Nomadic.Moments

illusive.in

2010-11-13T23:55:00.003-05:00

Hey there,

Nomadic moments has been moved from blogspot to my own domain. http://illusive.in/blog/
Lots of new content coming soon. Do visit and drop in your comments. :)

Happy reading & writing

Ashwin!

Amchi Mumbai ... a flavour

2010-08-01T09:09:00.005-04:00

Colaba... churchgate.. vada pav.. cutting chai..
Marine drive... chowpaty.. pav bhaji.. ice golas..
Local trains... bollywood.. Bandstand.. rains..

Mumbai. It is a flavour in itself.

As said this city never sleeps. It's fast and so are the people living
in the city.

It offers love & care to whoever seeks it. It also teachs many
lessons hard ways.

Millions of movies, media, documentaris and many other sources
have all told about Mumbai. I got nothing new to offer.

This is just a summary of chapter called Mumbai in the Nomadic Moments.
A love that will remain forever.

What next? New experiences are waiting.. Donno what's in store..

Keep reading for more tales are coming..

Where is the Nomad?

2010-07-10T03:21:00.003-04:00

Lost..

Lost somewhere in crowd,in civilization,in the concrete.
Lost somewhere in work,in traffic,in the rains.
Lost somewhere in search of destiny and the journey.

Lost in preparing to leave the old and see the new.

Awaiting to realize a dream.

Hope to be found soon...

Regards..

Across the continents and back..

2010-02-17T14:19:00.002-05:00

May be I could go in detail, but that might want you to kill me.
Yeah, I have seen these dirty looks when ever I refer to the country
I stayed last. So I will keep it short.

So..

What was good ?
The country much larger in size for the populaion it holds.
So you stretch conveniently. And hence making system much stable
and easy.

What was bad?
I felt a strange hollowness inspite of all the wealth, glamor and comfort.

What was different from India?
Apart from the economic conditions it was the value/respect for
life and time that feels different from India.

In short, the comparitively short stay in US was great lesson for life.
It was the kind of work and type of lifestyle that was my classroom.

2010-01-31T14:00:00.001-05:00

Wants to be immaterial

Dramatic

2010-01-05T01:27:00.002-05:00

Standing at open window feeling the -5 C air at midnight.
Flying flurries and James horner score from 'A beautiful mind' playing in backdround.
Life is indeed beautiful.

Or life is dramatic

Job (dis)satisfaction

2009-12-04T23:12:00.012-05:00

"Hey, I worked so hard yet I did not get expected appraisal"

"You know I have been working so hard yet I am not the one traveling overseas"

"It's been yet another boring day at work"

"I think my company controls my life now"

This is few of the common replies I get from many of my colleagues and friends when I inquire "How is work?" And the questions run around my mind "why are they so dissatisfied with work always?" "Spending more than 50% of our time on work, how can we return home dissatisfied?"

First, let me see if I can define what 'satisfied' means. Talking in terms of profession it could be money, challenges, success, team, infrastructure, it will go on and on.. and on. So being satisfied means to be happy after having put a check on each item on your list of expectations. And ideally we can never attain the 'satisfied' state unless you have some super powers.

Expectation! this I call 'the root cause for all dissatisfaction'.

'Set lower expectations for yourself and see happiness for ever'. No, though it looks like a very good solution it is not achievable either. First, it is impossible to have complete control over an average human mind amidst competition and exponential growth. Next, the lifestyle and cost of living plays higher role in setting your expectations. Also with time, cost of living of an average person keeps rising, standing as a hurdle before your smiles.

Expectations, external factors, satisfaction/happiness, how can I even balance them all? May be you can define expectations optimally rather then ideally. Okay, what is optimal expectation now? Optimal expectation as I define are the expectations you set for yourself after you have understood yourself. This is something I have learnt from the life skills sessions from training days. It was called StrenghtWeaknessOpportunitiesThreats(SWOT) analysis.

How does SWOT analysis work? We used a square box with four partitions , one part each for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. We filled in each of the box by ourselves what was in the mind at that moment. We were never asked for it.

