Memories of the Mischevious Mind

Turning 30 .. Trip to Scotland

2012-01-26T01:44:00.002+05:30

As my passport was not available I could not leave the country on my 30th birthday, so I made a trip to Scotland with Molly the honey. :)

Here are a few pix:

The above pic was taken at the Betty's cafe in York. Here is how Molly looked ever so beautiful sitting in front of me.

2011-04-14T06:38:00.008+05:30

MEMORIES FROM THE PAST (2 years) ...

Skating at Herne Bay ... Berlin Marathon planned for September.

Motorcycle another passion. Need to get my full license soon. CBT and theory test done.

When I visited Oxford on a warm summer of 2010 day.

I lived 1 year in MK. Now looking back its a great place. Loves big houses and the canal.

Took family to Kashmir after 20 years. March 2010.

My trip to Northern Ireland - 2010

A souvenir from Istanbul. Molly's 30th birthday.

2011-04-14T06:16:00.004+05:30

BACK TO BLOGGING ...

Its close to 2 years and I haven't seen my blog. Never updated it. A lot has changed bu a lot still remains the same. I feel I need to xplore some more, find a new purpose now. I need to gym, want to like myself, need a fit body. But 1 big thing is need motivation. The things I have been doing now is all that needs to be done. What I need is a replacement for dance. I haven't been dancing because of the J reason and so ... just don't want the life to just go on. Would want to pursue my dreams or make new ones. Skating is in line but thats a hobby not a passion. Hmmm Monty bhai do somethin about this.

I am a week off in London. Accommodation sorted out after my 3 week trip back from India. In this trip i can see myself getting the possession of my house. Thats a dream to come true after decades.

I will try to be regular on my blogs from now on. May be I will find my purpose somewhere.

Plus I will update in next few posts I will put some pix and things happened in last 2 years.

As per the below post, this laptop is totally gone as it was destroyed by Molly. :) Way to end it.

2009-06-03T20:01:00.002+05:30

Laptop Damaged ... **sob sob**

Look at the pic of my laptop screen which got damaged. :( I wonder how long I can use this.

2009-05-11T19:39:00.000+05:30

View From My Room .....

2009-05-08T23:43:00.006+05:30

An Evening @ CRICKTERS - 06 MAY 09
This was our spot to watch the Chelsea and Barcelona semi-final of the Champions Cup. What an exciting match with Barcelona making a goal in the 94th minute and won. Over a pint of beer and soccor its great time to spend, with frndz like Rahul and Mukul.

Another Evening @ Yates - 07 MAY 09

Its good to know other people also interested in dance. Today I had company of Molly, Onu and Garri. Onu ji ko mera salam for besing such a great dost.

Well leeme also see the living room I have been staying in. My adobe.

2009-05-07T15:00:00.014+05:30

SKATING 36.01

Here are the statistics....

Distance = 36.01 miles (57.6 km)

Total Travel Time = 5 hrs 11 min

Total Time = 8+ hrs

People = Monty, Yuvraj, Neil, Neshi

Place = London -> -> Knebworth -> Fumeux Pelham -> Aston -> Stevenage -> London

This will be a rememberable trip ...........................................................

2009-05-02T14:34:00.007+05:30

London 2.0.1 - Thursday Salsa Nights @ Yates Croydon

Thursday 30 April '09

After 10 months away from London I did miss being taught by The Tree House (now Yates) instructors. Plus the very many pretty ladies I used to dance with. Now I was back. It was a feel good factor. I wasen't surprised but it was great to see those old faces and the fact that people still remember you. They were the same faces, ever so regular to the Simply Salsa sessions in Croydon. Well Onu was enthu to join me as well for the beginner's session. I am sure she was broadly inspired from Mine and Abby dance video - "we just danced". The surprise factor was Molly, a pretty gal we met, who was impressed by my dance and showed great interest in learning from me. :) Herz some memories.

2009-04-30T00:00:00.003+05:30

Abby n Monty - When We Danced ... Just Danced .... !!!

2009-04-29T20:34:00.011+05:30

London 2.0.0
I am in London again. Wishing things go well and I get what I wish for. Wish me luck.
As always I leeme share some pix. Trip One - Canary Wharf and LBS-London Business School.

2009-04-18T14:25:00.004+05:30

Only Few Dances Last A Lifetime ......

This is undoubtedly The BEST Dance Pic I feel. This Real Life Couple is competing under the 50+ category, swaying the floor with beautiful Waltz.Mind you, the real experience is more beautiful than the picture.I took this at ISTD Zonals in Sudbury UK, 4 Feb 2008.

2009-04-12T20:25:00.012+05:30

The Long Awaited Performance at Le Meridian .........

Destiny is what I will call this. Something that was unexpected but happened. May be happened for good. Something I, rather we had waited for a long time. But it was somewhat different. Not the cosy way we wanted. So I thought to myself. Be very careful what you wish for, things may really come true. :) Anyways just a day of practice was hectic n tiring. This performance happened at Le Meridian and we 4 performed - Me, Abhi, Bhavin and Irisha. I was actually Girish's replacement. Girish fell ill a day before on 3 Martinis. Hmmmm poor boy. Well it went well. The fight before dance was inevitable. Still it went just fine.

The pix and the video will be placed here soon. :) Okie I got this newspaper coverage from DNAindia website. And click here to see this big on DNA's website.

2009-04-11T15:27:00.006+05:30

A Beautiful Salsa Dance .............

This is a dance by me (Monty~~) and my dance partner Abhi. We were just dancing one fine day and this is what came out after our regular practice sessions. When Abhi decided to put this on facebook I had no idea that the response would be so guud. :) If you like it do leave your comments. Click here to view on YouTube.

