Happy New Year 2009

31 December 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, December 31, 2008

May the year 2009 fulfill all that you have longed for!
Happy New Year!!!

Life's Big lesson in a Small Scoop! 8

वेळ: Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Sometimes the strong cogent reason, call it a purpose, raison d’etre, goal or motive of our life is missing. And we end up wandering, trying out things: hitting: jilting: falling: jumping back: regaining our path. At a point all the meandering seems meaningless and worthless. It is we who complicate our lives, if we know what we are heading for we will fabricate our actions accordingly. But if we are clueless we face a bumpy ride all the way. And then we have to settle for certain things which are beyond our Scope of preference ---and accept it responsibly as our destination or blame it loosely on our destiny!


…..By Me!

Ghajini- My View!

वेळ: Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Pardon my discretion but what the f#$k was “the perfectionist” Aamir Khan thinking when he signed on the dotted lines for Ghajini. Between catching winks and the giggles and the ohhhhhhh- aaaaahhhhs(Girls still go all ga ga over Aamir) of my hostel mates I was forced to watch this movie yesterday! If I have to frame my Ghajini experience in one word, It has to spell DISASTER.
The Director Murugadoss has copied the 2006 Ghajini Tamil frame to frame. I think he didn’t even bother to change the look and feel of his movie for the Hindi movie-goers.

I have a few points against Ghajini, don’t worry I have a handful of good ones too.
First of all, for all these months I was under the impression (Like thousands of others) that Ghajini is the title role that Aamir Khan plays. But Lo and behold, Ghajini seems to be the name of a South Indian Villain who talks in a Hariyanvi accent (wow we have started getting cosmopolitan villains. Isn’t this display of national integrity at the wrong place?) and who seems to be getting a high out of playing iron-rod head-banging (literally) rather than smoking weed. Now we get a movie named after a Villain who is vaguely the central character of the movie. Was this supposed to be funny, coz it’s absolutely not!! Why Ghajini, it could have been Sanjay Sanghvi ki Amar Dastaan or whatever!!! We still wouldn’t have cared less. But my persistent question continues- Why Ghajini of all?

The new Hindi debutante Asin looks exceptionally beautiful in plain dresses while playing a simple happy-go-lucky girl. But in a private confession, I accept that her acting (overacting) was way too overboard for Bollywood standards. Sorry dear Asin, no favourism here! Gotta be honest! She still has a lot to learn. Her expressions were way too loud, however I did like her act in her death scene. She just needs to understand that acting in movies demands a certain depth or as they say thehrav which is very different and demanding than selling hair oils and soaps on commercials.

Jiah Khan(Do you remember her, the one that got luck with Amitabh Bacchan in the notorious Nishabdha) AAAH the same Jiah Khan is absolutely wasted in the Movie. I don’t understand why she was so furious when she was excluded from the films publicity, she should be happy bout it! She ends up doing a next to nothing kind of a role of a medical student and wraps up as a negligible character who we hardly take a notice of. I mean I noticed the bloody iron-rod more than I noticed her, for Christ Sake. You can certainly do better than playing a side-kick Jiah!

The action sequences are gory enough to make you puke(Suggestion: carry a brown paper bag). The blood oozing from the tap in stomach sequence churned my tummy and the death scene of Asin(though mellowed down after the intervention by our censor board) got me goose bumps. There are many such sequences, especially when Aamir becomes a patient of short term memory loss. At a point you start thinking is such kind of mental inability inversely related to the physical horse power of your body? Coz he seems to be unstoppable after his memory loss!

Though the hype surrounding the movie, I am brushing off the idea that the movie is worth spending 150 hard earned bucks in a Multiplex.
The acting, dialogue delivery looks like it’s for Tolly-wood and not Bollywood. I was tormented with a continuous feeling that I was watching a cheap dubbed movie- which was South-Indian at heart and Hindi at words. The only saving grace of the movie is perhaps the good storyline though the premise has not been excellently exploited. We are taken in and out of flash back sequences with the help of diaries. Another and perhaps the most important reason that will bail this movie out is the mature and seasoned acting by Aamir Khan otherwise the movie has gone for complete doldrums. The musical score of this movie is hitting high on the chart busters and seems to have caught the audience fancy. Also, the songs are shot in lush foreign locales and in deserts (reminds you of Suraj hua madham from KKKG) which help to bring in the masala quotient.

Mr. Murugadoss, please understand no level of strange hair-cuts, heroine and story line controversies, steroid pumped eight pack abs of heroes or outlandish publicity stunts are going to compensate for an almost average film!!! You will get all the publicity but will you get the audience? I have my own doubts. Over all I give 2 stars out of 5 for Ghajini! Only for a creative story-line and of-course “Our Man” Aamir Khan!!

The Gods Aren't Angry!

30 December 2008 वेळ: Tuesday, December 30, 2008

I fall short of words (bad ones actually) when it comes to expressing my angst against people who forward me these emotionally blackmailing chain mails. Usually I delete the blackmailing lines and then forward these messages. But I am still up in arms against them. Such mails catch you off guard where the headlines are mostly Miracle, Full-fill all your wishes, Believe it to be true, See it carefully, See it to believe it. Then there is a picture of some deity and its importance. At the bottom of which begins a long list of examples of how the deity in the picture blesses those who forwarded them to 20 people, 30 people, even infinite people. How a man got his lost job, how a girl go her love back, how it cured a Man’s disease, Blessed couple with a child and the list continues.


And then comes the flip side, marked in red ink and bold font are the terrible repercussions of what doom will befall us if we do not forward the mail to others. Or even practically delete the mail from our inbox. There are short stories of how one lost his love, his leg, his job, his son and practically everything he owned including his dentures because he took this mail very lightly and was too ignorant to forward it!


Frankly when I read this sentence, I relate it to some gangster forcing me to shell out my expensive belongings at gun point! The undertone of the mail is if you don’t forward it then you pay!! And you pay big-time for it!

And then you end up harassing your other poor friends in return by sending them the message to save your ass and set theirs on fire! Once forwarded, you get a soothing relaxed feeling that probably Atlas would have got after he kept the earth down from his shoulders. It’s then the problem of the people whom now you have passed the heavy emotional burden.


I get at least a dozen of these mails every week and I finally decided to voice my opinions brutally against this enforced cruelty. So when I got such a mail today, I gave it back royally to the person in question. I just sent him a mail, the content of which was as follows:-

Thanks for considering me the lucky one (or the vulnerable one) to be part of your prestigious chain mail group. I am forwarding this message back to you, as I think it’s my duty after the huge help you have been doing mankind in spreading wrong stories about our gods

and killing your productive time at work behind this entire time pass even in the days of recession when our jobs need to be guarded the most.

