Build up to the Holy Amarnath Yatra - Phase 1

I along with some office colleagues have decided to visit the Holy Amarnath this season. We are total 10 people and few more probable candidates. We had planned this trip few months earlier and we have our flight tickets booked to Srinagar. We had sensed that the holy yatra would start by the end of June so we had booked our tickets accordingly. We leave Delhi on the 30th of June for Srinagar and then head for the holy Amarnath and hope to get a sneak at the holy shrine.

Yes I know that there is still over a months time before we start our yatra, but yesterday we had our first meeting to decide and discuss about the yatra. The prime objective was to make sure that we get the forms for the yatra filled and get our insurances done as that is mandatory. We also discussed that we would need a passport size photograph of each of the member. This may sound funny but without naming naming anybody I can say that there are people who do not have a passport photograph and they need to get it done in about a weeks time. Deepak don't feel bad I have not taken your name.

We also discussed the amount and type of luggage that we should carry with us as we understand that whatever we take with us, we will have to carry it along with us the entire way. So we do not want to overburden ourselves in the same time we also do not want to miss anything that would make us feel miserable out there. I have been given the duty to pen down every single update on my blog. So you will find a series of posts with the same title in days to come. To conclude I would like to list down the names of the people who have already confirmed their participation in the yatra and also those who may join us.

Ajay Sharma

Binay Mohanty

Deepak Kumar

Gaurav Khera

Kushagra Deep

Pratyush Nath

Ritesh Srivastava

Saurabh Juneja

Vipin Gupta

Yogesh Kumar

Amrit Kumar - a probable participant

JAI BHOLE NATH !!!

How many times do you laugh at a joke ?

This may sound weird but is true and you may even find that this has happened to you as well. So coming to the point straight away I would like to say that are two types of people in the audience when you crack a joke or something. You will always find the audience divided on your jokes i.e. some of them laugh immediately and others after a while and some never laugh at all. I have analyzed the same and found two basic reasons behind the same. One is that your joke is so bad that people don't feel like laughing at it rather laugh at you. Other reason could be that they did not get your joke.

I am assuming that my jokes are worth the laugh so I am eliminating the first reason. So that leaves me with just the option that people do not understand the jokes that I crack. The point to be noted here is that everyone laughs at the jokes that I crack. Only difference being that some laugh once and some laugh thrice. Confused ?

When I crack a joke, those who understand it laugh instantly. Others who do not understand also laugh just to show that they have understood and nobody makes fool of them. Then later sometimes when they actually understand what the joke was all about they laugh again. They laugh once again only that this time they laugh upon themselves that they could not understand this joke at the first instance. So next time when you hear a joke or something, count the number of times you laughed.

Kites : Review

The woman is hot, that's pretty much about it. This would be a one sentence to sum up Kites. The movie is a hard core romance thing and you do not get to see anything new. The only change that you will notice is Spanish being used in a Bollywood movie (pun intended). The movie runs at a very slow pace and is pretty predictable. The story is also no different so overall an o.k. movie.

But I personally enjoyed the movie though I did not like it as much. The movie had set high expectation levels which it failed to achieve and thus disappointed the viewers. The good part about the movie is the good job done by Hrithik and team. I liked the acting of most of the stars in the movie and also liked the emotional touch they provided to the movie. I some how enjoyed the way they kept on unfolding the story although it was very obvious.

The story is ok and so is the plot and cinematography. The foreign locations, beautiful cars, casino do not seem to excite the audiences and they have seen enough of these. We wanted to see something different which we did not get. But still I liked the concept and the movie. It is short and sweet love story that lasts for something over 2 hours and I guess there is enough *masala* in the movie to keep you happy for 2 hours.

Don't Be Serious, Be Sincere : Chetan Bhagat

So true... Click on the picture to view a enlarged version of it.

My Team won the T20 World Cup

Yes I am a die hard Indian supporter and no matter how the team plays I would support my team in the next series that they feature. Does my saying this add to the mystery that how come my team won the T20 World Cup ? when it was England who won the World Cup. So let me explain, I support India and any team that plays against Australia hence the victory of England was the victory of my team.

I have this thing against Australia and it keeps on growing with every match that I see them play. I find the Australian players snobbish and egoistic, but then I am told that they have worked for it and they deserve all the pride that they show. But I think otherwise, there are a selected few that are down to earth even after achieving great heights the likes of Shane Warne and Gilchrist are examples. I simply hate the shrewdness of the Pontings, the Symonds, the Clarks and above all the filth of Shane Watson. I find these people really disgusting and opposed to the spirit of any game. They may be excellent players but I hate them and this hatred keeps me in opposition to Australia always.

I really enjoyed the semi final match between Australia and Pakistan and I must say that it was the best T20 match I have seen in some time. I was really shocked by the amazing run chase but disappointed as well as Australia won. I do not like Pakistan at all even then I wanted them to win just because they were playing against Australia. You may call me a maniac or whatever but this is exactly how it is with me when it comes to Australia and Australian players.

T20 World Cup 2010

There is just nothing about the T20 world cup this year for us to remember. It has been a dreadful journey to say the least. We are almost done in this years world cup and if they do not improve substantially they will be good on paper only. I was shocked at the team selection for today's match, how can you go into a match with just 3 proper bowlers and 4 part time spinners on a juicy and bouncy pitch when you have been taken to the cleaners a couple of days earlier by the Australians. How does the Indian team selection justify playing Ravindra Jadeja shouldn't he have been replaced with another fast bowler preferably Praveen Kumar if he was fit to play.

