The lonely tree . No .. the lonely bench.. wait a minute.. if they are together how can they be lonely ?

Advance planning.

I was making plans to sneak of to Mangalore this weekend, of course without telling mom. And WHAM mom has alternate " you-can't-escape " plans. Its Krishna Janmastami this Friday/sat... a festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna.All I can think of when someone mentions this festival is lots of sweets, our 55+-year-old Mantapa being decorated with garlands and my mom waking me at midnight for "pooja". No not the neighbour's daughter "Pooja". This weekend Mom has invited a lot of people for lunch and she expects me to stay home. For the love of Lord Krishna and his 16,008 wives, it’s a Saturday! I think I'll do all the " loafing around" on Friday. Che I even refused Anand's offer to go on a 3 day-trek with his colleagues. (Psst Anand's a bit too addicted to DVD's and CD's and so his family doctor has advised him to get out of town. Hence the sudden trek.) Last year's Krishna Janmastami was so eeeeeeeeew.... I wrote some weird stuff. ( Vc shakes his head ) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bangalore like all major cities in India is famous for its Chinese cuisine. Yeah you read it right the first time.” Indians make Chinese food better than the Chinese”, so says my friend Pc, who stayed in Shanghai for more than a year. We were talking about "Aromas of China “, a local restaurant, where they serve authentic Chinese dishes.Hah!! Imagine the scene: A Punjabi ordering fried chicken noodles, the Malayali waiter rushing to the kitchen to find the Iyengari chef, busy in front of a grill. Chinese food Hah!!!

An ear for music?

I have been receiving a lot of flak on the kind of "music" and "film reviews" that I post on my blog. Uhahahaha. Back in the early 80's , I used to sit on my grandpa's lap and listen to Carnatic music on the radio. It was right after lunch, a boring zzzz afternoon. Grandpa would switch on the radio, and we would sit by the window and fall asleep within minutes. Such is the power of Carnatic music. As you grow older you kind of understand and get the grasp of the ragas and talas, the divine veena, the violin, the tambura, the flute and the rhythmic beat of the mridangam. Did you know that only a few artists tell out the name, tala and raga of the song they are performing. When not told it is up to the listener to identify the raga and tala.Hmm….

All in a days work.

I saw Mangal and Pandey - The Handy cam version. What !!You have never heard of it? Ok ok I'll explain. Wednesday night: I went to my local CD store and asked if Mangal Pandey was available for rent. (Couldn't watch it last weekend on big screen). The owner said" Yes but the print is a bit…"and his voice trailed off. I thought lets give it a try and I rented it. We sat down to watch the most awaited film of the Month (Yeah, I’m sure next month, something new will come up). The CD shop owner was joking. The print was *$%$% .The VCD print looked like it was recorded by some bloke with a handy-cam. I wonder how much they paid him for the service. It was fun and irritating. When the scene had 2 or more actors, the camera would zoom from one face to another. Obviously without synchronization. The General was talking in Hindi and Aamir Khan was ordering the soldiers with an English accent...eeeW. The constant clapping and swearing by the audience, the whistles when Rani danced wah wah just too good...I fell asleep before the interval (read first CD). Do you guys remember " Bharath ek Khoj" ? Nehru’s -Discovery of India. With Om Puri's narration in the background, this film reminded me of that documentary.. Sorry no review of Mangal Pandey because for the next half of the film the *$&%@#$ cameraman was constantly checking out chicks in the 4th row. Sigh* Sorry had to vent out my anger at someone, it has been one of those days… Thursday: Took a day off. Had to assemble a desktop PC for my cousin. I was astonished at the low prices of the accessories. And then as usual all hell broke loose. I had parked my bike on SP road; of course I thought it was legal to park in front of the shop. The police thought otherwise and towed it away. This conversation says it all; it’s from the serial Becker. Dr. John Becker: Just when I think God couldn't screw me any further, he gets out the old Black & Decker and twists a little harder! Margaret: Interesting; you're being persecuted by a God you don't believe in. Dr. John Becker: That's why he's after me, Margaret. Why can’t the police leave a calling card saying something in the lines of: “Aapki bike hamare kabze main hai. Come to so and so station, pay the fine and collect it“. I had no idea which Police guys had towed my bike. The local shopkeepers were not helpful .I then had to walk to the KR Market Police station. Thursday being the day before the Varamahalakshmi festival, was overcrowded. Crowded is not the right word. It was a virtual stampede. I was cursing all the way as I didn't know where the &*^%$* Police Station was. Almost all of Bangalore’s Police stations are being rebuilt or being modernized, so they have been temporarily shifted.I asked the vendors for directions but they were not helpful as they themselves did not know where the **&*(@*** PS was .*sigh. The Police Station was on the first floor of an old building bang in the middle of the market. I could hear someone shouting on the loudspeaker " Happy V lakshmi festival. Please be careful, there are lot of mobile thieves, pickpocketers and Chain snatchers. blah blah ... " .Why do these guys have such irritating voices.. hmm maybe I was grr grr .Even you would be (@#%@% if you were stepped on by 5 not so thin women and poked in the eye, by an old lady carrying a bunch of lotus flowers, not to mention pushed around . At last I managed to find the Police station, it was easy I followed the irritating voice. Alas I was informed that I was required to go to a different police station,the Kalasipalayam Police Station. So I had to cross the market again. I was lucky this time as I kept away from the frantic shoppers but still that 2 wheeler managed to find my feet. *ouch. Do you know to which simple question people are afraid and hesitant to answer, " Where's the Police Station?” After walking for 2 kms I found the Kalasipalayam Police Station. Here I was informed that SP road was not under their jurisdiction.I should Have guessed.. but you see my spidy sense was overwhelmed by the smells in the market. I was asked to check at High gate Police Station which is near the Corporation Offices...(2 minutes walk from where my bike was originally parked). I was so #$%#$^* mad. Not one auto was ready to drop me off at High gate Police Station. I was exhausted, hungry , cross and grrrr. Walked another kilometer and this tobacco chewing Muslim driver agreed to drop me off at the police station. Allah ka lakh lakh shukar hai. Found my bike chained to 10 other vehicles. The guy who was supposed to give the receipt had conveniently taken a "DUM" break. $%^$^* Cops. After 20 mins, the traffic inspector with his chamchas arrived with another load of vehicles. You should see them handle the vehicles.. uff...Never in my short life was I so eager to pay the fine. Rs 200 for parking in the "No Parking zone" and Rs 100 towards towing charges. @#!$#$ Rules.. * Sigh. I swear no more bunking office on weekdays.

Yeah right !!

Jis tarah heere ko heera kaat'tha hai... sone ko sona kaat'tha hai.... lohe ko loha kaat'tha hai.... theek usi tarah dekh lena ek din tumhe kutta katega....

Aashiq banaya aapne

HELLO IF YOU THINK I HAVE BAD TASTE IN MUSIC .. hmm.. you should listen to Amjad Al Khan and his sons : Tigalbandi in RagKhamaj ... ( psst its too good . ask me where you can download it.. later.. ) Right now the Top or almost top song has to be Aashiq banaya aapne . You can download it here. Hum along with Himesh Reshammiya, Shreya Ghoshal. aashiq banaya aashiq banayaaashiq banaya aapne tere bin suni suni hain baahein teri bin pyaasi pyaasi nigaahein tere bin bin asar meri aahein tere bin tere bin lamha lamha sataye tere bin bekarari jalaaye tere bin chain mujhko naa aaye tere bin

If this doesn't rock you ....nothing else will..

When the lights go down Right click and download a snippet . "When the lights go down in your town and the band begins to play, you can feel the energy coming from the people, as they say."

See....even she's praying that I get a Sony cyberShot......... the earrings .........haiiiiiiiii

Could crop circles be the work of a cereal killer?

Saw an owl being attacked by crows.This was on the main road :) Awesome sight !! the owl didn't give a damn about the crows. The crows had a simple strategy. One would stand in front of the owl trying to distract it while the other pulled at its wings. . I just wished I had a cool digicam, I could have posted pics of the owl turning its head at an impossible 280 degrees. *sigh My office colleague says its bad luck to see an owl Hah!!. Well my friends call me "the wise old owl ". Owls are so beautiful and are hardly seen during daytime. Yesterday when it was raining heavily I was stuck in the bus-stop . Suddenly I had this feeling something was not right.. the crowd had successfully pushed me outside the shelter and I was slowly but steadily being drenched. But what made me smile was this aunty standing right in the middle of the shelter, with an open umbrella over her head .. grrr.. Its Raksha Bandhan next week ... The chaste bond of love between a brother and a sister is one of the deepest and noblest of human emotions. 'Raksha Bandhan' or 'Rakhi' is a special occasion to celebrate this emotional bonding by tying a holy thread around the wrist. This thread, which pulsates with sisterly love and sublime sentiments, is rightly called the ‘Rakhi’. It means 'a bond of protection', and Raksha Bandhan signifies that the strong must protect the weak from all that’s evil. The previous 3 years my sis used to order Rakhi's online and some dot com company in Chennai (No not Bangalore) would then send a greeting, a silk thread and a box of sweets. The sweets were of course STALE. So this time she's kind of being .. hmm how do I put it....read on .. Here's a partial chat transcript : Sis : Hey want me to send those stale sweets again ? Vc: Naaaaaaaaaahi.. Sis : Why don't u take some money from my account and freak out instead ?? Need I say more ? I was worried ... Vc: Vidya what have you been drinking ? Sis :I am drinking papaya juice with a bit of sodium monoglutamate added for flavor and lots of milk and ice.. Sigh*Yep that's my sis ............ But Rakhi ... I mean they tie a small piece of silk thread.. and smile..We bro's,then have to fork out currency notes... This is what Kk had to say : "Hah that's the fun of being the sister... they say "hum rakhi bandke bhagwan se bhai ke liye dua mangenge toh bhai humein keemtee gifts dega". I was thinking hmmm..... Vidya .. how about you tie this to my wrist ?

