I have decided to move out of Rediff blogs to this Blogger. I have been blogging for past three years; yes it feel a bit overwhelming to think about the time; and there is no way I can simply detach from the immense emotional baggage I have. Well, I do not want to either. Call it skeletons in the cupboard, my journals, diary or even agony aunt; the blog has been my constant companion something like an alter ego! Thus I am going to attach my old postings here as an attachment.
It is likely to look a bit weird especially since I have only put all text for shorter page load times so pardon moi till it get archived next month.
I do plan to retain the Rediff blog just in case I want to visit the old blog .. MoonieTheLoonie.Rediffblogs.com
Old Stuff[18/09/2007 16:38:07] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Soul Mate
I read something very interesting which I thought would be of interest to you also! Here goes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulmate
More in depth in classical definition
"Plato wrote in his Symposium that humans have been looking for their soul mate ever since Zeus cut them in half. In his mythic story, Plato describes a world where there were men, women and people who were both men and women. Apparently, humans began discussing how they could climb up to heaven and replace the gods. The gods were upset by this and discussed what should be done. The simplest solution would be to destroy mankind, but Zeus came up with a better idea. He suggested cutting all human beings in half. This would serve two purposes. First, it would immediately double the number of people making offerings to the gods. Second, it would weaken the humans, so they would not be able to carry out their plan. Zeus' idea was accepted, and the humans were all divided into two. Naturally, the humans were upset at this, and Zeus decided to enable each half to have intercourse with their opposite, symbolically creating a whole. Consequently, the males sought their female half, and the females sought their male half, allowing them to reproduce.
Soulmate emotional theory
Ultimately the consequence of this notion is the unfortunate reality that soulmates often possess the ability to inflict serious emotional injury unto their twin flame, greater than any other being could. This often results in the separation of idealized love, due to the severe emotional impact. Many soulmates are destined for an eternal search, not for lack of meeting, but rather lack of acceptance. The encounter is often analogous to the collision of matter and antimatter, a violent explosive reaction will occur, but if held through to completion only pure energy, and thus harmony, will result. A soulmate can also be a person who is not of the gender they are naturally attracted to or compatible with as a conventional romantic couple. This can cause a lifetime of profound sadness and depression as there is no possibility of resolution.
is that so? Its intriguing, What are your thoughts?
PS: Yes, I'm back! If someone was wondering about the sticky in earlier posts
[13/09/2007 22:31:14] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Jai Shri Ram!
Murphy's law I guess!! Just as I decided on taking a break from the blog world; there are so many interesting things I want to share with the general mass out there!!!!!! Yeah I know, as if there is a crowd of people just waiting for me to click on "Publish" button.. he he he he :) ...
Oh well, I want to bring attention of some "Thinking" people to this matter on hand
RSS welcomes move to withdraw affidavit on Ram Setu
yes the Ram setu matter, does it make any sense probably (who knows) some thousand or two thousand years after Shri Ram walked this earth (if at all he did) to fight over a bridge he made to go to Lanka!!
Com'on people don't instigate the masses in name of Lord Rama!!!
[13/09/2007 21:47:53] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Technically, I am not "back" but just couldn't stop myself from sharing this information with larger community in case someone didn't know; I stumbled on Aamir Khan's and Sekhar Kapoor's blogs, after going through many posts, I seriously think it is indeed them who post the postings and not some psuedo :D :)
http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/
http://www.lagaandvd.com/blog.php
[12/09/2007 00:48:04] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Time Off
Well, Interestingly, I am dedicating all my free time trying to collate all my knowledge into a complete geek tome! Till the time that obsession wears off ...
[27/08/2007 14:56:55] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Indifference?
Well, I have been super duper busy lately! Lots of changes happened in my plans and actually I am now back to square one where I started; same as before but much happier! Anyways, that was the case till I stumbled upon this story. I was not only moved by the sorry plight of the sisters but also at the indifference of the world! Another perspective on "Life goes on" ...
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/26/stories/2007082660421000.htm
Suspected starvation death in Capital
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: In what is suspected to be a case of hunger death, a young woman was found dead inside her house at Kalkaji here on Saturday under highly mysterious circumstances.
The body of 37-year-old Neeru -- who along with her sisters Poonam (40) and Dolly (43) -- lived in a one-room accommodation in Kalkaji was found inside her house in the morning. The Police Control Room received a call from a neighbour of the deceased around 10-30 a.m. saying that foul smell was emanating from inside a room in their neighbourhood and the door was closed from inside.
When the police team reached the spot and tried to break open the door of the house, one of the sisters opened the door. “When the door was opened we found that the two sisters were sitting beside the body of Neeru. The exact cause of death will be known after post-mortem report is received,” said a police officer, adding that Dolly and Poonam had also been admitted to a nearby hospital owing to signs of weakness.
The police said that the three sisters had been living together in the house for the past several years and their parents had died more than a decade ago. Their father had sought voluntary retirement from Indian Army and later worked with Delhi Transport Corporation as well.
Poonam, a Commerce graduate, who had been working with a private company in South Extension, had lost her job around six months ago. Dolly is a Post-Graduate while Neeru had studied up to Class 12.
“The three did not interact much with the neighbours and their cousins, who live close by,” said a police officer.
The neighbours claimed that they had even approached the police a month ago and told them that the three remained indoors for weeks together but the police did not took notice of it.
[03/08/2007 00:30:30] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Life's Twist
Well, I really wish I could have just put what has happened in last few days here on this blog! A very very interesting twist and turn of events in my life, just like Jeffrey Archer's stories! Since I cannot unfold the true incidents in my life, I can only share that I had plans to move to US but that has been cut short but blissfully for me! Nops I am NOT getting married! Its all related to my career you see! Somehow I have noticed my career always has a very positive effect on my personal life but its completely opposite vice-versa! Still, the point remains, somebody up there is very kind to me! Thanks for that.
To intrigue you all further ;) -
“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.”
Douglas Adams
[23/07/2007 00:05:00] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Oh well! Just a few minutes back, I put down the book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", after reading it cover to cover nearly the whole day today; feeling extremently happy and relieved that I now KNOW what happened!!!!!!!!!! ha h aha ha ha ha ha!!
[20/07/2007 23:43:53] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
The Egg
I stumbled upon an interesting structure which I thought would be of interest to you, aptly named, The egg !!
http://www.theegg.org/about/history
The Egg is only minutes from the "Albany airport":, "Amtrak": and the New York State Thruway with direct access from I-787 in either direction.
The construction of The Egg began in 1966 and was completed twelve years later in 1978. The Egg was designed by Wallace Harrison for all the people of New York State and to accommodate many events and performances.
Architecturally, The Egg is without precedent. From a distance it seems as much a sculpture as a building. Though it appears to sit on the main platform, the stem that holds The Egg actually goes down through six stories deep into the Earth. The Egg keeps its shape by wearing a girdle - a heavily reinforced concrete beam that was poured along with the rest of the shell. This beam helps transmit The Egg's weight onto the supporting pedestal and gives the structure an ageless durability that belies its nickname.
The Egg houses two theatres - the Lewis A. Swyer Theatre and the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre. Seating 450, the Swyer Theatre is used for chamber music concerts, cabaret, lectures, multimedia presentations, solo performers and a majority of educational programming. With a seating capacity of 982, the Hart Theatre is used for larger productions including musical theatre, dance and music concerts. Wrapping around fully half The Egg is a lounge area for the Hart theatre. This space is ideal for seminars, receptions, after theatre parties and small cabaret type performances.
The building's curved exterior defines the interior statement as well. There are virtually no straight lines or harsh corners inside The Egg. Instead, walls along the edge curve upward to meet gently concave ceiling light for celestial effect. The backs of performing areas are fanned - inviting one inward - providing an intimacy impossible in a conventional theatre. And throughout, walls of Swiss pearwood veneer add warmth and enhance the acoustics in the theatres.
Visually distinctive, yet ingenious The Egg is a beautiful synthesis of form and function.
[18/07/2007 10:56:18] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Dreams
"The ninety and nine are with dreams, content but the hope of the world made new, is the hundredth man who is grimly bent on making those dreams come true." Edgar Allan Poe
Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isnt that the way
Everybodys got their dues in life to pay
I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know its everybodys sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life is in books written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know its true
All the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away
(x2)
Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on...
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away
-Aerosmith
[16/07/2007 00:16:10] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Confession
This is the first time I am sharing something very personal. Well, surely my blog gives quite a clear picture of my life in past more than three years and if at all there was someone who read all of it, can very easily put the whole puzzle together and probably know me better than me! My previous post was building this one. That time I didn't know that I would be sharing this confession with the world but today I feel I should share this with the world. I just feel like that!
Coming to the point, my confession! I want to confess to the world at large that I finally took the revenge against a person who wronged me. I had fought back but only now I think the strike hit home. Yes, I don't know for sure but me being the mystical me "know" :) :D and I am especially sure because all my hurt feeling has finally washed away! Very likely the karma came through the whole cycle and is now washed out?!
I cannot close this post without mentioning that my revenge likely harmed some people other than the person against whom the revenge was targetted but then I quote from Mahabharata
""Bhishma said, 'If one does acts oneself that are good or causes others to accomplish them, one should then expect to attain to the merits of righteousness. Similarly, if one does acts oneself that are evil, and causes others to accomplish them, one should never expect to attain to the merits of righteousness."
BTW, isn't this strange that Bhisma himself gave these "anusasana" to Yudhistir? Anyways, No apologies!
Cheers and Energies!!!
[12/07/2007 13:24:31] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Revenge
Revenge is a hotly-contested ethical issue in philosophy. Some feel that, at the very least, the threat of revenge is necessary to maintain a just society. In some societies, it is believed that the injury inflicted in revenge should be greater than the original one, as a punitive measure. The Old Testament philosophy of "an eye for an eye" (cf. Exodus 21:24) tried to limit the allowed damage, in order to avoid a vendetta or series of violent acts that could spiral out of control—instead of 'tenfold' vengeance, there would be a simple 'equality of suffering'. Detractors argue that revenge is a simple logical fallacy, of the same design as "two wrongs make a right." Some Christians interpret Paul's "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19, King James Version) to mean that only God has the moral right to exact revenge. Indeed, every major religious system contains some method for the mediation of disputes and for the limitation of vengeance by imputing a sense of cosmic justice to replace the often faulty justice systems of the world of men.
Of the psychological, moral, and cultural foundation for revenge, philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written: "The primitive sense of the just—remarkably constant from several ancient cultures to modern institutions…—starts from the notion that a human life…is a vulnerable thing, a thing that can be invaded, wounded, violated by another's act in many ways. For this penetration, the only remedy that seems appropriate is a counter invasion, equally deliberate, equally grave. And to right the balance truly, the retribution must be exactly, strictly proportional to the original encroachment. It differs from the original act only in the sequence of time and in the fact that it is response rather than original act—a fact frequently obscured if there is a long sequence of acts and counteracts"
Well well, the idea is not to bore ourselves with details on what is revenge .... here are some interesting stories I picked from the Internet...
1. We all remember our first 'love' don't we? I got with (I'll just code name him gollum for now) gollum when I was 14 and a half, my first boyfriend. .I adored him and he adored me. I never doubted him. Trusted him above all others etc etc etc.....We were together for 5 and a half years, unreal hey. I really did believe in forever then. Until he decided to pick up with two whores in a town close to were we lived.....he tortured the living shit out me for at least 3 weeks. Until I got the strength to break it off, I was an absolute wreck, ended up hospitalized because I couldn't eat or sleep. I recovered after about 2 months and suddenly realized that it had been going on for longer than I thought, I remembered every little thing that he ever did. He scarred me, scarred me badly, so I decided to scar him. A little permanent reminder of what he was and always will be.
I'm an amateur tattooist, I have all my own equipment and friends often come over to party and get tattoos. One night I invited everyone over including gollum and by the time I'd pulled my trusty tattoo gun out gollum was so drunk all he cared about was getting ink under his skin. He picked out a design and asked me where I thought he should get it, I suggested lower back. He was all for it, took his shirt off, lay on his stomach and promptly passed out. So I pulled the back of his jeans down and went to work. The next day I greeted him normally and he had no idea what I'd done to him, he was still drunk. I found out what he thought of my handiwork when he turned up at my door later that afternoon when he'd sobered up enough to notice that his butt cheek was sore. He screamed for a good half an hour at me. I just stood there placidly, nodding in the right spots until he went away. I'd tattooed LIAR across his left butt cheek in 2 inch tall letters.......needless to say he hasn't spoken to me much since then. And me? Well I've never felt better.
Revenge is a bitch.
2. After three years of being messed around in many ways (I should have walked earlier) I decided to part company with my ex. I arranged to go over to his house, he knew what time I'd be there but again, he decided to 'have a quick pint' on his way back from work. I'd seriously had enough. I called him to tell him I was leaving but he talked me into staying until he got there so that we could sort out the issue of the money that he owed me. Needless to say it was just a muse to keep me there. I told him that I didn't trust him (I suspected he was cheating) and that after three years I deserved better. After hours of his begging and refusing to take the set of keys he gave me we managed to talk things through enough for me to leave on a good note. I told him that I was not going to take any more of his crap. A couple of days later I'd been out with friends and after I'd got home in the early hours something 'made' me got to his home. Surprise, surprise, he was there with another woman, at 2.30 am! Not once did he admit what he was doing and just blatantly lied to my face and told me I was being stupid/immature/unreasonable, etc. As you can imagine, to say I was annoyed was a bit of an understatement. A couple of weeks later, when I'd had time to think things through I decided to take the photo of him in my underwear and print out lots of color copies and place them on every single car in the 2 pubs he frequents! Bearing in mind that this idiot is the most straight laced (all pretend), private man you could meet, he would've been absolutely mortified that everyone he associates with would have seen him in that pose! I still laugh now!
3. I went to the dollar store, bought a container of deep conditioning hair stuff. Emptied it. Put Veet (3 minute hair remover) into it. Went online ,printed up a letter stating You have been selected to try a free sample & Sent it to a girl who tried to steal my husband!
well well,
Revenge
Tears the mind can't tell are true,
Pain the heart can't share.
Anger wrapped up in deceit,
It's more than I can bear.
The hurt and torture deep inside,
The scalding pain of hate.
The sadness deep inside my soul,
That anger did create.
The anger causes pain inside,
Too deep to understand.
And the pain, in turn, will cause,
More malice to my hand.
The scourge I lay upon you now,
You surely cannot break.
This curse will last for on and on,
You've made a grave mistake.
Kim Hooten
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/revenge-2/
:) :D :P
[26/06/2007 12:55:12] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
A warrior's tale
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/26sld2.htm
At a time when the de-militarisation of the Siachen glacier is in the news, Claude Arpi spoke to retired Captain Bana Singh, one of only three living recipients of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for gallantry, who captured the 'Quaid' Post, 20 years ago this day, June 26, 1987.
[11/06/2007 23:16:51] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Barsaat ki raat (1960)
After a long time I watched a cine classic "Barsaat ki raat". Here is some information about the movie
Directed by P. L. Santoshi
Produced by: R. Chandra; Story: Rafi Ajmeri; Dialogue: Sarshar Sailani; Screenplay: Bharat Bhushan, P. L. Santoshi; Cinematography: M. Rajaram; Editing: P. S. Khochikar; Art Direction: Gonesh Basak; Playback: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Sudha Malhotra, Mohamed Rafi, Manna Dey, S. D. Batish, Shankar Shamboo, Balbir, Suman Kalyanpur, Kamla Barot; Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi; Music: Roshan
Despite the poor image quality and subtitles on the available DVD (see below)—there are at least three good reasons to watch (and vah!) this under-appreciated gem of a film:
* it belongs to the comparatively rare category of “Muslim social” (cf. CHAUDVIN KA CHAND), which offers a contemporary and essentially secular tale centered around main characters who happen to South Asian Muslims, fairly realistically depicts their cultural and social life, and features chaste and elegant Urdu/Hindi with a rich Persian resonance.
* it offers three notably strong female characters, superbly played by talented actresses, including the incomparable Madhubala, then at the height of her career (cf. MUGHAL-E-AZAM).
* it has a memorable score, with lyrics by the great Sahir Ludhianvi (an Urdu poet doubtless most in his element when—as here—composing for a film about Urdu poets), sung by a stellar list of playback singers, and culminating in a series of dazzling qawwali performances (of love-saturated and Sufi-inflected couplets on the pleasures and pains of love) that are among the best ever filmed.
I put this in my blog just to share beautiful poetry by great Sahir Ludhyanvi... [well I am not translating because I seriously believe English will bleach out the tenderness of urdu shayari!]
vahashat-e-dil rasm-o-diidaar se rokii naa gaI
kisii kha.njar, kisii talavaar se rokii naa gaI
ishq majanuu kii vo aavaaz hai jisake aage
koI lailaa kisii diivaar se rokii naa gaI, kyo.nki
ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq
vo ha.Nsake agar maa.Nge.n to ham jaan bhii dede.n,
haa.N ye jaan to kyaa chiiz hai Imaan bhii dede.n kyo.nki
ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq
naaz-o-a.ndaaz se kahate hai.n ki jiinaa hogaa,
zahar bhii dete hai.n to kahate hai.n ki piinaa hogaa
jab mai.n piitaa huu.N to kahate.n hai ki marataa bhii nahii.n,
jab mai.n marataa huu.N to kahate hai.n ki jiinaa hogaa
ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq, ye ishq ishq hai ishq ishq
mazahab-e-ishq kii har rasm ka.Dii hotii hai,
har kadam par koI diivaar kha.Dii hotii hai
ishq aazaad hai, hi.nduu naa musalamaan hai ishq,
aap hii dhama.r hai aur aap hii Imaan hai ishq
jisase aagaah nahii shekh-o-barahaaman dono,
us haqiiqat kaa garajataa huA ailaan hai ishq
Oh well! Just reading it again and again makes my heart laugh out loud! Loudly I would proclaim, if this is the love you can feel then love someone, else just drown in your cowardice ;) :D :) :))
[28/05/2007 14:06:23] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Sorrow
There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy.
- Dante
[28/05/2007 00:31:19] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Cycle
well well whole of may has nearly passed and I haven't blogged at all!! Mainly because there is nothing worth mentioning or maybe there are lots of things but I can't share it with the world. Life goes on... hhmmm something worth mentioning is I am trying to forgive to heal myself. The try is failing though I am trying again and again. The rains are helping, reminds me of the cycle of seasons, cycle of months, years ... cycle of life! Will this rain bloom my life too?
[05/05/2007 18:05:40] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Snowflakes, seashells and IBM's next generation of chips
Facinating!!!
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018580
May 03, 2007 (Computerworld) -- IBM is learning from naturally-forming patterns that create seashells, snowflakes and tooth enamel to build its next family of computer chips. The chips made with the new process will eventually be used in IBM's server product lines.
In an announcement today, IBM said the "self-assembling nanontechnology," expected to be integrated into its chips in 2009, increases the flow of electrical signals by 35% while using 15% less power in comparison with traditional chip-building techniques.
The new process involves the use of "airgap" insulation for the millions of electrical paths, or ultrathin copper wires, that make up each chip. Carbon silicate glass insulation is now used to keep the electrical signal in each path separated so data can be processed properly. Without proper insulation, the signals could become jumbled.
Airgap technology relies on a vacuum between the wires to keep data paths separated. Vacuum is a better insulator than carbon silicate, which becomes more fragile as chip components and circuits get smaller, the company said.
"This is the first time anyone has proven the ability to synthesize mass quantities of these self-assembled polymers and integrate them into an existing manufacturing process with great yield results," said Dan Edelstein, an IBM fellow and chief scientist of the self-assembly airgap project. "By moving self-assembly from the lab to the fab, we are able to make chips that are smaller, faster and consume less power than existing materials and design architectures allow."
IBM researchers developed the airgap technique by studying the concepts behind self-assembling processes in nature. The new process uses a mix of chemical compounds that's poured onto a silicon wafer that already contains the wired chip patterns. That assembly is then baked. The result is a 300 millimeter-wide chip that has trillions of uniform holes, each about 20 nanometers in diameter. That's about five times smaller than is possible with the light-masking and chemical etching techniques now in use.
Once the holes are formed, carbon silicate glass is removed from the assembly, creating the airgap between the wires.
The technology is expected to provide the equivalent of two generations of Moore's Law performance improvements in a single step, according to IBM. Moore's Law, named for Gordon Moore, a co-founder of chip maker Intel Corp., predicted in 1965 that the number of transistors on a chip would double every 24 months as part of the evolution of chip design and power.
"This doesn't change the face of computing immediately, but it does keep the door open so we can continue this trend of increasing scaling" in chip design, Edelstein said.
"Ten years ago, we introduced copper" into chip design to replace aluminum, which was reaching its development plateau and threatening to stop the continued performance potential of chips, he said. "This is as big a thing."
Edelstein said the process came about through the merging of two separate scientific streams of thought. One group of scientists began several years ago to look at nature's self-assembly processes, while other researchers continued to look for ways to further shrink chip circuits, Edelstein said.
"It happened in a very common way -- as in two heads are better than one and because necessity is the mother of invention," he said.
The challenge for researchers is finding new ways to speed up the transfer of signals, he said. As the wires on a chip are shrunk, they grow more resistant to the energy flowing through them, requiring higher amounts of electricity. That resistance comes largely from the ultrathin layers of carbon silicate glass used to insulate the wires. If the insulation is removed, electricity will flow better with little reduction in energy, Edelstein said.
The smallest wires in chips today are about 100nm in diameter, or about one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair.
A key difference between IBM's chip research and self-assembly techniques in nature is that the airgap process allows the creation of trillions of holes that are similar, while snowflakes and seashells vary from example to example.
Analysts say the new technique is important to the evolution of chip design. "All things considered, it's a pretty big deal, considering the kinds of problems it solves and how clever it is," said Dan Sokol, an analyst at The Envisioneering Group in Seaford, N.Y. "Even [with] 15% [energy savings], every little bit helps."
The airgap technology "helps knock down the brick wall that says they can't make chips any smaller," Sokol said. "These ... little things start to add up and in that regard, IBM gets a lot of points for very clever engineering."
David Lammers, an analyst and director of WeSRCH.com, a Web site owned by Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip consultancy VLSI Research Inc., called the new process "a big innovation.
"As far as I know, I have never heard of anyone [using] self-assembly" techniques previously in chip design. "A better insulator between the wires will really help solve a problem."
The self-assembly process was jointly invented between IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose and the T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Commercial research for the process was comducted at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany and at IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center in East Fishkill, N.Y.
[29/04/2007 16:53:05] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Ta ra rum pum
well after a long time I saw a movie on its opening weekend. The movie was "Ta Ra Rum Pum" starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji. I would say the movie was pretty good, worth spending some money and watching it in multiplex.
Here is the complete review of the movie on Rediff
Rediff Sukanya Verma's review
Now that I mentioned the movie I must also comment with my observations. The storyline is sorts of mixture of "Life is beautiful" and animation movie "Cars" and usual bollywood masala. I think biggest part of inspiration is the animation movie "Cars". 'Ta ra rum pum' is also about a race car driver who learns a lesson about values of life. Still, even after the mix and match parts of the movie; the whole affect is really good. The whole audience in the cinema hall I felt was quite spellbound. hhmm on second thoughts I do think they could have done a bit more better on the story. They could have reduce the first half to half of that and the reality show part could have been played up a bit more but with lesser melodrama. Saif, Rani and the kids were just purrrfect casting along with Javed Jaffery and other NYC cabbies.
The only drawback I really want to put across is Rani's character before her marraige with Saif's character. First and foremost whats with the fringe hair cut !!!! Hair cut was awful!! Secondly, **PLEASE convey this message to Rani** She looks really really bad in short skirts. Her legs muscular or whatever are just NOT for show off!!! The makeup also looked very weird. On the whole she looked very wannabe! This makeover was completely off the mark.
Rani looked very apt after her marraige once she starts wearing jeans and tops. Second half she was close to perfection as a typical desi mom under money stress. Some place she was shown interacting with Saif using her eyes, where Saif brings in idea of reality show, when the daughter doesn't like the new home and when she refuse to go to school without a shower. The surprise, questioning and request to do something, those expressions were priceless. She also looked very relaxed in her acting and just the Rani we all love to watch on screen.
Saif was really really cool in the whole movie. Couple of scene were just too good. This guy has really arrived as an actor. Ofcourse there is a long long way to go but he is on the right path. There is one scene where Rani is upset at her dad throwing money at her and showing pity on her, Saif looked so very innocent when he asks why she is upset and he surely wouldn't mind his father-in-law insulting him as long as he writes cheques! His breakdown scene after he does the dash to airport but not as fast as her could, was done very cool, a long shot..
Cinematography was just slick, not over glossy and still slick. Grandeur of race track and starkness of family's new home in Jackson Heights, awsome NY backdrops, hightened emotions all were just right. Good editing kept the pace of movie to quite right speed even though I did feel the first half could have speeden up a little bit. Music was quite upbeat and peppy as a typical bollywood movie targetting children should be. For myself though I could have be happier with two less songs especially the ones in the begining.
On the whole a must see! Don't go expecting to see life is beautiful or Cars but just a bollywood family entertainment, you won't be disappointed. And yes, let me take this moment to congratulate Mr Adi Chopra on the truck loads of money he is going to earn in near future on this movie :) :D movie hit hai bhai
Edit:
There are some errors in the movie which I noticed too. Starting with the fact that after selling off all their belongings including multi-million dollar house; surely they can't be left with $2000! If they had stayed in that house for 8-9years (keeping in mind kids ages), nearly half the cost would have been paid, which would have amounted to atleast a million dollar and surely all things inside the house could not have costed more than that!! Anyways most of the cost would have been recovered by selling it! Whatever happened to the stingy Rani who supposedly starting planning and saving right from her childhood (like she says to her dad)!! She wouldn't have saved up? Secondly the extreme poverty depicted using scenes where Saif and Rani stop eating !! A whole loaf of bread maybe cheap variety in US is less than a dollar; for the same price you could also get about a kilo of atta to make atleast two dozen chappatis!! Most ( about 95%) of the schools in US have no tuition fees except some very specific private schools. The parents were shown quite vain in trying to keep the kids in super expensive school when they really had no money at all, why couldn't the school become part of 'reality' show part, they could have simply said that as part of the reality show they have to attend a school close to the place they stay and which is free of cost!! The hospitals in US do NOT usually ask money to be deposited before the operation. Whether you have insurance or not, the emergency cases are handled without delay and then you owe money to the hospital. Yes, huge interests are applied e.g. like credit cards but this is the first instance like typical bollywood movie where the doc tells how much the operation will cost!!! Whatever happened to hospital's accounting department?! And ofcourse no one knows about the COBRA clause in insurance where the insurance cover continues for some period even if one loses their job. So the need of $65k did not exist at all!! Well, I had the same problem with the hollywood movie 'In pursuit of happyness' the poverty depicted was sorts of over board. Anyways these are a few things unrealistic which can be accepted as a directors artistic diversions to support the story. Yeah I guess I will ignore the fact that directors and story writers thinks audience knows no mathematics and probably are dumb!
[26/04/2007 15:38:10] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
A poem
Well, it just happened that this thought came to my mind and turned itself into a poem!
दुनिया की भीड मैं मैने अपना दुख ऐसा अकेला पाया जेसे
हसते हुये आखों मैं आ जाता है एक आंसु जेसे
Translation would mean, In the crowd of this world, I found my sadness to be alone as the drop of tear which forms in the eyes when one laughs out loud!
[19/04/2007 10:25:37] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Sad
Thats the only word comes to my mind when I think of senseless killing in Virginia Tech Campus.
I really wish United States wakes up and instead of doing a lip service of sympathy the US Government enforces Gun Control Laws which takes the arms of destruction away from masses and makes it very difficult to procure arms for normal people.
[17/04/2007 20:46:10] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Loneliness
[13/04/2007 22:42:52] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
It Rained!
After like about six months, it rained here in Bangalore!
[12/04/2007 12:13:57] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Dark chocolate may reduce blood pressure, improve insulin resistance
Oh well, I just knew it!
American Heart Association rapid access journal report:
DALLAS, July 19 – If you have high blood pressure, a daily bar-sized serving of flavonol-rich dark chocolate might lower your blood pressure and improve insulin resistance, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Previous studies suggest flavonoid-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and chocolate, might offer cardiovascular benefits, but this is one of the first clinical trials to look specifically at dark chocolate’s effect on lowering blood pressure among people with hypertension,” said study author Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ph.D.
Blumberg is a senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
Flavonoids are natural antioxidants found in many foods from plants.
“This study is not about eating more chocolate,” Blumberg cautioned. “It suggests that cocoa flavonoids appear to have benefits on vascular function and glucose sensitivity.”
Blumberg and colleagues at the University of L’Aquila in Italy, including senior author Dr. Claudio Ferri, studied 10 men and 10 women. They all had hypertension and a systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) between 140 and 159 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) between 90 and 99. None of the participants was taking antihypertensive medicines, and none had diabetes or other disease, nor did they smoke.
For one week before starting the study, participants avoided all chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods. During the next 15 days, half ate a daily 3.5-ounce bar of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate, while the other half ate the same amount of white chocolate. After another week of avoiding flavonoid-rich foods, each subject “crossed over” and ate the other chocolate.
“White chocolate, which has no flavonoids, was the perfect control food because it contains all the other ingredients and calories found in dark chocolate,” Blumberg said. “It’s important to note that the dark chocolate we used had a high level of flavonoids, giving it a slightly bittersweet taste. Most Americans eat milk chocolate, which has a low amount of these compounds.”
[04/04/2007 19:50:36] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Movie: Provoked
Well this is one movie I have been wating for. Finally its released and I plan to see it over this weekend. Oh well, I somehow don't like Aishwarya Rai as an actress but I guess the story is so powerful that hopefully she couldn't have been wooden in this character. The trailer of the movie itself is so powerful that I am sure I will just love the movie. I also read some of the interviews of real Ms Kiranjit Ahluwalia. I just hope that the movie is seen by the entire world just so that her words come true
"I want to show the women who are suffering that they are not weak," she says. "We are hard workers, we are strong. Women can do anything, and we can do it without men".
