Sach aur Saahas

Heyloooo!

August almost winding up, and come to think of it, it doesn’t feel like too long ago when I celebrated New Year’s! Time’s a-flying buddies... The city’s gearin up for Ganeshotsav, and I’m tryin to rise above my varied work responsibilities... GASP!!!

Hey, I forgot to mention my review of the movie Phoonk in the last post, but dats exactly wat the film is - Forgettable. A few Qs may ease the understanding process...

Q1. WHY was this movie made?
Q2. WHY is the lead hero (crow) not acknowledged in either the credits or d title?
Q3. WHY does cackling Amma (Grandma) shake her head aka Amitabh in Black?

If RGV’s idea was to exploit the public by his aggressive and come-hither tactics of announcing a 3 lac Rupees award for watching d movie alone, then Ramu, ur goin d wrong way... It may attract people to the theatre, but dnt ask which way ur gona get it bac after they sit thru d 2 hour nonsense, hoping for a few edge-of-d-seat moments and being horribly disappointed. Since Aag, u seem to hav gone bonkers, what wid tryin to create an eerie environment by focussin d camera in crazy angles on weird murals, paintings, toys and statues strewn around the house. But well, dat dsnt quite make up for the lack of “bhootiya-giri” in the movie. Black magic in its simplest avatar. To seek revenge, a crazy woman wid her henpeckd hubby do sum jadoo-tona, jantar-mantar on a young gal, her atheist Dad’s laadli. Amidst the age-old feud between babas and psychiatrists, the climax shows a few scenes dat cud’v been creepy had they nt been so predictable and juvenile. Utter crap. Bhoot (starring THE diva of the millenium Urmila Matondkar) was so much better...

Anyways, did u kno thrs a sale on at Crossword? Good collection. But wat caught my eye was the fact that thrs a writer-in-the-making in every student of IIM! Or at least, they wud like to believe so! Anyone’s writin a book these days, and everyone thinks they’v got a story to tell. The entire spate of IIM pass-outs is describing their daily experiences in IIM, their love stories (or the lack of thereof), their faculty and peer conflicts, and other paltry details with great gusto. Quality-wise, the books are duds. All thanks to one-book wonders like Chetan Bhagat and Anurag Mathur, who’v breathed life into an entire generation of semi-talented (and non-talented) dreamers... Us hisaab se merit oh 8 – 10 kitaabe chhap jani chaiye na! ;-) Bachnaaaa ae deewano! Join the bandwagon! Heehee... Good for the Indian book industry, at least in terms of numbers, but not too good for an average reader who doesn’t know which book to buy (which dsnt make a difference either coz each book is more or less the same). So, if u’v got noone else, I can consider offering u recommendations free of cost. Now ain’t I generous?!!

Was watching this show on Star World, I think it’s called Your Moment of Truth. Not too long before apna Hindi channels cash in and copy this reality show as well (to name a few, The Weakest Link, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader...) The scheme this time is, there’s a series of embarrassing and dangerous Qs about your own life that you need to answer truthfully in order to win the prize money. U risk getting kicked outa relationships, ur job, ur home, and most importantly u risk losing ur self-esteem and dignity. I’m nt sure how reliable the polygraphs are, but it’s pretty easy to see whether a person is lyin or not from his/her expressions and behavior (at least for me, I hav a PG in Psychology yaar!). Probably the worst part is, you hav ur spouse, children, parents, friends, colleagues sitting right in fronta u, so its kinda tough to answer Qs like “Would you cheat on ur wife if she cudnt find out?” and “Do you watch pornography without any1’s knowledge?” and “Do you steal from work?” and “Do you resent your parents for not accepting ur spouse?”, etc. I mean okie, I win a cool $100,000 but what’s the point if it leaves me wid no1 to care, love or respect me? Worse, I may get sued and exiled! Not my cup of tea. Not that I hav too much to hide, yet y hurt people around me any more than I already do?! Naah... Harishchandra, this one’s for you!

One wonderful thot I got by SMS before I end this post:
All things in life are temporary.
If they’re going well, enjoy them.
They wont last forever...
If they aren’t, don’t worry.
They cant last forever either...

