A Great 2008

Two thousand eight

Might be just a date

But its a good time to wonder if fate,

Will drop these on our plate

Mallya will force India to accept Alistair Perreira as a part of the Formula 1 team.

Abhishek will sulk because his dad stole the limelight as the anti hero in Dhoom 3.

Narayanamurthy will release his first music CD - his version of the national anthem

Uma Bharti's performance in the music video of the above will raise hackles.

Saurav will finally retire, and automatically become the new coach.

Chappell's mail on the above will be put up for auction on eBay.

Ram will be issued summons by the supreme court to appear in the Ram Sethu debate.

Yash Raj will announce a reality show in Nepal starring Charles Shobhraj titled 'Aaja Bachle'

Prachi desai will sue Ekta Kapoor for spamming her mailbox with the message 'Jhalak Dikhla ja'

Tata's one lakh car will turn out to be an autorickshaw with a spare tyre.

Shivsena will burn theatres playing Rajni films, claiming that 'Sivaji' mis-portrays their hero.

Hillary will star in Kill Bill 3 after the US' first First Husband insists on using some first aide everyday.

Australia will protest India's complete dominance in Twenty 20.

Prakash Karat will condemn India's shift towards nuclear families.

Pervez Musharaff will blame Hindustan Lever now that everyone has seen through the Qaeda smokescreen.

Yuvraj will have a personal cheerleading squad in all matches with Deepika Padukone leading it.

Narendra Modi will encourage internet usage and specifically RSS feeds, but ban pizzas, Ferrari and Sunfeast Pasta.

Emergency will be declared after Pratibha Patil tries to do a Musharaff in India.

West Bengal government will offer Taslima a plot in Nandigram.

Yana Gupta's marriage to the common man will mean she serves beer in Deccan.

Employee appreciation will grow faster than rupee appreciation

Abhishek will continue sulking because Ash named the baby Salim.

Richard Gere and Rakhi Sawant will star in Ekta Kapoor's first Hollywood venture, Kkissmat - The Forbidden Kiss.

until next time, that makes a manuscrypts happy new year :)

PS. If you liked that, check out 2007, 2006, 2005.

Choose to opt?

Choices and options. Similar yet different. Colorful and black & white respectively. Choices are made, options are taken. To make a choice, one reasons with self, and perhaps has to walk a new road. An option is at best a judgment,among the different ones available, the road is one that has been walked on.

until next time, the choice is yours :)

Claustrophobia

He couldn’t believe he’d landed on a burner. He was used to landing on weird things but this was taking it too far. He’d had misgivings from the time he’d started to squeeze himself into that tiny sprout like thing. He’d never seen electric chimneys before. So he really couldn’t be blamed for being shocked.

until next time merry xmas

Gubbare

The heartwarming picture of a little girl holding balloons, while the uncaring world rushed past her, on the busy road. He remembered how much funballoons and childhood used to be. But wait, there was something wrong with the picture- she wasn’t looking too happy. Was it only because no one was buying her balloons?

until next time, hot air all around

Imagine

They dreamt of leading a life that was different. Not that this was bad, but it was quite unidimensional. They imagined a place where people led lives of greed, lust, gluttony and all the so called sins, different from the chaste lives they led here. The utopians even had a word for that place – earth.

until next time, opposites attract

The Finish

On a busy city road, they raced. Only one knew the race was on. And he was sure of winning, until his 'opponent' took a turn. Quite like life, he thought, the way he compared and competed with others. Perhaps the challenge was to not to win the race, but to figure out one’s destination.

until next time, race on

Tagged

It starts from the time we are born. The tags, from a cute baby to a skinny schoolboy to a bookish student to a rebellious teen to a brash young man and son to name some, and then follow us into the professional life too. Tags, which perhaps constrain us, which make us being, and prevent us from becoming.

until next time, web 2.0 is full of them ;)

Square 1.0

It had to be black or white. Then came the greys, and then, the different colors, a justification for all that we did. But then came the social sites, who just might bring it back to square one. Friendship requests to be answered with a yes or no. A digital age with a binary code.

until next time, zero or one?

Battlefield

And the battle raged on. This was the third day. It looked like the forces of good would finally triumph over evil. Though there were losses on both sides, it was clear that he was the biggest casualty. But it was a big day for him. Today was the last day of the antibiotics course.

until next time, just another viral :)

Timepass

He was perplexed at the honking happening behind him, the signal still had 10 seconds to green. As several motorists passed him, they gave him ugly scowls that meant ‘What the hell are you waiting for?’ The experiences so far had convinced him that something was passing him by, people or time, he couldn’t tell.

until next time, dont be horny :)

No Entry

He tried opening it, but with exactly the same result as before. He was almost in a state of panic now. The day was almost over, and he absolutely had to get in. He wondered if the others were as anxious as he was. After all, how long could you keep Facebook closed for maintenance?

until next time, social disaster

Bummer

Those of you familiar with my retail adventures would know I’m getting perilously close to being scarred for life, courtesy those shopping expeditions with D. It was only my timely inaction that helped me come through the latest one, when a PYT near me told the salesperson, ‘Hi, I’d like to see a dark bottom’

until next time, know when to butt in

Write, said Ideasmith

On how to write, and since some of the best bloggers have been part of the tag and written well about it, and since subjective views can go on forever, i shall impose a constraint on myself and try to express what i feel makes the written word interesting to the reader... The constraint is that i will stick to the brief, to the letter

Words - Not because Boyzone said so, but they remain the only means with which to convey the writer's expression to the reader. Hence they must be chosen with care, for a single word can open up a world of emotions or reduce it to nothingness. In essence, words being the building material for any literary work, should be used with care.
Rhetoric - While words might be the building material, the writer has to sense how to use them. Just like good building material can be wasted without a plan, if the words do not flow in a manner thats interesting to others, their reason for existence is lost.
Imagination - What makes the written word interesting is not just how it is written, but what is written, and this is where the mental wanderings of the writer come into play. While its definitely possible to make the oft repeated tale interesting, a new thought definitely has the advantage in holding the reader's attention.
Translation - The wandering can throw up several images for the writer to use, but if they are not translated properly into the written form of expression, they are wasted. The success of the written piece depends on the clarity with which it is communicated to the reader.
Introspective - The writer should be open to introspection, becuse more often than not, the best ideas are within. And not just the ideas, but the words of expression and all of the final text. For if an idea is given to a person, so is the power to fulfil it.
Non Subjective - It is often debated that the writer writes for self expression, and the views of the reader have only so much value. I, for one, would love to get the perspective of the reader too, and therefore, when writing , view the written word from a vantage point that i think the reader would have.
Gripping - fiction, non fiction, humour, drama - whatver be the context and content of the writing, it should be able to holdthe reader's attention. If its through a new idea or perspective, great, if not, at least through the way in which it is presented. For if the interest wanes, then the purpose is defeated.

until next time, write on.

PS. Austere, Prerona, Tys, would be great if you can pick up the tag :)

Peak Peek

He was a beach boy. Gimme the sea any day, he said when quizzed on vacations. That was until he met them, and no, it had nothing to do with the Indian fascination for whiteness. Tall and majestic, with a grave look that came from having seen it all. Silent, eternal, awe inspiring, the Himalayas.

until next time, mountains due :)

Reply All

SMS wishes have never been my forte. So I never initiate wish smses, since they might end up wishy washy. But I religiously reply to all the ones I get with a ‘Thank you. Wish you the same.’ But this Diwali, some unknown personstumped me with this ‘Wish you and your family the same’

until next time, cracked you up?

