Simply floored by the series

There's more to come..Watch this space!

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

My brother enlightened me about this term.
Apparently it is the longest word in the English language.
It's an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust.

He was on a roll, and also told me about another term
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Popularized by the movie 'Mary Poppins', it's a nonsense word meaning Fantastic...also called supercalifragilistic... hehehe Am lovin it!

To do or not to do...

Do I want to??
Positively Negative.

Do I have to??
Not Really.

Is there a way out?
Always.

Will my actions lead to complications??
Quite Possible.



Finally, will I take the plunge??
Yes, but with a cold heart!

Oh honey! this ain't sweet

My house is being infested with a swamp of bees.

Aao Guess Karein (Let's try to guess)

Spotted this sign board of a shop during my weekend trip to Poona. For those who do not follow Marathi, it means Oh Mommy....

Can you guess what this shop could possibly be selling??

Spoooooooooooky!

The other night I had been to a theatre with two of my friends to watch 1408. Awesome movie by all means. Supposed to be a Thriller. Had me glued to the edge of the seat all along. As if the movie wasn't spooky enough, the atmosphere of the theatre added to the drama. Only 8 people in the 300-odd seater movie hall. Both of my friends were having a whale of a time watching my reactions. One of them even went to the extent of scaring me at regular intervals. Must admit moron's timings were bang on! All said and done... came out of the theatre content and satisfied of having seen a real good movie in a long time...Three Cheers to Stephen King!!

Am now officially a Google Adwords Professional

Scored 82%

Ardh Shathak!

Please do not disturb!

The examination-study is in session..sigh...

I desire...

I ain't scared enough.

It's been a long time since I scared the hell out of myself. So when I heard rave reviews, I jumped right out of my seat to watch it, come what may. Even went to the extent of begging for a pen drive to take the movie home. So there I was , creating the perfect ambience. Time: 11:15 p.m., Location : My bedroom (locked). Pitch dark and purposely had drawn out the curtains to add on to the spooky effect.

30 days of night has been filmed in an Alaskan town that has to spend a full month without sunlight. A rather cool concept and a unique setting. Just imagine, you wake up from your sleep and it's still dark....A great start when the sun begins to set... rather good, creepy, impending sense of dread... then the vampires attack and the film eventually dies a slow death, all thanks to stupid plot developments.
Anyways, to cut the long story short, the main drawback of the movie was that the movie's just plain NOT scary. Come to think of the vampires, they sure are pretty intimidating. Since if they spot you, there's a good chance that they are gonna rip you into little pieces with their teeth. But no frights, whatsoever.

A friend with weed is a friend indeed!

One of my colleague's friend was in Amsterdam during the October fest wherein he visited this particular joint where they actually serve pre-rolled joint..

A sure-shot add-on to my dream destinations.

You move on, you learn..

You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn
You lose you learn
You bleed you learn
You scream you learn
You grieve you learn
You choke you learn
You laugh you learn
You choose you learn
You pray you learn
You ask you learn
You live you learn

My love let me down.

Man! it hurts like hell.
Pain is too small a word.

Strange

A strange kind of silence slowly creeps
into the dark ruins of my mind
a kind of silence that’s almost deafening
bringing back to life, the memories I’ve left behind

Memories of an era gone by
memories!! Why can’t they just die
no matter how hard I try
they just keep coming back

all they do is haunt me
i desperately need to break free

And all of a sudden, out of nowhere
There you stand, with a queer stare
Those deep eyes so intense
That scream an unspoken silence

I so deeply yearn to know
What lurks behind that faded smile,
If not mine, let me just be content
By making your life worthwhile

But wait! I look around, what do I see
A million other faces, just like you and me
Strained by agony and disparity
Slowly drifting towards insanity

Is it really a mind game
Or is it something, nobody wants to name
No wonder, destiny is held responsible
Anytime, anything turns terrible

It’s a strange world that we live in
Every deed is deemed as an unforgiven sin
Each word is met with a scornful eye...

Sunday blues!

Happy Birthday Mr. Mojo Risin!

