Shaken, Stirred and More!

Was watching the thriller 'Se7en' last night and this one particular scene grabbed my attention. Little did I know that 12 hours or so later, I would find myself in a somewhat similar situation.

The scene I am talking about is where, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are having this intense investigative discussion looking into the murders happening around them. All of a sudden, the entire house begins to shake. As all other men would have reacted, MF was startled and ready to take cover. But BP calmly tells MF that it is the sub-way and everytime where is a train passing, the house trembles. He cusses the estate agent and continues the discussion.

I never in my wildest dreams ever imagined being in a similar situation ever. Let alone today. So after I reached office at about 11:30 today, i was just getting settled. Logged onto gmail, said 'Hello' to Abhishek, Joel and Vasanth. Then a quick 'Later' so that I could complete my work tasks. It was about 11:40 now.

And then sometime soon, it happened. Earthquake!!!

What started as a small push, soon the stuff on my desk was all moving. People were standing and panic was creeping in. I did not know what to do. I was on the 8th floor. 15-20 seconds into the quake and it got more intense.

The first thing that came to my mind was, "This is it! It is all over.The building is going to come down I thought!" For a moment, I was blank with that thought of the anti-climax.

I followed my colleagues and they were headed to the fire exit. I went a few steps and realised I had forgotten my wallet and cell. Ran back to the seat and seen that the impact had dropped chairs in my cube to the floor. Quickly, grabbed my belongings and headed to the nearest exit.

All the running that I have been doing on the treadmill finally paid off. Was able to cover the 8 floors with ease.

Reached the assembly point on the ground floor. Nothing had come to ground yet, luckily. It was 12:00 PM now.

The first thing I thought about at the assembly point was the co-incidence of me watching that scene in the movie yesterday night and me going through almost the same experience.

And just like the movie, gladly there were no injuries.

As for what went through my head when I seen the floor move, I thought about my family. That should be our priority, should'nt it? The earthquake just makes me realise how unpredictable life can be. Anything could have happened, anything can happen.

So the simple solution to always have a happy ending is:
Be good. Do good. Feel good.

No matter when your life comes crashing down, atleast you collapse on a good note, is'nt it?

Good Luck and Take care,
Ashley

A movie that will move you!

Sorry guys, this is not 'The Dark Knight' I am talking about.

Just finished watching 'Into the Wild', a terrific piece of art. Movies are supposed to have an impact and this movie has left me hollow. It is an indescribable feeling that’s simmering inside me. Prior to this 'Fight Club' was my favorite movie. But 'Into the Wild' has just taken top honors.

The best part about this movie is the simplicity with which it attracts your attention. There is constant undercurrent that makes you wonder, can I take a decision like Chris? Can I abandon all these materialistic pleasures and just live a free life?
Basically, I don’t want to give much away, but the movie tells about Chris a young American who walks away from the materialistic world into the unknown.

As I write and as you read, there is something bothering us. It could be anything, work, family, friends, money, colleagues or some other petty issue, but it restricts you from doing what you would have done in a free world.
May be I would have packed up, left everything behind and moved to the mountains. May be Adrian would have left all his success and taken globe-trotting. May be, you would have left that multi-million $ paying job of yours and headed to the nearby islands to enjoy the waters and make a wonderful living there. May Be?

Alas, it won’t happen. I won’t leave my comfort zone, even though I might find more happiness and mental peace in the mountains than I do here. These decisions are tough and to be frank, inconceivable for an unadventurous being like me.

But, through the eyes of Chris today, I was able to take myself far away. I was able to do things that gave me unadulterated pleasure and happiness. What can be better than a sleep with no worries? A ride down the river with no hassles of knowing which way I am headed. A life without the burden of inner guilt and self pity.
Alex took this decision, because circumstances at home pushed him towards it. Some people don’t need that push. They just head that road and live their life. Yes, they live and we (materialistic human beings), to some extent, only exist.

