Barking up the wrong tree (Eric Barker)


Former blogger tries to write a detailed treatise on how conventional traits of success e.g. good grades are actually impediments for "success" in real life. Good subject to do a deep dive, however the storytelling is below par. Perhaps the transition from a blogger to an author is an arduous one. :) Lost my way after 100 pages, life is too short to spend on books which dont hold the interest.

Sprint (Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky,‎ Braden Kowitz)


It is a Google version of Design Thinking. Replete with real word examples - both that worked and the ones that didnt. Very useful resource for new product launches, projects with ambiguous requirements etc.Also has a handy checklist - reference material for future. Finished this in 4 hours! Recommended. Albeit for folks in Tech, Media, New Product strategy.

Irresistible (Adam Alter)


Unputdownable to say the least. Explains the horrors of screen addiction, with lucid details crystallized from top research on this subject. Governments, Families are taking a nap while this consumes us - especially the digital native generation. A must read.

Smoke gets in your eyes (by Caitlin Doughty)

A quirky and a zippy ride into a topic that is either brushed aside or comes with oodles of melancholy -death, or more accurately the aftermath. A story that had to be told in a macabre and yet funny fashion that author has chosen here. Not for the faint-hearted though. Author, a millennial working in a crematorium, is able to hold attention for 240+ pages while she details out 3 planks of her story. Her own saga as a modern age undertaker, bizzare and yet purposeful walk through burial traditions and a shocking peak into the future of death industry. Loved it.

PS - read this book my mother's death anniversary, 26th Jan. 

Machievalli - A Portrait (Christopher S Celenza)

Long live Battery Park NYPL. Came across this  mushy ode to medieval Florence, Machiavelli’s hometown was the epicenter of the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century, a place of unparalleled artistic and intellectual attainments. But it was also riven by extraordinary violence. War and public executions were commonplace—the protagonist himself was imprisoned and brutally tortured at the behest of his own government. These experiences left a deep impression on this keen observer of power politics, whose two masterpieces—The Prince and The Discourses—draw everywhere on the hard-won wisdom gained from navigating a treacherous world. Worth a read during a macabre winter storm!

Internal Medicine (Terrence Holt)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked this up at EWR. Bad decision, lacked any structure or coherence. Was attracted to the subject - a resident doctor using a thinly veiled layer of fiction to bring some real life stories is a good idea. But in the end, it is patchy and doesn't deliver at all. Life is too short to waste on bad books, left it after first 50 pages. Onto next one.

 

The Checklist Manifesto (Atul Gawande)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing with medicine/healthcare theme, picked this up at Mid Manhattan branch of NYPL. One piece of honest advice, visit this branch after taking a flu shot and buying a good pair of surgical gloves.  Battery Park branch in lower Manhattan is a better choice. Back to the book - simple advice with multiple anecdotes showing how keeping a checklist saved lives. Author keeps you interested, centered on the basic idea through the book. Easy read, took couple of hours and plethora of examples from several industries. A good find.



Being Mortal (Atul Gawande)

Finished this on the flight from Bangalore to Delhi, 200 pages poof, gone in 3 hours. If you liked Siddhartha Mukherjee's book on cancer (Emperor of Maladies), you will love this one as well. An absolute gem - turns a dark subject of terminal illness into a page turner. Fascinating to see a doctor talk about his nemesis - death with such finesse and practicality. Author offers a middle path - one between an aggressive treatments and "assisted suicide" for dealing with terminal disease. And most importantly a lesson on the finitude of  our lives. 

George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution

Bought along with book on Jefferson by the same author. Stories on spy rings and their deeds lag the glory that is bestowed upon political and military leaders. And often with a lag, comes lack of details that make up the stories. Thankfully this is a well researched account of a nascent group that played its due part in American War for Independence. The storytelling too is pretty tight, read this in 2-3 installments.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

Often when we reflect on the past, there are moments that come to our mind - defining ones that literally shape a part of our lives. An academic achievement that led us to a new path, a meeting that gave confidence for us to make a career change. Same applies to a nation. And then it all falls in perfect order. 

Book talks about how skirmishes and military standoffs with North African militia in early part of US national history helped a nation still in infancy to assume a role far greater than its weight at that time and provided seeds of confidence and power projection unseen even in more established regimes. A bit over the top though, generalized descriptions of the "enemy" spoil a perfect theme to reminisce amidst ruins of post American world order today. Made for passable reading during the flights last week.

Obsessive Genius: the Inner World of Marie Curie

Was highly recommended by the owner of a local book store here at Jersey City, doesn't disappoint a bit. Apparently there are several biographies for Curie, but none talk about her depression and personal life in such details. It seems as melancholic and detached as the subject of the book during her lifetime. 

The turbulent life of Curie be it her mother's demise, relationship with children and her husband, affair with another man - help complete the personality that is more than the caricature in the textbooks. A must read in my opinion.

A Prescription for Murder: The Victorian Serial Killings of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream

Written by a historian, this book is a reflection of the English Society in 1890s with a crime subtext. Cream who several suspected to be the original Jack the Ripper was imprisoned for murder in the Americas, later goes to England upon his release and then goes on a poisoning spree. A classical caricature of a madman who also manifests the London society of the day. It is a period that will eventually see green shoots of women rights, finally germinating the suffragette movement. A dark study of a dangerous time and place. 

The Boys in the Boat (by Daniel James Brown)

This is what you will get if you mix one part Jesse Owens, one part Cinderella Man and one part Oliver Twist. Brings the Great Depression to life, follows the gritty lives some of the young men endured during those years. It is a gem for some of us who are interested in Sports history, the origins of University sports culture in the US. Also, a unique commentary on how Sports became one of the fulcrums to attain greatness, not just for sportspeople but for an entire city. Thumbs up from my end, page turner to say the least.

Ada's Algorithm (by James Essinger)

It is a season for biographies and am glad I picked this one at EWR couple of weeks back. 

