Selfishness

Life makes one realise his/her selfishness in unexpected ways.

We all are selfish, whether we like to believe it or not.

Power

He who knows you the best, has the ability to hurt you the most....

Is there Fate?

Intellect annuls fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free.

...says Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Something to chew upon.

Rakhi and Reality

I absolutely HATE reality shows.

I have NEVER watched even a single episode of the likes of "Indian Idol" and "Big Boss". I do not mind feeling out of place when people around me get into excited discussions about these serials, who should win, who is overrated, who was unfairly dealt with etc.

Basically reality shows is too much of drama for me to swallow.

Seems like things are going to change this time, thanks to Rakhi Sawant.

I cannot wait for this show to start !!!!

The Pursuit of Happiness

Interesting take on happiness.

Following lines in particular caught my eye:
Unhappiness is the natural outcome of fine-tuning one's sensibilities to the awful truths about the world.

Does "Un-tuning" do the trick?

Introducing the apple of your eye...

This is a write-up prepared which a friend of mine prepared on his 2 year old son, when he was sent to his first day care. The idea was to acquaint the day care staff with the kid's habits and preferecnes.

Read on......you will definitely it interesting....(and hilarious if like me, you know the kid personally - :))

Background:

General habits

- Active kid, curious to touch things especially SWITCHES, put things in his mouth (especially BUTTONS - we often make him wear clothes with buttons on back instead of front, at home)
- Loves CAR and AUTO. (But we are careful NOT to give him toys which have PARTS WHICH ARE REMOVABLE-things he can PUT IN HIS MOUTH). Also, phones and remotes.
- Loves ball. Good at throwing, spinning and kicking gently.
- Loves cuddly stuffed toys. But he is not attached to any particular one as such.
- He is not toilet trained. Sometimes announces AFTER THE ACT.
- Day time sleeping approximately is 1 and ½ hr on average. Usually around lunch time. Can get sleepy at 12.30 p.m. Active engagement can keep him awake till lunch is finished most of the times.
- He loves touching soft skin. (BEWARE HE OFTEN DIGS HIS LITTLE HANDS UNDER OTHER’S CLOTHES).
- Affectionate. Very liberal with gestures such as TATA, BYE-BYE and KISSES (incl FLYING KISS) on cue.

Speech
Limited vocabulary-English/Hindi. (List not exhaustive)

Key words:
- Mum-mum: water
- Mama: Mother
- Papa: Father
- Baby: Himself (He does not call himself Arnav, though he responds to it, BUT NOT ALWAYS)
- Dudhu: Milk
- Chu-chu: Urine
- Potty: Bowels
- Hawa: Passing wind (!!).
- Fan: Fan (useful object for distraction)
- Bhu-bhu: Dog

Eating habits
- At home, he always eats on a HIGH CHAIR
- He is exposed to variety of fruits, vegetables and eggs on a daily basis. Eats many of the healthy foods eaten by the rest of family. Comfortable with natural flavourings and sprinkling of mild spices like pepper (and salt) with boiled egg.
- HAS NO STRONG DISLIKES for any food.
- A typical session requires patience. Only a VERY, VERY FIRM REFUSAL ACCOMPANIED BY CRYING AND RESISTANCE THROUGH LIMBS, signals that he does not want to eat for the moment. This could be due to fullness of stomach, disagreeable food or desire for toilet.
- We DO NOT feed UNHEALTHY and PROCESSED FOODS like potato chips, noodles, packaged juices or confectionaries like toffees and chocolates.

Quite well written, isnt it? You might want to save this away for later....:)

All or nothing

...is how certain things in life should be.

Mahatma Gandhi and auction

This , I would say, is patriotic use of money.

Long live Vijay Mallaya :)

Night time milk

Well, I know this is old piece of news (the article is dated 2004).

But I happened to stumble across this only today, while reading up some articles on the net on insomnia (its 1:50 am now :)).

Does anyone know if we get this in India? Would definitely want to see if this helps.....

Et tu Wikipedia??

Saw "Manorama Six Feet Under" over the weekend. My second Abhay Deol movie in two days (Difficult to accept that Abhay Deol is from the same clan as Dharmendra, Sunny, Bobby. Anyway, am happy for whatever happened to Abhay for him to be different from the rest of the bunch !!!)

Anyway, getting back to the point, was mighty impressed with the movie so decided to check out some facts on the movie and especially the director.

Wikipedia threw me this . And when I clikced on the name of the direcor, this is what I got.

Double checked, didn't you? And so did I.

“Be suspicious of anything that works perfectly - it's probably because two errors are canceling each other out”
- Dave Bartley

So watch out from now on :)

101st Post...a new milestone

I have acheived a new milestone in blogging....my last post was the 100th one on my blog.

I started this blog way back in Dec 2005, and frankly, did not expect it to survive this long.

I am happy it did. Once in a while I go back to my earlier posts and really enjoy reading them. At times I wonder what exactly was I thinking of, when I wrote something, while some of my earlier posts leave me happy and even impressed :). Was it really me who wrote all that?

Hope to see more milestones going forward....

Review of "Dev D"

A must watch.

I haven't seen anything like this for a long long time.

The film is a modern adaptation of the famous story Devdas, which has already been made into 9 movies so far.

This one of course is different, the characters are tweaked to fit the modern world, they are pretty bold and of course the story does not end in the same way.

After the movie, I read a little about the director Anurag Kashyap. The wikipedia entry on the director is quite interesting. He seems to have had a life of dreams, consfusions and frustrations before he could make it in as an acclaimed director.

When Anurag Kashyap was in college, he seemed to be heavily into drugs and alcohol. Maybe that explains his wonderful portayal of the "sense of high" his characters feel in his movies. I found it absolutely brilliant !!!

The music in the movie is a wonderful blend of quirky (Emotional Attayachar), hard rock and folk music. Very different and refreshing. Great job here by Amit Trivedi.

Now I am waiting for Kashyap's "Gulaal" and "Bombay Velvet". I can safely say that 2009 will have at least 2 good movies from Bollywood.

