Cornucopia of Gobbledygook

To begin with, 18 jigsaw enthusiasts of Adobe had managed to make way into the Limca Book of Records last year by solving the largest puzzle in the world (comprising 24k pieces) in the fastest clock time. I was a part of the team and was fortunate to be part of another record in itself (I say this because am not sure if our work shall be put in any record book this time) - assembling a 25K puzzle.
Now, I would put the former as more challenging than the latter for a handful of reasons, namely:
1. We were working on 6000 pieces at a time in the former.
2. We were working 24X7.
3. And we were only 18 (not that 18 isn't a large number)
Anyhow. As the blog progresses, probably some of my opinions may be reversed, but that's fine by me. :-)

Day One: The day starts with a long traffic jam right outside my house and the root of the entire delay is a ridiculously positioned bus that broke down at an angle of 45deg at the U-turn. You just had to be there to be laughing your *** off while getting totally irritated. Anyhow, Adi sir and I reached the venue at somewhere around 10.45ish and thankfully Royce and his daughter had not arrived by then.
(FYI: Royce is the guy who made the world's largest puzzle - LIFE)

So, we're given awesome tees to wear through-out the event. We've already made a lot of fun about the same and so, I am a little reluctant to write anything about it. I do, however, have samples to show you:

Only God knows what we are cleaning!!! :-)

Btw, we have a walk-in buffet there as well where we obviously are to eat.. :-)

Coming to puzzle solving point:-

In order to determine the strategy to be used while solving the entire puzzle, we decided that each person solves a section of 90 pieces by him/herself and then depending on the time taken, we could either:
- Proceed in the same manner
OR
- mix the contents of "n" number of cells. (spoken like a true engineer/IT person)

Now, let me tell you, I thouroughly enjoyed solving the 180 pieces thing that was given to me. It felt awesome. And the best part was that I remembered solving these sections when we solved LIFE and when we were solving the puzzle online. Some pics of the section during the section solving session:

And obviously, that's me with some of the blocks that we solved.

I don't have all the pics of the day with me right now so, you'd have to make do with these few only. I'd update this space with more pics as soon as I get them.

So, moving forward. This strategy turned out to be awesome. Within an hour we were done with 40 of the 200 cells that need to be completed. And so change of plans.

We now mixed the pieces of the different cells and then started working, This increased the difficulty level for the simple reason that we now had to work with edges of not one block but with edges of each of the individual cells. But, we lived upto the challenge and completed the section without any problem. I don't really want to delve into the details of the jigsaw strategy and solving and so am just touching upon those as a mere formality. Don't worry if you don't understand whatever I am saying - you could probably walk in to Select City Walk and I could show you the beauty.

Some more pics of the entire day's ordeal:

I would be working in office for most part of Saturday and so, won't have details about day two. Shall try to be there and will update about the day. :-)

Daddy's roads..

2009-06-30T23:00:00.003+05:30

A perfect and logical explanation for all the traffic jams in India.. ;-)

"Phone-y"...Am sure that rings a bell..

2009-06-29T10:50:00.002+05:30

I'm real EVIL..

2009-06-25T17:57:00.006+05:30

Beware of my Evil Plan!!

Objective is simple: Soul Accumulation.

The motive is a little bit more complex: Love (Yes, it works)

Stage One - To begin my plan, I must first blackmail a news reporter. This will cause the world to swallow nervously, stunned by me. Who is this criminal mastermind? Where did she come from? And why does she look so good in classic black?

Stage Two - Next, steal new york. This will all be done from a medieval castle, a mysterious place of unrivaled dark glory. Upon seeing this, the world will faint, as countless hordes of classic thugs hasten to do my every bidding.

Stage Three - Finally, I must reveal to the world my thermonuclear missiles, bringing about the apocalypse. My name shall become synonymous with fear, and no man will ever again dare cross me. Everyone will bow before my supreme might, and the world will have no choice but to elect me dictator for life.

Don't worry.. I haven't gone crazy. This was a by-product of a random site I was browsing through and decided to publish the results.

Just in case you wanna check it out, here's the link - http://www.darksites.com/evilplan.php.

The Sleeping Beauty - Ballet..

2009-05-25T10:07:00.009+05:30

I had the tickets. I was overly excited. I was having an awesome day. And it was the perfect end - The ballet performance. Yesterday, I was gaping wildly at the pretty-pretty fairy tale like costumes, vividly vibrant sets and humongously talented artists. I was at the IFBC's Sleeping BeautyBallet performance and loved every bit of the I-don't-remember-how-many-hours-spent day.

This was the third act - The Wedding of Princess Aurora and Prince Desire wherein the guests were fairy tale characters like Puss In Boots, Red Riding Hood, Princess Florine etc, who were paying their respects to the couple.
(The pics aren't too good as I clicked these from my cell phone where needless to say, the power of zoom ain't too good. Pardon me.. )
However, something is better than nothing and so to say, I have the perfect pics. In any case, the pic above shows all the couples that are present before the lovely royal couple - King Florestan and Queen Margarete, seated to the right.
The characters standing in the diagnol include The Bluebird and Princess Florine, in blue (obviously) followed by the precious jewels. The third couple standing in the diagnol is The Red Riding Hood with her Evil wolf, who are adjacent to the Cat couple (which I totally adored).

I loved the costumes which made the characters come out alive. Personally, Puss in boots and The White Cat were the cutest couple with the white cat making awesome hand movements to her furry ears imitating the "purr"fect meowwww. They played along really well (so to say..) :-)

However, apart from the finale of "Prince Desire and Princess Aurora", I especially loved the performance of the Blue bird and Princess Florine. Their performance was beautiful. And I have pics to prove it as well.

These guys were awesome on the stage and I was particularly swooned by the manner in which the Princess Florine performed. Was magical. Another pic to add..

As expected, the finale where the Prince Desire and Princess Aurora took the stage was purely white magic. Their steps were perfectly in sync. There were awesome lifts (everyone defied gravity as though it never existed) and there were the perfect transitions.
I guess I don't really need to say the obvious, but still, for record sake - I loved it.

PS. The next time there's an opportunity to see another of their acts, don't be surprised to find me in the audi.. :-)

A windy day yesterday...

2009-05-20T14:07:00.002+05:30

As I sit in office, I somehow remember the famous Beatles song - "You've got to hide your love away".. and guess what! - the song was written as a reference to the Beatles manager who was homosexual.. eeps.. and I thought the song had a totally different connotation to it.. :-)

Anyway, I was out to describe my windy day experience of yesterday. Gosh! The wind was blowing at no less than 30 nautical miles per hour.. (sry for the exaggeration). I actually was unable to walk straight through out. Top it all, there were trees falling on the roads and tin roof-tops toppling next to where I was standing. The experience was mind boggling if not interesting.
Now, not only did the winds help in bringing some kind of relief from the heat but they also helped in getting a lot of dust particles all around. I literally had an outer layer of dust over me.

