Crazy world... insane thoughts

Re:8

2012-01-05T06:01:00.001+05:30

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2012-01-04T11:55:00.001+05:30

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2011-12-27T10:11:00.001+05:30

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Re:

2011-12-17T01:45:00.001+05:30

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Tweeting with the Bengali Foodie

2011-06-21T12:05:00.000+05:30

So here I am - interviewing @_soumyasree_ on the bong food forum that she administers. Twitter ensures that the answers are short and tasty

The forum is located at http://bitebybyte.11.forumer.com/

Quick question on your food forum. What's the inspiration?

The demanding pallate of @csougata

One more quickie. What's the ultimate objective?

Not to let the traditional bengali recipes (and others if I can manage to fish out) get lost after our mothers & aunts retire. But there's a language drawback. Since I started it just as note to self, some recipes are in bengali. Of course. Just needs some time and patience. But I do it impromptu if someone asks for a particular recipe

Where do you plan to go with it in the near future ?

To organise it properly first. And to translate the recipes in bangla to english for wider comprehension

That's a great idea. Any plans for crowdsourcing of recipes?

As you might have noticed BiteByByte is a forum and Not a Blog. As such member participation has been key since inception

So what is the most discussed recipe on the blog? The one that people couldn't get enough of.

Meat and fish recipes generally get more attention.

I know bengalis prefer those meats. But there are some great vegan dishes out there. Any plans on promoting the veg palate?

Very much. More since my mom has turned vegetarian. Also, contrary to general belief, Bong kitchen offers variety of veg dishes

Any special dishes that you reccommend?

Veg #Recipe. Lentil Fritters in Spicy Sauce (Daal er Borar Jhaal) http://bitebybyte.11.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=213

That reads yummy. Trust it will taste even better.

Thanks. If anyone is interested to try it, I shall be happy to translate the recipe from Bangla to English.

But no forum works without some good administration. That's a known fact.

I agree. And also I have not approached it professionally ever. So it's a little scattered. And I admit that.

I would be happy if someone joins the administrative team to help. But never ask since there's no incentive involved.

Have you considered offline interactions with folks who've contributed on the forum? Something different and interactive.

Have interacted on Facebook Orkut. But since they are scattered across the globe, it's difficult to plan a meet.

Just reached office. Talk to ya in a bit

Sure. Have a nice day. And thanks again.

Metro times

2011-06-15T11:01:00.000+05:30

What's playing on the mind standing the 75 minute ride home is a collection of myriad musings.
What's with the weird looks they keep throwing my way? But then it isn't about me - not just about me. People are always looking around and something just fixes their gaze this ways. Must be the shine off the top of my baldness.

The metro journey makes for a good workout of the powers of observation. Not intended in a lecherous manner, though I wouldn't put that past me if the subject was deserving.
Case in question: people sitting and staring hard at the bum in from of them. I wonder why they do that. Are they looking to pull something out of the back facing ass or wishing theirs was as tight?

Mostly there is a lot of silence. People must talk, but the music blaring into my ears keeps me safe. I base my readings entirely on eyesight and body language.

Why does a woman in a knee length skirt merit such a large group of men around her? Move over guys, I want some NSP too. NSP- Nainsook prapti for the uninitiated is the term used to describe a feast for the eyes. Men will be boys and not vice versa.

I hate these jerks who are always looking for others to adjust. If the metro seating is for 7, I see no reason for 8 to be forcibly adjusted. So I refuse to adjust or if the guy next to me moves over, I refuse to budge and ensure that no.8 sirs at the edge, all set to fall over

Another quick observation today. Sitting next to the reserved ladies seat in the morning metro. The guy next to me got up when the pretty ones arrived. Now, instead of sitting there they asked me to shift into the ladies seat. I promptly refused having on an earlier occasion been hoodwinked into vacating that seat 5 mins later by another lady. She gave me a dirty look and she wasn't so pretty any more.

That's it for now. More metro musings as we encounter them.

PS: A quick update on the skirted lady - she actually stopped and talked to me as we de-boarded at Huda city centre. She had a query on the iPad which I was able to verbally resolve.

boomerang

2011-06-14T12:56:00.001+05:30

I did not come running to you for the wedding shoot assignment. In fact I did not even know about you.

You came to me at what is technically the last minute - 1 month prior to the wedding.

You give me references of friends who are dear to me and so I was flexible in more ways than One.

Yes - I believed you and did not take any advance.. as a matter of faith - one human to another.

You did not keep in touch and when I followed up - all seemed to be well.

So when you get someone else to call me up a week before the shoot and tell me it's off - we hired someone else cos' your shoestring was too much for us - pardon me for NOT smiling. I'm sure you had your limitations - but that's really none of my business. I helped out when you asked me to to mitigate some of that as well.

So I am upset that you couldn't be woman enough to call me. Why get a man to do what women do best?

Now when I cancel the tickets - the voice on the sms tells me we can do a one day shoot. ha!

If I was not who I am - I'd have taken you up on it.

But then - me being me - just did what I'm good at - and wished you the very best of luck with the wedding.

Call it arrogance if you may. I'd rather take my loss than do a shoot that's forced upon someone by feelings of guilt and negativity. It just won't be the same. I take my photography, passion as it is, quite seriously and to heart. Just for my sake - I will remember this.

I'm not going to name you and badmouth the whole system. Lord knows there are some good people out there. I've been lucky to meet them mostly.

.... and then again - life is a boomerang.

The piano man

2011-06-07T09:48:00.000+05:30

Sitting bored in the mall when we could be shopping for her gift. The lady is on an official call, so I'm sitting by the wayside observing the man in the centre of the atrium. He's playing a piano. Hence the name - piano man

He's playing a melody oblivious to the sea of humanity around him. No mean task as it is. His tunes run a plethora of melody with no fixed agenda as it is. He looks around hoping someone would make a request - but the crowd treats him like they would an invisible entity. There's pain in the back of his mind and heart. Nothing hurts an artiste more than invisibility. He never knew he'd end up like this playing the walking melody to thousands. His music had always been planned on the good graces of melody with people singing in chorus.
That things did not go as planned, well no surprise there. Circumstance might have been fortuitous had he been willing to bend over. Ever the true blooded artiste, he'd chosen the path less traveled.

Now the wait for the next fork in the road.

Patterns

2011-05-31T17:38:00.000+05:30

The wheel weaves as the wheel wills. We are part of this great pattern that stretches from the moment of creation till coherence dies out. And then some more.
Not a profound thought emanating from the depths of my mind. But true, all the same.

We are threads winding one over the other, some thicker than the rest. There are those amongst us who claim to make their own destiny changing the lives of the ones around us. Some of us bind others around our thread knowingly or not making us the centre of that small universe for awhile. A microcosm of the universe at large. Some of us have experiences on human interaction that logic fails to explain. A passing face, a familiar exchange of words, and then sometimes, just a look. Some threads that were unwound a while ago come back to be bound stronger than the past. What the butterfly effect does is alter a part of that weave of the pattern.

I get this gut feeling many a time that I'm in the presence of people who are going to impact my life, now or later. Its just a feeling that comes and goes at it's choosing. Sometimes I'm able to identify the person indicated, mostly not. Some would say I read too much - but I've learned not to ignore Mr.Gut Feeling. Better safe than sorry later, I say.

Pension Rations

2011-05-11T19:18:00.001+05:30

The very real danger in pension investments is a gross miscalculation of requirements at the time of retirement. Thus you may actually end up investing less expecting returns which may be improbable at the time.
True, soothsaying ability would be helpful to see how things would be 20 years down the line. But that's limited to god himself.
It can be correctly expected that the buying power of the rupee will decline with the passage of time.

So we're stuck with a couple of problems here.
- The old may be getting older - but they're living it and increasing the cost on us.
- Also, the nuclear families in the current era reflect smaller family sizes. So a family of 2 kids supports an elder sample size of 4-6.
- Another trend is the lowering of the retirement age - call it the creative calling. So my 40+ years old banker retiring from active service joins the burden that we bear. He might have the investments to back his retirement. But he's moved from an active contributor to someone who is a pure consumer.
I haven't even started talking about government healthcare benefits.... That would require more learned discussion.

Now that we have some clarity on the nature of the beast, time we put a leash on him.

- Start saving more keeping estimations on returns on the lower end of the spectrum.
- Work longer, keeping at least 55% of estimated lifespan as working life. I'm talking about time spent earning a living, not school and college.
- Let's assume the theoretical lifespan is 80 years.
20 years - education etc
44 years - work like a man
16 years - enjoy retirement.

That's what I'm gonna do anyhow

A life so fragile

2011-04-11T12:45:00.000+05:30

A random thought that crossed my mind - lose a telephone exchange and you wouldn't be able to buy yourself any food. Yeah, come to think of it - no credit card, no internet and whamm!! Game over.

I love my technology - but this love has made me fragile. My personal ecosystem has become dependent on the flow of electrons to the extent that most of what I do (apart from the bodily functions) is electricity or internet dependent.

talk to my family / friends and stay connected to the world around me
check for email
search for help
find an address
read the newspaper
buy & read books
buy petrol
cook food
get the wife a gift
take photographs
and the list goes on!!

The end of what we call a normal life, will come. And it never knocks before entering.

So plan for it and strengthen your system.... that way you might just survive

Only time will tell

2011-04-08T18:03:00.000+05:30

It's not always the easiest of things - getting a suitable reaction from nonchalant folks that is. Anna seems to have done that with familiar ease. Call him a phenomenon or whatever is synonymous with it. He has appealed to the collective mindset and there's an outrage that makes one believe the paradigm may shift.

No doubt the nay Sayers are having a field day too. We are used to being skeptics and fear that good may one day come to pass.

The government is behaving along predictable lines and is all set to make a martyr. The question is - are they prepared to handle the consequences.

A question that only time will answer.

The viewing angle

2011-04-06T18:48:00.001+05:30

What's a few years plus or minus when you consider a lifetime as a point of measurement. However, we are trained to think in terms of the here and now rather than adopt a big picture view. It's always the planet versus the galaxy argument here.

I believe that it's vital to keep both - micro & macro vision in correct perspective when making a choice. Life is after all, a succession of choices viewed expertly in hindsight. Rearview vision is always 20/20. But we tend to go with tactical moves without demonstrating sufficient strategic intent. The successful ones tie one to the other.

So you want to be a photographer. A famous one at that, making greens by the load. It wont happen overnight unless the tooth fairy drops by and feels generous. You got to work at it. I'm in the process working 6 days on the regular job and skipping about here and there landing myself an assignment every now and then.
The first step was the toughest. I had more nervous nellies than I'd care to count.A very dear friend had me over shooting her nephews first birthday. I was too overwhelmed to ask for remuneration. She did her bit though. My only deal was that I'd shoot the images my way. Candid and natural. I got home with 485 images and was scared, still wondering if I could do justice to the post processing. Luckily, things turned out fine. Even today she sends assignments my way and still, I get Tongue tied asking for compensation.

But yeah, moving ahead of the first step, things slowed down. At first the high of the initial assignment kept me going. Then a lil despondence began to creep in as there were compliments on the photographs I posted on Facebook, but no assignments. A wait of 6 months ensued before I shot the next photograph, as a paid assignment. I questioned myself a lot in those 180 days and remained focussed on clicking for fun. It paid off in the end. Somewhere a young bride to be had seen my pics. She went out on a limb and we were on. Her Australian fiancé was a tad skeptical, but she tided over that. There's been no looking back ever since.

As a matter of principle, I take on only a couple of assignments a month. That ensures I can focus on both, the day job and my photography without being unfair to either.

