We Dont Need No..

It's all fine about life being a teacher and all such philosophical jargon, but whatever happened to anti-spanking laws?

It was fine till the finger-on-your-lips-AND-stand-facing-the-wall, but Ma'm, could you go easy with the cane please?

Ear-ily Enough : Moon River - Breakfast At Tiffany's OST
(Soothing..)

Ressurection of ze blawg

Our eyes met, on the busy street, that fine evening, not very long ago, (yesterday actually)
Magic happened, I lost track of time, of the crowds milling around us.
He was tall, dark and just about okay-ish. I, the girl next door (to the Shettys to be precise).
He stepped forward, I was rooted to the spot.
Magic happened yet again, music, all of a sudden (Shakira special).

Mi casa bika su casa bika
My bike or yours?

He gave up eventually. I had the unparalleled pleasure of the last glare.

I'd gotten my way (pun attempted, I suppose).

The traffic signal had conked off. I was heading home.
It's fun to vent your frustration on equally frustrated fellow riders, especially those in Pune.

(Inspired from Shakira's Hips Don't Lie)

Current Music: In dinon - Life In A Metro

Point to ponder..

Would Kalpana Chawla be "The K.C" had her mother warned her against venturing out into dimly-lit and deserted areas

Well, needless to say, one's mother is not buying this argument.

Current Music: Running to Stand Still (U2)

A slight whiff of a dream come true ...


Jaage hain der tak hamein
Kuch der sone do
Thodi si raat aur hai
Subaah toh hone do

Aadhe adhoore khwaab jo
Poore na ho sake
Ek baar phir se neend mein
Who khwaab bone do
-- Jaage Hain - Guru

Day-dreaming. Tch. Tch.
That's where I went wrong ;)

Eyelids in a tight embrace now on.

.. and I am already in a tizzy.

Jokes apart, a wonderful composition.
ARR, God bless thee.

WANTED
--------------

Murphy

(Alive)

It's time
- we had a tête-à-tête
- he struck me off his list of favorites.

I have had enough, thank you. Perhaps you could stop ogling at me so.
And oh yes, do tell Mademoiselle Luck I asked after her.

Current Music: Ay Hairathe - Guru
The accordion in this one..a lovely surprise
Dum-daar album..quite a few knock-outs

The GOliath is watching over you...

You know we are grovelling to technology when ..

..you receive a lunch invite (through e-mail of course) accompanied by Google Earth-ed pointers to the location.

Current Music: Tal Vez - Ricky Martin
(Had been searching for this song since long, a certain Music Genome Project helped me track it down)

Dr Jekyll, I presume?

Thanks to Orkut Buyukkokten, I feel so privileged indeed, to read about the so many (sooooo sooo many!!) "extraordinary, wunnderrrrfully nice, intelligent, multi-talented, sweet" persons, who should have, by the sound of their testimonials, spread the fragrance of love with their very smile, and every footfall.

Well..well, where on earth would you be Hyde-in', my friends, for, surprisingly, in the quarter of a century's worth of time spent in these parts, I have yet to bump into you.

(Perhaps its time I donned those rose-tinted glasses)

Current Music : Time of your life - GreenDay

Backtrack

Shouldn't it have been the other way 'round?

You
I
Found your markings
Lost my bearings

I
You
Was trudging along a beaten track
Had taken a path not travelled

(Two roads had diverged into the wood that June)


Current Music: I Miss You - Haddaway

Seeking as I am
An eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
Should I, perhaps
Be banishing you
To the dungeons within
So that mercy
Is a prerogative solely mine?

Current Music: She - Elvis Costello (featured in Notting Hill)

Dance only when nobody is watching :(

Imagine being struck by a bout of legs-are-glued-to-the-ground-hips-in-straight-line-fingers-doing-some-stupid-click-cluck-sounds-itis when the DJ is playing "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira.

Aaarghhhhhhhhhhh!

