It was not the first time we were going on a trip. We are now a grade above the amature riders as this was our 5th bike trip (Previous ones were Murud-Janzira, Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani & Ganpatipule). Still we were as excited as a 4 year old kid when he is about to get the toy for which he longed for 3 months!
Yes i never experienced such desparation for the rains. Blame it on high humidity content of Mumbai or my excitement to go on a trip in monsoons, i was just too excited. Destination this time? Regarding this Anurag wrote in his curtain raiser.... "The destination yet again is immaterial. Its the fun of riding again ...that has kept me and rathore on the edge of our seats all this week..." This says it all...But for the matter of fact, it was the waters of Kashid, a beautiful beach between Alibagh and Murud. Pretty clean with minimum decibel levels.
As always, we hit the bed late on saturday night with a resolution to get up in the mid-night at 5:30am. As always, both of us ignored the alarm for an extended sleep and for a change, this time it was Anurag who was kicking my ass to get up at 6:10am. It was totally overcast and the clouds were too heavy with the weight of water and ready to pour at anytime. We were out of my flat at 6:30 and it was the time to burn some rubber again (not exactly, weather was too cool for that! ;-) )
Rain gods were not too excited with our idea of this adventure ride in monsoons as if we were challenging their superemacy! They took it as a challenge ..so do we ;-). Barely 3 kms after the start, the downpour started. We were not even wearing out windcheaters! The rain lasted for 3 minutes to be precise. As soon as we covered ourselves,it stopped and we were drenched (Ok.That was an exaggeration..but we were wet) This 3 minute rain ensured that we will remain wet throughout our onward journey although we will not encounter rains anywhere else.
This 3 minute rain didnt hamper our progress. We were zooming on the road in full flow, above us the clouds were making different patterns and below, it was the wet clean road with occassional dry patches. The weather was something which was best when felt.
Just before we reached Pen (58 kms from Vashi) I was feeling the hunger.We didnt have our customary tea before rolling on the road and without tea i am like a piece of flesh without life. We decided to fuel our tanks at Pen. 4 cup tea, 4 vada pav and a plate of bhajiya later we were on road again. Now near Pen, you will encounter strange kind of speed breakers which the sign boards prefer to call as "Rumbling Strips ahead" Believe me, the sign boards should read as "Pain in the ass ahead" You must have the ass of Suniel Shetty to survive that torture. and there are planty of such strips there...dont know what purpose do they serve apart from causing..yeah...exactly..pain in the ass!
Now we have the habit of forgetting one thing or the other. In one trip i forgot my spects somewhere ( since then i am without them! ) on another trip it was the turn of Anurag's gogs and this time we forgot to buy the camera roll. Half of the trip was already over (Kashid is just 120 kms from Mumbai) when we realised that we have to buy a roll. I dont remember the place but fortunately we got the roll from a shop and there itself anurag posed on his bike insisting me to take his snap. I obliged. This was the second time we were traversing this route (first one was during our Murud-Janzira trip) and we made it a point to click the snaps where we took during our first visit. Like one narrow "kaccha road" with coconut trees all around...an off road sea shore...although mud prevented us to reach the exact spot still we managed to click the snaps somehow...
On the road it was total fun...We were enjoying the weather thoroughly and were doing all kinds of tantrum on road. Like this one..He clicked one of my snap in which i am sitting in the middle of the road and when his turn came i clicked when he was literally lying down on the road (Dont think we are mad caps..it was pure fun). We managed to reach Kashid at around 9:30am.
One of our common friend of our engg. days, Abhay, was supposed to be in Kashid during that day as a part of his companys tour. He mailed me the name of the resort along with its website in which he was staying and i comfortably managed to erase the name of that resort from my memory. Remember there was no reliance coverage in that part of india so the mobiles were mere toys. From there on our search of Abhay started. Imagine..no idea about the place where he is staying, no contact number and no mobiles!
PS: Abhi abhi max kaam aa gaya hai and i have to finish it before leaving office...will write the second post soon....Till then enjoy this one...
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
"Book Tagged"
I have already been tagged by Deepak, Rhicha and Ricky and now before anybody could even think of tagging me, i would like to finish off this one. I just love books but seeing the progress of my reading curve, i can easily say that i read in patches. Like 3 books in 12-15 days and then a gap of 3 months! No particular reason for this one.
