This was a wonderful space to hang out in and share our thoughts! But now we've all moved on and simply left our memories behind :-) ...

Friday, August 31, 2007

Topic: Your addiction in life(AmitL)

Topic: Your addiction in life.

I firmly believe that addiction(of the good type only..grin) is what keeps one going in life. So, let me recount the previous addictions and the current one.

First, back in school days, I had the addictive hobby of making penpals- I made the first two penpals through the IYS(International Youth Service), one from Austria and one from Australia(Believe me, they’re still in touch- will do a post dedicated to them one of these days, since they read my blog occasionally…after asking their permission, of course..grin). ..even met the Austrian one and her husband, three years ago. Then, there were three penpals from Brazil(One is still in constant touch)- Rio De Janeiro, to be precise, then, Trinidad & Tobago, Germany(My whole circle of friends in school fell for this lady when they say her snap..hehe), a whole lot from all over India….no prizes for guessing that my best friends in those days was the postman who would bring letters, photos, small gifts, etc from these lovely people.

Second, there was DXing- that was the hobby of shortwave listening(in the days of only Bore, nee, Doordarshan for TV entertainment and no FM, either). Me and this college friend had a sort of competition between us, on who heard the maximum radio stations from around the world – there was Radio Australia, VOA(Voice Of America), Austria, Deutschewelle, Belgium, even Radio Pakistan…every spare moment, day n night, besides studies, would go in craning the neck and straining the ear, next to the ancient shortwave radio- sending reception reports to these stations, would get us what were called’ QSL cards’- greeting cards of the country, with a confirmation of your report being accurate. The report used to be in the form of a SINPO (Signal, Interference, Noise, P(I forgot what this was) and Overall score, with a brief report on the program to justify to them that we weren’t just kidding. They’d also send pennants, badges, tourist brochures of their countries and we’d dream of the , err, dreamy places.

Then, third began the addiction of reading writing to magazines and papers- LTTE(Letters To The Editor) became my craze, alongwith entering caption contests…collected quite a few useful n useless prizes on the way- like dozens of audio cassettes, pens, a tape recorder, pocket calculators(A novelty back then, when India had not gone global) to name a few. Citadel, Pune(I love that mag) invited me over to Pune to do a stint with them, in a ‘report on the reporters’ kind of article- investigated a murder, had free eats at a restaurant which they reviewed, attended a photo shoot with Rachel Reuben present, etc. (I have that on pdf, if anyone’s interested.:)) I got the nicest compliment from them in their intro to my article- it termed me ‘India’s most prolific letter writer’(Ahem!)…..even got a nice fan following and some are still friends, scattered around the world …but, then, all good things must come to an end(Though, I’ve never allowed this addiction to end), so, I had to mellow down my writing, after I came to Dubai. I still write to ‘Open Space’ (Sunday TOI), Filmfare, and a few others, but, it’s not the way the ‘addiction’ was in those days.

Fourth, after reaching Dubai, the addiction was work, for the first company I was in- first, learning the ropes about the workstyle here, then, dealing with oodles of suppliers for our project requirements…it reached a stage where I stopped taking days off- would go to work even on Fridays, from 11 AM to 4 PM, would eat, sleep, dream work…if I got up late, I’d catch the first bus at 6 AM and be in the office(I had a key)…LOL… on top of that, the Boss once told me, just after I had joined ‘Why do you smile so much? I don’t like people who smile so much- they are not serious about their work’….as they say, ek woh din tha, ek aaj ka din hai(The day I quit that job after 4.5 years)- I never smiled in front of him, in spite of him doing his best to crack jokes to make me laugh…grin grin.(I’d smile internally, but, externally, it would be the same serious face as in my intro post photo..hahaha.)