Very catchy. I love the Spanish interlude in this one.

Personally I'd prefer Vishal Bharadwaj over Sanjay Leela were I to get a canvas painted.

Somehow Black turned out to be like a squeaky clean white-washed wall.

I'd rather go for the shades of grey and the requisite amount of green.


Current Music : O Saathi Re - Omkara
(This one grows on you over time. A perfect one for the rains)

What you have, huh, tell me, tell me?

[I rather like the Mere paas, Tumhare paas-ses, they give me an opportunity to login into blogger.com and blabber just for the heck of it (pun attempted)]

A quick question first to judge the pulse of the reader..

What, according to you, does an appropriate tribute to be paid to the great man, Aryabhata, the inventor of 'O / Zero', comprise of?

A statue of the sire you say? Fresh garlands and all, and a small garden around it, a dedicated gardener?
Free mathematics coaching to all and sundry?
A number crunching supercomputer?

Err..we, the proud Punekars, believe in doing things slightly differently.
Hence, backed by the staunch support of all *parties* concerned, we have an entire city offering their salutations!!

Every nook and cranny of the city, every mohalla, every chowk, the national highways around Pune, you name it and we have 'em, zeros i meant, small 'uns, big 'uns, keyboard-ish oval ones.

And the story doesn't end here..we have ponds in each one of 'em, at no extra cost that too, special monsoon offer. Pssst...don't rush, stocks are plenty.
(We are currently waiting for the ducks and geese to be flown in. They are acting oh-so-mighty and refuse to come unescorted.)

Beautiful city this, nah? :)

Now, beat that.

Vibrating through my ear canal - Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna OST

And I am compelled to make peace with myself again and again and again..

Over-and-over heard : Jag Jaa (Omkara)

(If wishes were songs, this one would have gently pulled back the hair on my forehead,
hugged me tight and convinced me that all was well with the world).

Its a comfort-inducing composition. Hope you get the point.

I steal a quick glance
Linger over collecting the cowrie shells
Watch the fishing boats coming in
Marvel at the sun sink into Her arms
(And smile when she turns a deep gold)

I give up all pretense
And take a long hard look
A single set of footprints in the sand
(Was I expecting otherwise?)

I fear
Getting used to walking alone

Currently hooked onto: Ik Din Ayega - Jal

Yun Hota Hai To Kya Hota Hai..

And I am more interested in other things

- What language do they speak in when they argue on field/with the referee
- The national anthem renditions
- What if they feel like using the bathroom while playing

I was up till 2:15 AM yesterday night not for the actual game, but only to see how the winners and losers react.

"out-of-the-box" thinking or is just "missing the woods for the trees"?

Current Music: Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver)

Hansel and Gretel?

Just when it was getting all nice and plump..
Arjuna, must you maim this bird?

Current Music : Kanna Moochee - Kandukondain Kandukondain
(Beautiful, especially the instrumental interlude.
I wonder how I have never had it in my playlist before)

Gonna look back in vain and see you standing there
When all that remains is just an empty chair
And now that you're gone
I can't cry hard enough, I can't cry hard enough
for you to hear me now

-- Can't Cry Hard Enough (Richard Marx)

And how thou cling to,
Clutch on to thy robes, Draupadi,

Come undone, this time, let go, my child,
For, how long, shall thou, a Krishna, keep seeking?


Moving on. A lesson yet unlearnt.

Current Music: Singing In The Rain - Frank Sinatra

Tumhare paas kya hai?
[beginning to insert dramatic silence ....]
[trying to ignore twin mosquitoes playing quidditch outside my ear]
[warning!!! dramatic silence under threat ]
[squelchhh, dial yem-and-yet-yanother-yem for mosquito murders]
[aa-haa dramatic silence at last]

And many a times I wish people had a funny bone, even if slightly fractured, makes conversing so much simpler.

