Cactus Chords

Sorry guys, I was traveling and just got back to share with you all the last and final chapter of the story.

Max reaches his friend’s place and is surprised at how small an office he has and stops to wonder if he was doing something that wasn’t worthwhile. He scraps all the random thoughts running through his mind and steps in. Walks into his friend’s office and meets him. His friend welcomes him with a hug and asks him to take a seat. Without wasting anytime, his friend introduces Max to one of his subordinates and asks him to commence the process of familiarizing Max with the goings on of the distribution unit. From identfying production companies, negotiating, agreements, logistics, stock checking, distribution, further negotiationm basically from alpha to omega.

As time passed, Max started showing exemplary skills in every field. He also went the extra mile and became sort of the union leader of the employees. He got their concerns to the higher authorities; his friend. Within a short time span of 4 years, he had managed to increase the distribution units from 1 to 4 in 3 different cities. His friend was very proud of him and promised to make him his partner and let him handle 2 sectors all by himself. Max regularly sent money to his uncle’s house and wrote to them as he considered them his family. He had also saved enough money to invest in real estate, and 3 ambassadors. Don’t ask me why he bought 3 of them. Maybe he found some use of it. Within another year, business was going smooth but stagnant. No growth and they badly needed to expand. His friend put forward the idea of him joining his business and both of them investing more money into the business and opening up more distribution units in 2 other cities to increase their revenues. Max readily agreed as, in a way, he was thankful for the life he had and he wanted to grow. After their discussions, his friend agreed to invest quite a bit of money and to get Max to be an equal share holder, his friend asked him to invest the same amount. If Max invested that amount, he would be left with exactly INR 8,000/-.

In a way Max loved the challenge. He thought to himself, “If this is a wrong decision, then I stand to learn from this. So what, I have my friend and team with me. If something goes wrong, we can always work our way up.” He agreed and they started the procedures to open the new units. He handed over the money to his friend and told him to take care of the formalities as that was what was happening all these years. He handed over the money and decided to visit his only family to tell them the good news and go check on them after years. As soon as he said this, I sat back on my chair, widened my eyes and cupped my mouth. Max looked at me and made the loser sign on his forehead. I sat there motionless.  Max was in charge of all the operations whereas his friend was in charge of the management. He stops, looks at me and says, “You guessed right Mithun, he screwed me. I am not ashamed to admit it.” He adviced, “Whenever you get cheated or screwed in business, shout it to whomever you want. Do not keep it within. Only then will you have the drive to prove to those that you can come out of it and you are capable of it. If you are the only one who knows it along with a few others, you will keep a low profile and end up a loser.”

In a way, it is true. It does help in many ways. I openely accept my first failure but at the same time working ten times harder to prove myself and find myself at peace. I find a lot who agree with me in the wrong decisions I made, advice me, correct me, say the I-told-you-so phrase but most of all support me and offer me all kinds of help. And one thing I appreciate and realize is that, all those weren’t just words. Every single person who promised to help me has come to my aid, with absolutely no expectations. It is indeed a good feeling. Just for the sake of those people, I want to excel in life. I will ensure I do not make the same mistakes that I made and I saw others make. But I might make new ones. Take life as it comes and learn as you go.

Max then returns from his home to find out that his childhood mate and his work buddy for so many years has, no points for guessing, invested his money and moved on. All within a matter of 2 weeks. Apprently, the procedures had started well before the handing over of the money. Basically he was broke with just INR 4000/-, 3 ambassadors and a piece of land. What he did after that, I can not say, f@#k!!! He quit his job, spent a few months brooding over his mistake and without wasting anymore time went on to build a whole new business that flourished to not that state alone but 3 different states and lives a happy life with his family. Due course of this new venture he went through a lot of hardships as well which I am not allowed to speak about. Pretty much the same thing, backstabbing, cheating, lying, but by other people in new ways. This time, he had a back up plan for everything that happened. He ends by saying, “Once bitten, twice shy. I just followed my instincts and learnt to observe, read and decipher people.”

Recently, his old friend got in touch with him, apologized and asked him if he was interested in a new business venture and told him this time he would work for him. “What goes around, comes around.” He told me, “Mithun, you just do your part. The universe has a way of its own. It will reward you with everything you want if you want it with all your heart and work towards it.”

