Kiran Vukks

04:10 pm - Life is skipping...

Where are the days going? Its this phase that everyone goes through where the days get so short you compromise on everything. A time was when the college day lecture would pass so slow you'd think it would kill you with boredom. Ohh the Kapil Bhat's and Jagdale's, what a wait for time to pass.

I guess this is when you run towards 30 and think where did my 20's go? Time is flying and there is so much to achieve. Its scary to think that soon it would start going downhill in terms of age, fitness and parties.

Would I always feel like turning back the clock? Its a race to ensure I wont need to.

I read this excellent advice today :

Current Mood: cheerful

09:08 am - If not India then who else...

The WC started with me watching India-Pakistan warm up game with friends at a Mumbai restaurant, we creamed them and looked good for this edition as well. Sadly the results went wrong and the team flopped badly. Pakistan on the other hand went on to gain victories in the matches that matter and yesterday finally crossed the line again after 17 years.

Of course I wanted India to win but once they were out, I am actually happy that Pakistan won this time around. Last time there was so much joy with our win, but just to think if we had lost that one - it would not be easy to live with at the time. Pakistan produces some extreme raw talent like the Wasim's , Shoaib's and Afridi's - hate them but you still love watching them. I think we as Indian's have become more accepting of Pakistan talent just because they waste them so often and lose - if they actually harbored the talent we would hate them just as we did in the late 80's - early 90's when they beat us all day long.

The innocents from the country deserve some joy where around them everything has fallen apart, every one of us knows that there are people who don’t deserve to be in that place, we love our India but still do hate the power hungry and terror creating groups - every place has its bad seeds, I find myself lucky to be born in a place like India where living is acceptable rather than being brought up in places where terror and hunger rule.

Here is to the innocents in Pakistan, hope they find the joy of their life through this victory...

Current Mood: grateful

02:27 pm - Bangalore Train journey

Just had forgotten to post this. this trip was in July 2008



Going from Mumbai to Bangalore some time back for meeting Gaurav as well as for Db's shaadi, I decided to take the train 24 hrs route. Not often will I be able to take this route again as life gets busier and air travel gets cheaper. Took care of all the bookings online and suprisingly right through everything went smoothly. (Thanks to Meena Masi's input - she's the best with such things)

Travelling in the train has so many memories attached to it as in my younger days we have had so many trips across India going by the train, the beautiful landscapes and green fields are sights that you associate with train travel. You hope that it would rain and the sights of India will become even more beautiful. The time of my travel ensured that it was most likely to be raining through my journey. I locked my baggage to the seats and seemed comfortable enough in the 3 Tier Ac compartment with my Harry Potter book - the second of 7 that I will read later on.

The passengers were unknown but its a 24 hour journey so we got chatty all along. The stations zipped by and the nature of people coming in and out changed, I have started noticing that only after coming to the US, the Maharashtrians with Alu Poori Acchar later changed to Kannada speaking locals with south indian accents.

Overheard very interesting discussions from politics to sports to contacts with railways to TC corruption. Also had some very interesting conversations with a lady that spoke 6 languages and could just not wait for chai every 3 hours. Another stamped thought was of a mom with 2-3 kids trying to manage the chaos, wow its tough for parents to keep the kids in check on a train.

Had a great trip to Bangalore with gappu and on the way back witnessed therains in its full might, delayed my train about 5 hours but I didnt mind. Standing at the entrance of the bogie with the rain in my face with lush green fields to look at...

Definately one of the things you associate with living in India.

Current Mood: happy

04:43 pm - Not happy..

Just returned from a relaxed trip to Bangalore. Was a beautiful time and will write soon about it. Am not writing a lot of emails today so came to write here.
its been a while since I achieved something career wise - since I came to India its been relaxed workwise and I have been doing just that. Keep saying to myself how I needed a break from work, it had started to pull me down. This so called break has now made me feel like a loser rather than being relaxed - I have no cards left to throw and all explanations to myself seem to be just excuses. Its a new feeling where one admits to the levels he has fallen, I have heard that is a good thing to do - admit your mistakes, but it surely is one bad feeling.....
This feeling, I hear can be converted to one's advantage and maybe it can happen after the phase passes. Will have to bide my time to see the light again. Till then - lets see how dark and deep the rabbit hole goes...