Cheers!
Anuja

Love and life

Hiya pals!
Its so amazing to reach home after a “hard” day at work, prop ur legs up on the sofa and relax with a hot cup of ginger tea (made by mum, if I may add) and delve into the pleasures of channel-surfin! Aahh, pure unadulterated bliss! My remote usually stays a moment longer on HBO, known for its wonderful movie fare. Sometime last week, a mermaid movie was goin on. Never having seen one before, and having nothing else to watch, I decided to linger a bit. It was a tad scary, especially when the innocent looking thing opened its eyes and swallowed a man whole! Woah... And when she screamed it was like a high-pitched wail, similar to a dolphin’s or a bat’s (whatever makes the ears bleed). Anyway, my understandin of the story was there’s this troupe of sailors who catch a mermaid and plan to take her to NY to become rich and famous. But what happens is they catch the Queen of the lot who is the provider for the other mermaids and how she finally destroys them all but one; a woman (“Lily”) who is later rendered dumb coz none that see the island of mermaids live to tell the tale. What was the movie called? The She Creature. Not really a must watch, but bearable if u’v nothing else to do. This week, I saw a bit of Son of the Mask; as crazy and as silly as The Mask, but probably cuter coz thrs a funny, smart baby and a comical, scheming dog.

Work’s getting busier. Not too many off-sites happening for me (thankfully), but there’s tons to do as I provide support for the admin and sales processes. My modules are turning out well, but only time (and my supervisors) will tell how good they actually are... What I’m reading at the moment? Body Language at work (did u kno women r regarded as body language experts the world over?!!), and The Last Don (Mario Puzo) at home. The latter is currently turning out like the entry scene of Bollywood’s Hum Saath Saath Hai. A gazillion of characters introduced every minute, and a disconnected storyline that plunges the reader into a Chakravyuh similar to Abhimanyu’s... Maybe I shud jus hold my review until the plot catches on...

Do we choose the people we meet? Do we choose to like/dislike them? And more importantly, do we choose who stays? Wish the answers were “Yes, yes and yes”. It would save us from the hurt and anxiety that accompanies mistaken intentions and unfulfilled wishes and desires. How wonderful it wud b if v cud command and direct our mind, heart, body and behavior! And how uncomplicated life wud be! Unfortunately, v end up likin people v can’t have, and we hold those we do in contempt. V don’t meet our “perfect” mates at the right time, and our contemporaries fall short by miles in every way. People u love walk away and people u cant stand fall in love wid u... The heart has no choice but to tide over its many hurts and mend its broken dreams. And thankfully, time co-operates... Time, the best healer, comes to the rescue and remedies wat life injures. However, the heart needs much more than merely time to move on... Love... Luv can dry ur tears if nt stop them, and love can bring a smile to faces that hav forgotn the sound of laughter. It can fetch hope when joy shirks your way, and it can get u up whn burdens weigh u down... M crazy about love! And for those of u who agree, life’s a great way to live! For those who don’t, I pray u attain ur own insights soon. As a very wise man once said (or was it a woman?!) “Learn from others’ mistakes, coz life’s too short to make them all!!” Love’s wonderful! And life widout love, merciless and bleak. Here's wat others say...

Love is when you look into someones eyes,and see everything you need - Kristen Kappel
The best things in life can never be kept;They must be given away.A Smile, a Kiss, and Love - Tony Farrar
And my fav of d lot... If you have love, you dont need to have anything else. If you dont have it, it doesnt matter much what else you have - Sir James M. Barrie

Love ya!
Anuja

Jaipur calling...

Mubarake tumhe ki tum... Kisi ke noor ho gaye...
Kisi ke itne paas ho... Ki sab se door ho gaye....
Hows it goin people!

Started wid 2 lines from the brilliant song of yesteryear “Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye”, coz several peers from my school and college days r getin married... May they hav long happy married lives! And their spouses too ;-) Cheers everybody!

Here I am... this is me, there’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be...

Sorry for driftin away wid one of my fav English tracks. Returnin to d topic - Here I am, bac from the HSBC Asset Mngt. (AMC) 160 people program at Le Meridien, Jaipur. This annual offsite with the tagline “Get Set Go” and the theme “Focus” was between 15-17th Aug, 08 and it was a gala affair, both for the employees from all over India as well as us, the facilitators and consultants. Before I hit the accelerator and start rambling on about the fundoo events thr, leme start at the beginin n tell u abt a few thins on the way...

As I hurtled down the Mumbai-Pune expresway to catch the IC flight to Jaipur from Mumbai on the 15th noon, I tuned to the radio and heard the song “aaya hai raja logo re logo....” blaring from the speakers. Have u heard it? Weird song, na! Anyways, thrs a line “shero ka main hu sher yaaro” n guess wat I saw as I looked outa d window – a Syntel hoarding wid a lion! Hehe... creepy coincidence...

