Regrets...

Regrets are like that cold gust of wind that sneaks in from the edges of your clothes, even when you're all covered up and chills the bone - at the most expected or unexpected moment.

In fact happiness is a function of regrets. Eventually the most content individuals are the ones that have the least regrets. About the choices made in life, the options taken and the ones that were'nt, the exits and the scenic routes that were missed in the decision of that split second or the ones that were taken and led to bumper-to-bumper traffic...

Riddle...

Say you're gifted an iPod one day. You start listening to it every day on your ride to work. Thats all you do for the next 3 months. Then one day you lose it and there is no way you can afford to buy it.

Now you simply don't know what to do on your way to work. Sure there were other things you did before you had the iPod, but then now you've gotten so used to listening to music, anything else seems a lot less enjoyable.

At this point do you regret ever having an iPod in the first place or be happy that you got to listen to it for a while?

Update: Eventually you forget you ever had an iPod, but somehow the tunes you heard stay in your mind forever...

Friends?

I dislike people that use their friends...scratch 'dislike', I hate them. You know, the kinds that will use friendship as a means to manipulate you to their advantage, never once caring about you.

Unfortunately, these kinds of people think that they have calculated everything and everyone to get what they want, without anyone knowing their reality. But thats hardly true - eventually everyone sees through them. I think in the long run, while they get smaller things worked to their advantage they end up losing much bigger things - friendship and more importantly respect.

I give the people I know benifit of doubt most times. I sometimes go out of the way to help someone, but its a rotten feeling to find out that someone just "used" his/her assocation with you by manipulating you. I am usually not the confrontational type and never one to end a friendship with a fight. But then again I do end friendships by gradaully drifting away once I discover someone like that.

On the Road....

Road trip diary update 1
So I decided since I am taking such a long trip, its only fair that I keep track of the trip by keeping a diary on my blog.
I left Houston at 6 pm. The idea was to try to beat the rush hour traffic. But I was late as usual and landed right in the middle of it. So it took me about an hour to get outta Houston. But after that it was smooth. Its 8.45 pm and this is my fist stop. Dont know what exactly this place is - nothing worth remembering. Picture this here I am sitting on my laptop and typing away on notepad, in a gas station/diner with only truckers and white country boys around me. Probably looklike a stereotypical desi geek. But I cant help it I am gonna write on this trip just so I keep track of it somewhere since I dont even have a digital camera withme, everythings gonna be in here. And some day when I get really famous they'llprolly make a movie on this trip.....:)

Road trip diary update 2
1 am, 6/23/2005
I have pulled over in some rest area to sleep for a few hours on my cars back seat. Just crossed San Antonio a little while. Looked like a small boring town.

Road trip diary update 3
12 pm 6/23/2005
Started driving at 6.30 am. It was awsome driving before sunrise, it seemed likesuch a nice day till about 11 when it started to get freakin hot. Theres reallynothing noteworthy on this drive. It seems like an endless road. Forget about habitat of any kindtheres not even too many cars, just a few trucks. The land around is just so flatand dry most times and then there are really weird shaped small mountains once in a while!
I have almost my entire collection of CDs and it still seems like I dont have enough music. The local radio just sucks. But I havent been bored since Ive been on the phonewith friends calling...some expected some completely unexpected who had no clue where I was.

Road trip diary update 4
1 pm
Did I say nothing exciting was happening? I just got pulled over. And no, I wasnt over the speed limit, atleast not when I came across the trooper. My fault was thatI did not slow down seeing a state trooper's car on the side with lights flashing.Apparently you need to slow down by 20 miles when you see that...and the fine if you dontis 500 bucks! Thankfully he let me off with a warning. Will pay attention to flashing now.,,,I mean flashing lights.

Road trip diary update 5
3.45 pm 6/23/2005El Paso, Texas.
I stopped here for lunch and guess I found a starbucks here to get online and check my email. How cool is that!
El Paso is right at the westen tip of Texas, on the border with Mexico. I ate at a Mexicanrestaurant that had a cute waitress that flirted quite a bit. I think Mexican girls dig me...a lot more than Indian one! Must learn Spanish one day. So I asked her if there was anythinginteresting in El Paso for me to look for while driving by. She laughed at me andsaid 'El paso is a hell-hole, just drive by you dont wanna be stuck here'. Though shedid casually mention that she gets off work in a couple of hours, I cant really waita couple of hours....need to get back on the road...need to enter a new state enough of Texas!

Road trip

Taking a cue from my social urges I start my road trip tomorrow. About 30 hours one way from one corner of the country to another one. Though I will be alone for most part of the drive, atleast I'll get to see friends in California. And the change of scenery might do me good too.

Hopefully, I'll come back with recharged batteries, a fresher and more positive outlook on life, memories of fun times and yea, a different car!

Man - A social animal

Man is a social animal...I first heard this line in my primary school community living classes. Never quite read too much into it. I always believed that I was one of the few loners who would easily survive and in fact rejoice being left alone.

But you never once realize the true worth of friends and family and even other acquaintances, until you lose them. Living in a new place with hardly any opportunities to meet new people has taught me a few things. One to value my friends and family way more than I ever did. And two, that man (and that includes yours truly) is indeed a social animal!

:)

God bless Jay Leno, Jon Stewart et al for ending my dull, depressing days with a smile!