Why has there been no blog updates from your side??

This curious question posed by my office colleague, made me think and as you can see now - write! thanks man :-)

well the reasons are many (of this unblogging streak):
1. Not much interesting has been happening in my life these days.
2. I did not very well in CAT, third year running (maybe my last go at this national hobby).
3. I suddenly seem to have lost interest in the fairer sex (not because i watched dostana guys!). Still thinking why...
4. Will 'the pursuit of MONEYness ever end'? This tricky question is bothering me a bit more these days!

And even if you take away these reasons: Should I be writing about the terrorised Mumbai - the unwavering indifference of the politicians about this grave national problem, the shocking remarks of the Maharashtra CM etc. etc.?
Or about Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore.............
Will anyone listen???

Should i write about India's 5-0 triumph over England (to cap the Aussie demolition), or the timely/untimely Kumble/Ganguly retirement issue?

Well, if there was anything i would have liked to write about, it was "Dasvidaniya". Loved this movie inside-out :-)

My 10 things to do:

1. Make my life interesting enough
2. Move over CAT, there are better things in life than cracking it
3. Re-generate my lost interest in MISS UNDERSTANDING
4. Money is not everything, but it sure is many things :), so let the pursuit continue...
5. If i can't make the politicians to do something, why not try doing a little myself, to make my world atleast a safer place!
6. Eat Cricket, Sleep Cricket..!! Not exactly this, but keep following the gentleman's game, and not think much about the gentlemen gone!

That makes it 6! What more...........

7. Watch hell lot of movies (or should i say continue watching them!!) Saw 5, Burn After Reading etc. Bring them on :)
8. Celebrate life@EVS
9. Celebrate life@house no. 20
10. Stay HAPPY :D

Not a bad-list i guess guys!

P.S. What's your 10 things to do?

The hunger has returned to this CAT aspirant...
It never really left!

We dream - All of us do. A 10-year old schoolboy dreams of a 'Very Good/Excellent' remark from his teacher; A 12th standard science student dreams of making it to an IIT; A final year engineering students dreams of a good job; A beggar dreams of having sufficient food/shelter and clothing; Parents dream of their children success; A movie director of an OSCAR nomination/win and so on...

Similarly, We - the occupants of House No. 20 (Mr.H, P, V, J, D, RG and RK) also have multiple dreams. Some fulfilled but most of them not quite! Being different personalities, we also differ in our goals and our means to achieve them. However, among these dreams unlimited - there is one which is close to everyone's heart. Well you got it wrong this time - because if you answered CAT (misguided by the first line here), its WRONG! Because what I am referring to is something else - the unending search for the fairer sex :)

Yes, its the same old thing - again & yet again! Even after a year long of persistent efforts, nothing much has changed - Alas!

Mr. H is an exception ofcourse, but then the ladyluck had smiled on him long before he decided to oblige our flat with his estemeed presence. The rest six are still in a 'state of deprievation'! However, few of them have indeed covered some ground for sure!
Q. Will Mr.H crack CAT or FMS this time for his galfriend.. errrr.. i mean for himself? ;-)

Mr. P is the leader of the race in every sense - mocks have started clicking for him and so are the ladies, the good news may not be very far away now. Atleast, all of us are banking on him to break the jinx. Dont disappoint us buddy :)
Q. Which MBA will Mr. P be doing first - Master of Business Administration or Marriage Before Anything?

Mr. V never puts a whole-hearted effort unfortunately. Actually, he is too busy with other important things in his life. Planning his life for one and Reading 'The Hindustan Times' for another. Hey but many thanks dude for making me situp and blog again!
Q. Will Mr. V ever give the much-needed attention to the opposite sex or to Hindu or TOI? Or whether he will continue planning his and others life?

