B.L.O.G Birthday

Birthdays are considered to be very special. Everything around you all of a sudden seems more beautiful and for no real-good reason you feel that you deserve to be regarded as very important for the people around you.

But oh boy! What a grand start I had today. Had to take a rickshaw from Pali Hill (Bandra) to work (Andheri East) since I have been crashing at my sister’s place babysitting her kids while she and her hubby are away on a business trip and my car has gone for its long over-due servicing. Rain gods are in a delighted mood today and have been pouring water down on us quite heavily and consistently. And then we have the ever-famous Mumbai Traffic to be dealt with as well.

So here I am in a rickshaw driven by a guy who could seriously even give Narayan Karthikeyan a complex over his driving skills. Besides been dodged by cars & other rickshaws, there was this one moment where I was sure that the Big Red (BEST bus) was so close that I could have landed up smooching the guy sitting on the 5th row seat next to the window. It was like going thru the series of Fear Factor, no exaggeration here; hopping from one episode to another.

And then something happened, a very unique moment in my life so far. 26 years in Mumbai city and I have in some way been fortunate enough to never have experienced it earlier. Even though I was nearing office, my thoughts were still lost in the song that was playing on my IPOD and there without any prior indication or warning, my face was splashed with road-side muddy rain water. I still can’t figure it out how it actually happened because I had placed my butt right in the middle of the seat and both (passenger) sides of the rickshaw were blocked by temporary flaps. It was like as if it was aimed precisely for my face; No water on my clothes, just a little splash on my office bag which was placed on my lap. What made it even worse was that my whole 1/2 hour routine of Fair & Lovely face massage was totally washed away.

But I guess you can be lucky only for a little while.

Anyways getting back to the main topic – Yes! My blog turns one year old today. It’s a big deal for me because it is in fact one of the very few non-family relationship that has managed to survive this long. I still remember my best friend mocking me saying that my blog was just another one of obsessions and it wouldn’t be long before I get completely bored of it. But here I am, still kicking it hard and frankly never felt so committed ever before.

To say that TEIO is just me would be not quite correct, TEIO in a way is a different me. It’s a side of that even most people close to me have no clue off and I like it this way. Maybe living away from family/friends for nearly 8 years and now being back, I miss my personal space and that’s where my blog steps in.

It’s been a satisfying journey so far – made many virtual friends, a few not-so friendly acquaintances, been lucky enough to interview some of the well-known faces in India and most importantly (hopefully) helped out in social causes that so badly need our attention and voice.

Some may perceive blogging as a sort of an addiction and for some it’s a hobby but for many like me it has become a part of our daily routine. And I am enjoying it to the max.

So yeah! Here is wishing my dearest creation a very happy birthday and hopefully this tradition would live on for many more years to come.

Lastly would also like to thank a few bloggers, who have made this journey an incredible one for me.

The one who introduced me to the blog-world - Arzan Sam Wadia

Bloggers who have made their presence felt – Harsh, Shadows, Pratyush, Born a Libran, Mitesh, Sourin, Jayan, Patrix, Megha, Aparna, Rizwan, Njus, Olinda, Rohit, Raven, Shivam, Melody, Utsa, Ajay, Gaurav, Melanie, Mario, Sonia, Fonzter gang, SwB, Akshay, Hawkeye and Temporal.

The big daddies of the desi-blogosphere – DesiPundit, Desicritics,Pickled Politics and Mumbai Metroblogs.

And finally….

The man responsible for the make-over of TEIO (the new theme is called Pinku) – Chugs