My School of Thought says..

2010

2012-01-13T19:01:00.003+05:30

This is a tradition I followed through for a bunch of years.. then I stopped. But here I am again trying to relive the tradition of rounding up an entire year, so that.... well, to be very honest I am not entirely sure why :)

2010 (in bullet points)
After testing a hypothesis I had, I sent my research off to see if it would get any official backing. And it did. My paper was published in February 2010.
I convinced myself publishing a paper was a big deal :)
I obsessed, a considerable period of time that too, on developing city-related merchandise.
Professionally, I was having the worst time. I loved my job but I didn't like some decisions that were taken at work. this again was for the best because it made life decisions MUCH easier!
I rant, you close my eyes and what followed was truly a dream!

Nope, I didn't take rejects well. But then something happened :) and yes! of course I checked to see if Harvard made a mistake.
Apparently they didn't. My Dean assured me and the rest of us at our welcome celebration that we were chosen for all the lovely things we have done. "Welcome to your new Intellectual Home" she said.
I packed. I moved. I sold my stock money to put myself through a masters degree. If there's anything I will constantly remind my kids and grand kids of - its probably going to be about how I put myself through Harvard.
I experienced snow for the first time in my life. I loved every bit of it - even the part when I was snowed in.
I deliberately put myself in a class full of Second year Harvard MBA students. This was perhaps the most difficult things I've done in my life. It was a mix of emotions - I was proud of myself for pushing the bar, felt bad for myself for putting myself in the situation, thanked myself for the experience!

I found new friends.
I had some great weekends.
I had a sucky new year's eve.

Coming up... 2011 :)

The void...

2011-12-17T10:22:00.000+05:30

Sometimes it is hard to imagine the pain a void can cause you.
Sometimes it is hard to come to terms with a void until you see it with your eyes

Half a decade of happiness...

2011-10-23T21:00:00.001+05:30

... and more to come!

5 years ago today you called me bringer of rains...today you called me bringer of sunshine :) I hope I can keep you this happy for the rest of our lives... and now! I can't wait for the rest of our lives to start!

Dear... sincerely

2011-06-14T19:04:00.000+05:30

Dear Twitter,

No thanks for effing up my relationship with Mydh

Sincerely,
Mydh's blog.

our house in the middle of the street

2011-06-08T23:03:00.000+05:30

i live on one of those streets. those streets that you see when you are travelling between cities. the ones that appear right after a city. the ones that remind how life should be - slow, calm and easy.

Realizations

2011-06-03T09:28:00.000+05:30

"you stand on the shoulders of those sitting behind you today and cheer as you walk proudly to receive the result of your hardwork. Remind yourself they are here not just today but that they have been here every step of your way here and will hopefully be with you as you move on."

and as we all rose to cheer for our supporters - something occurred to me. Something that hadn't occurred to me earlier... something that made me sad that night before.

So what they couldn't be here on my "special day" so what they couldn't watch as it happened. They were there every step of the way. Telling me I deserved it even before I had it all or even before I had started to dream of it... and that should make me happy... that is why I should be thankful to them. I deserve to be happy because that's the only thing they would wish for me :)

it's supposed to be my special day

2011-05-26T09:25:00.000+05:30

but never felt this alone before....

i don't want to remember all the sad things about this day... i don't want to remember how alone I felt :(

burn out

2011-05-09T07:39:00.000+05:30

..is a real thing.

you know that thing I wanted to do..
that thing about sleeping on the park bench and reading a book of no consequence - i wanna do it NOW!

3 more days..

com-pli-cated

2011-04-10T01:21:00.000+05:30

women are so frikkin complicated!

so am I, yes.. far too much for my liking :\

If only...

2011-02-03T05:24:00.000+05:30

learning to avoid these words is making me more content

redefine: home

2011-01-16T06:27:00.002+05:30

home is wherever i'm with you...
home is when i'm alone with you...

2011-01-06T02:21:00.001+05:30

i think age and youth is like all those exotic places you've always wanted to be.... but when you get there its just the same as where you were and completely over-rated

2010-12-31T04:14:00.002+05:30

distance is such a bitch

polly's pilgrimage

2010-12-06T22:03:00.001+05:30

i went to the mount auburn cemetery today and i took my polaroid with me

and we were at this tower and there was this guy with a huge dslr camera taking pictures. i took out my modest polaroid and i was trying to click a picture and this guy comes to me and says "is that a polaroid?" I say "yes" he says "did you know that edwin land, the father of polaroid is burried here?"

interesting, huh? :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_H._Land

2010-11-09T10:21:00.000+05:30

cold rainy night

raindrops on the window pane

and a yellow blinking light
i wish life slowed down a bit

New Goal

2010-10-20T21:58:00.000+05:30

Lets be the second set of co-founders who've spoken at TED together :)

yes, its finally starting to hit

2010-10-14T10:13:00.004+05:30

I miss *home* :(

conversations

2010-10-11T12:03:00.000+05:30

good ones.. are such rarity

there's just an overdose of these that make you go 'oh what a waste of time that was'

Verse

2010-10-02T14:15:00.000+05:30

Aren't you glad I broke your heart and you mine?
you see.. it all worked out fine in the end
we both found what we were looking for...
so lets pull out our white flags, call it truce and go home!

If there was a way to turn all sad songs into happy...

2010-10-02T07:57:00.002+05:30

...I'd stay up all night to do it :)

and the point of life is...?

