Had bought some flowers for our vase 2 days back. Oogled them from various angles & thought that they could be pretty targets for my digital camera. I even thought a caption for them as above.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Reality Bites
Today's start was rather boring with the same routine of getting up, sipping tea, dressing up & coming to office. So, what to do ?
One of my favorite passtime: My brains & Google. I thought abt Remo Fernandes. One of the few celeberities I admire. Though, I haven't heard much of his songs, since, they are kind of a fusion between western & indian classical & that makes it difficult for me to understand & enjoy. I like his light hearted Goan folk numbers & a very peppy number called 'Ocean Queen'. It reminds me my good old childhood days. But, in general, he seems to be one of those types who is not crazy about being in the limelite & doing crap things.
So, I logged on to his website www.remofernandes.com & went to this state of shock looking at his accomplishments & work. Wow ! simply amazing. Out there, is a section named 'Writings' which aroused my interested & immediately my mouse pointer hovered & patted the link. Trust me, but thats where my respect for him shooted to infinite space. Particularly, a writing about IFFI [International Film Festival of India] which encompasses the brute reality we Indians live in. Here's the link http://www.remofernandes.com/iffi-crumbs.htm . I would suggest whoever is reading this to please go through the article. Although old, it still is a stinging reality !
One of my favorite passtime: My brains & Google. I thought abt Remo Fernandes. One of the few celeberities I admire. Though, I haven't heard much of his songs, since, they are kind of a fusion between western & indian classical & that makes it difficult for me to understand & enjoy. I like his light hearted Goan folk numbers & a very peppy number called 'Ocean Queen'. It reminds me my good old childhood days. But, in general, he seems to be one of those types who is not crazy about being in the limelite & doing crap things.
So, I logged on to his website www.remofernandes.com & went to this state of shock looking at his accomplishments & work. Wow ! simply amazing. Out there, is a section named 'Writings' which aroused my interested & immediately my mouse pointer hovered & patted the link. Trust me, but thats where my respect for him shooted to infinite space. Particularly, a writing about IFFI [International Film Festival of India] which encompasses the brute reality we Indians live in. Here's the link http://www.remofernandes.com/iffi-crumbs.htm . I would suggest whoever is reading this to please go through the article. Although old, it still is a stinging reality !
Friday, July 6, 2007
Meraa Pehla Pehla Guitar
Today's my first day of Guitar Lessons. Have enrolled in 'The Institute of Modern Music', which is supposedly a renowned place since medieval times. Pray for me that I come out as a prodigy & enthrall you all to my strings.
The place is kind of a fusion of a recording studio & music school. The founders are known to be quite a name in the music industry, though, looking at the photos, it didn't seem so. It has a narrow entrance & the moment you enter, you are greeted by a not so friendly 'cobra' girl coming straight from the heart of Pune city. Hey! I'm not taking you to a Harry Potter world. For those of you who are unaware, 'cobra' stands for Kokanast Brahman, one of the top castes in Maharashtrians. Infact, 90% of the place is infested with cobras. Someday, I would want to see a smile on that chick & am totally confident that my friend Sohan will do it.
We were kind of day dreaming yesterday about how ppl will crave for us to be the aan, baan & shaan(not the singer) of their parties. About how ppl will scream their lungs out hysterically, 'Robi, Robi !!! We love you !'. About how we'll perform at places like 'Jazz By The Bay' which is exactly opposite to our office & below Sohan's gym. After working out, Sohan rushes in & grabs a guitar, looks at me & says, 'Ok !! So, what are we gonna play ! Sultans of Swing?' , and then we belt out the number & rock the show.
So, guys ! One year of hardship & you are gonna see a new band...wait! have to think of a name!!
The place is kind of a fusion of a recording studio & music school. The founders are known to be quite a name in the music industry, though, looking at the photos, it didn't seem so. It has a narrow entrance & the moment you enter, you are greeted by a not so friendly 'cobra' girl coming straight from the heart of Pune city. Hey! I'm not taking you to a Harry Potter world. For those of you who are unaware, 'cobra' stands for Kokanast Brahman, one of the top castes in Maharashtrians. Infact, 90% of the place is infested with cobras. Someday, I would want to see a smile on that chick & am totally confident that my friend Sohan will do it.
