Black Saturday : Lost my Cell-Phone

12th March 2011, very black Saturday, India lost its first match this World Cup 2011 and I lost my Cell-Phone, I don't care a dam about the former but the later really hurts me. First time I am losing something so valuable.

*************, please fill each asterisk with each and every swear words you know, curses on that thief, My MotoRokr E6 cell surely wouldn't be worth much to him as it is about 3 years old, but dam that cell was worth so much for me, Gifted to me by sisters 3 years ago, it was my companion and am sure it would have worked fine for another 2 years.

Apart from the money I will lose when I go and buy a new cell-phone, (after all cell-phones have become a necessity) I am scared of what that thief would do with the data on the phone. I had backed up the contacts from the phone only 2 weeks back, so I havn't lost any contact number. But I had plenty of photos on the cell, Photos of my female friends along with their phone number, am worried if that B****** would misuse the data :( .

So how did is it that my perfect record got broken? I, Savio who never lost a Mobile, or a wallet, or anything more expensive than 500 Bucks? (I have lost my credit-card once, but I blocked the card at once and hence no harm done, so me not counting that) I who was used as a example by my mom against my sisters when they lost their cell after cell, misplaced their gold etc. I have gone and got my mobile stolen. Ouch!! My ego hurts :( :(

So what had happened? I was going to meet a friend, I was a bit late, When the bus came I pushed myself into the bus, as soon as I got in, I noticed that the music in my ears had stopped (was listening to FM as usual) and I checked my pocket, No cell-phone :( dam!! Am sure that guy who was pushing me from behind had taken the cell-phone. Turned around to see, and he had disappeared. J******

So what should you do if you lose your Cell-Phone?

1. Phone up your service provider and tell them to block your cell-phone (I know you have lost your phone, use a PCO dumbo!)
2. Go to the police station and write a FIR, (they ask for IMEI number, which I have never noted down, so please do that right now before you lose your cell-phone)
3. Go to your service provider outlet and get a new SIM with your old number paying the fees. (I had Airtel connection, and had to pay Rs. 25 for the new SIM)

Anyway, as most of us know, we don't have any numbers by-heart now, all phone numbers stay on the Mobile, I had no way of contacting my friend to tell her that I won't be coming to meet her as I have lost my cell, so after complaining to the police I went home, were on my PC I had backed up the contacts, phoned her up, apologized to her for not meeting, glad she understood and then went to the Airtel Relationship Center to get my duplicate SIM. (1st time I don't know after how many years I used a PCO, I never used to take note of any PCO only)

So what have I learnt from all this? Simple don't lose your cell-phone, as if I didn't know that? Life has a funny way of teaching you lessons you already know, don't you think?

Anyway I have accepted my lose and am searching for which phone to buy, My advice to all those of you who havn't lost their cell, please note down your IMEI number, and also by heart a few numbers which would be useful if you ever lose a cell.

By the way, If you reading this after you have lost your Cell-Phone,
here's something funny, if you have talked to these customer service fellows on phone, they always end the call with "have a good day", dam it! How am I going to have a good day if my cell is just stolen, it sounds so mechanical the way they say it "Have a good day"

So from me to you Have a good day

To hell with the world cup

Finals Cricket World Cup 2011: India vs (who cares), India need 4 runs from 3 balls, and its a four, India wins the world cup first time after 1983, entire India is celebrating ...

Thousands of Indians whole over India is dreaming about hearing the above on 2nd April 2011, well can't blame them, In India cricket is a obsession, nothing is India more passionate about, not Bollywood, not politics, not football, but Cricket. Its said cricket is religion in India, and Sachin is GOD.  Not for me, Mind it...

When ever I tell anyone that I don't watch cricket (to that matter, I don't watch any sports), I get a look from them asking me if I am a Indian, My goodness, whats wrong if I don't like cricket?

Whats there to like in cricket? A person throws a ball to another person who hits it with a wooden stick, 10 other people (fielders) run to collect the ball and throw it back before the person who hits the ball can run to the end from where the ball was thrown from.

Call that a sport? I call it a lazy mans game, Look at football, teniss, basketball or even kabadi, those are sports, Games in which if you have a 36inch waist you will lose. Cricket if you read about it, was developed by the english men to catch some sun. Indians don't need it, we are just too lazy to play anything else.

I really wonder how come such a game can take the fancy of Indian's where majority are poor, Cricket needs a bat, ball, stumps etc, how come the poor kids spend money on all these? Isn't it much easier and cheaper to just buy 1 ball and play football?

