” Frank’s bows his head down! Lauren looks away! “Do you want to hit the buzzer?” asks Mark looking at Frank. “No, I want to hear her answer,” Frank says looking at Lauren. Lauren’s sister gets up and hits the buzzer which means the question will now be changed! She thought she did some ‘damage control’! Little did she know that the next question was also going to be asked by Lauren’s ex!

“Do you believe I am the guy that you should be spending the rest of your life with?”

Lauren’s eyes told a lot. She answers, “Yes!” Frank slips deeper in his chair!

Jumping on to the next question: “Did you have sexual relationship with anyone other than your husband after your marriage?”

I want to switch channels; I myself do not want to hear the answer and the resultant look on her husband’s face!

“I’d have to be honest and say, Yes!” says Lauren with her husband now looking absolutely distraught!

Did Lauren push the truth too far as the host, Mark Walberg, himself later said to the TV audience, “I strongly believe some things best remain unsaid”? Or was it all done to earn fame and fortune as Lauren told the New York Post later.

I am not too sure if I agree with the concept of the show! It definitely kept me glued, but later had me all disturbed thinking that this might just have broken a family! Or at least have come close to it!

Some might argue that at least now, nothing is hidden! I’d say, why hid it in the first place if you were planning to have a family together. And in any case, the NY Post report says, Frank apparently already knew these things!

Psalm 127:1 - “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it, labour in vain. “

Bindra wins gold!!

To live in an era when history is made is special! To watch history being made is even better!

An irritating cough kept me at home this Monday morning! And woe unto me if I regret spending this day at home!

A loud set of claps followed by a loud grunt ‘Yes’ was enough for mummy, who was on the phone, to take the hint!

A little smile from the handsome young man was his only emotion as he turned to acknowledge the few Indians on the stand! Abhinav Bindra had just claimed India’s first ever individual gold medal in Olympics in the 10M Air Rifle Men’s Shooting event!

Coming to the final, Bindra was in fourth position. But a few good rounds first up pushed him up to third just behind the Chinese (obviously I forgot his name! To be very honest, that was all I expected from him, for Indians have a not-to-be-proud-of reputation of collapsing at just the final stretch. In fact, I feared the shooter in the fourth position, who too was having a fairly good set of rounds, might overtake Bindra! But wasn’t to be as Bindra maintained his consistent run and soon overtook the Chinese and was now closing in on the leader, Henri Hakkinen of Finland! One average round from Hakkinen meant Bindra taking the lead! Ninth round and Bindra had his worst score in the final! He was now sharing the lead with the Fin! Again the pessimist in me spoke “He is an Indian. He’ll falter just when it matters. Pressure will get to him!” But in Bindra’s case it wasn’t to be! If composure was personified, you would find it on Bindra’s face! Bindra shot his best score in the final round as the Fin fell prey to nerves and lost not just his lead but was pushed down to third position!

To hear the national on the background with our tricolour rising above the Chinese flag was a special feeling! Needless to say, it was difficult to hold back our tears of joy!

Like a good majority of the Indians, who had no clue what it takes to qualify for the highest level in a sport, I too had no expectations from the 98-member Indian contingent. This contingent had only 56 athletes, while the rest included ‘officials, coaches and others’! I’m told Sania Mirza’s mom too was one of them! But I am glad Abhinav Bindra proved me wrong (as if it mattered!) and how!!! Good on you mate!!!

I met Jonty!!!

Finally! Here I was… with my favourite little Jonty! The little guy obviously seemed very happy on seeing his uncle! Played with him! Made him laugh! His crying voice was as cute as his toothless grin! We spoke a lot till he was hungry and again went “baaaaaaaah”! Then off he went to sleep in his favourite car-seat only to be woken up by his uncle who wasn’t done with him! Again, they laughed together and spoke! “Jonty is special,” his uncle thought. Seems he speaks with himself! “Gaa gaa gii gii.” Naah! Must be having a light-hearted convo with his beloved creator Dada and praising HIM! (From the lips of children and infants, You have ordained praise, said King David in Psalm 8:2) At last, it was time for me to grab his attention for he was ignoring me for too long now. Found a strange little toy which made an irritating noise and vibrated!

Sheesh! It was my cell phone’s alarm! “6:45 AM” it shouted! Time to get up! Alas! It was only a dream! But I still saw him!

The Story of Staci Stephens!!!