Current Mood: crushed

05:05 pm - B.E.S.T.

Travelling by the local Mumbai bus is an art. the war would always go on between the bus travellers to the train travellers on which one is tougher. Trains are faster, hold (cram in) a lot more people but buses go where trains do not. Hence people like Patkar proudly hold a bus pass for themselves. I travel by bus quite rarely but I love doing so. The superb picture of Ishaan Awasti travelling in a double decker bus along Marine drive in TZP is not often the case within Mumbai.

Its the rainy season here and traffic is clogged - trouble is so are the people in the buses due to frequency reduction. I was waiting near my office cribbing to Patkar hoping he's come by car beacuse the bus feels like ,is never going to come. Trouble is, we were both waiting for about half an hour. Seeing the number of people in the buses I still wonder how the women standing at the stop are ever going to get in. There is absolutely no respite for women here ,mainly because the men are themselves taxed to the limit for getting in. Anyway once the bus came in sight I quickly hung up on Patkar and ran trying to get in. After a lot of hustle bustle I eventually got pushed out aong with a number of other men and nearly all of the women. Sinking NRI feeling in my stomach i realise that it could be another half hour wait before a bus comes. The rain gets heavier and I start getting hunger pangs - A miracle moment later another bus comes in going to Parle (East) and I jump in. This one is jammed too and I only pray for the two men hanging in with 1 inch of foot support. The bus slowly moves its way along traffic and I hang in trying to save my laptop from being crushed. A helpless feeling is soon overtaken by a dont care one as I decide it is the only way to survive. With wet, sweaty, irritated and tired people all stuck so close to me I wonder what happed to the differences between people that is so easily projected for people within India. After 45 minutes the time comes to push and pull people trying to get to the other end of the bus for getting off. Once off, the air feels like that of a hillstation and the breeze lifts you out of your canned feeling. Whew!!

Walking home from the stop I somehow get the feeling that I was one of the most bothered people on that bus, and there, I realise that everyone has given in to the rigors of surviving in Mumbai. People travel like this everyday - I now realise how lucky I am to have it so easy. A few days later I was once again in a bus ,this time I got a seat for myself and I didnt turn back to see which lady was standing. Normally I have always stood to give my seat to the ladies but this time my seat was going to be given only to the elderly, if at all - that seat, that evening was more pricey than my mannerisms. Well, its not always you land a seat on the famous B.E.S.T. bus - I really enjoyed seeing the rain from my window seat.

Current Mood: amused

01:25 pm - Shaken to life......

Been a while since I came here, didnt want to just write in the excitement of Mumbai. The first weekend went towards Pune for trekking, next one went in family dinners, the next one went in friends parties, weekdays went in work, more parties, frustrations of Mumbai heat, and slow internet, and adjusting to noise and home rules and timings, all happening - thats the drive.

Train journeys and bus journeys, all have been done, finally caught the NRI cold/cough. The first rains have arrived and smiles have finally come on Mumbaikar's face. Driving around in the traffic you can see the frustrated faces of the people in the city. Going out on Friday/Saturday night you feel the rush hour trains have moved to the nighclubs and lounges. So much to digest, so quickly the time moves on.

Do I miss the US - of course, lots of good memories of friends and Amu, It wasnt that I didnt have fun here. Maybe more than what I would over here. The joys of coming home all tired and getting stick at home for being late or lazy, the hot food served even though you feel that you dont deserve it, the countless suggestions you get which are all useless for any health or body ache problems, the only occasional sentiments that you get from people close to you who are always short of time. How does it all work? I am weak in writing these moments, its difficult coming home but i know that I see a place for me here.........

Current Mood: good

10:02 am - The young and the ruthless

If we offer opportunity to an increasingly confident generation, success is a predictable and pleasant result.
Harsha Bhogle after the young Indian cricket team brought Australia's ageing unit down.

This is the story of our times and I am fortunate to be a part of this wave. Our current Indian system is driven by the youth who have the talent and courage to take advantage of its fresh ideas. The economy is booming because of the platform set up by the previous generation in terms of education for us to lift off. One example is the Ambani brothers.