Fifth, now, of course, the addiction is blogging…the eyes and ears are always open, whether at home, in the restaurant, at work, everywhere, for topics, for humour, for incidents…and, incidentally, this is the first hobby which is still at an all-time high, even after four years. (All the others peaked at four years…perhaps because four is my lucky number?)…I already wrote the next part of this, in my post on how blogging has changed my life..:)

Then, there have been the 'continuing' addictions of good music, being in luv( I see eyes going wide here), tea, losing (n gaining..LOL) weight(Separate topic, deserves a post- have lost 14 kgs, twice), et al.

On the flip side, I have never been tempted by the real addictions- smoking, drinking, drugs.Touchwood.

Cheers, everyone, and have a great weekend.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

An Intro (A)muse from AmitL of amitsmusings

Hey,wow!Finally,I got an invite from BUF. (My reaction on receiving the email)I've been reading posts, commenting on posts I enjoyed(Read: All ) ,and,thoroughly enjoying the lively 'atmosphere' which runs all round, from the very first day that I came here. And, whew! Just at the right time- when comments are being reserved for ‘members only’.(Oh, my, we’re exclusive- I must boast, err, post about this on my regular blog).

From amongst the members of BUF, I’m already a regular ‘friend’ly visitor to Keshi’s blog.(In fact, I got the link from her blog, and, asked her to put in a good word for me(Influence in high-up places always helps, na?), to get me a quick membership).

Then, there’s others amongst you all -Wacko, Loon Gal, Ishita, et al, whose blogs I’ve been visiting as well, on my eternal bloyage(Blog Voyage) of discovery . So, let me just say, ladies and gentlemen(Should I say gals and guys, I wonder?*Muses*), I’m thrilled to be here.

Now, since this is an intro post, here goes a CV-like(albeit, brief-without-being-boring, I hope) description(comments welcome):

Name: AmitL
Date of Birth: 23rd Feb. (Piscean)
Place of Birth: Baroda, Gujarat (But, not a Gujju)
Places of Education:
-Jeevan Sadhana High School(I know there won’t be any members from my school around, but, just thought I’d try my luck).
- Faculty of Tech & Engg: M.S. University, Baroda
- Specialization: Mechanical Engineering
-First job: Blue Star Ltd, Baroda
-Second job: Drake & Scull, Dubai(Came here in 2002)
- Third and current job: Hastie Intl, Dubai
- Next job- err, no plans as yet.

Other tidbits about me:

- Avid reader: Favourite: Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series, but, even read an Enid Blyton now and then, Archie, Tintin, Asterix and of course, joke books)

- Avid writer (I used to write to around 30-40 mags and papers before coming to Dubai, now, it’s relatively low-key.), on most topics except politics. Also love entering contests, especially caption contests and quizzes

- I like good music, be it Hindi or English,

- I’m an avid blogger- writing wise and reading wise

- I’m more of a good listener than a good talker (You wouldn’t guess it from my blog posts/comments, but, ask any of the Dubai bloggers- I’m known to write a longer post on my observations during a DBM than I actually participated in the tete-a-tetes )

- Typical Piscean- dreamy, easygoing, happy to ‘be there’ but not necessarily in the limelight, versatile, usually (a)musing, …..

- Friendly, optimistic, have and love a good sense of humour, etc etc

- Blank Blank.. (Can’t reveal all facets in an intro post –grin grin)

(BTW, I just found out-the full form of Avid is Advancement Via Individual Determination. LOL. I use it just to indicate keen interest and enthusiasm)

- My First blog: http://amitsmusings.rediffblogs.com/
- I Switched over recently to: http://amitsmusings.blogspot.com/

Favourite quote: If you walk with your face towards the sun, your shadow will fall behind you. (Heard this on Radio Australia, in college days).
------------
Current topic: How has blogging changed your life?

I wrote my first post on rediffblogs four years ago. In 2003, I had been missing my hobby of writing to magazines and papers, ever since I had arrived in Dubai, since either mags and papers here were(are) double or more of their price in India, or, they were not available. Suddenly, one day, I saw a link in rediff, titled’ blog’, and, out of curiosity, I clicked it, and went to their section called ‘sizzling blogs’.

