Definitely Maybe

2006-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wow!

2006-07-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/

Article on the same- HERE

There has to be a way

2006-07-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

Is there anyway of telling your colleagues that you dont want them to send dumbass forwards without pissing them off? hey, I appreciate a funny email, but there are hardly any doing the rounds. All I get is irritating (and big) forwards.

Problem is people take everything personally..you tell somebody you dont want them sending stuff to you, they take it as an insult ! We can be friends..but no shitty forwards please!

There HAS to be a way.

What I hate about the World Cup.

2006-06-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup so far. Heck, I spent 4.5 k in getting a new Set-Top box just for the World Cup! The quality of football has been absolutely fantastic and I just cant wait for the knock out stages.

But the world cup (like every other good thing) also brings along with it some really annoying points.

1. Everybody's obsession with Brazil. Every Tom, Dick and Harry starts to support Brazil. People learn one or two names like Ronaldo and Cafu and start throwing names in conversations. Bah.

The media's obsession with the Brazilian team? is worse. Every time a Brazilian crosses the ball, the commentator goes - "look at the way he crosses the ball".

The foreign media is worse. Every time Brazil plays badly, everybody feels its just an ominous sign that they are saving their best for the knockout stages. A half decent free kick, one step over and the commentator has an orgasm. Sheesh.

Why dont we give all this a rest? Who cares whether Ronaldo is fat or if Cafu is old. Lets just concentrate on their lovely fans instead !

2. The Indian media wakes up to the fact that there is a sport other than Cricket. We then have PYTs all over on television talking about the game. There will be this typical story about the guy in Kolkotta who loves football so much that he has a poster of Maradona up on his wall. There will be this usual analysis about why a country of 1 billion cannot be produce a team worthy enough of making the final.

Plus, the only place in the world where guys Novy Kapadia, Bhaichung Bhutia actually have people paying them to come up with shit! Well, this year NDTV has gone on better, they have signed up Chima Okerie!

4. Everybody wants to talk about football! Well, this is nice but as a football fanatic. I dont really like it when guys come up to me and bore me with their observations about the obvious.

5. A game has 3 red cards, over 25 shots on goal, 2 penalties saved, 2 guys get stretchered off but people find it boring because it ended nil-nil.

Victory for African Football.

2006-06-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ghana 2-0 Czech Republic. What a match! Football at its best.

A red card..multiple yellow cards.. a missed penalty..brilliant goal keeping..fantastic open game. And an underdog snatching victory from one of the better teams in World Football.

Pity that it had to be the Czechs. It seems to me that everybody loves the Czechs (and the Dutch). But this group is now wide open. Lets see if the U.S. can live up (atleast to a small extent) to its ranking and trouble the Italians.

P.S: Watching even two overs of cricket (even if its reasonably exciting) after a good game of football is painful!

LOL!

2006-06-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

It is just before the England v Brazil match. Ronaldinho goes into the Brazilian changing room to find all his team-mates looking a bit glum.
"What's up?" he asks.
"Well, we're having trouble getting motivated for this game. We know it's important but it's only England. They're sh*t and we can't be bothered."
Ronaldinho looks at them and says, "Well, I reckon I can beat them by myself. You lads go down the pub."
So Ronaldinho goes out to play England by himself and the rest of the Brazilian team go off for a few jars.
After a few pints they wonder how the game is going, so they get the landlord to put the teletext on. A big cheer goes up as the screen reads " Brazil 1 - England 0 (Ronaldinho 10 minutes)". He is beating England all by himself!
Anyway, a few pints later and the game is forgotten until someone remembers, "It must be full time now, let's see how he got on." They put the teletext on.

"Result from the Stadium 'Brazil 1 (Ronaldinho 10 minutes) - England 1 (Lampard 89 minutes)."

They can't believe it; he has single-handedly got a draw against England!! They rush back to the Stadium to congratulate Ronaldinho. They find him inthe dressing room, still in his gear, sitting with his head in his hands.

He refuses to look at them. "I've let you down, I've let you down."

"Don't be daft, you got a draw against England, all by yourself. And they only scored at the very, very end!"

"No, no, I have, I've let you down. I got sent off after 12 minutes."

come what may!

2006-06-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is one of those things that I HAVE to do (apart from the usual stuff like visiting Easter Islands, Europe road trip, etc) Decided today that I am going to be in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Come what may! Not just for the football but for the images, the experience, the colour and the sounds! And yes guys like Rooney, Ronaldinho and Messi will be at their peaks!

Also decided on the people I would like to come along. Lets see.. All of us will be 26!

On a related note, Czech Republic thrashed the U.S. So much for the FIFA world cup rankings which has the U.S. at #5. Whatever happened to that chap, Freddie Adu?

The World Cup!

2006-06-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Shaka Hislop- Take a bow! Trinidad & Tobago 0- Sweden0. Who would have thought! T&T a team comprising of journeymen and guys who play in the second and third divisions in England and Wales up against a team with guys from teams like Barcelona and Juventus!

Well, this is the reason why Americans or Indians will never take up football. Nobody realizes that at times a game with a 0-0 scoreline can be absolutely pulsating. Instead in Basketball you have the overtimes, double Overtimes and even Triple overtime!

The World Cup has begun with a bang. Almost everybody around me seems to be discussing topics like Crouch's dance and Rooney's foot. Not necessarily a good thing. Why? Watch this space!

Switch that thing off!

2006-06-03T12:06:00.002-07:00

You know what pisses me off? Seeing people leaving their office computers on every evening when they head home. What the F*** is the point?! Trying to save 2 precious minutes the next morning? Everybody does it. Even my colleagues!

Every single person who comes back from the San Antonio office leaves his computer switched on and when questioned says " Oh! thats what they do in Texas!". Thats very cool man! And dont get me started on the whole deal of having 100 tubelights on when there are only 5 people in the office.

The world has enough F***ing problems without having to power another bloody inactive computer.

Turn that thing off!

What a great reason to blog!

2006-05-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Talk about messing things up! BBC gets a cab driver as a high-tech expert! Look out for his reaction the first 10 seconds when he realizes they have got the wrong guy. To his credit he does his best to answer Karen's questions !

From the www.guardian.co.uk

Guy Kewney, a computer expert, was waiting outside a BBC Television Centre studio to discuss the high court ruling on the Beatles' Apple Corps v Apple Computer on Monday morning. As he watched the news in reception, he was amazed to see "Guy Kewney" pop up on screen. Unlike the white, bearded technology columnist for IT Week, this "Guy Kewney" was black, and appeared stumped when asked about the US computer giant and its tussle with the Beatles over the Apple trademark.

"Were you surprised by this verdict?" he was asked. "I'm very surprised at the verdict," he gamely replied. "Because I was not expecting that when I came."

A BBC insider said the wrong Guy was a minicab driver, waiting to pick up the real Guy. When the producer went to collect the computer expert from a different waiting area, he called out "Guy Kewney" and the driver said "hello". He was then whisked upstairs to meet the BBC's Karen Bowerman, who asked the first question on live TV.

Watch this here!

2006-02-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

All - reals..first ball

Etymology English - This indicates the start of the match. Usually the batsman prefer to play "dokku".

Dokku

Etymology Unknown - A derogatory term for a defensive shot. Typically a batsman is discouraged from playing such shots because of the constraints of less number of overs and because everyone in the team needs to have a fair amount of gaaji

A lot of effort has gone into this: Street Cricket.

Good times!

#1

2005-10-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

This blog is 1!

It looks way different from what I originally intended it to be. Nevertheless, it's been a fantastic one year.