A smile came to my face as I was reminded of fun times as an undergrad at CCD on FC Road whr d tv was on mute and jukebox was belting away songs in all languages and tones. V used to match d two and hav a hearty laugh as d tv showd sumthin very decent and d lyrics wer profane and funny! Similar to MTV lipsync. Its cool n its crazy n it’s a whole lot of fun. Top it up wid the Channel V Bai... hehe, funny woman fishin, throwin knives and makin jalebis, all in a typical navvari/kashta... Hats off to innovativeness! Speakin of which, hav u seen d condom ad on Channel V? It starts wid a typical Indian lifestyle, whr evrythin is kept coverd and protected in plastic coats, rite frm d remote control to car seats to mobile phones... And thn d punch-line : y nt ur masculine vitals ;-)

What did I see in Jaipur? Several majestic elephants, a not-so-tiny mouse, monkeys and cows, camels, dogs and cats... It was like a pakka zoo! Other than that a Hanuman temple as I was reciting the hanuman chalisa (coincidence strikes again), the Hawa Mahal which has 180+ windows thru which women in old times used to glance out on the streets unseen by human eyes from below, Amer fort and jostling, colorful markets. As Le Meridien is outside Jaipur city, I got a dose of sightseeing each time I cruised from ITC Sheraton (whr v wer put up) to the hotel for the program.

AMC is a young, creative, energetic group. They had skits on one day, team building (our session) the next day, and a conference the last day. It was fun to conduct all the activities and meet people from various locations and backgrounds. This being my first offsite as a hardcore, efficient and independent Associate Consultant, it was a tough task for me to set up the activities and assist in the facilitation and administration. However, I think I did reasonably well given my lead faculty’s appreciative comments, my sweating frame and aching back. All a wonderful scheme for the Pajama Party d same night...

Madeira (aka alcohol urf daru) reduces inhibitions and gives u courage. To say it is one thin; to experience it, another! It really helps you forget your aches and pains, plus assists u to bestow cheerful smiles upon acquaintances, strangers and adversaries alike. Getting high is d perfect excuse to :
- Realize all your age-old ambitions and dreams,
- Approach cute, young strangers and strike conversations,
- Compliment your boss on facilitating, networking and connecting skills.

Probably a few mo thins that I wudnt mention here ;-)

However, the point is, music and food and alcohol was flowing. Thr was a troupe of dancers who gave the audience a visual treat, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the core. Three cheers for the coordinators and event managers! Hip hip... hurray!

After the great nite, twas no ez task to catch the morning flight to Mumbai. I managed, of course, and here I am now... Reminiscing about the trip as I get bac to whr I’d let off... A fantastic experience! Including the free seating hullabaloo on the departing flight and the drunken-hungover journey over the returning one...

Did I tell u I saw Singh is King (whatever d spellin wid triple n’s and double g’s) last week. Twas ok if u left ur brains home. Poor Ranvir Shorey cud’v done wid a betr role, n Akshay n Katrina r as fresh as ever. Awaiting Phoonk this Friday...

The latest update... India won a bronze in wrestling at the Beijing Olympics! wowow... Abhinav Bindra set up quite a record wid his gold in Shooting... may d gud times roll!

Catch ya later then!
Adios!

An Everlasting Smile...

We can’t force ourselves to love, or to withhold love. At best, we can curb our actions. The heart itself is beyond control. That is its power... And it’s weakness... - The Palace Of Illusions

Well well well... Chilly mornings Pune’s got, I wake up wid a sniffle each day as I leave d warmth and coziness of my blanket and start the tedious process to get ready for work. I have a horrible cold (anybody got d Guinness for sneezing 12 times in a row in under 2 minutes?) I think I ought to change my name to Droopy with d expression dat m carryin around all day...

Draupadi’s doin wel; not really actually, coz if a reader is moved to tears after reading her “Cheerharan” then u can only imagine how she must have felt whn she was at d receiving end... Man, I don’t blame her one bit for hating her husbands and family and cursing everyone present in Duryodhan’s court. Dat’s how a woman’s life and emotions are. She can do anything to protect the ones she loves, but men (sorry to all you male readers here, but dat ain’t ur personal fault, ur jus made dat way!), all they can think of is themselves, their word and their gain. Anyway, d book is magnificent, so if u can muster a lil patience and passion, it’s worth a read. Divakaruni's style makes d words come alive, and even stories you'v heard before take on a new meanin and intensity. I DON’T want to finish it, but I dnt think dat’s gona b possible at d rate at which m gobblin d pages... Jus cant stop reading! 290 down already, barely 70 left, and it’s been hardly 2 weeks (wid lil leisure time to read, if I may add)...