The world on you depends
Our life will never end
Let's swim to the moon, ah ha
Let's climb through the tide
Penetrate the evenin' that the
City sleeps to hide.
Oh, what can I do.
You make me real, you make me feel
Like lovers feel.
You make me throw away mistaken misery
Make me feel love
Make me free.
I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chain us
Eyes that lie
Break on through to the other side
Not to touch the earth
Not to see the sun
Nothing left to do, but
Run, run, run
Let's run
Time to live
Time to lie
Time to laugh
Time to die
Takes it easy, baby
Take it as it comes
Time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out of role
Riders on the storm
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die.

Examination Blues!!

It seemed like eons had slipped past me since I ever took an exam. Well today was the day of sweet realization. Had my violin preliminary exam. And guess who were among the panel of distinguished judges?? Louis Banks (a very sweet chap.. a bit witty and tricky but helpful nonetheless), rather stern Sharon Prabhakar and Joe Alveraz. It was a long wait till I was called in. As opposed to me and my good ol’ pal Dhaval, all the other students were busy practicing and revising. We couldn’t as the violin sounds the loudest and trust me, it’s way too difficult to play it softly. As if that wasn’t enough there were these students practicing percussion with their drum-sticks. The faster they played, the higher went my blood pressure. In a fit of frenzy nervousness, called up my friend for distraction. He suggested an awesome idea which had me in splits in no time. Think of their percussion board as the face of the person whom I detest the most. So wouldn’t I want it to be hit harder with all the force? Well…that did it for me...and the very next minute I was called in the examination hall. Confidence was written all over my face. I would not bore you with all the nitty-gritties, but at the end of my exam, Louis Banks remarked… Good, Very Good..Keep it up and Practice!! :-)

Stomach this!

Our office is about to start a canteen service (LUNCH only). Today was the first day. Vegetarian food was the order of the day. Pav Bhaji, Onion Pakoras (which is missing from my plate), Salad, Tava Pulav and a sweet. Economically it is viable. Rs.40/- but as far as taste is concerned, I have tasted much better stuff at a still cheaper rate. But then again, I don't intend to be a regular. Let's wait for tomorrow when non-veg is served.

My work is STRICTLY Rocket Science!!

Until and unless, my rear end (read arse) is on fire,
I do not propel to greater heights.

Happy Birthday to Me!

yeah yeah yeah..what the heck.. was getting way too bored... so thought of doing some random crazy stuff

BANGALORED!!

Bangalored is a verb which recently got added in the dictionary.
A person is said to be Bangalored if he lost his job because the work got outsourced to Bangalore or any other city in India.
“He got Bangalored last week” is an example of its usage.
You can also type this word 'Bangalored' in google search and verify for yourself.
Lots of people got bangalored that it became an issue during the US presidential election. That's exactly when this word was coined.
One such similar word is “Shanghaied” which means kidnapped.
Wonder what's next....

All Aboard!!

The latest addition to the Western Railways.. Was a joy ride indeed:-D

View of the Queen's necklace

As seen from the Marine Drive

Musical Score # 110

Attended an amazing concert (110th) last nite. My teacher was performing. And so was my very good friend seen down here... playing the basoon ..for those who don't know what a basoon is.. check out the guy to the right of the Sardarji

I am on drugs now!

Been having some real bad tummy issues. Those are the tablets for a two-day course. I just hate pills man! It takes too much of an effort to pop them in. The picture is an outcome of my morale boost :-p

Page 3 Fool

Common sense is so uncommon I say. There's a universal fact whereby whenever you consciously pose in front of a camera, you intend looking your ultimate best. The intention grows exponentially when you are being photographed by a journalist. Look at the psychopath in the picture and you'll know what I am talking about. Whoever handed the instrument should have at least had the courtesy to inform him that he was holding the bow upside down.

It really annoys the hell out of me when someone disrespects a musical instrument. Especially violin, since I know the pains that I went through to learn it. I have always been in awe of Hollywood where the actor actually takes the effort to learn the instrument before he/she sets about playing the character. Robert Deniro learnt Saxophone for New York, New York; Meryl Streep learnt the Bach Violin for Music of the Heart; Tom Hanks learnt the violin for The Man With One Red Shoe (a MUST-see hillarious movie).. the list goes on...and back home... there are so many blunders... I just cannot forget the life size poster of King Khan in Mohabattein...don't even want to mention the names of the rest...

