"No Donut for u...Bad Server!!!"

The era of social networking is changing our perspective towards socialising. Earlier, a few calls here and there and one could get a bunch of buddies together, to watch a game (football for US and cricket for India!).It was simple. With the advent of technology, socialising has become more of an online thing. "Orkut" in particular has come into vogue.
What are the repercussions of this "Orkut" era? Well, there seems to be a clear demarcation between 2 types of user- casual and not-so-casual. The casual user usually lingers around in cyberspace, invites buddies to Orkut and sends out a few messages. He/she is not an avid follower of what happens in anyone elses' "Scrapbook" except his/her own.This user has limited "fan" following ,a couple of "testis" and a few things sprinkled abt his/her profile abt his/her preferences for stuff like cuisine and sports etc.The other type is ,what personally I would call a victim of over socialising. This user is an avid follower of everyone elses' cyber life. It is something like the "grapevine" except now it is public. The one thing which drives this user's incessantly towards orkutting is the openness of its design. You can virtually snoop on anyone and everyone. (Keep track whether your girlfriend is still committed to u!)
"Facebook" offers a plethora of options for the advanced user. "Advanced" can be w.r.t. stuff like Quizzes, Astro stuff and a whole bunch of things other than pure interaction.It's acceptance in U.S. has made it a target for even the terrorists.They use it covertly to gain access to valuable data anywhere in the world.
To be frank and candid, the whole concept gives birth to what can be called "multiple" personas. For e.g. a stupid joke sent to you,may evoke a negative reaction from you. But, to be polite ,you might send an emoticon with a "cheerful" visage. Another instance is blocking of users. In real life ,you may find it tough to avoid people who are a real pain in the a**. But, social networking allows you to block such people from accessing your cyber personalities. Thus, its quite possible for one to forget the way things work in the real world,and be content with their cyber life,which is virtual. But, for now let us enjoy what it is ...without worrying about its long term effects..I gotta rush btw....some one offered me a friend request..WHOA!!! It's a GIRL who did t.."She's Single!!!!".....[:)]

Bhool Bhulaiyya

Quite often than not have we noticed that Hindi films lack substance. The celluloid scenes are a rehash of many older flicks-some Indian ,others from Hollywood. But being an avid movie goer ,like many, I decided to watch this Akshay Kumar flick.

"Bhool Bhulaiyya" is a remake of an old Malayalam movie which won many accolades for its unique concept. The storyline is different and deals with multiple personality disorder. As a movie buff, I liked the movie and its plot,its USP being the funny action star Akki and the gorgeous Vidya Balan. The last scene focusses mainly on Balan and she does full justice to the audiences' expectations. Bollywood has not experimented much with such kind of genre. Another movie based on this theme is "FightClub" which boasts of action and suspense all the way ,right till the end. If you like movies like "Butterfly Effect" and "Fight Club"--this one should be not missed.

Enjoy "Bhool Bhulaiyaa"! "A movie with giggles if not substance!!"

Ram...

The festival of Dussehra beckons India to celebrate the event of Lord Ram obliterating Ravana. With the colors of freedom filling the skies of Ayodhya, the Lord returned in all pomp and gaiety from his victory in Lanka. The epic of Ramayana is a marvellous work of my ancestor (surprised?) ,Rishi Valmiki. Ramayana has no shades of grey ;the reason being "Satyayug" as its era. The story speaks of the righteous Dasharatha whose queens donot bear children till he performs some "yagna" to appease the deities. After that, the princes are born to the queens and then the storyline takes a turning point where Ram has to be banished from this kingdom. Then there is another important factor to this whole poetry, Lord Hanuman- the loyal one. Hanuman is said to have fought his own son ,Makardhwaja to free Ram and his brother Lakshman from the clutches of Ravana's collaborators.
In today's context, we can definitely pick and choose values from this story. Not being didactic, I feel the concept of loyalty has a strong bearing on this entire epic. May it be Sita's sacrifice or Lord Hanuman's valor. Another aspect is the concept of strong family ties and that too in the face of adversity. Bharatha, Rama's sibling who inherits the throne himself awaits Ram's return whereas he could have easily had everything to himself. A fascinating twist to this tale is of the enemy ,Ravana. Although he acts against Ram and seizes his wife by force, he is said to been a pious person, a devout individual with strong powers of concentration. This historic foe has qualities which are rare to find ,yet he acts vainglorious. His bravado and lack of respect for the qualities like compassion, love are what bring about his downfall.
The tale ends with Ram's sons reuniting with him and is indeed a touching moment when a father identifies his long lost sons. In Marathi, "Geet Ramayan" is a rendition of songs which are specifically composed for each of the events in "Ramayana". Its last parts are exemplary in the way in which the dramatic moment of Luv and Kush, Ram's sons identify themselves,singing praises of the very father who had to disown his wife Sita.
Being an indian, we ought to ponder over the virtues and vices of this "Purshottam" and not repeat the mistakes which he did. Fighting over Ram Sethu and depriving the coastal area inhabitants of their livelihood is definitely something which one should do on this day. Instead of alluding to myths, the Indian of today needs to brace up for more of incisive decision making and proper analysis of situations.Its not a question of "followers" versus "Atheists". The question is all about making sense and striking a balance between the two.

