got some much needed R&R this weekend!

Yes!!! After a long long time, I took a well-deserved break from routine ......
My family and I went to Khandala (a hill station about 2 hours from Bombay) for the weekend!

Lately I've been working too hard & too much and so haven't been spending too much time with my family. So, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with them these two days.

We caught up on what's happening, refreshed old memories, shared a few laughs, explored the 'countryside' (the place is a bustling city! .. due to all da tourists) ...:). Guess it was a welcome change for Mom as well as she didn't have to cook ... :)

As I said before, Khandala and the nearby Lonavala are tourist hotspots and so are nothing but bustling mini-cities located in the hills :) I was amused to see the many hotels littered across the hills ... (actually, I was a bit sad as I found it to be nothing but a blatant rape of the natural scenic beauty that must have drawn tourists to Khandala in the first place) ... Yes, the weather is still pleasant and natural beauty does exist in bits and patches .... but what I really enjoyed was the train ride to Khandala ....

People say that the journey is just as important as the destination ... and they were proved right on this trip ... I enjoyed the ride thoroughly ... the refreshing cool breeze through the windows, ranges upon ranges of hills stretched out as far as the eyes could see, crisp greenery in some places and deep dry valleys at other places ... barren land and scorched vegetation seemed to be patiently awaiting rainy salvation ... a misty haze reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun, made
the distant hills shine like a gem-laden patch of paradise ....

... all this made me feel so small in this huge world ... and yet, it made me feel so very blessed to be alive ... Life is such a wonderful gift!

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A few snaps from the trip:
I’m smiling all da way to Khandala

on to Khandala!

ever feel like a puny tree in a huge universe?

da view from Khandala station

da view from da Hotel

Poem - Just to dream of you

Just to dream of you - Anup R

I sleep so I can dream of you
I wake up just for a glance of you
But I have to be satisfied with your look of disdain
… where have all the good times gone?

I drink, trying to forget you
I sober up just to talk to you
But I have to be satisfied with the ‘Hello’ you say …
... before you bang down the receiver
… where have all the heart 2 heart conversations gone?

I drive aimlessly …
… another futile attempt to get away
… from you and everything you mean to me
But no matter how much I try
I end up right where I began
… what’s become of all the great plans I had for my life?

So I have another drink …
And drive back home …
And fall into a restless sleep …
... so I can dream again …

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This is one of my old (month-old) poems ... posted this today, just coz' Keshi requested a post ... and I can't refuse someone so beautiful and charming and lovely ..... ;) ... lolz ...

Seriously speaking, I added that footnote just so that a few of my buddies such as Elaine don't fret and fume and give me a OTS (one tight slap) for not getting over my ex-flame ... :)

... I have moved on guys! ... but, I still have a bunch of unpublished poems from the messed up relationship ... so, you'll get them gradually, everytime I've got nothing better to post .. ;) lolz ...

Success at work or relationships ... same key to both

I've learnt just one thing in the 2 years I've been working.

To be successful at work, you must impress the boss.
And to impress the boss you must deliver above expectations.

One may logically conclude that one will have to work hard/work smart/ be street smart (or whatever fancy term is going around now-a-days) to impress the boss.

But, it's not really that difficult.

Just remember to:
1. Lower Expectations:
You're whole life must be centred on Lowering Expectations! It's the most important thing one can ever do. Not only on the job. It's the key to sucess in almost every relationship, including marriage!

Your performance is purely a matter of how the Boss perceives your work to be. You may perform as well or as bad as everyone else, but he will perceive someone has done well, while someone else hasn't. All because he has different expectations from different people. So, if your Boss has high expectations from you, ... You, my friend are screwed! :) You're constantly gonna have to deliver better stuff than others ... and not expect any compliments ... coz' that kind of work has always been expected from you! And if you deliver 'average' stuff, the Boss will think you are getting complacent. And that's even worse!

So, always maintain a low profile. Do your work better than the average co-worker. But, don't do it spectacularly well at the beginning itself. If the Boss spots that, you'll be branded with overexpectation for the rest of your career. Keep the Boss happy by doing work better than others, and keep raising the bar gradually... that way, as the Boss raises his expectations, you too are able to raise your performance accordingly!

