Mindless Moksha...

Funny Quote

2010-11-12T07:28:00.000+05:30

Caught this quotation on the internet recently: "My Karma ran over your Dogma."

My 'Contract' with Boredom...

2008-07-20T18:25:00.005+05:30

I checked out Ram Gopal Varma's 'NEW' movie, 'Contract' the other day. My uncle convinced me to come to watch that movie...Boy does he convince well! I didn't expect anything new from that movie, cos everyone knows RGV's formula for a movie:
A really pissed off protagonist, who does not shave his beard
+
A 3 BHK apartment full of Guns, bullets, packets of fake blood
+
Multiple antagonists, who are against each other
+
a sultry chick, who...is...just...there...and does...NOTHING...except drink beer...and wear makeup
+
BANG! BANG!...Teri Maa ki...^%*@)#(@^$*@...BANG! BANG!!
+
A hopeless item number with the female trying even more hopelessly to imitate a famous vamp
+
Cops
+
Underworld

With these thoughts on my mind, apart from some leftover sleep, I trudged to the theatre with my uncle. The movie started out pretty decently...Ummm...it was probably my leftover sleep catching up to me that was making me hallucinate. The actor...a new guy..."RGV's new find" performed well with his co-star...by which, I mean his gun.
After 2 hours of guns/blood/profanities, the scene that I was waiting for, finally started, the credits. I eagerly trampled on the already eager viewers, who wanted to rush out, to rush out myself, partly because I wanted to use the loo. Few of the guys who actually enjoyed the movie, were already imagining themselves as the hero.

It was a fine day in the end...as I got to complete some of my sleep, in the theatre.

Vida

2008-05-18T19:58:00.002+05:30

Vida lene ki baat hui, toh yeh sun hi lijeeye
Hamare jaane se pehle, dil ki baat keh to dijeeye
Kaun jaane kal naseeb kaunse mod par le jaaye
Is aakhri pal me to mere dil ko sukoon de hi dijeeye

Lamhe...

2008-05-18T19:55:00.001+05:30

Lamhe beet jaaye aaj
Phir bhi tujhe na bhool paayenge
Lamhe beet jaaye aaj
Phir bhi tujhe na bhool paayenge
Tu bas ek baar pyaar se dekhle,
Lamhe kya cheez hai...Hum saari zindagi isi ek pal ke saath jee jaayenge

I need a vacation...

