As A New Journey Begins!

Its been sometime since I last wrote here,
Welcome back! To you my dear reader and to me for penning down thoughts here.

I have been working for the last three months in a firm called DesignForUse on a project as a content specialist. The nature of the work has been satisfying, the environment has been creative and stimulating - in short; I have been loving it. Made a few new friends, met some new interesting people. Its been a good ride.

On the 7th I will complete three months here and that is also the day that my month long vacation will begin. Yes, I have taken temporary leave from work for a month to attend to my body, mind and spirit. To start with, my physical health hasn't been the best. Much pain has arisen in my back, lots of weight loss due to bad sleeping and eating habits has resulted in weakness and soreness. Hopefully, in the span of some serious effort and dedication over this break I will regain some strength.

On the mental fronts, I feel depleted of vitality as friends have become fewer and those good ones whom I consider close barely meet due to being busy with their lives. Routines of work and Delhi traffic don't help our cause. So in part loneliness, but more so a lack of company to share with. Any job at the end of the day, no matter how much you like it, does wear you down.

On the spiritual front, I have been running away from taking inner responsibility and facing myself. Foolishly searching for the bubble reputation in parties, drinking myself away. Yes I have found some pleasure occasionally but evidently that has been momentary, nothing more. (Did sleep with 2 different women in a span of the same week though .. That was cool :P) This month I have restarted meditating and have been reading this book called 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' which is providing good insight and reflection. Let's see where the journey takes me.

On the writing front! I have been reading more than writing honestly, more so because I am searching for inspiration on a subject to write about. Now the time has come to put aside the waiting process and just throw myself into the deep end to stumble upon something rather than wait for it to come to me. This won't be the best strategy of course, but since you have to make a start somewhere - so be it.

I am looking forward to new challenges, new experiences almost as if I am young and fearless all over again! The renewed vigour to live, strive & conquer are returning faster than expected.

I heard this song of Nickleback the other day in which there was this line - 'The Right Thing To Guide Us is Right Here Inside Us.' It made me realise that all the power I'll ever need to make it happen - I already possess. Just a matter of taking that leap :)

So, why wait?

Sometimes the only stopping you from being you - is You.

**Jumps off**

The Present Situation

So,

Here's whats been up with me;

I was working at Bloomberg TV India as a Journalist but have now resigned from my job.

My delightful girlfriend has left India to pursue further studies for a 2 yr Masters Diploma in Canada which makes it safe to say I won't be seeing her anytime soon.

I feel the need to silently rebel against my household and family as they suffocate and deny creativity Q.E.D. I sleep in the guestroom and not my own bed anymore.

I try and stay out as much as possible. Staying at home is an insult to my intelligence.

I want to write stories to entertain minds, make them reflect, possibly ignite new ideas in them. This is my purpose. I need nothing I don't already have to achieve it. For that, I consider myself blessed.

My means are this very laptop for which all I require is a mere charging station and a comfortable chair and table to engage in the activity. There is always this body that one has to manage. Hence food, rest and proper exercise are mandatory - no matter what age or how experienced one is. This is often an annoying task yet a healthy distraction.

But now I aspire for more. For I have tasted the feeling of earning a monetary sum with my own hard effort. I look upon those who are financially independent with awe and admiration. Even though I was never taught to chase money because I always seemed to have plenty; it seems sad but true that in today's times - even if you are chasing greatness and following your dreams, the question 'How much do you get a month?' has more weight than 'What did you achieve with your time?'. Our existence is a subtle compromise between the things that really matter and the things that only seem too.

I started by writing this to inform my friends and those who wonder about me what is happening in my life. But in the process have also stumbled upon certain reflections which could be relevant for anyone reading this.

In the end all I'd like to say is,
if you've had the patience to read this far,
Thank you for having so much interest in me - call me - for it is now more than ever than I need good company to keep me occupied;
And if your stuck in a job that you must do because you must do it - I'm not saying quit it and follow your passion. I'm sure you have your reasons for perpetuating, all I hope for is that you remember the activities that take your breath away like the art of writing does for me and indulge in it even if just for a short while today.

Live it up,

Wish you luck,
Goodnight.

