Zindagee sawanr dooon....main hoon, Doraemon!

Who doesn't like watching cartoons, OK, who doesn't like it in his / her growing years - I must admit that by that definition, I'm still in my growing years. But, as they say, eat sweets daily - in breakfast, lunch and dinner and pretty soon you will start disliking sweets. Still, this logic doesn't seem to hold good when it comes to the gadget producing robot kitty known as Do-rae-mon!

Wikpedia says..yes, it does have its own wikipedia entry - see here, so it say that Doraemon traveled back help to Nobita Nobi, and looks like he is going to stay forever, much to the annoyance of parents and grand-parents! It could be funny in the beginning, but put it to an endless loop where one or other channel is showing it around the clock; often repeating stories after stories to mesmerize your young ones glued to the idiot box!

Nobody likes Nobita - although he is the one who makes this show funny, but still try calling your kid Nobita and see the result! Violent Gian, scheming Sueno and sweet (yes, sweet...) Sizuka are the major characters in this show.

Often parents complaint that this series shows it is OK to be "dumb" (Nobita...), portrays bullying as normal, and teaches kids to throw tantrums in addition to being "ugly" - well, I don't really agree to all this, only thing which gets on my nerves is the endless loop, re-runs of the stories.

Yes, it is my mistake too because sometime I'm trying to assign babysitting job to Telvision, but (...insert some random excuse here...)!

In case you're interested in complete Hindi lyrics, you can get it here.

Hacker...oops!

SRC3000XLI-CC - seeing this a few - two, to be precise - colleagues gathered around it and bombarded us (the IT crowd...) with questions on manufacturer, capacity, speed, hard-disk, RAM and processor. Now, the questions were getting a bit serious, so I had to compliment them on their technical acumen! Smug and smiling - one of the gentlemen mentioned casually that he is "into" ethical-hacking as well. "NO...", I almost shouted, "...please don't try that on this". "H-ha h-ha - obviously, I won't!". "Obviously you won't...", I couldn't resist disappointing him, "...because this is a damm UPS!".

PS...here is what it looks like!
http://www.apc.com/…/APC-Smart-UPS-RC-3000V…/P-SRC3000XLI-CC

Feeling old!

Feeling old - just exchanged my motorcycle for a gear-less scooter - also known as a scooty in my country.
I still remember that day when I bought it - thirteen years back it was a frigid Sunday of December when I brought it home. Rajesh rode it back as I didn't know how to ride it. Friends asked for a party - announced to bring your bikes yourself to a McD nearby, and as a result I had to learn riding it on the same day!  It looks like just a day of last week when I was scouting all the bike showrooms around my office - with Tarique taking a test-ride on my behalf! I can clearly remember Naveen telling me not to buy a smaller bike but a bigger one, because I would look smart on that! Dad told me not to buy a motorcycle, whereas Mom simply laughed it off, and told me to buy a black one instead of a red motorcycle. Countless rides - alone, and with friends; in hot-as-hell Noida, and in chilly Shimla; short ones to bring milk, and the longer ones to travel across the city - there are too many to write about it!

Time flies, we get old - move from one phase of life to the other one, and as Goppal Sir puts it - we keep on getting upgrades!

You are not stuck in traffic, but you are traffic yourself.

As a cyclist I don't need music to keep me interested...the mystery that the SUV next to me can turn either side any moment without indicating may even kill me! But still it was fun yesterday when NH2 was blocked by the protesters. Although the traffic was being diverted, but it did create a jam, a pile up of all the vehicles trying to take to the bypass road. So, what did I do - just got down from the bus, unfolded my colourful "tern" and rode on it. It was not exactly a zipping between cars-n-bus due to close extent people like to drive their vehicle to the next one, but still I was moving. The sheer joy of reaching home on time beats everything else.

Got a lot of thumbs up when I was sliding past the cars, some were curious, some were dismissive, some were plain jealous, but I do home that I must have inspired a few more to ride. As they say, you are not stuck in traffic, but you are traffic yourself; so come out and break this deadlock, be free!

That question on dinosaurs!

"You must have seen dinosaur when you were young like me...?" - chirped my li'le-one yesterday. She was watching TV - yes, we've got it now, where it was being explained that these species used to exist long back and are extinct now. 

My reply was an affirmative one - told her that we had a pet one too - a small one, that it  "might" still be around there in the jungle next the little village where I grew up.  Now she's eagerly looking forward to visit that place in her summer holidays.

A simple solution (...again!)

A simple solution (...again!)                                                                                        31-Jul-2013

TV – la Television, although educational, but is a medium which constantly bombards you with advertisements which, needless to say, influence children the most. Fortunately, we have found a solution – things are either for grownups, or she already has it (...it or a close substitute “it”), or is very expensive (...fiscal responsibility in young age, remember...) or in simpler words, requires a lot of money.

