x-toonz

This is my second Christmas on the blogger - so maybe this can be deemed as a tradition - so here enjoy some REAL good holiday cheer.
Also if you want to have a little more fun do check out the posts from last Christmas with the same concept.
- The "innocence" of Calvin and Hobbes found here.
- Some more x-toonz found here.

AND THE BEST FOR THE LAST.............MY ATTITUDE TO ANYTHING IN LIFE :)

Have a REAL BLAST and

guys DO "MERRY"

girls CHRIS is a MUST

Enjoy your Holidays!!!!

Ghajini

A new story short story blog - SURPRISE
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This much awaited Aamir Khan starrer was released today on the 24th here in the New Jersey. Since I had half day at work I caught the early show. Firstly as described in many articles all over - this movie is NOT A COPY OF MEMENTO. Just the basic premise and concept are the same. Other than that its an all in all Bollywood movie.

I loved the movie not just because I admire Aamir Khan but it also left me disturbed and thoughtful. Will not reveal much about the movie here, just some observations.

Disturbed because we take our given faculties of sight, sound, touch, reasoning, analysing, retention of good and bad for granted. But when you see the apathy of the person who has a short term memory loss you realize that life can suddenly become so empty and full of struggle if we miss one of those beats.

All in all Aamir and Asin did a great job and I enjoyed the movie. A big plus was seeing the physical change in Aamir. He looks cool. Here are links to two videos on youtube (Aamir Khan Ghajini Body in Making) Part 1 and Part 2 where he shares his one year endurance to loose that fat and convert it to muscles. That is what left me with a thought. If one makes up his/her mind anything is possible and you can change you life around.

Lastly Aamir is known to be a perfectionist, but I guess he was not involved with the script. And my blogs and me love observing - so here are some bloopers that I think should have be taken care of to make the movie crisper :

1) In the beginning of the movie it is said that Aamir medical case is a police affair - but it does not make sense as the movie progresses

2) He has Short Term Memory loss and at a point he goes to nab a person who he is after (will not reveal much) - how he gets that information is not shown

3) Aamir is a left handed writer (Glad to know it as I am a lefty too) but a diary he keeps has writing in Hindi which slants towards the right from top to bottom. That again is a flaw.

4) He is off to London - and they show stamping his Schengan Visa - which is not a valid visa for United Kingdom. One needs to get a separate visa.

Well that is my first impression - am sure to see it again as this is a real long weekend. Hope you guys fill me in as to how you liked it.

Also there is a spanish movie called NOVO. It also deals with short term memory loss and the concept of love.

Have a happy holiday and merry christmas to all.

What If

When tragedies strike like the recent events in Bombay - some of us get angry and some dejected.
This is not a post about what happened and why it happened. These are questions that we have no control over. The common man today is trapped into a turmoil of HIS existence where he works daily to make a living - but the present and his future is simply a matter of statistics - both for the elected official and the terror inflictors.

But looking at such tragedies it makes me wonder - What If :
- Most of these terror operations are meticulously planned to the tiniest details making sure that all their resources and personel are used optimally.
What if these people were recruited as managers of some firms - can they have averted the financial debacles that the so called white collar workers have inflicted because of their greed and robbed an entire generation of thier hard work and savings.

- Their entire team is observant, has a photographic knowledge of their surroundings, has a plan and they stick to it. These people surely are intelligent.
What if they worked for some good cause with the same fervour. Good cause is relative - isnt it? Their fight for them is a good cause to come out of a turmoil that has been inflicted upon them.

- The leaders of these training camps have the ability to sell death to innocent recruits who carry out their orders based on some promised non existent "heaven" in the name of religion.
What if these leaders were hired or were actually marketing managers of some companies.

- The recruits have overcome the fear of death, they venture into unknown territories to carry out their motives and laid out agendas. They have a spirit to accomplish their task no matter what the situation they are going to be in.
What if these same people were trained to execute difficult infrastruture projects around the world where such daredevil skills are really needed.

These are just some fleeting thoughts - today as we are barraged from every aspect of life - we HOPE for a better future and pray to the ALMIGHTY - but ALL those who currently are MIGHTY are the corporate giants and the terror cells. We the common man can only voice an outburst and wait that someone, anyone hears us.

Intelligence used for anti human motives is surely non productive. Hope people understand their power and use it positively.

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Also updated the short story blog - SURPRISE

All Over Again

Once again I was trapped in the middle (figuratively) in the middle of the terror attacks but this time in Mumbai. Am here on vacation till this weekend and yesterday was in Bandra the center of the city meeting up an old friend when blast and attacks shook the city. We were forcefully evacuated and asked to return back home.

Its over 22 hours and situation is still grim in both the Taj and Oberoi hotels. I did drive around the affected parts and clicked some pictures today - will try an upload them once I am back.

Thanks for all who sent ou their wishes. It is errie that I was in the coffee shop of the Taj right under the main dome a week ago.

Hope all of you are doing well......hope to be back full time next week.

