My experiments with words

Steve Jobs

2012-01-16T20:14:00.003-06:00

I am reading a non-academic book after long and what a wonderful book I have to resume my reading - the biography of Steve Jobs. I have only read it half way but am already in awe of the genius and his penchant for perfection. Adi who has finished reading it says that as you read the book your liking for Jobs will follow a bell curve. You begin by disliking him for all his quirky behavior and instead love the soft Woznaik and by mid-way his crazy antics exasperate you. But as you progress you realize the genius of the guy and his zeal and passion to create some beautiful products which only he could have thought of and pursued to perfection. I cant wait to read more but at the same time I don't want it to finish fast. Hats off to you Sir! Updating the blog from my mac :-)

And you can't fight the tears

2012-01-12T23:04:00.000-06:00


that aint coming..
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight

Yeah I still love this song despite the years that have passed by.

Ok so I am

2012-01-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

a Rubic cube solver :P

Country roads

2011-12-21T14:17:00.003-06:00

Take me home... to the place I belong...Ok, I am not traveling to Inida this December but I really want to go!

The cloud

2011-04-01T16:46:00.002-05:00

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain when with never a stain
The pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams
Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,
I arise and unbuild it again.

~Percy Shelley

Felt like 1996!

2011-03-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

An India-Pak clash in the World cup semi-final where Sachin has a big score and team India shines is what cricketing history will surely have in bold. The match reminded me of the euphoria that followed the quarter-final clash in 1996 and Jadeja's blitzkrieg. The only thing missing for sure was the fireworks after every fall of wicket.

Global Warming

2011-03-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I stumbled upon a tweet by someone which claimed global warming to be a hoax. I felt kind of sad that there are many people like this who blissfully take the stand without knowing or having the inclination to know anything about climate and to make matters worse politicians try to politicize the issue instead of taking concrete actionable steps. I think there is a gap between what researchers know and what the general public knows. What is badly needed is the ability to transform the results from climate scientists and let the world know of things at large. In this post I try to do my two bit to transform some knowledge that I learned in the past one year. Please note that I am no climate scientist but I am a data miner by training and have been working with climate data to find systematic ways to mine information from it.

Climate prediction is an inherently hard problem because the Earth is not a simple linear stationary system. There are about 20 institutes all over the globe which run complex mathematical equations using laws from physics to generate the interactions between atmosphere, ocean, land surface and simulate the climate seen so far and make predictions on the future. These models inform the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) about climate change. While these models may vary in their prediction of a regional phenomenon they all agree that the anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas(GHG) Emissions are causing the warming of the planet. To understand the seriousness of the issue look at the following plot. The average global temperature of the Earth was less than 0C until the year 2000 and in the absence of human induced GHG emissions the planet would have been cooling! However projections of climate show that the in the situation of the warming of the Earth the average temperature can increase upto 4C by 2100. That is a lot as it will cause the rise in sea level and change in precipitation patterns. The different colored lines show the different scenarios defined by IPCC of GHG emissions and for the past 10 years we have been living the worst case scenario.

On the same note I came across this article from Nature Into Ignorance on how the US Congress was poised to pass legislation that would overturn a scientific finding on the dangers of global warming.
To quote from Nature,
"It is hard to escape the conclusion that the US Congress has entered the intellectual wilderness, a sad state of affairs in a country that has led the world in many scientific arenas for so long. Global warming is a thorny problem, and disagreement about how to deal with it is understandable. It is not always clear how to interpret data or address legitimate questions. Nor is the scientific process, or any given scientist, perfect. But to deny that there is reason to be concerned, given the decades of work by countless scientists, is irresponsible."

It's been a year...

2011-03-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

Since I started working on Climate. Have you ever wondered if you create a graph out of all the locations on the Earth as the nodes and the edges as the correlation between the timeseries of air temperature, pressure, etc, how would it look like ? The following is a heatmap of all the negative edges on the globe in Pressure. The negative edges are fascinating because they imply that two locations on the Earth have negative correlation in Pressure (anomalies) and not only that these negative edges correspond to some well known climate phenomenon like the El-Nino which is responsible for climate changes like droughts, hurricanes, warming throughout the globe. For one year my research life has been to find these dipoles and study their behavior. So far so good.

Veggie Pasta

2010-12-25T13:11:00.000-06:00

(Recipe courtesy my sis-in-law.)

Serves 2
You would need:
Two cups boiled Penne pasta (add salt while boiling)
2 Tbsp Black Olives
3 Tbsp coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes
3 Tbsp water soaked artichokes
3 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 tbsp ketchup
some minced garlic
Spices : Oregano , black pepper , salt , red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp Olive oil

Method :
Set pan on high flame, add oil
Add onions , saute it for a minute.
Add green peppers , saute it for a minute.
Add : olive , sun dried tomatoes, artichokes , garlic , oregano - a pinch.
When veggies look done, add ketchup , puree, salt, mix it well for half a minute
Add boiled Penne pasta
mix it well. cover it and simmer it for 5 minutes.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese(optional)

Marathi wives

2010-07-23T13:45:00.000-05:00

Got this forward from a friend and couldnt stop laughing out loud! Its in Marathi though.

If Columbus had a marathi wife, he would never discover America, coz.. Wife wud ask - Kuthe challalat? Kona barobar? Kase janar? Kai shodhaila jatai? Ikde milnar nahi ka? Nehmi Tumhich ka? Parat Kadhi Yenar? Mitra barobar asatilach? Daru roz dhosanaar na? Me ithe ekti kai karu? Me pan yeu ka? COLUMBUS: Jau de Cha aaila.. Nahi jaat!

For my dear Nani

2010-06-05T11:17:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

This circle of life and death I do not understand. What I understand is please don't take her love away from me...

J

Small wonder

2010-03-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

Me was sitting in the ITLabs breaking my head coding the distributed hash table assignment all alone in the night when Adi pings and I tell him I feel like having an icecream. Within minutes Adi calls up and when I go to his lab he has a big pack of Ben n Jerry banana split chocolate nut icecream ready! Knowing Adi for more than 6-7 years now it came to me as a pleasant surprise! (So much that I decided to blog it!) Sometimes we ignore and forget small gestures from our dear ones, but life's true happiness is basically a sum of all these small wonderful things.

If...

2010-02-13T18:36:00.001-06:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

~Rudyard Kipling

Birthday gift

2009-12-18T14:18:00.000-06:00

Adi prepared halwa at midnight trying to pretend that he didnt remember my birthday but I checked his mailbox and he had already ordered a gift :P. Amber & Shruti paid a surprise visit to our house at 12 am. I really appreciated their efforts, the absolutely yummy cake and the gifts. But the most touching present that came from them was a placard which had some simple words written on it "chase your dreams". I sometimes feel friends can read your mind without having to speak or explain anything to them. Needless to say I really loved it.

Raju Srivastava Sholay

2009-03-13T01:55:00.000-05:00

Absolutely ROTFL =))

Raju Srivastava

2009-03-13T01:39:00.002-05:00

One of the favorite timepass at our house especially when Amber (Adi's friend) is also around is to watch Raju Srivastava shows. So much so that I think we have watched all of his videos available on you tube. But after watching this one I couldnt stop tears in my eyes laughing. Enjoy !

And I just love

2009-01-18T23:15:00.000-06:00

A spick and span house and a spotless kitchen. Kudos to my hubby :P

First snowfall of the season

2008-11-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

Ok ..almost first. View from our bedroom window this morning.

Bring it on!

2008-10-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

After a mammoth splurge on winter wear (800$$), eliza feels all prepared for the winter and snow. Infact at this moment she is feeling very warm and cosy sitting on her pile of shopping. Went to the mall of america today which happens to be the biggest mall in the US. Spend an entire day hopping shops and picking up jackets, sweaters, warm shirts, gloves, caps, thermals, etc. So all you lords of frost and ice, bring it on!

PS1: Next on list snow boots and a big warm hat.
PS2: The mall is a wonderful place with fun rides, food stalls, and hundreds of shops.
PS3: The gobi aloo subji that I prepared today surprisingly tasted so good.
PS4: Someone please clean up the after mess. Oh how much I miss India and my cook.
PS5: Someone please do the bundle of laundry.
PS6: Someone please do my homework :(
PS7: Someone please do some preparation for my weekly advisor meeting.
PS8: Nishit would say I need twitter :D

Theory of relativity

2008-10-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

It has been a month since I first cribbed about cold here. It is 14 degrees again at 2 pm today (and would continue to be so or even lower this month.) However I am finding it ok. My officemate at the RA office was telling me that in March when I see 5 degree C, I will be calling it nice and warm. I nodded my head and thought that's the power of relativity.

