Why me?

I usually work till 5:30 in the evening. However, sometimes I have to stay back for some meetings that my wonderful TL likes to suggest weird timings.

So yesterday as well, he scheduled a meeting from 5:30 to 7! 1.5 hours! As soon as I woke up, I was irritated cause I hate staying back. I was considering going to office late, but finally decided to at my normal time.

In the evening, I asked him if it was okay if I didn't attend it. He said fine! Good for me. Meetings are a waste anyway - all that gets decided is when to have the next meeting! (Don't know where I read this, but it is so true).

So I left my cubicle at 5:25. I have to go down two flights of stairs, and I usually take the stairs. However, I was scared of missing my cab, so I decided to take the lift.

There was already someone waiting near the lift, so the lift should come up any second. But it didnt. Dont know how long I waited, but it seemed an eternity. So finally it came, and we got in. We pressed the Zero floor. The doors closed. And then nothing happened. We decided to press the button a few more times, hoping it would work (yeah, right). But nothing happened. So I decided to get off the lift, and take the stairs anyway. But now the doors would not open. Lovely.

So we pressed few other buttons that were there, and after another eternity, the doors opened. It was 5:30. My cab left.

Went back to my cubicle... But I did not attend the meeting.

Annoyed

My phone is acting all weird today. First, in the morning, while I was listening to music, it would not allow me to change the volume. So I actually had to switch it off and then switch it back on.

And then, as soon as I switched it on - it decided to call a number on my contacts. I cut it. Then, she called back to know why I had called. But could I pick up the call? Of course not! So I tried calling back to explain. As soon as I could hear one ring, it stopped calling. It got disconnected!! I was not sure if it was a problem with the network or my phone. I just assumed it was the network.

Then, it would not play the radio. And if at all it played, it would keep changing the channels - so that I was not listening to any station for more than 5 seconds. Very calming.

After a lot of switching off and switching on - removing the battery and putting it back on, I finally figured out what the problem could be. It was the memory card! I removed it, and everything was fine. I put it back, and everything started to hang.

But I need the memory card. That's where all my music is stored. And so I devised a plan. I switched on the phone. I put on the radio. I put the memory card. And made sure that I don't touch any of the buttons. I literally kept counting minutes. And so, after some time ( I suppose after everything loaded fine), everything was working fine. I could make calls, and listen to whatever I want, and could increase/decrease the volume.

And I reached office. NO, no it does not end.

I was on my way for a coffee break - and there comes this woman. She is just swaying her hands around me, and off goes the phone from my hand. Flying. It came down in 3 pieces. I just got down and picked up the pieces. She was very apologetic. I told her that its alright, and went ahead putting everything back together. Had to go through it all again - battery, memory card, blah blah.

In the evening, I was talking on the phone with a friend. It got disconnected 5 times in 5 minutes. Then I decided if it gets disconnected again, I would talk tomorrow. It got disconnected in 2 seconds.

I don't know. No idea whats wrong! Did not change anything in the phone , and did not put anything new in the memory card either. Just a bad day.

Isle of Wight - Pictures

Two days to go.

I finally went to the Isle of Wight! With 2 friends and a colleague. Friend totally made fun of the colleague. Damn funny it was! I was actually laughing at his face! yes, I can be mean. And now unfortunately I feel bad about it now.

But, Isle of Wight? Beautiful! We took a ferry to that place from Portsmouth to Ryde. Once we reached there we hired a car and drove around. It was amazing. The well known beaches were really crowded. It was nice though. There was one beach in Shanklin, and it looked really nice from the road. It was a cliff and the beach in front of it. But we didnt get any parking space. So we just went more ahead, and we just stopped in a random place and walked towards the beach. And the place was even more beautiful than the place where we didnt get parking space. haha. Full of greenery and a stream, a 12th century church(!) and finally the beach. And there was a hill next to it. The whole thing was so relaxing. Just sat there and was speaking with a friend while the other 2 went to play in the water. The place was so good that both of us wanted to stay there another night and see more places. We just managed to see half of the island. There's a place called Cowes, which is supposed to be really beautiful as well. But did not manage to see that because of time constraints.

Things that I would want to remember - the beach house, cleopatra (don't ask), pebble beach, driving around with a stupid map, godshill, the funny bird on the hill, peace!