If you don’t forward this same message to yourself 50 times then something terrible might happen to you!

The probable list of which is as follows:-

Your husband might run away with your servant

You might go blank in midst of a presentation in front of your MD

Your new car will start giving less average everyday

Your cat will turn out to be gay and will fall in love with the neighbor’s Pit bull

You will have a bi-polar boss as a new year’s gift

Your atm card will get stolen on your Salary Day

You will have a 500 Rs. note and the Autowala won’t have any change

The guy you love will fall for your best friend

Your expensive Reebok shoes will be stolen from a temple

Your promotion will be given to your assistant

You will be transferred to Pakistan on official duty

Your inherited jewelry with turn out to be a faux pas bought from Crawford Market

Your wife will catch you with a porn magazine AGAIN!!!

You get selected in Dus Ka Dum and loose badly to a 6 year old child

You will be the lead model but for a Viagra ad

You will pay hi-taxes for the next 5 years

You will become bald but beautiful

I am not a skeptic, I believe in god and his goodness and that whatever happens happens for the best! But I find it hard imagining the gods sitting up and relaxing in heaven really deriving great pleasure in scaring poor mortal souls and punishing them for not forwarding their messages. I think they are too occupied with other important issues rather than resorting to these kind of self- promoting endeavors! And I thought this was a prerogative of our Politicians……….or wasn’t it? : )

My Hero! 1

29 December 2008 वेळ: Monday, December 29, 2008

Members of Aastha Breast Cancer Association

Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves
-Carol Lynn Pearson
American writer and poet

My Saturday evenings are generally spent taking lift on my colleague’s bikes or in cars as bus get stuck up at railways crossings for hours at a stretch. The aim is to hit Pune station as fast as I can to catch up the speed-express Intercity to take me home to enjoy my frugal weekends. But this Saturday was special; I decided to take a break from my usually jam-packed hush-hush weekend schedule and opted on staying back. Since I had time on my hand I went to attend the Aastha Breast Cancer Associations function at the IMA Hall, on Tilak Road. They were felicitating Dr. Rajan Badwe for his huge and relentless contribution to the field of Breast Cancer.

There in his address to the crowd, Dr. Rajan Badwe narrated a very touching incident. He said that more than the cancer, it’s the reaction to the cancer that matters the most. He recollected a memoir where a Lady was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in Mammography and he had just disclosed the findings to her. Tears had rolled in her eyes as she stared in the vacuum with vacant eyes void of expressions. She was not receptive to what the Dr. Badwe was explaining. Obviously when hell breaks loose on someone the initial reaction is of denial, loss, apprehension about future and “why me” approach. Since the medical process that she needed to follow was not deciphering in her brains the doctor requested her to go and sit outside, compose herself and then comeback. The lady left tearfully. After sometime when the lady returned she was beaming with joy. This put the doctor in a complete perplex. He asked her the reason of her sudden metamorphosis. The lady’s reply almost stunned me. She said that while waiting in the lobby she read that out of every 30 ladies in India only 1 gets Breast Cancer. This implies that if she has got the disease the rest 29 won’t be affected by it. And she was very happy for them. I couldn’t help clapping when doctor narrated this incident.

Such brave selfless attitude to put our own griefs behind and to embrace happiness for others is something that has inspired me a lot. I think there is a lot to learn from this story. My inference is that it is not the adversity which affects us our attitude towards it that makes all the difference. We can choose our reaction and decide whether to let it affect us positively or negatively.

I saw the patient volunteers of the NGO who had steered clear of the disease and were helping other women who were entrapped in the clutches of this curable but deadly disease. It was so encouraging to see all these ladies arranging free mammography tests, helping the poor ladies who couldn’t afford the expensive treatment, holding free of cost camps for the awareness, inviting a panel of expert doctors to speak on the same and more importantly providing the mental and emotional support that a lady requires on discovery of the Breast Cancer.

One look at them, and you could never think as they have fought such a ghastly malignant disease. All of them radiated with joy and enthusiasm.

One could see the level of efforts that they had put in to make the program a grand success. They even read a poem about giving up ignorance and spreading awareness in the public. One thing that the cancer had left unaffected was their incandescent sprit with a huge jest for life, all of them looked so accomplished and happy. One lady among them in particular has always helped me in my testing times. She has inspired me to be happy come what may and to have a stiff back-bone to stare the world in its eyes …She has helped me immensely in gaining back my lost self-worth... I admire her a lot! She has been a continuous source of inspiration in putting my pain behind and working towards a larger and more fulfilling goal. I have deep reverence for her.

Every day in life, we come across people who are heroes in their own right. Who have distinctly survived an adversity and have taken life with its lapels and driven it in their chosen direction. These Breast Cancer patients have fought a very painful emotional and physical battle. Their endurance shows in a constant smile that graces their face……these ladies are my heroes because they have trodden a painful path and yet have chosen to put it all behind and act torch bearers to many others……I walked away feeling enriched with so many valuable Life’s big lessons in a small scoop that day!!!

I salute thee brave hearts…..hats off to the courage and optimism that you personify!!!!!

Get Over It

27 December 2008 वेळ: Saturday, December 27, 2008

Breathing Song : Dream of Me

Yesterday I was aimlessly browsing through the plethora of channels on television when I came across a very interesting 2001 Movie “Get over it” on Star Movies.
Its an overall good teenage “GET OVER YOUR BREAK-UP” movie but the best part is it has CISQO (Whom I didn’t knew till yesterday but his performance prompted me to search for his details) who fared exceptionally well.
I came across a song featuring Kristen Dunst as Helena in Shakespeare’s Midnight Summer’s Dream. It’s absolutely beautiful, please see the lyrics as below and watch the magical melody unfold here http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=92Eu0IxEV8M

DREAM OF ME

oh weary night, abate thy hours
steal me away a while for my own company
Let me sleep
For when I sleep I dream that you're here
You're mine and all my fears are left behind
I float on air the nightingale sings gentle lullabies
So let me close my eyes
And sleep, a chance to dream
So I can see the face I long to touch, to kiss
But only dreams can bring me this
so let the moon shine softly on the boy I long to see
And maybe when he dreams he'll dream of me

I hide beneath the clouds
and whisper to the evening stars
They tell me love is just a dream away, dream away
A dream away

So let the moon shine softly on the boy I long to see
And maybe when he dreams he'll dream of me
Oh dream of me

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh dream of me

Illusions

23 December 2008 वेळ: Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Sometimes the tears in our eyes freeze in contempt of the silence of our voice. And the only sound that fills the void is perhaps the ensuing chaos that slowly clutters our heart and invades our spirit…thus leaving it in a desperate state of wanting more……..more and more of these painful memories……

……By Me

The Last Dance!

