Thursday, November 29, 2007

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.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me!

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

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

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

Monday, November 19, 2007

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

Thursday, November 15, 2007

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???

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

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 :-)

Monday, November 12, 2007

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..

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

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...

Monday, November 5, 2007

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.

Friday, November 2, 2007

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...

Thursday, November 1, 2007

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