A saga, a legend

Pitch fever soaring. Palpitation rules every Indian heart for obvious reasons. I am not all that a sport analyst; but I bleed blue though. Light blue, with the shades intact. Beyond all the sensation and pressure on Dhoni's boys, there stands one enormous soul- do I need to tell the name? I will, cos I love doing that- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. One reason why I need to accept the fact that cricket is a gentleman's game. Indeed Sachin it is! Quantifying his sporting career is a mammoth task for a statistician. Assessing and analyzing it- no words. I do not want to argue over hypotheses like 'Sachin- God of cricket' and so on. It’s a personal opinion. I do not patronize the game unlike many of my fellows here. I am not against patronizing it either. Yet, to someone like me, Sachin is one living legend. He is a phenomenon. He has lived a saga between the stumps. This is not just for the numbers that his career equates to, but for the morality that he has always stood by, despite glory masking him all through. His polite refusal to endorse a liquor brand- how principled is he! My words are nothing new. There is more to him than to awe in inspiration at his numbers; or to wonder over the fact if anyone can ever beat his numbers. The dignity that he brought to the team. The spirit with which he puts every run into the score. The way he handles such an enormity of fame, success and glory. The way he untiringly bats for the tricolor. Test. ODI. T20. Still the common man's delight. From the streets to the gallery.
As a tendency, in my opinion, we as a nation love to crib. For a change, he never let us do that in his case. And let’s stop fussing when he takes a break in a match or two. Don’t the rest of his feats over shadow this? For someone who has been through 6 World Cups-- win or lose-- the mental grit to face balls of all kinds-- man it definitely takes a bloody hell lot to be Sachin!!! Let your glory shine through, let the pitches that saw you at your best continue to lie wide in your fame, let those bowlers behind your runs cherish their share of moments, let those butter fingers that missed your wicket grin sheepishly, and let the generation that grew up watching the very you, always continue to look up to you as ever, and finally let the tricolor glow with pride at the very mention of you!! As Wankhede waits with fingers crossed, as the nation breathes heavily, man, only 2 words for you-- Jai Ho!!

Am I seeing the end?

And finally, the end is "coming soon". Like an Indian movie trailer. Leap years make it once in four years. And the end here too. Day 1 seems just like yesterday; it feels like I started talking and moving around like just now; and the end seems just like tomorrow. These four happy years, I learnt a lot; taught a bit; smiled a zillion times; waved hi-s and bye-s incessantly; moved on, dried my tears up; laughed my lungs out; chattered non stop; hugged as tight as tight can be; observed around,and finally realised how much mental maturity this place around has given me; how much I have got moulded in the process. I have never felt ungrateful for this part of my life; and will never be. The n number of people and the happenings with them- could have never happened other wise. All good things get over like that- as is always with life. Normally every thing seems nice at the end- but mine seemed naaiiicee since the beginning and nicer as time went by. For those who have bothered to stay back since scene 1- Louwe ya. For those who walked out- Good riddance;) and thanks, you made me strong; thanks for the space; in case you wanna get back, sorry I cant be the same. For the ones who popped in midway- Yay! Fun! :) And there is sure more to come.
P.S. : Sequels to this dumb post are intended. Your patience is requested and appreciated:)

Try try never say die

I have heard enough of this. And you definitely must have, too. And I experienced a bit of this, very recently; that’s what is making me write this, and making you read this, too. Oh! Enough of this and that!

Life is full of chances. That one chance you take can become your opportunity. Each one of us has a destined place; not any one can really take it away from any of us. I would not call it fate; to call it fate would mean to bow down to some thing too trivial in the face of a human ability. Destiny is what decides when chance turns into opportunity; and it demands patience, patience and plain patience from one’s side. To wait patiently simply means to look further into one self; to concentrate on one’s own inner strength and most importantly, not to think of the others around who made it (which is very tough). Each one of us is definitely no way less than the rest; or no way more either. It is just that time is on some body’s side as of now, and will soon be on ours too. No one’s life can be a total failure either; success and failure are matters of moments alone. Hope, as I repeat as said in one of my earlier posts, is the driving force of all our lives, and this hope should intensify with each set back in life. Each step back is an indication that some thing better and bigger is in store; some thing nicer will turn up; or probably destiny has other plans. Each bad experience should strengthen one up mentally, and the ultimate result then attained would be sweeter than the one got as expected. Each day is a new learning experience; and if not for the rejection and dejection my past has given me, I would not have learnt so much- not even so much as to write this. Would you?

Most importantly, a set back actually shows you your real friends; and nothing more than unmasking a faking friend, isn’t it? When life hits out, do not swoon down; instead get up fast and start fighting. A battle well fought is relief in itself. Believe in yourself; stop looking around (consequences might be bad; I forewarn) and start fighting! Success is not the mere absence of failure; it means winning the war; not every battle.

P.S. Long boring sermon; I know. :P

Food :(

I miss my gestation. Sigh. Food is scheduled here.
Monday morning = Idly (Stones I can pelt at some one I detest) or Bread toast. (Surface area of a slice = that of a standard Milk Bikis biscuit). Bread is actually delightful.
The morning coffee:
Procedure: Milk (99% water + 1% milk) is taken in a large vessel; a small drop of decoction is added. The instant the color of the milk changes to coffee brown, upon the addition of a few micro liters of decoction, stop adding the decoction; add lump some sugar to cover up.
A similar story follows up for tea. And the schedule goes on with a time table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And yeah, the evening snack, that could at times throw up surprises in the form of cakes and buns: P and not to forget the monthly price tag 
And the result, strong adaptation of the stomach to digest any thing; acceptance of the mind to remember that not all food is good; and adjusting of the biological clock to eat when ever the source of food stimulates the olfactory senses. Most importantly, mastering the skill to cook any thing and every thing with just an electric kettle (Thanks to Philips Electronics) and to experiment with all plant parts to cook. Sigh! 

Change?

Change is the only thing that is permanent in life. I am probably the nth person saying this. I keep telling this to my old plain self when ever I make umpteen plans, and things seem bright and sunny, and then what was not expected to happen, goes on. Sigh! This is just change, on a daily basis; but there are people who change like ‘that’, for life. Being in a hostel, I am blessed (I forget Amma’s food when I say this) to be around n number of people, and it’s for this experience of being with people of all kinds from all the possible corners of the nation, that I say I am blessed. From a very personal opinion, I have been observing people, their life style, thoughts and opinions. Friendly, ignorant, dominating, submissive, the adjective list is endless to describe them. Some have been around since day 1, till today, and that’s when I get ending up certain small jerks. Friends who were gone ‘missing’ one whole year, are suddenly on Face book with you, then the smiles resume, and I don’t want to ‘take revenge’ by ‘not bothering’. You smile, I smile back. You talk, I talk back. You don’t talk or smile or wave a Hi, huh? Duh. It’s not my fault. And people at the end of this ‘resuming’ friendship give me little jerks, or rather big ones.
Not only with respect to community living like a hostel, I end up getting jerks because of people I meet after a certain period of time. They are like this and that now, like “My father blah blah blah... Always says this... And I do so... Blah Blah Blah... I am principled, disciplined... “And all these words are hidden beneath their words. I meet them later, and My God! Life style changes, attitude or rather ego, over the head thoughts, just formal exchange of words with me, because, now, they presume they are going ahead, while I am still right down there. Because they do certain things and I don’t. I feel like I should have caught the past on a camera, and must show them now and ask, “And what does your father say, and what do you do”? Why even talk as if one is a person of principles and qualities, and then take a total turn “influenced” by surroundings? What purpose does the up bringing by parents hold, and what principles do they even stand for? Only time can teach them a lesson. I still wish a lot of people can go back and be the same old self they were when I met them first; I share a lot of memories with that “self” they were; and I am missing them now. All I want to do is to probe into their minds and find out the how, why, when, what and which of their “change”, and to just tap them one on their heads with a magic wand and bring them back to their old selves. When I realize I can’t, I just wait with hope, and end up writing here.
Yawn! I slept through the writing myself; and I pity you reading this: P Thanks anyways!

True Blood

Note: The following post is not about the television series by the same name.
Note again: It is strictly based on certain life experiences; any co incidence with the reader’s experiences is always open to discussion post reading.

Blood is thicker than water. Duh. Spank the guy who said that. I will trust sayings and proverbs only when I experience what is said. This means the above quoted words will never get into my head. Money is heavier than blood and water, you see.
Family. What does this mean? Or rather, what is it meant for? It’s the values you stand by, for the people you stand for. Blood and genes unite us all, and there is some source for a life time for every thing you depend upon. Emotions. Love. Happiness and sorrow. Peace of mind. Faith. Trust. And finally, the driving force of all our lives, hope. Friends are around for these too, I cannot deny that, but its always special when blood gets you that. Festivals arrive in their true spirit, celebrations and get togethers are always special with “Family”. Now, when some one doesn’t get to experience all this, it ends up in a post like this one:( Its absolutely not a personal fault, for missing out on some special moments as these. And I don’t ask God (?) the customary “Why me?” either. I just say, “Hope so, some time soon”:) And I also thank destiny (The strongest force in life) for the wonderful people in my life, for giving me moments I might have missed out otherwise. These wonderful people have given me enough of every thing in life, and I hope it doesn’t stop. Now, I would call each of them, “My Family”, although blood doesn’t unite us, for friends would be an undermining term for all that they are to me 

P.S: Hope so, some time soon:)

Where are we heading?

Pre script: Analysis of the write up right underneath might cause differences of opinion, for which the author (:P) doesn’t hold responsibility.

Am I staying back, or are the people around me moving ahead? There are a dozen stories each day into my ears on ‘first experience’ with drinks, and so on. There are people who take a whiff (I hope you get it) that apparently blows their worries away. I still wonder if that can be replaced by better options. Partying. Pubs. The discotheque. Noise. All to forget worries and distress. De-stress mantras in times of distress. It still keeps me wondering. Why? And why do we need them? Are we so stressed out, that we are burdening all the world’s worries on our shoulders? Are we planning conspiracies on aliens that we go in for the so called de stressers when we feel saturated?

If I were to blame any thing for what’s happening, I would point it right to the face in the mirror. We shut ourselves in cabins, scurry behind money, yearn for luxury than comfort, ‘socialise’ strictly through online sources and pack tight schedules. The mobile phone is competing with Oxygen, and computers with water, in our priority list. And then we end up saying we feel lonely, left out, vexed, and freaked out and so on. And end up depending on the just said sources. Chemical substances that apparently ease our minds better than people.

How many of us just smile at our random acquaintances? How many of us have had those long talks and walks with our pals? When there is a deep inner strength within (I am not preaching), when what lies within matters and makes sense, why depend on some thing external or synthetic for emotional strength, and what’s the point living one’s age.

Let’s live wise.

P.S. Refer Pre script. :P