मेतकूट भात

आज खूप वर्षांनी मेतकूट भात खाल्ला. चव विसरलोच होतो त्याची अगदी.

signing off,

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

Pulp Fiction on Thursday.

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers on Friday.

The Shawshank Redemption on Saturday.

And Hammer of the Gods to read in between.

Update on 12/11: When Harry Met Sally on Sunday. (Unbelievable week, this truly has been for the movie-lover in me.)

signing off,

Cute

She's cute. Very bery cute, has a soft voice and the most expressive eyes. In fact, she's a clear winner for the category - "The cutest woman I've met till now."

And possibly, the one I'll ever meet for the rest of my life.

Happy birthday dear! May all the happiness in the world be yours!

signing off,

Thanks!

A day prior to Thanksgiving, I was confused on the whole Thanksgiving stuff. "Man, when in Rome, you must be like the Romans," my friend declared, "You have been in the US for more than 3 months now and you don't know anything about their festivals? What kind of visitor are you? Ever paid attention to the cultural exchanges that cross-cultural program you took back in the office at Bangalore, spoke about? Would you like someone coming to your home and telling you that they are confused about Christmas? Leave everything aside, yes even keeping up with match scores, google it now and find it out. And once you do it, let me know as well."

The point is misunderstood. Let me rephrase. A day prior to Thanksgiving, I was confused on the whole Thanksgiving shopping stuff. Should I buy anything or not? Let me find out what I need now and what I'd like to have.

I definitely need a camera. I have been drooling over the Canon Digital Rebel XT ever since I received my first salary here. But it is quite expensive and I need some time and some more guts to go for it, especially when "I have arrived in the US just at the right age to save for my home, my marriage, my wife, my car, my kid, my kid's education, my parents' retirement, my own retirement and all seasons of Duck Tales on a DVD collection."

So the camera is out, for now. Next I'd like to have a laptop. But what the hell I'm going to use my laptop for? Blogging, playing music, playing games, reading newsgator, contributing on my employer's intranet forums, free porn, cricket, chatting, tagging music, Yahoo finance and moneycontrol, Outlook web access, downloading music, Imagestation. Is it worth spending my time? Not completely. In case you have not observed in the right hand section on "What I am reading", I have not completed a book that I started reading in September till today. (And because it was due, I had to return it too) I need to devote some more time for reading. And no, by reading, I don't mean just erotic stories. And with a laptop around, it is simply not possible.

So laptop is out, for now, too. Then I definitely need some stuff which I can give as gift to my friends, relatives, if I can get it cheaper in bulk. But what kind of useful stuff I can get at CompUSA or BestBuy or Circuit City where my friends are planning to go to? Would someone like a wireless earphone? What about 1 GB flashdrive? Or a camera maybe? Yeah let's see.

So I was thinking about this stuff on Thursday evening. I had prepared dal rice for me (in case you don't know, my roommate - A - is on three weeks' vacation to India and I am all alone to experiment in my kitchen!) and was just finishing my starters (chips and ketchup), when I received a call from S announcing that they have invited me for the dinner. I hate this. I struggle for an hour for this dal (again the time taken was because it was not my recipe I was trying, but A's) and this idiot calls me after all the hard work is over? I am very much tempted to swear at him and kick his you_know_what. But I am equally tempted by his offer to order Palak Paneer Pizza from Pan-Am and finally accept his suggestion to finish the rice on Friday. And while we are ordering pizza over the phone, we decide to leave for the Tacoma mall very early at 4:30 AM to get in the queue not to miss any good deal. So I am dressed very casually in a capri and sandals. Some last minute wisdom and I wear socks because it is quite cold outside. Then we go out and get the pizzas, go to S's (not the one who called me, the other one) place and devour it. Then, with contented stomach and mind, we start thinking about the next day's shopping list. My wristwatch shows 10:30 PM PST.

We search the sites like bf2005.com and blackfriday.gotadeal.com and come up with our wish list. We divide ourselves in three groups and assign each aforementioned shop to each group. Then our self-proclaimed leader S (the one who called me) addresses us with all the vehemence he can muster after a sumptuous meal about the meaning of being a thanksgiving shopper. The point of picking-anything-we-see-as-a-good-deal-and-dropping-it-in-the-shopping-cart is repeatedly stressed upon us. It is more important, according to S, to do this, as we just have a single cellphone between us. That cellphone at that hour reads 11:15 PM.

Now as we are ready to head for home for a short nap till 4:30 AM when we are decided to leave, I notice that CompUSA opens at 12:00 AM and not at 5:00 AM according to a popular belief that holds in the bedroom. In a sudden found passion, S calls to leave for Tacoma mall whatever state we are currently in. A little bit of arguments over how reliable my information is and a couple of unanswered phone calls to CompUSA later, we are all set to leave. And S assures us that we should be back by around 1, so no need to go to everyone's house to get ready. I wear R's 30" jeans and S wears M's 34". I have a jacket and am wearing socks, so am good for any reasonably cold night out, but S is in his bedroom sleepers. Despite of that, he refuses to wear any shoes. With a bottle of water and few monkey caps, we are all set to go. The car radio shines with bright green letter of 11:45.

We hit I-5 and within 20-25 minutes are in a reach of Tacoma mall exit with emotions ranging from total skepticism to complete optimism. When we enter into the CompUSA premise, we see a not-so-long line outside the store and we are quite happy at our intelligent decision making. Sharp at 12, we are let inside the store and we start raiding whichever rack we see fit attacking. Soon our shopping carts are full to their brims. But while we are enjoying our loot, we don't pay attention to a queue being formed for billing around the store. This is longer than the one outside and we curse ourselves for not getting into it, when we had a chance. But there is no point in cribbing now, so one of us gets in the queue and others continue shopping. After we have picked some more missed items, two of us get in the line and other three go in the car for rest. We keep shuffling the resting population and finally when we are done with the shopping and are out in the car, it is around 2:45 AM.

As per the original plan, we are thinking now to go home, get refreshed a bit, and get the map and driving directions to the South Center mall where Circuit City, Best Buy, Sears and JCPenny are located in one campus. But some of the sane one's argue that they can see Circuit City, Sears and JCPenny at Tacoma mall, sitting right in the car and start debate over whether we should travel 40 mi more to go to South Center mall just for an additional Best Buy. But the tiredness (and lust for few things in Best Buy) is taking over the majority and we decide to listen to it. So we get out of the mall area, start towards I-5. But suddenly S remembers that there is another entry for I-5, which is less congested (For those who are wondering about why we are worried about congestion at 3:00 AM, let me see you in your elements at that hour). So we take a U-turn and head towards the other one. And next thing we see is Best Buy. Now the sane ones take over the tired ones and we confirm on staying the Tacoma mall till 5:00 AM.

