Monday, February 16, 2009

All good things must come to an end

Respected brothers/bikers,

its wid gr8 disdain that i am executing a thing i had created, nurtured n luved for so loong.
i learnt a lot from the club and its members patience, discipline, and leadership being foremost.
i also found gr8 friends for life long.
n i am glad that i managed 2 achieve da same 4 u guys.
al the rides, da fun, da liberation, da respect, da coordination, da adrenaline, da achievements...
i am going to have fond memories of it.
n would really long 4 it in my aftrlyf...

bt as i post it "all good things must come to an end".
and i am glad i am putting an end to it myself.
i had mentioned it to u guys earlier 2 keep up da XR within u awake...
bt alas!! u bastards really dont work until sumone kicks ur asses....
n yeah i also learnt how 2 kick pplz asses early in da mornin..
its a mixed feelin which drove me in2 taking this step.
apart frm an asset XR had become a liabilty(thanx to al da non-participating members)
i had shared my piece of mind wid u guys individually at various occassions, too bad u guys neva took me wid much heed...
so its my turn 2 surprise u ...


SURPRISE!!!
ur journey kald XR comes to an end.
and so does mine.

its just XR which has come to an end nt r relationships n da values for which v stood for.
hoping 2 c u guys driving responsibly n safe n inspiring da others to do da same.

P.S.: however i dont c much scope. bt i wud b delighted to c XR rising as a phoenix frm ashes under a new prez. b pro-active. gt a new prez or becum one.

CHEERZZ!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

New Stud "KK"

Aftr a reeeaaly long time..
sumone worth his salt has finally bin included in r family...
sumone wid da XR stuff...
sumone wid da right sense of balance...
sum one XR...

Name:
Karan Kaul
License : YES
Interested in: Stunting
Bike: TVS Victor GL
A.K.A.: KK
Performance Mods: No headlights n broken parts.
Presently: Undergraduate BBA
Aims: MBA
Traits: Confident, speaks less n punctual(unlike da rest o us :))
Videos:
  • His first attempt:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=8tCmwivE-e8
  • His second attempt:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=VAcuE6VkxCU



KK has bin associated wid various stunting clubs viz. Xbhp n RSA ...

Da one thing which bowled me over during his interview was dis:
Q. On which vehicle did u start stunting??
A. My luna (wid ball melting confidence)

A balanced kid, armed wid his hazel eyes can make any women go weak in their knees.

All in a al,an XR at heart!!!!
Presenting b4 u men is Mr. Karan "KK" Kaul





These r sum of XR's first-off road meet's pics:
lighter moments btw me n mangu



sunthin wrong wid KK's crotch or sheer boredom




XR'z




shower's aphro




softy showin off his new silicon tonsil implants



CHEERZZ!!!
-Ragz

Saturday, September 20, 2008

spark without spark plugs !!!

this thing came as a forward....
bt it really had a deep n inspiring message.
its jus one of those phases in lyf wen v guyz becum serious or 4 dat matter responsible or feel responsible.
da other day singhi was over at my place 4 a nite stay(WOOHOO!!!)
he described me his latesht accident wid pride, suddenly he went grave serious n uttered wat i must 2 refer as "serious admission by a haapy-go-lucky-chap"
he said,"i cud hav fleed frm da spot, instead i chose 2 take da injured man 2 da hospital".
this guy was flocked around wid ppl swearing at him(though it wasn't his fault et al),
ppl were threatin 2 beat him up, but the "new" singhi chose 2 stand there n fought against al odds.
Kudos singhi!!!
there are times in lyf wen v r battered down,frustated n scared, which results in us drifting away from things v lyk doin or things v luv. in such challengin times v need hold our nerves n act wid sanity.
for such times i m letting chetan bhagat carry on wid his speech at symbiosis this year:

