Life is just like a 2 pronged fork...

A pinch of sadness to stay happy!!!

2008-05-08T23:35:00.005+05:30

Why can’t women stay happy for long? Why do they come up with the most insignificant of issues and insist on getting into depression? Somehow, they never seem to be content with whatever good has happened to them, but are intent on mulling over some topic and feeling down in the dumps!!!

This is not borne from one or two occurrences with any particular woman, but a notion based on my entire experience with women. I feel that women cannot stay happy for long, if they do not experience sadness from time to time. They are hungry for some sorrow to feel worthwhile. If everything goes good, they feel depressed about it, so they are eager for some bit of a problem, to feel content and worthwhile!!!

Theorem: Women need to feel unhappy to stay happy.

This might not make any sense to many, but I’m sure there are people (mostly men) who will agree. We, guys, might not understand it completely, but definitely know that this theorem holds good for 95% of women.

Enter...the devil

2008-04-16T00:20:00.005+05:30

"The devil is a headache; the devil is a voice inside a wall; the devil is a fin breaking through the dark waves. The devil is the brief, twittering nothing that was a thrush's life. The devil sucks all the beauty from the world, all the hope and what remains when the devil has finished is a realm of the living dead - joyless, suffocating."
- Virginia Woolf in The Hours (by Michael Cunningham)

;-)

2008-03-31T23:59:00.002+05:30

"Hotel Bhoot Palace"

2008-03-23T20:00:00.004+05:30

This could be completely BS!!!

It's probably only hearsay...but definitely interesting, and since it involves one of the best hotels in Asia, it's got more to it than a mere crowd-pleasing tale. I heard it from a group of friends who claim they heard it from people who work with the hotel.

A few years ago, a particularly rotten stench enveloped the hotel and it grew stronger day by day. After a lot of complaints from the guests, the management was forced to investigate the by-now overpowering odour and finally zeroed down onto the elevator section. Since the smell was the strongest at the bottom of the lift, they removed the compartment to check below.

And what do they find, but a horribly decomposed human body!!!

After further inquiries, it turned out to be the body of one of the workers who seemed to be missing from a few weeks. People claim that he was last seen entering one of the restaurants in the hotel. Within a few weeks, the hotel management had to deal with one more dead body and soon there-after a third. With growing anxiety and worried over the probability of news of 3 dead bodies leaking out to the media, the hotel management started getting some expert opinions from the police top brass as well as private detectives, but to no avail.

With growing unpleasantness among the employees and restaurant patrons who started getting wind of this matter,the management had to shell out quite a sum to keep the matter under wraps. Soon thereafter, an extremely high profile monk had a stay in this hotel and the hotel top management decided to confide in him their predicament. The monk informed them that he would not be the right person to deal with this type of a situation, but he definitely knew someone who can help them.

As per his suggestion the management got this particular lady, who seemed to have had an extremely good impression on the monk, to come over to the hotel. She surveyed all the places and immediately as she entered a particular restaurant, she exclaimed, "This place is so hot. There's something in this place." She probed further into the 3 previous deaths and using her knowledge of the paranormal came to the conclusion that from 11pm till 2:30am (timings could be wrong), no one should enter that particular place - a restaurant inside the premises.

According to some people, immediately at the clock's announcement of the mentioned hour, guards lock the restaurant and NO ONE is allowed even to be present near the place. They maintain the security of that place with the utmost precautions.

The deaths/killings have stopped since then. No more untoward activities have been noted anymore.

Atleast not untill now!!!

I Yam what I Yam!!!

2008-03-09T23:07:00.005+05:30

Why do I have the best time with people who do not expect me to treat them in any special way? And why is it that everytime, someone expects me to treat him/her with special attention, I do not care two hoots for them? Why is a conversation so interesting, when the other person is not hoping for you to say the right words? It feels so good to talk to someone who listens to what I say, rather than what they expect me to say...

Why do I feel hateful towards every person who wants me to make him/her feel nice? Why should I treat someone well just because they think I should? Is it too difficult for people to accept that I'm not the person, they think I am?

Day with the white demon God...

2008-03-05T19:49:00.001+05:30

On my way to the land of the white clothed demons, I had no idea what lay in store for me. After offering the requisite payments, I was led to the cave and asked to remove my clothes. Surprising??? No sire!!! Most of the sacrificial ceremonies require certain customs & I merely followed. The evil henchmen at the opening of the cave gave me a blue ceremonial robe to cover myself. Once I got that on, I strolled into the cave, where a huge white monster with no eyes, no ears and no nose, but a white gaping mouth was relaxing under the yellow sun. Didn’t seem to have any brains as well, but you never know; most of these white monsters do have their cerebral chips embedded somewhere deep within them. I was asked to lie down on a platform and position myself at the mouth of the white demon God. A few of his evil henchmen took turns to align my body with the gaping wide mouth (I believe he didn’t have any motor movements on his mouth to align himself or maybe he was just plain lazy).

As I lay within the jaws of death, my thoughts glided around that fateful evening, when after contemplating a lot on whether I should get out of my chair and out of the house for a jog, I buckled down to the pressure of a fitness regime and stepped out on the road in my new Reebok DMX. A few paces more than a kilometre and I regretted that decision. Clutching my back, I made my way home and lied down on the bed, to find out that, I’m not able to get up. Got Slipped Disc!!!

Anyway, after a frustrating 45 mins, during which the white no-fang monster had sucked out all my energy and patience, I finally got off the platform, all in one-piece. The demon God doesn’t believe in mutilating its victims.

