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...

Awards...the good, the bad and 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!
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
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.

The Bad


The Ugly

1. Ujjala - Safedi tujhe salaam! not good at all.....
2.

Wherever I go....trouble follows...

Mischief and me are two sides of the same coin..No matter where I go or what I do I cannot avoid it...sigh..such is the way of life...

Back to where and how I got into trouble...this weekend we went to Bandipur..by we, I am referring to my team at NDS.We left early Saturday morning..the definition of early is different for different people..for me...7am is early in the morning! Yeniways..left for Ranganthittu..via Mysore Road...saw RVCE on the way..the place looks nice! Looks like the uncle is improving external appearances at least...

Ranaganathittu is a bird sanctuary created on one of the islands of the River Cauvery. It is home to many birds that migrate here from all over the world. It was started by Dr.Salim Ali in 1940. You have boards describing the various birds and their habits. We took a boat around and saw all the birds at close distance. Statutory Warning: The combination of bird poo and stagnant water is very potent and the ride is not for the faint hearted (especially ones with sensitive olfactory senses!). Saw some very beautiful birds...and a marsh crocodile! totally cool..saw bats..for some reason people found it bizarre that I had not seen a bat yet..but where in Bangalore does one get to see bats?? Yeniways....it is exactly like the batman symbol..it is not unique but I had never seen a bat...so the resemblance excited me no end! But those who know me well..will vouch for the fact that he smallest of things crack me up and amuse me...I am quite a child that way...

Back to the trip...finished Ranganathittu and started on our way to Bandipur...stopped for lunch at this small place in Gundlupur..nice breeze...but the food was not that nice..I am yet to understand the Karnataka fixation for "meals"...I dread that word on every trip I make outside Bangalore...for many reasons...
1. It is way toooo much food for one person. Most places don't have a mini thali as well..
2. Being a Tam (one of the rare times when I acknowledge that side of my genes!), I have a certain standard when it comes to Rasam/Sambhar and the kinds served in these "meals" miss the lowest possible standard by a long shot!
With the result that I generally starve at these places...

Off to Bandipur now..after the losing the way once..we managed to find the place where we were staying...Tiger Ranch..though the closest we saw to a tiger was a ranch dog by the same name...dashed off to make it to the last safari of the day...

We saw peafowl, deers and monkeys on our way to the starting point of the safari.. Made it in time...used my sad face to get a good viewing seat ( thank u Guru!)...and was set to see the jungle and all that it had to offer.... Not much as it turned out an hour later....some tame elephants..bison..samba..wild dogs..langoors...antelopes..a beautiful sunset..guess the tiger eluded us..pity! but what we saw was not half bad either..

Returned to Tiger Ranch and checked out our rooms...very quaint and rustic..made of logs with wood boards as doors...basic amenities..but nice...the rest of the evening was just a frenzy of eating....music..some dance...lotsa drinking(for the guys!)...me and the other 2 girls retired by abt 10...My habits are getting more geriatric by the day..it is not a good sign..

Woke up at 6.45 the next morning by the ruckus created by some monkeys running on the roof...apparently reproducing ( from an "eye-witness" account :-))..Played some games of badminton...and a game of cricket...my team won!!! and I also contributed..yay!! then we had a hearty breakfast..and left on our "walk" in the jungle..

I was involved in an animated discussion with Miloud and Christophe about religions..and we did not realise how far away we had wandered...The forest officials came and rounded us up..a group of 10 people...for trespassing in the jungle..We were to be taken to the Forest Official!! Miloud was very excited about going to the "commisariat"...

Yeniways, we went to meet to Forest Range Officer...the guy was as obnoxious as they come..he had a major chip on his shoulder when it comes to us "city people"...and he let us have it...having never been spoken to rudely by anyone in all my life..I was more than a little miffed! Paid our fines and we had to trudge back the 3 odd kilometres back to the ranch...a nice walk..it was not very sunny...

We returned to a very worried lot at the ranch...it never occurred to me that people would be worried that we had disappeared in the jungle for over 2 hours...had a sumptuous lunch and started on the way back to Bangalore...

And that is all about a rather eventful weekend...shall put up some pics soon...