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party - several months in advance - just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs. the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether it’s my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? Is the question you will need to ask? You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades - how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved - movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result - at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan - I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it - not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damn lucky by Indian standards.. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Bikers in college invariably stop biking by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

so let us pledge ourselves again 2 keep up da XR spirit!!!
CHEERZ!!!
Ragz

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

7th September'08

lemme start dis post wid a few lines:
"#$%@#$%@#$%$%^&#^%@$@#%^$^$%&^%*$^#%@$%^$%^$%^#$^&#$%^#$^"
i wud sincerely lyk to dedicate these lines 2 shower n softy....
da ride was 2 start at 8:30a.m. at dpura bus stand,
i was there(this time) first..
next 2 join me was mangu man,he was however delayed due 2 da usual "unfinished business".
aftr a decent wait of 15 minz i started makin hectic kals 2 softy n shower...
a sleepy softy answered n his favourite excuse was recieved by me n i returned him da favour by giving him my peace of mind...
aftr a brief chat wid him i held up frustrated, bt this was jus not da end of it.
as planned da previous da shower had 2 join us enroute.
i kald him up 2 let him know dat v were 5 mins away frm pikin him up....
TADAAA!!!
he aint pikin up his kals...
da usual $^%&^ followed.
dats wen me n mangu man decided 2 go as a couple....
oops as solo ahem!!!
our destination this time was "mohanpura"

Mohanpura
Mohanpura is a small village ahead of sitapura.
its a delightful place visually not smell-wise...
it has a single lane road wid greens on either sides n a stretch where a sufficiently wide drain runs parallel 2 da road.
a little later a sudden dip comes in da drain which results in it 2 suddenly freeze below 0 degrees celsius n causes formation of ice.


ha ha ha!!!
this aint ice but da foam which is caused by da polluted water runnin in da drain..
n da best part it has a tube well :)
da drain has a large number of stone bridges over it,

it really gives da feel of da bridges across thames in london...
though awfully small in size in comparison 2 da original thing.
da village sumtimes has long stretches, which allowed me n mangu man 2 live up2 our names...
XRzz!!!

so v spent a considerable amount of time spoiling da serenity of da rural paradise wid da blaring
noise of our engines :)

da mood throughout da journey was however pretty chilled out, so v cruised along da drain wid da soothing sound of flowing water(which contained faeces,urine,detergents,fertilisers etc...etc...) v chose a deserted bridge n took sum quality pics of ourselves n r bikes.



mangu man got a chance 2 do his photographic best wid his excellence at macro-photography...
even i didnt kno he was pretty gud at this thing.
this is a bajra!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!!(SARCASM HEAVILY INVOLVED)
n this is my silencer's rear side!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!
n dis is da hungry me ...

moments b4 i relished da spider.
i got 2 do sum things i had wished 4:
=>drank water from a tube well(though it was stinky n yellow)

=>got 2 c sum rural ass(an ass is an ass,b it a guy or a gal)!!!

observe da yellow armpits...
=>pee in da heart of a haunted tree :)

these r sum picturisque photus thru da tree ...

pretty gud i must say..

n finally i got da perfect pic of my byk :)

v also tried using mangu man's new nokia GPS equipped handset which went berserk n started indicating dat "Dosht u r in middle of nowhere"!!!
the trip was a nerve soother n a thirst quencher 2 me.
da perfect way 2 spend da weekend aftr a hectic week of examz.
PHEW!!!
-Ragz

Saturday, September 6, 2008

2nd August'08

this was da last ride of da year v wud hav had saboo accompanying us now dat he was leaving 4 purdue within a week.
so i decided 2 make it special by headin off 2 "da village" instead of our usual highway.
da first onez 2 report on durgapura were softy n me...
moments later v were joined by mangu-man...
n den came saboo's kal dat he'll b delayed by another 15 minz...
bloody @#$%@# was r reaction in unison...
mangu found da rite oppurtunity 2 finish of(his residual shit leftover in his rectum) 2 which he reffered as "unfinished business back home".
in da mean time me n softy treated our tummies 2 lassiz,n played hide n seek in morning sunshine.(i kno its ass-like bt there was no better way 2 pass time).
n finally v were joined by saboo man!!!
yipee!!!
armed wid his dirty looks n a digicam his magnificent auro (of green fumes) was blinding.
2 cut da looong story short so came bak mangu man lookin relieved n halka.
n so v set off 2wards r destination wid r usual "lights on in broad daylight tashan".
v were joined later by singhi on his new dirt byk.
n everyone's first reaction was :-
FUCK!!!
hiz byk was completely metamorphosed...