Guiding lights

He ran up the stairs to the terrace, excited. Lighting rockets was fun, and so was watching them zoom. Years later, he’d watch other rockets as they soared randomly, as though preempting the future of those who lit them. As time passed, there’d been brighter lights, the diwali lights were fading, just like the memories.

until next time, happy diwali

Arsine

True. The five elements are in us. The water coursing within, in various forms. The earthy smell that’s emanated. The air breathed in, leaving in myriad forms. The fire burning within, but embracing too, and the combination creating the effect of floating in space. No, not an abstract post, the result of a gastric infection

until next time, gut wrenching :(

Time to say Tata

Sometimes it takes a traumatizing event to force one to think in hitherto neglected directions. Directions which one thought would never appear in one’s consideration set, directions which have the potential to create more life changing experiences, perhaps joys, perhaps sorrows. Cable operators have a way of orchestrating such events. Life’s about to become jhingalala.

until next time, sky's not the limit

Thinking Big

Not that he needed a chewing gum brand, but it was all in the name. It made sense since he was getting a huge brand ambassador. It wasn’t a big task considering the friendship and his friend’s endorsement appetite. Big Adda, Big Flicks, Big Music, Big FM, Big Babol. Brand Ambassador – Big B. Sounded right.

until next time, not a big deal?

The Namesake

He liked writing stories, and always tried to surprise his readers. Though some of his readers said he wrote well, he was never quite sure. After all, he just wrote on his blog. The appreciation was limited, never a huge number, and that was why he was quite amazed and humbled when he saw this.

until next time, lol, couldnt help it :D

Playing favorites

He changed screensavers four times every year, each with its own variations. Every change was an occasion people looked forward to. It was just a screensaver for him, but for them it was much more. Although all screensavers were his creations, when he looked down, he liked rain the most. Even He allowed himself favorites.

until next time, whats your favourite screensaver?

And that leaves only

Kolkata. Which is phenomenal by my standards, as though of you who've read the previous post might have realised. As for the others, all it takes is one sentence to bring you upto speed- i hate travelling.

But this year has seen me visiting 3 of the (erstwhile only) 4 metros in the country.

Mumbai - February - last visited 2006 April, and that was only because i had to get inducted, professionally, that is. Judging by my tenure, fat lot of good it did. I was a frequent Mumbai visitor in the 80'sthough - before the bhai stuff became popular. No, there's no connection. Shivaji Park was the usual venue, with a bit of Peddar Road and Malabar Hill thrown in. And then i stopped going to school, and that ended the summer vacations.Sigh

Chennai - August - last visited 1999 or was it 95? Damn, i'm really getting old. 95 is easier to remember because of the 12th Std results and the giant B&W poster of Aishwarya Rai to celebrate it. Yup, its 99 coz i boarded the Corromandel Exp from there for my first Kolkata trip.

Delhi - September and October - last visited 1993. And a much forgettable trip.
I dont think I'll do Kolkata, at least that leaves my tarnished record some chances of redemption ;)

until next time, traveller's outlook

The Travel Bug

All the travelogues, all the travel programming on TV, and all the photos on image sharing platforms- I've read them all as messages, but never picked up the bags and set about travelling regularly. Now, i can give operational excuses, but i also know that those are not the real ones. For quite sometime now, I've had a block in my head, but could never decipher it myself. And the worst part is that it wasnt always like this. While i've never been a travel freak, i've never shied away from it either.

It took Nude Ellie to give me an insight into this bug. The first and easiest insight is that i am incredibly lazy. Even that trip might not have happened if it werent official :). And it is perhaps only fitting that it was an office space that gave me a thought.

I've realised that travel necessarily means meeting new people. And not just meet, but also see large amounts of humanity that i may not meet, but faces that i know exist. In this case, floorsand floors of cubicle farms.

Now this might sound weird to many, but that to me, is a bit like those starlit nights. And while i love staring up at the sky, I've slowly built up a revulsion to the other thing that evokes in me a feeling of insignificance, a feeling that i haven't done anything to be truly special.Ego/ Frustration? Or plain old existential angst?

untl next time, wanderbust?

Ok Tata Bye Bye

And its time to say bye. Its been a long time and I’d been planning this for sometime now, never actually got around to doing it. But it’d be sheer injustice to postpone this any longer. Most readers would agree that this is way too melodramatic for a week’s vacation. But hey, its a 55.

until next time, see you next monday

Insectuous relationships - 55

These days, there's tremendous amount of sexual activity happening in our house. I confess, I do not spend a lot of time thinking about it, but D does and she is extremely unhappy about it. After all, she's the one who has to deal with the increasing number of cockroaches and lizards in the house.

until next time, did that bug you? :D

Mind Games - 55

He didn’t mind the rain. It meant that the idiots who paid lots of peachish Gandhis got to see only 50%. He wasn’t much into the mass sport now, 20-20 win notwithstanding. He’d get up early tomorrow to watch the F1 race. He did, and saw a track beset by rain. His expression was priceless.

until next time, are Suzuka and Bangalore cosmic twin cities?

One degree of separation

"...like two shores separated by an ocean,

and the ocean is our ego...."

until next time, love beaches :D

Nude Ellie

That was the status message on my Google Talk for a couple of days last week... A lot of guys who dont bother saying a hi when i have a normal green button insisted on saying one when i had this custom message with a red button... It happened to elicit a lot of responses ranging from numbers associated with Ellie - her vital stats and her mobile number to social questions - whether i could do a quick introduction.

Now, it was the first time in 14 years that i was seeing this subject of extreme curiosity and i must say i was pleasantly surprised. Cleaner, calmer and most definitely hot, changed my perspective completely. And thanks to this reacquainting, i also got to meet two people who i have known only virtually. While i spent only a few minutes with N, since we were both on working time, i had dinner at J's place. While i exhibited my usual atrocious sense of humour and other anti social skills, she really couldnt kick me out, since she had a plastered foot.

But, i digress, this is about nude ellie, only Shobha cracked it, and the most heartfelt response i got was one i got on facebook was this

(reacting to the status - Manu is exploring Nude Ellie)

He: I want to explore nude ellie too.

Me: All major carriers have flights from Mum-bai to Nude Ellie

He: Manu, you are terrible

until next time, have you met Erica ? ;)

Reality 55

The birthday boy gave us a piece of his cake. He really wanted to give it to Aishu only, but we were with her, so... As we wished him, Aishu shyly ran away to her mother who was sitting at the next table, the birthday boy walked back to his friends. We ate the cake.

until next time, cake khane ke liye......

To be Shore..

And "Alan Shore fans" makes it to my orkut communities because of this...
Alan Shore: Well you need to hear it! ......... to abuse a talented, selfless employee only because his social skills lack the polish! To allow him to work tirelessly under the delusion that he could make partner! A delusion you carefully nurtured so as to make piles of money off of him in the short term. That’s a betrayal, Shirley. Not just of Jerry, but of you! And your character! Which up till now I haveconsidered undeniably decent.