We were kind of day dreaming yesterday about how ppl will crave for us to be the aan, baan & shaan(not the singer) of their parties. About how ppl will scream their lungs out hysterically, 'Robi, Robi !!! We love you !'. About how we'll perform at places like 'Jazz By The Bay' which is exactly opposite to our office & below Sohan's gym. After working out, Sohan rushes in & grabs a guitar, looks at me & says, 'Ok !! So, what are we gonna play ! Sultans of Swing?' , and then we belt out the number & rock the show.
So, guys ! One year of hardship & you are gonna see a new band...wait! have to think of a name!!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Face Off
I had to tell you all this funny incident which took place 3 days ago. Me & one of my pals went to ICICI atms coincidently on the same day at 2 different places.
SCENE 1, ACTOR-myself
The ATM near by my home has 3 useless machines which have an uncanny sense of intelligence or maybe a hidden face recognition software installed which tells them whether to dispense money or not. So, I always enter with a sense of disbelief so as not to be taken aback!
There went my card in machine 1 --> Out came the msg : 'Your transaction was not accepted'. See, I told you! I then moved on to machine 3 so as not to waste my time on 2. "Tweeee", the machine gulped the card as if it was telling me, 'Hey fuck off ... you are not getting your card back'. Entered my pin, money & lo ! out came the msg - 'You have entered the wrong PIN, please reenter'. So, I reentered, not knowing that was the last chance. 'Sorry you have crossed the limit of PIN retries. Your card is blocked.' SHIT!!! now what... days of poverty! With a feeling of destituteness, I walked back.
SCENE 2, ACTOR-my pal
Driving back home, my pal was searching for an IDBI atm. He came across one, stopped by, and the moment he was entering, the security guard came out & said, 'bannd padlaye sir'. He then came across a second one few blocks away, but passed by, looking at the crowd outside it. After hovering around, he came by an UTI atm. As soon as he fed the card, it puked out saying that the entered PIN is wrong. He didn't bother to try a second time knowing the calibre of an UTI atm. Finally, out of sheet frustation, he got by an ICICI atm & after repeating the rituals twice blocked the card.
The next day in office, after exchanging our experiences, we came to a conclusion about how pathetic can ATMs be & how feeble IT security can be. So, our next destination was the nearby IDBI atm, where we filled the reqd forms to reset the pins. There was this cute gal attending to us, whom we had already letched mercilessly. She said that the cards will start working after 4 hrs.
I, as an Indian, decided to check one day later, to be on the safer side. But to my utter dismay, I again got the same msg. GODDAMNIT!!! I then called my pal, told him abt this issue & asked him to check his. Meanwhile, I went to one of the main IDBI branches, where Lord Krishna gave me this idea of checking in the adjoining ATM one last time. I took out the card, looked at it in the same way as it was at me, and inserted it. And what do I see ! The screen read 'SOHAN SUNIL RAO' which, incidently, is my pal's name. All this while, we were carrying the other's card & trying to act smart. And the funny part is, we actually blocked each other's cards the very first time we visited the ICICI atms.
So, how did this happen? We then recalled the day we both had gone to this computer hardware store to buy stuff & ended keeping each other's cards. So, we were actually carrying the other's card for the past 1 week. Hey, Mr. John Woo ! If you are reading this, please do make a movie. Our cards don't cost much :))
SCENE 1, ACTOR-myself
The ATM near by my home has 3 useless machines which have an uncanny sense of intelligence or maybe a hidden face recognition software installed which tells them whether to dispense money or not. So, I always enter with a sense of disbelief so as not to be taken aback!