Quote

To truly hear you must quiet the mind.
~Unknown~

Optimism

Optimism (rather the concept of it) is misused in its worst form when once does not want to face the truth.

How does one realise that the feeling is actually cowardice?

Happiness

Happiness....everyone has their own unique definition of it.

Learnings

The best learnings in life often come from the worst experiences.

Ironical...isn't it?

Random Hearts

Yesterday, while switching channels on TV, I came across a movie called Random Hearts. When I read the movie info, it reminded me of a book I had read many years back.

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to watch the movie, mainly to confirm if the movie was really the adaptation of the story I remembered.

I did not remember the name of the book, nor the author, but for some reason, I remembered the story very well, and remembered it fondly. Sometimes some things stay in your memory, for reasons which cannot be rationally explained, and this was on of those such things.

It turned out to be the same story after all, the movie was an adaptation of a book by the same name, authored by Warren Adler (I got these details when I googled later).

I was happy to see the movie, especially since I recollected the story pretty clearly, even after so many years later. Of course, the script of the movie had some deviations from the original storyline. The adaptation from paper to reel was still a good one.

I was therefore pretty disappointed to read the reviews of the movie and its ranking on IMDB, a mere 4.8 out of 10 :(. Also, there was no appreciation for Harrison Ford's work in the movie, something I thought was done very well. I have never seen Kristin Scott Thomas in any other movie earlier, so cannot say much about her performance.

Inspite of all the above published facts, I still like the movie and would love to watch it again.

Maybe this was one of the good movies which did not do well in box office....

Maybe I liked the movie because I am a romantic at heart....

Maybe this is one of those things which cannot be explained rationally....

The "Insect Syndrome"

An insect, no matter how hard it tries to improve, does not evolve into a higher animal. Its life continues and ends as an insect.

All of us, at some point in our lives, go through this. We feel limited by our limitations. One reaches a point when the only thing that hinders progress is not attitude and effort, but one's own capability, or rather lack of it.

And there is no worse feeling one can have than than feeling powerless, and feeling like an insect.....

Shots...Bhojpuri ishtyle

And now presenting Bhojpuri Shot Glasses

Truly amazing :))

Invitation

If you are visiting this blog via non-google search, chances are you are one of my friends and are checking for posts on this site.

I have been busy, really busy....and lazy too as always....hence no posts.

I guess am getting more and more into "slow blogging" (that sounds cooler than lazy :))

But I do intend to keep this blog alive. By sharing my experiences and thoughts as well as those of others who are close to me in life, my friends, family etc

I have asked one of my close friends to pen down his experience of Jagriti Yatra, for which he was one of the thought leaders and organisers.

Hope to have that entry here soon.

And other entries from you, on the things you would like to share.

So come forward and use this space to share your thoughts, feelings, opinions...

Looking forward to more posts. Till then Ciao.

Matters of the heart....

Why does the heart yearn for the unattainable?

Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead

This poem, by Alfred Lord Tennyson used to be one of my favorites in school.

It has been really long since I last remembered these lyrics. The 26/11 blasts in Mumbai brought it to the fore.

Home they brought her warrior dead:
  She nor swooned, nor uttered cry:
All her maidens, watching, said,
  'She must weep or she will die.'

Then they praised him, soft and low,
  Called him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe;
  Yet she neither spoke nor moved.

Stole a maiden from her place,
  Lightly to the warrior stept,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
  Yet she neither moved nor wept.

Rose a nurse of ninety years,
  Set his child upon her knee—
Like summer tempest came her tears—
  'Sweet my child, I live for thee.'

- Lord Tennyson

India vs England ODI

Continuing my talk of firsts in my life from my previous post, this was another first for me....the first cricket match which I saw live.

Though not much into cricket, I really enjoyed myself. Inspite of the match being stopped twice due to rains, the energy in the stadium was unbelievable. I whistled and jumped and waved the tricolor.

I also saw Sachin and was quite thrilled about it, since he has always been and will remain one of my favorites.

India played very well and won the match. Needless to say, that made my first live match even more unforgettable.

Here is the last winning ball of the match, which I captured with my camera.

And thus went November.....

The month of November is gone, bringing us a step closer to the end of the year.

November was quite an interesting month for me, in more ways than one. There were several highs, as well as lows, a lot of first time events for me, as well as some unplanned enjoyable activities.

One of the firsts in my life was my very first half marathon, and that too Ultra. Yes, its true !!! I know those who know me personally would find it impossible to believe that I could manage to run a half marathon. I have never been much of a sports person, and have been on the wrong end of the weighing scale for most of my life till now.

I started running at the beginning of 2008. This was one of my New Year resolutions (am glad that the year is about to end, and my resolution is still alive and getting better). As expected, running was tough for me. It needed a lot of practice, discipline and strong will. Practice I did, though not as much as I would have wanted to. Within a month and a half, I enrolled for a quarter marathon in Pondicherry (Auroville was organising a marathon as part of some celebrations). I managed to complete the distance inspite of the scorching heat and not much experience and practice. That kind of boosted my confidence, though the timing was not so good.

I continued to run on and off after that, till a ligament tear while crossing the road put me out of action for a few months (what a shame it is for someone who runs to get a ligament tear while walking !!!). My leg was in cast for a month and the max I could do was limp with great difficulty from one room to another.

Post August, I started running again, now with more seriousness, since the last quarter of the year is the marathon season, when most of the big marathons are held in the country.

I missed the Kaveri Trail Marathon (KTM) due to my trip to US, but did enroll for Bangalore Ultra 2008 , before I left for my trip. For those who don't know, the Ultra marathons are tougher marathons and their philosophy is to push oneself. So while the normal half marathons are 21km, Ultra is 25 km.

I started getting cold feet 3 weeks before the Ultra. I had not practiced much and was afraid of not being able to complete the distance and giving it up midway. I kept telling myself that if I could not run, I should be able to walk the distance (this confidence was due to a recent Himalayan trek where I did uphill walking for upto 14 km a day).