2010-09-24T06:50:00.003+05:30

..there's a reason that is an open-ended question, you know :P

Point being?

2010-08-11T20:35:00.003+05:30

I am told I have too many interests thrown all over the place.... that a bad thing?

Here I come harvard!

2010-06-25T14:28:00.002+05:30

that line's got a nice ring to it, don't you think? ;)

love and luck

2010-03-27T20:50:00.002+05:30

so much love, so much happiness.. i must be really lucky :)

2010-03-21T15:29:00.000+05:30

It's really interesting how my family believes in things that I am fundamentally against. Astrology for one...

seriously!

2010-03-12T10:20:00.000+05:30

seriously happy :D

PS: Be happy before reality strikes.. again :)

2010-03-02T06:53:00.001+05:30

<rant></rant>

Update: ranting no more :) i saw :D

:D

2010-02-19T18:03:00.005+05:30

</show off>

A more detailed (and less show off-ish) post at my other (more serious) blog :P aquasigeek.blogspot.com

?

2010-02-14T00:09:00.002+05:30

whyee is everyone getting married?? all of a sudden? so fast? eh?

food and cooking

2010-01-10T21:58:00.002+05:30

for a vegetarian.. i can't make a single decent vegetarian dish.
even the breakfast i (can) make is so... egg-itarian

"give me 15 more"

2010-01-07T11:32:00.000+05:30

My gym trainer is a serious taskmaster :|

PS: I hope she doesn't read my blog

PPS: she is a nice person but :)

2009

2010-01-04T12:02:00.001+05:30

2009
Originally uploaded by °Giulietta°

for you onleee

2009-12-22T17:51:00.000+05:30

you know how sometimes you listen to a song and immediately you know who you want to share it with. Like you remember a related conversation you had with that person or for the more dramatic ones among us their face comes up :D

This song I found this morning - I knew who I had to send it to. However, there was no right time for us today to share and talk about it #BusyDays and hence here it is on my blog for that person and you all.....

Happy Holidays and please smile a little wider and longer for me this new years!

In the land of women

2009-12-21T18:13:00.000+05:30

Saw this movie today, have no idea how it got into my hard drive but I am glad it did :) On a cold lonely Monday afternoon, I loved watching it. The movie is very Americany - popular girl in high school, dating the quarterback, with a not so popular guy in love with her - A writer whose girlfriend dumps him, tries to get away from his life by visiting his granma, and has the typical LA charm around him - A mother whose husband is having a secret affair, an angry teenage daughter and a younger kid who is super cool...

But its different. No, its not because of Meg Ryan or Adam Brody (who btw I just realized is a heartthrob) Its different because of the way the story was told. While the movie, like I said is very americany and anyone outside of that country/culture may not be able to relate to the characters, the emotions displayed in the movie are so real, subtle and make you smile/cry :)

I'd just say go watch it...

doodle boi

2009-11-29T22:27:00.002+05:30

you are such an awesome doodler :D Doodle more!

'why was that again?'

2009-11-11T09:29:00.000+05:30

healthy relationships are those where you forget the reasons you fought..

not the ones where you forget the reasons you stopped talking

मुसाफिर जाएगा कहाँ .....

2009-11-01T00:06:00.001+05:30

kehte hain gyaani
duniya hai faani
paani pe likhi likhaayi

hai sab ki dekhi
hai sab ki jaani
haath kisi ke na aayi
haath kisi ke na aayi

kuchh tera na mera
kuchh tera na mera
musafir jayega kahaan

take that john mayer! :P

Song for the dayee

2009-10-29T10:35:00.002+05:30

*blush!*

lost them to time

2009-10-19T14:32:00.000+05:30

I've lost touch with so many people I love... so many people I enjoyed my silly conversations with... so many of them I hated for some reason and they me.. but the reason... i can't seem to remember it

Its been so long since we spoke that I forgot now why we've lost touch in the first place....

One man I will hug...

2009-09-28T22:55:00.000+05:30

.... if I ever see him.

turning those :( to :) s...

2009-09-15T20:55:00.001+05:30

"i will write you my disorganised prose as long as i can think of a sentence"

reflections

2009-09-12T22:18:00.004+05:30

I need to take most of my own advice to you

but mostly i need your advice :)

too much onlyyyy

2009-09-10T22:57:00.001+05:30

Who ever would take Which HCI researcher are you? quiz... pfffff...

Name of future doggie

2009-09-08T09:06:00.000+05:30

"Bad bad Server! No cookie for you."

you | today | tomorrow

2009-08-31T12:43:00.000+05:30

Wouldn't you hate today if it was the only thing standing between you and that lovely lovely tomorrow.. :)

AB says

2009-06-30T13:21:00.002+05:30

" I'll tell them I'm not well... I don't ususally lie.. so they'll believe me" *inncoent grin*

huggable, lovable friends I have!

...

2009-06-19T21:15:00.000+05:30

why do bad weeks take so f**in' long to end

Have you ever smelled a coffee flower?

2009-05-14T13:39:00.001+05:30

... we have :)

140 characters

2009-04-21T08:38:00.001+05:30

She struggled as the hand started to strangle her. In vain. She wakes up with a jolt, holds his hand tightly in hers and goes back to sleep.

