My Bucket List - Do You Have Any ???

As the year 2008 comes to an end, what can be expected of me and my blog? You guessed it right, there would be a post recollecting this whole year that went by, certain events which came, made their mark and we moved on, certain moments worth mesmerizing, and certainly some worth creating a milestone for the path down the memory lane. After all that is what my blog is all about - Recollecting, Reminiscing and Recording all the memories that have went by ... I did not realize until now, that this posts and my blog is surely going to be my potion of survival for my later age LOL !!! I would just sti back, with my stick in my hand, my teeth lying in a glass, wrinkles on my face, mumbling something, trying to figure out how the damn Intel Pentium 8-9-10th generation works on my laptop, and trying to read through these moments which I have pen down on my blog (if my blog survives till that day LOL). Wel, if only I had planned my today's life quite ahead of time, just like I am planning for my old age survival tactics, then things would have been more merrier and rosier than they currently are, but then What the Heck !!! Who cares about what is to come until we live in the present and enjoy it ...

I and my room-mate Jaishal just ended up watching a not-so-glamorous, but yet-so-meaningful, Hollywood flick - "The Bucket List", directed by Rob Reiner, starring one of my favs - Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The movie revolves around this term called "Bucket List", which is just a piece of paper, with a list of items these two guys , complete strangers, down with certain illness, want to do, achieve and enjoy, before they enter the doors of Heaven above. And that is how their journey begins and they find themselves, doing and experiencing things that they would have just dreamt of... From Sky-diving, to having a cup of coffee on the Pyramids in Egypt, from the South African Safari, to having a dinner in France, they do it all, and they do it in style.

Well so watching this movie, I thought why not let me put down my own Bucket List - ofcourse its hard to be realistic while doing so, but atleast I can give it a shot. Who knows, if some one from you out there, are so graceful enough like Jack Nicholson, to help me fulfill my list of things to do ... Its not that I am nearing an end of my life, LOL, hell no, but then my list will change from time to time as I move on with my life. The list might have some short term wishes, and some long term desires, but you guys feel free to fulfill them as and when you want LOL ...

So I am gonna list just about 5 things that I have in my mind as of today (believe me, its really hard to take time and think what one really wants in life ), looking to where I stand, and let's see if I can achieve those any time sooner, but the interesting part is, that when I post another article here with this same topic, and update my list, that will be only when I have fulfilled at-least one of the following 5 desires. As soon as one item goes off my bucket list, I would update the post - that is my deal ;-) ...

Also for this post, I tag, Soham, Nikhil, Krupa, Valerine, Neha and Shachi, to pen down their own Bucket Lists ... Enjoy guys !!! Make it funnier and eventful ... Who knows I might just help you out LOL !!!

Samy's Bucket List

1. Sometime, down the future, I would like to help at-least 1-3 kids, who can't afford studies, go through their schooling, the college studies and see them become successful - be it big or small - I just would like to educate a couple of poor kids.

2. In the long run, I would love, simply desire to, have minimum of 3-5 offices all over the world, for Me and My Father, either running his business, or running mine alongside his.

3. A day before, when I would leave USA permanently, I am gonna drive my Toyota Camry to the limits, going from either San Jose to Los Angeles, or vice-versa, on 5 North-South freeway, without worrying about any kind of tickets, or cops with radars. Of-course I would use a radar in my car, to scan for the cops' signals, if I get caught, no probs, would pay the ticket whatever be the cost, but if I dont get caught, I would end up writing a post about it, alongwith a picture taken by me of my speedometer, crossing the 100-110-120-130-140 barrier.
(Psst: I still want to do it as of today, if my friends agree to share the cost of the ticket, come on guys, the worst fine would be around 300 $, if we are 4 people - that's just freaking 75 $ per head)

4. For once in my life, I want to score 50 runs - Out or Not out does not matter, in a game of Cricket. Just want to charge down the pitch, while hitting a four or taking a single to reach the score of 50, punch my fist in the air while jumping, and celebrate it with a bear-hug with my non-stiker partner in the middle of the pitch. Parallel, and of lesser importance to that, I really want to try using my not-so-good bowling tactics, thus ending up using some kind of weird spin actions in a match to baffle the opposition.

5. Really, really, desperately want to go Sky Diving for the past 2 years, but have not got a chance yet. Just for once, I want to go up there and take a dive into complete vaccum, and feel the experience of being sucked into a black hole of the universe.


Ahem !!! Well these are my desires as of today to put it inside my "Bucket" list, lets see what are yours ??? It would be interesting to know your dreams and wishes that you have for the future.

And before I leave you to ponder over your list, I am just going to quote a few favourite dialogues from the movie :

"You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you."
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round."
"Everyone's afraid to die alone."
"Nobody cares what you think."

But the best was :
"Here's something to remember when you're older - never pass up a bathroom, never waste a hard-on, and never trust a fart."

LOL ... Happy Listing Friends !!!

Cheers
Samkit

Identify Yourself - My Blog Visitors and Readers !!!

Well here I am waiting to fly across the oceans to go back home and surround myself in the comfort of my birthplace, live a luxurious life, which I got due to my previous good Karma, and more importantly just relax and chillax from a very happening and en eventful 2008 as it comes to an end in just a little under 3 weeks. God knows, how much desperate I am getting to get out of this place, break the shackles of a monotonous life, and just keep on turning round and round in my big big bed back home in Ahmedabad. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner would be served hot, cooked by my lovely Mom's hands, Cars and Vehicles would be drive at a furious pace, with no worries about the damn tickets and fines, Horns will be honked with no staring eyes, no dishes to wash, no laundry to be done, just relaxxxxiiinnnggggg as if I am the king of the world. No wonder we all feel as if we are going back to our kingdom lol ... And this time I am taking back home a queen too, who would reside with me in my kingdom and be my side as a princess of the prince lol :) what a fairy tale isnt it ???

STOP !!!

But, before I sway away, in a dreamland of mine, on a tangent topic here, let me get back on track and pen down something which I really wanted to write here for just a time pass post. (Psst: I would love to write about going back home, but I would wait till the last weekend I think for that to come out ;-) lol )

Well so, here I am, just checking one of my Widgets on my blog, on the left corner, if you can see, from Feedjit - Live Traffic Feed, and a thought just occurred looking to the statistics and demographic information about the visitors from all around the world on my Blog.

Why not just list down all the places which I can see on the Map of this widget, which in real-time tells me who just came and who just exited from my Blog. Ofcourse, it does not exactly say "who", but atleast records and stored the demographic information, about the visitor, as to which place does he or she hail from and to add to it, this amazing widget also tells me that what post on my blog did this visitor click. Amazing isnt it?

