Hello blogging

Life has changed (for good) since I last wrote anything on my blog. It feels so good to revisit the old posts that I could not stop myself for writing a new one. The iPhone user in me has spoilt me so much that I have lost all the patience to sit back and think and more-so verbalise my own thoughts.

Well talking about patience I have also gained it in bulk quantities to deal with my toddler at home. What an enriching experience it is to almost forget about yourself.

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Hahaha that was my toddler..now you know what I mean by forgeting about self :p6

Priceless moment!

I am having a perfect lazy weekend and all I want to do is flip between different Hindi music channels. A song on tele reminded me of Jagjit Singh Ji . I remember saying to my father once that the day Jagjit Singh dies the nation will cry and so we all did. But the reality is that he will always live in our hearts.

The moment that I would like to share in this post is actually about meeting the legend in person in 2003 in Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. It was a Jagjit Singh night and being an Alumni I had to be there. It always helps to be an alumni who had bunked sufficiently to know the ins and outs of the school that spreads on acres of land. The night began with his classics in the first half and then he took a break. I obviously was desperate to meet him amidst tight security around his room. This was my known territory and knowing all entry and exits helped me find my way to the man. He was very approachable and I had my little conversation with him which will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Members of school staff were taking his autographs when I requested him to sing ' Chitthi na koi sandesh jane wo kaunsa des jahan tum chale gaye'. I could not stay for the whole concert as I had to leave for work, so I asked him to please sing this song before 10pm. He asked his assistant to make a note to remind him at 9.45 about it.

I sat through all the songs and eagerly waited for my song but was also curious to see if he will actually remember or was he only being nice to me. So as one can imagine I was ready to be disappointed as well. At five minutes past 10pm I stood up to leave and heard my song. I went back to my seat, accompanied by my sister, in excitement ignoring what people around us were thinking of the two of us and tears started to roll down my eyes not only because I loved this song but to actually see the legend singing the song himself.

Wherever you are today I want to thank you for singing that song for me, it really meant a lot. I cried when I heard it for the first time in the film and I cried when I saw you singing it and I still get emotional when I hear the song, even when I don't want to. Such is the magic of your voice! :)

Happy New Year 2012

It's mid February 2012 already and I am thinking there are so many people I could not wish New Year this time. After the new year celebrations comes my slowest, darkest coldest and gloomiest month of the year i.e. January. Although I have some best and worst memories of the month, it really drags maybe because there are 12 long months ahead of it. But come February, its nice and bright, the days start getting longer and there is freshness in the air, air that brings spring :)

This is when I start looking forward to the summer as its time to work hard in the backyard to see some great results in the sunny days. Last year a dear friend gave me two tiny tomato saplings, I was a bit skeptical about taking them initially but with care they grew into tall tomato vine. It really was a wonderful experience to see it growing and one fine day I saw tiny flowers and eventually tomatoes. The tomatoes took a long time to ripen afterwards but it still was fruitfull mission.

Another such experience was getting a small cactus plant with tiny pink flowers. I wondered for a long time whether it will survive indoors or not, little water but how much exactly is little water for a small plant. The good thing however is that it survived and I saw quite a few flower buds on the plant last week.

These instances were encouraging enough for me to try out new plants this year.

Happy planting in 2012 to all!

From Trunk Calls to BBerry

I always used to wonder when people talked in lengths about next generations. Now the only thing we can pass to next generations is the knowledge of how to google and even we dont they will still learn it from somewhere.

What was life like before FB applications, chats, emails, SMS, BBerry messages?

• Telegrams- My earliest memory of writing a telegram goes back to school days when we were taught how to write one. I remember wishing a friend once by sending a telegram in the middle of the night.

• Yellow postcards- wrote a lot of them as they were the cheapest way to be in touch with friends in different parts of India.

• Trunk calls- this was the only way to make long distance calls back in mid nineties. A friend who is few years younger to me could not recall what this was and not I can only imagine people googling the term if they ever come across it.
  

• Air mail- This was a bit expensive to send but a great pleasure to receive as the content was not open like in a postcard.

These used to be some common means of communication. Since mid nineties technology brought a lot of changes starting from push button phones to cordless phones with built in speaker in the houses. I can still remember bulky mobile phones with a tariff of Rs. 20 per call, they used to be quite a status symbol for men with very little options. However the replacement over the last 10 years have been marketed in such a way that a smart phone is the new mobile phone with tariff plans starting from paise/minute, they are essentials of life just like roti, kapda, makan.

Having seen so many changes already I feel grown up or I should say lost in technology where history is always very recent.

V!!!

'Aisha' works?

