Saturday, January 16, 2010
Reflections again!!
I had planned to write a year end blog entry on 31st Dec 09. I then remembered a similar blog post I made at the end of 2008.
Re-reading what I had written then made me realize that I always seem to be stuck. The more the things change, more they remain the same!!!! Infact I looked at the draft I had made for 2009 and saw that many things were the same as already posted in 2008. I just hit the discard button and never posted anything.
Here I was, thinking that I made some really crucial decisions in 2009, significant events of life blah blah . . turns out that I am running around in circles, year after year:-)
But definitely, 2009 was a year of HIGHS (10,000 ft above ground)
and LOWS(below the ocean seeing corals)
and LOWS(below the ocean seeing corals)
LOST!!
Prologue:
N woke up to the sight of a rain ravaged beach (same story during the last 4 days); infact the beach was completely washed away! His sunny, lazy, lonely- beach island vacation to Thailand at the peak of the swine flu season had been a damp squib and showed no signs of getting any better.
The good shepherd woke up with a sore back (thanks to the marathon kayaking session the previous afternoon) and pulled out of the trek in order to be ready for the evening’s scuba diving lesson. That left bugger, N and their German friend Chris to join 4 other German tourists and a Thai guide.After a short ride in an open jeep shivering in the rain, they stopped right at the entrance of a jungle and geared up with insect repellent, energy drinks, water, food etc stuffed into backpacks. The group followed a narrow trail which soon disappeared into a dense dark jungle. The rain got heavier and everyone was soaked to the bone; but none seemed to mind coz the beauty of the forest had taken away their collective breaths.
How long were they lost in the dense jungle???
N woke up to the sight of a rain ravaged beach (same story during the last 4 days); infact the beach was completely washed away! His sunny, lazy, lonely- beach island vacation to Thailand at the peak of the swine flu season had been a damp squib and showed no signs of getting any better.
The good shepherd woke up with a sore back (thanks to the marathon kayaking session the previous afternoon) and pulled out of the trek in order to be ready for the evening’s scuba diving lesson. That left bugger, N and their German friend Chris to join 4 other German tourists and a Thai guide.After a short ride in an open jeep shivering in the rain, they stopped right at the entrance of a jungle and geared up with insect repellent, energy drinks, water, food etc stuffed into backpacks. The group followed a narrow trail which soon disappeared into a dense dark jungle. The rain got heavier and everyone was soaked to the bone; but none seemed to mind coz the beauty of the forest had taken away their collective breaths.
Progress was slow, partly due to the absence of a trail and also to give Chris an opportunity to sharpen his already excellent photography skills. The landscape changed fast; dense green forests gave way to bamboos which gave way to vines, interspersed by small & large streams. Intermittently clearings in the woods allowed mist covered peaks to be sighted.
N was getting hungry, when guide announced lunch. But bugger and N hardly ate anything, coz they could not stand the smell of even the so called veg. food guide had brought for them.
Guide then announced a compulsory relaxing foot massage for all. Everyone was supposed to strip down to swim trunks, discard all bags and climb up a waterfall!! Bugger and N being the only non swimmers in the group were totally taken aback, coz they had to swim against a strong current to even get to the foot of the waterfall.
While the two of them were contemplating their plight, the rest of the group had gone across and started climbing already. So this duo had to either follow them or wait with the footwear till the others returned. N decided to take the plunge, bugger followed suit. That was the start of a terrific (or terrible- depending on whom you ask) adventure. They crisscrossed across strong streams by hanging on ropes, diving under rocks, clutching at straws to stay afloat and what not!! 
In all this excitement, no one noticed the raining coming down harder than ever. It was only after about nine-tenths of the way up did they realize the magnitude of the rain, when even the crazy guide would not risk going the rest of the way due to the heavy currents. The group decided to turn back. Very quickly it became apparent that they were in deep trouble. The path they had taken earlier had got submerged under the torrential rain. Wading through the water was ruled out due to the strong current & the hard rock combination. The ropes they had tied across the streams on the forward journey had disappeared. They were marooned!!! There was no way out . . LOST in a forest in a foreign land, without a clue !!!!!
.
.
N was getting hungry, when guide announced lunch. But bugger and N hardly ate anything, coz they could not stand the smell of even the so called veg. food guide had brought for them.Guide then announced a compulsory relaxing foot massage for all. Everyone was supposed to strip down to swim trunks, discard all bags and climb up a waterfall!! Bugger and N being the only non swimmers in the group were totally taken aback, coz they had to swim against a strong current to even get to the foot of the waterfall.