Happy New Year ppl

The year 2007....All the best people...hope its a super duper year...May you break your resoltions before the week is out...:-)
I hope to keep some of mine ( I can hear the snickers already...bah!!)

Been ages since I wrote something...the last post was written a while ago and posted recently...
For those of you who read my blog to know what I am upto..well here it is..

Mysore

Went to Mysore for a weekend to attend a colleague's wedding...actually they are both my colleagues..and I hardly know either of them..but the promise of good-looking Coorgi and Rai boys made the offer hard to resist!! Besides, had super company..Anu, Ganesh and JP...Ideal people for anything...never a moment of boredom with those madcaps around...

Left on Saturday afternoon....Brilliant roads (Anu's "Freshly laid virgin road" quote comes to mind :-))...reached Mysore in no time...Nitin had booked us all rooms at Ginger which is this budget hotel by the Taj Group...not too expensive...decent luxury...

Set out for the pre-wedding bash on Saturday night...damp squib..it turned to be a completely formal affair...we pretty much stuck out like sore thumbs..and left at the earliest...
Woke up late the next morning(:-))...went for the wedding...no cute Coorgi boys...but liked the Coorgi costumes..very intimidating...the fact that some of them were built like bouncers made it all the more so!

Had oota..pit-stop at Chamundi Hills and we were on the way back...took a loooooooooooong break at Kamat Lokaruchi...and reached Blr by 7...super weekend...lazed around...watched TV..managed to get some reading done too...

Karnataka..One State...Many Worlds...

None with good food in them!!

Went on a North Karanataka trip organised by KSTDC...saw a lot of nice places...
First stop was at Hampi (technically Hospet..coz our accomodation was booked there!)..Went to the Virupaksha Temple...saw the Tungabhadra River, an elephant and an odd-looking sadhu! In a foreigners eyes, this was probably the India they come looking for...at least most of them..

Then moved on to the KadaleKalu(channa gram) Ganesha Temple..its huge belly (lambodara :-)) destroyed by invading Muslims who thought it was filled with gold! Then moved on to the SasiveKalu (mustard) Ganesha Temple..this had a saraswathi imposed on the other side..very interesting...A number of other pit-stops on the way which included the UgraNarasimha Temple , BadavaLinga temple and Lalith Mahal. This beautiful summer palace has been maintained really well by the Archaeological Society of India (ASI). The elephant stables are worth a dekho. Saw a group of school kids who had come there for a picnic. We took a pic of them and thanked them for which we got ( a very prompted "No Mention"). Next stop was the Hazaara Raama Temple which has some amazing carvings depicting the Ramayan and Mahabharata. Then, one of the most beautiful sights of Hampi and the most amazing Pushkarni ever!! It was stepped uniformly..I cant explain it very well..maybe a pic could speak the 1000 words..shall put up one soon!

Lunch ( the less I say about it the better!) and then on to the Vittala Temple which is undoubtedly the best that Hampi has to offer. Amazing musical pillars, beautiful carvings..really well maintained..kudos again to the ASI..

Back to Hospet...rested for a while and then went to see the Tungabhadra dam and the musical fountains it offered as entertainment. Belted out the Dhoom and then a slew of kannada songs, one of which I recognised thanks to the performance on our annual day. Think the crowd went berserk over a RajKumar song but we left before the exit got too crowded.

The next day we set off to the Badami cave temples making a brief stop at a nearby Banashankari Devi Temple. The view from the cave temples is just breath taking...really phenomenal..Then lunch followed by the temples at Pattadakal and Aihole. These were interesting too...but since I am running out of new adjectives, shall refrain from describing them in too much detail! Pit Stop at Bijapur!

The next day we saw the Gol Gumbaz. Huge monument..thoroughly enjoyed the Whispering Chambers in the dome...Also saw the Jumma Masjid and Ibrahim Roza. Rest of the day was pretty uneventful..Returned fairly well rested to Bangalore the next day...

While the historical monuments have been maintained really well, facilities like clean toilets etc are far from adequate especially on the highways. Even restaurants that serve good food are non-existent..I am not asking for MacD's every 100 miles but even a decent darshini that churns out quick fast food would be welcome!