On your marks

2008-08-11T05:48:00.000-05:00

Get set and go.. I am all set to fly out of India tomorrow and I have in me a lot of mixed feelings. I am apprehensive about the new place, harsh climate, sub zero temperatures, grad studies, staying away from family for longer, interacting with a batch much much younger than me and unsettling myself when I should have long settled down and not to mention with kids. At the same time I am excited about doing full fledged research and more importantly with Adi by my side. I am excited about writing papers and studying and learning all that I thought I missed during my college days. I have decided not to set very high goals for myself or push myself but to just be sincere in my efforts and enjoy the moment.

Brinjal fry

2008-08-03T02:20:00.000-05:00

I learned this today (yeah I am in Delhi!). It looked absolutely yummy and I thought I should note it down lest I forget.

Ingredients - (for 2 people)
Small brinjals - 6
Amchur powder - 2 tblsp
Dhaniya powder - 3 tblsp
Souf powder - 3 tblsp
Sarso oil
Turmeric powder
Salt
Jeera - 1 tsp

Recipe 1 - Bharma Baigan
Make 4 vertical cuts in brinjals without removing the lower stem so that the brinjal is still a single piece. Mix dhaniya powder, souf powder (souf grinded), amchur powder, salt, turmeric powder, 1 tblsp sarso oil in a bowl. Fill the masala in brinjals without spilling it over. Put 2 big spoons oil in a frying pan. Put jeera in the oil when heated. Add 1 tsp dhaniya powder to it. Put the brinjals in the oil and cover it until they get cooked. Point to be noted do not put water in the brinjals, the brinjals need to be cooked in oil. If needed put water on a plate with which the brinjals are covered.

Recipe 2 - Aaloo baigan
Take 2 tblsp oil in kadai. When the oil gets heated put 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp souf powder, 1 tsp dhaniya powder in it. Add the brinjals and potato. Add salt and turmeric. Add already fried and cut onion. Cover the kadai with a plate of water. You can sprinkle water in this one. After the brinjals are done add 1 tsp of amchur powder to it and cook for 2 mins.

Singapore

2008-07-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

Here we come :-)

http://www.sigir2008.org/workshops.html

Of Marbles, Jars and Life

2008-07-15T08:59:00.000-05:00

You are a prisoner in a foreign land. Your fate will be determined by a little game. There are two jars, one with 50 white marbles, and one with 50 black marbles. At this point, you are allowed to redistribute the marbles however you wish (e.g. swap a black marble with a white marble, etc.): the only requirement is that after you are done with the redistribution, every marble must be in one of the two jars. afterwards, both jars will be shaken up, and you will be blindfolded and presented with one of the jars at random. then you pick one marble out of the jar given to you. If the marble you pull out is white, you live; if black, you die. how should you redistribute the marbles to maximize the probability that you live; what is this maximum probability (roughly)

Ans - Put one white marble in one jar and put all the other white marbles in the other jar.
Probability of white getting selected - 1/2(1) + 1/2(49/99) roughly = 3/4

Height of absent mindedness

2008-06-06T07:07:00.000-05:00

Ravi pings me - "Hi jaya"
I ping back - "Hi jaya"

After 2 mins I realize what I wrote :D

One year of togetherness

2008-04-07T05:20:00.000-05:00

It still feels like our first night together
Feels like the first kiss and
It's gettin' better baby
No one can better this
I'm still hold on and you're still the one
The first time our eyes met it's the same feelin' I get
Only feels much stronger and I wanna love ya longer
You still turn the fire on

And finally Dilwale dulhaniya le jaayenge

2008-03-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

No, nothing else matters....

Hmm....

2008-02-25T01:33:00.000-06:00

Are we responsible for what we do ? responsible for what happens ? When is it that things slip out of our hands and reach a point of no return ? Or are they always in our hands ? I fail to answer this right now.

New additions to our house...

2008-02-17T03:40:00.000-06:00

Market mayhem

2008-01-22T08:14:00.000-06:00

Got this forward regarding the market mayhem and couldnt stop laughing

Latest Blockbuster "SAARE ZAMEEN PAR" ..
Premiered Yesterday at BSE and NSE..
Directed and Produced by Ambani Bros,
POWER ON.. MARKET GONE

Talking about status messages...

2008-01-20T09:11:00.000-06:00

Our relationship started on yahoo messenger. For about six months, we used to chat incessantly for about 4 hours during the night on average. Adi had a unique way of expressing his thoughts as status messages on Yahoo messenger but never telling them directly to me. The messages were mainly lyrics of songs but I liked their usage.... So much that I still remember some of them and their context.

1. When we started chatting "Smells like teen spirit"

2. When one day I said I'll be back to chat but dint return for long "Oh oo she has taken the stairway to heaven"

3. In a flirtatious mood "We'll stand for love united come together undivided". I asked him whom is the status message for and pat came the reply "for my sister who just came online".. needless to say I dint trust him :P

4. When we had our first fight - "Crash tests dummies"

5. When we had a long long chat from 9 pm to 5 am and I got angry over something "Naraz savera hai"

6. Someday "Heal me I am heartsick"

7. Another fight "Careless whisper"

8. When the chats were getting addictive "You're like my fav damn disease"

9. And our first coffee date the one which floored me the most "And I hope those eyes dont steal my freedom"

10. When we first shook hands "Sleight of hand"

11. And when we started going around "I was stone her light made me star"

12. Later on "I'll be there for you These five words I swear to you"

And status message these days - blank :|

Regex tips

2008-01-19T12:04:00.000-06:00

1. ?: => To not to capture the text matched within the parenthesis.
2. /i => Case insensitive
3. perl -p -i -e 'some command' file => -e program is in command line -p substition to be done for every line in the file -i changes to be written back to the file when done
4. $line =~ s/^/|> /; => Make every line start with |>
5. ?=\d => Positive lookahead, check if next char is \d without moving cursor
6. ?<=\d => Positive lookbehind
7. ?! => Negative lookahead, check if next char does not match
8. ? Negative lookbehind
9. e.g. s/(?<=ABC)(?=EFG)/D/g => inserts D
10. /x => Free format regex, turns whitespace into ignore me and # into comment. Really helpful for writing complex regexes spanning multiple lines.

No country for old men

2008-01-18T09:46:00.000-06:00

The movie kicked off reminding me of legendary 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly'. I thought if it were a western classic kind of a movie. As it proceeded, it sprang up many surprises and kept me at the edge of my seat(err.. bed). It made me label it as a thriller. And then finally when it ended, I was like what, when, how, why ?? I failed to fathom it, nevertheless people say it is a brilliant movie so may be.

Some 2007 movies to watch

2008-01-16T09:13:00.000-06:00

Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood
The Great Debators
Eastern Promises

The Atonement

2008-01-16T06:19:00.000-06:00

'The Atonement' (ref: http://imdb.com/title/tt0783233/) won the golden globe award for the best movie of the year. I saw it yesterday and knew exactly why. Although I havent seen the other movies competing with it, this one for sure is beautifully made. The movie revolves around the lives of Brioney, her elder sister and the sister's lover and deftly moves back and forward in time. The vivid colors and the lush green gardens in the first half provide an absolute contrast to the sombre war frames in the second half. I liked the way the movie (and yes the novel) did not deviate from its original theme and not try to go too deep in the war. The romance, the pain, the hopelessness and the atonement are so real that you can feel it. Full marks to the director and my two cents on it for the Oscar.

2008-01-13T02:10:00.000-06:00

Madhuri Dixit's comeback vehicle 'Aaja Nachle' has been declared a flop. But I have grown up admiring her and cant forget her countless movies which I watched many times over. Some of her movies which I still love are - Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Dil, Beta, Parinda, Saajan, and of course HAHK.

My foosball champ!

2008-01-11T09:23:00.000-06:00

Shady boy won the yahoo wide foosball tournament! The excitement, tension, competition made it a mini t-20 tournament for me. And the final match drew parallels from the India-Pak draw match . With both team having won two sets each and equally poised at the decider with 4 points each, Shady's match winning goal from the defender's end came like a sixer. Also worth mentioning is Suhas's (Shady's parter) incredulous accuracy and speed with the ball from the attacker's end.
Way to go my gaming gizmo!

Taara zameen par

2007-12-24T13:31:00.000-06:00

I am talking about Aamir Khan! Hats off to the perfectionist for putting this the story of a child so beautifully. The camera movements while trying to capture the child's imagination is brilliant. I saw this at the sprawling new Citywalk mall in Delhi (yeah I am cooling my heels in Delhi).

Yahooooooo!!

2007-11-22T06:49:00.000-06:00

It's me - http://research.yahoo.com/bouncer_user/122 :-)

Calm Sea

2007-10-24T11:35:00.001-05:00

a1 1, originally uploaded by Aditya Pal.

