"A mish mash of something called life"

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T15:57:00.001+05:30

Here's wishing all the denizens of this wonderful planet a very happy 2009 AD.

May this year bring more happiness and less turmoil than the last.

Tweeting Now

2008-10-25T10:30:00.001+05:30

Hey visit my tweeter page @ http://twitter.com/shrirambr

Who murdered the financial system?

2008-10-22T16:28:00.001+05:30

An excellent but brief article which tries to identify just who is to blame for the US and now global financial crisis.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3628394,flstry-1.cms

Chandrayaan I Successfully Launched

2008-10-22T14:30:00.005+05:30

Chandrayaan I, India's first Mission to the Moon, was successfully launched earlier today. The 1380 kg unmanned spacecraft was launched via the 316 tonne PSLV C11 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at exactly 0622 hrs IST.

Chandrayaan I is expected to reach the moon around Nov 8 and has a life span of 2 years. Costing 80 M USD, Chandrayaan is carrying payloads for 11 scientific experiments including five from India, two from U.S. and one each from Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Some of the specific areas of study to be conducted (Taken from the ISRO Website)

High resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of permanently shadowed north and south polar regions
Search for surface or sub-surface water-ice on the moon, specially at lunar pole
Identification of chemical end members of lunar high land rocks
Chemical stratigraphy of lunar crust by remote sensing of central upland of large lunar craters, South Pole Aitken Region (SPAR) etc., where interior material may be expected
To map the height variation of the lunar surface features along the satellite track
Observation of X-ray spectrum greater than 10 keV and stereographic coverage of most of the moon's surface with 5 m resolution, to provide new insights in understanding the moon's origin and evolution

This is truly a momentous occasion for every Indian and every member of the scientific community. Three Cheers.

Indian Press Steals Images

2008-10-20T15:51:00.003+05:30

Came across a blog today which chronicles all thieving done by the Indian press. Seems like Times of India (TOI) leads the pack.

For the complete story: visit http://indianpressarethieves.blogspot.com/

Also came across a cartoon for the same: :)
http://bellurramki18.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/blog-cartoon-60/

Sad Facts Indeed...

BARCAMP CHENNAI 2 in October

2008-09-26T18:09:00.001+05:30

BarCamp Chennai 2 is scheduled to happen on Oct 18/19.

Looking forward to my first BarCamp. :)

For further details visit http://barcampchennai.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Indian Sports post the Beijing Olympics

2008-09-24T11:37:00.000+05:30

As most of you may know, India finished with its highest medal tally in the Olympics ever... Three Medals (One Gold after 28 years and Two Bronzes) @ the Beijing Olympics. WOW i am elated 3 medals for a billion people while china ran away with the top of the medals tally leaving perennial powerhouse USA far behind in second.

What will it take for us to sit up and realize that there are sports other than cricket where we can develop in? There are few teenie weenie bright spots though.

* Emergence of boxing/wrestling and shooting.
* No. 1 in Cue sports in the world (Though cue sports are not part of the olympics)
* Emergence of Saina Nehwal as a truly good badminton player
* Chess perhaps

Hopefully these spots will be allowed to flourish rather than fade away... Fingers Crossed!!!

PS: For a Nice reality check, here's our performance in the olympics

Year G S B
1900 0 2 0
1928 1 0 0
1932 1 0 0
1936 1 0 0
1948 1 0 0
1952 1 0 1
1956 1 0 0
1960 0 1 0
1964 1 0 1
1968 0 0 1
1972 0 0 1
1976 0 0 0
1980 1 0 0
1984 0 0 0
1988 0 0 0
1992 0 0 0
1996 0 0 1
2000 0 0 1
2004 0 1 0
2008 1 0 2

GOT MARRIED

2008-09-15T18:03:00.000+05:30

Got married a few days back... Whew! Hectic stuff and Happy tidings :)

Hoaxes and Fools Galore

2008-07-11T17:22:00.001+05:30

My previous post talks about the Talwar saga and media's obsessions with sensationalism. While i am still searching for a good news to report on, i happened to read an article about the Penpricks Media Hoax yesterday.

After some googling, i came across their blog and boy was it one amazing prank.

Here is the link to their breaking story:
http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2008/07/nazi-gate-guys-its-time-we-killed.html

As the story developed, Penpricks went on to expose all major media houses in Karnataka and some Nationwide who not only reported the story without verifying but some, went to the extent of adding more masala to it.

The link below gives the Penpricks rankings (Some of the language is a little offensive)

http://penpricks.blogspot.com/

I guess media got it right where they deserved. Hopefully this would lead to better standards in journalism.

Here are some other April Fool's Hoaxes. Just that this one came a good 10 months earlier at a time that it was needed most. Kudos to PenPricks

Other April Fools' Pranks

Until Next Time,
May the Force Be With you

The Talwar family saga

2008-05-26T13:43:00.000+05:30

The shocking murder of teenager Arushi Talwar has gripped the news channels for quite some time now. While initially, it was believed that she was killed by the servant, he was subsequently found dead. The surprising fact was that he was killed around the same time as Arushi and the police failed to discover his body.

Now the prime suspects for the murder are none other than her own parents. Further investigation seems to reveal a mysterious love affair for Arushi's father. The parent shave been arrested and a court hearing is likely soon. They claim to be innocent. Now what is really the truth, no one really knows. We just have to wait to find out.

A couple of interesting points to note here:

Firstly would this issue have received such widespread coverage if it happened in a small town or even a small city? And secondly while all this is on, i noticed the quality and standards of news these days. Apparently, it has to be a disaster to capture the headlines (or maybe politics). A typical news bulletin these days goes like this:

Bomb blast in ABC City
Two hacked to death in XYZ City
Earthquake in HIJ City
Inflation triggers panic among consumers etc etc etc

(Shuffle. Repeat)

As you see, nothing nice to say. Are we that bad that all we see are disasters around us? Or is it that we need a state of fear to keep us going everyday? Let's hope for the best... This article will be updated once i find something nice that is written in the news.

Politics: BJP wins Karnataka Assembly polls

2008-05-26T13:34:00.000+05:30

The votes are in, the counting has been done and the winner is ..... the BJP.

Riding on a three pronged agenda, the BJP captured 110 out of 224 seats in Karnataka. Congress was second with 80 and JD(S) finished with a dismal 23. The Independents numbering six will be crucial as the BJP aims to get to the magical 113 mark.

This victory is seen as a strategic one for BJP who will form their first ever government in the south. Further with Lok Sabha elections less than a year away and rising prices affecting everyone, the BJP looks like a sure contendor to topple the Congress led UPA government at New Delhi.

Yeddyurappa, BJPs chief minister-in-waiting was all smiles as his shrewd political campaign has finally provided the necessary results. But Karnataka politics has always been a melodrama. Lets wait and find out what happens...

The Oozing Pink Liquid....

2008-05-08T12:37:00.000+05:30

It was a dark and stormy night. I decided that since there was gonna be a power cut anyways (as is always with dark and stormy nights in Bangalore) i might as well get my hair cut (whatever lil left on my head that is).

It went ominously well. As i walked back home, i looked up to see lightning flash across the sky. Zeus apparently had a spat with his wife. Oh well, lesser mortals had to bear the brunt every time Zeus had a family issue.

I reached home and walked into my shower. The soap was there in its usual location and so were the other things. I opened the cabinet and found this pink liquid. "Another New fangled shampoo that my mom bought, i see. " Oh well, off to my beauty bath.

The shower gave out a cool stream of water. I opened the shampoo bottle and poured some of the pink liquid on to my hand. Surprisingly it didn't lather. Muttering a quiet curse, i continued to wash my hair. Then came the soap as i approached the end of my bath. Suddenly out of nowhere.... it came.

A burning sensation in the eyes. My eyes were on fire. Water! Water! i gasped and then i realized that i was in the bathroom. I rushed to the nearest shower (the only one in the bathroom anyway) with a speed greater than that exhibited by cricketers when they rush to get endorsements. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggggggghhhhh!!!! More water sprayed onto my face but the burning feeling would not dissipate. Soap and Pink liquid formed a lethal combination...

I quickly finished my bath and ran downstairs to get something for the eye. My mom stopped me on the way just like a guard would stop a speeding train.

M: What happened?
Me: My eyes are burning. What sort of new shampoo was that?
M: Which one?
Me: The pink one in my bathroom.
M: Pink one?

and so saying, she went to investigate. The seconds felt longer than hours. Then a huge sound came from above. I thought Zeus had finally lost his bearings as i rushed above only to find my mom......

......laughing. She was laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Me: What Happened?
M: That wasn't shampoo. That was Lizol (for the uninitiated, floor cleaning liquid). Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Me: (With a dazed and confused look that is but natural to me) What? Aaaaaaaarghhhhhh!!!

The rest as they say is history. My head, face and hands smelt funny for a week. My mom was proud that her son finally managed to take a proper bath and for everyone else... heres the story....

you may laugh in piece.

Random Thoughts

2008-04-28T16:34:00.000+05:30

My previous piece on sadness has led me to write this disjointed version of a few things that ran around in my mind.

What is sadness? Is it a feeling one gets when he/she loses something or fails to get something? Everyone feels sad everyday. It is an emotion that eats you or me up incredibly. Why does it happen? Does it happen when you lose a sense of purpose? Does it happen when you miss somebody? Does it happen when you are alone?

I believe sadness is an emotion that occurs when one is lonely. One can be alone even when one is physically present in a group. Alone, an individual thinks. He feels sad. Why does sadness occur when you think? Think about the last time you were happy. Analyse it. Thinking leads to analysis. The more you probe, the more miserable you get. Hence, the more you think, the sadder you get.

The great people have once said that sadness has led to inspiring creations. Artists, Storytellers, Inventors even have all created masterpieces when they were perhaps sad or when they thought (which is pretty much the same thing). So, People say that inspiration comes from within the sadness, from within the thought, from within they said. I’d say resolve comes from within, inspiration comes from around. The reason these people thought was that they felt something from around themselves that affected them within. They probed and resolved to do something about it. Resolve came from within; the thought from without.

Summary

2008-04-14T15:53:00.000+05:30

Well, its been a while since i wrote. So let me summarize a few things that have been happening to me... In one word --> SADNESS

It all began when Raghuvaran passed away. For those who dont know, He is one of the doyens of South Indian Cinema. He started a long time back as a bits and pieces actor, then a family guy and slowly developed into A cold, mean, calculating villain. For a long time, i believed that this guy was nearly the best at being an anti-hero. He las left a void that is difficult to fill. Saw many of his movies from Anjali to Sivaji. May his soul rest in peace. AMEN!

Then my favourite football team, Arsenal FC, decided that that they would not win anymore. Draw after painful draw came and slowly came the occasional loss as well. The football they played continued to be attractive but they were just messing up too many chances. The straw that broke the camel's back was when they lost to Liverpool 4-2 and knocked themselves out of the Champions League. The weekend came and they lost to arch rivals Manchster United as well. And now rumours of in-fighting. A sad ending to great start. May you wake up soon. AMEN!

Then i realized that i was at the fag end of my MBA. A year just sped by with everyone hanging onto the Great Lakes train with their fingers and screaming. A year of many highs and some lows but a year to remember nonetheless, A year of many learnings and new friends, a year of winning and losing and finally a year that leads to the parting of ways. I really believe that many will be able to stay in touch but i also believe that the sands of time work in only one way. All the best to me and everyone else in the batch for the fight ahead. May God shower HIS blessings on us and may our paths be interwined in each other's always. AMEN!

Blurred Reality...Part 2

2008-01-05T00:53:00.000+05:30

Part 1: http://smileysays.blogspot.com/2007/10/story-blurred-reality.html

Part 2:
As the carriage sped away, I had no way of doing anything except screaming. My already dead count had since disappeared from view. I felt lonely. I guess I loved him. As I wondered what to do, I noticed that we were in a forest which was growing thicker every minute. “That’s strange”, I thought. “There are no forests near my house”. Little did I realize that the carriage was traveling downward slowly as well.

I looked out of the front screen. I could see the vague outline of a coachman. I asked him where we were going. He looked back, peered down and saw me. I nearly shrieked. The coachman almost looked like a skeleton. But then I realized that there was a thin layer of skin on his face and the past remnants of a moustache. The coachman bellowed, “Soon my dear. You have broken a few rules. Judgment is near”.

I shuddered. I didn’t know what was happening. There was nothing which could have been done and so I waited. I waited for whatever was waiting for me at the end of this journey. I slowly drifted into sleep. A few moments passed.

I woke up with a start and realized that the coach had since stopped. I opened the door and stepped out into the mists. There was no coachman. I walked forward trying to find out where I was. Soon enough I found myself standing on a plain which was red in colour. At the end of the plain, probably a hundred yards away was a gate. I began to walk towards the gate. It began to get hot and so I removed my coat and trudged on towards the gate. I looked in all directions but there was nothing as far as the human eye could see. And soon, I reached the gate.

