When the Curtain Drops!!!!

So this is it then....4 years....this is what we get at the end of the 4 years...a simple fullstop on the paper and that signifies the end of a rocking/reeling/pathetically-mind-blowing phase of our lives...

So simple isn't it, one full stop..one small little dot...and we will never be engineering students again (Subject to results of course..but lets just assume for now we have ALL passed....even if not with flying colours atleast with a little streak of our own). It's so easy to just sit there..stare at that dot...and imagine that your whole life is going to be another blur from now on, just another extension of that small black dot

When we all came into engineering, trust me, none of us had a clue as to what to do. None of us, even the super brainy CET toppers, had any idea of what these 4 years were going to do to us. I mean you just cannot fathom the unfathomable right?

And yet, here we are, 4 years later, looking at another phase of our life where NONE of us has any idea as to what is going to happen. All the cliches of "You never know where life is going to take you" and "Always expect the unexpected" are SOOOOO applicable right now.

I always thought life would be made up of these MILESTONE events you know...like we learned in Project Management(i am SOOO sorry for this one...just could not resist...LOL). Events that would signify the end of some important phase or the achievement of some goal. Well this is both...end of a phase...and the achievement of a goal. And every event has associated with it the Past and the Future.

I do not think i can, or even want to, predict the Future of this event. Whether we will grow apart or closer is for the future to know. I am not interested in it. What i am interested in, is the Past. A past that brought us so many memories, heartbreaks, laughs, friends, enemies(not for me though), embarassments and moments that will probably shape what we are and what we will be.

In the next few posts, i will try to analyse and bring forth some of the moments, circumstances and events that i remember and want to learn from. More focus is going to be ont the people though.

Of course its a pretty obvious thing to do. I am doing this not for emotional or nostalgic purposes, just as a tribute and a thank you to the people who made these 4 years worthwhile.

So look forward to the next few posts, even i am...coz i dont know what and who is going to come out. I hope to explore my psych as i pen these down.

To end, two lines that i will remember forever:

"Past is destiny, Future is freewill"
-Khurshed Batliwala

"I open at the Close"
-Harry Potter 7.

TAGGED

OK i know this is not in the series of posts that i had planned to unleash upon the blogging world (or whatever these guys are calling themselves these days) but this is cool and someone special tagged me so i am continuing.

This is a new blogger game my friend introduced me to.

RULE 1: People who are tagged must write their answers to the tag and change any question they like.
RULE 2: Tag 3 people and they cannot refuse to do this tag. They must write who tagged them and cannot tag that person again. Continue the game. And I hope it will be sheer fun.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what would be your reaction?
It would be of utter disbelief. and if she is HOT i would forgive her and forget her as soon as possible. Infidelity is not for me.

2. If you have one dream which could come true, it would be?
FLYING A F-35!!!! that;s like the ULTIMATE dream!!!!!

3. Who is more blessed-loving someone or being loved by someone ?
Loving someone. I mean you have someone whom you can truly take care of. And there is nothing more satisfying than someone expressing gratitude for something that you have done.
Of course loving someone who doesn't necessarily love u can be hard. But get over it and count yourself lucky to have someone to love!!!

4. Can you fall in love with your best friend ?
TOTALLY!!!!It's a very thin line between being best friends and falling in love. And if you toe it...well it could turn out either way...

5. How long would you wait for someone you love?
Till that person realizes what a SHITHEAD she is being by not being with me....And once she realizes that she will probably come and beg me to take her...So yeah...all would be fine then...

6. If the person you like is secretly attached, what would you do?
Pretend like i don't know the secret and full on hit on her....I can't be blamed for what i don't know right?

7. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Cleanliness!!!!I HATE DIRTY MUMBAI!!!!I WANNA SEE MY CITY CLEAN!!!!Get that you gutkha-chewing-paan-spitting-candy wrapper-throwing MORON!!!

8. What according to you is blogger in denial?
I do not know....I blog when i feel like...i don't care if people call me a "blogger" or not...

9. What’s your fear ?
That one day i will wake up and i will have no one to love...

10. What colour are your pants now?
Light Blue...wearing the best pair of 3/4ths i have..

11. What are you listening to now?
When You Say Nothing At All- Ronan Keating....the ONLY song that describes what i feel for 2 of the most important people in my life....