Gods Inc - V : Pause

This is part of an ongoing series - I have had 4 earlier calls made to Gods Inc that can be read here.
Its been a while since I called HIM at his office but I had collected a whole lot of data (I am model ME74 - a data collecting model sent to Earth Corp by HIM) that needed analysis and cross checking.
Me : (Dialing)....fifth attempt...keep getting the message to wait and hear the soft music.....not appealing when you are disturbed.
Operator: Hello, Me74, How may I help you? A sweet sultry voice was on the other end. I have a feeling that again something bad is going to happen. Its only then such enticing voices are heard from HIS office.
Me: How come you know who I am? This hasn't happened before? and May I know who I am talking to?
Oksana: I am Okasan from the Decommisioning/Refurbhishing department and as always WE know everything. We have our ways - remember the outing you were foced to go out in the storm and when the lightening struck in front of you.
Me : Ok...(bloody hell and I thought I was sloppy) Well I have few questions - are you the right person to ask them to?
Oksana : Yes and I am ready to take down those questions. Go ahead.
Me: (again they know or rather HE knew) Ok here I go. First Where is HE? Does HE have a gambling problem? Has he been hedging against his own corporation? Has HE been smoking pot? ( I spoke in an exasperated tone)
Oksana : Why do you ask such a question?
Me: Look whats going around here on Earth Corp. Money is being siphoned off somewhere - nobody knows where. There is chaos and fear all over - crime, terrorism, bomb blasts - people are scared and HE seems to be nowhere. Everyone is doubting that the Chief is absconding.
Oksana : Ok what else? (Absolutly nonchalant at my exasperation - as if HE does not care)
Me: Why is he playing with peoples psyche? After the unsuccesful attemp of installing Bush-2 and then raising hopes with Clinton-2, HE has installed McCain-1 and Palin-1 against Obama-1. Today is the day when you have made the inconsequentials all around this American LLC go and cast their hopes. Is it going to be YES WE CAN or SAME OLD SAME OLD.
Oksana: Noted, anything else? (This attitude makes me feel Why am I bothering asking these questions - HE already has planned everything - but the problem is that I CANT help it - I am also programmed to ASK today- damn)
Me: And lastly Why do you give people emotions? Why install this virus in many of us - Why cant you get a fix for this bug. Cant everyone just be logical?
Oksana: ME74, I think I have to transfer you to HIM. You are asking questions beyond what I was told you will ask. Maybe the UNNERve.EXE bug was accidently installed in you.
Me: (again i check the back of my head and look for signs of the antenna) Ok...
(Music ensues and Def Leppards song "Lets get rocked" starts playing)
I am thinking to myself - is this a joke - here I am asking serious questions and HE wants me to party - or is this what HE is doing right now and thats why GODS INC is suffering.

GOD : Hello ME74, long time. Things are fine. I KNOW. You are not doing very well. I KNOW and I read your questions. As we have discussed before and you have been told - THIS IS MY COMPANY - I will do what I wish - you were supposed to just collect data and transmit it - not interact with other Earthlings. You asked if I was gambling - HELL YEAH - we had an inter planetary BlackJack competetion - I have been winning for years but this year because of visiting Earth and inhaling all those obnoxious green gases - it affected me - and I bet on something which I lost - so to recover I kept betting - and had to lease parts of my Earth Inc. Thus you see all the money being evaporated from all my different companies on Earth.
Me:Ok so then we should not worry. You will take care of this situation. And I hope that your model Obama-1 wins today.
GOD: Dont jump the gun. I have it all planned. The Earthlings have become complacent and need a jolt. I am shaking them in all the possible ways - those who survive will have fun - those who complain like you are will be directed to the Decommisioning/Refurbishing department.
Me: (I knew HE has planned it - no wonder I was directed to this department - just then I realized and asked) So....wait...am I being Decommisioned?
GOD : Well you have done your work well till now - so I am just going to clean your RAM and give you some rest and upgrade your system. Then you will be on probation for a period.
Me: Ahem....(just then my head started to itch - I touched that portion and was feeling a wave escaping my head). Are you doing it this instant? I asked?
GOD: Good bye - my next wager is on. I am betting on Haileys comet to strike two stars. You wont hear me in few minutes. If you do survive your workload as a normal earthling - I will reconsider you again for this job.
Me: I was being LAID OFF by HIM - damn! (My head was reeling and I said) Hello! Hello!
Click!
I looked at my phone - and looked around. Why and who was I talking to at this hour?
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As decided by Gods Inc. - I will be away for a month going to homeland passing through Homeland Security here. See you guys back in December - that is if I do get recommisioned.

Revelations and Aamir

It has been an interesting weekend at SAIFF. Saw few more movies and short films. Will not go into details of each of them but did learn some interesting facts.

1 - There is a full fledged Caucasion (whites) Sikh Community in Española, New Mexico. Its founder Yogi Bhajan runs a 3HO foundation (link) - which stands for Healthy Happy Holy Foundation. It was intriguing to see them personify the Sikhs - dress, beard, religion and ofcourse Bhangra.
(Short film - Healthy.Happy.Holy by Adithya Sambamurthy )

2 - State of Haryana predominantly farming community has a surplus of male population and Kerela has a surplus of female population. So the result is that grooms from Haryana marry brides from Kerela. There are social, cultural, ethnic and still predominant class barriers that are dissolved here. (here is the link to the Times of India artical "Jat Groom Seeks Bride" that inspired this short film)
(Short film - Kerela Brides by Sonia Narang)

3 - What if tommorow you had a prepaid card that you accessed to get water? What if you were not able to pay for it and that was your only source - a metered water supply. There are countries around the world that already have this system in place. This concept and its dire consequences was portrayed by giving example of Kutch in the state of Gujarat.
(Short film - A Drop of Life by Shalini Kantayya)

4 - Fashion - Saw its world premier on Friday. Will refrain from getting into fine details - its a one time watch movie. Madhur Bhandarkar is true to his name - Madhur means sweet and Bhandar means store. So in short this like his previous films is a "Glamorous Documentary" of what goes on in the fashion world in India. He touches on subjects of Couch Casting, favoritism, drug abuse, prevalence of gay men in the industry, plagarism of clothes... etc etc. One thing that disappointed me was the ramp music - there was no variety. Both Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Raut have done a good job. All in all an Ok movie.
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Finally much awaited Ghajini - again Mr. Perfectionist Aamir has postponed his film release to December as he wants to reshoot some scenes that he did not like. Here is the detailed news on about the movie Ghajini on the blog Bollywood Buzz. This movie is a remake of Memento (2000)

Waiting anxiously....

I am still busy at the fest till Tuesday - will catch up with all your blogs.

Firaaq - Updated w/video

Today was the opening night for SAIFF (South Asian International Film Festival) in New York. Just came back from the opening night and todays feature was a directorial debut feature film by Nandita Das - Firaaq....In Such Times.

"An urdu word meaning both separation and quest, Firaaq - is a movie set during the aftermath of the Gujarat Province riots in 2002, when Hindus and Muslims clashed: women were raped, and families slaughtered in a stunning replay of the partition. The film was made in Urdu, Gujarati and English. The director brings intensity to her characters’ plight, with sharp instinct for rooting out their hidden fears." - Source for the above statement

The movie left many speechless and introspective. Even though the movie is set post the Gujarat riots - it still has an international appeal as it talks more about the apathy of sufferers after the incident and not much about the incident itself. Infused with light comedic parts, on the whole it is a film about human relations, agony, separation and anguish caused by the stereotypical division between Hindus and Muslims.