All in all.. a day I shall remember forever.. :-)

Tryst with Pictionary...

2009-04-18T10:08:00.009+05:30

On a very lazy Saturday, when my best friend (lets call him Piyush..;-) ) and I have nothing better to do than drive 40 kms to a mall and then realize its too hot outside to be going crazy on roller-coaster rides and its much safer watching a trivial movie, we end the day on a crazier note - playing "pictionary" outside the mall entrance (well, not too crazy for some).
Now, as soon as the brilliant idea struck, we realized that there's no stationary and so, the entire ordeal of climbing the stairs of escalators (which by the grace of Murphy's laws were powered off on the side we had to climb!! conspiracy!!)
Anyhow, we managed to reach our faviorite book-place and after finicking over the post-its and pens (which I seem to have lost and since I break this news on my blog, I shall definitly be punished.. ) for 15 mins, finally managed to buy one pair.. One hurdle crossed!
I skip the entire escalator powered off - walking down path cos it doesn't really hurt climbing down stairs.. ;-)
Anyway, now the interesting part : The game in itself.. :-)
So, the first movie was for me... and it started with...
- Its a one letter movie and the first visual clue would depict only a part of it...

Me - A guy, man, ladka, aadmi ...
Piyush - Frantically waving his hand ... signaling me to stop all the blabbering... and with artful strokes of the pen, draws the next clue.. :P

Okay.. my chance to blabber away to glory again..

Me - Police, theif, gun, bullets, goli, kill, victim...
Piyush - Again the hand is waved frantically and the look that he displayed - "God! Cant this girl appreciate art!!"

Time for new clues...

Me - What is this supposed to mean!!
Piyush - Forget it!!!!

Now...time for the finale...

This one did it all..

Me- Hands up!.. Surrender.. SERENDIPITY!!!!
Piyush - Finally!!! :-)

We shall now on change the rules of the game... the game shall be timed and I shall be putting up the times as well.. especially cos Piyush has a chronograph.. (and I love pulling his leg abt it by calling it a chrome-powered battery watch.. and him getting all - girl u have no idea how cool a watch this is look/speech)
Now, in case any one else wants to play, lemme know... I need to practice...

This one's for you - Bhavya...

2009-04-10T10:53:00.005+05:30

Now, I must admit that this dedicating-a-post-on-a-special-occasion kind of post is a very Bhavya thing to do and so, one for her on her last day in the Adobe 4th floor arena is a must.

Beginning from the very beginning, she was one of the few people I was introduced to when I joined and ever since we've been real good friends. She has an amazing regularity/punctuality when it comes to going to the gym. Gawdd..she is one bag of inspiration when it comes to loosing weight..I have seen her going down 4 sizes atleast in the last 2 years.. and top of that, her lunch plate every single day comprises only veggies and dals... (on some occassional days you'd manage to see a piece of dessert in it.. but those are seriously very rare..).
Not to forget, she is one helluva bold person - mess with her and you've had it.. Her poking techniques (am sure Abhinav shall miss those) are truly unique and to add to it, say anything to her, she blushes. She can literally turn a shade of pink in less than 2 seconds. And now it seems as though this post is turning into a testimonial, but who cares!!
Oh, and there was this one time when she came to my cubicle very sleepily.. (this was on a day when we all were staying back in office and that too not for work-related reasons and I presume Bhavya was in a bad mood or was really tired or for some different reason altogether ) and sat on a vacant chair and hugged the teddy bear that was kept in my cube and slept off for some time. I shall always remember that scene.. :)
Another very interesting feature of this babe is her awesome bowling style. For details and visual appreciation, I have attached the video below. This is not exactly her style but very close to it...

She is one person, who would not get offended when someone jokes around with her. On occasions when she is called "Dabbo" or "Hidumba" or what not by the one and only Akash, she would yet again blush and her cheeks would get to the color of the ball that she is holding in the video above. And well yes, she writes really well - her blog says it all.
Oh well, once upon a time, she sang the so-called 'bhajan' - Bol na halke halke.. frm Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.. and Ashish and Hemant started clapping in the typical bhajan manner... a sight to remember..
And now that she is all set to walk into a new phase, the excitement in her is awesomely evident. The amazingly girly talks that we've been having for the past few months ever since her marriage has been fixed, the talks about clothes, jwellery et al shall form fond memories.

Anyways, at the end of it all, all that I would like to say to her is that everyday as I walk to my cubicle and dont see you wandering in the lobby with the phone in your hand, I or rather we all shall miss you a lot...
with loadsss of love and luck..
hope you enjoy the new phase of your life to the fullest...
muaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...

PS. I guess this would be one of the longest posts in my blog!!! Bhavya, all thanks to you..

5 consecutive days... 5 marriage-related-function days...

2009-03-03T13:52:00.003+05:30

Now that I am through with the 5 days of shaadi attendances and appearances, I am left with:
- pink toenails
- a hoarse voice
- a new hair cut
- mehendi on my hands
- a bandaged foot
- 11 dozen bangles (I started off with the same number!!)
- a broken heel (of my shoe)

and yeah.. innumerable memories...

I cant really describe any of the days in full detail right now and so all that I'd say is that - enjoyed every bit of it... :-)

The Moment of Truth

2009-01-31T10:43:00.002+05:30

Last week, I was watching the serial - "The Moment of truth" and man!, you need balls of steel to be sitting on the hot spot. Grueling questions or should I say answers to those questions and to make it all the more worse - you have to face your friends and family right there while you answer.
For those of you who haven't had the opportunity of seeing the show, I'l draw a snapshot.

There is one victim (read the contestant!) and he is asked questions which he simply has to answer in a yes or no. Sounds simple, yeah it does until you get to know that prior to the show, the contestant goes through a polygraph test wherein he is asked some qsns and the results of the polygraph tests are not told to the contestant. Then on the show, the same qsns are repeated and if the contestant answers these correctly (as determined by the polygraph), the contestant keeps winning!. Simple enough but now comes the interesting part - the questions...

A few qsns that I remember from the show:-
1. Have you ever stolen money from a sub-ordinate?
2. Have you prolonged having kids with your wife cos you were not sure that you love her?
3. Have you ever smuggled anything into the country?

And to all those questions, the contestants had answered a "YES"!

The guy who was asked the second question had his wife sitting in front of him when he answered. Imagine the plight! The wife was asked whether she would like him to continue playing or quit and all that she said - "I want to know more"..

