Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Yaar main India chala!!!!


Yaaron sun lo zara....Apna yeh kehna....
Going back to..... India mein
rehne...
Big Ben nahin na sahi na sahi
Westminister nahin na sahi na
sahi
Lords nahin na sahi na sahi
Sky Connection nahin na sahi na sahi
Inki humko kyon ho fikar
Jee lo jaise mast Indian!!!


;-)

Catch you guys soon!

Cheers,
TLT

Friday, January 19, 2007

Thank You All!


Everything is decided! Finally I am heading back to India. I don't know what I feel? I always thought that I would be happy to go back to India. I don't feel that happiness. And I am not sad also! Actually I don't feel anything at all. I really don't know why!!

My colleagues gave me a farewell party today! Maybe it is a relief for them that I am leaving... Or maybe they can't let anyone go without a send-off? Or Maybe as they said they will geniunely miss me ( Duh! That was way over the top I know! ;-) Who is going to miss me??)

Ahem. All right, guys! It was a great evening! Thanks for the wonderful parting gift! I know that somewhere down the line I will remember each and everyone of you.

There are a few things that I will miss when I leave UK. The points enlisted below are not in any particulal order.

1> Cold wind blowing against my face
2> Evening rounds of TT with Sumeet
3> Guinness Irish Beer
4> Fish and Chips
5> Sky TV Subsciption
6> British Countryside
7> English Summer
8> Friends here! (But on the other hand, I will be going back to some!)
9> Lying all wrapped inside my 14 Tog Duvet ;-)

Also before signing off, I need to read out some thank you notes.

Thank you Amar/Debo for being good mentors.
Thank you Patro/Guru for trusting in my abilities.
Thank you Sumeet for being a good friend and an even better partner in TT.
Thank you Kanchan for being such a good stress-buster. I always feel good after our chat sessions.
Thank you Subba for being my Idol. I would love to be as technically sound as you some day.
Thank you Karan for being a such an irritating friend. I like the way you carry yourself, but simply hate the sarcasm in your voice sometimes. I will miss you.
Thank you Dimitre for being such a good analyst. You have been so approachable. Thank you again.
Thank you offshore team for staying so helpful and enthusiastic about everything. We owe the project success to you guys.
Thank you Gagan, Atul, Diptesh, Rachit for being good roommates.
Thank you Subharna/Sumeet and Nagu/Venky for being such wonderful hosts. I know it takes a lot of courage to endure me.
Thank you everyone whom I may have missed! I could have taken more names but being a lazy person as I am; I will ,with all my heart, thank "Everyone" with this one note.

Have a good day!
And thanks you again friends!

Cheers,
TLT

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Someone to watch over me ;-)


I guess some of you would remember my copyright (wink wink)
PI factor.
Well the notorious PI factor has caught up with me again!
I had been worrying so much about my US Visa from the time I set my foot in the UK. First I booked an appointment in India. When I finally came to know I couldn't make the appointment in time, I cancelled it.
Then booked a new appointment in the UK. The harder I chased, the further it seemed to slip away.
I think this time I forced so hard, that I messed up the entire equilibrium. I spent so much time thinking about it, that I forgot to ENJOY my stay in the UK.
And to top it all my Visa appointment yesterday couldn't have gone any worse. The interviewer asked me no questions at all. He just told me point blank that since I haven't undergone any courses in the UK, he wouldn't be able to judge my educational qualifications, and that I should have this appointment rescheduled in India.
Poor me. ;(

On the other hand I think that everything will turn out to be just fine. The Lord is my shepherd and he keeps watch over all his flock. I will get my VISA when the right time comes. And I believe that the 'GKWIBFM' ,pronounced \kweeb-femme\ :-),theorem totally negates the 'PI' factor.

Have a great day and God bless us all.
Cheers,
TLT

P.S> If you are still wondering what 'GKWIBFM' stands for? It is 'God Knows What Is Best For Me'.

P.P.S> I got an update today that I will be moving back to India soon. Yipeeeee!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

A Mushy Weekend....