It was after few months while working in project I realized what this activity actually meant. Trust me spending a few candid moments with yourself can say where you are heading. This is useful for yourself professionally and personally to set your ambitions and dreams. After a SWOT analysis and some self indulgence you must now be able to set expectations for yourself. Since your expectations are based on reality there is lesser chance that you miss them. If you can do it regularly you will have higher chances to hit the bull's eyes sooner.

So will I be satisfied and happy with my job if I can do this? As I said earlier this is not ideal, so you may not be very happy, but the your dissatisfaction can surely go down. Next time I ask you "How's work?" you can say "Not very exciting, but I am trying to do this thing which will make life awesome", "Yes, it was not a good appraisal but my skills has got me an opportunity to work overseas now", " I think I control my company now".

Do not keep waiting for an opportunity to knock your doors.
Become an opportunity for others and doors will open themselves for you.
Give your best and do the job right, rest will fall in place.

Is it a hangover from some HR session? I am no HR, nor this is any HR session left over. This is my conversation with myself trying to understand the unsolved puzzles. Do drop in your thoughts now.

Snow aaj kal..

2009-12-03T22:48:00.006-05:00

Me: it's snowing .. yuppieee :)

Friend: Cool, enjoy

Me: I think I am in love with snow

Friend: Ya, right. That's first three weeks. And then you skid and fall.
And that marks the end of the love story :)

Me: That's the beauty of love. You go crazy first.
And then you get little bored. And then frustrated.
And later you hate everything.
And when it's gone you realize how much you miss.
And when it's back you are in love again :).

Picture from winter '08

Love, Life and the gyaan

2009-11-21T03:47:00.013-05:00

It has now become a habit to watch Californication every Monday. Produced by showtime
it is a drama with residents of LA leading life like a celebrity, every character in its own mid life crisis. With glorious presentation of drugs,sex and many messed up lives I never thought I would like it. But this show is very emotional and has sometimes given very emotional scenes and strong dialogues. Which uncommonly talks about the common facts of life. And this always holds me to the show.

Okay, so why am I telling this today. Read on its a long story.

Couple of weeks ago, I was talking to this friend in Mumbai. He is enjoying the job,
Mumbai rains and many other aspects of Mumbai. No complaints as such. But, he had something bothering. It took some time before he could spill the secret.

Looks like he has this very cute colleague. They are great friends, they spend good time talking, hanging out with each other. Its been going on for a while. So everything is going fine so far, then what's bothering?

'Does she like me more then a friend? Will we be together for ever? Do I really love her, or is this just infatuation? What if I lose her? We both are are extremely like and unlike at same time.' Trust me the questions keep flowing. Probably the girl is in a similar dilemma or may be not.

Late Sunday evening listening to music, all the thoughts were running in my mind. Love, life, friend's conversation, Californication. After a while I could see this cocktail of thoughts and dialogues which later I wrote to my friend.

"You like talking to her,she likes talking to you.
You might want to continue conversation till end of life or
you might end conversation when you are no longer liking it.

No one is sound or perfect,
all we do in life is to please ourselves with people, place and things.

Sometimes you must stop thinking and let time sail your boat.

Women are one of the most beautiful creations, you will always fall
for them some time for few moments, sometimes longer. If she has to
stay longer she will stay no matter what.

I think life is short to spend it as a dilemma. Express it before it gets very late.
If it's 'Yes', be happy for life.
If it's 'No', it might be gloomy for few days.
But someday the gods will see you fit to give another chance in your search for soulmate"

I was seeing the mid life stories in a show and pre mid life queries in real. And that's how I wrote this up. I did not hear back from my friend yet. But when I read it after long I think I do make sense. So thought of sharing here.

So am I acting like Love guru now?
I caution you, these are no expert comments. Just a mixture of thoughts in a nomads mind following the sequences and consequences.

What do you think? Do tell me.

