O(o)C post

EDITED** Scroll down

My parents will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this month. Please suggest me some gift for them. Earlier my cousins n myself were planning to do something big tht day, but unfortunately it coincides with a festival n ppl here have a fast tht day. Don’t know wht we will be doing now.

Out of Context:

Why do clients have to visit the office? Can’t they sit in their own office comfortably n call me abroad instead. Tht would be better :)))

More Out of Context:

Mr. Shekhar Suman, tell the writers of ur show tht the Prez delivers speech on Republic Day n not the Prime Minister.

Totally Out of Context:
Anybody has a cannon? I need it to blow Moin Khan’s ass apart. If not the boom of the cannon, atleast today’s defeat will silence him.

Has anybody noticed tht the names of cricket boards of countries start with the name of the country. Australian Cricket Board (ACB), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) n even the minnows Bangladesh have Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). In India it is, Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI). Tht means board comes first n then the country.

Totally Totally Out of Context:

I was feeling like Amitabh Bacchan or Abhishek Bacchan today coz Mallika ran for me. God save the Bacchans’.

EDIT: Wish u a very HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. Luv u all.

2nd EDIT: Probably I wasn't clear in the post.. so editing it. The 25th anniversary is on 26th Feb.. so i will save all ur wishes' till then. For newcomers, my dad has been transferred to another city... so he will be taking a weeks leave n will come home by 25th. Both mom n dad wont like the concept of spending time alone.. i mean celebrating alone .. dont ask why.. i know them better :) I was thinking tht instead of sending them out on vacation, I would go out n leave them for some quality time to themselves n also ask them to sponsor my vacn.. he he.. juss kidding. Whenevr dad is in town, our house is flocked by relatives n so it will be the same .. n a bit more this time.... so the idea of only two of them has to be dropped. Now put on ur thinking caps again....

Those were the best days of my life...

No.. I did not attend Bryan Adams concert in m’bai… though I would have luved to juss for this song atleast. Met lotz of my school buddies in the last fortnight. Not in person but online on orkut. Most of them now don’t live in Pune... some have gone abroad or in other Indian states for further studies… some r working in Pune or some other place. The gist is tht meeting personally has taken a backseat n chatting has come forth. Also chatted with some of my frnds with whom I had lost contact after leaving my old school (in 2nd grade) .. n it is an amazing feeling tht ppl still remember u by ur name after around 14-15 yrs down the lane. I m not averse to chatting online (nowadays I chat around 80% of the day) but wht I always wish is face-to-face conversations. U can’t judge the person’s real mood frm the smileys n emoticons… n I personally feel tht one learns to -listen- in real conversations. Wht I crave for is a gud conversation with a coffee mug to accompany n loads of topics to discuss along. Instead of continuously hammering the keyboard I prefer to hammer the person by my talking .. lollz

Took out the photo file frm my cupboard n recalled many of the days gone by. If I had a choice of revisiting my life back in school or college, I will definitely choose school over the latter. I did have fun in college, but wht I will treasure more are the schooldays. It also struck me tht I don’t have all the class photographs with me. If any of my school classmates (if they visit here) has them, pls forward me to complete the whole set. Wishing all my buddies a gr8 life ahead…

This pic is frm the annual gathering when I was in the 3rd grade.. dressed up for some dance it seems. I m the rightmost in the upper row. More pics…

ROFWL :D

Some of the things which made me have a gud laugh this week…

I generally have stopped looking at the visitor info after this .. who is coming here searching for wht stuff. But, a recent visit to Hafsah’s blog reminded me of checking it (she really has some weird search stuff everytime)… n look wht I found out. Might have come from here

Two storeys above my flat there r a few Gujju students who have come to Pune on the pretext of studying… yup u read it right pretext. Anyways, these Gujju ppl have a funny thing tht I have noticed. Either they will speak (read shout) at top of their voice or they have a soft voice with a heavy nasal accent as if they wanna show tht their ancestors were born n brought up in France. “Hney…. Hnow r nyu?” So one of the guys was talking on his cell in their balcony. Probably he was an Airtel subscriber coz the other person was not able to hear his voice n this guy was literally shouting HELLOO!!! HELLLOOOOO!!! Two kids who were playing on the ground below heard this n one of them started singing..
Helloo!! Mi baburao boltoy… arre helllooo.. mi baburao boltoy
This is a pathetically funny marathi song … but I assume tht the guy above doesn’t understand marathi coz he neither laughed nor was angry on the kids. But I luved it :D

More on gujjus.. I admit tht gujjus r the sweetest ppl u will find on earth.. even the dames r very beautiful. I remember an episode of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai aired a few weeks back. It is one of the best comedy serials Indian television has on air rite now. It had one guest character… a Gujju gal who was visiting the family. Her on-screen name was Kismi (is pronounced like Kiss-Me). So imagine urself (guys only) calling her by tht name.. lollz. Now, my company.. my in the sense the one in which I m working… has recruited around 60-65 guys n gals frm Gujarat (some college project for their last semester). Not all r from proper Gujarat but some of them r… n a sweet looking gal too who sits across my cubicle. Now, whenevr I have to return a smile to her I end up laughing remembering tht name… though her name is different.

With due respect to Swami Ramdev’s yoga prowess n the healing he carries out thro’ tht (my mom is his follower too… but not to worry since she doesn’t know ‘bout my blog), I was laughing my heart out after looking at a pic in the paper. He is currently in Mumbai for his 7 day yoga camp. The pic showed Mallika Sherawat welcoming him with a garland. Nooo.. the garland part is not funny, but she was fully clothed this time n he was in a semi-nude state (the clothes he wears for his weird exercises). Nice to see Mallika in a different role. Btw, is Brinda Karat listening (or looking at baba :p)

Other things which made me happy too:

Nothing beats the happy moment watching Federer lift the Australian Open title… wait… happier moment was watching Baghdatis’s gal cheering ;)

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Watching Martina Hingis back in action at the Australian Open. She played damn well at the nets along with Mahesh Bhupati in the mixed doubles.

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This Bhupati dude is damn lucky. He is married to a very pretty Indian model n still he has partnered six different gals on the court for winning the Grand Slams. Six tennis beauties… hmmm… well no wonder he is not improving in the singles :p

Lows n Highs!!

Wish u all a very belated Happy Republic Day. Many of u might have read posts ranging frm ppl not sending mssgs (like they do on any other days) to ppl dumping paper flags after using it just for the day. Tht is shameful indeed but I felt worse when Pune Newsline published some excerpts of interviews they conducted across various sections in the society ‘bout Republic Day. 70% of the junta (mind u they were literate) didn’t know the importance of it. Won’t get much into the debate of culture influence n stuff like tht but it feels really sad when the young generation doesn’t know or doesn’t -care- to know the reason why we all r living happily today.

My Republic Day started the same way as it is going on for last 5-6 yrs. Went to JPP (a school.. not the one I studied in) for the flag hoisting ceremony. It is getting damn cold here since past 3-4 days. Infact Friday was the coldest day in January since last 12 yrs. Pune is known for it’s pleasant climate but right now it is BRRRR!!! So went to the ceremony almost shivering in the morning. After the flag hoisting, there is usually a speech by somebody (mostly a teacher). Slept peacefully thro’ it .. over the yrs I have improved this skill, but was suddenly woken up when the speaker’s voice caught enthu (almost at the end of his speech). His voice n style reminded me of PuLa Deshpande’s Asami Asami part when a political leader is addressing a rally:
Kashmir te Kanyakumari paryant… ekaaaaaach aawaz… ekaaaaach dhyas… ha hindu rashtra ek aahe
In the afternoon had some family frnds for lunch. I don’t have a sweet tooth but had 2 bowls of amrakhand tht day. The evening was spent hanging out. So frankly speaking I too didn’t do anything gr8 .. just the same holiday approach for the Republic Day.

Saw Rang De Basanti yesterday. Basanti is the saffron colour, symbolizes the blood our martyrs sacrificed during the freedom struggle. The storyline is not tht new… but the way it is portrayed is awesome. The story of today’s youth n drawing a parallel betn the extremists during the struggle against British forces is something which makes it a must watch. Not only it shows some historical significant events but brings forth some of today’s vital issues like the MIG plane crashes n the corruption involved in the defence ministry.