Chapter 15 - We are the authors

2009-04-15T16:54:00.004+05:30

"And as one realizes that one is a dream figure in another person's dream, that is self awareness."

questionable... because dreams can not be this rational... they can't be this logical.. they cant be made of these insanely mundane things we do everyday. Dreams are supposed to be just shapes... no details..

but then again, here's another thought... may be the one who is dreaming is in an illogical irrational world... where there are no details but only shapes and his or her subconscious is craving for this clarity... this logic and this rationale that we seem to detest... and his subconscious mind is screaming out loud this logic and rationale in his dream... which happens to be our reality....

now there are two questions...

who's living out whose dream...

and

whose world is more irrational...

Read the transcript of the screenplay of what I am referring to here

Me and you and everyone we know

2009-04-14T14:21:00.003+05:30

Richard Swersey: You think you deserve that pain but you don't.
Christine Jesperson: I mean, they kind of rub my ankles, but all shoes does that. I have low ankles.
Richard Swersey: You think you deserve that pain, but you don't.
Christine Jesperson: I don't think I deserve it.
Richard Swersey: Well, not consciously maybe.
Christine Jesperson: My ankles are just low...
Richard Swersey: People think that foot pain is a fact of life, but life is actually better than that.

Do your shoes kill you or do they set you free?

Apparently...

2009-04-09T21:04:00.000+05:30

.. i don't take rejects too well... :\

:P pphhbbttt moments

2009-04-07T13:11:00.004+05:30

El De: i want tracy chapman's vocals
El De: ...and muscles

El Pr: try ebay

...

2009-04-06T14:13:00.004+05:30

Almost everything that is new and inevitable in my life is preceded with feelings of uncertainity, anticipation and shitless scare.

2009-04-06T12:06:00.002+05:30

Originally uploaded by 9 0 0 0

kinna like what i thought before actually learning guitar

An open Letter from Ani Difranco to Ms. Magazine

2009-04-02T17:17:00.004+05:30

November 5, 1997

Marcia Ann Gillespie,
Editor in Chief
Ms. Magazine
135 W. 50th Street
16th Floor
New York, NY 10020

So I’m poring through the 25th anniversary issue of Ms. (on some airplane going somewhere in the amorphous blur that amounts to my life) and I’m finding it endlessly enlightening and stimulating as always, when, whaddaya know, I come across a little picture of little me. I was flattered to be included in that issue’s “21 feminists for the 21st century” thingybob. I think ya’ll are runnin the most bold and babe-olishious magazine around, after all.

Problem is, I couldn’t help but be a little weirded out by the paragraph next to my head that summed up her me-ness and my relationship to the feminist continuum. What got me was that it largely detailed my financial successes and sales statistics. My achievements were represented by the fact that I “make more money per album sold than Hootie and the Blowfish,” and that my catalogue sales exceed 3/4 of a million. It was specified that I don’t just have my own record company but my own “profitable” record company. Still, the ironic conclusion of the aforementioned blurb is a quote from me insisting “it’s not about the money.” Why then, I ask myself, must “the money” be the focus of so much of the media that surrounds me? Why can’t I escape it, even in the hallowed pages of Ms.?

Firstly, this “Hootie and the Blowfish” business was not my doing. The LA Times financial section wrote an article about my record label, Righteous Babe Records, in which they raved about the business savvy of a singer (me) who thwarted the corporate overhead by choosing to remain independent, thereby pocketing $4.25 per unit, as opposed to the $1.25 made by Hootie or the $2.00 made by Michael Jackson. This story was then picked up and reprinted by The New York Times, Forbes magazine, the Financial News Network, and (lo and behold) Ms.

So here I am, publicly morphing into some kinda Fortune 500-young-entrepreneur-from-hell, and all along I thought I was just a folksinger !

Ok, it’s true. I do make a much larger profit (percentage-wise) than the Hootster. What’s even more astounding is that there are thousands of musicians out there who make an even higher profit percentage than me! How many local musicians are there in your community who play gigs in bars and coffee shops about town? I bet lots of them have made cassettes or CDS which they’ll happily sell to you with a personal smile from the edge of the stage or back at the bar after their set. Would you believe these shrewd, profit-minded wheeler-dealers are pocketing a whopping _100%_ of the profits on the sales of those puppies?! Wait till the Financial News Network gets a whiff of _them_!

I sell approximately 2.5% of the albums that a Joan Jewelanis Morrisette sells and get about .05% of the airplay royalties, so obviously if it all comes down to dollars and cents, I’ve led a wholly unremarkable life. Yet I choose relative statistical mediocrity over fame and fortune because I have a bigger purpose in mind. Imagine how strange it must be for a girl who has spent 10 years fighting as hard as she could against the lure of the corporate carrot and the almighty forces of capital, only to be eventually recognized by the power structure as a business pioneer.

I have indeed sold enough records to open a small office on the half-abandoned main street in the dilapidated urban center of my hometown, Buffalo, N.Y. I am able to hire 15 or so folks to run and constantly reinvent the place while I drive around and play music for people. I am able to give stimulating business to local printers and manufacturers and to employ the services of independent distributors, promoters, booking agents and publicists. I was able to quit my day job and devote myself to what I love. And yes, we are enjoying modest profits these days, affording us the opportunity to reinvest in innumerable political and artistic endeavors. RBR is no Warner Bros. But it is a going concern, and for me, it is a vehicle for redefining the relationship between art and commerce in my own life. It is a record company which is the product not just of my own imagination, but that of my friend and manager Scot Fisher and of all the people who work there. People who incorporate and coordinate politics, art and media every day into a people-friendly, sub-corporate, woman-informed, queer-happy small business that puts music before rock stardom and ideology before profit.