I keep both the macro and micro pictures in my head all the time. Every step, no matter how small, brings me closer to my destination.

Your story

2011-03-26T10:46:00.001+05:30

All of us tell stories. These stories define us.

How we tell our story makes all the difference in life. It makes a difference on the way people look at us and understand where we're coming from. A story is also the most effective method of running some helpful self analysis and sorting out the road ahead.

Getting the story elements right is critical to good reading. It is vital that the readers get involved and feel that they have a stake in your success.

There's always the protagonist - the hero, that's you.
Then there's the situation into which he has been thrust. A job for example.
Follow that up with the spice. The reason why he can't continue working as he always did. Call this guy the villain, could be the boss or maybe a set of changed Market conditions.
So what does the hero (you) do in this case. This forms the crux of your story. What did you do differently?
Results notwithstanding the reader must identify with you.

Now apply this to your resume. Many make the mistake of only putting in chronological events without the spice of the story- their accomplishments. So you didn't save a fair maiden. But you brought down costs. That works just as well. Substantiate that with your tenures and where it took you. Readers love that twist in the tale.

Focus on your audience. A business manager in the purchase department thinks differently from the CEO. Different strokes for different blokes. It's a Good idea to be able to add different hues to the same story.

Not every story is one of success. Tragedies sell too. The key element is creating a tale which is followed and identified with. Go on... Tell your tale.

Why Skimp?

2011-03-22T17:18:00.002+05:30

As the word is aptly defined, “providing or consisting of less than is needed”. Of course, it’s important to put down the “needs” and the “wants” with equal alacrity. Indian weddings are not rally known for being skimpy, so why this?

I’ve been attending weddings for quite a while now. Sometimes as a guest, but mostly in my role as a wedding photographer. This does allow some insight into human psyche and the actions that result thereof. It is in my nature to be observant and records memories. As a wedding photographer, I am entrusted with a great responsibility - to ensure that you love what you see, 10 years down the line. The images may not be perfect - but they must reflect perfection.

Now here’s the catch. The average Indian family spends more on flower arrangements than they would spend on a specialist photographer entrusted with the capturing of these moments (he/she also captures the flower arrangements for what it’s worth). Maybe it’s an old paradigm - but I believe that it’s time for a shift. We need to respect the work that the photographer puts in. It’s not just about being there with camera in hand. The amount of work the photographer puts in AFTER the wedding is almost (if not more) than the actual event itself.

Wedding photography was never the most sought after profession. I don’t see things changing on that front, even though more people own DSLRs than they did 5 years ago.

A camera in hand does not a photographer make.

But it does give you a chance.

But why SKIMP on the one thing that you’re gonna be seeing for a long time hereafter? The images remain with you forever and on the internet for more than forever. 99.9% of the world didn’t attend your wedding. But they did see the images and guess what - they almost felt a part of it. You spent 125,000 on a wedding outfit, but couldn’t afford the right photographer to capture you in it. Apparently - the package deal didn’t work out.

You preferred instead the regular studio guys who are always in your face, asking you to smile (even when they’re rude) and stepping on all your toes (all the time). You hate posing on stage with the “new” husband cos’ the traditional photog makes you do such filmy poses that you cringe; but hey it’s all part of the package. You’re dead tired, but you gotta give that last shot. Kinda feels like being in the movies - only difference is, you’re financing it.

The photographer is not just a chronicler of the special day(s) but is also your friend. So when you smile at your friends, give him a smile too. It makes his day just seeing those pearly whites come naturally on your beaming face.

So put those needs and wants down on paper(or MS Excel) and do a priority check. Most of us get married but once...... make the most of it and hold on to those memories.

Metro-types!

2011-03-17T11:03:00.001+05:30

Travelling the metro has become a daily routine now. Once the novelty wore off, I've just kinda got used to it. I try not to be one of the dour faced commuters executing the robotic function of going to work.

People still look at me typing away on the iPad as some kind of novelty. If only we'd move ahead of that.

For my part, I like to observe. A 3rd party view or gods eye view. Call it whatever.

People watching can be a full time activity without appearing "nuts" .

There are the silent ones with purged up faces looking like they just had a lobotomy.

Then the swingers who move with the metro coach. Every jolt is reflected in their posture. So these guys are never really standing straight.

The chirpy ones with music in their ears are also special. Only as long as their volumes are on mute.

Sleepyheads also abound. They sit , they sleep off. Miraculously, they awake just as their station arrives. I was once in their category - travelling from Huda city centre in deep sleep, to be woken by a middle aged aunty the termination junction.

One cannot forget the lovers. This category of couples searches for space in the area where the coaches interconnect. Not much in terms of privacy. But at least they can hold hands without being stared at from both sides.

There is also a special category of "shameless" travellers who occupy the seats reserved for the old, handicapped and ladies. The less besharam ones pull a pigeon when one of the aforementioned approaches. The habitual offenders stare down their targets daring them to make a call and evict them.

Public travel in India is famous for the one liner - kindly adjust. So this special class of commuters will look at you and request, "kindly adjust". Suddenly 8 people will be sitting in space meant for 7. If it's not the adjustment factor, there are always close friends and relatives who will want to share their seat and inconvenience the mango people around.

But it is heartening to see women not being groped and dilliwallahs standing in a queue (once in a while) when they're in the metro.

So very un-dilli-like

The Mango Traveler

2011-02-28T07:46:00.001+05:30

Time is money. Too much of it can induce boredom. Waiting for a flight announcement is quite the painful task. This time the airline folks have pulled of a Houdini. No one is around to face the ire of the disgruntled passenger.

My backpack weighs heavy on the shoulder but that's of no concern to Spicejet. That's when the iPad comes out and the language flows. The big question : is violence a solution here? Being mr.Gandhi is definitely not working.
Then there's an announcement and we make a beeline for the counter. Interestingly enough in this country, get 3 people to stand in a format resembling a queue and the rest assume there's a free giveaway - so they all get in line too.

I question them on the delay.. and they look askance. My watch must be out of sync with their little brains. These are characters straight out of a Dilbert cartoon strip. But then they never expect the Mango man to question their actions or inactions as the case may be. The other mango travelers with me raise their voices but who's listening. After a point in time - we just buffer these delays into any business planning.

The flight is nice but the landing is the bumpiest in recent times. Must be my law of flying averages catching up with me. Fingers crossed as we come to a hurried stop. Mumbai is here...

(penned last week, posted today)

Sorry for the inconvenience

2011-01-31T09:27:00.001+05:30

Monday mornings are it.
Mr. Murphy is on a roll. Everything seems to be acting up. There's this lovely curtain of White across the runway which has limited visibility to the immediate proximity. My flight scheduled for 0745 is being rescheduled constantly. The current estimated time of departure is 1015 hours. They still have an hour on hand to reschedule that particular time. I trust the fog will force their hand.
Still I'm better off than those poor folks on board their flights for the last 2.5 hours sitting like ducks on the Tarmac. I got a couple of calls from friends on their respective work trips sitting it out with no space to move around.
All around, flights are getting pushed back and the mango passengers are getting pushed around.

I was hoping to escape the morning chill - but here I am cooling my heels in sight of the exit. The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

After a while

2011-01-30T15:57:00.001+05:30

So here's the deal. I'd given up on writing for sometime. It wasn't that the thinking process had stopped; rather the effort necessary was not forthcoming. One month into the new year, I realised the error in motivation and decided to rewind the tape.
That's just how I am.

We live in a freezing house. Her love warms it into a home. But we still freeze. The reason for this frigid temperature is the Delhi winter coupled with low or no sunlight. It does stay cool in the summers though. I'm currently huddled up in multiple layers of warm clothing with a mock fur cap (that keeps the bald top warm). It's the middle of the afternoon. She's taking in her Sunday nap by my side after a heavy pasta session. The idea of a nap seems alluring but I won't sleep well at night and that is important. An early morning flight to Hyderabad awaits my arrival. A long week no doubt; with lots of walking a fine line involved.
At least I have a long Valentines weekend to look forward to. She has made some plans but will not let me into them for the present. I know it involves some travel but the destination is unknown.
All her friends know it but won't risk her wrath by sharing the details with yours truly.

So I shall wait.... With bated breath.

Sense or the lack of it...

2010-12-19T23:56:00.000+05:30

They say a flood makes the land on the river bank more fertile. They never talk about the deaths that came about because of the flood. So also with fate.

It's funny how fate lacks sense.
The decision to come to a favorable conclusion - all's well that ends well, leaves a lot of broken bodies & minds in its wake.

The Journey is the reward - an aphorism that I love to abhor.
It's the challenging portion, no doubt - but I prefer the end result (esp if it's in my favor).

I'd love to see myself the visionary - but vision impaired is the more likely outcome. Going through life wondering if I'm keeping to my so called 5 /10 year plan. They say every action should be in keeping with my goals - but they rarely ever are. Somehow things seem to fall into place and I look good on the face of it.
But I never planned for the good stuff to happen. It just did.
Oh - I look upwards and thank him tons. But if someone were to ask me the details of how I got where I am today - check with Fate!!

Death unnaturally

2010-12-13T22:29:00.001+05:30

Death comes to us all. It's natural so to say.
But we look upon it with unnatural fear and loathing. I'd like to believe that I'm special and above it all; in vain.

There's no telling when it'll come my way although I'm hopeful that there's still time to that moment. But I'd like my life and the death that follows to be of some meaning. No I don't want martyrdom in the name of country or religion. I'm simply trying to get a hang of the bigger picture here. The big bang had an impact on this universe in it's own little way. I'd like to be able to help too.

If I were faced with the inevitability of it, would I stop fearing it ?
Let's just say that there was to be an extinction level event tomorrow - could I deal with it knowing there's nothing I could do to avoid atomisation?
Maybe I'd get drunk, stay drunk. Or I'd spend it with the family in quiet introspection. There'd obviously not be enough time to do all that I'd planned for. But something inside feels that I would never give up trying to live till that last neural nerve worked. I'd be looking to squeeze that last bit of hope for survival as long as possible. This whole Human Spirit thing always leaves me a tad flummoxed.

I do not fret about the after life. I do not fret in the current life. But I still worry myself over that moment. But like a good doctor always tell his patient before the injection - you won't feel a thing.

The iPad phenomenon

2010-11-29T23:22:00.001+05:30

One week of owning this very interesting device. I thought the charm would wear off soon. It hasn't. In fact I'm now convincing others to own it as well.

Son what can I do with it. Mostly everything I need to stay occupied including high end photo editing tasks hitherto considered the dominion of the MacBook. The software is cheaper too.

I blog from the iPad. Stay socially connected wherever I am. Edit my photographs , watch flicks and listen to music too. If I'm bored I download the latest issue of any magazine I wanna read or a book thats available in the snoop format.

It's good for use at work when I need to make that presentation to the customer or play angry birds while I wait for an appointment. Check out the recipes online or a topic on wiki. Keep track of appointments, birthdays or things to do.

This will not replace my MacBook or the iPhone. But it makes life more interesting. All 9.7 inches of it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Unnamed Rd,Gurgaon,India

One day...

2010-10-11T00:15:00.000+05:30

one day the world will end
some will call it a beginning
it's only a matter of perception
i wonder where I will be on that day.
i mull over life after D-Day - if I make it that far
everything that we take for granted today.. would have gone
except that is - select human beings with their strengths and weaknesses..

So the big thought running around in my head (other than how to survive that day) is whom do i want to survive with......

Defining art

2010-10-09T00:41:00.001+05:30

Much has been said about the technical aspects of photography.

I'm being blunt when I say they're worth a damn.. in my book.

There is nothing like a bad photograph. In fact the scientific approach to defining art as good or bad - is not worth subscribing to. One mans art is another mans fart.