Pic taken by Aditya in SFO

OOPs

2007-10-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

Inheritance Vs. Composition vs Parameterized Types:
Inheritance - white-box-reuse. Internals of parent class visible.
Inheritance defined at compile time. Possible to modify implementation. (overriding)
Disadv - Parent class influence the physical representation.
Composition - black box reuse. No internal details visible.
Composition - defined at run time. Wont break encapsulation. Class hierarchies will remain small.
General rule of thumb - Prefer Composition over Inheritance.
Parmeterized Types - Generics , Templates

Soul touching renditions

2007-10-18T04:02:00.000-05:00

By Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Tere bin dil naiyo lagda - http://youtube.com/watch?v=rrfITzLhCqM
Afreen Afreen - http://youtube.com/watch?v=zmB8yt-wf7A
Piya re - http://youtube.com/watch?v=7oscIjdZix8

Short n sweet

2007-10-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

I came across this algorithm - Sieve of Eratosthenes to generate prime numbers from 2 to n.


public boolean[] sieve(int n)
{
   boolean[] prime=new boolean[n+1];
   Arrays.fill(prime,true);
   prime[0]=false;
   prime[1]=false;

   int m=Math.sqrt(n);

   for (int i=2; i<=m; i++)
      if (prime[i])
         for (int k=i*i; k<=n; k+=i)
            prime[k]=false;

   return prime;
}

Some lines these

2007-09-03T08:31:00.000-05:00

A love is immortalized even as it dies...
A union is celebrated even as it breaks...
A hero is born, even as he is defeated...

Java Lessons - part 1

2007-09-01T06:23:00.000-05:00

My java learnings for the day -
1. Always implement toString - It seriously is a pain for otherwise to decode the object.
2. Be aware of memory leaks! Nullify object references when required but NOT always. At times trust the garbage collector ;).
3. Evaluate static factory methods vs. constructors.
4. Singletons are a great way to ensure single object instance.
5. Object creation is costly! It hurts performance many times over. Create only when you should.

Not again!

2007-08-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

Sachin out on 99! Not again :(
Tondulkar is missing it by whiskers time n again so often these days :(
Damn it.. I get back to watching Friends.

Lost in the wilderness

2007-07-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

A bunch of toys
The little best doll
Cycling to school
The paperboat adrift
Hide and seek
Dance in the rains
Lost in the wilderness

A lullaby
A squirrel's run
A breath of fresh air
Green and green fields
Mountains to climb
Roads to run
Lost in the wilderness

The touch that would heal
The kiss that would seal
The bosom that would feel
Lost in the wilderness

Love all around love
Hearty Heaven above
All that peace dove
Lost in the wilderness

Adi-Jaya

2007-07-16T05:57:00.001-05:00

nandi 357, originally uploaded by Aditya Pal.

Test post ... I am checking flickr blogs

Matchbox -20 : If you're gone

2007-07-11T03:35:00.000-05:00

This is one absolutely unforgettable number from the band. I just loveeeee this number. And no no, its not my wussiness at display. It's just mere coincidence that someone is in Sunnyvale!

I think I've already lost you
I think you're already gone
I think I'm finally scared now
You think I'm weak - but I think you're wrong
I think you're already leaving
Feels like your hand is on the door
I thought this place was an empire
But now I'm relaxed - I can't be sure

I think you're so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I'm just scared - I think too much
I know this is wrong it's a problem I'm dealing

If you're gone - maybe it's time to go home
There's an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone - baby you need to come home
Cuz there's a little bit of something me
In everything in you

I bet you're hard to get over
I bet the room just won't shine
I bet my hands I can stay here
I bet you need - more than you mind

I think you're so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I'm just scared - that I know too much
I can't relate and that's a problem I'm feeling

If you're gone - maybe it's time to go home
There's an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone - baby you need to come home
Cuz there's a little bit of something me
In everything in you

I think you're so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I'm just scared - do I talk too much
I know this is wrong it's a problem I'm dealing

If you're gone - maybe it's time to go home
There's an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone - baby you need to come home
Cuz there's a little bit of something me
In everything in you

Great bong!

2007-07-05T06:16:00.000-05:00

Excerpts from greatbong.net on Aap ka suroor -

"Himesh Reshammiya’s acting is a revelation. Just like his most exquisite works of music are but an assemblage of simple notes, his acting is also a composition of very elemental histrionic elements. First there is the constipated, eyes slitted intense look. Then there is the Angelina Jolie -Narasimha Rao pout which we are to believe make women go weak in the knees. And of course the passionate eye closing “passing-stool” expression. For variety, he also bites the air and sometimes preloads “expressions” on his face even before the dialogue that is supposed to trigger that expression has been spoken."

Oh man, I am already on the floor laughing!

That part of me....

2007-06-15T05:34:00.000-05:00

That part of me which I left long ago, suddenly became alive yesterday while watching the Wimbledon 93 finals match between Steffi Graf and Jana Novotna. What a match it was and I still distinctly remeber the score how Steffi won - 7-6, 1-6, 6-4. A hard to believe comeback! But thatz what Steffi was made up of and I loved watching her matches during my school days. Miss you Steffi!

Kodai rocks!

2007-06-11T03:15:00.000-05:00

I went to kodai this weekend with family. It sure is an awesome place worth a watch.

Find the pics at -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/n1b/sets/72157600336118340/detail/

Also see my fav pic -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/n1b/539091091/

Pati, patni aur ...

2007-05-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

...TV
Sincere advice to all married people - do not buy TV :P
My husband is so much addicted to it that I had to give him the dhamki bollywood style ' Is ghar mein ya phir ye rahega ya phir mein'. Needless to say Aditya nonchalantly said 'TV'

Realization

2007-05-14T00:59:00.000-05:00

What a day to for me to realize something! I was cooking yesterday trying my hand at some new recipes downloaded from the net when I realized that when you put in so much efforts in cooking, two good words about the cooking from people for whom you have cooked makes you feel so satisfied. That reminded me of one lady who does it atleast thrice a day everyday , year after year, without any break, without complaining and rarely gets a compliment in return - yes she is your and my mother! I salute you Mom! Btw, yesterday was Mothers Day.

Can't stop this thing we started...

2007-03-22T03:55:00.002-05:00

I'm going home today to finally settle my most thought about event in the past few months !

Invitations :

Shady speaketh

2007-03-03T01:36:00.000-06:00

Shady unravled the source code of life,
And I was amused by his sarcastic knife!
His words were live and rife
And for that I give Shady a hi-five!

More shady speaketh at : http://n1b.livejournal.com

Clauses of Ifs and Buts,
With salutation of Gotos
My life is a comment of #TODOs

Classes of Java that seems so true
Even abstracts the shit out of you
Methods, consistent, pure as morning dew
Hats to polymorphism that cooks a great stew
Why Life not a JVM, i humbly rue
No thread pool coming my view

All i see is run time exception
Running towards me from all direction
There she leaves me, my only attraction
Cast by a class of Gender objection
Limitless overflows in my math projection
Preposterous this is, my head falls in rejection

The syntax errors i see, is my failure
Seg faults hits me like the sword of cavalier
Press F8 or F9 it falls on deaf ear
Debug how hard i might, it leaves me in tear
Undo the bad, Good how to redo, my dear

A million line code this life has become
Scattered in 100 files, way too cumbersome
How do i compile, i cant figure how to link
my life is at stake, my existence at brink

I wish i were like an open source Project ..
At the mercy of engineers and architect
They would have versonized and made me bug free
Immunized from bacteria, and worms of the tree
Money that i have to earn with day and night sweat
Would have flowed with addition of ls, rm and cat

There is only one exit and i am dead
die won't print, last words of my head
What i log, archive and store
Left here to be plundered by whores

One thing 's for sure ..
My life 's a million line code

Apocalypse Now

2007-03-01T22:30:00.000-06:00

There are some movies which you think are brilliant, well made and well enacted but at the same time abstruse, profound and difficult to fathom. Apocalyse Now is one such movie for me ! The best part of the movie according to me was the title song with 'This is the end..' with Martin Sheen's head upside down. I guess I should have seen the rest of the movie with my head upside down :D

The Illusionist

2007-02-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

I just saw this movie and couldn't help blogging about it. It is one hell of a movie! Absolutely enticing keeps you spellbound. For those who saw 'The Prestige' and liked it as well, watch this one. It sure is 10 times better than 'The Prestige'!

Pan's labyrinth

2007-02-19T05:46:00.000-06:00

Saw this much talked about movie. Well to begin with it is definitely over hyped. The movie has bagged several best picture awards and nominations (recently BAFTA), but it not worth the hoopla it created. However, it is a good movie no doubt about that. The little girl is perfect to play the poised princess. The director has very well intertwined magical interludes with a stark war backdrop. The performers have done justice to their roles. The cinematography is also superb and the movie deservedly got an oscar nomination for it. Watch it minus the hype that you've heard and perhaps you'll enjoy it!

