Posts Tagged 'Travel'

#278 Answer to Question #29 and a few more things…

No, it is not 42.

2009 seemed like a long year… like it would never end. That is also another reason why I did the 30 Qs thingy even before the year ended. It is just not ending!

So it was yet another year filled with travel, however lesser destinations, and even lesser new places. Like 2008, once again I travelled to Chicago USA, and then also managed to squeeze a trip to San Francisco over one of the weekends. The stopover this time was at London, and British Airways was a comfortable flying option to Air India.

Like last year, most of November was spent in sadness, sadness with hope but of an eventual loss. Frankly speaking, I do not even want to go back to the beginning of the year and recapitulate the days. Overall, I did not find any great reason of extreme happiness in 2009. What I have realised is that there are a few things that can keep me happy in any gloomy moment, and those are good food, my motoscooter, and my D-SLR camera.

So a few things happened this year that have and may in the future change the way I perceive the world around me. Many lessons learnt. And this time around, I have resolutions for the coming year, generally I don’t – at least I don’t remember having any for the past 5 years. So where do I begin? As one of the teachers who taught me used to say – “Let us begin to begin with the beginning…”

Rule #1: There is no court of justice to make you feel better
If you think someone has ill-treated you, told you a lie or simply hurt you, stay calm and forget the person. If the person is very close to your heart, ignore such a behaviour from that person, bury the facts deep in the ground or throw in the dustbin. Start fresh.

Rule #2: Do not let people tell a lie to you
Injustice comes packed with everything else that you get in life. People tell lie for various reasons, but mostly it is to save their own skin. What I would do better from now on is stay away from such people! I was very hurt recently when someone told me point blank that I had told a lie, when the fact was the other way round.

Rule #3: Life has to move on
With life, comes death. Some go early, some late. My family has taught me that life must move on no matter what. What matters is how you move ahead, than how you look back and wonder what happened!

Rule #4: Never reach on time
Till date I have been in some of the most embarrassing situations for myself, for reaching places anywhere from 15 minutes to 120 minutes in advance. Add to that the delay at the event or the arrival of the person I am waiting for, and those are the most boring times ever. So, if I go on a date, I would reach 15 minutes late, and if for a meeting (outside work) would reach 5-10 minutes late.

Plan #1: Be disciplined
Most important discipline for me would be eating habits. A strict diet with healthier options is my first resolution for the coming year. Discipline in other habits would also be regulated.

Plan #2: Be gentlemanly
I do not want to give another chance to the few people who pointed fingers at me. In other words, do not try to mix relationships with people. In an organization, all are your colleagues. Outside, everyone is a friend. People including me, often make the mistake of communicating informally in formal settings, or formally in informal settings. The internet has tried its best to bridge the gaps between formal and informal communication, but that itself is one of the biggest problem maker.

Plan #3: Be quiet
If I do not like something, I am not going to express my dislike.

Plan #4: Travel and Blog
I plan to travel to more new places and blog more often in 2010 than I did in 2009. I do not like to say that ‘I did not get time to blog’, because I know, it is not true.

So those are a few boring rules followed by a few boring plans… Next December I want to see those ticked off. Can you help me with those? Well no! They are for me, and I shall accomplish them.

Budday less than a week away, reminds me I am growing old. Hair are grey or gone! It would be number 25. Lets see! Ciao in 2010.

#269 Happy Diwali!

Happy Diwali everyone…

Play it safe :)

And I am traveling to Chicago (on the night of Diwali) once again… “Trains and Winter Rains” calling…

Going to eat Bibimbap!

#259 What blogging means to me, and why my blog isn’t popular: A view through Blog Analytics

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#243 US Trip Memories


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#234 To the moon…

Sometimes I feel I should just leave the earth and go and stay on the moon. Looking at the earth and laughing at the poor souls still stuck there fighting amongst each other… what a pleasure it will be :)

DSC07138 (Large)

Photograph details:
Exposure: 1/160 sec
ISO speed: 400
F-number: F/8
Zoom: 12x Optical
Camera: Sony DSC-H1
 

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#225 circa 2008

Flashback:
Click here to read circa 2007…

And this is for 2008…

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Went ‘Zorbing‘.

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next? I dint have one but I will make one for 2009.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

Continue reading ‘#225 circa 2008′

#224 Farewell…

At Addis Abeba...

Rashmi, Sriram, and Satish... Thanks for absolutely everything...

)

Rashmi, Saunvit, Prateek, Sriram... Thanks for the awe-kasam Smoky Trip :)

)

Rashmi, Ramya... Thanks for all the meals we had together... :)

)

Jae, Heera... Thanks for the most amazing Bibimbap and your warmth... :)

Chicago... Thank You...

Chicago... Thank You...

)

New York... Thank You :)

)

Fall... Thanks for the most beautiful moments that you gave me and my camera :)

Snow... for the mindblowing cold and an amazing experience...

Snow... Thanks for the mind-blowing cold and an amazing experience...

And Guru (for the amazing talks of everything starting from China to Peru, vada-pav to chai-at-a-tapri, NCC to ‘bakch**di’…), Anna, Chris (on the Metra), Jing, Sally, Liliana (whom I may never meet again), Kunal, Riya and everybody else…
I know there are many more…

Thanks,
Goodbye…

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#213 New York

Maybe, my views about US are changing… And I do not doubt that it is the greatest country in the world.