Questions that were raised in the movie that makes one ponder deep and hard :

1) How tough is it to be a Muslim living among Hindu majority?

2) What is the fault as an innocent child - just that he is born in certain religion?

3) Can best friends from different religions still be friends after such a horrific incident? Do they think before inflicting terror on each other or does the mass hysteria take over their kinship?

4) How should a woman react - side with the males of her family even though she knows they have been part of the horrific incident inflicting trauma and physical abuse to other women of other religion or side with that affected women.

and many more such little questions brilliantly intertwined into the movie.

Am not going to reveal much as I do recommend all of you to see it. It is going to be released in early 2009.

After the movie there was a question and answer session with Nandita Das and Deepti Naval one of the actors in the movie. Some of the other starcast of the movie included veteran actors -Naseruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Suri, Raghuvir Yadav and Tisca Chopra. Also the most compelling face of the movie is of the child artist - Shehmat Khan.

Answering to one of the questions from the audience -

Being that there is such deep rooted stereotyping in our society based on religion, will such riots ever stop?

Nandita gave a very interesting response. Paraphrasing from memory.

We are born with some givens - man/woman, nationality, religion - things that we dont have a choice of. These are identifiers that characterize our being and define our behaviour and general outlook to life. These cannot change.

But when these very basic identifiers are questioned or sometimes triggered we try to retaliate in order to gain back our self identity. This is the basis of why we love/hate a person and that cannot change or will not till we respect that others too can coexist.

Here is another blog link with a more detailed description of the movie - Lotus Reads

Next up is the world premier of Madhur Bhandarkars (Page3 and Traffic Signal fame) Fashion. Will write about it if I find it interesting.

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Update:
Due to everyones positive comments - I did a bit more search and found this video. Will reply to the comments later in the day. - Thanks

Padhaku Tag

Thank you all for your concern in my last post. There is no news yet so will reply to your comments in the coming days.
Meanwhile a tag by Prats on my reading habits, likings and interests.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

My moms dad (miss him) influenced by love for reading when I was a kid. The only gifts I got from him and my close family was books.

What are some books you read as a child?

I had the entire series of European fairy tale books - all the characters in Shrek 3 were once on my shelf. Cant remember the exact names but used to be voracious reader of Hardy Boys, Famous Five, Archie Comics, Richie Rich, all of Marvel Comics, Tinkle, Chandamama......

What is your favourite genre?

As a child I loved comics - and specially sarcastic read - my favorite being the MAD Magazines.
Then for a period of studies and research and teaching it was all about Architecture/Urban Design.
Nowadays I do read some Architecture but also love to read on World Economics.

Do you have a favourite novel?

Three on my list -
- The Little Prince by a French Aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry. It is about 80 pages and very simple - it talks about how to think outside the box and how as an adult we loose our innocence. The most interesting line from the book that I love - "Grown Ups Are Mad" (For those who are interested here is an online link to the Pdf version -let me know if you like it - it a very fast read)

http://www.cs.swan.ac.uk/~cswill/The_little_prince.pdf

- Calvin and Hobbes - I have mentioned this before that I have the entire 10 years of Bill Wattersons work in three huge boud volume and it weighs only 23 pounds)

- The Fountainhead - Any RandWhere do you usually read?Mostly lying down near a window.When do you usually read?Evenings mostly after dinner (I dont like watching TV much - so its movies or books)

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Yes - sometimes 5 - pick one depending on the mood.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

Yes have to - most of my non fiction books - specially on design are huge and heavy so have to sit at a table.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

Depends on the material - there are times when I borrow them and then buy them. Luckily all my "expensive" books on History of Architecture - I got them free as I was a Teaching Assistant here in college.

Do you keep most of the books you buy?If not, what do you do with them?

This is my biggest problem. When I move the boxes containg books are twice of other stuff that I have. I cherish them and one day for sure will have my own little library.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?

Not kiddos yet.

What are you reading now?

E=MC2 David Bodanis
Interpretor Of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
Urban Economics

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?

Nope - just pick one on the go.

What books would you like to reread?

Dunno - never thought about it as there is so much to read.

Who are your favourite authors?

Enid Blyton, Any Rand, Umberto Eco, Frank Kafka - some of Osho's work.

To tag - anyone who likes to read and share can take it up.

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And that the picture of my latest crush - Kimaya - you can read my post MY CRUSH posted a while back to know more about her.

Penny Gets Pounded

All these years Penny was wise and Pound was foolish. Penny I guess could not take it any more and needed a good solid bareback Pounding - and so it has happened.

The American Economy is in doldrums and it is taking everyone along people all around the world with it for a new "joy" ride.

Sometimes I feel in some situations a mere "Fuck off" said right in beginning than keeping quiet is better than taking crap. Saves the person taking crap all the aggravation and the one giving crap humiliation when things burgeon into something unnecessary.

This is what I feel people should have done when Bush took office and made his first blunders. Would have saved all of us this aggravation. But in his case though - he is no way humiliated like most of us are.

Anyways the gist of this post is - going into the weekend with a loud and clear message looming over me - that I might/might not have a job in the coming days.

Ahhh what can one do -...I am getting Pounded in the process too and feel sorry for Penny.

Twenty Q's

Tagged by Carolinagal.

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.
Note: 15 is the one I introduced.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Feel dejected for a while but the very reason that she needed to betray means that her needs/wishes were not being fulfilled. So if she finds someone who can make her more happy so be it - its better that way for both.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
Travel to the moon.

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
Currently - everybody involved in screwing up the American Economy and in turn jeopardizing the future of all for their selfish motives.

4. Why do you blog?
Due to certain circumstances I have lot of time on my hand right now. So can say its a temporary situation.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Nope. You need a lover and a best friend - at times to be two different people.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
I can only say about me - it is good - dont know whether its a blessing that I can love someone - but being loved by someone - again something that is not in my control I dont dwell on it much.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
I dont intend to wait - life is too short - will focus my energy onto something different and creative as soon as I am able to. If till then it has to happen it will.

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Past experience - will not even remotely venture into such a situation.

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Fight Against AIDS

10. What takes you down the fastest?
People who dont respond and keep you hanging.

11. What resurrects you the fastest?
Anything funny - person, advert, joke, comedy bit.....

12. What’s your fear?
I will die without making any difference to the world.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Down to earth, cheerful and full of life and loves animals (but makes them wait to pee :))

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
If I am Single and Rich how will I become Poor after Marraige unless I marry a GoldDigger? and thats why they have prenup agreements- right?

