Liebster Award!

So I was bestowed the Liebster Award from Dhwani! 🙂

Libester means dearest or beloved in German, and this award is for the people who love to travel! It is also a great way to know people! Not that I still qualify as a travel blogger but I wouldn’t really turn down a tag that allows me to talk about travel and some long cherished desires will I??

So hear goes :

1. Which is your dream holiday destination?

Well there are so many dream holiday destinations that this post would never end if I kept describing everyone of them, however, if I had to select the top three I would probably opt for exploring the Grasslands of Africa(Masaai Maara and Serengeti) take a boat ride for a fortnight through the Amazon forests and probably go Moose hunting in the open season around Lake Superior in Canada! Sigh….

2. What is your idea of an Ideal Holiday?

Ideal Holiday?! I don’t think that would probably be possible would it?! But it would involve a lot of travel in the hills, eating great food, meeting loads of new people who would tell a lot of stories of their own throw in a national park where I would be able to track animals on foot and photograph them from up close!! Lol I told you my ideal’s are too high! 😛 😛

3. If you could choose one place that you could move to right now and live forever, what place would that be?

I would love to build a wooded log house like Raju’s somewhere in the Himalaya’s in a remote corner and live there forever growing my own food! 😀

4. Tell us about the most weird travelling experience you ever had :

Weird?! That is a tough one… well I guess this is weird you know. We went to Sheoganj to see leopards. Apparently there we learnt that they tie kid goats to a strong tree with a strong rope and then wait for the leopard to come and kill it. It is not allowed now and banned, yet when we were doing our safari around that area we did come up to a group of photographers who were all ready with huge tele-photo lens trained on the kid goat. The rope is also so tight that the leopard cannot take the goat away and has to sit there and eat whilst the people get their share of photographs.

Mindlessly we also sat there with our camera’s, I feel ashamed now, luckily though the leopard never came down the slope we saw it from a distance. Apparently a lot of people gathered and eventually the guys who had brought the goat got scared that the authorities might come to know and they took their goat and went away.

Amazingly after two hours of safari after the goat was taken away we came back to the same spot which was uphill and pretty dark we suddenly spotted the leopard in the lights of our jeep. By the time we could get the camera’s ready it retreated in the bushes but not before we got this picture of its butt! 😛

5. Who do you prefer to travel with?

The best companion so far has been my best friend who incidentally also is my wife, however, I can travel with anyone though as long as I am on the move I am okay. I would love to do a solo trip, a trip with my guy gang and a trip with absolute strangers even! Getting to know them on the trip would be rewarding as well! 😀

6. Three things that you NEED to carry with yourself when you travel :
Tissues!
Camera!
Water bottle!

7. Tell us about your Worst traveling experience :

Worst were those ones when I went to temples on auspicious days. Mahudi on kaali Chaudas during Diwali, Pavagadh during the Chaitra Navratri etc…. those are the worst kind of travels I undertook. I have completely been avoiding such places of worship and almost all people where I suspect there will be huge crowds!

8. Name one place that you feel everyone has to see in their lifetime :

Hmm…. I would say I want to see The African grasslands and Ladakh region once in my lifetime before I die.

9. Do you have a favourite travel blog? Which?

I mean I do read a few people who travel quite a bit :

Indrani – I Share
Deepak – Travel Magic
Lakshmi – A travel blog of an Indian backpacker

10. Who is your favourite travel author?

I have loved reading the experiences of Jim Corbett and Mark Twain the most.

P.S. I am not tagging anyone or passing on the award. If you would love to take up the tag all by yourself feel free to do so and let me know about it as I wouldn’t mind read your replies to these questions!

Flashback !

Read this at Scribby’s and I tagged myself ! 😛 😛 😛

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

Crickey… almost can’t remember what I did the entire last year… I know I am nearing 40 and my short term memory is at tatters. Well I bought an SLR ! 😛 I had never bought one earlier 😛 😛 😛

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next?

Not a resolution kinda person, though off late have decided to ask myself 3 times, “Do you really feel like smoking?” before going for a fag.

3. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Sigh this is a tough tag… my memory is a shocker ! I don’t have a date but I will probably remember my first trip to Goa in August. We three had a wonderful time there. 🙂

4. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Completing the extenstion/construction of the house. Surviving after quitting the job ! 😛 😛

5. What was your biggest failure?

Controlling my temper always…. Although I once again feel like I am becoming a bit better and starting to get a grip of things.

6. Did you suffer illness?

Na, not really ! Maybe the cold lasted a bit too long this year but nothing other than that !

7. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

People who follow religion and rituals blindly without once thinking, questioning… Wonder why they have brains if they do not want to use it.

8. Where did most of your money go?

in extension/construction of the house.

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The coral reef walk in the Marine National Park, the snorkelling in the ocean without my feet reaching the bottom. I can’t swim you know ! The colours of the world under the surface of the water are most most most unbelievable and need to be seen to be believed.

10. What song will always remind you of 2012?

Don’t disown me for this but…. I am a hunter from Gangs of Wasseypur !!! I thought it was the most outrageous song I have ever heard !!!!

11. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Happier…

12. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Jogged a bit more, paid a little more attention to work.

13. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Spent less time on the internet.

14. Did you fall in love in 2012?

Ha ha… I keep falling in love with every other moment… I fell in love with Aditi Rao Hydari, Yami Gautam, Parineeti Chopra, Goa, My new camera and yes I keep continuing my old loves ! 😛

15. What/Who was your greatest musical discovery?

Eddie Vedder, after watching the movie Into the Wild I fell in absolutely love with his song Guaranteed. His style, his songs are something I can relate with so so much. 😀

16. What did you want and get?

My want’s can never be satisfied ! I am a bundle of desires. But I got quite a few last year and I hope the trend just continues. 🙂

17. What did you want and not get?

I wanted to buy a car, I wanted to travel to Africa, I wanted to go to Ladakh sigh… the list can go on and on and on… 😛

18. What was your favorite film of this year?

Paan Singh Tomar.. without a trace of doubt… apart from a heart wrenching story of a soldier turned dacoit… I loved the fact that a movie of a dacoit in India can be made without a single swear word.

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Born in 77 so you count it up. I am bad with numbers. Didn’t do much the normal ate out and received calls… yea I am nearing 40 you know 😛

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Had I been able to write more and carry on the my book a little bit further… its stuck.. reminds it I must read it myself to get myself in the thinking and developing the plot further.

21. What kept you sane?

My wife… she always lets me be a gypsy enough and always reminds me that at times I need to come back to normalcy from my fantasies of being a roaming bird… 🙂 🙂 🙂 *godblessher*

22. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

Never deviate from what you once committed.

23. Which new places did you visit in 2012?

Mithapur, Marine National Park, saw corals, caught crabs, saw sea slugs amazingly colourful most wonderful experience.

Goa. Just 2? Gee… either my memory is nuts or I need to rid of the habit of visiting the same places. I did travel a lot but. 🙂
24. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Leave it to me as I find a way to be, consider me a satelite for ever orbiting,
I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me…. guaranteed…

This song has become an anthem. I connect to this song & movie so so so much I myself cannot believe it.

25. Tag some bloggers you would love to read these answers from.

Normally I don’t, but I will tag a few here today ! Pixie, Smitha, R’s Mom, Monika, Deeps, Ashwathy and Pallavi.

Strike them off… !!!

Just saw this tag on Swaram’s and Monu’s and I thought I should do it right away…

Rule: Strike out all that you have done from the following list.

1. Graduated high school – at that time it was a HUGE RELIEF !!!!

2. Kissed someone Well…. now dont ask me to list them all 😛 😛 😛

3. Smoked a cigarette – Well…. no comments….

4. Got so drunk you passed out – Well I always pass out after drinking water.. does that count ???

5. Rode every ride at an amusement park …. I and my wife are crazy roller coaster riders… !!! I miss the days of essel world and fantasy land…

6. Collected something stupid – as silly as it might sound… I used to once collect broken strands of my wife’s hair… no points for guess we weren’t married then !!!! 😛 😛

7. Gone to a rock concert Our college had one on 31st January every year… !!! Awesome days were those…. !!!!

8. Helped someone… The whole world is gonna sink under my favours !!!!!

9. Gone fishing… I am assuming catching fishes from tanks with bare hands also counts… !!!

10. Watched four movies in one night…. Actually 6 !! Police Story series… ! And Monu thinks she aint mad enough to see 4 movies in a night… Sigh… !!! what does that tell you about me… !!!