Southhall Black Sisters Campaign for Kiranjit
'I wanted him to stop hurting me'
http://www.provokedthemovie.com/
[01/04/2007 20:13:28] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Water
I finally saw Deepa Mehta's movie "Water". My heart broke watching the widows in the movie and especially little chuhiya. Yes there is a considerable population of windows living in religious places like Vrindavan. They are sent to live there rest of their lives by their families once their husband passes away. Yes the main reasons are not only old customs but also greed of the family to not share any wealth with the widow. I google and found this study quite relevant. Status of Widows of Vrindavan and Varanasi
At same time I did NOT like the movie at all. It had too many flaws. The storyline seemed illogical! Surely the potrayal of lives of windows was likely very close to reality but somewhere I felt the story writer went over the limit to potray unnecessary melodrama. Example is most of the places the widows live in ashrams where their boarding has been free of cost but in movie the widows talk about paying rent. Then the way the hero Narayan (John Abraham) is quite silly is talking about Meghdoot when widow Kalyani (Lisa Ray) comes to meet him. Its a bit difficult to understand when Narayan would surely know that Kalyani has come to meet him overcoming many difficulties and its not just a walk near the river for her! No clear discussion about marraige is shown between Narayan and Kalyani. Also Kalyani never mentions that she is sent by old widow Madhumati to different Seths (Rich business people) so that she can earn some money for her ashram. This seem quite strange because Kalyani is shown quite bold and truthful. When she learns about Narayan's father being one such Seth with whom she might have spent the night she returns back. I felt it could not have been possible that Narayan would have left Kalyani to fend for herself in middle of night so that he could ask "question" to his father!!! Kalyani decides to kill herself by drowning in the river because old Madhumati asks her again to go to those Seths.
Well, this is exactly what I don't like about many film makers who seem to "sell" India's poverty and ills which ail the Indian society to the west. Well, now that the west has learnt that India is not only about Maharajas on elephants and snake charmers, the next thing is to tell the world about all superstitions we used to believe in and probably a lot of us still!.
I stand by my earlier post; "Rang De Basanti" was much better movie than "Water", In some ways I am happy that "Water" did not win oscar.
[28/03/2007 00:40:32] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Kandukondain Kandukondain - Movie Kandukondain Kandukondain 2000
Genius of Rajiv Menon :D I love this song not only for its lyrics [No I don't know much Tamil :) very little] but for cinematography! Ofcourse movie was just TOOOO good! An Indian adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." A must watch even if you don't know Tamil [use subtitles na!]
[28/03/2007 00:19:41] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Deewana Dil - Movie Pardes 1997
[b]Well below are some of my fav songs! The list is huge but these three I not only like to listen but also watch visual treat[/b]
[28/03/2007 00:17:18] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Tum bin - Movie Tum Bin 2001
[28/03/2007 00:05:59] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Ek pyaar ka nagma - Movie - Shor 1971
[26/03/2007 00:52:04] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Sun Shiny Day!
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin?for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there's nothin?but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin?but blue skies
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
[21/03/2007 21:39:22] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Happy !!
Happy Days are here again!! Thumbs Up!!!!!!
[09/03/2007 23:49:05] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Kabul Express
Finally I got to see this movie on DVD. I really liked the movie not only because of it being shot in Afganistan but especially because of its screenplay. A topic so serious presented in not so heavy manner. I would really suggest people to watch this movie.
[14/02/2007 14:04:14] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Rang de basanti Vs Water
Oh well, I am very disappointed about RDB not being selected for BAFTA or OSCARS. I don't deny that Water is very nice movie but I think it surely can't beat a movie like Rang De Basanti. The positivity in RDB and strong screen play is too good.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/water-in-oscar-shortlist-rdb-out/31394-8.html
[30/01/2007 18:12:04] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Low Cost Generic Drugs
Who is right and who is wrong?!!!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/business/worldbusiness/30novartis.html
NEW DELHI, Jan. 29 — The supply of low-cost generic versions of cancer and AIDS treatments for the developing world could be blocked if Novartis wins a legal challenge to India’s patent law, patients’ rights groups have contended.
But Western drug companies say that if Novartis loses its challenge, their ability to invest in the research and development of new medicines will be severely hampered.
In a court in Chennai on Monday, Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical company, appealed a decision not to grant it a patent on a modified form of its leukemia drug, Gleevac. The court was asked to clarify new regulations on patents for new versions of drugs whose original patents have expired.
If the company’s arguments prevail, Indian companies could be banned from manufacturing generic versions of the drug, which are sold in India and around the world for about a tenth of the $2,600 that Novartis charges for a month’s course of treatment.
Patients’ rights organizations say that a ruling in favor of Novartis would eliminate a global supply of affordable, generic drugs from India; aid agencies said millions of people would be left without access to the cancer treatment.
It would also effectively tighten patent legislation passed by India in 2005 to limit the manufacture of generic drugs. The law was intended to bring India in line with the World Trade Organization’s agreement on intellectual property rights.
The 2005 law allows patents to be granted on new versions of older, off-patent medicines if the new version can be shown to represent a significant improvement on the original, but not in the case of “incremental innovations.”
Novartis said its new drug could be absorbed more easily by the body. Last year, an Indian court rejected the argument that the drug constituted a major improvement on the earlier version.
John Gilardi, a spokesman for Novartis, said by telephone from Switzerland that the company’s appeal was in part an attempt to gauge how the law was going to be put into practice.
“We are trying to gain clarity as to what guides India’s patent laws,” Mr. Gilardi said. The case was about “clarifying intellectual property rights and not about access to medicines,” he said, adding that Novartis already gave free supplies of Gleevac to 6,800 patients in India suffering from the rare form of leukemia that it was developed to combat. He said that number represented more than 90 percent of all the cases in the country.
“If there is no patent protection, we will not see billions of dollars being invested in the research of medicines,” Mr. Gilardi said. “This is not about access to medicines. It is about establishing whether India is going to step up and adopt the minimum international standards required for the protection of intellectual property.”
But Unni Karunakara, medical director of a Doctors Without Borders campaign to broaden access to medicines, said a ruling in favor of Novartis could obstruct the organization in providing treatment for AIDS patients globally.
“Novartis is trying to shut down the pharmacy of the developing world,” Dr. Karunakara said at a news conference in New Delhi. “Indian drugs form the backbone of our AIDS programs, in which 80,000 people in over 30 counties receive treatment. Over 80 percent of the medicines we use to treat AIDS come from India.”
Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam have collected nearly 250,000 signatures on a petition asking Novartis to drop the case, which was adjourned until Feb. 15.
[11/01/2007 19:10:18] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
21,500 more troops to fix my mistakes
Does this make any sense what so ever?! I'd relate this to the Nithari killings where Surendra is killing children; Bush is virtually killing American's children, don't you think so?
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/487726p-410636c.html
BY THOMAS M. DeFRANK and KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
American soliders at Camp Ramadi in Iraq watch President Bush's speech last night.
WASHINGTON - President Bush admitted mistakes have caused failures in Iraq, but defied war-weary Americans last night by announcing he is sending 21,500 more U.S. troops into the cauldron.
"Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me," Bush told a nationwide television audience.
Bush has repeatedly ignored pleas from generals who wanted more troops, but last night he insisted his new plan "will change America's course in Iraq."
"For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq," Bush said, maintaining that terrorists will thrive if the U.S. withdraws.
He also warned, however, that the insurgents will make this coming year "bloody and violent."
[09/01/2007 15:38:12] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Devil's dance?
Nithari killings: More skeletal remains found; Inspector suspended
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=346773&sid=NAT
How so ever much I decided to not speak about topics which are already in public scrutiny, this case takes the proverbial cake, so to speak. I have come across many bad people in my lifetime, mostly I deducted they were not really bad but circumstances and their own cowardice, greed etc led them to do wrong things. These people Moninder and Surendra seem in that prespective, devil incarnate! Surely they have no heart to speak of! Such coldness towards human beings and mostly children! Surely some of their genes is quite flawed because I feel no human being on this earth can do such a deed!
My heart goes out to people of the village from where most children were missing. The police also carry big blame because they did not take appropriate actions when required. I am given to understand that not even a FIR was lodged for more than dozen children missing!
Is this the Kali Kaal mentioned in the religious texts, when it might seem that evil is winning over Good!? Pray we see a incarnation of God to be our saviour.
[08/12/2006 15:01:09] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
They got Frank!
[04/12/2006 17:59:43] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
More women in Pak., Bangladesh legislature than India
Isn't that an eye opener??? For all those anti-feminist people in India and for all that thing about how in India women are in much better condition than its neighbours, this is a tight slap on their faces!!
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612041650.htm
New Delhi, Dec. 4 (PTI): As the wait for the Women's Reservation Bill continues, statistics show that India fares poorer than its neighbours in South Asia in women's representation in the national legislatures, with countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh having much better numbers.
While there are 8.3 per cent women in the Lok Sabha, the lower house in Pakistan's National Assembly has 21.3 per cent women, according to a written reply given by Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Renuka Chowdhury, in Rajya Sabha today.
Bangladesh has 15.1 per cent women in its Parliament, while Maldives too fares better than India with 12 per cent women in the national legislature.
The Upper House in Pakistan's National Assembly has 17 per cent women and that of Nepal 16.7 per cent, compared to the 11.2 per cent in Rajya Sabha.
Well all I can say is more power to women in Pakistan and Bangladesh!!
[27/11/2006 17:34:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Four days of bliss
[21/11/2006 00:15:47] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Any sponsors???
[16/11/2006 23:37:25] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Greedy World!!!
I won't be surprised if this is indeed true !!!
Rich countries 'blocking cheap drugs for developing world'
The charity accuses the US, which champions the interests of its giant pharmaceutical companies, of bullying developing countries into not using the measures in the Doha declaration and the EU of standing by and doing nothing. Doha technically allows poor countries to buy cheap copies of desperately needed drugs but the US is accused of trying to prevent countries such as Thailand and India, which have manufacturing capacity, making and selling cheap generic versions so as to preserve the monopolies of the drug giants.
"Rich countries have broken the spirit of the Doha declaration," said Celine Charveriat, head of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. "The declaration said the right things but needed political action to work and that hasn't happened. In fact, we've actually gone backwards. Many people are dying or suffering needlessly."
The Indian generics firms make most of the cheap drug cocktails that are now being rolled out to people with HIV in Africa and are keeping more than a million people alive. They brought the price of a basic three-drug cocktail down from $10,000 (£5,250) a year to less than $150 (£79). But new Aids drugs will soon be needed because the virus will become resistant to the basic ones now in use - as has happened in the EU and the US.
Those newer Aids drugs, together with drugs for cancer and diabetes, are under patent. The Oxfam report points out that 4 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005 and cancer and diabetes are expanding faster in developing countries than in the richer world.
[12/11/2006 13:41:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Once upon a timezone
Well, one of the hillarious books I read recently is "Once upon a timezone"
In the heart of middle-class India, Neel Pandey, just out of college, dreams day and night of his first love – America – and also of an escape from his father’s grandiose desire to land an upper caste daughter-in-law.
Unable to go to the United States, he takes the second best -- a job at a call centre where he assumes an American identity. Meanwhile, in faraway New York, Angela Cruz has escaped her racist father and life in Jackson, Mississippi, and is a journalist chasing her big story – of a school band of immigrant kids in a New York suburb who have been selected to perform at a musical extravaganza but don’t have the money to fly there.
Angela buys a computer, it malfunctions, and she calls the call center to scream at them. She runs into Neel, and, many many conversations later, they tumble into a faraway romance.
Once upon a Timezone is a funny light-hearted look at two people, intwo different continents who are both trying to escape similar worlds of prejudice, and who realize somewhere along the way that mix-ups and cover-ups, nationalities and distances, notwithstanding, they are deeply in love.
[07/11/2006 06:44:56] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Chemical warfare
After a long time I really understood all the chemical warfare going inside a human body :) its deadly !!!
[30/09/2006 22:13:58] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Gandhigiri and Munnabhai
Well hats off to the movie, suddenly all what Bapu dreamt of half a century back seems all relevant. I absolutely loved the movie but at same time I reserve my doubts about if Bapu's ideals are actually applicable in today's world. In the movie it does seem very relevant but the keyword is "seem". I think its applicable as long as we believe that every person in this world has a conscience. Sadly its not really the case. Yes, my point is debatable but if I actually see truth rule this world in coming years, I will accept that Bapu's ideals are true in this world in this era too.
[10/09/2006 23:40:50] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
jal ke raakh hum ho gaye
I encountered this beautiful piece of shayari in one of my web escapades!
I guess someone called "Surya" has posted this
http://shayari.sr-ultimate.com/movies-songs/tere-dil-mein-meri-saanson-ko-panah-mil-jaaye-tere-ishq-mein-meri-jaan-fanaa-ho-jaye.html
ek ek ansoo se sapne sare dah gaye
ek ek sapne se ansoo bahte he gaye
saath chalte chalte tumare, ek thoker kya lagi
hum geer gaye, pair phir bhi chalte hi gaye
dil ke dard ab sirf ahsaas ban ker rah gaye
sare khushiyo ke khwab ab sirf dard ban gaye
eedhar jaye ya udhar, kaise rah payenge hum
heera tum dondhne nikle they
heera tum dondhne nikle they
jal ke raakh hum ho gaye,
*sigh* *sigh*
[21/08/2006 16:30:10] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Free Energy??
Company claims to have developed new technology that provides unlimited free energy
I really wish this is true!
August 20, 2006 Steorn, an Irish company, claims to have produced a groundbreaking (we do not use this word lightly) technology which is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and produces free, clean and constant energy. If the claims are true, the new technology will enable a significant range of benefits, from the convenience of never having to refuel your car or recharge your mobile phone, to a genuine solution to the need for zero emission energy production. It will also provide a secure supply of energy, since the components of the technology are readily available. Steorn’s technology appears to violate the ‘Principle of the Conservation of Energy’, (energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only change form) considered by many to be the most fundamental principle in our current understanding of the universe. Fully aware that its claims will be considered bunkum by anyone who has graduated kindergarten, Steorn today issued a challenge to the global scientific community to test its free energy technology. Steorn has placed an advertisement in The Economist to attract the attention of the world’s leading scientists working in the field of experimental physics. From all the scientists who accept the challenge, twelve will be invited to take part in a rigorous testing exercise to prove that Steorn’s technology creates free energy. The results will be published worldwide.
In early 2006 Steorn decided to seek validation from the scientific community in a more public forum, and as a result have published the challenge in The Economist. The company is seeking a jury of twelve qualified experimental physicists to define the tests required, the test centres to be used, monitor the analysis and then publish the results.
Steorn decided to publish its challenge in The Economist because of the breadth of its readership. “We chose it over a purely scientific magazine simply because we want to make the general public aware that this process is about to commence and to generate public support, awareness, interest etc for what we are doing.”
Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, commented: “During the years of its development, our technology has been validated by various independent scientists and engineers. We are now seeking twelve of the most qualified and most cynical from the world’s scientific community to form an independent jury, test the technology in independent laboratories and publish their findings.
“We are under no illusions that there will be a lot of cynicism out there about our proposition, as it currently challenges one of the basic principles of physics. However, the implications of our technology go far beyond scientific curiosity: addressing many urgent global needs including security of energy supply and zero emission energy production. In order for these benefits to be achieved, we need the public validation and endorsement of the scientific community”.
“We’re playing our part in making that happen by throwing down the gauntlet with today’s announcement – now it’s over to the scientists to ensure that the real potential and benefits of our technology can be realised.”
Following the validation process, Steorn intends to license its technology to organisations within the energy sector. It will allow use of its technology royalty-free for certain purposes including water and rural electrification projects in third world countries, details to be announced later.
[03/08/2006 14:43:04] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Ban on child labor
Well, hope :-)
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=India&month=August2006&file=World_News2006080332514.xml
NEW DELHI • Employing children under 14 in households, roadside eateries and hotels will be illegal in India from October, the government has announced, saying it hopes to improve the plight of millions.
But rights activists held out little hope that the lot of child labourers would change.
Children working in lower-end restaurants and highway food stalls are a common sight in many parts of India, and many urban households and shops hire young boys and girls under the age of 14 from poor families as servants or maids.
A Labour Ministry Statement late on Tuesday said the ban had been imposed under the 1986 Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act and would take effect October 10.
It warned that anyone employing children in homes, roadside eateries, restaurants, hotels, motels, teashops, resorts, spas or in other recreational centres will be liable to prosecution.
Penalties range from a prison term of up to two years and/or a fine of between Rs10,000 and Rs20,000($212 and $424).
The ban is expected to “ameliorate” the sufferings of millions of working children, said the Labour Ministry, estimating that there are some 12.6 million child labourers in India.
Describing the employment of children as domestic helps or in the hospitality industry as “hazardous,” the statement said that in most cases they were subject to physical violence, psychological trauma and sexual abuse.
Those working in highway eateries were identified as the “most vulnerable” and “easy prey to sex and drug abuse”.
These abuses went unnoticed and unreported as they took place in the close confines of the households or restaurants, the government said.
“Children are made to work for long hours and are made to undertake various hazardous activities severely affecting their health and psyche,” it added.
India has already banned children from working in hazardous industries like making fire crackers and glass factories under a parliamentary act passed in 1986.
But many children continue to work in such establishments because of lax enforcement of laws.
Activists said the new ban would not make much difference eliminating child labour.
“I wonder how successful this move is going to be? How many people has the government penalised so far (under existing laws)? Do they have any records of that?” asked social anthropologist Neera Burra, an author of a book on child labour.
“I want to know how the government plans to enforce the ban,” she said. Burra also asked the government to spell out plans for the rehabilitation of children rescued from such places. “We need workable plans for rehabilitation. After the children are rescued, they need to be sent to school. Do we have adequate schools to cater to the need?” she said.
“Most are housed in observation homes that are very much like prisons.”
Rishi Kant, an activist with Shakti Vahini, a non-governmental organisation working with children, also questioned the effectiveness of the ban. “It is a welcome step no doubt but the government should follow it up with practical alternatives,” Kant said.
“For instance, vocational training as well as sensitising parents will go a long way,” he said.
Parents, for instance, were diffident about sending children to schools two or three kilometres (miles) away from their villages but when it came to sending them off to work in another state they did not seem to mind, he said.
The rescue of children had to be coupled with “overall economic development as well as incentives to parents and children to wean them away from child labour,” he added.
“But it gives us moral support to fight child slavery,” said Kailash Satyarthi, chairman of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement).
[13/07/2006 11:25:45] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Maachis?
Mumbai Blasts: concern over peace process
Mumbai blasts: 350 detained for questioning
Well, I have nothing to say! My previous post show what instigates this kind of action. We need NO foreign hand, our own is slitting our own throat !
[10/07/2006 12:01:49] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue
Does this make ANY sense!!??? @ Shiv Sena men go on the rampage
MUMBAI: It began with Ashok Kelkar, a transporter and Shiv Sainik, who was out on a morning walk when he spotted the bust of Meenatai Thackeray smeared with wet mud. Kelkar, a resident of Dadar, immediately called up former CM Manohar Joshi.
Within hours, word of the incident had spread among the rank and file. And by 10 am, Sena cadres across the city had poured out on the streets, forcing shops to down their shutters and disrupting the flow of traffic. The outburst was reminiscent of Sena campaigns in the past when Mumbai would be abruptly brought to a standstill, and was clearly orchestrated to convey that the party was still capable of mobilising sufficient grassroot-level support to meet its objective.
Many buses were burnt and businesses closed leading to more than 25crores of losses to Mumbai city and the most interesting part is NO ONE knows who these people are protesting against or for!!!
[04/07/2006 10:13:31] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
'23,000 female foetuses aborted in Delhi last year'
This is terrible!!! I wonder when will hunger for male progeny end??? Its quite sickening actually to see even quite educated well to do couple also opting for aborting female foetuses.
'23,000 female foetuses aborted in Delhi last year'
NEW DELHI: Around 23,000 female foetuses were aborted in the capital last year with, experts said on Wednesday.
"Whereas Denmark had 23,000 births in 2005, the same number of female foetuses were aborted in Delhi alone," said Puneet Bedi, a leading medicine expert, quoting records of the Delhi government.
"In a recent audit on ultrasound clinics based on three months data, we found that only 700 out of the registered 1,800 ultrasound clinics in Delhi are submitting monthly reports mandated under the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act," Bedi told IANS.
He was talking in a conference on prenatal sex selection organised by the Delhi government, Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) and a number of UN-based bodies here.
DCW Chairman Kiran Walia said female foeticide is genocide and to increase conviction, "such cases should be handled by special fast track courts".
Walia said portable ultrasound machines were playing a major role in these cases and PNDT authorities should regulate their use in Delhi.
Expressing helplessness of her department, Rashmi Singh, Joint Director of Social Welfare said it should be monitored on a monthly basis by the principal secretary and there should be a bi-annual review by the Chief Minister.
R Chand, Director (PNDT) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that the Central Supervisory Board is reviewing a complaint seeking limited use of portable ultrasound machines. An action may be taken in August this year.
[03/07/2006 13:06:58] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Bangalore: Airport Road Flyover, Jayadeva underpass to be opened shortly
Bangalore: Airport Road Flyover, Jayadeva underpass to be opened shortly
*phew* Finally !!!!
Work completed after a delay of almost two years
* Load tests on the Airport Road Flyover launchedon Friday
* Airport Road Flyover to be completely ready by September
* Main Jayadeva Flyover inaugurated last year
BANGALORE, July 3: After a delay of almost two years, both Airport Road Flyover and the road underpass at Jayadeva Flyover are almost complete and would be opened to the public shortly.
M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda, Commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority, said the main carriageway of the Airport Road Flyover would be opened to the public on July 8. On Friday, the BDA started load tests for the flyover.
The complete Airport Road Flyover, with three loops, would be completed by September, Mr. Shankaralinge Gowda said.
"Once traffic eases on the main road, we will start work on the loops. We will complete one each month," he added.
The airport road flyover was envisioned in 1999 when Jayakar Jerome was BDA Commissioner.
The contract for the construction of the flyover was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Limited (UPSBC) and work on it started in February 2004. Work was to be completed by April 2004 but soon a revised deadline was drawn up for March 2005.
Slow pace of work
The BDA, which felt progress on the flyover was slow, cancelled the contract. This was challenged by the contractors bringing work to a standstill for several months.
After the High Court ruled in favour of the UPSBC, work on the project started once again. However, the cost of the project escalated with the BDA spending an additional Rs. 9.11 crore on the project.
The underpass and grade-level separator of Jayadeva Flyover would be opened on July 15, said Mr. Shankaralinge Gowda. The main flyover was inaugurated last year.
The work on this flyover was also contracted to UPSBC. The scheduled date of completion was April 2004 but the main flyover was completed only in June 2005.
[27/06/2006 14:32:31] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
A mega-gift from the super-rich
A mega-gift from the super-rich
The above news item made me happy to hear that Warren Buffet, the world's second richest man, is going to donate most of his wealth, about $30billion to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The new item also has some interesting eye popping statistics of gulf between haves and have nots.
By one recent estimate, CEOs of U.S. corporations last year earned 262 times the pay of the average worker. Forty years ago, CEOs earned 24 times as much.
Other data show a marked increase in wealth inequality in recent decades -- today, 40 percent of total incomes goes to the top 10 percent.
In some ways the above is so true! A bit more than a decade ago, I was earning similar salary as my driver. Today I earn twenty times more salary than my driver. In one way it makes me happy but also saddens me to think that in that salary my driver is maintaining a whole family with two kids in same city as me!
[26/06/2006 15:27:23] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Nothing new!!
Life goes on!
[21/05/2006 13:20:23] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Is it possible?
Is it possible? Is it possible for just two kids to change your life upside down left to right and change it so much you yourself look into the mirror IF you are yourself?? YES, its possible!! Its happened to me and I have no time to even start explaining how different my life is now a days that my two nephews from US have arrived bag baggage mom and pop along of course :)) :D ...
I guess its going to be quite silent here on the blog for some time since all the decibels have shifted to my home!!! So long!
[21/04/2006 16:55:29] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Chaltae Chaltae
Well, Ricky reminded me of the song from one of my favourite Shahrukh movies "Chaltae Chaltae". Though in picturization the "Tauba tumahare" song is just toooo good but this song is which really tugs at the heart.....
Ho Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Ho Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Meine Marda Jahan Menu Sara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Sochiya Na Isne Mera Pyaar Bhool Jayegi
Ho Sochiya Na Isne Mera Pyaar Bhool Jayegi
Enne Jithewithe Karar Bhool Jayegi Karar Bhool Jayegi
Dil Milke Bhichad Gaya Yaara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Ho Sacha Rab Rakha Muh Mood Jaanwalie
Ho Sacha Rab Rakha Muh Mood Jaanwalie
Ho Dil Leke Mera Dil Tood Jaanwalie
Hai Dil Totiya Na Jude Dobara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Layi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi Tanhayi Vi Na Gayi
Meine Marda Jahan Menu Sara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
Teri Meri Oth Pe Gayi Soniye
Je Mein Tootiya Marto Tara
well in the movie, Rani comes back to Shahrukh but that usually doessn't happen in real life!? Don't you think??
[02/04/2006 10:45:08] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Japan is pink!
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/04/01/2003300432
Hanami
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hanami ( lit. "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms (Jp. sakura), or also ume blossoms (sometimes called "apricot" or "plum"). From late March to early April, sakura go into full bloom all over Japan. The blossom forecast (÷‘Oü, "sakurazensen" or "cherry blossom front") is announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched carefully by those planning hanami as the blossoms only last a week. In modern-day Japan, hanami mostly means of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura, which are pretty in daylight and enchanting at night. Hanami at night is called yozakura (literally "night sakura"). In many places such as Ueno Park temporary paper lanterns are hung for the purpose of yozakura.
[01/04/2006 10:22:47] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
And Now For Something Completely Different
Title: The Pet Shop
From: And Now For Something Completely Different
Transcribed By: Bret Shefter ( SHEBREB@YALEVM.BITNET )
Edited By: Adam Fogg
A customer enters a pet shop.
Customer: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.
(The owner does not respond.)
C: 'Ello, Miss?
Owner: What do you mean "miss"?
C: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint!
O: We're closin' for lunch.
C: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this parrot what I
purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.
O: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?
C: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's
wrong with it!
O: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.
C: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking
at one right now.
O: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian
Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
C: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.
O: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!
C: All right then, if he's restin', I'll wake him up!
(shouting at the cage)
'Ello, Mister Polly Parrot! I've got a lovely fresh cuttle fish for you if
you show...(owner hits the cage)
O: There, he moved!
C: No, he didn't, that was you hitting the cage!
O: I never!!
C: Yes, you did!
O: I never, never did anything...
C: (yelling and hitting the cage repeatedly) 'ELLO POLLY!!!!!
Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call!
(Takes parrot out of the cage and thumps its head on the counter. Throws it up
in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)
C: Now that's what I call a dead parrot.
O: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned!
C: STUNNED?!?
O: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! Norwegian Blues
stun easily, major.
C: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this.
That parrot is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour
ago, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to it bein'
tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk.
O: Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.
C: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why
did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home?
O: The Norwegian Blue prefers keepin' on it's back! Remarkable bird, id'nit,
squire? Lovely plumage!
C: Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot when I got it home,
and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in
the first place was that it had been NAILED there.
(pause)
O: Well, o'course it was nailed there! If I hadn't nailed that bird down,
it would have nuzzled up to those bars, bent 'em apart with its beak, and
VOOM! Feeweeweewee!
C: "VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts
through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!
O: No no! 'E's pining!
C: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased
to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft
of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be
pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off
the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run
down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!!
THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!
(pause)
O: Well, I'd better replace it, then.
(he takes a quick peek behind the counter)
O: Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the shop, and uh, we're
right out of parrots.
C: I see. I see, I get the picture.
O: I got a slug.
(pause)
C: Pray, does it talk?
O: Nnnnot really.
C: WELL IT'S HARDLY A BLOODY REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!?
O: Well! I never wanted to do this in the first place. I wanted to be...
A LUMBERJACK!
:) :D :) :P
[29/03/2006 21:35:50] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Addicted to Love?
http://www.ncpg.com/self4.html
"Love is all you need." For the person addicted to love, this becomes more than a popular lyric. It becomes literal truth. What is love addiction, and why are some men and women addicted to love? How can the problem be identified, and how can those addicted be helped?
A Psychological Addiction
Love addiction is a psychological addiction, a result of unfulfilled childhood needs. Children whose needs remain unrecognized may adjust by learning to limit their expectations. This limitation process may take the form of harmful ideas such as, "My needs don't count,""Getting close will hurt" and "I'm not worth loving." Such ideas do not satisfy childhood needs, leaving them still to be met later in life. As adults, addictive lovers remain dependent upon others to care for them, protect them and solve their problems.
Love addicts are characteristically familiar with desperate hopes and seemingly unending fears. Fearing rejection, fearing pain, fearing unfamiliar experiences, and having no faith in their ability--or even their right--to inspire love, they wait, wish, and hope for love, perhaps their least familiar experience.
Characteristics of Addictive Love
For addicts, love:
* Is all consuming and obsessive. * Is inhibited. * Avoids risk or change. * Lacks true intimacy. * Is manipulative, strikes deals. * Is dependent and parasitic. * Demands the loved one's devotion.
Effects of Love Addiction
Addictive love is obsessed with finding the world in one lover. Their own growth and development having been thwarted earlier in life, addicted lovers attach themselves to their lover's identity. Often, this dependency results in their drawing unearned pride from their lover's accomplishments. Sometimes it leads to their demanding, for themselves, undeserved recognition for their lover's achievements.
Fearful of change, addictive lovers will stifle development of their own self, finding the ultimate security in believing they can become indistinguishable from their mate. Sometimes the fear of change is so great all individual development of abilities, interests, and desires is suppressed. Stagnation is a common characteristic of addictive love relationships.
The desperate need for security leads to emotional scheming. Addictive lovers are inclined to think that doing things for their mate will secure their love. The resulting opportunities for disappointment and resentment are sufficient to make such scheming futile. But addictive lovers are obsessed with impossible needs and unrealistic expectations. Love demands honesty and self-integrity. And it is a dynamic relationship, itself cultivating growth and change in lovers. The dependent, frightened attachments of love addicts are destructive to love.
[23/03/2006 16:43:55] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Mid-day Meal Program in India
Mid-day Meal Program in India
Bangalore - 1,20,000
Hubli/Dharwad - 82,045
Jaipur - 60,000
Vrindavan - 37,000
Baran - 9,300
Mangalore - 5,550
Mysore - 3,100
Hassan - 2,144
Puri - 1,000
Now providing Mid-day Meals to 3,20,139 children everyday as of March, 2006
Make a donation
[20/03/2006 16:22:11] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
India May Allow the Rupee to Trade Freely, Singh Says
Well after news item about elephant Indira amused me no end, today I sat up reading the following peice of news! Yeeeeeehaaaaw get ready to ride the roller coaster :) We are REALLY opening up our economy! Yahoooooo Mr Singh! I know its scary and tense but look at the kinds of rewards it can bring to the country. I am ALL for it... lets get on the bandwagon Mr Prime Minister!
