I moved
14 years ago
20 In 2009
Nope! I am not talking about my resolutions. With the great idea of spending my time more usefully, I have enrolled in the 20in2009 challenge that involves reading 20 books in the year 2009. This should bring in more discipline as far as my reading goes and hopefully writing as well because I fully intend to review the books that I read :) If you are interested you can link to the details of this challenge from the link above or the image below. Wish me luck!
Good Riddance!
In a few hours, another year bites the dust. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I am glad to see this one go – It has definitely been a year of unpleasantness for the world as the financial crisis reared its ugly head leaving many people in undesirable straits. India was threatened by terrorists and many innocent lives taken and blood spilt. It was also the year that history was made – the American continent voted for its first African American president and people all over the world rejoiced! It seemed that everyone believed that Mr.Barack Obama had a magic wand locked away somewhere and a wave of the same would flip the entire world to prosperity in the shortest time possible; can’t blame us considering that he did pack the notion of ‘Yes you can’ into our heads.
Personally it has been a year that pushed me to do many things and realize a lot about the person that I am – I found creativity again when I turned to my pencils and sketch books after many years of dormant activity in this area. I found that for every mean person there are probably 10 good ones around. I survived a lot this year purely because a lot of people helped me during crucial times: friends, my boss, my colleagues and sometimes even a stranger at the bus stop. I may never want to have a roommate again, but I think I have learnt to give those around me at least a little credit by placing some trust in them. In fact the year seems to have had a very theatrical conclusion with a fire in my kitchen 2 weeks ago. I freaked out and refused to cook even after everything was set right until my dad convinced me that the fire was a fates symbolic way of telling me that everything mean and ugly had been cleared away making way for a new future. Well I just hope that it is true.
This has also been a year when I found a few friends on the blogosphere. To be honest, I created this blog way back in 2006 and have torn it down at least twice thinking it was never good enough. I always seemed to be stuck in a continuous state of blocked creativity and imagination; in fact I am still stuck there! I made an effort (though not a very good one) to write even if it seemed silly. Thanks to my friends from the blogosphere who take the effort to read my posts, I have been motivated to do a better job with this blog and hopefully the New Year would see an improvement.
2008 I am happy to see you go! You may have shaken lives and cut down jobs, but that still doesn’t stop folks from shopping; the site of the crowded shopping malls is a delight; you may have reminded us that evil exists; you may have broken many a spirit, yet we face each day with hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Every morning a new day dawns,
Every day a new leader is born,
Each day the battle of good versus evil continues,
That good will triumph is definitely ensued.
A very Happy, Prosperous and Joyous New Year to one and all!!
Of cackling stumps and hopping pots....
If hopping pots and tree stumps had stories to tell this would be it. I just completed ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ by J.K Rowling. Being an avid reader of the Harry Potter series, I had to read this one too. Meant to be a book of short stories or fairy tales for young wizards and witches, the book gained immense popularity in the final installment of the Harry Potter series ‘The Deathly Hallows’ as the clue to discovering the secret that would end the most terrible war that the magical world has seen in recent times. The book is most definitely meant for a young audience, but succeeds in tickling the curiosity of adult readers and book collectors. JKR has weaved her magic in narrating the tales of the bard as if they were translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger along with foot notes from Albus Dumbledore convincing the readers that this could probably be a real deal. The characters seem funny and clever as in the case of ‘Babbity Rabbity, a witch moonlighting as a washerwomen (she reminds me of Birbal, the wise and witty advisor to King Akbar) or the ‘hopping pot’ a cauldron with a mind of its own’.
Most of the stories and characters draw similarities to the tales from the ‘Amar Katha’ series or ‘Tinkle’ which was a staple literay diet during our wonder years. Every story conveys a moral or lesson for life. My favorite was of course ‘The Tale of the three brothers’ that drives the point that death is inevitable; it can be postponed but never escaped.
A book that can be appreciated by the Harry Potter audience; borrow and read.
To know more about this book visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard
Dear mind, please feel free to wander....
Ever wondered what is the best way to kill time? Over the last few months I have had plenty of that on my hands but I just didn't know what to do! The only use was obsessing over work and projects as I couldn’t channel my creative mind to make use of all these freely wandering energy matters. Here are a few crazy thoughts from my head - I felt like a part of the Clinic Plus anti dandruff shampoo commercial whose tag line was 'now that your head is flake free your mind is free to wander' and yes, this list seems pretty hilarious to me!
1. I should have been an archaeologist - I would have travelled the world, discovered treasures, be the hot archaeologist who documents her works as a fictional best sellers, make a lot of money, meet prince charming and live happily ever after! Well I am not sure how I could have realized this dream when I could hardly fathom history and geography!
2. I should have taken a course on cake and pastry making, I am sure I would have been pretty good at making some of these fancy cakes that I see on the food network challenge shows. I can open my own joint with a fancy name that would stock and serve jazzy coffees and cup cakes!
1. I should have been an archaeologist - I would have travelled the world, discovered treasures, be the hot archaeologist who documents her works as a fictional best sellers, make a lot of money, meet prince charming and live happily ever after! Well I am not sure how I could have realized this dream when I could hardly fathom history and geography!
2. I should have taken a course on cake and pastry making, I am sure I would have been pretty good at making some of these fancy cakes that I see on the food network challenge shows. I can open my own joint with a fancy name that would stock and serve jazzy coffees and cup cakes!
3. I should do a beautiful piece of art - something very surreal that would be complicated to make sense of! Well...seems my creative juices have been blocked and my keys to my imagination had been thrown away since I started working and trying hard to locate it....
4. Man! I should have been a chef - I would have opened my own restaurant and churned out colorful cookbooks. I wouldn’t have to worry about projects, interfaces and integration!
5. Maybe I should at least attempt at updating my blogs regularly, that way I could attempt to regain my past glory at churning out essays, articles and crazy poems!
6. I should sketch from my imagination! Stupid girl look for those keys to the imagination that have been lost!
7. Let me design my dream house with Google SketchUp. When it actually comes to constructing said home someday I would be ready with an initial draft! Stupid, Stupid....first find the key, then learn how to use google SketchUp!
8. Why not try writing a book about my experiences over the last few years of living alone, girl power etc.,! God I can’t think of a plot to save my book! I have a character for the vamp based on my last roomie else am just blank! God, I need that key!
9. Anthropology! What is that?? But it sure does look good on ‘Bones’! I blame my parents - I bet even they didn’t know what anthropology was and its entirely their fault that I am not an anthropologist! Come to think of it, now that I do know what this branch of science is I would have probably fainted on the sight of blood and flesh..... Also I don’t think I would have partnered with a good looking FBI agent! This is real life after all...
10. I should have been stubborn and pursued my dancing! That must have been more satisfying; salsa, swing and jazz; there is no way I could have found teachers for these styles in the 90's! God! I am old wah wah…
11. Play out situations in my head wherein I stick it to my detractors! Man! That feels so good...Modeled on superstars words my tag line would be 'Yen Vazhi thani vazhi, kuruke vande.. I will kick your butt!
12. Cheese and Coffee - I love both of these, and I need to take the time to know the different varieties of the same and use it to seem like a smart cookie at conversations... Do you know what differentiates goat cheese from feta?? I can imagine the flummoxed look on the faces in the group where this question was raised!
13. My favorite - Get a dog. A nice yellow Labrador, nope a chocolate lab, nope a German shepherd, nope a golden retriever....maybe a orange tabby cat, no way maybe a Dalmatian, nah a Daschund its smaller and can be in an apartment......what about a Doberman to scare away unwanted guests.....
14. Try and do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Once it is complete, I could frame it and mount it on the wall of the dream house whose design I am yet to do using Google SketchUp! Darn!