Flags of our fathers

2007-02-12T22:24:00.000-06:00

This movie is about the American side of the story in WW-II. It is an amazing movie. The movie tries to bring forth the point that superheroes are nothing but normal people with normal desires and wants.
Gives me yet another reason to love Client Eastwood!
I am dying to watch 'Letters from Iwo Jima' again by the same director and which is the Japanese version of the battle. (I have downloaded the Japanese movie and will watch it with subtitles :D) This one has got more Oscar nominations than the Flags..

'I'-tune

2007-01-13T07:31:00.000-06:00

I'm looking forward to - Going home, finally :D
I hate - Fools!
I loved some amazing movies I saw recently - Godfather -1,2 (Al Pacino rocks!! I did not like it when I saw it first!), Psycho- 1,2, The Departed, The Pursuit of Happyness, Hide and Seek, The Seige, The Prestige
I am tired of - Long weekends! Arghh
I am happy with - My all new play list - Free falling lover, hanging by a moment, turn the page, sexy back, lonely day, et all
I am in awe of - Perl (still :D)
I feel disappointed by - The system!
I wish I had a - credit card (I cant believe after having dozens of pestering calls everyday and filling up the forms thrice I still couldnt procure it!)
I am reading - The Bhagwad Gita (I am particularly happy reading this.), Atlas Shrugged (my never ending saga)
I have bought - one little black skirt for the new year eve only to discover upon reaching the venue that it was not so little!
I had a very satiating lunch after long - Methi bhaji, Chapati, Masoor ki daal, Rice, Butter :D
I am touched by - Acts of kindness!
I am addicted to - my headphones.
I cannot survive without - Mehendi on my hair!
I watch a lot of - Southpark - I finished one season :D
I wanted to go to - Waynaad, Kerela :(
I miss - Italian Pasta at Ice Spice near IITK.
I read gossips about - Abhi-Aish wedding. They indeed make a hot couple!
I cant sleep - with tubelights on :(
I make the use of my pen the most - during meetings - I can draw so well :D
I find funny - Guys with ponytails :P
I find funnier - cringing sycophants esp following a girl
I feel blessed - after a great night sleep
I eat a lot - I eat a lot
I drink a lot - Tea

The unspoken

2006-11-03T01:14:00.000-06:00

Some words are unspoken
As ineffable is the joy
If you seek to find meaning
Look into the bearer's eye
When words fail to stand by you
Your tears cannot lie

Some words are unspoken
As the parlance stymies your try
The misunderstanding, the distress and the confusion
Leaves you high and dry
That others you trusted cannot fathom
And you founder to find out why

Some words are unspoken
As there is no shoulder to cry
There is no dearth of people around you
But a friendly hand is not nearby
Such words cause a wistful desire
But fade away as time goes by

Some words are unspoken
As the listener has kissed you goodbye
No money no power can restitute
No divine intervention can try
Such words remain with you lifelong
Until when you die

Don don don

2006-11-01T05:38:00.000-06:00

Yea I know everybody has watched it or read the reviews by now. But I-have-an-opinion and I will blog it too!
First things first. To enjoy the movie dont make any comparisons with the classic AB don. Only AB can carry two contrasting characters of Vijay and Don with poise - no sorry Shahrukh but you cant, you dint. I personally being a fan of AB movies of the 70s era find any imitation of his burlesque. Another point to enjoy is to have a short term memory just like the director. He has made the difference between the 2 characters so barely discerning that you tend to presume Don is Vijay or Vijay is Don. Another thing is dont expect an intricate plot, rather dont expect a plot. Characters are poorly developed and thrown at random on the viewer. And lastly dont go by the name - nobody in the movie comes close to being called a don. The most outrageous one is Singhania ofcourse who is supposed to be Don's Godfather. But a noble lesson that I learned from the movie is that girls have access to the most intimidating dons even when the hapless police are baffled by them time and again! Dawood Ibrahim, here I come...
No that doesnt mean I did not enjoy the movie. The best part of the movie is the climax, well no kidding. Also the background score adds to its appeal. Shahrukh looks the most impressive in his I-am-Don I-care-a-damn I-am-cool disposition in the fisrt half. I simply adored his dialogue - 'Romantic baatein mujhe boring lagti hai'. Probably because of my predilection towards men on screen who have the gumption to say that and condone a sexy babe (a la Client Eastwood in his many movies). While talking of such babes - Kareena manages to look her fattiest best - the way she shakes her heavy frame in ye mera dil only makes you wonder why the roof dint fall! But Priyanka looks svelte with oomphs and oodles. Yea yea I know she is sexy and I hate her. Well dint I tell you that I hate sexy girls! Nevertheless, Shahrukh as Don is by far very impressive as compared to the underplayed Vijay whose character was very poorly developed by the director. Worth a dekho for the miniscule antics of Shahrukh and the climax.

Sometimes somedays

2006-10-12T02:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wish the stars fall by,
I pick them up and quietly pass by.

Sometimes I wish the summer dust settle in mild shower,
And disseminate the earth's fragrance in marigold flower

Sometimes I wish I climb up the everest peak,
Spread my arms and feel the zephyr creak

Sometimes I wish I had a magic wand,
Banish all misery with sleight of hand

Sometimes I wish I clear the evil around
All the vices and malevolence bury in ground

Sometimes I wish I close my eye,
When I open again in my arms you lie.

The God is back!

2006-09-14T06:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah!
Score - 141
Balls - 148
fours - 13
sixes - 5

Leaves everyone spellbound!
All those who had written obituaries of his cricketing career eat their own words yet again!
He is undoubtedly the god of all things in cricket!

Hmm...

2006-09-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

You know you are growing old when -

* You have officially, legally, formally crossed the wronger than wrong side of twenties.
* You are one of the seniormost members of your team, the other senior member is your 40 yr old manager.
* The no of guys proposing you in the last 2 years was ...amm..hmm..ahem..umm..
* The last time a guy whistled at you was...amm..ummm..ehhh..ohh...
* Well you care a damn that the integration of the above 2 equations approaches zero.
* Most of the people around you are atleast 2 yrs younger than you.
* People call you aunty. (This does not include Nishit as he is the only person entitled to do so, so far....)
* When you have a same sex get together you tend not to discuss men but just one man.
* You wear the same t-shirt and jeans every second day and to the office despite having your wardrobe seemingly full.
* It makes you look jhalli or atleast your bf tells so but you are unruffled.
* Increasing weight does not quite affect you.
* You take more interviews than what you have given in your lifetime.
* Exam, what exam ?
* Books, what books ? yawwwn
* You have exactly 4 and a half white hair on your head. It has been long since you've stopped noticing them or their new siblings.
* Most of your school friends are now mother of 2 kids.
* You move towards philosophy - learn to accept things and do not crib. It's a part of growing up!
* When you ruminate about your demeanor in some indicents in the past you get embarrassed and conclude that you were puerile then.
* You are more sympathetic towards old people than what you were before.
* You no longer like romantic mushy movies and would rather settle for some art or comedy movie.
* Whenever you bump upon an aquaintance it takes you some time before you map whether you know him from your school/ be/ mtech/ job days.
* When you think people celebrating valentine's day is silly.
* When Shahrukh's movies make you puke.
* When you need to consult your kid brother to buy a new tshirt and the one he tells you to buy you think is too bold.
* The last time you applied make up while going out was ..gulp
* Your concept of makeup kit consists of one box of nivea cream and one talcum powder.
* You have 6 pairs of sandals (out of which 2 are brand new) but you always wear your flat floaters.
* When people fighting over newsgroups only evokes one reaction from you - grow up!
* When you go to a mall to buy some clothes, you feel like you are like alice in wonderland with all weird clothes around - you will feel ashamed to wear even in your swimming pool.
* A lot of your male college friends are balding.
* When all the new heroines look the same to you.
* When tennis stars, miss indias, new cricketers, heroines, models, are younger than you.
* People whom you grew up admiring are in the twilight of their careers.
* You write blogs like this.