Well so just going through it, I wondered why not once again reach out to my readers, and try to see if some of the people who visit my blog, even though they do not read all the posts, but just drop by, let me ask them if they are ready to reveal their identity and information to me. Lol, I mean come on readers, this is no top secret, US Secret Service agency information that I am asking. All I am preaching is that just identify yourself with the location that you find is applicable for you from the list which I have put up below. The reason I keep coming back and try to reach out to those who come across my blog and some even read my long essays, is only because I want to know them better. I would love to see in awe, as to how people from all across the globe, known, unknown come to my blog and move on with their life, grumbling about the long posts that I write LOL !!!

Well so here is the list below which lists all my visitor locations so far as of December the 8th, 2008 @ 5.00 PM.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
Irvine
San Diego
San Francisco
Sunnyvale
Santa Clara
San Jose
Fremont
Mountain View
Walnut Creek
Goleta
Huntington Beach
Long Beach
Buena Park
Fullerton
Placentia
Brea
Covina
Sacramento
Modesto
San Ramon
San Bruno
San Mateo
Palo Alto
Cupertino
Saratoga

TEXAS
Richardson
Humble
Houston
Midland

SOUTH and NORTH CAROLINA
Simpsonville
Greer
Winston Salem

FLORIDA
Fort Myers
Pompano Beach
Miami

VIRGINIA
Staunton
Herndon
McLean

MARYLAND
Owing Mills
Baltimore
Ellicott City
Columbia
Elkridge
Boyds

NEW JERSEY
Sayreville
Secaucus
Neshanic Station
Hillsborough
Fairview

NEW YORK
Hermon
Albany
Maspeth
Brooklyn

PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
Malveron
Pittsburgh

OTHERS
Huntsville, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
Kirkland, Washington
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Madison, Wisconsin
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dayton, Ohio
Boston, Massachusetts
Providence, Rhode Island

INDIA
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Delhi, New Delhi
Bombay, Maharashtra
Bangalore, Karnataka
Vadodara, Gujarat
Anand, Gujarat

UNITED KINGDOM
Daventry, Northamtonshire
Dresden, Sachsen
Maidenhead, Windsor and Maidenhead
Germany
France
European Union
Sweden
Bulgaria
Norway
Finland

AUSTRALIA
Sunnybank, Queensland
Sydney, New South Wales

NEWZEALAND
Auckland

QATAR
Doha, Ad Dawhah

INDONESIA

JAKARTA

SINGAPORE

CHINA

Well this sums up all the visitors my blog has had till date, and the thing that amazes me further, is that this widgets gives me the stats for the most popular posts which has been clicked, and also it takes me down till the level where I can identify which region clicked which post, and the visitor from particular location came on my blog through which route, and left through which route - the route here indicating the post title.

So, lets see how many new people I can know now, since now I have their locations, I would love to see them coming forward and letting me know who they are and it would be fun for me to prove my own guesses wrong, as just after I got this list, it made my thinking process start in trying to figure out who amongst my known people belong to these locations. Some identifications were easy, some truly obvious, but some are still a mystery.

So friends, let me know you better. Go ahead and post your identification as a comment. I am really looking forward for the responses. :)

Cheers
Njoy !!!

Samkit

New Government Symbol !!!

Be it India or the USA, in some aspect or the other this image summarizes the real symbol for any government controlling the nations.

Check out @ my other blog: http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

Enjoy !!!

Samkit

Moving on ... Yet another move !!!

Amazing how it has been, but the fact is I moved once again and I bet there are plenty of you out there who have been through the same painful routine of moving your apartment/house plenty of times. Yes, its painful, tiring, frustrating at times and at the end you just wish you had not moved and continued staying at your current place. But surprisingly it feels great when you mesmerize and try to recollect the memories that you had spent at those previous places where you lived and how you try to go back and travel down the memory lane to relive those precious moments - good or bad, it does not really matter, the only thing that matters is that you can pen down certain events during your stay in those places which you would always fondly remember till the end of your life and would tell tales about those delightful recollections from the past to your children and grand-children for years to come. LOL !!!

Well that is what I am gonna do with this post. I am gonna try and recollect my past experiences and memories that I have carried with me as I moved on from one place to another and I bet this post would sum it all for me. Of-course knowingly or unknowingly there would be a lot of people out there who would be reading this post and would be a part of my trip down this memory lane.

Crossroads of Life - "Champanivas" : 1983 - Present
Well everyone loves the place where they are born, the place where they grew up and most importantly the place which gives them a feeling of security, satisfaction and tons of memories to share about their younger years, wonder years and teenage years. It turns out to be a perfect cliche trend. Well the most wonderful memory for me about this place back in my home city Ahmedabad, is the big big compound where I used to break window glasses while playing cricket, where I used to ride my Hercules MTB bike in full speed during rains to splash mud and water all over, a place where I used to steal lemons from my neighbor's gardens, a place where I learnt driving my two wheeler and my car, a place which gives me a sense of historical importance about my forefathers when I listen to my dad's stories about his memories for this place, a place where I had my biggest celebration of winning a drawing competition, a place where I have fell down, got hurt, risen up and again fell down from trees, balconys while running away from the wrath of neighbors and relatives. This place has given me everything - memories, good and bad, a feeling about turning back home every time I feel lost. It would be sad to leave this place in some time, in the near future, and if it were in my hands, I would have never let this place go and would have re-built the Shah's Manor for me and my family to live here for more wonderful years to come. But I think I would have to part ways with this wonderful place in some time and mostly my trip to India this December would turn out to be my last stay at this place. Truly a nostalgic rememberance.
Places nearby to remember: Fashion Corner, Sanman Restaurant, Daandwalas, Tripathi Paan House, Bhatias, Deepavali Center, Mahavir Book Depot, Satar Taluka Society, Samruddhi, Sakar.

The First Pit Stop - Artesia, Shailesh Uncle's Residence, California.
Well, amazingly the first time I stepped out of the comfort of my residence above, I landed up in Uncle Sam's land, the land of dreams (concrete dreams), and I found myseld staying at my Dad's college friend's place in Artesia, Los Angeles. I remember the first 10 days I stayed at this place, and I instantly felt that this is going to be my second home equivalent to Champanivas and will be the center around which my future years will revolve. I stayed up with a friend of mine initially, and remember making everyday trips to "Surti Farsan" just round the corner on Pioneer Blvd for a treat of Indian snacks and delicacies. My stay at this place really got me settled well, and uptil now I always try to make it a point to visit them even for 5 min whenever I visit Los Angeles.
Places near by to remember: Surti Farsan, Cash n Carry, Naz8 Cinemas, Tirupathi Bhimas, Rasraaj.

