Week 2 - Reminiscing the Trip Back Home !!!

...Continued from Week 1.

[PICS: Disclaimer: Sorry, but I removed the links on this post for the pics, so as not to let someone random from the internet world, misuse the pics... It would have been fun to put it here, but hey those of you who are really really interested, why don't you just email me or ping me at samkit.s.shah@gmail.com, or simple enough, just put a comment here (even a blank comment will do), and I would send out the links... I would be more happier and it would be more safe to do that way ... I know, removing the links takes out the real essence of this post, but I think the flavor and the excitement is still there ... So just leave a blank comment or drop a line to my personal email and you would get the links in guaranteed 15 min time - Cheers :) ]

So as you are still devouring the flavor of Week 1's eventful recipe, let me walk you over to Week 2 of my trip, and unfold the happenings, as we embraced the year 2009 with utmost caution, happiness, feeling nostalgic, and with some anxiousness towards the future. All these mixture of emotions, due to the recent meltdown in the economy and with news pouring from all over the world, about slowdown in the growth and people getting layoffs. If year 2008 had just ended with a downturn in the market and some great names going bankrupt on the financial sector, we just speculated the future of 2009 as we headed into Week 2 ...

Week 2
1/1/2009 - 7/9/2009

As I had rightfully claimed in Year 2008, that none of us on the Cricket team would be spared, none of us in our group shall remain a Bachelor (much to the envy of all the committed people), and come what may, none would be SPARED !!! And it happened so, that almost all of my friends, either got committed, engaged or married... It was GD (Gaurav's) engagement, and at home it looked as if Dipali was getting ready for her own event ... It took her 3 hours just to get out the door and into the car .. Grrr "ladies" !!! Well I don't have a lot of photographs for the first two days of the new year, as most of the day was spent going out for shopping, coming back home to eat Maa's home-cooked hot hot food, and then snore for a while in the mild coldish afternoon ahmedabadi's style nap, and then again go out for shopping ... It was fun, tiring yet amusing to see how the fairer sex can spend loads and loads of time going in and coming out of the shops, and yet purchase nothing, and when asked, have the world-famous answer "It would be better at some other place" - I don't know if that "other" "better" place ever exists for these women ? LOL ... So the tiring part of being engaged and having your fiance's parents not in Ahmedabad, is that you have to take care of the doll all by yourself, and be her chauffer everywhere she wants to go, be her porter by carrying her shopping bags, if anything has been purchased lol ... But it was fun, watching Dipali and taking her around to almost all the small and big places in Aapnu Amdavad - and to guide us with full zeal and vigor was my awesome mom - who has this never say "tired" spirit LOL ... Kudos to mom and Dipali's persistence ... :( grrrrr ... How satirical ...

Anyways, due to my tight schedule on work, and me not making to most of the weddings of all my friends, I was happy to atleast attend one wedding - Ronak's (and Payal's) marriage ... There were quite some events - Mehndi, Bethak, Drinks, Marriage, Reception ... It was fun at his Payal's house for the Mehndi program, with most of us being present there to dance a while .. While couple of my friends were getting tired with the busy schedule they had with all the marriages early in december, for me it was the first one of the season, and so was fun ... The same day as the Mehndi function, I also met my Nirma buddies... The friends from my Undergrad EC (Electronics and Communication) branch, and we met after a long 1 year time ... Meeting old friends, is always fun, especially when you meet after a gap of a year, and brings out a lot of stories, jokes, old memories - again a reminiscing time for me !!! I missed out on two marriages even on that side of my friends list .. But I could not blame anyone, and have no regrets on missing out any of these marraiges, as it was later to come, that my company had done 13 % layoffs, and all that had happened when I was there in India, basking in the glory of my laziness and enjoyment ... That sent down shivers down my spine ... So, in spite of the fact that a lot of my friends were upset and angry for me not making to their Life Changing events lol, they have all my support until I get married next year ... Come what may, the Bahelor pad even though at 50 % operating standards, is still open at Monte Vista in Milpitas here ... If you get thrown out, or get spanked, or are not in a mood to be at home with your worst half, just drop by and we shall have the time of our life lol - "CHEERS" - if that's what you might understand ... (Thank God, Dipali never ever comes down this blogging lane, as she is not fond of reading lol ...)

The 4th of January, marked a day, when another friend of mine, became a Martyr... I hold two minutes of silence here, for the loss of his freedom, for him getting deprived of his independence and for joining me, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, to mount upon the band wagon of courtship, and embrace the tag of "Engaged" officially lol ... My heart feels for you Jaishal, and so it was yet another celebration, another day to get dressed up ... The event was fun, as this time I was on the other side of the world, and had complete freedom to harass my buddy as much as I can ... Food was great, Dipali devoured it at ease ... I even tried running away with the ring, which Jaishal's mom had given me to hold, but our Mr. Committed, wanted it so much, and was so desperate to change his status to Mr. Engaged, that he just wanted that ring to be on Bhoomi's (Bhalla) fingers ... Overall a Kodak moment ... Though we are still waiting for the pics from them ... Grrr ...

