It's a new world!

Devil's Double - A hands down winner

2011-08-29T14:53:00.008+05:30

Gore, Action is not my liking in movies or real life

And 'Devil's Double' much happened to me more out of my husband's will.

Now I'm all glad that I watched the movie.

Devil's double is a movie based on the life of infamous Uday Hussein (Saddam'seldest son) and Latif Yahia, his forced lookalike.

The movie is set in Baghdad and mainly revolves around rich Uday's cocky, self-indulgent ways of misusing power.

When war breaks out in Iraq, Uday like his dad Saddam wishes to have a body double. And unfortunately Latif having striking resemblance to Uday is forced to play his double. The perfection is nailed by Latif undergoing face lifts and surgeries. Now the Rolex flaunting Latif is ready sans his family.

Watch out for Dominic Cooper's dual performance in the portrayal of Uday - A mindless freak raging all over with a heady feeling of power, and a subdued Latif!

Black Swan - Movie

2011-04-11T12:13:00.033+05:30

Black Swan is one of the best dramas I've ever seen. Nina (Natalie Portman) is a diligent ballerina in a New York Ballet institute.

The movie follows the banal life of Nina as she commutes to Ballet from her apartment. After four years of dedicated effort, Nina bags the role of "Swan Queen" in the Swan Lake musical. It is a dual role where she has to play the gentle White Swan and the lusty Black Swan. Nina aptly fits in the role of delicate and submissive White Swan.

However the sensuality and the viciousness demanded by the Black Swan character is a challenge for Nina. It's during the preparation for this portrayal, Nina comes face to face with her inner demons, and her already sensitive psyche depletes inch by inch.

The movie totally belongs to Portman. Mila Kunis shines in her role as sensuous Lily. Portman rightly deserved the Academy award for her performance! I also loved Barbara Hershey's role as an overprotective mother of Nina. Watch it to believe it.

This haunts! :)

Keep the Change - Nirupama Subramanian

2011-03-21T17:45:00.012+05:30

"Keep the Change" is an average chick lit, which you will not repent, if missed.

The brazen writing style used by Nirupama Subramanian, makes it an easy read. It is the journey of simple, curd rice eating, conventional Damayanthi to the Maximum city MUMBAI. The protagonist confesses her experiences by penning down her thoughts, to her imaginary diary friend Victoria. But having said that, the character is not as innocent as the author tries to portray or make us believe! Many instances in the book makes you feel that.

Somehow the reader here remains inert for the experiences of Damayanthi. Had the character been nurtured with a little more sensitivity, it would have been much appreciated. Overall an average book.

PS: Totally loved the cover page though :)

Bonjour Cinema :)

2010-12-24T14:42:00.030+05:30

Winter has something in it! The overwhelming beauty of this season is seductive and I can't help but fall in love with Nature all over again! The month of December makes my heart filled with so much joy that I can't stop counting my blessings :) Blame it on the season or the jingle bells and the carols :)

Call it Writer's block or sheer laziness that I haven't updated the blog so far this year :o But 2010 had its own share of good things and the not so pleasant things has most definitely sown some seeds of wisdom in me :P

Work, French Classes and movies have been the cynosure of the eyes and reading is confined to the daily Newspapers, Magazines and my French text books.

One lazy Tuesday when I was early to home from work. I was aimlessly surfing through channels. It was say about 4 ish in the evening..And as I browsed, some interesting visual caught my attention on UTV World Movies and I paused. Well I was one of those people for whom Cinema was more or less only Bollywood.Period. Hollywood and foreign language movies were oblivious and needless to say Greek & Latin to me. Hubby's coaxing also failed to inspire me. So now back to that Tuesday...
On the top right corner of the channel there flashed, Coming Up "Three Colors Blue-French". The title sounded bizarre and some thing within prompted me to watch this movie. May be the Color? :P

AND voila the moment had arrived, with each passing frame of the film I was drawn into the characters, the emotions and yes the country France. The time flew just as the sublime movie had cast its spell on me.

Dear readers this movie is first among the three in the trilogy. Following up were "Three Colors White" and "Three Colors Red". Each is a gem and exposes the viewer to the Contemporary French society.

These movies introduced me to the creative works of some of the finest directors. Ditto as books the movies takes you to places, through society, into people, emotions and most importantly the Journey of LIFE.
400 blows (French), Paris je t'aime (French), Divided we Fall (Czech) , Bread and Tulips(Italian),Viva Cuba(Spanish), The short film about love(Polish), Roman Holiday, Chocolat, Revolutionary Road, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Match Point, Being There, The Notebook, Changeling, French Kiss, American Beauty and many more.

Thanks to World Movies, ZEE Studio and friends from whom I was able to discover some gems of the CINEMA.
That's about it folks. I'm taking my baby steps in exploring this world, any inputs on fine movies is most welcome. Full on Action and Gore is yet not my liking though :)

The following posts will express my views on the Cinema that I've enjoyed, ones that strike a chord and helps me grow.

Thanks and Merry X-mas to all! :)

Tagged

2009-11-13T12:22:00.004+05:30

Thanks for the tag! Ava, They are now my comeback vehicles :P
Here I go,

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.
In the light of discussions above and visualisations, we can again say that every..
Express and Marie Claire and Vogue And GQ and

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & catch air?
My black Tote

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Morning news on Times Now.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
12:40pm

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
12:35 pm

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The conference call across the aisle.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Cafeteria, chit chatting

8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?
The Outlook mailbox

9. What are you wearing?
A blue & white salwar kameez.

10. When did you last laugh?
Today morning at a forward which was discussing Fridays vs Mondays :P

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Large framed photographs of desert, windmills and skyscrapers

12. Seen anything weird lately?
Auto person yelling, " You pay 150 bucks for a 50 rs stuff in malls and you can't give me double the fare?? "

13. What do you think of this quiz?
Total time pass :D

14. What is the last film you saw?
Wake Up Sid

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Bonvoyage!!Travel tickets of packages covering the seven wonders. Aha!

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno!
I don't know what are you thinking about me :P

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Back to basics, a good value education system.

18. Do you like to Dance?
Just swaying to the beats.

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Count not your chickens before they hatch ;-)

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call her?
Hee hee

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yeah. But never spending my lifetime there :o

22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"You did a pretty decent job there"

Well, This morning saw me pleading to seven rick wallahs! Blame the faraway work locations[ read poles apart] of both of us.Two to three was an everyday affair.But seven?Well it's become a trend here in blore, sufficing to the greedy auto wallahs with a moo mangi fare.
Please n please do not feed them extra and later crib! It's because of this habit of ours, they have become so merciless.

Watched Wake up Sid, over the weekend. And I liked it because of the effortless acting of Ranbir. Definitely not the wannabe types. Anyway, the natural Konkona needs no adjectives. Thumbs up for this light hearted film. Holidays clubbing with the weekends is the best part of 2009. And this saw us visiting *hometown,temples,hometown and more temples*! :D

My dear blog friends, I'll soon catch up with your posts! Sigh.time Management is the need of the hour.Period.

Until next time... :-)

Review - Half of a Yellow Sun

2009-09-09T20:00:00.007+05:30

They say a good book makes one live several lives, see places and leaves you rich with lingering experiences. And it couldn't be more true with the Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.

