in and out of love

it's funny how a feeling can creep up on you when you're least expecting it, take control of your life, turn your mundane existence into a topsy-turvy roller coaster, and then one day just leave you as suddenly and mysteriously as it appeared.

ps: post title inspired by "in and out of love" by armin van buuren, sung by sharon van adel. the post on the other hand is completely inspired by my life.

play the game...try and beat my 72!!!

Level 1:

(X) Smoked A Cigarette
(X) Smoked A Cigar
( ) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex
(X) Drank Alcohol

SO FAR: 3

Level 2
(X) Are / Been In Love
(X) Been Dumped
(X) Shoplifted
( ) Been Fired
(X) Been In A Fist Fight

SO FAR: 7

Level 3
( ) Had A Crush On An Older Person
( ) Skipped School
( ) Slept With A Co-worker
(X) Seen Someone / Something Die

SO FAR: 8

Level 4
(X) Had / Have A Crush On One Of Your Facebook Friends
( ) Been To Paris
( ) Been To Spain
(X) Been On A Plane
(X) Thrown Up From Drinking

SO FAR: 11

Level 5
( ) Eaten Sushi
( ) Been Snowboarding
(X) Met Someone BECAUSE Of Facebook
(X) Been in a Mosh Pit

SO FAR: 13

Level 6
( ) Been In An Abusive Relationship
(X) Taken Pain Killers
(X) Love/loved Someone Who You Cant Have
(X) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
( ) Made A Snow Angel

SO FAR: 16

Level 7
( ) Had A Tea Party
( ) Flown A Kite
(X) Built A Sand Castle
( ) Gone mudding (offroading)
(X) Played Dress Up

SO FAR: 18

Level 8
(X) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves
( ) Gone Sledging
(X) Cheated While Playing A Game
(X) Been Lonely
(X) Fallen Asleep At Work / School

SO FAR: 22

Level 9
(X) Watched The Sun Set
( ) Felt An Earthquake
( ) Killed A Snake

SO FAR: 23

Level 10
(X) Been Tickled
( ) Been Robbed / Vandalized
( ) Been cheated on
(X) Been Misunderstood

SO FAR: 25

Level 11
(X) Won A Contest
( ) Been Suspended From School
(X) Had Detention
(X) Been In A Car / Motorcycle Accident

SO FAR: 28

Level 12
(X) Had / Have Braces
(X) Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(X) Danced in the moonlight

SO FAR: 31

Level 13
(X) Hated The Way You Look
(X) Witnessed A Crime
( ) Pole Danced
(X) Questioned Your Heart
(X) Been obsessed with post-it-notes

SO FAR: 35

Level 14
(X) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(X) Been Lost
( ) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World
( ) Swam In The Ocean
(X) Felt Like You Were Dying

SO FAR: 38

Level 15
(X) Cried Yourself To Sleep
(X) Played Cops And Robbers
( ) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins

SO FAR: 42

Level 16
(X) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't
(X) Made Prank Phone Calls
(X) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose
( ) Kissed In The Rain

SO FAR: 45

Level 17
(X) Written A Letter To Santa Claus
(X) Watched The Sun Set/ sun rise With Someone You Care/Cared About
(X) Blown Bubbles
(X) Made A Bonfire On The Beach or anywhere

SO FAR: 49

Level 18
( ) Crashed A Party
( ) Have Travelled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People
( ) Gone Rollerskating / Blading
(X) Had A Wish Come True
( ) Been Humped By A Monkey

SO FAR: 50

Level 19
( ) Worn Pearls
( ) Jumped Off A Bridge
( ) Screamed "Penis" or "Vagina"
( ) Swam With Dolphins.