The Second Light - 2717 Orchard Avenue, # 3, Los Angeles, USC.
When we initially signed up for the lease at this apartment near to my university (University of Southern California), we never knew, or did not even have the faintest of ideas, what was to come in the future years. This place was, is and will always remain closest to my heart, and no matter what, you would never ever find me get tired while talking, bragging, boasting and recollecting memories from this biggest party place that I have been a part of. I know a lot of readers of this post will go down shoulder to shoulder with me to recollect the memories spent at this place, and will get a big smile on their face just remembering those days. So I would leave it to them to post their comments for this heavenly abode. Partying, Movies, Music, Cooking, Torturing, Fighting, Cricket, MTA, USC Tram, USPS Cart, Greme (Cards), Poker, Laundry room goof ups, Mr. Bob and his station wagon, Amazon Shopping fiesta, Skipping the Rent Cheques, Bird Watching and ofcourse "studying" are a few components that make up for this place. Amazingly it is this place where roads crosses for a lot of us out here, a group that I am a part of, close friends, and as I always rightfully say - it is 2717 Orchard that gave me a second family to belong to. I really wanted to write a lot, but it would be a big big post if I try and recollect my memories in this villa. LOL.
Places nearby to remember: Electric Lotus, Santa Monica beach, JH Bazar, Mexican Hair Cutting Salon, 710 Parties, 2611 Portland, Ralphs, Several high schools for coaching, Dennys, Subway, Cromwell Cricket, Leavy Cricket, Smirnoff Ice, Malibu Rums, Bloddy Marys.

Exit Number Three - 138 N. 8th St., San Jose.
Well after spending 2.5 glorious years at USC, I found myself on road once again, travelling and shifting to a new place, a new city, a landing which would turn out to be my permanent residence till I stay in the USA before shifting back to India. The Silicon Valley as it is famously coined, the Bay Area, a place which controls almost 70-80 % of the entire planet Earth and which amazingly can absorb almost everyone who has a desire to succeed in the industry. So I stayed with my school friend (who happens to be my next door neighbor back in ahmedabad) at his place near SJSU, and those 3-4 months spent there, really helped me once again to settle down in a new environment. If you have been a true follower of my blog, and know me personally, then you can imagine how hard it would have been to part ways from Los Angeles, departing from 2717 Orchard, and getting settled in a new place, but 138 N. 8th St. gave me no time to think about all those, and I instantly got into the groove. Met a couple of past friends, used to get the biggest laughter dosage every night before sleeping and above all made some great new friends for years to come.
Places nearby to remember: SJSU , La Tequiera, Vivid Club.

Stop Sign # Four - Metro Gardens, San Jose.
Although a very brief and a short stay at this place, it gave me a wonderful feeling and memories worth mentioning as it involves my parents. We stayed here for just one month and the purpose of their trip made it all the more special. It was my graduation ceremony that they had to attend and that made this place a very memorable one to stay with mom and dad. I took them to almost all places in and near Bay Area and as an icing the graduation ceremony was the most enjoyable and proudest moment for them. For the first time in my life, I felt a great great feeling of personal satisfaction for having done something for them.
Places nearby to remember: La Tequiera, Chinese grocery store, Derasar (Temple), Santa Cruz, Napa Valley, Sausalito, San Francisco.

The Fifth Junction - 1406 Birchmeadow, San Jose.
Moving on, I along with my oldest friend from high school, and another new friend, moved into this wonderful place, a place which I would truly call the "Bachelor's Pad". The best memories of this place to start with is Partying, Partying and More Partying. One year spent at this drunkard's dungeon, brought out the real bachelor not only in me, but also in some of my friends and gave me the most wonderful freedom year of my life. No studies, only job, no girl friends, only partying, no one to bother you - just you and your freedom. Also this place saw the birth of The Immortals - the cricket team that I am a part of now, saw a lot of poker, and saw the coming of age for me personally by getting settled down in a nice little easy pace for life. Again, as always, new friends, new relations were built upon and will remain in place for years to come. But the best memory that stands out in this place, is the dance routine that was done after Thanksgiving last year in 2007. By then, certain dance styles had become trademarks for certain people.
Places nearby to remember: Taste Lounge, Milan Restaurant, Fluid SF, Stanford beating USC, Garba Nights, Mammoth Lake, Yosemite, Long Islands, Red Bull with Vodkas, Tequillas.

The Sixth Turn - 211, The Americana, Mountain View.
Ahem !!! No words how lucky and hard this place turned out to be - Lucky because the bachelors of the Bachelor Pad above got committed/engaged as soon as they started living at this place, and Hard because the FREEDOM was lost !!! LOL ... This place saw the rising of the Martyrs, people became brave enough to face the Matrimonial front, and amazingly all did good, and here we are at this last turning point in our life, where we departed ways from being a full-time bachelor to a full-time-answerable-to-fiance type person. Lol. Of-course - No regrets, no worries, and no repentations. Even though stayed at this place for only 6 months, but shared some of the greatest moments with my roommates about the banalities of marriages. We have decided to throw a party on May 15th when the lease for this apartment gets over "officially", as it did give us a hard time when moving out to a new place. But nevertheless, some great memories to cherish, immortals winning the gold cup, people getting committed, I getting engaged, shifting the rooms 6 times in 6 months lol but above all, the end of the Partying Era and the Freedom Dynasty !!!
Places nearby to remember: Chaat Paradise, Amarin Thai, Temptation, Washington Park, Remington and Mary, Lucky, Namaste Plaza, Americana Hall, Apt 511, 1 $ Scoops, Madras Cafe.

The Seventh Mile - Monte Vista, Milpitas.
Phew !!! Well here I begin a new chapter of my life, the last chapter before I get married in Dec 2009. This year to come shall see a lot of wonderful memories shape up, moments worth reminscing and events which shall be written down as time goes by. I just moved in this nice place, the center of the bay area, 3 days back, and it has already begun to show flicks of the best time I would have here before I enter the wonderful phase of marriage in almost exactly a year's time. By this same time next year, I would already be hunting for another apartment for me and Dipali to move into, to begin a new verse of my life, and also the most important one. So lets see how this stint goes around for one year.
Places nearby to remember: Derasar, Milan Restaurant, Great Mall, and many more places to come.

Well, so till next year, its the last lap for me in this race of being a half bachelor, the last pit stop for me to refil my tank with all the energy that I can gather before marriage, the last light to pass and go to the other side of the heavenly bliss(marriage lol), the last exit to take and enjoy my courtship, the last stop sign where I will halt before moving on, the last junction to cross with friends, the last turn before entering the bondages of marriage, and the last mile to walk alone before I start the walk of my life hand in hand with Dipali.
The next destinaton would be the move into a new home for me and Dipali.

