Hamlet

"Hamlet: The Prince Of Denmark" is one of my all-time favourite plays. I studied Hamlet as a part of my English syllabus at the ISC level (my love for "Great Expectations" also arises similarly). Of the many fond recollections that I have of the play, the one that strikes me the most is when I argued with my English tuition teacher.

He was of the opinion that some of Hamlet's 'madness' were mere projections to throw the likes of Claudius, Polonius and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern off-guard; the rest of the time he had perhaps actually lost his mental balance owing to

a) his father's unfortunate (and perhaps untimely) death; and
b) his mother's little hesitation in getting married to his uncle, Claudius.

I argued with Sir (my English tuition teacher) that why put the blame on Hamlet, when such an accusation can be made towards most 'normal' human beings. Don't we all act most practical at times, only to act stupid and emotional at other times and not see things as they really exist?

Anyway, Hamlet's "To be or not to be" is one of the most famous soliloquies ever; it has every right to be so. However, I personally liked his first soliloquy more than his second. The following is Hamlet's first soliloquy from Act I Scene II:

HAMLET

O, that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!
But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two:
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!
Must I remember? why, she would hang on him,
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on: and yet, within a month--
Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman!--
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body,
Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she--
O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle,
My father's brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules: within a month:
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not nor it cannot come to good:
But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.

[link courtesy: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/hamlet.1.2.html]

But the one speech which I came to like the most in the whole play comes from a very surprising source: the foolish old man Polonius. His advise to his son Laertes, who is leaving for foreign shores for higher education, is something which I greatly liked. Here it goes:

LORD POLONIUS

Yet here, Laertes! aboard, aboard, for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for. There; my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!

[link courtesy: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/hamlet.1.3.html]

You don't need to be a Dhirubhai...

....to be an entrepreneur. You just need to be a passionate believer. Here's something I came across earlier today.

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Detroit School Of Rock Success Story

http://www.detroitschoolofrock.com/

(FORTUNE Small Business) -- If you think you can't launch a business in these tough times, think again. I recently met an entrepreneur who confirmed my belief that anything is possible if you have the right idea and sufficient passion.

A few weeks back, I listed some office furniture on Craigslist. A friendly guy named Jason Gittinger responded moments later. He was on the prowl for a good deal. Gittinger described himself as "just a drummer" but also mentioned that he was starting a business.

He stopped by the next day, and I found myself completely taken with him. Of course, it helped that he'd used StartupNation.com as a key resource to write his business plan, but what interested me most was his incredible, contagious passion.

Based in Royal Oak, Mich., The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music is Gittinger's dream business come true. The newfangled music school launches this week and promises to eliminate much of the drudgery of learning to play an instrument.

Instead of traditional music lessons, Gittinger's for-profit school immerses students in an actual five-member band of similarly skilled wannabes who jam together regularly, supplemented by practice sessions with a "music mentor."

Yes, the music usually sounds a little off, but the rising rock stars have a blast, which is critical to keeping them enthusiastic and engaged.

While the secret ingredient to Gittinger's business plan is this fun factor, the secret to getting the business off the ground - even in spite of the tough economic time - has been his passion.

Unlike so many who write business plans but never put them into action, Gittinger successfully scrounged all the key ingredients he needed to hang the "Open" sign on his door.

At every turn, his passion - verging on obsession - was pivotal.

For example, Gittinger needed to finance the build-out of the space. The drummer-turned-entrepreneur succeeded in getting an SBA-backed bank loan, which is no easy task. How did he do it? Gittinger not only wrote a business plan, but also created a 500-page training manual for the teachers whom he planned to hire. When he tossed that manual on the banker's desk, it became obvious that Gittinger wasn't your average drummer.

When he found his dream location, he got the owner excited about his concept for the school and put that "warm fuzzy" to work. He was able to negotiate the monthly rent down from $3,800 to $2,900. And because the owner took a shine to his vision, Gittinger was able to arrange for a portion of those monthly payments to be allocated to a future purchase of the property. Smart.

Next, how to furnish the place? It needed the "cool factor" musicians crave and insulated spaces where they could jam. Gittinger heard that the dilapidated Michigan State Fairgrounds was being demolished.

He got in touch with a foreman and offered to remove the wooden basketball court floor before the building was destroyed. Another sweet deal. Now his school would have gorgeous wooden floors, suffused with local nostalgia.

And on the way back to the school, he found two brand-new warehouse windows at a garbage dump, and threw those in the truck as well.

But now, how to pay for the labor to lay the floor, hang windows, build walls and paint everything - not to mention wiring, plumbing and making sure everything was up to code?

Again, Gittinger's passion played an unexpected but instrumental role. One day while he was screwing in the emergency exit lights, a 20-something guy walked through the front door. He was an aspiring guitarist who had heard about Gittinger's school.

"Dude, got any extra paint brushes?" he asked. "I'd be happy to help."

Many other volunteers helped out along the way. This wasn't just a business, people sensed. The launching of the school had become a cause, with Gittinger as its evangelist.

All in all, Gittinger estimates that he added about $1 million worth of improvements to the facility - but he spent only a tenth of that to get it finished. Better yet, he already has 90 applications from musicians who want to come play at the Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music. Not bad, considering that landing those first customers is the single most difficult task for any startup.

Based on his projections, Gittinger is now on the verge of leaping from the dollar-poor life of a drummer to the six-figure life of a drummer entrepreneur. Yeah, there's doom and gloom in all the major economic indicators. But does that really matter to Gittinger? Frankly, I'm not even sure he knows there's an economy out there. He's far too focused on his grand opening.

From http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com

Jhumri Talaiya

1. Received this SMS from a close friend today afternoon: "It is said that we know the meaning of being happy only once we've known what it is like being sad.. then how do we know that we are living till the time we experience death?"

Completely stumped, I could only recommend her to read up the works of Bertrand Russel and/or J. Krishnamurthi.


2. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is well and truly underway. It has been a much bigger hit than I had thought it would be; what with the damp squib that the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) turned out to be. I believe that after the opening match of the IPL (Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Bangalore Royal Challengers), Brendan McCullum has become an overnight sensation in Calcutta (I can't wait to go back to Cal to hear how they pronounce his name in the padas.)

And today, of course, they won at the Eden against the Deccan Chargers. Oh how I wish I were there!!!

3. I was speaking to Ravi today. He was complaining to me how terrible the heat and the humidity in Calcutta has become. I knew that he was absolutely spot-on 'coz only day before yesterday, a colleague whose parents stay in Cal was telling me the same thing. Moreover, Mom too was complaining about it over the phone today evening.

My mind rushed back to a few years ago when I was travelling around Cal in May and I was thinking to myself how awful it would become in a couple of years. And it has been that way!!! And I blame deforestation and unintentional ecology harming 'developments' for this.

I have resolved to do something about this as soon as I reach Cal. I've already asked a few friends and they too feel that something needs to be done urgently. It would be great if you could give me any inputs.

~folded hands~ Samaachar samaapt hue.

P.S. If you're still wondering why I mentioned the once major mica mining town of Jharkhand as my title post, it's because I couldn't think of anything appropriate for the disjointed post contents.

The Story of 'Man'

Today, I chanced upon the Vivekananda Vedanta Network website after a long, long time. Searching for inspiration, I desperately wanted to read some of his works.

Although not exactly what I was looking for, the following article really surprised me. Plus, towards the end of the piece, I also came across a story of Manu. I have of course heard of stories of the great sage Manu, but hadn't known about this one.

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This lecture on Jnana Yoga was delivered by Swami Vivekananda in London on June 21, 1896, and is reproduced here from his Complete Works, 2: 70-87.

Two Options: (1) Nihilism or (2) Seeking the Real

Two positions are possible. One is to believe with the nihilists that all is nothing, that we know nothing, that we can never know anything either about the future, the past, or even the present. For we must remember that one who denies the past and the future and wants to stick to the present is simply mad. One may as well deny the father and mother and assert the child. It would be equally logical. To deny the past and future, the present must inevitably be denied also. This is one position, that of the nihilists. I have never seen a person who could really become a nihilist for one minute. It is very easy to talk.

Then there is the other position--to seek for an explanation, to seek for the real, to discover in the midst of this eternally changing and evanescent world whatever is real. In this body, which is an aggregate of molecules of matter, is there anything real? This has been the search throughout the history of the human mind. In the very oldest times, we often find glimpses of light coming into the minds of people. We find men and women, even then, going a step beyond this body, finding something which is not this external body, although very much like it, much more complete, much more perfect, and which remains even when this body is dissolved. We read in the hymns of the Rig-Veda, addressed to the God of Fire who is burning a dead body, "Carry him, O Fire, in your arms gently, give him a perfect body, a bright body, carry him where the fathers live, where there is no more sorrow, where there is no more death."

The Concept of "The Fall"

The same idea you will find present in every religion. And we get another idea with it. It is a significant fact that all religions, without one exception, hold that we humans are a degeneration of what we once were, whether they clothe this in mythological words, or in the clear language of philosophy, or in the beautiful expressions of poetry. This is the one fact that comes out of every scripture and of every mythology that we as we are now are a degeneration of what we were. This is the kernel of truth within the story of Adam's fall in the Jewish scripture. This is again and again repeated in the scriptures of the Hindus; the dream of a period which they call the Age of Truth (satya-yuga), when no one died unless they wished to die, when they could keep their bodies as long as they liked, and their minds were pure and strong. There was no evil and no misery; and the present age is a corruption of that state of perfection.

Side by side with this, we find the story of the deluge everywhere. That story itself is a proof that this present age is held to be a corruption of a former age by every religion. It went on becoming more and more corrupt until the deluge swept away a large portion of humanity, and again the ascending series began. It is going up slowly again to reach once more the early state of purity. You are all aware of the story of the deluge in the Old Testament. The same story was current among the ancient Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Hindus. Manu, a great ancient sage, was praying on the bank of the Ganga, when a little minnow came to him for protection, and he put it into a pot of water he had before him. "What do you want?" asked Manu. The little minnow declared he was pursued by a bigger fish and wanted protection. Manu carried the little fish to his home, and in the morning he had become as big as the pot and said, "I cannot live in this pot any longer." Manu put him in a tank, and the next day he was as big as the tank and declared he could not live there any more. So Manu had to take him to a river, and in the morning the fish filled the river. Then Manu put him in the ocean, and he declared, "Manu, I am the Creator of the universe. I have taken this form to come and warn you that I will deluge the world. You build an ark and in it put a pair of every kind of animal, and let your family enter the ark, and there will project out of the water my horn. Fasten the ark to it; and when the deluge subsides, come out and people the earth." So the world was deluged, and Manu saved his own family and two of every kind of animal and seeds of every plant. When the deluge subsided, he came and peopled the world; and we are called "man", because we are the progeny of Manu.

Retro parking lot

Twice now have I been pleasantly surprised to the sights at my office parking lot.

The first occasion was a couple of months ago when I spotted this Beetle.


There's something about a Beetle which just draws your attention to it. (Motee says that it always looks like the Beetle is smiling back at you.)

And then, yesterday, I spotted this Jeep which just brought forth a wave of nostalgia.


However, my office parking space is not half as spectacular as this. ;)

Til Kingdom Come

The 'Welcome Tune' on my mobile phone now for some time... and the song on my iPod in a loop.

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"Til Kingdom Come"

Steal my heart and hold my tongue.
I feel my time, my time has come.
Let me in, unlock the door.
I've never felt this way before.

The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummer begins to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know which way I've come.

Hold my head inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I've waited all these years.

For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you'll come, and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.

In your tears and in your blood,
In your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing,
"I wouldn't change a single thing."

The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummers begin to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know what I've become.

For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come,
Until my days, my days are done.
Say you'll come and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.

-- Coldplay


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Now playing: Coldplay - Til Kingdom Come [Hidden Track]
via FoxyTunes

Praise works in many ways

I realised today that praise can work in many ways.