I am aware that some of my friends would wonder why I am spending time writing about the film 'Aisha' and the simple answer is that Facebook is not interesting/ controversial anymore and therefore I am back to blogging.

I wish Aisha’s script had some substance to it. I always believe that it's social service to make a superior film which can entertain. But the one with a social message is extraordinary. I have oodles but not in favor of the film specially the way they have portrayed a girl from Bahadurgarh as 'behen ji'. What’s incorrect in wearing traditional salwar kameez, tidy long hair and wanting to get married?????

It was almost funny when I realised that no one in the film talks education or harmful effects of make-up for that matter. The focus on getting the looks right over does everything so much so that the girl in question never even expresses the desire to work. What a surface shine!

So does the film work...well it does in a of lot ways for many professionals living in over populated cities struggling with life and basic civic amenities like clean water, proper roads and electricity. It's beautiful to see a world of young girls dressed perfectly from head to toe in designer brands and not a hair here and there, after a stressful Tuesday at work.

Abhay Deol was totally wasted and dint have expectations from Madam Kapoor. Character development was very impressive; they all talk in different accents which gives the flavour of Delhi, being a multi cultural city.

V!!!!

Recent films and me

Some of my friends think that I have an amazing patience that I allow to get tested by films. I think making a good film is like social service because they have the potential to make people happy. While we pay for all of them the satisfaction level differs every single time. Some of the films recently caught my attention even when they were not huge hits while others were a disappointment. Here is the list :

Loved :

• Raavan: Critics washed it off for being predictable but my argument is that the audience knew what to expect and therefore the element of shock only came in when Sita ( Ash admits to have started liking AB junior) in reel life of the film. The story was beautifully carved to match the standards of this age. The only regret was AB junior. I wish he had acted better to leave a greater impact or Mani Ratnam had taken another actor in his place, may be Ajay Devgan.

• Shutter Island: exceptional film shot on a stunning canvas. It is absorbing to an extent that one forgets about daily life. Must watch on a big screen, if not then at least switch off the mobile phones.

Liked:

• Inception: Leaves you with a numbness that what if someone gets into our dreams and direct them. My goodness....admirable concept but can't relax watching a film like this. It constantly keeps your mind ticking with multiple story telling going back and forth. Not recommended on a weekday after a days work.

• Kites: I enjoyed the film, it does leave you with an empty feeling unlike most Bollywood films but why release it as a Hindi film. The producers should have declared it as an English film that had an Indian English speaking man trying to communicate with a Spanish woman who can barely speak English. I would have felt extremely cheated as an audience if I dint understand English. They should perhaps take a lesson from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. However, one scene towards the end where the central characters almost had an eye conversation is unforgettable. Would like Hrithik Roshan to get out of his Dhoom 2 mode of a cool dude and do some serious cinema.

Did not enjoy:

• Rajneeti: It was all fine when they introduced the characters in an impressive way. But I did not expect the film by this title to be made on a classic i.e. Mahabharta. How did the director expect people to digest the second half with silly dialogues, lots of love between strange couples, and characters turned into our very own Bhisham Pitahmah, Duryodhan, Karan, Kunti, Arjun and Krishna. What a disappointment.

• Rann: Such films are generally intriguing as they claim to show you the inside world eg. Corporate, Fashion, Traffic Signal. Ram Gopal Verma is superb with his camera angles and editting but what about the script. This was the most obvious film I have seen in the recent times. News channels spying on competitors for TRP, influence of politicians and industrialists on news and creation of news. It remains acceptable though till Mr. AB tries to prove that he is the Big Daddy and has the opportunity to say what he likes on air on his own channel. Good for TRP...MAYBE...

Hope to see some more good films :)

Roses 2010

Its the second season of my rose plant in the backyard. I must admit that gardening is a very fulfilling experience. The result is not only to get the plant to flower but keep it in good health. My hard work of keeping the plant away from flies, insects, weeds and not to forget bad weather paid well.

I am proud to say that my love for pink continues....

The bees can buzzzzzzzzzzzzz off ;)

Blackpool in the summer of 2009

I was going through some of the old pics and thought that these pics perfectly suit the name of the place 'Blackpool'.

Enjoy !

What's this...

A wrestling show ;). All I can say is that it reminded me of junior school days when I used to play WWF cards with friends in school bus. Bret Heart Hitman, Shawn Michael, Yoo Ko Zuna, 123 Kid, Undertaker are some of the names that I can remember.

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City of Bath

I went to Bath in November, 2009 with an extremely special person in my life. Thought of posting some pics while I was thinking of the fun we had :)

Roman Bath Spa- As the name suggests!

The Royal Crescent - The architecture of this building looks impossible and is a photographer's delight. I took several pics and each pic had a different dimension to it, no wonder it's one of the most desired address in UK.