Everybody is just figments of my imagination.

Working on a cruise ship, I was demonstrating to a group of young passengers how the ship manages to stay level at sea. "Do you know what level means?" I asked my six- to eight-year-old charges. One boy replied immediately. "A level is something you need to pass in a video game to get to a harder screen." --Christina L. Amos, Montreal (from All in a Day's Work, 2001)

Seth Dharam Prashad, aapki beti hamare kabze mein hai.

Released in the year 1975... wow that's 30 years ago. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore,Sajeev Kumar .. The story : girl > villain > girl murdered > villain smile > girl bro AB grr grr.. > AB kill villain > AB run and becomes Faraar > Hides in Police Inspector Sanjeev Kumar's house>Bobby is held hostage >bobby's mom Sharmila aunty >kahani main twist>Sharmila aunty is AB's old crush> what happens next? Will have to watch the second half of the film today.. my mom wanted to watch Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 ... sigh* I wonder if anyone has heard this song, from Faraar. Kishore Kumar ki dard bari awaaz main.... Its supposed to be romantic . Main Pyaasa Tum Saawan Main Dil Tum Meri Dhadkan Ho Naa, Hoon To, Ho Ho Naa, Hoon To Aankhon Ko Jab Band Karoon Main Sapne Tumhare Aaye Pyar Bina Ye Jeevan Phika Sapne Ye Samjhaaye Man Se Man Ki Dori Kaa Tum Hi To Ho BandhanHo Naa, Hoon To, Ho Ho Naa, Hoon To

If you love something, turn it loose. If it doesn't come back, hunt it down and kill it.

I've seen you stalking the shops, walking the ailes, searching for that extra-special gift.Stashing away a few rupees a month to buy him a woodlands shoe: staring at a thousand rings to find her that best diamond;Staying up all night on Christmas Eve, assembling the new bicycle. Why did you do it ? So the eyes will pop, the jaws will drop. To hear those words of disbelief: " You did this for me ? " Well in my case : " Are you nuts ?" *sigh * PS : No not you SP .. To that anony dude/dudette.. check this pic.... amazing. . haiiiiiii

Vc proves he's a sweet guy...

Please note this post has nothing what-so-ever to do with my eating habits..and yes my mom did serve ice-cream for breakfast ...but that was 2 days ago.. Did you receive a mail titled : 26 things a sweet guy would do ? No ? well then you are not in my spam list: subscribe now. The mail is about all the things a "sweet guy" would do. Here's the proof that I am a Sweet guy ... 1.Know how to make you smile when you are down. >> Of course when she slips and falls .. come-on that’s funny… 2. Try to secretly smell your hair BUT you always notice. >>I hope she uses Pro-V shampoo , its so sweet smelling..haiiii 3. Stick up for you but still be respectful of your independence. >> Ok she can eat “Kashmiri pulav” but she'll have to pay for it. 4. Give you the remote control during the game. >>Easy…I can keep the batteries ,can’t I? 5. Come up behind you, put his arms around you, squeeze you tightly against his chest, and whisper softly into your ear >> I’m hungry, what’s for dinner? 6. Play with your hair. >> Damn, chewing gum got stuck in her hair , again. 7. His hands will always find yours. >>> Everytime. I mean everytime her hands try to grab the remote. 8. Be cute when he really wants something. >> I have mastered this art .. meow meow… 9. Offer you plenty of massages. >>> Airtel to Airtel sms free so its easy.. wait massage ?? thu thu ..I can try ,maybe take a few classes from Phoebe ..haiii 10. Dance with you even if he feels like a dork. >>> I am a dork , so no problems...chaiya chaiya !! 11. Never run out of love. >>>I think you mean, Never run out of money when she's shopping, right? No problem... psst Sajjan can I borrow your credit card. 12. Be funny, but knows when to be serious. >> Yeah yeah , tried that once,no use. 13. Realize he's being funny when he needs to be serious. >>Is this a trick question ? Its so similar to Q 12. 14. Be patient when you take forever to get ready. >> Yeah.. I can read a novel by the time she finishes her makeup.. may be even grow a French beard..you never know. 15. React so cutely when you hit him and it actually hurts. >> She’ll assault me ? Am I ready for this ? 16. Smile a lot. >> hmm.. can we change that to Grin a lot ?? 17. Plan a romantic date full of cheesy things he wouldn't normally do just b/c he knows it means a lot to you. >>I’ll take her to Mac’s .. it seems they have lots of stuff with cheese. 18. Appreciate you. >> Wow nice pair of sandals!! 19. Help others out. >> You mean her relatives ... Oh God!!! 20. Drive 5 hours just to see you for 1. >>> With Bangalore’s traffic and weather.. that’s a breeze… 21. Always give you a peck on the cheek when you depart from each other's company- even when friends are watching.>>”Friends “ you mean the serial right ?? 22. Sing even if he can't >> I can sing .. In school I used to get C for singing , so that’s good na.. 23. Have a creative sense of humor. >>> I’ll paint when I tell her jokes . 24. Stare at you. >>> I can do that …I mean the other day I was staring at this girl and she saw me and ..hmmm..nevermind.. 25. Call for no reason >>> Oh yes .. it so happens that I was trying to dial Anand’s number and accidently dialed hers and she asked why and I said .. No reason .. she said it was cute.. 26. Quit smoking, chewing, drinking, or drugs just b/c he loves you enough to quit!! >> chewing ?? Hello I chew Boomer bubble gum .. actually I buy gum for the free tattoo…but I’ll quit…soon…very soon...

Simple :)

Did you read about the 70 year-old-twin-brothers in Finland. One set out on his bike on a snowy morning and at about 9.30am he was hit and killed by a lorry. Two hours later the other twin unaware of his brother's fate , was cycling along the same road, a kilometer and a half away , when he was also killed by another lorry . What is your reaction to this story ?

Spooky connection or just plain Coincidence .

How many of you even thought of the perfectly logical explanation of double suicide ?

Can you ?

Can you smell water? Yes ? Why can't I ? ( I can smell the chlorine in the water) I have a sensitive nose and yes agreed, I could not smell that Brahma Kamal.. but but.. Are your dreams in color ? Yes ? Damn.Mine are all in black and white . Maybe Freud has a good explanation... *Sigh Right click and download : Alicia Keys "You don't know my name " its a hmm hmm song.. check out the phone conversation .. haiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Phonecrastinate: To put off answering the phone until caller ID identifies the caller.

Its Dee's marriage next week .She called and asked me if I had finished shopping for her wedding gift .... ( $#@$#%@$ % ) ...avalajji … She actually expects a gift !!! Che I was thinking of giving a nosegays .I had everything planned to the last rupee. Rs 65 for the nosegays and the card that said “ Best wishes” and Re 1 for my Boomer Bubble gum. Damn! will have to find a part-time job to make more money... Sigh* Will just have to take more tuition classes… Or will have to deliver newspapers , yep on my bike..vroom vrooom…. Or maybe singing classes... Kajarare kajarare yeah !! That’s it singing classes… Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam So what do you think is the ideal wedding gift ? In the late 70’s and 80’s it was silver and bronze vessels .Go ask your granny or mom and they’ll tell you which cousin/relative gave them which particular kitchen utensil.Just imagine me gifting Dee with a huge bronze item like a kadai .. gift wrapped …uhahhahhaaa. These days I believe its gift vouchers, Life style ... .. hmm... Wait a min... It just occurred to me .. how about this ??

Yep that's how you fly....aaaaaaah..

I did it ..not sure how ...

I won an award I won an award.. Not sure for what but who cares.. I won an award ... Yahooo.. lets open the soda bottles, bring on the belly dancers .. its time to party ....

India .......hah

Ooops....

An interesting article...

Teaching Mom and Dad the facts of modern life by Bruce Cameron..

The line "Maybe we should call your sister "had me in splits....

