Incipience of 21st Century

There was so much buzz with 21st century about to begin. As the year 2000 was going to start, most of the brains were hyped by the millennium bug (Y2K) that would do wrong wonders in the world and vanish some information. A decade has almost past and everyone has moved ahead with some good or bad in life with a little or no trace of the trance they lived in. Memories have lost in the ashes of time. And as the first decade is nearing it's end, here are some of the reminiscence that I collected from my friends as to how the outset of the 21st century was special to them:

Siddhartha - I had my first major crush... and wanted to actually start going around with the girl (#1 Kamina...)

Kunal - Entered into 12th science stream

Deepak - Don't remember now... must be in school then! (Lazy ass to remember)

Umesh - My heart was broken number of times [I know how many times ;)]

Amit Sharma - I met my love and the prospective partner of life!!

Palmira - I moved to Canada

Arpit - May be I cleared my 12th

Vinod Panchal - Was on a bed rest for long time due to major illness (not a good way to start)

Ashwin - Graduated in Management with First Class

Nirav - Shifted to our new home and was in high school!!

Binny - Cleared my SSC with good grades...

Neha Kanodia - My first job :) (reason's to cheer)

Chinmaya - Passed 11th without getting failed (I don't know how many years you took to get into 11th)

Rahul - Was a child studying in 6th class and a girl proposed, which took me by a shock!! (aha, Class 6 and a girl proposing a guy)

Kailash - I had found a beautiful friend, who changed my life!! (surely must be a girl then)

Gowri - That's when I gave direction to my life.. [But still sometimes I find you direction less.... ;)]

Sarang - I fell in love!! [don't know when you would be successfull ;)- ]

Prateek - Learnt to ride a scooter (and you're left without your Pulsar these days...)

Amit Shah - I fell in love (Won't ask you more on this now)

Navneet - Scored "00" in Maths-1 and "06" in Maths-2 of the 11th class examination (Hats off to you mate!!)

Peenee - Joined the college (Days of Masti)

Kavan - I think some how I cleared my 12th Board exams :)

Radhesh - Break-up with my GF (Must be relieved then)

P.S. Got this idea from Siddhartha!!

Avatar

I had never seen a 3D movie till sometime ago. A lot of hype was created for the Avatar. Office friends planned to watch this big flick together and after watching Avatar in 3D I was just looking for the words to describe it. Avatar is created with a great vision by James Cameron. He waited for more than a decade to bring it to the audience who by time had developed a taste for technology, creativity and imagination. Cameron brought it to the audience at the right time with high end use of the technology (CGI) available. There were lots of ooohs, aaahs, vows after the movie. Creativity and imagination had beaten the bestest with superb and immense amount of detailing. Nothing, just nothing comes close to it.... You just sit hold tight and don't dare and damn to move away from ya seat.... again exponentially intensified with the technology.... Definitely one should go and watch AVATAR in 3D... its worth spending your bucks!!

Weekend on an Island - Part II

Lately I'm not finding enough time to complete this one and would shortly sum up in this one. We went to the hotel from station and left for the port to catch our ferry at around 6 am after refreshing and recharging ourselves for the rest of the day. In the beginning we ended up at the wrong port and had already given some "GHOOS" (bribe) to the security guard to let our rented vehicle get in and allow to drop and dump our luggage at the nearest point to the ferry. But all in vain. We started our journey to the island from "Nava Bandar" (New Port) in a ferry which took around 1.5 hrs to reach Pirotan Island. As it was Bakri Eid and no fisherman boats (small) were available and eventually we had to jump into 3 feet deep water from our ferry to reach the shore. Started playing Volley ball and had a good time in the shallow water of the shore finding some dead corals. We're the only humans on the island and were absolutely free to roam around. Later in the afternoon we spent some time in the built-up tents on the island and had our lunch (snacks). Followed with a visit to the Light House and got a better understanding from the care taker about its working and functioning. It was around 3 pm, the water had returned back with the low tide and it was a perfect time for the Coral walk. The care taker became our guide and took us for the coral walk in the Arabian Sea. We went almost 3 kms into the sea which otherwise is not possible without the low tide. The low tide and high tide has a cycle of 12hrs and the start and end timings depend upon the lunar period. It was amazing walking in the Arabian Sea and exploring the water species. We came across some fishes like puffer and other small swarms of black fish, jelly fish, variety of Coral - star, green, finger, etc. some ocean flowers, prawns, crabs, octopus. We were not feeling to move back, but had to return back from the walk around 6 pm as the cycle of tide was getting over and high tide would soon bring the water back to shore. We also had to get onto our ferry which was landed on the ocean floor 1 km away from the shore. We got into the ferry at around 7 pm and slowly slowly the water had started filling and made the boat float. The most part of the adventure began with this. The boat was very inclined on the one side and with the water filling it had started swinging on the either side and we were struggling to keep the balance of boat by moving from one side to the other side of the ferry. It was very much dark and nothing was visible except the the lights been flashed from the Light House. The high tide was on its high which kept us on high with boat stumbling in the waves created by the high current of the water because of the high tide. All were holding onto their nerves lying on the floor of the ferry. Each and every moment made us felt sinking in the sea with the swinging of the ferry in the high tide. Only one bravo Kailash was sleeping as nothing was happening around him, the reason he gave for the sleep was the fear (none of us could understand how a man could sleep because of the fear.) It took us around 3 hrs (in comparison to 1.5 hrs in the morning) to reach to the port from where we had started. It was midnight, we got our rented vehicle to the port and reached hotel at around 2 am in the morning after having our dinner (snacks). The next day on Sunday (November 29, 2009) we left for Khijadia Bird Sanctuary which is 15 kms away from Jamanagar. A haven for the bird watchers which has many Indian and Foreign birds nesting. And on the same day night we had our train back to Ahmedabad and Baroda.