What The Heart Truly Desires

A little rush of passion,
A few sparks of romance,
Intelligence mixed with a little fashion,
A few drinks, music and the element of chance.

The magic in the eyes,
like a beautiful sunrise,
the two bodies collide like fire and ice,
a little love, a little lust, but overall oh so nice!

A concoction designed to appeal,
to the senses and the soul,
like a new hit song full of 'feel',
that makes you wanna Rock n roll!

What the heart truly desires is to love and be loved in return,
but its rare to find that in life so patience one must learn.

But always be on the lookout coz it can come along when you least expect it!
In a dark room or even one that's well lit!

Written at 23rd August, 2014
At Whetherspoons in Kingston while chilling with my friends and classmates - Dani, Max, Roger, Joe, Stacy and Marie. 

Lets Fall Together

My wish is for you to come to me and take me by suprise,
I want to wake up with you in my arms to every sunrise,
let's walk together through the grasses green,
and discover new lands together never before seen.

Hold my hand and take the leap,
let me hold you when you weep,
let me kiss you, your shiny skin so sweet,
lets dance to the song of love - such a beautiful beat.

Lets drink coffee together and complain about how capitalism is taking over the world,
lets discuss Plato and Socrates while letting our love unfurl,
lets watch a romantic movie together and have a subtle contest to see who cries first,
and when we can't hold it in any longer - let our tears burst!

Let's go shopping and discuss brands like we know the difference,
'Nah Nah Uniqlo's waaay better than M & S', 'No, that's just your preference'.
Let's cook together - I'll show u what I know and then you can show me what your good at,
I can pamper you with delicacies and you can help make me fat!

Lets be lazy together and be ok with that.
'What do you feel like doing today' .. 'Bleh' .. 'We chill in the flat?'
'Yeah' .. 'come here' .. 'I wanna snuggle' .. 'Its a hot day babe' ... 'You don't love me'
C'mon .. no need for a lover's spat.

Lets go for long cycle rides in Richmond park,
we'll see deers in the wild!
enjoy the trees, have a can of juice, maybe even spot a lark!
together in nature be beguiled.

Movie Review: Bobby Jasoos

To begin with, I quite liked the movie :)

In the past I have been often very judgmental and arrogant of my opinion of Hindi-Bollywood movies as they have given me plenty of reasons to be and as Hollywood has set high standards in my mind. If you've seen movies like Godfather, Star Wars and Remember the Titans; watching movies like Murder or Aashiqui 2 makes you want to die. So, let's face it - Its not completely my fault.

Moving on,

This movie in my reserved opinion is rather heart-warming (Yes I shed a few tears while watching it, and No you did not read that last sentence). The movie's plot is based on the protagonist Bobby who dreams of being a private detective and has little professional experience or formal education for the same. Her skills though are commendable. An intuitive mind with fairly thorough database of what goes on in her part of town; her skills are not to be taken lightly. She's witty, persistent and observant. Yes her unorthodox methods don't always come across as the best but they end up paying results which is what matters.

The movie is solely carried by the acting of Vidya Balan. It gets a bit slow in parts but thankfully unlike a lot of hindi movies this one isn't long. Its been well edited to fit into the 2 hour window of entertainment and that earns it marks in my books. The plot gets interesting after the initial bit as there is suspense created revolving around the nature of the mysterious character who hands out money as if its running out of style to Bobby for her services. Many questions are raised and in time answered. Who is this man? Why is he tracking down these people? What becomes of them once he finds them? Etc etc.
The family drama in the movie fits that of a typical Indian middle-class Muslim household where women must obey and honor the traditions set before them by the patriarchal head and 'society'. Personally I din't really like this bit. I feel sad seeing the mindsets of the majority of our population still stuck in their perception of their life as black and white with women either having a place in the household or not. In this sense, Bobby defies many of the stereotypical notions of being feminine and that's what makes her such a strong character. She's an ambitious go-getter who refuses to back down.
Upon the interval where she decides to go against the current and stand up to the 'boss-man' rather than simply be a pawn in the game is when it gets interesting.

No Bollywood movie is complete without a love story these days and this film is no exception. Although, at least there is an attempt made to not make the entire movie revolve around the love story so that earns it marks too. Although the cheesy love song calls for alarm and hence all those marks you just earned have now been subtracted.