A group of frnds is making a documentary on the freedom struggle in it’s violent stage. One of their close frnd (a fighter pilot) dies in a crash n the defence minister (to save his skin) blames the pilot himself for the same. This ires the group and they seek revenge by killing the minister. Now this sounds a run-of-the-mill story, but all actors have infused life in their characters. After seeing the promos I had thought tht the movie will be only revolving around Amir Khan’s character, but it is totally opposite. Amir does stand a class apart but other actors leave their mark too. Direction is gr8, music is just superb. The whistles frm the crowd just don’t cease when the songs r played n Amir’s dance moves look funny yet cool. I don’t remember the names of the not-so-frequently seen faces, but Atul Kulkarni does a cool job n really looks like a leader of PPS or ABVS. This reminds me of Atul’s interview on Radio Mirchi. This seems to be getting long… will post it sometime ltrz. A definitely must see movie…

P.S.: Sonia Gandhi can use Sue’s Hindi teacher :p

The Pherphect lover

If u r not an avid blog-hopper then u might have failed to notice tht this tag has been done by almost every blogger by now. My frnds Ganga n Kavita also thought not leaving me behind in this tagging game n here I m now…

The CHANGED rules of the game:

1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.

(I will go only for sex … I swear it was a typo .. I meant I will go only for six n not eight)

2. Need to mention the sex of the target.

(so tht ur blog visitors know if by chance u r frm the -other- side of this planet n then they leave comments accordingly)

3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.

(as if u don’t have any other job other than going n telling ppl to do this… here too only six)

4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

(I really wish this was already posted)

Okie.. enuf of explanations n lets get to the point…

WANTED: FEMALE

1. Looking at her every guy would feel like singing
Pretty Woman.. Walking down the street… Pretty Woman

But, then I have the copyright (wrong word… bhavanoan ko samjho) of crooning for her
I've kissed the moon a million times
Danced with angels in the sky
I've seen snowfall in the summertime
Felt the healing of the powers above
-----
I've even seen miracles
I've felt the pain disappear
But still haven't seen anything
That amazes me quite like you do
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You bring me up when I'm feeling down
you touch me deep you make me right
You do the things I've never done
You make me wicked you make me wild
'Cause baby, you're my number 1

2. She should be -educated- n not just literate.

3. She should understand that dates (as in calendar dates) have to be forgotten by males (exception being ‘DCH Subodh’) This is the basic criterion for falling into the male category. Sorry, but I cannot remember our meeting anniversary (for my blog anniversary I can refer to the archives section… so the argument stops here itself)

4. Misunderstanding… I mean Miss Understanding. Should understand tht I understand her n so she also has to understand me. I think in this understanding game I m gonna get kicked hard…

5. Call me a feminist but I m tht way. Had a hard time finding my way out of the hitting frm my angry classmates for writing an essay being a proponent for rights of the fairer sex (but got a pat frm the English teacher… Ujwal remember Mrs. Srinivasan?) But, NO to reservation for gals in engg.

So the point is tht even if I support her, she shld be individualistic. Should have her own opinions coz I will respect her for wht she is n wht she thinks rather than just her looks.

6. Her humour cells shld be alive n kicking… coz life sucks without humour!!!

-Victims- (pls note tht I don’t have any contacts who have similar names.. so if it is ur name below then consider I have commented on ur blog ‘bout the same)

1. Parag (sorry but any of my tag is incomplete without u…he he he)
2. Harshal (let’s hear if ur views have changed after ur marriage :p)
3. Yashita (might be the reasons for being more happy)
4. Ritu (points on the guy who gives u sleepless nights :p)
5. Elaine (who will be the perfect guy in this new yr)
6. AnonymousBlogger (stick to Amanda’s lipgloss… her cousin is mine.. lol)

I m done with the tag… so I think I shld be getting 6 different gals coz all these qualities in a single gal is remotely possible. Had I known tht earlier I would have gone for 8 points.. lolllzzz.

By chance if there is any gal who thinks she falls under all the points, pls contact me at the id mentioned in the profile :))))

1st year Anniversary bash....

21st Jan 2005 - 21st Jan 2006 --- 129 posts (including this)

ONE YEAR!!! Aaaahhhh…. tht is really a long time I have spent here n wasn’t aware tht time flew so fast. Thnx to Neha’s year completion post tht I remembered ‘bout the same for this one.

‘The Sunday Express’ had carried an article ‘bout few bloggers who were helping tsunami victims thro’ their blogs. The next day Suraj told me tht he too had a blog to his name since a few days n it is easy to create one. So I too jumped at this concept, but in a couple of fortnights I was like wht shld I write?? I mean thoughts were there but before this I had never written something.. never used to write in my college notebooks so never thought I could write something online. The first post was like the typical one… I m new here n I m interested in this blogging concept.. blah blah…lol. I still clearly remember when I used to write the so-called posts in the first two months … they were just 3-5 lines .. something happened here n something didn’t happen there stuff. But, blog-hopping gave me an insight to wht ppl write n then started improving myself. I don’t think I write well now but yeah definitely better than wht is there in the February archives.

Like an award winner, I won’t forget to thank ppl who have supported me so far… lollz. So, thnx to all those who come here n leave their comments n to those too who don’t come :p

It gives me immense pleasure to invite u all for the first year anniversary bash (don’t know how much time I will be here but still felt like calling it as first yr bash). The venue n time will be decided ltrz but as of now the programme schedule has been prepared:

Entertainment progs:
‘Bizarre comedy show’ by Zoonie
‘dhinchak item song’ by Divya
‘Poems recital’ by Shyloh
‘Modern-age Strategies of losing ur own car in a car park’ by Ganga n Kavita
‘1000 funny ways to tackle blog-stalking’ by Darci (don’t worry wont give ur new blog link)

Educational progs:
‘Latest techie stuff’ by Parag
‘Cricket: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow n day after tomorrow’ by Ujwal
‘Abstract thinking for insomniacs’ by Ritu
‘Political scenario in India’ by Shantanu
‘100 ways to propose a gal n confuse urself’ by AB (topic can be changed to ‘Flight to Bollywood’)
‘Bravery awards’ for Yashita n her frnd

Food n drinks:
Pizzas n drinks – Managed by Keshi (hope to see some hot aussie gals delivering it ;))
Veggie food – From Deepa’s mom (sorry to assign ur mom .. was gonna tell u but no risk since it is first b’day :p)
Special b’day cake – Elaine

I want all the other elite ppl to join me in the audience rather than everybody going on-stage. Thnx a lot all of u n I sincerely hope tht this association continues n the bonds grow stronger as each moment passes :))

Weekend masti!!

I had made my mind this weekend not to go to any movie .. lolllz. Instead spent the whole saturday evening playing Scrabble with mom n on sunday nite spent time with frnds celebrating Shirish's b'day. Got the Goa pics too...

'Laad house' on way to Goa

More pics

Currently we are having a client visit in our company. The guy who is visiting used to work with us but ltrz shifted to the client company. Got to work with him for around 1 month, but I started completely idolising him in tht short span. Since past 10 mths we r working on the same project (with a short brk though, when i was shifted) n I like the way he interacts with juniors. A very knowledgable person who is also very down-to-earth kinda man. He is settled now in Singapore n is on visit here till 28th Jan. So a little less updates till then .. coz now he is a client :p

Meanwhile, It's MY Space is gonna complete one year on 21st Jan :)

Special (p)review

I really m a …. ok I will not use swear words for myself on my blog itself… n tht does not mean I will allow anyone else to do tht job for me either. But, I published the earlier post, went home n Yogi called me up saying tht he could manage to get Family’s special preview show tickets for tht nite. Even after throwing a lot of excuses he dragged me to the theatre. Now, City Pride, Kothrud sucks!! I mean the person who books tickets in advance gets the worst seat (front rows) n those who buy it at last moment get the most fab row to watch. Luckily this time we were in the latter grp. So got seated in one of the best row n alongside me were … leave it!!