Here's a real story I recently received from a friend: (sic)

Staci Stephens was a bright and beautiful 16-year-old high school student, who impacted the lives of so many of her friends and peers. She loved lost things and wanted to rescue them, according to her best friend Ashley. Around campus she was known for her love of God and her love of people.

Staci passed away on March 13, 2005 from Viral Myocarditis. Staci came home from school on Friday morning not feeling well and by Sunday morning her heart had stopped. Staci attended a public high school in Orlando , Florida . So many were impacted by her death. The students (and parents and teachers) realized that they too will die some day, and are they ready for that? Staci’s dream was for everyone to find Christ and to live with God forever.

Just a few months before her death, Staci was interviewed by Venture Media, telling her story of her relationship with God. Here’s what she said in that interview said about Jesus Christ, "I knew that he loved me and that he was there, but I didn’t know that it was to this extent that it could really impact your life."

"I think the most important thing I’ve learned was how to really live my life and what I’m living for. A lot of kids know that they are not living the right way and if they will say something about it, you know they have a heart to change."In her journal for a school class she defined tragedy as someone dying without knowing Christ; she wanted to help all her peers to have a relationship with God. Staci wrote: "Tragedy: something that happens that is really bad. I feel that a tragedy is someone who dies and is not saved (no relationship with God). That is an eternal consequence. It is a tragedy to me that they do not get to spend eternity in Heaven. It is a tragedy that they got too wrapped up in the world to recognize their need for Christ. It is a tragedy the way they have to be like that forever.

In a letter to friends and family this past Christmas, Staci recapped her past year: "This has been the most life-changing year I have ever experienced. On January 18, 2004 , I was reborn and found my Savior Jesus Christ at a conference put on by Student Venture . . . in Cocoa Beach . Since then, I have dropped my old ways of living and have completely given myself to Christ. My life has been changed for eternity and now everything that I live for makes sense and I don’t have to fill my heart with worldly things anymore. I am completely satisfied and Christ has filled every little void in my life. Through Him, I have learned so much about myself and have able to let go of so many things. Everything I do is for the glory of God and I finally know the life I have been missing. There was a hole in my soul and I was trying to fill it with every little thing but the very one who can heal it. Jesus Christ is my best friend, my helper and teacher, and most importantly, my loving God."

In a personal journal entry shortly before her passing, Staci described her desire to go beyond herself and help others. She asked God for a unique ministry on campus. Little did she or any of us know what God had in store.

When word got out at school that Staci died, hundreds gathered in the Media Center to grieve. Students, teachers, and counselors broke out in song, singing Mercy Me’s - I Can Only Imagine - Staci’s favorite song. Others read excerpts from her journal, such as Psalm 78. Teachers and students led times of prayer. A number of friends put their faith in Christ after her death. One friend of Staci’s gave his life to Christ stating that it was sad that Staci had to die in order for him to believe the truth.

Over 800 students, teachers, and members of the community filled the school auditorium the evening after her passing as six of her friends spoke about Staci’s life and faith in God. One friend said, "Life is short – we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal."

At the close of the evening, students and teachers dedicated their lives to Christ. Prodigal students returned to God.

One young tough football player wrote that evening, "Staci and family, I want to thank you and Jesus to provide such a great person who helped me become saved." Another girl wrote, "Jesus, please forgive me. The last months I have not been what I want to be. Please change me and love me."

Even the night of Staci’s funeral, more of Staci’s friends believed in Jesus Christ and invited him to be their Savior and Lord. Staci and her friends in Student Venture had prayed all year that students at their campus would realize the God was real and would want to know him. They even dreamed of a day when the auditorium on campus would be filled with people hearing about Christ’s love for them. In one week, through the life and death of Staci Stephens, many of their prayers were answered.

One classmate of Staci’s was heavy into drugs and said he was an atheist. He had started dabbling in drugs when he was in middle school, and two years later progressed to using ecstasy, cocaine and anything he could get his hand on to numb his pain.

He described horrifying nights of crawling around on his carpet floor licking up whatever excess powder he could find to maintain the high. Though he didn’t acknowledge God at the time, God began to unfold a whole new life for him. He happened to sit next to Staci Stephens in one of his classes. He described conversation after conversation of Staci talking about Jesus Christ. His reply was always simple, "Jesus is your drug, I have my own."