The indian nationality pledge is to the fore and every educated person wants a better tomorrow not just for himself but for the country. Lead India campaign and Amitabh Bachan's Times of India video about India Glorious gives me the goose bumps. I need to contribute towards that upward growth of the country. Positive energy is what drives the nation and the usual lot of detractors will need to be pushed along in the wave. This country is no longer going to the dogs and we will convert our very own people's views about the country. Economic growth will drive towards unity and each one of us realizes that the improvement road for India is a rocky one. Regionalism, corruption and religion are big three set backs but the youth has taken charge towards these factors elimination.

All in all an exciting time awaits us all and hopefully I can add my push towards this wave. The national sentiment is truly alive in the Indian youth today.

Current Mood: energetic

12:06 pm - The Angrez period...

3 yrs here explained.....

first year.....

Fun frolic, learn the new way of life, opened my bank account - took part in all ISA events to become well known around school. Life looked good with the typical stress of examinations. Cricket was a fixation here too. Wanted to think that this would be like my Engineering college days. Cooking was a fixation and we created one of the few happy rooms for UHCL. Then came the crack of vacations and I realised that people had not come with the same reason as me. I was a kid and around me all thought about making money and changing themselves to adapt to the USA. This created first notions that I need to leave quick before I get pulled into thinking that. We roomies bought ourselves cars and that opened a whole new world called the USA. We made our first trip together to San Antonio - Austin and had 3 days of full throtle fun. I had travelled to LA and Atlanta before that. The time between examinations was well used to learn and enjoy my few school days left. Friends came in bulk and very few times did I actually miss India to pack up and leave.
what Ill miss - the innocence with which we came to the US no longer exists and time has snatched the free flowing speech and attitude that we carried to create great times. Card games and movies and cereals and India debates were a 24/7 thing.
Major cast and crew - Skot, Sam, Naddy, Vish, Ramesh, Db, Prathyu, Nikki, Jo, Pasham, Madhu, Sallu, Dhamani, Shawty, Rushi....

second year.....

What I label the Internship year. I grew up this year. Finally found a job after 1 year of just expenses. Become a proud ISA council member : Controversies left - right and center, new friends coming in and old ones dropping out. Had a disciplined year with loads of job and ISA responsibilities. Felt good to finally grow up. Suyog Shah entered - drove Madhu out : All part of the cycle. New batch comes in - fresh, energetic and way more enthusiastic than we were about ISA - we like to think it was because of us. Surely we were creating a force called ISA. Characters one and all and life continued its merry way. Had great times in the West-Indies without the Indian team though. Another one to South Padre was exciting for its own reasons. School life took its toll on us and we all realise now that we slam bang idiots could actually make educated decisions. Late night frustrations for me specifically as lack of sleep kept me useless at work most times. Song and dance was a routine and we experienced a big chunk of
houston finally travelling in our cars.
Memories : Kolli Dance all the way...,Volleyball, ISA's success - sweet poison I call it.
What Ill miss - Me being taken for a ride then compared to me now organising the rides - everyones slowed down on the fun quota. Laziness....
Major cast and crew : Skot, Sam, Naddy, Sallu, Vish, Db, Suyog, Prathyu, Nikki, Amu, Akki, Nainya, Chopra, Bara, Dubey, Chujju.......

Final year and counting down.......

Fight On...
Moving to a new apartment - worst memory of US for me and Sam. I never felt as close to Sam as I did during those times. Felt as if the helium had been taken out of the baloon called 2086 - Goliath had fallen. What remained were the faithful....Amu,Suyog,Sallu..... Times passed on that - organised another
wonderful trip to Orlando with the warriors back in action - Naddy and Skot. Job has taken priority for everyone : Job - gym - sleep is the routine on weekdays. Weekends is sometimes stressful just to plan for it. An MVP for myself has been a high point. Skot ,Prathyu , Sallu and Dhamani stay away for the time being - The 06 batch is busy with their chosen life styles. DB has found his love to be with. But on thE other end new people have come in with Chuttus and now Priya. Together we walk again making each passing year a memorable one.
Major cast and crew : Sam, Naddy, Amu, Suyog, Chuttus, Priya

Current Mood: peaceful

03:28 pm - Seperated from the good life....

