Some Sizzling Scintillating Speculations

Hello and Update

2012-01-19T16:09:00.002+04:00

Hello all...so what's been happening? I haven't posted since ages, I know. But, frankly, there's been nothing much happening, except on the work front.

For e.g. who wants to read a report like: Got up, had tea, freshened up, left for work, returned from work, had tea, read a Perry Mason, had dinner, watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory/ Seinfeld, fell asleep? Pretty boring, huh? But, believe me, it keeps the mind fresh- no unwanted stress, whatsoever.

I do, of course, want to get back to blogging, writing Letters to Editors(I do write, once in a month or so, but that's too less), competition entries, etc.

More coming up soon. Till then, cheerio.

End Of The Year Post

2011-12-31T13:04:00.000+04:00

Hi all....I thought the year must end with a Year-end post...so, here goes:

Happy last day of 2011, everyone. How times have changed. Gone are the days when the year-end meant looking forward to reviews of the 365 days gone by, in newspapers- on all fronts- movies, music, politics,India, the world. Everything's available on the net-reviews, pictures, videos, you name it...and, now in 3D too.(Well, I don't say technology's bad-but, those earlier days were fun too,na?)

Gone too are the days when the last two Wednesdays of the year used to have 8 PM reserved for Ameen Sayani's cheery voice on Binaca/Cibaca Geet Mala's(http://ameensayani.com/geetmala.html) top 20(Or, was it top 25) songs of the year, to listen to which ears used to get strained if the broadcast from Radio Ceylon was not there. I remember 1-2 years when even noting down how many votes each song got, was a craze and I'd followed suit. Next day, the list would be discussed at school and whether there was merit or not in the choices. Today, FM rules the roost for people who're driving/on the road, though I hardly hear people playing it at home if they have a choice of TV(And, I believe, most people have the choice).

Then, there was the neat habit of sending New Year cards to everyone...going to Archies or the friendly neighbourhood stationery guy, selecting New Year cards, addressing them, sending them off.Now, it's simply an email that conveys a bland New Year wish, or even a SMS. Or, wishes are conveyed via social networking sites(Which, somehow seem to be the most friendly of the lot, specially FB)

Most people will say that they just don't have time for all the niceties of the past. But then, what are we doing different that we did not do in the past that takes up much of our time? I wouldn't be surprised that a bit of introspection would show that it's the TP(time pass)items that occupy people's spare time, rather than the 9 to 530 jobs or routine home-related works.

Ah well- whatever it is, since the change keeps us happy, so be it. If it doesn't, well, you could always revert to the good ole-fashioned ways- buy some New Year cards, meet friends/relatives, read a book, pore over today's newspapers and their recaps of the year gone by, et al. CHOICE-that's the key word.

So, Happy New Year, everyone!Have a great day, week, month, year ahead and many more to come!

Difficult?Maybe

2011-12-19T16:52:00.000+04:00

Why, oh why is it so difficult to get the most basic of tasks done in our city/country? I had a simple requirement- go to the Post Office and get a cheque for a Recurring Deposit that had matured. Was there for two hours and still it did not materialize.

Why? First, there was a queue of 10, all phursat mein people. Secondly, the cashier's computer suddenly conked off for 1/2 hour. Thirdly, the next 2-3 people ahead of me again wanted to chat and chat about options with the guy. Fourthly, he finally said'now it's lunch time- just leave your documents and go', and things'll be ready when you're back. On seeing my form he says' Oh, you're in the wrong queue' The R.D. queue is 4 chairs down the line...and, believe me, I'd asked two people whether this was the right queue.

Off to the R.D. queue- it had another 20 people there....so, I said 'better luck next time', smiled to myself and left.

Guess who?

2011-12-07T15:10:00.000+04:00

-He had 'lauki'(bottle gourd ) ka juice in the morning, and just one cup of tea at 3 PM, and he's feeling totally fit n fine.

-He has not had his cholestrol and BP medication since morning and won't take it today, courtesy the lauki ka juice.

-He walks home every evening-it's a 20 mins walk. He stays at..... Society in Karelibaug.

-His regular customers include ex-Professors(who also used to teach me) from the Engg Faculty.

-Once people get used to his style, they always return to him only.

-He has just filled the AIEEE form for his son, and got a DD from the bank...he was running around for 1/2 a day for this.

-He is a Paanchvi Kaksha Pass, but, he wants his next generation to be educated, hence the AIEEE forms.

-His son is a Xth Standard 95 Percent-er.

-A friend of his owns Hotel Gokul in the city, and his son got a rank in AIEEE last year.

-His friend told him to pick up the reference books from his home anytime.

-He had lauki ka juice in the morning, and just one cup of tea at 3 PM, and he's feeling totally fit n fine.

-He advised me too, to try lauki ka juice in the morning.

-He still has a Bajaj two-wheeler, but his feet no longer allow him to do the necessary kicking. He got an Activa, but, usually his son uses it to go to classes, etc. He uses it himself sometimes.

-He was originally settled in Thane, Mumbai. But moved to Baroda 15 years back.

-Since then, he has settled down with this line of work.

-His son doesn't like to visit here much.

-Assistants are hard to come by. Those who come, stay for a few days and then go away.

-He had lauki ka juice in the morning, and just one cup of tea at 3 PM, and he's feeling totally fit n fine.
(There were some more lines of tete-a-tete, but I've forgotten)
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Any guesses who this guy is? The friendly neighbourhood barber. And, all this talk came courtesy one word from me 'Achcha'- uttered when he said he had Lauki Ka juice in the morning. HE was so enthused about it, he kept repeating it throughout.

I'm a good listener, I guess...:)

Hello Hello

2011-11-26T08:24:00.002+04:00

Does Facebook become a sort of instant blog? I certainly think so. And that is probably why I've been drifting away from my blog, lately. On facebook, one posts-once,twice,thrice in a day.....as many times as one feels like. It's not that you can't post on your blog the same way...but, the circle on facebook is surely much wider- from friends to relatives to , yes, indeed, bloggers. You get responses within minutes, and it's one big interactive forum.

And, if one wants to give more excuses for not blogging regularly, there's 'lack of time'...and, that's no excuse, is it? If you love writing , you cannot stay away from blogging. Because you can write freely, write without being afraid of editorial snippings at what you've written, and, you can write on any topic you want.

So, it's decided...await more posts here in the coming days, and await more visits from me to my favourite blogs, as well. Cheers!

News

2011-11-02T19:22:00.000+04:00

So much to write,so much news to pen down...amongst them:
-completed one month at the new job.
-more than a month since the return to shore.

More coming up soon....allow me to get adjusted to this new routine...:)Oh, yes, I also wrote a Letter To The Editor after quite some time- let's see if it get's published...many more planned.

Cheers and have a lovely day. :)

News Article

2011-10-25T12:29:00.000+04:00

Five countries issue travel advisories to their citizens against visiting India during the festive season...a small report in TOI's online version, and it invoked hundreds of remarks-I had a fun time reading some of them(If you try to read all, you'll go mad). Want to see?Here's the link.

The funniest was the person who said foreigners visiting India should be more scared of Indian roads than any other form of terr*r, since the roads kill more people! ROFL.

Horns

2011-10-22T15:29:00.000+04:00

Why do people love to honk their horns, even when there's no traffic, or, conversely, when there\s so much of a traffic jam that traffic will move at it's own speed, not based on a honking horn? The cacophony of sound on the street...whew!!

Sandwiches et al

2011-10-12T19:37:00.000+04:00

Whoever heard of putting a whole pineapple piece into a veggie club sandwich? Well, this restaurant did just that...that, combined with the tikki and the veggies..whew! No wonder I prefer the simple idli-sambhar anyday.No one can play around with it's basic size n shape.:)Besides,of course, being light and nice.

A day in the life of...

2011-09-20T09:32:00.000+04:00

‘A day in the life of….’…do you wonder what a day in the life of someone else must be like? Most of the time, we’re absorbed in our own day and look at things from our perspective, our restricted field of vision- our home, our workplace, our route to work. We assume that everyone’s life must be similar. Even when we talk, we talk from what we’ve learned at our workplace-about people, their habits, workstyle, etc and we generalize as if it includes the whole world and tend to look at the world from the same perspective. But the fact remains, everyone’s life is different, everyone’s day passes differently.

The sweeper on the road, the hotelier, the shopkeeper at the grocery, the sweets, the farsaan mart shop, the waiter at the restaurant, the cashier at the same restaurant, the pilot of the aircraft, the air hostess, the school teacher, Big B and the other filmstars in Mumbai- each and everyone has a different beginning and end to the day. Wouldn’t it be good fun to be a part of their day, a la, magazine reporters who spend a day with the stars? Follow them around, see what they do, how their time passes, how they keep themselves happy, what makes them tick.

And, why just our city? Think of other places and how a person’s day must be passing there. Like, one of my favourite places- Matheran- wonder how a person’s day passes there- a person at a luxury hotel, for e.g. Getting up in that heavenly place, inhaling the fresh air(No motor vehicles allowed there, so minimal pollution), knowing one’ s life is elongated due to less pollution. Or, a friend in Delhi/Mumbai/Agra/USA/Australia/Austria….??What must they be doing?

The person/persons might feel that their life is too boring to be looked at, but, from someone else’s prospective, their life, their work might be novel and challenging. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

So, what do you say? How about sharing a day in your life with us, on your blog for a start? One working day and one off-day(Sunday/Friday as the case may be). I’ll do a post too, shortly. So, consider yourself tagged- Austy, Poo, Ms R, Sush....and, everyone reading this. Cheerio.:)

View from Baroda

2011-09-10T09:56:00.000+04:00

Hi all...I know, I know..long time, no write, no visit blogs...no reason...been in Baroda since 24th. Going back to Dxb for the last time...and, would be back here month-end. Actually, this is one season when taking leave makes no sense, coz of the rains. Any plans made depend on the rain Gods. Otherwise, be prepared- go out, keep a raincoat with you, and things are hunky dory.

Have read @ 10 Perry Masons since I came here. Did a big of magazine reading, too, but, nothing exceptional. Haven't gotten back the mood to really sit and write Letters to them. Ah well, everything will happen in good time, as they say.:)

What else is new with you folks?Will be around your blogs very soon. Cheerio and TC.

Hello

2011-08-18T06:30:00.001+04:00

Sometimes I really feel that I neglect this lovely little place I have...this blog. And then, I think that this will soon be a place buzzing with activity...with the pieces of the puzzle falling into places exactly as desired, it won't be much time before I'm back to my favourite hobbies- writing here as well as writing to mags/papers.

Speaking of mags and papers, the TOI(Times Of India, for those not in the know) seems to have stopped one of my favourite columns...the Open Space section which used to appear every Sunday. It hasn't appeared since 2 weeks now. It's always fun reading this column. People ask the most interesting questions, and, other people give the most interesting answers. I am, of course, a frequent Q-A giver. In the past, the column used to have even more coverage, with each question having 2-3 answers, and one of them being humorous, even. Later they changed the format at made it a single sensible answer to each question. Even then, it's always a treasure trove of information.

Still on the TOI, have you seen their site http://www.speakingtree.in/. Always a nice place to drop in and gain a few insights into philosophy, spirituality, worldliness,et al.

Next trip to Baroda coming up...just six days to go. Time, please fly by!!:)Cheerio and have a nice day!

Serial Dialogues

2011-08-06T11:26:00.000+04:00

From Everybody Loves Raymond:

The three men of the house, Ray, brother Robert and Dad Frank are gossiping.

Robert: It is always the nature of the female to gather with other females and screech like a tree full of Chinese monkeys.

Ray: Sometimes she(his wife) gets a nervous stomach. It rocks the house. One time, I saw her burp a door open.

Robert: You know what Amy(his wife) does? Sometimes when she laughs, she pees a little.
A chuckle won't do it, but if you really crack her up, you might want to put some papers down.

Ray: Aaaah...wives are disgusting.

Their Dad: You know a good one about your Mother? Her famous sauce- it's store bought....(Both Ray and Robert look on in amazement, since their Mom prides herself on being a great cook)
.......
And, that's how men gossip...occasionally...LOL.

Books Collection

2011-08-04T17:02:00.000+04:00

Do you collect books? I’ve been a books/comics collector since childhood. ‘AAL Library, MZR, Baroda’ (not in short form, of course) used to be a rubber stamp happily put on every single book n comic that came into my cozy collection. For a while, I even used to number them, a la library, and keep a notebook of borrowed books, again, a la library style. Most of the books are still preserved nicely, either bound, or in their original form, courtesy the excellent paper quality in those days.

It began with, but of course, Enid Blyton books. Mr. Pink Whistle was a hot favourite- a portly little man who always did good. There were three PW books, I remember. All in the Blue Dragon category(There were three EB categories- Blue, Red and Green dragon). There was also a Mr. Meddle in the Blue Dragon series- Mr. Meddle’s Muddles was one such fun storybook.

Then, there was the Noddy series-24 books in all. Noddy with his yellow taxi-car, Big Ears his best friend, Mr. Plod the policeman, et al- such interesting names each of these characters had.

Then, there was the circus series- Mr. Galliano’s Circus, Hurrah for the circus, Circus days again. All three read over and over again, specially since I was a circus fan-atic.(But that’s another post).

Then, there were my absolute favourites, books I read now and then even now: The Five Find Outers- Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets and Fatty’s dog Buster. The best book in the series being The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage, about an escaped prisoner who’s a master of disguise. And, there’s the village policeman, Mr. Goon, who’s always a step behind the Five, in solving mysteries.

There was also the Famous Five series- 21 books in all(I just finished reading two, after ages, one of them being the above one) But these were slightly lower on the popularity list than the others.

A year or two later, it was the Hardy Boys(Frank and Joe) and the Three Investigators(Alfred Hitchcock’s junior series) who ruled the roost.

It wasn’t easy to build up on the collection, since, in those days, costs seemed exorbitant, from a princely Rs. 4 to a kingly Rs. 8(for a Hardy Boys bound book). One way out of the situation would be, birthdays. Each Uncle/Aunt would be ‘informed’ of which book I could be ‘pleasantly surprised’ with, sometimes by going with them to the bookstore a day or two before the birthday. Any money given by visiting relatives would also be kept aside for the same ‘goal’, but naturally.

A lot of reading was done, courtesy school friends, as well, since we would have a good exchange program, borrowing books from each other.

Vacations would be another boost to good reading. The library guy would charge in Re/Paise terms, whatever the price of the book was. So, a dollar book would be charged 1 Re for reading, a 50P one would be charged 50 paise. Sheer bliss. When we went to Delhi to visit relatives, there was a bookshop named Kalra’s, in Greater Kailash(Is it still there) that was my favourite.

In the last ten years or so, since I came to Dubai, reading’s been at a relatively low ebb. But, all that will change….soon…sooner..soonest. J

Better

2011-07-26T08:38:00.000+04:00

I really found this to be inspirational. And, it works...believe me, it works..and how well it works, you could judge only by implementing it in your life. Try it for something minor.(I say 'minor' because it does not refer to better 'better halves'...LOL)

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From The Secret Daily Teachings

If you want to attract a better job or anything better than what you currently have, it is important to understand how the law of attraction works.

You know that to bring in something better you must imagine what that better thing looks like in your mind, and then live in that picture as though it is here now. But you should also know that if you complain about your current job, for example, and continue to focus on all the negative things, you will never bring the better job to you. You must look for the things to be grateful for in your current job. Each thing you find to be grateful for is helping to bring that better job to you. That is really working the law!

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret... bringing joy to billions
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Note:If you want to subscribe to these scrolls, go to "http://thesecret.tv" and register there. You'll get these gems every week.

Poster Man

2011-07-18T17:23:00.000+04:00

Bruce Lee, Cheryl Tiegs, Madonna, Beatles, Wham, A Ha, Cindy Lauper….what’s common between these people? Posters. Yes, I used to be an avid poster collector some years back and all these celebs and then some more, used to adorn the walls of my small room in our ancestral home. That is, until we sold off that floor of our ancestral home(for some years, as it turned out to be).

Sun, Upbeat, Jetset, Vibes- these were just some of the youth mags that’d come up with the most dazzling of posters, each week/ month. It’d be something to look forward to, specially when a special issue(priced at the princely price of Rs 5 or Rs 10 max) would come out, with a glossy poster being free with it.

In particular, I was a big fan of The Weekly Sun(Now defunct, I believe, since I don’t spot any issues on the stands when in Baroda/Ahmedabad). A lovely youth magazine, they’d have posters coming out either on simply paper or in glossy form. The most memorable of the glossy ones was a poster of Bruce Lee from ‘Enter The Dragon’, stripes of blood across his chest and all. I think this one lasted the max on the walls it was inspirational to look at Bruce and feel a surge of strength in the mornings, you see. Ahem.

In the early Nineties, when my collection had reached a few hundreds, I suddenly realized that posters no longer had the same charm as they used to…(rather, there were no walls at home where they could be put up, which was the first drawback..haha) and just gave them away one fine day. Except for a few personal favourites.

So tell me, are there any poster collectors still around? Does your room have any posters adorning it’s walls? If yes, do do a post on them with pics, et al. It’d be lovely to see that in these days of everything being on the mobile, even posters, someone still collects these lovely real life posters.

Cheerio. Till next time.

Hello again

2011-07-08T14:00:00.000+04:00

Whew! It's July already...nearly mid-July, in fact..time continues to fly by. Did a good bit of blogsurfing today, after quite some time.And it was great fun to get an update on everyone's blogs and what they've been up to..some one's shifted to a new blog, someone to a new home, someone's off to tour the US of A....and so on.
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Whats up with me, you ask? Well...not much...workwise, it's been hectic..which is the only way to enjoy work-life, I feel, rather than having less work and wondering what to do next.

Just finished watching the last 1/2 hr of the Amitabh starrer, Shahenshah..remember the crowds in the halls when it was released? I remember people walking out, wishing such a shahehshah would come in real life and save them from politicians and their shenanigans..well, people still wish the same, I guess. Mankind lives on hope, na? And, what else but hope keeps our country running, looking at the way a few are bleeding it dry, with scams running into a few hundreds of crores every few months.Come to think of it, who'd have thought our country had that kind of money, anyway? I certainly didn't..haha..but then, away from politics, which is a topic I prefer to stay away from, always.
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Speaking of crores, how many zeroes in one lakh crores? That's the amount the news reader said has been found so far at a Temple....and, still continuing to be found.Let's see how this find progresses, and where the money finally reaches...it'd solve the problems of a few of the teeming millions, I'm sure.
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I always used to wonder why no restaurants did this? Finally, I read yesterday that a restaurant in UK has come up with this. You can click on the menu and see a photo/projection of the dish you want to check out.Virtual food menus, so to speak. See it, if you like it-order. If not, click to the next...though I can imagine what'd happen to the buttons, if the diners got all excited and wanted to go through the whole menu before deciding...maybe they'll come up with a projection of the menu on a wide screen, next?A great way to whet the appetite, huh? :)
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That's all for today..more coming up soon..have a great day.
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Thought for the day: Thoughts become things....courtesy...The Secret.

Hello

2011-06-27T07:17:00.000+04:00

Hello, all...been quite some time since I wrote something. Time's been flying by, and no other excuses. Was in Baroda for 17 nice days, and, returned last Sunday...whew!A whole week has already passed, and still going on..heh heh.

So what's up with everyone? I'll surely visit all my favourite blogs(Ref: Blogroll on right and then some more) in the evening. Just thinking @ what the other free time activities are, that keep me away from my facvourite hobby of writing, the things which come up:

-Facebook: With many friends and relatives there, it's easy to drop a line here and there and catch up on the latest with everyone.

-English serials: Not to say that I've become a couch potato, but, with work pressure being the way it is, the only thing I want to do after MP3ing during my 1 hour walk(morn and evening) is, watch my favourite comedy serials and relax the over-stressed cranium.Hence, I finished the second round of the full set of Seinfeld again, laughed a lot as usual, and now, am on a bout of 'The King Of Queens'.. it's not that these serials are exceptional. They're about routine, everyday life and events. And, even though they're not Indianized, it's easy to identify with a lot of events in them, since the families in them are just like us ordinary folks..heh heh...with a tinge of madness built in, may I add.

Ah well, more coming up later. Just wanted to break the jinx of not being able to write. Prior to the next post, I'm going blog-visiting-and-commenting. So, please be laying out the red carpet. Cheerio and have a lovely day.

Hello

2011-06-13T07:35:00.002+04:00

Back in Baroda since more than a week now. Time's passing by more slow n steadily than it usually does..isn't that nice? More coming up sooon.

Questions of the Silly type

2011-05-30T14:24:00.001+04:00

Ever since we moved away from the traditional pen-paper-calculator , posted letters, typewriters, I seriously think that the makers of newer and major software believe that our brains are going soft. Why else would the following incidents occur:

For example: When performing an action on the computer:

‘Are you sure you want to send…… to the recycle bin?’

‘Do you want to move or copy files from this zone?

‘Are you sure you want to delete all of the items in the Recycle Bin?’

‘Are you sure you want to permanently delete all the Items and Subfolders in the “Deleted items” folder? ‘

‘Are you sure that you want to permanently delete the selected item(s)?’

