At my own pace... To my own place

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2011-02-10T02:36:00.005+05:30

I believe in destiny. You know why?

This comic strip of Calvin & Hobbes appeared in the newspapers on 10th February 1986. Exactly 25 years ago. Exactly on the day I was to be born.

A huge part of my childhood, and my teenage years have been defined by this strip in the Sunday supplement of The Telegraph.

Thanks to this great web archive, I can be narcissistic enough for once & wish a Happy Birthday to me!

:D

"Budddy"

2011-01-26T10:58:00.002+05:30

Okay, so this is for this one little friend here at Shillong who had her birthday today. I haven't really done this person-specific/pictures based post for long, but still, I didn't buy her a gift and this is definitely the cheapest way out :P

B'day invite I made for her :P

I got to know this girl via the talk forums for the selected IIMS students which were moderated by the seniors.. it took everyone quite sometime to figure out that the "1 TB Guy" was actually a girl. Well, blame the confusing name and the sexist notions that a guy knows his hardware :P

On campus, I got to know her pretty well, being her team mate and all .. and must say, am happy to have a friend who is ready for a CCD coffee and chocolate based dinner any day, anytime :) And yes, one who goes out to eat more often than me and gets me food if I beg just enough! :P

Here's to the girl with more layers to her persona than an onion.. or a leek: Happy B'day Girl!!

Addendum: Glimpses of the cake-ceremony and the Group K huddle afterwards:

Me trying to wake up the b'day girl @0000 hrs

The yum cake and the awesome candle (thanks to Tanvi & Bhavya!)

yeah, I know, SCARY!!

I was maintaining a safe distance from the icing covered monster!

We Kappas Rock!

P.S. I'm still not sure how old she turned this year. @Harsha, are you reading this??

Of Sitcoms, Boy bands and Rom-Coms

2011-01-24T05:22:00.006+05:30

I love F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Seinfeld, 30 Rock, Scrubs and every other situation comedy I can ever get my hands on.
I am as hooked onto the Backstreet Boys as I was at age 12, if not more. N'Sync, Blue, Take That & Westlife ..the more the merrier!
I can watch 10 Things I Hate About You or Only You or Serendipity on repeat without a break for ever.
I'm addicted to cheap thrills.
Yes.
I'm shallow.
And naive enough to admit this that it does not make an iota of difference to anyone in the world (except to the movie/TV/record producers).
And hey, I'm fine with that!
If popular culture works for me, I don't mind.. why do you?

**** You!

PS: If you can't be tolerant, why should I be?

New Age Marketing: It's Complicated...

2011-01-12T03:09:00.001+05:30

So Toyota launches more cars in the Prius line-up.
To create hype, it unleashes a crowdsourcing contest on the social networks.

To hype which it creates an animated video with a catchy song (great for teaching grammar to primary school kids) and uploads it on their YouTube channel.
To promote this video to promote the contest to promote the new cars, they buy a promoted tt #PriusGoesPlural on twitter.

Well, going by the tweeted reactions till now, its not going too great.. tweeple generally don't like promoted trends [proof? read them tweets, dear. They might click-through out of curiosity, but do they actually bite the bait? sentiments, err, tweets say no.] Although the case studies beg to differ.

So, all this money on "generating buzz" just washed down the drain?!
Whew!
Whoever said Marketing was easy?

I guess, in today's world when relationships are commonly tagged as "It's Complicated", a textbook should be sub-titled the same as well.

Bet it'll sell like hot cakes. Or like girls with aforementioned 'Relationship Status' get friend requests.

There it is.. a million-dollar idea. For free. No attribution necessary.
Use it, before someone else does!

P.S: For what it's worth, I think the plural of Prius should be Prii, pronounce "pre", as in pre-nuptial agreements. [For the innocent: Wikipedia entry for the term] Makes more grammatical sense, at least to me. That, and I like dotting the i's, as Toyota puts it.
And I also take this opportunity to let everyone know that although my parents gave me a lonnnngg and painfully common name, I hate being called "Pri/Pree". Please stop doing that.

Scent of a Woman

2010-12-31T21:16:00.002+05:30

“Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice…” such goes the list of ingredients for a lovely girl. Ask anyone, even the hobo living in a cardboard box, everyone agrees: A Girl Always Smells Nice.

Nice? You mean like peaches &; bergamot or lavender &honey?? I’m a girl and I demand an answer, for future reference!

My favorite scent remains to be that of musty old books in the attic. Or of rain, just before it rains. Or of winter… when your breathe freezes fogging up your view of the sunset. Or like cheese oozing from a double burst pizza! Or like babies who have been squeaked clean and dressed up in pinks & blue, just perfect for a day in the park!!

But you never get these in a bottle in any store! Hmmm…

You know what all of it reminds me of? Home. My Mom.

Each time I return home for a few days, I pause for a moment before I enter. I fill up my lungs with the air outside, with all its smells… dust, grime, exhaust, litter… and then step in.

When I take in my next breath, it’s like being reborn…

They tell you about how when you hear a song that you once loved in the past and have it instantly bring you back to that moment in time? I think whenever I smell anything nice, I go back in time to this moment:

Entering my home again… right into the arms of my mom!

When you look around and notice how nothing has changed, everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same; you realize what’s changed, is you.

~The books, aging gracefully, even with the silverfish scurrying across… right as I’d left them in the box last year. The colorful pages which mom read out when I knew no difference between a and z

~The drops on my forehead as I run to cover, leaving mom drenching in the rain; struggling to save the achaar instead of herself

~The steaming cup of tea not helping keep my fingers warm enough, I snuggle next to mom as she keeps down her cup and hugs me

~The doorbell rings and it way before it’s been 30 mins, mom beats me to the door. The wide grin on her face as she opens the pizza make me wonder, “Who’s the kid here?” No one, or both of us..

~The Johnson’s Baby Soap mom still keep in my bathroom... willfully forgetting her daughter is older than she was when she bought the first bar for her first-born

That’s it according to me…. The ingredients of the perfect perfume for any woman:

Niceness inside-out.

Sweat, blood, tears, sleepless nights and aching muscles, slain dragons and dying dreams, birds leaving the nest or just stopping by for a moment… it all has to go in, without an ounce of dishonesty.

Love you mom!

If Wishes were Snowflakes...

2010-12-31T00:36:00.002+05:30

Life in Slow Motion ||Gone in 60 seconds

2010-12-30T01:24:00.005+05:30

WARNING: Extremely long story, capable of testing your knowledge of Pop-culture, patience and sanity on multiple levels. Not recommended for novices.

Sango came into being just as everyone else around her; nothing new in being thrown onto Mother Earth on account of the parent over-eating beyond herself!

As she was growing up, Sango’s mom started slowly drifting away, and then the inevitable moment came when as Sango looked around for that familiar comfort of her mother, there was just the sea of nudges and shoves. The neighbors, instead of bad-mouthing her mom for maternal negligence, instead pooh-poohed her as a sissy. No-one in their knowledge had latched on to her mother for as long as she did!

“What a disgrace of a progeny!” “Good for the poor mother, she practically had to run away. These kids I tell you…”

There was no way out: She had to go about her life in search of safety, livelihood and more. She was now capable enough to fend for herself; she had done well to learn how to hunt for food, which region to slurp water from, which places to rest for the night, how to mix herself into the crowd and how to avoid the stout fellows everyone called Grinches.

“They would hurt you if you go too close, or if they’re in a bad mood,” her mom had once told her.

But Sango still missed having her mom. She was the one with the answers to the endless stream of questions swirling within her, waiting to burst out, as if. No one wanted to stop and talk in this world… it was such a task!

“How does night replace daylight and then daylight replace night without fail? Where does the food go once she eats it? How does it feel to love someone? What lies beyond the Forbidden Sea? Why is she where she is? Where is she? What will happen next?”

Thinking of all the questions without getting a single answer made her wish she never was. Her life seemed totally pointless… eating, drinking, walking and sleeping. How could she have been created without a purpose?

“When will this end?!!”

She was walking along in another one of her seemingly pointless journeys, towards the food-rich plains when she suddenly bumped into someone. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you”, she said to the fellow she’d knocked down. The guy looked at her smiling wistfully, said “Oh no, it was me. I am just so over this pointless life... I just want it to end being so boring.”

Sango grabbed the stranger tightly, “ME TOO! I’ve been thinking the exact same thing!!” He managed to mumble a few words, by now almost squeezed to choking, before Sango took the hint and introduced herself.

“Hi Sango, I’m Three. I’m on the way to the end of the world, care to join me?” What more could she ask for, except another question: “Oh, hi Three! How do you know you are on the right path?”

“I have drawn myself a map standing at the top of the Blue Mountains. Have you ever been there?”

“No. How long will the journey take?”

“I have no idea. But I would rather spend my life reaching there than sleeping through. Won’t you too?”

“Where is your mother?”

“She left, like all moms. Didn’t yours leave!?”

And thus cross-questioning each other, they started walking off from the crowded city-streets together. Sango had found a friend. Three didn’t just answer her questions, but he asked her even greater ones!

Her life finally had a purpose.

Endless days they walked and walked as per the map Three had. They discussed their lives, their dreams and their questions.

“You know how does the light suddenly go out and night falls? It happens in a definite pattern. After every 3 cycles of day-night there are 2 nights. Ever noticed? ” “No Three! Never!!! How did you?” “I know something is going on, Sango. I just need to reach the Forbidden Sea to get a clear view of what’s beyond.”

Someone overhearing would have branded them heretics, but they had out-casted themselves from society before anyone else could.

“Three..” “Ya?” “You’re so amazing! I never thought I’ll find someone to love, ever”, Sango said one day. “Have you gone mad! You know love is nothing, it’s a lie!! We’re both independent, self-sufficient beings… we’re together just because our goals are the same!” That was the only time Three had shouted at her. Sango never broached the topic again.

Her mom had told her about Love... it was rare, but it wasn’t a lie.

They covered harsh ground covered thinly with grass, hurting their feet even as they walked. They barely had enough water to keep their throats from drying out, forget food. And then they came across an entire colony of Gremlins! Three held Sango very, very close to himself... even their breaths were synchronized, Sango could barely look towards him.

She found herself thinking of Love once again.

As they crossed the colony safely, Sango saw an expanse of deep blue water. She ran towards it and suddenly found herself falling freely down towards it; dragging Three along! Those few moments till they crashed into the waters of the Forbidden Seas seemed so long… their entire life flashed before them… And just as they were about to hit the water, it happened:

Three turned to her & they kissed!

When they emerged from the water, Sango looked ecstatic. They decided to stay by the Sea itself as it was night again. Food was no problem and there were no Gremlins in sight. Three smiled at Sango as they slept off dreamily looking at each other.

With daylight came the discovery. There was nothing beyond Forbidden Sea.

Only a few paces from where Sango & Three had rested was The End. A solid which seemed stretching into nothingness. Three started climbing it up when he realized it was like a cover over their heads… it allowed the light to pass through but was just, endless.

“So this is it I guess,” Sango said.

“Yes, we’ve reached the end of the world. I bet we’re the only ones!” Three almost yelled as he jumped up & down.. Sango said, “But what next?”

“Nothing, this is a great place, food, water, safety. We stay here.. and love each other. Not that we are going to die, ever,” Three stated what Sango was waiting to hear forever.

Thus ends the story of the two inquisitive, love-lorn, Single-celled organisms being studied in the Microbiology lab at some University. They probably held the key to some drug-discovery which would save millions of lives, or earn the big-wigs billions of dollars. But such was the 60-sec peek into their lives… maybe they will go on to reproduce the un-conventional way… love makes the impossible happen each day!

And yes, they do live on forever, unless the student in-charge of the petri dish accidently heats it to a 121.

Just a Thought: The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

Writer’s Block – An Urban Tale

2010-12-14T00:16:00.005+05:30

(Note to Self: The awesome blogging challenge begins with this post!! Hoo-haa!!!)

A blank screen with three words at the upper left corner: Due at 11:59:59 PM.

A look at the time and Sara wipes her brow once again and lets out a sigh, which immediately freezes in the cold Brooklyn loft she shared with four other “wannabes”. 20 more minutes.

What to write?

The editor seemed really pleased with her portfolio. But then who wouldn’t be?

It was the perfect world in there: a series of stories on a Southern Belle who grew up on a sun-kissed ranch, went out on pony-rides alone since she was 6 and fell in love with the neighborhood’s most promising gentleman at 10. Thanksgiving dinners with a table for 40 and glittering Balls where she waltzed away with her Prince Charming till the moon went down.

