Anoop - 'The Incomparable'

Bachelor's Trip to Kodai

incomparable — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:42:00 GMT

One of my most recent most awaited trip of the year. It was long 5 years before we went for a trip. Hemanth, Gopi, Gopal, Kamal, Vimal and me boarded Pandiyan Express train on a Thursday evening from Egmore Railway Station. A small good team started off to Kodai. With lots of excitement we started the trip. It was a tough job to get my parents agree for a trip like this. But somehow I managed to get permission for the trip. Just before leaving to the station, I went and met her at Creamy Inn. It was after a long time that i was leaving her alone for 4 continuous days. Ya I was feeling bad and I missed her too. But the trip had to go on well, so I had to get back to my fun trip shoes, to get this trip started. We met and had ice cream and she dropped me at the station. This was something that never happened till date. It was me who would always drop her and this feel was good.

The train left the station and we were all very excited about the trip. But hemanth was very upset by the behavior of Kamal and Gopi. He had a very long face and did not talk to us for a very long time. It finally took time for him to get back to normal. Kamal and Gopi had gone to a bar near the station and had boozed and they were in full swing. So this irritated the others as the other were not getting well with the mood. The journey continued and we slept after having our dinner.

The next day early morning around 4AM we reached Madurai Railway Station. I had already booked a cab from the station to our resort in Kodai. So we to a tea shop near the station and then proceed to the car park to meet the driver. The driver took time to get freshen up as he was sleeping all night and we had to wake him up. So once he got freshed up, we started to Kodai by road. I liked the journey. It took nearly 3 to 4 hours for us to reach Kodai. We went to the resort directly. It was a good place, the climate was not so cold as we expected. The resort was already occupied by some Kerala tourists. So we had to wait for a couple of hours for them to vacate the resort and get it cleaned.

After settling down we got ready to go for our sight seeing.

Ya I was a bit upset, because everybody was so sluggish and did not want to go for sight seeing. Gopal got ready and he accompanied me for the sight seeing. Finally we had to push everybody to get ready for the sight seeing.

The breakfast was ready and we had our breakfast and started our sightseeing tour. The cab driver was ready with the cab and we went to some real good places. Deep pine forest was our first place and it was really good. As the name says, it is a very big pine forest with a small waterfall in the middle of the forest. We took some nice snaps in this forest, and then proceeded to other places in and around Kodai. We had a good trip that day and then we went back to the resort. Night was real fun as we all boozed, except Gopal and had loads of fun. We went to bed real late and got up early next morning. I don't know how this happens, but the next morning after I booze, I get up early ;)

The next day we started our trip again for sight seeing. This time it turned out to be a real boring day. Kamal and Gopi spoiled the whole trip. They boozed early in the morning and they could not have fun at all. The entire time they were sleeping in the back seat of the cab. This day was really sick. I really got fed up and really felt bad for coming for a trip with these people. While we were returning to the resort our cab ran out of petrol and we had to walk nearly 2 to 3KM up hill. This added to the fury. I was really irritated. But had no other choice then walking up the hill. Finally reached the resort and was really tired. So we took some rest and then had our dinner. Ya today also we boozed before dinner, but this time there was no fun in boozing. I was not in mood to have fun with them. I normally don't like to drink without good company. Yes I am social drinker but I drink for fun. But that night was not fun and it was full of irritation.

The next day we planned to leave to Madurai to do a small sight seeing in Madurai and then board the train to Chennai. So we reached Madurai by around 2.00PM and went to a lodge nearby. We booked a room, washed our faces and started our visit to Madurai Meenakshi Temple.

No wonder this temple was nominated for the 7 wonders of the world. It was magnificent temple with extra ordinary architecture. We were nearly lost inside the temple. It was so huge that we could not finish seeing the temple in three hours.

Then we went to a hotel to have our dinner and then started by train back to Chennai.

On reaching Chennai, I was more revealed, because I was out of that stupid trip. Yes it was a real awful experience for me. I did not like it at all.

We planned the trip to be a stress buster, but by the end of the trip it seemed to build up more stress.

Anyway our final bachelors trip seemed to end up in stress. I guess this is the first trip that ended like this for me. I pray that this should be the last one too to end like this.

