could have just asked...

Seeing Jack all occupied,
Jill asked, "what are you thinking about?"
"Trying to figure out, how much is 3+2+1", replied Jack.
"But I know how much 1+2 is", said Jill.
"You could have just asked me"
"Would have saved you half the time and effort", Jill finished.
But is Jack listening?

--------------------------------------------------------

Kehne ko jashn-e-baharaa hai, ishq yeh dekh ke hairaan hai...
Phool se khusboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein,
chupa hai koi ranj, fiza ke chilman mein...
(Jodhaa Akbar)

I am hooked... completely and all I have heard is a 30 sec trailer.

Man!! These guys know their job...
Rehman + Akhtar + Iyer

This Naresh chap is some find!

update: er...a mistake of colossal proportions.. that is Javed Ali ..not Naresh Iyer

No words

Country, who?

Sit down Jack...

Jack looked at the fruit in Jill's hand...
"Oh! he gave you an Orange instead?"
"But you so badly wanted an Apple, can you manage?"
Bewildered, she looked at Jack...
He did not understand why she was staring at him like that
and asked..."what?"
"Its not an Orange Jack, it is an Apple", said Jill.
"and I wanted an Orange, not an Apple"...

Confused...both of them looked at each other.
"Sit down, I think we need to talk"

I bought flowers today,

Strength to survive the fall, we all shall have to summon.
But have we found the courage for the leap,yet?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I feel the blood rushing in my veins...
With heart light as a feather,I walk on...
Riding high on my cosine wave!!!

I bought flowers today, for myself...

on a lazy sunday evening...

Music does a lot of things..... it haunts too

Nee sneham...ika raanu ani, karigee kala gaa ayinaa...
Ee dooram....nuvu raaku ani,nanu veli veesthu unnaa...
(Manasanthaa Nuvve)

Some choreography ahead...
so generally glad with life. :)

headphones on...I walk the streets

One morning, moon woke up to a dying sun...
instinctively, he looked at his own still-luminous self
Bewildered, he watched the faint glimmer that was the sun, grow dimmer...
and couldn't help looking at himself again
How was it, that the affected glory outlived the source?
What sense could he make out of this?



Monsters Inc is superb cinema.

hi

They shook hands… looking into each others eyes
Holding the gaze, they let the whole of ‘what all these years meant’, hit them.
Searching involuntarily for the oh-so-familiar glint

They knew each other….
Days of waking up all night, lost in thought, drowned in conversation, afloat in ‘things to do’, wide awake in dreams and comforted in company.
When they nurtured ambition with the fire in their hearts…
Times of doubt and uncertainty… also of, will and hope.
When each inconsistency robbed their sleep
When each failure triggered a tedious process of going back to basics and re-tracing each step on the way, in search of ‘where did I falter’

They saw each other survive those nights
It wasn’t pretty, but beautiful, yes.

When,
They talked as much as they did not.
They shared as much as they took for granted.

Those were the days…
When they weren’t what they could and would be, yet.
They were witness to the process … the ‘how’ of what became of them today
They both were, works in progress.

All that was years ago…
Years passed by…
Updates were shared occasionally… but not the processes.
They were abreast with the ‘what’s, not the ‘how’s.

Letting go of each others hands, they wondered…
Did ‘us’ still hold good?
Did they still ‘know’ each other?
What did the so-slight-you wouldn’t notice- extra firmness in the handshake betray?
a desire for assurance of the above in affirmative?

They hung their coats, put their briefcases aside and settled down for a cup of coffee.

smoked ears...

I do not know the background nor the full fact profile and the why-what of the protests.
Both parties involved might have their own justifications for what happened.
But I address only one small thing.
Yes,I am taking it out of context and being generic here.

Say... you are overcome with animal angst to cause the other person harm. And you have convinced yourself with whatever justification and decided to go ahead and give in to the primal urge. And when it is a woman on the receiving end...why is it always the same story?
Had it been a man, you would have beat him up to death. Not that you would spare the rod, for a woman... you would beat her up, too... but only after stripping and molesting her!!!

Its the same script!! Each time, every where.

On a different yet related note:

"They carry the burden of your 'honor' but you wouldn't dare give them their rights."


A gentle suggestion...
If you are not exactly looking for cringe-worthy and rather unpleasant posts, you'd better make a judicious choice about which blogs to read.


Update: It doesn't take much... or may be it does. anyways.

things big and small...

The key to the ultimate question lies in things, big and small...
Origin... to understand it, Hawking says... we gotta understand the very big and the very small
Things of astronomical proportions and the the sub-atomic
Inverse and as different as they could be... but intimately interwoven

Even when scaled down to the mundane and taken out of context, the relevance seems intact

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant me the illusion, at least ….
For, it would balm my wounds a little
For, I have no right to claim the thing itself
and I realize it... maybe only too well

this cry for alms will disgust me later
Will laugh about it in the morning
but how shall this evening pass...

---------------------------------------------------------------
You know the most difficult thing in the world is, to make me dislike something which even remotely has anything to do with space.
And yeah they have succeeded!!
Sunshine.... its so bad that its a shame.


--------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe he plays because part of him is just a boy who finds himself when bat meets ball.

-----------------------------------------------------------

tum ko bhi, hai pata... mujh ko bhi, hai khabar...
ho raha... hai juda, dono ka... raastha

(KANK)

just a tad bit late..

-I love hindi. Everything about it.
For a significant part of my life, I thought in hindi.
I revel in talking in it.
-I have an interest in books and movies, that could be almost called academic.
-I think the latest Idea cellular ad has more relevance than reams of crap written under the tag- social issues.
-I have nothing to say to you, if you happen to think that having a certain chromosome or being born in a certain community or caste, the colour of your skin, automatically makes you superior to half the world's population.
-80 percent of my interaction with my dad is about world politics.
-I react similarly to a plain white paper and a new born child.
I see hope, belief and joy. I think of all the things, 'it could and will be'.
-I am so dispassionate and detached that I suprise myself, occasionally.
-I can not watch a badly choreographed dance. I have to look away.
-I cry in movies. Some.
-This week I skipped my first meal at work, in the race to deadline.
-I have stopped writing in hindi, since the day I woke up to the fact that it had begun to show vague familiarity with some random bollywood number.
-One thing that, I , unabashedly romanticize is coffee.
And on similar lines, one of my dearest fantacies is to sit down in a random coffee shop in a random narrow street in Italy and write.

trivia

Bourne Ultimatum
Babel
Transformers
Jab We Met

Babel : handled some everyday but not-very-convenient emotions....
the girl's track.... and the noise-blankouts when she enters the discotheque.
also the scene where Pitt offers money to the guy, just before the helicopter takes off. Thing is... it is indeed such an awkward moment...
When the guy refuses to take the bucks, one is tempted to host little anger towards Pitt for belittling him with such an act. But the fact remains that... what could Pitt have done to show his gratitude..? Things like this happen all the time...
and in atleast those, that I have been a witness to.. what that act reflects, is, a real helplessness!

