I, Me, Myself

  INTO THE HIMALAYAS   GUIDING THE LONELY TRAVELLER  IBEX!!!!  Brrrrr!!!! CONQUERER OF MOUNTAINS! NATURE AS THE ARCHITECT 212 EME... Lovely Hospitality! :)  THE SUN DISAPPEARING BEYOND THE HILLS AT KHARU, LADAKH  THIKSEY MONASTERY THE VIEWS JUST DON'T CEASE TO AMAZE ONE 1ST LOOK- PANGONG SA THE SERENE BLUES MYSTIFIED BY THE MAGICAL HUES PARADIGM SHIFT?! REACHING OUT INTO THE COLD ... en route to Khardong La  Aww!!!!  PICTURE POSTCARD PERFECT!  MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH PANGONG.... Continues!  THE NEW INHABITANTS... MIGRANTS? NATURE'S CANVAS! WHEN INSPIRATION STRUCK... ...AND MORE BIRDIES ;)

Taking on a task, each of us has two paths (usually) to the end... One is the easier/street smart way, the other the conventional/ 'proper' or 'correct' way of doing things. The former isn't necessarily wrong, it's just that it's veiled by the hues of grey! perhaps an appropriate analogy would be : Fast-food and home cooked meals. Fast-Food is savory and in a world where time=money, it's a tailor made alternative, yet it's not very artery friendly, and over years slowly draws it's toll! Then again, these days, 'the end' is what counts and not the 'means' one employs to get there... But is this 'the end justifies the means' approach necessarily apt for every situation? As I see it, it's a personal choice. Like Albus Dumbledore points out, 'in life we all have a choice between what is right and what is easy...' The path chosen by each of us often determines who we become. No doubt, that  each of us can justify

This people is a Hula Hoop! I've wanted to learn how to twirl it for some time now, and i managed to get my hands on one today... But boy! It's tough! Anlil' bit of history, the Hula Hoop has been around for a while now, gaining in popularity in the early 20th Century... It's apparently named after a popular Hawaiian dance form, famous for the 'hip shaking'!  It's a popular toy with kids, and for adults an effective form of exercise(especially for all of you cribbing about that adipose walking by your side )!!! Well, I've bet I can do this, and I'm no Shakira... so well, it's a big ask! But like the YouTube video i watched said, 'patience is the key'!!! But, challenge accepted! I'm on it guys, and shall master it over the next 3 months ;)!!! Keep you posted!   HAPPY HULA HOOPING!!!

Hello everyone! Today, I'd like to share with you all, a real-life story that touched my heart! I'll narrate the story to you in two main parts: 1. THE CHILD      Gaurav Awasthi's bright eyes attract your attention the minute you see him. He's like any other toddler, can be cranky at times, but there's nothing that a chocolate can't settle. But he got dealt a rough deal. Gaurav has been suffering from recurrent chronic multi focal osteomyelitis ( an infection of the bone). He has an i.v.line going through, right to his heart (the Hickman line), through which antibiotics are administered thrice a day! The infection has weakened his bone, and this has lead to pathological fractures ( a fracture which occurs as a result of trivial/minimal trauma). Gaurav's parents unfortunately can't afford his treatment, one which has been going on for over a year now. His father works as a security guard at an apartment complex in Indiranagar, Bangalore, and with

I turned 21 yeaterday... and like I say, it ain't that different from 20... age is but a state of mind! Parents, Gran, Ahish and Kav, Bhat, BG, Sreeji, Shadab were there... and thanks to everybody for all the wishes!!! :D.. Missed lee!!! Spent a substantial amount of time replying to the msgs today ;) The RCB-KKR match was great fun too... Saw SRK!!! Rilee waved at us, so did a couple others!!! Anyway, tried to do a pilot of the up coming 'Big trivia'(football), but turned out to be a New horizon trivia game... went on upto 3 am!!! Awesome memories from the back benches those were!!! NHPS rocks!!! ... It's given me all my awesome buddies( Sreeji's part horizonite [convert :P])!!! Will always always LOVE that place!!!... Wanted to say all this yesterday, but was drainded!!! Cheers!!!