2009-03-25T14:30:00.017+05:30

My Best Dance Lift .....

Thats Me (Monty~~) & Abhilasha in the picture. The picture is edited and this is what comes out of the beautiful lift. It was taken on the morning of 21st March 2009 while we practiced @ MSW studioz, the same day we had a MSW party. Please leave any comments. Appreciations as well as criticisms. Special thanks to Shashank and Girish.

2009-01-18T09:43:00.002+05:30

Dreamz Around My 27th Budday

Couple of feelings and the essence around this time expressed in words.

2009-01-18T09:42:00.002+05:30

My 27th Budday

And the year is 2009. Mixed feelings. I have T-1. And therez more.

2009-01-02T17:16:00.003+05:30

2009 - New year's Party

Well I understand the fact that there were too many party's lately in December but yes New Year's eve was a good enough reason to Party once more. And this time the venue was Shash's place. We 12 people gathered around 9pm on new year's eve. Soon we started with the first drink and it carried the whole night long. Everyone had got their own booze but the food was already brought in by our very own food organisers. Thanx a ton to them. Also the palav from Aby's place was liked by many. We did play some interesting games, thanx to GIrisha for organizing it.

Some memoriez in pix. First of all -- THE GANG

2008-12-28T22:09:00.006+05:30

MSW Christmas Special Salsa Party - 27 Dec 2008

Yet another memorable dance moment with Abhi.

Christmas and Salsa party. We just need an excuse to dance and Salsa. So dressed in Red and White we hit the dance floor on the night of Saturday 27th at Post-91. It was great and we had more people this time. My lill billi was in town and could make it to the party. Also was aby's sis n bia. Billi was glad to come out of the Ahmedabad gujju crowd to find some decent n cool crowd dancing to the music. The chinki couple's performance was a treat and was amazing. It really made "US" wonder how soon can we be like them. Giving a decent time frame of 6 months I hope we achieve that level. And I am glad this time with Aby, I did more of dance and less of steps. Shash's red scarf was a nice style, Girish was missed as he left early, Irisha was charming as alwayz in her new style. Suppi's leg was broken, but somehow he managed to dance a lill bit. Thats the spirit. I really danced a lot .. The bachata gave me some very special moments. And I had a different high with dance and no alcohol.
After party was a regular Loooooong Photo session where I could see Satte getting bored. :) And as usual dinner at Hotel Aroma with Bhaiya, Aby, Satte , Billi n me. So memoriez in pix .......

Here with the ladiez...All v close people.

This is my sweel lill sis. Isn't she looking stunning.

Again a beautiful picture taken by me of Irisha and Abhi with Christmas tree in the backdrop.
Last but not the least the most imp pic.

2008-12-25T12:11:00.008+05:30

Christmas Eve - 2008

This is one of those different Christmas Eve. I did happen to spend some good time with friends. The interesting part is the shopping I did for a 1 year old baby boy whose birthday was on 24th Dec. It was a guuud experience getting into a shop of tiny products and searching some extremely miniature sized clothes. Hopefully they like it, I still have to get reviewes on my shopping. Dinner was at very own Polka Dots - Aundh has to be. Just Realised I seriously like Aundh. :) The Turkey Lasange was good but the stupid weater forgot to get the Christmas pudding. In a way its good we had our Christmas Cake to finish up :) hmmmm getting back to shasz place, we juz happened to miss a small encounter - actually a major accident with the truck. Hahahaaa "Luck Favours The Prepared Mind". And of course dance is always there when we meet up. Some memories are captured here.

Merry Xmas Cake ---- Me, Aby, Giri, Shah and Iri had it all ............................

Well danced with my Abhi too. BTW I just realised that she is an amazing Khatak dancer too. Mindblowing... I just love her ever more for that.
Here is cheerz to all of us..................

2008-12-25T12:09:00.008+05:30

MSW Salsa Party - Dec 2008

Seriously I have been waiting for this for long. Being in CHD I had already missed couple of Salsa parties but luckily I had promised someone that I would be there. And that someone was really happy :) ...... So this party was at Post-91, KP (Koregaon Park and NOT Kalewadi Phata heheheeee). It was real guuuud and I did happen to dance a lot after long. Well after the party dinner was at Hotel Aroma and then night out at shash's place. And ofcourse we danced and had some more wine (left over from Iri's budday :) ) Hmmmm the best part was me doing the Rumba dance with Irisha which she does not remember at all + my the lap dance I did with Abhi. Pretty embarassing when I think, for which I know a video exists.

Here are some memories in pix.

The whole MSW group after the party ......

Okie the hot pic .. Was wondering to put this here or not.. Then I edited it to hide the ladies.

2008-11-29T20:49:00.004+05:30

Trip To Vaishno Devi Temple ..

A suddenly planned trip to Vaishno Devi Temple. Jammu as usual reminded me of the time spent in Kashmir. Plus the bare feet journey was a hard grill. Some pix here ..

2008-09-15T23:44:00.004+05:30

Golden Temple Trip - September 2008

Well I have been wanting to goto the Golden Temple since I was in London. I was almost goona end up going there alone, but thanks to few friends and we ended up being 6 people. Me, Ramya, Viplav, Pratima, Vishal and a dude. We hired a gaddi and been to the Golden Temple, Jalianwala Baugh and Wagah Border.

Few super pix I took.

2008-08-16T17:01:00.001+05:30

Well this is is just the beginning. These are my students in Infosys chandigarh who have put up the performance. With no prior experience in Salsa and just 10 days of practice, this is an amazing feat.
Checkout the video:

2008-07-27T12:00:00.003+05:30

Before I was born ..