The book is about the 1967-1970 civil war that broke out in Nigeria. It's a historical fiction that revolves around the lives of four central characters, before and after the war. The narration of the war torn Nigeria through the eyes of the 13 year old house boy Ugwu, twin sisters Olanna, Kainene, and the English journalist Richard is excellent. Each of these characters are sharply defined. And you, happily embrace them with their faults and contradictions. Towards the end of the book, you develop a unique bond with each character.And as I see, this is the biggest success for any author! The whole narrative is seamlessly twined together with the native Igbo language and English.

The fact that this author was barely 29, when she penned this novel, made me rub my eyes in disbelief. Such is the maturity in her writing! Adichie did not go through the harrowing experiences of the war, but she grew up listening to the tales of the Biafra war. And the sincerity shines through the writing.
Agreed this is a heavy book showing the stark realities of war
like Famine, poverty, filthy refugee camps, children with over sized bellies etc.. But believe me this makes us aware of our insensitivities and at the same time makes us value our safe lives more!
The story's not only about war, it is about love, loyalty, truth and a desperate optimism amidst all the crisis. It offers you a very insightful journey to the modern Nigeria, post independence.

Read the book for it's complex characters. You get so involved with them that they
leave you reflecting long after you have finished the book. This amazing storyteller doesn't disappoint you :)

Tagged twice ;-)

2009-07-30T15:59:00.016+05:30

Thanks a lot, Smita for passing this award .The blog completed a year today. And I'm elated to flaunt this here! :D

The rules for this tag are as follows:
1.Link the person who tagged you
2.The display of award on your blog with these rules
3.Reply to the questions below
4.Tag 7 people deserving the award according to you
5.Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/ and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List

1.The Person who tagged you : Smita http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/
2. The Date when you were tagged: 24th of July 2009
3. Seven people I tag are :

And here's the reply to Oorja's ABC tag. OMG, do I need a separate blog for tags now :o

A – Available/Single? - Na
B – Best friend? - Appa comes first then the remaining follow :)
C – Cake or Pie? - Strange..but I do not enjoy cakes/pies much!
D – Drink of choice? - Coke and any pulpy fresh fruit juices.
E – Essential item you use every day? – Specs
F – Favorite colour? - Out and out Blue.
G – Gummy Bears or Worms? - Gummy Bears.
H – Hometown – Be a Bangalorean when in Bengaluru :-)
I – Indulgence? – NDTV Good times, Travel & Living, Magazines and Cooking.
J – January or February? - January
K – Kids & their names? - Nah..nah.
L – Life is incomplete without? - A supportive family and trustworthy relationships.
M – Marriage date? - 11th of June
N – Name? Your real name!! - Shayari
O – Oranges or Apples? - Both!!
P – Phobias/Fears? - Of losing my dear ones.
Q – Quote for today? - As T.S Eliot said, Fill what's empty and Empty what is full.
R – Reason to smile? - Any happy face :-)
S – Season? - Fresh Winter!Absolutely no qualms for the chapped lips or the dry skin, that the seasons brings.

T – Tag 3 People? – Ava, Colormesunshine and Nancy
U – Unknown fact about me? - Let's keep it that way ;-) Wooo..this tag is literally screaming for details.
V – Vegetable you don’t like? - Not in talking terms with Brinjal.
W – Worst habit? – Ahem.. at times I'm loud on the phone.
X – X-rays? - No

Y – Your favorite food? - Home made food and any ghee dripping sweets under the sun :P
Z – Zodiac sign? - Capricorn

On the other note, a very happy Varamahalaxmi festival to all of you!
Until next time... Enjoy maadi :D

Life + - +

2009-07-15T00:35:00.015+05:30

She was all happy n peppy, when she re-joined work after the long break, taken for her wedding. Little did she know that her pet peeve headache, which bothered her would cost a critical brain surgery! And all these got unearthed, when the cloak of Sinusitis was removed. Hmmm somebody rightly said, there are no stupid questions only stupid answers.

Get well soon my buddy Miss B!! I'm missing your stopovers at my desk, your smile, that girly talks in the rest room...

On the other note, the hiatus of one +months is over, and things seem to be more streamlined now.The running around, relocation etc is all done and the transition was almost seamless. After all that busy days what's more relaxing than watching a movie. And to top it all New York was released and this was our first movie together!The promising promos, the star cast and the hatke air around the movie got me itchy. Ahem..well now I'm still wondering what was in this movie that made it garner 4 stars? Such sorry was the movie that I thoroughly felt the urge to watch a real good movie to detoxify its after effects.
And ya that did happen.We watched Swades. All thanks to my better half!

Until next time... See you :-)

Of change, wedding, tags and all :-)

2009-05-20T13:45:00.006+05:30

This post is a Hodge-podge of thoughts. So please forgive me, for the absolute mish-mash, this long post has transformed into. Well..first things first;

I'm getting married on 11th of June. Surprised? Ahem ... well even I'm trying to seep in this fact :P. All these happened in the span of roughly two months and time just zipped away since then. My dear blog dosts, invitation cards are still in the pipeline. And will soon update you with other details. "Change is the only constant thing in one's life", reiterated Appa, often during my weekend visits to home. Aware of Mamma's Kundali matching endeavors I knew what he was hinting at. But little did I know that things would turn around so quickly. Anyway, all's well that ends well :-))

On the other note, releases, bug fixes, weekend home visits, shopping and welcome changes in the life are keeping me occupied, sparing bare essential hours for the routine activities. I simply couldn't relate to Amma's feelings earlier, when she would go all senti and would forecast the future every now and then. But now I know how it feels. And ya, it aches to leave them :-(

A friend of mine who was working in my office earlier, is my roomie for the next two weeks. Was in awe with this lady's multitasking abilities from the time I had met her. But this time, her story left me open mouthed in surprise. Husband is onsite; both the kids are on vacation at granny's place (read a distant town). But work, visitors and calls dragged her from the planned vacation and here she is juggling hard with family, work and the droll motion detctors !

Now these are some updates from my side. Wait wait, there's also a tag coming up... ;-)) Long back Miss A had tagged me on listing the significance of numbers ranging [one to ten] in our lives. And here it goes…

1 – A front bencher throughout my graduation days. Thanks for the glasses!

2- Average no of chocolates /sweets picked when the box is offered. And this is directly proportional to the friendship I share with the person. Yes, I humbly accept my shamelessness when it comes to sweets and savouries:P

3 - Chhoti si family- Amma, Appa n me :-)

4 - 4th day of the 1'st month of every year I grow older. This is my favorite number, too:-)

5 - Most favorite semester in college. Simply loved it:-)

6 - [+30 mins - 30 mins] on an average, I start from work. Our team follows this religiously. Till date it's been working this way. Hope it'll continue...Touch wood.

7 - Hours of sleep keep me up and running the following day.

8 - Pack of eight cousins and eight friends – Sixteen wonderful people make life easy :-)

9 - Was the class when I was down with Chicken pox. It was so contagious that it attacked four of the cousins who came down to visit me.

10 - The blog's ten months old now :D

Now as per the rules, I pass the baton to Smita, Bhargavi, Ava, Einstein, Vee, Varun, Sindhu,Oorja, Nautankey,Praddy,Sahityika and anyone who is interested in completing this :)

Until next time... :-)

PS: Completing the tag is not mandatory ;-))

Review : The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

2009-04-28T13:45:00.008+05:30

A simple-predictable-cliched book is what I felt when I finished Farahad Zama's ' The Marriage Bureau for Rich People'. Smita's review prompted me to buy this one. Being a South Indian and a fan of big fat Indian weddings there were simply no reasons to miss this book. Well, here is my take on it.