2008-05-18T12:18:00.010+05:30

Yesterday, I happened to catch an English movie, The Holiday, *ing Jude Law, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz & Kate Winslet. My dear friend Hrishikesh suggested this movie, complimenting it's storyline, characters etc. Mind you, the movie was on a PC, at my office, thereby giving me no other option. I now sincerely thank him for having suggested that film.
As the movie started, I began to feel bored, owing to the fact that no action was expected, and Kate' s character was doing something close to a prologue, which to me, felt dreary. The basic gist of the movie is that the 2 protagonists, Cameron, a rich and successful movie trailer maker living in L.A., and Kate, a woman working for a Publication house in Surrey, England are screwed up big time w.r.t. their love life. Both exchange their homes for a period of 2 weeks as a part of a home exchange during Christmas. It is during this period where they both find true love and happiness.
As the movie progressed, I felt like concentrating more on Kate's character, to which, I was starting to relate. As I am not good in outlining a character's part in a movie, I took the liberty of flicking it from Wikipedia: After 3 years of an on-again off-again relationship, Iris (Kate) is still in love with Jasper Bloom, her co-worker at a London publishing house, despite his infidelity and exploitation of her feelings. However, during her company's Christmas party, Jasper announces that he is now engaged to Sarah Smith-Alcott, the woman with whom he cheated on Iris, and Iris is crushed. Iris then exchanges homes with Amanda (Cameron) and finds love in Jack Black's character, Miles. Now, one would ask how is this relationship possible (reference to mine and Iris's life)? Well, let me tell you something which is a known fact all over the world. Many people hate their jobs, but are still in it for the money. There is zero satisfaction, tons of friction between co-workers, unwanted meetings to attend, but one still struggles through it, mumbling profanities under their breath to satisfy themselves. I am one of those 'many'. Iris, even though she knew that the relationship was a goner, craved for it, respected it, loved it. Similarly, I am trying to find a reason to stay in the job that I am currently in, even though I know that I am not happy being it in it. Theoretically, the work is great (similar to Iris' relationship), the only difference in practicality being, that it is not.
Iris inwardly knows that she can get nothing more from her failed relationship, and that she should be moving on, yet, she clings on to some unknown string of hope. I have been swinging from one string to another, much like Tarzan!
Iris finds a whole new life in L.A., thereby opening new doors of relations, one of which has Miles standing at the other end. So I ask myself, should I be getting that vacation? Should I...exchange jobs at this point, even though I am not through with my educational course that I am pursuing (funded by my organization, for which, I am full of gratitude). At one point of the movie, I guessed that Miles is going to be Iris's love. I was really interested in the way in which she approached this, for I wanted to take some pointers...(silly na?) When Jasper came back to her with some romantic crap, she finally understands that she is OUT of that relationship...and I quote from F.R.I.E.N.D.S: She....is over him. So, I set to imagine: What is it that needs to tell me, that I am to be out of here? Is is a big fight, or an emotional blackout or maybe...the title of the movie, a holiday?
Just the right time to get this thought! I am going on a holiday during the first week of June, to get away from 'Jasper' (Cool way to name your job eh?) and to rethink my priorities and well, to see many more movies, that do not make me write such blogs ;-)
By the way...the movie was a good one...It is a happy ending, with Iris celebrating New Year with Miles, and Jasper...out somewhere...ruing... Catch the movie whenever possible...Okay then...time for me to pack my bags and head for that holiday...Ciao!

A stroll through the Park..

2007-08-14T21:41:00.001+05:30

After a long day's work, to my home I came
My life, no different, all the more same
I cleansed myself, my face and hand
Getting rid of the day's dust and sand
I glimpsed, for a minute, outside my window
My eyes caught the Rainbow, resting on the meadow
I said to myself, "Is it too late, for a stroll in the park?"
"Or has the sun deceived me...by putting my world into the dark..."

On the green grass, I walked, with thoughts on my mind,

The sun slowly creeping away, making the surrounding blind

The moon sliding quietly, over the horizon,

Their combined light, giving the earth a glisten

It was then, that I noticed her,

With hair of the color of amber

And a face, completely somber
She was sitting by the side of the lake

My curiosity suddenly became awake

With steady steps I walked up to her

With a bit of apprehension, and a hint of fear

Tears streaked her elegant face,
Which she wiped, with a beautiful grace
Her eyes asked thousands of questions
For which, I had no answers, to mention
I asked her for her name
But a response, never came
The grace vanished, the beauty gone,
On her angelic face, was a new look born...

Her eyes widened, her lips parted,
With a look of fear, she then darted
I ran after her, with my boggled mind
Amidst the bushes, her, I tried to find
In the wild darkness, she had vanished
With her pulchritude on my thoughts, I trudged home

With the sun shining bright, I woke
With heavy footsteps, I left my oak
The faceless girl, who gave me thoughts so many,
I decided, to name her Anne
Who she was, where she went
I did not know, but so much it meant
It has been ten years since I last saw her
I still keep looking for her, down by the river

My dear Anne, the night I set my eyes on you
My love was there, like the morning's dew
I pray to the Lord, day and night
To show the path, to show the light
Find her for me, I say to him
Find her for me, I pray to him...

Reflections...

