It's Such A Mess!!!

The Desk

2010-10-12T00:56:00.003-04:00

Desk - Music and Sound Design from Aaron Trinder Film:Motion:Music on Vimeo.

The author who sells his work on the subway, not on amazon!

2010-07-10T14:18:00.004-04:00

If you watch this video, you would realize that this guy is quite like and quite unlike modern day authors. A lot of authors have come out with manuscripts in prison, very few have actually made a self help book out of life experiences. When they got out and they got a publisher to back them, they sold their books in big corporate franchises, and on the great electronic stores like amazon. This guy started his own publishing company over time; he makes money and still sells his books on the streets---$10 for 1, $15 for 2.

I tried to look up his book called 'Change your gameplan' on amazon, to see if I could actually find it. I was hoping I would find something in the used section for the usual <$1 price. Think again. 1 new for $75, and 2 used available for $34! From what I read in the New York Times article about this guy, the books are actually quite good. People have been known to bump into him and thank him for the pleasure of reading his book....take that for 'review' in our modern times! Besides, you don't sell 14000 copies of garbage! He has a rule- sell 35 books a day, and to not go back home till he actually does. He writes, he sells, he pays rent for his apartment in the Bronx, and he takes care of his 3 kids, aged 20-23.....

Randy Kearse used to be a drug peddler. He spent 13 years in the slammer for moving 200kg of cocaine on the streets. He has turned a new leaf and written this book to help kids, to stop them from making the mistakes he made.

People have written to him, asking him if his new role would wash off his disgusting history....till date, he has no answer to this question....

This brings us to the point of learning from other people's experiences. But then, if you are reading this article, you probably don't need to derive a lot of message out of it-the irony of life; those who need it the most don't have access to it.......

Despicable Me....What a good movie!

2010-07-10T01:31:00.003-04:00

I was kind of apprehensive about going for 'Despicable me'. I went for 'The Last Airbender' a couple of days back; it almost made me lose my faith in the art of movie-making. Shyamalan has certainly come a long way since he made Sixth Sense; his consistency in degradation is just exemplary!

Despicable me had me thinking right at the beginning, 'Here we go again, this shows promise, lets wait and watch, I hope it's just not another bad night', so on and so forth. Thankfully, this one did not fail me. In fact, I would go on to say that it is one of the better movies made this year. Humor, great timing by Steve Carrel, the feel good factor, an appropriate length-it has it all!

This movie reminds you of the essence of comedy, the way it all began in the days of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. Ever since 'That 70s show' and similar shows took up a lot of airspace on television, we have almost gotten stuck in the rut of situational comedy. What 'Despicable Me' does, is that it reminds us that you don't need come up with clever stuff to make people laugh. Of course, it's all very clever integrally, but the art of making people laugh is more of a knack, and not slave to the wit and intelligence of the writer in coming up with stunning dialogues. It could be just about an audio-visual experience that would suffice....and when you blend the odd killer dialogue on the fly, it just works like a garnish, gives it more appeal.

The editing on this movie is so amazing, they never get stuck in the whole adopted kids drama. Hence, they still maintain the crazy hilarious criminal plot at its best, and still lend the movie that feel good factor.

GO FOR IT! In the meantime, enjoy the trailer.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mqUMQfKmg0

The Chronicles of LeBron James

2010-07-09T13:59:00.005-04:00

The drama that has been going on for quite a while now could be justified, considering the fact that LeBron James is one of the most followed players in basketball. Some would even go ahead and call him an all time great (I would!). For me, the whole LeBron drama has just been boring. There's a game going on, and what do the guys on Sportscenter talk about, as part of the halftime report? Any guesses? LeBron of course. Is he going to New York, or is he going with his friend Jay Z to the Nets? Chicago and Miami are also in the running....and it goes on......

Some people have identified this whole event as derogatory to the sport of basketball. I don't think so. People say that this never happened when Jordan was making his decisions. It sure did, just that things happen on a different scale today, and information escalates out of control owing to the superfluous outlets of media. Long back, people would have heard it once on the radio. Then came television. Now we keep hearing the same things on multiple levels, for those not satisfied, they would even head to espn360.com....and believe it or not, people might say they are bored by the whole thing, but when they go to the page, most are tempted to click on the LeBron link, and there......5 mins of life wasted, 5 mins one would never get back! (My sympathies with those who even follow the news on different levels, multiple sites).