12. What takes you down fastest?
My best friend's sad face....there is no sight more heart breaking than that!!!!

13. Which one do you prefer - ice-cream or chocolate?
Ice Cream---with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce and grated chocolate on top!!!!!YUMMY!!!!!!!!!

14. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Buy some univ in india and make it swankier than any univ in US and make my Best Friend go there instead of US!!!!!

15. What was the last thing you ate?
Kal raat ka bacha hua Domino's Pizza and Garlic Bread...

16. How old are you today?
NOT OLD ENOUGH!!!!!!AND NOT YOUNG ENOUGH EITHER!!!!now go figure

17. How do you vent out your anger?
By taking exquisite pleasure in banging stuff here and there and screaming!

18. Favourite toy as a child?
MY HOT WHEELS!!!!!!!!!!i mean the small ones...used to LOVE zooming around with those cute cars making all sorts of vroom vroom noises....

18. Favourite season?
MONSOON!!!!this is one season hat just enhances the beauty of the nature...it comes forth in all its glory and mesmerizes you to your very soul....this is a season of amazing memories both as a child and as an adult....**stares away into space for about 5 mins**

19. When was the last time you cried?
A few mins ago when i realized that my friend might be off to the US in a few months time...ITS SCARY!!!!!!

20. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
Mansi....my net friend who became my best friend who is now not so much on talking terms but i know still loves me...phew...long relationship naa????

21. What did you do last night?
Had a superb nite out with some friends....we ate we chatted we played scrabble.....we talked on some pretty heavy topics...then we slept and got up and ate again...ohh also took my fastest ever bike ride...122 kmph baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

22. Favorite day of the week?
EVERYDAY!!!!i dont pick favorites in days man...everyday has equal opportunity and significance....

23. Gold or Platinum??
Platinum!!!ANYDAY!!!!i love the feel of that metal....yeah i know...my wife is going to be one lucky girl!!!!*sniggers goofily**

24.Would you be single & rich or married & poor ?
i would be rich and single.....THAT would be FUN!!!!

25.What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Open my eyes...why???what do you do???

26.If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, whom would you pick?
The one who has better hair....and more sense...i mean common sense...

27.Would you give all in a relationship ?
I always give all in EVERY relationship...don't know any other way of having them....

28.What’s eating you now ?
Stupid reminiscing of the old days...its so bugging....

29.Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
Relationship....i love the fact that two people trust each other so much...and you learn so many things about yourself that you never really knew...

30. Your opinion of 3 bloggers who you are going to tag and the one who tagged you.
MONA tagged me....she is like the world to me...and more if possible....

I tag the following peeps:
Annie, Zai and Anand..

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P.S: anyone who likes these questions is welcome to answer them. do leave me a link, so ill check out ur answers. hava great day.

INDIA IS MY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK. SO it’s been over 5 months since I posted. I won’t apologize as I don’t deserve to. Was being pure lazy all this time. Just could not convert the ideas in my head into meaningful posts. And when I could, I preferred not to. Call it writer’s block. But well I am back. And here to stay. Will update the blog at least twice a week. Mostly Fridays and Tuesdays.

So what to do we begin the reincarnation of my insights with? Well how about someone else’s insight that has caught my fancy and that I really think needs attention?

Bau (Khurshed Batliwala for all the non- AOL folks) put this idea into our heads when he last visited Mumbai. And what an idea ti was, not unlike all the other brilliant stuff he generally comes up with. Bau was taking a YES!+ in dadar and 14^th Feb happened to be one of the days in the course. Now you would be pretty socially challenged to not know WHAT the significance of THAT day is. On 13^th , in the course, Bau spoke about a special valentine that all of us should keep this year. And I am sure you guessed who me talking about. INDIA!!!!!!!!

I remember exactly what he told. This year, my country is my valentine. Let’s take care of Her like we would take care of a loved one. Give Her all the tender loving care that we shower on our loved ones on this day. And let’s do it all year long. Not just for the day. And trust me, more than anything else, it is our Country that needs us right now. And more than anyone else, it is WE who owe it to our country.