Its strange but true - a person would rather let out his true feelings when he shall be rewarded monetarily than when he is not. Whats the use of all the money when ur own wife shall not want to be with you.. (oh well... u never know - maybe he actually did not want to be with her.. and that shall be another story altogether).

I was just a little taken aback when I saw the entire episode. For me, I'd rather do something that I'd be proud of. I would definitly want to sit on that hot seat one fine day and say a NO to all those qsns (though am sure then that episode would not be aired as there would be no gossip.. at all ) but to me - spice is not always the spice of life!!

Nursery Rhymes

2009-01-16T09:45:00.004+05:30

I am with my cousins these days and have full access to all the textbooks of the first standard and am enjoying those. It refreshes your memory and brings back all the nostalgia... (aahhh...an awesome feeling). The best thing - you know everything!! (A feeling that does not come to me always ;) )
Coming to the point, I have always loved nursery rhymes/fairy tales and right now, I got to read so many of them...and my all time favourite:-

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

I used to sing this rhyme a lot when I was a little girl and made sure my bro also knew each its words by heart - though am sure he doesn't remember any of it now!!! Yesterday, while I was repeating this in a loop, my grandmom also started humming the same. I was astonished - and the first thing I said with a surprised look on my face - "Aap ko bhi yeh aata hai??" (translated - "You also know this one??" ). Its such a legacy and somehow gets imprinted into the memory and imagine retrieving it after some 70 years.. truly amazing!! I hope I am able to do the same after such a long time as well...
Anyway, now I gtg.. loads of work pending...

PS - I really want to know if you haven't heard this rhyme before reading this piece.. do drop in a comment if u haven't :)

Crazy Funky Junky hat...

2009-01-02T21:05:00.002+05:30

No na na no no no... I do not have a hat-fetish all of a sudden. Before reading this post, have a look at this video and pour in the comments..
Its a small dance sequence performed by 2 young girls - Alex and Harper (presumably best friends) of Wizards of Waverly Place fame, who start this cute thing as soon as they spot anyone wearing a "hat". So, the next time you see a hat... start the same!!!
The lyrics:-

What's that a hat
Crazy funky junky hat
Overslept hair unslightly
Tryin ta look like Keira Knightley
We've been there weve done that
We see right through your funky hat

Well, according to me, its a very cute and teen thing to do and so blogged it in here... hope you like the video..

For details, you can watch the program - Wizards of Waverly Place which is aired on Disney Channel, Mondays to Fridays sometime after 8 o clock.. (I cant seem to remember the times of shows...)

PS - Holidays are the best thing especially if you can watch all such stuff...

New Year's eve..

2008-12-31T22:22:00.002+05:30

At the offset, I apologize to all my friends whose bowling actions were to be presented in a blog post. There's some editing I need to do to the entire video. (My net connection is awfully slow and refuses to upload the video in its present size). Sorry for the delay...

And now back to this post...
I basically have been a little too lazy these days (all thanks to the 10 days of holidays in which I have bothered to do nothing but sleep a lot, get up late, watch a lot of television, shop with mom..)
Anyway, this post is basically a note to remember how I spent this New Year eve...

As expected, I got up real late... 10 ish I guess... lazed around for quite some time.. and took a bath.. (he ha ha ha)... and then mom and I went out shopping... this was the most interesting part..
I bought shoes (3.2 inches of height increasing wood..) and we ate MOMOs at this "thele wala" sorts... and they were delicious.. (I couldn't help remember the momo-time my office friends and I have spent in Atta .. aaaahhh.. reminded me of those days.. )

And then... we ate Maggi!!! (my fav food... )... yipppee... and thats abt it.. the other fun moments that mom and I encountered are too random to be noted on a blog entry... but yeah.. had lotsss of fun today...

and also.. I spoke to my dad and bro and cousins and friends... nice day...
top it all... I wrote a post as well.. ;-)

cya.. and wish everyone a Happy New Year..

Whats in a walk!!

2008-12-08T18:21:00.002+05:30

They say, the first steps are the most valuable memory that you have of your child.. (noooo... I am not talking about my child or anything.. RELAX..). I am referring to my mum's elder child here... he he he.. yup, thats me...

Well then.. I am sure she remembers my first few steps but wait, this post has nothing to do with those. This is more to do with the innumerable second steps that I have taken ever since.
To set the context, a few days back, someone pointed out that I have a peculiar manner of walking and hence, I thought, I'd rather rant away my "walking techniques" right here. So, please "walk along".. pun intended.. :-)

On a normal day - I have springs (with k=0.5 N/m) on my feet.
On a day when I am super excited - I literally jump and run with baby steps..
On a day when I am tired - Its the same as a normal day
When I am lost in thought (& walking simultaneously) - I wander... (my feet move in the most lazy manner)
On ramp - A straight line walk
Wearing sophisticated shoes - A poised walk (that's a quote!!!)
On water - still trying to.. ;-)

Half century...

2008-12-07T11:25:00.003+05:30

I had a dozen topics to write about and I chose to discard each of those so that I could babble away about my half-century. With my laptop in my hand, I raise my arm towards the heavens and look at the almighty in an attempt to plead - "Please help me reach the much-awaited century". (Please say that I sound like Tendulkar..!!! )..

Anyway.. on a very random note, I wanted to say... "Thats ohkay!!" and also, loads of thanks to all those who have read these bizarre posts of mine..

I shall keep perplexing and irritating and confusing u guys... :P

PS. I really wanted to make the "I want to thank speech.." but stopped all the flow of emotion... maybe that sometime later...
Oh and also, the 50 is the total count of posts... published + unpublished.. so please don't get confused yet again.. :P

Whats been keeping the gmail team busy!!

2008-11-04T10:16:00.002+05:30

Some real cool stuff... :-)

I especially like the emoticons and the fact that I can now send attachments of 20 mb at one go...

am still in the process of checking out the new features and shall update if there's anything really awesome..

Till then read on:-

___________________________________________________________

Gmail Labs: A testing ground for experimental new features
Try out features in development and let us know what you think. To get started with Labs, click the Labs tab under Settings. Learn more

Gmail has a new look on the iPhone browser
Now with auto-complete when composing, automatic refreshing, and faster load times when viewing email. Learn more

More friends are more fun. Gmail welcomes your AIM® friends.
Now you can talk to your AIM® friends using an integrated chat list right inside Gmail. Learn more

AOL and AIM are trademarks of AOL LLC

Colored labels
Better organize your email with new colored labels. Just click the color swatch next to each label to assign a color. Learn more

Group chat
Chat with multiple people without multiple windows. Invite your friends to a group discussion. To start a group chat, click 'Group chat' from the 'Options' menu when chatting. Learn more

New emoticons
Start sending richer expressions to your friends. Learn more

Free IMAP
Sync your inbox across devices instantly and automatically. Whether you read or write your email on your phone or on your desktop, changes you make to Gmail will be seen from anywhere you access your inbox. Another way to use Gmail on your iPhone is through the browser. By going to m.gmail.com you get the full Gmail experience including conversation view, search, and more. Learn how to set up IMAP on other devices.