What would you do when you have loads of time in hand and a nice cold weather for company?
I decided to watch movies..Yes! Loads of it. And believe it or not all mushy ones.
Some on my faithful IBM Thinkpad, and others on TV. The list comprized of movies like Spanglish, Four Wedding and A Funeral, A Lot Like Love, The Last Kiss, DDLJ, and believe it or not Main Meri Patni Aur Woh!
You know there are some days when LOVE is all that you care about. And today was such a day.
The morning opened with me watching the beautiful sunrise over the Canary Wharf. It's funny how indulging a small treat like this can kickstart a beautiful day. It showered me with with so much of beauty, that everything else was sidelined.
The gloomy pessimistic shadows are now brightened by the optimistic shades of the sunlit skies.
I am happy! I am contended! I am in love with the beauty around me!
And I promise myself - "I am going to stay the same."
Some of the mushiest lines from my mush favs:
"I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One"
Nicholas Cage in 'City of Angels'

"I love you. And not, not in a friendly way, although I think we're great friends. And not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although I'm sure that's what you'll call it. I love you. Very, very simple, very truly. You are the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. But I had to say it. I just, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. I can't, I can't look into your eyes without feeling that, that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. I can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are. And I know this will probably queer our friendship - no pun intended - but I had to say it, because I've never felt this way before, and I don't care. I like who I am because of it. And if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore, then that hurts me. But God, I just, I couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome, which by the look on your face is to be the inevitable shoot-down. And, you know, I'll accept that. But I know... I know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment, and if there is a moment of hesitation, then that means you feel something too. All I ask, please, is that you just, you just not dismiss that - and try to dwell in it for just ten seconds. Alyssa, there isn't another soul on this fucking planet who has ever made me half the person I am when I'm with you, and I would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau. Because it is there between you and me. You can't deny that. Even if, you know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that I'm forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me, which - while I do appreciate it - I'd never need a painting of birds bought at a diner to remind me of. "

Ben Affleck in 'Chasing Amy'

"They should name a gender after you. Looking at you doesn't do it. Staring is the only way that makes any sense. And trying not to blink, so you don't miss anything. And all of that, and you're YOU. I mean...
Look, forgive me. It's just you are DROP DEAD, CRAZY GORGEOUS! So much so that I'm actually considering looking at you again before we finish up here"

Adam Sandler in 'Spanglish'

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible"
Billy Crystal in 'When Harry Met Sally'

"Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me."
Richard Gere in 'Runaway Bride'
Stay Happy,
TLT
P.S> I watched the entire Season 10 of Friends yesterday. It was awesome. I cannot believe that there is no more Friends. This was the one sitcom that redefined the benchmark in entertainment. A lot about love, friendship and caring; I owe to Friends.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Gabbar Vs. Sambha


Do you know what happens when idle brains clash? They remake Sholay, making Gabbar and Sambha as the lovable fiendly (spelling mistake intended!!! ;¬) duo.
Preeti, henceforth addressed as Gabbar, is a lovable nocturnal creature working at a TOI office in India.
Your's Truly, hereafter addressed as Sambha, is a (not so) lovable daytime beast working at a Client site in London.

One fine day.....

Gabbar:
Haan to sambha kya ho raha hai re???????

Sambha:
Kuch nahi gabbar pyare!
Bas kaam chal rahe they dher saare!
Tu suna tera kya haal hai..
Hum toi yahaan behaal hain.

Gabbar:
Sahi... itne nikkamme ho gaye.. ki shayari shuru kar di..
bura nahi hai.. likho.. hindi filmo mein kaam mil jayega..
isi tarah ke lyrics ko jazz music ke sath bajate hai..
woh suna hai na..

hai huku..hai huku.. hai hai
yeh ladki mere samne mera dil liye jai


so the idea was to say that girl took my heart away...
lyricist ko kuch sujha nahi to pehle line mein
hai huku..hai huku laga diya...
Saala junglee!!
Kuch dino mein naya gana aayega


jinga jinga... hum tum barsat mein bhinga...
hulu hulu... tera mai.. meri
tu.

Sambha:
Saaley! Gabbar!!
Mere shayari ko tumne hai huku se compare kiya.....
Is gustakhi ki saja milegi..
Zaroor milegi magar pyar se.... gandhigiri se!!!