Next day, moving a step ahead in life, and leaving us - the "engaged" people to face the fire alone, one more of my friend now climbed the horse, and started his journey towards getting married ... It was Ronak and Payal's marriage, and to add to the fun, I had invitations from both the sides ... Payal's mom and my Mom are college time friends, while Ronak is my USC friend ... Well for me it was hard to decide which side to be on, but then I thought Trojans come first, and so it had to be Ronak ... Had a gala time, dancing in the barat, doing bhangra type shoulder to shoulder dancing fights with Bhupesh and Jaishal, stealing the Mojdis (footwear), and literally bombarding Ronak with flowers during his rituals .... I too got hit by some, due to a counter attack launched by Ronak himself, while completing his ceremonies... The reception was fun too, and Payal was a bit upset for me being a Trojan and not coming from the girl's side for the marriage ... lol ... Had fun with everyone ...

End of this week was a trip to Ambaji, to take Dipali to get blessings from Mataji, as we believe a lot in Mataji ... It was going to be my first long trip on road with the Indian stlye of driving - and I did not want to miss that chance AT ALL !!! After all, no cops, no tickets, no fear of being pulled over - and the best of all - NO SPEED LIMITS ... An added advantage was the roads, which I must say, Gujarat Government has done a tremendous job of maintaining ... I have a picture of my speedometer, taken when the pointer touched 120 KMs mark ... It was an awesome feeling, now, you must say that 120KMs is what we can drive here too in the USA for the equivalent value in Miles, but still, the feeling one gets of not being chased by anyone is just too much - a part of one of my wishes from the Bucket List post came true lol ... The darshan were great, felt completely satisfied, happy taking the blessings alongside Dipali, Mom and Dad together as a family .... Well the trip was not just about that, Dad took us to Abu for lunch, and that was another great experience ... They used to do that everytime for a couple of times last year, and had talked a lot about this place which serves amazingly mind boggling tasty food .. .And I was like, lets check it out ... The place is called "Mushkil-e-Aasan" (The translation in the literal sense would be - "Worries made Easier" ... Lol... Funny name, but surprisingly awesome, awesome and more awesome food .... Typical Gujju food, and I gobbled it up as if the world was just about to come to an end, and there were only some last minutes left ... Such was the effect of the food, that I literally had to take support of two chairs to get up, my stomach bouncing in front of my eyes ... Also visited the famous Nakki Lake and took a great amount of pictures ... Overall had an amazing drive, superb food and a great one day style picnic alongwith the blessings of Mataji ... Jai Ambe !!!

Well with this we come to an end of the road, but mind you, this is just a turn around the corner and not a dead-end ... Week 2 ended, in style, fashion, food, friends, engagements, marriage, dances, blessings and food again lol ....

I would really love to share the pics, and so am waiting to send it to all who would post a comment or just ping me on my email address ... It won't look good if I send the links to almost everyone on my Gmail account lol ... Believe me, the pics are awesome and I really want to share them ... So message me anytime ... :)

So by the time you come out of Week 2's happenings, I would be back in action with Week 3 ... I promise you even more fun, even more excitement and even more food !!!

Till then - Alvida !!!

Samkit

Week 1 - Reminiscing the Trip back Home !!!

[PICS: Disclaimer: Sorry, but I removed the links on this post for the pics, so as not to let someone random from the internet world, misuse the pics... It would have been fun to put it here, but hey those of you who are really really interested, why don't you just email me or ping me at samkit.s.shah@gmail.com, or simple enough, just put a comment here (even a blank comment will do), and I would send out the links... I would be more happier and it would be more safe to do that way ... I know, removing the links takes out the real essence of this post, but I think the flavor and the excitement is still there ... So just leave a blank comment or drop a line to my personal email and you would get the links in guaranteed 15 min time - Cheers :) ]

Its been a long long time, since I posted something worth reminiscing on my blog. There were some random posts here and there, but nothing substantial for me to sit back and remember later on. Well, well, well ... Now that I am back from a wonderful nostalgic eventful trip from India, from my sweet home, I have tons and tons of things to share, blog, post, describe ...

So overhwelmingly fun was the trip, and so much was the aura and the events surrounding it, that to be true, I find myself bogged down, as to where do I start, and where do I end, and on top of it - I always need to take care that I don't just end up writing a 10-20 page short novel type post. LOL After all its recession time, and there should be some discounts here and there, and savings does matter a lot nowadays, and so to save everyone's time and to save the never ending Google server space, I think I am going to describe my trip very shortly, and let some pics do that talking ... As such my readers are panicking and must be trying to save as much as they can during these crunch times, where every single day you hear about either some company's story being scripted into the pages of history for our children for them to study those stories as case studies, or about people around the world are getting laid... Ironically, its not the literal way where everyone is getting "LAID", but they are being laid from their jobs and being deprived from their daily bread and butter... I can feel that my readers have taken the conservative approach of trying to save their comments to and utilize them in the utmost economical way .. LOL ...

