Lost in paradise - Photographic weekends #9

Shot this during a mini-trek we did last Friday... Weather was so good that we forgot everything and played like kids for a while... You can see Mario, my colleague, engrossed in enjoying the beauty of nature!

Shining and soothing - Photographic weekends #8

Shot this on last full-moon night! I was amazed at the way my cam is able to show few craters and other details on Moon's surface!

Happy weekend!

Growing and glowing - Photographic weekends #7

I could capture this, from my balcony, on one of the beautiful mornings! Thanks to my wife for waking me up so early in the morning!

Out of focus? -Photographic weekends #6

PS: idea is borrowed from PHD.

Black & White light - Photographic weekends #5

I tried to capture a glowing bulb, by reducing aperture, increasing the shutter speed, and focusing manually! Color mode is not set to B&W, though the shot looks like black and white one!

Eying on me? - Photographic weekends #4

I have shot this one while trying manual focus feature of my SONY DSC-H50 camera... I am worried about my camera as my wife is getting frustrated because of my obsession for this camera ;-) I am in love with this one because of its rich features!

PS: this beautiful eye belongs to her... I thank her for the million dollar pose!!!

Cloned colleague - Photographic weekends #3

This is my first attempt to create cloned photograph through GIMP, not perfect though. I am amazed at the multiple clones done by people, in so many creative ways! I will try once again for a better output and post it later.

PS: I am getting my camera in another 4 days... I am excited!

Angels in yellow - Photographic weekends #2

These are little flowers that I see on my way to cafeteria every afternoon... So small are these flowers, but give lot of inspiration and energy to smile!!!

Watching rain - Photographic weekends #1

Inspired from Phographic Fridays series by Chandoo, I am starting this series from today! By the way, soon I am going to get my own digital camera with 15X optical zoom!!

This snap is shot at Top Station in Munnar, Kerala during my honeymoon trip!

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

trip to jog falls...

We made yet another weekend trip... this time, a bit longer!!! my future wife, Kalyani, along with her group of friends, has planned this trip... jog-falls is located in north Karnataka... it is said to be the largest water falls in the country... nearby places to be visited are...

Honnavara: a beach cum water-falls location... the beach here is extremely beautiful, and untouched... you can play from morning to evening without any disturbance!

Murudeshwar: located near a beach... famous for its largest Shiva statue in the country...

Here are some of the snapshots, taken during the trip...

Jog-falls... though not in their full flow!!!

Backwaters near Murudeshwar...

Shiva statue, located in Murudeshwar...

PS: special thanks to Pavan, who has taken the initiative for this trip, and planned with utmost care!!!

hope...

i was standing in my balcony... looking into the sky... there were clouds... moving hastily... there were stars... shining and smiling... showering the rays of beauty... there was one star... shining brighter than the rest... i felt some joy... joy that is inexplicable... i closed my eyes... i could still see that star... then, it was shining even more... there was a smile on my face... something that i never had before... something that i may not have in future... i can still imagine that star... still there... shining bright... shining forever... smiling forever... i have a hope... hope that i will reach there... someday!!!

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 ;-)

yet another weekend trip!!!

To beat the monotony, our CRL roadies have hit the roads to make yet another trip... this time, the location is Lohagad fort, which is located around 55km from Pune... the ride was quite memorable, and the trek was enjoyable!!! few of the snapshots taken there!

Pune poetry...

There are a few ways to look at life in Pune. Through the eye of the Mumbaikar: 'It's dead, it is as rural as hell, just an extension of our great metro, where people retire and live in retro, wish we could buy a flat here, in a safe housing colony and remember to live'.

But who could tell the train-tired Mumbai man, that a few more like him and we'd have no place to live, scream, fight at 80kmph on the expressway.

The other way is via the eye of the visitor. They complain and complain, they say the food is bad, the roads are gone, rents are high and there's nothing called money's worth, and that the city is average, plagued by sloth. And they do all the complaining while they walk on cool bylanes of the university or when they stand in civil queues at our talkies. After the walk of the movie, they have more to complain, but they keep it for another walk, another film, another day.

