He hee.....first let me list the things i did for the first time so people don't get me wrong..!!
0. My first trip abroad (big smile)
1. Surfboarding... (Yeah..! it was fun. Strengthen your arms first if you plan to learn)
2. Kayaking in Sea (it was kind of boring)
Ohkk....!!! Here are the details...
I was searching the internet for a proper place to teach me surfing a few days ago.
High speeds always thrill me, such good wind on the face and you can always feel the excitement.
My love for good bikes is for the same reason but you can always imagine the results of the fall.
Then whenever i used to watch these exciting x-games on tv, i could feel my pulse going up.
The adventure involved in those sports is awesome. Imagine a sport where you ride the waves on a nice soft plastic board.
And the natural energy of waves providing all the fuel you need and a nice soft cushion to land (or dive into) when you crash (as long as you know how to float again).
See, if i am not wrong you want to try it too. Right..!!!
The first thing that made me happy when i learned that i was coming to US wasn't the pay or the foreign luxuries involved.
It was the hope that i can try a hand at every adventure sport available. So i thought surfboarding would be a great start.
Rincon is one of the best places for learning or simply surfing or so i heard and as soon as i got company (thank you so much for coming Abhi...!!), i was there.
We were there at 3PM (we started late) and the girl at the surf shop told me that there was no one available to give lessons and i was afraid of wasting the whole of Friday.
Thats when Billy just came back from more than an hour of surfing and he agreed to take us in.
He told us the sea was rash but may be it was the cute doggy (puppy) faced look in my face or the stupid determination in my eyes he came with us in 15 minutes.
He gave us each one of the longest boards he had (long boards can catch up with small waves and are easy to balance your tummies on).
In few minutes we were on the beach listening to the basics of how to maintain balance, how to paddle and how to jump and stand once the board has caught up with the wave.
Then we were warned about the rocky patches in the beach where you can neither enter nor exit the sea. If a wave pushes you that way you can get seriously hurt.
Some of you might be predicting that i might have hit the rocks for sure, you are right but only half-right.
Haa..!! Now comes the hardest part of Surfing....paddling till you reach the spot where the waves are.
By the time we almost reached the place where we could start surfing (a safe 50-70 yards from the rocks at shore) we were completely drained of energy.
Maybe this was because of the heavy lunch we had about half an hour earlier. Anyways, Abhi wasn't able to maintain balance and i too was almost out of breath.
We came back to one of the exits and Abhi scratched his right leg at one of the rocks below.
After about 15 minutes of rest it was time for round 2 and this time Billy left his board and got some padded shoes so that he could swim while helping me learn.
Another 15 minutes, I was ready to try my luck at surfing the first time and we were waiting for a good wave.
As soon as Billy saw one he shouted start paddling and i did and in a few fractions of a second i was floating at great speed along with the wave and i slowly jumped and stood on my feet.
A second or two i was standing and surfing with the wave and the next second i dived into the water.
That was amazing. The experience, the feel everything. I can't even imagine about the levels of various surfers there (as young as 12).
They were like a part of that wave moving, turning, jumping, diving.....!!! Hope i can practice to get to that level.
When i was looking with awe at some small children surfing, Abhi tapped me on the shoulder and preached me the "Cricket Theory" or thats what we call it now.
The conversation below will help you understand the theory better:
Adi: Dude, look at them (pointing towards chidren barely 10 years old) happily riding the waves on a board.
Das: Abey, do you think they can play cricket???
Adi: !@#@#$@}#@}:$#@!?? WTF??
Das: They cant play cricket. We cant surf. Simple.
Adi: (click...click..on!) oh yeah..!! they can't!!
Get it. We saw a father taking his 2 year old (at the max) on the front side of his board and go surfing.
We saw a mother happily getting tanned in the sun when her two twin sons (arnd 5 years old) happily playing in the 4+ feet waves.
Well, in India if you even try to get near a bucket full of water when you are less than 15 year old, get ready for some nicely printed palms on your back.
Like, lets a beacause of a very occasional sea wave touched your feet while you (10 years old) were walking along the Vizag beach.
The mother pulls you off suddenly and runs clear as people do in a hollywood disaster flick and the dad is searching his vocabulary for meaningful terms to give his young son a nice lesson.
Well, my parents didn't allow me to join swimming classes when i was 12/13. They didnt allow me to join karate when i was 14.
They did let me join something when i was 10 and i left that in a few days, Kuchipudi. I was more into break dance then :) .
See. The fear of the unknown is the term for this i guess. Anyways, i waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off topic.
So after two successes with surfing with the help of Billy i thought its time for him to rest and for me to do some learning on my own.