Anyways, coming back to the topic, so, I would surely try to be as much brief as I can in this post about my trip back home, but also hope that you all understand the dilemna I am in, where on one side I find myself all bubbling in excitement to share my experience and some worthy moments, for me to reminisce later ... I don't know how this post would turn out to be, but sometime down the writing lane, if I feel I have already written enough I would just put a "To be Continued ... " sign, and end it there ... Maybe then will follow our Indian Soaps format of writing 500-600 damn episodes ... lol .. No ways !!! I would just split it in some parts if the needs arises, and post it at frequent intervals, maybe just split it week wise ... That way I can descirbe more, and yet not make my readers run away from my Blog ... Lol ... So here we go ...

WEEK 1
12/25/2008 - 12/31/2008

Well it was Christmas day and I left with Dipali for a trip, a trip which would have a different dimension this time around, with me being engaged now. Uptil now, it was a careless, carefree, independent soul travelling everytime to India, but now, not only the load of the bags was more for me to carry (4 bags of 23 Kgs, 2 hand bags, 2 laptop bags grrr, and our Madam Dipali just walking as if she is the Queen of England - Lol ... ) ... Well Jet Airways was excellent, great food, awesome entertainment ... But then, we were in for a surprise ... Because our flight took of late from SFO, we were left stranded on Bombay airport for 6 hours and that is really agonizing once you are just 500 KMS away from your home :( ... Ofcourse we stuffed ourselves with the first indian style Paav Bhaaji at Jet Airways Lounge in Bombay, but then our feet were just restless to land in Ahmedabad ... The pics describe the happy and the sad moments and some glimpses of Ahmedabad from up above including the famous Narmada Canal from from up above ...

Dipali, was visiting my place for the first time, and so this made it even more special, and to make us feel all the more special, my lovely mom had decorated the house with her warmth and love to welcome her daughter-in-law (Bahuraani) lol ... Not only me, but Dipali too was surprised, but very happy to such a welcome ... The pics would speak for themselves ... Mom and Dad's close friends, Niru Uncle, Pala Aunty and Devi (who is surely gonna comment here I know ;-) ), were present to receive us too and due to the delay in the flight, they had get together in the afternoon, and so had to take lunch without my presence... My friend Sotu (again another person who would be commenting here) was also present with her wife Chitrali ... Overall it felt great to be back home, back within the comfort, the warmth and the protective surrounding of parents and Ahmedabad ...

The day I landed, I decided to put my brand new Digital SLR to use ... After all its gonna be a great trip and wanted to capture as much moments as I could to remember later ... So I started organizing all the pictures till the end, in a date wise format and ended up having about 4000-5000 total pics ... Ofcourse all of them are not uploaded, and have sorted just the clear and imp ones lol ... It was going to be the marriage season this time in my group, and on a head count about 11-13 of my friends were getting married ... There was this party from my friend Aditya Modi, and that was the one and only party that I enjoyed this time in Ahmedabad ... Had a great time and as I had the freedome to gulp down only two drinks from my better half, I had to put that freedom to utmost use ... And hell yeah I enjoyed a lot !!! The DJ was awesome, and the drinks even more better ... The best was the flaming shot which the bartender gave - to describe that, its a shot of rum, and there is fire on the bar top, the bartender passes the shot glass through the flame, and gets a small flame on the rim of the glass ... He then climbs the bar top, takes your mouth, wide open, pours down the rum from the glass through the flame.. It feels a little warm, but the kick that one gets is just mind boggling ... Also it was fun dancing with Sotu (After all we had a lot of DJ moments here in the bay area before he left for India) ... Overall the vacation just as I had thought had a kick start with friends, family and ofcourse Ahmedabad style dancing and music ...

As I had got engaged in San Jose, I and Dipali were supposed to meet all our family members from both sides in Ahmedabad ... And so we had planned just a small informal get-together type party at Kalhar Bunglows ... Just my mom and dad's family members, friends and Dipali's family... None of my friends were invited as this was strictly informal and restricted to only families ... (Ofcourse a couple of my friend's parents were invited based on my mom and dad's relations, but I felt so oldish sitting there amongst everyone who was atleast 5 years older to me...lol) We made a visit to the venue, and I showed Dipali the Ahmedabad style of living in a Bunglow scheme which takes an American type community kind of feeling ... As on one side we were planning the party, the other side, Dipali's shopping instincts were rising and so were the frequent trips to the Designers and almost all the top of the line branded/unbranded designer shops and boutiques ... For once I felt like changing my career to a full time designer ... Who would have the faintest idea, that by the end of my trip, I would have all the ranges, prices and contact information of about 20 different designer studios, and fashion people in Ahmedabad by heart ... Well I guess that is the price one has to pay of being engaged lol .. But it was fun, and for once I felt, that Ahmedabadis are surely upto the hype of fashion ...

