Talking toooo much

For the first time in 18 months of cellphone use here in the US, I exceeded my monthly quota of 600 mins. And not only that, I spoke for a good 30 more minutes after that, before realising that I had indeed overused. And the irony of the whole situation is...the last call that I made (which lasted those 30 extra mins) was very much postpone-able since today is the last day of the billing cycle.

Can my blog be pre-emptively nostalgic??

It's not a fancy-schmancy story with a happy ending. Nor is it a thank-you note where I should be expected to remember each and every little detail. It is an account of exactly what I feel at a certain moment when I finally take the pains to pen down the thoughts that have been going on in my head for the past 'X' days. X can be anywhere from one to a million days.

On an entirely different issue, I'm leaving Boulder today. Filled with happy memories but also sad thoughts. For three years I have lived here and it has become a second home to me. Funny how you can get attached to place so easily but realise the attachment, the belonging... only when its time to leave. When I came here, Boulder welcomed me with opened arms & now as I leave, I just wish those arms would close, hugging me in a embrace so tight as to not let me go. But I cannot be that selfish. Those arms have to remain open to welcome in another group of students from lands equally far as mine. Bye, Bye Boulder...I'll miss you. But wherever I go, I will ALWAYS call you home.

Serendipity

Last night I chanced upon this little known movie called EULOGY. Not exactly a star-studded cast but still generally consisting of people I knew or had seen onscreen, it seemed a risk worth taking for 90 minutes of my sleep. And even before the starting credits rolled off, I knew it had paid off. The story goes somewhat like this (and I quote IMDB here) "A black comedy that follows three generations of a family, who come together for the funeral of the patriarch - unveiling a litany of family secrets and covert relationships." Now this is a theme (of dysfunctional families) well explored in recent sitcoms n movies... Six Feet Under, Arrested Development, American Beauty & Spanglish to name a few. I kept wondering why they still base movie storylines on it?? Haven't they exploited the concept enough?? Movies, television, drama are supposed to be a reflection of the society, so has it become a prototype of the typical american family these days ?? Why has this nation gone so crazy all of a sudden these days? But if you really think about it, how do you know you're normal ? While we may not be perverted enough to ask Mom for an "erotic cheesecake" on our 11th birthday OR hide in a closet with Dad to see our lesbian aunts "in action" on the night before our grandpa's funeral nonetheless, we're all quirky in our own way. And that's what makes life interesting...worth living. All one can hope for is that his/her quirkiness doesnt drive a family member crazy enough to commit suicide. Not often these days, does a movie come out, that challenges your beliefs, perceptions about life and makes you wake up, take notice and think about it. No wonder it didn't make much money at the BO :D

Pain is temporary as long as it lasts

How do you live with the pain ....

....of realising that the Red Sox never won a world series in your lifetime, as you lie on your deathbed??

....of seeing the Red Sox go all the way the very next year after your loved one passed away??

....of committing the ultimate folly -- falling in love with your best friend, only to see it not materialize??

....of listening to everyone yap about how you two are perfect for each other, when the one person you want to, doesnt realise that.

....of the realisation that no matter what you do or try, your best friend will be just - YOUR BEST FRIEND !!!

Having seen people go through these ordeals, I can only hope that GOD doesn't have anything even remotely similar in store for me.

Faith No More !!!

The whole fortune thing turned out to be a damp squib after all. I was out the whole day trying to 'make-something-happen'. I got nothing, nada...ZILCH. Why is it that I always expect the impossible to happen and then get hugely disappointed when it doesn't?? Maybe I should give up all expectations. Maybe I should stop showing faith in things after all, maybe even people . Time and again, this has been the bane of my existence. Thats it. FAITH NO MORE people !!! Everyone is guilty until proven innocent. Here's to Mr. Akhil doubting-thomas Deodhar. Hip Hip Hurray !!!

Fortune favors the Cookie !!!

Here is my fortune for today on Orkut:

"Society prepares the crime: The criminal commits it."

I pity the poor, hapless soul who's going to be my victim.

But who could that possibly be ?? I am really mad at a coupla people, maybe I could bump 'em off. DRAT !!..they're too far away and my remote control is kinda 'unavailable' these days.

Shheeeeeeeeeesh !! Why the hell am I penning this down right now? Crimes are supposed to be written as memoirs not itineraries.

So, more on this tomorrow. And if you don't see any further posts, you know what happened ;)

The Five things I think, I think

1. What is it with girls and musicians?? Why is it that these dudes, no matter how crappy they look or how shambled their life is, manage to score chicks...ALWAYS??
2. Even though we may have evolved as a life-form on this planet, there isn't really an absolute definition of the good or the bad. Its always judgemental.
3. Jamie Foxx is a lock for the Best actor's Oscar this year. Period.
4. The following quote from John Phillips seems so apt for the Boston Red Sox right now.



Happy is the man who void of cares and strife,
In silken, or in leathern purse retains,
retains a splendid shilling.

