Homesick as Hell

After a month long trip to the US, which went along like a breeze, the last one month in India has been long and drawn out. Each and every plan that is made for a planned leave is shot to hell by changes in the schedule of major work at office. Already I have made 3 plans two of which have been scrapped and the last one got nipped in the bud when the premise under which I had made it turned out to be false.

I bloody wish the powers that be make up their mind!!!!

Gadiara Sangam

Gadiara sangam

Hurt Locker vs The Blindside

Both movies are extremely good. But I liked "Hurt Locker" more.
Yes, I know you probably thinking about all the goof ups you have read about (all the wrong weapons, the British SAS unit getting taken out like a pack of dodos, soldiers playing on PS3,etc). But were you thinking of this when you saw the movie? How many people actually would think, "oh that is not used by the American army, and SAS people are not such dumb idiots." A movie consists of a lot of aspects, of which research is just one. OK, so the research was not up to the mark on this one, but most of the people who watch movies don't know that. The movie scores high on accurate depiction of a soldier's life. Yes it may seem monotonous, but is that not how a soldier's life is? Get up, go out on the streets, and do your job, at all times risking your life. I don't think a soldier's life varies too much. It is an action flick packaged like a documentary. But one must remember it is not a documentary but a Hollywood film. So the far-fetched characters like the fearless Williams who cares two hoots for military process are not too far-fetched. Did the film deserve so many Oscars? Maybe not. But I liked it anyways. Especially the end which although abrupt, seems appropriate.

Coming to "The Blindside", it is an amazing film. Good acting all around. Being a true story makes it that much more believable. Wonder if people would have liked it if it had not been one. Maybe they would have found it as unbelievable as "Hurt Locker".

Having said all this, I have seen far better films than these in the respective genres.

Silver Jubilee

What a way to spend my 25th birthday. When the stroke of 12 approached on 24th March 2010, I was waiting for a cab to drop me home from work.
Gone are the days when we used to have the friends all call to wish at 12 and you stay up through the night answering calls. At this age one is lucky if one gets calls from a few friends and relatives.
When I got home I got a couple of sleepy birthday wishes from 2 roommates and another one completely forgot and I had to remind him the next morning.
Atleast the day went well in office what with the party at Kaafila where I ate the raan after a long time.
To add to that I spoke for a long time with one of my college friends.
All in all...a good day.

Bloody mosquitoes !!!

My house is plagued by mosquitoes of late, and my room in particular. I think the slowly but steadily growing pile of luggage (which the domestic servant never bothers to dust) is giving the bloodsucking parasites a safe haven. We all,being the lazy asses that we are, bought a mosquito net. But it seems the insects are smarter than us. They somehow always find a way in. For the past two days I have not slept at night. I wait for daylight to send the insects packing, then sleep in the day.
Tomorrow is Monday, and I have office. Wonder how I will manage.

Zenda

I am now officially a fan of Marathi movies. Both these movies are too good.
One depicting the split in the Shiv Sena. It was refreshing to see a movie made from the point of view of the people working under these politicians. The movie had neither politician bashing nor glorification of any person. Instead it gave the viewer a dose of reality. The title track is amazing. Hence it is now my ringtone. :)

Natrang

Had been wanting to see this movie for sometime. The promos seemed too good for a Marathi movie. And I was not disappointed. Since this movie would never come to the theaters in Kolkata, I had to wait for my roommate to bring it on his laptop from Mumbai.

The movie is about Gunavantrao Kagalkar(Atul Kulkarni), a poor villager who makes money doing odd jobs. The man has problems making ends meet, but spends all his paltry earnings on the tamasha (theater) that comes to the village. He also has a passion for acting and theater and harbors plans to become a famous theater personality. The movie shows the tragedy of his life and the sacrifices he makes in order to achieve his goal.

Atul Kulkarni is superb as Gunvant. The character is very well developed.The transformation from manly body builder to the lighly built eunuch is too good. The conundrum he faces over his family and carrer is very well showcased.
Kishore Kadam deserves a mention for playing the role of Pandoba, the manager and friend who tries his utmost to further Gunvant's career.


The movie is very well made technically. The cinematography,make up and method acting is evident in this.
The movie is serious, some might find it sad. I would describe it as realistic, showing that nothing comes free and easy in life.
Go watch it.

Nothing Like A Hard Day's Works

This is my second post within the space of an hour. Too many things in my mind.
I am too happy right now. For 3 days I beat my head over what could have been causing the error I was getting in the code. Well, it has been diagnosed and fixed and I am glad for it.

Twilight Saga

Well,..I was forced into reading the book after one of my colleagues made me watch the first book motion picture.

For those who don't know
Twilight is a best selling series of 4 books by Stephenie Meyers, 2 of which have now been adapted to motion pictures. The third one is releasing soon.
The story is about Isabella Swan(Bella) and Edward Cullen,a vampire who lives with his family(all vampires) just outside of town.
The two fall in love and several complications are provided in the form of Jacob Black and his pack of werewolves.