PS: I found these meaningful lines from Pune Mirror. These lines truly reflect our Pune life and empathize with most of us Puneites out here!!!

first monsoon trip...

After two months of soaring temperatures, monsoon has finally hit... cool winds, humid air, beautiful clouds, refreshing rain... and so are joyful thoughts... we've hit the roads again on our bikes, covering more than 180km one side to reach Harihareshwar, a beach cum hill spot... the ride was excellent... roads were not so good, though... but, the risky bike ride for such a long distance, and on ghat roads with excellent scenic beauty was something worth experimenting! I am uploading few good views taken amidst the journey...

happy monsoon season!

when caste, religion's no bar, register here!

the search for a life-partner... how important and necessary in life! rather, how uninteresting life would be, if there isn't somebody to share with? huh... we, as human beings, like many other animals around, share life with somebody of opposite sex... but, the basic difference is that animals find their mates with instinct, while we crave for so many factors to match before finalizing our mate... how pathetic? unlike in the olden days, the average age of a male or female to get married has come up to twenty five years now... that means, a quarter century... in this long period, with so many interactions and acquaintances, it's quite natural to like somebody to the extent of having confidence of sharing life with! but, is this all? are we respecting our instincts? i guess, NO!

a decent job... nice appearance... good family background... influential circle... fixed assets... color... caste... religion... location... the list never ends... the most sickening thing when it comes to human relationships is: why the hell the girl and the guy should be of same caste/religion to share their lives? i've come upon this interesting news today... somebody out has taken initiative to encourage junta to go ahead with their partner-search beyond the societal boundaries! something really good is happening out here!

hassle-free traffic... a dream!

I have been living in Pune since ten months... as I expressed my first feelings towards this city, this is one of the badly polluted city with complete failure at public transport system and poorly maintained roads... Within last ten months, I could see there is tremendous number of vehicles added to the already choked traffic... mostly the roads are occupied with four-wheelers... When I was doing my graduation in Visakhapatnam, commutation was really really comfortable... there are good number of buses, running from everywhere to everywhere and the buses were maintained very clean!!! But, here the situation is quite different and we are never sure of boarding a bus where comfortable journey is assured! almost all buses are over-crowded with people hanging from foot-boards!!!

With international prices already touching a dreadful $130 per barrel, owing and maintaining a personal vehicle is already becoming a luxury... it is highly unimaginable to think about how a common man can survive this scenario... I think, we can solve this problem if we can impose/follow certain simple rules!

Firstly, there should be a well-organized public transport system in all cities... If some company/institute is having more than a fixed number of employees, they should provide commutation facility at reduced prices... this will not seriously impact their overall profits and at the same time, can increase the productivity due to the regularized timings of employees!

Secondly, four-wheeler vehicles should be heavily taxed for using most of the space on the roads... If you can observe for an hour or so, standing at a traffic junction, more than 80% of the cars are seated with only one passenger... imagine, how much space and fuel will be saved if 60 cars are replaced with one bus!

Thirdly, subsidy on petrol should be strictly removed... of course, this may come as a blow to all two-wheelers and most of the four-wheelers... Since no public organization is solely depending on petrol and most of the petrol use is for personal use, there is no point in giving petrol at subsidized price!

Fourthly, a well-organized road-routes would be a good solution... if the routes are organized to streamline heavy vehicles, public vehicles, and personal vehicles, according to the traffic statistics, most of the traffic congestion can be overcome! just building flyovers is not a solution, but building them effectively in less time at the correct locations is more important!

I often dream of a place... where the roads are maintained really clean... traffic rules are followed strictly... there is a clean and well-organized public transport system... and people of all classes of the society use buses instead of personal vehicles for reaching offices! I wish I can see this dream gettig materialized before I leave this planet!