Starts off on a rather slow note. Although chronicling the history of the famous Byron title was in order, the details of debauchery committed by Lord Byron were not too central to the theme. The book sets the context by including the references to the earlier generations of British and Science Historians who may not have been too kind to Ada's contributions. Sexism being one of their flaws. 

A fleeting mention of British aristocracy and its social calendar is reminiscent of Downton Abbey. At the core of the book however, is a collection of Ada Lovelace's notes (titled Notes G) that she wrote to Charles Babbage which can singularly can be termed as first whitepaper on a proto-computer. For some of us unfortunate ones who are familiar with concepts of basic software engineering - these notes will appear as abstraction of modern definitions used for data processing and computing. 

Worth a read in the run up to holidays. 

The Big Short (Michael Lewis)

(spoilers in the review)

I admit I am in a Michael Lewis time warp (with 1 more - Moneyball to go).

This book is one of the 2 definitive pieces ever penned or recorded on Sub Prime crisis, other being documentary from CNBC journalist David Faber apty titled - House of Cards ( http://www.cnbc.com/id/28892719).

However unlike David Faber's work that takes him to one of the guilty parties - House Owners, Michael Lewis has constructed this story using an almost unaffected class of people as observers. Three sets of money managers who otherwise would have been untouched by this crisis, chance upon it as a bet of their lives and pursue it relentlessly.

What starts as purely a research effort in order to prove their hypothesis that there is a lot of money to be made by shorting the Sub Prime bubble - these three unrelated crusaders take upon themselves in unraveling the madness behind an insatiable mortgage securities market as it existed in its heydays ending in 2007. Their personal struggles are used as additional burden they have to carry in addition to their quest of proving that world is wrong on Mortgage market or more precisely entire Wall Street is dumb enough to not to see what is coming.

As is the case with other works, this book too is for someone who has some idea of the lexicon - Mezzanine CDOs, MBS etc. My own personal experience or rather brush with Mortgage market albeit on periphery (I was selling back office IT solutions to MBS/CDO/CDS traders in 2006) - made me enjoy this book even more. A must read for someone who is remotely interested in Sub Prime crisis and is looking for some closure. :)

Flash Boys (Michael Lewis)

(spoilers in the review)

Yet another classic from Michael Lewis who is definitely numero uno when it comes to Finance Journalist. This iteration takes on HFT trading and their ways of rigging the so called efficient markets.

Central idea is taut - how trading shops with hitherto unknown names (e.g. GETCO) started accounted for a substantial percentage of equity trades. Also on offer is play along by wall street banks and exchanges. However just as Michael Lewis did with his seminal Liar's Poker and recent Big Short - the human thread of an unlikely crusader (Brad Katsuyama) in this case is the real story.

Overall a much enjoyed book after a long time. Pretty much finished in 2-3 sittings over a weekend. Only downside for someone could be spells of dry details on communications hardware. Otherwise a highly recommended for someone remotely interested in the subject.

Ship of Theseus (2012)

Written and directed by Anand Gandhi, a first timer or so they say. This is a brilliant movie, a masterpiece that is too good to be true. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in time to come but for now, I would wage on this film to be the most impressionable work in Indian cinema in years to come.

It consists of 3 stories, separated by distinct lives that their protagonists lead in a busy metropolis. Common thread only appears in the end and is neither unnerving nor banal. It almost becomes a matter of fact for someone immersed in the movie. It starts with a bang and reaches its crescendo in the middle - when some very spirited arguments are exchanged between an atheist monk (yes you heard that right) and his protege. Very Fountainheadesque.

First story amongst other things takes you deep inside an abyss called an artist's misery and self doubt. I wonder what would happen to me and my colleagues if we suddenly wake up to a reality that we are indeed mediocre and all the accolades that we get in our workplace were actually showered on us rather undeservedly. Back to the film, first story is very much a journey that a blind photographer takes where in she gain her sight but loses her art in the bargain.

Second story is my favorite. Protagonist is played by a very talented Neeraj Kabi who has played a physically demanding role to the hilt and shone through some very complex exchanges with a young lawyer who looks up on him as a role model. A very healthy debate on religion, world views and stand comedy is on offer. We will hear more on Neeraj Kabi in coming years, that is for sure.

Third story is perhaps the only blemish on this otherwise very well crafted film. But then it may be case of it being only relatively lesser as compared to first 2 chapters. Slightly thinner plot - a young stock broker who gains a Kidney and also develops a conscience as a bonus.

Now back to Anand Gandhi - he is the best thing to happen to Hindi Cinema in a long time. Both Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee have publicly stated their envy after watching this movie. Dibakar apparently went into depression for few days, cocooned in an envelope of self doubt thinking whether he will be ever be to make such a movie.

Note: This movie is available for a legal download at this website for free: http://www.cineoo.com/sot

Adrift in Tokyo (Dir Satoshi Miki, Language - Japanese)

With snowstorm Electra keeping its date with NY/NJ area,  I gradually warmed up to the idea of watching a a half decent movie on a cold December afternoon. And I was in luck.

This movie has very unusual protagonists for the theme which is series of long walks through the city. One would expect a couple's either sustained or past romance to act as sub plot to the walks. However, Adrift in Tokyo has a loan shark and a debt laden student as the leading characters. Together they trudge along lesser known parts of Tokyo - its quiet leafy streets and little Shinto and Buddhist shrines in the neighborhood. Contrary to the popular imagery as shown in movies like Lost in Translation, Tokyo has lot of leafy pathways that are full of foliage are most beautiful during the fall season. This movie uses autumn to its great advantage - and is quite in line with its bitter sweet subtext. 

