Learning

Shambles and Shackles

/ Paddy / 1 Comment

 

In the words of Bob Marley – “Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.”

Often it seems that life begins to bow you down and you think is there any worth to the amount of effort you put into living it. Tired of fighting it out and finally coming to terms accepting the worse and moving on. Waiting to grab the silver lining.. So near, yet so far away.

Its always a tiring and tedious journey.. coming across hundreds of new faces all trying to get a glimpse into your life.. asking you questions bout the past.. Its funny how folks look at you and percieve your whole life without even knowing the thorny path you’ve been through. But then you question.. Whats Life without living it in Shambles and Shackles ? Would it be good if it were all pleasant and rosy without any risks and challenges it throws at you ? Would you be living it up otherwise .. !! I doubt i can hardly meet any person who can tell me their life has been perfect.

I have done mistakes and learnt a lot from them. Some have made me the person i am today. Was it for the better and are there any regrets ? Definitely not. Had it been not for those, i wouldnt have met the beautiful folks in my life today. I wouldn’t have got the drive to thrive towards excellence. Had i not seen failure in the eye, i wouldnt have had the will to stand up for myself.

I learnt its the moment you have today that matters. Make the most of it. These are the moments that makes this journey called LIFE worthwhile.

“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.”  – Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free.

Cheerios.

 

 

 

 

Yay !! Re-Did my Blog

/ Paddy / 1 Comment

Finally .. something i have been tryin to do for quite sometime.. Change my blog into a photo blog showcasing some of my average photography.

Got a few Galleries created under the “PhotoBlog” section at the top right corner.

Please click the thumbnails to view a high res photo.

Do comment and let me know on what you think bout them.

Warm regards & Cheers,

me

Dum vita est, spes est

/ Paddy / Leave a comment

Am kinda almost on track keeping up with my bucket list.. Things i wanna accomplish before i start to regret bout all the past happenings in my life. MBAs in progress, Bugsy is keepin me on my toes while i am home, Weekends with my best buddies from college, movies, etc.

I gotta thank my wonderful family who have been with me through the thick n thin. They have indeed been the greatest strength for me. I sometimes used to wonder did i do right by coming back home to them. Sometimes  the feeling of losing your freedom can bog you down but in my case, the pros have been much higher than the cons of being back home n staying with family. Something i guess i missed out for almost a decade. I thank God for making me more spiritual, and blessing our home.

I have learnt a lot in the past few years, some of these learnings could seem as if it were right out of Osho or Baba Ramdevs ashram but these have been true in my case.

  • Shit Happens to everyone.. While only few are open to speak bout it few try to cover it up.. a covered up shit raises more stink which drives people to probe more into it than one which is found in the open. Only You can clear the mess.
  • You got just one short life.. quit worrying bout moments where you gave up too soon too easy.. Take multiple vacations, Take a break, make all the moments count.
  • Follow your aspirations.. Don’t let the idiots talk you out of it. You will find more people pessimistic than optimistic. If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
  • Build a home around folks you love and you won’t have a sorry place to return to ever.
  • Get a dog, i got ma dahlin’ Bugsy.. May be the only one in the whole world who knows to love unconditionally. We are in a world where we need it the most.
  • Remember, it aint over until it’s over. Be Passionate bout your work.
  • People change, priorities change over time.. no use brooding over em.
  • Laugh n Smile a Lot … Did ya know it takes 43 muscles to frown while only 17 to smile 🙂
  • Be Thankful for today, Pray for a brighter tomorrow.

Read this Latin proverb on the web, “Dum vita est, spes est”… It means “While there is Life, There is Hope”… It made a lot of sense. Considering it to  be my next tattoo 😉

Cheerios,

me

Bangalore Revisited – Part 2

/ Paddy / 1 Comment

Finally yet another weekend comes to an end..  Hasn’t been the best one though but of course managed to keep myself more or less completely buzzzzzzzzzyyyyyy !!  The past week couldn’t have been more hectic.. Had my ITIL V3 Foundation Certification at  IBM MTP campus.. And i had to leave home by around 7 AM  to get to the land far far away.. MTP feels like its almost in another city and coming back is an absolute nightmare considering the traffic jams on the outer ring road.. Whoever said the ring roads were meant to ease traffic congestion should eat their words. Anyways Mon – Wed was eventfull.. Am ITIL V3 Certified 🙂 .  And thankfully to the chaos of the Babri Verdict, had to get to work by around 6 AM on Thur  and about Fri was pretty much relaxed. The Worst thing bout my job is that its similar to “Hotel California” 😉  — “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave !!!” 😛  . I do have a fixed 9 hour shift but somehow time flies and the 9 hours feel like its just been a couple.. So i end up staying back. Hope i dont end up with a receding hairline soon.. My boss already seems to have one and i dont intend to follow suite.  Anyways i am gonna try n build 2 resolutions for the next year: 1)  to be back home everyday  on time after completing 9 hours of work and 2) to follow Resolution 1 😉

So there i was on a Saturday morning struggling to wake up coz a dear fren of mine and i had planned to Watch “Anjaana Anjaani” at Urvashi Cinemas, an old cinema theatre with latest sound systems but yet one of the few cinemas in Blore yet to be bitten by the Multiplex syndrome.  After a long time i heard folks hooting and whistling as the stars made their entry on to the silver screen… Something rarely seen in a civilized multiplex unless you have a Rajni starer movie.. which i will tell you bout as you read further.

Anyways the movie was kinda ok, definitely not impressive but a one time watch timepass flick..  Got tired of  watching useless attempts of suicides, I am sure the movie would be flooded by folks who want to think of innovative ways to kill themselves. 😉 . Utter no brainer !!

