Roller coaster ride

It’s an exhilarating experience that takes you to a complete new high. Roller coasters are almost a perversion of pleasure-pain perception. Many, or may be some like me are drawn to these adventurous rides even as they incite fear. I like the high when the heart races and turns the knuckles white. Well, some think that the roller coasters mercilessly toss us around and I don’t deny that. These are intimidating even for the brave hearts. You either love them or you hate them. Positive G forces act on you and the momentary burst is totally breathtaking.
I have tried few of the most terrifying roller coasters, each of which has made its place to the Guinness book of world records for at least once in its life time for being either the fastest(Dodonpa) or longest(Fujiyama) run or for being twisty and turny 4-D coaster(Eejanaika).

Dodonpa is 52 metres (170 feet) tall, and has a launch speed of 172 km/h (107 mph), which is reached in less than 2 seconds. When it was opened it was the fastest roller coaster in the world. As of today it is the 3rd fastest but still has the highest acceleration at launch time.
The name 'Dodonpa' comes from the musical sound which is played to customers waiting to board it…you need to hear it and then experience it.

Fujiyama, when it was opened in 1996 it was the world's tallest roller coaster (259 feet), was the world's first "hyper-twister" roller coaster, and had the largest drop in the world (235 feet).

Eejanaika is a 4th Dimension roller coaster and only the second one of its kind in the world. Unlike a traditional roller coaster where the trains run parallel to the track, the 4th Dimension coaster pushes the design to a new level with passenger cars that can spin 360-degrees forwards or backwards. The spinning is controlled by a second rail on the steel coaster track. The result is the head-over-heels action of a flat ride combined with the diving airtime and thrills of a roller coaster.

These hypercoasters have daunting lifts and as the train click-clacks up its way of over 200 feet the sense of apprehension rises and then comes the first drop…and you confront the thrill. The crest delivers wonderful airtime but the G forces that act on you are excruciating.

Its takes a little courage to get on the train and after that it’s a roller coaster ride, a ride you’ll remember forever and ever.

Time to get up, get back…

Have read, heard, been told to be nice…not coz am not nice ;-), but that’s the basic courtesy lesson we learn and continue to learn.

The act of being just plain nice to/with someone comes back with more niceness.

Just a hello to a stranger, acknowledgment of their presence with nod or a smile makes them feel special. To make someone feel special is not all that difficult after all, its just the reflection of feeling special.
Getting off to a cheerful start of the day has a dramatic impact on how the day ahead flows, it sets the tone for the hours to come.
External factors are an excuse if you call the day a bad day. There is no reason why we can’t start a day with a cheer or a smile.
Its raining and its cold…but it’s pleasant, something is nice about this morning and the tone of the day begins to mould.

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,

wind braces up, snow is exhilarating;

there is no such thing as bad weather,

only different kinds of good weather."
--John Ruskin

What made my day special today…it started with soft and subtle melody, a brisk walk and a really cheerful hello and greetings from a complete stranger in the elevator. If you can start the day with an endorphin rush you are going to feel good, no two ways about it. The chemicals are there in your system…a brisk walk each day for few minutes does the trick for me.
And then what is better than the feeling that your presence is acknowledged and appreicated ...enough for me to kick start the day with a euphoric feeling.
Stay upbeat and stay motivated...take a bath :)

People often say that motivation doesn't last.
Well neither does bathing.
That's why we recommend it daily."
- Zig Ziglar

Yahi hai jeena...toh marna kya hai!

Shaher ki is daud mein daud ke karna kya hai
Jab yehi jeena hai doston to phir marna kya hai

Pehli baarish mein train late hone ki fikr hai
Bhul gaye bheegte hue tehelna kya hai
Serials ke kirdaaron ka saara haal hai malum
par maa ka haal puchhne ki fursat kise hai

Ab ret pe nange paon tehelte kyun nahi
Ek sau aath hain channel phir dil behelte kyun nahi
Internet ki duniya se to touch me hain,
lekin pados mein kaun rehta hai jaante tak nahi.
Mobile, Landline sab ki bharmaar hai,
Lekin jigri dost tak pahunche aise taar kahan hai

Kab doobte hue suraj ko dekha tha yaad hai?
Kab jaana tha shaam ka woh bahana kya hai?

