Kabira Speaking…

 

I know how it looks that I am posting a list of Bollywood movie dialogs after posting a huge list of TV shows I watch. Then again, I need to write something on this blog, if only to let people know that there is someone still at home. So, thanks Rayshma for pushing the lazy me to take up this tag. I needed something to kick-start the writing part of my brain after that wonderfully relaxing, 3 weeks long India trip (had to put that in somewhere to gloat).

The rules.

1. On your blog, provide a link to this page. (http://greatbong.net/book).
2. Then write down your top 10 Hindi movie lines or top 10 English movie lines (You can do both if you want. Only one set is required for the contest). If you cannot think of top 10, make it top 5. Cannot think of even 5? Make it top 3. No problem. Only restriction: no two lines from same movie. This done to make it fair for other movies so that they dont get swamped by Gunda or Loha or Sholay.
3. Tag five friends to do the same.
4. Come over to the comment-space of this post and post your blog’s link so I can go and read it.

And here’s my list:

1. Mere Karan-Arjun ayenge. – Karan Arjun (Probably the most parodied line in Bollywood history)
2. Adami teen, aur goli chhe, bahut na insaafi hai. – Sholay (or maybe, it’s this one, not #2)
3. Mere paas… maa hai. – Deewar (This line is also in the competition, folks)
4. Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shehenshah. – Shehenshah(OK, the competition is getting tougher now).
5. Pura naam, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, baap ka naam, Dinanath Chauhan, Maa ka naam, Suhasini Chauhan, Gaon Mandwa. Umar Chatiis saal, .... – Agneepath (One more candidate? Count how many of these movies had Big B in it.)

OK, this is turning into a parody baits list. So here are 5 more, more plain lines:

1. Shant gadadhari bheem, shant. – Jaane bhi do yaaro
2. Ye jo chhe foot ka ek adami hain na, katkar teen-teen foot ke do bana doonga. – Munnabhai M.B.B.S.
3. Tere kutte ke tukde-tukde karke teri poti ko khila denge. – Hera pheri
4. Khandani chor hoon. Aya hoon, kuch to leke jaoonga – Andaz apna apna (Crime Master Gogo ke karname…)
5. Are usne teri khuddari ko lalkara hai, yaar. Kya kar raha hai. Mard ban, be a man. – Dil chahta hai (Get ready to try this on your engaged/married friends this 14th Feb.)

Umm, anybody can pick it up, check out the link in rule #1 for the incentive.

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

I do TV

So, Pitu and Amrita did this post. And since I have no idea for any new posts at the moment, I think I might as well go ahead and take it up.

Statutory warning: Most of the shows listed below are offline right now. I have marked the ones on screen right now which I follow regularly (as against catching up once in while), and you can see, the percentage is pretty low. Plus, like shoe sizes, 2 seasons of a British show = 1 season on US TV. What I am saying is, just because I watch Doctor Who and Scrubs on repeat once in a while doesn’t mean I need medical help.

Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, the rules are pretty simple:

1. Bold all of the following TV shows which you’ve ever seen 3 or more episodes of in your lifetime.
2. Italicize a show if you’re positive you’ve seen every episode of it.
3. Highlight new additions with an Underline. ( I added some BBC and Scifi/syfy shows which were missing from the list)

24 * 30 Rock 90210 7th Heaven ALF Alias American Gothic American Idol America’s Got Talent America’s Next Top Model Angel Arrested Development Babylon 5 Batman: The Animated Series Batman Beyond/Batman of the Future Battlestar Galactica (the old one) Battlestar Galactica (the new one) Baywatch Beverly Hills 90210 (original) Benidorm Bewitched Big Love Black Adder (Rowan Atkinson + Stephen Fry + Hugh Laurie – Mr. Bean = Great Comedy) Bonanza * Bones Bosom Buddies Boston Legal Boy Meets World Breaking Bad Brothers And Sisters Buffy the Vampire Slayer Burn Notice Californication * Castle Catherine Tate Show Chappelle’s Show Charlie’s Angels Charmed Cheers * Chuck (I am going to miss first few episodes of season 3) Clarissa Explains it All Columbo Commander in Chief Crossing Jordan CSI CSI: Miami CSI: NY Curb Your Enthusiasm Dark Angel Dark Skies DaVinci’s Inquest Dawson’s Creek Dead Like Me Deadwood Degrassi: The Next Generation Designing Women Desperate Housewives Dexter Dharma & Greg Different Strokes Dirty Sexy Money * Doctor Who (OK, the 2005 series, not the original series) Dragnet Due South ER * Eureka (you are missing something if you haven’t been to Eureka) Everwood Everybody Loves Raymond Extras Facts of Life Family Guy Farscape Fawlty Towers Felicity Firefly * FlashForward Frasier Freaks & Geeks Friday Night Lights Friends * Fringe Futurama Gavin and Stacey Get Smart Gilligan’s Island Gilmore Girls Glee Gossip Girl Grey’s Anatomy Grange Hill Growing Pains Gunsmoke

Happy Days Harry Hill’s TV Burp Have I Got News For You Hercules: the Legendary Journeys Heroes Home Improvement Homicide: Life on the Street * House How I Met Your Mother Ideal I Dream of Jeannie I Love Lucy Invader Zim Invasion Hell’s Kitchen JAG Jackass Joey Kim Possible King of Queens Knight Rider Knight Rider: 2008 Kung Fu Kung Fu: The Legend Continues La Femme Nikita LA Law Laverne and Shirley Law and Order Law and Order: SVU Law and Order: CI Legend of the Seeker Leverage Lie To Me Little Britain Little House on the Prairie Live At Appollo Lizzie McGuire Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lost Lost in Space MASH MacGyver Mad Men Malcolm in the Middle Married… With Children McLeod’s Daughters Melrose Place Merlin Miami Vice Misfits Mission: Impossible Mock The Week Modern Family Mod Squad Moonlight (It has a mopey vampire in love with a mortal girl) Monk (Series finale was just this month) Mork & Mindy Murphy Brown My Life As A Dog My Three Sons My Two Dads * Mythbusters (I have seen a lot, just not sure all the episodes) * NCIS * NCIS: Los Angeles (Like CSI, NCIS is going places now) Ned Bigby’s Declassified School Survival Guide Nip/Tuck * Numb3rs One Tree Hill Oz Perry Mason Power Rangers Press Gang Primaeval (dinosaurs + time travel) Prison Break Private Practice Privileged Profiler Project Runway * Psych Pushing Daisies QI Quantum Leap Queer As Folk (US) Queer as Folk (UK) ReGenesis Remington Steele Rescue Me Road Rules Robin Hood ROME Roseanne Roswell Royal Pains * Sanctuary Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