15. Make a list of things to shop for when I win a million dollars at the lottery!
16. Finalize on what I could wish for if God appeared in front of me one day, sick and tired of my wandering mind.
17. I have become the Vice President at the organization that I work for! I have this cabin with an amazing view on the 16th floor with an assistant outside my cabin! I am busy as a bee and I drive a Mercedes. Wow!
18. Try and read Homer's Odyssey! I am a sucker for historical narrations - but I am too busy letting my mind wander and conjure up the above!
And there is more, more and more. But my fingers are too tired to type! Have a laugh at my expense and so let me know the crazy thoughts from your wandering mind :-)
Happy Halloween
The eve of ‘All Hallows’ Even or Halloween is celebrated throughout the western world in a spooky fun way with amazing costume parades, carved pumpkins, trick or treat events and parties. Food and costumes dominate the festival where yummy snacks with wacko names likes ‘Witches Fingers’ (for biscotti’s) and ‘eye of newts’ (for sugar candy) find their way into pretty pumpkin baskets carried by ghosts, monsters, fairies and even the friendly neighborhood spider man. This celebration is not yet a rage in India, where most folks wonder what differentiates a witch from a vampire and didn’t really pay attention to the fact that ‘trick or treating’ found its way into the lyrics of a song called ‘Hum dum Suniyore’ from the movie ‘Saathiya’!
While discussing costume selections with a friend yesterday, it occurred to me that life is like one big Halloween party. The custom of wearing masks and costumes and assuming a new identity for a few hours of fun is something that everyone does unconsciously throughout their lives only minus the masks and costumes and also the fact that we don’t really do it for fun, but actually try to get through the day! Think about it – we usually start the day in a stressed out frame of mind (unless you are superman or woman and even they have had bad days) thanks to the zillion things that we need to do, zip past some bad traffic or take the public transportation, find a parking spots after a lot of hunting but the moment we enter the work place, we greet an annoying colleague with a Colgate smile! We strive to present a better angle of our personality to the world. Most parents are always surprised with their kids who are extremely polite to the folks next door while choosing to be a sour puss with them. Newlyweds and couples in the earlier phases of their courtship are always trying to please each other incessantly, a direct contrast from what is going to follow a few years down the line. A girl at the billing counter bids you good bye wishing for you to have a nice day when hers has been plain rotten and a disgruntled employee makes sure that he makes his boss feel like God while grimacing at the very thought of it! Ultimately what ensues is that we are more hospitable to strangers who have no real place in our lives, while taking for granted our near and dear ones.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could use the masks of pleasantness and gratitude with the people that matter to us? Every day we are courteous to strangers, so why not to those close to us? Maybe we can start this Halloween by putting those masks we use every day to good use – try and start the day with a smile, call your mom and thank her for the delicious lunch she packed, enjoy a game of cards with your dad, treat your family to a surprise dinner, smile at your maid or present some candies to her son, anything that you can think of that would make a difference in a dear ones day; just give your support network a break! Happy Halloween folks!
While discussing costume selections with a friend yesterday, it occurred to me that life is like one big Halloween party. The custom of wearing masks and costumes and assuming a new identity for a few hours of fun is something that everyone does unconsciously throughout their lives only minus the masks and costumes and also the fact that we don’t really do it for fun, but actually try to get through the day! Think about it – we usually start the day in a stressed out frame of mind (unless you are superman or woman and even they have had bad days) thanks to the zillion things that we need to do, zip past some bad traffic or take the public transportation, find a parking spots after a lot of hunting but the moment we enter the work place, we greet an annoying colleague with a Colgate smile! We strive to present a better angle of our personality to the world. Most parents are always surprised with their kids who are extremely polite to the folks next door while choosing to be a sour puss with them. Newlyweds and couples in the earlier phases of their courtship are always trying to please each other incessantly, a direct contrast from what is going to follow a few years down the line. A girl at the billing counter bids you good bye wishing for you to have a nice day when hers has been plain rotten and a disgruntled employee makes sure that he makes his boss feel like God while grimacing at the very thought of it! Ultimately what ensues is that we are more hospitable to strangers who have no real place in our lives, while taking for granted our near and dear ones.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could use the masks of pleasantness and gratitude with the people that matter to us? Every day we are courteous to strangers, so why not to those close to us? Maybe we can start this Halloween by putting those masks we use every day to good use – try and start the day with a smile, call your mom and thank her for the delicious lunch she packed, enjoy a game of cards with your dad, treat your family to a surprise dinner, smile at your maid or present some candies to her son, anything that you can think of that would make a difference in a dear ones day; just give your support network a break! Happy Halloween folks!
Rock On!!! Simply Rocks!
After my allergic reactions to Kuselan, I decided to give the task of watching movies another chance and it seems that this time I selected wisely. It looks like Indian cinema is coming of age with refreshing attempts like ‘Rock On’ that tread the road not taken. With the emergence of off-beat films such as these we bid adieu to romantic heroes and swooning heroines, over dramatic parents, wedding songs and drama, insane action and violence and are introduced to characters that could easily be one of us fighting personal and professional turmoil the way we do.
The storyline is very similar to the much loved ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. The story of 4 friends bound by music and a rock band called ‘Magik’ who have a fall out, pursue their own professional lives whilst the dreams of music takes a back seat and reunite 10 years down the lane to chase their musical dreams and their final performance draws plenty of similarities between the 3 friends of DCH who pretty much do the same thing, with the exception of the rock band and music performances.
All performances are laudable, with Farhan Akthar leading the pack with his singing, acting, producing; the man is a storehouse of talent that has been unleashed upon the unsuspecting audiences. An excellent acting debut and possibly an award winning one! Arjun Rampal convincingly plays the role of the talented lead guitarist, a man of fewer words struggling between chasing his dreams and supporting his family. It seems that no director has extracted the best that this actor could offer until now, with the exception of a Farah Khan in ‘OSO’. Purab Kohli playing the ever cheerful ‘Killer Drummer’ makes drumming look like child’s play and Luke Kenny who plays the man on the keyboard completes the rest of this rock band. The men are aptly supported by the women Prachi Desai and Sahana Goswami, who play their strong and supporting wives, pulling off the most believable casting coup!
The music by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy is rocking (for the lack of any better words that I could think of) and is definitely not like anything you might have heard from them in the past. ‘Indi Rock’ may make waves in a big way thanks to this musically gifted trio. Each of their songs powered by wonderful lyrics and performed by the untrained voice of Farhan Akthar, a change from the usual perfect and sweet voices we hear from Bollywood will make the audience sway and tap their feet. It also gives the movie an essence of being genuine. ‘Sinbad the Sailor’ a song after my own heart takes the cake. Abhishek Kapoor’s directorial attempt is a must watch for all music lovers and audiences who love good cinema. It is all about following your dreams!! Rock On!!
The storyline is very similar to the much loved ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. The story of 4 friends bound by music and a rock band called ‘Magik’ who have a fall out, pursue their own professional lives whilst the dreams of music takes a back seat and reunite 10 years down the lane to chase their musical dreams and their final performance draws plenty of similarities between the 3 friends of DCH who pretty much do the same thing, with the exception of the rock band and music performances.
All performances are laudable, with Farhan Akthar leading the pack with his singing, acting, producing; the man is a storehouse of talent that has been unleashed upon the unsuspecting audiences. An excellent acting debut and possibly an award winning one! Arjun Rampal convincingly plays the role of the talented lead guitarist, a man of fewer words struggling between chasing his dreams and supporting his family. It seems that no director has extracted the best that this actor could offer until now, with the exception of a Farah Khan in ‘OSO’. Purab Kohli playing the ever cheerful ‘Killer Drummer’ makes drumming look like child’s play and Luke Kenny who plays the man on the keyboard completes the rest of this rock band. The men are aptly supported by the women Prachi Desai and Sahana Goswami, who play their strong and supporting wives, pulling off the most believable casting coup!