I may like a photograph or I may not - it's a binary state analysis.

If I do - then kudos to the artist.. else a few judo kicks in my mind. But I'm quite sure that someone somewhere will understand what was being depicted and appreciate it.

A few budding artists sent me a few photographs to see if I could help them out. Try I did.

But I believe that you do not need anyone else's appreciation to believe in yourself and your art.

It's quite simple actually.

Learn the technical aspects of photography - as you deem necessary to create the images that you would like to see. Don't over analyze your art to the point of making it a quantifiable entity. We all have our individual vision - even though many of us don't realize it (as yet). But we look at others and wish we could be like them. I'm not saying that having a role model is bad - but don't copy him/her in your art. Even if you do - make those subtle changes - those nuances in your form to ensure that you stand out by yourself.

Let your creativity define your art... rather than any individual and his art.

Travel in peace

2010-10-07T17:25:00.001+05:30

Traveling to work has never been this much fun in Delhi. The commonwealth games have succeeded where years of planning have failed. They've cleared the traffic from Delhi roads. Suddenly we've learned traffic rules and the benefits of using the Metro.

The roads have improved and so have we. Now if only some parents had used condoms at the right time- we wouldn't have an excess of politicians.

Location:Mehrauli Gurgaon Rd,New Delhi,India

Twisted mountain roads

2010-09-27T22:42:00.001+05:30

Somewhere in the shadows, my destiny awaits.
The last couple of months have passed by like a whirlwind. No time to sit and take stock.
There's been the usual traveling down south working to sate that wanderlust. The missus has gone in for a job change that has altered the daily routine ( for the better). My page on Facebook just crossed 3000 fans, a milestone that came sooner than expected.. Folks have started noticing my photography and there are prompts to go full time commercial as well. I'm just glad that I can show them how I see the world.

Just turned 33 in the month of the virgin. There's a whole lot of life ahead, or not. Depends on how you see it. Sitting in the night train from Bellary to Bangalore, the lights in the distance whizzing by and PM Dawn playing their stuff in my head, I'm set adrift on memory bliss.

I like the thought of money and applause on the photography front - but I'm not ready to compromise on my style.. I love shooting people thru that lens, but I don't wanna be seen as that photographer guy. I'd rather maintain my exclusivity and do little - but do it my way. Also - I click cos' I like to capture moments and emotions, much like the historian. Not to enter contests or be judged critically. I don't give anyone that right. Life is not a competition. Why can't we enjoy it without worrying if the highlights are overexposed.

Here's to life, wife and the art of seeing things as they are.

My Secret

2010-06-01T11:51:00.000+05:30

You gotta shift that awareness
It’s important to feel good and use the law of attraction to change your life.
When you feel down - it’s possible to switch that thought process by doing something that will feel good.
It’s all about self belief and turning affirmative thoughts to change your life.
I can be the Alladdin of my life while the universe plays the role of the genie.... yeah... and everything I wish is a command to be obeyed.

I ask for what I want.... no real need for written words- just feel it..
I allow the universe to answer the questions that have been asked
Receive life- come into alignment with what I've been asking for. That’s the feeling of joy and passion - without the emotions of fear, anger, possessiveness and other negative thoughts.

I follow that intuitive edge and the impulse to do it.

I started with NOTHING... and from there... I decided that I will have EVERYTHING.

Life is about that car on the dark highway where the headlights focus 200ft ahead. One can go through life like that. Even timelines are defined by us.
The current reality can be changed. Most of my thoughts were based on WHAT IS. The law of attraction gives me more of this WHAT IS. All we are is the result of what we’ve thought

Believing it makes it possible for me , cos' life is meant to be abundant.

Crossroad Rumination

2010-05-12T19:14:00.000+05:30

A long time coming.
This post has me thinking to no real end.

Between the hectic tours, family emergencies and my photography - this poor blog has taken a bit of a backseat. It's not that I've stopped thinking or feeling - just stopped expressing.

There comes a time for rethinking and puts life at the crossroads somewhat. That which was right next to you, becomes distant. You don't notice at first - but the enormity of the situation hits you all of a sudden... as Murphy puts it - when least expected

There was a time when things were crystal clear. Everything seemed to fit like a brick in a wall rather than the 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle that life has now become.

So what do I do... I shell up!
Cos' my shell is the only place that's mine and it's private.
Stare dreamlessly on and hope for nothing. There are no conflicting thoughts here. There are no thoughts actually. Just some empty space that doesn't know whether to fill up or stay that way. The perfect term for this state of mind - in limbo.

Maybe a truck will come and hit me.

Body & Soul

2010-04-21T19:43:00.000+05:30

this week has been one of those that comes about once in a lifetime.
well my grandmother (Badi Amma) could only have died once.......

This is how I'd like to remember her... the way one remembers a beautiful person

This is not so much about her as it is about a sensitization with death and the mortal coil. I'm nowhere near attaining Moksha with the way things stand at this time. But here's the set of thoughts in this head...

I see a new face of life every day.This time I saw death.

My camera stayed in its bag as I let the mind' eye record all that went on. A part of me wants to describe a lot of emotions verbatim as i felt them. Another part of me says that this blog is read by people of all ages. Sensitivity creeps in.

I had not spoken with my Granny for sometime now. A host of reasons abound but that's the way it was. I loved her in my own way - without saying that it was as much love as it should have been. Her death is my loss since I couldn't set a lot of things right. Every family has it's sets of internal fissures and frictions. Ours is no different. And she thrived on it. She got cannier as age went by - experience they call it.

When I grow older and we have kids and they have theirs - I trust my grandchildren will remember me better. The way I remember my Nana and Nani. When we have kids we will raise them as my folks raised Tina and I with the capacity to think freely and act as such. I trust I shall never have to raise a hand on them, like my father before me and unlike his father before him. I hope our children never have to run away from home to become something in life. We will cherish their dreams as ours rather than impose on them and force extreme measures at their end. I promise to love all grandchildren equally no matter how much money their parents have. Also hope that Sups and I will love all our kids equally and not differentiate on the basis of gender or their financial status'.
I trust my Dada-Dadi are listening in on this lil piece of conversation.... will help them in their next cycle on earth...

taking about an eulogy!!

Motive...

2010-04-14T23:03:00.000+05:30

...the key determinant to why we do what we do.
All actions are judged by their motives. If it were any other way, generals would be mass murderers, Income tax officials would be cheats and thieves and even a judge would be a murderer. The country would stop expecting self-sacrifice from its citizens and even the holiest of prophets would be guilty of misguiding millions.

Rat poison added to the rice to kill the rodents is a noble motive (no matter what Maneka says) but the same combination fed to a person would be guilty as sin. The question that comes to my mind is what is the right motive and what’s not.

I look for motives in actions around me at work.
There’re folks and then there are THOSE folks.
It’s like looking for patterns in a game.
Agendas abound - mostly of a personal nature. It’s difficult to get a hold of those which are beneficial to the organization and those beneficial to an individual or a group of individuals.

I guess that’s why they call it experience. Here’s what my experience tells me.
I respect that firm handshake - not too tight though.
Follow it up with a straight eye connected talker whom I would prefer to the schemer and one with all those extra slippery ideas
If an idea doesn’t sound right the first time you hear it - let it go.
Gut feelings should be respected.
Ego centric individuals should be controlled before they bloat up.
Many of the Top Guys thrive on sycophancy - there’s nothing you can do about it - except avoid it. Deliver results and your attitude will be accepted.

It all boils down to your motive...

a window within

2010-04-14T00:16:00.003+05:30

sitting by the window as the train whizzes along. The superfast express and the cattle class compartment are good remedies for a mind hovering on the edge. I have conjectured how it would come to this, many a time. The end was never in doubt - just the where and the when.

The balmy air outside transforms to a good wind and I make my way to the door feeling like some rain. The weather gods do not disappoint.
There is a smell of freedom in the air and it washes over me in gusts of rain. This freedom is not one earned lightly. I had to change gears and perspective - easier written than actually done.

It was only when I decided to stop chasing money and love - they came to me of their own free will. It was only when I became comfortable with me - that others did likewise. I recast the word "ambition" into a "calling" - then success followed me. Happiness in what I'm doing and being able to derive satisfaction in doing it right - that's pretty much turned this life around.

Do pal

2010-04-04T01:31:00.000+05:30

do palon ki thi ye dilon ki dastaan
phir chal diye - tum kahaan, hum kahaan

There comes a time when we part ways.
Sometimes it is only to meet again...

.. then again there are those partings which are forever.
.. those tracks shall never cross again.

All that is left are a few memories and moments.
Cliched as the opening lines may sound - they sum up a lot of my life.
Nothing seems to last forever - as this stone rolls on.

those days

2010-03-23T23:25:00.000+05:30

Four little boys went to school together. They spent a lot of time growing up with each other.
They were each a little similar and a little different.

a class topper with the neatest handwriting. very soft at heart and speech. he wouldn't hurt a fly. Very thoughtful too
one an accountant at heart- with the desire to mint money. a yaaron ka yaar with an infectious smile. very hardworking - went back to work after parties.
one an all rounder who wanted to prove it to everyone around him. prove he did - whether at sports, studies, personality contests or Harvard...
lastly - a guy who always almost got there... but not quite. he liked his wine and women and almost enjoyed life kingsize.

College came and went. They stayed in touch though their paths were different.
Careers started developing and still they connected.
All normal guys like you and I - engineers and accountants.

Then the first winds of change blew... from the west.
One decided to go to the US of A to complete his masters. All of them gathered and wished him bon voyage. It was only a matter of time before the others went as well.
One by one - two more succumbed to the US bug.
Someone joined a bank and someone went to Harvard. All folks with distinguished careers ahead.

One remained here.

He would look up at the stars from time to time and wonder. He wondered if they'd all be together again - ever. He looked forward to those fast and furious meetings on their India vacations making the most of it as they caught up on their friendship and lives.
He'd planned to attend all their weddings and ensure that he was there for their special moments. Two got married and he couldn't make it. The third is due to tie the knot in a few months. He knows he cannot go - again. It's not like he's given up on it - but there is a silent and painful realization that the trip to the US is not going to materialize.

He stays in touch with them over facebook and the mobile. But nothing beats a face to face conversation or the backslapping buddies of old. He sees their pictures and there is that not so happy feeling that they've all moved on. New friends abound for all of them.
But when it comes to that gang of four he lives in a time warp. He accepts the current situation - knowing that at least two of his three friends will never come back to India.

He's still there, living with that nostalgia -wishing he could rewind Father Time.

a tear

2010-03-05T16:28:00.000+05:30

ajeeb hain dil ke dard yaaaron,na hon to mushkil hai jeen iska!!
jo hon to har dard ek heera, har ek gum hai nagina iska....
The tale of the heartless one continues.
Another gut wrenching saga is in the offing.

The sun sets across the horizon like the veil that drapes her face.
it’s difficult to comprehend the source of that pounding heartbeat that follows.
It could be your heart - but the high volume that I hear puts it closer to being me.

I feel a tear that captures all my emotions, dropping to the sand beneath. There’s no loud noise here. Just the million shards of a broken heart.
Nobody understands that poor tear, bereft of a home, searching for solace in a world that has gone cold. I choose to splatter across the grains of sand. They absorb me and I am no more. The hot sands devour me. There is little comfort in the fact that i have provided solace to the creatures of the sand.

The physical being that was me - a tear, no longer exists. I exist in thought and heart. My spiritual future is unpredictable.

She walks the walk, small strides into the setting sun. Her dress swishes across the sandy surface. I wish i’d landed there instead. At least we would be together for some more time. I wish her to turn - palat, as they say in the innumerable films I’ve seen.
Those were but films.