Friends and fellow runners convinced me to give it a try and so I did. I managed to complete the 25 km, and ran much more than I thought I will be able to. I did walk some distances, esp most of the last 6 km, since my right leg gave away (I definitely needed to practice more than I did). I was however determined to finish the marathon, even though it meant putting spray and getting my leg stretched by the meds at every aid station. I finally made a limping finish.

It was tough but it was worth it. I believe what carried me through was simply my will power.

I received a certificate and a medal (my lifetime first for a sports activity). And last but not the least, a real sense of acheivement, and stronger belief in the saying "Nothing is Impossible".

There are 3 more half marathons in the near horizon. I am looking forward to them....

Life...

Life is to be taken lightly, not frivolously.

It's a fine line.

Hope...

Sometimes giving up hope is far more difficult than keeping it alive.

The day ends later...

With the clock back by an hour in the West, things have gotten worse.

Maybe India should adopt DST !!!

Sharing...

Why is sharing feelings considered a sign of weakness?

Does bottling up your feelings make you a stronger person?

Or simply unhappier?

Review of "Fashion"

Let me keep it short and sweet.

It is a ok kind of movie. I would give it 2.5 stars, maybe 3.

It was disappointing, because I had high expectations from a Madhur Bhandarkar movie. It's sad to see that he has failed to make anything even close to "Page 3". He is the Arthur Hailey of Bollywood, as his movies usually centre around an industry and introduces the audience to the inner and ugly details which is not so obvious to the outer world. Unfortunately, "Fashion" had nothing new to offer which we do not know about.

Priyanka is ok, not bad but had not really done any soul stirring scenes. Mugdha Godse is decent too, much better than I had expected. Thankfully, she does not give wooden expressions typical of most models who act for the first time.

The one and only saving grace of the movie is Kangana Ranaut. She rocks. She comes across as a natural in her role, as the show stopper model in the ramp walks in the movie. She shows loads of attitude typical of someone at the top in the modelling world. Also, the way she plays her addiction to drugs and her subsequent downfall in the industry is really admirable. She certainly takes away the cake with her brief but powerful appearances in the movie. Frankly, I never really thought of her much in the past, my perception of her has changed after the movie. With the right kind of non-stereotype roles, I think she can go places.

So if you like Kangana Ranaut, this movie is worth going to. You can give it a miss otherwise.

And with this, my wait for a good Hindi movie continues...

The weekend limbo

This is one of the weekends where I did not have enough to do, or so it seemed, till yesterday.

That meant there was plenty of time to laze around and do nothing important in life. The problem with a weekend like this is that you start feeling guilty about having nothing to do, and try to dig up things have not got done due to lack of time in the past.

I have been thinking about my long weekend to do list since yesterday and trying to decide what to pick up from those.

Today morning while I was still sleeping, I got two calls which even to my sleep drugged mind, brought a sense of relief. A friend called me up for lunch at her place and another one wanted to check with me if I would be game for a movie on Sunday evening. I already had plans to go running on Sunday morning. So just like that, my Sunday was suddenly packed with activities and now looks a little hectic for a Sunday. But I am not complaining, always game for anything fun :))

That also means now I can enjoy a really really lazy Sat without any feeling of guilt :)). Tomorrow is a busy day and I do deserve one day to chill out, don't I?

Let the limbo continue......

The workout challenge

Exercising never comes easy to me...especially after a long break...

Today I went to the gym after a really long time. Got quite a few "where have you been" queries and looks from my dietician and the instructors.

With my best smile, I told them I have been travelling (which is partly true) and promised them that will get regular from tomorrow.

They responded with a smile and "you have said that before" look.

There is always hope for tomorrow....

Feelings post Diwali

If there is something called as "post festival" depression, I have it now :((

This year, for a change, I did not have any plans for Diwali. I had decided to take it easy after my recent over hectic US trip and just chill at home.

As it happened, I got invited by a friend for a card party (teen patti), to which I went reluctantly because he would just not take a no. As it turned out, I not only had a fabulous time at his place but also ended up winning some money, which is a big big acheievement for a bad card player like me.

I think that did the trick and the festive bug finally hit me. Next day, that is Diwali day, I had to goto work. Inspite of several conversations with myself, I just could not make myself do that and finally called up my boss and took the day off. I was just too distracted to work. Once I was over the guilt of bunking office (which did not take much time), I did my bit of Diwali at home, with the usual cleaning, cooking, decorations, pooja etc.

The grand finale was a potluck dinner at another friend's house, where we got together and burst crackers and ate a lot of yummy food. Inspite of the all the cacophony created by the kids, we still managed to have a great time.

All this fun when I had not planned a thing !!!

Moral of the story - It pays to go with the flow and take things as they come :))

Today, after a 4 day weekend and the last 2 days of Diwali high, life seems very empty and meaningless, and the usual routine of life seems even more daunting :((

That is what festivals are for, to bring some welcome change in our otherwise routine lives.

Are we not lucky to be in India ?? :))

Confusion....

Sometimes confusion is better than clarity. It doesn't hurt as much.

Life is not fair, but it can be fabulous

Demanding fairness from the universe is a debilitating waste of effort, says Karen Sentio

Read here

The faster we learn this, the better for us.

Dave Barry on Cosmopolitan

A hilarious Dave Barry classic - take on Cosmopolitan magazine, which a friend of mine mailed me recently. Could's resist putting it here. I used to be a regular Cosmo reader once (for some reason then it seemed very "in" and "upmarket" thing then).

I feel this is the one of the best ways in which the mag can be described....Read on.....

When I'm in the supermarket checkout line, I always look at Cosmopolitan magazine to see if the editors have made any progress in their ongoing effort to figure out men. I'm sure you're familiar with Cosmopolitan ("Fun-Fearless-Female"). It's the one with the cover that always has a picture of a woman who looks as though she has a prestigious and rewarding executive career as a hooker.