She could write more of the same stuff… but her editor wanted something, what did she say? ... something.. “Un-Disney”.

She could write about being born without a father’s name, about a little girl waiting at the playground for her turn to ride the swing... a 10 yr old trying to make out the letters of her mother’s name in the ER where she was dying of being poor and cold and homeless. She might mention the poor orphan being sent to a school where she found more broken dolls like her, all broken beyond repair… how she learnt to find her way through the heartless world where no one was looking out for her. She could possibly also do something on a teenaged girl being pushed into drugs by a friend.. the nights full of colors floating around her... and her downward spiral from there to the day she sold off one of her kidneys to get high and.. to forget the pain.

No, but they would be too dark for a magazine audience. Something more inspirational maybe…

How about putting a turn on these grim storylines, yeah, that’s what they are.. uh-huh.. STORYLINES..!

The Southern Belle again.. she’s loses her father in a war and is heartbroken. Her family breaks up over property and she and her mother are homeless, roaming the streets of a big, bad city. The mother gets a job at a book shop and the girl gets into a school… she learns to read and write and becomes very learned till one day, she joins her own father’s company. And as she struggles to regain the lost empire, her mother dies a cold, lonely death in an ER.. no! Why bring an ER here.. it does not make any sense!

The writing needs a hint of romance.. yeah.. the childhood friend who promised he’ll always wait for her.. he joins her in the war against the evil cousins! And finally the day dawns when she returns to her family mansion and restores all the former glory to her mother, and lives happily ever after…

Another peek at the wrist watch with the broken strap and a shiver runs down her spine."3 more minutes. And I’m back on Disney-ness.. ugh!! I’ll never get this job… Let me turn in whatever @#$% I wrote.”

A week later, a package arrives at the doorstep of the run-down loft in downtown Brooklyn addressed to “Ms. Sara” .. it contained her letter of appointment as the columnist for Femme, a leading women’s magazine in the state and a cheque too.

Sara, needless to say, was relieved. She could finally pay the rent for a better place and get away, not just mentally but also physically, from the druggies she had for room-mates.

She stepped out into the December snow, strangely feeling free of all the blocks she had in put up her mind. The blocks had been put up as a means to hold her past away from her present; but slowly over time, they began to take shape as her. They were the foundation for her future now... the building blocks.

She decided to go visit the father she never had at the mental asylum he was in. She stopped over at Joe’s for a turkey sandwich for him.. after all, Thanksgiving was only a few days past.

"I do have a lot to be thankful for!", she said touching her lower abdomen.

Disclaimer: The writer claims she completed the story in less than 20 mins and was suffering from a bad case of Writer's Block aggravated by a bout of runny nose. Rotten tomatoes (or other vegetables), therefore, are to be saved for later.

The blog I wrote this for would be unveiled later this week with much fanfare. Wait for it.

Random Questions, Random Answers

2010-12-10T05:48:00.002+05:30

Hello whoever’s reading this… Didn’t find anything innocuous enough to put here so am doing another one of those bloggers’ surveys. Fret not, quality posts on the way thanks to a group bloggers’ therapy I enrolled myself into! Till then, you’re welcome to torture yourself knowing inane things about me:

1. Tell me about the shirt you’re wearing?

About 3 years old, it has a brown cat on it… reminds me of the good times & of Minkie

2. What’s currently bothering you?

An incomplete assignment.. make that two

3. What do you currently hear?

Guests in the hostel pulling their luggage on the gravel

4. When was the last time you had your hair cut?

About 3 months ago

5. When were you last outside?

When we were celebrating Aishu’s b’day at midnight (about 5 hours ago)

6. Are you wearing shorts?

Boxers, even though it’s freezing outside

7. Does the thought of marriage scare you?

Terrifies me to death.

8. What are you doing today?

Attending an International Conference, shopping and OD’ing on good food.

9. What is something you wish would be accepted?

Freaks

10. Look to your left, what is there?

Just the warm glow of the heater

11. What time did you go to sleep last night?

Sometime around 5am

12. When is your birthday?

February 10th

13. The way to win your heart?

Being warmly intellectual.

14. What are you going to do this weekend?

Shopping, working on a paper.

15. Were you happy when you woke up today?

Always happy to wake up post-noon.

16. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Those were the days!

17. What bothers you about people?

Lack of genuine emotions

18. Would you ever donate blood?

Have, a handful of times, going to continue doing so

19. Do you have reason to smile right now?

I have several reasons to laugh out hysterically!

20. What do you do when you’re stressed out?

Used to write once upon a time… now I sleep. Or take a walk.

21. Would you honestly say you’d risk your life for someone else?

Wouldn’t even matter who that someone is... I think my life is the cheapest.

22. Has anyone upset you in the last week?

People are bothersome.

23. What is the last pill you swallowed?

Cetrizine HCL.

24. What was the first thing you thought this morning?

I missed lunch again.

25. Who do you blame for your bad mood today?

DRSS.

26. Do you care of what people think of you?

Not really.

27. What are you looking forward to right now?

Winter break when I go home and get to meet my family… just 5 more days!

28. What do you wish people would understand about you?

I’m tired

29. Do you miss someone?

A select few.

30. Where was your default pic taken?

On a train ride back home couple of years ago.

31. Is there a person of the opposite sex that means a lot to you?

Yes, a few.

32. If you could go back in time and change something would you?

I would change most things, indeed.

33. Are all guys douchebags?

Not one single exception.

34. What are your thoughts on alcohol?

Never tried, don’t wanna try anytime soon. I’d rather die of clogged arteries from overeating.

35. Do you hate smokers?

I hate being subject to passive smoke, specially beedi smoke.

36. Ever had a near death experience?

A few minor road accidents, an anaphylactic shock… but nothing deadly.

37. What are your views on drugs?

Gonna sell them for a living, I’m all for them!

38. Something you do a lot?

Not react.

39. Have you ever been to a tanning bed?

Nope, can’t get any darker!

40. Is it easy for others to make you feel awkward?

In a snap!

41. Where do you want to go?

Disneyland Paris

42. What’s your favourite season?

Fall in Shillong… with pink blossoms

43. When is the next time you’ll see your best friend(s)?

6 Days from now, hopefully.

44. When was the last time you were high?

Helicopter ride from Guwahati to Shillong, a week ago, counts?

45. Are any of your friends pregnant?

None that I know of

46. Favorite number?

1

47. What do you like most sunrise/sunset?

Sunrise, ‘coz I’ve seen so few of them.

48. When you watch movies at home, do you like the lights on or the lights off?

Off.

49. Do you sleep on your stomach?

Usually.

50. Last time you saw fireworks, with who & where?

Diwali celebrations about a month ago, on campus with my friends.

51. Do you believe in god?

Not sure… mostly no.

Just another Thought: Hope you enjoy the peek into my maniac-depressive state of mind.

Directi Case Study Contest 2010- IIM Shillong Ajax

2010-10-28T22:39:00.002+05:30

The result of numerous brainstorming sessions and hours of research, this entry from my team to the Directi Case Study Contest 2010 meant so much more than a presentation. We already have a pilot version running at a whitelabel service provider.. if "aal izz well" we'll definitely make CatchUp a reality.
For now.. have a look at our entry and decide if it is worth an FB "Like" from you or not.
Each vote counts for us.

Directi Case Study Contest 2010- IIM Shillong Ajax

Random Thoughts From People Our Age

2010-10-24T20:32:00.004+05:30

Reblogged with changes from http://thebrownshaun.tumblr.com/post/168235110/random-thoughts-from-people-our-age for sheer generational insights!

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

-I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

- I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

- Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.

- How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

-There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

-Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

D2c Video

2010-09-27T20:44:00.003+05:30

This is another work of mine for the same Dare2compete.com campaign.. made it using xtranormal.com.

Ideas

2010-09-27T16:27:00.000+05:30

Made this intro video to the Dare2ideate campaign for Dare2compete.com... it is posted on their facebook fan page.

Cartoon Strips

2010-09-27T16:03:00.002+05:30

Three comic strips I made for the viral marketing campaign for www.Dare2compete.com. They can be seen on their facebook album.

Got the idea about the awesome website stripgenerator.com from my friend KayP.

The Most Irritating: Top Ten

2010-06-21T20:09:00.002+05:30

#10 Fake accents: people working in BPOs, please listen, the accent’s been taught for talking to Americans… please spare us the onslaught!

It’s kinda acceptable if the person has spent years in the Us of A, but in all other cases, it’s a plain pain in the neck.

#9 Chain SMSes: ’til a few years back, religious ones were the most successful but of late, SMSes asking to spread word about someone badly in need of medical care are the most common.

I just want to ask the ones who mindlessly forward such texts, don’t you get it?? How can not forwarding an SMS make you flunk a test? And do you seriously believe Airtel/ Vodafone would waste all that manpower/tech in tracking some SMS when they could make direct contributions? Most such SMSes have a reference phone number quoted… the next time you get one, try calling up that number to authenticate before you become a link.

#8 Tag-hags: seen at every street corner these days, these barely-out-of-teens don’t wear anything that doesn’t blare out the instantly-recognizable brand-name. Brand marks were supposed to be discreetly placed at some fold which the prospective buyer would look for to ensure genuineness. But not anymore, with the advent of these tag-hags, these are blown up to font size 72 and put up bang in the middle of the shirt.

I’ve had the horror of encountering several such twisted personalities (also known as brand-wh#res) whose sweater shouts out “Abercrombie & Fitch”, while the shirt underneath has “Lee” on the back collar, the denim lowers have a “Diesel” patch above the hip-pocket, the shoes are “Puma” and the bag, to quote one such patient,” How can it be anything but Gucci??”.

I’m leaving the shades, Cellphone and MP3 player to your imagination….

#7 Lint: yes, lint… the same woolly, cottony, fuzzy stuff that is omnipresent and absolutely useless. Yet no one seems to know what it is made up of exactly… I personally believe that it is the concrete proof of dark matter’s existence that scientists have been looking for.

#6 Shoes that bite: you fall in love with them the moment your eyes fall upon them in the shop window. You walk into the store in a daze. You try them out, taking a few steps to the right and a few to the left. You nod to the salesman. You get home with a smile on your face. The very next day you wear them and feel like the world isn’t that bad a place either. Then you realize that you are running late, and you have to run. “No problems, I’ve the perfect shoes”, you think with a smile. But when you return home that night and untie the laces, you feel so cheated… SHOEBITES!!!

And the world regains its order, once again.

#5 Invasion of space/Passive ‘beedi’ smoke: an impossible to avoid nuisance when travelling second class/third class/classless in India is the obnoxious ‘beedi’ smoke… I know that smoking in public has been banned, but somehow ‘beedi’ seems to have escaped unscathed from the “fine” drive undertaken by the holy GoI.

I hear about flavored ‘beedis’ are a big hit abroad… wonder how long will it take, for the technology to be imported here and for the people to get hooked onto ‘Straw-beedi’… atleast it can’t be as bad as ‘beedi’!

#4 Invasion of space/Music attack: MP3s played on loudspeaker mode in public are an extension of the previous crime… shut up before someone gets irritated enough to force you to!

If you are such a music lover that you can’t do without listening to your collection of old weepies, why don’t you remember to stuff your pockets with the earphones when you leave home?

People with such pea-sized brains make me wonder why the manufacturers have stopped bundling them with the device?

#3 Chauvinism: Regional chauvinism got a new lease of life, thanks to the IPL and Raj Thackeray, the Battle of the Sexes never cools down, ‘My son earns more’ is countered by ‘My son has job-satisfaction’, & the fights still continue….

#2 Mirrors: I’ve never liked reflections but then I was managing my life well enough with mirrors scattered here and there on walls but in the past few years, it seems like mirrors have taken over our civilization! They’re everywhere… on skyscrapers, shops, offices, doors, windows, and also on clothes!!

As if we had insufficient sunlight and needed to heat up the globe by a few degrees.

#1 Tags on t-shirt collars: all the advances in science and technology, all the ingenuity of the past 100 years put together have been unable to find a solution to this major problem… Why isn’t there an alternative to the t-shirt tags???

And by alternative, I don’t mean transferring the tag from the inner collar to the left-side inner lining! I did see some companies going for printed tags a few years ago, but now everyone seems to have gone back to the dark ages… A messiah is needed desperately!