* Scrubs Seaquest DSV Seinfeld Sex and the City Six Feet Under Slings and Arrows Smallville So Weird South of Nowhere South Park So You Think You Can Dance Spaced Spongebob Squarepants St. Elsewhere Star Trek Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Enterprise Stargate Atlantis Stargate SG-1 * Stargate Universe Starsky & Hutch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Hey, I still think it is nice) Superman Supernatural Surface Survivor Taxi Teen Titans That 70’s Show That’s So Raven The 4400 The Addams Family The Amazing Race The Andy Griffith Show The A-Team The Avengers The Beverly Hillbillies * The Big Bang Theory The Brady Bunch The Colbert Report The Cosby Show The Daily Show The Dead Zone The Dick Van Dyke Show The Flintstones The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The F Word The Golden Girls The Honeymooners The Jeffersons The Jetsons The L Word The Love Boat The Magnificent Seven The Mary Tyler Moore Show * The Mentalist The Monkees The Munsters The O.C. The Office (UK) * The Office (US) The Peep Show The Powerpuff Girls The Pretender The Real World The Shield The Simpsons The Six Million Dollar Man The Sopranos The Suite Life of Zack and Cody The Thin Blue Line (seriously, Rowan Atkinson is funny when he is not Mr. Bean) The Twilight Zone The Waltons The West Wing The Wire The Wonder Years The X Factor The X-Files Third Watch Three’s Company Top Chef Top Gear Torchwood True Blood Twin Peaks Twitch City Unfabulous Ugly Betty Veronica Mars Weeds Who Dare Wins Whose Line is it Anyway? (US) Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK) Will and Grace Wings Xena: Warrior Princess

So, what’s your score on the chart?

 

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

Sultan ka hukum...

sar-aankhon par.

Since I haven't written a post in a long time, and given my current task list, it looks hard I will finish the drafts any time soon, I think it is time I get the tag by Her Highness Sultaan-e-Pitustan Pitu done.

So, here it is:

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
   - You know what they say, if you love somebody, let them go. Especially if that person betrays you. Serves her right…


2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
   - Chaand tare tod lau,
   saari duniya par mein chhaoon,
   Bas etna sa khwab hai…
   See, I don't require too much to be happy in life.


3. What do you love the most in your lover?
   - Paraphrasing Holmes, it is a capital mistake to theorize before you have the necessary experience.


4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
   - Create a library. Build a time machine. Build this and get rid of commuting hassles. (Given current conditions, investment is out of answer)


5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
   - Given that all three of my best friends are guys, I would have to go with “No”.


6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
   - If loving someone was blessed, my friend is the most blessed man on this earth, at any and all given times.


7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
   - Given my time-keeping skills, there is higher possibility that she has to wait for me. Though not more than 15 minutes at a time, given my record.


8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
   - I like keeping secrets. Especially if they are mine.


9. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? Your gf/bf or an actress/actor?
   - Why would I be acting with my girlfriend?
   Oh you mean like in a film or a drama. In that case, why would I be acting with my girlfriend?


10. What takes you down the fastest?
    - Elevator (The elevator in my office is so impatient to get going that it sometimes doesn’t wait for the doors to close).
    There are faster ways down, but not being a cartoon character, I am weary of trying one.


11. How would you see yourself in ten years’ time?
    - In a mirror. In a picture (on back of my book). On my blog. Take your pick.


12. What’s your fear?
    - Snakes. In all shapes and sizes. And all forms.


13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
    - Ab Sultan ki tarif mein hum kya kahein? I am speechless.


14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
    - Why would I be rich and single? Are we talking about the same person (i.e. me) here?


15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
    - Check my cellphone and smile that the alarm hasn’t gone off yet, and then burrow back inside the comforter.


16. Would you give all in a relationship?
    - Refer #3. (I love this “refer” business).


17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
    - Do tell me none of the people are the one in #8. In which case, I like choices. If not, there is really no choice, is there?


18. Would you forgive and forget, no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
    - Do I need to answer about forgiving after #1? And… what was the question again?


19. If you get to go back in time and fall in love all over again, would it still be with the same person?
    - Sorry, wrong setting on time machine. Change the polarity.

List 6 people to tag:

RULE #1: Tag 6 people to do this quiz and they cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by, cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by, and must continue this game by sending it to other people.

RULE #2: People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

So, the list goes on:
1. Cuckoo
2. Sid (Haven't been posting anything either)
3. DewdropDream (I hate to do it, but she has to know disadvantages of reading my blog)
4. Princess Stephania
5. First person to comment on this post
6. Anybody who wants to take it up

Please feel free to be as political as you want on #13.

And there... a new post is done.


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

5 Little Insights

As if you wanted to know more about me, Amrita tagged me with this:

Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given (family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like). Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better.

So, time to take you over my journey till now. Fasten your seat-belts, and grab hold of your seats (no sticking your hands out of the windows please). We may yet have a few glitches in our time traveler:

Family – Interestingly, it seems that I haven't written much about my family, or my family members. I mean, I have posted about the things we did when I was younger, or about our Sunday morning activities, but that's it. So, this post about the Yesteryears is as close as I can come to fulfilling this.

Friends – Now this is easy. After all, you have read the exploits of the Knights of Round Table before. And there are plenty of Knight Chronicles on this blog and on (now R'ing-IP) Talons. (Which should make up for not giving you anything for point #1).

Myself – When it comes down to it, the whole blog is really about me. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing a blog right? So, here you have a collection of random thoughts.

My Love – If you really want the gossip, head over to this post about how I fell in love twice in a single day. Then again, here's the object of my latest affection, but I have yet to write a post on it, though I wrote almost an entire post on it last week [there's an inside joke in there ;)]

Anything I Please – Hmm... a bit too hard to decide this. Better to take you over to “Romeo and Juliet: The True Story”, “On The Seventh Day”, the short stories “Studio 14” and “The Relic Hunter”, not to forget “Vairangad” (the third and last part of which I will get around to edit sometime soon).



So, now I have told you quite a lot about me, myself and my interests. How's the information overload working for you? Had enough already?

And now, time to link people up... Now that the old acquaint. are disappearing right and left from the blogging scene (and rest are MIA), I guess it would be better if I just leave it open to anybody who wants to do it. Then again, don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow with a comment on your blog telling you to take it up. Mystery, my name is...


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

P.S. Why don't these people learn? Just yesterday I read a piece about how Sachin hasn't scored a century in Australia (and how India is yet to win a final there) yet.

P.P.S. What is this Aussie fixation with monkey? I thought they had kangaroos over there, not monkeys. Then again, that explains that. Or is it due to the fact that the Aussies have been sledging for so long that they are not able to come up with new stuff?