Any, absolutely any expression would do, I can brave the tomatoes and the eggs (err..we'll switch to croc ones in these grave (pun intended) times of birds flu-ing in/around/over Nawapur) but would you so kindly do away with that irritating deadpan look on your face, my attempts at being funny come home all bruised and tender..hmpphh!

Mere paas hu-maa-r hai

Current Music: Killing Me Softly (Fugees)

Making both ends meet

"Jack fell down and broke his crown, Jill kept tumbling after". substitute(:Jack=>"Saturday", :Jill=>"Sunday")


My Fridays and Mondays are no longer divorced; Siamese twins would be more like it.

Weekend relaxation is proving to be more folklore than fact.

Current Music : Roo-Baa-Roo - Rang De Basanti
(Amazing song, amazing guitar chords, amazing everything!!)

"Jack", he said, "Yes, I will your beanstalk be"

Keep the faith. Works wonders. Trust me :)


Current Music: Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton

Unique, just like everybody else..

What if life is actually calling, but you are turning a deaf ear towards it?

Ain't it so much easier to blame the crowds (you are part of) for the din, when, in all probability you are too weak to acknowledge the unfamiliar signals...

Current Music: Unthen Desathin - Desam
(In spite of not understanding the language, the pathos come out just perfect!)

Nigahein nigahon se mila kar to dekho,
Naye logon se rishta bane ke to dekho,
Hasratein dil me chupane se kya faida,
Apne honth hila kar to dekho
Aasmaan simat jayega aagosh mein,
Chahat ki baahein faila kar to dekho
Dil ki baat kar ke to dekho…

Airtel's latest (advert) offering. Nice. Me likes. Senti. My types.

(Pssst: In case of "network busy"-ness, try Air telepathy)

Current Music: Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo - Farida Khanum
(Labelled as one of her best ghazals. Was featured in Monsoon Wedding.
Has been rendered by Asha Bhosale too.)

It was a night like no other
My muse, shaped like a three month fetus
Nestled in its womb

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that
It fell on earth, just like that, out of the blue
And that instinctively I stepped back
Only to pick it up a while later (with gnawing curiosity)
Nay, it wasn't particularly heavy, more like a cardboard, with lots of glitter on it

It seemed so perfectly normal to
Run towards the sea
Dragging it roughly with a string

I am befuddled as to why
I flung it into the vast expanse before me
How I wish you were there too, in this secluded part of my world
You'd sit on the sand besides me, and we'd watch it bob gently on the calm waters

Must I mention here
I dreamt of the crescent moon a few nights ago?

Current Music: Annie's Song - John Denver
(A true beauty, this one is)

On the battlegrounds of ....

The Devas on one side
The other, the demons, the Danavas
(In a tussle private, {loosely based on the legendary Amrut Manthan})

Each tugging mightily at the object of desire
Heave-ho, heave-hum
The turmoil within, like the stormy sea
Leaves in its wake, tired limbs, a clouding of vision

A while later
All is at peace, the nectar is partaken of
The battle is finally won
On the grounds of Waterloo watery eye-lids
The Devas, they, emerge victorious
For, what, if not sleep, is heavenly?

(Especially post-lunch, bang in the middle of a working day, never mind the fact that it was of less than 5 minutes in duration)

Current Music (and coincidentally very aptly titled) : We Are The Champions by Queen

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Opposites attract, so they say.

I must admit I was an atheist, till I discovered Stephen Covey's religion.

More than ever, I am amazed how some books are written with you_/\ ^{absolutely not} in mind


Current Music : Don't Tell Me Goodnight - Lobo
(Yeah, am very much awake, only that I am prone to falling into a deep slumber every now and then.
*shaking her head*
Age...must be catching up on me)


Note to self: For starters, how 'bout Habit 1 - Be Proactive translated to stop cribbing about lack of time or ideas and write more often

Meme - Mia (Sab iin shaab ji ki den hai)

The Book Meme:

Total Number of Books I Own:
Twenty at the most. Have always been more of a borrower; friends and libraries.

