Dumbledore

Amazing the way ppl research the harry potter books!!
Try these:

Dumbledore is not dead

and

Mugglenet

Warrior of the Light

If u like Paulo Coelho's books, you might like reading this too.

Books and papers

I read Pygmalion by GB Shaw a couple of days back. The movie My Fair Lady is an exact adaptation of this book except for the songs. But the songs have only enhanced the movie's charm. As I read the book, I could recall the movie very clearly. GP and AH have enacted their roles perfectly :-). The book in itself is very interesting though I'm a bit hesitant in trying out GB Shaw's other works as I generally stay away from heavy reading. So, I don't know what they are like. Long time back, I had similar plans to try out Don Quixote. I haven't done that yet. The book size scares me. I finished books like LOTR, Gone with the Wind, Far pavilions, etc in a couple of days but those books could hold my attention. But Im afraid to try the serious ones.

Currently, I'm reading Jim Corbett's Jungle Lore. I didn't realise that I had already crossed the 5th chapter. Finally, I had to put down the book as it was pretty late at night and tigers generally play the lead in my nightmares :-D. Jim Corbett has led such an adventurous life ! Our day-to-day life is so dull in comparison :-D.

Kumaun or rather the pahari stories hold some charm. Its an equal delight to read Ruskin Bond. Their love for the mountains shows in their stories.

Why can't the journal papers be this interesting !! :-( I have to go through a couple of them now :-((

114!!!

I again paid a library fine of 114/ :-( Ill never learn. Booohooooooooooooooooo

Lakshya

Saw Lakshya yesterday. A very good movie. Made an impression :-)
Have a nice weekend :-)

My ramblings

A really long time since I blogged and so many events in this period!! So I guess the jumble which I call my thoughts have accumulated and hence m afraid this will be a long post :-D

This month particularly has been a tough one for so many thousands..
Starting with the October 8 earthquake :-(
Even in normal times, its a tough life for people living in such terrains. Its frightening to imagine the hardships they must be facing now. And not to say the villages which have been wiped out without a trace. I wonder if they were on the map even before the earthquake. Tragedies of that scale can't be put in a few bland words so I'll refrain here. Whether those people lived in "the paradise" here or not, I hope they get to live in paradise after this.

Many of my friends had remarked that this time Diwali and Eid will be celebrated almost at the same time and hence there was a joint festive atmosphere everywhere. But then, the inhuman dummies had to interfere and spoil it for everyone. Yes- the Delhi Bomb blasts. I call them dummies cos calling them beasts insults the beasts. They have been brainwashed so thoroughly that taking lives doesn't affect their conscience. And these people talk about Jihad!! The earliest stories in Qur'an condemn such killings. Was it Prophet Adam's son who killed his brother and was condemned forever? How can they even celebrate their festival after making it a black day for so many hundreds! I have heard so many conjectures about these bomb blasts from people. One, after their force being weakened by the earthquake, the militants wanted to make their presence known. Two, this was such an effective way to bring about a communal divide and thankfully it didn't succeed like the Godhra set-up. Three, this is a good way of bringing about a breach in the apparently improving Indo-Pak relations. Four, this was in protest to the Red Fort sentence. I think if these people are captured, they deserve worser punishments than death. Well, hundreds of brains and hundreds of conjectures.
I think the Imams who were very active few days back issuing fatwas on Imrana and Sania's skirts should come out in huge numbers and issue fatwas on such criminals who spoil the name of Islam for their mercenary aims.
Personally, I have spent a part of my childhood in Delhi and I have fond memories of shopping in Sarojini Nagar and Chandni Chowk (well not-so-fond-memories in CC cos of the sleazy men who seem to exist everywhere). I love that city and I was shocked to see that being targeted.

Then we had floods in Chennai!! Thats a news cos it hardly ever rains here and it truly poured when it rained here. yeah I wasn't caught in it but I was surprised to see the pictures in the newspapers. One could hardly believe it. As is usual, only the poor bear the brunt of nature's furies :-(

Then the train accident in AP! Each story these days on the newschannels has been a bad news.

There has been a debate going on down south here about what should be the decorum followed by the youth these days and such hilarious arguments have been put forth! A "lady" mind u a "lady" says that girls should pin up the duppattas in the right places cos indecent clothes make even the decent men think indecently :-)) What about the hundreds like us who wear the most modest clothes and still get teased in the buses!! Putting forth such ridiculous arguments only gives them license to do what they want. Im sure they will tease a girl even if she is covered from head to toe in purdah. I think such morals should be taught to them right when they are in their cradles. And these ladies play a vital role there. Like my friend says, what makes the men think that they have the freedom to expose their hairy legs in bermudas but can't stand the same in girls :-D

Anyways sleepless me rambling on endlessly. Will stop here. Belated Happy Diwali, Eid mubarak and Have a nice weekend :-)

Garfield

Garfield has such strong fundaes on food and sleeping that Im planning to learn something from him :-D check this out .
There was once a comics strip where G says " you don't take naps. the naps take you" so true!! :-D Thats a cat with an attitude!

I completed 1 year of blogging this September. Why do I blog ? - for the same reason people write diaries. But why do people write diaries? Its just a catalogue of thoughts, impressions, etc etc.. Lets see how long I continue blogging. :-)

Iran, the mess and the good old days

I was disappointed by India's decision to vote against Iran. I used to say that Im pretty anti-US and won't ever live there. I used to be proud that India was not a puppet to US and was quite independent. But if India actually starts following their diktats, where does one run to now! I hope India rectifies this blunder. I dont even see the need to collaborate on the civil nuclear energy front. I thought we were quite self-reliant in that sector !
badde log baddi baddi baatein.. apne palle nahin padhti ye sab :-(
Whats unbelievable is that nations still haven't learnt any lessons from the Iraq fiasco ! Maybe every nation is busy safeguarding their own interests. But come on! what can a country which can't cope with a natural disaster in its own homeland do to others. Oh maybe it will use its WMD on the "errants"!!

All said and done I hope we get back to the NAM policies of which we were an integral part. Infact even as a kid, I was proud of India being a part of NAM.

