Avatar Ticket

Watched Paa.

Pretty balanced performances by all the actors..

Only the end was a little dramatic (a wedding can happen by going around a hospital bed only in bollywood)

Freezed to death while returning home.

Somebody please realize I'm a poor little kid.

Please donate an Avatar (3D) ticket and bring joy in my life this New Year.

Waiting for somebody to reach out :)

Oh btw, there are four other souls like me.

You can help them too.

But I'm the most impoverished one.

I know for sure Part 2

I know for sure that..

I'm gonna die due to a series of mini heart-attacks, experienced over the next 20 years.

My best friend and I will end up talking each other out of our respective "loser" phases.

I suck at Chess.

Some rubik's cubes don't have solutions, and they seem to be all around me.

I can't wear my mask of sarcasm for more than hour.

Discussing Indian politics, education system, and bureaucracy is not good for my health. But I'm addicted.

On the brighter side, I know for sure that..

There is always be some one to catch when I fall.

A few good people will always be there for a noble cause.

My central nervous system doesn't give up on a problem even if I try to.

When I can't afford coffee, I can survive on Tea :) (as long as there is a good book or good conversation)

Cogito Ergo Sum

Logic Vs Emotions

A few days ago I read an article about Bajaj Auto. The MD of the company, Rajiv Bajaj announced that 'Scooter' manufacturing would be stopped by the end of this fiscal year. Rahul Bajaj - the company's chairman and Rajiv's father stated that he was "hurt" by the decision to pull out the Bajaj scooter. He said that he remained unconvinced by his son's decision.

Rajiv Bajaj (the son) replied back saying that solutions should be based on logic rather than emotions. I couldn't helping musing over this. Dint he sound like one of us? - Those who believe that business is all about logic and making money for the stakeholders.

I wouldn't support the father's view about not pulling out the Bajaj Scooter.

But, I know that the Bajaj Chetak is an object of nostalgia for most of us. My father took me to school for 10 years on a Bajaj Chetak. The number of games I played around it with my sister! Then, there is the "Hamara Bajaj" campaign, with the national integrity theme :)

(A tit bit - My dad once told me that Bajaj Chetaks were booked six months in advance. People even bought them in black market!!)

How can I forget them?

But it's time to say good bye to the scooter. Who wants to drive the scooter in times of Bajaj Pulsars - 220 cc ?

The young MD may be right. But nevertheless the old wise man can't let go.

At the end of the day, logic seems to win over emotion.

But if real good logic is gonna prevail at Bajaj Auto, hopefully they will come back with a new Scooter to compete with TVS's Scooty and Honda's Activa :)

Let's wait and watch.

Another random event which got me thinking about logic and emotions:

A nurse in Mumbai was pronounced brain dead in 1973 after she was raped by a hospital sweeper. Her rapist tied a dog chain around her neck, which led to cervical chord and brain stem damage. For the last 36 years she is being force fed twice a day by the nurses, who really don't care what goes in.

According to medical reports, her fingers, wrists and ankles are twisted and her teeth have decayed over the years. Her friend filed a petition to allow mercy killing.

The Supreme court judges asked the plaintiff lawyer - "Is this plea same as euthanasia ?" (Logically the answer would be "yes". But, Indian law states that mercy killing is illegal. So if the answer to this question is "yes", the lawyer will have nothing else to say)

He countered this question with some thing on the lines of "Isn't force feeding her for the last 36 years a violation of her right to live with dignity guaranteed by the article 21?" (Bravo!)

The panel of judges - "Do you mean the right to life includes the right to die?"

Again a yes or no answer would only add trouble.

The lawyer countered this - "She is going through torture. Shouldn't the medical authorities be activated to do some thing? Shouldn't some guidelines be laid down in such cases?"

The Indian panel of judges have decided to put aside their previous position on this issue and examine the merits of the plea - FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Many of you might wonder what's the connection between both these incidents.

I just wanted to point out that - Real, world changing decisions are never based on pure logic alone.

Or another way of saying this, for the benefit of the rational thinkers among us - Logic devoid of emotions at its core would never amount to much.

Mad at the world

missed lunch,
have a headache coming up,
created a mailer which was pending for 3 days,
tried like hell to catch up with every pending call,
had a bad dinner,
can't fall asleep,
can't stop thinking,
can't relax,
2 books to complete, 4 to start,
pages to write,
thoughts and ideas to analyze,
so much left to do,
bills to pay,
mad at the world in general..

and to top it all.. you just have to browse a couple of pages, read the news to see how little you've achieved..

Sound sleep is not an option with the world at stake.. Where is my bullet proof armour??
I should relax and first find it..

10 Things to do in Kolkata

I know it's almost a month since I visited Kolkata. My ambitious project of a set of blog entries for each day will only be an overkill (to me and more importantly to the readers)

So, let's just cut it down to 10 things to do (I love "things to do" lists)

1. Use the Metro (where ever u go!)

2. Visit the Victoria Memorial (try to do it in the evening)

3. Visit the Saint Cathedral's church

4. Shop at Park Street, Esplanade, Gariahat

5. Visit the Kali Temple (Escape all those people who offer a Puja, and rob you!)

6. Enjoy a breakfast at Flury's ( Preferably on a week day. On the weekend you have to wait an hour for a table)

6. Visit the Howrah bridge at night, take a ferry ride at one of the Ghats

7. Take the Tram.

8. Enjoy Rasgullas

9. Eat road side food - fish fries, momos (anything you can get your hands on)

10. Visit Chinatown, Tangra - Roam around, Eat authentic chinese food

(The last 3 things are about food ..LOL!)

