The Best Songs...

The Rolling Stone Magazine has done it again!! They have gone ahead and compiled a list of 500 greatest songs. And surprise, surprise, the best song of all times, based on reader feedback, is 'Like A Rolling Stone' by Bob Dylan (a bit of an ego thing there, I say), followed by '(I can't get no)Satisfaction' by Rolling Stones (the ego thing again??!!??) and 'Imagine' by John Lennon. Now don't get me wrong, but I think that by sheer amount of air play, 'Imagine' should have been on top. Any peace rally, any college fest in India, and this song just pops up.
And surprisingly, the best Beatles number is 'Hey Jude'!! What happened to 'Across The Universe', 'Elanor Rigby' and others??
Point ot be noted here, that 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana is the only song from post 90s to make it to the list. Maybe this is an indicator of the decline of the quality of music. And Abba don't make it anywhere near the top.
And yes, Jinu, your fav. song comes in a no. 31. Take heart.

Reliance...

On Friday, while Jinu and I were playing pool, the conversation drifted to statements made by Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, that there were differences between him and his brother, Anil. Jinu commented on how sad it was that the two brothers were fighting with each other over the control of the company, while I dismissed it as a minor power struggle and the soon, things will sort themselves out. But now it seems that the matter is more serious than I anticipated it to be. Already, their mother is jumping into the foray, trying to setle things, and also, it seems, the Ambani sisters were in town too. This leads me to wonder - did the Ambani boys have sisters??!!??
But coming back ot the issue, it seems that the matter is not going away so easily. Anile will makea statement about it in the next 48 hours. It seems that Dhirubhai did not leave a will, but he did divide the work among the brothers neatly. While Mukesh managed the companies, Anil managed the finances. Anil is also looking after the upcoming reliance projects like the setting up what is being touted as the world's largest gas-based power project in Uttar Pradesh. So the work is more or less evenly divided between the brothers. In such a scenario, the need for a will is not really that necessary.
On my part, I have a feeling that the media is really playing up the story. Yes, Mukesh is right, that this is a matter of the public domain, and should not in anyway affect the company, given that the brothers have their works cut out for them. But the media always loves a good story.
The markets, too have been too jittery in my opinion, towards the whole saga. What difference will a difference of opinion cause to the markets? You have to give it to the brothers, that whatever their differences, they are thorough professionals. They would never do anything that would in anyway harm the company. After all, they are Gujjus!!
The differences, in my opinion, should be viewed in a constructive manner, and not in a destructive manner. These differences will guide the company in a newer direction. And given the brothers' professionalism, you can bet that that they will choose the right direction, come what may. The Reliance Empire is moving away from Dhirubhai Era to a Mukesh-Anil Era. Heres to a great Era.
The king is dead, long live the Kings!

Downloading...

One outcome of my pruchasing the iPod has been that I have started downloading mp3s from the net. I have found a site on the net from where one can download Hindi songs. And not just the songs that I am currently listening to, but also ones that I used to listen to. For example, I am now downloading songs by Nazia Hassan (remember her??)!!! I have two songs by her now, Disco Deewane, and Mera Dil Ro Raha Hai. But these are really worth it.

Did I Have a Weekend?...

Did I have a weekend? I think not. Two days, supposedly off, but I was in the office for both of them. Ok, so I got out early, but that doesn't count. I shouldn't have been in the office in the first place. Boo.

Saturday Night...

It's Saturday night, and I am in office. In fact, I was in office yesterday as well, and both are my off days. I am still working sseven days a week, but on my off days, I get to leave early, that's all. I really need a vacation.
Yesterday, I saw Rocky 4, and I realised something - it's a pucca Hindi movie!!! It's a revenge drama, with an evil villian, a goody hero who is also an underdog, and to top that, there are two whole songs in the movie!!! One is the James Brown song 'Living in America', which comes just before Apollo Creed fights Draga, and the other is 'No Easy Way Out', when Sly has a fight with his wife and drives out of the house. These songs can easily it into a Hindi movie. Replace 'Living in America' with 'Aa Dekhen Zara' from the Indian Rocky, and 'No Easy Way Out' with 'Yudh Kar' from Yudh or 'Intequam Loonga' from Main Intequam Lunga. Yeah!!!

I-Pod And Packaging...

I just can't keep gushing about my i-pod!! Seriously, the Apple guys know how to package a product. Right from teh packaging, a plaing while cub with the pisture of the i-pod, ot the innards, when you slide it open to reveal another whie box, which splits into two like a book, to reveal the i-pod on one side, and the ear phones and the USB and Firewire cables on the other. Groovy.
I repeat, the Apple guys really know how to package a product. So do the Nokia guys. The packaging of my Nokia phone was equally good, with a simple image over a greyish box. And the word Nokia and the model no. Groovy once again.
Speaking of mobile phones, my Nokia is giving me problems. It's camera is not working, for the second time now. The first time around, the Nokia guys changed it, but then it went bonkers again. I don't actually use the phone that much, but I still would like to have it in a working condition.
And a thought has just struck me. I now have a digital camera, a digital video camera, an IRDA phone, and mp3 players with a USB and Firewire connetion, and I don't have a computer which should act as a hub for these these things!!! I should buy a comp, but it seems like such a useless purchase...
In current affairs, I am quite disturbed by the entire Kanchi Seer affair. First, a holy man is being accused of a crime. Second, the entire matter is being made into a political issue, with politicians taking different sides to the issue. If the Seer is innocent, let him fight it out alone, without taking help of the opportunistic politicians. After all, he should it better than any of us that Satyamev Jayate.

I'm Too Cool...

Made another massive purchase today. I bought the i-pod mini! I had gone ot purchase a cheap flash drive for transfering some files, but ended up buying a top-of-the range mp3 player instead. The thing that did it in was the sheer functionality of the thing. It is an mp3 player, a storage device (4 GB!) and a cool fashion statement rolled into one. There were other mp3 players, but they were just not worth the money. less price, but also less disk space. The i-pod beats the price-features combination by a mile. Plus, I get to be cool!!
Moving on, Jinu pointed out the online test to check your political leanings. I came out as closer to Gandhi. I am a Libertarian Leftist! On the economic scale, I am more towards the left, but not entirely. I am not a collectivist. And on the Social front, I tend more toawrds the cneter, but am also slightly leaning towards Libertarianism or anarchy. I guess I am a little wayward :-).

Decisions, Decisions...

I am in two minds.
Bride and Prejudice is playing in theaters right now, and I can't decide whether to watch it or not. Part of me wants to (because of Aishwarya Rai) and part of me doesn't (because of Aishwarya Rai). So what to do?
I have two choices in front of me. Choice one, I watch only half the movie. Choice two, I watch the entire movie, but with one eye closed. That ways, I would have watched it as well as not watched it.
Decisions, decisions...
Am I diplomatic or what??

Why Bush Won...

Here's the real reason why he won.

Winter Has Come...

I rained again. This time, hard. The raindrops were actually pounding my car as I drove!! It was nice.
As a result of the rains, winter has finally arrived in Qatar. There is a cold breeze blowing nowadays. The mornings are hot, though.
My last post was too literal/boring, I know, but that's cos I was too tired to think too. In fact, I again had a 9/10 hour sleep yesterday. I was again dead to the world. And Jinu pal, sorry, better luck next time. You called me too late to disturb my sleep. I was already awake, and had even had my lunch till then.
So anyways, I will have to throw away the kheer. It's a bit odd tasting. Some introspection, and a retrial are required.

Post Diwali...

So I am back after two days of holidays!!
Well, not really. I did not have a two-day holiday this time around. I had to come to office on both days to post some stories. And on Friday, I was in the office till 4 am.
So how was your Diwali? I had a prety hectic one. I got back from office at around 3:30 am, and went ot sleep at round 5:30 am. Woke up at 8:30, with the intention of doing some Diwali cleaning around the house, which didn't begin till around 11:30, cos I did not have the tools to do the cleaning, and also the inredients to make hte Diwali meal.
The Diwali meal was aloo-baingan rasedaar sabzi, bhindi ki sabzi, puri and kheer. Had great hopes riding on these. But like mummyji has said, when one makes a meal with a lot of expectation, it will get spoilt. The kheer turned out a little ok, but since the rice was old, I guess it did not become soft so easily. As for the veggies, I ran out of haldi powder, and had to put in garam masala and a curry masala that I found. this juut made the taste of the whole thing different. Different but interesting, and good.
The puris were a different matter altogether. They turned out to be a little hard. Hard, but good.
I had my lunch at 6:30 pm!! And after that, just I was getting ready to catch some sleep at around 8:30, my phone rings, and I have to go to office 'cos we had two stories to upload. Some Diwali this!!
I was in the office till 4 in the morning, and went ot sleep at 6:30...only to wake up at 5:30 om!!Yes, I slept all through Eid!! Only to be called at the office again at 8 for a story to be uploaded.
Did manage to catch some pool with Jinu till 2:30 am, and then back home. After that, I couldn't sleep, and its been nearly 28 hours since I slept!! and the funny part is, I still don't feel too sleepy. Maybe all those cups of coffee that I had are starting to have their effect!! I am just two hours away from ending my shift, and I cant wait to go to sleep. This will be one long, deep sleep, I think.

HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

A BELATED BUT A VERY HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE TO EVERYONE!!!

Regular post tomorrow.

Culinary Adventures...

A new Culinary adventure today. I made chicken!! Yes, my first attempt at a non-veg dish. And I must say, I did manage to ace it t osome extent. Here's the low-down on it:

* I goofed up during the cutting of chicken. Cut it up into large pieces. And also, ill shaped ones. The result was that a lot of meat was thrown away, as I could not cut it up properly.

* I used too much oil. To begin with, the quantity was ok, but afterwards, I just added a little more, and then it became a lot.

* Due to a lack of a mixer grinder in the house, I could not make a paste of all spices, and had to add the onions, garlic and ginger in small pieces. As a result, the taste was not uniform throughout.