Jab We Met... only Kareena could have carried it off!!

------------

We think we know it all
Think we have all the answers
I can handle it.. we brush it off
its just that... sometimes.. we don't,
we can't!!

like that..

there is a scene in 'Jaane bhi do yaaron' which truly deserves to go down the annals of history as probably one of the best filmed comic scene in hindi movies...
those familiar with the movie might already have guessed it... the 'Mahabharatha' scene..
If there was ever a cinematic moment which deserved the word 'mad', then that was it...
Also, one more movie comes to my mind when I talk of hindi comedies... 'Andaaz Apna Apna'..
Now this is where everybody goes berserk.... if there was ever a movie whose climax was in true sense the 'finale' this was it... you just begin to wonder..how mad can this get.. and there you are..
crime master Gogo.. diamonds... damsels in distress... sasur-ji in trouble from his identical twin... goondas with guns.... Aamir and salman at their comic best... Aamir especially is plain crazy...
It just couldn't get any better... and each time I watch it.. it amuses me even more.

Watching movies is an experience... there are some which you watch alone.. and yet others where it doesn't matter whom you watch it with.. but yes.. fun is fun only in proper company.
Laughter works best when shared... You end up enjoying something even more, in later viewings.... but with proper company... One such movie for me was Padosan. I always liked it... but seeing it with someone who knows how to enjoy a film.. who can laugh at all the madness with all the heart.. its just a completly new experience.

Loads of crap comes out every other day bearing the tag 'comedy'. But only few get it right... and when you strike it right ... you have a classic on your hands.

I look around in haste.....

One of those days when you wake up... more than at peace with the world.
Not just with a smile on your face... but with an almost tangible joy in your guts...
You reconfirm if you are not in a dream... and snuggle back into the blankets for 10 more minutes of precious sleep...
But the almost conscious presence of the emotion...is too amusing to let you drift away.

Even the missed bus... the gymnastics to avoid the mud-puddles formed from last night's rain..
the balancing act of dripping umbrella in one hand and the frantic search for change for the ticket... unsuccessful attempt at finding a seat... doing a little jig to the tune of the bumpy ride...

fails to take away... the glint in my eye and the spring in my step...
as I walk to work... when the weather is just right
Folded hands and eyes closed I take note of the just-got-it-right chillness of the breeze.

I look around in haste....
to check if anyone noticed my impromptu giggle.... and the sway to a tune in my mind.

...

We knew it all along. It always hung in mid-air all around us, all along.
In frenzied television debates. In passionate drawing room discussions.
The news papers reeked of it. Social activists shouted on top of their voices..on streets... on television..everywhere.

In hush whispers and muted voices in lanes where life must have been normal once.. but not since...

In dejection... in disbelief... in disgust.

Its just that.. its now on camera. Direct and in your face.

All those denials that stemmed from disbelief that such a thing could happen....tossed out of the window. All those half-baked self assurances gained from brushing it off as a action-reaction... staring in your face. All illusions of... 'not entirely preventable' theories.... where are you now?

this

Let me also.. address few things that will be hurled at me.. for this.

-Elections are around the corner in Gujrath.
-Congress will take political mileage out of this.
-The magazine and the news channel will sensationalize it.

me:So what?

-Why rake up old wounds?
-Haven't people started recovering? Why instigate communal tensions again?
-Its all sensationalistic crap.
-How relevant is it, today? One has to move on.
-Isn't there a judiciary around..to do the duty? Who are these self-professed torch bearers of justice anyways?
-Political equations have changed... between Modi and his once upon a time followers.. May be there is more to it.. than what catches the eye.

me:All these are irrelevant.

The point is...the same guy still holds the office.
The cases against most of them... are still open.And what judiciary are you talking about. Its a complete system collapse.
How can one move with the very system in place and fully functional.The very same system.. where all you have to say is 'Jai Shri Ram' and the police would let you free on innocents... with a bomb in your hand.
Where the scattered corpses remind them of battle scenes from some holy war.The system where.. as if in some cheap political thriller novel.. the supremo says 'do whatever you want.. you have three days'.
And those very people are hidden.. cases hushed up.. Witnesses threatened...

And.....they brag about it....

It like those lines we read in books where there is a talk about looking in to the face of evil..unmasked and unashamed.
You hear them talk about chopping off an ex-MP... He could as well have been talking about his favourite movie.
You see a man's animated replay of how he slit open a womans womb and threw the foetus in the air.. with almost a relish... a glee worthy of a blood-licking lip-smacking monster.

And one is filled up with disgust. At oneself for being co-labeled 'human' alongside them.

One is forced to think.. that maybe millenia of socialization have really done nothing.. but maybe just camouflage a little more carefully and we still really are ...animals.

Well... you think I am being reactive.. and super sensationalist..?

Sorry boss!!! There is just too much disgust and anger in me right now and if you choose to give it a 'tag'... go ahead!

And yeah!!!.. I write this days after I know of the story. Days after I had the rush to write this.

Coz.. I am not really a believer of acting on immediate emotion.

If you would feel 'less' about it, the next morning..then its not worth acting on it tonight.
-------
this
80 lives. And we won't pay his medical bills.

After ...

reading average and hearing good/great reviews about it..finally managed to watch the movie today.
Happy Days.

It has become..kinda 'toast of the season' here...

Having watched it now... I can see clearly...the reason for disparity in the reviews I talked about.
First things first.. this is a product..that knows who it is targeting. And shouts about it from the roof-top.

