Thursday, December 31, 2009

The year 2009

Yeah Pee Yeah...Everybody has rituals...I have rituals to break.After 7 years,this 31st I sit at home for which you mocked me and then refused profusely (your ritual to take your words back and say 'Maine kya kaha?') I think like anyone would...Think about it in the car,in the kitchen,in the coffee place you hang out with or the party you're heading to...In those rare moments,when deafening silences gaves away to screaming thoughts...I thought about the year that I bid farewell to.

Unlike my ex facebook friends,I don't have experiences of going to Paris or Tokyo or atleast Thailand...After finishing a gutsucking and happiness sucking executive learning programme which sucked my blood and kicked 'the social me' in the shins in the almost end of the year...and the libido killing job, there is frankly NO money to take such trips...my blog is gonna be a lil cheap...money wise.Mind wise.

Important thoughts of the year

-It's important to know people for who they are and not what you think of them...Coz there can be a huge divide between what you'd like them to be or what you see them as..See people for what they reall are.And DUMP them coz they are not half the person you'd thought.

-Life can snap while you're balancing a coffee cup in a hand...You lose your job when you have three loans to pay.Planned or unplanned...Life or nothing about is certain...You realise you don't know someone or the stranger turn out to be interesting.Lose a loved one or even your cellphone...So live your life...Coz you never know.

-Always find new things, new people, new music and new books...Or you'd be stuck in a rut.

Best youtube video/s-Step up 2 final dance ,New moon trailer

Best books read-Twilight,New Moon,Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

Best meal- Grilled fish somewhere in Goa

Best professional opportunity-Working with Sujay Bhattacharya

Happiest moment/s at work-writing scripts with my girl friends while scolding them to play bricks breaking better!

Also when I was told I'd be working on Mad Mad World

Best joke-An ad on the radio advertising a number with better jokes than this."Mere boss ne poocha...Tumhara naam?Maine kaha...Ashok.Boss-ZZor se bolo. Ashok-Jai Mata Di." Frankly that joke made me laugh so hard,my driver gave me the you-are-crazy look.

Best song/s-Eyes on Fire by Blue Foundation
Full Moon by Black Moon
I belong to you by Muse
Meet me at the Equinox by Death cab for Cutie
Dooriyan by Pritam Chakraborty
Kaash by The Band

Best Composition-New Moon(The Meadow) by Alexandre Desplat
Bella's Lullaby by Cart Burtwell

Best Serial/s Gossip Girl (your one and only source to the scandolous lives of Manhattan)
Big Bang Season 3 (Our whole universe was in a hot dense state, Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. )

Best all time serial- Friends (I have an interview with Gucci, it might be written as GUKKY which could be confusing).
Sex and the City(When the Big love comes along,you're ready for it)

Best Discovery/ries- Fairness creams don't really make you fair. Cervical cancer is found in every seventh woman in India. Unhappiness, tension causes a tumour. Life is worth nothing if you live it the way you want to.

Best fashion hit/s-Tights to go with sweaters and skirts and boots and bags.

Best accessory/ies- Embellished/ribboned hairbands and brooches to add a lil extra something to your outfit.

Best moment 2009- I frankly don't remember but it happened!!

Message for 2010
Ramalingam Raju turned out to be a liar.Varun Gandhi tried to be a mass leader.BJP tried to get into power.Floods in one half of the world and Wildfires in the other.

Facebook changed the face of social networking and Twitter did something for those who stick to 140 characters.

Our bosses expected us to work more than ever without hikes, our lovers/partners expected us to "understand" and the so-called recession didn't hit retail stores. In such times, I think I won't find love, or a job I like or a Dior bag that I want to make a shrine for...my perfect watch or my perfect overcoat will never be mine when I want them to.

But hope lurks around through the shadows of doubt...and the black gives way to white.

You never know...when things might turn around.

I started a new ritual Pee. Don't say you never said anything.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Fate

From the closet...an old...unpublished post...

Was this written?

Or do I blame it on fate?

Was this love? Or did I even understand the new age meaning of the word?

Now there is disbelief. Under the shadow of loneliness.

Is it a relationship? Or is it a matter of convenience.

An understanding of a lifetime.

The reason for being?

The faith I put in this?

There is darkness.

Of a different kind.

There is no light at this tunnel my friend.

So do I turn around. Or live under this bridge.

There is love. So what if it’s one sided?

So what if it’s not worth it.

It could be a tale of undying a love.

Love spent on unworthiness.

Is it too late already?

Is it a wall? Or is it battle.

A battle where there would be no winner but two losers.

I don’t want to blame no one.

It’s my story. A story of undying one sided love.

Best of 2009

 

A tradition worth sticking to…

From the time I started writing, a good friend inspired me on doing a “bests” and this someone thought my perspectives mattered. Fifth time…!!

2009 – The first year of shacking up, the year of recession and a year of more downs and less ups!

Here it goes…for the 5th time…the BESTs!

Best Moment : It was the beginning of the year…Jan ‘09 – Phuket

snorkelled for the first time…saw corals and colours that I had never imagined. Saw a world that I didn’t know exists. Gorgeous!

FijiDivingSoftCorals1

Best Restaurant : Tuscano. As authentic as Italian can get in our country. If you haven’t been there, then go – Forum Value Mall, UB City.

DSC02036

Best Dessert : Tough to give up sugar, hence we’re back to tiramisu.

tiramisu

Best Book : Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight. Fitness mantra for life. Brings in positivity and peace to the mind. Kudos to Rujuta!

Her tips for people who don't like to read books

Best Drink : White wine…this year. Classier and wiser by the years….

white-wine-glass_2

Best Movie : 3 Idiots

Even the film industry was going through a bad phase, but then comes this movie as a breath of fresh air. Aamir teaches the other people who know the craft but have forgotten the art of film making. He is GOD…undoubtedly.

3-idiots

Best Trip : Phuket Jan ‘09

DSC00535

Best Drive :

En route Vyithiri Resorts- Wayanad

DSC00135

Best Song : Life in Technicolor, Tonight’s gonna be a good night, Love Aajkal – the entire album.

Best Blog : Ram bharose

Here it is

Best concept : Kanjoosi ;)

Best coffee : Filter coffee – Kalmane Koffee

qkad1tbf_6ag_1_150

Best joke : Nothing sounded funny!

Best Line :

Rishi Narayanan

chal...i will comment on this one....hoping no one will comment after me......else i will start getting more mails abt isne comment kiya....usne comment kiya...to the point tht i regret having did wot i did!!!
but this is soooooo adorable...even though i liked the other pics more......but u luk so LEGEN............wait for it....a lil more....some more.....swalpa......a pee bit more......NDARYYYYY....!!!

Best Gift : The black jacket :)

Best Show : Gossip Girl, Big Bang theory s3

gossip-girl

Worsts of ‘09 : A section being introduced especially for this non-special year. No hikes. No promotions. No plays. No productions. No stories. No MBA. Bad films. Bad year for SRK. MJ passing away, Weight gain, back pain, acidity… that’s about it.

This year : Thanks for going away! Also thanks to my husband and my friends and family for tolerating my mood swings. I could have be worse… ;-)

Welcome twenty 10 with open arms!