(All these are produced ad verbatim from the respective operating systems)

And what about the ever-silly “I agree” square to be ticked, when you’re installing a program? Do they seriously think that we are installing something without really wanting to, or that we’ll change our minds a few seconds after beginning installation? Or, are they warning that our program’s no good, hence we want you to agree beforehand that you agree that it’s good?

Here's to more brain-softening questions!!And, are you sure you want to leave a comment? If yes, click the comments box:)

Dinnertime Observations

2011-05-19T07:08:00.000+04:00

Observation at a restaurant while having dinner on Tuesday:

A lady and her six/seven year old boy walk in.

Lady: Aaj thaali mein bhindi hai?

Waiter: Nahin, Madam.

Lady(to son): Bhindi nahin hai

Lady(to waiter): Bhindi nahin de sakte thaali mein?

Waiter: Nahin, Madam. Bhindi Friday ko hoti hai

Lady(to son): What to do, beta? Bhindi nahin hai

Waiter(Helpfully): Aap separate Bhindi sabzi order kar sakte hain

Lady: No no. We want bhindi in the thaali only.

Waiter(Sadly): Sorry, madam

Lady: Beta, let’s go somewhere else and find a thaali with bhindi…

(And, out they went....hope they found it in one of the thirty-odd restaurants that Karama has)

Another observation:

Rotund guy with suspenders(no belt) assisting his trousers walks in. Pulls and snaps back the suspenders. Puts hands in trouser pockets(such types usually aren’t going to buy-just pass time,usually , but I was wrong this time).

Guy(to waiter): Yeh kya hai?

Waiter: Lassi

Guy: woh kya hai?

Waiter: Rabdi(or something like that, he muttered)

Guy: Yeh kya hai?

Waiter: Bhel ka samaan

Guy: (hands still in trouser pockets): Chalo, paani puri khilaao

He then proceeds to roll up his shirt sleeves all the way, picks up 5 squares of tissue paper in one hand(God, what a waste of paper) , and goes and stands touching the paani puri preparation guy, who seems a bit uncomfy at this sudden closeness. Finishes one round, regularly using tissues to wipe the slurpy part of the paani, and then begins another round. Finishes that. Picks out purse, changes his mind. Asks for a lassi(couldn’t resist the temptation, I guess), finishes that. Looks into the bottle freezer again, but is able to resist temptation, so he pays and walks out.

By the end of these two observations, I’d happily finished my dinner.

Movie Review: Chalo Dilli

2011-05-11T20:58:00.000+04:00

Chalo Dilli has been running here for more than a week now. So I was quite apprehensive about being the only viewer, even though it was the 3 PM show. However, my worries were unfounded. There were more than 3 rows of seats occupied by people who thoroughly enjoyed the movie, including myself. And, for once, I didn't mind the slurping and chewing and crunching of people sitting behind.

The movie(Chalo Dilli) is by itself an eye-opener(In the sense, I was feeling sleepy during the trailers and once the movie began, my eyes opened). Filled with events one could identify with, right from the word 'go'. Be it a flight diverted to another city due to 'technical reasons' or the TC in a train wanting a bribe in order to grant a seat, pickpockets, beetle juice, rude taxi drivers....all seen through the eyes of Manu (played by the talented Vinay Pathak) and Mihika (Lara Dutta in one of her best roles, I'd say). Manu's a happy go lucky sari salesman while Mihika's the hi flyer businesswoman with her nose(initially) up in the air. Both are on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi, which gets diverted to Jaipur, giving a shock to Mihika when she walks out of the airport, since she'd ignored the in-flight announcement.

And thus begins the 'chalo dilli' adventure. Right from Mihika hiring a pre-paid taxi with a taxi driver who doesn't want to go to Delhi, to Manu inviting himself into the taxi, the taxi breaking down, lifts being hitched upto a dhaba where Mihika sees village life at it's best/worst, right from oily puris to Manu's post(and during)-dinner belches. She however, begins to enjoy the adventure at some moment in time, and is happy to see the beauty of sunrise.

Thus the adventure continues- a mishap here, a laugh there, a riot caused due to Manu's beetle juice spit, a sizzling Yana gupta item song(sung to the popular 'Laila O Laila(Qurbani) tune, it's a journey that ends with Lara's hubby(cameo by Akshay Kumar) picks them up from their last village jaunt and takes them to Delhi.

The climax did bring a tear to my eye, but I won't say what it was. One thing is guaranteed- after seeing this movie, you won't say 'Is mein Kaun Si Badi Baat Hai'?

So go ahead, watch it, enjoy it, and walk out feeling refreshed. This was really one movie I wouldn't mind seeing a second, third, fourth time...

Cheerio. Next post coming up very soon

So Much

2011-04-29T12:03:00.001+04:00

There's so much to write, so much to remember...let me collect my thoughts and come back here...veryyyy soon..till then, have a lovely day..;)

Hello from Baroda

2011-04-20T16:34:00.000+04:00

Hello, all!! No posts, in fact, hardly any blogging or facebooking since I reached Baroda..it's been a crazy time, with little bits of work to be done here, there, everywhere..but, good fun.

Let's start with the day of the flight, as usual...good fun, as usual again..:) I'd got an upgrade to business class, thanks to accumulated miles. (This point is mentioned coz there's a co-relation below..haha).

This time, everything at the hotel went like clockwork- I'd worked out the process mentally a number of times, right down to how the packing on the last day would be done, which bags to leave at the hotel baggage zone, etc.( Even the timing of taking the usual tension headache/painkiller medicines right on time...ROFL.) Reached the airport right on time. Admired Terminal 3, as usual. Had nothing much to shop this time, except for dates for a retired Uncle who visits the EME Temple in the early morning. Did that, then just moved around observing, nee, window shopping. Went to the Lounge, where there's some great salads/fruits/tea/sandwiches, et al to be partaken of. And, was down in the Boarding Zone before time, feeling totally relaxed.

Conversations were fun, as usual. Like, a couple discussing @ which people would be allowed in first- the oldies, the disabled, etc. Suddenly, they announced that there'd be a delay of @ 1/2 hour. One Uncle got up and rushed out, saying 'let me do some more shopping'- I could literally see stars in his eyes. The rest of us were patiently waiting. Finally, we boarded after 1/2 hour. Being a privileged person for once, I sauntered in as soon as they announced boarding. Settled in my seat, and whammo..they announced another delay, of @ an hour, courtesy thunderstorms on the route, due to which all flights from Dubai were grounded.(Better that than risk getting hit by lightning, I always say)...people, skeptics as they are, began their guessing games. The economy class ones had to rush to our side and begin talking @ something wrong technically(whew!) with the aircraft. Others were asking for tea(but naturally- we're from Gujarat, na?)...and, the chief purser was patiently explaining that they cannot serve it, since 'it becomes cold as soon as we make it warm'...(What an explanation)..

Did I mention- all this while, us in the B Class(there were just six) were being pampered with juices, dry fruits, tea(yes, tea- and very warm..ahem!!) and apologies being tendered every few minutes. I thanked my lucky stars again for having opted for the free upgrade, though I did wish the Aunty from economy had asked for tea before I began sipping mine- I'd have offered my cup..ah well...as they say 'sip sip par likha hota hai, peene waale ka naam'. And, since it was this class, the option of selecting which movie to see was also there. Began with Action Replayy...quite enjoyable, frankly..all @ the guy (Akshay K)who goes back in time to bring his parents together so that what is meant to happen, does happen.

The flight did take off @ the time the movie ended-maybe 20 mins earlier. (which means it was @ 1.5 hrs late..for those who're 'technically minded' heh heh) In between, two people were off-loaded by the pilot, when their nuisance value and complaints became too much. (Pity- it was just 10 minutes before we took off..they should've been more patient..maybe they thought they'd catch an auto to Ahmedabad from Dubai, since no flights were leaving??:) )

Time for the next movie- I picked 'Band Baaja Baaraat'- had missed seeing that when released. And, no regrets- a totally refreshing movie, good star cast(newcomers Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma...running a wedding planner agency called 'Shaadi Mubaarak', which turns out to be a successful venture. We landed just before the usual twist in the tale which makes a movie sad for a while, happened...maybe I'll see the balance part on video..is it worth it, people, or is the first part the best part?

Smooth exit from airport(It's always great, ever since they inaugurated the new one), pick-up was waiting..and reached Baroda by 730 AM, instead of the usual 530 AM. Ah well...it was a nice journey..no complaints.

Next part coming up...I'm longing to first go around all my favourite blogs and see what I've missed these last few days. Cheerio!Have a nice day.

Experiences

2011-04-04T16:43:00.000+04:00

Some days, they really decide ‘let’s test Amit’s patience’. I refer, of course, to the general populace, not any specific people. Take yesterday, for example.

Went to a nice Indian restaurant for dinner that I frequent now and then, ever since I came to Dubai. Ordered a club sandwich. 15 minutes passed. I signaled the waiter, whom I know since the past 9+ years. He shows 2 bent fingers, meaning ‘a few more minutes, Saar’. Another 15 minutes- someone comes out from the kitchen and tells the boss that they don’t have ??butter/light mayo, whatever. The ‘Maun Vrut’(fast of silence) waiter is still standing where he was, observing this. Off goes someone to get the material. Another 15 mins. Finally, the sandwich comes after 45 minutes(Ok, it was worth the price, but not worth the time, surely? And, I wasn’t even carrying any mags/papers to read).

Ok-while I’m waiting, this 50+ aged guy and sits bang opposite me and orders aalu-mattar(Potato-peas) and chapatti. Since his food came in 5 minutes(apparently, he had called and asked them to keep the sabzi ready, since he was in a hurry-yes, aisa bhi hota hai hamaare Dubai mein), bored ole me was observing him eat, by glancing at his plate now and then(and, probably wishing I’d ordered the same, rather than wait for a SS (silly sandwich).

And, I wasn’t disappointed-got my smiles of the day(internal of course). This fellow first spills some of the aaloo-mattar onto the plate. Then, he picks up 1 pea/matter with 2 fingers, puts in his mouth(like we eat rasgullas, perhaps) and goes ‘chhap chhap chhap chhap’(You know, the sound some make when eating). Then, he wipes his fingers(Yes, wipes) on the chapatti, rips off that piece and chews it chomp chomp chomp. Then, the same routine again. One mattar/pea between fingers, chhap chhap chhap chhap, wipe fingers, eat chapatti. What mechanical precision.

Finally the sandwich came!

Lessons:1) Always order as per the restaurant’s origins/specialities. This one’s a Mangalorean base, Punjabi restaurant. Hence, order S. Indian/Punjabi only.

2) Pick a seat that’s close to either the washbasin or the kitchen entrance. Others avoid sitting there, and you can avoid the aloo-mattar kind of spectacle.

3)Patience level limit: 20-25 minutes only. Anything more, cancel order and order something simpler.(though what could be simpler than a sandwich? Beats me!)

Any other conclusions?

Joke of the day

2011-04-02T21:02:00.002+04:00

Joke of the day:

Guess which one is the female? (Click the pic so that it opens in a different window, to get a 'clearer' picture.

Predictions

2011-03-31T07:15:00.000+04:00

You are a perfectionist. During unsettled periods such as this, achieving those goals is nearly impossible. Knowing that, try to accept that you've done your best.
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The time has come to demand what you deserve. Of course with so much planetary activity in the portion of your chart that involves your resources,this is already on your mind. Still, there will be times when you must ensure that you receive exactly what's due.
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This is a week of growth in a period of transformation for everybody. But with your ruler Neptune returning to Pisces for the first time since 1862, it's time to celebrate. During it's four month stay, you'll discover an inner strength and resolution that you have previously found elusive.
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Bang on- each of these predictions from the local paper, over this working week...!!More coming up later..have a nice day, everyone!:)

Emails

2011-03-27T17:16:00.003+04:00

It all began with Eve..err, no, that’s another topic. What I’m referring to today is eve-mails, nee, emails. It all began in the Nineties, with hotmail and yahoo.

I remember the first internet connection we got- Satyam online. And, the first email account I opened was hotmail. They gave a ‘massive’ storage space of 2 MBs back then, and we were impressed. That is, until yahoo decide to upgrade storage space from 2 MB to 6 MB-and we let out a yelp of delight when their email informing us of this big upgrade came in. 6 MBs- wow…6 whole Megabytes, i.e. 6*1024 kilo Bytes i.e. 10 raised to 6 bytes..wow.

I remember printing the ‘welcome’ emails from both hot and yah. In fact, I remember printing a lot of the other emails as well, that came in from friends/relatives and keeping them nicely filed. (Incidentally, I used to store all my penpals’ handwritten mails as well, prior to email taking over..some are still preserved, and make for delightful reading for school/college day memories). Then, there were prints of ‘welcome’ mails from websites like hungama.com , contests2win.com(both sites still doing great, btw…try visiting them and getting addicted ), et al.

Every 3-4 weeks (or less), it would be ‘clean up’ time, so that more space could be freed up for more emails to come in. Each time someone sent a big attachment, there’d be a warning’ Your account has exceeded the allowed free space’ or something to that effect. And, immediate action was required, if access to emails was to continue.

Besides hotmail and yahoo, there were those that became defunct while the ‘hefty’ ones survived- ‘mail.com’(maybe this one’s still running?), ‘chequemail.com’(They used to pay for each email you accessed..grin grin…but they soon closed shop, for obvious reasons..I remember getting 2-3 cheques from them, for 25 bucks, 50 bucks, etc), zapakmail, in.com, satyam.net.in, aol, aim,indiatimes,…an endless list-each one special in their own way, each one having some special feature. (Not mentioned-the websites that offered a mailbox)

What @ today?

Gmail accepts attachments (send and receive) of 25 MB. The storage space allowed today is 7565 MB. Quite a far cry from 2 and 6 MB, na? The same or more probably applies to the rest. And, we still end up with 25-50% of mailboxes being full.

I decided to do some spring cleaning over the weekend that just passed. And, imagine my horror on seeing what I had to review, if I decided to progress:

Quantity of emails on various email ids: 5031, 462,2421,481,67,3670,3202,678,1823. i.e. roughly 17800 emails to review and delete/keep. Began with just the rediff inbox, and gave up after @ 15…better to let sleeping dogs lie, as they say. When I need some data, I could always do a search by typing in the keywords, or, if I know the sender’s email id, it’s easy to search emails by sorting according to ‘From’, right?

Note: I did get the express thought of ‘select all’ and ‘delete’, so that I could start afresh with all these ids, but, Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin…what if there’s an email with passwords for some site that I’ve forgotten, what if there’s an email with jokes that I want to share on my jokes blog, what if there’s a cartoon strip that’ll give me the laugh of the day, et al? So, on we go…no mails were deleted.

Why so many ids, you ask? Well, being the perfectionist that I like to be(and create chaos occasionally…hahaha), I have, for e.g. one gmail id for family/friends mails.

One id is for newspapers( e-versions- asian age, Indian express, etc) and ‘good forum’ emails,

One id is for joke forums(veggie, non-veggie, PJs, adult puns, normal puns),

One is for ‘groups’ that I’m so far just a silent spectator(reader) of- like some yahoo groups, etc, but just don’t have the will to contribute to, yet, probably because I know that once I do, it’ll become an obsession.

One id is for all the job sites I’m subscribed to- jobsahead, naukri, jobsdb,etc- no reason, frankly, just to keep up-to-date on one’s market value and to evaluate demand.

One id gives me alerts for comments on FB, and, I also give this id for competition entries, etc.

One id is for comic characters’ comic strips- like, Archie, Charlie Brown…

Nice, na? Yahoo for emails..:)

Update

2011-03-19T07:33:00.000+04:00

It's been a while since I posted. Too much work pressure last week as well, leading to me spending my spare time either walking or watching Seinfeld or oldie Hindi movies- Shaukeen, Golmaal,etc, to keep the spirits up..and, it works..but naturally.

You know how you could tell whether you're tensed? In a silent room, Try turning your neck left and right. Or, try letting it go up-down. Or, rotate in a circle,slowly..if you hear 'crrrk crrk or a tic tic' kind of sound, it means there's some tension.(The more the sound, the more the tension). I've noticed that on Sunday morns, these sounds disappear, coz of the two holidays that give one a chance to unwind..and, as the weekday progresses, it's Thursday that creates the most sound, figuratively speaking.heh heh. Plan to remedy it, of course. Let's list out..and, any nice suggestions from my good friends(you all who read this) are welcome.

- Take things at work a bit lightly.

-Stop being a perfectionist -if others are acting strategically incompetent, let them still do their work themselves. They'll learn (or unlearn) sooner or later.

- Read, listen to/watch your favourite songs and/or at least one Bhajan a day(depending on the mood), watch at least one part of The Secret every day-five minutes, even.

Remember, life is meant to be abundant. And it should be!!

There- I feel better already..thanks for reading, folks!!:) And have a lovely day. I certainly will!!!:) Update coming up soon.

Heyylo

2011-03-09T19:46:00.001+04:00

Hello..been a mite too tied up at work these last few days...will surely be posting in detail in 1-2 days..:)

Meanwhile, what's been keeping me in good spirits in those free moments when I could rejuvenate?

-YRF Top 50 songs

-Hungama

-Dhamaal

-The Big Bang Theory

-Seinfeld

-Posts on FB and blogs from my relatively newer blog/FB friends, J Dip, Ms. R(Links in my blogroll- both their blogs are eminently readable), ..and, of course, my regular pals on FB, blogs...

Just thinking of these makes me laugh..:) Till the next post, do keep smiling.

Birthday Memory

2011-02-26T20:21:00.001+04:00

Hi all...a bit late in the day but still...here goes an update on how the birthday passed...

On 22.02, I was in Doha(not the Gujarati word that means 'old man') Qatar, for a meeting...the day flew by..(maybe a separate post on observations)..returned at 10 at night. Fell asleep, woke up at midnight..(yea..birthday time), courtesy an awesome leg muscle pull that didn't let me stand straight for the first 5 minutes....and then, slowly it became better.have had this prob long back, but it'd vanished..wonder what caused it? ah well...no harm done.

Normal routine and then off to work..couldn't find time to breathe that busy day. Reached home in the evening and guess what? Fell asleep at 7...hahahahaha..well, that was a birthday that flew by,na?

R gave the right suggestion- have a blast over the weekend to make up.And I followed that advice.(separate post)

Next day, checked on Facebook-and,voila- 25 birthday greetings...I didn't really expect that 25 people would notice..thank you all, once again..that made my day.

The Giordano folks sent an email offering a 20% off on all their range, only for me on my birthday-but then, when they have a sale, I get 40-50% off, so-didn't use it.

On to the fortunes:

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(Don't ask-yeh kaun hai? It's just one of the nice aspects of a Lenovo laptop..hahaha)

TOI:

You love to make momey and you make a lot of it quite effortlessly as the new moon in your sign initiates a trend of gains. Money continues to flow into your coffers trough rents, leases, loans, promissory notes. A good bank balance makes you feel secure.

(My comment: aap ke munh mein ghee shakkar.. when that comes true, I'll retire and take it easy in good ole Baroda)
----
Local paper 1:

Because you're far more intuitive than most of the signs you may already be aware that you must break away from certain restrictived habits or commitments. Reflect on these but make no decisions until after early March's Pisces New Moon. This ends one cycle and marks the beginning of another.

From same paper:
If it's your birthday today:

The arrival of the planet of ego, Mars, in your sign on your birthday indicates that it's time to conduct a serious review of your priorities. Begin and you'll soon realize that what once was fine is becoming increasingly irritating. Only when this is done should you consider untertaking any changes.

(My comment...bang on, if it means what I'm sensing is beginning to happen, already)
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Local paper 2:

Give it your all and soldier on. The armed forces have an amazing training program and philosophy that you can emulate. You can exercise and push yourself mentally to the links of endurance.

From same paper:
If it's your birthday today:

'successful in love, successful in money' seems to be the slogan for you during the next several weeks. This is a fabulous time to apply for a new job or make a career change, because people will see your talents and charms more clearly. Your sincerity and honest nature shines through, too, so a special someone might trust you enough to make a permanent commitment either now-or in July, when your heart is definitely, and obviously, in the right place. In October, Lady Luck smiles on just about everything you do or begin, so that is a very good time to put your most cherished plans into motion if you want a happy ending.

(My comment: A big smile :))
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Well, overall, that's some things to look forward to, na, as always.

Just remembered: This year, the birthday was on a Wednesday, which is the same day that it was back in____ when I was born.(And, don't ask 'when was that?'..hahaha)

Heylo

2011-02-17T10:14:00.000+04:00

(My movie review in Filmfare-Feb first issue: click to read more..;))
------------------------------
Hello, all!!Yes, I've missed posting, and, even more, I've missed going around to my favourite bloggers blogs, reading their fabulous updates and posts..no regrets, though- it's always fun to be busy and having time flying by, and that's what's been happening since I returned to Dxb on Sunday last.
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Back to Sunday, and my always-interesting time at Abad airport..this time, I had the good sense to keep a mini diary and pen in my pocket, and what you're reading below is, therefore, ad verbatim what was floating around in the air by way of conversation/opinions/thoughts.