Generating Trust

Yet again, something which happened in one corner of the world has re-iterated the value of Trust.

Tiger Woods' infidelity admissions and disclosures and their affects offer us lessons in trust, ethics, salability and branding too.

In times of market recession, share market plunge, housing bubble burst and huge job losses, generating trust is difficult- yet very important.

Brands and their Ambassadors

Why do multi-national companies and big brands have larger than life sportsmen, film stars as brand-ambassadors?

Isn't it to cash in on their personal charisma, out of the world success stories and hard working, honest, committed bright shiny faces?

nonsensical ramblings

All those perfect moments only happen in my head.

I wake up and see, Happiness is hanging on a thread.

A thousand voices scream all around.

one silent soul wants to be found.

Can't get enough of this mad race..

and I forgot what to chase..

What does it mean to let go?

running along, giving up or taking it slow?

I can breathe and think

but is it good enough not to sink?

Separate state

Politician #1 won the elections and got killed in a chopper crash

Politician #2 fasted for 11 days (of course on Saline!.. duh?!) for a separate state.

Politician #3 promised a separate state if he won the election (which he dint)

Now The high command introduces a bill for a separate state in the assembly.

After 12 hours of trying to decipher the high command's move, chaos unfolds...

96 MLAs submit resignations. 43 MLAs of politician #1's party resign, against the will of the high command.

Activists and students supporting Politician #2

Kolkata Day1 Part2

Telling that my visit to Victoria memorial was mind blowing would be a lie.

But the place has one of the most impressive collection of Indian landscapes created during the British Raj period. The artists are Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell. The views of Calcutta(a collection of 12 paintings) and other landscape of places in India are truly breath taking.

The only hitch -

Day 1 Kolkata

After a good night's sleep, I wake up to a cold, breezy day.

Our rooms were on the 7th floor. Watching a fog covered city with a cup of coffee to wake your senses up has a simple charm of its own.

The thought that finally after a very long hiatus, I was going to watch that long forgotten traveller in me peep out and explore things put a smile on my face.

A power breakfast and I sit down with my friend to take my daily dose of instructions, which continue for the next three days.

Hyderabad to Kolkata flight

I had a wonderful, fun-filled, interesting and colorful trip to Kolkata very recently.

So, to start off, a very close friend of mine was getting married ... uh!.. ok!.. yippee.. I was excited - not about the marriage part - but definitely about watching a Bengali wedding and visiting Kolkata.

So I booked my tickets 2 months in advance. I had tons of work before I left. It was a well deserved vacation of 5 days (too short!.. I know!...but no one can question my commitment to work :P)

As expected the flight was late - by 4 hours. (Why did I wake up by 6'0'clock in the morning. Take a cold shower. Get a cab and rush to the Airport!... and like every other Indian who catches a flight... I knew my flight was going to be late... huh!!!...)

Past two weeks

I'm back from Kolkata!

Had a blast!.. saw a Bengali wedding for the first time!

Shopped crazy!

(will post about it)

Had three 16 hour days at work!...

Need sleep, need to work,

A good frn recently offered his jacket chivalrously on a cold night. I lost it :(

Don't know where I left it!!! Need to but him a new one!

A frn is leaving for the US tomorrow. Goodbyes are a part of life, I love them...I hate them

I hate the curfew in the city.

"I'm a big supporter of non-censorship"

A few days ago, Barack Obama announced that China should play a more important role in India-Pak relations during his trip to China

Not very long ago, Obama said "Yes! We Can!" and people raised their hands and chanted along.

Then the Nobel guys said he gave "Hope" and we shed tears of appreciation for the work the pied-piper was going to do

Then, he goes and bows to Japan, and we beamed at his tolerance and respect for cultures

Then he says that China should play a more important role in India-Pak relations ... huh?

Oh did he check with India or Pak, if they needed a negotiator .. NO!

(Oh we already know US is gonna be there, even if we don't need it! How many umpires with their own selfish motives do we need in this Tennis match??)

Our world hero's predecessor faced criticism, from across the world for his obsessive compulsive disorder to play the Big Cop.

Now what is Obama doing, .."Oh let me just go and de-centralize. Let me find a guy to take care of Asia for me!.. Finding the right middle men is the key to success.. Gee I'm a genius and people won't notice anything wrong. My strategic international ties will be sung over the years to come"

Oh by the way, Obama seems to have suffered from short term memory lapse and forgotten about Tibet.

When asked about freedom of press and Internet... "I'm a big supporter of non-censorship"

(Oh I really prefer a hamburger, but if the people at the table say pizza, it's ok with me. I'm extremely tolerant, you know!...I'm ok with these guys beating up the waiter if he forgets extra-cheese dips)

Are you all in China satisfied?... I grinned, I dint criticize your government policies, I make your country my best man in Asia, I forgot Tibet, and all the talk about freedom. .. So now can I take bigger role in containing North Korea's nuclear policies??.. Oh btw, we in US love how you guys make such cheap stuff here. It's a different issue that my people still have recession woes!... but don't we love chanting "Yes! We can!"?

