Daily Tatvam #2

“Good Management is largely a spectator sport – You watch the players do what they do best and motivate them from the sidelines.” – Amruta, circa 2009

Daily Tatvam#1

This set is from my travels last month..

On Punjab:

After a visit to Amritsar, it dawned on me why irrational numbers are called Surds!

*Punjabis are not cultural - they are "agri"cultural

* - Borrowed from Adi

On Gurgaon (aka DehaatiVille):

You can take the dehaati out of the bullock cart, but you cant take the bullock cart mentality out of the dehaati!

Driving a car as you would a tonga with race-horses does exponentially increase your chances of getting hit by aforementioned dehaati in Gurgaon!

If you accidentally escape getting hit by a dehaati in a car, you will certainly meet the cows he left behind...

Travel Blog ahoy!

Hey ho!

I am back and this time for good..a blog a day is necessary to keep insanity at bay..

So the travelogues will follow in the succeeding posts..

I had 2 lovely holidays in September in the company of good friends and great food/alchohol not to mention no office emails to respond to.

The latter comment is significant since on Day 2 of my Denmark trip, I came to the painful conclusion that I was a Microsoft Outlook junkie.

The absolute self-loathing that this realization provided led to 2 positives!

1. I resolved not to buy a Blackberry or any mobile device that let me check my office email

2. I did not carry my laptop on my second holiday to Delhi..to hell with office emails..muahahaha

It has been 3 weeks since I am back at work but the "holiday-anti-email-patch" was successful and I am now a normal person with a healthy aversion to all things Microsoft!

So, now to write about my vacations..

Do Good Grades Predict Success?

There is an interesting article on this topic here.

My 2 cents on the whole affair can be seen below.

It set me thinking. Having been one of "those" straight A students all my life, I wonder if I can call myself successful? My B.E or the subsequent FCD (First Class with Distinction) that followed has not had any bearing on my success at NDS. Similarly that 3-digit CET rank has not opened any doors for me (except those of RV maybe) since.

To me, grades are a measure of success only within the school/college - it gives you access to better opportunities (such as placements, projects) more easily. But once you are in the company or project, your grade has no relevance. So good grades can be good predictors of opportunities and not necessarily success.

But, is this because our academic setting is tuned to quantifying accuracy in re-gurgitating obscure, sometimes irrelevant facts as grades? We are not really given marks for understanding what we learn by rote or for being able to apply those obscure theorems to relevant practical problems.

So, is there a relation between "learning" and success? I believe there is. Studying engineering may not have taught me anything that I can use as is in my career as an Integrator. But it did polish my analytical bent of mind which now allows me to strip a given problem layer by layer until I have gotten to the heart of the matter - a significant contributor to my success. If I had studied Liberal Arts instead and applied for the same job, I would have been severely handicapped without this attuned sense of objectivity.

As I mull over applying to B-School and re-entering the academic world, I wonder if I should focus on getting into the Dean's List or spread myself learning as much as I can without focussing on great grades. Which will be a more predictable launchpad for future success? Thoughts anyone?

He deserves to get fired!

I am talking about the Paris location-hunter for the Apple Retail store..their first in France and a much awaited one in teh City of Romance and Lights..

The proposed location is the Carrousel de Louvre..A mall in the Louvre museum underneath the glass pyramid that hosts mostly tourism-related stores..souveniers, books, a Starbucks and the like...Blech!!

When I learnt of this blasphemy last night (thanks Sandy), I started thinking of places in Paris that would be worthy of hosting an Apple Store..especially in the light of me drooling over their store at Fifth Avenue..more on that later..

So here are my top 4 recommendations for possible Apple Retail locations in Paris and why...

1. Place Vendome - Apple is all about exclusivity and pricey-ness. What better place to highlight then to have a store at the gorgeous Place Vendome, home to the Ritz hotel, Cartier and in the past has been home to Chopin and Coco Chanel. It is a gorgeous square that has at its centre a huge pillar topped by Napolean on his Le Cheval.