They say it is a game. You win some and lose some more. But there’s no second chance in this game of life.

Too Many Meetings

2010-02-10T19:58:00.001+05:30

Too Many Meetings, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

Meetings were the bane of my life... at one point in time. They drove me positively nuts.
Now things are different.... i call the shots and the meetings now....
So I suppose the burden has shifted....

The world shall spin around soon. We shall come upon this spot again.

The Best Twitter Breakup lines....

2010-02-10T15:46:00.000+05:30

Ironic that this post should come in Valentines week.... but that's why it is so apt...!!
My tweetline shows that this was started by Chetan Bhagat.... with a promise for free autographed copies of his book for the winners!!!

Some of the lines are given below..... !!

It was only one tweet! it didn't mean anything, i swear..
it's not your tweets, it's mine
it's not you..it's your tweets..
you said this silicone would NEVER leak..bye.
You blocked me .. I block you back ..........
I feel like this break up has made our relationship so much stronger
u shud've told me b4 kissing dat u didnt brush..
of course i want kids. just not like you.
you're good at measuring everything in life. ab raasta naapo! bye..
i loved you when i read yr first tweet, and hated you by the time i read your first retweet. the worst part its you
I'm not a hot middle eastern girl from Cali. I'm actually a fat middle aged man from Nebraska. Can we still be friends?
you are really tweet, but my buzz is around someone else
ok um ur Facebook isn't poppin', I need Myspace! & I've been following someone else, Tweet you later!
Sorry I started following your sister !
its not you its facebook
wanted you all to myself but it seems every1 has REtweeted you...twitterslut!!
let's stop tweeting each other

the new lappie

2010-01-29T00:40:00.000+05:30

Generally raving, ranting, fuming and fretting.
much ado about nothing.
My ego takes a real beating sometimes and it's not an easy feeling to digest. But then it's not fair to expect reciprocity all the time.
Will be off to Hyderabad next week - for 6 days. End up missing a good wedding too, thanks to the annual sales conference. But then I shall hopefully see Avatar in 3D!! Trust Runna shall get the tickets for that.
I got my new macbook today. It's the same 13" one that I previously owned (and still do) with a few minor soup ups and soup downs.....

theres a 250GB HDD now... wow
RAM went up from 1 to 2 GB
the body is sleeker
the screen is brighter
but there's no remote control ... presentations will suck
and they changed the mini-dvi out.... so i had to buy another adapter
and it costs a lot more in India... $999 translates to 56900 instead of 46500..... thats a whopping 10K difference!!
all the software is expensive as hell
migration between lappies is a breeze.... one wire.. 2 steps... and you're on your way!!
me is still hoping to own an IPAD someday

dew red

2010-01-18T18:26:00.001+05:30

We live from moment to moment....
the drops of dew on the leaf reminiscent of a night past.... of passions that overtook us
tu mile na mile - yeh haseen silsile.....
those moments will live in the depth of my heart for as long as it beats.

I open my eyes and wish them closed yet again.
ek gehra ehsaas hai ki tum mere kareeb ho
but the image that is conjured up is not real.
waqt ke saath yeh tasveer bhi dhundli ho gayi hai.
the water that flows under the bridge erodes many a stone and pillar.
someday the water will win and the bridge will be but a memory.

kuchh nishaan mitte nahin
these scars I shall carry forever
the blood that has flowed, stains the leaf and my soul
Someday there will be repentance; someday I shall wash myself clean;
someday this soul will break free.

That day is not today

Blackberry Pie

2010-01-18T15:22:00.000+05:30

I have always been a crackberry addict.... devoting a large part of waking / sleeping time to staying online and abreast of my email.
Now it is tim for the wifey to get into the groove and rock on with her new blackberry curve 8520.

So now.. ghar mein do-do blackberry
par... ek ghar mein sirf ek blackberry ho sakta hai!!!
Otherwise who'll do the cribbing when the spouse is checking email.

I have decided to move on and downgrade myself in the name of parity at home
I'm now the owner of an HTC HD2.
This is a BIG BIG phone.. though a tad thin and drool-worthy in it's own way...
It has an amazing processor (1 GHz) and lots of memory in addition to an 8GB memory card.
But it runs Windows Mobile 6.5
....
...
..
.

and I run an Apple OS - Snow Leopard!!!

Om

2010-01-13T10:48:00.000+05:30

The moment could be upon you every once in a blue moon. It could also be upon you every other day. That depends on the way you play your cards.

When the moment begins, there is that totality to it. A loss of all external sensation as the rhythm rises to a crescendo. The coming together of all the great tenors could not have made this what it is right now. It's a breath of fresh air, that first raindrop that works it's way down the forehead or the first flake of winter snow. A cool breeze in the middle of summer that works it's way up to gale force. That song from the OLD SPICE advertisement plays on and on in my head as the the frequency reaches fever pitch. At the eye of the storm is an odd shaped peace.... it's odd that one feels divine, it's odd that the system reacts the way it does, it's peaceful in that no one can enter that cocoon. There is that moment that one wishes could last forever. There is the possibility that living within that moment you attain moksha as the induction motor reaches a working cycle where there is no power loss - the ideal machine.

The desire to live within that chant is human, the ability to do so is Godly.

the long journey home

2010-01-12T08:43:00.001+05:30

If ever there was a fire in our hearts,
let it burn all the more bright, now.

We were meant to be together - you and I.
The sands of time have flowed through that hour glass and yet we strive in dormancy.
When will you heed the cries of that lovelorn heart?

Soon age will catch up and the love of ages will be left by the wayside - another story untold. Another tragedy added to the roster of love stories that didn't make it.
It is better untold, or lovers down the years will twitter & trend on the tragedy of that sweetest of emotions.

My eyes search for that familiar face among the strangers that abound. Maybe it is that most basic of human emotions-hope, that keeps me going. My quest continues. My camera shutter opens and closes with regularity as I deign to capture life's moments on the move. I'm at the point where medicine will fail to affect. A point where the sweet music plays in the heart.... and the reaper sharpens his scythe.
Soon....

soliloquy

2010-01-10T23:29:00.000+05:30

Dil to baccha hai ji...
the heart is a child.... a lil frivolous, a lil pendulum, goes from here to there.
when it beats - it refuses to see
these moments in life - they refuse to pass

Darr lagta hai kuchh kene se...
the freewheeling desires of the heart are forbidden
the apple that eve had for dinner and the hangover that followed

Aisi uljhi nazar unse hatti nahin
i saw her once
now i see her always

Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai
the colors have faded from my face
this silken thread that binds us
this thread that cannot be broken

Kisko pata thaa ki dil aisa khel khelega
the games that people play
the heart is the culprit

Aisi nigaahon se dekha usne
.. or was it the way I looked at her

Hum to hameshaa sochte the dil accha hai
.... par woh to kamina nikla.
the memory of midnights past
the mornings that should never have come

Dil dhadakta hai jaise
Tauba ye lamhe
moments in the past
moments of solitude
interspersed with bodies and emotions

Yeh geet bas bajta rehta hai
no account for the number of times I have listened to this melody
the music stops
there is no rewind button
just fast forward to the next song

Is raat ki subah nahin
but I live in hope
then life.

Dreary Winters

2010-01-09T16:21:00.000+05:30

This was supposed to be a toughie... winter cold or summer heat?
I'd prefer the winter cold ... given that it works out cheaper on the wallet (NO AC requirements). But both extremes are painful.
I crave for cool air in the summer and hot air in the winter.,,,
God never meant for us human beings to get comfortable/ be satisfied.

AT present I'm reeling under the cold wave in Delhi. Having returned from a peaceful maritime climate oriented Tamil Nadu - the fog and chill have made the above picture reflective of my mood!!
The feet are cold, the nuts are shivering, the head is cringing....and there's no respite. The fog only isolates me ... so i'm cocooned in a cold, misty bubble all by myself listening to a rapidly accelerating heartbeat from within. It's like not knowing what's out there.

I don't like it!!

skin deep

2010-01-08T18:11:00.001+05:30

skin deep, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

stop reacting at the first line....
think it through..
issues and people are more than they really seem
there's more to life than the outer skin.
cos when you react impulsively - the opposite party is forced to react too.

My commitment for 2010 is to react less. To control that adrenaline rush and think things through. Call it maturity, call it aging, call it the bald man's try at peace!! Call it whatever.

I've seen the things, relationships and people that i've wrecked by being every so ready to react. Now it's time to peel away those layers and get to the deep end before I give an answer - before i take action.

I followed a dictum - my way or the goddamn expressway. Not any longer. We can all take the highway together. Makes for an easier living.
Be in peace all of you .... !!
That way I shall find my peace too.

17 hours in Trichy

2010-01-06T22:32:00.000+05:30

That's how long this trip was. But it feels a lot longer. Consider
this :
I slept for a full two hours in the last 36. That's cos trains keep me
awake
I've been riding pillon with Muthu all day as we went Bout our
customer visits
Trichy roAds Are indian by nature
Trichy traffic is even more indian
My heavy camera bag on the shoulder helped exercise the pectoral muscles
My shirt had developed creAses from long travelling in the suitcase -
operation coverup included a sweater in the sweltering heat
Luckily the food was great and thrrefore in conclusion I shall carry
good memories - till the next time.
Now it's the rockfort express as we head back to sweet chennai.
One more day and I'm home ....

Chennai diary

2010-01-05T22:39:00.001+05:30

10 hours of highway driving ahead of me. Already feeling tired.
Especially since I have an overnight train to Trichy. My cuisine has
been limited vegetarian till now and has not enthralled.
The warm temperature has been a boon so far as I escaped the Delhi
chill - but that will evaporate as the perspiration begins.
There's an inordinately large amount of wall art here. Mostly
politicians from qaAmma to MK Stalin. They even have him painted on
their doors. The only plAce I'd paint a politician is on a dart board.
The locals converse with me in English and i've been warned against
using Hindi. This brings me to another conclusion that raj Thackeray
was not the first separatist / isolationist leader. Some of these Are
people who now rule us from the centre.
The drive to Vellore was quite peaceful And the road was like a light
breeze on a calm oceAn.
The foodie in me could not return to Chennai without partaking of
Ammas Biryani at the vellore bus stand. There Amidst the chaos of life
I found a great lunch and a reason to go back in six monthS.
My camera has stayed in the bag most of this trip due to time
constraints. I finally got it out on the return leg as we whizzed at
100km/h in our Maruti van.
Got in to office , refreshed , changed and headed to a ,
Chettinaad dinner with my team. The idliappams and chettinaad chicken
were amazing.
I trust my foodie habits leave my facebook friends with a feeling that
that's all I do. I work too.

I'm now on my way to Trichy and writing this in the darkness of the
Mangalore express. Tomorrow is a busy day before I catch the night
train to Chennai again.

Small learning

2010-01-04T19:49:00.002+05:30

Having watched 3 idiots last evening the mind is flying at a pace that
rivals the shatabdi express. It's fun to be an idiot rather than
stupid - and a tad useful too.
So I'm 32 and wondering how I could free my mind given the load of
tripe I've been feeding it all along. Here's somethings I could
probably do.
- live for today in the moment
- follow a path of excellence in all that I do
- focus and develop my photography skills cos that's what I'd rather
be doing in life
- do the photography for myself - my way rather than always be
explaining it to those around me
- unlearn a lot of the stuff that's been keeping the mind in check so
far.
- stop worrying so much

Allllllll is well....

Rock on Baby!!