Now that he has gone with the Miami Heat, I think the coming season is going to be an interesting one to follow. I would even go ahead to call this the first superteam of the NBA-James, Wade, Bosh on one side.....add Kobe and you have the Olypmics Redeem team. Like always, people have their doubts. I don't-you see I like to commit to a judgment! People say that this means nothing, that better 'teams' would outdo them.Three out of five guys don't form a team? Especially 3 guys who are good enough to score 80 points on a given night. And I can't even imagine what LeBron and Wade could achieve, given that they would be given the much needed rest, given that they would play with the comfort of not knowing that they do not have to go out each night scoring 30+ points. I think this is the team to beat now!

You have to give it to Pat Riley. A lot of teams offered the big money to LeBron. Pat Riley offered him a shot at the championship. When it comes to LeBron at this stage in life, when he has 10 good years left in him, he has ample time to earn his dollars. What he is hungry for right now, is the championship ring. That is something that eludes him, eludes their 'big 3'! And this new Miami outfit would give them their best shot at it. If they can't do it with this team, it might never really materialize.......

Beat The Heat....beyond air-conditioning

2010-07-09T06:03:00.007-04:00

A heat wave has gripped the Northeast. In places like Western Massachusetts where three digit temperatures were unheard of, this heat wave has made us appreciate the high comfort factor of our usual climatic conditions. It's not just the temperature, but the humidity, that makes such a heatwave intolerable. And to top that, if you happen to live in an apartment that does not have air-conditioning, it's very important for you to know how to beat the heat! Looking at the status updates and tweets on our most popular networks, I have come to the consensus that not a lot of people actually have an idea about what can be done. Well, I can tell you what I did....and it worked, at least as much as it could....

1. Fluids- You have to stay hydrated to avoid the major complications arising from the heat and resultant dehydration. Drink lots of water (even if you don't feel thirsty). It might be a good idea to have lemon juice with some salt added to it. Gatorade would be excellent. A lot of people don't know this, but in this weather, it's very useful to eat fresh fruits- especially bananas since they are rich in electrolytes.

2. Be in air-conditioned settings as long as you can. I spend most of the time in the department. The problem is, you have to be back home to sleep. And sleep you can't, in such hot and muggy conditions.

3. Quick cold water showers multiple times in a day. They make you feel really good. It's an even better idea to go for one just before going to bed. That could be the difference between going to sleep and lying restless in bed.

4. Shut the windows and blinds during the sunny hours of the day. This prevents the air in the room from heating up, also prevents hot air from entering the room. This would, if not totally keep your room cool, at least limit the temperature your room would reach during the day, making it a quicker cooling process at night.

This could be the difference between you bedroom cooling down to desirable temperatures overnight or not. It's a basic simple 10-15 $ fan kept on the window sill after sundown. What this does is, it brings the cool air from the outdoors into your room replacing the warmer air inside, at an accelerated pace. As we know, hotter air being lighter settles near the ceiling and gives you the pleasure of being in the company of some cool air while you're going to bed. To top that, if you are using another fan in the room, it would mean that the second fan would be circulating cooler air in the room.

6.
This could be a real handy device, especially when it's extremely hot and humid. Firstly, spraying cold tap water around the room and along the walls with this spray would not create the mess that splashing water would; this would lower the temperature in the room marginally-something's better than nothing. Second, if you have a towel handy, you could just spray your face with this for a really refreshing cooling effect. And being water, you can do this as much as you wish to.

7. Wet thin towel as a blind on the open window: This would lower the temperature of the air entering the room. Some people even say that keeping a wet towel in front of a powerful fan/air circulator helps- I haven't tried this. Besides, it is not a self-sustaining trick. But then, nothing mentioned above is!

8. Keep wiping off the sweat. It's really refreshing.

9. Have cool beverages, but not in the sun, unless you want to invite heat stroke.

10. I have noticed that if I somehow keep my face cool and sweat free, it somehow feels a lot better than it would considering the alternative. I cannot explain why this happens, like a lot of other things I suppose.....

Stay cool and may we have our cherished weather back soon!

The different food pyramids....

2010-04-13T12:52:00.002-04:00

It's Tuesday, the day of the classes. Three classes scheduled, the first one almost done with. The topic to discuss in this class is quite interesting. We are talking about the evolution of nutrition and recommendations in the US. This included a lot of content ranging from dietary recommendation cards in the US; how their wordings changed from assertive words like "avoid salt" to politically correct words like "choose to have salt in moderation", how the decision making with something so scientific as nutrition and health has been influenced by politics and industry.
We also looked at the evolution of the food pyramid. The food pyramid from 1992 explains quite well why obesity is a disease in the US and a lot of the western world.

It is quite evident that the whole issue with this pyramid is that it recommended a superfluous intake of bread and cereal- the whole problem with the current day diet in the developed world!

This pyramid needed flipping, which did happen in 2005. The current day food pyramid would be self explanatory....