Jst a Thot: Aftr Readin’ thru dis, I rlz I’v writtn ol abt me n my generatn!!! WT*.. but no offns ppl!

You

2010-01-24T14:36:00.003+05:30

Shall I ever be able to capture you in the lines of a poem?

You, who shine brighter than stars,

And me, who, is the dark moonless sky.

You, who are the gurgling and sparkling young stream-

Restlessly rushing down the hills,

And me, the dropless desert.

You, a melodious gift from the heaven,

The rhythm of waves at sea,

And the harmony of the colors and fragrances of a full bloomed rose.

Me, a crumbling leaf

And you, the sweet smell of rain.

Me, the unspoken word

And you, the honey-laced tongue;

The sunny smile of wild flowers by the wayside-

Just as vulnerable too.

Shall I ever be able to capture

The Essence that is you?

Maybe not.

But at least let me try,

So that when I fail yet again

I can say-

‘I don’t know you yet

I need more time!’

Battle Studies

2010-01-01T03:45:00.000+05:30

I want to write

I want to tell the world

About this battle against myself

But I just can’t pick up the pen

Without imagining how it would end

And scared,

I drop it right there

The only weapon I’m allowed now

Is silence.

Just another Thought: Ahh! Chuck it..

A-Social

2009-12-11T22:58:00.005+05:30

When you go back to your computer every ten minutes, waiting for a scrap, a tweet, tumbl, a post, a dig to show up for you..

By someone specific, by anyone in fact. Faceless, just a username. Maybe a picture too.

You keep waiting for hours, for days and for months to see that familiar name on the screen, hoping that it would be followed by a smiley for you.

You need sanction... you cache your life and hope it meets with approval, now, and in future

-By your 'friends', 'followers', whatever... you hope it gets reblogged, revisited, retweeted, digged at…

-you hope it makes your children smile and claim you to be "World's Coolest Dad/Mom" 15 years down the line.

THIS is what the Social Web has made out of you.

A slave for itself.

Welcome to the dope of the WWW.

Circa 2010 The Opium of the Masses: Social Web

Wake up before you are zombified into believing that this blog is the real me.

Get a life that's your own.

And for once, don't cache it online. Treasure it inside you, inside your loved ones' minds.

PS: I am not high; I don't do drugs (even though I intend to sell some in future)

Birthdays

2009-11-06T16:52:00.005+05:30

Birthdays at IIM Shillong are huge.

By huge, I don't mean there are night-long parties with champagne & caviar in a ballroom. No.

There's a cake which is cut by the Birthday Girl/Boy.

There are friends, lots of them who sing the "traditional" Happy Birthday to you

Then there is the ritual of wishing the Birthday Girl/Boy the all the best for the next year.

Everyone has heard the saying which goes 'Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day': the loving friends go to great lengths to ensure that the next 365 days can't get worse.

But the part I like best is the invitations. Yes, there are formal invitations which are sent out to all the students (err, participants), reminding them about the Grand Event scheduled at midnight.

Here are some of them:

This one was for the great sport, Bubbles, recently also known as Litloo

Next up is the one for the roomies who also shared their b'days- Ms. Ritz Carlton and the Chandra yaan Lady

This is the invite I made for a girl truly free, one of the better friends I've made here.

Here's what the background score for the event sounded like.

And last but definitely not the least, is the most recent: the invite for our Mr. Zahreelay. The b'day was celebrated all over IIM Shillong as Naagpanchami.

After all the effort behind the designing and corny lines, follows the endless discussion about the same by the invitees, and extended planning sessions for the ceremony on Google groups, The Canvas on the wall or even in the corridors in the hostels.

All of which adds to the fun of being at an IIM, the one where friendships are real.

For you, Girls!

2009-11-04T22:05:00.001+05:30

Scrapblogging!

2009-11-03T21:56:00.003+05:30

Presenting to you my new-found way to waste time... Scrapblog.com!

An ode to my new friends at my new place..!

Treasures stumbled upon#1

2009-10-27T21:22:00.006+05:30

If you be my boat, I’ll be your sea
A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity

Ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze

I live to make you free, I live to make you free

But you can set sail to the west, if you want to

And past the horizon till I can’t even see you

Far from here, where the beaches are wide

Just leave me your wake to remember you by

If you be my star, I’ll be your sky

You can hide underneath me and come out at night

When I turn jet black and you show off your light

I live to let you shine, I live to let you shine

But you can skyrocket away from me

And never come back if you find another galaxy

Far from here with more room to fly

Just leave me your stardust to remember you by

Stardust to remember you by

The simplest of lyrics: just what an honestly innocent composition requires. And to add to the beauty, the music does full justice to the words. It's by Gregory & The Hawk & is a cover version of an older song Boats And Birds.

Enjoy listening here.

My Kinda Town...

2009-10-11T00:34:00.002+05:30

A hundred days from my history

Have been witness

To the wild orchids & mushrooms,

Loving all that the town had to offer:

The mountains, the clouds

The ever so curvy roads

Even the rain and the chills;

But most of all the sun & the moon

And the stars-

Peeping from behind

The green curtains.

How I wish!

Wish the whole world was

Crazy enough

To dance

With the pines swishing in the wind....

The lines, and a keyhole view of the inspiration behind it are all for the second most beautiful place in the world: Shillong.
Though the video and the photographs are my work; the music definitely isn't. :P

(And in case you don't really know me and are still wondering, the Most Beautiful Place on Earth is located at 2° 34', North; 88° 22', East)

Just a Thought: Whenever a door closes, another opens somewhere else... even though sometimes it's hell in the hallway.

Suckers!

2009-09-16T22:20:00.005+05:30

Of late there's been a growing fascination with vampires amongst the youth, totally attributable to Twilight, both the movie & the book.

Earlier, Vampires=Count Dracula.

Later on, Vampires began to appear in the rock too.

Then there also was the eerily adorable Night before the Christmas Vampire.

But the basic idea still was that if there's a vampire around you should be scared.
Now who can be scared when you have a guy as cute as Edward Cullen glaring at you…!

The thing is, Twilight may be the leader of the pack, but there's a whole herd following close by: HBO's True Blood is one of them. It might be a close copy when it comes to content, but it is going the innovation way when it comes to the marketing:

Now the question is, are you fan enough to actually drink blood, even if it's artificial?
Some people (read teenage girls) I know will; at least for Edward they can.

An interesting experiment by HBO in product differentiation: there have always been 'bloody' joke devices, it remains to be seen if this one's been stretched too far.

911-A Year On

2009-09-11T02:20:00.002+05:30

Payback

Koi umeed bar nahi aati,

Koi surat nazar nahi aati.

Maut ka ek din mua’yaan hai,

Neend kyon raat bhar nahi aati?

Aagey aati thi haal-e-dil pe hansi,

Ab kisi baat pe nahin aati.

Jaanta hoon sawaab-e-taa'at-o-zahad
Par tabiyat idhar nahin aati.

Hai kuch aisi hi baat jo chup hoon

Warna kya baat kar nahin aati?

Kyon na cheekhun ki yaad karate hain

Meri awaaz gar nahin aati,

Daagh-e-dil gar nazar nahin aata

Bu bhi 'ei chaaraagar nahin aati

Hum wahaan hain jahaan se humko bhi
Kuch hamari khabar nahin aati.

Marte hain aarzoo mein marne ki
Maut aati hai par nahin aati.

Kaabaa kis muh se jaaoge, 'Ghalib'
Sharm tumko magar naheen aati.

Finally: Borrowing words from that maestro who said it best when it came to heartbreaks. I rest my case, My Lord.

Swine Flu as I see it

2009-09-05T22:10:00.004+05:30

I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Technology. If that gives my words any added weight, I would like to clear a few popular doubts and misconceptions.

This is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. The outbreak began in Mexico (there’s evidence suggesting that Mexico was in the midst of an epidemic for months before the outbreak was recognized).

In early June, as the virus spread globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a pandemic (Level 6), but also noted that most illnesses were of moderate severity.

Transmission of the new strain is entirely human-to-human, with cooked pork products safe to eat as the virus cannot be transmitted by eating foods.

There’s been a lot of hue and cry in India over the anti-virals for the flu not being made available in the open market. I’m sure if that had been done, there would have been hoarding and black-marketeering of Tamiflu just as masks have been out of stock ever since the first case was reported in India on 16^th May. Unless you can pay Rs 200 for the otherwise 2 rupee mask.

The problem here in India is that people are ready to believe whatever is on TV.. Whether it’s Rakhi Sawant deciding to marry the guy she chose on a realty show or Swine Flu being a dangerously killer disease just waiting to get you.

The most important thing is to realize that Swine Flu is not something unusual like the media is hyping it to be... annual influenza epidemics are estimated to affect 5–15% of the global population. Although most cases are mild, this still causes severe illness in 3–5 million people and around 250,000–500,000 deaths worldwide, every year. In addition, Influenza A virus strains have already caused three major global epidemics during the 20th century: the Spanish flu in 1918, Asian flu in 1957 and Hong Kong flu in 1968–69.

As such, personal measures recommended to avoid seasonal flu infection are applicable to the current scenario too:

Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
Staying home from work or school if you are sick
a balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein
sufficient sleep & regular exercise
avoiding crowded places
Masks may benefit people in close contact with infected persons but it’s still unknown whether they prevent swine flu infection.

Regarding travel restrictions, WHO has already stated that containment was not a feasible option and that countries should focus on mitigating the effect of the virus.

Rather than close schools, the CDC (USA) recommends that students and school workers with flu symptoms should stay home for either seven days, or until 24 hours after symptoms subside, whichever is longer.

Hope these WHO guidelines released on Aug 21 clear some of your fears about Tamiflu/Oseltamivir not being available over-the-counter:

· Antiviral treatment is not required in patients not in at-risk groups who have uncomplicated illness caused by confirmed or strongly suspected influenza virus infection.
· Patients considered to be at risk are infants and children younger than 5 years of age; adults older than 65 years of age; nursing home residents; pregnant women; patients with chronic comorbid disease including cardiovascular, respiratory, or liver disease and diabetes; and immunosuppressed patients because of malignancy, HIV infection, or other diseases. (not many of us fall in any of these categories)

Specific recommendations regarding the use of antivirals for chemoprophylaxis (that’s geek-speak for prevention) of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus infection are as follows:

Individuals in at-risk groups or healthcare personnel do not need to be offered antiviral chemoprophylaxis if the likelihood of complications of infection is low. This recommendation should be applied independent of risk for human-to-human transmission

It’s a known fact that the indiscriminate use of antiviral medications to prevent and treat influenza could ease the way for drug-resistant strains to emerge which would make the fight against the pandemic that much harder, especially in light of the fact that most people never completing the course of medication.

These guidelines have been issued because of the evidence that in spite of the high incidence and quick spread of the disease, the mortality rate is not much higher than other Influenzas: UK NHS estimates puts the figure at 0.1%, meaning that about ten people die for every 10,000 people infected.

In fact, if anything this figure is inflated as the number of people with very mild symptoms who recover at home without notifying their doctors that they are ill, or receiving a diagnosis is never known. So although doctors know how many patients are dying of swine flu in hospitals, they don't know what proportion of all cases is actually life threatening.

The symptoms for Swine Flu are similar to any other influenza (and hence way too familiar to all of us):

· fever
· cough
· sore throat
· body aches
· headache
· chills
· fatigue

Though an increased percentage of patients of Swine Flu report diarrhoea and vomiting but it is not enough to diagnose differentially. A diagnosis of confirmed swine flu requires laboratory testing of a respiratory sample (a simple nose and throat swab).

If you suspect you have swine flu, do not panic: ask your doctor for help. Have OTC drugs like Aspirin to control fever and do not venture out in public. Take leave from office/ school/ college and call the doctor home instead of visiting a hospital/clinic. If the doctor deems it necessary, he will send your throat swabs for testing.

By all means, stay away from quacks who suggest tulsi (Ocimun Sanctum or Holy Basil) or Cow Urine as remedies…!

In India, with current spend of less than one percent of its GDP on public sector healthcare, the majority of people have been forced to take recourse in private medical care and that has added to the scare. No concrete information or directives about the government regarding prevention, testing etc has been made available and as such there is a lot of confusion in the minds of the public.

This list of testing centers was compiled by some thoughtful soul and not our dear GoI. Instead it is planning to open up the private sector for testing and treatment. I am skeptical, with C-section numbers in India being double the global average, there’s no telling what will result from giving the opportunists another chance at a quick buck. I’m scared at what will result from intentional misdiagnoses and the resulting resistant versions of Flu… Apocalypse….