2010-01-02T14:42:00.001+05:30

rock on baby, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

.. 2 years to go for the end of the world... can't say i'm not looking forward to it :-)
wish ya' all a great year ahead....
...
..
.
and this time around i have a resolution too - one i shall endeavor to keep to.

a long break

2009-12-16T16:34:00.000+05:30

This has been my longest ever break from the blog in the last 4 years.
Somewhere deep inside - I was coming to terms with a new found degree of "ME" as an INTROVERT.

People say that photographers are introverts cos' they prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it. I wold have disagreed till now....

So what's all this got to do with my blog?
simple actually !!
i was bored of writing....
my photos were saying it all....
didn't think i needed another medium to convey my angst..
so i took a break.

And I'm back now!!
Nothing much has changed in life- we're still gong around the sun, though 2012 is drawing closer.
My work area has changed - handling South India now.
I have 2 ladies working under me who have changed the operating environment
My wife still loves me. My boss who used to hate me - well he's changed... I mean - new boss!
My moustache has shortened and the waist has slimmed down.
A couple of more friends have gotten married. Two have been blessed with baby girls - Sneha & Anahita.
I'm off to Jaipur next week - then to Corbett next weekend
My sister & broinlaw are down from LALA Land on Christmas
I have no idea what Christmas gifts I should be giving folks
My fathers birthday is around the corner (1st jan) and ideas are eluding me
Farmville is progressing well - though i should actually plant a real tree too... to get the authetic farming experience.

Maybe in 2010...!!

Raasta Roko!!

2009-11-11T19:07:00.001+05:30

Raasta Roko!!, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

We will not work this Monday...
We shall not let ye work either...

TRUE DEMOCRACY!!!

... or is it gundaraj?

Outside class

2009-11-11T18:51:00.001+05:30

Do it like this..., originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

Not all my education came inside the hallowed walls of an educational institution!
The most important lessons were what I learned from life... in passing.
I saw these 2 boys as I passed by a certain shuttered shop on my travels. One demonstrating - the other watching and imbibing. I wonder if they paid as much attention to the teacher in the classroom. Did they listen to their parents remonstrations with the same interest level as they did to each other?

the important lessons are the ones you never plan for...
the ones you never thought as a lesson.

Stuck with a NOBEL

2009-10-09T15:40:00.000+05:30

Sir Alfred Nobel... invented Dynamite!!
Quite an explosive it is.

Now they've gone and given the NOBEL PEACE prize to Mr. O.
My congratulations to him on this win..... he's under 50 and achieved what most spend their lifetimes dreaming about.

Certain thoughts come to mind as I draw an analogy between the current awardee and a high school bully. Many a teacher has made the bully the class monitor in the hope that he will now be forced to use his forceful measures for peaceful purposes. The logic is rock solid - but more often than not - the class discipline is torn to shreds. The bully uses the opportunity to ramrod his way ahead.

Young Calvin doesn't really stand a chance in Hades when his toy is stolen and smashed by Moe the class bully.
Now let's see what's in Store for Iran, Iraq, the Afghans..... and the rest of the world - that the man has been appreciated for his plans - but not delivered results....

Those are still sometime away.

Change is a comin...

2009-10-08T19:29:00.000+05:30

There's a crazy lil feeling at the bottom of my stomach.
Something tells me that CHANGE is coming.
I mean change is life's BIG story - but nobody expects it when it happens.

This particular element of change has been playing in my head for a while now...
Its not about anyone element in my life.... it's like a whole lot of stuff that keeps flitting in and out and somehow i can't make up my bald mind.

On the work front - challenges are welcome. Idiots are not. Yet I spend a lot of my "productive" time figuring out ways of dealing with them. The work has to go on despite low-down idiots who make the world a more complex place to live in.

On the personal front - been doing a lot, traveling a bit , happily married , cut down on my boozing - but I need to do more... it's like saying i'm running against myself all the time - endeavoring to do things differently - to do them better - to be creative

On my Photography - I look back at what i used to shoot and compare that with today... I almost always end up cringing... did I actually shoot like that
On my computer gaming - have become slower - age is catching up
On working out - gotta restart that....
...
..
.
peace be upon me!!

Anger management!!

2009-10-04T13:32:00.000+05:30

The wrath of a woman scorned...

Hell hath no fury... so spoke a famous wise man. Many an Adam has learned not to mess with Eve ever since. Numerous examples abound in the mindspace that talk of what happens when you piss off the wrong woman (actually, any woman) - as a certain Mr.Bobbit would hate to recount.

My idea behind this post is not to scare men from the obvious end that comes about when you get caught doing the morally incorrect. My point is that there aren’t angry young men around today.... The women are doing all the “anger management”.

The only angry man that history seems to recount is Lord Shiva with his third eye. Closer to home - bollywood tales focus on Mr. Bacchan in the 70s. But there is a visible dearth of sensibly angry young men. Before that was Adolf Hitler and the Kaiser. Not quite the icons one would hope to follow. The angry male touted as a creature that resents authority and rules longing to wreak havoc on any and all, planning revenge for the wrongs done unto it.

Angry men are touted as warmongers rather than creatures in rebellion against established conventional half truths inspiring creativity. A myth that some day shall be dispelled.
I examined some common scenarios that we encounter on a regular basis.
You get angry at work - antisocial, can’t work as a team member, bad influence
You get angry at home - wife beater, no tolerance
You get angry on the road - road rage, Dillwallah
You shout at a subordinate - HARI SADU

In any of the above mentioned cases - an angry woman is said to be fighting for her rights. She is brave, heroic & a modern day Rani of Jhansi.

Why this disparity?
My learned friends from the female gender will point out the rise of the oppressed woman finally freed from the yokels of the Male. They’re liberated... fighting a minority battle on behalf of those as yet oppressed.

I present ME!

Baldys Birthday....

2009-10-01T16:55:00.000+05:30

There once was a baldy....no not me!!
some called him Gaand(hi), some called him Bapu...

He screwed this nation and our next door neighbors!!
All in the name of WORLD PEACE!!
..more like pieces.....

They named this practice... GANDUGIRI

Food Sampling....

2009-09-28T17:46:00.000+05:30

Kolkata is a foodie's paradise... and it's not expensive either.
I've been hogging to the extent I risked an upset tummy!!

A few friends have already left sureptious comments on my facebook status updates stating that they weren't to happy about my methods of driving them green with envy using food as a medium.

Well everyone has had the mishti in Kolkata.
I sampled the other stuff..

The Rolls at BEDWIN in Golpark

The devilled crabs & beef Steaks at Mocambo - long waiting lines till the evening (for lunch)

The Chelo Kebabs at Peter Cat - especially mouthwatering

The Chingdi Maach (Prawns - Big Ones) at home
The Kosha Mangsho that was prepared in my honor
The churmur that mother got home (no pics of this one since ity disappeared pretty fast)
The Chinese Food at Fung Fa in Tangra!!
The Kolkata Paan ... with all the added condiments.

Still not done with the all that this city has to offer... I hope to be back for more... soon

Pandals & More

2009-09-28T17:27:00.000+05:30

My target was 50 Puja Pandals in 5 days.... I barely passed at 22!!
Am sharing a few pics here with you.

More are available by clicking here

This one was from South America... transposed all the way across to Kolkata

Then there's this lookalike of a government building...

.. and this one which attempts to replicate a south Indian temple.

But my award goes to The Pandal at Mudiali made of Banana Leacves & stems...

Check out the next post for the Culinary tour of Kolkata!!

Plans for Kolkata

2009-09-24T01:22:00.000+05:30

The Journey of a 1000 days begins with that first step.
This is a 5 day trip to Kolkata for the Durga Puja. Supriya is already there.... i’m just joining in the fun. My Ma (read M-I-L) doesn’t know I’m coming in tonight. This should be a nice lat night surprise as I touch down at 23:40!!

The Delhi traffic and a hectic day in the field have ensured that I boarded the flight ina state of extreme hunger and mood swings. The pretty face with a HUGE rock on her finger sitting next to me, toying with her Iphone provides some sense to the journey. But the fact that I’m typing this and shes sleeping are ample evidence that my charm is fading!!!

I’ve been planning this trip for the last 3 months... and armed with all the camera equipment that my bag could carry -I’ve set forth on a path of hopeful exploration in the City of Joy.
This post is being written on the flight - so obviously it’ll get posted in a bit. But here’re a few things I hope to achieve on this trip (my 3rd Durga Puja in Kolkata)

Go on the river Hooghly
Visit 25+ Durga Pandals
Overdose on Puckas
Spend a few hours at Oxford - the bookstore
Pastries at Flurys
Garlic pickle from the mela at Park circus
Photographs... photographs... and then some more
Quality family time with Ma & Baba
Visit the museum
Catch up with Friends - both old, new and some first timers from Twitter

So till.. later!!
Keep watching this space and see how things are shaping up!

Mirror Mirror...

2009-09-22T01:06:00.000+05:30

Mirror Mirror on the wall.... tell me what you see.

Who is the fairest one in all the land?

.... so maybe I ain't the fairest one.... but what stops me from having a high (not conceitedly high) opinion of mysef?
A certain approach that allows for PUBLIC OPINION. It makes for bouts of depression, frustration and a general low!

A friend of mine asked for a HAPPY POST.... and I'm trying... but the wind is blowing in spasms through the elephant grass and the trees are looking wistfully upon me. The body wants to shake a boogie woogie - the mind disapproves!
Darkness hath it's own virtues... it may not be utopian in nature... but allows for soul searching - something which is difficult to do in the HAPPIER DAYS.

Sometimes it's easier to define ourselves in terms of what we're not than what we are
Here's what I'm not.... at least not always...

always honest
ever the understanding one
secular to the core
the good son
the empathetic boss
hardest worker of the month, at work
the careful spender
modest
man with gandhian virtues
the original humorist

the poor mirror is about to crack.....

A birthday to forget....

2009-09-19T00:16:00.001+05:30

a rose with my name, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

yep this one at no.32 is to be erased from all official records...!!
sound like a groaner.. that I am not.

but the latest event has left me in a bit of a shell shocked state.
my new phone - the Nokia N97.... nice phone.. but it just didn't work for me.
it's now back with the original gift-giver (the wife). she likes it. in fact she'd been LUSTing for it ever since she saw it. Not providence has played a hand.

where does that leave me????
Back with the old Blackberry Bold ..... will have to start intoning, "if bold is old and old is gold, then why do i get this feeling that I've been rolled"

hope

2009-09-17T00:32:00.000+05:30

there is darkness... then i search for light
there is failure.... i try to succeed
there is loss, the quest for gain continues

But when i see her sitting there, my heart melts
Yet i do nothing, but click.

she hopes...
i hope too..

32 and counting

2009-09-16T20:17:00.000+05:30

I'd intended to write this post a while back.
Flitting thoughts and not so providential circumstances have kept me off writing for a bit. I'm surprised at me too...

They say getting past 30 is getting past the top of the hill. It's all downhill thereafter.
I did my stock taking on that on a couple of suns ago. Somehow my personal thoughts on the issue differ. The best parts of life are yet to come.

Yes - school was a great experience, college was fun - and a slog up the corporate ladder was great learning.Now it's time to do something with all that accumulated talent and experience.
I'm not taking anything away from all those TOP ACHIEVERS who jumped levels and are close to the sun at this time.
However - Mango man that I am - my life's milestones are staring at me... still some distance away.

I intend to cut my cake and eat it too...

The world is yet to witness the true explosion. My current profession is in the field of healthcare - specifically - Diagnostics. It's not what I've planned for my life, however. There's a Pullitzer with my name on it... somewhere out there....

Life is unforgiving....

2009-09-12T10:46:00.000+05:30

It is my 32nd birthday today.
It is also a day that will haunt me forever.