Very hungry now. Hope there is something good in the mess. Rather than the food in our "Mega Mess", what sucks more is the attitude of the servers. They seem to think we peck on food which can get very irritating when we return back after a day of hard work. So every mealtime, we have to ask for more. Reminds me of Oliver Twist asking for more. One would think they were giving us food in charity. He he that place is unexpectedly turning out to be a good training ground for us to fight for our "rights". Whats pathetic is that its supposed to be the last place for such a thing to happen.

I suddenly recalled the old classic song "ye zindagi usi ki hai" from the vintage movie "Anarkali". Was listening to that now. Beena Roy was oh-so-gorgeous and I actually don't remember the male actor in the movie. Was it Pradeep Kumar? He he my grandpa looked like PK in his younger days :-D These were the movies which we lapped up so eagerly in our childhood days. I don't recall my childhood days much, for which my friends usually make fun of me :-D. But I do remember these movies, and the days I spent in my hometown in those days very clearly. I think I was more self-centered even as a child, in the sense that I had my own private world and was always busy in that :-) So I dont recall anything that happened to others :-D After all, we pisceans are famous for being dreamy :-D

Movies and themes

I saw Salaam Namaste a couple of days back. A friend said its not my type of movie and that set me thinking whether we should really look for ideologies or themes in movies.
According to me SN was a very confused kind of movie. It was a fun movie in the beginning but very loud in the 2nd half and reminded me of Chalte Chalte (watching it was a painful experience) . Lousy ending too. What did they want to show? 1st half says live-in's can be a paradise. True. We can chuck the guy whenever we wish unlike marriage where one has to suffer with the wrong person for the whole life for the same reason that live-ins are taboo here - divorce is as much frowned upon in the conservative societies as live-ins. 2nd half of the movie says "but marriage is the best bet".
Kuch kuch hota hai says love grows out of friendship. Dil to pagal hai says friendship need not mean love. Paheli was a big-time googlee. I'm still confused about what it wanted to show.
I think the best option is not to search for morals in the movie. Its just a story which is supposed to keep you entertained for 3 hours.
The situations shown in the movies are/need not be a part of every person's life. Everyone lives a different life and there can be as many circumstances as there are people. So, I feel society should also let the person live as they wish. True that we get only one life to live and we live that life according to how society wants us to live like. But then whats the whole point of this cycle of birth, survival and death? If drifting is what we are supposed to do, then why create this cycle at all. Surely, there must have been some greater purpose behind all this!
I also saw Madagascar last night. ( Last few days, watching movies has been the only productive thing I have been doing :-D ) The movie was hilarious and I want to watch it again. This was screened in the hostel under the open sky and was a late night affair. Looking forward to many more such get-togethers. :-)

.

Saw a cute movie called Socha Na tha A low key movie and very endearing :-)

..

I repeat

Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nekle
Bahut nikle mere armaan magar phir bhi kam nikle

:-(

Nothing ever happens here !!

My crib these days has been that nothing ever happens here! Like somebody has said
Subah hoti hai shaam hoti hai
Zindagi yun hi tamaam hoti hai

Life becomes monotonous after a point. My activities in the past few days have been restricted to shuttling between my room and lab. So I have been doing little somethings to please myself like solving crosswords, listening to music whenever i can (liked a bhupinder collection. will get it soon) , watching an occasional movie, treating myself to chocolates occasionally and the latest is by putting in jhankar beats in my day to day life :-D
So I have become a major crossword buff. I still can't solve it completely without the previous day's paper but I'm improving :-D
I saw My Fair lady (again) and To Kill a Mocking Bird this week. MFL is awesome and can be seen n number of times. Audrey Hepburn is very adorable in the movie. And Rex Harrison as Prof. Higgins is hilarious. No wonder these movies are called classics. I intend to read GB Shaw's Pygmalion now :-)
TKaMB had Gregory Peck and two very cute kids. Its a very faithful adaptation of a book by the same name. The movie leaves behind an impression on the viewer.
We had seen Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn a couple of years back in an American Film Festival screening in Chennai. As usual, this trip was not preplanned and was more memorable for the same reason. We don't go out on such outings anymore :-( Anyways, AH was a princess in the movie who escapes her boring life. She happens to meet GP who is a reporter. He gives her shelter with the intention of getting a scoop on her story. They eventually fall in love but then the princess decides not to shirk her responsibilty and gets back to her royal duties.
AH was so convincing as a princess in this movie and she was equally exceptional as a flower girl in MFL. GP was very handsome in both RH and TKaMB. I guess God has stopped making such handsomes anymore :-D I noticed that Dev Anand's mannerisms resemble GP's a lot :-D
Yesterday's movie here was Catwoman. It was unintentionally hilarious. I saw only the 1st half. Couldn't sit beyond that. I think Halle Berry has more attitude than what was shown here. Anyways I wasted an hour there.

I read this US congressman's comments on our Foreign minister and was so shocked and amused. Our Indian ministers show more taste than that. They might prefer to call their Indian colleagues colourful names but they are most respectful towards the foreigners :-D ( I don't know if its age old habit but I have noticed this among the students here too. They might be carelessly rude towards the other fellow students but they are oh-so-polite and sweet to the foreigners :-D Its fun to watch them.)
The whole world has been mocking/berating/despising/condemning US for "liberating and democratising" Iraq and Afghanistan. And they are back on track with the same policies for Iran and Syria. And they think that anybody who does not agree with their policy is dense!!!!! How dense can that be !
I read an article which said that as far as americans are concerned, the other nations don't exist. Well it seems now that as far as Ams are concerned, parts of their own nation don't exist as was shown in the New Orleans tragedy. Mails have been circulating these days comparing NO and Mumbai floods and how efficient it was here.
We Indians might be loud and expressive but that helps in every way. We stick together and help each other out in calamities. Within a year we have had Tsunami, Gujarat floods, Mumbai floods etc but we are back on track :-D and we provided relief materials to US!! What defines a developed nation ??
Sania Mirza gets a loud support everywhere she plays as we Indians are everywhere !!! :-D Ok we have had out share of riots but they are more politically motivated rather than being the pulse of the nation.
As much I see around me, I think right now, India is the best place for Indians to stay :-D

Magic in the air..

I have been hopping in and out of the magical world the past few days. I wish real life also had a bit of magic in it..