Coming back to the World Cup, Every 4 years from when I can remember, I hear the same statement, This time the world cup is ours, Ours is the best team. Every time India is knocked out at various stages, Where does the best team on paper disappear when it comes to the field? But perhaps this is expected of a country that is good at pretending. Mumbai is going to become Shanghai, India is more developed than China, Deception comes to us naturally.

Sachin Tendulkar, the man every Indian loves, The man I guess after Gandhi has united India the most, he hitting a six, India rises as one, he getting out, India cries as one. People consider this guy GOD, If you say anything against him, God only knows what the reaction will be.
My friend retold this incident. Someone put a Facebook status "Sachin is not GOD". Within 30 mins his status had some 30 comments and he was forced to write, "Sachin might be God", so that people will calm down.

In the Indian team there might be only 11 players, but every second Indian is a cricket pundit, every third Indian is a walking historian of the sport, every fourth Indian thinks he is a replacement to Sachin Tendulkar and sitting in his couch before the TV, the Indian knows exactly where Tendulkar is going wrong: the high back lift; faulty follow-on! But for all this expertise, India has won the World Cup just once.

Hockey, our National game, (yes believe it, Hockey is our national game and not cricket) is down in the dumbs. Even in Hockey we have won the world cup only once, in 1975 (did you know that?) But India has won the Olympics gold 8 times, Hockey is a Olympics sport, while Cricket is played by just a few countries. Whats so great about being best in a sport not even played by half the world?

If this was a football worldcup and India is in it, I will be watching every match and cheering India, not because I love football, but cause India will be against the best in the world, and not just a handful of teams like in the Cricket World Cup.

If the money in IPL is pored into any other sport in India, I know a world beater team can grow in India. But the money is just going into 1 lazy sport - Cricket. I feel so sad about this wastage of money.

Even after putting in so much money, India has won the world cup only once, shame on you!

I waiting for April 2nd, when this madness ends, IF India wins or not, I don't know. I know I just don't care.

STOP!! - My first Short-Story

I was introduced to books from a very young age, I always loved to read books (not for studying, mind you).  From Comics to Enid Blyton (Famous Five), Edward Stratemeyer (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew), Harry Potter series, Isaac Asimov (love his books), Lord of the Rings (My favorite Book), Dan Brown, ..... Basically any book I get my hands on. (except chick lit, can't bear them)

I kind of feel there might be almost no book (that I can remember now) that I have picked up and haven't finished. I love reading books. But me writing a story by my own??

I need to say thanks to Gourav Salanke, my colleague at work, he wrote a story and showed it to me, I was like "Dude, You are amazing!" Well he is the guy who encouraged me to write. Told me, "Dude, you got good English, just start writing!"

Well, thanks to Gourav, I have just put up my first story

STOP!!
http://www.booksie.com/science_fiction/short_story/savio/stop

Intro:-

A child starts to learn his ABC's from about 2 years old, but isn't the same ABC's being learned by each and every child, why can't just 1 child learn it, and all the other children profit from this child's knowledge?

On a average a human in the 21th Century spends more than 10 years of his life in formal studies, But man never stops learning, He keeps learning new things everyday, But what a person learns today, will be re-learned again by some one else on another part of the world. Once a man dies, all the knowledge learned by the man in his life time is lost. Wouldn't it be nice if a person could just plug himself into a system and learn anything he wants to know by just a click of a button.

Think of the free time he will have when each person doesn't have to learn the same stuff already know by others? How much greater will the human race be able to grow? Is there a reason why we can't directly plug into the brain and download information into it?



Dr. Alan has just found out how we can download information directly into the human Brain.....

Well want to thank a few more people before I sign off,
Kavitha Nair - another person who encouraged me,
Jovina, Lovina, Nitu, Twisha - for being my first proof readers
My Parents & the almighty GOD himself - for obvious reasons!!


Waiting for your comments and your feedback!!

Tour de Mumbai 2011: Amateur Cyclothon

28Km cycling, and that too over the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, I word to describe it. FUN!

Few days ago when my Project Manager: Jimmy Shroff told me that he is participating in the Mumbai Cyclothon, I was like "There is something like that being organized in our city?" Well I reached home and signed up at once for Tour de Mumbai 2011:Mumbai Cyclothon, Amateur ride . (Not to mention I had brought my own cycle a few days back and was pretty excited).