The Bath Abbey - you can't ignore 'The Abbey' when you are in Bath.

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Beware of me on roads now :D ;) :):):):)

Read the following chat for some information on how to get driving licence. These are two people sharing their experiences about UK and UAE.



JIT: Hi
me: Hey
JIT: why beware of u... i don't understand
7:15 PM me: Got license to drive in uk :D
7:16 PM JIT: wooooooooooooh ... great I too got license .. to drive in UAE..
and it's been more than two month now im on the road
me: Its damn difficult to get one here
7:17 PM JIT: even i can drive in UK with this licence
me: I was driving with indian one till now
JIT: same here.. i got it on my fifth attempt...hmmmm
me: I got it in one go
JIT: indian is valid there....lucky
7:18 PM me: Yeah only for one yr
JIT: k
me: Uk license is valid everywhere
JIT: dubai license is valid in 53 countries
me: Ok
JIT: yeah i know...lot of English guys get license here just showing a UK one... and v bloody .. f***** Indians are treated like slaves... u have to go through a long process
me: That's coz nobody follows rules there
7:21 PM JIT: true...true
me: Does it cost big money to get license in uae
JIT: first get admission in the driving school and it takes ages to get ur turn and then parking test this test that test and finally road test which is torture....yeah... I almost shell out Dhs 6k
7:23 PM after getting a license life is now pretty better...
me: How much is that in indian money
JIT: othewise it was very painful....may be around 80,000
7:24 PM me: hahaha
JIT: in that money i could got 100 license in india without going anywhere
me: That's a relief coz I thought I m the only indian going thru this torture
JIT: ha ha ha ha
7:25 PM me: I paid £300 approx
JIT: there are lots here.. going through this
ha ha ha
me: About 25000 rupees
7:26 PM JIT: still u have spend less than what I paid and it took 8 months
me: God...Urs was more difficult for sure
JIT: so which car u driving now...
7:27 PM me: Vw polo
JIT: hmmmm...i got civic basic....with cruise
me: Waah....Auto or manual?
7:31 PM JIT: Auto... I have license to drive only auto
me: Yeah mine is manual, I can drive both
7:34 PM JIT: Had I applied for manual ... I don't think i could gave got the license.. I still might be struggling
me: Y
7:36 PM JIT: It's a strange world... on my first attempt — road test — the guy who was the first to start almost drove it on pavement and he got license i got failed ...
7:38 PM me: I can very well imagine. Here its all about getting a good instructor and confidence.
I changed 3 instructors
7:40 PM JIT: Here it's a basically a business
i changed two instructors, it was so frustrating...
me: Its the same in uk, big business for brits
X-----X-----X


The fact of the matter is that I know why we struggle to get driving license outside our own country. Firstly, it is very expensive taking lessons and then the test fees. One pays and pays unless you actually pass the tests. The only hard work I did in India was to sign and get a photograph done, thanks to the connections my driving school had. I did not take theory or a practical test. Funniest bit back home was the last fifteen minutes of my lessons, where the instructor thought of enlightening me about reverse gear :D

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Are there only 3 idiots?

My response is that I am glad there are only three and that too limited to the film. '3 idiots' has all the reasons to pull crowds as it is directed by somebody who gave Gandhi a new life in 21st century and concepts like 'jadoo ki jhappi' started making sense. Aamir Khan's acting is clearly the icing on cake. I waited excitedly to watch this film and went to watch it on it's release, despite minus temperatures . I have to admit that the film was entertaining and I walked out of the theatre with an encouraging mood. It is a feel good film except for certain sequences which are difficult to forget ( digest) like delivering a baby on TT table with tools like vacuum cleaner and on the top of that a newly born baby actively responds to the concept of 'Aal is well'. ?????????

I do have a strong opinion about India's education system and believe firmly that it needs to be reformed urgently. Although after watching the film I realised that it was not dealt with at all. This film did not show institutes with outstanding reputation in fine light. The only message it delivers is that well accomplished teachers are frustrated and do not treat students right. However this is not reality, my own experience with teachers has been mixed but some of the teachers I have met really deserve the best.

Rancho (central character) can afford to sing 'Aal is well' as he is genius and blessed with intelligence, but the reality is that 'Aal is not well' with most of us. It is impossible for me to imagine all photographers, actors and journalists around me and no doctors and engineers. My best friend is a doctor and I know the struggle and hard work it takes to become one. Engineers go through bad ragging but do end up making flyovers and buildings for us. India does need people who are highly educated to bring changes and regrettably everybody has to grill through the existing education system to rise and grow, if not, we will all be idiots.

