Recognized for Mapping

It feels so good when you are recognized for your hobbies. I never thought I will be among the winners of Google's Mapathon. I started mapping in college as a hobby. The idea was to help in making Google Maps better and contribute to Open Source Community.

Today I received a Certificate and a Google T-Shirt for my contribution. Feeling encouraged to pursue other hobbies with passion too.

2013 Analysis

Credit: http://www.lendingmemo.com/

2013 haven't brought any big change into my life. 

This happened last year:

• I kept going to same office doing similar work. 
• Got cured of an illness which took me to hospital. 
• Got more serious towards learning new things but did not took any action to proceed.
• Got much more entertained than last few years, more movies and TV. 
• Increased blogging and other online activities.
• Traveled to a new place, Jaisalmer.
• Read many blogs and few books, got more confused.
• Spent more money than ever.
• Got older not much wiser.

New year started with lots of office work. Got promoted, with no big compensation change but more responsibilities. The list of things I want to achieve this year is too long. Even if I could finish half of them, this year will be successful. Need a proper plan and a well prioritized list of actions. From where should I begin?

Jaisalmer Is a Nice Travel Destination

It takes 17 hours by train to reach Jaisalmer from Delhi. The railway station is under-crowded. If you have ever travelled to UP or Bihar you will even feel the train is vacant. The railway station is well designed like a fort with minaret and other signs of ancient architecture.

Jaisalmer Railway Station

Jaisalmer is a small city. From station it hardly takes 10 minutes to reach Gadisagar lake by an auto-rickshaw. From there, Jaisalmer fort and other Havelis are just walking distance away. Lake is serene, filled with clean water. You can enjoy boating there and spend sometime peacefully sitting on its shore.

Gadisagar Lake, Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer fort is huge like all other Indian forts. It is a living fort with people living inside. The fort is not just home to humans but many varieties of birds and animals too. Walking inside fort is like visiting an old Indian city. There were narrow lanes where children were playing with ball. While walking inside fort you can hear cooker whistling, women chatting while washing clothes, youngsters biking and other things common in an Indian small town. I even spotted a rusted abandoned scooter.

Camel Safari, Jaisalmer

Inside fort most people have converted their homes into temples, restaurants and hotels for attracting tourists. There are many handicraft shops and travel agencies inside fort. I tried shooting a cattle with my camera in one of those narrow lanes, it got annoyed and started chasing till I found shelter in a temple.

Sunset Point Jaisalmer

The most amazing part is watching the setting sun in desert. Desert is about 30 kilometers away from Jaisalmer. After half an hour of camel ride we reached the sunset point in the middle of desert. For us, it was really difficult to walk on sand but camels treated sand like a newly built highway. They were seamlessly running on sand. Slowly the bright golden sand turned grey after sunset. Chilliness in air started rising. The moon started glowing. Unlike the Delhi sky, stars also appeared there. I even spotted a meteor falling. Preserved all those images in my memory and now here.

Unpardonable Sins

Photo Credit : mr_bmonroe

Is it reflection of my past,
My unpardonable sins.

Result of what I have done,
Or the deeds of my ancestors.

My mistakes are too many,
Why am I eligible for  big rewards?

What I already have is no less than blessing.
Maybe, I can only think like a human.

Suffering is not the only type of test,
A reward can be a test too.

My creator has his own ways,
Intentional ignorance may lead to punishment.

He don't seek revenge,
Even if we fail to ask for forgiveness after failure.

Why this achievement is not enough?
That he considered me one of those who are testable.

The Idea Of A Perfect Weekend Morning

A Saturday morning:

 I got up and immediately searched my phone on my bed. I remembered, I left it here-somewhere last night. I wanted to be sure its not on my bed, to get out of warm sheets that covered me and land on the cold floor. Finally, I found it below my pillow and pressed the big semi circular button at the bottom of its screen to light it up and check the time. It was 6:15 A.M. I covered myself again and closed my eyes. But before going back to sleep I realized, still there are 20 minutes left for Fajr and I am missing it continuously for months and preferring sleep over namaz(and within few seconds I traversed through all my knowledge of hell and heaven). Still, it took me about 5 more minutes to gather all my courage and defeat shaitan. I got up and worn a shirt, hanging nearby, on top of the T-shirt I was already wearing. It was while returning from the toilet I realized, I was wearing my newest shirt.

After performing Fajar a few seconds before the announcement, “Hazraat Fajar ka waqt khatam hua.. Qaza namaaz 20 minute baad ada karein”, I felt too fresh and satisfied(the guilt of not going to mosque remained).

Photo Credit: Will Keightley on Flickr

Although, getting up at 11 A.M and having a freshly baked Sheermal, a steaming hot tea and an omlette while unfolding the newspaper is also my idea of a perfect weekend morning.

Today’s morning was perfect too. After namaz, reading a few pages of Quran and understanding them, followed by freshly prepared Poori-Sabzi and later enjoying weekend newspaper with a mug full of steaming hot tea have no comparison.