The movie was FAMILY… Ties of Blood!! It seemed all within the family n I was wondering at the start why I m not here with my family to watch this family. So there are 2 main families in the movie. One family is gud while the other family is bad (only one guy is bad but since he calls it MY FAMILY every now n then). Bad family kills one guy frm the gud family -accidentally-. But, the other guy frm the gud family even after understanding the bad family’s innocent intentions vows to take revenge against the bad family… coz the family entertainment show must go on. But since this other gud guy .. I mean the other guy frm the gud family does not have support frm his family so he takes help frm his frnds who also belong to some gud families. Now the gud guys who have now formed a ‘revenge taking family’ within themselves kidnap the gud ppl from the bad family, so tht the bad guy frm the bad family will surrender. Just try to figur out why the bad guy, who is so –POWERFUL- tht even the international police cannot find him, comes out in the open. Simple.. coz he luvs his family. Some crappy action scenes later the bad family is losing their numbers. The reason being they start fighting within themselves… OMG!!! Ltrz the bad guy frm the bad family itself (coz now the guy frm the gud family has also turned bad) … leave this too!!

In the end I was wondering why did I come here instead of spending some quality time with my family. Also now I think there is some bollywood family conspiring against me after reading the harsh posts… otherwise how we could so easily get the special preview tickets. I m beginning to suspect tht Yogi bear is also involved in this plan. The movie has some reputed actors who r grossly underpaid. Thts the only logic I can see coz they appear only in the first half. Pls let me know the name of the guy who actually is the so-called star of the movie. I will start writing an obituary for him coz I don’t think he will survive after the premiere today. Songs r a bit foot tapping … but better for guys to watch them rather than listen.

Please go n watch this movie coz I don’t want to be the only one who underwent this torture. If u luv me I know u will do this favour for me… after all we r from the blogging family :-)

EDIT: Meanwhile

That post!!

This is the post I was talking 'bout in the last post. Just wanted to vent it out here…
WARNING!!!
If u r Bollywood fan then I will advise u not to read further.
If u r below 18 yrs, call ur parents n ask them to read this first. If they faint, don’t read.. otherwise ask them for permission.

:p

Myself n my frnds had booked a Qualis (jeep) for transport for our Goa trip. The whole trip the driver played one cassette to the max. n tht was the songs frm the movie Neil n Nikki. Now don’t ask me a movie review for this coz I m lucky not to see it.. u can ask Divya for the story coz it is now one of her fav movies… ROFWL. Coming back to the driver… don’t know why he liked those songs coz even our earnest appeals fell on his deaf ears (listening to those songs will surely turn someone deaf). Anyways, the song which was continuously bombarded on us was the title song… whenevr we came back to the jeep this song was always playing.

The starting line of the song is (picturised on Uday Chopra n Tanisha)
Main shayad char saal ka tha… jab mujhe pehli baar pyar hua (I was probably four yrs old when I fell in luv for the first time)

Now, why does Uday Chopra have to say I was probably four yrs old…. He still looks like one… no no .. not the cute 4 yr old but a very ugly child. I don’t understand how he still works in movies with not even an iota of acting talent… aaahhhh.. his dad is a director or producer.. whtevr he might be. Ever seen him with his mouth closed… I mean leave aside the foul smell he might be spewing out but how gross it looks when u don’t close ur mouth even when u r finished talking. A lil’ lips apart is ok.. but his is like wht will happen after seeing a hot gal coming nude outta the ocean (this is not related to the goa beach.. though would have liked to see one there). His dialog delivery n timing r also so bad… WHY WHY WHY do such guys keep on getting roles????

Now, the lady in the song.. Tanishaa or Tannisha .. just tell her tht changing her name wont bring her any luck. Now she has a crush on George Michael in tht song to which the hero replies tht GM is gay. Now if GM knew tht such a gal would have a crush on him not even GM but any guy would prefer turning gay. She doesn’t have any talent to showcase except her skin. Chop off her head n u have a gud thing…. but we already have Mallika Sherawat… why cant someone be Madhuri or Madhubala.. or she has Nutan to look up at… frm the same family.

Wht do ppl go to see in a movie?
The story shld be gud… a rare thing nowadays
Some action stuff …. A few r gud but then plenty of just dhishum dhishum stuff
Good songs … u can hear them sitting at home… why go to a theatre then for tht?
Tht leaves with romance… or shall we call sex. Yup… if the movie is not gud then u will definitely find a sleazy sex scene or a bold item number to remunerate ur moolah.

As a phoenix rises frm ashes… a serial kisser Emraan Hashmi is born frm such scenes. I m still wondering if it wasn’t for Mahesh Bhat would this guy get even a single movie after his debut… n now he is starring almost in every film. How does this man find himself in a movie having the hottest babe in the town in the skimpiest outfit in the world n with the best songs which rise to the top of the charts. Currently I m listening to one of his songs Jhalak Dikhlaja – Aksar.

Maybe starkids will keep on basking in sunlight till we common ppl throw money at them for watching such stuff. This was the same case with Abhishek Bachchan n Saif Ali Khan.. but now even I luv to watch their movies n the dance steps.. hmmm ... solid irony na?

I m waiting with bated breath to watch Rang de Basanti n 15 Park Avenue… the first one shld not turn a blooper like Mangal Pandey n second one will be the best I know.

First Sunday in Office!!

Today was the the first Sunday I spent in office... came here in afternoon after watching the Pune leg of the Gr8 Indian Laughter Challenge. As i was entering the office, I remebered how i had said to my wicked ex-TeamLead (the hookah pic one) "Sunday n office!! R u crazy to ask me to come on a Sunday? If permitted I wont be coming on weekdays n u r talking about Sundays". Tht time he was like a smart ass n bullied all his juniors. Ha ha.. changed his ways though ltrz. I still cant stop laffing when I came to know tht he requested the Proj Mgr "It will be ok if u dont give me any resources but please dont allot Sudeep to my team." MISSION SUCCESSFUL!!! And remembering this brought a smile to my face today. I wish he could see me here.. but he is on a honeymoon (not to a holy place Deepa... :-)). Belated happy marriage wishes to him... n best of luck for his wife. I also wish he could read all this stuff... but i think he is illiterate..lollzz

Anyways, almost finsihed the document I had to prepare n just now sent it to the client for evaluation. How does one work on a topic which is totally new, does not have any other documents for help n the documents which are on tht topic r irrelevant??? But i m thankful tht today i wont be here till midnite. Infact would have left 15-20 min ago, but Pooja decided to order a pizza. So waiting for it n so decided to write something in the meanwhile.

There is one post i have been thinking of since my trip... might be will write it down this week *HOPES n LOOKS TOWARDS THE SKY*. Where is the sky?? Have seen only stars for the past 3-4 days. The pizza delivery boy is here.. i still cant believe how do they manage to find their way in 30 mins flat in this busy traffic.

ATTRITION!!!

Yup.. the most feared n most used word in the software companies. Ppl r just waiting for greener pastures.. Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Might be... still i haven't seen the fence itself, so the supposedly greener grass is out of question. Anyways, one of my best buddies in the company was given farewell. Wasim, got placed in a reputed company n we all will be missing him here. A down-to-earth guy with a smile always on his face. He has a blog too, but updates it rarely. Probably will be updating more now... he said tht while leaving..lol. Hope he enjoys n excels in his day-to-day life. Mr. Jackie Chan.. we will miss u man... n probably Mallika will also..lol. I m so mean na... jaate-jaate bhi tujhe nahi baksha :p . Some pics here (courtesy Animesh's cell)

Another of my team member resigned yesterday. God knows how we r gonna handle this project. So many new joinees to train n seniors r leaving. It is almost midnight here n i m still in office to complete one document which I have to post tomorrow end of the day. Not logged in any messenger for the whole day, rarely checked mails today n just a few scraps on orkut.. lol. Above tht, i havent had my dinner as of yet. Pet mein chuhe daud rahein hain... just spared some time for Wasim.

Go GOA

The title is the motto of the Goa Tourism.. n i m all for it. I dont think of any other slogan than this coz Goa is awesome. I luv beaches n when they come as clean n gud as Goa's then no need to say more. Went to Calangute, Aguada, Baga, Anjuna n Arambol beaches. Out of these I didnt like Aguada coz the water was dirty n no provision of bathing around there. Arambol is the most amazing beach I have ever visited. There is a sweet water lake a few yards behind the coastline where u can dip in n it is shallow so better for me coz i m not gud at swimming.

On the New yr eve we went to Baga beach n danced in Zanzi Bar (a shack) n then went to Mambos which seemed lifeless first but as the nite descended it roared to life with ppl thronging in n the DJ playing excellent music. But the security guards didnt allow cameras within but ltr as the crowd swelled they allowed them to bring in theirs'. Wht da hell!! So we are now left with only the beach pics n not the new yr.. :( . Will upload pics by this weekend (probably)

Last post I had written next year with ?? at ??.. I would rewrite it as ?? at Goa :)

EDIT: Till then check the pics of b'day celebration in the company

Happy New Year!!

