Cold Tirupati

I have been longing to visit Tirupati for a long time. I believe HE pulls you all the time to remind you that you need to give your visit. The more I visit, more things get done. Things to do, visit HIM and lo everything gets done without a hitch. I have been trying to find a suitable time tovisit HIM. Alas! for many weeks things weren't happening. Last Sat, I said enough is enough; I am not giving any more excuses. I booked the one day tour to Tirupati through KSTDC. KSTDC have a Volvo service for the one day tour from Sun to Thu. I took a day off and booked my ticket for the Sun night service. I boarded the bus at 2130hours. There were many elderly couples and just 4 single men. Others were with families. There were also newly weds who had their first babies. Its a wonderful sight. Don't mistake me, thinking I was oogling at the ladies. No, I wasn't. Its a wonderful sight to have babies. Spirit of life continues.

Anyway, I enetered the bus and it was cold. Everyone were wrapped in warm clothes. Fortunately, this time I had worn my sweater and got my cap to cover my ears and head. I sat there shivering. There was an odd family. Family comprised of grandparents, grandson and son. Grandfather had this hair style ala APJ Kalam style. While Kalam has silver on his head, his was jet black. He can actually promote hair products. Grand mother was the cruel one. She boarded the bus almost abusing Kalam :( I was wondering whats wrong with her. I have been seeing this trend everywhere. Ladies who have hit 50+ are never respectful to their husbands. I guess they should just come and meet my good old grandmother how to respect one's husband while he is alive and even when he is dead. I feel sick and tired. MCP you can say but come on, even if there are 100 bad things about anyone, you can always admire just that one good quality. Lalita Pawar was hungho about her seat. She was complaining that her husband got them a seat at the back and she cannot sleep all night. Hello granny, you are travelling by Volvo and you dont get those shocks :P. She then started getting angry at her grandson. Grandson who already was wearign a sweater and a muffler was told to wrap the muffler tightly around his ears a hundred times. Grandson ala Mohammed Ali Junior, might be 10 years old was speakign good english and was pissed off by Lalita Pawar's antics. He was talking to his Mama saying why is this lady acting so weird. I was sitting infront of them enjoying the talks. I was feeling sorry for the grandfather, Ali Junior and her son. Why do people get hyper at the drop of the hat? When you have got an arrangement made, you just enjoy it. You are going to visit a temple. Some people force themselves to pain by walking the hill and here our lady doesnt want to sit at the back. Will God be happy about her behaviour? Its tough to judge a person by a single incident but I still feel if you are going for a purpose like visitng temples you need to have that peace and tranquility and humbleness. You need to have the respect to fellow human beings. You talk and reach God if you are good to fellow human beings. Humanity comes first. That was the lesson I have learnt through my Dad. I don't know how much he or myself practise. But, as I have been constantly being told about it, it strikes me if I am doign the right thing or wrong. Yes, there are plenty of wrong doings i have done. I don't regret it as I have done them with innocence. :P Innocent me, people give me a stare. Anyway, that s the truth, if people belive it or not. Anyway, Lalitha Pawar was stopped by some fellow passengers who asked her to lower her voice and keep shut her mouth. I was unlucky to have missed this incident. Its a rarity that I miss incidents. :)

I didn't get much sleep. We reached Tirupati at 0300hours and we got in to a TTD room and were asked to vacate the room by 0500 hours. I shared the room with a Father and son. They were pretty good to talk to. Son had completed BE. All of us boarded the bus and took our first temple look. We visited Padmavathi temple and then came and had breakfast. It was cloudy and cold with a wind. The restaurant was also centrally air conditioned. I shivered while I ate idli and vada and upama(uppit). After that we went for HIS darshan. It was very cold with slight drizzle. I guess the temp was around 14-15C . I didn't wear my sweater and just was able to keep myself from shivering. We joined the queue around 0930hours and I carried a bottle of water. Before I entered the main shrine, I drank all the water and I was in for some trouble later for this act. My bladder was full and the slow movement made my condition worse. I thought its a test of endurance and I won it. Perseverance and self control being the qualities *gives a wide smile*. The queue to the Hundi*where you drop your money /gold* wasn't moving. yet another test and I passed with flying colours. I just hurried myself out to catch the nearest bathroom. I was stopped to take the prasad. I ate half of it on go. I couldn't eat more. I am sorry oh ! Lord and yo uknow knwo very well the reason. I hopped out and frantically looked out. I saw one and dashed twards it and relief at last. Never will I try drinking lot of water before entering temples. :) I came back the same evening. I hope to have pleased myself and HIM by going there. I am wishing HE calls me again. :) The selfish mind wants more. I am human after all. Or to correct i am an evolved human being as I have extra bones in my hands. :P On that bony note, I end . I took 3 full days to pen this. :D

Sunny days

Two days have passed and the city has been at its best. Clear blue skies, sunlight and lots of pollen *read dust* :). Clear blue skies and sunlight are a sign of prosperity. Pollen is a measure of industrialisation *more running cars and other vehicles*.
I love the blue skies with mild clouds that give it a shade of white to it. There were times in my childhood when imaginations went far and wide and I would see all creatures of the planet in them. One of the best skies (make it two) I have seen in the recent times was when we climbed Tadiymbol and Kumar Parvat. Just sleeping under the sun and watching the blue sky gives me immense pleasure. I would exchange that pleasure with anything.