* I forgot to marinate the chicken. Because of that, I had to let it burn ofr a little longer, just to make it tender.

All these being taken into account, I am pretty pleased with the final outcome. By being harsh and stingy with points on myself, I give myself 6.5 out of 10 for the effort. The next effort will be dealt with more thoroughly, and with more preparation.

Moving on, my office treated us with chocolates today. Rather, they kept a box of chocolates with nuts in them for us to eat. The chocolates were the expensive ones, and good. I had those with tea, and believe me, tea and chocolates is a very good combo. Someday I'll try coffee and chocolates.

Sunny/Accent...

For the last one week, I was driving a rental car, as my car was at the mechanic (routine work before selling it off). I drove a Nissan Sunny, which was a powerful than the Accent. I was quite enjoying it, actually. Power steering, automatic gear, (I think) 2 liter engine, it was fun. The downside was that the speakers on that car were horrible. But I degress..
Anyways, I got my car back today, and suddenly, I felt that I was driving a bachcha car. I mean, its so light, so fragile...But I thoroghly enojyed the ride. While the Sunny has all the power, it could be a brute at times. The Accnet, on the other hand, is quite tame, and cruise worthy. Plus, the sound it makes is better. But I am sold to the power steering. My next car will have a power steering.

The Remaining Pictures...

Here are the last of the pics I had taken during my early moring drive through the fog.

The Doha Corniche




I really like this one



The Doha Corniche again



The Doha-Umm Said/Messaid road











A mound near the Umm Said/Messaid beach



This one I took in my apartment. It didn't come out as well as I expected it to.

So Defeating...

This is so defeating. Mark LeVine, History, University of California, Irvine, writes on the Juan Cole in a piece on the recent election of George W. Bush titled "We're all Israelis Now", in which he compares India to a "criminal nation" (eighth paragraph). To quote him:

"America, in short, has become a criminal nation, and it must be stopped. (Yes, there are many other criminal nations, but aside from Israel how many even have the pretense of democracy? Russia? The Sudan? China? India is perhaps one; and given its sordid occupation of Kashmir it shouldn’t surprise that a US-India-Israel axis of occupation and Islamophobia is one of the most prominent features of the world’s geo-strategic post-9/11 landscape.)"

Is the Kashmir insurgency perceived as such? Has Pakistan succeeded in its media wars, to portray India as a colonizer? Sad.

In the second part of this observation, the one about the possible US-India-Israel axis, I fully agree that it is a distinct possibility. In fact, the last BJP/NDA government was working towards such an end. But I don't support it on a matter of principles. It is common wisdom that common enemies do not make good friends. An enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Also, in such an axis, India has a lot to lose, cos firstly, it has a large Muslim population which cannot be ignored. Secondly, in such triumvate, India will be the junior-most partner, it being the least advanced of the three. It will be forced to do the dirty laundry, the footwork, while US and Israel jointly call the shots. Given India's strategic position in the region, I feel it should ask for a bigger portion of the pie. And thirdly, and most importantly, the Islamophobia that will be the basis of such a coming together completely wrong. Don't forget that George Bush is a conservative Christian who believes that God is on his side and that the Second Coming is just around the corner, and same is the case with Ariel Sharon, who has extreme right wing views and hopes for the total annihilation the Muslim population in the region. India's views on this do not match with either. For better or for worse, we have always lived side by side with all the communities, and our constant endeavor should be to improve on it, and if not, then atleast maintain the status quo. Going for a radical shift on the Right does not serve India's purpose at all.

What A Day...

Its is 12:48 pm right now, and looking back, what a day it has been!!! I slept for more than 12 hours today, with a small break in between, for lunch. I had absolutely nothing to do. Jinu pal, did you just turn green with envy??
Anyways, I was talking about what a day it has been. The more-than-extra sleep is doing things to my mind, I think. My sense of smell is playing tricks on me. I swear I can smell the rain!!! The wet mud, the moist rain. That, sitting in an air-conditioned room!! And somehow, I feel that when I go out, I'll find it raining!! Not only that, on an online message board I frequent, there was talk about the G-Force cartoons that I loved as a kid. This again brought back memories. Again, what a day!! Hmmm, T think I'll never need drugs to go on mind trip. Just a long sleep, and I'm there.

On another note, have you seen the new SBI life insurance advert? Isn't it cute? It's one of the better ads on Indian tele right now.

Corrections...

A few correction in the last post:

* The Nasseruddin Shah article was in the Outlook magazine, and not in Rolling Stone.

* The song is 'Love you to', and not 'Love to you'

* The sitar in the song is played by George Harrison himself, and not Pt. Ravi Shankar. The tabla in it is played by one Anil Bhagwat.

A proper post later.

Revolver...

The irrepressible Naseeruddin Shah talks about censorship and the decline of quality films in this article in the Rolling Stone magazine. This guys is gutsy. Worth the read.
I made a music purchase today. I brought Revolver by the Beatles. A really good buy, IMO. The all music site entry on this album reads as follows:

"All the rules fell by the wayside with Revolver, as the Beatles began exploring new sonic territory, lyrical subjects, and styles of composition"

and,

"The biggest miracle of Revolver may be that the Beatles covered so much new stylistic ground and executed it perfectly on one record, or it may be that all of it holds together perfectly. Either way, its daring sonic adventures and consistently stunning songcraft set the standard for what pop/rock could achieve. Even after Sgt. Pepper, Revolver stands as the ultimate modern pop album and it's still as emulated as it was upon its original release"

And I truly agree with all that is said there. A casual listening of this ablum reveals how much varied this entire album is, how much ground it covers, from the opening track, the caustic 'Taxman', to the child-like simplicity of 'Yellow Submarine', to the dark and pessimistic opratic style of 'Eleanor Rigby', to the Indian experimentation in 'Love To You' (great sitar there by Pt. Ravi Shankar). This page has a write up on Eleanor Rigby, which is again a good read.
I had purchased the Sgt. Peppers album, but I gave it to Bunny. Now that was another great album. Plenty of experimentation in that too. The range on both these albums is really mindblowing. Owning them both would have been sweet.
Revolver was named as one of 500 best albums by the Rolling Stone magazine, and that's really saying a lot. The entry for the album read something like:
"One fine day, the Beatles decided to take on the rock bands, and blew the competetion away with this album". Sheer experimentation here. The album was ranked 3rd, and Sgt. Peppers was the best album of all times. Here is the list. Bob Dylan comes fourth on the list.
Here is another list, this time the 100 greatest pop songs of all time. It's topped by the Beatles once again. 'Yesterday' is the best pop song. Interestingly, '(I can't get no) Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones is second, and 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana is third.... These are Pop songs??!!?? Also, the 10th in the list is 'I Want It That Way' by the Back Street Boys!!! What were the Rolling Stone guys thinking when they composed this list???
This brings me to the entire Pop/Rock controversy. I have been searching and searching for an explanation, but no one can yet explain as to where Pop ends, and Rock begins. Sure, there are the pure Pop and pure Rock songs like 'Stayin' Alive' and 'Smoke Over The Water' respectively to name, but where exactly does one end, and the other begin?
But I degress, the Album is a good buy.

Sushi, Sachchi...

I didn't post yesterday, cos I was very busy. Yes, I ended up being busy yesterday. I had four pages worth of translation to do, and I was working till after office hours. In the end, I just did half the work and publish the story that way. I finishedthe other half today.
Moving on, yesterday, Jinu and I finally had sushi!! And our opinion about it? bleh! It was tasteless to begin with, and the sauce was too strong. More like acidic. Didn't have any particular taste to it, just a strong soya taste to it. Jinu absolutely hate it, but I think I will try it out once more, but at a different place. So that's once target met...
So Bush has won!! I expected him to win, though I don't agree with his views. The thing is, Kerry does not have the charisma. Neither does GW, but he makes up for it by his cockiness. The mood in the office is expectedly very downbeat, though the people in my office didn't actually support Kerry either. They just hated Bush more. People are furiously typing away on their machines, getting worlwide opinion on the event. Me, I'm counting down the hours till my shift finishes.

Token Post...

Token post, no substance in it. I didn't get time to compose a proper post today - too busy goofing.

My Replacement Has Been Chosen...

Guddu will be coming to Doha, finally. They are very excited about teh resume that I gave them (AFP, fogrgodssake!!!), and will probabaly call them mid-Nov. Thats' around when I am planning to push from here. Let's see...
On other matters, do you know what a chewbecca defence is? Not many people do. cos its a very geeky term any way. A chewbecca defence is when you confuse the other person by overwhelming him/her with lots of useless information. The usage is not mainstream still. It was used in the animated series South Park.
Similarly, do you know what a fanon is? Fanon is a fact or ongoing situation in fan fiction stories related to a television program, book, movie, or video game that has been used so much by fan writers that it has been more or less established as having happened in the fictional world, but it has not actually been established as having happened on the show, book or movie itself. An example of a fanon is that in James Bond novels, there are only nine 00 agents (001-009). In fact, Ian Fleming mentions a 0010 in his novel, Moonraker and a later book by Raymond Benson mentions a 0012. On a related note, some fanon states that M is in fact the original 001, the first 00-agent; nothing in Fleming supports this.
This, and other such useless things can be found at the wikipedia (there's lots of useful information as well). Check it out.

I Am Popular...

I have posted my arabic dress pics online on webshots, and so far, I have had 171 hits...yeah!!!

Bad Meal...

So we had the Iftar party at the Ritz Carlton today, and the food they served was atrocious!! I don't know that went wrong, but when mom and I had gone there, the food was really good. Today it sucked. I had very little, and the tast still lingers in my mouth.
And now it's finaly-Chotu is not coming to Doha. Seems his mother is looking ot get him married off, so he needs to be there. This is a major loss of face to me in the office. No more Mr. Nice Guy anymore.
Also, feeling very sleepy today. zzzzz.....