I am an out and out non-fiction guy although in due course, i have read some fiction too like Lajja and Shodh by Taslima Nasreen, Alchemist and Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho, Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Some one, Segal's Love Story, Puzo's Godfather etc..but the number is limited. Most of the rest are non fiction works only.
I have read a fair share of Biographies..I love to know about someone inside out. This is a long list...have read Hitler's Mein Kempf, Jack Welch Straight from the gut, Kiran Bedi's I Dare, Sam Walton's Made in America, Akio Morita's Made in Japan, Abdul Kalam's etc...and trust me, each and every one of them is worth reading apart from probably Hitler's. I mean how can you expect a moderate guy like me to be in sync with his extremist approach!
Total Number of Books I Own:
Not many...Probably around 20 books here in Mumbai and around the same no. at my native place. You must know the reason if u have spent the engg. days in a paltry sum of money. Buying a book of 250 bucks was really a big deal in those hostel days! and like Manish, i also started buying books after i started earning.
The Last Book I Bought:
4-5 days back i bought Catch-22 by Joseph Heller which i am currently reading. I have read thouands of good reviews about this one so i though of checking it myself. I have just finished 40 odd pages so not in a position to give an opinion about it as of now.
The Last Book I Read:
It was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. A book which keeps burning the desire in you to make it big (moneywise). Although this book can be summarized in 2 paragraphs , it was good to read the whole 250 pages because of the interesting way in which it was written. Not a 'must' read but a 'good' read if money fascinates you.
Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me:
(Its difficult to pick just 5 books from so many but as i have mentioned some of them above, I will try to stick to 5 books here)
1. My Experiments with truth:Mahatma Gandhi -- One of the most honest autobiographies i have ever read. Although even he avoided discussing some of his controversial decisions and stands on political front, i dont think he hided anything from his personal life.. even the mistakes. To write an honest autobiography is one of the most difficult task one can ever have. If you want to learn discipline...read it.
2. Why I assassinated Mahatma Gandhi: Nathuram Godse -- After reading MEWT, i was very keen to read about someone who assassinated the great man. Afterall, Godse was not a petty criminal who killed Gandhi just like that. He was a well learned man with his own ideology and believe me, the book gave us a complete account of his views and at times he is successful in convincing you what he did was correct!
3. Iacocca: Lee Iacocca -- Another autobiography which impressed me a lot. He is the guy who was fired from the post of president in FORD and who later joined Chrysler Corp. He turned around the company and brought it out from the brink of bankruptcy. A splendid read indeed.
4. Train to Pakistan: Khushwant Singh -- A heart-rending story of a sleepy willage called Mano Majra on the border of India alongside Pakistan. Khushwant Singh beautifully captured the human dimension and the emotions at the time of partition.
5. Five Point Someone: Chetan Bhagat -- I know this is the odd-one out here. But believe me, this is one of the funniest book ever written. I mean it was more than successful in tickling my funny bone. Liked it coz it reminds me of my engineering days and my college buddies. and yes...I started writing (blogging) after reading this one only!
Tag Five People:
5 is a small number and there are so many to tag. I guess this queationaire is good enough to compel each and everyone of you to come up with your own list of favourites. So those who are still waiting, post soon..(Look how easy it is to preach!);-)
Cheers...
I am an out and out non-fiction guy although in due course, i have read some fiction too like Lajja and Shodh by Taslima Nasreen, Alchemist and Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho, Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Some one, Segal's Love Story, Puzo's Godfather etc..but the number is limited. Most of the rest are non fiction works only.
I have read a fair share of Biographies..I love to know about someone inside out. This is a long list...have read Hitler's Mein Kempf, Jack Welch Straight from the gut, Kiran Bedi's I Dare, Sam Walton's Made in America, Akio Morita's Made in Japan, Abdul Kalam's etc...and trust me, each and every one of them is worth reading apart from probably Hitler's. I mean how can you expect a moderate guy like me to be in sync with his extremist approach!
Total Number of Books I Own:
Not many...Probably around 20 books here in Mumbai and around the same no. at my native place. You must know the reason if u have spent the engg. days in a paltry sum of money. Buying a book of 250 bucks was really a big deal in those hostel days! and like Manish, i also started buying books after i started earning.
The Last Book I Bought:
4-5 days back i bought Catch-22 by Joseph Heller which i am currently reading. I have read thouands of good reviews about this one so i though of checking it myself. I have just finished 40 odd pages so not in a position to give an opinion about it as of now.