Steps on rupee full float soon
PTI[ MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2006 12:12:06 PM]
NEW DELHI: With prime minister Manmohan Singh favouring full float of the rupee, finance minister, P Chidambaram said on monday that the government and RBI would in the next few days announce steps on capital account convertibility of the Indian currency. FM said at a CII function, "Prime Minister has made a very definitive statement day before yesterday and RBI and the government would announce next steps (on capital account convertibility) in a few days from now."
Full float of the rupee would facilitate conversion of the Indian currency into foreign currency and vice versa -- a move that would help attract greater investments. At present, the rupee is convertible on current account, basically for trade purposes. Chidambaram said the finance ministry and RBI had discussions on capital account convertibility of the rupee and the issue could have been part of the Budget 2006-07.
India May Allow the Rupee to Trade Freely, Singh Says
March 18 (Bloomberg) -- India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government will consider allowing the rupee to trade freely against other currencies, as part of a plan to boost overseas investments into the country. At present, India allows its currency, the rupee, to be convertible only on the trade or current account. This allows companies and individuals to freely convert rupees into foreign currencies for trade in goods and services. India is simplifying rules on foreign currency transaction to make it easier for Indian companies to buy assets abroad and foreign funds that invest in local shares. The effort has been underpinned by mounting foreign exchange reserves, which have risen to $144 billion, the fifth-largest in Asia, and economic growth that's made the nation's benchmark stock index Asia's second-best performer this year. ``Our own position, internally and externally, has become far more comfortable,'' Singh said today at the Asian Corporate Conference in Mumbai. ``I have requested the Finance Minister and the Reserve Bank to revisit the subject and come out with a road map on capital account convertibility.'' India's economy, Asia's fourth-biggest, is forecast by the government to expand 8.1 percent in the year ending this month, from 7.5 percent a year ago. India, the second-fastest growing major economy after China, expects to get $7 billion of foreign direct investment by March 31, almost twice from a year earlier. Overseas funds have bought $3.4 billion of stocks since Jan. 1. Purchases were a record $10.7 billion in 2005.
[16/03/2006 10:37:02] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Spreading panic, jumbo paints the town red
http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/16/stories/2006031604451300.htm
I was very amused to read this story and thought of sharing it. I wonder what was Indira "thinking"!!! :))
MYSORE: An elephant broke loose from the Mysore Palace here on Wednesday morning and ambled along several crowded roads, spreading panic among residents of the city.After roaming aimlessly, but menacingly, through the streets for more than two hours and causing disquiet among residents, police, mahouts and palace authorities, the elephant returned to its quarters in the palace without harming anyone or causing any damage to property.According to the mahouts at the palace, the drama began unfolding around 8 a.m. when they were bathing the elephants near the water tank on the premises. The sound of a helicopter over the palace excited Indira, which disobeyed its mahout, Nagesh, and began running around.
Before the mahouts could control the elephant, it walked out of the palace through the South Gate, also called as the Varaha Gate. It first proceeded towards the Gun House and entered Ramanuja Road, even as bewildered people watched. With an iron chain around its fore leg, Indira went around the residential localities of Nanjumalige, Krishnamurthypuram and Jayanagar, taking main roads as well as lanes and by-lanes. But, throughout its six to seven km long trek, it did not attack anybody or damage any property. Soon after the elephant broke loose, police and forest department officials were alerted. The palace authorities also dispatched four elephants, all female. The officials, besides mahouts astride on other elephants, began trailing Indira. Next, the errant pachyderm sauntered into the compound of a house, which was being used as an office. The authorities trailing Indira led the other elephants — Preethi, Chanchal, Seetha and Raji — into the same compound and bolted the gate. Once inside, the mahouts tried in vain to bring Indira under control. Its mahout refused to climb atop the Indira, which remained in an agitated mood. Minutes later, Indira decided get out. With one mighty swing of her trunk, it broke the bolt and threw the gate ajar. Then it resumed her majestic trek through city roads. When the elephant came near the West Gate of the palace, the mahouts and other officials goaded it towards the palace gate. Indira entered the palace and headed straight to the water tank in the elephants quarters and splashed water on its body, bringing to an end the anxiety-filled exercise.
[07/03/2006 17:05:50] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Writer's Block?
:) I think I will snooze for now!
[06/03/2006 19:01:20] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Smiles!
I somehow think my blog has started becoming quite blue. Hardly much to smile about! So this time I decided to write about something positive, something to be happy about! To start with I noticed today's newspaper for once made me happy:*smiles*
Delhi police to re-probe Jessica murder
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=63951
Well, in not too related incident, a cousin of mine had suggested me this and I finally accepted and worked on the suggestion
Feels nice to be carrying an "arm". No idea if this ever would need to be used, hopefully not, but I am ready *smile* I would surely recommend this to all my female friends out there. Better safe than sorry !!!!
[04/03/2006 00:48:52] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
[27/02/2006 22:46:44] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Justice Denied - Jessica Lall Murder Case
I don't know if Manu Sharma is indeed guilty or not but surely this case is obvious case of justice delayed is justice denied. More than police and courts I am angry at the witnesses who turned hostile especially Shyan Munshi who was co-bartender with Jessica Lal.
Jessica
I also support the retrial of the case http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Jessicalall&slug=Jessica+Lal+case+verdict+sparks+outrage&id=18840&callid=0&category=National
http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=17276
I wonder how many of you are following this case. Please do support reopening of the case and further investigation done on the case and witnesses.
Email to President of India presidentofindia@rb.nic.in
[20/02/2006 23:19:15] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Indians fear the truth: Deepa Mehta
http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14143804&headline=%3Cb%3EIndians~fear~the~truth:~Deepa~Mehta
I quite agree with Deepa Mehta. I do regret that the movie won't even be shown in india! I really wish that it atleast gets a theatrical release in metros but then when I hear about violent protests against cartoon in Danish newspaper even in smaller places like Lucknow, I can only think it might be better for the movie not to be released than having many people injured or even dead and losses to businesses !!!
Sometimes I do feel quite apologetic at being an Indian but then again I guess citizens of many other countries would be feeling the same many a times. Well life goes on and so does its unfairness! The IMDB site says its "banned" in india!! Has Censor Board actually banned it? I think not! At the same time I find it very amusing that even a Bonnie and Clyde movie with Bacchans was made tax free by UP government but a movie by Deepa Mehta which deals with an important issue in society at large could not even be picturized in Varanasi!!! Well well I think i have already blogged about my thoughts on politicians :) :P so like Deepa Mehta I will let go of my anger and sit quiet, not be like RDB protagonists! :))
Water by Deepa Mehta
[from trailer]
Chuyia's Father: [to young Chuyia] Child. Do you remember getting married? Your husband is dead. You're a widow now.
[19/02/2006 10:00:29] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Rang De Basanti
I finally got to see THE Rang De Basanti yesterday evening. Immensely liked the movie. Well surely hats off to the director for putting the whole thing together. I only didn't like the gory ending but then it just had to be that way else we'd have news full of people trying to copy the protagonist group's act.
Surely worth watching and pondering over the subject and treatment of the topic. The director gets full marks, the cinematographer gets 200%! Yes the picturization, mixing and editing is just awsome! Very thoughtful film :) after a long time I am impressed, I would rate this one much higher than "Black" even for its very interesting subject matter and treatment.
Interestingly Aamir Khan is one of the characters and kept his acting under much control, didn't blow up like Lagaan where it seemed all out Aamir Khan movie. At same time I cannot but be impressed with him for him to have completely brought out the typical delhi cut surd DJ, his accent, delivery is just too good. I think he is worth ALL the crores he demands for his movies and worth awaiting his only release a year. I am so impressed with him that I think he is true successor to Nasiruddin Shah. He is the ultimate Khan :)
All other actors in the movie were also very good, Soha, Sharman Joshi, Karan Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Madhvan all shone brilliant but actor worth mention I'd say is Siddharath of "boys" fame. He is GOOD. Well, his character had most variation compared to any of the protogonists and he not only did it well, he surely exceeded my expectations.
I am begining to feel that Bollywood doesn't lack in good actors, it lacks in good producers and directors, and of course good story writers. There are just aren't enough quality story tellers. Maybe we could outsource our actors to hollywood :) :D well not that I am enamoured by Oscars but just to put in a standard up there, I'd say RDB should be India's entry to Oscars.
aye saala
abhi abhi huaa yaqeen ki aag hai mujh mein kahi
hui subaah main chal gaya
suraj ko main nigal gaya
ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy
[09/02/2006 12:00:48] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
cooties or love??? :))
http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ch/1995/ch950205.gif
[08/02/2006 17:40:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Valentine song !!
hum the jinake sahaare, wo huye naa humaare
doobee jab dil kee naiyyaa, saamane the kinaare
kyaa mohabbat ke waade, kyaa wafaa ke iraade
ret kee hain diwaare, jo bhee chaahe giraa de
hai sabhee kuchh jahaan me, dostee hain wafaa hain
apanee ye kamanaseebee, hum ko naa kuchh bhee milaa hain
yoo to duniyaan basegee, tanahaee fir bhee dasegee
jo jindagee mein kamee thee, wo kamee to rahegee
[05/02/2006 20:23:25] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Life is a long song
Well the week started with hectic activity on job front and then towards the end it was a very musical friday with Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson was at his entertaining best in his famous stance with flute playing locomotive breath. My friends and I had a great afters chill out listening to music and chatting away to wee hours of morning. Sadly I had to do a quick dash to Chennai for some office work so literally skipped sleep friday night! Came back home in evening saturday, watched some TV and snoozed off. Sunday can only be called Lazy sunday :)
[27/01/2006 21:17:20] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
True colors of politicians!
Well, I can only laugh @ the high political drama in Karnataka!!! JD(S) is going to vote against motion of confidence on government in which it is a coalition partner and once the government falls; it is going to form a new government with BJP!!!! I guess whores must be feeling really pious, these politicians take the cake in changing sleeping partners!!!!!
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan272006/state.asp
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=62095
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=62071
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=62097
If I utter even a single word I guess my blog will be banned under some defamation and slander !!! As a citizen and resident of this country and state, I wonder can we ask ALL these people to just vanish?? Can the house be dissolved? I guess we NEED Buta Singh in Bangalore !! ;) :P :D
Update: Ref: previous post: I found out website of The Advertising Standards Council of India and method to lodge a complain : http://www.asci.co.in/Links/how%20to%20complain.asp Request all to lodge complain against advertisements for these fairness creams etc.
[24/01/2006 20:21:49] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Hero
I will work on the campaign over this weekend; in the meanwhile this is what I am listening to, yes, Mariah Carey when she relied more on curves in her voice rather than body !!! :D
There's a hero
If you look inside your heart, You don't have to be afraid, Of what you are, There's an answer, If you reach into your soul, And the sorrow that you know, Will melt away
And then a hero comes along, With the strength to carry on, And you cast your fears aside, And you know you can survive, So when you feel like hope is gone, Look inside you and be strong, And you'll finally see the truth, That a hero lies in you
It's a long road, When you face the world alone, No one reaches out a hand, For you to hold, You can find love, If you search within yourself, And the emptiness you felt, Will disappear
And then a hero comes along ...
Lord knows, Dreams are hard to follow, But don't let anyone, Tear them away, Hold on, There will be tomorrow, In time, You'll find the way
And then a hero comes along ...
[23/01/2006 09:29:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Anti Fairness Aids Camp
Well,
I sent request to use the banner as our logo for the campaign; I guess we could use it in the meanwhile since this activity is completely non-profit.
objectives
1. Stand against predujice against darker colors of human skin
2.
Method
1. I will create another blog/website to log the campaign
2. Put all required educational material ( predujice, harm, social conditioning, breaking the code etc etc) in the website
3. Request bloggers/websites to point to that campaign website
4. Take the campaign to schools and colleges to educate youth
5. Request individuals to take oath to not discriminate
add on ..... :)
[21/01/2006 21:34:22] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Anti Fairness Campaign Ideas?
I want to start a campaign against creams like "Fair & Lovely" etc. Watching such advertisements like Fair & lovely, Fairglow, Fairever, fair & handsome etc etc makes me utterly disgusted with these corporations who have no ethics what so ever. If something sells does it make ethical sense to sell it? I feel the next thing they will do is setup kiosks for aborting female feotuses!! Of course that would sell like hot cakes in place like India!! One of the disgusting product is Himani Sona Chandi Fair and healthy baby oil !! IT is utterly demeaning! Geez subjecting a little baby to one's obsession for skin color!!
This is one of the traits of Indians which make me ashamed to be an Indian. Ask any Indian he/she will go bragging how he/she doesn't believe in differentiating on basis of skin color but!!!!! But check out any advertisement for matrimonials, There would be hardly any advt which is NOT asking for a fair bride!!!! Look at any fashion model or movie heroines; doesn't seem a wheatish color one could have much chance!
I want to start a campaign which can end these advertisements for lightening our skins while lightening the pockets as well!! This should be banned exactly like one cannot advertise liquor or smokes. How does one do something like that??
Ideas???
... Edit ... Taking Ricky's idea, I searched and searched and finally found this painting to represent this campaign. (Need to communicate with Owens on Copyright etc) This we could take as a logo to not just say that brown is beautiful but all colors are!
http://www.courts.wa.gov/programs_orgs/pos_mjc/?fa=pos_mjc.display&fileID=jwomen
Justice and Women of Color ©
Artist: Nubia W. Owens
Wot Sayeth??
[14/01/2006 09:34:18] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
New Leaf
Something happened in last few days; I am turning a new leaf and waking up and smelling coffee :) friends from the WWW, pray for me to have strength to do this transformation and not fall apart in the middle.
[10/01/2006 19:55:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Zindagi
ek pyaar kaa naGamaa hai, maujo.n kii ravaanii hai
zi.ndagii aur kuchh bhii nahii.n, terii merii kahaanii hai - (2)
kuchh paakar khonaa hai, kuchh khokar paanaa hai
jiivan kaa matalab to, aanaa aur jaanaa hai
do pal ke jiivan se, ek umr churaanii hai
zi.ndagii aur...
tuu dhaar hai nadiyaa kii, mai.n teraa kinaaraa huu.N
tuu meraa sahaaraa hai, mai.n teraa sahaaraa huu.N
aa.Nkho.n me.n sama.ndar hai, aashaao.n kaa paanii hai
zi.ndagii aur...
tuufaan to aanaa hai, aakar chale jaanaa hai
baadal hai ye kuchh pal kaa, chhaakar Dhal jaanaa hai
parachhaai.nyaa.N rah jaatii.n, rah jaatii nishaanii hai
zi.ndagii aur...
jo dil ko tasallii de, vo saaz uThaa laao
dam ghuTane se pahale hii, aavaaz uThaa laao
khushiyo.n kii tamannaa hai, ashko.n kii ravaanii hai
zi.ndagii aur...
[09/01/2006 11:03:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Happy New Year!!
This new year, instead of making resolutions, I decided to reinforce commitment to my beliefs
What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit until you get it.-Alexander Graham Bell
to be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing it's best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting - E.E. Cummings
Sometimes one has simply to endure a period of depression for what it may hold of illumination if one can live through it, attentive to what it exposes or demands. - May Sarton
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." - Arnold Schwarzenegger <-- surprise! Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness -not pain or mindless self-indulgence - is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values. - Ayn Rand <--- I sort of believe in the gist of Ayn Rand's theories but once you delve deep I am not really sure what exactly she means; I have my own interpretations To sit alone with my conscience will be judgment enough for me. - Charles William Stubbs Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of finitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of life is to grasp as much as we can out of that infinitude. - Alfred North Whitehead Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creature of man. - Benjamin Disraeli Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices. - Alfred Armand Montapert [30/12/2005 07:21:24] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Why are there such less percentage of girls in IITs http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1351736.cms?headline='Women~at~IIT~an~endangered~species' First of all, I absolutely REFUSE to believe that girls are any less intelligent. Now when I ponder over this issue, I realise how gender biased Indians are. Probably most of the world is also that but at present let us concentrate on us Indians. I am yet to come across one person boy or a girl who has passed IIT/IIM exam on her own without intense preparation using special courseware and books. Even the most intelligent person needs to learn and practice since these exam are very different and apart from knowledge of subject time is also crucial. This implies, the format of the exams are actually inculcating the culture of those exam preparation shops mushrooming all across the country especially smaller towns. This also implies that a person without any money surely cannot pass IIT/IIM exam even if he might be the next Ramanujam!! (so much so about our pride in these institutions) If the above two points are correct then it also implies the exams are also adding to gender bias since it is more than proven that in our country, parents rather keep especially the girls at home learning house work rather than send them to school. In this scenario, is there any reason what so ever for them to spend money on exam preparation to get her IIT educated? She might be the next Madame Curie but in india her parents still will have to churn out lakhs if not crores for dowry if she wants to get married. Well, if she marries another scientist she might get a discount since anyways now a days nobody comes close to IT SW professionals especially the ones working abroad!! Well some of those IITians would surely be upset at above remarks but my point is very clear. I do respect that they are fine worldclass learning institutions but why such discrimination? Such level of intelligence and they couldn't find a format & method to test students in such a way that they can identify talent without all student spending such a lot of money????? I would also at same time, take your attention to sad demise of Prof Puri of IIT Delhi. The only comment I can make is that surely these people, I guess terrorist ( investigation is on), are sick people! How can they achieve anything whatsoever by killing innocent people, that too a teacher! a very precious and pious group of people in this world. It is indeep immensely sad. My condolences go out to Puri family and IITians who would surely miss his presence. I am also really touched by this guy's humbleness in his wish, "Prof Puri had told his colleagues and students to name a bench after him in the park at the Indian Institute of Technology after his death. Recalling his wish, some of his students said: “He had told us he would like to be remembered when students and his colleagues come and relax in the park." A learning here :) I want a children slide or merry go round in a park engraved with my name. Thats the only thing I would want to leave behind in this world when I go!! New Year Gift for Delhites Talking about Delhi, I saw this is in today's newspaper More relief for Delhi as Metro readies new line I feel very happy for delhites and also my old nest in Janak Puri! This thrid line connects Dwarka, Janak Puri and many other south west localities with central connaught place or rajiv chowk as its called now. A fine example of political goodwill is Metro Line for delhi. Check out http://www.delhimetrorail.com/commuters/images/phase1_big_201004.jpg Mr Chief Minister - Karnataka Are you listening?????? [28/12/2005 11:39:21] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Happy Note Reprieve for chief minister N Dharam Singh, shocker for JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, surprise for the BJP and a boost to former deputy CM Siddaramaiah. JD (S) shouting power reduced to whimper Well the following news I will take with a huge bagful of salt! With no activity happening in and around bangalore on the roads for their development; 2months seem short for making things happen but then political will can do wonder (aka delhi). So Mr CM shall we believe your words this time?? BTW, what if this is NOT done? Will you step down?? @ ""I will personally make sure that this promise is kept. I will go to all areas and see to the roads myself." Glide on smooth roads in 2 months: CM [22/12/2005 13:58:43] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] :) [15/12/2005 10:36:08] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Namma Bangalore! http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/dec/11blore.htm http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/dec122005/index20145320051211.asp "Dharam recalled that a suggestion to call the city as Bengaluru had emanated at a meeting of prominent Kannada litterateurs he had called recently to seek their views on celebrating the golden jubilee of the formation of the state of Karnataka." I wonder if Mr Chief Minister "recalls' dozens of protests and demonstrations across the city "Bengaluru" about crumbling infrastructure and major flooding problems. I wonder why all that didn't matter enough for him to pull up his socks and get to work! Of course the litterateurs suggestion has to be taken right at this moment ignoring all the current problems. This is THE moment to bring in the some controversy! Interestingly Mr Dharam Singh was on an election tour when he made this announcement!! Polls (e.g. sify) conducted show general people overwhelmingly (65%) do NOT want change in name! Who are these politicians to talk about name change?? Bangalore was probably called Bengaluru 150yrs ago! Denial will not remove the history and fact that yes indeed we were ruled by british; there is no pride in that but why shame????? literally the whole world was ruled by them that time! Sadly this is only a trick to change people's attention from crumbling infrastructure and problems of the city to a useless controversy. Mr Singh, I am ashamed of you and not the anglised name of Bangalore! Angry Bangalore resident Christmas & New Year Well festive season is just round the corner! Here is a request to all of you out there. Please buy CRY greeting cards, diaries and calenders to send your your family and friends. Also do donate online for good of children in india. Just Rs. 1200 or US$ 25 will support a child's education and health care for a year. Feeling generous this Xmas or New Year? Balwadis or pre-primary centres are for children under 6 years. They help ensure that young children get prepared for school, and don't get involved in child labour and petty crime. Here they are mainlytaught by play, introduced to basic hygiene and provided with some supplementary nutrition. A typical balwadi has around 35 children. You can sponsor a balwadi for a year for just Rs. 30000 (US $ 625) https://www.cry.org/donor/donor1.asp http://www.cry.org/shopping/shopstep1.asp [11/12/2005 09:47:44] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Back!!! Back from my vacation in US a week in disney and another with family! A few highlights Baby Shamu http://www.cfnews13.com/story.aspx?id=87&sid=11433 SeaWorld Orlando welcomes new addition. SeaWorld Orlando is welcoming a new addition to its family this Thanksgiving. A new, 7 foot long, 350-pound baby killer whale was born Wednesday night. The calf's mother, Takara, gave birth just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in SeaWorld's breeding facility. This is the second calf born to Takara, a 5,700-pound killer whale. Internet Broadband at 30,000 feet in air !!! http://www.connexionbyboeing.com/index.cfm?p=cbb.aboutservice&l=en.US&ec=#e4 Bring your laptop onboard and get online while flying – from any seat in the cabin. Our flexible and affordable service offers a high-speed Internet connection comparable to that of a modern home or office. Just yesterday I saw this blog... I completely agree with Mr Maruf, especially after reading reviews of new chopra camp release "Nikki & Neal" Mahesh Bhatt versus Yash Chopra http://o3.indiatimes.com/amjadkmaruf Mahesh Bhatt is spot on when he says that the audience that watches Yash Chopra movies are hypocrites because skin show and smooches in a Yash Chopra is cool for them and the same things are vulgarity in a Mahesh Bhatt movie. Mr. Yash Chopra has been one of our finest directors but his double standards came to the fore when recently in one of his interviews he said that other filmmakers have turned murder, sex and nudity into success formula. He further claimed that the audience prefers films with Indian values. Look who’s talking about Indian culture? Yash Chopra has no qualms when Esha Deol sashays in Bikini in Dhoom, when the lead pair have long smooches and bedroom scenes in his films like Salaam Namaste, Vijay, Parampara, etc but he has the guts to blame other filmmakers for indulging in skin show. Where was his concern for Indian culture then? What about his social responsibililty when the protagonists are let off in spite of committing crimes in Bunty & Babli? What made him make Salaam Namaste? Is live-in relationship a part of Indian culture? And it's not just Yash Chopra who has double standards but lot of film critics are also to be blamed. If Bipasha Basu sashays on a beach in a bikini then that’s obscene and when Esha does this then that’s tastefully done scene. If heroines expose in a Yash Chopra’s family films then no one blinks an eye but if a heroine exposes in a Mahesh Bhatt movie or a Sanjay Gupta movie then that’s vulgar. Why this double standard. If Bipasha’s seduces John in Jism then that’s vulgar but if Kajol seduces Saif in Yeh Dillagi then that’s vulgar. So it’s all about the banner producing the movie and the image a heroine or hero has. Therefore, if Amrita Arora dances in skimpy clothes in front of her screen father in Rakht then that’s vulgar but if Kajol dances in a micromini in front of her screen mother then that’s cool. A Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan or Emraan Hashmi dancing with semi-clad girls in Kaante/No Entry/Jawani Diwani is vulgar but if Amitabh and Saif dances with semi-nude girls in Bunty aur Babli & Salaam Namaste then that’s cool. If Saif and Preity smooch then that's cool but if Emran smooches Mallikat then that's vulgar. Lastly, all this talk of doing bikini scenes or nude scenes or kissing scenes in a tasteful manner is total hogwash because exposing itself is distasteful. The exposing scenes are put in the movie to titillate the audience; it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Yash Chopra movie or a Mahesh Bhatt movie. What else could be the reason for making Esha Deol walk in bikini if not for titillating the frontbenchers? Therefore I request Yash Chopra to introspect what type of films Yashraj films is making before criticizing others. He is free to make any type of movies he wants to but he should at least desist from criticising others when he is sailing in the same boat as them. He should not take undue advantage of his prestigious Yashraj banner that is treated with respect by filmgoers. But I assure him that lot of people can see through his hyprocrisy. I am just one of them. AMJAD K. MARUF I saw this movie "Beautiful Girl" and absolutely loved it!! http://abcfamily.go.com/beautifulgirl/ http://www.family.ca/whatson/showinfo.php?show=Beautiful+Girl&match=exact Her entire life, Becca Wasserman's family and friends knew she was someone special, even if on the outside she didn't exactly emulate society's vision of perfection. She isn't stick thin, but Becca has smarts, a satisfying teaching career, a great fiancé and the love of her family and friends. When Becca hears about the local Miss Squirrel Hill beauty pageant, she decides to enter in hopes of winning the vacation prize so she and her fiancé, Adam, can take the trip for their honeymoon. Her outsider status and carefree spunkiness sets her apart from the pageant elite and Becca captures the first runner up spot and steps in when it's discovered that Miss Squirrel Hill is related to one of the judges. But she can't claim the vacation prize until she at least makes an appearance at the Miss Metropolitan Pittsburgh pageant. The stakes have suddenly become higher, and Becca must not only confront her fear of rejection on a more public scale, but she will also come face to face with her high-school nemesis, the blond and perpetually skinny Libby Leslie. The intense scrutiny of the pageant challenges Becca's self-esteem and body image in a powerful way, forcing her to find the strength to resist falling into the trap of trying to emulate what is considered typical pageant beauty. Becca must discover her own true beauty - beauty that can only come from what is unique and different inside of her. [18/11/2005 18:49:40] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Vacation !!!!!!!!! Yeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaw !! Appu ghar mein rahoonga mein ghar nahi jaaounga mein !! ha ha ha ha ha my vacation reminds me of this old Appu Ghar jingle well, this was way back when probably Appu ghar was India only amusement park !! Interestingly, while trying to find a clock to put on this post, I stumbled upon, Death Clock!!!! I believe it can compute your day of death by using some scientific computation using some parameters apart from you birthdate. My death date is Tuesday, September 10, 2047 Hhhhmmmm.... :) :D Well, moment I saw this I was very very happily surprised I have 42years more to live !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forty two years is a LOT!!! *phew* After a few seconds I realised that actually it has relation to your health in terms of attitude, BMI and smoking; of course there are health pointers to increase that time etc etc ... but again ... forty two years !!! This seems more wacky especially when I think of H2G2 :) The ANSWER to the ULTIMATE question of life is 42!!!! ROTFLMAO ha ha ha ha .... Well IF I continue EXACTLY the way I have been living for past 36years; I will live another 42years more !!!!!!!!!! WOW This is actually a big big turning point for me, dunno why after hitting other side of thirties I thought, I have been there, done that.. thats it ... chill out flow with the current and it will be timeout LOLZ ROTFLMAO .. I was pretty mistaken !!! I guess I need to THINK..... Liye sapne nigahon me, chala hoon teri rahon me Zindagi aa raha hoon main Kayi yaadon ke chehre hain, kayi kisse purane hain, Teri sau dastane hain, tere kitne fasane hain. Magar ik wo kahani hai, jo ab mujhko sunani hai Zindagi aa..... Okay people I will be gone away for two weeks !!! Enjoy and be good in the meanwhile!!! I WILL BE BACK!! After all where can I go before my 42years are over !! Haha ha haha ha [17/11/2005 15:30:48] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Why?? [13/11/2005 17:40:40] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] US Visa Ordeal ref: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/10/10/stories/2002101000870200.htm Last Thursday was my Dad's US visa interview for a visitor visa in Chennai consulate. He had an appointment at 3:30pm and we reached the consulate at 3:15pm right in front of the gate. Only my father was allowed inside the consulate and I had to wait outside till he returned. I was actually happy that unlike before My father didn't have to queue up early in the morning but could enter the consulate building and go through the procedure with much ease. I am also very happy about all the special online appointment and courier system introduced by the US embassy & consulate. Well according to an interview ( http://news.indiainfo.com/specials/visachat/chat-transcript1.html ) Chennai consulate itself generates like 25million USD just through NIV visa application & issuance fees!! That’s loads of money and surely such revenue should be supported by good system. Still its not all very hunky dory, the visa interview process is quite intimidating and frustrating at times, with strange questioning by the visa officials especially in case you are trying for visitor or student visa. My dad was refused twice before (five yrs ago) and he had absolutely refused to go for another interview till now when we were finally able to convince him with loads of persuasions from grandkids! Thankfully he did get it this time. I guess me being back in India helped convince the official that he isn't a migration candidate. The other very irritating part is the extra high security which is just a thin line away from being rude! Moment my dad entered the consulate the security very rudely asked me to get back away from the gate and stand near the bus stand which is like 50m away. Sheer arrogance of the person was such a rude awakening of you being a mere mortal in front of temple of land of opportunities!!! Well I joined a small group of about 50odd people who were accompanying the visa interviewees, stood under the tree for a while then parked my butt on the pavement. In a little while, the traffic inspector realized that its his rahu kalam under the sun, he started yelling at people to get away from road and not sit on the pavement!!!! Geez I felt so angry, I was about to turn and yell back at him but probably he realized my thoughts by my angry looks and just walked away yelling more at some other people near the bus stand! Even when everyone meekly stood next to wall I plonked myself once again on the pavement and waited for my dad to come back.. Thankfully after about 1.5 hours he came out smiling quite broadly and on seeing me he did a thumbs up!!! We are planning to visit my brother and family soon and I really hope we do NOT have to visit a US embassy or consulate again *phew* PS: I did something very interesting today :) I created a new profile on shaadi.com! Looking forward to some interesting times :)) :P ;) :D [08/11/2005 18:47:18] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Mehndi After a long time I put mehndi on my hand, actually my lil cousin sister put that. It took me back in time to my college days in delhi! Bunk classes land up in connaught place, drink coffee and eat vada in coffee home, check out ethnic stuff in those state emporiums, buy kurtas in Khadi Gram Udyog ( yes THOSE days Khadi kurta with contrast salwar used to be the IN thing!!!), I remember how much we used to haggle at hanuman temple next to madras hotel in CP to put mehndi on full hand for Rs10 !!! Window shop in janpath... Look for multicolor sticker bindis... hairclips... People around us moving aside to avoid being hit by greenish sticky mehndi!!! Stand in front of GolGappae wala "bhaiyya"'s cart and eat golgappas out of one plate strategically placed so that we could use the other hand without mehndi to eat :)) Get on a DTC bus and then get the conductor "bhaiyya" to get those guys sitting in ladies seat to vacate and plonk ourselves in the seat and yap the whole way back home! Feels as if it was some other person not me!! In fact just for fun, I had put on some dozens bangles also ... probably after like two decades !!! Gosh.. yes, its really strange ... in my teenage years I used to love doing all this dainty girlish things .. today I don't even wear earring most of the time!! Just roll my hair into a small bun at nape of my neck or tie up with a band .. put Kajal or eye liner to hide away the listlessness ... a dab of lipstick to hide pigmentation on lips .. thats it .. I am ready to go !!! [07/11/2005 03:06:09] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Let us cremate your impurities Someone emailed me this poem, I think its really COOL and DEEP! please admire It is your turn now, you waited, you were patient. The time has come, for us to polish you. We will transform your inner pearl into a house of fire. You're a gold mine. Did you know that, hidden in the dirt of the earth? It is your turn now, to be placed in fire. Let us cremate your impurities. -Rumi [30/10/2005 18:09:58] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Happy Diwali [20/10/2005 16:51:03] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Loop? hasane kee chaah ne itanaa muze rulaayaa hain koee humadard nahee, dard meraa saayaa hain [13/10/2005 11:38:43] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Disaster Management?! The recent Quake in northern india and Pakistan has proved yet again that we are still not fully capable of handling a natural disaster. The news channels and papers are all full of stories of destruction and how the areas are remote and with communication and roads in bad shape relief material could not reach the victims. After three days, there were some reassurances like A Defence spokesman said army personnel had reached 90 per cent of hitherto inaccessible areas in Uri and Tangdhar to assist the civil administration in rescue and relief work. There are some very touching stories like In the first incident of its kind, Indian Army troops on Thursday crossed the Line of Control near Amman Setu to help reconstruct a bunker of Pakistani soldiers at their request, Defence sources said. The Pakistani request came in view of forecast of heavy snowfall in the region, the sources said adding they wanted to construct shelter in the shortest possible time. At same time, I hear scene in pakistan is very bad, Islamic Relief spokesman Waseem Yaqhoob told CNN he thought the death toll would reach "80,000, maybe more.""According to Pakistani presidential spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, there still areas, most-affected, but could not be reached. "They are virtually impossible to reach," he said. " Well, not to put down our country, even US with all its resources and infrastructure failed miserably with Katrina. I read on CNN Three days after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, staff members at the city's Memorial Medical Center had repeated discussions about euthanizing patients they thought might not survive the ordeal, according to a doctor and nurse manager who were in the hospital at the time. Scary!!!! Lord have mercy! [03/10/2005 20:40:42] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Is there anybody out there? [24/09/2005 22:37:30] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Racism Well, ever since I came back to india, I realised the huge number of products advertised on television channel for making your skin lighter! I am not against giving such an option to people at large. You have a product for which you think you have a market, sure it makes sense to market it and make profits but then do that within ethical limits!! Most of the advertisement show people looking down upon ones with darker skin, one had a guy not willing to be friendly with a girl who was dark skinned; a kashmiri lady comes up with bright idea of making dark skinned girl lighter by using "kashmiri kesar" and pops up jingle for Fair and lovely with kashmiri kesar, lo and behold in four weeks the girl is "fair" and now this guy is immensely interested in her *sick* !!! Geez if it was me I would slapped that guy !!! There are soooo many advts like this!! All of them make me sick to the core! How can indian public at large accept such things! This sort of proves how racist we are! We still haven't gotten over our slave attitude of Goras being superior!!! IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN MAKE THEM STOP!!!!!?????? [22/09/2005 10:19:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Stress Believe it or not, last few days I was extremely stressed! Imagine being stressed even working from home! Sounds strange but its absolutely true. I guess work related stress can happen irrelevant to place of work, the environment or rather the virtual environment can also have added stress effect on already stressful work environment! I learnt the following to reduce my stress levels... read on .. could be useful to you too... Stress is a transactional process between a person and his/her immediate environment that occurs when environmental demands exceed personal resources - Lazarus & Folkman (1984) Assumptions 1. Most stressors require interpretation to have an impact on us 2. There are many possible interpretations of any given situation 3. Most of the time our attention is automatically focused on the threatening interpretation 4. We have the capacity to choose what we pay attention to Coping Strategy Three step process 1. Identify the stressor - “What makes me feel this way?” 2. Analyze your original appraisal - “Why do I feel this way?” 3. Generate an alternative appraisal [15/09/2005 20:59:31] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ] Its Happening! *smiles* *smiles* Hip hip hurray for BCIC! BCIC protests Govt apathy, to boycott Bangalore IT.in http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2005/105090916.asp Infrastructure woes: Govt convenes meetings on Sept 15, 20 http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep132005/update1259242005913.asp Bangalore: IT ind rebuts Govt charge http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13940761 CM rules out threat to his govt >http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20050915023924&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
Wish I could personally participate in a direct manner to shake up the KA govt to wake to bangalore's woes!!