15. Whats the purpose of such Tags?
Wonder why we need to know about people -When most of the times we are apprehensive of meeting someone who we know/met only online.

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
Will not allow this to ever happen again - once is enough.

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
Nope. Aren't relationships supposed to be Symbiotic?

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
Honestly till now there is no one who has done such a horrible thing to me yet as I tend to avoid people who may "fuck" me up in some way. So have not had to forgive someone.

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
Its a grass is greener on the other side of a question - but I dont mind being in a relationship if that special someone agrees to be with a nutcase like me - but have learnt one thing - will only let the person know a couple of times - if not interested - will not allow myself to be sad over it - and in that case I will still be single.

20. Tag 6 people.
Daydreamer, Joy, Satish Bolla, Rakesh, Raaji, M.Flowerr.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Nah! This post is not about the global fight fest it is about the local Dandiya Weapons of Mass Destruction (refered to as DWMD's in the post) found in every Dandiya/Rass Garba or Navratri fest.

You may wonder how these simple looking sticks can wield so much power. Well its not them in isolation that are powerful - it is the nonchalan folks who are armed with these that are DWMD's.
Let me define the DWMD's - People attending a dandiya or a rass/garba (for detailed info on what rass/garda is all about - Wikilink) function who really should not be there and are armed with two dandiya sticks out to destroy the happy moments of Gujjus. Folks no offense to anyone else but this is a fact. Like Bhangra and all its BIG steps are designed for Punjabis - Garba is a Gujju trait. It is intelligent dance designed as a means of social interaction with minimal effort on part of the participant- something that comes to Gujjus naturally - making money intelligently with minimal efforts.

Globalization has penetrated the Gujju garbas and the situation is getting grimmer. Let me explain my worry. Sincedandiya is a big social dance festival, it so happens that everyone from anywhere who really dont know why they are there except to see others dance away want to be there.

Confused already. Well that is what happens when you have friends from different parts of India or nowadays from different parts of the world - who want to enjoy this festival. But they screw up every Gujjus annual dream of dancing the night away and losing the extra pounds gained by gorging sweets, fried foods and loads of ghee (clarified butter) the entire year.

Let me explain the different DWMD's that I have observed and am scared of -

- Fuzzy DWMD's : These are people with absolute no hand-eye-leg coordination - natural breakdancers so to say. Come on people, like not everyone can shake that ass like Shakira - non gujjus you seriously cant dance garbas. The sexiness of tango/salsa can only be portrayed by the latin folks - so are the smooth steps of garba can only be portrayed by Gujjus.

- Little DWMD's : The little kids armed with the sticks - man they can hit you in the wrong place. It dangerous out there. They are on a mission to incapcitate the opponents - how can one explain that this is not thier freaking video game.

- Adamant WMD's : When dandiya is played in a group there are two circles - one on the inside going anti clockwise and the other on the outside going clockwise. A normal step required exchange of 5 taps of dandiyas following the musical beats. The important part is not the tap - but to simply dance that moment and move on (lifes lesson learnt here - enjoy the moment and move on - remember intelligent Gujju with minimal efforts). But these folks HAVE to HAVE the five taps. If one is missed they will wait for a response and be adamant. Meanwhile it breaks the rhythm of all others dancing and there there are mass crashes.

-Shivaji/Ranapratap Emulating DWMD's : These folks hold the dandiya stick as if it is a sword. Tight on their first at the lowest point and for some godforsaken reason they pick the thickest of the Bamboo sticks. Now two things happen - they do partially belong to the Adamant cult - so they have to have a tap - and because of the fulcrum and some sort of vengeance - man it is one helluva heavy tap leaving a tingling sensation on the receivers hand and the other they really dont know how to play - so they are free wielding it with glory knocking of knuckles - hitting you on the head. This is all about enjoyment and it turns out you end up being bruised - just like the men in combat.

- Stomp Anything on its Way WMD's : These are folks who basically are overexcited sonomabithes jumping jacks who jump and basically annihilate any poor feet that come in their path.

- Lastly the Dormant WMD's - Folks who stand around and are gawking at girls and basically a hindrance to all those dancing. They do join in the fun once in a while and again make a mess of the ongoing freeflowing fun.

Just to give you a glimpse of a battlefield in a Navatri fest in New Jersey. You are in harms way in about 3'-0" diameter and dont really know who/when the next attack is going to come from.

So folks summarizing the above talk I was lucky to find this video that shows what I am talking about. It is in gujarati - but as they say action speaks louder than words -

So wish me luck as I managed to scrape unhurt yesterday in a smaller event but next week will be attending Falguni Pathak's Big fest which attrats crowds upwards of 1200 people and am sure to find these DWMD's and damn if one of them has read this post.

So I have decided to dress up like this.

or resort to the other meaning of acronym - RAAS : Runway Awareness and Advisory System, an airplane avionics system to improve flight crew situational awareness when operating at airports

Intercourse Anyone

(Warning - this is not an "aaaawwwww" post but it is more tending towards the "eeeewwwwww" - it has lots of double entendre.......common dont contemplate - read it for laughs)

Dont worry I am not propagating a "real" intercourse or contemplating one from fellow bloggers. Imagine you are travelling in a bus to an new city. You have a beautiful young girl sitting next to you - almost randomly. You are enjoying the trip and then suddenly the conductor announces - "Intercourse Anyone?" and you try to make sure if you have heard it correctly. Look around and see peoples reactions. Suddenly you feel weird looking at the girl sitting next to you....

Well this is what the post is about. The conductor was not asking if someone wanted an Intercourse but if someone wanted to get down in a town called Intercourse. It is a town in Pennsylvania and I became aware of it on my drive to Pittsburgh last year.

So did a little research on Guru Google found some real interesting names of towns around the world. So putting them together to make some interesting observations - While reading try and avoid the country names in brackets.

Few close friends went on a road trip. Here is a breakdown of some interesting events.