The music by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy is rocking (for the lack of any better words that I could think of) and is definitely not like anything you might have heard from them in the past. ‘Indi Rock’ may make waves in a big way thanks to this musically gifted trio. Each of their songs powered by wonderful lyrics and performed by the untrained voice of Farhan Akthar, a change from the usual perfect and sweet voices we hear from Bollywood will make the audience sway and tap their feet. It also gives the movie an essence of being genuine. ‘Sinbad the Sailor’ a song after my own heart takes the cake. Abhishek Kapoor’s directorial attempt is a must watch for all music lovers and audiences who love good cinema. It is all about following your dreams!! Rock On!!
I've been tagged...
I have been tagged by Renu who hangs out on Anooboothi and its nice to know that there are folks out there who would like to know me better :-) I have made an honest attempt to unlock mysteries of my mind.... The rules for tagging are as follows:
RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.
1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
I would ask him to take a hike, then I'd cry, have a tub of ice cream and thrash him on my blog!
2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be
Ummmm......too many to list at this point of time!
3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
The annoying room mate, the annoying ministers and annoying relatives! That was easy....
4. What would do with a billion dollars?
Resign, buy a home at park avenue and invest some money in savings and plan the rest of my life!
5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
I could.......though not sure if it would work the other way around!
6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
I guess the later is more important for a good life so being loved by someone.
7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
Until the idiot turns up! Then I'd give him a piece of my mind!
8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Sulk and be annoyed with him!
9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Clean and less polluted environment and SPCA
10. What takes you down the fastest?
Hypocrites and liars.
11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I don't know where I see myself tomorrow so no way do I know what I'd be 10 years down the lane!
12. What’s your fear?
Spiders, lizards, cockroaches, manipulators and liars.
13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
I think Renu is an extremely balanced person and very analytical about things that happen around her. Definitely a sweet soul, I guess.
14. Which places would you like to visit before you die?
Italy, Greece and Egypt!!! I would love to extensively tour these places!
15. What did you originally want to do in life?
I wanted to be an architect, but ended up in the great IT industry. However, no regrets...
16. What category of people do you hate the most?
Gossip mongers everywhere and those who try to force their opinions on me.
17. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
I don't think I can do either - If the pain is too much the other party is going down!
18. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
A balance of both - being in a good relationship with some personal space
List of 6 people to tag: Sorry I still don't know too many people here and the ones I do know have either tagged me or have been tagged. So I am going to have to pass
RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.
1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
I would ask him to take a hike, then I'd cry, have a tub of ice cream and thrash him on my blog!
2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be
Ummmm......too many to list at this point of time!
3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
The annoying room mate, the annoying ministers and annoying relatives! That was easy....
4. What would do with a billion dollars?
Resign, buy a home at park avenue and invest some money in savings and plan the rest of my life!
5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
I could.......though not sure if it would work the other way around!
6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
I guess the later is more important for a good life so being loved by someone.
7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
Until the idiot turns up! Then I'd give him a piece of my mind!
8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Sulk and be annoyed with him!
9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Clean and less polluted environment and SPCA
10. What takes you down the fastest?
Hypocrites and liars.
11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I don't know where I see myself tomorrow so no way do I know what I'd be 10 years down the lane!
12. What’s your fear?
Spiders, lizards, cockroaches, manipulators and liars.
13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
I think Renu is an extremely balanced person and very analytical about things that happen around her. Definitely a sweet soul, I guess.
14. Which places would you like to visit before you die?
Italy, Greece and Egypt!!! I would love to extensively tour these places!
15. What did you originally want to do in life?
I wanted to be an architect, but ended up in the great IT industry. However, no regrets...
16. What category of people do you hate the most?
Gossip mongers everywhere and those who try to force their opinions on me.
17. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
I don't think I can do either - If the pain is too much the other party is going down!
18. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
A balance of both - being in a good relationship with some personal space
List of 6 people to tag: Sorry I still don't know too many people here and the ones I do know have either tagged me or have been tagged. So I am going to have to pass
The coffee break - Electronics and Furniture for sale!
Since the most popular topic of conversation at the IT office cafeterias is the ongoing Financial crisis, I couldn't resist bringing to you some of the light hearted moments of such conversations. I tried to go one step forward and make a cartoon out of it. These crazy statments are represented from the view point of the coffee cups at the cafeteria - What if they could react over cracks made by people like us? Here is my first one.Since my handwriting may not be legible to all, I have just documented the human dialogues below as well.Thanks to my colleague who cracked this joke which had most of either in splits or emabarassed because we fell into the trap and ended up looking silly!Hope you enjoy it.
Man - Hey! U want to buy a HD Flat screen TV - 52" at 80% discount?
Woman - Sure!!I'm in! Where can I get it?
Man - Lehmans!! If you go immediately u can get bargain rates! Ha Ha!! All office equipment and furniture is on sale! Closing Sale...
Woman - Umm....#$***
[In case you were wondering most large multinationals have huge flat screens for video conferencing and other presentations].
A Random SOS call....
It’s a roller coaster week – Right now, the world of finance seems to enjoy nothing better than crashing in all directions. The panic is evident among folks from all walks of lives and I bet it is a tedious week for the man (or woman as the case may be) up there who sees and manages it all. A few examples of requests he /she have probably been receiving:
1. The blue collar worker: Dear God let nothing happen to my bank, my money is in there!
2. Employee at the bank: Dear God let nothing happen to this bank, I work here plus my money is in here….somewhere!
3. The board of the bank: Dear God let the feds approve our loan request to bail us out so that we don’t get pelted by our employees and the blue collar workers or anyone else!
4. Employees of an IT company: Dear God we hope that this crisis wave doesn’t hit any of our prospects. We need the projects so badly! Also our money is lying in some of those banks………..
5. Other positive thinkers: Dear God, let my mortgage rates go down, so that my installment years could be reduced from 10 to 9 and our money is in some of those banks!!!
In the midst of these panic attacks, I panicked because I got locked out of my personal email account! Anyone who had chanced to see me this morning, trying to get my email account to open, ignoring my morning cup of tea that lay forgotten on my window sill would have been in splits! I had no money in there though…Priorities you guys! I made it to work, and dragged my way to the cafeteria for my espresso shot (I had forgotten the tea, remember?) and fellow colleagues were animatedly discussing what else but the financial crisis! Most memorable dig at the entire issue was this one liner: What would you prefer: Being stranded in the midst of Ike the hurricane or the East coast financial crisis?
Our time was spent worrying and debating this issue and its possible effects on the economy of a country and in turn its people. At the end of the discussions and with the Feds, republicans and democrats still continuing to fight it out in the Promised Land, we had to put in few extra hours at work to make up for the debate time. I concluded that the solution to this issue is not something we can churn out, so why bother panicking about something that’s out of our hands. Panicking about locked personal email accounts seems more normal! I believe that the money is going to be there because the Promised Land is one power hungry nation and pigs will fly before they let anything untoward happen. As I try to stay afloat amidst these crazy times, my lips involuntarily utter the words: Dear God, please help me survive!
What comes next?
The latest buzz on the western hemisphere of the world – High Heels for babies!!!! Yes that’s right you can now dress up your infant daughter in pretty clothes with matching high heels to boot. Isn’t that cute?? All the other babies and their mommas are going to be so jealous. In the very near future, this can also be matched up with an amazing cosmetic line with baby foundation, blush and mascara that would come with their very own matching baby eye shadows, false eye lashes for the mascara and the blush brush!
