Monday, September 6, 2010

Incident at the US airport

Below is a small incident took place with me at the airport while in US.
I just remembered it and thought to share it with you all my friends.

There was a small situation happened to me to.

When I was comming back from US to India, while checking in my carriage bags to security at DFW airport in Dallas, I was asked to seperate out one of the bag and declare the things in it. For few moments I was anxious and worried abt why was only I asked to do so among so many passengers. Later I kept myself calm and tried to remember what all things I packed in that bag. I listed out all the articles to the lady.
She opened my carriage bag in front of me and started taking out all the items. I tried to help her to to get things out of the bag. She shouted at me "Sir, do not touch anything in the bag. I'll do it all by myself. You just answer my questions." I was taken aback.
I fakely tried to smile at her as I didn't want to show any fear on my face of the situation. She asked me what all those heavy books for. I calmly said those were the civil engineering books for my brother (brother of my friend which is what I didn't tell her).
There was a small box under one of the heavy book. I spoted it and she waved it in the air "What is there in this box?"

I said there were some kitchen items with few knives for my mom and gave her a cheerful smile.
She smiled to me and showed her white teeth on the black round face. Then she repacked my bag and gave the green signal to go ahead by wishing a safe and joyful journey back home.


I felt very relaxed and moved ahead to board the plane. :)

-Amit

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Understanding through misunderstanding...

Understanding through mis-understanding:-

2-Apr-2010 7:48:00 PM
“It was all false. I made you fool. I was doing acting for those many days.”, she said and laughed.
“What! Why you did that to me?” I exclaimed with a shock.
“Yes, I did it because I always wanted to remove your dependency. You know, I came to know many things.” she explained.
“What many things?” I demanded composing myself.
“I’ve not listed them yet on paper, I’ll list down and let you know.” she said easily.
“Ok.” I ended the call.

We usually talk on phone for hours. This time the conversion was only for two to three minutes but hold lot of meaning for that matter.
The simple sentence “It was all false” made me nervous. I lost my temper and started cursing her for her did. ‘How can my so beloved best friend do this to me? Why did she play with my emotions? She used me.’ I concluded.

Mom asked me to come over for dinner. Mom had prepared my favorite Shahi Paneer and Roti for dinner and Kulphi in desert, but it didn’t taste sweet anymore. I was not at all attentive to it. I was only thinking about that simple sentence. Finally I went to my bed to sleep after dinner.


3-Apr-2010 12:16 AM

My phone rang. She was calling me. I disconnected.
After some time phone beeped saying ‘One message received.’ I knew whose it was. I opened and read. “Hey, Im waiting 4 your call. R u angry on me?”
I replied “I don’t want to talk to you now”, unknowing and not even caring. It was all anger that overcame all my care for her.
Another message flashed, “What happened, dear?”
I didn’t reply this time.
After half an hour new message delivered, “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk to me now. You sleep without thinking anymore. I’ll see when to sleep. Gn. Tc.”

I didn’t bother to wish her good night, but couldn’t sleep whole night. Thinking, thinking and more thinking….


3-Apr-2010 9:18:27 AM

I was watching TV, some action movie was on. Hero was fighting to some Villain and I was to myself. I heard a message tone from my cell phone.
“Saath chute to rishte nahi chuta karte, waqt ki dahliz se lamhe nahi tuta karte, milte hai kuch log aise zindagi me jinse kabhi naate nahi tuta karte. GM.” it was her again.
The action effect from TV transferred to me. I was in no mood to listen to her any attempt of counseling.
“You always wanted 2 remove ur so called DEPENDENCY. After playing with my emotions, u must have achieved it.” I replied harshly and started surfing through TV channels.
She didn’t reply. Instead she called me on my mobile. I didn’t pick the phone.
After some time she texted, ‘Call me when get into mood. Don’t think more in a misunderstanding. Trust me; I did it for some reason. Have a nice day ahead!’

She was asking me to trust her, when she didn’t trust me. My heart was broken in millions of pieces. My mind said, ‘It’s all fake. Yet another time, she is lying to me. ’


3-Apr-2010 4:37:05 PM

She was working in the office on that day on an important production application, when she sent a SMS.
“Alright, don’t call me if you don’t wish to talk to me. In tension, I screwed everything in production application and now sorting it all alone. Nps, if you want to give me a huge punishment for that one thing.”
It was a hot afternoon. Sun was burning, so the me. “I’m on a bike. I need to be alone 4 some time. U just concentrate on ur work, don’t spoil it 4 me.” I replied. This time knowing that, she won’t be able to concentrate.
“Even you can’t understand me, dear? I thought you would recognize the real reason.”
She had already told me the reason in a very simple sentence. ‘What the hell I need to understand now.’ I thought.