I read two really good books belonging to two completely different genre -
Harry Potter- Half Blood Prince

Well for those who haven't read it yet I advise them to check this website out as the rest of my monologue on this book might be a spoiler for them.
I liked this part better than the previous book The Order of Phoenix. I think OoP was a bit monotonous and a bit dull. HBP has more variety and spice in it. Ok I admit all that stuff between Ron and Hermione was a bit boring but new insights into Voldemorts life were interesting. All the while I felt Voldemort is the HBP and it turned out to be Snape!! And I think Dumbledore's death after a seemingly wasted expedition seemed out of place. I'm sure that chain has a more vital role to play and Dumbledore's role doesn't end here.
An interesting analysis on Dumbledore's death has been given here. Going through the website, I realised how passionate some Harry Potter fans could be. :-)

Second book I read was Joanne Harris' Blackberry wine.

I found it exceptionally good. I even think she is the best author I have ever read in my life. I have indeed read the classics and the superhits in literature but l I think I like her best. I have mentioned her books here earlier - Chocolat, Five Quarters of an Orange, Holy Fools. I still have to read the rest. Some time in my life, I intend collecting all her books.
Like her other books, food is always a background theme. Here, a wine bottle tells the story of a writer Jay who is facing a big writer's block after his first novel. He rediscovers some old wine bottles in his cellar and that takes him back to the past. On an impulse, he buys a flat in a remote village untouched by the damages of the modern life. And then between flashbacks to his past, the story moves on in the new village ( -called Lansquenet. Chocolat is also based on the people in the same village). The story is garnished with magic or what seems to be magic like in the book Chocolat. :-) An enchanting experience :-D
A new book of hers is releasing this year. Will look forward to reading that and the others which I have not yet read.
Check out the Joanne Harris website.

Paulo Coelho's new book called Zahir is also releasing this year. I read the first chapter of the book from his website and I get the feeling that this book will also be an experience in itself. I did not like his Eleven minutes much. It had a good theme but I don't think I understood it :-D plus the girl faces so much in her life that I could not digest it. But I think this book will be different mainly so because the main character in the book travels a lot :-D and he learns things in his travels. I thought it might be on the lines of Alchemist. Wouldn't it be fun to travel like that without the confines that we live within in our day-to-day life !! I have been fascinated by so many characters in literature who live like that ! In fact, I liked Strider of Lord of the Rings more than King Aragorn :-D

We followed the Landing of Discovery on Tuesday very keenly :-D The minute to minute update had an Armageddon feeling to it :-D My childhood dream had been to become an Aeronautical engineer. So that day was also laced with I-wish feelings. Anyways hope I have great days ahead as a good Physicist :-D
Have a nice weekend :-)

Weekend movies

This weekend, I saw Bees Saal Baad and Junglee on TV. Well a portion of Junglee.

I was seeing BSB for the first time and had seen Junglee on DD when I was a kid. Waheeda Rehman was gorgeous in BSB. I think after Madhu Bala, waheeda takes the beauty queen crown. But I somehow couldn't stand her acting in the movie. There was so much coquettishness on the screen!! And the story also progressed really slow. But my sis was determined to see how they end the movie. So I too sat through the whole thing. "Kahin Deep jale Kahin dil" is a very beautiful song. It has a haunting feeling attached to it. Kudos to Lata for singing the way its sung. But then, she is always Lata the great :-D

Next in the queue was Junglee. Saira Banu was beautiful. Just couldn't stop myself from gushing about her hair. It must have taken so much of maintenance!! But I couldn't sit through that either. I used to love watching these movies in my childhood. Maybe I have grown out of them.

And there was football wutbaal hai rabba. That movie sounds good only in English. So finally I spent the better part of my weekend curled up on the bed with a book and dozing off to the fairyland :-)
Now thats what I call a weekend well spent :-D

Baghdad Burning

I came across this really good work courtesy Rediff. This is a blog by a resident Baghdad citizen who eloquently gives an account of the situation in Baghdad. It is called Baghdad Burning . Do go through it. This very clearly reminds me of Pre-Independence India I read about in books and seen in movies and documentaries.
I always used to wonder about surah lahab in Qur'an. I now wish it applies to the criminals in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Do check it out: Baghdad Burning

Imrana case

Recently the Imrana case was making news in the papers and followng her lead many other similar cases came to light. I feel this is a shame to the muslim society. The shariah courts when issued the fatwa on Imrana to get a separation from her husband should also have stoned the father in law to death. Why should Indian Penal Code be applied to the beast alone? (Muslim personal law is another issue but im not knowledgeable enough about it to talk on that). Whether the couple gets a separation or not is their decision. I think they should be left alone. And at the same time, FIL should be sentenced to death. I believe rape does deserve a death sentence as in case of a murder the victim at least dies and thats the end of it. But the rape victim lives with the trauma all her life. A murder can be a spur of the moment thing but a rape is a deliberate act.
When I discussed this case with somebody I was shocked to hear him say that this issue should have been resolved internally and this shouldn't have been brought out in the open! A crime like that should be unreported!! To save the pride of the community !! The community is very hollow if it really hides its skeletons this way.

Inspite of all the preaching I hear from people, I believe that the muslim clergy is taking the society 1500yrs backwards. It has a great potential. It can mobilise masses. The prayer congregations can be used for the betterment of the society. Instead, the bayaans I hear second hand from my father tell me otherwise. So if the clergy wishes the best for the society, they can start by preaching the empowerment of women. Women in prophets time had a better (or rather the best ) status than what they have now.

In the same breath, I say that women are being oppressed not only in my religion but in others too and others need not use this for finger pointing. Like a teacher tells us so often- clean your own 1 square area ( without dirtying the neighbours sq. area :-D) and its ensured that we will have a cleaner place to live in.

Sorry for the serious tone of this post. I'll get back to my movie reviews next post onwards :-D

morning ragas

This weekend Mr. Jala Dosham and Ms. Bukhara came to visit me. They refused to leave me alone for a single moment. Mom prepared a ginger concoction which drove them away finally.

Apart from that, I went out for shopping with my family. It was nice fun. Its a long time since I have done that. Then I saw the movie 'morning ragas' on TV. It was ok kind but the most impressive parts were the songs. I like hearing a few carnatic compositions. Im not an expert in any of the classical music streams. I just listen to them for pleasure. And I like one composition called 'mahaganapathim'. The sceneries in the movie were too good. And the colours were brought out really well courtesy Rajiv Menon's photography. His movie in tamil called Kandukondein Kandukondein is also a pleasure to look at.