I recently visited Ludhiana but couldn't meet my grandmother for paucity of time.
Today - she has passed away.

Life gives us many chances - and few lessons.
This is my lesson. The taint of guilt that I feel will never rub off...

I'm sitting in office - not knowing what to do or say.
Well wishers and friends greet me on my birthday and I cannot share a smile.

Hanging on!!

2009-08-26T11:10:00.001+05:30

Hanging on!!, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

Been in bed these last 2 days...
Me hates fevers which bring about a sudden weakness.... more than anything else.
Is this what they call : Being under the weather!!

I will be travelling end of the week - visiting Varanasi / Allahabad / Lucknow for a whirlwind kinda tour.... then off to Amritsar & Ludhiana next week...

So I need my health to get back into shape.... to ensure that I don't go *poof* somewhere down the road..

Barely hanging on.. . for now!

Bathtime

2009-08-22T18:59:00.001+05:30

Bathtime, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

..always good to go in for a cleanup every now and then.
Turn over a new page once in a while and surprise yourself.... the others will get surprised anyways!!

It's interesting how one small change in the routine...
one small change in putting things across can make a world of a difference to a relationship...
... a few drops of water can wash away hitherto unseen specks of dirt and open up the mind to possibilities.... of life... love .. and growth.

In time....

2009-08-21T21:49:00.001+05:30

remembering the good old days, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

The lines of experience aid understanding.
The withering of the outer shell is another story altogether.

At 31+ it seems pretty far fetched that the body will age and the mind ripen.
But those lines, like tributaries to a river, start meandering. The mind follows likewise.
The rains & cool winds bring forth a breather... but sometimes they come too late.
Then the wind only serves to blow away the remains of the day!
The rain washes away whatever remained!

The life of a leaf

2009-08-19T20:25:00.001+05:30

The life of a leaf, originally uploaded by recnamorcen_99.

Experience.. you just can't beat it!

Each line reflects the changing season... the coming of age ...
This experience is hard earned and not every leaf gets there.

The same with us... there're some things I have learned by experience. No school, college or classroom could have taught them in the same way.

Each interaction with you has shaped me.
We're not much different from leaves on a tree. Some hold on to that tree. Some fly away with the wind. Some are eaten away by worms and disease. The tree continues to grow...

Windows & Mirrors!

2009-08-17T00:00:00.000+05:30

A photograph is meant to be one of the two. It can either show what's there or suggest what's within.
The window is descriptive - it's transparent , baring the soul to the watcher. The subject is selected for what it is and provides the information dictated as such.

The mirror seeks to transform the subject into a metaphor for the mind of the photographer. It is transformative in nature and clouds the mind with the intended thoughts. It's generally not so straightforward an interpretation as a window... this one makes you think.. it makes you imagine.

One mans mirror is another mans window - depends on how you look at it.
I want my photography to be a window to my soul reflecting the transformation within...

That Kamina Feeling!

2009-08-14T23:42:00.000+05:30

a caper!!
That’ff what thif movie if all about - 24 hourff fftraight in the livefff of a fet of characterff.
Actually it’ff anything but ffraight! The lineff between black and white are fairly well blurred. The plot thickenff and thinff moving at breakneck ffpeed with ne’er a moment of refpite.

Some points that are worth a mention:

There are definite shades of Tarantino to the film, though I cannot for the life of me recollect any plot that resembles this one.
They take a filmy cliche, turn it topsy turvy, add some mind-blowing music and serve it back to you.
The primary track - dhan ta nan.... is something we’ve known since childhood.. and it adds fibre to this 140 minute thriller.
The use of local languages and dialects is another factor that serves to entertain. It adds that flavor that we’d fail to capture otherwise.
The songs are not out of place
The film doesn’t drag - it ends when it has to.

Go watch it!!
C’mon you mufft watch Charlie go do hif thing :-)

Flashback time!!

2009-08-05T18:15:00.001+05:30

Just got an email from a blast in the past!!
Then I simply had to call her!!
An old flame that burnt out and burnt me in the process (Me wasn't smart enough to apply boroline then).

Now a mother of 2 and wife as well!!
Ha - I just wonder how fast this wheel of time turns!!!

Called up wifey and told her abt it. She shrugged it off with nonchalance asking only if the person in question wanted to marry me. I replied in the negative and so there the story ended.... Me was hoping for more!!!
drrat!!!!

I hope she didn't call cos' it was RAKSHABANDHAN!!!!

Excerpts from a trip

2009-07-29T15:08:00.000+05:30

There are always things one remembers after an adventure.
I haven't taken a solo holiday in what must be ages... I stopped wanting / needing to go out on a trip by myself!!

But here I am - back from Hyderabad.. on a part working / part holiday kind of trip. The fact that I spent some time with 2 close friends - Johnny & Ash(a) helped a great deal.
The company was great , the food was amazing, the history was enlightening... all in all a trip to remember & cherish!!

Here are some moments...

With Johnny under the arches at the Charminar - indeed very lucky to get upstairs!

The Bored and the Desperate aka BAD

Asha & I at the Golconda fort - before the long walk up!

Panorama..!!

dance lets the hair down... unless that is.. you are bald like me

Salsa ignition!!

Selecting Bangles for the Missus and the Momma!

The 4 minarets... easy to recognize!!

Home sweet home - here I come!

FULL FLICKR ALBUMS HERE

The reality debate!!

2009-07-24T22:04:00.000+05:30

Watched the news hour debate on TIMES NOW and there was but one thought that came to mind here.
WHY, this controversy?

Can't we take things in the spirit of the game?
We watch rudeness on ROADIES.
We ooh and aah at INSECT EATING on that jungle show.
We revel in this muck (so called).

I watch the SOAPs as well as the SACH KA SAAMA serial with my wife.
The one thing that comes to mind is the hyprocrisy on the SOAPs... and at least a semblance of sanity on this show.

We are mature individuals and if it was just hoopla then the buzz would fade.
Here, we understand that those participants are human - they have also gone though a fair amount of crap in their lives. If they're willing to talk about it - then so be it. Nobody is forcing anyone to watch the show.

And hey - tune in to FTV at 10:30 PM - they show MIDNIGHT HOT! That however, is not deemed provocative. Channels show a woman being molested in public in the streets of Patna - that is not offensive.

Why single out anyone - just because they refuse to toe the lines of the poiticos?
In fact I say - put Mr. Farooqi on the show and then we see what skeletons come tumbling out....

Dance with the devil!

2009-07-23T21:58:00.000+05:30

I thought this would be a good way to represent the eternal struggle between Good & Evil. We've said for too long that Good is white and Evil is Black. Thought I'd change the equation somewhat!!
Red represents blood - all lifeforce within it.
The tendrils of red - the human body - ME!
I strain to overcome the blackness...!!

I wonder if I shall succeed.
The black represents the bleakness - at the corners of my imagination
My rhythm sets in motion events that connect me with this bleakness from time to time. I need to feel that filth to comprehend the value of life.
All the sins on one side and life on the other. There are times I let go. I descend into morass that the mind revels in. This gathering of evil (as propounded by religion) is warm and inviting. It's solace for all those times when I'm alone and angry. I become hate, lust envies me, sloth is wary and I feel satiated by planning destruction and desolation!!

Those are the times I can dance with the devil... very much inside of me.

I feeelllll soooooooooo nice!!!!!!!!!!

sunshine in my mind...

2009-07-16T16:01:00.000+05:30

One minute you're flying....
The next you're a crashed out wrcek in no-mans land. No burials ... you rot and the world leers.
No ifs, buts, whys, wherefores.... but the brutal landing (inside the mind) makes me see sets of alternate universe.

I see a reality which remains unchanged from it's inertia of sleep-eat-work-play.
I see alternates where one little twist in the tale brings forth a life of happiness or sadness. It makes me wonder what would happen if....
One part of me realizes that I will accept my bitter medicine without showing it on the face. The other part of me wants to give it back in equal measure. Then I wonder what would happen if things were always tit for tat.... naah I don't think that would work here.

The wandering mind brings up stories and futures akin to a bollywood potboiler. It's my way of considering options and I feel that in the event of an untoward happenstance I would be able to bear it better. The hairs on my body tingle with a fear. There's also a certain resignation thrown in trying to accept the inevitability of the situation. We come into this world alone... and so shall we go (unless the lord intends otherwise).

I can't put down the exact nature of my fear here because I fear... that the matrix has eyes and ears.
It has been my deepest fear since I stepped into my first pair of jeans. It has plagued me for a decade and a half and eaten away at every thing I thought would work out. Why is it "meat" when I cook it and serve & why is it poison if someone else serves it to me?

It's like a BLACKNESS that threatens but does not devour. The mind reacts to these threats and in its weakness accepts some to be true. This causes chemicals to flow and actions to be undertaken in the name of protecting oneself rather than what is really valuable.

Some would abhor this state of mind. I revel in it. I feel warm in this - absence of light inside a dark cave - state of mind. I allow those hitherto latent feelings to come forth and engulf me. The maelstrom breaks as the phone rings... but after talking to her.... the dark lord takes over again.

The first Prick... is not as bad as the last!

2009-07-12T07:42:00.000+05:30

Needles hurt!!
Tattooing causes pain!!

Being a man does not lessen that.
It's tougher since you're expected to grain and bear it.
I lost my "virginity" in the words of the gentleman at FUNKY MONKY when I got my first tattoo....

The first prick was the scariest - but kinda like an anticlimax!
It didn't hurt as much as the last one.
What started out as a bee sting grew to a gnawing pain at the end of 90 minutes on the chair.
All I wanted was it for it to end. I almost stopped him a couple of times when he filled in color, rubbing that needle into my arms evoking a bloody response.
It looks worthwhile after the effort and the expense... but believe you me... it was stubbornness that kept me going!!!

Sharing a tattoo with Ruchi...

My version of James Bond ... with Sups and the nomad!

Raindrops and roses...

2009-07-08T15:34:00.000+05:30

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

So guys don't like roses too often - we still love the rain.
The pitter-patter of the drops beating down my bald head as I stand on the terrace, running like rivulets atop the face. The spectacles are off and I heave a sigh of relief as the heat dissipates. Getting a soaking from the creator beats taking a shower anyday. I look at the concrete cages around me and the people trying to break free for those few drops of manna.
I stand free...

a long train tour

2009-07-08T12:27:00.000+05:30

The last 4 days have seen some hectic activity on my part.

First there was Kanpur... then Gorakhpur...followed by Varanasi.

I'm back now!!

In the beginning...it looked like a tough task

4th early morning train to Kanpur... followed by loads of work....
5th working SUNDAY... then the overnight train to Gorakhpur
6th manic monday in the GKP heat followed by the late night train to Varanasi.
7th rain drenched, mud filled working in Varanasi and an evening train home to Delhi.

I was lucky enough to do a bit of religious sight seeing amidst my schedule - the GORAKHNATH MANDIR in GKP and the KASHI VISHWANATH MANDIR in VAR.

Arjun on the banks of the Ganges

The holy Ghats

The traveling was hectic, no doubt. But then it's also something I like to do. I did my photographs from inside the train too. Got a lot of pics from the Indian heartland and thanks to some good lenses was able to do some quick zoom work. Stuff that would have been difficult to do otherwise.