The story is set in Vizag, a city in Southern India. Mr ALi, an old retired man sets up a marriage bureau in the foyer of his house. The bureau helps in finding matches to the prospective bachelors in the city.It sees an array of clients ranging from divorcees to high dowry seeking families.
Going by Mrs Ali's suggestion he hires an assistant Aruna. With Aruna around the business becomes swift and easy. The story unveils itself when the naive, simple Aruna falls in love with one of their clients. Later the story is out and out Aruna's and deals with issues like Inter caste marrigae, gulf between the rich and the poor, dowry, broken engagement etcetera...

The author is successful in narrating the story and in keeping things downright simple. Aruna's personal conflicts, Mr Ali's strained relationship with his son Rehman is depicted in a nice manner.The detailed walk through of a Muslim wedding (Irshad) is also a good job. But somehow the characterisation seemed very bland.The sorry part of the book is, that one's heart doesn't reach out for the characters in the story.The book is engaging initially, but gets repetitive (filling forms, publishing ads, similar talking styles) and predictable soon. In fact towards the end of the book there seeps in more drama which becomes a little hard to digest.

To sum up, this one's a quick and a strictly one time read :-)

Tagged and out of the block :D

2009-04-07T23:15:00.019+05:30

Block to my mind and slumber to my blog!

Yeah, the Dryden's quote 'Rest to my soul and slumber to my eyes' is rightly rephrased:D

Yaay! the deep dormancy is now broken. Thanks to Nancy!! She came up with this tag, where one is asked to list 10 favorite songs in 2 different languages. Nancy I take the liberty of listing the songs from 3 languages. Hindi, Kannada and English :-)
The condition is to list down 'Soulful n melodious songs.' This is anyway met as most of my favorites are the ones which are soothing to the ear. :P

The songs from Kishore Da n Rafi are purposefully excluded from the list as one is simply spoilt for choice in this genre. Aashiqui, Sadak, Roja, QSQT, Dil Se, Gangster, Raaz, Zeher, RHTDM and Bombay are also not listed for obvious reasons.

10 favourite Hindi Songs

1.Kasam ki Kasam - Main prem ki deewani Hoon
Though the film was a dud, simply loved the songs in this movie. Loved this one because of its lyrics,Chitra's magical voice n Bebo(only in this song though;-))
2.Ajooba -Jeans
Special because of Rahman, Hariharan and the seven wonders with gorgeous Ash in it.
3.Ee kaash ke hum - Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
The simplicity of the movie, Sunil's character and Aana's cute frocks.
4.Hansti rahe tu hansti rahe - Saathiya
Is linked with most of my firsts - Fresher's day, Semester, stay @ hostel etc. :D
5.Mere Khayalon ki Mallika - Josh
For the antara of the song and the city Goa.
6. Jaadu hai tera hi jaadu - Ghulam
Pure romantic feel in it.
7. Jaadu hai nasha hai - Jism
Once again for Shreya's lovely voice and a fresh feel that the song brings with it.
8.Bahut Pyaar karte hain - Saajan
No reasons, a time less melody.
9.Nahin Saamne - Taal
Rahman's music scores once again here.
10.Dil ne kar liya aitbaar -Humraaz
Alka's voice!

10 favourite Kannada Songs

1.Swati muttina male haniye - Bannada Gejje

Very romantic...

2.Thunthuru alli neera haadu - Amruthavarshini

Once again a song with beautiful lyrics.

3.Nooru janmaku - America America

Special because of the characters in the movie.

4.Kushiyagide yeko - Tajmahal

A happy song!

5.Omkara di kande ee -Nammura mandara Hoove

The classical touch that goes with it.

6.Joteyali jote joteyali -Geetha

The"Jaane do na" song from Cheeni kum nowhere matched this melody.

7.Usire usire - Huchcha

Simply romantic..

8.Noorondu nenapu - Bandhana

9.Male nintu hoda mele - Milana

10.Naguva Nayana madhura -Pallavi Anupallavi

Ilayiraja creating magic yet again...!

10 favourite English Songs

1.Heal the world -Michael Jackson

2. Sacrifice - Elton John

3.She's all I ever had - Ricky Martin
4. Making love out of nothing at all - Air Supply
The best amongst the all.
5. I don't want a miss a thing - Aerosmith

6. If you had my love - Jennifer Lopez
7. Careless whisper -George Michael

8. Please forgive me- Bryan Adams
9. Arms wide open - Creed
10.You are beautiful - James Blunt

On the other note, 'Sweets @ my desk !!' mails are doing rapid rounds at workplace. If it's one's baby's birthay, it's another gal's hubby who is back from onsite. Jeez no, I'm not complaining... In fact I'm loving the Kaju Katlis, the Snickers, Galaxies, Bounty chocolates ..Yum Yum:P

Until next time...

PS: Coming to tagging, please feel free to tag yourself :D

Reply to a tag :D

2009-03-17T22:38:00.018+05:30

Was tagged by Ava and Einstein on this! And here I go..
100 things about me
1. Last beverage → Water
2. Last phone call → half an hour ago.
3. Last text message → Good Nite wish.
4. Last song you listened to → Khabahar Nahi from Dostana
5. Last time you cried → Today morning while chopping onions.
HAVE YOU EVER:
1. Dated someone twice → Yes
2. Kissed someone & regretted it? → No
3. Lost someone special? → Yes
4. Been depressed?→ Yes
5. Been drunk and threw up? → Na
HAVE YOU:
1. Made new friends → Yes
2. Fallen out of love → Shut up & bounce back.
3. Laughed until you cried → Many times :)
4. Met someone who changed you → Yes
5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes
6. Found out someone was talking about you → Yes
7. Kissed anyone on your friend's list → Yes
8. Made the first Move → No
10. Do you have any pets → Nope, but would love to have an aquarium and a squirrel :)
11. Do you want to change your name → No
12. What did you do for your last birthday → Attended calls, watched Ghazini and had a hearty Dinner.
13. What time did you wake up today – 07:45 AM
14. What were you doing at midnight last night→ Completing this tag.
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → Friday
16. Last time you saw your father → Last Tuesday
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → Be more responsible.
18. Most visited webpage → iGoogle's my homepage:)
ABOUT U:
1. What's your name→ Shayari
2. Nicknames→ Bukki
4. Zodiac sign → Capricorn
5. Male or female or transgendered → Female
6. Elementary→ Rotary & Anugraha
7. Schools → Anugraha
8. Colleges → Canara, S.D.M
10. Hair color → Black
11. Long or short → Mid length
16. Height → 5'3”
17. Do you have a crush on someone? → Yeah!
18: Ever been in love? Yeah
19. Piercings → of the ear.
20. Tattoos → Good on others.
21. Righty or lefty → Righty
FIRSTS :
23. First piercing → When I was 3 they say.
24. First best friends →Pa n Sony
26. First sport you joined→ Hide n Seek.
27. First pet → I was fond of a cute stray dog.
28. First vacation → Should be the trip to Mysore with Maamu. I faintly remember that..
29. First concert → Vani Jayram's, was in Class 5 then.
30. First crush → Should be in Class 2 or 3. Didn't I tell you I suffer from Amnesia? ;)
49. Eating → When hungry.
50. Drinking → When thirsty.
52. I'm about to → prepare the dinner.
53. Listening to → the noisy fan
YOUR FUTURE :
58. Want kids? → Yeh dil maange more.
59. Want to get married ? → Who would not? ;)
60. Careers in mind? → Going with the flow.
68. Lips or eyes → Isn't the combination great?
69. Hugs or kisses → First come, first serve.
70. Shorter or taller → Taller
71. Older or Younger → A li'l older.
72. Romantic or spontaneous → Hopeless romantic.
73. Nice stomach or nice arms → Nice & protective arms.
74. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive
75. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship anytime!
77. Trouble maker or hesitant → Two sides of the same coin.
HAVE YOU EVER :
78. Kissed a stranger → Na..isn't the person a stanger??
79. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes, my glares.
81. Sex on first date → Nope
82. Broken someone's heart → Yes
83. Had your own heart broken → Yes
85. Been arrested → No, here's a no-nonsense person for you :)
86. Turned someone down → Yes
87. Cried when someone died → Yes
88. Liked a friend that is a girl/boy? → Yes
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself → Yes/No. It's relative you see.
90. Miracles → Happen.
91. Love at first sight → Na
92. Heaven → is where your heart is.
93. Santa Clause → No
94. Peace in this lifetime → Possible, if one is at peace with one self.
95. Kissing on the first date? → Excuse me, please.
96. Angels → Exist, in the form of babies.
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Yes
98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time in the past? → Na, multitasking is not my cup of tea.
99. You will die Young → Wanna stay alive till I see the Halley's comet with my grand kids:)
100. You will end with the one you love and learn to love the one you are with - Err..confused;)Please rephrase maadi.