Some things I love

2006-09-01T00:26:00.000-05:00

* Reading blogs of friends
* A shower after the gym
* Sabudana khichdi
* MLTR - 25 Minutes
* White butter
* Scripting languages
* Impulsive shopping in a sale
* GNR - November Rain
* Stone cold guys in movies a la Client Eastwood (El Bruno..) and Johnny Depp (Pirates..-I)
* Giving demonstrations of my culinary skills at home
* Listening to songs in infinite loop
* Applying mehendi to my hair on Sundays
* Caring friends
* Strong-at-heart people
* GNR - Sweet child o mine
* Preparing a full meal
* Applying Lipstick
* Reading a long email
* Bheege hoth tere (Murder)
* VRCE gang get togethers (yeah I hate being the target though :( )
* Flat floaters
* A good manager
* The all girlie mehfils at home discussing the man in your life
* The stretches and abs taught by my gym instructor
* Long bike rides on traffic free roads as a pillon rider
* Honest people. (may their tribe increase!)
* Preparing a things to do list
* People working despite the rotten system (a la Chandrashekar the ex-Commisioner of Ngp who changed the face of Ngp)
* Dance like noone's watching
* Vising VNIT and talking to Moghe sir when in Nagpur
* Amitabh movies from the 70s era
* An unexpected call from a long lost friend
* The irrepressible happiness on the face of friends after marrying their loved ones (a la Meghana)
* Watching videos of songs
* Steffi Graf
* Sleeping on my mom's lap
* Watching old photos
* Skirts
* Cloudy sky with lots of wind
* Pani puri
* Anshu applying mehendi on my hand
* Listening to love stories of friends
* Outings with the IITK gang (esp the Antakshiri and Dumb Cs)
* My family
* Watching the first rain after summer
* Reading a paper
* A freebie won
* Shady's monkey business
* Women of substance (kinda Indira Nooyi, Kajol, etc)
* Chatting with mom at home
* India winning a rare medal in Olympics
* Creating a neat UI
* Wearing a saree on rare ocassions ofcourse!
* Listening to people sing (as I cant :( )
* Nagpur roads
* Mango shake
* Shopping for home
* Rahul Dravid
* Long hair
* Festivals esp the food
* Shahrukh Khan in DDLJ
* Weekend sleeps without the alarm
* Atlas Shrugged (couldnt help but mention again)
* A free T-shirt
* A Smile
* A warm hug
* Shady

Omkara

2006-08-24T23:43:00.000-05:00

I finally relented and succumbed to the pressure and went for a 10 pm Omkara show yesterday. I was wrongly presuming Omkara to be a tear-jerking loser's story which would leave me fuming in the end. Yeah it has a tragic end but perhaps since I knew it beforehand I was quite prepared for it! And yes Omkara lives upto all the rave reviews it has fetched. The clear winner is definitely Saif Ali Khan who looks very convincing in his role of the wily Langda Tyaagi. He mumbles all those expletives with ease and dons a look that resembles a UP thug the most. Kareena Kapoor manages to look ethereal and somehow I feel whenever she tones down her make up she has the capability to weave magic. Ajay Devgun is his normal self with the silent intense look. Konkana Sen is one lady who can perform any role with aplomb. She looks as rustic as her husband-in-the-movie Saif. After seeing her 15th Park Avenue and many other movies I have no doubt about her histrionics. The director has done a wonderful job too with the sets and the extras all looking like straight out of UP. And yes all those gaalis in chaste hindi were difficult to fathom. But ont thing I failed to empathize in the movie was the jealousy factor of Omkara in the movie. He did not seem to have definite reason to commit the heinous crime. I feel there should have been more reasons for Omkara to cast aspersions on his beloved's character and to label her as infidel. Nevertheless a must watch movie.

Chronicles of Elizia

2006-08-22T00:19:00.000-05:00

1. Some things never change : Like the smile on your face upon nearing your hometown and the heaviness of heart when you have to leave it.
2. Home alone : After having a year of rocking time with roomies Sampada, Meghana, Deepa and Vaishali it's time for everyone else to move to their respective lives. Nevertheless I'd cherish the moments of non-stop boisterous laughter on the silliest possible jokes, the marathi speaking training, the movies on laptops, the marriage preparations and discussions, the Ayn Rand fan club, the elaborate mehendi sessions and the typical women talk that all men are alike they squander money they are least bothered and they are uber cool and care a damn when they should.
3. I love gyming : Weighloss or no weightloss I am in love with the office gym. It enlivens me after a hectic day.
4. Sabke baaratein aayi : Close friends around me are beginning to move to the second phase of one's life.
5. I have a dream : Someday I want to construct an old-age home for the aged people. When a person falls sick at a young age he generally has his family to fall back upon and to take care of him but the old people are abandoned to deal with their decrepitude on their own. It baffles me sometimes how people dump their very own parents. I dream to provide a shelter to such senile people.
6. Who is John Galt ? Yes, I am deep into Ayn Rand's another magnum opus 'The Atlas Shrugged'. I share a love hate relationship with her protagonists. I loathe them as I fail to fathom their whims and fancies - I cant apprehend why a lady should annihilate the professional path of the very man she loves and sleep with his rivals, a la The Fountainhead. But I secretly love her characters for what they are. Dagny Taggart is my latest obsession.

K(c)rrrri(a)ssshhhh

2006-07-06T02:48:00.000-05:00

So after reading all those rave reviews of Krish being phenomenal and unprecedental, I decided to check it out myself. And how did I find it ? Umm..ahh err the mask was indeed sexy and Hrithik did manage to look Adonis the greek hunk God in some of the scenes and the swashbuckling jumps did bring out the kid inside me and made me clap! But I dint want my superman to be wussy. I would have relished some more earth-saving histrionics from the macho man rather than see him wasted delivering mushy dialogues and leaving his hometown for the heck of a girl who dint even love him .. arghh .. bollywood will be bollywood afterall!

We the living

2006-06-18T23:40:00.000-05:00

I have finally completed it. It ended on a sombre note but there are several insuperable moments in it. It is the story of a young girl Kira and the people around her on the backdrop of the communist wave that swept Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. One thing that evinces clearly from this novel is Ayn Rand's strong disapproval of Communism. Through Kira she tells us ' dont you know there are things in the best of us which no outside hand should dare to touch. ' The conversation between Andrei Taganov and Kira when they meet at the university is classic and so is the one when she finally confronts him about the 'truth'. The description of Kira attempting to cross the border is another acme of the narrative. The scene when she calls out for her lover Leo that would have been had he been there is quite poignant. Irina's talk to Kira when the last time she meets her is also beautifully knitted. Irina says '..There's your life you begin it feeling that its something so precious and rare so beautiful that its like a sacred treasure and now it's over it doesnt make a difference to anyone, and its not they they are indifferent its just that they dont know, they dont know what it means the treasure of mine ...' In the end Ayn Rand makes one point clear - we the living, the life, the individual, the self-esteem, the values are much above anything else.
While reading the novel I couldnt help but underline one thing about the strife ridden Russia. In Russia, the czar's atrocities led to the communist thinking and his subsequent dethroning. This was not wrong. But what was wrong was the fiendishness in dealing with wealth owners of yesterday - the factory owners, the aristocrats and the counter revolutionaries. Two wrongs dont make a right. Something similar has been brewing up back home too.

Wo / man of substance

2006-06-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Two things. Both very different but moved me in the past few days. First I am reading Ayn Rand's We the living these days. Although I dint quite like her more famous novel Fountainhead, there is something that I cannot deny - her very strong potrayal of characters. I just love the way her characters are so strong and determined in their lives. Be it Howard Roark or Kira Argounova they have an indepedent spirit and an unwavering determination and they both refuse to be cast into moulds and follow their own unbeaten path.
Second. I watched Fanaa yday. The script was pathetic and the movie ludicrous. But Kajol was looking fresh. Her smile still remains as 100 watts as it was a few years ago. I have always surreptitiously admired the way Kajol has carried herself vis-a-vis her relationship with Ajay Devgun. She was the queen of tinsel town when she decided to call it quits give it all for a marriage and a family. Ajay Devgun then was a mere struggling actor. (I believe he has proved himself after his marriage throgh his superlative performaces in movies like Shaheed Bhagat Singh and the like.) It really takes gumption to shy away fame and fortune at the peak of your career and take hard-headed decisions. She took one and it in a way bode well for her. Hats off to the lady!

Pallavi's quote

2006-05-30T06:32:00.000-05:00

In Kanpur Pallavi had a poster of Swami Vivekananda on her desk in the lab with a message -
'Great minds discuss ideas, mediocre minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.
Somehow I just remembered it today and felt like reiterating it.

Orange juice, butter milk and mango icecream

2006-05-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

TGIF and I'm already in the mood. I suddenly realized that for quite some time I have been following this schedule - orange juice and idlis in the morning, butter milk in the afternoon, egg patis in the evening, khichdi at night, Veg crunchie pizaa whenever I go to Pizza Corner, mango icecream when I go to Corner House, PVR whenever I want to watch a movie, poha whenever we roomies prepare breakfast at home, papad whenever I prepare dinner, the same playlist whenever I switch on my headphones, 12 to 8 sleep on the weekdays, the same hush rush to catch the cab in the morn at 8.30, calling up parents every night talking the same things, the same old orkut whenever I want to pass some time online, the same set of friends whenever I want of freak out, the same leg pullings (esp in the VRCE gang) whenever we meet, the same questions kaam kaisa chal raha hai shaadi kab kar rahi/raha hai whenever I speak to a distant friend, the same rush at 10 p.m to get back home, and so on. Not that I am complaining but let me try change the mango icecream with cool casatta sometime!