When I started reading the book, I had already watched the first two episodes. So it was like getting a more detailed account of things. I must say the film has stayed true to the book in most cases. But some important details are missing, like Jasper's power of manipulating emotions are given only a fleeting reference in the second movie,the stories of the individuals of the Cullen family. The transformation of Jacob to a werewolf and the time Bella spends with the pack is completely skipped. Kristen Stewart is passable as Bella. The shortcomings in her acting overshadowed by the character. but Robert Pattinson as Edward needs to understand that even vampires can't seem so dead.
Coming to the books. The first two suffer from a slow pace. The first is just an introduction to the characters. But the second one is a painful experience. There are paragraphs devoted to Bella's suffering,which become monotonous as the book progresses. Going by the second book,I had decided not to read the last two books, but was pleasantly surprised. The last two books are amazing.The action sequences are too good. The fourth book is a faster read because of a part being narrated from the point of view of Jacob Black. Also, the mushy romance is shelved in favor of action. Among the characters Jacob Black seems to be the most well developed, striking a balance between romance and action.The lead characters seem very one dimensional to me.

I won't say more. Watch the movies. If you like them, read the books.

Laptop and Internet finally!!!

No more sneaking the few minutes on Gmail and Orkut in the office, no more worry about security policy. All I got to do now is log into my new net connection using my new laptop and I am good to go. This blog has just received a new lease of life. Let’s see where I can take it from here.

Night Shift

Recently out here there have been rumours of night shifts.
This is the result of some atrociuosly low bidding done in order to get a contract renewed.
The justification for the new timings is that things will now be managed from Offshore. Hence the need to support at night i.e. daytime in the US. Although the night shift timings are not yet official, people are already freaking out.
I am not saying they should not. After all, such extreme timings warrant a raise (which seeing the current condition of the economy, is highly unlikely). If not a raise then atleast some perks (taxi fare, good food, some extra holidays). But I don't see any of the things in our future.
Those who are onsite say that onsite is hell. Well they are being payed a pretty high amount to stay out there. And they don't seem to be too eager to come back. Funny is it not, that people will so gladly walk into the fires of 'hell'.
Most people in my project are either experienced or married(which means they will not come for the night shift), or they are on their way out.
I fear that it will come upon me and the few other rel;atively inexperienced people.

A New Beginning

Long time since I posted on the blog. In fact, my blog has ceased being a blog, and turned into a memory of past times. I haven’t made an entry since I left for Noida to join my TCS ILP (Initial Learning Program).
TCS does not exactly give its employees the freedom to access Google, Orkut, blogs etc. So my means of communicating and speaking to the world has been through my emails from my TCS mail id. However, the unwritten rule here is “Thou can do anything as long as thou shall not get caught.” Seeing my colleagues access various banned sites (the ban is enforced by means of a rule and not a firewall), I have decided to bring my blog out of its slumber.
So if any of you have not read anything in it till now, take your time. From now on everything I will send will be on this site. It’s the end of long mails which many of you have complained about.

aurevoir mumbai

well
almost at the end of my leave..and i noticed many things while i was down here
life never stopped moving on here in mumbai...everyone has their own work..someone has to write applications for universities in the goraland
others have their jobs...some have made progress in their love lives(rajesh)...still others are not even here for most of the time(infy,hsbc,amdocs)...
and to top it all i am missing kolkata...9 of us living in the same house and having fun
i do not get sleep here in mumbai...roll around for hours till 1 to sleep..moreover in mumbai the tickets for movies are too costly..140..its a rip off..
in kolkata the sunday matinee is 50 rs...60 rs in a mall...what can i say...i could not even see 'taare zameen par'...hope my friends wait here for me in kolkata to see..
the weather in mumbai i unusually hot for december..when my plane landed it was 29 degrees and it was 930pm..
but mumbai is mumbai....
and i find out my friends have not waited...they have seen taare..in kol and i have to see it here with mom and dad..awesome movie..gives a great workout to the lacrymal ducts..
i have to leave tomorrow..spent the entire day at my cousin's place..it was her bday and i was the official photographer...
10 days have flown by..and except for the slow nature of kolkata..i am kind of happy to return..i actually refer to it as home..
have not been able to meet all my friends..tht is the only regret..
nehow..until next time...

vids from kolkata

here are some videos which i thot ull might enjoy

haba-dhubi at home


mornings in kolkata

Kolkata update

Finally on leave in Mumbai... and the first thing I am doing is writing my blog... uploadig photos...have a lot to tell about kolkata...have been having fun recently.... last week there was a half yearly bash of my project...so took part in a skit there....just an extension of college... but now the real work will start..probably will be allocated ...others have started working properly...specially the SAP people....

neway..heres some snaps to look at..