A critic who gets the free ticket to watch and sit in judgment of this movie... will not find many adjectives to add...
I think..he will not even manage to differentiate it from the scores of movies that come up bearing the 'college' tag.
But thats exactly the point!!!! I am not gonna talk about the craft of film making here..
Trust me..its completley irrelevant here...

The actual customer doesn't see it as a film.. and if you are not the intended customer... then the joke is on you my friend.. your opinion doesnt matter!! This movie isnt asking for one.
This is one product that cannot stand alone. It leans too heavily on its audience.
This movie does absolutely nothing for you..if you don't have a memory bank to go back to.
Every penny this movie makes finds its root in the connect that a member of the audience has managed to establish with a scene. Its evident from the reaction of the crowds...
The 'oh! thats exactly what happened with us na' 'Hey wasnt that how that fellow reacted then' 'Thats a scene to scene..dialogue to dialogue..copy of our life yaar's are why the movie is a hit.

The movie works solely for one reason... its personal for everybody in the audience.
Shekhar brought it too close to home.. The Hyderabad engineering students!!!!!
No wonder people are going berserk over it.

Hmm.. could it have been better.. ? sure!!! Both cinematically and in the context I am talking about.
But the things is... the ride is good enough! So.. what the hell!!!!

I laugh a lot....

Desensitization has become a fact of life... It always was and will continue to be. Or we wouldn't survive. Maybe..coz I could think of no other explaination.
Its a classic drawing room line, actually.
Whats there in the news....the same crap every morning!!!!
... another murder here... few killed there.. mob-violence somewhere else.. corruption everywhere, primitive ways of enforcing self-professed ideas of justice... blatant disregard for others rights... moral and cultural policing...

I guess one doesn't really reflect or realise .. the kind or extent of desensitization that has taken place. Not unless..it hits home. Hardly a kilometer away... and you watch it in the bulletin just like any other. The names and numbers scrolling down on the screen give you the chills, coz you know it could have been you or your dear ones. And here comes the worst part. You are used to it. You hear it daily...don't you? Nothing new... it was some other city yesterday.. today its yours and tomorrow it'll be somebody else's...
That's when the disgusting realisation dawns....

We have become OK about it.. we accept it as a part of our lives. We talk furiously about it that evening... and the next morning... we are back to normal.
All kinds of crap happens in this country.... but yeh sab tho..'hota hai yaar'..right!!!?

The same rehearsed lines spoken each time.... 'we strongly condemn this act' 'whoever is responsible for this... will be punished' 'we will make sure justice is delivered' 'I request people to maintain calm' ' We announce an ex-Gratia of 2 lacks each to every deceased one's family' 'A job for each bread-earner lost' 'An enquiry ordered..report ready within 2 weeks'....

And before you know it... its time for the same speech again..
Just a different place... different excuse for the act.

Do I have a solution? No. And here I am not setting out to find one.

This particular post operates on a much narrower context.
It just that.. it doesn't feel right!
I think that...
human life...even a single one.. surely deserves more respect than what it gets today.


(Oh yeah..by the way..I know all the phrases... so don't bother.
It happens everywhere..all the time... part of life...what can one do... there is only so much one can do... forces beyond our control... the world doesn't operate on logic..it doesn't recognise words like 'fair' 'justice' 'reason'...!!!!)


----
I laugh a lot...
and smile a lot less...I guess.
(completely unrelated to the post, though!! Just a whim!)

For a while...

Hibernation... :)

Ooo la la...

WE WON

Replete with shouts and whoopies of joy....
with frustration and muted curses uttered under breath....
eyes popping out in not-yet-registered amazement..

It was fun... reminiscing of the old days..when every match started with an optimistic air...
when we believed...
when we were kids...

Ahh..heart warmed, we shall go to sleep tonight.
Told you... there is a script writer sitting up there...


I so very desperately hope that this 'Dhoni' is not a flash in the pan..
nor the promise shown..just that.

LOL

First things first.... we beat Australia... :D

Two teams...
Each faced humiliating first round exit in the last ODI World Cup...
Their only face-off in this tournament was decided in a bowl-out...
And they are in the T20 World Cup final now...
Each beat the current no.1 on their way here...

Its an INDIA-PAKISTAN World Cup final.....

Its the stuff., dreams are made of...atleast in this part of the world.

Upar-wala bhi... kya script likhta hai...nai!!! ;)

dumpbin.exe

Random lines... scribbled over scattered papers... some time back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are essentially loners...
and it is not a cynical statement.
It is as simple and as dear an acknowledgment...
that.. the joy of mere knowledge of the presence of certain people in your life is.
And the realisation or the calm acknowledgment of it...
changes nothing but grant more clarity.
There is a point after which everybody else stops...
and 'beyond' there is only you.
We may as well face it...
and get it over with.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere on the last 20 seconds you have grown up...
-Finding Neverland

It can get overwhelmingly amusing when a shamelessly dramatic line like that reveals itself to posses more truthful overtones than you had previously envisioned.

One can only laugh in response/release/reaction...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

On desperate look-out for a 'peer'...
Do you know.....
Could you ever understand what that means?!!!

If not, you could never know the rush.,
the flood..... of actually finding 'one'.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artists are emotional you say,
I can only laugh...
Don't you see.. they are as detached as they come.
Play around with emotions...
their own.
Cold and ruthless they are..
They use, exaggerate, fictionalize and discard...
They lean back and watch the proceedings...
field spread out.
Hands folded, they smirk...
feeling all smug.

p.s: I count myself as one and not all in mood for a pseudo-intellectual debate on the content of the above lines.
---------------------------------------------------------------

This could be her greatest achievement...
or a grave self-betrayal.
Could she tell them apart...
was redemption possible?

---------------------------------------------------------------

If anyone asked her what the most vulgar word in English was...
today..she was sure of the answer..it is 'hobby'.
Hobby...
That's how people trivialize their love... isn't it?
Leading half lives....
with empty self-assurances of practicality...

----------------------------------------------------------------

I questioned us, I reasoned it..
You gave me reason to do it...
The reasons were yours...
they were mine too.

I feel.. I weigh,
I rationalize.. I debate,
I realise......