Makers have also scored the bulls eye with two aspects - one the depiction of lower middle class Japanese, focusing mainly on their vanities and secondly the accentuated nothingness of their lives in general and their struggles with the same. Quirky elements like infatuation with Lacoste brand, using mayonnaise with Japanese curry and that ever present punk rocker walking-performing on the streets create several layers to the simple core plot of the movie that is an arrangement between the lead characters of the movie. One in which student has to accompany the loan shark as he walks through the streets of Tokyo and in return loan shark will write off his debt.

The first half focuses more on the physical manifestations of the walk - places, restaurants, food while the second half is more about relationships and together they build up the optimism of a miracle and leaves one on the crossroads at the end. 

A must watch in my opinion.

Why I think we do not make meaningful Cinema.

Indian Cinema- Hindi to be more precise since I have not watched much of regional films dishes out several hundred movies in a year. Some of them do get recognition that they deserve and win some awards in the festival circuit. A few others make decent money at the box office. Within that construct, Hindi Cinema seems normal, complete and solvent enough to be reckoned as one of the major cinemas of the world.

However there is always a lament among some of us - we are often heard saying that "we dont make meaningful cinema" or that "average story with song and dance" or "I like Korean movies more". One of the simpler reason for the same is that entire categories of genre are missing in Hindi Cinema, a fact which perhaps make it one dimensional in appeal.

1. Not enough biographies - No not about Gandhis or Nehrus. But about some extraordinary people in other walks of life whose life would make a fascinating story to tell. Stories of personal courage are often quite satisfying and uplifting. But film makers should refrain from economizing on truth or trying to put a commercial cinema packaging around a real life story. If told honestly, a biography can be a gem just Paan Singh Tomar turn out to be and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag did not.
2. Not enough stories about immigrants - Yes we are not America and Delhi or Mumbai are far from being called Global Melting Pots but look around you. In Delhi, you can easily spot a Sikh from Jalalabad speaking in strange accent of Punjabi in Ghaffar Market or a West African  who is by the a Nigerian trying to get into a Metro in CP or that stranger with a suspicious satchel in a University Special from East Delhi to North Campus. Often theirs are poignant stories, of exploitation, loneliness, rare friendships and rarer still of triumphs. I can not recall any movie apart from Kabuliwala that was made ages ago.
3. Not enough violence - Violence shown in contemporary movies is not violence. It is either well choreographed sequence that is enacted by action heroes ably supported by wires or dozens of Scorpio cars defying gravity in the background while our hero emerges from nowhere. It is unnatural at its worst and funny at the best. The raw appeal of violence is missing from such scenes. The one scene that used no wires or stunts or graphics is that of Ed Norton's Neo Nazi character in American History X forcing a black man to keep his mouth open on the sides of the kerb while he brings a ferocious blow of a baseball bat at the back of his victim's head. Another good example that I can recall is violence that Kevin Spacey's character unleashes on his victims, particularly that prostitute who is bled to death in the most macabre way. Jack the Ripper would have been proud of Spacey's character.
4. There are others as well - Espionage, Political thrillers etc that are completely missing from the wardrobe. And Agent Vinods and Rajneeti are not exactly exemplary pieces of art. 

(To be continued)

All in vain

Several aeons ago, a man came down to my neighborhood in West Delhi and set up a tent in a plot of land next to local grocery stores. Then he put on a strange show for the residents of that low middle class locality. He rode his bicycle in circles non stop for 4 or 5 days. The numbers of onlookers would swell during evenings, with knicker clad kids like myself making the most numbers. To this day, I could not quite understand in terms of how the strange cyclist made money for his 72 hour of motion sickness defying spectacle. To me, it remained a pointless exercise - going through extreme discomfort, pain and to top it all, misery of being called and looked as a freak.

Nine reasons why I liked Gangs of Wasseypur

(And why i am waiting for part 2)
!!!Spoiler alert!!!!

1. Transition of cultural icons (1941-1985) - Whether it was obvious references to Amitabh Bachchan, be it Fazlu's comment on Zanzeer v Deewar or women blowing kisses in cinemas, Sardar Khan announcing his threat to Ramaadheer Singh to the tune of Mithun's iconic Kasam Paida Karne Waale ki or opening scene circa 2004 showing perhaps the most overated saas bahu serial of our time. However clincher was hero worship of a docoit - "Sultana daaku" in pre independence days in village chaupals a la modern day Robin Hood.

2. Transition of music - Ik Bagal sung by Piyush Mishra is quite reminiscent of the numerous Mukesh songs in 50s. On the other Manmauji is sung in naughty 60s style. 80s are signed off by more electronic “Jiya ho” by ethereal Manoj Tiwary. In addition to these are folksy “Womaniya” and street number in “Aey Jawano’ which transcend eras but Sneha Khanwalkar (who apparently is 4th woman music composer in hindi film industry) has made sure that her music score mirrors the changing times of story weaved around 4 decades.

3. Myth of a monolithic muslim society in India – movie clearly shows fissures not only along Shia Sunni but also a class/ethnicity based divide of Qureshis v Pathans.

4. Pre and Post Independent India – Hardly anything changed for the worker class, be it wages or working conditions, which is a complete contrast to urban middle and upper classes that saw their much wider changes (and opportunities) in their lives.

5. References to sex in living room – as opposed to hindi movies treat this subject either in form of hyper-gyrations of item numbers or almost stupefying shot of two flowers converging as a visual metaphor for coitus. When Nagma gets pregnant, she finally gives in to her husband’s urges and give a reluctant permission to ‘shop’ around. Nice refresher to some of the ignorant people in our midst who have no empathy for either truck drivers (and their wives back in villages).

6. One Bihari culture – A Muslim (Badru Qureshi) gets his daughter’s wedding invite printed in Hindi, replete with a “sher” in devanagri script. Though muslims are shown to be living in ghetto like colonies, convergence of language, culture, clothes (most muslim women are shown in saree) is quite interesting

7. Its all about the economy stupid – Although overarching theme is about hatred and revenge, characters are not chasing each other in Sunny Deol style. As is shown by Sardar Khan’s transformation from being a crude goonda to a strongman who usurps a natural resource (water reservoir in the area) and creates a hegemony by supplying fish to a population whose demographics are changing (from Bihari to fish eating Bengalis).

