Flossy Ideas, Meetups and Views
Collection of Stories, Perspective and Ideas for Coffee Meets
This idea is around for a quite a while, still folks like me fail to make it better at every attempt. What could be reason of such disheartened effort. Why don’t I have that killing instinct to keep trying, keep pushing for that elusive goal.
Probably, I need to wake up my faculties, and do a re-think of what I all I can accomplish in this life…
Wake me up..
Coffee has come a long way. From the small time tea shops, coffee is now branded as a uptown beverage. New joints like Cafe day, Barrista and upcoming Star bucks all promote this idea…
Gone are the coffee/tea under 10 rs. Now with its up promotion, the price can start anything from Rs 50. I used to frequent these shops to while away my time… but that was before recession.. Now, I’ve opted out of these posh shops to enjoying coffee/tea at home.
Anyways, these coffee shops has become a necessity to urbanites like me. This place offers a quite place from the humdrum of life and a time to spend with loved ones. It’s an ideal place to socialize, share, meet, brew ideas. yes with no one to bother its just you, me and the coffee…
Your’s in coffee
This is Madre de Deus (Deos) church, popularly know as Vettucadu church. I took this pic during my last visit to Trivandrum. This Church is one of the famous pilgrim center for people from all class and creed.
Friday is the most revered day for this church. People crowd on Friday’s to offer special prayers, offering for healing etc. Proximity to the beach makes this church an added attraction to visit.
This chruch history dates back to the 14th century and over the years it has become popular due to instances of miracle cure and tales of vision.
If you plan to visit Vettucud church, you can avail city bus which frequently ply this route. Apart from the transport bus, you can get into any private vehicle which starts from Palayam junction( Near to university office ). Though it’s packed, it takes you there in less time and with lots of sudden heaves…
Mango time.. Mango stalls at Lal Bagh permises. It’s tasty treat for mango lovers. Different varitie in each stall.
journey of life continues..
How I landed here. I attended the seminar conducted by siliconIndia at NIMHANS auditorim. Since I didn’t attend any of the high-tech seminar, I had plenty of time to spare. From the venue, I darted on the one way road, not knowing where it will lead… Further, I went along with the traffic, only to come to Lal Bagh junction. Now, it was clear where I was. 
Imagine spending a weekend with no single activity to pursue…. your wife/girl friends/friends away, or they are preoccupied!
yes, this similar situation haunted me for couple of weekends and I’m now dent on finding a way to kill my isolation chamber.
Lonely in Bangalore?
So far I’ve tried out different ways to find a activity partner in this city full of strangers, but it’s not working the way I had envisaged. I traveled to off-beat country routes, I went to flea markets to hunt down souvenir, went to used book stores to buy couple of fiction titles, and went to near by club to play T.T … so on…
But in-spite of my attempt to find a real passion to unwind a fruitful weekend left we with half-hearted success. When I look back I wonder what I lacked.
The sudden emptiness caused with the departure of my wife ( on work project ) took unexpected jolt on my otherwise busy weekend activity. One thing is sure, I had no back-up activities, I depended entirely on one person to full-fill all my life’s plans.
Coming days will be a testing time on how I can reach out to similar people, lock on to do or start a lively relationship. Sure, there are lonely people like me looking out to experiment, or expand their life beyond their existing realm….
Here’s a link on how well you can start talking to a stranger….
I’ve a freaky attraction towards small “watch repair” shops. Don’t know when I started this fancy towards the “men” in glass boxes. Probably, it starts with my fancy to collect used watches.
What’s unusual about their biz. Their work area is mostly littered heaping scrapes of dead watches of all imaginable shapes and sizes. In these no frill walls you can see the framed watch mechanic with his inseparable gadget – one eyed magnifying glasses. Most often these shops are run by second generation of repair folks who has inherited the skill and booty from his father.
Looking back, my fancy towards this biz started with my crazy idea of buying used watches from these shops.
It started my habit form the shops in Trivandrum. There was one shop run by man who is well past seventy . This frail looking man with a charming smile had his small shop in a small one room title shop adjoining a hotel. Every day on my way to work I pass by his shop. One day I stopped at his shop repair one of many dead watches.
He promptly did this repair work and in our regular deals I asked him for a used watch. I told him my kind of watch, something with a big dial, three button etc… He showed me few from his collection…
I choose one watch, brand “Tower”. It had a very big dial and it instantly catches anyone’s attention. Only the outer shell was the original, the engine was replaced by a cheap automated one.
I had pretty long dealings with his man, till I moved to a new work place. Later I saw that the shop was raised down for road expansion and later I came to know that he passed away..
Years passed on and recently I met another watch repair fellow. This time in Bangalore. He is relatively young, but he too has a tale to tell. He too has his glass box full of bits and pieces of watches of all shapes and sizes. Something that tells of his long tenure in this business. Probably he inherited this skill from his father…
I took a chance to capture a snap of him while he was repairing my watch.
More stories on my later blog…
I had contacted few agents and the prices quoted started from Rs 550 to Rs 800 for a two wheeler. Somehow, I wanted to find a direct way to pay this tax. After going around the Indira Nagar BDA complex, I asked one shopkeeper who showed me the building at the old side.
This dull looking building behind the petrol pump was the office of new India Assurance. It was Saturday as was promptly closed for business. With no business in hand, I shot two pics from my Cannon S5IS. At least I can share this bit of info with other people who look to save a bit of money in this hard times…
New India Assurance ( Indira Nagar, opposite to BDA complex, Above Punjab Bank )
Timings
Monday to Thursday 10:00 – 5:30
cash counter open – 10:00 to 1:00 & 2:00 to 4:00
Saturday and Sunday holiday
Kendriya Vidyalaya Pattom, Trivandrum –
Old school group pictures hold treasured memories. Many like me cling to the old school pictures for short nostalgic journey through the black and white years of life.
This black and white picture belongs to the class of 83’ from Kendriya Vidyalaya Pattom. This group picture was taken when I was in class 9. I rediscovered this old school snap in one of the magazines. This time I scanned so that I don’t loose it again.
20 years or more has slipped by. My school mates at Pattom Central school have long graduated to different echelons of life. I heard that one fellow has become a civil servant, few are working as clerks in Govt offices but the vast majority has gone away in the mist of time.
At times, I wonder how they fare in life? What job they do for living? What dreams are they chasing, and how’s life treating them.
Our batch at Kendriya Vidyala Pattom was famous for many reasons. One thing, our batch produced the largest number of compartments. I still wonder how managed to scrape through the 10th exam, yes much to my relief and for my parents.
I remember many teachers who had made their indelible mark on all of us. English teacher, Sreekumari Madam, Sudha teacher who taught Chemistry, Late Chacko Sir ( Physical Education ), Pushkaran Sir who taught us to many funny looking hangers, Sarojani Mam who taught Hindi , Sanskrit sir who took extra pain to teach me during vacation….
With many years behind, I wonder if I can connect with any of these old timers’. Will they be able to recollect me from this group picture? I wonder if they will.
I would like to peek inside this sprawling school compound and retrace those golden moments inside this institution that shaped the fortune of many souls. Probably, I’ll take pics of old class rooms, the assembly area, top ground, Principle’s room etc that hold the sweet bygone moments of my childhood.
Flossy Ideas, Meetups and Views 
