And there goes 2009!

PS : This collage does NOT include images from all my outings this year! :D :D

The Wall...

Two stories about two experiences on last weekend.
Story 1 :
Sitting on top of a 80 feet tall water tank, I was kinda feeling high! Why? coz I had a good week at work!! Recently I shifted to a new team in office. And I am really excited about working on state of the art technology. About solving a new problem rather than being a part of the Bingo Mad Angles advertisement. It feels great!

Story 2 :
Sitting at Coffee-Board(canteen) in IISC, Bangalore, I am staring at the wall. The wall which stands between the pure academic world and the materialistic real world. On this side of the wall, people are driven by the urge to create knowledge. On the other side, the driving force is money. The grass is green on this side. On the other side, it's astro turf. On this side, you are least worried about owning assets. On the other side, you own so many assets (home, car, etc) before you realize that the corresponding EMI's are going to end up owning your life. More importantly, the high that I mentioned in story 1 is an integral part of life on this side of the wall. On the other side, that high is rare.

So where do I stand? After being on the other side for more than 3 years, I have realized that I can't continue to be another brick in the wall. And since I can't jump the wall in near future, the least I wish to do is to climb the wall and enjoy the pleasures of both the worlds. Now you can say Amen! :-)

Arshavin, you are my hero!

A football match hangs in balance. Score is 1-1 thanks to an own goal by Liverpool in second half. Liverpool who could have easily netted 3 goals in the first half were still the favorites to win this match. On the other hand, Arsenal play was awful. The trademark free-flowing passing football was missing for the first 50 minutes of the match. And then their was the moment of brilliance by Andrey Arshavin. A good touch to control the pass, another touch to lose his defender followed by a pure top-class strike on the goal! Voila! Arsenal had the lead!



For a change, Arsenal managed to hold on to the lead for the remaining part of the match. Perhaps, they got lucky today. But then Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.

Wake up Sid!

Movies can be broadly classified into two categories based on how the Director treats the screenplay/script. A director may choose to modify screenplay to include extra action, songs or item numbers for the so called front-benchers. What they end up with is a movie with lot of bang moments for the so-called mass audience to applaud.
On the other hand, a Director can decide to respect the screenplay and go the Mozart way. He chooses to keep the melody of the screenplay intact. Focus is kept on the main aspects of movie-making like acting, music, costumes and cinematography. Such a movie may not strike chord with the mass audience. But for others who can appreciate it, it will be a movie close to their hearts. Wake up sid is one such perfect symphony. Brilliant acting by Ranbir and others, amazing song lyrics and amazing music. And Ranbir's T-shirts in the movie are AWESOME! Kudos to Ayan Mukherji, the debutant director of Wake up sid for a wonderful movie! And thanks to Karan johar for not adding the "Karan johar element" to this movie! :P

Conversation with e-mom!

A typical weekday evening. Time : 7 PM. I get a phone call! Now that's not typical! It's from my mom.
Me : Hello. What happened?
Mom : Nothing. I am going to a wedding. So I called you up now as I will be busy later.
Me : OK
Mom : You know some Mr. X uncle. It's his son's marriage.
Me : Hmm
Mom : He found the bride through internet (matrimony sites i guess). She is not from our community...
Me : Hmmmm..(in a completely uninterested tone)
Mom : Aren't you on internet most of the time. Why don't you search for a girl for yourself?
Me : (Stunned and Silent for some 5+ seconds)
Mom : Are you busy?
Me : YES! I will call you later! Bye!!

And there my darling mom turns into an e-mom! Phew!!

Free Your mind!

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination!

London dreams, Our nightmare!:(

Who needs enemies, when your friends treat you for a movie like London dreams? :P

Imagine a do-or-die scenario audition for a music band. The band is about to perform. And the new member of the band (FYI: she has joined 10 minutes back) asks a senior member about what is she supposed to do? The answer is "Just go with the flow!". Well, this scene happens half an hour into the movie. But it happened in reality whenever London dreams went to the production floor.