While the two of them were contemplating their plight, the rest of the group had gone across and started climbing already. So this duo had to either follow them or wait with the footwear till the others returned. N decided to take the plunge, bugger followed suit. That was the start of a terrific (or terrible- depending on whom you ask) adventure. They crisscrossed across strong streams by hanging on ropes, diving under rocks, clutching at straws to stay afloat and what not!! 
In all this excitement, no one noticed the raining coming down harder than ever. It was only after about nine-tenths of the way up did they realize the magnitude of the rain, when even the crazy guide would not risk going the rest of the way due to the heavy currents. The group decided to turn back. Very quickly it became apparent that they were in deep trouble. The path they had taken earlier had got submerged under the torrential rain. Wading through the water was ruled out due to the strong current & the hard rock combination. The ropes they had tied across the streams on the forward journey had disappeared. They were marooned!!! There was no way out . . LOST in a forest in a foreign land, without a clue !!!!!.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How long were they lost in the dense jungle???
Did they get back to civilization?
What were the risks they took??
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.
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Epilogue:
6 PM Koh Chang Thailand, 5 Km off lonely beach resort . . . . .
A ragged looking bunch of seven bruised, soaked and half naked men, woman and a kid emerge out of the jungles, some wearing shoes on only one leg, others with only their bathing suits, yet others with torn shirts. One of them breaks off from the group and hurries into the forest on the opposite side; the rest of the group fight off dogs and mosquitoes and begin to count their losses against the backdrop of a setting sun as they wait for the guide to return (with the car’s spare keys)
Martyred: A cute little Nokia 5310
Missing in action: guide’s car keys, shoes, clothes, more shoes (only one of the legs!!)
Maimed: passport (!!!)
6 PM Koh Chang Thailand, 5 Km off lonely beach resort . . . . .
A ragged looking bunch of seven bruised, soaked and half naked men, woman and a kid emerge out of the jungles, some wearing shoes on only one leg, others with only their bathing suits, yet others with torn shirts. One of them breaks off from the group and hurries into the forest on the opposite side; the rest of the group fight off dogs and mosquitoes and begin to count their losses against the backdrop of a setting sun as they wait for the guide to return (with the car’s spare keys)
Martyred: A cute little Nokia 5310
Missing in action: guide’s car keys, shoes, clothes, more shoes (only one of the legs!!)
Maimed: passport (!!!)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Travelogue
asterix's account of our North India vacation :-)
http://asterix-the-gaul.blogspot.com/2008/12/north-india-trip.html
http://asterix-the-gaul.blogspot.com/2008/12/north-india-trip.html
Monday, January 05, 2009
Monday blues . .
Two years since beginning my "working life", I am beginning to feel the monday morning blues.
If ever there was a day I had to drag myself off to work against all my wishes, it was today;
One week on-site in Mumbai.
Two days pilgrimage to my favourite temples.
One week laid up in bed with a fever that refuses to go away.
. . . The monday after all this is really a drag.
But one one reason made me travel all the 26 kms from home to office. It was to check my mail and find some good news about a much anticipated travel. But darn!! The mail completely turned my day ulta pulta. From there on, my enthu for the day's work slid even more. . . .
I somehow managed to escape at normal office closing time without having to do the usual last minute fire fighting work that crops up on most days. . . but that raised a few eyebrows though.
Surprising how, if one makes it a habit to stay longer than mandatory minimum, the superiors in the office give you "that" look on the rare days that you leave along with all the other guys out there who have a life outside office.
If ever there was a day I had to drag myself off to work against all my wishes, it was today;
One week on-site in Mumbai.
Two days pilgrimage to my favourite temples.
One week laid up in bed with a fever that refuses to go away.
. . . The monday after all this is really a drag.
But one one reason made me travel all the 26 kms from home to office. It was to check my mail and find some good news about a much anticipated travel. But darn!! The mail completely turned my day ulta pulta. From there on, my enthu for the day's work slid even more. . . .
I somehow managed to escape at normal office closing time without having to do the usual last minute fire fighting work that crops up on most days. . . but that raised a few eyebrows though.
Surprising how, if one makes it a habit to stay longer than mandatory minimum, the superiors in the office give you "that" look on the rare days that you leave along with all the other guys out there who have a life outside office.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Reflections
"What are you doing tomorrow night?", asked a friend.
"What is tomorrow night?", I asked. Then a fraction of second later it hit me . .
"ahh, new year's eve".It set me thinking (a lot of things do that to me these days :-)).
What the new year means to me. How the new year's eve has evolved over time for me.
The earliest recollection of Dec31st for me is during middle school. Jan 1st always meant the start of school after winter holidays. There would invariably be lot of unfinished winter projects and assignments that had to be completed. So Dec31st was always a hectic affair. Sitting in front of the TV, watching the bollywood stars and starlets dance to the beats of the "hit" songs of the year gone by and writing out that assignment.