The lines of shoes, aptly titles ‘Heelarious’, a brain child of two Seattle based mothers (yes! Mothers) tops the most ridiculous ideas to hit the worlds this century, “Cheese Masala dosa” and “Sambhar flavored Maggi” being some others (My apologies to readers who may love either of these) I wonder what’s next! A new exercise routine for babies considered too chubby to fit into the new line of happening baby fashions? Or low fat baby food! It is one thing for adults to be conscious about the way they look but why force the idea of false beauty on babies whose mode of transportation is being pushed around in a pram. Do we want ‘generation next’ to grow up with ideas that beauty is skin deep? Whatever happened to the age of innocence? It seems that some folks are in a hurry for their kids to grow up much faster than they ideally should. This can be the only explanation for forcing adult accessories on a kid that’s still in a crib. My take on ‘Heelarious’ is that this is definitely hilarious and I don’t mean that in a nice way.
If you are a parent who is interested in making emergency visits to the hospital for broken bones, you should get a pair for your baby to match her designer diapers who is probably wondering how she got out into this crazy world in the first place and still trying to understand the identity of the mysterious lady constantly feeding and changing her and now fitting her for the new heels! I would like to leave you with these thoughts: Shouldn’t the parents of the world focus on how they can actually help their kids by providing them with good education, help them build character, provide for them a safe and healthy environment and other important issues rather than making a choice between a leopard and a zebra print heel shoe for their babies?
The original news article can be read at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26673132/
The lines of shoes, aptly titles ‘Heelarious’, a brain child of two Seattle based mothers (yes! Mothers) tops the most ridiculous ideas to hit the worlds this century, “Cheese Masala dosa” and “Sambhar flavored Maggi” being some others (My apologies to readers who may love either of these) I wonder what’s next! A new exercise routine for babies considered too chubby to fit into the new line of happening baby fashions? Or low fat baby food! It is one thing for adults to be conscious about the way they look but why force the idea of false beauty on babies whose mode of transportation is being pushed around in a pram. Do we want ‘generation next’ to grow up with ideas that beauty is skin deep? Whatever happened to the age of innocence? It seems that some folks are in a hurry for their kids to grow up much faster than they ideally should. This can be the only explanation for forcing adult accessories on a kid that’s still in a crib. My take on ‘Heelarious’ is that this is definitely hilarious and I don’t mean that in a nice way.
If you are a parent who is interested in making emergency visits to the hospital for broken bones, you should get a pair for your baby to match her designer diapers who is probably wondering how she got out into this crazy world in the first place and still trying to understand the identity of the mysterious lady constantly feeding and changing her and now fitting her for the new heels! I would like to leave you with these thoughts: Shouldn’t the parents of the world focus on how they can actually help their kids by providing them with good education, help them build character, provide for them a safe and healthy environment and other important issues rather than making a choice between a leopard and a zebra print heel shoe for their babies?
The original news article can be read at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26673132/
My ode to Coffee
The only time I remember venturing into poetry was way back in primary school. My mom claims I used to churn out crazy poems back then. (Well my mom loves anything that I do and thinks it is cute! In all fairness, all moms are that way :-) ) Anyways I was so caffeinated after a cup of coffee this evening that I started to sing its praises right away! I have been ripping apart some topics recently so I had to write something crazy to make up! This was my attempt. Have a good laugh.
As I get out of bed each morning, sleepy and lazy to move
The thought of you makes me groove,
I miss those days when you used to waft around the house
Jump starting my day as I clicked my mouse,
You have your origin around the globe
India, Ethiopia, Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico and Verona,
The world loves you by the many forms you take
Plain, Espressos, Cappuccinos, lattes, tropical ice-bergs and more,
Many turn to you for their energy shots
Justifying why most folks make you by the pots,
Your enemies say you are bad
But that is just too sad,
They don't know you
Like your friends do,
O coffee wherever I go
I find my way to your abode,
You help me chase my blues away
I can’t survive without you for a day.
As I get out of bed each morning, sleepy and lazy to move
The thought of you makes me groove,
I miss those days when you used to waft around the house
Jump starting my day as I clicked my mouse,
You have your origin around the globe
India, Ethiopia, Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico and Verona,
The world loves you by the many forms you take
Plain, Espressos, Cappuccinos, lattes, tropical ice-bergs and more,
Many turn to you for their energy shots
Justifying why most folks make you by the pots,
Your enemies say you are bad
But that is just too sad,
They don't know you
Like your friends do,
O coffee wherever I go
I find my way to your abode,
You help me chase my blues away
I can’t survive without you for a day.
Good God No!
I did not want to do a piece ripping something apart , but it seems that our society keeps feeding us more craziness each day. The latest buzz to make headlines indicating an increased level of insanity among the residents of Tamil Nadu is about a new temple that is going to spring up in the district of Tirunelveli. The special aura about this temple is that the Goddess captured in stone is mortal and would not have the capability to grant any wishes. Confused?? If you have not heard, an avid fan is constructing a temple for the siren Namitha. Apparently the lady, popular for her ever shrinking outfits on her big frame rather than her acting abilities is so thrilled that she is the only actress to have a temple built in her honor apart from the late 80’s and 90’s screen goddess Kushboo. Contrastingly Kushboo was also hailed for her acting abilities. Incidentally Kushboo’s temple was demolished by her fans who had built it post her comments on HIV protection for women; just making it clear how time, money and resources are frittered away in our state on projects that generate no profit. I am just glad it is not the tax payer’s money that is being used for this useless project; or is it?
As a state, we could do with better roads, storm drains, a clean environment, lower levels of noise and air pollution, better garbage disposal etc., Rather our fellow public prefer to splash it on building temples for an actress who has not done anything of great importance even as far as her acting roles go till date. Have our people gone insane? What would be the advantage of investing time, space and people on its construction? How many people would visit this temple and what would be the purpose behind their visit? Normal people go to the temple to pray; would those visiting this temple simply stand there and drool?? This is definitely something that the public would outgrow making its presence questionable.
These questions and more storm through my mind as I wonder about the gradual decadence of a state known for its cultural values. This temple is an indication of how women are still treated in certain strata of the society – as objects of glamour with pea sized brains. We should be setting better examples for future generations in terms of treating people with dignity and respect and churning out leaders and statesmen with good character. If we do have money to splurge on ideas like these why don’t we see any improvement in the lifestyles of our fellow state inhabitants? If only Namitha could advise her fans to put this money to better use rather than making statements on how she wouldn’t mind more temples being built for her, the rest of us may have some respect for her. Your thoughts are appreciated.
O Krishna – This Kuselan has caused a headache!
Place: I am not sure (My guess is Dwaraka)
Time: A few centuries ago
Time: A few centuries ago
Name of Act: Lord Krishna and Kuselan - A great friendship.
Main Act: Kuselan a childhood friend and devotee of Lord Krishna lived in poverty and hunger. Taking his wife’s advice, armed with a pack of rice flakes wondering if the Lord would recognize him he proceeded to visit the Lord to request his help to tide over his bad times. Lord Krishna recognized and embraced Kuselan and treated him as an honored guest. He was curious about the pack under Kuselan's arms, the rice flakes which Kuselan had been embarrassed to present to the Lord as it was poor man’s food and not really fit for a king. When the Lord came to know, he chided Kuselan and ate the rice flakes with immense happiness and excitement.
When Kuselan returned to his village, he was surprised to find that his old hut had been transformed into a palatial bungalow!! He had been blessed by the lord and would no longer live a life of poverty and hunger but a life of great comfort and luxury.
Verdict: Touching story of true and lasting friendship.