Back from India... I dont know why..
What do I miss about my home country so much..what do I not have here?
I have a wonderful job here, but thats about it - That's the only thing I might not be able to take back home. Friends are there in India too and additionally I have people who make me feel who I am.

Little things come in the way here. I cannot talk about football here, cant eat and laugh at the same time, cant drink with my friends and crack some really mean jokes and cant sit at home with all home frustrations but still be thankful for the food that is given to me.

The streets of Mumbai is what I love the most, the hustle bustle and the rush to move towards success is inspiring. Over here I have not been able to get inspiration from anyone outside the people I know. Just the regular train traveller in Mumbai is an inspiration as it is a struggle to just survive in the city.

Yet it seems so many can live without it then is it just that I make a big deal out of it. Why do I equate all my state of unhappiness to the fact that I am here and not home.. will I never be unhappy there? Will I be able to live upto my own potential and be successful living in Mumbai?
I am confused and light headed now.. Things are blurry and the past 3 and half weeks is all I want to remember. Everything about the trip has been so good. I want to spend hours talking to the newest member of our family Nehali.. All teh family in India - masi's, divyesh,Falu,gaurav, reena, rinku,shailesh have made this trip and wedding a grand event.. my friends didnt let me down and stood by me through all teh fun....its wonderful to hear them speak about the fun they had as that just makes me feel I had a lot more...what a trip...Why should I live here..Am I scared of going back as not many people do from the US.. should I resign??

The question ponders....

Current Mood: depressed

09:59 am - All in the flow of work

Been a while since I came here to write. Work has taken a huge priority and has left me little time for anything else let alone write a blog. Am now in the last week before I leave for India yet again.

It keeps getting difficult to find time to go back home and I am sure its occasions as big as this that force me to go back.Am excited as hell to go and let loose. An MVP on the cards is what I have to show for the effort and time spent at work these last 5 months. I have enjoyed every bit of it and the responsibilities and feedback have been inspirational.
India winning the 20-20 WC and the MVP are the highs for the year and the new year will deal with a very difficult question that I keep putting back.

Thinks have blended in fine with my job scenario currently and hopefully by the end of next year I can be as happy as I am now. There have been the share of frustrations with my handling of situations apart from work. Moving in and out of a house was a tough period and job satisfaction but no location satisfaction is getting to me. A bit concerned about both Ravi and VAibhav settling in the USA while I am going to India.

Will be back soon.
Just penning some thoughts. As I keep writing in chats... busy..gotta get back to work.

Vukks.

10:34 am - 3 rd round – The knockout

The Time has come. Its time for year 3 and I feel its time to rise. It’s been 2 years here and I have had the pleasure of all the things I wanted to do. Traveled a bit, made life easier for myself over time and always been able to make the important decisions right. Completed my graduation recently and an India trip (again) and am back to work. Each milestone in the US is a stepping stone and as soon as I came back I knew I had to slog at work to get the leave I hope to get come November.

Since years now I have had the feeling which some of my friends share about me that I will be able to meet my goals. Trouble is I have never set them till date. This year end (Next August) definitely has a goal and will need a lot of doing to meet. To gain experience is not the goal but to learn from the experience is important. Already the thirst for knowledge is taking me deeper into my job role and I need to get out of this world back into my home with credentials that will hold the test of time. Confidence was always there that I would be able to make the cut – Now is the time to feel it in the veins going through the time-wrap.

Gaze held high, I walk the road towards home and hope the transition will be smooth. I shall know by the year end. Time to get out of the rat-race.

01:16 pm - Sleep…….ZZZZZ

Over the year’s I have read and heard that for a man to be happy, he should be able to sleep well at night. The meaning states ability to leave stress of the day to rest before you sleep. I am a firm believer that sleep is like free will and when I decide I should be able to do so. Then what makes you lose sleep. Negative commitments i.e stress that you bring upon yourself. As a child I was fortunate to only see people lose sleep – I was not even concerned about examinations too much to lose sleep over that.

