Cool G5
Conversation Architect
We (Ankit, Gautam, Rhitwick, Vishal & me) had developed into more than casual friends after our last Digit Mumbai Meet was a grand success. A couple of days ago, Rhitwick contacted me & asked whether I was ready for a trip to Lamington road (Rhitwick had to shop some peripherals) . I replied in affirmative since I was free due to my ongoing vacations. We(Rhitwick & me) then asked the other guys from our earlier meet & thus it was decided that the whole group would come together again for what could be called as an "Unofficial Digit Mumbai Meet".
Meeting up at Lamington Road:
The meet time was decided as 3PM on a hot Saturday afternoon but eventually all of us got late & we finally ended meeting up at around 4 PM. Me & Ankit reached Grant road station & saw Gautam already cooling on a bench. The poor guy had to wait for a long time, since all were late. Soon, Rhitwick & Vishal joined us. We started our march towards Lamington road cutting bylanes & sipping some cold water on the way. The temperatures were high & it felt like heaven when we used to enter the air conditioned shops. Rhitwick had to purchase headphone along with mice for his rig. We started our search in random shops but none offered any good products. One shopkeeper even told us that they offer no warranty on headphones while we saw the same headphones in different shop which offered one year of warranty. It was quite shocking to know that some dealers here sure rip off their customers. But being Geeks sure helps as we moved on and continued the search which eventually ended us at the famous Prime ABGB.
Reaching Prime ABGB & having some Refreshments:
While we were at Prime ABGB, the vendor was finding it difficult to get what exactly Rhitwick wanted. He repeatedly kept telling that they don't have the the particular model & so. To prove him wrong, Rhitwick took charge & entered his cubicle & quickly dashed off to their site to show the vendor the required products. While Rhitwick was busy with this, Ankit, Gautam, Vishal & me were busy checking the cases, CPU coolers, Wi-Fi routers, Graphic Cards which were kept on the display. It was taking too long & this wait made us thirsty. Thus I requested Rhitwick to stay at the shop while Ankit, Gautam & I went to have something to drink in this hot weather. Vishal preferred to stay in the company of Rhitwick at Prime ABGB & enjoy the AC. We three made our way to the nearest hotel & sat down ordering cold drinks. While we were sipping it, we started to chat about other things in Life. Each of us gave a brief summary of their love stories which crashed like an unstabilised overclocked system. It was good to know the various experiences of each other & also how to go about tackling this situation in course of time. After half an hour or so we left the hotel & returned back to Prime ABGB where Vishal & Rhitwick were still looking frustrated with the billing system. Rhitwick got all the needed stuff but he was made to wait courtesy a mistake of the lady at the receipt counter. She gave print command without any paper reel in the printer & was waiting pondering why is the receipt not printing up even when one would clearly notice the empty paper reel of the printer. She even had some difficulty loading a new reel & finally after wasting some more time, we left the shop.
Off to Sardar Pavbhaji for some more Refreshments:
It was 6PM in the clock & we were done with our purchase. Next we decided to go to Sardar Pavbhaji which is a hotel near Mumbai Central Station known for its delicious Pavbhaji. It has also bagged many awards & its also at the apex position when it comes to Pavbhaji in Mumbai. We wasted no time boarding a train from Grant road to reach our destination - Mumbai Central. Upon reaching Sardar Pavbhaji, we made ourself's comfortable on a corner table which we thought had the added benefit of a fan above. But we were wrong as the fan was working but did not provide the cool breeze we expected. We place the order & then started inspecting Rhitwick's new gadget - Canon SX10 IS & also Gautam's - Cowon A2 PMP. After that Rhitwick & I started clicking pictures while the rest of the guys started with the forum talk. We too joined them soon. After waiting in anticipation, eventually the hot pavbhaji was served which had oodles of butter & was not only looking but smelling superb too. All the geeks ate enough to keep them powered up for the rest of the meet & we left the place after another half an hour or so.
Off to Queen's Necklace - Marine Lines:
It was beginning to get dark & we decided to take visit Marine Lines which was not too far. Again we boarded a train from Mumbai Central & took off to Marine Lines. During journey, Rhitwick grabbed the camera and started displaying his new found passion of photography. Gautam tried his best to stop him but Rhitwick managed to get good of Gautam's fingers. After alighting at Marine Lines at exactly 7:30, we got to experience a beautiful view of the adjoining highway with city in the backdrop. The ambience was perfect for photgraphy. No sooner Rhitwick & I removed our powerful weapons from our bags and started doing what we love the most - Photography. I have never been to this place in evening & so hence was mesmerized by the vista. We crossed the dangerous highway jumping over the divider & got to the seaside. While the other guys took a seat on the katta (Small boundary on which one can sit), Rhitwick & I continued with our photography. It was surely a photographer's delight. After taking lots of snaps, we decided to picture the guys sitting on the katta & giving a relaxed look. Gautam especially was seen in a great mood & was enjoying every moment sans his beloved computer. I had never seen Mumbai at such a glory & I enjoyed every moment I spent here. Also I was glad since my photography got well paid off. Though without a tripod but I took some of the best pics which will find a way into my Album. We started walking on the katta continuing the chat & then reached Churchgate where we again sat for a while. It was around 8:30 in the clock & then came the silent storm - Vishal Gupta. Until now, I thought his passion for photography must have died but then he took hold of my camera & went on a clicking spree. This time though he failed to recreate the magic which he did during our last meet. It felt as if we were in heaven & we wished if we could stay here for some more time but it was not to be as it was nearing night now. We even hatched plans of hitting a club but they were postponed for our next meet.
