This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you. P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now. If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them! Now, you have a nice day. God.
The director of the Salzburg festival says that they have to plan 2, 3 sometimes 4 years in advance, so that they can have all the artists perform at the festival. With such a perfect location and the best artists in the world... the festival must be an 'out of this world' experience!
Just went to Yanni's official page and was shocked beyond belief at his new look. For a moment, I had to stare hard at the photo to confirm it actually was him. "The human voice is the most expressive instrument known to man... it can evoke an enormous amount of emotion"
You know how it is, when life goes completely berserk, things that you least expect are thrown up your path. Duck and avoid as best as you can - you may be lucky, you may not. Those are the times when the slightest things/gestures/words make a world of difference. In case you have no clue what I'm talking about, good for you :)
I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book recommended by one of my NY colleagues and I'm so glad she did. Just a few chapters into the book and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I cannot point out if it is the simplicity, the reality, the thought process or the word play that makes it such a joy to read. So typing out this post real quickly, so that I can get back to the book :)
Has has it ever happened to you - that you are in a negative mood - be it feeling low, depressed, frustrated, angry... whatever, then all of a sudden - something makes you feel just the opposite? It could be anything, in this case I'm talking about a hello tune on a friend's phone :) which currently is 'naan paadum' from the movie Duet. The first time that I heard his tune I asked him to cut the call and not to pick it up until I told him to. Just listening to the tune was so refreshing and happy. Through the week, whenever I felt I needed a break from my mundane thoughts, I'd call him up just to listen to the tune. This, I think is one of ARR's best albums. the combination of the saxophone and the keyboard is amazing. The way Kadri's sax pieces take you on an emotional ride depending on the situation in the movie is just mind blowing.
Ok so we've done book, music/movie and now to television ads. Watched this one a couple of times today and really liked it. I don't understand why Aamir is doing an SRK i.e. appearing in so many ads, but still this one's worth it.
Be born everyday:
Ending this post with a snippet from the book: This is the part where the writer wants to learn Italian but is trying justify if its going to be of any use, learning a language just because you like it. In the end she says: "Why must everything always have a practical application? I've been a diligent soldier for years - working, producing, never missing a dead-line, taking care of my credit record, voting, etc. Is this lifetime supposed to be only about duty?"
(I know someone would intervene to say - no its not, that's what I've been telling you all along...)
Why I blog or what my blogs are about, that is the question. I don't know about others, but for me, my blogs are my space - my space to think out loud, to put across points, to tell the world how I feel, to vent my frustrations, to cry out in joy, to whisper in sadness. Its my space - where I can express my feelings, my point of view, things that I strongly feel about - be it people, events, organisations, activities, music, movies, books or just plain nothing at all. This is the place where I've made innumerable friends, learned from people (learned what to do and also what not to). It has taught me things I didn't know about myself. I can always come back to my blog and relive moments from the past (even if reliving means reading about) :)
This is my space. I hope I am able to keep it this way.
Aren't doctors meant to be life-savers? Aren't they regarded equal to God?
Background - Amma regularly goes to a school for the mentally retarded, to spend time with the children, keep them occupied with various activities including singing. There's this one kid who is 5 years old, who had a problem walking. She needed special shoes which she'd outgrown and amma wanted to help out. However, upon speaking to the kid's parents and looking at her reports (which were 4 years old), it was realised that it was the lower part of her body that had been affected at the time of birth and not her brain functionality. Since she was slow in learning, her parents being poor didn't get her checked up with any doctor, and got her admitted in this school. Amma got P (my brother's friend) and R (amma's student) to try and help out this kid. R is studying medicine, so just looking at the medical reports, she explained that it was the lower limbs that were affected, not the brain. In such cases special exercises would help strengthen the limbs and thus help her walk. P took on the task of calling up a Neuro Surgeon, to confirm that the kid was not mentally ill and that she could be shifted to a regular school. She explained to the doctor - this is a poor kid and we are trying to help the family. Would you please be able to take a look at the report and confirm that she is mentally fit. The reaction of the doctor was this - I know how all you NGOs work. But tell me, when whole of Bangalore does not have water, what difference does it make to fix the problem only in your area? Is this reaction acceptable? I was so furious when I heard this.