Talking about recommendations, people ask interesting Qs on LI, and its great to c so many people have a gud sensa humor and philosophy whn they answer... Being an expressive, talkative types (dnt u all kno dat so wel by now?!) I luv goin onto the LI Q-A section and asking and answerin Qs wise and silly. If u’v been smart n strong enuf to endure my blog, then m sure u’d like dat, too ;-)

My office is bang opposite Jeevan-Jyot school for negatively exceptional kids. So, I get to hear the national anthem and Vande Mataram everyday. It’s wonderful :-) Its also very nostalgic whn I hear d dum-dum-dum of drums and chan-chan-chan of d lejhim as the kids are practicing. Reminded me of my schooldays, which now seem light years away, tho its been barely 7 years. Looking outa my office window one afternoon, I saw a girl throwin a fit. At first it was scary, then heart-rending, and finally pitiable. Why does God make people like this? Why does God make their families suffer like this? Why does any bad happen in the world? Is it coz bad people need to atone for their bad deeds, or is it to prevent something worse?

Probably d best way to start respecting Life and loving your own, is to visit sucha school or hospital. D sick and wounded wid their partly achin and partly smiling faces will immediately make u feel grateful and blesd for all dat u have... Which one personally never thinks is enuf...

Reminds me of a movie I saw d day before yesterday on HBO – The Net 2.0. I was channel-surfing after work, and stumbled upon this movie where an American gal (the protagonist, Hope Cassiddy) is not satisfied wid her life, and has no family except for a boyfren. She gets a job offer to work in Istanbul, Turkey, and against her bf’s pleas, she grabs d chance wid both hands. Then wat follows is a crazy series of events (for us and Hope), which is actually carefully choreographed by the Master-Mind. Hope finds respite in a freaky over-helpful driver Osman (“Ozzmann”) and a charming airhostess Roxelena, but dats lil help as she is robbed of her identity, charged wid murder and robbery, and plus some impostor taking her place. (A wake-up call for all of us who think our lives are forever and our lives are ours and everyone knows us. Coz when u hav no ID to prove your existence, thn ur as gud as invisible, worse ur a criminal...) The movie was thrillin and I cudnt take my eyes off d screen (except to dash off n fill a few buckets during d break, whn my mum was yellin coz of d water shortage these days). A good movie, albeit wid a few Bollywood misgivings (especially d scene whr a woman is stabbed in broad daylight and foolish Hope pulls out the bloody knife from her stomach). But d pace, unpredictability and striking accent (both Turkish and English) make up for it. As does d gorgeous actress and her cute smile :-D

Cute smile... Have you ever seen how beautiful people look whn they smile? Any face, contorted or stunning, chubby or pale, fair or dark... (u get it don’t u?!!) It’s like sunshine streaming down n brightenin up d place, whn a person smiles... I’ve hardly seen few folks who actually look horrifying whn they smile... The rest... All Mr and Ms. Worlds in their own right! C’mon, m sure you can manage one right this minute... No-one’s watching... and even if they are, y do u give a horse’s ***... My my my... YOU’RE LOOKING FANTASTIC... Once more, buddy!! You can do it again! As I read somewhr - keep smilin, makes ppl wonder wat ur upto ;-)

So keep up d grin n show those pearly whites!
Kya aap closeup karte haiiiiiiiiiii...

Brings me to the end of yet anodr post. Have a grrr8 weekend n I’l c u again soon!

Luv,
Anuja

Love's Labor Lost

A wonderful line by a simple wise guy that captured the essence of all I’ve felt thus far in life... "I travel away so far... but still I don’t forget anything...."
And a poem by yours truly that puts the details in a nutshell...

I start loving too easily,
I get attached too soon;
Though it’s a boon initially,
It ends in nothing but gloom.

I become the other, I give all I got,
In dark wilderness, at love a shot;
A hundred aches and setbacks,
Every step a prayer for mercy;
Bearing in my heart a million cracks,
Bleeding on thorns woven into coats lacy.

Each time I trip, I vow to watch
Where I set my foot,
But when I see a cozy face,
My sensibility gets a boot.

With hope I wear a smile so wide,
Feeling “THIS time it’s for keeps”;
Not realizing this is yet another ride,
And sorrow again in heaps...

