I loved this ...

My calender says : If you find the door to success closed ... dont give up... try the window... How quirky can this be ? and yet if you think about it... it makes a lot of sense... :) Listening to Strings... are the guys hot or what... they have a nice jukebox on their website playing their songs.. awesome... Also been listening to Talvin Singh... I think I am floored ... :) Till later... am caught up now... typically.. will get back as soon as I uncatch myself out of this mesh... that is work... toodle doo .. . I loved this recipe of Roasted Marmalade Ham.. what a combo..... I think I lurveee marmalade... heheh I am blogging from in between docs... tee hee !!! Conversation: A: There are no this one on your this one ? ( go Figure ) B: Silence ( till "this one" has been categorised) Pet Peeve: Imitation is DEFINITELY not the best form of flattery... its like looking at a bad hair day reflection of myself... YUCCCKKKK !!! Where has originality gone ? Traffic cops who just when you reached your turning... force you to go straight ... which is just the road you want to avoid.... GRRRRR

Curtain call...

And as I made this resolution.. of watching movies.. I was joined in the conspiracy by Rocks ... who agreed to take me out on a movie date... and my sweets also got the tickets buhahaha ! !! we usually go in for current booking and rarely for advanced booking... so it was a treat.. Saturday... it was raining cats and dogs and it was a right time to sit for a movie... That was time for Fantastic Four... Let me tell you in the beginning that I am a super heroes fan.. I love Superman, Batman stories and had a huge collection of Marvel comics back home.. So Fantastic Four was like another comic turning to visual reality when i was watching it.. The movie is a great one with all the chitty bangs that goes into making a comic flick... and more.. I loved the characters and the script was also well written.. I thought... The point is that its a light film and the graphics were well displayed... and all in all its like your comic come alive in screen... if you like comics.. you will enjoy this movie.. nothing much to think here... good overcomes evil.. and well there a dollop of romance thrown in too... so heck go for it if you liked X- Men, Batman, etc type of movies... Well now this is a movie I was looking forward too.... Given the fact that I enjoyed most of Ram Gopal Varma's movies.. here we were expecting something good. I personally had my own reservations.. because I was kind of disappointed after watching D- the Company.. The only saving grace of that movie was the excellent performance of Randeep Hooda... So with my fingers crossed... we went for Sarkar. And I .... LOVED it... Its a beautifully made movie... After Company this is the best movie he has made... and this movie is an excellent example of how inspiration can excel your creative juices given the chance.. It was good to see the first writing in the movie where he gives the credit to Godfather. It definitely takes courage to do that... and yet to be frank he made a different movie.. All I could see from Godfather was the lighting and the sequences.. of expressions.. .thats it.. the rest was taken over by the story and the plot. I loved the camera angles and the way the characters were portrayed. There are many South Indian actors who have been introduced here.. which looks good.. :) The whole film concentrated on being Subtle. That is the key word of the movie.. The gory shots were well handled... Amitabh excelled again... ( this proves again and again that actors like Sharukh and Salman have to go a looong way... ) Abhishek was a pale shoadow of his father in the beginning of the movie.. but then his character takes predominance in the movie... showing to the audience how well he can handle himself and yes there is something about genes.. too... ( I may be biased but I am a Great fan of the Bacchan males LOL) ... Its all about expressions.. and this has been played upon well.. some scenes were intense just because of the expressions.. and it said more than words could say... And yes the women in the movie though silent most of the time.. also created an impact.. in their own way... If you have watched D, you will see the same old faces here in the movie again in different roles... but they all had their part to play to make the movie good... No songs... no timepass.. just reels and reels of plot. And thats what I like in a movie.. It definitely will put you in the edge of your seat.. and the key element of surprise has been played upon very well by the director... a good way to spread the plot I must say... So what are you waiting for.. if you have not watched it yet go for it... and yep... do not go in a song and dance mood... please... you will find the movie boring.. go in a sombre mood and you will get exactly what your brain wanted.... :) *********************************************************************** On a lighter side... Karen Anand's pasta sauce is the best way to whip up a great pasta in minutes.. Our new neighbor has a black labrador with whom I am trying to make friends... but neighbor uncleis jealous of his dog making friends with anybody... BLURRRBBBB * poking my tongue out to him* PVR cinemas is a definitely NO NO on weekends for people like me who do not book tickets in advance.... Boo hoo....Seems like the whole Bangalore is out to watch movies there... SIGH... Aqua.. thanks for the lovely dinner... it was great to see you again.. the momos were heavenly.. :) Gearing up for a ride trip ... yehawwwwwww !!!! Heights of accessorizing : Came to work wearing two watches in the same hand... GAWK.. how did I manage to do that... and typically have this habit of waving my hands while talking... so you can imagine how it looked like.. Thankfully ( thanks Amit for correcting me) I had full sleeves on.. EEEPSS.. Okay I am also known to go through the whole day with one earring in my ear... SIGH.. so this is I guess a natural addition to my list of eccentricities..

Weekend

have a nice weekend !! I am in the middle of a looooong post... Nostalgia knocking at my door again... so I am going to upload it once I am done... Planning to watch Dus, Sarkar and War of the Worlds... along with Fantastic Four.. How am Igoing to manage this ?? Well I have to wait and watch... ;) And I have opened a new blog on my thoughts on Spirituality and Life.. I would like to emphasise that these are purely my thoughts and have no intention of influencing or supporting or disregarding any religion..or concepts ... This blog is based on my personal experiences and takes on an analystic view.. of life in general... Actually was a little shy to share this part of myself but what the heck... I thought might as well.. :) You are welcome to drop your words of wisdom.. :) and yeah enjoy life... as it comes...

What is it ....