2007-06-21T17:28:00.000+05:30

When I look into the mirror, I see a different person
For the image that I see, is there a specific reason?
Who is the person on the other side?
Who laughs at me, with a grin so wide...
When I ask him, "Do I know you?"
He asks back, "Have you no clue?"
There is a faint recognition, I may say,
"I have seen him somewhere...some place....some day",

When I look into the mirror, I see a different person
He seems like somebody's father, somebody's son
I try to place him in my mind
I ask myself, "Why is he so hard to find?"
I swim across rivers of thoughts,
Of dreams, of visions that my life has brought
When I cannot find him, I fret
Thinking...Why is this so hard to get?

When I look into the mirror, I see a different person
Recognition strikes me... like slow poison
I shudder to think, "Could this be him?"
He then smiles, thus taking my fears to the brim
I turn to the almighty for an answer
All I get is Lightning and Thunder

When I look into the mirror, I see myself 25 years from now
I then sit to think...this is possible...how?
But then I realize the lord's ways
When he plays, he plays
I thank him though for this sight
For it throws on my future, some light
I wonder if I can make changes as a prevention
Before what I see in front of me, becomes my actual reflection.

Hey...Whats your 'Rate'?

2007-06-01T18:14:00.000+05:30

For any lay man, this would sound as if a hooker is being propositioned. But if any thought is put on this from the perspective of a software professional, a whole new concept is thrown at you. One can describe it as a battle of patience, perseverance and wit to emerge victorious in the struggle between Professionals and the Management of multi national corporations...which is in one dreadful word, called, Appraisals. The ultimate reward being a very high rating, and a very good salary increase. The inanity of this complete fracas is that the professional loses his/her true abilities and has to learn just one skill. The skill of sucking up to your peers (Well this is my view on this, I have to say that some may have a different opinion).

When it comes to IT bigwigs, appraisal periods are a time to portray their big hearts. Their willingness to give thousands as incentives. But we know better, don't we? Many freshers look at appraisals as a benchmark to home in on their choices of their first jobs. So companies use appraisals as baits for freshers, although its kind of ironic that experienced staff are being left in the lurch.

An army is divided broadly into Infantry, Cavalry and the heavy Bombers. In a similar fashion, the "Appraisee" side is divided into, "I-don't-care-a-tiny-rats-ass-on-this-Appraisal", "Oh-lord-help-me-salvage-victory-from-this-Apocalypse", "If-these-people-screw-up-my-career-I-will-not-leave-them" & "What-in-the-world-is-an-Appraisal". I used to belong to the second group. The thought of going to the Appraisal Meeting, aptly entitled, "Feedback Session", gave me the creeps!

I vividly remember my first Appraisal session where my confirmation would take place. The trepidation amongst all first-timers was evident with plenty of emails being sent across. "Have you talked to people who have undergone this earlier?" is one of the usual question that is put forth. Once that phase is covered, a giant wakes up. This giant goes by the name, SAF or Self Appraisal Form. Putting it plainly, the SAF is a dress with which you need to cover your naked talent. Now, anybody can cover talent. But here is where the ability to make the complete package "dazzle" comes into the picture. The trick here is to make the appraiser feel that this person is different, no matter how teeny-tiny are you, with respect to your abilities. Picture Jennifer Aniston in a nine yard saree...and in a sexy black dress with stilettos and you will feel the difference (For my female readers, Tom Cruise, in a kurta-pyjama and in the Top Gun outfit must do the trick).

I remember the time I took to worry about the SAF and the time taken to fill it. 10 days to worry, and 10 minutes to fill and submit it. I then realised that this whole sham is just a stage show. the actual screenplay is long done with details for your salary increase, designation already finalized. Cos after all the emails, scrutiny in filling out the SAF & carefully answering all questions put forward in the Feedback session, all I got was a "GOOD" and an increase of 50%. Not to mention about the anxiety in waiting for the Appraisal Letter, that took an eternity to come. That was the time when I shifted to group 1.