To all those whose world was shaken on the 11th of September,2001, a chapter finally comes to an end. I still remember, watching the events unfold... it was just past six/seven o' clock in the evening,and as an 11 year old, I barely understood what was happening. My parents, of course, watched CNN broadcast the attack on one of the towers, and everyone was awestruck. And yet, as we were watching, another aircraft, flew straight into the other twin tower... The world had never ever seen such a thing. Shock and awe it was indeed! And as the twin towers (an emblem of America's financial power), came crumbling down, so did the dreams of hundreds of thousands... in one way or another. For some it was the loss of a near/ dear one,for others it was the loss of a dream, but for all it would come to mark the end of a lot of freedom, peace!The start of a brand new era marred by claustrophobic security and surveillance, mis -trust, unrest, paranoia ... and of new age terrorism. In

 THE PAW PRINTS OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS!!! I CONSIDERED THIS!!! BREATHTAKING! CROC"S EYE VIEW OF  THE COTTAGES WHERE WE STAYED!... :P  DAWN/DUSK??? THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT!

Beautiful Bangalore weather!!!! Cesc Fabregas' b'day!!! Happy birthday!

Atleast I blog somewhere ;) !!! Any way check it out!!! http://www.royalchallengers.com/fan-club/mid-ipl-analysis

This picture was clicked in the April of '10, high up amidst the hills in the temple town of Tirumala-Tirupathi. As the night sky spread across the spiritual centre, one can see tiny speckles of light which lit the sky that night... and with a keen eye, one can spot the 'Gopuram' of this erstwhile abode of Lord Venkateshwara. Frequented by hundreds of thousands each year, and a place where I myself have been to many times over the years, this picture seemingly captures the spiritual calm while the tiny dots of light represent the guidance it gives to many a yearning mind and heart. Yet, it belies the frenzy that lies within and beneath the cover of dark. The many steps as you make the 14 km journey upto the summit, the scores of eager devotees that throng the santum sanctorum, and the peace one can appreciate right in the midst of all of this. For anyone, who's been to this temple, the experience is unforgettable! 

This picture was clicked early on a February morning in '07! The place 'Ghosai Ghat', near Srirangapattina! The reason I'm compelled to include this picture is the fact that this flowing stream fascinated me. If you notice one the far end, the stream is calm, snaking it's tranquil course through maze-like islands of rocks, in no particular hurry to reach it's eventual destination.  And yet, as it nears the camera, one can notice the elements of turbulence, roused from it's slumbers, it roars past, challenging any one who dares to near it. This depiction of a quaint stream compels me to consider the striking similarity it bears to the human mind.  One the one hand, we lay about, languishing in the dark alleys of our past; soaking in the melancholy, falling in and out of the realms of reality, and even as time beseeches us, the mind drifts... And yet there are times, the mind races ahead of the body at a frighteningly frantic pace, ideas hurtle off every

Hey guys, this is a writing exercise... for me:) And since we all know that a picture speaks a thousand words, I'll be sharing my thoughts 'bout these pics of mine! As for the writing, it's called 'Flash Writing', and basically comprises of all I have to say in 12 sentences!It's a form I'm still discovering, but enjoying it all the same! Thanks Kav, for introducing me to it!

http://www.royalchallengers.com/fan-club/rain-rain...-whatre-you-doing-anyway- Read it guys!!!:)

Heya ppl, planning on entering a short story contest.... need suggestion for genre to writ on... pleezz helps!!! :)

Hey, just started blogging as a fantic Fan for RCB... frankly overwhelmed to see i've had 31 comments so far!!! whohoooo!!!! Cheers, Nive!!!

Hi all, Now on I shall also be blogging for the Royal Challengers Bangalore! So do follow me there as well, shall be giving regular updates right here! My 1st post, titled:RCB-Prospects for IPL IV ... http://www.royalchallengers.com/fan-club/rcb-prospects-for-ipl-iv1 Check it out, and as ever any feedback is welcome!!! Cheers, Nive :D