A Therapeutic Tag

You know what time it is, don't you? Yes, you got it right... The time when everybody is thinking of which resolutions to break in next month (or two months, for the more resolute).

But as you all know, I keep my promises (especially if the "promised" party is me). So when this tag came my way from Amrita (who continues to send very good tags my way) this month, I thought I should up the ante a bit, tenfold to be precise.

10 Things I'd like to do in next 10 years:

Everybody tells me that I am entering the period of my life where I will be achieving the most. So what would I like to achieve?

1. Go once around the world: I am a flight away from the goal, actually.


2. Get published in any form: e-magazine, magazine, newspaper, I am not particular about the medium. Post, article, review, I am not particular about the form. You see, I cover all the bases.


3. Write a (short?) novel: They say there is a writer hidden is everyone. And one of these days, I am going to find him.


4. Fly in Airbus 380 and Dreamliner: Dreamliner should be out within next 10 years, even with all the delays.


5. Drive Porsche/Ferrari: Own, I am not sure. But drive, I would really like.


6. Get a pilot's license: Not commercial, but just for recreational flying. I think all those flight-sim hours should be useful for something, right?


7. Get married: My parents (who are so understanding on the subject) would be shocked (to put it mildly) if I postpone it for a decade, don't you think? And do I really need to add, to a girl I like?


8. Become a millionaire: Now you may not believe it, but this has nothing to do with money. I just like the sound of the word, you see.


9. Chart a ten-year plan: If I want to do some of the things in this list, I need a proper plan. And everybody tells me, this is high time.


10. Following the tradition started by Amrita, I guess I will keep this for anything coming out of #9.

10 Things I miss about my life right now:

1. My family, they never were more away from an overnight travel.


2. My little niece. She is growing up.


3. My friends


4. Summer holidays


5. Treks and short trips


6. My school and college


7. Evenings spent chatting with my friends

I don't think there is anything more.

And, on this new year's eve, I tag... nobody and everybody. Whoever wants to take this up, and whoever gets a comment from me tagging them...

Happy New Year to you all!!! May this year be what you hope (and dream) it to be!!!


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

My FMORT

Tagged by Madhavi, sorry Mads, ages ago. Since I am in winter cleaning mode, I think it was time to finish this tag.

What is FMORT? According to Mads, it stands for Five Minutes of Random Thoughts (read more about it on her blog). Now, given my blog's name, I thought I could take it up easily, but it just kept getting postponed. Not so much because I didn't have 5 free minutes (I cannot say that so close to Christmas, can I), but because some posts (and topics) kept coming up.

Rules:
Get a clock, pen and paper. Set the alarm to ring 5 min 10 sec later. Clear your mind for 10 seconds. Now write down anything that comes to your mind for five minutes on the paper. After 5 minutes, tweak the scribbles into meaningful sentences and post on your blog. The tag requires the title to be "My FMORT".

Start.

Can I write on paper for 5 minutes? I am tragically out of practise for that.
Which is why my handwriting is getting worse. Spikey and uneven.
So is my patience. 4 more minutes to go.
Can I think of anything now? My mind is going blank.
I need my coffee.
Where do the US studios get such cute new faces to star in new serials?
All the series I like are on winter break.
That reminds me of "The Office". If you do your spring cleaning in winter, you don't have to do anything in spring.
I need to clean my table. It has 2 large piles of letters on it.
I need to find my bluetooth USB adaptor. I think the previous task will take care of it.
I need to update my flash drive with recent data. That is the only thing between my PC crash and my mental crash.
I should get to the next level in Tomb Raider: Anniversary. I have Lara has been hanging on that rope for ages now.
This week, I cannot even finish one single post properly. I have 2 half-finished posts in my docs folder. 3, if you consider the random notes tagged there.
2 more minutes to go. Oh, 1 more to be precise.
Blank mind, blank mind.
I have 1 more tag pending now. 2 more, including the new tag I am planning. I should finish that up and put it on.
I am bad at planning. No state secret this, you will know when you see next tag, and how much time it is taking me to finish it.
Chuck, Indian Culture = ?,...
Everything's Eventual, Amber room, Sigma Force series,...
Why cannot I finish even one post properly now?

And... Done.


Nice tag really. Just shows you how (and more to the point, what) do you think in your free time, and what lurks in your subconscious.

I am not tagging anybody specific in the post, as most of the regulars here are AWOL. I will be tagging some people in comments, so keep an eye out on your blogs. Sometimes, it will scare you what goes on your mind if you let it...

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

The Power of 5

a.k.a. 5 Things meme


Nikichan tagged me on Sunday, and I could not get around to finishing it because I was a bit busy this week. Now that the week is almost over, I though I should take up the meme before I forget this week (or at least, I try to).

So, here goes:

5 Things Found in My Room (let me talk about my current room, and not my room at home in Pune):

1. My bag: containing all my clothes. At least all those which are not lying around on top of the bag.


2. My Laptop: can I live without this? And more to the point, how do you think I am posting all this?


3. A shelf with some great books: surprised? You must be new here.


4. A pile of letters and papers: I need to sort them out. Hopefully sometime soon.


5. A bed: Contrary to what you may believe, I do sleep at night. Sometimes in the afternoons too.

5 Things Found in My Bag (I don't carry a bag, being housebound. But when I carried a college bag):

1. My laptop: It was needed in the college, if not always in the class.


2. My laptop charger: How long do you thing the laptop battery last?


3. My iPod: Though to be fair, it did spend time in my bag only when I was in class.


4. A notebook or two: I am still a bit old-school. And it is often hard to write formulae on computer, not to mention drawing figures (technical ones).


5. A abundance of pens: I like to experiment, and I like to try new pens. And the office had new type of pen every month or so, it seems.

5 Things Found in My Wallet (that reminds me, I need to get a new one):

1. Cash: Well, wallets are for that purpose, right?


2. Coins: particularly, pennies. No matter how hard I try, I am a coin magnet.


3. Cards: Identity cards (note the plural), not credit cards or business cards. Though I have one or two of credit variety.


4. A ticket stub: Of some movie I saw sometime in the past. Did I tell you I need to clean my wallet up?


5. Come on, I am not so rich to carry 5 or more types of things in my wallet.

So, how many of these did you expect? And what else were you expecting? (Yes you, you dirty mind...)


Now it's time to pass on the meme (and hopefully, uncover some secrets like we did with Nikichan):

1. Sid (You share a room, right? That should be interesting...)


2. Silverine (The newly minted manager. Do you have a cabin now? But we are more interested in the "other" room.)


3. Princess Stefania (you can choose the room, the bag and the wallet you most like from your palace and collection.)


4. Madhavi (I guess it is time she got out of alphabets, and learnt some numbers right?)


5. Once again, I find myself short-changed. Do you want to take this up? Then leave a comment so we can enjoy.

- The Great Eagle Has Spoken

P.S. Now you can get follow-up comments e-mailed to you. Just check the comments page in Blogger, and you can make sure you receive the replies to your comment, and come back and participate regularly in discussion.

