Some Sizzling Scintillating Speculations

I wonder whether you got this one some time back via email? And,maybe I posted it earlier?I'm not sure..the quip for this is' Know why Sachin is known as a thorough gentleman?' And, Cyn-this one's for you -I'm sure you won't find this one 'MCPesque'...hehe!!Just kidding..hope u all have a good laugh. And,in the meantime, let me enjoy the last day at work before the weekend,tomorrow,so that I can be fresh and ready to post,tomorrow evening or The Day After. BTW, did you read this headline in one of our Indian papers-it says: CAT to be taken by mouse now, not pen. More views on that later.Cheerio!!

(Can you imagine anyone answering questions in a school exam like the above ones?) Thought for the day: "The difference between an obstacle and an opportunity is our attitude towards it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity." -- J. Sidlo Baxter Weekends always provide some rest and relaxation and this one was no different. Firstly, some new ads spotted during my morning/evening walks. These ads are plastered everywhere nowadays- right from electricity poles to divider walls of buildings under construction, to walls of existing buildings. Two which had me laughing away, were: Available For immediate possession Executive Bachelor (Keshi, did you roll your eyes yet, reading this one?*grins*) Any guesses what this ad was all about? No, it was not for gigs of the olo type. ------------------------------------------------ Room- Bat Cat To Let Contact 050- (I still didn’t figure this one out) ------------------------------------------------ My...

Thought for the day: Even monkeys fall from trees. I feel like reminiscing about my first days in Dubai . Why? The answer's down there somewhere. So, here goes(I promise I won’t make it too boring..haha). The first thoughts of moving out of Baroda, came when my first company started asking me to think of moving to Mumbai, and, that made me think ‘If Mumbai, why not Dubai?’. As always, I only needed to think these thoughts and begin a job search and a friend called from Dubai asking whether I wanted to change over and move there. Three others from our group had already moved to the same Dubai Company. After a few agonizing days of waiting for the telephonic interview, the call finally came, it all clicked, and, after another few agonizing days, my visa came. By then, I’d already quit from my Indian Company. Again, things clicked as I wanted them to, and I was relieved from my Indian Co on 31 st December, 2001. After a week’s break, I left for Mumbai and reached Dubai on 9 th...

A nice weekend..and,for a change, our first day at work is a Monday, like the rest of the world outside the Gulf. (And, of course,it'll end a day earlier, on Thursday..haha) Are you looking for a way to lose weight? Kya aap motaape se pareshaan hain?( Don't I sound just like one of those TV shoppe ads??grin grin) Want to shed those extra pounds? There's a simple solution, as I found out- in the current Dubai weather of 43 deg C+ and @ 70% or more humidity , you only need to don your Tees and jogging trousers/shorts (anything less is not permitted, except on the beach) and go out for half an hour. Or more, if you don't feel dizzy by then. You'll lose at least half a kg of weight. Come back, change, go out again for another half hour or maybe one hour, after, of course a nice drink of water to keep the water levels in the body normal. Good idea,huh? Trust me to find an optimistic side to even such weather. Well, there's just about a month or two to go before the...

I know going green is the in thing to do, but, Poo(p) Paper? And, not human poo(p)-it's Haathi Chaap-a particular brand of paper that is not just hand-made,but is made by elephant poop. The paper, supposedly one of the most ecologically safe papers to make and use, comes in many bright colours and doesn't stink.(Why not, I wonder? Don't elephants eat fried stuff ones in a while?) For one, you don't cut trees. All you do is wait for the elephant(as per the article) to finish it's 250 kgs meal, digest it and drop 100 kgs of dung(No wonder they're overweight, is my comment- if the rest 150 kgs is absorbed each time). Then, you collect the poop, use water to remove nutrients from it(Use this nutrient-rich water as fertilizer) and convert the fibrous waste to beautiful pooper,nee,paper. The paper can be coloured any shade, though the original colour of the paper depends on what the elephant's diet of the day was. I guess collecting elephant dung won't be the ...

(Click to enlarge) Thought for the day: When you are successful Your well wishers know who you are When you are unsuccessful You know who your well wishers are .............................. .............. Another thought: Falling down is not defeat... Defeat is when you refuse to get up... I always wax eloquent about Baroda and each time I visit there, so, this time I’ll quickly skim through the details of the visit- the highlights, so to speak: - Getting up at 5-515 AM, going to the EME Temple for the morning prayers. What was interesting one day, was seeing the Panditji (priest) in spotless white jogging shorts and T-shirt. On this day, even though I (like the others) reached at 0535 AM, the prayers were midway already. After they ended, the Panditji came and said’ from today we will have prayers at 515 instead of 545, because the HQ feels that people involved in religious activity also have to be fit and fine. So, he would be g...