Set up IMAP on your iPhone. Watch the video

View as slideshow
Now you can open PowerPoint attachments as slideshows, without having to download anything. Just click "View as slideshow" next to the .ppt attachment you want to preview. Since you can open .doc and .xls attachments with Google Docs and Spreadsheets too, there's no need to leave your web browser to check out your Gmail attachments. Learn more
Increased attachment limit-- 20 MB!
Now you can start sharing more of those home videos, large presentations and files you just can't seem to get smaller. We have doubled the allowable attachment size to 20 MB to make your Gmail space even more useful. Learn more
It's a Gmail party and everyone is invited!
You can still invite your friends to enjoy Gmail's spam protection, 5GB free storage and other great features, but now you can also just tell them to visit www.gmail.com and sign up without an invitation.
Get mail from other accounts
Now Gmail can check for the mail you receive at your other email accounts. You can retrieve your mail (new and old) from up to five other email accounts and have them all in Gmail. Then you can even create a customized 'From:' address, which lets you send messages from Gmail, but have them look like they were sent from another one of your email accounts. Please note that you can only retrieve mail from accounts that have POP3 access enabled. Learn more
Embarrassment-reducing new message notifications
Ever replied to a message only to find out that someone sent a better, smarter reply right before you? Now, if someone sends a reply while you're in the middle of reading a conversation (or replying to it), you'll get a notification that a new message has arrived. Click "update conversation" to see what you’ve missed.
Forward all
When viewing a conversation, use the new “Forward all” link on the right if you want to forward the entire conversation instead of just one message.
Chat even when your friends are offline
Chatting in Gmail just keeps getting better. Now, if you're chatting with a friend who goes offline, your friend will be able to see whatever you were typing the next time he or she goes online.
Get Gmail on your mobile phone
Download it once, and start accessing Gmail on your phone with just a click or two. To try it for yourself, point your phone to gmail.com/app. Learn more
Voicemail
Your friends can leave you a voicemail using Google Talk. The voice message is sent to your Gmail account as an audio file that you can download or play right from your inbox. Learn more
Reply by chat
When you're about to (or in the middle of a) reply to someone, and you see that person online, you can just send your reply as a chat message. And if you've chosen to save your chat histories, then your chat even gets threaded with that original email conversation. Learn more
A picture's worth a thousand words
With contact pictures in Gmail, you can pick ones for yourself, see which ones your friends have chosen, and set certain pictures to show up for specific people in your Gmail account. Best of all, you can even send picture suggestions to your friends. Learn more
Gmail Chat
Get in touch with your friends instantly, from right inside Gmail! It's the biggest thing to happen to Gmail, since well, Gmail. Learn more
Vacation auto-responder
Set an auto-response so that if you're lying on a beach or taking a train across Siberia, your friends will know you won't be checking your email. Learn more
Contact groups
One of our most-requested features is finally here! Now you can send messages to a group instead of having to pick out the individual addresses every time.Learn more
View as HTML
Now you can view Microsoft Office, OpenOffice or .pdf attachments as web pages by clicking the "View as HTML" link instead of downloading. For when you want to see it faster, you're on a mobile device, or you don't want to install software just to view a document. Learn more
Shortcuts on the right
Now Gmail automatically detects addresses and tracking numbers, and displays useful information such as directions and package tracking alongside your messages.
Virus scanning is here!
For your protection, Gmail now automatically scans for viruses every time you open or send a message with an attachment. We even try our best to remove all the viruses we find. Learn more
Export contacts
Export your Gmail Contacts and save them in a file for back-up or to use in another account or service–great if you're using Gmail's free POP access. Learn more
Auto-save
Saves to ‘Drafts' as you're composing. Never lose a half-written email again.
Get to Gmail from any web page
Download the new Gmail-enabled Google Toolbar. Search your mail or instantly go to your Inbox from any web page with just one click. Learn more
Gmail on Google.com
See your new messages directly from your personalized Google.com homepage.
Google Talk
IM and make free calls through your computer with Google Talk. Your Gmail contacts are even pre-loaded. Learn more
Customized 'From:' addresses
Customize the address on your outgoing messages to display another one of your addresses instead. Learn more
An application for Macs
The Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X even supports plug-in development.
Free POP access and automatic forwarding
Access your mail the way you want to. Download your messages. Read them offline. Use your Blackberry or Outlook or any POP-enabled device. Or forward new messages to an email account you specify. You can even switch to other email services without having to worry about losing access to your messages. Think of it as email portability Learn more
Import Contacts
Move all your contacts from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, and others to Gmail in just a few clicks. Learn more
Signature options
From the settings page, create a signature that's automatically added to the end of all your outgoing messages. Learn more

PS. References - gmail.com - Inbox - (New features)

I almost forgot...

2008-10-31T20:56:00.002+05:30

To congratulate the guy I mentioned in the post below... he has finally made it into the army..
CONGRATS!!!
The junoon shall continue...

And now is treat time... :-)

Ji shreemaan!!! ;-)

2008-10-13T23:05:00.002+05:30

In my 23 years of existence, I've had the opportunity of meeting 2 really interesting people.
Surprisingly, one of them is my bro and the other is a good friend.
The one thing both of them have in common - "Junoon to serve the country". Man you need to see the devotion and dedication. Amazes me.
While one keeps narrating his one hour long parades to me over the phone the other one runs in the heat with a jacket on. Gosh... both of you inspire me..
Wish both of you loads of success. Hope to see the CNS baton pass from one to the other..

JAI HIND..

What I mean.... !!!!

2008-10-13T22:41:00.000+05:30

* Chaya, Afghanistan, a place in Afghanistan.
* In Hebrew, Chaya is a girl's name, derived from the Hebrew word chai (חי), meaning "life".

o Chaya is also the name of a font used to type English letters in a style which looks like the Hebrew alphabet.
* Chaya (film), a film from the cinema of Karnataka, a region of India.
* Chaya (brothel), chaya (茶屋), literally meaning "teahouse", is a common euphemism for Edo period bordellos in Japan.

o chashitsu (茶室, "tea room"), rooms or small buildings used for the Japanese tea ceremony
o Chaya family, a wealthy family of textile merchants based in Kyoto from the 16th century into the Edo period.
o Chaya Shirōjirō, merchants within that family, wealthy and influential traders with the official patronage of the Tokugawa shogunate.
* Chaya (plant), also known as tree spinach, a vegetable grown and eaten primarily in Mexico
* Chaya tequila, a brand of tequila produced by Interco Brands Inc
* Chaya River, rivers in Russia and Bulgaria.
* Chaya County, county in Tibet

Record!!!!