Mr. D deserves to have this dream converted into a reality - everyone agrees to this school of thought. But for those mental-blocks of this most-qualified engineer here, he has also failed (atleast till now). But then he does not give a heck to it either! He used to do so before though (and a lot of thought to this :)). These days he is also Wi-Fied to the net connection, helping Mr. J out.
Q. Simply put - Why doesnot Mr.D have a galfriend yet? Why and more why's? Or is this engineer, biker, comp-guy etc. looking to turn-it-on this november?

Mr. RK is the latest addition to our flat. With an ever-widening smile on his face, this IIT-K dude is preparing for CFA second time - all geared up to crack it big-time! As for the quintessential dream - he is mostly seeking tips from Mr. P and Mr. J to make some headway. Lets see how far you can go man - you may win where others have lost!
Q. When is the next time Mr. RK getting bumps from his loving flat-mates? Dont worry people - he simply loves this gift from his friends (time and again!) :)

Mr. RG - Now this gets a bit emotional. Since the time has come to bid adieu to our very own yogiraj, come october-end. After rocking EVS for over 15 months, this never-say-die guy has finally decided to call it a day. I think EVS will lose a very talented analyst, but this loss is nothing when compared to the VOID which will be made in our flat, our hearts and our minds! All those good-old memories keep coming back to me again and again. Hey no more love-lost crap now guys - Kolkata is not so far and we will always stay connected dude! :-)
Q. How many of us will join Mr. RG in the IIMs next year? (I hope all of us)

Mr. J is back to doing what he knows best - blogging! Yes, i absolutely love this thing (despite frequent bouts of unblogging). Lately, i am also trying to achieve 'dreams unlimited' with my limited capabilities. Yes, the hunger has well and truly returned now :)
Q. Will the super-seven kill Mr. J for letting the flat secrets.. errr i mean family secrets out in open?

I will be back with the answers soon! Till then:

GOD give me this courage to fulfill my dreams... to achieve my goals... and to become happy and then supremely happy with-in!!
:-)

If you have not spent the better part of your existence on earth (23+ years in my case at present) – sleeping and eating (Ah! How I wish those luxuries!!), chances are you must have had an eventful time here. And so there must have been questions that life had asked of you or even vice-versa, which painfully for you are still left unanswered. Well, at least in my case there is indeed a long-list comprising of few intriguing questions! How many of these can you answer guys? Here we go:

Ø The Office ones –

o What do you do with a vending machine, which is 24*7 “under maintenance”, so much so that even the nearby washrooms are under the same effect?

o Where do you hide on your Birthday, when you know that your face, head, neck etc. would be lovingly smeared with the cake in the evening? And which new excuse do you make to avoid the b’day treat that costs a fortune?

o Which of the following things do you give top priority when faced with an urgent situation: An email from your project manager asking for an urgent meeting to discuss one’s performance, A phone call from a distant friend who needs your help big-time, An instant message from a close friend asking for a quick 5 min. coffee break?

o How do you know whether your boss is in a good mood or not? Has it got anything to do with the way he/she speaks or interacts with you?

o In the rare case that you are able to complete your work on time, do you pretend to look busy on your PC or do you start playing games or do you ask for more work?

o What excuse do you make to a female colleague who suddenly comes at your desk when you were checking a ***Careful*** mail?

o When your cell-phone rings in the middle of a serious meeting with a cheeky ring tone, how do you react?

o How do you handle the parking guard in the basement when he tells you (in not the politest manner) that the bike parking is already full, when you are already running late for the office?

Ø The Flat ones –

o Is there anything else to talk other than office cribbing, office woes and the escalating “work-life” imbalance?

o Oh I forgot, yes there are ofcourse the pretty gals in the workplace. But what if they don’t give you a damn and most of them are committed?

o Movies, Cricket and other such blah blah blah……. Is there any end to them?

o Do you bang the doors of the bathroom (till they almost break-up), to let your flat-mate know the urgency of the matter or do you patiently wait outside for your turn (unlike hostel-times)?