What if God was one of us??

Was listening to the radio this morning and they were playing this song... Not that I am religious or anything, but the lyrics really made me think and wonder... read on...

If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints and all the prophets

He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the pope maybe in Rome

What if???

Less than 2 feet of Fashion Statement!

Till date, I have never thought well in advance as to what outfit am I gonna wear when I step out of my home. It has always been a last minute decision depending entirely on subject to availability. So it was a complete shock when I heard Gujiyaa (the kiddo in the pic who stands almost 2 feet and is all of 3 years of age) make such a style statement. Soon after breakfast, he comes up to his mom, " I need to see the dress that I am supposed to wear today". As if that was not enough, his mother informs us of his other preferences. He always has to tuck his shirt in, irrespective of a jacket or a shirt which is designed to be worn tucked out. Half trousers are not his cup of tea at all. There are intricacies involved there as well, like no matter how long the trousers are, it should never be folded from the bottom. The trousers are to be worn in such a fashion that the rear end of the shoe should never be visible, and only the tip of the front end of the shoe can be seen. Maybe we can soon expect a kid's version of Fashion TV :-)

FINE is NOT okay!

It's always been the case that whenever I am in a hurry, a catastrophe is just waiting to explode.

Me and a couple of my friends were supposed to throw a surprise birthday party for another friend of mine. Was supposed to reach well in advance and plan the whole thing out. The venue was this huge mall up North. The fastest and cheapest way to reach the venue was our good ol' lifeline of Mumbai – the Local Train! Being a sunday, one can expect a queue of anywhere between 10ft to 25 ft to get the ticket. To make matters worse, I was running a wee bit late. So I ask Piyadee (my eldest Sis-in-law) if I could borrow some Coupons ...She hands over half booklet...As a worst case scenario, she also gives me her railway pass...but then again it has her snap stamped on it.. I couldn't possibly use it. As for the coupons, I still I think it's the best thing that the Railways could come up with...a great time saver. No queues...just punch your coupon and you are ready to travel. Don't really understand why people don't stick to coupons rather than stand in those mindless queues. No extra money is charged whatsoever. Anyways, there I was at Santacruz station, punched my coupons and waited for the train to arrive. A rather smartly dressed TC (Ticket Collector) approaches and asks for my ticket. Fair enough! I flaunt my punched coupons. To my sheer surprise it is refused outrightly. I had punched used coupons. So basically I was about to travel without a ticket. He takes me to a secluded cabin..Man! I have been travelling for a year from Santacruz..and I never knew about the existence of this cabin.. I have to pay a fine, he says. How much??.. Rs.261/- (this amount includes the ticket cost which i was expected to buy in the first place). He starts a trivial conversation.. Are you studying or working?? ..I work as a writer (hate the blank look on people's face when I tell them I am a copywriter...writer is a safe bet) ... In a newspaper??...no. no.no..I work for an advertising agency (he seemed rather relieved on hearing that) Where are you going?.. With a sad face, I inform him that I was on my way to attend a friend's birthday party. I ask him, can the amount be reduced?? He asks, You don't have money to pay the fine?.. Well, I do but I will have to take it out of the amount that I was willing to pay for the birthday gift... He empathizes and says he would only take Rs.150/- .. I ask..how would that help?? He tells me he would consider another offender and club my fine charges alongwith. I clarify, so a receipt won't be made right??..Correct!! So that means the money would basically go into your pocket (Darn!! I should learn not to put my foot in my mouth)... He smiled back and handed me the receipt..

Hurray!!! We are the Pioneers

That's Viggy & Kamlesh

That's mine (left) & Binda's workstation..with Kevin (on my left) and Amol (trying to hide)

View if I were to turn around and find Kamaksh working??