The beauty of this pyramid is that it not only tells people that carbohydrates and sugars are bad for them, but also that good health is about healthy eating compounded with exercise!

For the pleasures of those really into this stuff, following is the Food Pyramid drafted by Walter Willett, who can practically be termed the father of Nutritional Epidemiology. Hopefully a lot would be incorporated in the upcoming 2010 food pyramid.....

--  G u r u

Issues

2010-04-13T12:45:00.000-04:00

There seem to be some nagging issues with my blogger uploader. I am
trying to sort them.....Sorry for the incomplete posts, if any.....

--
G u r u

Hero

2010-04-08T00:45:00.000-04:00

My Tuesday evening class

2010-04-06T18:06:00.003-04:00

I am back in class....Tuesday evening, 2.5 hours, painful, painful, painful.
It's not surprising I am writing this post right now. My last post was exactly a week back from this very class, which is scheduled just once a week. Quite an irony, the fact that the only time that I have come back to blogger to leave a post, the only time when I have been free, more mentally than time-wise really, is when I am in class, this very class!

But I get the feeling that I have to stop letting these lag times come in the way.....I mean I am busy and everything, but I still get my daily dose of news and other interesting articles, and coming to blogger for 5 minutes in a day would certainly do no harm to my quest with the boards.

Anyways, if nothing else happens, this class will, a week from now.......

Health insurers sue to raise rates - The Boston Globe

2010-04-06T18:05:00.001-04:00

Health insurers sue to raise rates - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

Good morning..........

2010-03-31T06:27:00.002-04:00

I have to say that it feels great to be up almost 6 hours earlier than usual.....
And no greater pleasure than waking up to a great song.......

When people get drunk......

2010-03-30T18:06:00.000-04:00

1:47 AM 1: 2 you online? you fat person.....
9 minutes

1:56 AM 2: oh u skinny lil thiong..
poor u ..underfed..
u asleep?
else its time to drink..

1:57 AM 1: huh
skinny
underfed?
what?

2: 2 is turning u on..

1: what?
hey
hi
its 1
remember
whats happening

2: %^&* that was defg n pqrs
im talli-ish
:P

1:58 AM 1: ok

2: i love you

1: me too
!!
lol

2: that wa pqrs
dont believ all tyhe cjhat lkk
]i= 8upogtfre6534213qetiy pu;oi

1: ok ok
stop destroying pcs

2: nmolp

1: anyways macs are taking over

2: ok..
1:59 AM do u wanna comeover to drink/
c'mon for 2..

1: lol
dude
spare the poor thing
when did you get back from boston?

2:00 AM 2: hey pqrs here come hereb man

1: and do what
%$^&*( 2 am dude

2:01 AM 2: 1 y 1
y yy y yy y

/
'/
?

2:02 AM 1: people have lost it i can see

2: yes i have
wow
its so cool
this should noty be cvhatvlogged
ill kill u
so dont

2:03 AM 1: WOW

2: coz u shyud be live over summer

1: you gave me a brilliant idea

2: fc um
1
ont do it
dont doit
bnooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
nioooooooooooooooooo
noooooooooooooooooooooooo

1: whats happening here

2: 'k byeeeeee
byeee byee

1: bye

2: pqrs wants u fo come wirth qlcohol

2:04 AM 1: and why have you forgotten how to type

2: o k hye
bye
bye bye 1
;)
:)\

Let her be......

2010-03-30T17:39:00.000-04:00

I am in class, but all I want to do right now is listen to this......(it's ringing in my head!!!)

Reading multiple books in parallel......

2010-03-17T01:15:00.000-04:00

I have made a pact that I am going to go through some real old books, books that have their own place in literature- in fiction for most part.This also means that I would have to go through some pretty deep stuff.

I have picked up Catch-22, an American literary classic. It has been described as funny and explosive. I am sorry to say that the first 50 pages that I have just zipped through are anything but that. Despite this, I have a feeling I am going to love this book once I finish it. That would mean going through 448 pages, and right now, that seems like a daunting task considering the fact that I am as distracted as I get while studying!

I have always read one book at a time- non-academic of course. My catch-22 situation (not in the literal sense- the term originated from this book FYI) made me think- I have to read something else for my hour odd/day of casual reading alongside Catch-22 to avoid dropping it completely, at least till I find it riveting (which hopefully at some point I would). I just wanted to know if a lot of people do this. So I went to google, and to my surprise, a lot of people who love to read, read multiple novels at the same time, alongside their daily dose of academic/vocational/devotional reading, newspapers and what not. So I have decided to give it a shot! I do have 3-4 books lying around, that I really, really want to read. I am about to open one of them, which is not really completely unrelated to my field of education- Epidemiology. Given its genre of read, I doubt I would ever get through it in its 300 odd pages of totality in one go, on its own. This seems like a plan.

