The Story

I was getting ready for the office and as usual, even though I was not getting late, I was rushing thru it. My cell phone rang. While putting on my belt, I glanced at the phone over the table. it was a '+91-97-something' number. My mind, much like the google keyword search, raced and reach to conclusion that its a call from the Bombay area. Half sure that its my friend calling from her office, I picked up. I heard a very muffled 'hello' in a female voice. The feminine voice confirmed my guess and feeling smug (on my powerful deductive logic), i started my conversation without any pleasantries. A minute into the conversation, I realized that the muffled voice was still there. Cursing the AT&T network and the dead-spot at my appartment. I hung up saying that I will call back from a better coverage spot. I dialed back my friends cell number from my contacts. She picked up the phone and I started talking, continuing from where I left. After a moment, based on her puzzled reaction and laugh, I realized that it wasn't her that I was talking to earlier. As usual I got a small lecture on my lack of social skills. I hung up and looked at the number again. I had no idea who else it could be. I dialed back the number. I sweet and clear voice replied. I asked who she was and she says 'Hi I am Gauri and your father has asked me to talk to you regarding possible alliance for a matrimony?'

This was back in mid March 2010. A few months from now (December 2010) I am going to marry Ms Gauri. Its funny how people say all great couples have a good 'first-meeting-story'. I feel ours is not that bad either :) She still laughs at the very mention of it.She says 'Somehow the incident felt like a good, refreshing and a fun begining'
Amen

more later...


*****Ankur
Posted from my iPhone

Location:SW Greenburg Rd,Beaverton-Hillsboro,United States

The pen and paper approach

As a part of my usual non-busy-sunday-evening routine, I spent a couple of hours in Barnes and Noble.This time instead of being at the fiction/comic/magazine section for most of the time, I was actually at the stationary and journals aisle for a good part. The notebooks/journals there attracted me. I usually carry a small notebook, which I like to call as my idea pad, with myself most of the places. I try to take small notes of the things I notice which might or might not be used for my writing. This make me think how much of pen and paper do we really use these days? Its really nice that the electronic paper (e-paper) concept is doing a lot in saving the trees and 'keeping earth green'. Call me old-school but I still feel that using pen-and-paper is the 'coolest' way to go for writers! It might be hypocritical of me as I myself rely so much on my handheld device for pretty much everything from taking notes, recording voice memos ,writing and even publishing. Yet my idea pad, more so often, plays a pretty significant role to whatever small amount of writing I do. Had my handwriting was better and I could 'understand' what I wrote (with the context) later, my idea pad would be a big success.
Its the things like the cursive black ink on the paper, off-hand diagrams, lots of arrows, the boxes I draw,the sound when I flip the paper and the eternity that lasts with every word I write (unless I trash it) are some of the many reasons I stick with the old fashioned way of collecting ideas. The idea of the idea pad came in from Jerry Sienfeld when he told that thats the way he does it!!

more later...


*****Ankur
Posted from my iPhone

Location:SW Greenburg Rd,Beaverton-Hillsboro,United States

The Hunt for Northern Lights

It's 11 PM in the night and I am standing with my roommate in the empty parking lot of the LL Stub Stewart state park Oregon waiting for the phenomenal northern lights to show up. His acute interest in photography and my interest of doing something crazy on a weekday night has brought us here to this vacant state park. With surrounding dark trees, beetle sounds and low light , this place seems just an incident away from a horror movie in the making. Nonetheless we are determined to get the thrill, if not any picture or sighting!! While my roommate works on his camera, the iPhone and the power of my thoughts is helping me to keep my mind off from looking out for Freddy or Jason.
More later...


*****Ankur
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Banks-Vernonia State Trail,Coast Range,United States