At the same timeslot, the old hindi movie called Khoobsurat was going on in another channel. I have seen it n number of times but still enjoy it everytime. It has good comedy, funny punch lines. And Rekha's family in the movie speak in rhymes. That was fun :-D We were in a dilemma as to what to watch and finally decided to give this a ditch.

Black again in OAT

Black was screened today in OAT. Its an awesome movie but I was not too keen on seeing it again. I can not take such heavy stuff and I believed that such masterpieces should be seen only once. But I went anyways to see the movie cos my friends insisted. Now our OAT (Open Air Theatre) has a different ambience to it. It is constructed in the amphitheatre style and is surrounded by trees. So on a clear night with the stars shining bright, I have enjoyed movies like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Devdas, Veer Zaara, all the LOTR series, HP series and so many more. A k3g is also fun here cos the students reactions make up for the gham part and we end up enjoying every scene.

When DTS system was installed in OAT, a special screening of the colour Mughal-e-Azam was shown. That was an experience in itself and it took me almost a week to get the Mughal grandeur and Madhubala's beauty out of my mind.

So Black today in OAT was different from watching Black in the theatre. The audience applaused at rani's achievements, laughed with her, whistled at amitabh's genious, and were pin-drop silent in the serious scenes. Like my friend said, no movie is a serious movie in OAT. And to top it all, it started raining halfway through the movie :-D. But we continued watching the movie inspite of it :-D. As a result, I can forecast that Im on my way to catching cold pretty soon. So I better go do something about it.
Have a nice weekend :-D

Paheli

I saw paheli yesterday and was disappointed with it.

Plus points: Gorgeous costumes, colourful sets and hence a beautiful movie to look at; beautiful Rani, usual SRK and good acting by the whole cast; Chamatkaars by the ghost so an enjoyable movie for the kids ( including me :-D ).

Minus points: I actually hated the ghost SRK. He got all he wanted. I had thought that the living SRK must be a heartless creature. But he happened to be very human in the movie. He obeys his father, misses his wife, writes them letters which never reach them, and is made to look like a petty creature in the end. He is left to die in the desert :-(

Yeah ok I know its a woman oriented movie but somehow this movie failed to convince me. I feel there is something lacking somewhere.

I want to know the actual folk lore too. Is this a truthful adaptation of the original folk lore?

Overall, I liked parineeta far better than Paheli.
OK now I feel I have had enough of movies. So no more movies in the theatre for some time. Ill content myself with the OAT movies.

Good day :-)

Parineeta

I saw Parineeta today :-D Its awesome :-D.

There was so much colour on the screen and mind you it never looked garish. Everything on screen was beautiful. I read in rediff reviews that Vidya Balan can sleepwalk through the movie without a single dialogue cos she has speaking eyes. I believe that now. The lady is very beautiful and has given a superb performance.

I hated Saif so much in the parts where he is jealous and so rude to Lolita. Credits go to Saif's acting :-) Being a hopeless romantic, I was overjoyed at the ending. :-D I'll remember this movie. I actually dont mind watching it again on the big screen :-D

Next in the queue is Paheli and now me waiting for the double mazaa cos of two Sharukhs :-D I already support the ghost SRK and dislike the living SRK. May the ghost win lacchi :-D I wonder how they end the movie. Does lacchi die and join the ghost Sharukh like its always done in hindi movies? :-D Or does the ghost become a living person aka City of Angels? I would prefer the 2nd choice. Are there any handsome, charming, well-mannered, sharukh-lookalike ghosts floating around me ? :-D :-D

Ok I have done enough of gushing about the movie and now Ill get back and enjoy the rest of the day:-)
Good night :-)

Sivamani

I was listening to the songs of Swades today for the nth time and noticed another thing. One of the percussionists is Sivamani. I have seen sivamani perform live in the insti culturals.

Once he was invited along with Louis Banks and Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasiya and it was to be a fusion concert. Everything about that show was too good for words. A solo by Pt. HC was followed by the jugalbandi between these three. Sivamani's percussions made their own place in the concert inspite of Pt. HC's genius. He was a complete showman in the sense that it was a pleasure to watch him too. He would throw his sticks in the air, the sticks would perform their own acrobatics and still would manage to land on the drums to create music :-D That was my first insti culturals and it was quite an experience.This was in 2K1.

The next year Shankar Mahadevan was invited for light music show. Anybody who has attended the last few culturals would agree unanimously that this one was the best. Other artists have to compete really hard to outdo that performance. The show was charged with untappable energy - be it SM on stage, or the students on their feet in the gallery dancing to the vibrant tunes. And there was a surprise for us too. Sivamani was in town, he had heard that SM is performing here and so he just dropped in to join the show !! SM + Sivamani was a deadly combination.

In the following years, we have heard artists like shaan ( he had bad throat that day, and still obliged to our encores! a sweety :-) ), udit narayan ( this was the worst, with him singing all the tere naam numbers!! and a very annoying compere ), KK ( again a good show ) in the light music section. But none came close to that show :-D

The things I like about this place include the culturals, the campus, and...........
well let me think about them and get back to you :-).

Sob sob

I'm so angry at my negligence. I paid Rs. 108 as fine for late return of the library books today. Late returns are usual and I feel no grad student is complete without these nuances. But so far my fines never ran upto this amount , that too for just 4 books and moreover for books which I hadn't touched since the day I got them from the library. grrrrrrrrrrrrr

I could have had a nice dinner for that amount. sob sob.. Such is the way of grad life. :-( I will put in a demand to name the topmost floor of the library after me. After all I have contributed so much to it.

As I was returning from lunch, I saw a bunch of monkeys hanging upside down from the tree and playing with each other. I was thinking these monkeys don't have to worry about anything, and whatever worries they do have are a part of our life too. So why the heck did humans evolve from apes?? Couldn't we have stayed that way! It isn't even as if we got rid of some problems by evolving.

OK by now you would have realised these are the ramblings of a person who really wants to go take a nap now instead of sitting in front of my USB (the Ugly Square Box). So I better get back to what Im supposed to be doing right now.

Good Day :-)
My 108.. booohoooooooooooooooooo

snakes and panthers!!

