Here I'm .... :)))

SAGAR/BHARATH MR
TG 328 23NOV BLRBKK 2245 0400
TG 999 24NOV BKKMEL 0810 2120

If you can read this intinerary.. u'll probably know where i am!! :p
Watch this space for more.. soon!!

travelling???!!

gearing up for some travel?? Searching newpapers, net, travel magazines to make a perfect vacation?? Here are some of the great travel sites offering you travel advice, maps, travel guides, hotel reviews and FAQs giving you information, culture and the history of the country or place you wish to visit.

Round the globe - Lonely Planet

India Travel - India Travel Guide, India Tourism, Make my Trip

Karnataka Travel - Karnataka Tourism, Dream Routes

Last but never the least… for all who are set for that perfect get-away, there are a few things that you got to know...and which have to be addressed with caution. Here are some of the “before you go” tips....(if u can call it).

· Make an arrangement with a neighbor, friend or relative to check your home periodically.
· If a friend or neighbor cannot collect your mail, make arrangements for it to be held at the Post Office.
· Arrange for lawn care or snow removal. Ignoring these areas will make your house stand out in the neighborhood and announce to everyone that you are gone.
· Arrange for someone to start your car during very cold or very hot weather.
· Check your insurance for expiration dates and coverage for your automobile, home and the valuables that you’ll take with you, as well as those you’ll leave at home.
· Put your valuables and jewelry in a safety deposit box. If you don’t have, or can’t get access to a safety deposit box, you still want to hinder a hurried burglar by hiding valuable items in your house.
· Notify the local police and security system company to immediately consider any alarms as real. Leave with them the names of anyone responsible to watch over your house.
· Move houseplants away from direct sunlight, water thoroughly and wrap pots with plastic. Most plants can then live without further watering for two weeks.
· Empty the refrigerator of items that might spoil.
· Cancel or hold your newspaper delivery.
· You might want to turn your refrigerator to its lowest setting.
· Turn your air conditioner up in summer. You want to reduce your bills, but you may have to keep the house from getting too hot to protect your pets and electronics.
· Turn your heat down or off in spring or fall. Be sure to leave the house warm enough in the winter. You may want to reduce your bills, but you may need to keep the house from getting too cold to protect your pets and water pipes.
· Leave shades or drapes as you normally do.
· Lock all doors and windows including basement & garage.
· Unplug electronic items, such as, your computer to protect them if you have a storm while you’re gone.

And.... ensure that your driver is a Leo!!! :))) All the best, plan your trip and have a memorable time with family and frends

Get 7 X 7 about me

7 things I wish to do before I die

1. Get back home soon (im in chennai for a 2-week project assignment)
2. Do scuba diving atleast once
3. To start a 24X7 book-cum-coffee lounge for all the book lovers. no!! books wont be sold or rented out.. wil be available only for reference, for any amount of time.
4. Do something to ease the traffic chaos in "namma bengalooru" (i see upwards for ideas)
5. Bada naam (i wanna prove the first couple of lines frm the song "papa kehte hain... ")
6. See Europe, i feel the whole of europe is HOE - Heaven On Earth
7. visit Himalayas (im impressed after watching Lakshya)

7 things I do not enjoy doing:

1. wait
2. to sit at one place for long... atleast a walk every 2-3 hrs shud be fine.
3. go out in rain
4. listening to bhangra mix n rap
5. eating idlis
6. watching a game i don understand
7. doing things later

7 things that Attracted Me to Blogging:

1. blogs (some interesting ones like this, this, this and this :).. n many more, see right pane!!)
2. photoblogs, like this one by deepak
3. wonderful place to express whatever u feel, whenevr u feel, however u feel
4. gives insights to a person's thoughts
5. make frnds
6. Great time pass
7. good fun

7 things I say most often:

1. Oh shit!!
2. seriously
3. oh ok
4. yeah yeah
5. certainly
6. ultimate!!!
7. matte!!? (so wat else?!!)

7 Books I like:

1. Calvin and Hobbes - Comic series
2. Illusions
3. Conversations with God
4. Tell me your dreams - Sheldon
5. Any book on planets, stars, moon, meteors,..
6. Archies
7. autobiographies (hvnt read many but they attract a lot.. like the ones by Richard Branson and Agatha Christie)

7 Movies I want to watch again:

1. Little Women
2. Face Off
3. Hungama
4. Teesri Manzil
5. Police Story - all Series (Jackie Chan)
6. Scary Movie - all Series
7. Shrek, Antz, Ice Age ... most of the animation series
(there is one more movie which i watchd on Hallmark.. an english summer classic.. great drama.. hv forgotten the name.. certainly wud luv to watch it again)

7 pieces of Music I enjoy

1. Kannada classics (like Kavi Ratna Kalidasa, Gandhada Gudi, Benkiya Bale...)
2. "Here i am" by Bryan Adams
3. "You Sang to me" by Marc Anthony
4. "Young and Proud" by Ace of Base (album - Happy Nation)
5. "Frozen" by Madonna
6. Sonu nigam hits
7. Kishore hits

Fun-filled trip to Pune

It was a perfect get-away from home, work and worries… a 3-4 day off from all the worldly headaches and a trip with frends to some distant place was all that was needed to relax and rejuvenate.

