iMaddy

2010-02-21T00:31:00.000-08:00

Phew!! What a week it has been. If one did not know me better, I would be called the social butterfly :P Occasional perks of being a media person entails free passes to events. And thats what most of last week turned out to be. Caught James Taylor Quartet and The Brand New Heavies as part of the Skywards Dubai Jazz Fest. Nibbling on yummy finger food and sipping on one's poison of choice, enjoying the music and all in the comfort on your company's special enclosure makes for a enjoyable musical experience. Or not. Feeling exclusive must be great but not when it is coupled with a live concert which is all about engaging and interacting with the audience for the performers. Having said that, most people eventually went down closer to the stage to enjoy their music better. After the jazz fest, it was the women's quarter final matches for the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship. Ramila and I watched the Zvonerova- Azarenka and the Pavlyunchenkova- Willliams matches from a great vantage point. Besides the thrill of watching Venus Williams in action, what made the evening memorable indeed for me were these two 7 or 8 year olds who were relentless in their enthusiasm to get everyone to make Mexican waves!! Weekend was movie time - Precious, The Blind Side and The Book of Eli (for the second time). I cried loads while watching both Precious and The Blind Side. Must say the short list of movies for the Best Picture is a fantastic one with each one giving the other a serious run for its money. I sure as hell hope that it's not Avatar beating the rest of the movies to the trophy.

Also over this weekend, I have finally acquired a T.V. for myself. So some part of my Saturday was spent buying it and then installing it. Felt great hooking the T.V. and the D.V.D player all by myself. When all this wasn't happening, Kruti invited me to a rehearsal of Malhaar - Dubai's first and only Indian choir. Malhaar is performing at the India Club on the occasion of Holi. Found the experience very interesting and listening to great music -both classical and folk just made me very happy!!! It's already Sunday morning and I feel like I have done everythingbut relax this weekend. Maybe I'll do that while watching a movie this evening on my brand new T.V. :P

LOL!! Laters...

P.S.:- Saptak, the latest offering by Mekaal Hasan Band is an absolute delight and a fitting follow up to Sampooran. Get Coke Studio also if you haven't already

2010-02-01T09:28:00.001-08:00

Songs... They are always objects of associations especially memories- childhood, pranks, the first love, a stolen kiss, a moment of rapture,heartbreak, longing, fights, reconciliation or even comfort. A favourite song - a friend in need, a constant companion, earworm for an hour, a day or even a week. And a song is what I am going to blog about today. Actually make it two.. The first one is Miles Away by Madonna that a dear friend mailed to me saying that it personified our relationship. The lyrics to the song go something like this...

I just woke up from a fuzzy dream
You never would believe the things that I have seen
I looked to the mirror and I saw your face
You looked right through me, you were miles away

All my dreams, they fade away
I'll never be the same
If you could see me the way you see yourself
I can't pretend to be someone else

Always love me more, miles away
I hear it in your voice, we're miles away
You're not afraid to tell me, miles away
I guess we're at our best we're miles away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away

When no one is around then I have you here
I begin to see the picture, it becomes so clear
You always have the biggest heart
When we're 6.000 miles appart

Too much of no sound
Uncomfortable silence can be so loud
Those three words are never enough
When it's long distance love

Always love me more, miles away
I hear it in your voice, we're miles away
You're not afraid to tell me, miles away
I guess we're at our best, we're miles away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away

I'm all right
Don't be sorry, but it's true
When I'm gone, you realize
That I'm the best thing that happened to you

You always love me more, miles away
I hear it in your voice, we're miles away
You're not afraid to tell me, miles away
I guess we're at our best we're miles away

You always love me more, miles away
I hear it in your voice, we're miles away
You're not afraid to tell me, miles away
I guess we're at our best when we're miles away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away

So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, so far away, so far away

The second song that I laid my hands on (besides many many more) today was the Bombay Theme by A R Rahman. I had been looking forward to getting this one for a long time since this piece of music always always overwhelms me. Found it as part of the maestro's compilation album Connections. So quite a few earworms for days to come... :)

Oh by the way, my Rajma turned out quite yummy. Hopefully the gobi mutter I am cooking while I am blogging will also turn out quite edible.. Laters..

2010-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

After frantically devouring Mad Men back to back over the past month or so, I have run out of TV shows (downloaded, of course) to watch. This made me realize that I have completely grown out of the habit of watching shows on TV. Isn't that ironic considering I started by talking about my current favourite TV show? Yup, its become a case of continuous consumption that lasts as long as I have all the downloads. Gone are the days of waiting week after week with bated breaths as to what happened to the protagonist. Times are changing.. Post Mad Men, I am now trying to catch up with Big Love esp since its recent good run at the Golden Globes. Also watched "The Men Who Stare At Goats" this weekend. The movie is quite enjoyable with its subtle underlays humour often directed at the actors and/or characters. The movie made fall in love with Boston's "More than a feeling" all over again. "The Last Time" did not some how hold my interest as long as I thought it would. Also got passes to watch the Bollywood musical in town "The Merchants of Bollywood" at the Palladium, Dubai Media City. Loosely based on the true story of Vaibhavi Merchant, the production was extravagant with its WOW moments at regular intervals. Being a purist regarding Indian classical dance, there were few things that irked me about the performers as well as the audience but all in all a great show!! Another reminder that few joys are unparalleled to a great live performance. Listening to this adorable song from the movie Ishqiya called "Dil toh baccha hai ji". This latest Vishal Bharadwaaj offering starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arsha Warsi and Vidya Balan reminds me of Thiruda Thiruda at least from what I saw of the teasers and trailers when I went to watch 3 Idiots. Definitely look forward to this movie. Wonder if this too will be dark like Kaminey..

I am also chatting intermittently with my sister who recently two of her wisdom teeth pulled out. This caused a lot of irritation to my younger and her older brother who bemoaned his lack of wisdom teeth. Well she shared a quote which made me burst out laughing and I am signing off with " You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun!" :-)

2010-01-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

So it's already another year.. a new year and one can certainly hope that it's better than the last. The year did end on a sad note for me since I lost the first man in my life - my father. And I mean with all my heart when I say one needs to go through loss to understand the full meaning of the word and to be able to say with empathy " I know what you are going thru". I know I can now never be the little girl who thought her dad was the bestest and the smartest and the handsomest and any other superlatives one can think of . No more "Oh, I can always check with dad.. he will certianly have the answers". No more "Dad, that joke you shared this morning made it very difficult for me to keep a straight face when our neighbour was talking to me". No more "Dad look at that frame, wouldn't it make a lovely photograph". I must admit I have not been the most obedient daughter. We have had our moments of friction but all said and done, Dad was always there for us. Dad has hugged me only once since I grew into a teenager and that by far will always remain the tightest bear hug of my life! Dad was the cool person I wanted to be! I am glad I did get to spend time with him as much as I did . And like my friend Deepak said to me "You will realise that this is but one of many lifetimes together and you will see him again and know that you have been there before". Comforting words indeed. R.I.P Dad.. Love you and miss you. Real bad...

Talking about loss, this post and revisting my blog to clear the virtual cobwebs due to inactivity was prompted by the fact that I just finished watching this movie about redundancy called "Up in the air"and the movie ends with the testimonials of people who were made redundant and it made me think of the day I was told I no longer had a job. And it made me tear up (also helps I might be PMSing). It is adversity that is indeed the true test of one's character. I only hope that everybody who got made redundant over the past year and a half or so, has found himself/ herself in a much better place.

Speaking of a year, Preseident Obama completes a year in office. The memory of watching him take the oath is one that will remain clearly etched in my mind. Moments that define/ create history are generally of that kind. What he or has not achieved can be debated to one's heart's desire but that he has created history in more ways than one cannot be taken away from him.

Here's to another year filled with hope...

2009-07-13T01:13:00.000-07:00

There are days and there are days.. but after some point the everyday of life starts feeling like your life is part of Groundhog Day. And that’s what my morning routine feels like. I have my shuttle to work at around 8.43 am and the walk to the bus stop is about 7 minutes from my apartment. So I usually time myself to reach the bus stop atleast 3-4 minutes in advance to avoid any panic. And the walk from my apartment to the bus stop gives the “it feels like ground hog day” feeling everyday. As I step out of my elevator and walk out to start my day :- the janitor is sweeping the lobby and the security guard is doing his job. There is a daddy waiting for his little princess’ school bus to arrive while the nanny looks on. The janitor greets me, so does the security guard. I exchange smiles with the nanny and walk out of the building. Jaleel, one the maintainence crew is cleaning the other block of my building complex and we exchange pleasantries in Tamil. Moving right along, I turn right and I see this young man either walking out of his car after finding a parking spot or waiting for his friends to join him after he is done parking his car. I walk past him, turn right twice and I am at my busstop. And when you have this ritual daily, you bump into the same people at the bus stop. It’s the same everyday except unlike in the movie, the costumes of all the characters (except the men in uniform) changes. Hmmm.. makes me wonder if there will be an interesting twist to the routine some day :-)

2009-07-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time.. certainly has because I dod not even remember the fact that the last time I had posted something was in May and not March. Nevertheless, finally things are settling down so to say. Michael Jackson's death did throw us into a frenzy of activity on air but all those extra hours were well worth it. Having never done any other form of media, Radio holds for me an undying fascination. I cannot explain the rush I get every time I sit in front of the on air console and have to hit the play button or do a link (even if its a dummy link for practise).. some things never do change and I hope this buxx never dies for me :-)

This weekend has been quite. Watched Last Chance Harvey starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Like a review rightly described it, the movie was an ordinary story made extra ordinary by the calibre of the performances. It was a treat to watch Dustin Hoffman in a more meaningful role after his recent appearances in the likes of Meet The Fockers!! A tale of two strangers - an overworked and tired jingle writer, who is a stranger to his own family with a career going downhill and a middle aged woman working with the public statistics agency at the Heathrow airport, who meet each other at the airport lounge and begin what seems to be an unlikely romance, makes for a delightful Friday evening watch. The story has neither a plot that has not been written before nor are there any innovations in the "technique" so to say but what makes this adult romance poignant is the performances. It is an absolute delight to watch Hoffman and Thompson breathe life to the characters. A definite must watch if one asked me. Don't expect earth shattering cinema, but if you are in the mood for some good old romance.. then Last Chance Harvey is a good bet.

Well.. my head is full of half written posts.. which shall some day hopefully make their way to the blogosphere but right now, the dishes in my sink are driving me insane, so see you all later!!! :-)

Back Again!!

2009-05-20T01:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet cubicle mate and colleague at my new place of work made me realize that it had been quite some time since I last visited my blog or posted something.
Post redundancy, life has been a whirlwind of activity- be it the play, getting in to the groove of my new job, making space for new people in my life, reconciling with the exit of some old ones, getting the every day of life sorted out. Phew!! The list is endless!! But I am not complaining.. Lord knows I am not!

Well it certainly looks like my tryst with broadcast and Dubai continues. My new job assignment is again with a radio network based out of Dubai. So a Dubian I shall stay for a little longer.

Coming back to things that have happened, the run of our plays was bitter sweet. While the performances were outstanding, the audience turn out for a few shows left much to be desired. But that did not dampen our spirits on most days :) Must admit, this was the first time I did manage step on a lit stage and the feeling of light on your face and the empty space which is the audience is quite something. No, I did not perform in this production but I certainly will in the future. I also managed to squeeze in a very very short trip to India for my visa run. Was great to see folks, catch up with friends, attain closure on some issues. That’s what I love about a visit home. Always grounds me, makes me take stock of situation and also helps me refocus ( if need be ) I think everyone should have a place to go to where one can gather his/her thoughts, rejuvenate oneself, take stock and move on. In my experience, people also help attain that at times. And I am so pleased to say I am blessed with both places to go to and people to meet who can help me achieve that!

My new job assignment is keeping me quite busy and not to mention gainfully employed ;) Since it’s a slight departure from my job profiles earlier, it’s also an interesting learning curve. All in all, life’s good!

P.S.:- I think I may have finally found a place to live too!! Details post the move..

2009-03-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

This week has turned out to be one of those when one says a lot of goodbyes. A decent number of people I know are leaving the country for good, are travelling for business/pleasure and I am moving my stuff to a friends. That's the goodbye for me that is turning out to be not so easy. Well, its a not a palatial villa I am moving out of. Its a small cosy studio, S and I shared for just over a year. How many nights we have spent chatting away till early mornings, sleeping in late on Fridays, green tea the first thing when we woke up at noon! dinner from Parantha King or Dubbawala, the chai from the mallu cafeteria downstairs, the steady order of milk and fruit from the grocery store round the corner, the laundry wala, D staying over at weekends, good times, sad times, frustrated times, the everyday of life- and thats what one misses the most and thats the crucial thing that keeps people together when they are in the same physical space- be it the under the same roof, same locality, same workplace or even the same city in a lot of cases. Maybe I am thinking all this because I have had too many goodbyes and there is potential for a LOT more, but I am also writing this since I know for a fact long distance makes the heart grow fonder aint what its all made out to be..

That aside, I have been bored outta my skull all this week inspite of having the onerous responsibility of packing all my worldly belongings. Realised I am a clothes horse and I have some pretty ones :) not to mention footwear. Hey, what do you expect its a girls' apartment being emptied out!!! I find myself taking just a little longer and procastinating everything just a bit more... Will miss this pad! Goodbye home I say...

2009-03-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

Having given a decent buildup about my project, it is but expected that I elaborate about it nai?
SO...the project was a guest lecture I was invited to deliver to a bunch of pre grad media and mass comm students at a University here. Preparing for it was enlightening for moi since I have never in my life read about the history of broadcast media having been a broadcast media professional for hte past five years. The lecture went of very well. Thankfully I had to address a small group of 10 students. Loved the casual/interactive format of the classroom which was a contrast from what one is used to in the desi classrooms. The students also were a revelation by themselves from their approach to situations, opinions and questions they posed for me. All in all a very gratifying experience. I can actually see myself happily teaching kids.

Potential employment opportunities have been cropping up finally making me feel like March is actually marching forward towards the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. That having been said, the roof above our heads is falling apart. We have to move out of this ghar to a temporary ghar with friends/ PG acco etc by the end of this month. So the project in hand for the next couple of weeks will be packing and unpacking. And things in the house have been falling apart- from the lights in the bathroom to the washing machine that refuses to wash clothes- all seem to be signs in the sky to find a new abode I guess.

Cirque Du Soliel is in town till the 5th of April. That's a definite action item in my now very open and flexible calendar. So are the movies Gran Turino and Bella. If someone has not already watched, then I would say avoid "What Just Happened" like the bubonic plague. Because one will walk out of the movie hall asking himself/ herself just that "What just happened?! !@$@!#$". Shot in a very "Curb Your Enthusiasm" narrative, the movie follows Hollywood producer Robert De Niro through a week in his life when his career and personal life are falling apart and he is trying so hard to stay on top of things. The movie is extremely funny at a lot of places but as a whole, there is neither a proper flow nor structure to the film. Watch it only if you are tired of twiddling thumbs at home. And last but not the least, I might be doing sound and lights for an adaptation of Moliere's play Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme which will be staged at the end of April. So rehearsals keep me busy on most evenings of the week.

