Ditch your “EX”... Find your “X”

It has been a long time that I have really had some time to myself. Running from here to there, after and behind things, living through ups and downs...Gosh life is hectic! Strange as it may seem but I finally managed to find some time for me on a crowded APSRTC bus on the roads of Hyderabad.

You plug in those noise isolation ear phones, immerse yourself in the lyrics of your favourite song, add to that the cool breeze on a summer evening ...doesn't matter you are in a crowded bus with chaos around...thoughts and memories come flooding back!

The thought of the day is Ditch your “EX”... Find your “X”!

For those of you who have loved and didn’t get anything in return this is your mantra! You haven’t lost anything... In fact you gained a lot...saved a lot of time, energy and money. Kick that “Ex” outta your mind and begin the hunt for the new “X”.

The “X” may be a new GF/BF, new passion, new hobby, new fantasy or a new desire. Find it, Pursue it and Nail it.

No longer will you wait for that lonely message in the day, No longer will you feel the pain of unreturned calls, No longer will you stalk him/her on FB and no longer will you get depressed thinking of your “Ex”. Swallow the bitter pill and Move on. There is plenty available in the market.

Initiate the change and you will feel a whole lot better. Discover the joy in talking with your family more often, feel the love and care of your mom again and experience the warmth of your dad!

Channelize your energy into your work/studies and in no time you will find success kissing your feet. Find some new friends...Hangout...Party...Go to movies...In short...Get a life!

Become the master of your whims and fancies again. Do the things you loved doing but haven’t done in a long time. Hit the gym...Join a dance class...Learn to play the guitar...Pamper yourself...Splurge money on You... You should be the King/Queen in your life!

Be spontaneous...Live life as it comes...Take it in the stride!

The sooner you ditch your “Ex” and find your “X” the better.

The search has well and truly began!

P.S. A compilation of self motivating thoughts on a journey from Secunderabad to Madhapur in the crowded APSRTC Bus No. 10H. 

Winter Mornings... And a Plate of Kachori

Winter Mornings are my favourite. They are cold, foggy and you just want to continue sleeping endlessly curled up in that “Razzai”. The rays of sunlight through the fog seem ever so fresh and welcoming. The morning tea/coffee tastes so much more delicious. 

People may say that there is hardly any winter in Hyderabad, it is summer 365 days. Point taken, but the early mornings do get slightly chilly and the morning tea/coffee still tastes more delicious at this time of the year. More importantly, I love being curled up in my “Razzai” and sleeping that little bit extra every winter morning.

About a year ago, exactly at this time of the year, I had got my first job offer and was sleeping peacefully curled up in the “Razzai”, while bunking Prof. Jawed’s first class in the morning. Let me share with you the scene of that morning.

Location: Room No. 59, ‘C’-Wing, Sapphire Hostel, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad.

It’s 7.30 in the morning. The alarm rings... “Good morning! ...Good morning! ...It’s time to wake up” (Yes it’s my alarm tone, an unknown lady wakes me up every day with her sexy voice :P). I put the alarm to snooze and sleep again hoping to wake up in five minutes. The snoozing of five minutes turns to sleeping of two hours and I finally wake up at 9.30. 

Oh Shit! “Jawed ki class phir miss kar di”. Realizing that I would never make it in time for the next class at 9.40, I call up my friend to say “Bhai, Please proxy laga dena yaar”. 

Phone Rings...

Friend: Hello... (Still Sleeping)

Me: Bhai, proxy ......... Abe so raha hai kya??? 

Friend: Haan yaar, abhi utha hun

Me: Abe time dekha hai... 9.30. ... Jawed ki class miss ho gayi!!!!

Friend: Bhak saala... and he blurts out a spell of expletives!!!

Me: Matiya yaar... chal Kachori khane chalte hain...! 

Friend: Thek hai, Jaldi aa jayio...nai toh khatam ho jayegi!