But I don’t want to add fuel to the already grim scenario of rumors. You may want to check out this link for “official” information.

If you want to know still more, click here, here or here. Then you can claim you know more than a B. Pharm Graduate.

Stay safe, and avoid spreading panic. Remember… Pigs don’t fly.

Eco-Friendly

2009-09-02T04:19:00.002+05:30

The core area of thrust at IIM Shillong is Sustainable Development, and after almost 3 months, I confess I'm totally smitten.
If you care to google for it, you will be directed to Wikipedia:

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations.

Sounds complex, or maybe just plain irrelevant, na?
Did to me, when I was first told that

"It's not just the forest/land/water that we are trying to conserve. We're trying to conserve a safe future.."

Then I came to know that the field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and sociopolitical sustainability.

Our week-long Pre-Induction Session was conducted by Prof Jamie Hendry from Bucknell University, USA. To say that she was an amazing person and an even more amazing teacher would be criminal understatement. Here’s her homepage, do take a look. Looking back at the week, I realize how charmingly she managed to transform Participants/Would-be Managers into Responsible Managers.

She made us realize WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME!!! She asked us not to let Perfect become the enemy of Good… I can write 10 posts just talking about what she talked of. But no, not today.

That one week helped us all realize where we were falling short in being responsible for our planet, for our brothers, for our future.
She made me look deeper…
I looked deeper (into the search results) and came across these facts about Sustainable businesses:

A sustainable business could be defined as one that creates profit for its stakeholders while ensuring proactively that it is in process, doing the environment no harm, and is in fact improving the lives of those interacting with it.

Strives to meet the triple bottom line- not just higher growth, but also a better society and environment to live in.

Value based businesses are seen to grow more successful over time, and these are the ones which weather the rise and fall of markets while the most aggressive ones fall by the wayside; as is borne out by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes.

With several parts of the world deep in poverty, illiteracy and ill-health; it is but natural that the local community views the "big corporation" as an outsider. Organizations have to find ways to adapt themselves to the foreign lands and customs there before they can work at full-steam.

Not just enterprises, even governments should be held accountable and ensure greater transparency in their functioning to generate trust.

Mere abstract thinking and reporting would not help the cause of sustainability; the impact must be measured and reported, specially based on the indicators of governance, social, ethical and environmental performance.

To start with the good work, we must start individually.
Here is what I told Prof. Jamie I would do to contribute to Sustainability:

Being compassionate to others: tolerance is not physics
No food waste: finish whatever is on my platter, eat local (and stay vegetarian for at least another 10 years)
No water waste: flush cisterns used can be smaller, 5-min baths, clothes cleaned in lots
Less paper: newspapers online; notes and assignments, even diary is digital
Less Plastics: cloth bag for shopping, re-use & recycle the ones I must use
Up-cycle and not just re-cycle: re-utilizing to produce something of greater value so as to contribute positively
Cut down on energy waste: using dark colored wallpapers and no screensavers on my laptop, hibernating whenever possible; artificial lighting used only when needed; walking whenever possible, Car-pooling when absolutely essential, headphones instead of speakers to listen to music

I'm obviously no match to Prof. Jamie in convincing you with me arguments. I just had to share my "stumble-on" of the day with others. And hence the long post with no original thoughts :)

I came across the Eco-Font today here. Which is why I HAD TO write this post today, repeating all this (more for myself than for you) just to be able to use this font. I intend to use it in all my further posts.

Even as you read it, you are saving precious energy, which in India usually comes from burning fossils fuels which contribute to Global Warming, which is contributing to the fact that I have no water in my faucet right now. Water levels are falling each minute with an imminent drought even in the vicinity of Cherrapunji, the wettest place on earth.
High time for you to wake up, while I call it a day.
Just Remember: Consciousness of one's action and its reach is the beginning of sustainable living.

As Captain Planet used to say:

THE POWER IS YOURS…

Lavender

2009-08-31T23:05:00.004+05:30

Where does Purple end and Lavender begin? Where does Merit end and Character begin?

No one knows. At least I don’t anymore.

At times in life, You reach the horizon and when you look beyond, all you find are your colorful dreams: the Aurora.

You are damn pleased with yourself; for once you start to believe in your dreams and in yourself.

You step ahead to meet the Aurora.

After a long and tiring journey, You reach the End of the Road. But the Auroras are just as far away as they ever were!

What the…!

Are they too unreal...?

You ask yourself, and Google.

You come to know that not that it’s a lie, only that it’s beyond you. You can never touch it, hold it and claim it as your own.

What a waste!!

You wish you’d known that earlier and concentrated on chasing fireflies instead.

But then fireflies are tougher to spot these days, let alone catching one! Maybe collecting dried flowers would have been better.

Ah, flowers… Maybe they were purple after all. Could have been Mauve too...

Who knows? Who cares?

The story ends with You, the traveler, retracing your steps from the Event Horizon to your non-descript nook, vowing not to look up again ever.

Of Best Friends & MCPs

2009-08-25T20:13:00.002+05:30

I came across the quote “A man’s best friend is a dog, a women’s best friend is a diamond… that should tell you about the relative IQ’s!”

Ya, Diamonds are a girls’ best friends… so? What’s there to adopt that condescending tone as you mention it?? Why should a girl have to feel low about wanting a piece of stone? I mean, everyone has the right to make their own choices, isn’t it?

I’ve decided to counter the propaganda against Diamonds… its high-time the guys got to know that there’s more to diamonds than Wedding Rings!

First of all, the facts:

• Diamonds have a refractive index of 2.4 ( very high); dispersion is 0.044 and they are fluorescent

• Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature, and is four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral corundum

• Diamond has a single flaw: It has four directions of cleavage and if it receives a sharp blow in one of these directions it will cleave, or split. A skilled diamond setter will prevent any of these directions from being in a position to be struck while mounted in a jewelry piece.

• Diamond conducts heat five times better than the second best element, Silver!

• Diamond has the highest tensile strength of any material, at 2.8 gigapascals. If a long, thin, perfect crystal of diamond could be manufactured, it would offer the highest possible pulling strength (in a straight line – don’t try to tie it in a knot!)

Now, clearing the misconceptions:

• Diamonds have always been integral to Love/Weddings/Engagements: The Egyptians thought that a special “love vein” ran from the fourth finger directly to an individual’s heart and came up with the idea of an engagement ring. For wedding rings, it is believed that the original concept of the ring was to symbolize husbandly ownership as well as a debt owed to the family of the bride. But diamonds were not a part of these rings.

The earliest diamonds were discovered in India and used for holy decoration and valued for their ability to refract light. In Medieval times they were also used as a medical aid.

It wasn’t until the 20th century when a certain diamond industry giant ran a much publicized marketing campaign in America that the diamond truly became a marriage symbol. Now, diamonds play a big role in popular culture: they have come to embody the perfect romance and are often the primary or indirect subject in memorable movies, sentimental songs and bestselling books.

• Diamonds are indestructible and last forever: The idea of a diamond lasting “forever” is the result of the same marketing campaign that sold the idea of a diamond ring as a marriage token. To say that a diamond is forever would imply that it is an indestructible object. Though they are the hardest, hardness is slightly different than toughness and a diamond is not the strongest form of material known to man. Furthermore, a diamond can still be chipped, broken or damaged if it is treated in a haphazard way.

• Diamonds are the most expensive form of jewelry: There been some famous cases of very expensive non-diamond jewels like emeralds and rubies too; diamonds are made expensive when they have a brilliant cut, a high carat weight, flawless color and clarity. A loose diamond can actually be purchased for as little as $250.

• The bigger the diamond the better: Large diamonds are initially impressive, but big diamonds do not always mean big price. Cut, clarity, color and carat together decide the diamond’s market worth.

• The more facets the better: Though the function of facets is to increase the refractive index of the diamond you hold, the number of facets is not the most important factor in determining brilliance. What really matters is how skillfully the creator cuts the facets.

• It is virtually impossible to tell a fake diamond from a real diamond: It is probably true that people who don’t know much about diamonds will probably never know the difference between a genuine stone and a simulation but most people who work with diamonds can easily tell a real from a fake. Other ways of detecting fakes include transparency testing, fog testing and facet examination with a loupe.

And the non-adornment uses of Diamonds:

• ideal material for cutting and grinding tools as diamond-tipped drill bits and lasers

• diamond powder used as an abrasive

• in laboratories as containment for high pressure experiments (diamond anvil cell) & high-performance bearings

• diamond nanocrystals can be used as a microscope in order to see something as small as a single molecule

• to scan and detect magnetic fields at much less than one-tenth of a percent of the Earth’s magnetic fields. This technique may be used for fixing gene protein structures to stop cancer and other progressive illnesses.

• a patch studded with small diamond particles is placed over the location of a tumor, and the diamonds gradually release chemotherapy drugs directly into the growth, removing several drawbacks of cancer chemotherapy

• as a semiconductor for building microchips to create computers that are exponentially faster and smarter than today’s models

• as a heat sink in electronics

Finishing off in my-style, with quotes galore:

• Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one. -Chinese Proverb

• A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure. -Henry Kissinger

• Kissing your hand may make you feel very good, but a diamond lasts forever. -Anita Loos, author of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

• “A Diamond is Forever” -NW Ayer Agency

DeBeers got all the credit for this sentence that forever changed an industry, but the actual statement was delivered by an advertising agency.

Before this impressive marketing campaign, diamonds were not necessary identified with romance, marriage or engagement. They were considered decorative jewelry and used for a variety of purposes. Then came the brilliant strategy of linking diamonds to the most sacred and beloved of American institutions: the wedding ceremony.

However, one’s can’t truly say that prior to the 20th century, no lover had ever thought of diamonds as a romantic gift–in fact, one of the most famous diamond gifts in history was a diamond necklace given by Napoleon Bonaparte to Marie Louise.

P.S: Some great stuff on DeBeers and NW Ayer Agency and their marketing campaign can be found here, here, here and here. (Whew!)

Diamonds outlive their best friends, which is intelligent enough for me…

62 and counting…

2009-08-15T00:24:00.000+05:30

It's our National Independence Day.

My heartiest congratulations to all who are free.

Yesterday, as the neighbors were preparing for their party, I was typing out my answer to the question "Do our Politicians need management education?" I'd share my answer with you for today:

Management maybe defined by the layman as the art of using the resources optimally so as to produce the desired results. So, in order to answer the above question, we first need to ask ourselves: what defines the 'desired results' for our politicians- Service to the common masses, with the minimum possible self-interests?

If yes; if the person in question is ready to put the people he serves before himself, then definitely there is a scope for management education in politics: learning how to best use the available resources to provide, first of all, the basic rights to each contributor of the one billion plus population. There is an urgent need to correct their myopia, so that they come out of their cocoons of tradition and try out newer solutions to the age-old problems; and what could be better than an MBA to widen one's horizons?

But how many politicians would answer in affirmative, beyond the poll-campaign dais?

For most, it is a just another career- with the best prospects of money, power and fame. When the chief objective is to maximize the profits for oneself without having to think long-term or about the larger good, our politicians seem to be doing excellently. Why should they sit through lectures or case discussions when they know they are the best at creating wealth? They would find sustainability a yarn, smirk condescendingly at HRM and refuse to even believe that prices depend on the demand supply dynamics.

The panacea for our Politics is not management education, but a change of mindset. The realization that politics is not just another rat race; it cannot be the primary source of income if real progress has to result.
I would have loved to explain further, but the pile of unfinished assignments and pre-reads is growing at the rate of 9'' per day. Maybe some other day… maybe on the 2^nd of October.

Thought for the day: 'Democracy means government by the uneducated, Aristocracy means government by the badly educated.'-G K Chesterton

The Birthday Day

2009-08-06T03:01:00.001+05:30

6th August 2005

Just two days before we entered through the golden gates of GCTS, 3 of our batchmates celebrated their b'days in the peace of their homes, with their loved ones. They're very apprehensive about the new turn their lives are taking and this is probably their last "normal" celebration, they tell themselves.

6th August 2009

Its' been a few months since college got over, finally.

Once again the 3 b'day people are with their loved ones in t

he peace of their home... but they are missing something.

The madness that b'day's at college had come to mean, the day-long queue of wishes and bumps which began at dot 12 midnight. The icing smeared faces and the glitter stuck in hair, the ballons bursting all around. The hugs, yes, and the wonderfully wrapped-up gifts too!

