Hi

You told me you would come, so I thought I'd greet you :-)

Happy Birthday

To my dearest nephew. Hope you'll celebrate many many more happy birthdays in the years to come

Glad

to be back :-).

Death

Have been hearing too much about it. It was only yesterday, when I heard of the freak accident on airport road that I felt, how futile and unpredicatble life is. One moment you are here and the next, you are not. In a play, you know how long your part is going to last and when its going to end. But in life, you never know :-(. As if that was not enough, my friend called me up in the evening to inform me about the death of one of his close friends. A man who got married just five months ago and was leading a happy life. Yesterday he was there, and today he is no more :-(. After hearing this news, I felt like calling up all my friends immediately and tell them what they mean to me and how grateful Iam to each and every one of them. Am going home for this diwali. Gotta meet up all the people whom I like and say goodbye before I leave. Who knows, I might not get another chance :-(. And if I cant meet anyone because of whatever reasons, I want you to know what great friends you have been and how grateful I am to God for giving me friends like you. Thank you for all the love you gave me and sorry for all the pain I gave you. Will call you if and when Im back.

Joy ride

Its been so long since I managed to reach the office in less than 30 mins. Driving on the intermediate ring road has been equivalent to burning in hell of late. But suddenly today, it took me just 20 mins from home to office. Though Im not sure how long its going to last this way, it felt like heaven, not having to stop even once during the drive. Though going on the flyover is a bit circular, its way better than spending 11/2 hour in the traffic, effectively walking though sitting on the bike.

Yahoo time capsule

Didnt really get what they want to do. But liked the page and the presentation. Also, it would be good to read what went through my head at a particular time at a later point. But isnt that why Im maintaining this blog? Anyway, just so I wouldn't forget, I have contributed to the time capsule. I dont know if I'll be able to remember what I wrote 10 years from now. Or if what we wrote there would last that long. But For My Information, I've been there and done that.

BOSS

Boring, Outdated, Stupid and Senseless. Mental ekkipoindi cinema chusthunte. Vadabba adithya gadini kurchiki kattesi thippi thippi chupiyyali cinemani. Eppatikappudu dinikanna daridramaina cinema radu anukuntune untam, evado okadu veredi thisi manam anukunnadi thappani prove chesthune untadu. Villani bagu cheyatam evvadi valla kadu. Thu villa bathukulu cheda

Peeping

from underground. Not yet fully made up my mind about coming out though. Just lost interest in everything and wanted to go underground and sulk for a while. However, August has been a month of marriages, requiring a lot of unwanted socializing. As many as 7 people I know got married, with one more in line, waiting for 27th. I attended the weddings of only two people though. A very close friend was among those, and that gave me a chance to catch up with long lost friends from my school days. That also gave me a chance to visit my native place after a long time :-). Best wishes to all those who tied the knot this month. Apart from that, nothing much has been going on except for a change of job and a change of heart. The second one though, isn't complete and that leaves me as confused as ever, if not more. Recently came across a term, recursive futility while reading this. The author says something like living is futile. blogging more so. reviewing one's own blog is recursive futility at its worst, or something like this. His words seem to echo my thoughts whenever I try to write something here. Leave out the reviewing part, the rest is what I feel whenever I try to write something. Then I close the window and go away to get some tea. Hopefully, I'll get over this soon. Until then, Im going underground again.

How very apt

Zinedine Zidane being called Ringmaster. He seemed to be totally controlling the match and without doubt was the best player on either side. I supported France and they didnt disappoint me. Another prayer was also answered and Portugal are also through. Too bad though, that they meet France in the semifinal and not in the final. It would have been great if Argentina made it instead of Germany. I some how feel Italy dont count and its going to be a Germany vs France final and I would love to see the French win. That man really is amazing. 

A big question mark

That is what life seems to be right now. I keep asking myself why for everything, and not a single why got a satisfactory answer. 

Cricket vs Football

Which one is a better game?  This debate has been raging in our room since the world cup started. Some of my friends are hell bent on watching cricket, doesnt matter if its a test match between Kenya and Bangladesh, they would still follow it diligently, keeping track of the team score, individual scores, bowling stats and all such stuff. Im no big lover of cricket. Though I used to follow important games closely, Im not crazy about the game and no, I dont know how much Tendulkar scored and in how many balls in that I dont remember the name Trophy played in I dont know the year and I dont know where. But its a different thing about football. I was never a follower of football, until may be 4 or 5 years ago, when I found it to be interesting, exciting, and dekhte dekhte I fell in love with the game. Now I find cricket terribly boring, lacking any passion and extremely painful to watch. When my friends were watching a Bangladesh Srilanka test match recently, I commented saying how come you wont miss even this series, its Bangladesh playing for God's sake. They replied, its the game they enjoy, doesn't matter who's playing. Now how do I answer that?  Then the world cup started, and I was watching Italy vs Ghana match when they questioned me, India is not even playing in the tournament, and its some God forsaken country whose name we haven't even heard before this. Why are you watching this match then? It was then that the debate started, myself and another friend, firmly supporting football and the others firmly supporting cricket. Whats so good about the game I asked, one guy comes running from so far and throws a ball, and another guy standing infront of those stumps hits it with his bat and the ball falls to the ground. Once in a lifetime, the stupid ball crosses a stupid line to which all stupid people clap stupidly. They question me in turn, what's so good about football, the stupid people running after a bigger and hence more stupid ball, kicking it aimlessly, and once in two lifetimes, the ball falls into a stupid net and more stupid people clap more stupidly. Because of all this debate, I have come to hate cricket, so much so that I have come to believe that all games are played as per a script, which is prepared when the tournament is planned. The players just play their parts, and are paid for it. All the people who spend time and money to watch these games are being fooled by the players and their boards. Look at what happenned in yesterday's match. They just don't want to win. There's just no passion for the game. Look at the way a football game is played and the difference is there for everyone to see. Though my friend would have been very happy to answer this after watching the Switzerland Ukraine match, such a dull game it turned out to be. 

Amazing

Very old. But I found it only recently. Amazing how inspiration comes from the most unexpected corners at the most unexpected times. There's no reason not to follow your heart. really. So what if everything seems pointless? If my heart says so, it might be true after all. I just got to keep looking till I find a meaning to all this, thats all.