22 December 2008 वेळ: Monday, December 22, 2008

Down the painful memory lane again!



Its New Year time and memories have flooded my mind again. This photo just reminds me of someone……….I am trying desperately to forget…

The sad co-incidence is that this picture which is on web is also named as “the last dance”……..That has provided inspiration to the title of this post……….

Last year on New Year’s Eve I had a blast…….danced away in the night, had great booze and food with the person I loved so dearly by my side. Felt like heaven on earth………when a new year began with a kiss from someone who was my life………..

…..

If only wishes would come true……………

If only……….



For you my love, I have died a thousand deaths every hour, every second of the day……..

And that is not love for thou, for I am just a big mistake adding to your dismay………

May Luck and glory kiss your feet always……..

And may the happiness that you seek always be with you after we part ways……..

Life's Big Lesson in a Small Scoop! 7

14 December 2008 वेळ: Sunday, December 14, 2008

Optimism!

If things are not going the way you want them to go now! Just don't loose your faith! When the right time comes and mind you it will come soon everything that you wanted will be yours!! But do not compromise with hope- As doubt can easily take over when we are the lower end of the roller coaster......

I remember my 12th Standard english teacher Mrs. Ghosh had once quoted:- "If winter is here can summer be far behind" This quote is very near to my heart!!

I abide by it now and always!!

Read the following Lyrics of an amazing song 'Yeh Honsala' from the film Dor

Yeh hosla kaise jhuke,

yeh aarzoo kaise ruke

Yeh hosla kaise jhuke,

yeh aarzoo kaise ruke

Manzil mushkil to kya,

dhundala saahil to kya

Tanhaa yeh dil to kya ho...

Raah pe kaanten bikhre agar

Uspe to phir bhi

chalna hi hai

Shaam chupaalen sooraj magar

Raat ko ek din dhalnaa hi hai

Rut yeh tal jaayegi,

himmat rang laayegi

Subah who phir aayegi ho...

Yeh hosla kaise jhuke, yeh aarzoo kaise ruke

Yeh hosla kaise jhuke, yeh aarzoo kaise ruke

Hogi hame ro rahmat ada

Dhoop kategi saayen tale

Apni khuda se hain yeh dua

Manzil laga le hamko gale

Jurrat so baar rahen, ooncha ekraar rahen

Zinda har pyaar rahen ho...

Yeh hosla kaise jhuke, yeh aarzoo kaise ruke


Trust me when I say optmism can take you places, all you got to do is keep strong faith in yourself................

Weird but Wonderful! 2

वेळ: Sunday, December 14, 2008
Act of Kindness!!
Today a strange incident happened! At about 7 pm I was loitering in the Panch Pakadi Area of Thane with my parents visiting some furniture shops to locate the perfect shoe rack ever!! We were enjoying our usual chats, occasionally checking out the decoration in the display windows for the new year. When I spotted a completely nude man on the road! Many chose to ignore his existence, some made disgusting faces at him, few winced at his sorry state and a handful of them laughed on his face!
The man whose skin had been darkened and completely tanned was speaking to himself! It looked as if this poor insane soul had no idea that he was completely monty with no piece of clothing to cover even his bare essentials!!
He was meandering in his own mindless fervour when a young man in his early twenties came on his bike! He had got something for the man. It was a shirt and a pant! He gave it to the poor man! The man smiled! We had passed them both till that time. I do not know whether our person in question wore the clothes brought by our hero!!
I do not know whether this act was out of shame or charity! In an age when no one has the time or the thought process to think about helping others, this youth had chosen to step up and help this poor insane fellow! I felt a sense of immense respect and gratitude towards him!!It is sad and ironic to recollect how many of us stop by to help people even though we have the capability to do so? What the youth did was highly commendable! May God Bless the youth for his act of kindness!

The Gifts of 2008!

वेळ: Sunday, December 14, 2008


AAAAAAAAHHHH Welcome 2009!!
Its just 15 days for 2008 to get over and you all must have already started making elaborate private plans and resolutions for the new year. Lets take a quick review of the incidents that occurred in my life in 2008.

I anticipated great expectations from 2008, what I got in return was completely different......You can say a shocking volte-foce that hit my life suddenly! It caught me off guard and left me paralysed for a few months before nature got its best healer time to put me back in my place!


Loss :(

Bajirao my pet kitten passed away in April 2008 thus triggering a downward spiral of my life!

Immensurable loss of one-sided love, leading to a depletion of self-respect, self-worth and ultimately depression because of a lot of mud-slinging from someone I called my own! Shock, distrust, rejection had all culminated into almost destroying me.

What 2008 gave me( I believe this is more important than the loss section) :)

Lasting friendships and bonds, Strong inter-personal relations, Valuable realisations, Lot of experience, Scope for change, Immense strength to fight back difficult situations, Optimistic and progressive attitude, Independence and sense of responsibility, Furtive opportunities to proove myself, Pragmatism, Inclination towards Meta-physics, Cherishing what I have rather than lamenting a silly loss, True meaning of love, Respect for my indiviuality, To smile no matter what, Iron - maiden vigour to bounce back from an adversity but more importantly it has awarded me with something that I feel I missed all these years a solid purpose and focus in life!

I say Thank You 2008 for showering me with so many important gifts in life! As a return gift, I vouch to continue working on what 2008 has taught me! The loss I guess acted like a catalyst in changing me for the best!!! : )

I await thee 2009........I await thee to be a harbinger of my happiness!! : )




I Agree!

13 December 2008 वेळ: Saturday, December 13, 2008

There are places I'll remember all my life,
though some have changed
some forever not for better
some have gone and some remain.
All these places have their moments,
with lovers and friends I still can recall;
some are dead and some are living
in my life .......................
I've loved them all.


~.John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Sunday Funday and the kissa of the Broken Rs. 100 Chappals!