Cut to present day
Place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 2008! A lazy week end at the theatres
Main Act: Kuselan a childhood friend and devotee of Lord Krishna lived in poverty and hunger. Taking his wife’s advice, armed with a pack of rice flakes wondering if the Lord would recognize him he proceeded to visit the Lord to request his help to tide over his bad times. Lord Krishna recognized and embraced Kuselan and treated him as an honored guest. He was curious about the pack under Kuselan's arms, the rice flakes which Kuselan had been embarrassed to present to the Lord as it was poor man’s food and not really fit for a king. When the Lord came to know, he chided Kuselan and ate the rice flakes with immense happiness and excitement.
When Kuselan returned to his village, he was surprised to find that his old hut had been transformed into a palatial bungalow!! He had been blessed by the lord and would no longer live a life of poverty and hunger but a life of great comfort and luxury.
Verdict: Touching story of true and lasting friendship.
Cut to present day
Place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Time: 2008! A lazy week end at the theatres
Name of Act: Kuselan - The movie guest starring Superstart Rajnikanth. Also starring others.
Main Act: The lifestyle of the village barber Balu borders on poverty. He is barely able to support his wife who breaks plenty of cooking pots and kids and is behind on their school fees payment. His business is being stolen by a fellow barber who used to apprentice under Balu. A movie crew visits the village for a shooting and the hero of the movie is a current day superstar Ashok who also happens to be Balu’s childhood friend. The village folk are on Balu’s case, so that they can visit Ashok, snap pictures with him or invite him to preside over their local school functions. Balu hesitates as he is not sure if his friend would recognize him as he still belongs to the lowest strata of the society and Ashok is a larger than life star. Life becomes difficult for Balu as everyone accuse him of lying about his friendship with Ashok. But the clouds of humiliation clears away when Ashok recognizes his friend at the school function and embraces his old friend and returns with him to Balu’s house.
My comments: This movie is a classic example of one that has comedy tracks for the sake of it! None of those tracks managed to make me smile and I found myself mostly squirming out of disgust! Vadivelu needs a serious change of image and dialogue delivery style! The whole idea of an idiot with a greedy and glamorous wife with him being a peeping tom to his fitness conscious wife or an actress changing was despicable! Generating business by drugging and stealing from prospective clients was too much to digest. It just wasn’t funny! To add to this misery, there was another gang of actors who call themselves comedians headed by Livingston and the result – more squirms and an increased headache!
The character of the real / reel life heroine – Nayanthara! Agreed she worked hard on obtaining that body but the lady needs a designer! At this point I wonder how this movie was awarded a ‘U’ certificate. I thought the censor board would do their job in ensuring that close up shots of her ‘wah-wah’s’ are chopped from the film! I pity the parents who had to have ‘the talk’ with their kids after they had watched this ‘family’ movie. And to think that Nayan has stooped so low – literally and figuratively; she is definitely no Kajol when it comes to prancing around in the rain with those ultra mini white skirts and transparent white tie shirts and she could definitely do with a refresher course in basics of acting.
Now for the redeeming characteristics of the movie, the main characters of this movie Pasupathi and Meena did what everyone should have done: justice to their roles of a quiet barber with amazingly high moraility levels and his supportive wife. Superstar Rajini looked good, (however he needs to consider a change in lipstick color, deep maroon doesn’t flatter him) played himself and did it well but he could not carry this disaster on his shoulders. There were two songs that were melodious and other than these factors this was one terrible movie!
Verdict: Does Kollywood churn out quality cinema these days?? Did the producers and directors of this movie think that the public would watch this movie because of the Superstar factor and a leading lady who was willing to drop more than what the pubic bargained for? It seems that they were riding solely on this factor for the film’s success. Well, we are not crazy and that is all I have to say apart from the following! I didn’t want to do another piece featuring the superstar (I like him!) but then the makers of this movie have forced me. On that note, to all parties involved in this project, try watching the movies that you make and check if it is entertaining before you release it. Ever heard the concept of a test audience?? If not look it up! What could have been a wonderful movie on friendship, inspired from the touching story of friendship shared between Lord Krishna and childhood friend Kuselan just turned out to be a big dud because you take us, the paying masses for granted. Our brains function and analyze more than your imagination and we will definitely think twice before putting our wallets on a diet to watch movies from this team in the future.
Main Act: The lifestyle of the village barber Balu borders on poverty. He is barely able to support his wife who breaks plenty of cooking pots and kids and is behind on their school fees payment. His business is being stolen by a fellow barber who used to apprentice under Balu. A movie crew visits the village for a shooting and the hero of the movie is a current day superstar Ashok who also happens to be Balu’s childhood friend. The village folk are on Balu’s case, so that they can visit Ashok, snap pictures with him or invite him to preside over their local school functions. Balu hesitates as he is not sure if his friend would recognize him as he still belongs to the lowest strata of the society and Ashok is a larger than life star. Life becomes difficult for Balu as everyone accuse him of lying about his friendship with Ashok. But the clouds of humiliation clears away when Ashok recognizes his friend at the school function and embraces his old friend and returns with him to Balu’s house.
My comments: This movie is a classic example of one that has comedy tracks for the sake of it! None of those tracks managed to make me smile and I found myself mostly squirming out of disgust! Vadivelu needs a serious change of image and dialogue delivery style! The whole idea of an idiot with a greedy and glamorous wife with him being a peeping tom to his fitness conscious wife or an actress changing was despicable! Generating business by drugging and stealing from prospective clients was too much to digest. It just wasn’t funny! To add to this misery, there was another gang of actors who call themselves comedians headed by Livingston and the result – more squirms and an increased headache!
The character of the real / reel life heroine – Nayanthara! Agreed she worked hard on obtaining that body but the lady needs a designer! At this point I wonder how this movie was awarded a ‘U’ certificate. I thought the censor board would do their job in ensuring that close up shots of her ‘wah-wah’s’ are chopped from the film! I pity the parents who had to have ‘the talk’ with their kids after they had watched this ‘family’ movie. And to think that Nayan has stooped so low – literally and figuratively; she is definitely no Kajol when it comes to prancing around in the rain with those ultra mini white skirts and transparent white tie shirts and she could definitely do with a refresher course in basics of acting.
Now for the redeeming characteristics of the movie, the main characters of this movie Pasupathi and Meena did what everyone should have done: justice to their roles of a quiet barber with amazingly high moraility levels and his supportive wife. Superstar Rajini looked good, (however he needs to consider a change in lipstick color, deep maroon doesn’t flatter him) played himself and did it well but he could not carry this disaster on his shoulders. There were two songs that were melodious and other than these factors this was one terrible movie!
Verdict: Does Kollywood churn out quality cinema these days?? Did the producers and directors of this movie think that the public would watch this movie because of the Superstar factor and a leading lady who was willing to drop more than what the pubic bargained for? It seems that they were riding solely on this factor for the film’s success. Well, we are not crazy and that is all I have to say apart from the following! I didn’t want to do another piece featuring the superstar (I like him!) but then the makers of this movie have forced me. On that note, to all parties involved in this project, try watching the movies that you make and check if it is entertaining before you release it. Ever heard the concept of a test audience?? If not look it up! What could have been a wonderful movie on friendship, inspired from the touching story of friendship shared between Lord Krishna and childhood friend Kuselan just turned out to be a big dud because you take us, the paying masses for granted. Our brains function and analyze more than your imagination and we will definitely think twice before putting our wallets on a diet to watch movies from this team in the future.
'Manna' - This stunt aint no good
Recently I read an article on MSN India about how our Superstar was miffed with music maestro ARR because ARR had requested the superstar’s daughter to meet him at 4.00AM in the morning at his recording studio to discuss the music of the movie ‘Sultan’. (Click here to read the original article: http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinema/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1656746). What I failed to understand is the factor that caused the miff and why this made the news in the first place. Working women all over India, with non-celebrity parents, never caused any issues because we were asked to work late or through out the night with a bunch of guys or in solitude. Our parents did not raise their eyebrows at our bosses and management because they understood that the whole team was working and that late hours, early morning conference calls crossed our professional lives more than we would like it to.