Cheers to all of those wonderful people with whom I have shared my life's amazing memories in all the places mentioned above. You people rock and so does our memories !!!
Feel free to mention any places worth remembering that I have left out and you have been a part of, feel free to point out any moments which stands out whether or not I have been a part of it or not, and above all free to comment on your experiences about moving into new places as time goes by.

Samy

Cricbox: A tri-weekly treat for Cricket Fans !!!

Another one of my article up on the Cricbay League that I play.
Check it out.

http://www.cricbay.com/article.asp?id=257

http://www.cricbay.com/article.asp?id=257&showcomments=true&addcomment=#comments

Cheers

Samy

Commenting is an Encouraging Privilege !!!

Well it does happen to me, to you and a lot of us out there, when for some time your brain stops responding and ceases to be creative enough to come up with some ideas as to what to do in what we are currently involved with. Well something similar goes on in my part of the world too, where for a long stretch of time my blog becomes dormant and I run out of ideas and topics to write on. Well to be true, I do begin with some topics, but I leave them half way thinking that those would be completed some other fine day. There are a lot of such drafts in my "Manage Posts" section here on blogger website (if some of you are familiar).

So was just wondering what could have suppressed my enthusiasm to think about writing more and more? Was it just being caught up in a lot of routine work? or Was is just merely lack of good topics to pen down, or was it the universal reason of lack of encouragement from people reading the blogs... Hmmm I wondered. Could be any of these or other several reasons. But to an extent the bare comments section for a lot of my posts, or even the measly amount of comments whenever a new post comes up, sometimes does discourage me to write any further. The irony is, the number of visitors does go up with each new post, and that really boosts my confidence in my own writing, without anyone even having said a word, and the Widget which shows who arrived from where to read my blog, also indicates the demographics of my blog.

But the bottom line - It always feels good to have comments back on your posts. It not only gives positive or negative feedback, but critics always help improve one's own self. It not only makes you grow in all aspects but also makes you improvise and bring out the best. Well that was the learning side of the comments. But the fun side of getting comments on your posts, is to connect to people through this medium and voice each one's opinions and interact. Of-course the topics need to be such proactively explosive enough for people to respond and thus open up a forum of discussion. But nevertheless my blog is more about memories, and some nice moments worth remembering, so it is natural that the traffic would be more as compared to people leaving behind some comments for me to respond to.

Well I have a lot of silent visitors on my blog, which I would really like to know who they are, and that is the reason for this post. To make this post more interesting I would like to invite all those people who would read this post and thus visit my blog to just drop by any comment that you like.

Believe me, all your comments would be approved and posted even if you have to swear at me for drilling and boring you to death, just go ahead and comment with any type of swearing you want to LOL !!!

So go ahead and make yourself known to me, and I would really enjoy watching who all come by my blog, make a pit stop to get their 10 minutes of enjoyment and move on in life. I would really like to know all of you who spend their 10 important minutes to drop by Samkit's Reminiscence.

And even as I am reqeusting you all to post a comment to this topic, I just thought of something interesting. Moving on, why not have a couple of posts here on my blog adhering to your choices. Yes !!! I think that will be a briliant idea and a new challenge for me.

So here is the plan - Drop a comment on this post, make yourself known to me, and while doing so, mention a couple of topics which you would like to watch appear here on my blog. I would definitely try to write a post on the topics that is of your choice.

That way I can keep you all hooked to my blog, and yet fulfill my hunger of writing and to be frank I wont have to think a lot about the topics too. The topics would come out of you, so its gonna be a Public Demand type adventure for me. So shoot out your comments, and also the topics - be it Cricket, Memories, Childhood, School Days, College Days, Festivals, Economy, Politics etc etc ... (psst: the topics I just listed are in the order of my preference lol ... I would really hate to write on Politics and Socio Economy factors, but I would give it a shot if someone really makes that choice lol )

Anyways, apart from all this, I just write for the love of writing. Comments or no comments, I look forward to keep posting more and more write-ups thus doing what I really enjoy to do as a hobby. And you can see that through this post, which has nothing in special. I was just sitting, relaxing on a dull Thrusday late afternoon and thought of just blabbering something and posting it. So here we are. Another brilliant idea to work upon.

So I did my part, now its your turn. Lets see how many comments, how many topics and above all how many new people I come to know of who are regular visitors of my blog !!!

Cheers to all of you !!!

Samkit

Delicious Creations for Cakes !!!

Some awesome mouthwatering creations for cake.

Check out @ My Other Blog: http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

Enjoy !!!
Samkit

Capturing Nanosecond !!!

Amazing skill and display of timing in terms of capturing a nanosecond image.
Its all about timing, lights, camera and action.

Check it out @ My Other Blog: http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

A lens can perceive in a moment as equal as a blink of an eye !

Cheers

Samkit

How Would Guys Prefer Rangoli !!!

Well as Diwali was approaching near by, I was trying to think on writing a post on it. Well I might as well sometime next week but as I was trying to pen down some thoughts, I was also looking for something catchy on the internet to make my next post more interesting to read and for me personally to write even better ...

Well nevertheless as we know our 24 hour friend "The Internet" can never stop amusing us or entertaining us and so be it - once again it did not disappoint me... In fact what I am going to show you in my other blog, is surely gonna make most of us (Mostly males) just sit back and have a satisfied smile on their face remembering the good old days when they MIGHT (Just might) have experienced this art.

Well, so go ahead and feast your eyes on this dream of yours my Male Friends LOL !!!

Click on the link below @ My Other Blog :
http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/


Wishing all you guys for such a day !!!

LOL.

Samkit

Beautiful Work of Art with Biscuits !!!

A new post is up @ My other blog - http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

Nice creativity using mouthwatering Biscuits :)
Enjoy the pics ...

Samkit

Lake Placid Ice Festival !!!

A new post is up @ My other blog - http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

Pictures from Lake Placid's Ice Festival in NY.
Some stunning images and creations from ICE.

Enjoy the pics ...

Samkit

Another Dimension, A Different Blog

Well friends, I was just going over my blog stats and comments and overall logistics and critics of my posts since I started blogging. Overall I found out that there are some out there who really enjoy word-by-word what I have to write, while there are some, who are just happy that I express something nice through my blog, and there are some who find my posts very long and tedious to read, but yet they do enjoy them a lot and once in a while drop by some appreciation.