The producers hired a director, some movie stars, music director etc. And told them to just go with the flow. The result is London dreams. The script writer decided to sleep for the whole production cycle leaving the movie stars making up their own dialogues. The music seems to be the work of some Raja-rani band in Bhatinda. Although there are 13 songs in the movie, I doubt the movie director cared to involve the choreographer for a single second. And where was the costume designer? Poor Asin wore the Ghajini look and the same black dress for 80% of the movie. And Salman wore half-sleeve sweaters and shirts in band concert!! No wonder the best part of the movie was Intermission :P

So for the movie fanatics who still want to watch this movie, I will say All the best! Now please don't get me started on bashing that movie!

Sunday is a Fun day!

saw a hindi movie in the morning All the best..really bad movie..don't watch it..but things turned better.

starts with a Lunch treat at Umerkot, Koramangala thanks to a school friend. Had a good time..Great food too - Fish, Chicken, Lamb and certainly the least, some veg :P

came back home. watched another hindi movie Aagey se right. Another bad movie. But KK Menon rocked!

went to Chandni chowk for roommates' birthday treat in evening. Good place. Good food - Prawns, Chicken and Mutton :)

Back to home. Now watching Love Aaj kal..Awesome movie!

Bottom line : Two new restaurants explored. And it is Ash's birthday! Happy birthday Aishwarya!!

Why Arsenal Why!

And they did it again! They were cruising to a win with a 2-0 lead because of a good first half performance. And they managed to squander it away with poor defense in the second half and the final score was 2-2. A draw which feels like a defeat. A draw which is a defeat. And it's not because we play bad. It's because we have become used to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We start strong, but we finish terribly. It's high time that Arsene Wenger's young guns mature and win games like this. Or that cupboard will lack silverware for another year. It has been 4 years now.An Arsenal fan will wait, but games like this will make the wait indefinite :-(.

PS : This is a post match reaction to today's Arsenal vs Westham united football match :-(

Being human!

Why is it so difficult to share sorrow?

Why have not those famous philosophers written about how to share grief? The civics class tells you that man is a social animal. But why don't they teach you about how to converse with someone in grief. Why does the only thing that comes to my mind are the words "I am so sorry for your loss". But when it comes to joy, you have abundance of greeting card captions! Why do poems like Solitude make sense?

After centuries of existence, we have been able to define the rules and regulations for being social. But have we figured out how to be human?

The art of serving..

Yesterday, a colleague of mine gave a demo on the work done mostly by me. And the demo was just superb! More importantly, it has made me realize that although the preparation part is necessary, it's not sufficient. The way the dish is served is equally important.

Poor me :(

Two roads diverged in the woods,
I chose the one less traveled.
I moved forward thinking that I had good company,
Only to realize I was left all alone! :(

But it rained...

I quote from the movie "Annie Hall":

"There is this old joke...this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs."

Do I need the eggs?

That special someone :-)

You have heard it in stories. You have heard it in songs. You have seen it in movies. These songs, movies and stories have always been the talk of the town. Yet, it seldom looked real. But the idea of your soulmate always resulted in butterflies in your stomach. Someone whose hello will make the day special. Someone who will always be there for you. Someone whose words will give you the courage to follow your dreams amidst all odds. Someone who understands you. Someone whose smile means the whole world to you. Someone who makes you complete.

On my 27th birthday, a friend asked me, "If you had one wish, what will it be?". And I wished for .....

Kaminey!

Not a great movie! But it has an awesome title song. Gulzaar saab did it again!! Once again, he has penned down a beautiful song. Each stanza covers a different myriad of emotions. Amazing singing by Vishal Bhardwaaj! Here are the lyrics.

Singapore!

Tickets and Visa for 4 of us : Rs. 72K
Other expenses : Rs. 80k
Food for the birds in Sentosa butterfly park : $2 SGD
The pic below: Priceless!

TV characters and me!