My favourite posts (for the fun I had in just coming up with them): Part I and Part II

One thing is for sure, there are SO many interesting people in the blogosphere. Some of them are on my friend's list. Seriously.

Thanks for making the tag board the MOST interesting one in the blogging world. Apparently, management "gurus" are dropping by as well! Truly appreciate it!

Brb.

Images and Words

2005-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

He sits in the dark. He has been there before. He knows the feeling and yet he can feel the excitement. His pulse quickens, eager in anticipation.

The music starts

He closes his eyes. A fleeting glimpse of a woman. An image in black and white. A perfect smile.

Wish you were here.

PS: It's not 55 words and doesn't fit the norm but I don't care!

Listen to the song here

This explains everything!

2005-09-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

wmd, Iraq, BUSHISMS, fema, screw ups.... Somehow everything makes sense now!

PS: Is that a photo of Tony Blair in the back ground?

Interesting links aka writers block

2005-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

1. Article in Newsweek on how Bush messed up the whole renovation effort.

How Bush blew it

Here is the most interesting bit:

Mike Brown, ex-head of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) who was fired by Mr. Bush after severe critcism of his handling of the relief efforts was a supervisor for horse-show judges for the International Arabian Horse Association before his appointment as the head of FEMA. Unbelievable!

2. The BBC website has this article about a revolutionary radio programme in Gujarath that exposes the corrupt. Now, why aren't such stories covered by the Indian Media? (the exception being NDTV)

Radio Raids

3. This is one of those cases of a great idea and terrible execution. BBC has launched an interactive online "election" where we get to choose the 11 people we want to rule the world. We have to elect this 11 from a short list of 100. The short list is dividied into 4 groups- Thinkers, leaders, Economists and Wild Cards.

The only condition is that our XI must include one leader, one thinker and one economist. The other eight are up to us. Great so far, but then the 100 also includes people from the arts and this includes people like Brad Pit, Kylie Minogue, David Beckham, Governor Arnie and Jennifer Lopez. HOW?!

Interestingly, as many as six Indians find themselves on the list( VS Naipaul, Amartya Sen, Ratan Tata, Anish Kapoor, Sachin Tendulkar and Shahrukh Khan ). Shahrukh? yep.

Interesting to see people like Saddam Hussein, Prabhakaran and Osama Bin Laden find places on the list. Again, why Prabhakaran?

Have fun and let me know about your list !

Online Election

PS: Just realized, there is no Manmohan Singh in the economists list. Crap. And Sharad will not be happy when he finds out Paul Wolfowitz made it. Crap again.

PPS: Google has finally released a long overdue Blog search. About time!

err..

2005-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Analyst: So what are the challenges small manufacturer's are facing?
Sales Manager ( French dude): Well, the matiyaa is important when it comes to these devices. I think great improvement can be made in the matiyaa.

A:(thinking): Matiya? what the hell is that? (aloud) why do you say that?
S. M: I just think more investment should be put in R&D of new matiya.

Analyst: Matiyaa...could you spell that please. You are breaking up.
S.M: (sniggers) I thought you are working for an American company. anyway, its spelt m.a.t.e.r.i.a.l.

Analyst: Oh ! MATERIAL!
SM: yes, Matiya.

Some thoughts..

2005-09-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Looking at 18th century India, I think it's fairly obvious that it was a land waiting to be colonized. I am not going to delve into all the details, but I have to say that I am glad that we were colonized by the British and not the French or the Dutch. I don't want to kick up a storm like our Prime Minister did in Oxford but let me tell you this: if you can understand what I am trying to say, consider yourself lucky.

I spent a disastrous 45 minutes today talking to people based in Taiwan (and I actually spoke to people who were in charge of handling American clients). By the end of it, I was desperate to have a conversation in English, the way I know it. Finally, I ended up talking about the weather with a very cute Bangalooru chick at work (why the weather? Good question!)

Now, don't get me wrong, my definition of proficiency is not the ability to use words like Schadenfreude effortlessly in a sentence but knowing the language well enough to be able to sell an idea (if you have one). I have new found respect for people who go to a totally different country, without knowing the language, sweat it out and survive.

That said, the beauty of India is that you can move from one part of the country to another and yet have the same problem!
******
This generation is seeing first hand, how hard 'nation building' is. I don't know whether the Americans are giving it their all but its painfully clear that its going to take a long time for Iraq to settle down.But its important to realize that no nation is built in 5 years. Its going to take time and its going to be interesting to see what happens post 2008.

I don't understand the liberals really. The way the Iraqi politicians were attacked for delaying the constitution was surprising. This is not some half baked UN resolution, this is the bloody constitution. The most important document in any nation. It looks like everything is being rushed just to make the US look good and this does not bode well for Iraq or for the middle east.

Why am I bringing this up? Just to make the point that, making democracy work is not easy. Case in point- Pakistan, a nation that was created for uniting people on the basis of religion has been a democracy for less than half its life.

Yet, we are.

Surely, 58 years on, this remains India's greatest achievement. The fact that we are united inspite of all our differences. This is largely due to people like Nehru and Patel. Yet, we have morons out there who criticize them.

Their point of view is that 58 years on, 400 million people still live under the poverty line. Yes, Nehru could have done better. But its only partly his fault. It's easy to blame the dead. The fault also lies with people like you and me. Somehow, I get the feeling, we just don't do enough.

LOL!

2005-08-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

I think I missed this episode but this is so bloody funny.

George Costanza on life:

"The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death! What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, and you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no reponsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last 9 months floating... then you finish off as an orgasm."

Amen.

So let me get this straight:

2005-08-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

The young couple worry and fret that the Internet might be spoiling their little Chotu. They invest in child protection programs. They worry that FTV and its lingerie shows shows might lead Chotu the wrong way; so they get a television with a child lock facility.

They keep their son away from that boy from next door (because of his new mms enabled mobile phone)

And then they see their son reading the Times Of India and they congratulate each other for being good parents?
*****
Read this article. Got this from Sujatha's blog. They are accusing JK Rowling of writing porn! Good lord! The one lady who managed to keep the kids from the idiot box is accused of hooking the kids with erotic literature!

I love the conclusion. Read it.
****
Thanks to Shweta who sent me this link.

Unbelievable. That was the FRONT PAGE of Times Of India the day after tragedy struck Mumbai.

I want to meet the editor of this newspaper. What a ****ing dickhead.

Words fail me.

Million Dollar Blog

2005-07-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin lately. In love with the sound. A poll was conducted in the UK and people were asked to vote for their favourite singer, guitarists and drummer in order to come up with a 'super' band. The winners? Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham!

Some recommendations:

1. Heartbreaker- Led Zeppelin I
2. Babe I am gonna leave you- Led Zeppelin II
3. How many more times- Led Zeppelin I
4. Friends- Led Zeppelin III
5. Kashmir- Physical Graffiti
6. Led Zeppelin IV
*****

Finally watched Million Dollar Baby. It was well made but I didn't enjoy the movie. It's one of those movies that Hollywood studios release every year around December with an eye on the academy awards. Two things are for sure- Clint Eastwood deserves a lot of credit for handling a very sensitive subject well and Hillary Swank is just unbelievably talented.

I don't think there is a single scene in the movie where one sees Swank, its all Maggie Fitzgerald- the boxer. The boxer who has just one goal- to become world champion. Its a real treat to see her act- be it the obvious delight on her face when she knocks boxers out or the pain during the climax.

