Bangkok; Pattaya; Phuket

I am back after a short visit to Thailand and.............I am speechless.

It was the most awesome trip I have ever had. Did like a million things which I only dreamt about and some which I dint even dream about.

Bangkok; Pattaya; Phuket: Shopping; Nightlife; Water sports respectively.

Its just so amazing to get a feel of a different place and experience the pace at which it runs. Its just so wonderful to see the people living an altered lifestyle than yours. Even language being a major barrier for us we never even once felt that we had to compromise on anything at all. We managed to get our point across to them - everytime.

Its even more amazing that within a very short time we learned how to deal with them and their psychology. When it came to shopping we knew very immediately that when we ask them a price of a certain item, they will without fail get out their calculator and display the price. And we also came to know that when they tell us 900 baht for a pair of sandals, we should tell them 150 baht. And without fail we will end up buying the sandals for 180 baht. But we still are confused whether we outsmarted them or they outdid us. Anyways, we kind of started enjoying the bargaining bit as we felt that we were getting heavy discounts with our special discounting skills.

In Pattaya the day started at 10:00pm. No exaggeration. Everyone started going off to work at 10:00pm as their major revenue earning takes place only at nights. Facts of Pattaya: There are more bars than houses. People living Pattaya only get up in the evenings. Its only because of some over excited tourists like us that you may find some people on the streets in the morning. I found the people in Pattaya very confused. Half of them have changed their gender and half of them are going through an identity crisis which once recovered from will end up with their gender changed. Now I know why we always used to find a group of people outside each and every public toilet. They were trying to convince themselves whether which one would be the most appropriate. :) Hehehe just kidding. Actually I think they carried themselves pretty well which justifies in the pictures we have taken.

We had gone for a show which was told to us was one of the best cabaret shows in the world. And as usual we were very excited to see it. We got into the hall and immediately rushed to find the best seats. The show started. We were astonished by the elaborate sets, themes, the most important the women. The show had few of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. After the show we were all happy as it was absolutely worth the money we spent, we went out to see all the participants of the show in public. Just then we realised that all those dazzling beauties were actually 'men' who have turned themselves into women. The show we saw was the "world's largest transvestite show in the world". Still we couldnt believe it and we went closer to hear strong gruffy voices coming out of beautiful, delicate women. God, that was a shocker. A real shocker.

Phuket - Thailand's largest island province. An awesome town. A paradise. Beautiful beaches and ever better people. Over there, everyday of the week feels like a weekend. Extremely slow paced lifestyle and laid back attitude of the locals relaxes one to a very great extent. Our mind was so much at peace. We did all the water activities we had only seen on TV. From Para-sailing to scuba-diving. It was an experience especially scuba diving. Absolutely.

Under the water is a different world. Really. Once you have all the gear on your back and you fall into water, confidence level comes down to a zero. We managed to reach the bed of the sea and it was just so beautiful. You can see the marine life right in front of your eyes. It makes you feel like you are on the sets of 'little mermaid'. So beautiful yet eerie. There was a moment where my instructor told me to hold on to a coral and wait for him. I was in water for like 5 mins and I started freaking out. I was scared that what if I get to the surface to see that I am in the middle of the sea and deserted. Anyways, I couldnt hold myself any longer and I did go to the surface to see that my friend trying her level best to get into the water but due to some funny reason she could manage to reach only 2 feet and after reaching that she again floated back to the surface. Overall: *******star to scuba diving.

Paragliding: *****star since those people acted smart by taking us up only for 5 mins. 5 mins not enough. Just when we started to get the feel of being almost 80-100 feet above water, we have already landed onto earth.

Anyways, lets hope there's more of travel written on our cards in the coming few months so that there are more experiences to tell.

Ms. Sleepy Sleeperson

Its Saturday!! Its the first day of the week. Its torture. My eyes are watery from excessive yawning. I am so sleepy. I feel like pulling two chairs together and just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I thought that if I started to blog it may help me atleast keep my eyes open and not show the whole world inside my office that I am damn sleepy and that I am not doing anything. But little has it helped me. One of my colleague just walked in and saw my face buried in my palm. He was asking me 'why am I so depressed? Now what to tell him. I have absolutely no idea what the hell am I jamming on the keyboard. Right now nothing seems to be making sense. Maybe tommorow it will make more sense.

Maybe tomm I may be in a state to write some more sensible.

I am going down for a walk before I bore myself to death.