My dad used to say that use sleep as a strength as when you are rested you deliver better. Slowly but surely I get pulled into these stress situations which make me lose sleep. If I cannot adjust here how am I supposed to survive in the ‘Cauldron’ called Mumbai. I would be just like anyone else waiting for a break in the form of a vacation. I used to pride myself in being my own master and live a healthy stress free life – I get unfit like so many people have through lack of sleep.

It is time to pull myself out of this. I just cannot handle the feeling that I am losing control. Live free or Die hard is the flavor of the seaon. Time for self-introspection.

Current Mood: sleepy

11:04 am - Influence!

I am influenced by – who, what, how? As soon as I began my journey the first influence was parents – I think God finishes his work by getting you in the hands of them, after that he is secondary. I ‘d like to write about all the influential people in my life but now I focus on my Haga friends.

1> Patkar – Patkar has a soft corner for so many things that he is always the center of controversy. Ever ready for an outing and his ability to forgive (our constant teasing) is amazing. It would certainly be impossible to miss patkar in a crowd as he is a gem (also quite tall).

2> Maskara – To be as caring about friends as our Don gives all of us no choice but to be together. Whenever needed Maskara would be ever present and I am sure he regrets the one trip he missed with us.
An amazing workhorse and just thinking about him you can have a laugh.

3> Viraj – Relaxed attitude towards life. Never one to crib about any situation with friends. That’s why he is a must have as we do not meet to actually drown our sorrows. Always escapes unscathed and is the first to narrate haga stories about us. Game for anything.

4> Ravi aka Harami – Always trying to get the better of haga members but is shit scared of us taking his case. He is the cribber of the group and a true gujju. Multicolored personality and we all need him if we ever need gossip or to use his looks.

5> Dhoyya – Has to be one of the biggest showman ever. His stunts and comics are to be remembered through time. A party would be incomplete without dhoyya’s antics and stories. Ability to laugh at oneself is his forte.

6> Nilay – The Creator of the Matrix – The behind the scenes know all whereas we believe there is no behind the scene. So similar yet so apart. I and he share the same notions but we can never exchange shoes. On a roll he is unbeatable in terms of his dialogues and can make you eat your words. A full house entertainer he is. His dedication towards a goal is both inspiring and scary.

7> CBI – Master of PJ’s and irritating as hell with his dumbness but an entertainer. He is unique species and even we sometimes wonder how he survives. His fake story telling is a real talent.

Cheers to all you Men.
Vukka….

Current Mood: contemplative

10:34 am - Haga Video

Current Mood: cheerful

01:20 pm - Life Repeats itself……..

Moments gone never repeat themselves but similar moments do come back. That’s what we try to achieve – make the good times keep recurring. The stage is set for my life to repeat something that happened 2 years ago.

May 2001 – Enter Kiran at SPCE
Aug 2005 – Enter Kiran at UHCL

A quick name change to vukka in 01 and vukku to 05.
Friends from different walks of life
To end – the same feeling of loneliness

I shall walk the same thread again when I miss everything that’s happened in the last few years. Friends would be separated for causes greater than for what we became friends as – the frolic and the senseless madness. It will again boil over to how we can maintain the innocence within the friendship. After 2 years separation from Hagagroup – we still live on as a group, maybe even stronger. Just hope that carries for the friends made at UHCL.

There is already talk of separation, which was thought of but never spoken of when we split into our individual worlds as haga members. It is a scary environment as being alone here would drive me off the cliff. Everything reminds me of the time I came here first. The roads unknown, the people unknown, the place unknown – don’t know if I want to relive that again.
The feeling is mutual and everyone needs to make an effort to cling onto the boat. We have succeeded so far with my engineering group. I call for more of the same. Its been a great time and lets keep it going.

Current Mood: confused

03:03 pm - HR , HR , Grrrrrrr.....

A position just created to give employment to the educated but really stupid people in the United States – All female. I think their job is to just look good. Been struggling with paperwork from my University and then my transfer to another department since months now. One HR person would know only what she does and not bother about the actual flow of of work.

Hopefully someone knocks some sense into them. What a waste opf company money. To think I work so hard for it..Yuckk.

