The Weekend...

The weekend was satisfactory and fulfilled all the requisites that qualify a weekend as nice and satisfying. Loads of lazing around, some travelling, some cooking, some eating out and some chatting with friends. This weekend there was no volleyball because of some random reasons, and its the second week in a row. I miss volleyball and I am growing fat, and so I hope that the volleyball matches will resume next week. And to add to my luck my colleagues also seem to have had a good weekend and I was not bombarded with zillions of work related mails over the weekend which need instant action. Yes, you can call me a loser but I do check my mails on weekends, its one of those harsh realities of life.

Today I just felt like discovering more of Stockholm, so after a very late lunch at 3p.m. (thats late even by Indian standards.. did u know Europeans actually have lunch at 11.30 - 12.00??!!) I just hopped on to a random bus from Kista and travelled. Then at the terminating stop (Morby Station), I took the bus to the other end of the city (Bromma) and just sat back and enjoyed the view. Call me freaky.. but I like doing this some times, especially when I have good company ;). But the weather was good, it was sunny, there was lots of light, and I couldnt find any other outdoor activity that could be as lazy as this (why arent there lazy sandy beaches where I can lie down put on my shades and drink "orange juice"? :P) What I love about the busses in Stockholm are that they have big windows which let you enjoy the scenery. So I travelled for 3 to 4 hours, which left me not wanting to travel on a bus for the next few months :). But the view was good, and I got the chance to see parts of Stockholm I havent seen before. I also overcame my laziness a few times to click some snaps to share with you.. so here they are:

Windmills in Stockholm? I thought you found them only in Denmark cities. Well, at least I discovered something new in Stockholm :)

I never thought that I will ever read and like a celebrity blog. But then Iya follows Shobha De's blog (I really wonder if you can call her a 'celebrity') and I read it once because the topic was interesting. And then once again, and then again. Till I am pretty much a regular. And grudgingly, very grudgingly, I became the 674th follower of the blog. I do not like the lady. I do not like the lady because I feel she is an arrogant high class socialite who puts up the facade of being a very down to earth, straight forward aam aadmi (ordinary man) when she writes. She writes to connect to the junta, the masses by pretending to be one amongst them when she is not. Hence my dislike for the lady who I feel is not being honest. But when she does what she does and writes, she is exceedingly good at it, and for a moment I forget all about the facade, hence my respect for her blog. Moreover, her blog is a more interesting way of reading the news. I get to know all thats happening back in India with a gossipy touch, and not look like a fool when I talk to my Indian friends back home.

And for the record, following her blog does not change my feelings for the lady. I still do not like her. Surprisingly she confesses to finding the blog her favorite media of expression. Considering that she is more or less accepted as the Indian 'mother' for expression of thought (she is an expert commentator on any random topic, from politics to fashion to sex, for those who dont know her.. famous author, columnist, socialite, media commentator blah blah blah) that IS a big statement for the world of blogging. Her post titled "Bloggers of the world unite...!" which you can read HERE, (actually an article she wrote for the Asian Age and Deccan Herald) actually talks about her addiction to blogging. Interesting to know that we mortals are not the only ones who have blogging addiction.

Which reminds me. After ages of trying to keep out, I am finally on fb. When I used to tell people back home that I am not on fb, I used to be met with looks of utter disbelief.... usually followed by the comment "but you are abroad!". I do understand that fb is more 'international' than Orkut, but I do not understand why every Indian who is abroad has to be on fb. Guys get a life, I will not join a website to boost my NRI status, I think that is ridiculous. But now that I have had to finally succumb to the pressure to become active on fb, I shalt not complain... and try to focus my energies on understanding the whole site from scratch. And inspite of repeated reminders from everyone that I will eventually fall in love with it, I still think Orkut is a much better application.

It has not been a very good weekend for some of my close friends, Shura got sad news about a friend on Friday and Iya has officially declared that she will be going into her shell and will not venture out (now what do I do with these crabs!) My best friend was also not so happy on Saturday and I have tried my best to dedicate my Sunday to making my best friend happy, I hope it has worked :).

Travel seems to be on the charts... I might be going to London on a business trip in May, and might be going to Switzerland to give company to my parents who are visiting Europe in June. I shall keep you posted :).

Quote of the day:

Today I had difficulty finding an appropriate quote, so I will put up one of the old forwards I had got, which is one of my favorite ones. The relevance for me is that I am an engineer with a MBA who is now in management... and hence I find this hilariously relevant :). If you have read it do not whine, this is worth reading once more!

I would have liked to give references, but have not been able to trace the source, this one is in too many places without appropriate referencing.

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.
She reduced altitude and spotted a man below. She descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am", replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well, answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything you've delayed my trip even more."
The man below responded, "You must be in management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "You don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. When they cant you somehow make out as if everything is their fault"