And me. I’m just a folksinger, not an entrepreneur. My hope is that my music and poetry will be enjoyable and/or meaningful to someone, somewhere, not that I maximize my profit margins. It was 15 years and 11 albums getting to this place of notoriety and, if anything, I think I was happier way back when. Not that I regret any of my decisions, mind you. I’m glad I didn’t sign on to the corporate army. I mourn the commodification and homogenization of music by the music industry, and I fear the manufacture of consent by the corporately-controlled media. Last thing I want to do is feed the machine.

I was recently mortified while waiting in the dressing room before one of my own shows. Some putz suddenly takes the stage to announce me and exclaim excitedly that this was my “largest sold-out crowd to date!” “Oh, really?,” I’m thinking to myself, “that’s interesting…too bad it’s not the point.” All of my achievements are artistic, as are all of my failures.

That’s just the way I see it. Statistical plateau or no. I’ll bust ass for 60 people, or 6,000, watch me.

I have so much respect for Ms. magazine. If I couldn’t pick it up at newsstands my brain probably would’ve atrophied by now on some trans-Atlantic flight and I would be lying limp and twitchy in a bed of constant travel, staring blankly into the abyss of the gossip magazines. Ms. is a structure of media wherein women are able to define themselves, and articulate for themselves those definitions. We wouldn’t point to 21 of the feminists moving into the 21st century and define them in terms of “Here’s Becky Ballbuster from Iowa City, she’s got a great ass and a cute little button nose…” No ma’am. We’ve gone beyond the limited perceptions of sexism and so we should move beyond the language and perspective of the corporate patriarchy. The Financial News Network may be ultimately impressed with me now that I’ve proven to them that there’s a life beyond the auspices of papa Sony, but do I really have to prove this to _you_?

We have the ability and the opportunity to recognize women not just for the financial successes of their work but for the work itself. We have the facility to judge each other by entirely different criteria than those is imposed upon us by the superstructure of society. We have a view which reaches beyond profit margins into poetry, and a vocabulary to articulate the difference. Thanks for including me, Ms., really. But just promise me one thing; if I drop dead tomorrow, tell me my grave stone won’t read:

ani d.

CEO.

Please let it read:

songwriter

musicmaker

storyteller

freak.

Ani DiFranco

**You may distribute or forward the above as long as you do not alter or edit it.**

23

2009-03-18T11:49:00.002+05:30

Come to think of it... 23 is a weird age. No one's ever mentioned what happens at 23.. Everyone tells you how you'll have your first real crush at 15, first heart-break at 18, confusion at 21, ambitions at 25, how you gonna have 2 kids at 30, finally pay off your house loan at 35, a heart attack at 60, a grand kid at 65 bla bla... no one talks about 23!

Brandi Carlile had her first album at 23. Dave Chapelle finished his first script by 24. And at 23, Mydh was on Stanford's waiting list..... well talk about being almost there.

Anyway, when I do get to those famous milestones of 25 and 30 and 40 and 50 etc... I wanna remember that I was damn happy at 23 :)

whimsical i am

2009-03-08T23:50:00.004+05:30

I wanna write him a song!

heee :D

2009-02-22T21:02:00.000+05:30

El Pr: ...it doesn't matter 40 years later when we are sitting down to watch the sunset with our evening chai and biscuits and no teeth
El De: hmm... Ok then, may be 60 years later :D *grins with no teeth*

10 things that'll look extremely stupid 10 years from now

2009-02-11T10:49:00.027+05:30

Prop 8
Kindle
The first ever version of iPhone
Media naming some of the criminals in india - moral police
Chris Brown & Rhianna
Indian politicians who'll have someone else "maintain" their social media profile
All those aunts and uncles who say the following phrases: "You're doing BA? What's wrong with you beta" "You're 23, you should be married and have kids" "Girls shouldn't be doing that!"
Pakistan's reaction to the Mumbai blasts.
digital cameras! and how that's led to no film >(
a kid wanting to be an engineer or doctor cos his 'parents wanted him to'

humming right now...

2009-01-18T20:45:00.000+05:30

ghar tera saloni
badal ki coloneeee
dikhlade tenga in sabko jo udna na jane :D

Listening to: Delhi6 - Masakali

Cut slumdog some slack

2009-01-12T21:16:00.001+05:30

I almost tweeted about this earlier and I realized I havn't blogged in a long while and anyway shortening things to 140 words isn't really fun. Yea, I'm not succinct that way :P

Ok, so back to Slumdog. First of all I don't see why everyone seemed to have made it their job to attack the movie when it really isn't that bad. I loved how the flow of the story and how it was tied back to a tv show like who wants to be a millionaire. Yes yes, it's not realistic and it's definitely not bollywood, because! it wasn't supposed to be. A British director made it for a foreign audience and maybe for that Indian audience who understood english and didn't mind happy endings. Someone blogged about how Boyle makes poverty look like the most beautiful thing on earth. Well honestly I didn't see how a kid falling in shit was beautiful, its just some good old dark humor!