The day he found out Staci was gone, an overwhelming sorrow rushed over him, along with a realization that he was wasting his life. Later that night he went over to Staci’s memorial service while trying to hold back tears of bitterness and confusion. Throughout the night as he watched Staci’s close friends pouring out tears of joy, and speaking words of hope, something hit him. He doesn’t know exactly when he believed in Jesus; but he will tell you that he woke up that day one person, and went to sleep a whole new one. He went home and asked to be helped with rehab, hasn’t touched drugs and has made Christ and his Bible study his priority. Christ is changing his life.

In the midst of Staci’s death, God brought forth life in other people.The last entry Staci wrote in her journal a couple days before she died was from Psalms 73:26:

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever

Apart from our love for Christ, there's one other thing common between Staci and me. Our dreams!!!

Some of the readers might have quit reading half way through this story or at least they'd have wanted to! The reason? For many, God is 'uncool'! For many, Seeing is believing and hence, He does not exist!

For me, HE is the coolest! For me, BELIEVING IS SEEING!!!

Home-Management: Cooking!!!

The headline is a give-away! So I guess I don’t really need to mention much! But me being me, I will!!! So you better read on! It’s my blog!!! (ok, if I continue to be rude, then the select few who visit my blog once in a while will start thinking otherwise… so, please please please stay on! Ok, now that’s the height of desperation!!)

Coming back to ‘home-management’, for more than a month now, I have been living alone! And I really can now empathise those who stay away from their families. Many, if not most, of my friends fall in that category!

“How are you managing?”, “What about the food”—just two of many questions that the concerned keep asking. Actually, those are the only two questions!

Ok, answer to the first question – It’s been a challenge! Was so used to lazying around the house, sitting near the comp, chatting (which still hasn’t changed). Early mornings, was so used to getting my breakfast and the usual cup of coffee served almost at bed, that all I had to worry was to have a bath and dress up on time, so as not to miss my usual 9:46. Well, now I got to do the first two all by myself!

Second question – I can’t cook for nuts (wondering who cooks for ‘nuts’ anyways!)! My usual answer is, “I can’t go hungry!”
“So, you cook by yourself?”
“Hmm…”
“Really?”
“Well, I eat by myself! The pav-bhajiwala at the hotel next to the station or the egg-bhurjeewala near the new signal corner or an aunty from church, cooks for me!”

I have been so spoilt that I didn’t even know how to even boil an egg, let alone make other stuff out of it! But, as the cliché goes, “there’s a first time for everything!” And there was no better time to begin my “experiments with cooking”! Perhaps the easiest thing other than boiling the egg is to make a bulls-eye! My first attempt wasn’t too bad, although the ‘eye’ wasn’t exactly at the spot where it was ought to be! My next few attempts, barring once or twice, failed miserably! So, what did I do? ‘Scrambled’ it around and gave it a more egg-bhurjee kind of feel! The result?

This!!

So, here was Blessen’s Egg-Bhurjee! Ahem… minus the bhurjee... and a lot of other things! The English can call it Blessen’s Scrambled Egg! Usually, a new recipe/dish is born out of an older recipe gone wrong! So, there’s nothing wrong with a Blessen’s Bulls-eye turned Messed-up-s-egg! After all, the experiment’s laboratory is my own stomach!

Little Jonty is here!!!

My last update: Sometime in Feb!!! Feb 8th to be precise! At the risk of repeating myself, I am indeed a disgrace to the term “regular blogger”!!

But no better time to update than this! And even as I sit to write this, I got a major problem with what the literature world would call a “writer’s block”! But honestly, at the moment, I care a damn about what I write for yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life! One of those days where my eyes were damp with tears of joy!

Got a call from Abychayan, my bro who is in US, “Little Jonty is out! Little Jonathan is out!!!”
“Congraaaatsssssssss!!!! Wow!!!!!!! You saw him?”
“Yes, I was there inside all this while. Ekdum healthy hain!”
“Oh! Whom does he look like? I guess it’s a little too early too say haan?”
“I guess so, but I think he looks a little like Nisy (that’s my sis-in-law, whom I call chechi).”“Damn coooool yaar!!! I am gonna call up and tell everyone.”

We were talking about the new bundle of joyful addition in our family! My cute little nephew, whom we already had decided to call ‘Jonathan’ aka ‘Jonty’!!! True to the name, ‘given by God’ or a ‘gift of God’!!!

Ahem.. no points for guessing who named him!!! Jonty, the cricketer was always one of my favourite cricketers and our little Jonty too, jumped out two days ahead of the due date! Not surprising!! We are calling him Jonty after all!!!