And I was done with my MRI scan!!!

I dream of Death...

2008-02-14T07:36:00.000+05:30

Saw myself in a dream today...Dead!!!

It was early morning, just a few minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. An early SMS had woken me up, but I had drifted off to sleep, knowing too well that my trustworthy alarm piece will definitely ensure I get to office on time.

And then I saw the back of a truck...it was as if I was watching an animation film...but the blue tarpaulin, fluttering in the wind, seemed so real. The tarpaulin started to blow off something...and I saw a naked foot...the skin wasn't exactly covering it either...

As the tarpaulin blew off completely, I saw a body clothed in tattered blue jeans and a white unbuttoned shirt...blood splattered...no shoes, but I could see the skin cut off in so many places...

I didn't see the face...but somehow I knew it was me!!!

BTW,

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Got slip disc!!!

2008-02-06T18:40:00.000+05:30

Got slip disc!!!

Friends find it hard to believe. Everyone says, "Of all the people, how can you have a slip disc? You were so fit."

Slip disc doesn't have anything to do with fitness. A most dispirited sloth & a champion Olympic runner have equal chances of going down with a slip disc.

Sad but true.

And meanwhile I've been working from home; sitting in front of the laptop isn't the best thing now, but then I can't lie on my bed 24 hours. Hopefully, I'll be spared of this nasty situation by the end of the week. No bike riding, for some time, no running for atleast a month. Life's a bitch!!!

I wonder if I'll still be able to do all things I have always wanted to do - mountain climbing, rappelling, trekking, tantric sex in weird positions, spin kicks in the air...or even working out :-(

Was God the DJ today?

2008-01-30T18:32:00.000+05:30

Do you believe in Divine Interference? Have you ever had the feeling that there’s someone out there looking out for you? Ever felt that you are just a pawn in the entire clock-work of the cosmos? Did it ever occur to you that, what happened could have happened in a very different way, but it happened as it did, because someone else orchestrated it?

This morning, I woke up to the sound of the alarm, but was too lazy to get out of bed. So just to get over the grogginess, I thought I might as well sit up and acclimatize myself to the early hour before getting out of bed. With nothing else to do in bed, I got the laptop from the table to check on the file downloads of the previous night & the power adaptor not being long enough, I had to remove it. Once I finished with it and was prepared to get out of bed, I logged off and kept the laptop on the table, and attacked the day starting with my daily activities to get ready for office.

As I finished getting dressed, I put the laptop in my laptop bag and headed for breakfast. Just at that moment, before I could switch off the Worldspace, they started to play Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen – one of my all time favourites. With that beautiful song playing, I couldn’t switch it off, so I got my breakfast on to the table and listened to the entire song. As the song got over and I started to go, I noticed that I had forgotten to put the power adaptor in my laptop bag. If I wouldn’t have stopped to listen to the song, I would have had no power cord in office and without it, my laptop wouldn’t have been able to sustain for 2 hours resulting in my going over to colleagues and begging for their power cords, while answering all the embarrassing questions about the missing cord. That song definitely saved me from that situation.

Divine Interference? Would you say that? Joan Osbourne wonders in her song, “If God was one of us”…I wonder, if God was the DJ today?

And that develops character!!!

2008-01-28T16:38:00.000+05:30

Australian Open 2008 – Two 20 year olds won the men’s and women’s championship finals. Maria Sharapova triumphed over her 3 months younger opponent Ana Ivanovic in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 to clinch her 3rd Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic (20 yrs) defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (22 yrs) after losing the first set (the only set he lost in the entire tournament).

Post match ceremony, Novak – the favorite to win, 3rd seed against the unseeded Frenchman, wins over the crowd with the statement – “I know the crowd wanted him to win more. But it's all right, I still love you guys, don't worry.” The crowd cheers him on as he steps off the podium and poses for photographs with Tsonga.

20 year olds participating in championships and winning it!!! Makes me wonder, if I can ever attain that much in my entire life. These young men and women have probably given up their childhood and focused on their dreams, which would make them icons in this world. They would have been through so much as kids. And not only them, but their parents as well. But now they are living their dreams. They have attained so much maturity and character with their journey…and I believe that’s what has made them champions. To quote from the Maria Sharapova’s blog:

“I know it’s as tough for my fans to handle my losses as it is for me,” she writes. “But let me point something out. I didn’t leave my mom at the age of seven for nothing. I didn’t spend six hours a day practicing in the Florida sun at the age of nine for nothing... I didn’t sleep in little cots for three years, eating oatmeal out of a packet while playing in the middle of nowhere for nothing. All this has helped me build character and there’s no better asset than being able to stand up for yourself.”

Cut to the same country, hosting the Border-Gavasker Trophy, with the Aussies and the Indians sweating it out on the field with not only their cricket talent but also their tongues. Suddenly, cricket doesn’t feel like a gentleman’s game anymore. These players ranging from 19 years to 37 years have left no stone unturned to express their desire to win over each other…but at any cost, even at the cost of the game. Maybe not all of them, but definitely some of the 30+ year olds can take a leaf out of the young Aus Open stars to analyze their own approach to the game.

Is it easier for sports people who play on their own rather than teams to excel in their chosen areas of sports? Does the group mentality affect a sportsperson more than an unsatisfied hunger for individual glory? Or is it just that lone players have developed more character because they have sweated it out by themselves in their triumphs and defeats?

