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Men and handkerchiefs

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The West has had a profound influence on us. Starting from music, eating habits/disorders, attitude to dressing, we have always tried to follow them. But, we are a picky lot - we select and pick what we want, like the pizzas, donuts, Justin Bieber and Facebook. There used to be a time, not so long ago, getting dressed meant good manners. Not the flashy, tacky types - appropriate dresses for occasions/places. We had a set of clothes for office, another set for family gatherings/festivals/temples/vacations and some, for home.The offices had strict dress codes.When people failed to follow the rules, they were asked to go home to get a shave or polish their shoes. I am not exaggerating. I have heard stories from my grand father, who had an English boss - and this man was very particular about the way people dressed. The clothes had to be pressed. Men had to have a shave and wear shining-polished shoes. If not, they were given a day-off and asked to return home to groom themselves and sh
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Ruckus Rides!

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The second thing Bangalore is famous for, is the traffic. With a government in slumber, poor roads, poorer transportation, and hooligans on the road, there is nothing left to do, but curse and wait for autos (Ola and Uber are 2x + traffic charges + whatever charges + pathetic drivers, sometimes. Metro isn't operational everywhere). When you stop an auto, never feel ecstatic ; for you might end up with the most annoying, hilarious or scary conversations. For instance(s), Me : *Destination name* Auto Driver : Yes Me : <Alright, today I am lucky> Me : *Destination name* Auto Driver : Nods the head..says No and speeds off Me : *Destination name* Auto Driver : Extra 20 Rs Me : I say no and look away Me : *Destination name* Auto Driver : Nods the head and asks, how much are you ready to pay? Me : <With slight irritation and confusion if I am at an auction> Whatever the meter reads Auto Driver : Says No and speeds off Me : *Destination name
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Travelling to Dubai?

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Of late, I have begun to like giving free-advice. It is mostly this uncontrollable urge to tell people what needs to be done, how things need to be handled and what potentially works! Blame it on crossing the quarter life, I seem to have become a pro. The more I try to stop myself, the more I feel I am not contributing to the welfare of the society. Coming to the post, I would like to go with the flow and give some free advice on planning a trip and travelling to Dubai.  * Best time to travel is from Oct-Feb. Weather is lovely, but the package/hotel costs might soar. You can also consider travelling between March-early weeks of may. Temperature is somewhat bearable, and the package/hotel costs might dip a bit. Anytime after May, is not the best time to travel. It gets hot and remains deserted (??) throughout except in the evenings. But, the hotel/package deals are the cheapest. * Package selection - depending on the days of stay/interest/budget, select the package wisely.
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An Arabian escape

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I have come to believe that Dubai is one of the creations of Aladdin's magic lamp. When the earth gives you sand and water in abundance (and just that), what do you do? You construct jaw dropping high rise buildings and townships in the sea! And, that is Dubai for you. While I have lots of good things to say about this place, I want to write about an evening spent here - in the mighty desert, under the limitless sky, amidst a lot of drama, camels and falcons - The Desert Safari.. an experience etched in memory forever. Endless Sand It starts with a drive to the desert, which is about 90 minutes from the city of Dubai. They take you in a Toyota Land Cruiser, which can comfortably seat 6~7 members. The drivers are a trained lot. Apparently, in Dubai, getting a driver's license is as good and strenuous as getting a degree. So, fear not about the drops, mid-way halts, cross climbs, and wheel-balancing acts. One suggestion would be to have a light stomach before the ride. A
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The English Teacher

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I used to like English periods in school. I was taught by a very good teacher - a teacher, who actually started cutting down marks for wrong spellings and misuse of tenses in zoology practical record books (she had a masters degree in English and Zoology). She was a very strict teacher, who would pinch the ears if poems weren't memorized (you see, science says, pinching the ear activates nerves that help you remember forgotten things!). But, if you haven't memorized a poem in the first place, there is nothing to forget and so, you end up with pink ears and begin to dislike and fear English periods.  While this was the case with most of the class, I was on the other side of the spectrum. She actually liked me! I was like a pro at that age (atleast I would like to think so, because she liked me :D). I used to memorize poems, and I was better than most of the students in grammar and spellings. I could write short stories.. those McMillan books came up with the weirdest exercises
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn..not exactly!

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If only travelling could be an adventure every time! Alright, it was my first time to the USA. I was obviously thrilled, trying to control all the emotions - a royal mix of joy, anticipation, fear, hallucination and sometimes, void-ness (briefly meaning not knowing what to say or do). The problem with travel is the flight journey. I used to enjoy flying, but those were 30 mins - 3 hours flights. Now, when you have to travel  15000+ kilometers, it is definitely not going to be enjoyable. Though we have transits, they aren't always planned. So, here we begin.. When rain gods decide to visit deserts (especially on the day you are travelling), thunderstorms happen. When thunderstorms happen once in 50 years, runways get drowned and flights get diverted. So, on one such eventful day, the flight which was supposed to land in Doha, got diverted to Dubai. Unfortunately, Dubai airport denied entry due to lack of space (all flights from Doha were diverted). So, we were jay-flying in th
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