This is It....R.I.P MJ....

Wrote this for my buddy's bachelors invite....the night before.....loved the feel aftr finishin.....was godspeed and satiating....:)

Think you’re Dangerous and Bad enough???

You believe you can take the Blood on the Dance Floor???

Just Keep the Faith and gear up to Jam

We gonna be starting somethin’ and

Give in to me cuz You’re not Alone and That’s the way you make me feelCalling all Billy Jeans in Black and the Smooth Criminals in White

Be ready to Heal the World

Whether you’re a Smooth Criminal or a Liberian Girl,

The question now is…..Will you be There???

P.S. It’s gonna be a Thriller…!!! And trust me you’ll Remember the Time….for years to come….till we are done…J

Sunday Afternoon Outlet...

Dhaaaaaansh!!!!....Clink…Clink….that’s the audio byte which got me off my feet in the middle of Denzel’s dazzling dialogue delivery….[woah managed four consecutive one’s with ‘d’…]…..on a Sunday afternoon…’not kool’ as I would have typically reacted…..but only to find out it would all be worth it….soon…

Cause : Neighborhood kids playing a game of Sunday cricket

Stimuli : Window breaking in the bathroom

Reaction : To be discussed in detail…..here on…..

Initially I was a bit disturbed at the past 7 seconds. I gazed out of the window only to see an empty play arena….and then a sight which defined the moment for me…..an innocent set of eyes, full of fear, peeks out from behind a wall to check if a middle aged aunt would come screaming and hurl out all her Sunday morning frustration through the choicest of expletives.

I picked up the ball and collected the shards of glass, putting them aside, in a secluded corner. Thought would shout, but then decided age hadn’t got the better off me. Could actually see myself in one of those fearing, mischievous, yet innocent children, after having broken many a window and glass during my time at the ground. Of how we would rush to the nearest bunker/ cover when an uncalled for shot towards an uncalled for direction would be made. Which would usually be followed by a week’s ban of us playing in that vicinity…..then the next neighborhood…..and the next…that was my and am sure most kids journey….pure in its own simplicity…

Coming to the reaction :

I just threw the ball back and jokingly advised them to play a little carefully, and hit better shots. They were quite shocked, the reaction quite deferred from the usual. They had smiles, unmatched, unparalleled….innocent.

I became an angel in their eyes…..felt nice…reminded me of those days and sunny afternoons…..with caps and bats….fights and the rush for cold water…..kept thinking of it….halfway through the movie….sorry Denzel…..

P.S.: Window was already broken…..they just increased the gap….so that I could see the world more clearly out of a much bigger outlet…..

Stockholm | Cruise

SWEDEN | COPENHAGEN | Cruise



After the sojourn at Copenhagen, we headed off to the next Scandinavian behemoth….SWEDEN!!! Early morning, we wake up from the luxury laps of the expensive beds we paid for…our first and last luxury booking on a Eurail. After exchanging the Krones with another set of the same….Danish with the Swedish ones…we headed off in search of a hostel in accordance with our exciting night plans at Stockholm. The original Ice Bar, the sunshine on the streets and the glittering water all made it a joy to tour the city on foot. Stockholm, like most of Sweden is a set of islands, all connected, appealing and resplendent in its entirety.

After reluctantly not taking accommodation at a ship youth hostel, we settled in for a cheaper one. We also completed the most integral part of the morning and quite efficiently at that – collecting the passes for the DJ TIESTO show, which was scheduled after a few days. Even though we had pre empted all sorts of things going wrong with that one, to our delight….it all worked out just fine. The rest of the day, which honestly seemed quite a drag as we just couldn’t wait for the high-time, going aboard the cruise, comprised of the following:

1. Visit to the Coin and Currency museum [which had free entry on that particular day of the week]. Also the presence of the World’s Largest Coin, was appealing enough.