One thing(Read’ click’ ) led to another and very soon, I was poring over posts, nee, articles I should say, that I never imagined existed- people were writing about everything their hearts desired, from their experiences in college, at work to their experiences dissecting people in the course of their medical studies, to their experiences in showers- and, it convinced me to try my hand at blogging. And, there’s been no looking back, so to speak. How has it changed my life?

Well, for one, making so many friends from all over our great country and, from around the world, first via comments and other blogs, then, interacting via emails and messengers.

Sharing thoughts and feelings- be it in happiness or sadness, it’s great to know that ‘someones’ there’, besides family and regular friends circle)- in fact, it’s easier to share feelings on blogs and with blog pals, sometimes.

It’s helped me become more extroverted(As I said, I’m still a better listener than a talker)

It’s kept me in touch with the subject I love- English, and heaven knows, I needed that, looking at the megamix of languages out here, which always batters my English.

Last but not the least, blogging makes me look forward to each day, in a way- waiting to log on, waiting to blog-surf, waiting to see who’s commented, waiting to see who’s written what(About whom and where, sometimes. Grin).

So, here’s wishing the WWW and blogworld a long and happy life. Cheers.

Let me entertain you - Silvara!

Hi y'all!

For someone who usually has a lot to say, writing something about myself has got me stumped. What can I say really?

It's hard to capture me in a nutshell, but a nut is definitely what I am :P I am a 24 year old North Indian girl...err...woman from Melbourne, Australia. Can speak Hindi but have been told various times I speak tapori Hindi. I think I was a gangster in a former life. I am the eldest of three (a younger sis and brother) which is usually a curse because I end up having to fight for everything and they get away with it without doing anything. Hmph.

I've been blogging for just over a year now and it has definitely has been an eye opener. I have met so many wonderful people and learnt a lot about myself in the process. Blogging rocks! *does a happy dance*

I'm short and curvy but I don't mind too much because it lets me indulge in a guilty pleasure - shopping! I love fashion and probably spend much more than I should. Well...my shopping habits aren't limited to shoes. More like shoes and bags. And clothes. Actually, pretty much anything that catches my eye. Usually shiny things which has resulted in a large jewellery collection. I have a big earrings fetish too.

I get excited by things easily, which people usually translate into me having a short attention span. I have to sorta agree because my university career has been everything from engineer to scientist to optometry to business consultant. Despite that, I have recently graduated and am due to start in my first job in the corporate world next year. Woohoo! I think officewear is hot and I like the way I look in a suit :P (Probably the only reason I got into the job :P)

I am soon to be married to the guy of my dreams Evan, who is despite my grumblings is the light of my life. How he puts up with me I can never figure out but I like to think I have him wrapped around my little finger :P. He is a Christian Sri-Lankan and I'm a Hindu Indian so I can tell you life will always be interesting.

I am total coffee addict and being in a city where cafes line the streets means I am very hypo. Add a intense, everlasting love for chocolate into the mix and I'll be bouncing off the walls. I love to read, always on the look out for good books and LOVE music. All types, but mainly R&B/hip hop. LOVE Hindi music too and could probably kick your ass in antakshri if I could remember remember the lyrics to half the songs :P

A typical Picses I am very loyal to my friends and tend to get lost in my dreams. I'm not very practical which is why Evs is my rock on earth while I float away in the clouds. I get emotional easily, cry at the drop of a hat but when I get mad or upset I am an expert at giving you the silent treatment.

This is probably just a snapshot or a piece of the puzzle. I could also tell you how I always lose things so while I am here you might discover a new piece or an old photo that may show you the whole me.

And that's all folks!

Blog Update (Ishita)

Hi all ...

New topic(s) effective from 30th August 2007 till 9th September 2007 is

Your ADDICTION in life
How has Blogging Changed Your life?

Since the pace of the blog has been really slow, we are simply reducing the duration of the topics.