Secondly, it's kinda mindless how Indian media is trying to project the movie as "our movie" and "our victory" and stuff. The only thing that we gotta be proud of is that man who went up the dais and said the words '... and the one billion people in India, thank you!' The movie might be about us but it doesn't make it our success. Bubble-break moment aye? Anyway, if you get a chance, watch the movie. If you don't like convenient story lines and happy endings.. mayee be not :)

And oh! Heath ledger won Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture category! yayers! thought TDK would pick up more awards than that though... hmmm

Note: Contains some of element pr's thoughts and words :P

contemplating the Queen of signs

2009-01-11T22:32:00.001+05:30

contemplating the Queen of signs
Originally uploaded by nuruL H.

hiding confusion
behind tall wine glasses
sipping in pretence
of art appreciation
but left perplexed
by the queen of signs

I came across this picture on Flickr a few days ago. I loved the lines immensely and wanted to blog it. Thanks nuruL H. for the go ahead. Keep clickin' and writin'

To, 2009, C/O 2008-Dec, Time Line.

2009-01-01T21:16:00.001+05:30

Hola 2009!

How do you do? I am Myd, I am one of those many people who've already wished you hello and smiled at you and basically been really really nice to you hoping that you'll reciprocate the act.

So yeah, while I do wonder what you have in store for me, I don't want to hurry you. Do let me know what you have in mind for me in your sweet time - we've got an entire year for ourselves anyway right?

Just so you know, I haven't really made any resolutions this time. I did try it with one of your ancestors but.. nah! didn't really work out. I gave up on the idea ever since. So there's really no chance of me letting you down cos, you know.. no promises and all.

Oh yeah! just one thing... doesn't really matter what you do with me.. cos you know I can take care of myself and I don't really care if we get along and all that shit but could you keep an eye out for the rest of the people out there? I mean, yeah sure, most of them can take care of themselves but you know a little bit of luck in their favor won't really hurt, right? ;)

Cool! so looks like we're all set to roll yeah?! awrighty, make sure to see all the good things and have fun while you're around ok?!

Ta!
Mydh

P.S: Oh! can you please give 2008 a warm fuzzy hug from me and let her know I enjoyed my time with her? We share truck-loadsa awesome memories. Miss her already!

Choices

2008-12-27T23:24:00.001+05:30

Are you a lover or a fighter?

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Got no time for getting older!

Fiona Rocks out \m/

2008-12-26T20:42:00.001+05:30

Guess what! Fiona was a tad bit bored today.. and decided to do a photoshoot

Fiona listening to her favorite 'buzz' and tellin' y'all... rock out people! \m/ Peace! and have an awesome new years..

...while she works on some paperwork she was supposed to have finished a month ago.. sigh sigh!

moving too fast

2008-12-26T20:13:00.003+05:30

Sitting behind this dark glass.. I watch the world go by
while they don't see me.. to them, my existence is unknown

Stop this all-too-fast machine, I want to stop right here for a moment
and watch the endings of the stories I see the beginnings to!

Antique Antique

2008-12-14T20:31:00.006+05:30

I was at this old recycled book store in Berkeley called Shakespeare & Co. and I found these beautiful antique cards form 1936 and '38. Coincidentally, they were both cards for their wives.

"What my wife should know on her Birthday"

I've never stopped wishing her glandness ...

Since the day we were showered with rice...

and whether she "roasts" me or "toasts" me __
I still think she's

PRETTY DARN NICE!

Ask me to show them to you if you're ever visiting me at my home :) So I looked up the history of cards.. did you know it's only been about a little less than one and half century since mass-production of cards.

Coming up: the other antique fold out card I got :)

Irrationally Rational

2008-12-01T14:16:00.002+05:30

"...but we are rational people, infact more rational than the word rational itself, when u weigh a word by its average of abilities in general population."

2008-11-29T19:52:00.002+05:30

Let me start by saying I'm an irresponsible citizen. Someone who hasn't respected the law or criticized it more than once. The one who's made a face each time I had to go through airport security check. Given up my right to vote because the first polling booth I went to told me my name wasn't in their records and that I should go check in other polling booths.

There has been terror in my country.. blasts in my city and I've felt that rage against those responsible. For a day, maybe two and after that life's back to the usual. It's the same old drill each time - terror-call/msg every one I know to make sure they're all safe - watch tv/discussions - feel angry - avoid the place in question for a few weeks. After that, life returns to normalcy. As long as there are people like me, India is going to the dogs for sure. I'm sick of being that person.

Yes, it took me a horrific terrorist attack and 150 lives to realize maybe I need to be a little more responsible. Here's what I want to do. This is a list I wanna make sure to read over and over again. Narcissist that I am, I read my own blog more than any other webpage. So I chose to record it here.

1. I choose to go through every airport security check without a wee-bit of frustration. Now on, I'll mean the thank you I say to them.
2. I choose to cooperate and not criticize the security at concerts.
3. I'm willing to give up on a little bit of my freedom to keep public spaces safe.
4. I will vote
5. I will try and find organizations that can train me on being safe during a terrorist/hostage situation.
6. I will not sign an online pledge. I don't think they make much of a difference and give us a wrong sense of achievement.
7. If my kids want to join the police/fire department/army/NSG, I will not stop them.
8. I won't kid myself (and others) by saying that I'm gonna somehow change the circumstances by blogging. But I need to put it down somewhere and this is it for me.
9. Hatred & anger is not something I feel. I will not let "them" win by feeling these emotions. Anyone need a hug? :)
10. I do NOT believe that US's retaliation in the form of a war (the bloodiest of our lifetime) has protected them. I would like to be a part of the country that chose to go by peace.

Essential elements in life.

2008-11-26T19:48:00.006+05:30

What would you vote on Prop 8?

2008-11-22T20:42:00.003+05:30

Question: Imagine India had to take a vote on something similar to Proposition 8, what would you vote? Yes or No?