Shirley Schmidt: Are you finished?

Alan Shore: No. Jerry Espenson, no doubt, will go off quietly into the night as the meek often do. But somebody around here has to get angry about it. Otherwise you’ll just go off and blithely do it again.

Shirley Schmidt: We have not yet made a decision concerning Jerry Espenson, when we do I will call you first to tell you, “It is none of your concern!”

Alan Shore: There’s a saying Shirley, perhaps you’ve heard it. ‘All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to say, “It’s a business.”

While that might have been boring to the non-followers, what interested me was that it addresses an issue that i have found constantly encountered in professional life - social skills, or the lack of it. I've been ambivalent about this myself, but it irks me when people with lesser skills tend to be able to push their case only because they are aggressive, especially in situations where the hard skills are more important than the soft ones..

And sometimes i see this aggression being used in a social context when the people who prefer to exist in the background are subject to the sort of bullying that usually is associated with school life... And each time i see it happen, i thank god for a reasonably sharp humour sense and a dichotomy of personality :)

until next time, the meek shall inherit the earth...

Social Currency

Was chatting with a friend last week on the complexity of human relationships. Of course, she is of the view that it is not so complex after all, and i tend to complicate it with my penchant for over analysis :D I admit to the anlaysis bit, but in this case, am not convinced about it being undue. Double the negative, double the fun.

Coincidentally, also saw a movie last weekend, which brought out my stance almost perfectly, almost, because the character of the protagonist does a U-turn midway. Anyways, the crux of the matter is that i believe that every relationship, even, rather especially the close ones are tinged with a selfish motive, actually, not tinged, more a strong undercurrent. There are precious few exceptions.

It depends on the individual's choice whether this gets acknowledged or not, but i strongly feel that there is always currency involved, and it is not always unconditional love or any such seemingly pure emotion... the acknowledgement does not happen perhaps because we mould ourselves to fit into a society and its forms of expression...The undercurrent may be that of emotional security, convenience or anything else - based on the situation, but its most definitely there. And for every help/favor/token of affection etc there isa meter ticking, some of us keep it in mind, and some of us keep it deep in the recesses of our mind

until next time, mind it :)

Faced Out

I asked a question on facebook recently 'Is facebook just a phase', like cerelac, toy cars, comics etc and more importantly, as we become older, virtual orkut and real relationships. Its perhaps part of the overall picture of decreasing attention spans, the need for instant gratification and the gradual extinction therefore, of patience.

Patience to seek and find answers, patience to sit through the 5 minute ad break, patience to discover new things, patience to wait in the atm queue, patience to understand people, patience to wait till the site loads, patience to work on relationships and so on...Since that's being lost, is virtual networking an easy escape route, where virtuality allows us to bypass the difficulties of working on relationships, where entry and exit strategies are much easier, where scraps can be started and ended with scraps, and the writings on the wall are easy to do and undo, where it might be easier to live with masks?

Or is it the opposite, moving on to a plane where masks become redundant? Is that why we are so hooked on, is that what we mean by convenience? Is it wrong, hell no, i am just wondering :)

until next time, face off

Fictionary

The uneasy feeling you get when your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend peers at a person of your gender in an appreciative manner - Peer Pressure

until next time, peerless? ;)

Ram Gopal Varma ki ma!@#$%^

Ram Gopal Varma's gags should be stopped, period!! His next movie should be "How to make a big B movie with Big B". Coz thats what he has done, taken 3 national award winning actors and made the biggest B-grade movie ever. (with due apologies to B grade movie makers, dont sue me)

With Mohanlal, Big B, Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen, guess who gets maximum screen time - Nisha Kothari as ghunghroo, basanti's new age avtaar!! I wouldnt have minded much if she stuck to her regular attire, but no, RGV made the cardinal mistake of trying to make her act. Since basanti's horse cart was replaced by an auto, she had to do both Basanti's and Dhanno's roles, and as far as dubbing goes, she succeeded, coz she sounded like a child that they might have had while horsing around!!!

And poor poor Mohanlal, who in my view is the finest actor around, bar none. i wonder how RGV convinced him to wear a beard that must have come out of Anil Kapoor's waxed remains or something, I am sure RGV didnt pay for it. That, or somewhere, some bear is missing its posterior fur!!

And Chakravarty (Satya), Rajpal Yadav and VJ Gaurav, all in roles which competed with Nisha Kothari's regular costumes and acting talent in terms of miniscule-ness. To cut a long story short, the only entity that deserves Aag is RGV's factory, they really should set fire to that place.

Until next time, aaaarghhh

Source: Unknown

PS: This post is issued in public interest (the fact that this blog has attempted a review is proof of that)

Serves you right

It used to amaze me how D used to serve me the right quantity always, and i never had to waste anything, unless of course, it happened tobe something i detested, like brinjal or lady's finger (yuck!!)

But i suddenly realised a few days back that it was more of a planning that i did in my head that made it right.. yeah, yeah, sometimes i am duh!! I also realised that it might reflect the way we treat life, and with that said, contrary to the blog policy (for once), here's a forward i got.. Its a bit long, but worth the read, me thinks..

until next time, i'm no: 4, what kind are you?

Ram Gopal Varma ka Onam

(All charcaters in this are a product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to anyone living/dead/missing is a product of the reader's imagination)

You might want to read the original story here or my earlier version .....

Bali ruled his land with a velvet fist, in an iron glove. Though his front was that of a businessman with dairy and bee farms, his money and power came from real estate, and not all of them were totally legal transactions. But he was a fair man, and so the people of the land loved him, inspite of the cruelty of his ancestors. In fact his reign was so good, and the land so prosperous, that they started calling it God's Own Country, where milk and honey flowed on the streets. There were critics who said that Bali was equating himself to God, but then, they were critics.

But a man was watching him closely - a man who ruled the neighbouring area, who went by the name of Devendra Gowda, a stark contrast to Bali, who needed absolutely no front for his devious land scams. Just so that no one interfered too much in his affairs, he was an active politician too. Devendra realised that Bali's lands were pure gold, and started thinking of ways to get it.He didnt want to have a direct confrontation with Bali, his previous experiences had taught him a lesson, so he gave Bali's supari to a common enemy - Vishnu, an encounter specialist.

Vishnu also had an interest in dairy farming, in fact quite a big interest. Legends had it that he had a mansion in the middle of a lake - a lake of milk. Also, Vishnu had had several encounters with Bali's forefathers and was responsible for their deaths, but he knew Bali was a good man and didnt want his reputation to be tarnished. So he disguised himself as a newcomer tapori, and with his trademark umbrella, quickly climbed the ranks.

Bali meanwhile, decided to have a party, complete with item number (Happy Rakhi... of course Rakhi would be happy to do it) to further his grandiose real estate plans. His khaas aadmi, a swamiji, forbade him from calling Vishnu, but Bali would have none of it. He was feeling so good about his plans that he publicly stated that he would give anyone any amount of land they asked for. And Vishnu chose that moment to walk in and demand 3 feet of land. Bali laughed, and agreed. Vishnu's first step was on Bali's chair. Despite counsel from his men, and inspite of penetrating Vishnu's disguise, Bali asked him to take the next two. Vishnu next stepped on the map which had Bali's expansion plans.With a smile, Vishnu told Bali that he had lost all his land, where would he keep his third step? Bali bowed his head, and to add insult to injury, Vishnu stepped on Bali's head.

