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

..

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.