2009-11-14T02:19:00.009-05:00

SarasGad

Planning weekends has always been a tough task. It was one such weekend when my friend was going for a trek with his colleagues, in no time I decided to join him for trek. I'm always ready for treks & travel. Thus unexpectedly I was part of the trek to Sarsgad, one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

8Th September 2007, the trek day. Day starts early at 4, we had a long journey on road before we could start our trek. We started around 5 30 am from Mumbai picking fellow trekkers on the way, our destination was Pali. Pali is known for its Ballaleshwar Ganesh mandir which is one of the Ashtavinayak temples in Maharastra. Sarasgad has one of the forts build by Shivaji, which we were intending to conqure. Maharastra has more than 300 forts this being one of them. Traveling for about 120 Km on NH 17 Mumbai-Goa Highway we were at Pali by 10 am. The journey till Pali was very warm and picturesque.

Karnala: Well known destination among trekkers

After a small break at base village we started to ascend. Initial part was a trail through dense bushes and trees. Not very challenging though this part was very tiring since it was very hot and sunny. We came across plane regions in between to take a deserving break. Mean while one of the trekker retired and was left at the base. Leaving the trek leads behind few of us reached the foot of fort, though we made sure all of them were visible and audible at any point of time.

Sarasgad fort as seen from parking area

To reach the foot of fort we did not have much challenges, the difficult part was yet to begin. It was challenging to climb the rocks, to add more thrill it started drizzling. We reached the steps to the fort; access to fort through these steps wouldn’t be easy during rainy season. Let me describe, these steps had an elevation of almost 70 to 75 degrees, and each step was almost a feet, to our left there was bare wall and a drop to our right. Yes, I mentioned rainy season, the flow of water had made these steps slushy and very slippery. Though climbing these steps was scary and exciting, it felt great once we reached the entrance to the fort.

Almost reached the foot of fort. The groove between two forts has the steps that we Use to climb up.

We had a long break here since all of them were climbing slowly behind us. We proceeded further into fort to find well grown grass, at some places they were even 5 feet long. We had a split road (we had to create one walking through the grass), and we proceeded on wrong one to reach the dead end soon. While some of us were stuck, the trek leads were walking on the other way looking for clues. They succeeded in a while to find right way and all of us gathered again before we could proceed further. Still walking through grass we came across lot of caves graved in the wall.

The Scary & Slippery stairs

Soon we had reached a point where we were done with walking and it was time to climb. Again challenging, but wasn’t so scary this time. After almost 3 hours since we started we were on top of the fort. Now it was time for some photo session.

On top we found a darga and shiv temple. After some time of rest, food and very little water(we were running short of it) we started to descend. It was amazing to see Pali village from the top, we could spot the parking area where we had left our vehicle.

Beautiful view from top

Descend was as good as the ascend, we had to follow the right path and had to take careful steps. All went smooth, the steps part was still scary, because the sight from the top (we couldn’t see down during ascend) added a little to the fear. It took almost 3 hours before we reached down. We couldn’t depart from Pali without visiting the Ganesh temple. The temple was similar to any other hindu temple in maharastra. With all blessings and memories of trek we started to Mumbai, the traffic was more than what we had seen in the morning. Finally we reached back at 11 pm, closing the tiring and exciting day.

Balleshwar ganesh temple

Enjoy some more moments here. Clicked with SonyEricsson W810i

Comes from archive. Sep '07

Destination: Niagara Falls

2009-10-27T18:45:00.043-04:00

"Niagara falls ! you know it is not as gorgeous as they say.!". Well this what I heard from many of my friends who had visited the falls. So Niagara was never on top of my 'to visit' destinations.

Oct 17th '09. Destination: Niagara falls, Ontario Canada.

After some sequences and consequences I made up my reluctant mind to visit Niagara falls. Having a valid Canadian visa we crossed from USA into Canada at Port Huron/Sarnia border. Driving in Canada was fun. Highways barely had any traffic and on either sides were the everlasting fields. It was after long I was driving in KM/H, so eyes were constantly focused on speed limits and the inner speed circle on the odometer. After a pleasant 4 hours drive we reached our destination. Having parked the car near the Skylon tower it was time for some walk(the walk was longer than we expected).