And that triggered something in Bali. He decided to take a step himself - into the underworld, but with a chilling threat to Vishnu - 'Ek na ek din, main wapas aaunga.' And Bali's men, taking this to heart celebrate this day every year and sing (the remix version of) "Onam ke din dil khil jaate hain......."

Meanwhile, Bali was a hit in the underworld..for the first time, the underworld was organised in to one entity- the B Company.....

until next time, happy onam ;)

Parental Outsourcing

Since our man has the annoying habit of deleting posts, i havent been able to yet locate his take on it, but i have read her take on it.
The subject in question is that the young parents of today outsource the job of parenting to their parents and treat them worse than housemaids... Now, i think a lot of grandparents love being with their grandchildren, perhaps for the simple reason that their children dont have the time anyway. Its an arrangement that works for everyone concerned. Does that make it right? no, but that doesnt make it wrong either.

We happen to be in a generation that is bearing the brunt of a drastic change in lifestyles and therefore mindsets. Being 30 year old parents is a bit like being between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea - feeling guilty of not doing much for the parents and knowing that the chances of their kid looking after them are very slim...So perhaps it is a good thing to put the two stakeholders of their time together, and meanwhile working their butt off to ensure that they themselves have a good tomorrow.. now, can they be really blamed for trying to a get a bit of happiness out of today also... maybe not, because they are paying for it in their own way..
Meanwhile, taking a leaf out of the aforementioned annoying man's book ;), this sums it up

until next time, not just kidding

Freedom from Freedom

Inspite and perhaps because of the response to the last post.. Yes, maybe the easiest thing is to not take up the offers that are displayed with banality year after year, but perhaps i let an example become the theme.. The intended theme was not the offers but our callous attitude to the concept of freedom. Like i said, maybe the root of all this is that we were born free, and didnt have to experience second and third class citizenship in the land where we were born...

In an era in which even ads have to be contextual for them to garner any response, what hoped oes a concept like freedom have, especially when it has lost its relevance and definitely has no context. The only context is the one created by the offers. Yes, it is a function oftime, but only because the child that munched the sweets happily and celebrated the holiday on Freedom Day has a bit more understanding now. And precisely because most things are a function of time, maybe we should revisit the day and figure out whether we need a holiday on Aug 15th. Is it any different from a Sunday except for the kind of movies shown?

Perhaps the respect for freedom belongs elsewhere - in our day to day lives - by being more tolerant and compassionate and respecting each others' freedom a bit more, and most importantly, by becoming more mature in the use of personal freedom and stopping its abuse daily.Perhaps that will bring joy to those who fought, and died for the holiday.

until next time, freedom for a state... of mind...

Oh, the irony of it all...

Once upon a time, the biggest significance of Aug 15th was that it was a holiday. And Gandhi and Roja have given way to Lage Raho Munnabhai and Rang De Basanti..

Makes me wonder, the relevance of this day has become worse than it being just a holiday. And the irony? To make a free country, they burned foreign cloth. In a free country, we burn money to buy international brands that give special discounts on I-Day... No, this is not tirade against MNCs (hey, i use them too) but maybe, we should make this a normal day and stop mocking the efforts of a generation long gone?

until next time, born free, perhaps thats the root..

The more things change...

the more they remain the same....

Gandhi was the man they followed then, we still do..

until next time, happy birthday India.

To each his own...

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Just tell him its flat :D

Speaking of ways into men's hearts, saw an interesting comment here. When the interviewer asked SRK about the cold war between him and the bachchans, SRK said shabby (or should it be shaB? abhishek with that awful beard and dressing style should be called that) was with him till 4 am.. Now, is it that abhi finds ash cold or SRK hot or both? hmmm...

until next time, was that flat? ;)

Rooms with a view

The vacuum left behind by Heroes has been partally filled by the series that occupies the same time slot- Boston Legal. Also, it helps that i can bug D when they show the city shots with 'Do you know this place?', since she spent some time there recently..

And i love the night shots of the city, to be precise, the ones which show the high-rise apartments, not just in this particular show, but any city.. No, come to think of it, its only the American cities, not say, the London ones or even the local mumbai ones... strange, but thats okay...I've wondered about this fascination for high rise apartment night shots, and i am yet to get a complete answer from myself... but i have been able to get some insights...

in the shots, each of those tiny lights is a window into the life of a person/ family... each of those has a story to tell - some exciting, some mundane, some funny,some tragic.. but each a story nevertheless... and more importantly, it perfectly symbolifies a lot of lives - in a crowd, yet alone...

until next time, story of our lives.....

Make it hot!!

She gripped it hard at first, rubbed it all over, then rolled it. Then she started shaking it vigorously.This was when his irritation just burst out. "If you’re doing it, do it properly, otherwise, I’ll do it and let you know when its ready.You're making it look as though you're doing it for my sake.”, he said sarcastically.

She didnt know what she was doing wrong, for already the effects of her work was showing. It was getting moist, a sureshot sign that it was responding to her touch. "ok, see if something is coming out", she said.

"No, nothing is coming out. This is becoming an everyday thing now. Next time, we'll buy that jar pack. Coconut oil bottles in winter are a pain!!

until next time, get a grip!!

A couple of things that made me think

The irony of Real Good chicken having an expiry date on it.....

******************************************

On one of those inane remote flipping trips, i somehow got stuck on the initial minutes of Salmaan Khan's Judwaa... Dalip tahil and Reema lagoo have just had twins and are being congratulated by kader khan, a family friend.

Kader Khan: Badhai Ho

Reema Lagoo & Dalip Tahil: Aap ko bhi..
And i had a startling revelation - that david dhawan was a filmmaker far ahead of his times. They tomtom movies about human relationships these days, but this was way back and i was amazed by his subtle way of handling a complex extra marital affair with three mature characters who acknowledge it..

until next time, did that provoke you, the thoughts , that is?

Evil designs

Lingerie strewn around, and women. That might sound great, but he wouldn’t agree. His furtive glances to see her weren’t looked upon kindly by the women who seemed to be everywhere. They were looking at him in distaste. He wondered which moron had designed the lingerie section near the fitting rooms. The sale didn’t help.

Until next time, a Westside story

To boldly go

where no other tv crew has gone before.... what had perhaps started out as a spoofy ad on how television channels report even the most inane news as breaking news, ballooned into a series of ads on a whole range of products, and before we know it, its a trend, that every fmcg worth its salt wants to ape.

Salt, lets start with that... the ad goes this way, a guy is brushing his teeth, when all of a sudden, a tv crew barges in and gives hima lecture on having Active Salt in your toothpaste and obviously xyz is the only brand that has it... there are similar ones for stains on clothes (multiple brands - powder and soap), stains on vessels,and so on....

D says she would love to meet that 'Vanish' lady and get her to remove the turmeric stain on a handkerchief. apparently the damn thing didnt work on it when D tried:)

I have a bigger fear, what if soaps get into the act, followed by Kamasutra?

until next time, ad shads

Hogwash - The Finale

The day before the world goes potty for the final time. And tradition demands that this version releases a day before. So here it is, and for those who are still not quite clear on what we are talking about, here's the story so far.. and now

Parry Hotter and the Deathly Hallows

Legends never die, and Parry Hotter is no exception. As he struggles to relate to a world that has become a constantly blurring phenomenon between virtuality and reality, the world suddenly witnesses the sudden disappearance of celebrities. Parry is forced to get back to his old profession as he tries to seek out his young missing relative, who is a socialite and happens to have the same initials as him. Because of her constant use of controversies to generate hype around herself, the media and the law are not too keen on tracking her. But is that all there is to it?
Parry begins his investigation on Whotube, where she had posted a cryptic video about her seemingly planned disappearance. As Parry trudges the murky territories in cyberspace, he realises that both of them might be mere pawns in a diabolical game played by whotube, a video sharing site, now owned by the famous search engine Hoogle. It was no secret that Hoogle had paid too much for their new acquisition and Parry realises that Hoogle is desparate to get people addicted to their site.
As more celebrities and socialites continue to disappear,after messages posted on Whotube, the traffic in the search engine and its new acquisition soars. Parry begins to realise that this may not be a coincidence and there might be a sponsored link behind the seemingly random occurences.The tension mounts as new videos begin to surface on Whotube, showing the execution of celebrities amidst bizzarre religious ceremonies. Parry is now convinced that the search engine is not as hallowed as perceived, and the white homepage hides deadly secrets.

In a fitting finale to the series, author Howling pits the old school detective against the new age search engine. Can Parry Hotter feel lucky or will he become just another part of search history?

So, whats the brouhaha all about?

A half dinner at 7 on a saturday night is bound to leave one in a confused state of mind. Fortunately, a few centuries back, man discovered a way to handle most of the confusions in life - caffeine. Unfortunately though, many know this secret and so we have a chain of cafes mushrooming all over the place, which leads to more confusion - where do we go now?

But since we were near the locality where Bangalore's next blogger's meet is scheduled, i thought i would drop in there. I mean, what if by a quirk of fate, i miss it and the rendezvous with Brew haha in my destiny got postponed indefinitely? Anyways, the place is pleasant enough and those games are a nice touch, though i managed not to get adventurous and stuck to an old favourite, Uno, which D immediately liked.

In between the coffee and the sandwiches and figuring out what was on the cards, i saw a duo at the corner working on a laptop. I have a theory on people working on laptops in cafes, and another one about people doing it on Saturday nights, but we'll talk about that another time. So, D and i were discussing what they could possibly be doing, and i suggested that it could be a start up and maybe we can read about them a few years later in Forbes or something (oh, okay, Business World) where they discuss how they initially used to work out of Brewhaha (and then maybe i can write a coffee table book on how i noticed them and finally make some money).. flimsy premise, but i have read worse..hehe

Meanwhile there was another younger couple on the next table who were also busy working, not on a laptop, but PDA. They were well on their way to a start up, the kind whose gestation time is about nine months. :)

until next time, whats brewing?

PS: Ramana, Deez, Arunima, Layon and so on, any of you planning to attend the meet?

Still Trippin'

They almost threw me out when i asked them if i can get travel reimbursement for ego trips.

until next time, we need humour resources :D

Making my trip

The flight was delayed by over 2 hours, which meant that i was taking potshots at anything resembling a Go Air employee and in some cases, other passengers whose flights were on time :)

He: Have you scanned it?
Me: Yup, did that at home. Don't think i have forgotten anything.
He: I meant the machine, sir
Me: Then why don't you ask the machine?
********************************************

He: (while trying to elbow his way past me during the security check): (pointing to the machine): My phone's in there, let me through.
Me: (after letting him past): Where do you think mine is?
*********************************************

He: (while telling me to use the entry at the back of the plane) You can go behind.
Me: Behind who?
He: I meant backside
Me: Behind whose backside?
*********************************************
And as they kept running laps on the runway without taking off, i loudly sang "Udhale Udhale..."
*********************************************
D refused to allow me to have more fun. I especially missed asking the air hostess, whose name was Smitha, whether her first name was Silk.
In fact D was so rude, she pointed to me, when they came around with the trash cart.

until next time, way to Go?

..Earth...home....

And I have finished the last book of the Foundation series.. dragged it on for as long as possible, but had to end it.. dragged it because it wasn't an experience that can be replicated anytime soon, because its truly one of a kind, and i haven't come across anything in the genre that comes close to it...

Anyways, the book also gave me a glimpse of the fact that inspite of the passage of time, there might be some things that would never change.. the main protagonist has to make a choice that will decide the future of humanity, and he feels that somehow the answer to his dilemma lies on the planet of the humanity's origin - Earth. By then, Earth isa forgotten entity, and no one knows where it is... and so the search begins....

i guess, its the same with us too, as we grow older, and as we face the ups and downs of life, we all long for the place where we hope to get the answers, the place where everything'll be set alright, the place we like to call home..speaking of which, as Daughtry sings

Well I'm going home, Back to the place where I belong....

Until next, they call it God's Own Country :)

Space, the final frontier

All the Star Trek fans would know that bit, the one that starts this way and ends with '..to boldly go where no man has gone before'... Well, Sunita Williams did, and now she's back... like i read somewhere, she must be stinking, but thats beside the point... i think it must've been one awesome experience, though i wish we would learn to celebrate with dignity, and not create a popcorn tamasha of everything...

I am reading Asimov's Foundation and Earth, and that'll finish the series for me.. rather, re-finish it, and i don't think this will be the last time... i still remember the first time i saw it, that was way back - when i was in school,i didn't understand most of it, and left it... i made contact for the second time when i was in my first year of grad -and it took many library visits and many long months for me to finish off all 7 books of the series, and that was an awesome experience. Years later, i have managed to buy all the 7 books, and that took around 2 years, mostly thanks to the one i am reading...

I read an article last week in TOI, about a new design of spaceships that they were going to start using in 2010 and which might be the first step towards interstellar travel.. For once, i wish i were born in the future, just to experience space travel, to watch the stars and to feel first hand the awe-inspiring vastness of the galaxy... what an awesome experience that would be... But thats something that can't happen and so, centuries later, when men, and women, would be freely roaming around the galaxy, we would be, perhaps, a remote statistic that existed in the initial days of humanity...

until next time, live long and prosper :)

Sites and Insights

D went to see the Niagara fall last weekend... and it did, several times, she said thats why they call it Niagara Falls. ok, i take responsibilty for that nonsensical humour(?) :

Which made me wonder, there are so many sights around the world that I'll never manage to see? I can choose to see it, but then why would i choose to see it over, lets say, the Stonehenge, or the Great Barrier Reef, or the Sphinx,or the Colosseum, or London Bridge. Even if i had all the money and all the time, could i ever manage to see all the sights that are worth seeing? Can i even imagine the different sights that are spread across the geographical expanse of the planet?

So, do i miss seeing them? Not exactly, because i dont think i will notice the difference between sunsets in Goa and say, the Riviera or the nightview of the Queen's necklace and the Quai des États-Unis. Maybe thats just philosophising or maybe i am in denial.. :)

Or maybe, its just a function of who you're with and what you take out of those sights... Awe, splendour, amazement, bliss, joy...and so on...

And thats why an internet connection is so damn important, coz if you can't do it really, you might as well do it virtually - from panorama to vista and discovery to explorer.. Because the plethora of content does to me exactly what books do to me - gives perspectives.. of people i have never met, and places I have never seen...

until next time, see you on orkut ;)

Pati, Patni aur Woh

Exactly the current president's cup of tea - that what this presidential election has become - rocket science. But unfortunately, that doesnt do him much help, coz he has already backed out. But that's only after doing a rose petal stunt of 'will he, wont he', and then saying he would stand for a second term only if he were assured of a victory. By those standards, i wonder how he was so active sending up rockets, considering that most of them came back faster than they went up. And forget achieving their objective, the only thing they succeeded in doing was to destroy some poor fishes' homes in the arabian sea/ bay of bengal or create a theme park/ picnic spot for the fishes' children. No wonder they always said there was always something fishy in India's space research..sorry, i digress.. All said and done, doesnt look like the man who made the chikunguniya look fashionable, and the one who inspired salmaan for the 'tere naam' look is going to have a second term as Rashtrapati.

Which brings us to the prime contestant - the one who has been accused of shielding a killer, of defaulting onpayments for a factory. I say it is wrong that such a person should contest for the notional post of President, Indian politics has lost a true flag-bearer. She has awesome qualifications to be PM, but the nation is into non-controversial PMs these days, sigh. Chalo, at least this way, we get to see our first Rashtrapatni.

The current VP, was once upon a time, regarded as an almost definite P, but unfortunately for him, all his ex-supporters now only say, oh, woh?

Why am i writing about it? Because it was so damn inconsequential, but true to his name, Dr.Kalam, has converted the entire exrecise into a PJ !!

until next time, shall we tell the president?

Gestation Time

She hated this wait. It had been many months now, and she still had some more to go, before the result showed. She was a bit nervous. It definitely wasn't the first time that she was going through this, but she was still young, and not, lets say, a seasoned player, though how anyone could be a seasoned player inspite of multiple experiences was something beyond her imagination, since every experience in this regard was a unique one, with its own set of ups and downs and idiosyncrasies.

He was not exactly what you could call a big help, though he was definitely much sweeter and understanding than most others of his breed. She had heard enough horror stories to realise and appreciate that, but unfortunately it was more of her cross than his. But wait, it wasn't exactly a cross and besides, in his own right, he would be tense too, but he couldn't or rather wouldn't show it to her. She wasn't sure if it was a 'man' thing- this entire show of bravado, when being tense.

But, to be fair to him, he had been very supportive and understanding when she had mentioned her desire to him. He thought it was pretty natural. In fact he had initiated the process and gone through it without much fuss. In fact, she thought, that was an understatement, because it had been pure pleasure.

But she hated this wait, especially since one couldn't be too sure of everything turning out right, because though both of them had defintely played their parts, the higher powers had a say in it too. But though she hated the wait, she would grin and bear, after who could every say no to appraisals and increments?

until next time, the thought was conceived after reading this :)

Old School

I'm still quite unsure about the name, old n' all, though i have to admit, it does sound a bit 'in'. What am i talking about? It's the new (or at least i discovered it only recently) programming on Zee Cafe. (are you listening guys, thisis kinda endorsement and stuff) Unfortunately, its only about an hour everyday, and the timings aren't exactly what I'd call user friendly. (i thinki blew that endorsement deal)

But what it does give, if you can get around to seeing it, is those old favourites that used to appear on Star Plus (yeah, there was a time when it was sans saans and bahus and ekkta kkapoor stuff). I'm talking about Doogie Howser MD, Ally McBeal, The X Files and my personal favourite - The Wonder Years.

Actually it isn't just about watching old favourite content, its about bringing back those days when i used to watch it every evening. As everyone who reads this blog would know by now, all it takes is a bit of hint for me to go onto nostalgia mode. I guess, thats why they called it 'Old School'.

And as Kevin would say, “I remember a place... a town... a house like a lot of houses... a yard like a lot of other yards... on a street likea lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I sill look back... with wonder.”

until next time, back to school :)

The right turn

On my way to office, there is a junction, and like many junctions there are rights and lefts varying from 1 degree to 179 degrees, and many times, i end up giving directions thus, "not that right, the other right'...

A few days back, i ended up playing whistle blower on an online plagiarism case.. no second guess required whether it was the right thing to do, but the implications did make me wonder whether i could have maybe not have done it at all.. But i also got a forward around the same time.. it went thus - there are two sets of railway tracks. One used, the other unused.There is a warning board on the used one that warns kids not to play on it. The scenario is that a train is approaching on the used track, there are five kids playing on it. A single kid is playing on the unused track. You are in charge of the tracks. With a single button, you can divert the train onto the unused track,saving five kids and sacrificing one. You obviously can't do the movie hero stunt of running faster than the train and rescuing all kids concerned, and you have only moments to decide. Before you make the decision, remember that the single kid was following instructions and doing the right thing.

There is no 'correct' answer, it is a choice, but it helped me stick to the decision i made. Maybe, it is a step towards a 'no compromise' policy towards doing the right thing... Meanwhile, the turn to my office is the exact right, all of 90 degrees :)

until next time, i write, you read :)

Social Networking

I once had a scrap on Orkut.

I won.

until next time, feeling anti-social.

Read Only Memories

Tagged by Prero

Total number of books owned:*Loading* (while i go check my shelf) 93

Last book(s) I bought:Cryptonomicon (gifted to me), Shalimar the Clown, The Peacock throne

Five books that I have really enjoyed or have influenced me:

Influenced: Tomorrow's God, Fountainhead, The Lost Hero, The Drifters, God's little Soldier (currently reading), a lot of magazines i can't mention ;)

Enjoyed: Ramayana series (ashok Banker), Foundation series, Jeffrey archer (all), Night of the Dark Trees, The Great Indian Novel, and those magazines

Book(s) I'm currently reading:God's Little Solidier

Books I plan to buy next: Strong believer in love at first sight, there's no planning :)

Books that caught my attention but have never read: sigh, a lot of Maxim these days, but seriously, i usually end up buying the books that catch my attention

Books I own but have never got around to reading: Quite some, but here are a few - Lila, Desirable Daughters (that title is very misleading!!hehe), Goa ( i will, one day)...

until next time, pick up the tag, it might make a good read ;)

An eternal twist

Read something that i thought was definitely worth sharing.

If you had to choose between a woman you had met the day before and God, who would you choose? And the weaver said, The woman. Is there any doubt about that?

And the mullah asked him, If you had to choose between a song and God, what would you pick? And the weaver said,The song, of course.

And the priest from the temple asked him, Weaver, if perforce you had to choose one or the other, a beautiful sunset or God, what would your choice be? And he said, Isn't it obvious? The sunset.

And they asked him how he could blaspheme so. And the weaver said, Why sirs, God has eternity on his side, he can always wait. Will the woman, the song or the sunset wait for me?

God's Little Soldier, Kiran Nagarkar

until next time, maybe there is no right answer...

Life is like That?