So today, the reports were taken to another doctor. Explaining that all that he was required to do was advise on what needs to be done and if the kid can be put in a regular school. The reaction this time - oh.. well.. she should been treated early on Yes, we know that. Nothing was done then, would exercises help now and what about putting her in a regular school, can that be done? Oh - I don't know, for that you'll have to check her IQ OK - do you know where that can be done? do you think an organisation like Mobility India would be able to help? uh... ho... hum... may be The end!
Here are people who are trying to help, trying in their own small way to make a difference and if this is the response... My question: Would the reaction of the doctors be the same, if it were their own child?
Song for the day: Khuda jaane from Bachna ae haseenon. Don't know why, but I really like the chorus... so the song's been playing in a loop. and yes I like the Ahista Ahista song too for the guitar and the peppy rhythm/pace.
Sad version: Is the music slowly dying away? I know I've got my priorities wrong, but am I turning into someone I abhor? I've got to make some amendments Time to get back to the beginning...
Happy version: Donna Lewis and Richard Marx singing one of my all time fav songs
Chorus: And life is a road that I wanna keep going Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey I'll be there when the world stops turning I'll be there when the storm is through In the end I wanna be standing At the beginning with you
Quote displayed on my blog the other day read "Music is what feelings sound like". Its so true, how we can relate to an album/a song depending on our mood.
The album that comes to my mind is "How to Name It" by Illayaraja. Arun had sent me a couple of songs long time back and R had given me the album. The way the first song begins... made me a fan of the maestro (until then, to me - Rahman was the only Indian composer). To compose music like this way back in the 80s, is something!
Mad Mod Mood Fugue, the second song in the album is my song. The way the tune beautifully weaves ups, downs, pain, excitement and many more moods is what I can totally relate to.
Was cleaning the room yesterday when I found this CD. Played this song and could easily identify which part of the tune depicted my current state of mind :) So, which is the song that you can relate to right now?
Now for something totally unrelated. I usually don't believe in emotional blackmail. If anyone tries that with me, I ask them to take a hike. Don't know what came over me... but I used one line a couple of days back. It was just a single line... didn't mean to hurt anyone, just wanted to make a point and make the point - I definitely did. The outcome is much more than expected... now I think its time for me to again say 'Take a hike' :D Some things never change!
Imagine you are in the office elevator. A person from top management also gets in. You can either say hi and keep quiet or you could initiate a conversation. This could be your opportunity to sell yourself and make a lasting impression in that person's mind. This could turn out to be a stepping stone in your career path... but remember you have just about a minute or so to do that. So... what is your Elevator Pitch?
This was the session I attended yesterday, which was really well thought out and executed. A whole lot of fun and a great learning experience. The session started out with a role play of what an elevator pitch should not be and then moved on to what a good elevator pitch is. By the end of the session, each of the participants had written out their pitches and delivered it (though it still needs a lot of tailoring and alteration, at least this is a good start). So, what is the purpose of an elevator pitch: You may be good at what you do, but do other people (who have a stake in your career) know about it. This would be the good tool. What should your elevator pitch be about: It could either be about you as an individual or about your team/department. Just like the news has a few headlines, have a couple of highlights about yourself/team/department always on the top of your mind. This should briefly state what you do and how it impacts the firm at a high level. A pitch could also include present constraints/issues faced which that senior person may be able to help out with. Senior people are always willing to give their opinion/advice - so asking them for one would be a good idea - which may in turn be the point that helps them remember you/identify you with. So, 3-4 highlights is what is required. Points to keep in mind while preparing your pitch: ~ Your vision : What do you see yourself doing, where do you want to reach, what do you want to achieve - keep this in mind
~ Unearth your brand: What do people know about you. Is that the impression you want them to have? What change do you want in that - state it.
~ Evaluate: Your vision would change with time and so should your pitch. The change in pitch could also depend on your audience. So evaluate your pitch and make it as relevant as possible. Other points: ~ Write out your pitch, perfect it. ~ Be natural. Don't make up stuff, hoping to impress. A pitch shouldn't sound artificial which would create a negative impact. ~ In case that person is pre-occupied or not in the right mood, don't force yourself upon them. Go with the flow. ~ Practice practice practice. You never know when you might need it. Some related links from the net: 5 tips Killer elevator pitch Some other tips
One of my close friend's getting engaged soon. He'd told me that he would send me the girl's pic but hadn't done so yet, so mailed him:
Subject : photo enga (where is the photo) Message: I know its not the right time to call u... photo anuppu machi! (send the photo dude!)