The Ceiling

Our award winning Rangoli

Today we celebrated traditional day in our office. And boy! did we rock or what?!! After a very looooooong time felt like I actually celebrated Diwali in its true spirit... yesterday a mail was sent across that the best decorated table would win surprises galore. To tell you the truth, it wasn't the prize that really mattered...it was more to do to revive the long forgotten fervor of Diwali... Stayed back last night and the four of us.. Myself, Viggy, Amol n Kamlesh created diyas and covered the tubes with gelatin paper to give the much needed colourful effect. This morning we reached early and made the rangoli. Binda & Kamaksh arranged for the musical lights... Guess we lived up to our team name PIONEERS... for soon the other teams followed suit... the chain reaction spread...and Voila! the whole office was lit up... And oh! everyone looked in their elemental best ... Such was the spirit that three of the guys actually went to Fabindia and bought Kurtas... and that includes Amol whom we could never imagine in a traditional attire... but he rocked... hhmmm do I smell a milkshake coming my way?? hahahaha... Have a Happy Diwali everybody... Long live the cheerful spirit!!...and oh yeah by the way, we won the award for the best decoration...

Diwali Aali

Snapshot just outside Dadar Station

A Beautiful Rangoli (check out the finer details of Lord Ganesha)

Diyas : The true essence of Diwali


There's certainly an aura about Diwali (the festival of lights). Even before the festival begins (this year it is supposed to be on 8th, 9th & 10th Nov) the whole city gets dressed to mark the occasion.

As a kid, Diwali meant so many things :
A grand 20 day vacation including the irritating homework which would be taken care of on the night of the 19th day of course

A brand new outfit and in favourable conditions if it were to coincide with my birthday, would be eligible for a bonus outfit

Preparation (rather tasting) of sweets, not just in my house but neighbours' houses too. Calories were never heard of in those times. Guess too much of running around would take care of it.

Crackers/ Fireworks. Used to beg and plead to my brothers to buy them for me. Box bomb, Laxmi bomb, Taj Mahal, Rockets, Snakes (yeah..it used to emit a foul smell) and telephone were among my favourites. Used to wake up as early as 5 to burst the crackers.

Rangoli – a colourful display of art. Please check the image for reference. Mind you, it is only for reference purpose. I could never in my wildest of dreams ever create something even close to that. IT used to take me no less than 2 hrs to complete a simple design

Wishing almost every house in the neighbourhood. Passing on the Thaali (containing all the sweets made at home). Yeah literally the Thaali used to get passed around, at least the contents of the Thaali. It works like this. I take the Thaali to a house. The receiving party would empty the Thaali and pass on the sweets from their home into the Thaali as a return parcel. Now the content that I receive does not necessarily has to be from their house. It might have been delivered by a third party. It's a vicious cycle you see. Many a times it has so happened that in the circulation we have actually received the sweets made at our own home... Talk about loopholes in networking!

As a grown up Diwali now means:

2 ½ days of holiday...3 if there is no pooja in the office

Self-sponsorship of the new outfit

Thakkar Sweets – Ready to eat packets

Crackers : Noise Pollution & Air Pollution

Rangoli : Neighbour's house and my camera

Diwali wishes – E-mail! Fast, easy, multiple recievers and it's FREE!


Must say times sure have changed...

Think about it!!

I was stuck in a bad traffic jam for a painful one hour... In a desperate attempt to kill time, was clicking snaps of the night life... This one seemed rather interesting... It's actually the bus coach of '3' a popular BPO firm.

But try to think of it literally... The rod to a great career begins with 3.

Time to get MAIDENized again!

http://www.ironmaiden.com/index.php?categoryid=8&p2_articleid=682

When all else fails, read the instructions.

This morning while I was cooking breakfast, the cooking gas cylinder gave in.
And I had to wait a good 75 minutes for my mom to finish her bath and pooja to resume cooking.
Reason : I don't know how to do it, and I never took the efforts to learn it.
It's a real shame. I mean I can single-handedly cook a 5 course meal for almost 20 people (yes I have done it)... But fix the cooking gas cylinders???...hhhmmmm

November Rain... Hit It!!!