Dad, a lovely pic of yours, looking handsome and stunning ... !!!! Miss u always ..

2008-06-03T03:56:00.008+05:30

PARIS TRIP (May 2008)..

When I look back, I can remember my Paris to be the perfect vacation I ever had. Frankly I never expected me to travel and see places in europe anytime soon in my life, but here I am. So this was a 5 night 4 day trip to Paris.

Night of 1st May 2008 --> Morning of 6th May 2008.

Travel:

Eurostar is what we choose to travel from London to Paris and back. It was cool and fast though sitting inside the train you dont realise the speed (180mph). From St Pancras International in London to Gare Du Nord station in Paris and back.

In the city Paris we choose to travel in public transport. So it was the Metro. For a 5 day visitie pass, we travelled in Metro, RER and buses for mere 30 euros.

On the last day, as decided, we travelled the city parts on bicycle. Yes the same Velib. I didn't realise that this could probably be the cheapest way to travel in the city. And of course on the bicycle you can have a great view of the city. :)

Stay:

The first night was spent in a hostel named "CALINCOURT". Luckily we got a seperate room. The next 3 nights were in "Hotel IBIS" again a nice hotel. The last night was again spent in a hostel by the name of "Absolute". This was all to economise the trip.

Visited:

As usual visted the most famour places in Paris. Top of the Eiffel Tower, river Seine cruise, the Louvre, the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur on the Montmartre hill, Arc de Triomphe, The Notre Dame de Paris , the Castle on the outskirts.

Here are few lovely memories ....................

2008-03-29T05:32:00.012+05:30

Scotland Trip - March 2008

Date: 22 Mar - 24 Mar

This is one of my very unexpected trips. I have been trying to make the plans of visiting Scotland at the Easter breakbut no plans ever worked out. The flights became expensive and trains did the same. So until friday 21st Mar afternoon I was expecting my long easter hols to be spent at home and posibally do nothing interesting. Hmmmm that was not going to be the case.

2 of Rahul's friends came from Ipswich and I remember while going from Victoria to Trafalgur Sq in bus we 4 were suddenly showed our willingness to goto Scotland unplanned. We got the tickets 6:30 in the evening. Our coach (coach means bus here in London, I always get confused) was suppose to leave at 9:30pm. So we just had enough time to go home pack and come back. I will consider ourselves lucky that we happen to book the Guest House with few minutes in hand. All in a mad rush. We just managed to catch the coach.

The 8.5 hr coach journey was one hell of a ride. As soon as the coach there was some problem and in no time the heater stopped working. So it was a night spent in a chilled bus where outside temperatures touched -3 degree. We happen to change the coach in the last leg of the journey. From Glasgow we changed into a new coach but it did little good. So we arrive ini Edinburgh at 8 in the morning.

We kept our luggage in the Guest house but could not move in until noon. So the first 2 hrs were spent in the Starbucks Coffe at High Street to give some warmth to our cold asses. We moved on to explore Edinburg. Near by High street did see a lot of places . Had a great luch at Pizza Hut. My pals choose to go back to Guest house and rest whereas I chose to xplore mysely. I went back in the evening and saw everyone sleeping. hahaha In the night we happen to goto a Pub playing live rock music. The second Scottish pub was even better. But the third Club we been to was an amazing. The meeting with the russian lady was amazing. And I will always remember the dance with her.

Here are the few Pix:

The best pic I took.

2008-02-26T02:16:00.002+05:30

Dance Date ..

It has been a while. A nicely worked out dinner date is all I have been looking for. And thanks to me for putting in the initial effort. But the credit goes to the person for making it happen. Well the occasion was Simply Salsa's monthly Party at Club Colleseum.
She happen to receive a small but supposidely beautiful bouquet of pink Tulips. Then we made our way on the train to London Victoria station. There after a decent analysis we opted for a Japanese take away. Spicy chicken & steamed rice - I love it, quick, not expensive and filling. We made our way to Vauxhall. And the lovely dinner was enjoyed at the bus stop. It was so simple and good. A nice way to have one of the best conversations. 20 min. And we made our way to the Club.
The Club was right next to the Thames and once could see the London Eye from the warm inside lounge. She instantly liked the place. The proper Salsa music would make you shake your booty to the music. Few hours. Some drinks. Lots of dance. A few good chats. A bit of flirting. And of course a sensational Salsa performance by a professional couple. Dance comes at its peak and you feel like jealous and motivated at the same time.
At 2 in the night suddenly the urgency of fresh air crept over, and so we headed out. And we could not have expected for something better. After just crossing the road outside the Club an amazing place waited for us to be xplored. Just next to the river Thames was a small joggers passage, nicely lit up by full moon night and dim streetlight, an old century old wooden bench & a beautiful person seated next to me. What could I ask for more. And we sat, and chatted , and I had one of the most relaxed conversations ever. Cant reveal the contents here though. :) Then before leaving, I asked the lady for a last dance. And I must say the full moonlight dance, next to Thames at 2:30 on a chilly winter night was the moment of the night. :) I will remember that.
We made our way back home in a night bus and hugged her good bye.

Well if you wondering who that person was, well I rather keep it a secret...!!

2008-02-08T05:16:00.001+05:30

06 Feb 08 Annaz Budday ..

This was also the Chinese new year so double celebration. Also I had arranged for Indoor Sky Diving at Airkix in Milton Keynes (some 75 miles from London). Well it was a great experience. here are few pix of the day.

The indoor sky diving experience was wonderful. And even the day especially the dinner. Here is the Birthday Gal Cheerz.