On 8th September we have the birthday of an ex-BUFer coming up… most of the old timers will remember Puneet of PuneetDreamz fame! Sadly he quit blogging once he tied the knot. But yes he did get back with one post here on BUF :) and we hope whenever he does feel the urge to blog, he will choose to do so here in BUF. Wishing him a wonderful Birthday!

Recently some amongst us have left BUF due to their busy schedules. They include DICE, Richa, Rajiv and John. And though we will miss having them around BUF, we're hoping they will keep visiting and catch up with us on the SB or our individual blogs and we'd like to remind them and every BUFer that they're always welcome back on BUF if and when they feel they want to write and blog!

And we’d like to share a part of Richa’s farewell mail here …

“This is definitely not to say that I will be cutting off from the people there. By now, I’ve met a lot of them, and keeping in touch with them is my personal choice, which I would love to do, and will. There are friends there I’ve just got to know and it feels like forever, and some who I met recently and still discovering... And I hope leaving BUF does not change it.

… Whatever you say, I don't think it's anything like the extremely vast groups like 'orkut' etc, its very personal and that’s what is so beautiful about it. Loved being here, and shall still be in touch. Love to all :o)”

We’d like for all of you to acknowledge her and other ex-BUFers and we’re sure you all agree that we’d like them to know they’re always welcome back here!

A change has come about in BUF due to certain unfortunate incidents. We hope you all have received mails from the team regarding this. The comments on BUF posts are now restricted to team members. We understand that there are many visitors who are not a part of BUF yet and may want to comment but the other alternative of comment moderation was less favourable as it would simply take away the flow of conversation that sometimes take place via the comments on posts.

Also we hope you have all received the mail regarding the SB?

Some have come forward with their replies and suggestions. We’d love to hear from all of you. If not mails, then through your comments to this post.

We will welcome requests from ex-BUFers wishing to post comments. We’re more than happy to send them invites and have them keep posting comments on BUF. Simply send in a mail to let us know.

And yes, we’ve sent invites to a few new people. They are familiar names in the blog world and some of you may have interacted with them here in blogs. Once they accept and come up with their intros, we hope you will all join us in welcoming them … Yes a warm BUFer welcome! Wait and watch :)

We’ll be back with the BUFer of the Week from the next update and to make it more interactive this time, we welcome your suggestions for the same. Leave your choice along with your comment to this post. Thanks!

That’s all for now people… Waiting to read up your posts!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Happy Birthday - Rajiv (messy)


todays a special day for all BUFers... and most of you know the reason... but i would still love to spell it out...

its rajivs birthday today... and i wish him on behalf of all BUFers...

rajiv, wishing you a very happy birthday... may you have a lovely life ahead... and may all your dreams come true...

without you BUF wouldn't have been possible... ishi has given her time and heart for this project... but without your support she wouldn't have been encouraged... without you she wouldn't have dreamt of something so big...

so i take this opportunity on behalf of all BUFers to wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Sometimes we are lucky enough
to meet a person
who stands out
among all the other people
as being extremely special
who knows what we
are thinking about
who is happy for us at all times
who is always there to talk to us
who cares about us selflessly
who is always truthful with us

Sometimes we are lucky enough
to meet someone who is
extremely wonderful
For me
that person
is you
my dear friend

-Poem by Susan Polis Schutz


Friday, August 24, 2007

Truly Memorable (Michelle)


This incident took place many years ago when I might have been around 9 years old.I don't remember too many incidents that took place so long back but you obviously tend to remember the ones that touch you.


This one, however, has never been forgotten.


My maternal grandfather was very ill and was hospitalised in Kerala.He had been ill for quite sometime but his condition was deteriorating and he was going through dialysis almost everyday.This happened in the middle of an academic term.My mom, who is a teacher had to take leave and so did I and we took the next train to Kerala.Most of my maternal cousins were already there because he was very serious and nobody knew what could happen when.