Update Sept 16
Clash over, B’lore reboots IT.in
IT firms to call off boycott after government promise on infrastructure
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=78198&headline=Bangalore~back~on~IT~track,~Infotech~firms~to~call~off~boycott
Well, more of promises or real action! only coming months can tell us!!!
[14/09/2005 18:13:50] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Happy Onam
Forgot to add the Onam Sadhya pic :) just added!
[13/09/2005 03:22:15] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Lesson in life anyone??
"My book is called 'Shut up and stop whining: How to do something with your life besides think about yourself'"
[11/09/2005 21:14:14] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Awsome weather !!
Its still raining and there is a bit chill in the air :) and I loveeeee it !!
http://weather.cnn.com/weather/forecast.jsp?locCode=VABA
[07/09/2005 22:40:32] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
zindagii yuu.N hu_ii basar tanhaa
zindagii yuu.N hu_ii basar tanhaa
qaafilaa saath aur safar tanhaa
apane saaye se chau.Nk jaate hai.n
umr guzarii hai is qadar tanhaaa
raat bhar bolate hai.n sannaaTe
raat kaaTe ko_ii kidhar tanhaa
din guzarataa nahii.n hai logo.n me.n
raat hotii nahii.n basar tanhaa
hamane daravaze tak to dekhaa thaa
phir na jaane gaye kidhar tanhaa
-Gulzar
[06/09/2005 13:41:26] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Lord Ganesha's Symbolism
VAKRA TUNDA MAHAAKAYAA SURYA KOTISHA SAMAPRABHA
NIRVIGHNAM KURU ME DEVA SARVAKAARYESHU SARVADAA
Oh, Lord, with a twisted trunk and a huge might body, who lustre is equivalent to that of a crores of Suns, (whose intelligence always outshines crores of Suns) I pray to thee, O lord, always remove all obstacles from the good actions I perform.
Ganpathi Bappa Morya, Phude Varshi Loukar ya :)
[04/09/2005 13:57:24] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Love Addicts & Emotionally Unavailable
Well, I do copy and paste a lot from the web in my blog instead on writing myself :) but then I think it does tell what I think and what I am going through....... Here is another example, I have been in think mode ever since I met Wingy, some research on the web led me to this article and it is VERY thought provoking! Tell me, do you think so as well????
http://www.aspiritualwoman.com/loveaddictsandtheemotionally.htm
Are you a love addict? Or are you emotionally unavailable? Love addicts give a disproportionate amount of time, attention, and value to the person to whom they are addicted. This value is above the value they place on themselves. The focus often has an obsessive element about it.
Love addicts have an unrealistic expectation for unconditional positive regard from their partners in the relationship.
Love addicts do not care for, value, and can even neglect themselves while they are in the relationship.
Love addicts will tolerate almost anything to avoid being left or abandoned. This fear comes from childhood experiences. Although they want to be intimate with their partners it is more like enmeshment than healthy intimacy. This is normally felt on an unconscious level.
Love addicts and those who are emotionally unavailable addicts are attracted to each other. Both have fears of abandonment. That is the common thread. Those who are emotionally unavailable go a step beyond, and fear control, enmeshment or loss of self. Those who are emotionally unavailable avoid intimacy and are hypersensitive to any feeling of being controlled or clung to. The love addict seeks enmeshment and is hypersensitive to any sense of abandonment.
Why are emotionally unavailable people and love addicts attracted to each other?
The initial attraction occurs because of what “feels familiar”. What is familiar comes from things that were experienced during childhood. These issues DO NOT occur because of being in a “bad relationship” prior to meeting you. These experiences are painful and very familiar, even if you do not consciously recognize it as such. Please remember that these childhood issues don’t necessarily constitute abuse. They may also be in the form of an emotionally unavailable parent.
Love addicts and those who are emotionally unavailable are like magnets: they are attracted to those with the opposite issues. Just like perpetrator and victim. Just like sugar and warm water. Just like grass and soil. They are mirrors to the issues inside ourselves that we must heal to attract health relationships.
Neither of these types are usually attracted to “non-addicted” people. When these types meet the non-addicted person, the response is normally a reaction similar to “but they’re sooo boring”, “there’s just no chemistry”, they just “too set in their ways” or independent, “we have nothing in common”.
The other factors that contribute to the attraction, besides familiarity, is that love addicts are attracted to situations that hold hope that childhood wounds can be healed, and the fantasy that this relationship will be a fulfillment of the things that were not fulfilled within childhood.
Although this is a complex situation with much more to be said, the bottom line is that if we have found ourselves in one of these relationships, it’s time to stop the cycle, seek the help we need from a trained counselor, and not repeat the painful experience. If we choose to continue to give our power away to others, we find that the universe dresses up the perpetrator in a new and different outfit, making it appear to be an entirely different situation, and brings them right back into our lives again.
[24/08/2005 10:44:37] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Sunrise
Q:Can I do anything to make myself enlightened ?
A:As little as you do to make the sun rise in the morning.
Q:Then of what use are spiritual exercises?
A:To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise."
[23/08/2005 18:45:14] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Sheer Opulence??
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7752_1469864,00410016.htm
Chandra Shekhar was diagnosed of cancer during a routine check-up on August 24, 2004 after which he was treated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. In June, he was advised by his doctors to be taken to the United States for better treatment. The former Prime Minister, whose entire expenditure in the United States is being borne by the Government of India, is accompanied by a 12-member team to look after him. Chandra Shekhar's two sons Pankaj Singh and Niraj Shekhar; his two daughters-in-law, Rashmi Singh and Sushma Shekhar (herself a doctor); nephew, Naveen Singh (a doctor and also nodal officer of the entire team); and grandson Ravi Shanker Singh (a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council) are staying along with him, Sharma said. The former Prime Minister is also accompanied by AK Gadpale from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital as the Government physician. Besides Sharma, two attendants Raghupati and Janardan and his secretary RB Yadav are also accompanying him. "The Union Government is bearing all the medical expenses of Chandra Shekhar, besides the entire boarding and lodging expenses of all of us except for the two attendants, Yadav and Ravi Shanker Singh," Sharma said. The team is occupying seven rooms on the 31st floor of Towers, where Chandra Shekhar has been put up in a grand suite. Market rent of these seven rooms and the grand suite comes out to be nearly $4,000 per day. Further, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has deputed one of his Cabinet Ministers, Ram Govind Chaudhary, to look after the former Prime Minister. Chaudhary, who arrived in New York on August 12, left for New Delhi on August 22, after expressing satisfaction with the speedy recovery of Chandra Shekhar, who is also a member of Parliament from Balia in Uttar Pradesh. The Indian Consulate in New York has provided them three cars, one for former Prime Minister, one for Gadpale and the third one for Sharma. With Chandra Shekhar expressing his desire to be well-acquainted with the news of India, headlines of major newspapers and important new clips are faxed to him daily from New Delhi.
Kya mazzaaa!!! I am green with envy!!! Well what hurts is all this at cost of taxpayer money!!! I have nothing against bearing ex-PM's medical expenses done abroad but whats the reasoning of boarding his entire jing bang in an ultra luxurious hotel??? Seriously is there a way we citizens can sue the governement in a public interest litigation against such expenditure??
[23/08/2005 00:53:10] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Chapter 18. Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation
buddhya visuddhaya yukto
dhrtyatmanam niyamya ca
sabdadin visayams tyaktva
raga-dvesau vyudasya ca
vivikta-sevi laghv-asi
yata-vak-kaya-manasah
dhyana-yoga-paro nityam
vairagyam samupasritah
ahankaram balam darpam
kamam krodham parigraham
vimucya nirmamah santo
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little and who controls the body and the tongue, and is always in trance and is detached, who is without false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and who does not accept material things, such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.
does this translate to Just chill!!!
[18/08/2005 23:41:25] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Munshi Premchand
On my journey back from Mumbai, I bought couple of books. They were novel and stories in hindi by Munshi Premchand. I had read some of his stories way back in my school days and they had touched me, so I was very happy to find these in the airport book store. The novel called "Nirmala" especially touched me, just finished that a few minutes back. *sigh* Some how again and again I keep coming to conclusion that regional languages are the best way to read the indian literature. The beauty of indian literature and poetry cannot be compared when translated to english. They seem to lose their charm and they seem too pale. Have you all felt that way??? Only sad part is that only other script apart from english I know is devanagri and not Tamil or other south indian languages or even Bengali :(( :(( I would have loved to read Tagore's Gitanjali in bengali or even Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhusan Bandapaddhay or of course I miss sorely pondering over Saint Thiruvalluvar's Tirukural *sigh*
If any of you can read devanagri script.. check out a very touching story 'Idgah' by Munshi Premchand
http://www.munsipremchand.iitk.ac.in/displ.php3?valu=eid
[16/08/2005 21:26:26] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Independence day!
Saare Jahaan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara???
I am back from a short vacation in bombay visiting my aunt and her family. My cousin sister is moving to new york this week for work. I had a great time giving her fundas on american and specifically New York City way of life :)
Incidently two things stand out in my trip! First of all I was very pleasantly surprised to use the e-Ticketing option; not that I haven't used it before but this was my first time I did virtual ticket travel here in india! :) :D The second was the new look terminal 1B of bombay airport. WOW was the first word which came to my mind! It has an international look with row of checkin counters I believe there are 38 of them... seems like JFK! Just waiting for the second phase of the upgrading to finish! I believe its going to be done by Feb 2006! COOOOOL !! another seven months, thats not too far! I like it but then *sigh* *sigh* I guess we need to wait another 2-3years before we see anything so swanky in bangalore!!!!!
[11/08/2005 17:01:33] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Life?
[08/08/2005 19:52:44] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
How Maharashta bleeds Mumbai
Well, Ms Sucheta Dalal completely echoes my feeling so I thought of putting her article verbatim here on my blog! I would encourage mumbaikars to support her through email!
How Maharashta bleeds Mumbai
SUCHETA DALAL
http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=98679
When Pramod Mahajan rose to interrupt the noted constitutional expert Fali Nariman in Parliament and thunder against any thought of a separate administration in Mumbai, his audience in the financial capital sneered in contempt.
After all, there is nothing surprising about Pramod Mahajan’s opposition, or that of Vilas Rao Deshmukh or even Uddhav Thackarey. In all their public life, they have repeatedly demonstrated that they are out of touch with public sentiment — certainly in Mumbai.
Pramod Mahajan lost the last election he contested from Mumbai and has since turned into an election management expert with fairly dubious results. Uddhav Thackarey has inherited the Shiv Sena leadership without a mass base of his own. As for CM Vilas Rao Deshmukh of Latur, his long perambulation with a TV channel on July 27 demonstrated his inability to grasp either the seriousness of the disaster or how to deal with it.
Don’t our politicians ever learn anything by observation? A disaster is time for action and regular, staccato media briefings by the police and administration, not leisurely interviews. These were badly missing in the first two days.
State Home Minister R.R. Patil, whose crowning achievement has been the banning dance bars in Mumbai, was marooned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Shiv Sena is considered a Mumbai-based political party; but its role in creating Mumbai’s problems was best exemplified by the whopping Rs 421 crore bid for Kohinoor Mills by its leaders Raj Thackarey and former Chief Minister and Speaker Manohar Joshi.
Raj Thackarey has never has to declare the source of his wealth, which ostensibly comes from the building trade. And Manohar Joshi deftly pre-empts any questions about the wealth declared in his election affidavit by saying that his son is in charge of the lucrative construction business.
One of the biggest achievements of the Sena-BJP government was to raise construction density and encourage haphazard development of Mumbai’s suburbs by permitting the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). Much of this was done in the name of slum redevelopment. The bleeding of Mumbai, however, cuts across all political parties.
Former Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde went on a dereservation spree before the last election. An embarrassing 65 decisions taken by him on elective eve have been stayed by his successor and the change in rules for development of Mumbai’s vast Mill Lands has landed in court.
The BJP has its own builder interests. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, a sitting MLA, is another big bidder for buying up Mumbai’s Mills. NCP leader Sharad Pawar also counts builders among his closest friends. Let us look at other ways in which Maharashtra bleeds the resources generated by India’s financial capital.
Mumbai is among the only cities that still charge a hefty octroi duty for entry of goods. Even after the rampant leakage of duty, due to the primitive collection process, octroi is justified on the plea that it pays the salaries of the overstaffed municipal corporation. In fact, 70 per cent of the tax money collected from Mumbaikars funds the wage bill. And an aggressive trade union constantly blocks the privatisation of services.
Yet, Municipal Commissioner Johnny Joseph told the media that better service would need more employees. So the city finds new ways to extort money from hapless citizens. A simple example is parking charges. Despite the frequent de-reservation of plots meant for schools and playgrounds, the Municipal Corporation has not thought it fit to build a single multi-level parking facility in Mumbai.
This makes the roads a happy hunting ground for the traffic police who earn hefty revenue by towing away cars from one half of the roads and for private contractors to collect parking charges from the other half. Even here, the city plans to double the parking charges, without even attempting to staunch leakage by using devices such as electronic sensors or smart cards.
One of the biggest controversies today is the manner in which the Mithi River has been choked by the proliferation of slums on its banks and creeping reclamation. The river has finally received the attention it deserves after it went on a rampage.
The de-silting and restoration of the Mithi was part of the plan for the spanking new financial district called the Bandra-Kurla complex. While the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) raised several thousand crores by selling plots, but the money was systematically siphoned off by the state government to fund its cotton procurement schemes and subscription to irrigation bonds floated by State companies.
Consider another example. During the BJP-Sena rule, Mumbai built nearly 40 flyovers and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway by partially funding them through a cess on petrol and diesel. This is in addition to the tax levied by the central government for the golden quadrilateral project (that is why Mumbai pays the highest petrol and diesel charges in the country).
This money too goes into a consolidated pool of state revenue and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is in a constant struggle to recover it. The state has recently introduced a similar legislation to exploit Mumbai’s status as the financial capital by charging stamp duty on every transaction that is conducted through the BSE and NSE.
This levy can only be collected within the state. But Maharashtra has twisted this logic to decide that since the stock exchange servers are located in Mumbai, every investor in India will have to pay for the privilege in the form of stamp duty. While the Congress government at the Centre remains a silent spectator to this exploitation, the issue will probably be decided in court.
However, thinking citizens have also to share the blame for this state of affairs. Until they were physically hit by the deluge and forced to walk in stinking, neck-deep water alongside corpses of humans, rodents and animals, most middle class Mumbai refused to concern itself with the systematic exploitation of the metropolis. Finally, the public interest litigation against bad governance and the SMS campaign to drum up support for their cause has turned into a rallying cry. But if Mumbai’s politicians and their leaders in Delhi do not understand the force of public anger this time, they may be in for a huge surprise.
suchetadalal@yahoo.com
[28/07/2005 21:20:41] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Disaster Management?
I have been watching TV literally whole day and saw the natural calamity in mumbai unfurled... something which again and again comes to my mind is what is the government machinery doing? or rather what was it doing all this while!!! Dec 26th when tsunami stuck the east coast, it should have been a wake up call for mumbai and everybody on west coast too! But I guess Mr Deshmukh was more busy getting stay on the dance bars rather than doing something constructive for the state !! Its utterly disgusting!!
Though I keep hearing how people in mumbai helped those who were stuck in buses, schools, cars, trains etc etc by offering buscuits, tea, samosas, sandwiches, drinking water etc etc; still What saddens me most is complete breakdown of government and essential services machinery! I was very surprised to know even people at the airport got treated so badly by so called customer friendly private airlines!! Surely there would an airline airport manager and for that person to organize food and water from airport couldn't be rocket science!
Also for life of me I cannot understand why BMC couldn't press boats in service !! I just don't get it how on earth they could have scarcity of boats!!! Mumbai being a coastal city!!!! well well....
Looking forward I want to know if Bangalore has any disaster management team and processes in place or not!! Kind of immediately response comes to my brains .. If it takes like 3yrs to build 1KM long flyover ... DM team or process haaa must be a joke!!!
Still We must be able to DO SOMETHING!??? Suggestions??
PS: pls pardon the india mein aisa aur US mein waisa fundas ...
[27/07/2005 11:29:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Heavy rains paralyse Bombay
My ode to humanity in Bombay who battled with heavy downpour yesterday, the downpour is not stopping even today. While Santacruz has recorded rainfall of 944.2 mm, Colaba has recorded 73.4 mm in the last 24 hours. The state administration has sought assistance from the army, navy and air force for relief and rescue operations. Weathermen in Mumbai said heavy to very heavy rains will continue for next 48 hours with gutsy wind at speeds of 45 kms to 60 kms per hour.
[25/07/2005 14:05:57] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
A day full of possibilities!
[22/07/2005 17:25:16] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Infinite Shunya?
:) While googling for meaning of "Shunya" in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies I came across an article by Ruben L. F. Habito. It was rather long article which made a very interesting read and touched me by its simplicity. Here are some excerpts which I think are as close one can get to meaning of life ! ( 42? ;) )
In Mahayana, or Buddhism of the Greater Vehicle, which came about around five hundred years after Shakyamuni, there came about new vitality in the Buddhist tradition. To make a long story short, Buddhist followers came up with a new term to express their experience of enlightenment. The keyword here is Shunyata, translated, unfortunately, as Emptiness. I say unfortunately, because the word emptiness has a negative ring in English, as in “empty feeling” or “my life is empty,” and so on. This is the exact opposite of what the original Sanskrit term conveys.
The term shunya comes from the same word that the Indians use for zero. So perhaps a more direct way of translating shunyata would be zeroness. What is zeroness in this context? The Indians are said to have been the discoverers of the ciphers, the zero that enabled their mathematics to develop in leaps and bounds. The function of zero in the world of integers becomes crucial, as the matrix of all integers. In other words, the mother of all numbers is zero. To describe reality as shunyata, zeroness, gives us a clue as to what the Buddhists are experience about reality.
We can look at zero in the mathematical context for a hint. Again I have offered it in previous teishos, but I would just like to repeat it because it brings an important message home. That zero is the underlying reality of our lives. To discover, and experience that zeroness is to discover the infinite possibilities of our being. How can we say that? Let’s take integers as examples. One divided by the same number one would result in one. Let us say that this describes a normal human being with a healthy sense of self, with an acceptable way of relating to others grounded in self confidence, yet also with a sense of boundaries with others. Now If we divide that same one with two, the whole becomes just one half. As we increase the denominator, one over ten (1/10), the value of the figure decreases. The denominator becomes a crucial point to look at in looking at the whole.
The bigger the denominator, let us say, analogously, the bigger the ego, the less the person there is. We call someone with a big ego a “puny person,” who gets caught up in small things, and misses what is really important. Someone with a Size Ten ego is only 1/10 of a healthy human being, in this reckoning. Like a little child wanting this toy, and getting sulky if it doesn’t get what it wants, or worse, hitting others in wanting to grab theirs. And unfortunately in our world there are so many such individuals, in government, in business, in institutions of power, that are in positions that determine the way the world is run, affecting the lives of thousands and hundreds of thousands of others. So we have the structure of violence and conflict and injustice, as the world is run by so many people with big egos, puny little beings with 1/10 quotients.
Now let us turn the process around. If the denominator becomes one half, the figure becomes one over 1/2, and the value becomes 2. That ís what we can describe as a generous person, somebody who is “bigger than oneself.” The less the ego, the greater the person. As we diminish the denominator, the person becomes more and more “magnanimous.” Our practice of Zen is what can pave the way for this diminishment of the ego, the I Me Mine, and enable us to become bigger, that is, beings with a greater and greater embrace of reality.
Such is a being who has a big embrace. Let us just try something out of the ordinary here. Let us say that the ego, the denominator, is decreased, to the point of nothing, zero. What becomes of the figure? This would break the rules of mathematics. In other words, we touch that realm we can only call—infinite.
I came across lots of meanings and long descriptions on shunya in mahayana buddhism, hindu philosphies and even in Sri guru granth sahib! Needs lots of thinking and understanding! Let me know if anybody has links to related material.
[19/07/2005 18:38:24] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Room with a view
Well this is view from my living room and balcony. Every evening I sit in my living room and look at the trees dancing in the wind and the sky seems like a painting ! It can really be quite mesmerizing :) Its much more relaxing to know that to have such a view I don't have to go way out of the city but I am like literally in its center.. and still !! ;) I feel happy !!
[16/07/2005 18:10:53] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Pottermania
yessssssss!!! new potter book is out!!! I am going to landmark in next 10mins to get the book! I have to read it.. who cares even if i drowned in work, I can skip sleep and read the new book!! Three cheers to J K Rowling.. atta gal !!!!!!!!!
Who all reading it???? :)
[12/07/2005 13:07:35] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Kaam hi Kaam
Kaam hi Kaam!!
[08/07/2005 11:47:58] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Still busy
well I am still busy but wanted to express my anguish on sad events of yesterday in london! I feel awfully sad for the londeners!
AND I feel angry! Angry at these terrorists and also at these netas! Look at the way they have handled the ayodhaya attack! Even though the attack was foiled by heroic efforts by security forces, these netas especially BJP left no stone unturned to derive maximum political mileage from the incident! According to Advani, Jinnah was secular!!!!!!!!! BJP calls PM Manmohan singh politically immature!! Well, we have seen the maturity these guys showed by call for bandhs and rallys which not only waste nation's time but also resources in terms of police bandobast etc. Interesting level of "maturity" by Madame Scindia, a BJP CM, who called for government offices to be closed also to mark anguish against the attack in ayodhya!!!! Wot crap!! Can we PLEASE outlaw this BJPs, RSSs and Shiv Senas of the world??!!!! I am least bothered about politics but these kind of actions by such political parties and their so called leaders makes my blood boil and I want to take some serious action!
** furious ** Let me not leave out kinds of Shri Dharam Singh of KA, I haven't come across another sedated political leader in my lifetime, oops no I heard about Narishma Rao, Well, this crap of neta seated on CM seat for quite a number of months but has done NO action whatsoever!! Bangalore city is dying under poor infrastructure, he is NOT bothered! Forget about the city, I see no developments across the state even!
**furious ** **furious**
[05/07/2005 09:15:15] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Busy
busy busy busy !!!!
[01/07/2005 11:03:38] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Happy Birthday to me!!!
Happy Birthday to me!!!
:) how so ever much old you might become but your birthday always makes you feel special! Even after all these years I still feel happy that I landed on this earth :) and yes I would be sad to leave it though I do have to some day!! Well, one surely feels even more special when one's loved ones go an extra mile to make your day!! Like my brother did!! He ordered a flower service to send roomfull of flowers!!!! Actually it were sent every 15-20mins, funnily it was my dad who was at home since I had to attend a training!! he had tough time controlling his irritation and wondering who could be at door :)) and getting amazed on getting yet another flower basket! I can't tell you how touched and moved I was when I came back and Bappa said, look whatz come! Initially I thought, oh some one might have sent flowers but I wasn't ready at all to be greeted by like twenty odd flower baskets smiling back at me!!!
So sweet of my bro!! Three cheers for him!!
Herez a photograph of my table with most of the flower baskets and bouquets
[23/06/2005 20:45:50] | [MoonietheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Not much happening which I could record on this blog. Usual day work and then relax with Dad who is visiting me these days. In some ways its interesting since my front room doubles up for my office; I have a neat work desk with my laptop, broadband modem, phone and multifunction printer! I start work at around 8ish in morning, break for tea, breakfast, lunch and evening tea; before I close my laptop completely around 6ish. My dad finds it quite amusing that is my working from home!!! Actually I think even I don't get tired of being amused at my working style
Just to get out of this usual daily loop we went for movie "Bunty aur Babli" late in night yesterday! Its really a luxury staying so close to a mall with multiplex! Movie was quite an entertainer .. a poor cousin or bollywoodish masala of "Catch me if you can"... but even with many many many drawbacks the movie did justice to the entertainment value, I didn't feel bad going for it late in night. hhmmm only comment I can think of, does Shaad Ali think too low of his audience IQ? He should have done some more research in the conjobs his characted were doing
what else??? I need to seriously work on my SCEA assignment submission! Strange procastination of mine! I did the assignment like a year back but did not submit it and take the related exam to complete the certification. I guess my learning finished with doing the assignment so there is no carrot dangling in actually gaining the certification. The certification is quite prestigious still so might as well take it :) thats my thought. at same time I feel like in an endless loop of this learning and certifications! IT one can never stop reinventing oneself !!! anyone else caught in such a loop??!!
well, that doesn't stop me from endlessly stare into the (sort of) woods behind my balcony, tall trees swaying to the winds and clouds flying away as if to meet their lovers!! Its really beautiful here in bangalore, weather is just too calm and relaxing. or is it me who is in such state of mind !! :)) dunno ...*smiles*
pardon me for wierd kind of language up there .. I guess that the conversational english in indian city :)) hehe he he he
[21/06/2005 08:03:28] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Monsoon is here!!
Bangalore is awsome in monsoon! There is sort of dampness in the weather and everything becomes extra green :) I just love this place! Well, being a cancerian by star sign I guess water affects me a lot... mostly people say it dampens their spirits instead it elevates my mood! I feel nature is reaching out to me, touching me with small droplets :)
[11/06/2005 17:40:16] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I got tagged again! Another set of questions to be answered !!
Total books I own: I love books! Thats one of the reasons why I decided to have a big bookcase in my new apartment :) currently only half of the book case is filled up with books ranging from novels, psychology/self help to Tin Tins, Calvin and Hobbes to serious technical books on J2EE, patterns, architect certification ... probably I have about 100 odd books everything put together. I am planning to buy another 30-40 next weekend from church street second hand book shop where I hear one gets books as good as new for hearly half the price if not lesser!