Promptly comes the reply: Here you go! I click on view image and the photo starts downloading. Must be a huge file I think to myself. First I see hillocks and then its trees at a distance.... wait - it almost looks like the Grand Canyon. *Oh wow - this is not the traditional pic that I would expect a girl to share with her husband to be * I think to myself... I would have expected it to be a typical studio shot. Appears like its a pic taken from a forgein trip, she must have gone there for some project, I say to myself.
The picture is still loading and I see a guy in a white tee and jeans. *Must be her friend/colleague* I say to myself and wait for the image to fully load When it does, I'm shocked because there is no one else in the pic *You must be kidding me*
*oh no wait... did I send the mail to the right guy??*
Its then that I realize that one extra 'h' in the name can create a whole lot of confusion The best part is that its not the first time that I've mailed this guy thinking him to be my friend That's why his name popped up when I started typing in the name and also why the reply was so prompt :D
I then reply to his mail saying - I'm so sorry... I keep doing this over and over again don't I ! "No problem" is all that he has to say.
I just cannot stop laughing. Feel like such a dumbass :)
I'm not too much of a jazz person. Was watching The Talented Mr. Ripley yesterday (a great movie by the way) when I heard this song. Matt Damon's done a good job performing this song in the movie, but nothing can beat Frank Sinatra's voice :)
My funny valentine Sweet comic valentine You make me smile with my heart Your looks are laughable Unphotographable Yet you're my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than greek Is your mouth a little weak When you open it to speak Are you smart?
But don't change a hair for me Not if you care for me Stay little valentine stay Each day is valentines day
On another note - thanks to Techbangalore I got to know about PicLens which is an new tool for viewing photos on the web. One click download and you enter into an amazing world of photography. Its a whole new experience.
"Blame not laziness for the lack of (blog) updates, blame instead time - or rather the lack of it" Who ever said this, must be really wise :) The last few weeks have been like a marathon race. Day after day, with no count of hours - not too sure where it is all heading. 'It' in this case, being life. So here's 'what was' and 'what is'... from the last few weeks:
Kenny G concert: Two musicians whom I consider Gods of music - Yanni and Kenny G. I would do (almost) anything see them perform live. When I heard that Kenny G was performing in Bangalore, my first reaction was woo-hoo! Only then did I see that the tickets were priced at 2K and 3K. It was really hard to convince any my friends to join me, considering the ticket price and also that the concert was on a Monday evening. After not too much thinking, I decided that I was going no matter what, just had to find some company. As a last resort I had to force my brother to come along... I even had to buy him a ticket :) Venue - UB City: For those of you who are not too familiar with the Bangalore skyline (If I can call it that) UB city is an office/shopping space which has one of its buildings shaped like the Empire State building. Google should be able to provide some images. Sponsor - Blackdog - I didn't know until recently that this was a brand of whiskey. Everyone at the concert was offered complimentary drinks. Whiskey with Mango juice/Apple juice were weird combos I thought. But when its free, it just doesn't matter... now does it? The music - The concert started with Kenny playing while he walked amongst the crowds. In Mumbai, I heard he walked right from the last row up to the stage, but the Bangalore venue was not equipped for this sort of free movement. The play list for the evening included many of the popular songs Havana, This moment, Songbird to name a few. He also played a few pieces from his new album Rhythm & Romance, an album with a Latino flavor, he said Kenny also gave a demo on how he plays really long notes. The technique he explained was to inhale and exhale simultaneously. That of course would take a lot of practice. He demonstarted this by placing the mike near his nose, where we could hear him take in short breaths while he continuously blew into his sax. Its was a lovely evening, enchanting music, amazing lighting and acoustic effects... totally worth it!
"Story time for children" was the project that I signed up for as a part of community work this year. Me being me, love any activity that involves children. Only after initial visit to the trust, did we realize that the 'children' here were between age groups 4 and 19. We broke up the children into 4 groups based on their age and planned out age-specific activities. Another group had already organised fun and cultural activities for these kids, so we thought we'd make it a day of learning. The topics ranged from stories/songs, environmental awareness, greatness of India... to resume writing/career counseling for the elder kids.
One of the charts that I prepared
I have interacted with children from various other trusts, but these children were a just a class apart. They were outgoing, not shy, good in English and their confidence factor was the highlight. The Ashwini Charitable Trust takes care of not only the monetary requirements of the kids but also provides the guidance required for the overall development of the kids until they get employed. The kids at the trust are first generation literates, with mothers work as house maids and their fathers are unskilled laborers. There were two or three girls who were doing their B.Com from St Joseph's College. The way the children are molded by the trust, they do not find it very difficult to mingle with other children and the best part is that one of these girls has consistently topped her class in college :)
Collage on pollution
Drawing competition
It was a great learning experience, spending the day with the children. Once a year doesn't make too much sense. Already on my life's to-do list... let's see what more can be done.