Now there are two shops opening at the same time. So we split ourselves in two groups, me, S and S for BestBuy and M and R for Circuit City. We have a single most important advantage over the other group. The car. So we get in the long queue in the freezing night one by one, while other two relax. To add to the shivering temperature, just when S is thanking someone for a clear weather, it starts raining. But luckily, S (the other one) has bought an umbrella (!) at CompUSA (!!) and we make a full use of it. God bless his instincts. We are also served with the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Starbucks coffee by the BestBuy employees. God bless them too. A few hours roll by and at last all the cheap stuff is unleashed before us. At least I feel like a kid in the free candy stores, looking at the sheer volume. We quickly set for the stuff we need and within 10 minutes we have finished filling up the shopping cart. Now as we are wiser with our experience in CompUSA, one of us quickly gets in the line and other continue wandering about in the wonderland. It does not take much and at 5:45 AM, we are out of it.

The other commando unit of R and M has attacked Circuit City well, with a caveat. When we reach, they are awaiting us with a bad news. The thing is that we have purchased 8 Panasonic cordless phones from BestBuy and it was available in Circuit City for $10 less! And before anyone can ask, M worsens the scene with the information that they are sold out and are not taking special orders. But still we venture into Circuit City and leech out whatever we deem fit for ourselves. The Circuit City billing counter is the worst we have seen in last 6 hrs, and it is almost 7 AM when we are finished with everything and head back to the car.

We are really hungry, tired and smelling bad (what would you expect if you don't sleep whole night and don't brush?) by now. So while some of us are thinking of going home and hitting their respective beds, S (the leader) and R think it'd be the best to stay here for 2 more hours, and finish Sears and JCPenny once for all and then go home with the satisfaction of I_got_everything_and_all_you_got_is_sleep. To fuel our further excavation, we purchase 2 dozen of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and after finishing 15 of them, enter Sears while it showers heavily outside.

The shopping at Sears is quite unhappening, at least for me, as I don't usually find the right sized clothes in Men's section and I am ashamed to check out the Boy's section. So I just purchase a Tee and refill my inventory of socks and undergarments. After that me and S are no longer interested in further shopping and we back out to catch up with remaining sleep in the car. R and M join us soon (at about 9:00 AM). After an hour of sleep or so, first R and then I start wondering why the hell hasn't S come back to drive us home. I take up the job to conduct a search for him at Sears and JCPenny. I don't have to trot too much, and find him at Anna's shopping for things like pillows and towels. I too join him for it and after 10 minutes we are back to the car.

Everybody is too eager, at this point to reach home and sleep. But as we reach home, S (the leader) thinks it would be in everybody's best interest to finish off the accounts till it is fresh. The interests are his too many, I guess, since he has paid for the most of the things! But still it is a valid point when we have spent around $1,500 and we crawl our way out of the unromantic numbers by 1:00 PM. After a quick meal of rice-dal, we are all set to part and put an end to the wonderful experience at the Thanksgiving shopping.

signing off,

Update I: After coming home at 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon, I got in the bed and woke up at 11:00 AM next morning. That's 20 hrs straight, barring an hour when I woke up at 1:00 AM to answer a phone from S, drink water and start writing this blog. Should I call guys at Guinness Book of World Records, do you reckon?

Update II: I have not brushed my teeth yet after I brushed on the Thursday morning at the moment of starting this blog. Yuck!

Update III: I have brushed my teeth thrice on Saturday.

सहजच

काही तरी मराठीत लिहावसं वाटलं म्हणून हा सर्व खटाटोप! तर झालं काय, एका मराठी email groupला एक mail लिहील्यानंतर मला आतल्या आत थोडं विचित्र वाटलं.

"रात्री जास्त खाल्ल्यामुळे असेल." माझं खडूस मन, अजून कोण?

"नाही रे बाबा. हा mail वाच."

असंच surf करता करता एक site सापडली. खूप जूनी आणी छान गाणी आहेत इथे. निवांत वेळेत अवश्य़ visit करा.

http://www.aathavanitli-gani.com/

"तुला काहीच चुकीचं वाटत नाही?" – मी.

"तु येडा झालायंस, एवढंच वाटतंय!"

"अबे खजूर ‘तू’ मधला ऊकार दीर्घ आहे, एवढं पण आठवत नाही? तसंच मी पण जूनी आणि आणी हे दोन शब्द चुकवले होते."

"मग?"

"अरे, मग म्हणून काय विचारतोस तोंड वर करून? आपली भाषा आपण नाही नीट लिहीली, तर कोण लिहीणार? तुला काहीच वा़टत नाही?"

"भाऊ, अचानक तुला मराठीचा एवढा पुळका कसा काय?"

अजून तरी याचं उत्तर मला मिळालं नाही.

signing off,

Some Things Never Change

This is my least favorite cliché. People use this phrase anywhere, like their favorite food joints, their favorite newspaper, their favorite bath soaps, their favorite manager (umm, I guess this is a far-fetched one for the most, but imagine yourself being your favorite manager) and so on.

But today I want to use this. About my height, waist and weight. I would be surprised if I grow beyond 5'6" in length or 28" in diameter and 55 kg in specific gravity. It has been same almost 5 years now at these dials. Some things never change. You can take my word for it.

signing off,

Exciting Times Are Ahead!

Tank: Goddamn, I...I gotta tell you, I'm fairly excited to see what you're capable of, if Morpheus is right and all...We're not supposed to talk about this, but if you are...Damn, it's a very exciting time. We got a lot to do, lets get to it..

And so am I excited. For the next office release, whenever it might happen. Just stumbled upon this blog today and boy, it does look good! :-) Especially, "sort by, group by, filter by color" options! I have spent some of my billable time coding for that. Thank god, they realized that it can be someone's need!

Btw, it is not too difficult you see. Like a makeshift code that I wrote, you could insert a dummy column besides the one you want to sort, populate respective cell's colors in the dummy column, sort the dummy column and delete it! I know it is not a very efficient way of coding, but what the heck, it works and I don't have to spend a penny to purchase any add-in!

signing off,

These Days

Imagine the look on the face of a cat that just has devoured a full can of cream all by herself. Add 9 to it and multiply by 29. That might give you faint idea of the kind of look on my face right now.

That is because I just have acquired this - - beauty. I think I am in love! :-) (Photo taken by my friend with his Olympus C765)

And the title is tribute to a wonderful album by Bon Jovi, which has some gems like These Days, My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arm, Bitter Wine, All I Want Is Everything, Hey God, Something for the Pain and Damned. An album for solitude, I call it. And I am lucky that I found this album after so long! Damn, How I miss my cassette collection in Bangalore! :-(

signing off,

The Wait ...

On some days, someone has to wait.

They have no choice, but to wait.

But if one has willfully selected that option to wait,

And despite knowing that, if that someone cannot wait,

Then that someone should have chosen premium shipping option to avoid wait.

:-) Can't just wait till Friday.

signing off,

The Technology and My Imaginations

Imagine this. You have gone places, have taken a lots of beautiful photos with your flashy digital cameras and have come back home gleaming. Isn't it fun? :-)

That unfortunately, my friend, is where the fun ends. You'd agree to this, especially if you have tried to sort out all those photos in your 256 MB card. The digital camera is a useful tool for the ease of use and cost per photo stats. But when it comes to sorting out those humongous pile of photos, you are left really helpless.

You know what I'd like to want? I'd like to have a camera, to which, after taking this picture-

- , I tell, "The Wizard Island" and it will store that picture with that name. Similarly for following pictures.