Instead of taking the facebook quizzes on this topic, here is my take on the various TV serials I like and the character I relate to most in each of them.

1. F.R.I.E.N.D.S - Chandler Bing! No doubt about it! This guy has an amazing sense of humor. He is bored with routine but still sticks with it for quite a while before he eventually leaps into the creative world of advertising! And when it comes to girls, he is terrible (until he finds Monica!)

2. Seinfeld - Cosmo Kramer! The man who has stories for each and every occasion. And who else can match his craziness :)

3. How I met your mother - Ted Mosbey [I wish I could say Barney :(] . Well, he is an architect which is a creative profession. And although he has an amazing time with his friends, he still feels the void because of that missing special one! :)

4. House MD - No one! The closest match will be Gregory House. Bored by mundane, he is always looking out for interesting work. And he always stands tall for what he thinks is right.

5. The big bang theory - Sheldon! Apart from his main research work, he always sticks firmly to his routine when it comes to even small matters in his geeky life. Unable to filter out sarcasm, he always takes the words literally.

Totally unrelated to the main topic, I need new TV serials to fill my time on this planet. Any suggestions?

Ajj din chadheya..

This song has pretty much filled my this weekend. It is from the movie "Love Aaj kal".

Amazing lyrics! A Deewana asking god for the love of his life in the most demanding way! And the singer Rahat Fateh Ali khan has done full justice to the lyrics.

Here are the lyrics. And I love the lines in bold...
Ajj din chadheya
Tere rang varga
Phul sa hai khila aaj din

Rabba mere din yeh na dhale
Woh jo mujhe khwab mein mile
Use tu lagade ab gale
Tenu dil da vaasta

Rabba aaya dar digaar ke
Sara jahan chod chaad ke
Mere sapne sawar de
Tenu dil da vasta

Baksha gunaho ko
Sun ke duwao ko
Rabba pyaar hai
Tune sab ko hi de diya
Meri bhi aahon ko
Sun le duwao ko
Mujhko woh dila maine jisko hai dil diya

Aasmaan pe aasmaan uske de itna bata
Woh jo mujhko dekh ke hase
Pana chahun raat din jise
Rabba mere naam kar use
Tenu dil da vasta


(Maanga jo mera hai
Jaata kya tera hai
Maine kaun si tujhse jannat maang li
Kaisa khuda hai tu
Bas naam ka hai tu
Rabba jo teri itni si bhi na chali) - 2

Chahiye jo mujhe
Kar de tu mujhko ata
Jeeti rahe saltanat teri
Jeeti rahe ashiqui meri
Dede mujhe zindagi meri
Tenu dil da vasta

Moments..

Life is a series of rooms: school(s), junior college, college(s), work offices, so-called settling after marriage. When you enter a new room, you meet new people. Some of them become your friends. You laugh with them. dance with them. sing songs on a public street at 1 AM. motivate them. listen to them. talk to them. share your joy. share your sorrow. share your dreams. You care for them. And you are happy that you belong to this small world within your room.

But sooner or later, life tells you or your friends to leave this room. You say your good byes. You promise to keep in touch. But as time passes by, dust starts settling on the promises. In most cases, the frequent e-mails, IRC chats or even the once an year birthday call disappears. More or less, you end up as an e-mail contact in the address book and messenger list or nowadays as a connection on so many social networks.

And the only thing that's left untouched are the wonderful memories they have created in your life. The moments you had on the journey to each milestone in your life.

And each time the room switch happens, the same cycle continues.....

Hitch

"Give me a ring.....sometime............I mean on the phone!"
This movie rocks!! :)

Secret Seven

Number of wonders in this world : Seven
Number of sins recognized by the church : Seven
Number of notes of scale in Indian music : Seven
Number of senses in human beings that have been talked about : Six
Ooops..an anamoly! Let me rectify it..
Number of senses the Secret Seven members have : SEVEN!
Want to know which is the seventh one. Continue reading this description of Secret Seven..