Wetwang (United Kingdom), Bigadic (Turkey) and Twatt (United Kingdom) decided to Ballplay (Tennessee US) Bare (United Kingdom) to prevent Assloss (Scotland) in Long Dong Village (China) After some initial Petting (Germany), Titisee (Germany) and Beaverlick (Kentucky), the Hooker (California) said I Needmore (Texas US) in the Anus (France)

Meanwhile Bloody Dick (Montana US) with Bobbin Head (Australia) went to Butztown - (Pennsylvania US) instead of Mount Gay (West Virginia US). There was some Cockintake (United Kingdom) and then some Cockburn (Australia) as they Mount Mee (Australia). After they were Dunmovin (California) and had Climax Springs (Missouri US) there was lots of Seman (Alabama US) floating.

As it so happened that while Fucking (Austria) the Titless (Switzeland) Fingringhoe - (Essex, United Kingdom) with a Thong (England), Bangor (Wales) decided to use a Dildo(Canada) on the Beaver (Oklahoma US.) There was plenty of Sexmoan (Phillipines) while Muff (Ireland) diving

Onacock (Viginia US) meanwhile wanted to Euren (Wisonsin, US) badly and said Fugit (Kentucky US) and went into the woods of Glasscock County (Texas US.) The residents of the nearby Little Dix Village (West Indies) caught him and he ran with his Weener (Germany) in one hand and showing the middle finger with the other saying Gofoku (Japan)

All in all the trip to Moorheadsville (Illinois US) to see some Titz (Germany) and the Nipple (Wyoming US) was not a Disappointment (Kentucky)

While searching for the above names came across these two mother of all names. Imagine writing this on an envelope or a postcard.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu,

New Zealand (This is really a place - did a search on Google Maps!!!!)

and this small tiny rail station in Wales
LLANFAIRWLLGWYNGLLGOGERYYCHWYRNDROBWILLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH -

Imagine a kid asking his dad - Dad where are we?. Before he can figure out the above town - the train will surely have started to depart!!

And best for the last - will you ever wear such a T-shirt. Its a town in Connecticut, US.

And for those interested - there are many more funny, weird, sexy, odd names of towns all over - just ask Google.

Movie Dekho

Am a bit busy and will visit blogs in few days.
Meanwhile have watched few movies in the past month - would like to recommend three of them here worth a dekho(watch)

Born In Brothels : wiki link

"Born into Brothels, by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, is the winner of the 77th annual Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes."

My View : A truly inspiring documentary. Leaves your heart warm. Donating money is one thing but donating time and effort for such a wonderful cause specially where children are concerned is truly commendable. Hope some day I can get involved with something like this.

Loins of Punjab Presents : movie site

"Loins of Punjab Presents,” a witty musical comedy with a sharp political edge, is built on a satisfyingly simple premise. Over the course of a weekend a motley crew of contestants gathers in a New Jersey hotel to compete in “Desi Idol,” an “American Idol”-style singing competition sponsored by a local pork-loin empire. - NY Times Review

My View : This movie was released in India a year back I guess and it made its presence here just last week. Living here for a while now and witnessing the lives of immigrants first hand - I liked the movie as it has truly characterised and portrayed their stereotypical behaviours precisely. It captured the essence of individuals, like when even a Gujarati teenager is shown to have uncanny business sense or a typical desi who must have come here to study rattles statistical data on his date. And the bright moment of the movie was to see a cute actress - Seema Rahmani playing the role of Sania Rahman.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : Le Scaphandre et le papillon : wiki link

Julian Schnabel has made three feature films: “Basquiat,” “Before Night Falls” and now “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” All are biographical, examining the lives of real people, and in each case the protagonist struggles with a condition of literal or metaphorical imprisonment - NY Times Review

My View: Loved the way the movie is picturised viewing from the eye of the patient and again an inspiring movie - where one can do what he/she wants inspite of any hurdles.

Hope you watch them and let me know if you like them.

Guru Google.....

Ne previously known as Cindersingle current avatar Singlendacity89 and will be known as "god knows what" tagged me to see what Google knows as to WHAT I WANT.
I wish I knew what I wanted - but anyways....here I come Guru Google....

The rule : Go to google and type your name then "wants".. Example Chintan wants - Wait for the answers to come up and you just write them down….

So here goes:
1) Wants to put forward through his two shows starting in Mumbai - What am I showing and who is willing to see it is the BIG Question....
2) Wants mDings to be private and not viewable by all - The sound of mDings itself does not want me to reveal it to anyone....so let it be invisible
3)I Want Soma …that drug for perpetual happiness - Hahahahahah - it was a link to a blog :-/ - damn!!!! I thougt Google finally figured it out for ME
4)No Child in Bins - now whoever is this Chintan I need to really Meet him and ask him WTF is he thinking?
5)This was "don't" want to know how much $$$ I've spent at Chipotle - Chipotle is a Mexican fast food joint - have been there maybe twice but now this Chintan who must have spent a lot of dough at this place - he must be a real Fat Bastard (like austin powers)
6)Remove all wants and all miseries - Now Google is taking on the avatar of Deepak Chopra here atleast, I hope, and its not Dr. Phil...
7) Want to upgrade your listing? - Again Guru to What I ask ? Errie silence ensues - Guru Googles head has the three color balls orbiting around it. I hope its not for insanity anonymous!!!!
8)Want cyclical mode of production ensuring prosperity for human beings - Man I guess I need to be a spiritual guru...look at all the advice my master is giving me here
9)Wants to urinate - Yeah man - with all this advice I am scared....What am I doing wrong in this lifetime - Where were you all these years Guru......
10)Finally just clicked on the image tab and found an artist by the name of Chintan Upadhaya and now I really want his painting


This was a fun tag...anyone who feels like taking it up be my guest....no wait call google and be the Guru's Guest

Computer Tots

Last few days has been writ with lots of calamities both manmade and natural.
The ongoing bomb blasts in India - resulting in introspective posts on Ankur's, Daydreamer's and Cinderella's Blogs
The first hand report of the trecherous hurricane IKE in Houston Texas by Solitaire
Today the US stock market shamble on Joy's blog.

Inspite of these setbacks and traumatic conditions - rational people like most of us (I say most with a reason) who for a moment pause in awe and bewiliderment - we have no choice but to get our acts together and push forward - though it may seem oblivious as to why? and for what? at the present moment. The future awaits us no matter what. Specially the kids who look upon us with hope and anticipation.

In short LIFE MUST GO ON.