Observation Of The Day: Have you noticed, that the size of my postings is rapidly declining? It's not that I don't have less to say now. It's just that my thoughts are dissociated now. The challenge of returning ot India has sunk in, and now my mind runs in different directions, searching to possible scenarios to that move. But all that thinking will not lead me anywhere. Must concentrate. AUM.....

Odds And Ends...

Have you seen the latest ad featuring Jackie Chan? It's good!! I have no idea if it's effective or not, but it sure is funny!! It is a treat to see Jackie Chan in an ad.
Also, I just saw Navjot Sidhu on NDTV-Hindi, and he was yapping away in shudh Hindi!! Looks liek he is taking his membership of BJP seriously.
And Chotu may come to Doha after all.

Nothing New To Blog...

Am having a lousy internet connection at he office today, so am not able to surf the net properly.
Chotu has again gone on being unsure about the whole issue. Now I'll get some local person for the job.
Can you believe it, I have nothing new to blog? Has my life become so boring??

Surreal Moment Of the Day: So I was driving in the evening, returning from the Industrial Area. I passed the usual roads, and suddenly, I was viewing those roads in a new light altogether. It just looked like I had never noticed them. They looked so new.
Someone should write a book roads, I say. About how we tend to not look at them, but if we pay attention, the roads are different each and every day, at each and every hour. They change. They get crowded, they are empty, they are clean, they are dirty, they have shattered glass, they reflect the sun, giving one an impression of a mirage. I think roads are a modern day metaphor of life. In the olden days, it was the rivers and in the modern age, it is the roads.
But I digress, that was not my surreal moment. The roads looks so new to me, I began to wonder whether it was only a few months ago that I roamed aimlessly on these streets, discovering. And now, they seemed new again to me.
Very Strange

Good Joke...

Laugh if you understand these joke (I did)

**************

Q: How many Spaniards does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: Juan.

**************

Person 1: Knock knock.

Person 2: Who's there?

Person 1: Control freak.

Person 1: Now you say "control freak who?"

**************

A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: “That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen.” The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: “That driver just insulted me!” The man says: “You go right up there and tell him off – go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you.”

**************

Buddha walks into a pizza joint and says, "Make me one with everything."

**************

Q. Why can't the Buddha vacuum in the corner?

A. Because he has no attatchments.

**************

Cashier: "That'll be $9.50"
Buddha hands him a ten. Waits. Waits. He says, "Where's my change?"
Cashier replies, "Change must come from within"

**************

A guy walked into a bar and said, "Ow!"

*************

Two cows are standing in a pasture.

The first cow says, "Have you heard about this new mad cow disease?"

The second cow says, "I don't care, I'm a helicopter!"

Nice Holidays...

That was good!!! I had a two day off after a long, long time, and it felt good. Weel, to be frank, on the first day, it felt a little odd, and I was a little disoriented. But I reocvered on saturday, and had a good time.
Another new development. Rauf uncle called me up, and wanted to meet me for two days. So finally, when I met him, he offered me a free-lancing job!! He told me that he needs someone who is good in English, to prepare some documents for him. The money seems good, and I am interested. Lets see...
And on the Chotu front, he has delayed the plan of coming here. He has to put in his papers, it seems. If he delays it any further, I am thinking I'll just get someone else.

Holiday Tomorrow...

The office is keen ot bring Chotu as soon as possible, but I don't thik that will he possible, since he first has to give his one month notice at his place. Its all pretty close for now...
Tomorrow, I will be having my first weekend in MONTHS!! Two whole days of R&R!! Its needed, since I am feeling quite tired today. But this may evaporate, as I may be called to office, since we have been having a lot of work lately. Can't these ministers observe a maun vrat during their fasts??
Collateral is currently playing in the theaters here, so I am going to watch it tomorrow. Plus, Jinu and I are plannig to meet tomorrow, for a marathon pool session. Lets hope I don't get called to the office. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I Mean Business...

Now that the administration has realised that I mean business when I say that I want to quit, things are going into over-drive to get another person in my place. My immediate boss has been compeltely passed over, and I ahve to report directly to the AGM (Asst. GM, ie). I am submitting Chotu's resume again.

Hooray, Hooray, It's A Holi-Holiday!!!

Met the AGM today, and we tried to reach a settlement regarding my holidays. I can now take Fridays and Saturdays off, but if any news turns up, then I will have to come to the office. The vacation issue still hangs. I am not about to find even one person who is willing to do a translator's job. I think I will submit Chotu's resume once again.

Kahani Mein Twist...

Kahani Mein Twist!!!
The Assistant General Manager came down today. He is a really nice guy. He asked me how things were. I replied they were good. He says, no, they are not, you are leaving. He asked me the reason, and I told him, that since I am not getting my annual leave, I might as well quit. So he has called me to his office tomorrow, to see if we can work things out. But frankly, I am not interested any more. Even if I stay back, I'll be putting in my papers six or eight months down the line, which will not be good for either of us. But I'll go all the same. Lets see...

Realisation of the Day: When Papaji was scolding/explaining to me that it was not right on my part to just go out on an impromptu 5 hour road trip, he used the word 'bohemian' to describe my lifestyle. And suddenly, my mind started playing the song, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen. It was just Pavlovian, my response. Looks like I have programmed my self to break out into that song whenever the word, 'bohemian' is mentioned.

And as Papaji was leaving today, he kept reiterating that I should not go out on such impromptu tours of the city, and that I should get my full sleep. He was too shaken by that incident, it seems. Anyways, Even I am getting tired to these trips. Its just me sitting in my car and driving, safetly (relatively) ensconed in the car, not knowing how the weather is outside.
Now, and bike would be a better deal. When you are driving a bike, its you against the nature. You are clasely interacting with the nature. If the weather's cold, you feel cold, if its hot, you feel the heat. Not so in a car, where the car ac compeltely detaches you from the outside world.
Thats it, I am more of a bike person than a car person.

In other news, Veerappan is killed by the STF commandos. Now, all the money that had been diverted to capturing him will be put to good use.

The Pictures...

First things first,

injinuity said...
ofcourse it was definitely dumb to make such a move without having a proper backup plan...

no, I don't think it was dumb to make such a move. What would have been dumb is me not quitting, working seven days a week, and hoping that my bosses got another Hindi language person to help me out here. They should have done that long ago, and since they are not doing this, I am not interested in working for them.

Incidently, I learnt that another of my colleagues is quitting to go to Al Jazeera. J., the Russian guy, is too on a one month notice. He has already brought a replacement for him. Looks like the office will be a different place after a few months...

Moving on,

Here are the pictures:















I'll post a few more bigger ones after I have scaled them down.

Foggy Drive...

The entire city was covered in fog yesterday, and when I say fog, I mean the thickest fog I have seen. Visibility was down to two meters. Perfect for going out, I say, and I did!! I drove all around the town for nearly five hours!! That's right, from 3:30 am till 8:00 am, I was on the road, enjoying the fog. The Doha-Al Khor road was all the more enticing due to the extremely low visibility. At one point, the road lights were down, and I was driving at 80 km in total darkness. It felt like I was in one of those horror movies, with the light from my headlamp only illuminating the thick fog ahead of me. Any moment, a lady wearing complete white would emerge from the fog, singing a haunting melody!! From there, I went to the Umm Said beach. The beach was not visible, even from 10 meters away!!
Later, when I returned home, I realized that Papaji was building up a storm of his own!! He had gotten so worried, that he called up my office, Jinu and was going to call up Al Kaabi and going to the police station and also the handy General hospital!! When I came, he couldn't even talk, he was so bottled up with conflicting emotions!!
One good thing about the entire episode at home was when he said,'it's better you return home. You are living a bohemian lifestyle here.' So Papaji now supports my resigning!! But wait, he is implying that I should return cos I have been too free here...hmm, I think I'll stay here now. Or move to A'bad.
And oh yes, curse you, Jinu, for tell my dad I do these 'crazy things' sometimes. He now thinks that I live a totally bohemian lifestyle here, when the truth is, I am simply bored to death here.
I took a few photographs, and I am hoping they turn out good. But I would have preferred my SLR instead of my digicam. I just take better pictures with those. Will post those later.

No Work...

No work today. Timings change, but work remains the same. No work.
I was on the road today for nearly three hours in the morning, and I couldn't have a single drop of water!!! Enjoy your Ramadan.

Opinions Galore...

Its been two days since I put in my papers, and the response has been mixed. More so in the case of dad.
When he is sober, he says that I have made a big mistake, and that I have all to lose from this. But after downing the first peg, he does a complete turn around and says that he completely supports my decision!! Hmm. this is one of the moments when I prefer him sozzled!! (just joking, just joking, drinking bad, no good)
In the office, my colleague, S. was the first to know of my move. She says tht it is a good move, and told me that she wished she could do it herself. But, she reasons, since I am young, I can take those chances, not her (she's in her 40s, I think). Another colleague, R. too says that I made the right move. In fact, both him and S. opine that the entire office should put in their papers collectively, just to prove a point. I am deducing this as their way of saying,'Good move dude, very dumb'
Dumb is what injinuity called my move to yesterday, when we went to a marathon pool session (and oh yes, Jinu, you didn't win, I let you win ;)).
On my part, I don't feel it was a dumb move. Sure, I am aware of all the problems I will face when I relocate to India, and how I'll have a hard time initially. But that does not mean that I just stay put here. Nearly everyone is saying that I should first search for opportunities there. That I should first go ot India and start something there, and then quit here after one more year. Well, I tried that the last time I visited India, but I realised that its just not feasible. When ou start something, you must be tehr since its inception, to lead it properly. Coming back to your business after an year, and making changes in it will only put a spanner in the works then. Not good.
Incidently, another of my colleagues, a Lebanese girl, D. has put in her papers. She did it before me, and now will be leaving after a month. Looks like I am not the only idiot here...
In other news, Ramadan began today, and so did the Ramadan timings. I now work from 7:30 in the evening, till 3:30 in the morning. So its bye bye pool, bye bye night life. The only bright spot to this thing is that the office provides the food during Ramadan. Some snacks in the evening, and then a full meal at aruond 3 in the morning. I will skip the meal, though, cos its too filling at that time of the night. But I gorge on the snacks, though!! Yummmm...

