A broken wall

Another Swim incident. This time, a joyous one.

Last evening was one of those days where I did nothin more than running from one corner to the other. I and my Manager had planned to catch up for a Beer in the evening at 7 to vent out the heat. It was at 6:20 I realized I had been to the Pool only 2 days in the week and am out of town during the weekend (for I plan to be in deep state of Nirvana with one of my Engg Buddies who's in DE for a Business trip). Hmmn, tough call, I made my mind to rush to the Pool asap and have a short 20 min dive. I sneaked into my Manager's office and rustled that I'll meet him straight at the venue at 7:15.

Just minutes later I was in the Pool about to start stroking -- a guy (as young as I am), 6 footer, muscular Hulk came to me and said in German that he has seen me swimming regularly. Hmmn....I have been observed (of course, many stare at me, sometimes with disdained cold eyes for I have dark hide and hairy chest). I was happy that I was able to understand him and I replied affirmatively. That followed with an avalanche of German words which threw me into an abyss of bewilderment. I took a deep breath, told him that I cannot understand so much of German but can try to if he can be slow. He asked me whether I know English and boom - he started speakin GRE English! for what he told later that he was in the US for some years of his Education. Good; connection established.

"am takin part in a swimmin competition tomorrow n wanna ask if you can watch me swim for a while n gimme some tips. I used to swim a lot but quit an year back n hav started again since 3 months. I do cycling to keep my feet tickin. Somehow, I doubt somethins gone wrong with my style..if you have a moment, it would be wonderful" said the Deutscher Junge. This for me was something. It has not been that very often I've seen/experienced/heard any white skinned soul approach someone unknown from the Orient world - and what I saw was even more so for it was to seek a suggestion!!! To keep it straight, I was zapped; and moved.

Though I didn't have much time, I was convinced of myself that I should watch him swim (of course, I was also as proud as a Peacock for a while :) I asked him to crawl from one edge to the other, I went underwater and closely followed. Moments later, I was on my way givin Gyan revealin the less known tricks of trade. I did a few Lengths myself to show him what I meant. He (now quite a few folks in the Pool) watched me with curiosity. I stopped and asked him whether he could follow and realize what I said. "Sure, thanks a ton for ur time n advice; I may not be able to learn overnight but am sure it'll help me take long strokes. I hope I didn't trouble u much. You and the way you talk reminds me two of my best Professors who taught me Math n Physics in the US. Thanks again, I'll see you soon" was his reply.

10 mins gone and I was all bliss in water the next 20 mins. I had heard many nasty incidents, this was a welcome ice-breaker or even a wall breaker.

Nothin comes for free, I was late by 15 mins for the Beer and that cost me ein Bier:(

Go green Bengaluru!

It was early this week that I watched the video on Youtube:

It features the MD of SAP Labs Gurgaon who commutes to his Office on his bicycle. I was almost immediately wondering if we can have this Tip in Cities like Bengaluru which boasts of the largest number of two wheelers in the World.

Not any later, I started connecting to the phenomena explained superbly in the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Am sure, his name sounds familiar even to the most amateur of readers (like me). The Tipping Point is an explanation of how trends explode. It offers a great insight into how practices/trends/behaviors/opinions initiated as small time incidents/events suddenly grow exponentially.
One of my own all time favorite example of such a trend is Pubbing! I still remember the time when there were only a handful of Pubs in Bengaluru during my Engineering years (1998 - 2002) and Bengaluru now boasts of the best Pubs in the Country, each one of them horribly crowded all week!

Now, back to my earlier thought on a greener Bengaluru, I hereby present my few cents (largely motivated by The Tipping Point) to Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BMP). I call it the Octcycle programme:

1. Install Bicycle stands. Start with happening hubs like Jayanagar 4th block, Koramangala (Near JNC), Malleshwaram (Sampige Rd), Forum, Garuda Mall
   It can come with a nominal parking fee and a security service can be called for as well
2. Install trendy hoardings in all such places, giving room for Bicycle shops to advertise as well
3. Broaden a bare minimum of the footpaths and make way for the Cyclists
4. Penalize Motorists for exhibiting their exemplary skills of driving on footpaths
5. Organize Bicycle marathons. Call for an event management company and let it do the rest. Am sure many Institutions will come forward to sponsor the event
6. Let it roll through City fests like Bengalura Habba (or is it still called Bangalore Habba?)
7. Get the RJs and VJs talk about Bicycles in their Programs. Get the FM channels feature public figures using Bicycles (at least for short distances) as their mode of transport
8. Get the happening pubs in/around these hubs to offer free Beers for the lucky Bicycle winner of the weekend

All the above if done even with a bare minimum of diligence can - not only improve the traffic situation in Bengaluru but also churn a bit of revenue to your kitties. So, this is yet another opportunity for you guyz to ascertain your existence!

They are called Hostels

It's 2009 and what can be a better start? Satyam finally coming out with Satyam! Lets face it and hope we live by it every moment.

I am back from an exhaustive tour of 10 days from Austria and Czech. Returning to normalcy from 10 days of Nirvana is no easy job. Afterall, one cannot continue with just Beer:-

I (and another friend of mine) started with Innsbruck which is nothing less than a paradise for Skiers and Snowboarders. I was both elated and horrified watching them go down the pinnacle of mountains in rocket pace. They do have Austrian Nerves! It was then Salzburg, a beautiful UN heritage city, Vienna - the city of palaces and back to Hometown to get ready for the next big thing - Czech.

One horizontal feature throughout my trip has been Hostels. I had ofcourse stayed in Hostels during earlier trips in EU but they were neither this long nor chosen with due care. We chose the Hostels together - proving the power of two. How have they been? One word - Orsem! Four different hostels in different countries have certainly had an impact on how I used to perceive them.

For a traveller on a shoestring (like me), it simply cannot get any better than this. The Hostels were surgically clean, safe with lockers, free of bed bugs, cost effective and guess what - there was an ocean of like minded crowd out there. Put in an Introvert in a Hostel and see him transform into a Connector of Connectors!

It was interesting and fun to meet these Backpackers (a good chunk of them travel alone) and exchange ideas. We infact toured the city of Vienna together with a Chinese who was in the same Dorm as ours. A couple of Beers in the indigenous pub and we were a team of 10 playing Snooker. Ofcourse, it was amazing to realize the linear relationship between Perfection and Beer:-
Not to forget the friendly staff who equip you with every basic information you need, the moment you check-in. Wanna visit local Heurige in Vienna, comes an instantaneous reply "try 10 er Marie", authentic Czech food "try Medvidku", disco "try Roxy".

You're single and looking forward for some luck on your side, book mixed Dorms and you could just be as lucky as us. We were three in Czech and we had three ladies in our Dorm! Of course, we were only lucky, not the luckiest:-(

Worst case, you get bored to death - Do not worry, there's free Wi-Fi and LAN (limitied nos. for a fair price) to hook on to your gmail account. So, all you travel freaks out there, next time you're out with your backpack, do give a thought on the Hostels. Its great fun and you'll love it.

But never ever, I repeat, never ever forget to carry your Earplugs.