So am sharing this little note, to lighten the mood, that I found stuck on my friend's refrigerator. It was a note that his three year old daughter had received from her Kindergarten School. Hope you smile as I did reading it.

"Podcasting Comes To Computertots -
In our free demo class today, your child helped create a PodCast at their School. Students made a slideshow of stickers and artwork and added a voice-over. To view this website this podcast just goto COMPUTERTOTS website at computerexplorers.com/middlesexnj. Click on galleries and then click on Podcast with the name of your child's school. Then sit back and enjoy"

Reading this little note made me think on my drive back home -
- The way education is about to change or is already changing. It may take a while for this change to be witnessed worldwide but eventually it will change.
- Little kids will now have to get their or want their own IPods with video capabilities (Apple is surely significant from Biblical times to change the way things are in the world....Adam fell for it and now these little ones)
- Will Podcasting or websites eventually replace real textbooks?
- Will there be schools where students go - or will the schools be sent onto their personal PC's wherever they are?
- What will teachers do once all the education materials are recorded for being released periodically in the future.

These are changing times in every way. Many of our lives are in a constant flux - we adjust to new conditions but before we can fine tune - the new is already old and we have to start all over again. If you have any furthur thoughts do share it here.

Have a peaceful week ahead everyone.

9 1 1

For those who follow the Short Story Blog - A New Story Gray is up.
__________________________________________________
It is 7 years today having witnessed one of the most horrible tragedies first hand - the World Trade Center tragedy. It is disheartening to see the remnants of this memory still lurking all around the Tri States of New York - New Jersey - Connecticut - where many families lost near and dear ones. I can still smell the smoke and feel the horror when I close my eyes and think about it.

A 911 call - which is a number dialed here in the US if you want to call the Emergency Services. Yesterday I sort of made a 911 call on the blog - when I vented out and fellow bloggers rushed to my rescue. Thank you one and all.

Also a special thanks to all those who presented me with all the various awards that I have put up on the side bar.

And as I am writing this I hear on the news a major hurricane IKE is heading towards Southeast Texas on its way to Houston. It is going to hit a beach town Galveston - that I visited in May - where a warning "If you stay you face certain death" has been issued. Hope all people and fellow bloggers in the affected region are safe throught this natural calamity.

Here are some pictures that I took today from my apartment:

The New York Skyline - The lights on the Empire State building represent the colors of the American Flag for 911. It changes colors as per the Independence day of a country. It is tricolor on August 15th.

Candles for Ganesha

His Week

The WTC - Tribute in Light Memorial
(check this website for more information)

Garbage

(Seriously you dont have to read this - its basically mental garbage)
Today I am just sitting here in the office and wondering......when is this fucking economy ever going to pick up? It has been slow like hell and being in a small office - I have total freedom to do what I want.
Yeah Right!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am exercising that freedom to the fullest - here is what I have done today blogged-commented, downloaded a movie, checked news, responded to emails, had a loooooong lunch and did some, yes you read it correct some amount of productive work. Its getting from bad to worse. Two years back I was working non stop - everyone was going crazy and now I am going crazy.
Last week and a half has been dreadful. Many "old" news and events that I had forgotten or come to terms with started haunting me again. Like they say you can run but you cannot hide - they found me. Result was that I had a crappy state of mind. Having verbal skirmishes Absolutly not needed and I learnt first hand that empty mind is a devils workshop.
Sometimes when you speak to someone or comment on the blog and they dont understand you give them a benefit of doubt but when many of your comments or real life conversations start to get responses like HUH!, WTF did you just say?, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IS THERE A CONNECTION TO WHAT YOU SAID 5 DAYS AGO AND TODAY....I realised it is ME who is all whacked out.
I can only say sorry to fellow bloggers and people..and am thinking of taking a break.
But then what will I do.....damn it! Am up for vacation but need to save it as I plan to take a longer break and maybe visit home or chances are if the way things are will have to go back permanently if this goes on for another 3-4 months. Many people have Monday Blues - I am turning black and blue here everyday.
Yesterday was another of those days. Alarm conked off, late morning, got a sprain rushing to the car....but was late by 10 mins and got a parking ticket yet again. Then again the misunderstanding of some sort continues its ongoing saga with a particular blog......damn it....WHY is all this happening....who is making me do this when I dont intend any of this. So this is what it is....I am stuck with myself - thats the worst that can happen to someone but it has happened to me.
And to top it now most of the readers will say - Hang in there - this too shall pass......I am Hanging in there somewhere dunno where for a long time and am about to choke or the rope will have to break for me to survive. And this too shall pass - but why did it have to come? is my question.

Well sorry - but had to let all this out somehow.....or else it would have been an aneurysm of my thinking nerves....which I cant afford to let them burst...

wait a call...what...hmmm...yes...YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

achanak some work.....bhagooooo

My Crush

After a long ardous wait for a month, I finally met her. It was last month that I first saw her when she was new here.

We met at a friends house at a dinner party. Initially shy and being around her parents she was reluctant to interact with me. It has been a while any girl has had so much impact on me. I have not been close to one for almost a year now. I was mesmerized by her bright eyes and cute smile and she melted my stubborn heart all over again.

I was not able to stay at their house long that evening as I had prior commitments. If I had known that I will meet such a cute girl who might brighten my dull life, I would have postponed my other appointments. But alas I had to leave.

After that evening I so wanted to see her again - so I called my friend to ask more about her. He was non-chalant and sensing my excitement was reluctant to divulge any more information. I coaxed him to arrange some gathering again at his place. He just said a half hearted . He told me that since they had just arrived , its better that they settle before meeting again.

A month passed and I did not have a chance to interact with her or her parents. What a spoilsport my friend was. Damn!!! I figured the only way to meet her was to talk to her parents directly. But was afraid. After my interlude with them I realized that they were very protective of her.

I could not let her go off my mind and kept feeling and was sure that behind the demure exterior is a mischievous girl. I really really wanted to meet her again. But how.....why on earth was my close friend being such a pest.....

Anyways to cut it short, finally last week my friend did call me to come over for dinner and said she and her parents were going to be there - I was delirious and gladly accepted the invitation.

So finally I saw her again and WOW she looked beautiful. Today I noticed her more closely. I had to be careful as her parents might get some ideas and get angry and I did not want to mess up this opportunity to spend some quality time with her.

