Karnataka Trip 2009

As my cousin noted on FB, this year, Ive been India-trotting :P alot. In a span of 3 months I've been to 6 different places, one of them twice.

Cool. I enjoy traveling.
I feel there is more excitement in the journey than in the destination.
Life is all about that. (ahhh, me getting all philosophical!) :P

So here are some of the photographs from the tour to my native state- Karnataka, India.


Murudeshwar beach overlooking the temple.














The humongous idol of Lord Shiva.

















The Majestic Murudeshwar Temple.













Beautiful stretch of coconut trees at Shirali.













Stretch of farm lands at Shirali, Karnataka.













Tidal waves at Murudeshwar beach.













Age lines of a Mango Tree at Mulki.













Green and luscious fern leaf at Udupi.













Violet flowers at Udupi garden.













Hibiscus or Rosa sinensis, also known as Shoe flower at garden in Udupi.

















Flying seed in my palm.

Customer Service? My A$$!

Why the obnoxious title u ask? Well, I am steaming at the moment. Wanna know why? Here's the story:

My Dad and I visited the Vodafone store nearby my place. We had some tinkering to do with my mobile plan. We enter with a atmosphere we Mumbaikars are so used to- an afternoon crowd at the store.
I take my token and I am called at a particular counter within minutes of my arrival. I think to myself, this ain't gonna take long. Good. Or so I think!

A gal in her 20s greets us at her counter; all decked up with her make up and "HAPPY TO HELP" name-tag nicely pinned to her Vodafone t-shirt. Besides her sits a female Trainee, clearly not attentive and stifling a yawn every other minute.

My Dad is seated and I find no chair for me to sit. Been through that before many a times, not a problem standing for a couple of minutes, I think. After we explain our query to her, I feel the need to sit, for which I grab an empty chair from the next counter after asking for it. And the guy who's manning the counter gives me scornful looks as if I was going to steal the chair. OK, that's weird!

Nevertheless, ignoring that OCD counter-guy I ask the 20s something gal to process my request. She does, asking me to fill up and sign few documents, which I oblige. Then asks me for my ID proof. I hand over my Passport. To which she says she needs a photocopy, I nod and let her. She takes it to the photocopier-located 3 counters away and is positioned near a desk full of drawers-and returns with the photocopies and gives me back my passport.
Then she looks at the photocopies and says, my photograph in the copy has come unclear. She asks for my passport again to take fresh copies, which I oblige, again. She returns with the copies and starts explaining some stuff to my dad.

I now ask for my Passport, to which she replies "I gave it back to you naa?!".
I say "No. You didn't" And I promptly empty the contents of my bag searching for it, my dad looks for it on the counter table, underneath the keyboard, the desk... nowhere... ITS GONE!!!

5 minutes pass.

She goes back and check the photocopier. It ain't there.
She goes to the storeroom. Comes back empty handed. (OK, mini heart attack!)
Through all this, the trainee is still seated and not doing anything.

Now, I am FURIOUS!
This time in pure synchronicity, my Dad and I get up and start heading towards the photocopier- It ought to be there.
Disastrous thoughts run through my mind: 'What a fool this female is!'; 'What if someone has stolen it to make fake passports?'; 'What if they have completely LOST my passport!!!'; 'What do I do??'; 'Should I wring her neck first or call the cops?'

No sooner than we get to the copier wearing enraged expressions, than the trainee get up and asks us to be seated. We don't move. Instead we yell at both of them for being so careless. I am fuming.

15 minutes have pass.
The trainee has an expression on her face as if she has hit the jackpot- I see my passport in her hand. (She found it while rummaging through the drawers) I grab it before she offers to me. She didn't do me no favour!

Bigger shocker?
We were expecting some apologies, explanations... and NOTHING! I mean WTF!!!
No morose on their faces. B***h!

To that I reprimanded them for being so careless and irresponsible.
I mean, I was considering legal action had they lost my passport.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

That's not all. I ask for a feedback form, so I could give them a piece of my mind to which they reply:
"We don't have feedback forms, but if you want we can give you a blank form-*pause*-actually its just a blank sheet, where you could write to the concerned department...."
-I just walked off with my dad.

I know what they mean by a "blank sheet". They would it throw in the bin the minute I turn my back or make pinwheels out of it!

Jeez!
Humble request to you all, beware of these Customer Servicers!

-LOGY

I stole this from my BB JoJo.


1) FOODOLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? Southwest Sauce (:heart Subway!)
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Subway again
Food you could eat for weeks and not get tired of it? Missal Pav :D
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Barbeque chicken, mushrooms, crisp capsicum, jalapenos
What do you like to put on your toast? Orange marmalade or honey


2) TECHNOLOGY
How many television sets are in your house? One
What colour cell phone do you have? black with bronze



3) BIOLOGY
Are you right handed or left handed? Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Nope
What is the last heavy item you lifted? 7.5 kg dumbbell
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope


4) BULLCRAPOLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? NO thank you! Why would I wanna know?
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I like my name! Will keep it that way, even after I get married.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Yup, I'm Game. Provided there is a jug full of water later.


5) DUMBOLOGY
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Two pairs.
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Never, I usually don't drive.
Last person you talked to: My Mom
Last person you hugged? My Mom :)


6) FAVORITOLOGY
Season? Winter(of Pune, India)
Holiday? Diwali/Deepawali (5-day Indian Festival)
Day of the week? Friday
Month? December


7) CURRENTOLOGY
Missing someone? Yes, very very very much!
What are you listening to? Rehab by Rihanna
Watching? Big Bang Theory, Season 1
Worrying about? Upcoming results!


8) RANDOMOLOGY
First place you went this morning? To the Loo, to relieve myself. (C'mon! Don't ewww)
Do you smile often? Yes (btw, a really sad question!)


9) RANDOM QUESTIONOLOGY
1. Do you always answer your phone? ermmm, depends on who is calling ;)
2. It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Random Forwards from my University buddies.
3. If you could change your eye color, what would it be? I have Black eyes... so maybe Blue.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Sonic??? I'd like Raspberry
5. Do you own a digital camera? Nope, My mobile camera does most of the work.
6. Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes, they are very much alive and kicking.. all 6 of 'em
7. Favorite Christmas song? Jingle Bells... (*reminisces Kindergarten*)
8. What's on your wish list for your birthday? Currently I need a Battery for my Dell Inspiron 1520 Laptop. Long term wish: A scooty :D
9. Can you do push ups? I can do 10 women push-ups (women push ups are like the regular ones except that you get down on your knees instead of your feet). {Ref. JoJo's Post}
10. Can you do a chin up? HAHAHAHHAHAHaa no ways!
11. Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited.
12. Do you have any saved texts? Yes, Many!
13. Ever been in a car wreck? Nope! (*Toucwood!*)
14. Do you have an accent? Yes, an Indian... although its not very prominent.
15. What is the last song to make you cry? Sleep by Poets of the Fall.
16. Plans tonight? Yea, to board a train to head to my native.
17. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Nope
18. Name 3 things you bought in the last week? Milk, Bread, Coffee. (That was yesterday)
19. Have you ever been given roses? A Rose.. yes
20. Current worry? It should be 'Worries'. About my ongoing project, and my MBA results!
21. Current hate right now? Going to College every day, but it turns out to be fun in the end.
22. Met someone who changed your life? Yea.
23. What song represents you? Will answer later
24. What were you doing at 12 AM this morning? Chatting away with my pal on Gtalk.
25. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I need to Pack!
26. What did you dream of last night? Don't remember.
27. What's your biggest fear? Losing my optimism/ self-confidence.
28. How do you feel right now? I feel good. but hungry.

So gotta get that breakfast!

Till then...

Ta!

*Tag is open to anyone who wishes to, and has loads of free time!* :P

Jigsaw

Few random clicks got me to this fun site. Love jigsaw puzzles. Try it out!
My fastest: 3:19
Can you beat my time?

Weekend in Pune

Over my short over-the-weekend trip to Pune I spotted some pretty flowers and had a few clicks. My (amateurish) hand at photography. Do check them out. Edit after Prashant suggested to classify the flowers.





The picturesque Sunset







Lone Pink flower set aglow









Pink Oleander (Nerium oleander) flower from the oleander family.







The red flower perhaps the wild Ruby Cinquefoil from the rose family.
The tiny Yellow flowers are from the dog flower family and are called Asiatic Witchweed






White flowers (Still not sure of the name)





Edit 1:
Nomenclature courtesy: Flowers of India

PS: Came across a lot of interesting names of flowers; for instance:
Kiss Me Quick
Honesty
Shaving Brush tree (incidentally the flower does look like a shaving brush!)
Thickhead (not kidding)
Lipstick Tree
Hooker's Woodrose
Farewell to Spring
Autograph Tree
Bladder Dock
Cup Saucer Plant
Devil's Backbone
Foolproof Plant
Badminton Ball Tree
Devil Tree
Bridal Veil ..... and a flower on my name!!!

PPS: Hydrangeas are absolutely breathtaking!