Between these two dates lies a whole world

- our world of debates: whether to go for strawberry or choclate or to go 'jugaad'? whether to go obnoxious with the ballon fillings or with the bumps? or maybe show some mercy for a change?

-our world of music: bangla-hindi-oriya-english-whatevr! rhythm is what counts... anything which allows for movement is welcome on a party-night!

-our world of planning: what to keep and what to remove from the b'day treat menu.. budget's thinner than a shoestring afterall!

-our world of friends: everyone is eligible for the bumps/kicks!!

-our world of joy: b'days were a somewhat painful affair for the 'causes' but the effect somewhat made up for it :)

To these amazing people who owe us all a grand treat:

HAPPY B'DAY ALL OF YOU!!!

This, we hope, makes up for our absence :)

(Somewhat?!?)

P.S: I only knew about these three b'days on this date... if there were others and I've been missing them over the years, please pardon me and correct before the b'day boy/girl kills me.

I take this opportunity to forward another gentle reminder about our treats due over the years....

The Mujraa

2009-08-01T20:11:00.002+05:30

These were the original “item-songs” of Bollywood. Mujraas were once an essential part of each movie, they now seem to have been relegated to the odd historical costume drama.

Nonetheless, I’ve been very fond of them right from the age when I could discern between a potato and a TV. I’m told my eyes would not even blink while they were played on Chitrahaar or Rangoli. I haven’t been able to justify my abnormal fascination towards them yet, and whatever Freudian basis there might be for it, I’m inclined to think that seeing The Perfect Couple of Amitabh- Rekha dancing to “Atrah Baras Ki” must have left an indelible mark upon my infant brain.

Here’s a chronological(almost) listing of my favorites:

Suno tum from KISNA: Sushmita Sen dancing to Rahman’s tune was the only saving grace of the movie which was one of the biggest duds from Mr. Ghai, the self-proclaimed “Showman”
Maar daala from DEVDAS: Chandramukhi’s dance skills were epitomized by Madhuri as the courtesan with the golden heart in this Sanjay Leela Bhansali classic. Again, a magical score by Rahman comes to play a crucial role. One of the top-draws of the movie, this song was picturized in the backdrop of an extravagant set, glittering costumes but Madhuri, one of the best dancers in the Indian film industry, scored above all with dance-lessons from the ‘kathak maestro, Pt. Birju Maharaj.
Main vari vari from MANGAL PANDEY: Rani mukherjee’s ‘pro-active’ acting in this song as Heera had many drooling and even though the objectionable scenes were deleted, it remains one of the most popular searches for this movie. But apart from the ‘show’, this song had a lot to offer to someone starved of decent mujraas.
Salaam from Umrao Jaan (Aishwarya): If you look at the still pictures, you’ll be spell bound. But don’t dare sit through the motion picture else you’ll emerge sick out of the theater. A decent effort to present wine in a new bottle, but sadly the wine’s not aged with time… it’s turned into cheap vinegar. Its value lay in bringing the crowd to the art house.
Don’t you dare run this and the above simultaneously!! Salaam-e-Ishqremains the undisputed No#1. And any comparison between the best and rock-bottom is bound to fail due to difference of units.
Rekha in the original: in akhon ki masti is the epitome of beauty as depicted in this dance form. Watch it to be mesmerized by Rekha and her grace.
Dil cheez : Asha Bhonsle’s magical voice gives a surreal feel to this number, and Rekha, as always, sets new standards for heself.
Imtihan hay: Rekha and Amitabh and their sizzling chemistry. Watch. Word.
Inhi logon ne from PAKEEZAH: one of the several songs from the best-known work of Meena Kumari, it brought new meaning to the word ‘mujraa’. Definitive.
Thare Rahiyo from PAKEEZAH: released in the early 70s, this movie depicted a larger than life story of love between a courtesan and a Forest Ranger, the songs by Ghulam Mohammed are still favorites, and sound fresh as ever. The crisp direction of the director (who happened to be her husband too) Kamal Amrohi extracted the best out of the actress, and this movie remains engraved as one of the best in the Indian consciousness.
Chalte Chalte from PAKEEZAH: Kaifi Azmi’s words are certain to pierce one’s heart and the tragic death of the gorgeous Meena Kumari right after the film’s release added to the meaning and aura of this song.
Teer-e-Nazar from PAKEEZAH: another gem from the same movie, though not as popular as the others.
Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya from MUGHAL-E-AZAM: (saved the best for the last!!) from the epic movie came the mother of all ‘mujraas’. The voice of Lata Mangeshkar also needs to be credited, though as this was the song which set the trend to be followed, quite often blindly, in the decades to come. The natural beauty and poise of the dancer shines through, as opposed to this crass attempt at ‘innovation’. All such innovators need to be before a firing squad.

Just a Thought: Even though I’m not sure who Agnes de Mille is, I find her spot on…“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.”

Soumya Dutta aka Chameli

2009-07-31T14:50:00.001+05:30

Here are some of the memorable moments I've shared with Chams, the biggest 'antel' of our group who managed to be the coolest of all in most situations... err, except when it came to walking in the sun, of course.

The first time I could convince Soumyo to take a local train instead of the usual express... and probably the last. He still has nightmares of the horror I put him through :D This is the very hazy photo of the same.

He could avoid local trains, but he couldn't avoid us... this is another sample of the matchmaking efforts we had put in for him.

P.S: The other persons in the above pics were as clueless about our plans as Soumyo, and I take this opportunity to clarify, once again, that none of this was directed at them.

Sorry, but I bet even you smile looking back!

This pic is another in the series of the train pics where Soumyo was the victim, but it's different as here he was not the lone victim. Ayan, aka Gini/Boto and what not, was a part of the MBA-prep trio of ours which travelled 8+ hours each weekend, and slogged throughout the week, together. This joke is exclusively for us, sorry but it has to be so.

One of the few sober pics Soumyo ever posed for, here he's seen with Souvik aka Badsha, one of the most popular guys from our batch. This is right after the campus interview of one of the Pharma Cos. which came over at GCTS and left us with not-so-good memories.

The smiles are what I remember and miss the most though...

Hoping to see you all soon again with the same warm smiles!!!

NOTE: anyone wishing to add on to this post should do so ASAP!

It’s been long…

2009-07-31T01:05:00.005+05:30

One month since I last posted… even longer since I posted something current, something relevant. But having dismissed writer's block as another figment of the writer's imagination earlier, I'll have to come up with valid justifications for my absence from my favorite place on WWW.

I've shifted to Shillong, a quaint little hill station in a secluded corner of the country. I'll be here for the next two years, completing my PGDM (also known as MBA) from the youngest of the seven IIMs.

A new place takes some time to get used to, and I can claim I've been taking my time. But then have I still got used to the place, the people, and my insti? Each day unfolds with a new excitement, a new sense of urgency… "I'm gonna get late for the lecture!!!" or "Oh, I slept on my unfinished prez!! And Class starts in an hour!" or "Go Horcruxes!!" and so on.
It could be that I am so caught up with the new activities and people that I don't feel the need to "talk" to my blog anymore. Or maybe I don't have the time to waste on something as irrelevant?

Maybe the blog has out-lived its utility and needs to be put down… Cobain did say that it's better to burn out than to fade away. But wait, none of the two are relevant here!
Maybe it is the sudden change in temperature which has got me… isn't it possible that my "bakar"-skills worked only when confronted with the dust-sweat-heat-crowd of Kolkata?

It could be the high standards of blogging around here which have intimidated me… how can I ever match them, let alone surpass something like this???

Maybe it's the bird's eye view of Kolkata from my plane window on my way here that has had this effect on me. When I saw the Nivedita Setu hanging over the Hooghly, I realized finally what I was deserting! My home!!

Could what lay beyond justify the cost?

Wiki to the rescue:
"Writer's block may have many causes. Some are essentially creative problems that originate within an author's work itself. A writer may run out of inspiration. A project may be fundamentally misconceived, or beyond the author's experience or ability… Other blocks, especially the more serious kind, may be produced by adverse circumstances in a writer's life or career… The pressure to produce work may in itself contribute to a writer's block… writer's block may also come from feeling intimidated by a previous big success. Recently, the writer and neurologist Alice W. Flaherty has argued that literary creativity is a function of specific areas of the brain, and that block may be the result of brain activity being disrupted in those areas…"

I think the last one says it for me, it's the chemical locha inside the cranium which had been stopping me all this while… But alas, this was only a temporary reprieve, I'm back, and back with renewed blogomania!!

BEWARE!!!

Dear Diary#7

2009-06-28T21:57:00.001+05:30

13th February 2006, Monday, 23.47

The Nagalingam leaves are sprouting… the fluorescent green little fans, drenching the whole atmosphere in hope… for regeneration, for a second chance. This belief is what is most needed- no, I don’t mean believing someone or something else, but believing one’s own self that YES, I WILL HAVE ONLY THE BEST BECAUSE I DESERVE IT.

Found another new friend B****, from Durgapur… don’t ask how! :P Had a whole conversation in English after what seemed ages!

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: The hope, the believe that better things are just around the corner, nothing can go worse, continues to nourish me but I often stop while walking down some narrow street when no ones’ looking and wonder aloud, “Could it be possible?”

B****, my pen friend, got lost in the everyday routine of classes and practicals and trains to catch. One of the only times I was careless about a friend.

Dear Diary#6

2009-06-27T21:17:00.003+05:30

18th January 2006, Wednesday, 22.16

The Nagalingam tree is shedding its greenish-yellow-brown leaves again, creating a soft carpet near the tank… the leaves fall down, no, float down… whirling down, dancing with the breeze carrying it down to the earth… it all seems so enigmatic to me. Have seen the tree shedding twice in the 5-odd months I’ve been here… heard that it sheds thrice in a year. The green new leaves will soon be peeping out of the boughs, giving a much required touch of life and freshness to the environment.

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: Someone once told me how the fall of a leaf was symbolic of the fall of Man from the great heights to the baseness of the earth, the level where nothing more is expected of him. I wonder if that is why the falling leaf dances with such joy while descending... Or is it that it is only trying to delay the inevitable? The tree on our campus shaded the coolest place to hangout, the water tank around the corner to our hostel and was a treat for the senses. Scientifically called Mesua fera, it is claimed to possess several medicinal properties but according to the popular college-lore, the musky flowers were the reason for the ‘Loveria’ plaguing the college. The tests for gathering enough evidence for a Love Potion a la Puck are already underway.

Dear Diary#5

2009-06-26T21:16:00.002+05:30

17th January 2006, Tuesday, 23.52

A real Book Fair; and a Food Fair down the road from it!! Two of my greatest needs, almost dead from starvation, finally found something satisfying. However, couldn’t find Ayn Rand among the bookshelves & had to run her words in my mind… How I wish I had a copy of The Fountainhead!

P.S.: The pao-bhaji still lingers on… though nothing beats the mom-made one!

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: the Book Fair mentioned here isn’t the Goliath Kolkata Book Fair but the small-town affair called Asansol Book Fair. Still untouched by the crass “intellectual” crowd that throngs KBF and stirs up a dust-storm and leaves behind a mountain of refuse, it should be a not-to-be-missed affair if you happen to be in the town in the first few days of January more so if you, too, have stopped visiting KBF of late, yet can’t stop missing it. The Food Fair is another annual affair at Asansol; though if you prize your health, you’re advised to stay away.

Dear Diary #4

2009-06-25T23:42:00.004+05:30

9^th January 2006, Monday, 22:37

The day I’d been waiting for all these dull mornings and evenings… went to New Empire to catch ‘King Kong’ with friends and had a blast! Saw two of my best friends after ages and even though the film wasn’t really great, I’m really happy with the way the day passed ‘coz even though there were tears, they were far outnumbered by the smiles and giggles.

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: The friends, the food, the movie… all are absent, yet the feeling refuses to leave. Wherever we are, minutes are stolen from meetings and presentations and lectures to be together just once more, and to relive the feeling real-time."Happy". This is the way it will be, forever, I know.

Forever... the Answer

2009-06-25T22:49:00.009+05:30

Contrary to what the dictionary would have you believe, the word ‘Forever’ means nothing at all.

It’s only conversational filler with the equivalence of an “ummm...” or “er...”

Haven’t you often stated “I’ve wanted that LV bag forever!” while expressing your IMMEDIATE reaction to a long-desired object? Or “I’ve been waiting for you forever!!” when all you meant was that you’ve been there before the other person?