- At Port Lounge Restaurant at the airport:

Man to waiter: Do you complimentary sauce? If you do, we'll take two aloo parathas

-Man near boarding gate talking on cellphone:

"Hoon upar pahunchi gayo. Dubai maa rickshaw maa besyaa pachhi call kareesh"(I reached up there...will call you after catching a rickshaw in Dubai"
(I wish I could've told him with a smile that 'Upar pahunchi gayo' relates to reaching Too High..:)And, there're no rickshaws yet in Dxb.

-Man standing line at checkin, with his wife:

"Tu Tension Na Leti"( don't take tension)
"Tu Chinta Na Karti"( don't worry)
"Departure form 5-10 lai leje- lakhti wakhte mishtake thai sha-ke(Take 5-10 departure forms- errors occur during writing them)
"Aa line to online checkin ni chhe...kyaare number laage?"(this is the line for online checkins..when will our number come?)

(All this while, the poor wife had never said a word)

-Family of 6 in port lounge restaurant :

They discussed all the food that they had during their trip...samosa, dhokla, undhiyu,mast shakahari (veggie)food at a dhaba, etc...all in painstaking details.

(No wonder I thoroughly savoured the veggie food served in-flight..though is was none of these scrumptious dishes)

- Group of 5 people in the hotel pick up bus in Dxb, sitting right behind me:

- Aa airport to Heeth-do jevo laage chhe.(This airport looks like Heathrow)

- 'Middlesex got it's name when a group of neutrals got together and decided to have their own community area in U.K.'
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Lots more fun moments...but, the above ones were the funniest...grin grin grin...looking forward to the next trip.:)

Till the next post, Take Care, Keep Smiling and have a Lovely Day.(I surely will-we have three days off..hahaha)

Construction

2011-02-05T08:37:00.001+04:00

Observation 1:

Have you ever seen a residential building under construction? It's amazing. The worker teams are nothing but families. The man (or men) of the family are the skilled craftsmen/workers- masons, for example. The wife(wives) will be carrying the bricks and stones from their storage space to the place of work, whichever floor they're required on. The kids (Anyone 5 plus) would be doing the cleaning up of the areas, bringing tea, etc. And, the babies would be swaying happily in the jhoola made between two pillars, using a sari/dhoti/lungi.The residences of these families also change constantly based on the sites they're working in.

Observation 2:

Work stops every hour or so- tea time/beedi time/sitting in squatting position time/chatting time. Work also stops if there's Amavasya. It also stops(for 2-3 months) when it's the harvest season in the fields at their villages. It also stops on Diwali/Dussera/Rakhee/...and any festival they feel they need to enjoy. The latest was someone wanting to take an off for Republic Day.

Observation 3: Builders have no control over these people. Only their(the workers' team leader can force them to do anything, if possible, by offering them hefty bonuses, probably)

Observation 4: To get agencies to do your work on time, do not rely on the site engineer or the builder. If you need it done, stand there, call people again, again, again, again..(yesterday, I called one Co 11 times) till they turn up.

(More will come, as I keep observing)

Ultimate Observation

This is why Projects in India get delayed.

(Movie memories: Nirupa Roy in Deewar)

Baroda Diary: 2011..con't

2011-01-27T06:35:00.002+04:00

We're now on the 27th day of 2011...it's so heavenly...srtpping out of bed without any aches/pains/tiredness, thanking the Universe for another good night's sleep, smiling at one's face in the mirror, quick teeth brushing, cuppa tea,etc morning routine.

Off then to EME Temple. Greeting everyone with folded hands, meeting the three retired Uncles who have been coming there even before I began going there regularly. Saying prayers and morning chants. Knowing that the day is bound to go off better than the best of them.:)

Getting on two-wheeler, stopping for a quick cuppa golden chai at the larri, if it's too cold and a warm-up is needed to begin walking, going to Sayaji Park and walking 4-5 kms.

The rest of the day rushes along...lots of fun observations , that make one smile...there's also very less effort needed now to avoid all negatives, that end with n't(i.e. won't, can't, wouldn't, .....)...immediate replacement of these words with positives is a delight. Similar to replacing all(if any) annoyed thoughts with pleasant ones.:)

Cheerio, till the next post.

PS A movie review from me, in Filmfare latest issue. Will scan and put it up next time.

And, let me add this pic- inspiration for the day(Also up on my Inspirations Blog):

Nice, na? Cheerio!

The City Of Horns

2011-01-22T15:47:00.001+04:00

Hi all...am back in my favourite city, and am going to write about my favourite grouse, first, prior to writing on my usual fun flight experiences. So here goes, having experienced it since 3 days:

But let's begin with a gem from The Secret, at Thought For The Day:

Every single relationship you have is a reflection of how you feel inside about you. You are a magnet attracting to you all things, via the signal you are emitting through your thoughts and feelings. Every relationship you have and every interaction with every person, is a reflection of your own thoughts and feelings in that very moment.
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On to the post:

Who invented the automobile horn? I'm sure it was invented for the purpose of making pedestrians and other menagerie move away so that they don't get hurt when crossing a road incorrectly. So why do people use it for:

a.Honking at vehicles ahead, when they know it's a traffic jam and no-one's sitting there in the midst of a busy street waiting for a Pizza Hut order to be road delivered or because they want to imbibe the bright rays of the wintry sun?

b.Honking on an empty road, probably feeling so happy that their hands have to do something, so why not honk?

c.Honking at passing pulchritude because they don't know how to whistle?

d.Honking if some poor driver's vehicle is not moving ahead, giving him dirty looks, as if it's his fault and not the mechanical monster's.

I wish they'd ban all vehicles on city streets from 6 AM to 10 PM- let everyone travel via bicycles or walking or other horn-less vehicles like cows...a lot of good health will prevail, as an added bonus. What do you say?

(Of course,I no longer get bugged with this- I look at these clowns as just a few more inmates of the worldwide circus)

PS:Wikipedia to the rescue: Here's the history of horns:

Definition:
A vehicle horn is a sound-making device used to warn others of the approach of the vehicle or of its presence...(You see, I was right..hahaha)

Oliver Lucas of Birmingham, England developed a standard electric car horn in 1910. Automobile horns are usually electric, driven by a flat circular steel diaphragm that has anelectromagnet acting upon it and is attached to a contactor that repeatedly interrupts the current to the electromagnet. This arrangement works like a buzzer or electric bell and is commonly known as "sounding" or "honking" one's horn.

Till the next post, cheerio and take care!!:)

Hi all again

2011-01-11T22:28:00.000+04:00

Hi all again..as I said, I'm back (with or without a bang, u decide)...what a day...we had a kick-off meeting for a new project in Oman, I received @ 20 calls, 10 of them I left unanswered since they were obviously from laawaris numbers(Numbers I've never seen before). Had three visitors as well.

Thank heavens for a great lunch..I took a sandwich, with lemon-mint juice. Now, this lemon-mint juice does taste tangy yet strong when taken without sugar, but, believe me, it really keeps one in full form till the end of the day. As such, my observation is- any food that doesn't tickle your taste buds, is good for you. Anything that even lightly tickles them , is not good for you in some way or the other.In Ach Rajneesh's words, from his magazine Osho Times, any food that gets you excited is not good for you.(So, all those who savour paani puris and samosas and alu wadas....think of this...:))

Among other news- New York had it's annual 'no pants day' in the subway...apparently, people get on the subway from 6 locations, and all are without pants, or, they take them off inside, not sure which...there was a video on youtube last year (2010)...in fact, I see loads of them..here's one. And, here's a April 1 prank with no innerwear also..hahaha. Why do they do it? To rid any inhibitions that exist? To do something out of the ordinary, away from the mundane everyday routine? And, what if they did something like this in the Delhi Metro someday?

Some more fun stuff- the use of the emergency number 999...one guy called it 52 times to complain @ traffic noise not letting him sleep....and, is going to be hauled up in court for misusing what is supposed to be a genuine emergency number.Other callers who call for silly reasons are people asking for directions, people reporting missing pets, people who's electricity's been cut off, All such people are also being warned to stop abusing this number, otherwise they might well be in court one day.

Hi all

2011-01-10T21:23:00.000+04:00

Hi all..how've you been? A hectic week's kept me away from my blogging, though I've tried to regularly visit my favourite blogs and see what people are upto. Well, it's already 10th of Jan..so, let me decide now--I'll post at least twice a week out here. Need not be mega posts...short albeit witty posts should also make their entry now.

So how have the first 10 days of the New Year been for you? I'd say 'so far, great, and am sure they'll continue to be great, too'- from having some great weather, to waking up with a smile daily, to ending the day and getting a great nite's sleep, it's been a nice 10 days...True to TS, my guide, all negative words are done away with as much as possible-I am avoiding mentioning them here, in fact..hahaha.

I was just thinking--I've become more regular on FB- maybe that's why blogging took a slight backseat for a while-but, it's not permanent- both have a charm of their own-FB gives timely, albeit short updates..blogs can be as long as one wants them to be..and, believe me, seeing the talented and genuine writing of my blog pals these last few months always amazes me..great going, all!!:)

Am off to Baroda on 19th...a different day-i.e. it's Wednesday, as against Thursday, which is the usual day I leave from here. Looking forward to a nice 3 weeks- 2 family weddings, 3 birthdays, India's Republic day--all occur in the span of these 3 weeks.

On another note, I completed 9 years in Dubai yesterday. Had come here first on 09th Jan, 2002. Time really flies, I was feeling...but, it's been great, as always, and continues to be great.:)

Well, next post coming up tomorrow. Just wanted to give a quick reassurance that I'm very much around.:)Cheerio and good night!

Happy 2011: First Post

2011-01-01T21:26:00.001+04:00

Hi,all..how was your day? The first day of the New Year? Mine went absolutely as I wanted it to...from the time of waking up with a smile, to walking to shopping a bit to getting things done...

Tomorrow dawn's another day- the first New Year day at work...more updates coming up.:)

As I wrote on my FB page:

"Waking up feeling refreshed. Good 1 hr morning walk..only positive thoughts in mind till now...and, 10 hrs of 2011 are already gone...I'm sure the same joy will prevail for the rest of the year...for me, for everyone I know and admire-each person unique in his or her own way. Wishing all a delightful, abundant 2011. All your dreams WILL come true.:)(Let's recap on 01.01.12)"

Cheerio and have a rocking 2011...hope to see loads of posts from all my favourite writers.:)

What do you do?

2010-12-30T17:13:00.000+04:00

Hi all. Where and how’ve you been, these last few days of 2010? (Puhlease- don’t use the ole nursery rhyme and say’ I’ve been to London to look at the Queen’).

I’ve had a hectic week, and we’re finally at it’s end. Last day today..and, the last working day of the year, as well. On Sunday, when we return to work, it’ll be a brand new year bringing goodwill and cheer.(Note: I’m not saying ‘I hope’…I know it’ll be good for everyone, specially us followers of The Secret):)

Returning to two posts back, I’d asked’What do you do?’ So, here’s what I do:

Currently (and in my prev. Co):

The job: I buy. I buy everything for MEP(Mechanical, Elect, Plumbing) services for our Co. From helmets to safety shoes to coveralls, from pipes to valves to air conditioning equipment, from drain pipes to WCs to washbasins to bidets to towel rails to rainshowers, from cables to switchgear, from swimming pools to Jacuzzis, from fire extinguishers to fire hose reels to water mist systems, from LPG systems to water tanks. Since my first job(India)was a detailed design and engineering job, I find purchasing all the more interesting, since it’s good to keep up with two disciplines and it’s a continued learning phase.

The people I meet: Besides the office people who range in nationalities from Australia, UK(including Ireland, Scotland),UK(United Kerala), rest of India, Jordan, UAE, Syria, Sri Lanka,Phillipines,..there’re also suppliers who come in from Japan, Egypt, Italy, Holland,Germany, Nepal, USA(USA is the minimal, since they work usually through local agents) and many other countries from around the world. Each one having a different accent, each one having his or her own mannerisms. (My favourites are, of course, the charming, bowing Japanese…everyone deserves respect, is what they seem to convey)

Suppliers: in the initial 2 years, I really thought that suppliers crawl out of the woodwork..like termites(Not a nice term, but, apt for a comparison). Before we get awarded a project, they know the ‘market gossip’ and call asking if the rumour is true. Now, after so many years, I’m convinced that they do crawl out of the woodwork and the aim is to pester, heckle, irk,trouble, vex, call at all odd hours..one day, when my cellphone incoming calls totaled 80(I counted) and calls continued till 830 PM, I decided

‘enough is enough’ and changed the number-and am a man at peace with the world nowadays since the past 4 months. If suppliers call to ask why my mobile is switched off, I tell them ‘Because I can either work or answer calls’. Similarly, they used to have this habit of suddenly dropping in at the office, without prior info(I don’t say ‘appointment’ since I’m no dentist)- finally, I began sending them back…told our reception’ please be courteous but, tell them to call and come next time, since I’m in a meeting presently’ – peace on this front as well, now- the one or two odd ones still pop in, but, I’m sure they’ll learn in 2011..:)

What I like @ the job: Something different to do, in each project. New products, for one. For e.g. did you know that there are hand dryers into which you put your hands and they dry(not the external air type,i.e.)..see the link for more info.
Or, did you know that they’ve come up with shit-pots(that's not a gaali)that have sensor based seats that go up when they sense a human(Or,even animals, surely?) coming, so that you don’t have to soil your fingers .They also have a warm water shower,dryer and air purifier. Then, there’s the toto poo-pot that analyzes your poo and your urine,weight,body fat, body temperature. and this one :
How does a day usually end? Well, sometimes –dead tiring- just go home and flop into bed kind. Most of the time- with maybe 80% of the morning energy still remaining, which gets boosted by 1 hr + walks.

Overall, LG. (Life’s Good)….abundant, as it’s meant to be, as The Secret says.(Right, R?)

Now, I hereby tag thee: R, Poo, Arunima, Sush, Gomu, Purba,Austy, Cyn…would love to read more about the work you do. You can always maintain your privacy- don’t declare the place of work, etc..just-tell how your work day passes, and what makes it interesting. Cheerio.

PS I think I can put in one more post before the NY…

in case I can’t, here’s wishing everyone a thrilling, delightful, abundant, scintillating 2011. And,many more to come. TC .

Giga Days

2010-12-21T14:06:00.002+04:00

Thought for the day: Imagination is everything-it is the preview of life's coming attractions

I know I promised a post on ‘What do I do’ this time, but, need time to sit and write the two main fields I’ve worked in, in the past two decades. Meantime, people who read the post and commented-Arunima, Shreya, Purba/those did not comment(haha), please treat this as a tag and tell me/us what you do. I’m sure it’ll be interesting.

So, here’s an interim post till I pen that one. Enjoy!

Have you noticed? From being mega, everything these days seems to be giga-gigga these days. Be it hard discs, RAMS , scams, or anything. Where scams are concerned, of course, one gigga= 1 crore…hence, no scam can be less than a few giggas, be it the telecom one or cow’s fodder or the CW games. Somehow, giga always reminds me of giggles- the kind people (usually the ladies?)contort their face into when they’re laughing- as we read so often in Enid Blyton’s books…and, the word giggles always brings a kind of smile to our face, imagining how the giggler(is there such a word) looks like and how pleasant it would be to be in the constant company of gigglers, rather than mopers.

Last week, I went to an electronics shop- wanted to buy 2-3 small capacity MP3 players, so that(systematic person that I try to be) I could put different song selections for different moods in them- for e.g. fast and racy, soft and nice, Beatles, Hits of the ‘80s…so, even 250 MB would have been enough. (For heavens sake, I can’t keep more than 50-80 songs in a player, can I? )And, even that’s a bit too much, since I always prefer to do a selection, by forwarding/reversing the playlist.

Anyway, so, this guy says ‘Sorry, Sir, the smallest player we have is 2 giga- take that-you can accommodate 500 songs.(Going by logic, 1 song(Hindi, for e.g.) is usually 4 MB. So, 2000 MB(appx=2 GB)/4=500 songs). I looked at him like he was nuts, and said’ No, thanks’…I like my playlists short and sweet. And, don’t want to pay for 2 gigas when less than a giga will do. Guess what I have to do is have folders in the laptop, and cut-copy-paste each time from the laptop to the existing player and back, depending on the mood. Till someone decides to have a ‘year end/stock clearance sale’ on MP3 players. And, there’s just 11 days left for the year to end. 

Have you also noticed- the higher the GB, the less is the rate per GB? I wonder what they do-squeeze in more of the whatever-they-squeeze-in(Anybody knows how a GigaByte looks like?), into the same ‘module’, to accommodate more and more bytes, nee, gigas? Amazing. The rate per Giga, of a terra USB, is even less.

(For those interested but wanting some gyaan: 1 Terrabyte= 1024 Giga . 1 Gigabyte=1024 Megabytes. And hence 1 Terra=1024*1024(use a calculator..haha) Megas)

Of course, terra reminds me of ‘Tedha’(crooked), but that’s another story altogether.

Joke of the day:
Q: Why was the blonde upset when she got her Driver's License?

A: Because she got an F in 'sex'

Till next time, keep smiling.

What do you do?

2010-12-15T06:38:00.003+04:00

Thought for the day: You're as lucky as you feel you are...(No one coined that, I did)

(Guess what this job is?)

What do you do? No, it's not an error. I was not typing 'How do you do?' and wrote 'What' by mistake. I'm really asking what you do. Do you find yourself looking down at some people's jobs? Like, the street sweeper, the waiter, the office receptionist, ...do you feel you're superior to them and deride them if you can?

Well, I observe this so many times. People feel that they've been blessed, and, this blessing enables them to make fun of those who're where they are, for no fault of theirs. Isn't that totally wrong? I mean, you think someone's a sweeper because he likes it? Or, someone's a peon ringing a school bell because he likes it? No way- they'd have loved to be graduates, they'd have loved to be a step or two or threeor much higher than their current calling. So shouldn't we avoid making them more miserable? Just giving them a smile or saying a 'thank you'(remember 'Jaadoo ki jhappi' from Munnabhai MBBS? Maybe that's a bit difficult for us in real life, though it shouldn't be, but, we're scared about 'log kya kahenge' and'uska reaction kharaab hua to'?) to them for a job well done, should be your good deed for the day. And, if the waiter gave you good service, was smiling when he brought you your food, say thank you by way of a tip. The guy earns much less than you, and a small tip will surely help him somewhere, somehow.

All said and done, everyone's job is important to the person who's doing it, if he/she looks at it with pride. And, let's acknowledge that and make them feel happier about it.

So, I want to know- What do you do? What's your job(even if you're studying, tell me @ it) like? What do you like @ it? And, would you rather be somewhere else? Are you doing something to be at that 'somewhere else'? I'd love to read about your line of work- All of you who read this please consider yourself tagged, and tell me @ it. (If you want to do it as a 'guest post' here, you're welcome..just leave a comment/ your email id and I'll revert back to you)

I'll tell you @ my current and past jobs in the next post.:)

Attitude

2010-12-03T15:21:00.000+04:00

Thought for the day: It's nice to be important, it's more important to be nice...from Everybody Loves Raymond.

I put this quote up on my FB page as well. Think- how many people(including you?ahaaa) do you know, that have an attitude about something or the other, or rather, about everything?

Just 2 days back, at the breakfast tables, I observed this guy in a suit. Reeking of attitude...hands in pockets, he gestures by head, to one of the waiter/servers...polite people that they are, he went..and, guess what, the guy wants him to open to lids of each item on the buffet table so that he can see what's in it...For God's sake, man, can't you remove your hands from your pockets and see them yourself? After checking all of them, he coolly says' Ok, thanks...actually, my wife asked me to see what's for breakfast, so I came down. We'll come back later'....wonder how the waiter/server kept his cool. Maybe he has/had no choice...as is the case in the hospitality industry.

But, it made me wonder- why do people have attitudes? Why do they think that they're above the next person- be it a driver/sweeper/cleaner/waiter/servant...? Aren't all of us humans? And, wouldn't you get a better response if you were polite, gave them a smile every once in a while, and even tried to remember their names?(The last one's difficult for me, too!!heh heh)...but, believe me, it works- a smile, a bit of politeness- they get things done for you much faster than a pseudo attitude!Try it, and, at the end of the day, you will feel light-hearted and much better than the grumpy attitude-afflicted person next to you.:)

As the saying goes::

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Amongst other things, pieces of the puzzle have again begun to fall in place...let's see...:)More details later, when the time is right. Keep guessing.
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End-joke:(Courtesy one of our Indian newspapers):

I wonder:
"Whether an ailing pressure cooker ever has to go in for a ceetee scan?"

"Whether one toaster tells another"That loaf is so well bre(a)d"

hahahahaha.Till next time, keep smiling.

Ideas

2010-11-27T10:28:00.003+04:00

When time flies by, ideas refuse to flow..

Next post coming up very soon...am back to pavilion, as they say, i.e. back to Dxb - nearly one week now.:)

Cheerio.

BTW, here's some forecasts:

Week's forecast from IE(last Sun):
Shyness can be your greatest hang-up, though you are also the friendliest person in the world. It may help to know that you can do something about it and be more outgoing.

