#$%#$^#$^$%&^

If you would recall, I had mentioned in one of my earliest posts (#3 I think) that I never lose my temper. Well, guess what? I was wrong!

The reason this time are the esteemed gentlemen who run the institute that I currently study in. During the orientation, these gems on earth declaredthat our most esteemed institute had the largest choice of electives.

To take an inspiration from Douglas Adams, apparently the meaning of the word choice that they allude to is something I am not very familiar with. Or maybe it is beyond my time/knowledge.

If you would recall another earlier post of mine, I had warned you readers on being well-informed before doing an MBA. And my main point of contention was the fact that I wasn't being given the opportunity to specialise in the stream of my choice. Ahh..choice..this word rears its ugly hood once again.

If you are beginning to feel irritated by the fact that I am just rambling on without actually getting to the point, so be it. I don't give a fiddler's fart!

(I may come back another day to remove the last 2 lines. But right now they reflect my feelings to the fullest.)

Now to the specifics of reason behind the outburst - There were just 2 IT Systems subjects initially floated for the next term. Turns out one didn't make it through because of few registrations. And I am not even in a mood to repeat my float-light joke.

So, here I am introspecting. Here I am trying to re-create my entire thought process that went into my decision to take up an MBA. Here I am hoping to pick the elusive point that has missed me all along, the point that would help me in shifting the entire blame onto someone else.

Nope..that wont happen. The blame lies squarely on my shoulders. I wasn't smart enough to see through the web of deception the institute weaves around the public. And this is what rankles me the most. As Anthony says in Julius Caesar, "It was the unkindest cut of all".

Me, one of the first persons to unravel the false hype created around Tendulkar, failed to do so here. And if I have in any way unintentionally hurt the sentiments of those sincerely pursuing an MBA, I would like to state that I am sorry. I didn't mean it to be unintentional. I intended it to hurt.

(Another few lines that I would definitely be deleting in the future.)

Silver woohoo!

Its been quite some time since my last post. Hmm this sounds eerily similary to the beginning of a previous entry. Never mind.

India wins a Silver medal!! Thats an Amazing achievement. An Incredible achievement. A Fantastic achievement. I run out of adjectives. Even if I dont, the feeling isnt something that can be put into words. I would like to congratulate Major R S Rathore for his feat and thank him for making my weekend a memorable one. (albeit that it happened right at the end of it)

Now that we are done with all the hoopla, back to some serious business. Saturday witnessed an incident that would be explained in greater detail in Rajjo's blog. I have been forbidden to mention a word about this "incident". Let me just say that I was stunned to hear about it and pray to all the Gods for..well..for whatever DIDNT happen.

Thats it for today.

No wait..Kaushik was sad that there wasnt a mention of him in my blog for quite sometime. Actually not him, his alter ego - The Devil. So here it is.

An interesting piece of trivia - Major Rathore's nickname is...

Chilly!

:)

As you like it

The story goes that William Shakespeare after writing a particular play couldnt come up with a suitable title. So he named it As you like it. Get the drift?

Anyway, my weekend went along fine.

Got to see Bandhar's new car yesterday. Wow! I would like to say "it rocks". Unfortunately Dhimant has made this phrase into a kind of overkill in his blog..so I just shall say "it is stunning!".

Well, my opinion currently is based just on my experiences with it being parked. Bandhar assured us that the driving would equally blow us away (apparently, he can touch 95 km/h in 2nd gear!). He also assured us with absolute conviction that his Maruthi Baleno is 2.5 cms shorter than a Hyundai Accent, but definitely 3.332323525 cms longer than a Opel Corsa. (I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for this piece of data. I wonder how I have been living my life all along with no shame whatsoever on not knowing this information!)

We also had chaat at Gangasagar. Nope, not Gangothri. These 2 Bong shops are right next to each other, with a small tailor's shop in between. The fonts used for the 2 shops are the same. The food items being sold are the same. These observations led to the birth of an interesting theory from yours truly.

Methinks that the Bong family had 3 sons (2 brothers, 1 step-brother). They had a fight with Bandhar regarding the fact that he could barely speak Bengali. An auto-driver got into this fight and was rightly slapped away by Bandhar. Incidentally, this was the same auto-driver who had rescued 2 of the Bong brothers from a near-death experience (well, they had been watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). The step-brother had been left behind to watch the entire movie. And that pleased him no end. Hence he sided with Bandhar in the original fight that I was talking about.

After more bickering, quarreling, altercating (and many more synonyms of the word "fight"), the Bong family split up. The elder brother retained the larger portion of Gangothri. The younger one changed his portion to Gangasagar. And the step-brother got the proverbial step-brotherly treatment - he was given the tiny tailor's shop.

And what about Bandhar...well, he just slapped the auto-driver once again! (But that is another story for another day!)