After trying a few more times and letting some huge waves pass by. I was done. I didn't have enough energy in y arms and shoulders to paddle anymore.
I came to the beach and after a safe landing with the help of some hand signals from Das we left the beach for the day.
We liked Rincon and what was planned to be a one day trip turned out into a one night stay.
We had a few rum punches (local specialty) and a few boards of billiards (pool might confuse you) we drove around the town.
Some adventures from here on are not for the blog and somehow Abhi managed to annoy me and he was so happy about what he acheived.
After a nice swim at midnight in the pool at the hotel we stayed we retired.
Saturday, Abhi wanted to go fishing but the rough seas and the day after christmas night meant no locals (boat charterers) wanted to go in.
So we decided we will do some kayaking. Abhi wanted to take a single kayak with two seats but i who knew him from childhood knew what his intentions were.
There was no way there is enough energy in my arms to paddle both of us for around an hour. So we tooks two kayaks.
Abhi's take off (entry into the sea, as the waves were ony a few feet from the beach and you will have to manage your kayak there) was disastrous.
He was completely tumbled and hit the bottom. In the second try he came in fine.
After about 40 mins i was bored and feeing sun-burnt. I decided to go out and take a surboard instead.
My exit was much more disastrous. I thought staying in the kayak, the waves will simply push me off to the shore.
But the completely turned it over and i crash-landed (most probably on my right shoulder as it hurts the most).
Then we went to the other beach and back to Billy's shop after lunch and again after a not so successful attempt at surfing.
We were back on the road and back home after another three hours. We were tired and had a quick dinner nearby and slept.
Thats how my first trip abroad ended with loads of fun.
I had a superb christmas.
Off the topic:
I do remember the way we used to celebrate it at BPL.
The carols holding candles with birth of the christ depicted by school children in a tractor (i cant forget Bhargavi as Jesus).
I also played lots of roles in those nice skits. One I remember very well is "Messiah", the one who gives the message to world that Jesus is coming.
The christmas here is similarly celebrated expect at a larger scale and also with a party atmosphere everywhere.
One problem is that the carols here are sung in Spanish and i just hum if i catch a tune i recognize like Jingle bells or Joy to the world.
PS:
Pictures to be added soon. Sunday we went to a rainforest and a waterfall. The photos will do more talking than my stupid, repetetive words.
So keep watching this blog for links and don't forget to leave your comments.
PPS:
Those who want to know about the details of our adventure on Friday night, contact me or das (or both for 2 versions) personally.
PPPS: One of friends complimented me that my blogs are like reading Chetan Bhagat's novel. Well, thank you but personally i think his novels are boring and may be we are both inspired by the same writers though i 'may' not be able achieve as much as he did.
Another friend commented it is like a personal diary. Well i will keep that in mind too.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Whats required for a healthy way of life?
If you are expecting a serious lesson on the above topic you are wrong. This is about a very unconventional way in which i got into a healthy routine.
First what my life was like in India:
Wake up at around 1030. Get ready slowly in about an hour and then have a quick breakfast (dosa, poori or mysore bhajji most of the times) and reach office by 12 (i know very late). I am not at all motivated here. Anyways, I have lunch around 2PM and a very heavy meal when it comes to it. Evening arnd 8 i leave home, watch some tv till subhash is home and both subhash and bharat are ready for dinner. After that i wait another 30 minutes till i feel hungry and then go have dinner and return arnd 11. We play cards for an hour and i watch some anime, comics, browse net for another 2 hours and finally sleep between 2 and 3 AM.
If you have observed there is no exercise and you can imagine what my weekends are like. I skip breakfasts and wake up for lunch and parties or movies in the night and junk food all day.
My parents hated this and always wanted me to change my lifestyle but you know the inertia if you are part of the 75% (my guess) of software engineers these days.
Now, whats my life like in the USA last few days:
I wake up at arnd 530AM and get out of bed by 630. Get fresh in about 30 mins and have bread, buttter, fruits and a cup of milk/tea for breakfast. By 830 i am in office and have a lite home prepared meal (little rice and vegetables or a subway). I cant eat out side in Puerto Rico as i am strictly a vegetarian (wish i wasn't). Anyways, by 6 in the evening i am back in the apartment and i either go to gym or pool (both just outside the apartment). At around 8 i cook a small meal and by 9 i am done eating. I browse net for sometime, watch some videos and sleep by 1030.
If you were my parents, you wouldnt be able to read further as your eyes are full of tears and you are so happy that your child is in the right path after all these years.
Well, i tried to analyse the reason for this big change in such a short time.
The first and foremost reason i could find is JET LAG. That set the ticker right in my brain. LOL.
