Literally Literary!

Picked up this post from a tag thrown open to all and the Oil companies strike has given be some free time at home to complete it... Would declare it as my almost fav tag jus behind 'fav 10 tracks' tag

My top 10 fav literary characters:

1)Karna : According to me the hero of the greatest epic ever!!!Stood for courage,loyalty and genorisity... my dream man!

2)Krishna: He would have been the best politician today...mastermind behind the epic war and then gave us  one of the deepest yet simplest way of leading a happy life... karma

3)Jeeves : I dont think I need to elaborate here!

4) Hassan : The sucker of selflessness that I am Hassan stands tall above all literary characters..except Karna maybe who was more believable

5)Scarlett O Hara : This seemingly selfish and cunning lady I believe, is the best example of grit and optimism in the world of literary characters... her last line "After all, tomorrow is another day" in my opinion pips " Frankly speaking dear, i care a damn" for the numero uno spot in the best line in the book competition!

6) William Brown: Ah noone has made me laugh more than him in my school days..Hats off to Richmal Crompton for creating such a lovable character

7)Dumbledore: The headmaster with the half moon spectacles was actually ' the one' in the Potter series..bigger than the protagonist himself .... I dont think the book should ever make a comeback now that he's gone!

8) Claudine : She hated the sports class in St Clares...jus like me!! :)... She was brazen, looked down upon the English sense of righteousness and yet so warm... 

9) Tenali Raman and Birbal : One a jester , one a minister.. both of em  sharp,witty and funny ...always marvelled at the way they solved their king's problem in the uniquest of ways... they might have existed in reality.. but stories of their wit and intellect have made them unforgettable characters in Indian children's literature... 

10)Mersault : The central character  of " The Stranger" and my favorite amongst my recent reads... His indifference,emotional detachment and remorselessness are metaphors of the world we inhabit  ... So shallow yet so profound.; Mersualt makes you rethink about all the social absurdities that define our so called evolved human sensibility !

My City

I sit here in an alien country counting the days to get back to India...It my city again... a mockery of its spirit, a mockery of its multi cultarilism , a mockery of its open arms..

I feel anger, pain ,sorrow ... but the feeling that engulfs me and is killing me is the one of helplessness...

I face questions here..

This happens very often in India doesn't it??

Why do u look so tense ... Mumbai always gets back to normalcy!!!

People talking to me about partying on this day of tragedy like I come from a militancy infested state!!!

Why is India always blaming its neighbour?

Why didn't we talk about 9/11 in the same breath ... like a normal terrorist attack....

Because the country made it a big thing... because the common man questioned it... because he thought only if he lived and died in dignity could he demonstrate his true spirit!!!

I know its a matter of livelihood... but without ' live' there is no meaning to the word...

It is time we all came out strongly...not just asking questions in our circles but through morchas. through voting, through rallies,public demonstrations,student movements,youth movement....that's how our country got freedom from foreign rule and that is the only way we can get freedom from a weak and indecisive rule!

Jaane Kyuuunn!!

Am addicted to the latest song from Dostana.. Jaane Kyun.. which sounds suspiciously like the Friends Theme Song... not tune wise but the whole lyrics and concept wise..

The lyrics although very banal and highly unpoetic struck a chord with me...Vishal Dadlani has finally given up the wannabe rockstar voice and the tune itself it very catchy.. Loved this part..

Jo dil mein taare waare de jaga
Wo tu hi hai tu hi hai
Jo rote rote de hansa
Tu hi hai wohi

Jaane kyun dil jaanta hai
Tu hai to I ll be all right

.........................................................................................................................................

On the vulgarity..err..reality show front... Monica  Bedi has made a come back into 'the house'!!!! I was hoping it would be poor man's Rakhi Sawant,Sambhavana... so that Roomie and me could get more cheap thrills watching B grade actresses fight  for 'whos more upmarket' title and UPDE ; Ugly Public Display of Everything(Payal's intolerable voice, Unfit Rahuls bare chest, and Raja's  ' for haven's sake' language)..Anyways back to dearest desh drohi Monica.. .. its time for the biggest love triangle ever... so pls dont miss today's episode!!! ( No Big Boss does not pay me... surprising no!)

Another Tag!