I am leaving UK on Saturday! Just one more day to go! A bit happy, and a bit sad. Really liked staying here and visiting so many places, but I am totally annoyed with the company that I have here. If I think of it, I don't really see so many places in India!

Pictures and everything in some other post. Don't have access to blogspot anymore. I tried mailing some pics, but I dont know how it looks in the blog, since I cant see it myself.

Windsor castle - Some Pictures 2

Windsor castle - Some Pictures 1

Windsor castle

I'd been wanting to go to Windsor castle ever since I heard about it (which was about 2 weeks ago). So my colleagues, friends and I made plans to go there that weekend (2 weeks back). We were not able to make any proper plans - what to see, how to go, etc, but we decided to do that on Saturday so that we could go that Sunday. But in the last moment my friend (call her X) decided that she has to go somewhere else. She told me that she really wanted to go to that place, so we changed our plans and decided to go the next weekend (which was last week).

So last week, I made sure that we made all plans, and we were all set to go. On Friday, X told us that she does not know if she can come on Sat or Sun, since she had to go shopping with an aunt! She would let us know in the evening. When I called her in the evening, she told that she will let me know by 11. I said fine.

She called at 11:30, and told that she cannot come! Not on Saturday! And not on Sunday! Whatever. Something about her aunt, church, and something. I was pissed, but if she didn't want to come, I could not do anything about it.

On Saturday, 2 of them said they don't want to come, and 1 had already gone to some other place. So now, only 2 of us were left. When I asked him, he asked me how much it would cost for 2 of us to get there. I  told him. Then he asked how much it would cost for 3 to get there. I told him. (it is cheaper for group). He said fine. After sometime, he decided that it is not "fun" for 2 people to go to some place. He started thinking if he knew someone else - who could come with us (hoping for group discount). Irritating people. It is not that expensive also. I mean, c'mon, why would I want to go to some place with a stranger because it would be cheaper for me? I told him that it is a dumb idea. That I would rather go with two people and not have fun, instead of going with 3 and not have fun!

So it was decided that he does not like to go to a place, when there are only 2 of us. I said okay. Then I decided to go on my own. I really wanted to see the place, and if they don't want to come, let them not! Why should I depend on them?

And so I did. And I had fun! On my own! I should do this more often.

I was a bit worried that I would get bored, so I even carried a book with me. I didn't even have to use it!

the best thing about going alone was I saw what I wanted to see. I experienced what I wanted to experience. I didn't have to check with others as to what they wanted to do, etc. So, it was nice. Friends were shocked that I actually went alone. And some didn't even believe me. Since I am not the "type" who would do such things. Whatever.

This weekend, plans are to go see Isle of Wight. The place I want to see so badly. But I dont know if these people will come, or not. But I was thinking that even if they don't come, I will go see the place.

Should thank the friend who convinced me to go to the castle alone...

By the way, the place was AMAZING! Will post more about it later.

Scared

Last week, on a Saturday morning, my sister called me. I cut the call thinking I would call her, since I didn't want my little sister to pay to talk with me! And as soon as I cut it, I got a text from her which just said "Call soon".

This does not happen regularly, and I freaked!! She has never called me from her mobile before since I landed here! So why would she call me? And what was the meaning of the text!

So I got to the phone immediately, took out my calling card and started dialing. Only, the call would not go! I must have dialed the number thrice, and it still did not ring. I did not know if there was a problem with the card, or if she was not picking up, or whatever! And so, by now, I was panicking. So once again I called, and this time she picked.

And all I could hear was her crying on the phone. I did not know or understand what was happening, and I tried to find out if everything was okay. After she finally calmed down, I got to know the story.

She had parked her bike outside a restaurant, and she had gone in to eat with her friend. When she got out, she found out that someone had picked the lock, and had taken out the stuff which she had kept beneath the seat!

So what was the stuff? It was something that I had bought for her a few days back. And, she had just gone shopping, and she had got clothes, which was also taken.

I got really angry (for her scaring me). And some relief. She was feeling bad (and hence the crying) cause someone stole her stuff. She kept crying and asking "how could anyone do this!". And I of course did not have any answers.

anyway, I sort of convinced her to go home. And she let me know that she had already spoken to mom and dad, and they said that they are willing to go shopping with her to replace what was stolen.

Weird that she actually cried. And weird that I freaked out so much!

--

I started writing this last week! And now I finally finished it!
Either I am becoming busy, or lazy.