The Last Book I Read:
It was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. A book which keeps burning the desire in you to make it big (moneywise). Although this book can be summarized in 2 paragraphs , it was good to read the whole 250 pages because of the interesting way in which it was written. Not a 'must' read but a 'good' read if money fascinates you.
Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me:
(Its difficult to pick just 5 books from so many but as i have mentioned some of them above, I will try to stick to 5 books here)
1. My Experiments with truth:Mahatma Gandhi -- One of the most honest autobiographies i have ever read. Although even he avoided discussing some of his controversial decisions and stands on political front, i dont think he hided anything from his personal life.. even the mistakes. To write an honest autobiography is one of the most difficult task one can ever have. If you want to learn discipline...read it.
2. Why I assassinated Mahatma Gandhi: Nathuram Godse -- After reading MEWT, i was very keen to read about someone who assassinated the great man. Afterall, Godse was not a petty criminal who killed Gandhi just like that. He was a well learned man with his own ideology and believe me, the book gave us a complete account of his views and at times he is successful in convincing you what he did was correct!
3. Iacocca: Lee Iacocca -- Another autobiography which impressed me a lot. He is the guy who was fired from the post of president in FORD and who later joined Chrysler Corp. He turned around the company and brought it out from the brink of bankruptcy. A splendid read indeed.
4. Train to Pakistan: Khushwant Singh -- A heart-rending story of a sleepy willage called Mano Majra on the border of India alongside Pakistan. Khushwant Singh beautifully captured the human dimension and the emotions at the time of partition.
5. Five Point Someone: Chetan Bhagat -- I know this is the odd-one out here. But believe me, this is one of the funniest book ever written. I mean it was more than successful in tickling my funny bone. Liked it coz it reminds me of my engineering days and my college buddies. and yes...I started writing (blogging) after reading this one only!
Tag Five People:
5 is a small number and there are so many to tag. I guess this queationaire is good enough to compel each and everyone of you to come up with your own list of favourites. So those who are still waiting, post soon..(Look how easy it is to preach!);-)
Cheers...
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
HOT n COOL
Ever wondered why gals are 'hot' and guys are not..err.. I mean gals are always mentioned as 'hot' while guys as 'cool'...These two terms for the two gender goes hand in hand...I know, they are used the other way too...but seldom.
In 99% of the cases we hear of 'hot gals' and "cool guys'. I stumbled on this mystery yesterday and tried to scrath my head looking of probably digging for an answer. But i was horribly out of ideas! Probably bcause there are somethings which are beyond explanations and reasonings! Like this one.. "Why the wives are always called the better half and not the husband!" Ever cared to think about it?
Now let me tell you how this 'hot' and 'cool' stuff struck me.
I was at my friends flat yesterday for dinner when she let out her observation " Yaar tumhaara flat ekdum thanda rehta hai aur hamaare flat main garmi rehti hai..Aisa kyun?" And this was my spontaneous reply " This is because we guys are cool and you gals are hot!" And with this we started our conversation on 'hot' and 'cool'.
If a girl wears her attitude, she is HOT, If a guy does the same, he is COOL.
If a girl wears revealing clothes, she is HOT, If a guy wears unbutton shirt, he is COOL.
I guess it has something to do with temper.
What say??
Thursday, June 09, 2005
.......................
These days, i am not posting as regularly as i used to. I guess i have posted just 4 or 5 posts during the last two months. Any special reasons? NO REASONS. I guess " no reason" is again a reason big enough not to write! Probably i didnt coz life was/is not happening enough to force me to write. I hate to write "not happening enough" but i have to coz these days its actually not happening! I know, nobody goes for bungee jumping or scale everest every other day to infuse adventure in his/her life. Still i feel there is scope for many things that i can stuff in my 24 hrs long day.
Last of my flatmates left day before yesterday. So from 5 occupants just a month back, the walls of my flat are now observing just one soul there! To add to the misery, i have been asked to vacate this flat by 30th June. No No..i am paying my rent on time. But u cannot go against the wishes of the owner! So its time again for the hunt of a new 'palace'.
Last few days were so occupying that reading was on back burner. After Gurcharan Das' INDIA UNBOUND ( a splendid book indeed) i have started a new book yesterday, "Eleven Minutes" by Paul Coelho. I hate to write about a book unless it is finished. So i will restrain myself from writing about it.
Rest all is as dull as you can imagine (or you cant even imagine!)