There went my card in machine 1 --> Out came the msg : 'Your transaction was not accepted'. See, I told you! I then moved on to machine 3 so as not to waste my time on 2. "Tweeee", the machine gulped the card as if it was telling me, 'Hey fuck off ... you are not getting your card back'. Entered my pin, money & lo ! out came the msg - 'You have entered the wrong PIN, please reenter'. So, I reentered, not knowing that was the last chance. 'Sorry you have crossed the limit of PIN retries. Your card is blocked.' SHIT!!! now what... days of poverty! With a feeling of destituteness, I walked back.
SCENE 2, ACTOR-my pal
Driving back home, my pal was searching for an IDBI atm. He came across one, stopped by, and the moment he was entering, the security guard came out & said, 'bannd padlaye sir'. He then came across a second one few blocks away, but passed by, looking at the crowd outside it. After hovering around, he came by an UTI atm. As soon as he fed the card, it puked out saying that the entered PIN is wrong. He didn't bother to try a second time knowing the calibre of an UTI atm. Finally, out of sheet frustation, he got by an ICICI atm & after repeating the rituals twice blocked the card.
The next day in office, after exchanging our experiences, we came to a conclusion about how pathetic can ATMs be & how feeble IT security can be. So, our next destination was the nearby IDBI atm, where we filled the reqd forms to reset the pins. There was this cute gal attending to us, whom we had already letched mercilessly. She said that the cards will start working after 4 hrs.
I, as an Indian, decided to check one day later, to be on the safer side. But to my utter dismay, I again got the same msg. GODDAMNIT!!! I then called my pal, told him abt this issue & asked him to check his. Meanwhile, I went to one of the main IDBI branches, where Lord Krishna gave me this idea of checking in the adjoining ATM one last time. I took out the card, looked at it in the same way as it was at me, and inserted it. And what do I see ! The screen read 'SOHAN SUNIL RAO' which, incidently, is my pal's name. All this while, we were carrying the other's card & trying to act smart. And the funny part is, we actually blocked each other's cards the very first time we visited the ICICI atms.
So, how did this happen? We then recalled the day we both had gone to this computer hardware store to buy stuff & ended keeping each other's cards. So, we were actually carrying the other's card for the past 1 week. Hey, Mr. John Woo ! If you are reading this, please do make a movie. Our cards don't cost much :))
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A walk in the clouds
It was another fine morning I woke up with. Was gazing at the sky from my verandah, when, the clouds caught my attention. At the speed of light, I grabbed my camera & took a couple of shots of one of the marvels of nature. Aren't they beautiful? I mean, they could be faces of the millions of Gods we know on this planet.Just imagine all the Gods watching us. The pic to the left shows a couple of Gods in the morning...doing a routine checkup ... One is saying to the other: 'Hmm...all well...those girls in the balcony are cool .. ain't they? Wish I cud be a human .. wud have dated one of them. Ahhh..look at that drunkard ... bad hangover ! Hey, that Salunkhe Vihar stretch has been repaired...man! It was a pain in the ass for people....There goes the milkman...'
This right one shows a kid cloud with his dad..
Kid: 'Pop ! why are those few old men runnin !'
Dad: 'Son, they are exercising. That's what humans do to stay fit. And they also run when we pee ! '
Jokes apart, these suspended water bodies are one of the many beautiful gifts Mother Nature has given us. Sadly, we don't care for such gifts & are eventually moving towards destruction. C'mon people...lets wake up...lets make this world atleast reasonable to live !
Thursday, June 7, 2007
This is what I call 'Chemistry'
Time: 9.20 a.m.Place: On Ganeshkhind road, a little before my office area which is opp E-Square.
Summary: The picture, as such, looks very weird to a layman. But, watch closely, and you'll see an intricate relation between the 'Sony' & the 'Haig' hoardings.
To be more precise, the Sony hoarding is boasting off its latest digicam which has an 'an-tye-blur' technology. Sorry for the American accent, but this is very natural if you make short trips very frequently. On the other hand, the Haig hoarding is none other than our friendly neighborhood daaru. So, what's the relation ?? Simple....