Not the BEST of bus rides

I hate (read:H-A-T-E) traveling by bus. Period. Thank God for trains! Now I usually don't rant and whine, (S and Vintage would be synonymously shaking their heads in disapproval) but this post would say otherwise. I think reading Zee has kinda rubbed off on me :P :D And oh she's a interesting blogger I tell ya.
It was one of those days again where things didn't go as well as planned. Morning I get up as early as 8 and set out to battle against the outdoors when out of my abode's comfort. :P
Anyway as any other Mumbaikar I was to catch a bus to reach the train station within a half an hour's time. The bus came surprisingly on time and was pretty speedy. Or so I thought. The bus got moderately crowded. I scrambled inside the bus and hovered like a hawk to spot an empty seat. For two good reasons:
One: I was carrying my oh-so-heavy-it-would-break-my-limb laptop in one arm and my shoulder bag in the other. (You see, I realized my ONLY mistake after purchasing my laptop for a bargain price was NOT buying a backpack carry case for it instead of the free-of-cost-over-the-shoulder carry case)
Two: I like to sit! :P

To my dismay the reserved ladies' seats were occupied. And so after a while or so of standing and balancing my luggage like a clown on a tri-cycle I manage somehow to acquire a seat. And one with a window view! :D I was contended on that note. And so the passenger man excused himself to let me be seated, with some difficulty. These BEST buses usually have a sequence of two-seaters parallel to each other in every bus.
And I sat, and to my misery or just goddarn luck I realized that I was sitting on the seat which is over the wheel of the bus. So I am sitting in this crouched (read: very uncomfortable) position which on seeing my yoga instructor would've been so proud of me. And to add insult to injury I had my not-so-light laptop and carry bag placed precariously over my legs. And so went five minutes. I thought to myself, 'OK, this ain't that bad, I just have to sit this^ way for another 10 minutes. I'm cool'. And, being proud of myself on being so optimistic and adjusting I sat. 10 minutes. And I sat some more. 15 minutes. 25 minutes.
Right, now my male co-passenger was really uncourteous, not even throwing a look at my misery. He could've at least shifted, he had no luggage whatsoever. So even as I sighed and huffed and puffed, all he was bothered is to watch the bloody adverts on the mini-telly in the bus. and those adverts were so *beep*. The same irritating advert on Chyavanprash being played back to back. 30 minutes down and I was trying to feel my numb butt, adjusting my posture every other minute.
31 minutes down, my ray of hope arrives-the uncourteous idiot get up and leaves, but the bus is so crowded that no sooner did i try to shift, did another guy sit. Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh! I yelled in my head; grinding my teeth, I sunk further as it was now a whole 45 minutes all thanks to the unending traffic and Metro Construction work. And then finally came a bus-stop where most people get off (bless them) and I could finally feel my legs again! 50 minutes of patience and composure. And I knew I had to blog about it ;)

BTW Mumbai locals ROCKKK!!! Mostly on time :D

^Rotate the image to the left and you'll get to know what EXACTLY I mean.

Food Tag

Since I'm a self-proclaimed connoisseur of cuisines and good food ;P I thought why not made a food tag? I declare it the "IamalwaysHungry" tag or IAAH tag for short. :P
(OK, so I am now a certified jobless person)

Alright, so here's my tag ishstyled by me, ofcourse! ;P
OK, so the tag:

THE FOODIE TAG

Rules:
Participants are requested to post the above barcode image to the post when answering to the tag.
Must answer ALL the questions as an impromptu response.
Be Hungry, Stay Hungry
May God help u! :P

Questions:
1. One dish you can crave for any given time of the day/ night/ situation?

2. One dish you'd never had and would love to regardless of the expense?

3. Most expensive dish you've ever had?

4. Most bizarre dish you've ever seen or tasted? Like totally blown your socks off! Makes you gag every single time your lay your eyes on it. (Hope you've got the point by now :P)

5. Your poison?

6. One a lonely rainy day, your sitting cozily on your sofa, you'd crave for?

7. First forbidden savoury you'd crave for while you've been sick?

8. Your all time favorite TV snack:

9. On your first ever kitchen experience you prepared:

10. After a tiring day at work/ college/shopping/loitering you'd loved to come home to?

11. A cuisine your most comfortable with:

12. A snack which you loved A LOT back when you were a kid and still love it till date?

13. A dish which your mum makes/ used to which you simply adore?

14. What you're eating RIGHT NOW? or had immediately before?

Just when you thought it was all over...
BONUS! (Don't cha love em?) ;)

*15. Your friends are coming over on short notice. You have half an hour. How would save your dignity by being hospitable and feed your friends? (considering you can't take them to a restaurant or call for take out)


I tag:
*drumroll*
.
.
.
.
.
Rach, Mahak, JoJo Tiffany