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.