2008-10-08T09:57:00.003+05:30

I just couldn't not write about this. That has been the fate of quite a few things in my life, but I just have to pour out my heart's contents into this one. Yes! We have a world record now.. and that too an official one.. Never meant to start out with this in mind and towards the end the result was beautiful.. and I mean it. Life is and was BEAUTIFUL.

So, it started out with this mail that someone from office had floated across quite sometime back and was about some puzzle thing. Within a few mins registrations were closed. I was the one who turned out to be slow you see and so I couldn't crib. Anyway, then came another mail after more than a month and this time I did not wait for a sec and replied. Yes! I was in the team...finally.
Tragedy struck. Next day, I was hospitalized for the next 12 days with the typhoid bacteria running in my blood stream. Now that's a separate story altogether and should not, in any case, eat the lime light here.

Once out of the hospital, I was not allowed to exert at all and hence could not travel all the way to office for the practice sessions and I, at one point in time, actually thought that I may not be in the final team. But these guys were pretty accommodating. (I guess they don't even know that I was unwell..)

So, that's about the background of the entire thing -how I got the opportunity and stuff. My first engagement with the entire team was the "Practice session" wherein I was, for the first time in my life, puzzling over a puzzle with 3k pieces. That was a real learning experience. We were 17 ppl present and decided to work on 2 puzzles simultaneously. I was a part of the 5-member group solving the 3k puzzle. It was a working day when this marathon began and by the time I reached, the animals section seemed pretty much complete. So, I took up the hot-air balloons. Aaahh.. they were beautiful. And btw, there were 4 penguins in the animal section. They looked sooo cute...

The entire 3k team worked for 13 hours flat and that too non-stop and finished the task assigned. The 3k baby looked pretty and this was 1/8th the final one. We understood the difficulty of LIFE. But hopes were not deterred. Instead we waited eagerly for the challenge. Oh and the highlight of the entire night was the amazing playlist that somehow always played the song "Tala Tum"... <> and how all of us would practically start shouting as soon as it started.

For Namrata and I, Saturday morning spelt more work - on the office front. Without sleeping, we carried on with Monza and Jyoti and somehow managed to pull through..

And now I am feeling sleepy so I'l write about the journey enroute LIFE in the next post..

Keep reading... :-)

Secret..shhhh..!!!

2008-09-29T22:20:00.002+05:30

Am sure the title attracted attention of quite a few here. To disappoint the few who have managed to land up on this post, I am not revealing any secrets, in fact, I just wanted to write about the way I feel about them.

For me, a secret spells "CONFIDENTIAL". I dislike talking about stuff that is not meant to be for somebody else's ears. Its so..aahh... irritating!! But then, not everyone else feels the same. I mean, there are a million people out there who would probably read this and say.. "Oh what the heck!". And whats the most amusing or should I say ironical issue in this whole funda, the fact that I fall into the trap. ALWAYS.

And its so disgusting. BTW - No situtation that I am talking about in particular, but I just felt like writing about something and somehow this struck a chord.

Anyway, now that I've released all the vent up frustration, time for me to get back to Photoshop.
Good night!

34!

2008-09-22T13:22:00.002+05:30

- 2 more than the number of teeth in an adult.
- Just about to reach the answer to the ultimate qsn!
- random number generated
- someone's waist size??
- 34 is the ninth distinct biprime and has four divisors including unity and itself. Its neighbors, 33 and 35 also are distinct biprimes having four divisors each
- Atomic number of Se
- Secret meaning in Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity
- +34 is the code for international direct-dial phone calls to Spain
- Edmond Dantès prisoner number.

:-)
Happy 34!!

Yesterday!!!

2008-09-20T00:12:00.008+05:30

All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play...
Now I need a place to hide away...
Oh I believe in YESTERDAY..

Those were the Beatles...and since they get an opportunity to talk about their yesterday, so shall I. The sketches, the conferences, the uncontrollable laughter and of course the matching wavelengths is all I can say.

Those a part of my yesterday shall understand.. :-)

The "SO" syndrome

2008-09-20T00:12:00.005+05:30

When I was young (and by that I refer to my school time), I always considered anyone who started a sentence with a "placeholder for thought" as a non-voluble person. My placeholders for thought included hmmm, umm, well, etc. And I always refrained from using those (if that's not too difficult to fathom ;-) ).
Ok. School time over and enter office space or the "corporate world". In the first few months, I encountered people of myriad designations (including those who could fit into my definition of voluble). Unfortunately, there was one thing in common amongst the people of this species. (Nooooo.. they were not good looking.. :-( ). They all started a sentence with a "SO". Infact, every sentence that started a new process of thinking or expression began with a so. I actually found it amusing at one point in time. I mean, imagine a conversation in day to day life...
ABC: Hey.. How was the weekend?
XYZ: Soooo... I got to see this movie and it was awesome....
ABC: That's nice. And what abt the files that had to be verified by last week?
XYZ: So.. I tried doing it but blah blah blah..

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh... and you know what the worst part is?

I've caught the bug as well.... Am trying my level best to stay away and SO, if u ever hear me start a sentence with a SO, remind me of this post!

So, I'l see ya around... gotta rush..
So, good night..
So, sweet dreams..
so...so..so..so..

PS. In Hindi, it means "to sleep". :-)
Me off to sleep..

Atif Aslam...

2008-09-15T22:30:00.003+05:30

I'm in love with the music of this guy..his songs help me get through work without any issues... I totally adore this song..

Pnr # 3 - Shoppoholic..

2008-09-02T21:55:00.001+05:30

PnR # 2 - The Flying Horse...

2008-09-01T12:19:00.002+05:30

By the way..the correct answer is "PEGASUS"...

PnR - # 1 - TOWT "OVER" Confident One...

2008-08-30T23:30:00.002+05:30

Moments...

2008-08-30T21:47:00.000+05:30

The series of cartoons that I shall create are basically place holders for the interesting times of my life...
Rules and Disclaimers:
#The characters are fictitious and in case there is a fan following of sorts, I shall not hesitate in selling merchandise...
# The actual incidents may be altered to suit interests..but the gist shall remain.
# The protagonists in the strip shall remain same irrespective of the people involved in real life.
# If there are more people involved besides the 2 main protagonists, there shall be special appearances mentioned. (If not, I can be sued.)

PS. Its my first work. So, please be cooperative and appreciate the effort even if u can find loads of blunders.