Toh doston sheher ki is daud mein daud ke karna kya hai
Jab yehi jeena hai to fir Marna kya hai?

-LRMB

Insomniac

I see the shadows whispering,
as if making a silent pact
The winds are blowing swiftly
but they keep the autumn leaves intact

I feel the creatures closing in
waiting for a call
The feelings grow stronger
A touch, a sound, a bawl

As if in tandem, the moon comes out
It's light unseen, figure illusory

And then the figures dance
and the wind dies
In an opera of the morbid,
the autumn leaves fly

The figures of the dark
they appear every time
Every time I close the door
Every time I shut the light

I can't close my eyes
I'm afraid of the dark

-Anonymous

Gaming...ahem!!!

Not that I am particularly involved or interested in video games or computer games but it sure is an effective way to break the stress barrier…albeit it may have a counter impact.
But if you just dint know, computer gamers are likely to display exceptional business and technical skills.
Gamers probably develop the knack of multitasking at a stage much earlier than those who dont game :) and are more adept at it under stressful or challenging conditions.
“The people, who play games are into technology, can handle more information, can synthesize more complex data, solve operational design problems, lead change and bring organizations through change,”

In cases where it is assumed that kids/teenagers tend to become hyper active coz they devote or indulge a lot into gaming, video games are also being used in a positive manner ( e.g to calm down kids before surgery et al).

Findings:
Gamers are better risk-takers, show particular confidence in their abilities, place a high value on relationships and employee input and think in terms of “winning” when pursuing objectives.

In a discussion with my colleague who is totally into gaming when not working, says that gaming to an extent also describes the male psyche and the choice of games is different when it comes to different genders.
Men are likely to play games that involves shooting, risk taking, games that are fast paced, involve higher level of competitiveness and self assurance. On the contrary a woman/female would opt to play games that are adventurous but also involve, to some extent the human component and yeah, well they place a high value on relationships.

How about getting a really cool job coz you are a pro at gaming. You are selected coz you have been able to stay “hooked” and obviously you stayed put coz you did well, you structured the tasks. Gaming keeps things “pleasantly frustrating” and that’s the incentive that gamers have to go all-out for improving their performance.
And that forms the most important ingredient why you are preferred over others when it comes to hiring people as employees.
I may be off-base and the idea may not appeal you but then this is how many boats stay afloat.
It would be a sinfully unfair if I don’t mention about the love or more appropriately obsession that Japanese harbor for the video/online games.
Pachinko and Slot being the most famous games, playing video games on Nintendo or PSPs or Cell phones et al is a fad amongst the youth and even the elderly. Its busy gaming traffic at this end and the competetion getting fiercer and better.

Freshen up !

The place, the weather, the ambience, its the best combination of all these…the place is Kamikochi-Japan Alps.
To see, enjoy and capture the colors of fall(Koyo) I visited this place and what better place to get away from work, mob and the maddening metro life.
Absolutely relished the serene, cold, wholesome landscape encased with large volcanic mountains, Shallow River, and green and colorful flora.
The river (barely a foot deep) side was invaded with pebbles and my take away (apart from the most pleasant time spent) from here was to achieve multi toss stone throw in water…I feel proud about this.
The narrow, shallow, crystal clear river lures you but you will have to let go your temptations lest you wish to freeze…but I did succumb to my temptations and stepped in, but believe me it was all worth it.
The water, the place again…is unsullied beyond imagination. I had pictured such places only in photo-frames and art galleries.