------------------------------------------------------------------

She was not a fan of generalization...
But she sometimes doubted if it was all just about,
holding onto the exceptions...
like a drowning man's fleeting last attempt at self-preservation.

Coz, she looked around and found only disappointment.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

There are moments of uncertainty...
moments of doubt...,
when the road ahead is fogged with failed assumptions...
when the seemingly lucid logic fails you...
then somehow.. just somehow... life throws up its solution to you.
you might not be able to immediately make the connection..
nor would it be the most palatable....
it could be cruel in its obvious intent
and the immediate emotion can sometimes be very overbearing....
But.....
maybe.... you should give it a chance.....

Just maybe.....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

about the title...

Hmm.. dumpbin.exe is a command line utility which list the imported functions for the .dll's and .exe's in your setup.

Ahh.. the non-CS guys can give the above line a skip.

One

She suddenly came back, struggling to remember what had triggered the train of thought. There it was, sitting in her lap, held a little too securely by her hands... an article in the weekly supplement of a national newspaper. Probably written by a eager college student. She smiled thinking of her own spirited articles in similar publications. She did not preserve the cuttings as memoirs because she took someone who said "one should avoid being infatuated with their own work" too seriously.

Her eyes focused back on the word.
Mediocrity.

In a rush...

Loads of posts in the pipeline.. lots of stuff to write.
But this won't wait.
Its been a long time. Too long, infact.... since I have been this excited about a match.


Oh yeah.. we WON by the way.... :D (*grinning ear to ear)

Once more..

I really don't understand what kick I get out of posting such lists....
I am trying to figure it out..meanwhile here it is...,

Gandhi, My Father
Black Friday


*nods..., short... I know.

And by the way... "khoon Chala" from Rang De Basanti..is in my opinion one of the best picturised songs (if not the best) ever. I doubt if one could actually call it a picturised song. But anywayz..
it is almost impossible to tell..if it was the visuals that made the song so 'haunting' or was it the other way around... may be its appeal lies in that very fact.

Its that time of the year..

-some decade and half into the past..and it was about the chocolates and sweets we got..
there was also some cermony that took place..we watched curiously.. wide eyed.
It was that special day of the year..it seemed very important...everybody said so.

-a decade back... it meant wearing the 'white' uniform even if it wasn't wednesday or the games day as they used to call it.. We took a few social studies lessons so we kinda knew what the hullah was about...There were other trappings as well..numerous competitions.. the essay writings.. the elocutions..the dance,painting,singing...u name it... And the award cermony was on that day na.... felt all smug and the nose on its own volition flew a few inches higher into the air,when your name was called out in front of the whole gathering and the 'biggies' congratulated and gave away those prizes... and when you happened to win more..you tried to put on a ..oh-another-day-at-work pose... lol
But we could atleast decipher why a particular gentleman's photo was garlanded and a ceremony performed before the flag was hoisted.
Songs were sung in fervour and salutation done with all the pride..
Pride, we had..why ...I am not sure we understood. A job for the history lessons and the speeches given..

Meanwhile..we grew...learnt few things..unlearnt many others..
In other words..were beginning to understand what those fancy terms in the social studies text books meant.. The Prime Minister's address was watched religiously...
Newspapers were tasty like never-before..

-After school..the whole ceremonial charm kinda faded away a little.... The celebration was in TV now...

-Somehow nobody went to college that day... The News channels had taken over.... some respectable one's were granted the viewership.. People came out with theme songs...
Discussions were carried out .. important people were part of the panels.. that glossed over how's of 'had been' and 'will be' of the nation.
People from all walks of life... told the guy who claimed, was from a news channel..'what the day meant to them'.

Meanwhile things happen... you read books..you see movies..you live... you also think...
You watch news more carefully... The discussion on national issues draw u in.
Issues surface..you react.. you have opinions. You understand things better. Learn to look at the larger picture.Understand the 'grey's of life. Re-look at past...your opinions and judgments. Global perspective comes into picture...Regional becomes more important than ever-before.
You learn new things everyday. Unlearn too.

-Today...I celebrated in/with the News Channels... their discussions ,I followed. Compared my list of 10 defining moments. Took it all in...the flash-back...Allowed the whole thing to sink in.
Moments of reflection....of thought.

Is it the complete bombardment of cheer from all sides..the fervor or the Anthem
(sung soulfully by all my favourite singers)... repeated 'n' times.. in 'n' styles..on 'n' instruments..
or the really cute ad where a 5 year old...wishes the flag..a very happy birthday.....?
I donno...

But yes... I have an optimistic smile on my face...
Optimistic enough for me to look back and marvel....

And future..oh Yeah...I see my 'rhoota-hua-dost'...hope. Though I confess to not have completely gotten over my cynic friend.... I shall however in the spirit of the day.. hope that he remains dormant for a while...

-Its that time of the year... we call it our Independence Day...
August the 15th.
Cheers.

Deja Vu

-
You've lost track of the time and have no sense of what hour it is... you suddenly look out of the window and see the twilight..
Eyes start demanding attention, well they might do with some rest after all... you stretch a little, putting the book you have been engrossed in all night, aside...
You go to bed..smartly tucked in the blankets, at dawn...with a dim-smile that lit-up your face...

-
On a fairly lazy and little cloudy sunday afternoon..
One hand supporting the back of your head..you recline into the living room couch.. watching a test match... (our team doing fairly well...)
You breathe easy and full...
The only thing that could disrupt now,would be a really confident appeal for Sachin's wicket.
You shift a little and make yourself more comfortable...if that were possible..:P


Aaahh peace....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile it seems a little insane to react this way..
Rehman.... is God.
He sings too...oh yeah..damn well he does...

The guy utters...
-Vandemataram..... and every atom in my body responds.
-Aa laut chal tu ab deewane... and it wrenches my heart.
-Yeh jo bandhan hai..woh kabhie tooth nahi sakta... and my lungs are bereft of O2.
-Dil Se re... and I have no words.

He scores..
-Roja .. I get a goose-flesh.
And I have a long list...