Alex made sure that nothing held him back. Afraid of the waters, he was soon rafting down the Colorado River into Mexico. That’s what life is all about. Face your fears, your dreams, and your desires and make sure that you at least give one shot at accomplishing them. Success would not matter, but your effort would.

Don’t we all crave for this kind of a life? Carefree, full of surprises and unseen tomorrows?

But, unfortunately, I am not brave enough to take a plunge into the pool of eternal joy. I would rather live a miserly life with a handful of happy moments and perish.

I wish some of you can take that plunge and live like Chris. Chris aka Alex Supertramp!

Big B(aggage)!

Unlike the frequent traveller that Mr.Big B is, I dont have a million flight trips to boast about, but I have fortunately made dozen of international travels myself. But unlucky as I am, I have never lost my luggage. Period.

Our national treasure, Mr.Big B has lost his luggage twice in a week. Now thats what you call Lucky!

Wonder if his bags have, 'I AM BIG B LUGGAGE' screaming all over it or is it 'attention grabbing, cheap publicity' stunt by Mr.Big B to garner more news coverage of his 'Unforgettable' tour???

Btw, I too lost my sticky notes today. Any idea, Mr.Big B what do I do, incase I lost stuff? You seem to have good experience at 'after-losing-stuff' experience.

Bon Voyage and Safe Luggaging!

Cheers.
Ashley

Change is permanent!

So its a different look. The background has become darker, but I promise to keep the writing light and interesting.

Hope the change has a positive effect on you. One should never get enough of change, thats what I believe in.

~Good Nite

What if ....

Tough times make a man strong. This incident is one of the toughest I have faced so far. It just goes to show, how cornered you can feel sometimes in life and then the unimaginable can happen and turn things around in a jiffy.

Just to keep you interested (into reading my blogs), the toughest day(s) so far were those in Infosys, when during my training period, me and my friends had an 'incident'. Some were fired, some were disciplined and some escaped scot free. This 'incident' will be covered later, for sure!!!

Yes, so the second most toughest day of my life. A day, where I cried bitterly, I gave up all hope and cursed myself to death. I must have made a million and counting mistakes till date. But, this was not a mistake, it was the blunder of the century.

I scored a decent 269/300 in my PCM (physics/chemistry/math) papers during my 12th standard. Not a score to boast about, but not a very bad score either. I had never planned what I am going to do after my 12th. I did not even know what Engineering colleges were good. No research what-so-ever. No elder siblings to guide me.

Just because all my other friends were also trying for a seat in the Engg colleges, even I gave it a shot. Now, I had no clue of how to apply and what are the various rounds that the Mumbai University conducts.

My aim was simple, apply for the tough colleges first and the last two options should be those ones where I will surely get an admission. This was what MU called the 30% quota. I did not give a damn and applied using my simple logic. 'Tough colleges first, sure shot admission in the last 2 options'.

So I sat through the night before the forms submission. Finally, at about half past 2 ( I remember the time too), I had chose the 5 elite colleges. Filled the form and kept it ready.

Next morning, my friends and I reached VJTI for form submission. Not even once did I ever discuss my choice with my friends. Of course, it was my research, my effort, I did not want someone else to take advantage of the hadrwork put in by me. That's what I thought.

I submitted my form. I was relaxed, because I knew I was going to get a seat. Wow, I will soon be an engineer. Nice!!

In a few weeks the list was out. None of my friends had got admission, but I had made it through. So this should have been my happiest day right? Why toughest day?

Well, here are the facts of that dreadful day.
I had got admission in a C grade college called S. Jondhale College of Engg, Dombivali(E).
I had got admission into the not-so-buzzing department, Mechanical Engg.

Worse things were in store for me...
The seat that I was so proud about was from the 30% quota. 70% of the seats were still open for admissions.

And yes, the clincher was that I was ineligible to apply for those 70% seats. So simply put, I was royally screwed! I was stuck in a situation and there was nothing I could do about it. It was my 'choice'.