Quote of The Day:

A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.
- Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

The Sign of 8

a.k.a. "8 Random Facts About Me" tag

I know I have been missing from this blog for quite some time now (weeks?), but you know the reason, right? I have been trying to make my new blog as good as possible (and incidently, why didn't anybody tell me some of the links were broken there?)

So, it is just now that I have been able to take up the 8 Random Facts tag from Nikichan.


The Rules of this tag:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.


2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.


3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).


4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Now, I can tell you simple facts like I am single, or my IQ makes me “Genius” and so on and so forth... But they don't come under category “random”, do they? Also I have a nagging feeling that this tag is some version of this tag I have already done.

Still, telling you 8 more things about me is not exactly inviting stalkers to camp out on my doorstep, is it? (You're supposed to stay “no” here). So, here goes:

1. I have been asked this many times: Fleiger, because that was my callsign when we had a squdron of simulation fighter pilots in my company. That was as close I could come to “Flying Man” in German.
   Adler came after some people started calling me “Great Eagle” based on my profile picture.


2. The profile pictures I use are normally of the eagles found in Maharashtra, or in Sahyadri ranges.


3. You all know how I like to read. What you might not know is that I have started writing 2 novels (a sci-fi and a thriller) and have a third in my head (it will be a sci-fi/alternate reality one), none of which has gone beyond “Prologue” stage.


4. Our core group of friends is together almost from primary school (4th grade being the latest addition).
   And speaking of my closest friends, let me tell you that the Knights of the round table are also known as “E-Zero Group”, known earlier as “Key-Tone Group” (rhyming with, nay, sounding exactly like the the carbonyl group we all learned about in organic chemistry).
   And no, I haven't exaggerated even a word while describing the exploits of the Knights.
   And yes, there's a whole lot more to come.


5. When you are born on the lap of Sahyadri, and in the birthplace of Marathi empire, you love the mountains and hiking. Sinhagad is a regular retreat for us. And we have visited many more forts, each hiking trip has a stomach-achingly funny story of its own.


6. The first time I counted the number of books in my library was in 4th std or thereabouts. The number came out around 300. Since then I have gone down on the number of books I own (most were kiddy books).
   Being the poor student I am, I now try to read the books first, and then if I like them, I will buy them for myself.


7. One of the few possessions I am proud of is complete Marathi translations Ramayan and Mahabharat (5 and 11 volumes respectively, around 400 pages per volume on average). I have read the entire Ramayan, have gone more than half through Mahabharat volumes.


8. My favourite TV channels include Comedy Central, Disney and Sci-Fi. I wouldn't say no to a nice Discovery or NGC serial, too (though no animal shows for me).

Now comes the part where I am supposed to tag 8 people. Mwahahahaha...

1. I think Cuckoo should continue her series of soul-bearing posts...


2. Sid hasn't been posting for some time now, being busy in studying I guess.


3. Neihal can have a “Jail Diary” a la Jefferey Archer or Paris Hilton, right?


4. I would say this is something Princess Stefania should do to take her mind a bit off the grief.


5. I am not sure, but I can't find if Keshi has taken up this tag.


6. Priya has avoided Summer tag for a long time, so I guess I should burden her with one more as a punishment.

Have I run out of people to tag? In that case, do leave a comment and take up the tag if you want.

In any case, do leave a comment and take up the tag if you want.



- The Great Eagle Has Spoken...


Quote of The Day:

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
- Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)

And I Thought It Was Called "Adder"...

UPDATE: Added Glossary of terms
Sorry, that was a very bad, geek-worthy joke. So let me start again...

When cold coffee is more enticing than a hot steamy cup, when you do eat (too much) ice-cream and get a very bad case of cold, when the reason you're sweating is not (only) that you are facing exams... yes, summer is here.

And as we have (unfortunately) "grown up", there are many things which we used to do in summer which we cannot do anymore. That's why The Great Silverine's Summer Tag is such a nice opportunity to get all nostalgic and emotional... and sigh, "Those were the days..."

So I am supposed to write 8 things about summer/summer holidays I enjoyed. Here goes (in chronological order, after end of exams to end of vacations)...

• Cricket: The preparations/planning would start from the second last paper, and everybody would carry bats to the last paper (which used to be of drawing/handicraft or some such non-study subject). Fortunately, our group rarely slipped below top 10 positions in the class, so nobody really had any tension/pressure. After paper, it was directly to somebody's house to keep drop the bags, and on to cricket ground. Luckily almost everybody of us had a ground near their house, so there was very good choice of locations for us. These would start in the afternoon and carry on till evening, when we finally got home to "report" about the paper to our parents.


• Early morning matches: Sorry to repeat this, but there was a major difference between these and the end-of-year cricket. These used to be scheduled to start at 7 am (normally meeting point would be my home). I would wake up and get ready by 7.15 (it is a universal truth that you get up quite early in vacations when there is nothing to do), people would start trickling in by 7.30. By 8.30, the strength would still not be enough to go to a proper-sized ground, and then we would start the round of calls to absentees. I remember waking people up at 8.30, when we were supposed to start at 7. The matches would finally start at 9.


• Birthdays: Note the plural. In our immediate family, we have 5 birthdays within a week in April (now 6, and that too are shared within 4 days over a 10-day period). Within our friend-circle, the number was 4, starting with mine which fell within a week from the end of exam to the last week of holidays. An excellent excuse for cricket, full day parties and a nice packed lunch while picking on each and everybody.


• Mangoes: Do I need to say anything more? OK, I will... This would be the dessert of choice on most days after getting the "basket". And one of those days would be the day to make aam-ras, which (I can't say more entertaining but definitely) equal fun to eating it.


• Rasna: One morning in the the first week of summer holidays would be designated to make Rasna, by opening the pack, adding a lot and lot of sugar, adding the liquid thing and the powder, and then mixing the whole thing with water. Drinking Rasna was fun, making it was "children special" activity.


• Printing: Summer would be the time for getting major orders for our screen-printing "business". So, we had a whole room with every horizontal surface full of big printed papers (wet ink), boxes of wet scree-printing ink... Then there used to be the smell of the ink and the "cleaning solution".
  One of our major "clients" was a local 'pepsi-cola' maker (hence the summer orders), who used to give us 1-2 bags full of pepsi-cola, which brings me to the next point...