I get ready and head to my friend’s room. On my way, I peep into Dev and Sam’s room to check if any one of them had gone to the class. No chance of that happening!!! They were still sleeping and as I was about to leave Dev wakes up and says in that typical ‘Banarsi’ tone of his... ‘yaar ho sake toh proxy laga dena’

Me, Dev and Shalabh @ Canteen!

We reach canteen, put our legs up and shout... ‘Robin do plate kachori lana yaar’. On his phatphatiya scooter comes our ‘Jigyasa’. Looking tensed, he asks...Bhai attendance li kya aaj ??... and we both start laughing at his face!!!

Soon we are joined by Waffy, Jhabru, Maddu, Tingri, Pandey and others... and the ‘Bakchodi of Mining 2k11’ begins!!!

Today, a year later, I wake up on a chilly Hyderabad morning. I inadvertently pick up the phone to dial my friends number only to realise... that I am in Flat No. 402 and not in Room No. 59.

P.S... This post is dedicated to my friend Shalabh Malik, for all those winter mornings in which we bunked the class and went, just to have that Rs 4  Plate Kachori!

P.S... Deeps... Thank You for giving me the idea of writing this post! 

An Upgrade to hostel life!!!

Hostel Days! ... Each time, I talk with anyone of my batch mates those memories just come flooding back. No Jhanjhat and No Jhigjhig.... Bindaas full on Masti ...that’s what it was.

Having moved on from the laid back and lazy 'Hostel Days' to the present, fast and stretched to the limit, 'Bachelor Days', I finally get a day to dwell on my thoughts. The day I spent today, is typical to what I would have done on a lazy Sunday in ISM, albeit that it’s an Upgrade to Hostel Life. How??? Read on...

• In the hostel, you live in a twin-sharing room as dirty and messy as it can get. Now, you share a 3 BHK flat and your flat is the same even though you have a ‘Bai’ and pay her for keeping it clean.
• In the hostel, you invariably get late for the first class and then finally take a ‘Cycle Rickshaw’ to make it in time for the attendance. Now also you invariably get late for office and then drive your bike at break neck speed to reach office in time.
• In the hostel you sit together with friends and all of you throw slangs at the professors for not giving enough marks. Now also you sit together with your colleagues and discuss how you are being paid less compared to your competitors, though in a slightly dignified language.
• In the hostel you have to satisfy yourselves with whatever the mess has to offer. Now you have a cook and choose to eat what you want and even have McDonalds and Dominos at your disposal. But after a few months you realise that you no longer fit into your college jeans and need to reduce that pot belly coming up!
• When you are in the hostel your parents ask ... Do you have a girlfriend???...Are you in a relationship??? Now, your parents are ready to give you the license and ask... Why don’t you get married and start a family??? (Not the case with me, but definitely with some of my seniors and elder friends!)
• In the hostel you spend your dad’s money without the slightest hesitation for movies, girlfriends, boozing etc. etc. and had to give an explanation as to how and why you spent it. Now you spend your own money for the same things and don’t have to explain it to anyone. But one thing remains same... At the end of the month you had zero balance then, and you have zero balance now also!!!

Life moves on. You have a new job, You move to a new place, You meet new people but 'You' remain constant.

In hostel You learnt ‘Matiyana’, You learnt ‘Bakchodi’, You learnt giving ‘Fundaes’ but most importantly You learnt to how to be a ‘Bhokali’ ISMITE. (Even if you aren’t :P)

Hostel Days... Those were the best days of my life!!!

M@verick’s signing off... Proud to be a product of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad!

P.S. For those who don’t understand the words used in the last paragraph... Get in touch with any ISMITE and he/she will explain in detail the meaning of these! :)

First Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to me and all my readers!!! :)

I have finally completed one year as a blogger. Finally managed to pursue one of my hobbies seriously and actually managed to keep it going for an year! Whoa!

Some of you have appreciated my posts and some of you have criticized them. I thank all of you for actually sparing some time to read my blog!.  I really appreciate it.


As of now I have Midsems on my head. I really think they should do away with exams in the 8th semester! After getting a job who wants to read all this crap!

 Keep reading my experiences and thoughts on life.

Cheers Readers!