(My remark: hehehe)
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From another forecast:(TOI):
(extracts):

-Life will soon be less confusing and hassle-free.
-Anger sometimes makes you want to sweep everything away. Keep your cool. An amazing career opportunity is coming up for you and you will want to look your best.
-Put on your best face, no matter how you're feeling, and you will be amazed at the results.

(Now, these, I believe....but naturally)

A Walk In The Park

2010-11-19T09:20:00.000+04:00

Chhaganbhai enters the park, begins walking...he walks for @ 10 minutes. Person opposite' O ho ho Chhaganbhai'...

Chhaganbhai says' O ho ho, Maganbhai'...he then turns round and begins walking with Maganbhai. Another 10 minutes-

'O ho ho Chandrakantbhai'....and, the reply comes ' O ho ho Chhaganbhai, Maganbhai'....so, Chandrakantbhai turns around and begins walking with Chhaganbhai and Maganbhai.

A few more minutes: ' O ho ho Vakilbhai'....and, the reply comes,' O ho ho, Chhaganbhai, Maganbhai, Chandrakantbhai'....The three turn around and begin walking with Vakilbhai.

I walked ahead of the quad team, and took a different route after this.

After @ 45 minutes, when I came back on the route, there were about 15 of them....I grinned and continued walking.

Finally, finished the walk- went outside, had the 'Panchamrut' mix of haldi/tulsi/adrak/green tea/...? that a guy sells outside the gate, and began walking back towards my Aviator(2 wheeler)...on the way, I spotted Chhaganbhai, Maganbhai, Chandrakantbhai, Vakilbhai and 16 others, all sitting on plastic stools in a circle(there's a place reserved from them from morning, it seems, by placement of these stools, and no-one parks their cars/2 wheelers there)....all were having those small plastic cuppas of tea, alongwith some of the current fruit of the market, and, of course, some farsaan.(It looked like that, from where I was...but, I didn't peer hard enough to embarass them or myselves).

And, thus endeth another walk in the park!!:)Good fun.

Heylo Heylo

2010-11-13T19:41:00.001+04:00

For all those who came here and went off on not seeing a new post, ahh..so sorry..:)I did promise to post the day after Diwali...then, I saw all these people around me in our fair city of Baroda -they had decided to take it easy till Labh Pancham...and, I did too...in fact, it's two days after Labh Pancham, but who's counting? haha.
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So what's been happening since I left from Dxb on 04th late nite? As usual-the fun never ends at the airport. After the traditional rounds I do, of the Duty Free( After all, I don't get my evening walk on travelling days), ending with a cuppa tea at a quaint restaurant(Read that as ' I don't remember the name'- umar ho rahi hai, I guess....ROFL)..people were seated everywhere, and standing everywhere, around the boarding zone. Each time someone went towards the counter in uniform, half a dozen or more people would jump up and move with their baggage.

Ah- they finally announced boarding....and, the sign at the gate said' The flight is 50 minutes late'...people still went down to the hall....so that they could do something with their time, since they'd already purchased all the booze and Tang(I wonder why they buy it there-it's easily available here as well) and 'baba baby maate ni geefts'. Suddenly, one man decided he wanted to form a queue, even if the flight was an hour late...he went and stood at the announcement dias. And, at least a hundred sheep,err, people followed him and stood in the newly formed queue. Requests by the airline staff to remain seated till the boarding announcement, went on deaf ears.

Two Uncles sitting(Ah yes, some of us were sensible enough to conserve our energy) opposite me- both in their Seventies, I guess, got round to talking- one was from US and one from UK..both found some link to each other's ancestry(they all do- such excellent memories!)...one kept grinning and saying' Haaav Gaandaa chhe aa loko-juo ne kevi reete line maa ubhaa chhe'(These people are crazy-look how they're standing for so long in a queue)..after 15 mins, temptation got the better of the two gents, and they also joined the queue.. A few minutes later, they announced that boarding would be Zonewise(It always is)....people still refused to move- they'd formed a huge crowd now- the kind one sees during the Ganesh Visarjan or maybe more- all around the dias. One woman went crazy when her kids began crying and shouted abuses and what not @ how late flights are not good.

We finally boarded at 1115, instead of 1020 PM. I'd taken a corner seat(always do, when available), since the sights of the lit-up cities(Dxb and Abad) are always great from the air. It was a packed flight- everyone from aapro America to aapro UK to my Dubai, seemed to be travelling to Ahmedabad. All 335 seats occupied- I did think I spotted someone standing, as well, but maybe I was mistaken.:) Was just settling down to a nice relaxing flight, when it began. The seat right behind me...BAWWWWWWLLLLLL...went a tiny tot girl...and, didn't stop for 15 mins. I put on headphones and tried listening to music-still no luck..:) And, taking her cue, another 10-12 kids in different seats began howling, too...right from take-off time till we landed-no respite. The one behind me, was being poked by her Mom, while her Dad kept telling her to quieten down. Mommy was competing with her, it seems, saying 'Yeh samajhti kya hai apne aap ko? Oversmart ho gayi hai. Tum chup raho-rone do use'. And, people kept looking at the poor Dad's red face. (I turned to look just once). What makes Moms behave like this, I wonder?

I'd pre-booked a Veg Meal this time, just to see how it is and whether it differs from the non-pre-ordered Veg Meal. And, believe me, it does. They didn't serve rotis. Just a bun. They didn't serve spicy sabzi-instead, it was nice mashed potatoes and some non-spicy Daal. They didn't even serve butter- it was margarine, instead.Didn't even give the 10 gms packet of mixed nuts that they served with the regular veggie meal to my neighbour. It makes me suspicious- why're the two veggie meals so different?(And, no-mine was not a Jain Veggie meal either) Butter bhi non-veggie hai kya?

We finally touched down at Abad airport....as usual, people jumped up and began taking their luggage down, as if the plane would take off again with them in it. I was dreading the jostling, pushing queue at the teeny terminal, which takes 1 hr+ to clear, then, another 1/2-1 hr to get baggage. But, voila- we entered right into the terminal,via the walk-tube, rather than getting down on the tarmac and being crammed into buses. In 5 mins, we were at the immigration, and, in another 15 mins- at the carousel. And, another 20 mins- I was out. How, you ask? The sparkling new international terminal at Ahmedabad airport. I'm impressed. Honestly. Take a look and see.

More pics here:
http://gujaratmoney.com/2010/07/07/complete-album-of-ahmedabad-airports-new-international-terminal-no2/

and, video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwDOTabHmPg
(Commentary's in Gujarati, so sorry, for those who don't grasp the language)
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Till the next update, cheerio and take care.

Oh yes- spotted an innovative guy yesterday, during my walk. A car was standing close to a wall, with both doors open and nearly touching the wall. A guy standing in between. Guess what he was doing? Relieving himself, snug in his pseudo belief that he was an unseen hero.:) A few steps ahead, a pommie doggie was openly doing the same thing- one leg raised as usual, of course- no doors, no car.:)
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Happy Diwali

2010-11-05T19:32:00.000+04:00

Wishing everyone a Very Happy Diwali and a Bright, Scintillating, Dazzling, Cool New Year.:)And, many many more to come.

Next post coming up tomorrow.

Amit
Baroda

Yes,Sir

2010-10-26T06:08:00.000+04:00

How do you say 'Yes' ? I'm curious. Do you say 'yes' and then swing your head from left to right to left? I first came to know @ this character trait some years back, when I first came here. The Boss at the first Co was talking to me, and I'd say 'Yes', and swing my head from left to right. One day he asked me' Are you agreeing with me or disagreeing?What is'Yes' and then a shake of the head?'

That day, I went home and did a mock check in front of the mirror, and it turns out he was right- so I consciously changed the habit and now I nod my head when agreeing. And, me being me, I began observing people to see how they agree- believe it or not, a majority of Indians(specially) have this habit. Makes me grin now to think about it. So, you tell me- do you agree in harmony with voice and body?
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There's also this trait people have- of 'describing', so, someone giving directions to someone on the phone makes his hand go left-right-turn-straight....until the directions are finished.
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Yesterday was fun- a diner at a restaurant- cupping his hand and twisting it two-three times- guess what he was ordering? A potato-wada...ROFL.I couldn't help smiling-such small incidents, but, they take away the stress of a working day, don't they? Try it today- observe humans at your workplace/while on the road/in the trains/walking...and, you'll have a happy time...And, of course, tell me @ it in the evening.:)

Cheerio, till the next post

Foggy Days

2010-10-21T07:08:00.000+04:00

Now I know what people who see 'saayas'(Ghosts) coming out of the fog feel like..and, in fact, seeing me in my white T-shirt(luckily, the track pant was black, but in those wee hours of the morning, I'm sure only the Tee was visible- so, a legless saaya), that's what some people might have thought too, if they do an overdose of Holly-Bolly movies. You know- those ghosts with candles or a little something in their hands, coming out from behind the trees, just as the hero/heroine/victim is passing the 'zone'. But no such thing happened, of course.

It was quite enjoyable, frankly- cold, clammy, but, enjoyable. Probably because it was a stratus cloud(if I remember my geography correctly), nee, clouds...Stratus clouds literally floating past at ground level, the neon street lights identifying them easily, giving one a sensation of being on the proverbial Cloud 9. Nice start to the last day of the working week here, of course.

Vehicles were moving relatively slowly, I was crossing the streets relatively fast(to avoid any speeding maniacs who wouldn't be seen in the fog). The ever-vigilant police vehicle was also moving slowly, watching out for any potential accidents, as also to stop speeding drivers.Thank heavens for this traffic vigil.

I did have a cuppa-nee, plastic glassa tea...Getting a bit fed up of condensed milk tea, frankly. But, being from my tea-worthy state of Gujarat, when I need tea, I need tea and nothing else will do.:)

Speaking of Gujarat, the ads are lovely- Big B speaking about Somnath, Gir Forests, etc- I've begun to look forward to commercial breaks for the first time(even though I mute out all the other ads, including the Big B cell phone ad..arghh)..am making a list of places to visit, as soon as I'm back permanently in good ole Baroda. Since I won't take up this(Contracting) line there(22 years is long enough, na?), I'm sure I'll have enough free time..Three cheers for our new brand ambassador:)
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Joke for the day:

An idiot is sitting reading the newspaper, and sees the headline 'Twelve Brazilian monkeys escape from the zoo'.
He arches his eyebrows, shakes his head and turns to his friend"Say, buddy" he asks "how many is a Brazilian?"
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Till next time, TC and keep smiling. :)

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2010-10-15T16:00:00.000+04:00

Thought for the day: A lie goes halfway around the world before the truth gets a chance to get it's pants on...Sir Winston Churchill
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Do you remember these favourites from childhood days? I got these via email and just had to share them here...which was your favourite? Add any more that you recall.:) I've added my comment below each one.:)

Ask me!!I just discarded oodles of cassettes last time(gave them away, I mean) I was in Baroda- coz the cassette player just refuses to function...umar ho gayi hai.

Same goes for the video cassettes!Now, the photography shop guys convert them to CD/DVD for a nominal sum...so, family memories get converted. The movies? Are available on CD/DVD for nominal prices like Rs. 45 for three movies in one.So who has space for video cassettes?

I still have this one, though, next visit will be retirement time for it, too, since the cassettes are gone.

The shame, the consternation-taking drawings to meetings with consultants in Delhi/Mumbai and finding that they did not work? Now, a less-than-finger sized USB would be enough.

Cameras and their rolls....each photo clicked after a lot of thought, to ensure no money was wasted when getting a 36 photo roll developed.:)

For the Wingsung/Pamis(That was a local brand in Baroda, I think) pens- remember that teeny plastic pipette kind of thing we used, to pull the ink from the bottle and fill in the Pamis pens? (The wingsungs could be filled directly)

Zyada glue on the penpal's letter? Well, u have to just wipe it off...and, if u're at the postoffice, u'd have to use the 'lai'(No idea what it's called in English) they'd keep in a decades old worn out katori.

Wing Sung Pens- anyone who had them was deemed to be rich!!:) I see these pens here in Dxb, at stores...anyone still using them?

Well, this one's not old hat yet, I'd say...the newest from this lot.

I can't tell you how lucky I would consider myself, when we were able to afford that compass box, an original 'Nataraj'...:) That's the real fun of longing for something and having to save up to buy it.

Oh God...I wonder where all these phones went, in Y2k? I remember them being in use till the '90s...I don't think they were biogradable.

For the 20-yr olds reading this - this one's called a stamp- you stick it on a letter/envelope, and then post it at a post office...arghh!!I guess all these words are alien.Go back to your emails.:)

Same comment as the stamp...honestly, now- how many of you have not seen an inland yet?

And, if not an inland, have you seen a postcard? It used to be my prime source, for sending LTTEs. (Letters To The Editor) before the days of emails came in and began saving me a tidy bundle.

I'm not sure, but, these are Bata sneakers? I think they're still available, but, haven't seen any youngsters wearing them...well, Reeboks/Adidas/Nike rule the roost, na?

I used to go to school in one of these, for some months- back in 1st or 2nd standard...three to five of us kiddos crammed into it...the cyclo-driver would pant by the time we reached the school- and, used to speak gaalis, too- one day, innocent me learnt one and repeated it at home thinking it was a grand word- and,next day, the cycle rickshaw guy was told that I'd be going to school by some other mode of transport.:)

Gold Spot- the Zing Thing, as the ad went....a much cherished drink...and, a much-liked ad when seen in movie halls, where it'd play regularly, with the Liril ads...(In fact, I couldn't find the Liril ad....let me see... ahhh here it is..:)

The ad had no wordings till the end- Laa Lalalala La la la laaa......was the signature tune...and, that was probably the prettiest sight in a green bikini that we'd see in those days in a movie hall. Made the movie 'paisa vasool', even if the movie was a bad one...*winks*...don't look sooo astonished--- those were teen days, remember? And, no internet.:)

More than the gum, it was the pics and details of cricketers and the sort, that were much coveted.
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Joke for the day:
A Sardar had called an Englishman for lunch. There was curd on the table.
The guest asked "what is this?"
The Sardar didn't know English, he said "Milk sleeping in night, morning becomes tight"
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Cheerio, till next time.:)
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Memories Continued

2010-10-12T07:21:00.003+04:00

Prediction for the day:

It would be no surprise if you were alaready experiencing the powerful insights promised by next week's potent aspects to your ruler, Neptune. Exciting as what you're sensing may be, you've only a glimpse of what's coming. Focus on how these insights are altering your perspective, not just reorganising changes.
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Amazing, as always!:)
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Continuing from where I left off last time:

My last day at what had been my haven-ly place of work for 13.5 years, was 31.12.01. (Incidentally, the middle of the year and the end of the year seem to be my lucky days...I'd joined on there 15.06.88)

After the customary farewell party, and a few dialogues from colleagues who said they'd miss me(They said it with a smile, so I wonder-and, why do they distribute icecreams/samosas/et al at such times anyway? hahaha) and a read-from-a-chit speech from me, all about how I had no words to express myself since I was leaving a second home, blah blah, I went home, feeling relaxed. My ticket to Dxb was for 09th Jan'01, so I had eight days to just take it easy.

Well, everyone had some advice to give, since I was going long-term for the first time from Baroda and that too, alone. So, there were packets of namkeens/biscuits/achaar/khakhra, etc etc packed in. Little did we know at that time that Dxb has all the Haldirams, Bikajis, Maniars available, at a very nominal extra price(when you convert Dhs to IRS) which is far better than paying excess baggage.
...to be continued

Hey

2010-10-11T07:16:00.001+04:00

"In the weeks since the stunning alliance between the fortunate Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces, on September 19, you've had a lot to think about. This has ranged from thrilling offers to disruptive changes. Now that you know your options, the time has come to narrow your focus and begin making some decisions."

Now, if that isn't an accurate prediction, what is? It's exactly what's been happening, and, exactly what's been preying upon my mind over the last few weeks. So much so that I even forget the hours when I'm walking in contemplation- the limit was reached last Friday- a full three hours, in humid conditions. ROFL. Nah-nothing happened, except a stone(kg) or two dropping off, so it's all worth it, as is everything else in life which happens for a reason.

Baroda beckons! And how! Let's see,now- am imagining the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place slowly and steadily. Will keep you posted.

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Meanwhile, let me go back to the year 2001. After 2 months of waiting, I finally got a call from the Engineering Manager of the first Co i worked for, in the Gulf. Remember doing a little jig of happiness, when the telephonic interview ended. I was facing pressure in my first Co, to move to Mumbai to assist them there, and I'd told them that if I had to move out of Baroda, I might just as well go to Dubai, rather than a Metro city. (Good decision? But naturally. Do you agree?)

Due to this pressure, I'd already quit my job of 13.5 long years in India, and had a three month notice period going on. .....To Be Continued...

Heyy..

2010-10-07T07:06:00.000+04:00

Can you believe this-one more week has passed? It's like 'kal to Thursday tha'..:)Today's stars foretell:

It takes one baby step to learn to walk. It is the struggle to achieve independence that is important. You may be relatively powerless, but through sheer force of will you can actually change the world.

That's somewhat reflective of what's been happening this week....I went through quite a gamut of emotions-- anger, irritation, normal, smiley....and, the max was, of course- neutral...no joy, no anger. As they say, with age comes maturity.:)

Coming up- Memoirs of Dxb...:)Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow..(It being the weekend)

Of course, my plan for tomorrow is::

And, of course, dream of being back in Baroda on Diwali day!!:)Cheerio! And, have a great day.

As You Know-part II

2010-09-30T05:48:00.000+04:00

As you know, sometimes time really flies, and this has been one of those weeks. I cannot believe that we're at Thursday already, the last working day of the week(out here)...it seems like it was Thursday only yesterday. So how did a typical day pass this last week?

0445 AM: Wake up via mental alarm and switch off the real alarm before it goes beep beep.

0500 AM: Have a cuppa tea, and watch Comedy Circus for 1/2 hr on News 24. Or, if it's Comedy ka daily dose, see if it's interesting. If not, switch to the DV of Seinfeld/Everybody Loves Raymond.(Nothing like a laugh or a chuckle to begin the day, is there?)

0530: Go for walk. 45 mins to 1 hr.

0630: Return from walk, take a shower, etc. Say prayers in the tiny prayer zone I've created on the table.

0700: Breakfast time. Go down. Yesterday was a bit of a change. The board said"Breakfast at Chandni'"...I was wondering why they'd serve breakfast at a bar with dancing gals and all, but it turns out the regular restaurant, Utsav, had undergone pest control. So, that was a bit of change from the daily routine. (Me being a non-drinker,non-bar-frequenter, had never been to this part of the hotel. Of course, it was just the regular breakfast...with the salads and muesli and cold milk and the Wednesday special item- appam,etc.

0725: Walk to the stop(5 mins walk) for our Co bus.

0735: Bus zooms in.

0750: Reach office. Switch on PC.

0800-0530: The day zooms by-we have projects in Qatar, Al Ain, Dxb..and, shifting priorities between these makes the time zip by. In between, a quick lunch at the Oasis Centre next door. They have a food court, and my favourite, of course, is Bombay Chowpatty.Watch humanity trying to rush through lunch while I enjoy it slowly and steadily. Then, back to work.

0530: Pack up and leave. Bus takes 15-20 minutes to reach our area.

0600: Have a light snack on the walk home, if hungry(like I was, yesterday).Like, tidli(Idli-sambhar and tea)-that gives the energy for what's to follow. What's to follow, once I reach the room, freshen up, thank God for another day that went by smoothly, and get ready, is:

0645: The evening walk. That lasts for @ 1.5-2 hours. And, I'm back by @ 830-9. That leaves half an hour to have a salad, if hungry, watch an episode of Seinfeld/ELR/Mind Your Language. And, read a bit if not sleepy.

0930-10: Off to Zzzzz land. Till 445 AM the next day.
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I did notice something funny during my walks. There's this store window on the main road. Suddenly, some months back, it had a mannequin in a biki*i, and I was amazed, coz usually such 'people' are frowned upon if displayed in show windows on the main road. A few days later, the mannequin was down on it's tummy, literally-it's arms and legs were removed, to make it non-lifelike.And, the bik*ni was now an Ed Hardy one, still daring.:) And, after a few more days, the bikini's gone- replaced by a sleeveless Tee.
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Ah well, off for my walk, now...you all take care. And, watch this space. I'll probably post verrrrry soon, it being a 2 day holiday now.:)

As You Know...

2010-09-22T21:51:00.000+04:00

As you know, I don't post when I'm not in a good mood- and boy, this has been one bad mood week-mainly work related. With the weekend coming up after just one more day, that's something to look forward to. Till then, read my article on DXing- from the '90s...was published in Upbeat mag- one of my favourites, but no longer on the stands-here's hoping they revive it.:)
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Wish me luck- that nothing makes me feel irked tomorrow...maybe I'll take a 'precautionary' combiflam in the morning...just in case...hahahahahahahahahahaha...and, of course, read 'The Secret'. And watch it,too..And, continue reading The Power(Second part of The Secret)..have read just 4 pages so far.