View from the Resort Room..notice the free coconuts? One of the fountains at the resort Outside view of a room at the Resort The entrance to The Resort Thought for the day: Thoughts Become Things! Day 2 in Goa : The day dawned nice and bright. A lazy waking up, a nice half hour walk around the Resort and off to breakfast, which was as sumptuous as the day before. The rest of the day flew by, courtesy the wedding festivities. In the evening, there was another program, which began with two experienced salsa dancers demonstrating their skills for the first three dances and then demonstrated to those wanting to learn some basic steps. Great fun for all! Then, the wedding- remember the pic I put up sometime back asking you to guess what the location was used for? Well, the wedding mandap was put up on it, with toughened glass top and all. Amazing! And, someone wondered what would happen if the fountains started suddenly. That was day 2. Day 3 was our ‘extra’ day at the...

Thought for the day:: Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do. Neale Donald Walsch - Would you buy a bottle of water for AED 250/-( @Rs 3250/-), even if it was crystal encrusted? Even I contributed my two bits to the article(See comment by ‘ayeayeal’) . Some of the other comments were very interesting. What do you think? Are such status symbols worth it? The brand even has a 10000 Swarovski crystals encrusted bottle for those interested, costing just AED 15000/(Rs. 1,95,000/-). I can imagine some of hoipolloi in our part of the world as well, having a kiddy, nee, kitty party(not much difference) and saying ‘Beta, zara woh do lakh waali paani ki bottle to laana’. (Son, could you bring that Rs 2 lakhs bottle of water?) -...

Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn't ever a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence....Lin Yutang To continue from the last ‘Trip post’, there we were, enjoying the Goan greenery whilst on the way to the hotel, nee, resort. (Thanks to google, I’d already checked that it was about 10 kms from Madgaon Station, etc). Finally, we pulled into the Resort(Incidentally, it’s name is The Resort, by Zuri. Here’re some links for it: 1 2 . The best description( for those who want to read more) I could find was right here . As soon as we alighted, we saw a group of people at the entrance and a band began playing- I thought that the groom’s party was right behind us , hence the band baaza and so, quickly moved to the side. But, it wasn’t so- the band was for us, as it was for all the guests at the wedding. And that was just a taste of things to come. It was quite a thrill to see so many relatives-cousins, Uncles, et al, after ages(Ages= minimum 7.5 yea...

Hi,all!A Very Happy Monday to you, specially to those starting a new working week..we already began our week yesterday..haha!!:) The net's not been cooperating too much lately, hence, just trying to post in word and then copy paste it as soon as it works...so, hang in there. Next part of Goa post coming up later today. Cheerio! PS: The above pic's from The Resort, at Goa.More coming up later. Guess what this was used for?(And, puhlease-be imaginative-don't say 'swimming pool'.:)

Hi,all!Back to pavilion, nee, back to Dubai! Returned on 20th morning! Caught up on work backlog, et al. And today, after a nice 10 hours of sleep, I feel pretty normal. Ahem! So, let's go back! Part II of the trip. We went from Baroda to Mumbai by my favourite train, Baroda Express- many's the time I've travelled by this train, and very rarely is it late at either end. Reached Mumbai at the bright hour of 4 AM, took a local to Andheri and the rest of the day just flew by. Left for VT at 8, to catch the train for Goa- Madgaon to be precise. While at VT station, I felt a bit tense, just imagining the situation back in November when there was an attack here. Seeing the crowd at the place, I could imagine the commotion that must have ensued when the first bullets came roaring in. (Sigh!Wonder why anyone would want to reduce another person's life expectancy which is as such pretty small?). Well, our train finally rolled into the platform and soon rolled out of it!!(I don...

Hi all! As usual, time's flying by a mite too fast out here..So, will be back with the next and the next and the next parts of my trip, very soon..hang in there. And, in the meantime, think over this phrase- a jovial cousin of mine said it during the wedding and we all burst out laughing. Can you guess the 'original' Hindi version of this? ' The chicken of the house is like the lentils' Happy pondering!

Thought for the day:In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life:"It goes on"...Robert Frost. Sorry,sorry,sorry!!I thought I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was off to India on 4th evening, for a sixteen day sojourn. Thanks, everyone who left concerned queries in the comments section. It's great to know that people care!Always! Today morning, we returned from Goa. So, let me begin at the beginning, as usual. This time,I knew I'd have excess baggage, since this might well be my penultimate trip to India, before moving back permanently.(Touchwood, all going well!Pray,please!).Let's see,let's see. So, I did some quick calculations. Emirates allows 30 kgs. My estimate of the baggage weight was @ 40 kg, give or take 1 or 2. So, considering their excess baggage charges per kg, I was wondering what to do and what positive thing would land up.(No pun )..and,it did..I got an email from them, asking if I wanted to upgrade my ticket to...

Tick the right answer: 1. When you are a fan of someone, you show your appreciation by leaving a pedestal fan outside their door in the wee hours of the morning, so that when they open the door, the first thing they see is a ‘fan’. 2. When you have a bad memory and want to mark a flat amidst a set of identically looking(read’door’ed) flats, you leave an ‘identifier’ outside the door to remember which one you have identified.(Hopefully not with the intent of robbery). 3. When you have a big non-working item which does not fit into the garbage chute and which you’re too lazy to take down (in the elevator, not the steps) to the rubbish bin just outside the building, you leave it outside the door of one of your neighbours, content with the knowledge that they will take care of it. 4. When you want to create trouble with your neighbour, you peep into their flat and, if you have anything which is the same( like a pedestal fan) as you do, you leave it outside their flat in the wee hours of t...