Crater Lake:

Lake - from Lodge place

A mountain and it's reflection in the Diamond Lake

On the road

A peak from the boat in Diamond lake

The lemon rice, which I did not prepare.

And to avoid overwriting, it can append these names with a number, which keeps auto-incrementing. And to recognize my voice, it can have some sort of voice recognition software installed on the PC, the training data of which can be transferred to the camera through USB.

Now what is the phone number of Canon's R&D dept?

signing off,

How Not to Make Aloo Paratha

I learned it the hard way today. Even though we did manage to finish 3 parathas each, and my roommate did say, "ok", I got to admit they were pathetic. Here are some pointers that all you bachelor boys can pick from me and avoid the obvious embarassment. You got to make sure that -

1. You drain out the boiled potatos completely before smashing them. Don't let the batter be wet. If it is loose, you could add rice flour/corn flour to it. I did not have any of these, so I added wheat flour. The result was not too bad, but it was not too good too. Ever heard of prevention being better than cure?

2. You don't put too much garlic or too much onion in the batter. If it is too much, then you'll have to add bit more potato. If you do that, you'll have to keep the batter for the next day to make aloo wada. :-)

3. While rolling, don't use excessive flour on the dough. If you do, please wipe the extra flour off it before putting the paratha on the pan. But use a bit more oil. That way it would become soft and not papad-like.

But here are few good things I did -

1. Grate your onion and garlic in a mixer, instead of chopping with a knife. That way it would become a smooth mixture and the sharp edges of cut onions will not cut through your paratha while rolling. And just the right quantity of onion does make parathas delicious, unlike my sister's thinking who screamed through the phone - "Who puts onion in aloo paratha?"

That's it? Just one good thing? Yeah I told you it was pathetic. I'll try to be good next time. That is if next time my roomie allows me to do it :-)

signing off,

A Death Prediction

This is amusing.

So this man predicts his own death. And these leading news channels believe it. And they air him for straight 7 hrs.

Tch. Tch. Tch. I keep missing these comedy shows.

Btw, if you don't know, I have predicted my own death long ago. I am going to die in the first half of this century. Now should I contact ABC or CNN?

signing off,

Tired

I am tired. That is mainly because of lack of proper sleep on weekends. Now if you don't know what proper sleep is, try to call me on weekends at 12 in noon. If I answer in first 3 rings, please conclude that I am not getting proper sleep. :-)

But last two weekends have been quite hectic. We drove to Crater Lake for the weekend of 9th. Then I went to LA to meet my friend on next weekend (of 16th). And if you want to crunch most of the things like I did in those two days, you'd be tired no doubt. Unless you happen to be sleeping in your cubicle in weekdays. I could have done that, but my manager sits very close to me and he might come investigating if he hears me snoring.

signing off,

Revolution

To my naive mind, it seemed, a revolution was at hand. But suddenly something happened ...

[...]

I learnt something that day. What, I am still to decipher.

-Siddharth in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. [don't recollect the entire/exact dialogue. Will be glad if someone has it]

That is how I am feeling right now after, well, 10/10. Are we really making our opinions quite prematurely too?

Talking of revolution, we did take a revolution last weekend around the Crater Lake in OR. That was a ultimate experience! Some writeup on that soon. Till then, have a look at this pic. And no, it is not a wallpaper downloaded from national geographic. It is the snap one of us has taken :-)

signing off,

Rok Sako to Rok Lo or What?

Some happenings close to home:

1. There is a management institute called IIPM
2. JAM magazine does a fact research about the IIPM's tall claims: jammag.com
3. A blogger, Gaurav Sabnis, backs it: fraud-that-is-iipm.html
4. Gaurav gets a legal notice from the IIPM: im-disconnecting-my-cable-connection.html
5. JAM mag editor, Rashmi Bansal, defends: lies-damned-lies-and-fake-blogs.html and she is spammed with, rather uncivilized, comments from so called IIPM students and alumni.
6. Because of some very bizarre threats to Gaurav's employer, IBM, from IIPM, he calls it quit by his own choice: update.html
7. Desipundit and another bloggers condemn the act: lies-damned-lies-and-fake-blogs/

It might seem to some, that money can buy you everything. But it cannot ever buy you self esteem. Not definitely after what those guys have resorted to with the fake bloggers and ridiculous acts. Even if IIPM were at par with other institutes as they have claimed, in this situation it looks like they will have to try real hard to get back the credibility, if at all there was one.

And in case someone is reading this, these views are entirely my own and nothing to do with my employer, girl-friend, parents, goldfish, laptop or bicycle.

signing off,

Time Machine

There are different theories on what a time machine is and what would it look like if incepted. If you ask me, the time machine just looks like a small, circular and translucent plastic disk which you can play on either a CD player or your computer. For there is nothing like a song that takes me back in memory lanes.

Just the other day something made me rethink on this. I was listening to Kannathil Muthamittal's title song performed by Chinmayee. For those who don't know, it is one of the brilliant albums by A R Rahman for a very sensitive movie by Mani sir. This song always takes me back to a seat no 7 of the II AC compartment of Bangalore-Chennai Madras mail. It has been almost 3½ years to that journey, now that I think about it, but still it is as vivid as if I had been sitting on that window seat restlessly at 1 AM listening to this song again and again and again just yesterday night. And I did not stop until my third set of batteries were drained out of charge.

And who can forget Dil Deewana from movie Maine Pyar Kiya? I guess I should have been fifth standard when that song was a rage. And when I used to return from school, almost without fail our murphy radio used to play this song. Just as 7:05 Marathi news was an indicator for us to start for the school (and 7:15 news would mean we are too late!), this Lata Mangeshkar classic turned out to be my personal benchmark for something breezy, not just because of it's warming lyrics, but more so because of it's association with the closure of those excruciating school hours.

Then there is Bin Tere Sanam by Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamoorthy. It takes me to my cubicle in Bangalore office where I spent days searching for that song online (trying different loopholes in the system which did not allow downloading songs) just because I needed it for someone. But those efforts were all worth it considering that lovely song. That did teach me a thing or two about bending the rules! :-)

Another song is a Marathi song. It goes like "Hiravya hiravya rangachee jhade ghanadaT, Sang _____ (not sure what this word is) disto kasa khandyaLyacho ghaat!" I dunno which movie is that one from, but whenever I think about it, even though that song, as far as I remember, is picturized in a train, a premier 118 NE rushing madly on winding downhill roads comes to my mind. Now I think, this transformation in transports might have been because when our tv's speakers were not working, we used to watch the movies while playing cassettes our new Sony 2 in 1 and this might have one of those unfortunate fusion moments.

Of course, another worth mentioning item (pun not intended) is, Thanda Thanda Panee by Baba Sehgal, which was my first stage appearance (as a part of chorus, mind you) in my school days. Yeah, yeah, I know, don't give me that look. Things do happen at that age!

signing off,

Tools

Ability to use a tool is so important these days. Even gorillas are feeling the heat. :-)

Their manager would be happy with this month's metrics.