If ARR works through the night on his music and asked its producer / director to meet him at his studio to discuss and finalize the same I fail to understand what the hoopla is about? I am sure it was pretty evident that he was not inviting her for a secret rendezvous! If it was it would have been headlines by now!! ARR, the man known for less talk and his quiet demeanor being the better man ignored this jibe and finished his job like he was supposed to. Decency score: ARR - 1, Superstar - 0
To our beloved style 'mannan' – Please do not make headlines about such trivial things that happen in your line of work when it could cause more damage for others especially when it is not their fault. It is just the way they work. We love you for the kind of values you promote, you stylish punch dialogues and much more. Please remember that there are thousands of parents in the state and in India who are miffed and worried sick about the fact that their daughters need to work late often. They take it with a grain of salt because a part of getting the job well done is also being accommodating with the members of the team and this is even more paramount when you are the commanding the ship as in the case of your daughter. We would love for you to be in the news for your movies, your political and philosophical views, your charity works and other great things that would make your star shine brighter than before.
If ARR works through the night on his music and asked its producer / director to meet him at his studio to discuss and finalize the same I fail to understand what the hoopla is about? I am sure it was pretty evident that he was not inviting her for a secret rendezvous! If it was it would have been headlines by now!! ARR, the man known for less talk and his quiet demeanor being the better man ignored this jibe and finished his job like he was supposed to. Decency score: ARR - 1, Superstar - 0
To our beloved style 'mannan' – Please do not make headlines about such trivial things that happen in your line of work when it could cause more damage for others especially when it is not their fault. It is just the way they work. We love you for the kind of values you promote, you stylish punch dialogues and much more. Please remember that there are thousands of parents in the state and in India who are miffed and worried sick about the fact that their daughters need to work late often. They take it with a grain of salt because a part of getting the job well done is also being accommodating with the members of the team and this is even more paramount when you are the commanding the ship as in the case of your daughter. We would love for you to be in the news for your movies, your political and philosophical views, your charity works and other great things that would make your star shine brighter than before.
Cartoons in the Bigg House!
I have never been a fan of TV soaps. The sound effects and zillion camera freezes that change positions frequently in every possible way only give me a headache. However when I heard that Bigg Boss was going to forecast season 2, it got me curious. I had not paid any attention to season 1 though it was all over the news and as a punishment to the sinful mortals Rakhi Sawant was unleashed on 98% of Indians! Anyways, my experiences with living with fellow roommates, (especially one crazy psycho character) got me curious to take a peek into the Bigg Boss house. The motley crew is a mix of politicians, actresses, item girls, non-celebrities of which a good chunk is terribly boring generating huge yawns when they appear on the screen. I have so much to say that I am am going to start from most boring and annoying characters to the ones that are the life of the show.
Dumb and Dumber –> Raja Choudhary and Ashutosh Kaushik: Yawn! Yawn! Yawn! That’s my reaction when you guys appear and try to do whatever it is that you do. By the way what do you expect to achieve from your stint in this show? Raja, if you want to people to understand what your real side is, we don’t want to know! You seem to do nothing other than mope around be a grouch. Well, we have enough grouches in our lives and they are more interesting than you. Next time if you plan to dive into the swimming pool please stick to swim shorts like the rest of the men! Appearances in those briefs will not help you either! Ashutosh the rustic, if you are here trying to get employment in Bollywood the only opening I can see is you setting up a high end dhaba! Just clean up your act rather than using bad language, behaving like the village idiot and being an obnoxiously blunt person which you believe to be an amazing personality trait. Both guys need to control your green monsters with regards to a certain fellow room mate and also stop attacking him for no reason!
Kitchen Matron->Ketaki Dave: A ra ra!!! The kitchen is the only place where you seem to be! Even the guys are annoyed about the fact that you have taken over the kitchen. Now that is a very rare event to happen in the world but when it happens it makes one sit up and take notice! If cooking, cleaning and being a silent part of the circle is all your strategy please do everyone a favor and nominate yourself out. You seem to portray yourself as someone who cares for everyone else. Seriously! That’s all very saintly of you but you need to start behaving more like a normal person!
Videsi mem ya desi!! -> Alina Wadia: ‘Boo Hoo I am a common girl!’ Stop crying about that!!! You knew you were a non-celebrity when you entered the contest. If you want to become one, loose the fake accent for starters. You don’t seem to have a typical English accent but you try to roll your r’s here and there so that we don’t forget that you studied in England! You entered the house with a good girl image and I read that you are not afraid to speak your mind! All that is good but stop gossiping and do what you need to do with élan and dignity and go easy on the ‘F’ word!
Cry baby->Payal Rohatgi: People of the house were right when they joked about you putting on a new face every morning when you did your make up, rather make over. The only entertainment we have had from you has been in the form of tears. Stop trying to be the superior Miss. goodie two shoes that you are not. Oh! Yes! It is pretty obvious that you are being a fake! If only you were yourself folks like me wouldn’t be too annoyed.
King of Drawl -> Ehsaan Qureshi: Stop! Please do more than dragging words when you talk. I for one do not find you funny at all Ehsaan jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Till date you have made it clear to the junta that you have been possessed by the green monster when it comes to Rahul Mahajan! You seem to be obsessed with the fact that he hangs out with the girls and not you guys! Lets face it: With the kind of grouches and morons that make up the male crowd of the house, not many men would want to hang out with your gang, leave alone Rahul!
Sakuni -> Zulfi Sayed: That sweet innocent face masks the scheming imp behind it! Your gradual foray into character bashing and incessant drilling of a public favorite on his financial matters and embarrassing him has wiped out the clean image that you had to start with. I don’t find you cute anymore. Have you ever thought of joining a political party?? You seem a better fit than even Sanjay Nirupam who was voted out early into the show. If the inmates of the house knew what’s good for them, you would be voted out at the earliest!
Drama Queen -> Sambhavana Seth: Jeez girl! Everything is not always about you!! Get over it! Your constant declarations on how you are the only decent person who did not commence groups in the house is getting too old and on our nerves! Are you attempting to be a better version of Rakhi Sawant?? You come across as a good but annoying person when you are being junglee and attempting comedy! Just stop talking and analyzing what others do and say along with your constant self justification about what others may think about you in your imagination; you may actually find yourself in the race.
Nice Guy-> Debojit Saha: You are one of the best among the guys in the house. You always seem to smile and sing. I haven’t found you character bashing and you seem pretty calm and composed! Keep it up!
Mysterious->Monica Bedi: Not much to say much about you considering that you have probably gone through a lot in your life and have probably paid for the mistakes you committed. You seem to have captured the sympathy of the public and come across as someone who trying to do the right thing when it comes to the politics of the house. Here’s wishing you good luck and also hoping that your behavior and attitudes never change because if it does we will know!
Mr. Sunshine ->Rahul Mahajan: The life of the show! The cheerful face, the never ending enthusiasm, the take it easy attitude and good natured humor is not appreciated by the other men in the house but is a hit among the women! The most delightful Lord Krishna to appear on television after Nitish Bharadwaj, who played the same role in B.R Chopra’s Mahabharat though I have my doubts on how good a politician you may be. You don’t seem to have any of the evil traits that are paramount to become a politician! You smiled and got around the guys when they were provoking and embarrassing you on national TV though your uncomfortable body language was apparent. Anyone else in your place might have lost it. You even clean the bathrooms! Hat’s off to you! You definitely come across as a good human being. I hope you make it among the top 3.