The night train

2009-07-06T06:19:00.000+05:30

Traveling by the Chouri ChourA express from Kanpur to Gorakhpur. Lying
covered on the top berth listening to Dev D and his quest to find
Saali Khushi

I see the couple opposite and he's in love with her. She's giving me
the look and I amused Supriya with the possibilities as she bade me
good night. It's 10:09 and we've crossed Allahabad. Outlook money is
the only magazine that Govind could find on the platform and I leave
him to read it.
Dev D has transitioned to Vivaldis four seasons and spring is here.
There's that odd feeling when i'm feeling lonesome - I miss the missus
and I feel like a long talk. So talk to the blog I shall.
I've undertaken many a train journey. However this will be the first
time that I'll be traveling on four consecutive days in four different
trains. Delhi to Kanpur to Gorakhpur to Varanasi to Delhi. But I
remember one particular trip from Delhi to Pune in the first yeAr of
my MBA. It made for excellent conversation between Mia and me. We sat
and talked all night long. Interestingly we weren't sleepy next
morning. We talked about all sorts of stuff from music to love to the
professors. It was like Billy Joel going for a walk through the
river in His dreams. It cemented our friendship for the next two
years before she married hiM and had to choose between love and
friendship. I miss some of my good friends. I wonder if they miss me
too.
It's been a while since the MBA got done and I haven't really stayed
in touch. Might I be at fault here?
The question plays like a beaten record through the wilderness of my
mind. It's like listening to rock'n'roll in the desert- kinda lost
effect.
26 minutes since I started writing this. The girl is asleep the boy
feels like love just ain't enough. Govind has dozed off too. Husband
and wife are separated by 500 miles...

One Picture - many stories!

2009-07-03T11:46:00.000+05:30

Isn't that always the case... as I flashback to school..... where the English teacher gave a photograph and students were expected to write a composition / essay on the same. It's been a while since I did that. But it's never too late to start. If you've something interesting to say/add to the Picture that I write on, please do so in the comments section.
It should be interesting - comparing thoughts on a scene.
"We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done."
HW Longfellow

GREENIE: Looks like I ate too much last night
ITOLDUSO : Nope I don't think you ate too much. You just ate wrong. That chicken biryaani was more like Crow 'n'rice.
SCRATCHY: Will you guys stop moaning about food.I couldn't get it on last night. She just slapped me and went off with the security guard.
ITOLDUSO : Ok. So do you want ENO for that tummy?
GREENIE: No. Then I'll have to go.. and the loo costs a buck to operate.
SCRATCHY: You use a loo....!!! We're Indian. We do it closer to nature.
GREENIE :Guys. This banter is not helping.
SCRATCHY: Quick - get to cover and let'er ripppp!

Guts and Brains

2009-07-02T19:16:00.000+05:30

Ever so rarely one comes across a well thought out experiment that begs you to think
Ok - So it also made me want to write!
This is the age old fight between the left brain and the right brain, between Spocks Logic and Kirks gut feeling. It's been raging for time immemorial and no clear winners have emerged. It also depends on what you're looking for.

Are you looking for the "RIGHT" thing?
Are you looking to find what fits "BEST"?
Both tracks move down seemingly parallell lines... but they never meet.

It was much easier as a child when experience didn't cloud the GUT or BRAIN. It was so much simpler to go the RIGHT way or be wary of mommy when you knew that some mischief was at hand.

We constantly tell ourselves that wrong is right and then one day the lines get blurred to the extent that our GUTS guide us wrong.

But inside of me I believe.. I know what is RIGHT and WHAT'S NOT. There's always something around to motivate me to take a middle path than the one that's right. WHY?

Maybe it's the easier way out.
Maybe my brain would have me believe that there's no other way out.
.. but always, a nagging feeling in my gut, hidden deep inside... tells me what I refuse to hear.

Value.....

2009-06-30T12:44:00.000+05:30

What's your value?
No - I'm not talking in terms of money. That's the easiest one to assess. I'm talking intangible stuff.... the kind that us difficult to measure with basic metrics... but the value that you crave for.

What's our value to those around you?
To your family, friends, colleagues and those you interact with on a regular basis.

Does your word count for anything at all?

Does it sound like they hear you or they listen to you?

Do they care enough to listen to you?

Are your intentions always suspect?

Are you always compared with successful people and it's no wonder they always come out ahead?

Can you do anything right(AT all)?

Is everything your fault or can blame be shared with god and nature?

ARE you loved?
... or even feel like you're being loved.

The first question was the subject of this exercise. The following eight were more specific. I don't have to put down a guide here for analyzing the quiz. If you read the pos completely and it made sense... I'm sure you have the final analysis in your head too.

The rest is upto..... well depends on your answers.... they could be right - you could be responsible for all the crap that's around!!!

HUMAN NATURE & HIGH SCHOOL GRAMMAR

2009-06-26T19:15:00.000+05:30

Human nature, like the english language is driven by the Four emotions - assertive, interrogative, imperative & exclamatory.

Humpty dumpty sat on a wall. - Assertive
Girl married Boy. - More assertive
He had the best time of his life. - Exclamatory
Ohh! This was not the end of it. - Exclamatory
What happened thereafter? - Interrogative
Be quiet. -Imperative
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. - Assertive (well not really... )

.... you know the rest of that story

Life requires us to interact with fellow humans, canines, bovines and the like.
It’s important that our actions akin to sentences have a well defined Subject and a Predicate.

The earth revolves around the sun..... (don’t you wonder what’s the subject and what’s the predicate)
We should profit by experience. (... another trick question)
Edison invented the phonograph. (so we’re sure that Edison is definitely not the SUBJECT)
But sometime lines get blurred and we’re not quite sure what come first - the subject or the predicate. We’re unsure on what’s more important.

The there’s the half baked story that we live with. We don’t know everything. But we think it’s enough - kinda like a PHRASE & CLAUSE system Phrases like Half knowledge get you nowhere. We feel something based on something else and finalize our thoughts. It’s quite like saying, “in the corner”. Our half baked thoughts drive us to a corner. The least you can do is talk it out... figure out the CLAUSEs in life. Clauses have some head and tail to latch onto.

.. now moving on to my favorite parts of speech.... Eight varied classes - from the noun to the verb, pronoun to adverb, the adjective and the preposition and interjection preceded by a conjunction.

Every human emotion is one of these....

The Kings men tried to lift HUMPTY DUMPTY - noun
Humpty was quite large - adjective
They could not lift him - verb
Life remains where you left it - pronoun
She pronounced judgment quite rapidly - adverb
I ran fast but I was not fast enough - conjunction

Alas! it’s too late - interjection

There is nothing left to say - preposition

.
..
...
....
..... who’d have thought that life would end with a preposition!!

Off the grid...

2009-06-25T00:10:00.000+05:30

can you even imagine that...?
well I can't.. i tried for a bit... but then i realized that my life had become so tightly entangled with the matrix that getting out was not / is not an option.

The way life has become... so networked... so connected.... so dependent on the ONLINE PERSONA.. begs me to think what life would be if I were in an unconnected location.

no facebook updates
no tweets to reply to
no flickr to showcase "MY" talent
how would i remember birthdays....
no email - no work..there are some benefits too!!!
no RSS... how would i track world affairs
no YOUTUBE - how will i catch the latest flicks...
no BLOGGER..... woah!!
no fwds... no smiles

then again.. it may not be such a bad idea....

Some of my fav pursuits......

2009-06-21T23:21:00.000+05:30

MY BOOKS - always no.1

MY FILMS - viewed many a time

COOKING.... only non-veg though!! (keeps the wife happy too)

MY GLASS - fully intoxicating

DANCING - wild abandon

MY WORK - DIAGNOSING HIV - keeping the world safer!!

...
.
.
.
.
.
... and lets not forget ...my photography and this blog!!

Offline thoughts

2009-06-21T10:34:00.000+05:30

I've been following in my wifes footsteps.... we're experiencing mental blocks towards writing / blogging!
I've been focussed on my photography and flickr these last few weeks. It's become like a little passion to see how many views I'm getting, what pics are the most watched etc etc!!
Here's my phtostream....

So then my mind is off writing for now...
Or so I'd like myself to believe.

News Update : We also got our first car... It's a TATA INDIGO LX with the latest DICOR engine
Sups is thrilled... she finally has a car to call her own..... I don't drive.... never have.... so we got her her very own driver too.
The car came in courtesy Neela and her hubby Sarvottam who being where he's at... was able to get this produced for us. OFFICIALLY the model is still not in production!
BIG THANKS!!
I love the smel of fresh leather...

I'm starting with my OFFICIAL travels again... so this week is Jalandhar.... and next week will be Kanpur , Varanasi & Gorakhpur. Am off to HYDERABAD in end July for 3-4 days too. OOh - I like traveling - the only problem being that I have to leave the missus for that much time. I hope to meet Johnny this time and we can both swap notes on our BBERRY BOLDs!!

Now this is a success story - I converted a NON-BLACKBERRY dude to a BBERRY BELIEVER!!

My wife is getting younger....

2009-06-08T16:33:00.001+05:30

alas... I'm getting older!!!
It's 8th June... d-day is tomorrow.
It's her favourite annual celebration - ahead of durga puja, diwali, holi and a host of other events spanning the social celebratory spectrum.....
she's been anticipating tomorrow for the last 364 days.....

it would be safe to say... she lives for this day!!!

so we're gonna celebrate with her.... !!!
Wishing my life another happy year ahead.....the pics are here

ATTACK ON XANADU 2 - Hufflepuffs Dream!!

2009-06-06T00:17:00.000+05:30

Lt. Hufflepuff stands guard. A Flannibal attack is expected. The darkness is when they make their move. I need to be up a long long time.....

It's the Flannibal Axibal.... the bane of many a federate's existence in the literal sense. He is here.

Then there's the spider - half flannibal - half earth arthropod.... genetic modifications have made this a larger than life danger. Like a bad nightmare - come to life.

Under cover of darkness the surprise is complete. Death stalks the Federate crew.

The captain goes down fighting too.

"We've got that ugly brute Hufflepuff too!!!" Time for a party folks.

"I've heard these Federates - the uglier, the tastier. I'm really hungry can we start now?"

PHEW WHAT A DREAM!!!!

Stanley & Goodricke... they're alive!!

.. and I'm guessing - so is everyone else....

... for now at least. Must stop drinking early in the day... !!!

addiction or persistence for perfection...

2009-06-05T01:08:00.000+05:30

Indeed there’s a very thin line between the two. i call it being passionate. When I do something - i do so with all my energy and resources.

when it’s work... no thing can distract me.
when it’s party... no one can make me stop (except me).
when it’s blog.... i flow.
when it’s photography... i flickr all day & nite.
when it’s cooking... i’ll come at 11:30 and cook you a french dinner.
when it’s social networking ... i’m on facebook & twitter 24/7
when it’s stay fit... i work out like a demon.
when it’s fight... i bang first.. talk later.
when it’s injustice... i rebel.
when it’s love.. i’ll do anything for it.

some say I am a man of extremes. i say I’m a man of my passion.
some say an excess of anything is bad.... i say if you can’t feel the wind in you face and taste the salty spray from the crashing waves.. it ain’t worth it.
my passion and priorities move like the waters of the ocean... and see no reason to be constrained by man-made strictures.

you can hate me
you can love me
but you can’t ignore me...!!

My IDOL : TRISTAN... from LEGENDS of the FALL

ATTACK ON XANADU - prologue!

2009-06-02T13:46:00.000+05:30

Xanadu - the last federation outpost in the XYLAR galaxy.

Defended by a bunch of Federate retards... cos’ no one was else was willing to come there. They've been handpicked for their uselessness to real work.

Capt.Rockalot - trying to get things together. He muddles along and maintains that poker smile - even in the face of becoming food for a hungry enemy.

Lt.Huffelpuff - always the angry young Federate. Always the deprived / depraved child. He has yet to grow up. But he is brave.... foolhardy... and almost certain to become toast!