• Pepsi-cola and usacha ras: Staple food for the summers. On some of the days (specially after 8th std), replacement for lunch. No words can explain the fun in sitting down in the gurhal with the machine sounding nearby, with a BIG glass of ras in front of you. A definite recipe to drown out all your exertions after playing for hours on end.


• Trips and evening "treks": At least once in the summer holidays (near the monsoon time), a trek would be scheduled (again, this is after we "grew up" a bit). Otherwise, many of the evenings would a trip to Parvati, which people climb for exercise, and we would climb for the fun and talks.


• Nasik Trip: Kept last, but the high-point of summer holidays. It was a rare summer in school days when I didn't visit my cousins in Nasik with my mother and sis. And even in those rare summers, (except in my 10th std, after which all our schedules started clashing) they would visit us in Pune, or sometimes come with us back to Pune for reminder of the vacations.

Now, I know I have gone over the limit of 8, but once I started writing, the points just kept coming...

Now for the part where I tag people... so, usual suspects get ready. You know who you are, so don't make me start the list, as this post is already long enough.


- The Great Eagle Has Spoken


Glossary:

1. aam-ras: Mango shake (at least, that's the closest description. Mainly, this is mango - seed - skin + lots of sugar)


2. usacha ras: sugarcane juice


3. gurhal: the place to get usacha ras


4. Pepsi-cola: No connection with Pepsi, this is flavoured ice packed in small plastic bags.


5. Rasna: Check this out. Though admittedly, the packaging was less colourful in our days.

Quote of The Day:

Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language.
- Henry James (1843 - 1916)


Technorati Tags: tags, memories, summer

Those Were The Days...

(a.k.a. The Wonder Years Tag)

This is my 50th post on this blog....

Thank you for all the applause, hope you could see me taking the bows there (not curtain calls, I am afraid. I am going to continue writing). So, I was thinking for a long time what should I write. I mean, I should be writing something important, about a topic I really feel about to mark this important milestone, right? I thought about a lot of topics, including a Marathi book I love, a new author I am reading, a great TV serial I am watching right now. But then I thought, what in the world is more important than... “me”?

So, I am taking up a great tag, started by one of my favourite blog-writers (this has nothing to do with the fact that she called me “The King of Commenters” or something like that)

The Wonder Years Tag

1.Write 8-10 things about childhood ( 1-12 years) that you miss.
2.Write 8-10 things that you disliked about childhood.
3.Tag a few people.


Since the tag is about 1-12 years, I have to leave out anything we did in 8-10 std in school, which is bad, since 10th std was when we had the most fun in school. Also, I don't remember much till when I was 2-3 years old, so cannot write anything about that.

What I miss about my childhood

1. The long diwali vacations and even longer summer vacations. We used to go to Nasik every summer.


2. School: I cannot miss it more. We had the greatest group in school, and being the top of class (which directly meant top of batch), we were (almost) every teacher's favourite. I miss that preferential treatment in school.


3. Cricket matches: we played cricket on weekends using bats and rubber balls. In the school though, it was writing pads and plastic balls. We had the record of scoring 24 runs in an over. In fact that was 24 runs in 2 balls, if I remember correctly, since after so many wides, the over was cancelled, making the score 24 runs, no wickets, 0 balls.


4. Football in break: This wasn't using normal footballs, or even normal rubber balls. We used to play with the hemispherical rubber balls which were broken due to excessive beating in cricket. The ball used to trace a nice circular route when kicked, which accounted for a lot of kicks to the shins we got while playing. Also, watching the ball turning away from goal without anybody touching it was a bit of fun for everybody involved (in defending team of course)


5. Competitive exams: and of course, classes for these exams. It was fun attending the classes before and after the school with my best friends.


6. Playing with my cousins: in nasik. I am older than all my maternal cousins. And frankly, my sister being 5 years older than me, while we all being born within 5 years of each other, she is kind of outside our group. Anyways, I miss playing with them.


7. Being the youngest of all the cousins on my father's side. Well, I am still the youngest, and still get all the attention I want for that, but it was much more fun when I was in school and “the kid” in all senses of the word.


8. Watching the Sunday morning serials, with my parents. This was more for the sunday morning heavy breakfast, and second coffee, than actual serials. Well, we had some good serials then, including Ramayan, Mahabharat. Of course, watching Rangoli was a bit of event too.


9. Late night cards sessions with my parents, my cousins, my grandparents. These were once in a while, holiday sessions, which would later include coffee (I learnt to make coffee when I was pretty young). There were also movie sessions on saturday nights.


10. “Laurel & Hardy” and “Tom & Jerry”: my friend had video cassettes. Our deep study of these started in his house watching those movies on his VCR. I still have the memories of us sitting in his room on the roof of his house, watching the movies.

What I disliked about childhood

I don't remember many things which I actively disliked or hated in school. Let me try and think some of them up.

1. I was an accident-prone kid. I broke the bone in my right hand when I was 2 years old, the other bone was broken when I was in 8th standard. I had so many hospital visits that I am pretty much sick of hospitals now.


2. The teachers who used to beat students up. And then there was a teacher who used to tell me every day that I would do better to not be friends with my best friend.


3. Drawing class in school: unfortunately, my drawings did not count as modern art too. But though I could and did keep my colors inside the lines, drawing the lines themselves was a bad. My drawing submission eve was the time when my mother and sister drew the requisite things while I tried to fill colors.


4. Learning Marathi Grammar: I cannot recall even one of the things they taught us, except where to put what in a sentence.

Sorry, I can't go on... once I started, I realised how many bad memories I have... I am sure my (auto)biography will tell all how I became such a great man in spite of such adversities...


Whom I am going to tag

This is going to raise my spirits... So Sid, you do take up tags pretty well, so here's one more. Almost everybody else I know has already picked up this tag, so *donning helmet and protective suit*, I tag, you know.... *running off to bomb shelter*

The Great Eagle has spoken...

Quote of The Day:

People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children.
- Bill Watterson (1958 - ), Calvin and Hobbes

Back With A Bang... Sorry, Tag...

If there wasn't another post for last few days, it was because I was reluctant to push the last post down on my page (and that doesn't mean I was lazy as some might think). But, on fear of being frozen, I am back with a tag. And this time I am going to lay my soul bare for the world to gaze at and marvel what a great person I am...

Rules of this tag:

1. Name the person who tagged you.
2. 8 things about you.
3. Tag 6 people.

Question 1: (Sounds like I am writing an exam, right?)
This time, it is the charming etc. etc. (for complete list, contact her) ex-doofus and my partner in crime... sorry, my fellow-philo Kusum who tagged me. And while we are at it, if any of my lines seem a bit out there, remember that we are philosophers and there is some residual effect (*ouch*) of a well-aimed flowerpot...

