Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Familiarity Breeds Contempt...

Mark Twain wisely said, "Familiarity Breeds Contempt- and children". The latter part is not of significance here, because we are talking about how the more you know something or someone, the more you start to find faults and dislike things about it or them.

This happened to me of late. The perfect bond we shared was shattered by what Mark Twain called familiarity!

Before you rush to conclusions about the identity of the entity with whom I got familiar with.....Let me Dash your hopes and tell you it is none other than my, my one and only, LAPTOP :D


It started on a fairy-tale note when I successfully usurped my father's second Laptop. I fell for the looks....slim, prim and cute! Our union was like running away and eloping :P

It went sweetly for few years with me discovering new aspects of my LG XNote everyday or so. We together mesmerized my friends and family, what with rotating the screen, remote controlling presentations and music, controlling a robotic car we built, etc. And then the curse hit! It was not responding to my requests and one by one the functions failed me. Then I ventured to open it and investigate its interiors. There were the many resistors and capacitors ( which a friend of mine uses as rings ), the serene ROM chips, the awesome processor, the compact hard drive and the cooling fan and ducts. I cleaned it, serviced it and replaced few things which didn't work and ultimately formated the OS all with the hope that we could once again embark upon an eventful journey together!

But alas, my XNote took offence it seems. It now refuses to connect to the internet when I most need it or the applications like Mozilla do not open. It will format my External Hard-Drive only to render it useless where it is not detected by the machine!

If you think that these are technical problems which a more accomplished and sensible person can solve, I am afraid you are highly mistaken and immature. These are all signs of contempt shown by my XNote towards me! Alas what did I do to deserve this! :(

Friday, January 15, 2010

Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend....

This is one of the many songs which touched my heart really deep...
Enjoy the lyrics and the emotion effusing through the words...



I stopped sending flowers to your apartment,
You said you aren't home much anymore.
I stopped dropping by without an appointment,
Cause I'd hear laughter coming through your door.

Sometimes late at night you'll still call me,
Just before you close your eyes to sleep;
You make me vow to try and stop by sometime,
Baby that's a promise I can't keep.

I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So lets just let the story kinda end;
I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So don't expect me to be your friend.

I don't walk down through the village or other places,
That we used to go to all the time.
I'm trying to erase you from my memory,
Cause thinking of you jumbles up my mind.

I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So lets just let the story kinda end;
I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So don't expect me to be your friend.

You always act so happy when I see you,
You smile that way you take my hand and then,
Introduce me to your latest lover,
That's when I feel the walls start crashing in.

I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So lets just let the story kinda end;
I love you too much to ever start liking you,
So don't expect me to be your friend.

-Lobo

Monday, December 21, 2009

What an SMS conveys?

Hello Friends, I am sure everyone of you sms-es! If you don't, go wash your face and get a life!

Well I was sitting the other day, doing nothing, my usual occupation when I got an sms! And then I started to classify the people on the type of sms they send...

Here's my list...

1. The Purists

Now these are part of a species who believe in typing their messages with the correct spellings, grammer punctuation. Their sms even have paragraphs with indents!Crazy people yaar...but they are now extinct. If you come across one surviving member please introduce me!

2.The Marlon Brando or Amitabh (before Paa).

Discretion is their forte! Their words are few and the letters used to express even fewer. Its like a telegraph compared to a letter.

e.g.

Ameya: "Hey man congratulations! Awsum score yaar! 1500/1600 with 800 in Quant, kya baat hain! Abhi toh u will fly naa? To America! Good show buddy! So Happy for you! Congrats once again!"

Reply: Ty


What the hell! 'Ty'. Thankyou ki Thanks yaar! Aur kuch nahi! They either really are at loss of words or they can't type! God save them! Break out of the mould! Express yourselves. Don't be so bovine!

3.'TC' category!

TC == Take Care, Tak Car, Take Careeeeeeeee, etc..

These people have each and every message ending with TC!
Its like a signature!

e.g.

Ameya: "Hey! Hello! Hows u? How have you been?"

Reply: "I am fine. Wat abt u? Tc"

Ameya: "I am also ok...living....didnt see you today...how was ur class test?"

Reply: "Test was decent. I was in quad only. Wer were you? Tc."

Ameya: "U were busy! No time to meet friends! Wat do u mean in quad? I was der too!"

Reply: "No re....TC"


Note the replies are getting shorter and always end with TC

With no offence to anyone...this can mean any of the following...

1.I really Need to TAKE CARE! Something is seriously wrong with me

2.TC actually equals "Ok.Fine. Now dont trouble me" Then say so directly!

