I.N.S.P.I.R.A.T.I.O.N

"Inspiration inspite of insipidness is an inspiring instance indeed"- yours truly

Being inspired is great, but being the one inspiring is a virtue unmatchable. Through one's talks, works, or mere companionship, the impression left on a person can change his outlook in life completely.

Over the last few days, it has struck me that there are many things I wish to be able to do, and do them well. Quite a few of them are because I look upto people already proficient in the field. Few of us are fortunate enough to be inspired, and a fraction of those who are, are lucky to know their source(s) of inspiration. This post is a little note to convey to mine that apart from warranting a spot in my blog, they have created a little space of their own in my mind simply for the passion they have for what they do...

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The idea of starting a blog first appealed to me in June 2008. However, without much inner push, thats what it remained, just an idea. Until I started following Swati's blog regularly. It was her blog, and the free flowing writing in it, which inspired me to initiate a blog of my own. And although its just been a month, the blog now feels a part of me; my own space where I can express my feelings freely, without the fear of judgement. (importing my posts to facebook though does eat at that particular freedom, but its equally interesting to note people's reactions there)

The inspiration for writing however, came from my grandfathers. While one constantly encourages me to write and develop this skill, the other himself has developed his skills such that not only does he write like a professional, his speeches and way of talking too is one of the best I have come across.

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Khoob jamega rang jab mil baithenge teen yaar; Tarang, Dance, and me. Yes, I can afford the luxury of saying this now, but when people initially discovered I was dancing in Tarang, I could sense an element of surprize. "Where from thy inspiration to dance" you ask? To that I just say one word- Akash. It now often is the case that his name has become synonymous with dance, at least in my mind. His passion for dance is one I have not witnessed personally elsewhere. Many people have hobbies, but to pursue it selflessly and take it to the next level such that it classifies as passion, is a quality very few possess. Being his friend, I have been fortunate to witness his growth in the field over the last two years. And although in my first year I wouldn't have imagined saying it, simply because of his sheer brilliance in the field, he has actually improved in terms of professionalism of his dance and choreography. The ever present urge to improve is what differentiates good from great. And I sincerely hope this urge and the passion for dance remains as strong, if not stronger in the future.

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Nature is beautiful, but the real beauty lies in being able to capture this beauty. That is the true art in photography. And I have to confess I have many friends who are more than decent at it. A few of them however are a league apart; Satyam, Nidhi and Shruthi. Their brilliance lies in the ability to identify those scenes which are lost to most of us in the camouflage of the background, and then turn them into award winning ones. In simpler words, rather in facebook language, that would translate into the fact that if they happen to be in your friends' list, you would find yourself tagged in pics that exceed even your own expectations of yourself! There used to be a time when I was of the opinion that a good camera equates to a good photo, but that has obviously changed, and brought with it a new urge in me to learn this art.

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Come to think of it, everyone has an inspiration of their own, be it in any field. All the people mentioned have been my sources of inspiration in their respective fields, and someday I too aspire to be an inspiration for people (that is if I am not one already!)



P.S Other sources of inspiration are still being searched for, in an attempt to unravel the mystery of my love for cycling and singing!

Cricket with Commercials...or Commercials with Cricket?

Its that time of the year again, when we cheer for a South African over an Indian, just because he happens to be wearing the colours of a team claiming to represent a region in India. We feign ignorance and pretend to forget that the opposition Indian players are the same whose performances we cross our fingers for, at times pray for when their names are in the team sheet of Team India.

The Indian Premier League is a unique concept, the only problem with it being that it is an entire lift off from the much patronized Indian Cricket League. Subhash Chandra must be wondering why he does not have contacts in the BCCI. If he had, by this time his name would have been splashing across papers as a certain Lalit Modi's is these days.

This is not to suggest that I detest the Indian Premier League, or do not watch its matches. Being a cricket fanatic, following such a revolutionary tournament becomes a sort of responsibility. But I do wish at times that it was more conducive to pleasurable viewing for the normal cricket fan. At the moment, when I turn on the television and watch a match currently under way, what I notice is something as follows:

The bright jerseys add to the already dynamic ground sights and sounds. But behold, what meets my eyes makes me wonder whether this is a cricket match, or a supermarket. Every inch of the player jersey is crammed with as many product logos as is possible such that the jersey colour is still distinguishable. Shoulders, upper arm, shoulder blade, chest. Very few body parts are spared (thank goodness for those which are!). Even the cap has a product glaring out at the you from both the sides. As the IPL grows from 8 teams to 10, 60 matches to 90, I would not bet against the logos spreading onto the stomach, lower back, thighs, legs and the pads donned on the feet. That would be some sight eh? And surely the advertisement costs would vary given the location of display. For example for a product, getting a place on the pads would mean dishing out more money, given that there would be more advertisement opportunities during the replays for LBWs.