My New Venture

incomparable — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:25:21 GMT

Have thought for a while and now I have confirmed that even have to make some money, with stocks. It is gambling for me. I am a new bee and take advice from various gurus who are already experts playing this game. It is fun at times, and some times it strips you down. I have to make some good money with in a short span of time, so I have no other option other than stocks. I have developed my own excel sheet that would give me an idea of how much I would earn per day playing this game. Good for me! Till now I have played well and have gained a few bugs. Hoping that I would be able to reach my target as soon as possible. Anyway I would be playing henceforth. Who would not want, if they are payed for playing. I have learned that I would have to take this very sportively. Lets see how far can I go on this trail. Not wanting to become the next Warren Buffet, but unlike him, I feel that I have started a bit late.

Singapore - Enga Ooru

incomparable — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:32:14 GMT

One of my favorite international spots I have been to. As many of you know, it is the best city. The roads are clean, you don't find have any littering on roads, no garbage on road sides. Be careful, even if you take your pet for walking on streets, make sure you clean the place after your pet has peed. Hmmm we can never compare our country with this beautiful peace of land. So have no hopes that our country will become like Singapore one day. Instead of waiting to see that, you can travel down to that place to enjoy the beauty. Even though this is a man made island, I would definitely appreciate the man behind this. I stayed there nearly for 3 solid months. The people there are so courtious, that they spend minutes together to explain a route to you if your lost on the streets. They make sure you reach home safely. The city is so clean from crimes as well. But as the proverb says, for any beauty there is always a "THRISTI". There is one place in Singapore, that basically out filts all my above comments - LITTLE INDIA. It is said that the government of Singapore has decided not to take any initiative in grooming up this part of the city. Yes this place really stinks and I am shamed to say that it is because of our own natives. But this also makes me feel proud sometime. We Indians are Indians Where ever we go. Getting a job in Singapore for Indian nationality is really tough. Just because they dont trust us in anything we do. But try hard you woud surely succed as I did. A very well planned city, people working sincerly to the money they are paid, no corruption, what else would you prefer to live a life. Even though it is a very small country by itself, the name that you would carry if your a Singaporean would recognise you anywhere you go. I had really good experience being in this city for 3 months. I had lot of friends along with me and like any teenagers we enjoyed our maximum. I would still want to go back to this place again anytime, to cherish my memories. Yes memories are long lived.

The Visible Power

incomparable — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:24:20 GMT

Yes - I would term this as the Visible Power. I have never realized the importance of this power, till a day came when it taught me that this 'power' is the steering of my life too. This visible power is nothing but MONEY. I learnt it the hard way. I have been earning for quite some time without any savings. I never thought for my future, because I was always under the impression, that life has to be lived that very moment and not waste it by struggling to live the next moment. But you know, we Indians are more concerned about the future and forget to live the present. I had money all the while I wanted it, some how or the other I used to get Money for all my expenses. So I never thought of stocking it for the future. Days have come when I am questioned now for not stocking it like other traditional Indians. If I had stocked or bundled up then I am fit to live in this society, or I am the wisest of all humans on earth - this is how they would conclude me.

I agree you need money for all your expenses. But is it not fair enough to have money for your expenses and not stock it for your future, without knowing if you are going to be there to spend it.
Well now since I have learnt it the HARD way, I am planning to show that even I can save money and have it piled up like any other Indians. Hope I get adapted to this new character soon.

RIP - King of Pop - August 29, 1958 ---- June 25, 2009 (aged 50)

incomparable — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:23:37 GMT

A true king of POP. MJ had a great impact on my music likings. Not only for me, but I would say for a lot of Indians. At the age of 10 I never knew what was western music. His song "Beat it" came to my ears through my neighbors stereo set. I simply loved that song, even though I could not understand a word of what he was singing. But his music was 'the best'. Then started my urge for western music. I started to listen to so many western songs that at some point I got addicted to it. At that age we had no stereo system at my place, so used to run to our neighbours house to listen the songs. I have come across lots of western singers and started loving them for their music. One particular aspect that I loved about western singers were that they composed songs from their real life experience. At present my favourite western singer is AKON. Late off, I loved another song from MJ - "Heal the world". I do remember a T Shirt that I used to wear which had all MJ's songs listed on it from his album 'Dangerous'. I not only admired his music, but his dance as well. WOW would be the word. His moon walk and zero gravity dance were something that are still not mastered by anyone. He still holds the credit to these steps. I miss him like millions across the world. He dies, but his music lives forever - That's the power of MUSIC.

