tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38813456752483496002024-03-13T10:56:06.298-07:00As I travel around....I travel. I live. I see. I write.Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-12263948534989861022014-08-24T03:43:00.000-07:002014-08-24T03:43:43.834-07:00Night Train to Lisbon <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vishal gifted me the book ’<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Train_to_Lisbon">Night Train to Lisbon</a>’ by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal_Mercier">PascalMercier</a> while we were in Nice, finishing our MBA. He got to know that I liked
to read history, came across this book and since it is set in 1973 Portugal,
got it for me. But this book is the farthest thing from a history. Still, I
will thank him for giving this book to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Its more philosophy – about dissecting life to the bare
minimum from numerous angles, about questioning every action that we do, even
about adding import to the words that we use. There is a strong story that
weaves the philosophy together, but at times, the doses of life lessons got a
bit too much to comprehend and to focus. Here are some of my best quotes from
the book:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Life is not what we live; it is what we imagine living.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Is the soul a place of facts? Or are the alleged facts only
the deceptive shadows of our stories?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>When others withdraw affection, respect and recognition from
us, why can’t we simply say to them: ‘I don’t need all that, I am
self-sufficient?’ Isn’t it a horrible form of bondage that we can’t acknowledge
that? Doesn’t it make us the slaves of others? What feeling can we summon to
protect ourselves?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(The random man…)What he saw of me could have revealed nothing
of my self-doubting fragility, a fragility that didn’t accord much with my
proud, even arrogant posture. I put myself into his look, reproduced it in me,
and from that perspective, absorbed my reflection on the window glass. The way
I looked and appeared – I thought – I had never been that way for a single
minute of my life. … Is it the same way with others: that they do not recognize
themselves from the outside? That the reflection seems like a stage set full of
crass distortion? That, with fear, they note a gap between the perception that
others have of them and the way they experience themselves? That the
familiarity of inside and familiarity of outside can be so far apart that they
can hardly be considered familiarity with the same thing? Human beings are not
viewed like houses, trees and stars. They are seen with the expectation of
being able to encounter them in a specific way and thus making them a part of
our own imagination trims them to suit our own wishes and hopes, but also to
confirm our own fears and prejudices. We don’t even get safely and impartially
to the outside contours of another person. On the way, the eye is diverted and
blurred by all the wishes and fantasies that make us the special, unmistakable
human beings we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the outside
world of an inside world is still a piece of our inside world. …. Should we be
grateful for the protection that guards us from the strangeness of one another?
And for the freedom it makes possible? How would it be if we confronted each
other unprotected by the double refraction represented by the interpreted body?
If because nothing stood between us, we tumbled into each other?</i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-79221725616033241372013-07-12T07:34:00.001-07:002013-07-12T07:34:30.910-07:00As I flew out...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">Morning grey of Mountains<br /> Azure of the Sea<br /> Brightness of the sun<br /> Au revoir Nice.<br /> <br /> White and grey layers of cloud<br /> Underneath the green of summer<br /> Halted trains, familiar blabber<br /> Hello London!</span></span></h5>
</div>
Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-41829531388934343182012-10-08T02:56:00.002-07:002012-10-08T02:56:33.007-07:00MBA in times as these?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The current economical climate may appear not at all suitable
for high value investments. More so when you are investing in yourself - to put
hard earned money into an MBA may sound un-economical to some at this time,
given the job market conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But here I am at EDHEC, along with 69 other talented people,
who all seem to have decided to make that investment!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To the nay-sayers I would say that the time could not have
been better. The business world is changing faster than ever, and all this
change has to be managed in a global setting. Managers have to have varied
skills, and should be ready to tap into all resources and networks available to
them. Isn’t this just the right time for an MBA that is global and diverse,