I can see why this movie won the academy award- it presses the same buttons as the previous winners. However, I would like to see the academy give the best picture award to a intelligent movie. In other words I would like to see the mind beat the heart. I guess we have had enough number of movies about the human spirit win the Oscar. How about a movie like Memento or Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind winning the award for a change?

Why is Memento ranked so low on the IMDB list? 22 is a travesty!

Status Quo

2005-07-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

This totally pissed me off. Killing 31 children for the sake of destroying a humvee?
Unbelievable. What exactly was the suicide bomber trying to achieve? What sort of statement was he trying to make?

For that matter, what were the London Bombers trying to prove? They thought they had it tough? Maybe their parents should have sent them on a field trip to Africa. They might have been worse off than their average British counterpart but still they were way better off than three quarters of the people living in the third world.

What really irritates me is we still don't have a single strong moderate voice in the Islamic world even 4 years after 9/11. When lawyers, high school teachers, fathers and journalists from Cairo to Jakarta try to explain the actions of these suicide bombers there is something wrong. Worse still, think of the influence these guys have over the rest.

Four years after the events of September 11 we are back to square one. Has there been any progress in this war? Nope.

****

Which country suffered the most last year because of terrorism?

Iraq? Wrong.

Pakistan? Wrong Again.

USA? Wrong (duh! Don't you think the western media would have reminded us atleast a million times)

The answer is India. Yet, not a single leader in the west recognizes this. Not even Mr. Blair Thanks to Musharaff, Pakistan is now a reliable ally in the war on terror. Meaning: He can do whatever he wants in Kashmir cause the rest of the world is looking the other way.

Some things I would like to know - Part- II

2005-06-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

6. When will this man leave?

He has been in charge of Manchester United for close to two decades. Under him United have become the biggest club in the world. But financial success has not translated to success in Europe and now they are struggling in England as well.

The players from the golden generation are in the twilight of their careers and replacements havent been found. Plus, the take over of the club by Malcolm Glazer has severely reduced United's transfer budget every season.

Its a time to usher in a new era at Old Trafford.

7. Will the superstar ever enter active politics?

His magnum opus Baba ended with him choosing the people of Tamil Nadu over the sages from the Himalayas! Every sign indicated his entry into politics. However, the movie bombed at the box office (more because of
a pathetic script) and the man was forced to shelve all plans.

After disastrously backing the AIADMK-BJP combine in last years assembly elections he has come back with a bank with Chandramukhi. But will his image translate into actual votes?

8 . Why is India so fascinated by this guy?

Take a good look at that photo. A good hard look. Bored? You are? I am sorry my friend but you are in a small club. A club that has just two members. You and me.Be cause you see the rest of the country is hooked. This is the ONLY expression the man is capable of.

Not to forget the pose with his arms stretched wide. (every bloody movie!). Last heard, he was asking himself the same question!

9. Where are hell are those weapons of mass destruction

The lies:

* Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction- Dick Cheney August 26, 2002

*We are asked to accept Saddam decided to destroy those weapons. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd -Tony Blair, Prime Minister 18 March, 2003

*Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent -George W. Bush January 28, 2003

* We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad- Donald Rumsfeld March 30, 2003

The explanation:

Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit- Tony Blair 28 April, 2003

I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country- Donald Rumsfeld May 4, 2003

U.S. officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and find" weapons of mass destruction -Condoleeza Rice May 12, 2003

The truth :

* For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the one reason everyone could agree on.

Paul Wolfowitz May 28, 2003

( and finally)

10.Men and Porn. How do we explain it to women?
??

Some things I would like to know - Part- I

2005-06-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest secrets of the century was revealed recently when it was let known that it had been Mark Felt who was Deep Throat. With that announcement hundreds of conspiracy theories were laid to rest. Inspired by that I decided to write a post on all the things that I would like to know. None of them are factual obviously (cause then I will have some smart ass asking me to Google!)

Here are some things I would like to know. For convenience sake I will be posting it in two parts. Actually, I don't have ten things yet but if I come up with 5 more you will definitely know it.

1. What exactly did that inner voice tell Sonia Gandhi?

Did it speak in Italian? For someone who had been accused of not understanding the sentiments of the Indian people Sonia Gandhi's announcement last May screamed otherwise. In a country where politicians look like ravenous wolves chasing elusive meat Sonia's "sacrifice" made sure of her position in a different league altogether. The arrangement seems quite nice now:

Sonia remains the power behind the throne, she doesn't have any responsibility except to keep the coallition running and if the government fails she can still come out in 2009 and campaign with her image intact.

Plus, the foundation has been laid for the next generation of Gandhis.

2. Will people at The Hindu ever realize how boring the supplements are

This blog was launched last October with a post that attacked the tabloid nature of Times Of India while praising The Old lady of Mount Road- The Hindu. Eight months on I realize I spend exactly 15 seconds each day with the Hindu supplement- just to go over the cartoons.

More than 50% of the supplement is covered with regulars like cartoon strips and TV times and advertisements among others. The rest of the articles are crap ( with exceptions) . There is so much to write about- music, books, movies and the like and yet everytime you open the supplement- there you have it staring at you- CRAP!

for example: Take 2 ( where celebrities meet up and ask each other dumbass questions)

The less said about the sunday magazine the better. Mind numbing articles about art, health and travel ensure you go back to sleep in a jiffy. The less said about Bill Kirkman's column the better. Some babble about muncipal politics in the United Kingdom- why the f*** do I care! The only page that is worth reading is ironically Page 3. Shashi Tharoor and Ramchandra Guha ensure that. (only every fortnight though)

My question is: Why so many articles about one thing? People want entertainment. If they want more serious stuff they would pick up the main page. Maybe, this is a result of the fact that the newspaper hasn't had any competition for the past 10 years. Maybe, they don't have the right personnel. Whatever the reason I hope there is a change soon.

Before I forget- The editors at The Hindu have gotten better over the past one year at one thing- blowing their own trumpet.

3. Why are the Brits so obsessed with the royal family?

We have Live and exclusive coverage of the royal wedding right here on BBC World in around six hours time. Make sure you tune in if that is your sort of thing- BBC News Reader.

If you thought that we were obsessed with our movie stars and our cricketers let me assure that the Brits take the word obsession to a new level. Never before in the history of man kind have so many been so obsessed with so few. What is it with the Brits and this totally dysfunctional family? Polls were taken all across UK to determine the mood of the nation before the royal wedding! POLLS!

On the other hand the fact you have a stuck up snob, a bigot, adulterers, teenage dopeheads and so on means you can explain the Brits behaviour to a certain extent.

I bet the executives at the big television channels in USA are disappointed that they dont have such a high profile family in their country. This is actually THE perfect recipe for a reality series.

4. Is this man gay and is there anyway we can give him a one way ticket to Pakistan?--

It's not like I hate the Pakistanis, its just that our politicians seem to be bending over repeatedly to make them happy. case in point: Mr. Advani.

So why not send him there? After all, the Pakistanis LOVE his movies. So, thats got to be good. right?

5. How did this man convince an entire nation to vote for him not once but TWICE?!

I blogged about the American Elections. I realize I dont have anything else to add. Go here.

( A bonus) My favourite bushisms:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee-that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." -- Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." -- Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

"Do you have blacks, too?" - to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001 ( Brazil has the world's second largest black population after Africa)

Now, don't just sit there! Is there anything you want to know? You might just get the answer here!

The Untitled Prashanth V Project

2005-06-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Shweta tagged me on her blog. I just had to do this!

Here is my list.