8. Subtle references to inflation from bounty of 11 rupees in 1941 for a dacoit to “meher” of 1 lakh rupees in 70s.

9. And Last but not least – Hunter. Chutney music is such a refreshing change from overdose of Punjabi funk sounds of the day. With luck, we may see more Bihari musicians from Carib islands, Fiji and even Suriname (Dutch Bihari anyone?)

She never cried

My earliest memories of my maternal grandmother (beeji) were eating her vegetarian savories, her mild reprimand of my handwriting and her 40's style spectacles.

She was a typical immigrant from West Punjab, Kasur to be exact. They had lost everything in Partition and then after coming to Delhi, she lost more. Her husband died when she was in late thirties. Story goes that she started operating coal trading business from walled city premises in Delhi, turned around a sinking business and when her children started getting married, sold the business away. At slightly less than 5 feet, with small build that she had, I still cant visualize her working in a coal trading shop, let alone managing the entire business from manpower to trade deals to procurement. But my beeji was tough as steel, strong willed woman who seemed rooted in her belief that education is the only way for her children to get out of the rut that circumstances that forced them to be in.

Misery did not leave her after her children got married off and an estranged relationship with her son ensured that she was forced to live with her 3 daughters, in turns. It is ironic that a person of her caliber could not avoid financial dependence but then more astute people have been guilty of gaffe or two. This was her sole blemish as far as i can remember.

As a grandparent, she was awesome. She could teach me and my cousins all subjects till we were in 5th standard. She had studied till 8th (she was born in 1919) , but I can bet my life that she could have easily been a post graduate in these times. She kept a sharp eye on our studies - her constant reprimand was - "saare majboona (subjects) wich number change laine ne" which was in response my asymmetrical report card which always showed variance away from languages.

Born into a progressive khatri family, she was more of spiritual person than a religious one. I did not see her spending time in front idols, instead she would wake up at 4 and meditate silently. Though she did not articulate it, she to my knowledge was a firm believer of faith being a private matter. Till the day, I find her to more progressive than the next generation or for that matter one after that.

Her last few years were very miserable, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Slow but steady decline into dementia followed. It was very ironic to see her lose control, especially since I had always seen her composed and firmly in command as far as her life was concerned. She used to tease me that I had got cavity in my molar at the age of 21 while she had full set of 32 at 80.

In 2007, she quietly passed away in my mother's arms.

I was not around, and I wept like a baby on her "chautha". I do miss her much, but I do not cry whenever I think about her. Just as she never cried when faced with adversity in her life.

Movie Review - Shaitan

If you love cinema of Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and always wanted to see how counter culture in an Indian city looks like, this movie will not disappoint.

Lot of people will try to compare it with Dev D - another favorite of mine. Similarities are palpable, though soul of the cities (Delhi and Bombay) make a crucial difference. Twenty and Thirty year olds have been guzzling western cinema to watch mind bending, counterculture and any thing which falls under an overarching dysfunctional genre. Here comes our savior, setting is desi, relevant and most of all very realistic.

Kalki is as usual is surreal, while other female in the pack Sheetal Menon does not do bad job. But the most badass of the characters is played by Shiv Pandit - waiter, crack dealer, the only urchin amongst the upper class brats. Getting Rajat Barmecha to play a teen coke dealer in making is also superb. Highest point of the movie comes in second half with Tarantino like gunfight with

remix of Khoya Khoya Chand playing in the background.

Dont watch the movie if you dont like gore, blood and dark characters. For the rest of us, this movie is a godsent present. Hope Bejoy Nambiar (Director) give us more such gems in future.

Amen to that.

Sitting on the left corner of the Auto I noticed...

A biker, caressing his hands on the chrome and taking a good look at the journey ahead. And I wondered if I would ever follow my dreams.

A retired man, sitting on his balcony with a dozen newspapers around him to read. And I wondered if he has enough money or I would ever have enough time.

School children crossing the road in their dark brown school uniforms, eager to take on whatever comes today. And I wondered if they will play during their games period and whether school has a library or not.

Construction for a multi-storeyed building going on at full swing with eastern immigrants getting into their act. And I wondered if they will make my home one day as well.

We were waiting for an unusually long time at a red light. And I wondered if i have waited longer than required for things that do not matter.

Driver's photo identity card which pictured him in his best clothes. And I wondered if lanes in his locality are as wide and as clean as this road.

Sitting on the left corner of the Auto, I wondered if I would notice so much if she was besides me.

Ek akela is shahar mein..

Some of the side effects of living alone away, in a hotel for something like 7 months out of last 9-10 months-

• Addicted to watching CNN, becoming a die hard Fareed Zakaria basher
• Eating tonnes of snacks, drinking kilolitres of diet pepsi - becoming Shop n Stop's loyal customer
• Sifting through deals2buy, dealnews, dealsofamerica etc etc and end up buying useless stuff
• Hurling expletives when alone in room at people from office
• Making sure than sofa springs are subject to intense cycle fatigue from butts
• Overusing skype
• Trying to find that perfect song on Youtube that will act as lullaby tonight and everynight
• Taking clean bed, toilet, bath for granted
• Actually started liking some of the microwavable food
• Almost losing the concept of acting like a host to friends
• Searching for 16 quarters every sunday night for laundry and drying clothes
• Ironing linen shirts early monday morning

Sigh! It better be worth something in the end...

Errata

Song below is Rabbi's Bilqis. I watched him perform this live (in a Bangalore music store) when he was promoting his album. I think this is one of the most topical songs ever written, without any metaphoric blankets that other artistes chose to wear. Ofcourse i am leaving out commercial/gen xyz wallet share mongrels out of the equation here.