intense and challenging, compact and detailed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After spending 12 years across various positions in the IT
Industry, it is now time for me to add new skills, to re-assess my management
style and to broaden my network so that I am better equipped to fulfil my
aspirations. I am sure the Global MBA at EDHEC will facilitate my development
and will help me channelize my energy to meet my life and career goals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had been in Nice as a tourist earlier, but this time when I
am here as a student - Nice is a nicer place! In just about two weeks, I have
spoken to people from 27 different countries; have chatted with classmates who
are journalists, psychiatrists, plant engineers et al; tapped into the experience
of professional mountaineers; dabbled in accounting problems; and have spoken
French! In the process, I have learnt tons about myself - valuable life lessons
that will stay with me much longer after I graduate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am glad I decided to make this investment in myself, and I
am happy I chose EDHEC!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-44291290427443286582012-10-08T02:51:00.000-07:002012-10-08T02:52:11.987-07:00The French<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The language is orgasmic - en, un and an are words with meanings - not just sounds.<br />
But indeed they sound coming from pleasure zones!<br />
<br />
Is language the reason the French are considered to be romantic?</div>
Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-54663920921862133752012-02-24T13:10:00.001-08:002012-02-24T13:11:40.125-08:00Bangalore beckons....क्या होंगी वही भीगी रातें ?<br />वही हवा के झोंके, वही सरसराते पत्ते ?<br />वही coffee के कप, दोसे की खुशबू ?<br /><br />शायद वोह सब तो होगा,<br />पर Bangalore फिर भी नया होगाRajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-33062914020946197912011-07-31T08:51:00.000-07:002011-07-31T08:52:27.659-07:00Looking at the future....As I plan to return home to India, there is so much uncertainty. But, in a good way. On my last trip home, I wondered how I would fit in – the dust, the pollution, the hullaballoo, the noise – the entropy! But by the end of the trip, the DNA had taken over and I was doing my bit to add to the mess – driving rashly, being impolite and edgy!<br />I guess it will not be so difficult to go back to the roots!<br />Only that the time is not certain. Post October seems difficult.<br />Would it be Jan or Feb remains to be seen.<br />And what would I do when I am back? Same rigmarole in Bangalore, or the same rigmarole at a different place? Or a different juggle at an MBA?Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-61813589071006070942011-03-16T14:15:00.000-07:002011-03-16T14:23:16.970-07:00All that is left......are returned cards written in awkward cursive.<br />...are entries in the diary with yellowing pages.<br />...are dried flowers, moldy chocolate wrappers.<br />...are unrealized hopes, childhood fantasies.<br />...and some broken hearts....<br /><br />Lots of baggage, in a blue plastic bag.Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-33403021964504290712011-02-20T12:35:00.001-08:002011-02-20T12:35:49.463-08:00ना जाने क्यूँ ....ना जाने क्यूँ होता है यह ज़िन्दगी के साथ<br />अचानक ये दिल किसी के जाने के बाद<br />करे फिर उसकी याद<br />छोटी छोटी सी बातRajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-41376520541276084642011-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:002011-01-19T12:32:02.350-08:00Everybody loves Raj…but few seem interested in figuring out what Raj loves.<br />Should I feel blessed and cherish what I get without needing to ask? Or should I shout out and feel sorry for what I cannot get, cannot share, and cannot make others understand?Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-53597434195904293542010-12-05T08:29:00.000-08:002010-12-05T08:39:27.484-08:00Living a dream I never dreamt!I now have a Mercedes Benz CLK convertible!<br /><br />Being in Germany, I have lived several of my dreams. But owning a convertible was so luxurious and expensive a dream, I never even dreamed of it. But now I have one. Of my own!<br /><br />It all started with my desire to drive mum around when she visited me. I applied to get my German driving license way back in April this year. After several jump-starts, I did enroll for driving classes. I was so bad at following the rules around here, and with the manual gear transmission that I felt there will be no way I would get the license. But I chugged along, and soon I was ready to take the practical test. When I enrolled, one day before the exam my trainer got a call. They told him I did not need to take the practical test. No one knows the reason for why I was given the honor, but here I was with the coveted German driving license without taking the damned and very difficult test. My colleagues have flunked, and fretted, but I sailed through!<br /><br />So, I was able to finally drive my mum back to the airport in October!