The gate was a tall hideous structure and seemed to be locked. I looked through the gate and saw a set of golden stairs with red carpeting. The gate suddenly swung open and invisible hands carried me forth up the stairs and into a great hall. I looked around and saw rich tapestries and ahead was a magnificent throne. Seated on the throne was a young lady. She seemed nice enough and so I asked her “Where am I? Who are you?”

“Why? I am the Devil herself and you are in Hell.” I staggered back, fell over and landed hard. “You are here because you have broken some cardinal rules. Number 1: You spoke to one of the dead during his waking. Number 2: You actually seem to have fallen in love with the dead Count and Number 3: There cannot be any alliance between the living and the dead. So now, you have been brought here to make a choice. Do you love the Count?”

Surprised at the bluntness of the question, I stayed silent for a while. The Devil roared again. “Do you love the Count?” “Yes”, I replied. “Then make a choice. Stay alive and forget the Count or die to live with the Count in the afterlife.” Having found the love of my life, I had no intention of letting go. “I will die”, I said. “Very well! You may now join the Count”.

I woke up and felt myself die. The Count stood over me with a frown on his face. “You shouldn’t have died. You have a long life ahead of you.” “I know, but I love you”. He looked at me with a startled expression. He quickly broke into a smile and carried me off to the grave.

We lived happily ever after in the afterlife.

THE END

Ad of the Day # 4

2007-12-19T11:24:00.000+05:30

Two Ads for the Indian Market by Sony PS2

Ad of the Day # 3

2007-12-19T11:22:00.000+05:30

An awesome ad for Levi's Slim Jeans

Ad of the Day # 2

2007-12-10T10:20:00.000+05:30

A PETA Ad today!!!!

Ad of the Day # 1

2007-12-09T12:15:00.000+05:30

Dear All,

Starting today, we will have a new series in my blog called "Ad of the Day". I will be featuring one advertisement everyday.
Have fun...

Today's Ad:

India Post!!!

Magic Mirror in association with Infy

2007-12-09T11:36:00.000+05:30

An awesome new concept for shoppers everywhere and it has been created in collaboration with our very own Infosys Technologies Limited.

You don't believe me!!

Take a look yourself... :)

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-31595.html

Sports Update: Euro Finalists decided

2007-11-23T14:52:00.000+05:30

Russia, Turkey, Portugal and Sweden completed the final four spots for the Euro 2008 championships with England being the biggest name to fail to qualify.

Needing a win or atleast a draw against Croatia, England blew it all by conceding 2 goals in the first 14 minutes. Though they managed to come back from the dead by scoring two goals back after half time, Croatia killed them off with a goal in the 76th minute to send England crashing out.

Russia needed a win at Andorra and laboured to a 1-0 win.

The Euro begins mid 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Poland, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Romania and the Dutch join the hosts Austria and Switzerland.

Sports Update: 12 down, 4 to go - Euro 2008 Qualifiers

2007-11-18T12:44:00.000+05:30

Scotland will not be travelling to Austria and Switzerland for the Euro 2008 Campaign after they were defeated by Italy 2-1. Needing a win to qualify in this match, the scots were defeated by a 91st minute Christian Panucci header which ensured that the World Cup finalists France and Italy qualify for Euro 2008

While Scotland had their hearts broken, England were thrown a lifeline when Israel beat Russia 2-1. A Russian Win would have made England Qualification extremely remote. Now England have to beat Croatia and Russia have to beat Andorra and hope that England fail in their last match.

The teams that have qualified so far are: Poland from Group A, Italy and France from Group B, Greece from Group C, Czech Republic and Germany from Group D, Croatia from Group E, Spain from Group F, Romania and the Dutch from Group H making it just four slots up for grabs.

Portugal or Finland from Group A
Turkey or Norway from Group C
England or Russia from Group E
Sweden or Northern Ireland from Group F

In three days time, all qualifiers will be known. Keep your fingers crossed.

Sports Update: UCL Matchday 4

2007-11-09T11:52:00.000+05:30

At the end of Matchday 4 at the UEFA Champions League, only two teams have managed to secure qualification to the last 16: Arsenal from Group H and Manchester United from Group F.

While a few teams are on the verge of qualification like Barcelona and Inter who only need a draw to qualify, the fates of other top guns hang precariously in the balance. Liverpool languish in third-3 points behind 2nd place Besiktas in Group A and Valencia are bottom of group B-4 points behind second place Rosenborg.

Will these teams manage to pull up in Matchday 5? Stay Tuned.
Matchday 5 is scheduled on 27-28 November 2007

Current standings after Matchday 4:
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/standings/index.html

Story: Blurred Reality

2007-10-27T01:32:00.000+05:30

It was a dark and stormy night. Not one of those seasonal thundershowers but something beyond. The whole week had sunny days and peaceful nights, but not this night. Something was not right about this sudden downpour. A chill ran up my spine. I had goose bumps on top of my goose bumps. It was just………………………………eerie.

A shadow crept up on the wall beside me as I stared across from the open window. I jumped. And so did the cat. A flood of relief and rushing blood turned my white skin red. I picked up the cat. “Meow!” it said. “Meow back to you, little adorable thing” said I.

I walked up to the fireplace. It was the only available light source in the study. The candles had been blown off by the wind and I was too lazy to light them again. As I sat by the fireplace with the cat on my lap, I felt strange. A sixth sense, as you may call, that I wasn’t alone in the room. The cat was there too but I felt the existence of another.

The crackle of the fire rose. It was as if it was being fed. I looked up and there was a handsome gentleman standing by the fireside. He looked as though he was from a different era as he wore clothes of kings and noblemen.

“Good Evening, Mademoiselle”
“Ahh, French, I See” I thought as he continued.
“Forgive me if I startled you but I must do something of utmost urgency now. Ahhh. There you are” saying so he walked up and picked up his hand from armrest of my chair and fixed it onto his arm.

A silent gasp was the only outcome of the horrifying scream that built up inside me. “Sorry mademoiselle but it was not my intention to scare you”

He looked real enough but must have been dead several years ago. “Are you dead?” I asked and he replied “Yes Mademoiselle! I am a dead Count, not as famous as the Count of Monte Cristo but a Count nonetheless. I am buried twenty feet under where we stand right now and it does get a little stifling inside. So I get up and walk about once a week or so.”

So he was dead and I must be close to the edge if I didn’t find that frightening enough. But I wasn’t frightened at all. Well not at all would have been an exaggeration but I was quite thrilled and amused to have the company of a French Count. Call me old-fashioned but “I was very charmed by his charms” as they say. We talked through the night and I was loving every minute of it.

The rain had stopped an hour ago and a chilly breeze had taken over the proceedings for the night. I put on my coat and we walked around the estate side by side. I heard the sound of a horse trotting and looked up to see an old fashioned coach pull up beside us. “How pretty and cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…..” before I could finish my statement a hand grabbed me and took me inside. The door shut behind me and the coach began to pick up speed. I tried to look out, at the hazy figure of the Count, in the distance.

to be continued...

Awesome Article on Palakkad Iyers!!!

2007-10-22T12:34:00.001+05:30

An awesome article on Palakkad Iyers.

Quite true and hilarious!!!

What are you waiting for? Click below:

http://www.keralaiyers.com/kvk_pgt.html

Sports Update: Kimi Raikkonen wins title in an Interlagos thriller

2007-10-22T11:00:00.000+05:30

Kimi Raikkonen clinched the F1 World Championship with a thrilling win at the Brazilian GP.

Needing a win and for other drivers to finish lower, Kimi pulled off a sparkling drive where he was second to Massa until the second round of pitstops and then pulled away for a Ferrari 1-2.

The race began with Massa and Hamilton in the front row follwed by Kimi and Alonso. Hamilton on 107, Alonso on 103 and Kimi on 100 made Hamilton an overwhelming favourite to win the world championship. But at the first corner, Kimi and Alonso both overtook Hamilton and a driving error forced Hamilton to run wide and drop to eighth. Gearbox problems then plagued Hamilton as he dropped from 8th to 18th place.

Miraculously, the problem seemed to have fixed itself as Hamilton began to put in many a fast lap. However it was in vain as he could only finish seventh. Alonso ran in third position for most of the race and was not in a position to threaten the leading Ferraris.

And so it ended:
Hamilton: 107+2=109
Alonso: 103+6=109
Kimi: 100+10=110 and the new world champion.

A phenomenal race to end a phenomenal season which was plagued by the Mclaren scandal and the season which saw the meteoric rise of a new superstar in formula 1: Lewis Hamilton.

Forzaa Ferrari!!!

For a complete race by race analysis on how the season unfolded for the top three, visit:
http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2007/10/7029.html

Sports Update: Nice Blog on Arsenal Midfield

2007-10-21T12:36:00.000+05:30

Found a nice write up on the current Arsenal Midfield.

http://www.espnstar.com/studio/columndetails.cmd?id=7010851

Where are we in Sports? October update

2007-10-18T18:09:00.000+05:30

India, a land of over a billion people. A proud and diverse land. A land that is now but a sporting disaster.

Where are we in the world of sports?

Hockey: No. 8 (Men) No. 13 (Women)
Football (Soccer): No. 145 (Men) No. 55 (Women)
Golf: 3 Indians in the top 200 (see previous post)
Volleyball: No. 27 (Men) No. 85 (Women)
Tennis: One Sania Mirza along with Leander and Mahesh. An occasional Davis Cup hurrah but that has also reduced these days
Chess: Many brilliant players including the World No. 1, Vishwanathan Anand, but terrible support and coverage for the sport. Lack of sponsors.
Badminton: Two Men in the top 50 (@ No. 28 and No. 36) and One Lady in the top 50 (@ No. 27)
Squash: One in the top 50 (@ No. 48)
Kabaddi: World No. 1. Be proud India.
Archery, Shooting, TT, Athletics, Swimming, Boxing: Where are we?

and last but not least that game called
Cricket: No. 3 in tests and No. 4 in ODIs (Men) Unfortunately the women's rankings were not available. Seems like a good achievement, doesnt it? A sport played by 20-30 countries only.

A sport where India's ruling body(BCCI) is the richest in the world and doesnt even have a website.

We should all take a long hard look at ourselves and help promote other sports in the country.
We have the talent, why dont we support it?

Sports Update: 3 Indians in the top 200

2007-10-18T11:27:00.000+05:30

Three Indians have found their way into the top 200 in the World Golf Rankings.

While Jeev Milkha Singh is at 76, Jyoti Randhawa has returned to the top 100 after a comfortable win at the Indian Open. He is now at 91. Gaurav Ghei rounds off the Indian challenge with a world ranking of 200.

While Jeev and Jyoti have slid down from where they were at the start of the year, it seems like they are regaining some of the form that they showed last year.

Short Movie "Dawn"

2007-10-17T21:45:00.000+05:30

Watch the movie @ the following link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNOxpuvJLRs

Send in your comments... Thank you!!!

My new OTHER blog

2007-09-27T15:29:00.000+05:30

My New Blog is now Live!!!!

http://www.smileyreviews.blogspot.com

For all the latest reviews, head on to my new blog... For everything else under the sun, you are at the right location @

http://www.smileysays.blogspot.com

Sports Update: Jose Mourinho leaves Chelsea!!!!

2007-09-24T17:25:00.000+05:30

Jose Mourinho, one of the most arrogant and successful coaches in football history, quit Chelsea FC on Sep 20 2007 in a way only he can-controversially. Though his on and off the field antics have attracted much criticism, the fact that he was able to achieve so much success made him one of the most sought after coaches in the world. Mourinho leaving Chelsea was expected after his long standing feud with Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, thereby robbing English football of one of its colourful people.

Being an Arsenal fan myself, I should be happy at Mourinho’s exit but i am sad for I enjoyed the competition he threw at the English league. England’s loss will be someone’s gain.

All the best Jose!

SWIM Event @ Great Lakes

2007-08-29T12:19:00.000+05:30

It may be true that men are from Mars and women are from Venus but August 25th 2007 was all about bringing both sexes down to the same planet. The SWIM (Successful Women in Management) event, an inspiring initiative by the Great Lakes Institute of Management showcased the need for equality between men and women. The support of our Hon. Dean Uncle Bala and an enthusiastic SWIM team ensured that the show was more than a huge success.

For more about the event, visit:

www.greatlaker.wordpress.com

Sangamithra July 28 2007 @ MGM

2007-07-31T19:07:00.000+05:30

Sangamithra happened on Saturday 28th July 2007 @ MGM Resort on East Coast Road, Chennai. A lush green, open aired area played the host to the event. With clouds looming there was a chance that rain may play spoilsport but thankfully they stayed away until after the event.
Nalli was the main sponsor for the event. A stunning backdrop was prepared for the stage. The backdrop had photographs of all the 165 Jaycees along with photos of Uncle Bala, Prof Sriram and all other senior faculty members.

