Day 0- Qatar Transit

Tired and weary, yet full of enthusiasm to explore the new country I and BIL (Bro-in-law) went out on the pretext of getting some currency exchanged. As we went out the difference between the conditioned air inside and the dry hot air outside made us feel as if we had just stepped into an oven. We later found out it was just 36 degrees. Anyways we made our way to the city center mall which was about three blocks away and as we walked past the buildings few things struck me.

1.) None of the architects in Qatar were ever taught about straight lines. Case in point none of the buildings we saw had any straight lines to it. Finding something that resembled a rectangle would be like, you know the haystack….

2. ) Highly automated traffic systems all around and with the density so sparse in the city both the pedestrians and the drivers have a good time, the traffic rules depend on give-ways as the signals have been minimized to the maximum extent.

3.) Qatar seems to have woken up from a deep slumber having spent millions if not billions in getting the world interested in it. The FIFA world cup 2022 will be held here.

4.) Doha shows the modern face to the world with women allowed to show their faces in public and seek employment outside their homes. Saw them working in the immigration check and then the parking attendants but did not see them anywhere else.

5.) Doha has embraced people from all over the world and I could see people from India, China, Africa, UK, USA, Japan and other parts of Europe all in one day , proof enough I guess. Did I mention the to and fro drivers between the airport and hotel were Indians?

6.) The expatriates run the city …. Almost. That’s what the lines outside a foreign exchange cum remittances’ center indicated.

7.) Hub for all the MNC to market their goods which was evident on the roads with cars of Japanese, European and American make zipping past and the products seen in City Centre mall and Carrefour.

8.) There is not much in terms of sight-seeing in the city except for the Islamic museum and an arts center. But it has a Promenade to die for, amazingly clean and you can find people jogging, walking at any time of the day. The city is getting ready for a world class Art Museum and that I believe is going to be real mean.

9.)The Doha Airport is meant just for the state airlines Qatar Airways or so it seems didn't see any other carrier on the tarmac.

10.) It does have an old market or a market in the format of yore where the most sold products are chocolates, spices and pets.

What I enjoyed most was the hotel where we stayed Movenpick, going by its name at first impression it I guessed it would be some kind of a motel with the name “ Move’n’Pick” . But the stay was so good, it was probably the best place I stayed on the trip. Truly global was its cuisine spanning Indian, Italian, American, Mexican, Thai and Cheesssseee J. I must have tried about 40 different dishes that day and I am a vegetarian.:)

Just liked it:)

Found this on someone arbit's profile and liked it for its apt description. Whoever you are I empathize:)

Have you even been in love? Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable.It opens your chest and it opens your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. You build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life .... You give them a piece of you.

They don't ask for it. They do something dumb one day like kiss you, or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so a simple phrase like maybe we should just be friends or how very perceptive turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination; not just in the mind, it's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

I hate love

Richard Branson: Losing my Virginty

It was like eons ago that Kuldeep had suggested me to read this book, but somehow I never read it for years and then finally found the time to sit back , put up my legs and enjoy a good ride through Richard's life. The title might put off people, but its just that a title to grab your attention and have high recall and as the author himself says he always whats to be a bit cheeky when it comes to giving names;)

The journey begins rather just a decade ago with a balloon trip, and attempt to fly across the world that I and probably others will also faintly recall. The in-depth detail, imminent dangers and just trying to relive the journey hooked me on to the book. It isn't surprising that the author knows how to get you hooked on is it;). I believe this is what separates what Virgin has always done and still does today. It has its own personality, driven by its founder, of fun, cheekiness a bit rebellious but all in control. No challenge is too hard and there is always an itch to be different and deliver different products/services.

Quite surprising to know that Richard was dyslexic and isn't really a connoisseur of music , but was someone who saw an opportunity and just went ahead with it. I believe the lesson to be driven home is it be committed to one's idea and put it in the best work possible, seems an often heard cliche' but then you have such an inspiring example to substantiate.

One of the few mistakes to learn from, never try to take a short cut to success , however short and however risk less it may seem. No blots any where please.

There are very good reasons why reading the book now actually makes sense to me rather than during graduation.
It probably helps in understanding the difficulty in deciding to sell off something you have created and grown for decades in this case Virgin Music and after all that have the guts and gumption to start of and make head way in an altogether diverse industry- The Virgin Airlines.

What probably is not talked about much in the book but clearly stands out is the power of the Virgin brand. Reading this book would at-least make budding entrepreneurs think twice before naming their ventures cause after the brand is built and you wish to diverse utilizing its brand power, it might just be too late:)

Looking at the personality of the protagonist , he is someone who keeps challenging himself , a first rate jugadu inssan who always believes that nothing is beyond his reach and instead of the arrogance that most people display with that belief, he actually accepts plurality and has a clear openness to all sorts of people and solutions.

Things to take away from the book:
1.) Start off on your idea, start small and stay put no matter what.
2.) No shortcuts however tempting it might be.
3.) Enjoy and Explore life.
4.) Keep challenging yourself.
5.) If there is a system it can always be bettered.
6.) Blue Ocean baby!!

The Immortals of Meluha

I had read a lot about this book, great publicity and when I saw it on the bestsellers list had to check it out . Glad I did because I had a jolly good time reading it.

The book aims to be human version of the Shiva story, pegging the lord himself to be just another human with a twist that his karma makes him into a Lord worth worshiping. Whether this attempt had to made is a question I leave to the serious theists, I for one welcome the attempt for the purely creative exercise it requires. The most challenging tasks would have been to connect the personalities and events as stated by the scriptures and fit it into the current setting. What I enjoyed most was trying to figure out the inspirations the author used make the book come alive.

So then, at the start we have the tribal leader Shiva fighting off enemies from encroaching onto the Manasarovar Lake and from there the journey to uncovering the truth about his destiny is a fascinating story. There is the Harry Potter-esque self-fulfilling prophecy which is the crux of the book, the humanization of Shiva has been handled very carefully with the friendly jibes, the pain of inaction, the meandering self-doubts as well as the rash decisions made when the emotions run high. The caste system has been debated and book proposes the ideal system our generation would agree to, in theory. Then there is the age old saga of good versus evil with the twist of recognizing who is evil and who is good cause its always the winner who writes history.

The writing overall is amateurish , given the fact that its the author's first book it still delivers.Just maybe the oft repeated good vs. evil could have been toned down.
What impressed me was the finer details of the journey , the security and the battle plans that were provided ,this not only shows the effort but also gathers the readers involvement.
On the authenticity part, I gave up judging it when I was still half way through, especially when modern day hindi is used liberally given the fact that the story is set in 1900 B.C and even the jokes used are from 21st century A.D:). The book bases itself on the fact that everybody is god and delivers that message to a certain extent.The ending though in suspended animation which would be fit for a TV episode, but has been applied to a book just leaves me cursing the author:)

All in all an awesome book to chill out with this summer. (if you do not take the mash-up of mythology seriously:))

Ratings:4/5
Genre: Indian Fiction