The big bang theory states that this universe came into existence at a definite moment in time, some 13 billion years ago in the form of a superhot, superdense fireball of energetic radiation. Our group has come into existence roughly some 13 billion years after the universe was born. And all it needed to born was an e-mail invitation for a fun trip to Wonderla :P.

The tag line of our group is Nothing secret about us. In order to justify that, here is a short description of each of us:

1. Sridevi Aishwariya : The girl who was blessed with a name comprising of names of two most beautiful women in Bollywood. Ironically, this self-proclaimed stylish babe was blessed with beauty of none of the two :P. Wondering why her name is the first! Well she sent that e-mail I mentioned earlier.

2. Dharmendra Kumar : The Singer, The Thinker, The Philosopher! Yet he has the sanest mind among us. Nicknamed SDK (Saint Dharmendra Kumar) or DG( Dharam Garam), this angry young man has a vital role in the group. He sits next to the driver in each trip to make sure the driver does not run away because of our seventh sense talks :). He also sits next to top management in office and makes sure none of us get fired by putting a good word for us each time. Did I mention his DJ skills on the car radio/mp3 player?

3. Sandeep Akula : The telugu style icon and future crorepati of our group. And he has secured that future by being born a telugu gult! Apart from this fact, Kuch kaaas nahi hai. His natural photos are the talk of the Gult town.

4. Jaideep Jeyakar : or u can call him J. Describing this guy in short is a very tall challenge. The geeky all-rounder : Swimming, Guitar, Puzzles..name any activity in this world and he is bad at it :P.

5. Sudeshna Sarkar : An extremely silent and mild person who talks and keeps talking..and keeps talking whole day. This girl(kid?) is our eyes and ears in the outside world (read as world other than secret seven). The recent news says that she is developing a liking for rock music esp. Guns and roses, Metallica, Goo goo dolls, etc. etc.

6. Harini Rajagopal : Being a 2BHK owner in Bangalore, we can say this girl has the best investment plan going on ;). She adores wild life esp. leeches and fish. Her primary job is the referee role in Tom and Jerry fights.

7. Sumit Sorde : That's me! An awesome guy with an excellent work-life balance (He doesn't have a life :P). He is good at using any software other than the one on which he has been working on for 3 years now. For more information please read the comments section (if this post gets any!).

Still wondering about what the seventh sense is? Here's your answer....

Oh wait! I just realized that nobody visits this blog. So keep visiting for the answer :P

PS : The answer is not 42 :)

...

Life called: Asked where have I been for such a long time?
I replied : I am on my way.

Hope I did not lie this time :(

The "i" Factor

U always thought it was a + b. And suddenly it changed to a + ib. And that's when it turned complex..

The tale of a medical check-up!

I am sick. That does not mean I am mentally, morally, or emotionally deranged, corrupt, or unsound. That means I have fever and a terrible cough which has made me miss office today. With enough background established, let's talk about the medical check-up I had by some Dr. X yesterday (I don't remember his name!) comparing it side-by-side with the possible version where I replace Dr. X with Dr. Gregory (sarcastic and super-cool) House from the TV series "House MD".

Enter the sick patient in the examination room (that's me).
Dr. X : What's wrong with you?
Me : I have fever and cough

Dr. House (He is busy catching some TV soap. He has a look at you and then): You have fever and cough! (That's how awesome he is!)

Dr. X : Do you smoke?
Me : No

Dr. House : Ur lips suggest you don't smoke! (Again!!)

Dr. X and Dr. House: Since when do have cough?
Me : 4 days
Dr. X : OK
Dr. House : You are lying! U have it since more than a week. U have come here today coz u have fever too. But that's OK. Patients lie, Everybody lies.

Dr. X (After the typical check-up) : You have Bronchitis. Take this prescription and you will be fine.
Dr. House (After a very very short version of the typical check-up when the TV soap has a advertisement break) : You have Bronchitis! Take this prescription and let me watch TV.

Time machine..

Chronology of some non-eventful events -
April 1, 2009 : 11:59 PM : I go to sleep.
A minute later : The Earth started another diurnal course.
April 2, 2009 :
12:26 AM : Still not asleep, I find the lights in the kitchen on. Get out of the bed to turn it off. Go back to sleep...
4:00 AM (must be around this time) : I wake up unintentionally.
4:45 AM : After trying to sleep for a long time, I think getting out of the bed for some time is a better idea. I switch on the TV.
5:20 AM : Try my luck at sleep again. And the subject of the post hits me. If you are given a time machine and the following three options, which one will you choose :
1. I want to go back to relive the days of my life.
2. I travel ahead to find out how my life unfolds.
3. No Thanks! I am happy living in the present.
5:30 AM : I am sound asleep :)
And I had a normal day later..

Meanwhile, my choice : Option 1.

Thin air..

Sometimes Life just vanishes into thin air, but it does leave the aroma behind..

Weekends..

I guess I created some sort of a record this weekend. I did not get out of the front door of my house for some 48 hours straight ;)

Thought of the day!

U must have heard what they say, that life is a mystery..
If you are able to identify and enact your role, u become part of history ;)

Geek amusement tips :P

Top 10 ways to amuse a geek
1. Make a list of the top 10 ways to amuse a geek.
10. Use binary.

Source : http://nymphs.org/Random/

A typical day turns Atypical

When 15 minutes make ur typical day..what shuld i say..special/eventful? I leave that decision to you :P.

Here goes the story : 26th Feb 2009, a beautiful Thursday morning till the moment I got out of bed ;). I reach the office, park my bike in basement and walk leisurely towards the lift lobby. I see a guy rushing to get an open lift. And I tell myself "Why Hurry! I will take the next one!". I see a lift at the basement floor awaiting my push button instruction to take me to the office floor. And I tell myself "Tada!". The lift lifts me to floor no.3. And here's where the story takes a twist. The lift door does not open!! Bringing my engineering experience into picture, I go up and down each floor in order to get out. Obviously, it did not work :P. I confidently push the Emergency call button. Ooops, I get a busy tone :-). Following the failure of rescue plan 1, I went for plan 2 i.e. push another emergency button, which blew a siren which sounded loud enough to me, but I was not sure whether anybody else heard it. So with both emergency options tried and failed, it was time to find another plan. I checked my cellphone and found that Airtel towers are within range on higher floors. So, I managed to call a friend which set up the rescue operation in process. After whole 15 minutes, I was out and ready to sip coffee and stumble for the rest of the day ;).

And yeah, I again used the same lift twice on the same day :-). Call that courage eh? ;)

Super Rafael!

On 6th July 2008, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in 5 sets in Wimbledon final which lasted 4 hours, 48 mins. The quality of tennis in the match left the tennis lovers in a state of awe. And for us, the fans of Rafael, he had made a huge statement by defeating Roger on grass surface. ATP deservedly crowned him the new World no. 1. And Vijay Amritraj, the commentator of the match posted one question : When does Rafa get tired?

Fast forward to another year and we arrive at Australian open 2009 , the first grand slam of the year. Rafa breezed to the semifinals, while Federer had a great escape in fourth round before reaching the semis. Federer rushed past Roddick in the semifinal match on Thursday. And Rafa played an epic 5 set match against Verdasco which lasted 5 hours, 14 mins on Friday. So with the Sunday final set up as a fresh Roger (who had a extra day to rest) vs. a tired Rafa, the world anticipated for the answer to the question of Vijay Amritraj. Roger was tipped as the favorite, but Rafa had another ideas. Rafa entered the court as a fighter and roared his way to victory in another 5 set match. For 4 hours 22 mins, Rafa did what he does best, chasing each and every shot of the opponent throught the court, returning shots which end up as winners against other opponents and producing the trademark stunning winners from seemingly impossible situations. Rafa was crowned the Champion and in the world of tennis, a super-hero was born! Well, considering he played for close to 10 hours within 3 days, that's not an over-statement :-).

After the gruelling semifinal match, Verdasco said To win a point against Nadal, you need to win it 3 times! And after the finals, Federer said.....well he just cried. And we still don't know the answer to the question: "When does Rafa get tired?"

Go Rafa! Bite each and every grand slam trophy ;).

Oscars 2009

India is celebrating the 8 Oscars won by the HOLLYWOOD(and not bollywood) movie "Slumdog millionaire". Yeah, you can thank me for the clarification :P.

Well, in my opinion, this year's Oscar's have gone horribly wrong. So here is my list :-). Just to clarify, I still stand by the post I had written about me enjoying Slumdog millionaire.

1. BEST PICTURE - The Dark Knight! Surprised where this one came from, considering this is not even in the nomination list. But seriously, how dare the jury give this award to any other movie this year!!!
2. BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE - Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight". Yeah the Academy thought he was supporting actor. But I think otherwise. And the fact that Christian Bale is a super-hero in this movie also helps ;)
3. BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE - Meryl Streep for "Doubt".
4. BEST DIRECTOR - Slumdog Millionaire. coz Danny Boyle has shown the Bollywood industry how a typical Bollywood story can be turned into a good movie! FYI, I agree with the jury here.
5. MUSIC AWARDS - Who else but the Mozart of Madras A.R.Rehman! Again, in accordance with the jury.
6. FILM EDITING - "Nothing but the truth". Another surprise winner here, not in the nominations
7. VISUAL EFFECTS - The Dark Knight
8. ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - Philip Seymour Hoffman for "DOUBT".
9. CINEMETOGRAPHY - The Dark Knight
10. BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - Amy Adams for "Doubt". I did not see Vicky Christina Barcelona. So I have kept Penelope Cruz out of my nomination list. Sorry about that :-). But didn't she look stunning at the Oscar ceremony? ;)

For other categories which are not mentioned here, I either agree with the Academy jury or I have no idea about them e.g. Documentary section, Foreign films.

This list still ends up with 5 Oscars to Slumdog millionaire. By the way, if you liked Slumdog, do check out "Traffic signal" by Madhur Bhandarkar. A good movie by an Indian director on the same subject of slum kids. It's really sad (and somewhat disgusting) that these movies go unnoticed in the crowd of the huge-budget crappy melodramas we continue to churn out year after year :-(.

Nothing but the truth

Well, this movie is a masterpiece!
Plot : In Washington, D.C., a female reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source. |

A thriller/drama which shows the dire consequences a female reporter has to face when she decides to stand for her principles. The plight of the female reporter in her fight to keep her integrity when she is up against the government makes you feel sad and disgusted. The movie keeps you guessing till the end. And what a surprising climax!

Kate Beckinsale and Alan Alda deliver strong performances. Don't miss this one!

15 Oxymorons

Source: http://people.howstuffworks.com/15-oxymorons.htm
An oxymoron is a combination of words that contradict each other. Here are some of our favorites.
1. virtual reality
2. original copy
3. old news
4. act naturally
5. pretty ugly
6. living dead
7. jumbo shrimp
8. rolling stop
9. constant variable
10. exact estimate
11. paid volunteers
12. civil war
13. sound of silence
14. clever fool
15. only choice

Obama!

Well everyone is talking about it on ALL INDIAN NEWS CHANNELS! Reports that students of Lucknow conducted a rally wearing Obama face masks, some painter making his special picture, singers singing Kawwali for Obama! I am beginning to wonder whether he is being sworn in as Indian President or US President!! Are u confused too?

Living a dream!

Perhaps I have given the gist of Slumdog millionaire in the title. A typical bollywood story made superb by brilliant direction and awesome screenplay. The beauty of the movie lies in the fact that in spite of being so close to reality about Mumbai slums, Mumbai riots, etc., there is always a sense of hope throughout the movie. The background score by A.R. Rehman works as icing on the cake. Overall a brilliant movie!

And if you want to know whether the dream comes true, watch it (preferably in cinema halls) :-).