Tag: School Days

2010-09-15T22:05:00.001+04:00

Time for a fun tag, now. Many thanks to Ms. R for tagging me. The questions and her answers brought back so many similar memories of what is probably one's best period of childhood, but, we don't realize it then.:)

What was your favorite back to school item to buy?

Brown paper rolls, to give that smooth,silky feel to the notebook and books as covers, sticker labels with my favourite cartoon characters(Laurel&Hardy,Richie Rich,et al) for these books, English Textbooks(Shocking, huh?Books are the last things someone would look forward to)

What was your favorite subject in school?

English. If I’d not gone where everyone else was going(Engineering/Medical), I’d have done BA in English, journalism

Did you ride the bus or get a ride from Mom/Carpool?

From horse and carrot,er, cart(buggy), or, the ghoda-gaadi/tonga as they used to call it, to cyclerickshaw, to a city bus with a teacher, to bicycle drop-off by Dad, to my own bicycle( an olive green Hero something) in the final frontier, Stx XIIth ( and, it was a luxury to be able to afford it then-meant a sacrifice for Dad, I’m sure-sigh!), it’s been a pleasant journey.

Do you have a sack lunch or cafeteria food?

Started with school breakfast(morning school, you see-ahem) in Std I, went on to small tiffin in next few classes(with the usual murmura/churmura) to nothing at all(I hated carrying a lunch box), except the occasional school cafeteria food.

What is your favorite memory from your school days?

-Too many to recount. Prime amongst them:

-The wonderful company of classmates(many of whom still remain in touch, unlike college friends), competing with them, yet, helping each other study by exchanging notes, views, opinions, listening to the funny comments(yes, I was an avid listener, even than, rather than a talker)made by the ‘growing up guys’, on their favourite topic- what else but, girls, of course. ROFL- their dress, their style, height, weight,errr…you know what I mean. (That deserves a separate post, of course, but naturally.*grins*)..I used to grin behind my moustache(yep, had one then...LOL..you'd faint if I put up that pic)

-Being the topper in Class X, and coming IInd in Gujarat in Higher English as a subject. The Principal had sent me a letter(Still preserved nicely) telling me that the school would honour(ahem) me on Independence Day, with a prize, etc. The SSC Board also gave me a cash prize.(ahem again)

-Topping in 7th Std in Gujarati, and the Gujarati Sir, Mr. Patel being just as astonished as I was.ROFL.

-Being elected Class Monitor for 9 out of the 12 years at school. (Didn’t participate in the rest- haha).
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There-fun, wasn't it? So let's hear it from you folks:

I tag the following five+ friends:

Abhilasha
Austere
Lopa
Poo
Purba

Add/edition done: 24.09:
Sush(how could I've forgotten a good tag doer like you?)

+ all who read this and would like to share their memorable school moments.
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Cheerio, till next time, and keep smiling.:)

Funny Names

2010-09-13T17:17:00.001+04:00

Quote for the day: Nature gave us two ends: one to sit on and one to think with.  Ever since then, man's success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most…..Robert Albert Bloch

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Been a week already since I landed on these shores…doesn’t seem like it, but then- time does fly, out here.

Let me recount some of the funnier moments of the past few days. How @ these two items from a restaurant menu:

Pappa Mango

Nutty Lessi

I know you’ll guess the second one. But, how @ the first one?
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Talking of unusual names, I found these to be quite fit for their purpose:

Chai pani: New shop in Baroda. No prizes for guessing what they serve- but, I couldn’t check them out. You know, this is one of the commonest phrases I’ve heard in Baroda, so it was high time someone came up with a brainwave of titling their shop thusly.

Munna Munni: Kiddy clothes shop, again in Baroda.

Golden Scissors: Barber shop out here.

Cold Cuts : I first thought it was a non-veggie stockiest shop but it was a barber shop.

How @ you? Any unusual names you’ve come across and would like to share?
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Coming up next: School Tag.

Fortunes

2010-09-07T06:46:00.000+04:00

a. In a few days' time, Jupiter returns to Pisces for a stay of a little over four months. This period should enable you to revive certain exciting ideas and take advantage of the thrilling new ones that are bound to come your way.

b.Meet and greet to feel complete. The people you meet this week might change your life in a positive way. You might be the centre of attention--which is good for your ego and confidence levels.

c.Sometimes contentment comes in accepting those things that are wonderful, and not wondering why they happened or how long they'll last. Simply enjoy the fact that each day's events are bound to be a welcome surprise.

d.The pilot light of love is buring brightly. Someone's warm feelings are ready to leap into full flame at the merest flick of the 'on' button. This is a good time to prove to someone you are true blue.
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From The Secret Daily Teachings:

Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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The first four (a to d) are from two star gazing columns in the newspapers, here, for my sunsign(Pisces). Of course, the last one is pretty far-fetched, and I don't put any credence to it.(Just clarifying, before some of you begin raising eyebrows...hahaha)

The Secret Daily teachings- my inspiration, as always! Great. With so much positivity, how can I feel sad, even at having returned to Dxb again, after a great stay in Baroda for 16 days?

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Lots more to write about- the return journey, Baroda trip, two tags from Ms R .....all coming up, soon. Watch this space!:)

News, updates, etc

2010-08-26T10:47:00.002+04:00

Hi all!! Yes, I haven't blogged since a week, I know. No excuses. So, let me go back to Thurs evening, and the Dxb-Abad flight.

I really thought my hearing was impaired. One hour went by since I was at the airport and no funny talks/ events/happening? Ah, but then...it started. First: The Boarding Lounge/Zone. Couple sitting in seats behind mine. And, the talk started 'Khaava maan shoon chhe'(What did you carry, for food?)- and, quick as a rabbit, the guy's wife brought out paper plates, theplas, achaar, etc and they began munching away.

Boarded the plane(this time, they didn't offer a reduced rate upgrade, so I was in Economy and that was good. Why? Read on!!)..I occupied my window seat, and was observing the stream of people (It was a full flight, even though it was a Jumbo aircraft)rushing down the aisle, worried that the overhead lockers would not have space for their bag+the 4/5 extra bags they were carrying from the Duty Free. Two rows ahead, the air hostess had moved into the seat area, to avoid inconveniencing the 'well-built' people who couldn't squeeze past the aisle on their own, let alone pass by with her standing there to assist people. And, this humorous guy and his wife(they were 2-3 couples travelling), comes in, indicates to her that it's their seat, and says ' You sit, you sit. I'll ask my wife to go ahead and do your duties'. Right from the air hostess to the rest of us who heard, there was laughter all around. Nice start.

This guy and his friend began their tete-a-tete. Some of the comments:
' With so many passengers walking in, will this plane be able to take off?
' The middle row is for the fat people(This guy, telling his friend who was in the middle row), so that the plane maintains it's balance. We thin ones are always given the side seats.
' We should take 5 cups of this lime juice, so that we don't need to keep disturbing the air hostess.
' What's that smoke coming from the A/C? Are they trying to scare us, so that half of us run out and the plane can finally take off?'

When the flight is about to land:
'Can we ask them to drop us off directly at Ellisbridge instead of the airport? It'll save us a lot of road travel.'

When the flight landed:

The usual rush to unsnap the safety belt, even before the plane stopped. They were all worried that the flight would take off without them, or, someone would pick their luggage from the conveyor belt, I'm sure. Two people actually ran ahead, from way back, even before we had gotten up. (Sadly for them, they'd opened the rear door of the aircraft too, in five minutes)

The aged couple in front of me...now, I'm sure they had been there in one of my earlier flights. Remember I wrote about the Granny who was hale and hearty and got into a frenzy to get off with all the youngsters, and began jumping around in the aisle, waiting for hubby to pick up his walking stick and raise himself(he was arthritic) from the chair?Well, she lost patience again, jumped around again,got into a frenzy and walked ahead, leaving hubby to the care of some caring passengers who said they'd wait till his wheelchair came.(No, I wasn't one of them, since 2 people already offered to wait).

Went through customs, reached the baggage conveyor belt. At least a hundred people jostling each other. And, the rest trying to peer through. (A friend who had also come on the same flight, commented' best way to get a massage early in the morning- reminds one of Mumbai locals) Honestly, one wouldn't believe that these are mostly well-off people, (earning a lot more than the average BPL(Below Poverty Line) Indian), behaving like they're just released(before time) from Karelibaug area(There's a mental hospital there). One lady suddenly shouted from behind ' I see it, I see it. Mane java do ne bhai- maari bag joi mein(Let me pass, please. I just saw my bag)'. We made way for her(I'd reached the 'front row' finally, just then. Turns out, she was applying a bit of ingenuity- her bag didn't come for half an hour, but, the stout one had at least made her place in the front row with this shout. :)

Finally, after watching 45 minutes of rotating bags, LCD TVs, rope-tied potlas, (stuff put in a bedsheet and tied with a rope, to avoid buying a bag), false alarms(people picking up someone's bag thinking it was their own and then dumping it back with a bang), I finally collected my two bags and walked out.

And, thus endeth another memorable journey. Great fun, na?:)

The Past, The Present, The Future

2010-08-16T21:34:00.001+04:00

How accurate fortunes can be. Like, two of them from this week's papers here for my sun sign(Pisces) say:

After a demanding past several months, the return by Uranus and, in early September, by the bountiful Jupiter to Pisces leads to breakthroughs in several areas of your life. Suddenly past arrangements spring back to life.
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This week Uranus returns to your sign for a stay of seven months. It first moved into Pisces in 2003, and since then you've learnt a great deal. Now, you have an opportunity both to analyze the recent past and consider the future. Take good advantage of what could be a remarkably enlightening period.
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Of course, I usually believe the fortunes I want to believe in...*grins*, and ensure they come true. So, what do I read in this one? Wait, let me not guess- you tell me what you understand.:)(Austy, awaiting your interpretation)
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For some reason, I've been remembering games and toys from childhood. Wonder how many of you enjoyed such unique toys in your bachpan?

a. Bagatelle:

This one was a board, with a wooden strip on the right side. The aim was to hit a marble through the strip, so that it shot ahead and landed at one of the 'points'(On our board, these points were with flat headed nails- three of them/five of them, etc). As usual, the person with the max points won. And, there was one easy shot that'd take you to 'LTP'(Lost Total Points)- that was the 'groanworthy' section for everyone.:)
There, I googled the word, and, expectedly, found a pic. Now does it look familiar?

b.Ring Board:

This one was a Board- we had put it up on one of the walls of the living room(of our ancestral home, of course- today, if anything is put up on a wall, it'd probably be a LCD monitor or a Sony PS...LOL). There were three rings- maroon, pink and blue, I think. The colour had nothing to do with the game, of course. There was a long nail bent 90 degrees, with a rubber gasket on top(to avoid hurting you), and the board had points like 5,10,15,20,25....the best score was the most difficult-it was 75 points. We spent many a family hour playing this game, noting down points, totalling them, seeing who won...when one of the rings broke, it was joined together again by heating it(it was plastic) and using some glue.:) Wonder where the board went, finally?:)(Must ask Dad)...can't find a pic of this anywhere- suffice to say, it's like a darts board, only, with the points fixed in formation of two, then three, two, four, two or something to that effect.:)
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c.Carrom:
This, of course, most people know. Only, our carrom board was made heaven knows when, but it had huge pockets, so it was always a delight to play on it, since there were more chances of two carrom-men going into a pocket, even followed by the striker, if you hit it hard, leading to a double due. And, when boric powder was sprinkled on that board-whew!!Lightning speed was the name of the game, nee, striker.
Even though this one doesn't really need a pic, here goes:(this one's of a normal board, of course- no pic could do justice to the home made board we had)

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d.Boggle:
This one was at a relative's place- sometimes we would go to visit her just to play this game.(couldn't afford it in those days). It was a box with a square, transparent lid. There were, I think 16 empty squares in it- and, letters (there, I googled and confirmed).

Let me see if there's a pic of the box as well. Yes, here it is:

There was the sand filled hourglass. One had to close the box, shake the letters, and let them settle down. In the time the sand went from top to bottom,one had to make as many words as possible, across, sideways, diagonally....no jumping. Naturally, this one was one of my favourites....haha. And, yes, it's still available- I saw it last time at Crossword.:)
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e Scrabble:

This game needs no intro. I definitely know one scrabble champ blogger- Poo. Now, of course, you get scrabble on CDs, so you can play on your laptop/PC/ipad, whenever you want...but, it's not the same fun as in playing on the board, is it, Poo?:)

The most exciting part of the game? Getting a triple word twice..did you ever score like this? I did, once or twice, but can't recall the words...haha.:).this remains my favourite game, even today- if I can find anyone else wanting to play it. :)
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f.Monopoly:

Oh boy- this is another fun game- it takes around the whole of U.K., from Kings Cross to Liverpool Station, from Old Kent Road to Mayfair-(Now, I think it's made, covering other countries, as well?)- this game, of course, used to attract a few family squabbles, specially when it stretched on too long, of, when one person kept winning, etc...and, one does need to have 2-3 hrs free, to play it nicely....and, today, who has that much free time?

Landing on Chance or Community Chest, always used to send a thrill up the spine. Would we get a fine, or, a bonus, or, a Go To Jail or Get out of jail free card??
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g.Housie/Tambola:

Still one of the popular party games- whenever we had a family gathering, housie would be a patent TP. Four corners, jaldi five, lines, full house, second full house....the fun never ended...and, the better the announcer, the more fun the game would be- 'better', of course, means, one who uses the right terms to describe the number he picks out from the bag-like, 'two fat ladies' for '88', Top of the house for '90', Unlucky number for '13'(but naturally), etc..in fact, check out this link, if interested, and if you're a housie announcer- lots of new 'nicknames' for the numbers(that I didn't know, at least)

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Let me make this a tag, now- all of you(Abhilasha, Arunima,Austy,Cyn, , Lopa,LP,Ms. R,Purba,Poo,Rain Girl, Sush,The Ego....) who read this, can you recall your favourite childhood games? This one is for indoor games.

Let me think of a post for outdoor games- but, of course, non-standard ones, not the football/hockey/cricket variety.
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Till next time, cheerio and keep smiling, always.:):)

Hi all

2010-08-15T06:27:00.001+04:00

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Am just watching the live telecast on the National Network, and our hon'ble PM is giving his speech. Purba's done a nice post on things which are a necessary part of our lives, even after 63 years of freedom.
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Out here, it's the Holy month of Ramadan. For those not in the know, what happens during this month is:
-No eating/drinking(water/juices....The bad drinks are banned throughout the year) on the streets or, you face a fine/jail for the month.

-Restaurants upturn their chairs onto the tables during the day, to show that they're not soliciting(is that the right word?) during the day, right upto Iftar(breaking of the fast) time...quite a depressing sight, that one...but, methinks they also do it so that the floors can be scrubbed clean easily.

-People stand outside restaurants /wait on the waiting chairs of restaurants, 15-30 minutes prior to them opening for business in the evening(Haha-I know, coz I did that yesterday)...of course, it doesn't mean that they have been fasting, many are just longing for restaurant food, and troop in with babies, et al-making me go 'arghh!'...I always like peace and quiet when having a meal and all these discussions of'tum kya loge','baby ke liye kya mangaana hai'....is blahhh!!The restaurants should give a free menu for people to select at home and then come, na? Or, they should have a 'peaceful section', sound-proofed if possible.:)

-Offices are supposed to let their inmates free 2 hours earlier than normal working hours. Some just declare it since it's the law, but make people stay on much more.(No, not our office- we're home by 4 nowadays, instead of 6).

-Reaching home at 4 means, you can have a nice nap for an hour, before getting up refreshed and ready for the balance part of the day(For me, that means, walk-walk,read-read,-watch a comedy serial or two or three...:)) Sometimes I wish it was like this throughout the year...wishful thinking, I know.

-Looking forward to the day when things return to 'usual'-this time, there'll be no holidays, most probably-since Eid would be on Fri-Sat, which are already off.

-Before that, of course, I'm looking forward to my 16 day Baroda trip this weekend..:)
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Oh-and yes- they shifted me to another room in the hotel, yesterday-apparently, business is slack in this period, so they're keeping one wing closed(I think I was the only one there...haha)..so, now, I've been in rooms 118,228,223,.....(I forgot one room no)...and now yet another number(don't want to reveal it- who knows what supplier might read this blog and turn up to say 'Hello, Saar-what can we do for you? We wanting to do buziness with your Co'..more on this nuisance(of suppliers) coming up soon. Back to the room-this one faces the street, so, it's a great time pass...watching humanity(Can't call it 'sea', coz it's not really a sea these days) pass by...:)
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Cheerio, till the next post...hope to post tomorrow.:)

Hi all

2010-08-13T15:58:00.000+04:00

Hi,all!!Just a quick update.. I always feel guilty, posting the next post, if I haven't replied to the great comments you people leave on the previous post(s)......so,armed with a smile, I sat and read all the posts and their comments, and, yes....replied to all of them...:)

So now, I'm 'up-to-date'...and, let me begin the next post in a short while.

Good Fun

2010-08-06T16:47:00.000+04:00

Hi, all!Let's see now-a lot of things kept me smiling this week...or, musing, rather.:) To begin:

Firstly, I always used to rue not having a notepad and pen with me, when I see/saw interesting(read'humorous') articles. Last week, I realized 'mobile hai na'- now, I still use the mobile only as a phone, i.e. incoming calls/outgoing calls/messages. I've no idea @ what my ringtone is, since I always keep it on silent, ever since workload went up manifold....and, that's anything from more than a year.

I realized it has another good purpose- saving ads like the below one in the draft messages folder, rather than trying to remember them till I'm ready to post(In any case, tell me, would you be able to recall such ads word for word??hahaha)

How's this:
Ad on a box in a Japanese store here: "There is tendency that because body wastes leeches if attach tree vinegar sheet to a person who suffer by squeak of person disease that health becomes weak taking long term medicine being hospitalized of disease,body gets light.sheet wets and turns over long"..Any guesses what the product is?
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And, another ad for another product in the same store:
Because the worry of the fall is not needed, the one not good at the balance ball senior citizen can safely enjoy the exercise.
Any guess about this product as well?:)
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Then, there's this news article about a tourist in a mall here- she was wearing 'skimpy clothes'(No, I was not in that mall to verify...just read the article..LOL)...and, when a local/locals criticized her for wearing them, she stripped down to a bik*ni she had on underneath and waked through the mall. She was detained by the mall security and then briefly(no pun) questioned by the police, but was let off. Want to read more @ it? Here.

What a pity- I'm never around when such exciting events occur..hehe!:)

On one side, I do feel that expats, residents or otherwise, should respect the customs and traditions of the country they're in. Then, on the other hand, Dxb's a tourist hotspot, isn't it? And, people on vacations do tend to be in a holiday mood.. ah well! That's life-something new everyday.
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I remember, another time, we were at Dragon Mall, and an expat wanted to return a defective cellphone at a shop. The shop keeper said 'No-no guarantee', and the guy, in anger, banged the phone on the floor-it didn't break...he tried five times, it still didn't break. And, his agitated wife, seeing everyone including us staring, convinced him to pick up the intact phone and leave the store.

What makes people display such anger at public places? Is it because they had a bad day at work, and had to let off steam at someone? If so, why at a poor shopkeeper who's doing his job? And, what 2 people who order waiters around like they're slaves? Personally, I always give them a smile, and, since I'm a regular at good restaurants, I always get service with a smile.:)
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Another article in Midday- not funny, but, reading it, I wonder how it's possible-
A man was crushed by the Kanyakumari Express at Dadar..they found the hand at Sion station, body Matunga station and head at Dadar station. No foul play is suspected.

Does this mean his body parts were carried by the train from one station to another and no-one noticed?
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Tomorrow's target- watch The Secret, with full concentration...been a month since I took inspiration.
Sort books/mags. Discard ole ones.
Plan baggage for Baroda trip..:)
Walk, walk,walk!Enjoy music.:) Feel in absolutely tip-top shape these days(touchwood)...maybe I'll put up a 'before' and 'after' snap one of these days, when I'm satisfied with the weight loss.:)

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Cheerio, till next time. I might post again, tomorrow, in a bid to pick up on my posts-per-month.(Thanks, Poo, for the inspiration, with your 'one-post-a-day' decision..:))

Seinfeld

2010-08-03T21:34:00.001+04:00

Scene:
Seinfeld and friend Elaine are discussing a lady who visits the gym at the same time as they do. Elaine's convinced that the lady's 'b e sts' are fake. (too spectacular to be true, is what their discussion is about)

Elaine: You've dated women with nose jobs before.

Seinfeld:You don't touch the nose. You don't aspire to reach the nose. You don't unhook anything to get to a nose. And no man has ever tried to look up a woman's nostril."

Elaine: You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?

Seinfeld:Well,I take it very seriously.
-------------
The whole episode runs from one scene to another-Elaine trying to judge about what she calls 'silicone valley' when she's in the sauna with the lady, how she trips over a stool in the sauna and is saved because she grabs'them'.(Nooo...they didn't show any adult content- it was just Elaine tripping, and the rest is left to your imagination..:))
------------
No wonder I love the serial. Never a dull moment!:)
---------...--
Among other news, another week's flying by..just two more days to the weekend!!And, the walks continue...(Sush, u listening?:))...current level 7.2 kgs...weeks:6...I'll probably need a pedicure, if I continue walking like this..ROFL...I might just get one done one of these days.
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I';ve been remembering toys from childhood days, for some reason...have you ever played:
Ring Board, for example? More on that coming up in the next post...:)

Till the next post, keep smiling.

