tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232917082024-03-07T03:02:55.571-06:00the lost world of mukeshBabbage; he started it all...Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-53971160787443240962013-12-23T18:31:00.001-06:002013-12-23T20:03:17.155-06:00Breaking News: Reason behind Aamir's Hammy Act!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTkmyjPXel4cGday5-aLCGr8RgxEw1hWNDe4Mha3tVXWgtAA2F-As4hRGF-_xASx_xtCZszNLNwIgZN1q78VoNepyTJKAfxAZOa708c5ExeU1IQ7GpMvN-JfbAWMrVw8J2jzNhw/s1600/Desktop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Aamir" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTkmyjPXel4cGday5-aLCGr8RgxEw1hWNDe4Mha3tVXWgtAA2F-As4hRGF-_xASx_xtCZszNLNwIgZN1q78VoNepyTJKAfxAZOa708c5ExeU1IQ7GpMvN-JfbAWMrVw8J2jzNhw/s640/Desktop1.jpg" title="Aamir" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>copyright: the above photo was copied from a tweet and altered for angry bird resemblance</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No spoilers alert, because I couldn't find any. This is an attempt to save your money. You'll see a tap dance when titles roll and realize they were tap-dancing on your valuable time & money when curtains finally roll!</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"<b>Breaking News</b>!!! After several days of sting operations, papparazzis found the reason behind already-famous Aamir's "special" facial posture (pls don't do facepalm yet) in the much hyped dhoom triquel. Aamir was suffering from severe dental pain before shooting & had multiple root canals done. Doctors advised against his full-on acting, especially not to open up his jaws and mouth for a while and subsequently Yashraj decided to delay the shooting. But being the perfectionist he is, he decided to save the situation by nailing his current situation to perfection, inspired by the restrained act in Chennai Express and after watching several movies of the hammy veterans like Raza Murad, Van Damme, Suniel Shetty, William Shartner etc. He is relieved that all the hard work has reaped its benefits & adding another feather to his-already-full crown - Aamir Hammer Khan; apart from accumulating a few 100 crores which he never bothers about. Fans are going ga-ga when Google news search on hammy acting brought their idol's name first. They were also delighted by the second half of the movie, which had a special neanderthal acting rivaling the legendary hammy acting. Spoof experts who were planning to make a spoof after the movie releases, but were taken aback after seeing the movie, since the movie itself is a spoof of its own."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jokes apart, it's not the expectation from Dhoom series that was disappointing, instead the much-desired-quality-makeover that everyone thought, Aamir would add to the franchise (considering how Hrithik Roshan shaped up an exuberant Dhoom-2). And how he blowed it up. That Uday Chopra with his self-despising jokes was entertaining than Stiff-faced Aamir in the first half says a lot! Movie's first half was so sick, my family really became sick and still recovering [totally non-relevant medical information removed]. Movie could have started from second half itself. Apart from having a few catchy moments (for whomever didn't </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">passed out or </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">leave the hall after first half), second half of the movie has another "special" acting which rivals hammy acting - it was quite neanderthal. Logic & Story & P(l)otholes apart (not that you expect any from this series), I guess Aamir wanted to give a serious try to one of his rare commercial appearances off-late, he tried a little too much and never got to do any of his trademark "ghost-direction" on the script. Honestly, this is a taste of one's own medicine to the junta who adored movies like chennai express, krishh3, r...rajkumar, g(r)and masti and all other trash out of rohit setty & prabhu deva units, while cinematic gems like Lootera flops. We deserve this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Apart from a plethora of records, one thing Aamir broke for sure, is a section of audience who trusted him above the conventions of bollywood and Khan-Dramas - quality of acting and perfection. A day when even the always-perfect-khan fell prey for the 100xCr booby-trap. Not anymore, looking at the return in investment on this new era. And that's the whole point of this rant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just saying: IMO, the only person who didn't have to change much to accumulate crores and win more people ( not that there's any scope to change on his acting :) ) - is Salman Khan. He just pumped his action sequence a bit and even stopped baring his ribs a lot. No, i'm not a Sallu fan, rather this comes from a SRK fan and an Aamir admirer. It's all about expectations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Note: if you thought this was a shitty headline to draw attention, that was was the point. so was the movie. Just pure satire, take it easy! Dead horse is now officially dead, don't beat it anymore!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Mukesh</span></div>
Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1155587941445970652006-08-14T15:35:00.000-05:002006-08-14T15:39:01.463-05:00സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യദിന ആശംസകള്<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6408/2381/1600/untitled.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6408/2381/320/untitled.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />എല്ലാ കൂട്ടുകാര്ക്കും സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യദിന ആശംസകള് നേര്ന്നുകൊള്ളുന്നുMukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1154978256259287172006-08-07T09:09:00.000-05:002006-08-08T14:14:41.526-05:00ഓര്ക്കുട്ട് തരംഗം...തുടരുന്നുഓര്ക്കുട്ട് ഇന്നു ഒരു പ്രതിഭാസമായി മാറിയതിന്റെ കാരണം അതിന്റെ അതിവിപുലമായ ശ്രംഖലയാണ്. അഞ്ചാം ക്ലാസില് കൂടെ പഠിച്ചവനെയും കോളേജില് വച്ച് കണ്ടുമുട്ടിയ ചങ്ങാതിയേയും ജീവിതത്തില് പിന്നെയും കണ്ടുമുട്ടാനുള്ള ഒരു വേഥിയാണ് ഓര്ക്കുട്ട്.<br /><br />ആദ്യമായി നമുക്കു ഒരു Google അക്കൌണ്ട് വേണം. അതു വച്ചാണു ഓര്ക്കുട്ടിലേക്കുള്ള പ്രവേശനം. പിന്നെ ഒരു ചങ്ങാതിയുടെ invite കൂടെ കിട്ടിയാല് ഓര്ക്കുട്ടില് കളികള് ആരംഭിക്കാം. ഒരു കൂട്ടുകാരനെ നമ്മള് add ചെയ്യണം. പിന്നെ നമുക്ക് അവന്റെ scrapbook-ല് message ചെയ്യാം. ഇതു യാഹൂ മെസ്സഞ്ചര് പോലെ ആണ്. എല്ലാ members-നും പ്രത്യേകം scrapbook കാണും. മാത്രമല്ല നമുക്കും നമ്മുടെ കൂട്ടുകാരെയും add ചെയ്യാം.<br /><br />ഇനി കൂട്ടുകാരുടെയോ ഒരു കോളേജിന്റെയോ ഒരു പൊതു താല്പര്യത്തിന്റെ സംഘം ഉണ്ടാക്കണമെന്നുണ്ടെങ്കില് community രൂപീകരിക്കാം. അവിടെ community -ക്കു പൊതുവായ കാര്യങ്ങള് ചര്ച്ച ചെയ്യാം. ചില community-യില് ആര്ക്കു വേണമെങ്കിലും ചേരാം, ചിലതില് അനുവാദം വേണം.<br /><br />എല്ലാ members-നും അവരുടെ ഫോട്ടോ ഓര്ക്കുട്ടില് upload ചെയ്യാം. മാത്രമല്ല 12 ഫോട്ടോകള് ഒരു ആല്ബമായും upload ചെയ്യാവുന്നതാണ്.<br /><br />ഇതിലെല്ലാം ഉപരി ഓര്ക്കുട്ടിനെ എല്ലാവരും ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നതിന്റെ കാര്യം അതിന്റെ സുതാര്യതയാണ്. ഏതൊരാള്ക്കും ആരുടെ കൂട്ടുകാരെയും ആരുടെ scrapbook വേണമെങ്കിലും ആരുടെ ആല്ബം വേണമെങ്കിലും കാണാം. യാതൊരു മറയും ഇല്ല. അതു കൊണ്ട് നല്ലൊരു നേരമ്പോക്കാണു ഓര്ക്കുട്ട്. scrapbook count-ഉം കൂട്ടുകാരുടെ എണ്ണവും ഒരു അഭിമാനമായി കാണുന്നവരും കുറവല്ല.Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1154898836507976502006-08-06T16:08:00.000-05:002006-08-06T16:13:56.506-05:00സുഹ്രദ് ദിന ആശംസകള്എല്ലാ സുഹ്രത്തുക്കള്ക്കും സുഹ്രദ് ദിന ആശംസകള്.Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1154652746668008012006-08-03T19:38:00.000-05:002006-08-06T16:13:51.333-05:00Orkut തരംഗം...ഇന്റ്റര്നെറ്റിലെ സുഹ്രദ് വലയംഇന്റ്റര്നെറ്റ് വളര്ന്നു തുടങ്ങിയ കാലം മുതല് അതു വഴി എങ്ങനെ കൂട്ടുകാരെ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാം എന്നതു ഒരു ആകാംഷയായിരുന്നു. ആദ്യം ഈ-മെയില്, പിന്നെ യാഹൂ മെസ്സെഞര്, അങ്ങനെ കൂട്ടുകാരുടെ വലയം ഒരിക്കലും മുറിഞ്ഞില്ല. ഇതാ ഇപ്പോള് ഓര്ക്കുട്ട് (<a href="https://www.orkut.com">https://www.orkut.com</a>).<br />കൂറച്ചു കാലം മുന്പ് google‘ലെ ഒരു എഞ്ചിനീയര് അനൌധ്യൊകികമായി ചെയ്ത ഒരു project ആണ് ഓര്ക്കുട്ട്. അതിന്റെ പ്രവര്ത്തനക്ഷമത കണ്ടിട്ട് google അതിനെ ഏറ്റെടുക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. ഇന്ന് അതു വളരെ വലിയ ഒരു ശ്രംഖലയായി മാറി കഴിഞ്ഞു.<br /><br />ഇതിനെ പറ്റി നിങ്ങള്ക്കുള്ള അഭിപ്രായം ചര്ച്ച ചെയ്യുക. ഓര്ക്കുട്ടിനെ പറ്റി വിശദമായി അടുത്ത ബ്ലോഗില് എഴുതുന്നതാണ്.Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1154633148934071502006-08-03T12:34:00.000-05:002006-08-03T14:25:48.986-05:00കിഴക്കേ അമേരിക്ക ചുട്ടു പഴുക്കുന്നുജനുവരി ഒരു ഓര്മ്മ...<br />ലാലേട്ടന്റെ ആ പഴയ സിനിമയല്ല എനിക്കിപ്പോള് ഓര്മ്മ വരുന്നതു, പോയ ജനുവരിയിലെ കാലാവസ്ഥയാണ്. കേരളത്തിന്റെ ഉഷ്ണത്തില് നിന്നും വടക്കു കിഴക്കേ അമേരിക്കയിലെ കൊടും ശൈത്യത്തിലേക്കുള്ള ആ മാറ്റം തികച്ചും അപ്രതീക്ഷിതമായിരുന്നു. മൂന്നും നാലും ആവരണങ്ങള് അണിഞ്ഞാലേ വെളിയില് ഇറങ്ങാന് പറ്റൂള്ളു. എവിടെ ചവുട്ടിയാലും ഐസ് അല്ലെങ്കില് മഞ്ഞ്. Centralized heating ഉള്ളതു കൊണ്ട് ജീവിച്ചു പോയി.<br /><br />ഇപ്പോളിതാ നേരെ തിരിച്ചും. ഒടുക്കത്തെ ചൂട്. ഇന്നലെ താപമാനം മൂന്നക്കത്തില് എത്തി, 100 °F അതായതു 38 °C. ഇതേ ചൂടു നാട്ടില് സഹിക്കാം, പക്ഷെ geographical location ആണു പ്രശ്നം. Equator-ന്റെ വളരെ മുകളില് ആയതു കൊണ്ട് സൂര്യരശ്മികള്ക്കു കാഠിന്യം കൂടും. രാവിലെ വീട്ടില് നിന്നു ഇറങ്ങി കാര് തുറക്കമ്പോള് അടുപ്പിനകത്തു നില്ക്കുന്നതു പോലെയാണ്. A/c ഇട്ടാലും അതു ഒന്നു പച്ച പിടിക്കാന് കുറച്ചു സമയം പിടിക്കും. Parking lot-ല് കാര് park ചെയ്തു Office-ലേക്കു ഓടണം. അകത്തു കയറിയാല് പിന്നെ ആശ്വാസമായി. ആ ദിവസം അങ്ങനെ പോകും. വൈകുന്നേരം പിന്നെയും പഴയതു പോലെ.