A very happy new year to you all…Good luck and god bless.

Share your “BESTs”…they do matter!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I love SRK but…

for the latest ploy he dished out.

Let’s rewind a bit,

When I turned the age which is considered sweet, it wasn’t sweet for me for sure. I had braces, i looked ridiculous and I laughed without reason. Neither did I feel any love for anyone, and nor was anyone interested. Ok, before getting too carried away….towards self loathing….The year turned to be quite sweet because I fell in love with SRK that year, I saw DDLJ and me and my friends dreamt of Raj all the time.

We repeated lines with him, we saw all his movies. I don’t think I have missed a single movie he starred in right from chamatkaar, to guddu, to chahat (ya that’s a movie) to OSO to Rab Ne…He was no GOD to me, but I was impressed with his dream, his ambition and the brand SRK became.

I love men who say, “One day am going to rule this city…” And then one day they do rule the city! I must say I love his skill, the craft and the art. A lot of people don’t agree with me on this, but there is no one in Hindi cinema who is better at romance than Mr. Shah rukh Khan.

The eyes, the intensity, the passion have time and again done it for me and a million people across the globe. International waters seem to adore him as well…or did I just exaggerate.

I was just trying to set the ground before I bash him for what he recently just did…

As you all might be aware, I mean every one in your family including your dog would be aware of the fact that SRK was stopped at the Newark airport and questioned for 2 hours. It was actually 66 minutes, but exaggerating is in our blood….

Was that a big deal?

Trust me for all the jack asses who feel it wasn’t, it SO was. Hear me out!

They stopped him alright, but what kind of professionalism was it to make him wait. One Google search and there would be a million hits for the man. One call and they would know who he is. But that didn’t happen, to me that is disrespect to our country, not cuz he is SRK, but then he is a famous person from India. A famous person from the US be it from a non-political background is treated with utmost respect in our country. We love the white-skinned…and that is just a different topic.

If I am so unwelcome in a country, I might as well not go!

If only he could be self respecting to take that stand. But instead what did he do?

He gave interviews to every news channel, called a press conference and balled out tears and sang songs of humiliation. Just a little publicity of his upcoming stint was added as trailers in between those songs…all this why! “Just cuz my name is Khan”! After that having the cheek to say that I don’t need publicity…

He’s a cheeky innocent boy. Every one needs publicity, maybe the brand SRK has finally started getting weaker and these stunts have become inevitable.

A contrast to the above, another man, a real man, the ex-president of our nation Dr. APJ Kalam went through a similar situation. He never even gave a sound byte to the media. He walked away without creating a hue-n-cry and he admitted to this behaviour of the US govt. only when probed by the media. His insult could have been regarded as something extremely serious, but that never even crossed his mind….

A tad-bit of ego was all he needed so that I would love him forever. There is not much point in seeing the movie…the trailer was good enough :-)

After all, his name is Khan!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Kameenapan

If I had to the rate the movie on it’s style, I would say we have a winner.

If I had to rate the movie on performances, I would say we have something to rave about.

If I had to like a movie based on the fact that Shahid’s puberty season is finally over, I would say “This was it!”

But then that’s not why we watch movies, or do we?

Was there a point, a purpose, a message or at least a story line. I missed it, or probably I am ignoring the fact that we have started making movies which are hybrid rip offs of probably a “Snatch” and a “Pulp Fiction”. But seriously if it was that, where was the style in the words. There was no dialogue like “I have to go powder my nose.” or “Are you taking the piss?” that would have caught one’s attention and would go on to become a lingo that the kids would use.

Moving onto the movie, Guddu and sweetie love each other but it’s not a love story. Guddu has a twin brother Charlie, they don’t love each other, but that’s not the story either. Then there are some gangsters, politicians, policemen and drugs in the middle but that didn’t appeal to me either. I don’t want to ruin the non-existent plot any further, so I would leave that to your pea-sized imagination.

The music though excellent, promises only 4 songs in the film. You make a bollywood movie and you have excellent music backing you up, why not go all the way!

Talking about the performances, the boy has matured and is a man now. Shahid has arrived and that is great news. Would Kareena chew her nails when she watches the movie? Let’s hope some good comes out of it, and Bebo realises her mistake. But then she has Pataudi junior’s shoulder. Or does she?

Priyanka  has already proved her acting abilities to the world in Fashion and she steps up in this one. A small and a powerful performance is what I can say. A simple girl on the outside and fireball on the inside, finally intelligent actresses like these have started to display the true face of young Indian women. Yes! They do have sex in college, they do use protection and they do make mistakes.

Speaking about kissing controversies, there was no hype around the Shahid-Priyanka smooch and it turned out to be the hottest one in 2009.

Vishal Bharadwaj is truly talented and that comes out in almost every scene. Everything starting from the performances, to the music, to the direction, and the cinematography is pretty decent in their line, but the combination basically misses the punch!

 

The most tastefully shot scene is in black and white and comes in the end. Do watch out for it and share your perspective with your comments.

Maybe it’s the overhype or maybe it’s the dearth of great cinema, Kaminay falls below our expectations.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Ram Bharose

Trust me…but that’s how we are living!

Don’t get me wrong here, I am a patriot but now ‘des’ is getting to me!

Rewind!

I had the most amazing week in Delhi, the only thing wrong with my vacation plan was the time frame. Swine flu is on the rise, and airports could not be a party.

I reach home, and develop some sort of an irritation in my throat. The ‘significant other’ being significantly paranoid starts thinking on the lines. Calming him doesn’t help, I got a little scared too!

We go to bed, me with a sore throat and him with a heavy heart. We toss and turn and hope for the morning to be normal. It isn’t, my throat has worsened, I have started to sneeze and paranoia has spread.

A call to the boss, saying the vacation hasn’t ended yet and a call to our mentor gets us on our feet. We scout out, to get ourselves tested. The ordeal begins, most probably I don't have it, but what if I do?

In our country it’s better to be safe than sorry. I mean really, 33% of India would get infected in any case. And that’s a sorry figure I must say!

I start calling hospitals, some bang my phone like I am speaking Latin and some shoo me away like I said a word they didn't recognize. Sorry I must say!

We find out that there is just 1 government hospital that has the kits needed with them, so we hurry before they get over. If you’ve forgotten am ill, but then am fighting… . It’s a shady place with a 2 hour line, people with masks and panic all around. To top it all, the local media are there to cover it. I am on TV today, I swear I didn’t want it this way!

After a long wait, even if I didn't have fever yet, now I do. Even if the ‘significant mine’ was absolutely healthy, he feels an itch in the throat. We worry more just to hear from the doctors that it’s nothing and that they are not going to test it after 2 days “if need be”. Why? Cuz’ they basically don’t want to waste the kits so fast!

Is it our fault that we can afford the treatment in time but the hospitals don't have the facilities to support us?

For all those who worry, I don’t think it’s that…it’s just a throat infection. But what if it was or if it is…after all we are all living “Ram bharose”.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Why are we addicted to Facebook?

Facebook… the magnum opus of Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Mokovitz and Chris Hughes.

An idea or an idea of an idea, given birth to after the greatest birth of globalization and technology and invention.