Ok, some background here:

Proposition 8 is or rather was a proposition at the 2008 US election to amend the constitution to restrict legalization of marriage between people of the same sex. US citizens have taken the vote and the majority in California voted Yes on Prop 8. This was rather surprising to me considering the lifestyle of most in SF and the very liberal views of the people in California. The argument of those who voted Yes on Prop 8 was that while they respected the sexual preference of people they couldn't agree that the unnatural union of these could be considered a legal marriage.

All those who voted against Prop 8 had this to say - it's a fundamental right to be able to call the union with a loved one, marriage. The proposition aimed at taking this fundamental right away from them.

Well there were also certain other illogical reasons such as how legalizing gay marriages would lead to teaching about these sexual preferences at school and therefore rob the children of their ignorance. They failed to answer how they would escape the questions raised by children if they didn't legalize the marriages. And if this was their first step to make it illegal to be homosexual. Either way this wasn't a valid reasoning and we could ignore this for the present discussion.

Now a little background on the sexual preference scene in India. Legally, well its illegal. We still follow the British rule on this one (Sec 377 of 1860 to be exact) since they decided everything against the nature to be illegal.

'Against the nature' I've heard that argument a lot. How exactly these people get the right to decide what's natural is pretty vague to me. Anyway, in the wake of the increasing number of Indians coming out of the closet and a more liberal view settling in with the Indian youth towards homosexuality, I'd think we will soon be approaching a Prop 8 situation in India.

PS: I've tried to be as neutral as possible while providing the above facts. However, if my thoughts on the subject managed to creep in, please ignore them and respond with your thoughts. I'll have a separate post about my opinion on this topic soon.

I think you belong in SF because..

2008-11-22T13:18:00.005+05:30

- it's a walker's city (d'uh :D)
- it's got beaches.
- the city still preserves its hippy culture (and you'll blend right in :P)
- geeks are the new celebrities of SF :P (women dig the geeks here, i kid you not!)
- public transport is like awesome
- the ethnographer in you will thank you :)
- you'd think the weather is perfect
- you can take nikky out for a walk almost everyday
- if you're too lazy/tired of taking pictures you could go catch a play in the theater district
- there is live music... freaking... everywhere! :D
- Cal is like a bart ride away and will be your calmer get-away place
- you can walk and bicycle ...ergo won't have to go to the gym :P
- you'd think the cable car is over-rated too
- you'll love the graffiti
- you'll finish visiting all galleries in your first week and will be on a high for the next two :)

----------------
Now playing: Coldplay - 42
via FoxyTunes

Screw-up

2008-11-13T22:30:00.002+05:30

Major screw up caused by no fault of mine. How in the world can people be so careless?

BUT!

I will keep my cool
I will stay calm
I will "improvize" on what I have
I will smile :)
I will criticize with a smile :)

Cheers!

2008-10-25T21:53:00.002+05:30

two years since the first
... a virtual toast :)

I finally have time to blog! :-@

2008-10-11T01:49:00.001+05:30

Hyd airport offering 45 minutes of free wi fi to travellers.. Uber
book but no one seems to know how to get it working. And oh my flight
just got delayed... Again! Grrr ... What is it with me and flights
these days!?
And whats with all the kids in the airport running around?! They have
no sense of time.!. Wonder if they ever have to deal with jetlag

Anyway.... Random question to the guys - if you ever got arrested, who
would you use your one call on? Your home or girlfriend? Pick one!

--
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Got no time for getting older!

Indian Parkour

2008-09-07T17:46:00.001+05:30

Pronounced as Pah-ku-ah [paʁ.'kuʁ], Parkour is a "sport" that was founded in France. Unlike other sports, this discipline doesn't have a set of rules or boundaries. The only thing it does need is training. It has been defined as an art form that borders on self-defense and martial arts. Don't see how jumping around is a form of practicing self-defense? Well, imagine the artists featured in these videos in an emergency situation. Wouldn't you agree that they have a better chance of putting themselves out of the situation than you and I?

Lately, this is a trend that's been catching up with the the Indian youth, thanks to action heroes from bollywood & hollywood bringing these stunts to the big screen and the small. Here's a compilation of videos made by Parkour disciplinarians India

So, if you'd like to learn how to PK Roll, Cat Balance, Lazy Vault, Precision Jump, Dismount, Reverse Vault, Palm Spin, Dash Vault, Monkey Vault, King- Kong,or Wall Run ...YouTube is your self-help tool! Remember however, that these stunts have been performed under supervision and after a lot of practice, so aim low in your first few trials.

satharn yaaksent

2008-08-31T22:54:00.003+05:30

A friend of mine thought I couldn't pull off a southern accent.. so here's me givin it a shawt...

Dis a msg ta yer phone

Y'know man.. 'ts been nice talkin ta ya
you're such a good listenuh
you don't interrupt..dun talk evah

but I donno if I can do this anymo'
I mean you nice and all
't's just me.. I ask fo' too much

I ask fo' a conva'zation..
one-lina', a word, a smile mebbe?
or a fuckin confirmation that you got da msg

dat's too much to ask fo' now ain' it?
wid all those signals passin' you by
heck! 'ts a miracle you even process mine

so thanks for dat but I gotta move on
i can't talk to machines no mo'
lemme know when dat voice on da other side can talk.. k?

Imperfect

2008-08-24T23:27:00.004+05:30

Imperfect... I like the word... and the state of being one. Somehow that assures me longevity.
In effect, of course, being perfect - vulnerability.