<br /><br />ദൈവമേ, ഇതു എന്തൊരു ജീവിതം!Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1154543225441927872006-08-02T13:24:00.000-05:002006-08-07T09:07:58.530-05:00Life's defining momentsAt 2 pm, Sun was shining at its usual in Sunshite state. In the grass field and the wooden steps near that, people were anxiously waiting. There was a small stage in front of us, where one guy was answering the questions. Besides there was a screen which was showing a region far from we were sitting. A countdown pad there in the screen.<br /><br />29 minutes past 2, an announcement came from the stage "Countdown has begun, T minus 9 minutes" Does it make any sense? It kept on decreasing and when it reached less than 60 secs, the crowd slowly stood up. Screen was showing the event getting readied. Finally, 5...4..3..2..1...<br /><br />All of us were looking at a distant spot covered by trees. It took some secs for us to see one of the best moments of our life, that too first time. An orange-red flame emerged up above those trees. With a roll and pitch, it turned upside down and cruised up at 1.7 miles per sec. It seconds, it vanished out of our eye sight to be reduced to some smoke in the sky. Finally we saw a small star in the sky which persisted for another some seconds. In 10 minutes, it has reached its destination which orbits mother earth at an altitude of 220 miles.<br /><br />We were watching Discovery space shuttle launching from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on July 4th 2006.Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1151527856769637702006-06-28T15:49:00.000-05:002006-08-02T13:32:39.463-05:00Niagara, the beauty<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border: medium none ; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.15in;" valign="top" width="590"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >Morning 4.30 on a Saturday </span></b><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >… A </span><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >Maine state registered Chevy Uplander rushed through the Interstate-495 South expressway. A devotional song going on in low volume was very refreshing. Fog acted as a carpet to the expressway. Odometer showed a constant 65. Much to our surprise, dawn seemed to come too early to greet us. At 5, sky was visible with dim sunlight.<span style=""> </span>Still, gentlemen in the backseat were doomed to sleep. Later on in the day, dusk was not that peaceful. We got used to that roaring sound. But … it was truly colorful …<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border: medium none ; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.15in;" valign="top" width="590"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" ><o:p><br /></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >A day later </span></b><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >… </span><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >Are we in heaven? That too so soon? Standing in the amazing world of white water droplets, hardly anything was seen. The shattering sound deafened us from any sound in the world. And if we dared to see up above, a semi-circular periphery showed up. Water was cruising from high up making a mist which made the whole area invisible …<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border: medium none ; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.15in;" valign="top" width="590"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >Hours later </span></b><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >… </span><span style=";font-family:DotumChe;font-size:10;" >A 100 year old lift took us 170 feet down. Wrapped under a yellow plastic translucent coat, we were screaming slogans as water from up above shattered on the boulders nearby. We extended hands to reach the steam, while watching the beautiful small rainbow formed in front of us … <o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:SimHei;font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span><br /><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="font-size:100%;">…and we bowed before that 12000 years old natural wonder, beauty undefined shared by two big nations<b style="">; a donum ex dues</b> – a gift from almighty to the human race</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><o:p> </o:p><i style=""><span style="font-size:10;">…Here begins the journey to the Honeymoon capital of the world, </span></i><st1:city><st1:place><i style=""><span style="font-size:10;">Niagara Falls</span></i></st1:place></st1:city><i style=""><span style="font-size:10;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1147897848597750252006-05-17T09:29:00.001-05:002006-06-28T15:30:26.050-05:00Goodnight, thank you…<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="">Goodnight, thank you…<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Well, you would think what’s so great in these words. Can’t be blamed, it’s natural. But to me, those are beauty.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was back in last winter, in the peak of which I came to US. Just getting familiar to the onsite work and life, I found every thing very exciting. From snow instead of sand and tissue instead of water jugs, all were revelations. Sun goes to sleep early before 5 in the evening. Lucky guy doesn’t have any offshore calls at night. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="">L</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><i style="">Soft as rose, White as Milk<br />Snow it was, Watch in Bulk<br />Shiver rings bell, Walk out and Yell<br />Vintage time, Winter Rocks <span style=""> </span></i>...That was Winter<i style=""><br /></i><br /><i style="">Time changed, Life changed, Lifestyle changed<br />Snow bores, Weekend screws, I became nuts<br />Gloves must, Jacket necessary, heater essential<span style=""> </span></i>...that WAS winter <br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In those days, while leaving from office, I heard “Goodnight, thank you...” just before exiting the building. That came from the security window. I saw a young man, waving hands at us. We too wished him the same. In US, every single guy greets when he see others, but this was a special one. We hear this only when we leave for the day. After the end of a tiring day, we’ll be all alone as people leave early from office here. So it’s really heartening to hear someone greeting us. This young man will be doing his part time job may be. But still he enjoys his work. We became used to his style of waving at us and the special words.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Days ran away, Snow melted away<br />Summer came into its way, Humming all the way<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><i style="">And then…Raining in Summer; a treat to watch in weekdays and a nuisance in weekends...<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Still, "Good night, Thank you…" continues.</p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145567773629876512006-04-20T15:10:00.000-05:002006-04-25T09:36:59.363-05:00പ്രവാസി ജീവിതംപ്രവാസി ജീവിതം വര്ണശബളമാണോ അതൊ വെറും അക്കരപച്ചയോ???<br />20- 25 വര്ഷം ലോകത്തിന്റെ ഒരു കോണില് താമസിച്ചിട്ടു എഴ് കടലും താണ്ടി ലോകത്തിന്റെ മറു കോണില് വന്നപ്പോള് ജീവിതത്തില് ഇത്രയും മാറ്റങ്ങള് വരുമെന്നു വിചാരിച്ചില്ല. മണിക്കൂര് സൂചി പിന്നിലേക്ക് തള്ളപ്പെട്ടപ്പോഴും മണ്ണീനും മണലിനും പകരം മഞ്ഞു കണ്ടപ്പോഴും തീരെ പ്രതീക്ഷിചില്ല. ജീവിതം മാറി, ജീവിതരീതികള് മാറി, സമയം മാറി...ഇനി എന്തെല്ലാം മാറാന് കിടക്കുന്നു...<br /><br />തുടരും...Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145556542447940522006-04-20T13:04:00.000-05:002006-04-20T13:09:02.456-05:00എന്റെ കേരളംസ്വാഗതം സ്നേഹിതരേ, വായിക്കൂ, ആസ്വദിക്കൂMukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145203550995030872006-04-19T11:05:00.000-05:002006-04-27T10:21:40.253-05:00My Gang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6408/2381/1600/Friends.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6408/2381/320/Friends.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Myself, Bastian, Pattar, Ranjith and Gijoy</span></span>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145454354229641592006-04-19T08:00:00.000-05:002006-04-27T09:51:49.736-05:00A Gr8 Weekend<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 204, 255);font-family:georgia;"><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">One of my old travelogues</span>></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; font-family: verdana; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);"><!