Second the availability of a pool and gym so close and also the number of people using them.
So, i may not be able to continue this once i am back but lets be optimistic and let me continue this while i am here atleast.
Coming up next....few cooking tips for vegetarian bachelors abroad.
First what my life was like in India:
Wake up at around 1030. Get ready slowly in about an hour and then have a quick breakfast (dosa, poori or mysore bhajji most of the times) and reach office by 12 (i know very late). I am not at all motivated here. Anyways, I have lunch around 2PM and a very heavy meal when it comes to it. Evening arnd 8 i leave home, watch some tv till subhash is home and both subhash and bharat are ready for dinner. After that i wait another 30 minutes till i feel hungry and then go have dinner and return arnd 11. We play cards for an hour and i watch some anime, comics, browse net for another 2 hours and finally sleep between 2 and 3 AM.
If you have observed there is no exercise and you can imagine what my weekends are like. I skip breakfasts and wake up for lunch and parties or movies in the night and junk food all day.
My parents hated this and always wanted me to change my lifestyle but you know the inertia if you are part of the 75% (my guess) of software engineers these days.
Now, whats my life like in the USA last few days:
I wake up at arnd 530AM and get out of bed by 630. Get fresh in about 30 mins and have bread, buttter, fruits and a cup of milk/tea for breakfast. By 830 i am in office and have a lite home prepared meal (little rice and vegetables or a subway). I cant eat out side in Puerto Rico as i am strictly a vegetarian (wish i wasn't). Anyways, by 6 in the evening i am back in the apartment and i either go to gym or pool (both just outside the apartment). At around 8 i cook a small meal and by 9 i am done eating. I browse net for sometime, watch some videos and sleep by 1030.
If you were my parents, you wouldnt be able to read further as your eyes are full of tears and you are so happy that your child is in the right path after all these years.
Well, i tried to analyse the reason for this big change in such a short time.
The first and foremost reason i could find is JET LAG. That set the ticker right in my brain. LOL.
Second the availability of a pool and gym so close and also the number of people using them.
So, i may not be able to continue this once i am back but lets be optimistic and let me continue this while i am here atleast.
Coming up next....few cooking tips for vegetarian bachelors abroad.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The first few days and feelings in the US
It has been around 60 hours i entered the US of A.
1. till now the food i had was 3 six inch veg delite subs, one veg pizza without meat (as absurd it might sound veg without meat). I have to tell them specifically only vegetables please. One dish made of cheese and pasta. I was sure even a microgram more cheese nothing would remain inside.
2. the other thing bothering me here is NO TEA only coffee or hot chocolate.
3. friends and rice, i miss you the most.
i am waiting to leave the hotel and enter an apartment to cook some rice and vegetables for myself.
the way i am feeling now is very similar to what i felt when i joined hostel after tenth except i am not that homesick now.
one great news i have is that i have a compusa store very close to my office and window shopping so many electronic goods makes my heart warm.
New York was quite cold but i loved watching people at Wall Street. Suits, winter jackets, leather shoes and a very professional expression on their faces.
Puerto Rico is quite opposite. Its quite warm (even its people), they greet a lot and try to help as much as possible. Its costlier than mainland as it is primarily a tourist center especially very close to the peak season. Most of the people speak Spanish here and i cant even catch the words leave alone understanding them.
Anyways, i will keep updating. you all keep watching...Buena suerte y adios..!!!
1. till now the food i had was 3 six inch veg delite subs, one veg pizza without meat (as absurd it might sound veg without meat). I have to tell them specifically only vegetables please. One dish made of cheese and pasta. I was sure even a microgram more cheese nothing would remain inside.
2. the other thing bothering me here is NO TEA only coffee or hot chocolate.
3. friends and rice, i miss you the most.
i am waiting to leave the hotel and enter an apartment to cook some rice and vegetables for myself.
the way i am feeling now is very similar to what i felt when i joined hostel after tenth except i am not that homesick now.
one great news i have is that i have a compusa store very close to my office and window shopping so many electronic goods makes my heart warm.
New York was quite cold but i loved watching people at Wall Street. Suits, winter jackets, leather shoes and a very professional expression on their faces.
Puerto Rico is quite opposite. Its quite warm (even its people), they greet a lot and try to help as much as possible. Its costlier than mainland as it is primarily a tourist center especially very close to the peak season. Most of the people speak Spanish here and i cant even catch the words leave alone understanding them.
Anyways, i will keep updating. you all keep watching...Buena suerte y adios..!!!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
SUICIDE..!! Is it the last resort???
You all must be wondering why i am talking about this topic out of the blue.