A Wildlife park and London

Last week was pretty much uneventful. Work was a bit hectic though, and tempers were flaring (mostly mine). Somehow I am not able to deal with moronic people around me. I cannot believe that some people can be so dumb that they cannot realise what others are doing. Some people just lie to go ahead, and some people hide stuff. I suppose I should start dealing with it instead of getting irritated. Only problem is I don't know how to deal with it.

Friday night a bunch of us got together and we were just talking generally. And I realized again that I do not like talking about myself. At all. If some one asks me a question, I would not know what to say. They would mostly get 2 words. Or at most 10. Sad. I think I write better than I talk. We actually sat up till 2 talking! I don't even remember most of the things that were said (mostly since I was so sleepy).

Saturday we went to a wildlife park. Which was nice. Lots of animals and weird looking birds. I wanted to take pictures of an owl (which had a heart shaped face! ), and whenever I switched on my camera and tried to take a snap, it would turn. It happened 3 times. Then I went near the cage and was just about to click. And the owl just screeched towards me! And it perched itself right were my camera was! Scary! I almost dropped my camera right there! I jumped back and saw that all my friends were laughing at me. Nice. And they said that the owl was camera shy, it didn't want its picture taken, and that because I was insisting on taking that snap, it decided to teach me a lesson. Lesson learnt.

Was really tired on Saturday, but on Sunday there was the London marathon. And we were invited to join and cheer there. And we really wanted to go. So we did. It was exciting. There was a huge crowd, with people cheering for their family and friends. But what I liked most was the spirit of the people there. They were not just cheering for the people they know, they were cheering and motivating the runners who they didn't know. The runners too were responding by waving or smiling. I cannot understand how someone can run so much. 35000 people actually finished the race of 26 miles! Crazy it is! And they are all running for a cause, which is even more awesome.

I want to run a marathon now. Have already started reading on how I can train myself and everything. But I cannot really say if I will finally do it. But I really, really want to. Will start small, and finish big hopefully. Should start once I get back to India. I hope I find someone who is willing to run with me, else I don't know if I would run.

After spending 1 hour seeing the people run, we decided to eat something, and go to the museums. By the time we reached the Science museum, we were really hungry. We spent about 45 minutes trying to find a place to eat. Finally found subway! Yay! Had yummy sandwiches and was totally satisfied. Saw the science museum, which is really, really huge. In case you are seeing it, I would recommend you to directly go to the third floor and see the Launchpad. It is this place where you can get a hands on experience on everything (energy, lights, shadows, and so many things) There was so much to see that in 2 hours, we just managed 2 floors. Could not even see the other 3 floors! With what I saw - there were rockets, living in space, energy, trains, flights, something about the future, health, psychology and lots more! Unfortunately, the museum closes at 5:30, so we had to leave.

Since we didnt have anything else to do, we went to Hyde park. It huge. And green. With lots of trees. There's also a lake there. With ducks swimming in it. The ducks come so close to people hoping that we give them a treat (we didnt have any though). Also lots of pigeons. Who are not scared of humans. Who also come very close to people. Which scares me. I am scared of birds flying near my face. Freaks me out. Saw lots of people skating around, and I also wanted to skate! Did not happen though!

So it was a nice weekend. Totally satisfied. But I am so tired that all I want to do is sleep. Have to work now though.

London , and other things.

It has been a week since I reached UK, and nothing seems new. I am working in the same office, with the same people, and I also know the person who is staying in my apartment. In a way it is nice, and in a way it is not nice.

This time the place that I am staying is pretty good. There are stores nearby, and I can atleast see people walking around. 

Had been to London on Saturday! We reached London around 10 in the morning, and left by 10pm! It was a long, long day! But it was nice and sunny, so it was all good! Saw Tower Bridge and London Bridge. Had coffee in Starbucks (Yum!!). Went to the Imperial war museum. Went to Trafaulgur (spelling?) Square. There was some music concert going on here. Entry was free! Hanged around there for 20 minutes. Had lunch in McD. Then we went to Buckingham Palace. Walked through the park to reach Downing street. Saw some men standing guard there. (For some reason, this is a tourist attraction!). Saw Big Ben, Westminster, London eye. Went to a restaurant in EastHam and had dinner. And then got back. 

Except the museum, I had already been to the other places before. But still, the day was good. I was so tired when I reached back! We literally walked almost the whole day! 