When my friends heard that I had made it through to S.Jondhale, they would not laugh at me, but sympathize. That evening, Sumeet, one of my best friends, came over to my place in Malad.

I looked at him, he gave me a disappointing look. Inadvertently, tears started rolling down my cheeks. I had just screwed up my career. All the hard work put through my school and junior college days were futile. I had goofed up, and that too big time.

He gave me a few words of courage. But I was inconsolable by now. Weeping, I told him, "Dude, I screwed up, what I am going to do now?".

At this time, I did feel disappointed in myself but not as much as I felt bad for my parents. They had given me eveything. Everything I asked for. And they never questioned me. They have never asked me during my entire lifetime, "Why are you doing this?". They had immense trust in what I did (even today), and that gloomy evening, I had let them down. But they did not show it to me, they tried to pep me up and told me to take it easy.

It was a tough day, I must say. I did go to S.Jondhale college for 2 whole months and then stopped.

But, thanks to my parents blessings, 4 years later. I was Bachelors of Engg. in Information Technology from Mumbai University. And the college was not S.Jondhale. It was not a SPCE or VJTI kind of top notch college too, but it was a decent college by the name of Vidyavardhini's College of Engg and Technology.

Life may have been different, if I was to do Engg from S.Jondhale. Hence the 'What if....'.

Thanks to my dear Mom and Dad, things turned out well for me!!!

P.S: The change in college and branch happened due to a change in the admission rule for that year (1999) only. It was an exception year, because the new Information Technology course was added.
How lucky was I? The exception rule gave me permission to apply in the 70% quota and I made it to where I think I deserved.

Value of your life?

Not E-bay my friend!
E-bay may be able to quantify the monetary value of your life, but the social value?
How important are you to someone who is not related, someone who is not your friend, someone whom you have never spoken to, someone whom you know you will never bump into again(hopefully).

How will you measure that? Tough aint it?

Well, Manish( my roomie) and I have come up with a simple solution.
So you want to know the value of your life?
Read on...

Kindly head to the nearest crosswalk or zebra crossing. Wait for the WALK signal to turn green. Then a little carefully start crossing the road.

At this particular moment, you will know how valuable your life is, to the particular society you are in.

Try this at a couple of other signals, just to confirm the results and make sure there is a consistency in the attitude of the people in the society.

I hope you got the answer!

Adios and Be Safe.
Ashley

Disclaimer:
Please be attentive during the above procedure.
Ashley/Manish are not responsible for any accidents/fatalities.

Sania Mirza, India's most over-hyped sportsperson!

"Carrying the hopes of a billion people". Just woke up on this cozy sunday to read this first line on rediff and indiatimes. Infuriated, i slowly calmed down and realised that, India lacks sports heroes. Hence it is but natural for the media to focus on very mediocre talent like Sania Mirza and project her as India's only hope for a medal.

Yes, she can win a medal if, she gets byes in all her rounds and is directly into the finals. There, if there is an opponent she will get Silver, else, she 'May' win a Gold. Reason. She has this uncanny habit of coming up with weird injuries at the most inexplicable times. So in the final she might withdraw with no one to play against. It is possible!

Yes, so why is Sania Indias most over-hyped sportsperson. Lets start with my basic reasoning.

Is she a sportsperson?
NO. A sportsperson is a cut above the rest, when it comes to physical fitness. I for one, know because I have friends and family who are professional sportspersons. I dont actually track, but Miss Sania falls sick more often than a new born baby. Blame it on the WTA or tennis, it does not fly with me. And the best thing about professionals is that, the time they realise their body cant take the toll, they quit. A prime example is Martina Hingis from WTA. But, out Sania will keep blaming the shoulder, knee, head, back and all other biological parts, which I take as silly excuses to compensate for lack of talent.