3.I am addicted to TC! Then go to Rehab! Never overuse a word if u dont mean it!

Thank god none of my friends or enemies fall in this category! Few are close to it mind you!

4. The Crazy People!

Now we have crazy nuts everywhere!

e.g.

Ameya: "Dude whats come into you? Why are u so sad and forlorn? Kuch bolli kya woh?"

Reply: "Sachin will score a century today"

Ameya: "Wat????? R u mad? I am asking about ur 'Cardiac Problem' and u r talking about tendulkar!!!!!!?????"

Reply: "do u know that The complementary colour of yellow is purple!"

Ameya: "Abbe bhootnike! Kya ho gaya hain be tereko? Do chammat du kya?"

Reply: "Yes the song Kwaja Mere Kwhaja is really good! I agree"

Ameya: "Ok. U have lost it! Man u have really lost ur marbles!"


Just one word to describe them! Freak!

5.The scary bunch!

These people scare the hell out of me! To a question their reply is odd and apocalyptic!

sample this:

Ameya: "Hey i hope alls well! The misunderstandings are part of life...Hope you are not Mad?"

Reply: " :)"


The people who answer thus, with only a smiley scare me. If u watched "Child's Play" or "Dead Silence" then you will understand! They remind me of those dolls in the movies who go about killing people! I really freak out! If u havent watched the movie, Google the name and look at the images. Its really scary!

6.The 'shortform' dudes and dudettes!

These people have no other business than making up new short forms for simple english words! And they make my life Hell! Arre baba simple englih, marathi, hindi mein bollo!

It took me a week to understand that b4 is 'before', 4tune is 'fortune', 4wrd is 'forward'!

And I was so worried that a couldn't understand when a friend said 'mi nehmi v4 karun bolte!"

What was she saying? Wat does she mean 'v4'? Will some one please explain!
Then i understood...v4 is v and char(4 in marathi) which means vichar or thinking!!!!

Poor me! Am i a dumb yodel or what?

More crazy short-forms:

ayor : at your own risk

asl: age, sex,location...This one floored me

hand : have a nice day! I thought u want my hand!

eod : End of discussion! I thought tom is Eid!

e2eg : ear to ear grin! I thought its a new Android in Star Wars!

e.g.

Ameya: "Well actually I have a exam tom!"

Reply: "lol!"

Ameya: "how rude! why did u laugh??????"

Reply: "Arre baba its not lol its lol. as in Lots of Luck and not Laugh out Loud!"

Ameya: "How would i know. anyways thanks a ton..or tat!"


hehe...

btw lol also means "loads of love". But i havent gotten 'this' load yet :P.

So people.....Comment...Tell me if you have more categories! And in what Category u classify me!!!! Cheers! Tace Kare (I mean Take Care) :)

God Help!

Here is another film from the YashRaj Stable! Starring the amazing Uday Chopra and Priyanka! Amazing because I always wondered who told Uday that he can be an actor and Amazing again because Miss Chopra keeps getting Hotter!

Alright coming back to the subject...its a song "Pyaar Impossible" which has aroused strong emotions within me!

The film is about Nerd + Beauty == Pyaar Impossible!
This is the simplest Mathematical Equation i have come across in 12 years of schooling and 3.5 years of engineering. And i am sure anything in the last sem wont be able to beat this!

I advise you better watch the song first (if u can muster the courage) and then read this, OR read this, then watch the song (again if you aren't pusillanimous) and then recollect this!

Only then you can sympathize with me!

The song shows Miss Priyanka shun her decollete tops and hot pants and instead put on baggy clothes and a pair of spectacles. Trying to persuade Mr.Uday that.."Hey Even, 'Dhapne' Boys (bespectacled for the uninitiated) in Full Sleeves are capable of falling in LOVE and Being LOVED!"

I sincerely applaud this gesture on part of the film makers to give my brethren some hope. Remember even I am a "Dhapnya" although not a "NERD"!

But the point of contention here is the singing or the nasal fortissimo on offer!

It is like Himesh and Janice(from FRIENDS) doing a duet! God it is torture! Why do they enjoy exercising their nasal muscles so much!

While hearing, a painful tickle started in my nose and rendered me breathless. This then proceeded to my ears and finally consumed my entire head! Third Degree Torture I say!

Oh No! Look its playing on Zoom for the 5th time in the past hour! God Help Me! Btw why am I watching Zoom simce the past one hour anyway?

Back to Blogging!

The author of this blog is back from the DEAD...

Ok,I know many of you are cursing, screeching, howling in anger wondering how this Stygian catastrophe came about....but sorry people, Its True!