I wish I’d take a break,
And stop messing life for you,
Leave you to your ideal self,
And in the bargain, be happy, too.

Is it why they say, in love you FALL?
The list of smiles so petty,
And grievances Eiffel tall...

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!
Lonely Princess

Update!

What’s worse?
Loving someone you can’t forgive?
Or loving someone you can’t have?

Hey people!
(Sorry about the title, cudnt think of an apt one. Suggestions highly solicited)

I’ve been thru a few blogs lately, and man, have they been superloaded! I mean they’r so content-heavy and intended to disseminate knowledge in the author-respective domains, that I feel quite the fool for writing about my mundane experiences and crazy rambles. I guess I have a lot more nothing to do than most people, and this nothing gives me a lot more vent-worthy knowledge and intuition than it does to non-writing folks...

I wasn’t feelin particularly peaceful and happy yesterday, and in my upset state, looking for a victim, I found one in the form of a neighbor who was throwing stones to scare away a cat perched on top of her flat ledge. She wasn’t exactly ‘innocent’, and she did deserv d lashing I gave, as her carelessly flung pebbles wer hitting the cars standing below with possible threat of getting dented. Tho my yelling gave me temporary relief, and a sense of righteousness, I mentally was feeling guilty of having hurt her... And today whn I saw her avoidin my gaze, I had an impulse to set thins right... I did, and m feeling so much better... Indeed, merely speaking a few words of love and care beats any temporary satisfaction you get by expressin anger.

I’m currently reading The Palace of Illusions by my fav author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It’s a luvly book, one that captures the essence and drama of the Mahabharata from a woman’s point of view – Draupadi - d unwanted gift of Gods to the king Drupad, adored sister of Dhrishtadyumna (hope I spelt dat rite), princess of Panchaal (“Panchaali”), wife to the 5 Pandavas, friend to Krishna, secret admirer of Karna... and with a hundred other descriptions and anchors. My mum luvs mythology and can recite entire sagas by heart, so it makes fun discussions as both of us share this stuff dat m reading... Its amazing, m actually looking forward to reading d complete epic whn I get d time... It’s so full of interesting mini-stories; stories of vengeance, stories of intelligence and wit, stories of humor, and stories of anger and pain, stories mystic, stories of victories and loss, stories of birth and stories of death. A perfect blend of all the human emotions intertwined with non-human abilities and qualities. I wish I cud share a few stories wid u, bt each has its own history and widespread links, so they wouldn’t make sense altogether whn I narrate them in isolation and brevity. Besides I think I bored you enuf wid Shantaram ;-)

Aren’t d rains funny? I mean they’re here one moment n gone d next... But do we need them? Lord, m sick of these power cuts already! D load-shedding sched reads 6 hours a day, can u believ dat?!! Fortunately, dats nt hapg yet (touch wood!), but I hope d monsoon dsnt dismay d farmers n villagers much... Me? I’m ok either ways, as long as d rains dnt mess my plans n wanderings! It’s great to watch d downpour parked in d balcony, sippin hot ginger tea. But it aint so delightful when u riding wid glasses, shuddering at d screeching brakes, struggling to avoid a few bumps n basically trying to get home in one piece...
Wat m I upto? Nuthin much; jus d usual office n home merry-go-round. Settled into the “working adult” sched so nuthin too exciting or unpland occurring. However, getting up early is sumthin dats jus as painful as d gud ol’ days. To tear yourself up from the warm sheets and set foot on d cool floor (thank god I got house slippers!) is a terrific nightmare. Hey, m watchin Hole in d Wall on Pogo these days. It’s a fun, timepass prog whr guess wat?! Thr is a wall n thrs a hole in it n 2 teams have to pass thru d hole using different strategies and combinations. D witty Cyrus Sahukar is hosting it, so u can get a few laughs thr.

Rest... Linked-in is going gung-ho as is surfing for work n pleasure. Job goin well, too. Creating a module for confidence building at the moment. Looking forward to a 130-participant HSBC program at Le Meridian, Jaipur in mid-Aug. They say d hotel’s got grounds huge enuf to play elephant polo! Hollering WOW....
By d way, eclipse on rite now... so stay indoors till 6 pm IST n dnt eat or drink or do anything... u cud read d Hanuman Chalisa if u wanta obey my mum... here's d link for d fast food gen ;-)http://hanumanchalisa.org/cha.htm
Keep d grin up!
Muuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh
Anuja