--[if !supportLists]--></p><st1:date style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);" year="2004" day="20" month="8"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">August 20<sup>th</sup><sub> -</sub> 22<sup>nd</sup>, 2004</span></st1:date><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; font-family: verdana; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);"><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><o:p></o:p>Even though this is more of a religious trip, I hope you guys’ll enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">It was indeed a gr8 weekend, relieved from all the dirt of the busy professional life, spending time with god and nature, that too alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">I reached Mookambika (Kollur) around </span><st1:time minute="0" hour="6"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">6am</span></st1:time><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"> Saturday. I have already been to Mookambika several times, yet every visit to the mother is a fresh experience. She was alone there, may be due to the heavy rain. So could meet her fresh without rush and could tell her my grievances and thanks. After the afternoon pooja, I had my food there itself. I can tell, you’ll really long for the Anna dana at Mookambika, if you had one earlier. It’s a delicious meal. But we won’t ask for more. It’s like that only.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">If you happen to go to Mookambika, visit Souparnika and Kudajadri too. I have been there earlier. Souparnika is a sacred river comprising all the medical elements and it’s believed that a bath will relieve u of any diseases. You have to take a jeep to go to Kudajadri and there is a </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">temple</span></st1:placetype><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"> of </span><st1:placename><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Panchaganapathi</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">. And then you have to climb the peak. You won’t feel tired.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Kudajadri is a peak, at the top of which Adishankara established a temple. Brahmin boys will b taking their Upanayana in that temple always.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Around </span><st1:time minute="0" hour="14"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">2pm</span></st1:time><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">, I was on the way to Sringeri, dignified by the presence of Adishankara. And the journey was awesome, through the beautiful forests. Ariyathe chodichu poyi – “<i style="">Ee forest muzhuvan kadanallo ennu</i>”. The journey was excellent through the mist filled forests, full of hair pin curves (almost 20) and occasional waterfalls. The journey was mainly through local transport providers.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">I reached Sringeri around 6pm. I took a room and went to the centuries-old Sharada peetham, established by Adishankara on the bank of Thungabhadra. It’s believed that he lived in the 6th century AD (there’re many controversies regarding this). And he came to this world to renovate the Sanathana and Advaitha dharma, which were deteriorating due to the negativities of Buddhism. Such a peaceful atmosphere, you’ll love to stay there for days.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Adishankara is the <span style="">reincarnation </span>of Lord Shiva and he did the prathishta of Saraswathy Devi here. Sharada Devi (Saraswathy) is being worshiped there and also Lord Shiva. Dhyana mandira is depicted with the story of Adishankara. Now it’s the 36th Jagadguru of Sringeri, Bharathitheertha and he stays on the other bank of the river in Narasimhavana. After the prayers, I had the food there in the temple itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Next day morning, after the morning prayers, I was on my way through the Kudremukh national park. The famous Karkala is also near. Nice forest and dazzling sceneries!!! I went past the Netravathi river, which also is considered sacred.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Around 11.30, I reached Dharmasthala. People come there mainly for the mundhan. After 2 hrs of queue, I had my darshan, the main idol being the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Amman</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"> and Shiva and there’s a statue of Bahubali too. I had my food there at the big hall. The Anna Dana at Dharmasthala is also famous. Then around </span><st1:time minute="0" hour="14"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">2pm</span></st1:time><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">, I started my return journey.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Two days <i style="">theerthadana</i> thus came to an end. Though the whole journey was covered with rain, I felt it as nature’s happiness!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">After reading this, if you felt like going, then I’m blessed!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306741581593222006-04-17T15:44:00.000-05:002006-04-17T15:45:41.586-05:00New York Rocks - Prelude<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: "Albertus MT";">Not all dreams transform to reality. It’s even sad when a lot of hard work and expectations were put into. At times we come across experiences which we never thought off, which we never expected or desired. Then it’ll be a pleasant surprise, won’t it be?<b> </b>Have you ever felt like that? <b>I did!</b></span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: "Albertus MT";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; color: blue;">That’s how I felt when a cold breeze cuddled my face as I was watching the entire city standing in the 86th floor of one of the world’s tallest buildings </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; color: blue;">That’s how I felt when I walked against the heavy wind on a bridge that was constructed 100 odd years before</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; color: blue;">That’s how it felt, when a sandbar shark and I was separated by nothing but a glass window</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: Oxford; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Yeah, </span></b><st1:state><st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: Oxford; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">New York</span></b></st1:place></st1:State><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: Oxford; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> rocks</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: "Script MT Bold"; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">-A city that never sleeps-</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Apple Chancery";">-Prelude-</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Nothing was planned when I suddenly got a 4 day weekend i.e. weekend plus Monday holiday for President’s day (can you believe, it’s celebrated here<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>) plus a day off for my hard work on a holiday<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>. It was just about a month me and my wife came to US and almost got settled. Also winter was looking dangerous with frequent snowfalls and nasty winds. Sunny Uncle, my father’s friend was there in NY and has called us once to visit their home. Also we had no other choice of places too. The idea struck and we passed the bill<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>. Finalizing travel plan was confusing. Interstate transportation is not that efficient in <st1:place><st1:city>Nashua</st1:City> <st1:state>NH</st1:State></st1:place> where we live. Finally my colleague Kaushik told he’ll drop us at <st1:city><st1:place>Lowell</st1:place></st1:City> where we work. Not much of packing was there except the winter clothes and some sweets for my uncle. </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306780365483452006-04-17T15:43:00.000-05:002006-04-19T10:58:35.026-05:00New York Rocks - Kickoff<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size:18;">α</span></b>. <b><span style="">Kickoff - Friday 17th </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kaushik picked us from our home at <st1:time hour="7" minute="45">7.45 am</st1:time> and dropped us at <st1:city><st1:place>Lowell</st1:place></st1:city> railway station. There are two types of rail here, Commuter rail - long distance one and Subway - city transport. We took the commuter rail to North Station, <st1:city><st1:place>Boston</st1:place></st1:city>. It looks more or less like our Shatabdi and Rajadhani. We can take tickets inside the train too and Conductor collected our tickets and placed a pass in front of our seat. We reached North station in 45 min and came out of the station to go to the nearby subway station. Here things are automated, we can buy coins or cards to enter platform. After paying the base fare, any subway can be taken on any different routes without coming out of the station. The rail network is interconnected like spider web to facilitate accessibility virtually to the entire city. We took the orange line to downtown crossing and red line to South station. Bus terminal was just outside the station and we got a <st1:place>Chinatown</st1:place> bus to <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state>. The word “<st1:country-region><st1:place>China</st1:place></st1:country-region>” stands for cheap allover the world I think. It’s just 15 bucks to NY and a good bus too. Here buses also have restrooms<span style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span>. It took 5 hrs and we landed in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state> at 3. Bus stopped at <st1:street><st1:address>Canal St</st1:address></st1:street>. Since my uncle gave proper directions, it didn’t take much time to reach Broadway and catch subway. We can buy metro cards to travel by subway which have different options like single ride, 1 day fun pass etc. Cards can be swiped to unlock the metallic bars. We bought two cards and caught the subway to <st1:street><st1:address>Whitehall St</st1:address></st1:street>. This is the southern end of <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> from where can take the ferry. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city><st1:place>New York City</st1:place></st1:city> is divided into five Burroughs – <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>, <st1:place>Brooklyn</st1:place>, <st1:place>Queens</st1:place>, <st1:place>Bronx</st1:place> and <st1:place>Staten Island</st1:place>. <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> is the heart of the city with all the skylines and other attractions. We took the <st1:place>Staten Island</st1:place> ferry which operates free from <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> to <st1:place>Staten Island</st1:place>. On the way, we saw the Lady, gifted by <st1:country-region><st1:place>France</st1:place></st1:country-region> to US, a glance of which people throughout the world desire to see once, <b>Statue of Liberty</b>! The lady holding the torch in an island was an amazing scene. It is located in <st1:place>Liberty Island</st1:place>. Ferry took 20 min to reach <st1:place>Staten Island</st1:place> and uncle came to pick us up. The house was 15-20 min away from the station and we reached around 5. <st1:place>Staten Island</st1:place> is a calm place devoid of the traffic and crowd in <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>. We refreshed and then decided not to go out as it was late. The weather in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state> was around -10<sup>0</sup>C and will feel colder than anticipated due to cold winds. </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306813347615362006-04-17T15:42:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:00:21.540-05:00New York Rocks - Expedition<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size:18;">β</span></b>. <b><span style="">Expedition -Saturday 18th</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We took 10’o’clock ferry and then the subway to <st1:place><b>Central Park</b></st1:place>. Spanning across 843 acres, the 150 year old <st1:place><st1:placename>Giant</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> occupies the central part of <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> (almost 6%) and is one of the most visited places in NY. We were stunned by the view from outside itself. There was a frozen lake with trees surrounding. It was snowing slightly. A lot of Horse-drawn carriages were outside the park. We entered the park and slowly walked beside the lake. There was a small bridge and the water below that was flowing. Ducks were playing in that and visitors were feeding them. <b>Wollman skating rink </b>was nearby and people skate there in masses during winter. We watched the skating for sometime and then headed <b>to </b><st1:place><b>Central Park</b></st1:place><b> Zoo</b>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You want to know how the zoo started. It started when people began to drop unwanted animals in the arsenal ranging from swans to bear cub. Quite funny isn’t it? Near the entrance, there’s so called “Retirement Tank” in the central garden with <b>California Sea Lions</b>. We rushed here to take a quick snap, but in vain. These guys will keep on somersaulting in the tank and keep us waiting. We can see them going down through the glass windows of the elevated tank. But is a fun the way they are playing in the tank like kids. Usually found on the West coast of US, they use their long flippers to move in land and water. We then moved on after tireless attempts to take a good photo.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We entered the Polar zone to see <b>Gentoo penguins</b> brought from <st1:place>Antarctic Peninsula</st1:place>. In Welsh, “pen” means head and “gwyn” means white, so meaning white head. Though strange, it’s thought that the old British sailors named it as they have the white spot around the eye. It’s a cute yellow-beaked creature and it’s a cool scene to see them walking while flipping their wings. They follow the one who walks first and it resembles children walking to school. They attract their mates by holding a pebble in their mouth and the ones interested will accept it. Cool technique! <b>Polar bears</b> were the next exhibit. They were sleeping all the time, so we were not able to see any of their movements. They live on the arctic region as opposed to Penguins which are from the opposite side. <st1:place>Arctic</st1:place> means bear in Greek and <st1:place>Antarctica</st1:place> means no bears<span style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span>. Their fur is actually not white but looks white due to the way light reflects from them. It is hollow and focuses sunlight directly to the dark skin which retains the heat. A polar bear's nose, lips and all skin under their fur is black. The fur is water repellant too. Then we saw <b>Harbor seals</b>. They belong to North Atlantic Ocean & North Pacific Ocean and spend most of the time in water. They can’t move easily in land like sea lions, due to their short flippers. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">While we were moving to the next region, we saw something on a huge glass window. When we went near, some creature was licking the foggy window. It was a <b>Cotton-topped Tamarin</b>. They are small monkeys resembling a squirrel and have a long thick tail and white hairs surrounding the head. These funny creatures hail from Central and <st1:place>South America</st1:place>. In temperate territory, we saw <b>North American River Otter </b>and<b> Mandarin ducks</b>, a Chinese symbol of fidelity in marriage. The next exhibit was. Both Mandarin duck and Otter are crepuscular i.e. active at dawn and dusk. So we have to go either early morning or late evening to see them active. We then moved on to see a small red creature on a tree top. It was <b>Red Panda</b> found in Himalayan foothills of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Nepal</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Their red fur is amazing and they are called “hun-ho” (fire fox) in Chinese. Anyway it was sleeping and didn’t come down to see us<span style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span>. Panda means “bamboo eater” but species wise it is not related to the famous Giant Panda. Now only few of them exist. Close to this, an island like exhibit was there with a troop of <b>Japanese macaque</b> or snow monkeys. A troop is a large, hierarchical family group containing one dominant male, several adult females, and their young. In the island premises, we found a pair of beautiful Latin American <b>Black-necked swans</b>. They are the smallest swans having white bodies, long black necks, and a black bill with red skin over the beak. They mate for life hence a symbol for lovers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Tropical region was the next to see. The conditions of a rain forest are replicated perfectly with a riverbank, cave, towering tree trunks, and a 20-foot roaring waterfall. We saw <b>Mouse deer</b> found mainly in <st1:place>Asia</st1:place>. They have pencil like legs and tusks from mouth, thought as a cross between pig and deer. They are known as “living fossil” as they have not evolved much in 30 million years. The other animals in the vicinity included <b>Fruit Bats, Red-handed Tamarin, Black lion Tamarin, Giant day gecko, Colobus Monkey </b>and<b> Tortoises</b>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Enough of wildlife, we got out of the <st1:place>Central Park</st1:place>. Outside there was a big golden statue of a man riding horse. Suddenly one thing caught my attention. A big Indian Flag!!! It was the <b>Taj Pierre Hotel</b>. Don’t know why, may be because it was unexpected, I stood there for sometime mesmerizing at the sight of the Indian beauty flying in the wind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We then ate from a Chinese restaurant nearby the park. Quite a good number of limousines were seen plying. After lunch, we proceeded to <st1:place><b>Roosevelt Island</b></st1:place>. It is a small rectangular strip of land between <st1:place>Queens</st1:place> and <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>. An aerial tramway took us from <st1:street><st1:address>59th St</st1:address></st1:street> to <st1:place>Roosevelt Island</st1:place> across the <st1:place>East river</st1:place>. It takes 4 min and was described in New York Times as the most exciting view In New York City. We had a spectacular view of the skylines from the tram. We roamed the island in a red bus that ran to the stretch of the island for a mere 25 cents. We went to a riverside Park and saw a lighthouse too. The view of the city was beautiful from the island. But it was very cold and we returned back to <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We then went to <b>Grand Central Terminal</b>. It’s a monumental gateway built in 1900s. It is the largest train station in the world by the number of platforms – 44 with 67 tracks, situated on 2 underground levels. The main attractions are Vanderbilt hall, a magnificent central hall and Omega watch board.