what i yam

Your Dominant Intelligence is Spatial Intelligence

You've got a good sense of space and how the world around you looks.You can close your eyes and "see" images. You have innate artistic talent.An eye for color and shapes, you're also a natural designer.Since you think in pictures, visual aids and demonstartions help you learn best. You would make a good navigator, sculptor, visual artist, inventor, architect, interior designer, or engineer.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

my baggage

"aap ke laptop wale bag main kitni saari cheejain hai!", my cousin ASHISH exclaimed. even after returning to PUNE from BHILAI he hasnt given up hindi yet. "cheejain" was nothing but the collection of all sorts of cables and cable derivatives he saw in my laptop bag - LAN cable, phone charger, laptop cable, phone cable, usb cable, ipod cable, nokia headphones, ipod headphones...i just now realised my life is really WIRED!

my job involves considerable travelling - domestic as well as international. and one thing which is synonym with travelling is the "BAGGAGE". though all the cables listed above might seem absurd for others, i am handicapped without any of them. and hence that too form a part of my baggage.

BAGGAGE for me is somethings related to work, somethings to pass time, somethings for luck, somethings which are mandatory, somethings for survival and somethings without any reasons.

i remember one incident during my initial travelling days, where i went to CHIPLOON for a day and had to stay there was 2 days. i didnt even had a toothpaste! but i guess i have evolved all through these years. now you'll find even a needle in my bag (just in case).

take the following scenarios which is part of my life....
1. "you can come back from the airport, the trip is postponed!"
2. "change in plans, instead of chennai you travel today to delhi"
3. "oh shucks! the flight is missed"
4. "we regret the inconvenience caused. the flight is delayed by 5 hours."
5. oh! was the original plan for 6 months stay? i think you have to come back by end of the second week!
6. oh! was the original plan for 2 weeks stay? i think you have to stay there for a month!

to deal with this i have arrived at a standard baggage, go for 2 days or go for 2 months. here is an insight into few things i usually carry during my travel...

things you will always find in my laptop bag
# toshiba satellite A50 laptop – an asset wholly owned by my company
# transcend pendrive (1 GB) – used by me as a DISASTER recovery tool
# bluetooth dongle - for wireless data transfers
# iPod (2 GB) – now that’s called “TECHNOLOGY”.
# identity card – but all recognize me even without it!
# security device – silly device given by the bank.
# nokia 3230 mobile phone – used more to receive all contest/promotional/new credit card/mahindra holiday/personal loans messages from companies all over india!

things you will surely find in my red FOOTLOOSE backpack
# nikon D50 SLR - my dream machine
# nikor 18-55 mm lens – the front wheel
# nikor 55-200 mm lens – the rear wheel
# book - currently it is “the inheritance of loss”
# compass – was a useful tool in PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA. not used nowadays as i know BOMBAY by heart.
# small torch – mostly used to find a candle during powercuts
# match box – a memory of my stay at hotel HOLIDAY VILLA, SUBANG JAYA, MALAYSIA and i decided to carry this after i saw CAST AWAY.
# 4-5 pencil cells – food for my torch
# small RAJASTHANI pouch – contains few left over currencies and coins of 6 countries
# bronze GANESH idol - about an inch small
# knit hat - dropped the old one somewhere in PUNE while traveling on the bike, bought a new one now!
# sweater – the one i picked up from CARREFOUR, DUBAI
# soframycin – sab dard ki ek dava!

things you will surely find in my black BALLY wallet
# 2 international corporate credit cards - “once bitten twice shy”, i never believed in them till my baggage went missing for three days at JOHANNESBURG international airport.
# 2 debit cards - since the probability of getting at least one of those ATM’s are high during my domestic tours
# PAN card - quite useful nowadays for e-ticket reservations
# driving license - memorabilia of my long stay at HYDERABAD
# crossword - book reward card - a yellow card i use to buy books without any discounts!
# lifestyle – inner circle card – used to buy “GHONGDA” (in marathi it means a thick blanket usually found on shoulders of a DHANGAR- a shepherd), a term kept by my mom for my JEANS.
# planet M – m-xtasy world card - planning to shred this card as the cases of “ we don’t have that movie/cd sir!” have increased
# 5$ note – no particular reason for keeping it. its just there.
# 17/18 century coin – i really can’t remember where i got this from. the coin is somewhere from GERMANY-AUSTRIA. one side of the coin says “BONZO KNOPLE” and the other side says “60.ARCHIDUX.AVS.IRIA” rest is unreadable, there is a prominent symbol in the centre, of a bird with two heads.