After the dust settled on this whole "Process", I thought to myself, how would these people feel after getting their letters? Will they be depressed? Will they show a drop in their talent? Or...Will they quit (the best!)? As a year's Appraisal period comes to an end, the next cycle has begun, with people again scrambling to get their SAFs filled, queries resolved and much more, in another daring attempt to challenge the mighty...."MANAGEMENT"!!! Hey...gotta go..just received an email from a first-timer with a question.."What do they do Feedback Session?" I am going to enjoy replying to this...See ya!!

A perfect Deadlock...

2007-05-28T12:30:00.000+05:30

We get happiness from doing different things.
But experience is gained from doing the same thing again and again.
We earn money from our experience.
We need money for happiness.

Deadlock??

Memoirs of my Travelogue (Part 2).

2007-05-25T19:03:00.001+05:30

They say that "Walking on the ground can sometimes be a bit boring. Try flying.". I am gonna kill the guy who made that crap up. Flying 35,000 feet above mother earth might be very interesting at first. But after some time...you just can't wait to touch down. Barely 25 minutes into my flight (woken up from a useless nap), boredom had crept up into my brain...and was wrecking havoc. To distract myself, I turned to look outside the aircraft. Darkness waved back at me. At the time of boarding the aircraft, I had noticed a very attractive foreigner, probably Russian at the gate. I had prayed to almost all of the heavenly gods to make her sit besides me. As if to punish me for my sins, god made an old 60-something fellow sit next to me, who could have been mistaken for a terminally ill patient.
Dinner time!! After not having something for many years, one tends to create a fantasy about it. Many people are often disappointed when the real thing is placed in front of them. The contents of my meal threw me into pure repugnance They serve better food in the railways! A measly proportion of chicken with gravy, rice and some type of pulses made up the 'Main Course'. Although I must admit it, the desert was awesome (I know it...I had 3 helpings of it). My flight landed at Chennai's Kamaraj domestic airport at 2235 hrs. The airport was one deserted place (pun intended). The only proof of people around was near the conveyor belt. A late Delhi Jet Airways flight had its passengers waiting as if the only thing that would give them 'mukti' was their baggage. After waiting for around 30 more minutes, my baggage arrived.
Looking at the conveyor belt, a very weird thought occurred to me. I wondered, what if all things in the world were served on a conveyor belt and all we had to do was to just pick it. At first, I thought that it would have been great for all mankind. But then, I envisioned this: Grooms waiting near the belt for their brides to come rolling out and then, all of a sudden, beautiful women (viz. Anna Kournikova, Britney Spears, Aishwarya Rai, Jennifer Hawkins, Angelina Jolie) start coming out. Can you imagine the war that will break out over them?
After reality ebbed back into my mind, I picked up my luggage and walked out into a warm Chennai night. I reached my final destination as 2315 hrs. As I slept that night, I reminisced my first flight in many years and for the first time in my life, I wanted to tour the world!

Memoirs of my Travelogue (Part 1).

2007-05-25T15:12:00.001+05:30

I had gone to the south for a week-long (urgently necessary) vacation, or at least I thought it was one. I was told by my elders that we would be visiting few temples along our journey. I had absolutely not idea what was in store for me. This was one of my most interesting journeys. Hence, thought of sharing it with you all. Read on...