That makes someone make such a beautiful movie on a broadway show called Phantom of the Opera.. Just watched it and I really wish I was there to see the live show.. It cost around $ 95 million. Is that money or is that money.... the only flamboyant Indian movie that could come near was Roop Ki Raani Choro ki Raja.. with all that dramatics and was the most expensive film that was made during that time... suffice it to say that it was as big a flop as the budget.. That makes Lance Armstrong go more than 600 metres cycle up the mountain... and win the yellow jersey for the Tour de France.... It was amazing watching the cyclists give their best shots and push through the difficult climb... if you see the the route it seems impossible but there you are.... It is his last race and may the best man win... That finally makes National Award winners finally worth a glance ... Page 3 has won the best film and rightly so.. it was a very interesting film though I thought that Black would be a good contender for the award... but I guess the jury is willing to get bitten by reality.... That made them choose Saif as the best Actor... well surprise surprise... he is a good actor though many a times pushed behind the focus... That puts up Aishwarya Rai as the Best Actress... when Kannada movie actress Thara also was announced as Best Actress.. somebody come CLEAN... Heloooo !!

The art of proposing

I have been hammered with memories of my teenhood.. hence these posts... its a result of talking to my old pals... and all came back like a fresh spring breeze.. . This part of Jil Chronicles will muse about the art of proposing... Well to be very honest .. being a brash and hot tempered tomboy who was nicknamed 90 degrees Farenheit in the neighborhood.. ... I was pretty sure I put off the guys who were anyways up for just a good time.. and I was happy with stolen glances but that was not for the world to know...tee hee Shillong was a small town and every teen seemed to be under a microscope... we all know who was proposing to whom and like any other teen group we all had our giggly secrets and gossip.. St Edmunds had the smartest guys without doubt and well as for the girls there was always a fight between St Mary's Convent ( where yours truly studied) and Loretto Convent and Pine Mount.. We all vied with each other for the attention of the ever smart Edmundians... LOL.. It was okay if an Edmundian left a St Mary's gal for another St Mary's gal but it was not okay if he went to the enemy ground that was Loretto's. So anyway amidst this war of the schools.. and adoloscent flittergibbies... Jil was discovering a lot of things about herself... when the gang was changing boyfriends which was like totally *Sufi*.. Jil though was a thoroughbred romantic.. and believed in tall dark handsome men.. who would carry her off to a forever land.. where love would be the solution to everything... ( which she chewed on it herself though) She realised that she was attracting all the wrong sort of guys with her I-care-a-damn attitude.. and here goes a list of the wierd adventures of proposing acts to Jil... to such an extent that her mom and aunt was worried that something was wrong with her... LOL Part I The Baker... There was this bakery like the Ayengar bakery where the baker sold some bread and cakes for the localites.. The baker came to the newspapershop in opposite his shop and often used to spend time there.. I was a regular at the newspaper shop since on my way from school I had to pick up stuff for home.. I noticed that they used to whisper when I stepped in for my regular Telegraph paper and magazine.. I had a good rapport with the newspaper wallah a nice gentleman who used to lend me some good books and magazines and I would do anything for that .. :) acting nice was nothing.... One day it so happened that there was only the baker who was there and he was quite a handsome and winsome lad and a tad mature... and too old for wee 'ol me.. I went and asked him for the paper as usual since no one was there and he gave me the paper in a slow motion.. I was like Heloooo ... but did not say anything since ... I did not know him ( Obviously) It seems that was the moment he decided to fall for me ( I got all this update later on from the newspaper shop keeper) Anyway.. so the saga of him waiting for me to come and take newspaper and him making sure that the newspaper was given to me by him started..I definitely suspected something wierd going on but did not bother much.. Then came by birthday... on May 31st. He became eager to bake a cake.. and he by this time had befriended my friend who used to accompany me while coming back from school and was his regular customer for buying breads... By this time I had an inkling of what was going on but I decided to ignore it.. .. and let my mom pick up the newspaper without telling her why I refused to do this... One fine day... The newspaper shop guy told mom that there was a mail for me .. and I had to read it ,.. it was urgent. Mom unsuspectingly told.. me about it.. My aunt who was also there was curious too.. now me and my aunt .. are always partners in crime.. she is more of an elder sis to me.. so we all found a letter inside and excitedly opened it... my aunt and mom were more excited than me which was wierd... hahaha Lo and behold was a love letter .. uniquely composed of all popular songs and hand drawn pigeons... ( man this guy was creative !!) It had all the songs that I loved.. and some more... Started with something like Chaudavi ka Chand... and then went on to Kabootar jaja ..ja... and then Chandni tu meri Chandni... sau bar janam lenge... and it went on and on.. I was again.. thinking how could one waste time like this.. ( my pea brained mind did not comprehend the emotion of love and the creativity with which the letter was written.. as yet) I was affronted and a little but flattered that the guy in question went to so much trouble... LOL.. Then my aunt started teasing me... "good for you Jil.. we will all have free cakes for our lives.. and told her sister to marry me off... and rolled on the floor with mirth... then when she regained normality.. she seriously told me why was it that the guys after me were so wierd and why was there no knight in shining armor falling for me.. To that I was like GAWK... who wanted a knight in shining armor ? She was a young thing too... and a romantic... so she kept teasing me... I felt like tearing my hair apart.... grrrr ... I went and mouthed an earful to the newspaper guy... how dare you and that too to my mom. he was considerably chastised but he put the blame on the said guy who was nowhere to be seen... but I told him to give that guy the message that I WAS NOT INTERESTED... Not to be beaten... The baker decided that on my birthday he would bake a cake and distribute it to the whole neighborhood of shops thus proclaiming his love.. for Pallavi.) I was GAWK..... Luckily this was relayed to me by my friend S who was taking deep pleasure in this... I was horrified and did not know what to do... I was switching between giving him a big WHACK on his head or making a big scene thus giving him an earful for such fancies.. the confused rebellious tom boy teen that I was... I was totally stumped... If I make a scene... I shall be anyway... be grounded by dad and will be in public eye If I give him a whack.. same result ,.. what if he whacks me back If I talked to him nicely... HECK what would I talk ? I plotted with my friends and since my friend S was so maliciously enjoying my dilemma, I called her and told her to go and tell him that if he does anything such as giving cake or something.. I would slowly and surely break each and every part of his shop one by one.. and would raise hell.. Hahahah !! now to think of it .. it was so hilarious.. at that time it was definitely very embarassing.. So my birthday came and went and he made a cake surely but quietly gave it to S with a heartbroken smile.. I told S to give it back.. He distributed it among his friends to show his part in my special day... I secretly thought that was cute of that person.. But then heck.... Anyways... so then after a while when he realised that this would not work.. that while lasted for some 6 frustating months of being stared at... being smiled at... being mooned at... EWWWW.. That was that for me... made me terribly nervous.. So finally he decided to marry a nice girl from HYD and made sure that I knew that he was marrying but only because I was not interested in him but he would love me forever and ever and all that .... BRRRR... He also made sure that he told his wife on the wedding night... that his heart would always be with this girl called Pallavi from Shillong and only his body would be hers... EWWWW.... ( after the newspaper shop guy... grimly told me this story... ) well i did not know what to say.. but was mighty glad that he was married and off my back... Part II - The Stalker... Coming soon

Of Crushes and Starry nights...