Question 2:
Apparently, this can be anything as long as it is about me... now that's interesting... so many possibilities, so many things to tell... and nobody to confirm or deny anything I put here. *evil laugh* Now that's my favorite type of post. So, where should I start?

• I am an aspiring writer. I have written some stories till now, and have played some part in the magazine we used to publish in our department in my engineering college.
  OK, so you know this already, but how many people know that my first piece of writing (and prize-winning, published piece at that) was a poem I wrote when I was in 4th standard? It was about summer holidays if I my memory serves me right...


• I have a large circle of acquints, but it takes some time for me to become a friend. So, I have very few, but extremely close friends, and we are (mostly) together from our 3rd-4th standard. Yes, you guessed it, we form The Knights of The Round Table. (That post just keeps getting postponed).


• I find it very very hard to be serious, and I can make fun of almost any situation. I have found it helps keep me the sane, well balanced person I am (no snickering at the back there, I can hear you)


• I am normally found pulling somebody's leg. The victim can be anybody, and even though teaser can be teasee anytime on The Round Table, I am the person who is the teased least, or hit least (Offense is the best defense, you know)


• I am a movie buff, and though the number is reduced in last year, I used to watch at least 2 movies every weekend when I was working. I guess I haven't missed any single good (and sometimes bad) movie when we were in college either. I can foretell what is going to happen in almost any movie (which is not saying much, I know) Yes, I have watched movies like Jis Desh mein Ganga Rehta Hai, Yaadein, and recently Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Which just shows, I have a lot of patience...


• I am an confirmed fan of Sherlock Holmes. I have read and re-read the books at least 100 times (in fact, if my memory serves me, this was the first English books set I bought, ever). Given my slightly bad memory for names, I can recite the whole plots of every single Sherlock story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ever, along with its salient points, and recite the name of the book Altamont slipped the von Bork, instead of naval signals, from memory...


• OK, let's get some things over with. I still read comics like Tintin, Asterix (though I don't like Chacha Choudhary and public that much), Enid Blyton's books and many children's books. I can watch (good) cartoons for hours, and I am a great fan of “Laurel and Hardy” (while we are at it, why couldn't anybody get the references at the end of this post? What are they showing the children now-a-days?). And, I love chocolate in any form.
  In fact, now you mention it, I must agree, I am a child at heart. (Send all your chocolates to my address, none will be wasted)


• Last but not the least, I can read almost anywhere. I read while I am walking to college, I can read while brushing my teeth, tying my shoes, getting dressed. That, combined with my excellent reading speed, gives me an edge over normal readers, so that I can bombard people with my book reviews. I have finished an entire Champak (when I was in 6th I guess) riding pillion on a scooter in 20 minutes. I have finished the 5th book in Harry Potter series (an 870 page volume) in less than 13-14 hours, in almost one sitting (the day before my project orals in my last year engineering, which is no less an achievement).

Question 3:
And this is where I get to choose my victims... *evil laugh*. You know who I mean...
So, after thinking for a long time (about 2 seconds) about who should the persons I would like to perform open-soul surgery on, I have come up with:
1.Sid (he is always ready to take up tags like the good fellow he is)
2.Silverine (though I think we will get more material out of her brother M)
3.Deepa (she seems to have taken a sabbatical from blogging, which has extended way beyond my patience)
4.Nikichan (of course, the owner of cute mee-chan must be here, right?)
5.Keshi (of course, I would like to know more about the hot ghostess apart from coffee and blueberry muffins)
6.Cuckoo (did you seriously think you wouldn't be in the list? No chance of “later” here)

And, of course anybody who wants to take up the tag, please do so... and please leave a comment here so that I can visit you in the hospital with the Get Well card after your open-soul...

The Great Eagle has spoken...

Quote of The Day:
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
- Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)

A Blog About Blogging...

I promised Nikichan I will do this tag, and I keep my promises...

So, here goes the tag...

• Are you happy/satisfied with your blog with it's content and look?
  - Look - Not completely, can be improved with some more effort, which I will put in some day.
  Content – not remotely.


• Does your family know about your blog?
  - Not my parents, but my cousins know about my blog, and read it sometimes (at least that's what they say)


• Do you feel embarrassed to let your friends know about your blog or you just consider it as a private thing?
  - No, I would like my friends to read this blog. I know most of them don't, which might explain our continued friendship. Still, they don't know what they are missing, and I would like their comments sometimes.


• Did blogs cause positive changes in your thoughts?
  - Reading blogs? Oh definitely. I am much better writer now than I was before I started reading others' blogs. (I bet you can't imagine what a bad writer I was before that now)


• Do you only open the blogs of those who comment on your blog or you love to go and discover more by yourself?
  - I am Marco Polo and Hiun- Tsiang rolled into one when it comes to blogs...


• What does visitors counter mean to you? Do you care about putting it in your blog?
  - I have a visitor count on both my blogs and an account at Google Analytics (which I check at least once a day). Go figure...


• Did you try to imagine your fellow bloggers and give them real pictures?
  - Not real pictures. But yes, I try to imagine how my fellow bloggers would look like (except the ones I already know, no imagination involved there of course)


• Admit. Do you think there is a real benefit for blogging?
  - When I am down, sad or bored, or when I have something better to do, but don't want to do it, I blog... or read blogs.


• Do you think that bloggers society is isolated from real world or interacts with events?
  - No isolation here. Bloggers blog about real world events (mostly). Of course, given the fact that it is personal POV, I keep a dish of salt near my PC.


• Does criticism annoying you or do you feel it's a normal thing?
  - Criticism makes me write better, and of course I can just ignore the comments I don't like any time I want ;)


• Do you fear of some political blogs and avoid them?
  - I don't fear anything, nor do I avoid any blogs as long as they are not seriously political. (Hooked onto “The Colbert Report” currently, so you know my inclinations)


• Did you get shocked by the arrest of some bloggers?
  - When I said blogger society is not isolated from real world, I didn't say anything about me. So, which bloggers got arrested? When? Where?


• Did you think about what will happen to your blog after you die?
  - I would like somebody to push the “Publish” button on my last post (which will be written in anticipation very soon), which would be like my epitaph. And all those who don't comment on that post, you better not believe in ghosts.


• What do you like to hear? What's the song you like to put its link in your blog?
  - My song? “Main Aisa Kyoon Hoon” - Lakshya. That's what I am. For others though, "Aane Char Aane" - Lage Raho Munnabhai


• Five bloogers to be the next "victims"?
  - Since I don't want to be a victim, I throw this open. Anybody got time/inclination, do it. Cuckoo, it is not optional for you though ;)

The Great Eagle has spoken...

