Rewind....

These days Rai is inspiring a lot of my posts. I was going through her Orkut album and I was so happy to see her in those cute pics with her baba and maa.
That's when I started thinking about my childhood. I know had a happy childhood, but I can't recollect my experiences. It is as if my childhood never existed!!!!
I don't have many pics to boast of. Just a select few which are very dear to me. I know that, in those days, having a camera was considered 'ways of the rich'.
Not many people owned cameras of their own, at least not in the parts where I belong.
My roots take me to a small village, 'Bethanymala', atop a hill. It translates to Bethany Mountain. It is a very beautiful place which, in those days, hosted just a handful of residents. A beautiful stream.... An amazing waterfall..... Awesome views of the valley.... Rich green canopy.... what else would you want from a hometown.
But this is deviating from the topic. All these recollections of the grandeur of the place is primarily because of my more recent visits. To be frank, I don't remember my early childhood... I don't even remember most of my schooldays. I am really jealous of some of my friends who boast of having crystal clear memory of their childhood.

On later thoughts, I think that I have a selective memory. I remember few buddies from my 2nd and 3rd grade. I remember some of my teachers I very well remember my principal.
That's it!!!! It is as if someone has broken into my brain and erased a part of it. I want to get it back ... desperately!!!

HELP ME! Puhleez...

TLT

P.S> My project got extended for a week! So one more week in Des Moines ;-)

Birthday Wishes

I was going through a blog post by Rai where she mentioned about catching up with a long lost friend through Orkut. Thats when it suddenly struck me that I haven't visited Orkut for more than 2-3 months.
So I opened orkut today and what do I find? Loads of birthday wishes!!!!
So here is the list of 'em all!!

"dude! belated Happy Birthday!"
"Many Many Happy Returns Of The Day. "
"I wanted to wait till the party was over and see if you are happy of sad...... Happy because you get to grow wiser and sad cos that inevitably gets you older ...... Actually thats a load of crap ..... You know I'm making excuses for not wishing you earlier !!! :P
All the same Happy Birthday bro ... hope you had a ball
Ciao"
"Miyaan... Janamdin ki bahut bahut shubhkaamnaayein :-)"
"Happy B'Day Roshan !!!"
"Many Many Happy returns of the day!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Janamdin mubaarak ho!"
"Happy Birthday Roshan. God bless you in the coming year with all your hearts desire. Have fun! =) "
"Hey Roshan..
Wish ya many happy returns of the day...
Kal office main party dena !!"
"Happy Birthday Sir.... "
"Many many happy returns of the day da.. enjoii "
"happy bday MAMU !!!!!!! "
"Hey, Wish U A Very Happy Birthday!!! Have a great day......."
"hey roshan many many happy returns of the day...have a blast... "
"many many happy returns of the day ? where r u ? when r u returning back to india ... "
"Many Many Happy returns Of The Day "
"Hello Roshan Mahanama
many many hapy returns of the day
may u have a successful yr ahead!!"
"janm din mubarak ho !! "
"Happy Birthday Roshan. Have a great day! "
"sir, seeing as you're in india and it's past twelve there, i wish thee a very happy birthday. so how goes it? "
"Happy Birthday Mate! "
"hey...nice pics dude, good touch of humour !! birthday wishes to u...have a better year than the last one :) "
"advance bday wishes bhai...:-) "
"Happy birthday man "
"happy birthday in advance!! "

Thank you friends for remembering my B'Day! Also thanks to Orkut too!

Cheers,
TLT

P.S> It's my first weekend in Des Moines. Guess what we did?
We played cricket!!!! Then had Hyderabadi Chicken Curry at an indian restuarant here. Ain't it awesome?

US of A

Hi friends.
I will be away from blogsphere for a week or two. I am on a work assignment to Des Moines, Iowa. I am told by all that I may have reached here at the perfect time. The temperature ranges from a cold 5 degrees C early morings to a high of 20. It's almost perfect!

Also friends, please continue your support for ViDYA. We really need your support.
Thanks once again.

Cheers.
TLT

She has right to live too!

Hi Friends.

On a serious note today:-

Did you know that one an average 14 out of every 1000 girls born in India are a victim of Female Infanticide or Foeticide?

In India girls are considered a burden to the family they are born into. And why you may ask! Blame it on the dowry system prevalent in India that requires the family to pay out a great deal of money when a female child is married.