It IS insane.... few chords struck here.. few strings pulled there... some notes hit... hehe

This somehow reminds me of 'Swades'.. A movie thats dear in a very special way.
My respect for SRK grew by leaps and bounds after watching him do a couple of scenes.. that might just couldn't have been done better.
Gems...
Kudos..Ashutosh Gowariker for a beautiful movie.

Done

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Hmm...
(* may contain spoilers)...
These are the early after-hours and I am still in a state that resembles a hang-over.
Expected but a little curious though at the character it is directed at.
Not Harry, not Albus but Severus. Those who read will understand what I mean.
It was not completely out-of-the-blue coz it was one of the scores of theories floating around before the books release. Have to confess though.. wouldn't have liked it any other way and maybe was indeed silently praying it to be exactly so..after the climax of Half-Bloood Prince.

Anywayz curtain falls on the Harry Potter series... Its been with me for the past 7-8 years.
I care not for what the world screams about the hype..the merchandise..the literary value.. the crass-commercialization..blah blah..blah.
Coz... when I picked up my first Harry Potter... I knew nothing about it... heard nothing about it. It was an innocent birthday gift. And I have grown to love the series... for solely one reason.. it was fun.

I discovered the joy of the reading. And it doesn't get more personal than that.

Cheers to J.K Rowling... for getting me to react and emote... :)

Random...

Maturity is a fancy term given to how to's of dealing with the don'ts ,can'ts and shouldn'ts of life.

People grow. Accept,face and hope for it. Thats wise.

No, Iam not in a mood to do sermons.

The day I am early to bed....I haven't lived. Or so my mind tells me.. which is wiped clean of any memory.

Haven't watched ANY movies.

Ofcourse,if you have read any of my earlier posts... you would know it be not-entirely-true.
So, I saw...300, POC-3 and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Am having 2 cups of coffee a day..which by my family standards is HUGE amounts.

My stipend is only to be seen in the (pdf)pay-slip they sent me. Iam yet to recieve the PIN number for my ATM card.

Have doubted more than once in the past week..if every emotion is over-rated.

Cold and detached... words acknowledged and their meaning too.


and now something truly random...

mera guroor teri achai mein...
meri dheemi muskaan teri khushi mein...
kyun parchayi dhoondthi hai...?

I confess.... to be rather taken aback...by my capacity for such lines.... LOL.

Rather random

And then I laughed,
Laughed at the frivolity of it all...
Laughed at the rush to consider it as such,
and at the urge to not do so...
Conflicting emotions..aren't they called...?!
Who won? u ask... I can only laugh.

wide eyed wow!

For the first time in my life I know what it is, to not have enough time.

Victim of one of the(non)logics of life, where raw numbers reign supreme. Where all that matters is the number of hours clocked and not how it is spent. Those electronic machines that record your swipe-in and swipe-out details donot know the difference between learning(?) 'C' and discussing eachother's non-existent love lives.

Still I like it this way. I like it when I don't remember the date or what day it is. I like it when I absolutely have no time to spare for other things. Early to bed and early to rise. Hmmpfh.The excitement of novelty may soon fade, not very unlike getting bored of the free coffee-machine coffee.

Alas....so-called Work.

*Sigh

training starts monday...

expectations and apprehensions galore...
quite amusingly they have kinda cancelled each other out...
and Iam in a state of, hmm let's see...


Work.

s

girataa huaa wo aasamaan se
aakar giraa zamiin par
Kwaabon mein phir bhii baadal hii the
wo kahataa rahaa magar

ke Allah ke bande ha.Ns de, Allah ke bande...
Allah ke bande.. ha.Ns de, jo bhii ho kal phir aayegaa


Lyrics:Vishal
Singer:Kailash Kher

ROTFL

The Biggie BCCI Busted Big Time

Am I the only one who finds the whole thing amusing and very much like a re-run of the scene where a 8 year Kunal Khemu smears Archana Puran Singh's face with a cake..?
My first reaction was LOL.
First,you dump Whatmore after everybody in India thought he was the next Indian team's coach..
Next,you get Ford and Emburey flown in to make presentations on short notice
You 'decide' Ford is the man for the job..
Ford snubs you..
You actually go and ask Emburey to take it up..after all this..
Some say they even approached Whatmore... again...
if anybody asks you about this..you say he was never even in proper consideration.. (yeah the board officials went to Bangladesh to have brunch with him then?)
Of course they declined..
Players Camp starts in two days
You choose Chandu Borde as the interim what-ever..

Little flashback...Chappel episode and the neighboring Woolmer fiasco.
It honestly doesn't get better than this....
Fletcher refuses,Moody shuts door,Dave..u dump,Ford makes you a laughing stock,Emburey must have said..how dare you?....
Whatmore must be as amused as me.

100 words

He had realized as a kid that to be a storyteller was about as close as one could get to actually being 'God'. Though he had always more or less stuck to the stereotypical style of ‘life flashes by', he wondered if his last would be different. He looked at the unfinished manuscript and sighed. His protagonist, like him was dying. He wanted to do the ending differently. He thought of how He’d do it and wondered if he could snatch a moment when his own last had come, to finish off the story with his experience. He chuckled mutely.

Little Cheating Never Hurt Anyone...

elusive

and it shall remain so

a heartbreak...

Ma, look what I found!!!

he he...

Well what I found is ... 'caught-my-fancy.. the indian idol guy'..,Ah well his blog, to be more precise.


P.S: No, I have not Googled his name. Just found a link on IndiaUncut.
Oh yeah he is a 'Chang' by the way and not a 'Wang'. :-)

back to talkies...

Shall continue what has almost become a norm on this blog...

V for Vendetta
The Fountain
Schindler's List

I can't skip the more-about-it part if there is a Schindler's list in that list,now can I?

Movies have certain 'that says it all' moments.
Going through threads where movie-maniacs discuss 'the' moments of this movie, I find myself
saying yes to most of them and remembering more that should have been listed.

The protagonist, of course did well. And Ben Kingsley was adorable... And I actually understood why Ralph Fiennes has come to play Lord Voldemort. (* he is, btw the ultimate-evil-guy in the Harry Potter series)I mean the guy can make even his body talk,act and emote.. body language don't they call it? Yes. Then there is the award winning musical score,editing,cinematography, direction etc etc..
but frankly who cares ha?... for all that techno,cine-intellect jargon ...
Agreed that they are the catalysts..but that's just what they are...catalysts.

