Monday morning blues.
Hey you!
I am back, with my stomach still protesting, since Saturday. Today is Monday and the time is 10:45 and I am seating in my cubicle, updating my blog. I am not only suffering from stomachache and dehydration (from yesterday’s party) but I am also suffering from a weekly syndrome which most people call "Monday Blues"
The weather now is very mellow because it had been raining regularly since last week. Monsoon is at its height I guess.
Peter, the new trainee from Poland arrived last Friday. I met him when I got home from work. Finally, we have the other Peter in the house, after all of the Martins and Thomases- no thanks to the Germans.
Despite his sometime bizarre questions, I kind of like this guy and I think he is a cool chap. Similarities wise, he drink, he smoke and he had a complete seasons of "That 70’s show" and lots of movies in his hard drive.
Bringing down the bridge
Last week was a new experience I encountered with Monsoon season. In fact, it was also a new experience for most Punites as the situation I was about to tell you never occurred before according to one of my manager (born and bread in Pune). According to him, geographically, it was not possible for the event to happen as Pune was protected and surrounded by mountains and hills.
Our company received a note that one of the bridges would be close down by the authority because there was a prediction that the river will over flow unto the main roads. Since that bridge is quite a link to most places (Kasarwadi bridge)- most people were advice to leave the office as soon as possible and it was only 3 pm. The whole office was kind of chaotic as everyone busying escaping the office. The scene is like a last minute evacuation.
Anyway, the bridge was being closed down half an hour than expected. The river had taken over the road and some places, especially the slump area, which close to the river, had been severely hit by a major flood already. Earlier that day, I visited one of the slump areas, near to my company, which most of the kids Omar and I taught every Friday resided. Some hut houses was already half-drowned by the flood-people were moving-with their little equipment, like kitchen stuff, radio, old television and a lot more. The kids, unaware of the panic and worries faced by the adults, was having fun playing in the flood and dancing in the rain. Most of the affected families were being moved to a nearby school. Miss Beena, the head of my company’s corporate social program invited some of the families to our company and offered them a place to stay and some foods to keep their hunger away temporally.
One thing I learned from the slump and the flood is how these people deal with the problem. They were very cooperative, rendered a helping hands to each other, and very smiley despite the fact that the flood was hitting their house-taking away most of their little properties. These people made happiness out of the sadness. They faced the problem like a man. They found remedy instead a more problem and complaints. Sometime we are so blessed that we forgot that there are other people whose living condition is far from sufficient and yet, they were happier than most of us. It is amazing to see Christian complain everyday and harping on all negativity- rather than recognizing the positivity- hence seeing it from the bright side
We were on the road, bustling through the heavy traffic and accompanied by heavy rain. For 3 and the half-hours long, we were stuck and stranded on the road.
Falling in love for second time
Jana, brought a complete DVD of "Sex & the City" (All seasons) from Bombay last week. So I slower down my reading speed on Gregory’s "Shantaram" and continued where I stop- the fourth season. It only took me two episodes to fall in love again, with Carrie Bradshaw. At the time of writing- I still have last season to go.
Farewell of the Crybaby
Christian the Crybaby organized a farewell party in our apartment last Friday. I hate to say this but it was one of the good parties from the good old day. The party was with unlimited supply of beers and snacks (by Christian) and Polish Vodkas (by Peter) and weed (by me).
There was so many people known and unknown. By midnight, most of us were already high, drunk or stone. Yoshi, the crazy Japanese guy were proposing a toast and giving his drunkard impromptu farewell speech to Christian. I said my piece as well despite the facts of our recent heated argument over the differences in our deeds and principals, disagreement, war, controversial emails that make him hated me so much. Honestly for this guy, I don’t hate him even though our sometime stormy friendship had continually deteriorating, sparked and triggered by many issues. But this, he couldn’t understand. Prior to that evening, I told him I would gladly approve him to organize his farewell party in Lucky 7 (my apartment), complete with best wishes and all the flowery words and jazz.
On the contrary- I also wrote that my principal said it was wrong for you to do a party because of his irresponsible act of sudden departure and his failure to fulfil his promises to us, which leave most of us ending up paying huge sum of rent. He ignored my email and thought I was very selfish to deny his party, which was untrue. And he hated me for that.
In my farewell speech to him, which is very short, I said "Christian & I, we are friends. We had a good time together and we had a bad time together. I just want you to know that, whatever happen, we are still friend and farewell to you" . I hope this time he get it that having a disagreement in deeds and principals with you doesn’t mean that I hate him, doesn’t mean that if he fall, I won’t pick him up, if he hurt, I wouldn’t lick his wound. In fact I will do that even though I don’t have a respect for him and I despise his negative attitudes.
The party was great. Cleaning lady didn’t came in the morning. I woke up in the morning, D-tox and dehydrated and was surprised by the messy house, which look like just being hit by an atomic bomb. I cleaned the whole house even though it was Christian’s mess. He came much later and someone told him I cleaned the whole damn house. Eventually I think he get the point which prompted him to expressed his gratitude to me with a firm handshake- very formal.
Paradise for the cow
Ina, Julius, Ya ting and I woke up at 4.30 in the morning to join my colleague in his weekly trekking in Sinhagad fort. It was my idea. Kate was suppose to join us but apparently she was tied up with her moving out stuff.
We took auto rickshaw and arrived at Shaniwarwada bus station around 5.45 am. We took a public bus to the foothill of Singahad fort and arrived there at around 7am.