I wish i could put this in front of my office.. anyways I m off for a vacation starting tomorrow. Going to celebrate New Year's eve in Goa this year. Last year it was New Delhi with school frnds... this yr it is Goa with college frnds... next yr it will be ?? with ??.. he he. So folks... c u all in 2007 2006.

P.S: Sorry tht i had to send the greetings 3 days earlier coz m not going to surf net till 3rd. Hope u will like it.. coz i luved it :)

Letter to Dad!!!

It is my Dad’s b’day today. Wished him in the morning over phone coz he is in Himachal Pradesh right now. He doesn’t know I have a blog but wanted to write for him..

Dear Papa,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope u are in best of ur health n gud spirits inspite of the cold conditions at ur place. Mummy n I miss u a lot even though we talk to u everyday. I feel like running away frm here n come to Shimla just to give u a hug n wish u.. but just sending a greeting for the same. Hope it conveys my feelings to u n the luv n affection give u enuf strength n warmth to drag urself for one more year b4 u r transferred back here. Actually the strength is required by myself n mummy here coz we r the ones who need it to survive one whole year without u. But don’t u worry I m becoming strong enuf to make ur absence not felt to mummy n myself too. Yet I miss coming home n finding u sitting in the living room cracking up jokes or watching TV or for tht matter all things u do.

I can still remember tht after graduating I had told u tht I wont be doing anything for a year as I was very bored after studying for 4 yrs in engineering. U were so tensed tht u used to call up everyday n ask me wht my career plans were. Sorry to put u in tht situation.. but it was a time I desperately wanted a break. Now, it seems I m settling down, but yet I feel something is bubbling somewhere back in my mind to quit this job n do something else.. something different.. don’t know wht or don’t know where… when I figure it out will let u know. But, I could feel the excitement n satisfaction when I broke the news of my increment. One thing I want u to know is tht I m working in a software company. So next time we talk don’t ask me whether I know how to use Microsoft Word or Excel.. lollz.

Wish u a fantastic year ahead n make sure u avail a lot of holidays to visit home.

With lotz of luv
Sudeep

P.S.: Got some of ur Ladakh tour pics scanned

Merry Christmas!

Wish u all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year :)

She be the ONE - Enrique

Suddenly yesterday afternoon my left hand which suffered an impact due to the accident a couple of days back started paining badly. Also a slight swelling had developed and thumb movement had become restricted. So went to see a doc, my Team Lead had suggested, n got Xrays done for it. No cracks or fractures were present but since there was swelling the doc advised me for a wrist-band to be used for a few days for supporting the thumb.

Since yesterday I m listening n humming this track. It is a marathi song by Sandeep-Salil duo (Divas Ase Ki fame) frm their Namanzur album. The lyrics are:

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

(ani tichya hatanich)*2

jakhma ya bhar(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

(kadhi kuthe tari basavi dhadak)*2

(kal mala yavi tila kalave tadak)*2

(ghayalala milo)*2 ek ghayal najar, haay

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

[a deva mala]

(apghati song mazhe watawe khare)*2

(tila yeta prem mala watawe bare)*2

dava daru madhe, are dava daru madhe

kuthe asto asar

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

(khari wyatha tewha mag sangen tila)*2

(vicharel jewha kuthe dukhte tula)*2

jara davikade, ho! jara davikade,

jara potachyaya war

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

[a deva mala]

(tekawta chhati war doke ek waar)*2

(thoka ghei zhoka, ude abhalachya par)*2

wyatanchach kay, are wyatahanchach kay

pade jagacha visar

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

ani tichya hatanich, hoo.. ani tichya hatanich

(deva mala roj ek apghat kar)*2

The rough English translation (only meaning) will be:

Oh God! Let me meet one accident everyday

Make sure tht she will be the only one who treats my wounds

Some day when i fall somewhere

She comes to know about it immediately

Wht a relief i will get when i look in those beautiful eyes

My fake pain should look real to her

n then her luv for me will make me happier

Medicines will not be needed when i will have her luv

When she will ask me "Where is it paining?"

I will tell her the truth

a place little to the left n little above my stomach

When she will hug me fondly n place my head on her chest

n i hear her heartbeat in a rhtymic flow

Will make me forget not only the pain but this whole world

Oh God! Let me meet one accident everyday

Make sure tht she will be the only one who treats my wounds


Sorry tht I could only translate it literally n not convey it in a poetic form.. but i m luving this song. See if u can get to hear it.

Pics!

Was going to write something today, but now I m leaving for home. So just posting some pics frm one of the appraisal parties (with colleagues). U can see the pics here.

Where there is a will .. there r 1000 relatives

With so many ppl thronging our place right now I couldn’t think of another title for this post. It is not just the caption of my blog but I cherish my individual space. I m neither an introvert nor like to stay aloof. But, I don’t know why I just don’t seem to adjust along with many ppl living in my house if they are related to me. Whenevr my mom is off for 3-4 mths to Shimla, where my dad has been transferred, our place is full of my frnds n I luv if many of them stay with me too over a period of time. But, this is not the same with relatives. I mean cousins r gud to stay for 3-4 days n talk over the phone. With frnds I can talk for hours even on any irrelevant topic, but with all cousins I tend to get cautious while speaking anything. Don’t know if someone might get hurt or feel sad .. might be this is coz we meet after many months or even years in some case. I know, time to get some things right…


Anyways, had a gud time with the same relatives mentioned above on my b’day :) Did the usual stuff like partying out except this year frnds were replaced by cousins. I am a late riser n even keep my cell to a profile which wont bother me to pick it up till 10. The only day I don’t mind picking up the phone in the morning is 16th Dec. So, thnx to all of u out there who called me (I know they don’t read blog.. still), who wished me in the comments section n to others who mailed/scrapped on orkut. Hope such happy moments keep on coming n I get to share with all of u.

I m 23... finally

Pic courtesy: HumanClock

Within a few minutes, I will be 23 (yet writing tht I m). Not exactly a few minutes but can say tht since I dont remember wht was the exact time I was born on. For enabling me to walk on this earth for 22yrs n some months (rest months were spent crawling) I take this opportunity to thank profusely mom n dad :) I havent yet planned anything about how I would be spending tomorrow so if anyone wants to throw a party for me pls feel free to invite everybody... he he he. Dont worry about the tab coz AnonBlogger has already said tht I m a rich guy now ;).

If u were amused by the use of the word finally in the title, it was coz I received a gr8 gift frm God today itself. LIFE. Was going to office today morning n a tempo driver suddenly changed his lane. My bike's handle bar got caught in the bars n I was thrown off in the middle of the road. After taking 2-3 tumbles was lucky tht no vehicle was coming frm behind. Fortunately I was driving at a very low speed. Got a bruised knee n a very sore left hand thumb which is still throbbing with pain. So... finally 23 :).

Do write down ur birthdates in the comments section. This is not a guarantee tht I will remember them coz I m very bad with my dates (not a pun). Still....

My blog rocks!!! :)

I know it is mainly coz of u all coming here but right now it rocks for two more important reasons.

Read this first, which I had posted 'bout a month ago. Ok... now if u haven't read it let me give u a brief idea of tht. Had gone for dinner with my college frnds n then after a sumptuous meal we went to Durga for cold-coffee. But, due to the perennial rush we settled for Richmonds (bang opposite to it) n instead of having icecream (for wht it is famous) we took coffee, which was one of the worst I had ever tasted. Now I have heard tht Richmonds have shut down tht outlet. Now thts called cool blogging.. cooler than the cold coffee they serve... he he he. If u want tht anything closed down then mail me the location... two weeks ltrz u get to see their shutters down ;)

The more rocking reason is tht I have got a salary hike.... HURRAH!!! Probably the post (go down 2 posts) might not be the actual reason but I m luvin it. Top on tops I m the highest 'increment-earner' in the batch.. a whooping 81% rise. Yet I have to receive the letter for the same, but the management announced it by calling each one of us into the conference room. So folks it is paaaartttttyy time :) n also time to change my wallppr in company... (or shld I make it 'till next appraisal') lollzzz.

Kidnaps ur mind...