When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain...

Found myself humming GnR all the way back home...

Neither here, nor there.. yeah! that's me a Scorpio/Sagittarius Cusp:

Disclaimer : The following has not been penned by yours truly...
it's just about yours truly.. Read it at your own risk!!

Scorpio is the eighth sign of the Zodiac; Sagittarius is the ninth. Scorpio is the sign of sex and death, the beginning and ending, and they explore these ideas from an emotional standpoint. Sagittarius uses knowledge to understand the world. Sagittarius is the sign of philosophy and religion, and people born under this sign are the scholars and learners of the Zodiac. Those born on the Scorpio/Sagittarius cusp seek the truth and the meaning of life, and they love to explore through knowledge. They are investigative and probing, often strongly intuitive and penetrating.

The astrological symbol of Scorpio is the Scorpion. The astrological symbol of Sagittarius is the Archer. Scorpio/Sagittarius are very determined, and once they've made up their minds, they are unlikely to change them. Expressing the fixed quality of Scorpio, they tend to be stubborn, refusing to give up when others have long since become bored and abandoned a project, and they get things done when no one else thought it possible. Even though Scorpio/Sagittarius are likely to remain true to their opinions and judgments once they have settled on them, they are not necessarily fixed or opinionated. They have no set plan or bias but seek to learn new ideas as they come. In this way, the mutable quality of Sagittarius is exemplified. They desire the freedom to do what they want when they want, and they tend to be impulsive and independent.

Scorpio/Sagittarius people tend to be concerned with deeper and focused learning. They are versatile and progressive, but at times they can be impatient and pushy if something isn't getting done the way they want. Those who wish to change a Scorpio/Sagittarius mind often have trouble because they can never be sure what their motivation is; they are too complex and sometimes too secretive to be understood easily.

Scorpio is ruled by the planets Mars and Pluto. In ancient Roman mythology, Mars (and his Greek equivalent, Ares) was the god of war, and ancient astrologers assigned both Aries and Scorpio to this Planet. Pluto (and his Greek equivalent, Hades) was the god of the underworld, and when the planet Pluto was discovered early in the 20th century, astrologers assigned Scorpio to it. Scorpio's modern ruler, Pluto, represents death and endings; it's the sign of rebirth and regeneration.

Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter. In ancient Roman mythology, Jupiter (and his Greek equivalent, Zeus) was the king of the gods. Jupiter represents expansion in all its forms, including the mental outreach so prominent in Sagittarians, but it also may invite excess. It is the planet of luck, and many people born under Sagittarius do experience good luck. Scorpio/Sagittarians are interested in thought and outreach. They are intensely powerful, good-humored and generous.

The element associated with Scorpio is Water. The element associated with Sagittarius is Fire. Scorpio/Sagittarians tend to respond to the world through emotion and action, rather than practicality. They are eager and inspirational; they are about action and getting things started, but they can also seem irresponsible or tactless if they jump in too quickly. They want to experience life, rather than read about it, and they are outgoing and friendly. Scorpio/Sagittarians are motivated and loyal, but they are often misunderstood, and others may see them as dictatorial or sarcastic. They are broad-minded and enthusiastic, but they may sometimes seem to have foot-in-mouth disease, as they may talk too much or speak before thinking. Scorpio/Sagittarians are both mystical and scientific, a combination that makes them very aware of what is happening around them; they are a sign of great depth. Many enjoy travel and spiritual study and have daring and adventurous spirits.

Scorpio/Sagittarians aspire to be the phoenix or eagle, rising above the ordinary world and into something extraordinary. Their suspicion and jealousy can pull them down, but their passion and awareness can help them rise above this. They also love to have a good time and are outgoing and friendly. Many are natural comedians, sometimes exaggerating their adventures to entertain others. Their innate self-confidence may make them argumentative or blunt, but their intention is to learn, not to offend. They are high-spirited and enthusiastic, often flirtatious, and they tend to enjoy social life immensely.

