Hair today, gone tomorrow!

"The best conversations are the ones you have with your inner self."

~ Old proverb from someplace, somewhere

The Prelude: The date is September 17^th, 2011 A.D.

The Premise: My wife wants a haircut at her preferred salon. And she’s asked me to accompany her!

The Problem: I’m scared even before we enter the place. I dread how I’ll spend the next 2 hours.

The following is the transcript of my twitter rant that evening:

So THIS it where it all ends. A L'Oreal salon at Gurgaon where I wait as the wifey gets a hairdo. Occupational hazard of a husband?!

On the brighter side, they've seated me well, served some water and even offered coffee (which I have gladly accepted). And I'm not even the customer!!

Confucious Say: It's good business to treat the husband well if the wife is your customer. The less he complains, more the business you get.

Despite being an Engineer, I never knew ladies' Haircuts could sound this technical. If only I could replay the conversation they just had!!

And compare this to me going to my barber and saying, “Trim it”! That's it. Next 15 mins at his mercy but I always emerge unscathed!

Must admit, some good looking gals here. A pity they all think their hair, face etc. still need a makeover. To me, gals have always looked good!

Gals look good no matter what they do - dress, walk, move. The list is endless. Yet God has ensured they'll rarely feel good about themselves!

My wife looks like a Japanese Ninja with front hair cut, and rear hair flowing. Plus a black robe on, too. Where's the sword to go with it?

The girl sitting nearest to me feels one of her eyebrows have gone thinner than the other during threading. He He He!!!

And now that girl is getting her moustaches done... Threaded, I mean. Girls!! I tell you!!!

Meanwhile thankfully wifey’s haircut is through, finally we can move now :)

Life is a Beach!

The letter B can potentially play a very significant part in human lives. Have you ever considered the possibilities? B stands for Beaches, Beer, Babes, Bikes, Beauty, Brains, Babies, Bangkok, Bali... the list is long!

I thought of picking one of my favorite B-words today: Beach!

Yes, I am a Beach person. Surely, if Paradise exists on Earth, it must be by a Beach. Not a Desert, Not Mountains, just by a Beach.

Now in the 4th decade of my life, I have seen a few beaches during my time- and tonight I feel like sharing some of them... here goes nothing!

Gazing into the Arabian Ocean: Priceless. For everything else, there is Mastercard.

Goa! 

What beach-loving person would write about the Sun & Sand and dare to ignore the magnificent place they call Goa? 

Baga Beach, Goa during Sunset, October 2009

The beautiful Baga Beach can get many a heart beat a lot faster, and it is doubly nice when you are accompanied by Friends and family. The  adjoining photo as well as the one above were clicked at the Baga Beach: A place that represents Goa for just what it can throw at you - Beach fun at it's best! I know a couple who loved the place so much, they spent practically their entire honeymoon at The Baga!

Although The Baga is a pleasant change from the much (in)famous Anjuna Beach (below), both places rock in their own right!

Anjuna Beach at it's rocky best, Goa, Oct 2010

Mauritius!

The Ambre Beach, Belle Mare (Mauritius), Feb 2011

A stunning island country which may force you to contemplate immigration for good. Pristine, unadulterated beauty and the calmest of seas all around, often even up to 2 Km away from land! The country was born out of a volcano and igneous rocks on beaches. A truly mesmerizing experience which needs to be seen before believing. 

The pros of this place are some of the best beaches, a honeymooning haven, brilliant country side, and the creole cuisine. Agreed, you may not get to eat a Zebra or Wildebeest readily,  but Octopus and squids can work your palate equally well, thank you! 

Not too many cons, but yes, be prepared to Buy drinking water even in restaurants - a concept alien to the country I come from. But don't worry too much, the place is worth it!

Belle Mare Beach (Mauritius), Feb 2011

Ile-Aux -Cerfs (Mauritius), March 2011

The title of my favorite beach in Mauritius must go to the Ile-Aux-Cerfs. Truly heaven on Earth. One of those rare spectacles of the planet where the beach offers natural shade, and a waterfall too! Added advantages are multi-cuisine restaurants, water sport activities, and tour operators offering best exchange rates in the country :) :) :)

Thailand!

Sunset at Patong Beach, Phuket (Thailand), Dec 2008

Phuket invariably brings back fond memories to my mind. Being my first trip abroad, the thrill it gave me to explore a new world always managed to egg me on. A complete tourist hot-spot, the entire country is practically painted in Pink, Purple & Yellow. Currency exchange kiosks are scattered like ATMs. Christmas evenings and the nightlife near Patong beach in general, is something straight out of dreamland.

The Andamans

The most untouched, raw, untamed, wild sea beaches anywhere around The Indian Ocean and The Bay of Bengal. The Andamans beaches have consistently been voted among Asia's cleanest and best beaches across travel Magazines. Still developing as a tourist destination compared to other places, the 2-hour Snorkeling experience near North Bay left me and my family for the first time appreciate nature in its wildest glory. Life will never be the same. I realized how we humans are just a small and insignificant part of some higher being's grander design - the organized chaos we call the Universe!

Ferar Beach, Ross Island, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 01, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 02, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Mom n' Dad enjoy a splash at Vijaynagar Beach, Dolphin Resort, Havelock Island, The Andamans (India), Aug '09

Bali!

While we easily lost count of the millions in local currency I spent at this tourist hub during our stay, the only thing I remember for sure is wanting to stay back a few days more. The sunset at Jimbaran Beach, the ethnic Indonesian style lunch sitting by the ash spewing Mount Batur, Shopping at downtown Kuta, the woodwork and arts n' craft displays, the fantastic life size statues and sculptures across road intersections, the tasty food, Bintan Beer, The amazing Spa experience and roof-less bathrooms with lighted wooden flooring with a waterfall shower - Bali is as close to divinity as it gets.