Gabbar, tumhare jaisa dost ho to shukriya upar wale ka..
Hum jaiso ko raasta tumhi to dikhate ho..
Warna yaar- dost to saikdon hain jahaan mein
Magar har roz tumhi kyon yaad aate ho..

Gabbar:
Gabbar-Sambha ki jodi..
Jaise khate-pite ghar ke godha -godhi
Dono saat samundar ki doori hai..
Phir bhi nahi koi majboori hai..
Aish karte hai....karwate hain
Koi interfere kare to uski waat lagate hai..

Sambha:
Ispar humein bhi kuch kehna hai..

Ae dost, tumhe meri dosti ka hai waada...
Tang na kiya kar, humein itna zyada...
Jaag utha agar mere andar ka khoonkhaar janwar...
Bemaut mar jayega tu mere yaar...
Aur yeh na kehna hi kiya nahi tha tumhein khabardaar.
Gabbar ho ya Gobar.. Pitega mujhse tu baar-baar..
Lagatar.... Hoshiyaar!!!

Gabbar:
Agar tumhe janwar jagana aata hai..
To humein tumhara bhoot bhagana aata hai
Dosti ke naam per paan ki peek...
Itna maar khayega ki ho jayega thik..

Bemaut marne ki baari tumhari hai..
Jeet to kal bhi hamari thi aaj bhi hamari hai..
Chikta rahega khabardaar hoshiyaar....
Aur upar se padti rahegi tujhe maar

Itna nahi kafi... to hum karenge upkar
Gift mein denge tujhe juton ka haar....
Kyon darpok... tera josh kidhar gaya
Yaad rakhna-- gabbar ne kaha tha-- jo darr gaya woh marr gaya
ha ha ha !!!

Sambha:
Ab bhoot hi keh diya humein to yeh lo jawaab!!

Jaanwar to kabu me phir bhi aa jate hain
Shaitaan ko kaise kabu me kar paogi?
Abhi door hain to 'tang' kar leti ho mujhe..
India agar aaon to kya yeh continue kar paoge..

Jeet tumhari kabhi na thi...
Kabhi na hogi...
Gabbar ki jeet sirf khwabon mein..
Sirf khwabon mein hongi poori!

Kar le jatan..kar le koshish...
Ae Joonton ke haar ke sartaj !!
Gabbar ki batein humein yaad rahengi..
Itni maar ke baad Gabbar ko khood yaad ho, yeh maalom nahi!

Ye maan le dost, ki tang karne me mazaa aata hai

Jazbaato ke saagar mein lehrein uthti hain
Tumhara mann un lehro me gote lagata hai..
Kya karein dost, tu mere mann ko bahut bhata hai

Aur iske aage mujhe kuch nahi aata kai :)

Ab bol kambakth!!!

Gabbar:
Jaldi hi khud ko shaitaan man liya tumne
Hamare taquat ke samne
Hathiyar dal diya tumne
Khair isme hi tumhari bhalai thi..

Warna kya tumhari shamaat aayi thi..
Jo gabbar ke samne sir uthate
Idiotic shayri se mera mood jalate

Waise gabbar ko tumhari ek baat pasand aayi

Tang karne ka maaza hi kuch hai bhai
Dekho tang kare-karte hum shayar ho gaye
Sholay ki duniya se nikle to shayari ki duniya mein kho gaye.

Friendship ka yeh andaaz accha hai
Par maan le tu mere samne bacchha hai.

ha ha ha ha !!!

-------------------------------------------
Gabbar ki in baaton se Sambha bilkum darr gaya...
No reply for some time...

An ecstatic Gabbar replies:
Kaisa saathi hai tu gabbar ka jo darr gaya
Kya main samjhu tu marr gaya
Dena nahi aata jawab
Ab to teri halat hai kharab
Teri halat dekh kar taras aa raha hai
Jo kal tak sher bana phirta tha.. aaj ghas kha raha hai ha ha ha

---------------
Hope I didn't bug all with my stupid (as ME) post ;-)
Take care.
TLT

Saturday, January 06, 2007

O SGM! Where ART thou ;-)


SGM hates meetings!!! Most of the meetings serve no other purpose rather than to have an alibi for your presence for an hour or two.
Well today he was forced into attending one. SGM was the last person to enter the room. He sat there with a notepad and a pen placed neatly on the round table.
The other attendees had lots to debate and discuss. But all that SGM could hear was the ocean. The wide blue ocean symbolized freedom for him... freedom from work! freedom from relationships! freedom from thoughts! freedom from life itself!!