I wonder if anyone really cares about the cause of my extended absence? But i shall proceed to explain disregarding your protests to stop...

I was busy chasing the 'CAT', DOG, HORSE, even the AMERICAN BLACK BEAR (GRE) and BISON, coz i thought that was the "cool" thing to do, was busy getting duped by Goldman Sachs, HP, CISCO, et all...

Ultimately, I was chased away by all these entities and finally had no option but to come back from the 'DEAD'....

aka Sherlock Holmes or Shahrukh Khan in Om Shanti Om...whichever you prefer :)

Friday, July 10, 2009

Simply Not Enough...!

On Sunday,5th July, history was being rewritten at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, better known as Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Andy Roddick played as if their life depended on it and what resulted was one of the greatest match of all times!

The score line, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14,in Roger's favor bears testimony to the exemplary tennis on show on Sunday.

Andy Roddick knew the script well. Having played in two Wimbledon Finals prior to 2009 he knew what it takes to play at Centre Court for the Wimbledon Trophy. Sadly however he never could experience what it feels to emerge the winner here. Just one man stood between him and the trophy in 2004 and 2005, and it was the same man who faced him this year as well. Inspite of trailing Roger 2-18 in one-to-one encounters, he did not display any signs of fear or awe. On the other hand his countenance suggested a determination to make sure that the record books were changed to read
3-18!

Roger Federer on the other hand looked relaxed. Playing to win his 15th Grand Slam he knew the workout very well. If he has to look back upon Wimbledon 2008, he can afford to grin.

Last year he was at his peak. Playing the best tennis of his life he had assumed the proportions of someone invincible! Outright winners and clever subtle passes he was doing what he did best...i.e. to decapitate your opponent with ruthless efficacy. The called him the Smiling Assassin, who took pleasure in packing off his opponents with a sublime touch.

Yet he somehow lost his way at Rolland Garros and then to a large extent his Aura at Wimbledon in 2008. A juggernaut called Rafael Nadal had managed to unlock the secrets of defeating the champion! He single handedly dismantled Roger with his assiduous tennis. Federer would not admit, but Rafael had assumed dangerous proportions of a mental block. Not that he did not have the tennis to beat Nadal, he just could not control his nerves!

All that changed this year, Nadal lost to Soderling at the French Open and Federer looked history in the eye and it blinked. Equalling Pete's record of 14 Grand Slams he was back to his winning ways.

On Sunday however he was not at his best. He even descended to the level of Ordinariness. There were glimpses of his genius but they were many times overshadowed by anxiety. Battling all that and a phenomenal Roddick, he won to become the greatest of all times, atleast on the Grand Slam scale!

Coming back to Roddick, he had worked hard for this face-off. Reducing his weight,increasing his fitness, working with the best, he had taken his game to the next level and on sunday he showed that. Many friends argued with me that Roddick was the better player in the final. Maybe they are right. After all he broke Federer's serve thrice and Federer could unravel his powerful serve only once. But I choose to disagree. Federer might have broken him only once when leading 15-14 in the last set,the 77th game of the marathon match; but he consistently scored on Roddick'serve throughout the match. He was tied 40-40 on many occasions,its just Roddick was good enough to stop him from taking advantage. On the other hand Federer won on his serve 40-0 on a consistent basis and to me had the better service game.

The bottom line however is that it was a breath-taking match,thanks to both stalwarts who displayed amazing skills and panache during the course of the epic final. Federer got his 15 Grand Slams and his place in History as the greatest of all times whereas Roddick will have to undergo the grind once again.

One question that will no doubt cloud Federer's conscience is whether he could have got his 14th and 15th had Nadal been around? The verdicts a open house on that one.

Could he have tamed his tormentor to win? True he defeated Nadal in Madrid this year, and that too on a slow court,but could he have managed that at the Grand Slams? As i said it is not lack of skill or talent but a psychogenic shortcoming which undermines his ability when Rafael Nadal is on the other side of the net.

Federer no doubt understands this. I am sure he wont rest until he defeats Nadal at a Grand Slam. All factors therefore point to a surreal US Open this year. It will the venue for the clash of two titans. Federer waits, Nadal waits and like me millions of fans all around the world wait for that ultimate sporting spectacle!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

"My Desi Girl..."

The clock ticked away…well that is what it is supposed to do, given it has no other worth wile purpose in its life! It was an unearthly 15 minutes past midnight. Slumped in a seat outside Gate 14 of Terminal C, I fidgeted in an uncomfortable sleep.