I was reading Handa's blog where he finally talked to his crush.. and it reminded me of the paras from the poem.. Yarrow Unvisited by Wordsworth. `Be Yarrow stream unseen, unknown; It must, or we shall rue it: We have a vision of our own, Ah! why should we undo it? The treasured dreams of times long past, We`ll keep them, winsome Marrow! For when we`re there, although `tis fair, `Twill be another Yarrow! What is it about crushes that make it so poignant and makes your heart beat aflutter.. Whether it is the boy next door.. or that someone who just makes eye contact and there seems to be bird chirping a sweet song.. thus making you see colors of a beautiful rainbow.. a vision of your own where everything is perfect and made for you.. .just the way you want it and the cupids conspire to help you out too... and you do not want to know what lies on the other side.. you are just happy in your imaginary Utopia... SIGH Till you actually are jolted into reality which is so remnant of the para from Yarrow Visited...by Wordsworth. And is this - Yarrow? - This the stream Of which my fancy cherish`d So faithfully, a waking dream, An image that hath perish`d? O that some minstrel`s harp were near To utter notes of gladness And chase this silence from the air, That fills my heart with sadness. Flashback to Standard 8 and a stumbling clumsy just-discovered-boys Jil... Returning from school was always a great event for me during this time since there was this absolutely adorable and smart guy who lived near by school and we happened to cross each others path.. very frequently.. We would be happy making eye contact and let it be.. I was too gawky and tom boyish to admit that I was smitten but there I was smitten to the core... DROOL.. till our friends came to know about it and well the charm was getting to be a little tedious.. because now we had friends looking out for each other... Still those stolen glances.. and the moment we would pass each other by the road would be like thunder and lightning bouncing off us... Well it was our moment and there was definitely clapping going on with both hands... LOL ... Life was bliss... Interval.... ( My most embarassing moment in life.. and my best performance as a pseudo actress) Someone came and told me that his sister was our Senior ##$#@$ and he had a girlfriend... Double @%#^@#@ but heck I was okay and had a sadistic pleasure seeing him waiting.. opposite our classroom which faced their terrace.. or meeting him on the road when no one was looking... what timing.. we automatically or rather he automatically coordinated our passing-by each-other sessions very carefully... You can imagine.. it was the talk of the class... and well.. it did not last long.. There is a small flutter in the senior class too and well as you can imagine.. the sister.. goes ahead and has a talk with the guy... and he totally denies it... She then marches to my class during recess and has a talk with me... making it the most embarassing moment of my teen life...

She: Hi, how are you .. I am R and I just wanted to talk to you.. Me (Nervous and trapped like a deer in the glare of a truck light) : yes.. hi.. ( a little reticent.. and respectful since she was a senior By now one by one my friends have deserted me and I am surrounded by her pals.. watching the fun..) She: Hmm (with a sly smile) so you are after my brother ( Heck... how did that happen.. it he who started it all ) ... yeah I know he must be acting up with you too... and Well you know I am okay with it .. But when I asked him about it .. he denied the whole thing and said that he did not know any Pallavi... he also has a girlfriend.. who is my best friend... ( she was very pretty and was right there some distance away.. where was my hole.. to go and hide myself..) ( PHUTTTT .. my teen bubble burst... a little and I was watching my heart being broken into tiny pieces.. for the rejection.. though I understood later that he was in an awkward position of having a girl and making eyes at someone else.. .LOLOL his sister was duly worried.. at her philanderous brother's antics...) Me (Squirming and trying to come up with a very good way to shut her up) : yeah but who told you that I was interested in your brother ? She: Well I have friends too you see ( smiling slyly again) Me (this time had to come with an answer fast) : Well I know your bro .. but heck we meet so many people.. and yeah friends tease I guess.. and for your information I already have a guy ( That was a BIG lie) She (catching on to my lie and deciding to take my trip...) : Yeah !! and who is he ? Me (with red flaming cheeks and ears.. try to sport an attitude..) : Well back in Delhi ( I never saw Delhi in my life till then.. just had relatives... she thought the blush was because of the guy... man could I act..) She (a little confused) : oh ok then i am sorry... but I still wish to tell you that he already has a.... ( yeah how many times will she rub it in ? ) Me( getting warm to the lie and wanting a stop to this ) : hey R look yaar.. i think I am going to marry the chosen guy soon and its been all arranged from childhood ( YEAH right !! Hindi movie scene cut and a lot of Mills and Boons feedback on the brain...) and well things are serious between our parents and so I could not think about another guy forget about your brother.. I am not allowed to.. you see... ( very shyly) .. . and I really like this guy of mine... She (a little unsure now) : Oh ok .. chill man.. it was nice to talk to you.. errr... I think this is a misunderstanding.. .... TING goes the bell.. Me (relieved to bits and know what saved by the bell means..) : Oh there is the bell.. we start our classes now.. if you please excuse me..( pretending to be very busy with books and pens .. ) She (very friendly now) : Sure sure... bye ...

