Problems and I'm going home..

I recently heard someone talk about a certain problem they were facing. Since this individual in discussion is quite senior (age, experience, what seems to be wisdom, etc.) I thought it best to shut my trap and continue to listen to what could be the grandmother of a useless solution finding attempt (imagine.. it's useless and still only an attempt). I listened till I could feel that if my ears had tear glands, they'd probably exhaust a lifetimes supply of tears! So I decided to walk away..

"..why don't you try "this" (to protect identity) instead"

I got a pat on my back and a whole load of "awesome dude"! Well.. honestly for all you people reading, if I ever gave you the situation, I'm sure 11 out 10 times you would have thought the same thing. Why, why, why (for the love of Jesus) can people not see the real PROBLEM? Don't tell me about symptoms and causes - it's sometimes a load of monkey poo! Look at what matters to you - and you'll always have the answer. In project management we call it "Critical Success Factor", and for the record there can be only one.

Simple logic - The problem is an itch, the solution is, scratch!

I'm leaving Bangalore on Friday (unless someone really high up in the corporate ladder doesn't have the solution to an itch). I'm happy, but at the same time I feel I'm going to miss the place (especially since I don't ride a bike in Pune, and if I do, Rami is on the back seat). Please take that in the humor it was intended. But honestly, I will miss Bangalore. It's Bombay on Monday and I'm apprehensive all over again about the crazy paced life. It's strange how Bombay never lets you take it for granted and cities like Bangalore and Pune - you know you'll be fine.

So long Bangalore, Pune here I come! Bombay can wait till Monday to kick my butt into my face!

P.S. I think I've developed an allergy to cell phones. Really. My ears get red and as big as the Incredible Hulks (Thank God they don't get green). So, if I don't call anyone of you this time when I'm in Pune - you know why. I have a feeling this allergy will be gone after about 3 weeks. Cheers.. breathe you soon, oh air of Pune!

And finally facebook won!

Goutham (strange it's so close to Gotham) is very enamored with my blog. So he's my colleague.. and he's decided that "smoking kills" is worth many reads, and he's posted the link on his facebook profile (is that what you people call it?). The blog was meant to be mine, but honestly if people don't read what you write, then why write?

P.S. England lost. I'm super depressed. I had to come back and listen to Eric Cartman. I don't feel any better!
And mom had to call me to know if I was handling it well. Well done Richard!

Kumar and the Guesthouse...

I've been living in the guesthouse for more than a month now. They're probably going to put up my picture on the door of this room now.

The guy that takes care of this guesthouse is called Kumar. He's the only company I have on most days (don't get this wrong). It's strange how every once in a while we meet people that in some way will have a lasting impression on us. Kumar is like a mother to me right now. He's worried if I don't eat. He's awake when I come back late. I feel more at home here than I do in Bombay (which technically is home).

Kumar knows Krishnamachari Shrikkanth, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri personally (irrelavant information, but impressive). He cooks the most amazing food in the world (yes, he even beats the mother). I will miss him when I'm gone.

He surely deserves some space on my blog. If you notice, there are only few that get this luxury.

Also, he has this perennial smile stuck on his face.

What an idiot!

And some mornings I just wake up with this feeling...

I miss Pune. Very much.

P.S.

Jewish Kid: Is anyone else having problems concentrating on this? I just can't seem to concentrate.
Eric Cartman: Maybe we should send you to a concentration camp.

Be a man!

Last Saturday I went out with a few colleagues to this club called Athena in Bangalore (I refuse absolutely to call it 'Bangaluru'). It was a good time. A certain colleague had a bike which he was too lazy to drive (and strangely, so he walks) and I rode the bike to this next stop we were going to make. I'm going to cut this long story short.

I rode past this place where I saw this VERY HOT woman standing on the road side with another guy. I didn't think much about it. I had to stop ahead so the (poorer) people on foot could catch up with me. Just then that VERY HOT woman came up behind me, sat on the bike and said "Let's go"! I was stunned (and have to admit, even a little scared) at first. She wanted to be "dropped" down the road. Well, so I rode her down to about 50 meters and she got off and started making conversation. She had terrible hiccups and I told her she needed to go get some water. The only other thing I remember of that conversation is that she said she's from a small town on the border of Bihar and Nepal and then she gave me her name (which I obviously forgot). I left her there saying I needed to catch up with my friends coz I don't know my way around. The end.

My "men" friends are obviously not very impressed with me. Yes I agree she was a stunner but hey, I'm good too! People here tell me that this happens in Bangalore. Yeah, maybe you should call this city BANG-A-LOT!

Well, I think it takes more of man to say "no", knowing you have someone. This is my opinion and yes I'm ready for a debate FUCKERS!

P.S. The women that know about this incident have all had the very same opinion about this girl which is quite the opposite of what the men think. Can one hormone really make so much difference?

The bitterness and hate

Sometimes you carry so much of bitterness and hate inside that you don't end up realising how much you can hurt people (or a person) with it. While you don't accept the hate it builds up this huge ego inside you that makes you consciously attempt to be indifferent to people and things that probably still mean the world to you.

You end up burning so many bridges that when you want to cross back you know it can never happen again. You live on... with the thought of never being able to apologise or go back and see what went wrong. You will always wonder why someone wanted to reach out to you, when they tried. You end up living with the thought that you may never even get a chance to hold someone and tell them you were sorry. Maybe it won't matter so much that you can't live on as seemingly normal. Somehow you were miserable before and will remain miserable after.

Then you come to a day when you realise not all is lost. Not because you tried, because people still reached out to you. You've been given one more chance. You know you were sorry. Take that opportunity to say it. Fix it. When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.

I'm sorry. I mean it.

P.S. Don't ask. I won't tell.

Or maybe not just yet..

So, I decided against it.. That should tell you how many decisions I make and stick to!

I didn't have anything to really inspire me and it was beginning to get boring to write and just then, Rituraj (my house mate in Bombay) called to tell me he'd become a father! I know how happy it made me to know that - don't ask why!

So, I sit back and think. In Bombay, I realised Rituraj is mostly all I have. When I need sound advice, help in any way or even something as simple as 'transporting' the girlfriend from Pune to Bombay airport, he's the only person I can look to.

Now I really can't wait to get back from Bangalore (to meet his little son, if nothing else). I've been away from Pune longer than this before but I've never missed it as much. Bangalore is great. But now I understand what they mean by "Home is where the heart is".

P.S. Next time I say I'm going to stop writing, check the time of the post. If it has been written at some ungodly hour - you know what may have transpired.

And please be nice and say "Welcome back Martin".

Over

I don't feel like writing anymore. I feel I'm not even being honest on my own blog. So this is it. No more. I'm signing off. And remember I'm only a phone call away. I love all of you.

Someday, I'll be back.

Ta!