4th gen # 2

Mumbai

Mumbai is shit. Thats all really I have to say for the place. Am sorry am being too blunt or too north indian to say this, but honestly, the place is not worth living. You might have heard this line so many times, that " Life in Mumbai is Fast. " Its really a rhetorical statement if you ask me. If they mean spending more than half of the day on roads stuck in jams with the ever present shit smell. Then i totally agree.. Life is indeed fast. Am not blaming anybody for this honestly, its just a personal opinion that Mumbai is not the place to live life peacefully. Dreams might come true there as most of us say, but i guess it'll be a lot better to put in an extra ounce of effort in your dreams so that they come true in a better place.

Anyways, enough battering Mumbai. I stayed there for 4 days involved nothing on my itinerary. So one day i decided to go to Juhu beach and Andheri myself. I went by a taxi which took me an hour. But it actually look as if seasons changed outside. Damn.. The place is sooo crowded, any place you go. You need some really awesome driving skills to drive in a place like mumbai. Yes .. "Awesome" is the word.. Taxi's change lanes faster than it takes you to give an indicator honestly. But one thing which i personally noticed that, people were calm. Even if you cut someone off in traffic, nobody will retort with any abuse or give some disparaging facial expressions. None.. Here in chandigarh, ok i shud zoom out a bit, lets say, in north people just can't hold off the abuse meter no matter who's fault it is. People here just love to harangue while driving here. The driving sense is obviously not one out of the text book, but Mumbai-ya driving score on the temperament part. And this is totally of what I noticed in those 4 days. Maybe i just got to the see the sober ones in those days. I really can't say.. !!

Anyways, i cudn't go to juhu as it was far off, and i was really put off after a hectic drive and roaming here n there. And hunger was also a major pt. which make my junket a bit rusty in the end. I spent 2 hours roaming in Andheri. I went to SP jain just to see the college and all. Then finally on my way back, rather just as i started, i saw Mc Donalds. I actually cannot write in words how happy i was bcuz i had been eating shit food for 3 days. First 2 days involved hospital canteen, then in house where my sis is living. After eating, another thing which really made my brain tick was the local Railway Station. Ya, you heard it.. !! I was just about to take the taxi, when i had the craziest of ideas. I thought of getting a real feel of Mumabi. And seriously, if you havn't experienced a journey in local train, you have just touched Mumbai. You didn't get into the groove of it.
Well uhhh., I no it sounds way to good..

Last Local

It was around 2 in the afternoon. First there was a a very very big line on the ticket counter. ( sort of line. ) The ticket costed me 6 bucks for the same journey which costed me 25 times more while coming. Neways. Heading to the platform, it took me several minutes to figure out on which platform i've to be on. Then i took the stairs to cross the platforms on which it seemed as if i glided to the top. No kidding.. Mind the pun.. !!

No, not what you conjured right now in your mind. It was as if, i flew with the crowd you no. Autopilot mode.. !! Only thing which have to do ( if you cud do nething else ) is to move your front foot ahead. thats it. The whole direction part will be taken care off pretty well. Just that you have to make hell lot of effort to go in different directions. Neways, waiting for sometime for the train. It finally arrived.. !! Yes.. N boy wat a huge swarm.. Every man for himself in the battle. Fighting and striding and doing whatever u can to get into the train. ( N i thought it was a foul to raise your elbow in football ) ..
N again, a funny thing happened. As it was my first time in a local train, as the train was about to stop, i couldn't decide which coach to get into. It was like calculations going in my mind, which coach had the least people hurdling and easiest to get onto. N the one i chose..??? Was all ladies.. Damn.. Seriously, in my defense, i didn't no that there was a separate coach for ladies. And as soon as i entered, it didn't me long to realize that there were awful lot of women in that coach staring at me. (And that doesn't happen too often :-) ) As if i came in a superman costume in my own wedding you know.. N i felt very awkward but suddenly one lady broke the ice with such harsh words, " this is a ladies coach ". I wasn't actually so offended, bcuz i knew something was fishy. So i got down n immediately looked for the next one. I had to hurry cuz, the train doesn't stop for long. Hardly 2 min or something. I entered another coach and obviously, there's more chance for the Indian football team to make it to the World Cup than getting a seat in the train. There are several levels of luck you know..