2. Grand Arche, La Defense - Right, so This massive arch (in white) is the beginning of an axis that has the Arc De Triomphe, Champs Elysses, the Concorde and ending at the Louvre pyramid..Just think of the view!

3. Invalides - This houses Napolean's tomb..has the Pont de Alexandre on one end(the prettiest bridge in Paris me thinks), a view of theEiffel and 200m of manicured lawns..On Bastille day, they hold awesome army/navy/air force exhibitions here...

4. Champs Elysses - An amazing avenue but as already stated, they could not get retail space here. An alternative would be Rue Du faberge St. Honoure, the Bond Street of Paris which is not too bad and houses the Elyssee palace at one end...not a bad neighbourbood for Apple royalty eh?

There...all above ground options for Apple to come up with a brilliant standalone store design instead of being holed up in an underground mall..I am disappointed to say the least!

Right sooo that! An imminent quarter life-crisis looms with the impending 25th around the corner, so I am indulging in an iPod Touch 2G..anyone who reads this and can think of a suitable reason for not buying this...please do tell!

I am also thinking of which would be my Halloween costume if I were to attend one of those parties  (brought on by an episode of How I Met Your Mother which is God's own gift to cynical, singles everywhere..Whatssa!)

Ah...the richness of tradition

I have rarely (rarely!) acknowledged my rather culturally - rich background - Tamizh brahmin-ness (note to readers: Please note the authentic spelling of my mother tongue).

This Sunday was very similar in composition to the ones enjoyed by my Madras cousins - Oil bath, puli avval for breakfast, a fantastic pre-lunch nap in the thereabouts of 12 to 2..Waking up to mor kozhambu and uralaikizhungu (potato) fry...eaten while watching Kandukondein Kandukondein and singing along to "Yenna solla" at the top of my rather jarring voice..

It was in short perfection! 

And perfection was rounded off by watching Bombay (albeit in Hindi..an Iyer maama with vibhoothi lining his forehead talking in chaste Hindi is rather disconcerting especially in the light of how absolutely challenged my Madras family is in saying anything beyond Namaste!!). I could devote an entire post to Adi and his attempts at communicating in Hindi which generally having me keeling over laughing...

Whole bunch of tamizhness that I have been enjoying (unknowingly!) throughout my life...About time I acknowledged them

1. Mani Ratnam/Gautham Menon (different genres I know!) movies..

2. ARR/Haris JayRaj/Ilayaraja for music...

3. Carnatic music...

4. Pujari-Bakery jokes (for the uninitiated..Pujari - Iyers/ Bakery - Iyengar..about all they are good at doing eh?). It is the birth right of all Iyers to mock their Iyengari brethren..We have made it a sport largely played in the playing fields that weddings offer us given the disproportionately high ratio of Iyer:Iyengar found here!

5. Saapad - I am not much of a foodie..I hardly eat and my oft-used phrase to this day remains "pasi-illai"(I am not hungry) but I just love my thair-saadam and rasam!

So..apparently you can take the maami out of Madras but you cant take Madras out of the maami...muahahaha

Right...so have a nice day and all such..started my day listening to Thenpaandi (again!)

Peekaboo!

A comment by an anonymous person on an ancient post reminded me of my blog...
I am quite sure no one reads this anymore...but I am rather bored of just writing B-School essays (and I am not very good at them it seems...)

It feels nice to not have a question glaring at you and have the word limit as that irritating red light just outside the peripheral field of vision that you just cant ignore! I am free to write as I please and I have not a word in my head!