SO FAR: 51

Level 20
( ) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/Freezer/ice Cube
( ) Kissed A Fish
(X) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes
( ) Sat On A Roof Top

SO FAR: 51

Level 21
(X) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
( ) Done / ATTEMPTED A One-Handed Cartwheel
(X) Talked On The Phone For More Than 4 Hours
(X) Recently stayed Up for a while talking to someone you care about

SO FAR: 54

Level 22
( ) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree
(X) Climbed A Tree
( ) Had/Been In A Tree House
(X) Been scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone

SO FAR: 56

Level 23
( ) Believed In Ghosts
( ) Have had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes
( ) Gone Streaking
( ) Visited Jail

SO FAR: 56

Level 24
( ) Played Chicken
( ) Been Pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(X) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger
(X) Broken A Bone
(X) Been Easily Amused

SO FAR: 59

Level 25
( ) Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later
( ) Made A Porn Video/got asked to make one
(X) Caught A Butterfly
(X) Laughed So Hard You Cried
( ) Cried So Hard You Laughed

SO FAR: 61

Level 26
( ) Mooned/Flashed Someone
( ) Had Someone Moon/Flash You
(X) Cheated On A Test
(X) Forgotten Someone's Name
( ) French Braided Someones Hair
(X) Gone Skinny Dipping
(X) Been Kicked Out Of Your House
( ) Tried to hurt yourself

SO FAR: 65

Level 27
(X) Rode A Roller Coaster
( ) Went Scuba-Diving/Snorkeling
(X) Had A Cavity
( ) Black-Mailed Someone
( ) Been Black Mailed

SO FAR: 67

Level 28
(X) Been Used
(X) Fell Going Up The Stairs
( ) Licked A Cat
( ) Bitten Someone
(X) Licked Someone

SO FAR: 70

Level 29
( ) Been shot at/or at gunpoint
( ) Had sex in the rain
( ) Flattened someones tires
(X) Rode your bike/Driven your car until the fuel light came on
(X) Got five pounds or less worth of fuel

My score: 72 out of 132. Not impressive, but not bad either :)

questions...and answers

much as i'm indifferent to these tags, i'm also bored and searching for excuses to be late for work. so here i go again :P

first, the rules:
post this list on your facebook Notes/blog replacing my answers with yours.
Tag 25 people to do the same thing.

If I tagged YOU, it's because I want to know more about YOU!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
   Nope. My middle name is my grandfather's though.


2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
   Don't remember. Years ago.


3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
   My handwriting changes depending on my mood. I like my happy/energetic handwriting :)


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH?
   Ahhh there are too many to choose from!!! but mom's food is always up there with the rest of 'em.


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
   Nope, gladly.


6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
   Yeah, of course. I make friends easily.


7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
   Occasionally. most people don't get it...which means either i suck or they do.


8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
   Yeah, last time i checked :D


9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
   Always wanted to. just waiting for the opportunity.


10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
    I'm not sure. definitely not oats and stuff. can't stand that shit!!!


11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
    Nope. my shoes remain tied or untied for as long as i see fit (and with no connection to whether i'm wearing them or not)


12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
    Anything fruity, also dark chocolatey, also nutty. I love ice cream :P


13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
    How comfortable they are with me.


14. RED OR PINK?
    Definitely red.


15. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
    My laziness.


16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
    Sonu!!!


17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
    Of course...why else would i tag you??!!!


18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
    Pants: brown. Shoes: none (just got out of bed :P)


19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
    Nothing...got out of bed because iPod ran out of charge. The last song was superfabulous by BT. Been listening to it all night while i slept :D


20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
    Green. The brightest green. But i'd want to change colours 5 minutes later too :D


21. FAVORITE SMELLS?
    Good food cooking. Actually, good food. Period.


22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
    Saurabh. He's coming to bbay tomorrow!!!


23. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
    Yeah, she's kool. I'd like to know her better though :)


24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
    Not into sports at all.


25. HAIR COLOR?
    Ummm...i don't have hair. unless you're talking about my beard :D


26. EYE COLOR?
    Dark brown.


27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
    Nope.


28. FAVORITE FOOD?
    Too many to name. Total foodie. Will eat almost anything when hungry. Will eat anything other than vegetables when i'm not. :P


29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
    Both...depends on the company. Don't quite like watching movies alone though.

and now i tag everyone who reads this, since i'm too lazy to type out 25 names here. yesh, i'm talking to you!!!

thief with a conscience

i'm a careless guy. i'm a lazy guy. i'm also a complete klutz with tiny locks and keys in constrained places.

i went to inorbit yesterday evening. went to hypercity after that too. didn't lock my helmet (despite having a helmet lock).

no prizes for guessing what happened.

okay, that's only because i'm also cheap.