Well, for once the Nobel prize for peace reminds me of MTV awards gone crazy... The lifetime achievement award for outstanding work goes to Taylor swift, for being nice, giving us hope and just being young and wrinkle-free!!

CS4 free add on!

I just want to fling my 1 lac /- laptop on to the road.

I really hate going in circles for free add on

I sit down to download Adobe free trial add on.

I log in to Adobe.com

I click on download for the trial cs4 plug-in I need

I get a pop-up.

An applet from dlm.tools.akamai.com is requesting unrestricted access to your computer
- with "Don't Trust" and "Trust" buttons

Akamai applet certificate!.. huh!

For somebody who works in web analytics, Akamai is not new - Akamai hosts web content like audio, media, downloads for a multitude of websites belonging to many companies.

Akamai servers provide faster downloads, avoiding web traffic congestions.

But, "unrestricted access to your computer" part!!!!

Instinctively (read... Stupidly), like every other "pop-up/add-on" phobic netizen - I click "Don't Trust"

(Oh!.. the downside of working in web analytics - Each time you login, you know there are these little spy guys like Omniture, masking themselves as 2o7.net to trick users and firewall rules! So what if Akamai not only hosts content, but also has ventured into web analytics and stats.. huh??.. Of course I don't have anything to hide!... but man!.. Don't I hate men in bowler hats and long raincoats following me KGB style???)

Anyway, my "Don't Trust" click brings up a window:

The download manager cannot run due to insufficient priviledges.
A common reason for that is not approving the applet certificate.

What the bloody...!!!???

Ok... lets try again..

Click on download.

Same damn error

Ok .. log out of Adobe.

Log in again! Same thing again.

Ok.. Close safari, clear history and cookies

(Remove all the forms because just removing "adobe.com" ones is not working!!)

Login again on to Adobe.com

Click on download trial version

Bingo!... So now, I get the option again -

This time, I "Trust" though I "Don't (want to) Trust"

Now - the plug starts to download

With the kind of net speed Airtel offers me at exorbitant prices - the download will take 6 hours!... How bloody cool is that!?

So very excited to explore the plug-in's functionality tomorrow!!!

Oh which CS4 plug-in was it again????

N worst part!... I din't want to lose all my cookies!!... It was so nice not to type entire URLs and to auto login on to a zillion sites!

boohoo hoo! :(

Who is making my life this horrible?

Adobe?

Akamai?

Airtel?

Safari?

Steve Jobs?

Good to be back

Feels good to be back!..

I hate Airtel service!

Life's been going on!

One soul is busy playing and getting into private sports club,

Another - busy trying to bell the cat

Another lost one - losing herself in work!

Harvey Milk

I watched Harvey Milk .. for the second time a few days ago.

I din't know who the heck was Harvey Milk until I saw the movie on the big screen for the first time.

Usually, when I plan to watch a biographical movie, I make a point of getting a background about the person (I love Google..)

With Milk, I din't get a background, I din't find time to read a review. I just knew it was Sean Penn and that was good enough for me.

The movie left me trying to understand.. trying to put it in a genre - Was it poetic? Or Was it vibrant?

If it was vibrant, was it vibrant in a hippie way or in a sexual way, or in a manner of social and political triumph, or was it just plain vibrant for its humor? Above all was it so very vibrant for its goddamn truth!

There were scenes where more love was conveyed by Harvey and Scott than any woman and man I've watched on the big screen.

The uninhibited kisses, the soul searching eyes, the naked bodies showed more truth and honest love than many many love stories attempted to.

It left me in awe, that a Wall Street investment banker at 40 had the gumption to say "Enough!" - come out sexually, socially and politically like a deceptively lazy tiger which pounces on you with all is intelligence, charm and daring.

Sean Penn makes me love him in every goddamn movie. But this time, he just made me tie myself up for him :P

It left me confused - whose charm, guts and honesty knocked me out? - Milk's or Penn's ?

And then I sat there thinking about the bigger things - This guy did it all this by 1978! And people in India still look down on gays, lesbians, transexuals as untouchables and lechers. What's with all the hate?

Family values eroded? My friends.. weren't the family values already eroded when we don't accept anyone a little different from what we are?

Harvey Milk is a hero - a man who rose out of his own ashes. A New York Jew who had the guts to stand up and say "Yes.. I am!.. so shoot me for it!" "Yes!.. I'm there to give you hope" " If a bullet should enter my brain, let it destroy every closet"

The director Van Sant deserves a round of standing ovation for such a fantastic movie. The first scenes of the movie where gay bars are closed down and people taken away by the police and private lives destroyed on camera is just perfect for the opening.

It was amazingly poetic to cut back to Scott and Harvey's first conversation in bed - just when Harvey gets shot.

"..forty years old and I haven't done a thing I'm proud of" - It's so ironic that just after that Milk went on to become every gay's saint.

Van Sant and Lance Black gave a completeness to the screen life of Harvey Milk -

His joys, his pains, his playfulness,

his humor (I left my high heels at home!. ),

his manipulation (like every other politician - gay or otherwise, he got a riot staged and saved the day at the doors of the city hall - impressive!),

his mistakes (What the heck did he see in Jack??)

his love, his ideals("You gotta give them hope!") ... his life.