Walking down the road the first sight we get is the American falls and Bridal fall. Definitely not 'Love at first sight'. But the roar from horse shoe falls is hard to ignore. Under the mid day sun the white water almost blinds the eyes. The water falls about 54M and tiny sprinkles rose like white smoke in the sky.

Walking on the River road shooting pictures we reach tables rock. Having bought the Adventure pass we got to enjoy the 4 best attractions of Niagara falls. Two of them are right at Table rock. First one was 'Journey behind falls'. I did not pay attention to history, but this was a tunnel carved behind the horse shoe falls. It was adventurous to stand behind the mighty falls. Second one is Niagara Fury, a 15 min animation and simulation show showing million year history of the falls.

With the adventure pass we get 2 days transportation pass for Free .! Now that saved some walk up the hill. After some lunch, the walking continues in the downtown to stop for the next ride 'Maid of the mist'. With comparatively longer wait, it was time for another fun ride clad in raincoats. This one was up close and personal with Niagara, the ferry carries over 100 tourists and rides straight into falls against the flow. The sound and gush of water is truly overwhelming. Partially drenched it was time to check into the lodge.

After a short nap we took ride back to the falls. With darkness all over the falls were lit with colorful lights. Though it was cold there were many fellow tourists capturing the beauty.

This time I was totally in Love with this place. With colors changing over the water it was totally pleasing the eyes. I could continue starring till dawn, but it was time for dinner and rest.

Niagara falls Ontario has all amenities to attract tourists and has a very colorful nightlife. Colorful downtown, Casinos, discs. It has many cuisines to dine in too.Now I am some one who would prefer starring at the water instead of dancing at discs, so soon I had hit bed. The most beautiful part was yet to come.

It was Sunday morning, having woke up early, the Niagara parkway view from the gallery was very tempting.

It was a bright sunny sunday and the fall colors could not have been better . With camera I set out for a walk soon. It was heavenly feeling to see the golden sun rays touching furious fall colors.
And in the background it was roaring Niagara river flowing below.

It was right setup for a perfect romantic early
morning walk. Certainly a walk to remember.
Unfortunately my lady was not around. Undoubtedly I was in love with life now.
The magic of Niagara was all over me.

After quick breakfast we headed to the last of the four rides, 'White water walk'. A lift took us down the Niagara gorge.A quarter mile boardwalk has been built to see the the river Niagara in aggression. The white water here is known to have tallest waves. Pure whiteness and bright sun rays was an awesome view.

Having completed the four attractions we paid for,it was too early to head back home. Moreover it was a beautiful day to enjoy out. It was fun driving on the Niagara parkway enjoying fall colors and some scenic views. There are tourists attractions set up on Niagara parkway all the way till Lake Ontario. We still had some time to spare, so we ascended the Skylon tower to witness the falls from top. Okay! gorgeous again(pardon me I cannot stop praising this creation of god).

So what's the big deal here? this is just another itinerary of a tourist visiting Niagara falls. Well, yes this is just another boring itinerary and even more. This is my attempt to share the experience, the gorgeousness of life. It is more than the falls and water. It is the place and its magic. It is an experience worth treasuring for life.

If any day you happen to visit Niagara falls, here are some words you might want to remember:

> It is always better to visit Niagara falls from Canada. It if truly a different experience you don't want to miss. It is easy to get a Canadian tourist visa and totally pays off.
> Niagara falls is worth visiting any time of year, but your best bet would be anytime during late summer and fall. The rides close for winter and do not open till late spring. If lucky you can also witness the fireworks over weekends.
> Adventure pass for $42 or so is worth it. You get to visit the four best attractions and get free passes for the peoples mover. And tons of other discount coupons for shopping and other hang outs.
> Stay some where on Niagara parkway, its away from downtown, quite and inexpensive.

