Harbour Trip

Those who dare, make it... Check out the group of dare-devils heading for the 3 hour climb! I wanted to make it but the sprain in my anle wouldn't let me.. Also it was bloody expensive .

An Eiffel Tower in Sydney

Boat show at day

Boat Show at nite

Powerboat of 2008

a distant Sydney Tower

Wish I could reach out.

Such a contrast!

Call it professional hazard or whatever, Ijust can't hold myself back from reading hoardings or posters while commuting. Came across this one and found it rather amusing. Such a contrast to whatwe have in India (upto 50% off... they can be really tricky ). Have read couple of more interesting such stuff here. Shall keep posting for sure.

Darling Harbor (right view)

Darling Harbor (left view)

Voila!

Behold! The Opera House

Spectacular is the word!

Sydney Harbor

When the sun comes down

Sydney Harbor

What a beauty!

My 1st wonder of the world

Everything fishy about it part II

Everything Fishy about it!

Whoa!!!

Sometimes it pays to stay awake late night. Specially when you are on board a flight.
Taken at 3:45 am(IST) which means roughly around 8:15 am in Australia. Dunno at what height might I have been flying. But whatever be the case, it's the most fabulous sight.

Taken

I'll be back soon baby

It's just a matter of a few days.

Aunty kaho na

Yes! I am an aunt today.
My brother and sister-in-law were blessed with a baby girl this morning. Can't wait to see her and take her in my arms.

Leaving tonight!

Am going Down Under

Got my VISA to the land of Kangaroos

Practice doesn't make a man perfect, CORRECT practice makes a man perfect!!

That's what I realized in my violin class today. very thoughtful indeed I say.

Be careful what you wish for. It might come true.

How do you react when something like that happens?? At times you are just taken aback, asking yourself, ‘Is this for real?’, ‘Can dreams actually come true?’, ‘doesn’t that happen only in movies?’

The other day I met a friend of mine who kept on harping about his new-found love life. He had been waiting all along for this wonderful person to step into his life. Someone who met all the expectations he ever had… her smile, her eyes, her talks, her stupidity, her maturity, …anything you name it… she had it. He secretly had a crush on her for a long time, but it took an eon for him to confess. And when he finally did, it turned out that she had a much bigger crush on him. It was too overwhelming for him to react to such a situation. In all the excitement and exhilaration, he would often goof up saying silly things and unknowingly upsetting her. She is extremely caring and leaves no stone unturned to make her happy. But of course they would both patch up soon after.

He sought advice from me. All I could say was, you are one hell of a lucky guy. Try to not goof up. Be a lil more cautious. What advice would you give him?

For the record: They are very much in love and can’t wait to get married. But there are a minor complications that he needs to sort out before he takes the big plunge. He says he is the luckiest guy to have found true love in her.

Moral: It’s worth waiting, if you are waiting for the right person to come along.

Movies as I see it ..or rather hear it.

http://myfavmoviedialogues.blogspot.com/

For all the times I made you cry

The first time must have been when you held me
in your arms.
Dad says you almost cried a river.
I must have heard it a zillion times.
But every time seems like the very first.

My first word, my first step.
Each occasion was a celebration.
Though it was my first day at school.
It was you who waited with bated breath
outside the gate in the hot sun.

My nagging, my crying, my stubbornness.
You endured them all.
My lavish birthday parties, my shopping excursions.
You fulfilled them all.

When further studies abroad beckoned,
you let me spread my wings and pursue my goals.
I didn't want you to see me off at the airport.
As you'd embarass me in front of my friends by crying.

And now, as I sit here, seven seas away from you,
watching my daughter grow in front of my eyes.
I realize how many sacrifices it takes to raise a child.
And she's just 6 months old.

Dear Mom, I know I've been hard on you all along
Craving for your attention, day in day out.
You pushed aside your each desire, crushed your every dream
Held back your tears as if nothing happened.

For all the pain I caused
Sorry seems to be too small a word
I know I can't turn back the time
The least I could do is make sure
the next time you cry
the tears you shed be those of joy.