If you guys haven’t heard of or watched it, please get your hands on this documentary called “The Secret”. It is a life changing documentary. NOT THE MOVIE, THE DOCUMENTARY. At least for me. I hope you enjoyed this post. I just wish Max lets me write about his work someday. I would love to share the rest of his story. It is action packed.

Cheers!!!

Right out of college, he hadn’t the slightest clue what he wanted to do in life. As soon as he told this to me, I cut him short and asked him, “Then what did you do next?”. I asked him this because, I was pretty much in the same position when I passed out of college. I just did not want to work in a company. Not that I would have gotten placed with the marks I had Even if I had done the usual stunt of getting one of my relatives or even my dad to get me a job, I did not want it. Was I being stupidly stubborn? Was I being hard headed for no reason? Probably, but as I always believed, everything happens for the good. And that decision of mine made me embark on a journey that I, till date, do not regret. Anyway, getting back to his story, he replied, “At first, pretty much nothing. I tried looking for a job and got a few calls. You see Mithun, it wasn’t that hard for an engineer to get a job those days. But I did not want to work in a company, wake up in the morning, get back home and join the rat race.”

Reader, if you are an entrepreneur or an aspiring one, you will realize that the above emotion is a common one. The above sentence is like a perpetual chant in your head. It is a sentence you might have used and heard being used a million times. The not-wanting-to-work-for-anyone-but-yourself, is an innate emotion in all entrepreneurs. For the very same reason, I reacted with an ear to ear grin and told him, “I felt the very same way.” The moment those words left my lips, I realized I was gonna get slapped down. I wished I hadn’t said those words.  He looked at me, smirked and said, “Every aspiring entrepreneur thinks the same. It is nothing new.” I didn’t say anything else but, “That’s true”. What else could I say? Somehow getting slapped down by this man did not pinch my ego.

I heard a phone ring in the yonder, it stopped half way through. A little later his wife, a very sweet lady, appears on the first floor and taps on a wind chime that hung off the edge of the roof. Max swirled his head around the moment he heard the melodious chime. They exchanged glances, not one word spoken. He turned to me and excused himself and hopped to his house over the moist lawn. I sat there and took in the beauty of the place and wondered what I had done to meet such a person. Why would he sit and talk to me at such length and narrate his life story to me? My imaginative time piece started ticking. With every passing second I was thinking of a new scenario. Does he want to help me out with my business? Does he want to start something with me? Yeah right he will. Does he want to warn me of the hurdles that lie ahead? Is he telling me not to lose focus? Why is he free today? Doesn’t he have work? Is he shitting me or playing a prank on me? Why am I thinking all this? After we speak everything, is there anyway this person will be helpful in business to me? How can I use this contact? In other words, I was being plain desperate. Once you venture into business, you wonder how every second person you meet can help you out. It isn’t because you have become an opportunist but purely because you are desperate or looking for greener pastures. Once you have achieved what you want, this internal war of queries cease to occur. But I guess, that is normal. If you meet some big shot in your field tomorrow, by chance and he starts chatting with you about his life and asks you about your work and gives you tips, wouldn’t you also think somewhere on the same lines? Maybe not this desperate, but I am a little hyper as it is and also have balls to admit to all of this

He returned from the phone call and pardoned for being away. I just smiled to such statements. What could I possible say when he says sorry? “It’s okay Max, dont worry.” As if he gives a flying f#$k about what I feel? But he is a person who has such values and principles. He somehow seemed gleeful about narrating his own story. Maybe he knows its an award winning rags-to-riches story. He continued narrating, “As I was saying, once I passed out, I didn’t know what to do. Got a few job offers but turned them down that very moment.” I listened intently for the next part of the story as that was the part I was interested in. What a bum I am. He leaned back on the cane chair and stretched his arms and let out a sigh. I was still listening intently with the empty coffee cup in my hand. He asked me, “Care for some more Mithun?” and pointed to my cup. I looked down at my cup, the left over coffee had dried up and formed an ink devil sort of artwork that spanned from one end of the cup to the other. I placed the cup on the table, denied the offer cordially and went back to the “intently listening” position, you know the one when you sitting on a chair, with your elbows perched on your thighs and your chin resting on your palm or merely clamping your hands together. He got the hint and went on with his narration, “I then bumped into a friend of mine who I knew from my school days, by chance, on the road after almost a decade. It was really nice to catch up with him after a long break.” Apparently, that friend of Max’s was into pharmacy. He had a large distribution network and was quite successful. When Max expressed his interest in starting something of his own, his friend asked him what field he was interested in. Max hadn’t the slightest clue. Mind you he was 24 years old then. He told him that he wanted to join him in his business. Being a good friend, he did not say anything and told him to meet him the following week with whatever certificates he had on him. Max admits, “To be a successful entrepreneur, hard work alone will take you ages. You need an impressive combination of luck, timing, hard work, contacts and most importantly, how to utilize them.”

