Back from hibernation!

I think, it's more than six months after I have written anything that is substantial here. Reasons could be many. Post-marriage blues, laziness, busyness, retrospection, tiredness, blah blah blah... Many a times, I felt that my posts are looking too personal and mundane! Also, I observed that people write more when they are out of comfort zone. As far as non-professional blogs are concerned, blogs have become venting points. Personally, I could see that many of my previous posts are just out of frustration, depression and some such nonsense!

I am happy to see regular visitors to my blog, despite of my continuous trash! I started photographic weekends series just to make sure that this blog remains (attr)active. Now, I am back from hibernation and joining the regular bloggers!

Wish me all the best and keep visiting!

By the way, those who can read Telugu can visit my Telugu blog here.

27... ... ...

alas! I am 27 now... Unlike last year, I am much happier and feeling complete this year! thanks to my wife, for making it a very special day for me, in her own style.

P.S: Let me see how different this year would be!

married...

Amidst the bright lights... beautiful flowers... pleasant fragrances... pandits' chantings... smiling guests... and blessing friends... I have got married to Umakalyani, the love of my life!!! I thank one and all who have wished me good luck, personally and electronically!!!

Invitation...

Dear all,

after 27 years of bachelor (err... unmarried) life, I am finally getting married to Umakalyani, on 15th August, at Visakhapatnam. I would be glad if you can make it to my wedding.

yours truly,
Gopal

happenings...

it's almost an year after i started earning... huh, what did i achieve... just adding another year to my lost years?? or in other words, is it just deletion of one more year from those that i still have?? whatever!!! another year has passed... and this corporate life really sucks! so what? life never stops for our convenience... keep moving... keep getting sucked... or keep feeling you are great!!! or keep cribbing... life still goes on!!!

i got shifted to new house recently... decent locality, fresh air, and modern interiors... though the rent is almost 30% of my in-hand salary, i love this flat, which is almost near to the one i use to dream about!!! unlike last time, i managed to avoid yet another sucker class... brokers!!! thanks to house owner for designing the interiors so well and handing over the house to me in a clean shape...

PS: I am eagerly waiting for my love of life to accompany me in the new flat ;-)

engaged!!!

I heard the statement "Marriages are made in heaven" so many times... Over the years, I was more and more reluctant to accept this and tried my level best to get somebody I knew... It seemed very odd and unrealistic to think about how people accept somebody through arranged marriages, having only one or two hours of discussion before making any decision... Practically, I have given my level best to win my loved one's heart and convince my parents... Though, I've partly succeeded in both, somehow, things didn't get materialized... At the end of the day, I have fallen deeply in love (that too at first sight) with this pretty girl, apparently chosen by my parents... Yes, I am engaged... I am literally on top of the world to see myself so happy and joyous... Wating for the day to tie the knot!!!

18 facts no one wanted to know about me...

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.

A small scar on my chin which is visible when i don't shave for long time ;-) i got it when i was 5, during one of those overconfident attempts to prove my marathon skills ;-) I remember those days when my classmates used to make fun of me seeing that bandage on my chin in the shape of a cross!!!

2. What does your phone look like?

It's a black colored rectangular parallelepiped with edges curved... buttons showing kannada letters along with numbers... moreover, it looks like my sweetest companion who never bothers me holding it as i wish ;-)

3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?

There was a spider at the corner of the ceiling, resting peacefully in its newly built house after my recent attack during the last weekend... perhaps, it won't bother even if i attack it the next time too!!!

4. What is your current desktop picture?

A romantic snapshot showing an young couple french kissing each other... interesting part is that their faces are not visible in the snapshot... only their tongues and their expressions!!!

5. Do you believe in gay marriage?

he hhe... no idea!!!

6. What do you want more than anything right now?

An "yes" from my girlfriend ;-)

7 . What time were you born?

Around 6:30 on a september evening... my mother tells a lot about the dreadful cyclone that was there, and how they have struggled to arrange for minimum amount of lighting and food in that bad weather... exactly 24 years later, my nephew was born with same astral configuration... incidentally, the cyclone, power cut and other scenes repeated just like mine... now, this is called coincidence!!!