What do you think some pigeons love to eat out here? Grains? Rice? Murmura(puffed rice)? Ah well, you're sooo wrong. They love to eat gaathiya.  Now, for those not 'in the know' about Gujarati snakes(read'snacks'), gaathiyas are lil long yellow pieces of fried besan-based snacks, forming a staple food(If you can call anything fried by that name) for many in my favourite Baroda and other places. See how to make them, right at this place , which,obviously, I googled for. Alongwith jalebi,phaphda,gota,bhajiya,etc...haha!But,that's a post for another day.So, let's go to the pigeons. I observed this on a number of weekends(Fri-Sat) during my walk- outside this Gujju restaurant, there are two square zones where tree saplings are supposed to be planted. But, as of now, one of them has grains scattered on it, of course, for the pigeons. The other has gaathiyas, at the bright and early hour of 730 AM or so. The first time, hardly 2-3 pigeons were busy nibbling at th...

Thought for the day:  A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. --  William James Have you come across people who like to mark everything? Or, are you one of those? If so, I’d like to know what makes you tick, punitively speaking. I saw one of these ‘marker’s during my walk yesterday. This guy was standing at a bus time table signboard( Here, these signboards are about five feet high ,  in white acrylic and have the full day’s schedule for all buses) And, this funny guy was using a pen to mark his bus timing options on it. (Luckily, there were no cops around, or he’d have been jailed for defacing public property).  However, it reminded me of quite a few such people in the past, who’ve made me wonder why they do what they do and, of course, where they do it.  For example, at restaurants- now, if the menu is a throwaway kind, like the McDonald’s one which they use as a tray mat, it’s fine-you may mark on it, rub your nose with it, make...

Hello,Hello-I'm well and I hope you're all also in the well!! LOL - no reason to use that fractured English quote, except that I saw a new notice on the garbage room door today, which said' Please do not leave cartoons on the garbage room floor' and, I was grinning away imagining people leaving Tom, Jerry, Popeye, etc on the floor ...Strange, what funny ideas the mind gets at times. But then, that's me- when I'm in an off mood, it's difficult for me to make myself laugh...and,when I'm in a light mood, I can be hilarious..for myself as well as others round me. ---- On a slightly different note, the last two weeks have honestly not been the best, for some of my friends- bad news here, there, everywhere- and, that's why I was in no mood to write posts - but then, everyone's resilient-and, I'm sure everyone will come out of their difficult period sooner rather than later...here's saying a silent prayer for them! ---- I love reading newspaper...

Thought for the day: I never think of the future - it comes soon enough. Albert Einstein I haven’t done a movie review since quite some time. But then, maybe it’s because I haven’t had the patience to sit through any recent movies. Give me a movie like ‘Hungama’ or ‘ Bheja Fry’ or ‘ Khosla Ka Ghosla’ and I wouldn’t mind sitting through it all over again.Albeit, on video, not on TV where there umpteen ads to bear in between. I mean, how many snack breaks can you take when you’re trying to follow a strict diet regimen? LOL. But then, that’s a ‘post another day’ tale. On to the movie. ‘The Other End Of The Line’ is a collaboration between our own Adlabs and USA’s MGM, starring Jesse Metcalfe and Shriya Sharan. It is a nice movie, in the true sense of the word. A simple storyline, almost believable and a smooth flow of scenes from the first to the last. It’s all about this Indian girl Priya(Shriya Sharan), working at a call centre for an American Bank where they have to make clients believ...

They are back, they are back- those little lines I love so much. Those lines which I read, either when I begin my walk or when I'm ending it..you got it-I refer, of course, to the interesting ads people put up on every possible place- from the wooden board of a construction area to the lighting poles to the sides of cola dispensers...here are some of the good ones,nee,better ones. (Expert comments are welcome!) --------------------- - Wanted: Man/LAdy bedspace and couple also! --------------------- Bedspace available- AED 675- only bath attached and balcony --------------------- Room available for decent couple (My takes on this one- - Imagine some couple landing up at the advertiser's doorstep and saying' Hey,man!We're pretty indecent. We'll roam around in the room nude most of the time. But we're interested in taking this room... - Or,imagine someone saying' We're not really decent-we never maintain the place we stay in, and keep the rooms and the ki...

Thought for the day: What is to give light must endure burning…Viktor Frankl I am always fascinated by the questions people ask in the column ‘Open Space’ in the Sunday Times . Even I throw in my two bits now and then, and send in some answers as well, which get published occasionally. This has been going on for more than ten years now, and I still look forward to the column, every Sunday. It’s always a learning process, answering some of the questions. For example, do you know what a busman’s holiday is? Answer: It turns out that a busman’s holiday is a holiday when you do the same things on your holiday as you do at work. Amongst the origins of the phrase are two which caught my eye: It is said that the drivers of horse-drawn omnibuses in London in the 19th century were so solicitous of their horses' well-being that the drivers would often spend their days off surreptitiously riding as passengers on their own trolleys to make sure that the substitute driver was treating their hor...