New Experiments on The Team

incomparable — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:22:49 GMT

Our team is not performing well now a days. This whole month there has been no single victory for the team. But for sure the spirit of my team members are still the same. The team as such is really good. I strongly recommend some changes in the batting and bowling order. Strategic planning has to be implemented. Till our previous matches we had always taken the match to be very personal and there has been no planning as such. But from next match the captain has decided to make some changes to the team so that it can prove its best in the forth coming matches. Hope we will make a difference. Anyway there are lot of things that we could study about our team members during this past one month. This analysis has given us ideas on how we would have to improve the team going forward.

Guess What - Freedom has launched it's Official Website

incomparable — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:21:49 GMT

21/05/09 - Freedom launched it official website. This helps them give a detail insight of the team performance and the score board. The team members also have access to this site and they can enter their views and comments on the site. One point of contact for the entire team. Every update of the team would be made hence forth by this website.
Great going Freedom....

Elixir of Life

incomparable — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:21:00 GMT

What would you consider Elixir of Life? Hmmmm... I know it differs to each individual. For me; I would say, friends are the Elixir of Life. I believe that they are the only other people on this beautiful earth, who would guide you in the right path after your parents. But you would have to make sure that you choose the one's who are really interested in your growth and not like the ones who just sit beside you saying "ur the best" always; no matter what you do. I just hate them. Friends are like music. They stay with you in all different emotions. Friends do teach us lessons on how you would have to take up life. Some bitter experience's with our friends make us realize how foolish have we been. There would be lot of instances where we would have failed to realize their love and affection. I have lost friends because, I failed to realize the truth. It happens...
With friends around, you are sure to have a beautiful life.....
Any idea what that picture means in this post... That is nothing but Chinese FRIENDSHIP symbol:)

