Have a magical holiday season.

Eragon, the first novel in the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini, is a story about a farm boy who finds a dazzling sapphire-blue stone which, as it is revealed later, is in fact an egg that hatches a blue-scaled dragon. The dragon, Saphira, establishes an unbreakable bond with the young man who learns that he is the only dragon-rider to have come into existence in many years; and that he will have to choose whether to resist the evil king/dragon-rider Galbatorix or surrender and join him. With his home destroyed and his uncle murdered by the Ra’zac (evil dragon hunters employed by Galbatorix) Eragon sets out on a journey with his mentor, Brom, to learn the dragon riding craft and enact his revenge on the Ra’zac. In essence, Eragon has all the traditional ingredients that make a fantasy novel enjoyable. That’s what the publisher says. Monday: 1pm, a hot and hungry afternoon. Place : Kottayam ( Somewhere in the Southern part of Kerala ) I and my friend Bala were waiting at the Kottayam bus-stand for the 2pm Bangalore bound bus and were mentally preparing for the18 hour journey back home.Bala was reading the Kerala edition of “ The Hindu”, I half close my eyes and try to count the tulsi beads . Suddenly there is a flurry of activity as the seat in front is occupied by a couple of teenagers( a typical Malayali girl and a dude).They stare at me and I am unaware of the attention that is being bestowed on me.( Nope this time it was not the nose but the sandal paste on my forehead ) .Bala nudges me and tries to wake me from my stupor and whispers that I am being watched. I ignore the stares and try to concentrate but my mind wavers and I do the one thing I swore never to do. I scratch my nose. I then decide to visit the the Book store which is round the corner. I feel 6 pairs of eyes following me. I look at the Agatha Christie book thoughtfully and suddenly my attention is drawn towards the book titled “ Eragon” and on an impulse I buy it, something to read on the return journey.. Thus starts the epic journey to a world filled with magic, Urgals,Orcs ,Elves and of course a blue Dragon. The first 4 chapters are so similar to Robert Jordan’s “ Eye of the World” that I almost decided to abandon the book .. But Vc also stands for very curious and so I continued to read and was gripped by the plot. Did you know that the author started writing this book when he was a just 15 yrs old. I can’t wait to read the second part titled “ Eldest “ and so I am bunking office and will grab that book today . A word of caution to Mr Prashanth Sriram , Christopher Paolini borrows a bit obviously from the authors that inspire him (Tolkien, McCaffery, LeGuin, Jordan, Lewis, Pullman, Donaldson). The best part is that this is going to be movie in 2006,something to look forward to.The girls are sure to go gaga googoo when they see the hero.

The Road ahead...

" Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget." With this thought, I wish you a very Merry Christmas, all the Happiest Holidays and all the luck the New Year could possibly bring to you.

Thanks Renith ..

World Famous Gemini Circus is in Town

Just check this pic out.. It looks so weird .. I can see-through that policeman and the lights eeeeeeew..... Just WICKED . Oh by the way Sajjan and I are off to watch the circus. I think I’ll get to see Sp the giraffe , Div the chipmunk, Kk the crocodile and Dee the elephant or was it the hippo ... hmm...

At the office reception

You may be recognized soon. Hide.

I hate saying “bye” in any form of communication be it the phone, mail or chat. The worst of course is the sms. Just imagine you send out a sms terminating the conversation and the recipient ( touch wood) unfortunately dies by natural causes. Nope he doesn’t go the usual “ Hey Ram “ aaaaaargh but instead dies clutching the damn mobile phone which unfortunately for you displays the message “Astalavista Baby R.I.P Uahahahhahaaa “ sender Vc (blinking). Yep I hate saying my goodbyes…

Drag-flick

I was watching the Champions Trophy Hockey, Pakistan vs Germany and the way the Germans attacked in waves was amazing. The penalty corner specialists were a delight to watch. The current penalty corner techniques used are so different from the old days of push, stop and shoot. Today its push, stop, deviate, pull back, control, drag, flick and high-5’s all-round.

When it comes to free kicks in football, we all know about Roberto Carlos and his bendy 'banana' free-kicks. I’m sure someone will definitely comment on Henry’s kicks.. puuf . Review on Dhiamarra by Maggie Furey : It’s another of those fantasy novels with magic ,adventure and Dragons .Here are a few points to ponder. Do keep in mind that the author is a lady. *The main character is Lady Aurian ,not only has she great power but is also a heroine of great energy and spirit. The downside is that she breaks down like every other chapter. *Aurian has a lot (on last count 13, I can count only till 13) friends and they were all men. Moreover they follow her everywhere …I mean everywhere. *Aurian hugs everyone and I mean everyone. *The evil character is another female who goes by the name lady Eliseth. *Thank the Lords that Death was not a “lady”. *Last but not the least all the Artifacts of power have gems,diamonds embedded in them. What's with that ? *And for the love of Gandalf people are supposed to die , but no Maggie aunty has other ideas. The characters won’t really be dead but that spark of life will remain and Aurian will heal them. Again and again and again... *The main adversaries whom the heroine tracks for ( 4 books ) are killed off in 2 pages. *Overall the plot was too feminine for my liking and it had a lot of sub-plots.

Shot this at a busy traffic junction .Sigh *

Imposters ?

Shot this at the Garuda Mall.. ofcourse it was for the posters of Harry Potter and Chicken little.. :)

Work in progress

:) .. one of my first snaps ...thanks to my sis and bil,I have this. Look out for pics of Bangalore and poultry farms .. uahhahhahahaha... somebody Ctrl Vc

The past is strapped to our backs. We do not have to see it; we can always feel it. ~Mignon McLaughlin.

Quotes from my archives.. The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven. Silence, space and pause giving shape to things seen and unseen. If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found. With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder.-Virginia Woolf Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees. ~Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, 1862

Stranded in the STRAND book festival

Yep I couldn't find Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series nor any of Alistair Maclean's books at the annual Strand Book Festival, which was held at the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium.When I enquired, they said that they were yet to open the box which contained Robert's books. Oh sigh* will go next weekend. Picked these 2 books .. :)

Avada Kedavra!

So what do you do on a week-night? Sleep? Naaah…lets go for a night show. That’s exactly what I did. Watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire, 9.30 pm , on a week-night. If you know who Wormtail,Sirius Black and Tom Riddle are then you will enjoy the film, else I'm afraid you'll be wondering what the Hell is going on . The film has quite a few breathtaking scenes but a movie can never ever replace the book. The director has tried to fit in all the important scenes but still....If you've read the book then you'll remember how Rowling aunty gave us a blow by blow report on how the contestants completed the 3 tasks, these aspects are missing in the film. The scenes where the Dragon chases Harry around Hogwarts is really cool.I don't think I imagined it to be so “dangerous”. It even scared that little girl in the audience. I was watching these 2 characters with interest : Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy..hmm.. and Oh! the little Kid..what was his name.. he keeps looking at Harry as if he's some sort of hero..Nigel ?? he was funny.. You remember the "Ball" ..psst I was taken aback when it ended with a ROCK song !! The final face-off between Harry and "you know who" reminded me of the “Star Wars” light saber duels.. wrooooom wrooooom... The main features of the film were the sound and visual effects. So all you HP fans go watch the movie and be ready to use that magic wand. For the first half of the film all I could think of was “Why don't these guys get a hair-cut?”. Oh Sajjan , Please don't watch the film, no offence- you won't understand it.. Nor will the Yorkshire rippers !!!

For old times sake ..