I don't think there was better biographical movie in 2009

Cheers to men like this!

Social Entrepreneurship... don't expect a speech

My frn and I were discussing Abe Lincoln, his speeches, style and logic.
We went on to discuss politics in India, Andhra, JP - the LokSatta leader.


B: I think JP is more suited for social entrepreneurship
S: Politics in its ideal state is social entrepreunership! It's about looking out for the interest of others and measuring profits in terms of happiness of the target group.
B: Smthng funny struck me..
S: What?
B: According to your defnition, Prostitution is social entrepreunership!
S: lol!... Politics can be called social entrepreneurship only in its ideal state! Prostitution is social entrepreneurship even on its very bad day!


p.s: No offence meant to JP at all!.. He's the best we've got!

Learning to live

Learning to live without people is not so tough.

It becomes a part of you after a point. Its a dull thud, not a searing blow after a while.. part of growing up

There are always good memories... no matter what, even if I wanted to.. I can't and won't throw them away :)

So just let it be.. respect people's choices.. and try to live life..

There are always monotonous moments to make you wonder... "Where the heck did the days go?" over a glass of..

Google search results

Too many things happening...

some of them left me in floods of tears..

some .. in acute pain

some .. in frustration..

some made me want to jump of buildings..

some caused a relapse of insomnia

some ..the usual fear of the future..

I'm still waiting for one moment... one moment of bliss, of peace, of happiness.... in all this muck

Probably like smbdy close once said... it's some where, hiding in the later pages of Google search results..

Ironically these days, tht's the only place I can search...

I listen to..

Some fav songs in no particular order:

1. Black bird - No! I love the Beatles original, but I'm shamelessly in love with Sarah McLachlan's version
2. OverKill by Colin Hay - Did this guy get into my head??
3. Chasing cars by Snow Patrol - Yeah baby!..I want to lie with you!
4. You Found Me by The Fray - Oh! tht's exactly what I feel like asking smtimes!
5. Let it be by Beatles - Just when I wanted to yell at God with the Fray, this song is my gospel. Oh yeah!.. Call me mad!... But, after a bad day, this is my prayer!
6. You could be happy by Snow Patrol - The tinkling sounds just remind me of a baby's toys
7. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman - Oh man! What a strong voice.. desperation and hope put together, the song just rocks me!
8. Love Song by Sara Barellies - Ofcorz I wont write you a love song, just becoz u asked one!
9. List of Demand by Saul Williams - Now tht's wht street poetry means!...Dont tell me rap was born on the streets!!
10. The Universe by Beatles - I love 'Jai Guru Deva'. I'm sure they were on LSD in the Himalayas when they wrote this song.
11. Toss the feathers by The Corrs - Absolutely love the energy. Scottish music without needing a bagpiper in background! impressive!!
12. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls - The story goes that he wrote the song in flat 5 min after listening to the story!
13. Friday by The Cure - Oh man!.. This song never fails to lift my spirits
14. New Soul by Yael Naim - a lil bit of impishness, a lot of fun n a bounty load of freshness

Not an exhaustive list.. I cud come up with these at the spur of the moment.

I wanted to actively avoid blogging about this part. But can't help it!

I need to start applying to universities for my MBA.

I'm scared ****less!

Oh God!

These days, that's the only thing on my mind!

What do I know for sure?

I know for sure..

1. After the first few minutes of conversation with a person, you just need good looks to get further! (no, don't try to use your brains!)

2. Your dad always believes you are aimless, disorganized, disoriented, just a little short of a complete failure.

3. Your mum believes your dad is presidential material :)

4. If you are a girl in India who can't wake up by 6 am, cook, clean and keep your mouth shut always (even when people are wrong) - you are a failure in life!

5. If you tell somebody, that they are a loser to talk racist stuff, you are considered a complete Idiot.

6. People stamp you mad, wild, hopeless, lose moraled just because you have tattoo

7. No matter what you'll hate your boss, and he hates you too.

Will try adding to the list from time to time..

Grief

This is something I heard today on a series I follow

There are 5 stages of grief. They look different on all of us. But there are always 5.

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

- Grey's anatomy

Sunday

Things to do on a Sunday

Do you laundry.

Go to the Super market.

Get the maid to clean up.

Clean up your shelf.

Make a list of things to complete in the week ahead.

Complete that pending book on marketing.

Exercise. Eat right! Dont eat out. Try to learn to cook!

Watch those pending movies.

Solve a couple of math puzzles.

Do you weekly dose of reading.

Things to do on a Sunday

Visit the orphanage.

Complete the pending work.

Meet more people, talk about the idea.

Talk to dad about the idea. Ask for funds!

Complete that pending book on marketing.

Complete the presentation.

Fix those laptop issues

Make a list of colleges.

Plan your next month.

Plan the holidays.

Flash player work!

Things to do on a Sunday

Sleep late.

Stay lazy.

Have a brunch.

Take a long, hot, luxurious bath.

Call mum n dad!

Take a walk when it is windy.

Listen to music. When was the last time you actually listened to those beautiful lyrics?

Read a nice book. Dont read to complete it!.. Just Read to enjoy!

Have atleast 4 cups of hot coffee. Take a minute to smell the fresh hot aroma!