Thats it for now folks!

Sigh!

I seem to have nothing to write abt...zilch...nought...
And I miss writing...it's become an essential part of my routine...so I shall just ramble on about inconsequential happenings. Those of you who like their sanity well-preserved..I suggest you stop reading this blog...

The other side...

I was watching this ad for Maggi Sambhar-flavoured (yuck!) noodles..and I notice a weird (apparently South Indian) accent..and a raag in the song..then there was this dance on Star One's Nach Baliye where they were doing a South Indian dance and hence the dancers were coloured black!
2 misconceptions that the Rest of India has about South Indians...that we are inherently dark-complexioned..and that we have a strange twang in our English...both of which are not completely accurate...I mean, yeah some of us are dark-skinned...but then I know a few North Indians too who are dark complexioned..and about the accent..heck..I think each state in India has an accent peculiar to it..
This North-South divide manifested itself quite vividly during my college life too! "Illad" was the term to describe us South-Indians...it was also treated as a synonym for being stupid and unenterprising apart from having a neanderthal connotation! Of course, we thought of the North Indians as "uneducated villagers"(unpad gavaars!)...but I have met a considerable number of exceptions to this rule as well...
So I guess you don't actually have a stereotypical Indian...or for that matter a stereotypical India..
One of my colleagues in Israel, when invited to India told me that she would "just die" if she saw a snake!!! Another expected to see elephants on the road....a third acted surprised when I spoke in the Queen's English!!! This is the India that people imagine..and yet, I have never seen a snake on the road :-)
Shall stop rambling here....and make myself useful...

What on earth is this country coming to???

This post is going to be in direct contrast to my other post abt "Why we aren't proud to be Indian?".

First on my hit-list : Ram Jethmalani.

One of India's most respected senior advocates. He has recently taken up the case of Manu Sharma, who is the (alleged) prime suspect in the Jessica Lal murder case. I am not condemning that. He is a criminal lawyer and is just doing his job. As an individual, Manu Sharma is entitled to the best legal representation he can get and is justified in asking for justice even though he is in fact guilty. And just because you,me and majority of Indians think Manu Sharma is guilty is of no consequence because we do not represent the judicial system of this country.

What I am condemning is the tactics used by the defense team. You cannot go about slandering a person's reputation especially one who is no more there to defend herself or her morality. Being a Page 3 person does not translate to being a person with loose morals. What exactly is the defense team's argument? That Jessica Lall is a "bad" person and hence deserved to get shot? That Manu Sharma did a service to society by ridding it of an "evil influence"?
I am questioning the morals of Ram Jethmalani. Does being a criminal lawyer entail that you sacrifice every shred of conscientious behaviour, every modicum of morality and every last drop of humanity at the altar of justice? Does being a criminal lawyer allow you to slander a dead girl's reputation? Does it allow you to justify that a man has the right to kill a girl who has (apparently) insulted his masculinity?

What is justice then? Does it even have meaning? If all it takes to walk away scot-free from cold-blooded murder is being able to afford the legal fees of Ram Jethmalani. He was yelling on national television indulging in what can flatteringly be described as buffoonery. He accused the media of "tampering" with the course of justice. When the truth is that, if not for the widespread media coverage of the case, Manu Sharma would be just another statistic in the growing list of influential people walking away from all sorts of heinous crimes.

Next on my hit list - the murderers of Manjunath.

I was not aware of this till they recently celebrated Manjunath's first death anniversary.
My aforementioned post was all about fighting corruption by refusing to join the vicious circle. Now I realise that the advice could well get you murdered.

Work ethic is all doing the job you have been asked to do to the best possible extent without any external factor (bribes) influencing your working ability. All Manjunath was doing was following his work ethic. There was a another case prior to this involving an IIT graduate called Satyender Dube who was murdered in connection to corruption involved with the national highway project.

The upside is that none of us are going to start encouraging corruption because of these incidents. In fact, it will just make us more determined to fight back. The downside is that we still have miles to go. If hitherto-unheard-of Lakhimpur is so diseased with corruption that it resulted in the murder of an honest official, just think of how many thousands of unheard Lakhimpur's are reeling under the same scrouge? Where do we start from then? How do we go about ridding this country of corruption?