For now it's M@verick signing off!!! :)

SENSEX and the Opposite Sex!

For the past few weeks there are two things I have been doing with dedication. One of them is to follow the SENSEX and invest my virtual money in it. The other is to follow the ‘Birds’ (Cute Chicks), as my friend calls it, on the campus, on FB, on the phone or on any other medium of interaction possible.

This Sunday morning, as I woke up alone in my room and picked up the copy of Economic Times lying on the floor, I had some weird similarities between these two distinct subjects cropping up in my mind. Let me share them with you.

'Bird Hunting' by applying Stock Fundas!

One of the basic investment strategies is to invest early and long in fundamentally strong stocks. People who would have invested in Reliance, Infosys etc. say 4-5 years back surely would have made a lot of money by now. The same strategy applies to these ‘Birds’. You have to identify the fundamentally strong ‘Birds’ (Those who have the right mix of Beauty and Brains!) early and invest long in them. I say early because if you don’t have a fundamentally strong ‘Bird’ in your cage by the time you are in class 11 or 12 then the chances of you finding one are diminishing by the day!

Investors are advised to ‘Cherry Pick’ their stocks according to their budget and risk profile. Likewise you too need to ‘Cherry Pick’ your ‘Birds’, according to your personality and taste. Just like you don't put your money on every stock listed on the SENSEX, don't try and hit on every 'Bird' on the Radar. If you pick someone way out of your league, it is more likely that the 'Bird' would use you, burn a hole in your pocket and then finally dump you!

Before investing in any stock you are advised to take a good look at the P/E ratio (Price/Equity ratio), Balance sheet and Dividends of the stock. Similarly, before you hit on any ‘Bird’ do analyse her ‘S/A ratio’ (Sex Appeal/Attitude ratio). Scrutinise her ‘Balance sheets’ i.e.  Family background (Make sure that she doesn’t have any rowdy brother or a mafia don father!), Past relationships (If any) etc. Most importantly, estimate and calculate your ‘Dividends’ (you all know what I mean by this ryt?).

Just like the prices of stocks fluctuate on the SENSEX, the ratings of these ‘Birds’ also fluctuate on the Opposite Sex’s Radar. The minute we see a cute girl, wearing a sexy outfit, swaggering in the canteen we have a ‘BUY’ call on her. We have scores of Boys taking the ‘Buy’ call and investing their time and money trying to hit on the girl. Soon she is “The THING” in the campus. The next week/month when we hear the news that she is now committed with an ‘X’ guy, we have a ‘SELL’ call on her.

Right now we have a recession of these ‘Birds’ on the campus. May be like the government influxes liquidity in the market by tweaking interest rates, the admin needs to influx liquidity in the campus by tweaking reservation policies!

For now its M@verick signing off!!! :)


P.S. All you girls who read this post... Don't misunderstand that i think of you as 'Birds'... Its just one of my fantasy posts! If I like anyone of you... it's b'coz I like you from my heart... My heart doesn't know any fundas of investment, trading, profits... It knows only the funda of Love!

Unplanned Plans!

One of my friends has already blogged about the topic I had in mind. 

So…What should I do?  

Cry and complain that he telepathically stole my ideas (Even though I myself told him the topic)??
 

Common… I say what the heck! Let me pick a random topic and just blog… Let me test my capabilities (I doubt if I have any :P).
 

Life is a sweet bitch that makes your plans go haywire 8 out of 10 times. Listing out the instances when I planned and they worked out would turn out to be in the ISM lingo… P*t*e de raha hai saala!
 

Here are some instances when my Unplanned Plans worked out…

• Each time there was a quiz competition in ISM I would plan to participate and prepare for it, only to be disappointed that I didn’t even qualify the prelims. Three days ago, I won the quiz competition @ Srijan ’11. How?
B’coz, I was not actually present when the prelims were being held. Instead a junior wrote my name in the team and called me when he had qualified!
Mind you I did answer some questions in the final round… especially the last question to clinch victory. I swear there was no politics involved in this and we won the final round fair and square.