Life is looking good at the moment :-)

2009-03-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well I did mention a project which would culminate on Monday. On another day, I would have gushed about it and written at length about it but today I will just say my project was successful. But at this point of time, I am bit disgusted with things people do for their survival....

2009-02-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am listening to the plastic bag theme from the movie American Beauty on loop. Helps me think sometimes. An idea borrowed from a writer friend. And on my super cool birthday gift, my Bose headphones, I can even hear the rustle of the plastic bag :) My project for Monday is in process. Not with the speed I would have liked but progressing nonetheless. And I am always at my best when I am running out of time. So there...

After quite some time of this...

I am glad to announce that I am finally back to that state of mind when I feel like writing. My mind is overflowing with possible post drafts. Which is cause for a big woohoo! Though cannot say the same about roomie and my situation since we are both redundant. But this too shall pass :-)

I finally know why Clive Owen was a front runner to be the next Bond. Having always maintained that he is an actor one cannot help but notice, he has proven he can handle action and espionage just as effortlessly as emotion and histrionics with The International, Tom Tywker's latest post Perfume. A rivetting movie that gave me the pleasure of reading a very good espionage novel. Featuring an ensemble cast including Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller Stahl amongst others and shot in various locales across the globe, the movie also has some really neat lines like "Sometimes you find your destiny on the road you took to avoid it" .. I would definitely give the movie two thumbs up! Yes sirree, Tom Tywker is back and how. Another movie I am waiting to watch is Frost/Nixon. Missed The Wrestler by a couple of weeks. Also tried watching Billu Barber, but dozed off half an hour and two songs into the movie. Boredom or fatigue or both.. I dunno but what I do know is that I did not want to see the movie all the way till the end. That settled the issue then I guess ;-)

More later, back to my project and the plastic bag theme now..

2009-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Like the new cheesy header and profile picture for the blog, my playlist has also got a refresh of sorts.After tripping on Dev D's soundtrack for almost a month, I am constantly smiling to the tunes from Delhi 6 OST. Genda phool and Masakali being the hot favourites preceded by Arziyan. As far as the movie goes, quite a nice movie as long as one doesn't compare the movie to RDB, which was another league altogether. Lovely ensemble cast with some memorable performances by Deepak Dobriyal and Divya Dutta among others. Wish ROM had kept the intensity alive at the climax instead of the Big B cameo But the trade has its own demands I guess. Will it go down as a memorable film? I don't think so. Same holds true for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. There were enough and more times during the film when I happily walked out knowing I wouldn't have missed much. That could also be attributed to the information overload about the movie and its reviews. Loved the visual effects and makeup in the film. Parts of the film reminded me of Forrest Gump. Don't ask me why because I am the reigning queen of weird associations.

Movies apart, I have a new project on hand till Monday. Will write more about it once I am done with it. What I can share at the moment is that I am excited about it and slightly nervous too. More post monday.

That apart, what happens when four gorgeous and intermittently smart women- three of whom dont drive and one who doesn't know roads in U.A.E besides the ones in Sharjah, get out on a lazy Saturday afternoon to get a cup of joe at the neighbourhood Starbucks coffee shop? Well, that one cuppa joe takes them on a 120 km drive around not just the city but the country! Accident or mishap? More like an adventure which I am taking great pleasure typing out while sipping a cuppa chai at 1130 PM in the night :P This is what happened, four of us finished a sumptuous meal at this place ( won't mention the name but one of the places roomie and I swore we would NEVER enter in our one year together), we gorgeous ladies decided we needed coffee from Starbucks. The chosen destination was Wafi Mall but en route to Wafi, we missed an exit and ended up At Dubai Outlet Mall some 30 kms away from where we intended to go. We, of course, decided to not just make lemonade, we even threw ourselves a margarita party. After indulging ourselves with shopping to our hearts content at Dubai Outlet Mall ( which according to me is Dubai's answer to our factory outlets, albeit in a much bigger fashion), we decided to head back home- which was Dubai. We again took the wrong exit and headed to Dubai on a detour that was the longest possible, only to realise a couple of kms into the exit that the car was already on reserve fuel. That meant, lots of swearing (not at each other), nervous laughter, major stress and praying like hell for a gas station. The car just about started slowing down and lo behold! there was a gas station. Never have four women been so happy to stop at a gas station. And then, the night was still young and the adventure had just about begun unfolding. Like I mentioned earlier, we were to head to Dubai but where did we end up in.. Sharjah!! One second we were on the highway and the next minute we were right in the middle of a huge traffic jam.. I swear that's what happened. Finally roomie and I got dropped off at a point where we could hail a cab and head home. The ride to the neighbourhood mall to get a cuppa coffee turned out to be quite the adventure indeed! Lessons learnt- never miss an exit or take the wrong one because there are no U turns in UAE. Always pay attention to the routes and yes, dont get on the highway without enough fuel in your car because the gas stations are few and far between. And yes, I am very proud to say that the four of us can really take lemons and make a margarita party out of it ... we definitely did :-)

2009-02-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

So much for declaring I have all the time in the world to blog now.... lol!

Over the past month and some, I have a set routine of trying to get by the first half of the day as quickly as possible. This, of course, means I get most of the job hunting, calls, meetings set up in this time band. Post lunch, the day is not that difficult to get by. I am getting good at it and not to mention, there is also my new obsession with The Wire. To add fuel to my modified telly obsession, I have also laid my hands on the Season 5 of House MD (grin).

If one is wondering about the employment status, I am still a jobless bum :) But having said that, this is my longest break in over ten years. So I would rather consider myself as being in transition than being out of job. Its all about using words to suit one's needs it turns out. And boy did I learn it by burning the midnight oil or what?! Now, most of us pretty stop "writing" or drafting letters once we get out of school or grade 12 latest. In this era of digital communication, the fine art of writing and correspondence is indeed a dying art form. Now, I had to write cover letters to apply for jobs and it certainly turned out to be quite a task! This brings me to concur with a friends opinion that every literate person should write through out their lives and aim at writing atleast 500 words a day. Now thats a lofty target I agree but I shall diligently try to write more often if not daily. Thats a promise and I hope I do keep it.

Of late, I spend a lot of time at a friends sprawling apartment which I think personally has the best panoramic view of Dubai's skyline. I manage to get my daily 20 minute walk sessions every time I walk up tp her place and back home. En route her place, I use the neighbourhood Spinneys as a thoroughfare. The same complex also has a pizzeria and a McDonalds outlet in the same premises. And quite often, I have many an individual sitting on the trademark McD bench next to the clone and gazing at the horizon. This for me is one of the loneliest sights in Dubai, which I guess I feel so because some of them quite frankly look lonely. But today a friend of mine told me the story of why there is a Ronald McDonald sitting on a bench at every McD outlet. Apparently, before hitting upon the idea of the fast food chain, the founder of McD sat on park bench everyday for two years trying to think of some means of making money since he was unemployed and penniless. So as a reminder that sometimes sitting on the bench can give you great ideas, every McD outlet has the bench with Ronald very happily perched on it. Of course, the story can be imspirational if you want it to be but more than that the next time I use the thoroughfare, maybe I wont really think about the lonely people sitting on the bench.. :-)

The new "25 random things about me" meme on Facebook is catching on fast. I have already been tagged thrice. Maybe I should write 25 random things! This meme is reportedly the fastest spreading meme on Facebook almost likened to a bug! Read more. Well, I haven't really decided if I should participate in this exercise/activity which is taking Facebook by storm. And after reading these two articles, even you might change your mind. Click here and here.

Facebook aside I am a bit saddened by the fact that the movie which is heralding Indian cinema coming of age is not going to be screened in UAE for its controversial content. I am talking about Dev D- Anurag Kashyap's interpretation of the Bengali tragedy, Devdas. A la Omkara by Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag has adapted the storyline to the current times. So understandably- Devdas becomes Devinder Singh Dhillon (Dev D) and Paro becomes Parminder Kaur. The film not just adapts the classic tale to this day and age but also addresses issues plaguing the youth of Bharat, female sexuality, past scandals like the famous DPS MMS scandal. Sigh.. will have to wait for my DVD fairy to get me my churaya hua copy but something better than nothing I say. Another thing about Dev D I absolutely love is the soundtrack- eclectic and brilliant! Especially, Emossional Atyachaar( Brass Band version)- absolute genius. If I had to describe the OST in one word it would be trippy. And a trip is what the film is from what I understand from the promotions. More about Dev D after I watch the film. Another film I watched a couple of months ago and has been much deliberated about its Slumdog Millionaire.Enough has been said and written about it. I really do not want to add my two pence opinion to it. Another movie talked about recently a lot is Delhi 6- Rakeysh Mehra next offering post the landmark RDB. The music of the film is classic ARR- some tracks grab you instantly while others grow on you. Personally I think I am giving Delhi6 OST a step motherly treatment over Dev D because I simply cannot stop listening to Dev D's tracks. Might watch The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Delhi 6 this weekend. More about post watching them... for now, some emotional atyachaar looking for jobs :P

Redundacy..

2009-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

The phenomenon is global but the effect is always felt locally. And after months of hearing about friends and acquaintances' stories of redundancy, and seeing them live in the fear of losing their jobs, I find myself in a somewhat similar situation. I have been made redundant. Yes, I am truly a jobless bum in the gelf at the moment :)

This twist in the kahani should be interesting. I can delude myself about having a "paid vacation" till I find a new job..... At the moment, having gone through disbelief, anger and grief( I know its not yet over), I am getting myself organized. Not bad I would since it has only been 31 hours since our entire team was told "You all have been redundant with effect immediately". Just like that! At the moment I feel like I have lost a very dear one and am having to be the one to receiving the condolences- reliving those last few minutes and the entire event over and over again.

Have got a fair amount of asinine behaviour from "well meaning" acquaintances, viz.,

Q- What really happened
A- We were made redundant
Q- No,what really happened?
A ( in my head of course)- @#!$!#$.
A( as it comes out of my mouth)- Need to go now cos I really dont feel like "talking about it". Bye!

Even worse are the patronizing types, "how are you feeling?", "are you ok?" enquiries. Though mostly well meaning, they really dont serve any purpose except to fill up the awkward empty spaces with idiotic words.

If you know someone who has been laid off:-

Please dont offer platitudes unless you find out if the person willing ot talk about it.

Though very well meaning," dont worry things will work out", "whatever happens is all for good" statements can be extremely badly timed.

Volunteer emotional support but offer it only when asked for.

Dont try to get into a "my life is a lot worse than yours" contest with the person cos you might still have a job in hand. And its not about you anyways right now!

Offer a genuine bear hug, kleenex and/ or just be a patient listener. Some times that is all one needs.

As far as I am concerned, being out of a job is not all that bad since I have all the time in the world to blog now.. Watch this space for regular updates on "Kissa Maddy Ka" :P

And yeah, its not the end of the world.. so chill maadi :)

P.S:- I will definitely miss playing music and yapping on the microphone! No two ways about it..

2008-12-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Being a broadcast professional is not always fun and games. To be honest, most often it is a thankless job because we are working odd hours and on holidays, there is always pressure to perform well, we are always under scrutiny and public memory is shortlived. But there are some occasions when one feels so good about being one! In my case, the 5th edition of DIFF definitely and undoubtedly has to be one of those occasions. The chance to see so many great film makers, story tellers, thinkers under the same roof and actually be rubbing shoulders with them, chatting with them( even if it's work) definitely makes me feel great to be there! I mean, I get to hear Harry Belafonte, Deepa Mehta, Oliver Stone, Nicolas Cage, Dilip Mehta and many other intellectuals speak!! How cool is that! But amid my joy, a curious incident on my way home from today's show at DIFF at the Madinat Jumeirah ( which in my opinion, has a quaint charm of its own quite unparalleled in Dubai!!), made me look at the whole event in a new light.

So, after calling it a wrap on what I thought a good show, I hailed a cab and headed towards the studio to prepare for some of the things I need for my show tomorrow. After some time, the cab driver started talking to me. He looked at me very as- a- matter- of- factly and asked me " I see this film festival happen every year. What comes out of it? " which of course, translated to " How does this high culture affect my existence?" And this question posed to me while I was still reeling from the fact that I just heard Deepa Mehta and Harry Belafonte speak!!! Fair enough I said to myself.. and tried to explain to the man in the best way possible that festivals are great for smaller films to be showcased, people from the film fraternity to network and catch up on each other's work etc etc. He did not buy whatever I said right away. But he asked me " Can I go watch a film there?" The way he asked the question made me realise that "high culture" is so often exclusivist and almost classist/snobbish! I had almost reached the studio by then. As I alighted from the cab, I gave him two vouchers for the festival and gave him directions and names of some movies, mainly from the subcontinent that I thought he might be interested in. And I think the satisfaction of seeing the poor man's expression was all that I needed to make my day feel worthwhile. And mind you, the joy of a job well done not withstanding, the driver's happiness still felt so much better!
Like I said, some days (actually most) being a broadcast professional feel so good! :-)

2008-12-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Picture This..

The date - 18th August,2008.
The place- Ravi's restaurant, Satwa

The air besides being thick with the dust and humidity, is also thick with conversations/debates/ discussions about Pakistan Post Musharraf. 18th being the day Musharraf resigned. Now, Ravi's( pronounced Raavi's) is a place that any die hard foodie MUST visit whilst in Dubai. Located in Satwa, it is very much a down town Pakistani eating joint where the gora tourists and their brown cousins from the subcontinent rub shoulders with each other while they enjoy their biryanis, paayas and teekaas. Part of the people enjoying supper are seated 4 women aged 26, 28, 37 and 46 respectively. All of them beautiful and smart in their own right catching up each other's life and sharing a happy meal. Right across them, in another table, are seated a bunch of young Pakistani men who obviously were enjoying their meal while also giving an American colleague a crash course on desi cuisine. As happens in such scenarios, when there are two groups of opposite genders, a decent amount of "checking the other person out" takes place. Both the groups finish off their meals and are at their resp tables chit chatting post khana. Now,one of the men in the group happens to be wearing a really cool t shirt which has a picture of a White House Checklist very similar to the image below, except that Canada and the Blue States were replaced by Pakistan and China.

This funky t shirt catches the attention of one person in the other group, who points it out to her friends and on an impulse walks up to the guy and compliments him on the t shirt.The guy, of course, is very flattered by the lady's attention and offers to give the t shirt to her. She, at first, taken aback handles the situation quite well, thanks him and starts to walks away. At the same moment, our pal runs up to his car, take the shirt off, changes in to a shirt and walks back to her with the t shirt in tow. Right in the middle of the road!! He, requests her to take the t shirt which she does and walks back to her friends who have been watching the whole event unfold. And if after reading this, you are saying to yourself " no ways!!".. think again.. because it really happened.