Pointless post

Everything seems pointless now a days. How does it matter if Ayn Rand is black coffee or pan galactic whatever. What if Moily takes the example of FIFA world cup to support the quotas? What if quotas are introduced? What if the world is fed to the dogs? Why should one work, run like crazy after money, raise a family, build relationships, play politics, hurt people, when all we get to do in the end is die? Why do people have to argue trying to convince one another? Why do people have to fight and kill? Whats the point in all the TV shows anyway? So what if a movie goes on to be mega hit and another doesnt find any viewers? What if Rahul Mahajan takes drugs and dies? What if people are killing tigers and other wild animals? What if forests are being chopped? Why am I writing this anyway?

Booooooooooooooooooo

The French dont deserve to win. Looked like they were not playing to win, but to just score and do away with the dubious record of not scoring in a world cup match since they won the cup. They played better in the first half, but after the break, their game just fell apart, wonder what transpired in the dressing room. They just chilled out on the field in the second half. Im going to root for Togo in their next match. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo France. You spoiled my day.

Of men and women

This is so true :-). I really like this men vs women stories and jokes. Thats about the only topic about which I would argue with anybody, especially a woman, just for the fun of it. because, any man would admit that whatever is said there is true, while most women would deny it and try to argue.

Very disappointed

with portugal's performance and Federer's loss. Looks like Roger too, like Sampras will be remembered as the champion who failed to win the French open. I some how felt, he was going to win this time, he was playing well on clay and though he lost in an earlier tournament to Nadal, he still looked pretty confident and comfortable. And I sure thought it would be now or never. Looks like its going to be never :-( 

Dear God

You do like me dont you? or is it one of those test of character things you want to put me through? Why now? Why me? Hoping to listen from you :-)

A day full of surprises

Some pleasant, some not so pleasant and some confusing me even more and bringing me back to square one. How life can be a true bitch.

The trend

All of a sudden, it dawned on me that so far in my life, the months of Jan and Feb have been extremely unlucky for me while May and June have been very very crucial. Not simply good or bad but very very crucial. It was in these months that life took unbelievable turns taking me through a roller coaster ride. It has been that way for the past so many years, though I realised only now. But nothing happenned this May. Hope whatever happens this month will be good.

Hilarious

PAWAN KALYAN'S PRAYER –

DEVUDA OOOO MANCHI DEVUDA.....NUVVU NAAKU FLOP AVVATANIKI JONNY ICHAVU....

GUDUMBA SANKAR ICHAVU.... BALU ICHAVU....BANGARAM KUUDA ICHAVU...

ILAGE MANA STATE LO UNNA 7 HERO'S KI ISTHAVANI,

ALAGE MANA COUNTRY LO UNNA 150 MANDI HERO'S KI , ADE CHETTHO PRAPANCHAM LO UNNA ????? – NAAKU NUMBER CORRECT GA THELIDU, YENTHA MANDI UNTE ANTHA MANDIKEE IVVE FLOPS ISTHAVANI ……..

ANTE AS IT IS GA IVVE FLOPS KADU…….. VALLU YE CINEMA THESTHE ADI ….. STALIN, ASHOK, MUNNA, SAINIKUDU, VIKRAMARKUDU ALAGA ISTHAVANI KORUKUNTUNNANU………...NUVVU ISTHAVU NAAKU THELUSU, YENDUKANTE......

BASICALLY YOU ARE GOD...YOU ARE VERY GOOD GOD, ANTHE – THAT'S ALL...


recvd in e-mail. Nice job, whoever thought about it.

Its MY phone

I wish people would realise that a mobile is as personal an accessory as a wallet. Its really annoying when someone starts looking through all the pictures and sms. Its more annoying when Im asked questions like who's this in the picture or where was this picture taken. I really feel like killing someone who picks up my mobile and starts playing games. Just because Im not hiding it in my pocket, it doesn't mean its public property. I can put up with that also, but what about guys who come and ask for my mobile, and when I give it to them, they start playing games? If only I could ......I wouldn't mind if it were a close friend of mine who does it but mere acquaintances doing this .... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Its infinitely more irritating when I introduce a friend of mine to you and you get started with his mobile ..... I feel so terribly embarrassed

Blessed

are those who let others make choices for them and can happily accept the choices made. Blessed are those who make their own choices, stick to them and who dont give a damn what others think/say/do. If you are torn inbetween, you are screwed.

Colors of nature

These photos were reportedly taken at the same place in different seasons. Beautiful ...

Reflective mood

Reading this put me in kind of a reflective and philosophical mood. Only a few days ago, I had a conversation with a friend, wherein he remarked that life was getting too predictable and frustration was setting in. He wanted to do something, not the regular work-home-work routine. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: what is it that you want, name the something.
Him: something different, something of which we can be proud, something that gives us satisfaction that we have achieved something.
Me: as long as you can't name what it is, you can't achieve it. Inorder to achieve something, the first and foremost requirement is that you need to know what you want to achieve. Once you know that, then you can start working towards your goal.
Him: How do I know that
Me: Where do you see yourself, say 10 years from now?
Whatever it may be, it may be that you see yourself as Bill Gates' competitor or a family man with a small house and three or four kids living peacefully and comfortably.
Him: ?????

Me:  You have to be sure of that. Unless you know where to go, you can't know how to get there. First figure that out. Then gather required and relavant information. Then start off. Put in the required effort. It all depends on what you want and how much you want it, I said. You figure out the what and the how much will determine how sooner or later you'll get there.

Him: say I want to set up a company of my own, what do I need to do?
Me: Which company?
Him: Some company, may not be software company, because Im not sure this market will last for another ten years.
Me: Are you sure you will last that long? We are having this conversation now, and you may not be there tomorrow. That uncertainty will always be there. It again comes to what and how much :-).
Him: OK, a mid sized software company with, say around a 1000 employees and earning, say a 100 crore rupees a year. How should I proceed?
Me: Do the ground work. Gather information about how to setup a company and how to run it. Start slowly spending may be an hour a week or even an hour a month. Slowly get to the details. Once you have the information, take the plunge. However, that is my approach. There are people who right away jump into action. Take the approach that suits you. Once you are clear about the specifics, start working harder. It all depends on how much :-).
Him: hmmmmmmm. Its high time I started something. I'll start from today itself.