For families leading a 'hand to mouth' existence, the birth of a girl child can signal the outset of extreme financial troubles. The ratio of girl children to boy children in India is decreasing at an alarming rate (almost at a rate of 3% each year).

However this anti-female bias is by no means limited to poor families. Much of the discrimination is to do with cultural beliefs and social norms. These norms themselves must be challenged if this practice is to stop.

To effect this change is the vision of ViDYA - an initiative taken up by few of my colleagues. Today I have pledged my allegiance to this group.
If we can help save one life, I would consider it to be an enormous achievement - both on the personal as well as the social front.

ViDYA is backed by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which aimed to run similar projects but was crippled due to lack of resources.
We are currently a 14 member team who have volunteered to work on this project. While we would be getting all the valuable information and guidance from UNFPA but we are still short on funds.

As for our action plan, we are targeting Mandya district as it has the highest proportion of female infanticides and foeticides. The latest studies shockingly reveal that, on an average, there are 18 girl children killed for every 1000 born.
This is 4% more than the national average. I know these figures might already give you goose bumps as they did to me, but what is more revolting is that of the 18 per 1000 killed, over 70% of it is infanticide. I don't know how people have the heart to strangle their own children to death.

The government is trying to protect a female foeticide by not allowing parents to determine sex of the foetus with the aid of modern technology.
Before this ban was imposed, the diagnostic clinics that boasted ultrasound scanners used to lure people with catchphrases such as 'Spend 600 rupees now and save 50,000 rupees later!'.
The ban has certainly reduced the volume, but some people still practice it under some pretext or the other.

Preeti Singh for The Tribune writes
"To be fair, there are stringent laws to protect the female child whether in the womb or after birth. But these laws remain on the statute books as there is no specific administrative machinery to oversee their implementation at the ground level. Ironically, some diagnostic clinics, having installed ultrasound machines, display a board warning their clients that tests meant to determine the sex of the foetus are against the law.
However, the business of detecting the sex of the child goes on inside the clinic under one pretext or the other, the most common being to detect Down’s Syndrome. This is permitted by the law."

I assume that we all understand the gravity of the situation.
Now, What is ViDYA going to do for this?

We plan to

• Have seminars and road shows in select villages in Mandya district


• Spread awareness by speaking to the teachers at various schools


• Design and distribute pamphlets spreading the message


• Promote our cause through media mention in local newspapers and local cable channels


• Conduct multiple awareness camps in order to spread the message


• Try to get some more volunteers (Maybe, even residents of Mandya)


• Gather funds for this cause through multiple channels.


• Provide sponsorship for 20-30 girl children (The number will depend on the funds/sponsors we get. The more the better!)


• Once these steps are successfully completed at Mandya, we plan to spread this to Mysore and then to other parts of Karnataka.

Friends, if like me, you too feel strongly for this project I urge you all to participate. If you are in around Bangalore/Mysore you can join us.
If not, you can still help this cause by pledging some money for ViDYA.
Please speak to your family and friends and explain to them the seriousness of the situation. There have been reported incidents of a girl being married to more than 1 person in the states of Haryana and Punjab.
In some of the regions there are only less that 800 girls for every 1000 boys. This is quite an alarming statistic.

If you, or people you know, are willing to set aside some money for us; please mail to me at roshan_abraham@hotmail.co.uk with the subject line as ViDYA:Donate:Rupees
(if you want to pledge in INR) or ViDYA:Donate:Pounds(if in GBP).
I was unable to set up a paypal donate button on my blog-site due to some technical issues, so please bear with me and mail me your pledges.
We can then later discuss how to channel it to ViDYA.
If you are willing to volunteer, please mail at the same email address with the subject line as ViDYA:Donate:Weekends

Looking forward to a large participation.

Cheers,
TLT

Whose seat is it anyway?

I was in Bangalore last weekend and I happened to travel on a K.S.R.T.C bus from Shivaji Nagar to Jalahalli West. The bus was jam-packed, but luckily(or unluckily) I managed to grab a seat - the one in the leftmost corner of the last row! You know the type that would make you do a "Saif", a la movie Dil CHahta Hai.
While I was struggling to hold on to the window rod and remain seated, I overheard some altercation going on couple of rows in front of me.