Ø The Personal stuff:

o With almost everyone around you, seemingly enjoying with a good-looking girl, do you think it’s a necessity to have a girlfriend now? If YES – what are your next steps? If NO – it’s the same old story………..

o In the monotony of everyday life, do you feel the need to try something different? Even thinking about doing it is different I guess! Any ideas here?

o After almost 20 months since my first rendezvous with CAT, how do you stay motivated to finally crack it big-time? More so, when the mocks have already started mocking around with you………….

o How often do you go home or really feel that deep urge to runaway from professional life to relax at home sweet home?

o Do you dream about your screwed up future if things continue to linger on as they do today? Do you believe in these dreams? Do you constantly think about CHANGE?

o Is ‘Maybe’ the answer to most of your questions than a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’?

Well, I think this would suffice for a start. And I assure you that this is only a small piece of the pie called ‘Unanswered questions’! These are the ones that came to my mind randomly, and hence are put in that fashion.

Frankly speaking, this was my way to finally Un-blog myself after a long time and on frequent requests of my dear friends!

Yup, its time to get back and start writing again………………….

One last question: Do you think that the Federer-era has ended and its Nadal-time now after the stunning Wimbledon final?

Questions – Unanswered?

Yes, I have finally decided to take the plunge, to venture into mysterious territories, to understand the opposite sex... By far, the most complex thing in this world (atleast for me)!

My equation with our fairer counterparts (though in terms of fairness, even I could give most of them a run for their money :-)), has been very interesting, ranging between the extremes of sheer joy to bitter annoyance.

As far as my memory goes, my first crush goes back to school-days, 6th standard to be precise, during those good-old Jammu days! The gorgeous'Shweta' (name not changed) used to sit with me in the class. I can describe her as my crush
only now, since at that time I was completely unawares of this amazing feeling that engulfed me all over. We were good friends, but deep within me I knew there was something more to this than just simple friendship (atleast from my side).
Whenever I wanted any help such as completing my homework, preparing for exams or even asking for a new pencil. It was always 'she', whom I would care to ask! She was intelligent, nice and very cooperative. And I was slowly but surely attracted towards her. I will always regret the fact that I could never understand her feelings for me and she never elaborated on them too. I guess, we were still too young to comprehend these hormonal imbalances.

As I grew older, moving to higher classes from Jammu to Dehradun - my mapping with girls also witnessed a gradual change. Well this had much to do with the structural changes and passionate desires of the teenage world. To add some masala here -
'Udita Goswami' (the bolly bomb-shell) used to be my classmate in 8th standard at DAV Public School, dehradun,albeit only for a month, though it may surprise you that I never liked her a lot, then!

And then I met 'Aditi' in 9th standard, and my world changed (for few months for sure). We used to travel together in the bus. She was in a different section & though we never interacted a lot, still I relished her company very much.
I was always searching for her face in the school assembly line and then during that 30 min. lunch break, before finally making sure that I manage to sit with her or could atleast see her in the bus, on the way back. I used to be a very
shy guy then and was incapable of expressing my feelings towards her. And this relation also grew hazier day by day, finally vanishing once I reached the board-examined 10th standard.

KV ONGC was my abode during 11th and 12th standards. And during these two years, my attraction towards the "misses" started to diverge. Because now I was fatally attracted towards innumerable girls rather than only one or two, like in earlier days. My friend circle also included guys with similar state of mind, and we started evaluating every single girl on her merit. Days and then months passed, and I was still intrigued by the mystery of the opposite sex.

And then something 'big' happened! I was in 12th standard and had just topped in the English unit test amidst a strong competition in my 45 student class. Naturally, I was in high spirits that day and then 'she' came!(Well, now I will
no longer be taking any names, what if my crashes track me here :-)) 'She' was the prettiest girl in our class. I was sitting with 2-3 friends, and then 'she' approached my desk...

SHE: Congrats Jitin!!
ME (almost dumbfounded by this shocker): Oh Thank you so much..
SHE: If you dont mind, can I take your answer-sheet for a minute, just to check my mistakes..
ME: Sure, no problems at all yaar!! ( I am sure that was my first reference of the 'yaar' word to the "misses")
SHE: Thanks a lot!