=====================================

Thu thu ...

She says hi and all I did was smile .Oh! that was because I had just stuffed my mouth with those biscuits .. no not the dog biscuits.. those creamy ones re...yummy .All I could do was bat my eyelids.. I hope she understands Morse code..

bat bat stare bat bat haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii bat bat

Books I read .....a few days back...

White star : James Thayer Two snipers in a dual where only one survives. Yep,this book provides plenty of excitement for action fans. "Owen Gray is a New York City district attorney and the adoptive father of three orphaned Asian children. Previously, Gray was the premier marine sniper in Vietnam, where he was credited with 96 kills. The past is mostly forgotten, though, at least until a Mafia chieftain standing with Gray in front of a courthouse is killed by a sniper. Days later, a petty crook is shot through the head while Gray is walking with him toward a waiting police van. Unbeknownst to Gray, the sniper is a figure from his past who nearly drove him to suicide. What starts as seemingly random violence on the streets of New York is actually an invitation to a deadly duel between the world's two best snipers. " Luciano's luck : Jack Higgins An okish sort of thriller for 16 year olds, 2nd WorldWar story ...too mild for me. Currently reading Rat Trap : Craig Thomas There was relief at Heathrow when the damaged British Airways 707 touched down safely. But something was wrong. The pilot wasn't answering the control tower's radio call - and the authorities soon found out why. An armed hijacker was on board the plane, together with five accomplices and a bomb. The hijackers wanted a terrorist returned in exchange for the lives of the aircraft's passengers and crew. The exchange could be made safely. Until the prisoner escaped...

What's it like ?

Bangalore is cold, rainy and gloomy ....*sigh One of my colleagues is in high spirits he says its "Romantic weather " eeeeeew.... Its the kind of weather in which you just laze around... hot coffee..garam garam pakoda's...soulful music in the background... a good book ... What's it like in your part of town ?

Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.

I recently read Ken Follet's " The Third Twin ". Steve, the hero of The Third Twin, is troubled when he finds he has an identical twin who is a murderer. He's led to examine himself and he worries that he is like his brother. He asks, "Do my genes make me what I am? Or is it my upbringing and my environment?" Its similar to SP's question.... http://prashanthsriram.blogspot.com/2005/07/burnt-eggs-and-genetics.html Hmm… *********************** Anand accompanied me to SP road on Saturday.( Sajjan is in Hyderabad and the latest news is that he sold his color TV and bought a brand new.. yep a brand new Black and White TV.Do they still make B&W TV sets?) What and where is SP road ? Its opposite the TOWN Hall, near the city market.A few years back (approx 10 yrs), this lane which has like 300 shops, was known to sell all types of Electronic components, from resistors to Television sets. Now, its the main center for Computers and Computer peripherals. A haven for PC assemblers.Some shops are known for their quick service.You give them your dream PC configuration ( Example : P4 3.2 GHz, 512 Ram , 80 GB Barracuda ,Intel Motherboard ,DVD combo etc... ), they'll assemble it in 15 mintues and even install the Operating System. SP road is “the place” for techie geeks . I wanted to buy Kannada DVD's for my BIL, the original ones and not the pirated ones. I was really surprised when I learnt that the Kannada film industry had released just 13 DVD's. The Kannada film industry churns out approx 300 films every year. So, for the past 30 years, the industry also known as "Sandalwood" has released around 10,000 movies. And only 13 DVD’s? And guess what!! they are not in 5.1-surround sound. *sigh. After searching high and low ( It seems only 1 shop out of 30 odd shops sold Kananda DVD's),we went to this shop called "Ganesh Audio", which has the reputation of selling the latest and oldest Kannada movies/music. I asked the vendor if he had Kannada Dvd's, He said yes and showed me his collection, which had just 13 films. I told him that I wanted to buy the entire collection. He was surprised and thought I was joking. :) The amount came upto Rs 1500/-, which is pretty cheap when compared to what Sri pays in US, ( Psst he pays $10+ for a single DVD).The manager even gave me a discount. We then roamed around aimlessly and spotted a shop in which the boys running the store were busy selling VCD's and DVD's by the dozen. It was a wholesale shop, which meant that you had to buy VCD/DVD's in bulk; surprisingly it had a CCTV (security hmmm) .We asked him if he had the latest English and Hindi DVD’s. As we wanted just a couple, he directed us to the "Other shop " which was in a "patli gali ". What we saw mesmerized us. It was an open courtyard with a small shop, similar to a " pan-beeda shop". In front of the shop was a teenager sitting on a wooden box ,sorting out DVD's from a huge jumbo sized cardboard box. I’m sure it contained like 500 + DVD’s. To his left was a huge rack of CD’s, customers picking up their favorite films so casually that I thought I was in one of Food World's outlets, shopping for groceries. We had found "the mother lode “,"the NEST ", the main source of pirated DVD’s. The pirated DVD's here cost as less as Rs 80/-. We were too stunned to speak. We just stood there like a pair of geeks staring at the " scene " that was unfolding before us. Anand bought a Tamil movie and we hastily made our way back to civilization,which was the main road. Anand was disappointed that he couldn't snap a pic or two. Yeah right and have them beat us black and blue. *********************** I've stopped watching films and can't wait to get my hands on the latest books. The ones I still haven't devoured are... The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy >>> grr can't seem to find it... A recently released book which has Nehru's letters to Gandhi..( What's it called ???) The Half-Blood Prince... >> Who dies ?? Currently reading Jack Higgins " Luciano's Luck ". **********************

Dumbledore's death in the style of Dan Brown

If you have read The Da Vinci Code... you'll know why I posted this... Uhahahaaaa

Courtesy http://books.guardian.co.uk/ and Nadia Hossen Mamode .

Renowned wizard Albus Dumbledore staggered up the stairs leading to his office. He lunged for the nearest portrait he could see, Phineas Nigellus. It was empty; Phineas Nigellus was away, probably visiting another portrait. Grabbing the frame, the hundred-and-seventy-plus wizard heaved the portrait towards himself, until it tore from the wall and Dumbledore collapsed backward in a heap beneath the portrait. As he had anticipated, Phineas Nigellus rushed into the portrait Dumbledore lay a moment, gasping for breath. He crawled to a place to hide, the portrait still with him."What is it Albus?" asked Phineas from the portrait. "Are you trying to remove my portrait from your wall?" On his hands and knees, Dumbledore spoke softly. "I need your help Phineas. Voldemort will be arriving shortly. He has my wand. I am going to die. Find Harry Potter!" Within seconds, Phineas was gone. A voice spoke. "Dumbledore, you should not have run." Only few feet away, Voldemort was staring at him. He was tall and thin, with a snakelike face white and gaunt. His eyes were scarlet and slit-pupilled. Voldemort aimed his wand at Dumbledore. "When you will be gone, I will be the only one to know the truth about Harry Potter's parents." Voldemort was taking a dead aim at Dumbledore's head. Dumbledore closed his eyes. He regretted having lied to Voldemort. When he would be dead, the secret would be lost forever. "Evita Peroneus!" echoed. Dumbledore's eyes flew open Voldemort looked at his wand then at Dumbledore's head. A silvery liquid was pouring out. Dumbledore knew this curse. My mind. Cruelly, he was losing his mind literally and death would soon follow. Voldemort was gone. Alone now, Dumbledore knew that he had to act fast. I must pass the secret. When Harry Potter arrived, he saw Dumbledore dead in Da Vinci's "The Vitruvian Man" position.

In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives. ~Anatole Broyard

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Please note typing and sending an email is not the same as writing with a black HERO pen, filled with blue ink, on a plain sheet of paper. The other night (now that my DVD player has sniff sniff. *sigh) I was eating dinner or was it supper (Supper is the last meal of the day, right!! but what about those snacks I eat at midnight?) and watching this local serial. A scene where the granddaughter writes a letter to her family and the Grandpa is reading it out aloud, amused me. All the family members are listening intently and so is my mom. I found this hilarious, not sure why, but it did and I pointed this to my mom " Hahaaa... they are still writing letters, can't they just use the phone or the internet " .I shake my head ... I was still in my " Ping you've got mail " mode. My mom has this "far off" look and says " Hmm.. I remember when I was newly married, I used to write home regularly and you know all my friends and neighbours would gather around my brother as he read it aloud. I would always make it a point to include everyone's name in it. " Mom was born and brought up in Mangalore and had to move to Bangalore after marrying my Pop. I wonder what she wrote in those letters. This was in the year 1973. Maybe something in the lines of ... "Bangalore is beautiful and the climate is very cold. We have to wear woolen sweaters to stay warm (Mangalore has a tropical climate).I saw a double decker bus today and my husband takes me regularly to the cinema (Yep it was called cinema in those days. I think she would then write about the latest Kannada film that she saw). The other day we went to Cubbon Park and had our photo taken .Will send it soon.We went to this place called MG road, ate Masala Dosa's and saw an English film. The film was so boring , it had these weird guys fighting with color color tublelights." (Star wars * sigh). Maybe should ask her what she really wrote……

Nahiiiiiiiiiiiii....