Color co-ordination

Have you ever felt that just when you think that the work you have done could'nt be more perfect or just when you are thinking that what you have accomplished is going to score nothing less than a 100, someone just comes by and gives a small, least important negative comment and you suddenly find your confidence on a tight rope.

Today I had to submit a report with a presentation to the auditors. I was made to know that they will be arriving today to gather the information contained in this report which plays a crucial role in accounting. I really wanted to make out this report without any guidance as I knew that once I attain this - it would definitely be added in my book of achievements in the company records.

I managed to convince my boss to let me handle this report as I was capable of doing it - only dint have the experience. He somehow agreed and we decided that once I finish this report I have to submit it to him and once he evaluates it, will it be forwarded for auditing. I had a set of guidelines which had to be followed during the report-making. I spent two weeks into this trying to get this right and make it flawless as far as I could. I went over it again and again just to make sure that everything was as per their expectations. I dint even want to leave a single gap for them to question. I wanted their every question answered without them asking for it. And I worked towards it. In the end I was suppose to show the flow of finances by using a chart. I did that. I really could'nt be more satisfied with my work. And believe me it felt seemingly perfect.

I handed the completed report to my boss as per our terms. And he just flipped through the pages. Just flipped. Dint read a word. Just flipped. Finally since there was not a word coming out of his mouth I asked him 'So, what do you think?' And he is like 'Hmmmmmmmmm..." which I think went on forever. Finally after 15mins he is like I dont like the colors used in the chart. I lost my cool. What the hell? Its not a painting competition where every colour has to be properly co-ordinated with the other (All this was told not aloud - in my mind).

I went for the presentation and believe me all the time I was yapping about some financial numbers, what actually dominated my thoughts was like 'what if they dont like the chart'? I really think the colors in the chart were a bit too loud. I should have used something more subtle, maybe pastels to make it look more professional.

Imagine, where I had to think what figures I am giving out is accurate or not I ended up thinking about.....colors in the chart.

Thus the moral of the lesson: Use less jazzy colors in the chart for a professional presentation.

Incorrigible Boss

My boss is incorrigible. He is the divisional manager of my company but he just couldnt seem to get the names right. When I say that he dint get my name right does not mean he used to mispronounce it or says it in a weird way. He called out the name correctly - but to the wrong person.

Everytime he wanted to call out for my colleague Mary, he shrieked out my name. In the beginning I used to think its just for the time being. Once he gets used to it, it wont happen. But it had been 1 and a half year and history kept repeating itself everytime he wanted to call out for either one of us. He called me Mary and my colleague Darshini. Its reached to the stage where both of us had got so used to it that everytime he called out my colleagues name, guess who answered?

Its not that we dint try correcting him. A little more than a million times. Mary & me decided that its really annoying that we have lost our identity and its high time we take matters into our own hands. So, we decided that next time he called out my name - Mary instantly says 'Yes, you called me' just to make him realise that he is dumb enough to call out the wrong name but we are smart enough to respond correctly. And hey, the idea did work. He realised that he called out the wrong name everytime. And situation did get better. Both, me & my colleague were kind of getting used to him calling out the names correctly. Just when everything was going fine, the clock struck 12:00.

A few weeks after the correct name-calling he started dialing the wrong extension nos. 103 is Mary's extension & 101 is mine. He started dialing Mary's extension to give instructions to me and vice-versa. Even more havoc was created after he started doing that since its his habit never to listen to our 'Hello' and just start off with whatever he has to say. Both of us kept running to each other to pass the information as correctly as we can.

It was like there has to be a mix-up somewhere or the other in his head. Thus, we decided to solve this problem, retain our identities and for the sake of smooth working - we have finally swapped our extension nos. Now, everytime he wants to speak to me, he calls Mary's extension & still he gets to speak to me. Smooth running.

Feels like ages since I have blogged. Surprisingly, in the last few weeks I had absolutely nothing popping up in my head worth enough to blog about. Its like you keep doing your daily duties but at the end of the day you feel like you have done absolutely nothing at all except spent your day facing against wall. That blank.

Anyways, a lot of the emptiness has cleared out. And guess what has assisted me in doing that? The Newspaper. Really, the news nowadays are something we can ponder upon for hours. My newspaper habits are like I begin reading it from the last page and go to first. I left reading the front headlines a few months after Osama Bin Laden & Sept 11 attacks episodes. Besides, the last pages seem to be more interesting than the headlines. Those days I used to grab the paper to see if he has been caught or not. But in vain. I have even stopped believing whether he ever existed. Or was it like a cartoon character given birth by the U.S. govt to play their tactical games? Debatable topic. Lets leave it for the moment.