Lunch was good around late noon.. Went to this new north indian joint.. well new for us.. its been there for quite some time.. “Oye Amritsar” .. Damn good food.. Yummy thick Lassi and Butter Milk.. Well cooked meat.. Superb quantity.. amazing paan at the end. Only peeve was that the finger bowls were too small… I dont say i have Monster Fingers but the bowls were definitely small. I didnt like the bill but i liked the way it was presented.. Came in a neat container which looked like a Rajnigandha paan masala wala with some witty lines on it. we billed bout 1100 without desserts for two of us.. But the quantity was good enuf for three.

Then around evening, met a few more buddies at Garuda near M.Gs .. Some nice coffee and off we went to watch a 4-D entertainment visual called FUNMAX .. Its not the first time i was watching a 4D cinema but this one was kinda nice.. The duration is definitely a bummer.. they promise a 20 min movie but you might be lucky if the movie plays on for 10 min or less.  Absolute ripoff after paying 150 bucks a head. The seats aren’t really great for a tall person and could definitely do with a feet in the air effect.  My advice.. Watch it if you have never been to one before.. It would be a good experience.. I found the 3d effects of the movie better but the 4d aspects not so great.

End of Saturday… Sunday was kinda dull and gloomy until evening.. Watched the much awaited Tamil Superstar Rajni Starrer flick “Endhiran“.. Yes … no points for guessing.. we shelled out a bomb to watch this in a multiplex cinema and YESSSS the crowd turned uncivilized and there was hooting and whistling… Who cares.. Its a Rajni flick… I joined in too… 😉  I am Impressed with the movie.. I dont speak nor understand much of Tamil but you dont need to coz the movie speaks for itself.. You might feel a lil lost but then you will be able to connect with the movie… Hell yeah… i had a punjabi fren watching a tamil movie.. If she could understand, anyone can 🙂 . The movie has quite a few scenes which would seem as if its a straight lift out of Will Smiths “I-Robot” .. The special effects in the movie have definitely raised the standards of Indian Cinema and the techniques used. Truly fantastic.. Total Paisa Wasool  🙂

And for the finale.. Theres no better way to end the week than with a feeling of pride watching India’s CWG spectacle.. It was one of the best openings the country could have ever imagined after all the unwanted unsolicited media hype and controversies.  Hats off and Kudos to the people of this great nation for the solidarity and commitment shown to ensure the event goes on to become one of the most memorable ones in the years to come.

Bangalore Revisited – Part 1

/ Paddy / 4 Comments

Have been thinking bout this for quite a while now… The face of Bangalore has changed beyond recognition. I somehow dont seem to connect with most of the places in the city. I was part of this discussion on FB  with a few very close buddies of mine regarding how certain key areas of Bangalore has changed and the landmarks have started disappearing.  Few of the favorite hangouts of our yester years is too hard to connect with. Missing those somewhat quite evenings in 4th block complex, drive in one of the most beautiful roads in south Bangalore – Sangam circle to Southend Circle.  Having Softee opp Jain Temple, run down the Ragigudda temple hill.. wish it were un-barricaded as earlier, 20 rs movies at Swagath theatre, Cricket matches at Green Pitch (not so green anymore)  and Quality pitch.., Vadilal icecreams opp telephone exchange, etc ..  Gone are the days when one didn’t have to worry about traffic woes in the city but now shudder at the thought of driving out in the weekend even if its to pick up grocery. I would prefer a weekday anytime than venture out around the weekend. The other pain which i personally feel is the new “mall culture”.. Every block seems to come up with a new superstore ever week. Though it means a lot of options but it somehow seems to be a hassle as well.. Jayanagar’s traffic and parking woes in 9th block seem to have increased after the opening up of a very famous mall. I don’t completely say they are bad coz i frequent them quite often myself. I am ready to live with “mall culture” , most Bangaloreans wouldn’t mind either 😉 .. So before i completely fail to connect with this city beautiful, a dear friend and i thought of having this bucket list of things we wanna do in Bangalore and places  we would wanna visit while we still breathe and are alive in the few green pockets of Bangalore. So here goes……

Number 1 : though not in any order was to visit the famed Bangalore Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM). I wouldn’t say that i was completely impressed with the place though but it is definitely a must visit. I have been to better museums but this had a nostalgic feel since i was visiting this place after almost 15 years.. Few old memories of the place was us running around as kids  pressing all the buttons which bring the models into play. The ground floor has the engines and dinosaur exhibits.  Also try n catch up on the several shows which are presented, for instance we watched the “Taramandal Show” which explains how to identify Constellations and star patterns in the night sky. Pretty interesting. Also saw a replica of the wright brothers Smithsonian flight model.    The First floor had the Fun Science and the Electronic exhibits.  The Second floor had the Space and Biotechnological exhibits. The Third floor housed the BEL house of electronics and a kiddies corner with a few fun learning games. The entry fee is bout 20 bucks and the various shows inside cost bout 5 bucks each. You could easily spend a good 3-4 hours in there and though you wouldn’t be raving bout the place but certainly you will not be disappointed.  My advice : Take your kids along, have fun learning and relive your childhood.

Here are a few pics from the visit.

The Museum is located on Kasturba Road. Parking can be done near the Cubbon Park entrance and then a 100m walk back on Kasturba road should take you right to the museum. You could also visit the Aquarium and take a toy train ride at Cubbon Park, We skipped the toy train ride. and the Aquarium isn’t a pretty sight to watch either. Go if you must !!

For more info, check the museum wiki link here.

PS : Feel free to help me add on items to my bucket list of things to do in Bangalore. I would try and update my list on here in the next few days.

Cheers

me