Link courtesy Amit Varma.

signing off,

Gladiator

They are showing Gladiator on tbs this Friday. Now tbs network is famous for comedies. Like Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Sex and the City, Seinfeld and the list goes on. But Gladiator is not a comedy movie, you'd argue. No sir, it ain't so even for tbs. But the way they are showing the promos is quite funny! They initially show some gladiators fighting soldiers and animals and then camera zooms on Russel Crowe while narrator says, "If your parents named you Maximus Decimus Meridius, you'd be a little ticked off too!" Then da da da da and finally Maximus says "I'll have my vengeance!"

Considering your situation, had Crowe been wearing Elvis dress it would have been very funny, but still it is pretty darn funny. Go, nku, have yourself a laugh. Not that loud though!

signing off,

J-Tagged

My friend the man himself, has tagged me recently. Surrounded by various asset management teams these days, I mistook that for a J-Tag. Now for those who don't know a J-Tag, you can drop me a mail for an elaborate answer. I don't want to waste my blog space in work related stuff.

So coming back to the tagging business. I have been blogging for a year now so I know quite many things about tags. I also know that I should not blurt out the truth while responding to tags. But for my dear readers which include many respectable names, I resist that temptation and here are the answers, in all random order (but if you do intermittently feel some tensile force on your lower appendages, I am pulling your leg):

5 bands I know all the words to: Blame my ears. They cannot even decipher Bappi Lahiri's clearly uttered words. How can you expect them to know anything else? But after using googleing with some of the randomly heard words and patching other missing sentences, I can say I know quite many words of Backstreet's Boys and Britney Spears. If only I knew that they were bad singers before investing so much time in this ... tch tch tch

5 places I'd run away to: Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, Balcony and Terrace. In short home. On more serious note, given a choice I'd run to Goa (with all vj people), Munnar, Mumbai, any riverbank to walk upon and any seashore.

5 favorite tv shows: Man, now you are asking good questions. I love Takeshi's Castle with Javed Jafferey's commentary on Pogo tv. Also it's grandpa version which used to air on DD metro in Fun Time (I forgot its name!). Malgudi Days to copy from the tagger. Giant Robot was quite cool. Everybody Loves Raymond is nice too. For Debra especially :-) And Shaanti. The original soap opera the episodes of which, I still remember, we used to discuss in school!

5 years ago: I was on a high. Don't misunderstand. Not on high heels. But you know that time in third year engineering when everything till now has gone your way, you have good grades, good rapport, good job in hand (though job in software was something nagging me - which I have now settled in :-)). And probably I could not have expected the shocks which just came in few months after. But overall, good times.

5 snacks: I am not a food buff, I have realized these days. If you eat samosa with gajar sabji as filling and panipuri with peanuts, you'd not blame me for not being so. But old habits die hard. I truly like kanda pohe with good tea, idli (preferably from Krishna Cafe) with good coffee (from same place), Parle G with good tea, vada pav with mirchi & with good tea. For those who don't understand kanda pohe, it is avalakki bath for Bangalore and poha for northies. Dunno about other regions too well. And vada pav is aloo bonda + bun (with pun).

5 favorite toys: My mobile phone was closest to me. It was Nokia 8210 model, with no frills attached. But man I used to love it. Right now it is with my friend thousands of miles away. I miss you buddy. Next in line is tv remote. I love switching channels and trying to figure out the program/advertisement/song or whatever the idiot box is showing in 1.38 s interval in between. Next I used to like my walkman while I used to listen to my cassettes. I still remember I used to go everywhere with my walkman on and people used to laugh at me. But I never cared, or in fact I could not have cared while listening to music. Then I like my earphones. I cannot imagine myself without them any time of day. Even now I have them on! Last but not the least, I like rolling pin and knives. To make rotis that is.

5 things I'd never wear in public: My birthday suit. Orange trousers. Fluorescent green shirts. Kilt. Poncho. Why was that question asked? I'd never know.

One year ago: Everything was 5 till now. Suddenly it has come down to one. My mind wonders why. But you should not ask why here. So one year ago. I guess I was preparing for two upcoming birthdays, first and ninth. I remember, on first birthday the birthday boy treated us in Amoeba bowling alley and then lunch at Angeethi's. Also it was kind of a year ago that I started out this blog. So I'd have been busy writing, deleting, adding, correcting, typing, erasing, improvising, clipping and stuff.

5 things I'd do with $100 million: I'd get myself a home in good enough locality, get myself a tv, computer, broadband internet, good cable connection, dvd player, some hollywood+bollywood movies, good snacks (which I mentioned above), a couch. And then I'd go out for a stroll.

Yesterday: I started writing this blog.

5 greatest joys: Sleeping is quite a joy. Not many people admire it. But even better joy, to copy from some forward, is waking up at some insane hour at 7:00 AM and finding out that you can sleep for 15 more minutes! Bliss! I love walking too. Without any destination, just set out for some direction and keep walking. Especially with friends. Being with friend has brought some of the happiest moments for me. Then as I have realized recently, I love giving surprises. To myself. And then I love watching people smile. That's a recent development.

Ten years ago: I guess I was in 11th standard. Being a nerd. Trying to figure out how the hell can I understand those JEE problems.

What is this blog about? May be you will be able to tell me better. Especially after reading all this.

I refuse to pass on the tag. Because of my policy on forwards. :-) Didn't you read word Nerd somewhere?

signing off,

Nightmare for a Data Anlayst

When you want to write a macro to combine all the data in 105 different Excel spreadsheet, you name it Sub MergeData(). What if it behaves like its fiendish friend Submerge Data()?

I need some sleep :-)

signing off,

Why Limit Yourself?

They say I have got to finish the story in 55 words. By the way, how many lines can you write in 55 words? 4? 5? How can I write a story in just 4 lines? I need more space. Why should I stop at 55? Are they going to... HEY!! Don’t snatch my pen! (55 words)

Come to think of it, I can try.

She sensed it first. Today he was not the person she remembered so well. Outspoken. Jovial. “What’s the matter?” she asked him kindly, thinking excitedly, “Don’t I really know that?”
“Listen, I’ve got to tell you something.”
“Go on.”
“You sure?”
“Hmm.” Mummy, here it comes!
“Tanu, there’s a cockroach on your dress.”
“Ye… Noooooooo!!!!” (55 words)

signing off,

Let the Game Win

Though I am saying this, I don't want the game to win. Let it rain for one more day and we would have a new Ashes champions. If Australia manage to get past 450 in first innings and they have three-four sessions to have a go at English batting line, I predict they're going to win. But just for the way England have played this whole summer, I want them to win. And don't forget they are without Jones, who I daresay would not have allowed Australia to reach so far. Let me clear that I am not against Aussies. They have deserved to win on so many occasions. But this time they remind me of the Indian side which hosted Aussies sometime in 2003. Both India then and Aussies today have underestimated their opponents. And almost all software professionals today will vouch for their disastrous lives after underestimation.

Just a half day of drizzle would be sufficient, God. In case you are wondering where to get the water from, just cut down on some showers in Mumbai. Now, wouldn't that be a win-win situation? :-)

signing off,

Dreams

Ever since I became a programmer (don't fret, it ain't nothing bad!), I had a small dream, of visiting Microsoft, some way or other. Thanks to my friend in Redmond who is working for MS, it came true this long weekend. It was indeed memorable, not exactly as I'd have liked, but for our visits to the two floors in a building - fifth and fourth.