Surprise visitor: Stranger from a distant planet, Mars - so it may seem No time to meet during the day, T'was not a part of the scheme Zoom over for coffee, vrooom and call it a walk Glad, we got a chance to meet, Though not enough time to talk :)
The evening weather: The weather in the evenings has been fantastic over the last couple of days. After the scorching heat during the day, the evening showers considerably bring down the temperature. Considering the fact that one is locked up indoors the entire day, going out and enjoying the lovely evening breeze by way of a short walk (or a longer one, if time permits) or just some time spent on the terrace listening to music - I understand, can do wonders :)
On the work front: No comments except for @$%#&
Let me use a quote that I read recently and liked a lot, to end this post.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go"
so... time to start thinking and deciding now. Happy Weekend!
Another late night at the office. Hoping for a smooth drive back home without much traffic? Surprise Surprise! Who would think of a possible of a traffic jam at a non-peak hour? Traffic jams are here to stay 24 X 7. Weekend mornings are not so bad you may say, but weekend evenings do make up any shortfall whatsoever.
The Bangalore Traffic Scene: ~ Traffic Signals - GREEN is all I see I've noticed that a Traffic signal + Policeman combination works in most cases but a traffic signal alone has no value. When at a road junction you stop for the Red signal don't be shocked by the blaring honks of vehicles behind you, some motorists even go to the extent of abusing you for their delay. If educated folks with their dog tags (I mean company ID cards) don't realise the significance of traffic signals, who will?
~ Road Blocks - Who cares? Place barriers at specific points in order avoid traffic jams and sure enough by the next morning, the barriers would have moved such that vehicles can trickle through. There again is it going to be Barriers + Policeman combination to the rescue? Why do motorists insist on following rules only when there is someone to monitor and control them? Is it really that difficult?
If it were just a matter of being delayed to work or getting back home we would be fine. What is scary is, when an ambulance is stuck in a traffic jam. This is something I see almost every other day. There is no place for anyone to move, the ambulance siren is wailing desperately. Think about the person who needs to reach the hospital on time. A delay here would cost the person their life. This may be 'some'one today and this could (God forbid) be 'you' tomorrow.
A little discipline would go a long way in sorting out these traffic woes. What we need to do is THINK - REALISE & CHANGE
All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere Their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow No tomorrow, no tomorrow And I find it kinda funny I find it kinda sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very mad world mad world Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Made to feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson Look right through me, look right through me And I find it kinda funny I find it kinda sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very mad world ... mad world Enlarging your world Mad world
This is such a sad song.... yet so lovely, keep wanting to listen to it over and over again. What a voice! - Gary Jules The song features in the movie Donnie Darko - which I have heard so much about but am yet to watch. Other movies on my 'to watch' list are: ~ Into the Wild ~ Thank you for smoking ~ High and Low ~ Red Beard
Watched: ~ Babel - Sad, Scary, hard hitting. [Do not watch when you are feeling low/depressed] ~ Before Sunset - very sweet! may be I should've watched Before Sunrise first... anyway! :) ~ The Prestige - Brilliant is not the word for it. a must watch and definitely more than once!
any interesting movies that I'm missing out on? Do let me know
EVAM (according to me) = laughter + high energy + laughter + forgetting your self + laughter + having a good time + more laughter
The show started off with Sunil (the one on the left below) from Evam talking about why he and Karthik (on the right) started Evam, giving up their bank jobs ~ We all dream and we have just one life to try and make it come true. This is our dream, to bust everyone's stress :)
"go ahead play big, live your dreams , give it a shot - your dream is what defines u" is what he has to say. The play in all is a laugh riot. The actors playing Alok, Hari, Ryan, the profs and Neha have captured the essence of the characters beautifully. Be it Alok's sighs/fuss/tensions, Hari's 'oooh Neha" or Ryan's 'I give a damn' attitude - just perfect. Not to forget - the guy who played the author, his voice modulation, facial expressions were just too good. Nikhila Kesavan has done an amazing job with the direction. Kudos to the entire team.