The Flannibals - villains of the piece - or are they really?
Maybe they’ve just been thrown out of each galaxy they tried to live in.
Maybe it’s their live-love & eat philosophy that gets them evicted.

In any case they are also the last folks residing in the XYLAR galaxy (or at least trying to). It is hoped that the Flannibals will eat themselves out in due course of time.
Also - flannibalism is non-transferrable - so the big question - WHOM will the last FLANNIBAL eat?

For now - XANADU base is TOAST... at least if the FL** have their way with it. The electrical storm that gathers above the base heralds the end of outside communication. Will they hold out.... or become toast???

... for more action.. watch the serial on FLICKR

Name-a-car contest!!

2009-05-31T11:12:00.000+05:30

So folks we're gettin' our own 4 wheeled transportation this week.... it's a TATA INDIGO!
Our first one at that.

The pleasure is almost like.... well what can I say..

Now comes the tough part - choosing a name.
Like all new borns - she too needs to be named.

SO WE'D like some help from you - our BLOG FRIENDS to please suggest suitable/ not so suitable names......

Dinner is on me ... for the giver of the WINNING name!!

The best 3 BREAKUP WORDS....

2009-05-28T14:52:00.000+05:30

So I've been checking on this trending topic on TWITTER titled #3breakupwords
I went through tons of input to arrive at my "TOP FEW"

keka_ontherocks #3breakupwords "enough is enough!"
suryak #3breakupwords: ctrl + Alt + Del
Emsbabee It's definitely you #3breakupwords
TryAjakok #3breakupwords please marry me...
GiselleRuskin #3breakupwords Your dad's hot
AirunPoon WE ARE RELATED!! #3breakupwords
Jah_Rasta You don't cook #3breakupwords
DrGreenthumbs #3breakupwords You remind me...
Faahz #3breakupwords wow she's cute
StiligeCecilie #3breakupwords Facebook status: single
K__DuBB #3breakupwords dont follow me

JennaMadison @BabyMikey74 #3breakupwords Your brother's better :p
mutster101 it's too small #3breakupwords
VersastyleV #3breakupwords found someone better
loboastuto #3breakupwords who are you?
Karilo13 #3breakupwords I Am Gay

jeepcruising #3breakupwords 'lets' be friends'

:-)
Feel free to add yours in the comments

The IPL void!!

2009-05-24T16:48:00.000+05:30

The IPL will end tonight.
My life will be a cricketless void again.... till the T20 WCUP in England.

Wifey will have her hold on the telly again and I shall be consigned to watching saas-bahu serials without cribbing - cos' she so sweetly gave up that remote for the last month!

Still a few hours to go for the finale.. let's hope it goes as I have planned. Biryaani, beer, cricket, Kats and a hopeful RCB win!

I've got this status Update on FB where I've got my friends choosing their side and putting in their predictions for the match.... here're some of the updates

Arjun Mahajan: 2 hours to go for the match... predictions anyone?

Lalith Girilal: deccan charge into the wall... bangalore wins

Arjun Mahajan: i'm with you bro.... all for KAT & RCB

Priyanka Ghosh: deccan! I don't like RCB.

Arjun Mahajan: lets see Pri!

Aditya Sanyal: Hyderabad give bengalooroo the blues

Abinash Chopdar: One more addition...Royals... all the way

Aditya Sanyal: although KAT can be ogled at... who's stopping me? :P gilly rocks!

Arjun Mahajan: hey ... supporters of Deccan are not entitled to any KAT ogling

Priyanka Ghosh: since when? whats with the bangalore connection and KAT? :p

Aditya Sanyal: i get my mischief gals and kat :P nyah nyah

Arjun Mahajan: she's their LUCKY mascot.... use DECCAN ki nazar na lage!!

Priyanka Ghosh: lag jayegiii nazar deccan ki! too much of RCB support around. wait and watch hahah!

.... let's wait & watch....

One drop

2009-05-23T17:01:00.000+05:30

One drop that says it all....
one drop that reflects the world around me..
one drop that holds true to color while the world around me pales in comparison
one drop that gives me hope in world of darkness.

... my light at the end of the tunnel!!

How well do you know me???

2009-05-22T17:56:00.000+05:30

Not well.... well mostly!

OK - So I setup this lil quiz on Facebook that asked the EXAMINEES.. a few questions about mahself!
9 questions was all there was to it.

Most folks got the 1 SITTER correct.
TOP SCORE till date : 66% (My sister from LA)
BOTTOMED out SCORE : 11% ( My best friend Vishal)

LOWER MIDDLE OF THE ROAD SCORE : The missus... 22% ( My wife from right here)

I'm reproducing the quiz here.. with my own kind permission (giggles)

1)       My favorite drink is ________. Are we drinking buddies or what!!
a)     Jack Daniels & Coke
b)     ABsolut with Tonic
c)     Tequila shots
d)     Glenfiddich on the rocks

2)     How old was I when I went on my first date? Now this one is classified - so try your luck
a)     10
b)     11
c)     13
d)     14
e)     16

3)     At a party, what would I definitely be doing? i could be doing 3 of these things... but most likely to be doing what i do best
a)     Guzzling booze
b)     Playing papparazzi
c)     entertaining the women
d)     Singing

4)     What city was I born in? OK - so you gotta know me to get this one
a)     Mumbai
b)     Delhi
c)     Chandigarh
d)     Dharamsala
e)     Ludhiana

5)     I am most happiest when ________?
a)     Playing games on the PC
b)     Cuddling up with her
c)     I'm all alone with my camera and a subject
d)     I have a new gadget to play with
e)     ... I'm always happy

6)     What would be the perfect present for me?
a)     a brand new BMW
b)     a brand new shiny camera lens....
c)     keys to the garden of eden
d)     a vacation in Las Vegas
e)     all of the above

7)     What song would I choose to sing at a karaoke bar? Not that I sing much
a)     Leaving on a jet Plane
b)     Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte
c)     18 till I die - Bryan Adams
d)     Man Smart, Woman Smarter - Harry Belafonte
e)     Me sing.....eeks!!

8)     What color suits me best?
a)     Black
b)     Brown
c)     Blue
d)     Pink
e)     Red

9)     What is my favourite city to live in? I rant about this - on and on - and if you know me - this is the sitter
a)     Delhi
b)     Mumbai
c)     Pune
d)     Chandigrah
e)     Bangalore

Ok.. so the point I'm trying to make is that when this quiz is DONE on FB... you'll know me just that little bit better. I'm all for it... go on - login to FB and take this quiz. Then create your own and send it to me. It's a small world and not enough time to ask all the question face to face. We have to outsource to FB and social networking sometimes.

Evaluating Greatness!

2009-05-22T17:15:00.000+05:30

A great man, it has truly been remarked, is the product of his age, the reflex of the energies of his time, the embodiment of the forces of his epoch. A great man is such as his age makes him, but he is something more....

He is like that system which gives a greater return on the investment. He takes the input applied, multiplies it and comes out with something special. This embellished gift that he gives back to the world at large is what makes him that beacon of greatness.

History is biased. It does not always do justice to greatness. It has it’s own parameters laid down by society that filter vision and allow a view in a binary color combination - Black or white. Why do we not view great personalities without this filter - as human beings?

This is the question that runs through my mind... I’m still searching for that elusive answer.

Tuesday Twitters!!!

2009-05-19T14:12:00.000+05:30

I've been scanning the twitterverse for signs on a tuesday.
ThoughtI'd Put across some of the messages with TUESDAY in'em.

Carolyncairns Morning all - wondering what joys this tuesday will bring us all...

bluepotion @nareshk What's wrong with a haircut on Tuesday? :-o

AtHomeSullivan Happy Tuesday - Today's tip http://bit.ly/z3IS8

thepenguinrocks is playing: "Tuesday" by Trey Anastasio on http://ThePenguinRocks.com

nickemmett How's everyone doing? Tuesday arrives and it's still raining Up Norf! Danny Elfman's Terminator Salvation playing right now. Very Cool!

FaridabadMetro [Faridabad News] Water Shortage in Ballabhgarh: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 1:57 PM Ballabhgarh, an important town in Fari... http://s3nt.com/g5eu

the_shaz Being reprimanded... *sigh* Is it possible for the Monday blues to spill over on a Tuesday?

blucanary @stuart_manning only on a Tuesday and by the time I'd worked out all the good stuff had gone, so had a croissant... that's not good is it?

WollemiPine @LiliCosic Odd that it's a Tuesday. Mowing is usually a weekend job, isn't it?

mehulved @ideasmithy on a tuesday?

Alybean Battery low.ironing pile slowly getting smaller.Tweet later.#tedious task Tuesday

VarianDavid Dammit...gotta get the new Eminem, Red and Mef and Busta...all this tuesday?...dammit!!!

cormac_oc Had a busy monday, i think i'm entitled to a lazy tuesday.

KiwiRo_D_Ro Tuesday evening... pack my bags, I'm heading out the door I left a box of memories lying on the floor

(I like this last tweet the best.... kinda says it all)

Life or Death...

2009-05-18T20:33:00.000+05:30

he is young
he has killed many
he planned the killings - not in a fit of rage

he is unrepentant
he is Kasab!

Does he deserve life or death?

I suspect my individual opinion does not count for much here. The legal system in this country and other political considerations will decide on that. Me - just the human face - one of many...

Folks like me were the victims of this young man's killing spree. His friends were killed. He survived and lives to ask for perfume and freedom.

We - INDIANs - have almost forgotten this tragedy and the entire drama is now relegated to the back pages of unread newspapers. I sense the DARK ONE is winning.... if only I had the opportunity to enforce justice - as it rightfully should. We haven't gained anything by keeping him alive thus far - apart from being labelled as a NOBLE and soft state. What crappy times to live in....

PS : even if he gets a life sentence.... I trust to an honest criminal to serve him with justice... so then we're all off the hook!!

How well do I know my wife....

2009-05-17T21:10:00.001+05:30

apparently not well enough....
I failed the exam at 16%... as FACEBOOK resports....

Damn.... !!!

As if One wasn't enough!!

2009-05-17T19:17:00.000+05:30

My wife says I am TOTALLY NUTs!
Just imagine if there were 2 of the same...

Well - I gave it some thought and decided to experiment some. The EVIL doctor helped somewhat and now there's me and some more ME...
We even tried having a conversation - but it is quite difficult (speaking to oneself is considered IDIOCY in some cultures) since I already know what I'm going reply.
It's like playing chess with myself. How interesting is that.

The only difference is that I now have 2 votes instead of 1 in household matters...,... so I get to double the work!!!

Beating the heat!!

2009-05-15T21:38:00.000+05:30

I've been looking for ideas to beat the heat.
The DELHI SUMMER is getting to me (finally). I guess that's what happens when you step out of the AC cooled Ivory tower and decide to meet your customers. I should kick myself for being the "hero" types - even to attempt it!

Here are some of my ideas.. that come readily to my mind!

drink water... but not too much.. (it's difficult to control the bladder thereafter)
drink beer and lime water... body can hold more of these as compared to water
eat tons of ice cream (i'll get on that treadmill in the monsoons)
wear an umbrella
carry a portable AC - like in the space suits for the astronauts
use sunscreen (wonder if it works), avoid moisturizers
make your own AC by placing a bowl of ice in front of a fan and letting it blow on you
eat out - don't get into that oven hot kitchen
change that seat to under the AC Vent... convince the ADMIN folks that it's good for morale\
wear light colors... (with the necessary underclothing of course)
park thy car in an area of shade. ( you might otherwise burn up on re-entry)
get out of the city... and head to the himalayas

I like the beer, ice cream and himalayan options best... wonder which one to start with!!