Roughly half the articles in Cosmopolitan are devoted to explaining how you, the Cosmo reader, can make yourself look like the cover model. All you have to do is follow the two-step Cosmo Beauty Regimen:
STEP ONE: Using a combination of fun and fearless beauty procedures such as the Eyebrow Yank, the Hot Wax Torture, the Hydrochloric Acid Skin Peel, the Hoover Vacuum Home Spleen Removal, the Cage of Thigh-Eating Wolverines and the Industrial Drain Cleaner Enema, you remove all of the physical elements that make you unattractive, such as your fat, hair, skin, fingerprints and internal organs. At this point, you are essentially a skeleton with eyeballs, or, to put it another way, Ally McBeal.
STEP TWO: You smear your entire self with a complex system of foundations, bases, creams, lotions, gels, powders, moisturizers, conditioners, mousses, sprays, mascaras, eyeliners, lip glosses, enzymes, lacquers, organic papaya-enhanced roofing tars, etc., until you are encased inside an impenetrable layer of beauty products thick enough that there is no way for anybody to tell, without giving you a CAT scan, what you actually look like. You could be a Shetland pony under there.

Once you have achieved this fun and female "look," it's time for you to get started on the other topic that is discussed endlessly in Cosmopolitan: Figuring out what men want. It's a tough one!

Cosmopolitan editors wrestle with it day and night, and they're constantly announcing new breakthroughs. Pick up any issue, and you'll see articles like:
"23 Ways to Drive Him Wild in Bed!"
"127 Ways to Make Him Want to Get Naked Right in the Foyer!"
"387 Ways to Make Him Completely Lose Biological Control of Himself While He Is Still in the Driveway"

Over the decades, Cosmopolitan has printed literally thousands of sure-fire techniques for driving men insane with passion. If these techniques actually worked, by now the entire male population of the United States would have been wiped out by lust, literally exploding into little mushroom clouds of vaporized bodily fluids. But this has not happened, except in the case of President Clinton.

The problem, I think, is that Cosmopolitan is making this issue way more complicated than it actually is. I mean, we're talking about MEN here. You don't need rocket science to drive them wild in bed. All you need to do is to get in there with them Or, leave them alone for a while.

Because men don't need much. Using a complex, sophisticated technique to get a man excited is like preparing a gourmet French meal for a Labrador retriever. So I think Cosmopolitan is trying too hard. In fact, it may be doing women more harm than good. For example, the August issue has a feature titled "What to Say to Make Him Ache for You-Whisper these frisky phrases if you wish to drive him wild."

One of the frisky phrases Cosmopolitan advises you to whisper to men is - really - "We'd better hurry home, because at midnight I turn into a vixen."This frisky phrase might actually alarm the man, especially if he knows that the dictionary defines "vixen" as "an ill-tempered, shrewish woman."Basically, you're telling the man he could suddenly find himself in bed with Lorena Bobbitt.

Another frisky phrase suggested by Cosmopolitan is - get ready -"My bikini waxer went a little overboard." Listen, women: If you actually say those words to a man, he's going to assume you want him to take you to the emergency room.

So my advice to the editors of Cosmopolitan is: Just drop this subject for a while. Trust me: even without technical advice from you, your women readers will have no trouble getting men excited, as long as the men are aware (and believe me, they are) that the women, underneath their clothes, are not wearing clothes.

And consider this: If you Cosmopolitan editors stopped obsessing about men, you could focus your brainpower on the Middle East peace process, health care, Social Security or the federal budget surplus.I bet you could give us some important insights into these issues! Or at least tell us how to drive them wild in bed.

Dave Barry

Washington Post Magazine

Flowers....

Shot by me, using my Canon S3 IS.

The mauve ones are really small flowers which grow in the grass. The out of focus green background helped to accentuate the color of the flowers.

This one is a Marigold in full bloom.

Pretty, aren't they??

Planting trees...

For someone like me, whose hands age on a laptop keyboard in an air-conditioned office, planting trees was a much more different experience than I had thought :
- It's not as glamoruous as it looks (unless you are a Page 3 persona, where you just need to sprinkle some mud in the end and pose for the camera)
- Digging takes a lot more strength than you thought it would.
- There could be earthworms and ants in the mud (you realise their existence only when you see them).

Maybe that's the reason there are few takers for the "afforestation" drives.

Or maybe, we have become too much of city people and disconnected from nature :((

Future....

The future looks clouded....

There is too much of past....

Uncertainity....

Just when you start thinking you have it, its goes away.

And the uncertainity prevails....

Anniversaries

Wish you could never forget the good ones....

and never ever remember the bad ones....

Alas...its only a wish !!!

More....

The more you get...the more you want....

Drive away....

Light shower

Cool breeze

Empty roads

Kishore Kumar songs

Sometimes, getting behind the wheel can be truly enjoyable....even in Bangalore. Like tonight.

Rare but true.

On vegetarianism

"Now I can look at you in peace; I don't eat you anymore."
-- Franz Kafka
(while looking at the fishes in his aquarium)

Blind

Love is blind....and that is the only reason for its existence....

One simple act

Sometimes, one simple act of ours can change the way a person looks at life...forever.

*** and the City

I don't care what the men have to say, but I am dying to see the movie "*** and the City". I used to enjoy the serials too.

So the plan is to go for this chick flick with female friends from college days.

They should also make a all male movie on the same lines, 4 good looking single men staying in Manhattan. My choice of cast would be

- Pierce Brosnan
- Brad Pitt
- George Clooney
- Johnny Depp

Wow !!! What a movie it would be !!!

Moustache vs Women

Q : What's the difference between Moustache and Women?

A : You can stroke your Mush in public :)

- Contributed by "Anonymously C"

"Run"away groom

One of the participants of the Bangalore Sunfeast 10K run, which was held today.

Any takers??

No-thing?

Sometimes, nothing is better than "something".

Isn't it??


P.S - Thanks C, for inspiring the above in me.

Most "undateable" Brit

This sounds seriously sad.

Dunno what he means by
"In all, it was great to meet my ex-girlfriends over the years. It made me realise I've hurt some really nice girls but I think it all worked out OK in the end”

Worked out OK??????

Dead vs Dying

A dead relationship is far better than a dying one.