The Issue-> "A pretty young damsel had ventured into the unreserved area of the bus and had sinned by taking a seat there"

The Aggrieved Party-> "A mob of ,what I will hereon refer to as, grumpy old men"

The Complaint-> The girl had breached the code of conduct by venturing out to the non reserved are and had the audacity to sit when so many grumpy old men were fighting for a seat."

The Judge-> "The Conductor who did not seem to understand the Kanglish (A biased mix of Kannada and English) that the girl was uttering."

The Jury-> "The onlookers, which included me, who kept straining their necks to glance at the lass and then at the conductor and then at the aggrieved party as though watching a 3 way Table Tennis."

Case shuru kiya jaye!!!!
The grumpy old men kept on compaining to the conductor that the girl had encroached upon their right to rest their sorry asses on the cushionless seats to the 'ever so slow' moving bus.
The defendant pleaded 'Not Guilty!'. She said that there are only 2 types of reservation on the bus.

- Reservation for the Ladies
- Reservation for the Handicapped

She cried that there was nothing called as Men's Reservation on the bus and that anyone could be seated on the no reserved seats.

I nodded in consent, but quietly stopped when I saw the grumpy old me staring at me disapprovingly as though I had committed some loathsome crime.

The judge (Mr. Conductor) who did not understand even a single word what the defendant had to say, expanded his chest and announced the verdict. The defendant had been found guilty as charged! She was ordered to vacate the seat and move towards the front of the bus where her rightful place was!

I stared in silence as she rose up, a tiny drop of tear in her eyes. I hated myself for not having the courage to stand by what I felt was right. I could see the satisfaction on the grumpy old men's face. Everyone was beaming!

I rose up to beckon her and offer her my seat! By the time I could push my face out from the crowd to call her, she had somehow managed to move to the front of the bus. I turned back to return to my seat, but that was taken too.....

I am eager to hear your thoughts on this?

Whose seat is it anyway?

Cheers,

TLT

P.S> Based on a few comments that I received, I need to publish a slight clarification here before you pass any judments. The term Grumpy old men used in the above post is not a true indicative of the age. I consider myself, all of 26 years, quite old! The aggrieved party's age was not more than late 30s.

What's up Dog?

When I was in the UK, I made friends with this hefty 120 pound black dude, Devon Charles.
(Please note ~ I am not a racist! I call a spade a spade. I call the Brits white! But most often I refer to them as Pommies)
Don, as he likes himself called, is a very good buddy of mine. His towering stature and his magnanimous belly often puts you on the back foot.
Cricket followers would know what I am talking about. The ball comes at you at a brute pace and is directed to take your head off.
The best option for you is to step back and sway away from the line of the ball. Well, Don is 'THE BOUNCER' when you first meet him, but when he befriends you and speaks in his "YO" accent, the bouncer becomes 'A JUICY HALF VOLLEY' which you can just ease out of the stands.
I should stop talking about cricket. The minnows eating the sharks have gotten into my head. It's an amazing feeling, one of exotic intoxication, when I see the underdogs performing so well.
When everyone had written them off, they just came on to the field and gave a sterling performance.
It just set my tears rolling!
I am sad that India and Pakistan are out of the tournament, both teams studded with superlative cricketers!
(India is only virtually out as there is still one in a thousand chances of Bermuda defeating Bangladesh. And I bet that all of India would be praying for Bermuda's win. But I most sincerely wish that this should not happen. It would not be good for Cricket-more specifically Indian cricket. It was sad to see Dravid break down, as he did, after the team's loss to Sri Lanka. I don't think Indian fans have the heart to witness the team lose another match.)
But, I must say Bangladesh and Ireland played very well on the day that mattered the most.
Coming back to Don, he had called me up yesterday.
"Yo Dog! Wassup with you?" were the first words that he spoke to me after three months.
When you call some one a Dog in India you are sure to be reverted back with a barrage of the vilest abuses you might have ever heard.
Dharam paji during his peak times used to address every villain in his movie as Kutte! Kamine!
But when Don calls me Dog, he speaks so reverently and earnestly that I can only reply back with 'I am cool! Doggg' (with the added stress on the 'G')
I wonder why he adresses me as dog.

Ah! Maybe I know the answer.

• Don is a Man.
• Dog is man's best friend.
• I am Don's best friend

So does that mean I am Dog?