Namma Ooru Bengalooru

Maybe its just me or is the city really taking a turn for the better??

I see lanes on the roads...with separate ones for autorickshaws and buses. And they are being followed to some extent...a lot more than you would actually expect from public transport drivers in our country. I see lots of special BTS buses too...for ladies only..for pass holders only...Public transport has improved considerably over the year...

3 weeks here..have been to Koramangala, Majestic...traditional traffic hotspots...no traffic jam. Even on the radio, the incidence of "jam busters" seems to have drastically gone down...the roads seem to be in a better condition...or maybe I just haven't been on the "right" roads yet.

We have new tourist attractions like "City Swaps"..the hop-on hop-off tourist bus that is very popular in Europe is now here..
Even bureaucracy seems to have improved..I don’t see people waiting for bribes before they sign your papers...Of course, no one is ever in office at 10am sharp..but neither are we software engineers..so that is a trait common to the working class of India I guess..public or private...

Hmmm...I must say...we are taking a turn for the better...Can't say the same though about the rich brats of our generation..

One son of high profile fashion consultant involves himself in a brawl with policemen..Another..our "mannina marimaga" ( for the non-Kannadigas..this means great-grandson of the soil..in keeping with DeveGowda's "mannina maga" rant..)..Nikhil Gowda starts throwing stones at a hotel in the wee hours of the morning..and the Chief Minister has the sheer gall to accuse Bangalore's cosmopolitan lifestyle for his son's misdemeanour...a lot of us stay out late at night..but I don't think anyone of us have ever been inclined to throw stones or be a public nuisance! So, Mr. Chief Minister..my advice to you..a little discipline never hurt anyone..take away his big fancy cars for a while...revoke privileges..and he will turn out just fine..the rest of us did!

Another interesting debate in the TOI edit yesterday..should SMSese be allowed in English papers? Good Lord no! Imagine quoting Shakespeare in SMSese!
"2 b or not 2 b is da qt"
Seems ridiculous doesn't it? The only chance we have of learning English the way it is meant to be written and spoken is in school. College, work..the quality of our English is downhill from there on..so if even that last hope is destroyed, future generations may not even know what English really is! or grammar..

Back Home

"Home is where the heart is" - When I was leaving Paris, I felt like I was leaving "home". Now that I am back in Bangalore, I feel like I am "home"..this is where I grew up...this is where my family is...I have spent 12 years in Bangalore...and yet..3 months in Paris..and I call it home...Jerusalem is like another home....If I were asked..which of these 3 homes I like the best..Well...

Bangalore...I love India..and all things Indian..no make that most things Indian..I don't like strange odours wafting through my nostrils...I tend to be a tad high and mighty abt certain places..KR Market being a worthy example of a place where my nose is somewhere in the heavens...I hate dirt and filth..Have started considering dodging animal dung an inevitable part of my pedestrian life...its there everywhere!!! I dont mind the traffic....I love the fact that the sun rises and sets at the same time every day of the year...I love the fact that there IS sunlight falling on me....I love the fact that shops are open till 10...and that things I like are not ridiculously out of my reach...and that there are more people than fingers and toes who together pamper me and indulge my every wish...I am a veritable princess in Bangalore...

Jerusalem...my first home away from home...the first thing that comes to my mind..the instant feeling of calm that settles in when I step into Jerusalem...In Israel also, from the time I step into Ben Gurion Airport till I leave...everything is taken care of for me.
There is a welcoming air about Jerusalem..the people there make you feel welcome. I am not an outcast there. I am one among them. My colleagues at the office are super too...they include me in their weekly Shabbath rituals...they instantly made me a part of their lives and an extension of their family...which is why I know for sure I would never get homesick in Israel...I am home in a sense..with Hilda's family or Lionel's...