This news finally woke me up. The first thing that struck my mind was, "Why?? Didn't he have a choice?" And then i could think of a million things he could do instead of the one thing he has done.
Saturday morning I had a few wake up calls from friends with some very bad news.
One cousin called and told me that her (our) grandfather expired, a few minutes later another cousin told me that one of my uncles had a chest pain and had to go to hospital and finally Aparna called and asked, "Aditya, news vinnavaa??? Oka friend atma hathya chesukunnadata???"
This news finally woke me up. The first thing that struck my mind was, "Why?? Didn't he have a choice?" And then i could think of a million things he could do instead of the one thing he has done.
This person isn't a close friend to me i met him only a couple of times. I know him through Aparna and Srujana (who i also know through Aparna). They were a group of four close friends. Now he is only a part of their memories which will fade away bit by bit with time.
My impression from the last time i met him was jovial, active, intelligent. But i can never guess the circumstances that led him to the extreme step. Today, I was talking to Srujana and she says she can't work. The questions like why, how, what made him, was there no other way and thoughts like i have to kick him once, i have to talk to him out of this and a lot more thoughts and feelings are making her mind dizzy.
As i mentioned earlier one can do a million things instead of dying. The first things that crossed my mind were,
1. leave everything and go for a nice long journey to think all over again
2. rob a bank and become robinhood
3. try to become a film star
4. write a book
5. join politics and work for the poor
6. just don't do anything and sit at home
7. learn fine arts and become an artist
These being the first few. Madhu might say, "kill someone" as an option but taking life is never a good idea.
In one movie i have seen. A person tries to kill himself for all the bad deeds he has done. The hero stops him and asks him, "who will set things right if you are gone? who will you help by killing yourself?" and kicks him till he cant kill himself (he hee..!!).
Anyways, after that the person roams all over the war torn country helping people in distress and in dire need of help. Its a movie story but why can't this happen in real life too.
I just started thinking. If there could be one reason i have to kill myself what would that be?
Its just a minute i allocated my brain for this thought but one thing i am sure of is i wont be able to find one even if i think for years. But if you ask me, "One reason i don't want to?" I can keep talking and getting ideas for the next few days without a break.
I also read or seen in movies that suicide is actually a psychological syndrome and is a mental disease. Well, I can't dig too deep in this topic as my knowledge here is quite limited but i have my doubts. When and how does this start? Can't friends and family help somehow? What are the signs? I guess its time i learn these if i don't want to lose someone close because of the secret inclination he had, never shared and we could never observe.
Finally, all those who are reading this (I may sound funny here) if you at anytime had a single thought about suicide, talk to your closest one and help yourself get out of it. May be people think they have thought everything through before dying but they sure didn't. One can never calculate the human emotion involved aftermath.
Looks like i am finally done organizing my thoughts about this topic. Its time you share yours. Please comment and let me know what you people think.
My impression from the last time i met him was jovial, active, intelligent. But i can never guess the circumstances that led him to the extreme step. Today, I was talking to Srujana and she says she can't work. The questions like why, how, what made him, was there no other way and thoughts like i have to kick him once, i have to talk to him out of this and a lot more thoughts and feelings are making her mind dizzy.
As i mentioned earlier one can do a million things instead of dying. The first things that crossed my mind were,
1. leave everything and go for a nice long journey to think all over again
2. rob a bank and become robinhood
3. try to become a film star
4. write a book
5. join politics and work for the poor
6. just don't do anything and sit at home
7. learn fine arts and become an artist
These being the first few. Madhu might say, "kill someone" as an option but taking life is never a good idea.
In one movie i have seen. A person tries to kill himself for all the bad deeds he has done. The hero stops him and asks him, "who will set things right if you are gone? who will you help by killing yourself?" and kicks him till he cant kill himself (he hee..!!).
Anyways, after that the person roams all over the war torn country helping people in distress and in dire need of help. Its a movie story but why can't this happen in real life too.
I just started thinking. If there could be one reason i have to kill myself what would that be?
Its just a minute i allocated my brain for this thought but one thing i am sure of is i wont be able to find one even if i think for years. But if you ask me, "One reason i don't want to?" I can keep talking and getting ideas for the next few days without a break.
I also read or seen in movies that suicide is actually a psychological syndrome and is a mental disease. Well, I can't dig too deep in this topic as my knowledge here is quite limited but i have my doubts. When and how does this start? Can't friends and family help somehow? What are the signs? I guess its time i learn these if i don't want to lose someone close because of the secret inclination he had, never shared and we could never observe.