Listening to "Socha Hai" from Rock On...I am in love with the peppy beat of this song..makes u wanna let down your hair and just rock!
Other songs that I have been tripping over the past month are..
1.Adiyae Kolluthae - From the movie, Vaarnam Ayiram (which has Surya in a double role..droooool!)For those of you who are shocked by my liking for a Kollywood actor, Surya is the ONLY exception I will make...even with a moustache (which is generally a no-no from me). The man is positively gorgeous although someone very nearly put me off him with some rather unflattering albeit vivid descriptions!!
*funda..Kodambakam is the birth place of the Tamil Film industry and hence the K..the more obvious Tollywood is for the Telugu film industry and (snigger)..it is Sandalwood here...hehehehe

About the song, it has a brilliant riff that weaves itself around the verses and a raw edge that I just loved (these days I have switched spectrum from wanting polished, sophisticated to wanting raw, uneven...everywhere!)My whimsical nature is legendary so it is not too much of a surprise I guess. Shruthi Hassan is the female vocalist and although she screeches in some places, for the most part, her 'rock voice' fits the bill vis-a-vis this particular composition..listen to it!

2. Kangal Irundal - Another Tamil song..incidentally, my Tamil speaking is improving it seems..any of you who want to verify, please do! (I could use the practice!). I liked the video of this song instantly..it showcased what is now a historical version of love..shy smiles, coy glances exchanged, the boy showing off riding his cycle with his hands on his head and subsequently falling in the gutter...love today is Saif groaning "I miss you so much it hurts"..what a ridiculous campaign! I can think of much better things to use to showcase a Voice Messaging Service..I digress..The song is also an excellent use and James Vasanth has used his music to reach the crescendo of a climactic middle portion (when watched with the video)..Adi has covered the review of this song here.

3. Cowgirl in the Sand - Thanks to Dhivakar, I got my hands on a whole bunch of Neil Young..While I enjoyed Southern Man, the lyrics of this one just stuck..
"Hello Ruby in the Dust, Has your pen begun to rust, After all the sin we've had, I was hoping that we'd turn back"...
A ruby in the dust...poetic! It was my FaceBook status for a week!
Work beckons so I will have to cut my lyrical detailing for a later post..

Thenpandi Cheemayiley is playing now...that break in Kamal's voice as he sings "Azhudha manasu thangadhe" (if you cry my heart will break) is brilliant...the movie makes me misty-eyed to this date..
The scene when he breaks down as they bring his son's body back in the courtyard...disturbingly real..that father's pain just reaches out to engulf you...and that last scene where his grandson asks him "Ninga nallavara kettavara?"...indelible memories...
Kamal remains my favourite actor of his generation..he looks regal,an emperor of his realm who wears his crown lightly at times! I prefer his dramatics to Rajni's exaggerations..

On that scandalous note (a tam who hasn't watched a Rajni move in the theatre yet..and who is yet to watch Baba, Chandramukhi and Sivaji..) I end this post...I managed to write something after all...

So...here I am

After Amrita (the better half) gave me the Brilliante Weblog award for what I think is a rather non-existent blog, I figured I needed to do something to deserve it.

First up on the menu is passing on the award to 5 blogs that I enjoy reading!

1. Namita - A fellow traveler with a rather sharp sense of humour that is refreshing and delightful. Unless of course that wit is being exercised on you! She cant seem to find time to write too much anymore but here's hoping she does!

2. Adi - The kid bro. Started reading at a belated age and has easily overtaken in me in both reading and writing style. For the most part, his blog is about daily observations (not always pertinent, mind you :-)). His love for "saapad", music and Sachin (in that order!) comes through in his blog.

3. Karthik aka Wimpy - This guy does not know of my existence and I only know of his blog. He is held in high esteem for his precise definition and treatise on the state of NED - a common state of affairs for a software engineer in Bangalore. His posts have a rather matter-of-fact-ness about them that I like.

4. Amrita - the person who started me on this of course! Fabulous writing style and all such. She is the better half truly and is poised for success as she completes her doctoral thesis soon.

I cant think of a 5th at the moment...the 4 I have spoken about..continue the good work! and pass on the awards..


Last on this post (phew! this is a long one..)
2 movies I watched over the weekend - with their places at the opposite ends of the "viewing-pleasure" spectrum.