From bustling cities to affluent locations, it has everything to offer…

Like, what I found in NY is this…

DSC06268
Madison Square Garden: World’s largest arena. Watched Wintuk (Cirque du Soleil) here.

DSC06273
Do you know this place?

Click below to see more pics… Continue reading ‘#213 New York’

#202 Mulshi or Bushi?

Supposed to go to Mulshi Dam, somewhere perpendicular to Mumbai-Pune route, we ended up going to Bushi Dam near Lonavala…

Here are some of the better photos…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dybydx/tags/blogzsaugustlonavala/

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#183 Kolkata Phototour

Kolkata Phototour

Date: May 13th, 2008
Camera: Sony DSC-H1

Route: Maidan-Victoria-Babu Ghat-Howrah-Babu Ghat-Esplanade

Rabindranath Tagore’s memorablia in front of Elliot Park, Chowringhee.

Birla Planetarium from Chowringhee. Seen behind it is St Paul’s Cathedral and in front is Indira Gandhi’s statue.

Maidan in front of Victoria Memorial. Far away are the flood lights of Eden Gardens getting ready for the IPL match.

Vidyasagar Setu: The new bridge over Hoogly. Lovely architecture.

Horses and Ponies at Maidan.

Magnificent Victoria Memorial.

Stalls to cool the customers on a hot afternoon in summer.

Front facade of Victoria Memorial.

Ghoda Gaadi :)

Inside the ferry from Babu Ghat to Howrah.

On the ferry to Howrah.

All so magnificient Howrah Bridge.

“Ferry us across the river.”

“Vrrooooooooooooom”

Millions cross the bridge everyday, either in a bus or on foot. Thousands cross this bridge everyday on their way to calling Kolkata their new home.

Howrah Station. One of the oldest railway station complexes in India.

The Howrah Ferry Wharf.

The end of it with an awesome Lebu-Chaa (Lemon Tea).

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#182 Been there, Done that… Have you?

In the last 23 years and a half… in no particular order as such…

I have:

  1. Been to a ground altitude of more than 12,000 feet.
  2. Felt what –20 C is and what 50 C is.
  3. Played snow ball fight and made snow man in the snow.
  4. Put ice cubes in my aaji’s (grandma’s) saari.
  5. Traveled in a train at more than 300 km per hour.
  6. Eaten one litre of ice cream in one go.
  7. Watched an international cricket match at the stadium.
  8. Lived at ‘home’ in almost 4 different cities.
  9. Traveled 25,000 km in India within one year.
  10. Thrown a duster at a friend’s head [:(]
  11. Dreamt that I have killed someone and am running away from police.
  12. Got dead scared on seeing a snake on the street while cycling.
  13. Have played more than 10 different types of computer cricket games.
  14. Stood first in a metro city in an interschool competition.
  15. Made a sincere attempt to learn 7 languages. Achieved fluency and reading / writing ability in 4. Can understand and read / write two more languages and mastered the script of a seventh language.
  16. Ancestral roots in Greece as much as in India.
  17. Fallen in love with a song which nobody amongst my acquaintances knew that far.
  18. Played over arm bowling cricket in a space of less than 50 feet by 15 feet.
  19. Played a cricket match of 0.3 overs.
  20. Done underwater swimming in a run off stream.
  21. Slept for 16 hours at a stretch.
  22. Done a self inspired research on rain mud (kichad) thinking it to be quick sand while I was in class 2.
  23. Met two internationally acclaimed astrophysicists.
  24. Shouted out "Daaku Mangal Singh" at a passing tractor’s driver.
  25. Seen a perfect sunrise from the sea.
  26. Jumped off the cycle after throttling it to full speed, thinking myself to be Amitabh Bachchan.
  27. Walked all the way from home (Andheri) to Siddhivinayak Temple (Dadar) on foot before my Class 10 results.
  28. Loved someone more than anything else ever, and still do :)
  29. Got the lowest marks in the class in drawing, and still was the only student from the entire school to win a prize at an interschool drawing competition.
  30. Been a troop leader in school scouts.
  31. Written a blog with more than 180 posts, received more than 480 comments and 13,000 visitors.
  32. Owned a web domain, and still do.
  33. The ability to eat food with chopsticks.
  34. Had a crush on a class teacher in school.
  35. Been to an international cricketer’s house.
  36. Eaten pork intestines.
  37. Drunk rice beer.
  38. Traveled 420 km in a bus in four and half hours.
  39. Watched a 3D movie in a cinema hall.
  40. Been to watch a movie all alone.

Well there certainly should be many more in this list, just that I dont remember them :)

You may send any clarifications at aditya@aditto.info

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#178 The new world order, of heights and beauty

Living by the sea, and thinking of the snow clad peaks. That defines me the best. Rather than defining myself, I should look at defining the world today. A lot of things have actually changed the way I used to look at the world or the way the world seemed to be to me. In so many years, I have seen a very distinct change in the world around me. I have seen a change in the way I fit into this world. Today I have seen the larger world than just the one I had seen sitting behind my dad on his scooter.

Continue reading ‘#178 The new world order, of heights and beauty’


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