Flingz

The most pertinent question since the creation of the cosmos is- "What women want??".Albeit ,many attempts have been made including that of a movie by the same name.While Mel Gibson may be the lucky bastard to actually hear what women think, the real world situation is not so simple. One can say, it's complex the way people make it sound.On hindsight , luck is one of the factors to contend with. There are certain rules which need to be followed in general called "tenets of flirting".
Rule 1: Never show that you are trying to flirt.
Rule 2: You might gain sympathy the first time you moan about your life and sob about it.
Rule 3: Limit "Sob stories" to the minimum. It's boring if you try to score by belting out your frustrations. The girl will kick you where it hurts the most after a while.
Rule 4: Praise the girl's intelligence more than her looks!!! This is for "non-blonde" type behavior.
Rule 5: Don't overdo Rule 4, the story might not have a happy ending!
Rule 6: Always verify that the girl is single, won't hurt to ask impertinent questions and being a little too courageous.
Rule 7: Be practical!! No one should take you for a ride!!
Rule 8: Invest graciously by paying her bills initially. After a few outings she will pay ur rent.
Rule 9: If the signals are right, discard the rules and follow free-will.
Rule 10: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE! YOU CANNOT CHANGE FREE WILL!!!!

P.S. This is just a teaser, myself and a bunch of other heartbroken guys are trying to put this knowledge together in a book. Please contribute graciously with anecdotes and snippets.

Optimism..or Pessimism or..???

It's been a while since i wrote any stuff ,felt a little left out of the "blogger's world".For years ,people have been categorised as either optimists or pessimists.I met a third kind..the "realists". An optimists is always raring to go, and full of uncurbed enthusiasm. A pessimist is one who always seems to have a glass "half-empty". A realist, is one who is calculated and does'nt like to sit out neither does he/she intends to be too vainglorious.Some of my heroes from the realms of books have been "Don Vito Corleone", a.k.a. The GodFather.In one of the novels called "Sicilian" there is a protagonist who is much like the hero from Sherwood Forest , RobinHood. He robs the rich and offers the money to the needy. Such an "idealistic" person creates many enemies. Don Corleone remarks at the end of the novel about being practical, and trying to remain more of a mortal. "Idealistic Optimism" certainly kills , is what he says. Indirectly, the Don points out that realities of life are harsh and no one can surpass them.You have to face em'.
Another story soliciting my case, is of the Spartans. Personally, I admire King Leonidas for facing the powerful army of Persians with a strength of 1000 men by his side. Yet, on second thoughts,he could have saved Sparta and her army from getting obliterated without a trace.He didnot take the essential precautions before leaving his family as well,despite being aware of traitors. Secondly, he was actually inviting death by defending Sparta's glory with only 300 of his men.
Pessimists, too are a bit of worry in politics especially. They are the ones who always gear up to obstruct any novel idea or concept promulgated by any of the representatives.A coterie of pessmists can wreak havoc by objecting to development projects and new infrastructure.
As a "realist", it is better to "Stay Foolish and Stay Hungry" during battle. But, at other times, the acceptance or rejection of ideas must be dealt with ,with a pinch of "pessimist's" salt..