Goodbye:
The clock was nearing 9PM as we trudged into a lane leading to Churchgate station. Eventually at around 9PM, we exchanged pleasantries & left for our respective home sweet home. Rhitwick & Vishal went to CST from where they were going to head to their homes while Ankit, Confused & I entered the Churchgate station. We purchase the tickets & then after a while we left Gautam who was to catch another train while Ankit & I boarded the slow local to Dadar.
Moments of the day:
1) Meeting up at Grant road in the afternoon was a memorable one. It always feels good to catch up with your friends & that too even more when you shop collectively for hardwares (The part after '&'s is strictly for geeks and not for an ordinary person).
2) Relishing the delicious Pavbhaji at Sardar in Mumbai Central while chatting with friends was a good experience as we discussed freely & even gave our individual opinions.
3) The train journey from Mumbai Central to Marine Lines was engrossing. We all were deeply enjoying it & for a moment we almost thought that we had skipped our destination of Marine Lines.
4) The photography session at Marine Lines was challenging & one which I will remember for a long time. Not only I managed to click some good snaps but also managed to experience nature at its best.
5) Sitting on the katta at Marine Lines while enjoying the beautiful view of Mumbai at night was so good that I felt not to return home. The seafacing katta provided much needed relief from the sweltering Mumbai heat. Not to forget we had a good talk here which helped us to know the needs, problems, passion etc of each other. I can say it all brought us one step closer. I would also plead you guys to forgive me this time for not bringing the CD's of our last meet pics. I felt really bad when I noticed that I forgot them on my computer table. I promise to give you the CD's soon.
Ending Thoughts:
Getting a chance to meet old friends & enjoying with them for such a long time (nearly 5 hours) meant the day ending well for me. I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday & I'm looking forward to another meet soon.
View the Meet Pictures on Flickr
*www.flickr.com/photos/23667466@N03/3539194454/*farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/3539194454_01d83acfed.jpg
{From Left to Right - Tech$oft(Ankit), Confused(Gautam), Vishal Gupta(Vishal Gupta) & Rhitwick(Rhitwick)}
{From Left to Right - Tech$oft(Ankit), Confused(Gautam), Vishal Gupta(Vishal Gupta) & Rhitwick(Rhitwick)}
Meeting up at Lamington Road:
The meet time was decided as 3PM on a hot Saturday afternoon but eventually all of us got late & we finally ended meeting up at around 4 PM. Me & Ankit reached Grant road station & saw Gautam already cooling on a bench. The poor guy had to wait for a long time, since all were late. Soon, Rhitwick & Vishal joined us. We started our march towards Lamington road cutting bylanes & sipping some cold water on the way. The temperatures were high & it felt like heaven when we used to enter the air conditioned shops. Rhitwick had to purchase headphone along with mice for his rig. We started our search in random shops but none offered any good products. One shopkeeper even told us that they offer no warranty on headphones while we saw the same headphones in different shop which offered one year of warranty. It was quite shocking to know that some dealers here sure rip off their customers. But being Geeks sure helps as we moved on and continued the search which eventually ended us at the famous Prime ABGB.
Reaching Prime ABGB & having some Refreshments:
While we were at Prime ABGB, the vendor was finding it difficult to get what exactly Rhitwick wanted. He repeatedly kept telling that they don't have the the particular model & so. To prove him wrong, Rhitwick took charge & entered his cubicle & quickly dashed off to their site to show the vendor the required products. While Rhitwick was busy with this, Ankit, Gautam, Vishal & me were busy checking the cases, CPU coolers, Wi-Fi routers, Graphic Cards which were kept on the display. It was taking too long & this wait made us thirsty. Thus I requested Rhitwick to stay at the shop while Ankit, Gautam & I went to have something to drink in this hot weather. Vishal preferred to stay in the company of Rhitwick at Prime ABGB & enjoy the AC. We three made our way to the nearest hotel & sat down ordering cold drinks. While we were sipping it, we started to chat about other things in Life. Each of us gave a brief summary of their love stories which crashed like an unstabilised overclocked system. It was good to know the various experiences of each other & also how to go about tackling this situation in course of time. After half an hour or so we left the hotel & returned back to Prime ABGB where Vishal & Rhitwick were still looking frustrated with the billing system. Rhitwick got all the needed stuff but he was made to wait courtesy a mistake of the lady at the receipt counter. She gave print command without any paper reel in the printer & was waiting pondering why is the receipt not printing up even when one would clearly notice the empty paper reel of the printer. She even had some difficulty loading a new reel & finally after wasting some more time, we left the shop.