Smile!.. Hum!..

Play with the kid next door.

Forget. Listen..

Switch off the cell.

Dig those flower pots up. Put some plants in!

Don't check your mail.

Dont fix dinner! Eat fun food

Sleep early.. or late

The Shell Seekers

Last week was spent visiting old family frns n relatives..

Not my ideal way of spending the weekend, but it wasn't so bad!

I found a book to read at my cousin's place. Nothing else matters if I can find a book and comfortable couch :)

For reasons I can't fathom I forgot to carry books of my own!

Anyway, the book is "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher. I've never heard of the author or the book.

It was published for the first time in 1987!

It turned out to be one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. Its about everyday men and women, everyday families, their failings, misgivings, love, loathing, jealousy, sorrows, triumphs and battles.

At the centre of it is Olivia, a beautiful, independent women, who chooses not to marry, yet goes on to live a very fulfilling life in all terms.

Then, there is Penelope.. a gypsy lady, always giving, in love with her conservatory, living every moment to the fullest, falling in love during a crazy war, left with beautiful memories.

Cosmo.. Old Cosmo, he died and broke my heart!

n there is always Richard!.. Dear Dear darling Richard!

Oh did I forget to mention, my cousin picked up the book for 20 bucks in second hand store, n I picked it up on a spur of the moment, and fell in love with it.

Talk abt serendipity :)

The place I come from...

The place I come from...

we have only 2 seasons.. Summer n Peak Summer!

spicy means... Add lots of chilli powder (not masala...)

I'm sure the seasons combined with chilli powder had a permanent, damaging affect on me... My Temper..

Amen!

my experiments with Crackers

It's too late for dog-days part-2. Let's just finish that story. I came close to being bitten (I would like to believe "ripped to pieces", but to avoid dramatization, let's stick to "bitten") by a doberman. It was my neighbor's dog. Trust me, it absolutely hated kids. Only kids! It was pretty ok with the adults.

Anyways, to wrap up the story - I ring the neighbor's bell, that particular day, the dog is not chained, the next thing I know, the dog is over me and I was dead! My Guardian angels decide to give me a second chance after enough contemplation. So my neighbor comes running and saves me from the clutches of death, the torture of a doctor's treatment, and permanent handicapped state. (I can't even imagine which part it would've gone for).

End of Dog-days!

Let's come back to crackers!

Diwali is around the corner!. seems right to complete this story now.

I was in fifth grade. We were living in a apartment complex. Life is beautiful in an apartment building, at least back then. Lots of kids. Lots of parking space with no cars! (This was around 15 yrs ago!.. So apartment complexes were not as complex as they are now. Parking spaces were mostly occupied by Bajaj-Chetaks!)

We mostly played in the parking spaces. But, this particular time, I found a new place to play. The tenants next door vacated! The watchman for some reason decided not to lock the flat. Oh man! it was fun!. Some of my friends started playing shuttle indoors! This went on for a week.

So, one nice morning, my sister and a friend were playing shuttle in the unoccupied hall. I was sitting on the bare floor and watching them. My idle brain came up with brilliant idea. I ran next door, (our flat) picked up all the left over crackers in my house.

I went back, piled all the crackers in the unoccupied bedroom. For some reason, my sis and frn din't notice. I opened each of the crackers, mostly flowerpots (tht's what they were called! - They are these triangular crackers which give flames of different colors when lit) I piled up the contents of each of the crackers. Open!.. Pour!.. Pile!.. I did this for at least ten minutes, you can imagine the size of the chemical pile.

Now, my idea was to create amazing, multicolored fire works, which would hit the roof. So I find a twig from somewhere, put in the middle of the pile and light it. It doesn't seem to spark the chemicals, so I start meddling with the twig's placement, sitting on my knees and peering at the pile from top.

The next thing I know, somewhere far away, an explosion happened which temporarily deafened and blinded me. Before I realize it's me, I vaguely register two people running into the room, somebody next door (my mum n dad) running down thinking that the power transformer blew up.

Trust me!.. The entire second floor rang with the vibrations created by the blow up!So twenty minutes down the line, I realize my mum has emptied ice-cold water bottles above my head, my dad is calling up my family doc. Everyone in the apartment is crammed into my bedroom, giving some peace of advice.

Anyways, to cut the story short, I was in bed rest for a month. The doctor completely prohibited me from going into the sun. Though I was completely pig-headed, I had the sense to cover my eyes with my hand, when the explosion took place. This, according to the doctor saved me from losing my eyes. My mum's care and the doctor's treatment thankfully made sure I had no scars.

I stayed away from crackers for that year's diwali. The memories were too frightening ;)

After that, things were back to normal. I even became kinda cool at school, especially among the boys!

The man I love..

He is committed. Yes, but I love him, all the same.

He says he fell in love with me the first time he saw me. I never could doubt that.

So, it doesn't matter if he is committed.

He loves me to the point of fault.

He wouldn't mind going to the end of the world if I asked for something.

He puts up with my tantrums, my tears, my moods.

He loves it when I laugh and God! I love it when he looks at me.

He misses me even when he is with his wife.

He doesn't mind disrupting his schedule,

traveling in the middle of the night just to be with me.

He is my anchor, when everything seems lost.

He inspires me to set my targets high.

On a bad day, he is my best listener. He is my magic pill.