The fabulous one was Wong-Kar Wai's "In the Mood for love" (yes I know! I cant believe it took me this long to watch it either!). I enjoyed the subtlety and the nuanced texture employed in portraying emotions. The judiciousness exercised in introducing new characters was interesting - they were introduced only if they had a purpose. Impactful presences yet seemingly shadowed. This interesting juxtaposition captures the viewer's attention far better than actually establishing them as solid characters. I enjoyed the moments of serendipity portrayed in the beginning of the movie - as the 2 lead characters are seen walking next to each other as complete strangers and yet you know that something is waiting to happen. The magic, at times tangible, at times mercurial makes itself omnipresent throughout the movie. Yumeji's theme has a haunting yet lyrical quality that ensures that it is etched in memory well after the movie. Watch it if you havent already.

The ghastly one was "Kabhi Kabhi"( yes I know I shouldn't have expected much). My love for Gulzar's lyrics was a significant factor in ensuring I watched this.Mom being a big AB fan also ensured that it was the thing to do on Sunday evening. Aaaaargh! the oblique references that Gulzar uses in his poetry was jarringly opposed by in your face hysterics. When the character portrayed by Waheeda Rahman tells her husband that she has a love child, the shock on AB's face is marred by the visual image of a bomb exploding (so that the user is able to see the shock that is absent from the actor's due to his ineptitude or some over-editing). I think AB has an expressive face (which looks awful when seen with a moustache and sideburns borrowed by force from a rater reluctant Kamal Hassan Im sure!) and the bomb imagery was an unfortunate instrument to convey his shock. The movie is peppered with such irrelevant visuals and I shall not relive my horror by duplicating them here.

The other recurring ghastly visual in the movie (yes there was one more) was Neetu Singh. Aaaaaaargh..even as a non-fashionista (yours truly!), I was positively groaning..wide bottomed bell-bottoms on an already unflattering figure. Red shirt with white trimming (I think I had something like that when I was 3!). Mom, a seasoned veteran with this generation of movies tells me that this is the norm rather than the exception with Neetu Singh movies. So be warned!

I end this long post here and shall endeavour to keep you posted on my return to cultural wakening as I have actively started reading and movie watching (like there is no tomorrow!)

A trip to Pondicherry over the weekend promises a travel post next week...All of you have a fab weekend...

Sororal musings!

And they lived happily ever after....
I have grown up on a healthy diet of fairy tales and spent the better part of my life imagining a Prince Charming and the happily ever after ending...

And then, life happened.
However, as much I would like to believe I am the cynic who does not believe in love, truth is I am still that little girl inside.
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Watched Sex and City last evening. First things first..Sarah Jessica Parker has legs that are the stuff of legend and goddesses!! Sinewy and yet feminine, encased in the Blahnik's and Choos...they could actually have an ode written to them..

The movie was a regular romcom with the happy ending and all that. But what I really loved was the sororal bonding that the leads shared. It just struck a chord...there is nothing quite like having a bunch of girlfriends...doesn't matter when in life you meet them..just that when you meet a girl you can gossip with, laugh loudly with, be your worst self with...don't let go..don't let geographical distances or men (bah!) come in the way of the friendship. Make that effort to stay in touch..to laugh..even if it is over the phone..to drool over some hot actor...to cry..to hold hands..

Dedicated to the special ones in my life...
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My favourite line in the movie..
"The good men are out to screw you..the bad men are out to screw you..and the rest dont know how to screw...."

So...

A new title for my blog courtesy FreeRice...
I have resolved to post something at least once a week.Lets see..the musical tag was my entry of last week. In the spirit of airing my views of which I seem to have an awful lot recently, I shall put up something else this week...

Keep watching this space for more....

My Musical

So, this is in response to Amrita's tag..

If mylife was being made into a musical, the OST would probably comprise of these songs...

Comment away..and any of you want the songs in this list..mail or leave a message..