Finally, all those who are reading this (I may sound funny here) if you at anytime had a single thought about suicide, talk to your closest one and help yourself get out of it. May be people think they have thought everything through before dying but they sure didn't. One can never calculate the human emotion involved aftermath.
Looks like i am finally done organizing my thoughts about this topic. Its time you share yours. Please comment and let me know what you people think.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
ARYA 2: A true sequel and a must watch
Its been a long time i watched a movie, first day morning show. The last one i saw like that was may be 'Maharadhi', yes Baalaiah's Maharadhi. I can still remember the face of Das from that day.
Anyways, maybe i am the first person to blog about this movie.
I give the movie "Four and a half stars". The missing half is because of the climax (dragged it a bit).
The movie, carried the same theme from its predecessor Arya, even the character names.
Except you can consider this a story about new people and very much new circumstances.
I mean the circumstances are new for Arya to tackle not a telugu movie hero.
Many heroes have tackled similar (very similar) situation in a different (read it as routine) way.
The first half was quite funny with a nice interval. Bhramanandam rocked..!!!
The second half too has some good laughs and i couldn't stop laughing at one scene.
I don't want to spoil your fun but Ajay's character is creation of a genius story writer.
Kudos...Sukumar.
The music was great and complimented every scene to the max.
All the actors were great. Kajal's expressions were more complete when compared to Magadheera.
All in all, a must watch. Will give the ratings tomorrow once i finish watching it the second time.
Anyways, maybe i am the first person to blog about this movie.
I give the movie "Four and a half stars". The missing half is because of the climax (dragged it a bit).
The movie, carried the same theme from its predecessor Arya, even the character names.
Except you can consider this a story about new people and very much new circumstances.
I mean the circumstances are new for Arya to tackle not a telugu movie hero.
Many heroes have tackled similar (very similar) situation in a different (read it as routine) way.
The first half was quite funny with a nice interval. Bhramanandam rocked..!!!
The second half too has some good laughs and i couldn't stop laughing at one scene.
I don't want to spoil your fun but Ajay's character is creation of a genius story writer.
Kudos...Sukumar.
The music was great and complimented every scene to the max.
All the actors were great. Kajal's expressions were more complete when compared to Magadheera.
All in all, a must watch. Will give the ratings tomorrow once i finish watching it the second time.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Fun at an Orthopedic's
Chandu and i were chatting and he asked me if i knew a good Orthopedic in the city. I know most of you who know me will be thinking, "yaa..!! ortho? who else will know better?" I typed yes to get an immediate reply from him, 'Babu! Not Aditya."
Well, Bharat too was looking for an ortho as he sprained his left wrist a few weeks back.
Finally, i too was planning to get a full check up as my left knee aches whenever i trek or walk for more than 2-3 hours. With so many reasons, i got an appointment for last Saturday from G Vijay Kumar. A master orthopedic who we visited frequently for fractures, sprains, ligament injuries during my engineering time and were never ever disappointed.
Saturday 5PM we were there and all of us were hauled into his room. I was the first one to be examined.
Doc: "So, whats the problem?"
Adi: "Well, I have a problem with my left knee."
Doc: "Aaha! What happens?"
Adi: "I go for trekking..!!", here the doctor abruptly cut through my sentence and asks "You are in the deccan plateau. Where and how do you go trekking?". After a quick reply as Sahayadris from me he got more sarcastic and asks me, "you are born here in the deccan and go for trekking in sahayadris..?? hmm..!!"
Doc: "Did you have a fever recently or any other proble with the knee earlier?"
Adi: "A few years back when i was in OU, I came here because i had a swelling in the same knee because of some fluid and an ortho from DD suggested surgery. I got the swelling as i played a lot of basketball in those days."
Doc: "Oh! Basketball", Chandu and Bharat were already giggling like little girls sharing a private joke.
The doc then prescribed some medicines and physiotherapy while his juniors were quickly jotting down some notes. He also gave them some terms for the notes, turned towards me and asked "Anything else?"
Adi: "I fractured my right heel bone last year and my ankle still pains when i play tennis."
I didn't anticipate i spurted out so many key words in a single sentence for the doctor's superb sense of humor to get in action.
Doc: "So you jumped from somewhere, else you wouldn't fracture your heel. Your ankle must have sprained a bit badly at the same time." After a short pause, "You play tennis also. What else do you do? Trekking, Basketball, Tennis...!!"
I could think of a few more activities but you can guess why i stopped. After some notes for the juniors, i was asked to get an X-ray of my knee and Chandu was called for examination.
Chandu with a broad smile on his face hopped on to the cot there and,
Doc: "So, whats YOUR problem?"