2. The discovery of a café run by a Pakistani dude, who apart from serving us a customized pasta delicacy [the best dish on the entire trip], also provided us with an hour long discussion in sub continental mother tongue’s. He also proved to be our savior the very next day, be responding to our fussy dietary needs [read: Jajoo]

3. A million more pictures, till our trustworthy batteries ran out on us, yet again, with all the trust we had, to betray us at the most scenic spots.

4. Running towards the cruise liner, fearing we might miss that one too, going by enough evidence of a 2 month history timeline.


Coming to the cruise, it was a Viking Line cruise one of the famous carriers in that part of the world. It was a two day trip, Stockholm – Helsinki – Stockholm. Another first for us, we were eager, and already flowing, before the latter happens literally.

We make it in time for the boarding and it at first seemed like a culmination of a 5 star on water and an airport. After a brilliant reception and welcome, we managed to find our way to our cabin. Dumped our bags and just went exploring the structure and its insides, the most exciting corners of the ship being the Duty Free shop and the club.

As the night dawned on us, we braved our way to the deck, and when I say ‘brave’, trust me it was worthy of a Red and White Bravery Awards nomination if not winning it out and out. With some of our structures, the wind would have literally blown us out onto the Baltic Sea. It was chilly, and while I write this, I still feel that clip through my neck and hair right now. We then directed our efforts to the edge and given the sleet cover present, it is safe to say we were outta mind, high on momentous glory.

Out comes the multi faceted sandwich, customized to the last detail, and prepared with heart felt warmth by our Pakistani friend from Stockholm and click goes the beer can, one of the many, I must add here, as we conveniently decided, out of the blue [color seems apt as we were on sea]at the duty free shop that we have to consume all brands of beer available that night, and don’t even get me started on the number on sale. Let’s just say it reached quite a ‘high’ figure. So this moment on the deck, which I term as the Globaliz-ing moment of our Trip is for the following reasons:

 On a Swedish Cruise Liner
 Enjoyin the sumptuous Sandwich made by a Pakistani
 Along with a beer brewed in Holland and another in Germany
 Somwhere in the Baltic Sea
 Towards Finland
 And all experienced by an Indian

Unable to find a more appropriate definition and understanding of the clichéd term. It’s special when you experience it, rather than just reading it in texts and glossy covered magazines. After the wind on the face and delight in your stomach experience, we staggered back[ we literally were moving backwards, thanks to the wind] to the interior confinement of modern luxuries. To further the cause we headed straight to our rooms to make sure our trip and purchases from the duty free were in good stead, if you know what I mean. After hasty swigs we left for the club scene, which was trippy in itself, as all rooms were anyways having private crazy parties and to top it all, the club had views of the serene water world outside giving one a kick one, he could never expect to imagine or wonder. Some of my dear friends had to call it an early night, as they could not handle the first experience, of, mixing waves splashing and alcohol splashing in their stomach too well.

For others, well all I can say is, we were there to Livin’ it Up!!! …..Aboard Style….Another dream realizes on this journey of a lifetime….:)

Scandinavia Alla....Copenhagen...

COPENHAGEN :

Well we got onto the final leg of our marathon journey and hence SCANDINAVIA!!! Our first stop plausibly had to be Denmark. We made our way from Berlin via Hamburg and its well “much enjoyed events” from the train journey to the walk at Ripperbahnhof at 3 am.

So when we did arrive in the morning at Copenhagen, the capital we were a bit tired, mentally and physically. First things first we had to get our Euros converted into Danish Krones and our mathematical cells again were called upon, also use of our income statement and Balance Sheet of the next few hours had t be thought upon.

Hence after doing darshan of the much heared about “Tivoli Gardens” we sought the tourist destinations which woudnt demand much effort, so to say [never once foretelling what lay ahead]. We started from the Botanical Gardens and another famous garden/ park in the heart of the city. It was just like in the fairytales, verdant grass, pristine water bodies [not to mention the other celestial bodies all around us], leaves of multitude both seen at their abode and sparkling the streets. Inside the Botanical Garden there also was a green house packed with rare species from the plant kingdom, flora and fauna abound to our hearts content in this scenic city. After taken the “NATURE-al path” we decided on paying visit to a random museum of art. Again was a diverse hence enjoyable usage of time.