Now, I will leave it to your imagination to figure out which one of the four women made the guy take his t shirt off in public. Kindly post your answer along with why you think so...

The answer post your comments .... So watch this space

Earworm for this week!

2008-12-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

My earworm at the moment is this song by one of my favourite bands of all time- Zero 7

The song is called "The Space Between". Besides the haunting quality of the tune, I love the words and in my state of mind at the moment, it makes a lot of sense...

Now that you're older

Taking the time to look

Back over your shoulder

On the days confusion took

Now that you're wiser

Surely you've learned to read it

You should know

No surface shines brighter

Than the light that burns beneath it

Never so sure

We always take more

Though we still don't know what it's for

Now that I've seen you

Stripped to the very core

I know that I need you

Less than I did before

Never so sure

We always take more

Though we still don't know what it's for

How to talk to girls... ask a 9 year old!

2008-12-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

For all those shy guys, help is at hand. And the kind soul who is the beacon of light is a 9 year old schoolboy. Click here

The TIME gives it a "Read" verdict. I would say the same too. If for nothing but a good laugh :)

2008-12-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

Now how far this incident it true remains to be validated but it sure makes for a GOOD laugh!
Sorry for the rather long TLA.. but better late than never they say.. and now before someone, like Martin Crane, remarks "Shut your big bazoo and stop rambling".. I shall promptly do so!
in
Yours truly is truly an NRI now.. what with having completed a year in Doobai and in the process becoming a true Doobian. Quite an year it has been and a very fast one at that too.
So I was wondering what I should do as a mark of this milestone in my life, I just thought I should pen down some of the most memorable things/ things I have cherished over the past year.
So here goes...

My moment of epiphany! Yes, yours truly knows what she wants to do for a good chunk of her life.. YAY to that! And what a moment that was and what com incidence that it was on the 4th of July, the American Independence Day
The day when I paid my last credit card bill. Being debt free is quite the feeling. Definitely high on my recommendation list!
The ability to be able to do so much more with the phoren paisa back home :)
My roomie and JG along with A, the four of us are a typical Sex and The City sisterhood. If one was a fly on the wall, one would really know what I mean!
The joy of playing really good songs while sitting in the On Air Studio with the headphones cranked up really high! Nothing to beat the compliments from listeners after a job well done. Believe me when I say, we Indians have a song fr every occasion!
Being able to live out my journalistic ambitions as a talk show host.
Going to some very nice places free of cost ( yes yours truly can be cheap ) all in the name of work.There have to be some perks on the job eh? ;)
Lying beneath the stars on cold sand. Dune bashing, at least once in a lifetime, definitely recommended.
Sunsets and moonrises over the desert.
Discovering Lebanese food and Sushi.
My bond with all the people I consider friends, both here and back home in India.
My first trip back home in Sept.
The T shirt incident at Ravi's ( watch this space for more details)
My moments with the susterhood- S,JGn A and I
Random acts of kindness from people around me
Good friends I have formed here in Doobai- and trust me when I say good friends!

And not everything has to be hunky dory, I have also discovered:-

I have a piled on a couple pf kilos- 3 to be precise :(
I have great potential to be a full blown case of OCD
I am a snob when it comes to level of intelligence and I am quite proud to be one!
I am not really the extrovert that I might have had occasional delusions about being one

All in all, a very enlightening year it has been. And hopefully, this will mark the end of the dry blogging spell. Thanks L for egging me to blog. I know this is not great stuff but it s what matters to me.. Thanks for everybody's patience reading this post. Watch this space for more :)

2008-07-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

There are more than.... I really have lost count of the number of half written post drafts in my head. Obviously, its a lesson learnt that there is no point procastinating because the thought once lost is gone forever. Even if you retrieve fragments, its is never the same. At this point, the filmy drama queen in moi wants to break in to a sheesha ho ya train of thought ho aakhir toot jaata hai!

Today has been a productive start to the week, my laundry disaster not withstanding ( I basically multi coloured t shirts as well as lingerie now). Finally seem to have gotten back to the routine of watching movies (at least two over the weekend) and books (reading Toni Morrison, Eco and Tony Parsons simultaneously). Mamma mia and WALL E are both a must watch! Cant wait for The Dark Knight to hit the screens.

Well, that has been the present. Over the recent past, I must say I have been witness to a lot of Sex And The City Moments. But what has to take the cake was me and a very dear friend, JG walk in to the emergency room and later the cardiac unit of a hospital to visit a mutual friend with a MacDonald's take away- a super sized fries, Big Mac burger and a Mcflurry to top it all!!

I have to say with moi- aisa kabhi hua nahi, jo bhi hua khoob hua :P

Inshallah, I also get back to the routine of blogging more often.

2008-06-19T03:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks to anonymous for enlightening moi about "Earworm".

The current song I am earworming a lot nowadays has to be the title track of Tashan.

And to keep my sanity and cinematic taste at a decent standard, I refuse to digress about the inane movie. What I love about the song is the energy and attitude that comes forth.Vishal- Shekhar have succeeded in making a rock anthem out of the title track. Lyrics, too, do equal justice.

There are things one does to pay bills and others to feed the soul. The former is taking precedence in moi life right now, so much so that everything else is taking a backseat, including my blog :-(

But over my period of absence from the blog, some of the things that have happened to either moi or people close to me :-

Hearts got stolen, some hearts broken, others being mended, some successes at work, some miserable failure on the personal front, new additions, some departures, joys cherished, grief and sorrow in some cases shared and in others experiences in solitude, some hurtful truths discovered, some delusions indulged, some rose to the situation, some ate humble pie....basically, life lived.

What I must share with everyone and what might come across as a total lift from Sex And The City is a friend who found out that the guy who was wooing her actually maintained an excel sheet of every woman he met/sexual encounters he had had- complete with date(s), positive qualities that worked in favour of the person, type of experience et al!!! :P

2008-05-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

By now most of the regulars to the this now-almost - defunct blog must know that yours truly goes through these "song phases" where in a particular song stays in her head for a week or ten days.The latest phase is the Big B crooner from the dismal autumn winter romance flick Nishabd. The song is called Rozaana. Big B is his usual baritone/ nasal and slightly besuraa in places with his singing. But the song has a haunting quality to it. The lyrics are beautiful. Once you have heard it, the song will make you go back to it again and again. But a word of caution though, dont watch the video! Do it if you want the visuals to completely spoil the song for you. There are some songs which have videos which lift the value of the song and then.. there are others. Rozaana's video is definitely in the latter category....

Hopefully yours truly will blog rozaana :-)

2008-04-30T01:17:00.000-07:00

The blog has definitely and unfortunately become a monthly affair, going by the frequency at which yours truly has been putting up posts. The dashboard and yours truly's head is overflowing with half drafted posts which might never see the light of the day for whatever reasons...

Anyways, the month of April is almost over.. and here comes this months installment.. and hear this.. this post is being typed on MAC!!!! MWHUHAHAHAHAAHAAHA

Yes! Yours truly is a PROUD MAC owner. This baby just feels so good!

Yours truly is in love all over again..

Speaking of love, leaving everyone with a very dear friend's definition of love, which yours truly thinks has been the best she has heard in a looooong long time. Here goes "When all the impressing one another, romance and the sex is done over with. After all the fights about the wet towel on the bathroom floor, the open toothpaste tube, the families and relatives are over.. when its just me and him, whatever is there between just the two of us.. thats love according to me "

2008-03-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Its taken a really broke month end and prodding by her dear roomie to make yours truly realise that its the end of March and she has not posted anything this month!! Not that life has been uneventful or the blogging tap has run dry but just that most of the posts are in her head and by the time she gets to typing them.. which obviously doesnt happen on time.. the result, my dashboard and head are full of half composed posts which will probably never see the light of the blog :-)

Live radio is fun esp with sweet listeners like the ones in Doobai.. a listener just made my day today by getting me something really nice from her visit back home to India. Made me nostalgic and the fact nanna Bengalooru experienced showers last weekend did not help. Khair koi baat nahin, mera number bhi aayega.. main bhi ghar jaaoongi! Inshallah!

After that paroxysm of feling home sick, back it is to the joys of living alone. It is really gratifying esp when the fact that your lilac sheets match very well with the new floral quilt cover thrill you to bits! :-)

God lies in the details and life is all about small joys.. thats all I will say for now...

Ciao for now. See you next month...

2008-02-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Somedays are not so happy and you want to rant about it to the entire world. Somedays are happy and you want to just be.. today is definitely one of them...

2008-02-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Yours truly is getting domesticated!
No she is not going to drop everything in the world to become Mrs.X and wait with jasmine laden hair and a cuppa chai for the piya to get home.. No sirree no.. she is just cherishing the joys of having her own pad.. even if it is on a sharing basis. Tis quite a nice feeling to walk into your own home, do things at home, cook and clean. So for now, yours truly is enjoying the honeymoon period of getting domesticated. The phase lasts how long.. wait and watch :-)

2008-02-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

Having finally made the transition to live radio, yours truly is coping with being a presenter ( no one is called an RJ this side of the globe). Its work in progress to be honest but quite a revelation. The listeners here are so warm, welcoming and sweet! Have had quite a few brushes with "fans/ listeners". The sweetest has been the 10 year old girl who gave me chocolates and a rose a day before Valentines Day. Also mentionable is a listener called Hiroo Hiralal. No.. I am not kidding people have names like that! The man has a story about how he met the Shah man and was the inspiration for the title of Hero Hiralal. Also there are listeners who send us gift hampers and sweet dubbas for festivals. What can I say.. the listener loves us! :P

2008-02-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

If last Valentine's Day was an overdose of "nice mush", this year it was "er... ok -mush". I mean in terms of something, a steady staple of which remains a constant in my life no matter what. And dont wrack your brains trying to think of the vice I might have. I'll do it sooner than you can guess. It's movies! If last year I thoroughly enjoyed Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore's on screen chemistry in the light hearted V-Day offering Music and Lyrics ( Don't miss the parody on Wham! and the very nice - Way back into love on the OST), this year I had my patience tested for three and a half hours waiting for Jodha and Akbar to finally get on with their love story!! Though a very expensive film, I was sadly disappointed by the lack of attention to details in some scenes. The war scenes were so " Oh I also wanna make blood and gore look esthetic like 300", it wasn't funny. Hats off to whoever did a brilliant photoshop job on Aishwarya on the movie posters cos she looks old, drained and tired in most of the scenes. There must have been a serious shortage of glycerine for the soap queens since Ash must have used up most of it crying in the movie. Hrithik looks like a Greek god and for good reason. Rehman's background score has become predictable for Ashutosh Gowariker films now. Kehne ko jashne bahaara is a lovely song. Khwaja mere Khwaja, though nice is a force fit in the plot. Ila Arun totally adds to the saans- bahu angle in the movie.

I know I am being extremely nasty, but If Ashutosh Gowariker had to make a film about the "untold love story of Jodha and Akbar", he could have very well done it without making us warm seats for almost three and a half hours!

27 Dresses is another movie which I did catch over the weekend. I regret paying 30 AED for something which would be well worth catching on TV.

Something I did not mind doing over the weekend was the Peanut Butter Jam which happens every Friday at the Wafi roof top. Its basically an informal jam and performance session that lets people enjoy the music while chilling on bean bags. And of course, there was the lovely soup at Pauls, Thai food at Wok Inn, not so happening minestrone at the Dubai Marina, tut- tut pasta at Dome and divine cherry cheese cake at Dome. So much for a not so happening weekend :P

Life, unlike, the movie is whizzing past. Its already been over two and a half months in the Gelf. The Dubai Shopping Festival this year I am told is not as great as it is usually. yours truly is not really complaining because she has shopped enough ( I think) already. One doesn't really need temptation leaning on the doorbell. Esp here where temptation is all over the place.

Learnt a bit about widows and orphans in publishing parlance. Dont know what it is? Google maadi ;-)

P.S.:- This blog was posted under the influence of an extremely strong sugar buzz caused by excessive intake of cherry cheese cake accompanied by an on going state of sleep deprivation. So if anything pisses anyone off, it was probably meant to be that way :P

Ciao for now...

2008-02-11T02:45:00.000-08:00

There are days and then there are some more... And then there are days when you are so glad to be doing what you do!

I have to do my show throughout DSF from a mall called Lamcy Plaza. Usually though the show is meant to be high on the interaction quotient, it is quite difficult to find the "right" people to put on air. And then on some days lightning strikes .. like today. They were a couple with their grandson. It was obivous it was their first time in Doobai. I asked the lady if she wanted to go on air and she gladly agreed. Being a professor of English literature, needless to say, she was articulate. When we got talking, I found out that they have been married for 42 years now and the icing on the cake was the fact that they got married on the 14th of Feb.. of course in a time and day when Valentine's day did not hold too much of a significance for them except that it was a good muhurat :)

Meeting them made my day. And I was still smiling to myself long after they had left the booth and the show was over. And as my cab pulled away, I caught a glimpse of the husband taking his wife's pictures.. and all I can say is Love is in the air!

2008-02-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

If temperatures in Mumbai are not indicative of global warming.. gawd knows what is!!

Everybody's pretty little (or not) touche's having been freezing away this part of the globe too. But that did not deter me and A from pigging out Gelato's last night and watching Sweeney Todd. Tim Burton's musical was impressive, very stylish, the singing a tad bit over the top. But definitely deserves a thumbs up. After last enthralling us as the idiosyncratic Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp is a revelation (once again) as the menacing barber done wrong and lost his senses. His behind is also very very cute... I know I sound so very single right now! but hey... I am entitled to my fair share of eye candy even if it is Johnny Depp as the eveil barber on screen.

Moving on.. living alone can also be quite a revelation! I recently discovered washing pullovers in the machine is a very good idea.. if you want them to be hand me downs for your nieces who wont be able to wear them for another decade (thats after they are actually born). I can also now proudly say "Honey I shrunk the.....

Ciao!

2008-02-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yours truly has been missing in action for quite sometime!! Quite being an understatement. My mind is full of drafts or stuff I began to draft for the blog but never go around to posting eventually. Work is taking off at break neck speed. I do not know if its a fact or if it is me but it feels like the speed at which days pass is directly proportionate to your age!

Life in Doobai is pretty much settling into a routine (albeit boring right now) of sorts. Work - home- work. Weekend is catching up on dirty laundry.. maybe a party or movie. Long drives are no longer an option since my chauffeur friend has relocated to apna Bharat. The biggest thrill being live on air. The listeners in this part of the world are really sweet!! I got a box of chocolates and cookies when I did my first outdoor broadcast. Another gentleman brought the crew lunch.Small little things that definitely make my day. While the show and my on air personality gets sorted, DSF unfolds. The fireworks at the creek are outta the world to say the least. Feels like watching fireworks wearing 3 D glasses.Haven't really gotten around to shopping. Movies and books also seem to be taking a back seat for now considering a good chunk of the waking hours is spent at work and doing work related stuff.