2008-01-17T05:44:00.000+05:30

My Birthday - 14 Jan 2008

Thanks to everyone for making it here.
Here are the pix.

For all pix click here.

2007-12-27T00:23:00.000+05:30

Trip to Windsor Castle ..

This was a good experince too see the Windsor Castle. I had the pleasure of soing with Dilip and Suma. Both my friends and collegues from Infosys out here in London. Well the best part is the way we tried catching the bus from Victoria Coach station. Dilip, the ass was 20 seconds late and the coach driver didn't let us in. the coach went on and we ran after it thinking we might be able to catch it at the next stop. But even though taking a Blak cab, and going to Kensington High Street via hyde Park Corner we again missed the bus by 15 seconds this time. Hence the only option was taking the next coach which as 1 hr later. This time I spent in Tesco getting some stuff to eat. :) And having a coffee from Costa. The return bus journey costed us £12. And it was a mere 40 minute journey.

Nice castle, well maintained. Here are some pix.

2007-12-25T06:58:00.000+05:30

My Best Dance ..

This is by far my best dance that I completely admire. It has been done and shot in a best possible way. Thanks to all special people around who made this thing happen especially the producer 'Rukshana'.

See the reference post titled by clicking here.

2007-12-10T04:13:00.000+05:30

WITH WHEELS UNDER

This is how I look while skating.

2007-11-26T00:29:00.000+05:30

STREET SKATING in LONDON

This was virtually the best thing ever happened to me in London. We a bunch of 200 people went from Hyde Park in Central London for a 8.5 mile (2.5 hrs) journey on the streets of Central London. And I did happen to see places like .

Enjoy the pix:

Here is the one of the videos I took while skating.

2007-11-07T06:07:00.000+05:30

My New Skates

These are my new Skates and I happen to spend a fortune on it. Well this is my long term one time investment. And I really had to maintain my monthly expenses to make up for it. I got thesse from a shop called Slick willies (www.slickwillies.co.uk). Nice shop. Go through their website and you will be impressed. Especially, the way they say that 'if they cannot repair a skate in London, no one can'.

2007-11-07T05:46:00.000+05:30

Trip To GreenWich - 20 OCT 2007

I been to Greenwich on one of the weekends. To be precise on a Saturday 20 OCT 07. Didn't happen to write about this earlier. Well it was fun all day long. We went in a Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich and then walked to the Royal Observatory. There right at the GMT Line took loads of the pix. And the best part was the amazing view from there. Complete London visible with Canary Wharf in the background. Chandu's company was amaing and so were the others.

Here are the pix am sharing. Not able to upload them directly with my stupid IE problem in Vista. its blocking the pop-up.

2007-11-07T05:37:00.000+05:30

London As I See

Well here are the Mojoz memoriez in pix. This would contain pix taken at different places different timings. Probably the best ones I consider on my London trip.

2007-09-20T02:20:00.000+05:30

Namaste London

1st it was US. Then it was Sydney, Australia. But ultimately it had to be London. May be it had to be. This is what I realized after coming to this place and spending few days here. You will just happen to like the place in first go itself. Nice city, well thatz what it looks as of now. Hopefully in the time to come I will get an opportunity to xplore more around. And the best part is the opportunity I have here to learn dance. The clubs here are gud and by good I mean real guuuuud. The club culture here is engrossed deep in the roots. Go out on a saturday night and it would look like the whole London is out clubbing. On the contrary the weekdays are completely professional looked at. People dressed in suits in almost every field. N all black. Looks like an unsaid uniform.

The Accomodation: Well I would consider mysely real lucky to have got the accomodation the -day I landed here.

Okie i am sharing the pics i have as of now. Itz been 1.5 months I have been in London n there is loads of stuff to write about. the trips I need to Discuss:
1. Ice Skating
2. Club Collessum for the Salsa Republic party
3. Thorpe Park trip - a theme park
4. The finest International UK Salsa Republic at Bournemouth
5. Trip to Greenwich via Cruise

2007-08-21T18:05:00.000+05:30

And hence RUMBA ADVANCE came to an end..

I missed the very first class of Rumba advance and hence the very basic step. It waz though pretty different from the regular Rumba basic that we have learnt in Basic batch. But I was happy about the new style, as I knew that was the one internationally accepted. The videos I had seen completely go by the new beat, starting not at 1 but at 2.
2-3 4--1

Well this time it was more stiff, crisp and tiring. Hmm by the end of the class, you can feel the strain on your arms. Well me writing this entry to make sure none of this skips outta my mind in the near future.

So here is a list of all the step and stuff I had learnt (thanx to miz Parul for her inputs):

Hold:
1) Close hold - normal Ballroom dance couple hold.
2) Open hold - holding both hands at ladies waist level.

Walks:
1) Pressed walk - short toe pressed walk.
2) Check walk.
3) Extended walk - extending foot walk.

Turns:
1) Switch turn - the sudden jerk turn after twisting your leg a bit.
2) Spiral turn - the complete slow turn on one leg.

Steps:
1) Rumba Basic Step.
2) Hand to Hand.
3) New York.
4) IEDA or watever way it is spelt - there are 2 versions.
5) Sliding Doors - bring lady on right side with and slide twice like a door.
6) Fan Alabana.
7) Hockey Stick - extension from Fan step.
8) Natural Opening out - lady on side, both facing same direction.
9) Opening Out - can open out on both sides.
10) Cuban walk (need to learn this).
11) Reverse Cuban walk - (need to learn this).
12) Rumba Walk - can be lead after taking the lady into IEDA step.

Well in case more comes to my mind I will update this entry. Also in case you more steps leeme know, I will add them.

2007-07-11T17:17:00.000+05:30

Virtual barber Shop..

Listen to this. I particularily like the tickling in my ear when the barber uses his scissors. :)

2007-07-10T17:19:00.000+05:30

Pune Central Salsa Competition & Kaytee @ Lush

I would have performed in Pune Central but guess it was not in my destiny. This came to me as a big shock that we ( Me n Garima) had actually qualified for the show. Had it not been the courtesy of the people at Central, things would have been much different, I believe pleasent. Garima didn't get a call from Vinay (guy @ Central) and so we assumed we are out of the game. And guess what right at the event time Vinay wants me to perform in a matter of mere 30 min. Its not possible. You can't expect me to arrange my partner and music CD in 30 min. So I denied and I was sadly happy to be a part of the audience. 5 couples performed. 3 from Rockys. Tejas and Nishita were damm good. I knew they would win, though theirs was a brilliant performance but less of Salsa. I admired Shikha's dance on the other hand with Vineet. Both Kaytee's students.
The same evening we landed at Lush (now Scandal) and it was Kaytee's workshop. He taught some good moves. Thats where I happen to meet him 1st time. Admired the guy in first go. Cool, smart and knows how to dance and carry himself. Monty -- now you know, this is where you intend to move on.

2007-07-05T18:32:00.000+05:30

A Dancing Disaster...

Pune Central Salsa Competition. My partner this time was Garima. A sweet gal and an amazing dancer. Apart from Salsa i admired her folk dance too. So we practiced hard. Early mornings mostly. Compiling 3 traks, borrowing the laptop from my friend Satte, and then creating a CD that didn't play on the final audition day. Well thats terrible. Hotel Scirno (I know i spelt it wrong) - thats where the auditions took place. Well 1st things first few things could have been avoided. The CD-you know very well. And then never start to dance id the music isn't proper. You gonna screw up everything. If u can't listen top the music you can't dance, its a simple logic. 2ndly learn to take control of things happening if they arn't going your way. Don't make facial expressions showing your discomfort. Learn to smile and hide things for yourself as well as your partner. Well just this one memory left from the practice session video clip-a snapsjot from there.....

2007-07-05T17:58:00.000+05:30

LONAVALA to AMBY VALLEY in almost Zero Visibility…

Okie while writing this article I was also watching this fantastic dark movie “FIGHT CLUB” and here is one expression.

“I let go. Lost in oblivion. Dark Silent and Complete. Loosing all hope is Freedom”. And this is ME. :)

Pune – Lonavala: 60 Km.

It was suppose to be Mahabaleshwar, but since Nidhi couldn’t be IN for the weekend, we altered course. So Lonavala was it. 6 people. 3 bikes. 2 red pulsars. 1 dark gray Unicorn. June time, so an awesome rainy weather. Dark clouds keep shifting places. The sun keeps coming around once in while. It was evening 1600hrs IST and we left Pune. 60 km of action packed journey. Oh I can’t forget to mention when Billi drove bike for almost 10 km @ 60kmph. Hmmm then the weather turned for good and I took in charge for the bike. After wandering for a while we did happen to find a white cottage at a decent cost to accommodate 6 of us for a price of 2000 bucks a night. Hmmm once when the adobe was set, we left to satisfy hunger. Pet ki bhook. So went all the way to the Tiger Point in pitch dark, but on a well laid road which also leads to Amby Valley. This was my 1st trip to Tiger Point and in the darkness I couldn’t figure out much. Just that the pakodas n chai were awesome. Well I remember it was Amol the person who served us this stuff. Now back to the city, for the booze (including “Blue Shark” Vodka and “Old Monk” Rum) and the bakaras. Here is all of us.

Thats us again. Hiding from rain. Just before leaving on bikes to Amby Valley.

Lonavala – Amby Vally: 28 Km.

This was the amazing road trip we took in rain and near zero visiblity. Will write about soon. For now enjoy the pix.

This is how it all looked. I miss that time.

2007-06-14T17:41:00.000+05:30

MULSHI Trip - June 2007

Well this was the amazing trip. We 6 people on 3 bikes made it all the way in pitch dark night to this place. Shikha, Satte, Nidhi, Girish and Naina, we guyz rocked. Here are few pics to share.

Will write more stuff soon. :)

2007-05-25T15:40:00.000+05:30

Shoot-Out at FTII

Place : FTII Studios, Law College Road, Pune, MH, India
Date: 17th May 2007

I happen to get this SMS from Supratik and he asked me n Parul to perform for a tv shoot. This was for the students of FTII (Film and Television training Institute of India) and it was Rukshana who had approached him to make this happen. This was a good chance where we can showcase our dance skills. Parul has been my dance partner for quite sometime now. So we knew it was not going to take much time to put up a small dance performance. We still spent much of the 3-4 days we had in hand, in getting the Rumba right. Salsa was kinda neglected, but we had already worked off our asses on getting that perfect the last time. Rumba was something we have not performed before , so it was pretty exciting. So on the 17th of May, 2 couples (other being Supratik and Bipasha) danced Rumba and Salsa at the FTII studios.

Few pix I would like to share: . . . . . . . .

This is perhaps the best pic I like.

Well thats Supratik n Bipasha. And I can't help noticing this amazing photography...

Another superb pic in B&W... Dosen't it look Classy !!!

And herez the group pic in the end. Well almost everyone linked with the shoot is here.

And watchout this space for the much awaited video. I will be uploading this soon, maybe within a weeks time....

2007-03-22T12:07:00.000+05:30

La La Latin battle ... Part-3

Herez how Pune Times covered the Rocky's latin battle. This as seen, is published Pune Times page-3 on the 22nd of march 2007. In case you don't know Rocky's Lattin Battle happend on 3rd of March @ Area 51 pancards Club. You can read in detail about it and see my dance video in my previous posts (or just scroll down).