The dead one spares you the agony of hopes and disappointments.

There was something about May

.......summer holidays
.......afternoon naps
.......long evenings under the starlit sky
.......reading books late into the night
.......cold showers
.......mangoes and mangoes
All this was long ago.

Now, May is just another month....and life goes on

Lance the Runner

Did you do a double take of the title? Wondering if I erred there?

Actually, I haven't. Yes, that's what Lance Armstrong is doing these days...running.

Last week, he ran the Boston marathon and finished in 2:50:58 hours, breaking his own goal of 3 hours.

I am really not into sports (if you have been following my blog, you would know by now). However this impressed me enough to share it with everyone.

Just reminds you its never too late to start anything.

"Pretty Woman"...Trivia and Mistakes

This is definitely one of those evergreen movies, which you can watch again anad again and again.

I caught it on Star Movies yesterday.

If you like the movie as much as I do, these trivia and mistakes during filming the movie would definitely interest you.

Have fun.

The Queen

Queen Victoria.

Shot by me.

Isn't she majestic ?

Facts vs Fiction

I was watching "1942 - A Love Story" today (I picked up this movie a few days back along with a couple of others, from a bookstore a few days back).

If you have seen the movie, you would know that its a love story set in the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle. The plot revolves around the assassination of the atrocious General Douglas, by the freedom fighters. The movie predictably ends with his death.
I have seen this movie earlier and liked it a lot, which is why I decided to have a copy in my movie collection. This time too, I enjoyed the film.

Curiosity got the better of me and I googled on General Douglas and the events surrounding his death. Of course I did not expect the full drama which was portrayed in the movie, to be documented somewhere. I was however hoping for the correctness in the year of his death (1942) and the place (Kasauli). My search got me none of these. The General Douglas shown in the movie actually died in 1964 and definitely not in Kasauli.

This led me to wonder if historical facts, like the year of death of a well-known figure, are allowed to be contorted by movies, under the disclaimer of the movie being a work of fiction.

How much of fact can fiction have?

Kiss therapy

They say a "kiss" has amazing powers. Even if its by fishes :))

Apparently the Chinese do believe in the getting their skin blues kissed away by fishes. Check out the pictures here

Looks very creepy to me !!!

Finally arrested...

Am happy. With the arrest.

Why did this take so long??

Here comes another bubble.....

Check this out on YouTube. Adear friend sent this to me.

Here comes another bubble

News overkill

Some of the news trivia surrounding Dr Haneef's return to Bangalore as seen on one of the news channels on TV

There is an atmosphere of celebration in Dr Haneef's residence.

But of course !!!

Haneef's wife, Firdous Arshiya decked up to meet her husband.

Is this supposed to be of interest to the viewers??

Chicken biriyani has been prepared to welcome his return.

OMG !!! Gimme a break !!!!

Am sure this is not the end of things.....there definitely is more.

News reading has come a long way indeed...from the serious broadcasts of Doordarshan in black and white, to this over colorful and over public nature of events.

Wonder what's next ??
What should be the right balance

Music and more

I just finished watching "Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee" ...... and as always I was moved by the music in the movie.

The songs are beautiful.....penned by lyricists Kaifi Azmi, Qateel Shafai and Zameer Kazmi....directed by Anu Mallik.

Timeless tunes, I would say. The movie went unnoticed but the music was pretty successful when the movie was released in 1993. A classic example of one of those movies who go into history only because of the songs.

I enjoy music....but am not the types who keeps track of who directed the music of my favorite songs. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the songs of this particualr movie was directed by none other than Anu Mallik.

For the kind of songs Anu Mallik is coming up with in the past few years, and for all the "inspiration" he seems to draw from songs all over the world to give music to his own....maybe he does have some talent. Wish he would use his talent more and not just stick with "make what sells" kind of music.

Rajni Can :))

Last Friday...I saw "Sivaji" finally.

I had been planning to see this movie since it was released, out of sheer curiosity, after hearing and reading about the mania around its release.

Three of us went for the movie...one knew Tamil very well, one knew Tamil partly and me...I do not know Tamil at all :)

Fortunately, the story was easy enough to understand and follow, though of course I could not follow the dialogues. There were times I felt that the movie has been made to suit Rajnikant and not the other way round, which probably could be true.

On the whole I found the movie okay......the story that is. I loved the songs..... especially "Sahana...."(downloaded the songs the very next day). I liked the sets and the picturisation of the songs (Shreya looks very pretty).

I did not find Rajnikant very good till he reappears after his death with shaved head and beard (new style....never saw that before). I loved him after that. I think he was much more comfortable with that part of his role than the earlier one. I could finally relate to the mass hysteria surrounding him and his movies.

I have heard he has acted in some really good movies where his true acting talents have been tapped. Hopefully, would get to see some of these movies in future as well !!!

Pottermania

I have strongly come to believe that there will never be dearth of surprises in this world. The mania around "Harry Potter and The Deathly Gallows" is unbelievable.

Potter fans, both young and old, queued up outside book stores since midnight to lay hands on the book

Apparently, the sale of the book has broken all previous records in India.

Frankly I only heard of people queuing up like this for either train reservations or for US visa interviews. This definitely beats everything hands down.

Just wondering.....will I ever line up outside a book store at midnight to buy a book?????

Wah Taj !!!

The entire nation recently celebrated the inclusion of Taj Mahal in the list of new 7 wonders of the world, in a ceremony in Lisbon on the just the right date 07/07/07.

I recently visited Taj Mahal in Feb, as part of a short tour of North India, which I have been promising to write about in my blog for quite some time :).

This was my first visit to the world famous monument.

Yes, I loved the place.

What struck me was the sense of peace which I felt there. It was kind of unexpected, but the serenity of the place was overwhelming, inspite of the milling crowd. Maybe it was because of the white marble. I just did not feel like walking out the place.