Maa!! Tum Mujhe Chod kar Kahan Chali Gayi, Maa!!

This is really sad news, Nirupa Roy has passed away, Thats one more talent less in Bollywood. Rediff has done some tributes for her.
Sad. But life goes on, I guess.

In other news, Here's a cool animation of how a Lego brick in made. Check it out.

I Have Quit!!!

I did it!!! I finally resigned, after all these days of being iffy about it!! Woo Hoo!!!
As I walked into the office, holding a piece of paper, my boss thought that I was giving him another resume probably. Then the bomb dropped. I have never seem him smile that much. I had to resist the urge to sing *Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, kya gham hai jisko chupa rahe ho*. You see, they don't have any replacement for me, and now the only Hindi guy is leaving... oh the joy, the joy.
The boss did ask me why I wanted to quit. I told him that I just wanted to go to India, and that I was not getting any leave. He tried to argue that they were looking for people, but looks liek the shock of the moment failed him. Rejoice!!!
I am now expecting a visit or at last a call from the big boss himself.

Dad's here...

In bits and Pisces US has Pakistan in its grip
injinuity, if you are reading this, this is what US expects when it makes a country it "ally". India would never bend over backwards for it (good, in my opinion). Also, US is not really concerned about India (why should it, it does not owe anythig to it), and it will not fight its wars, as you expect it to.
Moving on, I received Papaji at the airport today. He was a bit shocked to see me, what with my long hair and a gangster moustache. His first words on meeting me,"Are you becoming Aamir Khan with your long hair and moustache?" He is quite impressed with my new residence. I have to start cooking from tomorrow onwards.
And I couldnt' meet with the big boss even today. He is tooooo busy, it seems.

Two Developments and One Observation...

Two developments and one observation:

Developemtns:

* I nearly quit today, but the Big Boss was too busy to listen to me.
* I applied to the BBC today.

Observation:

* I have been posting really short posts. Is my posting bug fading away?

I Am Jogging...

I ran yesterday. Jogged. It felt nice, like returning to the fold. I was never a gym guy, so the gymming never interested me. But when I ran yesterday, I felt like I was in my element. Ok, I was fast losing my element, what with me beign out of my breath so soon. But it still felt nice. Am planning ot make a habit out of it.
I saw two movies yesterday as well. That first was Mean Girls, *ing Lindsay Lohan. A failry funny movie, with some nice jokes in it. That second one was Shaun of the Dead. And that it a movie!! Really funy, and lots of cheesy moments. Basically, the director took all the memorable movie moments and wove them together into a nice movie. A must see.
And nothing more is new.

Expenses...

I couldn't post yesterday cos I have work at the last minute, and I did not find time to post. Not that there was much to post, anyways.
The PS2 has run into its first phase of problems. You see, it runs the CDs in PAL format, but those are expensive. The pirated CDs come in NTSC format, which my PS2 does not play. Have to get it play NTSC game CDs as well, but that will cost me an extra 200 bucks...expenses, expenses...

I Got PS2!!!

My purse continues to be loose...I bought a PS2 yesterday!!! A cool 650 bucks of it!! I am consoling myself that it was going for nearly 800 bucks just six months ago...and while I and injinuity (my partnet-in-crime in this) were at it, I also ended up buying a digital camera!! That's another 500 bucks damage to my purse. But being intersted in photography that I am (I have a certificate to prove it), I needed it...ok, so I didn't need it, but I was lusting for it. I will be capturing scenes of Doha on it now.
The PS2, in my opinion, is a very good buy. I played some games on it yesterday, and really enjoyed it. After the frustrations of the office, its nice to kick and punch someone out, or be kicked and punched out. I played Tekken 4 with injinuity, and am now hooked ot it, at least for now!! Will repot on the progress later.

Accident Report...

Gods are smiling on me. I went to the traffic dept. Today to collect my police report. Before getting the report stamped, I had to get a radar check on my car, to see if I had any outstanding fines from speeding/jumping signals (and I have been doing both lately). So surprise, surprise, I don't have any outstanding fines!! That's right folks, zero riyals fine!!
And speaking of the accident, it seems my insurance will have to pay for the damage, since the fault was mine (I still say that it was not my fault). The driver of the other car was at my place to collect the insurance papers for making that claim. But I was away at that time, ejoying momos with injinuity!! Man, I can be mean at times!! Let the bugger wait. If he wants my money, he will have ot go through some loops. Did I mention that when I had scrapped the car, I could have just collected his car and mobile number and gone to the police station the next day with my claim? But I didn't. I waitied, and made him wait as well. I didn't mind that waiting, but the waiting was surely a torture for him, cos his boss kepty ringing him about where the kids whom he was supposed to bring back from that school were.

Jai Hanuman Gyan Guna Saagar...

On sn impluse, I googled Hanuman Chalisa, and I came up with this, and online Hanuman Chalisa, and also its translation. The translation is pretty good, in fact. It was a revelation to me when, in the fourth from last chaupai (that's what they are called), when it say 'Jo sat bar path kare kohi', it means 'One who recites Chalisa one hundred times', and not seven times, which is what sat, seems to imply. Now I get it, its avadhi (?) hindi, khadi boli, and not the Hindustani that we speak commonly. 'sat' actually means शत, as in shat.abdi, which is a hundred years. Hmm, maybe that explains why my prayers weren't being answered. I used to read the chalisa seven times, when the requirement was one hundred times...Not that I'll start reciting them a hundred times now! A hundred times!! A Hundred Times!!!. Who has time in this age to read it a hundred times, for god's sake.
From a literary point of view, I realised that the poem (or the chaupais) are pretty good.
In other news, Me and injinuity have been attempting to start jogging ths week. But something or the other always crops up, adn we have to delay our plans. So far, it's been postponed till next saturday. I have also stopped going to the gym (no fun there).

Adaptation...

Note: I had meant to post this entry yesterday, but blogger was giving me problems. So here, for you pelasure, is the post...

Begins...
Caught up on the movie, Adaptation yesterday along with Melvin.
What a movie!! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Nicholas Cage was mindblowing, both as Charlie and Donald. And so Meryl Streep. Both actors prove their mettle here. Same with Chris Cooper, who plays John LaRouche, the Orchid Thief.
The screenplay by Charlie Kaufman was really good. Some really interesting twists in there. What really impressed me was how he managed to intertwine four interesting story arcs (Charlie's difficulty in adapting a book about flowerw into a screenplay, Donald's gay abandon as he scripts a 'thriller', Susan's yearning for a life that she cannot live and John's life as he moves from one obsession to another)into one single, coherent movie. Though the story in about Charlie, all the characters interact with each other. The movie swings from Charlie's cluelessness to Donald's carelessness, from Susan's sorrow to John's obsession with the orchid effortlessly.
And then there's he twist in the story in the last half hour. Truly bizzare.
Sample a few dialogues:
----
Donald Kaufman: You are what you love, not what loves you
----
Charlie Kaufman: You and I share the same DNA. Is there anything more lonely than that?
----
Susan Orlean: Change is not a choice.
----
John Laroche : You know why I like plants?
Susan Orlean : Nuh uh.
John Laroche : Because they're so mutable. Adaptation is a profound process. Means you figure out how to thrive in the world.
Susan Orlean : [pause] Yeah but it's easier for plants. I mean they have no memory. They just move on to whatever's next. With a person though, adapting almost shameful. It's like running away.
----
Donald Kaufman: Is like technology versus horses.
----

All in all, I highly recommend this movie.

Chakra Chakram...

I took a Chakra test at eclectic energies to find out if my chakras are all right. Turns out I am highly imbalanced. Heres the lowdown:

Root Chakra: -13% - under active.

The Root chakra is about being physically there and feeling at home in situations.

If you tend to be fearful or nervous, your Root chakra is probably under-active. You'd easily feel unwelcome.

Sacral Chakra: -19% under active

The Sacral chakra is about feeling and sexuality.

If you tend to be stiff and unemotional or have a "poker face," the Sacral chakra is under-active. You're not very open to people.

Navel Chakra: -13 % under active

The Navel chakra is about asserting yourself in a group.

When the Navel chakra is under-active, you tend to be passive and indecisive. You're probably timid and don't get what you want.

Heart chakra: 6 % under active

The Heart chakra is about love, kindness and affection.

When your Heart chakra is under-active, you are cold and distant.

Throat chakra: 6 % under active

The Throat chakra is about self-expression and talking.

When this chakra is under-active, you tend not to speak much, and you probably are introverted and shy. Not speaking the truth may block this chakra.

Third eye chakra: 69 % over active

The Third Eye chakra is about insight and visualisation.

If this chakra is over-active, you may live in a world of fantasy too much. In excessive cases halucinations are possible.

Crown chakra: 31 % open

The Crown chakra is about wisdom and being one with the world. When this chakra is open, you are unprejudiced and quite aware of the world and yourself.

So, the net result is, I am unable to fit in, I am unexpressive, I am indecisive and shy, I am cold and distant, I am introverted, I a fantasize a lot, but I am also unprejudiced, and aware of the world.

Strange thing, this spirituality. I seem to agree with this prognosis of mine. After all, I am unprejudiced, am I not?

Also, I must improve. But twait a minute, if I post my thoughts regualrly on the blog, is it not a sign of my expressiveness?? Is this thing wrong?? Andwers wanted. pls comment, viewers.

Notes...