I like London. I liked it before and I liked it this time. I especially like the parks, and the greenery, and the walk from Tower Bridge to London Bridge next to the water. 

Today (it's Sunday evening when I am writing this, but it would be monday when I publish it) I just woke up late, had breakfast. Then I started sneezing. And I didn't stop. And now I have a cold. A very bad one. My nose is literally dripping. I know, gross! I just had a crocin and slept for half an hour. We had plans to go out in the evening. I told NS (the girl in my apartment) to wake me up if we are going out. I said I would be up in half an hour, and I was. But when I woke up, I saw that they have left. I was irritated initially, since there is no way I can contact them as they dont have a mobile number. But now, I am glad that they left me alone to myself. Cannot be with someone 24/7. It is even more annoying since I work with NS. And all NS can do is bitch about my team mates. I mean, you can do it once, twice. But not constantly. Everytime we talk, she will have some complaint about someone and she will not stop! Gosh, I do not know how to stop her! Even if I don't respond, she would not care, and she would continue. 

Oh well. Can't do much. I now plan to watch a movie, and then either read a book or play a game that I have installed in my laptop. Cannot go online unfortunately since these morons have decided not to give us internet in our apartments. I miss being online and browsing. I miss filter coffee. That's it. 

--

Just after I finished writing the above I decided to heat and eat a muffin. So I went to the kitchen and put the muffin in the microwave. And then, NS comes out of her room. So they had not gone anywhere. She was sleeping! Ha! So unexpected that was!! So I told her that I thought that you guys had left, and she said, "How could we leave without you!" 

So later we went to another colleague's house and sat there and yapped for a while. Then we got to know that there was a park nearby, so we decided to go there for a walk. And since it was nice and sunny as well, it was nice. There were a lot of kids playing, and their parents were sitting and watching them. It was a huge place though! And so many trees and open spaces and full of greenery. Refreshing. It is sad that such places are not there in Bangalore. Even if there is some park, there would be so many people there, that it would not be refreshing anymore. We would have to fight for some place to sit! But, of course, that cannot be helped. 

Got back, made dinner. And now I am just sitting. I'm too full. 

I had read a book called The Notebook in the airport and on the flight. My sister had said it is such a great book and all that. And I believed it. But it sucked so much, that I was literally pissed of half way through! Then I called up my sis and asked her how she liked such a book, and she tells me "Ha! Ha! I made you read it!" Damn! How annoying that was! 

Today

What a day it was! I have been running around getting stuff done since afternoon! Looks like everything I wanted to get done had some problem or the other.

Laptop, visa, tickets. All done. 

Sometimes people act like they are government employees. I hate that.

I like having my own laptop. Perhaps I should buy one. Was spending the last hour installing stuff. Firefox, Google Chrome, Google Desktop - and some applications for it. The best thing about having my own laptop would be the customizations that I am able do. Have whatever applications I like, in whatever settings I like. My own favourites. My own bookmarks. And my own history.

I hate jealously. And insecurity. I don't understand how people can live with themselves if they backstab someone else. Do they even realise that they are backstabbing others? Or are they enjoying it? I wish I could ask these questions to such people. 

I wish I could realise when people are lying to me or are keeping information from me on purpose. That would solve all my problems. 

I told a friend of mine that I got a twitter account, and he saw it. Then he asked if I had to update it myself. I said yes. So he said that it seems pretty stupid. What? Did he expect it to read my mind and send the feeds to twitter? 

I'm extremely sleepy now. I have a long day tomorrow as well. 

Interviews

I completely forgot to blog about it - I took two interviews last week! How cool is that!? It was a phone interview. My Tech Lead and I took it. The best part? The people who we interviewed were those who had more than 4 years of experience, and I knew more than them! It was such a high when it got over! I could not stop smiling! 

The place where they got stuck is when we started asking questions from their resume. One said that he has worked on ftp and sftp, and when we asked him the difference between the two, he could not answer! Similarly on other stuff as well. Atleast if they are writing something there,  they should read it up before the interview. They would not end up looking so dumb. What is the need to lie? If you want to lie, atleast know something about it!

One guy could not even explain the project he worked on. Whatever we asked about it, he had the same answer! And both of us didn't understand what he was saying! 

I have another interview to take on Monday( I know, wow!). I'm so proud of myself! :D

Food

Just came back from meeting some of my friends! We had planned to meet up for lunch - the only problem being one didn't want to have Indian food, one didn't want Chinese, one didn't want pizza, and one didn't want burgers! It is so annoying when people have so many issues about food! 