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. ~Attributed to Harry S. Truman

Yep our very own BMTC ( Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation ) previously known as BTS has been applauded for its amazing service by a few European countries. I just hope the people who applauded the system never get to travel in one of our buses. It’s a government run agency as compared to other districts in Karnataka, where the bus service has been privatized. Last weekend when I was in Mangalore, we decided to visit the beach and watch the sunset. The sea shore was a mere 20 kms from my cousin's residence and we had to catch the local private bus. The first thing that strikes you when you are in Mangalore is the roads. They are so narrow .I kept pointing this out to my cousin and he just shrugged his shoulders. I doubt if the one way streets in Bangalore are this narrow. ( Vc shakes his head.. these Mangaloreans are crazy). The frequency of these private buses is commendable. As it was a Sunday all the buses were empty and I was glad to have found a window seat. Surprise .. there were no glass panes in the windows. The ticket prices were pretty cheap and I was astonished to know that it costed Rs 4 for a 20 km ride? In Bangalore its Rs 10, sigh* the price we pay for development, which of course is not visible. The competition to pickup passengers is quite fierce in this part of the country .They have their own rules and one of them is “Bus number 1 should immediately move on when bus number 2 approaches the bus-stop “. I also noticed that the buses had weird Christian names some were just plain unpronounceable. All said and done Mangalore has an amazing transport service. We reached the seashore in 20 minutes with just a few stops, Unlike Bangalore where we have a bustop every 2 kms, in Mangalore its like 5 kms.According to my cousin Bro.. people in Mangalore like to walk !! ( When he said this he had this sly smile on his face ... was he making fun of us, Bangaloreans ? Grr) . We were just in time to see the Sun call it a day ..and then the moon immerged from the clouds accompanied by Venus and Mars...The small shipping boats bobbling up and down were a treat to watch. At that magical moment all I wanted was an Alistair MacLean novel and good old Kenny G playing in the background...My cousin on the other hand pointed out that the atmosphere was just right for meditation . Can you believe that !! Continuing with the weird and fascinating Mangalore trip , I should mention that there are 2 types of rice prepared here for dialy consumption. One is the white rice which we all are familiar with ,the second one is called boiled rice , its reddish in color and the grains are much bigger than the white rice. Somehow my relatives never allowed me to eat the boiled rice .It seems it makes you fat and has no taste. We do add this to our idli and dosa batter. As I couldn't visit any hotels I won't be able to comment on them, but I do know that hotels in Mangalore have the best Gadbad's. It’s an ice-cream which has numerous layers of fruits, nuts and icecream.They serve it in tall glasses and give you a loooong spoon. The weather condition in my native is weird , though I loved the cool breeze in the mornings and evenings , the afternoon weather is hot sticky and humid . If you want to lose weight go stay in a coastal town. Oh I almost forgot !!. When we were having a peaceful time on the seashore watching little kids trying to catch red crabs , I casually asked my cousin : Me : Hey Nanda , what is the reason that the priests in your temple insist that we remove our shirts when we enter to offer our prayers? Does it have to do with the caste system ? Are they trying to find out if the devotee is a Brahmin by looking at the sacred thread ? Will he be given special treatment ? He : Where do you come up with these questions? ( He smiled) My answer to your question would be that regardless of what your status ,caste or creed is or whether you are wearing a shirt worth Rs 200 or a Louis Philippe shirt worth Rs 2000, when you stand before God , we are all equal. What are we, but a mere mortal. Me: If we Indians are so secular and embrace all other religions why wasn't Sonia Gandhi allowed to enter the Guruvayur temple ? He : Where did this one come from ? I believe it was politically motivated. Me: Nope not satisfied. But tell me Mangalore has the biggest Mosque in south Karnataka and has the best colleges which are incidentally run by Christian missionaries. Has there ever been any tension or communal violence between the Hindus ,(who I must point out support the Communist party )Muslims and the Christians ? He: (Shakes his head and I think he said : this guy is crazy ) No , we are peace loving people and dislike violence of any kind. All this in just 2 days of traveling ? I think I would have written a book if I had stayed for a month :) .

Haaaaaaaai Ya !! oops I broke the wall...

Wah wah !!

One of my fav songs : A famous romantic song performed by Mohammed Rafi for the movie Junglee. Ehsaan tera ho ga mujh per Dil chahta hai woh kehnay do Mujhay tum se mohabbat ho gai hai Mujhay palkaon ki chaon main rehnay do Tumne mujhko hasna sikhaaya ho Rone kahoge ro lenge ab Aansoo ka hamaare gham na karo Woh behte hai to behne do Mujhe tumse mohabbat ho gayi hai , mujhe palko ki chaav mein rehne do Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par Chaahe banaa do chaahe mitaa do hoo aaaa Mar bhi gaye to denge duvaayen Udd udd ke kahegi khaak sanam Yeh dard-e-mohabbat sehne do Mujhe tumse mohabbat ho gayi hai , mujhe palko ki chaav mein rehne do Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par , dil chahta hai woh kehne do........... PS : I wish to thank this dude for going through my archives and giving me a chance to relive old memories........ sigh*

U want a piece of me ?

Something new everyday !!

Do you guys remember the weird " Nosegays " post .. well guess what! I got an sms from the same lil girl asking me "What a baby kangaroo was called? " Check my thought process....yep its irrational . Question : What is a baby kangaroo called? Me : grrr these girls they think I know everything .... thank god they don’t know that Until last Thursday I didn't know the capital of Syria. yep it is Damascus.. shakes my head .. can hear the cerebral fluid splashing about…. back to the question Aah the marsupial .. Australia, stamps... Pouch ..Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Ringo.. the ... eh .. so what was the question .. Baby kangaroo . something to do with a comedy serial .. think think .. some person who was dumb but funny.. starts with a J.. joker .... Mera Naam Joker .. Raj kapoor .. Kareena Kapoor.. Haiii .... oops.. ..back to the question.. something to do with Jennifer Aniston ....she was in the sitcom Friends and the other characters were ..Rachael, Ross, Monica ,Chandler Bing and Joey ...... Joey ........Bingo ... that's what it’s called .......Joey . Vc does it again .. yipeeeeeeee Soon I get a response that the dude who asked her the question says its wrong !! I am astounded. I shoot back . "go ask your friend if he knows what a baby swan is called." ( Psst even I didn't know the answer but I found that it’s called a Cygnet .... eew weird name. . )

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. ~Ernestine Ulmer

My trip to Mangalore was rejuvenating. The last time I visited Mangalore was in 1997, 8 long years ago. I have highlighted a few memories of the trip. 1. My aunt (Atte in Kannada, Mammi in Tamil ) makes amazing mango pickles. The best in the world.Sluuuuuuuuurp. Something unexplainable always happens when I meet her, One of us is bound to fall sick. This has happened 4 times and when I met her on Sunday, she was ill and we laughed about the coincidence .The last time she visited Bangalore to attend my sister's wedding , I had a high temperature ..... interesting. 2. My Cousin brothers are cool , shy and down to earth chaps. Had some amazing and enlightening conversations with them.Oh did I mention that one of them looks like Hrithik Roshan and has been voted Most Popular lecturer in college ? 3. Though I stayed for 2 days, I couldn't find anyone smoking a cigarette or honking. I must confess I was a tad irritated when we were caught in an unusual traffic jam .An accident on the main road and not a single driver honked. They just sat there talking to their passengers . If it were Bangalore , we would have honked like crazy with a capital C. 4. I found that the people of Mangalore lived in the present, enjoying the moment , unlike Bangaloreans who live for the future .. waiting for that elusive weekend. 5.My cousin wanted to know all about the IT industry .A BPO company had just started its operations near his house and he was explaining how things had changed dramatically. Yep more bars and rising land rates. 6.The visit to the beach and the talk on spiritualism , the Vedas, the Mahabharatha ....... just tooooooo good. Did you know that the Dashavataras depict the evolution of mankind ? From an ocean dweller to a reptile to Half animal Half human.. and so on ..... 7.The countless number of tender coconuts I had to drink . 8.People coming up to me and saying " Don't you remember me ? " I just used to give my 100 dollar smile and lie through my nose " Oh yes, how can I forget that smile. " and then I would look at mom for assistance “ Who is this aunty ??” 9 Mom showing her friend Mohini's house , " and that was where I used to play ". Somehow I just can’t imagine my mom playing . 10.Visiting Kerala , it was just a 20 min drive from my aunt's place. 11.The journey back home where I missed the chance to sit next to " u know who " and the 2 ladies fighting for the window seat.. that was hilarious.

The Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.

The last shot before we made our way back home... More pics from the trip http://bangaloredailyphoto.blogspot.com/

A Panaromic view of the eastern and western ghats.Shot from the BR temple.Can u believe that it was 2 in the afternoon ?