Last but not the least, the hostess Shilpa Shetty. I have not witnessed Arshad Warsi in the last season of Bigg Boss so no comparisons here. Shilpa, India loves you but you need to change your approach to hosting this show which is getting pretty stale now! We have heard enough of ‘The Shilpa Channel’, relating to the participants based on your participation in Big Brother and the usual manner displayed in communicating with the participants each week. Even Pooja Bedi seems to be doing a better job than you on Aakhri Salaam!! Please do something about this and get more sensible with your wardrobe. Your saree on day 1 of the show was simply atrocious!
That it from me folks!! Any thoughts on the subject are welcome!
Dumb and Dumber –> Raja Choudhary and Ashutosh Kaushik: Yawn! Yawn! Yawn! That’s my reaction when you guys appear and try to do whatever it is that you do. By the way what do you expect to achieve from your stint in this show? Raja, if you want to people to understand what your real side is, we don’t want to know! You seem to do nothing other than mope around be a grouch. Well, we have enough grouches in our lives and they are more interesting than you. Next time if you plan to dive into the swimming pool please stick to swim shorts like the rest of the men! Appearances in those briefs will not help you either! Ashutosh the rustic, if you are here trying to get employment in Bollywood the only opening I can see is you setting up a high end dhaba! Just clean up your act rather than using bad language, behaving like the village idiot and being an obnoxiously blunt person which you believe to be an amazing personality trait. Both guys need to control your green monsters with regards to a certain fellow room mate and also stop attacking him for no reason!
Kitchen Matron->Ketaki Dave: A ra ra!!! The kitchen is the only place where you seem to be! Even the guys are annoyed about the fact that you have taken over the kitchen. Now that is a very rare event to happen in the world but when it happens it makes one sit up and take notice! If cooking, cleaning and being a silent part of the circle is all your strategy please do everyone a favor and nominate yourself out. You seem to portray yourself as someone who cares for everyone else. Seriously! That’s all very saintly of you but you need to start behaving more like a normal person!
Videsi mem ya desi!! -> Alina Wadia: ‘Boo Hoo I am a common girl!’ Stop crying about that!!! You knew you were a non-celebrity when you entered the contest. If you want to become one, loose the fake accent for starters. You don’t seem to have a typical English accent but you try to roll your r’s here and there so that we don’t forget that you studied in England! You entered the house with a good girl image and I read that you are not afraid to speak your mind! All that is good but stop gossiping and do what you need to do with élan and dignity and go easy on the ‘F’ word!
Cry baby->Payal Rohatgi: People of the house were right when they joked about you putting on a new face every morning when you did your make up, rather make over. The only entertainment we have had from you has been in the form of tears. Stop trying to be the superior Miss. goodie two shoes that you are not. Oh! Yes! It is pretty obvious that you are being a fake! If only you were yourself folks like me wouldn’t be too annoyed.
King of Drawl -> Ehsaan Qureshi: Stop! Please do more than dragging words when you talk. I for one do not find you funny at all Ehsaan jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Till date you have made it clear to the junta that you have been possessed by the green monster when it comes to Rahul Mahajan! You seem to be obsessed with the fact that he hangs out with the girls and not you guys! Lets face it: With the kind of grouches and morons that make up the male crowd of the house, not many men would want to hang out with your gang, leave alone Rahul!
Sakuni -> Zulfi Sayed: That sweet innocent face masks the scheming imp behind it! Your gradual foray into character bashing and incessant drilling of a public favorite on his financial matters and embarrassing him has wiped out the clean image that you had to start with. I don’t find you cute anymore. Have you ever thought of joining a political party?? You seem a better fit than even Sanjay Nirupam who was voted out early into the show. If the inmates of the house knew what’s good for them, you would be voted out at the earliest!
Drama Queen -> Sambhavana Seth: Jeez girl! Everything is not always about you!! Get over it! Your constant declarations on how you are the only decent person who did not commence groups in the house is getting too old and on our nerves! Are you attempting to be a better version of Rakhi Sawant?? You come across as a good but annoying person when you are being junglee and attempting comedy! Just stop talking and analyzing what others do and say along with your constant self justification about what others may think about you in your imagination; you may actually find yourself in the race.
Nice Guy-> Debojit Saha: You are one of the best among the guys in the house. You always seem to smile and sing. I haven’t found you character bashing and you seem pretty calm and composed! Keep it up!
Mysterious->Monica Bedi: Not much to say much about you considering that you have probably gone through a lot in your life and have probably paid for the mistakes you committed. You seem to have captured the sympathy of the public and come across as someone who trying to do the right thing when it comes to the politics of the house. Here’s wishing you good luck and also hoping that your behavior and attitudes never change because if it does we will know!
Mr. Sunshine ->Rahul Mahajan: The life of the show! The cheerful face, the never ending enthusiasm, the take it easy attitude and good natured humor is not appreciated by the other men in the house but is a hit among the women! The most delightful Lord Krishna to appear on television after Nitish Bharadwaj, who played the same role in B.R Chopra’s Mahabharat though I have my doubts on how good a politician you may be. You don’t seem to have any of the evil traits that are paramount to become a politician! You smiled and got around the guys when they were provoking and embarrassing you on national TV though your uncomfortable body language was apparent. Anyone else in your place might have lost it. You even clean the bathrooms! Hat’s off to you! You definitely come across as a good human being. I hope you make it among the top 3.
Last but not the least, the hostess Shilpa Shetty. I have not witnessed Arshad Warsi in the last season of Bigg Boss so no comparisons here. Shilpa, India loves you but you need to change your approach to hosting this show which is getting pretty stale now! We have heard enough of ‘The Shilpa Channel’, relating to the participants based on your participation in Big Brother and the usual manner displayed in communicating with the participants each week. Even Pooja Bedi seems to be doing a better job than you on Aakhri Salaam!! Please do something about this and get more sensible with your wardrobe. Your saree on day 1 of the show was simply atrocious!
That it from me folks!! Any thoughts on the subject are welcome!
I Read...
Here I am racking my brains again on what exactly I should be writing about. Honestly, this is my third attempt at maintaining a blog. All I know is that I have so many things to talk about but my hands fall asleep when I try to convert my thoughts into words. Some of my friends have been egging me for sometime now on how I need to start somewhere so that I could get somewhere as far as my passion for writing is concerned. So I thought I’d write about some of the authors whose books whisked me away to another realm when the rest of the world enjoyed an afternoon siesta or an evening before the telly!!
Here goes in no particular order……
Doughlas Adams – The dude rocks! He has definitely taken science fiction to the most imaginative and humorous extent possible. I fell in love with the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and even more with the paranoid robot Marvin. The very thought of characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox and the Dentrassis and the concept of the Babel fish bring a smile to my face. Too bad Doughlas Adams passed away at an early age, people like myself will definitely miss any of the other books he would have written.
Robert Asprin – The name sounds like some cure for a headache doesn’t it? Well his books may actually do the trick by making you break into peels of laughter. He takes you on a fantasy journey into the world of ‘Myth’ along with ‘Skeeve’ the thief turned magician apprentice and his teacher ‘Aahz’ the demon that lost his magic due to a summoning ritual gone wrong. Of course the army of imp assassins, the dimension of Deva populated by the deveels and their popular bazaars leave a reader wanting more! I will definitely miss more books from Mr. Asprin. May his soul rest in peace!
Dan Brown – His books got me hooked on to historical fictions. The amount of research that has gone behind each of these books can be felt as one reads ‘Angels and Demons’ or ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Thanks to him I fell in love with Italy / Rome and I also felt sad that I did not pay much attention at the Louvre museum! I also enjoyed his ‘Deception Point’ about a compelling scientific discovery deep in the Atlantic Ocean. However his ‘Digital Fortress’ was a let down… The book dragged on so much that I wished I hadn’t started reading it.