8. Are your parents still together?

YES... the very first thing that makes me believe "wonders do take place in real life too"... :p

9. Last person who made you cry?

my father... too much of caring to bear... he always talks as if my age is assumed my age reduced by 20 years!!!

10. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?

perfume??? cologne??? i don't use eigher... but, the other day, when i was on the escalator in shopping mall, a girl was standing besides me... that fragrance is still in my nostrils... awsome!!!

11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?

As long as there is enough hair and no baldness, color doesn't matter... of course, i hate those fluorescent shades that these hi-fi girls are wearing these days!!!

12. What are you listening to?

One of my colleague was explaing about his achievements in the recent project to his teammate... uff... boring!!!

13. Do you get scared of the dark?

my answer is "No" as long as there are no mysterious sounds around... i am comfortable in darkness combined with silence!!!

14. Do you like pain killers?

pain killers??? so stupid... the pain that can be killed by a pain killer doesn't need to be killed... and the pain that really kills you can never be killed by a pain killer!!!

15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

again my answer is "no" as long as the other person is not too shy to say "yes" :p

16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

hmmm... this looks like a mouth-watering question... i would like to eat the "pesarattu" made by mom, with lot of ginger, garlic, chilli, jeera and other stuff!!!

17. Who was the last person you made you mad?

aaaahh... that is none other than one of my colleague, who just can't stop talking about anything under the earth, without even faintest idea of what that actually means :-(

18. Who was the last person who made you smile?

someone who has sent me the funniest message in the morning!!!

PS: I have taken up this tag from silverine

my FIRST KISS...

finally, i have got a bike of my own... honda shine featuring 125cc, 10.3 bhp, 65kmpl... I have named it as my FIRST KISS... boo hoo to Pune public transport ;-)

updates...

again, it is been long after updating the blog. now, i am able to see the real corporate life. every morning, i get up with a wish "today, i will write something". by the time i reach my office, the horrible bus journey and the gloomy office ambiance makes me sick and skip the act of writing! yes, that's how the past three weeks have gone out of my hands. few updates!

reading Fountain Head by Ayn Rand. i must say that i fell literally in love with this book. beautifully portrayed characters like Dominique, Roark, Wynand etc. are really wonderful. at first, i was wondering why a person needs eight complete years to finish a novel. but, when i am actually going through each page and each line, everything was so perfectly written. i was beaten... beaten many times on my opinions by many situations in this novel. but, at the end, it's a lovely experience.

visited Lonavala with my friends. This is a place, around 65km from the Pune city. filled with green lush and cloudy hills, this is must place to visit. monsoon is adding addtional beauty to it. it's a beautiful feeling when the clouds actually cross your body and drench you with the condensed rain drops. added to these beauties, the journey on the expresshighway connecting Pune and Mumbai is awsome.

it's my dream of buying the bike AVENGER since long. but, i guess i will not be able to afford it with my present financial status. still have couple of weeks to travel in these lousy Pune buses before enjoying the ride on my own bike.

slowly, life at Pune is getting OK... waiting for some more good moments from this Pune life!

Two more friends!!!

i've got two more friends... one is rubik's revenge and the other is professor's cube... while it took one month for me to solve rubik's cube (3X3), it is taking days just to do two colors on professor's cube...

important thing to note here is that i didn't buy any of these two... professor's cube is sent by Praphul after seeing my post on rubik's revenge... it's a nice feeling to know that there are people who are willing to spend money for somebody whom they don't even know personally... thanks a lot Mr.Praphul... i owe you a treat... not just for the professor's cube, but also for those long philosophical discussions through mails... and for proving that money doesn't matter but the intentions do matter!!!

rubik's revenge is sent by deepika, my friend and philosopher... thanks a lot buddy! you made my hours busy with this cute gift!!! let me see how many days i will take to solve these things :-)

more or less... a paradox!!!

the more we expect out of life, the less we get...
the more we try to forget, the less we succeed...
the more we try to sleep, the less we get sleep...
the more we compare, the less valuable we become...
the more we demand, the less we get...
the more we try to understand, the less we know...
the more we read, the less we remember...
the more we know, the less we feel we know...
the more we try to remember, the less we remember...
the more we love someone, the less we get from them...
the more we try to be happy, the less content we become...
the more we try to be on top, the less we stay there...
the more we crave for company, the less we enjoy life...

more or less... a paradox!!!
strange but true!!!

fivepointsomeone!!!