Movies are actually much simpler...

A movie tells a story....
And this movie did, did it well, did it tremendously well actually...
That's it's and any movie's soul.
That's what you take home with you.
Storytelling,which I think is the oldest art form ever, is personal...is one-on-one. And like any art form is subjective.

Sure I love a 'Life is Beautiful', but so I do a 'Dil to Pagal Hai'.
'Beautiful Mind' blew my mind away..but so did the speech from 'Independence Day'.
I can enjoy.....'Schindler's list'.... and a 'You've Got Mail'.

I see no contradiction and I think there isn't supposed to be any.
And therein lies the beauty.
Its not business,its personal... he he,couldn't resist.

Nods...

Since I haven't been this happy about a post of mine in 'recent times'.....no wait, I think the word is 'ever'....
Since this is my blog and I can post anything I want... for any number of times...
Here goes...

a very non-inviting CLICK ME


I know.

happenings...

pieces of 'unused-since-ages' cloth..
a 'real' pair of scissors, the kind which fit nice and full in your hand.
a borrowed set of sewing essentials.
and ME.
Yeah...you get 3 'oh-the-big-word' designed and sewed pieces of clothing, which with little bit of imagination and mixing n matching transform into 4-5 dresses.
Now I have grown ambitious. Mom is worried because she doesn't quite like that look when I have a scissor in hand, forever wondering which innocent piece of cloth is the next victim.
I watch the 'Runway Project'.

Afterall leisure does take its toll..

Besides.....
Movies: Dhee,Notes on a Scandal, Munich,Walk the Line, Monty Python and the Holy Grail Closer,Spiderman3.
Wanna read soon: A Suitable Boy, Orange is not the only fruit, Shantaram.

also...
Some nice- yes -things happening...
People saying things like these.... The man himself must have cringed inwardly as he spoke few of those lines.
China rejects visa to a IAS from Arunachal Pradesh citing that he is their citizen. Such love.


Current...
Song: roz shaam ati....magar aisi na thi., roz roz ghata chaathi thi...magar aisi na thi
Favourite word: delusion
Caught-my-fancy: a certain 'Wang' , participant in Indian Idol (and no, I don't vote).

chao.

Why I love the Danes...

Have you ever been overcome with emotion, you could hardly contain within...
Has something made you utter a mute oh my god...OH my God... suddenly bereft of air to breathe.
Since this is just a 'beat-around-the-bush' way of screaming 'I did-I did' (*hand shot up in the air) , I will fire away....

I picked up The Hindu this morning err..alright, afternoon it is, to read yet another 'he-is-from-pluto' review of Roger Federer when something else caught my eye ...

The late-risers hit back ...- my eyes narrowed, I decided to read on.

Sleepyheads are up in arms thanks to a Danish campaign... - always knew they had the gumption, I tell myself.

They are called many things-"lazy," "unproductive," "lacking in ambition,"- but late risers are starting to fight back. Long the butt of demeaning office jokes, sleepyheads are officially up in arms thanks to a Danish campaign to stop the "tyranny of early risers" - and I almost choked.

The Owl has the right to say"'Give me the late riser's rhythm at work,at home and in society" trumpets the B-Society website, a movement against the Danish 8 am to 4 pm working culture."Let me come to work at 11a.m and go home at 8 pm.Let me have quiet mornings to read my newspaper and ease into the day gently and peacefully." - and I almost cried.

The extreme Owls form a good 10% of the population.B-society has packed quite a punch, attracting around 4,800 members in only 4 months. - always knew I wasn't alone.

The Danish Minister for family affairs,has thrown her weight behind the campaign saying:" we all live better if our existence is not constantly dictated by an alarm clock."- the Danes choose wisely.

"We've had temendous success", agrees founder Camilla Kring."We now have a B-high school with classes starting at noon.Sweden has its own movement,Finland and Norway should soon follow and there's been huge global interest."- I tighten my fist, 'yes'.

An individual's prefernce for early/late rising is as genetically determined as eye or hair colour. Far from stereotyping of people who cannot get out of bed in the morning as lazy sods, it is all down to different circadian rhythms.Scientists have long known that early risers have genetic differences (variation in the version of a gene called Period 3) leading to physiological differences. - wipe away a tear from my left eye,I knew there was nothing wrong with me.

early rising puts the body under great stress due to high cortisol levels.This can damage brain cells and lead to premature senility.Lazy lie-ins,they say, are the key to good health. - an almost evil glint in my eyes,'huh'.

This is the most happy piece of news since a certain Mr.Nehru hoisted a flag at midnight on the Red fort.

(*in a low husky voice that is almost a whisper, a set jaw, a tight fist,eyes moist,a knot in the chest amd narrowed eyes)

Brethren..our time has finally come. Let us stand united in our sacred cause.
Let us show them that,'We will not go silently into the night.We will not go down without a fight'.
'This is it, we take no more',we shall proclaim and put an end to the "tyranny of the early risers".



P.S:Itlalicized part from 'The Hindu' and a couple of lines from the 'Independence Day' movie.

Still nothing...

the nautanki me.

Nothing better to post?!

a corner of my room.

yeah right!

This country has turned in to a bloody breeding ground for intolerance.
If anything can spell doom... it is intolerance.
With their deluded sense of cause... self proclaimed torch-bearers of faith, culture and social justice....
Oh crap.... may be I should just remember DiCaprio's - "When was the last time the world wasn't falling apart?"

Anywayz...
To re-visit some happy memories...here's a pic.















Laid eyes on the Martina Navratilova.
Location:Hyderabad.

One down..

Been to a Violin concert yesterday..

Amazing, it was.
Liked 'Vataapy Ganapathym bhaje...' & 'Kondalalo Nelakonna..' best.

Must be few inches taller than the bow itself,but... oh my God..
If anybody in the 50 strong contingent of students performing there had a maestro look about him/her..it was this kid. Just another day at the office look...absolutely.
He seemed the most unaffected of the lot...completely at ease. Not a single wrong note and flawless bow movement..(fully in- sync with the done-it-all senior students sitting in front) .
Oh he was such a treat to watch... I mean the bow looked like an extension of his arm( did I just plagiarize??).