If you look at footballers, they never seem to grow up. The only thing they know is to do their stuff on the field and then have a wild time with the opposite sex soon after the game. If they're not in the newspapers for their on-the-field antics, they'll definitely be there for their exploits off the field with the WAGs. But then, they also have given their best to the game, and no one can blame them for what they deserve.

Come to think of it, tennis has it’s own bad boys – John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic et all. And cricket has it’s gentlemen like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Andy Flower & Stephen Fleming. And all of them had one thing in common – the desire to win against all odds.

In the end, every sport is different & has it's own challenges. And, I guess, you need to have it in you to develop enough character to be competitive in them...to face and overcome those challenges...to excel. It’s just that these sports put you in different stages in your life and instills in you the need to stay afloat when every situation might endeavor to pull you down.

And that develops character!!!

And they lived happily ever after?

2008-01-19T18:51:00.000+05:30

The other day, I was talking to a friend. She was complaining about her relationship - the difficulties of a long distance relationship, the misunderstandings and the ever increasing gaps in expectations and achievements. I just listeneedd to it all without really venturing with any opinion or advice. Not that she needed advice - over the years, I have understood that when women talk, they generally don't look forward to advice; it's enough for most of them to have someone to listen to it all. It's very easy to be friends, but once you cross that line and go the next step, most people would agree that suddenly the equations change. The same people who were so much fun as friends, suddenly become responsibilities - never easy to please, always ready to pick on your shortcomings & sometimes extremely difficult to understand. Maybe, I'm only giving the darker side; sometimes it turns out beautiful as well, with easier communication and understanding. And thats how it should turn out, since it's the same person - the friend who understood you so well, that you chose to spend your life with him/her.

But then, most of the times once you start sharing your life with a person, you start having extremely huge expectations from the person. During your friendship - the issues you used to laugh at and erase from your mind, suddenly the very same issues turn out to be the basic reasons, you start getting angry. You forget that, you were able to have a great frienship with the person, just because you never had hang-ups or problems with your partner's way of life - you might have actually adored them and fallen in love with them.

Once you start thinking that your partner should adopt the way of life you choose, it turns ugly, since two people might have completely different outlooks towards life - and even the outlook might keep changing over the years. Most people believe that their partner should always treat them as special, but is it necessary? Why is it necessary? Weren't the days of friendship when you were not treated so "specially", much better? And then there are others who insist that their partner shouldn't have a separate life other than the one with them. Why? Isn't it better that both people have their own life and share those moments with each other, rather than completely fuse their life together - alwasy doing the same things together.

Maybe it's fun for some, but would definitely take away the independence of others.

It would be so much happier for both the members in a relationship to accept the other person's view and if not in agreement, just mention it, rather than having expected something and having your expectationos blown off. But I guess, these things will never change and there will always be complaints about partners. Guess thats how life stays interesting to people.

Over n Over again!!!

2008-01-09T14:47:00.001+05:30

At this very moment in time, I’m listening to Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen – for the third time in repeat mode. I have this habit of listening to a particular song over and over again, for days. Once, I listened to Boulevard of Broken Dream, in repeat mode, for 5 days continuously, pausing briefly when I slept. The guy in the neighboring room got so frustrated that he threatened to take away my speakers. My senior who used to stay in the room just above mine, had commented once that he loved the songs which I used to play in repeat mode. I bet he did; he took my entire music collection to burn into cds when he left.

People do consider this habit of mine irritating, not that it matters much (other than someone threatening bodily or monetary harm). Everyone has habits which irritates others; guess this can count as one of the irritating habits of mine, among others.

My celebrity look-alikes

2007-12-24T15:48:00.000+05:30

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Brothers for Life!!!

2007-12-24T15:22:00.000+05:30

Recently I had been to a few friend's wedding in small town Northern India. One particular wedding was in Saharanpur - one of my closest friends from my engg. days. Quite a few of my college gang were there...some with their spouses. It was just like going back to those old days - days where we used to while-around the entire day without a care in the world, when sitting with each other and talking about anything under the sun, getting drunk every day of the week or playing cricket, TT (or pretending to play Basketball, tennis etc.) was like having the best time of your life...but only because we were all together.
I remember, immediately after we had finished college and each of us were at home - my then girlfriend had asked me whether I missed her or not. With utmost sinceretyI had told her, "not as much as I miss my gang". Ramifications of that was a few days of consoling and cajolling here, but my response was a fact - a hard fact for her. I had never missed anyone as much as I missed my friends then.
I have come through a lot of years and have made a lot of very good friends...but anyone who has stayed in an engg. college hostel for four years will vouch for me when I say that those days of friendship was something else. Those friends were, and still are, not just friends - but brothers. Brothers for life.

A Dream Uncommon

2007-11-13T20:39:00.000+05:30

Been a while since I've posted anything...

This one's a dream I had a few days back - one strange dream, one interesting dream...

Now everything that I tell you, will sound completely absurd…but then, it’s a dream not a news channel (though absurdity in a news channel is not unheard of) J

I dreamt of a beautiful woman with whom I was having an extremely engaging conversation – the essentials of which I do not remember now, but I can definitely tell you that in my dream, it seemed I was having a really nice time. Unfortunately, this beautiful woman was somehow related to me; actually her husband was related to me – could be my cousin or an uncle. So, she was basically off-limits for me!!!