Then suddenly my mobile phone-the bane of modern lifestyles, started vibrating violently and emanated a silly tone. I cursed it from the bottom of my heart. I thought it had done so deliberately with the sole purpose of disturbing my 40 winks. Caught between the throes of going back to sleep and hacking the hell out of the phone with a sickle, it was with much relief that I discerned the boarding call for flight 9W0062 from Mumbai to Bangkok amidst the din going on behind my back. The source of this cacophonous orgy was a group overzealous bunch of travelers who had no qualms over exercising their vocal chords at the highest pitch, much to the chagrin of unfortunate souls like myself.

Thinking nothing worse can befall me I proceeded towards the boarding gate where many people were clamoring to be the first to board the plane. Inured to the constant hustle and bustle of Mumbai- local trains, buses, et all, their mind had become impervious to reason. Poor ingenuous souls did not realize that the vehicle designated to carry them to Thailand- The land of the White Elephant had not denigrated to the class of cut-throat travel. With much relief I recollected that we were to be seated in the Business Class and returned the obsequious greetings of the flight attendant.

Finally seated and already getting comfortable I was throwing cursory glances to investigate what company I would be sharing when suddenly the craft went silent and I witnessed a wonder of the modern world step in. Straight trousers, smart striped shirt which accentuated her figure, stylish red rimmed spectacles and above all – the epitome of beauty, she headed straight to where me and my sister were seated and my heart missed a beat! The air-hostess then directed her to a seat diagonally opposite me and it finally dawned upon me that we were in the august company of the ‘Desi Girl’, Piggy-chops or PC.

Now a point of clarification, I detest all the titles endowed upon the subject of this conversation.

Desi Girl? It has the insinuations of something sinister or crude like Desi Daru…My friend CC can elaborate.

Piggy-Chops? I understand the porcine admiration of Lord Emsworth in Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle but no one in their proper minds can choose to associate the dahling with anything to do with a pig. Not even those desi-dipsomaniacs mind you!

PC? She is one of her kind, how can u call her PC, it sounds so bland and hackneyed

I would prefer to call her, Miss Priyanka Chopra. For all those who did not have the insight to understand the object of my loquacious ramblings uptil now – Bollywoods very own Priyanka Chopra had just boarded the plane and was about 4 feet away from me.

The reaction in the plane was interesting. I was totally stunned and must have been open mouthedly staring into space. My sister was quickly commenting on her pros and cons, her positives and negatives, her qualities and vices, her ying and yang, I cannot understand how women can so quickly prepare a character sketch of another specimen of the same sex!

A gentleman and his family were feeling as if an exotic animal had been brought to the zoo, especially for them to witness; his wife quickly sat on the seat besides Miss Chopra and started brushing her hair in a clear attempt to outshine Miss Chopra in the picture which her husband was gearing up to click! Some celerity on part of the air-hostess prevented this from happening and the couple was quickly dispatched to their seats at the far end of the plane.

The seats in front of us were occupied by a middle-aged man and his wife, Priyanka had booked both the seats to their left-diagonally opposite me. Now undeterred by the firmness with which the earlier paparazzi were treated, this gentleman got up with his cell-phone and attempted to click a picture. Miss Priyanka was agitated and suddenly sprang into animated gestures as if the director had yelled-ACTION

Miss Priyanka-“How dare you try to take my picture! Shut the camera right now! “

Mrs. Paparazzi-“He is not interested in you. He is just taking pictures of friends sitting behind you!”

Mr. Paparazzi-“Who are you to decide that I am not interested! Ofcourse I am interested!” (in his mind of course)

Airhostess- “ Photography is totally prohibited in the flight. Kindly take your seats!”

Me-“ Ah! My day is made. Now that was quite a tamasha!”

Airhostess (to Mrs. Paparazzi)- “ Now ma’am, this is our menu from which you can order later”.

Mrs. Paparazzi- “Huh…I don’t want anything!” (Clearly embarrassed)

While all this drama ensued, Priyanka was conveniently talking on the phone. Not just talking but smiling and giggling.

Nupur was convinced it was Shahid Kapoor. I didn’t care. The air-hostess obviously cared! She requested Priyanka to switch off her phone. The request was ignored. The same instruction was repeated as the safety procedures were explained and the craft started taxing towards the runway. Special request to Priyanka which again was greeted with more giggling into the phone. Flight ready to take off and Priyanka was asked again to switch off her phone; she replied haughtily-“ I am trying to!”. Some more giggling and eventually she obliged.

Seat belts were fastened, peace descended in the cabin, the craft picked up speed and we were on our way to Bangkok. The Star-Experience had been phenomenal. Attitude was on display to the hilt. Are all the stars the same? Disregard for common rules and regulations? Air of superiority just because millions adore them? If yes then I totally pity them!