It was a great time spent with the old folks. Hope we have much more of this to relax and enjoy ourselves away from the madness and chaos of the city, undue work pressure and the conking of the managers bull shitting on our head!!

Thanks to Sarang, DG and Jignesh who organised and managed the weekend excursion!!

I'm also posting the links of the moments captured at both Pirotan Island and Khijadia Bird Sanctuary:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ashish1712/PirotanIslandNationalMarineParkJamnagar#

http://picasaweb.google.com/ashish1712/KhijadiaBirdSanctuaryJamnagar#

P.S. Pirotan Island is a wonderful place to visit. Its the only kind of National Marine Park in Asia having varieties of ocean species. It's most famous for the Coral Walk!

P.S.S. You need to have a group of at least 10-15 as ferry ride is quite costly. It's more of unexplored and deserted island with no facilities and basic amenities available. One needs to carry the food and water which lasts for the whole day. One also need to take the Permit from the forest department, customs and port officer!!

Weekend on an Island - Part I - Journey Begins

I’m just living, man and in a while would be just there, in that moment, in that special place and time. By the deep sea where silence pours into my heart, I love not madness of the man less, but naive of the nature more and more. Maybe when I get back, I would pen down about the vast abysses of time and space finding myself through the crevices of my own world!

This began with a splendid weekend spent on an isolated and deserted Pirotan Island situated near Jamnagar. Planning was in place from almost a month and my gang had forgotten me to include. But somehow after few stints things went smoothly and my name was added later on the permit to enter the Pirotan Islands issued by the Forest Department. I had to attend the ring ceremony of one of my friends before catching the train which had a scheduled departure of 19.25hrs from the boarding station. I was very involved with some of my old school mates to whom I was meeting after years and had almost forgot the clock ticking on its time. I had to rush hurriedly in the mad traffic of Ahmedabad. Even though I was speeding rashly, I still missed the train from the boarding station. I was bit anxious to miss out the train and looking for more help as even auto rickshaws were not ready to drop me at the Ahmedabad Junction. As usual everything was working against my favor. Somehow one old auto rickshaw driver was ready to drop me at the Ahmedabad Junction. I was badly stuck en route. It was peak hours and roads were jammed with two wheelers honking and the people busy enough to move away to attend their conking rings of the cell phone. I was holding onto my nerves. I reached the Ahmedabad Junction at around 20.03hrs and scheduled departure was of 20.05 hrs. Train was late by one minute and it would take 5 min from the entrance gate to catch the train which was moving from platform #5. I was on the over pass railway bridge and train had already started moving, while just running as fast as I could make my way pushing and dragging my self through the rushing crowd. Finally, somehow I managed to get on the last bogey of the train. I was traveling alone in the train and rest of the group in another as they were being fooled at the end moment on the Baroda railway station. They got their tickets booked through an agent and where not aware till the end moment by which train they were supposed to travel. They had left almost an hour (though train was running late by an hour) before my train had left. Anyhow I happened to meet them at Hapa station at around 02.30hrs, just a station before our destination and as my train was on time theirs had to halt to let go the train running on time. Finally we reached at Jamnagar at around 02.45hr and had our early morning snacks and tea and coffee!