But as fate would have it, I got really close to this lady and though I don’t remember now, I guess she also didn’t seem to resist. Result was – we got involved (though my dream didn’t have the gory details of any physical intimacy – how I wish it would have – I believe both of us landed in a soup). Now since the husband was a close relative, I shared a nice friendship with him and I remember, I was taking a walk in the garden with him. He seemed nice and I believe we were having a nice chat (I can actually remember his smiling face now). Now, again my memory fades out and I can’t remember exactly what happened, but somehow the husband gets killed…

I believe I didn’t have anything to do with it, but I was definitely with him when he was dying. And that somehow put me in a sense of guilt. The dream moves to an advanced phase of time and there’s an investigation which is happening. And guess what? The investigator turns out to be my sister. The sense of guilt really put me in a spot and I’m sure I would have been perspiring in my bed last night, as there definitely was a lot of tension in my mind. Again, the dream goes hazy and somewhere there seems to be a locker in which there’s a set of snaps of me and the beautiful woman. Though I didn’t get to see those snaps, I remember I didn’t want anyone else to find out about those snaps. Incidentally, I had the key to that locker and in due course of time, my sister – the investigator, asks me for those set of keys. Even with all my attempts at getting rid of those snaps, they land in my sister’s hands. Now, I remember, I was worried sick that she’ll deduce what was going on and find out about my relationship with the woman – my aunt or cousin’s wife (still can’t remember). And though I was ok with my sister knowing about it, I was horribly uncomfortable with my parent’s getting to know if it – was kind of ashamed of it…

All I remember now is that she went through the snaps… she didn’t let my parent’s know about it at all, but had some kind of conversation with me – the essentials of which, again, I don’t remember. In the final chapter of my dream – I see myself with that beautiful woman – not sure if we were still having the same feelings, but we were definitely together….and though I can vouch that she was amazing, I can’t seem to remember her face at all.

Not sure what it means, but was a strange dream – adultery, murder, fear and shame. Definitely, one of a kind.

2007-06-29T18:36:00.000+05:30

Am not doing much with my life right now...just watching FRIENDS, reading a bit, listening to music & spending a major bit of my time working for my company...

Is it good???

Well i don't feel bad. But...

When I came to B'lore i had a lot of plans - trekking, going on trips to nearby places, sports, photography...

Now it's only movies, music, books & WORK!!!

Come to think of it, i don't remember if I have made any new friend other than office colleagues...

Beautiful Weather in Bangalore

2007-06-22T15:03:00.000+05:30

Lovely weather...would love to get my bike out, switch off my cell-phone and hit the road...long ride in this drizzle...

Also need to check out Haruki Murakami's novels - Kafka on the Shore & AFter Dark...

Movies, Books, Food...thats my weekend

2007-06-18T12:07:00.000+05:30

Watched Fantastic Four this weekend at the theatre. Nothing extra-ordinary, but general "saving the world" stuff, but again fun. Jessica Alba wasn't here best though; she looks hotter with her natural hair color. Blonde, defintely isn't her. Movie was fun coz of the action, adventure - Marvel Comics special.

Also watched Chariots of Fire and Notes on a Scandal. Chariots of Fire - a movie about the passion for a sport was brilliant. Even at this stage of cinematic existence, this movie can stand out with it's clarity of depiction of the characters. Though non of the actors are a household name, their potrayal of the characters were a gem. Music is amazing - can listen to the title track any time, any place.
Notes on a Scandal - now this belongs to the genre of which there is but no genre. A spiteful old lonely lady, a school teacher who gets a bit more of what she bargainedd for with an affair running loose, and the ever jealous pangs with a tinge of revenge...made for awesome viewing. Defintely a must-watch for those who like their movies racy and innovative. Cate Blanchet, with her beautiful brit accent and the drop-dead looks turns out a fab performance, while Judi Dench is at her usual best.
Almost finished with Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Dreams - must say she is one fine writer. Her stories don't have the usual ending of good triumphing over evil or the happily ever after nor any sad climax for a ramping up storyline. The stories start and end at the same note; it's just the way it's written that makes for interesting reading.
Didn't try out any new restaurants this weekend.

Weekend went off quite fast; nowadays even weekdays just zip by. No more of waiting for the weekend. Don't know why, but before you know the weekend seems to be at your doorstep. Guess this is what happens, when you start liking what you do.

One whirlwind week...

2007-06-05T15:23:00.000+05:30

Had an eventful last week with some good movies, interesting books & articles and a bit of shopping thrown in.
Tried watching Cheeni Kum twice but for the availability of tickets; finally watched it on Thursday night. Me & BM took the last 2 tickets available for the night show and sat in completely different rows – thus making it a lonesome movie viewing. Some moron was sitting by my side with tickets for 3 seats, so he can have the seats on both sides of him free. My guess is some horribly lonely guy, with extra bit of cash.
Anyway, movie was cool – loved the character of Tabu, actually makes you fall in love with her. Tabu might actually be the best actress in the industry now; too bad she doesn’t act in more movies. The scene where she makes Big B run the entire stretch of the field, twice, just to see if he has enough stamina to do more than just touch her hand, was brilliant.
POTC – watched it on Sunday – was quite pale by comparison. Even Shootout at Lokhandwala had nothing much to offer except some gruesome scenes and loads of bullets.
Watched Fast Food Nation, Reality Bites & Honeymoon Travels on the laptop. Decent movies.

Bought the entire 2 seasons of Yes, Prime Minister. Yet to watch it. Also bought new pair of denims; used it the very next day. Bought The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank; on the list of books to read. Tried out The Village for lunch – good food, nice ambience & lovely music.