Last book I bought: The last book I bought was Sudha Murty's Mahashweta. I was curious about Mrs Infosys's novel! I have heard she write qute well. I bought this together with Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat. That the book I am currently reading. Incidently, I must mention the book I also wanted to buy but decided against buying it because of high price was "Queen of Dreams" by Chitra Divakaruni. I think that will be next book I will try buying second hand :)
Currently reading: Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat, A brief history of the twenty-first century. Makes an interesting read especially Mr. Friedman's story like writing style, one doesn't feel one is reading non-fiction! Herez what his website says about this book.
History of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter "Y2K to March 2004," what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization? And with this "flattening" of the globe, which requires us to run faster in order to stay in place, has the world gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in a stable manner?
In this brilliant new book, the award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.
Last book I read: Well I am in some ways voracious reader! Any free time I get I try to read a book; of course once I am bored browsing the web and not day dreaming :)) he he he! Last book I read was "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. Herez review of the book on Amazon.
Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even really a first name at all. He is given the name by his father who, before he came to America to study at MIT, was almost killed in a train wreck in India. Rescuers caught sight of the volume of Nikolai Gogol's short stories that he held, and hauled him from the train. Ashoke gives his American-born son the name as a kind of placeholder, and the awkward thing sticks.
Awkwardness is Gogol's birthright. He grows up a bright American boy, goes to Yale, has pretty girlfriends, becomes a successful architect, but like many second-generation immigrants, he can never quite find his place in the world. There's a lovely section where he dates a wealthy, cultured young Manhattan woman who lives with her charming parents. They fold Gogol into their easy, elegant life, but even here he can find no peace and he breaks off the relationship. His mother finally sets him up on a blind date with the daughter of a Bengali friend, and Gogol thinks he has found his match. Moushumi, like Gogol, is at odds with the Indian-American world she inhabits. She has found, however, a circuitous escape: "At Brown, her rebellion had been academic ... she'd pursued a double major in French. Immersing herself in a third language, a third culture, had been her refuge--she approached French, unlike things American or Indian, without guilt, or misgiving, or expectation of any kind." Lahiri documents these quiet rebellions and random longings with great sensitivity. There's no cleverness or showing-off in The Namesake, just beautifully confident storytelling. Gogol's story is neither comedy nor tragedy; it's simply that ordinary, hard-to-get-down-on-paper commodity: real life. --Claire Dederer
Books that mean a lot to me: There are plenty of books like that. I guess I learnt dreaming a world of mine through these books, starting with Enid Blyton's Malory Towers and St. Claire's series; of course the our very indian Amar Chitra Kathas made my world in younger years. I did transition through usual M&Bs but the steely heroines of Sydney Sheldon novels made a very big impact on me. I have probably read all of John Grisham's books but they make a very good time pass novels, don't really make much impact. Since here we are talking about books which mean a lot to me, it might sound cheesy, "The Bhagvad Gita" is surely one such book in my adult years which I have read, thought about, discussed and been very impressed with; has surely touched my life like a spiritual book should!
Well, I must thank Kaats for tagging me and I enjoyed writing this blog immensely especially thinking of books I have read long long time ago and I know I must go on a hunt for those books to adorn my new shiny book case! Deja Vu !!! :)
[05/06/2005 18:20:21] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Currently reading
[01/06/2005 20:08:22] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I read Ricky's blog and found this questionaire very amusing. Though he hasn't asked me to answer this but I thought it makes an intersting blog entry! Herez my take at it.
THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
I only go by my name :) Nobody called me anything else only my brother used to call me "Moti" !!!
THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
Long long really long time back when I started chatting on Rediff, I thought "Moonface" would be a nice ID! I am cancerian and I remember mention of "Moonface" in Linda Goodman's sun sign book. Some how people with whom I used to chat started calling me "Moonie" .. one day a fellow chatter jokingly called me "Moonie The Loonie", well that ID stuck on when I started chatting on yahoo with that screen name and thats my current screen name.
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF
After being in this body for so long I am quite comfortable in my skin :) I do like my sparkling Eyes, small Hands and lustrous Hair
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF
Even after being comfortable with myself I still always found fault with my pakoda Nose and short height and Dry skin. In winters I use up bottles of nivea cream :))
THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE
I always feel very honoured to have been born to an indian family for my Indian Heritage.. our colorful culture, ancient history even our really really ancient hindu culture. I wouldn't call hinduism a religion but culture.
Also when I talk about my heritage in terms of my clan :) I have an interesting story to tell. We are gowd saraswat brahmins, known as konkanis. We are from Alleppey in kerala. Originally from Goa, I've heard that some time in eighteenth century when portugese started ruling Goa and there was lots of pressure on conversions; my ancestors migrated to kerala! A'int that interesting!!!
Another interesting part is that I have been brought up in delhi. My upbringing has been so open that I have a very audible punju accent in whatever I speak even konkani !! :)) ha ha ha I feel proud of that !
THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU
Oh there are many things which can scare me!! Specifically dishonesty and cunningness scares me a lot. I usually avoid people who are cunning, who don't come across as simple and straight forward.
THREE OF YOUR EVERDAY ESSENTIALS
My morning tea or coffee... I love having my mint tea in morning reading newspaper.. I actually like spending atleast half and hour just doing that and slowly coming to wakefulness of the day ahead.
Being a 200% geek checking out my emails, whether work or personal, is like mandatory!
Having atleast eight hours sleep is also very much required! Love to actually get to bed atleast an hour before actually snoozing off .. kinda day dreaming and then sleeping.. I don't like being too tired and sleeping moment I hit the pillow
THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW
:) Kajal ... strangely Kajal is absolutely essential for me to wear moment I wipe myself with towel after shower.. I've worn Kajal for like two decades now!! somehow I feel I am not dressed till I wear my Kajal... It used to be quite amusing when I was in US. I remember even being asked by colleagues and fellow traveller about what is that black thing lined inside the eyes !! :)) but it was always very positive . .most of them wanted to know where they could buy it!
The other absolutely essential thing to wear is my body spray if not a perfume when I go for something special. Interestingly the body spray and perfume is also my standard for past many many years :)) spray is Calgon's Moon Petal Musk and perfume is Ralph Loren's Blue
Of course I am wearing clothes too :))
THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP
I Have a relationship in which I don't want anything else :) so I guess I will skip this question.
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order)
No clue :))
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL YOU
I think Eyes are most appealing physical attribute of a person, be it male or female. The other intersting aspect which appeals to me is his handshake. The most important aspect of a guy which catches my attention is broadness of shoulders.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW
I badly want to sleep but its only evening !! There isn't much more things to do "badly"!!
THREE CAREERS YOU ARE CONSIDERING
Too late to "consider" I am head and shoulders into my career! Thanks to God I am doing pretty fine at it!!
THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION
Leh is one place I have been planning to go on vacation for long time now.
Goa in india and Scotland are also long pending in my list of places to go.
THREE KIDS NAME YOU LIKE
I loved name "Nandini" from movie "Hum dil de chuke sanam" as a kid name. Other interesting name of an ex-colleague I liked was "Tathagat". Being a movie freak I can only think of movie character names .. another name I absolutely loved was "Mili" from movie "Mili" . the way Jaya Bhaduri explains "Dhoondane wala bhi kehta Mili aur Pane wala bhi kehta Mili" of course the movie was just tooo good as well.
THREE THINGS YOU WANT BEFORE YOU DIE
hhmmmmmmmm truthfully I can't share that over the web but something I'd share is that before I die I want to overcome my fear of death ! :)
[30/05/2005 00:28:18] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Preeti's struggle had reminded me so of much of my Mom's. My mom fought against cancer after she was diagnosed too late in last stages. Doctors gave her less than six months. Her positivity and bravery saw her through a very difficult and painful eighteen months of chemotherapy and radiation. In fact till about three months before her losing the war she seemed to have won every battle and became cancer-free!!! The last few days were the most difficult.... just can't write much about it... but all I can say is exactly what Leela said "Someday we will accept the unfairness of it. Someday we’ll see the perfection in this".
My condolences to Leela and family. Wish I could do or say something to ease the pain, but I know I can't.
[27/05/2005 21:56:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Tu shaheen hai parvaaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasmaan aur bhi hai
- Iqbal
You are a hawk. To soar is your mission. You have many mores skies to capture
Well, thats my dedication to Dutt Saab What ever I have read about his life and works surely he was a good man.
[25/05/2005 21:05:51] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Rained again !!
[23/05/2005 07:05:01] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Interesting...... very interesting :)
BEA Systems seen as takeover target
[22/05/2005 22:55:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I was on a tour of hyderabad and chennai for some official work last week. While waiting at airport, in flight and after dinner I read this novel by Jhumpa Lahiri "Namesake". made an interesting read, in fact for the first time after long did I actually remained awake late into night to finish the novel! No, I don't mean that its very engrossing but Ms. Lahiri style of writing is very good. Even though its the same old boring story about an NRI family with american kids, Ms. Lahiri given enought twist and turns in her character's lives to keep the reader engrossed. I wouldn't say its a must read but it makes sense for indian parents of american kids to give it a few hours :) Check out http://www.desijournal.com/book.asp?articleid=84 for the book review.
I actually wanted to read Chitra Devukaruni's new novel but thought the price was too steep (~500Rs) decided to wait till an indian print comes to market... Picked up another interesting novel by Kamala Das "A childhood in malabar" :) I have read about half the book and descriptions really entice me into reading more since I am also a keralite and the village scenary appeals to me! Check the review http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/01/26/stories/2004012601020400.htm
Let me know if you have read either of these books and what you thought about them.
[21/05/2005 22:07:12] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Its raining!!
[15/05/2005 22:12:45] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Today I went to see "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" my respects to a great movie which stood test of time! It has played for 500 weeks in Maratha Mandir cinema hall in mumbai. I hear that not only it played but played to full house most of weekends!
My blog is interestingly NOT about DDLJ :) its about Shabnam Mousi I saw Ashutost Rana's interview on doordarshan on this movie. He plays the lead role of Shabnam mousi in the movie. I also read that its a true biography of a person in Madhya pradesh! I seriously plan to check out this movie if it releases in my part of the world :) I did a bit of research and found this review
Producer: Bollywood Films
Director: Yogesh Bhardwaj
Cast: Ashutosh Rana, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Mukesh Tiwari, Vivek Shauq, Avtar Gill
Music: Dilip Harikishan
Character Sketch:
Ashutosh Rana as Shabnam Mausi
Born and brought up in Mumbai. Against all odds, Shabnam went on to grace the chair of Vidhan Sabha with flying colors.
Vijay Raaz as Halima
The eunuch with a pure soul and a clear mind. Bestowed her wealth of culture and moral values on Shabnam.
Vishwajeet Pradhan as Amma
Head of a eunuch society. Amma's decisions are like the 'Lakshman Rekha', which cannot be crossed.
Vivek Shauq as Lolo
The eunuch with the soul of a woman.
Govind Namdeo as Ratan Singh
The sitting MLA of Madhya Pradesh. Considered to be the big boss of politics.
Mukesh Tiwari as Madan Pandit
Son of a freedom fighter. Resorts to killing for the sake of money.
Storyline
Shabnam was born to a police personnel in Mumbai.
The story begins with her birth and the amount of pressure the parents undergo to hide their discomfort at the birth of a child. The parents eventually give vent to their misfortune by asking eunuchs to partake the child during the naming ceremony and take it away.
The child then grows under the influence and cultures of these eunuchs who are her daily companions, friends and parents. She grows up to be a dancer and obviously has to perform her duties as a Eunuch.
She runs away from Mumbai and takes refuge in Madhya Pradesh. These are real life incidents that have actually taken place in her life. Also, how she rises to power is the story of the film.
Today, Shabnam Mausi (Ashutosh Rana) as she is popularly known, is a very learned person. She is proficient in 14 different languages, which will make us proud. The grit and determination she has shown to overcome the evils of the society and how the society has now accepted her as a part and parcel, is the essence of the film.
This is what Shabnam Mousi said about the movie and Ashutosh Rana.
Speaking at the music launch of the film, an emotional Shabnam Mousi, as she is endearingly addressed, said the film marks an important part of her life.
"For one who has constantly faced rejection from family, friends and close relatives, a film based on my life has injected a sense of pride and dignity within me''.
Referring to Ashutosh Rana, who has enacted her character, Shabnam said, ``He (Rana) spent days with me, studying my mannerism, the way I interact, my ways of expressing anger, displeasure and my relationships and he has done justice''.
``I want the film to portray the life of a eunuch in true light. The film goes beyond the usual caricature sketch of a eunuch and provides the audience a slice of reality about the struggle a eunuch encounters at every stage of life.''
On her winning the elections, she said, ``I think I won because the people were disillusioned with politicians who failed to fulfil their promise and hence opted for me. During my tenure I raised issues in the house and did a lot of welfare work''.
On whether she had striven to improve the lot of her own kind, she said, ``I was elected by the people in general not just by my community, hence I gave equal importance to both''. -- PTI
[04/05/2005 15:08:22] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Telecommuting results in major part of my waking hours spent on the computer. No kidding, I find myself working like 12hours a days without really realising that I have put in a long day at work! :) Also the byproduct of telecommuting is lots of time connected to internet :) thus my dear friends, you will find my posting probably increasing drastically! I find blogging very interesting especially once in a while I love to browse back to what I have posted months back :D seems like a life log !
In MarriedSingle's blog I saw mention of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Doughlas Adams. This three part series has been one of my favourites and I am very happy that its been converted to a movie! I am anxiously awaiting its release in india. Incidently on a bit of googling I found a very interesting BBC site on this called h2g2! Sadly I also learnt that Doughlas Adams passed away in 2001 !!! Here is his biography as a dedication to the genius of DNA:
Douglas Adams - quite apart from being a hugely talented writer and all-round good egg - was the man responsible for coming up with the idea of this website, h2g2. With the movie of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy due to hit cinema screens on 28 April, we thought it was about time that we put together a biography of our beloved founder.
Douglas's Early Life
Douglas Noel Adams was born in Cambridge on 11 March, 1952. He was considered a strange child and a little slow; walking into lamp-posts and taking a while to learn to talk. He was 11 when he first got anything into print - a short story in the Eagle about a man who lost his memory.
From 1959 until 1970 Douglas attended Brentwood School in Essex, during which time he was still more interested in the field of science than in the arts. The moment he thought seriously about writing for the first time was at the age of ten, when he got ten out of ten for a composition in Frank Halford's class - reportedly the first and last time Mr Halford gave full marks.
For his essay on the revival of religious poetry he won himself an exhibition1 to study English at St John's College, Cambridge. Douglas was eager to go to Cambridge as he wanted to join Footlights, a comedy revue group there. But in his first term he found them 'aloof and rather pleased with themselves' (they even bought sketches from Adams, but wouldn't let him perform) and he joined CULES (Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society) instead.
Before and while he studied at Cambridge he decided to hitch-hike to Istanbul and all over Europe. In order to make the money for his travels he worked as a chicken-shed cleaner, barn builder and hospital porter (in the X-ray department of Yeovil General Hospital; he was not unfamiliar with this kind of job as he had worked in an institution for the mentally ill while he was still at school).
In his second term he joined Footlights on the strength of Simon Jones, who was 'friendly and helpful, all the things the others weren't, a completely nice guy.' But as his ideas were not accepted by the rest, he ended up forming the 'guerilla' revue group Adams-Smith-Adams together with Adams and Smith. They hired a theatre for a week and with them he had his first considerable hit. In summer 1974 Douglas left Cambridge and had finally decided to become a writer.
Education
He worked with many now famous comedy stars. He got Griff Rhys Jones into comedy and directed A Kick In The Stalls, which later got the attention of Graham Chapman2 who he then collaborated with on a TV comedy show called Out Of The Trees. It involved a man picking a flower - a seemingly innocuous act which triggers off a series of events: the police complain, the fire brigade turns up, then the army and so on until the world blows up. He also worked on several other projects, and among other things he submitted sketches for the Burkiss Way, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Weekending.
Following this, Adams entered a rather barren period work-wise, due largely to the uncompromising nature of his work - his approach was one of a man who adapted the world to fit his comedy rather than the other way round, and so he struggled with the traditional radio comedy sketch format. Despite attempts to get him work by friends such as John Lloyd, during this time Adams was forced to live with his mother and take on another series of character-building jobs, such as that of bodyguard to the ruling family of Qatar.
He moved from radio to become script editor of Doctor Who, where he was involved in the creation of several stories for the Tom Baker incarnation of the character. During this time he co-wrote City of Death, widely considered to be the best Doctor Who story ever, as well as The Pirate Planet and the ultimately unfinished story Shada3. He would work with Tom again in 1990 for the documentary Hyperland.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
It was while Adams was writing for Doctor Who that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was comissioned, originally appearing as a Radio 4 series in March 1978. Since then it has been transformed into a series of best-selling novels, a television series, records, cassettes and CDs, a computer game, several stage adaptations and now...a major film.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in its initial form (radio), was the story of the demolition of planet Earth and the subsequent adventures of the very, very few survivors and those they meet along the way. It introduced the world to characters such as Marvin, the paranoid android (inspiration behind the Radiohead song title of the same name), a race of people who construct planets, and, of course, the answer to the great question of Life, the Universe and Everything 4.
Other Work
Douglas Adams's other publications include the two Dirk Gently novels, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (which recycled many of the ideas from Adams's legendary, never-broadcast Doctor Who story, Shada) and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli) is a detective/conman who runs up massive expenses bills as a by-product of his belief in the 'fundamental interconnectedness of things.' He began a third novel, The Salmon of Doubt, but didn't complete it.
With long-time friend John Lloyd, Adams also composed two quasi-reference books, The Meaning of Liff and The Deeper Meaning of Liff, wherein town names were used to fill in the gaps in the English language, for example using the name Ely to denote the first, tiniest inkling you get that something, somewhere, has gone horribly wrong.
Additionally, he teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine in 1990 and wrote Last Chance to See - an account of their worldwide search for rare and endangered animal species.
Guru
Douglas bought his first computer in 1982. 'It was a standalone word processor called a Nexus that was horrendously expensive by today's standards and probably less powerful than the free calculator you'd get in a Christmas cracker,' he recalled. He later became a tremendous fan of Apple computers, enough so that they considered him one of their technical evangelists, and used him in promotional materials. He used his Mac laptop to create a music video starring his daughter Polly.
Douglas was a founder-director and Chief Fantasist of The Digital Village, a digital media and Internet company with which he created h2g2 and the 1998 CD-ROM Starship Titanic, a Codie Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated adventure game. h2g2 was originally launched in 1999 but found a new home at bbc.co.uk in 2001. With the launch of PDA and mobile in April 2005, the site has achieved Douglas's aim of a handheld, ever-expanding guide to Life, the Universe and Everything, written by its users. Douglas loved the Internet. He saw both advantages and disadvantages with it: 'Wonderful swiftness of responses, which saves you a great deal of time, which you then waste by wandering about looking at loads of useless stuff.'
So long...
On the morning of 11 May, 2001, Douglas went to the local gym to work out. He had been walking the treadmill and went on for some aerobics. Peter, his trainer, examined Douglas and found his heart-rate quite normal, around 130. After aerobics it was time for some gym workout. First up was stomach crunches, and Douglas lay down on the bench. The trainer turned to get Douglas's towel, and when he turned back to hand it over, Douglas rolled off the bench, suffering a massive heart attack. All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Peter got on the phone and called Jane, saying Douglas had fainted and had been taken to the hospital.
Douglas was dead. He left his six-year-old daughter Polly, his wife Jane, his mother Jan Thrift and countless other family members and friends, not to mention thousands and thousands of fans all over the world, in shock and mourning. By the time of his death he had just finished a draft of the screenplay to a feature movie of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
We later learned that he had a narrowing of the arteries in the heart, a condition which is hard to detect, as well as an arrhythmic heartbeat, which is usually benign. These two factors together mean that it would have happened sooner or later anyway.
Douglas is buried in Highgate Cemetery (East), Highgate, London, England, plot: Square 74, Plot 52377. He was cremated, along with his towel, at 7.30pm British time, on 16 May, 2001 in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Hundreds of fans worldwide saluted him with a drink round that time. Jane and Polly have moved back to Islington, London together with their cats.
[03/05/2005 13:42:25] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I have gone mobile!! I will be telecommuting! That means I will be working from home :) Aint that great?!! Well, being a geek I decided to google on more information on telecommuting and this is what I found!
Telecommuting Growth
http://www.langhoff.com
Telecommuting is growing at a brisk pace in the United States. Today, about 20% of the U.S. workforce teleworks at home, at a telework center or satellite office, works on the road, or works at a combination of work sites.
1990: 3.4 million
1994: 9.1 million
1997: 11.1 million
1998: 15.7 million
1999: 19.6 million
2000: 16.5 million regularly employed telecommuters, 23.6 teleworkers (includes work-at-home and occasional telecommuters as well)
2001: 28 million teleworkers
2003: 23.5 million employed teleworkers + 23.4 self-employed teleworkers
2004: 44.4 million (24.1m employed teleworkers + 20.3m self-employed teleworkers)
Note on sources: The figures for 1990 to 1997 are based on surveys conducted by Find/SVP. The 1998 data comes from a survey conducted by Cyber Dialogue. The 1999 through 2004 data comes from ITAC surveys.
History of telecommuting
1877 The first telecommuter on record was a Boston bank president, who arranged to have a phone line strung from his office to his home in Somerville, Massachusetts. No one called it telecommuting back then. But it was smart business.
1963 A programmer working on the Arpanet project (the precursor of the Internet) in Santa Monica, California, reluctantly resigns from the project. His wife was experiencing a difficult pregnancy and was confined to bed; he needed to stay at home to care for her. A member of the project team suggested installing an extra phone line to the programmer's house, and letting him program from there using a teletype machine. The grateful father-to-be responded by putting in marathon 18-hour workdays from home. Both baby and project were delivered on time.
1973 The term "telecommuting" is invented in by Jack Nilles, a rocket scientist (really) working on NASA satellite communications projects in Los Angeles. Experiencing gridlock one time too many, Nilles decided to concentrate on moving work, not workers. He went on to become a telecommuting evangelist, writing several books and assisting corporations in setting up telecommuting programs.
1978 Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina starts a "cottage keyer" project, showing 26% productivity improvement over in-office counterparts.
1980 Mountain Bell started a telecommuting project for its managers and the U.S. Army launched a telecommuting pilot.
Each year, more and more workers joined the ranks of telecommuters, often unofficially. Guerrilla telecommuting gained legitimacy as management saw that people working from home or from remote locations were among the most productive and loyal workers they had.
early 80s Several telecommuting pilot projects were conducted, especially in California. Telecommuting consultants began to hang out their shingles, proof that telecommuting was here to stay.
By 1990, telecommuting projects are underway in a number of companies and governmental agencies in the U.S. Telecommuting spreads to Europe, Australia and Asia.
By 2003, major U.S. corporations have significant numbers of teleworkers. Telecommuting is now mainstream.
And of course I need to put in a cartoon to finish my blog ;)
[30/04/2005 18:28:30] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
This weekend is dedicated to Bill Watterson! :)
herez a secret ;) my Hobbes is Bhalu, my teddy bear !!! :) :D
[30/04/2005 17:58:41] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I have been busy! Yes, I know I have repeated this sentence in last many blogs and I am happy about it actually. Lotsa work and things to do always keeps the mind healthy :)
Incidently I went to God's own country last week for some official purpose and got to spend like an hour in Kovalam! Beautiful!!!! This enchanting strip of golden sands is laced with the rich greenery of coconut palms. A former fishing village, Kovalam is just 16 kms away from Trivandrum, Kerala's capital city. Kovalam is an evergreen and pleasant climatic beach resort. It is a dreamy place for tourists all over the world. Today Kovalam beach is known as the "Paradise of the South". With high rock promontory and a calm bay of blue waters, this beach paradise creates a unique aquarelle on moonlit nights. Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore. Over the past three decades, the place has been well developed, and now figures prominently on the world tourism map
Wish I had more time!! :)
In the meanwhile please keep Preeti in your prayers!
[23/04/2005 11:14:46] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
RS says The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind....
Well my state of mind hhmmm..... :)
[21/04/2005 20:19:52] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Prayers for Preeti
My heart goes out to Preeti and her family members... This post is a prayer for her.
Pray with me!
[19/04/2005 09:09:48] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Dance like a man
That was the article I read in this months Femina. Truely its next to impossible to imagine women performing Kathakali! I was very very impressed to know there is an all women troupe which performs kathakali and they have performed for over 30years now! There is not much money in this art, I believe, they do it only for love of the art form! I am really humbled!
Here is an article which I found on web on the same troupe:
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/02/18/stories/2005021802100200.htm
KARTHIKA AND SYAMA, two 11-year-old girls, perform `Purappadu' at Sree Mahadeva Temple, Panavalli, near Kochi on February 11. Both do their best to make the performance memorable. After their 30-minute performance starts a Kathakali programme that goes on through the night. This performance is conducted and coordinated by `Tripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Kendram,' the only women's Kathakali troupe in Kerala. Karthika and Syama are the youngest members of this troupe.
The Kendram will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary. But a dearth of skilled and committed performers may force members of the troupe to think of winding it up soon.
The beginning
It all started in 1975, observed as International Women's Year, when a Kathakali troupe solely consisting of women was formed at Thripunithura. Hearing that some schoolgirls in the town had started studying Kathakali vesham, Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair took the initiative to form a troupe with female artistes.
In April 1975, with the support of Thripunithura Kathakali Kendram and other art lovers, the arangetram of the women's troupe was held.
The women artistes performed `Kalyana Sougandhikam.' The troupe began receiving invitations from different places and gradually the dream of a `ladies troupe' became a reality.
Later, the number of artistes in the group increased and women from different parts of Kerala started learning Kathakali vesham, songs and so on at the Kendram. But few took interest in mastering percussion instruments. Eventually, the department of percussion (chenda and madhalam) slipped into the hands of male artistes as there were few women who were trained in this.
Under the systematic training of Kalamandalam Rajan, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri, RLV Damodara Pisharadi and FACT Padmanabhan, members of the troupe gradually learned the aesthetics of Kathakali vesham. The troupe now consists of 30 members and performs about 40 programmes in a year. They follow the Kerala Kalamandalam style, which is based on the Kalluvazhi chitta. Most of the members are working women.
Although, the artistes in the group are not professionals, they observe high standards. The troupe has performed in different parts of India and visited the United States in 2002. It presents popular Attakkathas except `Keechakavadham' and `Ravana Vijayam,' which contain adverse comments against women.
Lack of interest
But the troupe is finding it difficult to maintain its high standards. "The main problem is lack of good musicians," says the secretary of the troupe, Sathi Varma. Kumari Varma and Shylaja Varma are the only two permanent singers in the troupe. "It is very tiring for them to continue singing for the whole night. Young singers learn Kathakali only for winning prizes in youth festivals, and thereby getting grace marks. They are not ready to participate in a programme or continue their training," says Sathi Varma.
Another problem faced by the troupe is that its main artistes, Radhika Varma and Geetha Varma, are also finding it difficult to perform for long hours. Three new artistes, Rajani Suresh, Haripriya Namboothiri and Keerthi Unni, who are in their late twenties, have recently joined the troupe. The troupe is always ready to encourage and accept youngsters.
VINU VASUDEVAN
[17/04/2005 08:43:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I have been busy!! :)) well its an understatement when I say that. I have been busy and happy.. so drunk with life!! I took a new job, one which I have been looking forward to for a long time, and of course had moved into my own house, busy doing up the place as well!
I have been a nomad for past decade, moving from place to place for work. I am a cancerian by star sign, so you would know, a home means a lot to me! Moving from place to place every other year for work has hurt me everytime, the feeling of homelessness brings in immense amount of sadness to me, NO MORE!!! I am in my own home! Now when I hang a picture on the wall, thats not coming down! hopefully not for long long time :) Interestingly just as if someone up there realised that giving me a home will not help with giving me a dream job to upkeep the home, I landed my dream job as well! Seems as if I am really hanging up ma running shoes... is that it???
For the first time in my life I am a bit afraid, afraid of things going wrong!! too many of my dreams coming true!! will a *touch wood* suffice?????
[24/03/2005 17:33:58] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Holi hai !!!!
*sigh* there were days! playing holi with colors, water, baloons... eating savories! remember making gujjias day before ... yummmm...
Well this year I have lots to be happy about so even though I might not be really celebrating holi same ways as I used to long long time back.. the thoughts make me happy :)
Happy holi to all of you! I pray holi brings lots of happiness and peace to you all and makes your life as colorful as colors of holi!
History of Holi
The celebration of Holi is very ancient in its origin. And by its very origin, it celebrates an ultimate triumph of the 'good' over the 'evil'. While, a feast of colors associated with the Holi, is the face of this celebration, the original reason of celebrating Holi, lies in its soul. And this gives us the 'why' of this ancient festival.
Literally "Holi" signifies "burning" in Indian language. But, how it came to be associated with 'burning', is a story. The reference is found only in ancinet Indian mythology. And It is the legend of Hiranyakashipu, to whom the celebration of Holi is associated.
Way back in the pre-Christian era, there lived a demon king named Hiranyakashipu in ancient India. He wanted to avenge the death of his younger brother. The brother, also a demon, had been killed by Lord Vishnu, one of the supreme trio, monitoring the life and death in the universe, (according to the Hindu belief). To take on Vishnu, the tyrant king wanted to become the king of the heaven, earth and the underworld.
He performed severe penance and prayer for many years to gain enough power.
Finally he was granted a boon. Powered by the boon, Hiranyakshipu thought he had become invincible. Arrogant, he ordered all in his kingdom to worship him, instead of God. The demon king, however, had a very young son, named Prahalad.
He was an ardent devotee of Vishnu. Despite his father's order,
Prahalad continued to pray to Vishnu. So the demon king wanted to kill his son.
He asked the favor of his sister Holika who, because of a boon, was immune to fire.
They planned that Prahalad would be burned to death. A pyre was lit up and Holika sat on it, clutching Prahalad. Yet, at the end Prahalad emerged unscathed by the fire, And Holika, the demon, was burned to ashes. The earnest devotion and complete submission to Lord Vishnu saved young Prahlad. Thus was the triumph of Prahlad, the representative of good spirits. And the defeat of Holika, the representative of evil. Later, even the demon king Hiranyakashipu was killed by Lord Vishnu. But that is quite a different story. It is from Holika, that the Holi originated.
This legend is relived even today on the Holi-eve when the pyre is re-lit in the form of bonfires. Even today, people celebrate this occasion. Huge bonfires are lit up every year on the eve of the full moon night of the Holi to burn the spirit of the evils. Hence the story associated with the soul of the celebration.