For a moment when C, my friend, after exiting 405 (or it might have been 520, as it is, I am bad at road names, so don't expect anything better in road numbers) drove me towards some deserted streets I thought he was taking me his home. Then he crossed a signal and took right turn and said, this is Microsoft. I was not obviously prepared for this! Man I was at Microsoft office! Then he drove me to his office, showed things around and we went home. Nothing memorable in this, if you are thinking what bakwaas nku is writing.

Then we went to an Indian restaurant - Kanishka, to have some good food. C's friend V, who was with us for dinner, offered us invitation to play. I agreed and we decided to meet at the office again. Me n C left for office after some more loitering. It was a clear night for playing too, I thought. We entered the building and realized C did not know where to go. He took a gamble and set for fifth floor remembering someone had mentioned number 5 sometime. The fifth floor was obviously the wrong one. The first look told us that. But he said let me show you around. And while we roamed there, the big brother somewhere had noticed us. Because suddenly a security guard sprang from nowhere and asked us our IDs. I did not have any of course. So he took down my name from my debit card. And ordered us to leave. While leaving it occurred to C that all the security was because their biggest boss must sit on the fifth floor!! To think of it, I was so close to catch just a glimpse of his office! I cursed my luck for ruining the chance. But at least his floor, nonetheless, I consoled myself!

Now we go to the fourth floor which is our destined place. And here it is. The second dream (for a gaming addict like me) come true in a single night. The XBox! Too much I say! It has a big 42" screen TV attached to it and I can actually play with joysticks, which I have not done since we broke our Nintendo after playing games like Tournament Fighter and Aladin and Nemo during school days. We don't play as much here, because we have to go out tomorrow morning at 10 and it is already 11:30 PM. We just have a dash at Halo 2 and leave the place.

For the 3 days leave I had, I could have gone anywhere in US if I had planned a little bit more. But only for these two hours or so, I am happy I chose Redmond!

signing off,

A True Man

I don't always boast about my memory, but usually I remember almost all birthdays. My boisterous and sarcastic self is prompt in making me realize that I usually remember birthdays if the person happens to be a girl. Ignore that taunt. But today I almost forgot a birthday. So here is my message to the birthday boy.

It was exactly a year ago when sitting cosily in my office chair wondering about my future project (I had just finished then current assignment - or someone else had taken over, I don't exactly remember), I suddenly remembered about my blog. It is a fact that I had started blogging much before than that, on rediffblogs (I don't even remember the url!), but without any considerable progress. Then I had tried blurty too. But I didn't like it too much. Trying to give up on blogs, life was dull, somber and totally un-happening. Then I tried blogger and I kinda liked it. So I continued with it. And here we are after a year together, when my blog says, "Well, we haven't fared that bad, have we?" and my sarcastic self does not agree.

Coming back to the title, it is not me who I am portraying as a true man for forgetting a birthday, but it is my blog, for kicking my south end and telling me that it is his birthday. No woman can do that, believe me. And I am not likely to forget this again. Why did it have to be ghatotkatch?

signing off,

My Latest Crush ...

.. is Debra. Man, isn't she gorgeous! Everybody might be loving Raymond, but I sure hate him.

signing off,

What Did I Do?

Damn that fate. It's second year in running that I will not be home for Ganesh Chaturthi. What did I do to deserve this Ganapati bappa?

Looks like I am not the only one away from home this year though. Not counting that lucky #$%$#& Invinci. My sis will not be home for the first year for Ganesh Chaturthi, when she's enjoying in London with her hubby. My sis-in-law is out to her parent's place for some time now too, for some special reasons this time. Looks like my uncle, aunt, elder uncle, elder aunt, dada, didi n of course mom dad are the only one out there for the puja. Not exactly the full house I'd say!

I said this last year, I am saying it again. I am missing all the fun out there. I'll definitely try to be there next year. Let me be there next year. (nku falls on his already paining knees and says) Plueeezzz!!

signing off,

Irony? Nay!!

You know what was the first thing that I did when I arrived in US on last Sunday? Apart from stepping out of the Boing 777, coming out of airport, booking a cab, arriving at Federal Way at around 12 PM, finding that the hotel cannot let me in before 3 PM, because they don't have the vacancies, dumping my luggage at the reception, going out for quick bite, having a foot long Sub-Way sandwich and a large Pepsi, coming back to find my manager waiting at the hotel to pick me up and take me to his home for lunch?

Well, I watched Swades at his house. Yep. The same Shahrukh Khan movie in which he quits his lucrative job in US and goes back to India.

Shame, isn't it? :D

signing off,

4 Flights and a Blog

Initially the plan was to write something or anything I can from each of the airport I visit. But then you must have heard what happened to the girl who went to shop and did not take her pet chimpanzee along with. (Of course you haven't heard of her and there is no connection whatsoever between these two incidents.)

So first I am on the way to the Bangalore airport. I am in good mood too, because I am very much ahead of schedule (my flight is at 1700 and my cell phone shows time 1430). Though I cannot deny that I am somewhat anxious thinking of what lines would best describe my current feelings. Save some taunting from my eternally sarcastic friend Dis, that those feelings being more about my latest crush (she's not my crush ok!) than the flight I am about to take, I am on top of the world. I am dragged to the reality when I am informed that my Indian Airlines flight is cancelled and I am being put in the next flight to Mumbai at 2015 or something. Of course it is a bad news and it puts anything related to blogging out of my mind. The travel consultant from my office calls me saying he has blocked a ticket on some other airlines which leaves at 1800. It is more bad news because that would mean that I wouldn't have much time in Mumbai to meet everyone who is coming despite of rains and weak health to see me off. But as they say, I don't have much of choice. After I get my boarding pass, I think to jot down something on my notebook so that I can copy paste that stuff at next airport, but my pen is out of ink and my notepad is "checked in".

At Mumbai airport the scenes aren't much better. We have reached the international airport at about 2025. My parents, uncles and few friends are waiting for me outside the airport. I told them to wait till I check in my stuff and come back. I am sure it won't take much time. And sure enough when I complete the procedures for check in and get the boarding pass from the beautiful Thai Airways attendant, the big information screen is showing time 2100. Now I am informed that I cannot go out of the airport building when I have completed check in. I have almost started to curse them, when I see my family coming up at the visitor's lounge. So for next half an hour or so I am with them, discussing my itinerary and my possible reaching time. When it is almost 2130, I leave them for immigration and customs clearance. I complete that and search for any machine remotely resembling computer with internet access. There is no trace of it. Now, did I really expect one to find there?