Anytime n OoooTTTTYYYY

incomparable — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:11:00 GMT

Finest hill station I have ever been to. The flora of this place makes anyone fall for it. The landscapes are so beautiful, that it takes your breath away. No age bar to enjoy this place. Ya I know, these are things that anyone would read on any blog or website about this beautiful place Ooty. But any trip will have its fullest beauty only when it is enjoyed with the right group. I have been to this place 5 times and I still love to be there. And each time it has been with different groups. But my last trip to this place was with a group that I would consider very close to me. Yes my very close friends. It was an ultimate trip. It all started with a marriage invitation that we received from one of our friend who was getting married in Coimbatore. So this friend being a common friend of us was the greatest advantage we had to get away from home for a few days. That is when me and one another friend of mine started to discuss of attending this marriage and then why not have a trip to Ooty, which is pretty close to Coimbatore. We knew for a fact the other friends would not agree for this plan (Due to security threats, certain information that you read would not be clear). So we both had to find a way to get all of them into this plan, but we had no clue how we were to go about this. Then finally we decided to be truthful to our friends and went ahead and told one by one about this plan. First we decided to target the friend who we thought would agree for this plan. But we both got the biggest NOSE CUT ever. That was a very big no straight on us. This friend had very good reason to say a no, which we could not deny at moment. But we both never let our hopes down and we went for the other three friends of the gang. One of the three said a blunt no, and gave all reasons for not coming. The only other hope left was the last two - and of that two, one agreed and the other denied. So this discussion went on for weeks and finally we had all kinds of arguments and plotted all ways to get away from our houses. Cool... and one fine day everyone agreed to that we would leave to Ooty via Coimbatore. Our first choice was the marriage, but Ooty was added to the trip. Finally tickets were booked, travels were booked and we were all set to go. A week passed and suddenly another friend of ours wanted to join the trip and finally we were all excited that we the group was growing. Tickets were booked for that extra person as well and all set to go. The day came when we had to leave and we boarded the train and left to Coimbatore. We reached Coimbatore and we had our driver waiting there with a name board at the railway station. He was the best and I would definitely refer him to anyone who wants to visit Coimbatore or Ooty by cab. His name was Maajith. A very good driver, who knew how to take care of his clients really well. He was so tolerable and decent. Maajith you definitely need a applause man... After that we went to the hotel that we had booked, got ourselves refreshed and started for sightseeing. The reception was scheduled for the evening, so we had the whole day for sightseeing. Since one of our friend’s relative was in Coimbatore, we decided to visit them. And after paying a visit, we started off to Kovai Kuttralam. A beautiful waterfall, which has to be reached by small trekking. We spend a lot of time in the waters and took lots of snaps. Then after that we left to Dhyanalingam. One place that I always wanted to visit in Coimbatore. This is a beautiful meditation center, which is designed with great architecture. There were few things that amazed us. There was a Lingam that was submerged in water which was around 16 or 20ft deep. Anyone who would get into this water and wanted to touch the Lingam, can do so, but you would remain afloat. People here say it is because of the power of Lord Siva, that you float. The highlight of this place is the meditation center, which has an enormous Siva Lingam in the center and if we had to meditate we had to sit inside small holes that were on the walls of the center and meditate. Silence had to be observed and you would find watch keepers, who make sure you don’t utter even a word. They even make sure; your clothes don’t make any noise. A beautiful place that you must see. After that we returned to the hotel and got ready for the reception. We went and blessed the couples. After that we started off to Ooty. This is a hill station, so we have a lot of hairpin bends that take us to the hill top. That was my first instance were we drove up the hill, in the night. It was a good experience though. Being night it took more time for us to reach the top. We reached the hotel around 11PM. It was a beautiful cottage that we had booked. I really loved the place. We never expected that the cottage would be so good. Even though we were so tired after the long drive, the cottage made us feel good. We choose our rooms and beds and made ourselves comfortable. The beds were cozy and very comfortable. (Night fun part is restricted to the group members. Only members of the group will have access). The next day we got up early and ordered breakfast, which was pretty good. After that we started to our sightseeing. We visited all places in and around Ooty. The climate was very modest, so things seemed to be cool and everything went on really well. This group became still more closely knitted and bonded. There were lots of things we learnt about each other. We stayed there two days and left to Chennai with a heavy heart, since the trip has ended.
This was different experience for me all together and the other members of the group as well. There were lots of memorable memories that we captured during the trip; few told and few untold. MEMORIES MAKE YOUR LIFE BEAUTIFUL.

I Want Westernization..... To Some Extend:)