Opening credits: Adhbhuta - Ganesh Kumaresh/Joy of Life - Corrs

Waking up: Walk of Life

Average day: No Rain - Blind Melon/

First date: I'd love you to want me - Lobo/Tiny Dancer - Elton John/Yeh Shaam Mastani - Kati Patang

Falling in love: Can’t help falling in love - Elvis Presley / Have I told you lately- Rod Stewart/ In Dino - Life in a metro

Love Scene: Light my Fire - The Doors/Chaudhvin ka Chaand

Fight Scene: Battle without Humanity - Kill Bill 1

Breaking up: Kadhal Rojave - Roja/Romeo and Juliet - Mark Knopfler/Coming Back to Life - PF

Getting back together: WonderWall - Oasis

Secret love: Hai Apna Dil to Awaara - Solva Saal

Life’s ok: Raindrops keep falling on my head - BJ Thomas

Mental Breakdown: Baba O' Riley - The Who

Driving: RoadHouse Blues - The Doors/Black Dog - Led Zep

Learning a lesson: I dunno..i just cant think of something here..help away..

Flashback: Rembrandts..OST of any sitcom that I have watched from 3's company to Wonder Years....Time of your life - Green Day is another one

Partying: Anything quick paced...mind is presently a blank given how slow paced it is right now..bleah!

Happy Dance: Kabhi Kabhi Aditi - Im just in love with this song!!

Regretting: Din Dhal Jaaye - Guide/ Hum bekhudi mein tum ko - Kaala Paani

Long night alone: Uyire - Bombay

Death Scene: Grave Digger - DMB

Closing Credits: Nila Kaigurathu - Indira (Dont appreciate the moon when it is there..how terribly poignant in my opinion..)

Its been a while...

Yello,

I am not even sure if people check my blog to see if it is (and by extension I am) alive!!! I was not going for morbidity when  I said that before I get cans of whoop ass (thanks for this word Sandy) opened on me...

It is a Wednesday evening. Tomorrow is a holiday on account of Labour Day and I am hoping to taking off on Friday to enjoy a nice, long Labour Day weekend. Hoping on going for a trek or some such. If any of you do have ideas/ want to do similar things mail!!!

For the moment though, lovely weather outside is tempting me to play truant with work and bunk. Nice long drive/ride interspersed appropriately enough by hot tea and chaat/pakoda types is far too pleasant an alternative. Sigh!! Everyone should have summer holidays...

So, tis was just an "I am alive kind of post!"..But I think I do have some post-worthy thoughts (or so I would have myself believe!!). Lets see..I really must get back to blogging!!

So long and enjoy the weekend.

Paris -1

It has been a month to the day since I landed in Paris..and not even a single post!! Not sure if anyone actually missed my ramblings. Yeniways..having seen most of what Paris has to offer...and this has been already been well documented in this space..I have not had much to write about...

 

But I discovered some very cool things...all accidentally of course and all bloody brilliant!! Shall try to go in Chronological order of discoveries...my memory for trivia like this being insanely good..

 

Musee Jacquemart Andre...Paris is truly a city for museums..each museum showcases its art in such a novel fashion that you could visit museums all day long and not get bogged down by "Not another Impressionist!" or some such...Of course, I speak for myself when I say this. I know loads of people for whom the very idea of spending an entire day flitting from one museum to another is anathema. This museum is in fact the house of this couple, Nelle Jacquemart and Eduoard Andre who were enthusiastic collectors and when they died, they bequeathed the entire place to the Government. Beautiful house. The stairway was my favourite bit with a beautiful balustrade and a nice wide curving structure. The landing was dominated by this huge wall fresco by Tiepolo. Some lovely concepts that I liked..an interior garden, the stairway, a nice skylight etc.Most people know about my new found fascination for architecture and interior deco...so will not find this comment out of place. The best part though is that the original dining room has now been converted into a "Salon de The"..a very quaint French notion of a salon or a parlour with the most scrumptious desserts!!! And you get to eat in a beautiful, gilt adorned dining room. Very highly recommended.

 

Discovered a wildlife photography exhibition called Vivant...gorgeous stuff. Brilliant photos capturing the very essence of the wild. I think it is one of the "seen-to-be-believed" sorta things because I cant think of superlatives befitting enough as tribute.

 

Will be discovering the concept of hammams this weekend. Turkish baths..Romanesque actually. Have always been curious about these having seen them in some movie( think it was "Only You" )...shall experience it first hand and if it is not too queasy, shall put an update on this blog.