The same applies to relationships, including Marriage. Keep the expectations of the wife so low, that she is pleasantly surprised everytime you do something thoughtful. TIP. Do something thoughtful every other week ... or else you're in trouble... :) I often share a joke with close friends ... Love your wife a lot. Tell her that. Show her that through your actions. But still keep her expectations so low, that she's happy to even receive the stem of a rose from you on Valentine's Day ... lolz :)

2. Underpromise. Then Over-deliver:
You are asked to do something. You estimate it will take 1 week. Come up with complex calculations involving many variables and assumptions and tell your Boss, your optimistic estimate of 3 weeks. Make sure you come to the office before your Boss comes in and leave only after the Boss leaves. (Yes, make it a point to greet the Boss daily, and provide updates on how you are tackling unforseen difficulties ... and how you will ensure delivery on time...) Then deliver a superb product in 2 and a half weeks. Won't the Boss be impressed?

Similarly, on a weekend, tell your wife that you will repair that leaky faucet/mow the lawn/other jobs around the house next weekend (with a plausible excuse not to get to it today)... then do it today (drawing attention to the fact that you could've been out there saving the world, but are repairing that leaky faucet that pestered your wife, ... just because you Love Her so much ... aww ...) Won't this Boss be impressed too?

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All the above was just fun, guys ... it may have an element of truth that I wanted you to think about ... nothing else ... don't take me too seriously ...( i doubt you'll do) ... :)

Poem - Life's a Bitch!

Life's a Bitch - Anup R

Life's a bitch
Just one big sales pitch

Perceived abilities gets one hired
But very soon, one gets tired
Of living up to great expectations
& handling the daily trials and frustrations

Delivering one's best gets one no fame no acclaim
Coz' it was only expected
And anything remotely 'average' is not accepted
they say - Surely compalcency is to blame!

Can't they see
what life's become for me?
overexpectations
sucking the life outta me?

Cynicism raises its ugly head everyday
Doesn't listen to reason or anything that I say
It wants me to break free
It wants me to run away

But I'm down with it
I know this too will pass
I'm the one who raised the bar
I'm the one aiming to be a star
No success without some sorrow
or without sweat at the brow
So I'm gonna press on for some more time
I know I'll soon find my rhyme

I love my Life!
Though Life's a Bitch!
One looong sales pitch!

Disclaimer: No offense intended to dog lovers. I love dogs too :)
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Read my next post if u wanna know what was in my head when i wrote this one ... :)

Of rash drivers ...

A friend from the office met with an accident on his way back from lunch today. He was riding a bike, and was unable to avoid a head-on collision with a speeding car that was driving up the wrong side of the road. One leg is now in a cast (possible compound fracture), just because of that rash car driver!

I pray that he is completely healed very soon ... and I request you guys to pray for his total healing too!

When I considered the sequence of events, I shuddered at the realisation that it could easily have been much much worse ... Life is unpredictable as it is ... I think we could do without rash drivers altogether ... So, all you drivers out there, please drive responsibly ... one error on your part could turn someone's life upside down ...

Buddy, I pray that you are completely healed extremely fast, and are back with that great smile and cheerful disposition that wins u so many friends (& girlfriends) wherever u go!

Poem - Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day - Anup R

Lying here staring at the ceiling
Trying to make sense of what I’m feeling
I thought I’d accepted that it’s all over
I thought I’d moved on
But, now I’m not too sure

Coz, it’s Valentine’s Day
And to my utter dismay
Fond memories flood my senses
And drive me to my knees

The frustration gets to my head
Something’s gotta give!
I just wanna live!
Your face no longer do I wanna see!
I just wanna be free!
So, I crazily pound the bed
Till the fists ache
Till the heart feels its gonna break
Till I’m knocked senseless ….

And as I’m drifting into oblivion
I ask myself the obvious question …

Why am I …
Still madly in love?
Still missing you?
Still paying for my crime?
Still a poet searching for his rhyme?

I worked on a Saturday, boo hoo...

I'm too tired to make one of my 'real' posts ... (the well planned, well laid-out ones .... I know that none of them appear to be that way .... but I like to think that ... so, don't break that illusion... :)

I worked on Saturday! Oh the Horrors!

I had a report that was due 'the day before yesterday'... so, I had no choice to but do something I've avoided so far ... work ... on Saturdays.... So, I reached the office around 8.30 am (yes, I like to have an early start). There was not a soul there (except for a rather surprised security guard.... I think I woke him from a pleasant dream or something ..... he he :).