The blog post at 1:07 AM because I was sleepy at 11 PM; I did not turn the lights off and bury myself into my blanket; now can't sleep! It looks like this is going to be another long long night.......

Effective Reading can't be a habit....it's got to be an addiction!!!

2010-03-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

People catch the bug from different places...I got it from my mother. Books.
I have been, what I would call, an avid reader most of my life, at least if I average it out! There have been phases where I have ripped on 300+pages of fiction day in and day out. There have been times when I have not read a page of casual literature for days together.
We all learn from really early on in life that reading is a good habit, probably the one to have. I would go on to say that it would be inappropriate to call, at least casual reading, a habit, per se. For if it is a good habit, and people know that already, you would see the whole world immersed in "non-academic" reading. But no. I would go on to call it more of an addiction, and one that really depends on what one reads early on in life (reading life, if you will). I was lucky to have a mother who is closer to voracious in her reading, help me there. I started with the Archie comic series very very early in life. Even though it might have different connotations today, I did enjoy it a lot back then. Then came the Famous Five series and Enid Blyton overall. HARDY BOYS-rite of passage to more serious stuff. By the time I was there, standing at the end of my 150th odd Hardy Boys book (the whole series), I was so into it, that I really did not need much effort to get engrossed in books.
Medical School changed it all. Casual reading was replaced by no reading, because academic reading did not give me pleasure. I knew that it would be good for me, but unless it was a subject I loved, I would not read. I COULD NOT DEVELOP THE HABIT.
During the same years, along came the Harry Potter series (not the only books I read all along medical school!!!). And once again, I was reading like a maniac, hitting a book/30 odds hours.
I feel sorry for the people who have not had people show them enjoyable reads early in the day. I know most of the people who read this blog....I know you guys are all fine......In case someone not as fortunate in this respect comes along at random, I would be more than happy to help with basic pleasant reads and suggestions. I may not be your "superhero print seeker", but I sure know who needs to read what to feel what!
Happy reading folks!!!!

The Google argument........Google is evil........I love Google

2010-03-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

1: omg i love google

2: im scared of google

5:55 PM 1: y r u scared of google?

2: they have my emails

my contacts

my passwords

some of my documents

most of my pics

dont you think i should be scared

5:56 PM the thing is

think about it

you cant switch to yahoo now even if you want to

thats scary

the thought that you cant switch

we depend on them

9 minutes

6:06 PM 1: well i dont hav all my passwords n pics with google actually

n i have a yahoo account too

in fct, google was my last account

i always had hotmail n yahoo

2: ya well all do

6:07 PM 1: google happened only in my 3rd year of udergrad

2: agreed

1: so no, im not afraid

;)

2: but think of the years when you are were active on the internet

more dependent on the comp

those were the google years

and i dont have everything there

but....they have enough

6:08 PM 1: well, think about it this way..google is such a mega giant, they've 'been there done that', they have the safest tech out there..so nur info is safest with them

2: agreed

thats y we are all with them

im more with the comic book principle

6:09 PM with more power comes more responsibility

and if turned bad, can screw way worse

1: yeh well unless they decide to go terrorist..it cant be all that bad

2: ya

another

bloggable conversation

When in Rome..............

2010-03-14T21:26:00.000-04:00

its a judgment about all oldies back home

where religion and customs controlled life

1: n really..they still do!

2: of course

but im ok with it as long it does not affect my life

1: true..wat we all hope for

but alas..not happening once u step into the country

haha

2: not at all

when in rome....

1: rrrriiiiitttee

2: "do the romans"

1: hahah..that tho we 'do the romans' even if we'r ein australia :P

2: hahahahah

its a thing seen most with us "romans"

1: yes..very rome-like behaviour

sticky bunch

these romans

2: i know

the best is when the romans see another roman within sight, they give him/her a big irritating stare from the corner of the eye, not direct enough to result in a "hey" and not unassuming enough to not notice

its like

have i seen this roman somewhere

hmmm

i have

maybe

1: yes ..i have..wtf is he/she doing here?

2: lol

this is going to a blog

1: lollzz

its like a new genre of blogging... chatblogs

Creaky old wooden chairs.....

2010-03-12T16:09:00.001-05:00

I just visited Rao's Coffee House at Amherst Center, to pick up my favorite "Chai to go". I was shell shocked when I saw that the place had been given a makeover.