Enjoy... Episode 1 - Pushpa and Ramesh - The "Confident One"...

hide and go seek...

2008-07-25T11:24:00.000+05:30

I can see a small cloud playing hide and seek with the sun. I have nothing better to do than look out of my window and notice how the cloud teases the mighty one. Not that I don't like the effect of the game (its so damn hot these days..) but I particularly enjoy the spirit of the game. How the tiny thing tries to conquer its world (or probably ours..) and how the "great ball of fire" lets it do so for a split second but ultimately proves its power. (At the midst of this I suddenly remember the song - Goodness gracious great balls of fire...

So that breaks my spell and I am back to reality...This attempt at taking my mind off things has surely helped. I feel light and spirited.. (huh).. Basically, I am right now in my own random world. Pardon me. I shall be out of this pretty soon. Hopefully.

PS. All the best.. :-)

Abso-bloody-lutely weird....

2008-07-18T07:28:00.000+05:30

Oh..well..yes..I am very frustrated !!!!
I have this weird track record of falling sick the day I take leave from office. And somehow, its never the other way around where I fall sick and then take a leave.. (in retrospect, I guess there may be a few occasions..). But then this is so not fair especially when I have a million things to do.. :-(. See, thats why I am frustrated.

Anyway, I guess I should get off the comp now and utilize the "bachi-kuchi" energy to the maximum... Naah, not by cribbing the day off... :-P
cya...

Jennifer and Olive...

2008-06-22T19:10:00.000+05:30

I re-read this book for the umpteenth time and I still cried. Damn!! I love the character of the guy. For those who loved and cried with Love Story and haven't yet read its sequel, my advise would be - go ahead and do so asap. It's called Oliver's Story and it depicts how Oliver copes after Jen. There may not be many like Oliver (and I seriously hope there aren't) but still I definitly would respect another him with all my heart. :-)

PS. Read either of the books only if u have the capability to moisten your eyes while reading. Those of you who can't do so, the book may seem a bore.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit.....

2008-06-20T10:15:00.000+05:30

This morning I somehow managed to land up on a site that showed numerous design templates for a site. Something struck me as I saw the page. The entire main text area was filled with a very familiar assortment of statements. Obviously, Lorem ipsum dolor sit..... .

This text seems Latin at the look of it. It actually is. It is very often used in design mock-ups as a filler and the best part is that it does not intend to mean anything at all. Its gibberish. The nonsensical nature of this text provides it the beauty that leads designers to grab this text with arms wide open while displaying their designs. Now, one may reason, why do designers not use some fancy text as content because at the end of the day all they want is the viewers attention. But this reasoning basically does not include the most important point. The designer wants the viewer to view the design and not get the viewer caught up on the ornate text. It simply shifts focus.

This text caught the limelight somewhere during the 1500s when a printer adapted Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum to develop a page of type samples. Since then, the Latin-like text has been the printing industry's standard for fake, or dummy, text. Before electronic publishing, graphic designers had to mock up layouts by drawing in squiggled lines to indicate text. The advent of self-adhesive sheets preprinted with "Lorem ipsum" gave a more realistic way to indicate where text would go on a page.

The modern "Lorem Ipsum" was first created for Aldus Corporation program 's first desktop publishing Aldus PageMaker in the mid-1980s for the Apple Macintosh. Art director Laura Perry adapted older forms of the lorem text from typography samples. The text was frequently used in PageMaker templates.

Placing a part of Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum ...The highlighted text is the "Lorem Ipsum" text.

Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos, qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit, amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt, ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit, qui in ea voluptate velit esse, quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum, qui dolorem eum fugiat, quo voluptas nulla pariatur? [33] At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus, qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti, quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint, obcaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa, qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio, cumque nihil impedit, quo minus id, quod maxime placeat, facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet, ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

References:-
http://support.microsoft.com
http://graphicdesign.about.com
http://en.wikipedia.org

I hope this is not true...

2008-06-19T10:52:00.000+05:30

Ok. If you have read my earlier posts, there is a mention of the movie - "The Happening". In the film, Mark Wahlberg asks his students for potential causes for the sudden wiping out of bees from earth. There were quite a few views that were put forth but I thought most of them had no scientific basis.
However, while surfing the net today, I found this article that spills some logic to the whole scenario. According to it, certain scientists claim that the reason for the decline in the number of bees is the harmful radiations that are emitted via the mobile handsets. Doesn't seem too relevant the first time you read it right? But try reading the entire article here to see if it makes sense.
As if that piece was not enough, I happened to be skimming through the forwarded mails in my inbox and found this link. See it to make fun and laugh but do think about the serious consequences. This seems crazy enough but if true, can be really scary. So, I thought I would try and do some research on the same lines.
My research started with the basics -I wanted to know how harmful was my handset. Did it have the potential to damage the tissues in my brain? Where there any workarounds because I don't think its a practical enough idea to just not use one. So I checked on a few sites and the specifications of my set as well. There were numerous bits of information that I gathered along and you can continue to read on to find those.

I begin from the beginning. I am assuming half of the people reading this post are not aware of what an SAR is. For the benefit of those who don't - SAR - "Refers to Specific Absorption Rate and indicates the amount of radiation that is absorbed by the head while using a mobile handset. A higher SAR depicts higher amount of radiation and vice versa".
For a more scientific definition - "An SAR value is a measure of the maximum energy absorbed by a unit of mass of exposed tissue of a person using a mobile phone, over a given time or more simply the power absorbed per unit mass. SAR values are usually expressed in units of watts per kilogram (W/kg) in either 1g or 10g of tissue."

Now that the definition is clear, the more obvious question would be what do we mean by a lesser SAR and does my cell phone have the lesser one? According to a new piece I read, Indian government shall soon force vendors in India to specify the SAR levels on handsets as is done in the West. But this does not solve the problem. I still don't know the acceptable levels.

So, the next safest option would be to try and compare the SAR levels amongst phones that are sold in the West (at least for self satisfaction). I see that my cell - a Nokia N73 displays an SAR of 0.92 W/kg.
Australia and US place the higher limit for SAR value as 1.6 W/kg while Europe requires it to be 2W/kg. There seems to be some sort of a deviation between my N73 and the European standard, but I guess all that this would signify would probably be that it'l just take a little longer for the radiations to affect the tissues of my head.
Anyway, a few work-arounds that could probably help -
1. Battery sheilders
2. Using a hands-free to keep the handset as far away from the head.
3. Using alternatives when possible (eg Internet/messaging...)

I am trying to be on the safer side, hence, thought of sharing all this. If anyone shuns this piece of information as bogus - thats ok. I would rather try and save my neurons... :-)

Thats me... :-)

2008-06-18T11:06:00.000+05:30

Amazing song - Amazing lyrics... I loved the movie as well..