It was a 2 min. conversation, but it changed everything - from my identity now as a real 'stud' in my friends communuity to my attitude towards girls. I was more confident than ever now!!

School ended and so did my crushes.. Because then I moved to college.. and from then onwards I only had crashes :-(

Yes, during the last 5 years - I have met many gals.. But understanding the MISS has gone from being tough to almost impossible.. Have a look at the "misses" in my life and you will understand why:

Miss A thinks she is the most beautiful girl on this planet.. So game over here!

Miss B flaunts her assets like a would be Mallika.. Not my type!

Miss C is of the opinion that she has Einsteinic intelligence in her genes, whatever she says must be the truth.. I am always some distance away from this species!

Miss D thinks I am flirting with her, if I send her a simple friendship sms at 10pm in the night.. My goodness!

Miss E goes a step further.. She replies with an emphatic NO, my parents dont allow me to talk with guys, when I ask for her cell no.. So I never ask her anything!

Miss F thinks that I am getting a tad too close, if I wish her Birthday 4 times (orkut, email, sms and finally phone)within 4 hours.. My mistake this time!

Miss G can play the sms game really well, which goes on for hours, but talking on phone is a cardinal sin for her.. So I remove her cell no. too!

Miss H already has a boyfriend.. Wrong choice!

And the list goes on...

But, as with most of the things in life, here too there are a few exceptions...
There have been few "miss"es- which I have not missed to understand. And they have continued to be great friends all this while (but nothing more)!!

"Mademosille" (as I call her) during college days and my buddy across the border are few examples :-)
But - Thats it!

As I am still clueless about the rest 90% of them..

Love them or hate them, but you can't live without them!

They say: "People come into your life for a reason, season or a life-time"...

And how true is this quote.. For many gals have entered into my life for some 'reason'.. some others have played with my feelings for a 'season'. But I am still looking for the MISS UNDERSTANDING! (who understands me completely)..
And comes in for a 'life-time'!!

The search is ON...

Anyone interested.............................

This is to humbly inform all those great souls who take out their precious time to visit this space or used to do so earlier.. (not that there are many):

I am still alive (though not kicking) on blogosphere..

And I would be back pretty soon with my "life-time thoughts" :-)

Well somethings are keeping me busy these days, especially the LNP effect!!

More on that soon....................

So what’s the next big thing in Bollywood?

Well, its not SRK, not even the director-perfect AK and not even the beauties on the silver screen…

If you ask me, it’s the awesome twosome of Ranvir Shourie (RS) and Vinay Pathak (VP) which is taking the Indian cinema to dizzying heights these days…

Be it the ROTFL extravaganza called ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’, where RS-VP were at their hilarious best albeit their cameo performances!

And then came ‘Bheja Fry’, which left us laughterstruck, inside-out :D
This drop dead comedy turned out to be a VP show all along. But nobody can forget the funny income tax guy RS, with his unbelievable accent, that had us craving for more yet again!

With ‘Mithya’ – the deadly laughter duo have stamped their authority in full throttle. For the truth about ‘Mithya’ is, like all top-notch movies, it makes you think and then think more! The combo has certainly moved a gear up with this wholesome movie. Yes they are indeed the masters of the laughter game, but ‘Mithya’ proved that this bunch of naturally-gifted actors has more to offer to the Indian cinema. This Rajat Kapoor directorial venture has unleashed two of the most talented bollywood actors, at the peak of their powers!

As long as this RS-VP combo keeps the Indian cinema enlightened, Bollywood is surely alive and kicking!

Think RS…
Think VP…
Think laughter…
And now think more…

The ‘WOW’ combo is here to stay…

What next?

This is the story of our ‘gang of EVS’ – rocking gurgaon at present!
Story of 6 flatmates staying in House No. 20…
Of there sky-high dreams, screwed up office lives, how they sometimes get along and sometimes don’t, and how all of them are – same same but different!