Aaaah! rock music :) t'was about a year back that I first heard this song. Back then, AVIALonly had an online presence. Got the album from a friend yesterday. Its the kind of music that you blast at top volume in the car and rest assured... every other vehicle on the road will make way for you :)
another song that I liked is KARUKARA amazing guitar there and also great voices
Thanks to UTV's venture, we now have a new channel that plays award winning World Cinema. Yesterday I watched Secrets and Lies a British movie in the genre of drama.
The plot: A successful black woman, who after her mother's death tries to trace her birth mother. You can imagine her shock when she finds out that her mother is white. What happens when she confronts her mother - is what the story is about. Though for the first half hour or so, you get lost in the long list of characters where you have no clue how they all fit into the bigger picture, once you get all the relationships in the right perspective, you see how beautifully each one fits into the other's life. A wife, who tries to distance herself from her husband who loves her so much A daughter, who rebels against her own mother A brother who stays away from his single sister and her daughter, though he is well aware of their difficult lives and a daughter in search of her mother
I was really touched by so many scenes in the movie, a few of them being: ~ the legal aide when handing over the adoption papers to the daughter, tries to make her understand that though she wants to meet her mother, she should be prepared to accept the fact that her mother may not want to see her - that there would have been a reason why her mother didn't want her in the first place ~ the phone call when the daughter tells her mother who she really is ~ the first time the mother and daughter meet - where they are standing in front of the station, not knowing who to look out for - that is when you realize the mother doesn't know that her daughter is black and when she is told, is not ready to accept ~ the best scene in the movie is when the daughter meets her mother's family, when the truth is disclosed, the way each person reacts
I loved the mother and her brother's characters. So very realistically portrayed. Very well made, the movie is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. "Secrets and Lies... we are all in pain - so why can't we just share with each other our pain?" so true!
Don't you hate it when you 'think' your flight is on time. On the dot, the aircraft doors are shut and you are waiting to take off. You wait a little longer and then longer... only to hear that you are 7th in line for take off. Its worse when you reach the destination, there is no 'parking space' and the aircraft has to circle the airport for over 25 minutes before it finally lands. This is how my trip to Pune last weekend began. Not a very good start, but was a great trip in all. My cousin's wedding was on Tuesday so we (2 of my cousins, my brother and I) decided to go to Mahabaleshwar for the weekend.
It was a great, smooth drive on the highway. We reached Harrison's Folly right in time for sunset. This is such an amazing spot where you can drive right to the tip of the cliff. Our driver zoomed on, at top speed while we held on to our lives as best as we could, pleading with him to stop the car before we flew right off :)The best part was that there was absolute no one apart from us at the time. The setting sun, the evening breeze, music from the car, the company... nothing else mattered! (Little did we know we'd have go back to the same spot later on...) It was dark by the time we reached Mahabaleshwar so we couldn't do any sight seeing. We drove off to the MTDC resort. Though its Government run, it is pretty good - could have been maintained better, but is very convenient when you aren't going to spend too much time in the room. Believe it or not, we stayed at Krishna Cottage in Room # 13; co-incidence? I don't think so :)
I am not a morning person, but I wanted to go watch sun-rise. Asked around and found out that sun-rise was at 6AM so we decided to leave at 5:30. Woke the others up and asked them to hurry, lest we miss the view. Walked out only to realize it was pitch dark. I was asked to check if my watch had stopped or if I'd kept the alarm for an hour earlier, neither... but how could it be this dark.... Off we went in search of Wilson point. Since it was early, there was no one on the roads, no boards to give directions, no sign of the sun to determine in which direction we should be headed. Finally we met a dhobi who got on to the car and showed us the way.
6:30 - no sun yet, just a few people around. In the cold dark morning, there was a person playing soothing tones on his flute. The chill air, mellifluous tunes , a hot cup of tea, waiting the rising sun - get the picture? :) Slowly... we saw the sun rise. For the various positions of sun rise check out the pictures here.
After sunrise I asked uncle if I could take a picture of him with his flute. He readily agreed. He then exclaimed - Let me give you a better frame... and he thus posed. Later in the morning we visited the Mapro garden/farm and factory. Tried out every possible Mapro product, bought a few flavoured drinks and bought strawberries that had just been picked from the farm.