Even if she is a sportsperson, is she really worth the hype?
NO. India has better sports-persons to look upto. We dont need a flopshow like Sania to follow and waste our prayers for a Olympic medal. I mean, the statistics speak for themselves, she has been a professional for more than 5 years. She has one single WTA tour victory which came at her home turf in 2005. Since then she does not really have anything to boast about.
Her serve is the most pathetic I have ever seen. Infact, even i can serve better. Atleast I am more consistent.
She has not made it past the 4th round in any grand slam, but once.
Her inconsistency is her highlight and strong point. She does not win anything, is very mediocre and is more of a sex symbol than a tennis star.

I mean, I dont mind admiring a Sachin Tendulkar, he is class, he is talent. Nor do i not admire a Dhanraj Pillay. These sportspersons brough fear into the opponents minds when on the field. Do you think, Venus Williams gets scared when Sania is on the opposite side of the net?

The most hyped statement I have ever heard in my entire lifetime was this, "Sania has the hardest forehand in womens tennis". Pardon me, but I dont remember which blind, deaf, dumb soul made this statement, but it made me giggle and laugh at the stupidity that Sania-Mania has created.

What we have today is something like this:
A big bubble. Lots of pictures of a tennis player in tennis attire. A little bit of flesh and Indian hormones go into a tizzy. Zilch tennis talent required for a champion. Let alone a champion, a decent tennis player. More Zilch athletic physique. Hype created by Indian media folks. 1 WTA title to boast about till date. 0 career games that were classics.

And we, Indians look towards this bubble in awe and hope for a medal?

Dont bullshit me. Try someone else. Indiatimes and Rediff, go and hunt some better stories to publish. This is stale and crap buddy!

Cheers,
Ashley

Fire Exit? Where?

It baffled me for almost 2.5 years. And yesterday it stunned me. India's so-called most admired company had a minor fire incident. 25-30 people were hospitalised. Luckily there were no fatalities.

But, sooner or later, one day someone will pay. The reason I say this is because of this weird system that Infosys has. It locks all the FIRE EXITS after 10:00 PM.

I never really cared to ask 'WHY', but it felt plain stupid to me. The reasoning I would like to put forward:
1.Like in all IT companies, there is always a sizeable IT junta working late hours. Blame this on the timezone or work pressure, I dont really care, but yes, there are quite a few people working their ass off and the last thing they have to worry about is whether the Fire Exit is locked or unlocked?
2. One cannot really predict when there would be a blaze. Can we? Parallely, we cannot predict the number of folks working late nights. So it is very possible that we have almost a complete floor working late night and the deligent security guy happily locks the Fire Exit, knowing as if there will NEVER be a fire that night.

The B10 building that caught fire was attached to the B11 building where i worked for almost 2 years. And this Fire Exit locking business happened all along. I am very sure, even yesterday the case must have been the same.

We are lucky enough not to have lost any Infoscion, but what we should really do is learn and keep the Fire Exits open all the time. The people who make the rules will never be in office till 11 PM, it is only the security folks and software developers like me that will be at risk. So time to consider and make a slight change.

Here is a link to the incident.

Trippin in Vegas!

Firstly, a big thanks to my friend, Vishal Kalsi. He made my trip to vegas unforgettable. We met after 3 long years, had a couple of drinks together, discussed old times, gambled and had a mini bachelor party!!! But, it was absolutely fantabulous.

So, back to trip. Yes, 1500+ miles of sitting in the car, the heat of Nevada and Arizona and the heartache of losing 300 $, worth it ? Of course yes. Hell Ya!

The highlight of the trip was the gambling session at 'The Mirage'. The three of us, Kalsi, me and Sumeet were hell bent on making some quick buck. Now, Sumeet is a friend of Kalsi's. He is an absolute dude. I met him for the first time. And by the time it was 5 AM, i felt I knew this guy since childhood. The 3 of us were just killing it in Vegas.

Yes, so we are at 'The Mirage'. None of us had played 'BlackJack' before. Sumeet, called a friend of us and got a high level understanding of what the game is about and tried to explain to Kalsi and Me. Smart ass that we are, we said 'Ok, why dont you try, we will follow!'.