Chandu: "two weeks ago i was in Goa..." (the doc again with his natural, sarcastic cut)
"Did he take you there too?? (pointing at me)"
Chandu somehow told no but understood he never cared for the answer and continued,
"i was jumping and landed on a few twisted toes. after that, last week i was playing basketball at office and.."
the doc doing it again: "dont you people have anything to do at office, he goes trekking, basketball tennis. You go to goa and play basketball. Why dont you just sit and work?"
Then he prescribed the medicine, gave some notes and waved bharat to get on the table.
By this time i was done with my x-ray, demonstration of the physiotherapy sessions i need to do daily and was back with the fun. Chandu and i were now laughing out quite loud and were not concentrating on what the doc was asking Bharat. We were laughing just by a glance at the look on his face.
Doc: "SO..! WHATS YOUR PROBLEM?"
Bharat: "Well, Sir! I was playing TT at office and..."
You can imagine what happened next.....
Well, Bharat too was looking for an ortho as he sprained his left wrist a few weeks back.
Finally, i too was planning to get a full check up as my left knee aches whenever i trek or walk for more than 2-3 hours. With so many reasons, i got an appointment for last Saturday from G Vijay Kumar. A master orthopedic who we visited frequently for fractures, sprains, ligament injuries during my engineering time and were never ever disappointed.
Saturday 5PM we were there and all of us were hauled into his room. I was the first one to be examined.
Doc: "So, whats the problem?"
Adi: "Well, I have a problem with my left knee."
Doc: "Aaha! What happens?"
Adi: "I go for trekking..!!", here the doctor abruptly cut through my sentence and asks "You are in the deccan plateau. Where and how do you go trekking?". After a quick reply as Sahayadris from me he got more sarcastic and asks me, "you are born here in the deccan and go for trekking in sahayadris..?? hmm..!!"
Doc: "Did you have a fever recently or any other proble with the knee earlier?"
Adi: "A few years back when i was in OU, I came here because i had a swelling in the same knee because of some fluid and an ortho from DD suggested surgery. I got the swelling as i played a lot of basketball in those days."
Doc: "Oh! Basketball", Chandu and Bharat were already giggling like little girls sharing a private joke.
The doc then prescribed some medicines and physiotherapy while his juniors were quickly jotting down some notes. He also gave them some terms for the notes, turned towards me and asked "Anything else?"
Adi: "I fractured my right heel bone last year and my ankle still pains when i play tennis."
I didn't anticipate i spurted out so many key words in a single sentence for the doctor's superb sense of humor to get in action.
Doc: "So you jumped from somewhere, else you wouldn't fracture your heel. Your ankle must have sprained a bit badly at the same time." After a short pause, "You play tennis also. What else do you do? Trekking, Basketball, Tennis...!!"
I could think of a few more activities but you can guess why i stopped. After some notes for the juniors, i was asked to get an X-ray of my knee and Chandu was called for examination.
Chandu with a broad smile on his face hopped on to the cot there and,
Doc: "So, whats YOUR problem?"
Chandu: "two weeks ago i was in Goa..." (the doc again with his natural, sarcastic cut)
"Did he take you there too?? (pointing at me)"
Chandu somehow told no but understood he never cared for the answer and continued,
"i was jumping and landed on a few twisted toes. after that, last week i was playing basketball at office and.."
the doc doing it again: "dont you people have anything to do at office, he goes trekking, basketball tennis. You go to goa and play basketball. Why dont you just sit and work?"
Then he prescribed the medicine, gave some notes and waved bharat to get on the table.
By this time i was done with my x-ray, demonstration of the physiotherapy sessions i need to do daily and was back with the fun. Chandu and i were now laughing out quite loud and were not concentrating on what the doc was asking Bharat. We were laughing just by a glance at the look on his face.
Doc: "SO..! WHATS YOUR PROBLEM?"
Bharat: "Well, Sir! I was playing TT at office and..."
You can imagine what happened next.....
Monday, November 9, 2009
Train: a small weekend stunt
Hi all. As you already would have read from my november itinerary blog earlier this weekend i have been to Chennai. A lot of people asked me why are you going/coming to Chennai and most of them giggling and a majority of them laughing out loud. "Chennai aaah..!!! he hee (heahahehaheaheha)..!!" something like this.
The little stunt was in my return journey and those who don't care what i did for the rest of my weekend may scroll down till you find some bold text.
Now, back to the post and a little history.
A few years back when i was in my third year, Kiran, a medico from Warangal and a friend of mine suddenly came to my hostel and asked me to pack things so that i can join them for a trip to Chennai as one of their friends dropped in the last minute and the train was to depart in another hour. I hurriedly packed a few things and i regretted getting on the train for the next few months.