Well getting criticized and also appreciated is all a part and parcel of this hobby of mine. On a given day, you would find some praising your efforts while the very same moment someone could be just looking down at you as if you just wrote something horrendous. Lol. Well that is how you build and grow - feedback, positive or negative always helps you improve and bring out your best.

Anyways, instead of getting sidetracked on what kind of feedback I have had for my blog posts, and explaining how comments on your own posts, helps you feel better - let me get straight to the point about this current post that you are reading.

Well, once you are done reading this post, you might end up in two states of mind - one, "This should be interesting" or second, "Well nothing special huh" and then shake your head ... LOL. Well no matter what you think, one thing for sure you would definitely understand is two different dimensions of ME !!!

So far, if you have been an avid reader of Samkit's Reminiscence and have relived and related some moments, memories and write ups to your own life, this post comes along your way as a relief from my long essays and as a pain killer to the regular headaches that you get reading to my descriptive scriptures. Lol.

Well I have created another blog for me to work on and to your surprise (and as the name of that blog would suggest), that blog would have NO WORDS at all...
First reaction - PHEW - I know that would be what some of you would feel !!! At last some relief from Samkit's writings ... lol ...
Second reaction - Well what is this new blog all about???

Well not to keep you curious any further, just go ahead and click the link below to check out my new blog:

My New Blog - http://simplypicturesnowords.wordpress.com/

Before you leave this post to check out my new blog, just a few lines about it - Its a simple blog, with no long posts with full of writings or words or descriptions ... It would just be indulged in photos, pics from around the world, anything that looks amazing to me will be put up there... Email forwards with amazing pics, some photographs captured from my own camera or from internet galleria ... Anything which will catch your eye shall be put up there ....

So now that you have an escape route with this new blog of mine, you can survive whatever I pen down here in Samkit's Reminiscence and thus avoid getting yourself a headache reading to my long posts. Just go to my new blog and you would be relieved. LOL !!!

Ofcourse - Comments on both the blogs are ALWAYS welcome and are inspiring to write more or click more (now that I have a new blog to use).

Hope you guys enjoy this new dimension of me where for a change I would not talk a lot through my posts, but just simply treat you with spell bounding images from around the world.

(Psst: I already have a couple of posts up and running on my new blog. If any one of you has any such email forwards, or images that you think should go up there, you are more than welcome to send them to me and I shall put up those on my new blog)

Cheers

Samkit

Cricbox - A place for cricketing jargon !!!

Well, this is something out of fun, that I have taken up for the Cricket League which I am a part of. Cricbay has a weekly article box by the name of Cricbox where important games for the upcoming weekend are highlighted with some comments and some statistics (most of the time).

Voluntarily I also signed up for that, and so this weekend was my turn to provide some writeups for the matches.

This is where it could be found.
Click on the link below:

CRICBOX::: 18-19 Oct, 2008



Cheers

Samy

Cricket @ The Eyes of The Immortals - Road to the Finals of the Gold Cup !!!

THE IMMORTALS

It was just another spring weekend, back in February-March 2008, when a bunch of cricket freaks got together, to play some shots, throw some balls, shake off some rust off their aging bodies, and to see whether that zeal, that aggression and that burning desire of playing cricket is still within themselves or has the pangs of studies and working fulltime caused that enthusiasm and hunger wither away ...

Well, so it had to turn out, everyone did find that the youth, the aggression and the desire to win and prove their best is still burning amongst their inner self, and that marked the creation of a team, a team that would see the best and the worst of all, on the field, and will also carry the happiness of success and the pains of failure off the field...

Cricbay, The Immortals, was like a new horizon for all of us in the team, and that's how this journey of cricket began for us ...

The team was formed, the players were all excited, the cricketing talent, hidden or unhidden, had come out, the rust had been shaken off, and everyone was pumped up to play the very first season here in the bay area, and such was the tempo within the camp, that even without playing the first ball of the tournament, scripts were being written about how The Immortals would fare in this league.

Being absolutely new, having played none of the teams before, the very first season, the very first time playing in a baseball kind of a field, adapting to the 20-20 type format, we just imagined how it would be, and everyone was getting pretty excited...

Who new what was in-stored, for the next couple of months, and how this stint would turn out to be... But having come far now, we all have one thing to say - Cricket has never felt any more better than this ...

We have made it to the FINALS of the GOLD CUP which itself speaks highly about The Immortals, and how this bunch of young blood have come off their age and have dedicated their efforts and energy each weekend after weekend to take their team to this position ...

Rewind back, and let me walk you through the journey of being an Immortal and how the team reached the FINALS of the GOLD CUP ...

ROUND 1

The Immortals' Naiveness and Growth

Game 1 – Allstars –
The opening game is always a mixture of anxiousness, and the desire to win .. as the saying goes, all that starts well, always ends well ... And so the team did that by winning this important opening matchup and we started our journey with a small celebration, with more to come later ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1783

Game 2 - Kings –
Riding high on the first win of the tournament, but falling short to some players due to injuries, The Immortals faced the mighty Kings, who by reputation were rated quite high amongst the league, and well they did prove themselves... We lost, and so did our high hopes and wild ideas and dreams, which made us all think twice that is playing this league really gonna be worth it ???
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1786

Game 3 - Squared Leg –
The stage was set, 1 win, 1 loss, and with a see saw battle in our mind about the type of cricket we all were playing, we got a decent score, but it was not going to be enough, and Sqaured Leg got the upper hand, and won this game, pushing us on the backfoot, and now, the buzz in the camp, was about experimentation ... Time to adapt to changes ... Confidence was still in the hunt ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1791

Game 4 - Bhajjis Monkeys –
With some old USC colleagues playing from the opposition, and with the game on our home ground, The Immortals, had one thing in mind, play the natural game, no pressure ... And so it happened, after two severe losses, the team scored their highest score amongst all the games played so far, with all guns blazing, and then dismissed the opposition, to register an important win, and that too by the biggest margin so far for The Immortals... Success comes slowly but with determination ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1794

Game 5 - Syndicate CC –
With some good batting practice in the last game, The Immortals won this matchup, chasing a decent score, well within the allotted overs, and that again cemented our confidence into the batting order ... Had we reached the pinnacle ? Could be call ourselves a good team with this win.. The analysis said - 3 Wins, 2 Loss ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1800

Game 6 - Chargers –
Clash of the titans, in its own sense, these two teams meeting for the first time, The Immortals having played all the games so far in a baseball type field, faced another challenge, of playing this important game against a team notorious for pulling off big victories, and which boasted of players scoring half centuries .. But the challenge was to adapt to the 360 degree type ground ... It seemed so, that The Immortals were not ready and did not have a plan to contend the opposition, and found themselves chasing the highest total so far amongst all the games ... The Immortals were on the backfoot, as they lost their top 5 wickets, but as we The Immortals always say - "IT AINT OVER, TILL ITS ALL OVER" - The middle order proved to the team, that Faith and Confidence can overcome any opposition, and this BIG Victory, really sparked the players for the future games ....
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1801
(Complete Story – Click Here)