Jinhe naaz hain hind par woh kaha hain..

Mera naam Bilqis Yakub Rasool
Mujhse hui bas ek hi bhool
Ki jab dhhundhhte thhe vo Ram ko
To maen khadi thhi, rah mein

Pehle ek ne puchha na mujhe kuchh pata thha
Dujey ko bhi mera yehi javab thha
Fir itno ne puchha ki mera ab saval hai ki

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mera naam Shriman Satyendra Dubey
Jo kehna thha vo keh chukey
Ab padhey hain rah mein
Dil mein liye ek goli

Bas itna kasoor ki hamne likha thaa
Vo sach jo har kisi ki zuban thaa
Par sach yahan ho jatey hain zehreelay

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mujhe kehte hain anna Manjunath
Maine dekhi bhatakti ek laash
Zamir ki beech sarhak Lakhimpur Kherhi

Adarsh phasa jahan naaron mein
Aur chor bharey darbaron mein
Vahan maut akhlaq ki hai ik khabar baasi

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Mazha nau aahe Navleen Kumar
Unnees june unnees bar
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees baar

Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees unnees unnees unnees
Unnees baar

Looto dehaat kholo bazaar
Nallasopara aur Virar
Chheeno zameen hamse humhe
Bhejo pataal

Jinhe naaz hai hind par vo kahan the
Jinhe naaz hai vo kahan hain

Maan gaye Mughal E Aazam

Easily one of the worst movies that I saw (Oops, Goonda (Prabhuji), Anth (Suniel Shetty dubbed by someone else are other gems in my list).

So why did cast comprising of Kay Kay, Rahul Bose and Paresh Rawal fail?

Consipiracy theory 1 - Rahul Bose sabotaged the movie since he did not want "filmmakers" to believe that he and Mallika Sherawat are a great pair after that freak "Pyar ke side effects".

Consipiracy theory 2 - Kay Kay torpedoed this movie since he wanted Celina J as hottie instead of Mallika (remember bomb called "Silsile"

Consipiracy theory 3- Mallika believed she and Rahul were a great pair and worked hard at it.

Same2Same

I noticed him for the first time while we were together boarded a dimly lit bus from suburban Tokyo to Narita airport. I had not slept for last 24 hours, largely due to anticipation of going back to India after 8 months. I was looking forward to getting some sleep in plush seats of Keisei line loco and came armed with my new ipod as well. But something about this person made me feel as if i had travelled all 5000 miles in few seconds. Whether it was his 80's suitcase (with S.M written on the handle) or his golden brass buttons on blue blazer, something told me he was much closer to home than anything on that bus. His cap too reminded me of endless middle aged gentlemen in Delhi who would venture out in biting north indian winter for their chartered buses enroute to performing daily chores as North Block clerks/section officers. Matter was finally clinched when conductor engaged him in a small talk - bingo! he had a jhangi/multani accent. I would now call him Mr Makhija (from S.M on his suitcase) from Geeta Colony.

Rest of the bus journey was pretty boring, i kept my ipod on shuffle mode since i was too tired to make any efforts in choosing the songs. Makhija too started snoring much to chagrin of a young looking japanese woman sitting directly behind him. Bus veered past concrete jungle that Tokyo is into green landscape of Narita and surroundings and landed us directly in front of Thai airways gate.

We took our bags and started walking towards yet to be opened economy class counters. As we waited for Thai airways employees to complete their little christmas celebration, Makhija appeared quite interested in starting the conversation. "Going to India?" he asked. "Yeah, and you?" "Bangkok jaa raha hoon" replied Makhija. His bald head shining in lustre from numerous christmas trees that adorned the concourse in that terminal.

We parted soon after he uttered his destination, booking counters were now open and we were soon ushered into security check.

I glanced at him while i waited for my turn, he was standing in "Foreign Passports" queue. Fortunately my work permit status ensured speedy immigration check and soon i was on my way to departure gate.

I had arrived full 3 hours before departure so some airport shopping was always on cards. However 20 odd kimonos, 5 liquour and endless souveneir shops later I was bored and tried to head back to departure gate.

There were 50 odd people already waiting near the gate. It was a usual sight that one comes across on any international flight. Excited first timers, sensible business travellers, hassled mothers of infants, even more hassled mothers of young children who are busy saving their kids from next catastrophe. Makhija looked at ease as well, perhaps this was not his first voyage to Bangkok in recent times. I was sitting few seats away from him, trying to kill minutes before boarding. He was watching TV on his japanese mobile phone - some NHK program, sight didnt amaze me. If you spend few months in Tokyo and commute on metro, you will come across many men and women flexing their eye muscles on mobile TV. Suddenly his phone rang, it was irritating ringtone, one that is associated with old MTNL landline phones. His neighbours were startled to say the least. Then something went wrong, somewhere between his TV app and his call - his phone tanked. Ringing didnt stop and neither did his TV. For a moment Makhija appeared lost. When his countless attempts to revive his phone failed, he went for the jugular.
Took out the battery and heaved a sigh of relief. Somewhere I felt relieved too. Was I embarassed as well?

Makhija turned on his phone and called the moron whose call destroyed decorum of our lounge.
It was a plainspeak - "Behanchod is time pe call kyun kari? .. Accha theek hain, Main dekh lunga, Abhi phone rakh" No Bon Voyage No Good Days. Sometimes I think we are the worst people when it comes to phone conversations, atleast Makhija was no exception to my belief.

Couple of announcements later, boarding started. Ritual of boarding includes standing at the end of a long queue with your passport and boarding ticket firmly tucked in your shirt pocket. Makhija was 4-5 spots ahead of me. Soon he reached the boarding counter and passed on his boarding pass to the Thai airways employee.

And then i saw his passport with "Islamic Republic of Pakistan" embossed on the green cover while he waited for the lady to complete her drill.

