This one is for YOU--------------->>2008.................

My AIM is to post atleast one blog per month... Its high time for me to write one for Dec08 and the last one for the year...Just feel like putting down the various emotions and activities of 2008.....
Let me start with activities first:
>> SWIMMING.... Tried learning it.... But i gave up very early, within a month(can you believe)..... :(
>> BADMINTON... Playing baddy after ages, that too badminton tournament... It was real FUN... More satisfaction was that I burned few calories... :)
>> RAIRESHWAR trek..... Wins the BEST EVENT of the YEAR08 award.....An experience to treasure...So close to nature enjoying the rains and the 'VAADIYAAN'... I felt like the KING of the WORLD.
>> RATNAGIRI.... A COOL ONE....
>> GYMING...although its not even a month that i have started GYMING...Its very relaxing and you enjoy it more if you have company. Plus you get to see some dudes and babes..."Dudes" to "tapofy" and "Babes" to inspire you to get in "SHAPE"..... :)
Now its emotion TIME....
>> Escapism..... My all time solution to problems... But mind you, doesn't work..... You can run from everything and everyone in life but where will you run from yourself....Thats what I tried doing the entire year.... Just to realise that I am still standing there from where i started running.
>> Self destruction.....I think i have developed a tendency of hurting myself..... I tend to buy things which I cant afford emotionally..What a hi-fi dialogue it is....
>> Control.... I just appreciate the self control few people have... NO means NO.... and here I am, my NO always gets converted to HO... :-/What should i blame.... lack of self control or i don't stand by my words.... :(
On the emotional front, I just feel like a loser at the end of 08. In short,I have lot of emotional resolutions to make for 09....Even if I forget, this blog will remind me the KEY improvements areas I need to work on in 09.... :)
So people wish me luck so that I stick to my resolutions and fulfill them.... Wishing you and your near and dear ones a very happy and properous 2009.... Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RATNAGIRI... Ready Steady Go.......