Hmm..now this is the conventional me.Phew! quite an elaborate list , must say.

Coming to tagging I would like to tag along Nancy, Dhiren, Varun, Oorja and anyone who's interested in completing this :)Till then..Tada!

Fruity Summer!

2009-03-14T08:34:00.014+05:30

Summer's here and I'm not liking the scorching sun, the sultry weather, the emptying bottles of sunscreen, the power cuts. The only saving grace the season gets with it, is Fresh Fruits. It's a treat to watch the mushrooming fruit stalls adorning the markets. It's in this season where we get to relish the fresh fruits at a nominal price.These are so tempting that I almost made a rainbow of fruits, yesterday. And you know what? The King of fruits Mango is out in the Market. This is my all time favorite and makes me go nostalgic often.

Back at granny's place, it was a mighty task for us cousins to guard these fruits from the ever greedy neighbours and the leaping monkeys . There was a rise in the visits from relatives , acquaintances during this time. And all would walk out with a huge grin and a knapsack full of mangoes. Thanks to Granny. She

would never let them go empty handed. Believe me, it was a pain to watch the fruits slip into these bottomless sacks. Some aunties toh, would come every alternate day with their own bags, snatching our only chance of deciding on the size of the bags. Don't know how many curses were muttered to these people ;)

On the other note, last week's long weekend trip was fun .The best thing of the trip was that there were no plans chalked out. Dad was busy with the seminars and Ma was busy matching Kundalis. Yeah..she is darn serious this time and gets into a full senti mood with a slight careless response from me. Emosanal atyachar ain't it..?? :D :P

Anyway, Happy weekend !! Until next time....

PS: Please have your say in the Movie Maniax's blog and spread the word.
PPS: I hope it rains heavily for once here in Bangalore and make us feel relieved. Please rain cloud, don't be shy.

A random update.

2009-03-02T15:34:00.008+05:30

"Hi Shayari, please record your fingerprints for the new scanner, by 4:30 p.m"
This was the message sent by our PG Owner.

Have you ever heard of a PG with fingerprint logins?? Yay!! our PG is flaunting that now :)
The fingerprint scanner is installed in the gate. Now all we have to do is; place the finger on the display, let the device make some queer beep sounds, let the green led turn on and Lo the gate's open!

Now for the other not-so-good things. Our room is fitted with the motion detectors.The light turns off when you sit still at a place for more than five minutes. Which means, you have to wave a hand or literally do a jig now and then. The whole thing is not a problem till around 10 in the night, as there is complete chaos in the room. The problem starts later when both of your roomies are fast asleep and you open a book to read. Trust me, this is damn irritating and will put even a night Owl like me to sleep by 11.

With all these, I wouldn't be surprised if he calls us for a meeting soon and announce the inflated rent!

Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a long work related email and groping hard to make sense out of it.

Sigh!! the attention span takes a serious beating with these chain mails.

So much for the tech lit PG and a not-so-interesting Monday! Till then.. Ciao! :)

Tagged..

2009-02-19T23:54:00.019+05:30

Nancy has tagged me with this. It's all about listing 25 random things about oneself. Well here I go about it.

--First the rules

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. Stars, Galaxies, Planets, Moon all these fascinate me and the time just slips as I look heavenward in the night.

2. I do not believe in Astrology or the influences stars have in our lives, but I'm happy to learn the fact that Farhan's a Capricorn:)Dual nature you say..?? He he may be:)

3. In love with the color Blue or anything remotely matching blue. So much that my wardrobe is renamed as 'Saawariya Collection' by my friends. When my friends mock at my Blue obsession,I rightly correct them prefixing the hue with Aqua, Sea, Sky, Royal, Ink etc :D

4. I enjoy Friday Nights and will start getting irritated if the alternate weekend trips to home gets delayed. You better give me a far better reason to stay back :P

5. I suck big time when it comes to managing my Finances. Last year Dad literally asked me whether I have money for breakfast,lunch and Dinner..?:D

6. I drop, I loose things, I forget - One word, super clumsy:)Ask me a expensive thing to keep on the shelf, burdened with hazaar warnings. It’s proven that I'll either forget or drop it. Hmm..well things have improved a lot now:)Though my Naani still fears me handing over that big pickle Jar ;)

7. In for any kind of story if the narration is good!! I still long for those conversations in the musty living room at my granny's place, when my uncles discuss and debate on every other topic under the sun. They aren't highly educated per se, but the sheer witty and sarcastic edge in their talks is very appealing.

8. Love to be in the company of Kids and Babies. And I find it easier to relate with them. Perhaps that's the reason why I have high regard for paediatricians:)

9. I am an introvert and treasure my Family and my circle of Friends. Really "A Hazaar times over for them.

10. I feel irritated when I see girls going oh-aah over cockroaches etc. Agreed it’s creepy but why so much of nautankey;)Same with the mushy mushy *Hugs*Wink* types also..

11. I apologize soon, when I know I'm wrong.

12.Once upon a time, I was a mighty Idiot Box fan!![read Star Plus, ZEE n Sony]I was a sucker for anything showed in it..Mrs Madhuri Dixit, Tu tu main main, Filmi Chakkar, Hum Paanch, Antaakshari, Family No1, Alpviram, Just Mohabbat, Hip hip hurray, Shenaz's show on MTV. You name it I would have watched at least one episode of that show. Thank God, I’ve gotten over it :)

13. I love my Name.

14. Associatively nostalgic about things and go off to a distant dream land if any sight, smell or incident reminds me of some things in the past.

15. Love the language English and get offended when someone murders it ruthlessly with their talks. Grrr..

16. I relish ghee dripping sweets and will accept any thing you offer.[Please excuse...Jalebis;)]

17. Started loving travelling..and all I want now is to visit EGYPT!!In fact this is a understatement:O

18.I love books and reading and feel good when I meet Book lovers.