A thousand apologies for not posting yesterday. I had lots of work, and was in office for an extra hour.
My new pat is dirty, I told you that. The fridge I got was stuffed with six month old food I told you that. The maojrity of bulbs don't work there, I told you that. But I discovered someting else day before yesterday. The last occupants of the house left me something else as well. Underwear. Yes, you heard it right, I found an old underwear in one of the cupboards. It really makes me wonder, just how much of a hurry did these guys leave in, that they didn't get time to empty their fridge, make their beds, throw out their garbage, take their underwear??? Were they just pulled up, and thrown out? One fine day, they get a phone call, that they have to vacate their house within five hours. That, or maybe they got sucked into some of the hollywood road movies like Harold and Kumar go to Newcastle, maybe Ahmed and Mohammed go to Dukhan!! It seems that the two inhabitants on the flat (two lebanese guys) were not liked a lot, judging from the winces I got from the others.
Also, today I ahd an accident. Nothing major, just a little scrap. The guy had parked in the middle of the road, just outside my parking shed. I made a reverse, and scrapped against his Toyota Land Cruiser. I got a few scratches, and so did he. But it seems, its was my fault. No matter that he parked illegally, I should have been more careful. $@$#@%#@%@#.
Yesterday, I went to dinner again with my colleague, A. I was expecting more 'Indian food goooooood!!', but luckily, he didn't comment on that fact anymore. All in all, it was a nice evening. He picked up the bill, which made it even better.
And yes, my efforts to me the top boss of our office have been unsuccessful so far. Must do it in order to secure my vacation.

Gruh-pravesh...

I moved into the apt today. It's dirty as hell, and I just discovered that only two of the bulbs work in the entire appartment!! It will be a long night...
I haven't been able to post long posts lately, becuase I don't get enough time nowadays. Too much work in the office (can you believe that!!). You see, the Emir is touring US nowadays, and he keeps making these quotable quotes there. [bhojpuri]Sasuraa bahut bakaar bakaar karat haiin[/bhojpuri]

Moving in...

I have started to move in to my apt today. Shifted all my clothes and cassettes and books into the house. And surprisingly, nothing remians in my rooms now!! Just a few knick knacks!!
Threw out two full bags of trash from the house. The previous inhabitants were animals!!
More tomorrow, am in a hurry now...

Got The Keys!!!

Yeaaaaahh!!! I got the keys to the apartment today!!! And with it a list of all the things provided by them In addition to a bed, a sofa set, cooking range, a washing machine, a dinner set and a cooking set, I also get a TV and satellite!!! So its back to TV watching for me after a break of, oh, 5 months??
I did go to the flat today, but the key didn't fit. Maybe I entered it into the wrong keyhole. Will go again tomorrow morning. Will shift in tomorrow itself. Today morning, aunty called me, and tried selling me the old stuff that she has, like the nearly broken down bed, the already broken dressing table etc. I have to pay her the one month advance that she had forfeited when I moved in, and also this month's rent. Expenses, expenses...
This calls for a little celebration. After office, I will head down to the City Center, and have a pizza maybe. Or maybe some Portuguese at Nando's. Speaking of City Center, the next attraction at the cinema there is Adaptation. I have been wanting to see this movie, but could not find it here. I see good times ahead...

Cautionary Tale Of The Day: The news of my 1000 bucks pay hike has spread. I had nothing to do with it, but people in the office know. Makes me feel that I am being watched.

No Key...

No keys today. The Adm head, N has washed his hands off the entire thing, and now I have to head-butt with the financial head, H. He is another headache. He has said that he will have it ready in two day. Lets see...
Yesterday, after I N had given me the news about the house and the raise, I thanked him and left. After I left, he called me back and mockingly told me that I was a true 'Hindi' (I wonder what he meant by that, but that was meant to be a bit derogatory), cos I just upped and left after he gave me the good news. What did he expect? That I kiss his hands as a show a gratitude? Or grovel at his feet, saying,'Main baap, aap to bhagwaan ka avatar hain!!' So anyways, today when I meant to meet him, I took some sweets along with me to give to him. I think that was a fitting reply, cos he first laughed a little, then said thank you and went back to his work.
Yeah Rajesh!!!
Two more purchases today, two cut price cassettes - R.E.M (Reveal), and an assorted blues album. According to All Music, this is not the best of R.E.M's albums. Will find out soon enough. But if it was going for a song at the shop...

Rant Of The Day: A female colleague, H, has put on some strong perfume today. Not a cheap smelling one, but rather a decent one. But the life of me, I can't figure out which one it is. But that's not the rant. The rant is, SHE HAS PUT SO MUCH OF IT, THAT I CAN SMELL HER EVEN WHEN SHE PASSES TWO METERS WAYS FROM ME!!! WHAT DO THESE ARABS USE FOR MEASURING THE QUANTITY? OIL BARRELS???

Rejoice!!!

Rejoice!!!!! I got a raise!! A 1000 bucks one at that!!! Woo hoo!!
Also, I have got an official accomodation now!! The gods are really simling at me now. What have I done to deserve this? Please God, let me know, 'cos I'll do it again!! This calls fora litle celebration. After office, I'm meeting injinuity for a chat. Not bad, maybe I'll have some cakes as well...
And to think that today I went to meet our adm. head, all ready to quit if he evaded a proper answer to me. Yesterday, I had decidedto call it quits over here. Now, I think I will stick around for some more time. Tomorrow I'll get the keys...
Maybe its the fact that I have now started drinking tea again. The tea God smiled at one of his flock that had returned, and decided to reward him...sounds like a possible explanation to me.
But things are not all that hunky-dory here. I still have to get a reply on the status of my holidays. No word on that so far.
But in the meantime, REJOICE!!!!!!

Decision, decisions...

The only decisions I make nowadays is, 'Tea or coffee?'
And if its coffee, then its, 'Make my own or buy?'
And if its buy, then its,'From where?'

I think it can be developed into a decent joke, but sadly, this job has totally sucked the ability to make jokes out of me. I still od laugh like a moron, though.

Cruisin'...

No Spidey 2 yesterday again. It was not playing in that time at all!! Looks like injinuity and Spidey really do not gel!! So instead, we went to play billiards. Neither of us had played in a long long time, and we were afraid we would make asses out of us in front of other people in the pool parlor (and it being a Friday night, it was crowded).
But surprisingly, we didn't!! Yes, both of us managed to get in some decent shots. That, and the fact that people were not paying any attention to us and concentrating on their own games saved our faces. We played two games, and each of us won one. We pick up pretty fast, I think.
Later, I went cruising in the city, just to have a look at the night life and was quite impressed by it. Its becoming more laid back and settled out there. People minding their own business. And the radio was cranking out some nice tunes. Speaking of which,

Surreal Moment A Couple of Days Ago: On the night I had momos with Jinu, I went for a spin round town, listening to radio. Its just playing some remixes (how I hate those @#*&^%$#). I decided to get myself and ice cream, and as I was driving and eating the ice cream when I suddenly flipped. The reason? The radio was playing a remix of 'Aap jaisa koi'. And a guy was singing the song.
Now, firstly, the original song is peppy enough and does not need to be remixed, and secondly, a guy singing that song??!!??. What, homosexuality finally coming out of the closet in Indian music? I doubt it. The singer was just plain stupid.

Which brings me to a deduction, namely, that if you want to become a pop musician, the first step is to undergo a brain removal surgery.

Humor Post...

Here's a couple for really bad, groan jokes that I found on the net. Enjoy if you can!!

What is red and goes up and down?

A tomato in an elevator
---------------------
Two ships, one carrying red paint and one carrying blue paint, collided. All of the sailors were marooned.
---------------------
In the news: "A Cessna 152 training aircraft crashed into the cemetery. 253 bodies recovered so far."
---------------------
What'd the fish say when he swam into a cement wall?

Dam!
---------------------
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a hole?

Phil.
---------------------
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pile of leaves?

Russel.
--------------------
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a backwater?

Eddy
--------------------
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in space?

Anything you want, but it won't matter. He can't hear you.
--------------------
There's these two goldfish in a tank, and one turns to the other and says...

So, do you know how to drive this thing?
--------------------
What do you call a fly with no wings?

A walk!
-------------------
What do you call a fly with no wings and no legs?

A look!
-------------------
What do you call a fly with no wings no legs AND no eyes?

A raisin!
-------------------
What do you call a sheep with no legs?

A cloud.
-------------------
Why did the chicken cross the playground?

To get to the other slide.
-------------------
Why did the frog cross the road?

It was stapled to the chicken.
-------------------
How can you tell if an elephant's been in your refrigerator?

Footprints in the peanut butter.
------------------
How can you tell if two elephants are in your refrigerator?

Two sets of footprints, side by side.
------------------
How many giraffes will fit in the refrigerator?

None. There are too many elephants in there.
------------------
How do you get an elephant into a Volkswagen?

Open door, insert elephant, shut door.
------------------
How do you get four elephants into a Volkswagen?

Two in the front, two in the back.
------------------
How can you tell if an elephant is visiting your house?

There's a Volkswagen in your driveway with 3 elephants in it.
------------------
Why did the Eskimo wash his clothes in Tide?

Because it was too cold to wash them out-tide!
------------------
What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?

Where's my tractor?!
------------------
What would Marilyn Monroe be doing now if she were alive?

Clawing at the lid of her coffin.
------------------
what do you call a fish with no eyes?

fsh
------------------
what do you call a pig with three eyes?

piiig
-----------------
What is a foot long and slippery...

A SLIPPER!


And finally, no Spidey 2 yesterday. Looks like Spidey 2 is jinxed for you, pal.

No Spidey, But Games...