It’s not the first time that I’ve become an ‘uncle’, although my cousins’ kids consider me more as a brother. This time, it was a different feeling! Just couldn’t thank my God enough!

Congrats to Abychayan and Nisychechi!!! I just can’t wait to see this little angel! I miss him already!!!

One day from death!!!

Except for the fact that my outgoing calls became active again after my cell was flicked the previous Sunday, 23rd of January seemed to be another one of those ‘days in office’. At least till about noon, when my stomach decided to remind me of its presence. No, it wasn’t ‘upset’ but it sure was going bonkers! And I wasn’t enjoying it least bit! The pain was just getting unbearable to the point where I could barely sit on my chair. And soon, I was down on the floor grabbing my tummy rolling with pain. My project teammates got tensed and tried their best to cool me down. But the heat was definitely on me and the sweat on my forehead was another indication that not everything was alright with my body. Eno, Digene etc. brought no relief. My concerned friends, Ullhas, Nishant, Kuldeep and Rishad took me to the nearby Lok Hospital.

The doc at Lok was suspicious of something, not completely sure of what, but she ordered for a sonography, which, if I opted to admit myself there, could happen only in the evening. Friends called my mom and an obviously worried mom preferred to have me somewhere close to her than four stations and a few more miles away! The painkiller’s effect ensured that I could reach home safely, accompanied by Nis and Kul of course. Had a light lunch at 4:30, but I could almost feel the rice entering my stomach! ‘Weird” I thought, “I’ve never felt this way before.” A little sleep and I might be alright when the medicines given from Lok will take its effect. Or so I thought! Wasn’t to be! As soon as the painkiller’s effect died, I was rolling in bed with extreme pain. Soon, I was vomiting. My lunch was out of my stomach after making its presence within! Poor mom was really worried. I was stopping her from taking me to the hospital. Dad was away at Kolkotta and Abychayan and chechi had left for US two Mondays ago. Both, my mom and I thought this could be a case of food poisoning and acidity. The vomiting just wouldn’t stop and through the night, I was groaning and moaning with pain. Mummy too didn’t sleep that entire night.

Wednesday morning—the pain, groans and vomiting continued! Mom had already informed our neighbours the previous night about my condition and she told them in the morning. The uncle forced me to accompany him to his family doc, who quickly prompted for a sonography. I was yet to have something and sonography could be done faster. The result was conveyed over the phone to the doc and I realized not everything was alright.

Soon, I was in the hospital, getting admitted for the first time in my 23 or so years of breathing in and out! The loose hospital uniform signaled that I was going to be a prisoner to the room for sometime. I was told that I have an appendicitis problem and will have to be operated that very night. A blood test result little later confirmed that the problem wasn’t a minor one as my WBC count had increased three times over causing a serious infection problem. Now, I started shivering too and three blankets couldn’t stop my teeth from shattering! I was thirsty, and not a drop of water had passed through my throat ever since I was in hospital. I just couldn’t drink water, as per the advice of the doc. Not even a drop was to be on my lips! Mom, all those from church and my friends were really worried!

“Gimme a drop of water or put me off to sleep by some medicine,” I was getting desperate. I could now imagine what hell would be like. I now know, what the rich man in hell meant when he asked Father Abraham for a drop of water on his tongue! On second thoughts, I didn’t want to imagine what hell would be like cause’ I am sure it is even more fearsome!!! I was just waiting for being in the OT for that would mean an end to my ordeal and a dose of anesthesia would ensure me dozing off!

Eleven at night— I was inside the operation theatre. To say “I was a little nervous” would be an understatement. I wasn’t scared, but I sure wasn’t brave either to face my first stint with a surgeon’s knife.

I had no idea when I was back again to my hospital room for all I remember was that light was off and I started grumbling again for that elusive drop of water! I felt a pain in my stomach, which is when I was told the surgery was complete and the pain’s a result of the stitches. A painkiller shot and another dose of antibiotic ensured I was off to sleep again. Early next morning, I was shown the part which was removed off from me. The appendix seemed bigger than what I had imagined. I was told that it had swollen way too big for comfort! Philomina aunty, also a nurse, and Nisychechi’s dad had seen it even before it was taken out! Yikes!