This is not the first instance that I have had to witness the change from something old, deep rooted, historical, lovable, familiar, memorable change into a high quality furniture store. Being from Bombay, I saw this change left, right and center over the last 5-7 years. We loved it as it happened for sure, but eventually- "Naah, I wish it were the same old messy place". When the old made way for the new, familiar staff changed, familiar routines changed, familiar ambiance changed, rates changed. So essentially, it was never really a change of furniture at all. It was the soul being ripped out and being replaced. No matter how ordinary home might be, it's still home. It sure was a great house to start with. But then, because you used it along the way to getting familiar with it, it got old. The house became the home. But when you're from Bombay, you've seen the change- We saw Bombay making way for Mumbai.........

The whole point behind heading to Rao's and not Starbucks, is the smell of coffee and the creaky old furniture! I would go to Starbucks if I wanted to! Why would someone change something when people already love what's being offered to them! I am getting sick of the everyday transformation of something we love into something that had the stench of a corporate boardroom. It's another institution dying on us-the good old coffee shop, the cafe. The first one opened in Damascus in the 1500s. And it started dying right here in the US in the 80s I think, when the first Starbucks store opened in Seattle.

All said and done, I would say that the new Rao's is not a second Starbucks on East Pleasant Street. It is still, in essence, very close to the one we know and have come to love. A year of use and we'll have the old one back. I just got the feeling that the lights were too bright. Maybe someone should suggest installing the old tube lights once again maybe.....kidding......

A tribute to the old Rao's. You rock.......

A tryst with a fountain pen.....

2010-03-10T02:31:00.000-05:00

I have been a rebel most of my life, in fact I would say, for my entire life. Hence, I have never liked doing anything that I have been told to do, though at most times, I would eventually regret this contumacious attitude.

Back in the day, when we started using fountain pens in school, I used to look at me seniors in seventh and eight grade with awe- their ball point pens, unlike the messy, compulsory fountain pens we were using! I waited so desperately for my time to come. It sure did come. And then Gemma happened!

I had this teacher who used to teach me Math and Sciences in tenth grade, Gemma Wasan, strict as ever, would select her students with great care, and would make them work the way she desired! I entered her first class with a ballpoint pen. She gave us a short exercise with some Math problems to see where we stood. At the end of it, she corrected them all right in front of us- rather tore them all up. Why? Well, there was no need to correct them. They were all written in ballpoint pen ink, and there were cancellations and corrections on pages.....so a rule was established on the first day of tuition classes- USE FOUNTAINPEN, CANCELLATIONS ARE AS GOOD AS NO SUBMISSIONS. Gemma and her class are worthy of their own entry. Today, lets talk about my journey with my fountain pen.

I hated it, only because Gemma wanted me to use it. I tried to use microtips and roller balls. Finally, I gave in. I want to go back and see her and thank her to this date. It was because of her, that I did not have a single cancellation on my 10th Grade University Exams. I fell in love with my fountain pens- one red and one blue Parker vector, which lie at home in Mumbai till date. I continued using them through junior college, medical school and even internship!

I now carry a Waterman Hemisphere, way more expensive than my Parkers, but nowhere as good! Not for me at least. This just goes to show that no matter how boring something might get, if you're used to it, you are going to miss it! And yes, distance does make the heart grow fonder.

Gemma would say- "Buy a fountain pen, buy a bottle of camlin ink, use it for years. Less pressure on the paper, on your wrists and on the reader's eyes".

I wish there were more people like Gemma. I used my fountain pen at my Nutritional Epidemiology exam. It was a horrid experience. Apparently, the whole recycled paper circulating in the US is of such low quality, it's not even funny! A fountain pen needs a marginally absorbent paper with a smooth surface. The better the quality of the nib, the more would you feel the dynamics of ink, nib and paper. And it hurt, it was torture! There were blank strokes on one side of the page, compared to great writing on the other. The blue books are used for most exams at UMass. So what I am going to do for my Advanced Epi exam day after, is use a ballpoint! I hate it! But using the classic fountain pen is an experience which is dying out.

I am starting a new forum for fountain pen users. There are a couple out there already. All I can do is hope. AND BE A REBEL!

Hope to see you there.

How to fold a T-shirt in 2 seconds.....

2010-03-10T02:26:00.001-05:00

This works for me. Felt like I should contribute my two cents to any readers out there as a small fee (fine) for getting back to this blog once again after a year's lay-off......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An0mFZ3enhM

This is winter baby!!!!!

2009-01-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

Snow, snow and more snow. That's all you can see these days in Amherst, MA. Hell I was wrong when I thought it was winter already in November. Right now, all you can see is 4-5 feet piles of snow where it's not been cleared (basically everywhere apart from roads and sidewalks. And where there are no heaps, there lies a steady sea of shin to knee deep snow. And to top it all, it has to rain in the midst of a major snow session to give ice frosting on the trees. The silver lining is that the days are getting longer (from 4 pm darkness to 5 pm darkness :P).