After life

2006-05-25T00:21:00.000-05:00

I had a dream last night in which I died. After that I was taken to room full of fleecy silvery clouds. From a huge magnificent doorway God appeared and He asked me to choose one defining moment out of my entire life in which I would like to be frozen till eternity. And I patly replied that I want to be frozen in the moment in which I was surrounded by loved ones people whom I love and people who love me. And then I could see heart shaped red balloons and my loved ones. And then even in my sleep I felt so blessed and so happy that it felt like a paradise within paradise. I know it was a dream and I also do not beleive in after life. But when I woke up I knew one thing - the exhilaration of being surrounded by love was not a dream, it was real. Life is too short to requite and bestow love upon your near and dear ones, your friends, your family, your relationships. And you would never get a chance to be frozen till eternity after life with them. Hence always remember to tell them that you love them, care for them, do things for them, forgive them and try never hurt them.

Humesha tumko chaha

2006-05-17T23:19:00.000-05:00

So when you have lots of work to be done but are dependent upon others before the thing gets wrapped up what do you expect to do - yeah blog!
So after a long time I grabbed some hindi songs to be played on my headphones notably from movies of recent past. I'm listening to 2 songs of Devdas in infinite loop right now - Humesha Tumko chaha and Silsila ye chahat ka. Talking of Devdas, I detest it downrightly. I didnt watch the movie in theatre but was forced to watch it once while traveling from Pune to Nagpur by bus. I hate the loser attitude so shamelessly glorified in the movie in the name of love. I beleive that love is much more than simply make a fool out of yourself. I also hate the mountain like ego the two had and the circumstances which led to Paro's marriage. And more than that I hate bacchanalia that Devdas indulges into after losing Paro. Jeez..Grow up! Imagine a 30 yr old strapping man overnight turns boozehound and debilitates himself and finally loses his life for what he thinks is love. I need a break! Nevertheless the songs of the movie are quite refreshing. I especially like Humesha tumko chaha. Shreya Ghoshal has done complete justice to the number. It smells of guileless, unconditional love that refuses to die down in your soul despite all odds for which you are ready to abdicate all worldly pleasures. Listen to the lines woh har ek pal mein dil mein samaye mein le jaa rahi hun and the haunting lines aur chaha chaha chaha bus chaha chaha chaha. They come as a stark contrast to the one night stands and the dumping of bfs/gfs for 'better' prospects that happens so rampantly these days. The love in the song so austere and so immaculate that it moves my heart. The lines O preetam o preetam bina tere mere is jivan mein kuch bhi nahi mean so much. Oh wait..now this is what you call double standards ;)!

Shades of wisdom

2006-05-15T03:32:00.000-05:00

There are 2 kinds of people on this earth - those who only talk about their problems create a rumpus and ho hallah to gain sympathy and those who never talk about their problems cogitate over resolving them silently and work on them. I want to be a part of the latter.

Sleight of hand

2006-05-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

The best thing that I like about weekends is the small 'walk to remember' that I have in the park nearby. If in Blore you just want to spend your time sitting back relaxed in the bosom of the soil watching the sun and the stars then you need to do a reality check. The malls are so disgustingly overcrowded that the air becomes fraught the whiff of your neighbor's sweat. Add to that the traffic is so maddening for the poor roads to withstand that you sometimes wish you had wings! Nevertheless there is a small park near my abode which brings me closer to nature and give me time to relax and indulge in some pschyobabble. During one such walks last weekend I was ruminating over the key to happiness in a person's life. After a few sessions of deliberations in my mind I came to the conclusion that the secret lies in your hand - literally! Many a times in life we cling upon people, desires, thoughts, dreams, relationships, friendships for our survival and hang onto them as our liberator and hold them tight with our fists closed. Failure or separation from our so called liberators is very difficult to come to terms with when our fists are closed. I see it as a rope in our hand which we think would end in bliss and if the rope is stretched a bit too far or is pulled away from us and we tightly cling upon it, it would only result in bleeding of our hands. I'm not advocating not having dreams, desires, relationships, friendships for they form an important part of our existance and distinguish us from machines. But hold the rope lightly in your hand. Enjoy the time when you have the rope in your hand as a blessing. Remember nothing lasts forever. Let go of things. The key to happiness lies in the sleight of your hands.

Kal aaj aur kal

2006-04-25T04:31:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article in the Times today which talked about celebrity parents. The article talked about lavish treatments of new born babies by their superstar moms ranging from Madonna to Britney to our very own Madhuri and Kajol. All the moms were beaming after giving birth to their children and were unduly showering them with extravagance and attention. Cut to real life too I see examples of doting parents derieving pleasure in watching their younger counter parts grow. It's a common sight to see parents sporting their child's photo on the computer desktop. Probably my parents too were delighted in watching me grow up and hence had my photo enlarged in their album albeit not in my dad's office. Most of the celebrity moms jeopardized their careers to take up full time motherhood (ok atleast a few were in the peak of the careers like Kajol.) That makes me think do children return the love and care showered upon them by their parents ? We see so many examples in our family or in the neighborhood where old parents are abandoned to deal alone with their decrepitude. Do you have your dad's photo on your desktop ? Do you take his videos and stealthily watch it just to be close to him even at workplace ? Would you take a break in your career to take care of your ill mom ? Would you sacrifice a good dress for yourself in exchange of a good saree for your mom ? Do you remember your parents' birthdays and save your salary for months to get them what they've longed for ? Would you hestitate in washing your mother's vomitting if she falls sick and remain awake by her bedside all night to comfort her ? Would they be the sole mission of your life as you had been for them ? All this sounds weird no ? Well why wasnt it weird when parents did this for us ? Isnt love about returning what we've got ? As people grow up and turn parents the focus of their life shifts to their next generation shamelessly forgetting the sacrifices of the generation gone.
' Kal ne hume humaara aaj diya hai aur kal hum us kal ko bhool kar ek naye kal ko apni zindagi maanenge ' .
Oh Lord give me all strength I dont ever want to slip and fall into this lot.

Musical chairs!

2006-04-24T04:18:00.000-05:00

The entire office is playing musical chairs of sorts. People's cubicles are shifted next to their teammates. And in this circus I've realized the importance of my seat. There are many vying for my seat, some have threatened me, some have pleaded, some have even promised to give me a treat! Well I have no problems in moving to another place but suddenly the grass seems to be greener on this side!

Quote to quote

2006-04-19T04:05:00.000-05:00

I was going through Orkut's (the creator of Orkut) stanford web pages. Apart from his very impressive cv and chocolate looks (he's also known as or-cute) there was something else that caught my eye - the quote on his home page. It read like this -

Sing as if no one is listening
Dance as if no one is watching
Love as you've never loved before
Live as if heaven is here on earth

Very true indeed!

My song of the day

2006-04-17T23:56:00.000-05:00

So this forms my infinite loop for the day ;)

Looking in your eyes, I see a paradise.
This world that I found is too good to be true.
Standing here beside you, I want so much to give you this love in my heart that im feeling for you

Let them say we're crazy.
I don't care about that.
Put your hand in my hand, baby, don't ever look back.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Maybe we can make it if we're heart to heart.
And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.
I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you, whatever it takes to stay here with you.
Take it too the good times, see it through the bad times.
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do.
Let them say we're crazy.
What do they know?
Put your arms around me, baby, don't ever let go.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart.
Oh, all that I need is you.
All that I ever need.
All that I want to do is hold you forever, forever and ever.

And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.

And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.

Who am I ?

2006-04-12T04:33:00.000-05:00

They are many who try to surmise your traits depending upon your sun sign. I never believe them. I feel that upon reading something which you think is meant to be about you, you tend to fit the author's sentences about you with your real life examples. And you finally end up believing the author. I just got one such forward now. But this one came dangerously close to describing me or perhaphs I have fallen for the trap ! Nevertheless excerpts -

The Archer woman
You see the world as it is, even through rose-tinted glasses. You tend to dream some big dreams, and sometimes, reality never hits you.
You are very independent, and have a strange aloofness to family ties. You love the feeling of protection, but do not enjoy being bossed around. You are breezy and unconventional in your relationships with men. But you are a trusting child at heart.
Your moods can be terrible, but they are rare, and they last so briefly they will hardly be noticed. When you are really hurt, your tongue can be bitterly sarcastic.

One must Know the rules when dealing with Sagittarius
Say to yourself that life is beautiful, all the time. The Archer hates to be morose.
Make personal space an important part of your relationship. The Archer craves freedom.
Be all ears. The Sagittarian needs to know that there is a shoulder to cry on, when he needs it.
Be prepared to pack your bags at a moment's notice. With the Sagittarian love for travel, you never know where you will be whisked off to!
Develop a good sense of humour, and appreciate the value of a good joke.