1 . Total volume of music files on my computer:

3.3 GB- hey I just bought a new hard disk!

2. The last CD/cassette I bought was:

(oddly enough) #1 - Beatles

3. Songs playing right now:

1. Shake my tree- David Coverdale and Jimmy Page. (listen to it- ROCKS!)
2. Masterplan- Oasis
3. Hallowed be thy name- Iron Maiden

4. Five albums that mean a lot to me

#1 Led Zeppelin 4 - Led Zeppelin
#2 Dark Side Of The Moon- Pink Floyd
#3 Definitely Maybe- Oasis
#4 Falling into Infinity- Dream Theater
#5 Led Zeppelin 3- Led Zeppelin

(the OST of Almost Famous does not technically qualify as an album but let me tell you its an excellent introduction to good rock and roll music!)

5. Four favourite concept albums

#1 Wish You Were Here ( Pink Floyd) - Written entirely for that rather eccentric Mr. Syd Barret who had disappeared from the public eye! The man actually turned up during the recording of the album. He arrived unannounced, looking bald and fat, and had put on so much weight that some of the band did not recognize him at first. Others were close to tears; Waters later confided that he cried. Barrett asked at one point if there was anything he could do and that he was available if needed. He hadn't been seen by the band in seven years, and wasn't seen again after that point. (click on the link for the album cover)

#2 Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory - Dream Theater (1999)- The album deals with a man undergoing extensive hypnosis to relive the circumstances that led to the murder of his lover Victoria. A brilliant album to boot replete with extensive guitar solos.

#3 Supernatural- Santana A quick google search confirmed its status as a concept album. Easily one of the best albums of the nineties. Quick Trivia: Santana wanted to name the album after an African King who brought happiness through music- the kings name? Mumbo Jumbo! This was before Mr. Clyde Davis convinced him to change his mind.

#4 Dark Side of The Moon ( Pink Floyd)- Obviously. 741 weeks on the Billboard chart. Shows that Americans liked quality music at some point of time. Now Hollerback Girl makes the top 10.

Five songs that mean a lot to me

1. Live Forever- Oasis ( Definitely Maybe) -My introduction to Rock & Roll. Beats Wonderwall hollow. Brilliant lyrics, vocals and guitar.

2. No Quarter ( Song remains the version) - Led Zeppelin ( forget stairway to heaven mate. listen to the guitar in this !)

3. Freebird- Lyrnrd Skynyrd ( Produced leh-nerd skin-nerd)- Heard it for the first when I got sloshed in Purple Haze- Bangalore. Absolutely brilliant.Brilliant guitar solo.

4. A Change Of Seasons- Dream Theater: 22 minutes of pure melody. Its incredible how they maintain the intensity throughout. And NO! Its not metal. Much better than your Linkin Park and gang.

5. Dream On - Aerosmith. (only the live version!) Just listen to Steven Tyler.

I hereby tag

1. the ever graceful Anjana. ( plus her blog needs a post!)
2. Sarath - Seriously eclectic music taste(like me) . Will be a very interesting read!

( praying I dont get slaughtered for not having any songs or albums by Beatles)

I dont do this usually but this was fun!

2005-06-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

To kill time I took a quiz! There are a lot of quizzes like this at that site. Including which rejected crayon are you?! I would like to believe that the result is true. Let me know what you think.

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read.
Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

What kind of blogger are you?

Dedicated to Dempo Football Club

2005-06-01T02:51:00.000-07:00

Diego Vs Southampton

Life sure is interesting. You feel you are in complete control and wham next minute you are at the bottom of the pile. At times nothing depicts the unpredictability of life better than sport. And what better sport than the beautiful game itself.I could quote numerous instances here. But I will stick to one. ( don't want to bore all you cricket lovers!)

Most football fans first heard of Diego Forlan when he was "poached" by Manchester United from Middlesbrough at the Heathrow airport just as he had landed from South America! He had spent the previous years scoring goals for fun. People gasped when they saw the statistics. Everything seemed to point out to the fact that Forlan was class and was going to be the next big thing.

Over the next thirty months Forlan went through hell. It took the guy eight months to score his first goal and that came from a penalty against an Israeli club. He looked out of place every time he stepped on the pitch though it has to be said that the guy rarely got more than a few minutes every game

What he did offer was comic relief. Often he would trip over the ball, take shots that would end up near the corner flag miles away from the goal evoking laughter among the opposition fans. United fans were often left wondering what had made the club close to 7 million pounds on him. He often found himself in ridiculous positions like in his own half meaning his own players didnt have any striker to pass the ball too.

Even when he did score like he did against Southampton he found himself in trouble. He removed his shirt in celebration and found it impossible to put it back on. Some intelligent guy passed the ball to him and he had to play with his shirt in his hand! (see photo above)

The arrival of the very horny and very well behaved Wayne Rooney effectively meant that he had to look for pastures else where. He joined Villarreal in Spain (not a well known club by any means among non-football fans) at the beginning of this season.

The rest as they say is history. The man scored on debut, everyone put it down as a fluke. More goals followed and everytime he scored we were wondering what was he doing wrong at United. One year and 25 goals later Forlan has ended up top scorer in Spain ahead of well known super stars like Ronaldo, Raul, Owen and Etoo and Villarreal find themselves in unchartered territories of the Champions league.

Truly a brilliant, something that can be appreciated more by people who remember the crap that he was at Old Trafford. As for you, the next time you are feeling down remember Diego Forlan!

PS: The title is a dedication to one of my best friends Mr. Varun Ramdas. The only person I know who follows Indian football with dedication. It so happens his team is Dempo Sports Club, Goa and they won the national league title this year.

Crusade

2005-05-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

Anna University and a (very) faulty operating system kept me away from my blog for a long time. The exams are over but the computer is still down so here I am posting from a net cafe!

Just read a very interesting article by Nicholas D Kristof of The New York Times on the Catholic church's crusade against condoms. You can read it here (you need to register though)

(from the article) The Vatican has horribly undercut the war against AIDS in two ways. First, it has tried to prevent Catholic clinics, charities and churches from giving out condoms or encouraging their use. Second, it argues loudly that condoms don't protect against H.I.V., thus discouraging their use. ( for example In El Salvador, the church helped push through a law requiring condom packages to carry a warning label that they do not protect against AIDS)

Its interesting to see that an institution that works in the name of god just stands by as millions die around the world. It is as simple as that. Yes, the church has done more service than any other instituion since the creation of man but cant it see that a set of principles that leads to millions of deaths has to be flawed?

Bah!

2005-04-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Unlike this lady, any changes in my blog are totally unintentional. Sick and tired of the old one, I was browsing all the default templates that blogger had to offer and I clicked on a link that I swear said 'preview'. Two minutes later and a few refreshes later I had myself a new template. This will do for the time being. Did I mention that I am sick and tired of the old one?

All default templates are so lifeless and so uninspiring. I will change this sometime in May when I have the time to kill. Will have to get some basic html knowledge first. I will be eternally grateful if anybody can help me out in my endeavor! Any takers?

For a template that totally rocks go here!

PS: Just found out that Die Hard rocks in Tamil as well!

flip side of 24 hour news channels

2005-04-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

We have breaking news from New Delhi. To find out more, lets cross over to the Indira Gandhi domestic airport to our correspondent Ruchika Sharma.

(Studio)Presenter : Ruchika, what news do you have for us?

Ruchika: Yes, the cricket teams of both India and Pakistan have landed here for the sixth and final one-day international. Both teams were aboard the same Indian Airlines airplane from Kanpur where they played the fifth one-day international.

Presenter: You can see that the members of both the teams are taking the main exit from the airport and are being guided straight into the team buses by the security officials. So Ruchika, Any idea what the mood is like in both the camps?