I was shocked at the team they selected for the World cup in the first place. They left out Robin Uthappa, Ojha and even Amit Mishra who were the inform players in the recently concluded IPL. I guess cricket was all about form wasn't it ? then what made you select Piyush Chawla specially when you are not going to play him. Even if I leave all these selection issues, still if a team who boosts of players like Yuvraj, Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina with 8 batsman and cannot chase 170 odd then my friend there is some serious problem.

I am really depressed and shocked at the dismal performance of the Indian team and seriously I didn't want to waste my time in writing anything about this subject but my very dear friend and room mate who has to watch all the matches even when he is least interested because of me asked me to write something on this subject. Believe me he was also pissed off at the show that our team put up so when he said I should write I could not say no and I honestly believe that I owe him this post for all the times he has had to watch a cricket match just because I do. Yogesh, this one is for you mate.

Movie Review : Badmash Company

I had not watched a movie in months and when I was asked out to watch a movie I agreed. The choice was obvious and we went to watch Badmash Company. Mark my words when I say that you need to be in good company when you are watching badmash company otherwise you are sure to suffer. The movie has nothing new to offer, it is the same old story where a person chases money and in due courses loses touch of his family and friends and then one bright day when he is convicted and jailed that he realises the importance of friend and family and then comes back to them and they live happily ever after. The only difference that is obvious in this movie is the role of Anushka Sharma which is starkly different from what we saw in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

The movie showcases a bunch of dudes planning on going against the system and making quick money. The story is very predictable, full of good for nothing plans that keep on giving results. These 4 people go all around the world fooling people and nobody seems to catch them. There are a few punches here and there that bring a smile to your face but most of the time you will be reciting the next scene. Yes it is that predictable. The movie boosts of good foreign locations and some good music but then that is not enough to make a movie work.

So my final verdict would be that the movie is really bad and it is a crime if you decide to waste your money and time watching this movie. I leave you with an interesting line on one of reviews to this movie and it read "Insulting audiences with 'Housefull' and 'Badmash Company' on consecutive weekends threatens to split the lucrative, undiscriminating dumb-ass demographic. "

Jai Ho !

Each one of us remember the track Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire that got A.R. Rahman the Oscar and did us all proud. Yes it has been time since that has happened but the memories are still fresh in our minds. The song Jai Ho suddenly has gained impetus and is known to and loved by everybody. If you have seen the IPL closing ceremony just before the finals in Mumbai, you must have seen Rahman performing live and he selected Jai Ho. I really liked Rahul's status message on Facebook which read "A.R. Rahman needs to be reminded that Jai Ho isn't the only song he's composed.. there are many more.. better ones, I dare say.." I completely agree with Rahul, but the fact that this song has achieved what no other song could makes it better than the rest.

Today I witnessed something that I had never witnessed ever before. I watched a video on YouTube that has some Spanish singers singing Jai Ho in Hindi somewhere in Spain. This is just amazing and I don't remember the last time a Hindi song was sung in foreign countries and in Hindi itself and this dragged me to write this post. You must watch this video and judge for yourself. It is simply amazing and one could address Gulzar sahib and A.R. Rahman ji and say JAI HO !!! for creating such a lovely song and making India and all the Indians proud.

Click here to watch the video

Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed

I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within.”
is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it .

Read the message, then read it again in reverse. This is absolutely brilliant. You can watch the video here. I recommend that you must watch the video.

Salesmanship in this Modern World

Click on the picture to see it properly

Know yourself

जो जानता है और जानता है की वो जानता है उससे सीखो,
जो नहीं जानता और जानता है की वो नहीं जानता है उसको सिखाओ,
जो नहीं जानता है और नहीं जानता है की वो नहीं जानता है उससे बचो।

I heard these lines yesterday, at the first go I laughed at it saying is this a puzzle where we have to guess the number of times the word 'जानता' appears in the sentence. My second question was what to do with a person जो जानता है औए नहीं जानता है की वो जानता है। But after reading the lines over again I understood the real meaning of it and then I realised these lines are so true and if followed religiously they would help one succeed in life.

It is amazing how some simple things have a big impact on the life of people and how these simple things could help us make the most out of things in life. It also showed me the sorry fact that people often just laugh at things and let them pass rather than trying to analyse them and give them what they deserve. If you try to match people with the qualities advocated by these lines, you are sure to end up finding people who are exactly as described. I actually did and then when I summarized I found that most people fall in the third category, I somehow also feel sometimes that I know a particular thing when actually I don't. I guess we will be more successful if we can somehow fall in the first or second category (as mentioned in lines). Amazing.

Shifted

Finally I have shifted to my new rented apartment and I guess this should be the last one as my house is almost ready and I should have the possession by end of this year. Everything that looked in place was first messed up, stuffed into cartons, bags etc. and then again set straight. It has been a hectic day and it has taken a lot out of me. I am hardly able to move and am feeling very comfortable at this point on my bed.

I would also like to thank the WiFi guys for creating such a great thing, it would take another 2 days or so to get my Internet connection shifted to my new residence and I was almost sure to be deprived of the Internet access for the next few days but thanks to this friend of mine who also lives in the same apartment and also the WiFi I am now connected using his Internet connection and it feels great.

But the job is not done as yet, I have some things still lying in my older house that I have to move tomorrow. I also have to prepare for my presentation in office on Monday and then I also need to rest a bit to relax my muscles. But it is sad to note that after a days work even the sleep seems like an alien and is afraid to come near. But I am satisfied with the efforts throughout the day and that is the most important thing amongst all. Good Night.