So on went the conversation for some more time, about my goals and dreams, what I want to do and how far have I reached etc etc. The one secret I didnt tell him that time was that I never had any plans, any ambitions. I have always been divided when it comes to having a goal in life. On the one hand, I feel like there's no point in having a goal in life and striving to achieve that. Live in this moment, I said to myself, enjoy the journey and forget the destination for, all the beauty and fun is in the journey only. On the other hand, a mediocre life doesnt seem worth living. Iam living and a billion other humans are living, whats the big deal? Go ahead, do something, dream big, says my mind. So, one day I go ahead two steps towards my goal, and I lay idle for 2 days, just taking in the sights and sounds and not at all caring about the future. What will happen to my life, only time will tell :-)

Task manager

Wish I had a task manager for my mind. Whenever I felt like Im not able to concentrate, not able to do my best, I would just launch the task manager, kill all the unwanted thoughts/processes and concentrate on the work at hand. And how to launch it? may be close eyes, pull one ear and pinch the nose, all at the same time.

Aha

No more hair loss. No more dust in the eyes. No more smoke in the lungs. No need to hear ear splitting horns any longer. I got myself a helmet :-). A looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong pending task completed successfully.

Courage

I dont care if I fall, just the strength to try.

Too good

Quote

If thought becomes too painful, action is the best remedy - Salman Rushdie

A case study

The Great Indian Horse-shoe Company received an order from Mr. Bugger to make a horse shoe based on the new technology that he dreamt of the night before, one that would revolutionise the future of all horses. The company gladly agrees to study his technology and make the horse shoe. Now, to show that their shoe works, they build a wooden horse from freely available spare parts (thank the free horses for your kids foundation). They dont have the slightest idea how the frigging horse works but sure they made a horse and it was able to run. They show this horse to Mr. Bugger after fitting the new horse shoe and he isn't satisfied. He's concerned about why its tail isn't flying when it is running, and how come all of its legs aren't the same size. He's also asked the company to measure how much pressure is being put on the horse's foot when it wears their shoes and when it wears the existing shoes. This new technology is supposed to reduce this pressure by a whopping 50% you see. And it is supposed to help horses run 3 times faster. So, the company is now supposed to measure how fast a horse wearing existing shoes can run and make sure their horse runs faster than that. 3 times. And make sure that its tail flies when it is running. The company promises Mr. Bugger that everything will be done and asks the manufacturing guys to do the needful. So they build another horse using the same equipment, fit it with existing shoes and show him that the tail not flying has nothing to do with their shoes and even with existing shoes, the wooden tail doesn't fly. They also give all the measurements he had asked for. Then he asks, please investigate why the tail isn't flying, because all the measurements you have given are meaningless unless the tail flies when the horse is running. If the fault lies with the equipment you have used, then please find out what the fault is and fix it. At any cost, we need to prove that our shoes are better than existing ones. . The manufacturing guys are now pissed off, they say its none of their business, all they agreed to make was the f****g shoe and they dont care a damn about the horse's tail. The company is in a quandary now, trying to decide whether to fight with the customer or to fight with their own guys. Who's wrong in this story and what needs to be done now?

My treasure

I have a treasure known only to me

it has lot of things, big and small, beautiful and ugly
i carry it with me all the time, but nobody knows abt it

we collected this together, whereever we've been
oh those beautiful gardens, rivers and moutains we've seen
every little incident makes me think of something in there
and reminds me of a story
stories we wanted to share with each other
when we grew old and lived in a place of our own

then the storm came, and I lost my way,
I let go of you, to save myself
I woke up in a desert, with nothing left but my treasure
i decided to walk alone, carrying my baggage
but I dont know whether to look out for you, or you have moved on
whether you have treasured your collection or threw it away

my mind says its no longer a treasure but a burden
leave it right here or bury it in the sand,
walk this way and you will enter a beautiful land
theres always someone and you can always start afresh
same promises of treasures and stories, dreams and stuff

clinging on to the past makes no sense it says,
dont be a fool and ruin your present and future,
Its time to think of your own life, every one else is doing the same
whatever you say is trash and your excuses are lame

but the fact is the present will be past in a moment and
I dont care for a future without you
with only hope and faith on my side, I have decided to come back,
please wait for me on the other side, Im coming for you
I still have my treasure, and I hope you are carrying yours too

Inspired by this

Congratulations

A wish was granted. An angel was born.
Congratulations and best wishes to a dear couple

Best wishes

to a dear friend and a soon to be father. Expecting to hear from him tomorrow. So here's advance congratulations to them.

Every dog has its day

Sure. Look at Himesh Reshammiya and how popular he has become. Just when I was thanking the Gods that adnan sami is no where to be heard now a days, this guy comes along to torment. And guess what, his success has given a new lease of life to other no hopers. Otherwise how can we explain the sudden reappearance of Mika and Altaf Raja on the music channels? Heard someone say Himesh is outdoing himself with every film. Hope its true. Hope we get to see his very best very soon and he vanishes without a trace after that. I hate his singing, I really do.

A fitting end

to a long month after all our effort and hard work. Been to Suwon, Korea on official purpose. The weeks before that were spent in the preparations. Was pretty annoyed, frustrated, tired, confused all at the same time. The 10 days spent in Suwon were worse, except for the one sunday we kept aside to go out and visit some places. And we visited the Seoul Grand Park. That was a day well spent. Watched the dolphin show. Amazing. Got to see a Gorilla. And some more animals, a snow leopard, several wolves, crocs, and llamas. The best day, however was the one after the demo, which was spent in the way I like the most to unwind - get drunk and dance :-). After so much hard work and so much frustration, that was a wonderful evening. Tasted different varieties of Korean drinks, and a Turkish drink, Ruck, I dont know how to spell it, seems it is made of grapes and ana seed, whatever that is. Tasted like sweet sonf. After dinner, went to dream land or something, seems the biggest night club in Asia (or the world, I dont remember). And had some more beer :P. Cool place. Not sure what music was being played there. Remember some people singing on the stage, cant recall which language/song they were singing :P. And there we were, jumping Bhangra types and doing my favorite dance, what I call the savam dance, Prabhu deva's folk steps :-). And we had to catch a flight the next day at 9 am. Our cab was scheduled to arrive at our dorm at 5. And we didnt even pack. Reached the dorm at around 11. I went straight to my room and fell asleep. Wonder how my colleague would have felt at that time. May be he had planned to throw a bucket full of freezing cold water on me if I didnt wake up on time.
Thankfully, he put all my things in my suitcase. And I woke up at around 4. Hurriedly got ready, made sure all the things were packed and left. What a lovely evening that was.