Did manage to read 'The False Impression' by Jeffrey Archer and almost done with 'The Hard Way' by Lee Child.

P.S.I Love You is a movie that made me cry loads and loads and feel happy - sad. Atonement was a la Titanic for some weird reason for me at least .The Hoax starring Richard Gere and Alfred Molina was interesting. A movie that I completely adored was 'Once' - a nice musical with a very simple, sweet storyline. Looks and feels like a movie made by a bunch of friends fooling around with their songs and video camera over a weekend.

Just got a pass for a screening of Sweeney Todd. So Ciao from yours truly for now .....

2008-01-09T03:19:00.000-08:00

Did you know that not many people have residential postal addresses in this city? I got to know this recently when I had to ask my landlord for the postal address of the house I stay in. It was quite a rude revelation not to mention shock too. Almost all expats have to use the office address for all correspondence official or personal. Aisa bhi hota hai!

I have been fortunate enough to witness rains in Dubai. Witness is definitely the word to use because by the time one gets out to experience the "rain", its over :P

The weather has been amazing the past few days. Very chilly but just the right weather to get out on drive or just cuddle up at home with a book or watch a movie. Speaking of books, finally finished reading "False Impression" by Jeffrey Archer. Now reading a humorous and thoda filmi light hearted novel called "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella ,the story of a stressed out lawyer who in a strange turn of events find herself masquerading as a housekeeper when she is probably the worst at housekeeping! Its been a good read so far.

Oh shoot! I almost forgot. I had a photo shoot yesterday (no pun intended). My first official one so to speak. Before I give you the juicy details, I must add a bit about the prep for the shoot. I had to carry "a coupe of outfit changes", which my colleagues gladly helped me out with. Now carrying all the stuff was as good as packing for a small trip! The nervousness about the shoot aside, the traffic was REALLY bad en route the studio. When I got there, to my disappointment( ?) I did not have to change too many outfits and the bottom half of my outfit/ensemble because it was just mid waist and close up shots. I changed and the drama began. At this point, I must add that with every brush I have with "fashion/ grooming" (not that I am a hairy woolly mammoth with BO), I really respect the patience that models and actors must have. Also, posing and looking pretty is not as easy. Instructions like " hold your hand here, look cool, hold that expression... and now, thoda face left ko turn karo... haan ab chin aage karo" dont make things easy. But on the whole, good fun! Sab ko ek baar karna chahiye :-)

Its a long weekend here again and I have no plans whatsoever! Inshallah jaldi acche plans ban jaayenge :-)

Ciao

2008-01-06T03:25:00.000-08:00

The new year has begun on a good note for yours truly. Must thank D for the yours truly expression. I have shamelessly stolen it from him. As I am settling in life in Dubai, I cant but admit that life was more fulfilling back home in Bangalore. Not to sound depressed or sad or homesick, its nothing if that sort except an observation of someone who still feels like an outsider in Doobai for more reasons than one. Who knows this place might become home for me in the near future.. it definitely is the place I HAVE to call home for now. Dubai is a nice place provided one is happy with work-home-work over the weekdays and running errands over the weekend routine. It is a loners paradise. Not to say one cannot have fun here. Of course one can provided one doesn't mind bleeding to death paying the cabbies ( who increasingly remind me of namma Bengalooru auto drivers with every passing day) or owns a four wheeler. Still haven't gotten on a bus, so cannot comment on that mode of transport. Wait a minute.. did I just not say the year began on a good note for me? Then why am I meandering and sounding depressed! :P

Anyways, this week is important since I finally go on air. The big day is on Saturday. And then the roller coaster ride begins!

Watched Taare Zameen Par - Great debut and well reearched product though the movie could have been tighter and not as filmy in the second half. Charlie Wilson's War was an extremely smart and well made political movie. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts ( with a washboard tummy after 3 kids!! How did she manage that?! looking magnificent as ever though) and Philip Seymour Hoffman.. definitely a not to be missed movie. Something extremely missable was Lindsay Lohan's I Know Who Killed Me. What was the crew thinking to agree to be a part of this movie?! And what were we thinking when we decided to go watch it! Anyways, I Am Legend starring Will Smith looks promising. You know, beginning to realise vis-a-vis the rest of the cities in India, Bangalore is much more English and cosmopolitan in its thought :-) On that note, yours truly signs off...

2007-12-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

An hour to go before the countdown begins and yours truly is doing what? Post something for the last time this year. Dunno if it says a lot about me but yeah.. here's wishing you all a very happy new year!!

Keep checking this space next year too :-P

Ghar mil gaya!

2007-12-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ok guys.. I get the message as if I did not get admonished enough in person and on phone for my little hitch hiking adventure. Remember the first place I was in a hurry to get to. Well, thats the place I am going to call home for now .. at least for a couple of months till I find a better/cheaper accomodation in the same neighbourhood. Feels so nice to have a place to call hom rather than go back to a hotel room. So yes.. yours truly is very happy and very relieved and is definitely going to have fun shopping at Ikea and doing up the room :-D

Its a long weekend starting today. Actually its the holiday week on the occasion of Id. So the even otherwise slow pace has become super slow. So not the time one feels like working. But sigh.. kaam karna padega aaj. Koi baat nahin, I am getting to operate a live on air console ( sorry if I sound like a kid in a candy shop but it is so much fun!!), so I wont really compain. In the meanwhile I am also discovering the joys of new eating options and some times really economic gastronomic solutions. Will be moving in stuff over the weekend. So lots to look forward to and as is a dear friend's motto in life right now - just keep moving forward :-)

Yeh kahani poori filmi hain..

2007-12-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Some things are universally accepted as acts of stupidity. And hitching a ride with a stranger in a new place definitely tops the list. And yours truly is proud to announce that she did just that. I am as you know in the middle of a frantic search for accommodation in Doobai. And I was to get to a place by a certain hour to check out a potential living space ( I might add the room was lovely and I might end up living there). So since I couldn't find a taxi, I started walking without knowing the route ( hai na badhiya plan). And I reached a traffic signal where I felt lost. Just as the signal was about to turn green, I spotted a fellow bharatiya in his SUV. I walked up to his car window and asked him which way to my destination. He offered to drop me off since he was headed the same way. In the meanwhile, I started getting calls from my potential landlord since he had to go out soon and he was waiting for me. So our man friday took directions from potential landlord and took me to the place. En route, we got talking and turns out he was from Mangalore and surprise surprise, the same day had advertised for a room he wanted to rent out. And yours truly decided to make the best of the situation and asked him if she could see the room. So man friday drives yours truly to the first room, then his place to show the room he wants to rent out and then drops yours truly to her friends place .. not before buying me saapad at Saravana Bhavan :-)

Aisa bhi hota hai... but this is strictly not to be repeated.. even by me!

2007-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Life can be so very unpredictable. Was made to realise it even more today... esp if you are stuck in a place so far away from home....

Inshallah!!

2007-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Thats the word one hears a lot and learns eventually to use a lot in day to day conversation in Doobai. Everything is Inshallah here. Ghar? Cab? Khana? Life? ?Whatever you want - Inshallah sab mil jaayega- lekin apne time ke hisaab se. In case, one did notice the use of Hindi, cant help it bhaiyo aur behenon, because thats is the tongue I am talking in ever since I landed in Pardes. Posting this one on borrowed time and laptop :-P. Just a short update of whats happening in my zindagi . I am settling in. Getting used to the place and desperately looking for acco. Please kisi ko pata hai to bata deejijye!!! Dubai can give even Mumbai a run for its money as far living conditions are concerned. Some of the "fully furnished spacious room with balconies" I saw yesterday were literally pigoen holes!! Anways.. some places were decent. Me is still looking for that one room which I will step in to and say "YES THIS IS IT". Hell I havent been able to say the same about any of the men I have met so far .. so dunno how foolproof the idea will be as far living space is concerned ;)

Till the next post.. keep checking this space regularly.. CIAO!!

2007-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the latest post on me blog after eons. The geographic location from nanna preetiya Bengalooru has shifted to Doobai. I have been in this city/ country/ part of the world for a little over 30 hours now as I type. So far so good. Still soaking in the sights and the sounds - which unfortunately make me miss the greenery of Blore... a lot! The fact that a good part of Dubai is under construction is not helping. Homesickness has not yet kicked in a big time. Though of course, me is finding it a bit difficult to eat junk in the name of grub. Tonight I might just get lucky.

My first impressions of this part of the world so far

The infrastructure is to die for
Paki is a very non PC esp since one could end up being your next best friend
Even the worst traffic beats the best back home in India any day ( yeah yeah call me a desh drohi all you want but truth hurts at time)
The weather in Blore is to die for!
Accomodation is not easy to find
Water packaged like yoghurt is somewhat strange!!

The holiday season has already kicked in this part of the world too. So all the malls and hotels have xmas decorations - which at times might seem strange and even ironic. And the malls are definitely a shopaholic's dream come true. If you are part of SA (shopaholics anonymous), this is the last place you must visit!! :-P

Well, as the last few minutes of my stipulated half an hour at the cafe' trickle by, time for me to sign off and go food hunting.

Ciao

2007-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

Human beings are by nature bizzare. Yours truly is not an exception to the rule. Realization dawned on me today evening as I lay with my mouth open while my friend/senior/ dentist Dharam was giving finishing touches to the last of the series of fillings I had get before my departure to the gelf. Now readers of the blog might remember the last time I was lying on the dental chair, the fact that I did not want to get back to dentistry dawned on me. Obviously, the dental chair seems work as the shrink's couch for me. Ek chair mein do body part ka ilaaj!!!! :P

After that inevitable meandering, lets cut to the chase. I realised that lying in a dental chair is actually relaxing for me. Now before anyone deduces it to be addictive like Beckham's penchant for the pain of the needle.. I should add it is nothing of that nature. It is just that the dental chair is designed to relax the back. So it is quite easy to relax and even doze off while one's dentist is working on one's oral cavity for better or for worse :P

So the next time, you are lying there in possibly one of the most stupid positions in the world, just try relaxing with your eyes closed and leave the rest to the dantvisheshagna!!

Lechayim!!!

2007-11-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

The word in Hebrew means "To Life". Got the meaning of the word from my friend, Divyesh, who reminded me it was mentioned in a song in the movie, Fiddler on the roof.

Yenjaay the video :-) and if you like the video, watch the movie,that is if you haven't already.

2007-11-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Thirteen more days and counting.. I guess I am in the " Oh I am going to romanticize everything that on a normal day would get my goat" mode. Ironically, for the last couple of weeks, the auto guys have been the bestest possible!! Strange isn't it, I don't have to spend many a frustrating hour waiting for an auto driver who won't scoot away at the prospect of being offered monetary gain should he agree to drop to my destination. Of course, it is also because work forces me to leave work not before its a standard one and a half times the metre. But that apart, I really am going to miss a lot of things about Bangalore.

The weather, the people, my favourite haunts, the view from the office, the annoying dharnas that happen every other day in front of Gandhi Park, the aloo tikki pav from Arya Bhavan , my coffee sessions at the Eva Mall Coffee World ( where the guys are so sweet to me and Lav and give us chips when we request and dont charge us for it ) , the stroll around MGs and Brigades post work, Blossoms, the movie theaters, the plays at Ranga Shankara, Anju Aunty's food at the Ranga Shankara cafe', the various performances which happen time to time at Alliance and MMB, the masala dosa at Central Tiffin Room ( 7th cross malleshwaram - the bestest dosa ever), the girls and their happy smiles that takes me through another week every time I take them through another class of spoken English, walking like there is no tomorrow around Sankey Tank, Chai sessions at Infinitea, the smell of freshly ground coffee beans which is such a pick me up while walking through Sampige Road or Jayanagar, the markets in Old Bangalore, Spiga food, smileys at Koshy's, Amrit coffee / tiffin breaks on a weekday , dessert sessions at Fresco's, junk jewellery stores in Malleshwaram and Commercial Street, mom's vatta kozhambu, her cooking, dad way of showing he cares by doing sweet little things like making coffee in the morning , brother's display of affection by getting on my nerves, sister always being there for me, gorging on whipped cream everytime me and L are PMSing or having a bad day- either singularly or together, monthly schoolmates get together, late night phone calls with friends which are more like mutual bitch sessions, movie sessions, the once in a blue moon binges, late night drives .... so many things... and these are just a few of my favourite ( Bangalore) things :-)

2007-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Watched Om Shanti Om first day second show!! Was quite thrilled to do an out and out masala flick, my last one being Sivaji. Thoroughly enjoyed the unashamed tribute to the 70s and the Karz rip off! Though I must add that six pack and King Khan.. tut tut.. only confusion and definitely not a great combination! Don't you guys feel like the man is looking a bit "weird" ( for the lack of a better term) ever since he got on the "six pack" bandwagon.

Right now, I can only hear Seal singing in my head " time is slipping, slipping, slipping" because I have only 19 odd days left before I say Namaste Bengalooru for at least a year! So many things to do and I haven't even eaten at MTR yet!!! Woe is me! On a less funny note, I am realizing that it's not that easy to wrap up all business in a place and move to another. Forget the re-inventing of the proverbial wheel in the new place, just wrapping all unfinished business in the current location is quite tedious. God how I wish I could be Michael Keaton from Multiplicity for the next two weeks so that I could meet all the people I need to say a proper good bye to, finish my notice period peacefully, soak as much of Bangalore as possible and then just merge into one person a day before my departure!! Sigh... If wishes were horses :-P

Update!

2007-11-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

I am really really sorry for not having posted anything in a long time! ( long would be an understatement!).. been busy trying to wrap my mind around making a few drastic changes in my life. No, I am not undergoing a sex change operation :-P. But yes, I shall be relocating out of Namma Bengalooru end of this month for work reasons. I shall be moving to Dubai.So busy slogging out my notice period and all the accompanying "stuff". So do watch out this space even posts are regularly irregular!

P.S.:- Please go watch Stardust. Its lovely movie esp. De Niro as Captain Shakespeare :-)

Must watch!

2007-10-31T04:21:00.000-07:00

For some, Randy Pausch's speech might come across as run of the mill pop gyaan. But one has to admit that the man has great spirit.

Here is the man on Oprah

The first one

2007-10-11T04:32:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about doing something "hatke" on my blog for some time. And then I came up with this new label - conspiracy theories. My over imaginative mind does come up with some absurd and the occasional interesting theories to explain stuff to myself some times. So I thought it would be good to put down stuff and possibly entertain people. For all you know, I might end up sounding like a rehashed version of Murphy's Law.. :P

Today poor P and A came into office completely pooped and exasperated by the mammoth traffic jam around Airport Road. The fashion in which the day started through P completely out of gear.. more than that, the decibel level on the roads made him feel like he was losing his mind. In his own words, he just wanted to abandon his two wheeler at that very spot and run!! Which brings me to my theory on honking on the roads....