Another thing that intrigues me is how every aspect of the game has been commercialised. Oh sorry, almost every aspect. Although they have the DLF maximum, Citi moment of success, and the new entrant, Karbonn Kamaal Catch, they still have scope for the Pepsi-Dil-Maange-More direct hit, Mountain Dew bouncer, HappyDent White maiden over, and the most highly priced Videocon Run. Hence teams would then score 154 Videocon runs, and win by 5 LG wickets. If we were to go absolutely crazy, we could have the Lays bowled, Aquafina stumping, and Phillips run out, but lets leave that to those big brains who run the entire circus.

And spare a thought for the circus masters-the commentators. Do they not mind becoming salesmen during the tournament? The new strategi-oops- Max Mobile Strategic Time-Out is an example. The commentators have not yet been able to train their minds that it the Max Mobile time out, and not as boring a thing as a simple strategic time out. And no, we do not snigger when the commentators correct themselves half way through saying "strategic timeout". But I am sure they will learn by the next year, until they have a few more new things to catch up on.

Also, the good old days had one or at max a couple of advertisements in between overs. The IPL however, has one or at max a couple of advertisements on a screen in the stadium between balls. I guess this is what people relate modernization and generation gaps to.

Anyways, let me get back to watching the Comedy Circus now. The only relief offered is that the players themselves are genuine, and have not yet changed their names to Uncle Chips Anil Kumble, Masafi Dale Steyn, Alpenleibe Shane Warne, and the likes.

And to all those who thought I went overboard with the description, I was just following the same exaggeration formula applied by the administrators of this tournament. But let me give it to them, after all:

"The whole thing is that ki bhaiya sabse bada RUPAIYA"

A New Day Has Come....

Sometimes you wake up in the morning, and things just feel, (b)right. All the negativity which was there in the mind till last night when you closed your eyes to signal the end of the day, seems to disappear into that unknown land where dreams are originated during sleep, and you look forward to the day ahead. I dont know what makes this morning different from the rest, but I presume this is what people mean when they say "have a bright start to the day."

Its interesting that these days are few and far in between. Most days, we keep cursing everything from classes to job, for waking us early in the morn. What we don't realize is that the sunshine we blame for burning us too glaringly during the day is actually pleasant in the morning. The traffic light which continues its functions unperturbed in spite of our disgusted looks when our bus just misses the green signal to stop at the red, actually looks beautiful as its colors undergo transition from green to red via yellow. Its funny how you happen to get the perfect place at the station to enter the MRT, while other days getting to the train is equivalent to a 100m dash with human hurdles, often ending with a crushed shirt and breathlessness.

To put this in context for the technically adept, this is the morning when your iPod gets in the most amazing songs on its shuffle list without the help of GENIUS.

Things which seem petty and merge into the background on other days stand out and show their worth during these days. People walking on the road seem more cheerful and content, and there is an inherent feeling of wishing each of them a loud and cheerful "Good Morning!" Or maybe its just your perception which changes for the better during such a morning.

The following lines from a song which is playing in my iPod at the moment seem apt for this kind of day:

"Sab kuch alag hai, sab kuch naya hai....Kuch toh hua hai, kuch ho gaya hai....

Rang chamkile saare lagte hain....raah mein bikhre taare lagte hain...phool ab zyaada pyaare lagte hain.."

(and for those wondering, I am not talking about a morning after Sachin Tendulkar has won India another game the previous night, although that too would have a similar effect on the people of India in general!)

A Humour's Guide to Dummies!....Err...

I know I know. Too much emo stuff over the weekend. I did promise you all that I would be trying to get a laugh from you in each blog entry. But then again, I started writing this primarily for myself. To be able to communicate my feelings with myself first, and in the process with the world. The last few days were a little low mood-wise, thereby reflected in the blog.

