SG OwnBlog

For quite some time I have been writing a book, or I should say trying to write one. But then starting something and completing it are entirely different things. Even then, after my recent trip to Chennai, I am beginning my writing again. This time I have also been strangely inspired by a few image sites that are totally unrelated to my writing. The first thing that needs mentioning is that I have gone to the office in Bangalore, the place I like much. The reason is quite well known. Beautiful Ladies. Come to think of it, the first day after three weeks in Chennai was uneventful except that my system was down and a few other let downs. It was good in a way as I was able to go ahead with little to no work. Can't complain.  Ever since watching Hannibal I wanted to own a pair of these wine glasses. Unfortunately when I myself went to this shop to check them out I was flabbergasted. Two wine glasses would have set me back by about Rs.1900. I dumped my plans altogether. No other

Travelling long distances can come with some anxiety. What if you miss something? To prevent anything really critical and serious you need to make sure you have at least the bare minimum to work out though tough situations or mishaps. This list will not have what you want or wish but only those that you will need the most and cannot do without. 1. Laptop and charger 2. Tablet or phone and charger 3. Medicines if any. This is applicable only if you are suffering from some chronic disease and access to medical stores is limited. 4. Your ID cards. 5. Your purse along with your Debit and Credit Cards. Also make sure you have sufficient cash to survive a day without accessing any ATM. That's it. Anything else is a bonus. If you miss out your comb, or your blazer, you know the worst that can happen is that you will miss wearing it. But imagine you remember to bring your electric shaving kit and forget your driving license. To prevent that, keep the basic checklist with you a

After resolving my Pre Leave blues, I left for home. Naturally it was full of hiccups. But I got good luck almost everywhere. From Bangalore, the bus to Chennai was almost 2 hours late. What happened as a result? A good sleep. From 12 to 6, I had uninterrupted sleep, which was great. When I dropped in Chennai, traffic was low enough to avoid jams yet good enough to let me get an auto rickshaw in time. I would not have got it so quickly had I reached an hour earlier. From there I met a pretty talkative (read smart) salesman cum auto driver. He was instrumental in persuading me from going to the Koyambedu bus stand all the way to the Chennai Airport. Of course he charged almost a hundred bucks extra. But I was tired and I agreed. Problem was that I had reached around 5 hours before the check in time! So then began my wait. Cafe Coffee Day helped little. Even the Expresso seemed insufficient! Staying awake was important and difficult. But here also I was lucky. There was a swe

This leave was hard to come by. For a few hours I thought I won't be able to come. Planned leaves getting cancelled - such a thing can occur to me. Twice in two years! And I am not surprised. Finally, with a lot of luck, some speaking and persuading, I got them and rushed home - quite literally. The day was cloudy and so was my mood. Ran roughshod over both Lali and Shwetha for the occasion. Lali understood, Shwetha, not so much. Before the day was out, I was lucky to get a G made by the MBA ( Most Beautiful Anomaly )

I have seen various types of people in life. From armchair warriors to snobs etc etc. Religious or ethnic hatred is one of the most common that I have seen. But so far all of those had some political ideology mixed with faith. For example I have mixed with conservative Hindus who did not like Muslims, and fanatical Muslims baying for Hindu/Sikh/Jain/Buddhist blood. But the Hindu was invariably a Hindutvadi or a BJP supporter or something of that sort. The Muslim would also be an Islamist. This time I met a third kind - pure hatred, that does not derive it's strength from any political ideology. This beautiful lady hates Muslims without having any affinity to the Hindutva ideology and not even any to Modi or RSS or the like. I am yet to come to terms with the exceptional exception but I will produce her answers to some of my questions, without any modification. I, of course, don't endorse any of this nor do I insinuate that she is a hate monger. I don't wish to portray he

Mysore is a far from neglected when it comes to tourism. Mysore has long been a very beautiful small town with exquisite temples and destroyed forts. Once the capital of the princely state of Mysore, it has now been eclipsed by Bangalore. Even then the history is rich and has extremes of good and bad. Mysore palace topmost point Fake HDR-ed from the Mysore Temple complex - the aura should give you the hint We got a gorilla. If we are to go by what's written on the board outside, he is the sole gorilla in India now. Spotted this bear playing with a few ducks Mysore zoo - The look should tell you what he thinks about me or my camera A temple from the Mysore Palace Complex itself - fake HDR-ed Vrindavan Gardens - The cool thing is that this is built adjacent to the huge dam. The Mysore Palace from the cart that we hired for a round trip. The Mysore Palace - The House of Wodeyar has come to an end though. The last 'king' died a cou

I am approaching the bastion of Indian sickularism. Yes, what is known as God’s own country – this is called Kerala. This is one of those places that make a self-respecting Dharmic person to bash his own head at the mindless exposure to non Dharmic influences. I had plenty of experiences on my way itself. This is not the first time I am going to Kerala though. Actually this is the third time. The first visit was by far the best. It was a family trip to one of the most beautiful places of Kerala, the tourist circuit. From the backwaters of Allipuzha to the silent beauty of Munnar and the expanse of the Periyar, I have seen them all. Kerala is very green; there is no doubt about it. This is not entirely a plus point as I will expand later. The people are okay, I have had very widely mixed interactions as opposed to the people of the rest of India. The route that our train is taking goes from Bangalore to Tamil Nadu, all the while bordering Kerala. It enters Kerala at its ext