• Three weeks ago, I had booked return tickets in the Howrah-Yeshvantpur Duronto to go home just in case I got tickets for the India-England match at Bengaluru. I didn’t get the tickets before the date of journey and also forgot to cancel the ticket before chart preparation. Cancelling tickets now meant a loss of 1000 bugs. Hence, I took the train and went home.
What a journey it was! Met some fantastic people on the train, finally got the tickets on the day before the match, saw Sachin Tendulkar (A.K.A. GOD!!!) score a century and the match got tied!!! Whoa!!!

• Five months ago, I enacted the best example in my life that sometimes your Unplanned Plans do work and when they do you get rewarded big time! I got my first job when I didn’t prepare an iota for the interview and told all sorts of things which came to my head in the interview.

• Two years ago, I and a group of my friends went on a trip to Puri. We decided to go at 10 in the morning and had a train at 5 in the evening. From travelling in 3 tier A.C. with general tickets in hand to wandering in Puri in search of accommodation to spending those awesome nights on the beach, the trip had every ingredient in it to make it -as they say- Simply Awesome!!!
 

It is already 1.30 in the night and I am feeling sleepy. I was in the mood to write and just had to write something because today is her B’Day. She is the reason this blog exists and she is the reason I discovered this passion of mine. I hope I have come up with something bearable.

For now its M@verick Signing off! :)

P.S. Many Many Happy Returns Of the Day!

       May God Bless You and May You have an awesome year ahead!

       Wishing you a Happy Birthday!!!

P.S. ............. you are too Lovely!!!

Revived… Times have changed!

It had rained then from my eyes and it has rained today from the heavens. I wonder what it is with these rains but they always bring a smile on my face. More importantly, they put me in a mood to blog.

Two months ago, I was a psychotic person, supposedly in love with this girl. I was a workaholic, burning my ass off to crack the CAT. I had almost no hopes of getting a job, let alone it being a decent and respectable one. I was hopeless, jobless and fed up with almost everything that was there. In short, I was all that I was not meant to be.

Today, two months later… Times have changed… Indeed they have changed dramatically.

I am no longer the psycho I used to be. I am no longer a workaholic, but have got back the ISM instilled attitude of ‘Matiyaopan’. I am now happily employed yet jobless (b’coz I have nothing worthwhile to do). I am hopeful of my life and in love with almost everything that is there. In short, I am all that I ever wanted to be. Common! Live life as it comes, but live it in style!

I getting placed… is either a horrendous mistake by the company or I am exorbitantly talented and lucky. Whatever it is… I don’t give a damn! I am in and it’s all that matters!

Just before I left home after the durga puja vacations, I told to my grand mom that with your blessings and if everything goes well your grandson will have a job in his hands within a few days. She blessed me and assured me that I was very lucky and shall get what I wanted. How true her words were!

But seriously, even in my wildest dreams I did not know that I would do the things I did on the day before the placements.

A written aptitude test was to be held at 6:00 PM on 26th October. On the morning of 26th October, I and two of my friends went to Big Bazaar at 9.30 AM to buy formal shirts for ourselves. On coming to know that it would open at 11.00 AM we went to the Café Coffee Day shop to while away our time. But just then, my crazy friends (Jhabru and Waffy) came up with the idea of going to the Movie ‘Jhoota hi Sahi’ being screened at Fame, Dhanbad. Despite my earnest attempts to resist them they convinced me and dragged me to the movie. Predicatably, the movie was a complete waste of time and money.

Post the movie, we went into Big Bazaar and bought shirts for ourselves. It was already 2:00 PM by then. Knowing that we would miss lunch at the mess we decided to fill ourselves with Pizzaa’s and other junk food available. On coming back to the hostel at 3:00 PM, I came to know that the test had been preponed to 4:00 PM and we had to submit a CV on the spot. Damn it!

CV???  From where would that come from??? I hadn’t prepared one b’coz I didn’t think I would need one… that too so quickly. Cut, Copy, Paste and Edit...all in just fifteen minutes... that’s how the CV was done. I went for the test and surprisingly topped it. Next day, I got through the interview and the rest as they say is history. 27th October shall be remembered as one of the most memorable days in my life.