After completing the Mumbai Half Marathon I was pretty sure I will be able to complete this 28Km cycling without any problem, Only thing that worried me a bit was that I would have to cycle from my house to Bandra and back, before and after the event, so I would be straining myself a bit more. (Now I feel I was needlessly worried)

Anyway coming back to today, got up at 5A.M freashend up and cycled to Bandra, On route I saw 2-3 cyclist cycling in front on me, they too going for the Cyclothon, I tried to catch up, but couldn't (Majority of cyclist had geared cycles, and mine is a normal one {thats the excuse I am going to use}).

So I reached Bandra MET college grounds at 6:15 much before either of my other two friends (Jimmy & Shashank) reached, but got to say that even if I had not expected the organization as good as which had been done by the Marathon guys, but it felt as if the organizers had done nothing, it was a absolute mess before the start of the race, the holding area, the crowd control all were bad. ["Burn Fat, Not Fuel" was the tag line for the cyclothon, but so many people brought their cycles to the grounds by private cars, I wonder If there was any savings for the environment]

The race started about half an hour late, at 7:30. They were still letting people in at 7:15 when officially the race should have started at 7:00 A.M. But 1 thing I have to say, I was surprised at the rented cycles they were giving out, (I had taken my own cycle) the few who were hiring cycles there got dam new bikes, Bikes on which the plastic wasn't even taken out. Pretty neat I say!

So the race starts at 7:30 and as we were at the back of the entire group, we started off even more later, but all the wait was made up in the sea-link, wow man! I enjoyed the sea-link before during the marathon, but cycling over it was even more fun. I got to mention here that am amazed at how fit my project manager is, Jimmy hats off to you, He zoomed ahead at the start itself, I tried a bit to catch up with him, then I said forget it and enjoyed the ride. :)

The Sea-Link, the police holding back the traffic for you were pretty cool, not sights you can see everyday. On normal days you feel as if all drivers want to kill any cyclists on the road, but today the police were giving you, the cyclists preference, It was neat!

Hey I forgot to mention, cycling along the Bandra Band stand also was cool!! :) My 2nd favorite part after the sea link. :)

Anyway I finished the race at about 9:30, took two hours for 28Km, I know its a bit long, but i wasn't really speeding (not that I didn't try) I was more enjoying the ride. Memorable sights on the race, 1 old man riding a cycle on which he had written messages about how to stop polluting the world, another man in a superman suit, a kid with a juggler type of hat, the red bikini cheerleaders (I saw them only in the 1st lap, they weren't there during the second lap :( ).

Like I mentioned before, much more was desired from the organizers, The traffic was allowed in the route before everyone had completed (my 2nd Lap), Still controlled traffic, but the traffic was there. Also at the finish apart from a banana and water there were no organizers there doing anything else. Pretty bad, I feel the entire cyclothon should have got more publicity (like how the marathon gets) and should have been better organized too.

In all, it was a real fun ride, I enjoyed it, waiting to participate again next time. I would like to say thanks to Jimmy for telling me about the cyclothon.

P.S We (Jimmy, Shashank & me) had break-fast at some restaurant at Pali-Hill (we cycled again till Pali-Hill after the race) before leaving for home. The cycling back at 12:00 Noon with the sun high up in the sky and no cops to control the traffic wasn't fun. :(

P.S.S It said about 6000 people were there participating, If there are so many people with cycles in Mumbai, I wonder why more people stop driving there car and cycle more?

Alone in the City : Diary entry 1

Just more than a week back I have been granted a republic status (read). So whats the status of the republic now? Has it disintegrated into a anarchy?

Well not really, house is still standing, I guess someone who comes here will say that the quality (read cleanliness) of the house has gone down a bit, epically someone who comes in on Saturday. The fact is, mom used to clean the house everyday, but I have designated Sundays as cleaning day.

The good part about this is that I don't spend time cleaning everyday. (not that I have time, go to office and come back, its day over) Bad part about it is that on Sunday half the day I am spending cleaning the house. Dusting, washing etc. I always used to think mom is exaggerating whenever she would say "where ever I turn in this house, I find some work", but I have just found out it is true, Go to Kichen, you find dishes to wash or to cook for your meal, go to hall you find something to clean, bed-room clothes to pick up and out away."
Mom!! thank you for making my life so simple and easy for the last 24 years, I LOVE YOU Mom!!"