But I did realize, and received some feedback from those who happen to read the blog, that some humour should be incorporated. Point noted. So then I started thinking (yes yes, I can sense your surprise on the recent development of this ability of thinking. Not to worry, this phase too shall pass, and I will be back to my senseless thinking-less ways!) I thought about what makes an article humourous. Is it the style in which it is written? Or the choice of words it comprises? Maybe its the sentence structure? For all you know, it may just be the author, and the reader's brain's automatic perception of that person as a clown!

So I set out in search of the perfect way to include some humour in otherwise emotional articles. I called upon my most trusted friend. I have no idea what its parents were thinking when they gave him this name, but yeah I call him Google, as do many others. Gets a giggle out doesn't it? I tell him the same thing, but he doesn't listen. In fact, he now has several siblings all originating from this giggle-inducing name. They can (g)Talk, (g)Mail, (g)Wave, (g)Chrome and have recently learned to Buzz too! Anyways, for the first time in practically forever, I got very little help from this guy. Shocked? I was too!

To lower the desperation levels, I even sought help from "A Dummy's Guide to Including Humour in your Blogs," but alas it was so useless that all I was left saying was"main joker to nahi, lekin aye haseen maine dekha jab bhi tujhko mujhko comedy nahi aai". (translating this would take an eternity, because basically, I am no poet and this is a very distorted version of a couplet written by some guy. Interestingly the original version of the couplet has gone on to become the first words that a person ought to speak in India before showcasing his talent in the poetry arena)

Having been failed even by the Constitution of Comic Blogs itself: A Dummy's Guide..., I had given up hope, and was sulking in my deep philosophical thoughts. I would have much rather preferred sulking in the condominium swimming pool on a Saturday evening with heart-warming sights and sounds, but for the 'Hands-and-Mouth Disease'! Now what kind of a name is that? 'Hands-and-Mouth Disease', seriously? If I allow my imagination to run wild, which I will not because this is a family blog (till now), I can probably write a novel on what this disease is all about!

So yeah, sulking I was, when I happened to chance upon two of my fellow friend bloggers! Introducing to you, Swati Gupta and Ramasubramanian Sivasankar (Shiv to his dear ones)! (drum roll begins....but fades almost instantly)

These are two people, who manage to make you laugh even with normal sentences. Now, I am not sure whether they mean to do so, or if its an accident which incidentally happens many times, but what matters in the end is the humour present in their blogs. Inspiring their readers to laugh till they cry, these two have to be the biggest comedians in the world of blogging!

While Swati has subtle humour arising from a rough yet catchy writing style, Shiv has something in his sentences which induce laughter in the reader. Don't ask me what that something is, because had I known, I would be able to include humour in my Blog articles too! I do want to mention though, that they are equally capable of writing thought provoking articles as well, and in doing so conveying messages of importance of certain places, people, and experiences to their readers. From the top of my mind, I can think of  the exceptional article Shiv wrote on the importance of Orissa and the people from there (http://ramaplusplus.blogspot.com/2009/01/orissa.html), and the recent amusing experiences Swati has shared of her return trip from Canada (http://sila-berhati-hati.blogspot.com/2010/01/cuba-diaries-2.html). I could go on inflating their egos, but I am not being paid for using my Blog to advertise theirs!

At the end of it all, what has my research yielded thus far? I have discovered blogs with humour in them, but I still do not comprehend the art of including humour in my blogs. Darn! I need to keep the search going! Could someone please help me with this ''Humour's Guide to Dummies?" ....Err...that didn't sound correct now did it?

Longing...

"Yuhin kat jayega safar saath chalne se...ki manzil aayegi nazar saath chalne se..."

Maturity comes with age. Thats oft mentioned. But what about the maturity which comes ahead of age, forced on you by circumstances? Is that maturity enjoyable? Is it even welcome?

These random thoughts have been stemming from my recent experiences and feelings emerging from them. Going for your sister's public dance performance should be a moment of pride, yet why is this feeling diluted by another feeling, that of longing? The longing for the presence of a guiding and reassuring hand. At this age, its difficult enough to handle your own self with care. Add to that, setting an example for your sister, reducing her loneliness, ensuring all is going smoothly in her school. All this when she herself has been less than an year into her new school.