So Max set out the following week with all the documents he possessed from his school and college. He also gathered as much information about pharmacy and distribution. That day was his first interview for a job that he wanted with all his heart.

to be continued……..

Yeterday, I had the opportunity to meet one of the greatest personalities in my life by chance. We got talking and I felt dwarfed (an understatement) to his simplicity, knowledge, wealth and genorosity. Though he hasn’t been covered in the media as much, he is a human being who has been through the worst times in life and crawled his way back to success.

When I asked him if I could write about him in my blog, he replied “Mithun, you met me today morning and we have conversed for close to half a day and I have only let you in on a fraction of my life. Go ahead and write, but please keep my name and work anonymous. I believe you wouldn’t take undue advantage and divulge my credentials.” I, thus, apologise for not revealing his name as I am bound by a humble promise which I wish to abide by. I wish to cover this in chapters so I do not bore my few readers.

Chapter 1

Which human being would deny free media coverage? I laid this question in front of him with all due respect, to which his reply was “Mithun, first of all please call me (his name) and do not be so formal with me. Now coming to your question, media hype can work both ways. It works for someone who is low and needs to soar or for one who is up and needs to be brought down. I fall in neither. Then why would I need it? I know I have tackled my share of hurdles to success, so the former is out. Are you trying to bring me down?” I chuckled and appreciated the thought and we exchanged innocent smiles. Did he mean my blog is shit and I would make him look bad? Damn…

For my reader’s sake, let us name him Max, as he suggested. Max was born in a village in one of the western most states of India. His parents passed away at a very young age and he was raised by his aunt. Once he completed his 12th standard, they asked him to fend for himself. Before letting him go, his uncle found him a job at a very wealthy NRI’s mansion as a caretaker. Max does not blame his uncle for letting him go. He reminisces, “I was the 6th member in his family and they weren’t well off at all. His uncle had a small tailoring store and his aunt was a housewife. They had to raise 3 other children and I know and have seen what they went through. Post my 12th, I was old enough to differentiate right from wrong, had a basic qualification. How much more should he provide? In fact, if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.” I looked around his house. There was class written all over the freaking place. But his sheer humbleness and thoughtful nature drove you to respect him subconsciously. 

When the owner returned a year later, he was impressed by the boy’s work. He had maintained accounts for all the maintenance over the past one year, filed all the necessary documents immaculately, maintained the mansion in top notch shape and even managed to get the house touched up before the owner returned with the money that was left over from the expenses. The owner was astounded by this, 12th standard pass boy’s knowledge, responsibility  and maturity. The owner confessed to Max that ” Honestly beta (SON in Hindi), I thought you would have either taken off with the money or made a mess of the house. I gave you this job because your uncle is a very good friend of mine. Now I trust you blindly.” He looked straight into my eyes and said with a firm head bob, “That was my very first achievement. Earning someone’s trust with my hardwork.”  The owner promised to admit him to college and the honourable man kept his promise indeed.

He was narrating his college escapades to me. He was ragged heavily in college and almost drowned in a pool due course of one of the ragging sessions. Hospitalized for a short while for suffering from mental trauma and thus performed miserably in his exams. He was like, “I have seen my batch mates and class mates crying when they flunked in 2 or 3 papers. When I finished 4 years, I had 32 papers to clear. I cleared them within a year’s time”, in other words, in two sittings. He continued, “It wasn’t because I couldn’t clear them earlier, I just didn’t want to. I hated everything about my college, but loved everything about my life. I was somewhere I did not belong or at least felt so. But I knew if I had to get rid of that burden and to achieve that, I had to clear them.” I nearly choked on my saliva listening to all this. I would have taken all my life to clear those papers or even quit half way through. Max managed to scrape through his course in 5 years. He then moved on to sit idle for almost a year wondering what to do with his life. I feel really handicapped as I can not talk about his work. If I do, you all are sure to find out who he is, as he is one of the pioneers in his field. I am not here to talk about his work but the hardships in life he has been subjected to and how he crawled his way up. Truly inspiring.