----------------
Listening to: Feist - The Limit to Your Love
via FoxyTunes

Personal Diary

2008-08-21T00:19:00.001+05:30

I don't just want your calendar... I want your diary too...

may be I can bring kafka back to life, make him fall in love with me, teach him how to message and then go away.. ah! the pleasure of words :)

----------------
Listening to: Madeleine Peyroux - J'Ai Deux Amours
via FoxyTunes

Self-pity

2008-08-16T23:56:00.002+05:30

When was the last time i took leave that wasn't study leave?
........
sigh! :(

Kabhi kabhi kick the guy's sorry a**

2008-08-06T22:08:00.005+05:30

There's a really annoying ad doing the rounds on the Indian telly these days. A multi-starrer that's basically telling young women that if they've lost their boyfriends because they've had issues with their skin color, using a skin-whitener will get the bastard back. While kicking such men in the nuts is a better option. The ad, in parts, shows the story of a girl who loses her boyfriend (this part is shot in b&w) and how she runs into him and his girlfriend in the second part (where it's of course a brighter more colorful world where she kicks ass "lookswise"). I would have much preferred to see Saif getting bitch-slapped than priyanka going back in to his arms.

What angers me most is to see Priyanka Chopra, a former Miss India/Miss World, appearing in these ads with that heart broken(like literally! the breaking silver heart?!) gloomiest most helpless face she can manage. Girl! seriously? some morale?

Alternate ending: Priyanka drops her "piece of the heart" and saif spots her by the sound the drop makes (bah!) and then he walks up to her. Finally, when he reaches her with his arms wide open. Priyanka welcomes with a smile...... and at the opportune moment punches his nose out. Gets into the crouching tiger pose and beats the hell out of him while her hair is flowing in all it's sunsilk glory. She then drags him out and runs her greasy bike wheels all over the guy, leaving an imprint on his face. She then takes out the skin-whitener and tosses it on him. Walks away.

I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament. ~Alanis Morissette, quoted in Reader's Digest, March 2000

Beep bip beep

2008-08-05T20:48:00.001+05:30

@ a super market... Just realized its still the first week of the
month... And the express counter's machine is broken :-@
Ok random poll, how many of you check expiry dates on things you buy?

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Got no time for getting older!

System crashed

2008-07-30T19:50:00.002+05:30

...and two years of my life just whoosh.

I got two options:

1) kill whoever the fish sent me that fudgin' preso in that frikking email

2) calm myself down and chant 'clean slate... clean start... clean slate... clean start'

That movie I've been watching (spoiler clean! :D )

2008-07-27T20:29:00.000+05:30

Ok let me first officially declare this is my recommended movie of the year... so far. I've seen it for two consecutive weekends (the first time I saw it was on small screen, the movie totally deserved an imax experience - so the second visit) It's no wonder then it's on #1 spot on imdb currently.

Nolan has always been one of my favorite storytellers. Memento took my breathe away and The prestige was equally good if not better. But The dark knight! man! it is the single most superhero movie I'd recommend to all. Just cos Christpher Nolan told it and he told it better than the first.

On the first occasion, I went to the first day's first show. I spent most of my time being amazed and :O ing at all the right places that Nolan so carefully tailored the :O - factor in. So the second time I went, I had an awesome time looking at the rest of the theater reacting to those moments and it is such a wonderful sight to look at. They should take pictures of people right after the :O moment (just like they do on those theme park rides). I don't know what you could do with those pictures, may be hand that over to the oscar jury? serve as part of a viewer experience research for the director? sell those pictures back to the audience?

Ok back to the movie - Christian bale was emotionless and ergo ok. So let me test this, when he was in costume, I thought he had a lisp. Was I imagining it? or did he really have one :| If he did? why? another way of concealing his identity. either way I like bruce wayne - guy with zilche superpowers but awful lot of money. All of it nicely invested in R&D. Nice guy!

Aaron Eckhart fit Harvey Dent's shoes nicely. I'd love to see him as scar face in the next one.

Michael Caine - ok so I like Mr. Caine. I'm only sad to always see him as a supporting character (remember the prestige?). I hope Nolan directs him with a lead role next time. That I'll surely go watch.

Heath Ledger. I kept trying to remember how he looked in the last movie I saw of him. After the first 5 seconds or so, I gave up (read forgot to). I haven't seen/analyzed Jack Nicholson as the joker. So for me, Heath Ledger is it. And he did a pretty damn good job at it. And I surely thought he deserves an Oscar. But I did ask myself if this though was influenced by the fact that the movie was a posthumous release. And the answer is a No. He deserves all the accolades he's getting now. If he doesn't win the oscar, I'd wanna see who does! (Note to self: watch brokeback mountain and monster's ball)

My favorite line in the movie: "(clears throat) Tonight you're all going to be part of a social experiment..." and the scene that follows it!

This movie deserves a sequel. When they do make one I'll try and get ticket to the first show.

The Food Review

2008-07-24T16:42:00.002+05:30

"The aroma and the tastes of the mild spices in the spoonful of rice reach a climax of culinary orgasm in your mouth."

Most men cook - some cook exceptionally. Only a few with such devotion.

:P

Margarita & Wine

2008-07-21T01:26:00.001+05:30

Being drunk is less of a physically stimulated state of mind and more
of an elborate excuse to be someone else/your real self.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Got no time for getting older!

You know you're a geek when...