It is almost seven months after I started this blog... found many good things, interesting views, and different aspects of human emotions!!! I was tagged by aprilslady, a happy news... here, i am adapting (stealing ;-) her concept of fivepoints...

1. I am incredibly moody, unpredictably demanding, and yet cool, jovial, and caring... Sometimes, people around me feel like I am the oddest guy with stupidity personified... But, only a few could understand the reason (or beauty) in me being so!!!

2. I am one of those who prefer melody to bass, sensible movies rather than science fiction or mystery, and like to be in a small group rather than being in a large crowd and making noise... My rigid but meaningful (that's how i feel, at least) opinions makes my friends circle very small and limited...

3. My life partner should be a little patient, a little sensible, should love me a little, and accept me along with my stupidity... I have learned so many lessons already in searching for the same, but worth learning!!! After all, life is all about learning lessons from experiences and making things better ;-)

4. People often find it very hard to get along with me... But, once they are close enough, they do really enjoy my company... I am more interested in knowing few people in depth than knowing many people just for the sake... Small and beautiful is my policy in making friends... Hypocrisy, and back-stabbing is what i hate in people...

5. I would like to watch sunset sitting along the lake side or river banks than to go for a movie or a crazy party... I like lonely strolls amidst lovely scenery... I like to sleep cuddled in my rug in a cold night as well as roaming around during those chillingly cold nights... I love moonlight, coffee, sunset, candle-light dinner, photography, and romantic songs!!!

That's all in nutshell making myself a fivepointsomeone!!!

my new friends...

for the good or bad, i've lost my mobile... and Mahesh, one of my good friends, has gifted me with a new handset... i am almost in love with it... nice look, display, radio, wonderful polyphonic ring tones, and GPRS... what to say? i am happy again with my own mobile in hand after a long time...

another good companion i've found is my 'worldspace' satellite... i am too attached to it that i cannot sleep in the night without switching it on... worldspace network is offering around 40 channels with varying interests... and it's completely commercial free... particularly, i love the channel 'jhankaar' which broadcasts all brand new hindi songs... nonstop... in fact, there is so much to hear on worldspace as its caption says... though the setup costed me an awsome 2500 bucks, i feel it's worth spending on it to enjoy a healthy companionship...

so, finally... i have two new good friends to offer some companionship to get rid of my bloody loneliness...

for the moment...

Yourself: gopalam
Your partner: amazing (should be ;-)
Your hair: funny
Your Mother: loving
Your Father: caring
Your Favorite Item: mobile
Your dream last night: kiss
Your Favorite Drink: rose milk
Your Dream Car: audi
Your Dream Home: two storied building with balcony, in a hill station
The Room You Are In: lab
Your fear: Loneliness
Where you Want to be in Ten Years: with my wife and kids
Who you hung out with last night: my computer
What You're Not: hypocrat
One of Your Wish List Items: digicam
Time: Dark
The Last Thing You Did: blink
What You Are Wearing: spectacles
Your favorite weather: autumn
Your Favorite Book: love story
Last thing you ate: 5star
Your Life: fantastic
Your mood: oops!
Your Best Friends: loyal
What are you thinking about right now: future
What are you doing at the moment: yawning
Your summer: Over
Relationship status: no way!
What is on your tv: nothing
What is the weather like: cool, calm, and pleasant..
When is the last time you laughed: 1hr back

a tribute to my mobile!