We moved to his garden from the study for a cup of coffee. He takes his coffee strong, with one teaspoon of sugar. He took well spaced, short sips with tightly held lips, preventing his tongue from being burnt, he continued his story. “Mithun, I hope I am not boring you.” To which I gave him a look like, “Do I even remotely look bored and shook my head.” There was nothing I could get myself to say. Was a bit too intrigued by his story. Now you might wonder, a guy flunks in college, clears his papers in a year and he’s narrating it, what’s the big deal? The big deal, my friend, is that, that very same man is the owner one of the the biggest businesses in his field and has assets worth over 50 crores in a matter of 5 years since he started working.

to be continued…….

Cheers!!!

This is unbelieavable. I couldn’t believe my very eyes. Michael Jackson shortly had the heart attack after watching this video.

Watch the whole video….
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MICHAEL JACKSON\’S KILLER (CLICK HERE)
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R.I.P Jacko. Justice will be served. Dr. K. Chaudhry was reported to be in exile in the mountains of Kabul as per BBC.

Cheers!!!

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Now a lot of you might have opened this post to expect me to reveal a deep, dark and dirty secret of mine. You naughty @$$ f@#$ers. Sorry to disappoint you, but it ain’t nothing of that sort.

But again I just can’t seem to get enough with blogging. It could be one of those Immature Beginner’s Infatuation. Whatever it is, it keeps me going.

I just intend to share something that has been in my sketch books for quite a while. It might not be clear. Clicked it with my mobile phone. Didn’t intend it to be that clear either

One of my greatest passions is Music & Art. I hope sometime in the future (when I am done with or neck deep in the rat race of life, trying to make a living with a profession that merely assists in bringing the bread home and does not satisfy your soul) I will be able to contribute someway, somehow to this field.

I have not been trained in any of the above fields. It’s something I have an innate flare for and thus grew into my passion. Though had numerous chances to extend my passion, I never did because I thought I was to become either a doctor or an engineer to make money. Weirdly, it wasn’t even because of my parents. Just me!! Surprising, I know. Don’t even get me started on that side of the story.

Once I grew up, I realized that if I had followed my passion, I probably would have done much better in life. Regrets, remorse, repent….Hell no!!! I am very happy with the way things are moving in my life. The way I look at it now, make the most of what you have. Push yourself to the limit in what you do. There is always a time in life when you get a calling, a calling of true passion. Allow me to borrow a page from Farhan Akhtar’s Rock On!! Pretty much the same way. You don’t know what will make you deviate from your normal life. It would be one helluva feeling. Exhilarating am sure.

Keeping it short, here are 2 sketches I put together almost a year back.

Phew!!! Man am I relieved.

Disclaimer: Neither of these sketches are my imagination. They were inspired by others. In other words, I looked at a picture on the internet and drew them.

Cheers!!!

Scenario 1
Standing in front of the mirror, turn sideways, a couple of pats on the belly. Wonder to yourself, “How on earth did I get this?”

Scenario 2
While driving, happen to glance down and see your small belly popping out through the life saving seat belt embracing you. It’s only life saving, can’t save the shame, can it?

Scenario 3
Standing at a party or a get together, a chic walks past, suck your belly in. Hold it till your breath gives away and bang comes out the wobbly motherf@#$er.

Scenario 4
You are in a meeting and it’s time for the presentation, you get up and hold the bugger in, yet again. Go on with the presentation. When you feel you can’t hold on any longer, you turn towards the slides on the wall, let out a deep breath, feel better and then take a deep breath and turn back to the crowd.

Scenario 5
Going through your school, college or even pictures from the recent past with your lady love or lady friend  and suddenly a shame grips you when you see the old you.

And an excuse like, “That was in college. Its been so many years after that” can also be termed as LIVING IN DENIAL. It’ just been 3 years mate… You only have the right to use that sentence if it has been close to a decade.

Initially you console yourself, “Its a small belly, ill work out and get rid of it.” You start working out, jogging, skipping, cycling.

Jogging stops and you think, “Chill out dude, the rest of the exercises are still there”.