Bollywood - Hollywood....

Being an ardent fan of Hindi films, I had been waiting to lay my hands on the latest of em'.My selection (still wondering how!) was "Good Boy, Bad Boy", a flick which regrettfully saw the light of day in the world of thoughtless cinema. Personally, I am not such a critic and love to see people give their best. May it be drama or a "David Dhawan" comedy, its the performance and the energy which light up the silver screen. My personal favorite is ,in fact, "Judwaa" a tale inspired from Jackie Chan's "Double Dragons". Anyways, the flick "Good Boy..." is a story of good people who come under wrong influence and basically is short on everything from script to screenplay. The other day, I watched a "marriage video" a.k.a. "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun" and loved the value system it preached.
My favorite movies are "RHTDM"(even my roomie loves Maddy dada"), "RDB","Judwaa" and many others. The best hindi flicks contain some jingoism and lot of hard hitting dialogues. 1970's was an era which could be better known as the Era of "Manmohan Desai". His concept of unifying people with diverse religions (Amar Akbar Anthony) or any other drama where in the faith people had in themselves was immensely gratifying.
In contrast, the English film fraternity makes a lot of sensible movies, with no songs and more story. The way of narration is distinct ,the screenplay at times is so powerful that the dialogues arent really required. Just imagine "Ocean's 11" with Danni Ocean singing "Dil se" atop a terrace with Nicole Kidman, trying to loot the Bellagio. It would not make sense. Concepts like a great mind trying to don the garb of an "escapist" in "Good Will Hunting" or the role reprised by Al Pacino as a powerful Mafioso in "Scarface" are original. These are people you can relate to, wh are humane and bear the brunt of their eccentricities.Some of the movies like "ShawShank Redemption" are an encyclopaedia in film making. It has no elements like a hindi pot boiler would possess , but really has great twists in the tale of a man who has everything to play for.
With films like "Sivaji" coming into limelight, the movie makers are banking on star power more than story or dialogues. The character essayed by Thalaivar is true to the ethos of Shankar's way of preaching values about social evils. But, the public roots more for "Star Power" of Rajini rather than the concept. Its like Shah Rukh Khan trying to send a patriotic message by prancing around in the Alps. Eventually, the acceptance of films would be based more on the aspects of story and screenplay rather than stars. That would be "Evolution COMPLETE!!!"

"Essence of planning"

Time and again, our mothers have called upon us to plan. "Planning is essential" is what we have been bombarded with, since the beginning of our life.Like many, I despised those sermons where everyone started giving a lecture on "Time is money" OR " Time Management".It was only when I joined engineering that I understood the reason behind those "lectures".
Many centuries ago, there was war in Kurukshetra, where the Pandavas fought the Kuru army and won the battle. Imagine ,Arjuna being chilled out ,resting in the shade of his umbrella, not bothering about the various military formations! More so, imagine Mama Shakuni, the greatest mythological Gambler, suddenly failing to see the motion of his trusted dice! History would have looked different..perhaps there would be no war at all!!! One of the quotes by the great Archer Arjuna comes as a jolt to people who believe that the indomitable never plan, they are born to win.He explains to his brother Nakula ,as to why he always handpicks his weapons.Especially the arrows, which need to be in a proper shape to avoid air drag.
Today, we need to plan our lives more than ever before. Time seems to fly faster .The ones who can think aeons before and chart out a game plan are most likely to succeed.May it be job or business, we have to forsee the forthcoming dangers which lurk. If caught unawares, the results are disastrous, ranging from firing from jobs to bankruptcy in business. For a person with a job , he or she needs to get into the brain of his/her peers to think as they think. Then be able to do what they could only think of, is another tale. Like wise , in a business, product differentiation is pivotal to the success of any entrepreneur. Failing to make a mark on the consumer would spell doom and a loss altogether.
Ultimately, the one who can see tomorrow, today itself is the one you would place your money on!!

SE7EN !!!!