Me totally feeling like loser and cursing my friends who had suddenly appeared and looked desperately for a HOLE to bury myself in... LOLOL I was 13 and all that soap ( we had only Buniyaad and Hum Log running then on TV) was too much for me to take... But if you think that this dampened our quota of stolen glances.. you can think again.... Being teenagers... rebelling against something comes automatically.. so stolen glances and chemistry of passing each other by continued but more discreetly of course... !!! buhhaahah !!! TILL ONE DAY....... WE ALL GREW UP....

friends...laughter ... silly and memorable

Flashback to the days when we were in school .. looking forward to the holidays.. .skipping to her house.. when it was feasible... she lived on the other side of the hill.. Giggling about no good reason at all.. even when a pencil drops.. A determined Leo to the core.. always wanted to get the best of the world... But with a dashing sense of humor which made us get along so well.. Accepting our strengths and weakness without any questions.. today she is a successful business woman Walking back from tutions and laughing at all things funny .... and feeling good to share that laughter... fall over ourselves at things ... just for the heck of it.. Concetrating on finding the digestive system of the fish for the bio practicals.. cutting cockroaches together... Her coming and telling me all excited about being selected as a beauty queen ... in her engineering college.. Sharing clothes.. having a stint in the hostel together.. her trying to diplomatically keep me away from the girl that I did not much liked... As teenagers, a tryst with a guy whom we named Black and White because he used to always be in Black and White and well the oddest conversation I remember her having with him... when he was trying to woo her.. was

Me walking some distance from her letting her talk to this guy actually nugded her to it.. She to him : what did you do today ? ( for the sake of making conversation) He to her : nothing much.. I made Maggie. She : OH how did you make Maggie ? Umm I like Maggie He: Yeah I like maggie too. Its good.. nothing .. ummm She : yeah its good to have Maggie..

Me: GAWK at the number of times I heard Maggie there.. heck this was supposed to be romantic.. She tells me later on that they did not have anything else to talk about.. suffice it to say that Black and White never colored her life... LOL... A girl with a great sense of humor and lot of silly memories which seem so precious.. now.. Today I connected with her , yet another good friend from bygone days and it seemed like all our cloaks for the general junta had dropped off and we were left giggling like the girls that we used to be,... it was fun M .. friends are so precious.. I am looking forward to meeting you ... and its good to talk to you... I am tempting her with pork curry, some freak out times... and great laughter again and she is as willing to go for it... :) Laughter without any pretensions and without any inhibitions... oh yes its rare to find a soul with whom one can share that level of comfort and you will find it only with your school friends.. Cheers to old friends and thank god we can still connect without the layers of age and professional ego and barrier... a nice start to a week Aye ?? JustZen.. thanks Dude for the links... London is bleeding... a prayer for the departed souls and friends and relatives who have been lucky enough to be saved... and here is how blogs have been making news with respect to the blast.. kind of reminds me of a situation back home in Shillong..

Lazy Sunday afternooning

Hubby is back... yipeeeeeeeee so am feeling much better now... yehawwww !! can be up to my old antics... hehee !! EVIRL laughter... Today after a looooooong time we bought Hilsa fish.. . and I cooked it just the way mom does it... and it seemed like a feast of Bhapa Ilish , Fry Iilish, rice and assorments of other Hilsa.. stuff.. Yumm its a fishy fishy fishy.. day... he heeh !! Food sometimes gives me a high... SIGH... I think I shall die of gluttony... LOL Anyway... listening to refrains of Trilok Gurtu and Taufiq Quereshi.. can go on rocking to this... for endless time...

Mooning Maudlin Maladies...

Home alone and with lots of space.. thats what I was feeling like this week... so have decided to spend my time with my gal pals catching up on Hindi serials... LOL... OK I have become addicted to REMIX. Its kind of whacky and thank god not a soap. Yayyayayay and yes I managed to watch some Bold and the Beautiful too... hahahah look what an idle mind can do ... LOL... Its when you are on your own that you realise what a partner does for you in your life.. sometimes There is someone whom you can trouble... There is someone whom you can tickle There is someone whom you can cuddle There is someone whom you can snuggle.. There is someone who talks to you There is someone who listens to you There is someone who eats the food that you cook There is someone who hugs you .. There is someone to say cheers to... on a shot of vodka.. that someone also makes me a mean cocktail sometimes.. There is someone to play footsie.. he he ... There is someone to hang your wet towel ... There is someone who brings egg puffs for me on his way back.. There is someone who cooks delicious meals for me when he is in the mood There is someone who teaches me always to be myself... There is someone who patiently tells me the story even if I am jumping to hear the ending. And how can I forget There is someone who always keeps the shoes at the wrong place There is someone who will scold me for being absentminded and birdbrained There is someone to remind me of things that i think are inconsequential but stuff that he thinks are important There is someone who puts on the music as soon as he gets up... when I am not in for any musical strains early in the morning... ( I think it is a thing with Leos) There is someone who will BE there even if he is banging away at a Computer game... There is someone who gets pissed at me but then also takes the time to hug me back.. There is someone who thinks sometimes that I am a sandbag and practices his boxing abilities.. There is someone who hates me placing his things elsewhere... which I usually do... heheh There is somone to tempt you with all things naughty and enjoy being partners in crime. there is someone who completes you inspite of all the imperfections.. and makes you perfect... I miss you Rocks... eagerly waiting for you to be back. Notes out of nowhere: I have BIG black ants crawling my desk out of nowhere.. I have no idea where they came from.. EYAAHHHHH ... and then my team mate comes and tells me thank god you dont have ants in the pants... hahahahah LMAO... Just when you think that you have closed one lid... Pop opens another Pandora's box.. SIGH Everyone is feeling so chirpy all of a sudden... I think I am the only one feeling weekendy yet morose... My aunt has got a pet parrot who likes to hang up side down on a wire and is famous in taking of all the buttons in your clothes and your earrings.. hmmm somehow I never liked parrots but must check this out.. I think I prefer her having cats... I am dreaming of seafood for no reason at all.. I have my eye on a hot pink dress that I am going to dazzle Rocks with .. buhahaha !! Listening to Al Di Meola - Flamenco Classical Guitar Solo performance... and going ummmm.. feel like dancing... heavenly music... Recently discovered Eva Cassidy and her beautiful voice... just to know that she passed on.. What a loss.. She is the pioneer of Norah Jones genre of songs.. oh yes she is much better than Norah Jones... If you like listening to this genre.. you will also like Katie Melua. What is it about Women with heavenly voices and guitars... Awesome... I think I am in the Abhishek Bacchan DROOOLLLLS phase... he is so HOT.. SIGH...