These days we were cribbing that nothing exciting ever happens in our lives. We wake up, get ready for the same old lab, stare at the same old screen the whole day, and get back to room and crib again that our life is monotonous. So the person in the heavens above has heard our pleas :-D Today we came to know that a snake has been spotted in the route that we take to go to our department. And mind you its not just any snake. Its the king cobra himself! :-D We knew the campus has plenty of snakes but we were told they are harmless ones. So now that we have a real poisonous snake which can attack us anytime, the adventure starts :-D Everytime we pass that way, we can imagine we are passing through a dense forest infested with snakes and ferocious animals ( we see a lot of these in our mess these days! they spend half their time looking at others instead of eating! ughhhh ). The evil spirits wander near that forest and their den lies at the edge of it ( our acad secn qualifies for this. Its inmates spend their time devising ways to ensnare the innocent passersby and waste the rest of their(Inn passersby) lifes wandering in the acad secn corridors). Ok now I realise my fantasy has reached the bizarre level so lets leave the evil spirits out of this..so fast forward...

Anyways, anything doesnt attack until it sees itself in danger. And believe me Im the most innocent looking creature around so I have no fear although looks can be deceptive :-D Will try to avoid keeping really late hours :-D thoda bahut darr makes us real human beings :-D.

I had a classmate who had to do her summer project in GMRT near pune. Thats a very deserted area and panthers were regularly sighted there and this female used to return from the library to hostel at 11 in the night!! Had to admire her daring. She has also seen fresh pugmarks near her hostel and still she maintained the routine. In her place, I would have abandoned my project and returned home the very first day :-D The feline beings are very graceful and majestic to look at but I love them on Nat Geo Max. No closer than that please :-D

Ok now, Ive gotta finish whatever epsilon-delta I hoped to accomplish today and pack up early. So bye for now.

Btw I havent seen any of the movies I thought Ill see. I missed a real good chance to see Hitch last week when it was screened at OAT and I was absconding from the campus. Paheli, parineeta are still on the cards and a friend suggests that 'Batman begins' is also a must watch. Main kya kya dekhungi!! Plus the motivation to work is seriously lacking these days. Maybe Im celebrating or rather mourning the passing of half of 2K5 so soon. Time really flies these days!!

And hey I was listening to the songs of Swades and wow the music really rocks!! My pa used to call ARR "the tin ka dabba man" in his initial days. But ARR doesnt stop surprising you everytime!! He has used such a variety of instruments!! Song 'aahista' has beautiful santoor pieces, Ye jo des has shehnai, and Pal pal has beautiful flute work. Too good!! and Vividh bharati uses the shehnai piece for its announcements. I came to know only now. I have lots to say about vividh bharati but i guess that demands a totally new blog for itself. This cassette was a gift and was a really good gift :-D.

Bye for now finally :-D

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Bad food, worser mess staff, rains at last, bursts of work, bursts of boredom- thats what has been happening with me these days. So nothing much to key in today.

Hey but Im looking forward to seeing Parineeta. It will be a serious story so Im a bit sceptical about watching it but dekhte hain and I saw the first half of Finding Neverland on Star movies today. Had to miss the later half as others in the common room were not too keen on watching it. I liked the part I saw. Hope I can catch the rest of it sometime soon.

Tata now.

Sunil Dutt

One really sad news was the passing away of Sunil Dutt. OK I agree many good people are lost to the world unknown to the major mass and we mourn Sunil Dutt because he was famous so we knew about him. But then he also showed that being famous can be utilised for a better cause.
I have grown up as a kid on the movies shown in DD. One of the memorable movies was Mera Sayaa. I have watched it as many times as it was shown on TV. Sunil Dutt is so devoted to his wife in that movie. I wish my hubby also wont sign up for shaadi.com as soon as I pass away :-D
I was hooked to aaj tak, star news and ndtv that day and followed the whole coverage. Like I said earlier I was utterly-deliciously-jobless those days :-D. The huge crowd which had gathered for the funeral was such a tribute to the man! Come on everybody has a news channel to watch these days. Why would anybody be a part of that huge mass in this heat if they didnt feel anything for him! Doesnt it feel good to know that so many people will remember him and prayed for him that day! Hope atleast a bunch of people miss me when I go :-D Abhi bahut door ki baat hai :-D Till then Ill try to make the bunch as large as possible (not the sunil dutt-way but kuch na kuch to kar hi loongi :-) )
By the way, star news coverage was awful. I wish the ekta kapoor scriptwriters stay away from the news people. There was so much senti on screen that it literally made me cry although for a different reason. Another chatpati piece on screen was to see both Salman and Vivek Oberoi give a shoulder to the body. Ofcourse there was a scapegoat in between to separate them. I was expecting fireworks on screen anytime :-D.

Me back!

Im back after a looooooooong vacation :-D. I did exactly what I said I'll do before I left - ate-slept-watched tv :-D Ahhh! the bliss of doing nothing!! :-D
I watched Bunty and Babli. But I must say the movie was a let down. I didn't enjoy it to the extent I expected. Jokes were good. Movie improved a lot after Big B came on screen. But still parts of the movie were so jarring. I was actually looking at my watch which I have never done even in Main Hoon Na. But then that was a different thing altogether :-D. Rani looked awesome as usual and Abhishek also looked cool. Good performances from both of them. But still there was something lacking in the movie :-( The most jarring parts were the songs which were totally unnecessary- Nach balliye and the Ash item number. Putting in Ash doesnt buoy up the movie in any way. So overall the regret remains ki mere paise barbaad huye :-(

Hey a yash raj movie called salaam namaste starring saif and preity will be released around august it seems. Im looking forward to that too! :-D

This vacation I also saw the song Wo lamhe and Mahi ve ( faakhir) n^n number of times on TV. Both of them are really good songs though my bro says I watch Mahi ve mainly for faakhir :P Believe me I like the song more :-D Then, I saw Lion King on Disney. Mast tha! I actually saw it twice :-D
I also went to the beach with the family and had a blast there with my sibs :-D. The previous night had been a full moon night. So the tides were pretty high. Mom next day was shocked to see the tons of sand dropping from our dresses :-D Talk about illegal sand ferrying!! :-D U know it was so nice to see so many familes and kids back there on the beach in deep waters even after tsunami. Marina has returned to its normal state :-D
So after all the pampering and cosseting at home, Im back here :-D
Back with a fresh enthu! Dekhte hain kya gul khilaati hun ab !! :-D