The best of this week was the Aerosmith show @ Palace Grounds – awesome performance, though it could have been longer. The band came on stage more than an hour late and stayed for less than 2 hours. I guess Mr. Tyler might have been too stoned to actually remember that he promised 2 more songs, at the very end, but sang only 1. But overall – fabulous performance.
Must remember that next time any band comes to town, I should opt for the higher priced tickets.

Field of Dreams

2007-05-21T14:13:00.000+05:30

Watched Field of Dreams tonight. Couldn't have been a better end to this Sunday. A movie which I had copied onto my laptop & hadn't ever bothered why or even to check if it's recommended by anyone...

Guess I was destined to watch it...and watch it I did!!!

You watch so many movies, but so few actually touch you...somewhere in the posts below, I have mentioned about Good Will Hunting...this one was of the same sort...

After having watched so many movies on sports, father-son relationships, stories of passion, magical tales...I watched this one y'day...this one had everything and more...

I don't know if everyone would like the movie as much as I did...but I believe everyone should watch it once...

One of the reviews of this movie says & I quote - " If you watch this movie without crying even once, then I don't believe you"

I watched it....it brought a smile to my face :-)

"Quotable Quotes"

2007-05-15T14:23:00.000+05:30

Some brilliant quotes...

"It's not who you are underneath, but what you do, that defines you" - Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes character) in Batman Begins

"Your capabilities are not what show who you are, it's your choices" - Prof. Dumbledore, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

"That's the beauty of an argument. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong" - Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart character) in Thank you for Smoking

"I'm his father. You're the guy fucking his mom." - Nick Naylor, (Aaron Eckhart character) while having a conversation with his son's stepfather in Thank you for Smoking

All I want is Everything!!!

2007-05-14T14:05:00.000+05:30

And as I listen to the song - "Baatein Kuch Ankahi si..." from the movie - Life in a Metro, I sit down to pen my thoughts...

Watched the movie today - a movie which is a far better endeavor at modern cinema than the likes of those movies which boasts of the big stars of Bollywood. This one had a host of actors along with the ageing Dharmendra and still so beatiful Nafisa Ali...each of the characters were sketched beautifully, keeping in mind the life we live in in these times.

The story which comprised so many instances of different lives - had all the present day ingredients of the new age mind - ambition, desperation, infidelity, sympathy, loneliness, sex and friendship. The characters were just the aliases to showcase the hunger of the people living in a metro - hunger for success, companionship, sex and so many other emotions.

As one of the characters says - "You run after something which you don't possess with so much passion that you never realize, when you spoil, what you have already". A statement which is not only a fact of these times but has been passed down from generations unknown....

I would say that's what life is...the rat race - (and not a morning walk as quoted in the movie)...you try to achieve whatever you can in your life-so-short...you take a gamble to win more and more...and if this means losing everything is an option - then so be it.

There are people who do take a morning walk of life...and if you look from a higher platform in life, you find that these people are the happiest. They love what they have and that gives them contentment in life...

It takes courage and much more strentgh to live like that...to find happiness in the smaller things in life and forego the desire for riches...

I wonder, if I can ever live like that...but till then, I'll be running the race...
All I want...is everything!!!

Donkey on the Road

2007-05-04T12:42:00.000+05:30

Saw a donkey on the road today. Well I think it was a donkey...not sure how you can distinguish between a donkey, an ass and a mule...I mean I know the difference between these three animals, but physically if you see them, how do you know which one is it?

Anyway, this donkey (we'll keep it as a donkey, could have been a mule or an ass as well, but hey what the heck...) on the road seemed really unhappy...come to think of it, donkeys always seem unhappy...never seem happy about anything, unless it's the donkey from Shrek. Now I guess you can't be unhappy when you have the voice of Eddie Murphy...quite difficult to imagine Eddie Murphy voicing a sad creature. Maybe thats why donkeys are unhappy - they don't like the way they sound. Or could it be that they don't like being considered stupid. Now thats what they are known for - their claim to fame. But hey, they didn't have a say in it.Guess they are not too happy about it. Sure, who would want to be identified with "Stupid"???
Now even dodos are supposed to be stupid, but they look quite happy. They look more like blissfully ignorant...donkeys on the other hand look condemned to be unhappy. Maybe during the dodos time stupidity was nothing to feel sad about, maybe they loved their claim to fame - dumb and extinct. They didn't have any one to be compared with, but donkeys do. They have a similar looking cousin - the horse. Now if you're compared to the horse and looked down upon, its got to be bad for the donkey. Think about it - your cousin is THE HORSE & you are the donkey. Horses & mares are like the king & queen of the prom. I'm sure the donkeys never forgave God for making them "ohh-so-similar" to the horses, but not quite so.

In any case, this donkey seemed really sad and lonely - must have been beaten up by it's master. Or maybe had a crush on the wrong look-alike - a mare & got snubbed.

Mid week break...

2007-05-02T13:03:00.000+05:30

Nice break in the middle of the week...or nearly middle...feels great to enjoy a day off other than a weekend. Somehow a weekend goes off just trying to enjoy the best of it while it lasts...and after trying hard to enjoy it, it doesn't feel that satisfying. But this break was different...just relaxing at home, knowing very well that you don't need to do anything...just relax...

Watched JFK - one hell of a movie. Never seen a better one of Kevin Costner. The characters were brilliantly sketched and the narration taut. Think I should read up more on JFK's assassination conspiracy...
The Ant Bully in the night was good to end the day with...feel good movie from WB. Usual animation stuff...

Dinner @ The Dhaba was good...should visit that place more often...quite a good variety...though the quantity can definitely improve.

Hectic week, Lazy weekend

2007-04-23T17:26:00.000+05:30

Week was too hectic; weekend was simply a lazy one. Finished Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome this weekend. This was my first Amitav Ghosh novel; book was decent, but since I had got some very good reviews, I found the book below expectations. I guess it could have been written in a slightly simple manner. The ghost sequence was cleverly presented, though.
Watched 3 movies over the week – Bheja Fry was good. Saw it on a weekday in the theatre, so had less of a crowd to combat. Movie was a good stress-buster after a hectic and harrowing time in office.
Watched The Maltese Falcon – featuring Humphrey Bogart. Had never seen a Humphrey Bogart movie before. Movie was decent – it’s considered among the all time top ten thriller/mystery movies. Humphrey Bogart as Private Eye Sam Spade was brilliant. The character was simply magnificent and HB did an astounding job playing it.
Saturday didn’t go that well – Meet the Robinsons in the evening was pretty ordinary – not withstanding all the great reviews for it. And dinner @ Rail Road was BAD. Appetite went for a toss after a dead insect surfaced in the fried rice; didn’t do too well for my feedback to the restaurant.
A lazy Sunday with some bits of roaming around in the locality brought up the end to the weekend.

Good Will Hunting

2007-04-17T21:48:00.000+05:30

Good Will Hunting - a movie with Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver.
If I'm not wrong, this movie wwas the first & maybe the only script written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Both of them went on to be quite good crowd-pullers for umpteen movies; pity, no other script (as good) came from them.

A movie about friendship, love and respect. An absolute must-see...

...if you ever have had friends whom you cared for so much, that you meet them with a smile on your face & a hug and give 2 hoots to the fellows across the street who might be wondering if the show of affection borders on something more than "youknowwhat"...if you never keep in touch with those friends but when you meet them on a side street years later, it feels like there never has been a gap in your friendship...if you remember your college days as if it happened the week before...friends whom you can never forget your entire life.....

...if you ever have had loved a girl so much that you don't think twice of removing your armour and admitting unabashedly for the moment of weakness which encapsulates you when you meet her...the joy which comes across when you catch a glimpse of her....the satisfaction which the day brings for a few moments with her....

...if you have ever respected someone so much that you could bring yourself to admit that if you hadn't met that one person, your life wouldn't have been the same....

Dreamer - A feel good movie

2007-04-06T03:48:00.000+05:30

Watched a feel-good movie - Dreamer...had Kurt Russell, Elisabeth Shue, Dakota Fanning & Sacrifice - a filly...one of those inspirational movies where the protagonist fights against all odds and comes out winning at the end. Everything goes wrong on the way, but the good guys keep faith and support the hero/heroine (horse in this case). The horse's name in this movie is Sonador - Spanish for Dreamer.

You watch the entire movie knowing very well that everything is going to be alright at the end...and you end up feeling good about that. Sometimes such movies can be a load of crap, but there are times when the same movies with the same kind of stories come up good...not extraordinary, but good.

What's the World coming to...

2007-04-05T19:37:00.000+05:30

A teacher leaves the classroom for a few minutes and when she returns she finds 4 children having "sex"...and no these are not "high hormoned" high schoolers...these are 5th graders...10 year olds!!!

That's news.

Guess, that would be enough for some to say,"What's the world coming to nowadays?"

TV is Boring!!!

2007-04-05T03:35:00.000+05:30

There's nothing good on tv....TV is so boring....you know it's boring when the only program you can even think of watching is Fit TV - where some fabulous looking bodies teach you different sets of work-out routines....

God, TV is boring...

A model case...

2007-03-27T16:30:00.000+05:30

Read about the forum for discussion on Manjunath’s murder decision. Some say that this is a case to be considered as a model case for future such incidents. The judge acted with utmost urgency and was instrumental in dealing with at a per day basis which resulted in a fast conviction. Some people say that this was possible due to the fact that the person convicted didn’t have much political clout and hence wasn’t able to influence the decision; even witnesses didn’t turn hostile, but that is besides the point. It’s a successful case. A huge campaign was taken forward on the Internet with IIM grads & Manjunath’s friends being the driver. Now even politicians are asking for a whistleblower protection policy.

Quite a huge brouhaha over the issue. And rightly so.

I believe if these cases are made model cases and taken up in the media to showcase justice, we’ll have more of such atrocities addressed and punished by the law. More than half the crimes committed never see the light of the day since victim or those close to the victims are not convinced of the system of justice in this country. But it’s high time people stand up and fight for their causes, no matter what the possibilities of success. If people continue to fight, they will eventually get support – from the media, from the law and finally get justice.

As someone rightly said – It’s still a great place to live in. There are more good people than bad ones. That is why life still goes on.

Material Possesions - Some of my favorites

2007-03-26T17:53:00.000+05:30

They say material possessions are not that important; once you die, you’ll anyway leave them behind. Can’t take them along with you to whatever world you travel to….
But that doesn’t mean material possessions are so unimportant; true they don’t affect your existence once you forfeit the living world, but then they can enhance your being in this mortal self.

Some of my possessions which I treasure for this life would be…

A collection of Calvin n Hobbes: Presented to me by my sis and bro-in-law, this was one of my best surprise gifts. One afternoon, as I got ready to leave for office the doorbell rang and I opened the door to a courier guy. Not expecting any courier, I thought it must be a mistake and started interrogating the delivery guy. As he thrust some documents and a pen to sign up, I saw my name and was quite amazed to see a receipt along with it. The price quoted was quite high and the first thought which came to my mind was, “Someone has used my credit card for this purchase…”…but soon reason gave way to conjectures and I saw that I haven’t paid anything yet. The delivery guy took leave after giving me a big box & a receipt which had “Calvin & Hobbes” written on it. With absolutely no idea about the entire thing, I opened the box & then the card fell down. It was card from my Bro-in-law and sis congratulating me for a minor achievement & recalling a one-time conversation where I had expressed my love for the comic strip and a longing for the same. As I said this was my best surprise ever!!!

Straight from the Gut – A biography on Jack Welch which describes his initial years and takes us through his life till he retired as the CEO of General Electric. The book gives a vivid account of his decisions in his personal and professional life as he enthralls with his brilliant ideas and some of the famous mistakes. I would like to presume that this book gave me the initial direction for my career and instilled me a belief that, “I might not have the technical know-how for a lot of things, but I can definitely manage the worst of situations”.

A timepiece which can be stuck to the belt given to me by Dad; this timepiece needs fresh batteries as well as a generous coating of glue to repair the belt loop for it. Nevertheless, this has a special attraction to it just because it was given to me by Dad.

The Art of War – Edited by James Clavell from an original version of Sun Tzu this book gives an idea on how to combat life itself. Though the setting taken in this book is war in the medieval period, the same advice can be taken for everyday situations in your personal as well as professional life.

A small book of FRIENDS, I had picked it up in a sale while roaming around. Bought it for Rs.50 and loved it immediately. It’s a brief collection of some of the infamous quotes from the TV series as well as the pics and is significant in the way it can improve your mood when you got through the quotes. The best thing is it’s so small that you can carry it anywhere in your pocket.

A small statuette of Jagannath, Balavadra and Subhadra. Don’t know why, but I like this and keep it with me wherever I stay. Not that I’m that religious; I probably haven’t seen it for months, but I just keep it in my house. My only connection with religion, I guess.

Steve Waugh’s autobiography – Out of my comfort zone. A recent addition to my list of books, this one was gifted to me by my brother. A brilliant book which brings out the struggle, resolve and determination of a cricketer who has written his own career destined to be crowned in the history of cricket – this one is a personal favorite, as I have grown worshipping the cricketing acumen of this man. I have loved the way he played his game - the sledging, the death overs bowling, the characteristic grit of his batting, comes through so clearly in this book. Determination personified – Steve Waugh shows strength of character as he knows that he’s no gifted player as his brother, but has built his career through sheer hardwork and grit. The book is a clear reflection of this personality.

What I can afford but not have now...

2007-03-12T14:48:00.000+05:30

News from Saturday: A beggar left Rs 1 lakh to a nearby mosque after his death. Seems after his death, his neighbors collected money from the locality for carrying out his final rites. Afterwards, when they entered his house to clear his stuff, they found this amount of money in notes and coins….and a will bequeathing it to the local mosque.

Isn’t it great?

And I don’t have enough money to buy a house or car or even the entire collection of FRIENDS on DVD. Come to think of it I can’t even afford to buy the entire set of Asterix comics. Or maybe I can afford it, but I don’t want to spend on it right now. Now what else would I like to have & can afford but not ready to spend on it right away. Let’s see…there’s an i-Pod nano, BOSE speakers, DVD player... & a horde of other things….

Had lunch at The Nagarjuna Residency this Sunday afternoon. Vegetarian Andhra thali. Kind of strange for a stringent non-vegetarian like me…but I guess I need to give a break to my chicken diet every now and then. Food was good….the rice with ghee would definitely not be a great idea for my waistline and the chillies and gongura pickles have a tendency to cry foul the next morning….but what the heck…
Afterwards, Hot Chocolate Fudge (magnum) at Corner House was great. So much for the work-outs.

Ended the day by watching The Prestige – a brilliant movie with Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine. Yah...Scarlett Johansson was also there in the movie. Liked Christian Bale a lot in this one ....amazing actor. And Michael Caine is anyway above all the praise and tributes.

And the week ends...

2007-03-10T13:47:00.000+05:30

Satisfying day today...the 2nd day of the Client meeting went very well...I guess I can say that both the teams played to potential...both had a very good discussion on some of the important concerns/issues which can be expected in the next few months to come....I was especially happy to be a part of the meeting since I got a first hand experience of "reluctance to accept change..." I guess Americas and Europe are now familiar with the wave of outsourcing; it's Asia where the mindsets need to change now...the way some of the countries were throwing up their concerns highlighted the significance of how India needs to ensure that the next phase of outsourcing hit the Asian nations the same way it did for Americas and Europe. Problems are going to be plenty - language, culture, reluctance to change....but then these are not going to be new....it was fought then, it'll be fought now...and won over.

Came back home by 1700hrs...didn't have much to do after meeting was over...spent some "quality time" with myself...must say I kind of love my own company :-)Slight feeling of guilt with all that unnecessary shopping...but that's ok. It's not that I spend money on clothes often...

Now after having watched one episode of LOST and finished listening to some melodious tunes of yesteryears...I guess i'll finish the blog here & start getting ready for Friday night movie...they have a new name for Friday Night Fever now - Frinitis...read about it in today's paper....wonder if they will do the same for Friday Night Movie.

Watched Corpse Bride - decent. Not getting tickets for Apocalypto for the weekend, guess I'll watch it next weekend then...

End of the week...

