Holi 2011 Celebrations & Building Friends!

Nothing beats the fun of celebrating Holi in your building!

As kids, on the day of Holi, we used to hit the building terrace in the morning. Some drew water from the tanks and mix colours in buckets while others blocked the water exits on the terrace to create a little rangeela pond! After getting completely drenched and unrecognizable with all sorts of colours all over us, we would sit together for a session of Holi songs. Aah the Rang barse beegey chunarwaali and Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain...

Those were the days when playing with water balloons was not considered wrong. I and my brother would target the pedestrians from our house at the fourth floor and hide before they noticed us. But we were pretty sabhya at that time as well. We would not aim water balloons at: 

1. Elderly people
2. People perfectly dressed and on their way to work
3. Aunties and uncles who we thought would most definitely start screaming
4. People on bikes and bicycles

During our degree college days, for some reason the terrace was permanently locked and Holi masti stopped. And then for a few years Holi just meant a holiday with sweets and applying gulaal to family members and neighbours.

It was in the year 2009 that I played Holi with all the colours and water again. It was my first Holi after marriage and it was so much fun enjoying the festival with the neighbours from my new residence! I never thought the masti-Holi times would return again!

Today, we had a mega celebration at our building. Almost every resident turned up in the premises in the morning. There was an unlimited supply of colours (non-toxic, natural ones) and some buckets that did the magic. There's nothing like playing Holi with kids... doesn't it bring out the child in us? Team it with delicious pav bhaji, pulav and jalebi, and the get-together we await for months together! Can't thank the organisers enough!

We are lucky to have so many festivals, they bring us all together and make us smile and forget all routine for a while, isn't it?

If you managed to read this entire post, you might like my Holi articles on indiancolleges.com:

• Holi Festival: 10 Tips To Avoid Monday Blues, Greens And Pinks 
• Holi Festival: Dos & Don'ts

My 10 Excuses to Skip Exams

I got this chance to write an article on excuses to skip exams for indiancolleges.com. Well, I was more than happy to let my creative juices flow.

Image courtesy: indiancolleges.com

I have compiled a list of 10 Excuses to Skip Exams (ab college ke itney saalon baad aur kuch nahin yaad aaya) of which some are:

1. Play Ghajini. Enter the class with words like “Exam”, ”Math”, ”Answer Sheet”, ”Marks”, “No Cheating”... written all over you. Put up a blank face when anyone asks you anything.

2. ‘Faint’. ‘Regain consciousness’ after they sprinkle water on your face. Repeat this twice so that the invigilator is convinced that you are seriously sick.

8. Somehow manage to break a honeycomb and release a swarm of bees in the classroom. Apne saath doosre students ka bhi bhalaa karo ;)

10. Five minutes before it’s time to distribute question papers, keep insisting that you want the paper immediately. Piss the invigilator off by insisting every 10 seconds. And when he gives you the paper on time, look at your watch and tell him that you can’t accept the paper and appear for the exam now as rahu kaal has started!

Read the entire list here and if you wish to add ideas, please do so on the indiancolleges.com site.

Bhai ka idea!

There are probably two reasons you found this title interesting and thought about reading this post:

1. Bhai naam ka dum
2. An idea can change your life

Ab read karne hi lage ho toh I won't disappoint you. This post is all about BHAI KA IDEA but the Bhai is my brother Anup and his idea (not Abhishek's) for the THINK BIG contest organised by WagonR.

Boley toh his idea addresses our smallest searches that even Google search has no clue about... yes, you read it right!

It's about your search for those most important people in your life whose presence doesn't affect you until they disappear / are required to fix up something.

• Househelp quitting
• Bathroom tap over-functioning
• Short circuit (nah, not Arshad Warsi's kid)

You got the idea, right? Do read more about it here and if you think (listen to your heart here) he has thought about solving your smallest worries, do share it on Facebook and vote for him.

