Well there's this one thing I have been wondering about for a while.
When you are a person like me who loves computers, you sure get to use a lot of different operating systems. I have had the experience of using many flavors of Linux, Mac OS X and of course the one that we all hate but use all the same, Windows.
Now as it turns out, different operating systems (or OS's for short) have different names for the same things. For example, what is known in windows as the command prompt, is known as the terminal in Linux and Unix based systems. (I know this comment of mine can start a holy war, but come-on, most of my patrons are not so geeky, and thus this would be a completely sensible comparison to them). The "All Programs" part of the (Start) Menu is the "Applications", and so on. One good thing though is that Firefox is Firefox wherever it exists.
There is one thing however that is differently named, and the way it is named makes me thing whether one big software company is trying to please the powers that be in a very subtle way.
With the advent of the gooey (GUI) operating systems, a feature that soon found its way into our lives was the ability to delete files, but not really pipe them to null. They were simply "moved" to another place, safe until explicitly deleted, or in some cases, found to be useful and moved back to the original place.
And this safe haven where the unwanted files find some solace is called the "Trash Can" by some and "Recycle Bin" by others. Now I am not trying to be some environmentalist or something, but these days, "Trash Can" is a bad word, especially with everyone shouting about the dying environment and the lost forest cover each year and what not. These days, it simply does not cut it.
And this is what some genius with enough foresight at that big software company figured out. He called his trash can the "Recycle Bin". Absolutely politically correct in today's world where for all I know, I might have committed a felony worthy of a few days in the cooler when I tossed that polythene bag in the "Burnable Rubbish" can instead of the "Recycle" one.
Guess this can give us some food for thought, but also, is this why all those open-source people can't get big governments to switch to their operating systems????
Monday, November 12, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Return of the Thermal Shock
Well, its been quite some time since the incidents I am about to write about here, but I believe that these do deserve a mention.
A query on Answers.com using the search term "Shock" (yes, an internet search, do you really expect this lazy-bum-wired-into-the-www fellow to ever look up a term in a hardback dictionary?) gives various results, and from them I will list the ones that most closely match the context of this post.
Shock1 (shŏk)
1. Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent unexpected blow.
2. The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.
The most common kind of shock that we always seem to be discussing about is Electric Shock, especially with the "Shock laga laga laga Shock laga" adverts doing the rounds.
However, the thing that I am about to discuss here is, as you must have guessed by the title, to heat. (thermal, thermodynamics, heat - all related things)
Now, keeping in line with the meaning, a thermal shock would be something that causes a blow by means of heat. Lets delve into the relevant details to better understand the situation and its implications.
As a part of my job description, I have to take part in Full Vehicle A/C performance testing. This activity is done on a vehicle chassis dynamo-meter in a closed climate controlled chamber. Now, to do this test, the chamber is kept at a temperature of 45o Celsius, gotta match the actual temperature conditions of the Indian summer after all. And compared to the control room, which has three heavy duty split air conditioners that can bring the room down below 20o, the chamber becomes something of an oven, capable of serving fresh baked psycho. Especially when the test is underway, the vehicle is doing 100kmph on the dynamo-meter and the engine cooling fan is more than keeping up.
So in the month of May, I was taking part in this A/C performance testing activity, and often had to go from the control room to the chamber during the test. From a cold 20o room to a 45o oven with 100kmph air blast had become the thermal shock I took on an hourly basis, sometimes more often.
And as if that was not enough, the same thing returned in September, where for two days I was re-involved in testing, and thus back into the realm of thermal shock. Hence the nomenclature of the post.
However, the best moment of thermal shock did not come in its return. It had come on a particularly hot May Day of testing.
We had to change some engine room components on the vehicle after completing a test cycle, and having run in that heated chamber for two hours, the engine was pretty much boiling. To cool it down quickly we decided to bring down the chamber to 15o and also manually turn on the engine cooling fan of the chamber to create an airflow of 50kmph. And this is the moment when out boss decided to walk in on the chamber from the afternoon heat of that day. Expecting a similar environ inside the chamber, he walked into a Himalayan storm. The look on his face while gesturing to us in the control room to cut out the chamber fan through the observation window will be the signature "thermal shock" image imprinted on our minds. For a long time to come.
A query on Answers.com using the search term "Shock" (yes, an internet search, do you really expect this lazy-bum-wired-into-the-www fellow to ever look up a term in a hardback dictionary?) gives various results, and from them I will list the ones that most closely match the context of this post.
Shock1 (shŏk)
1. Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent unexpected blow.
2. The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.
The most common kind of shock that we always seem to be discussing about is Electric Shock, especially with the "Shock laga laga laga Shock laga" adverts doing the rounds.
However, the thing that I am about to discuss here is, as you must have guessed by the title, to heat. (thermal, thermodynamics, heat - all related things)
Now, keeping in line with the meaning, a thermal shock would be something that causes a blow by means of heat. Lets delve into the relevant details to better understand the situation and its implications.
As a part of my job description, I have to take part in Full Vehicle A/C performance testing. This activity is done on a vehicle chassis dynamo-meter in a closed climate controlled chamber. Now, to do this test, the chamber is kept at a temperature of 45o Celsius, gotta match the actual temperature conditions of the Indian summer after all. And compared to the control room, which has three heavy duty split air conditioners that can bring the room down below 20o, the chamber becomes something of an oven, capable of serving fresh baked psycho. Especially when the test is underway, the vehicle is doing 100kmph on the dynamo-meter and the engine cooling fan is more than keeping up.
So in the month of May, I was taking part in this A/C performance testing activity, and often had to go from the control room to the chamber during the test. From a cold 20o room to a 45o oven with 100kmph air blast had become the thermal shock I took on an hourly basis, sometimes more often.
And as if that was not enough, the same thing returned in September, where for two days I was re-involved in testing, and thus back into the realm of thermal shock. Hence the nomenclature of the post.
However, the best moment of thermal shock did not come in its return. It had come on a particularly hot May Day of testing.
We had to change some engine room components on the vehicle after completing a test cycle, and having run in that heated chamber for two hours, the engine was pretty much boiling. To cool it down quickly we decided to bring down the chamber to 15o and also manually turn on the engine cooling fan of the chamber to create an airflow of 50kmph. And this is the moment when out boss decided to walk in on the chamber from the afternoon heat of that day. Expecting a similar environ inside the chamber, he walked into a Himalayan storm. The look on his face while gesturing to us in the control room to cut out the chamber fan through the observation window will be the signature "thermal shock" image imprinted on our minds. For a long time to come.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Postcard From Japan
Okay, it has been a pretty long time now since I last posted. On second thoughts, it hasn't just been a "pretty long time", it has been a truckload of time to the power of infinity, it has been three frigging months for crying out loud....
Anyway, whatever's happened has happened so now's high time to post a post.
So, where was I. Yeah, in Gurgaon on some 16th floor of a slick building last time around. But now, I am on the 4th floor (or rather 5th floor in the traditional Japanese way, and also the Indian way, the "paanchwi manzil") of an multi-apartment building, sitting infront of a lappie (yes a lappie, this gaming rig afficiando has been reduced to a lappie user), typing out this post to my blog after ages...
But why am I sounding so negative, heck its been a great time these last three months. Had done a lotta testing work back home at Maruti, enjoyed it thoroughly, got a great chance to come here to SMC, Japan and so here I am, in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
So, I arrived here in Japan on 27th May, 2007, rode the Shinkansen (bullet train for the totally Japanignorant) to Hamamatsu, and will be here for a total of two and a half months. The town's a nice peaceful place, and although it is on the seashore, you can't really feel the humidity, perhaps because of the low ambient temperatures (ever heard of someone wearing jackets in the month of June).
Now before you people start bombarding me with questions like "Is Japan as crazy as the movies show us?", I will dispel all the rumors by stating that Japan (well, atleast Hamamatsu) is as normal as a place can be. Dunno about Tokyo as yet, might get a chance to tell ya all about that place if I take a trip there in July.
As far as other things are concerned, the trains here are awesome. No, they are Legen-wait for it-dary. I mean you can set your watches by their departures from the stations, and that is why travelling by train to office is such an easy job. Outta apartment at about 7:50AM, take a return ticket from the machine at 8:01AM, board the 8:09 train, get outta the train at the first stop, and u're in office before 8:30. Perfect.
Some of the superstores here are HUGE, and by HUGE, I mean so severely oversized that it took the three of us almost a whole day to buy two pairs of shoes and a pair of floaters. Did a lot of random roaming around that day too, and it was fun. That was the first day of the last weekend, and on Sunday, we went to the Hamana Lake that is in Hamamatsu. Well not it is not technically a lake being joined to the sea after an earthquake, but still it is a B-E-A-utiful place. And yesterday, just roaming around the town on streets that we had not used before, we stumbled upon Hamamatsu Castle, or what remains of it, a small Castle Tower. Passed by a wedding at a Church too, while roaming around before arriving at the Castle.
Hadta clean up my room today but spent almost the entire day in bed, watching a movie, and gotta admit it, that is for sure the better way to spend the lazy Sunday after a late bar night Saturday.
Hmm, that seems to be enough material to write on a postcard. Heck, I'd have to hire professionals to write in tiny letters if I ever want to put so much text on a normal paper postcard, thank the internet and google and blogger and a keyboard that we can put so much of crap online for potentially everyone to read.
Enough of my rambling for now, cya laters.
Anyway, whatever's happened has happened so now's high time to post a post.
So, where was I. Yeah, in Gurgaon on some 16th floor of a slick building last time around. But now, I am on the 4th floor (or rather 5th floor in the traditional Japanese way, and also the Indian way, the "paanchwi manzil") of an multi-apartment building, sitting infront of a lappie (yes a lappie, this gaming rig afficiando has been reduced to a lappie user), typing out this post to my blog after ages...
But why am I sounding so negative, heck its been a great time these last three months. Had done a lotta testing work back home at Maruti, enjoyed it thoroughly, got a great chance to come here to SMC, Japan and so here I am, in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
So, I arrived here in Japan on 27th May, 2007, rode the Shinkansen (bullet train for the totally Japanignorant) to Hamamatsu, and will be here for a total of two and a half months. The town's a nice peaceful place, and although it is on the seashore, you can't really feel the humidity, perhaps because of the low ambient temperatures (ever heard of someone wearing jackets in the month of June).
Now before you people start bombarding me with questions like "Is Japan as crazy as the movies show us?", I will dispel all the rumors by stating that Japan (well, atleast Hamamatsu) is as normal as a place can be. Dunno about Tokyo as yet, might get a chance to tell ya all about that place if I take a trip there in July.
As far as other things are concerned, the trains here are awesome. No, they are Legen-wait for it-dary. I mean you can set your watches by their departures from the stations, and that is why travelling by train to office is such an easy job. Outta apartment at about 7:50AM, take a return ticket from the machine at 8:01AM, board the 8:09 train, get outta the train at the first stop, and u're in office before 8:30. Perfect.
Some of the superstores here are HUGE, and by HUGE, I mean so severely oversized that it took the three of us almost a whole day to buy two pairs of shoes and a pair of floaters. Did a lot of random roaming around that day too, and it was fun. That was the first day of the last weekend, and on Sunday, we went to the Hamana Lake that is in Hamamatsu. Well not it is not technically a lake being joined to the sea after an earthquake, but still it is a B-E-A-utiful place. And yesterday, just roaming around the town on streets that we had not used before, we stumbled upon Hamamatsu Castle, or what remains of it, a small Castle Tower. Passed by a wedding at a Church too, while roaming around before arriving at the Castle.
Hadta clean up my room today but spent almost the entire day in bed, watching a movie, and gotta admit it, that is for sure the better way to spend the lazy Sunday after a late bar night Saturday.
Hmm, that seems to be enough material to write on a postcard. Heck, I'd have to hire professionals to write in tiny letters if I ever want to put so much text on a normal paper postcard, thank the internet and google and blogger and a keyboard that we can put so much of crap online for potentially everyone to read.
Enough of my rambling for now, cya laters.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Dilemma of Dressing Up
Well, you'd have one too if you go to office daily in a uniform and suddenly you are supposed to go to work NOT in a uniform but in regular clothes. That too for ten days straight. You're in big trouble. You have no idea what is the usual dress style at work these days. You cannot decide on what to wear from the few normal clothes you have tucked away in some corner of the wardrobe. And sometimes you have no idea where that corner of the wardrobe is.
Life on the 16th floor was one such period. Ten days of work away from office. Well, at least its over for me now. But now the same dilemma haunts my roomie. Its his turn now on the 16h floor, and he's as confused as me. All I can say to him is "Suit Up".
Life on the 16th floor was one such period. Ten days of work away from office. Well, at least its over for me now. But now the same dilemma haunts my roomie. Its his turn now on the 16h floor, and he's as confused as me. All I can say to him is "Suit Up".
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Life on the 16th floor
So i have been outta the office for about a week now. NO, I am not AWOL. I am on an official CAD software training, and the training location is the slick corporate office of the company that provides the software to my company. Now this office happens to be on the 16th floor of one of those newfangled Gurgaon buildings, and oh my, its a sight to behold looking out from the windows of the training room.
Here are a few of the pics i took minutes after reaching that place (thank you camera phone :D). The parked cars and bikes, the road a hundred meters away, and the flat expanse of Gurgaon and Delhi in the distance. It looks AWESOME. Click on the images to see full sized versions.
PS. This is also the 50th post in my blog. Glad that I could bring it to this milestone. Gotta try and make it go a much longer distance.
Here are a few of the pics i took minutes after reaching that place (thank you camera phone :D). The parked cars and bikes, the road a hundred meters away, and the flat expanse of Gurgaon and Delhi in the distance. It looks AWESOME. Click on the images to see full sized versions.
PS. This is also the 50th post in my blog. Glad that I could bring it to this milestone. Gotta try and make it go a much longer distance.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Changing Lanes
Sometime, going along the unmetalled highway of life, you stick to a lane, following something elusive so intently that you sort of miss out on what else is there around you.
Maybe you realize what has been happening, and suddenly you are jerked out of your trance. Or, it takes a friend to put you back on track. But sooner or later, it happens. You change lanes on the highway. With the hope that you don't fall back into the trance anymore.
Maybe you realize what has been happening, and suddenly you are jerked out of your trance. Or, it takes a friend to put you back on track. But sooner or later, it happens. You change lanes on the highway. With the hope that you don't fall back into the trance anymore.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Two wheels and an engine
The motorcycle has changed a lot in its century old existence. There have been hundreds and thousands of technological advances, countless changes in design philosophies, lots of ups and downs in the motorcycle industry, but the essence has remained the same - Two Wheels and an Engine.
Among all the various automobiles the motorcycle is the most expressive. In a car or something similar, you are enclosed in a claustrophobic cabin, way too isolated from the elements. On a motorbike you are free. You can be as close to nature as you want to be. They say that only a biker knows why a dog sticks it head outta the car window. The wind in the hair feeling is more than awesome. (The full face helmets take away most of this feeling, but safety is also a prime concern.. right).
I read in a book that the first bike race happened when two bikers met on the street somewhere. That is the spirit of biking. Today, bike racing is a huge sport, spread across various categories. And there is nothing like the sound of a high revving bike engine on an idle Sunday afternoon.
There are various types of bikes available on the market, the lean mean sports bikes with screaming engines, the muscular big engined bikes, and the cruisers with seats like couches and engines throbbing away in a chorus of rumble. Choose whatever suits you, it will be pure fun. Go on a brisk uphill drive on a winding road or let a bike stretch its legs on a long open highway, it will be pure exhilaration.
As I write this post, newer and more powerful bikes are being launched in India, with a lot more hope for the future. Some day, I hope to be able to ride a three-quarters engined bike here, and it might be sooner rather than later given how things are progressing.
This post was a tribute to motorbiking by the author, who returned to two wheels after more than a month of imprisonment inside four wheeled automobiles.
Among all the various automobiles the motorcycle is the most expressive. In a car or something similar, you are enclosed in a claustrophobic cabin, way too isolated from the elements. On a motorbike you are free. You can be as close to nature as you want to be. They say that only a biker knows why a dog sticks it head outta the car window. The wind in the hair feeling is more than awesome. (The full face helmets take away most of this feeling, but safety is also a prime concern.. right).
I read in a book that the first bike race happened when two bikers met on the street somewhere. That is the spirit of biking. Today, bike racing is a huge sport, spread across various categories. And there is nothing like the sound of a high revving bike engine on an idle Sunday afternoon.
There are various types of bikes available on the market, the lean mean sports bikes with screaming engines, the muscular big engined bikes, and the cruisers with seats like couches and engines throbbing away in a chorus of rumble. Choose whatever suits you, it will be pure fun. Go on a brisk uphill drive on a winding road or let a bike stretch its legs on a long open highway, it will be pure exhilaration.
As I write this post, newer and more powerful bikes are being launched in India, with a lot more hope for the future. Some day, I hope to be able to ride a three-quarters engined bike here, and it might be sooner rather than later given how things are progressing.
This post was a tribute to motorbiking by the author, who returned to two wheels after more than a month of imprisonment inside four wheeled automobiles.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Chandigarh Times
This post recollects some of the memories of the month long Sales and Service "Training" trip to the Chandigarh regional office. Trying to put this one in a new style...
Gurgaon to Chandigarh
Sunday, November 26, 2006. 1100 Hrs.
Dump all the luggage in the car, pick up Rockstar from his place. Drive from Gurgaon to Chandigarh with a lunch stopover at Karna Lake. Reach at about 1800 Hrs and settle into that hole of a PG accommodation.
One hour @ Sec.17
Friday, December 01, 2006. 1700 Hrs
Go to the Sector 17 market in Chandigarh, see a Subway and enter. Eat to your heart's content. Go out and buy two novels at a bookstore, roam around for sometime and then go back "home". One hour, seven hundred bucks. Good time.
Wheelspin / Slipping Clutch
Saturday, December 02, 2006. 2300Hrs.
Front row at a traffic intersection. Slot the transmission into 1st gear, bring the clutch to the biting point. As the light turns green, drop the hammer on the gas pedal (accelerator for the uninitiated) and release the clutch. Wheelspin off the mark and scare the living daylights outta the rear seat passenger. Bliss :D.
Lazy Dayz
Wednesday/Thursday, December 06-07, 2006.
AWOL from office for two straight days, lying down on the bed all day, reading those novels bought earlier. Sort of reliving some of the time spent likewise during college days. Lazy is fun :).
Three Crazy Days
Saturday - Monday, December 09-11, 2006.
Start from Chandigarh at 0615 Hrs for Rohtak, drive in the fog for around quarter of an hour at an ant's pace, and then floor it for a breakneck speed drive at upto 140kmph, making it a total of 240km in four hours. Spend the day at Rohtak, stay up late partying, drive to Delhi and then to Gurgaon, pack up stuff for moving, go back to Delhi to attend a wedding, stay up all night, drive back to Gurgaon. Sleep for four hours before another long drive to Chandigarh. 3 Days, close to 800kms, with a total of ten hours' sleep in between. That's a good pace to live life at.
A novel a day keeps the office away
Friday, December 15, 2006. 2200 Hrs.
Continuing the tradition of the Lazy Dayz, read one more novel in a day being AWOL from office. Perhaps for the last time ever.
Wrapping Up
Saturday, December 23, 2006. 1430 Hrs.
Get a lucky early relief from office on the last working day. Rush to the PG and haphazardly dump all luggage in the car, and pick up some more from Rockstar's place. Drive non stop from there to Delhi to end the month long tryst.
Gurgaon to Chandigarh
Sunday, November 26, 2006. 1100 Hrs.
Dump all the luggage in the car, pick up Rockstar from his place. Drive from Gurgaon to Chandigarh with a lunch stopover at Karna Lake. Reach at about 1800 Hrs and settle into that hole of a PG accommodation.
One hour @ Sec.17
Friday, December 01, 2006. 1700 Hrs
Go to the Sector 17 market in Chandigarh, see a Subway and enter. Eat to your heart's content. Go out and buy two novels at a bookstore, roam around for sometime and then go back "home". One hour, seven hundred bucks. Good time.
Wheelspin / Slipping Clutch
Saturday, December 02, 2006. 2300Hrs.
Front row at a traffic intersection. Slot the transmission into 1st gear, bring the clutch to the biting point. As the light turns green, drop the hammer on the gas pedal (accelerator for the uninitiated) and release the clutch. Wheelspin off the mark and scare the living daylights outta the rear seat passenger. Bliss :D.
Lazy Dayz
Wednesday/Thursday, December 06-07, 2006.
AWOL from office for two straight days, lying down on the bed all day, reading those novels bought earlier. Sort of reliving some of the time spent likewise during college days. Lazy is fun :).
Three Crazy Days
Saturday - Monday, December 09-11, 2006.
Start from Chandigarh at 0615 Hrs for Rohtak, drive in the fog for around quarter of an hour at an ant's pace, and then floor it for a breakneck speed drive at upto 140kmph, making it a total of 240km in four hours. Spend the day at Rohtak, stay up late partying, drive to Delhi and then to Gurgaon, pack up stuff for moving, go back to Delhi to attend a wedding, stay up all night, drive back to Gurgaon. Sleep for four hours before another long drive to Chandigarh. 3 Days, close to 800kms, with a total of ten hours' sleep in between. That's a good pace to live life at.
A novel a day keeps the office away
Friday, December 15, 2006. 2200 Hrs.
Continuing the tradition of the Lazy Dayz, read one more novel in a day being AWOL from office. Perhaps for the last time ever.
Wrapping Up
Saturday, December 23, 2006. 1430 Hrs.
Get a lucky early relief from office on the last working day. Rush to the PG and haphazardly dump all luggage in the car, and pick up some more from Rockstar's place. Drive non stop from there to Delhi to end the month long tryst.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
O, B, T and I
OBT here stands for Out-Bound Training. They say that it is an important part of the training we undergo as fresh engineers but all we care about are the three days of endless fun at the riverbank.
We had our outbound training from 20th November to 23rd November. (Sorry for such a late blog-post). It all began at the factory premises where we all boarded a bus for the overnight journey to Rishikesh and then on to Shivpuri Camp. There were about twenty-five of us and we crossed the river to get to the campsite in rafts, riding on the current of the last rapids, after the bus driver had brought us down to the accessible bank by driving along a precariously inclined path. The view around us was wallpaper material so we all snapped a few pictures.
And then the training began. We had a few sessions of trust building exercises, but this was the dull part of the game. Later in the evening we had artificial rock-wall climbing and grappling, in which yours truly lost his nerves after reaching the midway point. (note to self: reduce weight + gain some more strength).
We then returned to the camp to a bonfire party before dinner. Acoustic guitar and hoarse voices jammed on some of the favorite bonfire tunes, and it was a time to enjoy.
Next day we had some more adventure sports, Burma-bridge crossing, valley crossing (suspended upside down - military style), and the best part of the trip - the raft building and test drive. Using bamboo poles, two large plastic containers, three inflated tire tubes and rope, we made rafts that braved the river. Funny thing was that we thought that each team had to take only one test ride, so we selected all those who knew how to swim for the job. Later, we found that there had to be two test rides and on the second one four of us who did not know swimming at all got to take out the raft. Was awesome :D.
Later that evening, after dusk, we went into the woods for a "night-navigation", where we got thoroughly lost and reached to the camp pretty late. Where it was time for another Bonfire Party. This one was much more enjoyable than the previous day's (primarily because I had about twice the amount of alcohol inside me compared to last evening).
Stayed up that whole night with friends, and then the next day we had another team building and co-ordination exercise. Rolling Basketballs. Had lunch and then we set off back for Gurgaon. Exhausted, almost everyone slept off in the beginning of the journey, but later we all woke up and sang ourselves hoarse(i.e. with whatever was left of our voices after two days of singing at bonfires). We also shot a interview movie with what everyone had to say about the OBT Trip.
At the end of it, these three days seems too less a time, the OBT seemed to get over all too quickly. Kya karein, yeh dil maange more.
Looking back at that time now, it wasn't just an endless sequence of adventures and exercises, it was rather more about strengthening friendships, starting new ones and having one hell of a blast, which for me was after a long long time.
We had our outbound training from 20th November to 23rd November. (Sorry for such a late blog-post). It all began at the factory premises where we all boarded a bus for the overnight journey to Rishikesh and then on to Shivpuri Camp. There were about twenty-five of us and we crossed the river to get to the campsite in rafts, riding on the current of the last rapids, after the bus driver had brought us down to the accessible bank by driving along a precariously inclined path. The view around us was wallpaper material so we all snapped a few pictures.
And then the training began. We had a few sessions of trust building exercises, but this was the dull part of the game. Later in the evening we had artificial rock-wall climbing and grappling, in which yours truly lost his nerves after reaching the midway point. (note to self: reduce weight + gain some more strength).
We then returned to the camp to a bonfire party before dinner. Acoustic guitar and hoarse voices jammed on some of the favorite bonfire tunes, and it was a time to enjoy.
Next day we had some more adventure sports, Burma-bridge crossing, valley crossing (suspended upside down - military style), and the best part of the trip - the raft building and test drive. Using bamboo poles, two large plastic containers, three inflated tire tubes and rope, we made rafts that braved the river. Funny thing was that we thought that each team had to take only one test ride, so we selected all those who knew how to swim for the job. Later, we found that there had to be two test rides and on the second one four of us who did not know swimming at all got to take out the raft. Was awesome :D.
Later that evening, after dusk, we went into the woods for a "night-navigation", where we got thoroughly lost and reached to the camp pretty late. Where it was time for another Bonfire Party. This one was much more enjoyable than the previous day's (primarily because I had about twice the amount of alcohol inside me compared to last evening).
Stayed up that whole night with friends, and then the next day we had another team building and co-ordination exercise. Rolling Basketballs. Had lunch and then we set off back for Gurgaon. Exhausted, almost everyone slept off in the beginning of the journey, but later we all woke up and sang ourselves hoarse(i.e. with whatever was left of our voices after two days of singing at bonfires). We also shot a interview movie with what everyone had to say about the OBT Trip.
At the end of it, these three days seems too less a time, the OBT seemed to get over all too quickly. Kya karein, yeh dil maange more.
Looking back at that time now, it wasn't just an endless sequence of adventures and exercises, it was rather more about strengthening friendships, starting new ones and having one hell of a blast, which for me was after a long long time.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Reboot
Been outta the loop for too long. Time to reboot the blog and we do it now. Lotta things to write about the last 2 months, so a few posts coming up quick. Hope you(whoever reads this blog by mistake) enjoy 'em.
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