After a long companionship with my mobile phone, i lost it yesterday when i forgot it in lab... I have searched it everywhere i can, and asked everyone around... But, it is lost... Though the worth of the piece in terms of rupees is not more than a sum of two thousand rupees, it was a precious item in my life... It brought so many good friends into life... Used to wake me up in time... It brought smile on my face... Most of the times, I used to keep it next to me when I sleep or just lie on the bed and waiting for a call from dear ones... Though many new models have come with attractive features and affordable prices, I couldn't discard this one because of the intimacy I had with it... Most importantly, this is one big item I've bought with my own money for the first time... The joy I had when I talked through this for the first time is ineffable... It had become almost an integral part of my body, keeping me happy, healthier, and connected with my loved ones... I cannot imagine myself without a mobile in hand... But, fact is fact... It was lost... Goodbye my dear friend!!!

GREat experience!

The much awaited test has come and gone... and i came up with a decent score of 1360... though the result is not so great, i am left with a good feel and a GREat experience... I can say that the understanding of any reading, be it technical, general, sports or something else, will be greatly improved after preparing honestly for GRE and having had a good companionship with words and their contextual meaning for around a couple of months... It was really a great experience!!!

Some tricks and tips...

1. Do all word lists at least once. Remember to revise every word-list cumulatively as you progress!

2. Make sure that you are able to recollect all the high-frequency words at a glance. Check this only after you are gone through all the word lists with full care.

3. Don't practice any exercise until you are done with all the word lists. But, once you finish all word lists, do as many as you can. Leave at least 4 complete days for mock tests practice.

4. Do pay as much attention to Reading comprehension as possible. Most of your time will be spent on this part of the verbal section only.

5. Spend good amount of time on the first 5-7 questions in the test as they will decide the following questions.

6. Change your mode of preparation often. Book, word-games, exercises, flash cards, and some good web-sites (block-reading.com, number2.com, guru's word list etc.) can give you a perfect blend of preparation methods.

7. Finally, dont overlook the quant section. We often forget simple formulae like Median, Standard Deviation etc. Remember, this is the section where we can score full with mimimum effort. So, it is worth to recollecting all those fundamental simple formulae.

8. Even if you don't get the score you targeted, don't worry... you are left with a good pool of vocabulary. All the best!!

hurray... i got leave!!!

hurray... i got leave for almost a full month... no work till 8th november...
hulalla lalalla laallaalley...

silver jubilee!!!

birthday is a special occasion which reminds us that our life span is decreasing and responsibilities are increasing... a time to recollect the past, evaluate the present, and head towards the future with fresh energy!!!

I have successfully completed my 25th year and celebrating the silver jubilee of my life... last night, i had good fun with my friends... cake cutting, some snaps, decoration of my face with cake cream, some stuff to fill the stomach, and not to forget... the bumpppsss!!! on the whole, it's a beautiful day!!!

exactly one year...

hurray... it is already one year after i entered iisc... 27th july 2005, one of the memorable days for me... the first feeling i got after entering this institute is a big 'wow'... so many interactions, so many new lessons, so many shocks, ups and downs and so on... this place is always been a confusion for me... sometimes, i feel it's just heaven... and the next moment, i feel exactly the opposite... but still, i feel very much fortunate to be here to enjoy the beauty of nature at its best clubbed with the beauty of labour... hoping to get many more pleasant and surprising encounters in the coming year!!!

a few updates...

spent 4 continuous days in sleep on a basis of 16hrs/day...
worked three consecutive sleepless nights to finish project report in time...
gained 4 kilos in last three weeks and successfully enjoying "dumbu" status...
still struggling to maintain regular timings to prepare for GRE...
watched few golden movies like 'life is beautiful', 'american beauty', and 'someone like you'...
having good time with blogspot since 3 months and exploring a lot...
learning hindi, to relish the taste of beautiful lyrics of good old songs...
tried cigarette... i couldnt understand why people smoke... it tastes so bad!!!
tried a glass of wine too... wow, it's really so nice!!!
started reading 'life of Pi'... it is soooooo good!!!