Very Very Lucky, --Walla... You got a seat.
Very lucky -- you get something to lean onto.
Lucky -- You get a latch to hold onto.
No Luck -- just try and keep your feet on the ground bro..

So i was Lucky and while standing, you just can sense the (un)freshness in the air. mind the "un". Seriously, there's nothing worse you can ask for than in a humid weather, men standing with one hand raised and standing right next to you. N again, mind you !! We are not talking about ONE man here. Though, the smell sensors in my nose were a bit inured after 3 days for the smell, but seriously, no sensor in the world can outsense ( if thats a word ) the smell in the local train.

Anyways, the train journey was a bit cumbersome ( a bit.. ??) but good thing was, i reached the place in 10 min which took me an hour in a taxi. So in fairness, its actually quite convenient and saves lot of time.

After saying bye bye to the baby boy, we came back to a chillier and thankfully better smelling Parwanoo.

4th Gen #1

Disclaimer - Firstly the title doesn't refer to any Apple products. ( iPods or nething ) Enough has been already said n written for Apple till now. Given that topic a break :-).

Old times

Bombay, oh sorry i mean ' Mumbai ' , i visited long back. Somewhere in 95 or something. I clearly don't remember, but it was when Essel world was one thing which had to be checked in your itinerary no matter from where you manage to squeeze time. But any ways, I have a faint memory about Bombay, ( ya bcuz it was called this when i went earlier ) Juhu beach, where i had this extremely spicy Bhel Puri, and i remember meeting Salman Khan and Karishma Kapoor.

New Times

But, i got a chance to go back to Mumbai last week , bcuz hey !! My sis became a Mum, my mum became a nani and i became a Mama. :-) I wasn't actually sooo excited about the whole thing before, maybe bcuz i didn't no how it feels you know. But when i saw the cute little, oh wait, way too little thing lying in the bed, it just took my breath away. I mean, this has to be biggest miracle known to mankind i suppose, when a human makes another human. N oh my god, how small it was. Ya i no am using " it " as an antecedent for the baby, but seriously, you just cannnot refer it with ' him ' or nething at present when its just a week old.

Anyways, going back, i mean the trip from Delhi to Mumbai n then to the hospital, before i actually met my sis and the new kid. I had a plan to go by train to Mumbai but the ticket canceled, so i went by Indigo Airlines. And to my surprise, the airlines weren't as shit as what they seem from their name. The plane journey had nothing exciting but the only thing which i cannot resist to write is that, credit crunch has affected companies so badly, that you don't get free water bottle in planes nemore. I waited and waited a bit longer if the air hostess wud bring water bottles or nething, but nah. It was freaking PAID... !!! Seriously I mean, i've never traveled before where i paid for water. Even GoAir i guess gives you 200 ml water bottles, those 5 rs ones for free. Not giving free water is actually is act of cheapness of such degree, that even the cheapest of the cheap end up saying, Damn,, now how cheap is that ?

Anyways, the flight time went by easily, but it was the time i spent in taxi to get from airport to the hospital which sucked big time. Firstly, before i enter into the taxi, i wud like to honestly pay my regards to Russell Petters bcuz what he said about the shit smell you sense as soon as you step out at the airport is soo soo true. As if airport hired people to shit and go as soon as there is an arrival.

Which century seriously ??

I took a taxi from the airport to the hospital where my sis was. And Taxi is actually the funny part here . I never knew that taxi's in Mumbai were still those stone age fiat.. Damn... !! N to top that, those taxi's still have those button doors, which you have to press to open the door. I never noticed that it had a button system, so i just went for the latch and pulled it, n tried till a cracking sound came, and the driver said, sir , you need to push the button. I might sound insane but seriously, its been ages when i actually pushed a button to open a car door. It was just a normal reflex action you know to open the door. Neways, the driver wasn't too mad about the door lock thing.

The First ride..

It took me 1 full hour to reach the hospital and it was one pathetic journey i must say. But even more pathetic ones are yet to be experienced in this journey, so wait a bit. Neways, the scenes were awful really on the road side and lots of slum areas around the city. Roads not at all wide, too much shit all over, and the inescapable smell is just something which your nose has to deal with. Regulate its meters inside or watever.


