“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

I had a chance to watch this movie...but believe me I didn't see this movie for Sharukh, but for my old times sake ~ Field Hockey!!!!
As I was watching through...each episode of hockey, field practice, our Coach ~ Kariappa, my sports teacher ~ Bose Madam ....and my buddies...Nandi - she was just like Priti in this movie...but we also had someone who was just like Komal, her name was Afroz - she had a very heavy voice and boys used to tease her a lot but we made it our strength!!! I also remember Chandrakala - she was someone whom we can relay and trust upon when its crisis :)
Yes, you can say when I was watching this movie...it was not movie that I was into it was something that I was replaying my past and believe me it was more or less like live match!
Exact like in this movie, we lost one match to Bombay Team who was playing very rough and foul but overall performance wise they didn’t score points since they were hitting on body with hockey stick! I also have a mark on my right hand’s thumb! But then we won the match with Southern Command…it was a real victory for us to get selected in the Nationals and we did!!!

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.”

Today when I look at it …it’s a medal I feel which brings all those memories of those games, practices …those tough work-outs before the match and motivating words from our Coach! Coach Kariaapa is not any kind but he was one of the selectors for National Girls Hockey Team, I always feel proud to mention this as I was groomed under his guidance!

“A life of frustration is inevitable for any coach whose main enjoyment is winning.” ~ Chuck Noll

One thing is there being in a team teaches one a lot many things! Today I hear parents talk about sending there kids to day-care assuming there child will grow faster and will learn to socialize but I would say instead make sure the kids are in some team-events where one learns a lot – sharing, supporting, helping in need and overall the sportsmanship spirit where you treat your opponents also with respect! A true character build course in short: D

“Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together.” ~ Phil Jackson

One thing I will not forget to mention…during my hockey tenure it was my mom who supported me through out! She used to encourage me to go for my practices and she was the one who used to bring different sports t-shirts for me so that I look her star on the hockey ground: D!!!

“We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.” ~ Anne Sophie Swetchine

But its true girls were always discouraged to play hockey for some or the other backward thinking/ reasons! I feel proud my parents never felt so! In stead they helped others to send there kids into this sport. During this time, I had one of the fans (that’s all I know of fact), Meena who has a craze of my game and the way I used to carry my hockey stick and guess what the first opportunity she got to join the team she sent me a letter saying I was the reason where she is today! She played for the State and got into Railways…that’s all I know the latest but am sure where ever she is …she is doing at her best :D ! Am proud of her and her achievements!

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” ~ Michael Jordan

Tears came out in the end when I saw the team spirit in this movie as that was one of the key element we had in our team…no one was against each other…as they showed in the movie…but yes it took a lot of effort and support from team members to get bring that tuning in the characteristics of ours!
I wish for once we all meet again…never know when and where they all are…!

I pay my respect and love to my hockey team through this post
Chak de (Go for It!), Team!!

“The past is never dead, it is not even past.” ~William Faulkner

“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”

“Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.”

When you move from one place to other you leave lot of things behind and carry the hope that you are going to accumulate what you left behind :)

Now that’s a hope but doesn’t have to be true …as things may not be the same! You might find friends but not the same kind…same wavelength or frequency!

“Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.” ~ Henry Rollins

It might be a something in common that clicks when am making friends and believe me I was amazed to see at Cisco I got them!

Yes…friends move on to different projects and to different companies but we remain the same…! Full of fun and frolic yet not making any sense out of it…!

We meet, talk. Make fun of each other …pull legs and tease and yet we are looking for another opportunity! When am with them…it reminds me of my college friends! And believe me it’s a life-time experience to get something when you are really far from the college and those friends!

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

Last Friday we planned to meet and have lunch! We all met at the Sunnyvale down town …traffic was a bit hectic so friends reached a bit late and as usual the rush was too much to get anywhere place to eat! A time came when we decided wherever we get space we will dine: D

Everyone was hungry and we went to this ‘Thai Basil’ restaurant…food smelled so good that we didn’t even gave a thought to check other places. There was a long wait…yet we were pulling all the strings of our patience!

Mean while waiting …there is this guy who looks at us and starts talking ~ how long this wait is going to be and I said yeah and hope the wait is worth to eat the kind of food we are hoping…!!! The guy next to him…stared at me and said…did you say Date??? And I was kind where the hell he even dreams of such a thing when it was made loud and clear about the food and wait!!!! I gave a sarcastic smile and said…I said ‘Wait’ and not Date!!!! The guy takes this as an opportunity and starts talking …well if it’s a date then one can go out and enjoy the place with the Date and let the restaurant manager page you when the place is available!!! I was kind …yeah right!!! But I just smiled and I said well…yeah but who has time!

“Errors to be dangerous must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation.” ~ Sydney Smith

He kept exploring about the place by asking questions and then says well I am single and have two daughters ….I took them to this music concert…blah blah blah….how about you ???? Oh god! My friends were there watching and listening to all this and on top of all commenting non-stop in Hindi ….gosh!!!! it was moment when I wanted to laugh out but I maintained my sense of sensibility ;) and discussed about a new born baby…I guess that was enough to end the conversation…but no! He said bye before leaving…may be he was still hopeful as I mentioned above ;)

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” ~ Bill Cosby

After all this…we got a seat and we ordered the food as by now we had planned what to order! I with Red curry chicken, one of my friends went for Yellow curry and other one who is very conscious about what she eats order for Red Curry –vegetarian with more tofu in it!!!

Well…so far things were going well as we all were very hungry! Our leg pulling was on high swing and guess what…all of a sudden I find this green worm in my food….eeeks!!!!! What’s this??? Oh my god…where did it come??? Everyone with a look as if …did they eat and it’s just that I noticed!!! Well…we tried to make noise but we were given an option of – money back or another fresh order!!!!

“When a person acts without knowledge of what he thinks, feels, needs or wants, he does not yet have the option of choosing to act differently.” ~ Clark Moustakas

Well…food was still on mind so went for fresh order but by the time food came with all those apologies the appetite was kind of gone!!! Yet the spirit with which we met…I can still feel it in my heart as I am writing this!!!

It was a good feeling when we met…the warmth and love is still there…and we decided…no matter what we must meet for lunches quite often ;)

“Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.” ~ Led Zeppelin

We parted after giving a hug and as I was walking towards my office…I said to myself isn’t its tough to get someone with whom you can share the same kind of jokes that they understand and makes you live a life of a kid!

I guess that’s the friends who make you feel like a kid!!!!

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”

“The busy man is troubled with but one devil; the idle man by a thousand”

Lately its so busy at work…they say early to bed early to rise…yes rising early is a fact for me but not early to bed!

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~ Dale Carnegie

In all these…there were things that were happening around and my mind kept saying this is a good topic for my blog and things kept on piling…!! Today something happened and I just couldn’t stop writing this to myself ~

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~ Jimmy Dean

Recently one of our friends was flying from Phoenix and he got late though boarding took place on time…! The question came up then what delayed the flight, and the answer was that – just when the pilot was about to take-off the plane in the air, he remembered that the passenger’s luggage they forgot to board hahahaha! I first thought must be a joke…but then it was said that…literally on the run-way plane was running with its speed to takeoff and suddenly it was slowed down and started turning back! First people started worrying when the pilot announced – Sorry guys we have to go back as we got to load the entire passenger’s luggage!!!!

The entire situation reminded me like traveling in a bus :) ! It seems after 45 minutes delay when the flight started taking off someone asked if the fuel is filled… lol! That was the joke of the day!!

“I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Well, in between all this I moved from one apartment to another …still needs to unpack! As you can see my busy schedule didn’t allow unpacking everything.

“You owe it to everyone you love (including yourself) to find pockets of tranquility in your busy world.”

At work…I just gaze at my biker colleagues…when they all come in and go ….those sexy bikes…keep me tempting…! My temptation can be very well guessed by my colleagues when they see the sexy Ducati in red picture on my Office ID profile.

It happened so that this colleague of mine took me to show his bike…! I had a chance to sit on it….boy!!!! I was numb for a while. It’s a mesmerizing feeling…nostalgic!!!

“We all need to look into the dark side of our nature - that's where the energy is, the passion. People are afraid of that because it holds pieces of us we're busy denying.” ~ Sue Grafton

They all give me all kinds of details of where to get the bike and the places where one can go to ride….!

Today my experience I just cant express….but hope these pictures will depict the drop of my emotion and feeling..

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” ~ Gloria Steinem

When I was driving back…I was on my bike in my thought! I did race couple of cars on the freeway (highway) and finally a good bye with my stranger racing buddies on the road.

I just remember the song….I believe I can fly….. ;)

“Get excited and enthusiastic about you own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away.”