After living in city like Tokyo where you have almost forgotten that sky is supposed to host millions of stars each night, it’s a heavenly to gaze at countless twinkling stars from the middle of the jungle. No interrupted synthetic light, no clamor, no race and no harm.
For any nature lover or even a mountain-hiker, this is a must visit, must indulge place.
The volcanic mountains still have fumes rising out from their craters and these just gels into blue skies like misty white clouds.
And if you are one like me, you would not miss a chance to have a camp fire beside your hut (very Japanese) and dance away to glory till your neighbors complain of the noise.
I wish not to part with these idyllic places and moments but then I have more to explore and relish, and as always there is always something that I can take back, my set of pictures and the memories of time spent and the experience itself.

Constant is variable...oouch!

Even the chana wala on corner of Nakano’s Minami-Indo street knows that my, okay our country is so full of diversities in-spite of overwhelming adversities.
He is amazed and so am I and so is my client who keeps wondering how the people of same demography speak the same language in so many many different ways.
M ia yum, L is yul, sh is ssss…
Gulf is Gelf, office is ooffise, what is whaaat and the list is just endless…practically every word is spoken in as many ways as the number of people.
We don’t follow a convention, we create one…each one creates one and is not going to accept that he/she may be erroneous in their usage of the language.
We have the Hindi English, the Punjabi English, the Tamil English, the Kannada English, the UP/Bihari or the Bhaiya English, the Bongla English, the Gujarati(Patel) English and no am not ignoring the Mallu English and there are, may be many more…
Only very few do really know that there exists a difference in the pronunciation between the words that begin V and W…well is as good as vell and its all wery vonderful.
My experiences with people form different regions of India has been funny (remember funny in Indian English is not just weird or strange but could be "rude"/"precocious"/"impolite").
The Punjabi English would make it difficult for you to interpret if the guy opposite you wants a bat or bet. Bet is as good as Bat and now this is a risky!
The “th” sound in “thing” has no residence in Indian English, it’s the dental ‘t’ followed by aspiration.
The funny (?) part is that the usage of English changes like striking speed of Shinkansen(metaphor that my friend came up with) when a guy starts talking to a girl.
The usual sentences that used to end with “yaar” suddenly end with “yaah”…yeah right, this sounds more posh huh, give me a break …get up guys, wash your face and face the truth.
Eg: “I am so tired yaah”/”dump him yaah, he is such a looser”…yeah choose this one with “yaah” annotation…another looser.
Bhaiya English, no established pattern followed. Speak what you think is right or just speak something.
Block becomes /bla:k/, pension is penson(I don’t know who’s son he is), there is no attention coz its all attenSON and shame becomes same. So if you get a “same” remark while in Bhaiya land,am sorry…wish I could help.
Bong Babu English, totally under the stress of sing-song strain.
What becomes bhat and bus is baas. Poison is paaigen and again the fun does not end and amuses me each time I have to understand what was actually meant.
Woah, now the Gujarati English or actually Englis, takes the super front seat where RAP becomes rape…I am offered snakes when I expect some snacks and the world is full of amaging people.
The Mallus who account for a major population of the Gelf are not ready to shet up (read Shut up). They work hard at ooffise and go hooorse riding over de weekend and dond you dare put their loyalty for Gelf in quesgen. You would find more of them in Gulf than in India…
So much diversity in the one language, in one demography, even the moderators are ashamed sometimes as to why they lacked so much innovation.
Its just crazy to hear the same word spoken in different ways attempting to convey the same meaning but who knows where and how it ends up!
Am still exploring the discrete usage of English in our country…if you have any inputs…please, Onegashimasu(please go ahead in Japanese).

Medley....doodley doooo

And when I met these geeks and the nerds…or the smart ass work-a-holics as I must say…
All work and all play, but how much does one work in comparison to the playtime invested.
I know with every penny gained there is a sacrifice worth a pound but when does the equation balance?
I want to be like them but I want to be ME.
As a kid I wanted to be a teenager to be able to dress fancy, listen to hip-hop and have my own personal space.
Then, when a teenager I wanted to grow old fast and get over with those mid-terms and public exams and the long and never-ending submissions.
Now that am older than a teenager(way too old) and have apparently gotten over the phase of taking exams, I wish I could go back in time…but don’t bother my work still puts me thru the examination fevers often putting my progress at stake…huh !
Each day in past seems so much better than the present and when I know tomorrow may be worse I’d rather make today happy for memories that I will have tomorrow.
The niche and cliché account so much for the state of being today, the being of one self that I just want to feel happy about what the present state is.