Power struggle

Who's more powerful - the mind or the heart? An interesting duel is on. Who'll triumph in the end? Waiting with bated breath ......

Destiny

Was still wondering what it means and who decides what ones destiny is going to be when, suddenly, in the midst of a heated debate with a friend, him being sober and three of us on cloud seven (it was only 4th round), it dawned on me - listen to your heart and you make your own destiny. Do what your heart says and it doesn't hurt much even though you don't get what you want. Do otherwise and you end up hating yourself. Wish I could make them understand this. Just hoping the damage isn't irreparable. Also hoping I'll get another chance. Just one more chance ........ Thanks to that friend for dragging me into the argument.
one other lesson I learnt yesterday was to never ever get drunk on a sunday :P.

Its hard

being Tendulkar that is. He's the highest scorer in the second innings, 10 other guys crumbled, only 2 others managing double figures, the whole team deserves to be booed, but media says Tendulkar is booed off the field. Damn. Wonder how that guy kept up with this kind of pressure for so long.

Now learning

the song cheliya cheliya from pothe poni. Wrote down the lyrics in the morning. Practising now. Not able to remember the tune :-(. Am singing correctly while playing along but otherwise Im going wrong. All at this ungodly hour :-). Oh how I love weekends.

My latest obsession

There's a song that I happenned to watch recently on sun music and instantly got hooked onto it. Vaazha meenu from Chitiram pesudadhi. There's nothing extraordinary about the song. its just the video that gets you rolling with laughter. I love the way these kind of songs are shot in tamil movies. They have a very typical way of choreographing these songs. One look at the guy who sings the song in the movie and another at the guy holding the mike and its going to be really very very hard not to laugh out loud. I'm so obsessed with this song now that everyday, Im waiting for it. And Im searching for a video of this song so that I can watch it whenever I feel like it.

Hope its true

Read somewhere
If you really really want something, the whole universe will conspire to give it to you
How I wish it were true
currently wondering what's destiny and whether to believe in it or not

Trainjacking

or should it be train-jacking? Im not sure. Never ever heard of it before. But looks like naxals have captured a train in Jharkhand. A hostage situation involving nearly 400 people and we are going to wait till dawn to launch any rescue operation. And it happenned at around 7:30 in the evening. Very innovative indeed. Who would have ever thought of something like this? Or were they low on budget? Or is it something they do with the movies - pick up a story and add some nativity to it. Pray they dont get anything out of it. coz if they do manage to get away with it, its going to be very difficult from now on. Who knows, we might get to see a burning train ramming its way through the parliament.

SAW

Just finished watching it. What a movie. Was a little gory alright but man what an end. Just loved it. One other movie whose end I really loved was The Others. This one was totally unexpected and Im so glad I asked my friend not to reveal it. A must watch edge of the seat thriller.

Ridiculous

Just wanted to find out what the day had in store for me before going to sleep. This was what rediff astrology had to say :P

Dear Cancerian, Sunday, 12th March
If employed, an unexpected raise and promotion is the highlight of your day. Those dealing in sales and marketing will need to be practical about situations and difficult people. Go with the
flow and avoid losing your cool. If married, your spouse plans a memorable evening.

A raise and a promotion on a sunday ????? Thats way too unexpected for anybody I'd say :-))

Cant get enough

of this song. Very very good.

Malli malli radanta ee kshanam nacchinattu nuvvundaraa
yavvanam antene o varam thappu oppu theda lene leduraa
chinna maatani chevina veyani ninnu nuvve nammukunte ningi vangada
vinna maatani vippi cheppani bathukuthu bathakanisthe nuvvu demude ...

everybody .........

Naa lage nenuntanu naa madi maate vintuntanu (its just the way I am)
naa thode nenantanu nacchina panine chestuntanu (I dont give a damn)
navvulu ruvvuthu navvulu panchuthu naalugu rojulu unna chaalu anthe chaaluraa

andani pandune pondali antha anandam
andina ventane panchali entho santhosham
allari panule cheyali apude aarogyam
naa sati nenantanu poti lone munduntanu

keratam nake aadarsam padina lesthaga
samaram nike aahvanam gelupe naadega
kahtam ante ishtamraa nashtam raadanta
namminde chestuntanu praanam petti sadhisthanu

everybody .....

navvulu ruvvuthu navvulu panchuthu naalugu rojulu unna chaalu anthe chaluraa

aakasam ni sarihaddu avakasanni asalodaladdu
sandeham edi ledu poyetappudu edi radu
svecchaga manchini panchuthu naalugu rojulu unna chaalu janma dhanyame

Direct from home

The long wait has ended at last. Now Im connected even when Im at home. Its already been a week since I got this connection but was really not interested in doing anything in the night. Today being friday, its ok if I stay awake all night :P. And I dont know why but Im not able to post from office. I get a stupid error saying, connection timed out, saving or publishing may fail. Everything else on blogger is fine. I can log in, change settings, change profile, whatever. But I just cant post. And I dont know what the problem is :-(.