19. I'm a night owl and wonder, how on earth people can go to bed as early by 10??

20. Do not like when people don't speak their minds and vehemently hate some body.

21. Dependent on Dad for 101% of the decisions in my life. He calls me a parasite for that, but I'm happy the way it is..Can't help he still is my hero:)

22. Am conventional when it comes to celebrating festivals or attending functions. I love the agarbhatti smells, the flowers, the Pooja, the hustle bustle, the rituals ..etc

23. If in any circumstances, the breakfast gets delayed, I feel nauseated :(

24. Be it Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty, Arvind Adiga or any person/thing remotely linked to Mangalore.I have a soft corner for it and feel proud :) [Not the attacks though:(]

25. A sponge for almost all the Kishore Kumar,Rafi & Rahman songs.

Now that's completed.. I would like to tag along other fellow bloggers too.. Smita,Ava ,Bhargavi, Oxy, Verbivore, ek cup coffee, Alice, Nimisha, Praddy, Anil, Eye-in-sty-in, Nikhil, Sindhu. And ya, Nancy this tag wasn't as difficult as it seemed to be:D

Blink - Review

2009-02-10T00:14:00.011+05:30

'Go by your gut instinct','Trust your intuition', 'Sixth sense' et al., have always puzzled me from long time. Because when it came to judgement and decisions I fall into the 'Less Impulsive' category. Recently a friend of mine suggested Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and told that book is all about those moments when we know something without knowing why.The much captivating title 'Blink: The power of thinking without thinking' made me pick it up. Here is my take on the book.

'Blink' starts off with some interesting examples.Like how an art expert recognizes a fake statue with a blink, how Gottman the psychologist predicts the fate of a marriage among the newly weds merely listening to fifteen minutes of their conversation etc etc. These kind of stories are interesting, but soon the curiosity fizzles out as there is an overdose of examples. The author tells the concept of thin slicing, as how the subtle nuances in tone and expressions can be used to decode the situation and take snap decisions. And the very next chapter he deals with cases where bad decisions are done by the same thin slicing. This kind of analysis leaves you confused and mind swamped with a lot of questions unanswered....The phrases instinct, Mind reading, thin slicing etc etc are sprinkled here and there through out the passages in the book. But not much can be inferred from these. The irony of the book, though, is that the author derails from the very theme of the book with too many illustrations and not convincing explanations for most of them. Nonetheless the book has it's positives too. Gladwell's effortless storytelling style and lucid writing is impressive. Some case studies like that of Dillalo,Police, Pepsi and Coke,Hoving are good.

All in all, it is a very average read. This is the second book from Malcolm Gladwell. And the reviews on the net say that his first book 'The Tipping Point' is very good. Ahem..well right now I'm just not having the *blink* moments to pick that one:)

P.S: Please let me know your views, if any of you have read the author's 'The Tipping Point'.

A week(end) that was...

2009-01-28T14:02:00.007+05:30

Aha! a sigh of relief is felt after submitting the investment proofs to the Tax dept. Two years of work haven't got better of me in this.They say that, one refrains the tasks one does not like doing. Ahem.. It couldn't be more true in this case though.Somehow the gray cells stop working whenever I watch a business news channel or try my luck reading the orange coloured Economic Times. May be I'll have to get my basic things right and take some classes from my cousin who's pursuing Commerce. Back home needless to say Papa, was furious at me . This time the tone was nothing less than angry and all I did was nod my head in full agreement for whatever told later. At last daddy dear did the things, and in the last minute mayhem, seeking generous help from my peers got through with this :)

Meanwhile, it's raining Sales here in Bangalore. Every other outlet is flaunting tempting offers and I ended up picking some cool sweaters for the winter :)

The Bridges of Madison County

2009-01-23T20:51:00.007+05:30

For a while I was waiting for a light read.. and off came Smita's review on the book "The Bridges of Madison County". Though not more into romance novels, thought of giving this a try solely based on a positive review. And I'm glad that this book happened to me:)

The story is about Francesca a farm wife, who finds her dream man in a traveller, photographer Robert Kincaid. She falls head over heels with the passionate Robert, when her husband and children are out of town. And they both live moments of their lifetime during those four days...

The depth of emotions involved in these two characters moves you and makes one marvel at the purity of the genuine love, and the strong commitment that goes into a marriage. With the questioning ideals and morality, this tale of love grabs the hopeless romantic in you.

Just like that...

2009-01-19T23:35:00.007+05:30

To much of Amma's force we had gone to her aunt's place this Saturday. And I resented going there only because I was too lazy and just not in the mood.....It's only after having visited them, I felt guilty for thinking of not going there. The abundance of warmth in her eyes, her caring blessings , and her sheer down to earth attitude made me wonder how often we take things for granted and overindulge ourselves in the mundane life??

My place's about an over night's journey from Bangalore. And, the trips happen to the place every alternate weekend.. Needless to say the Mondays after the return, are not welcoming. But some how this Monday is being welcomed with high spirits :) :)

Hunky-Dory

2009-01-11T20:36:00.001+05:30

Well, a weekend couldn't have been better than this. Cleared the HRM paper, was blog hopping and found some wonderful blogs!!(See the blogroll...) All of us, binged endlessly on ice creams at a newly discovered parlour:)Happened to watch two good movies. One being the much acclaimed "The Slumdog millionaire" and the other was "The Kite Runner". Here is my take on the best of the two:)

The Slumdog Millionaire is a movie about how Jamal, a boy raised in a slum makes a fortune, winning "Who wants to be a millionaire" a TV game show. Jamal is one question short of winning twenty million... when he's put to interrogation, demanding him to explain, how he reached so far in the show without cheating. From then, the movie juxtaposes between his past and present with Jamal, briefing the encounters with the answers, to the questions asked in the show. Dev Patel as Jamal is very impressive. Jamal's conflicting life with two important people Salim, his brother and Latika his childhood sweetheart is woven nicely. A good movie, which lived up to all the hype around it!

The Kite Runner too was good, but somehow the charm of the book, overtakes the movie:(

Thanks a tonne! Ms K , for sharing these movies :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T10:53:00.011+05:30

Another year has passed, and good that it has passed. The year 2008 was kind and nasty in its own sweet way:)
Welcome 2009 and a very Happy New Year to all of you! So many things to do in the year and here is what I'm resolving to do(read wishlist) :)

Want to read more.
Want to learn and practice meditation.
Want to go to Egypt.(Seriously hoping not to carry forward this...)
Want to stay healthy, by binging less on Maggi.
Want to improve my game in Table Tennis.
Want to understand the proof submissions, declarations, PF's, Income Tax and all.. ayyo Appa where's you??
Want to know those moments, when we know something, without knowing why.*Gladwell's Blink way *
Want to be less absent minded;)
Want to be more good and do more good;):)

AMEN!

The Shantaram

2008-12-29T12:04:00.010+05:30

'The Shantaram' is a fictional novel loosely based on the life of Gregory David Roberts.

The story is set in early 1980s, when the protagonist escapes from the prison in Australia to reach Mumbai. The story unfolds as the narrator describes his tryst with the city. He starts his living as a doctor in a slum.In the later part, circumstances make him work for the underworld. He also lands in Afghanistan, supplying arms to the Mujaheddin. Through out his odyssey, Lindsay, fondly called as Lin baba, makes many friends and enemies. The characters close to Lin, are neatly described and appears more real as you flip pages.Though this book is a little slow with excessive detailing in the middle, the gripping quotes by the author makes the book 'unputdownable'.