So we decided to go to Koshi's cause apparently it is a multi cuisine restaurant! But they said they will give us 3 separate tables! WTF? If we wanted them together, we "would have to wait for 20 minutes". Moron. Why didn't you tell this before we wasted 10 minutes outside? 

Then we stood and discussed where we wanted to go next! Which was not going anywhere, since there was no place that everyone wanted to go to. We finally went and had food in Mainland china. They gave us a room! (maybe they expected us to be noisy! Ha! Ha! ) Food was decent though. I was full with soup (yum!), starters and pepsi! Still, I managed to eat some Hakka noodles and ice cream. 

We were supposed to go bowling after that. When we reached the place, we were informed that we would have to wait for an hour! Yeah right. 

But the day was good though. I had not met a couple of my friends in the last 3 months(since they are now studying), and it was good catching up. It is somehow not the same over the phone! 

Tonight I would be going out with my family for dinner! I am already so full, I have no idea what (and how) I am gonna eat there! This morning around 11, I had hot chocolate fudge! Yum!! And I ate so much for lunch! And again dinner! Gosh! 

Cigarettes

Let me start by saying that I hate smoking, I hate cigarettes and I hate the smell of smoke. Now that we have that out of the way, let me begin.

So today evening while I was on my way back home, I got a call from home. It was my sister. As soon as I picked up, she said, "Hey I need a favour".

"What!"

"I need a favour from you, and you can't say no."

"No". I knew I should say no. If she says I can't say no, it means I would not want to do it. 

"Hey come on ya. Its a small thing. I want a pack of cigarettes."

SHOCK.

"What? Cigarettes? Why do you need them!"

"No ya, it is not for me. It is for a friend"

"Then tell them to buy it! why are you asking me to buy it for them? They should not be smoking in the first place"

"See, it is my friend's birthday, and I just want to irritate her. I had asked her what she wants for her birthday and she said she wants cigarettes and vodka and all. So just because she said it, she is gonna get it. hahaha"

There was a lot of haggling after this, and the conversation went on for 1 more unnecessary minute. But I finally agreed to get it for her.

So I get down from the bus. And go to this shady place where they sell cigarettes. I went and asked that guy , "I need a pack of cigarettes." As if I do it everyday.

So he looks at me, trying very hard not to laugh, and asks me,"which brand?". 

Like I know. So I looked around and just picked one. And I asked how much I had to pay him. He said Rs 44! Wow! Who knew! 

I walked back home, and gave the pack to my sister. 

My mom knew that my sis had asked me to get it for her, and suddenly when she actually saw it, she became real angry! And then began the yelling, and the 'what would the people in the colony think when they saw you buy cigarettes' talk. Both of us listened to it, and I had to actually convince her that no one saw me.

Even if they did, what's the big deal? Why is it ok for men to smoke,  but not women?

I love...

- being sarcastic, sarcastic jokes, writing sarcastic emails!

- music

- reading books

- sunshine

- watching the sky when the sun is setting

- watching movies on the TV when I am alone.

- trees

- sitcoms on Star World

- Coldplay

- google

- internet

- blogs

- firefox

- coffee

- one hour lunch breaks when there is a lot of work

- listening to Mr Barker on the radio

- bags from Wildcraft (I have one that I got 6 years ago! and it is still in a usable condition)

- cats

- waking up late on Sundays

- vacations

- nice, wide, empty roads early morning on the way to work

- anything which has bread

- junk food

- silver finger rings

- wearing jeans to work on weekdays

- being a rebel

- speaking my mind

- people who speak their minds

- honesty

- watching Roger Federer beat Nadal

- the colour blue

- watching the look on someone's face when they open a gift 

- being surprised

- questioning things I don't understand

- going out with friends

- making lists

- crossing out things I have completed on the list

- Google desktop!

- intelligent people.

