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.

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!

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

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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.

5. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 4, the day Obama was elected President of USA and I was there to hear and see him when history was made.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving subzero temperatures and enjoying.

7. What was your biggest failure? Unnecessary weight gain.

8. Did you suffer illness? Yes.

9. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Idiots :).

10. Where did most of your money go? Shopping!

11. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Snow and subzero temperatures :).

12. What song will always remind you of 2008? American Pie.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Sadder.

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Eating!

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating!

16. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes. With ‘fall’.

17. How many one night stands? HuH!

18. What was your favourite TV programme? Don’t remember watching TV at all.

19. What was the best book you read? Huh again, but still reading, Shadow of the Silk Road.

20. What was your greatest musical discovery? Katy Perry.

21. What did you want and get? Bibimbap!!!!

22. What did you want and not get? Nothing as such.

23. What was your favourite film of this year? Truth in 24, and The Boy in Striped Pajamas.

24. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I went out for dinner with my friends. It was a cold evening, and we had dinner at an open-roof restaurant. I was 23.

25. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If someone special had some more good luck.

26. What kept you sane? Dislike of alcohol.

27. Who was the worst new person you met? Nobody was that nasty.

28. Who was the best new person you met? SXR.

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Be patient.

30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
If I sing a song, will you sing along? Or should I just keep singing right here by myself?

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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...

New York... Thank You :)

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

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

Like, what I found in NY is this…

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

Do you know this place?

Click below to see more pics…

…..

This is it!

Times Square

Arbit building! Really Arbit!

This post office takes up one whole city block!

The Empire State Building

Broadway…

At Madame Tussuad’s…

Pennsylvania Station, NY

The really dirty NY subway, but do you see the Korean lady?

CP, NY

All of Fall in Central Park, NY

World Trade Center, Ground Zero

The Manhattan skyline looks a bit empty without the WTC

On the top: Empire State Building

All this was good… really! Good! but the thing that captured my eyes, my sorrow and definitely my camera’s lens was this…

This might be a good sight, till you click the link below and read the following shocking truth about the pic above…
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26manhole.html

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

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