mirchi – it’s hot!

since the past couple of weeks i am at my uncle’s place, enjoying the winter in PUNE. it’s always a pleasure to spend DECEMBER in pune. this is the month i have rendezvous with MISS CHILIING COLD. and i just love her company. it is during this time of the year we together celebrate my BIRTHDAY and none the less welcome the coming YEAR.

me and amol (my cousin) were standing outside HORN OK PLEASE, a restaurant on FC road (FERGUSSON COLLEGE ROAD for non puneites), when the clock struck 00.00, waiting for our food parcel to arrive. there was quite a crowd massed up on the road, all geared up to welcome 2007. i did welcome it in my own way by blowing whistles without a care! the sky was lit with fire crackers soon, and the whole crowd was lit with a buzz. later we drove to the DAGDUSHET HALWAI temple, a “shree ganesha” to the new year with lord GANESHA’S grace. we had a movie for dessert that morning - THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY - I. everyone including me laughed till death (nobody woke up till 11.00 am).

it was during my last visit to pune in OCTOBER last year when i had heard a very special interview on the radio. i was traveling after work from HINJEWADI back home, sitting in the back seat lost in my own thoughts, and the radio was switched on in the car.

RJ: aaj hamare saath hai ek bahut he special guest. haan bhai wo pune ke hi hai! shayad hi koi pune main itna kismatwala hoga. unse hum der sari baate karenge, soonte rahiyega….

airtel and pan parag promotions!

RJ: shaam mirchidaar banane ke liye aaj hamare saath hai ek special guest. in mahashay ne ANGELINA JOLIE aur BRADD PITT ko pune ki sair karwayi or wo bhi apne autorickshaw main. baat karenge apne hi BABANRAO LONKAR ke saath.

RJ: babanrao sahab, aapne to kamal hi kardiya. saari duniya jin sitaro ki ek jhalak ko taraste hai unko aapne pune ki sair karayi. wah bhai! kafi kismatwale ho, kaash hamere bhi aise naseeb hote. to batayiye…..

RJ: apne kabhi angelina ya brad ke bare main suna tha?
Babanrao Lonkar: nahi pehle to nahi suna tha. phir pata chala ke kafi famous log hai.
RJ: aree kamal hai. chalo aage kya hua sunte hai is chote se break ke baad..

promotions again!

RJ: kaisa lag raha hia aap ko?
Babanrao Lonkar: kaisa matlab? achha lag raha hai. aisa baar baar nahi hota.

RJ: angelina ne aap se kya kya baatein ki?
Babanrao Lonkar: madame aisa hai ki, jab tak koi customer hamse baat nahi karta hum unse bat nahi karte. anjaylina ne mere se kuch baat nahi ki. wo aap pas main baat kar rahe the.

RJ: kya baat kar rahe the?
Babanrao Lonkar: wo aapas main hi english main baat kar rahe the.

more promotions!

RJ: maddox kya kar raha tha? ro nahi raha tha? apne mummy daddy ko pareshan nahi kar raha tha?
Babanrao Lonkar: nahi wo chup chap un dono ke beech main baita tha.

RJ: ye baatayiye, kya aap is plot main shaamil the? matlab kya aap ko pehle se hi pata tha unke is adventurous program ke baare main?
Babanrao Lonkar: nahi main to bas rickshaw leke hotel ke samne se ja raha tha. hotel ke aadmi ne roka aur kahan “andar customer hai pune city ke leyi”. maine “haan” bola, aur rickshaw hotel ke gate se andar le li. aur wo teeno meri rickshaw main bait gaye.

the interview went on. it was since a month all pune was in a fever called "BRANGELINA". go everywhere, read anything and you would only hear those two names. they were here for shooting "A MIGHTY HEART", a movie based on DANIEL PEARL. even me and amol had once gone hunting for angelina (just for a glimpse) at SINDH COLONY the place where the scenes were shot. the sad part, we couldnt get through the tightly secured place. that guy, babanrao lonkar, must be really lucky i thought. he had a brush with no ordinary stars. just the pictures of them could easily sell in million dollars, he had seen them in flesh & blood. when the whole world was searching for "just a glimpse" of those stars, they were enjoying a ride with our mr. babanrao lonkar. lucky chap!

the next morning i was about to leave for office when i picked up the news paper for the headlines. i saw an article just below it. the article was on a guy who had taken angelina & co for a ride in pune in his autorikshaw. his name was SHEIKH!!