Didn't go for Spidey 2 yesterday. Looks like yours and spidey 2's stars don't get well, injinuity ol' pal. You are not destined to watch this movies!! It's your destiny, not to watch Spidey 2!.
Instead, we caught a few subway sandwiches and coffee, and headed to find a lost tanker!! Yeah, injinuity had some office work, locating a missing tanker, and we were all over the route of the tank, searching for it!! Later, we went to a gaming cafe, where we played Counter Strike. Or to be more precise, we were the dummy targets for the other players, who were waaaaaaay faster and a lot more accurate than us. Did I mention that they were also younger than us?? The young guns beat the life out of us. I died 21 deaths, and scored 1 point (I have this feeling that hte lone person I killed was injinuity's avatar). Gaming continued till 2:30 in the morning, and then we split.
Gaming after such a long time (more than two years?) made me realize that I had completely lost touch with them. It was like the first time all over again, with me feeling pukey and getting dizzy. But the enjoymeent was definately worth it.
We will try to catch Spidey 2 again today, lets see...

Sucky-Yucky...

Had lunch with injinuity today at the sushi place that I had discovered, only to find that they don't serve sushi unless its for a very large order, like 50 or 100 pieces!!
Instead, we settled for a chicken teriyaki, a fried squid something, and a suki yaki soup.
Now, teriyaki, you already know. This one was equally good, thuogh the quantity was less (so was the price).
The Squid was a revelation, thuogh. I had prepared myself mentally that it would be weird, and I was just experimenting it. But the meat was quite good! A little tough, it didn't tast too sea-foody. And the spices were good too.
And then there was the Suki Yaki. Or rather, Sucky Yucky. It was sea food soup, with crabs, squids, noodles, onions and a few leafs. And lots and lots of water. So I ended up tasting crabs as well. Imagine, me a sea food non-enthusiast having a go at no one, but two new sea creatures!! The crab meat was, again, quite good. Very soft and tender. But there was not much to it. Most of it was a shell, and then there was little meat in it somewhere.
The Sucky Yucky was the worst, but the squid and the teriyaki were good. The bill was a little steep, but no qualms.
Also, yesterday evening, I introduced injinuity to the pleasures of a Nepalese momo, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. More power to the momo!!! Too bad only the mutton momos are available here. would have loved to try uot the veg andthe chicken ones as well...
I am catching up on Spidey two again, with injinuity (again). Hmmm, we seems to be spending too muc htime together. What say, bro?

Feelin' Good...

I don't know why, but I feel good today. Maybe it has to do with the cruising around the town that I did today...
Also, teh mystery of the fine cup of coffee at the restaurant on the Al Khor-Doha road was revealed to me by injinuity. It seems that they put a little ice cream in the coffee!! Vanilla coffee!! Now howzzat!! That surely explains the unique taste of the coffee, and also the slight lump I felt in the coffee when I stirred the coffee... Not sure I want ot try it at home or in the office.
Talking of office, the big boss and my immediate boss have left for interviewing people for the office. This is just great, I am being denied a holiday, cos they can't find another Hindi person. Makes me so, so mad!!
A new development in the office. We have a brand new authorizing thingy in our office, and this one uses our finger imprints for granting access into the office. The down part is that it is quite sensitive, and since people tend to leave their imprint on the screen, the machine goes conkers. As a result, at any given time, half of our office is stuck either outside trying ot get inside, or inside trying to go outside!! Even when it works properly, it takes 15 seconds to open the door. People are missing the access card system already.

Coffee Odyssey...

My coffee hunt continues. The place on the Al Khor- Doha road where I drank the good coffee has lost its lusture for me. I went there again yesterday, and the coffee didn't taste so good. And it's not that I have gotten used to it. I think it's just that the coffee is not a mystery to me anymore. When I first drank it with injinuity, it tasted really good. I thought it must be some other coffee, and not the nescafe that is usually served here. But when into the restaurant the next day, I discovered that they serve it from a coffee vending machine, and that shattered my illusions. It was just another cup of coffee to me.
After returning from watching Spiderman 2, I decided to get a cup of coffee again. So I pulled up to a random mallu restaurant that look decent, and ofdered a cup of coffee. The coffe I got there was strictly by the numbers. Very predictable, could be had anywhere, with lots and lots of sugar. So far, the best coffee I had was at The Coffee Cottage in the City Center, and the coffeee I make for myself in the office.
I really put in a lot of effort for the coffee in my office. I add a drop or two of water to the mixture of sugar and coffee, and I stir it for nearly nearly 20 minutes till its color changes from dark brown to a very light shade of brown (mulatto?).
Then I add boiling water, and milk that I have specially purchased for this purpose. Regular milk, not full cream milk or double cream milk. They tend to make the coffee unduly sweet. Then beat it, don't stir it. This will make the froth rise even more. Yand Yenjoy tha caafi, saar!!!
On a separate thought, given how I make my coffee, cna I go to a cafe and ask for coffee,'shaken, not stirred'!! ;)

Spidey 2...WOW!!!

So I finally saw Spiderman 2 yesterday, and all I cna say about the movie is, YES! YES! YES! The movie is FANTASTIC!!
Right from the first frame till the last, its one big thrill ride! Sam Raimi has outdone himself with this movie. But let me just make it clear that any comparision between this movie and the X-Men franchise is unjust to both of them. They are unbeatable in their own way. While the X.Men franchise is a study of society and the prejudices it levels on those that do not ift in it, Spidey 2 is all about facing up to your resposibility. With great power comes great responsibility. And add to that, the thrills. Those are the reasons I went to watch the movie, and it didn't disappoint.
The movie begins with Peter Parker struggling to juggle college, work and superhero duties. Surprisingly, it found resonance with me. I really don't know why, but when Peter Parker runs from one thing to another, I could empathise with him. Maybe it had to do with my experiences while I was working in India. I was never in time, and so I always had to rush!!
Also relate worthy was PP worrying about money. I have begun to do that lately!! And the rent issue in the movie!! Its the biggest issue in my life right now!!
One thing about I like about these superhero movies is that they manage to put in some sort of wisdom in all the unbelievable things that happen on the screen. consider, for example, the quote that with gret powers come great responsibility. And then there was a moment in the movie when Dr. Otto Octavius (soon to be the villian Doc Ock) explains to PP about intellligence being not a gift, but a talent, that needs to be nutured (at least thats how I remember it). Dumb, but really profuond for such a movie.
And I totally agree with all the critics who are praising the character of J. Jonah Jameson. He was really a good highlight of the film. Just like I remember his character from the Spiderman cartoon that I saw.
Also worth mentioning was the entire train sequence. Masterfully done, IMO. And the part when Spidey has a power relapse, and has to take an elevator to go down. Humorous.
The best part of the movie, in my opinion, was the fact that I had the same treatement as I had when I saw 'Main Hoon Na', namely, I was the only person entire threater!! Not that I ran around the cinema hall, but it feels grand that one is the only person in the cinema hall. In fact, I think that I was the only customer in the entire mall, cos after the movie (I saw the last show) when I went out, there were only two cars parked there, one mine, and the other had to be of someone working there. So it's no a bad deal, being a kind for just 30 bucks!!

Reply to injinuity

injinuity said...
oh nooooo I wanted to ruin it for ya again today....

Muwhahahaha (evil laugh)

Spidey 2....

Couldn't watch Spiderman 2 again yesterday, and all due to injinuity again!!@#$%^#@#$. We met up, and were talking till 11:35, in the night. The movie had already started, and so I did not want ot watch it midway.
But I made up for it today. I have purchased the ticket for the movie already, and will now have to watch it. Incidently, hte movie begins at 11:45, so I could have still caught it yesterday!!

Spidey again....

Boo hoo hoo, I didn't get to see Spiderman 2 yesterday. *sob sob, sniff sniff* All my plans went into disarray when injinuity called me up and asked me if I wanted to accompany him to Al Khor. So, I being a cruier, and in love with the Doha-Al Khor stretch of road, agreed. I had it all worked out; I would meet him at 10:30, we would go to Al Khor, and be back by 11:25, just in tiem for me to catch the 11:30 show at the Landmark, or the 12:00 show at the City Center. But things jsut went haywire after that. injinuity was not in a mood for speeding yesterday as I had hoped, and so we cruised at around 80, I think. injinuity, it seems, discovered the joys of driving slowly yesterday. A verrrry fine timing, pal. ^$#^$%^$%&$^$.
So anyways, I am hoping to catch the show today, at the Landmark again. I have tried out all hte cinema halls here, and Landmark is the only one that remains.
While driving with injinuity yesterday, I had a very good cup of coffee at a small restaurant on the Doha-Al Khor road, courtsey injinuity. In fact, it was so good, I was there again today in the afternoon for the coffee. Yesterday, I had the cuppachino, and today it was the mocchachino. But to tell you the truth, both tasted the same. But the taste was good, so its forgiven.
This discovery mad me realise that I have completely sold out to the big restaurants here. I no longer search out the newer places or try out newer cuisines. Like when I am in the mood for momos, there is only one place I go to. Must become an explorer again.

Reply to Bunny..

b mamu,
i did check it and my acoount is aruna_rulz4ever@yahoo.ca i did't find it on bubujiji.
could u write it on sweet demon itself pleaseeeee!!!???.

Bunny, below is the link for the site from where you can download the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Its free, just fill in the form, and click on 'continue'. On the next page that comes, click on 'Download'. The file size is about 8 mb, so it will take time. All the best!

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Sea Trip

First fo all, and observation. Summer is fading, and winter is arriving. I say this because there is a slight chill in the wind nowadays. Even at noon time. All this makes it rather confusing, actually. The sun burns you, but then the wind is at hand to soothe you. Its nice in a crazy kind of way.
Today I went to the seaside at Messaid. And like I said, the summer is passing, but the water was still good. I reached there at around 5:30 in the morning, and left at around 8:30 in between, I sawm for around two hours.
Well, not swam actually, I just stood in the water for two hours is a more apt description of what I did there. As I stepped into the water, I realised that I had forgotten how to swim!! I could float, paddle with my arms and feet, but I was still at the same point where I satared. I know that because I was noticing my position with respect to my car which was parked on the shore. No matter how hard I paddled, I always was at the same angle to my car. I tried backstroke, breast stroke, free style, but to no avail. In the endd, I finally gave up and started doing what I call, the head-above-the-water ballet, which is clasely realted to the underwater ballet, which I could not do cos I am a hopeless swimmer.
The head-above-the-water ballet is basically stretching and striking positions in water. Its really good, cos you can strike the weirdest positions, and people will not know, cos your body is submerged. I realised that I can tough my knees to my chest while standing on one foot! I cannot do it on land without my head later touching the floor with a loud thud. so whadda know, I am a latent ballet dancer!
Andd speaking of ballet, do you know, that there is no word for a male ballet dancer??? A ballerina is a female ballet dancer, but a male is only a male ballet dancer!! This is injustice!!!!!
Tonight I am going to watch Spiderman 2. Yeaaaaaah!!!! Finally!