Kolkata Through My Eyes

Setting up base....Kolkata

3 months since my last entry. And I am sitting and writing this one in a cybercafe with the guy next to me peeping into what I am writing.What has life come to? I am in a software company and sit on a computetr for the better part of the day but cannot update my blog. Such is the security in TCS. No gmail, no orkut, no yahoo etc.Either that or I have not found out the method to access it yet.

Kolkata.. what can I say, is the complete antethesis of Mumbai. If the latter is the city that never sleeps, then Kolkata sleeps all the time.For a person like me from Mumbai who is used to the rush hour traffic, the crowded streets, the late nights( I mean at home), it is something totally alien.Firstly, sunrise happens at 5am and sunset at 5pm. All shops close at 9pm. Which is funny given that they open at 8am and stay shut in the afternoon.

Apart from the slow life, the food is a big problem here. Vegetarian seems to be rare on a menu. 50 items and 3 of these will be veg. And there seems to be some obsession with Chinese.And their 'chowmin' is something out of this world. Wherever you go you will find roadside shops selling 'chowmin'. Also their spellings are funny. Mutter paneer is 'motor paneer' and pav bhaji is 'pao bhaji' and there is 'dahi bada' etc.Their chaat is not all that good and it is expensive. Mumbai chaat is better. Here they donot have the concept of meetha and teekha chutney. Just jhaal which is teekha masala.2 dishes I liked though, 'jhaal moodhi' and the famous 'puchka'. The sweets are amazing. Certainly living up to the expectations. Cheap too. Mishti doi comes at half the rate that it comes in Sweet Bengal(14/-).I have not had real authentic Bengali fish yet, but plan to soon.

Now, the more important part. Accomodation.We are 9 boys living in a PG bungalow. This may seem to you like it is cramped. But believe me when I say that space is not a problem. We have a Tv, DVD player, refrigerator and negotiations are on for gas and stove.2 attached bathrooms ensure there is no conflict in the morning.So, currently our life consists of going to office and watching TV, studying a bit and playing TT(table tennis). Those lucky to be in a project have training and I am the only one who has some little work. But it may start mounting soon.
Regular reports will keep coming. Keep checking.

One more thing, not all Bengali girls are Bipasha. I believe I make myself clear.

A "Political President"

Pratibha Patil, has claimed that she shall not be a rubber stamp president, but a "Political President". What she does not understand is, that there is a very small difference between the two. While a rubber stamp president does nothing more than affix his signature under a legislation, the "political president" is hampered by his beliefs and his party, since he or she is political she has to belong to a party. Therefore he or she is bound to follow some ideals which may not be ideal for the country. In Patil's case the NDA's manifesto, which is really dependent upon maintaining a majority.

Another one goes

Yesterday my friend Rohit became the first of us to leave India. Over the period of the next 2 weeks, we shall all be going different ways. Some lucky to have old friends' company on the journey ahead. Others not so lucky. We understand only now what it is to actually "be on your own". We have heard this phrase so many times. During our school farewell, followed by the day we left junior college, it only seems to really apply now. Let's see what the future holds in store. Let us hope for the best.

Indian or not?

In todays issue of Times of India, there is an article about 'Indian' brains manning the next NASA mission to Mars. I don't understand why we are so hell-bent on calling these people Indians. They are in the US, working for the US companies, and will aim to settle there get a green card, make sure their children are born in the US so that they get citizenship at birth. And we are the ones who are proud of them. Why??? The article also says that Sunita Williams is from India. I fail to see how, seeing as she was born in Euclid, Ohio. Her parents are from India. But we insist on congratulating ourselves for producing people who go abroad and we call them the Indian diaspora.
The emphasis is on the word Indian. Are they really Indian??

Harry Potter

Well, I feel Rowling has done really well with this book. After reading this, it feels like the last 2 were written only so as to build a platform for this one. Once one reads the last in this series, one realizes how much trouble she took to plan the entire story, because it is either that or she made it up as she wrote, which seems highly unlikely. Each and every character has a purpose, a significant role in themselves. Some people don't like this book, though I don't understand why. People are of the opinion that too much killing, so much so that it stops seeming tragic. Well in a war deaths are not unlikely. The tragedy is in the fact that so many people are dying making it seem almost mundane. It would be stupid to expect only the bad guys dying.
The most refreshing part of this book is that Harry makes his own decisions and uses his own head for a change. Luck plays a smaller part than in the other books. This is for hardcore Potter fans who really want to see some action instead of chance happenings in Potters favor, The detail of the planning done by both sides, and the ultimate confrontation between the Dark Lord and Harry are amazing.
The disappointment in the book is the last chapter, which though written with a purpose to give the note of finality, just acts as a dampener on the events prior to it. Ignore it and it won't do much harm. But read it anyway.

And then there is the movie of the fifth book. Although it lives up to the book in most aspects( ignoring the editing given that it is a huge book), the last part is not fun, the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort is not half as spectacular as one expects. Other than that, the duels between Death Eaters and Aurors are awesome and not to be missed.