The sport that Sumeet was, he willingly picked a table to rest his ass for the night. Nancy was the dealer. A grandmother kinda woman, very enthusiastic and would mumble.. "Son of a ...", whenever she would get a BlackJack!

For most of the evening, she wanted the three of us to win and become millionaires. But as fate had it, Kalsi and I lost.

Ok, so Sumeet sits on the table and tells Nancy, "I am playing for the first time, can you please explain some rules". She happily explains that the others at the table are novices too and she would be more than glad to assist.

So Sumeet starts with a 100$ bill. The aim of blackjack as i understood that time, was to have cards that summed closest to 21. If you get 21 in 2 cards, then you basically have a 'Blackjack'. The payment in this case is not even but 3:2.

In the meanwhile as I stand there to understand the game, Sumeet has suddenly made about 50 $. I am like, 'WOW'. This guy did not even know how to play and is not making big bucks. So, your truly, jumped into the arena.

Got out some change and sat. Did not understand one bit of what was happening. Nancy, was helpful though. She would tell me whether I should hit or stay. Suddenly, even I started to make some money. As it happens, you win for sometime, then you start losing and it goes on and on and on.

But, what does not happen frequently is what happened to Sumeet. As I told you, getting a 21 is a 'Blackjack' or a 'Natural'.
So a 'A' (Ace) card is 11 and any other face card (Jack, Queen, King) or 10 is 10 points. So for a blackjack one needs a 'Ace' and a 10 point card.

After, about 4 Long Island Ice tea's tripped, Sumeet got 2 'Ace' cards. He decided to split the cards. Split would mean, play those 'Ace' cards are individual games. So he added more cash and played on. His third card was astonishingly another 'Ace'. So he decided to split that card too.

So now, Sumeet is basically playing 3 games. And all 3 have a slight probability of being 'BlackJack(s)'.

So Nancy, draws the fourth card for Sumeet. Please forgive my memory, but thanks to the LIIT, i dont remember whether it was a face card or a 10. But yes, he got 10. So he had one blackjack.

Kalsi, Me and another friend who joined us gave high fives and let out a small yell.

Nancy, drew the fifth card for Sumeet, it too was 10. 'Man this is crazy shit happening' I said. The yelling got louder. The high fives got harder and higher. We were enjoin this. 'Can Sumeet get a third BlackJack? Is it possible? I would get like 1 blackjack in 4 games. And here he was, a possibility to get 3 blackjacks in 1 game.'

So Nancy, drew the 6th card. And all hell broke loose. It was a another freaking 10.
We screamt like crazy. The entire bay would look at us. We stood, gave high fives!! I looked at the cards and it was amazing.

It was improbable that something like this would have happened. But it did. And it was rocking!!! Nancy, kept repeating 'I have not seen that in a long long time'. She was in her fifties. 'Her long time would have meant a real long time', I thought.

Sumeet, made about 75 $ in that single game. But money was irrelevant. It was the fun, enjoiment, thrill, excitement that hit us.

Soon, I lost about 200 $ and Kalsi about 160 $. We decided to stop. Sumeet, cashed out too. When at the finish line(losing money), 2 of my ex-college friends came to our table. 'Ashley!', one said. I wondered, who knew me in Vegas. Chandan and Sameep, 2 friends whom I had not met for quite sometime, were in Vegas too. Had a word or two with them and then the 3 of us left 'The Mirage'.

I was leaving for Phoenix the next morning. I would have loved to stay with these guys and enjoy one more gambling guzzle, but things were not to be that way.

To be frank, I was playing Blackjack for the first time. I dont know how frequently does a player get 3 'Blackjack's in one game, but it for sure is a thrill feeling.

Hope to make some money the next time I am in Vegas. What I do take from the last trip are good memories and the below picture of Kalsi and Sumeet.




Cheers and Love,
Ashley