FB came at a time when social networking was the latest phenomena and all the college girls were hooked to putting up their latest pictures and waiting for comments.

They say greatness lies in thinking differently.

Sometimes, it helps to improvise.

And so this concept, thanks to these gentlemen and their team, came up with the
X-factor, the zing, the extra edge…. the crispiness of a perfect spinach mushroom sandwich… or well, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

This is why the old Colonel still lives at each market near us. He knew how to sell his burger.

And Mark does too.

So what does Facebook have that others don’t?

1. Personalized quizzes that you only thought existed in the Cosmopolitan magazine.
2. Bumper Stickers showing what you think are cool.
3. Questions on the movies you saw when you had braces and laugh to till this day.
4. And a whole lot of people you thought you’d never see in life again.

This is where the magic lies.

And despite established players, Facebook has worked its way up.

It has.

And so have people who are using it.

They are not your chummies from any era of your life, or your lovers or your relatives but blood brothers of the mythical character of Narcissist.

There are always these set of people with the most common names like Namrata, Sandhya , Roshni ,Akshay, Aditya, the Marks and Jacobs and Johns of the West,

A prototype of what they bring to you, or to your Facebook page.

These include:

1. A guy who sat besides you in your first school

2. A girl in your college to whom you never spoke but FB says you have 12 common friends

3. Someone you met at a party and are trying to be a wee bit friendly or just someone you pass at work.

They not only are on FB page but they seem to be doing much more than you do.

And apparently, they went to France or to a theme park for all I care. And they have enjoyed themselves so much on that particular bumpy ride in a Bombay Metro or on a camel in Egypt that they refuse to go to bed without uploading them on the day they land.

And of course, Mark wants us to socialize so all that is said by these people you’re not really in touch with pops up on your screen telling you what each friend had to say about the location or the expression or the clothes or the…

I bet you, most of them don’t even know that according to a Facebook clause, pictures that are put up on FB belong to the developers who can use it for any purpose. Just some free advertising. There is also a FB group which has close to a few thousand people who are protesting through the web against this violation of privacy.

And while I am cursing the amount of work flung on my petite yet strong shoulders, somebody with one of those name went to the nearest restaurant or a coffee place and has littered all over my page.

Flashback.

Second month at my first job… And an intern from London School of Economics (who had nothing better to do that summer) asked me if I am on Facebook.

I didn’t want to look un cool, but then I was feeling un cool the entire time. You see, the whole environment of joining work when all the people around are actually shocked that you can actually work, is also the time you realize your wardrobe is not office friendly.

Well after staying in a girls’ college where wearing tank tops were looked at as competition minus the “who-does-she-think-is” factor, I had learnt my lessons while joining the god forsaken Media Institute. Even after a year of trying to build my attire as someone “professional with pigtails”, I usually chickened out of wearing sleeveless tops and even three fourth trousers.

So I decided to be safe. And I settled with plain t shirts, (mind you plain) with jeans.
We all did. First impressions last a long time. At that time, I also believed that hard work paid off.

So when this girl child wearing Jimmy Choo shoes and carrying a Gucci handbag, asked me if I was on Facebook….I felt un cool.

I snapped- No, I don’t. And I am working.

She didn’t seem to have noticed it. But that’s a different story.

So why did I succumb to this?
Because all my friends joined and told me it was cool?
Because it helped you get in touch with some ‘lost’ acquaintances?

Well, a bit of both.

And with greater amount of VISUAL SPAM comes greater PHEWS

So why am I here?

And another pop- up says ‘Pragati Siddhanti just made an all new high score in Bricks Breaking’.

Damn you, Mark.

Special Thanks to the constant addiction of Facebook and the addicts around me who spy, gossips, and well, keep in touch.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A unique travel experience

Abhishek a.k.a. Shake-a-myster's latest brain child.





Lushescapes

Through this medium, he envisages to showcase plush properties at exotic locales across the world and fill the need-gap that exists in the premium travel market in India.

If you intend to make your travel experience an unforgettable one, contact them now!

Please leave your feedback in the comments section.
Also keep spreading the word.

Best of luck bro!
It's a beautiful start... and best wishes from TTTW!

PS : We highly recommend it!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Michael Jackson: 1958 to 2009

 

(By Manavi Siddhanti)

In times when there were no grey areas between black and white... was born a child who would redefine the world of pop music. It was time for MJ to be born, seventh in a line of nine- Michael Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958 in a place called Gary, Indiana.

michael childhood

His mother, Katherine, would say that there was something special about Michael.' When he danced, it was like he was an older person.'

parents with kids

Katherine Jackson taught her children folk songs. Her husband, Joseph, played the guitar and taught his sons to strum. Michael was 4 years old when he and four of his brothers performing on stage… Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Michael they became the Jackson 5. By the time he was 8, he became the lead singer replacing the older Jermaine.

jackson5

It was Michael's father, Joseph Jackson who wielded power and ruled his family with his fists and in terrible rage. Michael later in life said that his father often used a belt during rehearsals and hit his sons or pushed them into walls if they made a mistake.

Their first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," was released in December 1969, and it gave the No. 1 hit "I Want You Back," the 11-year-old lead singer became an instant star. More chart-topping hits followed. The timing was perfect for going solo.

At 13, Michael Jackson launched his solo career.His album 'Got To be There' came out in 1971.

got to be there

Michael Jackson was on the path to becoming a music sensation. He was gaining fame but losing his childhood.He left a double life-one where he was became the new pop sensation and the other of being by his father in the dressing room.

His second solo album 'Ben' came out in 1972.In spite of going going solo, Michael continued to work with the Jackson 5.

ben

In 1978, Michael made his film debut as the Scarecrow in "The Wiz," a black-cast adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz." The movie launched a creative and commercial partnership with "Wiz" music director Quincy Jones.

the wiz

This partnership was to reshape the world of pop music in the years to come.

mj, quincy

The first fruit of the MJ QJ collaboration was 'Off the Wall' , Jackson's debut album on the Epic label. An infectious blend of pop and funk....the album included not one not two but three chart topping hits selling over 20 million copies worldwide.

off the wall

In 1980, Jackson issued his epic album, 'Thriller' which remained in the top of the billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. This was truly the apex of Michael Jackson's career selling up to 109 million copies.

thriller

Michael became a musical phenomenon.

In 1983, Jackson performed live on the Motown 25 and electrified the nation with his Moonwalk... A dance step that created the illusion of levitation.

In 1987, he released the third, and final Quincy Jones-produced album, 'Bad'. Hits like 'Man in the Mirror' ,'The way you make me feel' marked this era.The Bad World Tour (1987-1989) broke a Guinness World Record when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium.

Michael-Jackson-Bad-417502

But by the time Michael had turned 30,he was still searching for his lost childhood.Never wanting to grow up, he never wanted to get back to his troubled and desolate childhood. A mixed desire led to creating the Neverland Ranch in California . Named after the fairytale land of Peter Pan - it was a fantasy where lived Michael's unlived childhood...

neverland 1

Nicknamed the "King of Pop" by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor....Jackson made a record breaking deal with Sony Music releasing his 4th solo album, 'Dangerous' in 1991.

mj_dangerous

Hits included 'Heal the World','Remember the Time' and 'Black or White'.