The book is one of it' s kind, when it explains man's struggle to survive in the world by setting his own moral standards of good and bad. It's a mighty book and would be a favourite for most of the literature enthusiasts.

Here are some interesting handpicked quotes from 'The Shantaram':

Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities- Khaderbhai
The truth is that, no matter what kind of game you find yourself in, no matter how good or bad the luck, you can change your life completely with a single thought or a single act of love.-Khaderbhai
The choice you make between hating and forgiving can become the story of your life.
The truth is a bully we all pretend to like. -Karla
If fate doesn’t make you laugh, then you just don’t get the joke.-Karla
Sometimes, even with the purest intentions, we make things worse when we do our best to do make things better.-Lin
News tells you what people did. Gossip tells you how much they enjoyed it. – Didier
Optimism is the first cousin of love, and it's exactly like love in three ways:it's pushy, it has no real sense of humour, and it turns up where you least expect it.-Lin
I’d only give you advice if I didn’t care what happens to you-Karla
A lot of the bad stuff in the world wasn't really that bad until someone tried to change it. -Karla
Mistakes are like bad loves, the more you learn from them, the more you wish they'd never happened.-Karla
The surest way to hurt someone you like is to put all your trust in him-Karla
A dream is a place where a wish and a fear meet. When the wish and fear are exactly the same, we call the dream a nightmare.-Lin
Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with nothing except tears. In the end that's all there is: love and it's duty, sorrow and it's truth. In the end that's all we have- to hold on tight until the dawn.-Lin
Every virtuous act has some dark secret in its heart; every risk we take contains a mystery that can’t be solved.-Lin
Men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women, it’s the other way around.-Lin
I don't know what frightens me more, the power that crushes us or our endless ability to endure it.-Karla
Sooner or later, fate puts us together with all the people, one by one, who show us what we could, and shouldn't, let ourselves become.-Lin
A man trusts another man when he sees enough of himself in him, I guess. Or maybe when he sees the things he wishes he had in himself.-Lin

Rich with experience...

2008-12-19T14:44:00.017+05:30

Me and Ms P just returned from a week long holiday to Rajasthan. Our trip comprised of the three prominent J's of Rajasthan - Jaipur, Jaisalmer & Jodhpur. Out of these, Jaisalmer is one place which I enjoyed the most and would love to visit again. The vast stretch of the desert , the camel safari, the feel as you walk down the golden hue havelis is simply amazing. What took me by surprise was the town's obsession with the 'Golden Yellow' color. It was like the entire city was drenched in the color, unlike the pink city Jaipur and the blue city Jodhpur, where the colors were less noticeable.
Jaipur's city tour was more than packed, as there were too many things to see in a single day. The Guide in the tour, who was constantly attempting to impress the four foreign tourists Vs 14 of the Indians, with his broken English was more memorable than the forts and the museums. It was only in the later part of the day, that he switched to the normal Hindi, as the old Punjabi man among us started complaining and the foreigners literally stopped listening to him. In Jodhpur, the Umaid palace and the Meherangarh fort were simply superb. Wil soon come back to this space with the pictures...

Just when I was bragging with Ms P, of feeling accomplished at the end of the trip for not losing valuables and not leaving footmarks of my belongings wherever I go, it struck to me that my mobile pouch was missing. Thank heavens, my phone wasn't in it:)

All in all, it was a nice experience in exploring the place and a well deserved break. Past event filled days exposed me to host of new things and made my mind ponder over the lines Paulo Coelho said " Always heed the omens and count your blessings" Ahem.. is somebody getting philosophical??

Mumbai attacked.

2008-12-02T23:01:00.015+05:30

A lot has been said and written about the ghastly terror attacks on Mumbai and nothing more is left in us to tolerate. India's have had it enough! All we want now, is the clear cut execution of the promises made by whosoever in authority and more accurate results! We do not want any more intelligence lapse or security failure and whatsoever ....

I'm not a Mumbaikar, but the recent read Shantaram has made me ache for the places attacked. A strange sense of connection was developed with the Maximum city. The Leopald's Cafe, Colaba, Nariman Point were all the places widely referenced throughout the stretch in the book...sigh:(As Smita rightly said, if only only we common citizens can do something beyond writing blogs, burning candles, starting new communities against terrorism, wearing black or white.Anyway, a heartfelt valediction to all the men who have sacrificed their lives to save us, to save the city!

Hmm...ok...nothing:)

2008-11-12T19:19:00.016+05:30

Thought of coming back to this space with the review of 'Shantaram'. But somehow there are a lot of things happening in my life which are not letting the book to be finished, like nowadays work is keeping me busy for longer hours in the office, my laptop crashed and is under the guidance of the service vendor from past 10 days:(, suffering from stuffy nose from past few days etc.... Well, apart from these there are some other good changes keeping me occupied.
Coming to Shantaram it is not a page turner, but the philosophical touch to the story sets it apart from other books I've read. There are a few good quotes in the book and will try to compile and put them together in any of the coming posts. also..

Well my current favourite song is 'Tu hi meri dost' from Yuvaraaj. A track from maestro Rahman. Haven't heard yet..? Trust me, it is simply amazing..

Now these are some random thoughts taking rounds in the tired brain... Do I need to christen every post especially when it has silly musings like this... ?? ;)

Ms G's Gyan:)

2008-10-29T21:28:00.010+05:30

I agree, Chetan's one nite @ the call center describes the working conditions there.

But, what if one gets to know the things straight from the horse's mouth..? Ya, my new roomie Ms G has a whopping 3.5+ years experience in the Call center industry. And each day is fun hearing to the hilarious experiences from her.. The way they handle the annoyed, abusing, frustrated customers ...The way they put on the accent & make repetitive attempts to sound US ..
Some of the terminologies explained by G & which remained on top of the head are...

Dead air: You call the customer service, only to hear the dead silence at the other end. Whatever be the reason this is one of the biggest turn off for the customer.

Hit: Negative feed back from the customers,.It is a dampener in the appraisal of the employee.
When the random calls are done to the customer asking the quality of the service, even a 'OK, may be, sort of..' replies are affecting the employees' brownie points.

AHT (Average Handling time): The predetermined time allotted, to solve the customer queries. Mind you, the customer stupidity is injurious to this .

CSAT: Customer Satisfaction survey done every week in the team. G says, the rating is for the team but, later it will be pinpointed to individuals on grounds of language, quality, AHT etc

There are many more in this list like Call monitor scorecard, phone time variance, TKS etc etc:)

As and when G was explaining the rules of language & accent she learnt, one punch line caught our attention. It is about how the letters R & L are pronounced. The rule is to "Roll your R's and pull your L's ". Me & Nammu failed miserably in trying out these accent stuff.. Sigh:(
Here is a few mind boggling set of tongue twisters from Ms G's language notes..

On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.
Mary mac's mother's making Mary Mac marry me. My mother's making me marry Mary Mac. Will I always be so Merry when Mary's taking care of me? Will I always be so merry when I marry Mary Mac?
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
We surely shall see the sun sun shine soon.

It's fun mincing words & stumbling on these twisters. Do try & tame these...