Anyways ... there was no coffee or tea ... so, I just had to make do with water ... I then put on my headphones, cranked up the volume, rolled up my sleeves, .... and sang along ... (look, I didn't have my morning cuppa ... so the sing-along was all I could do to get my senses out of their saturday slumber)

Soon enough I got cracking on my report... and found myself working at quite a remarkable pace ... I guess, not having phone calls to answer, email forwards to check out, coffee/tea breaks with colleagues, colleagues to pester, colleagues to pester u, ..... really improves productivity! ... and all this time I thought the scientists/researchers were wrong !

(BTW, coffee breaks are just to catch up on the latest gossip or do ur part in adding juicy stuff to the grapevine ... But, mostly you just get together with colleagues and bitch about .... just realized that colleagues may read this, so I'll not say who I bitch about .. he he .. ;)

After every two hours, I got up to stretch my legs ... and felt really bored .... I needed someone to talk to ... or just smile at ... sure, I could call someone up ... but, its not the same! ... So, I would get back to work ... thankfully, my music kept me sane ... otherwise the pin-drop silence in the office would have dragged down my spirits ... I'm just too used to having people around, phones ringing, people laughing, chatting, smiling ... even if I don't know anyone ... I feel like I belong! ... part of a clan ... Lesson learnt .... Man really is a social animal! :) ... at least I am! .... Solitude can be soothing only if its self-imposed ... and if there's a crowd to get away from ... perpetual solitude would be Hell!

Anyway, after a home-packed lunch was devoured, I went out of my room, and to my surprised relief, found another soul slaving away at his PC (yes, even he had his headphones on!) .... I realized just how much, misery loves company! :) ... I'm thinking - 'So, I'm not the only one with deadlines' ... I got back to work with renewed vigour ....

The next I came out of my room was late evening around 5.30 and found two more people around ... but, by now, finishing the report was the only thought in my head .... I didn't bother ... just goes to show ... that one can get used to loneliness if one knows there is someone out there ... if there's hope .... but what if u know there's no one out there... or if u mistakenly believe there's no one out there?

Report is finally done at 7.30 pm. Heave a contended sigh of relief ... still has to be edited .. proof-checked even ... but, I'm proud of this baby!

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So, I sacrificed this weekend at the altar of work ... what did u guys do?

The Apathy!

Just the other day, as I endured another seemingly never-ending commute to the office, I witnessed yet another incident that only reinforced my pessimism .... about where the earth is headed ..... soon enough most people will not die and go to Hell .... they will be born into it! ... I guess death would only be a pause in the journey to the next Hell .... bleak times ahead ? I sure think so!

Well, I was seated towards the far end of the packed bus, when I saw them board the bus from the designated exit at the front of the bus, to avoid the crowd that thronged the entrance at the rear of the bus. There they were - an aged couple, frail, wizened and grey ... carrying oversized (and crude) walking sticks to compensate for their lack of balance ... they made their way into the bus with quite a bit of difficulty ... (their walking sticks were not helping matters) .... the crowd made just enough space for them to approach the seat reserved for senior citizens ... but ...

... far from immediately vacating the seat, the two middle-aged men (the imbeciles!) who occupied the seat, ignored the couple and flatly refused to budge ... they ignored all requests from the couple ... and when other commuters requested them, they asked them to stay out of it ... For a couple of minutes, the couple had a really bad time as they could not endure the throng, and were constantly jolted by the insanely plentiful potholes ... (while the two imbeciles were rooted to the seat that was not rightfully theirs). Finally, out of pity, two other commuters (God bless them) vacated their seats and stood up to endure the jolts and the throng that those two imbeciles should've endured!

The sad part is the apathy that I saw in most commuters. While the imbiciles (who were well educated, mind you!) were obvious villains, most of the crowd was no better. Many harsh comments were made ... suggestions that the couple should've taken a taxi if they couldn't handle the crowd (even when it was obvious that they were too poor to afford it) .... on how they were taking up so much space (due to their hunched posture & the walking sticks) and how they constantly bumped into nearby commuters (due to their lack of balance)

This apathy ... the jungle mentality - survival of the fittest ... now pervades all sections of society ... educated, uneducated, rich or poor ... no one cares for anyone else ... if someone has tripped, people walk all over him and view him only as a hindrance in their path ... people either step over him (the kind-hearted lot) or they step on him not even breaking their stride (the normal lot) ... but will anyone help him up? .... No way! No one has the time for that! ... everyone has got some place to go ... some place to be ... someone to meet .... some money to make ....

Well, will those imbeciles never grow old? Are they counting on the world to finish them off in their youth itself? Don't they have parents who are old? How about if someone treated them or their family members in such a manner? Are they ready to handle the apathy that they dished out to others?