Backseat Boys

The plan was to visit K Gudi resort located in the B R Wildlife Sanctuary which was at an altitude of 3,375 feet above sea level. The 4 of us met at Sajjan's residence at 7am and we set out at 7.30. Armed with a map , we decided to go via Kanakapura,Malavalli and Kollegal.The distance from Bangalore to BR hills was approximately 230kms. Sajjan was the designated driver and RB was the cleaner cum navigator cum DJ for the first couple of hours.I had burnt or as Kirthi says " cut " an mp3 cd for this occassion.The cd contained a mixture of English ,Hindi and Kannada songs.( All my fav songs ) The road leading to Kanakapura was good and once we reached the town, we had a huge breakfast of hot idli's and cold vada's.Oh !! did I mention that we got lost in the town and the Saj was about to enter the Main Bus stand, he was happily following a Government bus. Luckily RB was awake and guided us out of the town. We passed a lot of villages and everywhere we found that the ponds and lakes were on the brink of breaching their banks.The roads now were pathetic and everytime our small maruthi car looked like getting stuck in the mud, Sajjan would guide us out safely.The scenery as always was amazing. We were tired of seeing huge concrete buildings in Bangalore and this trip bought us some respite.The green fields and the coconut grooves were worth photographing. At 12 we made our way to Kollegal, a small town known for Blackmagic.We stopped at a Shanthi Sagar to get our lunch packed.We chitchatted with the owner and he gave us further directions to our final destination, BR hills. He asked us to take a left turn, when we approached the bridge and this route according to him was a short cut. Here’s where the journey got interesting. The short cut turned out to be a drive through a lot of small villages and sugarcane fields. The road slowly turned from bad to worse and thus considerably slowed our progress.The road was so grr grrr... that we had to switch off the mp3 player and let Saj concentrate on driving.He has this habit of singing along with Udit Narayan and this always taxed our nerves.We even did some back seat driving when we encountered pot holes. Take a Left, No No Right ... Steady...... Use the HORN. Yep my favorite line was "use the horn”. Beep Beep. Saj used the horn sparingly as if he had to pay money every time he beeped. We desperately wanted him to use the horn at blind right turns or when we were passing small kids playing on the road. Of course he stopped a couple of times to let the (hold your breath) chicken cross the road. Every time we came upon a fork in the road, we would ask the local farmers for directions and they would happily oblige us by giving directions. At 2 in the afternoon we entered the Forest Reserve and the scenery changed dramatically. The roads were pretty good inside the reserve and after paying Rs 20 to the watchman, we started the long drive uphill. After twisting and turning for 10 kms, we reached BR hills. The main tourist attraction is the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple.Situated on top of the highest peak, this ancient temple gives Biligirirangana Betta its name( white mountains). The deity in the temple is Venkatesha, popularly known as Ranganatha.We had to climb around 220 steps to reach the main temple and it left us breathless. This is where the famous RB and the monkey incident occured.RB was entrusted with a plastic bag which contained a coconut, few incense sticks, camphor and a couple of bananas. At the 117th step, a couple of monkeys eyed the bananas and one of them made a dive for the bag. RB, who I bet could lift a car with his little finger, threw the bag down and scampered up the nearest tree. His excuse was genuine, he didn’t want to be bitten by a monkey., as you know a bite from a monkey can cause rabies. We finally reached the main temple and the view took our breath away. The serene surrounding, the soft reverberation of the bells and the songs of the birds in the background rejuvenated our souls. The BRT Wildlife Sanctuary is an important link between the Eastern and the Western Ghats. The view was indescribable. We stopped at a place which had a spectacular view of the green forests and decided to have our lunch.We being environmentalists did not throw any plastic bags in the roadside:) . The next stop was supposed to be the jungle lodges of K Gudi , but as we were short of time , we decided to skip it and make our way back to Bangalore. We decided to take the same route via the villages. At a particular intersection , we were informed by the local villagers that the road was unfit for 4 wheelers .A car was stuck in the mud and hence the road was jammed.They asked us to take a different route which would lead to the main highway.One of the villagers offered us tender coconuts each at a cost of Rs 3 .Yep 3 , 1 rupee coins for a tender coconut. As soon as we joined the main road , we noticed the roads were asphalted and in good condition. We soon reached Kollegal and then realized that the route via the villages was in fact the wrong route!!.We had simply wasted an hour roaming through various villages.But no one complained. We made our way back to Bangalore, listening to Saj sing “Kya Tujhe Pata Hai “ and humming to the tunes of the Eagles. On the way we decided to take a quick detour and visit the Gaganachukki falls, as it was just 10 kms from the main highway . We followed the directions and suddenly found ourselves in front of a huge Mosque.The falls were visible but it was not a “view point” but was worth the detour. On our return journey it started raining and driving to avoid the potholes kept Saj busy.When he successfully overtook a couple of trucks laden with sand, we compared Saj to Michael Shoemaker. You should have seen him blush .. ahaha … We reached home late in the night ,exhausted but glad to have made the trip. I had to edit /censor a lot of stuff : like RB and his huge fingers tampering with the mp3 player.When we asked him to increase the volume he invariably pressed the “ next song “ button . Grrr Bowwwwwwwwww… Saj not letting me play Kenny Rogers or Linkin Park. ( Paaapi ) Sri and Anand singing “ Hotel California “ so loudly that passers-by stopped and stared at us. Anand sighing everytime the car went into a pothole and Saj giving him “the look.” Anand not bringing his Sony camera but instead bringing his Handycam. God alone knows what hmm hmm stuff he’s recorded. ( Vc shudders) Oh and at one point RB asking Sajjan if he could drive. You should have seen our faces .. uahahahah…. Sripad and Saj arguing over what constitutes “a patent “? When I asked Saj to use the **** horn for the nth time, he glared at me and said “ Driver kaun hai main ya tuu ?” Thanks RB, Anand and Sri for a cool trip. Last but not the least I would like to thank Sajjan for bringing us back safely. You indeed are a good driver. Vc bows .

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~Hilaire Belloc

On account of Diwali we had 2 days off and so I decided to go on a short trip. More details and pics in the next post....... Preview : Of course we saw a lot of wild animals but alas no elephants. I and Sajjan thought we saw an elephant drinking water but it turned out to be Mohan taking a leisurely stroll on the bank of the lake. Oh come-on, the sun was setting and I bet even you would have been confused. The 14 year old guide told us stories and anecdotes which made us laugh out loud.