The clock near the transfer counter at the Bangkok international airport reads close to 0500. It tells me that I have almost 2 hours before my next flight. But now I am in a different country and the procedures at the check-in take longer and longer. Sir, can I have your passport please? To which country are you traveling? Have you traveled before this? Do you want window seat or aisle? This is the only question she does not ask and offers seats 64B and 30B for my next two flights. I am not in any mood to argue and get the window seats at this hour of the day. I ask the lady about possibility of checking emails at the terminal. Yes sir. We do have computers with internet facilities. Do you have .... Some words pass me without any recognition. That might have been because I was bit sleepy I think. So keeping a blank face, I ask: Can you please repeat that? Thailand Currency Sir, do you have it? I obviously don't have it. Before telling anything, she says but it will accept only Thailand Currencies. I say, great. Now I need to find some money exchange counter over this very long terminal and I have to catch the flight too. "Forget about blogging now", my realistic mind tells my overtly romantic one. "You are not going to forget about this experience very soon. You can write your blog in the next country." "Yes Sir. Done."

I am very much tired now. The initial curiosity about long distance flights is wearing off. And the inevitable jadedness is coming into me. But I am reminded on my task. This is the last but one stop, I tell myself. South pole or bust. So I approach the pretty lady at the information desk at Tokyo's Narita Airport with some sense of determination. But as I do so, I realize that the time there is almost 1600. So back in India it would have been 1230. So instead of asking her about the internet kiosk, I ask her about placing an international call. As per her suggestion, I decide to purchase a calling card which would possibly help me calling up a few more numbers. (and no Dis, it ain't her number.) The lady declares that in any case the nearby shops would not accept any currency other than Yen and if I have to purchase in USD, I will have to walk to Terminal 2 where all the duty free shops are located. "It's just 10 min walk, Sir." By now sleep has receded off my eyes and I feel suddenly fresh. I start the journey towards Terminal 2. After some 1.5 km walk, I find the money exchange counter. I purchase Yens for $5 and go to the calling card vending machine. The machine has only 3 calling cards varieties, with minimum being ¥1000. Now with ¥544, purchasing calling card is out of question. And I am too tired to go back all the way to money exchange counter. So I decide to call up using payphone. I can only talk for 2 min for ¥500. But nevertheless I feel happy to have at least spoken with them. In that state of hysteria, I forget all about internet enabled computer. It is when I reach the gate 33 to board my flight, I see a computer. I still have some time before 1710, so I decide to give it a shot. But unfortunately, I only have ¥44 left and the computer is asking me for at least ¥250 for 10 min. It is not your fate to write a blog today, I tell myself in rather resigned mood. But there is one more city left, and you can do it there. Thanks for reminding, I say, and board the flight.

After finishing the breakfast at about 1010 in the flight, the pilot declares our arrival at Tacoma airport of Seattle. I am already ready with all the things I can do for the immigration interview. I have read and re-read all the information I have filled in I-94, I check and re-check my passport, visa and things like that. I keep checking stuff for about 3 min. The actual interview takes less time than that. The officer, surprisingly, does not ask me anything of much importance. Just a few casual questions and I am off for customs. Now UA876 is a Boing 777 flight and there are lot of people on it. Multiply it by two and you have number of luggage bags that are rolling on the conveyor belt before me. This is my first long term trip outside India (come to think of it, first trip outside India), so good thing is that I have all new bags purchased specifically for it. But bad thing is that I am not very much accustomed to those yet. I have also not placed my name and address on any of them because I am told they will not last for these many hours the way the airlines crew handle the bags. So while I keep recollecting the color of the bags and their makes, they pass me twice. Finally when there are only a few people left at the luggage claim, I get those bags and proceed to the customs. It doesn't take more time than immigration either and I enter the United States of America.

signi.....

Hey, wait wait wait. What happened to the blog you were supposed to write? You could have easily done it at the Tacoma airport! You had American currency, you had all the time you could spend, and what not!

Yes sire. This is the same blog I started writing at the Tacoma airport. But because I was not feeling energetic there, I just logged on to my blogger account, created new blog, logged off and left for Federal Way. It is only now when I could complete and clear it for release. Thanks for reading!

signing off,

How Could She Kill Him!!

How could JKR have killed such an important character in the Half Blood Prince? I mean he was not such an important character in many of the previous books, but I am sure in the 7th book that would have made a surprise element and imagine reading through an interesting duel between Voldemort and him. Of course Voldemort would have killed him anyway then, but just imagine what plot that could have brewed. She has lost an immense opportunity for herself I'd say.

But at least I am happy for Ron - he need not be afraid again of him, and for his sons and daughters - at least they can eat whatever and indeed whoever they want now. I hope one of them succeeds in eating Percy. Or maybe some death eater if they can take a bit of Felix Felicis. Or maybe even Harry Potter or Voldemort if they gulp the entire bottle.

signing off,

Don't You Just Hate Yourself ...

... when you know that you have been cheated, and moreover you know that you could very well have avoided that if it wan't for the utter carelessness from your part. That's what happened to me over the weekend.

I go to fill some gas in my bike, ok. There are two guys at the filling station, one with the cash and other with nozzle. The one with cash distracts me. Now I know he's doing that, because he's too obvious. But I don't care to look at the starting zero. And yes, the other guy hasn't reset it to zero. He starts from 50 and I get only 50 bucks worth. I realize it immediately when I start my bike. But the guy says (I know why he is smirking) that he has filled in whatever I paid for and I should get the fuel indicator checked. The vehicles behind me are honking now and because I have to rush for other appointment, I don't argue much. Just cursing myself I leave it.

I can't, can't, can't and just can't forgive myself for such stupidity. Maybe the world isn't fair enough to assume things. Or maybe I was being too thick.

signing off,

Abe Chirkut Harry Potter ...

nku bhai: Just to remind you that I have preordered your new book and you better hope that it stands upto my expectations. If not, I hope you have a good insurance.
Harry Potter: Why?
nku bhai: Have you heard of one Mr Salman Khan lately? He is apun ka gaonwala.

Ok, jokes apart, I am as anxious as you for the Half Blood Prince. I hope the website delivers me the first copy on the same day.

And as long as I am dreaming, I would like a pony.

signing off,

Fights 12 Teeth

"Fights 12 teeth and gums problem", reads a carton of a toothpaste on one of the shelf in Food World.

"What about other teeth I have?", my friend's complaint.

You tell me, how do I explain this to him?

signing off,

Pointerboy?

If this lady can be a datagridgirl, then why can't I be a pointerboy?

Notwithstanding the fact that, the amount of stuff I know about the pointers might be same as the amount of stuff this datagridgirl does not know about the datagrid.

signing off,

Hobbes

Albeit the weather out here is awesome and it is quite luring you to get on the roads, the actual experience once you get there is a letdown. That's what happens everytime I take my bike out and travel approximately 20 km to my office in all dust, smoke, exhaust, noise and utter chaos.

My friend dis here has a solution to all this. He says, why go 'out' in the first place? He is more like Hobbes, you see. At least like this Hobbes: {click to enlarge}

signing off,

PJ of the Afternoon

Q: Why are Indian husbands "Silver" while their European and American counterparts "Gold"?

A: Because of their wives.

E: Indian wives call their husbands "Aey jee", while European and American wives call thier husbands "Hey (h silent) you".

PS: If you still don't get it, imagine you are a wife (I said just imagine) and call out your husband as explained above. Still no? Recollect your periodic chart then. Now if don't know what is that, then I am sorry, can't help you.

signing off,

Me

Take a look at the picture in the right hand side frame in the 'About Me' section. Can you see it? Good. That means your vision is not affected.