Here's where it loses marks for me - the script is rather simple. So if your attentive, you really can make out where its all going. Although as a writer I know how difficult it can be to tell a good story, thats why I never undermine even an otherwise ordinary averagely good story. But when it comes to movies, a director has a lot more tools to express creativity than a writer. Apart from the back-story of mr. mysterious and his reasoning of why he's doing what he's doing - there really isn't anything much you can't anticipate if you haven't been concentrating.

For me the real flavour to the movie was the ending. Not just the mystery unsolved but the way Booby stands up to her father. The dialogue 'Mai aapki sharam nahi, aapki shaan bana chahti huu' really struck a cord with me. The last 15 mins of the movie where everything culminates is definitely the best in this critics opinion and the wait to reach there is quite alright.
The humour in the movie also keeps you occupied and I must say there is quite a bit of it in the film.

So all in all, it ain't a genius movie. It is good entertainment. Vidya Balan - well done. Script - good show. Happy to see Bollywood progressing the way it is. (I am reeeealy hoping this is not a re-make of some English movie coz then I'd really lose a lot of faith).

I would rate the movie a reasonable 6 of 10. Would I watch it again? Maybe. But yes, if your looking for an entertaining yet heartwarming hindi movie with a bit of suspense and drama - this is definitely a good bet.

Enjoy!

Over a cup of coffee

Inspired by True events

It was 8 AM, he hadn't slept all night. The assignment was due at 11, not much was left but he had to get it done. 'You never value words as much as you do when you're typing an assignment' he thought to himself. The word-count hangs over you like an executioner and you the prisoner. Despite 3 Red-bulls, 2 caramel macchiatos, 3 millionaire shortbreads, 2 packets of crisps and 2 sandwiches; energy drained from his body like a cheetah cooling off after a failed chase of his prey. 'Oh, how much more!' He thought to himself. 300 words. 'Hey! That's not much!' a smile upon his face. Wait, Oops - That's the amount he had written. 2700 more to go. What had he done all this while? Well, yesterday evening he couldn't get any work done coz his friends came over and they all got high. The day before that he burnt his fingers on the hob so typing was an issue and he couldn't get any writing done. The day before that he was out with family and he had to do his chores when he got back home, after which he was completely exhausted so he just had to sleep. Despite his repeated efforts, nothing seemed to pull through. He had spent all last night researching the topic so as to produce a good-quality essay. Now it was 8 in the morning and the essay had barely been done.
'I've GOT to do this.' He motivated himself. Like a professional typist he started off. Click, click, click, click, click, he was typing at the speed of light. Words were on the screen just as fast as he thought them. The argument made sense, the structure was strong, the concept - original, it was happening! Beautiful! After continuing with full focus for what seemed like half an hour, he paused to check the word-count. 923. Not bad. He thought to himself. Then he checked his clock - it had been exactly 12 mins since he had started again. A rush of confidence boosted him. '623 words in 12 mins! I'm on a roll!' he reassured himself. Again he started off, this time though a little more calculative than before. A certain rhythm had taken form.

That's when it happened.

Her day had just started. She got all ready to go to uni when she got the message - class is cancelled. Disappointed she decided to take a different route to uni that day now that she had an extra hour to make it to the next lecture. Into Starbucks she went to get a hot Cappuccino and look who she sees to her surprise! There he sat, his face so familiar. She had seen him at uni before. He looked so cute with that haircut and his black Uniqlo jacket. 'Oh!' she felt a chill up her spine. 'You're order ma'am?' the lady at the counter asked interrupting her thoughts. 'Oh! A cap .. cappuccino please!' she replied fumbling. She realized she should not stare, and became extremely self-conscious. She went and sat at a table diagonally opposite him. His table was a mess. My god! How long had he been there? It seemed like he had spent the night there. There were wrappers, used tissues and basically filth all around him. Was he doing an assignment last minute? Hmmm, he had never seemed like the irresponsible types before. Who knew that behind such a pretty face lay such recklessness. But oh what a pretty face he had - 'Oh!' she found herself thinking about them together again.