The Chief guest for the evening was PadmaShri Shri. Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti.

The event kicked off at 6pm with music from the Great Lakes Band. They managed to keep the audience engrossed with foot-tapping Hindi and English numbers. Then we had a small video about Life @ Great Lakes which was shown to the audience. Prof Sriram then welcomed the gathering. Uncle Bala then spoke and as usual we were enthralled to hear him. Our Chief Guest then spoke on his experiences with Uncle Bala and Great Lakes. Prof Murthy then provided the vote of thanks.

The festivities of the evening resumed with the first of many dances. Archana and group provided an enthralling display of contemporary fusion including Classical Dance and Kalaripayattu for the song "Taye Yashoda". Then we had a totally fun filled dance by Arunachalam and Group for the song "Saroja". It was a totally fast paced number and had the audience dancing with them. Then Sudhir, Vaibhaw and Rashmi provided a dance which was quite well done. What made this dance even better was that Vaibhaw and Sudhir both had broken hands to worry about.

Then cameth the skit. A 20 minute performance titled "Munnabhai MBA" had the audience rolling in laughter. Brilliant performances and amazing voice overs were the hallmark of the skit. The directors Sunil, Suraj and Dharmesh deserved the huge applause that they got. Abhishek Rai then got into the groove with some awesome mimicry performances.

Rashmi Bhat then gave a solo performance which was simply superb. Ankur and Naveen danced their hearts out to a Bhangra number which then was followed by a medley. Three dances back to back.

Finally came the dance that everyone wanted to see. Arunachalam and Sudha with a Michael Jackson Medley truly capped an amazing night for all.

A big kudos to the events team and all the people who made it possible.

Mozhi (Tamil) Movie Review

2007-06-29T11:18:00.000+05:30

Mozhi (Language) is a movie that is quite brilliantly made. The movie deals with the psyche of deaf and dumb people as well as the people around them who wish to make a difference.

Jothika portrays the role of a deaf and dumb girl who wishes to make it on her own and who doesn’t want any help from anyone, especially men. This is due to the fact that she was traumatized by the past reactions of her father to her impairments. Prithviraj plays the role of a music composer who wishes to woo her. Prakash Raj and Swarnamalya complete the core four of the movie. How the hero and his friends manage to change Jothika attitude forms the rest of the story.

Though happy endings are the order of the day and this movie is no different, it still manages to take you on a roller coaster ride until the Grand Finale. All characters from the apartment secretary to the professor stuck in a time warp to Prakash Raj’s antics manage to keep the audience enthralled from start to finish. The music is good and creates all the right moods.

Overall a great movie. A definite must watch.

Plus: Story, Music, Cast, Comedy, Prakash Raj
Minus: Not much really.

The ICC Cricket World cup West Indies 2007- A Review

2007-05-07T11:48:00.000+05:30

The cricket world cup 2007 was the most talked about cricketing world cup for a lot of weird
reasons.

The bad side of the cup

A farcical joke of an ending to what might have been the most closely contested world cup
final in the last decade.

The murder of Bob Woolmer, South African coach of Pakistan (till date there is no news of
the murderer)

The shock elimination of India and Pakistan in the first round at the hands of Bangladesh
and Ireland respectively cost the WC a lot of its sheen, both commercially and talent wise.

Bangladesh would subsequently beat South Africa as well before succumbing to the Irish.

Matches played out to near empty stands or to hordes of school children. The prices of the
tickets and the ban of instruments were not taken well in the Caribbean.

The length of the tournament and subsequent cases of boredom faced by the players and the
public alike.

The retirements of many players from cricket including Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, Glenn
Mcgrath, Sanath Jayasuriya will rob the game of charm in the future etc

The staying behind and non-retirements of players like Sachin Tendulkar etc

So what happened? Why? These are questions for which we have to wait for answers for. Heads
will surely roll a long way.

The good side of the cup

Australia Winning the third successive WC, while Sri Lanka ensued that there was an asian
finalist for every world cup since 1992.

Upset wins by Bangaldesh and Ireland

Some classic moments like Malinga's 4 wickets in 4 balls against South Africa, Gibbs' six sixes in an over against the Netherlands etc

Overall a disappointingly long world cup with plenty of meaningless matches.

Weather Update

2007-04-19T18:59:00.000+05:30

Bangalore was hot but cooled down a bit after some evening drizzles.
Chennai is hotter and i sweat under the fan...

Restaurant Review # 5

2007-03-08T17:51:00.000+05:30

Today's Restaurant: The Green Hotel (aka Green’s aka Chittaranjan Palace)
Location: Hunsur Road, Mysore, India
Style: Indian

The erstwhile Chittaranjan Palace, built for Mysore's princesses, has been lovingly restored as a small hotel. In extensive gardens, with formal lawns and shaded pergolas, and fringed by majestic trees, the hotel is an oasis of calm. It offers comfortable surroundings, friendly staff and a restful open air atmosphere. Each table is lit by candles only and is quite a refreshing change.

The food in “The Green Hotel” is quite delicious and provides a wide variety for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food lovers.
The soups are decent while the starters are quite tasty and filling. The main course offers a variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies which tickle your taste buds. The desserts are not too great and may be given a miss but the paan-wallah near the parking lot makes sure you have had a delicious evening.

Downsides: Dishes take a little long to serve so order your main course while you start wolfing down your starters to avoid waiting too much.

Overall a good meal and a good time is guaranteed.

Avg. Cost for 2: Around 500/- INR

Rating: Locale: 7/10
Ambience: 9/10
Service: 7.5/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 8/10
Vegetarian Variety: 7.5/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 7.5/10
Menu Card: 7/10
Recall value: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

Question???

2007-02-16T18:58:00.000+05:30

Why is it so difficult to understand someone at times???
Are expectations always too high?
Why do we feel bad?
Why do we feel lost?
Is it really difficult to reason without getting emotional?

The Train: Story No. 1

2007-01-09T17:49:00.000+05:30

The following is an attempt by the author ( me :) ) to create three different stories with the same beginning and different endings. Hope you like them. Bouquets and brickbats welcome!!!
Enjoy reading :)

The First Story

It was a dark night, not one of those nights which had the moon and the stars. It was just plain dark. You would probably not be able to even see your hand in front of you in the darkness. “Power Cut!” I heard someone say in the darkness. Well here I was all alone in the dark night on platform No. 2 at the train station. A chilling breeze blew across from the railway tracks and made me shudder all over. I dropped my bag.

As I bent over to pick it up, the lights came on and I saw the train in the tracks in front of the platform. “Now how could that be! I didn’t even hear the train come by.” I picked up my bag and peered into the train. It was empty. I looked around and saw no one. Suddenly I had a feeling that I was in some cooky B-grade horror movie. I pinched myself hard and left a mark that lasted three days. Ow!!!!

“Ok, now is not a time to think of movies. Just find your coach and get in” and so with this thought I bravely stepped into the coach. I walked ahead, found my seat and sat down. The lights flickered. I turned off the ceiling fan and heard its slow whirrrrrrr.

Suddenly I heard footsteps and looked towards the aisle. It was a fellow passenger carrying his suitcase to his seat. I heaved a sigh of relief. Other people! Slowly and steadily more passengers trickled in and I did not feel scared anymore. An old man sat across me. He kept looking at me. I turned my head away. Suddenly I felt something brush against my leg and jumped. No scream would leave my mouth on this fateful day. I looked down in shock and saw a little black cat. Feeling really stupid, I sat down again and grinned sheepishly at the old man. He grinned back. Suddenly he didn’t seem to be very dangerous. We got chatting as the train slowly moved out of the station.

He was a rich guy, (I have always fancied rich guys, the money, and the power) and he told me that I was a very pretty young lady. I blushed and thanked him. He began cracking a few jokes which were actually very funny. As we laughed, I noticed his teeth more closely and felt my heart sink like a ten ton brick in the ocean. He had four gold teeth and four silver. That’s right! Four gold and four silver. Only one person did I ever know who had them, Boss S.

Boss S, after all these years, had come back for me. I watched in horror as he pulled out a knife from his jacket and looked at me. Those eyes, those teeth. I was hypnotized. A single word “Sorry” escaped my lips. I do not remember much after wards except for the fact that when the police and the ambulance found me, my legs were in my hands, blood all over my dress. An ear and three fingers were found gift wrapped near me.

The cops said that this was the most gruesome thing that they had ever seen and the doc was surprised that I was still alive. I looked like a mummy in the hospital bed. A feeling of guilt swept over me. Why did I do it? Greed, perhaps?

Ten Years in the past, would have found me to be the fiancée of Boss S. He was a brilliant underworld don who was able to escape from everyone for a long time. He had just beaten his rivals to Q’s box of diamonds. We were rich beyond expectation. Boss S promised me one fourth of the diamonds and I was overjoyed. But soon this joy would turn everything around. Four days later I was approached by three cops. They told me that the diamonds weren’t important, Boss S was. And so a deal was finalized, half the diamonds would be mine if I led them to his hideout and another one-fourth of the diamonds would be mine if I testified against him in court. Imagine 75% of Q’s diamonds!!! My eyes lit up, I guess the cops could see it as well. After all, diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

I did all that the cops asked me to. The greed and the lust for the diamonds were far more valuable than the love for Boss S. After all what is love, but power and money. Boss S was sentenced to life and death. It was a very unique punishment. He would serve his life sentence and then be put to death. I was relieved. I was safe, he was out of my life and I had the diamonds. It was a perfect dream.

“But dreams have a horrible way of going wrong when you aren’t looking. – Max Payne”

Last week I read a newspaper article which mentioned that Boss S had escaped. I was terrified. I decided to settle everything and flee. This brought me to the train station where unfortunately he found me.

And now here I lay in bed, never to venture out into the open again. He had his revenge and I had paid my price!!! After all, greed is a sin and all those who have sinned must be punished…

The Train: Story No. 2

2007-01-09T17:35:00.000+05:30

The Second Story

It was a dark night, not one of those nights which had the moon and the stars. It was just plain dark. You would probably not be able to even see your hand in front of you in the darkness. “Power Cut!” I heard someone say in the darkness. Well here I was all alone in the dark night on platform No. 2 at the train station. A chilling breeze blew across from the railway tracks and made me shudder all over. I dropped my bag.

As I bent over to pick it up, the lights came on and I saw the train in the tracks in front of the platform. “Now how could that be? I didn’t even hear the train come by.” I picked up my bag and peered into the train. It was empty. I looked around and saw no one. Suddenly I had a feeling that I was in some cooky B-grade horror movie. I pinched myself hard and left a mark that lasted three days. Ow!!!!

“Ok, now is not a time to think of movies. Just find your coach and get in” and so with this thought I bravely stepped into the coach. I walked ahead, found my seat and sat down. The lights flickered. I turned off the ceiling fan and heard its slow whirrrrrrr.

There he was, sitting right opposite me. He had asked me to accompany him on this journey. It was a little awkward. Here I was, a young lady, with a person whom I have known only for about three months. So why am I doing this? Because he told me that he had something really important to tell me. I am surprised though by the fact that I did agree to meet up and travel with him. Very surprising! But what was more intriguing was the discussion!!!!! What was it that he had to tell me so urgently? What could it be? All week long he sent me little clues and teasers but they were all too vague. Just when I thought that I had finally cracked the puzzle, he sent me a clue that totally took me off guard. He asked me if I was comfy and I replied back saying that I was. I asked him what he wanted to tell me and he told me to wait until the train began to move. The next five minutes felt like five hours. The train then slowly started chugging out of the station. I started pestering him again, “Tell me, tell me tell me.” But all that he would say was “Be patient.”

He then pulled out his earphones and told me to listen through them. I listened and giggled. He was talking to me in the recorded message. He told me how difficult it had been to keep the “secret” for so long. Then out of nowhere the message said that to know the secret, I should ask him :(
How the ***$%^&%$#? I was both amused and irritated. How could he still keep up the surprise? Then I asked him. He got up from his seat and sat beside me, looked into my eyes and said “I Love you”.

And there I was, shocked and surprised and happy and overjoyed. Too many emotions in one instance. I looked at him and tears started rolling down my cheeks. It had been a while since I had tears of joy. He looked at me concerned and asked if everything was alright. I said yes and that I was really happy. I got up and gave him a huge hug. The horn of the train ensured that only he heard my response and no one else.