Remember, community prayers meetings/bhajans/kirtans, where lots of people get together and channelize their energies towards one single purpose?? Well, nowadays, I think the dynamics of traffic also follows the same rule. Whenever there is a traffic jam, people getting into their fervent prayer mode, all of them praying for delivery from the jam and how do they offer their prayers? By honking as long and as frequently as possible. Most people seem to be believe that the continued and prolonged honking will actually translate into a higher physical force which will push the traffic forward and relieve the people from their quagmire.

L has a similar theory. She thinks that since people cannot communicate with each other in traffic, they use the horn as a means of communication. Come to think of it, the auto and truck drivers must have a secret honk code. Pay a little more attention and the next time around, you might actually read the message!! :P

:-)

2007-10-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

I am back. Albeit after a long break. Too many things happening that blogging sadly took a backseat.Promise not to let this happen more often.

So what have I been up to? Well, I had four lovely days of work cum pleasure at GOA!! Also the time I got to be a happy shutterbug. Click here for photua

And then of course, I turned a year older and hopefully wiser on the 8th. Thanks thanks for the wishes :P but I must say my birthday was a perfect day! Couldn't have asked for more. Got showered with so much love from all the people who know me that I was very touched. Not to mention I felt as lucky as Gladstone Gander.Seriously!! One of the books I wanted was the last and only copy available. I got special treatment in the bank once the lady found out it was my big day! My colleagues got a "thematic" cake for me with tons of chocolate in it. My schoolmates gifted me a perfume I have been looking to pick up for ages!! I got a yummy rumcake, champagne mousse for dessert, three very different and interesting books.. what can I say.. life is beautiful right now.. :)))) sigh...

There is never nothing happening

2007-09-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

Its strange.. sit still for some time without thinking or doing anything and all you are immediately accosted with so many events happening all around you simultaneously with their accompanying sensory counterparts. Sometimes, on a bad day it can be an overload , at least for me. But on most days, it can be quite interesting and entertaining.There is never nothing happening.

This struck me more than ever as I sat on my table alone, sipping on my Viennese hot chocolate, waiting for the clock to strike 1.45 PM so that I could meet Debby for our Bourne Ultimatum movie date. The plastic bag theme from American Beauty was playing soothingly into my ears while I was soaking in the sights and other sounds around me and the so many random thoughts running in my head. I could feel the whipped cream just melt in mouth while the air was thick with the aroma of freshly ground coffee. There were also traces of the floor disinfectant. "Its the time to Disco" played faintly into my ears but loudly for everyone else in the coffee shop. The staff were having their daily dose of healthy banter in a battle of the sexes sorta way. Thats when a conversation a little left to and behind my tables caught my attention. There were four voices and thus went the conversation.

Voice1 :- Ok, its decided we are getting you a step cut
Voice 2:- But Mom!! why can't I get one like hers?
Voice 3 :- Yeah Aunty, this cut might suit her better.
Voice 2:- Yeah Mom, and I can leave my hair open. And I think I look much better that way.
Voice 3:- True Aunty. But It is important whoever cuts her hair knows her job and does it well. She needs to be given a good haircut.
Voice 4:- Well.. have we decided.
Voice 1:- Alright.. Lets get there and see. Come on girls, shall we?

Now how old do you think the girls were? Take a wild guess. I took a good look at them and they did not look a day older than 8!! Things are a changin' huh...

The foursome make their exit. A lady sits across me with a huge textbook and orders herself a croissant.The song on my player changes to the Pink Panther theme and its time for me to make my exit too. And I think I must have looked pretty strange to the woman sitting across me at the coffee shop because I was smiling all the way out :-).. while families were walking in to the mall for their Sunday brunches/lunches and couples walking in- some of them glad to find their privacy in a public place (isn't it ironic?).

Truly, there is never nothing happening - Words of "Socrates" in the movie - The Peaceful Warrior

Mia!!

2007-09-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Alright.. Kay, here I go second time around.Thought I had somehow wriggled out of it :P...Anyways I have thought about a middle name for moi. And that would be MIA!!
No no... not the Missing In Action variety but the Mia Farrow type. Besides the fact that the actress is an admirable woman, I choose this name bacause Mia in Italian means "mine".

Moving on, name facts:-

M - I wish I was Mad!! I mean in the whacky creative sense of the word.Thats something I would want to be.
I - Ingenious
A- Adventurous.

There I have done it. Phew! And now i have to tag three people.. and I choose..
Deepak, Kay and Priya..

Here are the rules people:-

* Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
* When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
* At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.

Beauty of uncertainty

2007-09-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

My current favourite song. Written and sung by KT Tunstall from her new album Drastic Fantastic. Can't get it off my head since I heard it yesterday while producing a segment about the album. A very good album on the whole with each song stading out on its own. Well produced album. My pick from the lot would have to be this one....

I need a mirror
In the eyes of a man.
I need no protection
From my bullet-proof plan.

I've got a ticket
For all that I lack.
You might think that I'm gone for good
But I know that I'm coming back.

Sit at my table
Sip from my bowl.
Feel like I know you now
And I will do until I get old.

You might not see me
But trust that I'll stay.
But there's no sense in traveling
If we've already been that way.

Night is a matter
Hidden in grass
Bite like a light
Depends on the ways
To see how long it lasts

But you know better
You stand your ground
Might just stain a little
But she knows you're sticking around

The beauty of uncertainty…

Adventurous or just plain stupid?

2007-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I got to know about a man who starved himself to death hitch hiking his way through U.S.of America. The flip side being, he did this out of his own volition and what's more Sean Penn is making a movie out of it. To know more about the McCandless Phenomenon, click here.

Sab log mere saath gaao "It happens only in Amreeka"!!

So much for the initial enthusiasm..

2007-09-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

Readers of this space must have read the piece about how Maddy was enjoying her aerobics. It might be a revelation that she hasn't gone to her class almost the entire month of September. Of course, her poor time management could be a good excuse for the truancy. Maddy claims she has been too drained to get her backside off the bed to make it on time to the class. Of course, the weather also seems to be a partner in the crime- another one of Maddy's claims. Tsk Tsk. Once the weather gets better, which is not before next week, Maddy will be off to Goa for a conference( talk about mixing business and pleasure) and wont be back before October- thus effectively bunking her aerobics classes for the entire month! Thus negating the possibility of Maddy getting "in shape" before her birthday in the first week of October.. Yeah sure,that would happen when pigs fly!! Will Maddy get in shape atleast by the New Year's Eve.. watch this space

P.S.:- In the wake of her impending Goa trip, Maddy has also been rueing the fact that she can't swim. So the next thing on her "I started off- but did not complete it" list might be to learn swimming.. the second time around!

So I have been tagged...

2007-09-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have been tagged by life rocks! I have to think of a middle name that I would like to have and list as many attributes as the letters of the name and tag as many people. Hate to be the bummer here but I seriously cannot think of any other middle name that I would love to have other than my present one - NIVEDITA. Yes, I belong to that group of people whose parents follow the first name-middlename- last name system. And I also belong to the tiny group of people who are perfectly happy with their name.So sorry to break the "tagged" chain but dont have any one to tag.

TLA

2007-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Maddy is losing her mind trying to cope with the demands of the myriad pies she has her fingers in. As a result of which, she shall not be able to blog for some time. Thank you, Vidya for tagging me. Shall post something about it soon.. as soon as I can sit calmly for some time and gather my thoughts and have the strength to type it all out.

For now, Maddy is over and out.
Watch this space...

Seene mein jalan...

2007-09-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

This song from the movie Gaman is arguably one of my all time favourites Hindi songs alongside Ghulam ali's Aawargi. The lyrics by a lesser known Shahryar bring out the irony and the pathos of life in a metro. Though the song reminds people of Mumbai, as is meant to do, I find this can stand for any city since we are on our way to "Frowning India" than a shining counterpart of the same. Sung beautifully by Suresh Wadkar, this song was also his debut as a playback singer. Enjaay maadi like I do everytime I listen to it..

seene mein jalan aankhon mein tufaan saa kyon hain ?
is shahar mein har shaks pareshaan saa kyon hain ?

dil hain to, dhadakane kaa bahaanaa koee dhoondhe
patthar kee tarah beheesa-o-bejaan saa kyon hain ?

tanahaee kee ye kaunasee, manzil hain rafeekon
taa-hadd-ye-najar yek bayaabaan saa kyon hain ?

kyaa koee nayee baat najar aatee hain hum me
aaeenaa humei dekh ke hairaan saa kyon hain ?

2007-09-03T03:09:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not posting anything for some time now. What to do man, work is there means no time for extra curricular activity wonly. The last cuppal of weeks have been verry busy and also bisi in terms of work and otherwise. So finally on a jobless Monday afternoon post lunch, I decide to pay some attention to my blog which seems to be on the brink of dying away should I neglect it any further. Listening to Bol na halke halke from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (the only thing worthwhile about the movie) while my keyboard makes those pleasant tapping noises whenever I manage to find the brain and hand co ordination :P. Coming back to moi, the past few weeks have been good but extremely demanding on me. This weekend especially has been a trip down memory lane because I met two of my friends from college. One, my classmate and another, my senior. My classmate recently became a proud mother of bonny baby girl. So this weekend was the first time I saw her in her newly acquired mother/ superwoman avatar. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see her essay her role quite effortlessly. Surprised, because I have known this friend of mine to be the most care free-cum- intense person. I know, its a weird combination. She is some one who will instantaneously remind one of an overgrown child. So, to see her as a doting mother was quite something. It seemed like yesterday I made her run all over the hostel searching for my room when I did not stay there in the first place!! Sigh.. time flies. Soon all the chickas in my class will have chickas of their own. One is already sending her son to school. Two ladies are waiting for the stork to visit them sometime this year. No no, worry not, I am not going to do a Bridget Jones number about how I am single or blah ... I am happy where I am. I know I too have changed and grown since the time I left college. But it really feels good to see them and realise time is slipping....

Its a coup(e')

2007-08-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is a bit late to be writing about last weekend.Was in Chennai last weekend. Since I did not get tickets on any other train for the return journey to Bangalore, I had no choice to book myself and my sister in the first class on " Bangalore Spl Express". A special train it was because it did not arrive at the platform before 12.30 am when it was supposed to depart at 11.30 pm!! Anyways when did get to our compartment.. lo behold! it was a coupe'!! We were thrilled to bits since we had never travelled in one before. Of coure, it would be too much to expect the first class to look like the way our grandfathers and in some cases fathers have described to us, but it was good nonetheless. Since the railways no longer makes first class compartments, the few trains that do have these compartments are probably the last of their lot. Dunno abt men but the coupe' is extremely woman friendly since once the dorr of the coupe' is shut, one doesnt have to worry about letches, luggage or safety. and trust me, it helps one sleep better!! So if you do get a chance to travel in a coupe', just do it I say!

Where are you??

2007-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

This has probably been done before. I will not claim I am going to give a whole new twist. This is just a result of observing people because you have too much time on your hands. This particular incident happened when me and a colleague were waiting at the busy Cauvery Emporium signal to cross over to the other side of the road to try and get an auto. As always, its a busy signal. But what is interesting is that Cauvery emporium is a rendezvous point cum pick-up point. I did not mean the "hey- wanna have a good time- these are my rates" kinda pickup. Chhe.. dirty minds I say. Coming back to what I started to write about.. So, the emporium is a good landmark for women/ men to wait for their better halves to pick them up, for friends to meet before they head out as per their plans etc etc. So, we were waiting and a guy ( decent looking, 27-ish) pulled over in his car and sigh.. to pick up his wifey/ girlfriend. As he was pulling over looking around to catch the woman of his dreams, his phone went off and it was obvious by the way he spoke that it was the significant other on the other end of the line. From his expression, he had either had a fight and was trying to make up or he was terribly late!! His first words were " Ummm, where are you? I am already at the signal.." and suddenly another phone started ringing and this time it was a chick who answered and spat out the words "where are you?" That's when it struck me, the new greeting in vogue is "Aah.. where are you?" :P

Come on now.. think about it, how many times have you not answered the phone with "where are you?" when you could have said a polite "hi!! where are you?" See.. I told ya.. times are a changing ....

Drum Jamming on I Day

2007-08-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Inge avaale ellarukku drum kudukaraanga. Andha Vasundhara Devi ille Vasundhara, avodhaan idha organize pannara" ( There are giving everybody drums to play here. That Vasundhara devi is organizing it). Well, these were the exact words I overheard an elderly gentleman speak into his phone. Venue - Lumbini Gardens, Nagavara Lake. Event- Drum Jam by Beat Root. Murphy's law sure holds true when it comes to best laid plans. So it turned out that I wasn't leaving on the 15th to Chennai as I thought I would. And since Lav mentioned about the drum circle, thought it would be a good idea to check it out. After checking with "all" my friends, it was juts two of us who landed up for the event. Must say it was an interesting idea- a drum circle. Its basically a large group of people getting together and jamming with only drums and other percussion instruments. What is to be noted it that a good percentage of the gathering usually has no prior experience / knowledge of drumming. Its more like a collective effort to find a common beat and rhythm and have fun! Usually drum jams are considered good team building activities and not to mention great stress busters. And as I realized, good workouts too. So coming back to the one we attended yesterday, the turnout was quite good surprisingly. Almost a hundred people turned up well before the event was to commence. There was also a lot of media coverage which turned out to be an annoyance with reporters and cameramen trying to ghusofy everywhere. Not to mention, the camera suddenly being focussed while one was playing was reminiscent of the embarrassing wedding videos when the cameraman shoots in the most poor light while you try to eat your food without looking overly conscious or embarrassed. We played for almost two hours. And it was awesome, thoroughly enjoyable and liberating. By the end of the jam. most of the people got the hang of the instruments and also how to keep up with the beat, improvise and have a blast. Roberto did a fantastic job of being the conductor/moderator of the circle. By the evening, I was air drumming involuntarily :-) A drum circle is something I would totally recommend to everyone looking to do something different to unwind. Definitely made it one of the most memorable Independence day celebrations I have had.

Watched Mr.Brooks and Perfume back to back in the evening. Thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Kevin Costner is back with a bang in this crime thriller. William Hurt as his alter ego is also good. Dummy Moore tries hard to be the tough cop. Anyone interested in perfumes will enjoy the latter film. Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the perfumer obsessed with "catching scent" to create the world's best perfume is chilling and sinister. After The Prestige, would rate this one as good turn of the century movie.

Well, I am off to Chennai for the rest of the week. Woohoo! A well deserved break I'd say. Dunno if its only me, but I feel its a Sunday today...

Battle at Kruger

2007-08-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Its the most talked about video right now. Two days ago, when TOI carried a writeup about the video, it had an estimated 7 million hits. Today its got more than 10 million and is counting. Th amateur video footage of a herd of wild buffaloes chasing away a pack of lions which attacked a calf has caught everyone's fascination. Must admit the video is gripping. Looks like a scene right out of wildlife movie. The hilarious part for me though was the audio recorded in the background. It has the voices of the people who were present there while the footage was being shot. The last part of conversation, where one person suggests to the person shooting the video, that he could the footage and make money out of it took the cake.