<br /><br />Now comes the unthinkable. A colleague of mine merely referred me to the office bulletin board that had an ad for an Alfa Romeo. It was black, with red leather seats and appealed to me very much. And so I started looking for cars. It made no sense initially. Here I was happy sitting in my buses, spending 57 Euros a month on my transport costs, reading and napping on the commutes – why in the world did I need a car?! Well, that reasoning went up in smoke with not so much as ashes!<br /><br />Several websites later, I was hooked onto one that pointed me to several dealers within 100 kms of where I live. Several searches later, I zeroed in on a few dealers. Several visits later, I was cursing myself at having to get up at 7 AM on Saturdays to visit these far off auto dealers. Several cars later, I almost gave up and told myself that this is the last weekend I am ruining!<br /><br />Then I ended up in Lichtenfels, which had been a dot on a map until now, but turned out to be a sizeable town. After a call to the dealer enquiring how I reach their place, I was sent a car to pick me up from the train station. I immediately started doubting the dealer having had a similar experience earlier where the dealer had turned out to be very shady. But I was driven to this huge Volkswagen and Audi dealership, and that is where I saw the navy blue beauty – standing all by herself among all the VWs and the Audis!<br /><br />So, after spending close to 14 thousand Euros in basic cost, insurance and sundry taxes – here I am - a proud owner of a Mercedes convertible. The day I made the decision was one of the happiest of my recent life!<br /><br />Now I am just hoping to get some sunshine so that I can click pictures of the beauty I ride.<br />I also wait for the summer when I can have her top down!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-22762953487916803192010-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:002010-12-05T08:02:33.150-08:00At my favorite window….My adulthood favorite window is in my favorite café. I come here most Sunday evenings when I am in Erlangen.<br /><br />I sit on the ledge and I work sometimes. I used to study earlier when work was less demanding. Even earlier, I used to read novels sitting here. But now, usually it is office work on the computer.<br /><br />I have been here in the summer, and I have seen people milling about. I have been here during Football Fever and seen the town come to a halt celebrating German wins. I have been here during fall, and seen the leaves turn yellow. I am here now and I see snow flying by the glow of the street lamp.<br /><br />Over two years have passed, but me and the window have kept our dates. We have seen life together, with each other.<br /><br />I did try to make this post poetic, but I give up. Instead, I would look out, at the people rush by….Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-67414082503447522872010-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:002010-09-19T10:35:02.169-07:00HeroIs it worse not having a hero at all,<br />or realizing that your hero is just another person?<br /><br />All that you imagined heroic does not exist anymore - may be never did, and then you are left wondering about all that you worshipped and wanted to be - does not meet your own standards!<br /><br />Growing up is not half the fun it was promised to be!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-61176091476540642492010-07-24T13:59:00.000-07:002010-07-24T14:06:22.067-07:00A tug, no answerJust hit upon a very old entry in my diary:<br /><br /><em>(Sunshine, I have) found a resting bed in you where my heart is anchored. But I worry I'll lose you. I understand that life has to move on. I don't want it to stop. Nor do I want you to come along my way. All I want is that the string that ties us gets so long and flexible that wherever I go, am still anchored right here with you.</em><br /><br /><br />Later, I ended the entry as:<br /><em>You've started calling me moonlite. You know - I am, cause you are.</em><br /><br />Since writing this, about 8 years have passed. A part of me is still stuck there.<br />Have tugged at the string several times. Can't see it's other end. And never got tugged back.Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-23579541220393329522010-07-24T13:53:00.000-07:002010-07-24T13:54:58.265-07:00ChoicesUnlimited freedom and several choices can leave one stuck with exactly zero options!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-4276920378502797752010-06-27T12:13:00.000-07:002010-06-28T07:38:21.737-07:00Enlightened......on realising how a liquid can be dry after drinking a dry martini!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-52279525833126821062010-06-16T13:25:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:26:30.122-07:00Conditioned!Learned how not to hate.<br />Would I remember how to love?Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-48626203583913023722010-05-30T09:33:00.001-07:002010-05-30T09:33:55.129-07:00BerlinA breeze carrying drops of water that were small enough to leave you dry but large enough to let their presence felt; a historical city square with churches on two sides and an Opera house on the other; coffee with exotic Turkish delights; sun peeking from behind the clouds and lighting up half of a dome – magical!