Time for resolutions...

Its time for resolutions and here is the list...

1. Car pooling
2. Connecting with people and don't get me wrong. I am not talking about Nokia's tag line but the connection with fellow human beings which are more important than machines.
3. Writing letters to close ones as they are better than emails...can't be deleted by just a click.
4. Save water and electricity
5. Last and most important...stop judging people and, love and respect them for what they are.

If you (reader) are thinking that the above list is coming from a modern age Saint then you should think again as my resolution is to encourage people to follow the above list ;)

At personal level I am glad 2009 is gone and gone forever.

Happy New Year 2010 to all :)

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A sunny weekend on a gloomy one...

These are some of the pics that I had completely forgotten about. But on a dull, gloomy Sunday I thought of looking at some old pics in my camera and this is what I found. Call them memories of a sunny day.
I have never seen so much of Sun continuously in the time that I have spent in this country. My trip to Blackpool was an amazing May, long weekend. It was bright and warm, so much so that the thought of removing sunglasses for photographs was disturbing.

Day two of the trip was a visit to Lake District. As the name suggests it is a mountain region with several tarns and mere.

The most common activity one would expect to do on such a trip is a ferry ride and I did that as well. But when you are in water the list of things to do go bigger and better. I saw people sailing, water skiing and canoeing. People were out and about in sun. Obviously that encouraged the child in me to try everything is one go.

Rowing was fun. On our boat, the official photographer took all these pics and more, so what I did in terms of adventure is not beyond imagination. Everything was fine till I saw an old man enjoying on the boat all by himself, it sort of encouraged me to try that very deeply.
Now, I know exactly what to do when I am there next. Till then I am watching and sharing these pics for some brightness.

V!

BlackBerry says...

When you say you love BlackBerry , the obvious answer is 'BlackBerry loves you too'...It definitely sounds better, sweeter and humbler than human beings.

Sailing on a sunny Sunday...

The whole idea of sailing all day on a Sunday was thrilling actually. I enjoyed it one way but wanted to take a bus back home. I can make this sound very lavish but some facts about sailing are:

• MUST go with like minded people
• If not, take a book to read
• MUST carry a Sunscreen lotion and sunglasses

These pics were taken on 05/10/2009 and as the title suggests, it was a sunny day.

Exploring water can be fun and risky, so do grab if you get such an opportunity.

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Love is ....(II)

Hahahaha....another interesting one and once again about a machine. I heard a guy saying that iPhone is his cuuuuuuuuuute littttttttle baby. The only thing that came to my mind after witnessing something as funny as that was how some girls take care of dogs (pets) like their own baby.

Hey! It's not a post on Men vs Women, so please don't get me wrong.

Thank god some people like to care for living beings ;)

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Love is ...

Few days back a friend said to me that he loves his Blackberry and then another friend very sweetly expressed that he can't live without his iPhone. They really sounded like people in love.

Consumerism has changed people's understanding of love. This sounds like the love that comes from brand loayalty and is very capable of encouraging people to fight over their preferred brands. I wont be surprised to see the world getting divided into such brand religions where there will be no hindu, muslim, sikh and christans but just Nokia, Blackberry, iPhone, Reebok, Nike, Coke and Pepsi.

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Machhar Ki Candy!!!

Back in 2002 I saw a program on Discovery Channel about exotic and yet very disgusting food products as per my understanding. Snake blood and ant candies were shown as delicacies enjoyed in some parts of world and in my comfort zone I could never imagine something on television becoming a reality. Now, imagine when you lick a candy of Machhar (mosquitoes) coated with Tequila and caramel only to find out that there is a Machhhhhhhhar in there and not by mistake :D

Check out these pics that were taken purely in a state of shock and excitement. Let me know if you want some gifts ;)

Enjoyed??????

V!!!

Bulla ki jana...

The greatest lyrics ever!

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I nor a pagan disciple of false rites. Not the pure amongst the impure. Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh. Bulleh! to me, I am not known.

Not in the holy Vedas, am I nor in opium, neither in wine, Not in the drunkard`s craze Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze. Bulleh! to me, I am not known.

In happiness nor in sorrow, am I neither clean, nor a filthy mire. Not from water, nor from earth. Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth. Bulleh! to me, I am not known.

Not an Arab, nor Lahori. Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari. Nor do I live in Nadaun. Bulleh! to me, I am not known.

Secrets of religion, I have not known. From Adam and Eve, I am not born. I am not the name I assume. Not in stillness, nor on the move. Bulleh! to me, I am not known.

I am the first, I am the last. None other, have I ever known. I am the wisest of them all. Bulleh! do I stand alone? Bulleh! to me, I am not known

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