I was booked on an Indian Airlines flight to Chennai leaving at 2030 hrs. on the 8th of May. It may sound a bit sheepish but this was the first time I was flying alone, thereby, giving way to many of those "assurance calls" by my parents. Around 10-15 calls later, they were satisfied that I would be able to pull of this herculean task with minimal misfortunes. I left my work place at 5 in the evening with a grin that went from one ear to the other. My colleagues were shocked at the sight of me leaving office early. Word spread like wild fire and I had to calm them saying that I was going out of town (Sheesh!). I reached the airport 45 minutes later and strode through the gates thinking of the blissful week that lay ahead of me. By this time call number 16 & 17 had taken place.
There were few things noticeable about the sights at the airport, especially the first-time fliers. They were behaving as if they were entering the pearly gates of heaven. Some were fidgety, some nervous, some elated, and few... who thought there had become the chosen ones and in their minds were thinking.."Ha ha, Beat ya suckers!!" to the people standing outside. Anyways, I strode in and had my baggage x-rayed by highly bored attendant. Even the security personnel was half asleep! So much for airport security. The check-in counter for flights to Chennai had not yet opened so I decided to loaf around the terminal. Pretty much thinking of myself as Tom Hanks (Of "The Terminal" fame), I started roaming around. My journey lasted around for 20-25 minutes (Call no. 18 included). Bored of the airport already, I started studying the passengers around the airport (Hell I would have checked out some good Air hostesses, but I like to be portrayed as a gentleman here.). Most of the passengers were businessmen and women flying home who were dozing off on the scarcely available seats. There was one guy who could have been mistaken as a "Walking Electronics showroom". An iPod, a Nokia Communicator, a PSP console and a Laptop adorned him. I chuckled as I imagined his plight after the air hostesses would order all passengers to switch off their electronic items during take-off.
As I sat waiting for my turn to check-in, I let hunger settle in my mind. I was too late to realize the blunder. All the food courts were displaying preposterous prices on their snacks. The base equation they followed was: "Any eatable item outside the terminal premises would be sold at half the price of what its sold inside". After carefully eating a sandwich worth 50 bucks (not before shedding many internal tears), I was relieved to see that my counter had opened. My flight was not to depart for another hour. I expected this to be a normal check-in, but alas, the airline deceived me. Chaos prevailed as many flights were to depart in the next 30 minutes and still many passengers had to get their boarding pass. Few passengers flying on economy class fares were take to the executive class counters to be checked in (Rats!). Lucky me, as I checked in normally and proceeded to kill time.
At around 1950 hrs., they announced the security-check for my flight. Another observation here was that people ran to catch the line, as if it were a bus that they were to board. After the check, I trudged for about 15 minutes to the departure gate for another 30-minute wait. Here call number 19, 20 & 21 (From my destination, my uncle called to confirm my flight departure) was placed. They called for boarding at 2010 hrs. Again, a mad rush to get into the aircraft first.
The aircraft was what shocked me. Travelling alone on a flight for the first time and this is what I get?? It was a very old airbus A320 (Probably out of the womb of the Airbus factory 2 decades before I was out of my mothers!). Now I had asked for the first window seat that comes AFTER the emergency exit on the wing of the aircraft (for some leg space). What the lady at the check-in counter gives me? The last seat BEFORE the emergency exit that's at the back of the plane. As I settled down into the cramped space, I checked out the air hostesses (To hell with Mr. Gentleman!!). I should have not. They were all suited to be aunties. But one of them was cute though :o). Then came my favourite part, the safety drill. A skit performed by the cabin crew that no body cares about (although there were curious glances by the first-timers). There was a goof-up when the lady announced that the aircraft had 8 doors instead of 4. Talk about work pressure. After the dance sequence (Drill), we finally took off at 2045 hrs. As the aircraft lifted into the night sky, I dozed off...wondering what lay ahead for me.

Who is the God out here?