Check out the video here

Lift it higher.. just one more time

2007-08-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Statutory Warning:- I am writing this blog in third person because I want a change. If it gives the reader an impression that the writer has Multiple Personality Disorder, its a distinct possibility.. :-P

Maddy has had an adventurous year, at least as far as trying different forms of physical activity are concerned. Of course she is not trying to lose weight or anything. She is just bored of the sedentary lifestyle she has begun to lead. She paid up for a year's membership at a gym, but did not go for more than two months because she sprained her back and was advised complete bed rest and she completely lost the rhythm. Not to mention, the instructor made her feel very de-motivated. After a swimming class, which clashed with her work timings so much that she did not get past learning to paddle and a disastrous Salsa class with a horrible and impatient teacher ( boy, there are too many of the kind aren't they?), trying to walk with an inconsistent partner, she has finally decided to go by herself and try Aerobics!! A week and she is so far enjaaying herself. The class is good- forces her to get her backside off the bed by 530 in the morning. Of course, her joints and muscles are as stiff as a grandmom and she finds herself ashamed whenever she cant bend down and touch her toes without bending her knees ( too many bends in a straight sentence here.. ok that was a bad attempt at pun), but she admittedly is liking it. she confesses it makes her feel nice and charged . She has even begun walking without slouching. Now how far she sticks to this new measure to help her reach her resolution of toning up before October, watch this space for updates.

Mom

2007-08-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Though its been just a week since I last posted something, feels like its been ages! Work, of course, has been keeping me on my toes. Now I dont want to bitch about it, so lets leave it there. Have been struggling to come to terms with having to let go of something very close to my heart for almost 5 months now. If I sound like I am in an AA meeting, so be it, I need the outlet. I think I am finally coming to terms with the harsh reality now that no matter how badly I want it, I cant have it. Must admit its very difficult to let of a good thing. Like Sexy said in Cheeni Kum, "humein happy-sad hone chahiye". And happy-sad I am.Its one of those days that makes me wish I was a kid again. Any problem or situation which seemed overwhelming, I just had to go to mom with it and voila!! it wasn't a problem anymore. Talking to her had this magical effect of making the problem disappear. Wish I could do it today...

My mother - truly a superwoman in her own right. A bundle of contradictions. I am yet to see a fighter like her, a woman of determination and perseverance. I am also yet to see a more submissive wife like her ( in some ways). Hats off to her, for going through whatever she has gone through to make us stand on our feet and make us what we are today. I am sure, I would survive a day in her shoes. A bundle of energy, even though she has been battered and bruised enough by life. Haven't seen a person with more simple joys. She will feel on top of the world even if her kids got her an ordinary cotton sari. Someone for whom a few words of kindness will mean much more than the jewels and diamonds. Haven't seen a more diabolical person also :-P God when mothre get conspiring. I know there are days when I cant stand her. But there are lots more days when I just need the pallu of her sari to make me fall to sleep no matter how insomniacal I am. She is someone who can totally undersatnd me, yet not do so. Whatever our differences, I know at the end of the day, she just has noble intentions. Well, that is my mom in a nutshell. Better late than never, did not do anything for her for Mother's Day ( not brought up on the idea), so today I write a post for her. Though i know she will never see this blog ( she doesn't know I blog), this is for you ammai!!

Got time to kill??

2007-08-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Try out this hilarious link where in one can make your own movie. Good for a a couple of laughs. Might remind you of the time when you mouthed hilarious dialogues while watching a ridiculous movie muted on tv.

Click here

Poetry

2007-07-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Came across this poem by Pablo Neruda while watching a movie called "Il Postino" over the weekend. It was so beautiful that I couldn't resist the urge to share it. Read and soak in the beauty of the words... The name of the poem happens to be Poetry.

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don't know how or when,
no they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from the others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.

I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my own way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the first faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened
and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.

And I, infinitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
felt myself a pure part
of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.

- Pablo Neruda

2007-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

There a few.. actually quiet a few things that I am scared about and have come to positively believe I am jinxed with. The top on that list would be filling out forms for any form on paperwork. This, I have come to believe over years of something or the other in my marks card or identity card going wrong because of some inadvertent mistake either on my behalf or some one who was looking into it. Moving on, even now I have residual memories of those horrors coming back to haunt me every time I have to fill out a bank cheque deposit form. Yes, some might shake their head in disbelief and say " It's not exactly rocket science you see!". But to some one like me, who gets sleepless nights wondering if I interchanged the 4 and 5 in my account number and some one else is going to wake up one fine morning and see a nice little lump of money a tooth fairy left behind ( no pun intended) in his/ her account, its close to rocket science!! But on a serious note, I think all kids need to be taught either at home or at school about basic things like filling out forms, bank transactions, getting a demand draft, filling out government forms and last but not the least -how to get work done in a Government office - both according to rules and otherwise :P

Harry Potter..

2007-07-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like gloating.. yes!! I finished reading the last of the Harry Potter series. Got my copy from
Shanbhag uncle (Premier Book Store, Church Street, who by the way is selling at the lowest prices) yesterday. Sush very sweetly offered to pick it up for me. I swear I saw at least 6 people reading the book with their eyebrows knit in concentration when I walked into Koshy's to collect my copy from him. Of course, I couldn't finish the book as fast as I wanted to because of sleep and many interruptions. Finally finished it today afternoon. No, I am not going to be one of the spoil sports and spill the beans. The book makes for a good finale. Lots of surprises, twists and turns. Every important character rises to the occasion and as promised J K Rowling also kills a few characters. If you haven't got your hands on the book, do it before word gets out like it for the Half Blood Prince where half the globe was going "Dumbledore dies" and spoilt it for anyone who hadn't read it yet.

Rear view..

2007-07-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

Blame it on spending a good half an hour to 45 minutes in an auto rickshaw everyday, I have become quite observant of the salient features of the rickshaw. And like the autos' interiors, the drivers also comes in all sorts (cant use sizes and shapes here :-P ). Many a times , one may have observed the driver adjusting the rear view mirror so the person sitting in the auto is visible. I cant for the life of me understand, how that helps but it seems to be standard protocol that a lot of drivers follow. Necessity, voyuerism, whatever one may choosee to call it. And if the driver happens to be a voyuer, imagine the entertainment, the bloke will get free of cost in the night if a necking couple get into his vehicle and its a long ride.... :-P

Beautiful Day!!

2007-07-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today has been a very nice day for some strange reason .. not that I cant have nice days. Anyways, woke up feeling all fresh and raring to go.Lovely weather.Thank God I added some more music on my player. The player was shuffling music in such a way that there was one happy song after another. I was literally singing like there was no one for miles around me. Lovely breakfast at Amrut, St Marks Road ( the place rocks both for food and prices.. I personally love the chutney there though). My usual order of two idlis, a single vada and a coffee. The music somehow just made my day. Anyways, get to work and almost everything on my to do list and a little extra done well before time. Coffee with Debs post work at and now at home. Good day on the whole. Found lots of great music.

Finally another song has replaced my current favourite song , "In the waiting line" ,on repeat on my player. And the proud winner is "Kothbiro". The song also features on the OST of "The Constant Gardener". A very lovely track. Reminds me of the slow rhythmic pitter patter of raindrops on branches of trees in the aftermath of rains. Another song I have been listening to all day is the song "Oru Maalai" from the Tamizh movie Ghajini. Nice track.

Strangely I feel like I have got enormous energy levels today. Like I snorted or something. To add a touch of cheese here, I must be high on life.. :-))))...

Came across this signage for an aviation academy where the air-hostesses are certified by Air Deccan. Honestly, why would anyone want to put that up??!! How does the fact that Air Deccan is associated with this academy up the brand value of this academy.. esp AIR DECCAN??!! :-P
Surely, the academy's agency must have given them a good spiel for them to agree to this.

Wish today was Friday. Would have been lovely way to end the week and kick in the weekend this way.

2007-07-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Now that there is a nice table for the PC, my DVDs and few CDs rest on the top rack. Came across this album which was gifted to me. Hardly ever heard the CD because I told myself I would save for the right occasion. Now realise the hard way, its never a good idea to try and postpone anything for the future so that you can savour it better. The truth is in the NOW. NOW people. Dont wanna start rambling and doling out gyaan people. Rest assured about that. But yeah, at the cost of sounding like I am doing exactly what I said I wouldn't in the previous sentence.,, dont postpone anything hoping you might enjoy it better in the future. DONT!! because that imaginary perfect moment, occasion or time might never come and you will just look back in time with regret..

Getting back to the album, do try and listen to Herbie Hancock's "Possibilities". I am listening to the music even as I am typing this post while I am thinking to myself why I dont listen to it that often. Quite a nice album.

Have been forgetting things quite often of late. M keeps teasing me about the ever impending nervous breakdown just like K and me used to joke about premature Alzheimers in college over those never ending phone calls. Aahh.. those were the days. Now I have already meandered enough.. I have even forgotten what I initially started out with for the post. Annie Lennox croons softly in my ears "Hush, hush, hush"... thats a cue for me I think.

OST....

2007-07-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Had to put this down before I forgot about it at the end of the day. Was on my way to work and listening to "Signal Fire" by Snow Patrol. Nice ballad. Almost involuntarily began picturing the video for the song using footage from the movie "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind". .. Going through an OST video phase since the past few days. Me not complaining since its an amusing distraction :-)

2007-07-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday night and I'm wide awake unable to sleep or read my Dune prequel ( the 6th prequel and the last one so I cant wait to start reading the "Dune" series). Since I had the comp all to myself while sister is in a hurry to finish her Hari Puttar so as to prepare herself for the 21st of July and mom is getting her uninterrupted daily dose of the idiot box, thought I'd just try and post something. For a change it wouldn't be about the weekend. It will be about my Sunday though (grin). Had a masth jowar rotti oota at Nalapaka today afterrnoon. The lunch plan was quite impromptu and it was the best thing to do today. The last time I went to this eatery was way back in 2005 when I had just moved in to Bangalore and I was cracing for some good old North Karnataka Khanavali oota. And Nalapaka actually resembled a khanavali then. For the uninitiated, Khanavali is the name given to a mess in the northern parts of Karnataka. Coming back to Nalapaka, it used to be a small but very popular eatery. Is located very close to Navrang Theatre, Rajajinagar. Definitely a landmark everyone knows that side of town. This once upon a time small eatery is expanded to occupy the entire ground floor of the building where two years back it just occupied part of the first floor. Talk about growth!! I personally find this place so much better than its counterpart at Kamat Yatri Nivas, Gandhinagar. The latter has the same menu every single day almost and is also costlier. Nalapaka on the other hand has food which taste more like home made and I'm told also has variety. A full meal costs 50 bucks and what's more, if you dont eat rice and have only rotis, you end up paying 25 bucks!! So all you jolad rotti oota lovers, next time you have the craving for it or if you are around Navrang, dont forget to check out Nalapaka.

2007-07-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

Damn, life is just whizzing past at the speed of light. In no time, it is time for the weekend and sooner than that, its Monday again.. groan. What did we do this weekend? We for a change did not catch any movie or play though they were good options in either of the categories. Co hosted an hour of a radio show.. man, it felt to be back in the studio as a jock/ voice even though it was for only 20 mins or so. Then we helped a friend out with a clay-nimation short film. No the film has just been conceptualised. Will be some time before it is shot and ready to be shown. Good fun and learning experience for me I would say. Hardly have read much this week. Not been able to see any one of Kiewslowsky trilogy that i got. As of now, just catching up with friends over coffee and calling it a day. Wish there was more time on hand..

And if you are wondering why the post is vacillating between "I" and "We".. hey whose blog is it anyways? :-P

By the way, any emergency that blindsights one on a Tuesday evening can be quite a learning and enlightening experience. So discovered a colleague of mine last week. Happy for her. And hoping the enlightenment was not a passing phase.. Touchwood :-)

Finally!!

2007-07-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

I feel liberated!! Though its a bit weird my moment had to hit me when I was lying on the dentist's chair undergoing root canal. I finally realised that I did not want to get back to dentistry. Let it be known that I do not wish to treat a patient. Not that I look down on it but the fact is plain and clear to me that being a dentist and practising is not what would make me happy. What I do right now is what makes me happy and gives me a sense of fulfillment. I do not know if my views would be the same had I gotten into MDS right after my internship. But since that did not happen and I am where I am, I see that there is nowhere else I would rather be now. Well, where now from here is a question which will give me sleepless nights for some time and possible for as long as I can think and breathe, I still feel great!! The future is so much better to look forward to once you manage to get rid of the burden of the past :-)

2007-07-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

There are days and there are days.. Well, some of them are really outright BAD!! These are the days that make me feel like a freak of nature... These are also the days when I wish I could be the person I am when I am having conversations with my friends online or when I am writing mails to them. Whatever the emotions going through my mind, just an emoticon to do the job. I could be charming, flirty, chatty.. whatever I choose to be then. Not to mention, the advantage of being able to carry on whatever I was doing without making the other person feel "deprived" of the attention they merit. Of course the ruse doesn't always work. But its an arrangement I find myself preferring a lot of times...

Monday morning...

2007-07-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

It normally takes me a good twenty- twenty five minutes to travel the 3.8 kms from hom to office. But today reached work in a record 9 mins!! I thought the possibility of me never having to stop at the infantry road signal(s) would be one in a gazzillion. But today, that one chance did come my way!! I was grinning like a fool from ear to ear in disbelief while A3 with "woke up this morning" blared in my ears. Of course the reason for the miracle was rerouting of traffic by passing infantry road. We skipped the entire infantry road and hit Minsk Square straight. The Raj Bhavan road has been made a two way. Dunno if its a temporary measure or if its here to stay. But it was nice to be taking that road like the way I remember taking it as a kid.

The weekend was good- Sivaji, Die Hard 4.0, Thank you for smoking and Casablanca. I wanna say" play it again Sam"...

Had a great Saturday evening full of debates and discussions over generous pots of tea. It felt really good to be sitting amongst a bunch of people and just "talk" and not try and make conversation.. Looking forward to more of them, whenever they happen. :-)). Also discovered this great new Chinese restaurant called Nanking in Sigma Mall. Mumbaikars who loved Ling's Pavilion would love this place because its the same person running this place.

Found the entire album of Lekin in Landmark. Was quite thrilled since I have been looking for the song Jhoothe Naina for a long time now.

"In the waiting line" still is the song of the season in my head. My obsession with it just doesn't seem to end....

Arrre Waah Sivaji boliye!!!