Sunny Deol listening to Bobby Deol being asked by Karan Johar on Koffee with Karan : What would you do if you were offered films like Murder and Julie. Before Bobby has a chance to say the diplomatic thing, Sunny quips : He will take Julie and Murder her ....

LOLOLOLOL

Hubba hubba

And here goes another week.... SIGH at the beautiful weather.. just feel like cozying up in a corner with a good book... definitely do not feel like working ... YIPEEEE at an opportunity which has just come by... now it depends on how the door is opened .... GAWK at the woman whose house probably flooded up due to some reason and hence she decided to spray all the water outside thuse splashing all the cars and passersby passing her house... SMIRKS at getting smart .. buhahaha TAP TAP TAP TAP ( tapping my foot and fingers with impatience) Its just a few secs to the movies.. and the ticket counter guy is slowly browsing through his comp.... GRRR... why does ticketing have to be so complicated... I wish it was as simple of manually stamping and selling the tickets ... as in old theatres... saves a lot of precious screen time.... tap tap tap .... Technology is supposed to hasten things.. not slow it down... WINCES at the guy nearby in the theatre who decides that his legs has to shake with the music thus shaking the whole row of chairs and me with it... and singing the song word for word thus totally spoiling my concentration... GRRRRRRR OUCHS *guilty of spending on inconsequential stuff* OUCH UFFF at the guy with the TVS scooty who suddenly decides to race my Jeep.... TEE HEE at the sweet messages from hubby dear who is away in Mumbai.. BRRR at the over cooled AC at work HMMMM at how to organize my tasks better... have to book tickets.. going to Assam... yipee.. pay my bills... etc etc etc GIGGLE at the movie Paheli... Guys if you want fantasy and no brainers... lots of colours and you are a hard core Sharukh Khan fan.. you go watch this movie... stop thinking and just go with the scenes ...... there is no rhyme or reason..... no science or logic... no reality.. all reelity... I saw snatches of Bewitched and Harry Potter in the movie... ... I think they should call this genre .. Masti bole to Kurkure.... LOLOLOL... songs are good if you like Indian classical... graphics are ok.. but nothing new... all in all its general timepass... SNICKER ( albeit softly) at the free time that I have snatched .... to catch up on writing and reading blogs.. HUMMING Khali Hai tere bina dono Akhiyan.... from Paheli... excellent song... ( if you like Classical strains) MMMMM at the smell of freshly baked cookies at Cookie Man in Forum.. You must try them out.... WINKS at school kids playing in a puddle of water...

weekend that was....

blissful breeze and wide running mountain ranges... great company.. and lots of laughs campfire and wild fireflies... conversations thrown aside here and there silence that brings in contentment a soul search that makes you find yourself nature, thou art my muse... you teach me how to win and how to lose.... Malapropism ( something I picked from the net )

In his 1775 Restoration comedy, The Rivals, Richard Sheridan introduced a humorous character by the name of Mrs. Malaprop. The name is derived from the French mal � propos, which means inappropriate (we also have the word malapropos in English), and describes the manner in which she used many words in her speech. Mrs. Malaprop's Malapropisms Here are some of the original malapropisms from the lady herself: Mrs. Malaprop in Richard Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775). In case you're not sure what it is that Mrs. Malaprop is intending to say the correct word(s) have been put in square brackets after each quotation. "...promise to forget this fellow - to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory." [obliterate] "O, he will dissolve my mystery!" [resolve] "He is the very pine-apple of politeness!" [pinnacle] "I have since laid Sir Anthony's preposition before her;" [proposition] "Oh! it gives me the hydrostatics to such a degree." [hysterics] "I hope you will represent her to the captain as an object not altogether illegible." [eligible] "...she might reprehend the true meaning of what she is saying." [comprehend] "...she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile." [alligator] "I am sorry to say, Sir Anthony, that my affluence over my niece is very small." [influence] "Why, murder's the matter! slaughter's the matter! killing's the matter! - but he can tell you the perpendiculars." [particulars] "Nay, no delusions to the past - Lydia is convinced;" [allusions] "...behold, this very day, I have interceded another letter from the fellow;" [intercepted] "I thought she had persisted from corresponding with him;" [desisted]

"His physiognomy so grammatical!" [phraseology] "I am sure I have done everything in my power since I exploded the affair;" [exposed] "I am sorry to say, she seems resolved to decline every particle that I enjoin her." [article] "...if ever you betray what you are entrusted with... you forfeit my malevolence for ever..." [benevolence] "Your being Sir Anthony's son, captain, would itself be a sufficient accommodation;" [recommendation] "Sure, if I reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!" [apprehend, vernacular, arrangement, epithets]

World as we take it

I was just listening to this ghazal ( one of my favorites from school time) as I was working ... thought it was really profound and just right for this weather... I have made a feeble attempt at translating this for my friends who do not understand Hindi... please excuse me.. if it is wierd.. I cannot write poetry for nuts... :)

Duniya jisey kehtay hain, jadoo ka khilona hai, Mil jaayey to mitti hai, kho jaayey to sona hai ! The world as they say.. is a magical toy When you have it, its equivalent to mud.. when its lost, it becomes gold.. Acha sa koi mausam tanha sa koi aalam, Har waqt ka rona to, beekaar ka rona hai ! When there is nice weather and a private corner All our usual issues we beset ourselves with, just seem so meaningless Barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaanay, Kis rah say bachna hai, kis cchat ko bigona hai ! What will the rain clouds know, its maudlin, which path it should save itself from, which hearth it should sprinkle on Gham ho ki khushi dono, kuch dher kay saathi hain, Phir rasta hi rasta hai, hasna hai na rona hai ! Joys and sorrows, they are your friends for just moments then you have nothing but different pathways...you have to laugh you have to cry Duniya jisey kehtay hain, jadoo ka khilona hai, Mil jaayey to mitti hai, kho jaayey to sona hai ! The world as they say.. is a magical toy When you have it, its equivalent to mud.. when its lost, it becomes gold..