The Kite Runner

2008-10-13T09:55:00.036+05:30

A soul-stirring novel is all that I can say to this remarkably written book. This is by far one of the best books I've read. The characters are so well etched that they continue to linger in your memories, long after you finished the book.

The story is about two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir comes from a rich family and is the best friend of Hassan, son of a houseold servant. Amir, however always dominates & demands Hassan to prove his loyalty. And the latter obliges to all saying "For you a thousand times over Amir agha..." Amir is a motherless child, and seeks love & attention from his stern Baba. He takes the local kite flying tournament in Kabul as an opportunity to please his Baba and wins the competition with the help of Hassan. But all is not same after that day...Something strange happens on that ill-fated day & leaves their lives shattered...(Pls read the book to know more.)

Looks like this book has made a impact on 'Jaane tu.. ya Jaane na' dialogue writer Abbas Tyrewala... So much that he neatly lifted a line from the book, which later turned out to be the hilarious and one of the popular dialogues in the movie. Remember the talking portrait ?? And the grinning warrior Shah repeatedly saying " You can take the Rathore out of Ranjore, but you can't take Ranjore out of Rathore."Well in the book the protagonist is heard saying, "You can take Afghans out of Paghman, but you can't take Paghman out of Afghans."(page 318)My my, now that's a cool discovery :)

Ahem... I feel the short insight on the book does not do justice to the feel one goes through reading it. Some moments are so overwhelming that you are unknowingly shredding tears. This one's a great read & definitely Hosseini's powerful debut!

(Orbis- Terrarum )

Reviews

2008-10-02T20:24:00.016+05:30

Just finished two books from the Orbis Terrarum challenge. Hoping to stay motivated to complete the remaining seven too:)Here are the reviews of the two books.

The Guide - R.K. Narayan:
Railway raju is a happy go lucky person, making his living as a tourist guide in Malgudi. All's well in Raju's life till he falls in love wi

th a beautiful dancer, Rosie.He succeeds in setting her free from the shackles of her morose husband and gets obsessed in transforming her into the greatest artiste the country has ever seen. In this journey he gets involved in a case of forgery and spends 2 years in jail. After his release from the prison, as he wanders aimlessly in the streets of a village he gets mistaken for a blessed soul, a Saint....

The author has meticulously depicted the human emotions in simple words. All in all, it's a very easy & interesting read.

The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot receives a letter from a french businessman Renauld, who fears his life.

Poirot & Hastings(the narrator) immediately head to France for the rescue of their client.On their arrival to villa, they discover that Renauld's murdered on the golf links. The story has a lot of twists, queer characters & more strange motives. The narrator Hastings is bothersome and is always seen doubting Poirot's abilities.

Poirot as usual is at his best in finding nuances in facial expressions, than crawling on the ground in search of cigarette stubs, bootprints etc as done by another detective Giraud. Overall, this is a quick read & I enjoyed it.

Enjoying it.

2008-09-25T22:29:00.008+05:30

Today marks the completion of 2 years of work life in Bangalore!
Many many thanks to all my wellwishers, colleagues & friends:)Cheers Cheers:)

Eyes are precious...

2008-09-21T00:06:00.006+05:30

Irritated... sigh! is how I'm feeling at the moment. My list of rants for the day with it's own justifications...

1)Went to a eye clinic for a check up only to hear the doctor say, "Your right eye power has shot up to -3.5 from your previous -2.75." Oh Jeez, how can that be, I got it checked last June??Having seen no reactions from her(doc) face, I comforted myself thinking 14 months is way too long for my poor eyes...

2)The visit costed me around 4k! All for this new pair of "Durable & disposable" lenses, glasses etc..Huh..It costed far less @ my place, well that's Bangalore for me:(

3)They are going to take 5 working days to deliver my new set of eye care products! Is my head aching more now??

4) With all the above thoughts doing recurring rounds in my head what more worse?? I boarded the wrong bus! Grrr...

If that's the list of nuisances for today, my Sunday even enjoyed its share of good things.:) In a community meeting held today, there was a very impressive lecture given to us on how to promote & live by our religion. This was surely very enlightening. Thanks ma'am. In the meeting we committee members, pledged to donate our eyes after death. Now this's what we all can try.

Here's the link for more details http://www.bwlionseyehospital.org Email : lionseye@blr.vsnl.net.in Do visit it.

Also please note that, anyone can donate their eyes. Even those with cataract,diabetes & poor eyesight :)

Cute Ballerinas.

2008-09-18T08:10:00.024+05:30

P:You know there's a sale going on at X?? Everything's at flat 50% off!
Me: Oh is it?? That's great we'll check out..

This 's how it started today.
Entered into X. Man, those lovely ballerinas are also on a flat 50% sale. Did not expect it to be. Coz i've seen whatever catches your eye in a sale will eventually not be on sale. Now I could see my mind slipping to these shoes. "These look good only on jeans!" a faint voice squeaked in my head. "Ok fine" I snapped back and started searching for the conventional, regular footwear suiting my kurtas..
Somehow they failed to impress me, may be because my mind was still swaying towards that pair of shoes.

Finally, succumbed to the temptation. Picked a cute black one, over the red :)

Forgetful me.

2008-09-15T21:45:00.020+05:30

ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು Ericsson cell ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೆ ನೋಡಿದ್ರ? This is how I end up asking the shopowners, the waiter, the sales gal.. well that's enough i ain't recalling the list further..it hurts:( Ya, I've been forgetful or must i say absentminded about my cell??
Those minutes of frantic searching & endless rings from the phone of the person accompanying me is a lil common to me.. But lucky me! I haven't lost one till date.
After re-uniting with my lost & always found cell, suggestions and rounds of advice keep pouring in from all sides.Put a tag & hang it round your neck, use a mobile pouch, carry a small hand bag always & some downright honest but blunt, saying be disciplined!!
All options seem to be working & feasible except for the first one. Oh Jesus no tag option!

Now wonder what triggered me to write this post.. na na no prizes for guessing, this time I left it at a sweetshop nearby.
That's it Shayari! Be careful before the lady luck gives you some annoyingly ugly stares & betrays you next time.

Rock-On continues to rock...

2008-09-08T23:03:00.023+05:30

Director, Producer, Singer, Lyricist, Screen writer & now an actor! Farhan seems to be well-versed in almost every thing under filmmaking. Watched Rock-On last Sat & couldn't stop admiring FA's(Adi)performance.
Not to forget Joe(Arjun Rampal) & Debbie's(Shahana Gosawami ) flawless performances. This one comes across as Arjun's finest performance till date. Must say that Prachi 's (Sakshi) makeover worked wonders for her.

The movie is about 4 friends who put a rock band called "Magik", but fail to make it big. Ten years have passed, band is split & each of them are leading thier own lives. Sakshi, now Adi's wife, discovers the reason behind Adi's monotonous & lonesome life. It's then when Sakshi plans a surprise b'day party for Adi, inviting his old friends. This comes as an oppportunity to re-unite & pursue their journey from where they had lef off....

Watch it for FA. He's done a real good job & what more he's a Capri! The music's great & now all I do is, listen to this simply superb track, 'Pitchle saat dino mein' over & over again.. :)

Early Saturday

2008-09-06T07:37:00.005+05:30

It's a Saturday morning and I woke up real earl tht's 7 in the morning . Strange are the ways how these biological clocks work, ಎರಡು ದಿನ ಏನ್ ಬೇಗ ಎದ್ದೆ I'm up & fresh the 3'rd day morning (Courtesy my early to office romie & pooja struck granny on Thu & Fri resp) :-) Bythe way I had set the alarm, to wake up at 8:30 which 's still early for Sat mornings, only because I'm out to watch 'Rock On' today. And the show's @ 10!