Speak about kidnappings n the next word comes to ur mind is Bihar. The spate of kidnappings which the state has n is witnessing is the central theme of the movie Apaharan. The title means kidnapping n tht is wht is shown in the movie.. almost realistic. Bihar witnessed kidnappings of students, lawyers, doctors, businessmen n … The movie points to the nexus between the goons, politicians, police force n judicial system. The kidnappings are done by the goons on the behest of politicians n police, ransom money changes hands n the politicians n police ‘rescue’ the captive n become heroes in the eyes of the public.

Ajay Devgan plays role of a disillusioned man. Disillusioned coz he is educated but not getting a job n his Gandhian principle following father Mohan Agashe won’t use his contacts/references to bag one for him. The father wishes tht his son shld find a job himself n solely based on his caliber without offering bribe. But, the son offers bribe to a govt. official to list himself into the police but even then finds himself out of the merit list. To repay the loan he had taken for the bribe, he n his frnds r forced to resort to kidnapping. But, luck (n a politician) fails them n they all land up in jail. The hero vows to fight back n when he is released he takes to full time kidnapping n eventually he makes a place for himself in the same politician’s (Nana Patekar) gang. But, politics (even) in the kidnapping takes its toll on him n he is made to scurry for his own life, eventually leading to his death.

A really amazing movie which keeps u hooked from the first shot itself. The lingo which the middlemen use, the flow of money from victim’s family to the hands of corrupt ppl, dilemma faced by today’s youth in choosing honesty over monetary gains n the ease with which the kidnappers strike a deal are some of the high points of the movie. Ajay Devgan n Nana Patekar have essayed brilliant roles in the movie along with some good support by Mohan Agashe, Ayub Khan n Yashpal Sharma.

My rating: A MUST see movie…

It feels very sad to see young n brilliant lives being snuffed out in such a way. First, Satyendra Dubey lost his life at hands of the Highway ganglords. Now, Manjunath got killed by the petrol pump owner. Go n read this post frm a fellow blogger who was Manju’s junior in the IIM. Also u may sign a petition for an inquiry into his murder. Personally, I don’t believe tht justice will be done by thousands of ppl signing such petitions. But, I did not want myself to be left out this time coz somewhere in my heart I see myself standing in his shoes in future. I don’t know which path I will choose then, but I definitely want to see the ppl responsible for his murder -atleast- behind bars. I appeal to the system tht don’t let the trail end in cold this time.. PLEASE!!

Scribblings on the wall (ppr)

This morning I came to office n suddenly this struck me. So I opened this pic n wrote a few lines on it. A few minutes later the pic was set as wallppr on my company machine. Till lunch my Project Manager saw this n the following conversation took place betn us. The lines in the brackets are wht I wanted to say but just kept it in my mind. Now this man always asks me the names of actresses I put up on my desktop..

PM: Sudeep n a guy on desktop.. i hope everything is allright ... haha

Me: Ha ha (forced a smile) .. everything is ok.. btw, it is my pic (even if i keep an actor's pic on my screen how do i turn gay???)

PM: Oh is it? Didn't know u looked so gud in pics

Me: Ha ha.. gud joke.. but cant help it

PM: n wht have u written here?

Me: (Dont tell me u can read... i have read enuf of mails 'bout dumb PMs')

PM: Ha ha.. i hope tht is not true

Me: It is true

PM: Wht??

Me: I mean I do sleep on weekends... ;P

PM: I was talking 'bout the 2nd line

Me: Tht is just my creativity oozing out (How can i steal ur weekdays job)

PM: better be just tht..

Me: (Actually i had added 'till appraisal' to the second line but then on second thoughts removed tht part.. hello where r u going?? Dont u have enuf brains to get the idea tht i want a raise.. hey.. listen)

But, he went away... :(

Trip update..

Sorry for the late update on the short trip to Kashid. Kashid lies around 20 km ahead of Alibaug n the beach is popular among ppl coz it has probably one of the cleanest beaches around. Korlai, a small hamlet near Kashid is also famous for it's beach n fort. The rocky beach on the other side of Korlai is worth a visit. If u r halting for around 2 days then u may also visit the Alibaug fort (we didnt), Birla Temple at Revdand n Dutt Temple at choul. Serene places n amazing getaway from the cacophony of the city. Dont worry if u cant visit coz u can see some of the pics I have uploaded. Happy weekend.. c ya ltrz.

Marriages are made in heaven.. or is it Taj Blue Diamond

Came from Kashid on Sunday night (more on the outing in next post). Was totally void of energy but somehow got up on Monday n went to the office. After coming to the office I noticed in the washroom how horrible I was looking (tht day). The french beard i had was almost covered by the rest of unshaven part. Had worn a tee n a old pair of loose jeans, which could have easily slipped off if the belt was not in place. Could find no excuses for avoiding the work which is piling up, courtesy the pre-poned schedule of execution phase (I hate preparation phase now). Somehow as the day was reaching to an end, I got a call. (Not frm God like in 1 nite@Call centre coz i dont work there)


Anyways, the call was frm home. Mom was telling me to have food outside coz she was going to attend a marriage in Taj Blue Diamond. My mom has now stopped asking me to accompany for the marriages since last 4 years. Lets begin frm there...FLASHBACK --- I am originally a Rajasthani. But, our generations have settled in Maharashtra n 99% of my frnds are Maharashtrians since childhood. So, except the language i dont know anything about my supposedly native place. Now, in our community marriages used to take place in childhood. After modernisation has come into place, the age level has increased. But, still in some families gals are married off at 'bout 18 n guys around 20-21. Luckily my parents r not in this grp of thinkers n have not given a thought for mine. So, whenevr I went to attend marriages around 4-5 yrs back, I was cornered by ppl eager to give their daughter's hand. I m very opposed to this system n so after attending one such marriage, came home n a swear word slipped frm my mouth against an elderly person. So tht was the beginning of my mom not asking me to accompany later for any marriages (including my cousins')... n I am still grateful for tht.


So I agreed to have food outside (though frankly I wanted to go to Blue Diamond.. but no) n resumed my work. Around 20-25 min ltr my mama (maternal uncle) called me up n said tht he was waiting below my office n wanted me to come down. When I went there, he was in a car sitting with my mom n mami (uncle’s wife). They all were going for tht wedding nhe was insisting tht I too go along with them. I explained to him tht I was in no mood for attending a wedding but he didn’t budge. So I pulled on a sweater n went along. (I mean went up the stairs, luckily had a sweater in my locker n then went down) The hotel was buzzing with ppl in resplendent clothes which made me more n more awkward n giving me the feeling of being an odd man out. Soon enuf as the news spread tht Dr. Sharma’s son who has finished his graduation n is currently working is here.. I was literally dragged in a corner by 2 men n then started a barrage of questions Wht I was doing currently n then the date of birth n stuff like tht. In the mean time I was thinking how to while away 1 more hour so I started looking frm the corner of my eye at a grp of gals hoping to find a gud looking one n coincidentally she being one of those men’s daughter. But to no avail… atleast tht would have kept me busy during the wedding ceremony. Generally I restrain myself frm cracking jokes in front of such ppl, but then one of those gentlemen seemed cool enuf to bear tht so.... My mom had told him tht I wanted to study further for my PG n had no intention of marrying so soon. He countered tht with saying tht the right age for a boy to marry is 20-21. I shook his hand n said tht “I am desperate for marriage since last year but my mom wont let me think of it. Pls tell her to let me marry” n after saying tht took off frm there to meet another relative. I didn’t dare to look back at mom’s face… he he he. The wedding ceremony was over n when my turn came to congratulate the couple I was confused to whom to hand over the gift. Simply coz I wasn’t aware frm whose side I was attending. Lolzzz. But since the bride was shy n looking down (they have to act like tht???) I handed the gift to the groom, had food n then left for home.