Now, let us look into the face of it. How did the celebration of Holi assume a colorful face? Well, it is linked to yet another legend, the legends of Krishna. Though of much later origin, still, it was in the pre-Christian era.
According to the Hindu belief, Krishna was a reincarnation of lord Vishnu himself.
It was Krishna, or, Krishn, the king of the ancient city of Dwarka, who popularised the tradition of Holi. The origin of the colorful and frolicking tone of Holi lies in the boyhood of Krishna. It all came up as part of his pranks, he used to play with his boyhood mates of Gokul and Vrindavan. Situated in north India, these are the places where he spent his childhood.
It was at this time of year, Krishna used to play pranks by drenching the village girls, with water and colors. At first it offended the girls. But they were so fond of this mischievous boy that soon their anger melted away. And, it did not take long
for other boys to join in, making it a popular sport in the village. Later, as Krishna grew up, the play assumed a new dimension. It added more colors to Krishna's legendary love life. The legend of Krishna's courtship with Radha, and playing pranks with the 'Gopi's. The girls in the 'dairy' village of Gokul were mostly milkmaids, and, hence locally known as the Gopis. The same tradition has transpired through the ages, turning it into a community festival of the masses. As time kept flowing, the culture spread roots to other regions of the country. The Holi play of Krishna is documented in hundreds of ancient paintings, murals, sculptures and scriptures found across the subcontinent.
[14/03/2005 00:15:47] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Its beautiful!!! its raining here!!!!!!!!! gentle cool breeze ... ah that smell of wet mud and music of fallin raindrops!
[13/03/2005 09:00:31] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Child labor
How many of you have young people below age of 18 working in your (extended) household as servants or maids??
[12/03/2005 04:22:43] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Does this mean we, indians are really doing very well for ourselves or is it pink glasses on our nose?? Will we one day beat poverty in entire country or wake up one fine morning to kno w that buble has burst!???
Booming IT sector opens bubbly for allied groups
India to be IT hub of the world: Nasscom
RBI revises inflation rate forecast to below 6.5%
Airbus, Eurocopter eye $1 bn business in India
Wireless demand fuels satellite boom
Industrial output jumps 8% in Jan
whadoyasay??????
[09/03/2005 01:52:42] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
International Women's day!
Well, I want to bring notice of people to the following:
Indian rape victim in semi-coma for 31 years - weeps, laughs, screams
A Nation without women
We have a long long way to go before we can celebrate such things like "women's day"
[08/03/2005 01:03:15] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Its music in the air :)
I spent the saturday evening listening to maestros Ustad Ghulam Ali and Jagjit singh
and today evening swaying to sultan of swing :) Mark Knopfler
[28/02/2005 22:09:12] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Thought for today!
Dream like you'd live forever and Live like you'd die today!!
[28/02/2005 02:26:33] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
I read this on Alaknanda's blog ... touching...
"Zindagi mein koi kabhi aaye na rabba,
aaye joh koi toh phir jaaye na rabba,
dene ho agar mujhe baad mein aasoo,
toh pehle koi hasaaye na rabba,
jaate jaate koi meri khushiyon ko le gaya,
sooni sooni akhiyon ko gham koi de gaya,
aas jo lagayi hai , aankh bhar aayi hai,
itna bhi koi sataye na rabba ! ! "
- Musafir
[27/02/2005 02:56:12] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Kitane aadmi the?!! :)
Tumhara naam kya hai basanti !! :))
I watched the Filmfare awards tonite! well well same song and dance show like all other awards shows, but of course you can't deny the fact that this one is probably most prestigious film awards.
The reason I am soooo kicked about this years awards is that a special award for Sholay was given to Ramesh Shippy!! nice very nice!
About Sholay
Here is one interesting photograph.. kinda large size though so I didn't embed it here...
http://sweb.uky.edu/~ardesh2/sholay.jpg
[26/02/2005 01:16:54] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
If you are feeling suicidal now, please stop long enough to read this. It will only take about five minutes. I do not want to talk you out of your bad feelings. I am not a therapist or other mental health professional - only someone who knows what it is like to be in pain.
I don’t know who you are, or why you are reading this page. I only know that for the moment, you’re reading it, and that is good. I can assume that you are here because you are troubled and considering ending your life. If it were possible, I would prefer to be there with you at this moment, to sit with you and talk, face to face and heart to heart. But since that is not possible, we will have to make do with this.
I have known a lot of people who have wanted to kill themselves, so I have some small idea of what you might be feeling. I know that you might not be up to reading a long book, so I am going to keep this short. While we are together here for the next five minutes, I have five simple, practical things I would like to share with you. I won’t argue with you about whether you should kill yourself. But I assume that if you are thinking about it, you feel pretty bad.
Well, you’re still reading, and that’s very good. I’d like to ask you to stay with me for the rest of this page. I hope it means that you’re at least a tiny bit unsure, somewhere deep inside, about whether or not you really will end your life. Often people feel that, even in the deepest darkness of despair. Being unsure about dying is okay and normal. The fact that you are still alive at this minute means you are still a little bit unsure. It means that even while you want to die, at the same time some part of you still wants to live. So let’s hang on to that, and keep going for a few more minutes.
Start by considering this statement:
“Suicide is not chosen; it happens
when pain exceeds
resources for coping with pain.”
Rest is at http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
[18/02/2005 15:37:45] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Signs of life found on Mars
hhhmmmmmm... are we jumping the gun or what??? Anyways here is the story on times of india, incidently there was no such mention on NASA website! IF this is true, all I can say is WOW !!!
AGENCIES[ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2005 08:51:12 AM ]
WASHINGTON: A pair of NASA scientists told a group of space officials at a private meeting here recently that they had found strong evidence that life might exist on Mars, hidden away in caves and sustained by pockets of water.
The scientists, Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke of NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, told the group that they had submitted their findings to the journal Nature for publication in May, and their paper was being peer-reviewed.
What Stoker and Lemke have found, according to several attendees of the private meeting, is not direct proof of life on Mars, but methane signatures and other signs of possible biological activity remarkably similar to those recently discovered in caves here on Earth.
Stoker and other researchers have long theorised that the Martian sub-surface could harbour biological organisms that have developed unusual strategies for existing in extreme environments.
That suspicion led Stoker and a team of US and Spanish researchers in 2003 to south-western Spain to search for sub-surface life near the Rio Tinto river, so called because of its reddish tint - the product of iron being dissolved in its highly acidic water.
Stoker said in 2003, weeks before leading the expedition to southwestern Spain, that by studying the very acidic Rio Tinto, she and other scientists hoped to characterise the potential for a chemical bioreactor in the sub-surface - an underground microbial ecosystem of sorts that might well control the chemistry of the surface environment.
[13/02/2005 20:23:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Just got back from the Bangalore Aero show!! So impressive !! :) had a grrrrrrreat weekend! don't wanna type in too much so have decided to post this news item from outlook which describes the show ..
Aero India
A dazzling and awesome display of India's fighter prowess launched Aero India 2005, the biennial air show, where dozens of global military and civil aircraft makers are showcasing their products to hardsell them here.
A formation of three Indian Air Force MI-8 helicopters in the national tricolour and ensigns of the IAF and the aero show marked the start of the five-day event at the Yelahanka air base, 25 kms from Bangalore.
A low-speed composite formation of three aircraft -- the home grown Advanced Light Aircraft, the Kiran trainer and the awesome Sukhoi-30 Mki - flying at a low altitude, gave the audience a taste of things to come, as it was followed by the Intermediate Jet Trainer, the indigenous aircraft being built to train IAF pilots for stage II training.
As the 'Sentinel of the Ocean', Tu-142 flew past the dignitaries, they were reminded that it was the 'Albatross of the Indian Navy', which could fly non stop for over 18 hours, guarding the seas. India's latest acquisition, the Russian made IL-78 air-to-air refueller, called the fuel tank in the sky, tugged two Mirage-2000 fighters filling fuel over the Bangalore skies.
An arrowhead formation of three deep-penetration strike Jaguar aircraft was tailed by three prototypes of Tejas, the home grown Light Combat Aircraft in the Indian tricolour. The tailess, delta-winged, fly-by-wire, single-engine supersonic fighter, being developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency, made its maiden fight on January 4,2001 and is expected to replace IAF's MIG fleet from the next decade.
The IAF's twin-engine supersonic fighter Sukhoi-30 Mkl displayed its awesome prowess by making loops in the air and flying at 'low speed' with the announcer saying 'even the wind stops to stare'.
Sarang (peacock in Sanskrit), the formation of Dhruv, the Advanced Light Helicopter demonstrated why it is being showcased for export by the Indian aerospace industry. As Mozart's symphony lent music to the ears, the scintillating manoeuvres and turns of the Sarang team, one of the world's only two such helicopter aerobatic teams, was a feast to the eyes of thousands of spectators from across the world.
The finale of the nearly one-hour visual treat was the superb display of the famed Surya Kiran aerobatic team, with a formation of the heart, diamond and scissor cuts. Among the dignitaries were Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of State for Defence B K Handique, Karnataka Chief Minister Dharam Singh and the chief of three services, besides several foreign delegates
[12/02/2005 20:22:59] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Black
Yes, I finally saw this movie! touching very touching and highly recommended :)
I surely do agree with this guy in saying "If you don't want the rest-of-the-world to dub bollywood from looking at the colorful Monsoon Wedding and Bride and Prejudice, represent Black to the world as an ideal Bollywood flick Whatever it takes, beg-borrow-steal, watch BLACK. "
[07/02/2005 23:54:44] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Bhrigu Samhita
Anyone knows in detail about it and has come across true predictions?
[27/01/2005 20:03:08] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
nadiya chale chale re dhaara
Tujhko chalna hoga, tujhko chalna hoga
Jeewan kahi bhi thhaherta nahi hai
Aandhi se toofaan se dartaa nahi hai
Tu na chalega to chal dengi raahe
Manzil ko tarsengi teri nigaahein
Tujhko chalna hoga, tujhko chalna hoga
Paar huwa woh raha woh safar mein
Jo bhi ruka phir gaya woh bhanwar mein
Naav to kya baha jaaye kinaara
Badi hi tez samay ki hai dhaara
Tujhko chalna hoga, tujhko chalna hoga
[20/01/2005 01:41:37] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
-Ann Landers
[06/01/2005 22:19:00] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Thoda hai, thode kee zaroorat hai...
Zindagee phir bhee yahan khoobsurat hai
[28/12/2004 18:07:16] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Tsunami !!!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/973516.cms
PTI[ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2004 04:07:34 PM ]
PENANG: While thousands of people lost their lives when gigantic tsunami waves hit this region in Malaysia on Sunday, a 20-day-old baby girl miraculously survived, thanks to a floating mattress.
When the tsunami hit the popular Miami Beach in Batu Ferringhi, S Tulasi, was sleeping in a room behind her father's western food outlet along the beach.
"We were all caught offguard when the wave hit us...I was thrown several metres but managed to hold onto one of the posts but my 12-year-old daughter was swept by the wave," said the baby's father, A Suppiah.
Suppiah, 55, said his wife, Annal Mary, 40, braved the strong wave to open the room's door to save their baby.
"I thought I had lost both my daughters...but thank God the mattress was floating in about 1.5 m of water and my baby was crying. My other daughter, Kanchana somehow managed to get to her feet and run to safety," said Suppiah, who injured his right ankle.
well, I will keep my faith in God! Though I am highly saddened to know that nearly third of dead are children, I just pray to Lord to give us all peace and strength to absord this immense tradegy!
For all information about tsunami disaster in south east asia and how you could help please click here --> http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/
[19/12/2004 15:40:44] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
This is it :)
[15/12/2004 13:18:18] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
How about a puzzle!
Example: 26 L of the A = 26 Letters of the Alphabet
1. 7 W of the A W
2. 1,001 A N
3. 12 S of the Z
4. 54 C in a D (with the Js)
5. 9 P in the S S
6. 88 P K
7. 13 S on the A F
8. 32 D F at which W F
9. 18 H on a G C
10. 90 D in a R A
11. 200 D for P G in M
12. 8 S on a S S
13. 3 B M (S H T R)
14. 4 Q in a G
15. 24 H in a D
16. 1 W on a U
17. 5 D in a Z C
18. 57 H V
19. 11 P on a F T
20. 1000 W that a P is W
21. 29 D in F in a L Y
22. 64 S on a C
23. 40 D and N of the G F
21 - 23 = Genius! (Even Geniuses Are Allowed Mistakes)
17 - 20 = Genius Protege
13 - 16 = Genius Wannabe
8 - 12 = Genius Absentius
0 - 7 = Genius Dunkoffius
[12/12/2004 16:58:09] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Wot Sayeth????
[11/12/2004 20:00:18] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
While commenting on Wing's blog I came across this Zen story. I thought its really beautiful and deep ... mulhaiza farmaiye
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the masters house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his masters house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.""Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?""I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." The pot said
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the masters house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We re all cracked pots. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.
[08/12/2004 23:51:25] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Girl calls off wedding over dowry
Varinder Bhatia
Posted online: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 at 1337 hours IST
Updated: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 at 1338 hours IST
Chandigarh, December 8: Refusing to give in to the demand for dowry allegedly from her prospective in-laws, the daughter of a serving Colonel called off her marriage to the son of Brigadier M.P. Singh (retd), a resident of Sector 35 here, merely a day before the wedding.
The UT Police Woman and Child Support Unit is presently investigating the allegations leveled against the Brigadier’s family in the complaint lodged with the UT SSP by Colonel Raghbir Singh, the girl’s father. In their complaint, the girl’s family alleged that Brigadier M.P. Singh, his wife and son Harkirat Singh, who works as a networks engineer with HCL (Sysco) in Chennai, made direct as well as indirect demands for dowry.
The girl’s family, which had already spent around Rs 6 lakh on the marriage arrangements, called off the marriage on December 5 noon after the Brigadier’s family met them the previous night and asked for dowry. The marriage was arranged through a matrimonial advertisement. The shagun ceremony was held in July this year and engagement on December 4. At around 2 a.m. on December 5, the Brigadier and his family met the girl’s family at the house where they were putting up. The meeting carried on for three hours. Another meeting was held later at noon, when the Colonel’s family took the bold decision of calling off the marriage.
Narrating their plight, the family said, “We have been out of home for the past one month. We have been staying in Ambala and Chandigarh, making arrangements for the wedding. We were shocked when the Brigadier and his family asked for dowry.” But they have no regrets. “All the wedding cards were distributed. But we had to cancel the wedding at the 11th hour. It was embarrassing for our family, but we had to take this step. We could not have let our daughter marry into such a family,” added the girl’s parents.
Both families have been called for investigation by the police on Wednesday.
No regrets, says girl
The girl, who is pursuing an MBA from Symbiosis, said, “I do not have any regrets. Rather, I feel much more relaxed now after going through the trauma caused by the boy’s family. I consider my decision a wise decision.”
So does her family. Said Col Raghbir Singh, “Parents would always want their child to be happy after marriage. But after seeing their intentions and demands for dowry, our daughter made a wise and bold decision. We appreciate it and stand by her.”
‘Brig’s wife showed us the cash bag they got for younger son’
Brigadier M.P. Singh’s house is all lit up for his younger son’s marriage on Wednesday. “M.P. Singh has two sons - Harkirat , and Tejkirat. Tejkirat is getting married to the daughter of a Panchkula-based businessman. The Brigadier’s wife even showed us the bag full of cash that they claimed to have got from the father of their younger son’s bride,” Colonel Raghbir alleged. Repeated attempts to talk to Brigadier M.P. Singh proved futile. When Newsline visited his house, he refused a meeting, saying he had no time for any versions
[04/12/2004 01:51:18] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Its been long time since I posted anything on the blog. I have been very very busy with things in my life. Trying to buy myself an apartment in bangalore... and now that it is more or less finalised, more tasks keep adding up! first and foremost finding an interior designer and then all required furnishing appliances etc etc .. the list goes on. Anyways, apart from this, at work place I was involved in an interesting inward journey taken for a team building exercise. It was amazing fun but very physically challenging! check it out @ iDiscoveri
Cheers and energies till I get back to active online activities!!!
[04/11/2004 22:24:52] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Well its been a long time since I updated my blog! Its not that there hasn't been anything interesting to share; on the contrary so many new things happening here in bangalore ...
Last weekend was very eventful .. I did lotsa shopping on saturday, sunday I went to a cafe called Java City on Brigade road to meet friends from Orkut. [Orkut is an online community sponsored by google] It was an interesting meet since nearly twenty people turned up and mostly all of them were quite nice and fun loving people. Average age was probably early twenties! yeah I was the only aunty in the group.. so wot ;) I am quite young at heart :)) Well, we all chatted for about two hours and decided to meet again coming saturday.. looking forward to that!
Monday was also a holiday because of state creation day or something similar. A cousin of mine was in town and I was meeting him after nearly seven eight years. We met up at another cousin's place and then went to this pub called purple haze. I guess it is one of the bestest pubs in bangalore. Music was my favourite classic rock!
[29/10/2004 16:52:38] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
There is a smirk on my face! I feel quite accomplished :) well, yeah isn't it an accomplishment? I moved from one country to another and it took me only a few weeks to get settled and completely going?! I have got an office laptop and touchtel broadband connection thus I'd be online from now on. kinda having a writers block .. dunno what to write about?! any pointers???
aaj fir jeenae ki tamanna hai !!
[12/10/2004 11:35:12] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Bangalore, the IT capital of India.. the garden city ... the pub city .. there are loads and loads of adjectives given to city. Yes, I am a resident of city of bangalore now! Feels so good.. the facilites both at home and work are world class.. I stay in an apartment complex newly built just last year. It has very elaborate security, gym, swimming pool, club house, raquet, basketball and badminton courts. Of course also very well maintained flower gardens in central courtyard and all around the complex. Interestingly all these facilities are on ground floor over basement parking across the entire complex. Quite impressive it is.
Talking about work, well, I work for a leading MNC software company. My division supports business in US so my timmings are quite odd.. late afternoon to midnight. In some ways I like the timmings since I am not a morning person and even if I had normal office timming I would have liked to come in late and work later hours. Impressive is the support facilities in the office complex. Full cafeteria which provides for highly subsidised snacks and meals. There is also a gym, playroom with TT Table and carrom board etc. The cubicles are really very spacious. There is even a well stocked pantry on every floor which provides for variety of beverages and small snacks like buscuits. It is just WOW :)
hhhhmmmmmm.... looks very rosy eh? well it is quite nice .. a humming city in process of becoming a metropolis, bazaars in every block with well stocked shops providing for everything imaginable sometimes at a premium. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find a deal of getting thirty photos for Rs. sixty ! All thanks to technology! I even saw huggies pack of twentysix for just Rs. three hundred fifty.... Corelle dinnerset for Rs Three thousand seven hundred odd. Of course Kaamwali Bai to do washing utensils, clothes and cleaning etc for just a thousand bucks a month!!! Good for me lazy bums :D
Now coming to the thorns of the rose plant :D the traffic and roads ... only one word PATHETIC !!! lots of promises have been made, broken and remade by the government .... I'll leave that issue here itself instead of delving into the state of india politics and governance! The other completely illogical issue is of seven week delay of releasing non-kannada movies in bangalore! I guess some groups of people derived some entusiasm from Shiv sena's efforts on marathization of bombay and decided to go a step further and pull the whole city backwards!
Needless to say, with all pluses and minuses, its nice to back to desh.. I am enjoying every minute here and I welcome everyone else to come to this city of gardens, pubs, IT, BPO... namma bangaluru :D
[06/10/2004 12:27:07] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Mere desh ki dharti
I am in bnagalore, India ! Joined new place of work .. very impressed and welcomed in the new facility ... still in process of settling down .. :) hope to make newer friends and find time and energy to keep in touch with old ones ......
[22/09/2004 02:19:17] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Moving On
I am moving on
reaching toward my hopes and dreams
It has taken me far too long
to reach this place, it seems
My fears may try to hold me back
To try and block my way
But with courage and faith in my heart
I will get there come what may
The road will be a long one,
And it may be rocky, too
But when I reach this place in time,
My dreams could all shine through
I am coming nearer to my goals
And my excitement grows
The plans I have made will soon be real
Along with the destiny I chose
Though I have been tossed and turned in life's storms
I will surely see a brighter dawn
I'm no longer held back by my fears
I'm finally....Moving On
by Alan Murray
Well, before everyone sends me hazaar emails asking wot am I upto :) I am moving onnnnnn... I am going back to india .. mera desh :) *sigh* when I reach this place in time, My dreams could all shine through
wish me luck pals :)
[14/09/2004 22:23:31] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Anorexia: The Most Deadly Mental Illness
I was browsing Forbes website about most admired companies across the world when I stumbled on this article. Following lines from the article hit me hard *sigh*
In the past three months, there have been more than 300 articles published about Mary-Kate, who is one half of the $28 million money machine that is the Olsen twins, and her battle with the disease. Yet in the entire medical literature, there are only a dozen studies comparing different ways of treating it.
Well, as usual I googled the web for more information on this disease and came to conclusion that it is indeed a mental illness caused by social conditioning and low self esteem! Just because the whole world is obsessed about an hour glass figure many fall in trap that only an hour glass figure is okay and rest is NOT okay! How silly one can be?! To some extend I can accept "being healthy" part. Of course an obese person is NOT USUALLY healthy physically or mentally but at same time it is okay to be slightly on the fat side as long as you are "HEALTHY". It is okay to have not so flat belly.. its okay to have a plump figure and big hips like the southie actresses ... its okay to be NOT beautiful to look at .. its okay to be just a plain jane !! :) well well you can imagine the irritation I have had kept inside me about "looking good" part. I accept I do always have an exercise regimen which I try to follow and I am always NOT at ease with no-loss body :)) whatever I do the plumpiness doesn't go away ! I am not happy about it but I am at peace with it... Its me! :)
At same time I feel bad for people especially females who are not able to be come to peace with their body image. I have known my own friends resort to wierd diets etc just to get thin... Thankfully none of my close friends have gotten to region of Anorexia! My heart goes out to them who lose their mental balance with their obsession to be thin. Here is gist of my findings on remedies:
1. How about placing a sign on the mirror: "Hail wonderful me!". You'll see a whole new image of yourself.
2. Make a conscious decision on what areas of life, or even on what details, you will compromise to feel like you fit in or to gain acceptance, and on which areas or details you really must be yourself to, well, be yourself.
3. If you find yourself making comparisons to impossibly skinny models, impossibly rich tycoons or impossibly witty comedians -- and your self-esteem is squirming -- try comparing yourself to Howard Stern instead.:
4. Try wearing something just a little outrageous, either on yourself or your home.
5. Celebrate life :
Appreciate all that your body can do. Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams. Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you -- running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc. Take care of yourself, regardless of society's standards.:
6. Focus on who you are:
Focus on who you are and not just on what your body looks like. Keep a top-10 list of things you like about yourself -- things that aren't related to how much you weigh or what you look like. Read your list often. Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about you. Due to genetics and body types, all of us can't be thin but we can all be healthy. Instead of comparing yourself to a model on the cover of a magazine, look in the mirror to find your own standard of beauty.:
7. Remind yourself that "true beauty" is not simply skin-deep :
When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you carry yourself with a sense of confidence, self-acceptance, and openness that makes you beautiful regardless of whether you physically look like a supermodel. Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of your body.
Very interesting website I came upon National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
Some good point points from their site
NAAFA works to dispel the common myths that are used to justify treating fat people as second-class citizens: "If they really wanted to, they could lose weight;""It's not healthy to be fat;""Fat people are ugly."
It makes as much sense to say that everybody should be thin as saying everybody should be tall.
Critics and experts challenge the goal of thinness as unrealistic and unnecessary; they say fitness is better for health in the long run.
"Fat" is not a four-letter word. It is an adjective, like short, tall, thin, or blonde. While society has given it a derogatory meaning, we find that identifying ourselves as "fat" is an important step in casting off the shame we have been taught to feel about our bodies.
[10/09/2004 02:17:38] | [MoonieTheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Zen?
"There's more to this world than just people, you know."
-Hobbes
"Why should I have to WORK for everything?! It's like saying I don't deserve it!"
-Calvin
"Reality continues to ruin my life."
-Calvin
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
-Calvin
"Childhood is short, maturity is forever."
-Calvin
"I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway."
-Calvin
"True friends are hard to come by...I need more money."
-Calvin
"There's an inverse relationship between how good something is for you, and how much fun it is."
-Calvin
"There's no problem so awful that you can't add some guilt to it and make it even worse!"
-Calvin
"The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest!"
-Calvin
"I'M SIGNIFICANT!...screamed the dust speck."
-Calvin
[08/09/2004 01:44:31] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
This is a dedication to BlogNazi
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Roger Waters
Little by little the night turns around.
Counting the leaves which tremble and turn.
Lotus's lean on each other in union.
Over the hills where a swallow is resting.
Set the controls for the heart of the sun.
Over the mountain watching the watcher.
Breaking the darkness waking the grapevine.
Morning to birth is born into shadow
Love is the shadow that ripens the wine.
Set the controls for the heart of the sun.
The heart of the sun, the heart of the sun.
Who is the man who arrives at the wall?
Making the shape of his questions at asking.
Thinking the sun will fall in the evening.
Will he remember the lesson of giving?
Set the controls for the heart of the sun.
The heart of the sun, the heart of the sun.
[08/09/2004 01:08:42] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Two men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind. "It's the wind that is really moving," stated the first one. "No, it is the flag that is moving," contended the second. A Zen master, who happened to be walking by, overheard the debate and interrupted them. "Neither the flag nor the wind is moving," he said, "It is MIND that moves".
[02/09/2004 20:40:59] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
If you break open the cherry tree,
Where are the flowers?
But in the spring time, see how they bloom!
[02/09/2004 03:10:10] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
This week I have been quite restless, so in order to calm my mind I read some Zen stories. I really liked them so much that I have decided to share them with you all! Comment on interpretations though because I am given to understand that every person interprets them differently.
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meji era (1868 - 1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!" Like this cup", Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Muddy Road
Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling. Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silf kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection. "Come on girl," said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud. Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he could no longer restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not yound and lovely ones. It is danerous. Why did you do that?""I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"
Right and Wrong
When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.
Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.
When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. "You are wise brothers," he told them. "You know what is right and what is not right. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave."
A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.
Killing
Gasan instructed his adherents one day: "Those who speak against killing and who desire to spare the lives of all conscious beings are right. It is good to protect even animals and insects. But what about those persons who kill time, what about those who are destroying wealth, and those who destroy political economy? We should not overlook them. Furthermore, what of the one who preaches without enlightenment? He is killing Buddhism."
The Most Valuable Thing in the World
Sozan, a Chinese Zen master, was asked by a student: "What is the most valuable thing in the world?"
The master replied: "The head of a dead cat."
"Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?" inquired the student.
Sozan replied: "Because no one can name its price."
Real Prosperity
A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation.
Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry. "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?"
"No joke is intended," explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity."
[31/08/2004 21:48:06] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
[30/08/2004 19:53:15] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
[28/08/2004 00:02:10] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Hinduism is NOT just a Religion!
Just had to write this down. I was involved in a lot of discussions and somehow I wanted to re-enforce in myself that Hindusim is a way of life and not just a religion! It is far more than just a religion. It is so very sad that there are many people in the country who potray hinduism in mere religious terms and are so very often successful in invoking hate and anger towards minority communities and lead to unrest in country. I feel immense anger towards such people! They have no right to mix religion with politics! Politics is already dirty and mixing religion and people's sentiments in that is worse! Sadly most educated and thinking people are also many a times NOT able to see through these lowly politicians dirty plans! Well anyways let me reaffirm my faith in my beliefs.
Nine Beliefs of Hinduism
Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither beginning nor end.
Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.
Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, "noninjury."
Hindus believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God's Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Five Obligations of all Hindus
Worship, upasana: Young Hindus are taught daily worship in the family shrine room--rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study. They learn to be secure through devotion in home and temple, wearing traditional dress, bringing forth love of the Divine and preparing the mind for serene meditation.
Holy days, utsava: Young Hindus are taught to participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and temple. They learn to be happy through sweet communion with God at such auspicious celebrations. Utsava includes fasting and attending the temple on Monday or Friday and other holy days.
Virtuous living, dharma: Young Hindus are taught to live a life of duty and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others first, being respectful of parents, elders and swamis, following divine law, especially ahimsa, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all beings. Thus they resolve karmas.
Pilgrimage, tirthayatra: Young Hindus are taught the value of pilgrimage and are taken at least once a year for darnana of holy persons, temples and places, near or far. They learn to be detached by setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life's singular focus during these journeys.
Rites of passage, samskara: Young Hindus are taught to observe the many sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites of birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of age, marriage and death.
[23/08/2004 06:49:12] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
World and issues
Last week I was much involved in discussions on orkut india community. Vibrant group that it is, there was quite heated discussion on death penalty, india's freedom struggle, people responsible for partition, right wings liberals etc etc ... usually I participate in these discussions in a very detached mode. I say what I think from my prespective, ask questions when I want to know what would others be thinking etc, but this time there was talk about somebody whom I respect and revere like a holy man, well, Mahatama Gandhi is no lesser than a holy man. I was kind of shocked to read some people's prespective on his life and philosphy. Not that I didn't know that there are many people who do not think Gandhiji was any great personality or he did anything quite remarkable; but this was first time I came across many people who literally hated him! Yes, hate, I could even feel anger in their words, like as if it was something personal. It kind of scared me but more so intrigued me! Why do people think being non-violent is mark of cowardice! The discussion obviously stumbled into Jammu Kashmir problem and animosity with pakistan... people's reactions intrigued me further... I feel immensely sad ... will there ever be peace in our part of world? Will we be forever fighting for a piece of land *sigh* *sigh*
Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...
Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do?
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you will join us,
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you will join us,
And the world will live as one
by John Lennon
[16/08/2004 20:41:24] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Independence day Desi Party
This weekend was amazing! Sat night I went to this humoungous desi party in Langhorne, PA. There were about 50+ people from a NJ desi group I am part of. Most of the people were meeting for the first time. It was organized fairly good with bring your own food and booze; by the time my friends and I landed there the table was fully decorated with all kinds of food, samosas, kachoris, lemon rice, pasta, pizza, fruits, cakes! There was also variety of beers, wines and liquor to choose from. The host and hostess were very curteous, helpful and I think a bit overwhelmed by the turnout even on a rainy evening. People drove from all part of Jersey and New York to attend the party. I infact drove like 100 miles to the party; I wanted to drop out at last moment because of sheer laziness, but then couldn't since I was the designated driver with car! But then I am happy that I didn't 'cause I really had a ball of time. Met some of old friends and made some new ones; of course not that remember anyones name! :)
After making initial polite conversation, I proceeded downstairs to the basement to check out the dance floor scene... well there was a nice music system churning out desi pop numbers and there were few guys hanging out with food and chatting, I guess about weather :)) Well, thankfully we got the groove into the party with many others joining in. I had a grrrrreat time dancing to all those usual desi remixes including "kaanta laga" .. main aisa kyon hoon from Lakshya, koyi kahe kehta rahe from Dil Chahta Hai .. and of course Aisa from Khakhee (i think) There were couple of really good dancers in our midst.. wish ed I learnt a few steps from them :) but then I am too much of put-your-hands-up-bhangara kinda dance person so no point at that :) and of course I had company of similar more put-your-hands-up-bhangara kinda dance people in the group :))
The party was also interesting since I was "designated driver" for first time :) I didn't drink much except two beers and litle bit of awfully sweet wine .. of course with three hours dancing all that would have become vapours by the time we left around 12:15AM.