Living by Asking...

Begging ...is an art.. every profession in this universe needs skill to come to the top. Good people management and teamwork is the key to many a success stories in building companies and societies. Not so long ago, one could hardly count the beggars in the streets of Bangalore. I was surprised by their presence in different cities that I travelled to thanking god that well we do not have too many beggars, and insane people moving around. To be a beggar is just another easy alternative it seems. With the influx of moneyed junta due to lucrative industries and professions, this art seems to be thriving in this city. It started pretty decently.. with small boys selling magazines at traffic lights.. which was good enough. They do not irritate you much.. Then came the headphones, earbuds, sunglasses, etc. Some smart beggar decided that this was an opportunity that he would not miss.. why not build up and organization of beggars who would have different areas and would have different props each week oor certain parts of the day to keep the public confused. It would be very boring to pay the same bugger money having the same attire.. Different props which will play with the human mind What is the most touching aspect to which almost every human being reacts. ? The ultimate picture of Madonna with child concept. So all women beggars who were presentable age of being a mother.. have been handed babies..who are sedated so that they dont make a noise and are zombified to whats happening all around while the women do their job. Beg.. showing the drugged baby. Young girls who are sometimes stolen or who have grown in this environment. One can only imagine.. how much their minds have been messed up due to the drugs that they have been fed for the sake of the profession. Sometimes its a miracle that they can speak and walk normally. I have a special soft corner for these girls which they wiped out with one go.. when one day I gave a 10/- into her hand.. she promptly hides it and then screams at my face... pointing for more and if possible for a lunch in one of the nearby restaurants... SIGH.. Young uns who have just learnt to walk ... some just sit by the kerb or on the dividers and scream to glory when they do not get any attention.. and nobody is looking since the whole thing is very carefully planned.. .while teenage girls go about knocking in windows... Then comes the shifting of groups and props.. one fine day I see all the known faces in well hidden new crutches made to extract every ounce of sympathy from the drivers... well they forgot to think that the drivers who pass by regularly also have brains.. and how is it that every beggar has a crutch and hey !! I also see somebody getting tired of the crutches and walking while carrying it.. is this the la la land or what... If the teamwork is right, the will definitely make money.. the day when they start fighting among themselves.. out goes their wage.. If they know that there is this car which gives them money.. they will mark it for sure and keep sending their cronies to earn every now and then... thinking that the driver would not notice... As if this was not enough there has been a new strategy to have maimed and grotesque looking souls having the wierdest ailments knocking at the car window.. . If on side there is this little girl with no clothes on and one side of the face and head totally burnt, there is another who is epileptic and there is another soul who has a severe case of shivering and keeps shivering and knocking at the window.. lets not forget the children.. who take great pride in showing of their severed arm or leg.. one soul who had leprosy.. and showing that off to make money... And they all have learnt to co exist between each other marking one's territory very well... This totally eliminates the genuineness of beggardom where we used to see one or two old men or women once in a while. Now its being controlled and organized to go with the present times.. ruled by kids and women ...shouldnt we applaud this ? Why should we be the only ones getting organized.. ? One wonders that they could be better off doing some clean work or something better.. rather than this.. but I have also heard that there are many kids who prefer this kind of life rather then grow up to be what they can be.. with hard work but then again this India.. and to get a good life for the poor seems like us dreaming of going to moon.. So just like adopting the easiest skill, begging becomes an art... and only the best and the worst can survive... the best because they have the skill, worst because they have the defects and do not need skills.. ... it happens only in India...

on the wings of a snow white dove

Just was remembering this song... so thought of putting it as the title.. after some days of slogging my machine has finally decided to play truant with me... buhahaha !! It tells me... I am going to crash and you cannot do anything about it... I say... go ahead I shall fix you ... and dare you to do it.. PING it goes and shows me a blue screen... So it is having its last laugh while I am twiddling my fingers... for some hours now... till I get a spare machine and surf the net ... SIGH... OH great one... full of chips... please come back to me... with the data intact... I bow before you... and implore you to reconsider my ownership... and I promise I shall not mess up with browsers again... Amen... And now... that is out of my way... let me continue.. Watched Batman... it was awesome.. movie.. great action scenes but the hero looked as if he was hard pressed to deliver his dialouge in a cramped manner with that suit of his... hmmm methinks that the other batman movies had more finesse and the story is a little lets say.. customized to the director's own way of thinking... so what else is new ? Been to this place to have lunch called the Elements... in nandidurg road... nice food nice place.. but service is something left to be desired... its a good place to chill out however... prices are not 500/- as the papers said... a meal for two would cost you some 300/- and change... The quantity of steaks is definitely lesser than Miller's 46 but its good food I must say. As soon as we entered this restaurant.. my friend S says that this is a Mallu restaurant.. I say no.. just because she was a Malyali, does not mean she would see Malyalis all around. She bet me... I kept quiet... since I did not know... Waiter: What will you have ? Me: what do you have for drinks? Waiter: OAH ! We heve a lod of mogtails. Mengoes, Horangas, Grepe, Gogonut Dingler, Me: ( trying to be unaffected my S's smug smile) Well what goes into a coconut tingler Waiter: Gogonut and Lemaun. But I am a sarry, we do not heve it now. S : ( trying to stop giggling) get me this Blue drink. What does it have.. Waiter: It has siirup and gream. Suffice it to say that we had a good laugh after quickly ordering our food... with all apologies... Given such a dialouge, I definitely lost the bet... with S ... (Again this is not written with the intention of offending my Malayali friends.. I am very aware of how funny a Bong and as Assamese accent can be .. so its all in fun eh !! Reminded me of the Italian restaurant I went to which had a Bengali waiter pronouncing all the Italian pasta names in a heavy Bangla accent... SIGH) Heights of communication... After all the insults in the mail that i received from that gentleman the other day( refer to my previous post), which I have decided to ignore.. for best known reasons... I get an explanation that it was all a professional communication... GAWK... if that was professional..I dread to think what would be personal communication.... ( GAAAAHHHH * screams tearing her hair*) May god give me the power of tolerance.. SIGH.. Having guests this weekend too.. so it seems that my social life and professional life is going at par when it comes to defining hectic.. but I love having friends.. so would not give them up for anything... FI sham It was another race which will go down in the history either as Bridgestone's triumph against Michelin or as the worst race that Schumacher could win. 6 cars all running on Bridgestone ... empty track... lots of opportunity to get to the podium yet Narain.. misses it... well at least he completed the race... Not nice to gloat Schumi that you would have won the race anyhow.. it was pure fluke...