I went out with my friends to play cricket so that I could forget her words. Being a good striker of the ball, I usually open innings for my team. I was bowled out on the very first ball. During fielding I missed some catches too. I couldn’t slip her from my mind. Her tainted feelings had made me nervous. We lost the game.


To be continued…

3-Apr-2010 10:40 PM

I picked up my phone to see whether any of friends called me. There were no other calls except her missed calls and a message. I hesitantly read it.

“I couldn’t concentrate and now nothing is happening well 4 me. Even u are not by my side.
I never played with your emotions; I did this to come out of my own depression.
Last few months were very depressing due to pre-wedding process that my mom enforced on me when I was not at all interested in any other person.
So I decided to come out of it by living in that world itself in my imagination, I was really happy while talking to you.
When I noticed, I’m coming out of it I told you the truth, but given some different reason because I didn’t want to share it with you.
This is the truth. Waiting 4 ur reply!”
Once again I was broken, this time not because of anger but because of guilt.
She deeply cared for me even in her depression. She didn’t let me know her emotional trauma so that I shouldn’t get stressed out.
“Say anything, but please don’t hate me dear, otherwise I cannot sleep. I’m extremely sorry that I troubled you a lot.” she texted me again.

I couldn’t stand out for myself, then how could I stand in front of her and even ask for an apology. I didn’t call her. A biggest mistake I did.

I was upset through my heart while lying down on my bed. Every second was an hour for me.
I was switching my side in every minute or two, looking at my cell phone screen and reading her messages over and over.
I didn’t sleep that whole night.


4-Apr-2010 8:54:59 AM

“Sunrise’ gives us one day more to HOPE! So hope for the Best. Good day and good luck! Good Mrng.”
Needless to say, it was her one more time.
I had no courage to talk to her. I did not have my lunch well. I was giving punishment to myself for punishing her.
My head was aching like anything. I was numb for rest of the day. The world around was dead for me.


4-Apr-2010 6:35 PM

Till the evening I gained some courage and thought of meeting her. I decided to meet her at the railway station.
I knew she usually travels back to Mumbai by train in the evening. She likes to stand in door of train and feel the open air.
I just wanted to say her sorry.
I got to the Pune railway station. There was no one at the station. I asked station master when is the train due time.
He said train had already gone and I was late. Yes, I was late. Time was playing games with me.
I sent a message to her “Where are you?”

“I’m in the bus and on the way back. I’ll call you once I reach at my room. Will you pick up my phone this time?” she replied.

She also missed her train and was going by a bus. I dis-heartedly left railway station.

“Hey dear, I want to talk to you a lot and listen to you even more.” Yes, I address her as dear. I wanted to hear her voice.
I wanted to open my heart to her and to know how she felt all through those days and nights.
She called me as she promised, but I didn’t pick her phone as I was having my dinner.

To be continued…


4-Apr-2010 10:50:03 PM

“Don’t take my phone if you still not willing to talk to me. Today also I’ll not have my dinner.” I found a message after my dinner.

The word “Also” kept tingling in my mind. She did not have her meals for last few days and I never realized it.

“Please, have your dinner. I’ll talk to you after your dinner.” I requested her.

“No, I’ll not. If you cared for me, you would have picked up my call. I’ll take my meal only when you talk to me. You have my swear.
Talk to me dear. You are not feeling well because of me then tell me how can I remain calm?”
She was all thinking and caring for me even in that situation.
Mom was sleeping; I took my phone and went out of our apartment. Finally I called her.
My head was aching till I heard first words from her, “Hi dear! How are you?”
I said her sorry for doing all those things to her. She told me how she felt those days when she needed her best friend by her side.

“Hey, do you know I couldn’t sleep for nights. I was just thinking about you.” She said.

“I’m sorry dear, I couldn’t understand you.” I said mildly.

“Yes you stupid, you didn’t understand me, my friendship, my care, my love for you. I love you so much.
I gave you so many hints so that you could identify my feelings and propose me. I was just waiting for you.”, she said shyly.
I was really a stupid who couldn’t recognize her love. I liked her saying me stupid.

“I love you too dear. I thought you see me as your best friend only.”

Yes, we were just best friends since our college days, but no more now. We realized how deeply we were in love with each other.

We talked for hours first time so dearly for the whole night till the crack of dawn. I was feeling love in the air.
Her voice was stringing in my ears like violin. I understood my true love through misunderstanding.

THE END.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Experienced adrenaline rush at Zero Gravity Adventure Park

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday in Dallas, perfect to try out something new and adventurous. My friends and I decided to take this opportunity and go to one of the most recommended adventure park in Dallas, the “Zero Gravity Adventure Park”.