2008-07-12T21:20:00.001+05:30

- by "catching up on that series" you mean quarterlife
- you make a mental blog of everything with a title, the lines, a flickr photograph and may be some tags too.
- you and your boyfriend decide to learn simlish
- you nod your head in agreement with xkcd.com (sometimes you just don't laugh cos it's commonplace)
- people at work try to find you before calling techstop
- 6 out of 10 messages in your phone's inbox are from Google calendar
- you take great pains to make sure that your twitter/pownce/friendfeed/plurk/gtalk status message are coherent
- you google/youtube yourself on a monthly basis. Better still have an rss feed with your name
- being poked on facebook means a lot more than a casual smile from a colleague
- you feel like ted and you immediately message your boyfriend "Ted tonight? i'll be on gtalk!"
- you maintain this identity of yours on a different blog altogether

Avelile

2008-07-07T17:49:00.003+05:30

I stumbled upon this video today and was so happy I did. It's such a hopeful video. I wish the media showed us more of such videos. We'd be a lot more hopeful then :)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Pick the right answer.

2008-07-02T14:54:00.002+05:30

You can't love anybody unless you love yourself.

You can't love yourself unless you love anybody.

21

2008-06-28T22:38:00.007+05:30

Micky Rosa: Jimmy got a job at Google.
Ben Campbell: Jim... Jimmy got a job at Google?
MR: Yeah, it's catchy, I know.
BC: Well, if you're making so much money at this then why did he take it?
MR: Ben, I said Google, not Sizzler

Huh! :D
(If you haven't got that... youtube it!)

Learnings:
Option a - save for college
Option b - get a loan
Option c - learn blackjack

today

2008-06-21T23:28:00.002+05:30

World music day

go skateboarding day

sartre's birthday

longest day of the year

today.

Mah trip

2008-06-21T08:13:00.001+05:30

Excuse the english accent but me be buyin dis book londonstani an it b
too 'eavy on da desibrit accent an i mebbe catchin sum a it :-D
back to being in india... More specifically bangalore intl airport.
And this place is heyuge. And is actually like an international
airport. Not like the hyderadi airport with some very sad luggage
conveyor issues and one lousy hard rock cafe which no one visits.
And oh one thing that was simple yet smart that ppl here seem to have
done is those instructions in the loos. Instead of drawn up objects
and weird stick figures they just took a picture of the loo and put
their message across with pointers. Interesting.
Annnway.... Me be travellin now and da lady in bloos sayin off wid da
fone so brederen! stay cool an ama gonna talk ta ya from mah homeland
soon :-D
la'erss!

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Got no time for getting older!

Testin it

2008-06-19T17:14:00.001+05:30

gotta change this signoff... Snobbery!

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Got no time for getting older!

Matt Damon!

2008-06-15T20:23:00.012+05:30

The kind of roles this guy plays simply amaze me! Consider these two scenes from these movies: Good will hunting, where he's playing Will, the tough guy, who finally has closure by crying it all out in front of his psychologist (Damon got nominated for an oscar for this one btw) And the scene in O12 , where he's this naive con, trynna be part of a negotiation and the rest of them are playing lost in translation with him. Absolutely nothing in common between these two.
Pure brilliance and a gorgeous smile - Matt Damon!

----------------
Listening to: Coldplay - Viva la Vida

to do # 567

2008-06-12T14:23:00.002+05:30

Participate in at least one improv everywhere mission

Update: take D with ya :D

who was keeping scores?!

2008-06-08T20:29:00.003+05:30

Pool - yes, you're awesome :P
Foosball - ahaan! bow :D
TT - yeah yeah, fine! :P
Chess - pls welcome the queen of logical reasoning!

Who won though? :O :|

we forgot to keep scores!

:)

2008-06-03T22:34:00.003+05:30

PAUL ARDEN (1940 - 2008)

"If instead of showing strength by spending billions of weapons of war, the West was to build a mosque on Ground Zero, it would be a remarkable symbol of our understanding of the Islamic point of view.
It would be a major step towards world peace."

"Why does God need you to defend him?
It must be because you think you are more powerful than your God.
If you think your God is weaker than you, that's not much of a faith."

2008-06-03T21:49:00.002+05:30

There are at least two songs being played on Telugu radio these days that have the word "tsunami" for the completely wrong reasons.

Since when did the tsunami start representing heroism or lustfulness??

insensitive idiots of lyricists

2008-05-31T20:07:00.003+05:30

ok yeah this is something I've been wanting to do for sometime now... better sit myself down this time and get to it

7 - number of days I was out of the country
48 - number of hours I had to travel
5 - number of airports I visited
4 - number of cities I had to visit,
2 - number of conferences attended

Advice:
1) You might as well be non-vegetarian if you're flying singapore airlines. They'll offer their best fish and beef even after you spell out the word Vegetarian in their face and oh yes they know you're indian
2) Buy one of those nice little u shaped neck holder things to sleep on the flight.
3) Don't go crazy over books and dvds... ok! mebbe a little bit...

I loved:
1) The conferences! both of 'em, whole of em!
2) SEEING DIPYA! (dude! you gotta work on your tour guide skills though :P)
3) Listening to Al Gore talk so passionately about things he believes in.
4) see 5 bloggers sit up there go on about web 2.0 and all the social possibilities it brings along with it.
5) visiting Stanford and getting this amazing tour by a wonderful alum who also happens to be my boss :)
6) the amazing waffles for breakfast! i dreamed about them in the days to come
7) our polaroid!!
8) the asiatic lillies :)

I hated:
1) food
2) weather
3) it was too darn short

I clicked: