Phoenix Reunion-RiverGate(Karjat)/Nandanvan(Thane)/Dominica’s(Gorai)

It had been a very long time since I met my ex team 'Phoenix', so I shot off an email to get everyone on board. A couple of mins later I got a flurry of replies.

I put that down to initial, uncommitted excitement. "Awesome", "Phoenix Rocks", "Count me in" and "Wouldn't miss it for the world" were some of the responses.

I was excited and got into planning this exciting event; Venue: RiverGate- Karjat, as the days went by the initial excitement settled down and reality set in.

"Sorry can't make it", "Just realized I have other plans", the awkward I'm not coming in spite of committing grin and other fantastic excuses, made our 16 strong phoenix team, look like a sparrow ninja (just coined that term). So now we were down to 10.

A couple of days later we decided to book RiverGate, party of 10. Luckily they were already booked, so we decided to go to Nandanvan; a place with good food, a private swimming pool and clean toilets/washrooms. So Liz our chief organizer made the arrangements.

Nandanvan it was, excitement was still simmering and most of us were anxious and looking forward to this reunion. A week later we had 1 more cancellation. Now were down to 9. Expenses revised, updates sent. Approximately 1300 per person. A week later another one bit the dust. We were now 8.

I did a quick revision of the picnic cost and sent an update. Samuel sent teasers, trying to uplift the waning fervor.

8th and 9th of July was the D-day, all my bags were packed and I was ready to leave. “Nandanvan here we come” echoed in our hearts.

I was doing an early morning shift and in my excitement in left my wallet at home (ID, License, and Money)

We had collected money earlier so it didn’t really matter, at first. So we had a team huddle and decided how we were going to go. When we got another suicidal sparrow flame out, it looked more like phoenix was turning into ashes. So now we were the super 7.

Now, the price just went up per head and it was too expensive to go to a place that was half way across the world, and required ‘Me’ to travel by public transport, it was just not going to happen.

So Liz, our dear Liz was on the phone again, finally we called this place called Dominica’s.

It was 2pm and we were scheduled to leave at 4pm. Liz seemed absolutely baffled when she called up as they told her we needed to adhere to 2 very important rules. 1# No loud Music – understandable and 2# No Hookers - ???

Who did they think we were, and why would 4 guys and 3 girls take Hookers for a picnic???

Well after checking with the rest we all in agreement that we would have to skip the hookers this time.

Now that we were downsized to 7, like the global economy in 2008, I decided that I had to get my wallet, if I was going to drive all the way. So Liz and I headed to my place. We reached my place and were back in a jiffy (5:15pm) just an hour and 15mins behind schedule.

Tanya, Adrian, and Sam took the ferry and reached the place. Liz, Shiv, Tina and I drove to Manori, we reached at 8 after picking up the alcohol.

Finally Phoenix reunited, we had 7 important people, and the rest didn’t matter that that time.

The food at Dominica's was pretty good.  We talked for a bit and then started playing ‘Taboo’ and then ‘Monopoly’.

At 1am, Tanya was tired so she decided to take a quick cat nap; I guess she was referring to the cat that swallowed a whole box of sleeping pills. Her cat nap lasted 9hours.

By 2am, most of us were operating on standby mode; one by one we all took our own cat naps.

10am, most of the cats were still sleeping, so we woke them up, ordered breakfast and started a another game of ‘Monopoly’

I don’t want brag, but since it was a dream run, I thought I’d let you know how the game ended. Well to say the least, I owned everything, I mean everything, and one by one I picked them off, putting them out of their misery and on to the street, well figuratively.

After a quick lunch we packed our bags and a couple of snaps later we headed back home.

Overall it was a nice spontaneous picnic with some great company…

Looking forward to more outings with my ex team, let me correct myself my team, they will never be an ‘Ex’ cause they are always there!

Love and Relationships

B
Being in a relationship is a wonderful feeling when things are going well and can be the disastrous when it hits troubled waters.

Now relations can be romantic or platonic. In case you are wondering it’s the opposite of romantic. My knowledge on this particular matter has improved leaps and bounds over the years. My astute power of observation and a few personal experiences have propelled me to be a relationship Guru. 

Don’t let my single status sway your faith at my ability to provide good sound advice. At the moment I will just talk about the 7 stages of Love.

1.   Admiration/Attraction

2. Infatuation

3.  Hope

4.  Love

5.  Passion/Obsession

6. Fear/Doubt

7.  Ecstasy

It all starts with admiration and when you start to feel comfortable around that person you get attracted to him/her. You see yourself spending more time around your object of affection and find the slightest excuse to meet or interact.

Over time, your attraction gets a lot stronger and then you start to get infatuated with that person and enamored by his/her presence. You feel a nervous energy consume you when that person is around.

You hope your feelings are reciprocated and accepted. You will tend to scrutinize every word action and inaction to get validation of the person’s level of interest in you.
If the feeling of infatuation last for more than four months, you can presume that you are in love. 

In time you will become obsessed with your new found love and will find no fault and accept all imperfections. At this stage you can say that ‘Love is Blind’

Over time you get used to the attention and your attraction and excitement of being in love will diminish as you will start to take this for granted. At this stage you will tend to question and doubt if your lover still feels as passionately as they did before. 

Most couples part when they fail to keep the roaring fire of passion alive. They tend to slip in to a routine and boredom creeps in.

Very few get to the stage of unconditional love and ecstasy. This stage consists of a higher form of love spiritual love.  

During each stage you will come across certain choices

1.   Continue and moving forward

2. Stall

3.  Slow down or go backwards

4.  Exit

At each stage, your intuition will tell you what to do and when to do it. 

By taking notice of the signals from your head and heart, you will be better able to interpret what your intuition is telling you. At each stage, consider, “What am I thinking and feeling?” Are you receiving conflicting messages? Is your head saying one thing and your heart another? This is often the case, particularly in romantic relationships. What happens is there is an agreement error, a contrast between your thoughts and your feelings. This is perfectly normal. 

They make a conscious effort to progress slowly and purposefully through each stage, enjoying the process, while allowing their love to develop naturally.

Communicating is the key ingredient in making any relationship work

You should be open and honest about your feelings, so that you can trust that everything has been said and understood by both parties. 

Don't be afraid to speak your mind. If love is true then you will be able to share exactly how you feel without the fear of what your partner will think about you.

Its important to feel a 100% comfortable to say and do whatever you want to do. Don't try and be someone you are not, as in time you will just become a clearer picture of who you really are.

Even if you find that things aren’t what you would have hoped for, at least you know what is going on and then you can work on making it better.

Most of us have experienced love blindness. We either think we love someone or do not realize until it is too late that we actually did love someone. You do not have to be blinded by love. You have the power to recognize it, but you must use smart decision-making skills to avoid making fatal relationship mistakes. 
 
As you progress through each level, you will no doubt experience excitement and anxiety, hope and fear, arousal and dis-arousal, certainty and uncertainty, along with a myriad of other feelings. You will need to work hard at balancing the messages that you are receiving from both your head and your heart to most accurately interpret the incoming, overwhelming information—it is very easy to be misled.

So my only advice to you is to look out for signs, listen to your head.

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime...

I've met a lot of people in my life, a few have made a lasting impression and some have faded with time.

Over the years new relationships are forged and old one either remain dormant or fade with time.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON...It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to help you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend and they are! They are there for the "Reason" you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. Sometimes they die. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. Your need has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON...It is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. 

Manori 06 03 09

On the 6th of March 2009, my team and I went out for a picnic to Manori (Palm Beach) 

The planning was a mess, but I was determined to make it happen, we had rescheduled too many times. 

Some people did not come for various reasons, but looking back... it did not matter. Everything that happened, happened for the best. 

After work on Friday all our bags were packed and we were ready to go, we were not leaving on a jet plane, but something close, we were going to the Marve Jetty. 

We set out at 5pm...All excited that this was finally happening...2 rickshaws 6 people. 

Rick #1 Gaurav, Adrian, James, Rick #2 Tanya, Maria, Rajesh...we were on our way. Well almost! 

Once you reach Malad Marve ( you come to a T junction and you need to take a right to go to the marve jetty) 

I've been there many times so I should know....But for some inexplicable reason, I did not listen to "Gaurav" a guy in my team and took the left that goes towards the "Resort + Retreat" and 10mins into the journey. We got a call from Rajesh, who seemed concerned that we had not reached, because we had left before them. 