Sadiq Mansoor was going to Bangkok and so was I, atleast enroute to my final destination.

Last Six Months have been spent in

Boarding DLR to Bank
Learning 10 words in Nihongo
Tube journeys from Heathrow to central London
Tube journeys during strike
Trying out Yakitori food in London
Evading Yakitori in Tokyo
Sunday window shopping in Greenwich village market
Guzzling Newcastle Ale
Fitting suitcase in a small Tokyo hotel room
Finding my way from Roppongi to Otemachi
Walking the streets of Kyoto - Especially Gion corner
River rafting
Roller coasting at Tokyo Dome
90 minute treks at Takao
Poising next to Nizomi - Bullet Train
Shedding inhibitions in Onsen at Nikko
Finding bargains in back alleys of Akihabara
Late night coffee sessions at AM PM store
Boarding last train on Fridays to Shinjuku/Roppongi/Shibuya
Boarding first train on Sat from Shinjuku/Roppongi/Shibuya

DeckHeads all

Whenever i get a chance to meet some of my peers working in other companies/industries, coversation is usually two dimensional - gossip about job switching in group and bitching about the fact that we are all Powerpoint coollies.

Its the latter that fascinates me. On an average day, i make/collaborate with others in my company to make presentation - mostly for internal use. Often these presentations are laden with figures, tables, images and almost prosaic text.

It is funny but the sheer size of information on the presentation is OBSCENE.

This is certainly contrary to what we were taught (sometimes on the job) about using much abused powerpoint presentations. I am sure most of the junta in the Pre Sales/Marketing/Product Management fields would agree with me. So why this blatant departure from obvious best practice. Answer lies in the use - for internal and extraneous (as in for others) purpose.
In plain words, someone ELSE is going to use them and it is going to be asset for the firm for the time immemorial.

So in a sense, what they actually need is a document (detailed to the last hilt). However a document is more difficult to review (frequent check ins and NY traffic) and is therefore less suited to a US/Client facing lifestyle.

Result - a confused sales support guy who unlearns all the virtues of using a powerful tool :)

Colonial Past

Its been 6 weeks since i have tasted salty fried doughnuts (read Vada) or a Rice/Carb tablet(read Idli) but strangely it is not food that i am missing here in NY. Infact its not even cricket, our consistent non performance in One days came handy.

So apparently it is a sport that India doesnt even excel in (read my sarci post below).

EPL is what is making feel so misty about other almost forgettable saturday evenings. Oh i miss watching those matches that come so close to basketball quarters/attack at all costs games :(

Phoosball Argentina could not win World cup again, i have been watching this crazy game since Italia 90 and they have disappointed an ardent fan in me time and again. But i am sure they ll be back, Messi will only grow stronger and cleverer, Requelme will be 30 and Tevez, well only uglier and craftier in South Africa. Brings me to Indian football scene these days, apparently we have a new coach who says that we need taller players (duh), and he is sure that he ll find 4-5 of such folks in North India. It has all come down to this! We are easily 130th on a list where apparently war torn ex Yugoslav republics are hitting top 20s easily. So story goes that Indian National team was in Canada where they were playing against world class teams in Vancouver White Caps and Cardiff city. We ended up third there. Competition was certainly tough, apparently Vanc WC were so desperate that they enlisted highly professional local street footballers to stop Indian juggernaut of five feet giants. I must also add here that third side Cardiff has long tradition in English football, albiet they have failed to make presence in EPL for decades now. Nevertheless there are going to be celebrations in Kolkata when Indian team comes back and hectic football season starts (yet) again. Man there is no other place when micro achievement is met with such enthusiasm. I still remember when Sao Palo club had come over to India with 4th or 5th string team and were beating India 4-0 at every center matches were held. And suddenly in a game someone scored (certain malnutrioned Bikash Panji I think, used to be India captain) with a seemingly impossible volley from 25 yards. My TV (middle class Texla model) started jumping up and down due to deafening noise in the stadium. Then came '92 and Star TV. I chose less pompous crowds of EPL and Serie A instead.

I miss

Janeway steering Voyager after a close escape frm certain death, Neelix' delta quadrant culinary skills, Kes and her unexplained disappearance, Seska's betrayal, Chakotay and his tattoo, Torres and Paris, Paris and Kim, Tuvok's rationality, Janeway's irrationality, Species 8472 and Borgs, Resistance is futile, Delta flyer, Time travel, Q and Q continuum, Seven of Nine and her memory flashes about Raven, Doctor and his idiosyncracies about being human and most of their journey back home.

Outlook - Microsoft or otherwise!
Just changed jobs, well job is not the word, I think organization or rather organization from whose account i draw my wages is a better one. I now am part of Sails and Mark-Keating (Oh those S&D classes and understandably challenged people) in an IT firm. So what has changed for me:

Am I working more, well if work is a function of number of keystrokes in a day, answer is yes. Also now I can relate my lack of sense of humour to utter lack of work in last few months, not that i have improved in last 2 weeks but i am getting there

Is it thought provoking? Yes, in a way but it also reminds me of how almost everything that an MBA does is quite similar to basic tenets of world's oldest profession, in terms of being customer focussed - not mixing personal with professional life which in other words means having none of former till you retire/burn out and die/take liberal arts.

Every morning I send this to atleast 4 morons hoping Read Receipt did not fool me the night before.

"Hi JackAss

I just saw your mail today, so did this call happen yesterday?

-Bumpkin
"

Eagles Farewell Tour 2005

I was standing
All alone against the world outside
You were searching
For a place to hide
Lost and lonely
Now you’ve given me the will to survive
When we’re hungry...love will keep us alive

PS Makes me feel like a romantic fool again
PPS For people who are in US this might be your last chance

OKTOBERFEST!!!!

Circa '99 

Aboard Zion 

You Me and Coffee, all for 5 Bucks!