At this time, MJ's skin colour appeared to change and reports of him undergoing extensive plastic surgery started surfacing. In a 1993 interview to Oprah, he openly spoke of abuse he suffered through his childhood and for the first time admitted that he had vitiligo,a skin disorder - which turned his skin white.

before n after

1994 saw the marriage of Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley - the daughter of Elvis Presley. After the marriage collapsed (in 19 months),Michael was accused of child abuse by 13-year-old Jordy Chandler. During these testing time,Michael started taking painkillers, and he was soon addicted. After going into rehab, in 1994, Jackson reportedly settled the case out of court for close to 20 million dollars.

Jackson's second short-lived marriage, in contrast to the high profile first, was to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996. He named their two children after himself – Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine.

mj with kids small

1995 saw Michael released a chart-topper fifth solo album,'History'. This was a double album,the first half with new compositions and second half included his greatest hits like Scream,You are not alone, They don't care about us.

history

In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor: History in the Mix,' containing five new songs. The album reached number one in the UK, as did the title track. But Michael's personal life was crumbling- his second wife Debbie Rowe asked for divorce and got it in 1999. Jackson now took on sole responsibility for their children's upbringing.

2001. Jackson marked 30 years in show business with a huge concert, starring Britney Spears, N'Sync, and a reunion of the Jackson Five. But the rest of his decade saw his plummeting fall.

His next album 'Invincible', which reportedly took $ 40 million to produce, flopped. Jackson was forced to sell his Neverland ranch, to pay off creditors.

Michael_Jackson-Invincible-Frontal

In 2005, MJ went on trial once again accused of molesting another boy as well as conspiring to abduct him. Nothing was proven against him, and the four-month trial ended in Michael being acquitted of all charges.His attorneys say these allegations instilled a fear in him, that destroyed the sensitivity of a child that had never left him.

case

But what found him was a longing for a comeback.To reclaim his rightful place in the heart of his fans.

Since May of 2006, Jackson was working on a new studio album.Named 'This is it', the 2009 series was billed as his last major live shows. The concerts were to kick off on July 13, 2009.

this is it

On the last day of his life, he was hard at work... Making music.

Thus was the life of a pop legend who has gone too soon.

last rehearsal

Special mention of my friends,co-workers Geetali and Tarini for their inputs.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Office Office

I wake up one n a half hour earlier than the scheduled time to reach my destination. And the first thing I do, is not to use Jane... but to put on an episode or two, to which am gonna get ready to. Earlier, I used to have my companion, my sister who would dance before she'd leave for work.

Now that am alone, it’s all television.

As I look outside the window of my car, I find the glorious building standing tall, newly shined by workers who use a swing to make all fourteen floors of its body-Pretty and Shiny, home to many people's happiness.

Beneath its beautiful exterior, hiding the traits of a lying, manipulative, sick boyfriend.

I remember the day the first time I saw it, fresh out college and a relationship. And it turned my stomach.

Walking up the stairs, I get glances, which tell me, "oh look at this young one stepping outta a chauffeur driven car." Also lecherous glances of business “executives" who look at me trying to bend a little to see under my top or beneath my skirt.

The glances they get back are not kind.

Taannnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg.... You enter the building after an X ray scan of all your belongings. Right, like anyone would want to do anything to this building.

Ahhhh, the rusty metal doors of the lift which happen to have their victims marked out for the day. Well, Videocon Towers has got scores of people, rushing in and out of the building but the lifts always manage to stir them out of their reverie.

And so I enter, not fearing its metal clasps on my hard earned clothes and wait for number 4.

Ms. Kone, the electronic voice of the most annoying ever, will not leave a moment to make her presence felt. And so she echoes through the 3 and half inches of confined space saying-" Please allow the door to close.”

And if that wasn't enough, she goes further-" This lift is from Kone". Okay biatch. This is your turf. Your space.

I don't have one.

Our office doesn't have a concept of doors or cubicles or even assigned terminals. Anybody can steal your lip balm, kajal, water,your favorite pen.... Or the terminal you were working on till you looked away.

Right. And with me, enter caked girls smelling of perfume and nicotine. Carrying caffeine in their hands, I figure they are the ones who woke up today at 3 am to be in office, look pretty, not let their curls out of place and deliver an audience, the morning bulletin.

A fake smile here, an acknowledgment there and when Ms. Kone has told us to allow the doors to close a third time, Mr. bald spot with the sickest dressing sense comes and stands next to me.

I try and touch the close button but too late, his two heavy thighs have made their way into the lift.

Great, nobody can catch him. Not God. Not his mother. Or his girlfriend. No, he doesn't have one.

Not even Ms. Kone.
Come on girl, be pink, be a girl.
It's us versus them.

As he seems to think of the lift as his second home, he exchanges pleasantries and niceties as if we are all at his place. Obviously, this is it. This is what got him his post. Sucking up and sucking hard. He was good at playing with words. I should know that. One should see his artful tactics that govern work.

Man, run for some shelter.

As am quite tall, I can’t hide behind any of the foul smelling ICICI “executives", an option for some of my friends. Great. So I show some attitude by checking myself in the mirror and pick number 7 as my destination while he addresses someone else.

You see its not so much about work or the lack of it, but the desire to pass him a smile, the guy who is responsible for ruining so many of my evenings just doesn't seem to be strong. Don't you want an appraisal, I ask myself. Not like this, says the honest, hard working angel in my head who believes in Karma. You’ll get your bit.

No you won't, says the practical one...Its all about niceties and PR. You better suck it up, put your chest out, fling your hair, and all of those 32.

I notice my hair looks nice. Unfortunately, in a fraction of nano second, he catches my eye.

Uh-oh! The narcissist in me has cost me this. This is why God told us to never be taken up by our appearances, they only do your harm.But I am not even good looking, says the angel.

Here we go.

“Hi -----, how are you doing?"

So what’s its gonna be? Be humble or just a mumble? Before my head gives me answer, I flash my 32 teeth smile, wishing him a good morning and a terrible life.

No, that’s not enough. He prods me further."

So what’s plans for today? I hope you have some good ideas for today's show, we really should see some good numbers."

Ya we do, or your tushy, which beats Bangladesh, will be set on fire.

Before I could reply, he steps out of the lift. Well, if you didn't want an answer, then why ask a question? I hope the juice he has in his hand, spills on his crotch and looks like he just wet himself. No.Too mild.

I hope the juice he just gulped is expired and it gives him the loosies. No, I want....

Woah...There he was, trapped in the arms of my gal pal, struggling to get his 2 rupee coat made of metal out of Ms Kone's hand. So much so, that he dropped his drink, skids on it and falls on the slippery in- betweens.

Burning bra's together in the sixties finally pays off in technorama with an electronic whiff of a woman trapped inside a speaker.

She had watched me worked nights, days and evenings with hundreds of others whom he never thanked once. She heard my constant bitching, not without reason, and she had heard a hundred others.

All this while, Ms. Kone has been watching. And unpredictably, she chose the harshest way to put him down.

And make my knees go weak with glee.

When bad boys need to be spanked, all the bad girls come out to clap their hands together.

