Jingle bells Jingle bells jingle all the way....yipeee christmas is here 4 days chutti, I am in the capital of the land of goras(gosh when will i forget they ruled us for more than 100 years).
Its cold out here and when i say cold i mean veryyyyyyy cold the min temp is 1 or 2 degree celcius and max is 6-7...., I take 20-25 min to dress up in layers(this does not include make up time), I change tubes like crazy (work in central london) nearly run to catch up with these guys in black coat(every one seems to be wearing a big long coat, reminds me of Sherlock Holmes, though nobody wears the hat,I get outnumbered with my colorful girly pink one), there are christmas carols everywhere, the place is decorated so well, I've never seen bridges in India decorate like that for diwali or so too, smoke keeps coming out of my mouth all the time,while I walk between the stations I keep admiring the ladies who wear pencil heels walking tuk tuk tuk and do all these daily chores of walking and changing trains and tubes, I admire the cleanliness in the tubes,and their etiquettes(will have another blog on this one) I got my oyster card to commute, everybody is in a hurry and so am i(i can pretend well) and in that hurry they pick up rather snatch the free newspapers to read on train(its like the scenario outside our local bus stops where these salesman will keep saying madam kidhar janeeka hai bombay, nasik goa...bus hai apna....you just cant ignore..they are walking with you all the time) same is the case with newspapers...never seen anybody offering free newspapers like that.
Its a week now in london and they just passed zooop like that (hope the next 6 months do so too). will go site seeing with some friends this weekend, going to see the energetic(so they say) Merchants of Bollywood and spend Christmas with my cute couple friend "chet" (as Suni and me fondly call him) and beens.
P.S: I am looking for accommodation here, so anybody with any ideas/suggestions please let me know and yes Merry Christmas to all.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Flower Etiquette
[I am planning to have a series of different etiquettes, starting with flowers first]
Winter the festive season is here again, and so is the season of weddings and parties and gifts. At first I used to really break my head to find some good ideas for gifts crockery, showpiece, football, gift coupons etc etc and then I realized there is nothing better than flowers. (though most of the times i give gifts as well as flowers ;)) , So since its festive season I thought lemme be the smart one to know about flowers ,I googled for flowers and what to give when...coz flowers have meaning and their colors too cudnt find much in that sense but I found various other stuff related to it, so I thought of jotting it down here.
BTW, in my school days, in our convent we girls had learnt this,(dunno from where) what color rose(we dint know anything beyond roses then :)) signified what, this knowledge would be shared just before valentines day ;)
Red - love
Yellow - hatred
White -peace
Orange/Pink - friendship
I dunno how true it stands now, but these were our standards then.
Anyways back to flower etiquette,here are tips on the etiquette of flowers:
Choose the Right Flower: Various cultures have assigned special meanings and superstitions to specific flowers. Too numerous to list here, find a lovely chart showing the name, meaning, and photos of flowers from A to Z at http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Flowers/1.htm. he he he just kidding. I think we can chose with what we see in our stores nearby.
Know Your True Flower Colors: Choosing the right color is equally important(as I mentioned what happened during my school days). Flowers such as daisies, carnations(btw carnations are told to be funeral flowers is it true?), and chrysanthemums, come in many colors. When giving flowers as a gift, be sensitive never to give white flowers in India and most other countries, as it symbolizes mournful and unhappy occasions, because white is the color worn and used at funerals. In India red symbolizes life and happiness. Interstingly On the other hand, in Mexican folklore, red flowers cast spells and white flowers lift spells.
Give the Correct Number of Flowers: Also consider the number of flowers you give, as what is appropriate varies from place-to-place. In the U.S. a dozen flowers is appropriate and customary. In Europe and elsewhere even numbers are considered inappropriate. Almost everywhere, the number 13 is considered unlucky. In parts of Asia, never give a gift having an association with the number 4 (it sounds similar to the word death....I just read this somewhere, was not aware of it too). Giving a single flower is generally reserved for lovers.(and I thought it was low budget ;))
Present Flowers with Panache: In most countries, it is the custom to present a bouquet of flowers unwrapped, to display its full beauty upon presentation. Its kinda cliche to take flowers at these occassionss, Here are two alternatives to consider: Bring flowers already displayed in a vase of their own, or arrange for a floral arrangement to be sent ahead. Sending flowers a day after a party is a wonderful thank-you gift. BTW, its good to learn which flowers are favorite of your friends beforehand.
Be an Equal Opportunity Flower Giver: Men enjoy receiving flowers, too. The difference to keep in mind when presenting flowers to men versus women is in what kind of flowers you give, in what colors, and how they are presented. Keep to stronger, dominant colors, such as yellows and oranges. Do keep the wrapping simple, avoiding lots of ribbons, bows, and frills. With the emergence of equality, it is no longer inappropriate---thank goodness---for a woman to give flowers to a man. I enjoy giving men flowers.
Be your own secret admirer: Having a bad day? Celebrating a personal victory? Either way, give yourself some flowers. It is an indulgence that won’t add body weight, affect your ability to drive, or break your bank account. I do it myself and believe me it feels really nice.
P.S: No matter when the urge strikes you to give someone flowers, the one thing to keep in mind is never to steal them from your neighbor’s garden.
P.P.S: I love gerberas and tulips, so next time you know what to give me.
Winter the festive season is here again, and so is the season of weddings and parties and gifts. At first I used to really break my head to find some good ideas for gifts crockery, showpiece, football, gift coupons etc etc and then I realized there is nothing better than flowers. (though most of the times i give gifts as well as flowers ;)) , So since its festive season I thought lemme be the smart one to know about flowers ,I googled for flowers and what to give when...coz flowers have meaning and their colors too cudnt find much in that sense but I found various other stuff related to it, so I thought of jotting it down here.
BTW, in my school days, in our convent we girls had learnt this,(dunno from where) what color rose(we dint know anything beyond roses then :)) signified what, this knowledge would be shared just before valentines day ;)
Red - love
Yellow - hatred
White -peace
Orange/Pink - friendship
I dunno how true it stands now, but these were our standards then.
Anyways back to flower etiquette,here are tips on the etiquette of flowers:
Choose the Right Flower: Various cultures have assigned special meanings and superstitions to specific flowers. Too numerous to list here, find a lovely chart showing the name, meaning, and photos of flowers from A to Z at http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Flowers/1.htm. he he he just kidding. I think we can chose with what we see in our stores nearby.
Know Your True Flower Colors: Choosing the right color is equally important(as I mentioned what happened during my school days). Flowers such as daisies, carnations(btw carnations are told to be funeral flowers is it true?), and chrysanthemums, come in many colors. When giving flowers as a gift, be sensitive never to give white flowers in India and most other countries, as it symbolizes mournful and unhappy occasions, because white is the color worn and used at funerals. In India red symbolizes life and happiness. Interstingly On the other hand, in Mexican folklore, red flowers cast spells and white flowers lift spells.
Give the Correct Number of Flowers: Also consider the number of flowers you give, as what is appropriate varies from place-to-place. In the U.S. a dozen flowers is appropriate and customary. In Europe and elsewhere even numbers are considered inappropriate. Almost everywhere, the number 13 is considered unlucky. In parts of Asia, never give a gift having an association with the number 4 (it sounds similar to the word death....I just read this somewhere, was not aware of it too). Giving a single flower is generally reserved for lovers.(and I thought it was low budget ;))
Present Flowers with Panache: In most countries, it is the custom to present a bouquet of flowers unwrapped, to display its full beauty upon presentation. Its kinda cliche to take flowers at these occassionss, Here are two alternatives to consider: Bring flowers already displayed in a vase of their own, or arrange for a floral arrangement to be sent ahead. Sending flowers a day after a party is a wonderful thank-you gift. BTW, its good to learn which flowers are favorite of your friends beforehand.
Be an Equal Opportunity Flower Giver: Men enjoy receiving flowers, too. The difference to keep in mind when presenting flowers to men versus women is in what kind of flowers you give, in what colors, and how they are presented. Keep to stronger, dominant colors, such as yellows and oranges. Do keep the wrapping simple, avoiding lots of ribbons, bows, and frills. With the emergence of equality, it is no longer inappropriate---thank goodness---for a woman to give flowers to a man. I enjoy giving men flowers.
Be your own secret admirer: Having a bad day? Celebrating a personal victory? Either way, give yourself some flowers. It is an indulgence that won’t add body weight, affect your ability to drive, or break your bank account. I do it myself and believe me it feels really nice.
P.S: No matter when the urge strikes you to give someone flowers, the one thing to keep in mind is never to steal them from your neighbor’s garden.
P.P.S: I love gerberas and tulips, so next time you know what to give me.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Earth is Flat?
Today while updating my profile on blogger, I was asked the following Random question
What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
I thought and thought and thought and my answer is
I dont believe that the earth is flat, reason, my geography teacher told me so. Give me another question and don't put words in my mouth he he he:)
wht do u say, Do u have a reason?? What did your geography teacher have to say on that?
I just cud'nt think out of the box.
P.S: BTW thinking about flat anybody read the book The world(not earth) is Flat?
What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
I thought and thought and thought and my answer is
I dont believe that the earth is flat, reason, my geography teacher told me so. Give me another question and don't put words in my mouth he he he:)
wht do u say, Do u have a reason?? What did your geography teacher have to say on that?
I just cud'nt think out of the box.
P.S: BTW thinking about flat anybody read the book The world(not earth) is Flat?
Thursday, November 30, 2006
watched Dhoom2 between riots
Watched Dhoom2 yesterday amongst the riots. Yeah I dunno how, I think luck, but I somehow managed to escape the riots yesterday.
I was on my way home knowing nothing about riots, when my friend Rojo(who was buying tickets for all of us) called and asked me to reach the movie theatre coz his Credit card was locked accidentally, so I de-routed my usual route (where there were stone pelting and the glasses of cars were being shattered, which i was not aware of) and reached the multiplex, got tickets 180Rs per head...gosh-thats-too-expensive...max i paid so far for a movie was 150 bucks in India, plus car parking...too-much-money-for-movie, with that thought in mind and hoping the movie was worth it I reached home via Ambedkar Nagar.
Soon my friend Poo played a bluff on me to inform about the riots saying shes stuck in traffic, blah blah i was tensed while she was just standing at my door(talking to me) ringing the bell,I opened the door and saw her.We were just laughing about it when her bluff became true, my neighbour came over to inform that his car was stopped and glasses broken. Another friend called up and mentioned the same. Now knowing Pune (supposed to be calm and generally not involved in these riots) we were contemplating whether to go or no for the movie. We called each other and we all seemed to be more worried about the movie. we'd invested 180 bucks and were planning for quite a long time. Ruz was supposed to come from the other end of the city via the main city and other Friend Andy was in the city, another was just near Ambedkar Nagar. finally we all decided to go and see the movie, and if we see commotion on our way we turn back.