someone stole my 1-year old helmet. it all it's scratched, sweaty glory. yesh, i'm bald, which means the helmet is what stinks of sweat at the end of the day, instead of my hair. can't blame him for not knowing.

better than that: the guy who stole it gave me his own (hopefully) helmet. so that i didn't have to hide from the cops on my way home, or worse still, get caught in an unprotected accident.

best of all: that guy probably can't use my helmet either. my helmet fits snugly on my head, while his was so loose it would have flown off (even with the buckle on) if i hit a good bump at a decent speed. yesh, that loose. so his head is eother 20% huger than mine, or he's been riding with a floating helmet for atleast a couple of years.

i hope no one steals my new helmet tomorrow :D

live tweeting #FAIL!!!

these days a lot of the twitterati have been dabbling in things like live tweeting from events, possibly thanks to all the media attention twittter has been getting as a "news medium".

well, don't jump the gun already. it's very easy to mess it up. like a couple of days ago, when a friend decided to live tweet an event (leverage 2009 at iim-a):

(tweets have been reversed from their twitter order so that you can read from top to down. t-xx means xx minutes ago. :))

t-21: top ten mistakes by Entrepreneurs - Mohanjit Jolly - Leverage 2009 #leverage09
t-20: 1. Attention Span: Elevator Pitch - 1 min, 2-10-20 rule, VC - A.D.D.
t-18: the 2-10-20 rule: 2 page pitch, 10 slide ppt, 20 page business plan. Stick to this.
t-17: live #leverage09 - http://tinyurl.com/bjt7pp
t-16: 2. Poor positioning: Solutions of tech looking for a prob. Cancer drug vs vitamin. Always ask "so what"
t-15: 3. Lack of Focus: "Swiss army knife" plans. Bowling pin --> Phases #leverage09
t-14: stay extremely focus. Its ok to have a bowling pin plan, but know which is the target pin. #leverage09
t-13: stay laser focused. Mohanjit Jolly at Leverage 2009 - IIM Ahmedabad
t-13: 4. Addressable Market: top down vs bottom's up. Logical growth rate [Excel Dilemma] #leverage09
t-12: follow me to get live updates from VC and Private Equity Conference at IIM Ahmedabad - Leverage 2009 #leverage09
t-10: 5. No business "Cockpit Gauges": What are the top 3 drivers or metrics of your business?
t-08: 6.Unclear Busines Model:Hw wil u make money?ur path to profitability.Oblivious to sell + budget cycles.Oblivious to adop~n/imple~n timetable
t-03: 7.poor or incomplete comp analysis: you always have comp. not defensible. or even distinguishable.
t-02: 1-3-9 rule. if you hear 1 person talking of something, probably 3 people are doing it. 3 people talking abt.arnd 9 ppl doing it #leverage09

lesson to be learned: don't focus on capturing powerpoint slide titles, try to get meaningful soundbites instead. if the content is too complex to do this, consider live blogging instead. most people can tolerate a 20 minute delay (unless you want to do multi-posts at the event, which i wouldn't recommend anyway) till the talk gets over - as long as you capture the essence and give them some value to take away.

25 things about me you'd never know unless i told you

inspired by kanika's note :)

this isn't everything, this isn't even the best of everything. this is just whatever popped into my head at this moment.

1. the max i've ever slept at a stretch is 20 hours. i've gone for 68 hours without sleep, and then slept 4 hours and went for another 24 hours without sleep.


2. i have slept for a whole hour while standing in a crowded train. i was woken up when the train reached the last stop and everyone got out. i was still asleep and standing.


3. when i was a kid i used to believe that trains stay in one place while the earth rotates below them. i couldn't explain how trains go back the other direction. i also believed cars are propelled by turning the steering wheel.


4. i once went from having shoulder length hair to bald overnight. people didn't recognize me for a while. the last time i wasn't bald for over 6 months in a year, was 7 years ago when i had shoulder length hair (2002). i can now shave my own head without a mirror.


5. i never copied in an exam till i graduated. i never wrote an exam without copying while i was postgraduating. in some of my last papers, i didn't even study because i didn't have any notes.


