I want to catch a local bus.

Being born and brought up in India, as far as I remember....the first few words that I spoke when I was a kid were 'amma', 'appa' (meaning Mom n Dad respectively) followed by the word 'Auto'!!! (shortform for Autorickshaw)

Believe me....Autorickshaws are that common in our country! The minute you are out of your door steps, you are greeted by this screechy little thing on the road. Just get ready....walk to the curb, call or wave at a speeding auto and zooo..mmm comes the auto-driver in his tiny little escort. The best thing about having autos running around was, never in my life I had to worry about transportation. My mom till now hasn't bothered to learn driving because she knows wherever she goes in India, autos are there for her rescue.

Besides autorickshaws, in bigger cities you get to see buses/trains running around. The importance given to public transportation is the best thing I like about my country. I do agree that its not always a pleasent experience using these facilites, but this is overshadowed by the fact that it helps umpteen number of people to travel around without worrying about owning a vehicle which could've burnt a hole in their pockets.

I was so used to this kind of easy and inexpensive mode of transportation that I was frustrated during my first year of stay in Unites States. It was literally a 'house arrest' because I didnot know how to drive. Only after landing in this country, I realized one must know driving just like how you learn alphabet. I have observed that some thickly populated cities have good public transport facility but what about the people living in suburbs or towns? No choice....either ask for help from a friend or buy your own car!

I feel US must give lot of importance for providing public transport in all parts of the country and encourage more and more people to use it. Besides the fact that people miss their 'personal space' or many other reasons, it does have plenty of advantages. First of all, when 20 people travel in a bus rather than using 20 cars to reach the same destination, think of gallons of gas that could be saved and ofcourse the reduction in pollution. It helps people to be stressfree because once you are in, its the driver's responsiblity to drive you safely to your destination while you can sit and relax, enjoy a coffee....read a book...or just go to sleep! Finally, the money you can save on buying cars for each one in the family is noteworthy.

Well....am glad to read some articles which says many Americans favor public transportation. Can the government be more proactive about this?

A jog and a hog addiction!

Have u ever tried jogging for 50 minutes continuously?
- yes ofcourse...

Have u ever eaten your favourite ice-cream on a hot summer evening?
- yeah definitely....!

Now....tell me have u ever tried combining both of them?
- what do u mean? You mean, jog for 50 minutes on a hot summer evening and then hog an ice-cream????? phew...are u crazy!!!

yesss, thats a crazy, whacky idea! Let me explain how it feels to try this unusual thing.......
I'm all hungry, thirsty and sweaty after that long, tiring jog and finally enter Cold Stone Creamery which itself smells like a big ice-cream. I gaze at the menu for so long that I've tears in my eyes because I forgot to blink for sometime!! Finally I decide to try Strawberry Banana Rendezvous. As I order, the young-tall boy on the other side scoopes out a big ball of pink Strawberry ice-cream. I think...okey, am all set to take the ice-cream. But wait a minute, he just started with strawberry, what about banana and the renedezvous? So..I wait patiently trying to close my watering mouth!

Suddenly I see an unusual and interesting thing....the boy places the ice-cream on a cold stone, flatten it, adds few strawberries, few pieces of banana, Graham cracker pie crust and as per my request, adds roasted almonds and pecans instead of white chocolate chips since I feel chocolate chips isn't the right fit. He mixes the whole cocktail lovingly as though he just invented a whole new ice-cream! The cocktail is now stuffed into a tiny bowl and handed over to me. I rejoice from within as though I won a trophy for working hard for 50 mins and keeping my mouth wide open for so long in the shop!

Nooow comes the best part of et al. I settle down in a corner and put the first scoop of this creation in my mouth. Yoppieeeee...hmmm....~*its simply amazing*~! I feel as though I've floated a few inches into the heaven. For a few mintues, I see the world around me turning into beautiful red strawberries, bunches of bananas, lots of almonds and graham crackers, all of them blending in tonnes of strawberry ice-cream. I relish, relish aaaaand relish every bit of that ice-cream till I realize that am scrapping the bottom of the bowl!

I feel totally light and delighted after this no gain, no loss affair. Its a boost for my feel good factor coz on one hand am glad that I burnt 400 cal. and on the other hand I got to throughly enjoy this superb creation on earth, which ofcourse added 200 calories back.
So what? Think about the whole experience.....its priceless and memorable.
As I finish writing, I cant wait to go for my evening jog :)

First timer....

I am new to blogging....new to the world of writing. well... am better at talking, can talk non-stop for hours! After more than 2 decades of my existence, only today I realized how hard it is to write something that is meaningful and thoughtful. Was always skeptical or say shy, about writing something on the net where it is open to the whole wide world (www....). Better late than never....Can't I now give a shot at writing?

Am very thankful to a friend of mine who once told a wise saying: "You have to overcome fear, dont let the fear overcome you". wow..whatta inspirational thought! I recollect this almost everyday... everytime I find an obstacle. It has done wonders in helping me overcome so many fears in my day-to-day life.

Today I begin my blog by recollecting the same saying. I always feared writing; now I am trying to overcome the fear by posting my first blog on the net. Donno how far can I get with blogging..... Wish me luck, people!

phew.....without knowing where to begin or what to write, have I written so much? Not bad for the first time eh...or am I feeling too sheepish?????