The most popular uses of this word have been observed in the field of romance:

“I will love you forever”

“I’ll wait for you forever”

“We will be together forever, and even after that”

Remember this, for you won’t find this mentioned at many places, for this is highly classified data that I’m leaking out to you readers, EXCLUSIVELY!!

Forever is used as a tool for giving the false impression of that which is actually missing.

It’s used by people who have no faith in the present, as a fancy way to decorate their speech, people who don’t bother that you don’t know that even the lexicographers are out to get you. After all, it’s not their fault if you get hurt by your own ignorance, is it?

Take this warning, and get on your guard whenever you see the word ‘Forever’.

Oh, by the way… there’s a new reality TV show on air by Paris Hilton… Best Friends Forever. Go watch it if you doubt me. Or if you just wished to ogle.

Just a Thought: In the words of Shel Silverstien,"I know a way to stay friends forever, there's really nothing to it- I tell you what to do and you do it."

Addendum: People read and interpret. Misinterpret even more. Leo, my first laptop (referred to here) has been given up to my bro. I have a new, shiny blue Dell Inspiron, Neal to play with. As the smart ones once said,

Nothing's gonna last forever,

In this cold November rain.

Another moonlit night

2009-06-22T12:29:00.003+05:30

It's back on my side… not that I ever doubted its return. Just that when it's not here I spend terribly lonely nights. "Nothing" is what I find looking out of my window, which is scary. But now that it's back, I find myself back at the sill, with Leo singing a soft number, beside me. Even when I would draw the curtains and retire for sleep, a diffused glow will be illuminating the whole of my room. The most memorable days of my life have been preceded by nights like this. I feel like completing all that I'd been procrastinating on, as if this was the cue I was waiting for. The moon on my side brings out the best in me, & even though I'm not a Cancerian, nor am I "lunatic", I find myself drawn to it like a moth to a candle.

Looking at it tonight I wondered once again what it would be like meeting the moon, face to face?

No, I'm not inebriated, I just asked you all to imagine: what if the moon was personified and came before us as a human...

Just a Thought: Any clod can have the facts, but having an opinion is an art.

Dear Diary#3

2009-04-17T13:35:00.004+05:30

10th January 2006, Tuesday, 23:55
Tasted my manna , TOP RAMEN, after ages…yummmm!!! It’s so much more better than that (#@% we had to do with at the hostel (the half-cooked Maggie, that is. Even though it’s far better than the mess food, which is plain inedible. BTW, why is the kitchen called a Mess??? :O).

Top Ramen’s so much smooooother and has better spices… it’s damn tasty! I can go on & on & on & on about it but all good things do end (just like my bowl of ramen :()… okay bye!

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: The best instant noodles on earth: definitely Top Ramen! Even the Asansol shop-keepers know that now and stock it instead of the Nestle gum-ball :D

Dear Diary#2

2009-04-15T11:13:00.005+05:30

2nd January 2006, Monday, 23:47
Discovered one of the greatest books ever written- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. My immediate goal is to devour it as soon as possible!
I thought very hard, real hard but couldn’t remember where I’d encountered the two names earlier: HOWARD ROARK & ELLSWORTH M TOOHEY…
Maybe it’s just another memory glitch… or maybe it’s the subconscious hinting about the impact these will have on my life. Though I’m not the one campaigning for paranormal stuff, I just don’t know what to make of it.
This déjà vu is kind of spooky… let’s wait ‘n watch.

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: No arguments about Fountainhead being the golden gate to Ayn Rand for me, and most others. Now that I’ve read and re-read the book more than I can recount, I’m amazed at the déjà vu… the two characters are fabulously painted, with detail and finesse rarely found in a new novelist… and I still wonder, like I did when I read it for the first time- “Is a world like this possible? Could someone even conceive of such things??” and end up wishing I could tell Ms. Rand how successful she actually was.
If only wishes were horses….

Dear Diary#1

2009-04-15T11:09:00.003+05:30

1st January 2006, Sunday, 23:15 Wishing me “Happy New Year”, as I reminded and reasserted my goals to myself was the best part of these 24 hours. As I stood under the clock at 00:00, I didn’t look back in time but looked ahead with certainty that I’ll make it someday, not very far away now.

THREE YEARS DOWN THE LINE: I only wonder what I had for dinner that night! Optimism and I don’t go together at all. If only I’d known the reality of the “someday” back then, maybe I'd have had less to complain of. But then who knows? The more you have, the more you need.

Moving On?

2009-04-02T15:30:00.002+05:30

Being entwined by the vines for almost 4 years, when the prospect of moving on looms large, everyone seems to be in a mad frenzy: some are overworked trying to hack the connections to pieces... They've had enough! Others are desperately trying to hold on to whatever driftwood they can... they don't want their cheese moved! Even the ones who would otherwise be too inertial to move have woken up and are packing their bags, looking wistfully at the braches and roots that humored them for the past 4 years.

But for all these people, there is one me… one who chooses to sit back and look around at all that is happening; not brimming with energy at prospect of movement, not dying with thoughts of leaving the nest.

And as I do so, I realize that the easiest way to loosen the bonds is to do nothing but simply give in… remember the Sorcerer's Stone??

Just a Thought: Thanks, one and all,/ But I don't need/ To be escorted/ Out of this damp woodland.

Another place to catch me at...

2009-03-04T02:52:00.002+05:30

Decided to chk out the hoopla over tumblr.. let's see if it actually lives up to the waves it's been creating.

LOSS

2009-02-17T12:12:00.004+05:30

"Finders keepers

Losers weepers"

Loss is heartbreaking, especially when you lose someone you've come to taking for granted over the past years.
Loss becomes unbearable, when you remember all the inconsequential little things you'd come to accept as a ritual- the first touch each morning, the last kiss every night, and all the stolen glances in between.
Loss is also irrevocable- no matter how much you might convince yourself that things would get back to the usual, you soon realize everything's connected, even if by invisible wires. Nothing remains the same once touched by the winds of change. You might wish to believe that your losing streak is done, or that "Sau me ninyanbe beimaan, phir bhi mera Bharat mahaan" was just another disillusioned view on Indians by another Indian. But sooner than later, you realize that the phone missing from your pocket for the last hour has suddenly stopped ringing. No one has replied to the "Plz retrn to 98XXXXXXXX if found."
L7 was not to be seen again. Never.
It takes time, and a few unshed tears, before this sinks in. But it does, ultimately.
BECAUSE LOSS IS TRUTH.

Jodi#11

2009-02-17T07:26:00.004+05:30

I saw them once and was hooked... It was an amazing interpretation of a good song which made it sound better than ever before. It was only yesterday when I came to know that they had won the whole competition! (See here) WORTHY! Finally, a Reality TV show where the winners deserved to win... Thank God!

Love Quotes

2009-02-08T20:09:00.002+05:30

They say love is being stupid together. I had collected some goofy quotes on love and thought that with Valentine’s Day around the corner, this is the perfect time to provide some comic relief to the ones “not in love”

Have a good laugh:

- Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. ~ALBERT EINSTEIN

- If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

- Love – a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.

- Trip over love, you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.

- We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

- We don’t believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack.

-Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around, lonely. ~Laurence Marks, M*A*S*H, “Love Story,” original air date 7 January 1973, spoken by the character Hawkeye

- You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover’s arms can only come later when you’re sure they won’t laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, “Outside the Dog Museum”

- To fall in love is awfully simple, to fall out of love is simply awful.

- Love is like seaweed, even if you have it pushed away, there’s no stopping it’s coming back.

- Love is like Pi-natural, irrational, and very important.

- Love is like an hourglass… the heart fills up as the brain empties.

- Ah me! love can not be cured by herbs. (Ovid)

- Infatuation is when you think he’s as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he’s as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford – but you’ll take him anyway. (Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975)

- The lover is a monotheist who knows that other people worship different gods but cannot himself imagine that there could be other gods. ~Theodor Reik, Of Love and Lust, 1957

- When a man is in love or in debt, someone else has the advantage. ~Bill Balance

- Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly. ~Rose Franken

- Love is an ocean of emotions entirely surrounded by expenses. ~Lord Dewar

- Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke. ~Lynda Barry

- People who are sensible about love are incapable of it. ~Douglas Yates

- The love game is never called off on account of darkness. ~Tom Masson

- Love is like those second-rate hotels where all the luxury is in the lobby. ~Paul-Jean Toulet

- Mumps, measles, and puppy love are terrible after twenty. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960

- Platonic love is love from the neck up. ~Thyra Smater Winsolow

- Romance is dead – it was acquired in a hostile takeover by Hallmark and Disney, homogenized, and sold off piece by piece. ~Lisa Simpson, The Simpsons

- Love and scandals are the best sweetners of tea.

-The head never rules the heart, its just its partner in crime.

- Love is when two people who cared for each other got confused.

- My wife and I have been married for47 years, and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never. ~John Benny

- When you are in love, it’s the most glorious two-and-a-half days of your life. ~Richard Lewis

- Falling in love is so hard on the knees. ~Aerosmith

- Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else. ~George Bernard Shaw

And the one which takes the cake:

- Forget love – I’d rather fall in chocolate! ~Sandra J. Dykes

My Pet#1

2009-02-07T00:23:00.003+05:30

I've been an animal lover for as long as I can remember…
Kaloo, the mongrel with a missing ear would be outside our home each night for the yummy sugar-filled 'rotis' and allowed me to learn what the 'D for Dog' bhaiya talked of looked like.
Then there were the numerous fireflies (Insecta is a sub-class of Animalia, na?) which would flit across the 'Kochu-gach' lining the street on musty nights… they made me wonder how nice it would be if some could be sneaked under my bed so that they would scare away the monsters hidden there.
Yes, the Monsters, they were never encountered so had to be imagined, mostly they were dinosaur-ousy but then at times I thought they'd be more like robotic animals.. I don't remember clearly after 20-odd years though. One thing that I do remember clearly is that I DID NOT LOVE THOSE MONSTERS UNDER MY BED.
Then there was the odd-cat, which ventured into our back yard. I had learnt to chase them away with bhaiya. It is a family legend how he'd almost drowned one into our well when he was just 2. However sad it might appear to fellow animal lovers, I must admit I've never grown to shake off this habit and still drench/scare away unsuspecting cats around the neighborhood. Though I DO love cats, I've helped them when I could and ignored them when I was too far away to aim, I have not grown the sort of unconditional love which grips me whenever I spot a dog... no matter how mangled or dirty, I HAVE TO hold it!!
This is the story of one of my experiences with animals-

Minkie was discovered one day in our hostel backyard, in the peak of exam season AND in the peak of winter season, abandoned by her mother, meow-ing off in between shivers. Having a room right next to the geyser did not seem like a particular vantage that winter, because she sat right next to the geyser faucet and wailed away continuously. She was so little and so frail that giving her a cold shower seemed like a good way to send her on the highway to heaven. Therefore, I offered her a saucer-ful of warm milk and stroked her cold head as she gulped away hungrily. She had a few scratches on her little face and was given first aid. She was also made a warm bed of old-rags in the space under the staircase.

But even that night she kept wailing…. Maybe because she felt all alone and unsafe without her mother… maybe she was chilled by the draught from the back yard. Whatever the reason, the next day when I went to her with her food, she followed me and in spite of all threats, she would not move from my door. So, I brought her indoors. All seemed well for the first few hours… she went around in my sweatshirt pocket and purred. She was the darling for the day and girls couldn't have enough of her! Everyone wanted to hold her, feed her and kiss her. I just had to keep her out of Basanti Di's sight and it would go well. Or so I thought.

Before the day was over, I learnt the hard parts of keeping a pet. She was just a kid and her digestion was not strong enough for the fish, biscuits or milk that she'd been offered and accepted after near-starvation of the previous day. Soon enough, she had an upset stomach… EEEEEEEWWWWWW!

Quite naturally, I put her back on her bad under the stairs and locked the door connecting to my room.

That was the time when I realized the absolute need for my own MP3 player with earphones… SHE WAS WAILING LOUDER THAN EVER!

After having tried burying my head under a pillow for over an hour, I went and kicked her.

Yes, I kicked a small, helpless, cold and wailing kitten.