Here are the article pix, more clear..

2007-03-15T14:37:00.000+05:30

What I must remember ....

As I sitback watching the Latin Dance performances of mine as well as all others in the very sequence they happened, I can clearly see from what happened, where I stood, the points that were in our favour, places where we went terribly bad, and some tips and inspirations from others who performed. Frankly am not at all happy with my performance. Hardly cameout to 50% of what I can do. But overall it wasen't that bad either. May be we ( me n ma partner) were good at covering up things. Still that means there needs a lot more to be learnt, practiced and xplored.
Well my moral was already low with the way I (rather than saying we) performed in first 2 rounds. Well there are things I can't mention here that did their level best to spoil my mood, but couldn succeed. I didn't lead the lady, the best possible way I can. Didn't loose my confidence though, but was pissed of with myself. Thankx to my partner & my friendz for bucking me up.

Well all well that ends well. But hey do remember the points that I need to work on.
1. Work on styling - learn to put more of free style in btw
2. The expressions should change with time n music n theme.
3. Mood - Alwayz be in a good one. Remember your mood should become better with dance and not dance only when your mood is good.
4. Energy - Get more of energy in you.
5. Bend - bend where u need to.
6. Use your hands freely to express
7. And look confident even though you are not.
8. Believe that you can win. You had won and you will ........!!!

Good Luck Monty .... ;)

2007-03-13T14:50:00.000+05:30

Rang De Binary is back ...

See the much awaited video right here ... :)

2007-03-12T17:50:00.000+05:30

La La Latin Battle .. Part 2

Well here is the Dance performance. Hope you like it.
Watever be the case plz leave your comments in cbox on the right. Thanks :)

A nice moment captured.

2007-03-09T10:35:00.000+05:30

La La Latin Battle .. Part -1

Here comes the good part of posting the Good NeWs. So the Rocky's Latin Battle happened on the 3rd or march, 2007 @ AreA 51 - the Biggest and Best Disc in Pune. And it was a awesome evening with everyone performing their best. Dancing to the music of Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba & Jive it was an evening to remember. The performance by Rocky and Ketaki was a splended bonus for all the viewers. So here is the final tally:

Best Couple Rank 1 : Shiney n Tejas (Cha Cha Cha)

Best Couple Rank 2 : Pooja n Varun (Rumba)

Best Couple Rank 3 : Parul n Gaurav (popular as Monty) (Salsa)

Best dancer(female) : Nishita

Best dancer(male) : Abhay

Well I have been waiting for pix n video but still haven't received any yet. I will be putting that soon. Watch out for this space. ;)

This is how it appeared in the Indian Express-Pune Newsline dated 6th March.

Believe me thats me (hehehe my face not completely visible) and my dance partner Parul.

2007-02-21T14:45:00.000+05:30

Practice Perfect

Bachpan main hamne seekha tha, Hard Work is the Key to success. Same goes for the upcoming Latin Dance Battle. Its scheduled to be on 3rd March. And I have been putting in lots of hrs and practice sessions to put up a beautiful performance. A lot more still needs to be done though. But I have my mind set now, to come out with flying colors.

The recepie for a beautiful Salsa dance performance is

A) a good partner (luck to have one, without a search)

B) some good chemistry

C) passion for dance

D) understanding

E) feel for the music

F) great pair of asses

...................................and cook it over fire until the its Hot 'n' Spicy :)

A Pose Perfect captured by a cell camera. Thankz for putting a timer in it.

2007-01-23T11:44:00.000+05:30

L O V E O A S I S !!! The First WIN......

C O N G R A T S to All for making this possible and coming this far. In case you got no clue what I am talking about, I am congratulating everyone for representing ~I N F O S Y S~ Pune in the Inter IT-Dance Competition 'Rang De Binary!' and getting back with the 1st Runner's trophy. This competition was held on the evening of 21st January, 2007 in Residancy Club, Pune. With 15 participating companies and 17 performances, securing the 2nd rank was tough but we made it. After all we are eSMART and eSEXY bunch of people. :)

And the 2 weeks spent with evenyone, have now become an unforgettable and inseparable part of my Life. With all the people I have interacted with, now keep a special corner in my heart. And I am sure everone is going to miss these amazing 2 weeks in the January winter of 2007, when few souls came together to give a performance on LOVE and in the process made such nice bondings among themselves. Sure we all goona miss time spent together, practicing hard with an aim to win.

So how did it all go, leeme tell you right from the beginning with pix speaking for themselves.

It was Friday 5th Jan 2007 (eveing @ Infy Amphi Phase 1) when I had come for auditions with my friend Shikha. Apparently both of us were apprehensive about making it through. And moreover I was sure that if it has to be, then only one of us might be able to make through it. Anyways going forward we gave our best shot. And guess what, we both were able to make it in the list of 12 selected people. Phewww...!!! 1st hurdle crossed. But Miles to Go............

Saturday 6th Jan 2007 ----- to ----- 20th Jan 2007 : An Experience

So here comes the part of the choreographer Vinod. We gotta know him well over these 2 weeks and mind you he has a real talent and a passion for dance. The steps what he taught were simply amazing, something we ourselves could never come up with.

Here is a pic taken in Vinod's studio called "Dance Oceans", located @ new D.P.Road. Good place to dance and practice around with full length mirror and amazing wall paintings. I am sure they must have hired a professional to do that delicate piece of work. Even the ceiling was painted in dark but on careful observation one can read DANCE OCEANS there.