5. Baseball is my new religion and Curt Schilling my new GOD.

   
   

   
   
   

Of Streaking & Plagiarism

No, I am not talking about people running naked on football fields. I am talking of the win streaks that are going on around the sports world. Is this a mere coincidence or is there some divine hand in this? The Patriots have gone more than a season without a loss and across the Atlantic so have Arsenal FC. Hell, even the Red Sox have gone 5 games without a loss (albeit this achievement does pale in comparison to the other two). Not so long ago, these three teams were perennial underdogs to their bitter rivals and as of today they shine atop the pinnacle of glory. I am going out on a limb for the RedSox by assuming that they would win the World Series. Actually a loss wouldn't hurt me as much as beating the Yankees brought me joy.

I happened to see "Phir Milenge" the other day. 10 minutes into the movie I was like "Oh NO! Not again. Yet another shameless rip-off." Sometimes, I really do wonder if these people have even an iota of conscience left in them?? Or are they actually paying the Hollywood guys money to to borrow their storyline? Or are the Hollywood guys that damn ignorant? And even after having such a superb storyline like 'Philadelphia' they completely screw it up with the most inept acting performances. Salman-I can't-cry-without-making-you-laugh-Khan hardly ever looks weak and debilitated in the movie neither from his looks nor via his acting. Shilpa Shetty seems to shed a truckload of tears at the drop of a hat every time she sees him. The only saving grace was AB Jr. whose carefully rehearsed speech at the end could have only been given in English for it to have any kind of credibility. Overall, what could have been a brilliant adaptation ends up as an also-ran.

Does money really buy success??

As I watched the American League Championship series conclude with THE GREATEST COMEBACK ever, one of my long-standing beliefs was justified. You cannot 'buy' success with money and as Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. would say, "You could try but you wouldn't succeed." I guess Steinbrenner just found that out for a second year in a row.

The Yanks had the finest lineup that could be possibly assembled, this year as well as the last, but on both occasions they failed to win the ultimate prize in major league baseball and this time failing at the penultimate step. As if the 'steals' of Roger Clemens and Jason Giambi in the recent past weren't enough, they went ahead and acquired the highest paid player in baseball today. Load up all the talent you want Georgie-boy, you aint gonna win if you don't use your head. Having the right kind of personnel matters more these days than having the most talented (supposedly) ones.

Baseball is not the only sport to demonstrate this fact and neither is America the only place. A glaring example of embarassment of riches is Real Madrid - whose elections have quite the resemblance of their Indian counterparts with lots of promises and assurances being made. Only difference, the elected ones actually live up to them. A midfield that boasts of Beckham, Zidane and Figo should not have any reason to lose a single match. Yet as I write this, the club is languishing in the bottom half of the La Liga.

As much as I pride on myself for realising this fact, I rue it equally. If it weren't true, then India as an ultimately rich, cricket-crazy nation would have gotten some of the success that is deserving of their talent.

busybee or lazybee??

This post has been a long time coming. Somehow, whenever I decide to blog, a sudden laze comes all over me and I manage to put it off. Anyways, I have taken to a new hobby...I am learning to Tango :D.

Moore-mania

Just finished reading two of his books "Stupid white men" and "Dude, Where's my country? ". His movies seem to be an extension of his books. Bowling for Columbine showed a lot of stuff what he'd written in Stupid white men while Fahrenheit 9/11 discussed a lot of what he's written in Dude, Where's my country? He seems to be very opinionated about everything that's even remotely connected to the Bush family and Corporate America. His views ironically seem to be too extremist for a liberal that he considers himself to be. Though I am not fond of either him or Bush, he offers a second point of view to the same story.

History as they say is always in the favor of those who write it and I think Michael Moore may have just re-written it for Dubya. Come November and we shall all know.

Lazybones

Have become toooo lazy of late...
Finally shifted to blogspot's hosting service from my own space on CU server.
Will update soon.
 
The thing is, there are too many things to write about since I last blogged. Sometimes I am so jealous of Dumbledore...wish I had a pensieve like his...where I could just deposit my thoughts and restore them back verbatim when I blog them...
 
Well if wishes were horses, I wouldnt be a beggar !!!
 

Home Sweet Home !!!

It feels good to be back !!

Everything kinda happened in a hurry. One fine day I woke up and decided that, no matter what, I was going to India this summer. Searching for tickets in June, I actually found that the May ones were much cheaper and here I am ...back home in May...for a month.

In the 2 years that I have been away, so much seems to have changed around here and yet so much still seems the same. An irony of sorts. While, almost every other person on the road seems to be carrying a cellphone, it still takes a good 45 mins to reach Ghatkopar from VJTI by road.

People talk of a "culture-shock" when they go to the US from India....I guess after living there for 2 years, what I am experiencing right now in Mumbai could be aptly termed as "reverse-culture-shock". Boulder is a very small, cosy town - a total contrast to the fast paced life in Mumbai. Even though its almost been a week since I came here, I am still, only just, getting used to it.

So many new joints have sprung up everywhere in Mumbai - from the Baristas and the Cafe Coffee Days to the Big Bazaars. Heck, I think I even saw a SUBWAY someplace.

Another funny thing that I have noticed is how "less expensive" everything seems around here. When you go to the US you always tend to think in rupees and how atrocious that price tag of $3.99 seems on your first latte. And now, even the most priciest of coffees in Barista is under 100 bucks...SWEET!!!

Well, this is just my first week here..with 3 more to go..so hopefully I'll have lots more things to talk about.

Yippie

Finally I shifted my blog to blogger.com, although I still host it on my own space on the CU server. I just thought that the movable type (MT) system was too much of a hassle.