My Norcent DP-313 DVD player went "kaput" . * sniff . It was a gift from my sis and bil... sniff. So my options are : * Get the latest DVD player , one which can play AVI and MPEG4. * Get this repaired ( I think its the lens).

My quota of luck just got replenished :)

My weekend was sort of hmm ... how do I put it? .. monsoonish... well that's because I ended up getting drenched :) . Achoo ... Achoo.. I get a lot of weird reactions when I talk about my soul sister. I was taken by surprise when Dee said that it was "cute " and now she wants me to find her one. Now how in heaven's name am I going to find her a soul-bro? I mean traveling to Africa to find that special Elephant which likes apples. Uff ..It’s difficult but not impossible. :) Saturday: Got up at 6 am. I mean why waste your weekends sleeping. ... So I watched Harry Callahan deliver this dialogue. I know what you're thinking: "Did he fire six shots, or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth in all this excitement, I've kind of lost track myself. But, being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya punk?

Want to listen to it download it from here >>> http://www.filmsite.org/wavfiles/dirtyharry.wav

I was hooked and ended up watching: The Dirty Harry series, which included: Magnum Force ,The Enforcer,Sudden Impact and the Dead Pool. Then had to rush to Sajjan's house .. it was Anand's birthday party.. a huge cake even RB couldn’t finish it.yummmmmmmmy .. It was raining so we watched the movie Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983).We just loved the Mahabharata scene. Naseeruddin Shah takes over the role of Duryodhana and says "Maine Draupadi ka cheer-haran ka idea DROP kar diya hai" Dushasana played by some sidey actor says “ areh yeah tho script main nahi hai “. Akbar makes a grand entrance in Mahabhratha and immediately the background changes. Oh God you have got to watch it, mast time pass. Hey I passed by Anil Kumble's residence, its huge and I even saw his brother.. that software dude Dinesh Kumble.Sajjan says that Anil has a huge underground GYM ..hmmm ... On the way back home got completely drenched. Mom was furious. I mean I can't help it if it’s raining in the rest of Bangalore and not a drop in our area. grrr. Sunday: Got up at 8. That’s because I was watching " The House of Flying Daggers " the previous night. Cool special effects, amazing fight sequences and a very good storyline .I just loved the background score. Typical Chinese film. Oh and I watched Kelly's Heroes, Heartbreak Ridge and In the line of Fire. Check out the post on Brahma Kamala ..... Damn I couldn't smell those.. and it seems you are lucky if you see it bloom and I saw 6 bloom. Thanks to Anand for the pics . More pics here

And the best part is that the flowers grow from the edge of the leaves. hmm …

"Life is a paradox, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't"

This is one of my Fav paradoxes. A lil girl from Australia sent it to me last year. Read on.... According to the principle of indifference, if we have no good reason for preferring one truth value over another as regards a particular proposition, we should assign a probability of 1/2 to that proposition. This principle is open to many forms of abuse, the most popular illustration of this being the life on Mars paradox, which is presented below in the form of a dialogue between A and B. A: What is the chance of there being some form of life on Mars? B: I have no good evidence for or against, so I will answer 1/2. A: OK. Now what's the chance of no animal life on Mars? B: Again, I must answer 1/2. A: And the chance of no non-animal life on Mars? B: Again, 1/2. A: So the chance of no life (ie. no animal life and no non-animal life) on Mars = 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4? B: Well, yes, I suppose so. A: But then the probability of some life on Mars must be 1 - 1/4 i.e. 3/4? B: Wel...that seems to follow, all right. A: You agree then that 1/2 = 3/4? B: Now hold on a minute! What went wrong?

Fishers in northern Thailand netted this huge catfish in the Mekong River on May 1. Nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, the behemoth tipped the scales at 646 pounds (293 kilograms). Experts say the fish, which belongs to the species known as the Mekong giant catfish, may be the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. >> Natgeo.

The art of saying good good-byes.

Read this in the 1994 edition of Reader's Digest. In any walk of life, dealing with partings positively and optimistically is not just a matter of good form : it is a way to make the last impression as memorable as the first. "In a remote village in Central America the word got out among the peoples of the region that one of the American missionaries that had served this country for many years was about to return to the US to live out the remaining years of her life. The nationals desired to honor her for her years of service with a public time of appreciation. News of the event went to all parts of the country in which the missionary was known to the people. One very old and very poor man walked to the ceremony over mountainous terrain for 4 days to bring his gift to the missionary. The gift consisted of 2 coconuts, but it was all the man had. The missionary recognized the man as coming from the remote village in the mountains. "Brother, I cannot believe that you would walk so far to present me with this gift," said the missionary to the man. His response "Long walk part of gift." Did you know that Good-Bye is a contraction of the common parting phrase "God be with you ". Bye Dee. May the force be with you.

Hay bhagwan, meri jaan le le, aur munni ki jaan bacha de.

How many of you watch those Saas Bahu serials ?? No one ... Yesterday I was watching this serial called KavyaAnjali ( psst the main dude is called Kavya...eeewwww ). Anjali is throwing a party and surprise surprise.. Parvathi aunty from Ghar Ghar ki Kahani makes a special appearance. I check the big clock ( it's 57 years old and Made in London) its still 9 :40 pm.Wait wait .. enter that other lady .. her name is Pallavi in Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani but plays Mandira in Kyunki Saas . I was so confused I actually scratched my head. My mom who was kneading dough for chappathis .. explained that they are were all interconnected and that the characters from one serial jump or make special appearances in the other serials.Its like that book which had Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys teaming up. My mom thought I was interested and went on to explain why Pallavi was trying to kill Parvathi aunty. Fortunately I fell asleep, dreaming of Anjali .....

To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

I'm tired . Had a hectic weekend which included calling "n" number of people , buying birthday gifts and a whooping 20 movies . Saturday I watched the "War of the Worlds" . What can I say go watch it. Evening we planned on getting some DVD's. I ended up buying 4 DVD's. 20 Clint Eastwood Classics which included The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,For a Few Dollars More,Where Eagles Dare,Hang 'Em High, Unforgiven, In the Line of Fire , Absolute Power ,The Rookie , Heartbreak Ridge,The Enforcer,Dirty Harry,Magnum Force , Fistful of Dollars , Escape From Alcatraz ,Million Dollar Baby. ( That's all I can remember ) . Now I have 27 Clint Eastwood movies. OMG. WHAT WAS I THINKING .. Vc shakes his head, the things I do. Swapped " bride hunting " stories with friends ..never knew it was so difficult and complicated :( Watched " Where Eagles Dare " an old movie , I still remember reading the book in the year 1989. Sunday : Roamed around a lot !! played cricket for 15 minutes. Had to pick up presents for Sajjan and my cousin sis and ofcourse book tickets for the movie DUS. Sajjan was late ( wonder what he did with the watch we presented last year ? ) and we missed the " Dus bahane song " .grrr...A weird couple sat next to me and their conversation was hilarious. They came in at 2.45 pm and asked me when the film started I said 2.30 . The uncle turns to the aunty and says " See because of you we missed 15 minutes ". Got to hear all the latest ring tones in the Theatre. The film was okish.. time pass.. The line " Will he kill him now " uttered by a small kid in the backrow was hilarious. After the movie we went to eat Pizzas.. I tried the "Borwnie with ice-cream".hmmmmmmmm.. slurp.. Oh as I said earlier I talked to so many people .. : A radio jockey :) Madz,Kirthi, HOH ,Bee , my sis ,BIL.. I even talked to some chick...alas it was a wrong number. SP,will call you soon. How come no-one remembers the song "lambi judai" from the Subhash Ghai film " HERO" ??? My only regret was not being able to meet Soumya ,ofcourse to pick up the Audio CD's .

To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions.

If you are a blogger read this .. it's interesting :) Ten Reasons Why Blogging Doesn't Matter I plan to enjoy the weekend ..but plans are but plans :) The secret source of humour itself is not joy, but sorrow. There is no humour in heaven. ~~Mark Twain:

Cheers..hic..hic...

Yep My blog is a year old.... It all started because my brother in law said the one word which made my eyebrows touch the ceiling, no not Aishwarya but the word Free. When Sri started his blog (currently its dying a slow death) , my sister suggested that I start one too . She wanted me to write about what I did during weekends and keep her informed about all the weird things that happened in my life ( believe me a lot of weird stuff happens :) ). I asked my BIL and he said it was free and simple .So I started off mine with this post http://vinodc.blogspot.com/2004/07/new-era-in-blogging.html I really liked this pic Perchance to dream http://photos1.blogger.com/img/220/1287/1024/perchance_to_dream_b.jpg and of course my all time fav : the Christmas Decorations. http://vinodc.blogspot.com/2004/12/merry-christmas-to-all-my-friends.html and no I cannot choose between all those Ash pics... haiiiiiiiii.... Cheers to all the people who visit my blog !! Hic Hic Hurray !! Whether we wake or we sleep, Whether we carol or weep, The Sun with his Planets in chime, Marketh the going of Time. ~Edward Fitzgerald

I'm throwing a party for Sajjan's birthday and all are invited but please bring your own spoons :)

May everything happy And everything bright Be yours on your birthday From morning till night. And then through the year May the same thing hold true So that each day is filled With life's best things for you! Have a Happy Birthday Sajjan.