Okie all beautiful people here, with simple clothes and believe me really tired. Well the energy levels on everyones face speaks for themselves. This pic was taken on 20th Jan 2007 @ 12:43hrs. I like being accurate you know. :)

Well this is me with my beautiful dance partner Kanika.

This pic was taken few hours before the concert on 21st Jan 2007 (around 5pm) when everyone was really hungry with no lunch and for few choosen, no breakfast. Surely everyone will remember the delicious food @ Mirchi's. This place did satisfied our huger (pet ki bhook, mind it) at leat on 2 occasions.

Hmm here is one more (taken around same time, same place) with everone trying to fit into picture perfect. All trying to put up their best Close-up smiles.

Well Chaitali you definately need a good sleep after working so hard and being around with us all the time. You are definately a part of this team and none of us will forget you late nights. But please take care of you back. As I said Yoga will definately help, if only you can spare 15min out of your buzy schedule.

Hey this is all Guyz stuff. Mast photu of all 5 dances (male). I particularily wanted this pic in B&W.

D-Day Pix: 21 JAN 2007 sometime late evening ...

Well this is one of the most un-forgettable moments that day. It was sharp 4pm when our group along with the choerographers and Chaitali went for a dry run at the venue. Sandy (in the picture below) was very excited like we all were, showing off our attitudes. But Sandy had other things in mind. To grab a seat just next to the pool of water, he jumped so hard that ultimately he fell in water. And we have to grap hold of him to avoid him from drowning in knee deep water. This pic was taken just after the great fall.

Now comes the Moment of Truth. It was a 5 min performance and in the blink of an eye it was over. It seemed chaotic to us, but the crowd enjoyed it, everyone appretiated it. We were the only team to get a "Once More" call from the crowd.

Here are few pix from the moment we all had put in our khoon and pasina. This one I admire a lot and so does Shradha (the pretty gal with pretty hair in the pic below).

And while receiving the Trophy. BTW forgot to mention that 'Milind Gunaji' was the chief guest. Must say a damm tall guy.

And here is our achivement. The Trophy.

Disclaimer:
Mentioned above is my point of view and I have descibed it in a way I look at things. In case you have any suggestions you can mail them to me, I will think about it :) The content and pix has been published with due care, not revealing critical info. I have missed out on many things but guyz I am a buzy person, and I need to get back to work. Might add stuff later. Like naman's shocking story just before the show.

2007-01-03T11:14:00.000+05:30

Trips around 2007 New Year's Eve

It was 2006 Christmas Eve, a long weekend. And it has been quite a while that I had gone on a outing with family. Morover one of my friend's mom and bro was in city (from Dilli) and it was good idea for everyone to come together for a trip. So the decided place was Kashid and Murud. These are beaches 150 Km South of Mumbai and 50 Km south of Alibaug. They are in a pretty way fine piece of beaches that you can find within 200 km of Pune. Well I wouldn't say much about the trip and let pictures do most of the talking.

This is me doing Pole Dance in the middle of the night at the House where we stayed. Thanks to the stong light bulb, the actual me isn't revealed much.

This is the Enterance of the Murud-Jangira fort that is 1/2 a km into the see. The only way In is to take a ride on the sail boats (costing 12 bucks for to n fro journey) and then literaly jumping from the sail boats onto the narrow steps, a place crowded by many vistors waiting for their ride back.

This is how the Murud Jangira Fort looks like on its way on the sail boats.

Here are all of us in the Fort. It was really sunny in the last week of December (in Northern hemisphere) and trust me everyone is wearing loads of sunscream. :)

Well I am a lill bit of a photographer myself. Was trying my hand at it. This is a pic I took. I would call it beautiful. Its for you to decide.
Now lets get back to the Beach Area of which the story is all about. These are us early morning on the Kashid Beach. It was a lot of fun.

And this is me. Also the pic was taken by me. You would be ale to see this pic of mine on Orkut too.

2006-12-01T12:49:00.000+05:30

Letz Dance. Well isn't this a cute pic.

Hmmm the dance is even better. So now through the Basic course, leeme jot down the things I have learnt. Well the Basic's of the basic are there in the post before this.

Following are the Salsa steps:

1) Basic Salsa Step
2) Side Step
3) Back Step
4) Step Step Side
5) Front Basic Turn
6) Back Basic Turn
7) Side Change
8) Fan Alumana

Following are the Cha Cha Cha steps:
1) Basic Cha Cha Step
2) New York
3) Hand To Hand
4) Spot Turn
5) Turn
6) Side Change & Fan Alumana

These steps + a good amount of spinning can land you in the Advance round. So see ya there.

2006-10-22T13:33:00.000+05:30

Salsa Lessons Remembered - One

Well this one should have been by Rocky. This guy has taken the mommentus task of teaching me Salsa and Cha cha cha dance. Not that I can't dance. Though lately I am even in the Infy Dance group. Hmm so thats certain that I can no doubt shake my ass to the extent of making people wonder what am upto. :)

Well I just thought I would jot down all I had learned so far. As told and adviced by others, the theory is an important aspect too. So here it goes .....

This is one Horizontal - Ball Room Dancing. Then it has the following Styles and Kind of dancing:

American Style (the ISTD's syllabus)
Smooth -- Waltz (W), Tango (T), Foxtrot (F), Viennese Waltz (VW)
Rhythm -- Cha Cha (C), Rumba (R), East Coast Swing (Sw), Bolero (B), Mambo (Ma)

International Style (the ISTD's syllabus, the the IDTA's syllabus, and a combined version)
Standard -- Waltz (W), Tango (T), Viennese Waltz (VW), Foxtrot (F), Quickstep (Q)
Latin -- Cha Cha (C), Samba (S), Rumba (R), Paso Doble (PD), Jive (J)

To summarize the steps I learnt:

Salsa Basic.