Last of my flatmates left day before yesterday. So from 5 occupants just a month back, the walls of my flat are now observing just one soul there! To add to the misery, i have been asked to vacate this flat by 30th June. No No..i am paying my rent on time. But u cannot go against the wishes of the owner! So its time again for the hunt of a new 'palace'.
Last few days were so occupying that reading was on back burner. After Gurcharan Das' INDIA UNBOUND ( a splendid book indeed) i have started a new book yesterday, "Eleven Minutes" by Paul Coelho. I hate to write about a book unless it is finished. So i will restrain myself from writing about it.
Rest all is as dull as you can imagine (or you cant even imagine!)
Monday, June 06, 2005
I have been tagged!!
After being tagged by Anz, Ricky, Kaush, Neetie, Preeti, Sum...final nail came from DJ..
So here goes my "THREES.."
THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
My parents and friends kept it simple for me..I mean no silly pet names! ;-)
1.RATHORE
2.GAURAV
THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
Simple again...Never used any fake or fancy name even for chatting...plus no anonimity ever!
1. rathore_81@yahoo.co.in
2. gaurav_r@37.com
3. Maverick
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
C'mon..what do u think...i am brad pitt or what? Even after scratching my head for half an hour, i could think of just two!
1. My eyes..Nobody ever praised them but i like them...They never reflected a lie no matter what my mouth uttered...
2. My hair...there is complete democracy there..I comb them with a frequency like..Once a month (its true). and every hair is free to join any party or move anywhere depending on the flow of the wind! Still i love them!
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
So what if i am not a Brad Pitt! I am still Okay kind of! Again tried hard and i could come up with just two.
1. My height- Yeah..am not AB..So what..even he walks on ground..so do I! So those who think that 5' 7"s and 5'8"s are cute..Pls continue to think that way!
2. My hair- Yeah yet again..sometimes they can take weirdest of look!
THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
Very confusing..still trying..
1. Mera bhartiya hona..
2. Mera Rajput hona..(Now dont think that i go on hunting lions and kill bad guys with my sword every other day!)
THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
I guess the only thing that scares me is FAILURE...Nothing else.
THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Lots of tea or coffee.
2. A news bulletin
3. Am not too demanding..am ok with the above two.
THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
Ek dum official pehnawa
1. Shirt- Black & Gray checks
2. Black trousers
3. Black leather formal shoes
THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
Now here one should be given a chance to write atleast five. Afterall, a perfect relationship is not a matter of 5 things.
1. TRUST ( This is must..otherwise your life is hell!)
2. Complete understanding ( This is not possible)
3. Space (Another important ingredient in a relationship)
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
I love you.
I have never been to a dance bar.
I have seen Ambani's residence.
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
Physical? Do you really want me to write the truth? Okie..let me control myself..
1. Her eyes..I just love them..preferably brown!
2. A good smile..A good smile is enough to steal my heart...
3. Long straight hair...(they appeal me ..but not a must condition)
now give me a waiver here...and let me write the 4th one..THANKS..
4. The way of talking and not just the voice ( I have interacted with gals with sweetest of voices and weirdest of ways of talking!)
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Want to buy a lappie.
2. Want to play electric guitar in front of a jam packed audience.
3. Want to go to Rohtang pass from mumbai on bike.
THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
Bit late to answer this question..I am already into a profession...
1. Traveller..I want to explore all the places..just hope that a travel magazine will hire me for that purpose.
2. Photographer with Discovery channel...purpose is same as above.
3. Still thinking...
THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
Easiest question.
1. Sikkim and whole of north east
2. Egypt
3. Norway
THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:
I love most of the muslim female names.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
Let me limit myself to one again.
1. I want to die as a successful man. (I guess this sums it all..and yes,..dont ask me what i mean by 'successful'. The list is long and cannot be finished in '3 things')
THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
I guess by now everybody is covered...still those who havent..do as soon as possible..Believe me..its far more exciting than u actually think it is.
Cheers!!
So here goes my "THREES.."
THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
My parents and friends kept it simple for me..I mean no silly pet names! ;-)
1.RATHORE
2.GAURAV
THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
Simple again...Never used any fake or fancy name even for chatting...plus no anonimity ever!
1. rathore_81@yahoo.co.in
2. gaurav_r@37.com
3. Maverick
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
C'mon..what do u think...i am brad pitt or what? Even after scratching my head for half an hour, i could think of just two!