I start something new, he is there to help.

I fall, I'm sure he will catch.

I achieve. He is there to celebrate.

Yes, his wife gets jealous. But we are past caring!

He wouldn't mind massaging my feet,

going shopping with me, eating chinese which he absolutely hates.

I wait for those perfect, precious moments with him!

He never loses his patience with me.

He still loves me after I throw things and words at him.

He pays my bills when I'm out of cash.

He never forgets to call.

He doesn't mind that I have a roving eye.

He doesn't mind that I look at other handsome men around me.

How much more can a man give?

Oh! it doesn't matter if he is married!

He puts the rest of the young guys to shame - No one can love me the way he does!

On this very special day, I just wanted to tell him.. He's the best. The top on my list! n there is no number 2.

Happy B'day Dad!

Peace One Day

Today is Peace One day.

One man's effort lead the UN to declare Sep 21 as Peace One day.

He brought people together, mobilized volunteers, met the world leaders and finally did it in 2001!

The United Nations officially declared Sep 21 of every year as a day of "global ceasefire and non-violence" in 2001.

Cheers to Jeremy Gilley!

Find more about Peace One day. Watch these youtube videos:

Jeremy Gilley on Peace One day

Queen Rania of Jordan on Peace One day

Practical Benefits of Peace day (My personal fav!)

Not all countries abide by the global ceasefire despite of the UN declaration. Jeremy Gilley and his team are still working on it.

I'm sure I will see Peace.. One Day!

There are moments when I forget to hide behind a cynical mask. This is one of them.

Escaping reality

I absolutely love horror stories.

They seem like fairy tales when compared to horrors of life :((

Eat Healthy

One of my uncles is down with Cancer. This is the third case of cancer I know in this year!

It really is depressing.

The other day I heard my dad talking to my mum about settling on a farm house, eating healthy and living a more cleaner life. As usual mum resisted. After this news about my uncle, I guess she will want to move.

With the kind of pollution around me, food and lifestyle I lead, I would be surprised if I am still healthy after 35.

My uncle is one of the most 'healthy-eaters.' Yoga and meditation are a way of life for him! I'm surprised that this could happen to him, of all the people.

Three cancer cases in year! - feels like a "wake up kiddo!.. Get your act together!.. LIVE HEALTHY"

I decided to make a list of do's and don'ts. But then, it turned out to be a fun exercise :)

Will try to follow them.

• NO more Soda!! Cut it out!

• Where are the vegetables in my plate??.. (what are vegetables?... oh! yeah the seasoning on my chicken!!. No?...Ok, will google about them, and start eating them!)

• Climbing stairs is not an exercise kid!.. Get a life!.. Play a game!!

• Stop living a office login - facebook id - Gtalk life! Get out of the net-trap !!

• Stop eating out all the time! (remember you have house!.. It has a kitchen!!.. You are supposed to use the room... remember what is stove??.. just in case, take a walk to the kitchen!)

• Cut out the alcohol! (There is an almost extinct variety available in the market... They are called fruit juices.. They come in a wide range of colors and combinations.. give them a try!)

• DON'T MISS BREAK FAST!

This was fun! But I'm sure it won't be much fun when my body gives up on me one fine day!

Hope I follow these simple rules!

The Adventures of Dunno

Dunno how many of you have read this amazing book. This is one of the most beautiful stories I've read as a kid. It is written by Nikolai Nosov, a Russian children's author.

It's about a group of tiny people called Mites who live in Fairyland. Mites are no bigger than pine cones. The story is about a boy-Mite called Dunno (Know-nothing). His adventures are cute and exciting at the same time.

Imagine this! - the boat sails are made of a leaves. Mites saw off mushrooms. To collect pears from a tree, a battalion of Mites use saws, ladders, motors and pulleys.

The concept and the detail are so beautiful - it puts a smile on my face each time I think about it. Today was a tiring day at work.. I came home and looked up the net for this book. I even read a couple of chapters.

It feels good to be a child again!

My answers

my answer to this: sometimes...

Unfortunately, when I encounter a question framed the wrong way or framed in such a way that I perceive it differently.. quiet differently from what the person intended - I do one of the following things:

I either answer it with reference to my understanding.

Or

I try to correct the question or rather ask the questioner/ interrogator to clarify/correct/explain himself or herself.

In the first place, if a person is not a good listener, he/she can never have the ability to dissect a person's question or ask the person to explain further.

So everyone else in the world would like to believe about themselves .. I'm a good listener too, and I never lose track :)

But I do have a problem with loaded questions, where ppl try to build a question on their perception of things

Question: So, I have already recognized ABC to be the problem area for this case. So How do you plan to solve it?

My answer: In the first place ABC is not the problem area as it might appear to be. We have a multitude of things here like X, Y and Z. So I can't give you a solution or a discussion regarding ABC.

End of discussion.

If ppl have a problem realizing that I'm not dissecting them, rather showing the loop holes in their assumptions and questions built on assumption.. I have nothing else to say except..

God Bless You!

So it would be stupid on the interrogator's part to think philosophically abt changing himself/herself.

He/She needs just understand that the parties involved in the discussion don't look at the problem in question eye to eye.

Their individual cause-effect or problem-solution patterns and concepts would be entirely different.

To add to all this, as mentioned above, the ambiguity of the question is always there.