Coming soon - the all time greatest hit of telugu cinema

An email doing the rounds. Cant wait to see the movie :-)

Here is the latest news abt Balayya's Latest Movie ....( seriously ..!) Ambica Krishna wants to repeat the magic with the crew of block buster movie Lorry Driver . He is teaming up with B.Gopal , Nandamuri Andagadu "BalaKrishna" and Herione VijayaSanthi ( yes there she iz , kartavyam vijayasanthi's come back !) Wanna know about the story details , keep reading and enjoy ... The story is "free - make" to recent bollywood flick Rang De Basanthi , the crew recently registered balayya movie as "Rangu ivvu Santhi" .... With tag line "A generation Acts !!" Star Cast , Five Collegeates being BalaKrishna(Aamir Khan role) and rest of the chaps being Jr NTR ,Tarak Ratna, Nandamuri Kalyan Ram , the cool gal role being played by VijayaSanthi , guess the role of Madavan , its none other than "Tiger " Nanda Muri Hari Krishna ... Director B.Gopal well known for his Mass flicks directs this movie after thorough customization to telugu nativity . Recent lead Bomb Mallika Sherawat plays the role that of the foreign gal , coming from Mumbai want to make a documentary on "Sardar PapaRayadu", her grandfather being a cook at a jail loong back .. Producer Ambika Krishna is planning to bring HollyWood Graphic Aritistes to make Digital Imaging of Sr NTR for a cameo role for the Flash Back scenes ... Music Director Mani Sharma composes nine groovy tunes , the title song being again a mass song , " Rangula Santhi , Hangula Santhi .. Pongulu Isthava .. " a peppy number being canned on balayya babu in virgin foriegn locations of recently layed FootPaths in East Africa (as per our film reporter )Muhurat Shot being shot recently with some cool collegeates flirting and dancing in the suburbs of hyderabad and some shouting their hart throb hero "Chimpu Chimpu ... " ( Balayya's youthfulname in movie) , he is seen drinking "Kallu seesa" with Jr NTR climbing on a rock and bending behind ( one shud see RDB , to know what ballayya is trying to do ..) Although controversies from Blue Cross are heard for BGopal ordered several hundreds of monkeys for some vital scenes ... Ambika krishna denied any such allegations .. Ambika Krishna arranged a press meet after the muhurat shot , where balayya expressed his confidence that film wud run 300 days in 300 centers all over world .. Hari krishna expressed his happiness for working with his entire family ..Jr NTR said he has been waiting for the right script and atlast they all cud do it .. B Gopal kept a low profile and wanted his work to speak , even Vijaya santhi left early and said she wud speak on 300 days celebrations ...Stay tuned for more info .. and photos

Am'Bushed'

While channel surfing yesterday, came across this show on a news channel - a chef from Hotel Taj was showing what he planned to cook for Mr. Bush and how he plans to cook it. The first thought that crossed my mind - why are we so obsessed with this guy that what he is going to eat during his visit makes it to national news channels as 1/2 hour programmes? These media guys are going to such lengths in covering his visit, I will not be surprised if tomorrow some channel does an exclusive show on how many times Bush woke up in the night to pee, where he peed and what was the color. Damn it.

Update:

Some more interesting news items we might hear before he leaves

Very Punny

Took A walk through the clouds and found myself rolling on the floor with laughter. She is a riot.

Relaxed

A friend got married. Been away all of last week. Been to Eluru after a long time. Had a lot of plans in my mind but none worked out :P. Wanted to visit our college, our room, our theatres and all that. Wanted to get nostalgic. But hardly spent any time there. Whatever time we were there, we were drunk :D. So hardly any nostalgia was there. Lot of booze and an unplanned trip to Tirupathi later, returned to Bangalore. But there was more to do after coming here. Shifted house on sunday. Yet to get settled in the new place. It's horrible as of now. Yesterday, there were lot of things to take care in the office. Later in the evening, went to shop. Another friend is setting up his home. So, there's lot of shopping to do. But returned without buying anything at all :P. Finally, with a lot of pending things cleared, its time to relax and think and make some important decisions regarding career and life in general.

Guess who benefits from V-day

Everyone knows that lot of money is spent for toys, cards, jewellery and what not for V-day. I have even seen ads saying "To show your love, gift her our washing machine". So, its obvious that its big business for all the guys. But today I read about another group of people who do brisk business during this time. And these I felt, were the most unlikely group, private detectives. Seems in the US of A it is this time when lot of partners engage the services of detective agencies to find out if they are being cheated, because its easier to catch them :P. If they get a negative answer they can celebrate V-day in its true spirit :-). So much for celebrating love.

Food for thought

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say?

Dont remember where I picked it up. Just came across while going through old stuff.

Rather serious question. I dont know the answer but I wish I would come to know about my death atleast a month in advance, so I can meet everyone who matters in person, thank them for all the love they gave me, apologise for all the hurt I caused them and say goodbye.

Thank piracy

Movies are of different types
Those that have to be watched in a theater
Those that can be watched on a CD
Those that need not be watched at all

When we hear about a new movie or see the trailer, we immediately place it in one of these categories. Sometimes we make mistakes, may be because of hype or expectations. And sometimes we make adjustments owing to laziness or more appropriately lack of time. One such adjustment saved our lives yesterday. Watched Style yesterday. That movie has been talked about so much and has been hyped to be such a good movie that I was very keen to go watch it in a theater. I got to thank my stars that the movie had not come to PVR last week. otherwise this post would have been written differently, or there might not have been a post at all. So yesterday when the cd guy told that this movie was available, we thought ok we'll watch it, why wait for it to release in theatres here. And weren't we glad in the end. Totally intolerable. Absolute nonsense. Again thanked my stars that we didn't have to endure that torture in a theater. And then we realised that it was our mistake only afterall. You got to learn from your mistakes dear. Even after watching Mass, we dared to watch another movie directed by Lawrence. We deserved it.

Relationship != investing

Just read this article on how money taught a few things about love. Couldn't contain my curiosity since the article was talking about what I feel are the two things nobody can live without. After reading through, these were some thoughts that crossed my mind.
The most important principle when investing in stocks - diversification :-). Now, how could she forget that?
You can always blame someone else when a stock doesn't perform, you are not at fault. But what about your relationship?
Investing is all about what I can get out of it. There is nothing you need to give to a stock. But if it is the same in a relationship, the stock may not be able to dump you but your boyfriend/girlfriend sure will.
An advice to rediff - cut the crap and try to get more meaningful articles.