It all started with that legendary ‘Talwar’s PG’! Our unforgettable stay in that place, which brought all of us together! As ‘united we stood’ against the sometimes foolish & sometimes wicked actions of the haughty landlord.

The Gang finally found peace and satisfaction, after a gigantic struggle – when life became mayhem and confusion ruled the roost. Finally, culminating in our Sec-15 flat. After a fascinating 4 month stay here, I present before you – ‘The Super Six’: Unplugged!

Yogiraj a.k.a Ritesh

Being my room-mate is not easy. But this not-so-typical IIT product has somehow managed to bear with me till now. And that’s simply because this – past IIT cracker, present EVS cracker and would be IIM cracker (99.26 this time!) adapts everywhere and fits into every group naturally. He is the driving force behind this blog! Always inspiring me with his critical and supportive comments. And though he may not be the best roomie (in terms of cleanliness), he sure is one of the most helpful & caring people around.

USP: The guy is a die-hard yoga-fanatic.

Yogiraj has a CATty relation with rickster, a close affair with CCD, and is a great fan of – ‘punjab ke puttar’ ;-)

CCD a.k.a Varun

The most mature dude of us all. He does almost everything like a business analyst – in a logical, rational and a calculative manner. And I really like him for this attitude. But the other side of this NSIT engineer is even better. Because he can be an all-out fun loving guy, when the watchword is enjoyment. CCD keeps everything simple and clear. Never afraid of taking an initiative, he is sure to excel pretty soon in his next mission – IIM possible! (We are both together in this dude) :-)

USP: Why we call him CCD? Because he is the Call Center Dude (no offence meant!). And ‘The Super Six’ know the story behind this name.

CCD is the room-mate of rickster (but they are sometimes poles apart in opinion), as I said before – shares a close bond with Yogiraj, and loves – ‘punjab ke puttar’ :D

Rickster a.k.a Rishabh

A four-digit number should be enough to describe him – 99.99 in CAT’08.
And he deserves all of it. The eternal CAT smasher (cracker would be a mild word) of our flat. And there is more to him – a die-hard cricket fan in particular and sports fan in general. The guy always has a humorous quote up his sleeve. He targets one of us on a given day and if you are on the receiving end, then may GOD help you! (He started with ‘spoc’ , then aimed at CCD, but alas the focus has shifted to me these days!). May the almighty bless us all from rickster’s not-so-funny PJ’s…

USP: You know who nick-named him ‘rickster’ – The man himself! And nobody else calls him by this name…

Rickster adores his fellow NSITian, discusses CAT stuff and more with Yogiraj, used to have some serious phagwara fights with spoc and is simply in awe of Goganeshwar!
And we share a common dialogue: Halla Bol :-)

SPOC a.k.a Pawan

Mr. Lightweight happens to be my fellow thaparian! We shared a pathetic PG house during our early days here, then shifted to Talwar’s PG and are again together here. The planner of our flat – he is unarguably the best person for this job. This ‘Punjab ka Puttar’ shares his room with Goganeshwar (the other ‘Punjab ka Puttar’!). He is also the landlord aunty’s favourite. And one of the ‘lucky two’ to have the ‘badi wali’ damsel on his orkut friend-list! (No points for guessing who is the second-one :-)). He takes life by the smooth handle and is one of the very few no-regrets-guy around. Keep it up buddy!

USP: He is the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) of our group!

SPOC simply loves Goganeshwar (different from CCD-Yogiraj affair), and is great friends with everyone else.

Goganeshwar a.k.a Dheeraj

The most desperate of us all (No offence meant!) – when it comes to a relationship with the fairer sex. He wants them and wants them fast! (‘Chhoti Wali’ – Beware!) So much so that he even interferes in other’s affairs. Jokes apart, he is one of the most talented guys in our flat. A true PEC engineer in every sense. He can fix anything and everything. Very health conscious with his ever bulging stomach these days :-). The best biker here and the only other non-vegetarian around! To me he personifies the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”! He is every bit my great friend!