Paris...the immediate association with this city is independence!! Nothing is served to me on a platter, right from the taxi at the airport. I have to fend for myself here...no Hilda to mother me here. I can safely say..Paris is where I outgrew my caterpillar stage...I have learnt to be more responsible and mature. I have learnt to be more detached and to observe things with a detached view. Its also a city where at long last, I have learnt to be a litttle selfish..to put myself before others. I did not feel too homesick in Paris too because I was actually revelling in my new found independence!!! I had to make sure there were groceries in the kitchen...I had to do my own laundry..was responsible for keeping my studio clean...I totally loved it!!! That I can eat only that which I like..so no cabbage or radish or idli for 3 months....bliss I tell you...

So there it is..Paris.. I am the lady of the manor..and get to decide everything...
Jerusalem...Peace and contentment...amazing people..its like staying over at a very dear relative's place
Bangalore...."home"...:-)

Pics of Grenoble

View of Grenoble from the Bastille Fort..Its an amzing place..Mountains..Valleys..rivers..all the elements for poetry are right there!

The Iser River..The only thing more twisted is my head!!!


View of the French Alps from Bastille..You can see Mont Blanc in the distance..

Strange Thoughts

Definition of life..

And I am not talking abt the breathing in and out..heart beating kinda definition..I am talking about social standing..what determines whether you're considering worth having a life types..
In school it was..the girls who did well in academics,the school leaders...being a BDO member was a big deal in Baldwins (given the wild child that I was..I was a leader only once!), being in the sports team, being in the cultural team..these were fundamental to deciding how popular you are in school..and how well you will be remembered after you leave..
In Pre-University..the IIT applicants were the elite class..and the ICSE students..coz it was like a cake walk for us..in the end..it was your CET rank and which college/branch you got into in..
Once in Engineering...the first 2 years..you were cool if you had a boyfriend..I mean even today, when I catch up with old friends..the single/relationship status is always talked abt..did you have a boyfriend? for how long? wow! thats long...what happened? Oh I'm sorry..The latter 2 years of college was all about placements or higher studies...GRE, CAT, GMAT, GATE or the Infoscions and so on..
Blessed as I have been..I have been part of all the cliched stereotypes since school..hence..have been considered popular by my peers...
And now suddenly...there is no stereotype..nothing to be..no "cool set" to be part of...strange..but nice!

Waiting to go home!

Abt time I got a lil homesick I guess...was just thinking abt all the things I would do first when I get home..and lots of people suddenly rushing into my head..Cant wait to give my mom a nice, tight hug....Trouble Adi again..think I have missed him the most this time...me ringing the bell..him asking who? me saying naan(tamil!) and him asking Butter aa?? it would bug me then..now I would gladly have him answer the door at Mercure ApartHotel in the exact same way...
Bug suchi..chat away with my darling grandma..use the kinetic again...drive the car..watch TV in English...read the Newspaper..aaaaaaah!
Miss the workplace too...drinking Ganesh's chococcino...troubling JP...me and hazel teasing Sandy..playing catch with Ramki..Sujan and his madness...subbu..anu and our hugging ritual..joel...Georgie Porgie..Evenings at the office...Naamdaari's and their amazing blueberry cheesecake..Mast Kalandar's Chatoree chat...Magnolia's Taro Nest..Sahib Sindh Sultan's Reshmi Paneer tikka...roadside Pani Puri..Mishti's Mishti Dahi...
Miss my friends..and all of them complaining abt not getting to see me enough...shall do something abt that this time...Il try atleast..
Its weird..but every little thing each of you said or did..is like vividly etched in my memory...Sigh! Back to work now..
Dont know if I should put this up on my blog..maybe for just a day..

The Last Time
You never know when the last time is going to be the last time....
My last time on Champs Elysses, I wanted to get a pic taken under the Ve Arrondissement, Avenue Des Champs Elysses board...wanted to eat Chocolate Caramel Truffle Sundae at Haagen Daas, take one last look at Sephora...Instead my last time I just headed inside Sephora, bought a bit and left...

It's not just about places...you never say the things you want to say coz you always think you are gonna meet again...but sometimes, you just dont...and well, you regret not saying it when you could...

Even when it comes to saying goodbye to someone...you picture the last goodbye so vividly (at least I do!)..and you just say a simple bye before..suddenly that simple bye is your final adieu...