This is Ethan Hawke talking to Winona Ryder in Reality Bites taking pleasure of talking to someone you like to new heights. Been a fan of this genre for long now (almost all Indy movies seem to be based in small towns/suburbs, may be because brooklyn bridge is always booked for action/romance etc).

Spent some time at book searching, ended up at place which i believe almost out of place as far as Delhi is concerned, a Bookstore!! That too without the usually loud section on technology :)
Although that was exactly the kind of book we went searching.

Last Weekend in Bangalore Haven't finished City of Djinns but i am quite sure Monday will see Age of Kali unless something drastic happens. I lost my wallet (again?), Papa was mad but then again it is supposed to be that way aint it? I mean weird is when he is not mad at me :) Its overcast here for last 3 4 days now, its that smell of Rains and mud which is so refreshing to us Indians. May be that's why we urbanites look forward to Monsoon. Have a party tonight with Hari and ilk, Guptas will be taken care on Sunday, JJ should have been here :( Yahoo Groups for MPAE started on a new lease of life - Guha's ouster Guha - if there was a unifying factor in our class, it was Guha We all agreed in disagreeing with him. May be its last time we heard from him, dont know whether its for good. Raoul has been pestering me with his silly requests, dont know if he is really actng funny or this is his true self :)) He gave me H2GTG and LOTR BBC radio transcripts in a CD, me thinks they are awesome! Amit

Reasons Y i hate leaving this place! Continued

Zion (blrkec15702, yeah thats my mean Machine in Matrix called InfyLan (20k+ Machines))
Coffee Dispensing Machine
Arguments with Friends on where this Org is heading to
Arguments with Friends on where I am heading to
Evening snacks at Lotus Food Court
ATM at ICICI and sweet girl who sits in the Bank
Bangalore FM (is so much better than shit Delhi FM airs)
Shop in 9th Block where AuntyJi gives absolutely delicious Sabudana Khichdi (Pune again :(( )
Unlimited PrintOuts I can take anytime
My WhiteBoard
Greek Family Chart at my Desk
Chaos at my Desk
Project Update Meetings (specially when i can ask people questions)
Not filling DART (dont ask me what , wont tell anyway)
KEC InToon (Dilbert/Garfield/Archie all of em)
Food World Offers (Best Ones :buy one tropicana and get another one free)
Unlimited Pints We have at Purple Haze
Girls who will sheepishly stand outside Urban Edge/The Hypnos/Insomnia/IBar
Domlur Junction waala TGIF
Trip to Airport (with a resolve that I ll be back !)


Amit

Travelogue

Someone told me I have large number of "travel lines" on my hand,
what he meant was that i would travel , dunno if i ll become a travel
writer in my 30's but one thing is for sure i have not travelled a bit for
last one year discounting numerous trips to Delhi and Bombay
which were purely for interview and admission purposes.

Gaurav was urging me for weeks now, and i was feeling little guilty
as well, plus she was also travelling this weekend.
Hari's roka came handy :) atleast i was travelling to chennai (sic)
Thursday morning came the bombshell, one of our freind's car
was to be picked since he left for delhi for 10 days.
Voila! It was kinda brainwave, Gaurav, I Deepak and Rajat decided that
we will not only go to chennai but will do a "NH 48" from Kovalam to Goa

Was I crazy due to my lack of sleep for past few days or simply travel
starved that i jumped at the idea.
Our Matiz was made "battle ready" with propah servicing done and
fuel tank was filled to the brim.


Bangalore to Chennai

Left Blore at 2 am (Were we bonkers?)
Its some 350 odd kms , pretty drab plus Hari'c constant "BcMc" puts
everyone off :) Wheneva i ll travel with him next time i ll make sure i carry
"Tamil" Music since that bas!@# seems to have no respect for rock
and I hate him for that even though he is gem of a person.
Only piece of scenery i liked was when ARECANUT trees came up
at dawn, no pics taken , most of us were too busy thinking abt how
hot chennai will in afternoon.
reached there at breakfast, Sonal was too bleary eyed to acknowledge
my enthu, AuntyJi asked if whether my folks are still in Punjab.
At one point of time it looked she was enquiring me for some "match"
I simply told he i am not marrying a Punjabi at all, i jus hope she is not
offended.
Hari's folks came by 10 and ceremony went underway soon enuf,
It was over by 12 and we were ready for the Sea.
Uncle was amused when we said we are going to Bombay by road,
may be he doubted our resolve :)
Wished Hari all the luck, i know he ll be needing that a lot
Sonal is a pukka punju girl she is gonna knock of his balls for sure !
But bast!@#$s deserve that !


Chennai - Penambur

600 Odd kms of sexy coastal national highway, If i ever get chance with
my friends agan i ll recommend this road for sure.
Man for entire stretch between kerala and goa the sea is visible for some 70 %
time and a beach is always round the corner.
Now before i go on lemme make it very clear , we decided to go to beaches which
had lil or no tourists or wee virging beaches.
and there are lots i am telling you :)
Our first beach was penambur some 150 kms south of Mangalore,
serene calm and yet dangerous, a board put up by Mangalore port trust puts figure of the
people who died last year at 10 and i dont think more than 1000 wud have visited that
place!
It has a long abandoned ship breaking plant in vicinty which must have been a nuisance
had it been functioning these days.
We saw some daring people trying to surf board , one couple from Norway said they were
biking to Goa from Trivandram (some guts) whenever i look at these fitness freaks
i have this sudden rush of adrenaline which goes away once meal come up in front of me :)
We spent one hour at the beach, I talked to a chai walla who has been there for 20 years
now, he is actually from Gujarat and was working at Ship breaking plant till it was
decommisioned.
He said this place might come up very well soon once KSRTC starts work on its resort on
the beach. Hmm another one bites the dust :)


Penambur - Surathkal

Known for the Regional Engineering College. We were told that there are many dhabas & restaurants.
Afterall, where there are students there are excellent food joints and Surathkal is no exception
Saw one bittu da dhaba written in gurmukhi and i told the pack, boss thats where
I am headed to, had fanatstic lunch (replete with gobhi ka naan and raita).
Surathkal beach too is frquented only by wierdos and college guys from REC.
One thing which i noticed was the cleanliness of the place and very very old lighthouse.
Rajan makes Chai at the beach and he also serves Maggi (mmm)
Boss if u are in beach country on West coast stop being a brat, say no to pepsi
and yes to local lime water !
Surathkal beach is also known for some raunchy parties on New years, Rajan said that
a bunch of nudists group flew down from bombay last year and were arrested few minutes
before dawn :)
Its another "dangerous" beach with no lifegaurd around, many students have lost thier lives
here.