USP: I don’t exactly remember how he was named – Goganeshwar. But it does not really matter. The most hatta-katta dude here! This ‘Punjab ka Puttar’Rocks!

Goganeshwar loves Spoc, is at his ‘desperate interfering’ best with Yogiraj, is not afraid of rickster’s PJ, and is a fan of CCD.

Pinki a.k.a Jitin

First things first – Don’t read much into this nickname. Its only because my dear flat mates think that I become pink and even reddish in colour most of the times (Though I don’t give a damn to it!). Of course I can’t go singing praises about myself, but I think I am an average person trying to achieve my dreams – whatever it takes to fulfill them!

USP: I think I am the only blogger in this group! (That’s because I have nothing better and more fruitful to do) :-)

Yogiraj still rues that moment when I became his room-mate, CCD is going to kill me for publicizing his nick-name, Rickster is going to ‘Halla Bol’ against me for all that PJ talk, SPOC may very well disconnect me from this group – sooner than later and Goganeshwar is desperately searching me now as if hell has broken loose. Infact, I am becoming reddish-pink!! So I better run-away now ……………

P.S. There is more to “The Super Six” and this is only a brief insight! And I would like to hear from all the other Five at least – How was that???

No guys I am not ‘that’ famous as yet…
But I recently had my 10 minutes of fame, courtesy: Yoga and NDTV.An intriguing combination indeed!
It just happened and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands :-)

As a matter of fact, I have been attending the yoga classes in EVS over the last one month or so. Partly, to stay physically fit and partly as a refreshing time-out from work. Then came the pleasant surprise: NDTV people were going to shoot our yoga session (which they did for around 30-35 minutes). We all were on TV (Wow!!). As all of us left the yoga hall one by one, I was the last man standing there. Then came my ‘moment of fame’. One of the guys politely asked me if I would oblige them with an interview on the “Benefits of yoga”! How could I refuse the irresistible offer? With an emphatic ‘Yes’ , I headed straight for the mike. They assured me that this interview would be telecasted as part of their weekly show on ‘Yoga and Health’. I was delighted, but not sure whether I would catch the show on TV (what with these horrible power-cuts in gurgaon). So I asked them a favour: Please click photos of mine during the interview!! Well, they seemed more than happy to return the favour. And then IT started:

Q. Hi Jitin.. Welcome to the ‘Yoga and Health’ show on NDTV. So how are you doing?
A. I am doing great.

Q. So can you tell all of us how does yoga help you?
A. Well it’s the perfect stress-buster for the body and then all blah blah blah…

Q. Does it help you in coping up with the workload in office?
A. Yes absolutely. Infact, in my opinion it and then blah blah blah again…

Q. So would you recommend it to people working in the corporate world?
A. Yes why not! And again all that blah blah blah…

Thanks a lot for your time Jitin.
You are welcome.
And this was ‘THE END’ of my rendezvous with NDTV.
I was on cloud no. 9
And with all those fantastic photos, that ‘top of the world’ feeling engulfed me all over.

P.S. I missed the show on TV (power-cut again!!). But those precious photos would be there always :-)

Well its that time of the year again…
And do what you may, but you can’t run away from the CAT hoopla!
I tried my level-best to stay cool and composed…
But that eerie feeling is back again…
The feeling of déjà-vu…
Not even being close this time…
The feeling of CAT cracking me again & not the other way round :-(

And being in EVS makes it all the more harder to digest this fact!
With calls pouring from all sides and people reaching the zenith of percentiles, for once you start questioning your ability amongst this elite group!
Am I not good enough? or Is it that bad luck again?

And having flat mates scoring 99.99 and 99.26 percentiles does not help either!!

I could have…
I should have…
I would have…
But I did not!!

And its next time again…

On a brighter note:

Hoping to be ‘third time lucky’ :-)