Angels and Demons

First things first, it’s too late to be reviewing this movie. In spite of the “blessed” strikes, Angels and demons has come far from it’s release.It maybe late for a review but it’s never too late for a perspective.

I never managed reading both the Dan Brown sellers. I saw both the movies. The first one made less sense to me. Maybe it was horrid or maybe it was ignorance. I don’t plan on talking or blaming it. Dan Brown has been often regarded as a “beach read” author – the kinds who churns out a higher concept, slightish adventures that could help you pass a 7 hour flight. Take for example, Angels and Demons the film has everything from the plot, to the the writing, to the history, to the direction, to the performances – executed to utter competence.

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The plot : Angels and Demons has the returning Tom Hanks as the symbologist Robert Langdon. He is called upon by the Vatican to investigate the kidnapping of four roman cardinals who turned missing during the vote in of a new pope. A bomb well not exactly a bomb but antimatter with a standard battery life has been planted somewhere in the Vatican city and it is up to Langdon, a female scientist Vittoria and the priest Camerlengo Patrick McKenna to figure out clues and find the bomb in order to save the cardinals and Vatican city. It is a race against time and orthodox tradition. The plot points towards the ancient sect Illuminati, a group of academics and intellectuals who has an age old feud with the Catholic church.

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That’s what I want to talk about more than the movie, the age old fight between science and religion. Have they started to co-exist? There are a few theories and few answers to everything. There is no proof although. It is true that majority of people now embrace both science and religion. They seem to use different parts of their minds for each of these, with no or hardly any interconnection between these parts. At least we no more associate bad weather, illness to curses; or earthquakes, storms and eclipses to angry gods.

The conflict has been there right from the 16th century. Both theologians and scientists presume different things and continue to think the way they do. Laplace, dedicated his entire life to finding answers and died exclaiming : “What we know is nothing, what we don’t is immense!”

The truths hidden are greater than our being, generations have passed by and the answers are still not clear. What I have learnt over the years is wisdom in this sentence : “God helps those who help themselves.” I remember my sister praying for 2 hours before every exam…she was never helping herself that day. But till day, she claims that the prayers were answered. My mom is a strong believer in the almighty, the puja in my house has every idol right from all the Hindu gods to Gurunanak and also Jesus. I have wondered if her prayers have any significance, but then who am I to question her faith. My husband dwindles in his belief, I see him praying but never in a temple, but then faith continues to govern our lives.

There has always been a divide and the two groups never saw eye to eye. In the seventeenth century, Galileo stood trial, was found guilty and spent the last eight years of his life in house arrest over the issue of geo centrism. When Darwin's Origin of Species was published, people were divided among those who supported evolution and those who opposed it. Heated and sometimes hostile debates were commonplace. Even today the controversy continues. A Brief History of time is an attempt to explain a range of subjects in Cosmology, including the Big bang, black holes, and light cones to the non specialist leader. Its main goal is to give an overview of the subject but, unusual for a popular science book, it also attempts to explain some complex mathematics. There are no conclusions but it comes very close to answering the so called questions.

I have seen one miracle in my life which is probably to personal to pen down. But that made me realize that if nothing else, we got to keep the faith. If nothing else, we need to bow are head and if nothing else there is no point in the arrogance since there is so much we don’t even know.

I have no ways of structuring this article. It seems as confused as my mind is and as strong as my faith is.

Coming back to the movie, it’s definitely something worth seeing. It is a treasure hunt that takes place in the Vatican and that’s what makes it so enthralling. The performances are strong and the actors remain true to their characters. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and disturbing images, Angels and demons has surpassed it’s prequel. A must watch, I say.

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

"Drink from me and live for ever..."

Frankly, I was surprised that most people had not heard of this 1994 star-studded (by today's standard) movie adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel. A stellar cast consisting of the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rhea is certainly mouth-watering. And Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" does not disappoint on this count.

This is a story about vampires...oh yes, those creatures who have sharp teeth, drink blood, and sleep in coffins. But no...contrary to popular perception, they don't fear ordinary light, crucifixes or the stake through the heart. But they too have their Achilles Heels - one should not drink the blood from a dead body, ordinary light may not harm them, but sunlight is deadly. And so is fire...

This is a story about vampires...and if you thought this was a run-of-the-mill horror film, you're grossly mistaken. For "Interview..." is a grand story-telling experience - lavish and grandiose in its application. "Interview..." is a story of love, betrayal (of one's own soul), cruelty, treachery and the inner struggles of an "immortal with a mortal soul". Daniel Mallory (Christian Slater), a newspaper reporter manages to lure Louis (Brad Pitt) to relate the story of his life. Louis was an 18th century Louisiana planter, who after the death of his wife and child, is out looking for death. A chance encounter with the vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise) alters his life once and for all. Lestat offers him the choice of being young and immortal for ever, and he readily accepts it to become a vampire and a companion to Lestat. However, he still possesses a soul that hesitates to kill humans and is tormented by his choice.

In his loneliness, he turns a little girl Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire, with Lestat's help, and the three of them start a life together as a family. As years pass by, Claudia matures into a woman, but is imprisoned in the body of a 12 year old. In despair, she plots to kill Lestat and with Louis, runs away to Paris in search of more vampires. In Paris, they meet some of their own kind - Armand (Antonio Banderas), Santiago (Stephen Rhea), and their coven, who run the "Theatre des Vampires", a society of vampires that masquerades as actors killing their victims on stage as part of well-orchestrated plays. However, their past catches up with them.

This movie is all about its two leading actors. Brad Pitt has the more difficult role as the conscience-ridden Louis, brilliantly conveying his emotions through his eyes. But Cruise steals the show. As the supremely evil Lestat, he is brilliant and chillingly exudes a devilish charm. Kirsten Dunst as the 12-year old Claudia is good enough, but struggles to portray the role of a young woman trapped in a child's body (a role which is really difficult to carry out). The others, though they have shorter roles, do justice to their part. The movie has high production values. For a story set across centuries, it travels at a good pace, never boring the viewer, thanks to the brilliant screenplay. The scenes are brilliantly executed. Some of them really stand out in your mind - the constant verbal duels between Lestat and Louis, the drama scene in the theatre where the vampires kill a helpless young woman in front of an unsuspecting audience, the gruesome murder of Madeleine and Claudia at the hands of the vampire society, by exposing them to the rays of the rising sun, and Louis donning the role of the grim reaper to wreak his revenge on the vampires - to name a few.

"Interview..." is definitely not for the weak-minded or the average cinema-goer, who would balk at the thought of the constant gushes of blood on the screen - be it from all the bites on the neck or from the rats who are fed upon frequently by the lead cast. This one is for the movie buffs who appreciate the cinematic values on screen.

Drink from me and live forever...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

PaRt 4

(By Vish)

I have been to quite a few hill stations in my life, but I can safely say that Patni Top is by far the best! To be honest, I don't have words to do justice to this place. I shall only say that it should feature in the 'Places to visit before I die' list. If you don't have one then please start asap cuz life is too short to waste by holidaying at the same spots over and over again.

Before you start expecting a million things out of this shockingly low populated village, let me tell you the one nd only thing to do here. It is called.. Wait for it.. Umm.. NOTHING! Yes, you got that right! You will be shocked to know how much you can actually achieve while doing absolutely nothing (on purpose, mind it!). However, You need to know the trick cuz there is a very fine line between being bored and being extremely happy within!