2008-06-17T17:41:00.001+05:30

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a river in the mountains tall,
The rumble of your water would be my call.
If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow
Just as long as you were with me, when the cold winds blow.

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod
If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug
And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

If you were the wood, I'd be the fire.
If you were the love, I'd be the desire.
If you were a castle, I'd be your moat,
And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float.

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea.

"O re piya" this time...

2008-06-17T09:50:00.000+05:30

Haah..my 6 minutes of fame this time was courtesy "O re Piya" and it was appreciated a lot as well. There were no hot and spicy events this time but the most memorable moment was when this instructor of mine, who met me after more than a year came straight to me and says "Hey Chaya..How are u doing? ".. I was amazed. Fancy remembering each and every of your students name when in effect you have more than 500 of them every month.(I could just be exaggerating the figures..) On top of it, consider the time elapsed.

Anyway..I could go on writing tonnes of words praising this guy but that would change the scope of this altogether. Back to the point. We did an Indo Jazz style that turned out pretty neat. The best part of the entire show was the dance in "sign language" dedicated to the VAF kids. That was awesome.

I advance to another level now. Lets hope this one turns out to be as interesting. (Fingers Crossed.). Shall keep updating.. :-)

It indeed is happening....

2008-06-14T23:08:00.000+05:30

Saw this movie over the weekend - "The happening", and I have no words to describe how amazingly directed and scripted it is. (I wonder why then am I blogging!!!!)
For now, I don't think I would like to spoil interests of others by revealing the plot, but the impressive things about the movie can be listed (since I am so fond of lists.. ;-) ).
Listing those -
- Mind blowing depiction of the intensely gruesome scenes. ( I literally covered my eyes more than 7 times while watching the movie.)
- Element of humor brought in in the most cute manner via the mushy-mushy talks.
- Brilliant acting by everyone
- The small little details that need to be followed to understand the movie in totality.
- The hair style of the lead female actor (he he..its pretty similar to mine, thats why included this as well.. )

Well, those of you who like sci-fi wouldn't mind spending a couple of hundreds on this one. I sure enjoyed each and every minute of those 90 minutes..

PS. I did hear from a friend that it seemed to be stretched towards the end..but my argument would be.. "Its a 90 minute long movie, how much shorter do you expect it to be??? "

Making waves over the AIR..

2008-05-25T20:32:00.000+05:30

Just didn't feel like doing what I was supposed to be doing... oops..that sounds weird. Anyways, here's a masterpiece of mine...after a long time..thanks for the patience.. :-)

Ever noticed, how integral a part of our lives has the radio become? The RJs chattering in between the numerous songs, used to irritate me slightly and especially all the funnily weird jokes (not that mine are better...but still..) that are cracked. But then there were the songs that pumped up the adrenaline, to wake me up while going to office or sing me a lullaby on the way back. I used to think - thats all that the radio has to it. But this feeling of mine changed recently.

I was made aware of the fact that how sound transmitted via the air waves can save lives. How a simple appeal can change the way people feel. I was amazed to see that there is so much humanity all around. I never knew the people around me cared so much for someone they did not even see or for that matter, did not even know.

An abridged version of the story - "A family came to India from a neighboring country. Someone fell ill and was to be admitted to a hospital. There was blood required urgently. A simple appeal made on the radio. A friend of mine, called up. The date and time were fixed. On the day the blood was required, turned out that the donation was not required. Someone else has already donated".

There was a race and it was not a race to win. It was a race of humanity.. (no pun intended). People turned up from all walks of life to help the family. And the best part, many of those were related to me in some way or the other. Feels amazingly good.

This entire piece was not to spell India - Pakistan unity or anything. Its supposed to mean much more than that. Its more about the unity among people than the name that binds them. I feel proud right now.

Proud of u Alok...and all those who helped... :-)

And of course there are many more instances that can be attributed to the way the radio can change lives, but this one sure changed my way of thinking.. :-)

Life - A Palindrome...

2008-01-25T14:33:00.000+05:30

My routine these days...

Morning - office
Night - home
Next morning - office
Next night - home
Another random day - office
Another random night - home
Morning - office
....

and the story continues.. The Palindrome of life... read it anyways and the order remains the same.. (and please don't get into contradictions).. ;-)

I must be sounding so desperate..but naah..I'm loving every bit of it.. :-)

Credits :- Gautam. Thanks for the realization..

Mauja Mauja...

2007-12-10T11:55:00.000+05:30

awesome..
amazing..
brilliant..

loved the day... enormous amounts of fun mixed with a dash of cold and lots of glitter.. After all, sajna hai mujhe...divesh ke liye.. ( right Jackie?? ) umm.. nothing scandalous abt that line intended..and also don't get wrong ideas.. :P

anyways...wanted to pen down a few of the days highlights.. ( though I've mentioned the most important one.. ;-) )
- my dad whistled while being amongst the audience.. (proud o' him )
- my scarves came out on time..and I didn't fall in in spite of wearing the amazingly flared flares.. (btw, we beat SRK's look in the first half of OSO )
- my dress did not tear though it took me a good 10 mins to take it off... (damn the tailor...)
- backstage songs = "aankh maare o ladka aankh maare" and "hawa hawa..e hawa.."
- mooli ke parathen.. (how could I forget..or importantly..how could Sikander forget.. ;-) )
- and my cell phone becoming the adda of new phone numbers.. and hopefully something materializing as well..

In short, the entire day was full of Mauja Mauja...

PS. Ashish said it was good.. (mission accomplished..)

My 6 minutes of fame...

2007-12-03T12:14:00.000+05:30

Lights..camera..action..
and then starts the music..the DJ screaming and we howling... how the lights shall dance...my six minutes of fame shall begin with a blackout..
One bar to enter (oops and I dont mean the "bar" bar..i meant the 8 counts equivalent bar ) and then there's no looking back.. all the gold and green and purples shall shimmer away to glory..the feet shall tap..the parents shall be proud..the teachers tense..the atmosphere is going to be electric.. thats what I am hoping will be the scene.. :-)

the wait is gonna get over and that too soon..the early morning drives and sleep deprivations shall finally conclude..all the muscle aches shall soon be gone.. yo.. I am excited.. yo again...he he..

anyways...the updates on thursday please...till then lemme bask in the glory of my six minutes of fame.. ;-)

Sunlight is the best disinfectant...

2007-09-28T12:13:00.000+05:30

" Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” a well-known quote from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis ".
Damn!! My lack of knowledge. I actually thought that it was an arbit sentence when I first read it in a book. Luckily, I happened to remember it right now and figured that it was a legitimate one that probably meant something in the light of the chapter that I was reading. I guess I would have to re-read the book again to find out where it was.