**Sigh**

'I wonder if he ever notices me.' She thought to herself. The coffee was served. She sipped slowly; blowing at it slightly as it was piping hot.


'I'm getting my momentum, this baby's all mine!' He thought to himself. He had gotten 1203 words. All that reading was paying off. A combination of the reading and his ability to critically analyse and draw arguments was what was being spilled out onto the screen. Suddenly something caught his attention. There she sat, cross-legged, sipping her piping hot coffee. Wow! She took his breath away. Her features striking, that denim jacket looking smashing on her. His thoughts were disrupted. He couldn't concentrate on the essay anymore. 'Serve me right for studying at Starbucks. Why didn’t I just go to the library like everyone else.' he thought for a moment. 'No I have to study. I have to! Its due at 11! F***!!!' He attempted a rescue mission to get his concentration back. It worked initially, but was short-lived. 1500 words. That's all he could do. Well, it's better than nothing. Considering two hours ago I barely had any. 'I'm so tired' he thought to himself. He looked up from his screen. She wasn't there. Disappointed he turned back to his laptop. 'Oh well' he thought 'Perhaps next time'.


'He's typing so fast! My god! Its almost as if he wants to injure his keyboard!' She thought to herself. 'Stupid reckless boy, why didn’t he do it earlier? I don't even think I've ever seen him at the library. Huh, I guess he'd rather study here anyway. Who studies at Starbucks?!' Just the thought seemed insane to her. 'Its a place to get coffee and have a chat not you're office studio! Hmpf!' she further complained. 'He's got way too much swagger to like any decent girl. Especially someone like me! Unless I wear a micro-mini top and some revealing shorts, he won't even blink when his eyes fall on me.' She noticed her reflection in the mirror. 'Oh! My make-ups off, I'd better go correct it. He's busy lost in his laptop, what does he care. No, but it looks bad, I'll go correct it.' She got up and walked towards the toilet without him ever noticing.


'Ah! Nothing like a hot butter croissant and an episode of 'Friends', man can these guys make me laugh! Haha' He thought to himself. He had let the episode buffer online while he ordered the croissant. That was the other reason he liked studying at Starbucks - Free unlimited fast Wifi. Faster than at Uni and no blocking of Torrentz or anything - download what you like - He liked that. When he returned to his table, he didn’t notice it but there she was - back on her seat. He saw his episode and laughed at regular intervals enjoying the food never noticing that she was looking at him all the while - wondering, thinking, feeling. He was too busy lost with Chandler's sarcasm and Joey's foolishness. When he finished the episode, he decided to get back to work as he felt better. Upon returning the plate he noticed her again. 'There she is again. I thought she left?'. Their eyes met and she instantly turned away.

'That was weird' - Both thought the same but felt differently.

'She turned away so quickly, what is she ignoring me or smtng?' - boy
'He's looking at me! Shit! He din't look at me all throughout his laughing spree, why is he looking at me now?' - girl
She turned slowly and looked his way. He was still looking at her. She held his gaze for about 2 seconds before again looking away.

'This girl is weird.' he thought.
'Oh my god, he's still staring.' She said to herself.
'She looks familiar, have I seen her somewhere?' he thought.
She took a deep breath. 'Now now, don't attract attention to yourself. Be calm.'
'I swear I've seen her somewhere, but I can't seem to place her. Damn I wish I knew where I had seen her, at least then we'd have something to talk about. But now I can't even approach her especially after how she just flipped her head 180 degrees like a boomerang after seeing me. Good lord! She probably thinks I'm some creep who’s staring at her boobs or something! Fuck dude, I'm getting out of here. I don't wanna cause a scene or something.'
He picked up his jacket and started packing his things.
'He's leaving?! What?! Why? Is it because of the look I just gave him? No!!! Stop! Don't go! But I can't say that?! That'll sound so stupid! I don't wanna make a scene or something. Oh no, what do I do.'

Once packed he literally stormed out of the Starbucks as if they've just declared a bomb-threat there or something.
'HE RAN. WHO THE HELL RUNS OUT OF A STARBUCKS?! Shit, I creeped him out. I'm such a fool.' She placed her face in her hands and felt stupid. She sipped her coffee quietly, distraught with herself. When it was over, she looked at the empty cup in dismay. It was a sad beginning to the day. She left the cup at the counter - the waitress thanked her for doing her work to which she politely smiled. Looking down, she began walking out of the place.