Vacations

Im going on a vacation starting from today. But the only vacation-y thing ill be doing is sleeping-eating-watching tv full time. No visits anywhere, no tours either :-(. But I plan to come back fully bloated up after 7 days of mom's delicious food and sleep :-D and hope I get to watch a few of the movies on my list.
Au revoir then :-)

movies unlimited

One more addition to my movie list :-D - Kingdom of Heaven : Delicious Orlando Bloom + a historical :-D.
I have been watching the trailers of Paheli and they are so good. So much colour, sharukh, gorgeous Rani, and the storyline also sounds really good. But I think the movie will be released after 3 more months :-(. Hum intezaaaaaaaaaaaaaar karenge :-D
Trailers of Kya kool hain hum are nauseating. Ekta Kapoor preaches so much about Indian values and morals in her serials and makes such sleazy movies!
Actually good number of watchable movies releasing this summer! but I hope I get to watch the movies on my list first.
2 days back, I got to watch Veer Zaara. I was crazy about the music earlier. Im in love with the movie too. Alright its all too idealistic and such things dont happen in real life or they are very rare but then it leaves u with a good feeling at the end. I always used to say that Sharukh excels in comedy and romance but he is intolerable in tragedy scenes. But he is much more restrained in this movie and has done a good job. Preity looks awesome :-D droooooooooools unlimited :-D Rani is my favourite star currently. She has so much attitude! Gives so much character to the role she plays.
Guess I should get back to my work now :-D khuda haafiz :-)

Lovely showers

We had a lovely rain latenight yesterday sometime around 1 am. Fierce winds, thunders, lightenings and stuff! It was such a relief after the sultriest day we ever faced in this summer! I was so caught up in the beauty that I forgot to take out my already dried clothes from the clothesline :-D

Summer musings

Summer is here :D Well for us Chennai-ites it is said that we have only 3 seasons around here - Hot, Hotter, Hottest :D So this is the hottest season we are going through ( also called the Chitirai). And being near the sea makes the climate here very sultry. But inspite of this, summer is my favourite season. I always thought winters were gloomy. After a dayful of sweat and grime, a pleasant breeze blows in the evening courtesy the sea again. Summer night skies are beautiful. The gulmohars- also called as May flowers bloom in May. Bright red trees lining the road are a sight to behold. I saw a gulmohar tree in full bloom on friday as I was passing through the city. I admit I rarely get up early in the morning but when I do wake up I love to hear the birds chirping. We used to live earlier in a place which had lots of flora and fauna, and summer mornings were really beautiful there. I was a good girl also in those days :D.

And summer also brings my favourite fruit- the mangoes. Somebody said somewhere that maybe Eve tempted Adam with a mango rather than an apple. Methinks thats very possible. If Eden doesn't even have mangoes, Im not interested in going there.
Plus we have the n number of things to cool it off like the icecreams, the more (Tamil for buttermilk), the coconut water- elneer in Tamil if Im right :D, juices etc. Earlier, summer days were synonymous with vacations too, but those were the days.................... sighhhhhhhhhhhh
So you see - Inspite of the heat and grime, summer is the best time :D
This summer, I have made out a list of movies to watch. Right now the number is just 2 - Paheli cos it has my favourite stars Sharukh and Rani and has been directed by Amol Palekar and Bunty aur Babli cos its an Yash Chopra flick and promises to be real fun.

By the way, I read a very interesting article on summer in Chennai in my favourite newspaper - The Hindu. Check it out.

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I saw the malayalam movie Manichitrathazh yesterday :D and liked it a lot. Im not that fluent in malayalam but can understand it if it is spoken slowly plus I had my mallu friends to translate whenever there was a tough sentence.
Wish I could put in more but I have to go. will edit this post in the eve. Good day :)

Attack of the Pundit !!

Gosh my blog has been invaded by the Pundit and many more such attacks are now expected in future. But really ! I found those comments more interesting than my blog :D. Looking forward to many more such. :D

On my front, never have I waited for the weekend this badly. Im totally brain dead after a rigorous week. But the weekend also will be hectic with many engagements. I hope I can make it back here on time tomorrow to catch the OAT movie which my friend tells me is National Treasure which according to him is a very good movie. Oh when will friday get over !!!!
Have a nice weekend :D

Wanderings..

Chennai had very pleasant weather last two days. It rained heavily and cooled down the temperature considerably. Everything wears a clean look now. The leaves look greener than usual and the yellow flowers on the trees look awesome against this bright green background. Even the stars are shining with a vengeance tonight since the clouds stole their show yesterday. My hunter, the Orion is in full glory today with the jewels in its armour trying to outdo each other in brilliance.

:D I guess its alright to think like this at times. But such thoughts always remind me of Wodehouse. I dont remember which novel but there is a lady in one of his fiction who thinks that the morning dews on the leaves are tears of the fairies and her other thoughts are also along the same line. Maybe I sounded like her earlier :D but I think fantasy in life makes it more colourful. So believing in Tolkien's elves, hobbits and Aragorn gives a charm to the daily monotonous life :D, with the nasty people we come across every other day playing the role of orcs and such wholeheartedly. :D

Baithak

The community IPFC Snobs on Orkut has come out with a homepage of their own where anybody can contribute their works. Do check it out. Its called Baithak. I liked every aspect of it. The concept, the name, the design, the contributions.... I am thinking really hard as what to send in there. After this weekend Ill send in something :D
Happy weekend folks !!

Tsunami alert..

The news that had been foremost in everybody's mind here yesterday night is the earthquake in Indonesia. That country is being battered again and again this way. Hope this is the last.
The memories from the previous tsunami being still fresh, this earthquake caused a great deal of panic here. Messages were sent across to alert anybody we knew who could be on the beach at the moment. All those who need not be alerted were also alerted. But did the remote areas on the coast get these warnings ? I hope they did. I was thinking that if cellular network services and radio-stations like Suryan FM, Radio Mirchi which are very popular everywhere here also broadcast such alerts, it will reach so many people.

Weekend movies

With an extra holiday on friday, the weekend has been fun. I slept my fill and enjoyed to the max. I watched Black on Friday. It was my advisor's treat :D. Its a really good movie. Awesome because of so many things. The kid Ayesha Kapoor has given a mind blowing performance. Everyone else had also acted really well. SLB impresses again. But one face that really stands out in my memory is the lady Shehnaz Patel who acts as Mitchell's mother. She has such a gorgeous face. Striking eyes, sweet smile. She was even more gorgeous in her younger days it seems. The movie was very intense, not the kind I watch generally. But its a must-watch.