11. Lied to someone… well….

12. Snorted cocaine – nope but wouldnt mind doing it once…

13. Smoked Weed doesnt this mean manala cream or marijuana ?? its ecstatic !!!!

14. Failed a subject does that surprise you ??

15. Been in a car accident oh yes…. inside our famous Golden bridge when my friend got lured by a girl and ran the scorpio in the iron bridge and the wheel axel of the right wheel looked completely the other way from the left… !!! Huge traffic jam for about 4 hours.. we had to get a Crane into the bridge and get the car out of the bridge… luckily only minor injuries… !!!

16. Been in a tornado

17. Watched someone die….

18. Been to a funeral

19. Burned yourself…

20. Run a marathon… Lots of times… and won 3 of them… !!!!! infact once in school I was third and the guy who came first got a badminton racket pair, the second one got a table tennis bat pair and I got a trophy… which actually looked awesome then the winners prizers… and the look on the guys who came 1st and 2nd was even more priceless watching me walk away with the trophy !!

21. Cried yourself to sleep… – I cry in movies at a drop of the hat.. but in real life… I am quite tough !

22. Spent over 10,000 bucks in one day…

23. Flown on an aeroplane I am assuming this means sitting in a plane… ofcourse I havent flown one on my own !

24. Cheated on someone Lots of times… when we wanted to get some slow batsman out… I would run two three yards… and then suddenly turn around and Yell NO NO… !!!!! Go back… no run here !!!!!!! and alas… the poor bloke had been run out !!!!!!! 😈

25. Been cheated on… I rarely got run out… !! 😛

26. Written a 10 page letter… Yes… !

27. Gone skiing.. Nope… but will do it soon !!

28. Been sailing… yatching actually but not on a ship !

29. Cut yourself – Not intentionally

30. Had a best friend… Silly question… if someone hasnt had… sigh…

31. Lost someone you loved…

32. Got into trouble for something you didn’t do I didnt do my homework !!!! and they punished me… buggers !!!!

33. Stolen a book from the library …. Yea… I am a bad guy… I stole Archie;s comics once… and actually felt very smart at that stage… 😦

34. Gone to a different country Nope… but I hope some day I can visit Congo… !

35. Watched the Harry Potter movies – As much as I tell my brothers that I hate them… the lady who wrote them surely has some imagination… !!

36. Had an online diary… Nope and I dont think this blog is a diary… !

37. Fired a gun Yes… balloons and air guns to scare langoors..

38. Gambled in a casino – actually in Janmashtami a house of our friend would become a casino… !!!!! but technically not done it… !

39. Been in a school play Actually wrote it.. directed it… and then… manipulated to get the main role and even did it !!!! 👿 😈

40. Been fired from a job .. Not fired but once told my boss, “Yeh rakh teri naukari… nahi karni mujhe.. aur saale tu office ke bahar to mil… tere ko bharuch mein jeene nahi doonga !!!!!” 😳 well well… those were the days they say… !

41. Taken a lie detector test

42. Swam with dolphins Have seen them swimming in the sea in Bharuch… but the beach too rocky !

43. Voted for someone on a reality TV show Once upon a time first Indian Idol… I got sucked in very badly… did sms worth rs 1500/- thinking they were free… !!!! 😐 never after that… !

44. Written poetry…

45. Read more than 20 books a year… Once upon a time I was an avid reader… and actually I am sure I would have crossed more than 20 many times… We have a chest full of books !!!!

46. Gone to Europe – Nope… Africa is cooler !!! any day !

47. Loved someone you shouldn’t have Lots !!!!!!

48. Used a coloring book over age 12 – Art and me dont gel…

49. Had a surgery

50. Had stitches

51. Taken a Taxi Silly question…

52. Had more than 5 IM conversations going on at once… no sweat !!!!

53. Been in a fist fight lots of time… and then the first button of the shirt would break… and you would sneak in the house and quietly stitch it without letting mom know !!!