To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will. Ronald Reagan

Blog of the week

This morning I saw these 2 little girls waiting for their school bus. The school bus soon came and they were immediately involved in an animated conversation with the conductor. Suddenly one girl gave a shout of joy and to my amusement did a little skip and a dance. Turns out their school was closed and had declared a holiday for some reason.I think I heard her shout " No school!! No school!! Yipeee”. This got me wondering, what if my conductor said something like " No office today “, what would I do? Would I be overjoyed? Hmm infact I would just grunt and go watch a movie or play Badminton or read a book. How I miss my school days!! * sigh ================================== Well imagine this scenario. A group of boys and girls stand next to a traffic cop and are waiting for him to help them cross the road by stopping the traffic. He's helpless as its rush hour and the volume of vehicles is too high .He waits patiently for an opening. The kids get restless. One of the boys, a little kid, shouts " One.. Two... Three.. Go ". What do you think the cop would do :) uhahahahhaha ================================== SP knows how to make the reader ponder. Must learn from him. ( Vc bows) . is-diversity-in-taste-contradiction In this post he writes "..is it fair to think that someone doesn't have good taste just because there is no particular type of music he likes? I think yes. " This got me thinking ... what type of music do I listen to? I listen to all types of music from Pundit Ravishankar's Instrumentals to the flute recitals of Pandit Hari Prasad, to Nelly, Kelly and Jenny, old Hindi numbers like Mohd Rafi's 1965 track. "Pukaarataa Chalaa Huu.N Mai.N Galii Galii Bahaar Kii Bas Ek Chhaa.Nv Zulf Kii Bas Ik Nigaah Pyaar Kii Pukaarataa Chalaa Huu.N Mai.N " Does this mean I have no taste in music? No individuality? Eeeew this guy is good. art-is-symbolism.html Check his comments. And then he pens this post lemmings-to-sea.html. You almost think that this guy is nuts because he speaks about the forbidden truth which we are obviously not ready to accept .Right ? Wrong , because in the last paragraph he says "I personally disagree with most of it. " Now you are stranded. Well atleast I am.

Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words. ...

Was reading this interesting article on sledging Verbal Remedies The writer makes a fair point :"We’ve evolved sledging into “mental disintegration” because the point is to mess with their minds, right? and do check out Sunil Gavaskar's Colin Cowdrey spirit of Cricket speech . Did you know :Yesterday when someone asked me what the word "Swaha", used in almost all of our prayers represented- I gleefully replied that it means " we offer ". ( Google says :Swaha" means "to offer up to higher realms").But later I read that Swaha was Agni's wife, Offerings to Agni are made in the name of his wife, to "cool him" ... hmmm....

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to ..................... Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order the continuous thread of revelation. ~Eudora Welty A lot of friends moving on.. I don't want a lot for Christmas There's just one thing I need I don't care about presents Underneath the Christmas tree I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true... All I want for Christmas Is you... Mariah Carey ..

Its like that

Download Mariah's latest hit.. Its like that Right click and have fun. This is one HOT Track.

Jennnnnnnnnnnnnny

I saw this film on Saturday.. No comments on the film.. its Jenny all the way.How come i always watch Jenny's films ..hmm.... Oh hey I finished the "French Kiss" atlast..it had lots of violence..I had nightmares.. uff...

Touch me and that hand will never touch anything again.

Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird. ~Jules Renard

I wanted to write about Sports commentators like Vijay Amritraj , Dr. Narottam Puri, Henry Blofeld .. but that will have to wait. I read this article on Bangalore torpedo about a certain Mr Arun Pai who organizes walks through MG Road." A stroll through British Bangalore " that's what its called. It's a 90 min , 3km walk , with Breakfast included. But the cost is just too high Rs 700 !! . I think its mainly aimed at Foreign tourists who want to know what Bangalore is all about. Heard this on Radio : Should film/sports personalities represent India ? A smart reply : Just as MG road does not represent Bangalore , film/sports personalities do not represent India. And for the love of GOD,I am not sending anyone Platinum rings, so please stop writing to me ...

Batman Begins review :A guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues.

Thanks to Sajjan who presented me with this DVD (Vc beams) and thanks to http://www.allmoviephoto.com/for the pics published in this post. Prequels are a rage ... First it was Star Wars and then it was hmmm ...( can't remember right now ) Batman ? I would love to see the prequel of " The Matrix " and " The Lord of the Rings "(The Hobbit). The first half of the film shows, logically and realistically, how the man known as Bruce Wayne came to assume a double life as a wealthy playboy and his alter ego, the dark avenger of the night. And what's all this fuss with Katie Holmes ? She's not even hmm hmm... duh!! The car chase ( Vc shakes his head ) was something like an episode of COPS -- except, of course, for the Batmobile's ability to leap from roof to roof and the ahem... " Stealth Mode ".You get to see how the Batcave is developed, where the suit and utility belt come from, and the secret of the Batmobile . The line to watch out is when Katie asks Batman " Who are you ?" His answer "It’s not who you are underneath,it’s what you do that defines you". and this one : Bruce Wayne: They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I've looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge. Me. Funny Scene : When Alfred and Bruce are talking about the Bat ears .. they are supposed to be shipped from China.. they order 10000 bat ears so as not to arouse suspicions. ( Comeon I found it funny !!! ) Overall the action scenes are too fast and you can't make out who's bashing who.Its too dark and I had to keep increasing the brightness * sigh *and they always talked in whispers. Wait a min .. what about the background score ... did it have one .... I must have missed it.. Vc's verdict.....watch if and only if you get free tickets and popcorn. PS: If Batman's car is called the Batmobile.. what his mobile phone called ?

Song of the day .

This is Sonu at his best.. amazing song from the film Peheli. Dheere Jalna Dheere Jalna dheere dheere dheere dheere dheere jalna zindagi ki lau pe jalna kaanch ka sapna, gal hi na jaye soch samajh ke , aanch rakhna Bunty Aur Babli Kajra re : sung by Alisha Chinai .. but it has Ash doing an item number with AB junior and Senior.. Man this is one rocking qawwali . check http://www1.yashrajfilms.com/babmicro/index.asp ho kajra re kajra re tere kare kare naina - ho mere naina mere naina mere naina judwa mere naina kajra re kajra re tere kare kare naina Do check the Tandem story ... its going places :)

My Book

5 years from now,when I sit down to write my novel ( ok I'll give you 2 minutes to laugh ) ... .... grr. grrr Vc swears in his mother tongue.... sorry lost my train of thought.. Here's what I'll do .. ..

Chapter 1: start of with a dark stormy night..Castle.... explain a lot of stuff about who is inside.. Russian actress.. Mafia... and in the last line of the chapter.. you'll find the hero on the branch of the mango tree .. waiting for the watch dogs to fall asleep. ( Its raining so they can't smell him ...and ofcourse he sprayed himself with anti-Dog deodorant duh!! ).

Chapter 2 : Everything you wanted to know about the hero...and then I take you back to the castle , night.. rain .. Boooom .. he's struck by lightning and falls down, to be torn apart by the dobermans... ( uahahhahaha The reader would then jump out of his chair and exclaim : " what the ..... ")

Chapter 3: No No .. go read the book ..

Tandem Writing...

It was a beautiful day to get married .White clouds, blue sky , a beautiful bride in pink, what more could Micheal want.He was excited at the prospect of starting his life afresh in the Nakhichevan Autonomic Republic province of Azerbaijan. Earlier that week,he had been appointed as Chief Engineer for a leading Oil Company aptly named Black Gold.His bride Julia and his 2 year old Irish Wolf hound, Bruno, were looking forward to the overseas trip. But little did they know that they would be....

What do i say .. eh,,aaah,,, just click on it...