You drink Haig first before going to a party or dance club. And, then, you take pictures of your nearby blondes or damsels with the latest Sony camera. Most important, you get a crystal clear picture inspite of the Houdini like balancing acts you might do after 6 - 7 pegs down... Sony should be taking care of this. Well, thats what the ad says.
I don't know whether this was intentional or coincidence, but, its sure is very thoughtful of whoever placed those ads.
" I think the Indian Ad Industry is at its summit of exuberance & excellence & this is a good example to portray to the world what ads are for... !!! "
Sounded weird !... ain't it? But, this is what Mahesh Bhatt would say if interviewed, with, him scratching in all the nooks or corners of his body.
p.s : - My Nikon doesn't have an an-tye-blur technology. So, if the above pic looks blurred, please don't report to Sony.
Friday, May 25, 2007
DOR (Diagnose Our Relations)
Anybody who knows or has heard about Nagesh Kukunoor immediately links him to quality movies. And yes ! I mean it. As far as I'm concerned, I have loved his movies. They have a simple & unique script, are rich in emotions & actually forces us to ponder on our existence in this world.
Recently, I saw his latest offering, DOR. Its AWESOME ! Everything is perfectly timed: the story, the direction, the cinematography, the acting, the music, etc. This movie basically lingers around 2 women (Ayesha Takia & Gul Panag) from different backgrounds, living miles apart, entirely unknown to each other. The way they meet is when both of their husbands go to Gulf for work & one of them dies accidently due to a tussle between them. The turmoil starts then when the wife of the accused goes through the different hurdles to get a letter of consent signed by the deceased's wife to free her spouse from death sentence.
At the beginning, Kukunoor tried to portray the way a relation is born irrespective of the circumstances. Both men meet in Gulf, become good friends & then one dies due to the other's fault & consequently, their wives come into the picture. It feels really strange when such relations are born, when you meet someone totally unaware of & then the way you perceive things through your's & his/her's way.
Then there is a phase when Shreyas Talpade, a local conman, meets Gul during her journey & the way their relation grows. Shreyas has performed extremely well, which I guess even Amir Khan would not have done well. Eventually, he develops this inner feeling of love & friendship for Gul & really strives to help her meet her goals. The beauty is the sincerety of his feelings for her inspite of the fact that she is married, which, he even confesses during the journey. Very few people can actually do this & I feel, there is no harm in expressing what you feel even if its very absurd. Atleast, its better than keeping them in your mind & heart & then feeling petrified. No doubt, the person in front should also be equally sensible to digest that & take it in the right spirit.
Then comes the phase where shelfishness takes over relations. Indeed, we are shelfish somewhere in the corner of our hearts & souls and that shows when Gul reveals her actual intention to Ayesha. I really don't know whether a situation like this happens in real life, but there is this question which always hovers around in my mind: do we all really know the meaning of relations or is it that its just about give & take...you take care of me & I'll take care of you ! I think its all about survival...to suffice each other's needs...and nothing is wrong in it. Marriage, love, etc.. are just titles given to cover up the horrendous facts about relations.
Over & above, DOR was a thoughtful project portraying one of the forms of a relation & I feel Nagesh succeeded in doing so... Cheers Nagesh! We look forward to see more from you..
Recently, I saw his latest offering, DOR. Its AWESOME ! Everything is perfectly timed: the story, the direction, the cinematography, the acting, the music, etc. This movie basically lingers around 2 women (Ayesha Takia & Gul Panag) from different backgrounds, living miles apart, entirely unknown to each other. The way they meet is when both of their husbands go to Gulf for work & one of them dies accidently due to a tussle between them. The turmoil starts then when the wife of the accused goes through the different hurdles to get a letter of consent signed by the deceased's wife to free her spouse from death sentence.
At the beginning, Kukunoor tried to portray the way a relation is born irrespective of the circumstances. Both men meet in Gulf, become good friends & then one dies due to the other's fault & consequently, their wives come into the picture. It feels really strange when such relations are born, when you meet someone totally unaware of & then the way you perceive things through your's & his/her's way.