54. Suffered any form of abuse Verbal… in the part of the country I live in… resides the roughest language… Verbal abuse is like garnishing… here no one even gets affected by even the choicest words… !!! Pathetic… but true… !

55. Had a pet…

56. Petted a wild animal

57. Had your own credit card & bought something with it been using it since long… infact prefer to shop only from shops that accept cards… ! or else they lose me as a customer !!!

58. Dyed your hair… did it a couple of times…. my wife wanted them black… got colours done… but really I am too impatient to sit for that long… !!! plus I dont get to see my gray hair and so I dont care !!! Also I think it tells my clients that I am a mature, experienced guy… so it helps !!!

59. Got a tattoo – want to get one … !

60. Had something pierced – wanted to get my ears pierced… but didnt muster the courage… I will still do it some time… !!!

61. Got straight As – What does this mean ???

62. Known someone personally with HIV or AIDS – I owned a pathological lab once.. and we had a few patients and families… unfortunate to be suffering from this horrible disease… !

63. Taken pictures with a webcam – actually no !

64. Lost something expensive … ummm… I dont think I can remember…

65. Gone to sleep with music on Regularly used to do it… in college days… !!

he turns 5 on 4th !!

Hriday’s birthday is on 4th June and this post was to be put up on 4th but blame the impatient me….. lets post it right away… now that its ready…

.

5 years ago this day he came into our life with all of us eagerly waiting at the hospital in Bhauch… All my friends had come over since morning and we waited (played a bit of cricket too with the kids near the hospital) and finally he came into our lives at 1.15 pm. His birthday reads 4-6-4 which tell to my cricket crazy mind that a cricketer is born… and hopefully a fast bowler at that… !!!!

 

A long time ago Solilo tagged me to do the first born tag, so since then I had been trying to get my missus to do it but she is really very reluctant to sit on the computer and type things… Eventually 2 days back I sat at home and asked her the questions and typed her answers.

 

Also my expert commentary will accompany : here we go…

 

1. Was your first pregnancy planned?

Mrs : Yes

2. Were you married at the time?

Mrs : Afsos.. !! but yes !! (silly question this)

3. What were your reactions?

Mrs : Thrilled, ecstatic…

4. Was abortion an option for you?

Mrs : No

5. How old were you?

Mrs : 25 years

6. How did you find out you were pregnant?

Mrs : Pregnancy stick.

7. Who did you tell first?

Mrs : My hubby on phone..

8. Due date?

Mrs : 5th June, and he came 1 day early on the 4th of June after making us wait a lot.

Me : I would ask her almost every day before leaving home, after reaching home and that was my first line everytime she called… is it time ???? I really could not wait and Hriday made us wait all the way !!!

9. Did you have morning sickness?

Mrs : Never.

10. What did you crave?

Mrs : I craved for nothing … I ate everything like a horse.

Me : All the time I am telling her to walk, jog stay fit not eat too many sweets etc.. (being a medical rep makes u like that) but this was her time to eat any and everything without me actually stopping her… my Mom would kill me if I stopped her.. !

11. Who/what irritated you the most?

Mrs : Everybody’s suggestion, this is good and this is not.. no one was thinking of me just the baby !!! GAWD

12. What was your first child’s sex?

Mrs : Baby Boy.

13. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting?

Mrs : Only for one reason, if it were a girl I would have been able to dress her up in so many different dresses. Otherwise it didn’t matter

14. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?

Mrs : 10kgs

15. Did you have a baby shower?

Mrs : Small one. My MIL gave me a coconut in my lap and we did lit a “diya”

16. Was it a surprise or did you know?

Mrs : Not applicable.

17. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?

Mrs : None whatsoever.

Me : she had an almost non-problematic pregnancy, our gyneac did not prescribe her any medicines not even folic acid .. no nothing… she worked in a school as a teacher …. 12pm to 6pm her job timings where she rarely used to get time to sit… i guess it all helped in the end… she worked till the school ended in April.. there after she and my mom would everyday walk a pretty long distance guess about (2 kms one way) to eat Gola’s (Indian Ice Lollies, incase you didnt know) 🙂

18. Where did you give birth?

Mrs : Hospital obviously !! lol in Bharuch.