Heroes - the only show i watch regularly.. like i've said before, i've always been a sucker for the superhuman variety... but okay, thats enough for context...

last week, i heard a very interesting argument on the show. and since the premise was the choices we make in life, i was intrigued even more, and enought o make it a debate..it went this way..

every person has a choice - he can have a life full of meaning or a life full of happiness... if he wants a life of happiness, he has to live in the present and if he wants a life of meaning, he has to wallow in his past, and obsess about the future.. both cannot happen simultaneously...whaddya think?

until next time, the choices we make...

Heresy

Not that i spray the entire area with snowflakes, or carry the flakes around on my black t-shirts, but yes, they say prevention is better than cure and i agree...

and that is what took me to the clinically clear shampoo.... and i've to admit they have got the formula perfectly right.. if i continue using it, i'm sure i'll have no dandruff problem..after all, if i have no hair left, where will the dandruff stay?

Please note that this has nothing to do with the latest playa on the endorsement scene.. well, there's the Big B, then there's SRK, and then there's tralalala....SwB !! Don't believe me, read this... :)

until next time, hair today.....

The new magicians

Sometime last week, saw a photo of P C Sorkar passing his magic wand to his daughter, apparently a passing on of the baton to the next generation...

A long long time ago, i think a couple of decades back, i had gone for one of his shows, in my hometown... that was still a generation that was eager about magic.. i even had tapes of david copperfield, doing much more complicated stuff... and yes, magic did leave me wonderstruck then...

A few months back, i saw a show on axn which revealed the tricks of the trade, they also mentioned that there were a lot of stores that sold magic kits... but i wonder how many kids would be interested in them... aren't the days of pc sorkar and co. over?

the new kind of magis is perhaps being created by a different kind of pc.. and thats just the bottom of the chain.. for there are much more advanced and specialist comps that are making break throughs indifferent kinds of technologies at a much faster rate than ever before...and like many other things, an innocent old art that has been entralling generations is in the process of getting relegated by the wonders of technology....

and we become part of a world which has no time for magic... or maybe its just that even magic aint what it used to be...

until next time, abracadabra.....

There goes our culture....

Heres one for the moral police...

I read this a few days back on the 'age no bar, sex baar baar' scenario- More youngsters are experimenting with casual sex than they did five years ago, according to a survey commissioned by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).The Behavioural Surveillance Survey (BSS) 2006, conducted on 40,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24, found that 8.4 per cent, or 1.5 crore youngsters in the country, are snuggling up for pre- and post-marital sex.

A few days back, i heard a contest on our only 24-hr english music station- it was something to do with a new store that has opened here. The question was what the store - 'apple of my eye' into - apples, 'mom and child' shopping or apple pies. Sarika, who called in, answered correctly - a 'mom and child' shop and she got a gift voucher from the store...

only, sarika is a 2nd PUC student.. now, purely out of humanitarian concern, i'm worried about sarika, will she gift it to someone else, or will the voucher encourage her to get herself a kid to redeem the voucher herself?

until next time, not just kidding ;)

..and while on context

I suddenly realised that long before google came on the scene, we were used to the concept of context... a few days back, i had sent our recent goa photos to an old schoolmate, and instead of sending me a reply, the damn fellow decided to leave a scrap in my orkut account.. and so, i was forced to go to my not-so-favourite site and check it out... and while i was there, i also visited his page and couldnt resist checking out old schoolmates (or as SwB claims, peeking at old crushes, which i vehemently deny..hehe)...

we are all out of touch, except for the stray e-mail blasts that get launched every once in a while that someone feels particularly nostalgic...and its not just school friends- college friends, colleagues from previous jobs and so on... of course, maybe its just me, but i feel its quite a common thing to lose touch with people who were once an inseparable part of our lives...(perhaps that explains the success of orkut, because it gets one back in touch)..

and thats when i realised that perhaps, wittingly or unwittingly, we make contextual relationships- school, college, jobs.. and its not just people but sometimes even places and cities... and since these relationships are in context, they end when the context ends... and leaves in its wake, memories, which in times to come, give us those bouts of nostalgia....

they say, as we grow older, we tend to go back to our roots, perhaps, a few years down the line, we'll see a generation going back to a prehistoric site called orkut to relive their glorious past :)

until next time, take a trip down memory lane...

Metrified

adj. composed in a poetic meter

..and thats exactly what the film was... no, i don't enjoy poetry, but i liked the word connection... and the film 'Life in a Metro' .... just wish there was more of irfan khan ..as always, this isn't a review, but there was another connection in the beginning minutes of the movie, that i thought was very funny..

Sharman Joshi (why can't we see more of that guy) gives out his uncle's apartment to his different bosses for their quickie trysts with secretaries... sharman's neighbours dont get to see the different faces though, their only point of contact is the common wall... and every day, they wait till the night's peformance ends, so they can go to sleep...

one day, when there are multiple users, they begin to sleep when the second performance starts.. and the wife remarks that her husband should find out what sharman eats...

and definitely in context (though unwittingly) the producer's name appears on the marquee - ronnie screwvala

until next time, poetry in motion ....

The New Microsoft

Its like the typical bollywood underworld story which is told from the anti hero's perspective... The hero makes his entrance to save society from the evil villain's menace, then takes the villain's place, and pretty soon the line between good and evil becomes a big blur...

In the internet story, MS played the big villain, thanks to its monopolistic leanings and bundling tactics, almost forcing users to choose it.. and that set the scene for the entry of the perfect hero - google... and as the story goes, slowly but surely google trumped the villain at every possible juncture in a matter of few years... and users stuck to it, inspite of blips like Gmail being a snoopy service that peeps into their mailbox...

And Google went on with its contextual relatonship with its customers... after all how can google serve its users best until it knows all that is to know about the user... so that it can serve up ads well in context and give the user the correct info exactly when he needs it... and the behemoth continues into radio ads, moves into the television ad space and local billboard space.. all in the guise of the hero serving the society, slowly converting homo sapiens into homo searchians...

after all even if the slogan is "don't be evil", all it takes is changing the definition of evil...

until next time, should the users feel lucky ?

World Wide Web

And the lure of the web continues.... worldwide... as the third edition of the friendly neighbourhood super hero's screen antics released on May 4th... i think i underestimated the fanbase a little bit as i was caught napping while the tickets at PVR and INOX were sold out for the weekend... but thankfully, there was a friendly neighbourhood theatre down Brigade Road, which we had never had to visit in our four year stay in Bangalore... Rex, the non multiplex in the centre of Bangalore...

And after these last few years of multiplex movies, i had forgotten the non DTS sounds and the non cinemascope views that could be experienced in a theatre.. and so just about managed to salvage the movie from between the sightly silhouettes and massive denim coated butts,crying children and adults exercising their freedom of speech...But all that was okay, for it wasn't just another movie, it was spiderman...

and since it was spiderman, it brought back a lot of memories - of sunday evenings spent watching 15 minutes of cartoon on Doordarshan.. of singing along with the title song..of gulping down hated flavours of Rasna just to get the Spiderman masks that came free with it.. of wearing the masks and pretending to be the friendly neighbourhood superhero.. of gazing longingly at the full costume hung inside the classy showroom....

they say every kid needs a superhero, but it was nice to realise that some adults choose not to grow out of their childhood fancies.... as peter parker says in the end - we are nothing but the choices we make...

until next time, happy swinging ;)

P.S: As far as reviews go, lets just say there's only about 20 minutes of web, the rest is offline ;)

Some secondary thoughts

A few days back, i was reading a discussion online on the evolution of what is popularly called Web 2.0, in an Indian context... No, dont go away, this is not becoming a business blog , not yet :D

Anyway, the discussion was about what kind of web 2.0 models would succeed in India.. And Orkut being one of the top ten sites accessed by Indians (according to Alexa), it, alongwith the others in the 'me too' category like yaari, minglebox, desimartini etc became one of the topics of discussion...