Band is broad ... Ahoy ahoy ...

Well I have finally got my broadband connection at home.. it ROCKS. Its fast and its like working in office.. COOL... So now I can keep up with my reading of blogs and stuff..... BUHAAAAAhahahah !!!!

Bouqets and Brickbats

Manchenbele Lake, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

That was the first thing that came to my mind as I was musing about the week that went by �

Tis a pleasure to be with old friends� and experience the thrill of childhood days.. it was like old times when we went shopping and excalimed at silly old things.. laughed ourselves with stuff that was bygone but yet held great memories for us�

Watched a couple of movies together�

Took her to all my favorite haunts� and she loved it..

Yes, it was a wonderful time� and I hope to repeat it again and again � as we grow old�

Dwarf ... it was really nice meeting you the other day.. ... I hope you had a great dinner.. we were so tired that day :) hope to see more of you online...

D � The Company�

My take on this� nothing new � same old story.. same old bloodshed.. same old lines.. just the characters have changed.. I think Ram Gopal is rehashing his script again and again� and well if you have watched Company which was the best movie of his covering the slowly getting on to the reality topic of the Underworld, this movie is just not worth it. yeah Randeep Hooda was better than Vivek Oberoi is portraying the serious quirked gangsta � Rukhsar is back� after her stint in long forgotten movies with Rishi Kapoor and Aditya Pancholi�

Parineeta

V V Chopra seems to have joined the I-am-inspired-by-you bandwagon and gone and done a la Devdas without the finesse and the creative touch of the masters� and that is the only woe of mine.. It is veryt obvious that the director did not have that great a personal touch with the movie and it seemed as if that the movie had been made just for the heck of making another movie..

Otherwise the movie has an okay pace and well though Saif could have given a better performance, he did well. Vidya was a refreshing change from all Aishwarya type characters� Thank God for that.. !!! and oh before I forget just when you think what will happen to the hero and the heroine� the last scenes of Parineeta which was supposed to be the piece de resistance.. came out to be like a Laurel and Hardy show� spare us the melodrama� and cut us some slack in thinking that we do appreciate a good solid emotional climax.

Songs are good. I guess after watching movied of Sanjay Leela Banshali and Rituporno Ghosh, I have set standards for movies which use the same style and theme.. they should be better if not a poor copy� and the audience can always make out the difference when the director has really put one�s soul into the movie or done this movie just like that� just because this is selling� SIGH�

Travel

Silverline at Savandurg, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Drove down to Manchenbele dam and to Savandurga. Had a looksy at the Great Banyan tree. The drive was good and there was a lot of offroading that we did � so unless you have really good suspension, do not try this place from Mysore road section. It is better to access this place via Magadi road where the view is a sceanic one and you can also chill out a lot while taking some good photographs. We got lost here and there and were roaming inside the forest for quite sometime� before we could find the right road. It was fun� we met some cyclists who were doing the moonlit cycling trail� sponsored by BSA. So guys if you need a days trip to chill out.. you could try the above places�

The Great Banyan Tree, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

(Mis)Communication ??

I usually like to communicate with online friends but I seriously do not appreciate ( rather confused with) first time mails which start with

Really nice to receive retort from you...hope your daysgoin like you want!Big things from big people!

and then at the last line says

PPL GENERALLY LAUGHT AT YOU WHEN YOU SAYLIKE THIS DONOT KNOW ABOUT YOU HOPE U R NOT AMONGTHEM! I M FROM ENGG BACKGROUND FROM PUTATIVEINS.ANYWAY, UNCERTANITY IS THE FORCE WHICH DRIVES USTO MAKE LIFE CERTAIN!I THINK SO......GOOD LUCK ANDEVERY SUCCESS TO YOU!TAKE CARE BYEE

GAAAAHHHH what did I do to deserve this ??? I am certainly NOT laughing but I am defintely irked to a certain extent with the fact that you are taking the liberty to write what you want. I wish you well and I also hope that you find your goals. But believe me your first lesson would be to cultivate the art of communicating which starts with ... Hello how are you ? and not a RAP on someone's tired head first thing in the morning just because you are a fan or you demand attention... Excuse me for being a little pissed...

Again I apologise if this hurts your sentiments since you have portrayed yourself as a very sensitive human being... ( ???) and I hope that you understand that I am not being BIG here.. just trying to be polite... and please do NOT use capitals in your mails... its like you shouting in my ears....

( Good that is off my chest ... HUH... )

I am zenned

Men are afraid to forget their minds, fearing to fall through the Void with nothing to stay their fall. They do not know that the Void is not really void, but the realm of the real Dharma. -Huang Po, "Zen Teaching of Huang Po"

