Book review - Half Girlfriend

I got the book on Wednesday morning in office. So curious to read much hyped novel but then something funny happened.  I was going to hometown same day and then forgot to take along with me.

I came back from home on Sunday night and then completed it at one go in 4 and half hours....being precise 4 hours and 35 minutes :).

It can be done with novel of Chetan Bhagat only and he is also criticized for that....yes.... because of his simple english. Five Point Someone was the first novel from where I have started reading english novel (yeah...I know...I know.... some of you don't consider him as English author at all) . And also... it is the new "cool" to criticize Chetan.....without even reading any of his books. If you are on twitter and following him then you must be knowing it.

Enough about background. ...let's come to the point. ...his latest novel .... 5 point someone. ..3 mistakes. ...1 night....revolution 2020.... he has something to do with numbers....1/2 girlfriend.

Yeah...without any doubt his latest novel "Half Girlfriend" is most hyped novel of the year and it will be best seller for years.  Mohit suri has already announced movie with it. He is surely a marketing genius, he has played every move correctly for launching of it.

"Half Girlfriend" is story about a rural bihari boy who can't speak proper english but then like any other Bollywood flick... he conquers the world ....but only after his true love is shattered.Then as it is chetan bhagat novel....so it also shows governmental inefficiency....corruption....and social activities. It also shows desire to succeed and internal fire to achieve something. Leaving some really good offer to be with family reminds me a phase of my life. (Actually the thought of half girlfriend from Riya's perspective... also reminds me something :p ).

Packed with cool quotes like....

"Girls never tell you anything straight out anyway....you have to interpolate and extrapolate their responses to figure out what's on their mind"

"An army of intellectual men cannot solve the riddle created by an indecisive woman. "

"I am with you ....that's how I define my good time :)"

"sometimes it matters to me.... unlike your other friends.. .I can tell if something is wrong....and if something bothering you...it bothers me..... I want to know everything about you.....but getting you to talk is like a dentist pulling teeth "

"Learn about girls...or figure it out....but don't ruin it.  Understand? "

It is interesting book....I don't want to add spoilers in this post...so will not share anything about story. I will only say that I liked it....more than normal like because many incidents reminds me about my life .... :)

All in all, It will make a good Bollywood movie story.

Happy Reading!!!!!

Youth - and so called generation gap !!!!!

Most of the time....I don't take so much time to accept or to ask for apologies from friends because they are from my generation and we are more transparent and vocal about likes and dislikes. 

Youth these says may not be wiser than the elders but they are more transparent.  To hide once own mistake is may be the expertise of our so called elders but guts to accept that mistake and trying to make it correct is the power and monopoly of younger generation.

See again I am vocal about praising my generation but that doesn't mean every time elders are wrong. I use 50 bucks by taking Auto to save time of 15 minutes and my Mom walk that distance and use that 15 minutes to save 50 bucks. We both are correct from our view point and I respect that view point as well.

But I have issue when something happen like this.....

Incident 1 :- 

One day at my building I saw two elders waiting for lift....lift was at fourth floor and we have to reach at 2nd floor. Instead of waiting I opted for the staircase and we all reach to second floor at same time. One of the gentleman asked me that if you could have wait for few seconds you might not had to climb stairs and ultimately it took same time. I just said I don't like to wait for anything.  Just after that I overheard them murmuring that no body wants to wait...what will happen with this new generation.

Incident 2:- 

The next day I again meet both of them during dinner at some function and people were waiting in queue in front of counters.  And there these so called elders came jump the queue and took food in their plates and no body from us who were waiting in queue uttered a word out of respect.  After taking food I went towards them and whispered in his ear that...as I don't like to wait ...but I also understand and respect the feelings of people waiting for something and hence I don't jump the queue.

My point over here is that ...we give you respect (which you deserve) ... but we also want you people to understand and respect our view point. 

Most Imp - Here by younger and elder ....I don't mean by age... I am talking about the mental state. Elder means living in past century.... I have one uncle (friends dad ) of age of 60 whom I do consider of my generation. 

What is success !!!!

Feeling Successful is an emotion that is not really related to Success….

***************** Not my words************

Consider that everyone in this world is running a race. Everyone is somewhere in the race. The beggars and homeless are somewhere towards the end, whereas the likes of Bill Gates and Ophra Winfrey are somewhere towards the front. You are also somewhere in the race, running and trying to move ahead of those in front of you.

Also, consider that everyone is suffering from myopia. Therefore, no matter where you are in the race, you can only see 5 people ahead of you and 5 people behind you. A small shop owner somewhere in the line can only see and compare with similar 5 people ahead, and 5 people behind. This shop owner cannot even see Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey. If the shop owner moves ahead, he would have a different set of 5 people ahead and 5 people behind to compare with. Similarly, a multi-millionaire somewhere in the race can see and compare himself only with 5 similar multi-millionaires ahead and 5 behind.

People continuously move ahead or behind in the race. Their position keeps changing with successes and failures in their own lives and in the lives of others. However, no matter where they are, their position remains the same from their own perspective. There are always 5 more successful people ahead, and 5 less successful people behind.

***************************************************

I agree life is not a race. In fact it is not possible to define what is life. There are multiple perspectives of life. Life being a race it one such perspectives, which helps in understanding some aspects of it.

Some other perspectives of life that I personally like are, life is a journey, life is a game, life is an opportunity, life is an illusion....

Oppsss diverted from topic.... Let me bring it back to track....

........... So ........What does really success mean to you ????

Feelings unleashed - a short love story !!!!

It wasn't his day.... Ayaan ran ....ran with full speed collecting all the energy left in his body...but it seemed as if it wasn't his day.....he was destined to be late. He was breathing his lungs out ....the car had already left the campus....only thing left behind was a puff of smoke.... and trail of memories.... memories that filled his heart with happiness ....but at the same time it has created void and snatched away his beloved Mishree.

The book.....the gift he has chosen for his loved one..... dropped from his hands.... as a grief stricken Ayaan broke down in pain for not ever being able to speak of his innumerable emotions..... emotions that he was trying to hide behind his subtle smile. He left the place ...left the place with empty hands... perhaps empty heart....and mind full of thoughts....

The book...."chosen one".... lay there on the floor untouched.... ignored like a lost love feeling ....helpless ....motionless and baffled.... waiting for someone to come.... come for it’s rescue.... until the canteen boy’s eyes fell on it.....instead of being in hand of "Mishree"... within no time it found itself surrounded by numerous others on road side shop....very famous for old books.

"As in books so in life, it’s not about the hours but the feelings that binds us…."

- Your’s Ayaan 

 ..... were the lines written with curly handwriting.... on the  very first page of a Nicholas Spark’s novel....and other eye catching thing was the date.... it was the date of their graduation ...that Mishree discovered on one of her expeditions for old books in the city.... and an unexpected celebration filled her heart with warmth speaking out unspoken emotions that Ayaan wasn’t able to.

"The longer you wait for something ....the more you appreciate it when you get it....because anything worth having is definitely worth waiting for.... "

Happy Engineers Day - Hum hain to sab hey !!!

Happy ENGINEERS day!!

We rock..

Each one of us claims to be a "farzi engineer" (Imaginary Engineer).....We entered our course with high aspirations....and dreaming about glamorous life...But in the very first semester....we learnt that only thing engineering teaches us is --"Jugaad" (innovative fix or a simple work-around) !!!

Every time.... 

• To finish off the syllabus in one night...
• To pass in midterms and semester ends without even doing half the course...
• To forget the names of the subjects taught in first semester by the end of final semester...
• To know about all the gossips of campus...
• To have weirdest possible nicknames.... ( we all have it... most of us try to hide it in current phase of life )
• So many weekend night outs...and hanging out on the roads on exam nights
• To have bunks and mass bunks....

We loved...we laughed...we cried...we learnt...we fought... and most important we learnt to live!!!

Yeah ...we did it all!!!

Yet , we have a class....we have our unison......we really know how to manage everything in the last moments....(without much panic).....and yet do with grace.....Yes,we do "Jugaad"....but they too are "INNOVATIVE" ( Of course using "File destroyer" to corrupt PPT of assignment is innovative )......proud to be even a "Farzi Engineer"....which most of we all claim to be.