Every one I meet is a universal advisor and I myself never fail to extend a mouth full of words when some one mistakenly knocks at my door.
When I am cognizant of the gyan that I am ostensibly spreading, why do I seek for same gyan from other sources?
Guess it’s healthier to have second opinion or third or even more or I just want to be sure that I am doing the right thing.And the importance doing the right thing at the right time…yeah I know it.[another advantage being...I can share the blame incase of fault]
Burnt every single time I took backseat in taking the right decision at the right time and the right place coz those turned out to be wrong decisions at wrong time and the wrong place!
Another but...how do I know what is the right decision and the usual combination ?

Give this a thought !

You have your way.

I have my way.

As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Chase...

Chanakya...once saw a mother shouting at her son who was trying to drink the soup right from the center of the bowl where it is supposed to be hottest.
She suggested that he rather drink it from the edge first and then move further towards the center and overcome the heat and avert himself from getting burnt.
Now that’s a lesson for us to take…chase the problem instead of vice-versa.
To annihilate a problem, don’t try to uproot it right from the center instead win over the ones that envelop it and before you even realize, you would have resolved the problem…which is no more !
…Easily said than done…

Why, why , why and more why!!!

When its time to take decision why am I confronted with so many uncertainties or why do I have so many doubts?
I need to decide on what is more important in life albeit it’s not like one thing is less important than the other.
Want to do right things at the right time but what about those things that are already due or over the expiry date and yet incomplete !
I want to start afresh.
I want to be in the moment when I have nothing to worry or care about.
I am chasing every moment to find calmness in and around me…no more turmoil God…please!!!
I wonder if everyone feels the same or it’s just me who has myriads of thoughts jacketing my mind and heart at any given instant of time.
I want to, for once, think with my heart.
I want to feel the bliss in being foolishly emotional and not calculate every decision that I make or take.
Why should I think of analysis and rationalism in everything that I do?
Why don’t I crave for chocolates and ice creams and all those junk stuff like many others?
Why do I have to think of past and future?
Why, why of all things should I have so many questions?
Why not do something that I want to and just forget for that moment and experience the delight.
It would be like indulging in a huge chunk of ice-cream when I know I can’t endure the chill.
How I wish everything was practical and yet simple!!!

I am still learning !

I was once asked who my role model is and in theory I replied it was “Chanakya”. Like wise I came across people who have their role models as Hitler and not Gandhi…you got to believe me on that. I agree with this guy coz I don’t really believe in the so called principles of Gandhi and many others like…especially NO WAY in the contemporary times…it only works in Lage Raho….I personally loved that movie...NOM.
Later I just did some study and realized that am really in awe this Diplomat, author of Arthshastra and the Nitishastra.
‘The ends justify the means’ and the ruler should use any means to attain his goals and his actions required no moral sanctions”…as against Ghandhism!
A ruthless administrator but a king maker in the true sense who after a whole lot of humiliation from the ruler of Patliputra was not obsessed by the idea of revenge but wanted to bring happiness, security and harmony among the people. But all this not with some foolish and utopic idea but with his foresight and great academic background in politics and economics…forget about knowledge, the so called politicians in our country don’t even have the basic level of decent and moral education.

Am sure all would agree with Chanakya who said “Taxation should not be a painful process for the people. There should be leniency and caution while deciding the tax structure. Ideally, governments should collect taxes like a honeybee, which sucks just the right amount of honey from the flower so that both can survive. Taxes should be collected in small and not in large proportions".

