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Things to do before D-day (not in order of priority):
1) Fly a plane
2) 'Drive' a train
3) Become a brilliant cook
4) Tango like a dream (Al Pacino in 'Scent of a woman')
5) Learn to tap dance
6) Own a ranch with splendid horses and awesome dogs
7) Sky dive
8) Take an ocean cruise (preferably not on an ocean liner)
9) Dine at Jules Verne
10) Scuba dive and snorkel
11) Master a musical instrument
12) Visit all the existing ancient wonders of the world
13) Go on a cross-country bike trip a la Guevara
14) Read as many classics I can get my hands on
15) Spend a month without talking at all
16) Learn atleast three more languages than I currently know
17) Master a sport
Extremely selfish... But enough for a lifetime I'd say... Over and out.

An Obituary

Do people die more than once in their life times? I think they do. So here's the obituary of a guy who died simply because he wanted to live again. Breathe unrestrained and feel the breeze on his face. He was no phoenix to rise from his ashes but all he really wanted was a new life. A second chance. A shot at living the way he always wanted to. Free from fear. Free from worry. Comfortably numb. The new one he believed would not worry about going down in history for something great. Atleast that wouldn't be the purpose of his life but just a serendipitous byproduct of his efforts. He would be a free man, living life on his own terms. Respect the vagaries of fate and live each day like it was the last one. But what made this possible you ask? No bolt of lightening, no sudden revelation, no dream. Just a spark of desire to live the life he once dreamt of. Destiny just fanned it into a self-consuming inferno. It was a painless death. Not that the new one would know anything about it, but just for the record. May the days of the new one be blessed.

Strangers

Strangers are a strange people. Okay, I'am probably not the first person to have made this remarkable observation but it still continues to excite me. I came across my first interesting stranger last week. There was some mystery about her that still haunts me (even if you discount it for the convenient coincidence that the stranger belonged to the opposite sex)! Frankly even my wildest fantasies about this stranger have been strictly platonic. All I really wanted was a peek into the stranger's life and that too while she was just living life ordinarily. No special effects. No frills. Sounds like a setting straight out of a reality TV show, but its really the idiosyncrasies of people that make them interesting. The obsession with a stranger probably exists because when you spend time with a person you're sure you're never going to meet again you have nothing to lose. Your guard is down and you don't give a damn about making an impression. The fork and the knife may be in the wrong hands and you'll probably even belch a couple of times but hell, nobody is judging you. Alright, now that I'am trespassing into the realm of psychology I better sign off. Hoping to catch up with the stranger sooner or later.