Now many of you will laugh and say it’s a total matter of sour grapes, stupid loser didn’t get a chick that is why compensating with calling India his valentine. But well that is SO not the case here. If you have a little bit of sense please realize that this is NEEDED now. It has come to a point where taking care of our country has become a necessity and not merely an obligation on our part. If you have any doubt about it, then go out of your house and roam around for half an hour. You are sure to find at least 10 people who are spoiling the locality and not more than 1 person who is doing something better for the society. THAT is the kind of sorry state we are in.

So this year, I and a lot of other quite smart people have decided to call India their valentine. Because we really believe we can make a difference. Because we really believe that if we do not start doing this, no one else will. And also because we still believe in the goodness of the people in our country.

Ohh….and in case you are wondering what is the point in just calling your country your valentine, wait for it….there are things that you can do without being called a martyr or freedom fighter. It will not take another freedom struggle and loss of lives to reclaim India to its former glory. All it will take is some alert citizens who have full knowledge of their responsibilities and powers. So what can YOU do to make our country better?....Well that is for the next post….

Do Comment…..Would love to read your views about this….

Is THIS the SPIRIT???

12th March, 1993: 13 bomb explosions in a matter of hours rip through the city of Bombay. More than 250 people are killed are around 1400 injured.

1997-98: 3 blasts near Jama Masjid, Virar and Malad. Around 10 dead and same number injured.

2002-03: 2 blasts in Ghatkopar, Gateway Of India, Zaveri Bazaar, in a train near Mulund Station, Vile Parle, Bandra. Around 70 people killed and more than 350 injured.

11th July, 2006: 7 blasts in first class compartments of Suburban trains in a span of 20 minutes. 181 killed and 890 injured.

So that is a collective loss of more than 500 lives and more than 1200 injured.

WHY am i stating these facts??? Simply because I am sick of them. Simply because I am sick of living with the constant fear that I dont know whether I will come home everytime I leave my house. Simply because its probably one of the worst ways to die...and also because i believe its time WE did something about it.

You know, one of the worst things that we CAN do, is to put up a brave face and go to work the next day. I am so sick of the term "Spirit of Mumbai" being splashed around sub-grade and low standard news channels by reporters who dont care what happens to the people around them. After every blast that happens, you are so sure that this is going to be the headline of yet another article about how the rest of the 17 million mumbaikars got up the next day and went to work/school/hell...

WHAT is the matter with us??? Have we become so stone-hearted that the first thing we do after the bomb blast is to return to work??? Have we started portraying selfishness and cowardice as resilience??? DONT WE FEEL ANYTHING????

The so-called Great Thinkers of society argue on prime time debate shows that this is all we can do...what else should we do they say??? leave everything and sit at home??? isnt that what the terrorists want?? that we should give up our jobs and be afraid of them?? How can we let them WIN???

But i often wonder...does neglecting all that is happening around you and going to watch a movie in the same locality or travelling by the same train mean that you are actually DEFEATING the terrorists???If that was the case...shouldn't the blasts have stopped by now???I mean we have DEFEATED them a lot many times already haven't we???Surely they must have learnt their lessons by now...

I think the basic problem is that we have forgotten WHY we are human....You remember reading in your 7th standard Science textbook..."Man is a Social Animal"...If you did not know...the keyword there was SOCIAL...what makes humans HUMAN is their ability to live in a society...to care for each otehr...to SHARE each others emotions and feelings...

Yet all we care about is not losing a day's salary because of a blast that happened in some metropolitan 1500 kms. away from me...Why should i care about the 30 people who died in Delhi...I did not know any of them..Did i???

I think its time to stop PRETENDING that we care about what happens to the semblance of humanity that still exists around us...I think its time to actually do something about it..

What can be done???

Well...firstly stop creating a bias in your own mind...stop treating people differently...we are all made up of the same matter and you cannot take that fact away inspite of engraving divisions of Caste, Gender, Nationality on our superficial existence.

Secondly, be a part of the SOLUTION, not the problem. Use the diversity that exists amongst cultures to LEARN various things, not to demean others on the basis of what they practise or preach.

The most important thing...VOTE!!!be responsible for the people who Govern you and they will be responsible and answerable to you. After you vote take an active participation and show some interest in the things that happen around you. Become involved in a group..and if none exists..establish one that questions the local corporator of your area regularly. The last time i heard India was still a Democracy...why dont we USE it?