From the sweltering sun in India to the oceans of snow in Amherst, it's all been happening for me over the last week.

It's all been happening!!!!!

2009-01-28T17:17:00.001-05:00

Writing, taking a layoff, writing more, another layoff...........such is life!
But to say the least, it's all been happening over the last couple of months. I got through very nicely with my courses.....no mishaps there. I visited India over the winter break, where it was very very weird in the beginning.......can't imagine why it can be so awkward to go back home, well you just have to be there to know how it feels. I took to a headshave from my shoulder length hair, and stupefied a few people!!!!!! As part of the India trip, visited heaven on earth-GOA. That I have to say, was the high point of the trip. I finally saw a totally obedient dog-they really irritate me when they call the shots!!!!!
All said and done, I am really glad to be back here in Amherst, the vacation had gone to boring proportions; guess I'm tuned to keeping myself occupied with something or the other. Since I could barely sleep 20 mins. on the 15 hour flight to India, I would say that the 5 hours of sleep i got on the way back was a blessing. Then the busride from New York to Amherst......I'd rather stay out of the travel details!
One thing I noticed in India was the lack of tuning to the current hits on the Hindi music scene. And that was really weird not only for me, but for a lot of people around me- Guru not able to identify songs, I mean people went to such lengths as tell me that I'd lost the one talent I had-(:p I showed them in time of course, that it's not only hard but impossible to match my range of talents--------you know I'm talking about you!!!!!!!!!)
I got hold of some songs that had happened over the last 6 months and for sure, some really good music had happened over this period!!!!!! Kept some people happy, and now I'm, back to my classicrock and oldies!!!!!!!! And always will be!!!!!!!!!!
Anyways, i think I'll crash now. The entire travel thing has left me feeling like trampled grass!!!!!! God bless people.

Maharashtra V Bihar

2008-10-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

This entire Maharashtra-Bihar thing is now really going out of hand. On one hand you have the leaders from Bihar making stupid statements, on the other we have Uddav, who is now talking stuff, as if one Raj was not enough for the entire issue. And what happened on route 332 was a totally weird issue in itself. The kid said stuff like "I'll show you what Bihar is". Well damn well he has. But it's time to remind both the parties involved here that it is not yet the law of the jungle.

The Man Asian Literary Prize

2008-10-22T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is for the wishful writers of today, there is an award out there that goes to unpublished work.
I am sorry to say though, that Amit Varma's book could make it to the 20 list but not to the top 5 shortlisted. Amit Varma writes the popular blog Indiauncut. I am a very big fan. The guy manages to get a fantastic perspective about things that come up in the news, and other general topics. Weird sometimes, but fantastic all the same.
To check out the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, go to http://www.manasianliteraryprize.org/2008/index.php

Please save me......this is really such a mess!!!

2008-10-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

Weird things have happened to this world and at the present moment I can find none more weird than the "Blogging Plant".
Check it out at http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081021/twl-blogging-plant-grows-big-in-japan-41f21e0.html

The Google G1 Android

2008-10-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

After a long wait, the google phone is finally here. It's called the Google Android G1, in collaboration with T-Mobile. It's gonna land in the market on the 27th of October. To check it out, go to
www.google-phone.com/google-phone-gphone-features-and-specifications
I would certainly recommend watching the YouTube videos embedded in the above site to everyone, especially to gizmo freaks and cellphone crazy people.
As far as I am concerned, this is the thing for tomorrow, technology is surpassing levels at a maddening pace for sure!

Cooking again....

2008-10-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Today we decided to waddle into unknown territory.....we tried making shrimp, and believe it or not, the attempt was more than decent. in fact i would say that that curry was awesome with rice. so much so for the stress with cooking when i came here. its now more fun to get into it with the roomies and try out new stuff.
A famous quote from one of my favorite novels....Forrest Gump....yes it was originally a novel, and trust me much better than the movie.

Bubba Blue (Mykelti Williamson) Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That's, that's about it.

guruprasadjambaulika sent you a video: "Zaheer Khan - I love you"

2008-10-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

	help center \| e-mail options \| report spam
guruprasadjambaulika has shared a video with you on YouTube: Check out the level of stupidity that has actually halted a game with Sehwag at the crease. Zaheer Khan - I love you Zaheer Khan fan shows her love to him
© 2008 YouTube, LLC

Cheers to India

2008-10-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

I am glad to say that India have finally won the test match against Australia, and that too in what emphatic style....by 320 runs!!!! And the man of the match was MS Dhoni. I remember saying just a couple of days ago how it is Dhoni who has had such a huge role to play in getting India to where they are now.
All the same, congratulations to the whole team and to all the supporters of this awesome Indian Cricket Team.