Skipping stops, “Relax bro, pumping and cycling is more than enough”.

Cycling stops, “Damn, why was I over exercising before, pumping iron is more than enough”.

Pumping iron stops……………..

Tired of all the extra fat accumulating under your chest, you wake up one morning, take a piece of paper, draw an impeccable table. After an hour of surfing through the web and calculating, you hold the sheet of paper high as if it is a masterpiece. YOUR NEW DIET CHART. You swear to stick by it no matter what.

Within no time, the whole house is pinned up with copies of it. You stick by it with flawless accuracy and dedication. 2 weeks tops and comes a close friend’s birthday party or wedding and you can’t help but go there. The diet is gone to the dogs.

Then there is the lovely mug of beer that we hold closest to our heart. Without beer, what is life? You say, “I work my ass all day for 5 or even 6 days a week. The only time I get to pamper myself is on a Saturday night and a Sunday. I am gonna drink!! But we do not realize the sly Tuesdays and Thursdays that slip in when we think, “It’s a Tuesday, a long week left, can’t wait for Saturday, just one beer”. On a Thursday “It’s Thursday, Saturday is also working. Damned, I can’t wait till then, just one beer.”

It is something I am fighting everyday. What can we do? I have a  remedy that I have discovered myself and I am following that and is working pretty well. Let us hope i stick to it for my sake.

Finding your remedy is up to you

Cheers!!!

image reference: http://cache4.asset-cache.net, http://pro.corbis.com, http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk, http://www.whitehatbrands.com, http://pro.corbis.com,

Since I commenced my blogging venture, I have been faced with the question whether my posts were lifted? It is a common question anyone can ask. But I started wondering why would they ask me something like that.

They know I am not that desperate to write a post by lifting something from the internet.

I might quote a line or a paragraph, but I mention it, when I do so. Otherwise, if i lift my posts from elsewhere and rephrase it, I will be putting the credibility of my blog at risk. I am very happy with the response I am receiving from readers so far.

People somehow can’t wrap their heads around the fact that maybe, I could write and that too write about topics people might be interested to read. Probably these are things that have been in my head for quite sometime. I have been wanting to start my blog for a long time but did not because I, firstly, did not know how to do it. Secondly, was scared how it would be accepted or perceived. But that was 2 years ago. I slowly overcame the apprehension and that has culminated in this blog. I faced these questions for the posts “Why do 9 out of 10 start-ups fail?” and “Are success and number of years of experience directly proportional?”.

Now I do realize, these might be topics a million others have spoken about.

Oh wait, but you know what? I don’t f@#$ing care.

Every word I have written there is what I have experienced with my company, with my partners, with my friends, with my life. It might be similar to others as there are just a limited number of ways one can screw up in business. What differs is who does it and how badly he gets screwed or screws someone. Makes sense?

I guess the main problem is because I write so many posts in such little time. People wonder if someone can write so much. I enjoy writing my posts. Probably after a while the number of posts uploaded may reduce.

As my first post says, no ones got a gun pointed to your head. On that good note, laters peeps

Cheers!!!

image reference: http://thumbs.dreamstime.com, shillpages.com/movies/cc.shtml, http://4.bp.blogspot.com, http://media.photobucket.com

Not everyone is as lucky as me when it comes to finding the right person. And when I say that, please don’t start off with the soul mate crap…Spare me the music.

I mean two people who gel and dig each other so well that, there are absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Except the occasional fights that everybody has on small things. But they are not blown out of proportion. It is as good as a friendship, of course, with the benefits of a relationship…ahem ahem…This makes it the perfect relationship. There are a lot of lucky men out there with girlfriends that realize exactly how a male brain functions and gives us space. I drop myself in the same basket. But at the same time we musn’t take advantage of the space given either. Respect must be showered equally to the other party as well. Coz dude, we all know what percentage of women in the world actually understand the male brain and live accordingly.

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Recently, an old friend of mine from college in Bangalore happened to call me out of the blue. He had gone through quite an emotional turmoil in the past couple of years. The reason being, no prizes for guessing, his woman.