To most, praise can only uplift their spirits and make them feel happy and elated.

To others, praise can actually be disappointing, if they feel that their efforts haven't been recognised enough.

And yet there are those who feel extremely disappointed and dejected at having been left out of the laurel sheet completely.

Hmmm...

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life - Kaavya Viswanathan

A quick review about a book that I started reading purely on a friend's recommendation and that I was only too happy about reading an e-book version of. For, if I had had bought this book, I would've rued having spent good money on a book so sad.

'How Opal Mehta...' is the story of, well, Opal Mehta and how her entire life spins around getting admission into Harvard. Her parents have drilled into her the idea that the sole reason for her existence is to get into Harvard. They have formulated what they call the HOWGIH (How Opal Will Get Into Harvard) plan which includes cello lessons, welding lessons (these for recreation!!), math camps etc. Problem is, the child has become such a geek that the Dean of Admissions at Harvard asks her to 'go get a life'. How Opal and her parents struggle to find out what 'get a life' means forms the basis of the rest of the book.

Frankly, I liked the way the book began. Opal had nerdy written all over her character (in tense situations, she starts reciting prime numbers in her head so as to calm herself down). Moreover, the contrast between her and the easy-going free spirit Valerie 'call me Val' Marks in the first chapter is brilliantly funny.

Unfortunately, the book loses its sheen thereafter. The military precision with which Opal's parents proceed to try and get her a life is fun, but the idea is repeated too often.

I kept getting a feeling that I was reading the script of a very bad Hollywood teen-college movie where the protagonist is lost and confused about her identity. It was getting way too cliched and I hence, I decided to chuck reading the rest of the book.

Of course, there's the matter of plagiarism against the book, but the book in itself is too immature for me to comment on that issue. I would've overlooked the plagiarism bit if the book would've maintained my interest, but it did not. What ultimately matters to me is whether a book (fiction) entertains or not. Sadly, 'How Opal Mehta...' could not build on the expectations built in the first chapter.

Book Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Enjoy the Pursuit of Excellence

And that's it!! Enjoy yourself, have a great time. Like I recalled a few days ago to a friend, "One day, you're gonna die. What's the point in dying if you've never really lived??" Don't make the mistake of thinking about putting in that extra effort... just let the energy flowing within you take over and make sure you enjoy yourself so much in whatever you do (work, partying, reading a book or simply walking down a road) that the extra 10% beyond the 100% comes in naturally. And make sure you aim for the stars, 'coz life is fun only if you're shooting for the impossible... and enjoying the ride which takes you there. :)

Extreme Ways

I've just finished watching "The Bourne Ultimatum", the final film in the Bourne Trilogy. I absolutely loved the series !!! I feel it is films like these (and also films like 'XXX' starring Vin Diesel) that forced the makers of the James Bond films to rethink their script-writing fundamentals. It almost literally forced them to re-invent Bond... and what a wonderful job they did in not only casting the unlikely blonde-haired Daniel Craig as the legendary 007, but also in terms of the script (no flashy dialogues, almost no gadgets, et al.).

Also, I loved the manner in which all the three Bourne films ended. To add to the manner in which a punch-line is delivered by James Bourne, the end credits roll down with Moby's 'Extreme Ways' playing. It is an awesome track, one which you absolutely MUST listen to. :)




"Extreme Ways"

Extreme ways are back again
Extreme places I didn't know
I broke everything new again
Everything that I'd owned
I threw it out the windows, came along
Extreme ways I know move apart
The colors of my sea
Perfect color me

Extreme ways that that help me
Help me out at night
Extreme places I had gone
But never seen any light
Dirty basements, dirty noise
Dirty places coming through
Extreme worlds alone
Did you ever like it then

I would stand in line for this
There's always room in life for this

Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Like it always does, always does

Extreme songs that told me
They helped me down every night
I didn't have much to say
I didn't get above the light
I closed my eyes and closed myself
And closed my world and never opened
Up to anything
That could get me along

I had to close down everything
I had to close down my mind
Too many things to cover me
Too much can make me blind
I've seen so much in so many places
So many heartaches, so many faces
So many dirty things
You couldn't even believe

I would stand in line for this
It's always good in life for this

Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Then it fell apart, it fell apart
Oh baby, oh baby
Like it always does, always does

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Now playing: Moby - Extreme Ways
via FoxyTunes

The Sunscreen Song

On a day when a hundred questions regarding career and life (in that order) were running through my head, I couldn't thank Motee enough for making me listen to this...
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Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Lyrics to "Everybody is free to wear sunscreen" by Baz Luhrman

Have a great trip to Mumbai, Motee. :)

A beautiful weekend

I had a wonderful weekend, owing to some great company provided by Motee and Mistha. To add to the fun, Harsh was here too and it was great to catch up with him after about 3 months or so. Harsh and I visited the Hard Rock Cafe here in Bangalore and I must admit, the place rocks!! The food is great, the alcohol is better and the ambience (along with the music) is among the best that I've ever experienced. Also, the staff is very courteous.

It rained in Bangalore yesterday and today. Left stranded by the downpour yesterday were me, Motee and Mistha. We were on MG Road and decided to step into this bookshop called 'The Bookworm'. Totally loved the smell of old books in this shop. Couldn't tear myself away from buying the following:

1. The Shattered Thigh & Other Plays - Bhasa
2. The Laws of Manu
3. Rudra - The Idea of Shiva - Nilima Chitgopekar
4. The Interpretation of Dreams - Sigmund Freud
5. The Impossible Question - J. Krishnamurti
6. The Future of Competition - C.K.Prahlad; Venkat Ramaswamy

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Now playing: ColdPlay - Yellow
via FoxyTunes

Marriage / Merger Proposal

So I walk into our cabin which seats 4 people and my colleague Kiran tells me, "I've sent you a mail. Please check and reply." So I sigh and settle down into my seat to find the following in my inbox:

From: Kiran RS. Kumar

To: Shekhar Ruparelia
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 5:59 PM
Subject: Fwd: Marriage Proposal

Is she ok for ur marriage

And so, here was the mail that I sent back to him:

From: Shekhar Ruparelia
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 6:34 PM
To: Kiran RS. Kumar
Cc: Gaurav Prakash
Subject: Re: Marriage proposal

Dear Kiran,

First of all, many thanks for the brilliant job done in shortlisting a target for the proposed merger. You've surpassed my expectations and my regards for the same.