Beauty and Saggi
Face it - cosmetics are not your best friend. You don't race to buy the newest beauty item off the shelf. You are at your most beautiful when you grab life with both hands, and your enthusiasm rejuvenates those around you.

Careers and Saggi
You like to have fun, smiling and laughing with colleagues and feeling as if Lady Luck is on your side. You are also passionate about what you believe in and, as befits a Fire Sign, will work doggedly on your causes.

Money and Saggi
You are the luckiest Sign of the Zodiac. You love to plan ahead. It's a favourite pastime, since you always see the bright side of things. You also love to party and see the world, ever searching, scheming, and dreaming about the opportunity of a lifetime. Make that the adventure of a lifetime! You never worry about money, either, since that won't make for more.

Relationships and Saggi
Mental fireworks will surely fly in a relationship with the Archer, for nothing seems worthwhile without them. This relationship will be active and spirited, filled with adventures to faraway lands. Traveling has never been more fun than with the Archer! This enthusiasm comes with a keen sense of loyalty for a deserving partner, but the Sagittarian's lover must be careful not to make the mistake of becoming boring or possessive. If so, they'll be vanquished from the lair!

Ok ok I know this is becoming more of an ego massage than a mirror of myself !

Disclaimer : Eliza may have conviniently skipped sentences from the author's original writings on Saggi to suit her own purpose.

Haa-sil(ly)

2006-04-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

So I finally gave up! Long since I've avoided watching Haasil and I had been able to hold on myself despite peer pressures. My reason to go against the tide - ahem nothing :D. But I finally succumbed to it on Friday.(Ok, wait I dint succumb completely as I watched it half by half on 2 consecutive days.) But I must admit even before watching the movie I knew the dialogues by heart (courtesy the iitk gang in general and one mister shady in particular.) And the movie dint turn out as silly as I thought it would be - probably the hooplah and the learned dialogues played a crucial role in my climbdown. But hats off to Irfaan Khan - I like artists. Tumko yaad rakhenge guru hum !

Desperate 'non' Housewife

2006-04-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

Samapada is in blore for a few days before she shunts back to US again and with her she has got something which I've been desperately waiting for - more episodes of the American soap opera 'Desperate Housewives'. I like to watch this angrezi masala melodrama about the lives of people in the neighborhood. The best part about it is the narration of the events and the inline comments by a dead lady. Infact I just love the comments and at times they are indeed thought provoking. Sample - Why do we always discriminate people as the good and the bad - this is because we hate to admit that the good and the bad parts can actually co-exist. Another touching one was about fathers in the world - how they do things that get unnoticed by us. Hmm.. I'm now waiting for tonight to watch more episodes.

I'm back

2006-04-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

I'm back from home after an unusually eventful trip. We changed our house and making the new house arrangements kept me busy all the time. It was fun to play the third umpire and veto the placement of furniture. It was also fun to do all the cleaning and dusting and scrubbing of the floors. It was more fun to go on the morning jog with Juhi, pull Abu's ears for not studying and spend afternoons gossiping with mom. But the best part was eating hot chapatis with white butter and masala baigan vegetable!

Going home...

2006-03-17T03:11:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of unfinished tasks to complete but since the past few days I am not feeling like doing anything at all. Dont know whether this indolence is interrelated with my release getting over or with the realization that I would be home in a few days. Yeah, I am going home after a long time and I am very much looking forward to the much needed break. Lots of epics have happened in my life since my last visit - things that I hate to recapitulate. Also once again I am basking in solitude and looking for things to keep me busy in the weekend. Generally I witness a lot of hustle and bustle in the weekends. My week was quiet too this time except for a VRCE get together yesterday for Bala's 'Team A' birthday bash. I am bored beyond doubt today and I need to find out something to do to fight tedium in the coming weekend too. My roommate would also not be at home and so the plot thickens. May be my anxiety to get home is making the wait miserable. Things I can do to make myself busy -
* Come to the office - yeah and debug my code
* Go shopping - yeah I am going home and I hate to go empty handed
* Meet Anshu and Pallavi - yeah long since I've had a hearty chat
* Meet aunty - she would be surprised to watch me on a sunday back to back.
* Go to Meghana's place - and eat the chocs rupesh has got
* Read a novel - will need to dig Samapada's cupboard :d
* Pack my bag - wednesday is not far away!
* Watch crash - Yeah I am all alone but it would be a different experience :)
* Sleep - ahem lets see
* Call up people throughout the day - and bloat my bill
* Clean up the house - I am not so gharelu :(
* Indulge into extravagant cooking - but cooking only for oneself gets boring at times na :(
* Draw sketches - yeah long ago I had bought myself a book
* Get shady's guitar and and have a jamming session - ahem ah err
* Look for books - abu might need some at home
* Read C/C++/Perl/Java etc - not my types :(

Chalo time to catch the cab! Happy weekend folks! Hope this week ends soon ;)

Some things I hate

2006-02-21T06:52:00.001-06:00

Last night I couldnt sleep due to mosquitos providing some not so lovely music to my ears. So I started thinking on things that annoy me the most and that make my blood boil (apart from mosquitos ofcourse). Here I come up wih my list -

* A woman being raped. A rapist.
* Me knowing I cant help.
* Bangalore Traffic.
* A stomach upset.
* 47 degree centigrade temperatures.
* Indian Politicians.
* Pretensions.
* Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
* Ekta Kapoor's nonsense k-sagas.
* People mailing trash on newsgroups .
* Sleepless nights.
* Negligent doctors.
* Patients wrongly blaming doctors for a death.
* People smoking at public places.
* Bollywood idiotic movies wasting positive artists.
* Bollywood idiotic heros/heroines wasting positive scripts.
* Me positively watching movies containing the above 2.
* Old age.
* Show offs.
* Unavailable railway reservation when I want to go home.
* Terrorists killing innocent people.
* People talking behind your back.
* Abu Ghraib prison and many such other barbaric places of western torture.
* People not writing good documentation for their code.
* The hubris of the western world.
* spams.
* People taking dowry and killing daughter-in-laws.
* Harrassing daughter-in-laws / mother-in-laws.
* Boys/girls wasting their time over not interested girls/boys.
* Rampant corruption.
* Office lunch.
* Indian cricket team losing to Pak (if at all :D)
* Jealousy.
* Death.
* Rain when I need to get back to my house at 10 p.m.
* Dirty loos.
* People talking only about themselves.
* My computer security marks :D
* Companies delaying joining of freshers due to recession.
* Inefficent police and subsequently tainted judiciary.
* Sluggish dial up net access.
* Pestering land lords.
* Time's fleece.
* No space for parking.
* Chatu people.
* Me getting annoyed over petty issues.

Am I high, am I ?

2006-01-31T21:53:00.000-06:00

The day is sunny and bright,
The warmth of kindled fire gives me light,
I look outside the window and feel dew drops on snow white,
Random thoughts on my mind are very trite,
Life it seems is just alright.

The fruit I had belonged to Adam's tree,
And the panacea dissolved my misery,
It opened stairways to bliss and I flew carefree,
Is this real or mirage I see ?
May this evanescent moment freeze I plea.

Swinging trees, winds humming in its sway,
The merry dance had its play,
Green moss on stone has come to stay,
The azure ocean seems calmer far from bay,
The thin line between black and white has tinge of gray.

Can you take me farther ?
Where the sea forever embraces the sky.
Can you take me higher ?
So I see the moon pursue the earth in an endless try.
Can you take me deeper ?
To a place where no secrets pry.
Can you make me stronger ?
So that the bond does never die.

Railway Tracks

2006-01-17T23:51:00.000-06:00

I am reading 'The Zahir' by Paulo Coelho lately. The plot deals with a man desperately hunting for his lost wife. While on his hunt he comes across the railway tracks and wonders why the distance between the two tracks is 4 feet and 8 1/2 inches. It later strikes to him that it is there because ancient Roman war carriages were of that width.(The ideal distance between 2 horses kept side by side.) The author delves further and derives a beautiful analogy from it. He says people tend to follow the same beaten path from the point of their arrival to their final destination. That makes them prisoners of their personal history. The main desideratum of people's lives is to follow a plan. They never ask if the plan was created by another person or is their brainchild. And this is when they forget their dreams. How very true ? How many of us have the courage to question what we are and why we are the who we are ? We live our lives mechanically are always in a chase be it on the career front, the personal front or on the social front. Time to take some time off the race track buddy and seek the meaning of existance and enjoy the enery of love and life that is so prevalent.

Blog slog

2006-01-17T05:53:00.000-06:00

I attended an interesting presentation on blogs today. The speaker pointed out 2 problems with blogs -
1. Most people don’t have very much to say that’s interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner.
2. People who have most time to write have the least to say, and the people who have the most to say don’t have enough time to write it.