I was born and brought up in Bhadrachalam, a place in Andhra Pradesh where the mercury rises above 50 degrees celcius every summer and stays that way for most of May. We used to play cricket on granite surface for hours in the afternoon in that sun and always felt normal. I always thought high temparatures and hot sun will never be a problem for me till i put my foot in chennai.
I have a loads of reasons to hate that place:
1. we could get only one bucket of normal water a day
2. i only felt for 5 minutes that i had a bath
3. food wasn't good at all
4. a very small minority are willing to understand what you want to say in english or hindi
5. they speak to you in tamil and they curse if you didn't understand and so on...
If i start writing my experience during those 4 days, i will have to change the title of this blog and create a new one for what i actually wanted to write about. Anyways, now you have an idea of what my previous experience in chennai was.
Saturday morning, i was trying to lock my eyes and sleep till i felt the train has stopped and i start sweating like my surface pores have become holes and the noise will wake me up.
But, i was surprised when a person woke me up telling, "babu! Chennai aa gaya" and i felt a cold breeze as i stepped out of the train.
I was quickly getting wet in the rain and after some confusion in taking a bus to Adayar and some suggestions in Tamil in which i could understand the bus numbers and area names though i couldn't guess what meaningful sentence they would all make, I took an auto to Swaroop's home. I called him and handed over the phone to the driver who got further directions from him. An hour or two before lunch time i was at his house. We chatted for sometime over a nice cup of tea (thanks Neeraja) and after i freshened up we had our lunch and a very lazy afternoon.
It was raining a bit heavily outside and open windows allowed the cool fresh air onto us making it a perfect rainy day with a cup of tea i my hand. That evening I had a little party with Manohar and Srikanth (engg friends) who stayed quite nearby.
It was raining on Sunday too. Swaroop brought a huge variety of vegetables and the lovely couple started making a big string of items for lunch. I too was bored and struck a deal to cook Baigan and Rasam. Swaroop made dondakayi fry, bendakayi fry and mulankada pulusu with boiled eggs in it.
I completed vankayi kothimeera kharam and tomato rasam. Neeraja set the table and added dal, raitha, salad, fruits and icecream to the menu. Manohar and Srikanth were invited and we had a sumptuous lunch while discussiong an array of topics ranging from Sachin's godly knock, a very bad match going on that day, the vegetables, future trips and many more.
We had a nice evening walk in the beach nearby as it stopped raining and the weather couldn't have been more pleasant. This time the stay was perfect and my opinion about the last two points is still the same though the circumstances have reversed the first three points i hated about chennai.
Now the small stunt,
I felt the train wasn't moving too fast and i could see a few lights outside. I was optimistic that it was a small station near WL and the train would slow down a bit more for me to get down. I went to a nearby door and was on the foot board to see my chances of getting down. I could see a flyover nearby and the train slowed down to a speed i was confident i can get down running and go to the flyover easily.
I jumped and landed slowly and safely. I walked for a minute to reach the flyover and found steps to go above. At the end of the steps a couple were talking and were a little surprised to see me there. I thought "its 5AM! come on give me a break." to myself and asked the guy "Kazipet.." with a question mark in my face. He pointed to my right side.
I crossed the road and waved at an auto. Again i said "Kazipet.." with the question will you take me there on my face. If you are wondering last time it was which way is it face.
He said yes and i got into it. Aroung 100 yeards down the flyover the auto guy stopped and said "idey anna" pointing towards an arch. I was surprised, happy and the first thought that crossed my mind was "ooho so the train slowed down because it was close to KZP junction and i was lucky that i didn't get down at WL".
Anyways, it was around half past five and my train scheduled for departure a few minutes before seven was an hour late. That way, my nice weekend ended with a little excitement and lots of waiting before i am back in office and sharing this with you all.
Luckily, luck was on my side. I mean what are the chances for these two occurrences:
1. Chennai is cool and pleasant
2. You jump from a train and land a few yards away from the station you need to go to and the train that you boarded doesn't go to.
Now tell me, whats the moral of this story...!!
The little stunt was in my return journey and those who don't care what i did for the rest of my weekend may scroll down till you find some bold text.
Now, back to the post and a little history.
A few years back when i was in my third year, Kiran, a medico from Warangal and a friend of mine suddenly came to my hostel and asked me to pack things so that i can join them for a trip to Chennai as one of their friends dropped in the last minute and the train was to depart in another hour. I hurriedly packed a few things and i regretted getting on the train for the next few months.