The other day, me and my colleague were taking an interview. My colleague asked the candidate, "what has been your best work so far?" . She promptly replied, 'Not yet!". I started thinking myself and dug out this ad. I gave my heart and soul to write this ad. It's about an oldage home. Thanks Maddy for coming up with a brilliant layout! :-)

Oops! I did it again...

don’t hang up on me…

you had me at ‘hello’
so don’t hang up on me
i haven’t had enough of you
don’t think i ever will

your voice is the first thing
i wanna wake up to
your voice is the only thing
that sees me through the dark night

oh! you really had me at ‘Hello’

it’s funny, i used to change
my ring tones so that i could
reach out to answer any call
but now it’s mostly on silent mode
as i hold on to it
as if my life depended on it

it must be true when they say
‘you gotta choose your addictions wisely’

well! guess what??!!
am waiting to hear you say 'hello'

all my waking hours
are spent charging
maybe i’d run out of topics
but i surely don’t wanna drain the battery

keep talking. keep talking

i wanna hear the breath of your voice
i wanna hear the pulse of your silence

don’t hang up on me
not yet…

the teasing, the pleading
the sob stories, the amazing journeys
the silly jokes, the crazy dreams
what’s for dinner
what you wish was for dinner

i’m listening. i’m listening to them all.

don’t hang up on me…not yet
it hurts like hell
to not have you around

you amaze me
in every little thing you do
the souvenirs you collect
of our every visit
the way you sneak out
to say how much you love me
how you can just hold my hand
for hours at end
and yet not speak a word

don’t hang up on me
don’t EVER
‘cos i haven’t had enough of you
and i don’t think i ever will

To my Lizeen,

She tells me she's dazed and confused.
In that case I must be disillusioned.
For I draw my inspiration from her.
Young, restless and carefree.
That's what she claims to be.
Don't I hold my head high up in the air;
For in her I oft see a reflection of me.

Talk about being over-protective!

Why Binda why????!!!!

melancholy

Many a times
I feel I am the sky
vast and infinite
holding the universe
within my arms
yet surrounded
by a dark void
The sun rises
as the moon fades
into a distant dream
alas!
my life is
just a vicious
monotonous cycle
can only fathom
of an escape
by closing my eyes.

still scribbling

have patience, they told me
but how could I?
for my curiosity knew no bounds

stay calm, they consoled me
but how could I?
when my destiny was raging a storm

be cautious, they warned me
but how could I?
fear was unheard of...

FREE is a four-letter word!

Random scribble

The unbearable stench
of a dry summer
dissolves into oblivion
I can almost hear the pulse
of a distant thunder
yearning to set ablaze
As the gentle breeze
now begins to tremble
The forecast
that was never meant to be
screams out
of the calm night
Here I lie awake
in anticipation
that the first drop
brings forth
a new aura of hope
to wash away
my tears of loneliness
The hope
of a promise long forgotten..

More than 3 hrs on the phone????!!!!

Starting from 10:26 p.m. right upto 1:40 a.m.... I surprise myself... I hate talking on the phone for such a long time... but this one...hhhmmmm... I couldn't get enough.. yeh dil maange more...it's just that the charge drained off and there was no way I could charge it at that time of the night...too many obstacles...

To set the record straight, the earlier record was also with the same person... ;-)

I love my Butterscotch!

Smitten by Movie Mania

It was raining movies on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!

Cruising by the Gateway!

One of my favourite things in the world...to just go for a boat ride at the gateway. I specially like the part where the boat leaves the shore... Feels like all my worries are drifting away... after about half an hour when the boat returns the shore , an elation sets in.. of a fresh beginning!

No dream ever too small

Sizzled out!

Am not much of a chocoholic, but treat me a Chocolate Brownie Sizzler at Newyorkers and I’ll die a million deaths.

I HATE Pigeons

Primarily for four reasons:
1. I can never get the spelling right at the first go.
2. They make a weird sound which reminds me of gastric trouble.
3. No matter how hard you try, they are too stubborn to move (especially when they perch themselves at my balcony)
4. Even if the world may refer to them as symbol of love or messenger of peace for that matter, for me they are harbingers of shit.

Hot PIP(E)ING breakfast.

This is puttu predominantly a breakfast item savoured by the sinners from God’s own country, yours truly! It’s made of rice flour and grated coconut, steam-cooked in the pot-pipe vessel. Water is boiled in the pot and the filling is dumped into the pipe shaped part. When vapours begin to come out of the top of the pipe, you know it’s cooked.

As a side dish you have an option to choose between banana, black chana (gram) curry or a paapad. I prefer banana. And it’s a must to eat it hot otherwise it gets too dry and hard.

Wake me up, Sunshine!

That’s the sight I get to see first thing in the morning. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Gotta be more disciplined!

Have to pull up my socks... Here I am finally interacting with the best teacher there could ever be, but damn! I don't do my homework.