Don’t know whether I will be attending any marriages in near future but…

Old ppl used to annoy me at weddings by pinching my cheeks n saying u r next. But they stopped doing tht when I did the same to them at funerals

Hot n Spicy

The title is neither the name of a Chinese hotel at ur street's corner nor a soup on its menu, but is the name of a recent movie. Garam=Hot n Masala=Spice. So Garam Masala, true to it's name is hot n spicy. Hot coz the 3 leggy new actresses add to the movie's oomph quotient while spicy coz they r staying with the same guy but get to know 'bout it at the end (movie's end .. not the guy's end lolzz). Akshay Kumar (AK) n John Abraham (JA) play the roles of photographers working with a glossy magz company. So the start is ofcourse an eyeful of foreign chicas grooving to the music n posing for these dudes. AK is already on the verge of getting married to Rimii Sen, but he has a disease called as 'roving eye' which makes her almost walk over him. Then AK with help of a colleague manages to rope in 3 air-hostesses to be his g/fs ... n look at his luck .. all r working with different airlines. AK is very efficiently managing his office work (???) n triple-timing the flight timings with the help of his cook (Paresh Rawal) n mechanic (Rajpal Yadav). JA comes to know 'bout this n as a true frnd comes to share the burden ;). Chaos rules the house n both do some stupid n funny stuff to keep the 3 gals out of each other's reach. But the gals find out the plan n phhhhuuuuussss.. a typical Hindi movie ending with AK going with RS.

Except a few funny incidents n AK's good timing, not much can be expected frm this movie (inspite it being Priyadarshan's). JA looked good in Dhoom but looks better n cool in this.. no wonder Bips is all gung-ho over him (the roles could have been interchanged betn Akshay n John). But being his first venture in comedy, he doesnt come good. Neha Dhupia n Rimii Sen have a blink-n-miss role.. suits them. Paresh Rawal n Rajpal Yadav r wasted. The new heroines... dont know their names.. even the director might have forgotten till now.. are just to please the front benchers n demand more whistles as the movie progresses. Have read tht this movie is based on the real life of Akshay Kumar who was two timing with some actresses b4 his marriage. The music is gr8 n the song Ada is the rage of the town. Even if critics say tht the movie isn't funny, it is declared a hit all over.

My rating: OK.. worth one dekko

Also saw Harry Potter.. but nothing happened in the movie till interval. Also they created enthu by the superb stadium n didnt show the match. Emma Watson looked amazing when she descended the steps for the dance. Finished... thts it!! Read the book instead.

Going on a short trip to Kashid this weekend .. c ya on Monday.

Gimme a FIVE

Parag had tagged me last week... so here we go

Five movies/shows/sitcoms I'd watch anytime
1. Sarfarosh n Andaz Apna Apna

2. Gr8 Indian Laughter Challenge - selected acts n Office Office

3. Tht 70s' Show n Seinfeld

4. Phone Booth, Unfaithful n Wild Things

5. Fusion flicks ... not every but i like some of them

well the nos. r five ... :P

Five things I miss now
1. Sleeping till noon

2. Jogging on the hills in the evenings.. i really miss vetal/hanuman tekdi

3. Bunking lectures n telling the Head of Dept. tht i was representing our college in the inter-collegiate matches ;) n he agreeing to all my stories :) .. instead we all used to play on the college grnd

4. Sitting on the terrace n watch eagles soar high up in the sky ... one of my fav passtime

5. Daily dose of Durga cold-coffee .. Day-b4yest the waiter inquired if i had become very busy coz i was not coming regularly in the evenings... i wasn't aware tht even the waiter knew me (or is it tht only he knows me :P) ... first i thought he was offering me his job... he he he.

Five favourite music bands/performers
1. Enrique

2. Any of the combination betn. KK, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam, Sadhana Sargam n Shaan

3. Robbie Williams

4. Euphoria

5. Jagjit Singh

Five favourite lines
1. Where life had no value, death sometimes had its price - For a Few Dollars More

2. I am/We r leaving ... Amey uses it in restaurants when the service is very slow. Also, it is one of Paresh Rawal's line frm the movie Garam Masala

3. Hum jahaan khade hote hain line wahin se shuru hoti hain - Amitabh ... i like to add to it aur wahin par khatam ho jati hai :P

4. Corner seats hain na? ... Haan ek yeh corner ka aur doosra us corner ka - again Amir but frm Rangeela

5. Tejaa main hoon... mark idhar hai - Paresh Rawal frm Andaz Apna Apna

Five Things I want to do
1. Stay young forever (if possible.. my Aurora shld be brilliant enuf to ask Zeus for tht)2. Go globe-trotting

3. Not just plan but do something 'bout my PG

4. Read interesting books n interesting is a very relative term

5. Watch a hell lot of movies n write reviews .. lol .. i know this will be true

Five guys who will help spread this venereal disease

Why shld only five of them be later blamed for spreading this. So I tag each n everyone reading this. Leave back a comment here when u r done with it

My Experiments with Truth - M.K. Gandhi

I don't like ppl who lie. I mean if it is just for the sake of fun n not causing any harm to others, it is ok... i m into it 24x7. But, not otherwise. If u remember I had written a couple of posts back tht I had just completed my probation period with my current employer. But, for bagging a new project I was told by my manager to lie about a few things which I was very awkward telling the client. I won't go into the details of it but I feel tht u shld get work on ur merit or capability to do it n not by bragging. Another incident which pissed me was around a couple of weeks ago. During a client visit, everybody was asked to dress up in formals. Why to pretend in front of them? Let them know tht we -work- here... why shld it matter wht we wear or don't wear. I m not at all comfortable in formals. The first time i wore them was when i was a co-host for a programme n i was like "How am i to speak wearing this neck-gripping tie? uggghhh ... save me pls." Anyways, all of us came dressed up for the client visit n the client representatives were dressed down.. literally. I mean the guy was wearing a 3/4th n a tee & the gal was in a micromini. Yeah.... a micromini... not a common sight here, so no wonder all guys were ogling at her. I was discussing this with one of my seniors, who had recently come frm Singapore (where the client is based), 'bout this casual vs formal stuff. He said tht wht the clientele was wearing was almost the same they wear daily at work. I almost fell frm the chair "WHAT!! If the gal wears tht stuff daily then wht does she wear in casuals... a bikini?" ... lol. This time he fell frm the chair ;). Anyways, wht I want to say is tht i can work in a comfy environment n clothes I wear do count for me.

Ok enuf of bitching about the company. One of the things I like here is tht we r allowed to listen to music. Not many of my frnds have tht privilege in their companies. Currently my playlist consists of:

You are my no. 1 - Enrique ..... Beautiful lyrics

Chodo na Mujhe - Rules

Kabhi Phool Dena - Bombay Vikings .... Amazing lyrics with an equally amazing backgrnd score

Dil Jo Bhi Kahey - Dil Jo Bhi Kahey

Ada - Garam Masala

Dil Samunder - Garam Masala

Tu Kaun Hai - Lucky Ali

Ishq di galli - No Entry .... Catchy tune n i feel like dancing

Aashayein - Iqbal

Guilty - Blue

Ishq Hai Jhoota - Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena

Summer of 69 - Indianised version .... earlier i thought they just messed up the song but with the flute n Hindi wordings it is awesome

Aaja Piya - Remix ... probably the only remix which i luv

Tera Intezaar - Rahul Vaidya ... i cant believe i m listening to one of the voices frm Indian Idol

Kase Sartil Saye - Diwas Ase ki .... one of the most fav song

Who am I?

I m a Rogue .. yeah.. thts wht one of the sites says when I took their test. I totally agree with the result. Infact my frnds call me a sweet rogue... so no clashing of views on this. Parag n Suraj have also taken the test n both are Wizards. I know both of them since many years, so I can say tht the result is just perfect. If u want to find out who u r then just scroll down a bit n click the link on the right sidebar.

My result says:

You're clever, funny, and full of surprises. If you're still in school, you're probably the class clown. If you work, you're probably on the verge of being fired - but who cares? Your job's boring anyway. When it comes to leisure, you'd rather watch cartoons, crash a wild party, or stage a practical joke than have an elegant tea with your grandma. You're not big on being "civilized" or following "rules" such as that pesky "speed limit." Above all, you're a trendsetter and a force of chaos. You see tradition as something to be questioned, structure as something to be toppled. You're popular, charming, and entertaining to be around. You'd make a great actor, comedian, or a rock musician. Everyone loves having you at parties, because with you there, no one has a chance of getting bored.

Your Mission:
You were put on this earth to humble people. They will be easy victims, because they're attracted to your charm and wit, and they're too slow to see what you're doing behind their backs. You are the one who has to pull the rug out from under the big guy, because let's face it - you're the only one who can get away with it. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to Get Away With Something. Something small, or something big (but please, something legal). Make your boss laugh at himself. Get money for a homeless shelter by posing as a panhandler. Do coin tricks for kids. Get away with an awful pun. Run for governor of California. Get away with SOMETHING.