I sat with my steaming cup of coffee to read the newspaper. And guess who I see on the last page (which gives the general news around the world) - I see our own Ms. Malika Sherawat wearing clothes made from a woman's handkercheif, hand in hand giving a big tight smackeroo to Jackie chan at the Cannes. I wont debate on the clothes since it depends on one's choice of comfortability. But I still think her choice of clothes were, what to say - Loud. I dont contemplate the idea of showcasing our culture by being draped in a saree with 'bindi' & 'gajara' but I will not contest the fact the there is some kind of sensuality which flows from a woman wearing a saree. In such cases, the best option is to wear neutral ensembles and carry a neutral behaviour which indirectly portrays that one is ready to listen if not accept the others' ideas.

I think wearing sexy outfits are good enough if complimented by the right attitude. Otherwise it looks plain bogus.

L.A.B.B.

Life's A Big Bore!! I was just thinking that last year had so many exciting events taking place everyday. Things were happening even when I least expected it to happen. So many things to look forward to. And this year, believe me ever since this year has started suddenly all the excitement has come to a stand still. Nothing at all absolutely nothing seems to be happening in my life.

God, do something before I die of boredom. I dont even have anything to say like 'I hope this happens' because there is nothing to happen.

I was just chatting with my colleague and she tells me that in the next 3 months there is not even a single holiday coming up except for Fridays. Why? Why? Why? Atleast if there would be a holiday there would be something to look forward to.

I think the time has come where if I dont take things in my hands there is going to be nothing happening. I need to create some situations where I need do something & then I can look forward to its after effects. So something like that. I dont exactly have it clear in my mind but I will be doing something for sure. Maybe buy a book to read. Maybe buy some clothes. Maybe join some classes. Something.

I will discuss the plan tomorrow.

Teeth trauma!

There is an old saying ‘Dentists are bad people’ and I know it’s true because I just went to one yesterday.

Last few weeks, my gums had experienced swelling, bleeding and reddening. I think the Saturn, Mercury or whichever planets retrograde has affected my gums too. Therefore I decided to visit the dentist.

I filled out the form which asked questions like what was the problem, if had ever visited a dentist before & what kind of treatment was I looking for. What kind of treatment I was looking for? What kind of a question is this? Isn’t the doc suppose to decide the answer to this question? There I was already freaked out. I did not fill in anything for that question. I finished with the questionnaire and the lady at the reception told me to take a seat. I was just reading the banner which mentioned the treatments they specialized in. And one of the treatment really got to me. It said HealOzone Procedures. What could this be? Ozone depletion has started affecting the teeth & gums too.

Just when my mind was wandering 360 degrees, the lady called out my name and asked me to go to Room No.05. I entered the cabin and what looked back at me was a cute, handsome face. I never knew dentists were good looking. Anyways, I decided to put up my charming self to him. He asked me the questions which I religiously answered. But somehow I knew the worse was soon to come.

He told me to lay on the dentists’ chair. And the inevitable happened. He told me to open up my mouth which I did – reluctantly. And he winced. ‘Tch tch tch, now I know why you are here’ he said. ‘You have been following improper oral hygiene’. And suddenly my cheeks were redder than my gums. I dint say a word.

Then he told me that there was cleaning required. He put on a bib-like thing around me. He pulled out a miniature driller –like equipment. He told me that on scale of 1-5 it would hurt only 2.3. He started off with the cleaning. It felt ok till the driller reached my gums. It felt like a Mike Tyson 400 watt punch. And he slowly says it may hurt a little more around the gums. I was thinking Yes, on the scale of 1-5 maybe 15. Only if that guy wasn’t good looking like he was I would have yanked out of my chair & spelled out some obscenities.

I finally rinsed my mouth. He asked me to go check my teeth in the mirror. It felt amazing. I felt a whole new me. Just when I was thinking that the whole painful experience was worth it. He handed over the bill to me. And the pain returned.

Highly restless

Since today is a Thursday, I have a half working day from 8:30am - 1:00pm. Though its not been a busy day but I have been pretty jittery today. I have been having these nervous jerks & I havent been in this kind of a spasmodic mood in a long time. But I am pretty excited to go home & enjoy my peaceful, most joyful time of the week - Siesta time. Siesta time also includes 'ghar ka khana', a movie & infinite sleeping time.

The very feeling of getting up after the afternoon sleep (definitely the amount I sleep I cannot call it a 'nap') and not having anything to do or think about is so blissful. From Thursday afternoon to Friday evening is 'No-thinking time zone'.