kahan karizma!!!



aur kahan yeh brand new "machak" byk.





monoshox,nobby's,11ltr tank,single seater,knn ka air filter aur ek naya silencer n al dis in shade of black n red.
it was one bloody sexy piece.


though he had problems regardin his both tyres wobbling throughout da journey...
so after quenching our eyes aftr chekin out his byk v went ahead wid da journey...

"DA VILLAGE"
this place was amazing,dream like,sexy,quite,solitary,n deserted.
it's entry had curvy roads which later on stretched straight wid greenery on either sides.
it was truly jannat.
v later chose a green spot 4 wat singhi is best at photugraphy.
n he was lucky enuff 2 catch 2 cows in compromising positions.



sometimes i wonder singhi is destined 4 cattles,pehle buffaloes n now cows.....
so v took these snaps courtsey a kid named pappu....




n sooner such an exciting place was enuff 2 turn me n saboo on....

n v were caught on camera taking "measurements" AHEM!!!!


da best part of da village was its railway crossing.

v were lucky 2 get a al byk photo in da middle of da crossing...
n hence i tag this photo da "memorable part of da day"....:)
a gud amount of time was spent later on making videos of banking around da curves...
n during one such video i brushed againt singhi way 2 close...
sorry bhai bt it was intentional.....

da other part of da day was spent doing drags on one part of da village which was a loong road wid clear view on da sides.(this ensured us about da unwanted figures at high speeds).

n as soon as v got a thumbs up 4 da drag from saboo v head on in one perfect line wid gud speed soon enuf v were touching 100kmph....
n suddenly...

TAADAA!!!
comes a herd of buffaloes 2 block r path...

gr8!!! simply gr8....
v were about get r rush n here comes r queens 2 distract us....
me n mangu were da first ones 2 stop.PULSAR ROXX!!!!
n so did softy...
bt singhi made his way past thru da herd widout his hands on da handle....

"saala bhains ko bhi show off marta hai"...
sumtimes i hav a gut feeling dat singhi is yamraj....
no seriously guys he's
black,
hairy,
scary,
unpredictable,
notorious,
and lastly n da winner of da argument
"an attraction for buffaloes"......

now comes da blooper of da day:
n da blooper of da day award goes to none than mangu man
amen seriously u were tryin pull off a donut on a concrete road!!!
that to a runnin donut
bhai wat da fuck was on ur mind....
its jus 180 cc not 1800cc....
here goes da story:
v were shooting for banking around da corners at a place wid singhi takin da shot frm da cam...
mangu was leadin da line-up...
mangu sped his way 2wards singhi n den made a stop well b4 him...
to get control n den revved it up wid his front brakes on...
it went well till about 2 seconds wen things started 2 turn funny oops bad....
his rear wheel failed 2 lose grip n start slipping instead it held on n reduced his speed further...
n den came da best part mangu fell of his standing byk thanx 2 a runnin donut gone humourously bad...
saboo was da nex person 2 catch up n entered da scene wid a hardcore laugh,next was softy who laughed off wid a high pitch n finally came me who was laughin in a high pitch as well as hardcore...
mangu lyk da usual sporting attitude laughed himself out too wid others...
a quality of an XR...

kudos mangu man!!!
n ride ended singhi's college aayojan, where v had stomach full of pav bhaji,a sunday feature 4 da hostlers, discussing over it r lives n da days happenings....
al in al a memorable ride 4 al us yet again...
v r setting out 2morrow again...
widout da IIS-duo saboo n singhi,bt v r joined by r latest induction cruiser guy mohit "shower" mehta.
-Ragz