Tagged Again: 8 Travel Things about Me?

I have got a nasty cold, and from the last two days I could not upload a picture to my blog, so I was not writing what I had planned. Today, I am quite down and out and yet I wanted to write something. So when Cuckoo tagged me, I decided to take it up for today’s post.

Rules of this Tag:

1. Name the person who tagged you.
2. 8 things about you.
3. Tag 6 people.

1. Name of the Person who Tagged Me.

I told you the name already but I will tell it to you once again, Cuckoo tagged me and she has a very cute profile picture.

2. 8 Things About me!

Now this is difficult from any angle I look at it. I will probably convert most of the things to travel stuff. But let me try.

1. Recently, at a party a very charming lady (who has worked on cruise ship and seen almost half of the world) asked me about my most memorable trip. I had to think for just for a fraction of a second but my most memorable trip has to be Ladakh in 2005. There are many reasons for it. Of course, Ladakh is magical and oh! so beautiful (I have to go back sometime soon). But I am very fond of the place because I somehow feel it proved to be a turning point in my life, in more ways than one. We as usual tried to trek there, and had to abandon it mid way as I fell ill. Still, it makes no difference to me and I consider it the most special trip I ever had.

2. Seven more to go? I am already struggling. OK, here is another one. We are hard core budget travelers and our trip is never complete till we have stayed in at least one uncomfortable hotel (with mice around, of which I am scared to death. My philosophy is that women marry just to have someone to deal with the mice) or braved a battered bus journey. I crib a lot when it happens (and Sesha bears it all with a huge grin) and swear that I will never put up with it again but somehow I always agree for more of the same the next time around.

Pangong Lake in Ladakh

3. My second most memorable trip has been to Goa where the four of us trekked together. We are a family of five, my husband, my two teenaged naughty nephews and my father, we all live together in a chaotic home. My father has not come with us on any of the treks so 4 is about as perfect we are ever going to have it. We tell our nephews that trekking ‘builds character’ (a straight lift from Calvin and Hobbes) and maybe this June the four of us will trek together again somewhere in Lahul and Spiti. My elder nephew is already in college and stays in a hostel.

4. I don’t really know what others think about me but I think I take sometime before I start talking to people. But to the few people I really talk to, I think they silently pray for me to stop talking. Otherwise, I think people consider me a reserved person, somewhat unapproachable. I am really more comfortable listening to stories that others have to tell. I happily tell my stories on this blog.

5.I brag about one thing and that is my game of table tennis. At my previous workplace I used to thrash all my colleagues (and I mean all, gentlemen included) and my students too (60:40 in my favor with the college number one and two among boys). I will not talk about my present workplace scores (one can never be sure who may land up here accidentally :) But I have been beaten soundly each and every time by a certain gentlemen. Hmm, he told me in the very end that he had represented Sweden for a certain age group!

6. OK, three more to go. I once interviewed with Indian Express for sports journalism (right after my Ph.D.) but when they asked me why I want to do it, I goofed up big time by saying “because I need a break from academics.” Well, of course they were not willing to sponsor my break and I think I enjoy academics immensely though sometimes (just sometimes) I seriously think I had enough of 18 year olds for a lifetime.

7. During my Ph.D. days if someone had to find me out in the evenings, they would check out the basketball or the badminton court! And the first time my husband (then my friend) played TT with me he managed a grand score of 3.

8. But to sum it up, I really enjoy academics and cannot see myself doing anything else.

I tag:

1. Deepak

2. Ajeya

3. Steve

4. Gulnaz

5. Tarun

6. Prashanth

and I will make it 7 too.

7. Ms. N

Tag Time: What Does Blogging Mean to Me!

1. Are you happy/ satisfied with your blog, with its content and look?

Happy yes, I derive happiness from many small things but satisfied no! It takes a lot for me to get satisfied with anything, most of all me and my efforts.

2. Does your family know about your blog?

Yes, they do. My sis and brother-in-law, both blog. And they started much before me. If fact it is because of them and my miserable previous jobs that I started to blog.

My husband, father and nephews are aware of my blog. They do not read it much but are happy for me when I share something and they do read whatever links I fwd to them.

3. Do u feel embarrassed to let your friends know about your blog or you just consider it as a private thing?

Not friends but I am not sure how to react when a few of my students say they know about my blog!

4. Did blogs cause positive changes in your thoughts?

My blog was the main source of inspiration during the lean phase in my professional life. It has brought me many good things, more focus, more pleasure in my travels (if that is possible) and definitely a keener interest in photography.

5. Do you only open the blogs of those who comment on your blog or you love to go and discover more by yourself?

This semester has been pretty tough on me, and I have barely managed to keep in touch with those who have been kind enough to leave comments but whenever I have time, I do love to search on Technorati and Blogger about the topics that interest me and discover new (to me) bloggers.

6. What does visitors counter mean to you? Do you care about putting it in your blog?

I love feedback, comments more than visitor counters, but visitors counter too gives me important feedback.

7. Did you try to imagine your fellow bloggers and give them real pictures?

I am anyway not very imaginative but I have seen photographs of many and a few I have met in person :)

8. Do you think there is a real benefit for blogging?

Do you think all those Fortune 500 companies would be blogging if there was not? But what I like more is that Blogs have given a voice to an ordinary person and to me this is very important.

9. Do you think that bloggers’ society is isolated from real world or interacts with events?

I have seen much more grounded travel writings on blogs than in Outlook Traveller.

10. Does criticism annoy you or do you feel it’s a normal thing?

I think I have grown up enormously on this front. I can take criticism more easily now and I am just a bit more gentle when handing criticism :) But I was not always like this.

11. Do you fear some political blogs and avoid them?

No.

12. Did you get shocked by the arrest of some bloggers?

Information is something that repressive regims have always feared. No, it does not shock me that people get arreste over their blogs in some countries. I am fully convinced about the power of the blogs.

13. Did you think about what will happen to your blog after you die?

I hope someone in my family would put a post on my blog that I would be blogging no more, at least from side of the earth :)

14. What do you like to hear? What’s the song you might like to put a link to in your blog?

Has to be an old Hindi song (maybe a love song :) OK, current favorite 'suhani chadni raaten hume soone nahin deten' But my songs change :)

Another all time favortie is, 'musafir hun yaaro ...' particulalrly this line.

Thousand thanks to Bellur for tagging me. Me, I will leave the tag open for everyone.