The Train: Story No. 3

2007-01-09T17:20:00.000+05:30

The Third Story

It was a dark night, not one of those nights which had the moon and the stars. It was just plain dark. You would probably not be able to even see your hand in front of you in the darkness. “Power Cut!” I heard someone say in the darkness. Well here I was all alone in the dark night on platform No. 2 at the train station. A chilling breeze blew across from the railway tracks and made me shudder all over. I dropped my bag.

As I bent over to pick it up, the lights came on and I saw the train in the tracks in front of the platform. “Now how could that be? I didn’t even hear the train come by.” I picked up my bag and peered into the train. It was empty. I looked around and saw no one. Suddenly I had a feeling that I was in some cooky B-grade horror movie. I pinched myself hard and left a mark that lasted three days. Ow!!!!

“Ok, now is not a time to think of movies. Just find your coach and get in” and so with this thought I bravely stepped into the coach. I walked ahead, found my seat and sat down. The lights flickered. I turned off the ceiling fan and heard its slow whirrrrrrr.

I felt suffocated in the coach and so I opened the window to let in the breeze. The train began to fill up with people. I was happy, atleast I wouldn’t be the only person in this train. Soon enough, there were so many people, I felt the need to be alone.

The coach was packed… The train, still, wouldn’t move. Fifteen hot, sweaty minutes later (it felt like two hours), the train began chugging slowly out of the station. As the train began to pick up speed, a cool breeze wafted in. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. I guess the relief was too much for someone who decided to pass wind very loudly.

*PPPPPRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPP*

Instinctively everyone reached for their noses. I wish that was all, but it was just the beginning of the end. I guess everyone who got wind of the action decided to contribute in their own way. What followed was devastating. There weren’t enough windows in the whole train. It was an hour before everyone decided to call it quits. Some too tired and some too disgusted to continue anymore. Us neutrals heaved a sigh of relief and then choked on the disgusting odours. Now I know what it means to survive a biological warfare battle.

The next fifteen minutes were spent in silence. Suddenly I had the extreme urge to relieve myself. I got up from my seat and swam through the sea of humanity to reach the end and possible salvation. When I reached the end of the coach, I felt a sinking feeling envelop me. There was a long queue to use the restrooms. I couldn’t hold it in for too long. This would take me at least thirty minutes to get to my turn. Will I be able to hold it in for that long?

10 Minutes later:
It seemed like an hour. I could not hold it in any longer. Suddenly the train seemed to be slowing down. The train stopped and was waiting for a signal to move on. Suddenly everyone standing in front of me got down from the train and went their respective ways through the paths in the fields. I was shocked. The path between me and salvation was as clear as a lake in the mountains. The relief was so immense that I felt a warm liquid running down my leg. So close and this is what I ended up doing!!!

With a sheepish grin, I looked up at the guy who had just walked in. He couldn’t control his laughter. I tried to clean myself and walked back to my seat. My fellow passengers took one look at me and lost control. It was as though the whole coach erupted in laughter. My embarrassment knew no bounds. Sheepishly I pulled out a grin and hoped that the earth would swallow me up.

In fifteen minutes, the train pulled up to my station. As I was about to get off, my fellow passengers thanked me for the best laugh they have had in years. What could I say!!! :)

R I P Leon

2006-12-20T19:04:00.000+05:30

Leon Ireland, lead singer of the popular Indian Rock band "Moksha" passed away during the wee hours of Monday (18th Dec 2006).

It was one of the biggest losses to Music itself.
Leon was a great person and a brilliant performer. He will sorely be missed.
Only angels will now rejoice, listening to his amazing voice.

RIP Leon. The void you leave behind cannot be filled.

The Horse and I

2006-12-11T17:51:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The following is a true incident. Any similarities to any form of fiction are purely coincidental.

Time: 1830 Hrs
It was a dark Wednesday night as I rode back home from work. There I was, on my bike riding, humming a tune from a Metallica song. The streetlights were off. I guess the electricity guy must have forgotten to switch them on. He must be sitting in some roadside bar drinking his fill with illicit liquor. Poor government guy: wasting his life and earnings. As I continued on the road, I overtook a car. Then a minute later, as I went over a tiny speedbreaker, I saw it. Even as I saw by the headlight of my bike, I was trapped in a moment of wonder. There it was, a white horse trotting across the road. For a moment it looked like a fabled unicorn, the mythical beast that was one of my favourites after the dragon.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech!!!!! Crash!!! Thud!!!! Swoooosssssssshhhhhh!!!!

My moment in mythical grandeur came crashing down like a house of cards tipped over by a kid. The next thing I knew was that I was down on my bike on the side of the road. The unicorn, sorry, the white horse was down on the middle of the road. The dust was beginning to settle down. I got up, it was painful. My right hand and right leg hurt a lot. I looked back at the horse. It got up gingerly and limped off across the road. I somehow managed to start the bike after that and slowly drove back home.

The mirrors were twisted and the front mudguard cracked. I struggled up the stairs and fumbled with the key. Then I got in and dropped my stuff. I slowly got out of my clothes to survey the extent of the damage. Deep bruises in 7-8 places on my right leg and right hand. Not too bad, I thought. Then I thought about the horse, hoped it was alright.

Some Reactions to the incident:
Su: What happened to the horse?
Ni: So did the horse chase you down and kick you? Did the owner sue you?
So: Oh My God!
Da: Why did you go kiss a horse? !!!!!
Many others: Hahahahahahahahah.

See my predicament. :(

Restaurant Review # 4

2006-12-11T17:31:00.000+05:30

Today's Restaurant: Aangan
Location: Koramangala, Bangalore, India
Style: Punjabi

Aangan, located in Koramangala, is one of those normal day-to-day restaurants most of us encounter. But what probably separates Aangan from the rest is the fact that the food is not so-so, it’s quite delicious. The quantity of the curries/sabzis is good and filling. But one drawback you would find here is the size of the Rotis etc. They are really small and command a bomb of a price for that size. The place is quite noisy at peak hours. Service is decent though when I asked for a Peas dish I got Butter chicken. :(
The thali was decent although the sabzis in the thali were not very inviting. So I wouldn’t recommend the Vegetarian Thali. Just order a la carte and fill up. :)

Overall, a good decent place for a quick and filling bite.

Avg. Cost for 2: 400/- INR (Meals for 2: 200/- INR)

Rating:Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 6.5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Food Quality: 9/10
Food Quantity: 7/10
Vegetarian Variety: 7/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8.5/10
Menu Card: 6/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Recall value: 7/10
Overall Rating: 7/10

A Point to ponder

2006-11-16T22:05:00.000+05:30

Do you feel so elated that a feeling of being light just sweeps you away???

Restaurant Review # 3 - The Dhaba

2006-10-26T11:35:00.000+05:30

Today's Restaurant: The Dhaba
Location: Outer Ring Road, Near Marathahalli Junction, Bangalore, India
Style: Indian

The Dhaba located on the first floor of Malgudi Restaurant is a very different experience and definitely the place to be. The whole place is setup like a roadside dhaba with tyre tubes hanging outside... The first surprise you will find is on entering the restaurant. The back end of a lorry greets and immediately has you in a smile admiring their ingenuity. Tables and chirs are comfortable and quaint. One table even has the honour of being placed right in front of a lorry. Talk about creativity. This place was simply superb.

And if you thought that was all, wait till you see the menu card. A Lovely menu card created by joined two pieces of blackboard slates which we used to carry in kindergarten. Wow!!!!

Well now was the big question!!! Would be food be this good too??? And you wouldnt be disappointed. The paneer and tava dishes are simply superb and so is the hospitality and service. A huge feeling of satisfaction and heavy stomachs are guaranteed after a trip to the Dhaba. So what are you waiting for???!!!!

Avg. Cost for 2: 450/- INR

Rating:

Locale: 7/10
Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Food Quality: 8.5/10
Food Quantity: 8/10
Vegetarian Variety: 8/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8/10
Menu Card: 9/10
Value for Money: 9/10
Recall value: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Action of the Day # 7

2006-10-26T11:29:00.000+05:30

Be aware of what you speak! For you may hurt the ones you love even without knowing!!!

Action of the Day # 6

2006-10-12T11:37:00.000+05:30

Make an effort to make someone smile today... Its the best thing that you can do to anyone...

Action of the Day # 5

2006-10-03T13:33:00.000+05:30

Don't worry too much about the past. Learn from them in the present and make your future better.

Action of the Day # 4

2006-09-12T13:21:00.000+05:30

Switch off lights and electrical appliances when not being used!!!

A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION

2006-09-12T10:42:00.000+05:30

A Figment of my imagination

It was a night that was creepier than usual. Timmy, Sandy and Mikey were on their way to their aunt’s place. The drive was supposed to take only four hours. They had left home early in the afternoon. But traffic and bad weather ensured that they were still at least an hour away from their destination. And now this had to happen?

All four tyres of their 1982 Dodge were flat. Their father had given them the dark brown vehicle last fall. It was dark and was raining quite heavily. They had gotten off the freeway into a quaint little town for fuel and snacks. They had tanked up the vehicle and their tummies. Soon they were off again when it began to pour heavily. Visibility was low. They had just driven for 15 minutes when Mikey lost control and swerved off the road into the mud nearby.

“Just our darned luck!!” thought Mikey. Four flats and only one spare. Sandy and Timmy got out too. They were clearly 20 miles away from the town and roughly 10 miles from the freeway. What were they to do?

They decided to call for help. “Well now, somebody please tell me how this happened!” said Timmy to Mikey, “My mobile has no signal.” Mikey and Sandy looked at their mobiles and chorused “Ours too!” Now they were in a fix. Sandy checked the map. They were miles away from anywhere on the map. They decided to walk to the freeway and hopefully hitch a ride…

Fifteen minutes in the rain….

“Hey, look over there. There is a light across the field.” “Looks like a little house over there”. “Maybe they have a phone” and saying so the threesome trudged towards the house. The fields were barren as it looked like the harvesting had been completed awhile back. They reached the house and sprang up the steps. The steps made no sound. Sandy found this surprising. She jumped on the last step again. No Sound. “Well that was creepy, lets see who’s home” said Mikey. They knocked on the door. No answer. They knocked again. Still no answer. The wind howled through the rickety old building.

“Well, let’s go out to the back and see if anyone’s there!” As they turned, the door swung open with a slow creek. Inside sat an old man on an old chair facing the door. “Come in, my young friends.” Surprised, they walked in through the door. “I see you youngsters had a flat and you need to use my phone”. They were taken aback. How could he know? Before anyone could speak, the door banged behind them. They turned around and turned back to face the old man. All they saw was an empty chair.

“Well! Are you just gonna gape at the chair or what?” said the old man from the foot of the staircase. They turned towards him and a wave of relief washed over their faces. He had walked onto to the staircase. “The phone is up on the first floor. Follow me up the staircase. Watch your step” He smiled and began to climb. They climbed the staircase slowly following the old man. Soon they stepped into a long hallway. “The phone is at the end of the hallway. The portraits you see around you are painted from real instances”

They looked up at the portraits one by one. They were now scared for what they saw totally wiped their senses clean off their minds. The first portrait was of a man biting the neck of a crow. The second one was even scarier. The same man was plucking the ears of a rabbit with his hands. More gruesome photos followed as they realized that the person in the portraits looked like a younger version of the old guy.

As they turned to ask the old man, their eyes fell on the last portrait. They were shocked. The old man turned back at them and said “Here is my greatest masterpiece” A shrill scream pierced the silent night. There standing in the portrait was the same middle aged guy holding Timmy’s head, severed off the body, blood dripping all over him. A sickle was in his other hand. Mikey and Sandy turned to look and found Timmy missing. A shiver went up their spines as they slowly turned towards the old guy, only to see themselves facing a blank piece of wall. A phone was on the table nearby.

Mikey and Sandy began to sweat profusely. They had heard of terrifying experiences in lonely houses in horror movies and stories but now it looked like they were bang in the middle of one, themselves.

Sandy reached towards the phone and as she touched it, the phone rang. She jumped backwards crashing into someone. She turned around, saw Mikey and screamed. “What happened?” asked Mikey. “Nothing, I guess I am lil fidgety”, she said sheepishly.

They turned again and looked at the phone. It had stopped ringing. Mikey went towards it and lifted the receiver. It wasn’t dead. Surprised he quickly dialed 911 and the phone at the other end began to ring. Four rings later, somebody picked up the call and he heard a male voice telling him “Thank you for calling 911. You are not leaving this place alive. You are the last one. So die!!!!”

Shocked Mikey dropped the phone and turned around. Sandy was gone. He turned back towards the phone and staggered back. Looking at him was sandy’s face minus the eyes and ears. Her tongue was slit into two and her head was held by the man in the portrait.

He composed himself. This was another painting. He had to get out of here. He turned around and ran. As he ran, blood began flowing from all the portraits onto the floor. He slipped on the blood and fell face first. His face became red from the blood. He slipped and slided all the way towards the other end of the hallway. Then he stopped.