Dante Alighieri in his epic poem The Divine Comedy,mentions the seven deadly sins as follows:Lust,Gluttony,Greed,Sloth,Wrath,Envy, and Pride. I came to know about all this only after watching the thriller seven starring the impeccable Morgan Freeman as Officer Somerset who has a mind which works faster than the lawbreakers'. His accomplice is Brad Pitt ,again a superb performance as Detective Willis,who looks passionate about work and his childhood sweetheart played by Gwyneth Paltrow.The tale completely has you involved and tied to the seat without winking even once. Its the underlying thought which suddenly grabbed my attention. Are we thinking about our actions?
If the aforementioned qualities or should I say "vices" then we all are sinners.A Purgatory with seven terraces has to be constructed in this case to absolve us of any such wrongdoings.But , do we care? Its the way life was meant to be. Today's world has mind over matter.We are working at a neck break pace to get what we want."The ends justify the means" is what we idolise.
Expanding the realms of this discussion and porting it to a corporate environment,we can see for ourselves, the effects of this school of thought.The most successful people in this world do value "Ethics". Most others treat it as another word in the lexicon. An ethical workplace nurtures professionalism within an industry. It spurs on people to do things the "right way".
The movie may have a little ghastly ending.It may have over dramatised the situation.
But it certainly sends a message for us to ponder over..

The Pursuit of .....Happ'y'ness!!

After a round of exams and the nail biting finishes associated with em',I decided to watch a movie.It was the "The Pursuit of Happyness". The movie stars stars like Will smith and Thandie Newton. Its a story of Chris Gardner who inevitably fails in just about everything he tries his hand at, but ultimately stumbles upon a career which he makes his own. But the movie is more than that, since it depicts the tribulations which Chris and his young son Christopher have to undergo.I felt it was a story which each of us can relate to. After all,its this "pursuit" which keeps us going. It also separates the friends from the acquaintances.
The concept of "family values" is highlighted implicitly in this film by the strong portrayals of father-son by Will Smith and his real life son.It tells us that life is not as bad as it may seem. A little smart work with some luck and efforts could turn our fortunes.As the saying goes, "Experience is a cruel teacher,it kills all its students". Real life is not so endearing if the decisions are not correct. Evidently ,the more bitter the experience ,the more enlightened we become.Some people are born with a sense of perfection and impeccably they always arrive at the right decision at the right time. Many others who seemingly "learn with time" have to undergo this catharsis.
Be it the scene at the train station where Will creates a make believe theme park full of dinosaurs for his son, or the moment when he gets hit by a car but still returns to work, Chris Gardener's esprit-de-corps is what inspires you. In real life Chris has made a fortune for himself by dabbling in the stock market. His struggle for existence is an epic in itself meant to be read in order to restore faith in the triumph of human spirit.

A Story of Triumph..

Success is a magical world known by its aura and charisma.Like a beautiful sculpture adorning the living room of a majestic palace,so is the case with success whose halo transforms man from a mortal to a superhuman. It is said that man can move mountains.I would just twist it a little and rephrase "a confident man...".The Almighty has created everyone alike is an old saying and nothing more.People are created with differences to maintain equilibrium in the universe. A world full of meek and timid beings cannot explore the limits of man's prowess,both mental and physical.A classical example of the legendary "Hank Rearden" exemplifies the above fact.This character penned by Ayn Rand is a specimen I consider my role model.He is an individual who just refuses to be "human".The amount of work he puts in could literally shake the railroad industry. Nevertheless he too has to succumb to the whims and fancies of politics,but not without a fight.
The message is loud and clear."Humans are gone,we need super heroes".Heroics are a part and parcel of man's persona.Too much analysis and a lackdaisical mentality could seldom yield any positive outcomes.As the great Napolean said,we are born to conquer and not get conquered.
Live life and pursue ur dreams..till death does em apart..
Cheers to life!!!

Amitabh's baritones..