The target for the proposed merger seems great... however, prior to final negotiation deals, I would most definitely have to conduct further meetings with the party concerned. This would be required in order to study the compatibility of the mission, vision and values of the two organisations (in order to gauge the cohesiveness of the two cultures) before the proposed merger. Also, I would request you to present the time-frame till the time of proposed merger in a matrix format, with inputs on date, location and duration of meeting with the party concerned.

Please keep in mind that the proposed merger is to be considered only after a span of 2-3 years since I am still not EBITDA positive. This is due to a current trend wherein there is heavy cash outflow post my monthly receipts. These expenditures are primarily made towards our vendors (landlord, newspaper-wallah, eateries, beer-shop owner etc.) and while your eagerness to see the proposed merger happening as soon as possible is much appreciated by me, you must also acknowledge that my commitment towards the vendors is also non-negotiable.

Finally, I would also like to inform you that the proposed merger with the third party shall be subject to approval from my 2-bench Board of Directors (Mom and Dad) currently holding office in Calcutta.

Request you to revert back ASAP since I too am eagerly looking forward to future negotiations with the proposed party.

Regards,

Shekhar Ruparelia

The One Who Laughs The Loudest...

...isn't the one who's laughing last. It is, sadly, the one who is laughing on the jokes being said by the boss.

Tomaranu Kokoro

I don't know what set off the chain of conversation that I had with a friend today morning. Perhaps it was sleep deprivation, perhaps it was the steaming cup of cappuccino that I had just completed, perhaps it was a culmination of thoughts that had been lingering around in my head the last couple of days. Whatever it was, it was good.

I was on my way to Ramanagar (again) and was sitting in the privileged rear seat of the car when all of a sudden from nowhere ideas started floating around in my head and I just knew that I had to tell somebody about it. So, I shot off a SMS to a very close friend, and the following is a transcript of the SMSes that went back and forth:

Me: I've realised something. I can either choose to live a very ordinary, mundane existence; or else, I can push the envelope each day and go all out for a high achievement life. The idea is to pursue glory, to pursue greatness. And in that if I fail, at least I've tried to achieve the impossible, whereby I would have achieved much more than in a humdrum, mundane existence.

Friend: First one is a good option.

Me: First one is a good option; I've been living it the last two and a half decades. And guess what, I'm not too happy with the results. I am now in a state of mind where I want to improve by leaps and bounds each day. And that would require pushing myself to challenge the limits of my mind (and body) every single day.

Friend: Have you realised... you ought to slow down your thought process. :-)

Me: I don't want to slow down my thought process. No disrespect, but I want to firmly believe that we intentionally slow down our thought processes, which is unnatural. The Japanese have a saying - "tomaranu kokoro". It means "the mind which knows no stopping". Why should we humans unnaturally stem that flow of thought? Why shouldn't we be as dynamic as the river which flows and gushes and brings the fertile soil of ideas to the land around itself?

Friend: I blame it all on sleep deprivation... It makes people cranky. :P

Me: It makes me edgy, and I seem to thrive on it. ;)

Book week

I was fortunate enough to find time-out during the last week to go visit the Landmark store at Forum mall.

For the record, I think Landmark @ Forum Bangalore rocks! In my opinion, it is better than the Landmark at Calcutta (now renamed as Starmark stores). Again, Landmark is my favorite book shop in Calcutta when it comes to locating a book, otherwise it is the Crossword book-store on Elgin Road which I regularly haunt. Two reasons for going to Crossword:

a) I find the ambience at Crossword more pleasant than that at Landmark. It just seems to be the place where you can plonk yourself down on a comfortable sofa/bean bag and read a book.

b) It is just a 10 minute walk from my house.

Anyway, back to the book-hunting expedition that I launched into when I was at the Forum Landmark. I had planned on buying only one book, but then the excitement of buying a new book got to me and I ended up buying three. To add to my joy, I went to Landmark again yesterday and bought another book. Here is the list:

1. Antony & Cleopatra - Colleen McCullough
2. Bombay Tiger - Kamala Markandaya
3. The Best of Saki
4. On Self Knowledge - J. Krishnamurti

The Samurai Entrepreneur

While reading my current book, "Fighting to Win: Samurai Techniques for your Work and Life" by David Rogers, I came across the following extract:

"Naoshige (1537-1619), leader of the powerful Nabeshima clan, told his army of twelve thousand samurai: "When things are done leisurely, seven out of ten turn out poorly. A warrior is one who does things fast."

It reminded me of a quote by Sam Pitroda:

"An entrepreneur is one who has a sense of urgency even when there is no emergency."

PS1: I had read Mr. Pitroda's quote in a book titled 'Business Mantras' by Gita Piramal. The book is a compilation of quotes from Indian Business greats such as Dhirubhai Ambani, Aditya Birla, Rahul Bajaj, Ratan Tata, Sumantra Ghoshal etc.

PS2: Have not been reading regularly at all. Let's hope this book (Samurai Techniques) brings me back to my old ways.

Egg-ing it

The most complex meal that I've ever cooked for myself is Maggi. Yesterday, I decided to get a little more adventurous. And mind you, I've never ever prepared boiled eggs for myself.

Here's the story in pics:

The two boiled eggs that I made on my electric stove (which I later found out were only semi-boiled)


Taking the shell off the first egg was a bit of a hassle

The second one wasn't such a big issue


Voila!! Lunch... Maggi with egg. :)

~Sighs~ The joys of a blissful bachelor life.