A brick wall stared scornfully at him. He looked around frantically. He was trapped in the hallway. He heard footsteps on the stairway but couldn’t find any way to the stairway. He looked around. He felt trapped like a caged animal. He suddenly saw an umbrella nearby and picked it up. The footsteps were getting closer. He looked around turning and caught the wall panel sliding open in the corner of his eye. He swung around to face his fate. In walked the middle aged man of the portrait. As Mikey stared at him, he thought again that this guy and the old guy were one and the same.

It was an old fashioned standoff: Mikey with the umbrella and the man with the sickle. The man rushed towards him, sickle raised in his hand. Mikey stepped forward and in one stabbing motion put the umbrella into the attacker’s eyeball. A hoarse scream filled the air. Mikey ran, slid forward and through the attacker’s legs straight into the entrance of the stairway. He got up just in time and looked back to see the assailant. All he saw was the old man looking at him with one eye. The other eye was bleeding profusely. The umbrella lay at his feet. He turned around, ran down the staircase and straight into the front door. The door opened automatically as he approached it and he found himself sprawled on the porch steps.

The footsteps began behind him. He got up and ran. A sharp pain rose in his right arm and a thin stream of blood began to flow from his eyebrow. He ran across the fields and towards the road where the Dodge was.

Ten minutes later…

He found the Dodge and stopped in his tracks. Timmy and Sandy were standing by it. A mechanic was near them and he had just fixed all four tyres. “Where were you?” asked Sandy, “You said that you were gonna get help and there has been no sign of you for the last two hours. What happened?” Mikey didn’t respond. He looked at himself; there were no signs of blood on him. “Nothing!” he replied.

They got back into the Dodge with Timmy at the wheel and Mikey alone in the back. The rain had stopped and they were back on the road. As they drove a bit, Mikey saw an old house in the distance. A little nearer to the road, he saw the old man with one eye smiling at him. A sharp pain rose in his right arm. His face became pale as he grabbed Timmy’s shirt. Timmy stopped and asked what happened? Mikey pointed in the direction of the old man and then Timmy said “I don’t see anything. Must be a figment of your imagination” and drove on.

“A figment of my imagination?” thought Mikey as he looked at the old man. The old man had a sickle in his hand!!!

Action of the Day # 3

2006-09-07T11:37:00.000+05:30

Don't be Lazy!!! Get up and get going!!!

A Second Chance

2006-09-06T15:02:00.000+05:30

2007…
There he was, a smart young fellow of 27, earning a decent five figure salary in a FMCG company. He was a happy guy, wife, two kids (twins). A typical normal middle class family with hopes and dreams of making it big. A small happy family.

Then it all came down as the hard raindrops in a thundershower. The glass of reality shattered their existence. It was but over. But what happened?

He lost his job. He was fired on the spot. Why?
One reason: He had been to prison. He pleaded with all his managers. He had realized the sins that he had committed and he had been punished for the same. He said that he had turned over a new leaf since then. No one believed him. Why??? He was lost. He didn’t know what to do.

He left the company and slowly walked home. What was happening to him? He was very depressed and distressed. Hadn’t he been punished enough for his sins? Hadn’t five years been enough? Five years for what?

2000… His Story
I had fallen into bad company. Well actually to me it wasn’t all that bad a company though everyone around me told so. We were having fun and enjoying life. Gradually we began to realize that the fun part was getting really expensive. We were running out of money…and fast. We couldn't ask our parents too much more. I was still twenty with a billion dreams and aspirations in my head. J insisted that to get to our dreams we shouldn’t give up on our lifestyles. So what do we do? M suggested that we rob the newly opened bank and diamond store ZZZ.

Well. To be frank, we found it to be really funny. A big Joke but, as we thought more about it, we realized that this was the only way. Hard work took ages to provide fruits of success.
So we decided to rob the store. We chuckled to ourselves the concept of having a diamond store and a bank at the same location. More loot for us at one shot, we thought.

The plan was laid out for a day where there would be visibly less crowd, sometime mid month. We were 8 guys. The plan was laid out like this:
2 to rob the diamonds' section, 3 to rob the bank, one of whom was to hold the manager hostage, one lookout if anything went wrong and two guys in separate vehicles for the getaway.

And there we went….

It was a lazy Thursday afternoon. We arrived on schedule. Before you knew it, we had the whole situation in our hands. Everyone co-operated beautifully. Everything was going on great. We got the loot of diamonds and cash. Millions worth. Whoa! we were rich.

We were so happy that we made one crucial mistake. We forgot our hostage. Fifteen minutes was all we got of enjoying ourselves like one of the TV shows when suddenly the screen went blank.
Our tyres burst at a spike strip and before we could gain control, twenty police vehicles surrounded us. We were hauled up and taken away. In an instant, everything was gone. From Dawn to dusk, as they say, it was all over.

I spent five years behind bars. My original sentence of seven was reduced to five due to good behavior and I was released on Independence Day. The prison sentence had done its work. I didn’t want to go back. I decided to reform myself. Enough was enough. In the next few months, I got myself a decent job, got married as well. Atleast I hoped that a family would ensure that I didn’t stray again, no matter what.

The following year we were blessed with twins. Everything seemed to go so well. And then this happened.

2007…

Well isn’t the prison system designed to reform… Well then why don’t people accept it? If someone has been to prison, does that mean he is a criminal for life? Our hero continued his walk home. He didn’t know what else to do. Why didn’t anyone believe that he had reformed? He had a family for god’s sake!!! And the worse part is that there was nothing wrong in his job. He had done everything efficiently enough, even better than most people. A promotion was replaced by a dismissal. For what?

Thoughts of suicide entered his mind. But no!!! What would happen to his family? He decided that he would not give up. It wont be easy but he decided to keep trying. He got home and told the news to his wife. She was very supportive and encouraged him to go on trying. And so he kept on trying….

-------------------------------------Author’s Footnote-----------------------------------

The prison system everywhere is designed for reform. Then why is society so intent on not accepting a reformed ex-convict. Justice must be done. These people must be given a chance. Would you… yes you…not give your kids or loved ones another chance when they did something wrong? Then why not these people. A chance is what most of them ask for and a chance is what I think they need, nay, deserve in order to excel. Let us give them that much atleast.

Question of the day? # 5

2006-09-06T12:17:00.000+05:30

Would you like to live in a real world or in a virtual world? Are the two worlds different?

Question of the day # 4

2006-09-05T18:17:00.000+05:30

Are there good people and bad people or are there only good actions and bad actions?

Action of the day # 2

2006-09-01T09:06:00.000+05:30

Save Paper!!!

Movie Review: 12 Angry Men(1957)

2006-09-01T08:19:00.000+05:30

The Movie "12 angry men" is a 1957 classic starring an all male cast including henry fonda, e g marshall, joseph sweeney etc.

WARNING: Spoilers below!!!

The movie, which goes by the tagline "Life Is In Their Hands -- Death Is On Their Minds!",
is about 12 jurors who have to decide if a young boy of 18 is guilty of murder or not. The boy is charged with murdering his father and a guilty verdict would send him to the electric chair.

The movie begins with the 12 men on the jury leaving the court room and moving to the jury room to decide on the verdict. It starts with 11 people in favour of guilty and one (juror # 8 played by henry fonda) in favour of not guilty. The case seems simple. But the plot unravels more.

The discussions begin. Each character is portrayed quite brilliantly and the actors have done a marvelous job. Indeed, it is very difficult to find acting of this calibre in today's cinema.

The discussions proceed to and fro as the jurors fluctuate from their decisions. Some of the scenarios put up are worth any discussion in the way cases are handled.

One dialogue which stood out for me was, when during the break of discussions, juror #6 tells #8 in the restroom
"Imagine you manage to convince all of us that the boy is not guilty, and it really turned out that the kid knifed his dad. What would happen?"

Personal aspirations, prejudices, talks about baseball games, patience, anger are a few things one would encounter in the movie.

For more... watch the movie...

All in all, this 96 minute movie makes you want more. A brilliant juryroom drama which probes into people psychologies as well...

The Executioner…A short Story

2006-08-24T16:25:00.000+05:30

The Executioner…

Executioner… That’s what they called me… Why? Because I was the best of the best.

My Name: John
Last name: Unknown
My Profession: Hitman

Welcome to my world!!! The world where a kill is like eating a sandwich, a piece of cake…

It all started ten years ago. The world was all black and white. The people were either too good or too evil. It all began on that fateful day, the 13th of November. It was cold and dark. Winter had sent in quite harshly this year. The snow fell more like a blizzard than like a postcard scenery. On that fateful day, I was trudging through a foot of snow. I was making my way to the supermarket to get some groceries and there I saw it…rather them…

The Man was getting hounded by 2 goons. I rushed to his aid as he ran past me. They ignored me. Bad Choice! I tripped one of them. He whirled around falling and the crowbar in his hand struck my face. The numbness struck me and was quickly replaced with a soothing liquid. Then I realized that it was my own blood flowing from a cut above my brow. Everything seemed to be a blur after that as I vaguely remembered snatching his crowbar and mercilessly butchering him to death.

Moments passed. They seemed like eternity. I had heard of moments that lasted forever but this was the first time I experienced the same. I looked down and saw something that looked like last week’s beetroot and pumpkin mash. Then I realized that they were his brains splattered in front of me. Honestly I didn’t know that a blur and a crowbar could do so much damage.

I sat there in a daze. I had just murdered a person in cold blood. I looked around. There was no one there. I guess the other guy was still hot on the pursuit of his victim. The alley was dark and I felt dazed. I sat there for a while. Suddenly I heard a voice screaming at me.

Groggily I got up and saw the other goon run towards me with a gun in his hand. Looked like he was gonna shoot me… Next thing I knew I picked up the crowbar from the ground and threw it straight towards the imaginary bull’s eye in the middle of his forehead. THUD!!!
He looked like a corpse… Shit!!! I just killed him; of course he is a corpse…

I looked up and suddenly realized that in this world what I did was wrong. There were no witnesses. But what I did was wrong!!! I decided to turn myself into the authorities. I started walking towards the nearest police station. It was a mile away. The weather was cold and I broke into a slow jog to keep myself warm. I felt good and I dint know why… Was it because of the double kills? Man I felt good. I continued to run a little faster. Wow I actually liked it… Maybe I can make a living out of it. I continued to run past the police station. And so my career began as a professional hitman.

I started off with low alley hits and made my way up. Now, ten years later, I am number one, the numero uno, not just in this country but in the entire world. All my shots were accurate. It was as if my eyes had a habit of picking up bull’s eyes on victims. I had a six month waiting list. I am the greatest.
Am or Was?

I suddenly remembered the three bullets in my gut. Pain was searing through me. I tried to recollect what had happened… “Oh! Yes the setup!!!”
This was to be a regular operation . I had to take out an underworld don, Carlos was his name, while he went to church to pray.

The client: Robert, The Mafia Don’s Right Hand
The Reason: He wanted to be the new don.

It was a straightforward hit.
Sniper gun, take the don off when he returned and walk. But somewhere things went terribly wrong. When I looked through my sniper lens when Carlos came out, he looked straight at where I was and waved. It couldn’t be right. It looked like he was waving me goodbye and then I felt a hand on my shoulder wheel me around and pump three bullets in my stomach. It’s a painful way to die, being shot in the stomach.

I looked up and saw Robert’s face clearly. This was a bloody setup. But Why??? Questions would have to wait, now it was time for a hit back. I wasn’t going down that easy. I pulled out my 8” blade and buried it deep inside him. The initial shock never left his face. He looked like one of those funny ghosts. Very funny. It cracked me up.

Me: Why?
Robert: For my Brothers
Me: Who were they?
Robert: They were good. Remember the alley ten years ago.

Then it struck me. My first kills were his brothers. Guess some people remember a grudge for a long time. Feeling no guilt whatsoever, I proceeded to cut his stomach and intestines. I was a big fan of the Japanese hara-kiri. Here Robert got his hara-kiri just the way I wanted him to. Slowly.

I staggered back and fell on the floor. Its gonna be a while before I die. I remembered the past.
I can hear footsteps now. It must be Carlos’ men. I close my eyes, waiting to die. I can hear the door to the terrace open.

BANG!!!!

Action For the Day # 1

2006-08-21T11:52:00.000+05:30

Dont Waste Water!!!

Question of the Day #3

2006-08-21T11:35:00.000+05:30

Would you do the wrong thing even if it led to the right result?

REALIZATION – A Short Story

2006-08-16T16:11:00.000+05:30

REALIZATION
– A Short Story in first person by Shriram B R (Thats me incase you havent figured it out yet).

