who won?

look... it is perfectly logical that eventually a handful of terrorists will surely be brought under control either by capture or by kill by any anti-terrorist force. it was to happen when their ammunitions were exhausted. so an arrest of one and killing of rest few is not an impact. impact was what they made. killed hundreds and damaged millions. they did what they came for.
pardon me, but i am not too proud of our police/military force on 26/11. they just got passing marks and the government escaped with grace marks.
here we din't fought. yes, we saved a few lives but otherwise we let the actions happen. we were defensive. we waited for our turn and thought of it after they had taken theirs. just a handful against a big force! victory and fight was there, on the peak of Kargil. there was the pride. there were martyrs.
we were not prepared in mumbai. not long ago did the '06 blasts happened. we didn't did our homework. we didn't learned our lessons.
we can still be under attack anytime. who knows? can anyone even predict let alone declare? are we safe? and how longer our country will be the favourite soft target? where are the tough guys? seems useless to say or question anymore. we have to live like this. let the world flow and we too floating on it like a dry leaf. sometimes stuck against rocks, sometimes in rapids, sometimes hit by a stone some boy has thrown.
that force was not at fault. they followed orders. the system which ordered was malicious.
we will have a contingent of cops at a single square to catch hold of vehicles without helmet or seat-belts but too few or none to stop two terrorists at a huge railway station. these will be carrying sophisticated speed guns to catch a speeding vehicle but not enough advanced ammunition to stop terrorists roaming on our streets and in our hotels!
we don't have power and are at the receiving end, so we care. and those who have the might... who cares?

my way of starting the year

26.12.08 5.00 am @ Bhopal

29.12.08 Morning: still @ home Bhopal

29.12.08 Afternoon: cancelled return ticket to Mumbai

30.12.08 6.00 am: on train to Ujjain/ plan to stay till 1st morning ;)

30.12.08 Afternoon: lunch @ naniji's home

30.12.08 5.30 pm: met my to-be :) / received "the" call :(

31.12.08 1.15 am: on train to Bhopal

31.12.08 3.00 pm: on train to Delhi

01.01.09 0000 hrs: in taxi in traffic in cold Delhi

01.01.09 6.15 am: in flight to Kolkata

01.01.09 10.30 am: joined as Associate Manager Marketing (East) Hindustan Zinc Ltd., Kolkata

02.01.09 6.15 pm: tasted the famed momo

03.01.09 till date: searching for accomodation for my to-be family

Happy New Year buddies :)

was just trying to help

i regularly check the tyres of my bike for any sharp objects that might have stuck in the rubber and may damage the tube inside while running. have recovered pins, sharp gravels, glass, nail etc.
this morning i parked my bike and just noticed a nail, buried half, in the rear tyre of another bike beside mine. so, with all good intentions, i went and started pulling it out. it was quite thick and used some extra efforts. but i was glad to work to prevent another puncture and a hapless rider!
then, when it was loose enough and about to come out, a faint sssss... sound started. the nail had already punctured the tyre! a late caution thought came up '*stop! this is a tubeless tyre. it won't deflate until the nail is in. leave it. atleast the guy can take it to a punture shop riding. pull the nail out and u'll pull all the air out and he'll be pulling his bike all the way! stop...!' but, as always, it was too late. the piercing had already started hissing and with a very slight tuck, the nail was out. i saw the poor man's bike slowly lowering towards ground, whisling tunelessly. i tried to put back the nasty nail in the hole to plug it but now it wont go in. withing seconds... flat!
no one noticed what i was doing at the rear of a bike in the parking lot. i placed the mighty nail on the seat and... ran for cover!
sorry buddy, was just trying to help!

a Rhino on my Wrist

was saving money for a Titan Octane. 6k was the price. although the price tag is secondary but 6k for a watch was too much. but i have a fascination for watches so was ready to shell out.

then last week read about this launch of WWF range of Titan watches. In collaboration with World Wildlife Fund, 13 models, marked with 6 endangered wildlife species of India were launched as collector's edition. Part of the sales will be used in the conservation programs by WWF.

auspicious combination! watch, wildlife, limited edition, contribution.

impatient i am, so ran for the nearest store and picked up a Rhino watch! and am boasting it proudly

after a while

sure i'll call it 'after a while' only. 27th oct was last, so its around five and a half months. no i don't have time to count it to the week and then the day... a know a guy who always does that and each time i don't appreciate.

though its only a while as per me, a lot many things have happened since... just justifying the pace of happenings. blog was a new muse but i got a newer one. took the courage to buy the camera, the price of which actuated eyebrow raising in whomever hearing it and then to make this very expression even more difficult for them, spent a few grands more on its accessories. umm... one stuff is still due... ehh!

then, two of my bestest buddies got married. i still don't believe it today and neither do they themselves, even though we were all personally present at both ceremonies. i did a better job than the official photographer... sigh!

the biggest event was my younger brother's Passing Out Parade from NDA, Khadakwasla. this one thing i cant describe, sorry. my parents and he flew in an airplane for the first time and i felt proud and bad when papa said thanks to me at the arrivals. i just bought tickets for them which were even cheaper than my camera and for that papa said thanks!

more responsibilities came up in job as few colleagues left. am still in picking-up stage for those responsibilities. immediate boss is a good guy :)

will copy-paste from my latest facebook status... o yes, created a facebook account too! copy-paste: Gaurav was doing 33.6 meters in a second when he finished 10k kms with his Pulsar! lets leave this self-explanatory.

new gadget: iPod classic 80 gb. it is quiet only while charging or updating songs and from 30mins of my falling asleep to about an hour of me waking up. when i told mom i bought one she said "i thought you were already having it! how come you were doing without any songs in your pocket??!!" on orkut they should change it to 'Six things you can't live without'

so... all this while i was not idle, just that i didn't peeped in here!

a year hence a year ago!

yesterday, on 6.6.07 me completed One year of my career.
Me started my first job on 06.06.06... din't knew it before but as per people, it was The Devil's Day! that date with 3 chhakke! couldn't find something relevant on wikipedia tho.

whatever, the year went well, i did fairly well, lots of learnings, experience, people, works, too less holidays/leaves and many rough bumps in the ride in last few months. thats always there with the rest.
am very happy but still have to learn a lot. best thing was my confirmation which as per the company policy was scheduled after one year from joining. quite a long training and probation term. hehe!

and this starts with phenomal increased responsibility from now on and i think am ready for the roll! me wish myself all the best!