We had a breakfast before my friend arrived. My friend, Anup, is a trekking freak and a advanced certified mountaineer which entitle him to lead an expedition to any mountain climbing or rock climbing and any other trekking.
FYI, Sinhagad is a hill fort located near the city of Pune, India. The fort rises about 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. The fort has been a strategically important location since at least the 14th century, and has seen many epic battles.
The serenity of the place is unquestionable. At the bottom of the hill, where we had our breakfast, small and fast flowing water was busying flooding up the uneven, bumpy tiny roads, with lots of potholes. The climbing up experience was astounding. The way up was full of rocks, greenest of grass (which is why I say this is a paradise for the cow) and the path up was quite steeping, rocky and at time can be very challenging. I started with minor ache and discomfort in my stomach. I don’t know why every time I go trekking, I will surely have either diarrhea, stomach upset or ache. It must be a jinx.
The diarrhea was getting worse and I climb higher. At one point, I know I must let go- answer the damn call of the nature. So I found myself a bush on the way up and thanks to Ina for her toiler paper, I let go the toxic and the poison-out of my ass.
After that, I got better. We passed through many small huts, some were selling local sweets, some were selling fried Bhajee and hot masala chai and some was just an empty hut. The higher we went the thicker the fog. The rain was perfect, accompanied with lazy wind and morning breeze. At the halfway, which is about 500 metres from the ground below, we stopped for a brief rest. Ina and I started to smoke a joint. The feeling was great. Suddenly we saw some of the cow hanging around and we taught those cows must had been a holy cows since they were in a cow’s paradise. We continued our journey up- the rain getting herder and harder (but still soft on our skin), the fog was getting thicker and thicker, the wind blew harder as well and with all the morning breeze jazz, it makes us so cold. All views from the halfway up on the tiny villages, huts, farm fields was getting tinier, blurrer and eventually becomes invisible, hid behind the gathering fog.
Quarter to the top, we saw a tiny waterfall and we refreshed ourselves by splashing the cold water onto our face and body.
The feeling at the top was indescribable. The scenes from the top, amid the gathering fog, morning breeze, lazy wind, constant rain, few huts serving hot tea and snack/steam ground nuts make me feel so blessed, with such a beautifully endowed, gifted and God-Sent landscape of the hill. The feeling and the view were amazing, super-fantastic and almost unreal. Lots of local trekkers- we greeted each other and had a brief chat, over a hot chai…
Anup, my friend, took us around the beautiful places at the top. He was explaining the historical point of view of each place, which make the place even livelier and surreal. We came to his place, which is known the end of the world. It is one of the edges of the fort. At the edge, with the wind was still blowing and rain still harder, we stood proudly on the edge- looking down at the tiny greens through the gathering and thicker haze. The scene was like those of the scene in "Lord of the ring" where the fellowship throws the ring down the fire. The only different is, the fire here is the tiniest greens and thick haze, heavy rain, cold weather- at about 17degree.
Then, one of the old man approached us wanted to sing us a song, in Marathi. He rapped about 3 minutes, with all kind of body movement and at time he seems like cursing at us. Anup told us the song was about the heroism of the war of King Shivaji. We gave him some money and we left for more discoveries. Ina and I came across two very beautiful small lakes. The closed lake looks like a concubine’s private bathing tub. The rain drop were gathering tiny bubbles on the lake and the fog were moved lazily by the wind and this made the whole scene look like the angels in paradise were bathing-only thing is it was without angels.
The last stop was when we reach the only leftover watchtower of the fort or Shivaji’s then kingdom. It was very high, standing proud at the height of 1200 meter from sea level.
Before we decided to go down the foothill, we stopped by the small hut- to warm ourselves over the fire, having a hot tea with just-friend Bhajee and a one big joint. After 30 minutes and I was sure at that time I was completely stone, reaching the state of enlightenment of the soul, we left the top of the hill. They were some group of individual trekkers on the way up and they were chanting "Jai Shivaji". It means, "Hail Shivaji"
We left the Shihagad at around 11 am with public bus and reached our home, sweet home at around 1pm. The experience of this trip was so much better than the last trip to Logahad. Clearly it was much greener, steeper, rocky and more challenging. This is going to be one of my unforgettable trekking experiences for a long time to come.
Omar’s invitation and moving out!
Sunday evening, two of lucky 7 resident moved out. Tejas moved to somewhere nearby his college. Kate Hudson moved to her friend’s place, which is very near her company and apparently she didn’t have to pay any rent, on top of that she got her own bedroom, bathroom and only two inhabitants in the house with Feng-Shui jazz. One thing for sure, I am gonna miss her I-Pod.
That night, one of my company division- International business division, were organizing a party for one of their staff that had been promoted and Omar’s short trip back to Egypt. The foods were very delicious, cooked by Omar and some of his colleague. The party was held in Adina society, my company’s guesthouse located side by side my apartment. We also invited all of Lucky 7 people but Kate didn’t join us because she was moving away. I brought 2 cigars-which I enjoy smoking occasionally for yesterday’s party. I lighted one after dinner and offered the other one to Sunir- Omar’s division boss. Lots of alcoholic drink- whiskey and rums and lots of smoke-including Shisha. I was high and drunk. It was a good party.
So, with this I think I should sign off for now. I hope all of you fine and best wishes whatever you plan to do. Don’t be negative, whatever you do- be happy and allow me to quote Monthy Python’s Life of Brian- "Always look on the bright side of life,uh-uh.uhuhuh…."
Rgds,
Peter
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