For the next five days, I was heavily on antibiotics and for two days, I was only surviving on the glucose. My throat and tongue were dry and I could hardly speak now. Didn’t and couldn’t attend any phone calls. Was relieved when I was told that by Saturday morning, I could drink something, but strange as it may sound, now I didn’t feel like drinking, let alone eating! The antibiotics had taken its toll and my tongue had lost its sense of taste! And in any case, I wasn’t a big fan of kanji—the only thing I was ordered to gulp for sometime! Even tea was tasteless! At least for me, it seemed like!

I took my first step to the floor after operation on Sunday afternoon. And it seemed like an eternity! My first step brought with it, a flood of forehead sweat, and breathlessness! My ‘first step’ lasted for a good 15 seconds and off I went back to the bed trying to catch my breath. But soon, I overcame that and was walking albeit slowly!

Monday morning and I was out on bail from my first ever experience of hospital admission vowing to the nurses there, never to be back to the room!

Allow me to get a bit senti here, but I was really touched by the many messages, calls and visits made by my near-and-dear ones! Really meant a lot to me when people from far and wide made visits and calls (even international)! Showed how much they all loved me!!!

So, what was so great about a ‘normal’ appendix operation? I was told after the operation, that I wasn’t too far away from being on the other shore. One more day’s wait or a couple of meals to my stomach could have been fatal! Not many who has had a leaked appendix were lucky to have it operated before it got ruptured and hardly a few who had a ruptured appendix lived to tell the tale. I did! And it’s just my faithful and merciful Saviour who has great and mighty plans for me who helped me to continue breathing. Am I making this thing sound big? Not one bit! Ask my doc and the many qualified nurses, who I’m sure, would testify with me!

How can I thank Jesus, my Saviour enough? For I know, I was just one day away from death, if it wasn’t for His ‘otherwise’ plans!

Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Massaging!!!

The firm of which I am a ‘proud’ part, recently started a ‘Massage Service’ at our gym. Currently, it’s open for all male ‘associates’ (as our company would like to describe its employees). Of course, it is NOT free of charge and I’m not too sure if it is subsidized either. The payment, to be made directly to masseur, is Rs. 100/- for half an hour and Rs. 200/- for one hour of massaging! I am a regular to the massaging centre and I can assure the few reading this blog, that, this is a total rip off!!! I get my massaging done at Rs. 125/- on a monthly basis! That too, twice, for duration of half an hour every day for five days a week! And trust me, the massaging is of the highest quality too!!! Take my word, no other place will ever come close! And to top it all, you get many masseurs for and at your service at one time! Price ranges might vary as per the duration everyday, but never out of your limit! Amazing deal right? So, where and how would you get this service?

Just get inside the 0945 fast local and you’d know!!!

The Guide!!!

If you are a regular to this blog, then chances are that you might have stumbled upon a couple of blogs on the lifeline of Mumbai- The good ol' local trains!!! And it still continues to amaze this regular-turned-irregular blogger!!!

Wednesday morning's 9:56 slow local starting from Dombivli had a visitor. He hopped in, rather, was helped inside the compartment in which I had set my foot in about 10 minutes early. This was a blind man who, like me, was on his way to work. On the contrary, his work had already begun. He had a begging bowl in his hand. And what is so 'amazing' about a blind beggar in a local train. Of course, that's not something new! Not at all, if you happen to miss the 'guide' who was helping the blindman across the compartment -- a healthy street mongrel!!!

Hypocrites of the Highest Order!!!

Reporting Times?
Me: 1030-1040
Him: 11 or later

‘Breaks’ between work?
Me: Interacting with other colleagues, so as to take my eyes of the computer. A little break of 10 minutes after every hour. This helps in refreshing my mind and body (especially THE back).
Him: Work in between the breaks. Orkut through the day. Go over to other colleagues/friends and chat with them. The occasional work helps in refreshing lazy bones.

Work?
Me: Finish off my work in the allotted time or faster.
Him: Outsources work to other TM and colleagues who are at the same level.

But, who gets the firing/blame?
Me (and my teammates): Yes!
Him: Nope, sticking around with the ‘higher hands’ helps! How can the one who fires get fired himself?

Finally, the Punishment?
Me (and my teammates): An explanation, a threat for an increase in workload. (In one colleague’s case, the threatening turned to reality).
Him: …ahem…

I believe you've got to encounter such characters at least once in your lifetime. They do teach you a few lessons, and the most important of them being, "Do not always 'follow the leader'"!!!!