People say that I am an extrovert and a social person and I don't deny it, but not many know that I am not scared of being alone either. Sometimes you need to be alone to get in touch with your real self. Not the person ur parents/lover/colleague/friends/relatives think or assume you are.. But the one you have known since you were born. I wonder why so many people get worried at the prospect of being 'alone' when the fact is you are spending time with one person who has known you the longest and most - yourself! My guess would be that they get confused between being alone and being lonely. Yea! That's gotta be the reason else they would actually look forward to being with potentially their best friend and confidant!

A lot of things happened during these two days. Men in blue lost all hopes for retaining the world cup, Indian women's team got themselves a spot in the world cup semifinals, mum tried a new Chinese dish, dad ate without any suggestions to the chef or any complains, brothers surprise plan for his wife flopped big time, I smiled throughout the stay without flinching even once!
Unfortunately, my personal experiences cannot be expressed in words. But, fortunately, I am returning completely refreshed and with a whole new perspective towards life!

Life is simple... Indeed! :-)

Ps: Take a trip soon!

Pss: Smile!

Psss: Spoil yourself and all your loved ones!

Pssss: Support the Indian womens cricket team.. They have more balls than the men in blue! (No pun intended)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

All I need...is to be free!

Made from the photos I took in Mumbai...

Monday, June 15, 2009

Shake-a-Myster's Top 10

Hello Hotties and all our readers at TTTW..

Am back..and back with a BANG! For all those who do not know me - I am Shake-a-Myster a.k.a. Abhishek - the less hotter but equally witty version of the Siddhanti sisters.

I have been away ...away for quite sometime ..swamped by the conundrums and the hectic schedule of my business, the lickonomics of my International Business MBA - and at times busy travelling to expolore the unexplored.

I was urged to get back by Pragati and was overwhelmed to see the amazing response the blog has witnessed in the last 6 months - way to go guys..

To start with..I dedicate this post to the first half of 2009 and am gonna pen down the ten most amazing moments while I was away from writing:

10. Sangeet - thats that nick name given to Prateik's new found love by my DAD. Her real name is Ragini. (prateik is my younger brother)

9. Singapore's bird eye view from my 32nd floor room at the PAN PACIFIC. www.panpacific.com/singapore

8.The Jacuzzi onboard the Super Star Virgo - BLISS! top deck, crystal clear waters of the Straight of Mallaca

7.MBA from IIFT - Passed First Sem! - Kudos to all my batchmates and the invigilators

6.Prateik's 88 % in CBSE boards - He is gunning to become a rocket scientist and go to NASA!

5. Prateik in distress - After his jet ski crashed amidst high tide in the indian ocean and he thought he would die(guys..this is funny..he was wearing a life Jacket) and btw..he still complains of chest pains due to salt deposits in his body...LOL..Hillarious

4. Renovation of our lovely villa in Delhi - finally done! kudos to Mom and Dad ---you can visit in person with prior appointment and interview - Rights of Admission Reserved...and you know what -- our home is called PRATEEKSHA (named after my Mom's boutique - Mrs. Bacchan liked my Mom's work so much that she couldn't resist stealing the name)

3. GOA Reunion with Hoosiers - (Hoosiers is the mascot of Indiana University..that's where I graduated from) --I haven't had so much Vodka ever--and Capriosca was at its best!

2. Kandooma Resort, Maldives - Dawn of 2009 --check this out http://www.kandooma-maldives.com/ sun kissed beaches, white sand, azure waters - HEAVEN

1. ESCAPES - My newest brainchild ! --A travel portal to be launched during the first week of July. Keep watching this space for more...

Will write again..

PEACE

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Part 3

By Vish

13th June '09, 0530hrs (never mind!)

I didn't need the alarm or dad's intense stare to wake me up today. In fact I woke him up by giving him the same treatment! Payback is such a bitch! He he.

We hired a cab for the rest of our stay in Jammu state and as per the instructions, he reported to duty sharp at 0700hrs (go figure!). Today's itinerary was pretty exciting as we were visiting Vaishnav Devi and then heading straight to Patni Top, which is considered to be next best to Srinagar. FYI, our original plan was to visit Srinagar but cuz of some sex deprived, jobless and frustrated Pakistanis no one is allowed in the Summer capital of J&K. (Yes! Srinagar is summer capital and Jammu is the winter capital for the state. You would have known had you paid attention to the subject rather than the teacher! Perverts!)

It started drizzling when we left and for some reason it bothered mum. According to her the Helicopter wouldn’t work if its raining! Yes, my mum has a logic for everything. And Yes, we were gonna take the 'Chopper' to cut short the distance by 11.6kms. Sandeep, our cab driver, was the most polite and informative fellow. In fact I wonder whether he’s a fulltime guide who’s making some easy money by driving people around. He made sure the drive to the helipad was lovely, not that he had to try hard cuz the weather was way too beautiful to pay any attention to the sometimes bumpy ride. But you couldn’t ignore the potholes completely as the car's stereo used to konk off with each jerk! Lol.. No kidding! Twice the RJ tried to ask some question for her listeners but was muted automatically by the wonder car only to play 'Teri ore' and 'Tera  suroooooooor'!

Food for thought: what will happen to Himesh bhai if he sat in this car for few hours? *Devilish grin*

90minutes drive and one chai break later we were at the Sanjhi Chhat ie the helipad! I couldn’t wait to be in the 'copter and to the credit of Pawan Hans employees, they made sure we were ready to fly within 15 minutes! DUUUUDE! They made me sit next to the pilot! Are you kidding me? Excitement was as far as Bombay and fear was all over me just like Ghajini ruled over Rab ne bana diya chu.. I mean Rab ne bana di jodi! It was a very strange experience to be honest, I was smiling from ear to ear and yet I had stomach cramps! Even after being in an aeroplane a million times, this was completely new! I bet sardarji pilotji's caller tune is 'I believe I can fly'... That's all it was - flying!

3 minutes and 17 seconds was all that our sardarji pilot required to drop us to our destination. From here it was 2.5kms walk to the temple. I, being practical, suggested horseback ride. You guessed it right, the suggestion was shot down by mum by saying 'Maata himmat degi'. It was an amusing statement cuz she cant walk that well. Yea, couple of knee surgeries does that to you. I tried to convince her but gave up soon!

 

This was it! We were moments away from Maata and it actually cleared my mind of all the usual clutter. It has been a long time since I felt this way. It was a different feeling and I was enjoying it to the core. Took us an hour to reach the check point and for some reason I was only reflecting on my life in the past decade be it social, private or professional. This walk was no different from any of those. I knew my destination and I was taking steps, slow at times and rapid at others, to get there. Isn't that what we all do? Set a target and go for it? To get that desired job? For that one special person? Being in shape and looking attractive? Everything might seem simple now only to start looking impossible a minute later. Anyway, we eventually got to the VIP entrance. Mum was struggling and was feeling the immense pain in her legs, dad was tired too but not once did he lose the straight face or mums hand. I might find myself at war with him in day to day life but to be honest I will be smiling in my grave if I manage to be half the man he is.