Note ~ SGM longs for such freedom...

His hands now shifted and cupped his ears in a different way! The boisterous waves crashed against the rocks. The magical rhythm of sea upped a beat.
As SGM breathed the moisture laden ocean-air into his nostrils and danced to the ocean beats, his pen moved unknowingly over his notebook scribbling something in a frenzy.
When the waves subsided, silence fell across the land! SGM put his pen down.
The scribe read the minutes of the meeting. It sounded all greek and latin! SGM was glad that there was no action item on his plate.
"Thank You", the leader called out.

SGM breathed a sigh of relief. The meeting was over! And there were positive results from this meeting. He had created a masterpiece! ;-)

Cheers,
TLT

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Movie Maniac....

I am a passionate follower of cinema, not just restricted to the likes of Bollywood and Hollywood, but cinema on a global scale! I just love watching movies day in and day out. And having watched so many movies, it's difficult to pick the best among them all. But daring as I am, I am going to take on the daunting task to name a few.
Note ~ This list was compiled almost an year back! I am just adding a couple of new names to the list.

The compiled list is not set in any particular order ;) And another thing to note is that this list excludes a lot of the cult classics like Golfather, Fight Club, Star Wars etc.

1>Good Will Hunting : Kudos to Gus Van Sant's amzing movie about a gifted math brainiac ( Matt damon ). The screenpay deservedly won an Oscar for Matt and Ben Affleck for the screenplay. I still do not believe the rumours that a major chunk of the screenplay was discussed an written over the phone. There are lot of really riveting dialogues in this movie...the best one being Matt's reply to why he doesn't want to join the NSA ;-) Don't remember? Read this.
"Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll give it a shot. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. So I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never had a problem with get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Send in the marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number was called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some guy from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes home to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile my buddy from Southie realizes the only reason he was over there was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the skirmish to scare up oil prices so they could turn a quick buck. A cute little ancillary benefit for them but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And naturally they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin' 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what do I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. Why not just shoot my buddy, take his job and give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president."

Truly amazing!!!
Even Robin Williams and Ben Affleck were amazing in this movie. Read more amazing quotes from this movie @
IMDB

2>Shawshank Redemption : Shawshank Redemption is by far the best movie crafted out of Stephen King's novels(The Green Mile came really close). This film boasted of a stellar cast, with Tim Robins playing an inncoent man in prison accused of murdering his wife. This is one of the best survival stories ever. Watching this movie you realize that there is always hope...hope of some thing better...and it is this hope that can help you endure the worst of pains."Salvation lies within!!"...yes it truly does!!

3>Finding Neverland : Being a Johnny Depp, this movie had to appear in my list...I love almost all Depp movies. He knows how to get into the skin of any role he plays...for example, in The Brave...he plays a convict just out of prison being offered to star in a "snuff" movie to help his poor family. In Pirates of the Carribean..he plays captian Jack Sparrow with such sincerity that it made this chidlren's movie an adult's fav too...i can put a lot of his movies in my list but that wouldn't be fair to other actors, so I am sticking only to Finding Neverland..Another day I would have put "What's eating Gilbert Grape" or any other of his movies.. In Finding Neverland, Johhny plays J.M Barrie the author of Peter pan...His relationship with Kate Winslet and her kids is truly endearing....

4>Forest Gump : I bet this movie will be in my top list for years to come. This is Tom Hanks at his best..Who can forget the opening lines.."My name is Forrest, Forrest Gump. Do you want a chocolate?". This movie is not a fairy tale, but it is as beautiful as one...Forrest's love for Jenny, his fiends, his `momma`...I could watch this movie over and over again without getting bored.