The Baby

Slowly edging through the traffic, with dust all over me and inside me probably, i reached hospital to witness the smallest human being i've ever seen in my life honestly. It was soo tiny that i cudnt even pick him , not obv bcuz they are small, just that bcuz they are soo delicate and have soft or less bones gives you a feel that they'll wobble out from your hands or something. Anyways, on the first day, i was scared to pick it up, so just spent few min playing with it. Babies are just so much full of expressions honestly. Not that elder people are not expressive, but what you get from babies is something more candid. Although right now, a week old child wont do much on the expression part. All they do is sleep and shit. n thats what made me call him " Shit machine ". Seriously. sleep n shit. !! That sums up the day for them really.

There's a bit more to the trip.. will continue..

Been Around

I've upgraded myself this week, ya, i got the iPhone, Finally ! N the word is just .. you know it, WOW. I really don't want to revamp 'my part' into an iPhone blog ( what it seems from the previous 4-5 posts ). But yeah, somehow it makes itself worth writing for time n time again. It is more than just a phone honestly which makes it so special. N iPhone owners will agree with me. Ok yeah, even ipod touch one's too ;-) happy ?? 

n so what if doesn't have a bluetooth, ? It still is sexy !! :-)  [ I had some real bashing up for this bluetooth issue in the party last night :-(   damn... ]

ok, here's n there's from the week(s)-

Delhi Bomb blasts 

I had my tickets booked for sunday shatabdi and was comfortably watching the most awaited match of the season ( football ) till now. Liverpool vs Manu, there cannot be a bigger match than this honestly. N boy liv whooped manu's ass. I cud have danced on roads that day. 

Ya, I was that happy !! 

n while watching the match (as news was the least i was cared about that time), my friend called in n gave me the news of bombings in Delhi n i was like , what the .. I cudn't believe honestly that time that something of that sort had actually happened. Not bcuz i was going there the day after, its just was soo off-guard. Its something very implausible to be honest. Suddenly out of no where these ppl wake up one day to set bombs n spread chaos. Its still an unanswerable ques that what's the purpose behind all this .? What are they getting out of it ? Well, if terrorizing muse is they want to spread, they just broke a bone landing from the first step.

Not that ppl will fall apart. Well, nobody will infact. N i don't blame nebody for this honestly if you ask me. Police force ? nah. there are so many ppl in our country that ,even police from every part of the world also can't stop nething of this sort. People ? again nah..

I no we can sit at our homes, some like me, write , some discuss on phones for somedays, n a week gone , n all washed up. All forgotten, n the next thing we'll be doing is planning which movie to go n where to eat. N for a week, news channels have something to jabber about. n you just can't help it. They keep on repeating the same damn thing over n over again. But neways for few days, there is a relief in newspapers from all the lesbian stories of Lindsay Lohan or maybe some new effort by Britney spears who's trying to keep herself in the news somehow, or possibly a rakhi sawant news of her proposing to Salman Khan ( i mean what the hell ?) . 

Its not that i or nebody expects himself to do nething about it. N pls don't come up with your comments that suggest a solution to it or ne bullshit you want to point at. Its just wat i think for which we can't do a damn about. If you can, don't waste time writing a sleazy comment, go do it.

 The next morning, was like just another day at the New Delhi railway station. No chaos watsoever, well there was the usual kind from the auto waala's n taxi waala's. but nothing which stopped ( us ) people to get up next morning n go to work. It never will become a impeding force really !! I no kerosene n gun powder come cheap and it aint a big deal to make bombs now, specially when its few clicks away, its just that who ever wants to prove a point, be a man to do it the way it shud be proved !!  Killing people like this is like killing people in an open field with a sniper. 

Ya, its that easy ..!!

iPhone, which took all away

Neways, i reached home safely from station to bua's house and certainly no denying the fact that, iPhone just made me forget every thing in the world for that hour. Unlocking iPhone, my very own iPhone, gave a unparalleled feeling. This was my 3rd iPhone unlocked with totally different procedures every time. 

Ok, pulling myself from the iPhone topic, me n my cousins had a wonderful time around. Eating obv. Well, after loosing 6 kgs, n eating a proper ( or shud i say shit ) diet for so long, wait how many, 2 months maybe , i just let go of myself ( for this week ) No strings attached. I was on a eating spree really and boy i had a mouthful. From Pizza ( which has to be one thing i come running back all the time ) to chaat paapadi, to chole bhature to bhel puri to what not. The list is endless ! We 3 foodie's just had a go at it. 