As the evening progressed she became a bit bold and made lots of eye contacts with me. We both exchanged many glances and smiled at each other. It felt that she was interested in me but I am reluctant now to assume anything. Just want everything to be perfect this time.

After a long time I was having real fun and that too with a beauty. I had to pass her and her parents as they were seated on the sofa- on my way to the balcony where the BBQ was located. Never in my life have I forgotten so many items or taken one item at a time. Every chance I got to take a peek at that cute face I took and she too kept looking out for me. Was I getting crazy?

What was happening? Dunno but I liked the feeling.

As the evening progressed there was a certain comfort between her parents and me. Her mom showed a liking for me. After the dinner - my friend decided to play some slow music. Both of us being single I took it as a chance to get close to her. I had to do it for my sanity or else the way I was behaving I would have made someone or myself embarrased.
Inviting her to dance I took her slim waist in my arms and she rested her head on my shoulders. It was bliss. Every now and then at a beat we would steal glances. Those cute eyes that I was admiring for so long from far were right in front of my eyes. I wanted time to stand still and did not want this to end. It was surreal as to how things can suddenly change in ones life. I was dull and bored till yesterday and now am all excited.

I took this closeness as a chance to feel her soft skin, so I caressed her cheek and she smiled coyly and enjoyed it. Then I became bold and kissed her soft cheeks and forehead. It felt so good. Her eyes sparkled and I loved it. After a while of dancing she finally slept in my arms to the amazement of both her parents.

This cute little bundle of joy is none other than my very good friends' just born daughter....Kimaya (li'll kim for short) and we were dancing to the tunes of some nursery rhymes.....and yes she is my latest crush....I plan to spend many a good days with her....

And way things are going chances are I could be dancing with the future American President.

Face IT

About a week ago I mentioned I completed 10 years here in the US. Ironic that very same day last week my first cousin and his close friend landed here in New Jersey to pursue their masters degree.

Have been busy with them and helping them to settle and understand this new environment. Will catch up with blogs in few days.

Being with them for the past few days I realized some very interesting things that have changed or evolved drastically in the last 10 years. Also at the same time there are somethings that have not changed at all.

Here are few of them -

- The exchange rate - it was 44.00 Rs. for a Dollar when I came here and again this week it is in the same range.

- The excitement, apprehension and anticipation of the student is still the same.

- Bill Gates has been so undecided on what we view from his Window - saw him change from Windows 98 to Windows ME to Windows 2000 to Windows XP and then now to Windows Vista

- Computers were in the 486 version with 256 MB Ram and 14-15" CRT monitors and cost around $4000.00 and now 14-15" LCD laptops with around 2-4 GB ram cost anything between $500-$1000. So computer's "internals" became "bigger" but in reality became smaller and the price became 1/10th.

- Cell phones - they were like brick bats then - heavy and cumbersome. Now the digitally smart phones are the "in-thing". Here too US has moved progressed from TDMA to CDMA to GPRS to GSM technology. Really never bothered to know what they are as long as I could make a simple call. And also met many people struggling with these new phones complaing that it does not work properly - my only question to them is - it is called "SMART PHONE" isn't it? - Are you really that SMART to own one?

- Internet has gone from Dial Up to Wired Cable - DSL - and now the latest Fibre Optic. And also the wireless has progressed from A to B to G to N. It has become faster and better but is also enslaving us everyday.

- Netscape was the browser to be with if you wanted to be cool and not use IE - IE is still around but now you use FireFOX to be cool.

- Prices of everything - fuel - basics like milk - vegetables etc etc is almost up by 10 times but the rents for apartment and fees to colleges havent increased that much.

- Music was bundled in Audio Cassestes on their way out then to Compact Discs and now its all about MP3 on the lill MP3 Player. Same with the movies - moved from VHS to DVDs and also DIVX formats.

These are just some of the observations that I made....and the last but the best one is one of the biggest changes - the way we communicate back home.

Orkut, Facebook, Cellphones, VOIP, Yahoo Chat, Gtalk, Messenger, ICQ, SMS so on and so forth.....there are so many tools that now both the parents/friends back home and students here are living this "new life" simultaneously with constant back and forth of information. Dont know if these two will ever feel that they are really away away from home.

I sometimes wonder how someone who came 10 years before me - felt and realized these differences...if he thought about it when I came.

And lastly here is an interesting video of Facebook in Reality:

Color

Was tagged by Neeku few weeks back to write a Short Story on my favorite color. It is a tough tag and I have written and deleted two stories as they did not seem to make sense. Will give it one more try and post something soon.

Meanwhile yesterday a friend forwarded this video - maybe many of you have already seen it - but for the benifit of those who havent - sharing it here - its a real eye opener and worth "watching".



Am thankful today that I can see the COLORS of life.

Kal Aaj aur Kal

Yesterday... Today ... and Tomorrow... tagged by Aaarti
The Rules of the tag are:
" Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set. "
Yesterday :
Your oldest memory:
I remember many of the days from my childhood. Will share one old memory here - around the age of 4-5 I started to like Dennis the Menace - cause maybe I was one and my grand pop gifted me a sticker of him which was about one foot long....I still think I have it somewhere back home after all these years.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Now this is surreal to be asked this question on this tag today. 10 years ago, on this very day - I embarked to come to the US -being 19th night in India -and landing at JFK with a immigration stamp for August 19th - Yes it is my 10th year away from home today.

Today :
Your first thought today morning:
Where did I park my car? Staying in an urban area - parking is a big problem - I have ended up paying many parking fines cause I dont remeber if I parked on the right side of the street - or the right zone. Sometimes I walk all around to find the car in the morning - I am serious - I just cant register this information.

If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?
Dunno - I cant think of anything that important to carry it to the future.


Tomorrow
This year
Took care of lots of personal demons....so far so good.

What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?
14 Years is a long time to estimate what I am going to do - but will surely work towards retiring from this daily mundane rut and spend time things that I like.

and only Ram knew he was gonna "get" Sita after 14 years...but guess Valmiki had different plans...

As always - I took this tag up as one of the questions coincided with an event for me. So whoever on my blogroll wants to take it up is free to do so.

Movie Bhankas + Ambrosia Experiments

Bhankas : marathi word, meaning useless talk. (Source Urban Dictionary)

Have you seen some of these new Hindi/Indian movies. All the filmi magazines, websites and news talk about is - how good/bad/atrocious these productions are. People concentrate and critique on acting, direction, songs, dances and the stars.