If you enlarge it, you may find me lying there nearby a boy and wondering why on earth someone would want to take his snap.

- The Rock, December 2002.

Prologue (from nku): The text above is a part of the very short autobiography of the rock on the Viewpoint (as it is called in those circles) which is on the way to Munnar, Kerala; as told to the boy in the picture. Complete book is ready now, but no one is keen on publishing it (reading the lines above, I have little doubts as to why). So he contacts me because he has heard that I am a rock fan. So I allow him to write something here.

Epilogue: I give this guy the publicity amongst my 2 readers for which he waited almost 3 years and he is wondering about my photos? Genuine admee ki kuchh value hi nahi hai yaha pe!

signing off,

Some Enlightenments to Make Your Day

* Courtesy few of the fellow countrymen, who were having lunch at the same table as mine, obviously unaware of the fact that I was eavesdropping their discussion, albeit quite boring. Whenever I was not watching the girls around, I was able to catch these thoughts (if they don't make any sense, you know whom to blame):

... How does my productivity is going to be affected, boss? Things will not change for me if even a cat or a dog is made the CEO.
... Outsourcing is really much more than what you think, boss. In 2002, a threat by some European company, that because of the almost warlike situation in South Asia, they would like to cancel their outsourcing contracts to Indian BPOs, saw the government of India taking a decision of not declaring a war against Pakistan.
... You know these contractors have to pay the bribes in lakhs to get a place near Railway station which would earn them decent profit. If they set up their shops far away, they are doomed. So everyone is fighting for a good place. That is an onsite for them. Every job has an onsite boss.

Damn there weren't enough girls around to keep me distracted all along.

signing off,

Driver

You know I am completely out of my mind when I search for the driver for my SanDisk Cruzer Mini for Windows 98, and copy it on the SanDisk to install on the Windows 98 machine.

signing off,

Life

Having lost someone I didn't even know, because of none his faults, is a strange feeling. There was an accident yesterday night involving a mechanical failure of one of our company shuttles while heading home, which resulted in the shuttle falling into a ditch on Hosur Road which proved fatal to one of it's travellers and inflicting injury to many others. Looks like, contrary to usual belief, it was none of the driver's fault, save he could have got the tyres checked up regularly.

What pains me was the fact that other shuttles en route to the same destination, did not even stop or slow down to help those victims. They all seemed in a hurry to reach somewhere.

That brings me to the question I was discussing with dis just day before yesterday while heading home. Why are we in such a hurry? Why is each one of us is heading at their unknown destinations with such breakneck pace that one does not even have a time to stop by? Not even to help someone - In this case that someone could have been his project mate, someone sitting next to you for more than half a day, someone who you share your lunch with, someone who stands by each time your code does not work! I frankly donot know. And I am sure not many from those zooming shuttles knew this anyways.

signing off,

Of 7K, Michelin and a Setback

Rejoice boy, you should. Sensex has crossed 7000 for the first time in the history, before slipping back a bit, thanks to the end of Reliance saga. Look forward to some interesting situations in near future, you can. But careful, you will be. Unknown territories lie ahead now.

---

I did not watch Sunday's GP and neither was updating myself through any news channels (This is the drawback of not having a tv at home). So I knew about the fiasco that ran large at Indianapolis just today. Michelin's request to change the track on Sunday was ridiculous, I think. They should have anticipated the problem well ahead. It's not the first time a F1 race is being held at that track, so everyone concerned should have been familiar with the conditions there. Or so I thought. Their request seemed similar to say that the pitch does not suit our batsman/bowlers, change it. It doesn't happen that way dudes (on the second thoughts, it might, if your name happens to be WG!). It's just not cricket buddy.

---

And talking about cricket, Ponting must be wondering what possibly is going wrong with their team that they have been beaten in both of their opening matches. It is the defeat against Bangladesh would sear their ego much more. Though they are looking unperturbed outside, this serves them as an alarm that they are not invincible. It's good for the remaining one day series and the Ashes ahead. I hope the English are able to give them a good run for their money. For a fan's interest at least.

signing off,

Mumbai's Forum and Woh Lamhe

There goes a saying amongst we Bangalorians (as of last month this entity had two + two members. Now it is reduced by one) that we don't decide where to meet, but just when to. Because the answer to the question "Where to" always turns out to be the Forum!

I miss other locations in Bangalore. For ages I haven't been to MG n Brigade road to chill out. I haven't been to Innovative after 'Ab Tak Chhappan' last year. I haven't been to places like Indira Nagar, Majestic, Malleshwaram except only in emergencies. I trust that places like KR Puram or Cox Town or Chamrajpet (I still don't know how is this name pronounced) exist in Bangalore just because I hear and read these names in everyday's newspapers and Radio City. I can neither tell ....

Yes I know, I know that I have got carried away a bit. Back on track. The reason why I started this post was because of the meet me n my college friends had in Mumbai last weekend. And as usual it was at R-Mall in Mulund. We have been part of this R-Mall gathering once too often now! It's high time that someone opens a mall at any other available station .. come to think of it, not at Chinchpokli please!

That reminded me of quite a few meets of my college friends I have been part of since I left Mumbai in 2002. First one was at Bandstand in Bandra in May 2002. Not a single one from those assembled can forget this meet (the reason cannot be stated here, because this is a family blog). Next one was in Thane December 2002 when one of our friend had returned from US for his wedding (220V AC shock it was to all of us). Next one I don't quite recollect, but I think it was sometime in April 2003 at R Mall (remember photo with Ronald?). Next to this was in September 2003 in Thane when I had gone to my friend's house for Ganapati festival. Next to this definitely was in April 2004 in Pune at Coffee Day on J.M. Road and then at R Mall in Mumbai. Next in October 2004 in Mumbai at our college (with a royal tang by many ppl). And then in June 2005 in Forum oops at R Mall.

Sigh. Woh Lamhe!

---

That takes me to a special mention to my song of the moment. I know it's quite an old song now and you must have heard how nice song that is for hundreds of times. But still. There are two versions on the CD. Looks like it is an 'in thing' these days to remix your song yourself, before someone else takes credit for it. And while this remix is well done, I like the original much much better. The fast remix beats do not at all justify the song's quite haunting piece of lyrics by Saeed Quadri. The opening strings alone are enough to get you lost in it's beauty. Do listen it in the silence of a chilly night like I did yesterday and you will know what I mean.

signing off,

A Few Stray Thoughts

After much of intro and retro spections over last two-three weeks of vacation time, I am pretty convinced that,

* Air Deccan is not the best no-frill airline. I have to try something else next time.

* Not all Bangalore autowallas are bad.

* Marriage is not the place to enjoy food. Sometime you may get hit hard!

* Not all Mumbai autowallas are good.

* Central railway is losing it; esp on Sundays. Their megablocks are P.i.t.A.

* So are cyber cafes in Kurla. You know this when you find them using Windows 98 with Internet Explorer 4.5, without any other browser. And here was me carrying my pen-drive everywhere.

* And so is Aishwarya Rai. Just see her in BnB. Tch. Tch.