24 November 2008 वेळ: Monday, November 24, 2008

Yesterday was a super blast! Had fun at Falguni's place! Though felt very sad that she and Ajith and the lil baby wont be staying in Pune anymore! The baby is such a doll!!! It felt so good to reconnect with old pals Nilesh and Nilam. Bhagwan unki jodi salamat rakkhe! Mann we really had a good time remembering cool old memories. The food and celebrity spotting at SGS Mall was amazing!
But the most hilarious experience was taking my broken chappal in my hand and hopping from one shoe shop to the other all over SGS mall ( With head turning attention) hunting for trendy, stylish, comfortable, white and more importantly affordable shoes( Yeah I am serious bout all the adjectives used here! And after a long hiatus, I finally found the perfect pair of Chappals that fell in all the above mentioned brackets at Westside after rejecting Mochis, Pyramids and City Walk)! Mann I got a fatka of Rs. 699( Writing 700 spells an even bigger hole in my pocket) due to Rs. 100 chappals that broke all of sudden without any warning signs of giving up on me. I don't know why all the mochis in Pune were on a strike yesterday. We searched for them everywhere from Sanghvi to M.G. Road, all of them seem to have vanished in thin air!! Not a single one was spotted!!
Thanks to them I had to indulge in some compulsive shoe shopping that is going to cause a serious budget interruption. Hehehehe! Thanks to them and my chappals, I had to use my contingency reserves for splurging over expensive shoes! Grrrrrrrrrr (Growl). And also become a mock stock with people staring at me walking with my chappals in my hand.
After that we hit Inox and watched the latest hit Dostana! Even the super salty cheese popcorn were kind of fika in comparison to John Abrahim( He steals the show). Having Banoo scream everytime he came on the screen in his underwear was fun!!! And those dimples just melt your heart! Posing for photographs in front of someone else's AUDI in the parking lot was super duper fun!! Hanging out with friends is so important, you get de-stressed in just a matter of hours! Its like your own customised Psychotherapy where all your friends play a part of the free of cost Shrink( I like the sounds of "Free of cost".......saving on the Bling Bling!)
Your mood is elevated and you unwind and get mentally ready to combat the Big bad Monday ahead!
Thanks guys! Had so much fun that today's Monday is going to just fly by! Looking forward to spending many such fun weekends! And Banoo and Cliff get well soon so that we can hit Sinhagad on our bicycles in the wee hours of a Sunday morning! Just can't wait for that one!!!

Prayers: 21st Nov, 2008

21 November 2008 वेळ: Friday, November 21, 2008

Let us pray for
Curing my best friend of the physical pain that is tormenting her day and night. That has forced her to stop living her normal life. Cease her pain god, and return her to her ebullient self again.

Bringing back the happiness in the life of my other friend both on the personal and proffesional fronts. He deserves all the happiness after what he has given to the world. Let it echo back to him.

Let my college friend get the love of his life. A love that he has chased for the last 5 years without even seeing her or even talking to her. If true love exists, this is it. He has already passed the acid test of exhibiting immense patience. Put an end to his longing. Let her know how much he cares. And let there be a reciprocation of love.

They await your blessings! Let us all pray for small miracles to bring in big difference in our lives!

Life's Big Lesson in a Small Scoop! 6

19 November 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Get out of your Comfort Confines and Smell the Coffee.
I am writing this article for a very close and special friend of mine. I hope he reads this and realizes the power of acceptance of the situation, adapting to the consequences and moving on with life. I don't want a talented man like him to lurk in the shadows of his past. He deserves all the happiness and should come out of the bygone yesterday and boldly face the new today!

We all live in our own shells cocooned in the warmth of our comfort zones away from our deepest darkest fears. And this is a place where we find solace from the troubles outside. Let’s not use the word troubles. It’s too negative. Let’s make it sound positive with the word” challenges”. So this is place where we find acceptance at our terms, inner peace, may be love, warmth, affection, praise, and a non altering schedule of activities.

While forming the above sentence, I have used the phrase non- altering schedule of activities i.e. continuously engaging in execution of activities that are not dynamic and are repetitive in nature. When we get used to such kind of comfort zones we nearly turn a deaf ear to the challenges in front of us that really help us in propelling our growth.

I will cite my own example, I never used to go to the movie theater and watch films on varied topics. All that I liked was watching comedy, romantic or masala flicks. I was afraid that the serious type of movies might bore me to death; moreover I was afraid I couldn’t control my emotions while watching a tragic scene. However, I realized I was seeking shelter in my comfort confines and started watching parallel cinema, action flicks and even Sci-fi films…genres of films that were on my most disliked list. At first it was a Herculean task to sit glued to these (not my favorite) kind of films. But slowly with the help of few friends, I am over my fixation of limiting the scope of my entertainment. I have actually started enjoying them.

Stereotypical behavior stagnates us and makes us a very boring person to begin with. We do not have many topics to speak on and our experience is limited to few things. Also, this creates an impression that either you are too naive or ignorant since you are oblivious to so many different and interesting things in the world.

President Barrack Obama says we should WELCOME THE CHANGE. And I totally agree with him with Millions of others. In our personal and professional lives, we all are thrown into accidental challenges which we initially feel are beyond our expectations to cope with. We keep on wishing we return to our same old lifestyle and same old companions because we are not mentally prepared to face the new consequences and live upto the extended expectations. But, once we smoothly sail through these, we turn back and realize what we have learnt all along and how strong it has ultimately made us.

It is we who typecast ourselves, we close the doors to new things, experiences and adventures and in turn we miss out on many interesting things that life offers. Self innovation and exploration brings in wonders to your life. It adds the missing zing to your life! All you got to do is come out of your shell, say hello to the new world and confidently embrace a new life!

Cheers to your new life!
Ketaki

Song I absolutely love!

16 November 2008 वेळ: Sunday, November 16, 2008
Song: Gagan, Sadan Tejomay
Singer: Lata Mangeshakar

Listen it Here.

It is one of the most melodious songs I have heard with absolutely beautiful lyrics~

Gagan, sadan tejomay
timir harun karunakar
de prakash, dei abhay

chhaya tav, maya tav
hech param punyadham
varyatun, taryatun
vachale tuzech naam
jag, jivan, janan , maran
he tuzech rup saday

vasantik kusumatun
tuch madhur hastos
meghanchya dharantun
premrup bhasatos
kadhi yeshil chapal charan
vahile tulach hruday

bhavamochan he lochan
tujsathi don dive
kanthatil swar manjul
bhavmadhur geet nave
sakaal tuch, tuch vilay


Wonder Years!

14 November 2008 वेळ: Friday, November 14, 2008

Date: Some day of December 2004
Venue: On the stage of the auditorium of University of Mumbai Clubhouse, Nariman Point
For MCJ's Film Appreciation course........
Question: WOW is that me? How slim I was?
Explanation: This pic weaves an integral part of the fabric of my wonder years........
This is a reminder of carefree days when bright yellow slip ons were perfectly ok for a shocking pink top and grey peddal pushers accessorised with a long Rajasthani Jhola.....what a fashion faux pas....But I still loved my style back then! And I to some extent envy that freedom of not being judged on the basis of my fashion preferences! And Yeah no matter what Pink is still my favourite color. It will always be!
I still need my music. Its just that the Radio Mirchi portable radio in the pic has been replaced with a MP3 Pplayer now~
Thanks Rupesh For gifting those leather slip ons to me from Dehradun and thanks Karan for preserving this pic for so many years and sending it to me. So many things have changed since that particular december 04 day, but in one way or the other this pic still gets me all nostalgic!
I sort of redeemed a lost part of me, lived the past for a moment and made a strong comeback to my reality.