We called a yellow-cab and drove through North-Central Expressway to reach the park at 11131 Malibu Dr, Dallas, Texas 75229. It didn’t looked very happening from the front door. We went inside to see what all things were there. There were five adventure rides in all. We scanned through and went back to the ticket counter.

There was a beautiful American girl at the counter. We asked her for tickets. She quickly briefed us that being it an adventure event we needed to undertake full responsibility of any mishaps. I was quite worried and concerned while signing her undertaking form. She tied a wrist band to each one of us and wished us to have fun. Finally, we went inside the park thinking which one to experience first.

We thought lets take experience of the "Texas Blast-Off" ride first. I saw the instruction board. It read “Texas Blast Off. Launch to 150+ Feet. 0-60 MPH in 1.2 seconds. Do not ride if you have high blood pressure, heart trouble or nervous disorder.” which made me even more nervous. I started calculating 150 feet means around 45-50 meters, 60 MPH equals to nearly 100 Km/hr in 1.2 seconds!!!

A bucket seat was suspended between two giant vertical poles with tension springs. With hesitant heart I sat in bucket seat. One of the members from support staff tied all safety belts tightly around me. He attached a hook at the bottom of the seat and started giving tension to springs. I was shivering with fear and excitement. My heart was pounding at the rate of 80, 90, 100, 110 pulses per min.

And the hook was realized. I was launched into the air as if bomb being fired from the cannon. I couldn’t gasp my breath. I closed my eyes and hold handle bars tightly. I was reached at the highest peak point and was stopped for a microsecond. The return trip towards ground was a free fall. I couldn’t able to take that anymore and started screaming as loud as I could. I thought I would hit hard on the ground to death. But instead again I was launched up into the air, wobbling, rotating. There were a few up and down movements in air but a lot in my heart. Finally the ride came to rest and I came back to life. I was still alive.

to be continued…


Just after having that extreme shock, we moved to get another; it was a “Bungee Jump”. I handed over my ticket to the staff member. He asked me to stand on the weighing machine so that he could check my weight and assign appropriate tension belt. He wrote “B1” as a code on my wrist-band. Then he firmly fixed a blue nylon belt around my west and blue straps around my legs below the knees and just above the ankles. I was ready for my next excitement.

I was climbing through the staircase to reach the top of the building. With each step taken my fear was increasing. I reached at the jumping point on the top. There was a person who checked my weight and chose a tension spring-rope and tied it to my leg straps. He instructed me to stand on the red line at the jumping point.

I looked down at the ground. I was standing at the height of 7-storey building. I hold the side bars in fear and took long breath. My feet were shaking and mind was refraining to make suicidal attempt. I moved back. My friends were there waiting for their turn. They gave me moral support and I was again ready to dive in.

I stood on the red line for the second time, looked down again. The person who tied tension spring-rope to me started counting, one, two and three ………….
I was not able to jump. He said I need to get reed-off this fear and have to jump. He instructed me, this would be the final time he would be counting for me and I had to jump, else he would send me downstairs.

Again I stood on the red line. Now this was my final call to heavenly skies. Count started. One….. Two…… aannnddd Threeeeeee.
I spread my hands as wings of a bird and jumped. Yes, I jumped.

In few seconds upside-down hanging in the air, I was overcoming my fear. I put my hands on my chest. “Nice job bungee jumper. Reach out for black strap between your legs and pull your head towards your knees”; called the staff member. I did the same and reached to the balloon on the ground. It was a very good bungee jump.

to be continued...

Bungee jump was a real thriller; you need to make your mind and take a call whether you want to jump or not, standing on a point at such a great height.
We moved forward to see next ride. But to our bad luck “Free Fall” ride was closed for the day. We came to know that one need to go up at the top of a 16-storey building by a lift. They hang you to a hook and let you suspend in the air for a while. Then release the hook and you experience a Free Fall without any support whatsoever. You fall in the net just above the ground. That’s right, no bungee, no parachute, just you and the air!
We took incredible feeling of Free Fall in our thoughts only.

to be continued...

Next was the “Skycoaster”. My friend and I took this ride together. We were tied to one end of a 110 feet long steel cable. They attached a hook to us and took us to one of the crest point.

My friend asked me to take the lead as he was a bit afraid of that height, unknown of the same feeling in which I was in. I too was scared of that height and also closed my eyes. We heard some words from ground like ‘pull the plug’, but I was not listening to them. I was just horrified with the thought of releasing plug. My friends on the ground yelled at me. I had to pull the plug; I made my mind and finally pulled it.

Another free fall reaching at the ground just above few feet with velocity of 60 MPH and again to crest of other end!!! We were moving like a pendulum of a huge clock. I stretch my arms in that open air and felt like a flying bird. I enjoyed the moment.