But well…all the arguments and the jargons under the taxation structure remain cryptic and I default there in my understanding.

Why we only see problems raising, problem with the way the basic infrastructure that surrounds me, problem with my tax payments, problems with my movement in my very own town, problem with my dhobi wala, dhoodh waala and everything that I put my hand on or raise my eyes to!
Whom do I look for if I want a total annihilation of at least a % of these problems?

Why are men with such sharp acumen who belong to selfless creed and possess profound wisdom and foresight not borne these days, or if they are borne why don’t we see them, or if we see them, why do they vanish away in the mob while they should be there here to usher us in the right direction and build an egalitarian society!Am not satiated yet and I continue to work …learn more about Chanakya

Winters are ...

Winter-spring-summer-fall-and winter again. Summers, I waited for winters and now that its here I just realized how depressing winters can be in spite of it being the festive season.

Short days with little sunlight and before you realize, the day is almost over. I might sound morose but not really though! How many of us really know that winters can be actually depressing?

A wistful feeling comes over in late autumn, as the last remaining leaves drop, morning frosts cover the ground, and the sun sets earlier each day. Hot cider and the warmth of a favorite old coat may be all you need to face the coming winter with good cheer, but for many people, fall melancholy deepens to winter depression…
I wish not to fall prey of this, this time around and keep the cheer around. But how does one cope with deep darkness which swathes more than 16 hours of the day!

Inconcurrence !

This one has to be a real quick one…one long week and an even longer day. But with all the effort and time invested, my work done went live with doses of appreciation.
But this trick aint going to work anymore… appreciations are enticing and rousing but not good enough. I have grown above that (sounds chaste huh).
Its time for something tangible and significant coz my competition is with mortals for every tiny bit of space(don’t take this literal). Awards are shelved and who looks at them, they are indiscernible in my resume…
Show me the money and show me the power…
Rupee rising, USD depreciating…but I still have only a pair of each of limbs, eyes et al and I am impaired from working 48 hours a day...all rise by my salary seems to never rise on the positive side of x-y axis.
Everything seems to be escalating, the NSE, the Sensex, the interest rates, my house rent, my bills figures and ask what not…but why poor me or rather the fraternity of me is stuck with a stagnant figure in our salary slips
Just induces vexation every month-end when I see that I get less than what I give !

Some mid way, some left away !

The list of things that I attempted to do is too wide and too long.
Start was good and I do appreciate myself for I did start or attempt. But don’t ask me what happened after that…
Am not particularly proud of myself for the reason that I haven’t carried over any or most of them to blooming stage.
Ventured into learning marshal arts but gave up midway…the longest I could have gone for any of the temptful attempts.
The puerile me went to learn how to play violin…I did take some initial lessons but then came the summer vacation and the vacation is still on…may be the longest vacation that anyone would have ever had.

Then were the tailoring lessons…I am proud to have stitched and sewn paraphernalia stuff( I completed my lessons but never practiced in the real world)…
My mom was particularly proud at that and she never fails to mention that when it comes to the topic of my marriage…” the girl knows to stitch”… huh, like it matters !

The only consolance that I have for having learnt to sew is…hopefully it will be useful some time somewhere in future (I don’t know whose!).
And with the tailoring lessons were the overlapping lessons to touch type …I regret not having completed that…I truly am in awe of those who can type lengths after lengths without even looking down at the dancing keys.
I hope one day I can do that…am close :)
I get a wrist ache trying to use mouse ! Better get better at the the key-B skills.
Ever wondered how easy it would be to just bypass the mouse usage ...clicking is going to be out of fashion soon…no click

Anywyas, there is something that I did finish…the craft work and all those tiny twinie art work at which I am supposed to be adroit. I took a few lessons to better the already inherent skills that I possessed…shhhh
And apparently I did some pretty good job at that…you got to take my word on that :) !