Question the media too...the role of media is to inform and educate..not to sensationalise the happenings and to point fingers.

And last but not the least..MEDITATE...I know a lot of you sceptics will frown at this and call me names..but MEDITATION is one of the most powerful ways to remove the negativity in the atmosphere. Just like the environment can affect you...Even you have the ability to affect the environment...If more and more people meditate the BAD of the world HAS TO reduce...Believe me people...WE have the ability in us to stop anything...its just a matter of realising that potential and utilising it...

If we really want to demolish the concept of the pseudo-spirit that we are holding on to...its time we showed the world what TRUE spirit means....

I am sure going to give it a shot...

Because I dont want to see anymore bloody bodies splashed around on the front page of the newspaper once a month...

Because I still believe in humanity...


P.S I got a lot of inspiraton for this one from Bawa's post about the same issue. Do read that also.

WALL-E

Well first things first…VERY VERY sorry for the inexcusably long absence from the blog, I plead guilty…no…I plead nothing…I should not be forgiven for it..

It has not been a very busy time or I would have given tiredness as an excuse for not having blogged for almost two months (Oh Man!!!has it really been that long???)…I just did not have much to write..again…correction..I had a lot to write just was not in the frame of mind to write…and was being plain lazy…hehe…

Well so on my comeback..let us start with a review of a movie that came out this week and I saw it on Saturday itself…(I know it’s a rare feat for me…never see a movie so early..hehe)

WALL-E is set in futuristic Earth when all humans have deserted the planet and gone to stay in a Space Colony called AXIOM which is generally hanging around a few galaxies away :D

The movie narrates the story of a futuristic robot named WALL-E short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth class..

WALL-E is the last surviving Robot of a generation whose sole purpose in life is: To clean up the mess on Planet Earth…and BOY Is he good at his JOB…He goes about his mundane routine…collecting things left behind by humans that fascinate him..Indeed he has a HUGE collection of such things…(For HP fans…this has an uncanny resemblance to Mr.Weasley’s infatuation with all Muggle Stuff)

One day a New Age explorer pod called EVE lands on the Earth to assess the environment…and WALL-E’s life changes forever..because he is in LOVE!!!! (Yeah!!this is one animated robot film with LOTS of emotions)

EVE’s departure takes WALL-E on a journey far beyond the Universe he imagined…to AXIOM…hovering millions of miles away…what follows is one of the most dramatic and meaningful climax to a movie I have witnessed in QUITE some time…

Ohh before this review gets too long let me tell you I liked the movie…so there…that’s settled..

I have always been a sucker for animated movies by Pixar and Disney…Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille…Simply because they DO NOT make these movies with a KIDDIE audience in mind…their movies always boast of a very mature storyline and detailed screenplay interspersed with some amazing voice overs, background scores…and of course heart warming moments of “HUMAN LIKE” emotions displayed effortlessly and endearingly by non-human characters.

And WALL-E is no different. The first 20 minutes or so of the movie really astound you…for its mostly a silent movie…there are very few dialogues…and as usual the FACIAL EXPRESSIONS of the protagonists are simply perfect. I guess even some of our trained actors should take a leaf out of the ROBOTS books…

You have all the usual action and adventure in this movie…but what stands out again is the unique way in which all the run-of-the mill mundane things can be put forward. Some of the moments of the film will truly leave you feeling warm in the heart..something most of the movies these days can hardly manage..

Also one more things that stands out is the Background score..I know I already mentioned it but its worth talking about again…The score not only enhances the audio-visual experience of the film, it also provides that subtle touch to the film that is the thin line between a movie working and not working.

All in all..this is definitely one movie you should NOT MISS at any cost…I assure you, you will come out of the theatre with a definite smile on your face….Even if you are not a fan of animated movies go watch it for the simply superb job the guys at Disney-Pixar have done…this one is a definite feather in their already crowded cap..

Well Done Guys…

The Wait is FINALLY OVER....

hi..