Warning 

Speaking of which, i should chip in a warning as well here

We ( bua n all ) went for a movie,Last Liar. N pls honestly, i don't want to be too critical, but just DON'T WATCH THAT MOVIE. It might be a personal opinion as some might say, but i really don't think its even worth watching even ( with a general opinion ) if you are free and have absolutely nothing in this world to do. Just sit back n enjoy the cold weather. No need to go. It has to be the shittest movie i've ever seen in my life. We fortunately ( ya ! i wished we missed the whole ) the first 10 min of the movie, in the interval, i went up to some guy ( only 15 people in the hall ) to ask abt the first 10 min, n wat he said , - " Sorry, i can't explain ".

Ya it was that bad !!

Hadron Collidor

Ya, i shud have written it before, it just slipped out of my mind. The multibillion Hadron collider will explore the tiniest of particles and come closer than ever to re-enacting the big bang ( or taking it back from the start ? ;-) ). Well its the theory that created universe. This collider will push the protons to nearing speed of light, 11,000 times a second. Now thats fast ! N there has been lot of talk of the formation of black holes by this which is the rarest of possibilities. But mind you, if that had happened, we wudnt even had had a second to actually realize the fact that we went thru something. 

But as i said, news channels really wait for something to jump on. A bandwagon which they can roll over to nowhere. With all the dramatic visuals and shitty catch lines about ending the life on earth, there was this girl who committed suicide listening n worrying abt the day of the so called Doom. I honestly have no idea what went through her mind, cuz drinking pesticide n dying is much more painful than being simply vaporized. 

N ya, it was that Vague !!

Packing

Its not easy to get your things packed for a 15 day trip. Never for me honestly, a task which requires lots of planning. Well not exactly "lots" also as most of the times i'll be dragged with the tourist buses everywhere. It'll be tiring as hell without a doubt but i'll jump to that contention after i jump onto the bus's seat. Weather is another let down which is somewhat dodgy in this part of season in Europe.

Out of the 5 places, austria and switzerland are 0 below, so its a no brainer really that everything for winters find there way in. The rest of the places, Rome, France and England are tolerably cold ( but rains are unexpected anytime and everytime ) so something light and flamboyant should do. Apart from the clothes, am taking my Macbook along, to pass time somewhere like in Doha where we have a stop for 6 hrs both ways ( damn ! ) which is very shit i no. Am hoping i'll find net somewhere and could possibly change my fantasy football team in the midweek. I know it sounds a bit crazy but i really don't want to let go of the 2nd position. There is totally no room for any kind of stings in the tail right at the death of the season !! Ok, along with Mac, camera is obvious and specially its charger which happens to be left behind most of the times.

Shopping wasn't that grand for the trip. Just bought a pair of jeans and hand gloves. Trying Jeans is much of a terror i tell you ! One just hopes the jeans you trying should fit in the size you imagine for yourself. Most of times i find myself holding my breath praying to god, that this jeans should fit it nicely. But after loads of jogging and a bit of Yoga, the jeans just slid in nicely ( without tucking my tummy ). I was actually very happy with it :-)

List of things to buy from there is pretty much ends where it starts. UK as always is too expensive to buy anything. But i'll definitely buy a Liverpool jersey ( Black one ) which is no where available in india ( only in palika ). I thought of getting an iPhone but its the same price which am getting here in chandigarh ( without the bargaining shit ) so no point for that. Rest i'll zoom around and pick few things for friends.

I still have a chance of watching a liverpool game in Birmingham but the odds aint pretty. Because mom and dad are completely out of this so, i'll have to manage and travel 170 miles through Tube from Ashford ( thats where i'll be staying in England ) to Birmingham on 26th. I'll go to some pub or something to watch champions league match on 22nd of Liverpool vs Chelsea. I'll be France most probably that time , so odds here also pretty much low to get a place where they showing the match, and specially meeting Liverpool fans somewhere or else i'll have to disguise myself as some French club fan and watch emotionlessly to keep off from the inebriated fans.

Going to birmingham ( the 170 mile trip) alone will be a act of bravery or mindless, am yet to find that out !