But my feelings must be incomparable to what she must be going through. To be able to adapt to such a drastic change in lifestyle, and without a murmur of a whine, I feel amazed as to how strong my sister is. Was I so strong when I was her age? For that matter, am I so courageous even now? This outpour of emotions clearly suggests I am not. All I used to do at her age was crib about the difficulty level of IB. What never occured to me was that they were after all exams, and life is a whole lot more than exams. She is coping with this unique situation of life so well. Touch-wood.

I am aware you would be thinking I am going overboard with my reactions. After all, how difficult can it be staying with your sister in a city where you have stayed alone for two years? Surely having your own sibling along would be so much more exciting than staying alone? Yes, but you see the mind, being its usual selfish self, determines its mood not on who is currently present, rather whose presence is lacking. Having seen a better way of life with Mummy staying here in singapore, and papa here on most weekends, nothing else seems acceptable to the mind now. It longs for the entire family to stay together again, or at least Ria staying with Papa and Mummy so as to ensure that her most crucial academic year also has the same parental support which many of us are fortunate enough to take for granted.

I am sure all this is also happening for a reason. As Harivansh Rai Bacchan said, "Man ka ho toh accha, man ka na ho toh aur bhi accha" (if what you desire happens, thats good. However, if something that you want does not happen, then its even better.) The logic behind this is that if something is not going your way, then the One watching us is writing the script. And he can never want anything bad for you.

But you know what intrigues me? How this feeling of longing knows no political boundary, requires no visa, and can be felt simultaneously in Indonesia and Singapore...

From house to home: a journey in the city of Jakarta

"Nagme hain, shikhwe hain, kisse hain, baate hain...Baatein bhool jaati hain, yaadein yaad aati hain..."

I dont know whether it has happened with you or not, but there is a certain time in life where everything is seemingly perfect. Moving on in life, this time acquires that special place in our memories, where we visit it often. Sometimes this particular phase becomes a boon, and we remember it to give us the endurance to overcome current obstacles and experience a similar time. At other times, it becomes a bane, causing us to be left entangled in it when things currently do not seem to be going the way we want it to go. The length of this phase notwithstanding, goodness of life during this time makes us yearn for it over the entire course of our future.

The fickle-mindedness of the human mind is shown by our tendency to associate success and failure, happiness and unhappiness, good times and bad times, with external factors. In this process, we forget that there is one similarity throughout the variety of such times; OURSELVES.

Similarly, I associate Apartment Simprug Indah with the change in times for the better. Wont to normal human nature, we gave Simprug a major portion of the credit for this change and still consider it to be one of the luckiest houses for us to have stayed in. Within an year of moving into Simprug, Papa got transferred to Jakarta within the same organization. As is often said, no matter how hard we try, the things destined to happen will ultimately happen, and at their own time. There was hardly any scope of this transfer of Papa's, but it did materialize, thereby changing the times to come and making Jakarta the place where we didn't only stay, but also had a home.

The change gave our lives the boost it needed after two years of living apart. It was akin to staying at hostel, and we looked forward to our trips back to Sumatra, away from the then perceived horrible city of Jakarta. Throughout these years, Mummy became our support, and we tried to become hers. But upon Papa's transfer, we saw Jakarta like we had never before. The city which we used to associate with loneliness, had turned over its image in our minds, and become the place which it is know as throughout the rest of the world. A cosmopolitan city. We were introduced to movie theatres, malls, and most importantly, family life in this city. Somehow, the Jakarta where we stayed the first two years, seems distinctly different to the Jakarta we stayed in thereafter. And this distinction in our minds is present even till today.

From Jakarta, I completed the four most important academic years in a student's life, 9th till 12th. We went for our first Europe tour from Jakarta. My future career path was determined in Jakarta, and I came to NUS from Jakarta. It now resembles to me the place where I would want to go again. The place where I would want to work. The city where we associate many good times with. The tough times that we went through in the initial couple of years seem remote, yet not forgotten.

It is exactly this memory of the wonderful change that we had experienced in Jakarta, which I am looking to for hope now. The situation is similar now, with Jakarta having been replaced by Singapore, and my schooling replaced with my sister's. These Jakarta memories provide me the hope that things will change for the better here as well. There will be better times in Singapore, and I hope to write in this very blog an year down the line, that Singapore too provided us the image changeover which Jakarta had once done...

A lonesome view of Jakarta...

"Dil na ummeed nahi, Na kaam hi toh hai....lambi hai gham ki shaam, magar shaam hi toh hai...."