Ruchika: hmmm.. There is a huge security cordon that has formed a wall between the players and the fans as you can clearly see. Hmm...The players are walking straight from the exit to the buses.

Both teams are confident of a victory tomorrow. India wants to win tomorrow and tie the series. Pakistani players on the other hand want to win the match and the series tomorrow.

******

Rahul Mehra at the Taj Hotel in New Delhi:

Rahul: This is a momentous occasion for the people of both the countries with the Pakistan President Mr. Pervez Musharaff attending the sixth and final one-day international at the Feroze Shah Kotla tomorrow. He is staying in this hotel with his wife and I have with me the chef who prepared the premier's breakfast.

Rahul: oooh. it looks like you have worked very hard to cook up a delicious meal for the president.

Chef: Yes, here we have Fresh baked bread (points to bread), Fresh baked Croissants, Fresh Sugar buns, Fresh Fruit and Fruit juice prepared from Fresh Fruit.

Rahul: So what did the premier have?

Chef: He had fresh fruit and some fruit juice. The rest came back untouched.

Rahul: So, you must have done some extensive research into the president's habits and his preferences.

Chef: Yes we did some research into his food habits. He likes everything fresh.
******

We have live pictures from the Hyderabad House in New Delhi where the President Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Musharaff are expected to make a brief appearence before going in for the much anticipated meeting. We are expecting them any moment now. Ah there we see the two of them. Both of them are smartly dressed in Sherwani suits. Dr. Singh is expected to extend the hand of friendship shortly. hmm..there seems to be a delay...Yes, there we are, the leaders of the two nations are now SHAKING hands. A very firm handshake indeed. And, Dr. Singh places his arm on the President's shoulder as he guides him inside.

******

(And the winner)

Journalist: So, now that you have won your maiden WTA tour title, do you believe you can match any top player on your day?

Sania Mirza: I surely can

Journalist: Tell me, how does it feel to be a celebrity?

Sania Mirza: Its okay. I will get used to it. My aim is to break into..

Journalist: Do you feel that the press is intruding your personal life too much?

Sania Mirza: Yes, I would like all questions to be about the sport. When some reporter asks me a question that is not about Tennis, I just tell him that the question is not about tennis and ask him to move on.

Journalist: Oh that's very good! Sania, I notice you are not wearing your glasses. Tell us, have you switched over to contact lenses?

******

Great Expectations

2005-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

(for all those who want to watch this movie, I suggest you close this window. No Spoilers.)

Probably the funniest moment in the three hour ordeal that was Mumbai xpress was when a drunken lout sitting in the row behind me got up and started to sing Margo Margo.

I didn't think anything could dampen my enthusiasm. A one hour search for the theater (which was in some obscure corner of the city), finding it infested with cockroaches and its walls ridden with paan stains. Even that drunkard couldn't burst the bubble, I was there just to experience the thrill of seeing a Tamil New Year release on well Tamil New Years day. Plus, I had always liked Kamal Hasan's movies. (This was being compared to Michael Madan Kama Rajan )

I was just hoping for paisa vasool and in fact at the interval I felt that the movie had everything going for it. A decent plot, a superstar and also brilliant comic delivery. The second half though was a different story. Disappointment is probably the best word to describe it.

It seemed to me that Kamal was trying his best to hit the 3-hour mark. I don't what irritated me the most- the clichéd situations, the meaningless babble or the incredulous manner in which the lead pair get together. Plus, the last scene was totally unnecessary. One has to feel sorry for Manisha, its disappointing to see a talented actress like her ending up with only roles like this.

It took a lot of self-control not to stand up, scream profanities and walk out of the theater. Yeah, self-control and the knowledge (as Sharad put it so eloquently) that his fans would have probably taken my kidney out to fund their next visit to the theater.

PS: The one thing that really surprised me was that Kamal didn't plant a big one on Manisha!

This and that.

2005-04-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

In the case of a face off between Sonia Gandhi and Narendra Modi for the post of prime minister of this country, who would you vote for?

I was asked this rather interesting question by a friend of mine, someone who is an outspoken critic of the "pseudo-seculars" congress and who wants the BJP to come to power in the next election so that the temple at Ayodhya is built.

I hope it never comes down to this. Choosing between a man who was compared to Nero by the supreme court and a lady whose only strength seems to be a magical surname. Considering the average Indian's obsession with fair skin, I wonder if Sonia Gandhi would have been so popular if she had been from Tanzania instead. I might just go for her- lesser of the two evils!

It was interesting to read that the members of the congress party had offered the party leadership to Sonia just 48 hours after Rajiv Gandhi's death. I am beginning to wonder if the congress party is absolutely impotent without a Gandhi at the helm. Well, we wont find out for a long time anyway.

There is a very good chance that the choice might be between Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Modi seems like the strongest candidate among the next generation of BJP leaders. Rahul Gandhi has everything going for him and its safe to say only a premature death can prevent him getting that post.

What about you. Who will get your vote?
*****
I was googling for Terms Of Endearment (the movie) and I came across this site.

http://www.yaelf.com/toe.shtml

It has been categorized neatly into whether the term can be used for men or women ( you don't really want to end up calling your girl friend a beard-splitter, for that matter how is THAT a term of endearment?)

My favourites are rumpy-diddle, schnooky lumps, shabookadook and shmoopsie-poo.The funny bit is that all of them are to be used on men!

What about local terms of endearment? I only know of Kannu Kutti! In the fine tradition of addressing loved ones after your favourite sweets,do you use Jalebi or Ladoo?!

Copy Right

2005-03-17T10:53:00.001-08:00

Any Anna University student would know the true value of the photocopying machine. Timeless tales have been told revolving around last minute expeditions in search of a photocopying shop. The thrill of finding such a shop on a Sunday morning with an exam the next day is quite something else. (If you have never experienced this feeling, there is a very good chance that we don’t get along well).

Personally, the past four years have been a struggle. Without any shop that would do the job at 30p a page close by I have often had to depend on other people (mostly this guy) to do the copying. So, it comes as no surprise that I was absolutely delighted to find a branch of a rather famous chain near my house.

Naturally, I paid a visit to find out the rates, the timings and most importantly whether they worked on Sundays. After getting all the information I asked the rather enterprising owner about their other branches. This seemed to please him (in a weird way) and he told me that they didn't have any branches but assured me just the same that they would soon. Stunned, I look at the name of the shop again and this time it hit me, there was an extra A in the name!

It's probably the easiest way to mislead a customer. A simple but strategically placed word affixed to your competitors name or even an extra letter somewhere in the middle would fool the innocent (read naïve) and trusting (read gullible) common man. For example, a college getting its name adding the suffix "and technology" to that of mine is operating successfully in this city.

Scott Adams (who else!) in fact has already written about such a concept. (You basically know your Total Quality Management paper is screwed when you start thinking about the examples!)

Marketing Professional's Motto: " We're not screwing the customers. All we're doing is holding them down while the salespeople screw them"

Thank goodness for the ignorance of your customers. Confusion is your friend. Take advantage of the goodwill created by your competitors and create products that are eerily similar but much worse.

Examples:

Somy Walkman

Honduh Accord

Porch 911

Harry Davidson motorcycles

Popsi Cola

My personal favourite is the (very popular) NEW Adayar Bakery found in Perambur near The Simpsons plant
Their specialty? Hot pups!

What was that again?

2005-03-04T06:18:00.000-08:00

Posters put up in the mens rooms at the Hyundai Industrial facility outside Chennai.

# Every drop counts!

# Accidents happen!

# Don't slouch. Stand tall!

# Watch your every step!

HUH?