At this point I would also like to say a word about this one young bowler who has added needed firepower to the Indian bowling attack. I am speaking of none other than Ishant Sharma. He had a big role to play in the successful Indian tour of Australia last year and also in this one, where India have showed some real promise so far. What is great is he has stopped a rampaging Ricky Ponting. For a guy who treated any damn bowler with contempt, he was stopped short in his tracks by Ishant, who not only got him out cheaply most of the times down under, but is also following it up here. I mean who would say that Ponting is actually someone's bunny!!!!!

Cheers to Sachin

2008-10-21T00:15:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention this early on, but I really want to extend my congratulations and respect to Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the highest run getter in Test Cricket. He surpassed Brian Lara the other day and has now surpassed the 12000 mark.
Critics and more importantly cynics have a negative image for Sachin. Far as I'm concerned, he is the greatest player in the world. People have this thing where they say he does not win any series in the finals for India. And his record does say that. Ponting, people say, is better. Lets not forget that cricket is a sport which is played as a team by 11 men. Ponting has a set of great 11. Sachin on the other hand rarely has had the support of the rest of the team through half his years in the sport. The remaining half was more like Real Madrid; a host of stars bunched together do not necessarily make the best team around. So I would put it differently when saying that Sachin has maybe not won any series for the country, but has damn well managed beyond the limits of a single man to cover the mistakes of 10 others in the team.

Music can save lives. courtesy BeeGees

2008-10-21T00:07:00.000-04:00

I am a big time music lover, not the kind to sling a guitar and roam around all over the place but the kind who really enjoys keeping it on when I'm doing practically anything and everything, and so it is but natural for me to say that music has a big part in my life.
Well, I heard this interesting bit in class today from my Professor and looked it up then and there; music can save lives-literally!
As per a current event, CPR is performed more efficiently when done to the tune of the big BeeGees track Stayin' Alive. As per the AHA, the recommended rate of compressions in CPR is 100 and when done to the beat of the track is 103, which is really great. To check out the article in detail go to
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081016/music_nm/us_heart_beegees_1
And what an appropriate track too! STAYIN' ALIVE!!!!!

Eat, sleep, drink, LIVE cricket

2008-10-20T11:04:00.001-04:00

Well, we are going down the same old IndiaVAus road once again. And fortunately India is winning this one, at least from the looks of it. And I am pretty sure that the world must be going crazy in Mumbai, my hometown. I am proud to say that had I been there, I too would have been going through the same motions. Its a totally different thing, cricket being more religion and less sport in India, at least in the parts that I have lived in!
I think with the track record we have shared with Australia in the last year or two it is now safe to say that the legacies of the ASHES and the great India-Pakistan cricketing rivalries are now on a downslide. I think the new buzz is INDIA V AUSTRALIA. And as far as I am concerned, even though all the new guys in the team have had a rold to play, its been one guy more than the others, our captain M S Dhoni.

Frost and Chill

2008-10-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I hate to say it but the Rays made it to the world series by beating the Red Sox in the finals of the ALCS. I'm pretty sure that everyone will agree that they were the better side through the series, the younger side. The Red Sox played one game into a historic victory but the rest was just pretty ordinary. Besides I'm happy for the rays since they had played in the finals of any major tournament for the first time in history, so but natural that they have gone on to the world series for the first time ever. Now I think I'm gonna be supporting them against the Phillies.
Attending class this morning was a pain since I forgot all my cold protection in the hurry of making it to the bus in time. Well, the first thing I noticed was a layer of frost on the grass just beyind my patio. Yes, frost. I had heard about it but seen it for the first time. Not snow, frost.
Even last night my friend had showed me a layer of ice on the cars parked in the lot. Somehow when most people are getting troubled by all this, I think I'm quite enjoying it. Give me this cold any day over Bombay, s heat. Think I was meant to be in such weather. It was -3 deg C last night!!!!

MONOPOLY

2008-10-19T02:05:00.000-04:00

For the first time in ages, I tried my luck at monopoly today. And believe it or not it was great fun. Only this time around, there was no board, it was a nice PC game. 3 of my roommates joined me at it.
The last time I played monopoly, we did not stick to any of the rules. It was just 4 guys and a fifth playing as a "banker". People could trade, they could make rent let-offs, the bank was doing things at random. Seemed fun in the beginning, but then it all ended up in quarrels. Made me realize that it is sometimes the best option to stick to the rules. When you stick to a common set of rules, and there are no concessions for anyone and each one exists on equal grounds, there is no scope for any unrest. Otherwise if you put it in the real perspective (and that does sound like the ground reality, at least in India), it's not human civilization we are talking about, but the law of the jungle.
And the Red Sox did win today. So now the series stands tied at 3 a piece. All down to the wire. But I think even The Tampa Bay Rays must be feeling the frustration of their "so close yet so far" kinda outcome already.