Tuban Beach, Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia), Feb 2012

Thus, as a great man of our times wrote at the start of this post, Life indeed is a Beach! Here's wishing to self and to everyone around that there are happier times to come, yet!

Benefits of finishing your food first

So how does one share one of the world's worst kept secrets? 

Okay, here goes: I am a Foodie. In fact, I'm so good at it, I believe this fact deserves to be put on my CV.

Being a foodie has taught me a lot. They say, you are what you eat. could that actually be true?! 

I love my vegetables, and lest I myself turn into one someday, I must jot down some pointers for ready reference for the D-Day.

Let me list out one of Life's Lessons for you:

#Foodiespeak101:

Eight benefits of finishing your food before others:

1. The food never goes too warm or too cold, it's just right!
2. You never have to share from your plate!
3. You can always ask the others to share some of their stuff (especially desserts, oh yeah)!
4. If it's someone else's treat you stand a great chance of sneaking in a second helping before others finish!
5. You can start concentrating on what you want to eat next :)

6. You don't need to stop eating when the Chief guest at a party has finished his meal!

7. First to Finish the food = First to get the Dessert! (So, no melted ice-creams!)

8. Work out as you eat! Strengthen your Jaws with all the chewing! Theoretically, it's all the taste minus the calories!

Moral of the story: When eating in a group, always finish first. And then go for seconds!

Reflection

/riˈflekSHən/ Noun: A calm, lengthy, intent consideration


2320 hrs

As I go to bed tonight, for some reason I feel pretty good. Good enough to reproduce from my 1998 diary something I penned down in Hindi as an 18-year old.

21 May 1998

10.25 PM 

शाम ढलती है सुबह होने के लिये
दिये जलते हैं रोशनी देने के लिये
साँसे चलती हैं ज़िन्दगी के लिये,
पर क्या दोस्त
बिछड़ते हैं फिर मिलने के लिये?

उस दिन मेरे मन में ख्याल आया,

इतने दिन तड़पकर मैंने क्या पाया?

ढका है मुझपर उम्मीद का साया

कृत्रिम-सी लगती है अब मेरी काया...

तभी चीखकर मेरे हृदय ने गाया,
नहीं चाहिए मुझे यह मोह-माया
मुझको मन की शांति दो
हृदय की एक क्रांति दो
रुह को मेरे सुकून मिले
कुछ कर सकूँ, वो जूनून दो

अन्यथा जीवन निरर्थक है, जीव का अपमान है

जिसमे हो क्षमता मरने की

कुछ करने की, ना डरने की

सिर्फ वही महान है

बाकी सब अज्ञान हैं,

बाकी सब नादान हैं।

~ ©abhi413 / bigbabuleski.blogspot.com

Conviction

\kən-ˈvik-shən\ Noun: A strong persuasion or belief; The state of being convinced

Allow me to recite a small incident from the days of yore. This one is straight out of my 1998 Diary:

x - o - x - o

It happened during our Std 8^th half yearly exams. It was the Mathematics paper. I and my best girl (I'll just call her J), had been allotted the same room and J was sitting diagonally across me in the adjacent column.

Now as you can see we were sitting quite close. I finished my paper (comparatively) pretty early. I was revising the sheets when J signalled she needs some help. I never cheated in exams... and now I was in a dilemma... because if I liked someone it was her. But I wanted her to do it all by herself.
I didn't help her! 

Ultimately, she went and submitted the paper before time, even before me. I'll remember her dejected, sad expression for ever. But my act made me realize one thing: I cared for J in 1992. I might've hurt her, and I didn't feel too great on my act, but now I realize how much it means... I'm glad I cared for her. That's why I didn't help her. But that helped both of us become better persons!

x - o - x - o

Postscript: 

1. J & I remain best of friends today. She has gone on to become a Post Graduate Doctor in Radiology and also an absolute gem of a person.
2. After the Std 8^th results were declared, she thanked me for not helping her. She bagged the second rank in class. The topper of that exam just wrote this blog.

Achievement

It's 28th February again! My Birthday! But this year it is different. In less than 50 days time, I am supposed to somehow turn from an ex-geek, Playstation wielding, Food gobbling, Vacation loving, Comics craving, humor-seeking guy next door into a doting, responsible father to a young one.

The signs are ominous! I turn 33 today, and guess what? So did my young one, who turns all of 33 weeks today, too. And I thought I wanted to follow Dad's footsteps!

So I am supposed to suddenly convert into a supreme being who is looked up to for inspiration, for guidance, for support and oh, with respect.

The kind of Respect only a Big Daddy can command!

Imagine the situation I'm in:

I know that respect is to be earned, not demanded. But to earn respect, one needs to have at least achieved something. Now when I ask myself, having spent 33 years on this planet, what have I achieved? I know it's not Money! It's not my Friends! um... actually my only one true achievement is the most basic thing that I could have ever done. And that's fathering a baby!

Hey, I wasn't born to be an Engineer! I wasn't born to be a hot-shot Marketing Manager either! Or even a Tech-savvy geek!

In a nutshell, I finally understood today that, I ended up achieving something which I was destined to, without even striving for it. Life is so fickle. For a guy who avoids emotions, I feel rather overwhelmed as I go to bed tonight. It's as if I am just playing a small part in the grand scheme of things concocted by a superior power. A power as supreme as the one that gave me my own life to begin with.

And suddenly today, I respect my Dad one hell lot more than ever before. He's an achiever too, I know!