We took the army gate to enter the queue for the darshan and soon we were part of those who were waiting in the line for hours. Strange how money holds more value than prayers and devotion. There were all kinds of people rubbing shoulders in the queue saying Jai mata di, louder every single time. It reminded me of the little rascal in the train. I would never know why I got pissed off at that poor guy when I was no different! In fact to think of it, he was crying cuz no one around his understood his language, I on the other hand scream when I am happy (cricket), sad(emotional setback), angry(traffic) or ecstatic(happiness). Its weird how my mind was in different zone when ideally I should have been thinking bout the list of things I wanted from God or bout everything that I had to thank her for. Mum was really struggling now but like dad she kept her pain in control and kept walking towards the tunnel.

 

Some facts bout Vaishnav devi temple. Its not like any other temple that you might have seen till now as there is no statue or photo of god kept inside. You have to walk inside a tunnel, where the police will rush you as if u were in jail and they were taking a count after a field day. Once u do reach THE place, you will have less than couple of seconds to, one, look at the right spot to pray, two, remember everything that you wanted to ask/thank, three, bend over and pay respect, four, ignore the push from others, five, get the most important tikka on your forehead, six, pray to other two gods present with her (Vaishnav Devi is accompanied with Kali Mata nd Sarasvati Mata) and last but not the least, lose yourself in her presence. Oh Yes! It really doesn’t get better than this.

 

So just like that it was over. Half hour in cab to the station, 30 hours in train to Jammu, hour and half to reach Katra, 3 minutes in the helicopter, hour walking to reach the VIP entrance, and then the final wait in the queue. All this for less than 3 seconds in her presence! Every second was worth it!

Now I am in the cab and we are heading to Patni top. Quite looking forward to visiting the second best place in Kashmir. I have found few answers during this trip. The most important one about success! I did everything needed to reach the top, enjoyed the few seconds of achieving my target and then glowed in the after effects. But the new thing that I experienced today was that you have to keep in mind that one day you will have to get back to square one and you will be judged by all from the way you do it! I loved every second of the way back. Will I replicate the same in my life? I hope I do :-)

PS: we stayed for half day in Jammu, more about it when I return to this city of temples on Monday!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Part 2

(by Vish)

Traveling in train can be quite an experience, if taken in the right spirit. I didnt! Nd hence every passing second was pissing me off! We werent even halfway to our destination nd I was ready to get off, cudnt handle these stupid co-passengers!

Three magazines, one pack ciggarettes nd few rounds of cards later, we were ready for dinner. Btw mum's a fabulous cook nd I can bet on my life that noone can make a better non veg dish than her. So I forgot everything nd served myself a big fat mutton piece. Mr. n Mrs. Jignesh Shah were really ticked off at the sight of me digging into the once alive creature! To be honest I was really tempted to offer them some.. Maybe tmrw I will! Hehe

It was time to get back to my third grade second class seat. Its strange how the whole look of a train changes when u walk from a 'sophisticated' airconditioned surroundings to a 'down grade' second class envionment. I mean how dare the Gujju family offer me theplas nd khakras when barely 10 minutes back two from the same culture were trying to give me a heart attack!

I was kept awake by the little monster's cries.. I think he was trying to communicate with his buddies left behind in Bombay! I wud love to know whr was he getting the energy to take his screams higher every ten seconds!
Heres an idea, why dont we make a car that runs purely on babyscreams? I mean we 'Indians' are producing these little rascals by the dozens, so why not make some use of em in the bargain? I hope no chinese hakka noodle is reading this.. Back off!

After changing my seat for the convinience of my co-passengers, I finally found one middle birth to sleep. I think I got an hours shut eye before someones laughter woke me up. This was different you know, full hearted laugh which always ended with a sad sigh! Took a peek towards the toilet area nd found 4 middle aged men having a merry time with handful of bidi's nd desi daaru. I stood there for a bit, had one ciggie before offering one to the laughing dude, he looked like a story teller. Sitting in the middle with, now, 6people surrounding him. 'Dhanyawaad baabu.. Ab aap harari bidi lo.. Specially Manali se laaye hai.. Kadwi nahi lagegi aapko' How cud I not try it after this explanation? Soon I gave my entire cigg packet in exchange of the gold leave bidi's nd within no time I was sharing the 'homemade' daaru as well. You must try this combination, with the exact bunch of people, at this exact time, in this exact train! Oops.. You cant! Suckers.. Hehe

These guys never run out of stories nd they have one for practically anything nd everything! Some you may doubt, some may leave u speechless nd then some which will make u roll on the floor laughing ur guts out!
One dude was traveling to Vaishano Devi cuz his mother wanted to visit the god herself, but she died of some kind of disease a year back. I was trying to click some snaps from my phone before he said 'Babu us wakhat hame 20 hajaar ki zaroorat thi maa ko bachane ke liye par hamare kheto ki fasal kharab ho gayee.. Bichari apne pote(grandson) ka mu dekhe bina hi mar gayee'. I had bought this phone exactly a year back nd it costed me exactly 20K!

One fairly oldish man was visiting his beloved god for the fourth occasion, this time he was sure that he would be able to muster the remaining 12.5 thousand rupees he needed to pay off the agriculture loan nd wont let it extend for another year. I lost 12.5K last friday in poker!

The youngest of the lot had quite a few stories as well. One reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire.. His name is Pawan nd he travels int he train everyday from Paanipat to Ambala nd back, cleaning the garbage that we civilized people thrown on the floor. He does this cuz his sister is too young to work, his mother works on the field nd he doesnt know who his father is or was. By default he is the man of the house now nd is very proud of making a daily average of Rs 100. He is 7 !! I will be 27 in one months time nd I blow Rs 100 on my smokes everyday!

Three of them didnt know their birthdates but the rest 5, including myself, are born in the month of July!

After the daaru nd bidi session was over, I cudnt help but feel the luckiest among this crowd. I looked arnd nd everyone was in snoring away to glory, maybe dreaming of a perfect world. I, on the other hand, I cudnt sleep at all. Am I really that lucky? Maybe.. Maybe not!

Happy Birthday Shake-a-Myster


Wish you a very happy birthday bro!

Love,

~Your hottest sisters...!!~
Shake-a-Myster is a guest blogger and not a regular on TTTW.
Interesting facts about him :
1). He is also known as Abhishek.
2). He looks handsome even without hair on his head.
3). He is a travel monster.
4). He came up with TTTW!!!
5). He is extremely nice!
You can find his posts here :

Have a fabulous day!
God Bless!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Journey the the heavens! Or so I thought..

The post below is Vish's(dowggie's) writing. Am just posting his travelogues till his journey ends.

The day finally came, today we make a trip to visit the one of the most elusive yet highly worshipped Hindu gods. They say 'chalo bulawa aaya hai, maata ne bulaya hai' nd even before one can finish this line, someone else will throw a dice specifying, rather forcing the fact that you can not visit her untill she wants! I used to wonder on the latter statement but as I sit in this train, which takes 30 hours to reach, I have more than accepted that its the fact and no one can do anything about it!