2007-06-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Considering I end up posting a blog most of the times on a weekend, might as well rechristened my blog "maddy's weekends" ;-). At long last, this week is over. Been sleep deprived for most of the week one, because of the travel to Chennai, work and movies :-). My refresh deadline has been met with successfully and I'm glad!! Not that it is like the completion of a succesful missile launch or as momentous as Sunita Williams landing on earth safe and sound. Watched a beautiful movie called "Cinema Paradiso". Loved every moment of it. It's definitely on my list of top ten favourites.Then of course, the highlight of the week was that a huge gang of 28 from work (better, bitter, significant halves, friends and family included) went and watched SIVAJI!!! Yeah baby, finally watched the 90 crore extravaganza. Initially thought would end laughing at the movie ( which I did whenever there was too much willing suspension of disbelief and believe me there were lots of instances) but in totality the movie was 100% paisa vasool. Sushil landed with his whistle which was put to good use. We shouted, booed, cheered, clapped. All things atleast I haven't done since I watched Lagaan sitting in the dress circle!! Rajni definitely proves himself as a entertainer. Vivek's humour steals the thunder from Rajni in places. Sujatha's dialogues though a mish- mash of Rajni's earlier movies do pack a punch. Shankar as usual has gone all out with the extravagance and the scale of production. Rehman's music is nothing great home to write about.. personally that's what i thought...

All in all Maddy's ratings:- For entertainment 10 on 10
For willing suspension of disbelief 15 on 10

The dialogues at places were outright hilarious... " Sachin adiccha sixer, Sivaji adichha Stretcher"
(If Sachin hits, its a sixer but if Sivaji hits its a stretcher). The stunts are a reinforcement of eth fact why Rajni is so popular in Japan and China.. that's cos the stunts in his movie are just like their crouching tiger and hidden dragon :P..

Congrats to Dee who is going to start of a new chapter in her life.

A brand new month and a brand new week is here. Have things to look forward to like my salsa classes, working out regularly again, and a weekend trip or two to Chennai, Things I'm not looking forward to include a visit to the dentist ( very very long due) with a possible root canal :(( and the pain of getting an auto once the rains pick up. Cant think of anything else as of now...

Another weekend... but a great one!!

2007-06-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Been quiet some time since I posted something. Life has been quiet hectic of late and to mention majorly sleep deprived . Had a lovely weekend in Chennai. Met my dear ammamma after 7 years!! Luckily it did not rain while I was there but the cloudy weather coupled with humidity did not exactly help the situation. but it was great fun catching up with lots of folks. Was nice to see my mom and her sisters talk to each other in malayalam suddenly in the midst of a tamizh sentence. Made me wonder if the same would be the case with us three siblings.. of course the language would be Kannada here. The beach though dirty was a good change. Made me realise how i missed something like a beach in Bangalore. Was such a relief to be able to on an easy chair in the backyard under the shade of a mango tree and read in peace during the day and just chat like no one was in any hurry to stop the conversation during the night. My ammamma with her witticisms which came in spurts.. dont we just love our grandmothers for that!! That and her memory.. she remembers stuff about my mom's marriage which even mom doesn't recollect. Of course, she is the family data reservoir now.. who after her I wonder...

Chennai was well.. Chennai. Pondy Bazaar is still crowded like its going out of fashion. The fragrance of jasmine flowers is still all pervading. The beach is still dirty and the traffic is just getting worse. The biggest hoardings and the most innovative ideas to sell silk sarees ( what with jodi pattu and the free matching cell phone pouch) and also jewellery. People thronging GRT like gold would disappear from the face of this earth if they did not buy their share today. The only place where will weather out the most humid day in a silk saree :P... This time though Chennai also reminded me a lot of Hyderabad the way it was last year when I visited it.. Gonna definitely make a few trips to Singaara Chennai before Aug, before ammamma takes off to NJ and possibly never return..

Anyways, back home in Bangalore ( yeah this place feels like home now), my favourite coffee shop, the St Marks Barista is shutting down. It was its last day today. The building is going to house Hard Rock Cafe I'm told. So my reaction is very mixed. I am quiet sad I cant walk into Barista like I used to anytime and have my coffee or order a cold coffee with whipped cream to cheer me up. I remember the countless days I have begun my day with a cuppa there before heading to work. The evenings after work when I would just order my coffee and read. So many happy things shared. So my sob story sessions. A venue for rendezvous with friends, old and new. A place to just and soak in things around. Sigh.. Went there yesterday and had my last cuppa with Sushil. Walked in today afternoon but did not want anything, so just took a good look at the place and walked out. Sad but true that life will still move on...

Now something more exciting and definitely the talk of the season.. But of course, I'm referring to Sivaji. Finally got tickets to watch the movie on Friday night. And dance classes begin monday. So stuff to look forward definitely!!

Walk in the rain

2007-06-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today morning, it was lightly drizzling and I walked alone around Sankey Tank(Did not have the mind to wake up Shilp since I myself wasn't sure if I was going to walk) and it was simply amazing!! I definitely had happy feet and a very happy mind by the end of the walk. Sankey Tank looks so lovely when its slightly drizzling and not to mention a lot of the regulars take a raincheck.. pun not intended. One has to make sure that one is wearing something warm like a windcheater and one is good to go. A lot of people must have thought I must have gone cuckoo considering I had a smile bordering on a grin most of the times because I was enjoying the walk, the weather, the music i was listening to so much!! Definitely one of the things to try if you like walking as an exercise along with the rain.

Am so loving the song "In the waiting line" by Zero 7. Definitely the song of the season for me right now. Has been for the last two weeks almost. Love the song even more since I watched "Garden State" again last weekend since it features on the OST of the movie.

Am glad the rains are finally. This is the kind of weather Bangalore should ideally have though it is an anal affliction to get a rick back home in the evening. God forbid, it pours in the evening (which is the case most of the times), then one will have to happily pay a king's ransom to get home. But nonetheless, the weather so appeals to the romantic in me sometimes at the cost of making me totally unproductive at work.. somedays you just dont feel like sitting in front of a comp when if you could help it, you would rather be playing in puddles, sipping hot chocolate while reading a book or watching some nice old movie, or having chatpata pani puri getting drenched in the rain.. Sigh. If only wishes were horses :-P

Me is off to Chennai this weekend to visit ammamma.. Hopefully will have stuff to write about when I get back..

Aaargh!

2007-06-19T18:48:00.001-07:00

I'm no Miss Goody two shoes nor am I the evil reincarnation of Lalita Pawar's on screen scary persona.Very very human would be the best way to describe moi. And I cannot tolerate certain things even if my life depended on it. Ok, maybe that was a bit exaggerated but you get the picture.So it takes every ounce of my self control when I'm accosted with "friends" or acquaintances who think they know everything. I'm not talking about the "you know this is what you should be doing with your life" types.. but the ones who dish out professional critiques or think they know everything about your field of work. In my case, I have enough people asking about the business model of my company. I get dished out advice which I should probably pass on to my CEO which in turn will be a life altering experience for my organization. Or sometimes, sermons on how , we as a team, should and could get "more creative".How to sell our product better. The list is endless and I go AAAARRGGGHHH!!!.... And all I can do right now is vent my frustration onto blogosphere. Sometimes I get woken up in the middle of the night by an SMS which is "feedback" from a well wisher about something they heard that we put up on air and of course with a lot of vishesh tippani. Seriously, I repeat myself, it takes every ounce of my self control to ignore that SMS, resist the temptation to reply and further the dialogue.

Baz Luhrmann in his "Everybody's free towear sunscreen" says "Remember the compliments and forget the insults"..I still don't know how to do that Mr.Luhrmannn. I'm guessing its the same with you...

Things that make you go hmmmm....

2007-06-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I too subscribe to the AWAD ( A Word A Day) by mail ( duh!! But of course). I usually don’t go thru them daily except for once in a blue moon. Yes yes, you can shake your heads ;-). But anyways, before I digress into anything else.. I came across a quote by Richard Bach in one of the AWAD forwards. Curious about his life, I read up on him and found out that the guy was divorced twice over. It came as a no surprise and also as a shock to me. The former because.. the man is a writer and everything he wrote need not have been true.The latter because when I was much younger and a sucker for the concept of soulmates and all that blah, I dug Bach’s books totally. Now of course, come to think of it, a lot of it was well packaged psychobabble at some level. Reading his books back then esp. The Bridge Across Forever made me think Bach and Leslie Parrish were the “ideal and enlightened couple/ soulmates”. Now reading about his divorce, I definitely have a feeling of being let down. This brings me to the question if I’m guilty of letting my imagination getting the better of me or is Bach really that good a writer that he did actually make his readers believe everything he wrote actually happened to him in real life?? Definitely one of those things that make you go hmmm…

Flowery Sunday

2007-06-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend was action packed but a good bit of it was also work related. Watched “Flowers”- A Girish Karnad play , directed by Royston Abel. Rajat Kapoor played the protagonist delivering the monologue. Well, overall I was quiet disappointed by the pace of the play. Maybe if Rajat Kapoor spoke twice as fast, it would have been much better. But the best thing about the play I thought was the production design and the LIGHTS!! Man, Arghya Lahiri did such a great job with the lights. I have frankly never seen the stage look so beautiful and ethereal. The flowers strewn all over the stage gave me a bit of a headache by the end of the play :- ) But I thought the lighting saved the day for me...

Met my senior and a very good friend after almost two years of him going totally incommunicado on all of us. The guy had and still has his reasons but it was good to see him again. Caught up with him. He is married now.. quiet a filmi marriage I must say. I shall spare the details and leave it to your imagination as to how filmi it could have been :-P

Also met up with another friend who had come down from Mumbai. Picked up four DVDs for myself. Waiting to watch all the four of them.

Monday morning has not been manic as of yet. Don’t think it will be but the week definitely looks like it will have its manic days. Today was a definite departure from my routine of late since I started work at 730. But boy, it felt great to start off so early. Reminded me of the dental college routine of leaving home by 650 a.m. Got into work to be offered “Kaju Kathli” as prasadam by Priya. The Prasad was from ISKCON. I must admit I was appreciative of the idea. Thought it definitely was the coming of age of prasadam catering to the fast food generation ;-) “ Oh, I want the lord’s blessings but I would so love if the blessings came in strawberry flavour today”.. “ tomorrow I may be in the mood for some muffins” “Saturday is definitely rasgulla day”.. cool huh??!! Yes, I am being appreciative as well as sarcastic. But the saving grace is the proceeds from the “prasadam” go to charity.Thumbs up to ISKCON on that!!

This happens to be that time of the year when aunt comes down from Delhi on the annual summer break cum vacation and Paatti is also down from NJ. So that means a lot of “family time”.. Watch this space for more updates…

The last but not the least.. Maddy's learning for this weekend " Dont live in the past". So we are making efforts to stop doing that :-)

2007-06-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

Today’s morning walk was quiet eclectic musically speaking. Sorry but it’s an occupational hazard. Working with voices, music and putting them together and making them sound “nice” and appropriate to the radio station and the occasion makes me think in terms of background score. Kinda like how Cameron Diaz involuntarily visualizes a movie trailer in the move “The Holiday”. Getting back to my walk. I switched on the radio and I started my walk with Venkatesha Sahasranaamam. This was followed by santoor by Rahul Sharma. The station I was listening to then seemed to have an entire hour dedicated to him. Did the guy pop it or has he cut a deal with the station? Anways.. then I heard Pandit Bhimsen Joshi do a lovely rendition of his very famous “Bhaagyadha Laxmi baaramma”. Then it was followed by “Rock and Roll Soniye”. That was when I decided it was time to switch to my music. Then onwards it was Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Sugababes, In Dino. Finally by the time I finished by walk, I was on Pink “If God is a DJ”… So like I said, quiet eclectic!!

Lots of pieces in the newspaper caught my attention…

Pratibha Patil (I swear I have never heard of her until today morning) is going to be the next and the first woman president of our country. Eventually turns out it will be Shekhawat v/s Shekhawat for the race to the presidential office. Not that either one of them is going to accomplish a lot as the Supreme head of the armed forces of our country than be the proverbial “rubber stamp”. At least Shivraj Patil did ring a bell especially since he has held various ministerial berths and also been the speaker of Lok Sabha. Ab tho aisa lagta hain, wo hi ho go jo manzoor-e- sonia hoga. By that yardstick, Pratibha Patil might just become our first woman president since she is a staunch Congress loyalist.

K-Fed might be getting to experience fatherhood for the FOURTH time!! Boy, some one sure needs to keep those pants on!!

The latest thing in getting that perfect smile is here with “invisible braces”. Well, all I can say is we people in the dental fraternity have known it for some time now. It’s just now probably that it is getting popular and accepted also as a successful. Yes, I’m grinning from ear to ear.

There was more stuff but I cant seem to remember now :- (( …. Oh yeah, some “creator/inventor” in U.S.of A (where else) has come up with edible “meat shorts”. Even if he thought it was a great idea, why would anyone want to eat stuff off their (of all places) shorts!! And it not even cooked meat, is raw dried meat!! Come to think of it, might have work for Neanderthals ;-P

P.S.:- For those who haven’t heard “If God is a DJ”, please do so. Quiet a nice song.. to sing and also dance…

P.P.S.:- For those who thought that the digital meters in autos meant peace of mind, think again!! Twice this week I have had the auto jump one whole kilometre on my way to work. Yeah, 100 meters!!

P.P.P.S.:- Thanks Shankar, Susan and CM-chap for checking out my blog!! Yay!! Good to know someone other than friends and family checking out my blog :-)

A day in my life of late..

2007-06-14T04:25:00.000-07:00

Life is setting into a predictable routine for since the past few weeks. Wake up at 530 a.m. in the morning. Well not everyday.. its most of the weekdays. And by most of the weekdays, I mean about three days so far. Then its a walk for forty minutes with Shilp around Sankey Tank or the neighbourhood park. Get back home by 7 max. Then a round of the newspaper with the my cuppa. By then, everyone else is getting ready to start off their respective days since Pedro has to leave home by 8.45 max. Mom and Anju by 9-915. So its kinda cool to be sitting around calmly when everyone around me is scrambling around :-D.

Then of course , the customary breaker while my Pedro surfs all the music channels since he has to have music playing in the background on TV while he is eating. Yeah yeah we are a strange bunch of people living under the same roof. After that, I watch Jay Leno and Old Skool on Z Studio. 930 is shower time and at 10 we are out of the house, on our way to work. Manage to read some 15 pages of Dune on an average by the time I reach work. This, of course, courtesy the traffic and hajjaar signals i have to encounter on my 3.5 km commute to work.

Work begins at 1030. Any normal weekday would probably mean looking into an interview, two promos and five bumpers.... :-P Most of the time, I call it a day by 630 max.Then a cuppa coffee or hanging out post work with Lav , Debs or Sush on some days. Head home. Dinner. Read the Mid-Day (yeah I do read the two bit tabloid.. quiet entertaining I must admit). TV sometimes. Read for an hour or so. Chat with Anju. Then off to lala land. And another day begins before I know it...