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our next destination was the Crossroads of the World – <st1:place><b>Times Square</b></st1:place>. It was named after the earlier HQ of New York Times. An international attraction, it’s an amazing place to see particularly after the sun goes down, with plenty of illuminated signs, tall towers and theatres of Broadway. It has the 100 year old custom of ball-lowering from the 1 <st1:place>Times Square</st1:place>'s rooftop pole on New Year Eve. NASDAQ market site is located there. We roamed there for quite some time enjoying the displays. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We then headed to <st1:street><st1:address>34th St</st1:address></st1:street> and saw <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Madison</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placename><b>Square</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Garden</b></st1:placetype></st1:place>, a famous sports arena and <b>Macy’s store</b>, a huge departmental store. We then saw the 102 storied skyscraper without which <st1:city><st1:place>New York City</st1:place></st1:city> is not complete, a state of art construction kissing the sky. Yes, its one amongst the modern seven wonders of the world - <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Empire</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>State</b></st1:placetype><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Building</b></st1:placetype></st1:place>. Designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the building opened on 1931. It was the tallest skyscraper in the world for 41 years until WTC overtook it. We bought the tickets and headed to 86th floor observatory. The moment of the life came when we opened the door to the outside terrace and stood on one of the tallest manmade heights in the world. Even the coldest of the winds couldn’t prevent us from enjoying the entire city down with tall buildings and bridges as multiple color spots. At one time, we almost got frozen by the wind. There were telescopes to observe the city which was seen in the movie “Jeans”. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Though not satisfied completely, we left as it was getting late. We took the subway and ferry later on to reach the house. </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306852602330072006-04-17T15:41:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:00:46.726-05:00New York Rocks - Follow up<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size:18;">γ</span></b>. <b><span style="">Follow up - Sunday 19th</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Instead of taking the usual path to <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>, we went to <st1:place>Brooklyn</st1:place>. Uncle dropped us in <st1:place>Coney Island</st1:place>. We went through <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Verrazzano-Narrows</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Bridge</b></st1:placetype></st1:place>, <span style="" lang="EN">one of the world's longest suspension bridges. Named after Giovanni da Verrazano, the first European explorer to sail into New York Harbor in 1524, this is a major link to Staten Island unaffected even during extreme weather conditions. We went to the <b>Coney Island beach</b> and it was the first beach we saw in US. Crazy to go to a beach at around -9<sup>0</sup><sub></sub>C </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span><span style="" lang="EN">!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="" lang="EN">New York aquarium</span></b><span style="" lang="EN"> was nearby beach which was opened in 1839. My desire since childhood to see sea animals underwater came true here. A large water tank was recreated to show the oceanic conditions. Beautiful coral reefs and color fishes were attractive but the real star was a <b>Sting Ray</b> which reminded me of Stealth Aircraft. It kept on moving in the water and there were 3 or 4 of those. Belize barrier reef, extinct species of Lake Victoria and species of Lake Malawi were the next exhibits. Anemones, Star fishes, Jelly fishes also followed. <b>Piranhas</b> from Amazon and other South American rivers which can eat anything from cattle to parts of human and reduce them to skeleton in minutes was yet another attraction. They don’t kill their prey; they just start eating the victim alive. They venture out in schools and when they </span>are in a feeding frenzy the water appears to boil and churn red with blood. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Then we saw <b>Pacific walrus</b>, a large semi-aquatic mammal from Arctic regions. It was a treat to watch those biggies playing in water, spraying out water and making sounds occasionally. These younger ones didn’t develop their characteristic tusks. But they had a superb moustache<span style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span>. Then there was <st1:place><st1:placename><b>California</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Sea</b></st1:placetype></st1:place><b> lion</b> and <b>Northern Fur Seal</b> found in <st1:place>North Pacific Ocean</st1:place>. There were <b>California Sea Otters</b> too. These animals were funny to see as they always float in water looking as if they are praying. They are threatened species due to fur trade. There was a small rocky place with caves where <b>Black footed Penguins</b> were kept. They are an endangered species and come from <st1:place>Africa</st1:place>. These penguins live on ice. They are called Jackass penguins because of their loud donkey-like braying noise. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We then moved to an underground area called Sea cliffs. We could see <b>Striped Bass</b> and <b>Leopard shark</b>. But the best part was watching walruses, sea lions, sea otter and seals underwater. What a fun it was to watch them playing. Walruses resemble hippos, that big they are. We saw <b>Seahorses</b>. They are special<span style="font-family:Wingdings;">J</span>. While linked in the mating embrace, the female forces the eggs into a pouch on the underside of the male, where they are fertilized and where they remain until they are expelled as miniature versions of the adult. Unlucky guys! Different varieties of them are present like pipe fishes. We also saw <b>Octopuses </b>and<b> Lobsters</b>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Sharks, Turtles </b>and<b> Giant sting rays</b> formed the next section. It was truly amazing to see the sandbar sharks moving like a rocket close to us. Last section was Alien Stingers which comprised of <b>Moon jelly fishes</b>. They are translucent and beautiful as they were kept in blue light illuminated water. Also there were <b>Elephant nose fishes </b>and<b> Electric Eel.</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was almost 12.30 when we finished the aquarium part. We then took subway to <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> and went to <st1:street><st1:address>Brooklyn Bridge City Hall street</st1:address></st1:street>. <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Brooklyn</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Bridge</b></st1:placetype></st1:place> was walking distance from the subway station. It was a truly spectacular scene to see the 120 year old bridge spanning across <st1:place>East River</st1:place> connecting <st1:place>Lower Manhattan</st1:place> and <st1:place>Brooklyn</st1:place>. You would have seen it in Kal Ho Na Ho. A giant of bridges, it was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world and was the world's longest suspension bridge at the time of its completion. We walked for some distance over the bridge through a walkway over the vehicle lane. The bridge was used in 2001 by people in <st1:city><st1:place>Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city> to escape the <st1:date month="9" day="11" year="2001">September 11, 2001</st1:date> attacks on the WTC after the subway service was suspended. <st1:place><st1:placename>Manhattan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> stays next to that. Built by J. A. Roebling and his son Washington Roebling, many painful incidents occurred during its construction.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our next destination was <b>American Museum of Natural History</b> situated on <st1:place>Central Park</st1:place> west. When we got down from subway, we directly walked into the museum. First we were surprised as we couldn’t find the galleries. Soon we entered African mammal hall. The models of the animals were created and the background is matched so perfectly that we feel it’s original. We were running short of time and soon explored all the galleries we could like people, civilization, fossils etc. What an amazing feat of achievement it is! Truly a pick of a museum and certainly the pick of our tour!