Messages

2010-07-29T14:43:00.000+04:00

Tell me, is this a serious email?
"
Dear Mr. Amit,

Please find attached Statement of account and do the need full urgently, because your account is not coming on phone line and conveying massage by secretory.
Please do some thing I am in very bed position."
----
And,this one from a lady supplier:

We have been constantly trying to contact you for last two days, but have not been able to get through. Had left a massage in your voice mail & also with your receptionist yesterday.
----
hahaha.
Life's good fun,na, if you keep your eyes open!!:)

Collections

2010-07-26T06:20:00.001+04:00

A phillumenist...a person who follows phillumeny...in simple terms, a matchbox label collector. No, don't look at me with a new respectful eye...even I didn't know the term, but then, for most words/phrases/madness round the world that I don't know about, my favourite phrase is 'google hai na'.:) So, I googled 'match box label collectors are called' and came to know of the term.
-----
Let me admit- I haven't collected a match box label since ages...not since I was in school, rather. Maybe because the matchbox has become somewhat obsolete, in these days of 'instant lighters' of the electronic type, which followed on the heels of gas lighters. One click and voila, the cooking gas is on. Of course, I( as do most people who do pooja with agarbattis) still need a matchbox to light the agarbattis.(Incense sticks) for the pooja- hate to light those with a lighter that gives off a flame that could singe the eyebrows, right?
------
I was reminded of this hobby when I was in Baroda, in June. And, when I asked Dad, he'd preserved all the labels from those days. I scanned a few of them, like these:

So, let's see now. as I said,the hobby began back when I was in school. Matchboxes used to be a lot of fun in those days. Dad had also brought back a lot of labels in 'mint'(Brand new) condition from his Russia trip then, and those were really what made me get interested in the hobby. ('Every other person collects stamps and coins', I thought- so, I needed to do something different.:))

I'd go around the shops in our area, checking out their matchboxes- some of our regular shopkeepers would give me a matchbox just like that, others would sell a single box, instead of insisting on buying a whole pack of 10. As the hobby picked up, I'd keep my eyes on the streets, as well, looking for any new labels. We'd gone to Delhi in the winter months of November/Dec, I recall(Obviously- school hols used to be during Diwali only...haha..)..and, I'd take my lil(Well, lil at that time) brother with me around Sadhna Enclave(where my cousins still stay), and do a lot of prospecting around for oil(ROFL- I deliberately said that to see if you're awake...the word is 'labels' not 'oil') and we would get a tidy collection every other day.

I also wrote to the addresses mentioned on the label factories, like 'Muthuramalingam Matchworks, Sattur', the address mentioned on one of the labels in the pics above. I'd write' Dear Sir, I'm a collector of matchbox labels(I don't think the word phillumeny was invented then, was it?). I've collected some labels from your esteemed factory also, but the problem is that they get torn when trying to remove them from the box(which was true- since even the tedious process of putting a label with it's glue and cardboard below in water, would not succeed many times). I'd be delighted if you could send me some spare labels from your factory'.....and, guess what? Some of them actually replied, some just sent dozens of labels across, one guy actually wrote on the back of the label that he was very glad to receive my letter and some labels were enclosed and also blessed me.:) I'm sure that label's also still with Dad, as is the one with the person's head which looks the same in both directions, i.e. by tilting the label 180 degrees. Will look for that and put it up here when I'm in Baroda in Aug end.
-----

Aren't these great? Wouldn't you love to begin a matchbox label collection, now?
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Some trivia I found via google:
THE FRICTION MATCH WAS INVENTED BY JOHN WALKER IN 1826.
Phillumenists collect matchbox labels, printed matchbox outers, matchboxes, matchbook covers, matchbooks, and other forms of match packaging as well as match strikers, match holders, matchbox holders and matchbook holders.

In fact, here's a complete website dedicated to phillumeny, if you're interested. I'll surely go through it. Maybe I'll restart the hobby when I'm back in Baroda...it's something different to do, na?
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Speaking of matchboxes, do you know how to make a match box gun that shoots teeny square cardboard bullets? Will explain that next time.:)Cheerio and have a greeaat day!!:)

How Time Flies

2010-07-21T21:44:00.003+04:00

Good heavens-is it Thursday already? Five days from the last post? Ah well, pretty eventful week this has been. Let's see now. Barely an hour after posting, the reception people called me and asked whether I'd mind shifting to another room,since they were doing maintenance on the floor where I've been, since June. They did say it was due to pest control, but I believe it was also coz they wanted to put a less sensitive smoke detector in the room- because the agarbatti(incense) smoke after I did my 'quick pooja' daily, used to let off the fire alarm every other day...haha.:)
---
So, I opened the curtain, and there was this cute lil birdie peering at my from the balcony.Tsk-before your imagination runs wild, let me show you this birdie.

So, anyway, believe me, it being the second half of the weekend(First day, Friday, goes in my mad rush to walk/walk for 2-2.5 hrs in the morning, followed by a big of newspaper readng, a short nap @ noon, and nothing too much in general- just letting the stress of the week go, so to speak), I wasn't really in the mood to pack. So, I began...and, heavens, one bag became full of books and mags, the big bag was filled with clothes, another trolley bag was filled with weighing scale, shoes, etc etc...and, there were 5-6 plastic bags too, besides the five shirts on hangers that I carried in. I couldn't believe that I'd just come here on 6th June...so, this weekend will go in getting rid of a lot of unwanted stuff.
In the evening, a friend's family was coming to Karama to do some shopping for their India trip(40% off at Giorgano) and then wanted to eat at a new restaurant, that I'd also never visited. And, I avoid going to new places, honestly. Tried and tested is always the best. More on that later.
-----
This new room is on the other side, i.e. not on the main road, but, the balcony facing a nice lil lane, which also has the entrance to the place. Maybe I'll take a pic and put it up, if anyone's interested..:)
In the evening, there was a small rumble.....
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Sunday was a hectic day at work(first day of the week, you see)..I forgot all about the rumble and the warning signs. Went off in the evening on my usual walk, this time in a relatively secluded, peaceful road route....and, nearly fainted on the way...well, wait, I said 'nearly'...probably the heat n humidity, plus the stress of the day, and the ignored warning signs...had my usual 'advance visions' of walking up in a hospital, not knowing where I was,etc etc...anyway, nothing happened..:)luckily I was near a petrol pump, so I hopped in, had some water, nice warm tea and 2 cookies and was back on my way, and happily finished my walk..(Puhlease-don't tell me it's coz of my diet- the diet's fine, much healthier than it's ever been..hehe)

By the time I reached home, the rumbles showed what they were all about- ROFL...an upset tummy, of course..remember the new place tried on Friday? So, some kind of stomach infection...continued till yesterday, till I finally went to the doc(Can't leave anything to chance in a foreign country, frankly..with no family around, etc) and he gave some medicine and today I feel aok and wanting to post and blog surf.:)BTW, I did lose another 1/2 kg courtesy this rumbling tummy business...conclusion? Loose motions are an easy way to weight loss, of course....(Sorry, just couldn't resist that one..)..great fun- that's the way life should be-never a dull moment.:)

And, tomorrow's the last working day of the week...so, will catch up with you all tomorrow evening...or, Friday..till then, hang in there and keep smiling.:)
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Joke for the day:
You grope for me in the dark. You put your hand in your pocket and fiddle with me. I will only work in the right hole. What am I?

Keys.....(most innocent smile-why, whatever did you people think it was??)

Inspirational Beats

2010-07-17T12:19:00.001+04:00

So how's your weekend been so far, you ask? Walk,walk,walk,diet,diet,diet.....:)Great exercise, great for the body, great motivation.....:)

Currently, my mp3 clip player has the following songs that keep me on my toes, so to speak, during my 1-1.5 hr walks, morning and evening: (If anyone wants to begin an exercise routine with these songs, let me know...haha)

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All the best -All The Best

Dostana -Jaane Kyun

Love Aaj Kal -Twist

Kaminey - Om Mangalam

Main aur Mrs. Khanna - Happening

Dostana -Desi Girl

Dil Bole Hadippa - Discowale Khisko

Kambakht Ishq -Lakh Lakh

Love Aaj Kal -Chor Bazari

Kya love story hai -It's rocking

Love Partner -Aage Aage Dekho

Kaminey -Raat ke dhai baji

Ajab prem ki gazab kahani - Prem Ki Naiyya

Dil Bole Hadippa - Remix

Love Aaj Kal -Aahun Aahun

Johnny Gaddar - Move your body

Dil Bole Hadippa -Bhangra Bistar

Chance Pe Dance -Pe Pe Pepein

De Dana Dan - Paisa Paisa
Kaminey -Dhan Te Nane
Kaminey -Dan Te Nan(remix)
Dil Bole Hadippa -title
Housefull -Girl, you're mine
I hate love storys -Title
Kismat Konnection -tu Hai Meri Soniye
Love Partner - Kuke Kume
London Dreams -Man Ko Ati Bhave
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na -Pappu Can't Dance
Housefull - Apni to jaise taise

Have you noticed, if a movie has one good song, it usually has 2-3 good songs.:)
-----------------------------------------
Anyone got any new beats they'd like to recommend, to add to my playlist? What's needed is a nice beat-if you see,nee,hear any of these songs,you'll see they have a nice beat, that helps walking without any idea of the time.:)

And,oh,yes...did I mention- 5 weeks, 6 kgs down is not bad, I guess.:) Still a few more to go.another 4 weeks,I'd say, before I reach what I term as 'satisfactory':)
---

That reminds me- I did try out the skechers' shape ups. The CD,first- it has a small instruction video of how to balance yourself on the shoes- ah yes, the shoes have such a nice fluffy feel that you need to find your C.G.(Centre Of Gravity, in case you forgot your science classes in school) all over again, before attempting to walk. And then, there's 2 videos, one of 5 mins, another of 20 mins, with workouts when wearing these shoes. All in all, quite a satisfactory walk. But,yes, ensure they're the correct size, if you're buying them.:)
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A funny incident while buying them- there was this guy and his family, the guy also trying out the same shoes. Somehow, he thought I'm an expert on these shoes or any walking shoes, I guess. So first, he waited till I took off the first pair I tried, and immediately picked them up to try, coz he liked the colour.

Then, he walked around, enjoying them, again came back to his trial seat, and waited to see what size I was buying...naturally, my shoe size was 46 1/2, and I didn't think they'd fit him...but no, he wanted the same size- I had a glimmer of satisfaction when the sales guy told him the ones I'd taken were the last pair.Crazy, some people are. Normally, I'd have offered him the shoes if he'd looked desperate enough. But, he had that hint of arrogance that just irritates me..Ah well.:):)
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Have a nice weekend.:)

Stores,serials and weekends

2010-07-10T16:57:00.000+04:00

Continuing from the previous post, after that enjoyable time at the bookstore, I went to Virgin Megastore. In the past, I'd never really spent much time in this store, but, two months back, I just wandered in out of curiosity, and found it a great TP, besides finding bargain comedy serials like Coupling, at a heavily discounted price. There's books(ahem!), music, movies, photo frames, tees, watchesand lots of other trendy stuff. Plus, there's the merchandise that Hollywood brings out when a movie's being released, and once the hype and hoopla is over, they sell it off dirt-cheap, if it gets sold of course.:) Let me just say-it's a 'different'store, something like what Planet M's trying to emulate there..somewhat successfully..would love to franchise such a nice outlet.:)Want to see more? Here's the link for their stores on this side of the world.
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I'm really hooked to comedy serials...as I've said in the past- hardly see any movies on video these days...it's better to see these 1/2 hr max serials, have a good laugh and generally look at the brighter side of life for the rest of the day, or, during visits to dreamland.
So, anyway, let me share a dialogue(I did put part of it on my FB page) from the serial- the two wives are in the kitchen, discussing:

Wife 1(Doug's wife) is bugged because hubby said something she did not like: They should put a device on husbands that gives them a shock when they something stupid.
Wife 2:(Ray's wife): Yea, right- not a shock to kill, but just enough to make him bite down on his tongue.
Wife 1: Yes. Like 'Honey, did you put gain a little weight?'...and the device would go Bzzzzzz.
Wife 2: Yes- we could have a little remote control that we could keep on a keychain.
Wife 1: A silver keychain.
Wife 2: With initials.
...and so the dialogues go on....said so naturally that I couldn't help having the laugh of the day. And, they show the poor hubbies in the next room, with Doug trying to decide whether to put on the TV set to watch his baseball game, and worried that wifey might get annoyed.(Yea-both Doug and Ray are pretty docile most of the time in front of their wives, even though they practice tiger-y thoughts and moves when they are not there.
Believe me, if you haven't seen these serials or Seinfeld, you must...they're never too old hat for any age.
------
Once in a while, it's time for an Ugh joke. So, here goes:
Two male flies are buzzing around, cruising for good looking females. One spots a real cutie sitting on a pile of cow manure and dives down toward her. "Pardon me" he asks, turning on his best charm... but is this stool taken?"
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And, an office joke:
When the staff goes out after work, they talk about football or basketball. When Middle management gets together, they talk about tennis or baseball. Top management discusses golf. Conclusion: The higher up you are in management, the smaller your balls are.

Books

2010-07-07T07:09:00.000+04:00

Hi,all...well,I've had all good intentions to blog regularly, but, it seems time doesn't agree with me...or,maybe it's my current diet-walk-reduce program that takes away my spare time.Or,maybe it's the hi stress level at work, that ensures I just watch a comedy show like According To Jim or Seinfeld, when I'm home..ah well, always good to be busy, I'd say..have lots to write about.So, let's begin with last weekend.
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I finally(after two weeks) decided to go and pick up the books prize I'd won in one of the leading local dailies here. Decided to go by the Metro-for some reason, I'd not used the Karama Metro station ever since it opened, so it was something to look foward to. Entered the station and whew!What a nice long walk to the platform(specially in my current walk-walk mood..haha) , in airconditioned comfort,but naturally. Reached there and the next train came in, in 4-5 minutes. After a nice ride(More on the ride later), I reached Mall Of The Emirates, and reached the bookstore. Spent a nice 1 hr there, browsing, reading a bit,seated on their comfy sofas. For choosy people like me, it's not easy to find books worth AED 100/-(@ 1250 bucks there) Finally, I picked out:

1. It's not rocket science and other irritating modern cliches- a fun book, which looks at common expressions we use and why we use them...will extract some in the next post...great laughs there.

2. The mid-life disaster- It's a very compact gift book, actually(not regular size as in the link), so, I might just gift it to some 'deserving' candidate one of these days.:)(After reading, of course..haha)

LOL...please,don't raise knowing eyes..I've quite some way to reach mid-life, but some of the quotes were pretty LOLlable- like' at his age, his actions creak louder than words'....that made me decide to select it as the second book of my choice.

After this I went to the next shop I love to visit- Virgin Megastore...more on that in the next post.:)

Ooph..time for work, now..so, will catch up with you all later in the day...or, tomorrow...or, day after..:)

Tag:What's in your bag?

2010-07-02T21:46:00.002+04:00

(Disclaimer: all the briefcase pics are courtesy goo-gling)

Sush,nee, SS has tagged me(thanks for that,SS)-the (ahem) only guy picked to do the tag...curiosity @ what I carry in my briefcase,apparently.:)
So,here goes...be ready to get shocked??Not really..
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Currently: Answer is : Nothing..:)hehe..why? Coz I don't carry a bag or a briefcase. Some months back, I decided that I was fed up of carrying...(Well,that appears below)...anything to work. Just decided' Khaali haath aaye the hum, khaali haath jaayenge' applies to my work place,too..and..the rest,as they say, is history..so while people look proud lugging their laptops,their lunches, et al everyday to work..and sweating away in this humid weather, I'm cool,calm, collected...no pressure on the arms,so to speak. All the 'necessities', from otrivin to homeopathic medicine to headache tabs,biscuits,sweet awla,sunflower seeds ..are kept in the drawer of my desk.
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To continue the tag from the past, let me think:

Before I arrived at this thought of eternal happiness (the khaali haath waala thought), I used to carry one of those paper bags with two red/blue/grey....handles of thread...it'd contain my lunch, which'd usually be curd, khakhra, buttermilk...or, salad instead of khakhra or a chutney sandwich or oat wraps ...something to that effect. Occasionally, there'd some quiz forms that I wanted to try and do during the work break,or, ones that I'd filled and wanted to fax/email and win prizes in the bargain, sometimes successfully..haha...:)

Going a bit further back, to the time I first came to Dxb..in 2002, I used to carry some selection papers from my engineering days at my first job in India..used to make me feel important...LOL..got tired of that. And one of my colleagues who'd joined at the same time as me(That's another story) used to take just buttermilk, an apple and a small 9 gm bag of light chips from the supermarket nearby....so, no need for a bag.

And now, to India and the first job...well, honestly, I never knew what people used to keep in their briefcases, and always used to envy those who carried one around. But, of course, when you were a fresher in those days, you couldn't afford a briefcase at first. So, I used to carry one of those bags that college professors carry. With my appointment letter, a pen or two and a reference book on refrigeration, to show people how diligently I took my job...hehe..:)Later, of course, I realized- bookish knowledge has barely 1 % use on the working life in this line, at least.

Then came the first time when we(Dad and me) went to purchase my briefcase- it was a VIP Alfa...costing @ 250 bucks, quite a princely sum in those days. And..voila, I didn't know what to carry in it...so, I actually asked this senior who was teaching me, as to what he carried..and, happily copied his bag...a ductsizer, a writing pad, a 0.7 mm pencil, a ballpen,some catalogues of the company's products, and a calculator. Oh, yes...here's the one item of self-care that I used to carry for some time...a comb.:)
----
Footnote:

What I'd love to carry in my briefcase when I start my books/mags library one of these days:

(Sush, I hope you continue tagging me in future, after this somewhat 'boring' revelation @ my briefcase..:) )

Now, if you ask me @ what the college bags used to hold, that'd be something interesting, I'm sure..hahaha..and, on that note, let me tag, in alphabetical order..:)

Abhilasha,Arunima,Cyn, LP, Lopa, Ms. R, Poo...(Austy, you're already tagged by SS),
-----------------------------------------------
An 'A'joke,well,slightly, this time:

Q: How does James Bond like his ladies ?
A: Shaven, not furred.
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Till next time, keep smiling.:)

Shape Up and Laugh

2010-06-26T18:14:00.002+04:00

Hi,all...have a nice weekend..our weekend's just ending out here...amongst memorable things of the week, there's the Skechers Shape Up shoes I just got- plan to try them out this week-today,maybe...but, I haven't seen the CD or the instruction booklet yet. Yep-the shoes come complete with these,and the salesman said it's good to see/read before wearing the shoes.
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Now,ask why I'm buying shape up shoes?hahaha...well, isn't it clear? To shape up,of course- I decided to begin my usual diet-n-exercise routine once more-gymming,walking,dieting...blah blah...2 weeks, 3 kgs down...let's see where I reach this time, before it's 'just maintenance' mood.Wish me luck.
====
Now, on to the joke, that had me ROFLling when I read it. Enjoy, and wait for the next post that's coming up very soon.
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India holds a certain sense of mystery for the world outside its  borders... read on to find how curious foreigners are about India and its  ways... or rather read on to find out how dumb and ignorant they are  about our beautiful country .. this was taken from a tourism blog where  people could post queries if they were planning on making a trip to India  ....

The answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who   obviously have an excellent sense of humour.

Q : Does it ever get windy in India ? I have never seen it rain on   TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q : Will I be able to see elephants in the street? ( USA )
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Delhi to Goa - can I follow the railroad   tracks? ( Sweden )
A: Sure, it's only three thousand kms, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in India ? ( Sweden )
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATMs India ? Can you send me a list of them in   Delhi , Chennai, Calcutta and Bangalore ? ( UK )
A: What did your last slave die of?

  Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in India   ? ( USA )
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .   In-di-a is that big triangle in the middle of the Pacific & Indian   Ocean which does not.. oh forget it. ...... Sure, the hippo racing is   every Tuesday night in Goa . Come nak*d.

  Q: Which direction is North in India ? ( USA ) A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get   here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into India ? ( UK )
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Indiana Pacers matches schedule? ( France )
A: Indiana is a state in the Unites States of...oh forget   it. Sure, the Indiana Pacers matches are played every Tues day night   in Goa , straight after the hippo races. Come nak*d.

Q: Can I wear high heels in India ? ( UK )
A: You're a British politician, right?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Bangalore , and is milk available all   year round? (Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.   Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in India who can dispense   rattlesnake serum. ( USA )
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come   from. All Indian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled   and make good pets.

Q: Do you have perfume in India ? ( France )
A: No, WE don't stink.

  Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of   youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in India ? ( USA )
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in India ? ( France )
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Q: Can I see Taj Mahal anytime? ( Italy )
A: As long as you are not blind, you can see it anytime.