Travelling over night is not a big deal.... as we can just keep on sleeping the whole journey.. But this was a day time travel, my first COMPANY offsite and my first day time travel.Reluctant over the travel hours I still decided to go for the offsite. The bus journey to the destination was simply great. I dint expect it to be so much fun as I was in a different bus than my department people... Played the all time favourite games like Antakshari, Dumb charades, etc... Learnt new game called Coffee-Potting....(A brief overview of the same - all the participants except one will decide upon a action(verb) like - dancing, sleeping, scratching, laughing,etc. The person with DAN has to find out what verb have they decided upon by asking series of questions to the participants. Eg. Suppose the word is Sleeping.... the person will ask..Do u coffee-pot? 1Participant - yes... How often you coffee-pot? 2participant -daily....when did u last coffee-pot? 3participant- yesterday night...So on and so forth....So relating the questions and there corresponding answers, the person should guess the action). The game was real fun....Suddenly our bus halted..... does any journey go without hindrances? But as long as its not the last obstacle in life I am fine with it.... Our bus had broken done.....All we had to do is call back the other bus which had gone 12 kms ahead....Packed like a local train in Mumbai(but mind u....an AC local... ;)) we completed the rest of our journey...... 3 seaters and standing people....
The pain over this was some URDU shayari which was more of bouncer......And people singing ghaati rickshaw wala songs by banging the bottles for background sound..... Finally we reached the destination, THE KOHINOOR SAMUDRA resort.... Place worth the journey.... We actually dint realise that we spend a whole day in bus...Rooms were pre-allocated... Luckily I was in one room with my friend while the rest of the crowd was paired more or less randomly... Got fresh and then ran to the dining hall with high expectations about the food as we were in KONKAN.... :) But the dinner dint turn out to be good..... :( After the meal, gurls deciding about the next day early morning plans of going on beach.....I was damn sleepy...just wanted to get into my bed..Slept peacefully.... Next day morning we went to the beach....I dint wish to get wet...Plus lot of crabs over the shore.....We hardly spend some 30mins over then beach as people were in hurry to go to Ganapatipule.... I dint wish to travel again ....So thought of staying back at the resort itself..Now whats next.... Sitting near the pool and applying sunscreen lotion without costumes.... We werent aware that costume is must to get into the pool....After doing lot of thinking and manipulation( hindi mein we call it "jugad....") we were in the pool.... :) Enjoyed playing water polo with guys.... It was real fun until I was injured and had to take early retirement... :) Dint know much of swimming but my friend helped me my way through in the pool... Thanks to her without whom I couldnt even float... :( Now It was time to come out of the pool...we needed towels... and here was this guy who helped us wid it... And we were like fultoo fida..... Our friends on the pool dint realise that the gals need a towel.... But that gentlemen did!!
Back to the room and suddenly my friend calls from the bath "Can you hear songs in the bathroom?" and I say "No". Next me in bath and I got the point were we can actually increase the volume of songs... dint knew till then that there was in-built(typical IT word) music systems in room.... We were damn impressed..... After bath it was chat time.... As always we again got late for the lunch and the Ganapatipule people were also back by then....
Evening was again adventurous... We thought of going to the beach to get the sunset view....Mind you not walking but we thought of grabbing some means of transport... Since no transport available we had to take some steep short cut.... and then we were at the beach.... Was quite sure that while returning from the beach it would be quite dark to take the short cut and we will be going by road.... But that wasnt the case....It was time to return and boys suggested taking the short cut... It wasnt a great suggestion according to me as it was getting darker and darker..... But still Bhagwaan ka naam leke we started on our way thru the short cut.... Coming down was no pain compared to climbling the way..... what a pain.... Plus me and my friend had carried our cells, volets, towels...bla bla bla which was adding to my weight.... :( Finally we were back and then it turned complete dark.... God saved the sunlight for us to climb up..... :)
Now it was the long awaited DJ night..... Me and my friend as throughout the offsite were the last one's to be at the DJ hall.... But the first one's to take the dance floor.... Once I was on the dance floor...There was no looking back....Dancing my all time passion..... Completely aloof of who's watching and who's not I enjoyed the floor to the fullest... Though the DJ was pathetic we still managed to catch the beats..... 3 hours on the dance floor and I was totally drained out.... But in the end, I simply enjoyed dancing...Totally exhausted I was back to the room at midnite....Wished to extend my stay at Ratnagiri but had to pack the bags... :( Check out time was 8am in the morning....
It was time to return..... Leave the place and carry with us the sweet memories of a wonderful offsite.......Thank to GOD for a safe journey and my company for such a lovely offsite.... :)

Eye Opener Weekend...

I was quite depressed with few things happening to me... Couldn't understand what was wrong with me.....I had promised my friend that I will be meeting him this weekend... Since I am away from home, there is lot of demand for me over the weekends..... Weekends make me feel like a STAR.... :)......Family and friends everyone wanting part of you.... But despite of everyone liking and wanting me so much, why was i feeling so depressed and low... :(

Sis dear had plans for dinner and I also had to meet Mr. Ajo... So we finally decided that we three will go for dinner together....I was physically present with them but mentally not..... I was wandering somewhere else.... I was questioning myself where am I if not here.....I knew the answer...I was missing someone.... :(....I was missing out on the conservation and discussions which were going on the dinning table.... My friend and Sis were getting wild....

Mr. Ajo, my godfather,my mentor and a wonderful friend.... He is always besides me in all the seasons of my life.... Knows what makes me low, what brings smile on my face and what all blunders I do.... :)

Looking at me he understood that I was depressed about something.... Without me having defined my problem, he had given me solution.....Gargi, just stay in the present, learn from your mistakes.... I always live in past or future... :( Not making my present happy...

After the dinner I was feeling so good, revived!!The food then tasted awesome... Being a foodie, I love to hog.... And I just long and love to share these hogging moments wid Sis, Mr. Ajo and the person I miss.... :) Love you all... Thanks for always being there.....