The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder.-Virginia Woolf

I haven't seen him for the past 8 days and I kind off hmm miss him. No Sajjan , I am not talking about you but about Ra! Ra the Sun God, Duh!!. It’s been dark,dull and cold out here in Bangalore. According to Anand , Hosur Road which is the only road to Electronics City is no longer a road. Sigh*. My plans of going to Hosur (Tamil Nadu) to buy crackers and bringing them in huge gunny bags goes down the drain.Once upon a time ( read a month back) I was proud of all the lakes in Bangalore , now I dread them. Everyday I pass the Ulsoor Lake, which is all set to burst out into the open. It has been reported that three major lakes in the city breached their banks. siliconindia.com reports : "It is very uncommon for Bangalore to be flooded because the city is at a higher plateau and water seeps away, but an incessant rain due to low pressure over the Bay of Bengal has had its toll on the city. Many lakes and drains in the City are over flowing and the water has gushed into houses." According to the Met Dept the unforeseen rains are because of the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, but according to my Mom it’s because of the Solar and Lunar eclipses which occurred in the same month of October :) (Solar on Oct 3rd and Lunar on October 17),there might just be some truth in it. The local FM station has stopped giving warnings of Traffic jams, you can't blame them, every street and gali is jammed, morning, noon and night, and not with vehicles, mind you, but with water. I saw an interesting article in TOI yesterday, which compared Mysore's infrastructure with that of Bangalore. *Land rates(per square feet) : Rs 300 in Mysore compared to Rs 2000 in Bangalore. The rates have to come down,no one in their right mind would pay for water logged sites. But you never know.... *Number of Engineers graduating in a year: 5000 in Mysore , a whooping 25,000 in Bangalore. This was rather evident a couple of days ago, when the neighboring MNC company, conducted " A Walk in interview".It has been estimated that 7000 people stood for 2 days in a Q ,weathering the rains and the cold temperature. *Commuting across the city : 20 mins in Mysore , and 60 minutes in Bangalore. 60 minutes ? I'm sure the journalist who wrote this must have rented a Tata Sumo and drove across the city at 2 am.Our driver tells me that even at that unholy hour of 2 am there is a lot of traffic, mainly because of the cabs that drop the tired BPO employees’ home. My mom received a lot of anxious calls from her 3 brothers in Mangalore. They wanted to know what was happening in Bangalore. The news channels tend to exaggerate a little. In one of the conversations, my uncle told her that the sun was shining brightly in Mangalore.Aah for a glimpse of the sun. Thankfully it is clear today, no sign of rains, yet. Schools and Colleges had announced holidays on Tue and Wednesday and have decided to remain closed all week. Lucky kids. Yesterday while traveling to office, one of the rear wheels of the bus got stuck in a slippery ditch and leaned precariously to the right.( A scene taken straight out of Keanu Reeves's film -Speed ).One of the aunties saw me getting down and shouted out a warning " Don't get down". I ignored her. If you don't know what the problem is you can't solve it. I and my colleague saw that the rear wheel was stuck in the mud and we asked the others to get down and help us push . The ladies as usual were reluctant to even step out of the bus, let alone lend a helping hand. Talk about equality.Oh I think I forgot to mention that it was drizzling, as usual.The driver put the bus in first gear and after 3 attempts, Voila!! we were off. We thanked our lucky stars that the bus didn't topple over onto its side.The very thought of “P aunty’s” 212kg of flesh crushing my head into pulp is frightening and quite amusing :) . Sri who works in Gurgaon and Saj who works in Hyderabad are coming down this weekend to celebrate Deepavali with their families. Here’s hoping their flights and trains are not cancelled. On a lighter note, a friend said that I looked like a Second World War German U-Boat Captain. I thought that with my beard and cream turtleneck , I looked a lot like this guy or at least like this dude. Alas! I will have to be content with being compared to Sean Connery ( The Hunt for Red October ) :) "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate; try not to miss a pinch of joy".

A Metro Platform Scene by Jamie Kraft. Too good .

A man must keep a little back shop where he can be himself without reserve. In solitude alone can he know true freedom. Michel Montaigne

It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.

Another Day in paradise : I was in a compromising position.The harsh lights were focused directly on my light brown eyes .I wince with pain.The Doctor continued to probe, hoping against hope that something would be wrong with my teeth .He seemed unhappy when he couldn't find any cavities. (Thank you Colgate Toothpaste) He removed his mask and said with a straight face “You have a good set of dentures. Take good care of it ". I was elated. Suddenly the phone rings ,the ring tone is We wish you a Merry Christmas, it was Dee. I switch it off. The doctor gives me a smile and starts giving me a lecture on oral health care. Its 9pm and after a rough day at office , I didn’t feel like listening to toothpaste,cavities and gums.I tread back home longing for hot supper.Dee calls again. Dee : Psst Vc someone was asking who the tall hmm hmm was , I mean you ? Me : eh ? Dee: We were watching my marriage video and when you came on the podium, she got all excited. Me: who who ? who wants to know ? Dee: She wanted to know who you were and if you were an Iyengar . Me: Oh Great . Dee: and then I told her you were a Mangalorean Brahmin, is that ok ? Me: Why do people think I am a brahmin ? che and Hello! My mom is from Mangalore which doesn't mean that I am a Manglorean. Now tell me, who wanted to know ? Dee: Well she even said that you were hmm hmm ? Me : Loos aa ? Dee: No No... Me: Then ? Dee: well she thinks you are hmmmm.... Me: Grr…. who is it ? Dee: My mother in law , who else . Me: %^$& ## Dee : Oye!! Please don't mind .. She's got these small eyes .... Me: * *&^* && Moti **^^%% elephant ^^@$*

An appointment with Dr Pain.

I try not to laugh when someone is in pain.But me being mean and sarcastic...just couldn't control my laughter when a colleague was narrating his experiences with the Dentist.It was so funny.That was last month. Even Lord Krishna says" Beware of life and death and all in between,everyone has to undergo the miracles of life."In short he meant a visit to the dentist. I had this feeling that my wisdom tooth was acting funny, I decided to meet the dentist.I thought I would meet a hmm hmm doctor, but alas...if wishes were flies I would be a toad. We have a local saying : Throw a stone in Bangalore and it invariably hits an Engineer or a dental clinic. Every street in Bangalore has 10 to 12 dental clinics and I just picked one. The board said Dr Mahesh..and the only other patient was a young guy playing SUDOKU.I peeked and saw the maid cleaning and asked the dude if the doctor was in. He shook his head to say yes.After a few minutes this dude closed the newspaper with a satisfied look and went inside the clinic.I picked up the local Magazine and was busy reading Tintin, when the doctor asked me to comein.Surprise Surprise it was that young dude,he wore an apron and asked me to lie down on the dentist's chair.He didn't even ask me what the problem was. What is the first thing you notice when you meet a dental doctor ? Yep his teeth . :) Dr : Open your mouth Me:Aaaah The Dr then took an instrument and started testing the teeth. (took took)which was in morse code and read: pain pain. Dr: So what's the problem ? Me :( At last) I think the Wisdom tooth.. Dr: No its fine .All the teeth are fine . That sentence sounded like "The reports are negative , you don't have brain tumor". I was relieved but that sensation was short lived because the Dr's next sentence was "I think you should get your teeth cleaned". I shook my head which to any normal person would mean " NO" but doctors are not normal persons, are they ? He started cleaning the teeth and he stopped suddenly and said "Flush".I was like " Flush ???? " Oooh..i think he means spit.. ok and then I had a shock which jolted the dentist's chair. I was spitting blood.. litres of it..I looked at him , his eyes twinkled. He was like a primitive African hunter , his adrenalin pumping at the sight of blood.He continued cleaning and ordering me to Flush . After the 4th "Flush" , I realized that it was not Flush but "Wash".Comeon with the drilling and blood you cannot expect me to deciper the Da Vinci Code. I read that in order to endure the torture and pain,prisoners usually sang out loud or would recite the complete works of Shakespeare. "Take honour from me, and my life is done" Richard II, Act i, Sc.1 I couldn't sing with my mouth open nor could I recite Shakespeare.So I did the next best thing , closed my eyes and imagined hitting the Doctor. Pattar pattar. I think he read my thoughts and more blood spilled.I quickly thought of a few unsolved puzzles and tried solving it. Suddenly the pain subsided and I opened my eyes.The Dr was at his desk scribbling. Dr: You'll have to come again on Monday. Me : (Whispering) Why ? Dr: The second sitting is required. Me: Hmm Hmm.. Dr: Use this toothpaste and meet me on Monday 8 pm. I pay the fees and make a hasty retreat. Lets take each day as it comes. Monday is so faraway...........or is it ?

Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.

Upcoming singers

Have you guys heard or seen Indian Idol ? No .. hmm.. well it was a show in which they searched or tried to unearth India's star performer/singer. This guy Abhijeet became India's first Indian Idol and went on to released an album titled "Aapka Apna Abhijeet Sawant".The song Mohabbatein Lutaaunga was a huge hit. My friend Sajjan is a huge( with a capital H ) fan of this guy.Yep I do agree his songs are hmm hmm .The second runner up Rahul just released his albumn titled Tera Intezar.I think this 18 year old singer , who sings so much like Sonu Nigam has some serious talent. You can download his latest hit titled "Tera Intezar" from coolgoose.com

The egg is to cuisine what the article is to speech.

What, after all, is a halo? It's only one more thing to keep clean. ~Christopher Fry

Its Dee's Birthday today .. .. here's wishing her a Happy birthday !! Apart from learning that I was " Mean " ," Sarcastic" and " funny" ,the other thing I learnt from her was how to be modest. Would have loved to put a pic of Mrs Deepa here .. uahhahaha yep she would have skinned me alive ... As her visa to the Swiss got rejected,she wants us to pray for her .So here goes.. Oh!! Holy Father and the 33 crore Hindu Gods , Please let Dee get her visa .Vc bows.