The journey back was quite lucky since even with pouring rain we didn't get lost much except a few miles into 1South instead of 1north; that was corrected soon and we got our way back into I95 and then onto NJ turnpike. It was raining pretty hard though not as much as predicted by weather channels. I was driving quite slow since I had this rental compact car which was getting difficult to control on the side lanes where at places lots of water had collected. I chose to stick to the central lane and drive at pathetic 60-65mph, of course much to irritation of other drivers on the road, but what the heck, safety first! I dropped my friends in jersey city and took the holland tunnel to city and then henry hudson/9A to up north and further into my place. It was interesting to see the sort of heavy traffic on 9A at about 2:30am in night :)) like they say the city never sleeps !! I was so very happy to reach my apartment and jumped into warm cosy bed and snored away to glory till middle of afternoon sunday :))
Weekend was rounded off with watching "American chai" and all time fav "Trishul" with ma roomies... and later portions of "bend it like beckham" and "look whos talking" before my eyes closed to sweet dreams :D of course I won't tell about whom I dreamed :D he he he Sky is still quite cloudy and gloomy but I hope this week brings me more good luck and happiness .... Amen
[11/08/2004 21:05:07] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Of Consulates and visas...
Last week I had to go to Indian consulate to renew my passport. I had a pretty good experience though some people were still fuming and fretting at I have no clue what! There were chairs to sit and most of the people (90%) were sitting. The token queue was moving quite speedily and even though I was the 67th person I was done in less than an hour! The female officer on the counter was quite curteous, said hello and smiled in reply to my greetings. The consulate had a paid photograph and photocopying machine right inside for public use.
When I went back in afternoon to collect my passport, a kind of confusion was created by the security officer who had first asked everyone to sit down and then suddenly asked to form a queue on window number basis! Well still there wasn't much problem since the whole queue was taken care of in less than ten minutes! Thats when I found this girl who was very angry, shaking her head and muttering "Indian will never change"...
I was highly amused, not that day but another day when I visited the canadian consulate for visa.....
I reached quite early in morning about 8:45am and consulate was supposed to open at 8:30am! I was thinking who will go to canadian consulate, US Citizens and residents don't even need visa to go across border. Chain of thoughts was broken by a long line of people who were standing on the street.. mostly everyone was asian except some who seemed african. Just by looking at the queue I knew it was for the consulate :)) but I did confirm. I even went to the front of the queue and asked the first person if it was for the consulate and what was this queue all about. He told me that a security person had asked them to make this queue and had already take first 20 people inside. We all patiently waited for till the security personnel showed up. He announced that only one person for a family was allowed to be in the queue. Thankfully nearly half the people from the queue stepped away. For some funny reason and to my embarrassment, the security personnel thought I was wife of the person standing in front of me and asked me to move away! Quite biwildered, I said I am alone and I want to be in the queue :)) The guy in front of me stepped couple of steps away and looked up at the sky :)) it was hillarious.. The security person finally allowed me back into the queue and said he'd take all of us (queue till me) inside and asked us to move inside without breaking the line !!! OMG it was hillarious all of us like obedient school students walked into the building down the escalator into the corridor where the consulate was.
There again we stood in line as we were given instructions on what all documents were required and that was verified by an official looking lady before letting us through the security and letting us into another queue for paying the cashier. Incidently we were told to have money order and exact cash ready! Even the cash, the lady official counted before letting us into the security and the cashier queue. The consulate looked quite bare except a few rows of chairs in the side on which no one was sitting! How could one! Even though We were given tokens after security but the cashier was not announcing any tokens and there wasn't any queue at the interview window, which was kind of next to the cashier. So we waited to pay the cahier and then went directly to the official for an interview.. The lady official inside the window quickly glanced through my documents and then asked me to come back at 1:30pm. I bet she didn't smile at my greetings!!!! By the time I was done I realised it was nearly two hours standing in the queue *phew* what an ordeal!!!
I spent the time between 11ish to 1:30pm roaming around in the city. Had a great time.. something which I will remember once I go away from NYC.... ah ha need to talk about THE CITY ;) probably in the next blog
[05/08/2004 07:21:22] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Sabrina
The bestest fairy tale! I love this movie especially the Harrison Ford and Julie Oswald version! Ford and Greg Kinnear portray a pair of brothers who are both potential heirs to the Larrabee family fortune. David, a dashing playboy, and Linus, a sensible stodgy businessman, both end up vying for the affections of Sabrina (Ormond), the chauffeur's daughter, after she returns elegantly transformed from a sojourn in Paris. Sydney Pollack presents an effortless contemporary telling of this classic Cinderella story. Love the way the description starts, While she was growing up, Sabrina Fairchild spent more time ] perched in a tree watching the Larrabee family than she ever did on solid ground.As the chauffeur's daughter on their lavish Long Island estate, Sabrina was invisible behind the branches, but she knew them all below... I also found the poem after which Sabrina Fair was named:
SABRINA FAIR
(Milton)
Listen where thou art sitting
Under the glassie, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of Lillies knitting
The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair,
Listen for dear honour's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save!
Listen and appear to us,
In name of great Oceanus,
By the earth-shaking Neptune's mace,
And Tethys grave majestick pace,
By hoary Nereus wrincled look,
And the Carpathian wisards hook,
By scaly Tritons winding shell,
And old sooth-saying Glaucus spell,
By Leucothea's lovely hands,
And her son that rules the strands,
By Thetis tinsel-slipper'd feet,
And the Songs of Sirens sweet,
By dead Parthenope's dear tomb,
And fair Ligea's golden comb,
Wherwith she sits on diamond rocks
Sleeking her soft alluring locks,
By all the Nymphs that nightly dance
Upon thy streams with wily glance,
Rise, rise, and heave thy rosie head
From thy coral-pav'n bed,
And bridle in thy headlong wave,
Till thou our summons answered have.
Listen and save!
By the rushy-fring?d bank,
Where grows the Willow and the Osier dank,
My sliding Chariot stayes,
Thick set with Agat, and the azurn sheen
Of Turkis blew, and Emrauld green
That in the channell strayes,
Whilst from off the waters fleet
Thus I set my printless feet
O're the Cowslips Velvet head,
That bends not as I tread,
Gentle swain at thy request
I am here.
[30/07/2004 20:39:05] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
well its TGIF !!! [Thank God Its Friday] :D so I decided to write about what I would have right in top of my mind on fridays :)) I tried to find some information on my fav. scotch i.e. Johhnie Walker Black Label and here is what I found on the web! Makes an interesting read .. Cheeeeeers !!
Johnnie Walker
Location : Dufftown, Banffshire, Gramp Region.
Region : Highland Speyside
Country : Scotch
Type : Blended, Single Malt etc.
Distillery : William Grant & Sons Ltd. / The Johnnie Walker Distillery. AKA: Johnnie Walker & Son.
Owner : United Distillers. ( Diageo plc )
Founded : Est. 1892 (Some sources say 1820)
Water : Robbie Dubh and Fiddich Burn. (Same as Glenfiddich.)
Remark : Johnnie Walker scotch whisky :
The Johnnie Walker distillery has been owned and managed by an independent family company for five generations
This has ensured that the Johnnie Walker distillery is still dedicated to the traditions, care and craftsmanship of malt whisky making. Nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, that still malts in its own traditional floor maltings, that still coopers to tend the barrels, and coppersmiths to tend the stills.
The Johnnie Walker range of single malt whiskies is unique. Three single malt whiskies of different age and different character. Each Johnnie Walker single malt reflects in its individuality, different aspects of the tradition, skill and care that are the hallmarks of the Johnnie Walker Distillery. A distillery firmly rooted in its past but forever seeking to refine the art of making malt whisky.
The Scotch Whisky Book by Mark Skipworth
- - -
In, 1820, John Walker bought a grocery, wine and spirit business in Kilmarnock. But it was his son Alexander who joined him in 1856, who was really responsible for laying the foundations of the company's success in the 20th century. He exploited Kilmarnock as a centre for carpets and textiles, spreading the name of the family's whisky through the salesmen who came to the town and he made use of the merchant venturers system to get the whisky sold abroad. Alexander went to England and in 1880 opened an office in London. The timing couldn't have been better for the dearth of French cognac ensured a ready market for Scotch whisky. In those days, Walker's Whisky was known simply as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky. In 1890 Alexander Walker opened an office in Sydney Australia, and in 1897 agents were appointed in South africa and an office opened in Birmingham. It was not until 1908, near 20 years after Alexander's death, that the brand name 'Johnnie Walker' began to be used.
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Overseas market ware reached through the 'merchant venturer' system whereby got were entrusted to the captain of the ship who would sell them on commission at the best price he could get. The system was favoured by the Johnny Company and by this relatively simple means, Johnnie Walker became known throughout the world. In 1917 the grain distillers of Distillers Company Ltd, were able to carry on (After the first world war.) , though, producing industrial alcohol for the war effort. After the war, many of the weakened independents agreed to amalgamate with Distillers Company Ltd. The interwar years also saw that company amalgamate with major blending firms. Master-minded by William Ross, managing director and later chairman of Distillers, Buchanan-Dewar (Who already joined forces), John Waler, White Horse Distillers and lager, William Sanderson came into the company. Haig, the fifth member of the Big Five, was one of the founders of Distillers.
-
It was at the beginning of the twentieth century that Tom Browne designed the striding Johnnie Walker figure, Lord Stevenson coined the phrase ' Johnnie Walker, born 1820-still going strong' and the name Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky dropped in favour of the red and black slanted labels.
-
Johnnie Walker Red label is the world's largest selling Scotch Whisky.
Johnnie Walker Black label is the world's best selling de luxe whisky.
Here's one from the movie "A beautiful Mind"
(Roommate having a big time hang over.)
Officer i saw the driver of the car that hit me.
His name is Johnnie Walker.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnnie Walker
Gold label
Type : Blended
Age : 18 Years old
Remark : The newest member of the Johnnie Walker Whisky family introduced to the South African market late 1996, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, is unique in that it is literally touched with gold.
Clynelish, the rare malt whisky which is at the heart of the Johnnie Walker Gold Label blend of 15 distinguished malts, derives its water from the Clynemilton Burn in which prospectors panned for gold in the 1880's and into which traces of gold still wash. Other important malt whiskies in the blend are Cardhu, which has a silky smoothness, Talisker, which contributes intensity and depth and Royal Lochnagar, which imparts fragrance and richness. Johnnie Walker Gold Label is also distinctive in that it has its origins in the blending notes compiled 75 years ago by Sir Alexander Walker, grandson of the founder of the company. His aim at that time to create a blend of exceptionally mature malts for Johnnie Walker's centenary were thwarted by a shortage of these rare products following World War I.
In 1950 when the master blender who inherited Sir Alexander's notebooks wished to blend a tribute to him, he in his turn was hampered by problems of supply resulting from the disruption of World War II. The production of Extra Special Old Reserve which ensued was of necessity very limited and reserved for the exclusive use of the company's blenders and directors. Now with small stocks of some of the rarest and most mature whiskies required for Sir Alexander's blend to hand, his secrets have at last been revealed in Johnnie Walker Gold Label. Blended in limited quantities for Johnnie Walker's 175th anniversary last year, it is now available at selected outlets in South Africa - a connoisseur's delight. The elegant packaging features a square-shaped bottle with a slanted silver and gold label.
[22/07/2004 10:43:54] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Samurais have always intriqued me. My special interest in them started with watching this movie called "The Last Samurai" of course the main reason was the lead cast, Tom Cruise. When I saw the movie I realised being a Samurai is not only about being a warrior. Its much more than that! I wanted to know what it meant. Surely Samurai couldn't mean a warrior. The philosphy seemed much more deeper than that. I was particularly amazed by "harakiri" or suicide by a warrior when he loses the battle and still is alive. The whole world demeans suicide as a way of cowards then what could be so honourable in giving up one's life!
The next influence was of course "Kill Bill"! I have been a big Tarantino and Uma Thurman fan. "If love is a red dress, Well, hang me in rags" we'll talk about that another day another time :) Well, vol 1 and 2 aptly described as “kung-fu samurai Spaghetti Western love stories.” Uma Thruman excels as a samurai student, her actions are so smooth and gracious! I was especially impressed by her training scenes with Master Pai Mei. Well well another day another time I will talk about Kill Bill as well :) .....
Who is a Samurai - In Japan the warrior class was known as samurai, also called Bushi. The samurai were fighting men, skilled in the martial arts. Samurai had extensive skills in the use of the bow and arrow and the sword. The samurai's loyalty to the emperor and his overlord, or daimyo, was unsurpassed. They were trustworthy and honest. They lived frugal lives with no interest in riches and material things, but rather they were interested in honor and pride. They were men of true valor. Samurai had no fear of death. They would enter any battle no matter the odds. To die in battle would only bring honor to one's family and one's lord. The samurai and their way of life was officially abolished in the early 1870s, but it was not forgotten.
Bushido, literally meaning "Way of the Warrior", is the Code of Honour and way of life of the Samurai. The seven principles as codified by Yamagei Yoko (cir.1685) are:
1. GI (Justice, Right Decision): Making correct decisions from the heart rather than from the mind. To die when one must without thought or regret.
2. YUU (Bravery): Rushing onto the point of a sword without hesitation if it would accomplish the greatest good
3. JIN (Compassion, Benevolence): Universal love toward mankind. The ability to exhibit compassion.
4. REI (Right Action): Etiquette and the preservation of courtesy. The Samurai believed that it was better to lose his life than to be impolite.
5. MAKOTO (Truth, Sincerity): Truthfulness
6. MEIYO (Honor): Glory without ego.
7. CHUUGI (Devotion): Loyalty to one's Lord
Interesting! isn't it? Wish I could follow bushido and be a samurai!!!
[19/07/2004 04:26:18] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Many times I have been asked by friends and relatives, how do I manage to be online so much of my time. They are also quite surprised when I never ever quote lack of time as an excuse! Many of them surely do think that maybe in my job I do not have much to do at all :) which of course can't be quoted as untrue; 'cause yes, currently my work is not too overdemanding. There hasn't been time when I had to ever do extra time and most of time I do quality stuff in lesser time. At the same time a lot of my free time or making time for people and things which matter to me can be attributed to my very strict time management technique. I am believer of 80-20 philosphy especially in case of time management even though to some extent the philosphy works in life matters too. 80-20 philosphy is that 20% work is relevant to 80% of efficiency of your time. e.g. in a project if you can evaluate 20% of tasks which are more important than others and do them first you would have probably completed 80% of the project and you'd realise 80% of work is of trivial importance and can be done at leisure without affecting the deadlines; thereby giving you much relief from tension of last minute work and overtime etc. The difficult part is to identify those 20% of activity which are meaningful to us. I have seen many a times people just worrying about things on which they have no control on and wasting precious time which they could have spent with their family and friends being much happier. The biggest example is checking on work from home in weekends. A hillarious example was of a friend of mine who recieved call in virtually middle of friday night from his boss who wanted to know if they had received some fax from whomsoever. Surely that boss needs to get his head examined and of course needs to use his brains for good time management. First of all how important is to know about a fax middle of night friday especially when he/she can't do anything about it till monday morning! So first of all he wastes his own time which is probably his family time thinking and telephoning someone else about a office fax and secondly he does waste his junoirs time too passing on his worries to him.
Btw, the above said technique works in our lives too! 20% of tasks we do brings 80% of happiness!!!
Khair I found this very nice article on http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/docs/time_management.doc Thought this is something from which EVERYONE can benefit .. so herez it:
Time Tips
1.Count all your time as time to be used and make every attempt to get satisfaction out of every moment.
2.Find something to enjoy in whatever you do.
3.Try to be an optimist and seek out the good in your life.
4.Find ways to build on your successes.
5.Stop regretting your failures and start learning from your mistakes.
6.Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things." If it is important, you should be able to make
time to do it.
7.Continually look at ways of freeing up your time.
8.Examine your old habits and search for ways to change or eliminate them.
9.Try to use waiting time---review notes or do practice problems.
10.Keep paper or a calendar with you to jot down the things you have to do or notes to yourself.
11.Examine and revise your lifetime goals on a monthly basis and be sure to include progress towards those goals on a
daily basis.
12.Put up reminders in your home or office about your goals.
13.Always keep those long term goals in mind.
14.Plan your day each morning or the night before and set priorities for yourself.
15.Maintain and develop a list of specific things to be done each day, set your priorities and the get the most important
ones done as soon in the day as you can. Evaluate your progress at the end of the day briefly.
16.Look ahead in your month and try and anticipate what is going to happen so you can better schedule your time.
17.Try rewarding yourself when you get things done as you had planned, especially the important ones.
18.Do first things first.
19.Have confidence in yourself and in your judgement of priorities and stick to them no matter what.
20.When you catch yourself procrastinating-ask yourself, "What am I avoiding?"
21.Start with the most difficult parts of projects, then either the worst is done or you may find you don't have to do all the
other small tasks.
22.Catch yourself when you are involved in unproductive projects and stop as soon as you can.
23.Find time to concentrate on high priority items or activities.
24.Concentrate on one thing at a time.
25.Put your efforts in areas that provide long term benefits.
26.Push yourself and be persistent, especially when you know you are doing well.
27.Think on paper when possible-it makes it easier to review and revise.
28.Be sure and set deadlines for yourself whenever possible.
29.Delegate responsibilities whenever possible.
30.Ask for advice when needed.
Adapted from A. Lakein. How to Get Control of Your Time And Your Life
Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
[17/07/2004 00:48:53] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
My favorite paintings are by Monet. The sunflowers and Japanese Foot Bridge. It would be nice if I could get someone to paint either or both of these paintings. I am willing to pay upto ten grands per painting if reproduction is of really good quality! Of course its indian ruppes :D just in case someone thought it to be US dollars! Well, If it was me who was named in Priyamvada Birla's will, the case might have been different!
Have a grrreat weekend pals!
[12/07/2004 08:17:12] | [MoonietheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
This is dedicated to Bugsy since she reminded me of my fondness for meera bhajans. Well, I wish I had learnt to sing, 'cause one thing I want to do is sing meera bhajans. I have heard my mousi sing, nothing sounds more sweeter to ears than these bhajans especially when she sings before friday arti, With devali/lamps lit and slight smokiness and flowery smells from agarbattis and dhoop.. its just heavenly.
mere to giridhara gupâla, dûsarâ na koî
jâ ke sira mora mukuTa, mero pati soî
tâta, mâta, bhrâta, bandhu, apanâ nahim koî
châRa daî, kula kî kâna, kyâ karegâ koî
santana Dhiga baiThi baiThi, loka lâja khoî
cunarî ke kiyâ Tûka Tûka, oRha lînaha loî
motî mûnge utâra bana mâlâ poî
ansuvana jala sîñci prema beli boî
aba to beli phaila gaî, nanda phala hoî
dûdha kî mathaniyâ baRe prema se biloî
mâkhana jaba kâRhi liyo, châcha piye koî
âî maim bhakti kâja, jagat dekha roî
dâsî mîrâ giridhara premu târe aba moî
Mine is Gopal, the Mountain-Holder; there is no one else.
On his head he wears the peacock-crown: He alone is my husband.
Father, mother, brother, relative: I have none to call my own.
I've forsaken both God, and the family's honor: what should I do?
I've sat near the holy ones, and I've lost shame before the people.
I've torn my scarf into shreds; I'm all wrapped up in a blanket.
I took off my finery of pearls and coral, and strung a garland of wildwood flowers.
With my tears, I watered the creeper of love that I planted;
Now the creeper has grown spread all over, and borne the fruit of bliss.
The churner of the milk churned with great love.
When I took out the butter, no need to drink any buttermilk.
I came for the sake of love-devotion; seeing the world, I wept.
Mira is the maidservant of the Mountain-Holder: now with love He takes me across to the further shore.
he rî maim to prema dîvânî, merâ dard na jâne koya
sûlî ûpara seja hamârî, kisa bidha sonâ hoya
gagana maNDala pai seja piyâ kî, kisa bidha milana hoya
ghâyala kî gati ghâyala jânai, kî jina lâî hoya
jauhar kî gati jauhar jânai, kî jina jauhar hoya
dard kî mârî bana bana Dolûm baida milâ nahim koya
mîrâ kî prabhu pîra miTaigî jaba baida sâmvaliyâ hoya
Oh oh! I'm love-crazy. No one knows my pain.
My bed is over the gallows. How could I sleep?
My lover's bed is in heaven's mandala. How could I get to him?
The one who is wounded knows what a wound means, what it means to be burned.
The jeweler knows what it means to be a jeweler, what it means to have a jewel.
Afflicted by pain, I wander from forest to forest. Can't get a doctor.
O Lord, Mira's torment will be wiped out when the doctor is the Dark Lover.
Krishna and Meera at Meera Temple in Jaipur
[11/07/2004 23:12:08] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
tamannaao.n ke bahalaave me.n aksar aa hii jaate hai.n
Roshan Nanda
tamannaao.n ke bahalaave me.n aksar aa hii jaate hai.n
kabhii ham choT khaate hai.n kabhii ham muskuraate hai.n
ham aksar dosto.n kii be-vafaaii sah to lete hai.n
magar ham jaanate hai.n dil hamaare TuuT jaate hai.n
kisii ke saath jab biite hue lamho.n kii yaad aaii
thakii aa.Nkho.n me.n ashko.n ke sitaare jhil-milate hai.n
[09/07/2004 06:59:33] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
I spent today evening watching Fawlty Towers DVDs. It stars John Cleese as Torquay hotel owner Basil Fawlty. Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) is probably the rudest hotelier in the world. Prunella Scales as his domineering wife Sybil—his “little nest of vipers”. Connie Booth played Polly the dependable maid and general assistant, and last but certainly not least, little Manuel superbly played by Andrew Sachs—the tyrannized waiter from Barcelona, dogsbody and subject of frequent physical attacks by the demented Basil! The other regulars guests were the slightly senile Major Gowen (retired) and the hard of hearing old dears Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby who were often overheard moaning to each other but would never dream of complaining to Basil.
Some facts I read about Fawlty Towers:
* Basil Fawlty is based on a real hotel manager - Mr. Sinclair, who ran the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay - where John Cleese and the rest of the team stayed during filming for Monty Python.
* Mr. Sinclair was- according to John Cleese - "the rudest man I ever met." He reprimanded Python Terry Gilliam for not holding his knife and fork properly, threatened to call a bomb alert after Eric Idle left his briefcase in reception and almost refused to call a taxi for Cleese.
* John Cleese (as Basil) nearly knocked Andrew Sachs (Manuel) out with a heavy saucepan, when the actor made an unexpected move during filming after five days of rehearsals. The hapless actor had a headache for two days.
* Only 12 episodes were ever made.
Some funny dialouges:
----------
[Two guests are speaking to Basil in German]
Basil Fawlty: Oh, German. I'm sorry, I thought there was something wrong with you.
----------
O'Reilly: The problem with you, Mr. Fawlty, is that you worry too much. You keep it up like this, you'll have a stroke before fifty. Stone dead you'll be.
Basil Fawlty: Suits me.
O'Reilly: Oh. That's a dreadful thing to say.
Basil Fawlty: Not at all. Get a bit of peace.
O'Reilly: Don't be so morbid. The Good Lord made the world so that we could all enjoy ourselves.
Basil Fawlty: Look, my wife enjoys herself. I worry.
O'Reilly: Well, let me tell you, if the Lord had meant us to worry, he would have given us things to worry about.
Basil Fawlty: HE HAS. MY WIFE. She will be back here in four hours and she can kill a man at ten paces with one blow of her tongue. How am I supposed not to worry?
O'Reilly: Just remember, Mr. Fawlty, there's always somebody worse off than yourself.
Basil Fawlty: Is there? Well I'd like to meet him. I could do with a laugh.
O'Reilly: You'll have to worry for the both of us. I tell you, if the Good Lord...
Basil Fawlty: - -is mentioned ONCE more, I shall move you closer to him.
-------------
[Basil on the phone with a disreputable builder]
Basil Fawlty: Ah, yes Mr O'Reilly. Well, it's perfectly simple. When I asked you to build me a wall I was hoping rather than just dumping the bricks in a pile... I was wondering if you could find the time to cement them together, you know in the traditional fashion.
-------------
[Basil has had to produce a new menu for the gourmet evening]
Colonel Hall: Duck with Orange; duck with cherries; duck surprise.
Mrs. Hall: What's duck surprise?
Basil Fawlty: Er... that's duck without oranges or cherries.
Colonel Hall: I mean is this all there is - Duck?
Basil Fawlty: Yes... done of course in three extremely different ways.
Colonel Hall: And what do you do if you don't like duck?
Basil Fawlty: Well, if you don't like duck... you're rather stuck.
------------
[08/07/2004 01:19:55] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Something I wanted to share is also my love for old indian paintings. Be it be from rajasthan or Bihar or south, the indianness comes through so beautifully. Well I love paintings period !! I even love japanese paper paintings especially ones with cherry blossoms. I have one of that adorning wall of my room. My cousin sister who is quite good at painting, she is a fashion designer; painted this Ravi Verma painting for me. I guess that the reason why Raja Ravi Verma was such an accomplished artist, look at how nicely he has captured the thought in girl's face.. that far away look... lil more imagination and you might even know what she is thinking, maybe yearning for someone she loves !
Look how nicely he has also captured women in various attires. Actually I hear he was quite famous for colorful and vibrant paintings of deities. Those calenders with hindu deities would more likely be a copy of Ravi Verma Painting.
About Raja Ravi Verma
Ravi Verma is considered as one of the leading personalities of the Indian modern art of painting. What proves his genius and distinguished position in the context of Indian cultural life, is that despite India’s national museum’s rule that prohibit showing any artistic acquisition dated before1857 , it held an exhibition of Raja Verma’s paintings. He is the19th century artist who was known among his colleagues as the “Prince of Artists”. Maharajas at that time competed to draw pictures of them, as Raja Ravi Verma’s touches were magical as if he was adding the fragrance to the flower. With his brush, Ravi Verma managed to make a social and cultural revolution.
Raja Ravi Verma was born on the29 th of April 1848 in Kerala. His father was a scholar of the Sanskrit language. His mother was a poet who wrote a popular dance-drama called “Tholal” while his brother was a painter.
Raja Ravi’s uncle was the first to realize young Ravi’s talent. He accompanied him to Trivandrum, capital of Kerala where he presented him to king’s guardian of arts and artists.
King realised the boy’s ingenuity, who was only 14 years old andsuggested that the boy would stay in a royal palace. This was Raja’s first encounter with monarchy. Tagore’s miniature paintings which were shown in the palace and Kerala’s mural paintings dated to the17 th and18 th century, were hanging on the walls of many palaces and temples. Yet Ravi wanted something new, something unprecedented. He yearned at using oil in painting on cloth similar to the western style. “Ramaswami Naiker” was the only person who could teach Ravi this new style. Naiker should have been considered a father of oil paintings in India, but he was a man of solitary inclination.
King asked Naiker to teach Ravi how to draw with oil. At first Naiker agreed, but soon he refused to take the responsibility when he realized that Ravi’s talent would make him a rival and even a competitor to him. Of course Ravi was depressed, yet this never impeded his determination.
In 1866, 4 years later, when Ravi was 18 years old, king received a book published in Europe entitled “Hindu Gods” written by Edward Moore. This book was rich with color pictures of Hindu gods painted in oil according to the western style. When Ravi saw the book he was extremely happy, as it was for him the first ray of hope and he started to imitate those paintings one after the other.
In 1868, Theodore Jensin arrived at Travancore from Europe on a special invitation from the king, who asked Jensin to train Ravi who was only 20 years old. At first the man agreed but he withdrew and only permitted Ravi to watch him while psainting in his workhouse. This was enough for Ravi who watched Jensin closely and it wasn’t long when Ravi managed to surpass Naiker and Theodore. That is why Ravi was considered a self-taught student.[I like this part, sheer determination of him to learn]
Ravi’s first painting was not a distinguished work and it didn’t give him a material or moral revenue. Yet his joy with the first trial – despite its effect – exceeded everything. It was a picture of a woman putting a jasmine in her hair. Yet the first work which brought him fame, money and a distinguished position and won the governor’s golden medal was in the Local Schools of Art’s competition in1873 . Since that date Ravi started to progress steadily. In 1887 he won the International Art Competition Prize which was held in Austria and won also a similar prize in 1892 in Chicago.
In 1881 Baroda’s King invited Ravi and his brother Raj Verma to his state. He asked them to draw 14 big pictures based upon ideas and subjects derived from heroic epics. The two brothers accepted that challenge, yet their creative artistic desire to achieve highest degree of perfection made them aspire to work on small details. They decided to travel all over India to get acquainted with these details. When they returned Ravi presented paintings that made people to forget the Ajanta and Ellora caves paintings.
In 1892 with the help of two German experts, he established a printing house based on the printing principles, which could print the oil paintings on paper. This obviously contributed to the increased production of Ravi’s work and thus it opened new vistas. In any temple, palace or hut, there were always paintings of Ravi, that was the peak of his glory and he became an unsurpassable legend.
Ravi with his fertile imagination and natural talent wrote a new chapter in the history of the Indian art. Anyone who thinks that Verma has only introduced a new artistic style that was very common in Europe is mistaken. It is more suitable to say that Verma used new tools to express the Indian essence. He didn’t present a European form of painting but rather created a new style. Thus he became the first painter who changed the Indian heritage, literature and heroic epics to immortal paintings.