Little background on this trip. We visited the temple around 12yrs back in a group of 20 odd relatives from all parts of India. This time again, everyone was suppose to go plus some more. As it turns out, after 3 months of planning, its only ma, pa and me who are traveling and rest all are stuck with some or the other 'unavoidable' reasons. This justifies the loooong train journy cuz it would have been fun had everyone joined in. Not so much fun now! I found out little too late, somewhat like a mouse after biting the cheese placed nicely in the trap!

Coming back to the present day... The alarm went off at 0630 hrs (that's 6 30 in the morning you morons). Took me precisely 10 seconds to get outta my bed - not cuz I wanted to, but cuz I cud sense dad standing within a feet of me! Morning tea wasn't required cuz I was up and about like a watch dog, strange how dad's method of waking me up still works even after finishing school over a decade ago! Moms constant comments didn't phase me as I went about packing my bags while brushing my teeth. Yea, I am multi tasking! Nd Yea, I pack just before I leave! An hour later we were on our way to the station, I dun remember when I stopped replying to dads questions.. Maybe when he asked me why I needed the laptop! If only you knew dad, If only!

So here we were, standing the borivali station at 0810hrs (that's 8 10 am, idiots!) And mom had a sudden attack of realization! I would have have chosen other words, but cmon guys, shez my mum! She said 'kitni bheed haina bombay main.. Dekho saari local trains full hai itni subah bhi'. I know it wasn't anything major and nothing more than just an effort for small talk. But cmon mum - I expected better! Something like taking a flight straight to Jammu or at least till Delhi! Ignoring her comment I asked dad about the total travel time. He looked at mum and said we'll reach tomorrow.. No exact number, no approx time either. The mouse just kept coming close n closer to the trap!

Train arrives and we all take our seats, dad still cribbing bout the laptop and mum checking out everyone in the neighbouring births. Its as if I have tattooed it in my destiny that 'I shall have at least one constantly crying infant and one ridiculously old couple'. Today the old couple turned out to be gujrati's, lets call them Mr. N Mrs Jignesh Shah (FYI I find them the most obnoxious and senseless travelers) and the baby, aka baby monster, belonged to a punjabi family, aka Kapoors (This should be fun!).

The journey begins and with it the hauling of the BM. I think he needed something to drink. How dumb! Whats the point of crying son, just tell dad u want whisky on the rocks, looks the Kapoor Sr starts his drinking session with a morning cup of tequila shot! Jr dude kept crying even after gulping down a gallon of milk and some. I wonder why is it illegal to slap these lil maniacs to shut em up! Cmon wouldn't u beat the hell outta your dog if it kept barking no matter what u tried? I would!

Anyways, once the train catches some momentum, Dad hands me my ticket and asks me to go and get it signed by the TC. Quite surprising! Why? I'll tell you! When three people are traveling, u don't need to individually get the ticket checked. He goes on 'Oh yea, we couldn't get u in the same compartment.. Ur reservation is in the seventh bogey from here. Its in second class' Ladies n gentlemen, That's how u trap a Mouse! So like an obedient kid, after almost half hour of shelling from both sides, I make my way to find my authorized seat! I finally reach the compartment after crossing 5 ac, 1 cooking and one stinking second class bogey. Guess what! Another fucking hauling monster, this time belonging to a joint family of 9 - all Mr and Mrs jignesh shah's! I waited for the TC for bout 45minutes, hungry for food and cigarettes! I thought I looked decent enough to pass as just another passenger but for some reason these idiots kept staring at me! Only comparison that I can think of would be the way everyone looked at Paulomi in roadies! The only difference - This is Hell down under, within, all around me!

Whats worse you ask? Its only 1200hrs - only 4 fucking hours have passed!!!

Cheers!

25 years to the greatest game ever.

My feelings aren’t easy to pen down for the most simple and addictive concept that was created way back in June 1984. It was originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov while he was working with the Academy of Science in Moscow. I think it’s one of greatest gifts Russia gave the world of gaming.

The game or one of its various variants is available for nearly every video game console and computer operating system, as well as on devices such as

graphic calculators, mobile phones, media players ad PDAs.

The best part about the game is that it is fairly simple, you position randomly selected blocks to form lines. It’s simple because of the objectivity of the game. At the same time its complex because of the math behind it. Till day, there is no supercomputer on Earth that could accurately predict which block is going to come next. Every single game is different. The goal although, always remains the same.

The scoring formula for the majority of Tetris products is built on the idea that more difficult line clears should be awarded more points. For example, a single line clear in Tetris Zone is worth 100 points, while a back-to-back Tetris is worth 1,200.

Effects of Tetris on the brain - According to intensive research from Dr. Michael Crane and Dr. Richard Haier, et al. prolonged Tetris activity can also lead to more efficient brain activity during play. As Tetris players become more proficient, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose, indicating more efficient brain activity for this task.

There are 125 million different versions of this game. It still remains simple and the classic version still rules. There are no characters, no shooting, and no complicated story lines. What it brings to you is peace of mind. For me, tetris has been one of the greatest stress busters for over 10 years now. With the peace, it also gets with it concentration and focus. You blink and the block decides not to fit anymore. The concentration and focus levels keep going up as the pace increases.

The long history of Tetris resulted in a Guinness World Record awarding the franchise nine world records in the Gamer's Edition. These records include, "Most Ported Video Game", "Game With the Most Official and Unofficial Variants", and "Longest Prison Sentence for Playing a Video Game", which is held by Faiz Chopdat, who was jailed for four months for playing Tetris on his cell phone while on a flight to Manchester, England. He refused to stop playing after being repeatedly warned by the cabin staff.

I know I could have been fired for playing tetris all day long once. Luckily I didn’t. I wish I could say I got my boss hooked on to it. That wouldn’t be a fact then. The thin line isn’t that easy to cross in a post which is so based on facts and is so close to my heart.

I have been stuck to the classic version and I know I kick ass at it.
I know the history and I know what it means to me.
And if ever there is a tetris tournament, please let me know about it. Feel free to leave comments on what the game means to you. It has helped me calm down and get the focus many a times.

Finally, we’re all still playing tetris and will continue on it. I play it several times a day. I will make my kids play it. I have seen several people getting hooked on to it. It’s one of the greatest icons in history of the gaming world. Every geek and non geek plays it. If you haven’t yet played it:

Tetris 1.6

Hey if you’d excuse me – it’s time for a break…

PS : Thanks to wiki !

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

What just happened?

Whaaa?

Just checked the stats and the visitor count increased...Well well !
Congrats to the non-bloggers and me!

Welcome to the new people... a "prettier and juicier" welcome once you people write something and prove your worth on TTTW!

Till then, the car number game...

I was a big fan of a particular radio station in Delhi. Actually of a particular RJ... Ginni. Super woman...I learnt this game and it helped me pass a lotta time en route Delhi-gurgaon.

This game can be played with any car number provided there is no zero in it. The basic idea is to reduce any 4 digit number to a 0 by doing basic arithmetic operations.

For eg. :
7855
8-7 = 1
5/5 = 1
1-1 =0

8432
4-3 = 1
cube root of 8 = 2
2/2 = 1
1-1 =0

Let the TP begin!
If you don't know what TP means... I am glad that we are friends!

Good night! I have worked way too much today...