Reply To Bunny

dear b mamu,
are you deliberately ignoring me?????.
i am anxiously waiting for your reply!!!.
take care
love
bunny

No Bunny, I am not ignoring you in any manner. In fact, You are ignoring to check your email, because I have replied to you by mail. Pls check the bubujiji mail, not arunarulez mail.

B Mamu

p.s. In case you didn't read that mail, buy the MS Office Suite, Home Edition. There will be Powerpoint in it. As for reading pdf files, head to www.abode.com, and search for the acrobat reader, and download it.

Hate oppression, but fear the oppressed

A gem of a quote from Sir V.S. Naipaul:

'Hate oppression, but fear the oppressed'

A classic two minute bite, one would be tempted to think, but when you go below the surface, you find that it is a really profound observation.
The oppressed do not need to be pitied, but rather, they deserve some amount of fear.
Now, Sir Vidia is a person whom you either like, or you loath. You can't be neutral about him. One can be amicable about Salman Rushdie, but not Sir Vidia. I am on the latter group. I have read a couple of books by him.
There was 'A House for Mr. Biswas', which I feel, started really well, but towards then end, he just speeded it up. Also, towards the end, he was talking more about Mr. Biswas' son Anand than about Mr. Biswas. It seemed to me that he just got tired with the novel towards the end, and decided to finish it as soon as possible.
Then there was 'India: An Area of Darkness', about his travels in 1969. I really loved this book. Naipaul has managed to capture the essence of India in the book. Of special note is the part where he hitches a ride from a family traveling on a hired bus. Just brilliant.
His sequel of sorts to this non-fiction, 'India: A Wounded Civilization' was less of a travelogue and more of his meandering thoughts. Also, he screwed up the Indian history royally in this book. There was an article about this in rediff by William Dalrymple, author of 'White Mughals'(which I intend to read), where convincingly pointed out the errors of Sir Vidia in his book, and I agreed with him whole heartedly. It was this book that pushed me towards the other camp, so to speak.
I plan to read the third book on his trips to India, 'India: A Million Mutinies Now' soon. Jiji has recommended it highly, so it should be good.
And then there is his last book, 'Half A Life'. What can I say, what can I say about this book, other than that its a complete rot. Naipaul deal with displacement and search for a home in his books, but in this one, he took them to a new height - that of absurdity. I could not fathom what the hell he was trying to say in this book Utter crap. And to think that it was released around the time he got the Noble Prize!! The irony of it was not lost, at least on me!
Now, Sir Vidia is coming out with his latest book, Magic Seeds. Again, its about displacement, about the protagonist from his last novel, Willie Chandran, fighting a Maoist battle in India, and wondering what he is doing there. I am intrigued.
All in all, whatever your opinion about Sir Vidia, one thing everyone agrees is that he is a gifted observer, and is bold enough to speak his mind, unlike Salman Rushdie, who I think is quite media savvy. The last bold thing he did was 'Satanic Verses', and that got him in a thick soup. Case in point to Sir Vidia, this:

Indians victims of their own civilization: V S Naipaul

I have to agree with all the things that he says.

In a final conclusion, Sir Vidia Surajprasad Naipaul is like Karl Marx. Love him or loath him, but you just can't ignore him. More power to him!!

Moving on, here's a nice blog by a lady who follows news stories usually ignored by the big media. It's called Flogging The Simian. Of particular interest is her coverage of the Jonathan Idema case in Afghanistan. Read it.

And finally, some good news at last. SPIDERMAN 2 WILL BE RELEASING THIS WEEKEND!! Yes, Spidey is finally coming to Doha. I have been hearing nothing but rave reviews of this film online. It has outdone X-Men and X2 as far as movie adaptations comics, and that's really saying something. I love the X-Men franchise, and their quality is good indeed. If Spidey has overtaken them this time, then it's worth a dekho. So Friday night, I will be at a theater nearby. Rejoice, folks!!

Idiots....

My search for a jounralist foolish enough to take up a job as a translator is still on, but no sign of success. Even Ashwin Honawar rejected it!! I am not surprised, though. But how to explain to these idiots who happen to be my bosses? "We specifically want journalists", they say. Look around you, fools, no one among your employees is a journo in the truest sense of the word. If you guys want to live in your world of false grandeur, where professional journos work for you, be my guest. But when you start sending me on search odesseys for the same, I digesss. [Beatles]Very strange, indeed[/Beatles]

Moving on, I forgot to mention a real treat I had yesterday. I mean musically. The radio was doing a Dharamendra special, and the list of song they played was really good. Started off with main Jat yamla paglaa deewana (woo hoo!!), then came rafta rafta, followed by pal pal dil ke paas, aaj mausam bada baimaan hai and lots more. Now, I like Dharamendra, but I never payed attention to the qualitiy of songs that have been picturised on him. Look at the song, arent they tempting? I enjoyed a full hour of Dharam Paaji. Sweet.
And speaking of Dharam Paaji, have a look at these,



and



Now tell me, who is more roman? Who is the true gladiator? Who is more Achielles? Tell me, huh? huh?

Not Good...

Things are not turning good for me. First, it was the rent increase that aunty talked about, and today, my boss tells me that I cannot take my annual vacation in Oct!!! Some problem that they have at the top (no substitute), so they cannot allow me to go till Nov. Chotu's chances look very slim, since they want a real journalist. Do they know that they don't have a real journalist working for them right now???
I am not impressed by all the recent advances. Bad. Very Bad.

injinuity said:

I thought you finally stopped listening to junk hindi songs and started listening to some good old rock bankds like Queen

Pal, what do mean I started to listen to Queen??? I am a Queen listener since I was 10!! You take back what you just said or else.......
BTW, I am currently listening to Rolling Stones, and 'I can't get no satisfaction'

The Queen...

I finally had some work today!! Two pages about the queen talking about he importance of education at a UNESCO conference. With proper editing, the two pages could have been reduced to two, maybe three paragraphs. But who cares...
And talk of the queen, do you know what Moza/Mouzah means in Arabic? It means a banana!! Just think about it, her parents named her banana!! And now she is Queen Banana, daughter of Nasser from the family of Al Misnad!!! *snort*
I am not enjoying gymming nowadays. No particular reason, I just am not.
And yes, an obcious observation- I am a masterly fabulous cook.

Money, Money, Money...

An uneasy development today. Aunty hinted that she will be raising my rent from december onwards. Already, I paying my rent out of my own pocket, and if she raises it by 200 bucks, my finances will be severely dented. The prices of houses are generally going up in Doha, and she says that she isgetting offers from prosons who are willing to pay up to 1,500 bucks. Naturally, I can't afford it, so I will have to search for a new accomodation. A bachelor accomodation. Costing less. Less than 600 bucks. Sigh.
A completely no-work-day today.
In the usual blog news, Prof. Juan Cole offers some nice insight to the current status on the war on terror in this piece.

Hot News...

Hot news, Arun has bought a house!! In Mumbai!! Yeah, I know, it came a shock to me as well. I haven't confirmed it as yet, will do it soon.
This news really forces me to think. My friends have started thinking about life and investtment, and here I am, being a bachelor (read that as being a jerk). Must think of the future. Hmmm...I'm thikning, I'm thinking, ok??!!??

Jason Bourne Moment of the Day: Yesterday, I gave a lift to a Bangladeshi worker. He comes up to me and starts talking in Arabic. I ask him to speak in Hindi, and he is surprised at first. Then he asks me if I am from India. I say yes. He replies, "I thought you were from Lebanon". What the...

There were more fun quotes from this guy. He asks me if I am from Punjab, and I say yes. So when I drop him, I ask him his name. He replies, and then mentions that he is a Muslim. I say that I am a Hindu. He says,"I know that. Since you are a Punjabi, you must be a Hindu" (????) Again, what the?????

Cars....

Second post, same day. Sort of like making up for my missed day. heh.
I got my car serviced, and my free service over, it cost a bomb (before yo usay that I am being gujju again, injinuity, let me clarify that spending money on cars or motorbikes is useless, IMO. Better to learn how these gizmos work and take care of them yourself. But I am lazy, and thats another thread, another time). But I suppose I should be grateful to them, cos they told me that I had got a discount (didn't show on the bill). The car runs smoothly now.
I was without a means transport for two days, and I came ot realise the changes going on in Doha. First and foremost, the taxis are being phased out. taxis that are older than 1985 are not being renewed. As a result, the taxi drivers are going jobless. I travelled with some of these persons in a shared taxi, and they were all pretty sad. And it is sad, that the ogvernment takes away their right to earn a living in a legitimate manner, just cos it sees an opportunity to earn money itself.
The other bad news of this whole sad incidnet is that the newer taxis will costlier-minimum charge is QR 3, and it shoots up after that.
A consequence of all this is that there are lesser taxis on the road, which is bad when you have to go to office at two in the afternoon, in the sweltering heat. The private car owners seem to have become part time axi drivers. I took these for two day, and they charge WAY above the meter. (again, injinuity, I am not being gujju here, its just he principle of the matter).
Sad.
There is anotehr car story, but that is really tragic. It has the ingredients of dream, hope, missed opportunities, all the ingredients that go to make a good soap opera. It really tears my heart apart. Will post it one of these day, cos this story will employ all my literary skills to tell it. (Spoiler: its about a Beetle)

Birds of a feather...