The other movie I got to see was Aviator. Now that makes it two intense movies in a row. So I didn't watch it fully. I felt that Leo's enactment of the role was too real. That made it even more impossible to watch. This man (Howard Hughes) is too rich, too brilliant but oh-so-lonely. Very depressing ! So I came out and watched Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke instead on TV. Now thats a mast-watch movie. :D
Hey do read Asterix and the Great Divide. At one point, Getafix gives a menu description which sounds very tasty but means very nasty :D. I love that comic. Another favourite comic is Calvin & Hobbes. :D

Lage Raho Indiaaaaaaaaaaa

The decision to sell Pakistan the F-16s highlights the already known US hypocrisy. This is so out of place with its wish to be a peace-mediator in the region. I believe that it should never be allowed to play a role in this region. On the same breath, US talks about defence collaborations with India. Im sure we can do without that.

The same news edition had a report about plans of launching PSLV from a second launch pad. This was indigeniously made and is the only versatile Vehicle Assembly Builder (VAB) in the world. One feels so proud of such achievements. India on its own is getting to be technologically advanced and is excelling on all the other fields.
Slogan of the day could be
Lage Raho Indiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :D

Amazing pics

I came across these amazing pics today.. Im also interested in photography but Im nowhere close to this :D

Alexander

I watched Alexander this weekend. This made me realise that Im almost illiterate in History. There is so much I dont know much about. Alexander's achievement at that young age is really impressive. I felt that the movie was more like a documentary. There were so many parts in the movie which I did not understand. I have resolved to learn more about Alexander.
Colin Farrell looks awesome :D

Last week I got to read an Erich Segal novel called Only Love. I thought I had read all his books. This came as a surprise. I didnt find it as good as Doctors but it wasn't as bad as Love Story or Oliver's Story either. I really love his writings. I have loved all his other books except the two mentioned above. After reading Doctors, I infact scanned the list of my childhood friends for a potential Barney :D. Unfortunately couldnt find any :D. This book is one of my alltime favourites :D

Cloud 9 :D

Guess what !!! my bro hit the jackpot with AIR 6 in his exams.. :D blisssssssssss. :D

Absurdities and fantasies

Another M&B of the same kind !!!!! This lady had watched NatGeo Max and had put in everything that her meagre brain could gather from it. So in the same novel the same people had moorish customs ( with a very wierd expalnation about the God of Islam ), had come from India, worshipped goddess kali, were gypsies, danced around the fire, were filthy rich too ( thats an essential qualification for an M&B hero) and what not. I was very sleepy when i read that..maybe I was hallucinating. Somebody cant be this absurd !!
Our TV got repaired yesterday and I also got to watch the last part of Fellowship of the Rings :D. Once in my life, I would like to watch all the three parts in one go. But then, for that to be possible, I should also have a home theatre system with comfortable cushions, popcorns, chicken etc close at hand. Dreams unlimited :D ..

East and west

I was reading a Mills & Boons novel yesterday. The story was about an Arab Sheikh who was filthy rich and who falls for this girl who is an Arab but has an American mother from whom she gets her red hair, slender form etc. Now I know MBs are not supposed to contain any sense. I find them the best stress busters. - one place where the grey cells are redundant. But this was the worst of them all. The whole novel associated the sheikhs with goats, camels, parrots, slaves, medieval customs and not to forget the 10s of ladies who are ready to *offer their services* . Now I haven't had a first hand account of how they live, but this I found too much to digest. In many other places, I have found this tendency of these writers to belittle the east. I remember a dialogue in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the father (who is a greek) says My people were composing poetry when your people were hanging from the trees (or something similar to that effect) and this is so true. Its the same case with the east/middle-east. The middle-east had a renaissance long before the west had theirs. The major religions of the world originated from this section of the world. East can be proud of so many great scholars and very rich cultures. Just putting up one's nose doesn't make one superior in any way.

swear words !

I had an education in the swear words in Hindi this weekend. I didnt learn it willingly so dont mistake me ! It so happened that two guys who looked very young (musnt have crossed their teens or must have been early twenties) and looked like navy trainees were sitting behind me in the bus. Unfortunately for me, the bus had got stuck in a traffic jam so I was forced to hear them. They were talking pretty loudly and that 30 mins has been an education, believe me ! I dont see the charm in using such words. It doesnt even make them look posh or chic. IPFC on orkut is also one of the education centers nowadays for such people. Seriously, orkut is so boring these days. One either finds such filth there or fanatics who preach at the drop of a hat.

Last week had been a freak-out week. I saw a movie, attended a friend's marriage, went home, sms-ed endlessly. Now I am trying to focus again. Could not see Black as planned. One of my colleague went to Delhi today. I was feeling so nostalgic. I had always thought that I'll go to Delhi someday soon. I still think so. That city has been my favourite (after Chennai, of course ) :D.

I end this by quoting a couplet by Mohsin Naqvi :-
Tez hawa ne mujhse poocha
Ret pe kya likhte rehte ho

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The real good thing these days has been getting in touch with my school friends. I should have done it long back :D

The god-send Power cut

I started the day by being very punctual and determined to finish a chunk of work. But it wasnt to be.. There was a powercut early in the morning which stayed that way till even lunch time. Very frustrating. But then we found out that matters will not improve even till 2. So we went out for amovie :D Now comes the interesting part. We were desperate to watch a movie cos it was a long time since we had the chance to freak out this way with someone or other being busy always .
So on reaching the theatre, Page 3 seemed like the only movie worth watching there. It turned out to be one awesome movie. Too good. Leaves an impression on you. It was a simple story of a journalist who usually writes for the Page 3 of a magazine which is just the gossip section. When she actually gets down to do the real journalism, she is chucked out. A character in the movie says : U have to live in the system to change the system. Do watch it. Im so happy that our gamble payed off else we generally go to watch the timepass shahrukh movies with happy endings.
By the way Kisna seems to have flopped terribly cos we couldnt find a trace of it in the whole chennai.
We should have such power cuts once in a while :D

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The day finnaly didnt turn out as bad as foreseen.. There wasnt any lab either cos there were no students alloted to my experiments today.. I loved sailing out of the lab in front of that nasty teacher :) blissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
We will go in the evening to get some gift for one of my friends who is getting married on 18th. Almost all my friends are getting married .:( well Ill finish my phd and then think abt that. bye now :D

rotten tuesday

I had such a bad start to the day today. I was just 5 mins late and the ***.. mess ppl had taken away the sandwiches and had left behind upma which neway nobody eats cos its always raw. and today of all days im hungry as hell. I have horrible lab session in the evening where Im supposed to instruct and the students have been so spoon fed till now that they can be called the dumbest by now . And the teacher who stays there irritates the hell out of me... Cant the day get better ??????????????????????