Free but comes at a price

2005-01-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

I had never grasped the full extent to which free messaging had caught on till I found myself at a hutch showroom next to a 60-year-old priest who was making sure his plan included free messaging. Now, before you accuse me of anything, I have to say I have nothing against vadhyars being tech savvy. It’s just that, there is something incongruous about the image of a priest clad in a dhoti and messaging (of course its could have been for his kid but I choose to ignore that).

Free messaging does seem like a win-win situation, you and I get to message free of cost, also the number of connections go up meaning more moolah for the provider. Where then is the problem? Well, the next time you send something of great consequence to a friend and then wonder in frustration at the non-delivery of your message just take a moment and think about the competition your message has to face in the network.

(This is not an exhaustive list. Feel free to add on)

#1. X sent the following message to Y –

Ok (shortened form of okay obviously)

#2. R sent the following message to S–

K (that’s Ok in short)

#3 Y sent the following message to W

:)

#4 A sent this message to all the contacts in his phone book (yes, all 42 of them)

Why did Bunty Singh eat only the filling in his samosa in a restaurant? Because his doctor told him not to eat anything from outside.

C feels that the joke is worth forwarding and proceeds to send the above message to everyone on his list including (for some strange reason) A

#5 B sent this to all the contacts in his phone book.

Hi! XYZ company is celebrating its second anniversary today. Send this message to 15 friends and your Rs.250 will be added to your account balance.

#6 L sent this to every person on his contact list who had an exam the next day

If you send this message to 15 people you will surely pass tomorrow. Trust me, I did it the previous semester and I cleared all my papers.

I think you get the drift. Shame of you if you can relate to more than two among X, R, Y, A, C, B and L!

It’s interesting to note the way the social etiquette of messaging has evolved. It was never necessary to acknowledge a message whenever you received one. Instantaneous delivery was assumed and replies never expected unless absolutely necessary. Replies in fact were a bonus! Now, inboxes are filled with a deluge of messages for not acknowledging each of the previous ones.

The next time you curse the network provider for delay in delivery, just remember that there are probably atleast four abusers of the sanctity that is free communication out there who are forwarding to you the same joke for the sake of keeping in touch.

Finally, a very apt Dilbert cartoon strip. Trust Scott Adams to have come up with this! (Thanks to Orkut and Swaminathan from Bangalore)

Dilbert
Posted by Hello

Saarang

2005-01-27T02:49:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a fantastic vacation. For once, I have spent quality time during an academic semester enjoying myself rather than sitting in the last bench and complaining about the sheer monotony of life in an engineering college. You see, saarang is going on and the students of Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai sure know how to throw one hell of a party.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or what you enjoy, if you are a college student in Chennai life just stops in the third week of January every year. Plans are worked around Saarang, deadlines are put off and thoughts of college work are banished.

There is something for every single person here regardless of what he/she likes be it dancing, singing, quizzing, writing, painting or public speaking (For ex: If you like writing you have four or five writing competitions lined up for you including 17th century Japanese poetry!) If you aren’t interested in any of the above you could still just head there for the spectacular sights!

As AC has mentioned here, it just irritates me that my college has to schedule the internal exams every year at the same time as this celebration. People talk about the college going autonomous, if that happens good luck to the future generations as I am sure that the college will raise the minimum attendance percentage to 85 and nothing but pure torture.

Random Notes

2005-01-18T03:07:00.000-08:00

The introduction of Conditional Access system in Chennai has led to the creation of two groups - the ‘Bums’ and the ‘Rest.’ The ‘Bums’ are the ones who possess a metallic box and get to enjoy quality television. They talk about it the next day with other members from their group. The ‘Rest’ can do nothing but listen as the ‘Bums’ use phrases like "Brilliant Goal "and "Awesome Movie". From time to time, a member of the 'rest' might get a word or two of sympathy from the ‘bums’but these are few and far between. Obviously, there are the nice 'bums' and the not so nice 'bums' but I will save all that for later. Communication between the two groups are often just restricted to sentences such as “Oh! You don’t possess a set-top box?” and “ You really ought to get one and fast".

Anyway, I digress. The reason why I am writing all this is that the introduction of the system has ensured that I end up channel surfing most of the time for want of quality entertainment. (especially after my cable operator removed a quality channel like Zoom TV!). Just recently, I came across some guy on BBC talking about the environmental policies in Great Britain. He seemed particularly happy that the future of a particular monument was safe because of new laws governing the industries around the monument. He went to great pains in describing the laws without mentioning the actual structure.

As he rambled on, I started to think of our own monuments and their beauty. Architecture in this land varies from state to state and yet, (apart from a few) we remain totally oblivious to it. Instead, we prefer talking about Paris and London.

Well, in the end it turned out that the guy was talking about this. I tell you, we have to hand it to the British. Love them or hate them it does take clever marketing to turn THAT into a must on any traveler’s list.

PS: Whatever you say mate, that’s just stone.

Its hard to say goodbye if you wont leave

2005-01-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

The best piece of news I have heard in 2005 has been that of the retirement plans of KPS Gill. In case you didn't know, Mr. Gill began his career as a police officer in the state of Assam, quickly earning a reputation as a tough officer. He became a household name across the country as Punjab police chief in the early 1990s, when he was credited with crushing a separatist revolt in the state. Why do I hate him then? Well, for the past fifteen years Mr. Gill has been the head of an organization that has done brilliantly well in ruining our national sport. Its not often that a country produces world champions year after year in the junior editions of the sport and lacks successes in the main editions. However, the incompetency of the Indian Hockey Federation has made sure of just that.

One of the most interesting stories describing aptly the pathetic state of Indian Hockey is that of Rajeev Mishra. As a young forward Rajeev dazzled his way through the junior world cup in Milton Keynes in the nineties stunning other coaches with his breathtaking speed and fantastic ball handling abilities. India won the tournament and he was touted as the next big thing. What happened next? He got himself injured, missed one year because of lack of specialist treatment and was thrown out of the senior squad. Last heard he was a ticket collector in a train in UP.

Repeated mess-ups with coaches, bust-ups with leading players, lack of any planning, punishing training camps before the Olympics have characterized his tenure. India has now fallen behind countries like Argentina, Spain, South Korea and New Zealand as well. Instead of a well-established coach he went and got an unknown in Gerard Rach a month before the Olympics. Rach has now resigned, it will be interesting to see who Gill gets. I hope it's a good foreign coach. (heard Ric Charlesworth is interested) A coach who can mould this Indian side into a competitive team in time for Beijing-08.

The introduction of the Premier Hockey League definitely has changed things a bit, but to ensure its success the league needs to be spread out and held in all cities where the teams are based. I can't wait for the day when I can actually head to the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium (with Varun and the gang) to support Chennai Veerans (maybe then I will understand how soccer fans feel about clubs based in their city). Its important for the game that the league grows, that there is a great rivalry and more importantly that the corporate world and the public take to the game and to ensure that the PHL needs to constantly reinvent itself every year.

Gill has assured the public that he won't be changing his mind. He has done this before only to let us down by staying put. I hope he sticks to his word this time and quits. Maybe that will kick start Indian Hockey.

Oceans 12- 50 bucks down the drain

2004-12-17T03:37:00.000-08:00

(Loads of spoilers)

One of the most commonly recurring characters in Hollywood is that of the hot intelligent bombshell. The one with a figure that would make Bo Derek look fat and with an IQ that would make Einstein cover his scorecard in shame. She is the kind of woman who would be able to dismantle a nuclear bomb in a matter of a few minutes, only she would prefer to do it in a bikini. She is the also kind of woman who would be able to pull of a sentence like “The magnitude of the asymmetry for a particular polarimeter, and the probability of scattering, is in general calibrated with experimental data using protons of known polarization.” without battling an eyelid.