Game 7 - Raiders –
The tides of success from the last game, were washing the faces of each and everyone in The Immortals camp, and they were all fired up to end the Round 1 on a winning note... But the cricketing Gods had thought otherwise, and what was to come, was a loss in the closing game of Round 1, but this time, there were no anlaysis, no talks, and each player on the bench hung their heads in despair, as they realized, that now The Immortals is not only Fun, but also a Passion ... For the first time each player really took the loss severely upon their hearts ... But mind you the Confidence was still there ... The burning desire to take The Immortals forward was still there ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1808

ROUND 2 –

The Immortals' Fighting Spirit

Game 8 - Bay CC Red –
The last loss pained a lot to The Immortals, and they won this matchup against the Bay CC quite easily and thus once again opened a new round, with a win in their hats.
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1921

Game 9 - Hammers –
The wins were coming, and The Immortals were back in action. They knew each match going forward is going to be important to distinguish who goes into which Cups - Platinum or Gold ... One more win, and one more feather to the winning hat...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1925

Game 10 - Aptech CC –
Once again, The Immortals, facing a highly rated team, who live upto their expectations. This was one of the close matches which The Immortals fought till the end, but ended losing this game... The negative effect here was the lack of confidence in chasing a low score and winning it ... But the spirit to fight on was still prevailing as we saw each one out there giving their 110% till the last run ... But we lost ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1929

Game 11 - Raiders –
Once again, having played them before, The Immortals were seeking for a sweet revenge, and this time made sure, that the Raiders dont just walk away smoothly... The game was going to be tough, having lost once before against them, and as the scoresheet stands, this game went down the wire, till the last bowl, but nevertheless, we lost only a game, but we won lost of confidence, respect from the opposition, and above all, we were still burning with the fighting spirit ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1933

Game 12 - Geeks –
One of the nicest comeback games for the team, which was very much required, and there in the taking, The Immortals, just cut loose, and broke the shackles, by scoring their second highest score of their tournament, and yet again registering a win, by the second highest margin ... Any win big or small was bringing us closer to get qualified for the Platinum Cup...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1941

Game 13 - Cosmos CC –
Going into this game, all that really mattered to The Immortals - were the 4 important points ... With other teams in the hunt, of a spot in the Platinum Cup, we wanted to make sure, we move one step closer to being qualifies for the spot in the PLatinums ... And we did not fail .. We won this and so it was all left to the last game ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1945

Game 14 - Patriot CC –
The Matchup between the Gujjus (Gujaratis) ... The game was a nail biting finish, with both the teams fighting for a spot in the Platinum Cup, the winner to go as the lowest ranked team in the Platinum Cup, and the loser to end up in a high ranked spot in the Gold cup ... Going into the game, we were aware about the notorious nature about the opposition, which did sparked some aggression and on field spat with some players, this game was totally taken away from The Immortals through some disastrous umpiring decisions and some unsportsman type tactics from the opposition, which at one stage really took its toil and caused us to get frustrated ... But THE IMMORTALS fought it, they fought it like MEN, they fought it with a NEVER-SAY-DIE spirit, and as the scoresheet speaks for itself, the result came on the very last ball of the entire match ... Patriots Won - They entered the Platinum Cup, The Immortals WON too - Morally and Principally, thus taking a top spot in the GOLD CUP ... As one has said, the world is round, and what goes around comes around .. Your Sins catch up with you sooner or later ... THE IMMORTALS ARE NOW PLAYING THE FINALS OF THE GOLD CUP !!!
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1937

PLAYOFFS –

Immortality at its Best

GOLD CUP - Playoff Pre-Quarters - Bay Area Titans –
From now on, each match was a DO-or-DIE game, where the winner advances one step closer to the Gold Cup, whereas the lose gets knocked out ... Each win had its own sweet taste, and each win made us feel more and more confident believing not only in our selves, but in 10 other players in the camp ... This low scoring game, really re-instated our confidence in the bowling ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2124

GOLD CUP - Playoff Quarters - XTerminators –
Chasing or Defending, has always been a debate for The Immortals, and given any day, it could turn out to be favoring either side of the coin ... But game after game, we always prove our track record wrong .. So be it defending a high score, or whether it was chasing a low score in this game, it was going to be difficult with a good opposition ... The Immortals won and entered the Semis of the Gold Cup ... One more small step towards success ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2152

GOLD CUP - Playoff Semis - RCPC –
The last barrier, the last front, to cross, and if done, we would be playing for the GOLD ... The batting card did not start well, and ended on a decent score, but lately the team was getting more and more confident even in scoring low, and then dismissing the opposition with a lower score ... The same script was repeated here, and The Immortals finally were basking in the glory of the win, having made it to the FINALS of the GOLD CUP ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2171

The journey, as I always say, is a roller coaster ride, it has its own ups and downs ... The Team that sticks together, that believes in not only one's own self, but in all the members of the camp - that is the Team who would come out the real winner, irrespective of whether the game is won or not ... Its always about the team, and not about individuals ... Given all the matches played so far, one can see in our team - The Immortals as a whole has been the MAN OF THE MATCH - Amongst 17 players on the roster, there have been 11 different man of the match – This shows, that this is the team who lives as a "TEAM" ... There is no single SUPER STAR, but the team as a whole is the biggest STAR !!!

There is no doubt, going forward The Immortals would be rated as one of the good teams to be playing in the league, nothing to boast about, but we are surely a team who knows how to fight till the last moments of the game ...

That is what Cricket is all about - An easy win, is just a win, but a well fought game which even if you lose is a bigger WIN ...

Wishing The Immortals - ALL THE VERY BEST in their FIRST FINALS of the FIRST TOURNAMENT they have ever played ...

GO IMMORTALS !!!

The Immortals congratulates to all the finalists, and also acknowledges all the opposition they have played in the tournament so far mentioned above. We thoroughly enjoyed playing you all !!!

Mesmerizing Engagement Moments Relived !!!

As most of you are already aware through my last post about the engagement, this post relives those moments as captured through the eyes of the camera, with great efforts from my friends and relatives...

The pictures have been organized and re-sorted so as not to over load you with boredom, and the video is simply not edited for viewer's pleasure ... Every moment is in its original texture and sound ...