The guy was so hysterical when he called that it took me a second to realize that he was not happy on talking to me after long, he was happy that he got a new person to narrate his saga to. He had literally typed out a template with all his problems in his mail drafts and whenever he got a prey to molest, he would send this mail with the name changed to the respective recipient’s. Hilarious!!!
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I received the mail, clicked on it. It took slightly longer than usual, but once it opened, it seemed like Shakespeare was still writing in his grave and he had sent me all that he wrote since he stepped in. It was never ending.  I shut it and called him to ask what exactly was the situation.

Before I tell you what happened next, that very phone call lasted for 5 hours, due course of which he cried like a baby, laughed like a mad man, screamed like a girl, howled like a wolf, sang like a beggar who had his b@!!$ squashed and many other emotions which I never even knew existed. At one point of time he started whining and laughing at the same time. It spooked the very soul out of me. I felt like I was bearing witness to an exorcism on the phone.

There is one thing I have realized about women that when they say “Women Are Complicated”, it’s a bloody hoax. They are not. The basic cause for all the speculations is just one thing, CONSTANT HORMONAL CHANGES & MOOD SWINGS. Every action of a woman can be justified by their mood swings.

Q: Why do people say they are complicated?

A: Because they switch personalities at times without the slightest warning. Some examples:

- They say things with absolutely no connection to the previous sentence.
- You are their prince charming at one time and their worst enemy the next moment.
- They are happy when you get them a gift, but angry that they didn’t get you something and that can ruin that night.
- They are happy you called them but sad why you didn’t call earlier.
- They are happy you have a lot of friends, but angry you spend more time with them, when you actually aren’t
- They are happy when you remember something you shared a while back, when they forget, its because they had so many other problems bothering them and then the famous line “Please, I remember more instances than you”.

And many more which you readers can add, as you read.

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Women have a lot of hormonal changes going on that result in mood swings. Once you keep room for the complete opposite reaction, your life is pretty much smooth sailing. Just like cops think like the way a crook would think to eventually catch them, we must subject our thoughts to those of a woman or at least try to create an inclination towards a woman’s thoughts. I am not in anyway looking down on women. Don’t shoot me.

Q: What is the solution?

A: If it was so easy, then I would be a Guru by now, a millionaire. There is no hard and fast rule buddy. You must be aware of the term Risk Analysis and Risk Management. Something similar to that is what you have to adopt when dealing with women. Adverse Reaction Analysis and Adverse Reaction Management.
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There are signs which women give, which differs from individual to individual, before they go into a frenzy for instance

- constant shifting of position
- vigorous eye movement
- quivering of the nose
- over-examining an object in the vicinity
- fidgety
- snappy
- the dangerous frown that says (what the hell did u just say?)
- the look of disbelief that says (how could you say that?)
- quivering chin, just before tears gush out
- brusque remarks (what?, who?, excuse me?, u crazy?, helloooo!!!)

The moment you hear any of these, it is wise to calm down and say sorry or just change the topic or give another gift or surprise or do something stupid and look cute. Otherwise, it will escalate into a fight unnecessarily and it will be blown out of proportion. If it is a girl who is stronger than you, then I pity you mate.

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Try and avoid these situations as much as possible. Women go through a lot and us guys have it easy throughout. The only thing we have to worry about is getting the food on the table. One way or the other we will do it. But we wont be able to withstand half the things women do, so cut them some slack.

But that doesn’t mean you let them sit on your head and take a dump. I hope you know the relevance of this post and the selective implementation of it.

But it is a complete different feeling to have someone care for you, love you, be there for you and vice versa. So the least we can do is return the favor by choosing the path of least resistance.

I am terribly sorry if you read this whole thing and got nothing out of it. That is why I have it under the necessary category. But thanks for reading anyway.

Cheers!!!

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image reference: http://4.bp.blogspot.com, http://masterworks.files.wordpress.com, http://www.citizenorange.com, http://www.filmcement.org, http://www.herospy.com, http://www.popartuk.com, http://intelligentwomenreadromance.files.wordpress.com, http://www.mikesjournal.com, http://www.clipartguide.com, http://pro.corbis.com, www.images.com

The following post will only make sense to you if, you are a person with the following traits,

- have an ever growing craving for change
- more than just complacent with wherever you are in life
- always wondered how the personality that you are, would react if put in a certain situation
- always wanted to do something crazy that would surprise everyone and you yourself

It has been my dream for years to pack my bags one fine day with nothing more than a change, my toothbrush, paste, deo, cellfone and CATs and say Rs. 2000/- and set out to someplace Ive never been before. And I will do that sometime soon.