* Staying without tv is not difficult. But I missed Canadian GP.

* The songs 'Dhadak Dhadak' and 'Bunty aur Babli' from BnB are too good.

* I don't know what to do if a lady (good looking at that and unknown of course) sitting on next seat falls asleep and rests her head on my shoulder.

* I am not getting married soon, whatever they say.

* Su-Doku is cool.

* Cellphone networks suck only till you go roaming. In roaming you could get a call even in Jhumritalliaya.

* I should start exercising.

* Bunty aur Babli could have been made as a good movie. But alas. Long and redundant songs in movies suck bigtime.

* I have not matured prematurely. Come to think of it, have I at all?

* This one's interesting. At home I used to wake up and get ready by 7:30 AM. Two days in Bangalore and I am not even out of bed by 8:00 AM. I've got to do some brainstorming on this if I don't want to drive all the way to EC.

* Nadal could not have been beaten with that form.

* Mr n Mrs Smith is a good movie. Angelina Jolie is very beautiful.

* If I get married, it will definitely not be in June.

* Last but certainly not the least, home is the best place to be. Staying alone has it's merits, but largely you need to be with your people.

More on Mumbai soon.

signing off,

Zero Minus Two

The countdown has long back begun in my mind and this is it's current state. It is my remaining days in Bangalore before I go for a long vacation in Mumbai. For the first time I'll be away from workplace for 16 days! But I don't think I'd be able to be away from work :-( Currently I am trying to setup my account so that I can login to my machine from my home and can handle any problems.

Let's hope there is no problem and my next two weeks aren't spent in front of the idiot machine #2.

signing off,

A Sunday That Was

I am a lazy person. In my previous posts whatever I might have gloated about me exercising or biking, you may as well trash it. So now when I decide that I will get up on a Sunday morning at 0645 hrs (mslds*: kya?) and drive all the way to office (mslds: kya??) to play tennis and swim (mslds: kya???) be damn sure that I'll not do any of such sort at any cost.

But this Sunday is different. Even though I sleep at 0045 hrs on Saturday night

(mslds: Kya be.. Kya kar raha tha itna late? Naughty naughty! Uncle ko phone karoo kya?
miaws**: [daring to speak for the first time]: Yaar wo .. umm .. stitching kar raha tha.
mslds: Yeda samjha hai kya mujhe?
miaws: Nahi yaar, sachchi. Ye dekh ..
mslds: faints for some time looking at my art)

I wake up early morning next day. Get ready and hit the road towards the office on my

(mslds: Abe dhakkan, teri nahi, tere dost ki.
miaws: Haan yaar wohi. Abhi ek minute chup baithega, to main ye complete karoo?
mslds: Teri to .. Bahot aawaj chalne lagee hai be .. Dhishum dhishum ..)

bike. Now my friend here who is accompanying me for the game, calls me informing he has lost his wallet in the bus he was travelling. I reach the pickup point as soon as possible.

(mslds: Ye bhi chirkut hai. Itna subah uthake khelne bhi nahi diya..
miaws: Yaar uska wallet kho gaya hai, tu chup baith ek minute)

Trying to figure out what to do, we are left clueless for some moments on the road. We even try to chase a similar looking bus to find out whether it can be recovered. After some time when we are sure that it is indeed gone, a stark reality, that all his credit and debit cards are inside it, hits him again, this time hard. He calls up the banks to lock those cards. (One of them even tries to sell him a new better card. Her argument is now that he has cancelled his card, he'd definitely need a new one! Smart one I say!)

The experience at Police Station is mixed. First at Madiwala police station we are told to go to Kormangala police station as the incident happened in it's jurisdiction. Then at Kormanagla we are told that they can neither give us FIR (as their is no crime, just loss of property) nor any assurance that it can be recovered. Moreover, the ASI urges us not to put any amount in the missing list. "Agar wallet mil bhi gaya, paisa to milna kafi mushkil hai!". It's quite clear now why there are many crimes in Bangalore city that go unreported :-)

It is already 0930 hrs and now it is not possible to go and play. So we decide to go to my friend's house in Marathalli. Not quite far, just 12-13 km from where are we now. We go to his house, have some breakfast, purchase a t-shirt at Megamart (Marathalli is quite famous for factory seconds stuff. They have quite a good collection, if your waist doesn't measure 28". For those with 28" waist and 39 cm shirt size, god is just cruel.)

Then after this, I decide to head back home to get ready before we can go to the movie in afternoon.

(mslds: Kyon? Tujhe koi ladki dekhne aane wali thee kya?
miaws: Are yaar! Mera matlab tha ke because of the initial plan of playing tennis and swimming, I am in my bad jeans and worse tshirt. Ye pehen ke Forum mein to nahi ja sakta! Samajh ja bhidu!)

The only problem is that my home is around 23-24 km from Marathalli. So after much debate, I decide to go to the movie in whatever state. Now my friend, who thinks he owes me something, offers me one of his shirts. It isn't a better idea for me, as he only uses > M t-shirts! But finally he persuades me to wear one his printed t-shirts. Not only it is quite loose on me, it has a slogan that he assures (with a snigger that I am not able to comprehend) will be a super hit in a place like Forum. And for the first time the whole day, he turns out to be quite right. The problem being it is hit with only boys and men. Not a head (belonging to males, if at all) crosses me without turning their eyes at my tshirt.

No point in going forward to describe our experience at the movie show of Kya Kool Hai Hum.

signing off,

*MSLDS = my satanic, lazy, dominating self
**MIAWS = my innocent (mslds: muhahaha), active (mslds: muhahahaha), better (mslds: abe teri to .. ye kat de .. ghar nahi jana hai kya dono pairo pe?), weeny (mslds: pehli baar sach bola) self

13 Things

Sometime back I read on Kiruba's blog that there is this site called 43 Things. And because I did not have anything to write about, I thought I could compile the list of the things I intend to do in my lifetime and write about it. Writing about 43 things would take quite some time and of course, quite many blog entries. So naturally it is going to increase my blogging frequency and so will it increase my blog's readers stats, I hoped. Some day it is going to make me as a top most blogger. News reporters would want to interview me. Ekta Kapoor would want to make a tv serial on it. Or better a cartoon series on Toon Disney. Or even better .....

But alas, as of now I am not able to get beyond these 13 things. Nothing much to do in life eh? :-)

signing off,

Pani Pani Re

I have resolved to consciously drink more water in a day, meaning I'll keep a count of how much water I have consumed in a day. Before I was not doing this counting stuff, so just could not realize how less water I was drinking. Recently for a week I did that and found out that on an average I just used to have 2.5 bottles of water a day, a tad lesser than 3 lt. :O

Which, I announce, before Maharashtra Government hears and assuming that I am not getting enough water, plans for some new kind of ban against Bangalore authorities, is entirely my fault, and I am trying hard to improve.

Now in case you are wondering that Maharashtra Government can really do something like this for you, I hear from the insiders that it can. Just that you need to be working against some dance bar for that privilege.

signing off,

Yesterday

My day so far is reminding me of the famous Beatles lyrics ... :-(

Yesterday

- The Beatles

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly

signing off,