Gay Paree will put the joie back in your vivre

2007-06-13T05:29:00.001-07:00

Paris- the happiest city in the world. The city of love. The centre of fashion, literature and culture. The city which has and continues to inspire poets, painters and writers since time immemorial. The city also happens to be theme for the movie Paris Je’taime (Paris, I love you).

A very interesting creative project is how I would describe the movie. The movie is a montage or rather collection of 18 short films centered around the city, its various arrondissements, its emotions and most importantly its people. The short films/ stories range from heartening, humorous, mushy, surreal to outright bizarre!! It is quiet difficult to pick any favourite among the 17 I saw ( missed the first one because we got late thanks to the lovely traffic). I really liked the mime couple- adorable one that. Also must mention the story of the middle aged American who comes visiting Paris. The Gerard Depardieu film was quiet nice. One could actually sense the bitterness and the hurt beneath the calm and mature veneer of the protagonists. The story of the blind man and his American actress girlfriend (played by Natalie Portman) was also very good. Like I said quiet difficult to pick a favourite. This movie will definitely go down in my books as one which made very good use of background score. The music did most of the talking in the movie. Also worth mentioning is the fact that even the most sad story was upbeat and hopeful. Made me also say “Paris Je’taime” :-)

Definitely one of the most satisfying movie experiences I have had. What was really amazing and also fascinating was how a group of artistes got together and made 18 short films that are so different from each other while being coherent at the same time. Make more movies like this I say!!

Not sure if the movie will play in the theatre later than this Friday. So please, do catch the movie before that. Or at least lay your hands on a DVD or borrow it from a friend who has downloaded it. Whatever you do, don’t miss the movie!!

Ok Tuesday.. so far

2007-06-12T02:19:00.000-07:00

While Delhi is grappling with the maximum minimum temperature at night of 33 something degree celsius, we folks in our old good old no longer pensioners paradise are still waiting for the monsoon to hit us. Needless to add, it has been a warm couple of days here. So when the weather is like I just described, it was weird when I heard “Raindrops keep falling on my head” followed up by “I love a rainy night” on the radio on my way work today.. lol. Talk about projecting ones desires on the air waves!!

I couldn’t but help hum “Ironic” as I got into work ;-)

Found the entire.. I mean the ENTIRE OST of Grey’s Anatomy Season 1 and 2. I must of course thank Lav here. So all you Grey’s Anatomy fans, eat your hearts out!!!

For people who have their hands on the OST or planning to get their hands on it, Emiliana Torrini is definitely someone worth checking out. Her music has a very ambient/trip hop feel to it. Very soothing.Thumbs up to her. The day is not yet over. Hopefully I'll sing "Today has been OK" when I call it a day...

Another weekend whizzes by..

2007-06-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

It’s been one of those weeks when one gets hardly anytime for any introspection. It’s like a never ending assembly line of one thing after another coming to get you. And before you know the weekend is here and even before you begin to cherish the weekend, it’s manic Monday again!! Am I ranting?? Yeah maybe.. whose blog is it anyways ;-)

This weekend was quiet good. Did manage to learn quiet a few things

The best laid plans do not always get executed. Even if they don’t, the alternative may be as bad as one might imagine it to be. Quiet like the lines from a Boney M song “things may look so different in the early morning light”.
Texas Holdem is good fun ( have a good mind to get over everyone to do a poker night every week)
Sometimes it just makes sense to sleep over a problem.
Nothing is worth more than one’s mental health (famous words by a friend which I totally endorse now)
E reading can NEVER replace reading a book the good old way.

It was a good weekend on the whole. Watched “Oceans Thirteen” on Friday evening. Boy, I must admit I did enjoy it more than POTC-3. Revenge is a funny thing for sure considering the kind of stunts Danny and his boys pull to get even with Willy Banks who duped their good old friend and mentor Reuben. Steven Soderbergh seems to have found his groove with the boys once again unlike the previous edition which according to many was not as tight and was quiet all over the place. The camaraderie is bang on. So is the humor so characteristic of the first offering. There were quiet a few good jokes. Personally I liked the parts where Casey Affleck incites the workers of the dice factory and the part where he is trying to hack the computer. Steven Soderbergh has finally got it right. And he did a good thing keeping the women away from this one albeit Ellen Barkin. By the way, she needs to seriously do something abt the cellulite on her arms if she wants to wear outfits like the ones she wore in the movie. On the whole, total paisa vasool maamoo!! I would definitely recommend the movie to anyone.

Maddy’s rating - 3.5 out of 5

Wanted to catch another movie called “Paris Je’taime” but couldn’t. Hopefully someone will lay their hands on a DVD copy and save me the trouble of going all the way to PVR to watch it. :-D

Whatte weekend!!!

2007-06-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening is a bit late to be putting up a post about the weekend gone by. Nonetheless. Its been a very hectic and quiet an eventful weekend. Our team won the Excellence in Radio Award for the “Most Innovative Show (Kannada)” for a 12 part series we produced to commemorate the 50^th Rajyotsava. Then there was the Aero-amazing-smith concert. Great concert contrary to popular belief maybe because we were right at the front very close to the stage. If I was a man, I would have said what Chandler did in Friends about Ralph Lauren “ I’m no chick, but that guy is a dish!!” about Joe Perry. Then of course, there was a back to back movie session on Sunday morning. We watched Shrek 3 and POTC 3. Of course, we were dead by Sunday evening and possibly screwed for the rest of this week. But everything was so worth it :-)

Here is the picture of the beautiful lady I got to receive and take home for the weekend.

The cynic surfaces

2007-05-25T02:56:00.000-07:00

Picture this. It’s another Thursday evening at one of Bengalooru’s popular hangouts. A local band is due to perform followed by one of the city’s best known DJs. The crowd at the place is a diverse mix of working professionals, senior citizens, dedicated NGO workers, friends and fans of the band and a healthy number of firangs. What is such a diverse group doing at the place like that? They have all gotten together for a good cause. It’s a charity event/ fundraiser for a local NGO. The proceeds from the bar fund two of the NGO’s projects. So everybody happily orders a drink or two, after all it’s for charity. The evening is a success with enough people turning up for the cause. In the midst of all this, there is a PowerPoint showing pictures of the villages and people whom the NGO’s efforts will benefit. And there couldn’t have been a sharper disconnect. Of course I would give it hands down to the person who organized the event successfully. And yes, I had a good time and all but still couldn’t but help feel the disconnect. Yeah sure, everybody who turned up did their own little bit to contribute but is that all we need to do? Show up at an event, donate or do whatever one is expected to do to contribute and go about life unaffected? Most of the people who did come there did not even know what they turned up for. Well at the end of the day, a good percentage of people ended up feeling happy (I hope) for whatever reasons. And I just hope the feeling is mutual with the villagers for whom the evening was intended.

Soapbox

2007-05-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Happened to watch parts of this movie called “Radio Flyer” today morning.Maybe the first half an hour or so while I was getting ready to leave for work. What caught my attention in the movie was the fact that it had Tom Hanks narrating the movie and a very young and so very cute Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello ( the kid from Jurassic Park) in it. Well I’m not going to give you a synopsis or review it now. One of the scenes has the two child stars (who are siblings) playing and Tom Hanks quoting some of the fascinations and abilities most of us have as kids. He lists seven of them and adds how sadly we lose most of them in the process of growing up.

These are the fascinations according to him:-

1. Animals can talk;

2. Your favorite blanket is woven from a fabric so mighty, that once pulled over your head, it becomes an impenetrable force field

3. Nothing is too heavy to lift with the aid of a cape;

4. Your hand, held forefinger out and thumb up, actually fires bullets;

5. Jumping from any height with an umbrella is completely safe;

6 Monsters exist and can be both seen and battled with;

7. The greatest and most special of all: the ability to fly.

Got me thinking about the fascinations I had a kid. So tonight I’m probably going to go home and go through my old pictures and photo albums. Just to remind myself I was a kid once. Do the same once in a while to rekindle the child in you. Its definitely worth the effort. Trust me on that.

Dusk

2007-05-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

Walk on the M.G.Road Boulevard and one is sure to be accosted by beggars, children selling flowers and peddlers trying to palm of rubber snakes and chess sets. Over time one gets used to walking past them or rather walking through them. But ever so often, one is encountered with an out- of-towner asking “do you know Telugu/ Tamil/ Hindi?”. An affirmative reply makes them break into a story about how they have lost their belongings and they need just a couple of hundred rupees to get back home. They will even ask you to give your postal address so that they can send you the money. I have so far encountered at least five people who have given me, if not the same story, at least a similar version of the same. The latest being an old woman I encountered today afternoon when I was on my way back to work after lunch. The old lady almost broke down relating her story to me. I, of course, refused any monetary help because I wasn’t sure if she was genuine as is the case most of the times.

Every time I encounter someone like that, I am always forced to wonder if it’s a genuine case. I mean if I was ever in a situation like that and I told a similar story, it would definitely be taken with a pinch of salt. And many people, actually, no one would probably help me out. Ok.. The point I’m trying to make is how does one know if the person is genuinely in trouble? Do we just go on and dismiss anyone who approaches us because we have the same story too many times before? Are we becoming too skeptical? Is it just a case of these so called “con people” being so believable? Or is it just some of us being gullible? I’m still wondering…..

Reminds me of a short story by Saki called ‘Dusk’. For those who haven’t read it, look it up and you will know why.

The Good German

2007-05-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well for a change this weekend I decided to do just a couple of things and I actually managed to get all of them done. And the first and foremost thing on my list was not to cram too many things on my weekend itinerary which I must say I did accomplish. So the weekend dawdled by without giving me too much of stress of having to be in ten different places at the same time. I just ran a few errands and caught up on my weekend dose of the idiot box, read quite a bit and caught the “The Good German”.

A movie I had been looking forward to watch for sometime. A review warned me before I watched it that it was strictly for the “intellectuals and people who paid attention during history classes in school”. Another said it was strictly for Steven Soderbergh fans. But those “strictly” warnings notwithstanding, I went ahead with my plans of watching the movie. Of course I had to tell myself that it was a period film based on World War II and based in Berlin, etc etc. Nonetheless it turned out to be quite a good movie. The movie has been shot very much like a 50s classic in black and white. There's something about black and white which I think even the latest high definition technology cannot match .There were a lot of jerks like the ones we would encounter when we would watch an old black and white war documentary. That lasted just for the first half an hour of the movie. So I’m not sure if it was intentional. But the jerks definitely lent to the movie watching experience .

The movie like I said before is based in Post WWII Berlin around the time Stalin, Churchill and Truman assembled at Potsdam to sign the Peace Treaty. The story starts off with AP war correspondent Jacob Geismar (George Clooney) returning to Berlin to cover the peace conference. Tully (Tobey Maguire) is the driver assigned to him. Though he comes across as the sweet charming American boy, he is just a weasel who has no scruples pimping his own girlfriend Lena Brandt. Now Lena Brandt happened to be Geismar’s secretary.. oops sorry stringer, and the two had a torrid affair before Jacob left Berlin. Within a day of Geismar landing in Berlin, Tully is found dead. As Geismar tries to unravel the mystery, he is begins to discover that no one in Berlin is what he/ she appears to be. The phrase “there is always something worse” is a leitmotif in the film.

The movie might sound a tad too lengthy with a runtime of 105 minutes. Though a good 45 minutes could have been conveniently edited, at no point does the film feel like a drag. The background score is very reminiscent of the oldies. But its not overdone like in a spoof. The performances are just right. Cate Blanchett looks so very gorgeous. She has got her character right to the T from the way she looks to her accent. I, for one, never thought she was much of looker.A fantastic actress but not exactly a looker. You get what I mean right.. Anyways, but in this film, she looks so built to portray someone from that era. Call me weird but she in some scenes reminded me of Anne Frank (yeah which is why the disclaimer “weird”). Cate Blanchett who turns 34 today apparently modeled her character on Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman and she has done a great job! Kudos to her!

The suspense is not really out of world. Some of the twists are unexpected. Most of them expected. Even when the last piece of the puzzle fall in place, there is neither a sense of shock, nor is there a sense of disappointment. All in all, watch the movie if you want a break from the usual movie fare being dished out of late and if you are in the mood for an oldie without actually watching one. My rating 6.5 out of 10.

Not just another morning commute

2007-05-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

When Ash decided to tie the knot with Abhishek, little did she know how many hearts she would break. I don’t know if Ash will ever get to know of it, but I sure got a taste on my way to work today. As usual, I get into an auto and lo behold!! I see a Taj Mahal in the auto.Yeah a stainless steel Taj Mahal on the back of the drivers seat!! Anyone who uses autos as a means of transport in Bengalooru knows the drivers have to attach their details on the back of their seats for the passengers to see and make note of should the need arise. Now our dude’s details were attached of course but they were inside the Taj Mahal. What a sentimental touch!! Ok now before you wonder where does Ash fit in the picture, the auto is full of pictures of Ash and she is on the other side of the Taj, literally behind the guy's back.This guy sure took the “ behind every (successful) man, there is a woman” adage seriously. And you were wondering if that’s all, there is more. The whole auto is decked with jasmine flowers! Yes lots of mallige hoovu/ mullappoo/ mallippoo maalais. The garlands almost reminded me of the stuff, the villainous Thakur's son in a Hindi film would wrap around his wrists whilst enjoying his mujra in a kotha! I sure was glad I did not get into the same auto at night. I'm sure I would have totally freaked out by the time I got out of the rick.

“The Good German” has a line which is almost a leitmotif in the movie “there is always something worse”. Likewise, in the case of our Auto Rajas, just when you thought something took the cake, there is always another contender. :)

2007-05-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

One of my personal favourites of the very few pictures I have clicked. This is a pretty good picture considering it was clicked using a mobile phone. The Nokia E50 has a decent camera for the fact that its a business phone.

I think. Therefore I am?

2007-05-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

Nice article by Steven Pinker a friend sent across to me. Very well written of course . Most importantly he has presented both the sides of the argument well. Makes for an interesting read.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580394-1,00.html

Bendakaalooru

2007-05-08T03:29:00.000-07:00

Its been two odd years since I moved to Bangalore. The city I spent the first two years of my existence in. The city I came to during my summer vacations as a kid. The city which always held fond memories of my grandfather, waking up in the morning to him practicing the Nadaswaram. The city where I could be assured of good filter kaapi anywhere…..well almost anywhere. The city, which, with its many many cinema theaters, made me look forward to my visits because of the many movies I could catch up on.

The city which due to some personal reasons I had begun to loathe.

But the city has been patient with me. And it has made me fall in love with it all over again. And this time around it has been for its sheer beauty, its outlook and of course the fact that it has been good to me ;) . Sure it wont stop me from wanting to live in the Big Apple of India, Mumbai, badmouth and fight with the auto drivers, loathe the 1130 deadline, the list is quite long… ( lets save it for another post)

But the bottom line is, nothing like namma Bengalooru.. of course with a lot of swalpa adjust maadi..

Like a good friend says, Cauvery Neeru, Kingfisher Beeru macchaan!!