Then there is a phase when Shreyas Talpade, a local conman, meets Gul during her journey & the way their relation grows. Shreyas has performed extremely well, which I guess even Amir Khan would not have done well. Eventually, he develops this inner feeling of love & friendship for Gul & really strives to help her meet her goals. The beauty is the sincerety of his feelings for her inspite of the fact that she is married, which, he even confesses during the journey. Very few people can actually do this & I feel, there is no harm in expressing what you feel even if its very absurd. Atleast, its better than keeping them in your mind & heart & then feeling petrified. No doubt, the person in front should also be equally sensible to digest that & take it in the right spirit.
Then comes the phase where shelfishness takes over relations. Indeed, we are shelfish somewhere in the corner of our hearts & souls and that shows when Gul reveals her actual intention to Ayesha. I really don't know whether a situation like this happens in real life, but there is this question which always hovers around in my mind: do we all really know the meaning of relations or is it that its just about give & take...you take care of me & I'll take care of you ! I think its all about survival...to suffice each other's needs...and nothing is wrong in it. Marriage, love, etc.. are just titles given to cover up the horrendous facts about relations.
Over & above, DOR was a thoughtful project portraying one of the forms of a relation & I feel Nagesh succeeded in doing so... Cheers Nagesh! We look forward to see more from you..
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Me, myself & .... where's Irene?
Alrite ! I have been hearing about people writing blogs since the last 2 years or so. Obviously, I got curious about what in the name of bytes & bits is this beast called 'Blog'. My first destination was wikipedia. It describes a blog as a place where you write events in chronological order: events related to anything ! Well, it even says that a "blog" is a portmanteau of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Phew!! so much for a simple thing ! Eventually, I realised that a blog is nothing but a place where you dump in all your thoughts, frustations, experiences & so on & so forth for the world to enjoy. It surely is a beast, cause it just gulps you up in a world where you are free to express anything ( did I sound weird...I guess not).
So, here I am...with my experiences, thoughts, et al.
I stay in a wonderful city in Maharashtra, a state in India, called Pune. Now, now...Puneites....I can hear you giggling, but relax! In future posts, I'll explain why Pune has turned from wonderful to wonderless. Though, its been just 2 years since I shifted here along with my newly wed wife Suparna, I know quite a bit about this tin(sel) town...all thanks to my wife & her anecdotes about this city.
What I do? I'm a UI consultant. I don't want to explain this term for simple reasons. One, it sounds good & two, those who know it, need no explanation ! My wife works in a PLACE called TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd. She heads the client servicing team out here. Again....no explanations ! Life has been good to us till now except for the small arguments we encounter in daily life, but, I guess, that is life. Love, ofcourse, prevails! I would love to go in the past & dig all those events for you to enjoy, but please, give me a break ! Will be back with more...
Phew!! so much for a simple thing ! Eventually, I realised that a blog is nothing but a place where you dump in all your thoughts, frustations, experiences & so on & so forth for the world to enjoy. It surely is a beast, cause it just gulps you up in a world where you are free to express anything ( did I sound weird...I guess not).
So, here I am...with my experiences, thoughts, et al.
I stay in a wonderful city in Maharashtra, a state in India, called Pune. Now, now...Puneites....I can hear you giggling, but relax! In future posts, I'll explain why Pune has turned from wonderful to wonderless. Though, its been just 2 years since I shifted here along with my newly wed wife Suparna, I know quite a bit about this tin(sel) town...all thanks to my wife & her anecdotes about this city.
What I do? I'm a UI consultant. I don't want to explain this term for simple reasons. One, it sounds good & two, those who know it, need no explanation ! My wife works in a PLACE called TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd. She heads the client servicing team out here. Again....no explanations ! Life has been good to us till now except for the small arguments we encounter in daily life, but, I guess, that is life. Love, ofcourse, prevails! I would love to go in the past & dig all those events for you to enjoy, but please, give me a break ! Will be back with more...
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