Q: What will you do when you run out of money?

A: I would love to work someplace and earn money. Just for a while, say a month or even couple of weeks. I do not care where it is and I mean it. It can be anywhere, even in a hotel as a waiter or a helper someplace. Live that simple life for a month and experience it. There are hidden treasures in a simple life. You might not quite understand where I am coming from but a lot of others who think like me will, I am sure.

Q: Isn’t that a scary thought and a stupid thing to do?

A: A lot of people are scared what will happen if they do that. They feel their whole life will be turned topsy turvy if they stay away. It’s all about personal perception and whether you find joy in living extravagantly or find joy in the simplest things in life such as helping someone and seeing a smile on their face, the gratitude and blessing smeared all over their face. It’s a different high on the whole. Don’t think too much, just go for it.

Q: What do you exactly have in mind, when you mean a simple life?

A: It all depends upon how adaptable you are to a new environment. If you are enslaved to the stereotypical lifestyle of waking up, going to work, slogging all day (doesn’t matter if u get to chill at work or even fool around, you are still at work and under someone), get back home, have dinner, go out probably, sleep and repeat the cycle. You might have a vaccation once in a blue moon to a beachy location and do water sports and return all refreshed. That is also good, but do not repeat it more than once, it becomes stale. What I have in mind is a secret i will reveal once I’ve lived it.

Everyone goes to beautiful locations for a vaccation, spend a fortune, upload pics, receive comments and get back to work. No one will remember it. Do something different, the feeling is beyond this world. You wouldn’t even bother if no one appreciated it. You yourself would be at peace. Whereas you go someplace else where everyone else has been and its not appreciated when you are back, it will bother you.

Q: Can you explain what kind of feeling you are referring to?

A: How can I explain that? It is for you to experience. By the way do not go on this trip with any of your girl mates. They won’t understand it. Even if they do, you will always have their safety and comfort on your head. So keep this trip as something that is close to your heart and for yourself.

Try this out sometime in your lifetime and if this post made you do it, don’t thank me or even acknowledge or admit it, I will just be glad if I succeeded in breaking the cocoon you were in.

Cheers!!!

image references: radio.weblogs.com/0128644/2004/08/index.html, www.shunya.net,

As a movie buff, I watch anything and everything that comes my way. Be it action, comedy, thriller, suspense, horror, classics, world movies, sheer slapstick comedy, name it, I watch it if I get the chance and time.

But most of the times, especially these days, it is hard to get myself to sit and watch a movie as there are a million things running through my head and after while I feel I am wasting precious time. Is it a common feelng or is it just me?

Anyway, here are the movies that are a must watch. I will keep updating this post so keep an eye on this space.

I have gone through enough pain to put this together. I have been collecting movies for almost a decade now. Each one of these movies are a worth watch.

If you have watched these movies already, please forgive this soul, this post is for the less fortunate ones. The ones, you know, who are not as cool as you. But if you want to add onto this list, be my guest. I will add them to the post.

Update 1

Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen, Get Rich or Die Tryin, The Hangover, Notorious, No Country For Old Men, The Usual Suspects, Changeling, Bruno, Boondock Saints,  Ali-G, Blow, Borat, Trainspotting, All Gods Children Can Dance, The Reader, Sideways, Dragon Hunters, Frequency, Breach, Red Belt,Fireflies in the Garden, Kill Switch, Mongol, Contact,Mr. Untouchable,Wristcutters – A Love Story,O Jerusalem, Dead Man Walking, Schindler’s List, The Strangers, The Caller, Contact, The Visitor, Partition, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Shawshank Redemption, Contact, Juno, Donnie Brasco, Lord Of War, Funny Money, 300, London, 21, Seven Samurai, American History X, Scarface Ronin, Restraint, Snatch, Red Face, Spy Game, Sleepy Hollow, Pursuit Of Happyness

If you feel, “Damned, I’ve watched all these, this is a shit list”. The next step would be to grab your mouse, scroll to the right top corner of this page and just click on the “close” button. Very simple…

Otherwise, if you find this list somewhat useful, then scan through, cross out the ones you have already watched and watch the ones you haven’t. It ain’t rocket science my friend.