We headed to Pune for a training on one of the products required for our projects. Accomodations were arranged, tickets were booked, luggage were packed and we were all set (four of us.. myself, N, S and SH). Our onward journey started on the Saturday evening from Bangalore. Ahead of us was an 18hr train travel in a 3-tier AC … which we thought wud be the most boring part. But it turned out to be the most fun filled part of the whole package. I don remember the last time when I had been out on a train journey with frends.. yeah I traveled bt Chennai and blore evey weekend when I worked for CTS Chennai. But it was alwys an overnite travel. So here I was with 3 of my project mates on a Saturday evening chatting, eating, teasing, playing cards (Badam Satta, Bluff and a new game called ‘Phat’ :))… none of us were in the mood to sleep. we stayed awake till pretty late and slept only after we got several warnings from the co-commuters ;). The next day it was a lazy (Sunday) morning… and the first thing that was on our mind was to meet SH’s mom and bro who wud meet us at Gulabarga station with some nice food preparted for our lunch… the train wud stop there for 10min and it was fun to meet, greet and grab all that they had got for us.

It was almost 4pm when we reached Pune station. S’s sister had come to escort us to the place where we had our acc booked. my second stint of Pune was ok, thot it was more impressive on my first visit. Anyway… the weather was good.. unlike blore which is pretty damp for quite sometime now. All four of us were pretty tired with the journey.. we got settled in our rooms and then had a nice dinner and dozed off, for we had make at our training center the next morning at nine. We did make there but atleast 30 min late, thanks to the taxi driver who came late to pick us up. First day at the training was pretty decent with theory sessions being covered during the pre-noon and pracs during the post lunch. but the sessions which were supposed to complete by 4pm… got dragged till 6pm. we were pretty exhausted … Day1 at the training was over. That evening S’s sister took us for a small roam inside Pune. We saw MG Rd and visited a couple of stalls .. and did some shopping. Then we were taken to the best eat outs in Pune. “Durvankur” … the place where u can find the maharastrian food at its best. Well, I don’t remember what all I ate that day but yes we all ate soo much that we cudn get up from our seats. we sat for a few more minutes at the table and then started back to out service apartments, which was quite out of the city. the clocked ticked well over 9pm as we hired two auto rickshaws. well this was how our day ended.... some amazing never eaten before maharastrian delicacy. Slept to the core that nite only to be woken up by S the nxt morning.

Day2, 9am and we found ourselves sipping coffee in the corridors of the training centre. Still pretty lazy.. but one good thing happnd on day2 was we started with the practical sessions which was unfinished on the prevs day. The learning went on till 6 again and we did quite a lot of work on day2. The satisfying part was we cud see some outputs. Well, it was evening and we had to cover the Fergueshen College Road before. “The” place where the Pune youth wud hangout. Most of the famous restaurant, cafes, coffee bars are located on this long stretch. We all had a walk thru the streets .. took a few snaps (which includes the one posted on this blog). The best of the lot. S’s sister took this snap and she moved even before my digi cam flashed and took the pic. Hence u can see the feet all of us :D. truly a fantastic, unforgettable evening. That nite S’s sister had cooked some amazing veggie stuff for our dinner. Ate nicely and gave a gift we had purchased for her. Infact we couldn have asked for more… we got some superb company for the two days we spent in Pune. She provided great comfort level as she kept us engaged and never did we feel that we were outsiders. Tremendous energy levels. Well, Tuesday night was all over as we slept early as we had to catch our trains the next day arnd 12 noon. We obvsly wantd to stay for one more day in the city as we dint see any places as such. But we consoled ourselves that there is always a next time.

We boarded the train at the Pune station at exact noon and started towards Bangalore. We were blessed with some well cooked food for lunch. We had an all day of journey ahead of us…. this time it was a two-tier AC so it was only 4 of us in the compartment. it was pretty comfortable. another 18hr travel and we started doing what we were good doing at.. having fun !! listened to music, chatted, played a lot of improvised versions of the games…. laughed to the core. Seriously it wud hv been a pretty boring journey if we had to travel single. The company was good, and we all had a brilliant time. Ate all the junkies like ice cream, bhel puri, tomato soups, etc and kept ourselves engaged till nite. No doubt we were sort of exhausted traveling all day. so we decided to sleep early. And it was my mom’s phone call that woke me up in the morning. She gave me the news that my sister in law gave birth to a baby girl in mysore. Sweet was the news… there cud hav been no better way to complete our unforgettable journey. N, S, SH n myself .. for all of us it was a nice break and happy time together for 4 wonderful days.

We all certainly wud hav opted to stay back in pune given a choice, but then we wud hav never looked forward of visiting Pune again. Now we do!! The memories of this visit wud certainly live in our hearts…. so that we cherish them forever.