"There is a method in our Madness...and ...happiness hidden in our sadness..... Yess we are The Engineers..."

Happy Engineers day !!!! 

Addicted to something - not an issue!!

You are addicted to mobile. I heard this line 10th time of a day. Now that's enough for a day.

Let me tell you a bitter fact - We all are addicted to something or some person.

Let's put it this way...

"We all are addicted to something ... which take away the pain...."

Let's be honest to answer the question :

What do you do normally after tiring office hours ?

1. Talk or chat with your girl friend/ Boy friend . (If you are lucky enough to have one).

2. Play with your little one and make funny gesture to get smile on their face.

3. If recently merried then fighting and making up with each other.

4. If you are gujarati and living out side of gujrat then 100 % you will go for some hard drinks.

5. If you are far away from home and
living lonely then you might get connected to some virtual world of social networking.

6. If you are fan of Jackie chain and Rambo then you might go for gyming and kung-fu.

7. If you are tech crazzy and geek guy then you might jingle with some weird OS and buggy coding kind of stuff.

8. If you are sas-bahu serial fan then you might turned on TV before removing your shoes.

9. Somebody of you just crazzy after movies and TV serials then you start your lappy and head phone.

There are many more to be added in list in short you all do something which makes you happy. Which take away some pain from you...

Which give you reason to smile though a very little and temporary but still you can't leave doing it.

Yes I am too addicted..... .I am addicted of my friends....

But as I said ....its nothing wrong in getting addicted. Because at the end of the day....

"We all are addicted to something ... which take away the pain....!!!!"

Fish Philosophy - Make their day !!!!

I was just sitting at cafe outside of my apartment. It was the very same place where I used to hang out with my friends during college life. We were gang of 7 friends from same city and school living together. Today after attending the training I just thought of having conversation with them. So I just called one of them and then end up having conference call with all of them. That cafe guy also knew all of us as a gang so I also made him talk with group.

It was just 5 minute call but after that my mind was full of memories. How we fought to have one piece of pizza and sharing bill of with 20 bucks from each ones wallet and sometimes those few bucks to be hard to find in it.

At that moment, in cafe I was alone and few couples were hooked up in corners. Wallet was full but was not up to eating something like I wanted it during college life. Things change with time.

Suddenly a horde of kids entered into the garden. So basically this was open air cafe established on the highway so such incidents were not new for me or owner. They will roam around ...would tease couples and then owner will scold them and they will run away.

This time it was no different...they just started interacting or say bargaining with one of the couple and they were just looking for owner to break them away. Before anything like that happen I have called those notorious and what followed that was completely different experience. ...

Unlike the other days this group was not begging something they all were having that brush in hand for shoe polish and they were just asking if anyone wants to look smart with polished shoe. I was wearing sports shoes and one of them just spoke up the fact and they were up to leaving.

Suddenly....and even I don't know why....but I have asked one of them "Pizza khayega??"

The little guy looked towards his gang and I just said yeah not you alone. Offer is for your entire gang. They nodded in affirmation and I have ordered pizza for them. I was not feeling hungry so mean time I was just looking at them...recalling all the fun I have had with my group. I was basically feeling good. They were just about to finish and I have paid bucks to cafe owner for the food.

I was shocked when he the cafe guy refused to take bucks. He was like.."Bhaiya aapne to khaya hi nahi....paise kaise lu?" I reciprocated with "paise kya bachho se lega kya??.. le rakh le"

What he replied was surprise for me. He replied that "jaise aap ko achhha laga...waise muje bhi achha laga.....ye pizza meri aur se". It was more shocking for me because this was the same guy who used to scold such kids to shoo them away and....now he was refusing to take money for food they have consumed.

Just to recover from that shock ...I have tried to give that bucks to the gang of kids and now it was time for double shock. That bunch of notorious kids too refused to take that. The one whom I have approached first spoke up with wink of his eye "Phir kabhi dusre bachho ko pizza khila dena"

I was just trying to follow the rule from the training I have attended few days back "Make their day" and at the end when I left cafe, my mind was full of confusion..... 

"Who has made whose day ?"

Let's not judge it because it was win win situation for all of us as all were happy at the end of incident. For me lesson I have learnt that day was more important.