- spell check

- John Grisham's books

- reading comments on blog I read

- reading comments on Digg.com

- watching Friends on TV with my sister

- wikipedia

- nokia mobile phones

- having food in open spaces

- coffee shops

- the movie Little Miss Sunshine (its hilarious)

- listening to music and reading on the way to office while everyone else is sleeping

- looking out the window

- listening to people

- visiting new places

- playing cards

- long journeys on a train

- reality TV 

- shopping with my sis and mom

- wearing sports shoes

- to watch people getting embarrassed for silly reasons

Speak Out

There are so many instances where we see things that aggravate us. One such thing for me, is when people jump queues. You know, when there is a huge queue ahead of you when you want to get something done... And then, someone just decides to bribe someone and gets right ahead of you. Without any regard to all the people who are standing there. When this happens, I just cannot shut up. I HAVE to speak out and tell such people that it is not fair.

This happened to me when I had to get my voter ID done. So I was standing with my mom in the line (For some very weird reason, there is a separate queue for men and women!) for about 2 hours. There was no electricity, and so they could not print out the cards. We just had to wait for a very long time until the power came back. 

So we are waiting for 2 hours. 2 whole hours. And then some bloody guy and his wife(I guess) just enter the room to get their cards done. Needless to say, I was pissed off! I went right ahead and started yelling at the cop standing near the door, asking him to let the people who are in the queue to go in first before anyone else does. And what does the ****** up cop say? He asks me to stand in the queue and just shut up! Yes, he actually told me to keep quiet! I, at that point of time thought that there would be someone who would speak with me, but no! There was just one lady who decided to come and yell at the cop. Everyone else there did not want to speak out! I do not understand why! And my mom! My mom went crazy! She told me not to yell at the cop! Oh well, whatever. What irritated me was the cop - who didn't have any business being there. Who decided to make him a cop anyway?  

Yesterday something happened that reminded me of this incident. Again I was in a wretched queue, and someone decided to pay off the cop to cut the line. A guy who was behind me was the one who got furious. The people (a mother and her daughter with the help of the father) who cut the line, actually abused him verbally! The cop too (again) asked the guy to 'maintain silence'. What the hell? I wish I had asked the cop how much he got paid. I wish I could see the look in his face when I asked him that. Damn, I missed it. By the way, here again, this guy was the only one who actually confronted the cop. Everyone else just stared. The mother said that the daughter had to go to a birthday party and that it was an emergency and so they had to go soon. So our guy says that he too has a job, and he too has to be there doing his job. He said he was in this place since 8 am(it was about 12 when this happened) and he had to get to work. For this, the mother asked him to go speak to the cop so that he too can stand in front of the queue. What does one say to this? A birthday party? Gimme a break!  

This just irritates me. Is there no way out of this? I mean, what can one person do when no one takes his side? It is said that one person can change the world. I don't see it happening. 

Once I have even heard a parent say his kid was sick and so he had to get in front of the queue. I do not get it. If your kid is sick, stay home! Why venture out anyway? Your kid is sick, damnit!

Another time when I was waiting in a line for movie tickets, a lady came and asked me if I would buy tickets for her. I just looked at her, and she told me that her husband was standing behind with their baby. I asked her, "so what?" Even I want to watch this movie. The people standing behind me also want to watch the movie without getting late. She came in late and expected people to do her a favour coz she had a baby. Nice reason, lady. Ain't gonna work with me. But you know what is unfortunate? When I left, I turned to see where she was, and I saw someone buy her the tickets. Why! I do not understand why!

Zilch

Yesterday someone asked me what I am obsessed about. And I could think of nothing! I don't know if it is OK coz I don't have anything that I am obsessed about. I mean, I can't think of anything! Sometimes I wonder how I can be so un-emotional? Everyone has something that they need to do, or have. Like, drinking coffee, watching a tennis match, any sport for that matter or some particular food that they like to eat.

Don't get me wrong, I like things. But the point is that I would not mind not having these things. I like drinking coffee in the morning as soon as I get up. But even if it is not there, it's OK. I can go on for days without coffee.

I remember that since my childhood, I didn't want anything. My mom would be so happy if I asked her to make something to eat, and she would make it too. She always says that I don't ask for anything. I never asked for clothes, never asked for chocolates(but would get it when my sister goes out and buys) , nothing.

Few days back, a colleague asked what I want to do before I die. I thought for a few moments, when I realised that I had nothing. And, I said - nothing. So he asked if I wanted to do something that I have not done before, but want to do. Again, nothing. How can I be like this? I don't have any thing that I want to achieve, nothing that I am striving for, no ambitions.

I know so many people who want to do so many things, and I am jealous coz they know what to do. Its all clear in their heads about what they want to become. And so, they can do everything that is possible to get that.