Wow! I think I have all the signs of becoming a great soap writer.

Speaking of soaps comes to the third and most interesting part of this entry.
Chatted with Rajneesh's "audience". Before I begin the narration of the incident, I would like to categorically state that I find nothing wrong in watching Tamil soaps. (This is directed to the audience in particular. I would request Rajneesh to do the needful.)

Back to the chat incident. I was indeed stunned to see Rajneesh talk about Chithi (a very famous Tamil soap). But it turned out that the keyboard was now being shared by both him & his audience. And it was slightly tough to detect actually who was in control - but I did my best in being polite all the time. Just to be on the safer side. :)

My first impression of the "audience" was that she had been hibernating since the late 80s. The movies she mentioned clearly belonged to that era..and she didnt have a clue about the latest. But it turned out that she also harboured the same opinion about me. I would like to state that my immense knowledge of Tamil cinema led her to come to this false conclusion.

(Hmm..modesty surely isnt my virtue when it comes to this subject.)

All through this conversation there used to be the occassional comment from Rajneesh which expressed his deep interest in the topic of discussion. Not wanting to disappoint him, we continued to pique his interest even more.

Just when I began to realise that this chat wasnt going to provide me with any juicy tidbits to write about in my blog came this - "Rajneesh's nick in PSU is Rajjo".

Of course, I was going to return her favour by divulging Rajjo's nick in our neck of the woods. Unfortunately, Rajjo hit her on the head with his gym keys and usurped total control. Damn!!!!

Lets hope that I get the opportunity to have a longer conversation with "audience" and return her favour. (I may have to go undercover to escape Rajjo's wrath..but he isnt going to come to India for quite some time. That gives me enough time to plot my escape.)

Words / Phrases / Sentences

I very rarely update my blog 2 days running. But today's change was brought about by an article I read. The reporter had used one of the many words that I absolutely abhor.

And that made me think about making a list of some more of my likes/dislikes.

This isnt the exhaustive list, but would do enough for starters.

Few that I hate.

Funky
Sometimes all it takes is one person's constant usage of a particular word to make it get on your nerves. And that is the story of this word.
Channel [V] Music Quiz at Chowdaiah Hall. Some moron of a quiz-master with a vocabulary that consisted of only funky, funky, funky....aargh! Listen to this word around 500 times in 30 mins and you will empathise.

Paradigm Shift
Now we are getting to the real goodies. The supposed MBA jargon. The language of the supreme elite. The style of management gods.
Here is a typical conversation between 2 wannabe MBAs.
X: "Hey Y. Where are you lugging your stuff around to?"
Y: "We have been allotted new rooms this year. So I need to perform a paradigm shift of my belongings from one room to the other."

@!#$!#$@%#%^!!! Woe to humanity!

Counter-intuitive
Yet another "super-phrase" used frequently by an MBA. Apparently he think that the words contradictory & counter-intuitive are synonymous.
X: "I think Formula 1 racing is great to watch."
Y: "No. It is not!"
X: "Dont you dare counter intuite me!!!!"

Just shoot me! Please!!

Ok, if I've begun to sound a bit crabby, dont you worry. Here are my all-time favourite words/phrases/sentences.

Holy Chandramouli
I do not know who the original creator is..but it this exclamation is an absolute stroke of genius.
I think it is either Bandhar or Rajneesh who made this one up. Hats off to them.

Bandhar's version of the history behind this is that it came up during the reign of Karnataka CM, Veerappa Moily. Though that doesnt quite fit in, maybe it was the spark to create this piece of creative genius. :)

How the mighty have fallen!
Ahh..another NPS legacy. Credit goes to either Rajneesh or Kaushik.
I can remember those wonderful moments when it was thrown at a person's face-
Rajneesh's favourite Chicago Bulls being torn apart by all teams.
Kaushik finally losing a match to me in NBA 98.

Ahem..there were times when I was at the receiving end..but I seem to have conveniently forgotten them. :)

The night is still young.
Feb 21st, 2002. India Pistons' Cricket Ground. Taramani, Chennai.
My tryst with Paradise - AR Rahman's concert.
2 hours into the show, Suhasini begins rattling out her gratitude to a huge list of people. Sounds very close to the closing comments of a show. And then in the middle of her litany she goes "The night is still young". :)))))

And up I rose from my momentary gloom to soak in more magical moments.
It was used just once. But the effect that it had on me would last a lifetime. And that's the reason for it being at the top of the heap.

Thats it for today. Weekend coming up, and lets hope it more fun-filled than the last one.

2 Birthdays & Other Stories

Hello people. Today's entry is going to be a pot-pourri of events. Just sit back and browse through them.