Stores to go : Satya Paul, Shyamal Bhumika, Anuraag, Anuroop, Gamthi, Deepkala, Asopalav, Radhika, Purvi Doshi's Opium, Elaan, Sanskruti, Bandhej, Ethnicity, Bijouri, Kanisha, Utsav etc ... There are a lot many, but I seem to now have forgotten all those ... And mind you none of these, with the exception of Shyamal Bhumika, were something of my interest ...Grrr but it was fun lol ;-)

As I said above, 30th Dec was the day of my party, and co-incidentally it was also Aditya's marriage on the same day, and further to add to the band-wagon of co-incidences, it was to be held in Kalhar, and that too just 3 plots away from my venue ... Lol .. Some of my guests, by mistake entered Aditya's marriage, and were shocked to see a big party, and thought that Samkit was getting married or what ??? lol ... But it was fun to meet all my family members, cousins, elders, new borns ... Dipali was having a hard time remembering the relations and the names to tag with them ... lol .. The food from Gwalia Caterers was awesome, the decoration done by my Kaki from Bombay was just simply decent ... Overall had a great time to see myself at home, in Ahmedabad, with my family, with my parents, and get a feeling of "completeness" ... Totally Bliss !!! Ofcourse there were a couple of glitches too, the lights went off just 1 hour before the party, Dipali's dress was not ready a day before and a lot of things ... But at the end all was well !!!

The last day of the year, a year which had been full of events, on a personal front, on an emotional front, that on the morning of the 31st, I thought of writing a post, of certain events that touched me personally, and also to remember certain happenings that moved the world, terrorism, recessions, bankruptcies, cricket wins etc etc ... But changed my mind, as I was in no mood to sit down and write something while enjoying in Ahmedabad ... Just felt too lazyyyyy ... Well, it had been a great rocking year for me, in all aspects, Dipali, Job, Family, Friends, Job etc.. Since there were no good DJ parties this time around in Ahmedabad, me and my couple of friends just got together for a dinner at TGB, and then I went home to have a drink and welcome the new year with my parents by my side ... Somehow, for the past couple of years, I have been in Ahmedabad during 31st whenever I have made trips back home, and so I always felt that its more better to welcome the new year with Mom and Dad, instead of going to a Dance Party, as the fun is always there in the US, but mom dad are not to be during such times ... Add to it, I was also given an icing on the cake.. Dipali had permitted me to unlimited drinks on 31st, and what a perfect liquor I had instored for me - My favourite - VODKA !!! (It was a Beleverde Citrus Vodka) ... It was a great time enjoying with Dad, with mom and Dipali both looking with strange eyes at our drinks (Dad - hi-fi lol ;-) ) ...

Phew ... I just previewed this post of mine, and I thought that there are sooooo many things that I have not mentioned here, and yet this post is long enough to bore my readers down ... Well but then, there are some who would go to the extent of reading between the lines, and more interested to take a look at the pics ... Well you guys have a treat of both the aspects so sit back and enjoy !!!
This is the end of Week 1, and with it also the end of a Mesmerizing Year 2008 for me !!!

I would be back with Week 2 in some time ...
Till then Adios !!!

Cheers

Samkit

Apology Letter to the Blogging World !!!

To
Me, Myself and My Readers,

This apology letter comes from me, to myself and everyone, for not being up-to-the mark, in terms of getting into a long delay for the posts.
But given the fact, that I am enjoying and basking in the warm sun on my soil, my birth place, makes it even more interesting for me to come back and write stories about this trip of mine to India, and that too with my sweetheart fiance who just turned 24 today.

Well my hands are itching, to start writing long posts about this eventful trip of mine from day one, but I still have about a week to go, a week before I go back to a land which ironically for me is the land of labor, and where I often tell my friends, that we are all servants working in a foreign country, and just as our servants at our home in Ahmedabad, once a year go back to their villages (desh ma javanu), the same way, we too make yearly trips to our "Desh" ... Lol ...

Anyways, not to spoil my mood any further, this letter is just to indicate that I am still hale and hearty, and am alive in my senses, lol, and this long absence from the blogging world is only because I am having a GREAT BALL here at my home, with my parents, my fiance, and all my relatives and friends ... More stories to come in subsequent posts, once I leave the warmth of my abode and embark upon the flight back to Uncle Sam's land ...

Till then, adios, alvida, aavjo and buh-byeeeee !!!

Cheers

Samkit