Q: Do you have Toilet paper? ( USA )
A: No, we use sand paper. (we have different grades)

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There-that was fun,wasn't it?I'd love to have a job like that-answering such nice questions.:)

Those were the (initial) days

2010-06-22T05:54:00.000+04:00

Let me begin by explaining something- my college elective was CAME, abbr. for Computer Applications in Mechanical Engineering. And, the Co I was selected for,was/is a Central Airconditioning Co. Now, in those days, we did not have any mega malls or the like in Baroda. Hence, the only first hand info I had I had on aircon, was @ window airconditioners. So, I couldn't understand what the big need was, to have a mechanical engineer recruited for window airconditioners. I mean, what could be designed in window ACs? A cutout in a window and some electrical wiring?

Anyway, I began going to the workplace from 15th June. Some of the funny people I encountered initially, included a guy who'd come in 1/2 hr early daily, just like me. And, even if I was reading the morning paper, he'd ask me for it, believing that it was his right, since he'd joined the co. earlier. LOL. No hassles.

Turns out, central A/C is/was much more complex than window A/Cs.(If anyone's keen,I'll detail a bit more here) and, I soon began learning the ropes... we had mega projects going on in Ankleshwar, Bharuch,Surat, towns around these places, and, a mega project of HBJ(Hazira-Bijaipur-Jagdishpur) pipeline, with airconditioning requirements at all the control rooms in these places.

I was sent on my first 'assignment', to Ankleshwar. A colleague met me at the railway station, and we boarded Gujarat Express. But, instead of occupying any of the seats in that compartment, he asked me to follow him - and, we reached the pantry car...good lord, it was like a mini office there....nearly a dozen people from the workplace were there...some making reports, some reading....and, all munching away-either at cutlets or sandwiches or just sipping tea....I learnt later- the pantry car people allowed people to sit there, as long as they were having something...so, everyone would stretch his food/drink till the station came-or, they'd have to keep up the consumption by ordering something...like, the Bharuch/Ankleshwar group needed just one round of cutlets and tea. The Surat ones needed two rounds..in the coming months, I knew-I'd also become a part of this 'team', in their home away from home, albeit, I did not have to travel so frequently, since my design work was more office based, while all my friends in the pantry car were 'seasoned' (as in 'experienced' and with a season pass) travellers.

One day, my boss called me. He needed a drawing from a supplier in Ahmedabad, and asked me to get one of the apprentices from the Service Department to go there and get it. I arranged it, feeling quite pleased with myself(Any small work done in those days, gave an immense sense of satisfaction,as you can imagine- those rookie days at work are the days when you want to prove you're worth every rupee they're paying you).

Off went the apprentice to Ahmedabad. In the evening, the boss asks 'is the guy back?'- of course, he wasn't. I went to the workshop section of the office, and it turned out that no-one even knew the guy's name, since he was quite new. And, the senior service people had left for the day. Someone remembered that he was working under Mr K. And, I knew that Mr. K stayed in Dandiya Bazaar. I rushed there in an auto(leaving my cycle at the workplace), since my boss said' I'm going to Delhi tonight at 930, and my trip will be useless if I don't have that drawing'.(Needless to remind you, there was no email in those days)...feeling like a failure, I reached Mr. K's house, and with a tear in my eye, told me what had happened. And, the kind gent told me 'don't worry'- but, he said, even I don't know the guy's name....I just know he has a Swaminarayan Tika on his forehead, and one of the other apprentice guys from the service department stays close by, so let's see if he knows. And, he took me on his Bajaj (the only two-wheeler worth owning, in those days). Turns out, this apprentice just knew that the guy stays somewhere in the Wadi area, which by itself is a huge area...time was ticking by -it was already 7 PM, and the boss' train was at 930...still, Mr. K didn't lose hope- he said, let's go to Wadi...and, we went....

He said'let's begin asking around'- well, he asked, rather- I was too nervous to even stand still.From one lane to another, he asked about the 'young guy with a Swaminarayan Tika'- and, replies were in the negative...finally, after nearly 45 minutes, we struck paydirt....someone said 'there is a guy in a shanty close by, who dons a Tika.'....and he gave directions to the place. We reached there, hoping against hope-knocked at the door, someone opened(I think it was his Dad), who said 'oh yes- he's resting inside, after returning from Ahmedabad'. Mr. K barged into the guy's room, the guy sat up with a start on seeing him. And, he gave him a torrent of abuses(leaving me shocked, but it turns out this abusing was a part of how they trained apprentices for the tough world). Turns out the guy had no idea that he was supposed to return to office and give the drawing, so he came home at 3 PM, and relaxed. Mr. K told him' come to the office tomorrow, I'll show you 'relaxing'. Heaving a sigh of relief, I left the place with Mr. K- it was now nearly 9 PM. took @ 20 mins of fast 'scootering' for Mr. K to reach us the railway station....and to the coach the boss had told me he was in... the train had just rolled in, and the boss was standing outside, thankfully. He gave us a big smile, reiterated that his trip would not have been of any use without the drawing and told me' I hope this will make you remember next time, to go into full detail of everything you do, even assigning a task to an unknown person(something I remember till this day).

Mr. K and me left the station- the good gent dropped me home first. I couldn't thank him enough for his help. And, requested him not to be too harsh with the apprentice in the morning. He just smiled and said 'OK'.

And, therein ends the tale of how we located an apprentice in our city, by just his 'Swaminarayan Tika'.
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Q: What does a blonde owl say?
A: What, what?

Mirrors

2010-06-19T12:20:00.002+04:00

You know which people have a lot of fun? Those sitting and observing the security camera videos. Specially if there are mirrors in the area.
Take, for example, the most common area- a lift/elevator...If you walk in alone, you'll surely do something and not just stand there like a nut, right? You might:
- Smile at yourself to see how you look, if you're going for an interview,
- Fluff your hair with a comb or with your hands if you have no comb. Particularly if you're a Gujju guy- a comb is a necessary accessory to be fitted into the trouser pockets. Not a strand should be out of place.
- Open your mouth wide and see if there're any cavities, if you're planning to visit the dentist shortly. Or exhale sharply so that your breath touches the mirror and bounces back-this tells you whether you've got good or bad breath.
- Pull up or pull down your trousers/skirt, to make sure it's just perfectly, well, placed, for lack of a better word.

Why do we do this? It's the security one feels when in an elevator-that you're alone and no-one is observing your little shennanigans....little do you notice, specially in today's modern places like malls, buildings, etc, be it in India or Dxb-there's usually a teeny or even a normal video camera that's put there mainly to observe any suspicious activity. And, there's an observer sitting somewhere in the guard/security room who's grinning away, getting his daily dose of laughter without having any comedy TV channels.
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In public also, people have these tendencies- heaven knows how many times I've had to get the mirror on my two-wheeler fixed, because someone sat on it while it was parked, and twisted it round in order to admire himself(Or, was it a her??)

Even now, while I'm sitting in this room, there's mirror on the wall behind my laptop and I keep looking to see if writing the post is bringing a grin to my face....LOLOL.

If there's a shiney car, someone will be sure to sidle up to it and try and see if they're looking fit.
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Speaking of interviews, it's finally happened- an ad where the guy uses 'fair and lovely' cream for men, and immediately gets selected for the job. Qualifications? Immaterial! I'm not sure, but I think I even heard the interviewer asking him how he looks so good? I can imagine the sales of the product shooting up, specially in this season when people have just graduated and are on the lookout for good jobs.:)
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And, oh wow- Ms. R's given me a 'Super Comments' award. Thank you so much. Ms. R....and, in true blogging tradition, let me pass it forward to- Austy, LP,Lopa,Abhilasha, Cyn,Arunima, Poo... And, right back to you too, Ms. R. When any of you leave a comment on a post, it's pretty in-depth, indicating that you really read the post. (And, if there's a one-liner comment, or just a :)(smiley), it means the post was a bore and you're just being polite....hahaha..)

I also pass it on to the balance people on my blogroll....who blog less frequently these days, but when they do, they do comment very nicely...as I always say, bloggers are basically nice people.:)
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Coming up next: My first days at work,...like, how a full Co seemed to be travelling in the pantry car of Gujarat Express. ..or, how I located an apprentice technician in Baroda by just the fact that he kept a Swaminarayan Tika.:)

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Joke for the day:
"Nice threads, man," commented Donald when his buddy showed up one day in a snappy new suit. "Where'd you pick 'em up?"
Richard beamed. "My wife got them for me. Pretty sharp, huh?"
"I'll say. What was the occasion?"
"Got me," admitted Richard with a cheerful shrug. "I came home from work early the other day and there they were, hanging over the chair in the bedroom."
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Cheerio, till the next time.

22 Saal Baad

2010-06-15T07:00:00.002+04:00

The year: 1988.

Month:May. Third week.

I was in Ajmer, visiting relatives, after Final Year Engineering exams. Got a call from Dad, that I had an interview call from BSL. In those days, interviews were few- and the first 2-3 I'd been to, had been just to get the feel of it. There was this friend, who, during our first interview a few days after exams, told me 'when they ask 'what are your career plans?', I always say' 2-3 years in private sector and then, rest of life in public sector due to job security'...believing that this was a smart answer but not really knowing what it meant, I parroted it at the first interview and was surprised to see them looking astonished(But naturally, since I was the year's topper). Well, they were from the private sector, and were looking for long term players.

The BSL interview was on 4th June, so, I came back to Baroda before this date, not being too hopeful but still feeling optimistic.

I reached there, having read up quite a bit on the final year subjects, and 'likely questions' (LOL- as if it was a college exam.) Loved the location at first sight-it was in the heart of Alkapuri, one of the posh areas of Baroda and a dream for those of us who were 'poor city dwellers'. . There was a group discussion, followed by a MCQ(Multiple choice Question) quiz with the usual agility questions they have(Non-technical), like spotting the odd man out, etc. When this was over, we had a short wait, and then they announced that out of 64 of us, 16 were shortlisted. And, the rest could go.

We had an interview with my future boss- a friendly tete-a-tete. They asked me how I fared at the MCQ- I said 'quite good'....and, they showed me the result- 14/50. I was shocked. Don't worry, they said-you're the highest. The others got 3-4-5. Turns out the 10 minute rapid fire MCQ was more to see whether a person gets stuck on a problem and spends time on it, or whether he leaves it, moves to a solvable one.

At the end of our interviews, we were shortlisted to 8. The next higher level boss(Baroda Area Manager) took an interview- again, a friendly tete-a-tete, making me feel relaxed and answering honestly, on both technical and general topics. And, by evening, we were shortlisted to 4 and called on 8th June.

Excitement in the air. Couldn't wait for 8th June. Reached there bright and early. Waited half an hour, and then, whammo..they called the other three one-by-one. And, I felt sure that I was at the bottom of the ladder. Anyway, I was called finally. This was the Gujarat Branch Manager conducting the interview. We exchanged a few words, and he suddenly asked 'when can you join?'. I was so astonished, I said 'don't you want to make a final comparison between us 4', or something silly to that effect. And, he says 'I'm telling you, you're selected. When can you join?;'. I said '15th June'. And the rest, as they say, is history. I spent 13 1/2 years in this Co, which still holds a soft corner in my heart. On my first day, the Baroda Manager told me' there were 128 who applied. We shortlisted to 64. And, we wanted 1.'. And, surprise of surprises, he said 'we promised you 1800/- starting salary? Just see your appointment letter. And, voila- it was a starting salary of a princely 2300/-, considered pretty high in those days. (Today, they offer 30000/- to freshers, and they still don't stick around.)

So, today completed 22 years of my working life. What's the future portend? Should I switch over from the airconditioning and building services contracting line to my favourite hobby of writing?Or take up a franchisee related to books/music, etc? Contracting has been a tiring job. Fun but tiring. And, whenever I have doubts about my abilities during a challenging time, I think back to 1988, and decide' Kuch To Hai', and it makes me feel all charged up and ready to face the challenge. I doubt that those who gave me this break would be reading this post, but if they are, thank you a million times over. I wish everyone could get such positive starts to his or her career.

Maybe I'll do a part II to this post, later. Would you be interested in reading more of these experiences, some of them hilarious to the core?

Conversations(I did it again) and other topics

2010-06-12T09:43:00.000+04:00

(This Dilbert one was amazing- goes so easily to the roots of the insecurities of people at many offices)

Did I tell you, I did it again...asked a simple question that led to a long-drawn out answer, just a day before I was leaving from Baroda. I asked out friendly neighbourhood dhobi, who operates his business from a larri sheltered by one of the many trees in our area.

Me:' Aap kal shaam ko nahin the, 430 pe? (You were not there yesterday at 430?)

(Translated from Hindi, for everyone's benefit)'Oh, I had a wedding to attend so I left early. This season has so many weddings. My son had gone to one, and he came back yesterday after 4 days. Tomorrow evening, I am going to Disa for another wedding. My son will be here. I am going by bus, since there's no direct connection by train. It will take us 3-4 hours to reach there. I should be back in 4 days. But my son will be here'.

Knowing I was running out of time, I fled with a smile. Otherwise, he'd probably have told me the menu that was planned at the wedding, as well.
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I'm surprised- no one commented on the caption contest pic in the last but one post(04.06)? Did you like the caption?
Speaking of prizes, I always enjoy winning prizes of books or DVDs/CDs, so imagine my delight at winning this one, the second time in 4 months. From one of the leading local dailies here:
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QUIZ:

June 4 winner

Amit Loiwal

The winner of this quiz will receive a Dh100 gift voucher  redeemable at any of Jashanmal’s Bookstores. If we receive more than one set of correct answers, the winner will be chosen  out of a random draw.

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(Dhs 100 is @ Rs 1250/-). Not bad, na? Any ideas for some good humour books? Or, I might just end up selecting a Peanuts special edition, like I did last time.

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Funtime:

From an episode of Seinfeld:(Seinfeld and George are at a laundry and George wants Seinfeld to remove his laundry from the machine before it gets 'over-dry')

You can’t over-dry. It’s the same reason you can’t over-wet. See once something is wet, it’s wet. Same thing with death. Like once you die, you’re dead, right? Let’s say you drop dead and I shoot you…you’re not gonna die again, you’re already dead. You can’t over-die, you can’t over-dry.
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Joke for the day:

Definition: Paranoia: I was sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant, WHEN a well endowed waitress with a low cut uniform reached in front of me and said, "Does my PARANOIA?"

Till next time, keep smiling.

Kuch Nahi

2010-06-09T20:58:00.001+04:00

Do you have visitors at your place, and , when you ask them'Kya lenge?', i.e. 'What'll you have?', well, the answer is 'kuch nahin'...and, you smile and,after asking again, you settle down? Well, it turns out that what they're asking for is: Kuch Nai .

I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw this. and, wait till you see the second pic I got via email. It explains the meaning of Kuchh Nai.

Hahahahaha...gotcha there,huh?So, next time someone says 'Kuchh Nai', look them in the eye to see if this is what they really want.:)

Have a great day...our weekend's coming up-just 1 more working day to go..looking forward to it,really...been so hectic...:)Cheerio.

Fun time

2010-06-08T06:51:00.000+04:00

"Hallo- haan, mein bol raha hoon"(Hallo-yes,it's me speaking)
"Haan, kya chal raha hai?"(Yes, what's going on?)
"Munna so gaya ya abhi bhi ro raha hai?"(Has Munna gone to sleep or is he still crying?)
"Haan, mein bus ke liye wait kar raha hoon."(Yes, I'm waiting for the bus)
(The person on the opposite side must've said, shocked"Bus? What bus? You're going to Dubai on a plane, na, not on a bus?")
"Arre, woh bus nahin, yeh airport ka bus hai- humko uthaakar plane tak le jaata hai"(arre,not that bus, this is the airport bus-it will pick us up and drop us at the plane)
"Theek hai, meine plane mein pahunchke phone karta hoon"(Ok, I'll call you from the plane when I reach it)
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"Haan, pappa, mein airport pahunch gaya. Nahin, koi problem nahin hua".(Yes, Pappa, I reached the airport. No,no problems)
"Haan, mein Dubai pahunch ke phone karoonga"(Yes, I'll call when i reach Dubai airport)
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" 24 C,D,E- yeh apni seats hain...sab log ek ek karke gothva jaao"....witness a mad flurry of activity as hubby,wife and kid rush to place luggage on rack and occupy the three seats".(24 C,D,E- these are our seats- everyone settle down one by one)
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"Aapan ne thoda khakhra ane naasto rakhvo joiye, nahin, jyaan sudhi aa loko jamvanu laave?(We should have kept some khakhra and snacks, to while away the time till these people serve food)
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"Haan, Pappa, hoon Dubai airport pahunchi gayo".(Yes, Pappa, I reached Dubai)
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Always such a refreshing way to begin the day- conversations galore, right from Abad to Dubai, from entry to one airport to exit from the other."
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In a way, I envy these people- with me travelling the way I have been lately, my family treats it as if I'm going from Baroda to Ahmedabad and back-so, they don't even wake up fully in the wee hours of the morning at 5 AM, when I leave the flat...a sleepy 'bye'...hehehe!!(That's the way it should be, frankly-the more emotions when a person's going abroad, the more the tension in the mind when abroad and wondering what's going on at home. Don't you agree?)

Conversations in Baroda

2010-06-04T08:15:00.001+04:00

The sweeper starts at the 10th floor and works his way down. He's here at 830 AM everyday. He collects all the garbage on each floor, takes it down and leaves it for the Municipality truck to carry away. He knows he has to come on time. If he doesn't, the truck goes away. He then uses a wheelbarrow to cart away the trash and deposits it at some distance from our building. He's much better than the previous sweeper, who used to take money from flat-owners as well as the building people, on one pretext or the other. This one also clears all the landings on each floor. Good, hai ke nahin?

We finished painting the exterior of the building. We can do the interior, but need to check with everyone as to whether they agree to pay a little extra to get it whitewashed or distempered. We would like to get the shutters of the 5 shops on the ground floor painted, as well. However, the shop owner(s) has not even paid the Rs. 6000 for the building maintenance yet. Remember he promised to pay, during the building AGM in December? So how can we do anything further, hai ke nahin, even though we know that it will improve the building get-up further. So-and-so has also paid only Rs 4000 so far, and is cooling his heels waiting for us to remind him to pay the rest. We have to find a way, hai ke nahin?

People have been paying outstanding dues, yes. But, the main defaulters do not live here- we have been trying to contact them. That itself is a lakh plus of outstanding. If that fund comes in, we will be better placed for future works. Hai ke nahin?

Four floors are yet to agree to get their landings and stairs tiled. The people on the floor below agreed. The work is going on. The other floor's people have to decide amongst themselves. I told the fourth floor people' first have your meeting among yourselves, then tell us'. This is work related to individual floors, hai ke nahin? We cannot run after each flat's owners and ask them to get the work done. They have to come forward, appreciate the floors besides theirs that are done and tell us. Hai ke nahin?
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Ok, Uncle- will talk to you later. (That was me, finding a nano-second of a break in the monologue from the Uncle).
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And, all I'd remarked was ' The garbage man comes early now..good'.
Why, oh why, am I such a conversation starter?
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Ah well.:) Till next time, keep smiling.

Rainy Day

2010-06-02T12:35:00.000+04:00

What a great morning walk-somehow I was feeling too 'inspired'today, and hence, was about to complete five kilometres (Last 2 in Sayaji Park) when they fell...no, not pigeon droppings, nor any satellites, but - the rain drops...the first rains of the season..some of the walkers, including me, continued walking. As it became more severe, people went and stood under trees...I continued another 5 minutes, then decided it was enough and time to enjoy it on the two-wheeler..so, went home with the raindrops falling on my head..hahaha..and, just three days back, the chai guy was telling me'last time you went to Dubai, your brought rains there..'(It'd rained the day I reached, last time and they read in the papers...LOL)..I just grinned and said'Ok,now I'm here,so it'll rain here also'. Of course, this was just a short burst- a quick shower, so to speak. Reached home, and, expectedly, the fragile electric wires had conked off- hence, no power..and, the generator was also not started.(That was a nice walk up seven floors, btw. LOL)
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Will continue this post shortly..:)

Another trip, another funtime

2010-05-30T17:24:00.000+04:00

Hi, all! Yes, as you guessed, I'm back in Baroda, albeit, for a short trip(till 5th June). So, without further ado, let's look at the amusing things that happened:

Firstly, Emirates gave me an upgrade to Business Class at a very nominal charge. I accepted, naturally, since I was bringing a LCD TV back to India, and BC passengers(Nothing to do with OBC) are usually given the 'green signal' at customs. Reached the airport terminal 3, went straight to the BC check-in zone. Got the TV and a bag totally wrapped up in polythene, so that they looked 'pretty in pink', something like bikini statistics-revealing just that much of what's inside, but not totally. :)

Reached the check-in counter-'Is that all, Sir?', asked the check-in lady, to which I replied as I mentioned in my previous post. 'Your seat number is changed, Sir,from 04A to 08A- different aircraft'. I smiled and went off to the Duty Free. Frankly, this time, I was feeling somewhat tired after a hectic work day, so duty free did not seem so appealing. I still went round my favourite shops- one of them stocks loads and loads of DVDs- besides movies, they also have BBC shows, US shows, et al...from the ole to the new- of course, Seinfeld/ Everybody Loves Raymond, et al were there. Didn't see 'Mad Men'(No, not those who travel on the flight, but, the American serial)- I'd downloaded 2 Seasons and have yet to see beyond Season 1 Episode 3.