Side Step

Back Step

Side Side Step

Side Walk

Few links to check out :

www.BallroomDancers.com/LearningCenter This will have almost everything you need to know about Ballroom Dancing. Some real good video clippings too. Pity I couldn't fing anything xactly about Salsa.

Ballroom Dancing Competition Rules

Music for Download for Dance Classes

2006-09-27T17:51:00.000+05:30

Hey papa,
Happy Birthday .. :) We all miss you a ton here. Hope you will be doing all fine. Mez planning to get things sorted at our end as soon as possible. Mumz n Billz are being taken care by me. You need not worry. Sunny got married yesterday and I happen to speak to him. Hez glad that his 8 year long ordeal came to an end. Does things (can't say life) have really changed for you? Ever get time to think about us? However things may change please always be there. I have to turn loads of your dreams into reality. And you gotta see that all throughout. I know u can't say NO to me on that. Hehee

Well just one thing, I don't know to which address should I post this mail to. :(

Chalo U tak care and catch u arnd.

2006-09-26T11:13:00.000+05:30

Something On Side Effects ..

Notice about a Dilli ka Ladki and Mumbai ka Ladaka gettin along in this well acted movie. That reminds me of Dilli ki Ladaki that Malika tried to potray. Wouldn say it was bad but nothing great either. Rahul Bose is simply fantastic and superb. I love this chap. He's got a real sence of humor, a brilliant timing and facial reactions to die for.

So here we are discussing the Side Effect of falling in love. I love the way the move has be centered and narrated by Rahul. His teachings, preachings and Gyan, does sounds funny but I admit it makes real sence. Apart from the obvious humour at places it was funny to see the Dilli ka Autowala, Mallika ka papaji, Baby Doll Volume-3, obviously the Coffee, roomie who dosen changes his underwear for more than a week and loads more.

I specifically enjoyed the conversation that Rahul and his 2 friends (Jija n Roomie) have while boozing in a Pub. Simply too gud. And special thankx to Malika for not revealing n looking vulgar too much.

So take away from the movie --- >
When in doubt, say "I LOVE YOU". ---- It really helps in building up your score.

2006-09-20T18:42:00.000+05:30

Girls' relationship with guys is a bigger mystery than girls themselves. It's not just about boyfriends, we're talking about guy friends that gals have.

Do you have a gal who is just a friend? Are confused why the frequency of calls increases as exams loom closer? Or why she always hangs around with the moron who isn't fit to wear Jeetendra's white shoes? Here's a ready reckoner for you:

% Just a friend %
Well, you are like a show piece in my house. I will call you whenever I need you. If you call me home the chances are 9 out of 10 times she might say, "Oh Rahul, I am going out can you call me after 2 days??"
Rahul: "Where are you going Shilpa??"
Shilpa: "None of your business" and bangs the phone.(Useless fellow.Hmmph!).

% Good Friend %
You are like a TV remote control. I need you and I know that. But I try
using you when I really need you.
Rahul calls: "Hi Shilpa",
Shilpa: "Hi Rahul. I am going out with family I will call you back. Bye"
(Shilpa calls back after two days)
Shilpa: "What do you want Rahul? Why did you call that day?".
Rahul: "Generally".
Shilpa: "Oh ok. I got to go out. Will call you later. Bye."
Will call when she needs lecture notes or some concert tickets.

% Very good friend %
Well you are like the pressure cooker safety value for the girl. She will need you when she wants to bring out her pain or anger on someone. Basically, she wants to talk to you. And you are special to her.
Shilpa: "You know Rahul, Shekhar is not eating. He doesn't sleep and is not able to concentrate on his studies. I think he doesn't like me anymore. And yesterday I saw him with another girl".
Rahul: "Who is Shekhar??"
Shilpa : "My boyfriend."
Rahul: Oh! ok. :-(

% Best Friend %
You are like the auto rickshaw driver. She can't live without you. And don't be mistaken. You are not her boyfriend. But you are allowed to take her little doggie around the park so that he (not you!) can have fun .
Rahul Shopping. Rahul Movie. Rahul Coffee. Rahul,you pay. I am having fun.
Rahul is now sure that he should go ahead and propose. He dares.
Shilpa: "But I thought we were just friends.
We should remain friends
Rahul. Plus, I have a boy friend you know that."
Rahul: What?? (Rahul drinks all night).

% Best of the Bestest Friends %
Ok now you are really special. You are dad-cum-boyfriend-cum-brother-cum-everything. Ultimately you are the darling servant of the girl. You take her
around.You make her project. You do her assignments. You are allowed to take her doggie around. You can hold hands on the beach. You can see the sun set with her (because she wants to do everything she drags you along).
But but but... don't be mistaken. She has a boyfriend who works for a huge software company and earns 3 times the salary you earn and has a flat in PoesGardenor Boat Club or Hiranandani area.
Shilpa: "Hi Rahul. I am getting engaged to Shekhar. Shekhar this is Rahul, he is my bestest friend".
Rahul: Hi Shekhar . (Hand shake. Shekhar breaks Rahul's wrist).
Rahul is now heart broken and wrist broken.

% Boyfriend %
Uh... No comments dude. You're already Gone

For all Rahul type guys… Make sure that you tell Shilpa about Mamta.
And about Maya… and about Tina also…

This will open Shilpa’s eyes!!!!

2006-09-20T13:32:00.000+05:30

So today I decide to start writing blogs. Hopefully this journey continues and I get a chance to explore myself and this world from outside and within. Gud Luck !!!