22 years, 453 ODIs and 18,111 runs and the prize is finally his! Sachin - 'The Cricketing God'- Tendulkar stands tall amidst the shower of confetti, on home soil, proudly holding aloft the cup...- a sight no Indian fan can ever erase from memory! Every time Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walked out to bat this series, the reception was thunderous, but the man himself too seemed to be on a mission, to annex the elusive crown, the 6 th attempt just had to get him there! And get him there it did! Finishing as the tournament's 2 nd highest run getter, destiny couldn't have written a better script. As one of the lucky few ones who witnessed the Maestro at his best (during the tied match against England @ the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in B'lore ), trust me when I describe it as 'exhilarating'! The man has an insatiable quest for the game and the game itself seems to have anointed him her favourite son... Why else would fate hand him so many lives, as in the m

A midst the thunderous applause that reverberated through the Wankhede on the night of 2 nd , April, 2011, Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged to hold aloft the object of a million prayers, the World Cup Trophy! Having silenced every wagging tongue, with a Captains innings of 91*, the Indian skipper not only sealed his place amongst the greatest ever captains, but also won a billion hearts! Over a 7 year period, the boy from Ranchi has come a long way from the swaggering long haired youngster to the new (bald!) but extremely self assured individual carrying the (thankless) mantle of the ‘Captain of the Indian Cricket Team’. The T20 World Cup victory, Victories galore with the CSK IPL team (both, the IPL as well as the CL-T20) and now the World Cup itself, and with numero uno annexed in both Tests and ODIs, Dhoni has taken Indian Cricket to the pinnacle of success! … And so everyone wants a piece of Dhoni! (Just look at the no. of ads he features in right now:

... Feels amazing to finally be able to say this! A gritty performance by a gritty team, guided by a gritty coach/mentor and backed by a gritty fan following running into millions!!! India's 2 nd CWC victory on the 2 nd of April, 2011 couldn't have been scripted any better... coming as it did against co- hosts (and one of the teams of the tournament) Sri L anka ... at the original 'Mecca' of Indian cricket, Mumbai , a tailor made finale for the Maestro's last swansong in World Cups!!! ... And so when MSD rose to the occasion and slogged the ball for a 6 in the penultimate over, pandemonium resulted! The much hyped golden geese had finally gotten their hand around the Golden Cup! But the victory was never as easy as one would have liked it to be! Jayawardene's classic knock under pressure, Pereira's flash in the pan heroics in the last couple of overs, and Malinga delivering those initial blows meant it required a whole lot of strategising and a

CWC 2011... It's the Big quarter-final, the Indians take on the Aussies! 'D'-day, it sure is for a lot of people, namely: Ricky Ponting, for reasons galore!, MSD... he may still hold the record as our most successful captain but, if he fails to nail this one, lot's of tongues are going to wag; Tendulkar, we may think he's eternal, but hey, 4 more years is stretching it a bit too much, the organisers: 'coz if the hosts get knocked down, get set to bid adieu to half your revenue... and last but not the least, Zaheer Khan, as he tries to banish the ghosts of the '03 final (all you people who sat cringing in your seats as he bowled endless overs, I'm with you... sigh!) But like they say, it's an all new ball game down in the middle at Motera! The Aussies are not indomitable, then again they've ingrained the ability to grit it out in the big games. Their fielding, as is known, is top class... and though a lot has changed over the past 4 years ... as a

T he Oscar nominated movie , The Social Network, has generated a lot of interest in the man behind the ‘face’(book), Mark Zuckerberg. Here’s my take on the whiz kid and his brain child. When I read that the Time Magazine had chosen Zuckerberg as the person of the yr’ 2010 ahead of Julian Assange, I was quite surprised, especially coming as it did right in the midst of the WikiLeaks storm. And I won’t claim that I was much in agreement with Time or it’s readers… The reason being, wasn’t Wikileaks’ fearless whistle blower act of far greater social relevance? But the movie, which portrays it’s protagonist in black, white as well as the many different hues of gray, provoked me to peer deeper into the making of Facebook, and so I resorted to ‘Google’, the only encyclopedia known to my generation! Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, born 14 th May, 1984, caught my attention thanks to the following : As stated by Jesse Eisenberg who essays Mark’s character in the movie, Zuckerberg wanted, “to take

It's been a long time... or so it seems ;)!!! It's already 15 days into the new year and 8 days into mine... 'coz mine only started on the 8th!!!... exams you see...!!!... And already it's time to start college again...III yr... exhilarating! ... contd. P.S: I'm learning Spanish :D