Musical score #113

Love is a Four letter word:-D

With all the fuss about St.Valentine’s day, thought I’d take the road less traveled. Find below my favourite picks for anti-valentine songs. The whole idea was provoked by Vh1 this morning. Well since quite a few days, there was a major problem in the cable network reception at my home. It was sorted out last night. Every morning, my brother is in charge of the remote control. So he is tuned onto the news channel. The minute he leaves I jump onto Vh1. They have a morning classic rock session. But today was not the case. It started off with My heart will go on…Gosh I thought Titanic was the worst love story ever…4 hours…Damn! (No offence to the huge fan following) the song that followed were I will always love youuuuuuuuuuuu (Whitney Houston), Now and Forever by Richard Marx (still bearable) and then the dreadful Nothing’s gonna change my love for you… Talk about overdose of love… Without further delay, the songs I mentioned earlier:

The revengeful lover
My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
-Nirvana

The haunted lover
Every breath you take, Every move you make
Every bond you break, Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Every single day, Every word you say
Every game you play, Every night you stay
I'll be watching you
-Sting

The confused lover
No, I don't wanna loose you, But I don't wanna use you
Just to have somebody by my side. And I don't wanna hate you
I don't wanna take you But I don't wanna be the one to cry.
And it don't really matter To anyone anymore.
But like a fool I keep loosing my place
And I keep seeing you walk through the door.
There's a danger in loving somebody too much
And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can trust.
There's a reason why people don't stay where they are
Baby, sometimes love just ain't enough.
- Patti Smith & don Henley

The desperate lover
So I cry, I pray and I beg
Love me love me
say that you love me
fool me fool me
go on and fool me
love me love me
pretend that you love me
leave me leave me
just say that you need me
Love me love me
say that you love me
leave me leave me
just say that you need me
I can't care 'bout anything but you...
- The Cardigans

The rational lover
You must understand though the touch of your hand
Makes my pulse react That it's only the thrill of boy meeting girl
Opposittes attract, It's physical, Only logical
You must try to ignore that it means more than that
What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
- Tina Turner

Stay away from me

Do not get in touch with me.
You disturb my mind big time.

Hold your breath for heartbeats!

That was the welcoming note for the concert tonight..112 to keep the count running. And what a concert man!! All-time legends were performing:
Ustad Zakir Hussain... Tabla
Vikku Vinayakram… Ghatam
U Srinivasan…………Mandolin
Selva Ganeshan………Kanjira
Siva Mani…………….Drums
Shankar MAhadevan..Vocals

Went with Neelofer and Deepika and we had a great time. Even before the concert started we were having a gala time. There was a war waging right in front of us. The deal was that the seats were available on a first-cum-first basis. The row ahead of us that could roughly seat around 15 people was being occupied by only a guy and a girl sitting at each end. Apparently they had reserved the seats for their friends who had not reached the venue yet. Therein reached a family of around 7 and began to occupy those seats. Now is when all the excitement started. Cat-fight in its true element. The girl who had reserved the seat was an NRI with an accent, mind it. The argument provided by the family was that they were already there and they could occupy the seats. But then our NRI babe wouldn’t agree to that as it was unfair as she had reached well before time to reserve them. Where are your friends asked the old man. They are out parking. All 14 of them? Hhmmmm … point to be noted, I say. I am an NRI, you know. So what? Well out there, we have better manners…(this was amusing) So why did you have to come all the way to India, you might have stayed back there… Neelofer and I were bursting out …Hillarious..
All said and done, 3/4th of the family managed to occupy the seats and from somewhere another family came and took over as well… At the end of it all, who was politically correct??... hhmmm Good question, Neelofer… Are you always this smart or do you do it just to impress me?;-)

Don't blame me..

Accidents have a way of nailing me down.

Life in the fast lane

On one such cold night in Mumbai

There's only so much bad news can a human being take one day at a time.

While most teach, only a handful inspire

My violin class has now received a brand new lease of life with the arrival of a new teacher. The entire time that I have been learning violin, never ..I repeat NEVER have I felt so inspired. In the entire one hour that he took the class, I hardly played a 2 minute piece. What was most important about this class was the basic fundamentals that he cleared out. Something as trivial as why is the violin held the way it is held. How much pressure should be applied on the bow and why should it be applied. I came out of the class having attended the first day of my real violin lesson. Why didn’t he come earlier? But better late than never…I can’t wait to attend the next class.

And I never stop learning…

Last week I made a trip to God’s own country, my native place. Ironical isn’t it? A sinner with roots in the God’s own country… well well well… it’s a strange world we live in… So here are a few lessons I learnt from my trip:

ACCIDENTS BY ITS VERY DEINITION HAPPEN UNWARNED, DEAL WITH IT!
Never underestimate the sharpness of an unfamiliar knife
No matter how fast you run, a squirrel will still be faster than you
Do not put your face into a fire with tresses untied
A lotus can bloom in clean water too
It’s better to walk in the fields barefoot
Control your hunger pangs
And last but not the least…
Not everything that lands onto your head is a sign of good luck