And the most recent attempt …well the most short-lived one was the SALSA classes… but I would not put into the category of the past…am going to get back to that soon…like…few days, months...
Euphemism for optimism…need some impetus, for like all others even me has only 24 hrs a day…
And am working on my renewed passion and want to keep up to it !

Desk Derivatives!

Wow..this is what comes out when you look straight down from my desk!

The view from my desk makes all around me feel jealous.

This is a strategically located position sitting where I can face the metropolitan world to my right from the 44th floor of Mori Tower on Roppongi hills or just confront my confined work world to my left. Preferred choice is obviously right but the perfunctory act is to deal with the left.

It’s the incentive to sit (and apparently work) here in the corner with my desk flanking the window and get a glimpse of Fuji San, that I get ready to get to office each day…well there are more reasons than just that but no harm if I reveal that I love my desk for the position is holds...but hush shush :)

Every time an announcement is made about relocation, I cling to my seat and pretend like the announcement was for all but me. I refuse to part from my seat.

May be professionally damaging but I am ready to compromise sitting away from the rest of my team as long as I get to sit in the most comfortable and private seat on the floor…umm not exactly private private but at least I don’t have people hovering on top of me and from all sides…unless they make arrangements for people to start working while afloat from the other side of the window.

The first time I saw snow fall was from this desk and what an irony, by the time I ran down to see and feel the snow, it was nothing but droplets of water…

I hear the gush and whoosh of wind that clatters against the multistoried buildings. The soundless noise is scary at times.

What with the men who clean the window sills in a way that was totally new to me …the open elevator that carries them up and down. What would happen if the wind blew at a pace beyond hold...don’t want to think about that!

Coming back the goodie part, its just awesome to see the fall colors from such a height and the beautifully lit skyline of the city. After the day’s work its comforting to see the Blues ride by, the Sun spread the red light and to hear the murmur across the Square the clink of the harness and bit, and yet away from the ooohs and aaahs of the crowd.
It lures me and wants me to hold on for longer than I wish. But …hurry Om, time to go home!

I miss them !

Why the good moments don’t last and before I realize they were ever a reality…they become memories!

Obscurity persists !

Stuck in the middle of LOC…lines of code!

Its a huge web and I get lost in the trail that leads from start to endless edge!

The end seems to be unattainable and the start is lost somewhere beyond reach.

There is nothing great or fanciful about the work here. Yet there is a constant fight for the job.

I have this job and am plastic happy...but not happy happy. I shouldnt be saying that am not happy coz I chose or rather I had no choice but to take it…paupers cannot be choosers you see!

Fielding each day to gain more, learn more, I acknowledge how discontented me and many more around me are…doing the job that they took or got!

I don’t know whether am doing this for myself or for others or god knows for what reason!

I seem to have misplaced my skill set.

I get these chronic tickles in my stomach kindling me to change my course and move in a direction where I would be better suited…but now again the fundamental question is…what is it that am better suited at?

It’s this obscurity why am still around, doing something that I don’t find pleasure in or may be am trying to find some pleasure...its a vicious circle.

Another weekend filler…

But it was not a filler as it was thought it would be…

Jogeshima island… ocean with its bound less limits. I can gaze at the sky and the vast ocean for hours together and still not get bored. Ocean view and the cool breeze, observation towers of different models, the sea bastion, the green moss covered rocks, the passageways, tiny trenches, wind worn volcanic rocks…the shallow idyllic beach – it was like a trance to see so much serenity all in one place. I just loved this place not just coz of the surrounding of this place but for it is still unscathed by commercialization bug. No queues, no mob hurdles…all I could hear was the resonance of small waves that hit the rocky shores…
Those who think the most beautiful and exotic place is Switzerland or one of those contemporary commercial places, they just need to broaden their horizon and look around and round…Japan is one place that combines the beauty unbeatable !

Encounter with a stranger-Roppongi Hills!