Women Looking for Rotten Apples and Bones

The other day when I was buying apples, a woman with a child in her arms arrived. And asked the fruitwala "Chhate hue seb hain??". She wanted to buy rotten apples. Actually, those apples which are not completely rotten but to an extent when they cannot be mixed with fresh apples. So fruitwalas keep them aside and sell them at throwaway price. Anyway they are of no use to them.

When I was checking each apple before he packs, her words stirred me. Later I realized she was too poor to afford  fresh apples but wanted her child to eat them. So she compromised with "Chhate hue apples".

The other woman was eating with her family of three in a posh restaurant. And I was waiting there with two of my friends for a table to get vacant. They had their food and were just finishing it with water. I suddenly observed the woman started collecting the leftover bones from all their plates. To my surprise she wrapped them and took them with her. Even my friends had no idea why she did this. It took me 5 minutes to realize she must have taken them for her dog waiting at home.

These two incidents prove that women speak universal language of love more often and they are full of kindness.

My Voters ID and "Neeche ki Biryani"

Saturday, 28th September:

I got up at 11:40. It took me about 10 minutes booting my brain. The first priority task I found in my memory was getting registered for Voters ID. I took 20 more minutes to clean myself and boarded a rickshaw which got stuck in heavy traffic jam near Batla House Kabristan. I had to cover rest of the distance till Okhla Head walking zig-zag, making my way jumping two wheelers stuck in traffic. I walked in sun on such a hot and humid day first time this year. I kept moving with my nose and mouth covered with handkerchief observing irritated people sitting in their cars and rickshaws, stuck in traffic. After walking about 500 meters I reached the Voter Center.

The place was crowded with men and women of all ages. About 12-15 people queued outside the window where a middle aged men wearing spectacles on the tip of his nose was accepting forms and shouting irritably on people with mistakes in their forms. Some people came only to inquire about their voters ID cards. They were all frustrated and angry about delay. Few of them started shouting and even abusing all government employees. Everybody is aware of irresponsible and unprofessional behavior of government employees. But I observed even people whom they deal with are not that innocent.

I went to the window and asked for a blank form, took it and found a bench under a tree where some others were also filling the form. Suddenly the crowd near the window dispersed. The guy next to me informed "Its their lunch time". The thought of lunch made me also feel hungry. I fetched some more data from memory and found that I am surviving on last night's dinner. By the time I filled the form my brain started receiving interrupts from my stomach. In a few minutes my brain had to prioritize them.

As obvious, brain assigned topmost priority to filling stomach and I found myself moving towards gate. I moved slowly while searching my memory for a decent place to eat nearby. The choice was a biryani point at Okhla Head. It took me five minutes to reach there and another two to find a place to sit. The quality looked good so I ordered a bigger plate which contains about 1/2 Kg of biryani.

That shop is a newly opened branch of Salman's Biryani which is famous in Batla House. The guy who took order did not behave as if he is doing a favor. Maybe because its a newly opened shop. A group of three people came and ordered Biryani with leg piece. And the guy at counter made sure they were served what they want. Even my plate had a leg piece but I never order it specifically. However I made sure my plate is served with no chutney and extra raita, in case Biryani is too spicy raita makes it better for me.

Another guy walked in and ordered "Neeche ki Biryani". I was surprised by his order. I traversed back my memory and found that my father once told me that when he was young "Neeche ki Biryani" was preferred and considered good. But in todays health cautious world I found this young guy's order strange. Actually “Neeche ki Biryani" is the Biryani near the base of degh. Its most oily part of whole degh. In my Grandfather's generation day to day activities required lots of physical work. So maybe people at that time preferred stuff with lots of fat. I was too busy engulfing my Biryani, one spoonful after other, to turn my head and judge him for his strange choice. Maybe he was too thin and required some fat or maybe it was about taste.

After having Biryani getting registered for Voters ID again became 1^st priority. I went to the office and submitted my form. After half an hour I was on my bed. And within next few seconds weekend celebration begun in my dreams.

Ghost Movies

All ghost movies are almost same. Initially only one person feels the presence of someone else and rest all characters deny ghosts. Later, people start dying or disappearing. Ghost generally kills coward people first. One ghost is enough to deal with all the actors. There is lot of shouting and loud music to scare viewers. Ghosts wear dirty, blood stained and torn clothes and dark makeup. They open big mouth shout even louder than their victim or some do not speak at all and convey written messages through walls. Most have long hairs. They have big dark circles too. I understand they don't sleep during night but what do they do during day??

Ghost movies require small budget. No big stars. No big sets. No foreign locations. You can show any amount of bakwass. No need to justify anything.

The most shocking and time waste recent ghost movie is Talaash. Where in the end all the blame is put on a ghost. You never expect this from Aamir's movies.

I recently watched Conjuring, its a decent ghost movie.