As kids see it : Reader's Digest :

Last year, my nine-year-old daughter flew first class to Los Angeles, won second prize in a national dance competition, spent the Fourth of July on the Queen Mary, swam in the Pacific Ocean, toured Hollywood and enjoyed all the rides at Universal Studios. Then, at the beginning of the school year, when her teacher asked her to draw her favourite summer memory, Robin drew a picture of herself on our backyard swing, eating a chocolate bar. --Sandra Blake, Hampton, Ont. (from As Kids See It, 2001) =========================================== My 15-year-old daughter, Courtney, had become ill, and thinking it might be appendicitis, we went to the emergency room at our local hospital. Courtney was feeling too sick even to answer questions, so the nurse asked me to describe her symptoms. I explained that she was complaining of acute pain in her side. But in a small voice, Courtney corrected me. "It’s not a cute pain! It really hurts!" --Jayne Glenn, Fredericton (from As Kids See It, 2001) =========================================== In our church, children are permitted both the bread and the wine at communion. After one service, the priest took me aside to speak to me about my seven-year-old. "Please tell Connor," he gently said, "the appropriate response to the wine is ‘Amen’ not ‘Mmm, yummy!’" --Linda Walker, Wingham, Ont. (from As Kids See It, 2001) =========================================== We were having trouble with a mouse raiding the cupboards at our cottage, so my wife decided to set a trap. Our nine-year-old granddaughter watched as she baited it with peanut butter. "Gran, shouldn’t you use cheese?" Kathleen asked. Then, after a moment’s reflection, she added, "But I suppose that would be too obvious, eh?" --James Oswald, Vankleek Hill, Ont. (from As Kids See It, 2001)

By Toutatis!

Madz comment on SP's blog courtingdisaster :An Asterix character who gets bashed , reminded me of the good old days when I used to read those books. I really liked them and I still do.My first Asterix book was "The Mansions of the Gods " , I loved dogmatix ,he can't stand it when trees are cut down and cries whenever that happens! Howls actually .. Wooooooooooooooowww... The names of characters were so funny : Getafix:"get a fix" conveys the fact he makes potent potions. Vitalstatistix : the chief who always stood on a shield and his wife Impedimenta . The fishmonger Unhygienix , who gets his fish fresh from Paris by oxcart.His wife Bacteria. The Balcksmith Fulliautomatix . The lovely Panacea ..wonder why no-one dresses like her anymore..hmmmm Justforkix , Telegraphix, Selectivemploymentax ,Gastronomix and a host of other funny characters. Ooh does anyone remember the character of Ptenisnet - who carries on an army career in the belief that he is actually on a package holiday and is always complaining about the accommodation and asking to see the menu in the mess hall. Man that was hilarious. I think its from Asterix the Legionary. Do you know why Asterix and Obelix is famous in France ? Apart from the fact that they were french characters, the story of valiant Frenchmen holding out against an evil empire appeals to folk who failed to do so against the Nazis .

Fantasy ....

Catch me at SP's blog ... I always thought Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was "the bible" in fantasy books. SP and Madz think otherwise. Vc shakes his head ... check http://prashanthsriram.blogspot.com/2005/06/cant-believe-i-am-doing-this.html

We learn something new everyday.

Lil sis : Quick what's a nosegays flower ? Vc : eh !! What ? Lil sis : A nosegays. Vc: ( With a straight face ) I seriously have no idea. Will find out and let you know. Rattled the google and found that : A nosegays is a bouquet traditionally made up of fragrant flowers.

Oh and I thought it was..

"There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest." Napoleon Bonaparte Found this quote in 5th page of the book French Kiss by Eric Van Lustbader . I thought it was Money and Women .... well I was wrong.

It's official .

Yep, just found out that more people read the comments than the main post itself. Oh well , so i have decided to write my " maven " ramblings exclusively in the comment section.{ A person who has special knowledge or experience ;) } ok ok you can stop laughing now . FYI i found that word on Hell Boy's blog . So go on check the comments.

Podi Loos

Saw "Rendezvous with Simi Garewal" ( the show was first aired in 1997) every-time I see Simi aunty I invariably ask my mom , " So how old is she ? " My Mom then does the calculation ." Hmm in Mera Naam Joker , which was released in 1970 she was in her 20's ...so now she should be....56 + yrs." and I raise my eyebrows. The last episode was hilarious. It was a collage of unedited clips .There was a candid camera segment where the Bachchan clan is chatting before the show begins and amidst the banter, Shweta's daughter Navyanaveli (who is off screen) is asked who is looking the nicest.Adorably, and wisely, when asked to choose between AB senior and junior, mom Shweta and grandma Jaya, Navya replies, "I don't know". Very diplomatic.. she was cute . In another section celebrities are asked to choose a person for a dinner date . AB: Gayathri Devi ( pause ) ... when she was young . Jaya aunty : Why not now ? Abhishek : Because she's married :) . Now its Jaya Aunty's turn ... she says " Maybe Ustad Amzad Ali Khan or Ustad Zakir Hussain " Abhishek : haahaha.... I mean you would say something like " Ruk Kyun gaye .. bajao " This had everyone smiling . The musical segment wherein the guests are made to sing their favorite songs was boring. Attended Venki's sister's marriage , actually the reception. Saw Dee sitting with her friends...I think they were discussing global warming .The hall was filled with so many eligible brides ....* sigh *. Anantha is back from his Honeymoon . He had been to Munnar, Kerala ( its a hill resort) and wanted to meet us guys and ofcourse treat us to lunch. We met at the 3 star Pai Viceroy hotel. The " Viceroy Special Dessert" ,with 3 flavours of icecream and fruit salad , was just too yummmmy.

Coming Soon...Vee Cee reveals it all ..

Now that Dee is no more..( sniff sniff) I get to write about how I pulled off the greatest prank of the year and lots more !! She crossed a few lines and stepped on a few toes.. Now she will face the ..drums rolling... Wrath of VC Download Tatu: How soon is now Check the lyrics..too good... I am the son and the heir Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar I am the son and heir Of nothing in particular You shut your mouth How can you say I go about things the wrong way I am human and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does There's a club if you'd like to go you Could meet somebody who really loves you So you go, and you stand on your own and You leave on your own and you go home, And you cry and you want to die.

Phew...

The things I see while travelling to work.... The school kid throwing a tantrum , getting whacked by his mom. The Marketing executive running to catch the bus, as usual late for his appointment. The girls in their nike shoes and Lee jeans keenly observing the roadside vendor clean his utensils ,as they wait for their College bus. The teenager on his bike, honking and hoping to get to college ontime . The huge tulsi tree. The idol of Mother Mary wrapped in an Indian Saree, complete with a jasmine garland. The lake and the overweight man on his rounds. The little rag picker sitting on the school compound ,looking on, as the students say their school prayer. The wife in the Scorpio, taking a quick nap, as the husband tries in vain to get past the traffic jam. The father and his 3 chubby talkative children on a scooter. The old lady controlling and directing the traffic , right in front of the Traffic police station. The Businessman in the backseat of the Mercedes, reading Page 3 . ( the window was open.duh!!) OK Now that does... I was typing this post and my Director stops by my cubicle.......here's what happened.. Yesterday as I settle down into my window seat (bus), I am surprised to see my Director ( Head of our Business Unit) smile and occupy a seat in front of me. He has a car and a Black Scorpio but due to unavoidable circumstances he had to board our shuttle.His destination was Yeswanthpur, the last stop.( I get down at the second last stop, pick up my broom and wroom on … ( No I am not a witch )) He looked around, greeted us and asked . " Do you guys play cards or something ? " . This aunty( she's married ) smiled and said " No some read ( looks at me), some listen to music (looks at me) and some sleep ( looks at me again )". Grrr How in Mike Tyson's name can I do all 3 ? I smile and get back to reading and listening to the local Radio station , which was playing country music.He chit chats with the other passengers and plugs his ear phones and listens to his watch ( His watch not only shows time but is also a mp3 player and I on the otherhand have to be content with the Sony walkman). An hour later , its just me , him and a couple of aunties.The traffic is unusually more than the other days. In one of the narrow roads , an auto crashes into our bus . "Crack".We check the bus for damages, the back fender is bent..traffic comes to a standstill. The driver tries to fix it , right in the middle of the road.grr.I find my voice( I don't talk much) and urge the bus driver to get it repaired at the Depot, which is also the last stop. The auto driver is not to be seen. The Director enquires" Does it usually take so much time ?" . " Yes ,( I sigh ) and I still have 10 kms to go on my bike" " My God! ,You actually spend 4 hours traveling up and down to work ".I smile . I get down at my stop and say " Have a nice evening" to the rest of the passengers. ( I have too .. ) Back to the present. He stops by my cubicle and says " Vinod , I had a bad experience yesterday " , my eyebrows touch the ceiling "eh ? " ( travelling with me is a bad experience ?). " After the function , Some drunken auto driver ,rammed into me. He was on the wrong side of the oneway.He started swearing at me , that made me very angry so threw a couple of punches.You should have seen his face.( Here he smiles, its the same smile you see on a kid's face when he eats the last cookie , which was supposed to be shared with his sister). Suddenly this guy takes out a huge sword,the one we see in those " Bhai" movies, 2 feet with the end curved, and he takes a jab at me and goes for my head.I hold the sword with my right hand( shows the marks eeww.. ) and punch him with my left. I think I broke his nose. By this time the police arrive and they take care of the situation". I gave him my best " WOW .. you did not punch him... " " Its been 12 years since I got into a street fight ".He sighs and walks off to the conf call.