Last book I bought:
Were gifts to a friend.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman.

Last Book I Read:
Fidgety by nature, I do not always indulge in single tasking when it comes to reading. Presently lingering on Paulo Coelho's The Devil and Miss Prym, interspersed with Coelho's Veronica Decides To Die and the Outlook Traveller May edition.

Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me:

1)The usual childhood suspects
Enid Blyton series - The Famous Five, the Five Find Outers, Barney and Mischief, The Magic Faraway Tree one being the most favorite
Alfred Hitchcock - The Three Investigators
Williard Price - Hal and Roger adventures

2)A children's book I read when I was about seven, the title of which has become prey to amnesia. It is the story of a shapeless green blob (of some matter) that lives in a pond and that befriends a small child. In the end, the blob dies or melts (something of that sort) and the girl is greatly distressed at having lost a friend. I cried too, along with her.

3)Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Not having spent my schooling years in India, I had the opportunity to study English in a slightly different manner than is the norm here. Tom Sawyer was recommended for Literature studies in class eight. Each line, each paragraph, each situation would be discussed in great detail and the study would ask for expansive, analytical notes to be written thereon.

4)Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
A gift from a friend. Sad but beautiful in its own way, the story is presented in a very poetic manner; replete with metaphors and allegories.

5)Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
A delightful, light-hearted tale about a family that decides to cut down on Christmas festivities expenses by skipping the celebrations altogether.
Warms the cockles of one's heart.

6)Mrityunjaya by Shivaji Sawant
A book of gigantic proportions, more so to one who cannot rapidly skim through Devanagari scripts. Karna's tale is narrated in this one, he of the Mahabharat fame.

Memory is indeed playing hide-n-seek while I write this meme. There must have been many special books, especially those I read as a child, for then is the time when one is more accepting and appreciative of ideas and less critical or biased towards the views presented.

Current Music : Bawra Mann - Hazaaron Kwahishen Aise
(Also check out the title track based on Ghalib's poem -
Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dum nikle,
Bahut nikle mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle)

A castaway
I picked her up
Lest he sweep her away





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A work of art
Minutes before
The tide embraced it




Current Music : Dheere Jalna - Paheli
(Mindblowing, the frenzied drums, the flute that complements; M.M. Kreem takes the "cake" ;) in this one, he really does)

I-openers

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving
~Lao Tzu

I have never understood how people decipher what life wants out of them, how they have concrete answers to where-do-you-see-yourself-ten-years-from-now clinchers

I hate lying at times like these, I hate making up stuff that fits the bill (theirs of course)

Is lack of ambition defined as not knowing where one is headed (a mindset that most definitely irritates certain people, though they wish well, I know)

I dislike being caged in by monotony. I dislike routine watching over me

I cannot be tied down, I am like the piece of paper that flew out of my hand yesterday evening from the terrace; the piece of paper that swayed with the gentle breeze, to and from, up and down, tracing a path very haphazard

I have yet to find my calling in life

I want my obituary to read
"We do confirm that she no longer is with us, though mind you, there is absolutely no guarantee she went straight to heaven (as is the norm).She was always a drifter. Period."


Current Music: Kajra Re - Bunty aur Babli
Did not quite like the male and female solo stanzas, prefer repeatedly rewinding to the cat calls coupled chorus

Incoherent musings

Life's like that. Not Reader's Digest anecdotes. Naah.

Life's like an ice rink with too many people maneuvering their way 'bout it. And it must follow, as the night the day, that accidents shall abound and one might fall.

Fret not over sore glutei maximi; instead, extend your hand to the one who has the other limb firmly clasped to the railing.

(Life's like that. A mood-pecked notion. Liken it to pretty gladioli or dreary cactus pots, the choice is yours. [Ideally life is also about practising what you preach])

Current Music: Aazadi - Bose - The Forgotten Hero
(Lovely rendition by ARR & chorus, especially the high-pitched "aazadi" cries)