Wrong chat window?

Chats can be confusing. The inherent delay in the messages, and the inability of two people to keep their thoughts in sync while trying to communicate through texts, makes chats confusing at times. We all often find ourselves in a situation where we have no idea about what is being said in the chat window.

Sometimes, this isn't because of the reasons I gave, but because the person at the other end entered some text into the wrong chat window. Mostly, this just confuses people, unless, someone puts their foot in their mouth and drools lovingly in the wrong chat window while chatting with their better half. This is much more interesting! I agree that a singular instance of this kind does not qualify for a blog post, but then, if the girl and her boyfriend both manage this feat within a short period it definitely does!

Act 1, March 16th 2007:

11:29 PM A: mmmmmmmuah

11:30 PM mistake!

not for you

11:34 PM its so embarrasing

me: this is going on my blog!

A: nooooooooo

me: :D

11:35 PM A: thank god atleast it wasnt someone else frm your home

17 minutes

11:53 PM A: vicky blog to [nai] likh raha na?

Now, This was a genuine flaw, her boyfriend being my namesake, its not the first time she made the mistake. I had no intentions of blogging this, but then yesterday night, this happened....

Act 2, March 30th 2007:

VSA: Bitch
Vicky: ?
VSA: Oops sorry wrong window..
VSA: What are you doing anyway?
Vicky: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Vicky: my blog post is complete.. thanks!

Sorry guys, but I just could NOT resist this! I just wonder if VSA mistook me for A or someone else :D.

Labels: Communication, Life

Brothers in Arms

Do we ever feel strongly about any social issue unless it affects us directly? I went to protest with my peers when students protested against the Reservation bill. Our presence there was a sign of solidarity with the idea, with the people who were leading the movement. We went to reassure them that we were there to support them. Yet, I lay in bed watching the news when MCD sealed the shops of so many people in Delhi. Their shops were their only source of livelihood, and yet, I was not concerned.


I remember when I visited the 'War Memorial' in Seoul, I went around admiring the realistic reconstruction of war scenes and the Viking style warships, the guns and everything else on display. It was like a pleasure trip for all of us. We visited the souvenir shop and I bought a Korean army Dog Tag (Which was later stolen by the infamous Kleptomaniac of DCE!), and a little medallion with the War Memorial building on one side and a figure of 2 men hugging, on the other.



We went on to have a sumptuous lunch, something I have to write about in detail someday, and moved out of the complex, and started taking pictures. There I noticed a huge statue of the 2 men hugging each other, complete with their accouterments. Won (Our guide, not the currency!) told us that the statue represented a real life incident, wherein during the war between North and South Korea, two brothers from opposite armies met on the battlefield!
Suddenly, the war memorial meant a lot more. I stood and admired the statue, the position of the two men, the way their bodies leaned on each other, as if their knees had given way, their grief apparent by the mere position of their bodies.
The globe on which they stood was cracked from between them, symbolic of their world torn apart. We even caught hold of a little terrified (by us!) kid wearing a 'be the reds' t-shirt, and made him pose with us in front of the statue :) . Apparently, quite a few of us felt the same way about the war between the two parts of Korea. I say this because that night we came back to the university and laid out huge sheets of paper and left messages of peace.


We signed our names, made India's flag, and wrote a peace message in Hindi and in English.

Sometimes you just need to be in the eye of the storm to realize its futility. I felt the same way at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. The wall obviously wasn't there. Just a slight depression in the ground where it once stood, and panels with photos and descriptions of the time it was there. It's really hard for me to explain, but I'll try. Potsdamer Platz is now a wide open area right in the centre of Berlin's business district. The DB building, all the financial giants, Sony center are all a stones throw away. The Berlin wall divided this area right through the center into half. It would have been like dividing the heart of a city. Train tracks were blocked, the city was divided into half and walled. There was a little ramp onto which people were allowed to climb to see the goings on on the other side beyond the wall. I stood there with one foot on either side of the wall, and took a snap. Then I just strolled around the place feeling the pulse of the city. Among all the cities I visited in Europe, Berlin was the one that was 'Alive'. It was exciting just to be there, just to walk along the streets. Something or the other was always going on.


It felt great just to be able to cross the places where the wall once stood, especially at the Brandenburg Tor. There was also a photo exhibition depicting the Tor after the world war, in a rather debilitated state, and we took snaps there and 'Crossed' the Tor to head toward the Live 8 concert going on between the Siegesäule. Just to think that you would have been shot down if you tried to cross the place 2 decades ago.

The only image of the Berlin wall I ever had before this trip was the one created by the Scorpions music video, "Wind's of change". In the last part of the video, there are images of the Berlin wall being brought down. After I returned from Germany, this song had an entirely new meaning for me. Having talked to people who were present at Potsdamer Platz when the first piece of the Wall crumpled, and also people who hid in their house for days fearing some sort of riots would break out, the Wall was not what it used to be anymore.

Some parts of the world are not as fortunate as Germany though. Back home, I went to watch the gate closing ceremony at Wagah recently, and after the ceremony, people are allowed to walk around the fence, touch the border post, and at one point, Indians and Pakistanis are a couple of feet away, separated only by 2 cords of barbed wire. Its amazing the way you feel looking at people across the divide. There is no ill-will, no enmity, just a weird feeling, like we are caged. They probably felt the same way. I held the gaze of quite a few people, longer than necessary, just to see how their expressions changed, but they didn't. There was no trace of malice in their eyes. They were looking at us in an incredulous manner, just as we were looking at them I'm sure.

We drove back to Amritsar discussing that maybe the aggression apparent in the gate-keepers actions should be toned down a little. There are two sides to the coin as always. At one end, we are trying to spread a feeling of mutual trust and understanding, and this demands that these proceedings be toned down. On the other hand, it is a rather good location and setup to instill feelings of nationalism in people. Gradually, the discussion changed to where our next meal should be. Incidentally, in Amritsar, all you manage to think about is food! Having tried all the street food on offer, and all the famous dhabas, we settled for Crystal, which was recommended by the owner of the Jutti Shop my mum and sister ransacked.




I kept toying with the thought that maybe someday cars will be allowed to cross the Wagah, and we will be able to go to Lahore and eat a better preparation at the Food Street. Someday soon perhaps.

Labels: Food, Life, Politics, Travel

Lest I forget!

Ever since I was a little kid, My dad used to tell me that as soon as you get a class photo clicked, you must note down every ones name somewhere, because someday you will forget. I never really did that, but every time I came across these snaps while trying to clean out closets or trying to look for something, I always sat down and went over every ones name.
Last week, I forgot a few. It felt bad. So I'm putting it up here, and If any of you reading this know any of the people here, and their names are missing, please let me know!

Seated, Left to Right - Anuradha ?, Vikas Asthana, Anuj Agarwal, Manu Agarwal, Sadhna Gupta, Prajna Bajaj, Rajshekhar Ojha, Prajat Jha, Sonam Yankee Rabbgaye, Kanupriya Mohan
Row 1, Standing, Left to Right - Saurabh Dayal, Pallav Modi , Anirudh Singh, Vivek Kapoor, Abhishek Sharma, Joydeep Mukherjee, Kartik Talwar, Shuchi Vedvyas, Dikshant Chopra, Anjali Misra
Row 2, Standing, Left to Right - Divya ?, Aaskanksha Sethi, Geetika Grover, Ankit Saxena, Nikhil ?, Kunal Sabharwal, Hansdeep ?, KSV Sai Prashant
Row 3, Standing, Left to Right - Naveen Dabas, Himanshu Agarwal, Tushna Dora, Swati Kapoor, Arnav Sharma, Harsh Ahlawat, Stanzin Naboo
Top Row - Sushrath Kaul, Gautam Gollerkeri.


Seated left to right - Gitanjali Chauhan, ? ?, ? ?, ? ?, Kumkum Bhatia, Ragini Kaul, Suresh ?, Saylee Sethi, Anjali Misra
Row 1, standing, left to right - Rajshekhar Ojha, Vikas Asthana, Prajat Jha, Manu Agarwal, Anuj Agarwal, Kartik Talwar, Sonam Yankee Rabbgaye, Shuchi Vedvyas, Ankit Saxena, Kunal Sabharwal, Abhishek Sharma, Vivek Kapoor
Row 2, standing, left to right - Joydeep Mukherjee, Dikshant Chopra, Ayush Gupta, KSV Sai Prashant, Payal Gumber, Akanksha Sethi, Tushna Dora, Nikhil ?, Arnav Sharma
Row 3, standing, left to right - Sushrath Kaul, Naveen Dabas, Gautam Gollerkeri, Himanshu Agarwal, Aditya Sharma, Geetika Grover, Divya ?

Special thanks to Himanshu, Shuchi & Rajshekhar for reminding me of some names.

Labels: Life

Braindead

Last week was the first 80 hour work week of my life. That's double of what I'm supposed to average! I kept thinking of all the John Grisham novels I read, and wondered how people could work for 80 hours in a week. Yet, it wasn't tiring, and had I been able to explain it to my family, I probably would have worked longer! Work isn't always tiring. In fact, if you remotely enjoy your work, its actually fun.

I'm handling 4 different pieces of code at once. I manage to confuse my manager sometimes, and I always have something to do! (That does not mean that I'm always doing something..) Everyday when I come back home, I feel braindead. People talk to me and I listen in a trance, not paying attention, not registering anything. In my head, I'm subconsciously figuring out the next change I have to make in the code in order to make it work right. I actually figured one mistake out while I was asleep! I did remember the story we were told about the discovery of the structure of Benzene when I woke up!

Yet, all around me, I see people who would give an arm and a leg to leave their work and go back home, do a MBA. Anything. Do they realize that they still have to work no matter what? I didn't claim that the work I do is interesting. Infact, the last 80 hour! week, I did the most boring possible work, and you may find me jumping in peoples cubes in office complaining that I'm going mad, but I'm not really.

So, will changing my profile or education gurantee that I have an easier life?, a more interesting life? or a more fulfilling life? Unfortunately, life will have no direction until I can answer those questions, and I don't think I can answer them till my life has some direction.

Till then, I will go on hoping that either the chicken or the egg shows up!

Labels: Life

Superstar

It was pouring when I drove out for office today. Coldplay, my usual companion during the drive failed me, the CD had too many scratches from overuse I think. So, I had no choice but to turn to FM. Anyone living in Delhi these days knows that FM is quite the same as Television. All you do during a drive is flip channels and hear nothing but ads. Some sort of loyalty is necessary, otherwise all you ever get to hear is ads! I normally stick to Fever. This is probably because I liked the book by Richard Branson, and also because they play nice songs.

So, I left early today, oblivious of the traffic jam I always manage to find whenever I do so. Today I got stuck at the very first crossing. Normally, I am a stubborn ass when it comes to showing some road sense, and I stick my car and block as much traffic as I can so that the opposing traffic can move, and we don't block them unnecessarily. Today, however, something happened, and I played with the herd. I entered the queue and blocked all traffic. As, I already clarified, I don't normally do this, but today in my defense, the song playing on radio caused the problem. I was smiling, blushing, smirking and my mind was elsewhere. Fever decided to play Superstar by Jamelia.

Yeah, I know a lot has been said about her by everyone who wasn't even present at RPM at that fateful night, but those who were, and were in their senses (Samridh, Anshul and Jai.. Saraf was definitely out!) would remember that this song was probably responsible! I know its taken rather long, but now its my turn. My word is final in this legend :) , because I am the protagonist.

One fine day during third year, a cool breeze was blowing and the sun was shining.. We were lazing around in VVS (That's short for Shri M Vishveshvaraiya Hostel, officially SMVH), the corridor of power. Samridh came with a offer we couldn't refuse :) A bunch of girls from Miranda House had (somehow) agreed to go to a pub with 5 engineering students. Now that does NOT happen very often. It in fact never happens. Kudos to Samridh for his convincing skills. (We shall talk about Samridh's skills and appeal sometime later). As I said, it was an offer we couldn't refuse.

So, we all got aptly dressed on D-day, and moved out in (was it 2280?? I definitely need to write about Samridh!) Samridh's car, to pick the girls up. We picked them up, all of us got out of the car courteously, and then we stuffed inside like wild animals in a cage, and went on to pick more gurls up! To cut a long story short, after getting lost on the way in some village and taking a lot of time, we finally got to Basant Lok, and as is the ritual with cheap-skates, got a little drunk before we entered.

We were 5 guys, and 7 girls! We had a breezy entry into the pub, no questions asked, obviously for a change. We found ourselves two tables, and sat ourselves down like good well educated people, and kept throwing sideways glances at a gay couple, the only one enjoying the dance floor and the music at the early hour. After the first few awkward moments, we unanimously decided that we all needed to get a little more drunk in order to get us started. So, we ordered our first round, then second, followed by a round of Tequilas, and then we were set for a while!

We hit the dance floor as a group of 12, and danced in the group initially. Call it inconvenience of dancing 12 at a time, or natural selection, the group gradually disintegrated into smaller ones and gradually into couples. When I realized what was going on, I found myself facing a skinny tall girl with curly hair smiling at me. We tried some random steps, and after some mumbling, we decided I should follow her steps. Lets call her S. Now, S happened to be the choreographer for the Miranda House team. So, I was better off following her. (Not to mention I had no steps to lead with). She was a good dancer to say the least. I'm sure she was capable of much better and complicated looking steps, but seeing my caliber as a dancer, she probably selected the easier ones, and I was able to follow her with ease and actually enjoy the dance. It was really a lot of fun, and a little romantic I have to admit. An hour later, when we were given a compliment, we realized that we hadn't even looked at what the others were upto for so long! It was time for a rest. So, we sat down for a while, and I had to face a few witty ones from my friends, and I could do nothing but smile. So we exchanged phone numbers, and hit the dance floor again...

Now, where does Superstar come in? The DJ at RPM that night played the song at least 6 times. So, from whatever hazy memories I have of that night, we were always dancing on that song! Whenever I hear it now, I'm reminded of that night. Later, we dropped the girls off at their place, and standing outside the car that night, thinking of what to say to this girl, all I could think of was "I had a great time, Good night." As soon as we got back into the car, all hell broke loose!

Sam: Had a great time, Good night? Had a great time, Good night? Is that all you could think of Vicky?
Me: (Feeling rather stupid) mmm...
Sam: You guys looked so cute together. Couldn't you have said "I'll call sometime", or "We should meet up again". Kyaaaa Vicky yaar....
Me: mmm....

All I could think of at this moment, was a tiny satisfaction of not making the mistake Chandler Bing always made! I knew I would call her, and probably meet her too, but what difference does it make if I didn't commit to it in word?

I was received in the Hostel amidst much fanfare, cheering and hooting. I was going red by now. So, after facing the music for a while, I decided I needed some sleep and sobering out. Ohh, btw, did I mention that S was the only one who had no drinks all evening.

A week later, Samridh decided that it was long enough for the girls not to think we were desperate, and as Engifest happened to be in the same week, we (Samridh) invited them over for the Choreo night, I think. We were all scattered somewhere in the OAT when they arrived, and we gradually grouped a little distance away from the stage and started chatting. Saraf was over animated, having lost out on the previous opportunity because of not being in his senses, he was overcompensating. Saraf was smitten by a girl (I don't remember her name, lets call her Q). Both Q and her elder sister had accompanied us to RPM that night, and Saraf had taken a liking to Q. So, when I joined the group, this conversation was going on.

Q: It was a lot of fun that day..
Saraf: Yeah it was, what is your sister doing?
Q: Explains that she is doing her Masters in something..
Saraf: Masters? She is elder to you? She doesn't look like it!

Having realized the blunder Saraf had made, we all were stunned. Anshul was the first one to find words.

Anshul: What are you saying Saraf, are you off your nut. Q definitely is the younger one..
Saraf: Taken aback by the rebuke No.. eh.. that's not what I meant..

Sam&I mumbled something in agreement.

Now, It had become a little awkward, and someone mentioned that the dance performances were about to start, and we jumped at it. We all went and sat down at the steps of the OAT, well almost. S asked if I could show her around college. I agreed. We started to walk around the Saraswati Marg (also known as the ring road because its a large circle going all around the campus). All the time, she was firing questions at me, and I was handling it like a Viva, taking breaks in between to point out different parts of college. By the time we completed half a circle, I was fed up of the never-ending stream of questions. I don't remember having asked her even one, or even having gotten a chance to do so!

A whiff of music floated our way, and I immediately suggested that we should go watch the performances, and she grudgingly agreed. We went and rejoined the group. By now, I had made up my mind that this girl was too intrusive and not the type I could hold a conversation with. I was in fact fearing that she may start again. While we were sitting there on the steps, and it was cold I agree, she said "I'm feeling really cold, can't we go somewhere warm?" There, I have laid it bare. People have taken out their own interpretations of this statement, and you can read most of them wherever on the Internet they are. I however, choose to say nothing about this. I was as a whole, rather disappointed, and looking for an opportunity to get away. So, coupled with the fever I had 2 days ago, the amazing chocolate cookies Samridh had a stock of, and some mumbling about a relapse, I managed to concoct a lame excuse for myself and left Samridh alone to drop them home.

The only mistake I made that night, was to let everyone in on the conversation we had. What followed was pandemonium. I was made president of GSDCE (I stand corrected, it was S.H.A.G.) for life, and was asked to give a speech to an arbit gathering of 50 people outside the hostel late in the night, on my supreme penance. It took a while for the gossip to die down, but the legend lives on....

PS. I did try holding a conversation with her on a couple of occasions over phone, but never really hit it off..


Update:
Yesterday I got a mail from Samridh, and I just couldn't stop laughing. It had S's latest snaps. Click on image to enlarge.

Labels: Life

Happy Holi!

Colour has made my life miserable of late, but then, it may improve many people's. (As long as they don't have to worry about Profiles and devices and aaaaaargh!!)

Labels: Life

Wicked Apple Brew

Apple's are always associated with the wicked, the evil, and not entirely without reason.

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical and forbidden fruit. Though the forbidden fruit in the book of Genesis is not identified, popular European Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve the apple became a symbol for temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. In Latin, the words for 'apple' and for 'evil' are similar in the singular (malus — apple, malum — evil) and identical in the plural (mala). This may be the reason that the apple was interpreted as the biblical 'forbidden fruit'.

So, I walked into a coffee shop, and saw a drink called "Wicked Apple Brew" on the menu. Naturally, I fell prey. I do not wish to wax eloquent about how good it was (it was :). All I intend to do is give a factual description, tell you where to get your glass, and wait for your comments.

Location : Barista (India)
Cost : Rs. 55 (L.T. extra)
Description : Thick golden apple juice, slightly warm,with a fine essence of cinnamon. Topped with sweet whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon powder.

Go and get one, now!

Labels: Food, Review

Honeymoon Travels Inc.

I rarely watch movies in a Hall. It's expensive to start with, and most movies are available on the internet soon after they release. In fact English movies are available long before they release! Add my short concentration span to that, and watching movies in a Hall is a really bad idea. Off late though, I thought maybe I should give it a shot. So, week before last, I met up with college buddies to see Eklavya. I did realize that it was not a good idea to watch a movie before Nikhat Kazmi or likes had a go at it. I agree they can be biased, but they are mostly right. So, I really enjoyed the Pizza that night. Only the Pizza, and maybe even my little nap inside the hall, a first btw.

Last week I got a call from a colleague, asking if I would join a bunch of guys from office to watch 'Honeymoon Travels Inc.' Frankly, the most interesting thing that happened during the movie was 'the spill'. Gauri, a tall lanky geek from office, who is possibly the only one alive capable of 'Digitally Signing' PDF documents manually, using only Vim and his head, came back after the intermission with a tray full of snacks and drinks. While he was trying to tiptoe past me, I offered to help him a little by picking up one of the glasses. (I'm not a 'bhukkad'; if you've seen Gauri, you will also impulsively want to relieve him of all his burdens, maybe even his watch..) Now, this selfless action of mine was probably interpreted as sheer greediness by the specters of PVR Spice, because they came and tipped the glass a bit too much, and before I knew it, I was sitting in a puddle of Pepsi! I had trouble even getting up! I did manage to stand up, tilt the seat and drain the puddle, but the seat was still wet, and so was I, and sticky!

We were so disgusted with the movie, that we started whistling, and laughing hysterically at the sad jokes. Then, a long sticky walk back to office, another hour of trying to dry off in office, and finally back home at 2.

Today, I was flipping through channels at home, and I saw an advt. of Honeymoon Travels. I don't know why I stopped flipping, but I did, only to see a flash at the end of the advt. "Running Successfully All Over". My Foot! The fact that I had to sit through half the movie in wet sticky trousers takes noting away from its rotten quality. Absurd!