Voting Starts - SATSQ Contest 1

So far the contest has been quite well received in terms of people checking in to see what it is about. The responses have only been few so far..

If you would like to participate or see what I am talking about, check out "SATSQ - Contest 1"

Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions (SATSQ) - Contest 1

There used to be a really funny feature in the MAD Magazine that I used to enjoy and lap up. It was called "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions". It used to have a hilarious combination of dumb questions and terrific comebacks by the cult cartoonist Al Jaffee

The Matinee Idol

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My first drabble! For those who may not know, a drabble is an extremely short work of fiction exactly one hundred words in length around an interesting idea or concept

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To Think or To Blink - Book Review

Just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. I have never been much of a reader of non-fiction and usually make a bee line towards the fiction section rather than Non-Fiction.

Blink was pretty much an exception (I caught someone reading it at an Airport lounge and decided to pick it up later). While it did not blow me away, it was an interesting read.

Arose by Other names!

The title of this post is a twist of the Shakespearean quote "A rose by any other name..". If the name, as the lines suggest, is not important, then why do people whether from the days of yore or today's blogging blokes and twittering twits, choose to use names other than their own?

The dark night - 55 Fiction

“It’s the last night”, Gopal swore as he slept restlessly.

His children and wife were tugging on the torn blanket in the cold pavement.

10 D-Uh Moments due to the Tech revolution!

Many people are quite often confounded by the burgeoning reach of technology in their lives. Unseen and unheard in many cases, technology has entered into many of our day to day lives and irrevocably entwined itself into our routines. Even confirmed Luddites have had to embrace email and mobile phones, whether or not they welcomed it with arms wide open!

Lost!!

“Where is my mummy?” wailed Ashraf.

Janet’s thoughts drifted to her toddler she just dropped off to head to work.

Boys will be Boys she thought. Maybe his mum wandered off - Alzheimer’s?

“ Sir, this is the lost luggage area not the missing persons”

“I am an Egyptologist! Your Airlines lost my luggage again!”

The Colony

The colony was abuzz with activity.
Yet another violent death! Was the “Big Foot” story true? Were giants trying to attack?
Meanwhile, Bobby’s mom rattled - " Stop Spilling breakfast! Look at the ants!" - "Ouch! Stop it Bobby – Don’t step on them!"
The ant colony dispersed wondering how "Big Foot" knew what was afoot!

10 Signs of a Radically Diminishing Attention Span

I am quite convinced that the world over, people are facing an increasing reduction in their attention span! Oxymorons aside, I decided to ponder for a few minutes on 10 signs around me that are evidence of this theory..

1. The "T20" version of Cricket has soared in popularity leaving behind the much longer "One day match" version!

2. SMS and Twitter have successfully replaced any other lengthy means of communication - Email seems so 1994!

3. The creeping in of short language (textese) and acronyms even in formal communication - who doesn't use ASAP or LOL!

4. Haiku has replaced Sonnets & Odes!

5. Comparison shopping is increasingly done online rather than offline at the malls

6. Few people cook full fledged meals at home and spend more money and time at Fast food joints

7. Supermarkets are stocked up with a flurry of Instant meal products for the "Heat & Eat" tribe

8. People reading the news scroll at the bottom of the news channel rather than listening to the news

9. Multi-tasking left right and center - apparently paying attention to all and in reality to None

10. Using Google for answers rather than racking one's brains over stuff that one knows.

I am sure that there are quite a few more examples - Care to think of any? Hello, Hellooooooooo ... have you moved over to another post already!

The Psycho

When she sauntered into the class 10 minutes late (she was always 10 minutes late - absolutely punctually;), she didn't notice that he was already sitting inside the room.

The rest of the class was yet to arrive and it was sort of a twilight zone - still some dregs of sunlight streaming in the room and posing the "Should we switch on the lights or not?" question...

She slowly walked up to him - a bit tentatively since he was slumped in the chair - obviously distressed. It had now been two months since she took the evening classes on psychology and each day had been a new experience. People were coming in and telling all kinds of stories of their past - all very different and even surreal. Having heard so many narratives, Ramya had learnt to accept the strange and sub-normal. Like an oft used perfume whose smell is hardly picked up by the wearer, strange stories had become quite the norm!!

Ramya treaded quietly and shook him slightly - just to get his attention, for he still seemed pre-occupied by his aloneness... He slowly looked up and it seemed that he had been crying.

"Would... Would you like some water?", Ramya asked

"You are late", he announced to no one in particular, seeming unable to digest the sudden doubling of the population in the room

Ramya said, "I came as soon as I finished work. Can we begin our session today?".

He seemed reluctant a bit. "No one else has arrived yet. Should we start or wait?"