Act 1:
Happy birthday to Akshai aka Kiddo Jr aka Mafia.
Btw, kiddo is right now in Germany and that means that his treat will have to be coupled with his onsite treat. Throw in the fact that he has just hit puberty and we have one heck of a party in the wings! :)

Also, Happy birthday to Dhimant aka Chakku aka Arrogant One.
Dhim is in good old Bangalore and should hopefully be treating us this weekend. Besides, I hope he clears the Mystery of the Missing Comment. :)

(Well..Akshai's is on the 5th of Aug while Dhim's is on the 6th. By the time I submit this post it would be the beginning of Dhim's bday and the last few hours of Akshai's.)
Here's wishing both of them the very best in life and many more such wonderful days.

Act 2:
The unthinkable has happened. Actually it happened 2 weeks back. But it just slipped my mind while I was blogging. Anyway here it is..Bannerghatta Road has been repaired!!!
Take a deep breath. I know it is pretty hard to believe. But that is the truth.
Hmm..it has been almost repaired. But beggars cant be choosers. I choose that tiny stretch of potholes over the Bridge over River Sewer.

But there is a bit of bad news in this front. And nope, it has nothing to do with my bike no longer being part-horse. It is more serious. (although, the former does sadden me a bit)
The newly laid road already has potholes creeping in. And I would give another 2 weeks for the road to go back to its old state. :(

Act 3:
I managed to catch an episode of The Practice after a looonng time. It was a continuation of the Lindsey Dole trial - the one where she kills her stalker. Apparently, the DA breaks Lindsey's 5th, 6th Amendment Rights as well as Rule 30. And she is set free! Ileanor was the star of the show.

Act 4:
Finally a highly cryptic event. I would like to thank the Lord of the Night for doing as Anthony had requested. I hope to get a George Bernard & Lord Shiva (without the aR) someday in the future. Things should be fine then. Real fine.

Pet Topic

It’s been quite a few days since my last post. And I have received quite a few messages on when I would be updating it next. It is flattering to know that my blog is quite frequently read (read most probably after people check all their mails, news, scores, more mails, more news). It also puts an extra bit of pressure on me to come up with something that my bloggees would like reading.

Ok ok..that was stretching it a bit too much. Knowing the quality of my blog it really isn’t that much of an effort to sustain the level. (But it is fun to inflict pressure upon myself and then perform badly..thus armed with an excuse. Ala Tendulkar.)

Partly because of this pressure, and predominantly because of an absolutely strong “writer’s block” I have decided to write an entry on one of my pet topics. A topic on which I would hardly break a sweat.

This would definitely hit the bottom of the popularity ratings. I wouldn’t be surprised if I were to receive a few death-threats. But that has never deterred me. Apparently according to my mother I have the stereo-typical Iyengar adamancy to the fullest. We Iyengars love to argue..and the more lopsided against us, the more pumped up we get. So this should be fun.

“A hero leads a normal life. He suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. He is on the run, is rescued, meets a female, and falls in love. They decide to wear ridiculous outfits, perform stunts that defy all natural laws and kick the jeepers off the bad guys. Throw in some highly emotional drama, family problems for the side-artistes, an even more unbelievable climax, and an almost predictable ending.”
Am I talking about Kamal Hassan’s Khakhi Chattai? Sunny Deol’s umpteen movies? 99.99% of all Indian movies? Nope!
It is the story of Matrix in a nutshell.

Cynicspeak:”Dude..Matrix trilogy was one of the biggest grossers ever. Don’t you dare speak ill of it”
Chillispeak:”Yeah yeah..and so was Titanic. And we all know that movie was CRAP”

Can you name the good English movies in the last 5 years that were NOT:
· Inspired by Ramayana/Mahabharatha
· Remakes
· Supposed “comedies” (basically toilet humour as Ameya used to call them)
· Tutty fruity romances masquerading as comedies
· Spoofs
Hmmm…frankly I can’t remember more than 5. Isn’t that a shame!..from what is supposed to be the warehouse of best movies?! And believe me when I say that I have a pretty low threshold when it comes to English movies. I watch them the exact same manner that people who watch and pan Indian movies do.

All I ask for are movies with a strong plot/screenplay, more substance, less style/SFX, better histrionics, and lesser hysterics from the actors. When that happens, I shall gladly delete this post from my blog. Until then, I shall stick to my quota of Tamil movies.

Looking back at what I’ve written, I must say that my feelings have been expressed half as harsh as they actually are. That speaks of tremendous control on my part.
Truth be told, it speaks about my fervent desire to NOT lose whatever little readership I currently have. Pretty selfish I know!

Finally to the apologies section - I sincerely offer my deepest apologies to almost all the people who I know would be reading this. None of them would have liked this. I pledge not to talk about English movies, Tendulkar’s incompetence, EPL’s lack of quality, etc in my future posts. Hmm..make that future 5 posts. Knowing me, I doubt I have even that much self-control.