Cooking

2008-10-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

I think what I'm speaking of here is something that most guys in India have no idea about. Why,till I got to the states I had no clue myself! But come to think of it, you really should consider yourself disabled if you are in that position, for its only a basic skill to know how to feed yourself.
Here I should really thank my rooommate Teella, who happens to be a senior and has been doing it for a long time now. Without his "training session", life would have been really difficult. I think I can safely say now that I am decent at this job of cooking. Not that I am someone who you want as your guy for a special occassion, but then "Functionality over flair".

What a year!

2008-10-18T22:54:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking to myself about how this year has gone by. And to speak the truth, it's been really great to me. I got through my internship in Mumbai, I prepared for my GRE, took it in September, scored quite decently, applied for my Masters in the States, got admits from a whole lot of universities, and here I am in UMass, Amherst.
Along the way, I toured a hell of a lot. Enjoyed on a lot of good road trips in India, travelled to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in Dec '07. Then came another awesome trip to China in Feb '08.
Along the way I partied a lot as well, with a whole lot of friends.
It's been equally crazy since I left for the states on the 26th of July. I visited my cousin in Seattle. I was with his family for a good 20 days. I visited my friend Akshay in Minneapolis, had a great amount of fun there too.
Since I reached Amherst, my friend Aditya visited me once for a long weekend and we embarked on a great Boston trip and met a whole lot of friends there as well.
Its now gotten really hectic with the coursework, assignments, cooking, cleaning, stuff that I would have probably not ventured into at all in India. But whats there in life without some serious change. And change is what I got here!
I guess people would be thinking to themselves, what hasthis guy done apart from freaking out in the whole of the last year! And I quite agree with you! But then that's why its time to work now, I guess. But it's Guru we are talking about here and when it comes to me, the freaking out will always be a part of the picture.
"In life, you make your choices and you don't look back". NO REGRETS!

Baseball

2008-10-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

First things first. Its been over a year since I was here. Different year, different country. I now reside at a place called Amherst in Massachusetts, USA. So much has happened in a year, so much to tell. Well, you can't do it all in a day. I laughed so loud when I saw my previous post which said stuff about a "sting operation" on Vicky. That was tripping funny, the entire episode.
Along with the education and insane weather, Mass has opened me to a totally new distraction. BASEBALL.
I could never figure out the concept behind baseball, thought it is a "cheap second" to cricket. And I would still stand by that to a certain extent. But sport will always be sport, especially with the Basketball preseason on and not the playoffs, and I need my share of sport. Now I get it too. In fact I never thought I'll be saying it but I'm actually loving it. Especially with the sort of comeback The Boston Red Sox are making in the ALCS finals. I mean who would have thought in the last game where they were trailing the Rays by 7 in the 7th innings and came back to win it in the 9th. The second greatest comeback ever. And looking at their track record, I don't think a single soul must be doubting that the Red Sox are gonna win this series. Well, they are trailing 3-2 now in the finals. But then if they win this one, it boils down to the one final match.
As far as I am concerned, I'm just happy that I have reason for hero-worship and team loyalty again. As I write this the Red Sox hit a homerun and take a 3-2 lead in the 6th game. Go REDSOX!!!!!!

FRIENDSHIP DAY

2007-08-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

happy friendship day this, happy friendship day that....thats all that i've been hearing all day long. to add to it a million different ways to express the same, all those cheesy poems and one liners! I seriously thought to myself at least some 10 times today, this entire affair seems to be very overrated!
yes, its good to wish people on a special day. but then to overdo it is something i never did like much.
went out with some random friends this evening and did a sort of a sting operation on vicky with his brother. it was insanely funny! cheers to the good old friends!

GOD KNOWS HOW I ENDED UP HERE!

2007-08-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

Well well, if it isn't for the bloggers world! Its been around for ages as far as i remember, but never ever did i have the slightest inclination to be a part of it. seen a lot of my friends venturing into the same all right(cheers sartistic).
it just so happened that i finished reading Jeffrey Archer's bestseller Kane and Abel, and liked it so much that I actually Google d it on accessing the internet. And guess where i end up! right here to his blog from his official website......and then there was this convenient looking tab on the screen, reading out in bold "CREATE YOUR BLOG", which i could not resist attacking with my mouse......so here I am!
Anyways its been one hell of a day and im tired outta my socks......think to need to catch a winker.....Got another really tiring day lined up tomorrow......so if i actually have the time and the energy to come back, ill see you tomorrow. Hope its eventful tomorrow......Hope