4:27 Hrs Today

I woke up with a nauseating feeling. My throat was dry and it felt very sore. I dragged myself to the wash basin and looked in the mirror… “Damn! I look terrible”. I opened the tap and tasted the water. Surprisingly it was sweet. The water has never tasted this sweet in my apartment. Nectar! Nectar, it was like nectar, the drink of the gods. I took a swig and felt relieved.

I staggered out of the bathroom, wiping my eyes and the stark reality hit me like ten ton brick going at 100 kilometers an hour. There she lay in a pool of her own blood. I clutched against the wall. “What had I done? There she was, the love of my life, or was she?”

23:00 Hrs Yesterday

I always held her responsible for my father’s death. I don’t know why but I knew she was responsible. I wanted her to suffer for the pain that I was undergoing. She was a pretty little girl; I loved her more than anything else. We were set to be married soon and all was well.
She began to go out more with her friends. Why did she have to do that I couldn’t understand? My father passed away last month and I was distraught. She was around comforting me. During this period, I wanted her to stay beside me all the time and why not? I was under a terrible loss and it was my right to expect her to be beside me and she had to. That was her duty… to serve me and stay by my side. But things have been getting out of hand off late. She shouts at me all the time and why does she do that? I end up losing my temper and abusing her too and sure as hell, she deserved it…. Things got to a real boiling point today.

I was in a foul mood because she had been out all day and not beside me. She came home at 10 in the night and asked how I was. I asked her to go to hell. Then began the bad argument. I couldn’t stand it. How could she speak to me like this? I deserved all the patience and understanding and here she was yelling at me about me being a sadist, an immature possessive person, one who didn’t let her do what she wanted. But why should she? She should do what I wanted her to!!! What the hell?!!!

Things got out of hand and I hit her….hard. She reeled around and fell with a low thud. I got a strange satisfaction from letting her have it. She deserved it alright and I felt good about giving it to her. Man! All that adrenaline sure felt alright. I looked at her and smiled.

Then I noticed something. A thick reddish liquid flowed from her head staining the marble floor. What have I done? I rush to her and turn her over. Blood runs down her nose and ears. She isn’t breathing any more. All the adrenaline has disappeared and a shocking numbness fills me. I can’t believe I did this. The room begins to spin as I stagger away from her and drift into the unconsciousness that envelops me like a warm blanket on a cold wintry day.

5:30 Hrs Today

Well, whatever she had done, did she deserve this? Of course she deserved something bad, but death. I do not know!!!! I try to figure out what can be done with the body now. Sure a lot of people may have seen her coming into my apartment as usual but if they find out that this has happened! Gosh! What would happen to me and my prestige!

Something has to be done. It will be just like the movies. I will take her body to the cliff and drop it off, or better yet, I will put her in that car of hers and push it off the cliff. Everyone will think it’s an accident and I will be safe. Good Riddance anyways.

And so I cleaned the blood off her face and carried her in my arms. Stealthily I made my way to the parking with and got into her car with her on the passenger side. All was quiet. I started the engine. “Everything is gonna be alright”. We moved out and I started driving steadily towards the cliff.

Dawn was beginning to break and people were out on their morning strolls. As we approached the cliff, my mind became a movie as my life flashed before my eyes. As I approached the cliff, the scenes were getting more frantic. And then suddenly I realized that it had been my fault all this while and not hers. Her frantic pleas and suggestions were only to get me back on track. Realization dawned at 90 kmph near the cliff.

How could I not realize this earlier? How could this happen to me? What have I done?
I thought long and hard while looking at the still beautiful face beside me. “I am sorry” and then after a few moments thought which seemed like eternity, I knew what I had to do. “I know what must be done; I will do this to set everything right.” Determined, I was to do it.

I drove the car into the railing and off the cliff, into the scintillating darkness. “I hope hell would forgive me now” were the words I heard from my mouth as I sat behind the steering wheel of her car.

Question of the day #2???

2006-08-11T11:14:00.000+05:30

Is Milk really bad for Human adults?

Restaurant Reviews#2: BOMBAY POST

2006-08-11T10:27:00.000+05:30

Today's Restaurant: Bombay Post
Location: Airport Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Indian

The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore on Airport Road... You cant help but notice and return the smile of the jolly doorman with the huge moustache who is very courteous.

The restaurant is a themed restaurant... You feel as though you have been transported to the past. One wall is completely painted in Black & White with actors and actresses of Bollywood yesteryears. The fans and lighting are of olden times and give the place the retro look and feel. Chairs are comfortable enough.

The Menu card is like an invite to an opera of yesteryears with opening pages talking about opening nights and opening acts. The Menu does whet your appetite with the variety of dishes available for both veggies and non vegetarians.

Food is lovely, tangy and fills your tastebuds with an assortement of tastes. Food Quantity is good and filling. Desserts are yummy too. Paneer and Extra Spicy dishes are very good.

Service is quite good and people are very hospitable. The whole restaurant exudes a vibrance of old hindi movies which is refreshing and enjoyable.

Avg. Cost for 2: 700/- INR
Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 7.5/10
Vegetarian Variety: 7/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8.5/10
Menu Card: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Recall value: 8.5/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

Question of the Day# 1!!!

2006-08-10T12:15:00.000+05:30

If a tanker carrying fuel runs out of fuel enroute to the delivery area, can it be refueled from the fuel that it is carrying???

Restaurant Reviews#1: SUNNY'S

2006-08-10T10:46:00.000+05:30

A Big hey to everyone after a long hiatus...

Starting today i will be reviewing restaurants and eatouts...
Why??? Coz i just felt like!!!Thats all... :)
Major Foodies here i come

Today's Restaurant: Sunny's
Location: Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, India
Style: Continental/International

The restaurant is located in the heart of Bangalore just off St. Marks Road... The first thing that strikes you when you enter is the fact that the place is well lit with natural and artificial lighting... Floor to ceiling Windows enhace the feel of the place. The seating looks spacious and comfortable and kudos to the guy who managed to arrange so well in a limited area. Chairs are confortable enough.

The Menu card is just a little above normal with a writing is a running Italicized font. Simple and nice. Variety is limited for the complete veggie (including yours truly) though there is abundant choice for the others. The waiters do not write your order down in front of you, but do it aside after you have told them all the items you would like to have. This is something different and refreshing.

Food is tasty, cooked well and less spicy. if you need it to be more spicy, do mention it in advance. Food Quantity is good and filling.

Desserts are yummy and come in a variety of crockery depending on the dessert... People who are bored with round as a shape will find that to be refreshing.

Another interesting thing that i noticed here was that the staff were ready in an instant...
A table had just been vacated by the guests and in 60-90 seconds, three people had gotten around to cleaning it up and preparing it for the next set of people...Complete change... Imagine in less than two minutes. thats awesome service.

Avg. Cost for 2: 1000/- INR (For the uninitiated, thats Indian Rupees)

Rating:
Locale: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food Quality: 8/10
Food Quantity: 8/10
Vegetarian Variety: 4/10
Non-Vegetarian Variety: 8/10
Menu Card: 6/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Recall value: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

FIFA WORLD CUP 2006: GERMANY... A RECAP.

2006-07-12T14:55:00.000+05:30

Well what a world cup it was… For one, the team that I was supporting won the coveted trophy…and for another Germany united as a nation to spur everyone on…

Well lets get on with the rewind::::

Group Stages:

Well, did the group stages see enough surprises? Of course they did… Here they are the main features of the first round,

Ecuador beat both Poland and Costa Rica to reach the second round in group A
Voracious home support puts Germany on top of Group A beating all the others and scoring 8 goals in 3 matches.
England huff and puff to qualify on top of Group B inspite of Sweden playing quite well…
Trinidad and Tobago get their first ever world cup point in Group B with a draw off Sweden.
Both Argentina and the Dutch are pushed to the limit by the Elephants from Ivory Coast who end up losing very marginally in both matches in Group C.
Argentina slam 6 past hapless Serbia & Montenegro to top the group with the Dutch in second from Group C.
Portugal topped Group D comfortably with Mexico scraping in second over Angola and Iran.
Now onto Group E, this group provided the most excitement of them all. Italy and Ghana qualified to the next round inspite of the Czech Rep. (World Ranking:2) and the USA (World Ranking: 5).
Ghana was one of the surprise packages of the tournament. They lost to Italy in the first game but rallied back to beat both the Czech (2-0) and the Americans (2-1). The passion and commitment shown in their own innocence bought smiles to everyone who watched them play…
Group F saw Brazil advance as expected but also saw Australia make it to the next round, thanks mainly to their come-from-behind win over Japan in their opening game… Croatia and Japan were a shadow of their former selves…
Group G was another surprising group with the Swiss qualifying at the expense of Korea… while France managed to just scrape through to the next round with unimpressive performances.
Group H saw Spain and Ukraine qualify as expected with Spain thoroughly dominating the group with a young side…

A plethora of goals were scored in the first round…117 in all…

On to the second round:

Germany beat Sweden comfortably with early strikes within the first ten minutes… Argentina had to wait till extra time and a brilliant Maxi Rodriguez goal to put it past Mexico who actually played better.

A 10 man Italy had to wait till the 94th minute to score the winner… The winner was controversial. Grosso takes the ball into the Aussie penalty area… Defender slides in and misses the ball… Grosso opportunistically trips over the fallen defender and gets the penalty… Totti scores and Italy are thru…

Switzerland lost to Ukraine on penalties after the score was 0-0 after extra time and created a history of sorts… They were the first team to be eliminated from a world cup without conceding a single goal. They were also the first team to miss all the penalties of a shoot out… Lucky Ukraine…

England managed to beat Ecuador thru a David Beckham free kick. Then came the war… Portugal v Netherlands… Portugal won 1-0 but with 15+ yellow cards and 4 red cards, it ended up being one of the most carded games in history… It was just plain nasty…

Brazil beat Ghana due to lack of Ghana’s finishing capabilities while the resurgent French beat the young Spaniards quite comfortably to notch up another one of the upsets.

Quarter Finale:

Argentina and Germany played a brilliant match which saw Argentina take the lead in the second half and Germany equalizing 15 minutes later… Argentina were unwise to substitute their star players when they took the lead and that affected them… When they extra time, they were ultra defensive and 2 brilliant saves by Jens Lehmann ensured Germany’s progress via the shoot out…

Italy, who had the easiest Q/F on paper, duly dispatched Ukraine home with a comfortable 3-0 win.
England managed to hold off Portugal and take the game into penalties after Wayne Rooney was sent off… But then 2 saves by Ricardo ensured Portugal’s progress.

Then came the big shocker as France capitalized on a defensive lapse by Brazil to beat them 1-0 and go on to the semis…

The Semi-Finals

France beat Portugal as the Portuguese could not capitalize on the defensive lapses while Italy beat Germany in the dying minutes of extra time to get to the final…

3rd / 4th Playoff:

Germany totally dominated the Portuguese as Bastian Schweinsteiger’s brace was enough to see Germany clinch 3rd place in front of a vociferous home crowd.

THE GRAND FINALE: Salient features.

Very nice matchup… Italy dominating the first half…after Zidane scored an early goal… Italy equalizing soon…
French domination of the second half but nothing to deter the Azzuri defense…
Zidane’s crazy headbutt and sending off in extra time
And finally Italy winning on penalties… Something which they have never done before…
A fitting World cup and a fitting tribute to the Italian defense….

The event ends with Miroslav Klose (Ger) winning his second Golden Boot in a row, Gigi Buffon (ITA) winning the Lev Yashin Best Goalkeeper award, Lukas Podolski (Ger) with the best young player and Zinedine Zidane (Fra) with the Golden Ball...

Hopefully the next cup will be quite as intriguing as this one...
See you guys in 2010 @ South Africa…

Good night… and Good luck
May the Force be with you…

Italy v Germany: FIFA World cup 2006 Semi-final…04th July 2006

2006-07-05T16:53:00.000+05:30

Wow what a match!!! First of all, I managed to watch the match at the multiplex in office (BIG SCREEN) and that was awesome… Second of all, it was a rockin good match…

The Prelude: Italy had a relatively easier run to the semis and hadn’t been tested by anyone except Australia (who unfortunately lost due to a bad refereeing decision)… They had also beaten Germany in a friendly recently 4-1… So history was on Italy’s side you may think…
Wrong… think again…

Germany were playing in Dortmund where they hadn’t lost ever…that’s 35 years without a loss in Dortmund… on their way Germany had managed to eliminate powerhouses like Sweden and Argentina… Germany beat Argentina in a shootout which proved to everyone that Germany can never be beaten on the penalties… Germany hadn’t lost a shootout in the World cup ever… and the only time they ever lost one was in an EURO championships in the 70s.