Its funny … or I don’t know how to put it!
Traveled across India and half way across the world, one thing that seems to be common among men is the way they think …well at-least when it comes to making an advance towards a women. I have had the experience of puerile boys coming up to me trying to strike a conversation with the excuse of asking time or offering superfluous favor…huh.
That was back in some corner of some street of some state of India …but then it was common in every corner of every street of every street in India. But the funny thing is after many years I seem have similar experiences. Only difference being …it no more juvenile boys this time and above all its not India. A foreigner whose origin and existence is oblivious to me comes up to me and asks a similar questions …”excuse me , whats the time ?” quickly followed by a friendly remark and asking me where I belonged and et al.
I did not know what to reply at the spur and just showed the guy the bunch of friends I was with …and guess what the reply was…
”Ohh am sorry ma’am, I dint know that“…huh like I cared if he knew, but yes may be he would not have had the courage to come up to me if he knew! Such similarities amuse me :D
Was this some potion that was added when god created them?

Random bits!!!

All that satiates me now is just scrapping out the random bits of thoughts that emanate in my heart and mind. And what better way to rid them or may be archive them…put them aside and I don’t want to think about them…well not for some time at least!
It is an addiction more than the pleasure of writing that I don’t want to ever give up in life… considering the fact that am late by many years already!
Everything that surrounds me or around me ignites a desire!
A desire to know more, learn more , capture more …and arghhhh…why did I not begin earlier or do I still have time to catch up ?
Tick tick tick…more time lost.

Coy Expressions!

Contrary to what they might be popularly known, all these women clad in these opulent looking Kimonos are not Geishas(the Japanese prostitutes). The timid and amicable look on their face is what comes out in the course and end of their training and is deifinitely a result of high culture world that they are a part of. Geishas are entertainers, their purpose being to entertain their customer, be it by reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation.

Clients know that nothing more can be expected. In a social style that is uniquely Japanese, men are amused by the illusion of that which is never to be. Geisha do not engage in paid sex with clients as opposed to the popular belief.

The traditional thick white base (originally made with lead or rice powder) with red lipstick and red and black accents around the eyes and eyebrows which makes-up of the appearance of apprentice geisha(Maiko) is one of their most recognizable characteristics

Well that’s not all…I just happened to be lucky (and was excited)to see and meet few of them myself while on my trip to Kyoto (considered by many to be where the geisha tradition is the strongest today).

To get to 2 !

Professional life Progression ->Personal life regression
Social life sucks and the so called professional life just becomes a mandate to keep you away from thinking that you actually have a poignant personal life or rather no personal life at all!
The effort to become a family with someone now is the responsibility of few family members who eventually succumb owing to our own ignorance.
Its a raid. Totally uncertain of what I expect and if I know what I want, the fundamental question is how to find The One!
The war begins with the scrutiny of hundreds of profiles half heartedly.
Screening profiles of mortal who aint even aware of your existence and reverse is equally true, you are being dog watched by someone you don’t know.
How I wish the process of marriage was unpretentious. No self advertising or marketing.
Adam meets Eve and the story begins…not the end but the beginning of story which continues till date with millions of us here harassing ourselves each day.
Irony is, every guy I meet is looking for a girl and every girl I meet is looking for the right HE.
Then why the H.E.L.L is the search still on!!!

Huh...you dint expect these coming out of a Funny Coin !