Sync....be it in dancers and their moves or movement of the bows in unison.. makes it a treat to watch.
Apart from the musical element...made a good visual spectacle as well..the concert.
Damn, I did not take my camera along. In my defence... I went there directly after giving my final( the final) B-tech examination.

So, one less thing to do before I grace the heavens.

Archies calling...

Yes,I have been taking some very Archie-ish photographs lately.
Now that I am writing about it, I remember...

We had big plans for the time we were going to spend in the college of our dreams.
We had a master plan.. it was revolutionary..it was going to be the desert college's first in house greeting card business. Of course we had plans for expansion later but we decided to start with the soft targets.We were to play different roles and share the profits. Finance was always the problem but we would figure a way around.
Such and such..we thought 'desert extravaganza', flipping through the brochure.. apart from the music-drama-dance-photography club things, bicycle rides, guys, mental flashes of them all..
(me) finding a part time job,any job,in the observatory..
Well,there was also a list of the recruting companies somewhere in the rear.
It was fun..it was silly.


Oh..by the way I almost forgot..
We..
yours truly- the lines (Yes, I did flatter myself so).
C - the photos.
K - the accounts.
M - Sales & Marketing.

Results came...
MGIT,VNR VJIT,BITS-Pilani,OU..it is.

cheers.

A bibiliography I read

State Of Fear- Michael Crichton.

Inevitably and not-so-eventually it dawns upon you, after being the passive(or not?) recipient of the stuff that the 24 hr news channels dish out, how utterly jobless everyone is.
Yourself included.

Richard Gere is awarded with a non-bailable arrest warrant for kissing Shilpa Shetty on her cheek, on stage. How dare he impune our sadiyon-purana-mahan culture! Case karo. Putla jalao.

Mandira Bedi will face summons soon for wearing a saree that had our flag in the 'below waist' part. Gundeki hattukovalisina jateeya jendanu tv anchor Mandira Bedi ghoram ga avamaninchindi. Palu deshala jateeya jendalu vunna tana cheeralo mana jendaku matram kalla deggare chotu dorikindi. Case karo. Putla jalao.

Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan have charges pressed against them for their vulgur onscreen kiss in Dhoom-2. Bharateey sanskriti ka apmaan hum nahi hone denge.Case karo. Putla jalao.

Oh yeah, Sachin Tendulkar also has one to his name. A case filed against him for disrespecting the nationa by cutting a cake decorated in our national colours, at a party arranged by the Indian Commissioner to Jamaica. Case karo. Putla Jalao.

All hail the torch bearers of our culture and heritage, the watch-dogs of our jateeya-abhimaan.

Then there are those that ought to incense you.
I have learned not to underestimate the power of desensitization.
It is personal, in more ways than one and than ever before....but still.,

-Soft-
Women deemed unfit for permanent commission by the Armed Forces. For another 10 years at least. Forget the combat forces, we are talking about the officer cadre here. They flout chain of command. Are a liability after marriage. Seek preferential treatment. Ask for more leaves and soft postings.

-Safety? what is that?-
A woman was gang raped in Palika Bazar,one of the most crowded places in Delhi. The owner of the shop and his employee took turns to rape her.

-Pressure-
A man was acquitted after his step-daughter withdrew charges of rape citing that she was a consenting partner.

-Domestic violence-
A woman was recovered today after 15 years of imprisonment in a dingy bedroom. Her parents gave a hefty dowry during her wedding but the demands continued post marriage. Her parents died some 14/15 years ago and the money flow stopped. So they tied her to a bed with iron shackles, tortured her and subsequently imprisoned her in that room for the past 15 years. Wails and screams were often heard but inquiring neighbours were turned away by the mother-in-law.

-Education or financial situation doesn't help-
A call center employee was picked up from her office by her husband and a friend of his. He attempted to rape her and she protested. He assaulted her, then threw her ( almost unconscious) somewhere on the road. She is in coma now,with 28 serious injuries.


Of course there are also several others that belong to the 'not the first time, not the last time' category.

An eve-teasing incident involving a girl and 4 boys from different 'sections' of the society sparked off a,what has become typical riot complete with police complaints-stone pelting-mass gathering-dandas in hand-beating up the 'others'-police-tear gas-10 rounds of fire-x killed-y injured.

A pastor was attacked and brutally beaten up by the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists. Religious conversions.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray ordered party workers to burn James Laine's biography of Shivaji, which allegedly has derogatory comments on the Maratha king."If this book comes out in the market, burn it wherever you find it. This is my order," Thackeray was quoted as saying in the party mouthpiece Samna.
Bombay High Court ...what is that? Law...never heard.
Why?...crushed Maharashtrian pride.

A school principal in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha town sprinkled cow urine on his students to purify them from the touch of Dalits.

Alas! This has turned into a gist of 'whats wrong with us' news.

One of those days when you loose faith in all the romantic notions you grew up with,the promise in those books and movies,the glorious words...the 'human' word with all its suffixes,the alleged attributes.
It doesn't take much to turn one into a blood-sucking monster, does it?
A cause that was construed for you?
An ideal that is almost vulgar?
Provocation in the name of religion?
An urge to feel victimized?
This has to say something about the way we are.
Also taking the feminist angle from before ... it is quite amazing that barring one or two tiny matriachal societies, all the societies from East to West...however different culturally
economically or socially had one thing in common....male chauvanism and abuse of women.

Not to worry...just a brief bout of cynicism.

Here,for some respite,absolute hilarious stuff.

Rahul Gandhi says his family gave us independence,divided Pakistan into two and marched us into the 21st century. And the big one...'Babri' would have not happened had a 'Gandhi' been in power.
It is inaccurate,naive and illinformed at so many levels that it is absolutely funny.
And they say...yeh lo..yeh tumhara future hai. To think of it.

Congress leaders want Narendra Modi to take a Narco test.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested some women on charges of obscenity from the famous Nauchandi Mela (fair) area.However, when the women were brought to the lockup, the policemen decided to have some fun as well, forcing the women to dance inside the lock up.
Although this qualifies for the previous category...I couldn't help but laugh when it was aired. Silly.