1. What is your occupation right now? Consultant
2. What color are your socks? Right now no socks on otherwise white
3. What are you listening to right now? Water in the bathroom
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Breakfast.. Sevai with Rajma ( I know... weird combination!!)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Aparna
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yess !
8. How old are you today? 25
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Tennis
10. What is your favorite drink? Nimbu Paani
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? No
12. Favorite food? Seafood
13. What is the last movie you watched? Yun hota to kya hota
14. Favorite day of the year? 31st Dec - 1st Jan .. I love the New year spirit!!
15. How do you vent anger? Shout /Cry
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? I never played with toys.. but I guess my cooking set.
17. What is your favorite season? Winter all the way... it cold outside and you can get warm and cosy inside with a book and hot munchies
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries . I have never tasted blueberries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? As in?? If i mail them...?? yes obviously!!
20. Who is the most likely to respond? Rachit
21. Who is least likely to respond? Everyone else
22. Living arrangements? Great
23. When was the last time you cried? Hmm... watching Mumbai meri Jaan
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Nothing
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are> sending to? ??? What?
26. What did you do last night? Watched Big Boss!!! :):)
27. What are you most afraid of being lost? Dignity
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? I dont have hamburgers
29. Favorite dog breed(s): Labrador!!!!
30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
31. How many states have you lived in? Only one!!! Maharashtra!!
32. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
33. What is your favorite flower? Lilies

Look who's singing!

Client site:

A voice humming : Loot jaoon Loot jaoon Loot jaaon mai us karz me

Noone reacts initially... continues humming

A little later another voice joins in : Hari Om Hari Om Hari Om Om

I presume they must be joking about Monty exerting his olfactry senses with a vengeance but I hear no giggles.. I turn back to see them singing in  all seriousness .. I act superior shoot them disgusted expressions.. they blush.. I make them feel small by saying stuff like ' o my gawd u even remember the lyrics.. how can you... have some class'

Fast forward 2 days:

Me pouring over excel sheets full of inventory numbers... suddenly hear a voice singing : Tan Tan Tan Tandoori nights...If loving you is wrong then I dont wanna be right...' Ahhhh not again!

I feel a lil breathless , my nose aches.... I wonder why and  turn around to ask for some water...

I find five faces shooting supercilious looks at me with smug expressions which said ' Look who is singing! ' 

A Fishy Affair

One more recipe from the ' eat right' stable
This is for the non veggies... fish is an excellent source of protein as we all know and according to me the best thing on the unappetizing diet plate... ( I prefer fish to chicken)
Ingredients:
2 fish slices/fillets
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Fat free curd - 2tbsps
Salt - as per taste
Tumeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice/Vinegar - 1 tbsp
1) Mix all the ingredients except fish together and make a smooth paste
2) Marinate the fish in this mixture for 15 minutes
3) Get your steamer ready... you can use an idli vessel/or a perforated steamer vessel which is available in most of the stores
4) Place the fish pieces in the steamer vessel and the steamer vessel in ur normal pressure cooker and cook w/o the weight for 20 minutes on a medium flame
5) Alternatively you can also cook the entire thing along with the curd marination (becomes the gravy) in a pan with a tempering of 1/4 tsp mustard oil and mustard seeds
6) Serve with a lil lemon squeezed and have it with brown rice to make a nice meal!

PS: The weighing scales show I have lost 5 kilos :):)...

A Simple Crush!

So everyone(read the female species) has crushes on the toast of the season... Hrithik in Dhoom made girls drool and SRK in DDLJ made every girl mushy like a swamp ..
Stangely my crushes have always been the untoasted people of the season...

Akshay Kumar as early as I remember got my heart racing in a dud movie called Dhadkan... I remember my cousin calling him a monkey and me defending him fiercely...
Salman Khan in Khamoshi... one of the few movies where he wasnt displaying his bare torso ...melted my heart
A. R.Rahman asking the reporter on national television what the meaning of the word 'muse' was made me go awwwww
Hrithik Roshan's goofy avtaar in Lakshya made me fall in love with him...
and as I reflect why it was not a Hera Pheri, HAHK, or Dhoom which made me go gaga over these stars.....
Well guess that's because the characters they played were designed to have that kind of an effect on the audience and seemed too contrived.. The characters which I liked had one common quality about them ...simplicity and that was very endearing...
Simplicity as it is said is the peak of civilization...
The musical genuis accepting on national television that he did not know the meaning of the word just reaffirms this fact!