Surprisingly, the entrance to this world famous place is very unassuming. You need to pass a series of extremely narrow roads before you reach the gate where the entry tickets are sold. I think I entered through the east gate. Inspite of the fact that these narrow roads were outlined with shops selling souvenirs for tourists, I was still not sure if I had come to the right place. I was unsure even when I entered the gardens shielding Taj by high walls. Then suddenly I entered a huge arched gateway and there it was. I felt a shiver of excitement run through me, for setting my eyes on the Taj Mahal for the first time in my life, and also at the realisation that I had not lost my way :))

Just after passing the arched gateway, lies the "famous bench" where everyone who visits Taj gets their photo clicked with the Taj in the background.

The inner sanctum of the Taj has a foul smell to it. I was surprised because there is ample air flow inside because of the carved marble panels forming the walls. It is difficult to stay inside for a long time. More than that, it is very disappointing. Come on !!! The last thing you want to be greeted with, when you enter Taj Mahal is foul smell !!!! Its time something is done about it, especially with Taj being in the new list, and the new increased tourist activity.

It was evening time and the place was full of tourists. Photography was at the top of everyone's mind. People were trying to capture the monument in various creative ways, e.g, there were many lying prostrate in front of the small water body in the front garden, trying to capture the reflection on water. Others would pass by, first wondering what was going on, and later joining the activity :)

Anyway, I walked around and spent as much time as I could there till darkness set in. I would love to visit this place again and spend more time if possible.

I have been travelling.....

For the past 2 weeks...To Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh, Amritsar.....Saw quite a few places and would love to talk about them...

And as a result of which you will soon see some travelogues up here...

Hopefully, the two week break will help me put an end to my blogging break and put some life back on this page.

Will be back soon !!!

Christmas quote

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
Claustrophobic. :))

~ Unknown

Cheers to longer life !!!

Want to live long? Say cheers !!!!

Its too good to be true, isn't it ?? :)

The time is now....

It is 9:58 and it is now. Tomororw at 3:00 it will be now. On my deathbed it will still be now. Since it will always be now, learning to respond to now is the only thing there is to learn.

- From "Notes to Myself" by Hugh Prather

From "online" to "offline" matchmaking

They say the world is round...and hence everything comes back.

After the initial euphoria of online dating died down, what people mostly experienced was disillusionment and in many cases deceit.

Hence back to the age of matchmakers

A very wise move I would say :)

The "I do" guide

There is solution for everything on the net these days.

So if you are one of those people who don't know how to go about getting married, check out the wedding planner.

People do really think of everything these days !!!

The new Basanti

Yuck !!!

How can they replace Hema Malini with Nisha Kothari???

Yet one more reason not to see the remake !!!

Anyone for fried coke?

Am sure you read the title of this post twice....before reading on...

I did the same when I read about fried coke

Looks really inviting.....I am glad there will be a diet version soon :))

The "Indian" apartheid

Very true.

Being from the North myself, I can very much relate to what the author of this article is trying to say. When it comes to fair skin, people do not have merely a liking or a preference, they have an obsession !!!

How does it really matter at the end of the day?????

Court of law vs Court of Religion

I am speechless !!!

For all its booming economy and its shining new status in the world, incidents like this makes one wonder if all this proclaimed national success means anything at all !!!

Frankly, I have never heard such a whole of bull s**t being pronounced in the name of religion. I refuse to believe that any religion will have such senseless laws. All the senselessness is being injected by the interpretors or the so-called religious leaders who are supposed to be the enlightened ones to keep the religion alive and guide other lesser mortals. More often than not, these religious leaders only contribute in aggravating the exisiting problems rather than sorting things out. Which is a shame !!!!

Does she not have her hands full already to be now even branded as an adultress? Any woman in her right mind will definitely not committ adultery with a 70 year old man !!! Give her a break !!!

And as if all this was not enough, one of our dear Bollywood producer is even planning to make a movie out of this !!!

Can this get any worse??

The Bangalore bus tragedy

The bus accident in Bangalore yesterday was a major one, but I am sure not very surprising for many Bangaloreans like me. The driving skills of the bus drivers in Bangalore is something which is not appreciated by anyone sharing the road space with these buses. You can never be sure when they will decide to change lanes all of a sudden without any indication(as it is, lane discipline is something which Bangalore traffic seems to ignore blissfully). Their stops at the designated bus stops is quite often at an angle of of 45 degrees to the bus stop, causing huge inconvenience to the traffic behind. On narrow roads, these buses, driving in the centre of the road, ensure that no vehicle can pass from either side.

The bus drivers are no less than the rulers of the road(since on the road, your power is decided by the size of the vehicle you own). Do they realise how much inconvenience a bad bus driving can cause, because of the sheer size of the vehicle? Do they realise that a small mistake by them can claim several lives?

Maybe the government should consider printing complaint phone numbers behind each bus, similiar to the cabs. And pay heed to the complaints. Maybe then, there is some hope !!!

Campus recruitment...with a difference

Cannot think of a better example of the booming job market in India.

Amazing initiave by the jail authorities.

And a big applause to the employers!!!

After all, everyone deserved a second chance.

Munnabhai's "Gandhigiri"

In practice in UP.

Case study on the "Rail Man"

Lalu's stint as the Railway Minister has made its way into the business schools case studies to explore the turnaround of Indian Railways.

Looks like Lalu's career as a politician is finally on track !!

Utterly butterly delicious...

What started as "Operation Flood" in two village cooperatives, will now be the world's largest milk brand.

Anand Milk Union Ltd or AMUL as we all know it was started in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board to resolve malpractices by the milk traders and merchants. From 250 litres of milk to 48 lakhs litres of milk per day has been a long journey

"Think big, start small" is what they say !!!

The power of the masses

If you remember, nine of the accused were left scot free in Jessica Lall murder case. The verdict was strongly opposed by the masses and the court was forced to reopen the case under public pressure. For all her socialite status and influential contacts, Bina Ramani has been issued a non-bailable warrant for cheating and forgery and has been sent to Tihar jail on a for 2 weeks, with no special previleges bestowed.

"Today she was admitted to Jail No 6, the women's jail. She is kept in the in the reception ward there. No special arrangement has been made for her accommodation"

This makes you believe that all is not lost in this world. And the voice of the common public does get a hearing, even if not everytime. So next time, do not hesitate to speak up !!!

Is reservation justified?

Using reservations to help undeserving students to get admission in good colleges is only the beginning.

The problems definitely do not end here !!!

Bless the RTI act....the common public is made aware of lots of hidden truths.

India : A "talkative nation"

A definite boon for the mobile companies.

Am sure contributing in a big way :))

Singletons' woes

Roti, kapdaa....but no makaan !!!

The problems bachelors face when finding an accomodation.

Luxury bathrooms

If you have a lot of money and you do not know what to do with it, you can go for some of these ideas for luxury bathrooms.
Not sure if I would do it even if I am rolling in wealth (except maybe the teak bathtub)

- Swarovski studded shower cubicle
- LED tiles
- Teak bathtub
- Flower urinals
- Waterfall sink

Read more here

Islam-inspired swim suit

Very practical I must say !!!

I wonder if these will feature in Vijay Mallaya's next year's swimsuit calendar :))

Change of face

I was surprised when I read this. Rather shocked.

It sounds insane. Will you go for plastic surgery and change your face for a job which gives you 10% more?? Any why is this only applicable to girls, I wonder?

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=inDepthNews&storyID=2006-08-30T130311Z_01_PEK290182_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-SURGERY.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

A celestial change

It's time again to revise the list of 9 planets which we memorised in school. As per the latest guidelines of astronomers, Pluto is no longer a planet, since it does not qualify as one, under the new rules of planet-dom laid out by our astrologers.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1924319.cms

I wonder how soon the text books will get updated to reflect this change. Will we remember to tell out kids that there are only 8 planets and not 9(out of habit)???

I hope we can still rightfully use the term "Plutonian" for weird people we come across :)

Gender ratio

Looks like there is something to hope for (especially in view of my last post)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1919393.cms

Stop this massacre please !!!

What a shame !!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1913180.cms

We refer to our country as "Bharat Maa". We worship innumerable feminine deities. We are proud of being the country of Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Kalpana Chawla. And still, we find wells and ponds full of female foetuses in India !!!

This has to stop !!! More than enforcing rules to prevent this, the government needs to dig into the fact why female foeticide is in existence even today. And kill the root of the problem.

Some of the things which I can think of are :
- Strict enforcement of anti-dowry act, especially in villages. Dowry is one big reason why a girl child is seen as a burden.

- More security for women, so that safe guarding the honor of women folk is not seen as an additional burden to the male members of the family. Women related crimes like rape, sexual harrasment should be dealt to with more severely.

- Providing low cost/free old age homes. The perception of the male child taking care in old age is one big reason why parents look forward to a male heir. If people know the govenment will take care of them in old age, this feeling of not wanting a girl child will eventually subside.

This is a much bigger issue India has today than reservation in colleges, bad roads and hiking oil prices.

Why isn't there a public outcry against the government to stop this?

Let's talk Pink

In the fashion circuit today, they say Pink is the new Black. The color pink has acquired a lot of popularity and acceptance in the recent past, surprisingly even among men !!! "Men in pink" is the happening thing these days. Pink has always been my personal favorite(a very Venus thing I must say) and hence I am happy to see it getting the recognition it deserves :))

Today, I decided to dig more into this color and what it portrays. Here are some interesting facts about the color pink, which I picked up from Wikipedia and some other sites.

- "Pink" was not a color word known to Shakespeare. He used words like "light red" to describe pink.

- The color pink is now associated with womanhood, just like blue is associated with boys and manhood.

- While the west typically refers to adult films as "blue movies", in Japan these films are often called "pink movies".

- In Catholicism, pink symbolizes joy and happiness.

- Pink, along with red, is traditionally used on maps for territory ruled by the British Empire or for members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

- Pink, being a 'watered-down' red, is sometimes used in a derogatory way to describe a watered-down socialist ('Pinko').

- "Paint the Town Pink" a phrase that arose in the 1950s reflecting its influence on fashion and design and the popularity of pastel colours.

- Pink is the color of the Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon. Breast cancer is a leading killer of women, and pink was chosen partially because it is so strongly associated with femininity

- Pink, is also associated with gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, often in the form of a pink triangle. In Britain, Pink News is a leading gay newspaper and online news service. In business, 'the pink pound' or 'pink dollar' refers to the spending power of the GLBT community.

- Similiar to white collar, there is a term Pink collar, which refers to female office worker (sometimes used in a derogatory manner).

Quite interesting, isn't it? Never knew these shades of pink before :))

India and Ghana : Old ties

Continuing on the "Independence Day" note, there is one interesting and less know piece of information I came across some time back.
Not many of us know that the Republic of Ghana, which attained independence in the year 1957, had the roots and inspiration of its freedom struggle in the Indian struggle for freedom.

Ghana, like India, was a British colony. The people of Ghana, though not happy with the British rule, never had a desire to overthrow their rulers out of their country. They beleived that without the Brits, the country will not be able to run itself and will fall apart.

During World War II, soldiers from Ghana were sent to Burma to fight the war on behalf of the British Empire. It was in Burma that these soldiers met soldiers from India and formed a strong bonding with them. The Indian struggle for Independence was then at its peak. After the Nehru and Gandhi back home. The people in Ghana started to realise that for them too, independence from the British rule, was not an impossible dream. Slowly the rebellion against the British rule picked up in Ghana. Ghana, under the leadership of Kwame Nikrumah,finally became an independent nation in 1957.

India should be proud of playing such an inspirational role in the history of several nations independence struggle.

And last but not the least, can you guess where I heard this story? From a cab driver in Pittsbugh(who was a native of Ghana), who dropped me from the airport to the hotel :))

"Jana Gana Mana" : Some facts

- "Jana Gana Mana" means "The Minds of All People"

- Originally written in formal Bengali language by Rabindranath Tagore

- Was set to music by Tagore in Madanapalle, West Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh

- First sung during a convening of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta in December 27, 1911

- A formal rendition of the national anthem takes approximately 52 seconds. A shortened version consisting only the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally.