In their leisure time, Scorpio/Sagittarians enjoy competition and challenge. They aren't satisfied with moving along at half speed or lowering their abilities to let those with lesser skills beat them. Personal challenge is always appreciated, and they tend to prefer solitary or one-on-one sports that stretch them to the limit, such as skydiving and big game fishing. They tend to be lucky and may enjoy gambling. Their philosophical side makes them enjoy drama and debate, as well as most other mentally challenging pursuits.

In love relationships, Scorpio/Sagittarians are flirtatious, playful, caring and possessive. The great strength of the Scorpio/Sagittarius-born is in their determination to see things through to the end. They refuse to allow boredom to turn them away from projects, and they are committed to accomplishing what they set out to do. Their philosophical and exploratory nature makes it important to live life to the fullest, experiencing everything they can. Their great love of knowledge and exploration makes them one of the most learned characters of the zodiac.... aaahaaa!!

Sweet November

That's Chrysanthemums - Flower of the month!
I simply love November 'cos it's MY month :-D

Advent of the JINXED tomatoes!!

I really can’t understand what is it with me and tomatoes. A couple of months ago my sister-in-law had asked me to buy 1 kg of tomatoes & 1 kg of onions on my way back home from office. So I bought them in two separate polythene bags. But when I reached home, the onions were intact but there was just 1 tomato left in the other bag. Apparently I had dropped midway and never realized it. I must have been thinking deeply about something else. My whole family was baffled as to how I could possibly not realize the gradual loss in weight in my hand. The mystery remains unsolved till date. That was then!

The tomatoes haunt me again.

This evening mom asked me to buy 1 kg of tomatoes, some green masala (curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chilies & ginger). Since she had not been home, dinner wasn’t cooked. I suggested she rather not stress herself with the cooking and I shall get some food packed. Now I go to the restaurant, place the order. I need to wait some 15 minutes till my parcel is ready. So to kill time, I call up Amol and recall the tomato blunder. He advises me to click a snap of the bag then n there itself, so that when I reach home there will be a different story altogether. I pay no heed. I start gazing at the people entering the restaurant. I need to kill time remember. Then I start going through the menu card trying to find out spelling mistakes (blame it on professional hazards). My parcel is ready. Mighty pleased, I walk away paying the bill. Board a rickshaw and I am on my way, rather happy that I didn’t have to endure much ordeal in getting one. By the time I have crossed 3/4th of my journey, I realize there’s something missing….DARN!!!!

Today - Blue Berry Cake Icecream!!

Yesterday went on a trip down ROCKY ROADS!

It hurts...

Yesterday the strings just snapped off while my teacher was tuning it... I almost had a heart stroke... Oh man! it hurts so much, I can't write no more.. Will have to fix it asap...

Stay away you filthy humans..

Say hello to the first angel in my family... the niece of my younger sister-in-law..

Half knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Damn hillarious...

A guy was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the
stranger turned to her and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that Flights
go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."
The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and
said to the guy, "What would you like to talk about?"hmmmm... "How
about nuclear power?" said the guy."OK". she said. "That could be an
interesting topic.
But let me ask you a question first. A Horse, a Cow, and a Deer all eat
grass, the same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow
turns out a flatpatty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why
do you suppose that is?"
The guy thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."
The girl replied... "Do you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power
when you don't know shit?"

Axe That!!

Buon Giorno Vito Corleono!

Yes!! I finally managed to get the Godfather theme music on my violin...

Back2Back

Friday me and my office gang went out on a movie rampage.... yeah back 2 back movies.. after a very loooooong time... but it was great... whenever I have indulged myself in such an endeavour, both the movies always stand at extreme ends.. Shoot 'em up and No Smoking (thought it was highly inspired the Michael Douglas starrer The Game) ...must say John Abraham is a real droooooool material :-p ..I don't know why.. invariably it's always the case that the first movie is kick-ass while the second is just an ass of a movie... but at the end of it all... it's the thrill of doing something crazy that really matters...

Welcome to the Deadly Gallows!!

At first glance it might remind you of the execution days back in the early 20s. Well! come to think of it, a trip aboard a Virar Local train (Luggage Compartment) at rush hour is no less a suicide mission.. Mind you, this was only 1/6th of the rush-hysteria!!

