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) :-).

Finding that positive side

"But on the positive side........"
How many times do we hear this phrase after a bad news!

And how many times does the explanation really make sense? How difficult it can be for us to admit the fact that sometimes there is NO positive side. That everything need not happen for a good reason!

Or does the Steve jobs philosophy of connecting the dots backwards apply everywhere?

So may be, what theory we belive in ends up in a choice between optimism and pessimism? And where do I stand? Perhaps on the optimism side :-). No wonder my blood group is B+ :P

Losing sucks!

Especially when you know its you who lost it (a TT match) rather than your opponent winning it..

Talent hunt..Oh Really!

Well..loong time, no post!

And this post is to talk/crib/argue about the elimination of Shalmali Sukhtankar from Zee Marathi SRGMP Little champs Talent hunt show. In my opinion, she was definitely among the best 3 contestants in the show. The variety and consistency she showed in each song she has rendered in the show was simply amazing. Her acting abilities blended with her singing was simply AWESOME! But she got eliminated just because she did not get enough SMS votes from the Maharashtra or in judge's words Mumbai junta (coz Shalmali hails from Mumbai)! So I find myself writing this post rather than watching the next show of SRGMP (or for that matter, any of their shows this season) :(.

The first talent hunt show which I used to watch was Zee SRGMP. The show used to be hosted by Shaan and esteemed judges used to judge the singing talent. This made sure that the contestants were given a fair judgement and most importantly, the best contestant won! But to spoil the picture, in comes Indian Idol, the modern SRGMP where they made different "gharanas", and many more shows. The shows became more drama oriented and Talent hunt took the back seat. And to make truckloads of money, SMS voting got introduced. The sentimental Indian Junta is encouraged to SMS for their favorite contestant (read as contestant from their town/city/state/caste/creed) and that will decide the winner! You can even find contestants urging the viewers to vote for them in their regional languages! Obviously the main motto of "May the best man win" in a Talent hunt went for a toss. Though I chose to ignore these shows, Junta responded to this newly granted judgemental power with full enthusiasm and these shows are listed on top of today's TRP ratings! Well Mission accomplished for the TV channels..

But Zee SRGMP Marathi was still a fair and great show. The judges were responsible fully for the decision-making which made sure that best 12 contestants came through to the finals. And the fact that SMS votes only constituted an insignificant part of the decision-making process made sure the first 4 eliminations in the finals were fair. But on Nov. 17, 2008; the result was insane. SMS voting was given 50% weightage of the total points and hence, a top singer of a singing Talent hunt show was eliminated. And since SMS voting will play an even bigger role further in the show, there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind, that the winner won't gain the victory based on his/her singing talent.

To give you a glimpse of Shalmali's singing (&) performance, here is a youtube video :

With the talent she has, Shalmali is definitely going to make a big name in Marathi/Hindi audio world in near future. All the best Shalmali!