So it was 2nd semester of engineering...i had joined classes for mechanics...(ohh EVERYONE DOES!!!!)...and i had just about started knowing the current group of friends that i am with in college...early days in what was to be (and still is) one of the craziest groups i have been a part of...

yeah coming back to the 2nd semester...so in classes we guys started talking and all...one day Lalit comes and says he is joining guitar classes...now he never seemed like the musically inclined you know...average guy...complete idiot....jokes around like he is auditioning for laughter challenge...din't really seem like he would learn guitar or anything...

well i started thinking what instrument would i learn if i ever thought about it...and instantly it came to me...VIOLIN....

and instantly it came to other people's mind...what a loser..hopeless romantic...sad idiot...blah blah blah....well din't care much for it...i KNEW i wanted to learn it...

well then began a 2 and a half year long battle...with whom u may ask??well i don't know that really...just never got down to learning it...everytime i decided to do it something happened..or my all too famous lazy personality got in the way...even went to a school in thane...learnt timings din't match...went to another one in vashi...and almost paid the fees but counter was cloed...and dint go again...i mean it just WASN'T HAPPENING...

in the meanwhile i became the BUTT of some not-so-subtle and sometimes oh-so-crass jokes by my aforementioned "FRIENDS"...never bothered me...but then noone likes bearign the brunt of those never ending leg pullign sessions, do they??

finally this summer vacation came and i decided...just HAVE TO join it...so din't think twice...went to thane and started with it....

TODAY...after more than 2 and a half years of wanting it...I HAVE MY VIOLIN!!!!!!!!!!YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

and it looks COOOOOOOOLLLL!!!!!....i mean really CCCCCOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

already in love with it man....and have promised myself to practise regularly...and WILL DO IT!!!!

enjoying the lessons so far...its a bit difficult...i mean the screeching noises just wont stop...hehe...hopefully it will get better...

Thanx LL....you were an unknown source of inspiration....who started it all...ROCK ON!!!!

P.S...if any of you has any tips on maintaining the violin or getting better at playing it do mail me...thanx in advance

Jaane Tu....

Hi....

so everyone's been talking about the movie...and watching it...and writing about it...so y shouldn't I???

You know...our hindi movies have really gone bad...and i mean the story lines are boring...the acting is (sometimes) quite pathetic...there's no link between the characters...you have random "Special Appearances" just to increase the USP of an otherwise pretty boring product...and most of the times the music is a heady mixture of atleast 4-5 old tracks...a sort of reincarnation of those classics...just in a confused i-don't-know-how-i-got-here sort of reincarnation...

AND THEN...there are movies like Jaane Tu...ya Jaane na...

i mean guys....WELL DONE!!!!

Any youngster in India worth his/her salt will tell you that Dil Chahta Hai was the best movie about friendship like EVER!!!!

and i would do the same...i would also tell you that Jaane tu comes very close to it...

ok...i agree it doesn't have a different story like DCH had...in fact the story is pretty cliched...usual girl-boy best friends like FOREVER...everyone except them know they are in love...then they realise...and a happy chase down the airport later they are married...blah blah...

but what makes this movie different is the WAY the story is told on screen...not jsut the scenario...but also the light-hearted...bring-a-smile-on-your-face kinda way the story has been portrayed..

the acting is superb..not just from the lead pair of Genelia and Imran Khan...but also all the other suporting actors..each and every character is so indispensable...that take one out...and the story will fail to unravel...that really shows the vision of the director...

Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah come together on the screen for the first time and create a perfect blend with their impeccable timing and mind-blowing acting skills....Sohail and Arbaaz Khan play perfect roles...so do the other Friends of the lead pair...each knowing their place in the script perfectly and fitting the bill to the L....

The side stories woven into the script blend seamlessly...and give an amazing understanding of WHY a character is so...not leaving you confused when you come out of the theatre...

What also makes the movie work is the great music courtesy A.R. Rahman..he again proves why he is the most sought after...the songs highlight and compliment the story rather than over-power it..

Also....this movie will be remembered for the innate sense of humour portrayed time and again by the dialogue writers...you are left in splits by some of the cracks (i laughed so hard on one that my friends had to shush me...hehe...if you have met me you know how LOUD i can be)

All in all..its a really really good movie...after DCH..one of the finest i have seen...and the only one that i want to watch AGAIN in the theatre...SO GO WATCH IT!!!!