Depiction of Women in Indian Television Commercials! Counter Argument!

23 October 2008 वेळ: Thursday, October 23, 2008

An article in today's Asian age has induced me into posting my view. I felt this article (Read it here) by Rai Umaraopati Ray holds true when we see it from one side. However the writer fails to explore the other side and justice is left unserved.
In a nut-shell the writers view- The author continuously talks about how Indian television Commercials are enforcing us to think and follow stereotypical ideologies that are complete passe for the new India incl. Particularly, the whole article stresses on the point of showcasing women in each and every Ad merely as an object for sex appeal. Women are portrayed in a way that they seem to have no life and love if they are not beautiful, gorgeous and fair. Women are showcased as nothing but playing second fiddle to men. An example cited by the author is that of the life insurance ads which show men undertaking life insurance so that their wife's, mothers, daughters are taken care of in case of their deaths. Which according to the author shows that women are incapable of earning for themselves and is indirectly exploiting the Indian women as a weaker sex.
With due respect to the above article here are some of my counter arguments:-
1] Jo Bikta hai woh Dikhta hai theory- Firstly, a lot of research goes in before deciding the appeal for an ad. A correct appeal needs to be chosen before the story board stage appears. This generally depends on consumer surveys where people are asked various open ended and close ended questions inclusing what kind of theme appeals them. The salient features of the product are then woven in a story-line on the lines of these popular themes. And yes most of the time sex and attraction win hands down. So we see a lot of products with no direct connection to sex or attraction exploring them as their central themes. Say for example, Must chips. Where the lady news reader does all kind of strange erotic lewd tactics to convince you that Must chips are really the chips for you. Clearly, you may feel what is the relation of chips and sex. But yes, their target audience is clearly the younger attraction driven crowd between the age of 18-35 years. And this appeals to them. Television is not a piece of cake, the Big Bosses know whats gonna sell and whats not. Everybody is here to ultimately sell the products and hence they have to cater to what people like to see. And that's exactly why jo bikta hai woh dikta hai!!!!!!
2] Pragmatic Approach- My second argument is in continuation with my first, ad makers are not here to make charity or do public service. They are here to sell their clients products and if this is what it takes to do the same then why not. An ad should not only be entertaining but it should be convincing enough to grab you out of your seat and make you go to the market and actually buy the product. All of us remember the famous award winning Fevi-Kwick ad where a fisherman looses to a localite who uses fevi kiwck to get fishes from the water. Now the concept is excellently executed but are you convinced that it is going to have the same impact on Viewer. Is it going to transition the viewer to a prospective buyer and then to an actual buyer. I really doubt the possibility. Now take the axe chocolate ad, my male readers I am sure you will agree that you are tempted by the fact that Girls love chocolate and putting chocolate deo is surely going to lure girls to come around you. Now the USP of axe is sex and attraction appeal. Hence they have tired to portray women going crazy behind men who use axe as that actually triggers a connection with the Consumer Male mind and prompts him into buying the product.
3] The ultimate decision-makers- Whether my male readers agree of not, most of the times the decision makers for them whether directly or indirectly are females. You go to buy a shirt you will think 10 times how you will look in it. That means you will give a thought to what my Girlfriend, my female colleague, my female boss etc will say about it and eventually how it will present me in front of the fairer sex. What does the Raymonds Ad show ? It shows the woman actually feeling your fabric and thinking you are a man of substance and style because you wear Raymonds right! The advertisers try to pick up your fantasies and put them in a 30, 60 or 80 seconds mini-film so you realise that a particular product will fulfill your fantasy. And this leds to you ending up buying it!
Another example is the infamous Amul Macho Ad, where the women in question is amused at Monkeys wearing these underwears and indulging into strange activities. Personally I feel this is the most vulgar ad I have come across in my 25 years of life and I don't understand why PETA has not taken any action? But returning back to our point of argument, Men buy underwear which will attract the female attention. Hence indirectly it is the choice of his female partner that prompts him to buy a certain brand. That is exactly why a women are always shown in almost all ads that involve Male undergarments. Most of the decision form FMCG products to expensive luxury segment of cars are taken by Women though the money for it might be provided by Men. But the ultimate-decision maker is the women and this goddess has to be appeased. Hence Most of the ads from pens to laptops have Women in them.
4] Sorry depiction of women- Women are no longer shown just house makers- or lalithaji's who have no work but to bear the brunt of their dominant working husband and wash his clothes clean white so that he can impress his boss. They are depicted as confident career minded women who have a determination to condense their dream to realities. The ad of an insurance brand where the working girl gifts her dad a car or for that matter the parachute ad which shows a series of women acheivers saying" Sirf khubsurat nahi Mai Majboot hoon. Hann Mai kuch hoon" is very appealing. Then the new Scooty pep ad which shows the young girl learning the Scooty on her own without the help of her brothers shows her as a very independent new age Indian girl.
There are many such examples. Hence, I don't completely agree with the writer of the above mentioned article as I think everything in the popular culture comes with a reason and with a rhyme! And we cannot have n archaic lop-sided view by ignoring the truth! I have just put my ideas on a larger canvass. I hope you will find something worth redeeming from it! Clearly Women are depicted as a lot more than just an eye candy!

If only...........

21 October 2008 वेळ: Tuesday, October 21, 2008

If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I see you snuggled up on your lonely bed like an Innocent child with a pillow in your arms


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I see your face lighting up with a warm smile as unique as yours


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still smell the strong essence of your presence in the air around


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still see the moonlight from the window peeping in to kiss your charm


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still see your beautiful black eyes laced with long lashes battling when reading a book in the dim light of the night lamp


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still see sincerity and beauty in the meeting of brow on your forehead


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still see the curve of your lips pout for words to pour and an equally beautiful arch when silence prevailed


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still can't forget the grip of your strong arms


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still see respect in your deep disregard for my love


If only I could see beyond yesterday,
I still am contented because you are away but finally happy now!


If only there was no yesterday,
my world wouldn't have drifted the other way round!


....................By me!

Weird but Wonderful!

18 October 2008 वेळ: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Strange things keep happening around us! And sometimes we wonder how and why! But we are left with no specific answers! The eccentric nature of the event only leaves us more baffled than perplexed. And you are left in a mental limbo whether to laugh or to continue pondering on it.