Talking is a primitive form of communication.

Aren't we glad we don't belong to the stone age?!

What if there are no coincidences in life?

Saw M.Night Shyamalan’s SIGNS yesterday for the second time…when I saw it for the first time some years ago…it was a complete bouncer…the other day a friend of mine was raving about his movies, so was hoping to watch it again to see if Signs made Sense at all. Luckily Zee Studio is running a Shyamalan Movie special this entire month… Voila! Was done with all my chores and there I was at 10:30 sharp.. Thank God! The India- Australia match got over right on time and INDIA won…yaayyyy!!! Brightened my mood as well.. and mom was mighty pleased to hand over the remote control to yours truly.. anyways coming back to the movie… Must hand it to Shyamalan for his brilliance in the usage of Pacing and Silence… When Mel Gibson retorts “Father…..please don’t call me father” that’s where I presumed.. the movie must be more or less about faith retrieval saga …..personally I am not that big a fan of sci-fi movies… Whatever little that I know of the UFOs and aliens.. this movie was rather amusing in the sense that the aliens in question out here had not planned beforehand. Aren’t they supposed to be super intelligent, visionaries well endowed with all the techno-gyaan?? But here they could be apparently defeated by something as simple as a pantry door?? They can’t stand water…hhmmmm..fair enough but hey!! Did it rain everywhere at once for them to call off the invasion?? These alien bodies who had actually traveled from god knows where, who had the capability to make their ships invisible ….didn’t they for once consider, rather ponder over the fact that they were about to invade a planet with 71% water??? Hhmmmm ..makes me question my faith in the UFOs hehehehe…
…what struck me most was the explanation he gives to his brother Joaquin Phoenix on being asked for a few words of comfort, …There are two groups of people in this world. Those who believe that there is someone up there watching over them, that someone will always protect them. For this group there are signs and miracles, no coincidences in life. The second group believes that the world behaves in a random manner. Good things simply indicate favourable luck factor. Deep down this group feels, whatever happens, ultimately they are on their own. And this is exactly what fills them with fear.
Which group do you identify with??

Took the driver for a ride!

Living in Mumbai and to have home and work place situated in close proximity can be a boon in disguise for a zillion Mumbaikars, but for me it's a nightmare. I stay approximately 10 minutes from my office (if am travelling by an autoRICKshaw... don't aske me the distance in terms of miles or kilometres). Both are the opposite ends... east & west.. same locality though. Now in Mumbai each locality has east & west.. seperated by the railway tracks...there is no concept of North & South (I am talkin about each locality, mind it) per se. I have no other option but to go by a rick to and fro Office. It's a good 50 mins walk (if you were to consider my pace, which is say 20% faster than that of a snail)

No direct bus route either. And if it's really one of my lucky days... my brother drops me midway till. A considerable amount of money saved. Now to ask a rickshaw to take me home is nothing short of excruciating pain. I just have to tell them Santacruz east..and you should see the look on their face... you can actually visualize the protagonist from the movie 300 raging towards you with a 200 pound spear. Every day i have to endure such an agony. And I hurl out quite a few abuses at times. More than often I tweak my request saying the name of my building (the odds are almost 100 to 1 that he would know). At times the demand is University Road (now here I shout University..but subtly spell out Road) so when am actually on the university road and ask him to divert towards the left..the driver is confused .. 'Madam, didn't you say you wanted to go to University?” ..I retort “No ways, why would i go there at this time in the night.. I said University ROAD.” .. Gotcha... Now that trick failed... cos one of the guys actually stopped midway saying he won't go... How dare he!.. so i just walked out after a big argument... never paid the fare of course.. he hurled abuses to which i turned a deaf ear...The next trick was to just board th rickshaw... midway when he would ask what's the destination, I would say.. I will guide you.. as i don't know the name of the place.. nowhere do i mention it's in the EAST... the minute he crosses the subway.. he would get frustrated.. why didn't you tell me it was east.. well.. Is there any written rule that mentions that rickshaws can't travel to the east.. As long as I am paying the right fare, why should it be a problem?? ..even that trick seems to have backfired... Cos after a tiring day at work, I really am not in a mood to be at the receiving end of somebody's tantrums..which brings me to last night's fool proof idea... I boarded the rickshaw and asked him to take me to Chembur which means a GOOD revenue for the rickshaw driver. He happily agreed. So when I was just a 100 metres away from home, I mute my Cell phone (what if someone calls me at that time?? it would be a flop show right??), start the conversation a bit loudly so that he can hear me... in hindi so that he can understand me.. Am supposed to be talking to a friend of mine. So I start with how's the preparation going on.... apologize for the delay ..and that I should be at her place in say about half an hour.. The suddenly i shriek out a surprise scream.. The party ic cancelled ..how come... blah blah.. so there's no point going all the way to Chembur after all eh.. Damn..Out of frustration I request the rick driver “Boss, please divert from here towards the left (now i am on the university road) .. no point going to Chembur”... he is pissed off as well but what to do... The Customer is always right!! .. I reach home.. without being subjected to any abuses or tantrums... Mighty pleased indeed...Shall update when the plan backfires..