From there, off to the Business Class Lounge- I did take some pics-let's see if I can find the cable to transfer them to the PC. Lots of variety of food, as always- in particular, I head for the salad counter- they have this delicious 'boiled potato-onion-mix' salad which is delicious. Also tried out a baby sandwich, a mini-choco treat and washed it down with a cuppa tea(But naturally)...I can never remember unusual names of food,so don't ask what they were called. People were eating away as usual like they had not eaten for 2-3 days. I had a good time observing them.:)

Sat in the reading zone for a while, and read New York Times, The Times(U.K.), Daily Mail, etc- papers we rarely see otherwise-and, they charge an arm and a leg for them if you do buy them even in Dxb, where they're now printed locally(by permission/agreement,I guess).

They announced that the Boarding Gate was changed from 231 to 221- second change in Emirates, quite surprising. And, even as I was reaching Gate 221, they announced a 50 minute delay-another first for me, when travelling by this Premier airline. But then,everyone has their specific days like this, I guess- turns out, they were waiting for some transit passengers to arrive from another country and that flight was late.

For those who're curious, here's a nice video from Youtube, @ Emirates business class lounge. It has a nice tour of the terminal too.

Anyway, they boarded us 1 hour earlier, thankfully. I walked in and found, indeed, that it was a different aircraft than normal. In fact, my seat 8A, was right in the front, (i.e. where there's a partition in front, and not another seat), and there was this huge partition thing between 8A and 8B. Turns out, the partition was where they 'hide' the 14" TV screen.:)

In came 2 guys- Indians, and spouting heavy accents. They discussed the same thing 5 times with the airhostess, namely, that they were gold cardmembers, that they'd asked for First Class, and were told there's no First Class in this sector, that they would 'manage' with business class and when would dinner be served and what would be served? I put on the headphones to avoid further repetitions. Then, there were the excited kids walking towards the Economy class, and beseeching their parents' Dad, let's come First Class next time'-after seeing the huge seats et al. Ah well, worry not kids, the day will come. As it did for me, when I first travelled by this class.:)

Since this was an aircraft from a long-haul flight, I had a choice of 21 Hindi movies(Not the usual single channel movie), from Great Gambler to Munnabhai to Tum Se....picked Great Gambler, just for nostalgia's sake.

I also had a special seat- separate TV screen for it- for vibration mode, footrest raising mode, full flat bed mode(No, I didn't opt for that...couldn't have watched Great Gambler then, you know). I selected dinner from the menu- as such, Veggie's don't have much choice- Dahi Bhalla, Kadhi, Rice,fruit and a sweet. Simple(- like me...LOL.). But, the Bhallas did not have adequate Dahi on them(Or maybe it was hidden in the dim lighting).

Landed...the eager beavers behind in Economy could be heard unsnapping their belts, opening overhead drawers before the plane stopped, switching on cellphones to call their family at 3 AM in the morning to tell them 'I landed'.....I noticed the 1st class in the aircraft while walking out- small coupes that provide you all the privacy your little heart needs- well, someday, I'll be able to try that out,too someday-I just know it)

I was memorizing all the arguments I'd have at customs. Had carried a print out, nee three printouts of baggage rules, definition of baggage, et al, anticipating that they'd demand duty(As part of their personal 'duty') on the TV. As soon as the special BC bus dropped us from the aircraft to the terminal, we saw a crowd already standing outside- turns out it was an Air India flight...so, there went my hopes of 'exit in 15 minutes when in BC, where luggage comes first as 'Priority')...but, it was all meant for my good only. Courtesy these passengers and the horde of passengers behind us, the duty officer just smiled and let me load the TV on the trolley and I walked out with the biggest smile(in the last few weeks) on my face and relief that no arguments were needed. As I say, whatever happens is always for the best-provided you believe in it.:)

(Could you get angry with anyone for falling asleep while driving on such a nice expressway?:))

My usual pickup guy was there to take me to Baroda...besides a near mishap when he dozed off and hit the divider but controlled himself and the car very quickly(He brings a friend along, these days, to ensure he doesn't doze off and to take care of such situations), we had a smooth journey home.:)

More on Baroda coming up soon.Keep smiling.

Is that all?

2010-05-29T17:49:00.001+04:00

Is that all, Sir?

Yes,I always travel light!

More on that coming up soon.:)Any guesses what's coming up?

Movie Review

2010-05-25T06:34:00.000+04:00

Na Ghar Ka Na Ghaat Ka:

If you get this movie on video, don't panic. Even with the volume at 'Full', you'll have to strain your ears in order to hear the dialogues. And, that's how it's meant to be, and that's what makes the movie unique.

It's a simple story- the Varanasi lad(the guy hanging from the photo frame in the pic) tops his exams and travels to Mumbai where he's got a job at a telecom company. The hero's dad is Om Puri, whose most 'usual' habit is to raise his kurta and untie his pyjamas/lungi, to get at his 'money belt' that he keeps in front only. The whole family comes to drop him off at the railway station, Om Puri opens his 'strings' and gives him some money to take with him. Plus the hero has to carry about 15 items of luggage, since there're different bags for achaar, lunch, et al.(Reminded me of the days of yore, when even a bedroll used to be a standard accessories when travelling by train in IInd class).

Ravi Kissan plays some kind of kind-hearted goonda, who has enmity with only one policeman, Paresh Rawal. Our village lad gets to put up with Ravi in his one room, where Ravi has to hide the bulb when he goes out, to avoid people stealing it.

The hero goes back to his village for 10 days, since there're holidays in his office, courtesy Ganesh Chaturthi. And, his Dad marries him off- but, wait- his wife wears her ghoonghat throughout the wedding, and even after....So, he never sees her face, even when he leaves back for Mumbai.

The rest of the movie is as funny as ever- Om Puri and Co bring the hero's wife to Mumbai to leave her there. She's never seen a bar, so, while she's downstairs waiting for the hero, she goes near it and gets arrested during a police raid. And, Paresh Rawal wants 'proof' that she's not a bar girl. So, the whole village lands up at the police station, but, none of them have proof of the paper kind, so he doesn't believe that her parents are her own, her Mama-Chacha,etc are her own. They show the wedding album, but she's always in a ghoonghat, so that also gets rejected.

Finally, a brainwave from Ravi Kissen gets her released, after a bit of action. And, they all live happily ever after.

It was quite a telling comment, in a way, on the ways of the village and the cities - the stark difference between them, that is. In the village, people trust each other, don't look for documents as proof of everything. While, in cities, documents are everything, as we all know.

See the movie if you'd like off the beaten track movies, with a nice humorour vein running throughout. In fact, if the dialogues had been full blast, I doubt that I'd have enjoyed it to the extent I did. Well, it's not superlative to the extent of a Awara Paagal Deewana or a Hungama(more Paresh Rawal's movies) but still, enjoyable fare.

Till next time, keep smiling.

Caption Contests

2010-05-21T08:54:00.001+04:00

Thought for the day : Some bring happiness wherever they go, others bring happiness whenever they go.

My latest win at a caption contest. An honourable mention with a blog cup on LP's blog. Thanks, LP- it was good fun, and honestly, I liked all the other entries, including my co-winner, Savvy's.:)
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For those who'd like a good laugh, check out the next contest. Read the captions and enter your caption,too.
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Coming back to caption contests,I've been entering them since ages....whether or not they had a prize. The fun is in seeing one's entry selected, and people enjoying it.(and, even telling me that they liked it). If it wins a prize, it's an added bonus..(haha)My max prizes have been, surely, for the Sunday Midday caption contests, back in the nineties. Maybe I'll share some of my entries(have them all neatly clipped,pasted and stored, along with my letters to the editor, which crossed the thousand mark quite some time back, but slowed down since Y2K2).

There were also captions in The Weekly Sun, Star & Style,Jetset, The Asian Age(Sunday)...frankly, they're great for keeping the mind in a happy mood- take a look at the photo, think of the caption, of what the person could be saying/thinking...

One caption that I still remember was in the days of 'Choli ke peechhe kya hai', the hit song from Khalnayak.
The song used to blare everywhere- be in an autorickshaw or during the Ganpati Festival celebrations or during weddings. (Though I can't imagine why people would play such a song at a wedding, where many of the ladies are dressed in cholis....hehe)

There was a pic in Sunday Midday which showed an ole guy with a young girl, both weathering the rain under a common umbrella...and I captioned it ' The latest hit' Chhatri ke neeche kya hai'....the chholi ke peechhe song was such a hit then, that I just instinctively knew that the caption was a winner.

So, what should you do to make a winner of a caption, specially in the papers/mags? Supposed it's a film star pic from a movie...like Saif enjoying a lunch box with another star- think of that star's friends/girlfriends, their hobbies...I captioned that one ' Eat up fast-that's Kareena's Size Zero Secret lunch'...and, it won...there, easy,na? More importantly, read the caption yourself when you write it and think unbiasedly- does it make you smile or guffaw with laughter? If it does, you have yourself a winner..so there, that's my secret- happy Captioning, and let me know when(not if) you win.:)
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The ones I still enter (that I can see in papers and mags, I mean) are in Filmfare(I enter those regularly...and,ahem, win now and then,too), Xpress(That's a local paper here).
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End joke:
Patient:Doctor, doctor, I feel very flushed.

Doctor: You must have flu.
Patient:No, I walked
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Till next time, keep smiling.

How to identify a newcomer

2010-05-19T06:41:00.000+04:00

How to identify newcomers to Dubai when in a bus:

1. They sound excited.

2. They look for the rope attached to the 'ding dong' bell, and the Ticket Checker, a la in many of our buses.

3. They repeat the names of the locations the bus stops at, with a drawl.

For example- Karrrrrrama,Burrrrrr Dubai, Burrrr Jumaannnnn. It's probably due to their feeling pretty pleased with themselves, since they've achieved something their friends back in India couldn't, by coming over to Dubai.(I know, coz I used to do the same back in 2002...LOL)

4. They talk about calling their family/friends at 12 midnight and their parents/girl friend's response, and discuss the dialogue ad verbatim. Like:

"I called my parents yesterday"

Friend:What did they say?

"Father was sleeping. Mother was awake"

Friend"Umm Hmmm"

"I asked Mother-why are you awake so long?"

Friend"Umm"

"She said' I was remembering you'"

Friend is now quiet, remembering his family, nevertheless.

"You know my target-even if I can make it in 3 months, I'll go back"

Friend"Yes,sure"

"But I haven't reached there yet."

I felt like turning around and saying 'And you won't, for the next five or ten years, since your target will keep

increasing each year, with more and more purchases being done here and in India'.

This dialogue was taking place in UP Hindi mixed with English in an otherwise empty bus at full volume(That's another feature of newcomers-they'll talk at a loud pitch), so I couldn't help overhearing and smiling.

5. They become experts at mental maths, specially the table of 12, since they do'AED into 12' for everything.

Like, these guys were discussing the bus fare of 2 AED, and how they needed to recharge their cards when they got off. And, how 24 Rs seems too high for a one way trip.:)Soon they'll learn that two cups of tea equal a bus ride. And, price of petrol equals the price of a bottle of drinking water/spring water/mineral water(local produce).

6. They look like happy camels.

Ah well, so many more signs are visible. How @ u all, specially those who moved out of India,like LP? Let's have a post..and,even from those who moved from one city to another(Austy-from Baroda to Mumbai ka safar,pls), one house to another . It's like moving to a whole new world, isn't it?

Till the next post, keep smiling.

Tintin in Hindi

2010-05-17T06:54:00.000+04:00

Tintin, Captain Haddock, Snowy, Professor Calculus--just some of the eminently loveable characters from Tintin comics.I've been reading them since ages,nee, since donkey's years, as they call it. And, still find them to be of great repeat value, even now.

Well, they're finally doing it-bringing out Tintin comics in Hindi. The heading of the article in HT Cafe some time back, says that the catchphrases are rib-tickling. So, what's in store?

For those who know Tintin comics(And, I'm sure nearly all of you have come across them at some time or the other), here's a glimpse:

Titles:

King Ottokar's Sceptre- Samrat Ottokar Ka Raj Dand
Cigars of the Pharoah- Misr Samrat Ke Sigar
The Broken Ear- Toota Hua Kaan
The Blue Lotus-Neel Kamal
The Crab with the golden claws Sunehre Punjo Wala Kedka
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Character names- Tintin and Haddock remain the same. Snowy's now'Natkhat', Thomson and Thomsum(The police detectives)are now Santu and Bantu
,Signore Bianca(the singer) is now Mallika Bianca.
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Some of the Captain's quotes:

Ten Thousand Thundering Typhoons :Dus hazaar tadtadate toofan
Millions and millions of squirming black turtles : Karodon karod Kasmasate kaale kachhue.
Great snakes: Baal Ki Khaal
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The best part- the price has been cut down to appeal to the readers.And, the translation is done directly from the French version, rather than the English one,by who else but, an ardent Tintin fan, Puneet.
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Coming back to the days when I was reading Tintin, may I proudly say that my entire collection has cost me no more than a total of @ 60 Rs. What happened is,in those days we had a number of books/mag sellers who'd sit on the pavements of Baroda city(Most of them are gone now). They were friendly with me, the
avid book reader(but naturally, since I was one of their best customers). There was some guy who would make squiggles in the first page of each book, and then sell it off in pasti(rubbish- I still can't believe it)- and, these guys would keep the issues for me...cost? A mere 2 Rs or 3 Rs, max.So, the collection built up totally over a period of six months.Can still feel the excitement I'd feel in those days, when I'd go to their 'street bookshop'. But then, I guess that deserves another full post.
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Till next time, keep smiling.

So what's up?

2010-05-12T20:25:00.000+04:00

Another hectic week coming to a close...great fun- I luv to be busy, rather than to be idle, anyday.:) Destressing at the end of the day is great!And, waking up refreshed, even more so!:)

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" Want to punish a salesman? Put him in a corner and tell him to keep quiet for half an hour. It'll be sheer torture for him". A friend of mine made this comment when we had this cozy gathering at a friend's party....ole friends, from the days of my first job...it's always nice to think of those days. To return to salesmen- one more friend was going to turn up, and he's a salesman. And, once he comes, we all can only listen. He didn't fail us this time,too. From Navratri in Ahmedabad to the cold in Canada to hairfall due to water quality in Sharjah to everything under the sun. Start a topic, and he speaks for 15 mins on it, minimum, guaranteed..:) It reminded me of some other friends,too...who're in Sales. And, it's so true. They have the gift of talking, just like Radio Jockeys, and they love it.:)
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I'm really getting hooked to Doordarshan's National Network all over again-just like in the Eighties. The current craze- a morning program called 'Aaj Savere'- it comes at 6 AM in Dubai, so Indian time is 730 AM. They have an interview with a specialist everyday. Yesterday, it was a Wellness Consultant, today it was a Liver specialist. In very simple terms, the program proceeds with the cheerful interviewer lady having a nice tete-a-tete with the specialist. And, explaining in simple terms the topic of the day.

Interesting part of the show today- did you know coffee in moderation is good for the liver?And, excess of Vitamin A is not?
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Joke for the day:
One day, during a lesson on proper grammar, the teacher asked the class for a show of hands from those who could use the word "beautiful" in the same sentence twice.

First, she called on Little Mona, who responded with, "My father bought my mother a beautiful dress and she looked beautiful in it."

"Very good, Mona," replied the teacher. She then called on Michael. "My mommy planned a beautiful banquet and it turned out beautifully," he said.

"Excellent, Michael!"

Then, the teacher called on Little Johnny...

Last night, during supper, my sister told my father that she was pregnant, and he said, "Beautiful, just f*%@# beautiful!"
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Till the next post, keep smiling!:)

Weekly Roundup

2010-05-08T09:30:00.000+04:00

(My Quip: The new way to convince yourself that you've lost weight)

Hi all. No excuses. Even though I’ve been tied up at work, that’s no reason for me to ignore my favourite hobby,is it? So, let’s catch up. What've you been up to?

It finally happened-we finally had a supplier who threatened to do the unthinkable (called haraki*i)if we did not amend his order for blunders he had made in his quote and leave the names of those who had caused it, in his final note. Ah well, we don’t expect anything drastic from him, but then, it was a bit dramatic.

Then, there was this waiter two days back- I asked him whether they had pineapple juice and he brought me paani puri with the juicy paani in a full bowl. I didn’t have the heart to tell him to take if back, particularly since many restaurants have been facing a drop in their clientale, courtesy the recessionist trends, and they might have deducted it from his salary. As such, it’s been ages since I had this delicacy, courtesy my inability to enjoy anything too spicy with hiccupping as well as my diet. So, I just relished the dish and, instead of pineapple juice, took a masala tea to end that nice snack.

Courtesy the hectic week, I’ve mainly been watching TV which is the least exerting on the mind after work, i.e. after going on a walk of course. And, I found a great channel. The News doesn’t have those squiggly creatures leaping out from the bottom borders, the newsreader doesn’t scream out about ‘normal incidents’ like a pothole on the road, a housewife in Jhumritaliya consuming poison due to harassment, kids falling (being lowered down for publicity?) down wells, etc as if they were the biggest scandals of the decade needing attention of the world. Precise, to the point, more of the good news than the bad news. It had the ole comedy, Khoobsurat(Rekha, Ashok Kumar, Rakesh Roshan, etc), showing yesterday, and the breaks were coming only once in ½ hr or so, not every 10 minutes. I’m sure those who knew this channel in the past recognize it- yep- Doordarhan’s National Channel. Try it. I don’t remember seeing the news on Jee or Sitara Newj in the last one year, for example- whenever I surf over to this channel, there’s always some ads going on, making me go Yawwwwnn.

Today’s a day of reading- brought some great mags and books from Baroda, but didn’t feel like reading so far. Besides Osho World(Some articles are really inspiring), Franchising World(For ideas- to come out of the Contracting line), Insite(Interior design ideas), Entrepreneur(Inspirations from people), Digit(Computing update), Filmfare(movie update), People, Business World, Outlook Money,….great variety, just waiting to be read. And, of course, this post was the first step to begin writing with a zeal, after last week.

End joke: Would you envy this guy his job? Would I? Well, maybe.ROFL.

What's up?

2010-04-30T16:27:00.000+04:00

Thought for the day: Choices are the hinges of destiny

Edwin Markham

Hello, hello..and how’ve you all been? After a hectic work week, that ended with a headache and me sleeping a cool 10 hours, I woke up refreshed at 5 AM(Crazy, I think-waking up at that hour on a holiday). Today and tomorrow are ‘refresh ‘ days. Began it with the usual cuppa tea. Watched an episode of Seinfeld. Extremely funny. Great way to begin the day. Went for a nice long one hour walk. It’s still pleasant weather here, for this time of the year.(Touchwood, it’ll continue). Came back, feeling oxidized(Well, with all that unpolluted air being breathed in, it can be called an oxidizing experience, na?)

Went straight for the breakfast table. Great buffet, as usual. Juice, salad, muesli in cold milk. The Special item was Aloo Paratha-had a quarter piece with curd. And, that’s enough to help skip lunch.:) Went up.. It was 8 AM by this time. Saw two tea-trays outside two rooms, with the tea and milk jugs in them. Guess where those people must be from? Arre-amaaro Gujarat, of course. We people from there(Even non-Gujaratis like me) must begin the day with a cuppa tea, otherwise it seems incomplete. So, those two doors surely had Gujarati families inside. And, I’m sure I’m right-coz there’s a tour group from Ahmedabad in the place. And, I’m sure they bargained nicely to get a low package. How do I know? Read on.

Yesterday, there were two guys downstairs at breakfast time-both seemed retired types. One was arguing with the waiter, about how their agent could have booked one buffet breakfast for two people? Finally, with true Gujju style, he told the guy- you just note down and when we leave, give us the bill. I’ll recover it from C&K. in Ahmedabad. I hope the dear fellow gets his money. Though, I’m sure these ‘bargain’ events happen when you forcefully get the package rate lower than the lowest possible. So, people, beware of bargaining too much when you’re going on a hard-earned vacation.

Followed that up with a hair-cut ‘n color. Doesn’t look too bad,even if I say so myself. First cut after getting the Titan eye-plus glasses. Maybe I’ll click a pic one of these days.
The rest of the time so far-watched a bit of Independence Day, another Seinfeld episode.:)
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Joke for the day : A pharmacist told his new assistant to he polite to every customer that came in. If you re stuck for conversation. talk about the weather," he advised. When the pharmacist came back from having his dinner, the assistant was sporting a lovely black eye. "So much for your advice" moaned the assistant. "What happened? asked the pharmacist "Well, this woman came in for a packet of sanitary napkins. Trying to make conversation, I said that it looked like it was qoing to be a dull weekend…

Till next time, keep smiling. Like I am.:)