No matter they are still mighty handy.

Behold the ____________ How they promise,conjure,appeal,menace,pray,supplicate,refuse, beckon,interrogate,admire,confess,cringe,instruct,command,mock and they are the envy of your tongue . So what am I talking about ?

The World X1 and Australia Super series test match was a damp squib.. but it had its moments, like this over from Murali to Katich.. It was amazing.. even the wicket Keeper Boucher was foxed :)

Nothing can happen that affects the choice to go back

I am seldom frustrated , but this week has been grrrrrrrrrrrrr. With my colleague on a long leave , I am supposed to finish all his work .aaaaaaaaargh.Well atleast he's having fun in Udaipur.I wonder why I never take a long leave ? I need a Time Turner .Hermione used a Time Turner to repeat hours of the day and take more classes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . I need a similiar one, why ? Because I have to be at 3 no make that 4 different places at the same time and I am through making excuses.Every weekend I am invited to movies/outings/gatherings by friends and relatives and I invariably turn them down. Did anyone notice that I used 11 I's ( the pronoun "I" ) in the above post ? Well make that 13 :) uhahhaaaa. Its Oct 13th, damn not a friday though.... ********************************************************************** Ohmmmmmmmm.... Listen to this Trance mix .... the groove and bass will melt your brains.. Armand_van_helden spins his magic.I've got 2 words for this track : It's WICKED. http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1H4QF4BCU08050JKAZ1E4VSFJY ********************************************************************** Afterthought : Did the characters of the epic Ramayana feature in the Mahabharatha ? ( Ofcourse not Vishnu .. the other characters ) That's this week's crazy thought : 1. I remember reading in the" Amar chitra Katha " comics the story of Bheema meeting Hanuman.Simple one.. 2. I think I vividly remember someone worshipping the idol of Lord Rama in Mahabharatha.. who who who ? 3.A colleague says that in a remote corner of Mahabharatha , a Gopika admolishes Lord Krishna ..." Why can't you be like Lord Rama ? ". ( Don't ask me what that meant :) )

Kirik Kirthi turns 76 today !!!

May your spirit keep the freedom of a butterfly in spring, May your heart be filled always with the joys of simple things. May your essence claim the freshness of the new laid morning dew. All of this...and more... is my Birthday wish for you. Happy Birthday kk .

Dussera Holidays....

I almost forgot.. .. Che ..how time flies.. not that we celebrate Durga pooja.. but we remember Navrathri for the holidays... Now we get 1 full day leave.. yep 1 day .. yipeee that's tommorow ( Used to get 20 days leave in school).... I'll go buy a DVD of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Sarva Mangala Mangalya Shive Sarvartha Saadhike, Sharanye Trayambha Ke Gauri, Narayani Namastute.

Not sure where I got this from....but it was appropriate that I post it today..It seems AB is celebrating his ** th birthday today.. wow... and ofcourse you know who is eating grass..

Move over Ash.. atleast for a few posts :)

The well-dressed man is he whose clothes you never notice.

Yesterday, I was invited to a birthday party. It had lots of balloons,cakes, sweets and girls. I was surprised by the trendy clothes these younger generation girls wore .. and the smiles they gave were bewitching .I talked to a few of them and even got to know their names. ( Vc and shy Hah! ) .And oh they were accompanied by their mom's .. I mean who would send their 6 year old daughters to a birthday party unaccompanied? You know what's difficult. Finding the right present for a 6 year old girl. The first thing that came to my mind was Barbie dolls. You’ll be surprised at the different shapes and colors that Barbie comes in. I liked the Indian Barbie, but the price choked me . A cool Rs599 /- for a plastic foreign lady dressed up in Kanchivaram silk saree .I was desparate and so had to break Rule 9.3g , “ Never ask a shopkeeper for advice “.I asked the shopkeeper for a suitable gift for a 6 year girl .I stressed on the word "girl" because his eyes were roaming around the expensive Remote controlled Cars . He said why not present a junior Scrabble set .( Aaaaah that reminded me of my childhood days when I used to go to Rahul's house to play scrabble. Sigh* wonder where Rahul is ....) I was jolted from my reverie when he quoted the price, a whooping Rs 600/- . I couldn't visualize the little girl spelling INSCULP( To engrave; to carve; to sculpture). So I decided on a Kitchen set. It costed a little over Rs 400 but was worth it. I mean it had cabinets ,a table , pressure cooker, plates, spoons and even a miniature gas stove. I remember my sis playing with one such set a long time ago and I think I accidentally hmm broke it. I swear it was an accident . What's with parents dressing up kids ? I mean everyone has a childhood photo were they are dressed as "Lord Krishna " or "Hanuman” ( as in Sajjan's case ) or as a "farmer" or as "a girl" ( as in Sajjan's case ) . Thank God my parents did not dress me up in fancy clothes. Wait a min …. Pink Jeans.. Yep I was made to wear pink jeans . Can you imagine me in Pink Jeans ? ( Ok you can stop imagining ) .Oh the best part is that even my brother was made to wear them ... uhahahaaaaaaaha. And no I am NOT posting those pics here . Here's another thought .. during the festival season we ( me and my bro ) would be wearing similar type of shirts. It turns out that my pop bought 4 meters of the same material. You can find such "enthusiastic parents" all over the country. I think its something to do with " partiality " among children. Oh yes I would revolt and throw a tantrum. "It looks good on him and not on me ." and the result - pattar pattar . There was this guy Mathew in my Engg college. He was a classmate and a casual friend and we used to travel in the same bus. One morning , I saw that he had managed to get a window seat and .... Me: Hi Dude . I dump my bag of books on his lap .. He : Hi ( He gave me a surprised look ) (I did not notice the look because I was busy with certain other activities. No not buying tickets but checking out chicks). Me : So did you complete the Maths assignment ? (Still looking as if I was from Planet Pluto) Me : I found the 3rd problem a bit tricky.. He : I'm getting down here, you can have my seat . I was caught off guard and before I could react he jumped off the bus. Thirty minutes later, I reached college and was busying narrating this incident to a couple of my friends and what do I see ? Mathew writing assignments in the classroom. Now how the hell did he reach before me ? Didn’t I see him jump of the bus ? I confronted him and asked him to explain himself .He gave me that puzzled look and wanted to know what was going on? His concern was genuine and I calmed down and told him about the incident. He smiled. Of course he had a twin brother and his twin had decided to wear a similar shirt that day. Twins in identical clothes are cool .. but why do they do that ? I mean we are confused as it is ....

For old times sake ....

kajra re kajra re tere kare kare naina tere naina tere naina tere naina judwaa tere naina tere naina tere naina tere naina main chupke rehna kajra re kajra re tere kare kare naina hai !!!!!

Must visit the Meenakshi Temple .....