Monday blues

Weekend started and has already passed. Weekend was lot of fun and lot of work. I haven't worked hard so much for a long time. I was beginning to catch a cold. And, Sunday evening was the worst. The weather has changed and it has become cold. Chilly weather doesn't cause any harm. Its the pollution. Anti-histamines are the order of the day. I didn't find any at home. I had to urgently go to Kormangala travelling a good 10 kms. I was feelign feverish and my head seemed heavy. This is what ppl call headache i guess. I still don't understand what a headache is. I guess the closest to the word headache is the heavy head you have after a night of drink and puke thngy. In any case I just popped in a paracetomol and travelled to Koramanagala and went on my way to solving a bug. I coudln't hit any luck and i came back and watched a hindi movie. Garam Pakodas aka Masala. Later, i sat down to solving the Sudoko. That's the craze in town these days and it has engulfed me.
I slept way late at 2 :30am. I also put my mobile to charge but there was a bloody problem with the charging unit and in the morning i found my mobiel dead. I restarted it at and checked the time . It was 5 30am. After that every half an hour i was checking whether my mobile was charging. It wasn't. I coudln't sleep. I woke up at last tired of trying lying in the bed. I woke up and just tweaked the connections of the instrument. I just managed to charge a lil'. 1 hour of Sudoko and then I knew i was late for work. I was still heavy. Armed with another tablet i reached office. I guess my lunch *party from a colleague which was heavy* cured my sleep, heavy head. I am feeling quite energetic and ready to kick. Any takers. :P
I am also thinking a lot for the coming year. I guess i need to relax a bit and just enjoy myself. Everything goes great if we are trying and positive. On that positive note, I will end. Dinner beckons and I need to get back home before the weather turns more cold. :)

Table Tennis woes

I had to write this before. I have been playing table tennis for more than 20years. I used to play it every single day for 3 years. I have always made it to the finals of TT tournaments. I have won finals too. But, there was a time when I used to lose to one person. I must have lost two finals to him. Unfortunately, he left the place and I was champion again. I didn't lose the finals for many years. I also won a mixed doubles final. I forgot who my partner was.
I have not played table tennis for 10years now. I also beat some good table tennis players in college too. With this background, I gave my name for the table tennis tournament. I had been playing good. I was confident. Just the bat were bad. I managed to beat and managed to reach the finals. Then, I had a break of a week wherein I coudln't play TT. And when I came back, I was playing the first finals. The finals was among 3. Round robin was the mode of play to determine the winner. For my first match, I was not in good shape. My mind was awry and it was raining and I was wet. Unshaven, not at all free to move with a slight stiffness after a horrendous journey, I was playing my first finals. I lost the first set 21 -16. I was good at backhand and used to play ok forehand. But, then suddenly my forehand had become a weapon and I was very confident of it. But in the match none of my forehand pushes or smashes coudl reach the other side of the table. Each of my forehand pushes hit the net. Probably the net was tied a little higher. I won the second set. The third set started with me playing wayword. I normally don't lose my patience. I was beginning to feel irritated and impatient. I was trailing 5-10 and then I started playing wonderfully. I was playing my backhand slices very well. I never attempted to play my forehand. Suddenly we were even at 15. Then, I played magnificently and moved to a 20-16 lead. One point to go to win the match. And, then I played the worst table tennis of my whoel life. My opponent caught up with me and I lost the match :( I hate to lose when I know I can beat ppl. I was feeling a lot down for some days. Moral of the story is grow your patience. When you know you are losing your focus, concentration, start developing it. There is noone in thsi world you can't beat if you make your will. So, tighetn your resolve and go gather your dreams. On that note let me get back to some work. :)

Good things in life

There are times in your life when unexpectected things happen and your life changes. I wouldn't have imagined some years back that I would be here. Where am I? haha That's a secret to be opened soon. Look out for answers. Coming sooon!

There has been a new entry in to my realm. New entries don't come so easy. You have to sweat it out. Swords drawn, guns ready to fire and fists ready to hit but then at the end of the shoot, its a nice feeling to be together and kicking. Its a funny feeling. You feel nervous but you are lot calm. You are lost but there's someone who finds you and reaches out. You lose sleep on trivial issues but you also lose sleep on sweet talk. [:)] Its a nice time of my life and I am enjoying every second of it. Come December, I will have lot more to write and lot more to talk about. I want all the people's wishes and prayers as I enter the new life. Life that I didnt want some time back. [:)] Uncertainty spices life more.
I am playing my AOM with mroe earnest. *which means I am totally ecstatic*. But alas, my OS crashed thanks to my way wards ways of shutting down the system. These days, I long for my favourite songs to come on VH1 which makes me feel all the more calmer. I wish everyday to open up with the song "Someday". Its one helluva "spirit lifting" song.

I want to close this with a nice song from Goo Goo Dolls- Iris.

And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
And you bleed just to know you're alive
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am