What I missed this year....

For me the new year started when I moved to Pune for my career....Last whole year has been a great learning...
So what all did I miss the whole year---
What I missed the most, MY FAMILY....
I missed ma HOME SWEET HOME, the lake view and greenary in Shimpoli.
I missed ma first company.
I missed building SSiS mappings, filling timesheets, VSS, etc.... (Everything so close to my heart)
I missed travelling daily for 4 hours (which is now compensated by my weekend travel)
I missed Ghodbunder\Powai road.
I missed playing "Mendicoat.." in bus.
I missed chatting wid bus friends all long journey.
I missed garma-garma chapatis and fish curry\fry (which I used to get even after coming home even at mid-night)
I missed hogging Mangoes in Summer and Gaboli fry in Rains.
I missed the Schezwan noodle dosa during snack time on weekdays.
I missed the sudu-ko solving sessions with Mom.
I missed the firings from dad.... :)
I missed the Kastur Park Ganapati ... Dint meet Bappa for the first time since birth.... :( Very senti about it.....
I missed the Ganapati Visarjan for the first time... :( Missed dancing during the visarjan procession...
Last but not the least, I missed Diwali in Mumbai.... something which I am not gonna miss this year... :)Mom has plans to teach me how to make "Pharal..." Hope I learn!!Have taken an entire weeks off to enjoy the Diwali to the fullest in the comfort of home, wid family, sweets and friends..... :)
Wishing you all and your family to a very happy and properous Diwali in Advance...

Raireshwar, My first Trek.....

After wanting to write for a long time, an inspired by a close friend, here comes my first blog.
What an experience it was... Raireshwar!! Till previous night 10pm I had not decided whether I will be making it for the trek.
But at the back of the mind, I seriously wished to go. It was tentative cause of delivery (that’s what i always say and my friends have a loud laugh at it...)
I had my Project delivery!! Had it been any other weekend then my ticket to Mumbai would have been in place if not office.

TREK, the word itself used to take me away...Sheer idea of walking for hours made me tired. Outings are my all time favourite. My definition of having fun till date was going to some resort and chilling out with friends. Walking for hours? No ways... Wondering what people love about treks!! But that was going to change soon…….

The trek was supposed to be a 2 hour journey. so I kinda mentally prepared my self...
People like me have to mentally prepare oneself for such stupid things...hahaha
But when the trek started I was made aware of the fact that it will take 2-2.5 hrs....
I dint mind walking as long as there was no slope and it wasn’t that steep.

After almost two hours, we reached a point where we dint know where to go ahead... I was assuming we have reached the destination.
But NO, our journey was still long...and steep....Then with remote support from our trek - freak friend we got the direction...
And again we are walking and walking and walking............................

Then came the hanging ladder....Just have a look at it.. Scary na!! Atleast from below....And for a person who has ACROPHOBIA (not sure if that’s what we call it..)
But in lay man terms, fear of height... This ladder was a nightmare..

I started with few steps..with my friend having covered them.... I went numb...Thanks to that Raireshwar localite who made my journey complete by carefully guiding me to the top..I just dint see left to right.... Just his hand and the place where his foot landed....Dats all I could see....

Guess what ??? I was the first to reach the top……Hurray !!!!!!!!!!!!!! J
Then I was up sitting there and one-by-one my friends reaching up....
When they all arrived I came to know a different truth, the scary part wasn't the ladder, But the real climb after the ladder!!
With shivering feet, I completed the journey and was at the destination.

All the while I was just thinking how am I gonna make it down..... so couldn't manage to enjoy the lovely food which was served on that chilly hill-top.
I din't wanted to stay at Raireshwar forever... But had no clues how I am gonna make it down.
Special thanks to my friend who I had invited for the trek..... If he wouldn't have been there, I wouldn't have been writing this blog. Thanks dude!!

Raireshwar trek was real FUN........................ It was simply AWESOME!! Gotto know what people love about treks.... :)
Now I am in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHA...with the Trek.....