I can actually say that I can go through the entire week of stress and slogging for this 'siesta time'. I so look forward to it. And believe me if under unfortunate circumstances I dont get to enjoy my siesta, I can sense that the worst has already been experienced for the coming week.

Now its exactly 1:00pm & I have no time to waste. Gotta go!!!!

I have really convinced myself into believing that last month including this month is "evil"- not only for me but for everyone. I have heard tons of stories where people have admitted that nothing has gone right for them for the last couple of weeks. And frankly speaking, simplest of things I tend to do turns out to be a biggest disaster of all times.

Last week I decided to join swimming. I thought that taking laps for an hour everyday will help me reduce the few grams which I have been putting on. I paid up for the whole month. Next day after work I was all pepped up for my swimming session after a long time. Believe me, what I experienced can happen to someone only once in a lifetime or maybe never. Just when I was warming up with a few laps, this small kid who was trying to learn swimming got a little water in his wind pipe or wherever & he puked all over. In the water. Around me.

Next day, I decided to put it all behind me and just swim my guts out. I could hear loud blaring music in a language which I could not comprehend, just when I was nearing the pool. When I reached the pool there was a 'BACHELOR' party going on. There were guys, men, boys all over the place with the most wierdest of swim suits on. Now, definitely I am not that brave enough that I could have still gone ahead with my plan come what may. Thus, I finally decided to get my money back & give up on the idea of swimming for the next few weeks. And I also ended up paying for that one session. Matlab 'khaaya piya kuch nahin, glass toda baaraana'.

Believe me, this is only one episode of disaster which I have mentioned. Last few days has recorded hair -cutting disaster where after the hair cut I had recently, the pigeons in the balcony dont get scared of me because they maybe thinking I am one of them, gulab jamun disaster where its size turned out to be the size of a tennis ball, A/c disaster where I tried to switch off the air conditioning in my office and the entire power went off midst one of a most important presentation was going on.

Therefore, I have decided the safest, cheapest, most reliable thing to do for me is to not to anything for sometime. Period.

Match - Fixing???

I was simply plain elated when India won the match against Pakistan on Saturday. Especially when we win against our 'neighbours' its a different kick all together. Anyways, just when I was veiwing the score card on the net which mentioned in super bold letters that India has won, my colleague came by and I expressed my joy to him. It took him exactly 17secs to wipe the cheery smile off my face.

When I told him India won; he replied 'match-fixing! Aur kya?' I din't know what to tell him. I was so intimidated by that statement. This signifies the fact that one revelation can have such a long-standing effect on peoples' minds. I remember one more instance in which India had won the match again against Pakistan and the reporters got hold of Ganguly at the airport on his way home after victory. And this wise reporter comes up with a super wise question whether match fixing could be the reason for the win. And Ganguly looks at him for 1 whole minute. And then all he could say was 'Arre, isko koi leke jao yaar'. Really no kidding this all was shown on Aaj Tak news.

Everything has phases. Nothing lasts forever. Match-fixing was a phase too. I think its high-time that people start to watch the match without prejudices.

So, when we win today, its not match-fixing. Its the result of the sweat & blood of our players. :)

Expectations

Does having expectations help? I mean really how beneficial are they? Does it promote progress in life or its the easiest technique to a nervous break down? I dont understand that why do we have to expect whenever we do something? I mean I know that this is a rational human behaviour but cant we give it a break for once. I feel that expectations over-shadow sometimes what we have in life. It would be so much simpler if we did what we had to do unconditionally. Not expecting anything at all. Then whatever we get in return for our work done will be an absolute BONUS. A bountiful perk. Like a surprise inheritance. A profit.

I mean things are going way over the boundry line. For instance, I was genuinely appreciating a gesture made by one of our clients for posting condolences in the newspaper on the death of Pope John Paul II. And he tells me that is one reason & the second reason is that they expect it to become like an advertisement stunt for them. The name comes in the paper & blah blah blah. What is this?? Then when things dont work out as per planned, the thinking process starts where each & every single wee little detail is analysed trying to search for one possible explanation for the contretemps.

Why do we make ourselves go through all this? "WE" do it to ourselves. Self-inflicted pain/trouble or whatever. Can we bypass it??

Inception

Today is the commencement of my blog. Lets see what goes into this. I dint really know what or how to blog. But my friend explained to me the 'modus operandi'. This kind of excites me since I love the concept of putting down thoughts as points.