Current Mood: annoyed

02:51 pm - Rate my life quiz -

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.8
Mind:	7
Body:	9.4
Spirit:	6.7
Friends/Family:	4.1
Love:	5.4
Finance:	8.4
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Current Mood: bored

02:21 pm - World Cup Fever

Sitting at my desk I keep looking at the calender to note days that I would be able to work regularly. India’s match days would need excuses to be made. Its been 15 years since I watched my first cricket game. India vs. Pakistan in the 1992 WC and a young Sachin stroking 50. Hes back on stage and I have front row seats. India’s 2 games in Barbados would be the most memorable days in my life. I cannot wait for April 9th when I fly to Barbados.

The WC acts like a 4 year bookmark in my life. I already know that 4 years from now I would be travelling with team India across India for each of their games with the final game in Mumbai. 1st India game vs. Holland in 2003 and I had gone back home after spending just half hour in SPCE. Jadeja’s slaughter of Waqar in 1996 at Bangalore. Who can forget the India Pakistan match in 2003 and the TOI article the next day describing Tendulkar’s innings as the God’s dance on Mahashivratri. But the sad part of all these bookmarks is the end result. No World Cup for India….

As a cricket fan post 1983 ( a longg time ago) I have been waiting what seems an eternity for India to win the cup. As a self confessed frenzied follower of cricket I doubt even myself on how long will I keep watching if India do not win the WC. I hate to show my patriotism towards our team when tongues keep babbling about the teams worthlessness. Being more than a fan of Tendulkar leaves that cup dream even more important as that would be the pinnacle of greatness achieved for the genius. Every great cricketer has become a legend after winning a World Cup – be it the Steve Waugh, Viv Richards and the entire WI team of that era or Kapil Dev. Lara and Sachin are already legends who need the final stamp of the WC to be called Sir Sachin Tendulkar.

As the frenzy builds up there is always the going overboard factor. The media back home I am sure are the first to do that. A bunch of illiterate fools with a camera and pen taking interviews of even bigger fools spoil the pages of the TOI. During match commercials are even worse with we having to miss balls of every over. Still the patient Indian fan hangs on to hope and believes that his God out of the 300 odd existing in India would help the team. If that helps I might as well drop in a prayer to God too. We so badly need to win……………………..God bless the team.

Current Mood: excited

10:42 am - Election Time

The word Elections is the ultimate example of a result oriented practice. The sole aim is to win and depending on the position comes the importance of the election. You tend to hear the unsaid from people’s mouth at these times and I cannot wait to see the results. Barriers are broken and uncertainty reigns amongst all candidates.

Come the ISA elections marks a new chapter for students. From being juniors and always helped it is the makeover to being the approachable one. The last year has had lessons taught to all of us – good and bad. At such a small scale like ISA if things can go wrong it is but imaginable that countries struggle with democracy with illiterates in power. To have a sound and calm head and ability to ignore faults is what prevents me from going mad in such situations.

The last year has made UHCL a memorable place for me. Ofcourse there is good that came out of the position with friends and our room 2086 being the hub-bub of action. The bad moments have passed by and we can only be thankful that there is not too much damage done. Excited to let go of responsibility and enjoy stress free parties of ISA again. Wish the new council will take care of their heads after being elected – Will need a lot of luck for that though.

02:00 pm - I.............................

I……………..

I am a Vukkadala……..

I am from the best nation in the world……….

I am a total bombayyite…….

I am proud to be a hybrid…….

I love food……….

I am lazy…….

I talk in my sleep and snore too……………..

I love to trek………………..

I lie very easily………………………..

I like being known………………..

I don’t like pets………….

I am confused about IT…………………………

I prefer Hindi to English…………….

I am pretty sweet…………………

I like to cook………….

I hate to clean…………

I listen only to my Brother (sometimes)……………

I believe in making your own luck……….

I am getting fat………………

I hate to feel unfit…………..

I hate being the Jack of all trades………

I am unfair in judging people by first impression…………..

I live on desi music to dance on...............

I love Sachin Tendulkar and Abhishek Bachan........

And Finally……………………

I am in love with myself.

Current Mood: crazy