All this being said, I accept that my views/analysis/criticism may be quite harsh sometimes. I totally take blame for tht and I'm working on it.

These are just my personal views... not intended to criticize or comment the write-up or the author's views :)

I can't sleep.. again!

I can't get to sleep... (No, this is not Colin Hay's Overkill, though I completely agree with him)

I can't get to sleep, thinking of..

the goals to be reached,

the work pending,

the complex webs I've to straighten,

the scary dragons I got to slay,

the nightmares I need to shutdown,

the occasional spells of depression

Bottom Line: I can't sleep with all these thoughts and they are positively torturing me.

I just realized I don't need any source of external help to kill myself.

One day, It will go down on my rock... "Here sleeps the girl whose thoughts killed her"

A CM lost to incompetencies of infrastructure and governance!

Today, we lost our CM to incompetent governance, poor quality of resources, communication and infrastructure.

Next time any politician or statesmen stands up to talk about ‘state-of-art’ technology being used, I hope that he gets a well-deserved, un-explained, tight slap from somebody in the audience.

The new Augusta Westland 139 is the official chopper for the CM. Purchased at a whooping 58 crores, it replaced the old Bell 430 chopper.

So why was the CM traveling in the Bell chopper?

He had no choice as AW139 was grounded for inspection. As per DGCA guidelines, the helicopter should be inspected for every 300 hours of flying. Our extremely busy Civil Aviation guys could not find time to complete the inspection though they knew The CM needed it at 8:30am on Wednesday. Talk about governance!

The Bell 430 chopper in question lacks night-landing capability.

Unsurprisingly, It does not have a satellite phone connection, which is absolutely necessary when traveling over Nallamala forests. It is an inaccessible area not only in terms of cell and radio signals, but also road transportation.

As far as Bell Chopper history goes,

We lost a Lok Sabha speaker G.M.C. Balayogi in a Bell helicopter crash in 2002.

In august 2008, a Bell 430 crashed killing 4 people in Khammam district. The search for its wreckage lasted three months.

More recently, in April this year, a Bell chopper owned by Philippine Air Force crashed killing 4 govt officials.

These are just a few cases.

Oh btw, we din’t leave any stone unturned once the CM went missing! 10,000 people were involved in the land-air search. GreyHounds, Commandos, AP special police, Indian Army, TN special police, IAF helicopters, two private choppers, ISRO digital imaging, low flying copters, civilians, and tribals.

Who are we kidding?! The man is no more and we could have avoided the mishap at so many different levels…

May his soul rest in peace.

Just an Afterthought:

The Congress party couldn’t have defeated TDP in AP if it wasn’t for YSR. Reddy. I can’t see any other Congress politician of the state or the country who would have accomplished this when TDP was considered the people’s favorite. We lost a great statesman who knew how to get the job done at the central government. Unarguably, He was the only congress CM who never had a tiff with the Central government. He always got what he asked for and he knew how to ask! We lost a great leader who always knew what the people wanted. While states like Gujarat and Maharashtra were still lost in communal rights, W Bengal lost in resisting capitalism, he ran one of the most efficient governments, ensured peace and prosperity, bringing about many inclusive reforms which reached the poorest and far-flung people of the state.

I can't sleep :(

Things tried:

Read a boring book.

Jumped around a lot to music (I can't dance)

Watched a movie.

Ate a chocolate.

Read yesterday's newspaper.

Cleaned up my sys, regrouped all my files.

Folded my laundry (there's nothing more boring!)

I still can't sleep. I'm soo bloody tired n still can't sleep..

Who let the dogs out?!

Now you are going to read abt my ‘dog-days’. All my ‘dog-days’ are by default bad days, not to mention embarrassing and terror-stricken days

As a kid I was all excited, happy and ‘lost in the moment’ when it came to playing with puppies on the roads. I’m not sure what went wrong as I grew up. I guess the dogs started to realize that I dint belong to their species anymore.
The minute they saw me, the used to snigger, bare their teeth, woof, growl and scare me to death. Trust me!.. This is the case with every dog!! Whatever errand I was on, I used to run back home and tell my mom, there was no way I was getting back on the road.

Those were the days, when street dogs were a common thing, at least in my city. There were instances when I carried a big stick if I couldn't avoid going out.

To add to my misery, one of my good friends from school owned a dog. He lived just a few lanes away. We played together every day and were thick as thieves during summer hols. His garden had an old mango tree. The number of hours we spent under it, on it and eating raw mangoes! We used to read stories and make up our own cartoon warriors, fight with sticks, and kill each other until we got hungry again.

The bad birthday episode

Anyways, all this was possible only after I used to give him a call, tell him to tie up his dog and that I would be at his place. So days went on. For me Summer hols also meant a birthday without many friends (Everyone’s on vacation☹). Like every other birthday, the morning was spent admiring my gifts. I was all excited to go meet Bhaskar (tht’s the friend’s name .. btw) and show him my new stuff. So, I stuffed the gifts in my bag and ran all the way to his place. In all this excitement I forgot to ring him.