But the question remains…Would my actions be justified if I hadn’t got through the aptitude test and the interview?

For the past three semesters, I have been going to a movie on Friday night just before the week of the exams. The preparation leave has progressively become redundant in its purpose of preparing me for the exams. Exams are reduced to one night stands which reaffirm my capacity to complete the semester’s syllabus in just a matter of few hours. They hone your skills to read, understand and memorize huge chunks of information in the least possible time. It’s a challenge to read that little bit less every semester and still score that little bit extra each semester. Bring it on! I love these challenges!

Being jobless after getting a job is one of the most heavenly feelings one could ever experience. All that is left is to find that elusive ‘Miss Right’ of mine. I have zeroed in on one of the many available ones and hope to get it right this time. She is so sweet and cute that every action and word of her makes me go crazy. In these chilly winter nights the warmth of her thoughts radiate and keep me warm. I am falling for her…

As I was conversing on the phone on my hostel’s terrace during the preparation leave for the end-semester exams, a friend of mine walked by me and said… ‘Final year mein agar kisine masti ki hai to vo Supreet Srinivas hai’. I brushed aside his comment saying… ‘Saale funde mat de’. Today I wonder if there is any truth in his comment.

For now it's M@verick signing off... :)

'My Memories Of Ganesh Chaturthi'

'Gowri Ganapathi Habba' (as in Kannada) is one of the many festivals that is celebrated in India. In the cluster of festivals that are celebrated in India, if I had to pick one, to which I look forward the most, it would undoubtedly be this festival.

The reasons:-

•    It’s a festival, of which, I have fond memories as a child and relate to, far more deeply than any other festival.

•    All through my stay in this college, the photo of ‘Lord Ganesh’ is the only photo of any God that I have in my room. So, he is the only one who has listened to all my little wishes and fulfilled them almost every time.

Today, on this auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’, for the fourth time in a row, I have missed being at home. Even after having darshan of ‘Lord Ganesh’s’ idol in front of the Penman auditorium I don’t feel satiated. I sense a degree of hollowness around me today.

Despite being powerless to do anything, but eager to fill up the hollowness, all I could do was to look at some old pictures of our family celebrating the festival. I lay on my bed recollecting old memories of this festival.

A pic of  'Ganesh Puja' at my home in 2006...brings back memories.

Here is brief account of them:-

•    When I was 4 or 5, I remember my family celebrating the festival in our ancestral home in Mysore. I used to hate the puja for running so late, because until the puja got over I was not allowed to have my favorite delicacies.

•    When I was 6 or 7, I liked the festival because on the next day of the festival we were allowed to go to school in civil dress. Thus, I could wear my new clothes to school!

•    When I was 10, I remember how I used to compete with my Dad while doing puja, because I was not given priority…LOL!  That year, we had a very grand celebration at our quarters (if I remember correctly, G-201 was the Quarter No) in ONGC colony Sibsagar, Assam. My Dad had invited almost the entire colony for the puja and there was such a rush in the house! I think my mom was furious at him after that!

•    When I was 13, I remember that my Dad couldn’t make it home for the festival, as he was on duty, and I had done the puja instead of him. I recollect my grand mom sitting beside me and teaching me how to do it.

•    When I was 17(in my JEE year), I loved the festival, B’coz it gave me a day off from the rigorous and boring routine of solving tricky problems. Being the complete foodie I was at that time, I remember how I had overloaded myself with the wonderful delicacies on offer and had a stomach ache in the night. (Even today, my mom doesn’t know that I had gone out in the night to get Pudinhara tablets!). Also, this was the last time I had been at home for the festival.

•    First year in college…I was feeling sad that I was not at home and would not be able to have darshan of even a single ‘Ganesha’. I was relieved and elated when I came to know that there was puja in ‘Diamond Hostel’. At least something is better than nothing.