I have been thinking for the past days about something I want to do. Bungee jumping. That's it. Wow, I will jump off a cliff with just a rope to protect me from falling over and dying. That's it.

And that's what my life is. Zilch.

The list

Bold the ones you did. * the ones you want to do.

(Star(*)? why a star? why not a question mark(?), or a comma(,), or a dollar($) ? Yeah, I've lost my mind. So?)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (I might have, don't know if what I climbed was a mountain, or a hill)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive*
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid*
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped* (I SO wanna do this one, but I know I won't. Will probably freak when I actually have to jump)
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea*
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game*
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg*
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (oh man, always! ALWAYS at the wrong moment. And I always get caught. Damn!)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach*
50. Gone sky diving *
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (almost did. But I freaked when I got close to the cow. Was thinking it would kick me anytime... hehe)
56. Alphabetized your cds (cassettes)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China *
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites*
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason*
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone*
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour*
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote article for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane*
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (great fun! Muahahhaha!!)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon*
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents*
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (ugh!)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read (Oh well, never missed an "important" author in school. I loved reading.)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Gross!)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language* (If ONLY I had the brains! Sigh!!)
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts* (Again, brains come into the picture.)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Most of the things I have marked here, I probably won't be doing. Sad, I know.

Oh, got this from green's blog.

Cops!

So today I was on the road on my two-wheeler, happily riding away, when a cop stood right on my way on the road, and asked me to stop. And so I did. I stopped, and waited for him to ask what he wanted. I mean, there’s no reason to stop me right? So he comes to me after 2 minutes, during which he was catching other unsuspecting people on the road. He says, “Can I see your driving license?” In English! I was so shocked that he was actually speaking to me in English and not Kannada! I said sure, and showed my license. And then he said, “You can go now”! Again, in English!

This was so different from the other experiences that I have had from cops in Bangalore. I’ve been caught three times, for the same reason of showing the license, the emission certificate, and once the guy checked even the insurance. All the three times, the cop was so rude, and so arrogant. They behaved as though I had committed some weird crime and I was getting some punishment for that.

Anyway, this was the 1st time a cop stopped me in almost 3 years. Looks like the cops have something against me or my vehicle, coz I know of friends who have not been stopped ever. And I was stopped four times! Atleast today he was not rude… still waste of my 3 minutes.

Maybe my bike is jinxed. Once I had parked it in the end of parking place. But just before the line that is drawn. The parking guy took a buck from me coz I parked there. I finished my work, and I come and see that my bike is missing. Sigh. I looked around, and no parking guy. He must have run off somewhere. Then some people around that place said that cops came and took my bike. Though I didn’t understand why exactly they took it, coz it was in the parking place, and not outside it. Screwed up people. So I had to go to the police station, pay 300 bucks and get back my bike.

So now we have English-speaking cops. Great.

Remember me?

I don’t know why, but I just can’t remember names. I had thought I could remember faces, if not names, but I guess that’s not true either. Like I found out yesterday. I was in a mall, and this girl comes up to me, all smiling. I thought, ‘maybe she’s smiling at someone behind me’. And then she comes to me, and says, “Recognize me?” I didn’t. And I had no clue what to say! The best I could come up with was, “ummm, no” and give her a stupid grin. Ridiculous, I know. Then she told me her name, and turns out she was my classmate in school. We went to school together for 2 whole years, and I didn’t even recognize her. Then we spoke for like a minute or something, and went on our ways.

Anyway, after she went, one of my friends who was with me started laughing coz I said that I didn’t recognize her! I never know what to say with people I meet after such a long time. I mean, we have not kept in contact all these years coz we weren’t really the best of friends. What do you say? So how are you, what are you up to? That’s it.

So I was in the mall, with all my friends from college. We were celebrating the end of our exams. Promises to meet each other, once a month atleast. I had made these plans when I was in school too. Probably with the girl I met as well. I must have forgotten her name coz I was not really close with her, but still, I could have remembered her face right? But no!! Funny that she could recognize me anyway.

I realized that I don’t really have a contact with all the people from school. I just know what a bunch of people are doing right now. Rest of them, I have no clue. If I see them on the streets, I would probably not recognize them. And they would not recognize me either. In fact, I don’t even remember all of my classmates’ names from school, or from PUC. That just royally sucks.

Exams are over; don’t even ask how it was. Now I have so much time in my hands, I don’t even know what to do!