We then made our way to the Royal Gardens and this again was a sprawling spread of land, and aptly fit for a King and his Queen. With a mini palace separated by a sleek water body it was another chapter, another fairytale.

It was getting insanely windy and the temperatures falling. Note: we still we were on foot all this while and not once did we make use of the Danish transport system. Our plan of visiting the Carlsberg Brewery though had to be omitted as it would close by the tie we would have reached….damn.

We then headed off to the most popular tourist location of Copenhagen : The Little Mermaid. This was the infamous site and character on which Hans Christen Anderson’s work by the same name stands apart. But it never did mention that it was built on the other extreme of the city and we made our long walk with shopping bags and heavy jackets and the unwelcomed gusts of wind with us. On reaching the place we could see the tourists making the most of their new Asian made digicams. And so we delightedly obeyed too. It was a nice piece of work but we couldn’t figure out what was so famous with it. Or maybe we were too tired and our expectations just increased with every step we took towards to Mermaid [apart from imagining Mermaids]. We somehow managed to make our long walk back to the station, this time viewing the city in all its lights and then spending some time at the Hard Rock Café, Copenhagen…a perfect ending one would say….and we obliged.

Hamburg Sista Sasta ve...

Luckily on our train journey to Hamburg almost all of our co passengers were football fans of Hamburg FC who had been for an away match to Berlin. And the Germans really do love two things the most: Beer and football. Let me tell you or rather warn you that a blend of these two could be a lethal combination. Thanks to this feature we experienced the most enjoyable and memorable train journey ever. What followed was a series of events one could just think back and laugh their guts out about kinda thing. Fans with crates of beer and massive flags just stormed the train and well it was quite a normal course of events for them. A large amount [number recall is quite weak] of beer consumption followed with drinking games with crazy soccer fans and to top it all we found out that their team had lost….Imagine if only they would have…..

We made some crazy friends of the fans and since we had some time to kill at Hamburg till our next train to Copenhagen we were taken to a sports bar at the Hamburg station for further intoxication rounds. We then made our way to the “lively and vivid” area of Hamburg, Rieperbahnhof which seemed a mini Amsterdam, of whatever I remember…all in all a Dream come true of partyin with insane football fans did materialize and this I would remember for time to come….

Hamburg Sista Sasta Ve….the chant we were shouting in the city at 3 a.m.

Berlin...The Historic and Political capital of the World...

Chilly gusts of wind greeted us onto the German capital, seeming to compensate for the lovely time we had at Munich. After the tiring forceful walk from the Bahnhof to our first stop which was well invariably the German Parliament or better known as in German parlance “The Reichstag”. The structure from outside quite failed to give us any kind of hint which would draw us to such a guess. This primarily was due to the Indian mindset of everything administrative and political and certain imagery to that. The building was an authoritative one but at the same time there seemed connotations of contemporary linings which made for a pleasurable and distinct blend of sorts. We jumped at the offer to take the free tour of the parliament. This was due to one of the following plausible reasons or the combined appeal of all of them on the different sub levels of our psychic:

1) FREE !! FREE !! Our penchant for anything…FREE
2) Tour of a parliament, u gotta b kiddin me….
3) Escape from the rain
4) Two pretty [decent description chosen] beings of the opposite gender in the line.

NOTE : The above points are not in a particular order or preference except for number 1

On entering the Reichstag an air of unexpected seriousness overshadowed our intentions. We were highly impressed on learning of the history surrounding this place and the importance attached to it. The relatively rebuilt structure was based on principles of transparency and trust. This was mainly because of its history and the ruling government’s relation with the German people. Visitors could from above watch parliamentary sessions in progress and on prior reservations also attend them from the stand allotted. We made our way out after quite an eye opener tour of the historic venue and losing the pretty beings in the crowd.