"I sometimes look around and wonder how could GOD have let all this happened....
Then I remember that GOD has left this place long time ago."
"When was the last time the world wasn't falling apart?" Leonardo DiCaprio-Blood Diamond.

Yes

This is how...

-The prestige
It has one thing,PLOT!

-The Illusionist
This was fun too.

-The Departed
The last 40 minutes.

-Little Miss Sunshine
I get it.

-Devil wears Prada
Meryl Streep, every bit the Heroine she is made out to be.

-The Holiday
Kate Winslet and Jack Black, yes.

-The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith, in what could be called the penultimate scene....superb.

-Music & Lyrics
Hugh Grant is getting wrinkles and I don't like it.

-Happy Feet
Me and my friends, typically,went Oh! Soooo cute.

-Dancer in the Dark
Thanks to Rajeev Masand.

-Gabeh
Caters to a part of me that doesnt mind sitting through a few boring minutes, curious to discover what its all about,in this case an interesting award winning Irani movie.

-The Namesake
Could not identify with.

-Provoked
"But it IS personal"-Nandita Das.

-Blood Diamond
Iam beginning to like DiCaprio.

Now coming to why I wrote this post.,
"This is how the world fucks Africa, Mr.Quyale"-Constant Gardener.

My day was good , let night fall...

It is the great equalizer, they say.
The reason, Paulo Coelho says, to 'show some respect to the time you have on this earth'.
All follies and the consequences, trivial...convenient(?!)
Each action, counts...too hard(?!)
Every moment, precious... so romantic(?!)

The knowledge of certain death.
Can we really come to terms with it...
And say...'My day was good, let night fall'

P.S:The title is inspired from a poem 'Consoada' by a Brazilian poet, Manuel Bandeira.

Of three's...

that scare me...

1)Losing my eye sight.
Even partially so.
My biggest nightmare is the thought of having to wear sight-corrective specs.
2)Situation where I'l have to 'talk to save my neck'.
I wont even eloborate on that one.
3)Of becoming 'just another one'.


that I love...

1)Reading.
I started with Sherlock Holmes at school, but it is to 'Harry Potter', that I give credit for the initiation.
2)Dance.
Choreographing one and performing it on stage, gives me a high that very few other things do.
My style is 'semi-classical'.
3)Good movies.
For me, its about the stories they tell.
Different flavours...different styles...

three more...

1)Space & time travel.
'A Brief History of Time' , 'Black Holes & Baby Universes' are exactly
my-kind of-things.
2)Solitude.
I am NOT a 'social animal'.
3)My friends.

that I hate...

1)Waking up early...
Loathe is the word.
I am a 'nocturnal' being and am happy being one.
2)'Not knowing'...
Anything.
3)Curd.
You know, the milk-product.

that I don't understand...

1)Quantam Physics.
I really wish I could understand it better.
I am working on it...
2)God.
3)Parents and their fixation to marry off their daughters early.

things on my desk...

1)Final year project report.
2)A bottle of water.
3)My mobile.

things I am doing right now...

1)Typing this line..ha (cheesy, I know)
2)Planning a shopping trip that I have been postponing since two days.
The fish bowl that housed my fishes (Hank & frisco) shattered.
Meanwhile they are playing around in a bucket.
3)Wondering why Penn State rejected me.

I want to do before I die...

1)Write.
Write well.
Maybe a book or column.....
2)Give a 'dhasoo' dance performance that will blow everybody's mind away.
Choreograph it myself, ofcourse.
Have done it before...but want to do better.
3)Go see Europe and a certain place near US of America called 'Little Palm Island'.

I can do...

1)Sleep.
For as long as humanly possible and more.
2)Use my brains.
3)Work all night without batting an eyelid.


I want to learn..

1)If there is ET life.
2)To talk a little more.
And talk sense.
3)Waltz.


Favourite food...

1)Chocolate ice cream.
2)Sweets.... esp.. Ajmeri Kalakand.
3)Good old 'roti with anda burji' at the highway dhabas.

regular beverages...

1)Coffee
2)Coffee
3)Coffee

Shows I watched as a kid...

1)Non stop nonsense & Charlie Chaplin
2)Bomkesh Bakshi & Tehkikaat
3)Tom and Jerry & Duck tales
all of them aired on dear old DD

Books I read as a kid....

1)The Hound of Baskerville... by Arthur Canon Doyle
amazing stuff...blew my mind away then.
It was prescribed as a Non-Detail for our English class. I finished it in one night and ran to the library next day to borrow the complete set of Sherlock Holmes stories. It was the first ever book I borrowed from the library.

2)World book no.11 & 12 (I think.. or was it 13?)
We had library hours every week... and given a choice I always picked up these from the book series. These two were all about space, universe, stars, galaxies, black holes...and all.

3)Three little pigs.
When I was really..very..sooo...young.
We were in LKG & UKG and we had these library hours... we lined up and with folded hands and finger on the lips , went into the library and sat in neat rows.. then 'Miss' used to read to us, these wonderful stories.
We sat there with chins secured in our palms and listened in awe and wonder.
Sometimes 'Miss' gave each one of us a book... full of bright pictures of beautiful fairies and little, cute pink pigs.
I remember thinking when I saw a real pig outside( the black ones)..'hey! but this is not how pigs look..'!
It was fun....and it always brings back a smile.

adios.

Knock! Knock!

-who?
supporters.
-supporters, who?
Supporters, who know how to make most of the rain delay.


-Who?
Ireland.
-Ireland, who?
Ireland, which drove Pakistan out of World-Cup 2007.
Ireland, which couldn't have done better in its WC debut.
Ireland, whose part-timers will most probably have to apply for an extension with their bosses.
Ireland, the team which is as of today the closest to securing a berth in the Super-8.
Ireland, the beards and the hats.


Everybody loves it when underdogs win.
Unless ofcourse when its 'you' on the other side and THIS happens.

Minnows, who?

He says..

"if it happens that I try to explain an idea I believe in, it almost always happens that I cease to believe what I have explained."

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Kya kar raha hai, yaar!

Crazy and hence totally appealing!

P.S: Apparently the song is a Goan (Konkani) one and it means...
Stop ! mister, stop!.... we wanna play.....(or something similar)

Huwudaa'thot

My new room mates