I don't remember my immediate reaction-whether I felt happy at being able to do so finally after years of chasing and drenching, or if I was genuinely hurt by my own insensitivity. But I do remember going into my room to fetch a pain rub for her right hind leg… which I was afraid I had broken. But the wailings increased ever more, because the rub was infact an irritant for animals and hence contraindicated, as I later learnt (who says we don't learn useful things in college?).

What was worse was that even after the kick, she'd not forgotten following me. I made me feel like something very hot and molten was flowing through my heart and all of my veins… I tell you guys, self-respect is a terrible thing to lose.

I couldn't take her inside the room (my room-mates had began to object to the din) so I moved out for the night. I spent the night reading for the exam next day in a chair in our Recreation Room with her in my pocket.

Her leg seemed a little better the next day and soon she was walking without a limp. I still fed her the same fish-biscuits-milk diet and she still had a very weak stomach, but I had no alternatives.

Anyway, our exams got over when they couldn't continue anymore, and we packed our bags to leave. We'd asked the caretaker to feed her whatever he could and trusted Minkie's luck enough to bid her a joyful goodbye. I kissed her asleep under the stairs, I remember, the night before we left by the first train home.

Returning after the winter vacations, we never saw her again. Nobody knows what happened… I believe that she migrated to the neighborhood where food was plenty and often catch myself calling the cat sprawling in the afternoon sun on the next roof "Minkie", instead of splashing water, just in the hope that she would, maybe follow me again.

Just a Thought: When will it be learned that nothing returns, except maybe a boomerang?

Fill In The Blanks

2009-02-05T04:00:00.002+05:30

I finally did complete the questionnaire, which is popularly held as a "Right of Passage" for a blogger. Here it is, for your eyes only:

i am: Bored

i think: I've had enough of myself

i know: The Right Time will never come

i want: To be heard AND believed

i have: Not much to loose

i wish: I had lower expectations

i hate: To "make-up"

i miss: Earl

i fear: I've lost the most vital thing

i feel: I'm numb

i hear: Coldplay in my dreams

i smell: "Chemical Locha"

i crave: Hot chocolate with a box of Choco chip cookies

i wonder: How do people bear with me?

i regret: Nothing.. maybe everything!

i love: My incompetence

i ache: When I break something

i always: Miss

i am not: A liar (HA!!)

i believe: I can do anything.. if only I wake up

i dance: To my own music

i sing: When I want to wake up people from n-REM sleep

i don't always: SAY

i fight: for whatever I judge is right

i write: (#@%!!!

i win: Friends

i lose: Family

i never: Complete

i confuse: The others

i listen: To 'I'm Like a Bird' when I'm down

i can usually be found: With or without Leo

i am scared: Of hormones... still!

i need: WORLD PEACE!

i am happy about: Having done a few good things in my 22 yrs

Just a Thought: Thoughtless For a Change

What I did to waste the day...

2009-02-01T23:16:00.001+05:30

EnGG coLLgE dEcOdED

2009-01-29T01:26:00.010+05:30

Found this amzing link while surfing at PagalGuy.com, Leading to an amazing collection of aptly made up words to describe the commonest engg college phenomenon.Check it out if you wish to know what really goes on out there in the supposed geek-land.

SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!

2009-01-20T00:50:00.005+05:30

Just a Thought- We don't believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack.

Similar goes this tale…

After years of dithering on the decision of getting a broadband internet connection, the cheese was finally moved yesterday with Dad driving down to the telephone exchange at Satyabala to submit the application form. The factors behind this decision being a desire to save some money on the telephone bills which seemed bent on touching a new peak each month, and regular pestering by a few friends deep in the Broadband ocean. Filling up the form was no mean matter; mind you, it took half an hour to decide the plan to opt for, and was finally completed with some prompt help from the guy at BSNL SAMPARK helpline.
Which was Surprise#1.
BSNL never answers the first time. The second time the stupid IVRS makes you wait so long that you forget why you’d dialed them in the first place. And when you finally get through to some Natural Stupidity via the ‘Artificial Intelligence’, you’re reminded yet again that it’s BSNL… Bharat’S National Liability! But then, this time, nothing went as usual….

Surprise#2 was when I opened the door at noon today to the impatient ringing of the doorbell. I wondered if something was wrong with our Landline connection on seeing the Telephone Kaku.

But sensing my thoughts, he said, ”Modem ta install korte esechi”

I was like,”Modem? WHHH..WWhat?!!”

It was a bolt from the blue, even after the helpline had actually helped the previous day: HOW COULD BSNL PROCESS AN APPLICATION WITHIN 24 HOURS??? Unheard of efficiency from a government organization!!

Okay, so they have put up the boxes and cables but the connection won’t be functional until the officials decide on the user name and password… which I thought, wouldn’t be before a few weeks at least, considering the unusual zeal of BSNL babudom.
(A few days later...)

SURPRISE#3!!!

I was rattled awake up from a deep slumber one fine Thursday afternoon by the SMS received tone of my cellphone. Peeping from a half opened eye I read, and I quote here,”Ur BB Srvc actvtd.”

“BB service?? Now when did I order a Barbeque?”, was the first reaction.

“Oh!!! Broad Band Service!” My brain cells finally divined.

“WOW!” I thought,”this is the F1 speed! ...A working connection within 6 days?”

But then the language made it very suspicious… it looked like some teenager with loads of time to waste was playing a prank on me. So I decided to call back the number which had sent me the SMS… IT ACTUALLY RANG!!! And being the chicken that I am, I immediately disconnected.

For the next three minutes, I kept dithering between redialing and confronting the prankster and checking the authenticity of the password provided for the connection. I finally settled for the later and decided to call up the mastermind after being sure about the plot.

I set up the connection as instructed (well, almost) and used the provided password… and VOILA! It worked!

Since that day… I have been O/L for major part of my 24 hours without worrying about my dad losing sleep over the phone bills!

JAI HO BSNL!!!

Bharat’S National Lifeline, truly!

Sorted!

2009-01-10T02:57:00.003+05:30

Yes... I did it! I finally made the blog a little more organised.

All posts now have a proper label and not just any arbit word which props up in my mind :)

The Thought for Today: WELCOME ORDER AND MEANINGFULNESS!

Google Chrome Reloaded!

2009-01-10T00:26:00.000+05:30

So the people at Google have been listening.. and working on our feedbacks!!! Finally I get to save the page I'm viewing by a simple CTRL+S! The new Chrome has done away with most of the shortcomings of the beta version n its near-perfect... Kudos to Google for staying so relevant and for coming up with another winner!!

The Right Words

2008-12-31T02:47:00.001+05:30

The right words

Are always the hardest to come by

When you are to say goodbyes

But don’t ever

Let the moment pass

Without

At least a smile

A tear

A gentle touch

Or a nod

To show

That they’ll be missed

No matter where you go

Whom you meet

Theirs will be a spot

Unused, unsullied

Whenever they return to you

They’ll find you familiar

Even if

The years melt away

Before

Time turns back.

Then, you’ll never

Regret

Having said them.

Just A Thought: Despite the looks of it... this isn't a poetry blog :P

Poetry

2008-12-24T00:13:00.004+05:30

This is something I wrote when I confronted with the arduous task of decoding poetry for my Xth standard board exams… discovered it today in the back cover of that poetry book. The only thing I have to add here is that time has not changed my opinion in this case.

Rhyme-

In sestets and octets-

Fill it up with similes

And metaphors,

Transferred epithets and

Please don't forget the metre!

Go about the point,

Using imagery and

Colors;

And, if you still have any space

Left on that sheet,

You may put down your

Emotions too-

If you have any,

That is.

From a far better poet called Charles Baudelaire: Hypocrite reader, my double, my brother.

The Eight Semesters

2008-12-20T20:01:00.002+05:30

These words come to my mind whenever someone mentions one of the semesters I’ve been through; not because these were the most interesting topics covered in the syllabus then, but because these were the most repetitive and boring ones, and everyone was fed up with them by the end of the six months:

First Semester: Laxative-Purgative-Cathartic (the first lecture, and we learnt about the drugs that help one shit… What a sign of things to come!!)
Second Semester: Ticks and mites (the graphic anatomical & physiological discussions on louse were plain repulsive)
Third Semester: Tween 80 (no, it’s completely unrelated to pre-teens…)
Fourth Semester: Veneral Diseases (though the classes with our imaginative teacher Dr AB erupted with laughter, no one managed a single laugh while mugging it)
Fifth Semester: Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi (their sheer variety bogged down whatever enthusiasm we had for the new subject)
Sixth Semester: Vodka, Tequila and Rum… also Whiskey and Beer (yes, we’ve been taught how to brew!!)
Seventh Semester: Anti Microbial Agents (this one beats everything else by sheer volume)
Eighth Semester: …I predict that this time the word will be GATE, if not Goodbye.

Just a Thought: Only the winners decide what were war crimes.

Carrot & Stick

2008-12-20T00:26:00.003+05:30

End-Semester Examinations are the worst part of hostel life. Mom-made food is no longer a weekend trip away, which means one gets so irritable and cranky that even the best of friends are no help. Plus you have to mug, mug and mug all that you've been avoiding for the last six months. Which includes the chemical syntheses of all the drugs, with their IUPAC nomenclature! It's like asking someone to memorize the Iliad, in two weeks, while standing on one foot at a traffic intersection… it is THAT bad.
And if you thought nothing could make the situation worse, you're wrong. Apart from last minute strikes and postponements, End-Semester Examinations always come coupled with Cupid.
Yes, the same naughty lil' guy with wings shooting arrows at his unsuspecting victims. Personally, I believe this month-long season of study is the incubation period for the germs introduced earlier. Cases where the two parties involved realized both love each other madly while discussing Compressor-pumps over phone at 2 am two days before the test are common.
Sometimes happy, often tearful, letters are exchanged. Hearts are broken and sometimes mended. Long-lost love resurfaces. Newer angles to each love story are discovered… everything you were betting on not to happen, is sure to happen under the influence of Mr. Cupid.
I've been no exception to his target-practice. But unlike others, I've learned, and eventually I have a way out of the End-Sem-Mess.
My method is, well, very methodical. It involves thinking, and if you're good at that, do try it out. It's basically the centuries-old Carrot & Stick routine.

It helps to start early, as Viju the Boxer says. The last trip home before the End-Sem ordeal begins means serious business. Not only do I stock up on the food I usually have at home (to feel a little less homesick); I still down and write out the two things I REALLY want.
One of them invariably turns out to be a gadget, and the other, a guy. Well, that's the way I roll, I guess.
(Since I'm making this effort, I obviously want to do well in the exams; reason why it's not even mentioned.)
Once I know the things uppermost on mind, I proceed to the next step. This involves making a few resolutions.
First, I resolve that I will think ONLY about these two until the exams get over. The first one can't work without the next one: the second one being that I will make the effort to get both ONLY if I hit a pre-determined GPA.
The basic Carrot & Stick routine, as I said.
But this is no laughing matter… the trickiest part is accurate prediction. Even with several semesters' worth of experience behind me, I've been wrong twice… which always complicates things even more. You think you're safe from those stinging arrows, when suddenly one day, bang in the middle of mugging some antibiotic's mechanism of action, you realize you're already hit; and it's only a matter of time before you succumb. The whole purpose of this exercise is avoiding such a situation, and being cruelly honest with oneself comes in most handy.
I'd started blogging in an effort to be honest with myself. Reminding myself that, I'm giving out my lists for the 7 semesters, along with the remarks. You are requested to keep from falling off your chair laughing.

Semester	The Gadget	The Guy	Remarks
1	Discman	Rahul Dravid	Surprise Hit: Discman-Yes, RD-Almost (got his life-size poster under my bed)
2	Motorola L7	Siddharth from RDB	Super hit: L7-Yes, Sid-Yes (saw RDB thrice on big-screen… my max!!)
3	Laptop	Josh Hartnett	Flopped
4	Laptop	Hrithik	Flopped
5	Laptop	Shahid Kapoor	The first wrong guess… the guy graduated next semester and left forever Average: Laptop-Yes, SK-Yes(got JWM on DVD), Mr. X-NoL
6	Canon Powershot	Nick Carter	Flopped
7	Canon Powershot	Luke Kenny	The second time… re-recrush on Nick; Results Awaited

Just a Thought: Some people wish to get what they deserve, while others fear the same.

Cloudless

2008-12-19T00:27:00.006+05:30

Alone. Alone at the same place, with the same ambience. The night sky with the full moon.

Except that this time, there are no clouds playing hide and seek with it.

It’s actually better… just the solitary moon to gaze at. A fixed aim, a direction… finally.