Our next stop which was a few strides away was the popular and recognizable Branderburg Gate. This venue again held high degrees of importance in German and European history. A spot for many a post-war celebration, revolutionary marches, inspiring speeches and many more of the same bracket. A symbol of power and grace it sure was a winner with the tourists. Right opposite the Branderburg Gate was Hotel Adlon, the one from whose window Michael Jackson had held his baby out for his fans. Also a Starbucks is fitted where a sumptuous and worthy purchase was made. And as fate would have it we were on tine for a free walking tour. With no plans as such as to where and how to go we decided once again to listen to our pockets, quite seriously at that.

After being divided into groups and assigned guides we were taken along a fixed route along the significant points and spots in this historical city. The whole concept of a free walking tour quite caught my fancy, which was nothing less that brilliant and an all win situation in the end. Another astonishing fact being that most of the guides were not local Germans, but tourists who had been staying in the city for a few years or so. We headed to the Holocaust memorial site next to the Branderburg Gate which was in remembrance of the atrocities met out to the thousands of Jews. The site was composed of gray stones of a cuboid nature and placed in an ascending order open to multiple interpretations which has a fair bit of controversy itself.

We then made our way to the most popular and heard of in every tourist –to- see- list in Berlin….the erstwhile BERLIN WALL and along with it the history being recited by our Guide. This sure felt special, simply to be standing there and imagining the happenings on that very ground and how it affected people and their views around the world. Even more shocking was the story of how only “two words” brought down the Berlin Wall…and these were “Effective Immediately”, the build up to the story even more astounding to hear. We then made our way to Charlie Checkpoint, the most famous crossing point between East Germany and West Germany where numerous hilarious escapades have been documented. Other spots of visit included the Memorial for Book Burning and few other significant locales.

Finally on the steps of one of the palaces was a perfect and picturesque way of signing of our walking tour of this deep rooted and essential city in every respect. After this 3 hour story session on Berlin and its history I was quite drawn towards it and the first thing which dawned upon me was how much the city would have meant without the inputs. According to me Berlin served as the chief and the most vital city for its part in history and relation to world political issues. It was undoubtedly the seat of world agenda and its activities, whether it be the Nazis, the Soviets, etcetera. Fell in love with Berlin for entirely different and unforeseen reasons…

Just before we caught the night’s train to Hamburg we had one of the best dinners on our Euro Trip. Roast marinated - Chicken and beer out in the Berlin cold on an empty gurgling stomach…now that’s what I call Life….

Munchen/Munich...Danke

Munich: We reached Germany late at night, this not being our first time in the country thanks to the sojourn at Cologne previously on our Benelux trip. It though wasn’t the warmest of welcomes and trust me, we hadn’t even started with our free usage of public transport, ruling that out as a reason for such unexpected greeting. Whoever we spoke to especially the officials, cops or the railway DB staff, there was a rude sense underlining their tone of speech. Either it was simply that they didn’t get enough beer for the night or it had to be the lovely wheatish color which we without a choice carried as baggage with ourselves.

A funny incident happened just as we were leaving the Bahnhof [station], there were two well built guys with marks on their faces which could have easily passed off as scars, were staring at us. I noticed that and very wisely thought it had been a long time in Europe to feel scared of anything in particular, definitely not two ruffians trying to give us the look. Hence I went ahead and did the inevitable: and returned them with the favor with a correct proportion of aplomb and grace. The next 5 mins were a lesson not to be forgotten by any of us. They followed us mysteriously for quite some time and at their correct moment told us to halt. This is the best part. They took out two wallet sized purses and just like Holly flicks flash their identification of being from the “Police”. We were smarter than them thanks to IMDB, and didn’t believe them so I asked them to show their identification again. On confirmation and making their mood even worse when we realized that we were in a badly ordered burnt soup we decided to listen to them. Unfortunately one of us wasn’t carrying his passport and that for some time did cause problems as relationship building wasn’t where we were really scoring enough points.