Sea of Food.. .and a whole lot of memories

Madhu cooked the most wonderful Crab in Black Pepper Sauce this Sunday for us.. it was a feast of sea food .... I think this the best place for crabs.... My old school friend is in town... meeting her after 14 years.. and the years have dropped off just as if it was a soft thin veil and we do not get enough of reminiscing about our past.. sometimes its nice to dance with the forgotten melodies.... Its not so easy to get over a difficult past but I am with you .. . my old friend.. all the way.. Loved the portrait done at Bombay stores... thought it was pretty silly but heck its cool with friends.... he he Remembered a dear friend who never thought twice... before hurting me... well I love you all the same... Keli... and wish you all the best... Happy Belated birthday... so what if the dream of getting old together will not materialise... ahh the penury of human psyche... I remembered you on the 3rd of June and yes you have made a great difference in my life... and for that you will be the dearest friend I would have known.... Sometimes saying Sorry is just NOT enough... Driving through a storm with heavy rain beating down and with only music to accompany you is the one of the best experiences I have ever had.... nature conspires for self realization... The flavour of the industry seems to be dipped in mergers... Sunny's at Lavelle Road is the sickest place I have ever some across... you got to have blond hair to get a quick service... Had the worst kind of squid there... YUCKKKKKKK... Last but not the least.. here we go again with tags... this one is for you Arunima. THREE NAMES YOU GO BY: Jil Jilmil Pallavi THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD: Blueflame bikerfemme Jilmil THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: (Well this is tough... I like everything LOL... ) My eyes ( which though weak can see a lot hahah ) my fingers ( they can type fast... buhahahah ) My attitude ..( buhahahah ) THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE: Assam Hilsa Fish My Bilingual Family.... THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU: Depression Boredom Helplessness THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS : my lenses my music, my thoughts THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW: Lenses Smile Attitude THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP: Humor Sizzling Chemistry Heaps of good memories TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order): DUH !!! DUH DUH THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU: Humor, conversation skills attitude THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW: A long drive, finish The Zahir by Paulo Coelho, drink a cup of tea made by Ma. THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING Travel Writer Lonely Planet presenter Writing a book... THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VACATION: Shillong Egypt Rome THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE: Aahana Ispshita Manek THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: Write couple of books Attain wisdom Create many more memories

Music and movies tags !!!

Squirrel.. here I go... Total volume of music files on my computer: More than 10 gigs and still increasing !! :) I keep burning them and keep adding .. . The last CD I bought was: Dire Straits Limited Edition. Songs playing right now Car: Western Classical: Brahms' Wiegenlied, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Pachabel's Canon, Chopin's Piano's Concert.. from Economic times western classical collection Office: Generally listen to Yahoo Launchcast with the following stations running on and off .. Smooth Jazz, Country, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Quiet Storm, Big Hits of the 80's, New Hits, etc Instrumentals: Richard Clayderman, Enya, Vanessa Mae, Mix : JJ Cale, Eva Cassidy, Clapton, Don Henley, Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis, Corrs, Deff Leppard Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Dreamtheatre, Madonna, Green Day, Mark Knopfler, Satriani, Santana, Gulzar, R D Burman songs, Ghazals, ... Home: Riff, A world of Jazz in Worldspace Radio.. Farishta: Worldspace radio ( station on old Hindi hits) Country: Worldspace System: Worldspace Potion: Worldspace Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon Jethro Tull Doors Old English Folk songs Indian Instrumentals..Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, etc Old Ghazals Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: Hume tumse pyar kitna ... yeh ham nahi jaante ... ( lots of memories... heartbreaks, love lost, love found) Stars ... Simply Red ( my constant companion for no reason at all when I was a student ) Ankh se Ankh mila baat banata kyon hai... ( first ghazal i sang in front of an audience) Ajeeb Dasta hai yeh ( My first song I sang in public with just one guitar for company which was very off key.. LOL.. till today.. I have a soft corner for this song..) Careless Whisper ( mmmm this song so reminds me of those days in school.. first crush.. youth.. adolescence) Five people to whom I�m passing the baton: Vighy Reiya Nupur Maddie ( if you are there ) Shub This is for you Reiya... Total No. of films I own on DVD/Video: hmmm not much but in the process of collecting ... maybe some 12 odd.. I do watch a lot of movies.. love watching them in the theatres .... The Last film I bought: A Beautiful Mind The Last Film I watched: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith The Lion King ( never get tired of it ) Hitch ( pretty ok I guess ) Waqt ( YUCK ) Jo Bole So Nehal ( YUCK YUCK ) Five Films that I watch a lot or mean a lot to me: English Casablanca : ( sentiment at its peak) Gone with the wind ( romance at its peak) Schindler's List ( strong movie.. ) Sound of music ( awesome movie) My Fair Lady ( good memories ) ...... and lots more.. Hindi Jaane bhi do Yaaron Padosan Chasme Badooor Golmaal Chupke Chupke..... ( there are lots ) Well I hope that says it all... Squirrel, Nupur, MMN, Semantic, Anumita, Questor would you be interested in carrying this through.. .:) ************************************ On a different note.. have updated this blog on my monologues..

Monsoon in earnest

Vodka and Cognac, originally uploaded by Jilmil.

Having lived here for almost a decade, I have never experienced chaos at just one or two bouts of rainfall. Yesterday it was one of those days which again proved how pathetic our drainage system is and how buildings and drains are sadly not growing proportionately...SIGH Thinking of a quiet dinner we ambled slowly towards St Marks Road to a place which we did not try before... and to the horror of horrors the whole road was flooded with knee deep water.. and there were irate drivers,... honking .. some stuck and some plain frustated... Not one to give up we decided to approach the place from the road next to the Mallya Hospital...and it was like as if nature was stuck at conspiring against us... Just as we gave up the idea.. we got splashed by another irate driver who must have been stuck on the road for hours... GRRRR.. the water level was so high the splash was felt all to my passenger seat through the unfortunately open window which Rocks thought would allow some fresh air and instead... got a huge splash of water... LOL... Not to be daunted since it was my birthday... we went to Casa Del Sol... and had this aboslutely wonderful dinner and captured some nice shots.. inside the hotel.. I seriously reccomend this hotel if you want to have a special dinner... cocktails here also awesome... Since I was recovering from a cold I wanted something like brandy and warm water... but the smart waiter ( he looks pretty cool too... hehe ) made something beautiful with vodka, cognac, pepper, honey and warm water... I think I like Cognac... hic... it is very potent mind you but I am not complaining.. The Tapas combo was also great with chicken vulcano, fish ceviche and paneer pepperocino.. this is the only restaurant which gives you a Tapas.. Weather ... company .... friends.... all made it into a great day....