Give me your blood, I will give you freedom: S.C.Bose

Last week I donated blood for the 10th time... i m keeping track of all my donations coz recently i read an interview of a man who was donating it for the 100th time. I m not far away... just another 0 to go... :). So when I reached Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, the doctor told me tht I was called upon to donate blood for an emergency heart operation. She also introduced me to the patient's son. He had earlier called upon the services of his frnds but some of them had failed the test on various grnds like less haemoglobin count or high blood pressure (the hospital atmosphere sends shivers in some ppls bodies). Alongwith me was another man... probably in his mid 30s'. This dude was donating for the 1st time.. i guessed tht immd. frm his questions while filling out the form. This man n myself were called in at the same time. Since i had been there earlier i straightaway went in n sat on one of the cots. Now, this man didn't know where to sit but he started acting as if he visited there regularly. I think he assumed tht i was scared of donating n he started mumbling something like "It is very painful... big needles" just to scare me off. Since I almost was confident tht it was his 1st time, i kept my mouth shut (an unusual thing though) n waited for the expected fun. The nurse took my form first n after the preliminary tests started the procedure. I could look frm the corner of my eye tht the man was disappointed coz I didn't wince even once. Then the nurse proceeded to do the same with him. After about a minute or so, his machine started beeping. The reason was tht his blood flow rate was very slow. So the nurse took out the needle frm his right hand n a new needle was inserted in his left. When the donation was over this dude had both his hands folded up frm his elbows. When the coffee was served he couldnt unfold his hands n was looking at me gulping down my cuppa. When I was leaving, his coffee was already cold n I couldnt stop myself frm saying "The coffee was nice. Sorry u couldnt enjoy it ;)" Gosh I m so mean... but thts me. Anyways, I appeal u all to donate blood regularly. Or atleast do it during emergencies like I do.

No. 1 .. but counting backwards

It amazes me to see tht so many directors are obsessed or superstitious when it comes to the names of their movies. Rakesh Roshan n Karan Johar suffer frm the K-syndrome. On similar lines, David Dhawan has suffix No. 1 to almost all his movies. No matter whtevr result the movie gets at the box-office, these ppl don't leave their old habits. But dont they understand tht simply by naming ur movie alongwith No. 1 at the end doesn't create a blockbuster. It needs a good script n a decent crowd of actors, who can act.

Was witness to a horrible movie this Saturday by David Dhawan which goes by the name Shaadi No.1. Shaadi in Hindi means wedding. The movie begs, borrows n steals heavily from some forgettable flicks Masti n No Entry. The story (if i am permitted to use this word for this movie) is simple. Three guys, who have become disinterested in their wives due to their continuous refusal to go to bed, start looking outside for some enjoyment. They soon find 3 gals with the help of their boss (the 3 gals r the boss's daughters'). Then the usual sing-n-dance routines in the beautiful locales of France. Ultimately, with the help of a long-lost brother the couples r reunited n then the audience has to suffer the be faithful.. love ur wife... blah blah blah. The actors who should be arrested for being a part of this disaster are

Cocaine Khan ... oops i mean the stylish Fardeen Khan

Zayed Khan ... uggghhhh

Sharman Joshi .... "Excuse me" who is he???? (remember him frm the movie Style)

Ayesha Takia ... it seems her lips have been permanently set to smile...even in emotional scenes

Soha Ali Khan ... she reminds me of Pinocchio

Esha Deol ... no matter how bad she acts, starkids will continue to get movie offers

Riya Sen ... only looks n nothing else

Aarti Chabria ... less said the better

"Dr. Love" Sophie...i understand tht not all VJs' can act, but atleast they shld be able to deliver a dialogue

Sanjay Dutt ... a brother in need is a brother indeed... pls stop tht Punjabi accent

There is no storyline, no acting... only Sharman has a better timing for some comedy. The guys look blank, wives r totally dressed up n the temptresses r totally dressed down. Songs have forgettable lyrics.. only the "Dil nahi toda karte" is worth listening for one time. The director David Dhawan, actor Govinda n No. 1 tag used to create magic a few years ago. Probably, David is missing Goliath... i mean Govinda. Govinda can return to films.. as it is he is doing nothing in politics.

Roaming here n there.....

Went to Mahabaleshwar on Monday with college frnds. Don't be surprised to read tht this was my first visit to Mahabaleshwar. More surprise... i found it not worth of another visit. But probably the reasons might be tht the climate was not cool as it is most of the times (atleast thts wht i have heard) n also after seeing amazing hill stations like Shimla, Shillong, Darjeeling n Dalhousie... Mahabaleshwar didn't seem like a 'to chill out' place. Add to it paying the taxes all along the road.. it is bullshit. Pollution tax, toll for crossing frm Pune to Old M'shwar, again for crossing frm Old M'shwar to New M'shwar, vehicle tax (also include rate per head count)... boy oh boy!! How come ppl visit this place 2-3 times a month? Luckily Tushar had been around here many times (25 or 26.. omg), so he knew which points to visit... though at many times near a bifurcation he used to look in one dirn n point to the other one. Anyways had a good time on Tabletop where we got to sit in a giant wheel. It was exhilarating especially when it had no safety harness n locking rods. Had to clutch the sides of the basket... wooohhoooo!!! Will post pics in a few days.

Since AnonymousBlogger is full of praise for my reviews here is another one.... lol. Seems my company is bent to take me on outings coz went to Bashos' for celebrating one more successful project completion (i m now working on a small 15 day project.. maybe another party in offing). Bashos' is located in Koregaon Park way ahead from Burger King. The name comes frm a great Haiku poet (if u follow Veggiebabe's blog u will know wht a Haiku is). It is more famous for the hookas they serve rather than the food. If i had known this earlier i would have stuck to my lunchbox. Anyways, the food was good there. I hate smoking (n smokers too), but since the hookas were non-tobacco gave it a try. We have to inhale flavoured steam n exhale it ... wht the hell is so innovative in this. If u have had cold then u already did this ... putting a towel on ur head. So the result was tht the hooka really pissed me n now I dislike smoking more. Bashos' serve around 10 flavours of hooka n only one flavour of icecream... tht is bad. U will understand this if u are an avid lover of icecreams. Posted some pics so tht u get a -sniff- of wht we inhaled there.

Heartfelt condolences for all the relatives of the victims in the New Delhi blasts. Outgoing Chief Justice Of India R.C.Lahoti in his outgoing speech said "India lacks the political will to fight against terrorism. Has anyone thought why America wasn't attacked again after 9/11. We have to learn something." One of my fav teachers Prof. B.G.Kulkarni passed away last week. Also, my frnd Saurabh's gr'mother passed away. May their souls rest in peace.

Tomorrow India take on Srilanka in the 4th cricket one day match in this very city n I m not able to get my hands on tickets of any price. May the best team (read India) win n the spectators get to see Sachin n Sehwag kick the asses of the islanders.

Happy Diwali

Wish u all a very Happy n bright Diwali!

Traditionally Tagged

Harshal has tagged me to write the 5th line from my 23rd post. Now, the problem is tht in my 23rd post, the total count of lines is just 3 alongwith a cute pic of Alicia Silverstone. So, i will bend the rules a bit n the 5th line frm the 24th post is:

Hard luck for Narain n the important thing was tht he had a good start.

Seems the hard luck frm my 24th post dogged him until my 99th one (tht's when the Formula 1 season ended).

Anyways now to continue the tagging game, wht the ppl below have to do is go to ur 25th post n reproduce the 5th line. When u pass on the tags further, just increment the post number by 1... i.e, 26th. Simple, isn't it?

• AnonymousBlogger
• Parag
• Veggiebabe
• Ritu
• Squishy

In the event of Diwali, the festival of lights, my company had organised 'Traditional Day'. All were expected to wear some kind of traditional attire, but some of them were not enthu n had come dressed up as usual. I had donned a sulwar-kurta with a Himachali jacket (also a typical Himachali cap but since i don't like it, i kept it in my lockers). U can see some of the pics here.