The glory of Sanskrit

Amazing stuff. Just to think that we had people capable of writing stuff like this. Adi kuda chandobaddhanga, anni niyamalu patisthu, prasa thappakunda, unimaginable. Asalu avadhanam ane prakriya ki ye desam lonu equivalent ledu. That's much much more amazing. Inka oke okka aksharam tho malli anni niyamalu patisthu padyalu rasina vallu unnaru. Daniki edo peru undi. Adi kuda theliyadu manaki. Granthalu rasina vallu unnaru. Amazing. Anduke annaru - Samskrutam - deva bhasha ani

Translation:
Able was I ere I saw elba, as everyone knows, is a palendrome. This sentence is supposed to be from sometime in the 17th century, and a lot of people are very proud to know this. But in the 14th century itself, there was a poet who wrote this kavyam in sanskrit, which, when read from start to end, describes ramayan and when read in reverse, describes mahabharat. Seems there are 40 such slokas in that. And all the slokas follow all the grammar rules (called chandassu). Amazing isn't it. The sloka mentioned here means I offer my respect to Sita (from start to end) while it refers to Sri Krishna's Gita (in reverse).

My two cents: Have heard there are poeple who wrote whole books with poems, with a single letter, all meaningful and conforming to all grammar rules. I dont know if you understand what I said, but can't think of any other way of saying this. And its true. And there's a name to that style of writing also, though I'm not aware what it is. And Telugu being a direct derivative of Sanskrit, is as sweet and has as many features (for want of a better word :P).

Conclusion: Its not for nothing that Sanskrit is called Deva Bhasha.

All good things

.... have to come to an end. So what's the big deal? Why torment him with these debates? I wish these people would leave Sachin alone, stop dissecting his batting. It was very painful to see the manner in which he was clean bowled in the previous match. Imagine what he must have gone through in that moment. So what? What if weaknesses have crept into his technique? What if he appears to be a mere mortal now? He maintained his greatness for 16 long years. What do these people expect, he will keep batting the same way forever? Why raise a hue and cry after every match that its time for him now? I wish he would spend some time with himself now, try to analyse what he wants, rather than trying to meet people's expectations. And I wish the others would just shut up and let him decide. He's a fighter, the more you try to write him off, the more his instincts would tell him to bounce back. Just leave him alone. Let him think and decide. I wish to see one masterly knock from him, just like old times, the way Sampras won wimbledon and then announced his retirement. That is possible only if he plays for himself, not for the people. I wish Sachin would relax.

Wonderful poem

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example, The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.
She loved me sometimes, and I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.
This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
Another's. She will be another's. Like my kisses before.
Her voide. Her bright body. Her inifinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

- Pablo Neruda.

Picked it up from here. Liked this one too there. Very well written. Yes, we need to pretend, to keep the pain away. And hope. Hope that things will change, for the better.

Rang de basanti

After reading so many praises about the movie, wanted to watch it immediately. Went yesterday night. Liked the movie very much. No nonsense. I think never before has such a message been conveyed on screen in such a light hearted manner. There was no overdose of drama anywhere in the movie (except when soha ali khan hears the news of Madhavan's death and starts crying. That scene didn't fit in well I feel). And another striking thing about the movie is the way the songs are integrated into the plot rather than being compulsively brought in in situations that call for a song. I really liked the way the songs just come and go without ever being noticed. Nice job by the director. And Aamir khan was amazing. Everyone did a good job but Aamir stands out, head and shoulders above everyone else.
Overall, a very good movie, must watch.

My first tag

Smyta tagged me on 8 points about someone :-)

The rules of this tag-game are -
1.The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover
2.Need to mention the sex of the target
3.Tag another 8 victims to join this game and leave a comment on their comments saying they have been tagged
4. If tagged twice, no need to post again

Very tricky, for a crab. On the one hand, it's too personal to share, and on the other it is fun, writing such things. Anyway, I'm not in my shell right now, so here I go .......

1) Patience - she'll need loads of it, it's very hard to understand and get along with a crab
2) Mind reading - a crab never tells what's on his mind, you've got to figure out yourself :-). But it won't be all that difficult once she gets to understand the signs :P
3) Artistic - need not be a singer/dancer/painter/anything, but she must be able to genuinely appreciate art in any form. (To be more specific, if I play the keyboard, she should be able to identify the tune and appreciate it :P. If I sing, she should be atleast able to hum along). If she can paint, it's a huge bonus :-)
4) Should believe that what we do or where we are doesn't matter as long as we are together
5) Should be a private person, I can't stand crowds or wild parties. But should not be an introvert. I don't think two introverts can like each other anyway :P.
6) Playful, not always but most of the time. Not taking things too seriously. Should be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Should try to make life simpler rather than complicating it.
7) Should have a secondary interest in life, myself being the primary one :-)
8) Should know that I'm a selfish *^&^%#&*$& and should be ok with it :P. Shouldn't expect me to do anything to please her all by myself. Shouldn't treat me like a fool when I do try and fail miserably. I'll do anything for her. All she's gotta do is ASK.

But all these things seem so trivial when you really really like a person and want to make them happy.
Can't think of 8 people who would honour this tag, so no use mentioning any names. All the people who read this and want to take it up are welcome to do so.