2007-03-08T11:47:00.000+05:30

Two days of client visit....bah!!!

yup, my Thursday & Friday are going to be with the client delegation - around 16 people from across the globe.not that I really like working in office, but 2 days roaming around the campus and sitting in long discussions is a pain...

But thankfully you get good food during that time....hopefully this time as well. :-)

Warm-up matches on tv are not too bad....but somehow I feel the regular teams are not putting up a serious fight for these...kind of keeping their strength for the actual World Cup matches.

With NZ getting beaten by Bangladesh and SA in serious trouble with Ireland...Wonder what Aus Vs Eng will result in???

And Ganguly should have done a better job of the Dutch bowlers...same for Sehwag. If Sehwag doesn't show form with these opponents, dont think even Dravid can save him. Didn't get to see Sachin's or Dravid's half centuries....

Apocalypto's releasing this weekend. Have read about it in Wikipedia and seen the trailer...hope it's as good as it seems. Trailer's racy like all other trailers....but the storylineseems a real thriller.

Some people think they are allowed to say or do anything in the name of friendship...hellooo..you might be a close friend...but you needto respect the space between...and then they think they are doing a favour by sulking....well all of us have met these people ;-)

And before I publish this, Thursday's already here....Client's here I come...

A One day trip to Chennai

2007-01-10T13:24:00.000+05:30

5th Jan - 2300hrs: boarded the bus to Chennai. Thankfully the bus was a very good one - must say one of the better ones doing city-city travel in the country. Only hitch - they didn't provide water...wonder how come a Volvo doesn't cater to the thrist of it's travellers...(must complain to RNE)...
anyway, reached my destination at 5am and after a slight haggling with the auto-wallahs, managed to go over to my friends place...

Thereafter - fun-unlimited as I didnt rest till I reached b'lore on 7th Jan dawn. Had lunch at Tangerine, went to Spencer Plaza, the beach and City Centre before I boarded the bus back to B'lore.

Had bajjis in the beach - didn't go too well with my stomach. But the complaints were registered only the next day :-)

End of Vacation...

2006-12-26T00:53:00.000+05:30

And today is the end of my 9 day vacation...tomorrow as I reach office, my work waits from me in the form of an innocuous e-mail...

Didnt do a lot of things in this vacation, but still these 9 days were quite satisfactory...watched a lot of movies, met up with some old friends, attended my school pal's wedding, didn't read much but that's ok-will be reading once I reach home away from home tomorrow...

Among the movies - S.O.A.P was horrible, and some war movies were nothing to write home about....but few movies like Shining Through with Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith & Liam Neeson were good. Same for Firewall...nothing extra-ordinary but entertaining.

Should have clicked more pics; didn't click enough.

Anyway, tomorrow- the ordeal starts...

On my way to Chennai

2006-11-29T22:36:00.000+05:30

On my way to Chennai now...train leaves in another hour....

hope i get a good night's sleep....

My VISA interview tomorrow..big day???
Should meet up with friends...don't think I'll go to Chennai in the near future again....
or maybe I will...whatever

Weekend plans are grand - fishing trip to some nearby place....will be good if I manage to finish the arrangements...

2006-11-21T17:09:00.000+05:30

I don't have much work today....actually, I have work, but since the deadline's at a distance, I am not doing any....
I seem to work at a better pace only when the deadline’s nearing…..
Some would say that it’s not the best way to get things done, but somehow it works for me….or maybe has worked for me till now….
I have a meeting in sometime….might get cancelled.

Wonder if I can get tickets for tonights show - Casino Royale

My Bus Journeys

2006-11-18T13:04:00.000+05:30

I wonder why is that I always have to share my bus seat with fat people or ordinary looking people....not that I have anything against fat people or ordinary looking ones, but then why is it that some real good looking person (member of the opposite sex) never shares the bus seat.....

is it something to do with me...do I look real evil? Or psycho?

anyway, I have started going to office by my bike now...

Am in office now :-(

Style: la Hollywood

2006-10-25T08:45:00.000+05:30

Few days back I watched Lucky Number Slevin. Odd name for a movie. You actually wonder if someone has spelt the last word wrong. Especially, when the “L” is written as an inverted “7”. Anyway, brilliant movie. Starred an assortment of actors – Morgan Frreman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu and Josh Hartnett among others. Now the reason for why I am writing about this is for the contrasting style of all these actors.

Of all the leading actors in Hollywood, there are a few who have quite an inimitable style of their own which somehow makes them more appealing than others. If I have to make a list of the top 5 most stylish actors, I would probably list it in this order:

5 – Brad Pitt
4 – Samuel L. Jackson
3 – Al Pacino
2 – Johnny Depp
1 – Bruce Willis

There’s something about Bruce Willis style which really sets him apart from the rest of the gang, though I must note that each of them have mastered the art of entertaining their audience with their individual characteristic nuances.

Working Saturday

2006-10-07T12:26:00.000+05:30

Never knew office boredom will make me start a blog, but then...here it is.

Haven't done much the whole week, with one of the days being declared a holiday coz of a bandh...and the compensatory day for it being today - working on a saturday...

Well you can lead a horse to water, but ....similarily, they can't make me work today.
So my creative instincts flow here.

Watched Enemy at the Gates somedays back (actually watched it while going back home from office...ya, in the bus)...good movie. Liked the three main characters....well etched out.
Watched Bad Company also....just about ok.

Bought Scoop by Kuldip Nayar, yet to start.

Am going home in another one and a half hour (hopefully).