I've been here for only 25 years .... but I know one thing for sure ... What goes around comes around ... You only reap what you sow ... hence, if you sow apathy ... you'll reap apathy .... Be sure of that!

.... I remember the (true) sad story of a couple who passed the site of an accident in their luxury car, without stopping to help. Other cars also whizzed by, drivers just giving the bleeding motorbike rider a cursory glance. Pedestrians gathered nearby, whispering amongst themselves, but not offering any assistance.... Apathy at its peak?... Read on ... Well, later that night, the couple got a phone call from the police. Their only son had bled to death after a truck rammed against his motorbike .... and then sped off into the night. He could have been saved, had he been taken to the hospital in time ... but no one bothered to stop and help ... no one had the time ... "let the police handle it" was probably what they were thinking .... Imagine the horror of the couple when they heard the location of the accident! .... They had passed their dying son, and had not bothered to help, just some hours ago.... Thus, they joined the throng of drivers and pedestians who killed the biker just by their apathy ....

I know that this was an extreme example of apathy and its consequences ... but this really happened ... and it saddens me to think of the world that awaits the coming generation ... but, all that could change ... if a few of us stopped living in selfish world and took the time to care for fellow humans ... after all, we may be the ones needing the help someday ....

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Wow, I rambled a lot! But, I really think it's an important issue ... we need to remember that we are not the only ones who are flesh and blood and who have feelings ... we need a little empathy for our fellow humans ... then and only then is there any hope for the world!

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I brought a lot of work home today as the office was evacuated today .... a safety measure when a fire broke out near our office building (probably a leaking gas pipe) ... traffic was blocked on the busy road opposite our office and so I witnessed the mother of all traffic jams as I started home ... I walked part of the way and then got a Rickshaw (a three-wheeler taxi cab) home ... guess I'll clear some of the piled up office work tommorow .... there goes the holiday I was so excited about! ... :) ... or is it :( lolz ... I think I love my work ... so it's :) !

Poem - Time to move on

Time to Move On - Anup R

It's time to put things in order
It's time to put people in their place
It's time for a new beginning
It's time to move on

Eyes - "don't cast a look a around
lest fond memories weaken my resolve"

Ears - "hear, but don't listen to goodbyes
lest tears flood my eyes"

Tongue - "don't say a word today
lest my voice betray the sorrow within"

Heart - "look only to the future that beckons
lest I'm swayed by the love I've known so far"

Its time to confront what I've known all along
Down here, nothing lasts forever

Not friendship ...
... Not even love

Dreams are pleasant ...
... but one can't live in a fantasy forever

So I'll heed the call of life,
Pack up my stuff...
.... and move on ....


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This is the first time that I've not paid any attention to rhyme ... thanks for the inspiration ... C Addict! .... :)

Parenthood....

The world keeps getting messier .... things cannot get better any time soon .... moral standards are lowered every minute .... compromises made without a thought .... show me the money ... just show me the money!

..... parenthood keeps getting complicated .... sex and violence on TV and the net ... rebellion and disrespect is "cool" ... profanity is "cool" ... 'protected sex' is "cool" ... 'designer drugs' are "cool" ... anything goes so long as u are not caught ... and even if u are caught ... it's "cool" ....

Why would anyone want to bring an innocent child into this world? why? .... they would then have to see the world trying to snatch away the innocence and purity from their baby .... see the world trying to corrupt and destroy their very flesh and blood .... all over again .... are they ready to watch their child become what they are today? ... probably even worse??? ... the world is like a raging fire .... never satisfied .... always trying to consume whatever innocence, love and purity that's left .... leaving only charred remains .... of a once pleasant soul ....

Why would you bring a child into this forsaken place?
..... maybe because all hope is not lost ..... the world will seek to destroy, but will not always succeed .... maybe because you get another chance to defeat the world.... living through your child .... maybe because you may be the fortunate parent of one of the few children who were not conquered by the world .... but who conquered the world .... the proud parents of great men and women whose names will be written forever in the annals of human history .... serving as examples for future generations ....

All hope is not lost .... good still exists .... it's just that we cynics have become accustomed to seeing the bad and the ugly, overlooking the good .... maybe we need to change our perspective .... maybe we need a child's help to do it .... maybe ......

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Am I high or something? ... absolute gibberish up there, ain't it? :) ..... well, I've typed it out ... so, I'm gonna let it stay ..... :)