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Now playing: 01.Welcome-Shaan, Wajid & Soumya Rao
via FoxyTunes

Sunday's guided tour

I was wondering how to put into words the wonderful evening that I had on the Sunday that just went by. For starters, the lunch was great (simply cooked rice, dal and potatoes...yumm!). Later, made a new friend and we formed an impromptu brotherhood... err... the 'Brotherhood of Deepika Padukone Fans'. And the evening was spent roaming the streets of 'namma Bengaluru'.

But, Motee put it best on her blog here. Read it to get a glimpse into the magical evening.

Where in the world?

Where in the world is Shekhar? No, not a reference to the classic computer game, but a very genuine question a few people were asking when I took a break from blogging a month ago.

To bring everybody up to date with events in life, I'm now in Bangalore. Work is challenging and I'm enjoying the independence and responsibility that comes with living alone. Kinda like what my friend Ridhi was saying here:

You need to come out of that comfort zone and then see what life has to offer to you. And believe me it's not easy. It's not easy to come back home to an empty house after a long day at work; it's not easy to come home and wonder what to do for dinner; it's not easy to survive on McD/Pizza Hut for 6 months; it's not easy to learn cooking right from scratch... it's not easy to spend the weekend doing odd jobs like washing your clothes, going grocery shopping etc.

And as for work, yes I'm pretty proud of the fact that towns in Karnataka which were little more than tongue-twisters for me a fortnight ago are places where I today have developed business contacts all on my own and have kicked off the negotiation processes. Trust me, it's a great high when you know that the odds are stacked against you, your superiors do not expect much out of you since, hey, "you're only a management trainee and you also do not know the local dialect" and yet you manage to take long, positive strides towards your ultimate objective.

Okay. Enough of blowing my own trumpet.

Let me just leave you with a pic that I took from my mobile-phone when I was at a place called Ramanagara, which is 42 km south-west of Bangalore. Movie enthusiasts would immediately point out that this is the same place where David Lean's 'A Passage to India' was shot. Hindi movie fans, however, are more likely to point out that this was the place where Ramesh Sippy created magic when he shot 'Sholay'.

Back

Ok, we're back.

:)

Happy New Year

Wishing everybody a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I'm taking a break... It may be a while before I return.

Take care. Cheerio. Keep smiling. :)

Hungry Kya?

This Christmas, it is very likely that I’ll be going off to sleep early. I would not like to stay up late and party for a very simple reason.

~big grin~

India takes on Australia at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test Match. Just the idea of listening to Richie Benaud and Bill Lawry commentate on what promises to be an exciting series is enough to make me get up early on the 26th of this month.

And I’m seriously hoping (and praying) that the 16 man Indian team is hungry enough. If they show enough intent, I’m sure that India can put up a very good fight and come close to winning their first series on Australian soil.

Let us have a look at who in the Indian team should have the hunger to succeed and why.

The Openers:

Wasim Jaffer has had a good run of late and the second double hundred of his career against Pakistan at Eden Gardens (his first double century was against West Indies in their back-yard) should give him all the confidence required to dig in his heels at the outset of the innings.

Sehwag is the guy who should look at this opportunity as a God-send. Not many were expecting him to be selected for the tour. Now that his name has come up, he should make the most of it and prove a point to his critics. Who could ever forget that Sehwag sixer at Multan to become the first Indian to score a triple century? If Sehwag shows even a glimpse of that triple hundred or even the 195 that he scored at the MCG, it will be worth all the effort to wake up early.

Personally, I will be disappointed if Dinesh Karthik isn’t given a look-in in this series. Except for his poor form in the home series against Pakistan, he has done very little wrong this year at the openers’ slot. I really liked the way he batted in England. Even if he gets a single Test to showcase his talent, he should grab it with both hands.

The Middle-Order:

How many times does Rahul Dravid need to prove to the Indian public and cricket-gurus that he is worth his place in the side? He was not nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for no reason. Dumped from the one-day series against Pakistan, he scored a brilliant double century in the Ranji Trophy. That prompted the selectors to give him a berth in the Test side and I don’t care what others say, he looked majestic when he played the cover drives at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla stadium. Australia is just the kind of place where he could prove to the world and, more importantly, to the detractors in his own country that he is still a couple of years away from retiring.

To talk of why Sachin Tendulkar should have the hunger to do well is to ask why the sun should continue shining. Only extremely well disciplined cricketers would have the same passion and commitment towards the game after spending almost two decades at the highest level.

Saurav Ganguly, apart from being known as ‘Dada’ and ‘The Prince of Calcutta’ (a lot of credit due to a certain Mr. Boycott for the latter nick-name) is also known as ‘Maharaja’. He certainly has been batting as one recently. To march back into a team from which he was so unceremoniously kicked out shows the mettle that he’s made of. Now, he needs to continue the brilliance, starting with his 100th test match which will be the first of the Australian series.

It was Tony Greig (I think) who said that the VVS in Laxman’s name stood for Very Very Special and not Vangipurappu Vekata Sai (I doubt whether Tony Greig could pronounce that properly even once). I was reading Mukul Kesavan’s blog during the Delhi Test against Pakistan and he mentioned how the fans at the stadium thought that Laxman had unjustly been kept in the side and India should have played Yuvraj instead. Fact remains that there is much more to VVS Laxman’s career than the fantastic 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens. He brings even more solidity to the middle and is as stylish as they make them. A pure treat to watch.

Yuvraj Singh very, very desperately wanted to play in Tests for India. This was apparent when he was being interviewed by Rameez Raja. This was when Yuvi had just been awarded the Man of the Series award for the ODIs against Pakistan. Even in the midst of all the celebration, he mentioned that there was nothing he would like more than to represent India in the Tests. And boy, did he prove his point by the way he batted in the final Test !! If he maintains the same hunger and performs against what seems to be one of his favourite oppositions in the world, there’s no reason why the Brett Lees and Shaun Taits should have a couple of sleepless nights.