Soch lo, bhai ka idea hai ;)

10 Tips to surprise her this Valentine's Day

1. Send her a bouquet at her office or at midnight. Flowers always work!
2. Facebook status update - Write something to show how much you love her. Keep the status intact at least for the entire day ;)
3. YouTube - Upload a video declaring your undying love for her.
4. Cook for her... and cook good.
5. Recreate your first proposal / date scene. If it hasn't happened yet -ask her out it now! 
6. ... READ MORE

Second honeymoon @ Himachal Pradesh

The purpose of the trip: Second Honeymoon

The purpose of this contest participation: Well... Third Honeymoon ;)

The honeymooners: Mrinal and Anuradha

Click here to check out my entry for MyPurpose contest. 

We tied the knot on 10th November 2008. And our first best miya-biwi-dono-raazi decision post marriage was the honeymoon destination - Ooty! So much so that we decided that however busy life gets, we'll ensure that we plan a honeymoon every year. This way, we'll get to explore all of India as well as the world. And feel as newlyweds always ;)

Jaisa desh, waisa bhesh

So we planned a November-October cycle and kept the destinations unplanned. Too much planning makes life too boring, right?

In the month of June last year, we thought of going to Shimla-Manali. Mrinal had never visited any snow-clad mountains and I had never been to such places with him. So we both were pretty excited.

Adventure @ Kufri

In Shimla, we visited Kufri... the road trip defined what beauty is all about. The Himalayan Panorama view from was simply awesome!

We held a snake around our neck... what an experience! It was so ticklish I couldn't stop laughing while onlookers wondered why we aren't scared of the snake a bit. We were never this close to wildlife!

The next day we headed to Manali and visited Hanogi Mata Temple on our way.

Manali has much more to see than what we visualize the place to be like. Take for example Hadimba temple... it's very different from the temples we had visited until then. With the legend carefully drafted at the entrance of the temple, it kinda took us to some other time.

Hadimba Devi temple

Vashisht Bath, Hot Water Springs, Van Vihar, Tibbetan Monastery... Manali was much much more than what we could have expected. But the biggest surprise had to come the next morning (read very early morning)!

When our driver told us that we'll have to leave for Rohtang Pass at sharp 4 am... you can guess what we felt. But we cannot be more thankful to him. Had we not followed his strict instructions, we would have been stuck in never-ending traffic for hours.

 

Rohtang Pass

But as soon as we reached Rohtang, it started drizzling. At an altitude of 13,051 ft with all the breeze and rain, we could barely stay out of the car for around 15 minutes. But those 15 minutes were truly blissful! Yes we were on snow... together and freezing! And it was a rather weird situation - the beauty of the place insisted we stay back, the temperature tried to push us away!

Well, we returned to Manali by lunch time. It was raining and the weather was too cold for us. But then, we don't get to visit such lovely places often, right?

So we spent the day roaming around under an umbrella while the cold breeze and showers ensured we get closer to each other. As if nature knew it was our second honeymoon!

PS This post comes at least seven months after our trip... Thanks to IndiBlogger and Cleartrip's My Purpose Contest.

Hey if you are an IndiBlogger and liked my experience, please vote for this post here.

If you are on facebook, your LIKE would mean a lot :)

If the glass is half empty

If the glass is half empty:

1. Transfer the water to a smaller glass
2. Add half-a-glass of vodka
3. Tell me, why did you drink just half-a-glass
4. Add some ice
5. Pick up another one
6. Drink it 

Now you tell me!

1. Wait for the waiter to fill it - Mrinal
2. Why waste half glass of water? Add half glass Whiskey and make its life worth it. - Siddhesh Kabe
3. If half a glass of water can quench my thirst and still leave a few drops at the bottom of the glass; why even think of a full glass? - Akshay Surve
4. As a IT guy .. i am used to see progress bar which is kind of false positive
5. Good! Less water -more food. Burp!!! - Chaitanya

Yes, I have listed my resolutions for 2011

I used to make New Year resolutions religiously and would always score a 10 on 10. For some reason (read laziness) though, I skipped this routine since 2008 / 2009. Not that I regret it, but now that I am again in a let's-not-be-too-lazy mode, I have listed my resolutions in a brand new diary! Next Jan, I'll revisit this post and I am sure I'll list out the achievements!

Why am I not sharing the list now? Ha ha... The "what ifs" are way too stronger than the "why nots" right now and the "of course, I must" is struggling to free itself from the overpowering laziness. But one thing's for sure, I'm gonna score a 10 again. And if I don't, I'll make the world believe that I did ;)

Happy New Year!