Peace favor your sword

As promised here's a review of The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) written by Robert Jordan. I broke a couple of rules while buying this book. The rule being " No Expectations No Disappointments". I expected this book to be similar to the Lord of the Rings and I was a tad disappointed.I started reading this book late in the night and the language in which Robert weaved his characters was a bit boring at times but spectacular most of the times. He starts of introducing the characters Rand al'Thor,Mat and Perrin . I had a slight advantage when I picked this book . I did not know who the main character or characters were nor did I know of the plot . So I had to keep an eye on all of the characters and ofcourse names !! . After 2 days and finishing 5 chapters, I was getting a bit restless. Where was the action that SP was talking about ?. Grr.. I was being let down. But I was patient.. the story dragged on .. more characters... Nynaeve , she's called the wisdom and is the village healer, Egwene who is Rand's girl friend . Moiraine and Lan the strangers to the small village. * sigh .. where was the action, suspense and drama ? boww bowwwwwwwww ... Then one lazy Monday morning as I was trying to fight my ever-closing eyes ( this was in the office-bus) all hell broke loose. Enter Trollocs and the horrifying Halfmen and I was smiling. Even my colleague noticed me sitting up straight and smile. It was at this point of time I appreciated Robert Jordan as a fantasy writer. You have got to read the book for the plot .The book did remind me of " Lord Of the Rings " with its characters and wizards but there are more female characters in this novel than in LOR, and they do have stronger roles. Hmm.. Here are some lines from the book which have made a lasting impression on me: The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time. "The One Power comes from the True Source, the driving force of creation, the force the Creator made to turn the Wheel of Time. Saidin, the male half of the true source, and saidar, the female half, work against each other, and at the same time together to provide that force. Saidin is fouled by the touch of the Dark One, like water with a thin slick of rancid oil floating on top. The water is till pure, but it cannot be touched without touching the foulness. Only saidar is still safe to be used... "The True Source cannot be used up, any more than the river can be used up by the wheel of the mill. The Source is the river; the Aes Sedai, the waterwheel." "The Dark One is after you three, one or all, and if I let you go running off wherever you want to go, he will take you. Whatever the Dark One wants, I oppose, so hear this and know it true. Before I let the Dark One have you, I will destroy you myself." The proverbs where so ...... Sometimes you have to grab the wolf by the ears. When you have a wolf by the ears, it's as hard to let go, as to hold on. Now this passage is well written and I believe is central to the story and explains a lot of things. "The Wheel of Time weaves the Patterns of the Ages, and the threads it uses are lives. It is not fixed, the Pattern, not always. If a man tries to change the direction of his life and the Pattern has room for it, the Wheel just weaves on and takes it in. There is always room for small changes, but sometimes the Pattern simply won't accept a big change, no matter how hard you try... "... But sometimes the change chooses you, and sometimes the Wheel bends a life-thread, or several threads, in such a way that all the surrounding threads are forced to swirl around it, and those force other threads, and those still others, and on and on. The first bending to make the Web is ta'veren, and there is nothing you can do to change it, not until the Pattern itself changes. The Web - ta'maral'ailen, it's called - can last for weeks, or for years. It can take in a town, or even the whole Pattern. Arthur Hawkwing was ta'veren. So was Lews Therin Kinslayer, for that matter, I suppose." ~~Loial Overall: A good read and Rs 350/- well spent. Some of the lines in the book will make you go " what the .... " , like this one” Peace favor your sword " .

An awkward silence

One of our manager's had decided that it was time to move on.It was his last day.A small group of 15 people had gathered in his cabin to wish him success in his future endeavors.He had been working in our company for the last 10 years and was respected by one and all. Employee 1 : So what is the secret of your success ? Manager with a smile : People like you . Employee 2 : Yep . We work , you grow . 28 seconds of awkward silence followed by laughter. Lol :)

It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time. ~Barbara Kingsolver

Last Sunday I celebrated my 28th birthday.*Sigh. I’m getting old but not mature enough. At least I did not act like I did last year. About gifts and presents : A Musical Greeting Card :When I was in school, one of my classmates showed me a cool Christmas card which when opened would sing “We wish you a merry Christmas “. That was when I had this intense desire to own one. It took a whooping 15 years to fulfill that wish .Of course mine sings Happy Birthday. A wind chime : I always wanted one for my bedroom. I hate the sound of silence either be it my workplace or my room. The tinkle of bells is said to soothe your mind and ward of evil spirits.hah! Money : I was telling my sister how we would look forward to that Rs10 or Rs 20 we got as our birthday presents from our relatives. We would spend it giving “treats” to our classmates. Treats included eating 3 by 6 masala puri and Cadbury éclairs. This was a long time ago when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime minister and “Star “was just a celestial object to be viewed when the sun went down. T-shirts : 4 color color ones :) Books : Thanks to my friends for “Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories “ by Agatha Christie. I wanted to treat myself and so I bought “ The Eye of the World “ ~ Robert Jordan. Flashback: Let us take a walk through memory lane and see how I celebrated my birthday hmm lets say it’s my 13th birthday. The day before my birthday , I would be busy shopping with my parents buying a box full of Cadbury éclairs .On your birthday you could wear “color” clothes to school (hah! color clothes ).Yippee no uniform. On D day I would be all excited , beaming in new clothes .In school , my classmates would sing “ Happy Birthday “ and I would be smiling and giving them chocolates, hoping that Julie would take 2 ( uhahahaaa).Giving extra chocolates to my best friends. A few to my brother and sister’s friends. I think I remember the nuns at my school giving me stickers of Lord Jesus (Vc scratches his head) . Back home mom would have prepared hot gulab jamoons and pulav .In the evening, I would be distributing jamoons to my neighbors .My grandparents and relatives would give me money, Rs 2 and Rs 5, which I blew on more chocolates and “treating” my friends to pani puri and masala puri. More later….. Memory is a child walking along a seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things. ~Pierce Harris, Atlanta Journal

Its like that

Its raining. Its Bangalore Bandh. Its time to go home and explore the lands of fantasy and Trollocs and wolves bowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. The shadow and the light.

Hey this was taken on Lalbagh Road ..check out the 3 boys.. :) thanks for the pic Anand.Oh that's how huge the Ganesh idols are in Bangalore.. hmm not as huge as the Mumbai ones...

An ethnic Albanian refugee from Selce, Macedonia, and her child look through the window of a bus as they arrive in Prizren in Kosovo on March 27, after fleeing the fighting in Macedonia two days earlier.

Currently devouring

It is a time for prophecies to be fulfilled. The Wheel of Time is weaving a Web in the Pattern of Ages, a Web to entangle the World. It is a time when Time itself may die, when the Eye of the World may be blinded. What was, and what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Hmm...

How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?

~ Dr. Seuss

Wonder what they are reading !! hmm...Maybe deciding on which film to watch this weekend :) uahhahaaaa...

There are two kinds of fools: those who can't change their opinions and those who won’t.

I was referring to the serial " Kyunki .... " . As you guys know ( of course you don't) Tulsi aunty the main character of Kyunki the soap serial .. was diagnosed with ...( Vc holds his breath )..... Lung Cancer ( wait let me make it more dramatic and give you the term the Doctor used .. ) oat cell cancer or was it small cell undifferentiated carcinoma naah it was Pleural mesothelioma (yeah that's better ). So the other day ( which means 4 weeks ago) I was eating dinner, in front of the tube, like always and was shattered to hear that Tulsi aunty was dying! . My mom seemed cool with it...she said " This serial has been running for 5 continuous years , let her die.. we need new faces *sigh " .Yeah the sigh said it all . From that day on I was curious as to know how the serial would continue without one of the main characters. It’s like Ramayana without Sita , The Lord of the Rings without the Ring . Harry without his Broom .... eh .. hmm I think you get the idea. In the next 15 episodes, every character of the serial comes to know that Tulsi has very little "air time" .They take turns visiting her and don't even bother to bring her apples. How slowly and accidently the news spreads to each member , could quiet easily have been made into another serial. But killing Tulsi was not enough, she gave bold statements to the media “ Yes I am dying”, the viewers could feel the kashish.. the dard, the pain , the anguish. ( I wonder how much she was paid to say those 4 words ) . To top that these guys ran a poll. Do you think Tulsi should die ? Sms your answer to this number NOW . ( Wait a minute .. what was my mom doing with my mobile ?) Then one fine chilly Thursday night ... the results were announced and we were informed that Tulsi would not be dying.. at least not in this century.The question that was nagging me was “how was she saved “, I believe she was in the 3rd stage of Pleural mesothelioma, the incurable stage. No she did not fly to US of A for a complicated Operation nor did Lord Krishna intervene ( I believe quite a lot of people and many Mahila Mandali's performed yagnas( pooja's) to save her ). My mom then explained that the director simply changed the script and the viewers .. sorry the faithful viewers were informed that " the medical reports were switched " . You could imagine my reaction !!! .. 5 weeks ... 5 weeks of waiting and this is all they could come up with ..... " the medical reports were switched ".What the #!$@#$ were the doctors doing , munching peanuts ? what about the symptoms ? what about the other tests that were supposed to be done when she was admitted to the 7 star hospital ? What about the..... Vc coughs.. clears his throat .. Sorry got carried away.

O, wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? ~Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Eulogy in stone to a musical genius, Neuchwanstein Castle beckons from its Alpine setting far behind a country church near F�ssen. Bavaria's King Ludwig II was so taken with Richard Wagner's operas that he built this castle expressly to capture the spirit of their soaring romantic strains." �From "West Germany: Continuing Miracle," August 1977, National Geographic magazine

Best Photo�Mountain Adventure: "Mitch Toelderer on Cliff Drop, Arlberg Area, Austria" by Peter Mathis of Hohenems, Austria .Courtsey: National Geo

Something that will make you go hmm.....

http://prashanthpoetry.blogspot.com/2005/02/promises.html What can i say .. Sp rocks...

Trick questions

Dee :Who do you think is pretty ? My sil or me? Vc: ( Oh God another trick question ) hmm.. your SIL is an hmm hmm figure and you are round . Dee: eh ? Anyway she's getting married tomorrow. Vc: Tomorrow ? Che Che.. how come you never invited me ? Dee : ( whispers ) We are not going . (sniff) Vc: What! Can't hear you ( A remix song is playing in the background ) Dee: Marathon .She's doing a marathon . Vc: A what ? Dee : What do people do in a marathon ? Vc : Are you talking about the event where people run till they are exhausted ? Dee : Yes yes.. so what do they do ? Vc: run ? Dee : Yes Yes.. Vc: So your SIL is running around . ( I think hmm maybe its shopping )So who is she marrying ? Dee: A cousin . Vc: Aaah hmm hmm.... So you are in charge of all the preparations and stuff? Dee: WHAT !! NO!!! we are not going as she is running away . Vc: eh !! ( Silence) OH MY GOD!! .. she's running away to get married ? Dee : Yes.( sigh)Vee I think you have lost it.. You were so smart.. Now you are so.... Vc: Hey blame it on the music and its 8pm I am tired ... Dee: Excuses Excuses .

Ctrl C- Ctrl V

Bathroom Break On the first day of school, about mid-morning, the kindergarten teacher said, "If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers."A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that help?" =============================================== The Prof in our Inorganic Chemistry lectures needed sunlight to catalyse a chemical reaction in an experiment .However on 2 successive days the weather was too cloudy.When on the third day , sunlight streamed in , the professor said ,"At last we have a little sun".Immediately a voice from the audience called " Three cheers for the professor's wife! ". =============================================== Sarcasm as a writing tool was the topic for the day.Our Prof began by asking the class for an example. We were stunned a few seconds later when a voice blurted out " Oh! Professor Richardson, I just Love your class." =============================================== Must Read : Found this blog so hilarious that I browsed through the entire archives. http://alpha-2.blogspot.com/

Did I post this before ? Psst more pics on the other blog... and thanks Anand.. Haiiiiiiiiii earrings

Change is good.

How do you feel after a tough day at appice? (Office) You are tired, your senses are down and eyelids are drooping, right? Last night, I was having a simple chat with my ex Manager. This was in the cab and we were discussing cricket, Tamil movies, (though I hardly know how to speak the language, I surprised him with my knowledge of movies) politics, Abhishek and hordes of other stuff. Suddenly out of the blue he says: Ex: You have a blog, right? Me: Me: Me: Me: (Silence) I was too stunned to speak. How the. ... Who the...? A colleague who was sitting next to me thought that I had fallen asleep and so gave me a nudge. Little did he know that I was staring at my ex-manager, with my mouth wide open. Me: Err... How do you know? Ex: (With a smile) Try guessing. Me: (I hate guessing, but fortunately I am good at it. I start racking my brains, its very small and compact, I meant my brain and so I found the answer.) Renith. Ex: Yes. (Renith was the first person to comment on my blog and maintains a Photography site. (Check it out http://photomaze.com). An ex-colleague , a superb photographer, who has won lots of awards , was on radio and thinks he’s Bangalore’s Papparazzi.He promised to take me along on his next model shoot , of course as a light boy. I think the " blog topic" came up a year ago and Renith had nonchalantly mentioned that I had a blog. ) A few other people, who were eavesdropping, turned to me and asked me: They : What's a log? Me: A log is a big piece of wood. Did you know as we speak some guy in Brazil is cutting a tree to make toothpicks? (Vc shakes his head; damn I should have been an actor). They :( Confused) No not log, Blog... yeah what's a blog? Me: A blog. Oh a blog. .... Wow check that superbike ( of course it had a hmmmmm hmm chick). I'm sure its a Ducati never seen one in this area. (Everyone turns around to take a look at the Ducati). The conversation soon turns towards Moto GP, Valentino Rossi ,Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi . I give a sly smile; maybe I should write a book titled " How to change topics in 2 minutes “.

.

Wow check out the color dude!!.. isn't that Flamingo pink?

So true..

"If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers..." - Homer Simpson

13 Q's to test you ...

1. What 'L' is the name given to the poet who wins the Nobel prize? ........ 2. Cantaloupe, Galia and Honeydew are types of which fruit? ............... 3. In the kitchen which container is hermetically sealed and is also known by the metal from which it is made....... 4. What name for an old British coin goes before 'fowl and 'pig' to give two names of creatures? 5. What word means the order of lessons in schools and the running of trains and buses? ........................ 6. What word can mean touch-down of an aeroplane or the level floor between two staircases? 7. In the human body what is the name of the main olfactory organ? ................ 8. What is the name of the underground part of a plant that is also the name for ancestry and heritage? 9. What is the three-letter name of the area which is the background for the sun, moon and stars? 10. Prisoner Robert Stroud was known as the what of Alcatraz? 11. In the nursery rhyme 'Ding Dong Dell', the pussycat was pulled out of the well by 'Tommy..' who? 12. A mustang is a wild breed of which animal? 13.What 'Z' is used to describe a human who has returned from the dead? Answers soon... Oh warning please do not listen to Trance for more than 2 hours. I think I am going to puke..

Psst what's a passion fruit ?

Story Time

55 words : Someone started writing small stories that were exactly 55 words in length. Here's my contribution. The Miracle “I told you a million times it can’t be done,” said an annoyed Mary.” I know I can do it. I just have that feeling, please” pleaded Jesus. The 5-year-old lad fell on his knees and concentrated. Slowly the contents of the wooden bowl changed to Chateau Haut-Brion, the best wine in all of Bethlehem. The Myth Vyasa was reluctant to look at the long nose and huge ears, but there was something in his eyes that made him stand out in the crowd. Ganesh felt the stare and looked up from his favorite TVS GOLD keyboard. Thus began the making of the greatest epic, in a small DTP centre in North Bangalore.

Reminds me of Mangalore.. deep Sigh*

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. ~Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"