During India’s tour of England, Harsha Bhogle had pointed out something unique about Dhoni. He would walk in to the middle with a swagger and irrespective of how many runs he scored, on being dismissed he would still walk back to the dressing room with the same swagger. That was important, because that shows he has a calculated cricketing brain which doesn’t get rankled too easily. He just enjoys his cricket and focuses on making lots of runs…quickly. Also, he can stay put at the crease. This was of course apparent in the manner in which he dropped anchor on the last day of the first Test in England at Lord’s.

The Spin Masters:

Anil Kumble is by far one of the most respected cricketers in Test cricket right now. Like Ian Chappell once remarked, one rarely sees ‘Jumbo’ having a verbal go at the batsmen (I can remember only two such instances – one where he got into a dialogue with Inzamam-ul-Haq and the other one during the last Test at England…I think that one was with Kevin Pieterson). Yet, he remains one of the most aggressive spin bowlers in today’s day and age. Whoever doubt that he can be aggressive should be reminded of the Kumble who marched out to bowl against the West Indies with his head covered in plaster.

Harbhajan Singh needs to once again prove his worth and Sydney could well be the place where he could do it.

The Speed Department:

Zaheer Khan has been fantastic this season, and all that the Indian team needs to do in order to get him hungry is perhaps throw a couple of jellybeans on the pitch when Zaheer Khan goes out to bat.

RP Singh has perhaps been the find of the year in the bowling department for India. If he maintains his fitness, he’ll prove to be quite a handful to attack the Australians with Zaheer at the other end.

Irfan Pathan, in my opinion, has been doing well since his comeback. Of course he hasn’t had the pace with which he rocked the Test-playing nation when he first burst on to the scene, but good ol’ line & length bowling and he should do well.

Ishant Sharma impressed one and all with his second spell of the last Test match against Pakistan. That’s what got him his place in the touring party. Let’s hope the lanky youngster continues to improve and do justice to his raw talent.

On debut, Pankaj Singh should have all the motivation and hunger required to make a point to the cricketing bosses in India and the cricket loving public across the world. All the best, dude. ~thumbs up~

--------------------------------------

I logged on to the Net after I’d written this post to realise that Australia too have announced their 12 man Test team. Here it is: Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.


P.S. Arpz, I know that you can’t even think of supporting India when Australia is playing. Good for you. As far as I’m concerned….

Everybody in the house shout… “JEETEGA BHAI JEETEGA…INDIA JEETEGA !!” :D

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Now playing: A. R. Rehman - Dil Se
via FoxyTunes

The case against watch-collection

I recently came across two watch-crazy individuals. While one was extremely proud of his collection of watches, the other claimed that the first thing she observed about any person was the brand that he/she was sporting on their wrist. “An Omega is like so up there and a Swatch is like so down-market,” she observed.

Now, I don’t have anything against any watch collector. Hell, a couple of years ago, I too liked watches which were more showpieces than mere indicators of time.

But now, I’ve changed.

I feel buying watches of different priceless brands is a waste of money. A Swatch here, an Omega there or a Rolex thrown in is fine…but actually going out of your way to get a collection… nah, not my cup of tea.

Here’s my reasoning.

Essentially, you buy a watch to tell the time. Two solid hands with a third needle-like hand to tell the seconds and you pretty much have the whole house going for you. Watches from different companies are still going to tell you what o’ clock it is according to the local meridian.

It is fine by me if you’re buying an extremely expensive watch and know in detail the technical detail of the fancy styling; for example, the exactness of the time that the watch shows you (but in any case, how wrong could you go with 1/500^th of a second…you’re still going to be late for that early morning meeting with your boss if you left your house late) or the intricate design on a piece of metal. However, more often than not, people pay too much for the brand that they are sporting rather than for the effectiveness of the features of the watch.

Do not get me wrong; I might be writing this post in Left-dominated Kolkata, but I certainly don’t have anything against brands (hell, even as I write this, I’m wearing a Louis Philippe jacket over a Lacoste t-shirt and a pair of Lee jeans), but there is an extent to which I’ll pay for the brand and the features.

For me, the essence of the watch remains the time that it is showing, and of course, the emotion which it carries with it. For example, I’ve been wearing a Timex for two and a half years now, and I don’t think I’ll be deserting it soon because it means a whole lot more than any Rolex could…it is the watch that Dad bought me as a gift a couple of days before I left for Ahmedabad to do my MBA. Call me a romantic at heart, but whenever I look at the watch when I have a minute to spare, I remember Dad’s arm around my shoulder when I selected the watch. In fact, he didn’t approve of the watch and wanted me to go in for a more classic looking model. But when I said that I wanted a slightly sporty looking watch and this was it, he just gave in with the resigned sigh and the smile of a knowing father who realises that his son has grown up and has his own set of likes and dislikes.

That to me, ladies and gentlemen, is the essence of the watch.

Mr. Mukesh Ambani might as well walk up to me tomorrow morning and promise me half his business empire, but I ain’t trading this watch for anything.

Joy 'Bloody' Joy

I haven't exactly been the early bird in the last few months. Week-nights and you'll most probably find me watching episodes of 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'/Coupling/Chanakya/Yes Minister. This usually goes on till late at night, leading to late mornings of around 8:30.

Today morning was an exception.

I had to take Mom for a blood test to Park Street. The test had to be taken empty-stomach, so had to leave at 7:30 in the morning. The sacrifice of sleep, though, paid rich dividends.

It is a different kind of joy to be there to help your parents. In a couple of days, I'll be moving out of Calcutta, and with it will go away the opportunity to be there for Mom n Dad at times of such need. Not that this was an earth-shattering moment when I just had to be there, but the smile of satisfaction that Mom gave me when I drove her back home was worth every minute of eye-blinking waking up today morning.

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Now playing: Atif Aslam - Hum Kis Galli Ja Rahen Hain
via FoxyTunes

The kid on the street

I saw him for no more than two seconds. He was sitting on the front steps of a shop whose shutters were down. He must not have been more than five years old. And it was this presence of his in the big, bustling business district that caught my eye.

He was dressed in rags. His face was covered in dirt. His hair was tangled and dirty, unwashed and brimming with sand and dirt. He was not wearing any shoes or chappal; I know because I took a step aside since I was scared I might stamp his foot by mistake.