I'm feeling good with the sudden surge of happy things around me. And i'm truly not complaining!!

The clock's about to strike 8 which means about an hour gone & 30 mins of sleep remaining. Me off to sleep.I know I know it's silly but who's bothered...

Happy Saturday!!

Mamma's boy.

2008-09-03T13:01:00.005+05:30

One of the sweetest strip in the Bill's creation. Mom who always is seen getting annoyed or cold to Calvin, seems to be having fun time with her kid :)

Booking books.

2008-09-03T11:30:00.005+05:30

I've been taking frequent guilt trips for not having read any good book from a long time..Some of the books are just lying in the shelf & are still waiting for the reader's attention..

May be to reinforce the thoughts of me reading a book, I came across this "ORBIS TERRARUM Challenge" .It's where you challenge yourself to read 9 books from 9 different authors with each born in a different country.The list has to be posted in the blog.Of course you can change the list if your supposed-to-be-good-book isn't all that great. The reader later has to post the review of the book read on the blog.
Thanks to Divya's blog through which I got to know about this new found challenge.
With lotof forethinking & googling I arrived at my list of books.
As a newbie to this challenge, I drafted the list carefully.(Keeping in mind the unattended book in the shelf and a self made rule saying that tampering with the list often is not entertained :))

Here's my pick of 9 books.

1.The Guide-R.K Narayan(India)
2.Shantaram-Gregory David Roberts(Australia)
3.The Piligrimage-Paulo Coelho(Brazil)
4.The murder in the links-Agatha Christie(UK)
5.The Diary of Anne Frank- Anne Frank(Germany)
6.The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini(Afghanistan)
7.To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee(US)
8.Wolf Totem-Jiang Rong(China)
9.Half of a yellow sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)

All Geared up to start this enlightening odyssey.:) More on this later....

Clean Bangalore

2008-08-28T21:35:00.005+05:30

Recently read an article in Times, where some poll had rated Bangalore as one of the unfriendliest city for pedestrians. As a regular walker in the footpaths of CMH, Commercial street, Magrath & Richmond roads I can the vouch for the correctness of the poll. The uneven foothpaths here are sure to twist your ankle or sprain your leg one or the other day. If this is the plight of the foot paths, the condition of the roads here are no better. The craters & potholes in the road do not seem to be filled. If filled they break down even with a short spell of rain. This reminds me one of the worst traffic jam nightmare where in it rained hevily & took me nearly 3 hrs to travel to majestic from Indiranagar (approximately 12 t o 13 kms)

Are the concerned parties listening..??Please help us..

Ok,enough of bame game! Now that there is a lot of homework left for the civilian authorities in Bangalore... let us also take few responsibilities in keeping the city clean.

Let's not throw bits & pieces of paper & trash on the roads.

Let's not break the traffic rules.

Let's take the responsibility of keepin our surroundings clean.

Let's start using less of Plastics.

Let's not spit on the roads.

Let's not take our dearmost pets to the streets & help them litter here & there.

Wah! Isn't it cool to revisit our good old value education classes in school & learn some simple responsibilities as a social human being.:-)

BANGALORE, India's best known city abroad definitely deserves more than this!!

Super Sunday-Super Ranbir

2008-08-24T15:33:00.006+05:30

It's been a great Sunday morning. Watched Bachna ae haseeno today. Whoa! what a good timepass movie it proved to be.

Yashraj & Barjatiya creations are always a treat to watch. And this movie doesn't disappoint you.The movie has a great cast, great music(esp the title track , Ahista Ahista & Khuda jaane) & brilliant cinematography to boast of. Ranbir absolutely rocks & sizzles on screen. The gals especially Deepika looks very fresh in the film. The story loses it's grip in the second half and becomes predictable.But again it's neatly crafted with a cameo from Kunal Kapoor. Initially I was a little sceptical, as the actors were overtly visible in the reality shows publicising the movie. But then, Thanks for all the hype around the movie and a 'Watch it' referrals from my friends. The movie was a full paisa vasool. The movie totally belongs to Ranbir. This new boy in the tinsel town is here to stay!

So much for BAH. Then there were also teasers of to-be-released movies shown before the BAH started off. Wow, the last 6 months of 2008 has a huge line up of movies from good banners.Rock On, Kidnap, Drona, Dostana, Ghazni. God forbid, these movies should not be disastrous like Sing is Kinng!.

Wishin & Hopin to visit EGYPT...

2008-08-12T19:45:00.005+05:30

Not sure when the fascination to this place started ...But now when the thought of visiting any country flashes across my mind , all that I can eat & drink is EGYPT. Can't blame the MUMMY movies coz I haven't watched any of the them.. but will soon watch Singh is Kinng. :)

From childhood, I have seen myself getting attracted to any events set before christ. God knows why?? Oh ya even Jesus's born very much later.. (2000+ years!) Man, this whole thing of ages makes me feel that Newton n Galileo are my cousins1!! :)

The fact that it is home to one of the world's earliest civilization has goose bumps all over me.
Recently bought a book on Ancient Egypt at a book fair nearby. Must say that I can't stop being inspired as I read about the monlithic pyramids constructed by the engineer geniuses then..The book features the lifestyle, the death, thier belief in afterlife in a very detailed manner. This book is more fact based, & would truly help as a Travel guide in future.

Another book which kind of virtually transferred me to this Land was Agtha christie's 'Death comes as End'. This work of fiction's storyline was set in the ancient egypt. God knows whether it is Christie's gripping narration or the magic of that civilization.

A quick search in google presents you with too-much-to-chew information about this wonderful place. Hoping that you too will admire this man made Natural Wonder!!

More on this, after I visit the Wonder!! :-)

My Ajji

2008-07-30T23:00:00.008+05:30

Years just don't seem to fill the void created by this lady in my life. It's been five years since she has left us.

This simple & caring soul's my grandma. Ajji as we all refer to...
Helping people and simplicity are the qualities which were natural to her.
No person who visited us in the mango season(mattered a lot :-()for that matter any season, would go empty handed from our house.

She was never dearth of stories for we grandchildren. But as I was the eldest amongst the kids most of the stories made more sense to me..Reading, I must say is one of the best quality of hers, that is inherited by all her children & which later slowly percolated to the II generation of us.

Ajji was very good at Hindi. She had completed Visharad in those days when girls in her town were not sent to school after a certain age..She learnt it at home with the help of private tutions arranged by her father..Being married to a Hindi Literate lady was really helping my grand pa in decoding and understanding the DD News and the serials telecasted then. :)
Ajja interrupting to know the context of the dialogues delivered-Ajji explaining-Skipping the next key dialouges, was a house old routine.

Cosily sleeping next to her was an opportunity I used to eagerly wait before every vacation.The days when we solved crosswords together in Sudha, reading magazines in the porch, picking the fallen mangoes for the fresh aamras, preparing jackfruit chips, shooing the monkeys away from the compound, going for pravachans, sometimes just listening to her childhood stories.. are the most cherished memories of my life.

A hug from her would make any situation easy to me.Hats off to this soul who's still helping me face LIFE!