 

Will also be doing some rock climbing this weekend. Paris apparently has one of the world's largest indoor rock-climbing arena's. Promises to be super fun!! Cant wait..all mundane domestic chores that are generally on the agenda every weekend shall be dispensed with on a weekday...hopefully..

 

Sunday...am back at the first Sunday of the month...plan to visit at least 3-4 museums..undecided as to which ones yet...will put an update on that as well next week...

 

Thats it for now folks....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is me at my bored best!!!

This irritating feeling of ennui has crept up unseen and is stuck to me like a leech....it is sucking most of the joy out of working...I generally enjoy the work I do...and I have had some excellent work coming my way this past 2 weeks..and yet the enthusiasm with which I usually attack it is replaced by this very complacent "What-can-be-done-today-can-also-be-done-tomorrow" attitude which is soooo not me and thoroughly vexing...

 

I need to be properly shaken up from this stupor...Just dont quite know what it takes to shake me up or ruffle my feathers....very few things it seems..I am a fairly tolerant person....dont get angered too easily..esp with my friends..at home..I am quite the short-tempered brat that I have always been and somehow always get away with being....

 

My Line manager just caught me playing games on my team lead's PDA..shite!! my bad...properly chastised although he did not say anything....I have now returned to the realm of preteneding to be busy..I seem to have mastered the art these past couple of weeks...

 

Okie.....Light my Fire blaring in my ear aint helping matters....

Shall go and attack my work....sigh!

 

 

 

These are a few of my favourite men!!

Alrite, Pirates of the Caribbean is releasing over the weekend...so what better time to indulge those salivary glands?? :-)..

Women..read on..

Men...I tend to rate men on how tasty a dish they are..now if that did not get the bile up and out..continue reading...

 

Hmmm...Superficial as I am made out to be..for me a hot guy is as much about the character he portrays as it is about the way he looks....and I dont particulaly have a "type"...I would fall for a tal-dark-handsome just as easily as I would for Pretty-White-Boy so here too, I swing both ways ;-)

 

So here goes my top 5..

 

1. Captain Jack Sparrow - This is one bad boy I totally love...I am generally the sappy kinds who falls for the good guys..but Johnny Depp with his quirky ways and "good" badness...hell yeah! 

Why is he here?? - His smile, that square jaw...and his character!!!

Tastiness Rating (TR) : Scrumptilicious!! Tiramisu with a good bit of Kahlua for the extra kick ;-)

 

2. Derek Shepard - Nothing quite like a combination of drop-dead-gorgeous looks and brains...and a neurosurgeon at that!!! The only nearest thing that comes a close second for me would be a gifted, hot mathematician types..complete with horn-rimmed glasses et all..ok I digress as usual.... As a neurosurgeon, Patrick Dempsey is indeed "McDreamy" :-)

Why is he here?? - He has "caring" eyes (as corny as that sounds) and a smile that lights up his eyes..and his hair..the wavy types..droooooooool

TR : Scrummy!! Chocolate...with that dash of vanilla that signifies stability and all...

 

3. Jesse - I think I watched "Full House" more for him than anything else...a funny guy with a rockstar image and a heart of gold...who wldnt melt in the knees?? John Stamos rocks!!

Why is he here?? - That wicked smile..and well he is "bootylicious"

TR : Dark Chocolate Gateau with white chocolate inside like a pleasant surprise...

 

4. Orlando Bloom - He is a surprise entry (more in the top 10 than top 5 types....)..but its POTC season..so what the hell?? Pirates are the flavour of this season and Will Turner is a guy after my own heart...the scene where his shirt gets ripped off in "Dead Man's Chest"..I think my jaw just hit the floor...drooooooooooool..

Why is he here?? - Those high cheekbones...and he is just gone helluva ood looking package..

TR - Black Forest with lots (lots!) of whipped cream...