The most intriguing thing about him was his stare. He was staring at his hands. And his hands held what appeared to be a very valuable possession for him – a shining one rupee coin.

Here I was, on this cold November evening, wearing my expensive jacket which was keeping me admirably warm and then there was this child, with perhaps no family to speak to, no education to support him and dressed in rags which did nothing to help him against the cold.

If I could go back and speak to him, I would tell him:

“Work hard. Your destiny lies in your hands. Shape your own future. No matter what anybody tells you, you can come out of any situation that you find yourself in. And no matter how hopeless the condition seems, never give up…kyunki picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!!” ~big smile~

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Now playing: Bryan Adams - Summer Of 69
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How Indian Railways got their toilets

I have just finished reading a book titled ‘Entry from Backside Only – Hazaar Fundas of Indian-English’ by Binoo K. John. The book is about how we Indians have gone ahead and made the Queen’s language our language by inserting Hindi words into long-drawn English sentences and by making some English words (such as public, party, because etc.) very much a part of every day Hindi vocabulary.

And then, of course, there’s the undeniable manner in which we Indians can alter the rules of spoken English to suit our needs and yet, the person at the receiving end of such a speech is able to perfectly comprehend what the crux of the matter is. There are quite a few hilarious examples quoted, such as the professor in a college who admonished the boys throwing paper balls at girls from a gallery with the words ‘Why you do that? Under standing people will get hurt!’

The book also cites examples of popular scenes from Hindi cinema, like the Amitabh scene which I had blogged about a few weeks ago.

The book does tend to get pedantic at times and hence is fun only in parts.

Book rating: 3 out of 5

Here are a few fun excerpts from the book.

Excerpt 1:

One of the classics of writing in Indian-English is the letter by a train traveller to the authorities of the Indian Railways pleading for the introduction of toilets. Many newsletters and other journals brought out by the Railways contain this masterpiece.

Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj divisional railway office in 1909:

“I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with lotah in one hand and dhoti in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shocking to man and female women on platform. This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to the papers.”

It is said that it was this letter that resulted in the railway authorities introducing toilets in Indian trains.

Excerpt 2:

Jug Suraiya, in his long career in the Times of India, caricatured Indian-English with rib-tickling effect…On 2 May 2005, Jug wrote this bylined article in his favourite epistolary style, from an Indian-English user of the Oxford dictionary. The occasion for such pieces, which comes when a revised OUP edition is published with new Indian usages and words, is a cause for celebration and opinions are expressed about how Indians are now rightly striking back at the empire.

“My head is eating circles and circles over all this golmal about new Oxford University Press (OUP) Advanced Learner’s Dictionary having Indlish (i.e. Indian-English) wording-From A for ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) to Z for zulm (cruel treatment i.e. Police doing zulm by giving danda to publics committing nuisances in frontside of mantrijis dwelling abode in capital) – we are using in our daily to daily gup-shup. One auntyji, whose good name and hailing from what native place I am not knowing but putting up at my backside itself, is telling that it is a very shame-shame business which will make us laughing joke of whole world as because of our khichri way of speaking. Just I am saying her, please not to take it otherwise but what it goes of your worthy father if all outside people learning our bhasha which even if I am telling myself is too good only.

We are not needing OUP dictionary to be knowing that all such talks are not bogus lafra but simply way we are speaking from Kapurthala to Kanyakumari, ay-ay-yo. Loin in Punjab is not private part which decent gentry not mentioning in front of convent educated ladies and small baba-log but big animal first putting up in jungle and now in cage in joo where people paying money to come and see it. Any gujarati snake is not king cobra, not even on Narendra Modi, but just it is time-pass like ghatia.

And suchlike that all Patelbhais are having between morning tiffin and nightly dal-bhat. Outside gentry not having inside khabar on loins and ‘snakes’ and joos was getting too much shocked and ghabrooed and telling that India is most third class and hopeless place full of rascal people that is best avoid karo.

As first to first attempt to show outside world how we are speaking, OUP dictionary deserves shabashi. Tourist people and foreign sethijis and moneybags will now be knowing that India is number one locality for making holiday or doing dhanda-baazi without any khit-pit or gich-mich. But while OUP is giving many good dialoges of local people like ‘Don’t take your grandfather’s time to do your homework’ – no doubt very fine dialogue which with my own ears I am hearing first time only – it is not telling anything about grandfather’s better half i.e. nani as in ‘I will make you remember your nani’ most famous dialogue popularized by late Rajiv Gandhi who another one time also told ‘Hum losenge ya jeetenge’. Also OUP is mentioning chargesheet but not CBI, hawala scam etc which are leading dialogues of India today.

OUP editor, kindly to ensure correction of all such omissions, commissions and kickbacks. And how it is that OUP is telling that is dictionary of ‘Current English’ when whole brother-in-law world, i.e. puri Sali duniya, is knowing that current English is same to same as current Hindustani except letterings are in Roman script, not Devnagri? Please to be doing needful. Bahut shukriya aur hazar thanks.”

These shopkeepers I tell you !!

So my parents and I had called an uneasy truce. We were not going to talk about my marriage. (This, of course, doesn’t stop my Mom looking hopefully at me each time some cartoon character decides to drive his ‘baraat’ past the lane which I live in.)

Anyway, this being the season of weddings, I had to go to a gift shop to buy a suicidal nut a gift for his reception. Mom and Dad decided to come along as well.

Shopkeeper: Aiye, aiye. What can I do for you?

Dad: We need to buy a gift…

Shopkeeper: Anything specific… any particular occasion?

Me: Umm…Yep. I need to buy a wedding gift.

Shopkeeper (looks at me and smiles understandingly): Oh sure, sure. So, what kind of gift would your fiancé like?

Me: GRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!

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Now playing: Kailash Kher - CHAK DE PHATTE
via FoxyTunes

A Mid-November night's tale

It was a cold November night. The air had a strange stillness about it. The streets were deserted. A gloomy fog hung over the city of Kolkata, lit only by the pale, yellow street lights. Far away, a clock tower struck eleven. A beggar lying on the pavement adjusted his tattered blanket and mumbled in his sleep.