This was just another stop in the nomads journey. Will tell some more tales when I happen to see another wonder of nature. Till then you stay happy and spread happiness. :)

For some more photo, hit:
Niagara Falls Picasa album

Niagara

2009-10-18T22:22:00.003-04:00

This weekend I am driving in km/h, living in degrecc C and falling for gorgeous Niagara.

Just came back from an amazing trip to Niagara falls @ Ontario Canada. Gorgeous falls
and beautiful fall colors, I am in love with life again. :)

Life and Maze?

2009-09-23T00:47:00.007-04:00

I walk endlessly in a maze,
or am I walking in an endless maze.
I see the same corners and ends dead.
And then I wonder how did I come into the maze?
Or is life itself a big maze?

With time running, I keep walking hoping to come out.
It is scary to imagine being stuck here.
It is even scarier to imagine spending entire life at one of the corners.

Is there a way out? Keep reading, will tell you when I get out.

Yeh hai Doordarshan

2009-09-16T23:15:00.006-04:00

Indian national television channel celebrates golden jubilee. Being a loyal audience for over 18 years I still have great respect for DD. Ramayan, Mahabarath, Rangoli, Jungle book, Circus, Malgudi days, Surabhi.. some of them can never be replicated.

Life was simple and it was in sync with the DD program schedule, most times. Life was simple for the fact you never got to switch channels. Life was simple since Indian families sat together to watch programs and spent quality time together.

DD is responsible to have brought 'Idiot box' to Indian homes. Today DD has lost its identity for other 'N' number of flashy channels which are mere eye Candy's. But everyone owes it to DD.

Today as I watch old DD videos on YouTube, Old days just flash through the mind. Thank you Doordarshan.

My wonder land..

2009-09-10T23:09:00.001-04:00

The place where,

I live in my dreams,
I speak the language of smiles and music,
I own no worries or fear, I love and I am loved

My simple beautiful dream land.

I wish I knew the address :)

Pukaarataa chalaa

2009-08-23T09:36:00.003-04:00

Cloudy and cold Sunday morning, sipping hot tea and listening to Rafi, life looks simple and sweet. I cannot ask any more..

Pukaarataa chalaa huun main
Galii galii bahaar kii
Bas ek chhaanv zulf kii
Bas ik nigaah pyaar kii
Pukaarataa chalaa huun main

Ye dillagii ye shokhiyaan salaam kii
Yahiin toh baat ho rahii hai kaam kii
koi to mud ke dekh legaa is taraf
Koi nazar toh hogii mere naam kii
Pukaarataa chalaa huun main

Sunii merii sadaa toh kis yaqiin se
Ghataa utar ke Aa gayii zamiin pe
Rahii yahii lagan toh ai dil-e-javaan
Asar bhii ho rahegaa ik hasiin pe
Pukaarataa Chalaa Huun Main

25 years and a dilemma called Life

2009-08-17T00:00:00.005-04:00

Life, sometimes sweet, sometimes weird, sometimes happy, sometimes sad. An illusion. A dilemma. And a journey towards destiny. Destiny, sometimes you write , sometimes written for you.

It has been 25 years of life. And it continues..

Ashwin and the 10 random things

2009-08-12T14:58:00.011-04:00

Hello There.

Okay, now I am into Flickr Tagging game.

10 things about me..! Read on.. like it? or not? do tell me

10. I am in love with photography since April '07, first with 2 MP cell phone camera, then 8 MP point and shoot and now a 12 MP DSLR. I like clicking flowers leaves animals and anything in nature. Man I thank my friends for bearing my obsession, you will know when you spend time with me.! what say,wanna try?

9. I love cars, it makes me believe in Love @ first sight. It seems I overlook girls in bikini when there is '09 Ford Mustang in front of me.(Let me clarify, I am simple & straight ;) ).

8. I love watching movies. Hits, super hits, art movies, international ones. Anything that keeps me interested. And thanks to my friend in media who helped me know the world of cinema. I have never kept count of how many times I have watched DCH, RBD, Ice age or Shrek. I can watch them over and over again..