I open the entrance gate and the next thing I know!.. a ferocious , gigantic, black ball of fur, running towards me! Self preservation being a priority, I ran on to the road, but it showed no signs of giving up. The only thing I had was my bag. I slipped it of my shoulder and gave the dog a good hard hit with it. The next thing I notice - Bhaskar, his mom and the maid were on the road, watching me give a couple of more gladiator style hits to the snarling dog. I don’t know whether it was the hits, or Bhaskar and his mom yelling at the dog, it left me alone. In all the confusion, I ended up in the house, all shaken (No one offered me Scotch☺.. Ok bad joke!) Bhaskar put some ice on the dog’s nose (Honestly, I dint know I had such good back-hand shot.. the dog whimpered for quiet some time. )

That was a very close encounter, and I wasn't sure what I would've done without the bag. Oh btw!.. That was the day I realized bags, especially back-pack school bags can be used as weapons of defence☺

The next dog-day was more scary.. will post it soon!

Miss-Communication, Lack of communication, Communication gap, Cross-communication...

I dint know there were more than a dozen types of communication blunders until I started an Org.

Now, I'm very sure all these types have been tested and tried by my team.

God bless Us!.. Smbdy needs a very strong drink here!!

My experiments with... um!?.. well many things!

Yes, as a kid I had quiet a few experiments with handling crackers, bi-cycles, robot-cars, slapping classmates,kid- hating dogs, and cricket-balls.

Yeah… you read it right, its cricket balls. How many of you know how it feels to be in the way of a cricket ball which hits you square on the nose, knocks you down, and follows a slow roll to stop before the boundary?.. huh!.. n the batsman is your teenaged, Wannabe-India Crickter big bro!! who is pissed off that you were in the way of his amazing four runs. You have a bleedy nose with blood gushing from your nose onto your lips and chin – the perfect vampire look!... just that you are not sure what happened to you.

What happens next: you blame your brother for the big flat nose all through your teen years. (“How can I end up with such a bad nose, when everyone in the family has straight, beautiful, small noses??!”… *hiccup hiccup*… **baaaaahhhhhhh**)

The next time you tried handling a cricket ball, it hits the neighbor’s 3 yr old daughter on the back of the head. She doesn’t know what happened to her.. spends a few precious silent moments in meditation, before she wails so loudly that all the apartment can hear the Banshee. By now, you run into the house, take some time to comprehend the inexcusable crime you’ve committed, go into the kitchen, find your mom and suddenly become interested in helping her!

You are silently hoping none of the other kids tell the neighbor, the kid stops wailing, and you din’t brain damage the girl. A gory picture of a brain damaged kid comes to haunt you, the neighbor gets to confront your family and you are in jail!.. (** God help me! I won’t touch a cricket ball for the rest of the summer holidays. I will silently grin and bear when my cousins play. ** )

And true to your word, you never handle a cricket ball, even after summer hols!..don’t even pick it up and throw it back to the players when it lands at you feet at school. ( “just keep moving!.. The ball is back to haunt you!.. It’s gonna hurt you one way or other!..”)

We will discuss dogs in the next episode of experiments.

I Never Knew..

I never knew,

how easy it is to criticize, evaluate, analyze, re-analyze, chew-over someone's work.

how difficult it is to stand on the podium and be judged.

how difficult it is to defend your thoughts, your ideas, your actions and your decisions.

how easy it is to talk big ideas and never implement them.

how easy it is to dream and build castles in air.

how difficult it is to take the first step.

how difficult it is to answer everyone's questions though you owed nothing to them.

how easy it is to just walk away.

how difficult it is to put up your work for everyone to see, talk, speculate and kick around.

I never knew.. until I took the first steps and started my own work.

www.c4k-india.org

p.s: Today, these few lines are dedicated to my good frns - Balaji n Sats for being on my side, for believing in me, for doing more than me, for never giving up, and finally for having faith in the "cause."

Cheers to you guys!

Like they say..."Don't procrastinate until the opportunity is lost."

It's so bloody frustrating to see ppl postpone things. Sometimes you do your part n keep waiting for others.
At the end of the day, the expected results and quality are never achieved - it's too late to review the whole thing for zillionth time when somebody found enough time to complete their piece .

I try to keep the number of ppl involved in the projects/programs I take up after work as small as possible. But, well.. what can I say!. Life is not fair and ppl seem to be absolutely in love with the concept of procrastination.

..Will try and learn to be more patient (Who am I kidding??.. )

How does God look?

Well, for all those ppl looking for a beautiful soul searching sermon.. sorry to disappoint you folks!

I can't give you a 'God-Speech' to save my life.

So, just my thoughts on how God looks..

On a nice warm, sunny day, when the whole world seems to be smiling at you, God looks like Morgan Freeman. Yes, Morgan Freeman in a white radiant suit with the benevolent smile, declaring "I'm God, Son!"

On a particularly malicious day, when God wants to show you who is the boss, He looks like Jack Nicholson - sitting like a king, with a Cuban cigar, a wicked smile, a raised eyebrow and telling you "...You gotta ask me nicely. "

On a pathetic day, when nothing seems to be happening your way and you've given up trying anymore, God looks like Clint Eastwood, smoking a cigarette at a busy street corner, leaning on the wall, in a cowboy hat and old shoes telling you "If you want a guarantee (in life), buy a toaster."

But on those very rare, almost near to perfect days, when you've a bounce in step, a smile on your lips and a spark in your eyes, God passes by musing "Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get.” just like Tom Hanks...