1. My eyes..Nobody ever praised them but i like them...They never reflected a lie no matter what my mouth uttered...
2. My hair...there is complete democracy there..I comb them with a frequency like..Once a month (its true). and every hair is free to join any party or move anywhere depending on the flow of the wind! Still i love them!
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
So what if i am not a Brad Pitt! I am still Okay kind of! Again tried hard and i could come up with just two.
1. My height- Yeah..am not AB..So what..even he walks on ground..so do I! So those who think that 5' 7"s and 5'8"s are cute..Pls continue to think that way!
2. My hair- Yeah yet again..sometimes they can take weirdest of look!
THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
Very confusing..still trying..
1. Mera bhartiya hona..
2. Mera Rajput hona..(Now dont think that i go on hunting lions and kill bad guys with my sword every other day!)
THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
I guess the only thing that scares me is FAILURE...Nothing else.
THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Lots of tea or coffee.
2. A news bulletin
3. Am not too demanding..am ok with the above two.
THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
Ek dum official pehnawa
1. Shirt- Black & Gray checks
2. Black trousers
3. Black leather formal shoes
THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
Now here one should be given a chance to write atleast five. Afterall, a perfect relationship is not a matter of 5 things.
1. TRUST ( This is must..otherwise your life is hell!)
2. Complete understanding ( This is not possible)
3. Space (Another important ingredient in a relationship)
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
I love you.
I have never been to a dance bar.
I have seen Ambani's residence.
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
Physical? Do you really want me to write the truth? Okie..let me control myself..
1. Her eyes..I just love them..preferably brown!
2. A good smile..A good smile is enough to steal my heart...
3. Long straight hair...(they appeal me ..but not a must condition)
now give me a waiver here...and let me write the 4th one..THANKS..
4. The way of talking and not just the voice ( I have interacted with gals with sweetest of voices and weirdest of ways of talking!)
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Want to buy a lappie.
2. Want to play electric guitar in front of a jam packed audience.
3. Want to go to Rohtang pass from mumbai on bike.
THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
Bit late to answer this question..I am already into a profession...
1. Traveller..I want to explore all the places..just hope that a travel magazine will hire me for that purpose.
2. Photographer with Discovery channel...purpose is same as above.
3. Still thinking...
THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
Easiest question.
1. Sikkim and whole of north east
2. Egypt
3. Norway
THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:
I love most of the muslim female names.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
Let me limit myself to one again.
1. I want to die as a successful man. (I guess this sums it all..and yes,..dont ask me what i mean by 'successful'. The list is long and cannot be finished in '3 things')
THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
I guess by now everybody is covered...still those who havent..do as soon as possible..Believe me..its far more exciting than u actually think it is.
Cheers!!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Just for the sake of posting...
Let me warn you. This is going to be a very ‘rookha’ post. But it’s high time now to update. Last few days were too hectic plus a little (??) depressing. I was spending a lot of time these days in office! Nice way to kill your life na?
Updates from my end? Okie let me start…
1. I will be residing alone in my flat from 4th June as the last of my four flat mates is scheduled to leave this place on that day. Getting separated from the guys with whom u have spent one or two good years of your life is just not easy.
2. I was about to join a new company in Goa on 13th June. Somehow things derailed at the last moment and that chapter is close now.
3. Attended a few online mini meets in the last few days and it was nice talking to you all although it’s a pain to get the mic work in a cyber café!
4. Planning to pick up guitar again. It’s been close to three months since I played the strings last…
5. Enjoying the emergence of Raefel Nadal in French open. I predicted about him in my post “ Incredible Open” during this years Australian Open.
6. I hate monotonous life..Desperately waiting for the first rains and dying to hit the road for a short trip with Anurag.
7. Hope to write something interesting soon.
Updates from my end? Okie let me start…
1. I will be residing alone in my flat from 4th June as the last of my four flat mates is scheduled to leave this place on that day. Getting separated from the guys with whom u have spent one or two good years of your life is just not easy.
2. I was about to join a new company in Goa on 13th June. Somehow things derailed at the last moment and that chapter is close now.
3. Attended a few online mini meets in the last few days and it was nice talking to you all although it’s a pain to get the mic work in a cyber café!
4. Planning to pick up guitar again. It’s been close to three months since I played the strings last…
5. Enjoying the emergence of Raefel Nadal in French open. I predicted about him in my post “ Incredible Open” during this years Australian Open.
6. I hate monotonous life..Desperately waiting for the first rains and dying to hit the road for a short trip with Anurag.
7. Hope to write something interesting soon.
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