Happy New Year, 2009!

Feel happy to be awake and blog about the zeal I have for welcoming the year, 2009 and bidding farewell to 2008 which went pretty average for me. For, in 2009, lies many important events to happen, in personal as well as professional life. Hope the brightest part of me gets reflected and I come out shining in the new year!

Well, I would, definitely like to share and announce some of my resolutions for the year 2009:

1. Bring down weight to 70 (from 75 currently).

2. Take part in the 5 km run (for which I have already registered) and atleast run a half-marathon (~22 km) by the year end. Not that I haven't started off with the preparations. Slowly and steadily I tend to realize this dream!

3. Learn swimming, because that's what I fear the most I suppose! And I don't want to loose out on anything due to this phobia.....

4. Learn a musical instrument, preferably a guitar (since I have one!), 'coz music really soothes your soul. Its relaxing. Atleast, arise the passion and search for some peace in music!

5. Get actively associated with an NGO, especially related to kids. Not just monetary-wise, but volunteer for some act, like teaching, reading stories, playing around, making them laugh, etc.... , 'coz I feel kids (majority) are the only ones who are away from the bad qualities in this world, though they are catching up on it pretty fast! I think mind-set should be set right in a person, right from a smaller age. And a small kind deed in this direction may help these kids in some phase of their life!

This was a shortened list, some more personal things hidden in mind! Well, I hope I live upto my expectations and dreams and turn 2009 into a fruitful one!

Meanwhile, wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year, 2009. I sign off, going to sleep, only to wake up to see yet another day, yet another year! WOW!

Birthday Eve...

Sitting around, on birthday eve, nothing great to do.... I came up with an idea to capture a video inspired from Dil Chahata Hai.... Just gave it a try.. Swallowing a knife, with brilliant assistance on camera by Manisha. :) Here's the crazy video, something to look behind, maybe 15 years down the line, to laugh at.....

 

Swallow the knife

Indian Media!

Have been following the disastrous terror attack on Mumbai (on TV off-course!) that started on Nov 26, 2008. Yesterday, there was a news that broke out about Nariman House (terrorist-attacked place) getting cleared from these dangerous species. Apparently some NSG commando gave a thumbs up, and the public watching the action from a distance initially, rushed onto roads to celebrate and cheer these heroes! Various news channels were covering this incident and I, personally, was following a few of them to say, NDTV, CNN IBN and Aaj Tak. The place had become real chaotic and though there was no official announcement of operation finishing, people had over-crowded the place, making it impossible for the operations to end/continue in a smooth manner. There were public announcement made by police about the operation being still on. Amidst these chaos, I was just observing how the press personal behaved! NDTV was right at a top of a building covering this news. Rightful to say, not adding to the chaos. CNN-IBN was covering from the roads, at a distance away from the happening place. And in their footage, I observed some camera-men rushing on to the commandos coming out of the place! I wondered, who are these press people adding to the reigning confusion..... I switched over to Aaaj Tak and there they were. Right in front, as if attacking the commandos itself, jumping around in public, acting like monkeys.

@Press : Yes, we want live coverages, but not at the cost of discipline in such a circumstance. Its a great work you all are doing, out there at the war-front, not caring your lives. But, please co-operate and behave in a more matured manner!

Thanks Google!

Thanks Google for introducing Themes into Gmail. Was bored seeing the previous look of gmail everyday without options to change it! Also, liked couple of Google labs offerings, viz., Mouse Gestures for navigating emails and 'Mark as Read' button on the Inbox page. Kudos Google for bringing about a change! :)

Worst Phase of Life!

How can a person define the worst phase of ones life? Maybe, all the below together can be thought of being such a scenario:

* Issue related to emotional bondings (which leave bigger influence of emotions over intelligence)

* Things not completely under self control

* Decision taking authority vests in hands of others.

* Decisions are to be taken on a emotional basis rather than intellectual

* Lack of direct support from others, everyone apparently helpless!

* Pressure to perform/act ever-increasing

Nice scenario right? Won't like to much expand on this, personal! Fighting the scenario! Life sustains on the keyword 'hope'...

~(I know what happened on December 28)

I was just wondering what all auspicious events could have happened on my birth-date, i.e., December 28. With this thought in mind, I searched through the net to find out some trivia, results of which have left out a feel-good factor in me! Some great personalities in past and present born on my birthday, and other events, etc.

Some of the happening people born on my birthdays include the greats like Dhirubhai Ambani, Ratan Tata, Arun Jaitley, Denzel Washington, Linus Torvalds :), Patrick Rafter, James Blake, Sienna Miller, Sajid Khan et.al. It really feels pleasure somehow to think of these big shots celebrating birthdays on the same day as I do! And also motivates me somehow (a little atleast) to reach their levels. Ah, well I don't much believe in numerology or stuff like that, but ya that does definitely leave behind a good feeling!

Just to mention, there were some sad moments too that the world has witnessed in the form of losing some of great people on the same day (like Benazir Bhutto)!

Do you know what all have happened on your birth-date so far?

P.S. : The title read as negation of itself!

Origin of the titles around this blog

As one may observe, there are three major terms visible in this blog, viz., Chaotic Arena, Musings and Hitchhiker. I was thinking of an apt name for my blog (especially after my Google account got deleted one fine morning!). These are the key things I came up with keeping in mind the need for a blog :

Chaotic Arena - Not much clear, what's right and what's not! What to follow and what not! Not everything can be understood and neither should everything be blindly followed!
Musings - Few thoughts collected during this wonderful journey called life!
Hitchhiker - Life is a journey that we cover through various modes (spiritual, mental, physical, et. al.) Selecting a mode is circumstantial and I tend to change the modes like a hitchhiker!

Way to go in life! Hope to capture some of finest moments in life through this blog for a flashback reference in future...