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We headed towards <st1:place>Times Square</st1:place> again and saw <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Radio</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>City Hall</b></st1:placetype></st1:place> and <st1:place><st1:placename><b>Rockefeller</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Center</b></st1:placetype></st1:place>. There was a skating show going on and the flags of all countries are hoisted. Then we went to <b>Wall Street</b> to see the <b>Federal Hall</b> with <st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:state>’s status where he gave his first presidential speech and then <b>New York Stock Exchange</b>. It looked marvelous with a Giant American flag flying. The street was stranded and we left the place soon. We narrowly missed ferry and had to wait there for 1 hr to get back home. </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306932855239742006-04-17T15:40:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:01:16.553-05:00New York Rocks - Curtains<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size:18;">δ</span></b>. <b><span style="">Curtains - Monday 20th </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN">We slept for long hours. We started from Staten Island at 11am and got the bus from Port Authority terminal. We took the Peterpan bus via Hartford and Worcester. 3 connecting buses were there in total and we reached Nashua at 7.30 pm. We got the city bus luckily and reached home fast. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN">Thus a journey which will linger in our mind for ever came to an end. Now I knew why New York is one of the world’s preferred tourist spots. A well planned and superbly connected with subways and buses, this is certainly worth one more visit.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306499491153042006-04-17T15:39:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:07:41.843-05:00Kodai Trip, a sequel<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">An early morning in the June first week of 2005!</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Bangalore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=""> was calm, deep asleep and cold even in this hot season. No rain, No Falling tress, No Traffic jam; Darkness seems to be much more beautiful than the busy hot daylight. A two storied building near BTM. Lights are there on the last apartment on the second floor. Hey, is that the music from 91 FM? Who is so crazy to get up this early? What are they doing? Five people were busy carrying their luggage down to a white car parked down and serious talks going on. </span><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i><span style=";font-family:Oxford;font-size:14;color:blue;" >…Woods are lovely dark n deep</span></i></b><b style=""><span style=";font-family:Oxford;font-size:14;" ><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i><span style=";font-family:Oxford;font-size:14;color:blue;" >And Miles to go before I sleep…</span></i></b><b style=""><span style=";font-family:Oxford;font-size:14;" ><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:GungsuhChe;color:blue;" >Yeah, Cool Guys are going out for a tour of 3 days. Read on, a sequel to our Ooty Trip.</span><span style="font-family:GungsuhChe;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >…Things changed much after the Ooty trip. Ranjith moved to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Trivandrum</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and started his own software firm inn Techno park – Cell technologies Ltd. Guys became busier with office. I got engaged. And most importantly, we changed our house to near Silk Board. As expected, life started becoming duller. Invitation bar was sought as a relief – A common chill-out. Frequency was at an all-time high – 4-5 times a week.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >And there came an inner call that we have to go for yet another outing for 3 days. It was with everyone and Ranjith keeps on asking when we will go.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306549678777762006-04-17T15:38:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:08:06.860-05:00Kodai Trip, a sequel - 1<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="5" day="18" year="2005"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >May 18<sup>th</sup>, 2005</span></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Wednesday</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Finally we decided that we’ll try to go on June 1<sup>st</sup> week. It’s not that easy as we have to arrange our leaves and after June 1<sup>st</sup> week, it wont work out this month as Bastian will be having a training program. So I asked for leave and it was on hold as I didn’t get it easily. I have to wait. On May 23<sup>rd</sup>, my leave was confirmed. Bastian and Gijoy had no problem with the leave. And here comes the turning point of the tour. We have one more man – The one and only Sreeram, called affectionately as Pattar. He was no there with the Ooty tour due to some reasons and he was so sad about that. So we decided we’ll take him at any cost. We played around him and threatened not to take for tour. It’s prank anyways. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="6" day="2" year="2005"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >June 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2005</span></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Thursday</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Bastian and Ranjith came early morning. He bought the package of the tour – Chivas Regal. Can you believe it? Ranjith got us the Sony handy cam from Gijoy’s brother, but he forgot to bring the cassette. Pattar came with his luggage in the evening. Then Bastian and Gijoy went out to take car. Pattar, Ranjith and I went to forum to buy camera’s battery and cassette for handy cam. We got the battery, but the cassette bought was inappropriate. So we all went out again on our car to Forum. We were arguing and literally begging to take the cassette back and the shop owner was not yielding. Finally we decided to buy the proper cassette. Then we saw pattar asking the details of the digicams. We thought it was his usual “killing”. To our surprise, he was serious and finally ended up in buying an </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Olympus</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > digicam. Pattar’s simply gr8! Then we took some snaps and left for Invitation – Pre tour boozing. We were busy mainly with eating. Snaps were taken and we reached home around 11 and slept@1am.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306587132996552006-04-17T15:37:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:08:31.423-05:00Kodai Trip, a sequel - 2<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="6" day="3" year="2005"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >June 3<sup>rd</sup> 2005</span></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Friday</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >I woke up at 2 and began to wake up everyone. Pattar made black tea for all and we were ready to go at 3.30. Bastian took the driver’s seat and took the Kanakapura route to go to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Coimbatore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > via Satyamangalam. Pattar was the sole supporter for this route and was obviously the common attacking point as none of us know the route. Gijoy called some of his fiends this early morning. His masterpiece dialogues viz. “Tell me Yaar”; “Is it so” got the answer for everything. We stopped at tea on the way and get the route confirmed from the locals. We paused at Shivanasamudram which is a hydro electric project. We took some snaps and continued our journey. We stopped at Kollegala for breakfast. Pattar got us a banana bunch on discount! That bunch stayed alive for the next day even. Gijoy drove the car thereafter. We stopped near the Chikkahole Reservoir and took photos and video sessions. And then came the biggest disappointment of the trip; the audio player was not functioning. Anyways we had a substitute for that; the evergreen Radio city 91 FM – Our own Pattar. We went past Chamaraja Nagar from where S. M. Krishna got elected. And now we were going through the Satyamangalam forest which was once the habitat of the forest brigand, Veerappan. The place is beautiful and Pattar was really when we saw the place finally. Instead of Pattar’s repeated yelling for a stoppage to take snaps, no one even paid attention. Pattar started a song session and it went on for a long time with the Bastian’s commentary. Pattar starts a song and Bastian ends it in funky lyrics. Pattar pauses and then again starts. It was fun. Pattar was attacking everyone with his witty dialogues. Pattar’s gr8! At one time we noticed that the distance to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Coimbatore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > is increasing. We couldn’t understand the phenomenon. After traversing the hairpin curves, we climbed down the hill and took snacks from a bakery. We reached </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Coimbatore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > by </span><st1:time hour="23" minute="30"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >11.30 pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. We encircled the city with Pattar’s instructions. We tried to rectify the audio system, but they said they will give back the car by </span><st1:time hour="18" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >6pm.