A thousand apologies again for not posting yesterday, but it was not my fault. Blogger didn't update my post, which is why people didn't see any new posts from me. But my last post lame anyways. It was me bitching about my colleague, S (a different one, this time). He is the office smart ass. Came up to me, and started bitching about the office in general, about how things here were done so unporfessionally and about how didn't feel inspired to give his best, and had now given up on producing a quality work. On my part, I felt like I was watching my self a few years ago. My outlook hasn't changed, but I now keep quite about such things.
Now, this is not the first time that a colleague has confided such things with me (what is it about me that people want to empty their frustrations before me?). Previously, S (the woman) has also spoken about the office ineptitude to me, but for her part, being the super efficient person that she is, she has a point.
And then there was L, who has since left and joined Al Jazeera. He was the first one, actually. Called all his colleagues in the office parasites!! But I don't know what he was so frustrated about, he seemed to be sailing along as well like the erst of us. All this makes me realise, brids of a feather do flock together!!
Spiderman has not yet released. I was hoping it would be released today, but no. OTOH, Dhoom has released. But I don't really want to watch that one. Very iffy. But I am very pissed off that Spiderman has not yet released!!
Oh yes, final observation for today- I AM A FABULOUS COOK!! But a little unadventerous. Will try something new now. So heres looking at you, gutsy gourmet

In the News...

Peace with India possible despite Kashmir: Pak

Encouraging.

Keeping fingers crossed.

On other news,

Does Krishna personify the modern man?

Pfffttt. The downward slide of the Times groups is evident in this peice. Worth a read, if ony for its sheer stupidity. I left a comment on this. At teh time of my last check, it had not been published. Pls check it. I am show_off

The Wise One...

From my horoscope on www.astrology.com:

"Pearls of wisdom fall every time you open your mouth"

And I say, [Keanu Reeves in Matrix]"I know Kung Fu."[/Keanu Reeves in Matrix]

Or better still, [The Kid in The Sixth Sense]"I see dead people."[/The Kid in The Sixth Sense]

Cool!!

[u]Witty Moment A Few Days Back:[/u] So on the night I had my emotional loop, I was working till late in the night, till two hours after my shift. My colleague, S comes up to me and asks,"Why are you still here? Why haven't you left?"
Me: "Still working"
S: "Lots of work?"
M: "Yeah, all those Independence day reports to be translated"
S: "Oh"
M: "Yeah, Qatar celebrates its independence day, and I get bonded!!"

Now tell me, am I funny or WHAT!!!

And yes, on Janamashtmi,


(मईया मोरी, मैं नहिं माखन खायो)

Isn't it cute??

Emotional Loop

A thousand apologies for not posting yeaterday. I had a lot of work to do, and was in the office till late in the night. As a result, I couldn't post.
so, anyways, moving on, I must mention the emotianal loop I was in day before yesterday. Let me explain.
In my last post, I explained about my financial health, and that got me worried. I resolved that I must save money. But all that talk about less money was really depressing. So after office, I headed to the City Center, to have some cinnamon rolls to cheer me up. Once, there, one thing kept leading to another. I had a cinnamon roll, went past the theater, and bought a ticket for School of Rock. A few stpe, I passed the restaurant Nando's. So I think,'Lets have some Portugese today, but lets stick to the less expensive items'. I later find that the restaurant is expensicve all the way. Even the water there costs more. A chicken sandwich for 16 BUCKS!!! But I had it nonethless. It made me happy. So, in order to drive away my financial blues, I go ahead a spend like abandon, even though I had no intention of doing it. This is what I mean when I talked of emotional loop. And take note, readers, [solemn voice]MALLS ARE EVIL[/Solemn voice].
The movie was quite ok, thuogh. I don't think I like the Jack Black brand of humor, but this movie was quite nice.
Yesterday, I again ate out. I had some coupons remaining, and it felt bad, just to let them go. So of I headed to Pizza Hut and had a small Chicken Supreme, with Fajitas in it. When I ordered just the pizza and no drinks, the waitress view me like I was a freak :-)

Oh, and I almost forgot,

HAPPAY JANAMASHTMI!!!

I am fasting today. So far, so good.

Low on vitamin M

Yikes!!! I checked my account yesterday, and discovered that my finances are running a little low. Now readers, don't panic. I have enough to last for an entire year. Its just that I had go to used to seeing my finances swell up on a monthly basis when I was living with Papaji and Mummyji, that the negative effect that living alone has on them is a little hard to swallow. And this month's expenditures were a necessary - a mobile phone. But that's all it took for me to go into a shock. What's that line, 'Ek machchar...'??? Looks like the laptop and the PS2 will have to wait...

Moving on,

"LOl stumbled on ya site by a common friend been reading its hilarious the color combi r kool go on pen ya script u r prompting many others to do Imitating is the best compliment u can ever get

cHEerS Angel"

I don't know who this guy is, but I will say, I have been blessed by an angel. *sniff sniff*

Oh, and there is another thing that I usually forget to blog. Remember, how I blogged once that everyday, one of your wishes does come true. Well, it happened to me two days ago. AND HOW!!! Read on...
See, two days ago, after returning from office, I wondered to myself,'Hmm, its been a long time since I saw a Mithun-da film'. Now, believe me, readers, this was not exactly a wish, but merely thinking out loud.
So anyways, I decide to watch the Saurabh Shukla directed flick, Mudda. After rewinding the tape, I turn on the TV, and yes, you guessed it right, A MITHUN FILM IS PLAYING ON TV!!! It was a perfect 80s film, starring Mithun, Dimple Kapadia and Mandakini. Arrrrrgh, the agony, the torture of watching the film!!!$%$&%^&%^**^&*^&*^. imdb informs me that the name of the film is 'Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan', and that it was released in 1990. I think they have got it wrong about the release year. But who cares. The moral of the story, if you must know, is:

[solemn voice]Be careful what you wish for, for it may come true[/solemn voice]

Another thing, yesterday, I went to a restaurant with my colleague A again. He was in the mood for Indian cuisine again. So I had a repeat performance of "Indian cuisine goooood!!" again. And he was fascinated by the Nepali waitress there, insisting that she was Burmese. How he came to that conclusion, I don't know. So I called her over and asked her. She clarified that she was Nepali, and he was silent after that. On her part, the waitress was very gracious about the whole thing. And A paid, though I had to chip in some money cos he was short of cash. Boo hoo, my standing offer for dinner in a French restaurant goes up in a tandoori flame, boo hoo!!

Lots of work...

Had lot of work today, for a change. Two pages full of translation, and if that's not enough, try two full pages of typos adn gramatical errors. I was scratching my head half the time. Grrrr.....
Went to do some photography today, since its been a really long, long time indeed. So I drove the car all the way to Umm Said, and took pics of the sand dunes. It was 12 noon, the sun was blazing, the heat was intolerable, but I felt good. In fact, I will go there again next Friday, to swim this time. The water was reeeeeealllly inviting.

Evil Deed of the Day: I showed off my new mobile to uncle and aunty today. Uncle was espically impressed by it, and now is secretly lusting for it. But aunty said that though uncle needs to buy a new mobile himself, this one's too expensive. But I did my duty, and put a spanner in their plans, so that when they go out to buy, uncle will be in two minds. Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha

And yes, injinuity pal, I am leaning on buying a PS2 myself. Let see.....

Purchases

I made a purchase today. I GOT A NEW MOBILE!!!! Yeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!! Its a Nokia clam shell (the latest). It was a long time in the offing, actually. My last mobile was gradually breaking down, losing signals, going off the network for no apparent reason. So I had to get a new one. The new one is a camera phone, and also a video phone, though I can record only 20 seconds worth of stuff on it. And it cont me a bomb. 1,300 bucks. My finances are looking weak. And if that is not enough, I have planned some heavy expenditure for this month. First, I am planning to buy a comp, a laptop, preferably. Scanners are going pretty cheap, and I do need to upload some pics. And the laptop will also be needed to build Tin's website. Fortunately, there is a back-to-school sale going on right now, so I think I will get a good deal on comps. Was also planning to buy a printer, but am not to sure, since I don't think I will be printing anything. And yes, the PS2 is going for 675. Might just buy it, but am in two minds. You see, if I have a comp, then I don't really need the PS2, since comp gaming is powergaming. And console gaming is, well, console gaming. But I have lusted for the console for so long (more than two years), and now that it seems attainable, I have doubts. And yes, another plus point is that some cool titles like 'The Getaway' for the PS2 are also going on sale. That's a big bonus. Lets see...

Another new thingy... I had some spoilt milk sitting in the refrigerator, so today I made doodh ka halwa. I am getting adventurous, yeah!!

Jason Bourne Moment of the Day: As I was paying for the mobile, the lady at the reception suddenly asked,'Are you Filipino?'. I flipped,'Noooooo, I am an Indian. Don't I look like one?'
On a more contemplative note, Who Am I?

Odds and Ends

It's freedom for Indian hostages, finally
Finally!! Some good news from India!!! Its about time.
But looks like it came at a cost:
$500,000 paid as ransom

Meanwhile, things are not good for our neighbours. I feel sorry for the 12 Nepalese drivers. My sympathies with them.

Moving on, I committed a sin. I gave in to gluttony and lust. Let me explain. After I got my GMail account (thanks again, buddy), I happneed to go to a forum, where a person had many GMail invites, and was giving those away. My rational self tried to reason that since I already had a GMail account, I really didn't need another one. But then, me evil side kicked in, and said that its always good to have a few extra accounts. After five minutes of mental torment, I finally gave in to the temptation. I have lusted afer the GMail account, and one didn't seem enough. So I got another one. But right afer I had got those, I was struck by pangs of guilt. I couln't undo what I had done, so I posted a message on the board, offering my six free invites to anyone. So far, I have given away three, and three more to go. Its my penence.

Other than that, I really don't feel like blogging today.