…Or is it? Didn’t the hundreds of fluffy little clouds make the night sky that much more alive?

Some nights they’d be just rolling about innocuously, chasing who knows what, suddenly meeting someone new and losing their entity altogether till the next gust tears them apart…. Then there would be nights when all seem to be marching ahead in a file, out on a mission to avenge, ready to pour out of their dark bellies at some distant land, punishing the sleepy little villages and the buzzing towns alike.

But then winter skies are always clear… all the stars are at their twinkling best, even the otherwise-elusive Venus is a regular at the ball. However, the real star, no doubt, is the moon. She shines as she never could all summer long, as if free of all her inhibitions; yet graceful as ever, and just as mysteriously aloof from everything….

The wisps somehow complemented the moon, probably by contrast. My perfect moon might be a crescent or a full one, but it can never be without a ring of clouds haloing it. I just can’t believe that the moon prefers the snooty stars to them for company on a night such as this.

But I’m being irrational again; it’s a fact and I better believe it, or not bother about it at all.

Old habits die hard, I’m told.

Just a Thought: When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane dude.

Single Brown Female’s Guide to travelling Footboard on the Indian Railways

2008-11-12T19:10:00.010+05:30

Find a way out: for though it looks like an adventure, remember you're just a hair's breadth away from a huge misadventure. Be on time; if there are no seats in the Ladies' Compartment, check out the General Compartments too… If Indians males have one commendable quality, it has to be their chivalry. If even that does not work, try the next train. Nevertheless, if your luck is as bad as mine, you'll have no choice other than travelling on the steps.
Duration of journey: anything more than 3 hours and you might end up with DVT! If the journey stretches out longer than you're comfortable with, so should you… try standing up and walking about the aisle.
(TIP: Since in doing so you'll definitely end up losing your precious seat, do this towards the end of your journey or when the crowd's thinned out)
Newspapers: the single most important possession in such a situation. Grab one before you get settled on the footboard: the thicker, the better. First hand, on weekdays HT or The Telegraph is the best but on Saturdays; it's got to be TOI. All newspapers are at their thickest best on Sundays… but then you can't be unlucky enough to be at a loss for a seat on a Sunday. These are multi-purpose:

Primarily used to keep oneself cleaner than the floor. This is where the inches matter the most- both the newspaper's and your waistline's- spread them all around to demarcate your territory and then you can lounge comfortably. However, even the thickest newspaper is insufficient in case you have the footboard near the washbasin… though two or three of the thickest might just see you through the journey without soiled jeans.
(TIP: if you're wearing Camouflage print-bottoms then newspapers are not required)
Pretend you're engrossed in the article about Federer's designer underwear whenever the train slows down & the people at the platform or by the tracks stare at you wide-mouthed.
(TIP: A pair of earphones comes in very handy at such times to keep out the noise these spectators might decide to make to catch your eye)
Ideally, you should be covering yourself in SPF 60 sun block, Ray-Ban and a Castro-cap to keep the sun away… or you could be using your newspaper to shade yourself! Mind you, it's not handsfree like them and so there are high chances of your ending up with sore triceps.
The weapon of choice for defending your territory in catfights with other contenders.
(TIP: bottles are a close second, but a rolled up newspaper affords better friction)

Get a Grip: It may mean the difference between life and death or worse, life without limbs. The ride is very jerky and there will be people all about asking you to move to the right or left, but don't for a second loosen your grip while the train is moving! Even if you're uncomfortable, wait for the next stop before you change your posture.
(TIP: slip-ons slip-out just as easily!)
Travel light: it holds true for all journeys, yes, but it's specially important when you have barely enough space to keep yourself on board. Don't carry anything you'll regret losing in case your bag slips out of your hands and onto the tracks at break-neck velocity.
Water bottle: as tipped earlier, useful weapon to keep handy. Though you shouldn't drink much from it because trips to the loo may cost you your perch.
Gadgets: like cellphones and cameras, etc must be tucked in carefully. Talking on phone is okay if you have a handsfree device. Clicking photos is okay only when you're sure of your grip. I suggest you try mental photographs instead of digital for once.
Co-passengers: most of them are in an equally bad situation so be good to them, they'd most likely return the favor. Gossip is the easiest way to make those cramped minutes fly.
Vendors: you're uncomfortable, no doubt, but if they can't do their jobs because of that, they'll very soon starve to their deaths. Stop seeing intention in everyone else's mistakes!

After you're there: Buy some analgesic spray for the backache from the first chemist shop you see. Once you have access to a decent bathroom, use hot water, soap and scrubber to wash all of yourself and your stuff (the washable ones only, dolt!).

(TIP: Sprinkle 'gangajal' over yourself to purify the body & mind of all the dirt you encountered… it works! I unlearned all the cuss-words I'd heard!!) AND don't forget to thank God for ensuring you didn't lose much (read: limb) while you enjoyed the scenery from a never-before (and maybe never-again) perspective.

Just a Thought: The most meaningful journeys are the ones back home.

911

2008-11-10T00:06:00.009+05:30

9/11/08 12:21pm The cell phone display broke me the news that another day had dawned, and afternooned, before I'd opened my eyes… yet again.

"Shit! Today's the last Sunday before CAT… I was supposed to give the last mock test from 10.30!" This thought was enough to jet start the day… at least the first two hours of the day went away in F1-speeds.

But by the time I was done with my breakfast (er, lunch for the normal people) at 2, I was dozing off again…

"I keep wondering what is it that you do which tires you out so quickly." Mom yelled out loud when she saw me sprawling out on the couch yet again, "If you have to sleep, make sure you do it on your bed in your ow..."

"Oh Mom, please! I've just woken up minutes ago… and I'm here to watch TV, for 30 minutes,

then it'll be me and my room, don't worry!" With that I managed to send Mom away, but not sleep.

9/11/08 5:37pm

Three hours later, I wake up to find myself at the exact same position as the week before… twisted uncomfortably to fit on the four by two feet couch, the neat cushions wrinkled and the TV on full blast. Another look at the cell phone display gives me another burst of energy and I get set to "study".

But Oh no, WAIT! I must first wash up and do my hair… it's such a mess.

Hmm, I'm sorta hungry. [Opening the fridge door] there's an apple around here somewhere… no? Okay, must get some from the market.

Chai, anyone? I'm making the special elaichi-walla chai…

Enough of lazying around, must get some exercise… Mom, I'll be at the terrace for an hour…

What're you watching bhai? NOWAY! How can one possess the remote yet not use it? Give it to me…

Hello! Ray, You know what…

No Papa, I don't think that nuke- submarine deal should be scrapped, this was a one-off…

9/11/08 11:07pm

As I disconnect the half an hour long call, I get shocked for the third time in the day on seeing the date/time on display.

It was hard to believe… I looked around to see if the calendar could somehow prove the phone wrong… it didn't. It only shouted out loud that 16^th November, 2008 was only 6 days away.

The day which held the key to my destiny. The day which I'd set out to face bravely a year ago. The day which was to be the panacea for all ills.

The day I now fear to face… why? Maybe I'm afraid of the past that has lead to it… will it let go so easily? Maybe i don't want to know the answer to that why... I only know the consequences.

I look again at the cell phone.

9/11/08

11:21pm

This was my personal 9-11… the day when the biggest pride came crashing down, hit by my own kamikazes.

I wonder if I should call 911?

From the wise guys: Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words...

What’s In A Name?

2008-11-02T22:53:00.004+05:30

That's what I used to think about the fuss being made over blog and website addresses. Mine was actually a random pick out of the waste bin and it served it's purpose very well: it lent an identity to my blog. Or so i thought BEFORE I happened to google for P-Squared+Urban Dictionary… now I definitively know the answer to the question!

And ever since that day, I've believed it's time for me to change the address for good… still wondering what went wrong? Try clicking on the search results and you'll know what blew me away.

STATUTORY WARNING: Urban Dictionary's a slang dictionary with internet users as lexicographers

Don’t Look Now…I’m Changing!

2008-10-11T01:16:00.005+05:30

The words maybe borrowed, but the feeling is so much the same…

I used to think I had the answers to everything

But now I know

That life doesn't always go my way

Feels like I'm caught in the middle

That's when I realize

I'm not a girl, not yet a woman

All I need is time, a moment that is mine

While I'm in between

I'm not a girl

There is no need to protect me

It's time that I

Learn to face up to this on my own

I've seen so much more than you know now

So don't tell me to shut my eyes

I'm not a girl, not yet a woman

All I need is time, a moment that is mine

While I'm in between

I'm not a girl

But if you look at me closely

You will see it in my eyes

This girl will always find her way

I'm not a girl, not yet a woman

All I need is time, a moment that is mine

While I'm in between

I'm not a girl

I'm not a girl, don't tell me what to believe

I'm just trying to find the woman in me

Oh, all I need is time

A moment that is mine, That's mine

While I'm in between

I'm not a girl, not yet a woman, no no

All I need is time, a moment that is mine

While I'm in between

I'm not a girl

Not yet a woman

Just A Thought: What the caterpillar calls The End, the world knows as a Butterfly.

LoveRodents

2008-10-06T01:54:00.006+05:30

Most people are used to seeing lovebirds, even bunnies for that matter. But for us pharma-people, rodents are the symbol of love and togetherness… their companionship is really touching whenever they're threatened (which is pretty regular). They'll huddle together, often clamber on top of each other, or bury their tiny heads into the even tinier hands trying to escape the sight of the giant shiny needle advancing to pierce their peritoneal cavities. Seeing them trembling in a corner of some weird apparatus with zombie lights and fancy bells which is supposed to do who-knows-what-and-why is one of the saddest sights I've had to endure. But here's a nice one for the lucky ones who can claim to have never hurt even a mice…

Just a thought: अहिंसा परमो धर्मः

Google Chrome

2008-09-06T03:15:00.003+05:30

Try it out people... atleast for the sake of variety. Been using it for a few days now n found that apart from its sleek look, it doesnt have much to offer... though there's this strange arrangement where Ctrl+S doesn't work n you have to save pages you are viewing from the adress bar... weird by Google standards.

DOWNLOAD IT from here: http://www.google.com/chrome/index.html?hl=en&brand=CHMG&utm_source=en-hpp&utm_medium=hpp&utm_campaign=en

Just a Thought: Does it matter at all?

New Shoes

2008-09-03T23:55:00.007+05:30

I know every person worth his sports shoes has seen and loved the song/video/advertisement zillions of years ago. Just that I could not imagine my blog without a single post about THIS:

Stale, maybe, but it totally works for me!

Platform Number 9 ¾, Asansol

2008-09-03T23:26:00.004+05:30

Ever wished you could reach Platform Number 9 ¾, Kings Cross Station, London, just in time to board the Hogwarts Express and land up at Hogwarts? I don’t know if anyone has found out the secret passage at the London railway station yet, but someone has definitely discovered the entrance to the platform at Asansol… its right there at my college campus!! Cool, na? Take a look at the sign board they’ve put up there:

For now, it’s been sealed off with some wizardry and requires a password or something (that permission thing is just to confuse you, i tell you), because when I tried entering it a la Harry et al, I ended up with a bad bruise on my forehead. So while I figure out the magic words (it’s not Open Sesame, neither is it Sorry nor Thank you), you tell me if you think you have something that might work. Till then, it’ll have to be fiction for us Muggers.

Just a Thought: There are more things in heaven and earth than you can ever imagine.

Almost Indistinguishable

2008-08-31T03:17:00.003+05:30

The day

Had begun with the Summer Of ’69, like all others

And was over before I knew, like all others.

It was distinguishable

From the thousands of clones

Only for the odd incident which happened;

As the dining room clock ticked away

The minutes to midnight,

And I tip-toed to the refrigerator

For a scoopful of Cream ‘n Cookies,

Through the spooky passage

Where a sliver of moon peeped in through the window,

When I recoiled at a touch-

“I’ve stepped on someone’s fingers!

Now I’ll be slapped!!”

Groping for the light switch in the semi-darkness,

I reasoned to myself:

I was no longer in kindergarten,

And there were no bullies around.

With the light came the knowledge-

It was a poor wayward lizard which I’d stepped upon

And no little girl’s little finger

Relieved that no creature was hurt

(The lizard wasn’t even bruised,

Thanks to my light, noiseless steps),

I switched off the lights

And continued on my midnight rendezvous,

Wary of the other nocturnals around me.

Just a Thought: Isn’t it great that past is past?