- Controversy exists regarding the appropriateness of Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem of an independent India. The poem was composed in December 1911, precisely at the time of the Coronation Durbar of George V, and is a paean in praise of "the overlord of India's destiny". The composition was first sung during a convention of the then loyalist Indian National Congress in Calcutta on Dec. 27, 1911 . It was sung on the second day of the convention, and the agenda of that day devoted itself to a loyal welcome of George V on his visit to India.

- In 2005, there were calls for the deletion of the word "Sindh" and to substitute Kashmir in its stead. The argument was that Sindh was no longer a part of India (it became a part of Pakistan after Partition). However , the Supreme Court of India refused to tamper with the national anthem. Opponents of this proposal say that the word "Sindh" refers to the Indus or to the Sindhi culture and people who are an integral part of India's cultural fabric.

Here is the English translation...
"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.

Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha, of the Dravida and the Orissa (Utkalla) and Bengal;

It echoes in the hills of the Vindyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.

They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny.

Victory, victory, victory to thee."

And here is the transliterated text....
"Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka jaya hai,Bharata bhagyavidhata.

Punjaba, Sindh, Gujarata, Maratha,Dravida, Utkala, Banga,

Vindhya, Himachala, Yamuna, Ganga,Uchchala jaladhi taranga

Tava shubha naamey jaagey,Tava shubha aashisha maangey,

Gahe tava jayagatha.

Jana gana mangaladhayaka jaya haiBharat bhagyavidhata.

Jaya hai, Jaya hai, Jaya hai,Jaya jaya jaya jaya hai!"

Happy Independence Day !!!

Quit smoking movement

A lot is tried all the time to persuade smokers to quit smoking. Most of the obvious "not good for health" reasons do not work.

Recently European Union companies have started putting the condition "Smokers need not apply" in their vacancy requirements. This, plus a few other initiatives, have actually reduced the percent of smokers in the European countries !!!!

Read the link below for more...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1866987.cms

Signs...of bad times ahead ???

A couple of weeks back, we heard about Intel slashing 1000 jobs. Yesterday, it was AOL, cutting down their workforce by 5000.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/03/technology/aol_cuts/index.htm

All this brings back the not-so-fond memories of dot com crash couple of years back.

Though India so far has not been affected so far since we are cheap, that might no longer be the case anymore in the near future due to the rising wages here. The IT boom and the resulting high salaries of IT professionals in India is the very thing which migh take away the Indian advantage, of Indians being more cost effective.

Are these a sign of bad times ahead? Not a very comfortable thought I must say ...

All work and no play......

This sounds familiar
.....the ability of not being able to totally get away from work
.....the compulsion of checking mails even when on vacation
....the curiosity to know what is happening at the work place even when you are at home....

Read more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/25/AR2006072500543.html

Do we ever take "real" breaks ??

Cell phones to keep predators at bay

Interesting article.

Girls, you ought to read this.

Guys - does it work??

http://xtraedition.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1801677.cms

How many can you find?

I got this one sometime back. Pretty interesting.....

This picture has names of 100 Hollywood movies hidden in it. We need to use the pictorial clues to find out the movie names?

Wanna try? (Click on the photo to enlarge)

Thanks Karthi for sharing this...

Internet news vs print news

Since most of us these days rely on the internet for news, here is an interesting take by Robert Cringley on how we miss out on a lot of info, bcoz of the growing preference of internet news over print news.
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20060720.html

You can read more about Robert Cringley here :
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/about/

The changing face of Indian Railways

I recently visited the Majestic railway station to see off a friend and was pleasantly surpised to note a few changes at the railway station.

To start with, the parking ticket provided in the car parking area of the railway station was a smart card. Difficult to beleive, isn't it? I had heard of smart cards being provided in the car parking area at Bangalore airport, but never did imagine it at a railway station.

The second thing which took me by surprise was the AC waiting room. You must pay a visit there if possible to actaully beleive your eyes. There were good quality black leather sofas in the AC waiting room for passengers to sit. The place was quite aesthically done up, with one wall sporting a textured finish in bright yellow color. The floor had new gleaming absolutely clean tiles. There was a quite creative tourism map of Karnataka on the wall, not the usual atlas map. Another frame had the lyrics of the famous rail song, sung by and picturised on Ashok Kumarin his youth ("Rail gaadi chuk chuk chuk chuk"). The blinds on the windows were multi-colored, giving the room a bright cheerful look. The pay-and-use bathroom in the waiting area was clean and without any stench. In short, the place was comparable or better than a Business Class waiting lounge in any airport in India.

Maybe I have gone overboard with the description of the place. But the point is it really did take me by surprise!!!

Needless to say, the Railway Minister is doing a great job!!! It is very difficult for people to be able to praise his work because of his past, but he has proved he can be a good at minister when he decides to. He has introduced lots of changes in the way things used to happen, which resulted a decent profit for the railways last year. Some of the changes which helped railways profit are :
- Upgradation to higher class in case of available seats
- Strict checks to ensure genuine VIP bookings(for freedom fighters and senior citizens)

There is still a long way to go...but its good to see that the improvements have slowly started trickling in. However, One thing which needs to be taken care of is the security aspect in the trains, esp after yesterday's blasts in Mumbai.

Bangalore....What is missing ???

Till a couple of years back, Bangalore was supposed to be probably the best city to live in India. Main reasons being its tremendous growth due to IT and its round-the-year amazing weather. Bangalore was touted to be the next Silicon Valley of the world, the next big thing in the face of Indian soil.

Now, it is doubtful. Will Bangalore really be able to acheive the predicted heights?

There are lots of things that need to be worked upon today, to make Bangalore the dream city. I moved to Bangalore in 2002, and I have seen the city change...rather crumble...before my own eyes. The change of governments and the apathy they have shown has not done any good to the place.

I want to use this forum to discuss what all can be done to improve the city we live in. Let us not only talk about the problems, but the soultions as well. And last but not the least, let us find a way to have our opinions and suggestions heard.

Your inputs please.....