To say that the first year in Jakarta was difficult would be a massive understatement. Life had changed considerably. Where once we had a 8 seater car in our garage at our own disposal, we now had to think twice even before taking a cab. Loneliness was such that the main door that closed on our return from school at 3.30pm, was most likely to open only to let us out the next morning at 6am when we left for school.

The people of the condominium added to the gloomy aura, with no replies to usual pleasantries in the main lobby. Hell, even meetings in lift would be greeted with frowns and turned-away faces.

I have to admit though that the view from the apartment was worth forgetting such incidents. It was similar to the main body of an essay, thereby minimizing such behaviour of people into mere footnotes. Half the flat was facing the sea, and being on the 12th floor, the sea breeze was more than soothing.

One thing which kept me occupied during this phase was school. To be honest, I dont know whether I realized that my parents had sacrificed their lifestyle for the sake of my education, or not, but I needed to vindicate it with results. Not that it was a well thought conscious effort, but I was lucky that I could help in the situation within my capacity.

Defining Gandhi Memorial International School in my life would be interesting. It started off as the fourth school of my life, transformed into my high school, and ended as my alma mater, in the process becoming one of the two schools where I spent the longest time. The beginning of this journey was rough, more so in terms of acceptance by peers, as is often the case at such an age. There always are people though who come and make you feel comfortable. It was then that Siddharth became the friend which I needed to blend into the new school. I guess I never have paid my gratitude to him for being there, but thanks Sid, it meant a lot. And touch-wood, our friendship still is the same, probably even better and I hope it remains this way!

Like they say, "there is always light at the end of the tunnel", life did start to take an upswing. We should have guessed the turn of events for the better, from the moment a certain event occurred- The Cricket World Cup 2003! Seemingly, to lift our moods (at least my mood), the Indian team did extremely well, giving us a memorable one month and a bit. The shift in mood created then would become more decisive during the coming few months, leading into our second year of Jakarta.

Come the second year in Jakarta, and we had shifted house, moving away from the apartment which symbolized loneliness in our lives, to a new apartment. The vibrancy reminded us that there are people around to socialize with, get along with, meet up with; in other words, we seemed to have landed back on earth from an alien planet. Having almost 70% of its occupants as Indians, the condominium helped in us getting the company of people which we had lacked for the major part of last year. The coming two years spent in this apartment form one of the most memorable parts of my formative years, where almost everything that we had wished for came our way. God had listened to us, and bestowed our reward for patience and endurance on us...

(to be continued)

Current Situation = sucks

Ok, I officially HATE the current situation. I just think that some solution needs to be come up with and fast. I hope the one who fixes things and can repair anything in the world, is reading this blog.

Life's tantrums...

Often there are times in our lives, when the over cliched 'going gets tough' phrase doesnt seem just a phrase any more. These times may seem never ending and too long for our liking, but by the end of it, help us become stronger for the experience of having overcome them. Fortunately, I have had many opportunities at becoming strong in this way.

Being a closely knit family, spending time together was something we gave utmost importance to, and it was a joy for us. My mother says, 'families which share a meal together remain together'. Yet, a time did come when we had a decision to take, and that was the year 2002. Life had thrown its first tantrum at us...

The school in Kerinci-Sumatra where Papa was posted, was an International school, but only till Grade 7 due to the relatively weak student strength. Although happy at going up the classes, I did have bouts of anxiety as I was nearing grade 7. What next? Will I too have to leave my parents at a tender age of 12? Up until that point, all the expatriate employees had either shifted their families to their home countries, or sent their children away to boarding school upon completion of their 7th grade. Either way, the child was going to be separated from one if not both of his parents. Having grown up in a protected way by them, staying away from my parents was an idea complely alien to me.

It was then that I glimpsed the obvious brilliance of my parents for the first time, and on retrospection, the collective decision made seems such a master-stroke.

Jakarta, although the capital of Indonesia, was strangely, an unexplored avenue in such cases. People went back to India, yet no one before us had tried shifting their families to the capital. The differences between the two places had their own pros and cons; India was home with relatives aplenty, but Jakarta was the same country comprising more forseeable meeting opportunities with Papa. The risk taker within us took the step forward, and a new journey had begun, where we set out to conquer the unexplored land of Jakarta...