6. i've sleepwalked only once in my life. no one realised i was asleep till i fell down and chipped a tooth. my dad carried back to my bed and i continued sleeping for another few hours. at the same time, i also dreamed that i fell down and chipped a tooth, but the dream was completely different from what happened (other than the tooth part).


7. i once had a dream within a dream within a dream. when i woke up i wasn't sure it that was a dream too. and this was on the day of my final graduation exam.


8. i thought of the concept of the matrix in 1997. when i tried explaining it to my parents they couldn't understand a thing. i went mad for about a week because no one could understand what i was trying to say.


9. i still believe in a matrix-like world. not one controlled by computers, but one in which reality is completely un-definable and different from what we sense. yeah, it's a whole lot of philosophical mumbo-jumbo, but in short, i believe that we are unable to comprehend reality.


10. of the 3 women i've dated so far, i've met 2 online. one on hi5 (i introduced her to orkut), and the other on orkut (she introduced me to facebook)


11. i used to be slightly deaf in my left ear due to an experiment which caused the left side of my headphones to blow up. i evened it out by placing my music system's right speaker net to my right ear (while i'm at my comp) for about 2 years. now i'm partly deaf in both ears.


12. i have a friend who thinks i'm god and plans to dedicate a shrine to me someday


13. i used to write games for myself to play on my first computer. i made about 5 before i finally found friends who could copy games for me using floppies.


14. i used to collect all jokes that i would get by email and save them in text files. i collected about 1200 a4 pages of jokes before i gave up collecting.


15. i feel pained by mail in my inbox. if it's gmail, it should be empty. if it's at work, it should all be read. and i will read every single mail i get.


16. i haven't deleted a single mail since 2001. i haven't deleted a single line of code written by myself since i brought my first computer in 1996. the only code i ever lost was due to a virus in 1998, and it wasn't much either. i haven't deleted a single sms since 2005. when i changed phones, i backed up my texts in case i ever feel like reading them later. i currently have close to 7000 texts on my phone.


17. i can type with my toes, my elbows, or my heel. i can use my mouse with my right foot.


18. i learned photoshop on a comp that had a black and white monitor


19. i used to remember 50 phone numbers till i brought my first cell phone


20. i make typos with words that sound like each other. i may type thes instead of this.


21. i can dial my home phone number faster than a touch-phone can actually make the dialing tones.


22. i type so much that my computer's keyboard is worn out to the point where most of the keys don't have anything printed on them. i don't even notice it unless someone points it out. i recently tried typing on my phone with my eyes closed, and succeeded on the first try.


23. i had blood sugar levels of 500+ (normal is below 120) for around 3 months and didn't realise anything was wrong. apparently those levels are fatal.


24. i was once in shock for 2 weeks. i had an accident and got stitches on my leg, the stitches even got infected, but i didn't feel any pain at all. the accident was so freaky that it took a minute to convince me that i was alive and on earth. i thought i was dead and in heaven till i heard my friends' voices.


25. i have on 2 different occasions, in college, written an entire page in my notebook while sleeping. i was caught on one of those occasions, and answered the prod correctly by reading what i just wrote. this was after being shaken awake by my classmate, (the prof's calling didn't wake me). i can (and have) slept through training sessions at work and still registered almost everything, sometimes even woken up to ask questions.

okay, so now's the chance to spread the fun: i tag nickolai, manisha, nothingman, aarti, apoorv and sonu. but anyway, everyone who reads this is still free to put up a list of their own. exactly 25 things. keep it going!!!

last year

love's inside me, love's been growing strong,
feelings like this can't be kept secret for long.
Will you be my valentine, i'd love to be yours too,
My life won't feel complete if i can't share it with u.

Lots n lots of love,
Kris

yup, i sent that text exactly a year ago (down to the minute) to someone.

funny how life never turns out the way it seems like it will.

ps: i have 13 months of sent and received texts on my phone. 6579 messages. :)

feature abuse

i have made my first ever contribution to urban dictionary: "feature abuse"

feature abuse

using a feature of something (device, website, etc.) for a purpose it wasn't meant for, to the point where it irritates other people.

eg: Having conversations in the comments section of someone's facebook photo is classic feature abuse.

btw, the coinage (yes, that's a real word that i didn't just make up) was inspired by a conversation on my facebook status.