I was born and brought up in Bhadrachalam, a place in Andhra Pradesh where the mercury rises above 50 degrees celcius every summer and stays that way for most of May. We used to play cricket on granite surface for hours in the afternoon in that sun and always felt normal. I always thought high temparatures and hot sun will never be a problem for me till i put my foot in chennai.
I have a loads of reasons to hate that place:
1. we could get only one bucket of normal water a day
2. i only felt for 5 minutes that i had a bath
3. food wasn't good at all
4. a very small minority are willing to understand what you want to say in english or hindi
5. they speak to you in tamil and they curse if you didn't understand and so on...
If i start writing my experience during those 4 days, i will have to change the title of this blog and create a new one for what i actually wanted to write about. Anyways, now you have an idea of what my previous experience in chennai was.
Saturday morning, i was trying to lock my eyes and sleep till i felt the train has stopped and i start sweating like my surface pores have become holes and the noise will wake me up.
But, i was surprised when a person woke me up telling, "babu! Chennai aa gaya" and i felt a cold breeze as i stepped out of the train.
I was quickly getting wet in the rain and after some confusion in taking a bus to Adayar and some suggestions in Tamil in which i could understand the bus numbers and area names though i couldn't guess what meaningful sentence they would all make, I took an auto to Swaroop's home. I called him and handed over the phone to the driver who got further directions from him. An hour or two before lunch time i was at his house. We chatted for sometime over a nice cup of tea (thanks Neeraja) and after i freshened up we had our lunch and a very lazy afternoon.
It was raining a bit heavily outside and open windows allowed the cool fresh air onto us making it a perfect rainy day with a cup of tea i my hand. That evening I had a little party with Manohar and Srikanth (engg friends) who stayed quite nearby.
It was raining on Sunday too. Swaroop brought a huge variety of vegetables and the lovely couple started making a big string of items for lunch. I too was bored and struck a deal to cook Baigan and Rasam. Swaroop made dondakayi fry, bendakayi fry and mulankada pulusu with boiled eggs in it.
I completed vankayi kothimeera kharam and tomato rasam. Neeraja set the table and added dal, raitha, salad, fruits and icecream to the menu. Manohar and Srikanth were invited and we had a sumptuous lunch while discussiong an array of topics ranging from Sachin's godly knock, a very bad match going on that day, the vegetables, future trips and many more.
We had a nice evening walk in the beach nearby as it stopped raining and the weather couldn't have been more pleasant. This time the stay was perfect and my opinion about the last two points is still the same though the circumstances have reversed the first three points i hated about chennai.
Now the small stunt,
Since i felt Charminar was a bit too early to leave on Sunday. I booked my tickets in GT (departs and hour later) till Warangal and for Sampark Kranthi from Kazipet to SC. GT reaches WL at 5AM and i set the alarm to 445AM and slept after having a cup of tea in Ongole at around midnight.
I don't remember the details but i woke up from some stupid dream suddenly and took out my cell hoping its not five yet. The time was 515. I jumped from the upper berth and took my bag, wore my sandals and took my specs praying that the train is a few minutes late and we havent crossed Warangal yet. I asked the person in the nearby side-lower whether we crossed WL and he replied, "Haan! dus minute pehle ruka tha wahan pe. Ab tho Ramagundam mein utharna padega."
I felt the train wasn't moving too fast and i could see a few lights outside. I was optimistic that it was a small station near WL and the train would slow down a bit more for me to get down. I went to a nearby door and was on the foot board to see my chances of getting down. I could see a flyover nearby and the train slowed down to a speed i was confident i can get down running and go to the flyover easily.
I jumped and landed slowly and safely. I walked for a minute to reach the flyover and found steps to go above. At the end of the steps a couple were talking and were a little surprised to see me there. I thought "its 5AM! come on give me a break." to myself and asked the guy "Kazipet.." with a question mark in my face. He pointed to my right side.
I crossed the road and waved at an auto. Again i said "Kazipet.." with the question will you take me there on my face. If you are wondering last time it was which way is it face.
He said yes and i got into it. Aroung 100 yeards down the flyover the auto guy stopped and said "idey anna" pointing towards an arch. I was surprised, happy and the first thought that crossed my mind was "ooho so the train slowed down because it was close to KZP junction and i was lucky that i didn't get down at WL".
Anyways, it was around half past five and my train scheduled for departure a few minutes before seven was an hour late. That way, my nice weekend ended with a little excitement and lots of waiting before i am back in office and sharing this with you all.
Luckily, luck was on my side. I mean what are the chances for these two occurrences:
1. Chennai is cool and pleasant
2. You jump from a train and land a few yards away from the station you need to go to and the train that you boarded doesn't go to.
Now tell me, whats the moral of this story...!!
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