Then as I got to high school, I got to partying on Dec31st. The whole family would go off to a club/ resort, stay till the "countdown" followed by fireworks, come home satisfied that we had done our bit to usher in the new year and hit the sack.Somewhere down the line this partying mode faded out of practice. Dec31st had become just another day; Nothing special to be done, no special resolutions to be made and broken.
But as is my wont these days, I could not resist reflecting on the year gone by and penning down my thoughts:
This year has probably been my worst year. I say "probably" because till now I have never though of evaluating an year as good/ bad.It has been a personal roller coaster ride. A lot of highs, some very deep lows and a general feeling of melancholy.
Some very painful memories, painful because the memories are so sweet and now no longer a reality but just a memory. Add to that, the happenings in the world, with faltering economies, terrorism etc and you have the recipe for a perfectly bad year. But as always, there is a glimmer of hope, that with a new day, a new year, a new beginning can be made to control the damage if not repair it completely.
Happy new year.
Quite unrelated to this post but somehow relevant in a twisted way to my feelings right now, I am pasting two poems below;
One,A beautiful poem I received as an email forward and the second, an sms that brings back splendid memories of a slice of life I will always look back at with a great deal of fondness.
Someone Somewhere
A thick haze settles over the ocean,
The horizon turns pink as far as the eye can see.
All creatures hurry back home,
As the sun plunges into the sea.
Someone somewhere made a fortune today,
Someone somewhere lost all that he ever had.
Someone will sleep with a smile on his face,
Someone with a heavy heart will be sad.
Someone somewhere was born to rule,
Someone somewhere was born to die.
Someone today found someone he loves,
Someone has left someone to cry.
Someone's life has changed today,
For some, it was just another day.
Someone somewhere is dumbfounded by his good fate,
Someone has nothing more left to say.
The beauty of this setting sun, Is too divine for me to summarize.
As I sit here and watch the setting sun,
Someone somewhere sees it rise......
-Anonymous
Reflections
A rose is nature's fairest flower,
Each bud in its perfection,
holds promise that a lovely bloom
Will catch the sun's reflection.
"What is tomorrow night?", I asked. Then a fraction of second later it hit me . .
"ahh, new year's eve".It set me thinking (a lot of things do that to me these days :-)).
What the new year means to me. How the new year's eve has evolved over time for me.
The earliest recollection of Dec31st for me is during middle school. Jan 1st always meant the start of school after winter holidays. There would invariably be lot of unfinished winter projects and assignments that had to be completed. So Dec31st was always a hectic affair. Sitting in front of the TV, watching the bollywood stars and starlets dance to the beats of the "hit" songs of the year gone by and writing out that assignment.
Then as I got to high school, I got to partying on Dec31st. The whole family would go off to a club/ resort, stay till the "countdown" followed by fireworks, come home satisfied that we had done our bit to usher in the new year and hit the sack.Somewhere down the line this partying mode faded out of practice. Dec31st had become just another day; Nothing special to be done, no special resolutions to be made and broken.
But as is my wont these days, I could not resist reflecting on the year gone by and penning down my thoughts:
This year has probably been my worst year. I say "probably" because till now I have never though of evaluating an year as good/ bad.It has been a personal roller coaster ride. A lot of highs, some very deep lows and a general feeling of melancholy.
Some very painful memories, painful because the memories are so sweet and now no longer a reality but just a memory. Add to that, the happenings in the world, with faltering economies, terrorism etc and you have the recipe for a perfectly bad year. But as always, there is a glimmer of hope, that with a new day, a new year, a new beginning can be made to control the damage if not repair it completely.
Happy new year.
Quite unrelated to this post but somehow relevant in a twisted way to my feelings right now, I am pasting two poems below;
One,A beautiful poem I received as an email forward and the second, an sms that brings back splendid memories of a slice of life I will always look back at with a great deal of fondness.
Someone Somewhere
A thick haze settles over the ocean,
The horizon turns pink as far as the eye can see.
All creatures hurry back home,
As the sun plunges into the sea.
Someone somewhere made a fortune today,
Someone somewhere lost all that he ever had.
Someone will sleep with a smile on his face,
Someone with a heavy heart will be sad.
Someone somewhere was born to rule,
Someone somewhere was born to die.
Someone today found someone he loves,
Someone has left someone to cry.
Someone's life has changed today,
For some, it was just another day.
Someone somewhere is dumbfounded by his good fate,
Someone has nothing more left to say.
The beauty of this setting sun, Is too divine for me to summarize.
As I sit here and watch the setting sun,
Someone somewhere sees it rise......
-Anonymous
Reflections
A rose is nature's fairest flower,
Each bud in its perfection,
holds promise that a lovely bloom
Will catch the sun's reflection.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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