Monday, July 20, 2009

Not many people can say or do say that they love their jobs, but right now that's how it feels. I have full autonomy over my work, I can get involved and shape our go-to-market strategies, I have a team which supports me efficiently, and most importantly, I have a reputation, I think, of someone who delivers. So can't get much better than that. But something will change soon - never lasts for long ;)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

People all over the world are signing multi million deals over lunch and dinner, guys are scoring with girls every minute - Every minute a lot of us are pushing the boundaries of whatever we feel passionate about. That's the key - let's get passionate about something in our lives, let's give our everything to whatever or whoever we hold close to our heart. Doesn't matter if its work, a eccentric hobby, a sport, a decent girl in Dubai, or a combination of the above - give it your all. Let's not do things in half-measure, unless we don't absoluletly care about it. Let's try not to say no to thgs or people we love. Let's do the best with what we have, and not think much abt what if. Bring it on!!!
Hank in Californication : I am disgusted with my life and myself, but I am not unhappy

That's where I am currently - I need someone to save me cos I can't seem to be doing a good job on my own. Sometimes you can't make it on your own

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Anyone else thinks the final episode of West Wing Season 2 is one of the finest thgs to happen in television history? Masterpiece, Sheer class, gives you goosebumps everytime you watch it. Martin Sheen is a legend!!!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Just to be very clear - I can't believe myself I am writing this post.

A very close friend and his fantastic family is staying over at mine for the weekend. They have 2 beautiful kids - One aged 8-ish and other 3-ish (or thats my guess at least - I have no clue how people guess kids ages). They are just bloody adorable, both of them. The young boy talks about dinosaur cakes and his last birthday party, stands in my balcony , plane-spotting and then explains the difference between small and big planes, loves toast with tomato ketchup, and mostly says things which even his mum can't understand. The elder sister takes care of her little brother and talks about her love for ballet and snorkelling and some other very serious stuff. They have gone sight-seeing in London this morning but - wait for it, here it comes - I am actually looking fwd to meeting them 2 back again in the evening. I am EXCITED to meet the young ones and listen to their blabber again. I must be going soft. Thankfully they are going back Monday or I would end up adopting both of them, and I somehow I dont think that would be such a good deal for them.

On another point, and this might prove there is a major sadist note in me , or maybe its true with most of us. I can't bear reading blogs of people who proclaim they are happily married and the 3rd line of their post mentions "how my fantastic hubby made me a lunch today" and so forth - Thats an Alt-F4 right there. Next!!
Tu Jab Yoon Sajti Hai

Ek dhoom Machti Hai

Saari Galiyon Main Saare Baazaar Main



Aanchal Basanti Hai

Us mein Se Chhanti Hai

Jo Maine Pooji Hai Moorat Pyaar Mein



Rut aa gayi re , rut cha gayi re

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Test matches must always start on Wednesdays or Thursdays - There should be a new law for that.

I am working from home today, and getting a lot of work done - Saves me the 150 minutes of travelling , plus I can watch the Ashes while I work, plus I can work in my tshirt and shorts, plus I can blog while I work, or watch programmes called "Subah Ho Gayi Mamu" on Star Gold and Bajao on watch B4U Music. Maybe this is another thing for which we should have a law.

I cant find decent priced tickets for Dubai - 400 quid for a 4 hour flight - F***ing outrageous!!!
I look at the full moon out of the french windows of my living room, and think how that guy stays the same, while everythg else change. We, who looked at the moon together a few seasons ago, were so different than the you and I now. Do we even recognise the person we were just a few hundred days ago? Weren't we so happy then? Why did thgs change?

I am just sleep-deprived blabbering like an idiot while I shd be working on my spanish.

Buenos Noches, hombres and mujers !!
It was like a scene out of a blockbuster Bollywood movie - if it didn't happen really, I would have trouble believing it.

Me and Stevie enrol myself to a Spanish class - When we get there, we have 9 young women and us. So far so bloody good. After 5 mins of Sussane starting to teach, the door opens slighlty, and this Indian looking babe walks in. Decent looking, and between the 3 seats available she takes the one next to me. Its quite an interactive course and we exchange a few spanish, and some english words. 90 mins fly by, like time does when you don't want it to. The class wraps, and she walks off, ignoring our indirect offer for a drink. Its only when she leaves that I realise that she has the personality of one in a million - its not the way she looks or what she wears, its her warm nature which makes her so special, the real X factor. I don't care if she is married or single or madly in love - I have 7 dayss to convince her to have a drink and dinner with me. That's the challenge I have set myself. Quite low target, you might say, but given the patch I am going through, that should be a miracle in itself. Speaking of meeting targets, I have another post worth writing about - to follow.

Hasta la proxima semana !!!