7. 2002: Software engineer-No never, not my type of job 2009: Yeah, I am yet another software engineer 2015: any one wanna bet what will I be doing?

6. I am a leo and do not behave anything like one. Wondering what's wrong. !!

5. I am lazy, I love my sleep a lot and yes food is a passion. And currently trying hard to lose 10 kilos ! ;)

4. I think I am good at creating a bad first impression. So do not count it if you do not like it. I will try and impress you, don't worry.

3. It looks like god has granted me the pool of patience. I can be patient and maintain my smile even in the toughest times. Sometimes I feel abnormal about it :( ..

2. I am an avid traveller. A passion I have developed sometimes by choice and sometimes by chance. You will see them all in my pictures.

1. I am Ashwin, 25 year old modern day nomad walking around the world looking for truth and looking for self.

Life is too short to be serious, and too long to be dumb

2009-08-10T23:59:00.007-04:00

Do you ever wonder why do we keep running in life?

I always wonder and stop for a while before life starts the race again.

I just understand life is too short to be serious and too long to be dumb.

So smile every moment and share every happiness.
I cannot promise success,but you should feel content.

Keep thinking..!

Away from home and it is 365 days

2009-08-03T21:14:00.009-04:00

July 4Th 2008: As United states was celebrating its independence, my team in US was away from work and I had to hold on the fight. I had worked 12 hours that day, 7 AM to 7 PM. After a heavy dinner we made it to the multiplex to watch Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na(Hindi movie released on that day).

It was all going good till the scene where the actress in lead role reaches the airport to catch the flight to USA. As she moved through immigration and security check, my eyes were damp. Yes, My eyes were damp! Ok, here I reveal a secret. Some scenes touch my heart and my eyes are damp, not that I cry but there is a rush of emotion from within. Coming back to the movie, this particular scene was touching because I knew that in less than 30 days I would be there in a similar position before departing my nation. And so it did happen, August 3rd 2008, 3 AM I was at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to catch the flight AI 191 to NJ,USA.

I did scribble something on a sheet of paper then:

"I have travelled the length and breadth of India. I have travelled alone,With family,with friends. But today I am travelling outside this country. I would be leaving the Indian soil for the first time in my life. I would cross continents and oceans and I would be alone. What am I feeling? - Excited, confused, worried. Sitting in the departure lounge waiting for my flight to depart, I see faces of various nationals. This is the beginning. My first step to the journey around the world."

It has been 365 days since then. August 3rd 2009: here I am sitting at home after an easy day at work, sitting on the balcony cherishing the cool wind and admiring the full moon.

It was an exciting journey so far. Easy life style, frustration, anxiety, happy moments, part and depart, tension, war room times, little adventures, Cars, driving, photography & SLR.. many more things did happen. It was the 25Th year of my life and in the past 365 days I have learnt more than what I could have asked for. I would love to share some of them for sure.

But this was just the beginning, I only hope the journey ahead will be exciting and filled with happiness. This is a nomads tale, and soon I would be on the move. Walking through life in the quest for destiny. Let's see where does it end up.

Keep reading.

Do you remember the martyrs of Kargil ?

2009-07-25T00:43:00.013-04:00

Sleepless at midnight hour after answering to my call of duty, I browse through the website of an Indian news channel. The channel was currently broadcasting a debate about the UPA government decision to celebrate the 10Th anniversary of the Indian army victory at Kargil,J&K. Two political leaders from opposite sides , one ex army chief and a news correspondent talk about the governments decisions and try to decide if this is politicised.

In my earlier posts I did mention 1999 being a significant year of life. Kargil war is one of the prominent memories of the year. It was one of the inspirations that supported my ambition then to join armed forces. Being a 15 year old child it was an occasion to celebrate victory for the country. But it was in the years ahead I had known the hero's of Kargil and celebrated their bravery. I do remember them even today.

They were young men in their early twenties fighting the infiltrators on the the hills across Kargil, Drass, Batalik. Their vision, to push back the intruders back and out of the Indian territories to ensure safety of rest of the Indians. They did not hesitate to kill neither to die. Despite the lack of right equipments they gambled with their lives.