Surathkal-Malpe-Manipal

Maple is some 50 Kms from Surathkal, its more of a sleepy fishing town
situated on West coast with beautiful beach which must be 10 Kms long for sure.
Just across the beach is a nice eatery , and the guy who owns it is going to build a
hotel right on beach, I ll make sure i carry her to this place in future.
Perfect for loooong walks jus ideal for one to unwind from this stupid office work
Malpe is famous for its sunset, junta from nearby places like Ududpi/Manipal
come down to see Sun go down in Arabian sea and 31st May was even more special
It was solar eclipse and we were fortunate to be there to witness it.
Had beer on the beach along with some sandwiches (which were okay types)
Never had it so good in my life.
Around 7 pm we made a dash at Manipal
Man that place rocks, sophisticated is the word for infra there and hot is the word
for girls there. Why the f!@# dint I come here for studies !!! Perhaps thats the reason I am
still uncool :(
Its hardly 20k strong town but looks like a small Bandra locality with rich and (almost) famous
doing the rounds in "nuthin" clothes.
Night life is kewl with junta thronging the pubs and bars till late night.
We had dinner at "Dollops" and then moved on to Karwar.

Manipal-Udupi-Goa

DONT TRY THIS ON ANY VEHICLE WHICH IS NOT TUNED FOR GHATS

Gosh it was some journey, i can count atleast 50 instances when I thought trucks
will end my promising career before it even starts :) The western ghats are dangerous
for guys who have been driving in cities, thankfully Gaurav is very skilled driver,
fu!@!#$ truckers will almost invariably do everything which goea against the
rule of the book.
Nevertheless after relishing prasadam at "charioteer" Krishna Temple at Udupi
we embarked on to Goa.
I love greenery but not for 300 Kms :(( it was raining pretty heavily , we stopped
somewhere in middle of nowhere and then i called her up, she was also excited abt her
trip, if i only i cud be with her :(
We drove on with Pink Floyd playing for whole night, aim was to see sunrise in Vasco
or Panijm, panjim it was :)
Had Live Crab in afternoon, however the SCUBA plans went haywire.
Man there is something abt me Goa and Rains
Last time i was here, my undies dint dry and this time was no better
I LL ONLY COME TO GOA IN JANUARY PERIOD
Goa was only thing which dint enthuse me on this trip alas i think i was getting lil
weary by now.
We left Goa by early afternoon for Bombay, had to meet Reva who was visitng her parents

Bombay and Back

Reached Bombay by dinnertime, guys went ahead for Rajat's place promising me to pick me up
at midnight. Reva met me at her andheri residence, Bus ride from Indore to Bombay day before
must have exhausted her, since she dint take me for Tendulakars as promised :(
Isme meri galti hain ? So we had to settle for sea face Cafe Coffe day at Bandra, same place where
we had partied for Lippi didi in March.
Something abt that place makes me come back and again, here u r in right at heart of Bombay
and u can actually enjoy the sea !

Guys came by 11:20 and we started our trek back!

Utopia

Thats how i would describe this "city", coz one it is not a city as such and
although it "houses" 10000 souls in daytime it seems to be free from any ill effects
of city.Infy City, i remember my first day at this revered campus.I arrived in monday's
propah attire on one fine december morning alongwith JJ, after we entered the main
gate something in us made us move towards the "Corporate" building where we
asked for whereabouts of our reporting manager from "far from amused"
receptionist , who gave us the directions with "boy-u-are-at-wrong-place" look :)
Not more than 10 mtrs away was Him, man corporate india affectionately refers as
NRN.I bowed my head and HE seem to reciprocate as well or so i thought.
I hurriedly left the place half embarassed half amazed , thanking my stars
that i was able to see HIM from such a close distance.

(to be continued)

Amit

Dire Straits

Group has special significance for me, was in fifth grade when i listened to Knopfler, incidently was my first English Cassette (or was it Paula Abdul!) and i was hooked to it for couple of reasons. One it was expensive (Rs 45 if i am not wrong) and becasue knopfler is so unlike others, i mean u can say he reminds us of Dylan but Dylan never played in Pubs did he? Punk/Pub Rock came to fore in eighties and died by the time I went to high school. Mark drove on, however persona still had Dire Straits in music for sure.Sometimes a single man decides the course of a Band and after he is through with it, its him who has changed instead. An irony unique to Dire Straits.

Am listening to my favourite "So Far Away"

Here I am again in this mean old town
And you're so far away from me
And where are you when the sun goes down
You're so far away from me


So far away from me
So far I just can't see
So far away from me
You're so far away from me


I'm tired of being in love and being all alone
When you're so far away from me
I'm tired of making out on the telephone
And you're so far away from me


So far away from me
So far I just can't see
So far away from me
You're so far away from me


I get so tired when I have to explain
When you're so far away from me
See you been in the sun and I've been in the rain
And you're so far away from me


So far away from me
So far I just can't see
So far away from me
You're so far away from me

Even got a video on LAN, most people tend to underplay brit rockers (except Jagger) Sex Pistols, Dire Straits,Oasis
Man they have the talent jus "Money Engg" is missing somewhere.

Amit