Off to Sardar Pavbhaji for some more Refreshments:
It was 6PM in the clock & we were done with our purchase. Next we decided to go to Sardar Pavbhaji which is a hotel near Mumbai Central Station known for its delicious Pavbhaji. It has also bagged many awards & its also at the apex position when it comes to Pavbhaji in Mumbai. We wasted no time boarding a train from Grant road to reach our destination - Mumbai Central. Upon reaching Sardar Pavbhaji, we made ourself's comfortable on a corner table which we thought had the added benefit of a fan above. But we were wrong as the fan was working but did not provide the cool breeze we expected. We place the order & then started inspecting Rhitwick's new gadget - Canon SX10 IS & also Gautam's - Cowon A2 PMP. After that Rhitwick & I started clicking pictures while the rest of the guys started with the forum talk. We too joined them soon. After waiting in anticipation, eventually the hot pavbhaji was served which had oodles of butter & was not only looking but smelling superb too. All the geeks ate enough to keep them powered up for the rest of the meet & we left the place after another half an hour or so.
Off to Queen's Necklace - Marine Lines:
It was beginning to get dark & we decided to take visit Marine Lines which was not too far. Again we boarded a train from Mumbai Central & took off to Marine Lines. During journey, Rhitwick grabbed the camera and started displaying his new found passion of photography. Gautam tried his best to stop him but Rhitwick managed to get good of Gautam's fingers. After alighting at Marine Lines at exactly 7:30, we got to experience a beautiful view of the adjoining highway with city in the backdrop. The ambience was perfect for photgraphy. No sooner Rhitwick & I removed our powerful weapons from our bags and started doing what we love the most - Photography. I have never been to this place in evening & so hence was mesmerized by the vista. We crossed the dangerous highway jumping over the divider & got to the seaside. While the other guys took a seat on the katta (Small boundary on which one can sit), Rhitwick & I continued with our photography. It was surely a photographer's delight. After taking lots of snaps, we decided to picture the guys sitting on the katta & giving a relaxed look. Gautam especially was seen in a great mood & was enjoying every moment sans his beloved computer. I had never seen Mumbai at such a glory & I enjoyed every moment I spent here. Also I was glad since my photography got well paid off. Though without a tripod but I took some of the best pics which will find a way into my Album. We started walking on the katta continuing the chat & then reached Churchgate where we again sat for a while. It was around 8:30 in the clock & then came the silent storm - Vishal Gupta. Until now, I thought his passion for photography must have died but then he took hold of my camera & went on a clicking spree. This time though he failed to recreate the magic which he did during our last meet. It felt as if we were in heaven & we wished if we could stay here for some more time but it was not to be as it was nearing night now. We even hatched plans of hitting a club but they were postponed for our next meet.
Goodbye:
The clock was nearing 9PM as we trudged into a lane leading to Churchgate station. Eventually at around 9PM, we exchanged pleasantries & left for our respective home sweet home. Rhitwick & Vishal went to CST from where they were going to head to their homes while Ankit, Confused & I entered the Churchgate station. We purchase the tickets & then after a while we left Gautam who was to catch another train while Ankit & I boarded the slow local to Dadar.
Moments of the day:
1) Meeting up at Grant road in the afternoon was a memorable one. It always feels good to catch up with your friends & that too even more when you shop collectively for hardwares (The part after '&'s is strictly for geeks and not for an ordinary person).
2) Relishing the delicious Pavbhaji at Sardar in Mumbai Central while chatting with friends was a good experience as we discussed freely & even gave our individual opinions.
3) The train journey from Mumbai Central to Marine Lines was engrossing. We all were deeply enjoying it & for a moment we almost thought that we had skipped our destination of Marine Lines.
4) The photography session at Marine Lines was challenging & one which I will remember for a long time. Not only I managed to click some good snaps but also managed to experience nature at its best.
5) Sitting on the katta at Marine Lines while enjoying the beautiful view of Mumbai at night was so good that I felt not to return home. The seafacing katta provided much needed relief from the sweltering Mumbai heat. Not to forget we had a good talk here which helped us to know the needs, problems, passion etc of each other. I can say it all brought us one step closer. I would also plead you guys to forgive me this time for not bringing the CD's of our last meet pics. I felt really bad when I noticed that I forgot them on my computer table. I promise to give you the CD's soon.
Ending Thoughts:
Getting a chance to meet old friends & enjoying with them for such a long time (nearly 5 hours) meant the day ending well for me. I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday & I'm looking forward to another meet soon.
View the Meet Pictures on Flickr