Homage to 26/11 Mumbai attack martyrs

We are proud of you for your sacrifice...

if it was not for your efforts, some of us might not have been alive

Paying homage to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack martyrs:

Shri Hemant Karkare

Shri Hemant Karkare, Joint Commissioner of Police, ATS, Mumbai (A brave officer and a gentleman)
Shri Ashok Kamte, Additional Commissioner of Police, East Region, Mumbai
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Indian Army
Shri Vijay Salaskar, Police Inspector, Anti Extortion Cell, Mumbai
Shri Shashank Shinde, Police Inspector, CST Railway station
Shri Prakash P More, Police Sub-Inspector, LT Marg Police Station
Shri Bapusaheb Durugade, Police Sub-Inspector, LA 1, Naigaon
Shri Tukaram G Omble, Assistant Police Sub-Inspector, DB Marg Police Station

Shri Balasaheb Bhosale, Assistant Police Sub-Inspector
Shri M C Chowdhary, Police Head Constable RPF
Shri Gajendra Singh, NSG Commando
Shri Arun Chithe, Police Constable

Shri Ashok Kamte

Shri Jaywant Patil, Police Constable
Shri Yogesh Patil, Police Constable
Shri Ambadas Pawar, Police Constable
Shri Vijay Khandekar, Police Constable
Shri Rahul S Shinde, Police Constable, SRPF Group X Solapur
Shri Mukesh B Jadhav, Home Guard Constable

Why is Kasab still surviving 26/11???

I can never forget that fateful day two years ago on 26/11/2008. We returned from our honeymoon only to be shocked with the news on television. We couldn't believe our eyes and ears. Is it a nightmare? It can't be true. We were hooked onto the news channels and internet news sites for days together.

I can't explain the hatred I developed for Kasab and whoever the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks might be. For the first time in my life I wanted someone to suffer... someone to be brutally tortured. Little did I know that today, two years from then, I would still be wanting him to be punished. Kasab - why is he the one to survive the 26/11 attacks???  The person (no, he can't be a human) who walked peacefully after mercilessly killing many is still at peace!!! Why are we not setting an example by punishing him severely??? Why are we not sending a strong message to all the terrorists out in the world - DON'T MESS WITH OUR NATION OR ELSE...


We owe it to all the martyrs and all those great people who fought the 26/11 terrorists, don't we? But all we can do is wait for the system to take its course. Trials after trials after trials. The people who were killed for no fault of theirs had no trial for anything... they were killed in an instant, there families' lives changed in a day. And Kasab is still facing trials!!! Everyone saw what happened... yet???

I know there's no point saying all this... as whatever has to happen with those responsible will take its own 'procedural' course. But then all I can do with those in-humans is express my hatred, yet again!

If there were 2 Sundays a week!

Every Monday, every person is on the same page, “Sunday got over too fast!” A 2-day weekend (that some of us ‘enjoy’) is seldom sufficient. And we get into this regular Monday day dreaming mode… If only there were no Mondays, if only there were 2 Sundays…

They say everything happens for the best. I wondered what could be ‘best’ about having just one Sunday a week. So, I decided to evaluate the pros and cons of having 2 Sundays a week… aah a 4-day working week! And here are my findings on having an extra Sunday every week:

1. YIPPEE! More hours of sleep. OOPS! More weight gain.
2. YIPPEE! More time with better half. OOPS! More effort convincing the ‘better half’ to accompany us shopping, dining, movies, etc.
3. YIPPEE! More shopping at malls. OOPS! Being in crowd, traffic and noise one more day. More expenses.
4. YIPPEE! More dining out. OOPS! More waiting during crowded weekends, more expenses. More weight gain.
5. YIPPEE! More time at home. OOPS! More cooking, cleaning and getting frustrated when the house-help bunks on Sunday… I mean Sundays!
6. YIPPEE! More bank holidays. OOPS! Having just 4.5 days to do the entire bank related work.
7. YIPPEE! A longer weekend. OOPS! Wondering we work so much – more than half a week. Wishing if there were 3 Sundays a week!

Conclusion: It’s all for the best. One Sunday a week is good. There’s no harm day dreaming of an extra Sunday though ;)