The Special Bond

Big Egoes
Large Size
Loud Mouths
Big Arguments
Bigger Fights
Selfish to the Core
Extreme Vindictiveness
Fierce Competition
Big Ambition
Big Risks
Big Decisions
Big Parties
Big Appetite
Inane Jokes
Loads of Laughter
Big Enjoyment
Big Hugs
Long Drives
Long Discussions
Mindless Chats
Nicknames Galore
Promises Galore
Weaving Stories
Common goals
Lots of Adventure
Innumerable Dreams
Loads of Love
.....A special bond!

Salad

My latest obession is fighting the battle of the bulge... I have blown up my entire first salary on joining an upscale gym and have hired a personal trainer ( never imagined my penchant for bollywood would influence me to such great levels)..Endless hours have been spent digging out articles on Raveena'a weight loss diet and Bipasha's exercise regime,Adnan Samis weight loss secret,Sonam kapoor's weight loss formula, Atkins weight lossdiet,Zone weight loss diet,South Beach weight loss diet,GM weight loss diet and what not...Yes the keyword is weight loss:)

So after tons of unassigned consulting hours spent on assmilating data I have come up with a formidable database of low calorie meals and dishes...Btw I haven't lost significant amount of kilos or inches.. . Yet I strive to consume the unpalatable diet that transfomed the Sonams and the Raveenas of the tinseltown in the hope that it would work wonders for me someday.. Here is one semi palatable recipe from my diet...

Fat Free Curd( You can use Amul masti dahi too just has 78 calories in 100 gms)- 1/2 cup
Capsicum - 1 finely chopped
Tomates -2 Deseeded and finely chopped
Onion -1 finely chopped
And add anything else from this list.. raisins, badams(high fat so limited),mushrooms,paneer,chicken pieces,corn,(high carb so beware),olives,pickles,brocolli,cauliflower,boiled eggs(avoid the yolk),cabbage strips,lettuce
Crushed garlic - 2 pods or you can use readymade garlic paste
Olive oil - (optional)
Black pepper Powder
Salt
One Sugarfree pellet
Limejuice or vinegar -1 tbsp
Oregano (optional)
Mint/Coriander leaves(optional)

Procedure:
1)Hang the curd using any old handkerchief for 10 minutes squeeze out the water ( You can just use the curd directly if you want but that will turn the salad a little watery)
2) To this add salt ,pepper,sugarfree tablet,garlic paste,vinegar,mint/coriander leaves,oregano,olive oil and mix well
3) In a big bowl add all the remaining ingredients along with some lime juice
4) Add the dressing
5) Mix well and serve chilled
It might not sound appetizing but trust me it tastes decent enough and fills you stomach!
PS Add very little groundnuts/roasted moondal orchanna/chivda to give it that crunchiness

Strange are the ways of life!

There was a reason why I wanted to do my MBA. Yes, TOI reports on astronomical sums being paid to 25 year ol somethings was one,the other was my experience with a consulting firm called A when I was working for L&T. I was part of the client team and A was there to reengineer our business process.

I was very excited to be chosen in the client team and even more excited to interact with those 25 year old demi-gods from the IIMs and XLRIs of the world.They came in with fancy laptops (yeah 3 yrs back getting a laptop was a dream of every engineer in L&T), they made fancier PPTs and gave seemingly profound insights into our business.They worked furiously on excel sheets and devoured data like hungry dogs.Their graphs and charts were works of art . They made some amazing changes to our existing process by adding ten new processes and they got paid by the hour (Rs3000per hour for a fresh MBA grad).In short I was spellbound!I decided MBA it is and Consulting it is for me!