 

5. Danny Ocean - George Clooney is a gorgeous man...as a bad guy playing good.he is "sakkath hot" magaaa....of course, I loved him in One Fine Day too...as the irrascible single Dad flirting with the prim and proper Michelle Pfeifer..aah..nice, good feeling all over when I think of that movie...

Why is he here?? - My fave "old" man...

TR - Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream...

 

I am starving now so shall dash off to get something to eat...Bon Appetit to u as well..

 

These are a few of my favourite things!!

Dunno why...but I suddenly feel like remembering all the things that bring an instant smile on my face...not that I am not smiling or laughing these days...but I have this strange feeling that I have forgotten the smaller pleasures in life....

 

Alrite...lets see....

 

the smell of rain....the feeling of rain on your tongue as you stick it out when you're riding...the sheer joy of walking when it is pouring buckets...ok enough about rain...or I might start sounding like a wannabe Yash Chopra heroine...

 

the smell of seasoning wafting from the kitchen...the smell of the Temple Flower...jasmine in my mother's hair...the smell of chocolate...to eat molten chocolate and have it all over your face..looking quite like the cat that ate the canary :-)....the smell of a clean baby...the smell of "rasam saadam" mixed with dollops of ghee a la mummy....fresh air on a crisp winter morning...to exhale little clouds while waiting for my school van....

 

the first mango of summer..to have it with vanilla ice-cream like when we were kids...to sit on a swing and have someone push you so that you can go as high as you want to...the butterflies you get in your stomach on a the Giant wheel...or on a dip in the road....to laugh and laugh till I have tears streaming down my eyes...to completely exasperate a person...to be welcomed home with a warm hug...to look back after saying goodbye...

 

the feel of fresh linen....the feel of my mom's hand ruffling through my hair...cold fingers around a hot mug of chocolate...the feel of a little hand clasped around your index finger..my mom applying "vibhuthi" before every exam or important presentation...the feel of cold metal against my skin....

 

 

And the best sound of all...the first sound I can ever remember hearing....my mom calling me Amu....and no matter how many people call me Amu today....noone can say it quite like her!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Awards - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly...

Its the awards season everywhere....so just figured would put in my award categories with nominations...lets see how many ppl actually read my blog and vote!!

Most Under-rated Film of the Year: (good movies that did not garner too many awards!)

Khosla ka Ghosla - Quite well - made. I enjoyed watching it
Dor - I am yet to watch this...but I have heard fantastic reviews abt it!
The Prestige - brilliant movie...just sakkath!
Don - Granted I am a die-hard SRK fa..but this movie was well-made! </em>
The Devil Wears Prada - I loved this movie..everything..from the costumes..to Meryl Streep's brilliant portrayal of Miranda Priestly...

Most Over-Rated Film of the Year

KANK - I dont even know why it garnered so many nominations..lousy lousy movie..but AB's baby did a great job!
Dhoom - 2 - I have not watched this movie....but I am yet to meet the soul who liked this movie....or Aishwarya in it for that matter!

Movies that should never have been made in the first place!

My Super Ex-Girlfriend - Eeeeeeks! One of the worst movies I have seen in recent times!

Advertising...I seem to be developing an interest in advertising...dunno if its for the better or worse..anyways...here are ad campaigns I loved and hated!

The Good..

1. Happy Dent - The one in the Palace</em>
2. Sony Bravia - With all the coloured styrofoam balls
3. Surf Excel - With the lil boy bashing the mud for his sister
4. Chocoliebe - The one with the lil boy and his fractured hand
5. Fosters - Australian for Habit with the World Cup in the foreground. Simple yet brilliant....my style

The Ugly

1. Ujjala - Safedi tujhe salaam! It is a stupid concept where if you wear sparkling white clothes, you are of noble heart and character,,else you're not...I dont even know what the target demographic for this concept is!!

While I generally groan at the ads I see on TV these days..I seem unable to think of anymore right now..so I will be updating this a little later...and people who do read my blog..please add ur nominations....

Here today....gone tomorrow

I have never actually confronted death....Except for my grandpa and I was too young then to register all that happened. But now I am older and these things tend to affect me a lot more.

One of my classmates, Shwetha Bhutada passed away in a road accident on Sunday. I last met her 2 years ago and not being particularly good at keeping in touch, I had not seen or heard from her since. Except of course, through other classmates who would in fact keep in touch. And now, I have lost the chance to amend my mistakes.

Made me realise you cant take a person's presence in your life for granted. Putting off sending an email or returning a call thinking you can do it tomorrow might just end with you never quite getting around to do it and then its too late...

So...you'll be hearing from me soon....even its just a HI!

PS: This is not so much a post as a random musing...

Life just turned into one looooong bad hair day!

Sigh! Impulsiveness is my middle name..I always do something stupid in the heat of things and bitterly regret it later. Past 2 years I have actually been fairly sane and I guess that is what led to "the Debacle" last Saturday..

Moi decided I was bored of how I looked and decided to go for a haircut. Went to Limelite Salon which is the worst place to go to. Trust me, your neighbourhood butcher might do a better job with your hair! Never ever go there unless looking like a moron was your intention in the first place. They dont have photos displayed of what exactly they are going to do to your hair so till the damage is done you have no idea what exactly you're going to get...

As it happened in my case,bloody awful! I have to spend at least a month looking a rat started eating through my hair..got bored somewhere in between and walked off into the sunset. So I am going to be an anti-social freak for the next 1 month :-(..Excuse moi...

Woe is me...I was asked "What happened" by a couple of my colleagues...some people tend to wince everyone everytime they see my face...aaaaah! Never mind...I will survive this humiliation for the next month or so.

May the lady who did this to me be fired from her job and may she be seen next in a butcher shop ( I dont know where they are in Jayanagar but I will find out!)

Nothing much else form my end..Work is going great..lots of it and I am generally liking what I am doing...2 Intra-team weddings in the pipeline from my very own team in the office (and no...I am not part of either of them :-P)...

2 dear friends getting married this year..I will be attending one wedding with the mongoose look that I am sporting these days..for the other I hope I look fairly human ( at least as much as I was before!)

Nothing much else to report acually..watched Nishabd....nice idea...decent execution..bad editing. Thats my review in a nutshell ( or 6 words :-))

Lowe is in the air....it seems!

What is it about this 4-letter word that makes the women go mushy and the men go weak in the knees(is that why they go down when they propose?? bad bad PJ..shame on you amu!)..Honestly I dunno..

I dont believe in love..I think of it as a brilliant marketing gimmick by Archies/Hallmark that helps them make billoins nd zillions each February...But before I am written off as bitter and cynical..I do belive in 2 people being comfortable with each other...if you want to call that love, fine by me.A rose by any other name is still a rose..

Love does not make my world go round...I dont need to be part of a couple to be happy. I have had people looking at me in askance when I say this but I dont get why!I mean..why should be my happiness be linked to the fortunes of another? It's a simple case of cause and effect..I do things that make me happy..ergo I am happy..there is no second person in the picture at all!
"Having been there done that" as Adi would put it I can safely say I am happier without than with..that of course need not always be the case...but in that particular case..its true! Even if I were to be part of a couple soon..I know that I would still be my own person(this time round at least!)

Love again is not a reason to commit to a life long relationship..that works only in the movies..here, you need common interests, compatibility and hell of a lot more than a stupid 4-letter word to make it work!

I am not quite sure where exactly I am headed in this rambling...but my point is..that Love is given a little too much importance in a world where materialistic pleasures rule the roost...I mean, look at Valentine's Day..its special if the guy goes bankrupt in arranging for a nice dinner,, a gift, the flowers..good lord! madness...I am all for materialism..hell yeah! I love gifts and am always spoilt by the lovely people I am surrounded by...but to pay 10 times the price just because its feb 14th is insane...

My point is...dont wait for love and fireworks and all that riff raff..find a nice person you are compatible with, share common interests with and get along like a house on fire...hang on them like sea weed on a ship's bottom..

This post is dedicated to 2 very special people...may you both be happy...irrespective of the outcome...