I thought I had seen the worst of them in Denise Richards as Miss. Christmas Jones (yeah, Miss. Christmas Jones) in The World Is Not Enough but Catherine Zeta Jones as Isabel Lahiri in Oceans 12 was quite something else. Isabel was fun to watch as she walked around cracking cases before one could say Cosmo Kramer!

The way she cracked the case in Amsterdam had me in splits, she takes one look at the vault, looks around, sees a partially open window and presto, she knows exactly how it was done! ( This includes stuff like the thieves actually raising the level of the house).The best scene with Isabel comes about half way through the movie; she needs her boss to authorize men to tail Ocean and his gang. Her boss refuses only for Isabel to forge his signature after just looking at it once!

As for the movie itself, it was drab and unimaginative. Even the star cast could not hide the fact that the heist was nothing but the old switcheroo. The way the Night fox gets past the “random” lasers was nothing short of ridiculous. The Julia Roberts thing was utter rubbish. That’s not imaginative! ( Yeah, there are some good bits especially with Matt Damon as he tries to step into the shoes of Clooney and Pitt but these are few and far between)

It was quite a fall from the fantastic heights reached by the first movie. What really surprises me is the fact that the director went out of his way to buy the movie script. What irritates me is that people are finding excuses to explain why they loved the movie. It would have been fun to hear what they would had to say if it had been my Captain Vijaykanth in the lead and Rambha playing someone who poses as Rambha.

Questions

2004-11-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

I want to L.I.V.E

What might seem like just another attitude statement from an advertisement for teenagers has more relevance today than in any other time in History. The toll of 9/11 was finally put down as 2752. The number does not include the 10 Hijackers who crashed the two planes into the Twin Towers.

It is the deaths of those 10 people that disturbs me. . I cannot and will never understand what could have led those 10 to do what they did. They did not explicitly have any cause, they were educated young men who chose to kill themselves willingly.

What is happening in this world where man voluntarily destroys the one greatest gift that god has given to him?: HIS LIFE

Remember that it is one thing to place a bomb and then detonate it from a distance of 200 yards. It is an entirely different issue blowing yourself with it.

Ask yourself, is there anything on this planet for which you will willingly end your life? The answer will be a resounding NO

I can't think of any explanation for an Indonesian or a Turk to kill hundreds of his countrymen and in the process himself, and dying with the satisfaction of destroying a part of a British Bank or an American Fast Food Diner.

Madness prevails. Where was the common sense when educated young men carried out something unimaginable voluntarily as it happened on that fateful day on September 11th. Where was the common sense when Paradise turned hell in Bali? Where was the common sense when young innocent Africans were killed in the bombing of the US Embassy?

Was it for Palestine? It's a vicious cycle. Israeli tanks enter the Gaza strip. Trying to kill one person soldiers kill civilians. A suicide bomber takes revenge for the death of his loved ones. The Israeli army retaliates. It goes on.

Worse still; there is a waiting list for people volunteering to be suicide bombers. Hamas does not have to go in search of them. It could be your teacher. It could be the young to be bride next door. It could be a lawyer. It could be a mother.

Mr. Bush has led us (so very eloquently) to believe that there are two worlds; the good and the bad. In true Texan style he has launched a war on terror. But how does one define victory in this war?.How does one find out the war has ended? Can he declare victory in the war just cause there have been no further attacks on Amercian soil?. Doesn't a strike on a crowded business centre in Nairobi mean a failure in this policy as much as one in downtown LA?

Frankly, people expect too much from the President of the United States of America. Like any other politician he wants to get re-elected. To get re-elected he has to please his voters and when the majority of his backers tend to be sympathetic to the Jews he will be sympathetic to the Jews.

I just don't like the US that has arisen post 9/11. It suddenly seems to be a bully. Yes, Saddam has been defeated but where are the weapons of mass destruction? Where is the oil heading? Great stories are shown that there are fire brigades running. But where the hell are those telephone lines. Contracts are handed out to Halliburton (on whose payroll is the vice president) and yet people have to wait for 3 hours for petrol.

I keep asking myself. How could a nation with its roots as diverse as that of the US. Welcoming people with open arms from all corners of the earth irrespective of their age, sex, color and race inspire as much hatred as it does today?

There are still so many things to say. I keep asking myself. Have I looked at things too superficially? Did I say what has been pricking me all these days? Do I have more to say?

Yet I know one thing. Just like I did, you will close this blog and put these things at the back of your head. It will all come out when something tragic occurs. Then the questions will resurface again.

And as I think about it I just get the feeling that people (especially children) of different cultures and faiths should be made to interact more. Be it the people from Boston or Baghdad; Lahore or Lucknow.It won't be the solution to every problem( heck it might not solve anything) but then it would be a start and I think at some point of time we would find there are so many things to talk about even without us understanding each other perfectly.

Don't we react the same way when some one close dies? Don't we all feel the same pain when some innocent child is killed just because it happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Don't we feel the same anger when we feel that we have been wronged? Don't we feel the same pride when we accomplish something?

Don't we all feel the same sensation when a spoon of our favorite ice cream tickles our taste buds? Don't we feel the same way when we have to stand and give an impromptu speech in front of hundreds of people?

Don't our hearts beat faster in the same way when we hear those three little words for the first time from our special someone?

No matter the frustrations, no matter the bitterness, no matter the tears don't we just wan't to L.I.V.E?

Maybe then you and I will see that we aren't really that different after all

4 more years

2004-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Being someone who didn't admire the policies of George W Bush, I was naturally very happy when pollsters were predicting that it would all come down to the state of Ohio. Ohio, I felt (like Andhra Pradesh) would vote against the incumbent government due to a failing economy. The fact is the state had lost more than half a million jobs in the four years under Bush and also had the highest number of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. I felt that its 20 electoral college votes would go to the challenger John Kerry giving him a great chance of getting the keys to the White House.

Well, that did not happen. Turns out the citizens of Ohio felt Moral Values and Religion were a more important issue to them than the economy and the on-going war. The fact is Bush and his team have manipulated the psyche of your average American Joe beautifully. Every campaign speech of 'Dubya' contained references to his love for his faith and god. He is openly against Abortion and Same Sex marriage pretty much ensuring that every conservative White American in the south and mid-west voted for him.

Its going to be 4 more years of Dubya. Hard to believe, but its true. He has led America to a phony war. Lied to the American Citizens, to the United Nations and to god knows who else. He is against the Kyoto Protocol and against Stem cell Research. ( someone needs to explain these things to him like he is a 5 year old). Whatever you say and how much ever you hate this guy, the fella has brains. Only its in Karl Rove'shead.

Just dance!

2004-10-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

A Fair Damsel is walking down the road, a few hooligans bother the damsel, she screams for help and obviously no one comes forward. Just when one loses all hope for her, in comes the Hero. Hero gets battered and bruised but he fights on. When he is done with those mangy hooligans the Police arrive.

What should logically be the next sentence in the above paragraph?

1. The Fair Damsel then gives our hero a Kiss.
2. The fair damsel is actually a guy going to a fancy dress competition.
3. The Fair Damsel takes our Hero to the Hospital.
4. The Fair Damsel and the Hero then whisk away to an exotic foreign location for a dance.

If you are preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) you probably are familiar with this type of question. Now, go back read the paragraph again and answer the question. If you are done, look at the key.