[06/07/2004 22:35:58] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
This weekend, I had friday night all to myself and prompted by an orkut discussion I decided to go back to my passion of metal and hard rock music. I spent the whole evening listening to Metallica, AC/DC, Black Sabath, Megadeth and Sound Garden. I found some more details on this genre of music:
Death Metal - In a time when a neurotic obsession with moral conflict against communism gripped the West, this music preached total nihilism, or lack of preconceptions of belief, and a knowledge that death is more real than human political mechanations. Arguably for the most part rhythm music, this genre uses muffled picking and tremelo strumming of power chords or single-string playing to hammer out a machine code of intricate riff textures and the geometries of convergent sound. Its structuralism matches its grim but self-empowering worldview. Distinguished by bass-end tuning and guttural chanting vocals, death metal exists underground by deliberately disrupting consonant aesthetic and programming the human mind at the lowest levels with natural, intuitive rhythms.
Black Metal - In the time after the Cold War, an involution of "progressive" values caused the West to lose sight of natural values in a desire to outperform each other in a competition of egalitarian morals. Black metal rose above this normative impulse by aspiring to the highest realms of human conception and behavior, embracing intellectual elitism and the honorable warrior mentality of the medieval era. Where death metal broke music into raw rhythm and structure, black metal built upon that foundation in technique by exploring the use of melody as the central principle of songwriting. Long phrases harmonize internally and resolve in resounding tremelo, often creating from broken apart sound an organic torrent of tones that wrapped around each other and create a single, clear, evolving melodic line which forms the structure of each composition.
Grind - Made from the remnants of thrash and other crossover attempts, grindcore fused the death metal vocal style with high energy hardcore riffing using chromatic and counterpoint compositional techniques to create streams of tonal motion, or divisions of sound into abrupt striking strum, which "grind" against one another with a primal direction in phrasing based on the rhythm of a central pair of themes.
Speed Metal - In the early days of the cold war, speed metal arose to reflect the apocalyptic consciousness gripping heavy metal after fusion with antisocial and anarchistic hardcore punk. Bands influenced by the progressive styles of the 1970s and the abrupt, droning, explosive style of hardcore began making a fast type of metal which used palm muting as a strumming technique to produce bursts of alternating rhythmic emphasis. Topics like war, pollution, nuclear weapons and corporate domination were sung of in either a male bass vocal or shouted in a riot style chorusing similar to that of Oi bands. While this music was highly complex and often inventive in structure, it remained roughly within the confines of rock-based mainstream music and passed its technique on to the underground death metal, thrash and grindcore to follow.
Heavy Metal - Low-fi neo-progressive rock from the late 1960s started this genre, in the form of Black Sabbath, who used power chord riffing and dark modalities to express the paranoid nihilism which was a sublimated counterpoint to the dominant impulse toward simplistic absolutism ("peace" and "love") of the time. Originally a blues/rock band, Black Sabbath became a proto-metal band with morbid and yet poetic songs, evoking for many a return to European Romanticism of several centuries before. Cataclysmic and industrial in its use of gritty organic textures, heavy metal went through several stages including excesses of commercial stadium rock before returning to its roots in alienated and rough but majestic music.
My favorite have been Metallica and AC/DC. Both of them I think is more rockish kind of metal than actually metal of above kinds. Some of the metal I've heard like Nine Inch nails and some live bands from US Colleges, man they were absoulutely gut wrenching grind or death metal :)) Of course listening to them live is an out of world experience! The kind of energy these concerts generate is amazing. Metallica and AC/Dc surely sound quite melodious in contrast. I just love the Metallica's "black album" and "garage inc" .. not to forget "Load" and "master of puppets"
Say your prayers little one
Don't forget my son
To include everyone
I tucked you in
warm within
Keep you free from sin
Til' the sandman he comes
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never never land
Something's wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of snow white
Dreams of war
Dreams of liars
Dreams of dragons fire
And the things that will bite me
Sleep with one eye open
Grippin your pillow tight
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never never land
Now i lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If i die before i wake
Pray the lord my soul to take
Hush little baby don't say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
Its just the beast under your bed
In your closet in your head
Exit light
Enter night
Grain of sand
Exit light
Enter Night
Take my hand
We're off to never never land
Take my hand
We're off to never never land
Take my hand
We're off to never never land
[02/07/2004 08:59:11] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
I am back! and I cleared the SCEA part 1 exam with 85% :) feeling really nice about the achievement. There are another two exams remaining but that isn't tough at all since they are design submission and questions on that.
hhhmmmm.......
While I was studying, in the break time I stumbled over this website which list poetry by many urdu poets. I saw Meena Kumari as well listed! I never knew she was a poetess too! One look at her poems and I knew why :) Mulahiza farmayia
yuu.N terii rahaguzar se diivaanaavaar guzare
yuu.N terii rahaguzar se diivaanaavaar guzare
kaa.Ndhe pe apane rakh ke apanaa mazaar guzare
baiThe rahe hai.n raastaa me.n dil kaa Kha.nDhar sajaa kar
shaayad isii taraf se ek din bahaar guzare
bahatii huii ye nadiyaa ghulate hue kinaare
koii to paar utare koii to paar guzare
tuu ne bhii ham ko dekhaa hamane bhii tujhako dekhaa
tuu dil hii haar guzaraa ham jaan haar guzare
puuchhate ho to suno kaise basar hotii hai
puuchhate ho to suno kaise basar hotii hai
raat Khairaat kii sadqe kii sahar hotii hai
saa.Ns bharane ko to jiinaa nahii.n kahate yaa rab
dil hii dukhataa hai na ab aasteen tar hotii hai
jaise jaagii hu_ii aa.Nkho.n me.n chubhe.n kaa.Nch ke Khvaab
raat is tarah diivaano.n kii basar hotii hai
Gam hii dushman hai meraa Gam hii ko dil Dhuu.NDhataa hai
ek lamhe kii judaa_ii bhii agar hotii hai
ek markaz kii talaash ek bhaTakatii Khushbuu
kabhii ma.nzil kabhii tamhiid-e-safar hotii hai
[markaz=focus; tamhiid=prelude/preamble]
Somehow I seem to relate to what she has to say!
[28/06/2004 00:54:53] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Be Right Back
[25/06/2004 20:26:06] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
I love these posters
To live a creative and successful life, we must lose our fears of being wrong
The choices we make, and the chances we take, determine our destiny
Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are, for what you could become
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001
[22/06/2004 21:32:58] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Dream like you'd live forever and Live like you'd die today!!
I read this on Sakhi's blog and I thought this itself could be philosphy of life in nutshell!!
Still pondering over it!
Happened to stumble over Poetry by Gulzar - one stuck so lonely!
zindagii yuu.N hu_ii basar tanhaa, qaafilaa saath aur safar tanhaa
apane saaye se chau.Nk jaate hai.n, umr guzarii hai is qadar tanhaaa
raat bhar bolate hai.n sannaaTe, raat kaaTe ko_ii kidhar tanhaa
din guzarataa nahii.n hai logo.n me.n, raat hotii nahii.n basar tanhaa
hamane daravaze tak to dekhaa thaa, phir na jaane gaye kidhar tanhaa
Saw another one on tanha by Kaifi Azmi
koii ye kaise bataa ye ke vo tanhaa kyo.n hai.n
koii ye kaise bataa ye ke vo tanhaa kyo.n hai.n, vo jo apanaa thaa vohii aur kisii kaa kyo.n hai.n
yahii duniyaa hai to phir aisii ye duniyaa kyo.n hai.n, yahii hotaa hai.n to aakhir yahii hotaa kyo.n hai.n
ek zaraa haath ba.Dhaa, de to paka.Dale daaman, usake siine me.n samaa jaaye hamaarii dha.Dakan
itanii qurbat hai.n to phir faasalaa itanaa kyo.n hai.n
[qurabat=nearness]
dil-e-barabaad se nikalaa nahii.n ab tak koii, ek luTe ghar pe diyaa karataa hai.n dastak koii
aas jo TuuT gayii phir se ba.ndhaataa kyo.n hai.n, tum masarrat kaa kaho yaa ise Gam kaa rishtaa
kahate hai.n pyaar kaa rishtaa hai.n janam kaa rishtaa, hai.n janam kaa jo ye rishtaa to badalataa kyo.n hai.n
[masarrat=happiness]
Wish I had such way with words! Poets always impress me a lot! Do you think Urdu/hindi poems are much sweet and deep than english? well well, wot am I saying, its like comparing apples and oranges!
waise, kahate hai.n pyaar kaa rishtaa hai.n janam kaa rishtaa, hai.n janam kaa jo ye rishtaa to badalataa kyo.n hai.n ?
[22/06/2004 05:40:33] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Timepass
Well thats the name of the memoirs of Protima Bedi! I had read that book ages ago and finally got my hands on it again! I think Protima Bedi is icon of Indian feminism. I respect her for her individuality, freedom of spirit, her passion for Oddisi and dedication towards dance students, Nrityagram. :D
I believe when asked about her streaking by her daughter, she said
"It is my life. No one has the right to tell me how to live it or to question what I do. When you grow up, you will make your own choices. It will be your life and you will live it your way. I will never interfere. It must be awful for these people to have such boring lives that all they can do to make them interesting is to talk about somebody else's life. I am glad I provided them with timepass conversation."
I guess I would have said the same :) and I hope I say the same to my kid too !! There is one part I want to share from the book which is a part of book's introduction. Ralph Waldo Emerson's definition of success:
'to laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden path or redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded'
Pooja Bedi Ebrahim thought she, her mother Protima, was the most successful person she has ever known. Probably rightly so! She is one woman I know who has lived life on her own terms, never compromising. But isn't the definition so awsome! It has always stuck me deep, given me a sense of measure.. probably I am on my way .. the right path ;)
Need to re-read this book :)
[21/06/2004 22:49:30] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
SCEA
highly geeky article, beware ;)
In case a java person looks at that word, his/her eyes would light up and immediately would ask, who is taking that? or have you already :)) and those who aren't aware; it means Sun Certified Enterprise Architect well well, I am studing to be one; or rather I am studying to be stamped as one! Whether I am one already and will I be one only after this stamp is again a question.. This certification exam is for enterprise architects responsible for architecting and designing Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) compliant applications, which are scalable, flexible and highly secure. Very interestingly, there aren't any pre-requisite to this exam. Obviously so! An enterprise Architect is supposed to Create a common approach to problem solving and implementation across an org, Ensure reusability of components (such as security services) and Mentor individual projects in the use of these techniques and components.
The certification consists of three steps:
# Step 1 - Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition - Mulitple Choice exam (CX-310-051)
# Step 2 - Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition - Assignment (CX-310-300A)
# Step 3 - Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition - Essay Exam (CX-310-061)
The Step 1 exam has following sections:
Section 1: Concepts
Section 2: Common Architectures
Section 3: Legacy Connectivity
Section 4: Enterprise JavaBeans Technology
Section 5: Enterprise JavaBeans Container Model
Section 6: Protocols
Section 7: Applicability of J2EE Technology
Section 8: Design Patterns
Section 9: Messaging
Section 10: Internationalization
Section 11: Security
Since I want to take up this exam by first week of july, I need to do atleast two sections per day and then of course revise it similarly. Java Ranch is probably the most helpful website for this purpose. Since the content is so diverse I need to brush up on those heavy theoritical books like Design Patterns by Gang of Four and other books on UML, EJB etc! Sadly there is not much you can do on your machine to relearn any of this! I mean not much point coding an application for this certification! That doesn't do you any good! This is all fundas ! hhmmm I think I will have to push to mid of July! no way I will be done re-reading those books and going through all sections before end of this month !!! :)) its not really that rattofying sessions before exams in college :D he he he That reminds me I need to find as many sample questions as possible, probably there must be some fella selling mock exams.. better to get one even though it would be a stab on my pocket!
Another question comes to my mind of usefulness of certification itself! Do these technology certification help in any manner? manner? okay specifically $$$s ;)?? Nobody seems to be sure, well it definitely gives me a good ego boost everytime I clear an exam. I feel as if now I don't have to make a recruiter (many adjectives I could add but I will refrain) understand what are my skills and at what levels ;) :D But all this certifications cost money ! like three of these would give me a setback of about $450 apart from mock exams if I buy any. Books, thanks to Borders and Barnes and Nobles nearby, I just go and sit in their cafe and browse through all books! The technical books are soo bloody expensive in US that it seems a crime to buy one he he he! This is also to bring to notice to anyone reading this and has some of relevant books, please email me, i will tell you address where you can mail 'em :D I am sure one who read till here will surely have some good books to share :D
Okay is the planning all right? anything I missed out?? Wish me luck fellas :D
[20/06/2004 18:07:03] | [Moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Lakshya - the movie
Like the rediff review said, you won't be disappointed by the movie. Very high entertainment quality I would say .. Ekdum sahi masala, namak, mirch ekdum sahi!! Screenplay, dialougues, music, cinematography, acting and of course direction all are quite appreciateable. I couldn't find any faults in any department of the movie.
It is indeed NOT a kargil war movie, its a state of human mind movie! Karan's character is soo relateable.. I mean he could be me or any of my friends... they aren't losers but they just don't know that they can be heros.. I have become fan of Hritik's acting .. he is GOOD! I mean he did this retarded character role and now he did role of a collegian who is kinda lost not sure what to do.. really right :D not to mention the dancing in "main aisa kyon hoon" oh man this guy can move and soo graciously!
Rest of the cast kinda fill in quite nicely but nothing to write home about. Preity kinda sorta did not impress me much .. but then she didn't have much role to play except seem a very JNUish collegian to a jounalist cum GF role ..
Those scene of cliff climbing were superb!
aaaawww one blooper .. Preity being a journalist covers the shelling on the peak 5719 and she actually say that its that peak and thereby divulging the position of shelling .. now won't that be STUPID in war scenario !!
bottom line: Movie was worth the money spent .. mazzaa aaya
[19/06/2004 02:30:26] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Heart break
Many times some people close to our hearts decide to move away thereby breaking hearts! There must be huge number of heartbroken people on this planet and I am one of them! I have undergone this before so this time it feels like deja vu' :)) ha ha but it brings up many questions in my mind! Its much more harder in someways and easier in others ... anyways first and foremost is how do I get over it?!! hhmm there are a few things which I do
Share my feelings : a lot many people would prefer to hide their emotions instead of talking about it. That is quite understandable since of course one's self esteem is at lowest levels and many a times other people listening end up sympathising and then that can irritate heck out of heart broken people! Feels as if blame lies squarely on their shoulders, why did one land up in such a relationship which wasn't going to work!!! Again all of us know, in no relationships there are gaurantees! some break soon some later and some never.. its just a statistical mistake that mine landed in break soon category :)) :)) Anyways for me talking to friends about it and venting it out helps. Probably thats the reason why am writing this blog :D telling the world .. I am hurt I am hurt :(( boooooooo boo boo ho gaya :D Whatever said and done somewhere in every person there exists a child and that child wants attention when hurt!! I think once I tell everyone that I am hurt I would have satisfied that child in me!! Atleast one part of me will stop crying!
No blame : In some states in US, Department of Transportation has "no blame" policy. It means that in case two automobiles are in accident, neither party is blamed but insurance companies share the expenditure of whole accident. I like that! Even in relationship whats the point of blame game! Leads to more pain! So I avoid talking about who is to be blamed for the breakup. Jo ho gaya so ho gaya!
Take good care of myself: yes my self esteem is at lowest so making me feel good about myself would raise it. I groom myself more and better just so that I can look into the mirror and say "oh wot a stupid guy he was that he dumped me! His loss for sure" ;) :D :P I exercise more so that first it gives me physical activity which reduces stress and secondly I believe exercising releases harmones which make one feel happy! Have you ever tried it? work out a lot, to the level you are sweating like a pig, you'd be tired but not sad :D in fact you'd feel some kind of happiness .. no reason :D
Keep myself busy : My mind works on a much much faster speed than my senses! I think it works faster than an computer system too :) because it can very intelligently crunch all facts and convert them into 200,000 meaningless issues within seconds !! ha ha ha yes!! I see a nice dress and I think will it suit me .. what will he say .. why would he say that .. blah blah blah my mind goes on! So i need to make my mind busy in something . something other than "him" so I try putting more concentration in work, try watching movies, chat, send emails, blog .. basically I find stuff to fill my 24hours! by end of the day my eyes droop and shut tight even before I go to sleep :)) I think blogging, chatting on IM or message boards apart from of course work is probably the best .. it requires near immediate response . it doesn't let you brood; if I read a book I try ones which are very pacey or of major interest to me .. that way I keep reading and not stop to think :D
Give myself time : I personally feel love dies only because of neglect! If you feel for someone and you don't meet/talk/think of that person for long, of course you don't "feel" anymore ! Also the great saying Time heals ! So I say to myself, its OKAY, your heart is broken .. let it be .. First it is OKAY to be heartbroken, secondly, heart has magical quality to get fixed all by itself! Probably one day I would wake and find myself all healed !!!!!!!!!
[18/06/2004 03:48:00] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Looking ahead ..
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
Well I have been reading this book by Thomas Friedman which talks about understanding globalization. Saw some excerpts online on his website which are worth sharing-
http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/lexusolivetree.htm
As The Economist once noted, the previous era of globalization was built around failing transportation costs. Thanks to the invention of the railroad, the steamship and the automobile, people could get to a lot more places faster and cheaper and they could trade with a lot more places faster and cheaper. Today's era of globalization is built around falling telecommunications costs -- thanks to microchips, satellites, fiber optics and the Internet. These new technologies are able to weave the world together even tighter. These technologies mean that developing countries don't just have to trade their raw materials to the West and get finished products in return; they mean that developing countries can become big-time producers as well. These technologies also allow companies to locate different parts of their production, research and marketing in different countries, but still tie them together through computers and teleconferencing as though they were in one place. Also, thanks to the combination of computers and cheap telecommunications, people can now offer and trade services globally -- from medical advice to software writing to data processing -- that could never really be traded before. And why not? According to The Economist, a three-minute call (in 1996 dollars) between New York and London cost $300 in 1930. Today it is almost free through the Internet.
The battle for and against globalization goes on! I don't know if its good or bad, with India shinning so much seems good to me! On other hand I look at my friends, relatives and colleagues who worked so hard to get US green cards and citizenships so as to have a better place; it seems a very scary thought! proverbial "grass greener on other side" scenario! The same place which they thought didn't have enough opportunities and infrastructure and they didn't want their children to be stuck there; lo behold! seems to be becoming the next best place on the earth to be in terms of career! Currently I am trying to read on various opinions floating around; as of now I am all for it :D what are your thoughts????
[17/06/2004 23:28:09] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Dunno why but moment I woke up I had this line on my lips "bichha.De sabhii baarii-baarii" Probably something to do with my own pridacament. I browsed through the lyrics of the song and was again touched by the depth of the meaning and pathos which came probably straight from the heart! Its amazing our very own poet Kaifi Azmi:
dekhii zamaane kii yaarii
bichha.De sabhii baarii-baarii
kyaa leke mile is duniyaa se
aa.Nsuu ke sivaa kuchh paas nahii.n
yaa phuul hi phuul the daaman se
yaa kaa.NTo.n kii bhii aas nahii.n
matalab kii duniyaa hai saarii
bichha.De sabhii baarii-baarii
However beautiful the lyrics be but the picturization of the song and its context in the movie is what give life to the words! Kagaz Ke Phool is probably epitomized in these words! Don't they? bichha.De sabhii baarii-baarii *sigh* *sigh* Sr. Burman Da's music of course is touching and is probably the soul of the movie. Well, it is one of fav movies, I respect the genius of Guru Dutt. At same time I try to not see his movies, It just makes the world look soooo dark! Of course the world is indeed dark but if we try concentrate on the bright part of it, life would be joyous!
Lets talk something about the movie. The story are reminiscent of the Hollywood classic A Star Is Born, but the closeness of the story to Guru Dutt's life itself is so extraordinary that it is sometimes called unofficial autobiography. The very interesting aspect which is closely dealt is the love story between Waheeda's actress character and Guru dutt's Director.. I read in one of the reviews of the movie a dialogue which said so simply but is passionaitely romantic "Hamne hamesha ek doosre ko samjha hai" Isn't that what love is primarily! or should be *sigh* :))
Well the story ends up quite tragic, another song sort of sums up the tradegy.. Only a poet could potray the scenario without being judgemental..
vaqt ne kiyaa kyaa ha.nsii.n sitam
tum rahe na tum ham rahe na ham
beqaraar dil is tarah mile
jis tarah kabhii ham judaa na the
tum bhii kho gae, ham bhii kho gae
ek raah par chalake do qadam
vaqt ne kiyaa...
I actually love the second stanza more ... tells sooo clearly state of a broken heart.. confused and disheartened...
jaae.nge kahaa.N puuchhataa nahii.n
chal pa.De magar raastaa nahii.n
kyaa talaash hai kuchh pataa nahii.n
bun rahe hai.n dil Kvaab dam-ba-dam
vaqt ne kiyaa...
My salutations to genious of Guru Dutt, Kaifi Azmi and S D Burman. Jeez this calls for a drink :)) he he surely this evening ... btw, who all are Johnny Walker fans? I didn't mean the comedian even though I do think he was amazingly good too!
PS: okayyyyyyyy yes I think I am tooo much living in past .. need to look FORWARD *note to myself*
[17/06/2004 07:50:52] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
I read newspapers today online of course and was surprised to see so much attention being given to that b-grade movie "girlfriend" just because it has scenes of two girls with lesbian tendencies! Whatz so much hue and cry about? of course our indegenous culture police Shiv Sena is already up in arms literally :)) they I believe have started tearing down banners and rioting at cinema halls which is playing this movie. even though the review of movie are really bad but Of course the producers and distributer will laugh all the way to the bank! Thanks to so much curosity created about the film!
Well more than the movie what irritates me is these people like shiv sena activists who protest against a movie on basis of sexual and sexual orientation content! which world do they live in!!! surely they aren't knowledgeable about the world and nor about indian culture even! I have seen them protest against such a harmless greeting-card-company festival of valentines day !!!!!! They say its against india culture !sorry somehow Indian culture seems quite different to me!!!!!! well back to our own wildly famous but most misunderstood book "Kamasutra" ... what do we talk about books we have the whole things carved in rocks on the khajurao temples !!! Just so that I am not talking about gossip I decided to delve into more details and see if I can get the original texts or widely accepted translations of ancient texts. I wanted to really see for myself that our ancient literature does indeed talk in so much detail about it. These are my findings:
Note: This article might offend someone since this comments on very touche' subject of religion and belief; though it is not my intention. Intention is just to delve deep into what this indian culture really is! Of course this article is only tip of the literal iceberg. Faint hearted and one who aren't adults, physically or emotionally, please refrain from reading further.
Kamasutra The Kamasutra is the oldest extant textbook of erotic love. But it is more than a book about sex. It is about the art of living--about finding a partner, maintaining power in a marriage, committing adultery, living as or with a courtesan, using drugs--and also, of course, about the many and varied positions available to lovers in sexual intercourse and the pleasures to be derived from each. The Kamasutra was composed in Sanskrit, the literary language of ancient India, sometime in the third century, probably in North India. It combines an encyclopedic coverage of all imaginable aspects of sex with a closely observed sexual psychology and a dramatic, novelistic narrative of seduction, consummation, and disentanglement.
Women in the Kamasutra are thus presented not only as erotic subjects but as sexual beings with feelings and emotions that a man needs to understand for the full enjoyment of erotic pleasure. Book Three instructs the man on a young girl's need for gentleness in removing her virginal fears and inhibitions. Erotic pleasure demands that the man be pleasing to his partner. In recommending that the man not approach the woman sexually for the first three nights after marriage, using this time to understand her feelings, win her trust and arouse her love, Vatsyayana takes a momentous step in the history of Indian sexuality by introducing the notion of love in sex. He even goes so far as to advance the radical notion that the ultimate goal of marriage is to develop love between the couple and thus considers the love-marriage to be the pre-eminent form of marriage.
Interestingly, Vatsayna's book is not only for men but also for women. The evidence for this comes from the Kamasutra itself where Vatsyayana suggests that at least some women should read the text and that others learn its contents in other ways. Parts of the Kamasutra are directly addressed to women.
I was kinda surprised to find mentions about eunuchs performing oral sex on men and women and how they should be doing it. There seems to be passing mention of messengers, coutesans and servants performing sexual acts on masters and mistresses! So I guess even in that century there was some amount of gayness!
Erotica in temples I read that some scholars say that since Hinduism believes in the efficacy of all four paths to Moksha (Dharma, Artha, Yoga, and Kama), these sculptures were provided to assist in the last of these four paths. Since these sculptures are limited to the outer walls of the temples, some people interpret them as a symbolic gate to reaching God. How can the Indians criticize the Mithuna (mating) sculptures while worshiping Mahadev (Shiva) as a symbol of male and female organs? "All of life is God's magic;" we are all parts of divinity; our scriptures argue that to attain moksha, and to dedicate ourselves to dharma and adhyatma, we should first experience sexual fulfillment. The one who wrote the Kamasutra was none less than a sage! When the Gods themselves cannot escape the web of erotic love (Kama), what about us mere mortals? We have saints and demigods who have sinned, we have sages who have abandoned their years of renouncement for a beautiful woman, we have deities who have slept with others' wives, we have those who have fathered deer, we have those who have made love to and deceived even the Sun God, and we certainly have those who have conceived before marriage. If one were to make a list of these incidents that appear in Hindu scriptures, one could put western societies to shame. If one concedes that sex is an important and integral part of life, mortals must experience it completely. Although Khajuraho is most famous for these sculptures, most Indian temples have them in one form or another. Belur, Halebidu, Somanathupura, and Nugguhalli temples of the Hoysala period have many such beautiful sculptures. The Badami and Banashankari temples of the Chalukya times, and the Vijayanagar temples of Bhatkal, Lepakshi and Hampi have these too. The Meenakshi temple of Madurai and Veeraranarayan temple of Gadag has erotic sculptures on their Gopuram.
Geet Govind Jaidev's geet govind is 12th century Sanskrit poetry of love, devotion and surrender. Jayadev was the royal poet in the court of King Lakshmansen of Bengal. In this poem he unabashedly describes the love affair of Krishna and Radha. Jayadev does not symbolise or rationalise or philosophise this love. On the other hand he portrays the physical aspect with a candour and explicitness perhaps never done before or since. There is no doubt that Jayadev was an ardent devotee of Krishna and considered both Krishna and Radha as divine. Perhaps that is why he does not question the morality of this romance. He does not pass judgment on the divine and does not apply the “human” standards of ethics to their behaviour.
He merely records every nuance of the myriad emotions the couple goes through. Jealousy, sorrow, bitterness, regret, loneliness, longing, companionship and ecstasy - all have a place in this epic.
Unlike most epics, Geet Govind is not written in a single verse form throughout. Each chapter, each section has a verse form and metrical structure suited to the emotion being portrayed. And finally the enjoyment of Geet Govind is not restricted to the reading of the poem. Artists have put it on canvas, singers have put it to melody and dancers have exhibited it with poetic movements and graceful gestures.
In conclusion to my research,there is little doubt that ancient Indian society, at least between the 3rd and 12th centuries, was sexually liberated. However, the ascetic strain in Indian society has always been strong, existing in a kind of dialectic relationship with the erotic. TheBuddhist and Jain sexual puritanism as also the Hindu ideal of sensual restraint which go into the formation of the ascetic ideal, again reasserted themselves during the medieval period. And then, of course, this anti-sexual attitude of the priestly Brahmin class found an ideal partner in the Victorian prudery of the British during the colonial period.
[17/06/2004 00:34:33] | [MoonieTheLoonie@yahoo.com ]
Well, let me start my blogging articles with my current object of fascination, Tirukkural. Tirukkural is an important work of Tamil literature by Tiruvalluvar written in the form of couplets expounding various aspects of life. Very little is known conclusively about the life of Tiruvalluvar. He is believed to have lived some time during the first millennium BC. He is also said to have been a textile weaver by profession, who led an austere life. Isn't this interesting that Sant Kabir was also a weaver by profession! Interestingly like him, Tiruvalluvar's faith is also disputed. Many Hindus claim that he was a Hindu, while there are also accounts of his having been a Jain. Most Tamils consider Tiruvalluvar to be a holy saint and his work is often referred to as 'poyyamozhi' or the 'book that never lies'. Indeed, many say that Tiruvalluvar was unconcerned about whether he was a follower of the Vedas or Mahavira; and like his book, ignored the artificial boundaries between religions. I am greatly fascinated by this book because of its beautiful poetry heavily loaded with life's meanings. My Tamil is really pathetic but all of it sounds so beautiful as well. Here are some of the examples:
ANBILAAR ELLAAM TAMAKKURIYAR ANBUDAIYAAR
ENBUM URIYAR PIRARKKU KURAL:72
Those who are destitute of love appropriate all they have to themselves;
but those who possess love consider even their bones to belong to others
MUGANAGA NADPATHU NADPANDRU NENJATTU
AGANAGA NADPATHU NADPU KURAL:786
The love that dwells (merely) in the smiles of the face is not friendship;
but that which dwells deep in the smiles of the heart is true friendship.
SOLLUGA SOLLAIP PIRITHORSOL ACCOLLAI
VELLUNJCOL INMAI ARINTHU KURAL:645
Deliver your speech, after assuring yourself that no counter speech can defeat your own
PS: If anyone knows a web site where Kurals and meaning are written in English; please let me know. I cannot read Tamil lipi and most places either the kurals are written in Tamil fonts or the just the English meanings are there.
[16/06/2004 23:07:29] | [moonietheloonie@yahoo.com ]
Hello all!
Well for past many months I have been reading blogs of people. Its like looking out of the window and into many peoples lives and feeling nice that mine isn't better or worse :D I call it relativity therapy.. khair finally today I decided to write mine own too... Its not fair to peep into others lives and not share anything of your own.
Let me introduce myself ... I am 35yr old female single indian IT s/w professional currently living in new york about 20miles north of the city. Isn't it strange how its my career which defined me in line above! Yes its been that way.. it has defined my entire life till recently. I am trying to change it all. Apart from being productive in this society I guess everyone also wants to leave a mark in this world.. me too! hhmmm well this blog is to document my journey to that state of mind where I feel accomplished :D okay okay it sounds quite intriguing :)) he he he well, its gonna be my usual banter on how life sucks and how its not fair and shit happens and it always happens to me and the bad mean world out there to get me type banter and maybe sometime I am on top of the world banter too :D
Let me also write a bit about my usual likings. Well not in any particular order, they are music particularly rock, books especially non-fiction by indian writers, yoga, Spirituality, Bhagvad Gita and Krishna Conciousness, Vipassana, Zen, Kamasutra, Movies especially old hindi ones, poetry especially Urdu and Tamil, Java ;) [ not coffee silly! ] and of course cooking indian cuisine!
About dislikes, Dishonesty and pop divas are high up there :D of course there are many a things which I don't like but I am usually a likeable ;) person so I develop this tendency to ignore what I don't like hence the amenesia :D