(to be continued)

Screw them

These delivery people need to get their behavior right. What the hell do they think of themselves? Man, you have come to deliver a product to your customer's house, have some courtesy. Your behaviour continues in this vain, and your customers will dwindle, thereby leading to a cut in your freaking salaries. We shall see who says goodbye to whom and doesnt get a reply then.

Get your behaviour right, will only help you in the future! :@

ए मेरे दिल तू गाये जा...

'Music is a part of my life' is a sentence heard in abundance when a reality show contestant needs to make an impression in the minds of the people with the all empowering handphone in their hands. It always does seem to work, and if by any chance it doesn't, then there always is the AV featuring their mothers and hometowns along with a few tears rolling down the cheeks here and there.

However, in my case, I am no aspiring singer in a TV show trying to convince people to vote for me (I would love to learn classical singing though, but thats for another day) and I still say that 'Music is a part of my life'. Without music, I dont know how I would manage to spend a day, forget weeks or months.

Music has this uncanny habit of lifting my mood instantly. Depressed and down, music is the saviour I turn to. Strangely, I have this habit of associating songs to the times I am experiencing in real life. For instance, throughout my grade 10, I used to listen to just Swades songs, in a walkman and repeat the songs until I had heard the album at least 5-6 times continuously! The time studying was spent well, and now whenever I hear any song from Swades, I get transported to my 10th grade and its memories.

Oh, that mentions another interesting aspect of my connection with music. I cannot study without music. Throughout my high school, I could study only if music was playing. Developing the taste for music started then, and it still hasnt subsided. And I realise I have reached the correct place it seems...in the MRTs in Singapore, almost one in every three people have ear plugs seperating their current state of being pushed around in the public transport, from their musical world!

Music, what would I do without you?! Thank goodness for the advances in technology and creation of ipods, allowing me to be connected to my beloved music through the thick and thin of the singapore public transport!

First Blog, an experience of its own!

Aah, I knew it! An amateur blogger, and its more than evident on the first post. No title! How foolish! Well, I guess it can be classified as special though, a unique first Title-less blog entry! What an entry into blog-iety!

Also, being ever the politically correct person I always am, a few disclaimers coming your way:

- anything which is intended to be aimed at a specific person, will be obvious to him/her

- almost all the stuff written will be controversy free

- those who mean something to me, be it family or friends, should expect to be mentioned in the blogs rather frequently (directly and indirectly)

- a few leg pulling activities can be expected now and then, after all I have to live upto the trust Shakespeare has placed on me as an entertainer!

I also happened to realize that if I want to make it big and climb the ladder of blog-iety, I would need to make myself cooler. Not that I don't already think I am cooler than the rest, but adding to the coolness wont hurt. So for the greater good of blog-iety, unveiling:

PaarT!!

With that, I take your leave, but worry not, the PaarT will continue to rock and see you all tomorrow!

Love to all!

PaarT

Its become a trend now hasn't it? Blogging the day's activities, writing blogs to create awareness. Superstars use it as a medium to reach out to their fans. To the extreme of anonymous people having used this new form of media to stir up controversies in cricket matches and teams (read fakeiplplayer)!

My pull towards blogging has been present for a while now, but the same old apprehension of starting something and leaving it half way always provided the inertia that Newton has so famously talked about.

Shakespeare said the World's a stage, and I guess entertaining others becomes an unsaid prerogative for us. So I have decided to start off with a blog I can call my own, and try to be regular in it! Through these blogs, I intend to write about anything and everything under the sun, but as I have been knighted an entertainer through one random Shakespeare thought, I will try to get a laugh out of all those who read it on most occasions. No promises though. I do manage to become all thoughtful and mature once in a blue moon, and those days you would probably get a large dose of philosophy coming your way.

And anyways, I personally think all the famous quotes which we manage to insert everywhere right from Literature essays to lecturing our siblings, are all accidental in the first place. No one would say things having the foresight of knowing that random people are going to be quoting them in the future. Hence, I have convinced myself to believe that unknowingly or otherwise, I too will manage to write a few phrases through these blog entries which will happen to catch someone's attention and warrant usage as future quotes!

Finally, if I really had to thank an event apart from my own self for convincing me to overcome the initial indecision and start these blogs, it has to be Chetan Bhagat. This guy and his latest novel '2 States' have become my all time favourite (at least for the next few months). So, here's a toast to you Chetan and to myself for finally starting something which I knew I always wanted to do...WRITE! (in any case, I think its the second best thing I do after 'talking')