Hey who posted this here ??

Blue..ring

the eyes..

Check out the White Vc for some Ash pics..which will.....its better left unsaid.

Epica Awards :

The latest Volkswagen Golf AD .. saw it on TV the other day ..liked it. http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/18190.htm "Is there any room left for nature?" asks this environmental awareness spot.. Beautiful ..the background score is heart wrenching...... http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/10008.htm Words can hurt - let's combat bullying. Check the sigh ... http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/10253.htm.

Chinkuland ....

Quick , drop a few good titles that you think is collectable ... getting DVD's from China.. dirt cheap . Ofcourse its pirated. Here's my list ..( the upper limit is 10 ) Gladiator Star wars : Revenge of the sith Mr and Mrs Smith Kung Fu hustle House of Flying Daggers The King of Comedy-Stephen Chow Unleashed Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Dirty Harry Madagascar

R&B ,Thunderstorms and Rs 99.

Book review: Sea leopard by Craig Thomas. "Sea Leopard" refers to a revolutionary cloaking device that makes submarines immune from detection.The Royal Navy's submarine Proetus has been fitted with the latest anti-sonar electronics called Leopard and is sent on a top secret mission. The Russians are very aware of the sub and the threat that it poses.. so what do they do ?? Simple, Kidnap the Proetus ....hah!! You must read Firefox by the same author... another thriller in which the Amercians steal a MiG-31, NATO code-name 'Firefox' , which is invisible to RADAR. " Day after tomorrow " Now why did I take a year to watch this film ? Must watch again. Superb effects. Broke my collar bone .. Nothing much... I was dropping Mom off at my aunt's place ... did a zig zag , imitated Valentino Rosi and the pretty girl at the bus-stop had nothing what-so-ever to do with it . Mom ,who was using my right shoulder as support .. suddenly did the Captain Spock thing ( its a Star Trek funda.. Captain Spock clamps on the victim's collar bone and the victim falls down unconscious) and I felt a 110 volt power surge thru my shoulder.All she said was " so why were u dancing on the main road ? " Hah moms... Went shopping with my cousin and Bil . Commercial Street . Haiiiii.. so many hmmmmmm's . Stores to check out on Commercial Street: Dollar Store .. yep that's what it was called.. Hey Vidya .. Remember all those Shampoos , moisturizer and conditioners you sent in January .. well we get them here for Rs 99. Uhahahahaaa want me to send some .. uahahha ahhaha .... the store had lots of US maal .. pickles ,chocolates and kids stuff.. must visit again .. The Khadi Bandaar : Amazing place it's stuffed with so many different types of cotton materials, even the salesboy had a difficult time getting what I specified. I always wonder why people don't buy traditional Khadi materials ? Right now I'm listening to R&B.. Blackeyedpeas :Don't FUNK with my heart Nelly : Shake your tail feathers Gwen Stefani: Hollaback Girl Snoop Dogg : Drop it like its Hot

Yep it seems there was an accident.... Guess what the accused had to say.. Of course it was a lady driver.. "The car in front hit the pedestrian, but he got up so I hit him again." hah!! Vc sighs... the roads are not safe....

More C and V

When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for 5 minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice. Every so often, I like to go to the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR". What's my mother going to do? I got a dog and named him 'Stay'. Now, I say "Come here, Stay!" After a while the dog went insane and wouldn't move at all. The otherday I downloaded a 63 Mb , 64 min mp3 file which said " Jennifer Lopez _Full Album" . I thought It was the latest Jenny Album. Yipeeee... Alas ! it turned out to be a lecture on US and Russian Intelligence Satellites , mainly on the SAFE program . It had lots of War stories/ how not to tap a fiber optic cable/Tapping Phone calls /Voice recognition Programs and other miscellaneous stuff. In my house there's this light switch that doesn't do anything. Every so often I would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman in Germany. She said, "cut it out!"

Men's Rules (that women should know) ...

Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it. Ask for what you want. Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what bottle green is.. :) Uhah ahahaaaa mythoughts exactly ...

Jump .. are you kidding ?

and they said I could do it ....

From my Archives....

The paradox of our time in history is that We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour.

What would you do ?

The police department of a hypothetical city was conducting exams for new officers. In one of the tests, candidates asked how they would respond to the following situation: They are on duty, directing traffic in the downtown area, when there is a car wreck. When the officer rushes over to the wreck, he discovers that the woman in the front seat is the wife of the police commissioner and she is with a man who is not her husband. Meanwhile, a bus rams into the back of the car and the bus catches on fire. At the same time, a siren goes off in the building next door, signaling a fire drill there. People begin rushing out of the building. The question on the exam is: As a police officer, how would you handle these simultaneous situations? As one might imagine, the candidates had much to write about. Yet, one person in the front row opened the test book, wrote for about a minute, closed the booklet, and sat there. Naturally, the examiner wanted to see what the man had written. So, he looked at the booklet and found: "Remove uniform and mingle with crowd."

The One

I watched the MATRIX, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Kung fu Hustle last weekend and guess what was common in all the films.. 2 words .. 2 words... "The one ". In Matrix it was Keanu Reeves as Neo In LOR it was Frodo (the ring bearer) In Harry Potter: of course it was Harry Star wars: Obi wan screaming at Anakin Skywalker" You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. It was you who would bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness! " Kung Fu Hustle: Stephen Chow is "the One “. Revenge of Sith is awesome, if and only if you have followed Star wars 1,2,4,5 and 6.Things to watch out for apart from the amazing graphics, the Vrrrooom sounds, yeah the colorful tubelights...the fight between Obi Wan and the devious four-armed Count Grievous. The count has 4 light sabers, yes 4, and all in different colors (No its not a popins AD).You have to check out Darth Vader's breathing.. Awesome. Alas the Saga comes to an end. Saturday Night I watched "Kung Fu Hustle", it was around 11 pm and the film was in Chinese with English subtitles. At 11:15, my mom rushes into the hall and is surprised to see me laughing my head off .
The last time I laughed so much was in the year 1983 ...We, my bro, sis and cousins were given Cholera shots and they pained like hell. We were watching " The God's must be Crazy " and every time we laughed we would punch each other's arms. The pain and laughter aaaah.. I nominate "Kung Fu Hustle" the film of the year. Not only is "Kung Fu Hustle" funny, it is action packed, moves like a bullet train and, most surprisingly, is beautifully shot and edited. Stephen Chow (he’s the hero and director) looks more like Bruce Lee. The kung-fu battles in this film are quite simply some of the most inventive and exhilarating that you will ever see, period, with a capital Pee.This is one of the films that it is almost impossible to watch without smiling through the entire thing. Oh and it has a heroine, she's hmm hmm and the best part is she never speaks (Hats off to the script writer). Smiles but nope not a single word.... I loved it :)

I sense something. A presence I've not felt since...

Read this while commuting to work courtesy Reader's Digest: 4 yr old Lizzie was having her immunization shots. One look at the needle and she screamed. " No, No" " Lizzie" scolded her mom" that's not polite behavior". With that, the girl yelled even louder "No Thank you, No Thank you " ************************************************************ Download now listen to this Its from the recent Tamil film Chandramukhi and guess what!! Its my current Ringtone uhahahahhaha ... ************************************************************ Someone once said " Dude you sing like S P Balasubramanian" (Vc beams) ".Oh actually its when you lip-sync...” ************************************************************ The Matrix series, The Lord of the Rings and the Star War Series... are the films you must watch this summer. The year 1978, I was still in my teens (ok I was like a year old), my mom and dad had been to the Star Wars movie. My mom says she fell asleep as soon as the light sabers started blazing, vroom vrrrrrrrom (she still calls them " colorful tube lights”, Vc sighs). It seems I watched the whole movie, wide eyed. aaah those days.... I sent an invitation to my friends asking them to join me to watch " The Revenge of the Sith " , Sajjan says " Lets be responsible citizens and watch the just released Bose " . After 12, to and fro mails .. Which even included " I would rather watch Tango Charlie again " aaaaaaaaaargh, the line " For God's sake, I’m paying for the tickets " worked wonders. So we are off to watch Light sabers vrrrrrrrrrom vrrrrrrrrroming.. ....

American Idol

Went home early yesterday, 8 pm. My mom was surprised to say the least. She immediately hid the remote :( , you see from 8 to 11 pm its Soap-opera time ,in 4 different languages. I somehow managed to find the remote and happened to watch the Amercian Idol". It was the "last 3 " round and they each sang 3 songs, this dude " Bo" was amazing and Carrie is hmm hmm.The judges were sarcastic..( Anu Malik was so much better) ===================================================== Read the below extract , it was really funny .... Vc... I heard that you are singing and dancing to the tune of Dhoom ? Vc... you know i was invited to sing a song too Pi.. no one invited me Pi.. they never saw me Pi.. hah ! i escaped Vc... but I guess everybody knows " mary had a lil lamb" Vc... so i declined . Pi.. u cud sing it in gujrati Pi.. or Tamil Pi.. Mary kitte oru kutti lamb...kutti lamb...kutti laaamb... Pi.. or marathi... Pi.. Mary kade hote ek lahaan lamb...lahaan lamb...lahaaaaan laaaamb Pi.. or malayalam Pi.. mary inde adithu oru cheriya lamb...cheriya lamb...cheriyyyaaaa laaambb.. Vc... :) =====================================================

Waiting for the bus ??? ahaa ...