We told them we would be there in 5mins....15mins later winding down some unfamiliar road, our Rickshaw driver was also concerned as he was as lost as I. 

When you have 3 guys in a rick, asking for directions is out of the question. But better sense prevailed on the instance of out rickshaw driver, we asked a local where the "Manori Jetty" was.... 

In the opposite direction was his reply... Gaurav and Adrian did not look too pleased...They failed to find the humor initially. 

I'm sure Rajesh and the girls had the "WTF" expression when we told them that I had made an error. 

20mins later we reached "Marve Jetty" - Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut...but since I'm always so honest. 

I told them that I had made this same error last year when were going on a picnic to the same place... 

Apparently I am a slow learner... so they forgave me, at least that's what I thought. If you see the initial pics on the way to Manori, they do not look happy. Courtesy James. 

We reached "Palm Beach" the memories of my last trip came flooding back, peppered with whole gamut of emotions and images. 

The Swimming pool, aka "Tabela" (correct spelling courtesy K) the unlimited servings of "French fries" and yummy Chicken tikka starters. 

The lunch and dinner is not something I really look forward to.. It’s palatable. The breakfast menu is devoid of anything to "My Liking" The coffee, too milky, no cheese grilled sandwiches, bacon and eggs(made just the way I want them) ....but I'm too fussy. 

I can be sure that normal people will not have a problem. 

Looking back at this trip, we did not do anything out of the box, or play any of the standard picnic games. 

It started off as a photo shoot, cause I love photography, my team was not as eager as I but it's ok. I know they will appreciate it. 

We had a few quiet conversations, interspersed with overly accented echoes of my statements. My quirks (bringing a Bed sheet and a pillowcase invited some more comments) 

We had people playing songs on their cell phones.. None of us had thought of bringing speakers or Music. 

I can say it was a very relaxing picnic as most people were perpetually asleep. 

In the morning, we decide to go out for a trek (going out clicking snaps on some of the rocks) It was nice. 

I got to click a lot of snaps and I was happy. We got back and my team had breakfast and I watched. 

A little bird seem to be really friendly and very hungry, not sure if it was a he or a she, because initially with was running after Imran and later on it was fascinated by Tanya. 

It provided us with some entertainment, when it jumped on Tanya's plate... I did not have my camera at that point of time... But it was a hilarious sight. 

The guys played water polo and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, I sat out and clicked snaps. 

The women lazed around in hammocks till lunch time. 

After lunch, we went back into the room and chatted for a while. Sam pestered me to sing and I told him I couldn’t and they would regret it ….their persistent paid off and I sang a song (more than words - 1 stanza) and then they did not ask me to sing again and I don’t think they will ever ask me to sing again. 

Then Tanya sang a song, in Hindi – no idea what it meant but it was really nice. So the next time we go out, she will be summoned. 

Then everyone went to sleep…. Yes again. 

I decided to meet my ex team, they were down the road at Dominica’s, I met up with them for a while and then I went back to Palm Beach. 

We had to check out by 6pm, so we packed and got everything organized and spoke about our next trip in July. 

A few more group snaps and we headed back to our busy lives. 

Every snap I clicked has a story and I’m sure our next trip will be more memorable and fun. 

Till then…take care 

Life!!!

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold Well!!!

An inspiring quote, appreciated by all, but followed by few. I never really appreciated Life, until a year ago. I got sick, very sick and there was a lot I couldn't do.

I only realized the value of what I had, when I had lost it. There was a lot of life lessons I learned during those 7 months.

My time was consumed by complaining about yesterday and yearning for a better tomorrow, what I failed to realize that I was ignoring the present, I was so busy with work, I never had time to notice things around me. 

I've made a conscious effort not to dwell on the past, but to value each day that I have and make the most of it.

Life Summed Up for a Cancer Survivor: Fingers Perpetually Crossed, So live life to the fullest, because living in fear or despair is not worth it. Have Faith!!! 

I believe that "Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe" But it does not mean you just need to have faith and everything else will follow, you need to take that 1st step and try.

I've not been totally reformed, but I'm taking baby steps in the right direction. People who have known me think I've changed (Hopefully for the better) I'd like to think I've improved... only time will tell.