But yesterday she found a way for that as well – we were told “I’ll get that when I’ll grow up....the whole bunch of money...errr I’ll take that from you”.

The Monday morning...

The Monday morning...                                                                                                          15-Jul-2013


"No...stay at home with me" - the morning scene today.
"But", I protested, "I need to go my office - I have to work there".
"Work at home - we'll play".
"But they pay me to attend office...money to buy chocolate from Safal".
Her glittering eyes told that she had, indeed, found the solution - and an obvious one on that.
"Come with me for money", she said," we'll go an ATM and not the office".

It was not scripted...

It was not scripted...                                                                                                   27-Jul-2013


Pretty old, pretty lame - a PJ or poor-joke, but it happened today.
All the running around the home,or in fact, an attempt to fly was duly rewarded when she hit something - one of her toys lying on the floor. She didn't fall, but was obviously in some pain. That is what happens in these situations - eyes swollen with tears and her Doctors' kit was handed over to me with a demand for a thorough check-up. I was explained that her left foot is hurt and she's having trouble in walking as she can't lift it up.

"Oh!", I said, "how high does it go now" - it was an obvious effort for her to move foot for around an inch or so.
"...and, how high were you able to lift the same foot earlier?".
Needless to say, but "Doctor" was successful this time too!

It is fun, ain't it?

It is fun, ain't it?                                                                                                                28-Jul-2013

Drawing - not a great artist, or even an artist, but for me it is fun. For my kid, it is double the fun...and when we're doing it together, it is fun-unlimited...we just don't draw, but fight for pencils, eraser and colours as well.
Needless to say that we don't draw much together, but that one hour spent together is the best part of the day.

Point of interest - folding cycle

Well, this part of my country is slightly deprived of bicyclists, and adds a folding one on that to make it rarer than the common house-sparrow (which is, by the way, I've heard, on its way to join endangered species - http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/science/041129rf).

My home is around six and a half km away from my bus-stop, and since I'm  too lazy to drive daily, hence an optimum solution had to be found. Something which doesn't involve shouting at my brother to get ready as fast as he could so that I don’t miss my bus – everyday. So I was gifted a folding bicycle and since last few weeks I've been riding it to my bus-stop before hopping inside it and then carrying it over to my office building from bus-stop; and repeating the routine in opposite direction in the evening. 

So, since the first day I've been subjected to an endless curious looks, questions, comments and often loud exclamations which range from serious inquisitive to serious funny, teaching me to think on my feet - or on my peddles in the meantime! Here's a list of what I've been subjected to:

• Cost of cycle - the most frequent question. My answer varies depending upon the surroundings, time of day, sincerity and demeanor of inquirer, so far I've replied like:
• Hain…..what? Old Faridabad, Singla Cycle Works  - especially when motor-cycle riders come from behind and ask it. Evening and dark  -  be cautious mate!
• Humph humph humph – pretend to be tired  - but do it only when you are in a well populated area near to your bus-stop (…where your friends are waiting)
• 3-4 hazzar – for kids and  8-9 hazaar if the person asking is an adult and actual price when somebody asks in English.
• One of the them gave me a bright idea when he asked if it is for my site visit – I didn’t know what did it mean, but I said yes.
• Next day – I gave this reply to a biker – that my company gave this for site-visit, but this biker was a endless, never to be tired kind of person. He asked my employer’s name – then replied himself – must be Delhi Metro (thanks to my reflective vest and helmet). He was not a person who can be defeated by silence so easily – he asked the department where I work (Engineering – he replied, again) and then asked me where was I posted…finally I had to reply with a story on how fit does it feel after cycling daily.

• Shabaash / Aur Tez / Dhoom Macha le..and likes - the most "funny" one was "Yo Yo Honey Seeenng" - what? Yes - what is common in a cycle or a cyclist and Yo Yo? And "Harry Potter" - dafaq?
• Is it broken -or- how did it break in two parts – wow, this was asked by somebody from Information-technology industry. 
• Mileage...yes mileage. OK, the lady wanted to actually ask how fast can I go on this, but I have chosen to print the first question she asked.
• Police inquiry - subjected to not so grueling questioning from U.P. Police and Delhi Traffic Police. A demo was requested - I would have happily obliged if I was not getting late. The award for best police question goes to U.P. Police for "Kya is se pet ghat jata hai?" - which roughly translates to "Does it reduces belly-fat?".
• Kahan se lee - OK, I'm happy to be a brand ambassador for Singla Cycle Works of Old Faridbad in replying this one. 
• "Aa rahe ho kee jaa rahe ho"  - are you going or are you coming. The gem of a question, but I didn't reply and pretended like my phone was ringing!
• Where do you live? Where do you work? I do remember the advice given to me when I was a kid that never reveal your address to strangers.
• "Chalo race lagayaee" - let's have a race...sometimes they race even without uttering these words, and I must say that most of these guys are fitter than I could ever be in my life.
• Are you a "champion"..what - I mean is there any "championship" going around where you participate. Yes, the question is unquestioningly absurd, but the fact that a lady is considering you a "champion" is not very unflattering.

• MTF – more to follow!

Starting again - once again, this time with a folding bicycle - riding from home to office with a folding bicycle

25-Nov-2014
So, here I was -  looking again to commute to office.  But since now I live in a place which is 40km away from my office, the search this time was for a folding bicycle, capable of carrying my 90kg/6ft frame to 6up-n-6down kms on Weekdays to my bus stop...with doubts raging in my mind - would I be able to do that? Would my new bike be able to do that? Would it fit in my office bus (aisle space)? How about reliability for a daily "oh-no-it-is-7" chases? Not very important, but will it be able to go on my Sunday morning rounds ranging from 30 to 80kms?

The options I had were Tern Link7 - being sold by my LBS, and then (at a place not very close to my home)  Dahon Vitesse. Looked like only these two models were available here in Faridabad / nearby. My preference was for Tern (If everything else remains the same) because my LBS stocked this model.

So, one fine day - a Sunday we - the whole family went ahead and bought the machine. Here’s my impression of the new machine - alongwith a report of my first day and other general rambling. The other bike I can compare my experience with is a btwin CMW5:

• Brand - Tern, Link C7 - sold by Firefox
• Gears - 7, range didn't seem to be that wide like my other regular bike (wide range…if that is a real term!), missing the 3x5/6/7, I think!
• Light - surprisingly light. After bus, there is a walk of around 100m too to my office building.  It weighs around 13 kg, and was kind of OK.
• Felt kind of zippy - low turning radius...or was it only my perception? Doesn’t feel very stable like the other bike, also I need some training on braking - I’m used to use mostly the right one, but it causing the tires to slip – I need training.
• Folding (and unfolding too) is easy, and can be done in under half a minute.
• Was able to feel almost all the potholes...
• While carrying it, the magnets don't really keep the folded halves together, so I had to tie a bungee-chord. I was (still am…) thinking about getting a bag, so that our Bus’ driver doesn’t grumble (about seat / floor getting dirty and whatever). He hasn’t (so far!) and was amused – advised me to ride carefully as big vehicles like his sometime are not able to see the cyclists especially on the left.
• Was able to fit it in the bus as well - see the fotoos. But yes, it is the most spacious seat and I’m a little worried about the day they’ll send a small bus.
• Wow, it fits in the luggage area of my small car too without folding the rear seat!
• Could be used by all - my wife and 6yo too tried to ride it.
• This morning ride was an Oh-no-I-may-be-late ride, panic mode on and I was able to haul myself to 6 kms in around 20 minutes, felt tired at the end of it. I had my laptop on my back as well. It took around 25 minutes in the evening, without any tired feeling...comparable to my other bicycle.
• You need to keep pedaling; or it would stop almost in an instant - maybe due to small wheels.
• I got it from Singla Cycle Works, Faridbad, HR. Its MRP is 29.5k (http://www.firefoxbikes.com/BikeDetails.aspx?BikeId=108 ), but Ankit gave me – as he puts it – a “cool deal” because I’m a member of his riders’ group (Audacity Riders, Faridabad). 
• Kind of attention grabber - number of catcalls/”Shabaash”/”Keep it up”/”Dhoom macha le…”  during morning ride was 20+ – a school-bus even drove along with me with conductor asking me the name of this bike – "Pholding…haaainnnn"? For the first time of my life car-drivers seemed to be a kind of polite, curious maybe! However, the juvenile, male population of this part of my country has probably never been taken out to a circus, so their reactions were nothing short than a group-ecstasy!
• At the office I didn’t ride it after de-boarding the bus because I didn’t want to be shooed away to the basement (parking), but the security guys at reception told me to hide it behind (under )his table as “it won’t look good”.  Nobody rides a bicycle ( in this office ) and that there is no parking space marked for bicycles, but, he said that he will talk to his supervisor to find a place for it in the basement (…damm, that would kill 10 minutes  every single day).
• Back to bus - In the evening there were some cycle-jokes and requests that I should prove that it indeed is ride-able – I’ve been asked to give a demo tomorrow .My bus-mates ‘re really nice and had kept the most spacious seat vacated for me.
• Evening ride was insignificant – except for a motor cycle rider came and asked the price. It was dark and I forgot to carry my helmet and lights, so a bit scary – I promise that I would always carry these in future.

The bike - Tern Link C7 

Folded 

Folded, and inside the bus

Folded, and inside the bus

Riding this bike - comfortable for a 6ft. person

Riding this bike - II