Once in a while, everyone deserves a break!

To Heal is a Big Deal!

My mom had great expectations from me. She hoped that someday I would make her proud by becoming either a doctor or a teacher. These two in her opinion (and of a zillion other people) were supposed to be the noblest profession among all others. Patience has never been my forte which is why I decided against becoming a teacher. And as for choosing medicine, I found it too complicated a subject to pursue. Mathematics was easy as it never involved remembering too many names or theoretical studies. Just get the fundamentals right and Voila! you are done with it.
Coming to the point... the other day, I paid a visit to a dermatologist. One of my friends had recommended her name to me. Her assistant doctor asked me a series of questions. Though I had an appointment, I still had to wait a good 45 minutes before she saw me. A few medicines were prescribed, not to mention an list of diet restrictions... The clinic apparently had an in-house store from where I could get the medicines. I almost had a heart attack when the guy at the counter billed be a whopping Rs. 2000, not to mention the additional Rs.1200 as the consultation charges. Mannnn!!! that means almost Rs.200 for a minute... considering she spent just 7 minutes with me... Whatever happened to the school of thought that being a doctor meant NOBLENESS, healing the needy, serving mankind, working towards the betterment of the society, not drilling people's income..:-(

No Hidden Surprises??!!

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
So said the great Shakespeare. If only he had met me before making claiming such a thing. They call yours truly as SUNISHA KUNJAPPAN...the latter being my last name..not surname mind you!!..now Sunisha, interpreted in Sanskrit terminology as Su=Auspicious + Nisha= Night …Oh how I wish my folks had named me something like Suspicious Night..;-)Not that I don't like my name it's just the way people react to it...so often mistaken as Sunita (very often) Samiksha..duhhh.. Suneeksha... my 8th grade teacher used to address me as Sushmita. I do admire her but pleeease... That was the time when she was crowned Miss Universe.. so I guess it's not my teacher's fault after all.. and the worst is when they baptize me as Suni SHAH. not a gujju for heaven's sake. My ex-colleagues used to have this never ending discussion... pondering if I had to marry a Gujrati with the last name as Shah, so what would my name be... Sunisha Shah..ahem... Talk about worst case scenario, I actually bumped into a guy some few years ago... intelligent, suave, witty, charming and .... everything was perfect, I was completely, bowled over ... till he introduced himself.. Hi, SUNISH here.... duhhhh .. i could literally imagine falling off from the Alps...

My First Blog!!

A Writer’s Blog or should I rather say a Writer’s Block as I really can’t think of any topic to begin with. It was after much convincing that I actually went about creating this blog. All thanks to a dear friend who went about the pains to help me create it. I often come across people who find it rather weird that me being a writer does not have a blog. Awww come on now. I don’t quite understand the big deal behind not having a blog. But then again I don’t quite understand the big deal behind having a blog either. So here it goes… maybe if you come back after a month or so… I’d be able to tell you about the experiences (if at all I decide to be a regular blogger)…