I always wonder what makes these heroes do the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
For a country that boasts to have the 4Th best army in the world and yet does not acknowledge the priceless sacrifice, a country that repeats the mistakes to risk the safety of the soldiers, a country that is set on fire at the death of a movie star or loss of a cricket game, a country that has been broken into pieces for every possible human aspect, a country that fights for water instead of sharing it, a country that unites only when crisis strikes.

I am a part of it and I too am responsible for all the flaws we have. Nothing in this universe could be flawless, but we can always try to correct the flaws. Very few people bother to think about the above and even fewer bother to find an answer to the question. It does not take much for each one of us. Keep your home clean and safe inside when the young lads guard the walls in spite of the inhospitable conditions. Respect every individual and property, because everything is valuable and any loss is much painful than the happiness of a gain.

As the debate continues on the show, the blame game by the leaders continues. As a matter of fact Indian leaders love the blame game, without realising the simple fact that blaming someone does not solve a problem, acting against the problem does. Is it easier to live with the problem than acting against it?. I have no answer on that.

I am no leader to guide any one, but I do realise, even the smallest of my action could make a difference. So keep thinking and keep acting, we may see a better world some day.

May the hero's rest in peace.!

2010 Meet..

2009-07-21T19:18:00.009-04:00

MJC Reunion: January 1, 2010 - I am really excited.

Ten years have passed like a fraction of second. It was an exciting journey since then. But the last year in school was exciting by itself. One which is always worth revisiting.

We were at the end of school days, and ready to knock at the door of life. And now I sound serious.! Well, the seriousness was shadowed by all the merriness and the joy at that time. I don't mean to say there was no fun in earlier years of school. This being the last one, was special for all and every one had excuse to have some share of fun.

I have to mention the board exams. This was the first major milestones in our lives and it was in mind all the time till we got through it. The tuition's and the discussions in class. The early morning and late night studies. The competition, each one of us must have given best out of life to score the good marks. For obvious reasons, this score ultimately decided what path each one of us would walk on in the years to come. Some could meet the success with ease, some had hard time facing failure. But all have moved on one way or other.

Talking about fun, it was a lot. Starting from election for school pupil leader till the farewell. The school day celebration stuff , the skit and its rehearsals. The trip to Madkeri, quite remarkable one. The silly fights and the crushes.! Everyday football game in dirt and rain. The interact club and the sports day stall. Our dear teachers, some we loved listening and some we loved imitating. The ambitions and the dreams.! The slam books and the promises.

It was one awesome time of life.

A few of us then made a promise to meet on Jan 1st 2010 back in school. Inspired by a lesson in English 'After Twenty Years' by O. Henry. I cannot recollect partners involved in the pledge but we made sure to spread word to rest of the folks. And here we are after nine years and seven months, planning to visit the old days together, to keep the promise.

Sitting half the globe away, I have a good five month time before I can plan on reaching there. So it is too early to predict my presence in person. But you never know.

A nomad always has a tale to tell, so keep listening.!

Why Nomadic Moments?

2009-07-18T21:28:00.005-04:00

I look back at life, And I see life transform from a silly little kid to a matured young Man. It is almost ten years since then. Born in the coffee estates on western ghats of KA India, I did spend most of my life in costal part of Karnataka India. And today I am sitting here half the globe away in mid eastern state of USA.

Life changed ten years ago and it is still changing. I have shifted places every year, fifteen months is the maximum I had been at a place. Places change, people change, new friends are made, old ones are lost. Pack and unpack. And it continues..

At times I opt the change, changes opt me otherwise. Moving across life to the destiny unkown and unthought. Leading life much like a nomad, cherishing the every nomadic moment. Some moments are forgotten and some remain forever.

Nomadic Moments is a thought to share some of it.!

All it takes is interest

2009-07-18T20:30:00.001-04:00

Well..

Finally I make up my mind to blog. This time a little more than pictures. :)