Later during the day we went to a viewpoint called Arthur's seat. It was here that we again met uncle. Only this time he was painting the scenery in front. We walked up to him, stood and watched him proficiently use his water colours and when he looked up said a big hi. I asked him what else he did... played the flute... painted and..? His exact words were - I'm an architect by profession and I flirt with music. Yeah that we had already seen. He said his family had gone for a walk to the next view-point, he couldn't walk that far so he was waiting for them here. 'Time is too precious, that's why I'm trying my hand at painting while I wait for them' he said. Such an interesting person....I took his email id and promised to mail him the pictures we took. It was almost dark when we reached the para gliding point. This is something that I've always wanted to do. When we'd gone to Manali, people advised us against it because of the recent freak accident of Director Maniratnam's brother. But this time I was sure I wanted to try it. Major Ajay Singh who conducts the event asked us to call up in the morning to enquire about the wind conditions before setting out. So off we went... end of an eventful day!
The next morning when we called up the major, he said there was not enough wind and that he would call us back in an hour's time. We decided that if he didn't call, we'd visit the 'table top' point and then head back to Pune for the function in the evening. It was less than an hour, within which we got the call. He was an Harrison's folly and asked us to hurry there as it was pretty windy and the wind conditions would change rapidly. It took us a good 45 minutes to reach the point.
The previous time that we'd been to this point, we were dead scared of the drop and the endless fall. Now to actually jump off this point? Who's going first he asked. I raised my hand. Without thinking too much I donned the safety gear. kya karne ka hai?? bas chale ka hai... and that was what I did. With the major strapped a few feet behind me to the chute off we went... soon followed by my cousin. At that altitude, it was so damn windy. The only scary part was the gear swerving left and right with every gust of wind. The feeling... I just cannot describe. After safely landing, the feeling of triumph overwhelming.... I called up/messaged every person who mattered and told them just what I did. My mom wanted to know if I was calling her fro the air... and my uncle wanted to know if I'd carried the video camera with me and had shot the entire event.. family!! I tell you :) After that, we visited the Table Top spot, before we finally headed back to Pune. That was an amazing trip to Mahabaleshwar. Indescribable feeling ~ Unforgettable experience.
RENT The movie based on Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical, revolves around the life of 8 individuals: ~ Mark : A struggling film-maker, dumped by Maureen ~ Roger : An HIV positive ex-rock musician who lost his girlfriend to drugs ~ Collins : A teacher, suffering from AIDS, friend of Mark and Roger ~ Angel : A transvestite musician who is suffering from AIDS ~ Maureen : A musician who dumped Roger for another - a girl ~ Joanne : A lawyer who is Maureen's love interest ~ Mimi : A night-club dancer who is also HIV positive and a drug addict ~ Benny : Former friend but now a land-lord to most of the persons in the above list
Its a very touching story that depicts the hardships that these New Yorkers go through during the span of a year and how their lives change. Its about troubles, pain, worries, friendship, love, togetherness .... and its got some amazing music!
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love.
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure the life of a woman or man? In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.
It’s time now to sing out, though the story never ends Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.
Remember the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love!
PS: If you don't like musicals, don't watch this movie... almost every conversation is a song :)
Current Mood : Chilling... In anticipation (of what - is the big question) Playing in the background : In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein and Jashn E Bahaara in a loop. Just cannot stop listening to these two songs. With the whole hype and a lot of controversy surrounding the movie, would like to see what the final outcome is.
Is it just me or did last week seem to go on and on for ever? Not just the week but very single day seemed never ending. Starting with Monday, the mantra was - one day down 4 more to go. Is that a sign - a sign of saturation/a sign of frustration or just one of those things that come and go?
After a long time I felt the need to read books. Picked up a few books last week. ~ If Morning Ever Comes - Ok time pass. You can skip this one. ~ Zero Coupon - This book I'd read a couple of years back and loved it. Financial Thriller is what I call it :) With so many frauds/scandals going on these days with the big names...like the recent Soc Gen one of $ 7bn - this is a very interesting read. ~ Nights in Rodanthe - The cover said "You'll cry in spite of yourself" and I wanted to see what the book had that would make me cry... and I found out :) A simple, realistic and beautiful tale of emotions. If you are in a mood for a warm story about relationships, this would be an ideal one. ~ False Impressions - Another one of Archer's fast paced novels. Not very easy to put down. ~ Interpretor of maladies - I really liked The Namesake so picked this one up. Read the first few stories, well written but I'm currently not in the mood for sad depressing stories. Will save this for some other time :)
There! that's what I've been up to off late...of course apart from all the photo shopping :) Hope the weekend's been good for everyone.