<br /><br />Italian women on the next table – straight out of Sicilian Sex and the City; French eccentricities on the table behind; and a German hulk for company – real!<br /><br />Such was the trip to Berlin – pendulating between surreal and ordinary!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-53408188464685811552010-02-19T12:47:00.000-08:002010-02-19T12:48:37.508-08:00Hit upon this one...<span style="font-style:italic;">Anonymous, GR</span><br /><br /><br />Are you able to listen to your own feelings ? <br /><br />So why being scared of others' sweetness ?Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-39522948560241707862010-02-18T13:59:00.000-08:002010-02-18T14:09:42.643-08:00मन करता है...लौटने का वहां जहाँ थी मासूमियत,<br />और था अनजाना, अन्छूआ, बचकाना भरोसा,<br /><br />जो दूर हो गए उनके हाथ थामने का, <br />छूटे रिश्तों को फिर गले लगाने का,<br />जो अपने हो न सके उन्हें अपना बनाने का,<br /><br />फूलों को देख मुस्कुराने का,<br />शीशे पे जमी ओस पे दिल खींचने का!<br /><br />मन को समझाने का कि ये सब मुमकिन है,<br />मन करता है...Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-37148810262496199832010-02-04T23:24:00.000-08:002010-02-04T23:34:39.152-08:00Man and Boyby Tony Parsons<br /><br /><br />What could I tell her? You don’t tell a wife that some inanimate object somehow represents all those things you know you are never going to have. The places you are never going to see, the women you are never going to love, the things you are never going to do. You cant tell a wife all that stuff. Not even a wife you love very much. Especially not a wife like that.<br /><br /> - -<br /><br />The reason most men stray is opportunity, and the joy of meaningless sex should never be underestimated. It had been a meaningless, opportunistic coupling. That’s what I had liked most about it.<br />What I liked least about it was that already I was starting to feel like a traitor.<br />But all the time I was with Siobhan, while half of me thought that this was probably the woman I hadn’t realized I had been looking for all my life, the other half of me sort of missed my wife. I missed the easy familiarity you get with someone who you have been with for years. If I was going to be unfaithful, then I kind of wished it could have been with Gina, my wife.<br /><br /> - -<br /><br />Love is what’s left when being in love is gone. It’s when you care about someone and you hope they are happy, but you are not under any illusions about them. May be that kind of love is not exciting and passionate and all those things that fade with time. All those things that you are so keen on. But in the end it’s the only kind of love that really matters.<br /> - -<br /><br />‘You think you want someone who can transform your life with love. But you really don’t want love, Harry. You couldn’t handle real love. You want romance.’<br />Her words were made worse, much worse, by the fact that they were said with enormous tenderness. There was no anger or malice in them. It was as if she felt genuinely sorry for me.<br />‘And that’s fine. That’s the way you are and in a lot of ways it’s a good way to be. But it would never work between us because you can’t make the hearts and flowers stuff last for a lifetime. Not with kids around. Especially when they are not your own.’<br /> - -<br /><br /><br />‘But you have to learn to let go. Its part of of what it means to love someone. To really lose someone. If you love someone then you don’t just see them as an extension of yourself. You don’t just love them for what’s in it for you. Love means knowing when to let go.<br /><br /><em>This is something I had heard my own mother say, and I am amazed by this insight she had when I was little, being so far removed from anything that was remotely modern.</em><br /><br /> - -<br /><br />He dropped his bike and came to my arms, pressing his face against me, overwhelming me with what felt like the very essence of him. He filled my senses – his unruly mop of blond hair, his impossible smooth skin, that Pat small of dirt and sugar. My beautiful son, I thought, tasting the salt of our tears.<br /><br /> - -<br /><br /><em><br />A feeling that I have always longed for, but may never get to experience.<br /><br />Man and Boy – a delightful book. Highly recommended.</em>Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-2955528839495851562010-01-27T23:29:00.000-08:002010-01-27T23:30:31.737-08:00कर्मआदमी जो कहता है, आदमी जो करता है,<br />ज़िन्दगी भर वो सदायें पीछा करती हैं!Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-41757380910303504282010-01-17T11:45:00.001-08:002010-01-17T11:47:03.119-08:00SchneeTiny flakes lit by street lamps,<br />Powder under the feet, on the coat, on the head<br />Cottony wisps coming at you but stopped short by the wind-screen<br />Coolness melting in the palms, on the cheeks,<br />Outdoor tables loaded with perfect pristine circular cakes,<br />White vastness everywhere.Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-2746782147967509712009-12-10T14:01:00.000-08:002009-12-10T14:09:37.447-08:00“The Buddha, Geoff and Me”, and me<br><br />This book by Edward Canfor-Dumas is something that I would have never borrowed much less bought had I seen it at a bookshop. I would have dismissed it as pop-psychology/encourage-yourself-in-10-steps kind of a book – something that I never read. So when Vatssla, a friend from school, recommended it after hearing of my marriage fiascos, I noted down the name and comfortably went to my World War 2 Stories.<br /><br />But she persisted, and I am glad she did!<br /><br />After she insisted that she wants me to read it cause she considers me a friend, I had to give in. I ordered it on Amazon and the book arrived in a few days.<br /><br />When I started reading it, the initial impression was indeed of it being a pop-psych-10-step course with a veneer of a storyline. But as I usually persist with all the books that I pick up (only exceptions being Mein Kamf and The Jamaica Inn), I kept on with this one. <br /><br />I am glad I did.<br /><br />The protagonists in the book – Geoff and the Narrator talk about life and how Buddhism can redeem what we call life.<br /><br />This is the first time I really read about the religion apart from the stories that I had read in school textbooks. The fantastic thing about the book is that it conveys that you can apply the learnings of the religion without actually following it. <br /><br />Several of these things resonated with me at different levels. At certain points I identified what I had absorbed as just being a Hindu and being observant of my religion. At others, I recalled lessons that I had learnt in my Moral Science classes at the Convent School I went to. Still others were values that I got from my mother. And the ones about being grown-up and independent from my counseling sessions were there too.<br /><br />So, though I felt like “I know it all” at times, it was quite enlightening to read about all those values that have been know to us all from the various sources of our growth, and which still get lost in the banalities of life.<br /><br />Am I going to use these principles to make anything of my marriage? May be, may be not. That would all depend on my life state at the time of reckoning. But I would definitely try and change my life-state at that point in time. Live less of “Animality” and “Anger” and go to more of “Learning” and “Buddha hood”. It’s not going to be easy but I will try. It may not help the marriage, but it will help me and, hopefully, Neha too.<br /><br />And I am going to recommend this book to some of my friends as well. That would be the “Bodhisattva” state! Hooray!!!<br /><br />Thanks Vatssla. Thanks Mr. Dumas. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Read a chapter <a href="http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/extract.htm?command=search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=1844135683">here</a></span>Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-55179399184388458022009-12-06T14:42:00.000-08:002009-12-06T14:43:04.361-08:00Trinity<em>by Leon Uris</em><br /><br />“All we have ever shared,” she said, “is a room, a bed and a little time. We have never shared the sunlight or the wind or the feel of rain. When we were together it was always so temporary we never had the time to be ourselves. Love can’t mature in one room.” “What happened”, he asked. “One night, I found myself laughing. I laughed and laughed until I had tears and pains in my side…..I talked to Blanche and told her about all the peculiar sensations I was going through and I asked her what was wrong with me. She said, ‘My God, Shelley, you’re just happy, that’s all”.<br />David Kimberley realized he had never made her happy. He had given her pleasure from time to time, but what they had shared really was flight from mutual disenchantment.<br /><br /><br /><br />“…I’ve lived in limbo, Conor. Limbo is no place for a man to exist. Its living death, worse than death, praying for death.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Atty neither budged nor acknowledged his presence. He played his fingertips down her back and over the curve of her hip. No response. He rolled away, onto his back. He knew she was awake, stuffing it in, would never show a tear. “You are mad at me and you’ve every right to be,” he said. “A little, not too much,” she answered. <br />“I don’t know what’s the matter with me. For three weeks, I’ve been looking forward day and night to seeing you…and then I go make a balls out of it”.<br />“It’s natural enough,” Atty said. “You’re all pent up with no one to let it out on. You’ve got to cut it lose on me, I suppose. I understand.”<br />“I don’t know how much of this guff you have to take,” he said. “Just because you get drunk once in a while, I’m not letting you go man. Besides, I’ve poor little pride where you’re concerned.”Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881345675248349600.post-48221471346039840522009-11-16T11:59:00.001-08:002009-11-16T12:01:03.203-08:00क्या ...क्या तुमने बारिश की छांव देखी है?<br />....पतझड़ की सरसराहट सुनी है?<br /><br />क्या तुमने बादलों को छुआ है?<br />....कोहरे से ख़ुद को भिगोया है?Rajulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568282712062513423noreply@blogger.com3