Return of the crab

Been away during the weekend. Sister wasn't feeling well and so had to take her to my parents'. Taking care of the kid and herself was really getting to be too much for her. I saw it myself the other weekend, so I thought the earlier I took her, the better it would be. Luckily, got the tickets for 26th. So, the trip was rather sudden and unplanned. Wanted to return on sunday itself but couldn't get the return ticket :-(. So, started yesterday and landed today. It was a nice weekend spent with family. Its been too long since the four of us have been together. I mean only the four of us. Time spent in rediscovering self and family :-). 3 lazy days. Got the much needed rest and was feeling very refreshed earlier today. (After spending over 5 hrs in the office, already started feeling lousy now :P). Every day I spend with him, the little fellow is getting more and more attached to me :-). Its such a joy. My sis even asked him, who's your mother me or your mama, when he came to me crying when he hurt himself :-)). In the mean time :-
our office shifted to new location. The place looks good. Lot more spacious. But much of the works are still in progress. So, it's not all that comfortable yet. And we'll take some time to adjust to the new place anyway ;-).
Roger Federer won the Australian open quite comfortably
14 wickets fell on the first day of the third India - Pak test. Pathan pulled off a hattrick in the very first over. The first and only bowler to do this :-). Congratulations Pathan. Looks like the bouncy wickets strategy has backfired. Or may be not. India fell short by 7 runs in the first innings. If Pak can manage a decent total in the second, we are in for big trouble, looking at the way we are batting.
Karnataka govt fell. New CM to be in place from 3rd Feb
Got a message from above. Dont know whether it was meant for me or not. But I took it personally :-). Baguntam, baguntam. Andaram baguntam. Kotta samvatsaramlo andariki manche jaruguthundi :-). That was unexpected. And that somehow made my day. It's a dialogue in the movie that was played in the bus in which I returned. And based on my thoughts and my state of mind at that time, I somehow felt it was a message for me from Him. Suddenly felt like going to tirupathy. Got to talk to my friends about it.
And the most unexpected of all - I've been tagged. And its a very tricky one. The lousy crab that Iam, I gotta think about it before I take it up. Gotta decide how true I've got to be ;-)

And so the crab is back where he doesn't belong. The journey has been helpful as well as hurtful. But there's a new hope and a new sense of relief. The message is loud and clear. Somehow the confusion is going to end. Enlightenment is not too far away.

For want of a word

What should this state of mind be called? I cant come up with a word, so tried to come up with some more situations where a similar state is encountered. I've tried to avoid unpleasant situations like accidents, and could come up with only these :-(

Waiting to be slapped or waiting with your palm stretched infront with your teacher holding a cane in her hands :-)
You see something falling, and you wait for it to hit the ground (this looks similar to the plane landing, but it's not)

Wakeup call

Roger Federer was given a wakeup call by Tommy Haas yesterday. And looking at the way Nalabandian stormed into the semis beating Santoro 7-5, 6-0, 6-0, it was just the right time. When I read the news that Federer survives Haas scare, it looked ridiculous. I mean this guy has an incredible ability to raise his game a few notches everytime he faces some stiff opposition. When he realises that he is being challenged, he switches to the next level and the opponent just can't match him. I didn't watch yesterday's match so I can't say how Haas played but I watched Federer do this number of times. So, its just a wake up call to not take things lightly now that most of the players supposed to be capable of upsetting him are nowhere to be seen. Read about this guy Davidenko this morning. Seems this guy has a knack of winning five setters. So he sure has the stamina to withstand a five setter. But not sure if he can take Federer that far. Haven't watched any of the last 8 play other than Federer and Nalabandian :-(. But if you want to beat Federer, you gotta be real quick. You have to finish it even before he realises that the match is slipping out of his hands :-). Or you got to have the ability to match him stroke by stroke. Or you gotta hope that you are really lucky or he's really unlucky that day :-). If he gets any time to recover, he'll just blast his way through. Unless someone plays spectacular tennis, it's now almost certainly going to be a Federer - Nalabandian final and if Nalabandian can improve his game further, it's going to be one hell of a contest. A must watch.

Shutters coming down on the den

Our office is moving to new building on 26th. So me shifting house. Moving to a friend's place. Though it is not as near to our new building as I'd have liked, couldn't find a new place that would suit me in the limited time that I carried out the search in. And I gotta move out by end of this month. And thinking of that makes me sad. I'll miss this place for sure, the place I termed The Den. And myself the Lion :-). We moved into this house on 30th Jan last year. Liked this place the moment we saw it and though it was a little far from the main road, it wasn't a problem because we had bikes :P. The location was good, a true residential area, peaceful and quiet (except for the stupid dog in the house infront of ours that used to bark relentlessly and rhythmically, man the barking really got on my nerves and almost drove me crazy). For the past 6 months, I've been staying there alone. And I really enjoyed myself during this time. Used to walk all the way to the main road. These walks alone are really useful, I feel everybody should be doing that regularly. Used to think about so many things, reflect on people's behavior, my actions, life in general. Play instruments when happy. Listen to music when feeling a little down. Watch stupid movies and dumb serials on tv :-). Read. I had all the time for myself. Some weekends I used to go to my friend's place. But my heart always longed for the comfort of my den. They never understood why I wanted to go there and what I'd do there all alone. Initially I felt like this house was very unlucky for me. So much has gone wrong and nothing is how it used to be. But it was ME who did everything damn it not the house. It was this house where I used to hide when I felt like I could not face the world. It was this house that was like a true friend, always there, to whom I could always return to, no matter what day, what time. It was this house that has witnessed what none of my closest friends had ever seen and has heard so many things they had never heard. And there's only one week left for me there :-(. I'm going to miss living alone. Though the people I'm going to stay with are very close friends, it's still not going to be the same. No more playing the guitar at 11 in the night. Reading is going to come down. Little time for myself. We are going to have a good time, no doubt about that. But I'm going to miss all these. I'm surely going to miss my den. It's been a very special place. And somebody else is going to stay there :-(.

What the heck

How true can this be? Though there is no way to confirm whether the incident has occurred really, the possibility seems to be there. After a series of stories about mobile phones like attracting lightening, blowing up while charging, killing heart patients and all such crap, I dont know whether to believe this one or not. But being a little careful doesn't hurt :P. Better to confirm by calling before giving sensitive info via sms. Damn now we can't trust sms also :-(.