Okay so strategy planned and with a backup plan of staying at a colleagues place if things got worse, we left the house in my car(hoping no glasses will break).The road which I'd just taken 1/2 hour back was full of shattered glass pieces and Police everywhere. luckily we reached safely to the multiplex and in time and watched the movie with calls in between from friends saying "don't come home, riots started ". Parents saying "Don't come home, stay out of the house" "they burning buses here...where are you...if u want stay in the multiplex itself" etc etc and we happily saw the movie.
So heres my take on the movie.
Overall Movie : Just OK, can watch once, but definitely not worth my 180bucks.
Hrithik : Awesome, handsome, mind blowing, killing looks, smart, confident,6pack abs. He is one sincere actor, who takes his work and his body seriously, am sure he is going to become a biiiiiiig star coz of his attitude and hard work towards perfection.
Abhishek : though he is supposed to be hero, am sure everybody had liking towards Hrithik(the villian), wore full shirts even on the beach when Hrithink and even Ali for the matter(the flop chopra guy..i forgot his name) would flaunt their muscles. Jr.B I think its time you take your body seriously, you have tough competition, John could not steal the crowd as much during D1 as Hrithik did in D2.
Bipasha : looked gorgeous, better than Ash for sure, first role was good, wonder why she was given 2 roles and behave like a dumb in the second half...she was not required there. but she looked good
Ash : oh my she was a total misfit there, dint look good at all, she couldn't carry the character well. the script writer tried to give her a patterned dialog but it was not really 'funny', Mr 'funny guy'
Ali : the flop young son of the chopra family i don't quite recollect his name, made things a little funny initially but later he was annoying too.
Mr Script Writer: the dialogs were quite predictive and boring and too long in some cases, except for one where Hrithik tells Abhishek "chor agar apna kaam nahi karega toh police kya kaam karegi".
Songs: there were too many songs which were not required.
Things that you cant miss: Hrithik's body,Hrithiks acting, the background sceneries, Abhishek's ponge ;), Bips in her bikini , gals thinking why is Hrithik married,(though his wife looks gorgeous too), the gadgets, the initial chase reminded me of Krish he he he, thinking is this circus
My rating is the Director could have done better, I missed the bikes in this movie. all in All see the movie for the hot Hrithik,
Gals : to see how handsome and adorable he looks
Guys : to see how they can build their muscles, a little for gadgets too, plus guys can see bips and ash too.
We all reached home safely and had a nice sleep, with puja dreaming of Hrithik.
While am writing this blog , they just announced in my office today requesting not to leave office until further notice as there are riots going on everywhere. Hope I get lucky again.
I was on my way home knowing nothing about riots, when my friend Rojo(who was buying tickets for all of us) called and asked me to reach the movie theatre coz his Credit card was locked accidentally, so I de-routed my usual route (where there were stone pelting and the glasses of cars were being shattered, which i was not aware of) and reached the multiplex, got tickets 180Rs per head...gosh-thats-too-expensive...max i paid so far for a movie was 150 bucks in India, plus car parking...too-much-money-for-movie, with that thought in mind and hoping the movie was worth it I reached home via Ambedkar Nagar.
Soon my friend Poo played a bluff on me to inform about the riots saying shes stuck in traffic, blah blah i was tensed while she was just standing at my door(talking to me) ringing the bell,I opened the door and saw her.We were just laughing about it when her bluff became true, my neighbour came over to inform that his car was stopped and glasses broken. Another friend called up and mentioned the same. Now knowing Pune (supposed to be calm and generally not involved in these riots) we were contemplating whether to go or no for the movie. We called each other and we all seemed to be more worried about the movie. we'd invested 180 bucks and were planning for quite a long time. Ruz was supposed to come from the other end of the city via the main city and other Friend Andy was in the city, another was just near Ambedkar Nagar. finally we all decided to go and see the movie, and if we see commotion on our way we turn back.
Okay so strategy planned and with a backup plan of staying at a colleagues place if things got worse, we left the house in my car(hoping no glasses will break).The road which I'd just taken 1/2 hour back was full of shattered glass pieces and Police everywhere. luckily we reached safely to the multiplex and in time and watched the movie with calls in between from friends saying "don't come home, riots started ". Parents saying "Don't come home, stay out of the house" "they burning buses here...where are you...if u want stay in the multiplex itself" etc etc and we happily saw the movie.
So heres my take on the movie.
Overall Movie : Just OK, can watch once, but definitely not worth my 180bucks.
Hrithik : Awesome, handsome, mind blowing, killing looks, smart, confident,6pack abs. He is one sincere actor, who takes his work and his body seriously, am sure he is going to become a biiiiiiig star coz of his attitude and hard work towards perfection.
Abhishek : though he is supposed to be hero, am sure everybody had liking towards Hrithik(the villian), wore full shirts even on the beach when Hrithink and even Ali for the matter(the flop chopra guy..i forgot his name) would flaunt their muscles. Jr.B I think its time you take your body seriously, you have tough competition, John could not steal the crowd as much during D1 as Hrithik did in D2.
Bipasha : looked gorgeous, better than Ash for sure, first role was good, wonder why she was given 2 roles and behave like a dumb in the second half...she was not required there. but she looked good
Ash : oh my she was a total misfit there, dint look good at all, she couldn't carry the character well. the script writer tried to give her a patterned dialog but it was not really 'funny', Mr 'funny guy'
Ali : the flop young son of the chopra family i don't quite recollect his name, made things a little funny initially but later he was annoying too.
Mr Script Writer: the dialogs were quite predictive and boring and too long in some cases, except for one where Hrithik tells Abhishek "chor agar apna kaam nahi karega toh police kya kaam karegi".
Songs: there were too many songs which were not required.
Things that you cant miss: Hrithik's body,Hrithiks acting, the background sceneries, Abhishek's ponge ;), Bips in her bikini , gals thinking why is Hrithik married,(though his wife looks gorgeous too), the gadgets, the initial chase reminded me of Krish he he he, thinking is this circus
My rating is the Director could have done better, I missed the bikes in this movie. all in All see the movie for the hot Hrithik,
Gals : to see how handsome and adorable he looks
Guys : to see how they can build their muscles, a little for gadgets too, plus guys can see bips and ash too.
We all reached home safely and had a nice sleep, with puja dreaming of Hrithik.
While am writing this blog , they just announced in my office today requesting not to leave office until further notice as there are riots going on everywhere. Hope I get lucky again.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Bodyguards Tiff
Here is a reply to an anonymous comment on my blog , it was too big for a comment hence this blog, first of all thanks for dropping by my blog Mr/Miss anonymous
This was posted before the incident happened so dint write about the incident and later on I did see the news when this 'bodyguard smackdown' incident happened and was debating in my mind about it here are my thoughts in words below. (With a disclaimer that my thoughts as my blog title reads maybe impious or virtuos)
Firstly Angelina and Brad came out and spoke about it which is below, secondly, even if it did happen, it was not the fav star couple but their bodyguards who were involved in it, and thirdly even if they(bodyguards) did it, I am not sure coz i was not there to witness and i wudnt trust the media totally they were arrested and fined too. So all those who think the bodyguards did it, they might not be that innocent, they were punished too right, so what more do we want? Dint they get their lesson.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that Brad and Angelina would hire individuals who were just brutes. After all the humanitarian work they've done, I can't imagine they would surround themselves with anyone who would purposely harm anyone, much less children, without plenty of provocation.
Heres an extract of an interview with Brad pitt sourced from NDTV
Brad: I can argue. I don’t have to agree with it. I may not be used to live life that way.
Irfaan: If I would have known, If I come to know that this kind of language… somebody used this kind of language. I wouldn’t have been sitting here, I wouldn't have come with Brad. This is a sensitive thing for me.
Barkha: So you are absolutely sure that this hasn’t happened?
Irfaan: Ya, I am sure that this hasn’t happened…it was blown out of proportion. I will tell you one thing. Today there was a newspaper. Somebody quoted me saying that you know the bodyguards misbehaved. I never talked to anybody. Although journalists were trying to take comments out of me saying that you were the only Indian, Bollywood actor there. As an Indian think if somebody calls you this. Now this is like putting words in my mouth. I didn’t know what happened, we were inside you know and they were just trying to create something out of it. I felt a little, you know…"
Irfaan too is supporting the couple right, and he just mentioned how media were putting words in his mouth.
Heres an interesting read on Guarding a celebrity using brain not brawn.
Last but not the least, I think we should create an environment for people to come to India for shoots, touring etc instead of creating such media prbs. One think I surely feel is that Brangelina should have had a press conference initially itself as they arrived in India, then the Paparazzi would not be chasing them as much, coz for them it was like a challenge to click pics of the hiding 'hot celebreties', am sure lot of money was involved in getting a nice shot of the couple for the news. I think the couple gave more priority to their work.
P.S: BTW Anon, I dint hear or read anything about the kick, where did you get that from?
This was posted before the incident happened so dint write about the incident and later on I did see the news when this 'bodyguard smackdown' incident happened and was debating in my mind about it here are my thoughts in words below. (With a disclaimer that my thoughts as my blog title reads maybe impious or virtuos)
Firstly Angelina and Brad came out and spoke about it which is below, secondly, even if it did happen, it was not the fav star couple but their bodyguards who were involved in it, and thirdly even if they(bodyguards) did it, I am not sure coz i was not there to witness and i wudnt trust the media totally they were arrested and fined too. So all those who think the bodyguards did it, they might not be that innocent, they were punished too right, so what more do we want? Dint they get their lesson.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that Brad and Angelina would hire individuals who were just brutes. After all the humanitarian work they've done, I can't imagine they would surround themselves with anyone who would purposely harm anyone, much less children, without plenty of provocation.
Heres an extract of an interview with Brad pitt sourced from NDTV
Brad: I can argue. I don’t have to agree with it. I may not be used to live life that way.
Irfaan: If I would have known, If I come to know that this kind of language… somebody used this kind of language. I wouldn’t have been sitting here, I wouldn't have come with Brad. This is a sensitive thing for me.
Barkha: So you are absolutely sure that this hasn’t happened?
Irfaan: Ya, I am sure that this hasn’t happened…it was blown out of proportion. I will tell you one thing. Today there was a newspaper. Somebody quoted me saying that you know the bodyguards misbehaved. I never talked to anybody. Although journalists were trying to take comments out of me saying that you were the only Indian, Bollywood actor there. As an Indian think if somebody calls you this. Now this is like putting words in my mouth. I didn’t know what happened, we were inside you know and they were just trying to create something out of it. I felt a little, you know…"
Irfaan too is supporting the couple right, and he just mentioned how media were putting words in his mouth.
Heres an interesting read on Guarding a celebrity using brain not brawn.
Last but not the least, I think we should create an environment for people to come to India for shoots, touring etc instead of creating such media prbs. One think I surely feel is that Brangelina should have had a press conference initially itself as they arrived in India, then the Paparazzi would not be chasing them as much, coz for them it was like a challenge to click pics of the hiding 'hot celebreties', am sure lot of money was involved in getting a nice shot of the couple for the news. I think the couple gave more priority to their work.
P.S: BTW Anon, I dint hear or read anything about the kick, where did you get that from?
Monday, November 20, 2006
Casino Royale, awesome movie...
Though I thought I would not like Daniel Craig as Bond coz I'm an admirer of Brosnan but I think i'm getting inclined towards Daniel now.He's got extreeeeeeemely fit body, Loved the way he runs and does not pant at all(almost like a robot), the composed look on his face, emotions ( yeah this bond is human :)).
Okay about the movie, Its a little long , but does not bore you at all, you feel as if the movie ended and it continues (happened to me twice). Its about the initial days of bond, surprisingly the bond music is not in the backgrounds at all, yet the flavour of bond was still there.
Okay about the movie, Its a little long , but does not bore you at all, you feel as if the movie ended and it continues (happened to me twice). Its about the initial days of bond, surprisingly the bond music is not in the backgrounds at all, yet the flavour of bond was still there.
The bond girl is not hot hot like the typical ones but self-effacing and diffident. No sensous scenes showed in India so can't comment on that, but I'm sure they would be good too. I don't want to give much about the movie, but DON'T miss the start of the movie at all, its the best chase I've ever seen so far and they've beautiful sceneries in various shots of the movie.
Casino Royale , totally loved it, I might watch it again. :)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Brangelina out once more
Brangelina i.e. Angela jolie and Brad Pitt...I find it weird tht they are called by that name...is it only them or other stars also have a single name, like Bijo for Bips and John , Karesha for Kareena and Shaheed he he he ..am bad at this, letme come to the main topic.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie seem to enjoy giving surprises to the Indian crowd., The hot duo are definitely enjoying India in Indian style (ofcourse with their body guards)After their rickshaw stint in Pune they traveled by local train (second class) in Mumbai and also visited Gateway of India with their kids.Its nice to know the couple want to explore and feel the day to day stuff in India and instead of inviting press conference(though I don’t see the need) they are having these hide and seek sessions with our Indian crowd. But the crowd seems to be enjoying it too.
I dunno what I would do if i see the duo, but I'm sure Mulan would be jumping for a glimpse of the cheaseled Pitt, as she describes him :).
What would you do if you got a glimpse of them or for that matter any star?
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Awaiting KJ(jr)
Kapil , fondly called KJ/ Myst(e)ry the smirky fellow, was the one who introduced me to the world of blogging. I enjoyed reading his blogs, his funny experiences and was encouraged to start my blog too, one blog lead to another and soon everybody in the group like Ruz, Suni, Vips to mention a few started blogging. We were all fida by his style of writing to mention a few his Humanitarian Motives ,The workarounds and his conversation with Raju and the while series, so many I think I have to read the blog again. Nobody would call it a day before reading his blog and yes we had to leave comments too. All of us write now, but we miss his style. Though Suni got her style well. He was also thinking of taking up a course or something in (that's what he told us).
But lately coz hes awaiting his junior his writing has taken a back seat.Junior is expected anytime this month, hopefully KJ s back with mebbe proudparent.blogspot.com. :)
We all miss your writing KJ, and Ruz really needs some inspiration to start writing again, come back soon to this world of blogging..and good luck!!!
But lately coz hes awaiting his junior his writing has taken a back seat.Junior is expected anytime this month, hopefully KJ s back with mebbe proudparent.blogspot.com. :)
We all miss your writing KJ, and Ruz really needs some inspiration to start writing again, come back soon to this world of blogging..and good luck!!!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Home Alone
Back from my vacation, and I am feeling so lonely. I miss mom big time. Its strange to live alone in your own house, so far I've lived alone abroad onlyand it was like a piece of cake, but I think its tougher to do the same back home. Hopefully I don't feel sad and lonely, so far no time for it. Thanks to my lovely friends who've kept me busy.
So far I've to deal with all the mess I keep doing home alone, like cook extra and waste food, keep searching stuff in the kitchen, Mom we should have all transparent containers, rememeber we talked about this, walk into a room full of water coz I forgot to close the tap and could not hear the water running, forget to pay the bills, already the telephone line of my house is cut, iron each morning coz I forgot to call the laundry man etc etc.
Hopefully my project work starts soon and I go onsite.
P.S: A request to the film industry, pls release some good movies soon.
So far I've to deal with all the mess I keep doing home alone, like cook extra and waste food, keep searching stuff in the kitchen, Mom we should have all transparent containers, rememeber we talked about this, walk into a room full of water coz I forgot to close the tap and could not hear the water running, forget to pay the bills, already the telephone line of my house is cut, iron each morning coz I forgot to call the laundry man etc etc.
Hopefully my project work starts soon and I go onsite.
P.S: A request to the film industry, pls release some good movies soon.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Dubai - Truly Global.
I surprised my family by landing in Dubai for the Diwali holidays, it was fun to see their surprised reactions :), god I miss them so much more now spent good 11 days with them and with the cold tissues too (well there was so much temp diff between indoor and outdoor that I caught cold big time...hence could not shop for perfumes :( )
Anyways that's not the purpose of my blog, I wanted to share my views as how Dubai is truly global and why Indians like it so much.
This was my 3rd visit to Dubai, first time I’d gone site seeing, the 7 emirates (I was amazed to see that all the roads even while traveling to another emirate(state) had street lights, unlike India where the state roads are not lit at all), 2nd visit was really short and this time I truly experienced the day to day living.
Roads - they are just awesome, no potholes like in Pune...well I find all roads better than Pune roads. Besides that they have so much greenery, wonder how they grow grass on the sand, any ideas? Cars were "ek se badhkar ek" (couldn’t find equivalent English word to express this). So many hummers wow....and they can really enjoy the ride on those smooth roads of course not on sharjah -Dubai road traffic that can get annoying.
Malls - the shopping malls in Dubai are so huge, you will find all the brands there, brands from US, India, UK everything. this time I visited the Mall of Emirates and Ibn Battuta mall, they reminded me of Vegas, the difference is Vegas has theme casinos and here the malls have themes, like ibn Battuta has interiors like china, India, Persia etc. Mall of Emirates has 'Ski Dubai', they actually make ice there and people can do skiing. I am sure the sheikhs who've seen sand all the time would be really excited to see the snow. I admire the country's mgmt and culture, though being an Islamic country they are pretty liberal (except for Ramadan, when people are not permitted to consume anything publicly). Sometimes I think they are too liberal, imagine everybody talks Hindi there, every second person there is an Indian (south Indian to be specific), wherever you go you see them; I wondered whether I am in India or Dubai.
Buildings: I really salute the architectures that build the buildings in Dubai, remind me of Howard Roark of Fountain head. They just don’t make boxes or normal buildings; they make huge and beautiful structures with the challenge of building it in sand. I wanted to see Burj-al-Arab, reservations had to be done (buffet lunch or tea) if you had to visit the hotel, its a little on expensive side, but my sweetie bro made reservations for me and my bhabhi. I was so excited that I would see the hotel, when I called them to ask what all I could see, they said only the lobby and the restaurant you've reserved. I was so annoyed it was not worth the money I thought they would give a tour or something; after all it’s the only 7 star hotels in water..Alas, I cancelled the reservation.
Food: Well you get all kinds of food here, veg, non-veg, I ate mangoes in Oct. So many food chains course the usual mc Donalds, KFC blah blah but what I liked the most is US Starbucks, UK's Costa and India's Barista all at one place...wow I just love the coffee. I found Dunkin Donuts too and just enjoyed them; my bro even got them packed for me to take to India. There are so many chaat stalls and awesome chaat. My sister in law finds all the vegetables there whichever she would get in Dehradun or Ahmedabad or Pune, so all those at one place.
No wonder my bro likes it there. I had lovely time with my nephew. It’s beautiful to see how kids express and pick up things from us. (There would be a separate blog for that).
So in all I would say Malaysia --- truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuly Asia, Dubai - truly Global.
P.S: For me global refers to countries I’ve visited so far :)
P.P.S: btw my return journey was awesome, got my tickets changed for Destination Pune instead of Mumbai, and for the first time I spread my legs(actually slept) the 2 seats besides me were empty in the flight, and on reaching India, for a change my best friend Puja was on time to pick me up (she is known for reaching late all the time..Ofcourse she has her valid excuses :)).
Anyways that's not the purpose of my blog, I wanted to share my views as how Dubai is truly global and why Indians like it so much.
This was my 3rd visit to Dubai, first time I’d gone site seeing, the 7 emirates (I was amazed to see that all the roads even while traveling to another emirate(state) had street lights, unlike India where the state roads are not lit at all), 2nd visit was really short and this time I truly experienced the day to day living.
Roads - they are just awesome, no potholes like in Pune...well I find all roads better than Pune roads. Besides that they have so much greenery, wonder how they grow grass on the sand, any ideas? Cars were "ek se badhkar ek" (couldn’t find equivalent English word to express this). So many hummers wow....and they can really enjoy the ride on those smooth roads of course not on sharjah -Dubai road traffic that can get annoying.
Malls - the shopping malls in Dubai are so huge, you will find all the brands there, brands from US, India, UK everything. this time I visited the Mall of Emirates and Ibn Battuta mall, they reminded me of Vegas, the difference is Vegas has theme casinos and here the malls have themes, like ibn Battuta has interiors like china, India, Persia etc. Mall of Emirates has 'Ski Dubai', they actually make ice there and people can do skiing. I am sure the sheikhs who've seen sand all the time would be really excited to see the snow. I admire the country's mgmt and culture, though being an Islamic country they are pretty liberal (except for Ramadan, when people are not permitted to consume anything publicly). Sometimes I think they are too liberal, imagine everybody talks Hindi there, every second person there is an Indian (south Indian to be specific), wherever you go you see them; I wondered whether I am in India or Dubai.
Buildings: I really salute the architectures that build the buildings in Dubai, remind me of Howard Roark of Fountain head. They just don’t make boxes or normal buildings; they make huge and beautiful structures with the challenge of building it in sand. I wanted to see Burj-al-Arab, reservations had to be done (buffet lunch or tea) if you had to visit the hotel, its a little on expensive side, but my sweetie bro made reservations for me and my bhabhi. I was so excited that I would see the hotel, when I called them to ask what all I could see, they said only the lobby and the restaurant you've reserved. I was so annoyed it was not worth the money I thought they would give a tour or something; after all it’s the only 7 star hotels in water..Alas, I cancelled the reservation.
Food: Well you get all kinds of food here, veg, non-veg, I ate mangoes in Oct. So many food chains course the usual mc Donalds, KFC blah blah but what I liked the most is US Starbucks, UK's Costa and India's Barista all at one place...wow I just love the coffee. I found Dunkin Donuts too and just enjoyed them; my bro even got them packed for me to take to India. There are so many chaat stalls and awesome chaat. My sister in law finds all the vegetables there whichever she would get in Dehradun or Ahmedabad or Pune, so all those at one place.
No wonder my bro likes it there. I had lovely time with my nephew. It’s beautiful to see how kids express and pick up things from us. (There would be a separate blog for that).
So in all I would say Malaysia --- truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuly Asia, Dubai - truly Global.
P.S: For me global refers to countries I’ve visited so far :)
P.P.S: btw my return journey was awesome, got my tickets changed for Destination Pune instead of Mumbai, and for the first time I spread my legs(actually slept) the 2 seats besides me were empty in the flight, and on reaching India, for a change my best friend Puja was on time to pick me up (she is known for reaching late all the time..Ofcourse she has her valid excuses :)).
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
unplanned sunday activity
last sunday was a nice sunday relaxing at home, lazying around reading, watching TV basically chilling,when my friend calls up at 5 and says, jijaji gave me sunidhi chauhan live performance VIP pass, its today at 7 are you game for it...I jumped off the bed (well am not a sunidhi chauhan fan or something just that seeing a live perofmace was much better than what i was already doing that day)got ready and in an hours time or so we were seated in our ' VIP seats'. (ok okay i'll stop emphasizing on the VIP seats...its just that i never got a VIP pass before :) )
The show started, was hosted by MC Vik, and he sang kangna .. then he introduced a new singer sonali who sang pari hoon mai followed by another new singer Ayub Patel who sang my fav 'chaand sifarish' then came the queen of item songs with a very high spirit and lot of 'josh'( bajaj mobike were the sponsorers hence josh), wow she looked simple and nice. Though she sings all item songs (well most of them) she was very dressed very very decent.Reminded me of how soon time flies its just around 9 years back, we went to see antakshari (live) and there Sunidhi had just come as a filler she sang a number or 2 and she was a child performing in frock, and now she was the main attraction and ran the entire show by herself with her voice and dancing moves and grooves. she sang around 9-10 songs to name a few 'meri mummy ko nahi pata', 'dhoom','parineeta's song',ishq kabhi kariyon na, bidi jalaile, munna bhai's dekhle, her latest song from Don etc
The crowd was totally involved in singing and dancing, and it was not that only young folks had come, there were people of all age groups, boys were dancing like crazy and there was also a little boy standing on the chair and dancing and when sunidhi noticed him and waved him back he was overwhelmed (you should have checked his face)
The show started, was hosted by MC Vik, and he sang kangna .. then he introduced a new singer sonali who sang pari hoon mai followed by another new singer Ayub Patel who sang my fav 'chaand sifarish' then came the queen of item songs with a very high spirit and lot of 'josh'( bajaj mobike were the sponsorers hence josh), wow she looked simple and nice. Though she sings all item songs (well most of them) she was very dressed very very decent.Reminded me of how soon time flies its just around 9 years back, we went to see antakshari (live) and there Sunidhi had just come as a filler she sang a number or 2 and she was a child performing in frock, and now she was the main attraction and ran the entire show by herself with her voice and dancing moves and grooves. she sang around 9-10 songs to name a few 'meri mummy ko nahi pata', 'dhoom','parineeta's song',ishq kabhi kariyon na, bidi jalaile, munna bhai's dekhle, her latest song from Don etc
The crowd was totally involved in singing and dancing, and it was not that only young folks had come, there were people of all age groups, boys were dancing like crazy and there was also a little boy standing on the chair and dancing and when sunidhi noticed him and waved him back he was overwhelmed (you should have checked his face)
Monday, September 11, 2006
10 ingredients for yummy banana muffins.
I tried this recipe last week, when I was invited for lunch...turned out to be really good.
Banana muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups Flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 bananas
Honey (optional)
some nuts to garnishvanilla essence.
Wht to do with the ingredients?
First beat the butter soft and mix sugar in it (tip:its better if u powder the granular sugar first).
Beat this mixture well (by hand mixie or mixie) till it becomes soft and little fluffy, Add the beaten eggs to this mixture, add salt baking soda, baking powder and smashed bananas, mix well till a smooth mixture.
Now add honey and the flour slowly and keep mixing it( there should be no lumps).
Grease the baking tray with butter and sprinkle little flour on them, pour the mixture in the moulds and garnish them with the nuts
Bake it in the oven at 380 degree celcius for 18 minutes and the yummy muffins are ready to eat :)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
I dunno what to title this, Picked up a tag probably?
Loved this tag, so picked it up from smiling girl. i also realized that there is so much to do in this small life :)
So here is the index -Boldened ones are the ones that I did.
The ones with the asterisk are the ones that I would want to do.
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
*06. Held a tarantula (well i held a baby crocodile, if that counts :))
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris *
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (What is it? Wanna see it though!)
15. Gone to a huge sports game (Nopes.. )
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa * (Of course, would love to do it!)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (Did this is in schooldays)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (yup did this, also i have some stars on the ceiling over my bed too :))
20. Changed a baby's diaper (Thanks to my nephew to gimme this chance)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (well taken a ride but not a trip)
22. Watched a meteor shower (Yes it was awesome, there is day in dec when you can see meteor shower all night..i happened to go for star gazing the same night,...and it was awesome i was out of wishes)
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope (Yepp!! )
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (he he he yup)
27. Had a food fight (neah...i dont see that happening too)
28. Bet on a winning horse (did it in reno if the horse in the casinos can be counted :))
29. Asked out a stranger (well not exactly asked out, but i went site seeing with stranger during my hongkong transit)
30. Had a snowball fight (Yeah!)
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can (generally at echo points!)
32. Held a lamb (during my schooldays, held a baby goat, is it the same as lamb)
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster (Yeah, and I love them!)
35. Hit a home run (what is this??)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (Always!! coz i dunno to dance)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (not entire day though)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer *
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends (still have them!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (recently done that in a pub in UK)
44. Watched wild whales *
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe *
47. Taken a road-trip*
48. Gone rock climbing (would love to do in canyon though, I went in lonavala)
49. Midnight walk on the beach (thanks to Goa for this :))
50. Gone sky diving (yes and it was 'THE experience', awesome, somply mind blowing)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds (am sure Monica would do that :))
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (i dont want people to leave the place and go :) )
59. Lounged around in bed all day (he he he some weekends are spent like this too)
60. Posed nude in front of strangers (neah....dont think will do it too.)
61. Gone scuba diving * (I really want to do this)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater (does this mean an open theater?)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (would want to start a restaurant or coffee shop though)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class (Tae kwon do...but then dint complete it)
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (whats D&D?)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (many movies, taken frm my handy cam :))
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch(with my cousin)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (but went punting in cambridge :))
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason (I purchase them for myself sometimes)
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark (No...am a total veggie)
88. Had a one-night stand (not my type )
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house (bought in last jan...yipeee am so excited about it)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (lost dad )
93. Been on a cruise ship *
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (What one?? My number at the moment is 4)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over *
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (i do this quite often)
103. Had plastic surgery (i think i look pretty okay so far)
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived(double pnemonia when i was just 6 months old..all doctors had given up, when my family Dr saved me, was his first patient ;) after his MBBS)
105. Wrote article for a large publication (does writing article in blogspot count ?? :))
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (thats my latest venture)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart (Few , unknowingly though)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari *
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (NCC days)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon *
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (hmm UK, UAE, Singapore, Hongkong(transit though), Nepal and US, wanna go to Australia)
124. Visited all 7 continents * (Including Antartica!)
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (am a veggie..so i dont see any chances there)
127. Eaten sushi (same as 126)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (had my name , but not picture :( )
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (i think most of the indian homes do :))
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read(Archie comics and shakespeare)
ating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (sometimes only though)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (actually helped my bro in it once)
146. Dyed your hair (Hehe..Always!)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
So here is the index -Boldened ones are the ones that I did.
The ones with the asterisk are the ones that I would want to do.
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
*06. Held a tarantula (well i held a baby crocodile, if that counts :))
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris *
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (What is it? Wanna see it though!)
15. Gone to a huge sports game (Nopes.. )
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa * (Of course, would love to do it!)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (Did this is in schooldays)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (yup did this, also i have some stars on the ceiling over my bed too :))
20. Changed a baby's diaper (Thanks to my nephew to gimme this chance)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (well taken a ride but not a trip)
22. Watched a meteor shower (Yes it was awesome, there is day in dec when you can see meteor shower all night..i happened to go for star gazing the same night,...and it was awesome i was out of wishes)
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope (Yepp!! )
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (he he he yup)
27. Had a food fight (neah...i dont see that happening too)
28. Bet on a winning horse (did it in reno if the horse in the casinos can be counted :))
29. Asked out a stranger (well not exactly asked out, but i went site seeing with stranger during my hongkong transit)
30. Had a snowball fight (Yeah!)
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can (generally at echo points!)
32. Held a lamb (during my schooldays, held a baby goat, is it the same as lamb)
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster (Yeah, and I love them!)
35. Hit a home run (what is this??)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (Always!! coz i dunno to dance)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (not entire day though)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer *
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends (still have them!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (recently done that in a pub in UK)
44. Watched wild whales *
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe *
47. Taken a road-trip*
48. Gone rock climbing (would love to do in canyon though, I went in lonavala)
49. Midnight walk on the beach (thanks to Goa for this :))
50. Gone sky diving (yes and it was 'THE experience', awesome, somply mind blowing)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds (am sure Monica would do that :))
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (i dont want people to leave the place and go :) )
59. Lounged around in bed all day (he he he some weekends are spent like this too)
60. Posed nude in front of strangers (neah....dont think will do it too.)
61. Gone scuba diving * (I really want to do this)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater (does this mean an open theater?)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (would want to start a restaurant or coffee shop though)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class (Tae kwon do...but then dint complete it)
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (whats D&D?)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (many movies, taken frm my handy cam :))
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch(with my cousin)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (but went punting in cambridge :))
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason (I purchase them for myself sometimes)
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark (No...am a total veggie)
88. Had a one-night stand (not my type )
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house (bought in last jan...yipeee am so excited about it)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents (lost dad )
93. Been on a cruise ship *
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (What one?? My number at the moment is 4)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over *
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (i do this quite often)
103. Had plastic surgery (i think i look pretty okay so far)
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived(double pnemonia when i was just 6 months old..all doctors had given up, when my family Dr saved me, was his first patient ;) after his MBBS)
105. Wrote article for a large publication (does writing article in blogspot count ?? :))
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (thats my latest venture)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart (Few , unknowingly though)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari *
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (NCC days)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon *
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (hmm UK, UAE, Singapore, Hongkong(transit though), Nepal and US, wanna go to Australia)
124. Visited all 7 continents * (Including Antartica!)
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (am a veggie..so i dont see any chances there)
127. Eaten sushi (same as 126)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (had my name , but not picture :( )
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (i think most of the indian homes do :))
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read(Archie comics and shakespeare)
ating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (sometimes only though)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (actually helped my bro in it once)
146. Dyed your hair (Hehe..Always!)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Friday, August 11, 2006
Best bro
This was my best Raksha Bandhan so far, not for the materialistic things but I tied rakhi to my bro myself after 5 years or so and that too both of us dint fight at all :) guess we are getting matured, and guess wht did i get...a LAPTOP...I was so longing for one...and my bro gets me the dell inspiron 6100.
Thanks bro...u r the best....not coz of the laptop(of course this counts too ;)), but by being by my side all the time.
I dont have to worry about so many things coz I know I have an elder bro who can take care of it. God I am so glad I am the younger one :) May all sisters have brothers like you.
I have a friend whose sis keeps demanding a scooty for rakhi, and he is not gonna give it to her now, but is gifting it during diwali, he says whatz the fun in getting things when you expect them, its a different charm to receive them when it is totally unexpected.
I think all bros have their ways of making their sisters happy. I like the way my bro makes me happy :)
Thanks bro...u r the best....not coz of the laptop(of course this counts too ;)), but by being by my side all the time.
I dont have to worry about so many things coz I know I have an elder bro who can take care of it. God I am so glad I am the younger one :) May all sisters have brothers like you.
I have a friend whose sis keeps demanding a scooty for rakhi, and he is not gonna give it to her now, but is gifting it during diwali, he says whatz the fun in getting things when you expect them, its a different charm to receive them when it is totally unexpected.
I think all bros have their ways of making their sisters happy. I like the way my bro makes me happy :)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
poll
A little background : Radio mirchi were actually linking this story(read post below) with dalmiya - saurav story as to how dalmiya pushed down his kid..not literally (read saurav) and now is the president of icc. Personally i dont think it was a good example/ way to relate the story and this..but the outcome surprised me. here is the poll:
This morning they had a poll on radio mirchi asking their audiences as to
if there is a question of life and death do parents love themselves more or their kids i.e. will they run for their life first or they will save their childs and sacrifice theirs.
vote A : the parent will run for their life first
vote B : the parent will let their child live
mentally i was thinking Vote B, they then narrated a story, in which birbal with the help of a parent monkey and child monkey had proved to Akbar(who believed otherwise like me) that parent monkey pushed down the child monkey in water, just to save its own life.
surprisingly many people were voting for A, which kinda shocked me.
Is it true ?
I have no experiences of being a parent yet, but seeing the possessive mothers near me I always thought it should have been B. Also, am sure all movie buffs agree, our hindi movie always portray how much parent sacrifice for their child.
is it only me who is thinking it would be 'B', would u vote A or B?
This morning they had a poll on radio mirchi asking their audiences as to
if there is a question of life and death do parents love themselves more or their kids i.e. will they run for their life first or they will save their childs and sacrifice theirs.
vote A : the parent will run for their life first
vote B : the parent will let their child live
mentally i was thinking Vote B, they then narrated a story, in which birbal with the help of a parent monkey and child monkey had proved to Akbar(who believed otherwise like me) that parent monkey pushed down the child monkey in water, just to save its own life.
surprisingly many people were voting for A, which kinda shocked me.
Is it true ?
I have no experiences of being a parent yet, but seeing the possessive mothers near me I always thought it should have been B. Also, am sure all movie buffs agree, our hindi movie always portray how much parent sacrifice for their child.
is it only me who is thinking it would be 'B', would u vote A or B?
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Yipeeee am back home
Hurray am back home!!!. (Though not for long)
back to pampering (read food) from mom,
back to my friends,
back to my friends,
back with my car,
back with my room,
back with my TV,
back for fun,
back to my friends,
back to party
looking forward to visit Mocha, yes i hear its open in Pune and to visit 'The ship' new greek restaurant.
So far, in a weeks time I already ate chinese food, vada pav samosa :) and had a growling stomach too.
P.S: Why do we Indians crave so much for food.
back to pampering (read food) from mom,
back to my friends,
back to my friends,
back with my car,
back with my room,
back with my TV,
back for fun,
back to my friends,
back to party
looking forward to visit Mocha, yes i hear its open in Pune and to visit 'The ship' new greek restaurant.
So far, in a weeks time I already ate chinese food, vada pav samosa :) and had a growling stomach too.
P.S: Why do we Indians crave so much for food.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky...
I was singing this song when I actually flew an aircraft some days back.
yes yes…I did..although the pilot took care of the mere jobs of take off and land...i Iook care of the tedious jobs i.e. take the aircraft to different heights and steer it left and right (no u turns).
so many controls..its amazing to talk with the pilot thru headsets..i tried removing the headset and chatting but couldn't hear a thing, switched back to headsets hearing him talk to the ATC...or the controller on the grounds...this is bravo whiskey bla bla...it was fun :)
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Funny
Second post for the day...but this ones funny :)
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?""Yep," the wife replied, "In-laws."
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.......... "HEBREWS"
THE SILENT TREATMENT
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake m e at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.
God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece ;)
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?""Yep," the wife replied, "In-laws."
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.......... "HEBREWS"
THE SILENT TREATMENT
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake m e at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.
God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece ;)
IT in India
I came across this in one of my yahoo groups i am enrolled to, the original source is a blog but I dont have its link.
Its an interesting (though long) read on our IT condition and I do agree with some of the points mentioned here. Although I think that this condition happens more for project consultants than the engineering team as such for a product. Here it goes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I started working for myself, I spent some years in some of the top IT companies in India and still have many friends working in various software companies. I wrote a blog Recruiting like crazy, about the same time last year about how Indian companies are recruiting like there's no tomorrow and the possible consequences.
However I was avoiding writing this particular piece as it seems like an unpatriotic thing to do, to tell the world how bad the working conditions in software companies in India have become. And there's always the risk of excerpts being used out of context to bash up IT in India.
I am now writing this because I just keep hearing horror tales from the industry and it doesn't seem like anything is being done in the matter, so I thought I will do my bit and write.
First and foremost, before stereotypes about India kick in, I would like to clarify that I am not
saying that Indian software companies are sweat shops where employees aren't being paid and made to work in cramped uncomfortable places. The pay in software companies is very good as compared to other industries in India and the work places are generally well furnished and plush offices. India being a strong democracy, freedom of expression is alive and well and Indians are free to express their opinions and voice their concerns. Yet, I say that the software industry is exploiting its employees.
IT work culture in India is totally messed up and has now started harming the work culture of the nation as a whole. Working 12+ hours a day and 6 or even 7 days a week is more the rule than the exception.
Consequences:
- A majority of IT people suffer from health problems.As most of the IT workforce is still very
young, the problem isn't very obvious today but it will hit with unbearable ferocity when these
youngsters get to their 40s.
- Stress levels are unbelievable high. Stress management is a cover topic in magazines and newspapers and workshops on the subject are regularly overbooked.
- Most IT people have hardly any social / family life to talk of.
- As IT folk are rich by Indian standards, they try to buy their way out of their troubles and have incurred huge debts by buying expensive houses, gizmos and fancy cars.
Plush offices, fat salaries and latest gizmos can give you happiness only if you have a life in the first place.
The reason I feel this culture has emerged, is the servile attitude of the companies. Here's a tip for any company in the west planning to outsource to India. If you feel that a project can be completed in 6 weeks by 4 people, always demand that it be completed in 2 weeks by 3 people.
Guess what, most Indian companies will agree. The project will then be hyped up as an "extremely critical" one and the 3 unfortunate souls allocated to it will get very close to meeting the almighty by the time they deliver the project in 2 weeks.
Surprisingly, they will deliver in 2-3 weeks, get bashed up for any delays and the company will soon boast about how they deliver good quality in reasonable time and cost. Has anyone in India ever worked on a project that wasn't "extremely critical"?
I was once at a session where a top boss of one of India's biggest IT firms was asked a question about what was so special about their company and his answer was that we are the "Yes" people with the "We Can Do It " attitude. It is all very well for the top boss to say "We Can Do It ".. what about the project teams
who wish to say "Please....We Can't Do It " to the unreasonable timelines...I was tempted to ask "What death benefits does your company offer to the teams that get killed in the process?". I sure was ashamed to see that a fellow Indian was openly boasting about the fact that he and his company had no backbone.
The art of saying No or negotiating reasonable time frames for the team is very conspicuous by its absence.
Outsourcing customers more often than not simply walk all over Indian software companies. The outsourcer surely cannot be blamed as it is right for him to demand good quality in the least cost and time.
Exhaustion = Zero Innovation
· How many Indians in India are thought leaders in their software segment? - Very few
· How much software innovation happens in India? - Minimal
· Considering that thousands of Indians in India use Open Source software, how many actually contribute? - Very few
Surprisingly, put the same Indian in a company "in" the US and he suddenly becomes innovative and a thought leader in his field. The reason is simple, the only thing an exhausted body and mind can do well, is sleep. zzzzzz
I can pretty much bet on it that we will never see innovation from any of 10000+ person code factories in India.
If you are someone sitting in the US, UK... and wondering why the employees can't stand up, that's the most interesting part of the story. Read on...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Problem
The software professional Indian is today making more money in a month than what his parents might have made in an year. Very often a 21 year old newbie software developer makes more money than his/her 55 year old father working in an old world business. Most of these youngsters are well aware of this gap and so work under an impression that they are being paid an unreasonable amount of money. They naturally equate unreasonable money with unreasonable amount of work.
Another important factor is this whole bubble that an IT person lives in.. An IT professional walks with a halo around his or her head. They are the Cool, Rich Gen Next .. the Intelligentsia of the New World...they travel all over the world, vacation at exotic locations abroad, talk "american", are more familiar of the geography of the USA than that of India and yes of course, they are the hottest things in the Wedding Market!!!
This I feel is the core problem because if employees felt they were being exploited, things would change.
I speak about this to some of my friends and the answer is generally "Hey Harshad, what you say is correct and we sure are suffering, but why do you think we are being paid this much money? It's not for 40 hours but for 80 hours a week. And anyway what choice do we have? It's the same everywhere."
So can we make things change? Is there a way to try and stop an entire generation of educated Indians from ending up with "no life".
Solutions
1) Never complement someone for staying till midnight or working 7 days a week.
Recently, in an awards ceremony at a software company, the manager handing over the "employee of the month" award said something like "It's unbelievable how hard he works. When I come to office early, I see him working, when I leave office late, I still see him working".. These sort of comments can kill the morale of every employee trying to do good work in an 8hr day.
Companies need to stop hiding behind the excuse that the time difference between India and the west is the reason why people need to stay in office for 14 hours a day. Staying late should be a negative thing thatshould work against an employee in his appraisals. Never complement someone for staying till midnight or working 7 days a week .
2) Estimates: If time estimates go wrong, the company should be willing to take a hit and not force the employee to work crazy hours to bail projects out of trouble. This will ensure that the estimates made for the next project are more real and not just what the customer has asked for.
3) Employee organizations / forums NASSCOM (National Association for Software and Services Companies) and CSI (Computer Society Of India) are perhaps the only two well known software associations in India and both I feel have failed the software employee. I do not recall any action from these organizations to try and improve the working conditions of software employees. This has to change. I am not in favor of forming trade unions for software people, as trade unions in India have traditionally been more effective at ruining businesses and making employees inefficient than getting employees their rights and helping business do well. So existing bodies like NASSCOM should create and popularize employee welfare cells at a state / regional level and these cells should work only for employee welfare and not be puppets in the hands of the companies. If the industry does not itself create proper forums for employee welfare, it's likely that the government / trade unions will interfere and mess up India's sunshine industry.
4) Narayan Murthys please stand up
Top bosses of companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, etc. need to send the message loud and clear to their company and to other companies listening at national IT events that employee welfare is really their top concern and having good working culture and conditions is a priority. Employee welfare here does not mean giving the employee the salary he/she dreams of.
Last word
I am sure some of my thoughts come from the fact that I too worked in such an environment for a few years and perhaps I haven't got over the frustrations I experienced back then. So think about my views with a pinch of salt but do think about it. And if you have an opinion on this issue, don't forget to add a comment to this article
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
:) Makes you think doesn't?
Its an interesting (though long) read on our IT condition and I do agree with some of the points mentioned here. Although I think that this condition happens more for project consultants than the engineering team as such for a product. Here it goes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I started working for myself, I spent some years in some of the top IT companies in India and still have many friends working in various software companies. I wrote a blog Recruiting like crazy, about the same time last year about how Indian companies are recruiting like there's no tomorrow and the possible consequences.
However I was avoiding writing this particular piece as it seems like an unpatriotic thing to do, to tell the world how bad the working conditions in software companies in India have become. And there's always the risk of excerpts being used out of context to bash up IT in India.
I am now writing this because I just keep hearing horror tales from the industry and it doesn't seem like anything is being done in the matter, so I thought I will do my bit and write.
First and foremost, before stereotypes about India kick in, I would like to clarify that I am not
saying that Indian software companies are sweat shops where employees aren't being paid and made to work in cramped uncomfortable places. The pay in software companies is very good as compared to other industries in India and the work places are generally well furnished and plush offices. India being a strong democracy, freedom of expression is alive and well and Indians are free to express their opinions and voice their concerns. Yet, I say that the software industry is exploiting its employees.
IT work culture in India is totally messed up and has now started harming the work culture of the nation as a whole. Working 12+ hours a day and 6 or even 7 days a week is more the rule than the exception.
Consequences:
- A majority of IT people suffer from health problems.As most of the IT workforce is still very
young, the problem isn't very obvious today but it will hit with unbearable ferocity when these
youngsters get to their 40s.
- Stress levels are unbelievable high. Stress management is a cover topic in magazines and newspapers and workshops on the subject are regularly overbooked.
- Most IT people have hardly any social / family life to talk of.
- As IT folk are rich by Indian standards, they try to buy their way out of their troubles and have incurred huge debts by buying expensive houses, gizmos and fancy cars.
Plush offices, fat salaries and latest gizmos can give you happiness only if you have a life in the first place.
The reason I feel this culture has emerged, is the servile attitude of the companies. Here's a tip for any company in the west planning to outsource to India. If you feel that a project can be completed in 6 weeks by 4 people, always demand that it be completed in 2 weeks by 3 people.
Guess what, most Indian companies will agree. The project will then be hyped up as an "extremely critical" one and the 3 unfortunate souls allocated to it will get very close to meeting the almighty by the time they deliver the project in 2 weeks.
Surprisingly, they will deliver in 2-3 weeks, get bashed up for any delays and the company will soon boast about how they deliver good quality in reasonable time and cost. Has anyone in India ever worked on a project that wasn't "extremely critical"?
I was once at a session where a top boss of one of India's biggest IT firms was asked a question about what was so special about their company and his answer was that we are the "Yes" people with the "We Can Do It " attitude. It is all very well for the top boss to say "We Can Do It ".. what about the project teams
who wish to say "Please....We Can't Do It " to the unreasonable timelines...I was tempted to ask "What death benefits does your company offer to the teams that get killed in the process?". I sure was ashamed to see that a fellow Indian was openly boasting about the fact that he and his company had no backbone.
The art of saying No or negotiating reasonable time frames for the team is very conspicuous by its absence.
Outsourcing customers more often than not simply walk all over Indian software companies. The outsourcer surely cannot be blamed as it is right for him to demand good quality in the least cost and time.
Exhaustion = Zero Innovation
· How many Indians in India are thought leaders in their software segment? - Very few
· How much software innovation happens in India? - Minimal
· Considering that thousands of Indians in India use Open Source software, how many actually contribute? - Very few
Surprisingly, put the same Indian in a company "in" the US and he suddenly becomes innovative and a thought leader in his field. The reason is simple, the only thing an exhausted body and mind can do well, is sleep. zzzzzz
I can pretty much bet on it that we will never see innovation from any of 10000+ person code factories in India.
If you are someone sitting in the US, UK... and wondering why the employees can't stand up, that's the most interesting part of the story. Read on...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Problem
The software professional Indian is today making more money in a month than what his parents might have made in an year. Very often a 21 year old newbie software developer makes more money than his/her 55 year old father working in an old world business. Most of these youngsters are well aware of this gap and so work under an impression that they are being paid an unreasonable amount of money. They naturally equate unreasonable money with unreasonable amount of work.
Another important factor is this whole bubble that an IT person lives in.. An IT professional walks with a halo around his or her head. They are the Cool, Rich Gen Next .. the Intelligentsia of the New World...they travel all over the world, vacation at exotic locations abroad, talk "american", are more familiar of the geography of the USA than that of India and yes of course, they are the hottest things in the Wedding Market!!!
This I feel is the core problem because if employees felt they were being exploited, things would change.
I speak about this to some of my friends and the answer is generally "Hey Harshad, what you say is correct and we sure are suffering, but why do you think we are being paid this much money? It's not for 40 hours but for 80 hours a week. And anyway what choice do we have? It's the same everywhere."
So can we make things change? Is there a way to try and stop an entire generation of educated Indians from ending up with "no life".
Solutions
1) Never complement someone for staying till midnight or working 7 days a week.
Recently, in an awards ceremony at a software company, the manager handing over the "employee of the month" award said something like "It's unbelievable how hard he works. When I come to office early, I see him working, when I leave office late, I still see him working".. These sort of comments can kill the morale of every employee trying to do good work in an 8hr day.
Companies need to stop hiding behind the excuse that the time difference between India and the west is the reason why people need to stay in office for 14 hours a day. Staying late should be a negative thing thatshould work against an employee in his appraisals. Never complement someone for staying till midnight or working 7 days a week .
2) Estimates: If time estimates go wrong, the company should be willing to take a hit and not force the employee to work crazy hours to bail projects out of trouble. This will ensure that the estimates made for the next project are more real and not just what the customer has asked for.
3) Employee organizations / forums NASSCOM (National Association for Software and Services Companies) and CSI (Computer Society Of India) are perhaps the only two well known software associations in India and both I feel have failed the software employee. I do not recall any action from these organizations to try and improve the working conditions of software employees. This has to change. I am not in favor of forming trade unions for software people, as trade unions in India have traditionally been more effective at ruining businesses and making employees inefficient than getting employees their rights and helping business do well. So existing bodies like NASSCOM should create and popularize employee welfare cells at a state / regional level and these cells should work only for employee welfare and not be puppets in the hands of the companies. If the industry does not itself create proper forums for employee welfare, it's likely that the government / trade unions will interfere and mess up India's sunshine industry.
4) Narayan Murthys please stand up
Top bosses of companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, etc. need to send the message loud and clear to their company and to other companies listening at national IT events that employee welfare is really their top concern and having good working culture and conditions is a priority. Employee welfare here does not mean giving the employee the salary he/she dreams of.
Last word
I am sure some of my thoughts come from the fact that I too worked in such an environment for a few years and perhaps I haven't got over the frustrations I experienced back then. So think about my views with a pinch of salt but do think about it. And if you have an opinion on this issue, don't forget to add a comment to this article
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
:) Makes you think doesn't?
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
10 things to do at work when there is no work
Untill last week I had lots and lots of work....no time for food...morning 8:30 to night 11 it was just my application, my desk, test scripts and defect sheet and now...there is nothing to do at all.
What can one do when there is no work at office.
1. Write mails to friends (include friends that you dint write for years)
2. Search for school/college and old friends (but cant do tht here...orkut and other alumini sites are blocked)
3. Read blogs
4. Chat - Here there are various options ( i finished chatting with friends in India...and US friends have yet to come online..they are sleeping )so chatted with robot check this out...http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=f5d922d97e345aa1
5. Call friends ( I finished my calling card minutes, free talk time and my prepaid card is empty)
6. Read news
7. learn something new like a new tool (ahh this is something which I started to do..but got bored :) )
8. clean the desk and drawers
9. Clean your desktop, emails
10. Pretend to work. (this should be the first in list actually ;)
When there was work I wished there was no work and now that there is no work I wish there was work. Its funny how our minds work, Seems like the grass is always greener on the other side..but I think I want work..but not much...as much that I can finish from 9 to 6 :)
Friday, May 26, 2006
Spreading tradition
Its so funny to notice that sometimes , somethings get so contagious
The place where our team sits at work is very close to the support group, hence the decibels are kinda high here. I dint wanna listen to all their talks describing their weekends and all tht hence I started wearing headphones and listening to my music while working. Initially I was the strange gal out here..wearing headphones at work (though it was common thing in all my previous offices) and now almost the entire team here except for the PM have headphones at their desk :)
I spread the tradition here too:)
The place where our team sits at work is very close to the support group, hence the decibels are kinda high here. I dint wanna listen to all their talks describing their weekends and all tht hence I started wearing headphones and listening to my music while working. Initially I was the strange gal out here..wearing headphones at work (though it was common thing in all my previous offices) and now almost the entire team here except for the PM have headphones at their desk :)
I spread the tradition here too:)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
travel spree
Seems like I am on a travelling spree this year, this morning i was just thinking of places i travelled since jan 2006 and I was amazed to see the list
udaipur,mahableshwar(thrice),lonavala, mount Abu,Bombay(i lost the count now),Dubai, UK..looks like i really travel a lot.
I thought as people get old, they tend to settle in a single place...seems like either i am not getting old or i have not found the right place to settle :)
udaipur,mahableshwar(thrice),lonavala, mount Abu,Bombay(i lost the count now),Dubai, UK..looks like i really travel a lot.
I thought as people get old, they tend to settle in a single place...seems like either i am not getting old or i have not found the right place to settle :)
Saturday, May 13, 2006
This can never happen in India
I went to the bank yesterday to open an account with them, and the lady with her brit accent asked.
Are you Mess or Messes (Are you Miss or Mrs)
Miss
Are you single or married
Single
Do you have any children below the age of 18
No
This can happen only here :)
Are you Mess or Messes (Are you Miss or Mrs)
Miss
Are you single or married
Single
Do you have any children below the age of 18
No
This can happen only here :)
Thursday, May 11, 2006
what age will you die?
| You Will Die at Age 70 |
 You're pretty average when it comes to how you live... And how you'll die as well. |
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
bon voyage to uk
finally i am in uk, after a long journey of more than 24 hours; the good part is i cud visit my bro for 10hrs, so it was nice. seems like everybody wants to be in uk, after the long immigration queue(read 2 hours 30 minutes, seems like everybody wants to be in uk) i was finally out of the airport. I booked a cab and my next journey to fleet started. the cab (volvo, i dint know volvo had cars too) driver started talking in hindi , he was from afghanistan and played hindi music for us.."ishq ki galli which no entry" he he he.
the route to fleet is very scenic ,its supposed to be summer here, but the sky was pretty gloomy, i dont feel that its summer at all. Finally we reached fleet, there is greenery everywhere, with differnt kind of flowers, trees, there is a variety of flowers blooming in the grass too. its really beautiful. the houses here are pretty, they look like the house in 70's made of bricks and slanting roofs. Ours was one of them too.
we called our project manager after reaching the guest house for the keys , and he came in 10 min , he asked us to freshen up and said in 20 min we'll go to office. huh!!!! I wanted to sleep, i cursed him at that moment...freshed up a little and went to work. while talking to the front desk, i recoolected friends episode where monica and phoeboe are trying to avoid their brit neighbour coz of her brit accent :).
office is good, met some colleagues and it was lunch time.
cafetaria looked good, reminded me of sltc cafetaria where they served soups , food etc, only difference is here we have to pay ;). there was only 1 veg option, and lucky me i got the last piece of it(lentil cheese or something was its name) and my another veg colleague survived on jacket potatoes. he he , he literally ate boiled skin potatoes with some other veggies :)
afternoon, i dont remember at all as to what i was doing, i was so sleepy and my eyes were so red. my pm kept asking 'you feeling sleepy' i said yeah , with a hope that he would tell me to go home, but he just smiled and went away.he kept asking me may times. finally at 5 he said, go home and try not to sleep till 7:30, dont sleep now else you will never be able to come over the jet lag. :), all curses for him are taken back now.went home, cooked food and slept. morning 4:30 I woke up and then forced myself to sleep. morning caught the bus and came to office, evening, am still here, planning to take a cab..how much i miss my car :(
I THINK US IS BETTER THAN UK, OR MAYBE I AM IN A REAL VILLAGE HERE. too early to judge, I'll explore this weekend for some good places around.
the route to fleet is very scenic ,its supposed to be summer here, but the sky was pretty gloomy, i dont feel that its summer at all. Finally we reached fleet, there is greenery everywhere, with differnt kind of flowers, trees, there is a variety of flowers blooming in the grass too. its really beautiful. the houses here are pretty, they look like the house in 70's made of bricks and slanting roofs. Ours was one of them too.
we called our project manager after reaching the guest house for the keys , and he came in 10 min , he asked us to freshen up and said in 20 min we'll go to office. huh!!!! I wanted to sleep, i cursed him at that moment...freshed up a little and went to work. while talking to the front desk, i recoolected friends episode where monica and phoeboe are trying to avoid their brit neighbour coz of her brit accent :).
office is good, met some colleagues and it was lunch time.
cafetaria looked good, reminded me of sltc cafetaria where they served soups , food etc, only difference is here we have to pay ;). there was only 1 veg option, and lucky me i got the last piece of it(lentil cheese or something was its name) and my another veg colleague survived on jacket potatoes. he he , he literally ate boiled skin potatoes with some other veggies :)
afternoon, i dont remember at all as to what i was doing, i was so sleepy and my eyes were so red. my pm kept asking 'you feeling sleepy' i said yeah , with a hope that he would tell me to go home, but he just smiled and went away.he kept asking me may times. finally at 5 he said, go home and try not to sleep till 7:30, dont sleep now else you will never be able to come over the jet lag. :), all curses for him are taken back now.went home, cooked food and slept. morning 4:30 I woke up and then forced myself to sleep. morning caught the bus and came to office, evening, am still here, planning to take a cab..how much i miss my car :(
I THINK US IS BETTER THAN UK, OR MAYBE I AM IN A REAL VILLAGE HERE. too early to judge, I'll explore this weekend for some good places around.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Holi
These days I hear different stories as to what is holi, why is it celebrated etc, Infact our office holiday declaration email read 'holiday for holi : festival of colors' :) (sometimes I wonder what the non-Indians would be thinking of the holiday description we give, Diwali-festival of lights, Holi - festival of colors, then maybe festival of food and what not:))
Anyways What I was telling was these days I hear stories about holi and I am curious to relate as to which one could actually be real, but in my childhood I never cared as to why we celebrate holi, I just cared as to I get all the colors in advance, a pitchkari to play with, my set of old clothes (2..just in case) and I've filled up lots of balloons with water (this is my set and they are seperate from my brothers)..a day in advance, and next day all neighbours and friends would get together and color each other, we would pull all the shy faces out and color them..all uncles aunts would just not be recognizable. I now wonder what pleasure i got rather still get to just pull people and color them or pour water on them..but its fun he he he ...i dunno why..but I really enjoy it. this is how I spent my holi past many years.
This year's holi was a little different, (apart from me waking up my neighbours and coloring them in their bed he he he).
These days each festival is so hyped coz of the media..holi now played in clubs and resorts with some ticket charges Rs.300 per person or 500 per couple entry etc etc.Some of my Family friends were inviting me to boat club where they had 'rain dance' and food etc Rs.300 per head(discounted price, since they were boat club members). Me ;acting cheap these days (duh I've bought a house, am next in the EMI driven slaves queue now) says..no no..300 for holi...no way, and i turn the invite down..and was thinking that I will spend this holi maybe at home resting and preparing for the transition or thinking about my new job. The evening before the 'holi' day, another friend calls up and invites me to play holi, I denied..thinking of another club invitation with all the crap and shoo shaa business ..but after hearing the destination, I just said yes readily.
Next morning (after coloring and waking up my neighbours) around 10-15 of us were at Shreevatsa with lots of colors , pitchkaris, some sweets and souls full of enthusiasm. this place (Shreevatsa) is just in the heart of pune i.e near pune station but I never knew of its existence, despite of being in a central location , it was pretty quiet, sonal..who organized the holi went in and called the lady in charge there, as to where are the kids. the lady replied that they are all waiting for you, and she called upon the kids..all kids suddenly from somewhere came out, There were kids from age 2months to 10 years. they were all dressed up and had set up a tub full of water in the middle of the playarea. Soon the music blasted , pitchkaris were out and all the colors found perfect faces for themselves. The kids instantly bonded with us(I think Holi is a real ice breaker)..we were coloring each other, chasing each other..pouring water..shouting ahh oooh and running around there he he ....Chaitrali (one of the kids) was so excited that despite having one of her hand paralyzed she cudn't let her hands off the pitchkari, she was opening the pitchkaris with mouth and filling them up...she just couldnt wait till the time i fill it with water...seeing her excitement I just picked her up and put her in the water, she laughed loudly and then shouting and enjoying....with all the chap chap around , the other kids wanted to get in too..one by one each of them raising their hands up..my turn my turn and we picked them up and they (and us too ;p) had a dip in the tub..(which by now was all colorful). Some kids were so shy that we had to pull them out from their room, and some were chhupa rustoms..they wud splash water on us and just run away or hide and we would keep loopking for them. all of us were drenched and we could barely recognize each other (face wise) here the physical fact of being tall, fat, short made a helping hand to recognize people. Chaitrali..by now started shivering...we asked her caretaker to take her in. Pushkar (he is a brat) was all grinning (with no teeth in his mouth) and we were wondering what he hiding behind..and boo he gets a water pipe and ...well well.. we all were kinda cleaned with it :). Later sides changed and he faced the water pipe :). seeing all this chaitrali came again (this time all dry and with a different dress) and started playing again. all kids were laughing with joy and teasing us with colors ,We all played and played till each of us started shivering.
Later we cleaned up the place, bid them bye and returned home; Each one sharing our experiences with each other and talking to ourselves too.Though I spent more amount (almost 4 times to what I would spend for boat club party), it doesn't matter now, This holi was so much fun, I can still picture the kids giggling and laughing and putting water on us. I slept with some satisfaction and feel good and some food for thought too.
I am glad I got this oppurtunity today, I think each of us..though I think not each of us can adopt children...we should atleast spend some quality time with them or make their life a little more colorful than what they already have in whatever way we can. I think SOFOSH is doing a great job.
Anyways What I was telling was these days I hear stories about holi and I am curious to relate as to which one could actually be real, but in my childhood I never cared as to why we celebrate holi, I just cared as to I get all the colors in advance, a pitchkari to play with, my set of old clothes (2..just in case) and I've filled up lots of balloons with water (this is my set and they are seperate from my brothers)..a day in advance, and next day all neighbours and friends would get together and color each other, we would pull all the shy faces out and color them..all uncles aunts would just not be recognizable. I now wonder what pleasure i got rather still get to just pull people and color them or pour water on them..but its fun he he he ...i dunno why..but I really enjoy it. this is how I spent my holi past many years.
This year's holi was a little different, (apart from me waking up my neighbours and coloring them in their bed he he he).
These days each festival is so hyped coz of the media..holi now played in clubs and resorts with some ticket charges Rs.300 per person or 500 per couple entry etc etc.Some of my Family friends were inviting me to boat club where they had 'rain dance' and food etc Rs.300 per head(discounted price, since they were boat club members). Me ;acting cheap these days (duh I've bought a house, am next in the EMI driven slaves queue now) says..no no..300 for holi...no way, and i turn the invite down..and was thinking that I will spend this holi maybe at home resting and preparing for the transition or thinking about my new job. The evening before the 'holi' day, another friend calls up and invites me to play holi, I denied..thinking of another club invitation with all the crap and shoo shaa business ..but after hearing the destination, I just said yes readily.
Next morning (after coloring and waking up my neighbours) around 10-15 of us were at Shreevatsa with lots of colors , pitchkaris, some sweets and souls full of enthusiasm. this place (Shreevatsa) is just in the heart of pune i.e near pune station but I never knew of its existence, despite of being in a central location , it was pretty quiet, sonal..who organized the holi went in and called the lady in charge there, as to where are the kids. the lady replied that they are all waiting for you, and she called upon the kids..all kids suddenly from somewhere came out, There were kids from age 2months to 10 years. they were all dressed up and had set up a tub full of water in the middle of the playarea. Soon the music blasted , pitchkaris were out and all the colors found perfect faces for themselves. The kids instantly bonded with us(I think Holi is a real ice breaker)..we were coloring each other, chasing each other..pouring water..shouting ahh oooh and running around there he he ....Chaitrali (one of the kids) was so excited that despite having one of her hand paralyzed she cudn't let her hands off the pitchkari, she was opening the pitchkaris with mouth and filling them up...she just couldnt wait till the time i fill it with water...seeing her excitement I just picked her up and put her in the water, she laughed loudly and then shouting and enjoying....with all the chap chap around , the other kids wanted to get in too..one by one each of them raising their hands up..my turn my turn and we picked them up and they (and us too ;p) had a dip in the tub..(which by now was all colorful). Some kids were so shy that we had to pull them out from their room, and some were chhupa rustoms..they wud splash water on us and just run away or hide and we would keep loopking for them. all of us were drenched and we could barely recognize each other (face wise) here the physical fact of being tall, fat, short made a helping hand to recognize people. Chaitrali..by now started shivering...we asked her caretaker to take her in. Pushkar (he is a brat) was all grinning (with no teeth in his mouth) and we were wondering what he hiding behind..and boo he gets a water pipe and ...well well.. we all were kinda cleaned with it :). Later sides changed and he faced the water pipe :). seeing all this chaitrali came again (this time all dry and with a different dress) and started playing again. all kids were laughing with joy and teasing us with colors ,We all played and played till each of us started shivering.
Later we cleaned up the place, bid them bye and returned home; Each one sharing our experiences with each other and talking to ourselves too.Though I spent more amount (almost 4 times to what I would spend for boat club party), it doesn't matter now, This holi was so much fun, I can still picture the kids giggling and laughing and putting water on us. I slept with some satisfaction and feel good and some food for thought too.
I am glad I got this oppurtunity today, I think each of us..though I think not each of us can adopt children...we should atleast spend some quality time with them or make their life a little more colorful than what they already have in whatever way we can. I think SOFOSH is doing a great job.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Thank you
Birthdays are terriffic.
This birthday of mine was one of such kind. i got wishes from friends from all phases of my life, school, college, computer classes, previous office, current office, relatives and neighbours too.
I got wishes from Germany, singapore, Chicago, maryland, california, bombay, bangalore, indore, ahmedabad, pune and Dubai. I just realized my friends seem to have covered the entire globe. I was even greeted by the candidates whom i was interviewing yesterday at work:)
I got lovely gifts too, flowers, chocolates, cards, jewellery (swaroski :p)), wine, clothes and had a good time with all my friends covering the entire day. thanks to vc and jo and bhavana for all the string decorations and all..its been years that I did that, reminded me of my childhood :)
To all my friends and colleagues. Thanks for making it such a wonderful day for me. I really treasure your friendship. This year was really a different kind.
P.S: I must've gained atleast 2kgs yesterday as i cut 4 cakes in all , the entire day. I need to go to the gym now.
This birthday of mine was one of such kind. i got wishes from friends from all phases of my life, school, college, computer classes, previous office, current office, relatives and neighbours too.
I got wishes from Germany, singapore, Chicago, maryland, california, bombay, bangalore, indore, ahmedabad, pune and Dubai. I just realized my friends seem to have covered the entire globe. I was even greeted by the candidates whom i was interviewing yesterday at work:)
I got lovely gifts too, flowers, chocolates, cards, jewellery (swaroski :p)), wine, clothes and had a good time with all my friends covering the entire day. thanks to vc and jo and bhavana for all the string decorations and all..its been years that I did that, reminded me of my childhood :)
To all my friends and colleagues. Thanks for making it such a wonderful day for me. I really treasure your friendship. This year was really a different kind.
P.S: I must've gained atleast 2kgs yesterday as i cut 4 cakes in all , the entire day. I need to go to the gym now.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
the hunt is over...
no no...not groom hunt, that is still going on.
It had been my moms plan for me, past many years to buy a house, but I was just being lazy. This year rather year 2005 she finally convinced me.
It was a tough time to decide a flat,
first of all we had to decide the type of house
2 bhk, 3 bhk, row house, duplex, which floor etc etc
mom said 2bhk..bro 3 bhk..and I wanted a row house ;)
then came the location
aundh, kondhwa, koregaon park,pashan,sus road,chandni chowk
I liked kondhwa and my bro liked aundh
After a little search here and there , I tried to sell ganga satellite in wanowrie to my family, mom liked it and my bro liked it so so.It was difficult to convince my bro for ganga satellite, he even came to a stage of saying there is no need to buy a house. but finally he got convinced.
So this morning I was taking ma to see the house at Ganga Satellite and my aunts place, and on the way I saw bramha sun city's ad. So I told ma lets see this one too since its on our way to our aunts house.the road to the site was real narrow and ma told ...well i think its reject..the roads are way too narrow..anyways since we've come so far lets see the site , we continued driving and whola when we reached the gates it was awesome(turned out to be the largest entrance gate in asia), the sales office was impressive we were presented a video of the entire project by katrina kaif(shes the brand ambassador),then we saw the sample flat, Mom was so impressed with everything, we sat with the sales person there and booked the flat..again came the question of 2 bhk or 3 bhk :p) I called my bro and we finalized C1 flat no 102. (though he was concerned that the builders are not fake ..he he he)Our flat will look like this
I am so excited..just cant wait for another year. Finally we got our dream house not very far from the city and not in the city too. Plus we have all the amenities, well 101 amentities which includes all types of sports that you think of except skiing, 3 swimming pools, gym, jacuzzi, massage room, 5 gardens, boating in an artificial lake , amphitheatre, lounge bar, 24 hrs music cafe, music room, library, restaurant etc etc.
I dunno how much of this i will be using..but its just so cool to have everything around.
Suni..ur co is also very near to my new home ;),Anand ur dance classes too, ruzie sohos is right there.Hitesh, plz gimme some money :p)
P.S: Later we also learned that there were actually 3 ways to reach the site...and its really kewl just 2 kms away from koregaon park
It had been my moms plan for me, past many years to buy a house, but I was just being lazy. This year rather year 2005 she finally convinced me.
It was a tough time to decide a flat,
first of all we had to decide the type of house
2 bhk, 3 bhk, row house, duplex, which floor etc etc
mom said 2bhk..bro 3 bhk..and I wanted a row house ;)
then came the location
aundh, kondhwa, koregaon park,pashan,sus road,chandni chowk
I liked kondhwa and my bro liked aundh
After a little search here and there , I tried to sell ganga satellite in wanowrie to my family, mom liked it and my bro liked it so so.It was difficult to convince my bro for ganga satellite, he even came to a stage of saying there is no need to buy a house. but finally he got convinced.
So this morning I was taking ma to see the house at Ganga Satellite and my aunts place, and on the way I saw bramha sun city's ad. So I told ma lets see this one too since its on our way to our aunts house.the road to the site was real narrow and ma told ...well i think its reject..the roads are way too narrow..anyways since we've come so far lets see the site , we continued driving and whola when we reached the gates it was awesome(turned out to be the largest entrance gate in asia), the sales office was impressive we were presented a video of the entire project by katrina kaif(shes the brand ambassador),then we saw the sample flat, Mom was so impressed with everything, we sat with the sales person there and booked the flat..again came the question of 2 bhk or 3 bhk :p) I called my bro and we finalized C1 flat no 102. (though he was concerned that the builders are not fake ..he he he)Our flat will look like this
I am so excited..just cant wait for another year. Finally we got our dream house not very far from the city and not in the city too. Plus we have all the amenities, well 101 amentities which includes all types of sports that you think of except skiing, 3 swimming pools, gym, jacuzzi, massage room, 5 gardens, boating in an artificial lake , amphitheatre, lounge bar, 24 hrs music cafe, music room, library, restaurant etc etc.
I dunno how much of this i will be using..but its just so cool to have everything around.
Suni..ur co is also very near to my new home ;),Anand ur dance classes too, ruzie sohos is right there.Hitesh, plz gimme some money :p)
P.S: Later we also learned that there were actually 3 ways to reach the site...and its really kewl just 2 kms away from koregaon park
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
my experiences with autos
I am so proud of myself or maybe I am just lucky.
Its been a week that i am traveling my auto rickshaws (yeah my dear car is gone for servicing) and I dint have a single (seriously not even one issue) dispute with the drivers of the rickshaws.Normally I would get into an argument either for the tariff or he not taking passengers...but this time its real cool.
The best experience was this morning.
My Mom telephoned the rickshaw stand and asked for a rick to come, I got into the rick and he said he had to fill petrol, Since I was in a hurry I told him to drop me near the petrol station and I'll take another rick. I started searching for another rick and could not find any..I started walking and the same fellow came and told me ..come madam I'll drop you to the autorickshaw stand..I dint get petrol here else i would have dropped you.He dropped me to the stand and told another driver to take me and also told him I was in hurry.
The rickshaw was awesome...felt like sitting in a car, the car seats were so clean and comfortable with mats and the rick was shining jet black. Moreover he played good music for me and dropped me to work on time. He also asked me , Mam are you going to perform a sugery[ Looking at the bag in my hand, he thought I was a Doctor :)] and I'd told him I had to go to Deenanath mangeshkar hospital (well thatz the nearest Landmark to my office)
I hope this saga continues for another day as I will get my car tomorrow.
Its been a week that i am traveling my auto rickshaws (yeah my dear car is gone for servicing) and I dint have a single (seriously not even one issue) dispute with the drivers of the rickshaws.Normally I would get into an argument either for the tariff or he not taking passengers...but this time its real cool.
The best experience was this morning.
My Mom telephoned the rickshaw stand and asked for a rick to come, I got into the rick and he said he had to fill petrol, Since I was in a hurry I told him to drop me near the petrol station and I'll take another rick. I started searching for another rick and could not find any..I started walking and the same fellow came and told me ..come madam I'll drop you to the autorickshaw stand..I dint get petrol here else i would have dropped you.He dropped me to the stand and told another driver to take me and also told him I was in hurry.
The rickshaw was awesome...felt like sitting in a car, the car seats were so clean and comfortable with mats and the rick was shining jet black. Moreover he played good music for me and dropped me to work on time. He also asked me , Mam are you going to perform a sugery[ Looking at the bag in my hand, he thought I was a Doctor :)] and I'd told him I had to go to Deenanath mangeshkar hospital (well thatz the nearest Landmark to my office)
I hope this saga continues for another day as I will get my car tomorrow.
Monday, January 09, 2006
unusual food Combo's
Some people enjoy food when combined with some other food, here's some combination i've seen so far.
Papaya with green chutney and curd
Jilebi and curd
Jilebi and tomato ketchup
Masala roti and ice(not Rice)
Dalrice and roti
Coke with icecream
Cofee with strawberry and cucumberjuice
Noodles with curd/buttermilk
Curd +rice+aachar+papad(my fav)
and overall mix everything served during lunch and enjoy!!
Papaya with green chutney and curd
Jilebi and curd
Jilebi and tomato ketchup
Masala roti and ice(not Rice)
Dalrice and roti
Coke with icecream
Cofee with strawberry and cucumberjuice
Noodles with curd/buttermilk
Curd +rice+aachar+papad(my fav)
and overall mix everything served during lunch and enjoy!!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
This is what i get!!!!
After being a little conscious initially..as I am the only gal in the batch ..thinking that all eyes are on me (though nobody cared) and wondering what would these college students think about me...whatz going on in their mind (yes i go to symbiosis gym) and lifting weights, cycling, understanding and using each equipment present there, sacrificing eating out, controlling food habits, doing yoga....after doing all this for a month (technically a month but i guess i did it for 15-20 days) I lose 1 kg as per my gym weighing machine and 3 kg as per my home weighing machine..and the fat % remains the same :(
Am not going to give up!!
Am not going to give up!!
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