Food: Believe me its a big drainer on the pocket, from my calculation I am almost spending Rs.150 daily on food. Below is for anyone wondering what I am eating now a days.
Breakfast:mostly Bread Omelet, Sometimes I buy phoha (Rs 8 just outside office), once I even made upmav. {Am looking for ideas how to bring more variety, any suggestion please post}
Lunch: Always outside at some hotel (main chunk of money is spend here)
Dinner: If I can get out of office at a reasonable time I cook myself (for all those their who have disbelief written over their face, Yes I COOK!). Have cooked chicken biryani, but mostly its some curry and rice for supper.

[Why is it hard for people to believe I cook? no one believes me the first time I tell them, someone please answer this question]

I used to think living alone would be fun, well really till now its has been no fun, house is empty, no one to talk after you reach home (before sometimes I used to feel their is too much noise in the house, now the silence is depressing.) I have always been allowed to come and go any time I want, so its not that I got some new freedom, so basically I haven't found the fun yet. Living alone feels like more work than fun, I feel as if I work more on Sundays at home than I do in office during weekdays, :(

Anyway will keep you guys updated,

Republic Day 26th January 2011 - Life alone starts

Republic - a constitutional form in which the head of state is an elected or nominated president.

Apt correct?? The head of my house is me cause I am the only person living in the house now, so i am nominating myself and electing myself to the head of the house.

Confused? Well, let me elaborate. Today Savio (i.e I, yours truly) has been left alone to stay in Mumbai (apart from the millions nameless soulless souls already present in Mumbai). My parents have left me the house and have gone to enjoy their retired life in Kerala.

My mom always used to say that I am independent, now I guess I have become a republic also. ;)

Well, whats the feeling? Well let me tell you, I am not feeling happy, sad, excited, scared or any of these feelings. Its just like "OK, Whats the big deal" kind of feeling.

I have stayed alone at home, ranging from few days to few weeks. My memory of being left alone at home was when I was in the 6th standard. So am quite used to it. But yes, at those times I always knew that my parents will be back in so many day. Its very depressing to come back to a empty house. (Mom going to miss your smiling face, your hot coffee, and warm food)

Anyone who knows 1st question they ask is what are you going to do about food? Well 1st thing, this is Mumbai, not a god forsaken place with no Restaurants, so as long as I have cash in my pocket I don't think I will go hungry. Yes, I know I will get tired of outside food, but who said I don't know cooking (its just I hate cooking). So when I am bored of eating outside I will cook. (for all those who are wondering what I cook, I will say I am not a master chef, but my food is tasty enough for it to go down your throat, and have enough variety for me to be happy).

Now the thing what my mom seems to be so scared of, how much of a mess the house will be? Well, I can't guaranty about this, Mess is a relative term, I will guaranty that the house won't be as dirty as the garbage dumb beside the road, but don't expect it to be a place where you can eat off the floor also. I always felt cleanliness was overrated. "Why fix something that is not broken". House should be clean enough to be livable, but not so clean that living in it is a pain. (She was pained to dismiss the Bai, but i forced her to, peace of mind, I need not listen to the Bai or adjust myself to her timing, no thanks!).

But this is it, another phase in life, have never stayed in hostel, never stayed for long away from parents. So this is the first time in my life. After 23years (24 in 2 months, please start buying the presents for me) am going to look after each and every small thing in my life by my own. All the best to me!

Keep reading this for more "Thoughts about the Guy in the big City"

My Experience at Mumbai Half Marathon 2011

Today 16th January 2011 was the 8th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, and why was it special for me?

Cause I ran the HALF MARATHON (21.09KM) and COMPLETED it.

That's right, I completed it, I saw the timing as 2 Hours 57 Mins. Agreed the Ethiopia's Girima Assefa who won the 2011 edition of the Mumbai Marathon completed the 42 KM in 2 hours 9 mins, but he is a professorial runner while I won't even say I am a amateur runner. But still I completed it, the feelings so great.

I think everyone who knew I had signed up for the Half Marathon was telling me, "YOU!! You Savio are going to run?" and then mocking smile ask me if I am practicing.

Well guys, I did run, I did complete the race, and I was not the last one to complete the race. Wow!! It feels so good to prove you wrong. But I think I have to thank you also, I am not happy giving you credit, but your mocking faces were on my mind when I started the race, and something in me really wanted to prove you wrong.

Well how was the experience, I think my smiling face should just answer that (Bad luck you can't see it).