</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > Pattar was asking whether we can give it there. Mandabudhi! Then we fueled the car and took the Pollachi route. The L&T bypass road was amazing. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >We reached Palani by </span><st1:time hour="13" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >1pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and had our lunch including the Cassata slice and Sweet pan. We stopped for a minute in front of Palani temple entrance and then started climbing the hill. It was getting really hot and we were really confused about the Kodai’s climate. We even thought of leaving the place and going to Ooty. But weather became milder as we were reaching the spot. We reached our destination– Kodaikanal translating to “Shade in summer” – The favorite honeymoon spot of </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >South India</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > at </span><st1:time hour="16" minute="30"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >4.30pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. Now all we want was the ideal cottage like the one we saw at Ooty. We came here during our college days and stayed at Daney’s </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Inn</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. We were searching the same and got the information from one Aziz. He also told he has some old British cottages. However we said we’ll come back. Somehow we found out Daney’s Guest House and it was not worth it. So went back to Aziz bhai and then to his cottage. It was good and the tariff was 600 per day. 2 bed rooms were there and the surrounding was also good. So we settled down fast and everyone started refreshing. And believe me; the water was colder than the ice water. My goodness, my body literally froze. However we got ourselves out at </span><st1:time hour="19" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >7 pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and we were searching the city for one important place. Yeah, you guessed it right; Bar. First we went walking and then we came back and took the car. We covered the complete town and to our surprise, there’re only two good bars in Kodaikanal. One is </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Carlton</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > that we can’t afford. Then we went down to Hotel Kodai International, a three star hotel. This one was too good, both at aesthetics and cost. He just had a glance of the hotel and then went to the bar. It was really good looking with wooden architecture. We were not surprised to see the tariffs, basically because it was the treat of Ranjith for starting his own firm. I stopped at one peg basically because we were really exhausted with the search for a bar. We finished by 11 and then reached our cottage fast. Fortunately, this time we could fine our destination fast unlike Ooty trip. No talks and everyone went straight to their bed.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306642881513772006-04-17T15:36:00.001-05:002006-04-19T11:09:56.336-05:00Kodai Trip, a sequel - 4<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="6" day="5" year="2005"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >June 5<sup>th</sup> 2005</span></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Sunday</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >We woke up much earlier and Ranjith even went to buy milk along with Aziz Bhai in car. We started at </span><st1:time hour="8" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >8 am</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and went to Hilltop woodlands for our breakfast. We then headed to Coakers Walk. It is a narrow pedestrian path, constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872, a one kilometer mountain road which runs along the edge of steep slopes on the southern side of Kodai road. We had some radishes and then came out fast and then entered Bryant’s Park. It looks good, but nothing compared to the Botanical Garden in Ooty. After that we went to the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Green</span></st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > </span><st1:placetype><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Valley</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > view and then to Pillar rock. Three granite boulders were seen adjoined. The place was very crowded. We resumed our journey to the Berijam route and stopped at a place where there were a lot of tall trees. We played and fought around the trees. We were returning and stopped at Kukkal caves, better known as </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Guna</span></st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > </span><st1:placetype><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Caves</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > where Kamal’s film Guna was shot. This was the pick of the tour. Except Pattar, all went down the cave. With his kind of stature, he can’t climb down into the caves. This rock shelter is at an altitude of 1500 m. The cave reveals traces of earliest settled tribal, Paliyans who used to wear leaf clothing. It was quite risky to traverse and the cavern was deep enough to leave no remains of those who fall. Anyway we really enjoyed it and came fast as we feared somebody will object the trespassing. We returned to our cottage and the packed our luggage. Pattar negotiated the rent for 1100 bucks. We thought of buying food and enjoying it during the trip, accompanied with drinks</span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;color:navy;" >J</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. So we bought VSOP XShaw and other food items and started our return journey. We climbed down the hill and for some time everyone slept. We stopped the car near a shady place at </span><st1:time hour="14" minute="30"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >2.30pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. Dining table was the rest above the dicky of the car. We took our drinks and food and then enjoyed it above the rocks nearby. Then Pattar was in full swing and started bashing everyone. This was one of the most fun-filled moments of our tour. Then we were back on the track, going fast in the Tamil Nadu roads. We stopped at a tea shop after Dindigul and went through </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Salem</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and Dharmapuri. Pattar was quite entertaining by guiding Bastian how to drive and how to out on High beam. We finally reached </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Bangalore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > by </span><st1:time hour="23" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >11pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. We went directly to travel house and after the settlement, they dropped us back to our room.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Thus a fun-tour came to an end, mainly filled with Pattar’s bashing.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145306615546400492006-04-17T15:36:00.000-05:002006-04-19T11:09:08.663-05:00Kodai Trip, a sequel - 3<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="6" day="4" year="2005"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >June 4<sup>th</sup> 2005</span></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Saturday</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >When Pattar woke up at 6, Ranjith was not there in bed. Later we found that he has gone for a walk. Only god knows his purpose. He made some important findings after this walk that no two storied buildings are allowed in Kodai and Aziz bhai is a rich bhai. We got ready by 9.30 and then one folk at the cottage told us the sightseeing places. We want to visit </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Berijam</span></st1:placename><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > </span><st1:placetype><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Lake</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and he told permission from forest office is required. Bribing at these offices is quite famous and finally we got it at 200 bucks. We had our breakfast from Hotel Ashok, bought snacks and started our journey. We went through Pillar rock and Pattar acted as a traffic police there and solved the vehicle clogging. We crossed Moer Point at 11.30 and we were on the way to Berijam. Bastian got back stabbed by his own