So get set for a rocker…

The Game: Italy started attacking right away… With the lion share of possession you might have expected them to take the lead, but they just couldn’t beat Jens Lehmann (the German Goalie) and the German defense… So now Germany get a few chances but they are thwarted brilliantly by the Italian defense and captain Cannavaro… He had one brilliant match…

So it goes back and forth… Italy generating chances through Pirlo and Totti, while Germany attacked through Ballack, Lahm and Schneider.

Half Time: Score 0-0

2nd half sees a rejuvenated German team who attack like crazy… Italy is pushed to the back foot… The solid Azzuri defense does not give way, suppressing wave after wave of German attack… Odonkor and Schweinsteiger arrive to take it up a notch for Germany.
Italy respond by getting in Gillardino and Iaquinta…

Full Time: Scores are still 0-0….
The extra time begins with a flurry of chances at the German goal by Gillardino and Iaquinta… Two shots by Italy hitting the post… Italy take control and continue attacking… Soon Del Piero and Neuville arrive for Italy and Germany respectively…

Lehmann continues to save everything thrown at him…

Podolski has his shot saved by Buffon… And soon everyone is expecting penalties…
Italy must avoid penalties coz they have never won a shootout…

118’ of the match…Pirlo passes the ball to Grosso within the box, Grosso turns and lets one go to the far post…. GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL…

Italy have taken the lead… The minority crowd erupts. The Germans are shell shocked… Only 2 minutes to go and Germany goes on the attack and they almost get another shot in when the ball is cleared by the Italian defense, only to lead into a counter attack… Gillardino passes to Del Piero who beats Lehmann one on one as Italy and their supporters erupt in a frenzy… the home side are distraught… 2 goals in 2 minutes sends
the hosts packing and Italy to the final…

The Germans are distraught but have to reassure themselves that their young squad will have more chances. The Italians, meanwhile, head to Berlin…

What a night!!! What an experience!!!

The Hulk: Movie Review

2006-06-26T11:31:00.000+05:30

Saw the movie "The Hulk" on TV last week. Heres the review.

Well, so what do you want? The good news about this movie or the bad news?
Okay since most people ask for the bad news first, here it goes. For people who wanna read the good news about the movie, scroll down below....

BAD NEWS:
As the heading suggests, this movie was crap, a big load of it...i mean so big that it would be bigger than Mt. Everest. Why am i so pissed off with this movie?
Well for one, the director tried to make a comic book of a movie and his idea of the same was to panel every shot.

EVERY SHOT! Imagine!
In comes a truck and suddenly panels start moving and now you can see the same truck in 3-5 camera angles, all at the same time (a la PiP). Wow!!!

The whole sequence was so disctracting that it took me a little less than a blink of an eye to lose interest. If only he had shot it normally, maybe it could have been good.

Most of the actors are emotionless in the movie save THE HULK himself. (Eric Bana)
Most of the locations were ill-timed as well...
The plot was sketchy and brief. Nothing much to grab my attention.

My suggestion: Avoid the movie at all costs!

C'mon it cant be that bad!!!

Ok Ok...
So here's the GOOD NEWS:
The Hulk transformations are pretty neat.

Thats it... :) For more good news, please follow my suggestion.

Good night...and Godd luck
May the Force be with you.

Traffic in Bangalore…Part 2

2006-05-25T12:07:00.000+05:30

Recent developments in the situation in Bangalore have prompted me to write this blog.
Don’t worry traffic is still the same, people still flaunt the rules…

One major change that I have noticed is that Roads are being laid afresh and they have survived a rain….A big kudos to Mr. Kumaraswamy (CM) and his team…

The roads that have been laid so far are of good quality and have helped in increasing the life of the vehicles :)
Most of the roads that were in the East of Bangalore are all laid… I was mighty surprised when I saw this happen a month ago… So far so good… Lets just hope that the telephone companies DON’T take note of this…Otherwise they would be back to start digging again…

Another thing that I have noticed quite prominently is the appearance of Traffic signals in almost all areas…. These signals running on Solar Power have helped immensely in regulating the traffic…

Could this be the beginning for a new beginning??? Lets wait, watch and pray.

Good night … and good luck

UEFA Champions League Final

2006-05-18T17:08:00.000+05:30

Well yesterday night was the UEFA CL Final between Arsena and Barcelona.

The build up to the annual extravaganza was good this year as two of the strongest teams made it to the final... Arsenal, in the final for the very first time, had eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the final, while Barca had eliminated Milan and Chelsea.

Arsenal were further buoyed by the fact that they hadnt let in a goal for over 700 game minutes...

Arsenal Had Henry and Barca had Ronaldinho... Two of the best at the moment...

The match began steadily with Arsenal attacking twice in the first ten minutes. Barca were getting the runs to the goal but werent finishing them. Then around the 18th minute, disaster struck for arsenal... Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann gets a Red Card for a foul... Barca score in the confusion but the goal is later disallowed (quite rightly so). Arsenal down to 10 men. They substitute Pires for the reserve goalie Almunia...

Then the pressure mounts... Barca attack in waves... but are thwarted by the Arsenal defence.
Ronaldinho and Eto'o combine for a brilliant strike which is saved by Almunia...
Then just after the hour mark, Eboue of Arsenal is brought down outside the Barca goal area.

There was hardly any contact and the dive worked. Henry kicks in and a towering Sol Campbell header puts 10 man Arsenal up 1-0. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Bad decision by the referee... Barca are shocked...
Arsenal celebrate... Barca respond in a way known only to them...
They attack like crazy, but somehow the defense holds up for Arsenal...

HALF TIME...Now the 2nd Half...

Barca continue attacking and the referee's decisions keep getting worse. A couple of Barca defenders dive and the Arsenal players are yellow carded. Ljunberg creates some magic for Arsenal with Fabregas but it aint enough...

Then in the 76th Minute, a brilliant play sees Eto'o strike from the near post. Goalkeeper mistake and GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL to Barca...

Five minutes later, substitute Juliano Belleti makes a good run and another goalkeeping error sees a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL...

Barca 2-1 up... Barca then just waste the remaining time to win the champions league...

Well Summary.... Not a great match... Relly bad refereeing standards... Lots of Dives and a lil bit of magic...

Thats all for now... Hope the World cup would be better...
Good night...and Good luck
May the Force be with you....

RESERVATION>>>RESERVATION>>>RESERVATION>>>

2006-05-15T15:45:00.000+05:30

Now why is the present central Indian government so hell bent upon reservation?
Is it so that they can now garner votes from these people for the next elections? Or is it that they truly wanna push this country to the dogs?

I don’t know whatever it is, its not good for the people of the country…
When Dr. Ambedkar vouched for reservation for the lower classes in some areas, it was so that they could gain their foothold to compete with the rest of us…He himself told that the reservation was to be abolished as soon as possible…Now what has happened? They want to include a wide variety of careers under reservation…Great!

People …listen…Improve the condition of the downtrodden. That is the first priority, instead of hand feeding them forever… Someone once said “Give a starving man a fish and he will be satisfied for a day, Teach the starving man to fish and he will be satisfied for life”.
This is what must be done…

NOOOOO! The politicians I guess are more interested in ruining the country…

They want reservation for Doctors, Lawyers, Private sector companies etc….Where will this lead us? Only to the path of destruction…

What is going to happen to the widespread protests against reservation? Nothing!!!

Another reason why I am against all this is that there is a lot of corruption in the government.

When I was in college, the students belonging to backward classes were supposed to pay a lower fees if their families’ annual income fell below a certain barrier…Most of them I knew were affluent enough to own cars of their own and still paid only the minimum fees. Why? Because they could afford the hefty bribes to the government officials who would certify that they did not have enough money to reach the income ceiling…

Why is all this happening? What would happen to our wonderful nation due to this reservation, I shudder to think…

Well, since the government has a vested interest in Reservation, why don’t we have reservations in prisons? Ensure that a percentage of backward classes have to be in prison to meet the quota… Set the regular criminals free because their quota is full…

WOW…

MONSTER BLACKOUT on TUESDAY 09MAY2006

2006-05-11T20:21:00.000+05:30

Well it rained like crazy on Tuesday here in mysore... for about 2 hours...and then came the granddaddy of them all... A power cut...(A blackout).

Well i guess this wasnt an ordinary power cut... Lost power at home at 7:30 in the night...

9 PM:

I decide to have a candle light dinner :) No electricity remember!!!

10PM:
Still no power... My roommates are getting a little restless.

11PM:
Still no power... We are now down to our last candle.
Two others valiantly fought with the darkness till 10:30until they could fight no more...
The last one remained.
We decide to retire, hoping for a miracle. The candle is saved for another day.

2AM: Still no current. Am getting a little restless.

5AM: No current means no water... Oh My god! How do i take a bath???
My apartment has a water problem, so you know!!!

6:15 AM:
The nightmare is increasingly disturbing. I got up and rushed to the bathroom.... you know, for obvious reasons...Thank god the water is still coming...

7:00 AM: Am quickly done with my bath as well. My roomates get in, hoping that the water doesnt stop yet...

7:45AM:
Lucky everyone is in and out...SQUEAKY CLEAN...

Apparently the power came only by 3:00PM or so...The other areas got them back by 3:00AM itself. Lucky!!!

And Weird! One small drop of rain and one giant power cut...

Expect more though!!! Thats all for now...

Good night... and good luck
May the Force be with you!!!

DEMOCRACY: WHAT I SAW AND FELT...

2006-05-10T14:32:00.000+05:30

Democracy… that which is seen in almost all the countries in the world… Is it good or bad??

Well my personal opinion is that democracy is not for development… I don’t like democracy because you end up choosing between two or more incompetent (couldn’t find any other decent words) people.

Why is it called the power of the people when the only power that people have to is to elect other people???? Shouldn’t development be the key for any government? Why is power, money, greed and corruption the key now-a-days?

I just wish that elected representatives do what they are supposed to do for the benefit of the people. Believe me one complete development oriented 5-year term is all that will take to turn this country around…

But in the current state, I just wish that no one votes for a candidate who does not focus on development. I feel that a dictator or a communist style would do better for the same…

But people still have faith in this wretched system… My neighbor is constructing a new house. There is lady who works in that construction… You can imagine my surprise when I heard that the lady took a 2 day leave from work just so that she can go to her native town in Tamil Nadu to vote in the assembly elections there. Whoa….

So why don’t the elected idiots realize that this is how much each vote they get is worth?
Imagine… a normal laborer forfeits 2 days work to vote…!

Just hope that the elected reps worry about something other than their own pockets…

Me? Well I do intend to vote when elections come around in my state… As said earlier it wouldn’t be for one who hasn’t done anything for the place…

When will this nation see a bright future? Hope the later generations are more honest than their predecessors…

Good night and… Good Luck
May the Force be with you!!!

ICE AGE 2: MOVIE REVIEW

2006-05-08T15:17:00.000+05:30

Saw ICE AGE 2: The Meltdown over the weekend. Cool movie!!! (Get it, ice…cool…J)

The movie was well made and had a nice plot. Sid (The sloth) is hilarious as usual. Scrat and the acorn bit is also very nice. Diego (The tiger) is relegated a bit to the background this time as the focus shifts on Manny (The mammoth).

Main plot goes like this.

The Ice is melting and the inhabitants are warned against the great flood. The only hope is to cross the valley in three days and board a boat which will save everyone… Manny realises thathe is the last of the Mammoths until he discovers another one… Only this one thinks that she is a possum…:)...Cool... The rest of the movie finds manny bonding with Ellie (the lady mammoth) in a way that we would relate to... How everyone puts off their differences, fights the baddies and manage to survive the flood forms the rest of the story...

Of course... Look out for Scrat...:)

Though the first movie was better, this one definitely provides much more laughs...

So what are you waiting for??? Go watch ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN….

Today’s Topic: Australia v South Africa the series 2006: A recap

2006-04-25T17:18:00.000+05:30

People will remember this series for a very long time. This cricket series was more exhilarating than the Poms’ defeat of the Aussies in the Ashes series of 2005.

SA had just been crushed by the series in Australia where they had failed to make it to the VB series final (Sri Lanka got to the final only to lose to the Aussies). They were distraught. The fans had bullied and booed the South Africans. The Aussies expected a big backlash. The South African fans wanted to give the Aussies a piece of their own action, and so began one of the greatest series’ ever.

The One Day Series:
This one day series was indeed one of the greatest ever. Australia did receive the backlash. Before they knew what was happening, they were 2-0 down in the 5 match series. I guess the turning point here was Ntini’s five fer which led to the aussies being bowled out for under a 100.

The Aussies decided enough was enough but they were still not completely up to the challenge. They beat SA in the third oneday somehow and then convincingly in the fourth. The series was now all square with the final one at Johannesburg.