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Fantastic to see meaningful debates in India on Gay rights, and the ball rolling on changing peoples view on it. Congress has to do the right thing now and set the precedent by starting its new term with un-popular but progressive policies.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Why is Kasab, the fucking sonofabitch, not dead yet? How long is the Indian judicial system going to take to pass judgement on something which is an open and shut case? For Fuck sake, get things together and hang the bastard. It wont be total justice, but if it frustates me so much to see him alive, I dread to think how the ones affected feel.

Mr. Moily and Mr. Chidambaram - Get your act together, please !!!!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

It feels like a heavy night - so much to think about, so much to decide and take action on, and yet so distracted and restless. Why is it so difficult to turn off the auto-pilot? Why is it difficult to erase some memories, some numbers and a few regrets? Why doesn't 2 shots of Glenmorangie help anymore? How about every person getting one lifeline to go back in time and change one of his.her decision? I know which one I would. In the meanwhile, a small ray of sunshine beckons, and i try to make sense of things all over again.

Big week at work - if I get ths right, I should be sorted for the rest of the year. One less thg to worry about, and sets me nicely for a final push to get the promotion I so desperately need, to say nothg abt deserve.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Chanda: Main laut kar aaongi to tum yahi honge?

Dev: Haan

Chanda gives the biggest smile ever.

The smallest thgs give us the biggest happiness most of the times
New York review - 6 out of 10

NY has the massive advantage of being the 1st big name movie to be released after the long strike - so no doubt it will be be a hit. Indian and NRI audience(like yours faithfully) can't do without a masala movie for long.

Half- decent movie, with great production values. Most of the scenes feel well shot than most hollywood movies - very glossy and smooth. 2 quid vasool

Neil and John have acted well, and look good too. Katrina's lack of depth is apparent and she is the weakest link. Irfan, as usual, is class. Another 2 quid

Just 2 songs, but well shot. 1 quid

Climax lets the movie down big time, with holes bigger than the ones in my socks. But it does make a couple of points well. Another quid.

So in all, £6 vasool out of £10, which explains my rating - Looks like I have just devised my own Desi Movie Review Framework(DMRF).

Watch it with low expecs and u shd be ok.

Rediff rating: Agree
Taran Adarsh rating: Rubbish and clearly sold-out to YRF."so well structured and so gripping"?? U having a laugh mate!!!

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The Trailer for Kaminey looks absolutely tempting - Vishal Bhardwaj scores again, I bet!!! Legend!!

***********************************************
Love this dialogue from Kambakth Ishq, though I am pretty sure the movie would be rubbish:
AK: Tumhe Mardo se kya problem hain?
Kareena: Mujhe mardo se nahi, tumse problem hain
AK: Mujhse? Maine abhi tumhaare saath kich kiya bhi nahi hain
K: Aur karoge bhi nahi
AK: Aur tumhaari itni acchi kismat bhi nahi hain

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Always gets a huge laugh from me - Thats total paisa wasool, as my Love Guru would 100% agree with

Friday, June 26, 2009

Thanks for the memories!!

I remember this clearly. I must be around 9 0r 10. The radio and tape recorder was my favourite plaything in our home. Sunday afternoons, while mum and dad were sleeping in their room, I would turn on the radio, and listen to vividh bharti, and other stations, and sing along. We had a good cassette collection, but mostly old songs - rafi, mukesh, saigal, etc, my chacha's collection. New tapes were more like a treat, and only when there was a known guaranteed hit. Aashiqui, qsqt, chandni, come to mind. And then one day Dad got us Thriller (was it on his trip to London?) - the first English tape that we had in our house. My savvy cousins had loads of them, but for me this was my 1st. It was weird - I couldnt understand any of the lyrics but my feet tapped whenever that tape played. And you start humming things even if you dont understand it - I am sure my mum would be scandalised if I knew I was singing this at 10

"Billie jean is not my lover
Shes just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son"

And then came the Thriller video. We used to hire VCRs in summer holidays - Friday evenings, Go the shady rental store , Hire the VCR and 5 or 6 Video tapes of Hindi movies, and maybe the odd English movie, selected by Dad, or recommended by the cousins. And as soon as we saw Michael Jackson video tape, we knew we had to get it. It had the thriller song, and maybe a couple more - Thats about it. And my Dad loved it - I was quite surprised.

Years passed by but the only English cassette which would come into our home would be MJ's. Bad, Dangerous and finally HIStory , with the lyrics printed on the tape cover - WOW, that was a dream come true - We could actually sing along :)

With time, my fascination with him diminished and slowly it became indifference. He might have been a flawed Genius, but a Genius he was - Thanks for the memories, and Rest in Peace

My flawed, highly-biased Top 10 (clear trend towards his earlier albums):
Dangerous (number 10)
In the closet
You are not Alone
They dont care about us
Remember the Time
Black or White
Bad
The way you make me feel
Thriller
Beat It
Earth Song
Billie Jean (Top vote)

OK - So its Top 12 :)