Author: neoalchemist

A cycling adventure..

We might be going on a 40 mile country bike ride this coming sunday, for Cholsey to Windsor.. as a preparation, I wanted to try out cycling, and more over, it was told me that after swimming, cycling burns more calories..(oh yes! I have a lot of them accumulated as fat!!)

So it was, I borrowed a moutain bike from my friend Rakesh, and planned to bike to office and back as preparation and see if I can do the 40 mile bike ride this coming Sunday. My office is roughly around 8-9 miles from my house.. I reach office in 20-25 minutes while driving.. hence I estimated that cycling should take about one and half hours.

I left home early in my cycle and soon came to know the calories were getting burned.. how else will you explain the burning feeling in my legs, especially thighs?! I could feel my muscles(read fat) working out for me.. I was cruising along as it was not at all hilly from my house till Uxbridge. But then the hills started testing me.

I was not the one to give up.. I tried all gears(ah yes.. it was equipped 3 gears on the left side of the handle and 6 on the right side..) I am still to figure out, which one for what.. I just kept experimenting with gears, till I felt that I will get more exhausted changing the gears, than riding the bike. Uphill, downhill, huffing-puffing, I finally reached office in one hour and five minutes. Getting fresh, I started working.

Seatal soon found out that I had biked to work and started making fun.. But he got serious when he told that the route which I biked to office has had more biking accidents and that I can see lot of cut-flowers kept along the route, where those killing accidents had happened. Bah! I didnt see any, and I am going to bike that way back only.. Seatal was soon in his usual self promising to run over me, if he sees me in the road biking!!

I left office around six in the evening, and biked back the usual route, the uphill started again.. and I could feel the muscles(ok ok..fat) straining.. One uphill was too steep and I halted by the side of the road, to catch some breath., but my breath stopped when I turned left, I saw a white cross buried by the roadside and few bunches of flowers on the cross! Oh god.. after all Seatal was right.. Breath or no breath, I reached home in record 50 minutes!!

Maybe this will be the last of my cycling adventure for now..

The story of a cycle..

Life offeres you so many variety, that you never stop wondering, what more its got behind the curtain of time.

Mandar was reminiscing some of his childhood memories., and he told us the story of cycle.. A cycle is really a valuable possession that you can have while you are in school, in India. I remember the day in my childhood when I was on “fast-unto-death-satyagrah” to get a cycle, and when I really was hungry, went back to my mom, who served me food with a smile.. yes I didnt get any cycle.

Mandar during his school days used to dream about a cycle, so that he can roam around in it. After a long and exausting persuasion, his father agreed to buy him a cycle, if only he will become a topper in the approaching exams. Mandar started putting full efforts behind the studies, after all the cylce was the target. Vivid dreams of cycle would lead him back to his school books, and soon the exams approached.

He was tense giving the exams, but he didnt leave any leaf unturned.. and the exams were over.. after a brief period the results were to be announced.. He waited with bated breath for the results.. Finally they came and on that day he was happy returning from school, after finding out that he had topped in the exams. As soon as he approached his building society, he found a gloomy silence..

He reached home, his father has not come from office yet, but he came to know the news.. one of his building friends had been killed in an accident, and he was riding a bicycle when the lorry ran over him.. Mandar’s face fell, he knew that instant, that he wont get the much awaited bi-cycle any more..

ps: Many other stories were told, during our short dinner at pizzahut tonight!! oh.. yeah.. all interesting..

A dream..

What does patriotism mean?
What does Nationalism mean?

I was reading through the developments happening in Indo – pak relationship. After reading I just let my mind play with alternatives.. and it came up with several different alternatives… The one I liked follows..

Shariff and Vajpayee attend the summit and decide that their problem is not Kashmir or border disupte, but to give the people of country quality life. The other disputes can wait.. They decide to move away from fundamentalism and shadow diplomacy., and address a joint press summit where they declare several things.

They join together hands, and plan for combined military exercises.. this time near Afghan and Chinese border!! (hee hee). Pakistan and India decides to become economic partners and venture into a new experiment.. They get together and formulate an economic co-operation in the area, including a common currency..

They are going to give quality life to the citizens and passport free travel to either countries. Soon the borders wean away and soon they realise that they are under one shelter of humanity!!

Snap!! Time to wake from the dream..

Reality.. Humans are by default passionate and emotional creatures.. War is necessity for peace.. eg..Now the last thing they want in europe is a war!! reason? They have suffered a lot in last two world wars.. War is the catalyst, which speedens up the process of peace.. War makes people realise the futility of war.. But Indo-pak people would love a war.. But they dont realise the gravity of it.. but to feel it they must go through it.

Hmm.. maybe my thoughts are running amok.. Maybe things are the best as they are now.

I still am looking for defenition of patriotism and nationalism..(or are they just humbug?!)

watching the world go by and earth go past…

Its has been a long while since I have gone on a “long” walk. I used to walk a lot and I really used to enjoy those, more so, when the walk is silent, no chit-chat, discussions, just being with oneself., even if you are walking with someone.

I thought that I have missed the magic of walking after buying a car, since all my mobility suddenly depended on millions year old fossil fuels. Though I did not realise it, it also had its share in my ballooning waistline! I had that wonderful walk today, I started walking from home to rashmi’s house, and after reaching there, I walked back, but I didnt head for my home, I went through many circuitious roads before reaching home at around half past ten, as a satisfied man.