Out on the streets, looking for a hostel to crash we observed the much heard about partying culture of Germans. Everyone was happy because everyone seemed drunk. That later I concurred was the key and helped in formulation of the German Happy – Happier Theory. There were only two types of Germans, either they are drunk -or -they are not, the ones who are not come across as rude just because they are not drunk or haven’t had the time to have one till that particular point of time. The ones who are luckily drunk are the happiest bunch in the world chilling like the best moving from pub to street and a roundabout.

Our bunks were more like an ancient concentration camp but we couldn’t refuse it thanks to the free shots which were part of the deal. With a “no spread” early morning breakfast we headed out to D.A.C.H.A.U., the first concentration camp by the Nazis an hour away from Munich. This was on reference as a must visit by our Xim friends who had already been to Munich. Open to the public now, the place gives a feel and information of how life was inside the camp for especially the Jews during Hitler’s regime; the Third Reich. On entering, the place actually sends a chill down the spine and one can relate to and feel a sense of sorrow and grief. There were on display the means and tools used by the Nazi soldiers and also a video to succinctly inform us about life inside the camp, all in all “hair raising”. After spending quite some time inside the camp visiting the model bunks, dorms, toilets and the gas chambers we made our way back to Munich. This being one visit we were not going to forget even if we tried.

Our next stop was the Munchen Olympique Arena. This was the site of the infamous 1972 Olympics where the Israeli contingent was attacked and killed. The venue though was highly impressive and we were shocked at the way it was superbly maintained. Now used by the Bavarians for their daily activity the infrastructure has been aptly utilized and is a jewel in the city of Munich. The campus’ green and eco theme was a pure joy and it was more like we were crossing a natural park dipped in pristine flavor. After almost covering the whole of the area and half a million pictures we headed out towards the BMW Welt [World].

BMW or Bavarian Motor Works has its headquarters in Munich and also on display for its customers and admirers world wide a range of automobiles and the works. From simulation drives to state of the art engines and with a classy and suiting décor and bistro it sure was a treat and insight into the developed and industrial side of Munich.

Our next stop was the Aliianz Arena, home to the well-known Bayern Munich Football Club. This stadium was special in its architecture and presentation and hence another must visit especially for football crazy fans like me. The stadium’s outside shell is illuminated in a delightful way changing its color thrice every evening, which being red, white and blue. On reaching there what happened next was destiny. There was a 2nd division match in progress between FC Ausberg and another local team: a derby. 10 minutes were left and came this young chap [ who was going to be christened as our 5th angel] running towards us, not in a very good mood and made our night by throwing his ticket in disgust at us. It didn’t take us long to come back to our senses as obviously time was not on our side. I being the only football fan simply ran with the ticket to the entrance gate and started begging the security to let me in and then other joined me in giving our patent “We have come all the way from India” lines. I would not give up as this would be a dream come true watching a match the Allianz Arena and that too unplanned. After a few minutes of pleading and 4 pairs of folded hands they agreed to let us one by one only. So I rushed in first and the Dream surely came true. My first European football ground…..Live…..Dream…aha…those few minutes passed off so quickly even though it seemed like eternity. After watching a few crosses I ran back and the cycle continued with all four of us managing a glimpse of the pitch. We were ecstatic.

Once the fans trotted outside it got crazier. The winning team fans were on a complete high and the losing one’s trying their best to avoid and ignore them, unsuccessfully though. As the main transport from there was the metro, it got insane, a few fights and crazy football fans battling against each other. The FC Ausberg [winning team] fans lined up against one track and the losing team against the other, no matter if they had to travel to the opposite direction of the city. They couldn’t and wouldn’t travel on the other train. We got on with the jubilant fans who for the entire trip kept jumping in the metro, cheering and shouting, making a noise which could be of parallel to the inside the stadium. A few of the losing fans had to bear the brunt of the others throughout the journey irrespective of age and gender. It all depended on what colors you were of and supporting. Insanity defined, definitely one of the craziest times of Euro trip. I had heard and pictured such activities sitting at home watching such matches but to be there and see it happened in front of your eyes and expectations getting beaten and battered…..it was like Dreaming and Flying at the same time without a parachute on…..That was MUNICH….Wo Hoo!!!