And that set me wondering..the succcess of orkut in an american context is not surprising... the absence of a 'real' social network with relatives and family, at least as compared to India, makes it a very interesting concept... but even with the increasing nmbr of da txt drvn generation which is born with a technological silver spoon, and the omnipresent guys who want to do friendships,it seems way too popular to be just a passing fad..

so, if i have to put the too and too together, are we seeing the start of a new generation whose dependency on real life relatives will be much lesser than their dependence on the virtual life.. with second life becoming primary and real life beoming secondary..

until next time, does second life give second chances?

Fourplay

She removed her clothes, one by one; all the while aware he was watching her. Slowly, for she was waiting for him to join her. He didn’t. He thought girls hated being disturbed while washing their dolls; he didn’t like playing with dolls anyway.

The bridegroom had been engaged once before the marriage. The bride had had two affairs before the marriage. At 33, she realised there had been just about enough of foreplay in her life, and hoped that her fairytale wedding would have a wonderful climax.

They were all here, by invitation, and they all wanted to know what this was all about. But they would have to wait a little longer, for there was one more episode to go before all became clear. He was hoping they would wait.

What was that about? It was nothing much, it was just that his blog was celebrating its fourth anniversary, and he thought writing four episodes of forty four words would be a good way to celebrate it. Until next time, how was the fourplay?

Identification Parade

A few moons ago, Prero had a neat post on the five songs she most identified with, and asked us to make our own. And so i did, (though she says i have to make a new list :( )and these were my top 5, and irrespective of what the lyricists had in mind, this is what they mean to me..

High Hopes- Pink Floyd My anthem for perhaps two of the most wonderful years.. everything fits - the grass was greener, the nights of wonder, with friends surrounded... the causeway and the endless river..

Time-Pink Floyd The template of a possible life, and the home town life and the plans could have fitted so well, but perhaps (andthankfully) not.

Telegraph Road-Dire Straits Life, change, and the effects it has, the lyrics somehow capture very well our actions and their consequences.

Cats in the Cradle (Ugly Kid Joe) Almost the same as the one above, except that this one gets more personal and human.

Just before it gets dark - Emmy Lou Harris Perhaps there is a common theme in all the songs - of nostalgia, dreams etc. This one has the added characteristic that it was also featured in one of my favourite shows-Taken.

And so, that was the identification parade. My favourite songs, these and other, also have a lot to do about the time i first heard them, be it during my school, engg college, post grad, first job...and so on. Somehow, they also get associated to my life and times at that point in time, and so every time i hear these songs, its not just the music that gets me, its also those bittersweet bouts of nostalgia..

until next time, maybe life is just a song :)

Beauty with Brain Fry

Saw the movie 'Bheja Fry' last weekend, and had a good laugh over the antics of vinay as bharat bhushan... and to lighten the mood further and have a laugh at D's expense, i started this conversation

Me: Imagine you having a husband like that

D: that leaves little scope for imagination...

until next time, ask and you shall receive :)

The Fast and the Curious

There was a time when ads at the end of music casettes was the only way to listen to future music releases.. times have changed and a deluge of new media has ensured that nothing is kept a secret for long... and in any case, who wants to keep it a secret..

with an audience that lives a fast paced life and devours content as if there's no tomorrow, entities across the board from tv channels and radio stations to newspapers and internet are in a race with each other to get it to the audience first...

and so we have the making of the movie, and if the ex mrs federline had her way, perhaps we might even see the making of the star in future..and maybe a little bit of this impatience and curiosity is rubbing on to our personal lives also - in the way we make and break relationships, and the way we deal with other people.

and in all this, perhaps an important virtue is being lost - it used to be called patience, and is now kept in hiding for fear of contempt.

until next time, quick, comment!! :)

All things nice

Once upon a time, being nice was the way to be. These days, it pays to be nice... Wonder what the financial model will do to the system

until next time, to each his own

Incorrigible

when we walk into the store with a sign that says Flat-Discount-50% and ask to see the flat...

until next time, did that fall flat? :)

Crossroads

I guess there's a connection between the post titled "Conformity" and this one... more or less ends at the samepoint...

at many points in life, in fact at most, if not all points, there are crossroads, and we choose one path based on what we are and what we want to be, at that point of time.. a sort of constant game theory, if you will..the paths might turn out to be good or bad, and some paths also offer a correction mechanism, while some dont...we judge the outcome of the paths based on our sensibilities, and are also affected by the judgements of others.. some among us learn to discard the latter, whether this is an advancement, a sign of maturity is of course arguable.. assuming it is, this would be one level..

while that goes on, theres another level being played, the venue being our minds... for we are after all humans, and with our objective tendencies, try to judge ourselves in comparison to others..

i am wondering which of these levels is tougher to handle... and whether it is posible to build a coccoon which prevents any sort of comaprisons.. or is it forever going to be a battle of finding a balance between the greenery of the grass on the other side and the extent of greenery we allow it to bring on to our faces..

until next time, some grass does make you high...

Whats coming out of the.....

I admit that i prefer Western closets to Indian ones.. Is that racist?

until next time, just some loos talk ;)

Truth or Dare?

What if the biggest show of sympathy

was just to hide the apathy

and what if you looked truth in the eye

and found a bigger lie?

until next time, whats verse? ;)

Conformity

From the time of birth, you are expected to conform - the way you behave, where you learn, what you learn, how you dress, who you are seen with, what you buy and how you use it, what you eat, where you eat it and how you eat it, and so on and so forth...

some of us conform and live our entire life based on the rules that have been already set without our permission...

and then there are some of us, who refuse to walk the trodden path, who refuse to conform to the set standards, and evolve our own... and we behave, eat, learn, mingle, buy and do things exactly the way we like it... and over a period of time become part of a set of others, who we identify with.... until the time we feel that we are conforming...

until next time, i'm a non conformist, is that okay? ;)

Goa

is a state...
of mind... :))))))

until next time, < /vacation >

Crib

Twenty nine years back, they had to buy me one

These days, i make my own :)

until next time, why is no one wishing me ?!

Echoes

2002

Them: Coming for the concert?

Me: Nah,not a Floyd fan

Them: Comfortably Dumb, huh?

2007

He: Finally figured out what Floyd is - Nursery rhymes for adults

Me: Is that a momentary lapse of reason?

He: Nope, the final cut

Me: I'm lost for words

until next time, keep talking :)

A part meant

As part of the hunt for our next residence, D and I have been visiting several apartments in various locations, sometimes even getting ambitious and looking at ones in the vicinity of MG Road, and have had some ridiculous figures thrown at us.

On one such occasion, in a particularly plush place, the conversation went thus

Us: so how much are you expecting to get for this?

He: 65,000 per month

Us: Can we do part payment. As in, do you have an emi option?

Until next time, ghar ghar ki kahani