But here are some news related to these movies that we will possibly never see or hear about.

1) Take movies like Om Shanti Om where Shahrukh covorted with the young Deepika Padukone or a southern movie like Shivaji where Rajnikant frolicked with his Shriya 35 years younger to him. We heard a lot of gaga about their performances and worldwide earnings etc etc.

Here are some news that we did not get to read:

These movies resulted in uplifting (pun intended) practices of plastic surgeons/cosmetic surgeons /cosmetic dentistry.

Products like Viagra, 30+, Zandu Chyawanprash (products to uplift any tired appendages), Anoop Hair Oil (to make Bald - Beautiful), Boost (supposedly was THE SECRET of Kapils and Tendulkars energy) and the ubiquitous soap LifeBouy (their slogan tandurusti hai jahaan LifeBouy hai wahan - where there is good health you will find LifeBouy) have shown a big increase in their annual sales.

2) Saw God Tussi Great Ho yesterday- a blatant copy of an excellent English Movie Bruce Almighty. The copying ends at the concept stage itself - other than that the movie is just another Bollywood masala film. You will hear in the coming weeks about how this movie fared - whether people liked it or no - but here is some news that we might never read about.

In the movie Salman's character is of a perpetual loser with a capital "L" - and he keeps looking up to the sky to talk to HIM - the God portrayed by Amitabh and ask him WHY is he THE chosen one?. Audiences all over after seeing the movie , walking out of the theaters - looked up towards the sky and asked in unision BUT WHY - AAKHIR KYON - you allowed such a movie to be made - What had WE ALL done to Deserve this????? WTF "God!!!" - sholdn't he retire than tire us with flops. (not talking about HIM here)

3) Another one of Salman's recent movies - Partner - which resurrected the flagling career of Govinda. It also stars his current girlfriend Katrina Kaif. It was an interesting movie - again a blatant copy of the English Movie Hitch. It suposedly did very well and songs were peppy - overall obtained a good review. But one piece of information that was not shared.

Salman who plays a Love Guru in the film - advising one and all on "How to talk to girls" - has actually flown to Los Angeles to seeked advice from the real Love Guru - Will Smith - as every "love" in his life seems to slip away sooner or later.

4) Hrithik recently had a cameo dance number in Krazzy4 - a movie that should never have been made in the first place and the fight scene with the elephant in Jodhaa Akbar. Both movies have their own critiques and reviews. Here is his condition after those movies that we did not hear about.

Post these movies, Hrithiks trainer and physio found that his body structure is askew. Build up of muscles had hardened his body - and with this springing and jumping and shaking - the muscles have taken severe beating. His agents thought having his advertise for MOOV or IODEX but he refused. Thus his long absence from the silver screen.

5) Take a low budget multiplex movie like Aamir - The film revolves around a young Muslim man Dr. Aamir Ali who has returned to Mumbai from United Kingdom and finds himself at the mercy of religious extremists who want to carry out a bombing in the city. Even this movie had some interesting sidekick.

The extremists compiled a directory of all doctors and professionals they planned to eventually target both at home and abroad. A smart medical insurance company approached them -saying this will save costs for them to compile such a list. In exhange for this data - this company will provide free underground insurance to the extremists and their families. Clauses though in the contract include - only those injuries when carry out listed extremists activites will be covered. There will be no death benifit - as most of them are going to die in their chosen project. They instead have a survival benifit. Also accidental shooting, chopping off fingers sharpening blades, injured during target practice and other such incidences are not covered.

6) Akshay Kumar new movie Singh is Kingg - here he invoked love for the motherland in fellow Sikhs stationed in Australia. At the end of the movie these Sikhs who are underworld mafia - are converted to good guys who return back to Punjab their homeland. So far so good - but here is a weird outcome.

Punjab government has decided to sue Akshay and the producers. Because of this film many Sikhs all around the world are heading back to Saada Punjab - thus resulting in utter chaos. "Leftover Sardars" stereotyped as being desi blondes...cannot handle incoming traffic of smart sikhs from overseas. The government proclaims that it was easier to rule the really dumb ones that were left behind - now these returnee batch is creating all sorts of problems. Also there was a drop in sale all items related to migrants moving out of Punjab plus the incoming foreign investments also showed a decline.

7) Lastly Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par - was much acclaimed and made an overnight star out of Darsheel - who plays the role dyslexic kid Ishaan. This movie did wonders and opened up eyes of parents and teachers - invoking sensitivity towards kids who have this condition or any other medical condition. We heard all kinds of wah-wah's for Aamir and the movie but here is something which was kept away from us.

Ishaan had become a cult figure for young kids all over the country. Suddenly there are many kids who are showing signs of some condtion or the other. Kids now have a secret formula - whereby they know behaving like Ishaan - they can bunk school, can avoid homework, gain sympathy by emotionally blackmailing both parents and teachers. Students suddenly have united where they have their own timetable of which batch of student shows which condition when.

Damn how I wish this movie was released when I was a Kid!!!

So these are some insider news - maybe there are many more - but since they are not published I might have not heard them. If you have any please feel free to share them.

Also this shows that pathetic level of Bollywood films - and even though I know they are going to suckbig time - I still end up watching them hoping to get entertained sometime.

Maybe they have some kind of magic sound in their music which plays in the background and is common to all movies - kinda a bollywood jingle - that hypnotizes and mesmerizes us to go again and again.....

____________________________________________________________________

And now two recipes served so far on Ambrosia by the fellow cookers experimented on Sunday evening by me.

Irani Chai w/Biscuits (These are not Osmania biscuits as mentioned on the post but a replacement tea biscuits). I have a wekaness for brewed tea - an addition from architeture days when we used to gulp it by liters. Irani chai tastes awesome with Maska Pau (Buttered roll) soaked in the tea. The taste of salty butter and the sweet tea is really exotic. (Butter has to be Amul)

Cheese Corn Kartoffel (Modified the recipe by adding finely chopped green peppers and chopped baby carrots in addition to the corn. The soft cheesy buttery sauce with the vegetables crunching against the softly cooked potatoes with a dash of pepper tasted scrumptious.

Wish I could share the fragrance of it online....