The Big One: 5th ODI: Series leveled at 2-2

Australia starts with a bang. 97 for the first wicket between Gilchrist and Katich in 15 overs. Ponting comes in at the fall of Gilly and blasts a 154 ball 164. A sparkling innings studded with 13 hits to the fence and 9 hits over it. The second wicket (Katich) falls in the 31st over with the score reading 216. Hussey walks in and the aussies continue the onslaught. Hussey falls with the score on 374 from 46 overs. The world record 396 (by Sri lanka v Kenya 1996 WC) is at stake. Ponting continues to blaze and finally falls with the score at 407 in the 48th over. Late hitting by Symonds ensure that the Men from Oz finish with 434 in the allotted 50 overs.

What a scintillating batting performance.

The south Africans are dejected. 435 to win in 50 overs. The mood is somber. Kallis breaks the mood in the dressing room by saying “ Guys, it’s a 450 wicket. They were fifteen runs short.”
I guess that changed everything. South Africa came out in a way that was well awesome..

Dippenaar fell in the second over to take aussies to the moon. The came the big one. Smith and gibbs batted with gay abandon, flaying the Aussie bowlers to all parts of the ground. Smith finally fell for 90 in the 23rd over with South Africa already on their way with 190. Gibbs then took over and blasted the Aussie bowlers everywhere. 94 run partnership with AB de Villiers with de Villiers scoring just 14. Gibbs finally fell with the score on 299 in the 32nd over for a brilliant 142 ball 175. The essay contained 21 beautiful boundaries and 7 towering sixes. South Africa looked to have the match under their grasp until Gibbs fell. Kallis and Kemp followed soon to raise the hopes of an Aussie Victory. C’mon no one has ever scored past 400 before. But could the South Africans do it???

Score 355/6. In walks this un-assuming bloke called JJ van der Wath and starts smashing the ball about. JJ van der Wath and Mark Boucher put 44 quick runs with Mr. van der Wath hitting 3 huge sixes. van der Wath fell on 399. 36 more required from 21.
Boucher keeps his cool as the Proteas reach 423. Telemachus falls and it is now 8 down. Hall gets in and gets the score till 433 and gets out. Nine down 3 balls 2 runs to win.

Either team could win.

Ntini edges the ball to third man for the tie. Mark Boucher hits it towards long on for four for the win. An epic victory.

Mike Lewis of Australia becomes the only bowler in ODI history to concede 100 runs in a match. He conceded 113 runs off 10 overs. Why ponting continued to bowl him was beyond my grasp, especially when Lee still had 2 overs and Michael Clarke was quite economical of the lot giving only 7 an over. Bracken was the pick with a 5/64 haul in 10 overs.

MOTM: Herschelle Gibbs

End Result: RSA bt Aus 3-2

Test Series:

South Africans were Jubilant. Aussies had a point to prove.

The emergence of Stuart Clark with 9 wickets in his debut test ensured that the Aussies won the first test comfortably by 7 wickets.

A century in each innings by Ponting buoyed the aussies as Lee took 5 in the first and warnie took 6 wickets in the second to beat the Proteas by 112 runs.

The third test…Johannesburg… The aussies wanted to get back and get even at the same ground.
Ntini picked up 6 in the first innings to give South Africa a 33 run lead. But Warne, Lee and Clark did not let the Proteas get away and set themselves a target of 292.
A hundred by the comeback Martyn and a polished 89 buy hussey put Australia on the road to victory before Ntini took a flurry of wickets to reduce the men from OZ to 275 for 8. Brave hitting by Lee made sure the Proteas suffered their first ever whitewash at home.

Result: Aus bt. SA: 3-0

A fitting reply from Australia after losing the one dayers.

Wish we get to see more matches and series like this in the near future.
Don’t hope for another exciting ashes series as the Poms aren’t at very good strength right now…

Maybe we will have a similar series if the current Indian team lead by the WALL takes on the Men from Oz.

Short Story

2006-04-03T17:46:00.000+05:30

Hi,

The following is my entry in a recent short story competition. Commentz welcome.

POINT BLANK

"Firing a gun is a binary choice: you either pull the trigger or you don't. As surely as the bullet rips through the victim's flesh, organ and bone, it shatters the image of the man who presses the trigger". – Max Payne

The bullet is one of the most destructive pieces of machinery ever invented by man. A single small piece of lead and gunpowder can shatter, virtually, anything living.

It could bring down a person from dizzying heights to become a lowly cripple or worse face death. A bullet is one of the most commonly used methods of exacting revenge. Yes, Revenge. A harmless little seven letter word designated to bring doom based on the seven deadly sins. All revenge originates from one of the seven deadly sins, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth, Pride and Wrath.

So why am I talking about all this revenge? Who am I?
Listen to me, mortal, while I unravel the sands of time and take you back into my past.

I am a bullet. Yes, one of those vessels of doom. I am talking about all this because this is the reason why I was created. This was my purpose in this hateful life. I was born in an armament factory in the USA as a .45 steel magnum bullet. I thought that this was great. I had a shiny look and the land of freedom and liberty was perfect for me. I was soon packed into a box containing other bullets. Chip was my friend there. (He was called chip because his body was chipped off while manufacturing.) Chip was a regular old shotgun bullet. Slow and wise. One shot was all it took. I guess one shot in the right place was all it took no matter what the bullet.

I was shipped into a small town called Happyville. Happyville, I am so happy. Little did I know that this would be the hit. I was taken to a small gun store and placed on the shelf. A few days later, I was bought by a soft looking person who said he was looking for a gun for self defense. This was good because, at least, I will save someone’s life.

But something did not seem right. Why was a soft looking person buying a .45 magnum? Wouldn’t a normal .3 suffice for self defense or a shotgun which was so that the adversary would be scared away? But I kept my thoughts to myself. The next day found me in the gunslinger of my owner. A nice leather gunslinger, which increased my doubts of this person even more. He cleaned me and kept me shiny. I was happy to get such a nice owner who made sure that the machinery was maintained well. But why? This constant thought kept nagging my head.

The D-day had arrived. My owner (I overheard people calling him SAM) took the gun and placed it in the gunslinger. I was surprised and a little scared here because I was the only bullet in the gun. He sat in his 98 Chevy Corvette. Vrooom!!! and off we went. The destination: Sam’s fiancée Sheila’s home.

We reach there in twenty minutes amid the bustling traffic. Sam knocked on the door; Sheila opened it and let Sam inside. They wasted no time in getting into an argument. Apparently Sam suspected Sheila of having an affair with his friend Joe. The argument got a little out of hand.

BANG! Everything happened too fast. I was released from point blank range straight into her head. I guess she moved a little, but not too much, because I went right through her face taking an eyeball with me and crashing into the brick wall behind. It was over. I could hear her body slump into the floor. Blood was flowing down that beautiful face, which I had just scarred to death, staining the new carpet.

So what happened? Why am I feeling so bad? My purpose was fulfilled, albeit the killing of a lady. But what is that which makes me feel so remorseful? A day later, I was taken by some forensic experts in a plastic bag. The eyeball had since been removed from me. I came to know as I overheard the cops talking. My worst fears were realized. This was a classic case of wrongful revenge.

Sam had indeed misunderstood the relationship between Joe and Sheila. Those long meetings between them were only a plot to surprise Sam on his wedding day with a huge gift, the gift that he would now never receive.

As Sam now sits behind bars regretting his rash decision, I realize that the seven sins were the keys for doom. Yes, those seven deadly sins which fuel that seven-letter word REVENGE.

Today’s Topic: Traffic Woes in Bangalore…The beginning

2006-03-21T17:28:00.000+05:30

How many times have we all wondered, is there anything at all that can be done to the traffic situation in Bangalore?
Well after a lot of deliberation, I feel that the answer is NO… there is no solution.
After spending most of my life in the city of Bangalore, (am currently put up in Mysore… THANK GOD FOR THAT),I have felt that it is just not possible. Let us look at a few of the reasons for the traffic woes.

Scene 1: Saturday: 11:00 AM… MG Road.
Traffic jam stretching from Brigade Road junction to Trinity Circle. Why?
One reason: Useless people. (By this I mean, that people has no decency or knowledge of traffic rules or are extremely contemptuous about both.)
Who are these people? These are the same people you see around you (including you). They are the people who decide to cut into MG Road from near the Public Utility building whenever there is a gap of 5 mm, the people decide to take U-turns haphazardly in front of the Public Utility Building, the people who jump lanes to squeeze into miniscule gaps, the people who jump the traffic signals….

Yes, the very same people who would not give a second thought before cursing the government and the corporation for their woes…(I am not supporting the authorities here. Their bashing will come later.) Don’t they realize that half the problem is solved just by obeying the traffic rules? No, they don’t. Why? Because everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. Leaving early not only helps the traffic but also your personal stress levels.

No everything has to be on the button and everyone already has the headweight that they would not be caught no matter what. You can escape today and you can escape tomorrow, but when you are involved in an accident caused by your negligence, you blame the authorities. Why dude? Can’t you change yourself first? Complain when you have imbibed the correctness and the right attitudes in your life.

Another reason for the same is population explosion. There is a lot of migration to Bangalore from other places in search for a brighter future. So what do the authorities do about this?

Scene 2: Road laying process near XYZ road (Name omitted as it occurs everywhere):
Contractor and crew block the road and lay the road. Demand commission from residents if the road is in a residential area. Complete process, pocket money and leave. Road is not of good quality as the first rain which falls after a month washes the road away with. Complaints to the authorities only results in flak. Blame is placed on the contractor who is currently absconding. Enterprising residents file PIL which runs in the courts for 15 years. END RESULT: Bad roads… Traffic jams…

Scene 3: Telephone cable digging, half constructed flyovers and proposed Metro Rail…

All the roads are dug up on the pretext of the same reasons above. They are not filled back properly or they are filled up very late, a few broken arms and legs later. Authorities are only interested if this comes up in a Minister’s or a MLA’s locality.

Why this negligence, minister saar? What is happening? Is no one concerned about the common man anymore? What is the need for earning that much illegal money? You are not going to carry it to your grave, neither are your children. All the talk is not going to result in any action. Just Do it. Make this city a better city. Don’t you ever feel frustrated about the traffic? Don’t you ever feel like doing something about it?

I want everyone to give a thought about this. Would you rather that your grandchild spends hours in a traffic jam because he decides to drive like you in an irresponsible manner? Would you rather that your future generations can never leave their homes in a vehicle due to traffic?

It’s up to each and every one of us to solve this problem. Do your part first and then make sure the government does theirs…

Good night … and good luck
May the Force be with you.

Today’s Topic: Facial Hair in Movies

2006-03-16T19:09:00.001+05:30

After successfully and unsuccessfully watching a lot of good, bad and ugly movies, one point on the same has kept coming back to me. What is the significance of facial hair among male actors in movies?

Let us dwell first on the various types of facial hair encountered in movies.
1. None at all. (No comments coz I have a handlebar moustache. General category.)
2. A thin moustache, (though this breed is almost dead now. Was very popular in the era of B&W cinema and early colour movies)
3. A thick moustache, (initially created to signify the bad guy later caught on for the negative hero character and finally for the hero as well. This category was widely prevalent in South Indian movies)
4. A beard. (signifies people who have been in a lot of trouble, jailbirds, people who have had love failures. Though initially created for the rough vagabond type, the above is now prevailing extensively.)
5. A stubble. (initially created to signify a natural feel in the movie, for example, a guy who has been traveling for 3 days in the wilderness obviously cannot shave. But now it is more of the norm in Indian cinema. Apparently having a thick stubble is considered heroic these days, why, is totally beyond my comprehension).
6. Miscellaneous. (Includes Handlebars, Side locks, soul patches etc etc, entirely based on the character of the story)

Having analyzed the different types of facial hair in movies and their significance has made me realize that there is no significance in today’s movies on the relevance of facial hair. Gone are the days when they were used to communicate to the audience about the character himself. (For example a thin moustache signified a distinguished gentleman or a charming Casanova).
Now it is just whatever the makeup artist or the director feels like. No significance one bit.

It grieves me here because there is no more silent/hidden meaning to the moustache or facial hair, no more is the subtlety and the charm.

Good night…and Good luck.
May the Force be with you.

Chronicles of Narnia

2006-02-10T18:15:00.000+05:30

Saw the movie " The chronicles of Narnia - The lion, the witch and the wardrobe" a few days back.

Found it to be a really nice movie. Okay but you shouldnt compare it to LOTR.
One the story was smooth and flowing. The characters were well created.
The lion was good and so was the witch. The witch could have used a little less makeup when Narnia is frozen, but thats okay i guess.

The fight sequences were really good. Now why did i like it soo much?
Is it because of the refreshing way of storytelling or is it because it is a story for kids?

Either way Chronicles of Narnia is a must see.

Hello

2005-12-28T17:38:00.000+05:30

Hello to one and all.

this is my first post in my blog.

So a big hello to everyone.

Bouquets and Brickbats welcome.

Sayonara,
:)