That's when it happened.

There he was, sitting bang opposite Starbucks at Costa. No food, no drink, just him and his laptop - pretending to look busy. He had been waiting all the while for her to come out. He took of his earphones and began walking up to her. She noticed it. At first she paused, but then she kept up her pace. 'Excuse me!' he called out. She took a short deep breath and turned out putting on an heir of bravery 'Yes?' she replied. 'Hi, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there. I wasn't staring at you or anything, and it wasn't my intention to make things awkward.' he spoke gently. 'That's all right.' she said almost dismissively and half turning around.
'Um, one more thing!'
'Yes?' She stopped and looked at him again.
'Have I seen you before?'
'Um, I think maybe you study at Rohampton as well? Perhaps you've seen me there?'
'Oh yeah! I knew you looked familiar. Huh, right right. Well, Hi! I'm *****!

'Hi I'm *****, nice to meet you.'
They shook hands and smiled. 
'Well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but um, would you like to join me for  cup of coffee?'
She had butterflies in her stomach as he said those very words.
'Sure! But, I just had coffee :/'
'Oh ok, um, another time then...'
'But you can buy me a scoop of Gelato' she said jovially.
The boy smiled.

They were just getting to know each other.
 

The Boxer

A gust of wind,
A ray of sunlight,
The dreamy eyes wake,
Time for the next round of the fight.

He looks into the mirror, A moment of self-refelction,
Reminding him to be strong and patient,
'Your time will come, just keep working and hold on',
A poster of Ali on the wall - his inspiration.

Music in his ears, fire in his belly, he runs,
runs so far he loses track, he was never built for the track anyway,
push up, pull up, push up, pull up - Focus kid! This aint a game of fun!
One wrong move and you'll come crashing down like a leap of hay.

Knees bruised, elbows scratched, eye blue and I don't mean the pupil,
"Keep your shoulders up! Wrists cocked up!" No mercy! Be brutal,
Aaaaaah! He lunges, Ufff, he plunges,
the fight takes it toll, hit, beat up, he sits - catches his breath.

Training for the big fight was never easy,
The rides always tough, only rarely is it breezy,
Eat protein and plenty of carbs! Get your rest son,
Yes Coach! Just three more lifts before the day's quota is done.

The time came when his talent was put to the test,
He was facing all - the worst and the best,
Ringside, every step along the way coach saw the glory begin,
K.O. ! Victory Rizler! He's too fast! So strong and lean!

It din't matter how tall or strong you were, this 'kid' was the formidable force you couldn't stand up to,
Rizler! Rizler! Rizler! The nobody whose name was now on everyone's lips,
A bleeding mouth, one hurt eye, yet he stood, unafraid, undefeated, no boo-hoo,
landed a punch and fractured his opponents hip!

'How do you do it?' They asked him, 'What's your secret?'
'Just dedication and hard work' he replied humbly,
This was true but it wasn't the whole truth,
there was another reason that made Rizler do what he did - It was Bumblebee.

Bumblebee. Oh Bumblebee. So innocent. So sweet,
but the fates had not been kind and Bumblebee was no more.
Rizler was so angry, sadness took over him. He felt defeat,
The incident broke him. Left him like a gaping wound - in need of healing whist still sore.

He had no one but himself to help him get back on his feet,
the journey changed him, he was never the same again.
the boy had become a man, ready to struggle, full of energy, upbeat!
a mixture of pain and hope keeping him sane.

Boxing found him, Coach put a glove in his hand before lending him one,
Coach taught him to dream again, 'You're gonna be BIG son!',
Coach painted the picture, Rizler made it a reality,
 Together they overcame all the hurdles and became an unstoppable team.

Now they travel, rocking the ring, making the arena come alive,
With every punch landing his name into the archives,
Look at him go! In, out, in, out! Slippery like a fish, swift like a puma!
Strong, oh so strong, making the crowds sing in unison 'hallelujah, hallelujah!'

Behold The Legend of Rizler!
It's his time now, Look at him shine!