I got recruited by A through campus placements. I was super thrilled!I was told I would be a part of the supposed backend global team and I would be called an Analyst. Though disappointed I still bravely took up the offer, thinking about the measly client interaction I had being a Marketing engineer in L&T.The folks from A convinced me it was a well thought of decision to put me in the backend team with my domain expertise .Then comes my day of induction and 13 of us bundled up in a room made for 5 people. I dont see a projector, I dont even see a laptop in that room. A confused HR moves around frantically asking if anyone has come to, well ,induct us into the organization. Suddenly 7 of us are taken into a different room. HR pops head again says "You guys are part of the front end domestic business".Just like that I was thrown from their 'well planned decision'of putting me in a back end job to a front end job.So much for a company which preaches about organizational management to 350 of the fortune 500!!! I have experienced royalty as a new joinee in L&T as well as P&G (internship) so this came as a rude shock. I calmed my self saying might have been an unplanned induction program things will get better. Three hours over noone came in and then we had a hurried induction made on a very old laptop. We are then informed that after the induction we have to fend for ourselves.The office cannot accomodate more than 70 people so we need to pre book our seats.I again calmed myself down saying it was just a phase ,I would be on a project soon and things would change.

Three months done.. I still dont have a fixed seat ( ok that's a part and parcel of consulting), cannot make fancy ppts and my fingers do no work magic excel sheets, I have not received a single welcome mail from my service line head ( He is busy getting projects for me) and surprisingly I am still not staffed on a project ,I don't have a boss to report my boredom to and there is no way to know if work is coming in the near future..! I am a useless resource and it is reaffirmed every fortnight as I fill in my time sheet with unassigned hours... unassigned hours in consulting = falling into a deep bottomless pit!

I'm in the very organization that drove me to do my MBA ... and am left wondering whether the organization values the MBA :) ...Strange are the ways of life!

Tagged!

Got tagged by Bala so here I go!Was too long so jus answering as much as I can!

3 JOYS:

1. Good Music

2. Good Book

3. Good Movie

3 FEARS:

1. Losing loved ones

2. Living on the streets

3. Heights

3 GOALS:

1. To start something of my own

2. To retire half as rich as the Ambanis now

3. To be size 1 :):)

3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS:

None.I am boring.

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS:

1. Looking for my first car

2. Dieting

3. Books

3 PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH:

1. Ross

2.Joey

3. RC

3 THINGS I DONT UNDERSTAND:

1. Communism

2. Need to rape/molest/evetease

3. Electronics Engineering

3 THINGS I HATE:

1. Malicious Criticism

2. Laughter Challenge

3. Bad Attitude

3 THINGS I AM DOING RIGHT NOW:

1. Blogging

2. Chatting

3. Orkutting

3 THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

1. Your heart ( cliched but I believe it!)

2. Mohammed Rafi

3. Pandit Jasraj

SATC : The moral of the story

SATC(Sex and the city duh!) hit the theatres, the girls changed their costumes with a lightning speed of one costume per frame, New York is once again unrealistically portrayed as the city of love and all that mush, Miranda yet again faced the cynic vs. true love syndrome, Samantha ogled at a few Greek gods reincarnated and much to our disappointment did not give into the temptation, Charlotte finally got pregnant (Thank god for that… she pestered every man in her life for a kid!) and Carrie got yet another ‘I hate commitment and you are my doormat 'treatment from Mr. Big only to shamelessly run into his arms taking cue from her assistant's 'wrecked n resurrected to realise true love' relationship !

Despite it being an outrageous and garrulous fashion fiesta in the guise of a movie, despite its apotheosis of a man’s presence in woman’s life, despite the lack of even a semblance of a story line, despite the girls looking botoxed…. I liked the movie… and I love the series!

The reason is simple. The basic underlying principle of solid and enduring friendship appeals to me. I have always been a sucker for romance more so the friendship beyond reason kind of romance. My favorite characters have been Karna ( Mahabharata) and Hassan (Kite Runner) !The girls remind me of my closest school friends M&M.These are the people who’ll stand by me knowing that I have done the silliest thing in the world and never be judgmental!

So even though Carrie and her girls come across as regressive male obsessed dating creatures… they are unpretentious, warm and caring... and stand for something extremely rare… simple,hasslefree and everlasting friendship !

GIving up being a wannabe!!

1) Watching 'all' the Hindi Movies and enjoying them was(is) like so down market ,so I started making an effort to watch English movies ,sometimes even Turkish and Korean (that's classier u know)...but what the heck I watch movies for entertainment ,to lighten my mood and lift up my spirits ...sorry ' No country for Old men 'its 'Om Shanti Om' all the way for me!!!

2)A mp3 player full of Hindi Songs is so not happening!So i tried adding the Linking parks,Norah Jones and U2s of the world but in vain... It is Beedi and Billo that get me moving ,Tashan that gets me grooving and well I find Jashn e Bahara very soothing!

3) I tried eating at the Little Itlays,Bombay Blues,The Parks of the world... their servings make me feel I am in primary school...Give me a Srishti or Discovery any day who acknowledge the fact that I am 25 yrs old and so is my appetite!!

4) And I finally I give up trying to read The Economic Times and the Mckinsey Quarterly... I really find my peace and all the news I need in Midday and Mumbai Mirror!!

Matter of Choice

My to be roomy told me that I should change my dressing sense..quite a few people have told me that and I started wondering where I was going wrong

If I take a test on choosiness quotient , I know I would score a straight D-. If there is one word that can describe me perfectly it is indecisive which has lead to most of the decisions in my life being made with what the world thinks is the right think to do and world = Family,friends,celebrities,counselors and all that jazz...
I have never chosen the dresses I wear,its either my mom or my aunt...
I have no specific choices in food,whatever the group wants...
I didn't choose what I wanted to do after 10th or 12th like most of the students...
I didn't even choose the kind of specialization I wanted to do in engineering...
and true to my character I was again on the verge of not choosing what I want to do after engineering..
and then something changed I chose not to go the beaten path of MS in the US and decided to stay back and work with L&T...
I chose to work in a men dominated Sales and Marketing team of L&T...
I chose to pursue my MBA and join NITIE
I chose to join the placement committee and give up the holiday called NITIE...
I chose to pursue Consulting as my career...
And these choices have brought in more confidence than ever because they have been just my decisions with no influences ...
Each one of these decisions have been made after I have talked to myself and found out what I really want and the feeling is great because I love what I do and am successful in it..

Maybe the same thing goes for dressing up .. I have never really had a personal style or taste or wondered what I want to look like..in fact have never bought a dress alone..same for eating..I have never wondered what right for me and what my body wants ..
And I realize maybe thats why I am never confident of what I wear cos I have never involved myself in the decision of what to where and never took a decision on how to look!!
So the resolution is I am going to take tremendous interest in how I look,what i wear,what I eat ! and i am going to make my roomy to go wow on my dressing sense!!

(Phew so much f0r an insipid comment and an equally insipid decision!)

Jis Lahore nahin dekhya woh jamya hi nahi!

Jis Lahore nahin dekhya woh jamya hi nahi!....A poignant story of the dark time called partition.... a partition that stood testimony to hatred,intolerance and fanaticism...thousands attacked and hundreds killed.. a generation rendered homeless with a total loss of national identity...

The story tried to define what home is..it is a place where you were born and bred... a place which has all your precious memories... a place where you feel at peace.. a place you would never want to give up for anything...

I found the play a brilliant parallel to the current sentiment against so called 'Non-Mumbaikars'
I have been born and brought up in Maharashtra.The only other language that I am comfortable with other than English is Marathi. My favourite breakfast is Kande Poha.I know the stories of Shivaji Maharaj inside out.I topped my class in the Xth Marathi Exams.I love the books of PuLa.Whenever the flight arrives at the Mumbai airport and I inhale the air filled with smoke and dust I feel I have come home..I fought for a transfer to Mumbai and when people ask me so 'Where are you from?' pat comes the answer 'Mumbai'...Chennai /Tamilnadu(my so called home town) aren't there in the remotest corner of my mind..So when someone says I'm an outsider...I am hurt and confused.This as much my home as theirs...My ancestors not living here doesn't dilute the fact that I have spent the most precious years of my life here and I feel as much for this land as any 'Marathi Manoos'(Maharshtrian) does...Mumbai is my janmabhoomi and karmabhoomi...infact I would say'Jis Mumbai nahi dekhya woh jamya hi nahi'...

And most importantly I belong to India....whichever part of the country I goto I never feel lost.... the dirty roads, the narrow bylanes,the beggars,the buses,people helping you out with directions, the chai shops and the pan pattis,the sabzi mandis and yes even the lecherous men :).. its all the same...So how can someone stop me from living in any part of the country when the whole is mine !!!!

Home doesn't mean living with the people with the same lingual or religious background...infact it has nothing to do with the people around you or your forefathers or your generations to come...it is a place which you would like to call yours...it is a place where you are most comfortable i... it is a place which you feel you belong to... and noone has the right to take that away from you...cos home is where the heart is!!!

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