Update 2

Spun, Thank You For Smoking, The Doors, The Sixth Sense, 8 Mile, In Bruges, Signs, Unbreakable, The Bridge On River Kwai, Dr. Zhivago, Nothing Like The Holidays, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Shrek, Valkyrie, Seven Pounds, I – Robot, I Am Legend, Ace Ventura – Pet Detective, Ace Ventura – When Nature Calls, Man on the Moon, Einstein & Eddington, Zeitgeist Addendum, Lord of the Rings, The Caller, Frost Nixon, Underworld, American Pie, Harry Potter, X – Men, The Wrestler, Wall -E, Marley & Me, Doubt, Pink Panther, Blairwitch Project, Finding Nemo, Shark Tale, Good Morning Vietnam, Rainman, Star Wars, Kung – Fu Panda, All Roads Lead Home, Camille, Charlie and Me, Choke, Clubbed, Flow For the Love of Water, Freezer Burn, God On TrialGood, Humboldt County, Hunger, Keith, Kenny, In the Land of Women, Murder.com, Outlander, Passchendaele, Pride and Glory, Push, Tamami The Baby’s Curse, The Secret life of Bees, The Wave, The Hurt Locker, The Lucky Ones, The Last King of Scotland, Blood Diamond, Apocalypto, Passion of the Christ, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Recount

Update 3

Ray, Walk the Line, Soloist, 2012, The Godfather, Rocky, Rambo, Little Miss Sunshine, Good Will Hunting, Independence Day, Magnolia, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), Mystic River, Big Fish, Kill Bill, Waterboy, Cast Away, Big, Philadelphia, The Terminal, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Rosemary’s Baby, Bonnie and Clyde, The Omen, The Grudge, The Ring, The Exorcist, The Conversation, King Kong, The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938), The Letters from Iwo Jima, Casino, The Rounders, The Children of Men, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Seven, Heat, Terminator, Toy Story, Harvery, Friday Night Lights, V for Vendetta, The Lion King, Ratatouille, The Graduate, Batman – The Dark Knight, Batman – The Begining, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hannibal, Red Dragon, The Matrix, Forrest Gump, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Behind Enemy Lines, Bad Company
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Update 4

The Prestige, Duplex, There’s Something About Mary, Star Trek, Sin City, Braveheart, The Patriot, Jaws, Midnight Meat Train, The Green Mile, Blade, Gladiator, The Manchurian Candidate, Die – Hard, Lethal Weapon, The General’s Daughter, The Jackal, Ben Hur, Les Diaboliques, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Casablanca, The Blade Runner, Psycho, One Hour Photo, Unforgiven, Sweet Smell of Success, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Flyboys
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Update 5

Road Trip, Friday, Home Alone, Austin Powers, Liar Liar, Meet The Fockers, Meet The Parents, Bruce Almighty, Men In Black, Hitch, Hairspray, Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Napolean Dynamite, Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Namesake, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Taladega Nights, Night at the Museum, Wedding Crashers, The Brothers Grimm, Darjeeling Limited, 40-year old Virgin, Step Brothers, School of Rock, The Mummy, Disclosure, Wild Things, Basic Instinct, Gothika, Swordifsh, Bringing Down the House, The Love Guru, 50 First Dates, I Love You Man, Super Troopers, Zoolander, Shanghai Noon,Shangha Knights, Dogma, Dumb and Dumber, Pearl Harbor, Naked Gun, Spy Hard, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Dude Where’s my car?, Nacho Libre, Wild Hogs, Babel, Crash, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Charlie Bartlett, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Update 6

Death at a Funeral, Galaxy Quest, Hot Shots, The Whole Nine Yards, The Whole Ten Yards, South Park, Chity Chity Bang Bang, Rush Hour, Police Story, First Strike, City Hunter, 40 Days and 40 Nights, Dan In Real Life,Lars and the Real Girl, Stuck, The Lady Killers, Road to Perdition, The Aviator, Catch Me If You Can, Revolutionary Road, Titanic, Bowfinger, Jackass: The Movie, Anger Management, Ice Age, American Gangster, Training Day, Man on Fire, The Shining, Gone Baby Gone, 3:10 to Yuma,

These movies are my all time favorites. I am still spading out the rest.

Cheers!!!

image reference: http://movies4mobile.net, http://www.impawards.com, http://www.sineport.com, http://www.therror.com, http://saammmmy.files.wordpress.com, http://mymoviebanners.com, http://www.blam1.com