All this made me smile at my seat.

Haunting melodies

2006-01-11T23:39:00.000-06:00

I was just running though my playlist to identify numbers that I play more often than the others. Then I realized I could club most of them as haunting melodies. Numbers that carry more weight and continue to hover for a longer time. There are captivating in their own way but have a sprinkle of melancholy. Here's my buzz index -

Hindi
-----
Awarapan Banjarapan (Jism)
Naraaz Savera Hai (Sangharsh)
Raat humaari to chaand ki saheli hai (Parineeta)
Jaane kahan gaye woh din (Mera Naam Joker)
Tujh se naraaz nahi zindagi (Masoom)
Solah baras ki (Ek duje ke liye)
Aae mere sanam (Sangam)

English
-------
Fade to Black (Metallica) - Undoubetdly the best!
25 minutes (MLTR)
Careless Whisper (George Michael)
Bed Of Roses (Bon Jovi)
Paranoid (Type O Negative version)
You're beautiful (James Blunt)
Wake me up when Sept ends (GreenDay)

Disclaimer : This index is created only out of the author's playlist and strictly complies with the author's taste and mood at present. For expressing any disputes you need to mail the author the song and wait for an evaluation period.

Lost and not found

2006-01-11T23:19:00.000-06:00

I'm on a losing spree these days. Have been losing things left and right. So much so that I have to blog about it.
Things that have done the disappearing act in the past few days -
* My old mobile charger
* My chequebook
* My access card
* My comb.. sob sob
* My photographs
* My socks :((

Sweet Child O Mine

2006-01-10T07:40:00.000-06:00

Does it ever happen to you that the only thing that you remember when you try to enlist the gist of the day is a mere song ? You could have heard the song before but one day it suddenly stikes the right chord and rings the bell in your head and you crave for listening to it again and again. I happened to hear one such overbearing song today which I'll be coerced to carry as memoirs of the sidereal day. Sweet Child o mine ! O ooo Sweet love o mine!

She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go

It's gettin' exciting....

2006-01-04T02:32:00.000-06:00

I'm reading the much acclaimed and contentious novel 'The Da Vinci Code' since the past few days everyday morning on my way to the office. For once I'm not complaining about the jams and enjoying my bumpy ride. I hate putting it down after reaching the office. I can tell you the novel is only getting more fascinating and absorbing and I am awed by the author's extensive research and knowledge.
Just read a few days ago on google answers that TDVC is the best selling novel of all time. Around 40 million copies have been sold and it has also been translated into 42 languages. Also, sony pictures is making a movie out of it starring Tom Hanks and the expected release date is May 2006. I'm eager to complete the book.

Insanity

2005-12-26T06:46:00.000-06:00

Well about some sanity first - I prepared whole dinner the day before yesterday which included rice, dal, baigan masala (mind you masala does not mean Everet Garam Masala)and not to forget good old chapati. Man it was a relief to have home made chapati after a long time. And girl! I have improved so much! Oooh my chapatis were looking so cute ! Long before I had disabandoned making chapatis after a major catastrophe. Dont know how suddenly the goddess of viand and victuals decided to smack some aroma and relish in the food. But let me add, overconfidence did me in - yesterday I had to do with some cauterized and carbonized cabbage.
Now not digressing further from the headline, let me talk about some insanity. With my code not working despite repeated attempts what else can you expect from me ?
On Sunday, I went to a theme/amusement park near Bangalore. Had a gala of time with the kanpur gang out here. There were lots of rides and it reminded me of good old bachpan days and sunday visits to the Ambajhari garden back home. Some of the rides at the park were grotesque and I freaked out in especially one. I was juxtaposed in a tiny chair and held to the chair with the aid of fibre bars. To fasten the bars further, a belt was tied to the seat. And then started the merry-go-round.(am wondering whether there should be a pace between merry and go round.) After a few rounds of merry my chair was turned upside down and I found myself hanging between life and death with the help of the fibre bars..no no it was the belt. For a second I felt what if belt opens or my body finds some space between the bars to obey Newton's garvitational pull - I would have a mighty fall then. And before I could recover from these random ramblings in my head I found myself upright again and my head hit the headrest with a big thud. And the process was repeated a few times. I am used to doing a lot of oohs and aahs in the rides, but found myself completely dumbfounded this time. Come think of it, what all can man do for his amusement, eh ? No wonder the ride was aptly named Insanity!

Yet another day

2005-12-19T06:02:00.000-06:00

It was yet another day,
Sun as bright and moon as gay,
Wind was trite in its sway,
Wishes galore on my way,
The hooplah was kept at bay,
They say it was my birthday.

Yet another day of my life,
A year added in my strife,
Crossed I twenty on the wrong side,
The calender pegged another ride,
But the hooplah was kept at bay,
And they say it was my birthday.

Nah am not slate and sombre,
Guess only a bit more stronger,
Questions many I seek answer,
Time's fleece makes me wonder,
Sun was as bright and moon as gay,
They say it was my birthday.

Engineering an engineer

2005-12-01T23:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my mom told me about the death of a second year student at IITK. I was more than shocked to hear this as I knew him personally through a few meetings in Kanpur. Also he was from Nagpur and I had taken some help from him regarding JEE books etc for my brother. It feels sad to see a budding engineer end his life like this. Newspapers carry articles about his suicide due to academic pressure, while his family rubbishes their claim. Whatever caused his death, the fact would remain that we lost a good engineer in the making.
One point that has yet again come to light is the academic burden on a student in IITs. The IITs are the most reverred engineering institutes in India are recognized in the world as well. The entrance exam JEE is supposed to be one of the toughest and most competitive exams in the world (this year 198,000 students appeared for 4,935 seats). Undoubtedly the people who clear this represent the creme la creme of India. Once in IIT they have a rigorous schedule of assignments, night -outs, sessionsals, etc. The competetion within the most competitive brains is all the more intense. All this leads to stress and probably depression amongst people who face failure in IIT, especially so because all of them are generally used to topping in their respective classes until now. This underlines another fact - Is the academic pressure so much that a normal student is not able to cope it ? Do we need to do something about it ? Also do we need more such reverred institutes in India so as to lessen the burden on a student writing the entrance exam ?Have a look at this figures - India's population 1,027,015,247++ and number of students clearing JEE - a few thousand - Dont we need more good engineers ? Dont tell me the number of engineering colleges in India - I know there are lots of footpath institutes but what I am talking about is great engineering institutes like IITs and good ones like NITs. Also after getting into an engineering college, should we do away with written and oral exams and instead evaluate the student throughout the semester only based upon his attendance, classwork, practicals etc ? Help out the weaker students through extra classes, etc and ensure that everybody is able to perform decently. We can even have a very flexible course work schedule and give students a greater degree of freedom in the number of years they take to complete a degree. A counter argument could be that it would result in diluting the high standards of an institute. But isnt it better than losing lives ?

Time of my Life

2005-11-23T02:47:00.000-06:00

Have you ever witnessed that while listening to a song that you had heard years before you get transported into the same frame of feelings that you had experienced before ? I have experienced it very often. Probably due to my habit of listening to a song in infinite loop until I get bored, every song demarcates an epoch and also wraps around itself my feelings during that epoch and ornates itself with some bitter sweet experiences of that period. And when I listen to the song again after some months, the excitement, the apprehensions and the emotions get unveiled. Its like some Peter Piper petrifying me and alluring me to the same far-off foreign land!
Yesterday while listenening to 'Meine Dil Se Kaha' from Rog I was mesmerized and found myself striking colorful familiar feelings of the defining epoch. It was a very cold January winter Kanpur night when Aditya had given me this song to listen to and had said that his sister liked it very much. I very religiously listened to it that time. Yesterday, I could feel blood gushing down my veins and before my eyes I could reminiscence melodrama of that time. It was a mixed bag of exhilaration and apprehension due to the "happenings" during that phase. Man! It was a different world and I felt great to revisit it.

For the heck of it....

2005-11-10T23:47:00.000-06:00

Yea I am indeed posting today just for the heck of it!

Trying hard to capture
the moment this morning I don't know
As I dream about movies
they won't make of me when I'm dead

I am just looking for some reasons to write a blog, so here's my list of 10 reasons why I should blog -
1. Me is alive and kicking(my own foot) after a great vacation at home, wherein I just did the mundane stuff - eating a lot and sleeping a lot !
2. I have had a holy haircut - holy because my hair now looks like a halo on my head.
3. Today is Friday the 11th (well if I add 2 more days it would have been the much feared friday the 13th)
4. My weight has reduced by 0.002 kgs and I am feeling much lighter.
5. The color of my mousepad is purple.
6. I have enough work to do hence I am pondering about some automated way of writing scripts without typing them.
7. The tubelight right above my head is on.
8. I just drank some water.
9. huff those are my 10 reasons (well almost!)