Medium Pace... Medium Taste

I m neither in favour of keeping bowler Zaheer Khan in the Indian cricket team n nor out of it. But, surely i want to keep myself out of his new restaurant ZK's. Had gone there a couple of days back to celebrate the successful completion of our project (my first project in the company). The ambience is good n the location is fantastic (near the Lullanagar junction, a stone throw away frm the Manikchand Malabar complex). It is a two-storeyed hotel with a decent sitting space on the first floor n a bar on the second. Each n every item like the dishes, menu card, tables n even the walls have patterned criss-cross lines (not stumps) as a design... though for me tht seemed like scratches made by an angry customer... lol. The good thing is tht they don't have weird names for the food items like Chakke chuda de or stuff like tht. Being a veggie, I will comment only on the veg food served. The taste of the food is on a sweeter side. Even when we asked for a dish to be made more spicier, it was not sweet but almost near it. Probably, the location attracts more foreigners n to suit their tastes they must be cooking tht way. My carnivorous colleagues seemed quite satisfied with their foodspread. A very funny incident left us in peals of laughter when Rahul n Amol ordered 'Litchi topped with icecream'. Oh n the rates are not very heavy on the pocket but the food will ensure tht u feel a twinge while paying the tab. Posted few pics too.

I m currently infatuated (yup, not in luv) by two lovely ladies since last 3-4 days. The first one is Katrina Kaif (don't mind even if Salman Khan threatens me over phone). Numerous hoardings have dotted the city landscape featuring her with a slogan "A new sun is about to rise in the city". Don't know which product she is endorsing but the other day my manager asked me "Is she opening a restaurant?". I was not in a mood to answer, so said "Don't know! But she didn't tell me 'bout it." Luckily I got away unscathed..:). The second one is a gal who is conducting training sessions for the development teams in our company. Don't know her name n won't be able to know it either coz i m not in those teams, but she is very beautiful (note it.. not sexy but beautiful). Here is a song for her: 'Kahaan se tu aati hai, Kahaan ko tu jaati hai.. tu kaun hai' sung by Lucky Ali frm the movie Bhopal Express. Listen to it n u will get to know wht i m feeling.. :)

Richmonds SUCKS!!!

Will come to the reason for the title later. Had gone to Vir-da dhaba a few days back. The last time I had gone there was for a treat from my colleagues in the company when they had got a salary rise. This time though went with my college frnds. When we were on the highway, we saw a very nasty accident (saw in the sense it had already taken place). I saw a man (Ankur says he saw 2) lying down near a scooter, probably some truck might have hit him. Not a single vehicle on the expressway stopped to help the victim/s n some pedestrians were just silent observers. Nobody wishes to face the police inquiry fearing tht he/she would be falsely implicated. The worse part was tht we all were on the other side of the highway so couldn't cross to help them. But, then heard an ambulance siren n hoping tht the persons were still alive we proceeded to the dhaba. When we reached the dhaba, it wasn't crowded as the last time. But, the owner was playing loud music which was very irritating since the songs his taste was very bad (tht simply means not matching with mine.. lol). Soon we were devouring food n got involved in our conversations tht we totally forgot 'bout the accident .. well tht is life. Anyways had a good time but missed the dholwala (he plays only on saturday). Then decided to go to the local coffee shop Durga. But while coming Suraj's bike got punctured, luckily found a garage nearby n got it repaired. When we reached Durga it was overcrowded (as usual) but since we wanted a place to sit we opted for the newly opened branch of Richmonds on the opposite side of the road. The shop which is known for the icecreams it serves had enough space to accomodate us. We ordered cold coffee n it sucked big time. It was HORRIBLE. All the good taste our tongues were carrying after a fulfilling meal was washed away. So anyone going to Durga, stick to it even if it means sitting on ur bike outside. U can see the 'R' of Richmonds in the pic.. right hand top

Dad came back last evening from a month long tour to Ladakh. He saw the Pakistan n China borders n the bunkers of the Chinese army frm our army's posts. He has got some amazing snaps of Ladakh n the wildlife there which (i hope) i will get scanned n post it. Time to buy a digital camera to avoid the scanning task ... but then u all will be bombarded with my pics which i think u won't like.. he he he.

Movie Review

Saw the movie Mein Meri Patni Aur Woh a few days ago. I was expecting a laughter riot but it was not the case. But, this film can surely bring smiles on ur face. The cast includes Rajpal Yadav and Rituparna Sengupta with Kay Kay Menon and Varun Badola having small roles. The story revolves around a librarian (Yadav) who lives a modest life with a modest height of 5'2". He has given up the hope of marriage until he meets a gal (Sengupta) who is much taller than him but they share common interests. Soon they get married n then the husband starts feeling tht all the males around him r bent on stealing his beautiful wife frm him. Also, he fears tht the height difference might become the reason for his wife to leave him. The different ways he tries to shield his wife frm the stares of ppl is very funny. When the gal's college frnd (having a very charismatic personality and above all a good height) pops up in their neighbourhood, our short hero feels tht he has now lost his wife to her frnd. The last 10-15 min are boring with a high melodrama. But, the whole movie is good with a very realistic approach.

I can't think of any actor other than Rajpal Yadav to fit into the hero's shoes (not just the height but to suit the simplicity of the portrayed character). Though Rituparna (nice name) is a Bengali actress, her Hindi is good. Kay Kay Menon is as usual superb. Two songs, one at the time of marriage n other is a ghazal, are very well sung n have really good lyrics. If u r not an ardent fan of typical Bollywood masala films, a very simple movie which will delight u.

Nature's fury

After tsunami in the southern Asian region, the western parts of Maharashtra faced torrential rains. Then US received devastating hurricanes. Now, Pakistan n the northern parts of India are recovering from a massive earthquake. Let us hope tht the victims rebuild their lives soon. Man has made tremendous progress in all fields but time will tell whether nature or mankind will have the last laugh.

Leaving u some pics from the regions which looked better when I was visiting there a couple of years ago.

Wish all of u a very happy Dusshera. May peace, joy n victory be with all of u.

Say Cheese!

This is the result when u r working (also listening to songs) n someone walks to ur desk with a camera, calls u n clicks... :)

Everyone is invited

I had been thinking of these posts since the last week, so will put it down in this single post. Here we go...

Apart from the regular readers, lotz of ppl are coming to my page frm all over the world. As different are their locations, so are their search words. The most common search word used is "my space". I have no idea what ppl are looking for by running such searches. A major chunk of the crowd is coming after searching for "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge" n "Navin Prabhakar video" **. This search was not only frm India/Asia, but also frm US n Europe. Someone frm Dubai reached my page when he/she searched for "bollywood sex scenes" ...????... how the hell my blog provides sex scenes. If i see some sex scene in a movie i might write a review on it... but no way have i or will upload it, so pls don't waste ur time here.. lol. Somebody ran a search for "Salman's pics" in the movie No Entry n somewhere else someone wanted "Bipasha's pics" frm the same film. Someone had searched for "how to prepare maggi noodles". If u buy a packet of noodles, the preparation method is written on it (infact in 3 languages here). My other blog which showcases some pics also received searches for "Ragging pics". Regarding the locations frm where they are browsing is something very amazing. From HSBC Hong Kong, i have a regular reader who spends around 5-7 minutes regularly. I don't know if i have visited tht person's blog but anyways thnx for the regular visits. Then some of them have logged in frm London School of Economics, University of Chicago (not the exact name but was something like this). And yes, I also see Suraj logging frm Mysore frm the Infy training centre, Gangadhar frm Bangalore (both with touchtelindia.net), AnonBlogger frm Edmonton (shawcable.net), Squishy frm Tampa (doesn't show the network), Barbie frm Indiana.... n many more but i don't know who lives where. So, do keep coming to keep the visitor's count ticking. If any non-blogger wants to leave a message, I have added a guestbook too.

The affaire d'honneur between Ganguly n Chappell was interesting to watch but a major setback for the team as well as a huge disappointment for an Indian cricket fan. BCCI worsened the matters by leaking the coach's mail (i assume it was to be kept confidential) to the whole public. I still can't believe tht Chappell's mail regarding Ganguly's performance lies in my inbox right now. Till now we used to lose in the finals, but now it seems tht winning even the league matches will be difficult. My personal opinion: Ganguly shld step down. Talking more 'bout sports, Sania features on the cover of Times magazine, which is indeed a gr8 achievement for her. I just wish tht she doesn't get boged down by her dress critics or by the rush of endorsements.

I completed my six months of training n went thro' a drill of interviews for the confirmation of my job. Still one interview with the CEO yet to be completed. More 'bout it laterz.

** Seeing the popularity of the video, here is another one by Raju Srivastava (laughing n lazy news reader)