Ramya was dying to broach the topic and hurriedly said, "Never mind. Let us begin. What has been bothering you?"

"Well, Life does seem to have reached an all time low. My routine bores me to the core... I dont think that I make enough money for a man of my qualifications. There does not seem to be any reward or appreciation for my hard work and the many hours I spend with the people I work with. I am totally depressed and I have reached a dead end in my career.."

Ramya braced herself and said, "Cmon, You really have to pull yourself together. It is not all that bad and you only need to see your job in a new perspective." Looking at her watch, she then continued, "and I suggest that you do it soon, because, the rest of the students will be here soon, Professor!!"

2 States - Book Launch & Book Review

I was at the Book Launch function in Chennai (Loyola College) where Chetan and Shruti Hassan read out parts of the book to a 1000 plus audience, including tonnes of students, some celebrities and his family. The presentation that Chetan made on "Why Tamil girls are better than Punjabi girls" was hilarious and had the audience cheering along!

As I was sitting next to Chetan's inlaws, I managed to check up whether there was any truth in the semi-autobiographical stories related by Chetan, particularly in "2 States". His MIL, who actually seemed a very sweet lady, smiled and said "Not at all" - but ofcourse!

Here are some take aways from the Book Launch..

• Chetan - Never mind the ad line that he has become the biggest English novelist in India - he came across as a simple guy, with an earnest and endearing manner. His English was spoken with a really strong Punjabi Accent!!
• The celebrities - There was quite an assembly - Kushboo, Suhasini, Shruti Hassan being the most recognizable. There were also some DJs, drama artistes and so on.. The cutest were Chetan's young boys (twins, around 6 yrs old or so). When Chetan started the launch asking, "Who has read my book?" - I was really amused when both his boys put their hands up!!
• Suhasini - spoke about her Tamil education, late entry to reading English books and an incident soon after her marriage that had her in tears (finding CIBACA in the bathroom and the thought that she would have to adopt to a life time of a toothpaste that she did not like..). Ofcourse, the anecdote concluded with the happy story of the toothpaste transformation that has happenned in the Mani Ratnam household - ALL IZZZ WELL!
• Kushboo - spoke about her being the "Tamilian" daughter-in-law of the entire state - given her celebrity status (cmon people, we made a temple for her in Tamil Nadu at one stage)
• Shruti Hassan - book reading was sweet and she consciouly "Bleeped" objectionable words. Turned out to be the best looking celebrity of the evening - much to the glee and catcalls from the gang of students that had attended - after all the venue was at Loyola College!
• Me - I managed to arrive early and so got front row seats. I got to ask Chetan a question on the movie 3 idiots - before some of the controversy and huge success of the movie! I also managed to beat hundreds of students and get to Chetan and got him to autograph my edition of 2 states (more for posterity than anything else - also the Monica in me couldn't resist the challenge of seeing if I could!)
• After the book launch, got wet in the pouring rain. Was fantastic!

Now for some takes on the book..

Two States is the story of Krish and Ananya. The fundamental premise is quite stale - two people from different states of India who fall in love and want to get married. We have seen it so many times in books and movies - whether it was North meets South in the famous movie "Ek Duje Ke Liye" or in culture clashes in "Alaigal Oyevadithillai".

The presentation ofcourse is distinctly different and that is what makes Chetan's book eminently readable.

Chetan's writing style would not appeal to a highly sophisticated reader or a wordsmith looking for flowing prose punctuated with refined language. It however strikes the right chord with the average Indian reader since it is easy to understand and updated to the current day conversation style.

The book is certainly humorous. A hard core Chennaiite such as myself (or so I like to think) could have been offended by some of the merciless jokes and digs Chetan takes, but I found them really funny!

The book produces an urge in every reader to read aloud to anyone else in the room since the jokes are the kind you want to share with someone - I believe that this is a great testimonial for the author.

I have read all of Chetan's books - right from Five point someone, One night at a Call center and Three mistakes of my life! I have earlier felt that they were progressively getting worse. However Chetan, with 2 states has managed a "Volte Face". I felt that this was his best book so far..

I am quite sure that after the stupendous response to "3 idiots" which was based on "Five point someone", it is only a matter of time before "2 States" is also made into a movie..

Here is my casting for the movie - Asin/Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor - What is yours?

Writer's Block

It is strange how writer's block sets in for almost any and every person that has ever wanted to write.

In this twitter era, it might seem that 140 characters is all that a writer needs to come up with and once that is done, then the twit who twittered is all done!

When it comes to a blogger, the job is only a slightly taller order but yet, it is not all that big a deal, because spewing a couple of paragraphs does not easily mellow the muse in me and once the keys start dancing in tune with the fingers, the words come out quite effortlessly!