incomparable — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:20:18 GMT

Oh ya... I mean it. I never meant the westernization, where you would have seen people ride horses wearing some rough gears. I meant the way they take up their life and socialize themselves, with the current world. To really understand what I am writing here, you should get a chance to know the people from the west personally. Believe me; I am not against our Indian culture. But my only concern is that there are a few things that people can still adopt from the west. Fine, let me put it this way - what do you think, would be the maximum average age for a women to work in a corporate office in India; say 40yrs. But I have worked with women who have crossed their 60's in the west. And they were my managers, whom I had to report. I took a general survey, of the average maximum age women worked in the west and it turned out to be 60yrs. They were really good at what they were doing, even at that age. I doubt when India would reach this pinnacle.
There are lot other things that I feel we Indians can adopt from them or rather learn from them, both in personal and professional life- after all we do support globalization. People in the west work just 8hrs a day and they leave the moment their shift gets over. They log in on time and log out on time. They are very very punctual. And once they are out of work, they head straight home to spend the rest of the time with their family. Yes they do believe in spending time with their families. How many of us do this? We may reach home, but with a very long face, because we would have got screwed badly at our work place. The difference lies here. They leave all their worries at work and never bother to carry it outside. They really know how to balance professional and personal life. I am just not talking about the oldies here, but even people of my age who have 3 or 4 years of experience. They are very calculative and make sure that they don't spend even a cent extra on what they get. I would say they are a bit kanjoos. Yes I have seen people there drive 3 or 4 miles to get a couple of cents less on a product that they buy. The best thing that I liked about them is, they live their life for today and face the next day if they are alive. But we spend half the time thinking about tomorrow. They do plan for the next day, but only at the eleventh hour of the day, else they try to complete their tasks that same day. One other thing that I liked the most, as far as their professionalism is concerned - No matter what designation they hold in the company, they are least bothered - you might even find the CEO in the mail room helping the mail person to get the mails out for the day. The ultimate goal for them is that they will have to complete that day's work before they leave home. You guys would think what is the great deal here. This was the scenario I faced when I had a chance to work with them. The company had to send out large number of mails, before close of business and they needed help. So they mail room in-charge distributed the work load among all the Americans who were working at the office. There were a few Indians, who had travelled from India on a short term visit and they were also asked to help them in sending out the mails. They initially refused giving lame excuses, but then they were forced by the managers to take up the work and help them out. The moment they got this additional task on their plate they started to grumble saying that this was not there in their contract and they were brought there to do other jobs and not to put some papers into an envelope blah blah blah. Yes they were whining all day, which in turn resulted in a bad productive day. I was really taken back, by the acts that they did. But at the same instance the Americans had completed their initial mailing and they went into the mailing room to get more. I guess these are something's that Indians can learn professionally. I do agree not everyone act like this to their profession. But what about the others? It makes a difference.
They give enough personal space for everybody, even the kids. Have you ever encountered a conversation with an American Kid. I would say they are the most DANGEROUS people whom you would ever want to talk to. They are taught the right and the wrong and they always stick to their philosophies or ideology, whatever... and they would never compromise on that. Parents spend so much of time explaining everything that happens around the kid, no matter how complicated it is. But here in India, if the kid is a bit inquisitive, and if the parent has no time to talk to the kid, either he lies to them or the kid gets a spanking. I have seen kids of age 6 or 7 arguing with their parents, for not keeping up their promises that they gave to their kid. One thing that I hate about their parenting is that parents are not allowed to spank the kids. And if they are found doing it, they can be put behind bars. I agree that kids need some amount of spanking, but not when they are questioning you for your mistakes.
People from the west don't believe in superstition. They are more concerned about the life that they live for that day. But India, is a land that is known for superstition and they never try to come out of it. Every day we see incidents related to these superstitions that has no concrete proof. Lots of black magic, mantras etc etc etc. I know there is only one super natural power and he is the one who saves us and gives us a living. Superstition has gone so deep that even people are not allowed to choose their own life partner. Even if they choose someone as their life partner, the horoscopes will have to match. Don't this seem a bit crazy. India is the only place where horoscopes are followed. If horoscopes can predict the future, why is India still a developing country and why do we still have poverty, why is there unemployment, terror attacks, robbery, divorces, and what not. I don't deny the fact, the west aren't free from all this. But they don't know what horoscopes are and they act according to their day today life. If they choose a guy or a girl, they start living with them. They only break up, if they find that if one of them had betrayed the other. And I think it is a fair deal to break up on betrayal. How many Indian girls still find it hard to break up their relationship, knowing that their other half is into extramarital affair. Because they are scared about the society and live a life that they don't want till their end. But the society is least bothered about this extramarital affair. For them it might be a tea break talk. Which other developing country believes in superstition? Everybody is more focused on developing themselves and making sure that they are moving forward rather then wasting time over things which are beyond their control. If horoscopes predicts the future, then why do we say - no one can predict the future.
I would not say that western countries have a real good culture, when compared to India. But the pathetic fact is that, India is a country that is more governed by idiot boxes, that are found in every living room, and these idiot boxes telecasts only incidents that exploit us. And in order to really experience the good deeds that west have, we would have to travel to their place to understand them, which cannot be afforded by everybody . Now you know why India is still a developing country.

Life is once lived and live it to the fullest.

Learn and adopt what would suit the best for our lives from the Western, European or other Asian countries. Make sure you live the life that you desired to live and not a life for the society, who may not even know you by your first name. You might be hurting a lot of good souls by doing this, but remember, souls that are getting hurt are the ones who loved you and if you really explain to them they will be able to take you up again, because they still love you.
Make your life beautiful...