Just thought I'd post this so that the sentence doesn't seem arbit to someone else like me.... :-)

0 ~ 1 or 1 ~ 0...the effect is always the same... ;-)

2007-09-25T18:51:00.000+05:30

Toggling.... thats more than just a verb that tries to "switch" between two states... and all the ECE world that is reading this, naah, this is not about your favorite "NOT" gate. This post is a salute to all the "toggle" fundas of mine... Am sure for most of the readers this is as absurd as the lonely goatherd who kept shouting . .. Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo...

Ha ha...anyways...thinking as far as I could, I came up with this hypothesis that there always is present this shadow of urs that is a perfect toggle...( and can u imagine...shadow = my namesake...what a coincidence!!!! gasp with wonder..).

Consider, in absolute terms, a shadow is so much a part of the toggling world. You are the 1 and ur shadow is the 0.. ( in case u've started believing or even milder, thinking about whatever I just said...what is wrong with u? ) The above was the weirdest comment I have ever made..

I had actually intended to write a very serious piece, but then it somehow slipped off my mind and here I am toggling away to glory all the buttons on my key board.. :-)
Yeah...so the main toggling affected areas –

- At sometime, you are the confused person and at the same sometime ur shadow is the most convinced thing around. U look here and there - confused, whereas the other is convincingly staring down at u...PERFECT

- Times when u are innocent and your shadow is naughty. Naughty as in….ur shadow playing around with u…and how in the world does that happen? Umm…don't ask me. The neurons in my head just compelled my fingers to type that bit of information.

- Days when u hate shopping and your shadow loves it… Don't curse me now. This post is meant to be full of absurdities for all those who are not up-to-date with current affairs. But am sure that is not a deterrent to most people reading.

- Hmm...Memory... Remember how once upon a time you could remember everything and how now it takes constant reminding and bickering to remember a few things. And if u thought the shadow aspect was missing ....duh uh...the shadow was the forgetful creature previously and now is the reminder. Role reversal.

Basically, on a very serious note, toggling can, in a very matter of factly tone, turn out to be one of the most rewarding experiences. ( I dont see the rewards yet, though... ;-) ). In the "down the memory lane" walk, the things you did versus the things you do, can reveal the subtle changes that you, as a person, have undergone. How you've started doing something that you despised and how u have started disliking what u loved (doing..). This is probably another piece of evidence that adds credibility to the fact that - "Nothing is permanent but change".

(WOW : I ended this thing on a serious note... :-) )

Dedicated to all those in love….

2007-08-27T18:36:00.000+05:30

Love is…

Not just an emotion… it’s a thought…
Not a word…it’s happiness…
Not lust… it’s innocence…
Not about stating…it’s about understanding…
Not about remembering…it’s about reminding…
Not about the distance… it’s about being close…
Not about spoken words…it's about the things left unsaid…
Not about the attachment…its about the never let go attitude..

Love is…
When u never say sorry…

All those of you who know me enough might find this very typically not me…but then, that’s ohkay… :-)

Confessions....

2007-08-23T14:08:00.000+05:30

1. I adore penguins.
2. I hate the KSeries serials ..yuck…
3. I love working on pdfs, actually, I love ripping them apart.
4. I love finding weird logics to stuff that I don’t seem to understand.
5. I detest attitude - throwing people, totally avoid them.
6. I hate thinking.
7. I have become a tea – addict..( I donno how good or bad that is)
8. I am a sadist to the core… ( not the ganda waala… )
9. I speak only when I am spoken to.
10. I generally do not lie….though I hide the truth.
11. I used to have a major crush on Ajit Agarkar… ( don’t ask me – “why him?”..)
12. I cry whenever my mom scolds me…
13. I can read 5 books at a time… ( multi tasking..)

And now, since I am forced to think, I shall quit writing this post.

For Starters...

2007-08-16T11:10:00.000+05:30

Hopefully, deciphering the name of this blog was no Herculean task...but for all those lazy junta out there who probably consider the name as yet another random antic of mine - I just have 3 words for u ..."Get a life " ..

As is always said, the name is more than just an identity...its a carrier of luck as well..thats precisely why I had devoted 4 long weeks just to get a "numerologically - sound" one.. and pls I would not like to get the award for the most " far-sighted visionionary ".. ( and for the less informed creatures - I dont have any of the contagious myopia or heteromyopia sort of diseases.. )

anyways...getting to the point..( btw, am sure by now, many of us may have realised the fact that I love wandering away from whatever I do..and no Idont mean I walk with my lappy in my hands...) well...I have many more characterisitics..but then, u will have to wait for a long post that shall elaborate on those... yeah..so where were we...yup...the point..

the carefully designed, intricately thought, thoroughly googled and finally decided name.....

well, it actually means.. ( meanings from dictionary.com )

cornucopia - an abundant, overflowing supply.

of - am sure u all know what this means...if not...u shouldnt be reading this post at all...be ashamed "of" urself ...

gobbledygook - language characterized by circumlocution and jargon, usually hard to understand

and now that u know what it means...u shall be able to relate to all the arbit stuff that shall be a part of it.

FYI... ( in case u didnt get all the sarcasm...lemme explain...the name was just a crazy idea...There wasnt an iota of research involved...basically...I am trying to tell u that..the creative ideas are screaming at ur face... ;-) )

Finally….I have found him.. after 10 years… phew..

2007-08-16T11:09:00.000+05:30

Guess what? Last week I finally found my long lost – recently found – childhood love…He is probably the most adorably cute or cutely adorable guy ever … Imagine, I have survived 10 full years without having to see him. Its been so dull and boring…believe me…

By the way, FYI, he is “MARIO”.. that cute little young lad wearing red pants.. growing up on mushrooms .. eating leaves and firing “fire balls” … slaying dragons and finally rescuing the princess…MARIO my HERO
(PS. Cheat codes can help bypass most of the trouble.. ;-) )

A day I shall remember forever...

2007-08-14T11:36:00.000+05:30

Umm...In case ur wondering whats so special about the day, let me have the pleasure of informing u that
- today is the day when I have finally realised a very important aspect of my life...
- discovered the reason to live...
- added another feather to the numerous already-existing ones in my hat...( and come to think about it, I dont even wear one..)...

Anyways, bottomline, today is the day when I (in capitals) have created a BLOG (also in capitals). Dammit, the power of procrastination has been deceived and the creative instincts within me have been unleashed. Its a memorable day for me, but for all of u...pray for ur well being. ;-)
(I am actually riding on a wave of emotion right now..feels awesome...ok...I guess I am over reacting...but who cares...I still am overjoyed... :-) )
So, till we meet again...