I must admit one thing..Amitabh Bachchan is the GOD of Hindi Cinema.Without him ,hindi movies would be like a Hollywood movie without Denzel Washington or Tom Hanks.His latest movie "Nishabd" is a "refined" adaptation of "Lolita" and speaks about relationships which are seemingly complex.
Earlier Bachchan had lent his voice to songs in "Baghban" directed by Ravi Chopra who also did a "Baabul".The songs were fabulous whenever it was the Big B who had the mike in his hand."Chali Chali" breathed an air of freshness into the romantic saga of a middle aged couple's identity crisis."Holi Khele" was indeed a celebration of joy and happiness all over."Kaante" too had a famous "Chhod na re" song in which the Big man majestically talks about a plan to loot a bank.
Few can match his vocal chords when it comes to singing.The dialogues seem to have a new meaning altogether when he narrates the story with one liners like" Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hai".We hope to hear many wonderful songs in the near future from him and wish him best of luck...for "Nishabd"!!

Paradoxical failures..

The ignominy and disgrace associated with defeat is a paradox in itself.On one hand ,the saying is "Try and try till you succeed".On the other hand "Failure is like an orphan".Life manifests itself in many forms and emotions.Some are good ,others suck.The feelings of joy and happiness are often followed by lows.
Ayn Rand,the famous author has summed up human beings and their creativity in her works.Her characters revolve around individuals who have risen from great struggle and dared to dream big.Very often its these very "heroes" whose heroics go in vain.Reason?Winners are few and are envied.The world has plenty of people who seldom manage to keep up with the pace of life.As a result they despise the ones who could conquer the limits of endurance and delve on the path to success.Yet they end up at the receiving end of the stick.
All said and done,real success comes from learning "what went wrong?"That tells the wise apart from the ignoramus.Mere mortals would succumb ,so be a fighter.Brave the odds and salute those who could what you couldn't....

The Three Stooges

Well,my first post received quite a bit of stick I must admit. Accepting brickbats for that,I still continue with my writings.Have any of you people watched 3 funny men doing slapstick like plucking each other's eyes?If you havent,you really have missed out on one of the best groups who did slapstick comedy."The Three Stooges" were a runaway success during their heydays in Hollywood.Columbia Pictures produced short films of 15 minutes duration which entertained young and old alike.
My first rendezveous with these funny men was on TV on Sony channel.They were really hilarious since each added a different flavour to the act. More so were their antics ,the most famous of which was plucking each other's eyes!!Moe Howard,Larry Fine and Curly teamed up for this wonderful act.Moe had his trademark goofy hairdo.Larry had bits and pieces of hair stuck to his bald plate.Curly enjoyed acts like biting teetn,sporting a flashy smile and rolling all over the ground.If you were a regular viewer of these acts, you would be impressed by the spontaneity of Curly.Actually, whenever he forgot his script,he would improvise by coming up with such unique actions.
All said and done,they added a touch of sarcasm at times to the plot.The movie"a Nasty Spy" had Moe in a get up which bore semblance to Hitler.The stooges could get the message across in a subtle but effective way.
For some their acts would be "rubbish" ,but on a personal level,they were extremely adorable.
Their popularity reached new heights when they were immortalised in form of toons.Curly had to leave the act and was replace by Shemp Howard.Still the popularity was unmatched for any other show which had comedy as a genre.
Thanks for tickling our funny bone ...Hail the Stooges!!!

Be Human!!!

Hi everyone,
I welcome you to a journey which would unearth mysteries and secrets hiterto unknown.I would try to reach the sanctum realms of powers which you could experience but could never describe.The world is a paradox of sorts with things happening at the right place at the right time for many people and vice versa for the rest.
For those who get it right the first time..its called "excellence".Rightly so,and I must agree that excellence does matter.Being mediocre has its shortcomings in today's world fraught with risks like those of losing job ,losing a girl and so on.But there are things which seem so little but mean so much.A person who is blessed with good qualities like kindness and compassion may not be good at studies and maybe an underachiever.In terms of life,these people are the true champions whom the spirit of humanity salutes.Virtues take a back seat in a race and wars are fought with no a holds-barred approach.Humanity is above these and has the power to subdue the most vicious of opponents like anger,greed etc.
Now is a good time to remind us of the time when we were born:"The Age of innocence".Today's world is full of negative thoughts and feelings of jealousy.A spirit of "world harmony" can mean a lot in today's context.It doesnot matter whether you are "Black" or "White".What matters is are you human enough?