Me : ha ha ha !!!!

19. How many hours were you in labor?

Mrs : About 3 and half hours

Me : Amazingly she wouldnt let me inside the room, she wanted my mom and mil but not me.. everytime I would go there she would push me out… sigh 😦

20. Who drove you to the hospital/birth center?

Mrs : My father, Mother, MIL FIL. Hubby and his brothers took the two wheelers at 5.30 am.

Me : at 5 am suddenly someone was calling me from the bathroom… i woke up as if what happened.. and she said we must go to the hospital… I think its time… and we were all like thrilled… !!!! 🙂 😀

21. Who watched you give birth?

Mrs : My ob/gyn & 2 nurses. My husband wanted to come in but the gyneac wouldn’t allow.

Me : These are strange things, why wouldnt our gyneacs let us husbands in ???

22. Was it natural or c-section?

Mrs : Natural

23. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?

Mrs : No.

24. How much did your child weigh?

Mrs : Almost 7 lbs

25. When was your child actually born ?

Mrs : 4th June at 1.15pm.

Me : I was the one who heard his voice first outside !

26. What was your reaction when the doctor announced the sex of
the baby?

Mrs : I was more happy that the baby was healthy. Strangely they wouldn’t tell me the sex of the baby for the first 10 minutes till they cut the cord and stiched. The sex didn’t really matter though ! Was really relieved that its all well and OVER !!

27. What was your first reaction on seeing the baby?

Mrs : After seeing his bums and his head I was almost like what is this.. the paedriatrician assured me he was normal. I was very happy, Hriday had very rosy lips and seeing them made me feel elated.

Me : when the nurse came to us with the baby in blue we knew it was a boy, she came to me but i was a bit nervous to hold him so my mom took him… then slowly i took him, my brother commented immedeatly that he is a duplicate of his Mom… but I didnt agree then and dont still… he is a duplicate of me in my childhood… almost a carbon copy … I ll post pics of him and me as young kids a lil later to prove this… we all were thrilled.. I never used to like small babies or hold them, but when i took him from my mom i knew exactly how to hold him… he had really red lips, eyes closed and really thin fingers… he was bathed in powder… then again as I and my brothers noticed his head we were all worried its too long… and my MIL and mom assured he was perfect… !!!! My dad was thrilled… he is very quiet doesnt say anything… but i could see it in his eyes… he was probably happier than me.. !

28. Did you cry?

Mrs : Yes… a lil.

29. What did you name him/her?

Mrs : Hriday.

Me : we had it decided if it would be a girl it would be Reva and if a boy Hriday. I dont believe in any Rashi vashi and I didnt want to even know what it was… I hate such things.. we both loved these two names… Reva means Narmada… we used to live on the banks of Narmada.. we simply loved that name… !

30. How old is your first born today?

Mrs : He turns 5 today.

——

Here are pictures of the cakes of his first 4 birthdays… !! drool…

 

 

On his first birthday we had two parties with all the kids that came to our house for tutions at home. This bugs bunny was his favourite toy in those days. The cake wala did mess up his spelling but… !  

 

 

In the evening we all had a party at a restaurant with all friends !! This cake in chocolate was really lovely !!!

 

 

Trains were his fascination at 2 years age.. !! and so a cake with a train.. !

 

 

This was his first birthday in Indore and we didnt know any one here… so just my boss and his family and my parents so the cake size smaller.. but Mickey mouse was his favourite in those days… !

 

 

Dinosaurs…. had a real tough time to find this cake.. no one was ready to make this… finally Simi’s !!! a home grown bakery that bakes the best cakes in Indore… helped us out… :

 

 

Now a days we are scared of asking him what he wants coz he might just say something impossible to provide.. he wanted birds.. but had to explain to him that they are to fly in the skies… !! eventually came the acquarium and we couldn’t deny… this 5th birthday the cake is to be a lion !!!! (will post pics later)

 

So while I go find the lion I’ll share one more picture of Hriday with you all…