One such incident happened today morning. As usual, I was enjoying my morning sunshine walk and was the first to reach the bus stop. My headphones were stuck into my ear buds and I was tuned in to the morning local radio on my MP3. I was dazed and lost in my own reverie when suddenly, out of the blue appeared a man before me. Probabaly in his late forties, he was dressed in rags. But the point of notice was that he looked radiantly healthy for his dwindling financial status. He said something, I couldn't hear because of the song blaring at top volume in my ears. So I removed my earphones and decided to give him a patient hearing and allowing him to have his 30 seconds of fame. As expected he was begging for alms. But what he said next nearly had me drop my jaw in awe. He said in Marathi" Mi ithun chalatach nighaloy" ( I have started to walk from here) and the next line had me stark awake from my wee hour sheepishness. In crystal clear English he impeccably and eloquently blurted out, "Madam, I will be very grateful if you could help me with some money to buy a cup of tea". My eyeballs almost popped out!

The only word I could think of was a big WOW! And I actually said it! Mann I was entirely impressed! He smiled in anticipation acknowledging his success in catching me completely offguard. However, I disappointed the fellow by not giving him any money. I don't believe in providing for people who are healthy and wise enough to fend for themselves. He just made a sad gloomy face and dragged away! Its a personal principle.

I don't know why this educated pauper man was out on the streets begging in the early hours of morning. I kept on thinking about the circumstances that might have prompted him into an insecure and dependant living. But the whole incident left me a little scared, a lot surprised and completely awestruck! Life is strange, isn't it? And this experience was truly weird but wonderful!

Worth stopping by, reading and giving a rational thought!

12 October 2008 वेळ: Sunday, October 12, 2008

I say a little prayer for u!

11 October 2008 वेळ: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Aha! Saw my best friends wedding the other day, I am soo in love with this song! Aretha Franklin has written amazing lyrics! Its a bit retro! But it still does rock! I absolutely love this song!

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now,
And wondering what dress to wear, now,
I say a little prayer for you Forever,
forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you Forever,
forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

I run for the bus, dear,
While riding I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you.
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time,
I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you Forever,
forever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

My darling believe me,
For me there is no one
But you.

Dard-e-Disco

08 October 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Today I got this sms from my dear friend Mansi....It was so beautiful that I couldn't avoid the temptation of posting it here.....

Dil ke dard ko chupana kitna mushkil hai
Tut ke phir muskurana kitna mushkil hai
Dur tak jab chalo sath........
To phir tanha laut aana kitna mushkil hai........


.........Anonymous

Ahem!

02 October 2008 वेळ: Thursday, October 02, 2008
"Sometimes hard times make you immune to your loss! And then the tears fail to show up! It is only an indication that the lesson has been learnt and the sinner has been forgiven but not forgotten"...............Ahem

(I composed the above as a comment on one of the blogs that I read on how the tears disappear but the pain doesnot....I liked the post and my comment too ; )

Life's Big Lesson in a Small Scoop! 5

वेळ: Thursday, October 02, 2008

De-risking Life.
Have you ever heard of a de-risked business model?
It is a very vital and integral part of doing business intelligently and effectively. I will explain you: De-risking business means you have business spread across many verticals, sectors, customers, geographies and products. It means that business is diversified and doesn't depend on any one of the above elements entirely for its functioning. This helps in eliminating the risk of drawing losses if any one of them fails. That means that the impact of loss is negligible as we still have other verticals, sectors, customers, geographies and products which continue generating profits.
The other day over a business lunch we were discussing how one of our acquaintances lost all his money in Lehman Brothers fall. I had commented at that time that if he had planned his investments in a way that he was not entirely dependant on one Bank for his savings and he would have distributed it against the other banks as well, he would have marginalised his losses. At that moment I could clearly visualise a parallel between Business and life.
Allow me to explain, first and foremost the above example clearly explains we should not restrict our core dependencies to one aspect. i.e. Our life should not be dependant on any one person, one activity or one interest in any way.
For example, when you are so head over heels in love that you eventually sideline other people who have contributed towards your life. Excessive dependence on this love of your life, makes him callous and he starts taking you for granted. This might lead to his ignoring you and you may loose your self-worth. Most of these lop-sided love stories often crumble in to a break-up.
At that time you need people who understand around you but in your quest towards getting love you have lost their respect. Hence, if you have a person-centric attitude, your whole world revolves round that person and if he leaves you, your life crashes like sensex in a bear market. If you are surrounded by friends and family and you do not have emotional dependence on just one single person, then your loss is absorbed easily as time passes and you are back to your cheerful self in matter of few days.
Another example is that of an activity that you might love enjoying. If we go by the dictum of Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, everything that we do brings about a diminished sense of satisfaction. That means if you love indulging in dance, you might get bored of it after sometime. So, to fill your time you resort to something like playing Chess but that doesn't please you much coz you love only dancing. Lets assume becoz of a fractured knee you cannot dance. Then you wish you had practised an inclination towards something else also so that would filled the void at this time
From these two examples, I am trying to propagate the ideology of living to the fullest. Life is too short to be spent depending on a few persons or interests. You should open your heart to meeting new people and learning new things and enjoying when at it. A de-risked model of life brings about fulfillment, confidence, joy, learning and has a reduced impact when you collide with physical, emotional and financial loss as it gets distributed. You need your shock absorbers when you are heavily dependant on shock givers!
The more you clutch on to things, the more you make other persons and other things indespensible, the more you give the control panel of your life in others hand. Drive your own life don't be driven by external elements. Trust me this might be the missing link between you and your happiness!
Try it! Works Wonders!!!!

Renaissance Men!