Quote of The Day:
Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.
- Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary

iPod-chet

O mighty iPod, blessed be thee! Guide us with thy mighty knowledge, o descendant of Oracles (after their Annual Oracle Binge)! O son of Apollo (conceived after he came from a party at Dionysus's/Bacchus') , give our feet the direction to tread the paths of future! O disciple of Narada, help us understand the past, present and future! We entrust our life in thy hands...


This is the tag I picked up from Arti, which actually calls for “you [to] play your whole music collection with shuffle on, ask the question, leave a comment and go to next song.”

I deemed my iPod better for this task. It sounded so much like a plankchet or Magic-8 ball that I could not avoid the first para. The references to Bacchus, Binge etc. are due to the fact that currently my music list contains some 1100 odd hindi songs, many of which I haven't heard of (evidence: here) or heard before. So, it all will be a musical trip of discovery for me. So after placing an offering in front of mighty iPod (i.e. After charging it), here goes the tag:

1.How does the world see you?
Main Aisa Kyoon Hoon - Lakshya

Correct, 100/100 to the world.

2.Will I have a happy life?
Such Keh Raha Hai – Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein

Hmm... no more love for me, or am I eternally doomed to be a love-wreck? A pointer please, my dear iPod...

3.What do my friends think of me as?
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna – Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

Eternal friend and all that stuff, huh? Sure...

4.Do people secretly lust after me?
Right here Right now – Bluffmaster

Saucy... (said in my best “The Mask” voice)

5.How can I make myself happy?
Dilbara – Dhoom

A bit of cross-connection here with question 2, don't you think? Still, tujhse dil lagaoon, mein bhi family banaoon...

6.What should I do with my life?
Aazmale Aazmale – Taxi No. 9211

Ok, I am going to be a love-struck (see 5), broken-hearted (see 2) philosopher (the worst kind). So first chance you see, alert me and run away till I give all clear.
On second thoughts, “Sochta tu aur kuch hai, bolta tu aur kuch hai” - Politician or a successful manager. First sign of anything positive happening in my life.

7.Will I ever have children?
What's going on – Salaam Namaste

Given the context of the song, prospects are good... and bad, I must say. What's going on??? Matches with 5 though.


8.What is some good advise for me?
Paathshala – Rang De Basanti

Lose control? Check... I am a rebel? Check... What's next? Oh yes, chehre ki kitabein and ishq ka practical.

9.How will I be remembered?
Dheere Dheere – Kalyug

So, I will be remembered as a tanha sa chaand, who roshan's sab (lights everything)? Wow...

10.What's my signature dancing song?
Golmaal – Golmaal (new)

Golmaal Golmaal, everything's gonna be golmaal...

11.What's my current theme song?
Omkara – Omkara

Sabse bade ladaiyya re... yup, that's me

12.What do others think is my current theme song?
Aane Char Aane – Lage Raho Munnabhai

Kitne sapne the jo dil mein hi mar gayein
chadhane ke pahile hi parbat se dar gayein
Ab to chandhenge, girenge dekhenge,
Kya hai parbaton ke paar...

13.What shall they play at my funeral?
Tanha Dil – Tanha Dil (Shaan)

Spooky... and philosophical.

14.What type of men/women do I like?
Kajra Re – Bunty aur Bubli

The ones with kale kale nayana? Nope, that referes to Aishwarya Rai.

15.How's my love life?
Shikdum – Dhoom
Do I even need to comment on this?


I tag: Everybody who reads this (I didn't say anybody, so you don't have a choice). Pick this tag up.


P.S. My "new" other blog is now updated: Please check Talons on Board

The Great Eagle has spoken...

Quote of The Day:

Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!
- Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (1840-1997)

4 A Piece

After a long absence from updating the blog, I finally received the “Last Call” from Deepa regarding her tag yesterday. So I thought, I should update the blog, finally...

So, Deepa, here's the tag:

4 jobs I’ve had:
I guess only paying jobs count, so there are only 3:

• Software Engineer – first job I got, straight out of college


• Stacks assistant – in my college library, putting books back in place, dream part-time job I can get


• Programming Assistant – I think thats what I should call it

4 films I could watch again and again:
Many movies will come under this heading and I can watch parts of many more movies repeatedly, and the top honors go to:

• Andaz Apna Apna - I love eggs...


• Dil Chahta Hai – beet gayein who din


• Hera Pheri – Need any comments?


• Topgun – No surprises given that I am fighter enthusiast.

4 places I’ve lived in:
Let's count the places I have lived in for more than a month (which excludes the places I have been to for long duration camps), and exclude Pune, which is my home town

• Hyderabad – where I was trained for my first job, 4 months of fun


• Mysore – where I worked for around 1.5 years


• Stuttgart, Germany – for 2 months, onsite


• Durham, NC – where I study currently

4 TV series I like to watch:
No cable where I live, but I watched a lot of TV till I reached Durham, so:

• FRIENDS – need I say anything?


• SWAT Kats – T-Bone and Razor, who else?


• Takeshi's Castle – on Pogo, the only reality show (if you can call this that) I watch.


• CID – one of the few crime/detective serials which are not unintentionally funny (I had to omit Byomkesh Bakshi from this list as it is no longer aired)

4 places that I’ve been on vacation to:
Of course, I will omit Nasik, which being my mother's place was vacation spot of choice for every vacation.

• Manali


• Byet Okha (Dwaraka)


• Mahabaleshwar (for camp, and more importantly 2 days with my friends)


• Goa, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal, Ooty etc (Should not include this in “vacations” list, since technically this was part of our so called “Industrial tour”, but honesty compels)

4 websites I visit everyday:
Barring mail sites, and Google -

• Orkut – ok, it's not a visit, I am usually at orkut when I am online


• Google Reader – for keeping track of blogs


• Cartoon strip websites – that's Sinfest, PhD Comics, CAD and LICD. And Garfield.


• Blogger – for updating my blog and commenting on others blogs (when in US)

4 books I’d love to read again and again:
Only 4? Ok, then I must limit this to top 4 in the list (And I agree with Deepa, about 90% novels I like are worth nth reading)

• Sherlock Holmes (The Complete Adventures of ... one)


• Harry Potter Series


• Any book of PuLa


• Mrityunjay – The greatest book on any Mahabharata character

4 favorite dishes:
Difficult question, but here goes:

• Methi vegetable


• Potato slices (or what is called batatyachya kacharya in Marathi)


• Bhel, Panipuri etc chat dishes


• Any sweet dish (and that is ANY)

4 places where I’d like to be right now:
Aah, Home, Pune does not count currently as I am sitting there. So, I will start from Rank #2, discounting fiction like “with my girlfriend”:

• Nasik


• On The Round Table, with everybody in full flow – there is a big history behind this, which will come out soon. Suffice here to say that this was a real table in my friend's house which has seen some of the best hours in our life. This is where we learnt that “stomach ache due to laughter” is not a myth, repeatedly.