Answer Key:

You chose 1? : Your mind is somewhere else.

You chose 2? : Why would you want to story to progress in THAT particular direction?

You chose 3? : Congratulations! Means you are well set for the big day. Cause, If you notice the fourth line in the paragraph, it mentions the fact that the hero got battered in the fight. Logically, he should go to the hospital.

You chose 4? : You are no stranger to the world of Indian Cinema!

Indian Cinema has seen a lot of changes over the years. Obviously, the change to color in the sixties. The villain along with his vamps has been thrown out of the window. He has been replaced by the Mother-in Law. A guy who doesn't mind shedding a few tears has replaced the angry young man of the seventies. The confident lass has replaced the naive belle.

One feature has stood the vagaries of time though: The exotic location number. It is an unwritten law in both Mumbai and Chennai that every movie must contain a song shot in some foreign location. No, I am not talking about the Item Number. I am talking about the song in which the two express their affection by contorting their bodies in a manner that would put Shannon Miller to shame.

There are (obviously) many advantages of having such a song in your movie.

1. Wipes out five minutes of the running time.
2. Wipes out five minutes of the running time
3. Wipes out five minutes of the running time
4. Wipes out five minutes of the running time
5. Wipes out five minutes of the running time

Judging by the success rate these heroes have (they ALWAYS get the girl!) I must admit that probably the best way of professing an undying love for your woman is doing a few jhatkas and pelvic thrusts. So forget those candlelight dinners and those lovely roses, just get your dancing shoes and do the moves.

The best part of these songs is the foreigner. One can't help but notice him as he walks past our hero and his lady. Of course, some just stand hypnotized by the movements of the two lovebirds. How can you blame them? The sight of Vijaykanth (in a pink shirt and green trousers )dancing with a hot babe (like Ramba) will hypnotize just about anyone.

I pity the heroines, while the hero is nicely wrapped in layers and layers of clothing when frolicking in the snow the heroine has to make do with one very flimsy saree. Miraculously, she is also expected to smile and behave as if she is having a great time.

One of my friends is of the opinion that ESCAPISM is the reason that parallel/art movies don't do well in India. She feels that the average first rower doesn't really want a depressing movie. He just wants to forget his mundane daily activities and movies offer an escape. He feels good when a poor young boy beats up the 'baddies' and gets the rich young (good looking) girl.

That does make a lot of sense but why would he want to profess his love by dancing in St. Tropez? Surely he would prefer Ooty or Kandala. Surely he would chose Mount Road over the most important road in Geneva (okay, I have to google the name) and Valluar Kottam over Westminister Abbey.

My first blog

2004-10-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

This has been a long time coming. For nearly a year I have been contemplating whether to blog. After being repeatedly pushed by different people I have finally decided to go ahead.

Now that I am here with my own personal web space, where I can write whatever I want, curse whomever I want, put up a link to any website, I feel empowered. However, This new feeling is accompanied by this unwanted voice that asks : " Well, you moron! What do you want to write about?"

The first thing that comes to my mind is Sex (obviously), but then I can't think of anything that you (my intelligent reader) will not be aware about. I COULD put up pictures of scantily clad women (effectively ensuring my bog is a runaway success) but I decide to use that as a last ditch effort to save my blog. I ask myself, does Sex Sell? And (that voice again) screams: DUH! YES!. Just ask the people at The Times of India.

As a pucca Madrasi I have been brought up on a very staple diet of Idlis, Curd Rice and Lemon Pickle, Patti's filter coffee and of course The Hindu. The Hindu (in case you didn't know) is run by the sort of people who try to keep sleaze to the barest minimum. I assumed that all newspapers were run in the same manner with more focus on news and with a healthy dose of entertainment and gossip.

I was forced to read the Times of India on a couple of trips to New Delhi recently (what was I doing there? Check Nandans blog!.) And let me tell you this: The Hindu ROCKS. Forget Page 3, the Times of India is 24 pages of pure BULLSHIT.

For example: I noticed a reasonably big article in the SECOND PAGE on a man fathering a baby while in prison. Is anyone interested? Whats the point? So the man got horny, leave him alone! There was also an article on a Thai woman biting her husbands p**** after a domestic Quarrel. How in gods name is that relevant? It psyched me out and conjured some terrible images in my head. (Pretty sure I got you thinking).

Pictures of hot women are everywhere, meaning less space for what can actually be defined as news. Why am I complaining? Because if I wanted smut I would go online or rent a movie. A newspaper should deliver what it has been created for. NEWS.

On the flip side, it seems to me that it's a fantastic strategy to save money. They don't really have to dole out extravagant amounts of money to get good journalists. All they have to do is go online, get some pictures and presto- they have filled up space!

A friend tells me that Times of India is going to hit Chennai within the next year and that it's going to be priced at Rs 1. 50. That's less than half the cost of The Hindu. He seems convinced that the frugal Brahmin will end up subscribing to The Times of India throwing brand loyalty along with The Hindu out of the window.

If the paper does actually come to madras the stage will then be set for a fantastic boxing match. Who will deliver the knockout blow? Watch this space!

my first post

2004-10-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

This has been a long time coming. For nearly a year I have been contemplating whether to blog. After being repeatedly pushed by different people I have finally decided to go ahead.

Now that I am here with my own personal webspace, where I can write whatever I want, curse whomever I want, put up a link to any website, I feel empowered. However, This new feeling is accompanied by this unwanted voice that asks : " Well, you moron! What do you want to write about?"

The first thing that comes to my mind is Sex (obviously), but then I cant think of anything that you ( my intelligent reader) will not be aware about. I COULD put up pictures of scantily clad women (effectively ensuring my blog is a runaway success) but I decide to use that as a last ditch effort to save my blog. I ask myself, Does Sex Sell? And ( that voice again) screams: DUh! YES!. Just ask the people at Times Of India.

As a pucca Madrasi I have been brought up on a very staple diet of Idlis, Curd Rice and Lemon Pickle, Patti's filter coffee and ofcourse The Hindu. The Hindu ( in case you didnt know) is run by the sort of people who try to keep sleaze to the barest minimum. I assumed that all newspapers were run in the same manner with more focus on news and with a healthy dose of entertainment and gossip.

I was forced to read the Times of India on a couple of trips to New Delhi recently (what was I doing there? Check Nandans blog!) and let me tell you this: THe Hindu ROCKS. Forget Page 3, the Times of India is 24 pages of pure BULLSHIT.

For example: I noticed a reasonably big article in the SECOND PAGE on a man fathering a baby while in prison. Is anyone interested? Whats the point? So the man got horny, leave him alone! There was also an article on a Thai woman biting her husbands p**** after a domestic Quarrel. How in gods name is that relevant? It psyched me out and conjured some terrible images in my head. (pretty sure I got you thinking).

Pictures of hot women are everywhere, meaning less space for what can actually be defined as news. why am I complaining? Because if I wanted smut or porn I would go online or rent a movie. A newspaper should deliver what it has been created for. NEWS.

On the flip side, it seems to me its a fantastic strategy to save money. They dont really have to dole out extravagant amounts of money to get good journalists. All they have to do is go online, get some pictures and presto- they have filled up space!

A friend tells me that Times of India is going to hit Chennai within the next year and that its going to be priced at Rs 1. 50. Thats less than half the cost of The Hindu. He seems convinced that the frugal Bramhin will end up suscribing to The Times of India throwing brand loyalty along with The Hindu out of the window.

If the paper does actually come to madras the stage will then be set for a fantastic boxing match. Who will deliver the knockout blow? Watch this space!