:-)

Cheers Dogs!
TLT

P.S> Indians were Lankan'ed yesterday. I knew that we lost the game when Sachin got bowled through the gate. I switched off my TV after that. I read in today's newspaper that Dravid tried to achieve the impossible, fighting and struggling to save the team from embarrassment, till the very end. It is very sad to note that the stalwarts of modern Indian cricket (Sachin especially) will retire knowing that they could not bring home the glorious cup even after competing for 3 years.

A much sadder note this World Cup is the murder of Pak coach Bob Woolmer. Pakistan was literally annihilated by the nascent Irish team. It is not yet confirmed who were responsible for this shameful act or what were the motives behind this. The killers may be anyone - some lunatic cricket fans, some members from the Pak team, the underworld. Let's not point our fingers at anyone before they are convicted. But whatever happened was really sad....and shocking! The entire cricketing community should be ashamed. Malcolm Speed has announced that such tragedies happen, and that the quest for the cup has to go on. I don't seem to agree.

Cricket has just become a way to earn some quick bucks- be it the corporate houses that use Cricket to lure the public into buying some crap, be it the cricket stars who themselves unabashedly plunge into the world of advertisements, be it the underworld who thrive on the betting racket to fund their despicable acts. I am sadder to see the common man getting trapped into all of this. I hate to see the sensible and passionate cricket fans to be turned into some sort of raving frenzied monsters who burn effigies of cricketers, attack their houses, when they don’t perform well!!!! I shudder to think how far they might go on with this.

This world cup would be marked as the event when Cricket lost its glory. It has become a devil's paradise - betting, match fixing, drugs, assault and now MURDER!

God Save Cricket!

Tagged - Why I am the Way I am

This is $$%%%$$ tough. Judging/Understanding oneself is really tough. Rai is the one who is making me do this.
'Dishum! Dishum! Pow! Kapow! Kaboom! Smack!' That was for you Rai ;-)

It's so easy to say "Alice is so pretty. She has a kind heart." Or, let's say "Ramesh is a brave boy. He fights everyday to overcome his own demons" .
Or, even easier would be to say "Shelly is such a mean person!" or probably "John doesnt even know how to dress smart!"

But, can I ever say something like this about myself? If I say good about myself people will think "Saala! Apne muh aap miyan mithu"
And bad about myself, I do not have the courage to say it out. I am afraid that it will ruin whatever I have currently. So this post would just be about my whites, or maybe something which is gray! But there won't be any black which will be revealed today.
I have tweaked the topic of the post more to my liking. This post contains 6 different characteristics of me and why I have those traits.

To make it interesting, let me try to write these in Haikus.

1. Emotional

Drops of rain
Tears gushing out
Mom scolded

(I cannot hide my emotions. You are at a disadvantage when people can fathom what really is going on inside your mind. I need to learn to mask my emotions.
Even watching some movies can induce tears in my eyes. This is definitely hereditary. My mom is as emotional as I am.
Note~ I don't cry when I chop onions)

2. Dual Personality

Under the hot moon
I saw it;
My mood swing

(One moment I am the happiest person on earth and in the next I am bitter. I don't understand why? Maybe its the way my DNA has intertwined.. :-)
Apart from this, compared to what I am otherwise, I am a totally different person when I am at office. This change is intended. I like to keep my work and home separate.
Note ~ My friends don't like this!!)


3. Tough

Scorching sun -
Dad's near fatal accident
Makes me sweat

(My dad's near death experience has changes our lives for ever. Each member in our family is now tougher than ever.)

4. Love My Comics

Sipping coffee reading;
In the balcony
Mandrake The Magician

(I love reading comics and graphic novels. Not that I don't read the normal novels. I do that too!
But I am not as passionate about it as I am for the comics. This I definitely know why. From childhood I was brought up on a regular doze of Indrajal comics featuring Phantom, Mandrake, Rip Kirby, Flash Gordon etc.)


5. Topophobic

Heartbeat rising
Stop; school stage
Morning speech

(I was always nervous when I was on stage.
I remember that once I had told my Mom that I could hear my heartbeats more than the speech that I delivered on stage. She immediately took me for a echo test to make sure my heart was fine. The doctor suggested that the symptom could be because of my nervousness ;-)
Again, I have not been able to find the root cause of this phobia. Maybe this is because I was always afraid of people judging me.