As a kid, you tend to get bored easily and I was done listening to music, reading 2 books and staring aimlessly out of the window.I had this habit of making friends everywhere I went.I have always befriended strangers on every trip I have taken.To my dismay, on this trip, there were no kids of my age, just a couple of bachelor guys.


One of the bachelor guys got talking with my mom and me and even though we had quite a huge age difference, we had so much to talk about! His name was Xavier and I became fond of him instantly.I told him all about how my grandad was ill, and how I hope hes ok and my school and my friends and he listened to me with so much of interest and did not speak to me like I was a little girl, but like I was his friend.We played cards, listened to music, sang songs!! In a few hours, he was my best friend!


We reached Kerala the next evening and I was really sad that we had to go our separate ways.My uncle came to pick us up and offered to drop him wherever he had to go which made me really happy because I would get to spend more time with him.In the car, my uncle broke the news to us that my grandad had passed away that afternoon.Everything felt so far away...I could hear my mom crying in the background and a rush of memories blew past me.


A cycle.

Me getting jealous of my cousin who got to sit on his lap

His glasses

The way he smiled.


And then a strong arm pull me into a hug.I cried for a long time until he had to leave.He left his contact number with my mom and I kept staring at his dark silhouette till it disappeared.I have never heard from him since.

Date date and date ...:)( uttara )

After few conversations here and there and planning for a REAL date ;) I met Rajbir for the 1st time on 31st Jan '06 .. So coming to our date No.1.. you can read here "The outlaw meets the duette" what the dude felt and followed by my comments what i felt..:)

We had a nice date one at Lucky's then Cream Centre Chowpati ( We walked at the beach side .. but lazy me coaxed him to sit somewhere so that we could have a quiet grub :) ( don't get surprised when i say 'QUIET" )

Then we met many times, i donno if you would really call it a date but .. we had beautiful time together.. and am always a non stop, talkative, always giggling:d and making him smile n laugh... i simply loveeeeeeee the way he laughs.. 1st time ever i met someone and was really comfortable, was just conscious of my height in front of his :d. I look teeny weeny in front of him :p lol.. he is 6'5" and i'm 5'3" hmmmmmmmm...

Some time he will just call me n say," main adhe ghante main McD ( at VT ) main pahun raha hu tu aja " i would be thinking ye kya ho raha hai ;) ..and then am all geared up to meet him... my office was just 20 mins away from VT.

I once rem he was back home at andheri which is somewhere 25-30 kms from my office( roadways) and people living in mumbai would know the traffic near versova/ juhu.. *sigh* believe me he reached churchgate in 45mins... i was completely shockedddddd .. he still made it.. i was realllyyyyy surprised :D at his commitment level ..

Another incident, he gave me a surprise this year for my birthday :D i was sooooooo glad and happy .. we spent some lovely time at our favourite places :)...hmmm *smiles*
I'm so glad that somehow he never misses to meet me when he is in mumbai except for last couple of times, which was next to impossible :)

On many occasions that we met we travelled, went to bandstand, spoke a lot, had lot of discussion, walked on the beach, drive at Marine drive, rested at NCPA, went for a longgggg drive :) had pizzas, some Biryani, Mc. Donalds, :D lot of ice creams, chocolates ;). how can i not jot down fresh lime soda salty and for my Birthday we had Bacardi Lemon flavour ;) etc etc etc... Surprisingly,we never faught whenever we met..


Ahem ahem..

Once we had a perfect date *ahem ahem*... umm we met at Mc D. had a quick bite as we both din't eat the whole day cos of busy schedule, then went to Bandstand, followed by a quite dinner at my favv restaurant ;) ... (so the in between story is allll beep beep beep) hahhaha ..

Since he always has his busy schedules and time constraint is always a problem, once he came down just to meet me planning to surprise me and i happily went to lonavala :( i missed meeting him.. now i know i will never get any surprises from him:( *sob sob*

He is the ONE whom i will date even in future - "ALWAYS" ;) *winks*


Here is my fav song dedicated to u "Rajbir":)