A car screeched to a halt. The two men inside looked at each other. A quick glance at the building and they both knew what to do. The man at the steering wheel looked again to his left, as if looking for a confirmation. The other man, the sinister looking guy with rimless glasses and a clean shaven face, nodded his assent. “Make the call,” he said.

The driver flipped out his cell phone and dialled the number.

The phone kept on my bedside table rang with the customary Sholay ring-tone. I groped around in the dark for the phone and my fingers somehow found the answer button.

“Hello,” I said in my half sleepy voice.

“KAMEENE !! So raha tha ? Get up, we’ve to go for Rajat’s bachelor party,” Pramod screamed into my ears.

---------------------------

This was how my true and trusted friends Pramod and Varun dragged me out of bed last night to go to Shisha – The Hookah Bar on Camac Street. Our friend Rajat, a nice guy who has a wonderful knack of inventing embarrassing situations for himself, is getting married this Sunday and yesterday was the bachelor party.

Now before the young studs of Kolkata, who reached this page by entering the search words “Kolkata bachelor’s party” in the hope of finding leads to strippers, get their hopes high, let me warn you that I’m a very decent sorta fellow who comes from a conventional Gujju family: my idea of a nice evening is sipping hot tea and eating spicy ‘theplas’ which Mom prepares. In other words, our night-out yesterday was all about drinking Bacardi Breezer (“lime flavour please”) and a couple of glasses of vodka with Coke, nothing more.

Oh yes of course, the girls were there. And very pretty too. And they looked extremely graceful when they danced away to dance tracks from Rihanna, Nelly Furtado and the Hindi film hits. Problem is I’m someone with two left feet; the best dance move that I’ve ever managed is when I copied Chandler’s dance style when he found out that he was the best sex Monica ever had.

All in all, it was a nice, fun evening. What was even better was that after the party got over, I went over to a pal’s place and just sat and had a long chat with him. It was nice to finally catch up with him; he’s a childhood friend from school and we’d not been getting to meet up at all in the last couple of months.

And oh yes, before I complete the post, let me ask you to comment on whether you think I could ever write a suspense novel, basing your judgement on the first couple of paragraphs of this post. ;)

Position Vacant - Interested Candidates May Apply

What Kind of Girl Will You Fall For?
	You will fall part for the cutie. You like girls with a personality. She's got to have a nice smile and a sense of humor. Although she doesn't have to be a model, she has to be that girl-next-door.
	You will fall part for the independent woman. You like girls that'll put up a fight with their words and their fists. Her conversation must be stimulating and controversial. She's got to have her own friends, her own car, and her own place. Most importantly, she can't be a "barnacle-on-a-whale" type.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

What A Wonderful World

It’s been a long day and I’m dead tired to say the least. Things got really complicated (as they tend to become around me, don’t ask me how I manage it ~grins~) over the weekend and I am absolutely sleep-deprived right now. Somehow, though, I can’t seem to find it in me to drop off to sleep.

And although I would just love to write a really long post, I’m just too weary. Pleasantly weary though. Nothing like a day when you’ve worked hard and know that it’s been worth every minute of it.

And so, I’m going to calm my nerves by jotting down the lyrics of a song that I’ve been hearing repeatedly on my iPod. It’s one of those songs which always makes me smile and brightens my day up, no matter how it might have been up till that point.

What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you

And I think to myself,
‘What a wonderful world’

I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed days
Dark sacred nights

And I think to myself,
‘What a wonderful world’

The colours of the rainbow
So pretty in sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying ‘How do you do’
They’re really saying ‘I love you’.

I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself
‘What a wonderful world’

P.S. I VERY VERY seriously advise you to view this video and listen to the song. There's very little chance that you won't like it.

How you doin' ?

Which Friends Character Are You?
	You are Joey. You may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you're unrivalled when it comes to the opposite sex. You're a great friend, going great lengths when needed. Remember: your friends are your lifeline and you'd better not leave them behind. Success will be hard to find without them around.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Facebook

I finally decided to join Facebook albeit with a bit of scepticism. After all, I already am on Orkut and a man can get tired of social networking sites. But, I must admit, I’m already hooked to Facebook.

I guess the reason is because it bundles quite a few things together. First, there’s unlimited photo storage, unlike Orkut, which I think has currently put a limit of 50. Next, there’s the cool Flixster application where you can keep track of the movies that you and your friends have seen. Also, there’s the Books application whereby you can keep track of books that you’ve read, edit reviews and rate the books. And of course, there’s Scrabulous. I haven’t played much, but I have a feeling I’m gonna get hooked.

All in all, much cooler than Orkut. However, it’ll take some time to build my friends network there, most of my pals are on Orkut.

P.S. – I know the column on the right shows that I’m currently reading ‘The Toyota Way’, but I’m also reading ‘The Story Of My Life’ by Helen Keller. I wasn’t really sure I would like the book, but then this bit on the first page itself caught my attention and I knew that I just had to read the book:

‘One of my Swiss ancestors was the first teacher of the deaf in Zurich and wrote a book on the subject of their education – rather a singular coincidence; though it is true that there is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.’

Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson

Richard Branson recounts how he went along the idea of having fun and as a by-product created the Virgin group. An extremely inspirational book, it documents how he started off with a vision of creating a national student magazine, stumbled into the music business, ventured into the music retail industry only because of a postal strike and then, one fine morning, thought of starting Virgin airways because, in his words, “it sounded like a lot of fun.”

The book gives a detailed insight into the fight that Virgin Atlantic got into with British Airways and the libel suit that Virgin ultimately won. It also shows how although Branson has this extremely colourful and playboy like image, the man has a smart business brain ticking all the time. His confession that he almost always carries a note-book with him in which he scribbles down ideas and to-do lists at a frightening pace shows how he always likes to be ‘in the game’.

All in all, a delightful read. I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.