Hope everyone enjoys them as much as me and Dipali have enjoyed over the past few days going over the pictures again and again, trying to figure out who got more luckier ... Lol !!

Feel free to email samkit.s.shah@gmail.com for pics and videos.
(Have removed the link for the sake of privacy)


Cheers

Love,
Samkit-Dipali

Our Engagement – A roller coaster journey of Emotions !!!

13th of September, a date which would never be the same my entire life, now that there is so much value, so much love and meaning added to it ... Its amazing how life and your destiny are dependent upon each other, and how certain events in our life can suddenly change the way we perceive a particular moment ...

A date to remember, a moment to cherish, an event to mesmerize, and a post to pen down and describe those emotions, here on my blog, will always keep the weekend which just went by fresh in my heart, all my life, needless to say in Dipali's heart too, which by now has already picked up the rhythm of my beats, and in response my heart has started singing the same melody as hers ...

The stage was all set, the invitation had been making its rounds, the shopping fiesta got over, family, friends, relatives, everyone showering their blessings and wishes from all around the globe, all trying to express their happiness for D-day, for the next big step for me and Dipali, a step towards realizing a life full of love, emotions, happiness and above all a life to be lived together as one ... A month full of preparation, and finally it comes down to just a few anxious moments, and all one could think of was, the lights, the moment, the cameras clicking, the flashes, and the applause just as me and Dipali exchange the rings and make a promise to be with each other till the end of the life ...

Yes your guess is correct, the D-day, the day when the vessel of life, takes a different turn, takes a different path, embarking upon a different journey, was the 13th of September, when Me and Dipali got engaged officially, thus marking a union of two families, two souls and two hearts into one ...

Let me not rush into the celebrations from the ceremony itself, but let me take a step back and unwind the few glimpses of moments spent before the engagement and the prep up till the last minute ...


A Week Full of Preparations, Anxiousness and Love ...
Well my parents had arrived a week before the actual ceremony, to join me for this occasion and without whom I might not have been where I am right now... I just wonder how my dad has played a role in almost all the important decisions so far in my life, with my mom being the backbone in guiding me and him ... Bachelor's in Nirma University, Master's in USC (Los Angeles) and then finding the right life partner for me - Dipali, all of my life's major choices came from my Dad with the support of my Mom, and so I was the most happiest person on this earth, when Dipali met them for the first time ... Seeing 4 of us together, I truly felt that my family is complete, with my mom and dad not finding a daughter-in-law, but a daughter itself.... (Psst: Many say, that Dipali resembles, my mom a lot, leaving apart the eyes...lol )

The week that followed after my parents arrival,was a week of roller coaster rides for me, a test of my emotions, my feelings, my temperament, and somehow I felt for the first time, after a gap of almost one and a half years since I left USC, the real tension, anxiousness and pressure, the same type of moments I had gone through during my MS in USC ... I just would see myself standing in front of the mirror taking deep breaths, going over each and every single details about the function and its preparations one by one inside my mind, and it seemed as if my mind and my heart both are gonna pop out and dance hand in hand in front of me, teasing me to the extreme ... It seemed from inside that I must have lost 2-3 pounds just thinking about the engagement day itself, not worrying about what is to come next once I get engaged (as all my friends used to tease me about me being a Martyr after 13th sept), but being tensed about how the function would be, how things would go at the final moments, and how everyone would be able to enjoy, whether or not I would be able to attend to everyone, have I invited all who are supposed to come, and about the makeup girl for Dipali, about the apparel for her, the ornaments and the various jewellery, my own clothing combination, my footwear, her footwear, the venue, the ceremony itself, the gifts to be exchanged, the menu for the dinner, dad's friends, my friends, my relatives, her relatives, her friends and the long list just goes on and on and on ... Its surprising for me to even sit back and think, that how much effort and how much planning goes into getting two people engaged or married, uniting two families, taking care of both sides of the families, friends and finally ending everything on a happy note, seeing to the fact that no one gets offended by any wrong doing, or any misunderstanding ...

PHEW !!! I can still feel my stomach churning in pressure as I pen down these anxious moments ...

But from my side, almost half of the above concerns were handled really effectively by mom and dad, as they had come prepared from India in full strength and with multiple options which I could never even imagine ... So it did ease out my pressure a bit - but mind you this feeling of relaxation was only for some of the preparation issues, but I was still feeling the butterflies in my stomach for the actual engagement ceremony and how things would be after the engagement ... Ofcourse around me almost all my friends have been married for over an year now, and some more are on their way to that road of bliss, after being engaged with their better halves for a long time.. So it was nothing new for me to actually see and feel those moments, but when it comes down upon one's own self, then it seems as if the entire story line is different ... lol ...


The Night Before D-Day ...
Friday night !!! I wondered how all the friday nights are no where even close to being similar as each weekend unrolls ... There were some friday nights before I even knew Dipali, when a couple of us, the "party" people, used to end up enjoying music and what not, back in the discs/clubs in San Jose and the city - San Francisco ... Then there were the sober friday nights when the gang used to get together for hours of poker and masti ... And then there was this particular Friday night, the 12th of september, the night before a bachelor was going to be a martyr, and things were not as rosy as it seemed ... I just could not sleep well, eat well, breathe well ... Dipali had already arrived in San Jose driving from Los Angeles, with her parents, and I thought maybe just seeing her for a few minutes would bring down my anxiety level to something normal and worth surviving, but my parents told me that before engagement we cannot meet each other ... There went another pound of my weight down the drain (if you know what I mean) ... lol ... So I was on my own, my friends were enjoying seeing me freaking out, my parents were quite cool, ofcourse imagining that now there will be one more leash on their son who might have got out of their control since leaving home in 2004 and that too staying in the US, the land of freedom ... But somehow I managed to grab some sleep ...

Even while I was in deep slumber, I just went through all the things one last time, especially the guests list and people arriving from outside San Jose and outside California... My dad's friends were going to show up from NJ and LA, my uncle (mama) from Seattle, my aunt (masi) from Sacramento,, my cousins from Kansas... But the rest of the gang was going to be from the bay area itself ... That was the only reason I was inclined towards keeping this function here in the bay area, so that I can enjoy it with everyone, as one never knows, who might be able to come for my marraige later next year ... So I mentally checklisted each item and went to sleep ...