2007-04-30T16:13:00.000+05:30

Our gossip-loving population were very stressed out by the fact that they would not get a detailed insight of the "Wedding of the century" (My sincere condolences to Mr. & Mrs. Arun Nayar). But there were many people who took it upon themselves to see to it that every individual who sets his/her eyes on the newspaper would get some stuff...daily. Now whats ironic is that AB Sr. wanted this to be a "LOW-KEY" ceremony. There were 3-4 reporters who got bashed up in this low key affair. If this would have been an official VVIP ceremony, then, a couple of murders would have been sufficient to get the media heated up. It would have really been very cumbersome for people living in that area for bearing with all this. I mean...cmon guys...the guy is getting married...at least let him do that in peace without a dozen of microphones thrust under his nose for a quote, or a million flashes blinding him so much that he actually garlands the bride's mother instead of the bride!
The marriage ceremony finally concluded...but alas..mankind was not satisfied. The proverb "Man proposes, God disposes" was given a little tweak in this scenario. God himself was dragged into this proposal. It was a sheer disappointment to see the officials of the Devasthanam to dance to the tunes of the VIPs. The scenario that was portrayed could be exampled as a discrmination made on the basis of wealth. With all those thousands of devotees standing under the scorching heat in line to meet the great lord Balaji, it would definitely have been irksome to have watched these VIPs just walk into the temple as if it were completely empty.
Although these people take undue advantage of their status, the public is equally (in some cases, largely) to be blamed. News coverages showed people who jumped out of their line just to touch the 'visitors'. One girl screamed after touching AB Jr. as if she had seen the great lord standing in front of her. At that moment, the height of celebrity worshipping shot up...making the Tirumala hill look very small.
Its a pity to see such an act from a person who advertises a 'UNITED India' on Television. I wonder whether this is what is the difference between REEL and REAL life..?

Harry Potter...(Do I have to say more??)

2007-04-25T10:36:00.000+05:30

When it comes down to the two words...'Harry Potter', the limits of discussions/comments/thoughts become infinite. The gates open wide, thereby letting in an inundation of opinions. Its very ironic for me as; being an avid Potter fan myself; I have a truckload of opinions & imaginations on the HP series. As the 21st of July 2007 approaches, I am saddened by the fact that there won't be any more adventures of the 'Chosen one' to look forward to. As the whole Universe awaits breathlessly to get their hands on the 7th and the last (Dreadfully hope not!!!) book of this totally enchanting series, I go back to the 'IMPACT' that this series has had on many people. If what the media say is true, then people have started to believe in magic after reading the books in this series.
Many people have started to relate themselves to Harry. It is the sections of Harry's life to which they relate to which is very interesting. As far as my memory takes me, people relate to Harry on:

His Magic (An obvious one..).
The way he has lived his life (before joining Hogwarts).
His Love life (I am guessing; like many others; he will have one...Hence, the relation).
His fight with Evil.
His friends (C'mon...I would kill to get friends like Ron and Hermione...).
Lastly...his fame.

Another important impact that these books have made, is...books. Children who were glued to TV sets or Computer games started going out to book stores and reading these books...Hats off JKR..

One thing is for sure...HP will be dearly missed.

The Orkut rage....

2007-01-26T14:16:00.000+05:30

There goes a saying that you are not a 'social' person if you do not know about Orkut. Anybody who is not a nobody and wishes to be a somebody knows about Orkut. The Orkut fad...no no...not a fad...the Orkut 'era' that has scooped all humans off their routine lives and brought them into the open world of socialization is something to be commented about. It has changed the face of communication altogether by making people ask "Are you on Orkut?" rather than asking for their phone number or address. If what legends says is true, then what Orkut Buyukkokten has given to this world can never be beaten. The number of members of Orkut is increasing largely as I am typing this sentence. Its also a great place to meet DIFFERENT types of people. You guys need to see for your self as to why did I use the word 'different' with an uppercase. When I first checked out Orkut, I pictured it as a "just another community site". I now regret to having undermined its capability. Orkut has justified its superiority by earning more that 10 Billion dollars since its sale to Google.
These are a few points about Orkut that are highly interesting (Psychiatrists & Psychologists please note). The other day when I was logged on...somebody (say...X) scrapped me, wanting to befriend me. Wondering who this could be, I scrapped back asking X for some details. X replied back saying that a race was on for getting the most number of friends on the list. So, the participants (including X, who was supposedly in the lead) were randomly picking out strangers and adding them. Even though I helped by adding X on my list, I wonder whether the actual purpose of this site is slowly diminishing.