Phillipa Gregory – The lady who got me curious about the history of England, its castles, cultures and the royal way of life! Her book ‘The Other Boleyn girl’ though panned by critics for its historical inaccuracies was a very candid look into the life of King Henry VIII and his beautiful wife, the proud Anne Boleyn who played an important role in shaping the religious future of England. The elements of politics, ambition, love and betrayal in the midst of London, the English country side and France makes the reader sit up and inspires one to know more about the history of their own country. I wish there was a way to introduce the world to our rich history in an interesting way other than just Bollywood!
Michael Crichton – The man behind the ‘Jurassic Park Series’. I was surprised to know the he was also the author of ‘Disclosure’ which was a corporate drama; far from the cry of dinosaurs and Orangutans! I especially enjoyed his travel back to medieval England with ‘Timeline’ and the journey into the deep jungles of Africa with ‘Congo’. The possibilities with science are sure to send a shiver down your spine with ‘Next’.
J K Rowling – I know many of you don’t think much of her writing abilities; however I am sure most of us would agree that she is good story teller. Her books are entertaining, creative and she seems to have a knack of connecting even the smallest of events together. The Harry Potter Series was definitely a page turner and I have not experienced even the slightest boredom in turning the pages even when I re-read the books.
Terry Pratchett – Another great author who gives science fiction yet another makeover by introducing the world to the dimension of ‘Ankh-Morpork’ and a concept that Earth is actually balanced on the back of four elephants trying to balance themselves on the back of a giant turtle! Stunned? His characters like the magician Rincewind, the walking trunk with life and other delightful misfits and imbeciles who create the ecology of Ankh-Morpork would definitely take you on roller coaster of laughter and curiosity.
Stephen King – The undisputed King of horror fictions in my list! The first book I read by him was ‘Salems Lot’. I couldn’t help not putting down the book. The idea of the hunt for evil vampires that have taken over an entire town was novel and scary only after Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Kings other books such as Christine, Pet Cemetery and Thinner made me wonder what kind of research the author had to do to write such convincing plots. Kudos to him!
Sidney Sheldon – I started reading books by this author after finding some of his publications in my dad’s mobile trunk library. I found his books thrilling and they never seemed to give away what’s coming next. My personal favorite was ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’ and among those who have read the book till date, there is always doubt on whether the main protagonists alter ego was really chased away.
Jeffrey Archer – I am not sure how I started reading his books. His books always reminded me of some of our Hindi movies, especially ‘Sons of Fortune’. I also enjoyed ‘The Prodigal Daughter’ where he made possible for the United States to have its first female president. The only other fictional female president I can think of is that of the Geena Davis starring as the American president in the show ‘Commander and Chief’. My favorite book of the lot was ‘False Impression’. No surprise here as it that had a lot to do with arts and artists.
Ayn Rand – I read ‘The Fountainhead’ by this author. Other than the fact she created a character that lived an Utopian existence in the midst of a greedy world, the book did not hold much fascination for me. I found the book packed with too many details that just dragged its story line….
And more…… Hey! Don't think I have run out of a list of authors; its just that I am tired and would like to move on. So until next time share with me any of your favorite authors and books and Happy reading!
Here goes in no particular order……
Doughlas Adams – The dude rocks! He has definitely taken science fiction to the most imaginative and humorous extent possible. I fell in love with the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and even more with the paranoid robot Marvin. The very thought of characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox and the Dentrassis and the concept of the Babel fish bring a smile to my face. Too bad Doughlas Adams passed away at an early age, people like myself will definitely miss any of the other books he would have written.
Robert Asprin – The name sounds like some cure for a headache doesn’t it? Well his books may actually do the trick by making you break into peels of laughter. He takes you on a fantasy journey into the world of ‘Myth’ along with ‘Skeeve’ the thief turned magician apprentice and his teacher ‘Aahz’ the demon that lost his magic due to a summoning ritual gone wrong. Of course the army of imp assassins, the dimension of Deva populated by the deveels and their popular bazaars leave a reader wanting more! I will definitely miss more books from Mr. Asprin. May his soul rest in peace!
Dan Brown – His books got me hooked on to historical fictions. The amount of research that has gone behind each of these books can be felt as one reads ‘Angels and Demons’ or ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Thanks to him I fell in love with Italy / Rome and I also felt sad that I did not pay much attention at the Louvre museum! I also enjoyed his ‘Deception Point’ about a compelling scientific discovery deep in the Atlantic Ocean. However his ‘Digital Fortress’ was a let down… The book dragged on so much that I wished I hadn’t started reading it.
Phillipa Gregory – The lady who got me curious about the history of England, its castles, cultures and the royal way of life! Her book ‘The Other Boleyn girl’ though panned by critics for its historical inaccuracies was a very candid look into the life of King Henry VIII and his beautiful wife, the proud Anne Boleyn who played an important role in shaping the religious future of England. The elements of politics, ambition, love and betrayal in the midst of London, the English country side and France makes the reader sit up and inspires one to know more about the history of their own country. I wish there was a way to introduce the world to our rich history in an interesting way other than just Bollywood!
Michael Crichton – The man behind the ‘Jurassic Park Series’. I was surprised to know the he was also the author of ‘Disclosure’ which was a corporate drama; far from the cry of dinosaurs and Orangutans! I especially enjoyed his travel back to medieval England with ‘Timeline’ and the journey into the deep jungles of Africa with ‘Congo’. The possibilities with science are sure to send a shiver down your spine with ‘Next’.
J K Rowling – I know many of you don’t think much of her writing abilities; however I am sure most of us would agree that she is good story teller. Her books are entertaining, creative and she seems to have a knack of connecting even the smallest of events together. The Harry Potter Series was definitely a page turner and I have not experienced even the slightest boredom in turning the pages even when I re-read the books.
Terry Pratchett – Another great author who gives science fiction yet another makeover by introducing the world to the dimension of ‘Ankh-Morpork’ and a concept that Earth is actually balanced on the back of four elephants trying to balance themselves on the back of a giant turtle! Stunned? His characters like the magician Rincewind, the walking trunk with life and other delightful misfits and imbeciles who create the ecology of Ankh-Morpork would definitely take you on roller coaster of laughter and curiosity.
Stephen King – The undisputed King of horror fictions in my list! The first book I read by him was ‘Salems Lot’. I couldn’t help not putting down the book. The idea of the hunt for evil vampires that have taken over an entire town was novel and scary only after Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Kings other books such as Christine, Pet Cemetery and Thinner made me wonder what kind of research the author had to do to write such convincing plots. Kudos to him!
Sidney Sheldon – I started reading books by this author after finding some of his publications in my dad’s mobile trunk library. I found his books thrilling and they never seemed to give away what’s coming next. My personal favorite was ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’ and among those who have read the book till date, there is always doubt on whether the main protagonists alter ego was really chased away.
Jeffrey Archer – I am not sure how I started reading his books. His books always reminded me of some of our Hindi movies, especially ‘Sons of Fortune’. I also enjoyed ‘The Prodigal Daughter’ where he made possible for the United States to have its first female president. The only other fictional female president I can think of is that of the Geena Davis starring as the American president in the show ‘Commander and Chief’. My favorite book of the lot was ‘False Impression’. No surprise here as it that had a lot to do with arts and artists.
Ayn Rand – I read ‘The Fountainhead’ by this author. Other than the fact she created a character that lived an Utopian existence in the midst of a greedy world, the book did not hold much fascination for me. I found the book packed with too many details that just dragged its story line….
And more…… Hey! Don't think I have run out of a list of authors; its just that I am tired and would like to move on. So until next time share with me any of your favorite authors and books and Happy reading!