•    Second year in college…Everything was same as in first year, except that I knew what was in store. To add salt to injury, as if missing home was not enough, there was a gas cylinder strike that day and all the messes were off for the day. Had to contend myself with maggi in the canteen.

•    Third year in college… Had become so used to it, that it didn’t matter anymore

Final year in college… Now everything seems redundant, but the desire is endless. It seems I have forgotten how my family ceremonially celebrated the festival. Even though the mess is running I have fasted voluntarily.

I am looking at the photo of ‘Lord Ganesh’ in my room and making another one of my little wishes…

You know what it is…

P.S. :- Happy 'Ganesh Chaturthi' to All!

P.S. :- I missed you in the 'Shining white', but my imagination takes me places as to how simple and elegant you must have been.

If I’d only known…

If I’d only known…

That you would come to know like this,
I would have risked telling you,
After all,’twas meant for you and only you…
 

If I’d only known…

That you would react this way,
I would have told you straight away
Without any further delay…

If I’d only known…
That it would make you smile,
I would have gone many a mile
To make it worthwhile…

If I’d only known…
That it would make you happy,
I would have removed everything crappy
Even if it meant, making me sappy...

P.S.: –    You are as beautiful from the inside,
              As you are from the outside.
              And I would do everything to keep that smile,
              Even if it meant turning the tide…!!

Changing ISM...Will it ever be the same again?

It has been three years, since I joined this college and I am now in the final year of my college life. During this time I.S.M. has changed from the outside as well as from the inside.

Constructions galore in ISM! Be it the New L.H.C. Complex near R.D., or the Amber Hostel between Topaz and Emerald, or the Jasper Hostel in front of R.D. If any of our old alumni were to visit the campus they wouldn’t recognize anything else other than the Heritage Building, Central Library and the Diamond Hostel.

External change in ISM may be necessary, because it urgently needs to gear up its infrastructure to meet the increase in intake of students. But what concerns me the most is the internal change at ISM, The change in culture at ISM. Take for instance the following example…

The other day I was at the library entrance filling up the details on the entry register. As I filled up the details, I saw a boy walk into the library, that too audaciously, in lowers and slippers. Being the final year, I called the boy over and asked him which year he was and why was he at the library in lowers and slippers? The guard too pinched in and firmly questioned the boy.

To my astonishment, the boy in turn asked me who was I to ask him what he was wearing. Take that for arrogance! That too from a first year! Anger swelled up in me and I was about to slap him. But somehow I restrained myself and walked off in frustration keeping in mind the anti ragging affidavit we all  had given earlier.

Hahah!!!... Imagine this in I.S.M.!!! :D

If the same incident had happened 3 years ago the boy would have been probably ragged badly and all his arrogance would have been put to dust. But, times have changed. Today, seniors are afraid of the first years and not vice-versa, courtesy the strict anti-ragging regulations in the campus.

A single complaint is all it takes to get an FIR registered against your name in the nearest police station and ruin your potential career. Which idiot would risk his lucrative, potential career to rag a first year for five minutes of fun?

The current batch of first years have been vested with so much power and they are using it so blatantly that it has even prompted the Dean of Student's Welfare to give them a stern warning to be in their limits. This seems to have had no effect on our beloved juniors as they have turned the L.H.C. canteen, which was a place for numerous meetings of various societies in the campus, into a place for playing Truth and Dare in the evenings.  

I agree that unrestricted ragging is a nuisance, but restricting it totally is also a nuisance. Lack of ragging leads to lack of discipline and a lack of personality development among the first years. Even some of our open-minded faculty might have felt this while taking classes.


Ragging is a form of interaction of seniors and juniors. It creates that special bond between them. I.S.M. has its legacy on the senior-junior relationship. I have felt this personally, as in all the three years of my vocational training at various mines, I have always been taken care of by my seniors as if I was their own brother.

I guess the new regulations shall cause more harm than good. The legacy of I.S.M. is dying a slow but sure death. I.S.M. may never be the same again and the change may well be permanent.



P.S. - Ufff... I love the way you jiggle your semi-dried hair...if only, I could see you do it everyday.