The whole week I was suffering from the pains of catching cold, sore throat and mild fever ... There were some names which popped up from my friends, to name this disease of mine ...

dipali-dur-odrome
engagement-fever
end-of-bachelor-day-strauma


THE D-Day - 13th of Sept ...
The Day when Life experiences a different emotion, a different feeling ...
The dawn came early due to my lack of sleep, mixture of anxiety and happiness ... The night before my dad just told me, that your countdown now begins, and withing 24 hours, my life is gonna change ... ;-) It was still 24 hours before I would be actually standing with a ring in one hand, and Dipali's hand in the other and just picturing that moment, made me smile and made my day ... Nevertheless, I did not knew that those 24 hours would pass with 24 different emotions a normal human being could possible go through... I am gonna try and put those different emotions and descirbe them relating my experience of that emotion unfolding these 24 hours ...


Tenseness - As the prep up had already been over, I was still undergoing tenseness about the whole event itself ...

Worry - I was worried the whole week, and especially on Friday night, thinking umpteen times about the next day as to whether everything is done or not and if there is anything else remaining ... I just wanted everything to be in the right place at the right time at the right moment ...

Gloom - I really wanted to meet Dipali the night before, but due to certain traditions I was not able to do so, and felt so gloomy about it that I sulked for almost an hour, but finally gave up ... To add to it, my friends did meet her the next day before the engagement and I felt like kicking them all ... lol

Delight - I had woke up in delight, thinking about this new big step for me and Dipali, imagining a new life knocking on my doors ...

Elation - I was elated to find my Dad's friends coming from far corners, just to shower their blessings and be a part of this memorable event ... That's when I really felt the importance of relationships and bondings which stand testimony over time ... These friends shared almost 25-30 year old friendships and I was blessed to be a part of it ...

Uneasiness - Overall I was always feeling uneasy about the event, and would take deep yawns to gather the lost breathes ...

Anxiety - I must have walked almost 6-8 miles the whole afternoon, pacing back and forth in my apartment, while the rest of the people living with me were taking turns in teasing and making fun of me ... For once I did not mind that, as it did bring my adrenaline back to the normal for few minutes, but the next moment thinking about what is going to happen in the next few hours, it would shoot up in anxiousness...

Panic - I panicked when I found that I might get a pimple on my forehead ... But after a nice bath, all went away and there I was standing in front of the mirror, looking all clean, shaved and worth presenting ...

Amusement - My dad and his friends were trying to amuse me, but in vain...But yeah, I did find them getting amused looking at my face, and the way I was cooking up in a pressure cooker ...

Bliss - The venue, the center stage, the imagination ... Walking into the venue, and standing under the spot light where in some moments I would be holding Dipali's hand and getting engaged - that feeling was totally bliss ...

Happiness - is Dipali. The first glimpse I had of her, that is when I really felt happy, after so much of tensed and anxious moments ...

Excitement - Meeting all the relatives and friends, and with Dipali arriving, I really was excited for the ceremony to start...

Jubilation - With the traditional ceremony beginning, I felt jubilant that finally the moment had arrived... Both families exchanged greetings, gifts and blessed us with love and affection...

Euphoria - Lights, Camera, Action ... There it was ... After a few traditional ceremonies, the moment finally came, and I found myself facing almost a dozen cameras, people cheering me and Dipali, and as we exchanged the rings, the silence broke, and the applause finally brought me back on ground after a great ride to the heavens of love ... Finally, the moment had arrived - Me and Dipali were holding hands, the rings exchanged, and officially - We Were Engaged !!!


Thrill - I was thrilled with the ceremony being over in a nice way and everything going smoothly ... The only thing remaining was the cake cutting, and for the first time I did not feel the urge to smear cake on someone else, especially Dipali ... lol ... The cake was absolutely stunning - looked awesome, the bakery guy had done a great job, and the coffee flavor was something new which I had never tasted before...Somehow I also got my appetite back as everything was over now ...

Adoration - I simply adored the way Dipali was looking, and as soon as the ceremony got over, I just wanted to grab her hand and run away from the venue to some place quiet ...

Enthusiasm - It was really a blessed feeling to see all relatives, friends and family getting enthusiastic about the ceremony, and all of them trying to make this occasion a memorable one in their own way ... Friends teasing me, realtives blessing me, and I felt really happy watching them in full zeal ...

Blessed - I felt really blessed, when almost all of the guests, including close family members and friends, took their turns in wishing us love and happiness ...

Mesmerized - The cameras were clicking, and I knew what was to come next once this ceremony is over ... Sitting back, and mesmerizing these moments would be something me and Dipali were looking forward to ...

Hungry - I was so damn hungry, as I had lost my apetite for the past 15 odd hours and had hardly eaten anything due to the excitement and anxiety ... The food was nice, and inviting, but I had something else in my mind, as I knew what was to come next once my friends were done with their dinner ...

Nausea - The worst feeling or the emotion that I could experience was feeling nauseated after getting stuffed with 16 gulab jamuns (indian sweet), and that too in quick succession ... My friends, who were all pumped up waiting for this moment, to take out all the wrath they had for me due to my "Ha Bhai" trauma given to them, left no effort and made sure that my mouth never got a chance to even chew the sweet, and after 16 down the stomach, I just felt the urge to vomit but somehow I was ok after drinking a pepsi ... Before this, I was also stuffed with the cake which was meant for about 5-7 people and I had to take all of this all by myself and everyone spared Dipali with just 2 or 3 gulab jamuns ... But nevertheless, the nauseated feeling was enjoyable this time ...

Sacrifice - I somehow felt that I had sacrificed my bachelorhood, had became a martyr (shahid) or a scapegoat (a bakro) ... But the feeling this time was for good ... lol ... I was just resonating my friend's voices - "Beta tu toh gayo", "Man you are dead meat" ... lol

Contentment - I was contented seeing a big smile on my parents faces and on Dipali's face ... That feeling of contentment and pride made me lose all my fatigue and tireness vanish in thin air ... I had made them happy and that is the biggest happiest feeling I could ever imagine ...

Relief - What a relief !!! I Said finally to myself, and to Dipali and to my parents, as we headed back home ... Everything went as planned, went smoothly, everyone enjoyed, we enjoyed, got engaged, a new life starts, a new phase begins, became a martyr, and now begins almost a year of courtship ...

How is it going to be ??? Well no more anxious moments ... Life will be pleasant and even with its significant eventful ups and downs, now I have not only my parents but Dipali too by my side to keep the Shah's ship afloat amidst all the waves of happiness and storms of sadness ....

Such were my 24 emotions for the 24 hours, that I could not help but give in to them without much effort of holding back ... Ofcourse each emotion I felt had its own sweet taste and its own value ...

But at the end - everything just turned out to be perfectly good !!!

Let me just simply end this post and start my courtship period, with a quote -
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. ~Henry Van Dyke


Love
Samkit-Dipali

(PS: The pics and the video of the ceremony would be coming up soon in another blog post as soon as I get all of them sorted out, and are ready to be shared ... )