Angola
Hey, call me when your life expectancy catches up with your inflation rate.
Belgium
The only European country to never successfully invade Belgium.
Burundi
All that coffee in a country with no reason to wake up.
Canada
With massive overpopulation threatening the globe, Canadians maintain a population of less than 35 million. How do they do it? Zero sex appeal!
China
If you're gonna be in prison, it might as well be for no reason.
Dominica
Where the national catchphrase is "I'm sorry, officer, I didn't mean to interrupt your armed robbery."
Eritrea
You only have one TV station, but cheer up - it's got locust reports on the eights!
Finland
We're so dumb, we can't wait to be insulted to send a meaningless postcard with a tire on the front. You've had over 5,000 years of culture, and the world's most famous Finn is still Huckleberry
Germany
The great 20th-century power that said, "Ditch Einstein, get Hasselhoff."
Greece
Big news: Historians now think the first marathon took place in August 490 BC, not September. That means nothing good has come out of Greece for a month longer than previously believed.
India
A nation so richly diverse, you can walk into a single neighborhood and find cholera, dengue fever, malaria, typhoid, and plague.
Japan
Last century, you brutally defeated China and Russia. This century, you make Hello Kitty toasters.
Kuwait
We saved your ass from Saddam. Now make with the oil, bitch.
Nepal
Home to eight of the world's highest peaks; nine if you count your unemployment rate.
Oman
As in "Oh man, I can't believe you cut my hand off for stealing an orange!"
Pakistan
Guess what? You're not worth jack-istan!
Saudi Arabia
You'll come for the history, you'll stay because they arrested your wife for accidentally showing her ankles.

Dig here to know how Conan O'Brien came up with these !

Yens back in my pocket !

I barely have enough words to express the manners of Orientals. Charming with their ways of doing things and doing them well. Their inherent honesty just leaves me dismayed every time. Every bit of my experience entrust a hope that this world aint so corrupt as it is believed to be. But it certainly is only Japan where you can experience the finest nuances of human subtlety. Where else in the world will you find a messenger delivering a pack holding a meager amount of 30 JPY ( approx Rs10.00) that you had forgotten to collect as return change from the shop keeper and that to at your doorstep. You ask for directions and the sole will not be satiated till he/she drops/takes you to place you need to be !
And how would one score this?
Stay reminded of the most basic drawback or what ever you call..the lack of common communication medium and still these are the people, maestros at subjects untouched by the rest of the world!

Nihhon ishtyle

Traveling through the complicated rail network in Tokyo is truly an experience. Mastering the art of traveling through these lines that spreads in and out across like a colossal web is no child’s play. It’s intimidating to see millions of people pass by or cross a station that has 150 exits. And this is happens every day in the life of Tokyo.
This comprehensive web surpasses any other rail network in the world.
Every time I set my foot out to visit a place, am not left less amused. I just marvel at the ultra-modern appearance of much of the network. The spread is as much under the ground as it is over it.
And yes, these trains are as much packed as you could expect a Mumbai local train during peak hours but I bet, if you find even a single soul screaming or even raising his/her voice or pushing any other soul for that extra inch of space.
All I hear is the intermittent and standard set of announcements. People busy with there own lives and appears to me as though these metros are the only places where people find respite and time to sleep. Women busy checking their make up, men busy playing video games, or reading comics and sundry other things that people sitting (that is if you ever find a seat ) or standing do. I proudly proclaim that I am now dexterous enough to sleep standing in the train and without holding the handrail. Your body just adjusts itself to inertia and the sudden stops and starts are just common phenomenon that you experience each day.
It’s just amazing to see how the entire fraternity of railways here cooperates with passengers that are less privileged or who need a that bit of extra care.
My first day in Tokyo metro and I saw how the escalators were blocked to aid a person on wheelchair and how a message was communicated to the destination station with assistance available at every point and it was ensured that arrangements were made for easy movement and exit of that single person in a mob of a million.

My experience with traveling in Tokyo has been the one I would remember all my life.
It just enhances one’s sense of direction and not to forget the optimum path selection. It’s not just the train travel experience that leaves you agape, it’s the whole community here.

Conservative Orientals have come a long way from those timid and relenting types. There is discipline in the tiniest bit of their lives. I have never seen a Japanese child make fuss about anything and every time I turn at the noise of a child screaming or crying, its our very own desi kid ;o).
Well like anything and anyone else, even small children have imbibed way too much of discipline in their lives.
And the daily motto is perfection in everything done. But hey don’t mistake them to be geeks or nerds. I haven’t seen people who would party harder than them. They reach higher levels of ecstasy with each drink imbibed.
Ahh now coming to think of it, I can just go on and keep writing reams about people and Japan itself...but... I rest until later.