6. Funny Guy with lots of PJs :-)

Her smiling splashes
Recycled water
Really bad hairday

(I was watching Jiah Khan's lawn bath, from the movie "Nishabd", on Saturday. That was when I remembered that our company is very eco friendly an uses recycled water for watering our lawns.
I couldn't restrain myself from passing this comment "I wonder how Jiah's hair would look after a bath at My Company's lawns ;-)
And people did laugh at my pathetic joke!!!
I credit this trait my my friends. I was lucky( Read: Lucky me ... Unlucky You) to be in the company of friends who encouraged my stupid jokes... ;-)
Note~ Chandler Bing is my IDOL!


The bottom line is that we are moulded the way we are because of
1> Social Environment
2> Family
3> Friends
4> Adversities
5> Geographical Location
6> Faith
There are a lot more factors too that contribute to your appreciation or depreciation in some way or the other.
In the end what matters most is that what sort of clay you are made of? How resilient you are to bad influences and how accommodating you are to the good ones!

Cheers,
TLT

No Men's Day!!!

Today is a special day! A day that is supposed to spread cheer and glad tidings among all the Venus dwellers. Yes! On 8th of March, year after year, International Women's Day is celebrated globally.
Reason quoted: "connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential".
What about Men??? Don't men need to connect? Well I suppose we are already connected that's why there is no need of a celebration for us!
But lads! Don't be disheartened. You will get your share of a day soon. You may just have to wait for another 17 years and 20 days.
I understand that you are puzzled! How could some one predict future and that too stating such precise date?
Well, if Nostradamus could then why couldn't the street astrologer who beckoned me yesterday? He and his sidekick - The Parrot predicted that after 17 years and 21 days I would be appointed the Prime Minister of India.
He read the shock on my face and with a twinkle in his eye he repeated: "Yes! You will become the Prime Minister.. Probably the youngest!"
I have thought long and hard yesterday about this. The first things that I am gonna do is to revoke all reservations given to the galz! When the galz say they wanted to be treated as equal, it is our moral obligation that we agree to it.

- No "Aap Pehle"
- No opening the car door and waiting for you to walk "thumak - thumak" slowly and be seated.
- No separate ladies queue
- No bus or train seats for ladies separately!!

Some people might think this is foolish. It will only give rise to the number of eve teasing complaints against women. Don't worry ladies! I have a plan to stop this. Eve teasing will no longer be a minor offense. It will be treated as a non bailable offense with a maximum prison sentence to be 10 years of hard labour.
The only thing I am worried about is that we may have to lock up a quarter of India's male population.

March 28th, 2024 this bill will be passed and I shall declare it as Men's Day! Why shouldn't we have a day to celebrate our rights? We should and we will!

Yours sincerely,
Future Prime Minister.
TLT

;-)

The Revelation

During my early childhood, I was regularly fed with a heavy dosage of desi movies; be it Malayalam or Hindi. It was good fun! But it had its banes too.
When the hero and heroine used to kiss, they used to show two flowers coming closer in the wind and then shaking right in front of my innocent eyes.
And the next thing I know is that hero heroine had a kid!!! It really made me wonder which flowers were responsible for me.

Some months after that our teacher was giving us some advice about not to harm butterflies.

Note ~ She had seen a few of us catch butterflies in the school garden and tie a thread to it to make it fly like a kite.

She started teaching us about pollination, and how butterflies help with that. I did not quite get her explanation and all I concluded after her sermon was that apart from butterflies producing (pollinating) baby-butterflies, they also pollinate flowers!!! And flowers pollinate us!!!

One day I asked my mom about a mark on her stomach and she replied that I had kicked her a lot of times when I was inside her.
Now I was utterly confused!

Flower pollinated me and Mom ate the flower. Ah!!! That's why I landed in her stomach. I thanked my stars that she didn't chew the flower properly when she ate it.
I did not quite like the idea of being chewed by someone, be it my own Mom!!

Later, after a few more months of ignorance, the TRUTH actually hit me. I don't remember the real dialogues, but it was pretty close to the ones mentioned below.

Deepak: "Do you know where babies come from?"
Me: "I know! From flowers!"
Deepak, Dev, Ram, Murthy all give me a "Are you insane??" look.
Ram (the wisest of us all): "You buffoon! What gave you the idea that you came from flowers? Children resemble their parents. And in your case it is correct. You resemble a FOOL"(Phool - Fool!!! Got the connection? ;-)
Dev: "My Mother told that she asked me from God. And that an angel came one night and handed me to her!"
Murthy: "Yes! My mom too!"
Me: "Then how come everyone becomes fat before having a child?"
Deepak: "Ah! That is easy. To produce milk they have to eat a lot."
Ram: "Ya! Once the God gifts the children to the mothers, God tells her to feed the baby milk. That’s why they grow fat."
Me (trying to hide my surprise at the startling revelation): "I was kidding! I wanted to test you guys if you knew it!"
Ram & Murthy (in unison): "Ya fool! We know!"

Now I was more confused than ever!

• Why did my mom lie to me?


• If it was not me then who kicked her stomach?


• Why do they show such blatant lies in the movies?

Why! Why! Why! Who gives them right to screw around with such an innocent mind?

It was then I decided to go back to my movies ...
And after watching a few of them I came to the conclusion that my friends were right! “And why?” you would ask!
Because in most of the movies back then, the hero or the heroine would invariably say "Dekho! Bhagwan ne hamein chand sa pyara beta/beti diya hain na!”

And thus I discovered the truth!

Have Fun!
Stay Happy.
TLT

P.S> I don’t know what I am going to tell my (whenever it happens) kid in case he/she asks? I guess I will still go with "You are a gift from God!" ;-)

We are welcome...

I was really tied down with so much work, that I did not get time to post anything new. But here it is! My new post. ;-)

You know what my favoutite verse from the bible is?
It is taken from the New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 7.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there
of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a
fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Ask and you shall receive..... Amazing! So that does not give me a licence to ask anything under the sun. Well actually, I may ask; but I might not receive it coz it is also said in the testament of John, Chapter 15, Verse 7

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.

So we are all welcome to ask for his blessings and mercy! And I believe that our merciful and most wonderful Lord would listen to all our prayers and answer them. The maybe what you may not have expected, but he sure will answer.
There have been so many events in my life where my Lord has stepped in for me and carried all my burden.

His door is always open for us sinners! And all of us are welcome.

Stay Happy.
And May God Bless Us All.

TLT

Twenty Five Minutes....

My family and friends recognize that I was always a charmer. I had my way with people... looked at them with my goody-goody, toatally innocent looks and everyone used to fall over like nine pins. But that was the past. As I grew older; the charm seemed to drift away from me. I no longer seemed to have control over it. ;-(
When I was in the UK, I met a buddy of mine. He is a self proclaimed LoveGuru. He tried to impart his wisdom to me. All I did was laugh at the pick up lines that he taught me.
Last week, being bored out of my wits, I decided to use some of his tricks on an unknowing hapless victim. ;-) (wink wink..)
Location - Cafe Coffee Day
Me -> sipping Irish Coffee
She -> sitting all alone, messaging frantically on her mobile.
Note ~ She is a BOMBSHELL! The type that blows away the brains of any man who lay his eyes on her.
Me -> thinking aloud in a muffled voice "Ah!! So there's my test subject ;-)"
I wait for some time, intermittently glancing at her,making sure that she knows that I am aware of her presence. Then, I walk up to her and say "Twenty five minutes.."
She -> in a surprised tone "Excuse me?"
I repeated my words "Twenty five minutes.... That's the longest time that I ever taken to finish a cup of Coffee!!"
She -> Still in shock...but adds with a sweet smile "Do you want to take a seat?"
Me -> smiling back in return... "Sure!"
She -> "Do you want another Coffee?" she mutters out laughing.
Me -> straight faced and controlling my laughter... "No. Thank you. I wouldn't want to lose out on another twenty five minutes of my life."
She -> now laughing out aloud. "Do you use that on all the girls you meet?"
Me -> smiling.. "No. Only the ones whom I meet at Coffee Day!!"
Both of us share a laugh and some more coffee.

LoveGuru's trick does actually work.
;-)

I think I will ask LoveGuru to publish his works as "Twenty five minutes to a date."

Have fun. Stay happy!
TLT

Lo main aa gaya ;-)

Hi friends,

By God's Grace, I have reached India safely and have resumed work from my Mysore office. It is really good to be back to India. The icing on the cake was my mini vacation in my hometown in Kerala.
I could not myself believe that I was setting foot in Kerala after a span of 7 years.
It was great to be in the company of my family and relatives.
Already missing them :-(

God Bless Us All.
TLT

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

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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