Me myself and my Big mouth....

Why do i have to be so sarcastic ? Why do i jump to conclusions? Why do i have to be so darned clever? Why do i have to be Mr-know-it -all who knows nothing ? Why am i so indecisive? Why Why and Why ??

Drum Brakes.

The car in front of us stopped suddenly and our bus driver took evasive action and applied brakes....eeeeeeeeerch , we heard a thud and a couple of shouts, a bike had rammed into the rear of the bus. An accident and we have all sorts of people crowding in and giving in their Re 1 opinions. Well the biker didn't let us go; his argument was that it was our driver's fault and that he was not supposed to brake so suddenly. Duh!! How the hell did he even get his driving license? Even my sister knows that the minimum distance between vehicles must be 10 feet. Its another matter that when my sis is driving, people keep a minimum of 10 miles between her and them and Oh! as a precautionary measure climb trees ( You never know). So we had to go to the police station and there the constable told us that all traffic related cases were handled in a different location . A policeman with 2 mobile phones (and they say policemen are not paid well) helped us out and told the bike owner that it was his fault and we were on our way. (30 mins late)

Bad luck ?

From Jay Leno's tonight show... Damn I miss this show....

" Happy Friday the 13th everybody! I’m not superstitious but I had a weird Friday the 13th experience today. I was driving on the 405 and somebody shot out my side view mirror - here’s my question…who gets the seven years bad luck? "

Parting thought: One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

Have you heard of this snippet ?

chehara gulabhi ,nazre sharaabi zulfon ki touba,touba ye samah Can anyone tell me the rest of the lyrics ? Its from " Akhele Hum Akhele Tum" and Aamir Khan sings it .. its got this lala laaa thing.... comeoooooooooon ....

Name the brothers whose first names were James and William who made the first milk supplement using malted barley and wheat flour? its Horlicks.. hmmm :)

Only weird people want others to think they are weird. Huh? Oh, no, I'm not weird at all. I only want you to think I am.

Get your hands on Michael Crichton’s new novel ‘State Of Fear’ today. Here he argues that "The threat of global warming,is essentially nonexistent. " Here's a peek... "Imagine the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere as a football field. Most of the atmosphere is Nitrogen. So, starting from the goal line, nitrogen takes you all the way down to the seventy-eight-yard line. And most of what’s left is oxygen. Oxygen takes you to the ninety-nine-yard line. Only one yard to go. But most of what remains is the inert gas argon. Argon brings you to within three and a half inches of the goal line. That’s pretty much the thickness of the chalk stripe, folks. And how much of that remaining three inches is carbon dioxide? One inch. That’s how much carbon dioxide we have in our atmosphere. One inch in a hundred-yard football field. Now, you are told that carbon dioxide has increased in the last fifty years. Do you know how much it has increased, on our football field? It has increased by three-eighths of an inch – less than the thickness of a pencil. It’s a lot more carbon dioxide, but it’s a minuscule change in our total atmosphere. Yet you are asked to believe that this tiny change has driven the entire planet into a dangerous warming pattern. " You guys must know that i am a huge chess freak .. don't get to play much these days..no competition :( ... but check this site out http://turbulence.org/spotlight/thinking/chess.html thanks to Vallabhi .It shows you how the Computer checks out the various combinations.Cool Parting thought : Which organ /part of your body is known as the second brain ? The spinal cord ? thu che.. how did u even pass ur biology exams.. Its the stomach.. think ... if not I'll explain...

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.

A random thought !!!

Have you ever noticed that in all of the soaps , the saas , bahu, brother in law , sister in law, servants , granny and " the rest of the cast " all stand in such a way as to fit in the 21 inch TV frame . weird !!! Oh and they stand in a straight line. In real life it should be : Granny sitting on the floor munching on betel leaves. MIL busy in the kitchen supervising the Daughter in law . Men of the house watching the live Cricket match ( Ofcourse all are seated ) , kids playing " Business " or carrom board .Who else is missing ? oh Bruno , he's under the sofa chewing on a bone....

A typical house in Mangalore. I really think I should take a break and head off to Mangalore .. the coconut trees, the sea shore, the people.. hmmmmm...

Wingardium Leviosa – a spell that causes objects to levitate.

Appearances can be so deceptive.

I picked up this book titled " The Phoenix of the Blood " and after 3 chapters, I realized that this was a romantic "dove" story, which supposedly took place during the second world war. I almost threw the book out of the bus window. grrr....

Gearing up for Revenge of the Sith, so listening to the mp3's downloaded from this site, "http://www.blueharvest.net/sound/" check the mp3 section . "Duel of the fates" is a must download. Lots of people getting married this May !! So many lunches and dinners so little time . I think I'll go buy " Where Eagles Dare" and "Force 10 from Navarone" DVD's this weekend ... hmmm....

The hunt is on ...

Vc makes a statement.It's much easier to hunt for a suitable bride than to find the " ideal " site in Bangalore . Got a DVD for mom on mother's day ... Yep she's a huge fan of western cowboy classics and so got a 4 in one : Clint East wood movies " Two Mules for Sister Sara " and "Hang 'Em High " and then the Kurt Russell, Val kilmer one " Tombstone" not to mention Sharon Stone and GeneHackman in " The Quick and the Dead". Subbu bought : Cliff Hanger , The comedy series " God's must be crazy 1 and 2 , with Mr Bones" and the LOR 3 in one. The 5.1 in his house rocks . Where Eagles Dare and Force 10 from Navarone .. will have to wait till next week. I have decided to read some technical stuff during the morning ride to office and during the evening ride back home I guess I'll try finishing off " Overload" by Arthur Healy. Hey I saw " Chandramukhi " , yep the latest Rajanikanth flick on VCD . Disappointed to say the least. !!! Looking forward to Star wars 3 , MI3 and HP4. Parting thought :There were things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.

Lesson 2331

People I travel with !!!

At 8 am, I drop my Ambition (bike) at my friend's shop and hop into our Office Shuttle. I prefer to call it the shuttle than the obvious and boring Office bus. On our way to the office, we pick up around 15 people and it’s an 80-minute ride through Bangalore's early morning traffic. I'll try describing a few people: Guy 1: Has a mini ipod and doesn't care what happens to the other passengers. Uncle: He's talkative and sits next to me. Thinks the color of water in Ulsoor Lake is naturally green and will not listen to my " algae " theory. He's our second conductor and takes care that everyone gets on and off at their respective stops. Nowadays he's reading " God Father”. That hmm hmm chick: She comes, smiles, sits and vanishes. The Aunty from the administrative department: She passed out a paper requesting everyone to write their mobile numbers. I wrote my name as Vc and the next day she wanted to know who the wise guy was... All I did was give a smile. The other guys : They just sit and watch the traffic. The Driver: He's one amazing guy, when he's driving half the passengers are either chanting the "Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Sahasranamam" or singing, " Please forgive us Oh Lord! For I have sinned ". Oh me, well I spend my time listening to " woh lamhe " or Bee Gees, reading a paperback novel. Currently reading " Snow Falcon “by Craig Thomas. Psst some of them saw me reading and decided to bring in their reading material. Our office is right next to the Airport and we have a great view of planes landing. Will try to post some pics . PS:This Post was written during the lunch break

Power shutdown

Now you know why .. comeon even they need a break :)

Spelling Mistook

Guys, Check out this link , http://bangaloretorpedo.blogspot.com/2005/05/tippoo-or-tipu.html#comments I happened to point out that the blogger had misspelled Tipu as Tippoo and he's gone off on a tangential, so I call upon the Kirthi's,SP's and all the Anonymous people off the world to take a peek :) and drop a line.

The joys of travelling to work :

On my way to work , I get a window seat , I listen to Bryan Adams sing "Lets make a night" ,read a book,watch pretty faces,traffic jams ....

but the best part has got to be , having your manager sit next to you for 60 minutes :)

I miss my bike rides ...brrrrom brrrrrrrrrrooooooooooom............

Sajjan munching on a piece of coconut.

A lonely spot .

A local AndhraPradesh bus.

Big Nose Vc deep in thought.

It rained when we were coming back and i happened to notice a group of villagers taking shelter under a tractor.

The '1' room Government school.

The Monolithic Nandi.

The Pundit /guide performing the puja .Lord Veerabhadra.

Madhur Vade.