So, maybe I treat everytime like the last time...but then again..thats stupid!!! I cant keep eating Choc Caramel Truffle everytime I am on Champs Elysses...I would not fit through most doors if I did that!!!
Sigh! C'est la vie....That is life...What happens happens...guess the only solution would be not to pin too much on that last time and just live for the moment!

Pics of Annecy

Lake Annecy
I just liked the blue between teh clouds..hence took this pic..
A path leading ( or so we thought!) to a beautiful chapel!
A typical canal in Annecy..with flowers adorning it..

Paradise and Back!!

Travelled alone for the first time this weekend...mighty kicked abt it!! Can't believe its actually taken me this long to do something like this...guess eating alone and watching a movie alone should follow soon enough as well...First time I am heading outside Paris after Italy (if you discount Versailles which is half an hour away!)...God! It seems like forever!!

Anyways moi went to Grenoble this weekend...its a little town nestled in the French alps...beautiful...also went to Annecy...I have a friend staying in Grenoble...left from here Friday evening by TGV...reached there around 10.30..Swaroop was at the station...His place is a 10 min walk from the Gare..had a yummy dinner..White wine..dal+chappati and an amazing cake for dessert...i was stuffed! Then tried to sleep..Grenoble is incredibly quiet!! Its absolutely still at that hour of the night..deathly silence..Positively spooky..

Got up really early the next morning to head to Annecy. It's 105km north of Grenoble and 40 km from the Swiss Border..It’s got a beautiful lake, Annecy from which it gets its name.

Ugur Firdoce bur Roo-e Zumeen ust. Humeen ust o Humeen ust o Humeen ust
( If there be a Paradise upon Earth. It is this, it is this, it is this.!).

I am sure if Firdaus ever got to Annecy he would share my sentiments!This is a beautiful place..you have pretty bridges dotting the place that are filled with flowers...a beautiful chapel..and the lake..It’s straight out of a postcard...With many hues of blue...surrounded by mountains on one side and the town makes up the other three...it’s really huge! You have geese and swans and quite a few yachts dotting the water line..

We walked around most of the lake..had yummy lunch by this place near a pretty bridge...ah..the day was perfection itself! The weather was just brilliant..clear blue skies..I think the beauty of the place made us forget how tired we actually were...But by the end of the day..I was beat..Completely exhausted..we finally got on the train back to Grenoble..where Swaroop regaled me with a brief history of Kannada Cinema for an hour!! I was in splits! have resolved to get back home and watch these movies! Returned home..ate dinner and tachi....

Woke up quite late on Sunday..brilliant weather in Grenoble too...Grenoble is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains…its also got 2 rivers..Le Drac and Le Iser...beautiful place…envy Swaroop! He gets to stay there for 18 months!!! Walked around town..saw a couple of cathedrals...walked in to a flea market..had yummy Choc Chip cookie..walked into a deserted Place Victor Hugo..which is their city centre..where all things happen! Had a super lunch that preceded by Chatreuse..which is the local liquor..a green liquid..that burns its way down your throat and emanates some vapours..unique!! Then a brilliant Penne Pasta follwed by..Tiramisu with Rum soaked raisins..divine!!!

Then we headed to Bastille…this fort..one of the main centres if the French Revoltion as well..its in the Chatreuse range of mountains if I am not mistaken! We go up in these bubble shaped cable cars to the top..and enjoy a view of the city..and the mountain ranges..Grenoble has the longest straight road in Europe..Boulevard Jean Jaures..and you get to see almost its entire length of 8km from there..also got to see Mont Blanc with its snow capped peaks!! Beautiful..I mean..to just sit there and marvel at the beauty of nature…at the sheer perfection..of both natural form and human! ;-)..

Walked down the hill and got back home…another beautiful day came to an end…sat on the TGV to Paris..and slept!!! Got up half dazed and headed home with Sachin…Anjali had made super yummy food..ate that and just gave in to the all the exhaustion..

Woke up this morning feeling like a ball of wool has replaced my brain..still do..so this post is probably one of my worst written!! Excuse moi! Shall put up pics of Grenoble and Annecy tomo..

AB's Baby!!