Dude Sajjan download this Mast song : Meri Mehbooba hai thu.. http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0143GK6KRGQ3E32DNN5I7NPFP1 For Romantic enthusiasts only ... Kumar Sanu at his best.. I bet no one knows what the name of the film is. Do Indian Schools have detention? When I was in my fifth standard, we were supposed to "by-heart"/"mug" one particular poem written by H.W.Longfellow, I'm not sure maybe it was from" Voices of the Night". It was a long time ago and I think I was busying playing cricket and hmm... somehow forgot to study the poem. As the roll numbers were in alphabetical order, I was always last. Number 65 that was my roll number. I was confident that by the time the other students took turns reciting the poem, the class would be over. It was just a 40 min period. And as expected, when my English teacher stopped the class it was roll number 42’s turn. I remember giving a mischievous grin. Post lunch session we were getting ready for the boring " Moral Science" class and Holy Smoke!! Our English teacher walks in. “NO NO its not your class” we screamed. It so happened that the Sister(Nun) who was supposed to teach Moral Science was on leave and so our English madam was acting as a substitute. As a result we had another English class. I was angry and nervous. I still had some time left. So I started cramming my head with the lines of the poem. By the time roll number 58 was called, I had finished studying 2 full lines. When my number was called I panicked and forgot even those 2 lines. Our Class teacher raised her eyebrows and said " All those students who have not been able to recite the poem will stay back and write the poem 10 times". Naaaaaaaaaahi. So it happened that after school, I was outside the classroom, on my knees, scribbling furiously. I was accompanied by a couple of other guys but I was the only one fuming. These guys were busy making rockets, chatting and having fun. And then the unthinkable happened. My sister and her friends walk by. I try to hide myself, hoping that the earth would crack open and swallow me. She goes past me . I thank my lucky stars but then one of her friends turns back and sees me. Grr ,ofcourse she told my sister. My sis comes back, gives me a smile, the trick is not to look into the eyes, and asks me why I was on my knees. I think of making an excuse but couldn't think of any. I was never spontaneous. I told her that as I was given imposition ,I would be coming home a bit late. (I was still writing the #$%#$^ poem for the 3rd time). Yep went home late and got some nice pattars from Mom and Dad. I remember another incident. It was the same year, a few months after the punishment; I had then climbed the ladder and had become the Teacher's pet student. It was our monthly tests and I had prepared well for the Science test and was feeling confident of scoring good marks. The day before the test, my sister asked me questions and I had answered them satisfactorily. The next day ,I walked into the classroom to find my friends studying "Sets and Fractions”. I am puzzled. Why were they studying Maths ? Then someone switched on the Wipro ‘0’ watt bulb . It was Maths test and not Science test. I must have swapped dates when I copied the time-table . I grab the nearest maths textbook. Suddenly Julie walks up to me and says, " Your sister is here". "My sis? ". And sure enough, she was standing by the door, giving me that stare which could turn Carbon to diamond in 3 secs . She enquires " Hmm so which test is it today?" I whisper " Maths" and before she could shout at me, the school bell rings informing us to assemble for the morning prayers. I bunk the morning prayers and the national anthem which gave me approximately 20 minutes to study 3 chapters in Arithmetic, 2 in Algebra and 1 chapter in Geometry.All my friends knew that I had studied Science instead of Maths and came over to console me. ( In those days I was very good in mathematics , it seems I helped my classmates ( especially girls) with their homework. I actually don’t remember that phase very well.hmm.. Then how do I know ? Well it so happened that when I was in my 1st year of Engg , I volunteered to donate blood .You know those organizations which go to colleges asking students to donate blood. My classmates and me decided to visit this camp, the reason being we could bunk a couple of classes. It was there that I met one of my old schoolmates.Shaheen , weird name right !! She used to sit next to me and I distinctly remember copying Hindi from her. We talked a bit and then she poked a needle into me, she was a volunteer too but not giving blood but collecting it. She was studying to be a Dentist. Later when I was drinking Badam milk and munching on an apple ( read checking out chicks) she came over and said She :“ Hey you know I used to copy maths from you ? “ . Me : “Really ?” * I was blushing .. come-on all my new Engg classmates where standing next to me. ) The Test began and our maths teacher started distributing the question papers and as I was her pet student she smiled at me. I was distraught, what would she say when I failed the test ? I don't know how, I think someone must have told her, but she knew that I had screwed up the timetable. She said," So you studied Science instead of Maths? It's alright I know you'll do well ". I smiled and sat down to tackle the problems. The worst part was that she stood right next to me for the whole duration of the test, trying to see what I was writing. I think she was trying to sort of help me. I scored 67. That evening got some nice pattars at home,Courtsey: Sis. The next day, when my class teacher was distributing the Science question papers she looked at me and said aloud:" Now that you have studied Science twice, I expect you to score 90”. I was ready for the challenge and yep-scored 91. Post Script : The teacher was Mrs. Phyllis. She used to teach both English and Mathematics. One of the best teachers in our school , she retired last year.This post is dedicated to the teacher who inspired me to do well in Mathematics. A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~Author Unknown

This is Cho Chang , Harry Potter's GF. Check the Owl out..Vc whistles...

The curse ..

A 10 year old girl cursed me... it went something like this.. " I curse that you fall off your bike and you fracture your hand". Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahi .......... The circumstances on how and why I was cursed will quiet easily fit 3 pages(A4 size) ..will explain in a new post.. Me too sleepy today .. Vc yawns ... We had been to a movie on Sat..( less said the better) .. lalallalaa .... ( we are still searching for one Mr Sajjan ). Anand managed to click some pics will upload them soon. .zzzzz ...... Merry Christmas !!

A typical Indian Bharathanatayam Dancer.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. ~Douglas Adams

What else can I wish for ?

*I got a nice “thank-you” comment from my sis and to top it, she was funny…. that’s kind of spooky. *Dee called to say that my gift was better than the “diamond necklace” her Mother-in-law presented. Of course she was lying. *Kk wrote a post thanking me.Wow. Not sure if I deserve it though. *Our book has been highly recommended by a couple of Engineering colleges. Yahoooo. *I finished all the Harry-Potter series in a week.Enchanting, mesmerizing...

Nowadays most men lead lives of noisy desperation. ~James Thurber

You guys must have heard me mention Sajjan and his weird sense of humor. When I started blogging a year ago, I used to ask him , no in fact I used to blackmail him, to read my posts and to drop comments. Here’s an example. Right now he's in Hyderabad and hopefully will be coming down this weekend (Hey get some Hyderabadi biryani) Hehe ...He's a veggie. Where was I? aaah... so he sends me a mail asking me to check out a blog. Yep some chicks blog. I was surprised . I mean Saj and blog hopping ? Is this the same guy who read 4 pages of the Da Vinci Code and quickly came to the conclusion that waiting for a few more months and watching the movie was better than reading the rest of the book. So I fired a mail asking for an explanation. His reply (edited): "It so happened that I was strolling down the office cubes and saw a colleague reading a blog.So I asked him if it was his? He said he had no time to write and maintain a blog but he frequently visited the above-mentioned one and follows it everyday. I then showed your blog and told him that "I often visit this one". Suddenly the room was filled with an eerie silence." Now I appeal to the 4 people who visit my blog. Pray 'O' great ones what the hell did Sajjan mean when he said "Suddenly the room was filled with an eerie silence."

It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more. ~J.K. Rowling

My first reaction on picking up the latest "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" book was :"It’s so small". The difference between the 5th book (The Order of Phoenix) and the 6th is like 300 pages. The 0.5 Hairy Puttar was a good read especially the last 3 chapters where the action heats up. People who have read the book might be interested in some of my thoughts : 1. Dumbledore and Snape. Something is fishy here. Just take a look at this line : "Please...Severus" Dumbledore was not pleading for his life but for Snape to gather the courage to do it. Then Snape explodes when Harry calls him a coward. He was not being a coward. Grrr. what's going on?? 2.The last book will certainly have Hairy boy and his friends searching and destroying the Horcruxes. 3. I thought the 0.5 Prince would be Dumbledore or Voldemort but it turned out to be Prof Snape. And trying out things written on a second hand book. Hah!! Haven't we all done that? 4. I was disappointed that Rowling aunty never explained what happened to Dumbledore's hand."It is a thrilling tale and I wish to do it justice " that's what Dumbledore says when asked by Harry. 5. Maybe we'll have Pre-Quels that will throw more light on Harry’s parents and Sirius Black... Did you catch these words: Nagini and Mantra. Nagini ofcourse being Voldemort's pet snake. Loved this curse: Sectumsempra: A Dark Arts spell invented by the Half-Blood Prince that cuts a person and drains him or her of blood. Cool magic potion: Felix Felicis is a potion that grants temporary good luck to the drinker. Some cool quotes: Dumbledore to Harry: "I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being — forgive me — rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger." "Is the prophecy objectively true because it's objectively true or is it true because someone chose to believe it, and if, when they chose to believe it, did it not do just as much as if the prophecy had been objectively true in the starting case " >> Reminds me of SP's posts.

Story Time

Garuda is the son of the sage Kasyapa and Vinata, the sister of Parvati. According to the Vishnu Puana, Garuda�s mother Vinata was held captive by her sister Kadru, the mother of the Naga�s or serpents. The only way to secure her release was to give the snakes Amrit (Nectar of the gods) which was guarded by Lord Indra. Garuda stole the amrit and assured lord Indra that he would steal it back from the Nagas as soon as he procured the release of his mother. The story goes, before the snakes evan had a taste, Lord Indra snatched the Amrit leaving the snakes to lick the drops off a sharp edged grass which lacerated their tongues which have remained forked ever since.