24 September 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, September 24, 2008

It is a well known fact that the Lion abandons the lioness and its cubs once they are born and it is the duty of the Lioness to bring up the children on her own. In the Indian family system, except for the abandoning aspect, the situation was more or less the same. The mother was expected to engrave all the good manners on the child's mind while the father's contribution was restricted to supervising the process and providing for their expenses. You can say the Father was the headmaster and the mother was the teacher. I call men of such times as the traditional men who did not have a revolutionized pro-active view towards their role in the household and who restricted the ambit of their contribution to the family with stereotypical focus......A new breed of men with a modern outlook is fast growing. This breed brushes all the ideologies of the traditional men under the carpet. They have started to emerge slowly but surely in our society- And are making their presence felt. I call them Renaissance Men.I was first introduced to this term in a short story By Khushwant Singh called," The Princess of Kahin Nahin". I liked this term. Infact I loved it. The lead protagonist in the short story defines this term as a league of Modern men with innovative thinking.However I bid to differ here, and have derived my own definition of Renaissance Men. Men who are more open to the dynamic change in the ever altering societal fabric where both the partners are working under different time and stress conditions, Men who oblige by the sudden shift in their roles and responsibility and who are not scared to perform and give it their best, Men who are not chauvinistic fools and who accept the fact that their female partner is busy and tired and realize that they should contribute in shouldering the house-hold responsibilities...they are my Renaissance Men!Ahaaaa! Sounds like something that is so fantasy like. I am sure the ladies might think I am day dreaming. But yeah Renaissance Men exist. The trend has shifted its base. We are now heading towards the unattainable and away form the beaten path. Working men have become more sensitive towards the plight of the second sex than earlier and have agreed to help.In a traditional Indian family setup a man was expected to control the finance front while their female counter part handles the home front. Since the ladies have started working, this rule has gone for a full toss. The conventional system has been challenged and has gone for a complete face lift where the responsibilities are shared by both partners on both fronts equally. Surprised? Well I was too until I witnessed this sea change actually occurring.Like for example, I know this lovely couple who works in a BPO and in 3 different shifts. They have a 5 year old kid who needs to be taken care of. Each day they adjust their shift such that at least one of them is there with the child to take care of his needs. The husband cooks for his family and shows no pretence when explaining the logic behind. When I questioned him on his stance he answered candidly-"The family belongs to both and both should put equal efforts in making life easier. It is a implied condition of our partnership". Hmm unbelievable but true.A distant acquaintance of mine - a couple where the lady of the house works in odd shifts has her husband doing the household duties including cleaning, cooking and chores. Another example is that where a baby only few months old is being handled by his dad when the mother is away on some important work, so effortlessly that you are left in a complete awe. This trend will take some time to get social acceptance but the wheels of change have already been set in motion. This is not the battle for sexes; it’s the battle for leading a happy and healthy life together with your partner. We have accepted metrosexual men, we can definitely welcome this change!To conclude, I have gathered from all of my observations that these Renaissance men are not love fools neither are they too naive to accept whatever their wives say, they are matured, understanding and pragmatic set of intelligent men who have accepted that Family wins hands down over their false male ego.

Emotional Nibblets ! 2

20 September 2008 वेळ: Saturday, September 20, 2008
I know you were here, I knew long ago.......
I know you didnt want to see me.........
I have agreed to make you happy long back.......
Atleast one of us is happy now......
Does it really matter if its U or I ?

Life's Big Lesson in a small scoop! 4

17 September 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Dear Life,

I was paralysed once.............I tried to sit...............I learnt to stand.............I started walking.........Now I am revving up to run.............hand in hand with you.........

Yours truly,
Ketaki

hmmmmm!

13 September 2008 वेळ: Saturday, September 13, 2008
My igoogle page is full of different literary applications likes word of the day, synonyms, wikipedia, current news, small poems, word games etc but one of my most admired one is quotes by my fvourite poetess Maya Angelou. Early morning today I saw the following quote and couldnt help putting it here! Coz it holds true for so many of us!

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
Maya Angelou

Bappa Morya!

09 September 2008 वेळ: Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Yesterday was a rocking day! I bid adieu to my favourite God by dancing in tandem to the gyrating sounds of the Nasik Dhol. My best friend invited me over at her place for celebrating Ganesha festival! And man what a fun it was! We hung out with a couple of common friends, made 21 modaks, enjoyed the Aarti thrice in a day and danced crazily in a Ganpati Procession! But all this fun became a little more eventful when day before yesterday, I tripped on something in the dark and had my right leg twisted and swollen. But no matter what! Once the beats of Dhol started I couldn't keep my feet on the ground. Danced endlessly for hours at a stretch completely soaked in the down pour that also among 60 complete strangers on the road. A new experience that I had never had. Sometimes it helps to let your hair down and go footloose and dance like nobody is seeing. The Nagin and been step, the kiss-bai-kiss, the patang and manja, the friends step, the Dil chahta hai jumps, fugdis, Albela Step, Amitabh Bacchan step and my favourite Dharmendra ishtyle step along with the many other regular ones stole the show! I had a blast! Initially I was conscious of dancing but once the mood set in, I saw myself getting absorbed in the whole atmosphere and invigorating with immense energy. The air resonated with the sounds of magnetic catch phrase of Ganpati Bappa Morya! It was a completely mesmerizing experience! I haven't danced like this since last 5 years. The last time I had a rapchik rowdi dance it was at our sendoff in 2004. I thoroughly enjoyed myself yesterday, even with a painfully swollen knee and ankle! Sometimes the things you love liberate you from your deepest and darkest pain...and extend help in elevating your mood greatly.....that's exactly what I experienced yesterday!!!

Peace atlast!

वेळ: Tuesday, September 09, 2008
I was so close to you yesterday that I felt a strong urge to extend my hand and anticipate your warmth but then I realised it is only a mirage of vapourised sublime nondescript possibilities that were never there and shall never be.......So Long....

I Like!

06 September 2008 वेळ: Saturday, September 06, 2008
I'm breaking through
I'm bending spoons
I'm keeping flowers in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the great beyond
- “The Great Beyond", REM.

Old introduction: Just for record!

वेळ: Saturday, September 06, 2008
I, An Unsolved Mystery.
This blog is a toast raised in the celebration of the much " loved, hated yet lived" life. It is my contribution towards understanding its transient ways and the paradoxical repercussions life has on me.
Coined in totality.........I AM EVERYTHING, I WANT TO BE.
My mettle is woven of a contrasting fiber and this is what intrigues me a lot...
Life is after-all..... 'living in an amalgamation of antonyms'. Merely attributing my behavior to the universally accepted norm, " expected of human nature" doesn't hold suffice persuasion-power for me. I vouch to strive for not restricting the ambit of my thoughts and amputating my progression.My writings are a purposeful attempt to explore and surmount the drawbacks of my cognizance and comprehension. Packed in a nuget, 'I' try to quiz the complex 'ME' in an effort to understand ' MYSELF'

Emotional nibblets...........

वेळ: Saturday, September 06, 2008

I am astonished at the choice of your rancid words, they hurt me so much, that my heart bled to its death.................

I am astonished at myself and the choice I made, to heal my heart and to bring it back from dead.............


Yes indeed a part of me has perished, it failed to stand the wear and tear.......... But a new one continues to infuse life blood and provide me tender care..................


I shall, no I will proove my point.......... Coz reckless abandon is your way, mine is repair after despair..........


I held you near..........I was scared..........of loosing the precious.........

Now that your gone for good...........let fear thy be replaced by peace again.............


..............sigh.............






Life's Big Lesson in a Small Scoop! 3

वेळ: Saturday, September 06, 2008

The Key to success lies in dreaming big and relentlessly striving to inch towards your goals. Have you ever ridiculed a person for dreaming and planning to make it big someday. If you have then I suggest you owe him an apology. And you better give it immediately. Coz you are in a more sorry position than him. People with no dreams get nowhere. Even if you observe, every company has a vision which it channelises to attain its mission. If you are somebody who does not understand somebody else's jest for achieving success, you will never be successful yourself. Have you ever given it a thought how your belief can shape you as a person and spear head your personal and professional success. Let me illustrate this with one of the biggest success stories that I know.
Let me tell you about Mr. XYZ. He and me were the bestest of friends in college days. He was completely driven with passion for theatre. He was so immersed in theatre that he hardly attended lectures, travelled all the way from central suburb to western cities at odd hours , involved in strange physical endurance activities and verbal pronuncitation practices, indulged in different dance forms and learnt songs in a plethora of languages. I appreciated his passion but had always written off dramatics as a non-lucrative kind of vocation. I mean there is never a steady income flow( as our average thought processes do not allow us to think beyond conventional ambit's of Theatre wagre to sab thik hai, lekin kamata kaise hai). I used to give him long lectures to concentrate on white collared career and stop expending time and energy on worthless things. Yes things were worthless but for me ! For him it was more worthy than living itself. We lost touch over the period of years until I stumbled upon him a few months back. Its been 7 long years since college days and I was very eager to know about him. I learnt he has made the whole world his home. He travels most of the time in different countries and continents and teaches dramatics. He has also helped in some noble causes, like teaching the children at UNICEF.
After learning this, my belief and faith in dreaming big and jealously pursuing one's passion have been reinstated. Never underestimate others passion for things and never quit dreaming.
Dreams are road maps that you make to reach to your desired Position!
You may never know when an Average Joe might become a great torch bearer.

Thanks so much!
Lesson learnt boss!


I Agree

01 September 2008 वेळ: Monday, September 01, 2008

Apologizing doesn’t mean that you are wrong & the other is right
It means that you value the relationship more than your ego…

Review: Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction: Sue Townsend

28 August 2008 वेळ: Thursday, August 28, 2008

To begin with I loved this book. There is a kind of easy nonchalance in the humor used by Sue Townsend. I liked the way Adrian, his love life, his people, his finance, his work, his existence and the Weapons of Mass destruction are woven together to give an out an out good book. Robbie’s death brings us face to face to the grave reality of war.
Adrian is adorable. He is a middle-aged man with multiple problems, is naive, not career oriented, always seems to be following the dictum of opposites attract when it comes to his women, restricts his thoughts to his diary, reads boring books, has contrasting natured friends, is bit of a timid person who is afraid of sins and the Flowers, he is a recluse who still grapples with the situation of being a child to his parents and a single father to his children. He seriously lacks rational behavior when it comes to shopping and expenses. He writes weird letters to public figures for his own concerns and suggestions for their betterment. Sue has essayed his character wonderfully. His non-appearance as a larger than life character only makes him more human. And even more interesting. Most of us will be able relate to him or his mistakes. I absolutely loved his contradicting nature. The book has an undercurrent of humor which doesn’t go towards slapstick. Though I agree it has a sarcastic tone to it. At a point you feel there is too much going on but then you slowly start to absorb Adrian’s life as it comes. One of the two reasons for his interest in WMD is hilarious while the other spells the genuine concern of a responsible father. What I liked is the end, the author has not ended the book with him realizing his mistakes and being a superstar of his life. He remains as he was but now has a happy family too.
When I started to read this book I was not aware there was a series of books and I had started with the Last one. Nevertheless, better late than sorry, I plan to read them all! If not for Sue then for Adrian! Coz you can love him or hate him but you can’t ignore him!

A Date with Nature!

वेळ: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Sometimes life brings you little windows of opportunities, and I had mine when after months of waiting I went on a wonderful trip to Amby Valley. This lovely locale is situated right in heart of Lonavala. You can imagine how beautiful the environment must be in these monsoon days. Everything looked completely washed and fresh. The scenery threw a slew of colors all over the place....a dash of green, sprinkled with lime green, fresh yellow and white flowers. Oh...All of it looked absolutely breathtaking. There was an occasional drizzle and the roads were covered with mist and fog.
Step inside the 10000 acres of Amby valley and you understand the real definition of man made wonder. The location is perfect as it is surrounded by hills, the man-made water-bodies and recreation centres that are just so great. I wish I get to visit this place one more time....I am finding it difficult to frame my experience in words.....All I can say is.....
It was just so beautiful, it was all so pristine........it was like a private paradise!

Sweet Silence!

23 August 2008 वेळ: Saturday, August 23, 2008
We walk in silence you and I........Save the sighs for others, the regrets for old tomorrow..the
choke of emotions for another day.......Let me exhume and let me bury what is left behind of yesterday.........Let me just be here in this moment.........experiencing and living with each coming day.......... the slow fading of your memories from my life
.......

Life's Big Lesson in a Small Scoop! 2

22 August 2008 वेळ: Friday, August 22, 2008


My dearest Friend Vijay made a very vital comment while discussing personality traits yesterday.


He said our behaviour casts a reflection on our personality. Like for example if you have a habit of cluttering things and being dis-organised, that seeps into your thinking. Your ideas are cluttered and not clear.

If you are a ' pack rat' ( a beautiful expression I read long ago for hoarders) then you tend to carry a lot of bottle-necked ideas.

If you are someone who keeps on collecting broken articles that means you have a penchant for clinging on to the old and find it difficult to give up archaic beliefs.


Moral: The more we de-clutter our closets, our belongings and our minds the better we make our lives!

Cheers to de-cluttering!
Thanks Vijay!
Point Noted Boss!























Life's Big lesson in a Small Scoop! 1

21 August 2008 वेळ: Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sometimes erasing a memory can be as easy as pressing the Delete button.........Its easier that way! Carrying accessive emotional baggage gets you nowhere! So have selective memory - keep the control panel in your hands- You have to decide what you want to feel nostalgic about (If you want to that is).

Switch your thought flow to something much more important and fruitful but definitely not related to your painful memory. Afterall Ignorance is Bliss!
This way you spare yourself of a lasting trauma. And always remember its best to let go when you know there's no hope.

Happy B'day to me!

09 July 2008 वेळ: Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!


I turned 25 today.......A silver jubliee completed.....


Sometimes you feel living without someone is immpossible

But No, the truth is I AM ALIVE and KICKING!

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