What about a book! Pages and Pages of unadulterated fiction waiting to be written! Is there enough to Kindle an amazonian ambition to be an author? The ultimate magnum opus that has not been written yet and may never ever be!

The book is still a distant dream, but just fresh back from a short break, I shall certainly be blogging more at the buzzzstop! Hopefully my co-authors will be coaxed to join in with some interesting tales as well!

Flower Power - Piercing the Glass Ceiling?

I read an interesting article in Bloomberg news today titled "Women Break Old-Boy Barriers on Boards, Bench" by Albert R. Hunt.

It was mostly stats in the beginning like - 58% of the American undergrads finishing college this year were Women & so were 50% of the medical and law school grads.

17% of the US Congress is now made up of women - 3 of the last 3 secretaries of state and 7 Governors are women

One in four of the eight Ivy League schools are headed by women.

The last section of the article, which I have quoted here, was about women in business and to me, the most interesting..

"Reinemund, former chairman of PepsiCo Inc., mentored the CEOs of two of the five largest companies headed by women -- Indra Nooyi, his successor at PepsiCo, and Irene Rosenfeld, the chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods Inc. In a sign of changing
times, Xerox Corp. announced last week that Anne Mulcahy will be retiring as CEO and be replaced by Ursula Burns, an African-American woman.

Some studies and other management experts say the qualities often associated with women -- empathy and a more collaborative approach -- aren’t requisites for successful CEOs. Instead, it’s the single-minded toughness more associated with men.

There’s a rejoinder: American International Group Inc.,Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns Cos., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac,Countrywide Financial Corp., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC. These firms share two characteristics: All are either extinct, bankrupt or wards of the state. And all were headed by men."

As far as academia goes, India has always had more girls do well than boys and so there is nothing new there. In politics as well, women have proved their mettle in India and there are quite a few women that lead with an Iron fist & a bulletproof vest!

What about women CEOs? Do we have enough of them? Hema - being one yourself, perhaps you can comment on this!

A Japanese "Aladdin"?

For some people, just being in space is not enough of a fairy tale - they need to also fly on a magic carpet to make the mental picture complete.

The video here features Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata on the International Space Station. He was asked to perform 16 amusing low gravity tasks that were submitted by the general public to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - JAXA. One of those tasks requested by the public was to see if you could duplicate a flying carpet in space, which Wakata-san performs quite easily.




Other fun tasks that JAXA was requested by the public included how to fold laundry and demonstrate how astronauts use eye drops in low gravity.

Household chores dont leave even astronauts in space, it seems!

Slow Motion

I was watching this video in youtube today..



The video is fantastic and shows the beauty of nature juxtaposed against the determination of man to explore and conquer it.

Meanwhile, some thoughts crossed my mind..

It seems like the batting of an eyelid, but we are already in May this year. No idea how the months flew past..

Won't it be nice if life could sometimes move in super slow motion! Also, I won't mind a few more years of childhood and those wonderful college years, while we are it..

Recession CEO

My hubby just walked into my office and found me on a busy working day. The laptop in front of me had 2 screens, iDiva.com and the buzzstop blog. The phones were silent, my lunch spread out in front of me, an unopened ET dismissed to the corner of the table (pride of place went to my lunch dabba). And I proudly told him that I was invited to contribute to the blog and was pondering (last 10 minutes) on what I should write about. Unfortunately his answer is unprintable. I just realised that this low biz cycle ( I refuse to use th "R-word") has its uses. Having time to do what you want is a pleasant change. I was in Bangalore recently, and even the traffic was tangibly less. Every hiring manager wants to meet me (for a change!), if only to discuss threadbare the implications and swap horror stories.Life is no longer at a tense fast pace, at the mercy of 3 phones, chasing meetings, apologising for missed deadlines. I actually have time to stand and stare. And yes, time to write this blog.

Travails of a New Hair Cut

I was feeling adventurous one day when I was on vacation in Chennai and decided to chop off my carefully cultivated mane of many years! For people who came in late, It had been the object of much devotion - mainly in the part of my mom who had spent years taking a lot pride and care in my long tresses.

When it comes to hair styles, the laziness that is my wont actually takes front seat and drives! Usually, after seconds of contemplation, I used to carefully scrub and wear my hair in virtually the same style and setting for years on end!

It is not that I had not made several attempts to break the routine in the past, but most of them have been cruelly nipped in the bud, or should I say roots! Somehow, most men in our family seem to take extra privileges when it came to my hair - be it my husband, dad or even brothers and so at various points in time, when I have as much as said "Ahem, do you think I should cut.." someone would immediately pounce on the statement like they had seen it make its way up my throat and then come down defiantly with "Don't even think about it!"