5>Shrek : This was one of the foremost children's movie to appeal equally to adults. Shrek, the ogre voiced amazingly by the funny Mike Myers...his best pal "Donkey" voiced by the talented Eddie Murphy...Princess Fiona voiced by Cameron Diaz..and the King voiced by John Lithgow....All truly remarkable performances...
This fairy tale is full of surprises....The are a lot many brilliant scenes in this CGI movie but the best scene for me was the song "Halelujah" when Fiona and Shrek part ways... Shrek 2 came in later with a new character -- Pussy Cat, voiced by Antonio Banderas. This too was a great movie earning more that the original, but still the original remains closer to my heart.

6>Bull Durham : I personally know a lot many people who just hate Kevin Costner. They feel that he is very much overrated as an actor. Watch "Dances with Wolves", "The Untouchables", "Bull Durham" and I bet that you will feel otherwise. I had a tough time deciding between these three... And I choose Bull Durham, because it captures the essence of sports. It is one of the best movies on Baseball...
The movie takes you on a journey with Crash Davis, played by Costner who loves baseball more than anything in the world..Tim Robbins, plays a rookie, who is mentored by Crash. The best dialogue of the movie..
"You don't respect yourself. That's your problem. You don't respect the game. That's my problem." Wow!!!

7>A Beautiful Mind : I must say that I read the book by Sylvia Nassar after I watched the movie.. The movie did not show everything what the book said...but to hell with that....This is really a wonderful movie.. Crowe, plays a brilliant mathematician, John Nash who is affected by paranoid schizophrenia...The supporting cast was great, Jennifer Connely, Ed Harris. payed their parts really well.

8>Groundhog Day : This is a cute film. Just try to put yourself in Bill Murray's shoes...he is having is worst day of his life repeating over and over again.. Bill Murray is a fine actor and he has displayed that over and over, the latest being `Lost in Translation` and 'Broken Flowers'. If you don't like this movie at first, watch it again... This movie had truly left me amazed till date.

9>When Harry Met Sally : This is one of the best romantic movies ever made( Sleepless in Seatle is also a close competitor in this category)... Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal were brilliant in this movie. The question that this movie tries to answer is that, Can men and women be only friends? Even after watching the movie, I cannot make my mind. ;-) I can watch this movie again and again without even blinking an eye....the story moves so fast and you will not realize how soon one and a half hour passes by.

1O>About A Boy : Being in London, I really had to put a British film in my list...I thought long and hard..the only two movies that come to my mind were "Love Actually" and "About a boy"..Both are great movies..Hugh Grant revelled in both of them. Please read this book authored by Nick Hornby...It's a great read and the movie even better ;)

11>Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (a.k.a Amelie) : The only foreign language on this list. The movie has best and the most colourful visuals that I have ever watched in a movie. Compared to most other films "Amelie", is just an ordinary story about a girl living in Paris seen through the lovely eyes of Audrey Tautou. She is extremely beautiful!!!
If you haven't already watched 'Dirty Pretty Things', please do watch it. Audrey looks fab in that too.

Hero (A Jet Li masterpiece) came very close to dislodging Amelie from this list. Maybe next time!!

Other movies that I love :- 'The Usual Suspects', 'American Beauty', 'Fight Club', 'Chasing Amy', 'Chupke Chupke', 'Kilukkam', 'Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il', 'Sin City', 'Roja', 'Musa', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Agneepath', 'Ramji Rao Speaking', 'Green Street', 'Gladiator', 'The Sixth Sense', 'Serendipity', 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S.',and so on and so forth


So thats all for today!
Signing off.
TLT

Monday, January 01, 2007

2007: An Introductory Retrospection


2006 has been a different year for me. I wouldn't classify it as good or bad, but I would just say different. It was exciting, challenging, interesting, lonely, difficult, lucky, happy all at the same time.
If I were to just scribble what 2006 meant to me in a couple of minutes it would be :

new place--new people---new work---time to establish oneself---struggle---work load--lots of bugs---trip to scotland---shifted residence---awesome apartment overlooking a canal---work load reduces---lots of treks and travels---misses family and friends back home---trip to india postponed---project released successfully---lots of initial hiccups---now stabilized---another Christmas in London---travel plans to india gets delayed again---new year---wiser

BTW, yesterday midnight, I was at the London Bridge to view the fireworks sponsored by the Mayor of London. The sight was simply awesome.


Please find below a video of the same.


Have a fun-filled New Year 2007.

God Bless,
TLT