Dance ....

I saw Dance Like a man this sat'day. Overall the movie didn't impress me much. Maybe u can connect it with my reluctance to watch movies with a depressing theme. But I liked Shobhana a lot in that movie. She was really good in Mitr too. One could go on watching her dance. Awesome !!!! Anoushka was painful to watch. Sameer Soni. well we used to like sameer soni. ( Long time back there was an ad in which only his eyes and eyebrows were focussed and I always liked good eyes. In fact first thing ppl notice is the eyes and I somehow dont gel with a person if he/she doesnt have frank eyes. ) He played a cheerful character in the movie.
But the sad ending of the movie really put me off. One doesnt want to start the weekend on a sad note.
I used to watch bharatnatyam regularly on TV in my childhood. Never took an initiative to learn it though. But I remember that in family get-togethers, I used to dance on request :D. btw Im getting in touch with many of my school mates. So happy about it :D

Hijab

These are some nice poems I found in Orkut. They make such a statement. But then everyone to his/her own interpretation of Hijab. It can mean full covering to some ppl or it can mean decent/modest clothes to me. I interpret it as living with dignity so that people dont get a chance to point their fingers at you. The poem is worth reading:

What do you see when you look at me?
Do you see someone limited, or someone free

All some people can do is just look and stare
Simply because they can't see my hair

They think that I am limited and un-liberated
Others think I am controlled and uneducated

They are so thankful that they are not me
Because they would like to remain 'free'

Well free isn't exactly the word I would've used
Describing women who are cheated on and abused

They think that I do not have opinions or voice
They think that being hooded isn't my choice

They think that the hood makes me look caged
That my husband or dad are totally outraged

All they can do is look at me in fear
And in my eye there is a tear

Not because I have been stared at or made fun of
But because people are ignoring the one up above

On the day of judgment they will be the fools
Because they were too ashamed to play by their own rules

Maybe the guys won't think I am a cutie
But at least I am filled with more inner beauty

See I have declined from being a guy's toy
Because I won't let myself be controlled by a boy

Real men are able to appreciate my mind
And aren't busy looking at my behind

Hooded girls are the ones really helping the Muslim cause
The role that we play definitely deserves applause

I will be recognized because I am smart and bright
And because some people are inspired by my sight

The smart ones are attracted by my tranquility
In the back of their mind they wish they were me

We have the strength to do what we think is right
Even if it means putting up a life long fight

You see we're not controlled by a mini skirt and tight shirt
We are given only respect, and never treated like dirt

So you see, we are the ones that are free and liberated
We're not the ones that are sexually terrorized and violated.

I have been working very hard this week . But the best part is that I enjoyed it too.. If I can maintain this momentum then I can finish soon. Music has been my constant companion these days. Nothing like a vibrant, happy tune to keep u going.
There has been nothing interesting happening anywhere else. Orkut has also been so boring nowadays.

Im reading LM Montgomery short story collection and Poirot mysteries (short stories again). LMM is as cute as ever and Poirot is as clever as ever.

Actually Im not at my chatty best now. So bye for now.

Best speech

This is the best speech I have heard in recent days. We need more people like these today.
here
Its a bit ironic that i get to read it from a jewish/pro-jew website :D

One thing is certain. Tennis stars ARE handsome :D

Something I miss in the hostel life is not being able to watch TV or rather not being able to watch TV programmes of one's own choice. I missed it very strongly on Republic day when I wanted to watch the parade ( its been ages since I had seen the parade) and now recently when I wanted to see the tennis matches. The rogerer-safin match wud have been gr8 to watch.

Books and movies

Have you heard the soundtrack of Kisna ? Its very good especially the track Hum rahe na rahe reminds of the book The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye. This book had a similar theme: that of an Englishman in pre-independence era who grew up with Indian guardians and falls in love with an Indian princess. This book was written by an english-woman who lived in India at that time. The book is what people call spellbinding. The story is told in a very Indian way without the look-down-upon-you attitude that the British generally take up. The story takes place in Kashmir, Bombay, Rajasthan, MP and finally ends in Afghanistan which was a part of the British India at that time. A very romantic book and worth going through the 1400 and odd pages.
Well the soundtrack of Kisna does give me a feel of that kind and I hope I get to see the movie. I cant stand Vivek Oberoi but will give the movie a try, atleast for Subhash Ghai's ability to give a movie that dream-like quality.

Its amazing the way some books have the ability to weave an imaginary world around the reader. I felt the same with Gone with the wind, Lord of the rings, and recently with Holy fools and Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I firmly believe that the original books are 100 times better than their movie adaptations as when we read the book we use our imagination to picturise what the author says but the movies always leave us with a sense of could-be-better-shown. I felt this in the case of the Harry potter series and LOTR series.

A different perspective

I tend to do this at times :D

Happy new year !!!!

New year for us started in a very solemn way. Not that I stressed my muscles to do anything for the tsunami victims except for the usual easy way out. But even then, hearing accounts from people who actually went to the disaster-struck regions had its effect. After a lot of arguments about whether to have a new year party or not, we finally decided on a small scale party on the roof-top. It was really lovely with all the good food stuff, a clear sky, a half moon, and fire crackers being burst at a distance. Then I slept the new year day away :D. Its really shameful, what with people going to temples etc to pray for a happy new year and me lying there on the bed for the whole day. When I say whole day I mean exactly that (till 4.30 pm). Now this is a bad habit I have developed, that I sleep on saturdays like this without food or anything else. I will try my best not to repeat that tomorrow. ok bye for now. I am expecting a lot from this weekend. I hope everything works out for me and for you too :D.. Have fun and have a nice weekend.