This time was different! For one, I didnt formulate or postulate my ideas to any one! I did start discussions contemplating straightening my hair, but ofcourse, most people who are convinced that they know better than me in the world of fashion and how to wear my hair, decided for me that my straight hair did'nt need straightening with an iron!

Armed with the results of the useless debate and discussion, one fine morning, I quietly sneaked off to the near-by salon and decided to let the hairdresser there have the final say on the matters that were overhead! The girl in charge, quietly rubbed her hands in glee, and I could almost see a glint in her eye that seemed to say "Guinea Pig" - Gotcha! The Salon, although situated in a posh hotel, seemed some how devoid of human population except for the workers in the salon and the fact that they outnumbered me 3:1 was little consolation!

I said, "bring me your book of styles" as though, it was something that I had done every day and knew what I was talking about! Obviously not! Instead, the "lady with the scissors" gave me a curt explanation and then decided to take matters in her own hand! Snip, Snap my tresses went and I was soon confronted by the fact that some of my hair would never be the same length as the rest. She then dangled one in the front, which for some reason, she called "fringe" and told me that it was very important that I say how long that one was supposed to be! Frankly, the answer was "No Idea". But, since I was pretending to be someone who cut hair at every whim and fancy, I rocked my head from side to side, with a "knowing" expression and then gasped that it was fine! So much for that!

Finally, moments later, my hair was all cut and shampood (conditioner, I learnt was another 100 bucks and it took me a minute to decide whether or not to have that!). When it was partly dry, there was an elaborate ritual of wrapping bits of my now short hair on a roller brush and drying it! Thoughts were rushing in my blow drying head about how on earth I was going to be able to roll my hair and blow dry it, considering there were two people doing it at the salon and I was already two persons short (given my total inexperience with coiffures or styles)! After playing around for a while, the two finally seemed satisfied and pronounced my hair done.

With a step in my stride and less weight in my hand bag and head, I left the Salon! When I met my mom later, she let out a stifled scream and then promptly disowned me! Years of care and money spent on coconut oil must have blinded her eye to my "suave", "svelte" new look with so many layers (atleast for that day)! Anyhow, the day after, she seemed to accept it, for after all they say, "hair today, gone tomorrow"!

Back in Bahrain, now it takes me a good ten minutes to achieve the casual, hardly brushed style! I wonder when I am gonna learn to keep the short hair stylish, but actually, all said and done, I am Loving IT!

Gluttony

Today's day has been a day of indulging in food.

Morning was breakfast at this little restaurant in Manama called 'Gowri Krishna' Very decent food- my test for any udipi/south indian joint is the 'sambar'- I am a sambar freak, and GK passed with an 'A'

Then lunch was at Gujrathi restaurant in the souq- AWESOME food- and I totally overindulged in their 'doodh'- yes its called doodh, and its akin to the South Indian 'Basundhi'- its meant to be had with pooris or as it is. I drank it as if it was going out of style or something!
The undhia was great and so was the dhal, which I feel is soo difficult to replicate at home, no matter how hard I try..

We stopped for a coffee at Costa, where I had a Mocha Flake coffee- couldnt finish even the 'small' portion that they serve!

Night was pasta and our staple for calling it 'the end' to any meanl- the non-descript but very very satisfying 'thayr saadham' without which any tam-bram meal is incomplete!!

The pasta was a breeze- I took some traditional pasta sauce from a bottle, added pepper powder, pinch of salt, the boiled fusili, and 3 tbsps of milk powder mixed with half a cup of water.
The result was my version of pasta arrabiata!!

Try it, its finger-licking good:)
Will take pics to post next time.

Tomorrow I better do an hour on the treadmill!!

Happy 2009 everyone !!

End of the year..

'Time is a versatile performer. It flies, marches on, heals all wounds, runs out, and will tell.' — Franklin P. Jones.

As this year comes to an end, I thought about how true the above line is - only time runs out on people, not on itself.. It is the only constant in the ever changing world-

There are so many people in this world who are without their families on this day and most days and it makes me feel so blessed that I can share my days with my loved ones.

SO many people without food, clothing,shelter, disabled, without love...
it makes me think of 2 things -that how important spreading love is..and second that how come inspite of knowing all of this, I have behaved in a petty manner, wanted more and more material things?

In fact, as this year rolls to an end, I am feeling quite melancholy about all the things I could have achieved, but didnt- be it in terms of gaining knowledge, helping others, or growing spiritually..

Anyway, as Scarlett said, tomorrow's another day- well, she should've said :today is another day- (perhaps it was night when she said tomorrow's another day' :))

Here's to friendship and love!! and being a better person every day and in every way :)