Ananya Sports Day

My parents are here for their second trip to Malaysia. We have taken them to Genting, Fraser Hill, Colmar Tropicale, Batu Caves, Twin Towers, Kuantan.......but the place they enjoy and like to frequent the most is...Village Grocer!!! Hadd Hai!!!

Squash Time

Trip to Kuantan

Point to Ponder

Heard that there is no 'H' sound in the Russian language. Its generally replaced by 'KH'. I wonder what sound do they make, when they laugh?? :P

Dubsmash

Trip to Fraser Hill

Malaysia Excellence Awards 2015

Aaj Phir Dil Ne Ek Tamanna Ki,
Aaj Phir Dil Ko Hamne Samjhaaya....

Today is the 101 birth anniversary of Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw or 'Sam Bahadur'. A great leader and inspiration. "There will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued" - He said that after taking over a corps which was retreating in 1962 war.

Rajasthan forest authorities have found a suicide note written by a black buck "I am committing suicide, Salman Khan should not be blamed". (Source: WhatsApp) #GhantaBeingHuman

So Salman Khan's driver has taken the bullet!!! He has 'confessed' that he was driving the car at the time of the accident. Awesome. And I am sure, Salman killed the blackbuck in self-defense. #KyaChutiyaapaHai

Dear God, please let it be a repeat of the 1983 final. Same score (183) to defend. May the Black Caps win. 

Aur issi ke saath Bharatiye cricket team ka rangarang karyakram samapt hua!!!

I felt worse after the NZ vs SA match. India was never in this game and they could not put up a fight at all. Its end of an unexpected and great campaign. No shame in losing to a quality side. Hope NZ lifts the cup. Go Kiwis, show the world that the Kiwis can fly!!!

Multi-Screen Viewing

Trip to Phuket

Trip to Phi Phi, Maya Beach and James Bond Islands

Stepped out of my fantasies @ Krabi, Thailand

After looking at his shaky stint at the crease and the shot selections in the first test, I had never imagined that KL Rahul would adapt himself so well and come up with such a good innings in the very next match. "Well played Rahul!!!". We have said that so many times in last 20 years (Thanks to the other Rahul) and I hope this Rahul gives us more opportunities. #IndiavsAustralia #IndiaDownUnder

Pursuit of Happyness!!!

Its only Monday and I am already feeling exhausted. Had a CRAZY day. Meetings, calls, proposals, deliverables, issues, administrative work, everything.

Left office at around 8 PM and walked home feeling exhausted.

Reached home. Played with Ananya for a while. Checked and responded to unread mails.

Was feeling drained. Just then Ananya came to me and gave me a hug and said, "Papa ka wait karte hain" (I wait for you)!!!

Still feeling tired but now I can sleep with a smile on my face. :)

Unlucky Mr. Manish Pandey

These are the recent stats of Manish Pandey. He has been performing well since last few years. Based on his gopod performances in IPL and recent domestic T20 matches, he finally was selected for the National squad for a one-off T20 International against West Indies.

However, before he could make his debut, the West Indies cricket team decided to abandon the tour mid-way during the One-Day series.

The young cricketer would have been elated by the maiden call only to see his dreams getting shattered later on. This is not the first time that he would have considered himself unlucky. After becoming the first Indian centurion in IPL, he was banned for a few matches when he tried to negotiate a better contract. He was making a paltry 30 Lakhs a year in IPL. That time, since he had not played for India, his name was not eligible for the players' auction. That year, he made 30 lakhs and Saurabh Tiwary, after having played 1-2 matches for India, walked away with 9 crores and 30 lakhs!!! It was not fair.

He was given a chance to play for India A against the touring Srilankan side and made an unbeaten 135 in the match. Afterwards, he has been consistently coming up with good performances.

I hope the opportunity knocks at his door again...and soon.

Dhoondhne se to bhagwaan mil jaate hain.....

Search for Veg

एक अकेला इस शहर में....
रात में और दोपहर में....
शाकाहारी खाना...
ढूंढता है....
शुद्ध शाकाहारी खाना....
ढूंढता है.....

Strange Incident

Strange incident happened today. While walking to the office, a girl approached me and asked for a favor. She was Malaysian and must have been in her 20s. She told me that the petrol light of her car (a metallic silver Myvi) is blinking and she needs some help. I noticed that an older woman was sitting in the back seat and seemed to be holding a baby. I could not really understand what the girl really wanted. Honestly, I expected that she would ask where the nearest fuel station was. Instead she asked me for money!!!

She told me that she has 6 ringgits only (!!!) with her, which is not sufficient for buying petrol. She also told me that she is going to Johor, which did not register in my mind immediately. Johor is FAR away.

So, to sum up their situation, 2 women left their house with a baby for Johor (which is around 4 hours away). They did not care to check the petrol level before leaving. And all they carried was 6 Ringgits between the two of them for the journey (there are several toll booths on the way)!!!

This sounded stupid and fishy at the same time. I was thinking if she is making all this up. But she looked pretty decent and did not come across as a person who would try and dupe an Indian (we are 'generally' cheap and miserly) near a police station. And she did look anxious and flustered. However, as I said, the story was indeed stupid and fishy.

I asked her how much does she need and she said 40 Ringgits. That is not a lot of money but 'practical' people generally do not give that much money to strangers with a stupid/fishy story.

Fortunately for her, I am not the practical types. I gave her the 40 Ringgits that she was asking for. She barely thanked me before jumping in her car. She did not ask me for my number or tell me that she would try and return the money!!! This made all this look even more strange. But, I walked away giving her a benefit of doubt.

I hope I have not been duped. I would feel disappointed (not embarrassed or cheated) if I come to know that people have been doing such things to make quick money. I do believe that world needs people who do not always think practically and try to help out complete strangers.

Shocking Declaration

I have been reading Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography. Most of the details in the book are already known, which is not surprising as Sachin has been one of the most 'written and talked about' celebrity. It is the smaller incidents and anecdotes that are quite interesting.

The section that I have loved the most so far is about what he felt when Rahul Dravid declared the innings in Multan in 2004, leaving Sachin stranded at 194 not out. That was undoubtedly a surprising decision. I had not watched the press conference afterwards and I did not know that Sachin had indeed communicated his surprise and disappointment. What is interesting is the point that Sachin has made in the book about Dravid delaying a declaration in Australia when Dravid was close to a century. On top of it, Sachin was pacing his innings in Multan as he knew the team plans and when exactly the team would declare. However, Dravid decided to declare an over in advance. The coach, Sourav Ganguly, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty (Manager) later told Sachin that it was not their decision and they felt sorry for Sachin. So, it was completely Dravid's decision. 

It is interesting to note that with that double hundred, Sachin would have equalled Dravid's tally of double-hundreds in Test cricket. Did that play a role? (Note: This is not in the book. It is my speculation)

I am surprised and happy that Sachin has communicated his thoughts about the incident so openly through the book.

My little assistant

Masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vini

Deda in my Glass!!!

Even Gods Make Mistakes

Managed to find an error in Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography. He has written that in the Boxing Day test match against Australia at MCG in 2003, Virender Sehwag got out on the bowling of Stuart Macgill.

This is incorrect as Sehwag was caught by Nathan Bracken at long-on off the bowling of Simon Katich.

I can never forget the innings and the dismissal. Sehwag played an innings that only he can. He got out trying to hit a six off a part-time bowler in order to reach what would have been his maiden double-hundred!!! I was amazed by the shot selection when he was knocking on the door of a milestone. Only he could have tried that. He failed to reach double century as Nathan Bracken caught the ball that was dying on him. I was heartbroken (and that is why I remember it) but Sehwag seemed unfazed. Later, at Multan against Pakistan, he tried to hit a six in order to reach a triple-century and thankfully he succeeded!!! That was the first triple century by an Indian and yet he thought of going for a six!!!

Coming back, Sachin has been factually incorrect. I am thinking of suing him for a dinner with him.

Saada Jeevan...Uchch Vichaar

No non-veg food, no alcohol, no aerated soft drinks....still going strong.

However, it is becoming a pain to try and find good vegetarian options in restaurants!!!

On this occasion, a Thai restaurant customized a dish for me. God Bless Them!!!!

All the loved ones!!!

This Day, Last Year

On this day last year, I had cried my heart out. That was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar's last day in all forms of Cricket.

Thank You Sachin for all the great memories.

We are sorry Ananya

Dear Ananya,

I decided to write this to you as you are too young to understand this. And it is something that has been haunting me since yesterday. We felt bad when this happened and we feel bad whenever we are reminded (by each other) of the incident.

You are scared of movie theaters. You have indeed watched half a movie with us (you dozed off in the second half) but you were probably too young to get scared back then. Afterwards, we took you to watch an Amitabh Bachchan movie as you seem to be fond of him. However, you were scared by the dim lights and extremely loud sound (a monster screamed in a trailer before the movie started) and refused to sit in the hall. We tried whatever we could to pacify you and make you feel comfortable but you were just too scared. We came back before the movie could even start. We must have felt a little disappointed for missing out on an opportunity to watch a movie together but we understood your feelings.

Days and months went by. We never went to a movie hall again. Then one day we decided to try again. Your mom started to try and get you excited about watching an animated movie (your first movie was also an animated one) much before we left for the multiplex. You seemed excited.

However, when we reached the multiplex and were about to enter the hall, you started getting a little agitated. Probably the crowd, music and large posters reminded you of the last experience. You refused to go in the hall.

This time as well we understood your feelings but we tried to convince you to help you go past your fear. Your mom tried to remind you that you were so excited about watching the movie and it would be fun. But you did not change your mind.

We felt a little disappointed and said to each other (due to the disappointment) that we should not try again till you get much older. We were doing window shopping but we were definitely disappointed. I do not know whether you sensed our disappointment or just decided to give it a shot but you suddenly said "picture dekhenge" (will watch the movie)!!!

We were surprised and asked you again. You seemed absolutely unsure and confused but you again said, in a low voice, that you would watch the movie.

We were in the same complex and we returned to the multiplex. Just then I realized that you had gone absolutely quiet and were blankly staring at everything. You looked horrified. 

I pointed that to your mom and we asked you whether you want to watch the movie. You just looked at us and did not say anything. You had this uncertainty on your face and a hope that someone would understand. That is when I asked you with a smile "movie nahi dekhna hai na, ghar chalna hai na?" (You do not want to watch the movie and you want to go home, right?). You gave a faint but relieved smile and nodded.

I can never forget that expression of relief on your face. And I can never forget that you, sensing our disappointment, had decided to give it a shot. I am sorry Aanu, we should not have pushed you like that. We did not say anything to you but probably, with our expression and body language, we made you feel that you are doing something wrong. You were not. We were doing something wrong. And we are extremely sorry for that.

We will watch a movie together only when you are absolutely comfortable with it. I can understand that you have developed a mental block but that is okay. We are happy to wait.

I love you...always.

Papa

What a mess!!!

Fact # 1: Wife is not around since a fortnight

Fact # 2: Regular maid has been fired

Fact # 3: New maid comes once a week

Fact # 4: I have not got any better at keeping the house clean. I think I have this talent. Leave your clean house with me for a couple of days and I can turn it into a garbage bin!!!

Result: I can not stand this place. Disgusting!!!

Testing the Will Power

• Last alcoholic beverage was on Wednesday, 29th October 2014
• Last non-vegetarian meal was on 2nd November 2014
• Last aerated non-alcoholic beverage was on Tuesday, 4th November 2014

Now lets see how long can I abstain from such obsessions. I will be honest with you Animesh, I promise.

Strange Feeling

Today I returned to Kuala Lumpur after a 2 week trip to India. When I landed back in KL, I had this strange feeling. I felt that I have reached home!!! That is insane. I have been living in KL since last three years but I do not have any intentions of permanently relocating to Malaysia or any other country. India is home. Ranchi is home. Hyderabad is home away from home. KL is a temporary base. However, I felt comfortable and 'relieved' after reaching KL. It could be as I have my (our) own set-up over here. It could be as I can get that 'alone time' that I look for. Whatever it is, it was a strange feeling!!!

Mutton Haleem

One of the main reasons behind the trip to Hyderabad

Learnt a lesson today.

Never tell a client that you are ready to meet ANYTIME.

I need to have a discussion with a client today. Yesterday, I reached out to the client asking for the time and venue. He indicated that he is not available today and indicated that he can meet tomorrow. Now, I am flying out tomorrow and my day is jam-packed. However, the meeting is important as well. So, I wrote to the client that it would be great if we can meet today and ANYTIME is fine with me!!!

He has asked me to come to a resort at 9 PM!!! The meeting would last for few hours!!!

So, I will be getting ready in the evening and will go to meet a client in a resort. I am feeling like a HOOKER!!! But at least the resort is a premium one. So at least I am a A-League hooker. 

:(

Debate or Shouting Match?

Watched a Newhour Debate this morning. It was a 2-3 days old episode and the discussion was about India's retaliation against Pakistani aggression or ceasefire violations on the border. I made the following observations;

1. Having a different set of representatives from Pakistan was a welcome change. Most people have got bored of listening to the same set of representatives (usually Syed Tariq Pirzada, Gen. Rashid Qureshi and Zafar Hilali), who seldom make any sense and indulge in rhetoric only. This time Abida Hussain, Air Marshal Masood Akhtar, Brigadier Javed Husain were invited to present Pakistan's views
2. I could not watch the entire debate as it became increasingly irritating after a few minutes. Two out of three Pakistani guests were not making much sense. Brig. Javed Husain had probably come to the show after watching a couple of Pakistani versions of Sunny Deol movies as he was overexcited and was not making much sense. Abida Hussain, on the other hand, tried to divert the topic and starting talking about the human tragedies. These did contribute to the irritation but the main cause was something (or rather, someone) else
3. Arnab Goswami was highly irritating during this debate. Several people find him loud and irritating on most debates but not me. I have started to find him irritating only recently. On this occasion, he was not letting Air Marshal Masood Akhtar to speak much. I do not think that anyone can justify what Pakistan is up to. Yet, the Air Marshal was speaking sanely. He was not only talking from Pakistan's point of view and was being quite reasonable. But, Arnab Goswami did not allow him to put forward his opinion. Arnab kept interrupting. What is the point of watching a debate if one gets to hear only one side. Of course the other side would have blabbered and given shitty responses. But then, Arnab and others could have countered the Pakistani guests and cornered them. He was extremely unfair to Air Marhal Masood Akhtar and that made me switch to some other video. Off late, Newhour Debates have become quite boring. 

Movie Review: Chef

I get paid in SORRYs

I wish I could encash all the 'Sorry' that I have collected here. I would have probably become a millionaire!!!

Straight from the heart....

Have not picked up the camera in a long time. Everything is so disorganized. A lens is lying in the living room. Another one is in a drawer!!! One more is in a safe place but I cannot recall the location of that safe place. I am usually not like this. At least not with the camera equipment. If the camera and lenses are lying diaorganized, it bothers me a great deal. However, I am not finding time to get bothered!!!

In the past few weeks, I have not spent much time with the family either. I leave in the morning and come back late. And then work from home till the wee hours.

Things have been super-crazy. Deliverables, proposals, meetings and lots of worries. Official and personal worries.

What do I get out of this? Am screwing my health, not getting enough sleep and not getting anything in return!!! Body clock has gone for a toss. Even if work finishes at (comparatively) sane hours, I am unable to sleep till 2-3 AM. Sometimes it is difficult to lose the momentum and on other times, there are too many things bothering me.

Will I try and change this? Well.....May be.

Not that I am confused. Just that I have made such resolutions so many times that now I am embarrassed to even make such resolutions. 

One thing is for sure though. I have firmly realized that 'it is not worth it'. I do need to manage my time slightly better but more importantly, I need to stop the charity by 'donating' additional hours and weekends. Those are not investments as they do not fetch me any returns. That is plain and simple charity which must be stopped. Had they been fetching any awards/rewards, I would have still been motivated. No more.

I just hope that a matter that has been long pending gets resolved and soon. It wont help the resolution but it will help in getting back the motivation. It will surely do.

Minutes of Various Meetings

BANJO, YEH WEEK SAALA KHATAM KAB HOGA!!!

Papa - Aanu Time!!!

Another Whole Nighter

Aur isi ke saath aaj ka Maata Ka Jagraata sampann hua!!!

5 baj gaye!!!

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