• Any place with my friends – As I said, we don't need a laughter club, its laugh till (and sometimes even after) you drop.


• Mysore – Ok, I miss the company campus sometimes... there, it's out.

4 people I’m gonna tag:
Many people from my friend's list are missing from blog scene. But still:

• Figo


• Kani


• Silverine


• OIJ

Again Deepa, sorry for delay...


The Great Eagle has spoken...

Quote of The Day:

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

My First (Five) Tags

My first tag... or should I say my first five tags? I have gone straight from Rookie to Ace in one post (One of the few “Ace in a day” in history of the world). Thanks Silverine. This is one big post, so grab some coffee before you start reading. Got some popcorns too? Then here go the fiTags:

5 people who top your shit list and why...

I don't hate any person/persons so strongly that I would want to kill them, or at least hit them on sight. But yes, there are some people whom I wouldn't want to meet in this life.

• George R. R. Martin: The reasons are detailed here.


• Politicians: Those who have made the reservations/caste thing a laughing stock of the nation. The laws made by them are just enough to show their vote bank that they are doing something for downtrodden, without the actual needy getting the benefit out of it.


• Fanatics: In any flavour. Let it be religious kind who think theirs is the only religion and only god in the world, or “movie star fan” types who just disrupted whole Banglore, while saying that government was at fault their star died; they cause at the minimum embarrassment and at extreme inconvenience to the world at large.


• Sonia Gandhi: I am not xenophobic and I (grudgingly) even respect her as a shrewd politician, but then the Sacrifice drama is being played one time too many for my liking.


• Mukesh Khanna: Bhishma in Mahabharat was excellent, as was the voice over in Hanuman. But then, even if you copy others to make a so called Indian Superhero, there are some things which you shouldn't do: The Hero having a girlfriend who hates or isn't even aware of his normal person avtar (cliché, ask Luis Lane or Mary Jane Watson), a power hungry scientist (clichier, "paaawar") and a villain who was a good person who turned bad (clichiest, everything from Star Wars to Green Goblin).

Close Brushes with Death/danger:
At least 3 times in my life, I have had death knocking on my door, luckily I was outdoors at the time.

• We are playing “Hide and Seek” in our yard. I finish counting numbers, and turn around to see all my friends standing on the railing looking at something. That's when I realise that while my back was turned, and my eyes closed, a cobra went past my back to our garden. Now I am a confirmed ophidiphobic.


• My first bicycle. I am riding the bicycle on the road for the first time. On the slope, I lose control hitting a pole. Just the second I fall down, a minitruck rumbles by my head


• Me and my friend are on a camping trip with a group. While on the road to Arthur seat, with backpack almost equalling my weight, I slip on the jungle trail. I slide towards the valley about 6 foot before catching a tree with both hands. Otherwise the swift descent was a definite ticket to a swifter ascent.

5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:
There is only one, and I am trying that now, by old age.

5 Guilty pleasures:

• Chocolate, I love anything that has chocolate in it.


• Chandoba, Champak, Secret Seven et al. kids' books. I love the stories of Vikram and Vetal.


• (Re)ⁿ reading Sherlock Holmes. I can recite the whole plots with all details (except the names, I am bad at remembering names)


• Salty Moong Daal, for interested people, you get this from Haldiram's. I can finish 500 gm packet all by myself. It's a legacy from my family, like my liking for coffee.


• I am a Wordsmith. I love coining new words, even when that is by joining two words together for ease of use. (e.g. FiTags = five + tags)
  

5 things you never want to forget:

This section was getting a little too big to be made a part of the post. An entire post on this (or maybe 2-3 posts) coming up soon.

5 things you wish to forget:
There are 3 or 4 such incidents. The most harmless and the only one I can disclose without embarrassing the parties involved: my IIT-JEE results (or no-results, whatever you say).

5 really exotic dishes you have tried:

• Vegetable Pulav (exotic on the account that I made it for the first time, with some exotic ingredients from Mixed Veg)


• Tiramisu (made by my brother, but not exotic for that reason, but for the taste)


• Chilli Tofu


• Kaateri Vaangemasa, a kind of fish, I think. Sorry, can't translate the name.


• Some fish I tried in a Thai restaurant in San Jose, forgot the name.

5 crushes/loves in your life... in chronological order

• Aishwarya Rai. She is so beautiful, and very elegant. A perfect lady.


• Emma Watson, the perfect Hermione Granger.

Can't remember any more.

Strangest dream you ever had:
I don't remember most of my dreams after the morning after, but the strangest one must be the one containing me, my friends on a trip to somewhere, which included a time travel somewhere in it, where we all travelled to Medieval times and got lost in Pune.

5 most valued personal possessions:
Not in any particular order:

• My Sony Vaio laptop: My latest acquisition, and believe me, it is great.


• My black i-pod: second latest, preceding the vaio by about 2 hours.


• The Mug I got from Museum Sinsheim, showing a concorde.


• My DSC P-43


• My book collection: increasing by day.

5 favourite superheroes..... and why:
I don't like Superman, because he is too invincible. I don't like Dark Angel, or any of the X-Men, because they are too dark sometimes. But I like,

• Peter Benjamin Parker/ Spiderman: A geeky Superhero if there was one ever. Most human of the lot.


• Tintin: Not exactly tights and cape clad hero, but the first man on the moon. A Belgian young reporter who reports less than he solves crime. When his team of rum-loving, quipping dog Snowy, Captain “Blue-Blistering-Barnacles” Haddock and the Prof. “slightly hard of hearing” Calculus gets on your case, believe that you are busted. Tintin has probably pulled off most escapes from improbable situations.


• Asterix: With his menheir delivery buddy Obelix (“these romans are crazy”), and the village Druid Getafix (“No obelix” “because I fell in the potion when I was a kid, I know I know”), he is the super duper (secret potion guzzling) Roman bashing machine. And oblique references to recent history (he tells Cleopatra to call the French if Egyptians ever need something like a canal to be built) make it a funnier read. Just don't get on a pirate ship when these people might be on the sea, and keep Cacofonix well tied up and gagged, and the sky will not fall on your head.


• Phantom: “Phantom is The Superhero” (an old jungle saying)


• SWAT Kats: T-bone and Razor are one of the first characters/people who started me on my addiction to everything that is flying. I spent many an afternoons (4.30 pm) lying on the couch watching Cartoon Network, just to watch Turbokat foil the Pastmaster's plan once again, and turn Commander Feral into a seething volcano.

Now comes the interesting part. 5 people I tag: Bharath, Deepa, Figo, Kani and Khushal.


Quote of The Day:

You're not Superman you know.
- Aunt May