Searching all my days just to find you
I’m not sure who I’m looking for
I’ll know it
When I see you
Until then, I’ll hide in my bedroom
Staying up all night just to write
A love song for no one

A moonlit night on Om beach. Just the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. And John Mayer’s words and tunes in my head. A lethal combination. If you’re a Mayer fan, you’d probably understand what I’m talking about :)

Last evening was karaoke night at Opus and we finally managed to get Suman in front of a mike. It took the combined cajoling of a few of us namely – Geetha, Archana, Madman, Muthu and yours truly.

But the beers seemed to have worked and Suman was soon making his way to the karaoke stage, with trepidation, but newly gained confidence.

“I don’t know the lyrics,” he said when we encouraged him to go take the mike and show off his vocal prowess (that we had heard so much of but never actually heard!).

“You DODO”, I say, “they’re on the screen. That’s what karaoke is all about.”

Dirty glare from Suman.

Once he got to the mike however, it was a different story.

He began crooning like a rock star. I think for a moment he thought he was auditioning for an edition of Rock Star INXS. He took it that seriously.

And he was surprisingly good! (Chittu, now we know how he got you hooked ;)

With back-up support from Muthu, Suman took to the stage with much enthusiasm and gusto. In fact, he kept veering towards the stage again later, but couldn’t find the perfect number. Next time, dude!

The plan, as of now, is that Madman will practice vocals (in operatic voice) and Suman will strum and vocalize (like rock star wannabe) and then they will bring the house down (and hopefully the ladies too) next time they take centre stage.

The most interesting slip of the tongue (intentional or unintentional, I don’t know) came when a gentleman was belting out John Denver’s “You Fill Up My Senses” and was singing the line which goes: “Come let me love you, let me give my life to you…”

Suman decided to improvise and this is his rendition (which he wailed out at the top of his voice): “Come let me love you, let me give my WIFE to you…”

Okay, Suman. We forgive you since we know you had a few beers. And we understand your caring and sharing spirit. But we can’t say the same about Chittu who is bound to read this sometime :)

(PS: Opus is a really fun place to hang out, especially on kroak nights, but IMHO, the drinks and food menu could do with a makeover. Considering the place has such a nice and relaxed ambience, I’d definitely like to see a little more jazz and excitement on the culinary front.)

If I knew it was such a beautiful place, I would definitely have gone earlier. Having spent 2 short but glorious days discovering the beaches of the Karwar stretch this weekend, I can only hope to go back there someday for a longer stay.

Apart from a short spell of about 15 minutes when it rained in the morning of our arrival, we were blessed with good weather. The sea was on the rough side due to the rainy season.

We had beautiful moonlight (and a near full moon) when we climbed one hill to cross over to another beach in the evening. The moon dappled waters creating magic and from our vantage point on the hill, the whole scene seemed to be bathed in a mystical light.

Sipping hot lemon tea over breakfast with the waves lapping up to the entrance of our shack, wishing, we could always have breakfast in this style!

A harrowing, but scenic walk through the hills, with a sharp cliff face to our left and an equally sharp drop into the rock strewn waters below was the highlight of our wanderings. The scene before me - water for miles around and the promise of empty beaches in the distance - left me breathless! And grabbing my camera every few minutes.

What a weekend. Between the 8 of us, we must have taken close to 500 pictures – everywhere we turned there was a sight worthy of being framed! My travel notes will follow in a few days as usual. My photos have arrived but they will take a day or two to sort out. Here’s a sneak peek in the meanwhile…

I am really disorganized and I think I’ve said this before too. Despite all my efforts to keep all paperwork in files and bring some semblance to my document life, I somehow never manage to get hold of that important paper when I need it the most.

Like this weekend when I hunted for my passport for hours on end and nearly tore out my hair in frustration. I also made frantic calls to find out how to replace a missing passport in record time and was not encouraged by what I found out. I did manage to find it eventually after some ‘organised’ search tactics suggested by a friend!

But while riffling through old papers,and documents, I chanced upon this blogworthy photograph. This was taken in Mumbai about 3 years ago. I was on my way to work. My boss at that time had picked me up from Goregaon flyover and we were on our way to Mahim. Enroute, while crossing the Jogeshwari flyover we came upon this rather scary sight!

I had never actually seen anything like it. Surprisingly the owners seemed nowhere in the picture. And it did not seem like arson either. I asked the boss whether it was possible for a Maruti to burst into flames just like that! And he said rather philosophically: “Anything is possible!”

I had my camera with me that day and quickly took this snap as we drove by.

I got hold of this old Canon camera a few months ago and didn’t think much about it. Until Sabir saw it and told me that it was much more valuable than I thought!

The camera dates back to 1978. There were a few problems with the camera and the lens (it had been unused for over 5-6 years and gathering dust). I got it fixed at a Canon dealer in Indiranagar. Next, Sabir looked for a Canon FD 50 mm f/1.4 lens and got me a real nice piece for a bargain after some hunting around.

I know digital is the way of the future, but these old cameras are such a joy to handle. I’m raring to try out the new / old one now :) Do any of you have really old cameras and have you ever tried using them?

Catching the fib wasn’t so easy, after all. But I do have 3 winners. But first for the explanations…

1. Though I am a right hander, I occasionally eat with my left hand. I believe that it makes my food tastier for some reason! – Truth! I do this, sometimes unknowingly. And finally I figured out the reason.

2. I am an avid fan of horror movies. My favourite past time is renting out 3-4 of them and watching them in succession. Through the night. With company of course (need someone to clutch during scary scenes). And loads of popcorn! - Fib. As Venky guessed correctly, I am too much of a cheerful person to like horror.

3. I once went to Goa and ate only chicken. No beer, and surprisingly, no fish at all! – Truth. I love fish now. But about 5 years ago, I didn’t like it so much. I actually hated the process of picking the bones. So all I ate during a trip to Goa was chicken! And got a load of abuse from friends. In Mumbai, after trying sea-food I slowly began to appreciate fish!

4. My favourite perfume is Lancôme’s Poeme. – Truth! Love it

5. i love writing long emails in lower case only. i think it is really cool and once in a while i’ve even posted blog entries written completely in lower case. i simply ‘lowe’ it! i am going to write a book someday. all in lower case. – Truth. I do this often. Especially in emails.

The winners are:

Navneet: Hey, I owe you a prize. Let me figure out what to give you, and since you have a drive blog, what about a toy car for a prize? :)

Venky: I liked your reason, but I’ll hold on to your prize till I can visit America, and personally hand it over to you!

Jag: Will carry prize for you when I come visit England (soon, soon!).