I wonder if anyone has tried walking as a hobby? We used to go for walks everyday during lunch time, as our office is by side of a canal, and we used to walk by the canal side, but those used to be really short. Surprisingly, there are countless walking trails set up in UK, along with London Walking trips, but I havent done even one of them. Since summer is here, I think I should go for walk more often., and try out some of the trails.

If you havent tried walking yet. I will advise you to try it. Start in the evening, and make it a pretty long one.. go alone, or with some one who understands your silence.. and watch the world go by and earth go past!!

and life is not interesting?!!!

This interesting event happened recently. My Grandmom is severly ill. She had been in and out of hospital due to health problems. Doctors had given her around a week to live some few months ago, but she has strongly carried on, with the support of my appa, her youngest son, and my amma, her favourite daughter in law. Last time I saw her, she was bed-ridden, but still sound, and actively engaging in chat with me. She had asked me to pray for her death! (Oh yes! Me praying for your death.. keep that in your mind!!). But poor soul, she dosent want to trouble anyone during the old age and wants to die soon, and she asks all of us to pray for her death.

Since my engagement was at Bombay, my parents had to come, along with my eldest uncle, who is the head of our family to Bombay. Since my grandma required continued attention, Kumar anna’s wife agreed to look after her.

My Periyappa(Eldest uncle) was doing preparations to come to bombay, as he came across our astrologer, coming to him with some news and advice. After chatting with my periyappa for a while, he became a bit serious. He finally broke the news to my periyappa.

“The planets conjuction is not that favourable for your mom” he said., “You dont have to worry about her any more” he continued, “She will leave her body before you come back from bombay”.

My periyappa was unruffled., he knew what has to come has to come, and it will be good if Grandma dies peacefully, than getting torutured by the ills of the body. My dad was the next one to get the news from our astrologer.. he gave the deadline of my appa’s return from bombay for my grandma’s death. Appa, being more attached to my grandmom was a bit concerned. But he had to go to Bombay also.

Periyappa and my parents came to Bombay for my engagement, and indeed a news was waiting, when they reached back home! They didnt even reach home before they got the news!! The astrologer was no more!!!

Bang!!

Bang!!

Oops.. isnt this how you come back with a bang!! Oki..no pj’s.. I have been really out of touch with recording my thoughts here.. Well, I had many, but didnt have time to put those in place here. Now I think I will start again.. I have so many stories to tell, but I am good at telling them and not writing them.

So What were you doing all these days?! Well(scratching my head).. umm… was busy.. didnt have time (An excuse which will serve you till eternity)

Busy with what? Things.. career, learning new things.. ah yes.. I learned CSS in less than a day(but anyway its soo simple), then I was rubbing my nose into XML for sometime, got bored when I reached DTD’s.. So left it there, rubbed a nose with a bit of java, a bit of Lotus notes development etc etc

What!! Do you know anything properly at all? Hmm.. good question.. infact a philosophical one.. I will have to think.. but it take time to think.. and oops.. I forgot!! I dont have time.. next question please.

You wont change, will you? Well, regarding change, I beleive that only thing that wont change is change. Well, I have changed a lot..the correct answer will be, yes my mask has changed a lot! And yes, I have to write a lot about change, how life changes, how humans change, society, civilisation and how all these fit into the cosmological order of things..

So now you will be regular in live journal? Hmm.. yes.. planning to.. (praveen and pradeep may kill me If I wont!!).. I am actually waiting for praveen to write his thoughts.. and pradeep to comeout and write his own thoughts as it appears..

do you..: (interrupting).. Enough questions for today yaar.. I am planning to be regular from now onwards.. I had written some entries at home, but then after Writing them, I read through them and they seems to have been more philosophical.. I better go and delete them soon.. I must have written over a page in word.. and I dozed off to sleep leaving my computer running, just to get up after some time, and reading it (and almost scatching my head 😉

but… Aaj ke liye bus yaar.. will be in tomorrow…

ps: Honestly I have a lot to write, about life, death, thoughts hanging in between, impressions, patterns, UFO’s, God, Heaven, India, Musharraf, physics, truth, buddha, birds, dolphins, shaving, red indians, racism, hovercraft, buttons, paganism, three world theory, masks, reality, cooking, vedic theory, Aryan invasion theroy, Theory of Genetic purity, cloud watching, earth, meditation, new religion, satan, jesus, so called father in heaven, blindess, mobiles, mentally retarded kids, Karma theory, mythology interpretation, lying, flying, botany, chemistry, dream theory, Ashtavakra geeta, osho, friends oops..why am I putting all these here.. the list goes on and on.. I will be back..

Glimpses of soul

She always used to smile,
but deep inside her,
a wound was eating her soul.
She didnt have a choice, but to wait.

She hid her scars,
never revealed it,
for she knew, that,
she has to wait.

The scar started bleeding,
when her friend came home,
her child along with her,
her smile widened,
but the bleeding now more painful.

she played with the child,
lest the bleeding increase,
and the scars widen,
She slept with the child,
but she was all awake.

Soon the time came,
the child left her,
the wounds deepened,
blood gushed out
she could feel the void,
a scar deep in her soul.

The Joker, came in later,
the smile was back on her face,
but deep inside her,
a wound was eating her,
She didnt have a choice, but to wait.

Alas, as always,
the joker only had questions,
No answers for her!!