dialogue “<i>Jathyalullathu Thoothal Pokilla</i>”. Suddenly one car went past us and we felt like it just hit us. We screamed at the driver and it stopped a little beyond our vehicle. He was looking us as if we had done something to him. And there was one dent in the left side of our car. It has a Karnataka registration KA04 P686. Pattar was on his high spirits and even Gijoy was shouting. Seeing our aggressive reactions, he became milder. Pattar even tried to hit him and jumped on the floor. Had Ranjith not blocked, he would have been in the hospital. We were really furious and he was defending. Then he said we can settle it in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Bangalore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. He argued and he said he has no money then. Finally we got his mobile number and the hotel address. Pattar even took car’s photo. Finally we said we’ll meet him in the hotel evening and will settle and we moved on. Our mood was almost spoiled and we were discussing what can be done to track him. We reached Berijam fast and went out to see the eco-village and untamed lake. The scenery was quite nice and natural. We spend some time there recording videos and taking photos. We returned and stopped by the side of lake a little away from Berijam. We had bread, jam and snacks on the side on the lake. We resumed our journey once the rain started. We stopped at Silent valley view point. It was drizzling and we couldn’t spend much time there. We reached Kodai town by afternoon and we bought food as parcel and went to our cottage. We reached room fast and took our surprise packet – Chivas Regal. It was a nice time and we left the cottage around </span><st1:time hour="16" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >4pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. We went to lake and decided to go cycling. All of us started cycling around the lake. After some time, we saw some mallu girls and eve-teasing started as usual. When we saw the good response, Ranjith and Gijoy decided to leave cycles and take the car and follow them. We stopped at a tea shop and they went to take the car in one cycle. After some time, I and Bastian went to track them. Pattar was left alone there. We saw them on the way and they have not even reached the other end. Finally I went to call Pattar. They all came by car and I and Pattar took our cycles and gave it back. After that we went for shopping to an antiques shop called “Danish Arts Shop”. It was really good and we bought enough decorative items. Ranjith went to check mail and he really missed the 1 hr extravaganza at the shop. We were searching for another good bar, but was eventually forced to go to Kodai International *** itself. The session was good as we ruled the bar. We reached home by </span><st1:time hour="23" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >11pm</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > and the topic divulged to ghosts. Pattar was saying he heard a lady-sound last night. Then the topic took its own turn. Bastian even said that Aziz Bhai himself can be a ghost. Finally everyone slept at </span><st1:time hour="1" minute="0"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >1am</span></st1:time><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >.</span> </p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145304148903773062006-03-17T15:30:00.000-06:002006-04-20T15:06:59.760-05:00Ooty Tour - Prologue<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:red;" >…Things won’t happen the way we want; rather it will take the other track, much more interesting.</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:blue;" >Prologue</span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:date month="10" day="30" year="2004"><b><span style="background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:blue;" >30<sup>th</sup> October 2004</span></b></st1:date><b><span style="background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:blue;" >. 05.00 hrs</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><st1:city><st1:place><b><span style="background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:blue;" >Bangalore</span></b></st1:place></st1:city></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:blue;" >As the Beautiful Garden city was sleeping in the frigid morning of the weekend, A KA04-A-5945 White Indica a/c with yellow numbering was racing along the Bangalore – Mysore road for its final destination; the ever-green, breath-taking Queen of the Hills, Ooty. Radio city 91 FM started refreshing the air. Inside it was seated four aspiring young professionals from God’s own country who were still adapting to the reality that their dream was finally coming true.</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Things weren’t the same three days before…</span></b></p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23291708.post-1145304189027777782006-03-17T15:29:00.000-06:002006-04-20T15:06:37.180-05:00Ooty Tour - Chapter 1<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Chapter 1</span></u></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >October 2<sup>nd</sup> week</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Anna Sandra Palaya, </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Bangalore</span></st1:place></st1:city></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >An always impatient Bastian threw an idea that at first seemed to be a time-pass, “Da, Randu divasam engottenkilum tour pokam”. Nobody responded at first and finally Ranjith backed him. Even I did, as I was also longing for a break from the tiresome and boring <b>Office – Room – Keerthi - Surabhi routine</b> and non-coinciding shifts of ours. Gijoy as usual, nodded and nodded. Things took a fast turn as we decided to give it a shot and everyone got a half chance during the last weekend of October. It will be holidays for me, Bastian and Gijoy will adjust the shift and Ranjith will somehow do something </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;color:navy;" >J</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > (wait n see to make it happen). We planned for a </span><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Goa</span></st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > tour, hiring a car. Later on it was changed to Ooty considering the traveling time and distance. We began searching for a rent-a-car. We enquired and decided to progress in spite of the expense. But we could arrange only Santro petrol and we knew it’ll be expensive. Meanwhile we started planning a family trip with Mr. & Mrs. Sharath, Sreeram and Ratheesh. Even that was not coming alright and both I and Bastian were hopeless and started preparing for a setback, as we were the sole organizers because Gijoy and Ranjith were on evening and night shifts</span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;color:navy;" >J</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. Added to this was the disk man getting damaged, which put a full stop to our Veer-Zaara mood.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >…And the wind blew our direction, when on 27<sup>th</sup> October, I got some links from internet and finally strike gold with International Travel house offering Indica A/c diesel at a worthy 100 bucks per day and unlimited mileage. Wasting no time, I and Bastian went that evening and booked it for the weekend. Coming back, we discussed the different strategies for the trip. Finally we decided the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Mysore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" > – Coorg – Ooty route. The day following, Gijoy and Bastian made further enquiries, got the camera from Bastian’s friend and on 29<sup>th</sup> October 8’o clock, Bastian, Gijoy and Myself were on our way to take the car. Simply professional, I should say, was the attitude of the Travel House authorities. They just blocked 10K payment from my credit card and got themselves my driving license. They fueled the car to full tank and handed over to us at 22.00 hrs. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >Bastian took the magic key; we went to Madiwala and fueled ourselves from Mas, caught Ranjith from Koramangala, took cash from Domlur and reached room by 22.30 hrs. Gijoy put his two-wheeler inside the room first. 1000 bucks per head was deposited with the Finance controller i.e. myself. Not even a penny will be spent from others for the whole trip. Putting the beats on, we went ahead with the travel arrangements. It was decided by our travel committee to take three pairs of T-Shirt and Jeans and one pair of semi-formals. We took jackets, towels, cassettes, perfumes, camera, this and that and finally the attraction of the whole trip, Panasonic Handicam. We were even discussing whether anybody will come back or if only one came back, how he will live in that room</span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;color:navy;" >J</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;color:navy;" >. And the urge to pack things fast and prepare for the 3 dream days was ultimate.</span><br /></p>Mukeshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18264006136783261693noreply@blogger.com0