Got up at 4:30 A.M had an Double Omelet, and left. Caught a rickshaw to Bandra Reclamation. The start of the marathon was just  at the start of Bandra-Worli Sealink (Click here to view the Half Marathon route,). I am at the holding area at 5:45. Man the crowd was huge, real large crowd. (Papers say 11000 had registered for the Half Marathon). While waiting for 6:15 the official start time of the Half Marathon, it was announced that Anil Ambani was running with us and also the oldest runner is of 86 years old. I was like if a 86 year old man can run, so can I.

6:15  Flagged off, The 2011 Mumbai Marathon's Half Marathon had started, and surprise Savio (i.e I) was running in it. :)

It was 3 K.M from the holding area to the start of Sea-Link. I was tired and breathing pretty heavily, and was thinking to myself will I really be able to complete this. At that moment, I wish I knew your name, but Miss Beautiful legs running with a yellow top and Maroon shorts (real short shorts, wow!!) "Thank You!". I finished the entire Sea-Link run only by watching your ASS (sorry! Butt its true). Your great Ass helped me run the entire Sea-Link. (You got away when I stopped just before the end of the sea link, But guess what, I over took you at marine lines, guess your energy had run out by then)

As all Mumbaikars know, on a normal day we aren't allowed to stop on the Sea-Link, let alone "piss on the sea-link". 1 good attraction of this run for me was that I would be able to run/walk on the sea link. But I emptied my bladder on the sea-link also. (hey you people, who are wrinkling up their noses and rolling their eyes, I am still an Indian, and when seeing other people reliving them-self there, I though I might never get this chance again, so no regrets! But I add I am against reliving yourself at public place, please use the toilet). You guys might have guessed it, this is where I lost sight of Miss Great Ass. But believe me there were no dearth of great Asses there, Indian, foreigners name it. Sight for the eyes man!!! (am I a pervert, I wouldn't say that, I say I am just a male).

From the Sea-Link, worli sea face, Haji-Ali etc just kept going, I guess by then I started feeling I will be able to complete this half-marathon. I got to say I was not running full time, it was alteration between jogging and walking. I got to say thanks to all those people who kept passing water bottles, sports drinks, parle biscuits, chocolates or just cheering us, Thank You, Thank You a lot!!!!

I got to mention this old uncle, from the looks of him I guess he was anyway above 70, at Marine lines when I was in one of my walking phases he came up behind me and told me "No relaxing, come on keep running" Seriously Uncle I bow myself to your spirit. after so many KM, you still had energy left to cheer people up. Cause of you my next run from Marine Lines to Chruchgate was possible, Thankyou.

At Chruchgate again I was like dam tired, It was just 1 KM more to go and 15 Mins to the 3 hour mark (If I didn't mention, I wanted to complete the race within 3 hours, If not they were saying certificates wouldn't be issued) But guys this last KM, even though the cheering was the largest, was difficult, after the last run I was practically dragging my feet, I tried to run the last 500 meters, nope! no energy. But somehow I finished the race in  2 hours and 57 Mins. 

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I felt so good. All the pains disappeared at that moment, (It came back double in 5 mins but at that moment all I had in me was joy). The thing is that, it was not only others who said I wouldn't finish it, I, myself was not sure if I was going to do it. To prove myself wrong felt dam! dam! good!

I collected my participation medal, got on a train to Kurla and came back home. had food and tried to sleep. Guess what, I some how was unable to sleep. :) guess because I was too happy to sleep. Now got to do one more thing, I got to go to Office tomorrow and prove another of my friend wrong who said If I ran the race I wouldn't be able to come to office the next day ;)

Question: How was I, with almost no training able to finish the 21Km race? I guess, it proves what my mom always says, "Savio, you are dam stubborn, If you want to do something you will do it, But if you don't want to - Then even GOD won't be able to make you do it".  :)

Before I end I want to thank a couple of people here (I already thanked those buggers who said I wouldn't complete it). 1) To God, Thanks for helping me complete the race without any injury 2) Abhishek Mathur, You were the guy who put the idea of the marathon in my mind, I registered for the 21 cause of you. 3) To Motorolla Rocker E6 (My cellphone) for keeping me company on the race by playing FM 4) to 93.5 Red FM, for the music which kept me company 5) To all the beautiful girls in the race, for keeping my mind off the pain ;) 6) to Standard Chartered for organising the race and allowing me to run 7) To everyone who cheered me. Thank You!!! 

---Update

My official race timing is 2:52:23
(Don't belive me, check it out at http://www.timingindia.com/results_page.php My BIB no is 13892)

Not posing my photos as marathon-photos.com charge 19.90 pounds for 3 pics, can't imagine anyone paying that much for 3 pics. Still if you want check it out from here