Abhishek Bachan is in town!! He is in Paris shooting for a movie along with Lara Dutta..saw him on Friday at the Trocadero gardens..but could get only a distant glimpse...no autograph as well..but what little I saw I liked..a very balanced individual..and incredibly polite..a lady asked him for an autograph on his way somewhere..and he apologized very politely while declining..really liked that about him..no star tantrums or anything..yeniways...ate a nice meal at Quicks and returned home...

Rockin' weekend...Sachin's friend and his family arrived from Stuttgart..Very nice people..dropped them off at their apartment which has English Channels btw ( what luck!!)..returned home via Havre Caumartin..found some pretty not-so-expensive clothes to buy around here..shall be going back there today..returned home and crashed!! not used to getting up at 6 am anymore..it takes a deathly toll on me..anyways..met up Gurya and his family at St. Michel..showed them the beauty of Invalides...and then when we reached the Eiffel..it stated pouring!! and we were stuck getting wet..a very sweet Indian selling umbrellas gave me respite from the pelting rain by holding an umbrella for me..people can be really sweet!!

Returned home to change...and then ate diner at Gandhi's near our place..very very tasty food...went to watch a movie after that..My Super-ex girlfriend...eeeeeeeeeeeks!!!awful movie..what a let down after The Devil wears Prada..returned home and slept!!

This Sunday is first Sunday of the month..hence entry to all museums around Paris is free...started fairly early..visited Museé D'Orsay..this is an old railway station converted into a museum..beautiful..and I personally feel sculptures are more expressive than paintings..and this museum is filled with them! Saw quite a few of Napolean Bonaparte..lots of Greek mythology..saw Mercury..Apollo..a statue echoing the unrequited love of Sapho the Greek poetess..realy nice...

And then..my first glimpse of Impressionist art..My initiation into the world of Monet..Cezanne..Van Gogh..Renoir...I always thought art collection was for people who did not have anything else left to buy..but I have changed my mind now!! This stuff is really good..maybe not necessarily so exorbitantly prized..but good stuff..worth collecting..worth displaying..worth admiring...collected a few postcards..Monet's famous Water Lilies..Cezannes Apples and Oranges..some I really liked of Van Gogh and Renoir..not necessarily their most famous..

After that..headed to Invalides to see Napolean's Tomb..nice place..its a church that has been divived into 2 parts.one is for the soldiers..and one was for the king..the one for the soldiers was beautiful..easily one of the most beautiful churches I have seen..then went along to the other side to see Napolean's tomb..

Once that was done..went across to Rodin's museum..saw that great masterpiece of his..The Thinker..then a few more...Adam, Eve, the Gates of Hell..and so on..very nice..I like sculptures a whole lot more than I like paintings..Impressionist ones notwithstanding..

Then walked over to Concorde..and here I had my second brush with Abhishek Bachan...they were shooting there!! managed to get an autograph this time..as well as a very close look of the star..he did not seem to be in the best of moods so could not get a glimpse of that killer smile..left after my autograph to check out Place Vendome..and before I forget..AB is good looking...polite..and has a voice that can make anyone go weak in the knees..

Place Vendome..dominated by a huge Column Vendome atop which sits Napolean on his Le Cheval! Surrounding this magnificent column are the Ritz Hotel..Chanel..Dior..Cartier..posh!! did not even look at their displays fearing I might really like something...You cannot love that which you do not know!! so left after a quick look to head to the next museum..Centre George Pompidou..

This is a weirdly built Modern Art Museum that has pipe like structures all outside..very starnge..I am not one for Modern Art..did not appreciate it too much at the Museum in Jerusalem..ditto here..had a quick look and left..

Every Museum in Paris presents its work differently..and they are all unique.;The Louvre was originally the Royal Palace..Musee D'Orsay a railway station..The Rodin Museum is a huge garden..witha lot of little gardens at the centre of which u have a work by Rodin..Centre G. Pompidou is weird..built like many pipes etc..very nice!

Returned home and slept like the dead..woke up at around 19.30..had to go out for dinner with Gurya and family..hunted all about Avenue Des Champs Elyseess for a cake..and no luck!! went for dinner anyways..returned home and crashed!!! have never felt this tired before I think...slept the sleep of the dead!!