Bored

Nothing to do. Been playing cricket since yesterday. Now even that has become boring. Dont even feel like looking for something to read, may be a new blog. Want to go home. And may be sleep. Or watch some stupid movie on TV. Finally, play has started on the last day but sehwag is immediately out. So, even statistically there is no interest in the match now :P. And bad light has again stopped play. Sania mirza is through to the second round of Australian open. Well done. And Fedexpress shows no sign of slowing down. I think there's no player in the current lot who can challenge him, let alone beat him. Nobody has shown such consistency and with Nadal not playing, its almost certain who's going to be the champion. Nadal would have made it difficult. Hewitt will need all his skill and some luck to go through to the final beating Federer. Agassi is no longer a threat because age and stamina do play an important part. A contest between Federer and a younger Agassi would have been a treat to watch. Nalabandian is again inconsistent, though he can be threatening on his day. But one cannot count on the stars when faced with an opponent like Federer. Roddick doesn't stand a chance. So, its going to be Federer all the way this year I think. If he can win the French open, he's going to complete the grandslam this year. He must be thinking about it as well. After last year's loss to Nadal in the semifinal. Or quarters. I dont remember now. But what a match that was. Tea time now :-)

Dil kehta hai

.. chal unse mil
uthte hain kadam .. ruk jaate hain
dil hum ko kabhi .. samjhaata hai
hum dil ko kabhi .. samjhaate hain

hum jab se hain juda .. aye mere humnashin
yun dekho tho mere .. daaman me kya nahin
daulat ka chaand hai .. shohrat ki chandni
magar tumhe khoke lage hai mujhe aisa
ke tum nahin tho kuch bhi nahin
tum kya jaano .. ab hum kitna
dil hi dil me .. pachthathe hain
dil hum ko kabhi .. samjhaatha hai
hum dil ko kabhi .. samjhaathe hain

woh din the kya hasin .. dono the saath me
aur baahen aapki .. thi mere haath me
tum hi tum the sanam .. mere din raat me
par itni bulandi pe tum ho meri jaan
aaye na daaman ab haath me
paana tum ko .. mumkin hi nahin
soche bhi tho hum .. ghabraate hain
dil hum ko kabhi .. samjhaata hai
hum dil ko kabhi .. samjhaate hain

How to ruin a sunday evening

Go to a theater and watch Lakshmi - The powerful man. Crappest of all craps. Few weeks ago it was Jai chiranjeeva. Now this one. Damn these movies.

My songs

After three days of hard work, I finally managed to record one full song yesterday and converted it to mp3 :-). Managed to cut the interludes and the music pieces at the start and end and carefully mixed it with the part I sang. Sounded pretty good to me :-). But still the song isn't complete because the vocal goes plain, without any music. Today, I'll try to isolate the rhythm and mix it with the song so that it will not be that plain. Looking for good karaoke software so that I can record from multiple sources while singing along :P. This is the song. Earlier I liked to hum this tune very much. After I heard the lyrics, Im very much hooked to it now. Great song.

Aakasam thaakela vadagaalai ee nela andinche aahvanam premante
aaratam thirela badulicche gaganamla vinipinche thadi gaanam premante
anuvanuvunu meete mamathala maunam pada padamante nilavadu praanam
aa paruge pranayaniki sreekaram
daaham lo munigina chivuruku challani thana cheyyandinchi
sneham tho molaketthinche chinuke premante
megham lo niddura poyina rangulu anni rappinchi
maagani mungita pette mugge premante

praanam epudu modalaindo thelupagala thedi edo gurthinchenduku vilunda
pranayam evari hrudayamlo epudu udayisthundo gamaninche samayam untunda
premante emante cheppese maatunte aa maataki thelisena premante
adi charithalu siatham chadavani vainam kavithalu saitham palakani bhaavam
sarigamalerugani madhurima premante
dari daati urakalu vese ye nadikaina thelisinda
thanalo ee uravadi penchina tholi chinukedante
siri pairai egire varaku chenuku maatram thelisinda
thanalo kanipinche kalalaku tholi pilupedante

mande koliminadagande theliyade mannu kadu idi swarnamantu chupalante
pande polamu chebuthunde padunuga naate nagali pote chesina melante
thanuvantha virabuse gaayale varamalai dari chere priyurale gelupante
thanu koluvai unde viluve unte alanti manasuku thanantha thaane
adagaka dorike varame valapante
janmantha ni adugullo adugulu kalipe jatha unte
nadakallo thadabataina naatyam aipoda
reyantha ni thalapulatho errabade kannulu unte
aa kaanthe nuv vethike sankranthai eduravada

Next in line - may be o vendi vennela or andarini ila ventapadi adagala. Will decide later.

Recap

Vanished from the face of earth last week. Been working for our demo. Now that its over, I can quickly turn back and see what all happenned during this time, apart from the work.
6th Jan was ARR's birthday. Wish he'll celebrate more, with his music getting better every year. Wish he'd come up with a song better than dilse re and sing it himself. Wish he'd visit Bangalore again soon :-).
Same day we had annual day celebrations of our company. Missed it. Never intended to go anyway. Though I wanted to go, had some other things to take care of. Moreover, my body wouldn't permit me to dance and I can't just stand watching while other people are dancing.
Met my nephew when I went to the station to see mother off. He looked good to me, recovered completely. And wasn't he glad to see me. He keeps saying so many things to me, wish I could understand what he wants to say. Wait till he starts talking.
During the weekend, went around looking for a house. Saw three, four houses, liked one. But not sure whether to take it or not. The house is very good, I liked everything, its being too far from the city included. But wondering if we'll face some problems living there, some convenience issues. I felt it would be ideal for a couple, so asked a couple of recently married friends but they were not interested :P. Not sure it would suit bachelors, especially those who are too lazy to cook.
Spent lot of time with my new computer yesterday, after going home. Copied lot of songs. Looking for games to install. And also internet. Tried to record my voice yesterday but couldn't :-(. Got to check whats wrong. Also got to find out how to record midi from my keyboard. I'm excited :-).
Wrote down the lyrics of some of my favorite songs. Was surprised that one song which I liked for it's tune till now also had wonderful lyrics. All night I spent trying to memorise the words, and I slept only after I got it. Will post the lyrics later.
Read about this book Memoirs of a Geisha. Looks interesting. I prefer a book to a movie anyday. Will try to get hold of it. This line is awesome. “Adversity is like a strong wind…it doesn’t just hold us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward, we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be."
Interesting post on truth and lies. Want to write something on that. But will have to gather my ideas first :P.
Thats about it. And from now on, hopefully, I can continue without a break till another deadline approaches, or rather we approach another deadline. Wish these lines weren't dead.

Sakhi

Got the DVD today. Can watch it anytime I feel like watching :-) hahahahahhhahhahhaha