I need a break

This has been a busy month. I have actually posted 16 posts this month and I need a break now. I am going home to relax and have some fun. So there will be no posts for a month. But one thing is sure...

I WILL BE BACK...

Wanted - Rajni has competition

Watched "Wanted" yesterday. Its is more of a comedy than an action-thriller. There is some good action. But otherwise it's typical Rajnikanth-type movie. I can accept that a bullet can travel a parabolic path but in the movie they even travel along a circle. WTF ? But if you don't wanna think much, this is a good way to pass 90 minutes.

Godspeed Mr. Gates

Today is Bill Gates' last day as an employee of Microsoft. I have kept no secrete of how I hate Microsoft products released after Windows 98-SE (except probably Windows-2000NT). But most would agree when I say that he is one of the most shrewd businessman in the world. And I immensely respect him for that. (hemant, at least now stop calling me his arch-nemesis ;-) ). I want to dedicate this short and mostly pointless post (for most of you) to Bill Gates. I hope he does equally well in whatever he decides to do next.

Good Luck Mr. Gates...

Sweet summer sweat...

Today was the first day in year 2008 when I sweat without doing anything physically tiring.... This confirms that summers is finally here.

Piano is a string instrument

I always thought that Piano works on the same principle as Organ or Harmonium. But today I saw a program on Piano making. They actually put strings in side it which are hammered when a note is played...
That was a news for me :-)

Our worst nightmare

There was a very interesting program on CNN today. It just looked at the current oil crisis in a hypothetical "what-if" way. I must appreciate the creativity of the reporter who made that feature. Imagine what will happen if...

1) On some day in September 2009, a category-5 hurricane devastate state of Texas, especially all the oil refineries.
2) Gas prices rock the stock markets as 25% of USA's oil is processed in Texas.
3) Osama Bin Laden sees this and plans an innovative attack.
4) Two days later, Saudi Arabia's two biggest oil-export ports are bombed in 9/11 fashion.
5) Oil prices cross $9 mark in United States..
6) Energy war starts and total chaos ensues.

Isn't our dependence on oil worth the concern....

Not so incredible Hulk

Today for the first time after coming to United States, i saw a movie in a movie hall. Not that I don't like movies but I did not have easy access to a car (and there is no direct bus route to the hall ;-) ) until very recently.

Hulk - The Incredible, the name itself tells you what to expect. It has some good graphics. Creature(s) jump around New York city, causing losses worth a billion dollars. It also has a some ridiculously unbelievable, typical sci-fi stuff (e.g. cells turning from green to red and then green again) which can be passed as "visualization" of script-writer's ideas. On the whole it is an OK movie if you want to enjoy a nice Friday evening with friends. But incredible..... well thats a bit too much. Do watch it though if you have nothing constructive to do...

I wanna go home ...

It's been almost 11 months. Longest I have been away from my folks. And I can feel it. A lot of things, good, bad and ugly, have happened in this time. I have been counting down days for last two months. Last few weeks have been few of the least productive weeks.

It is true that there is anything in Mumbai that I cannot get here (except may be "Burf ka Gola"). In fact, life in Lansing is much more comfortable than that in Mumbai. Lansing has pure pollution-free air. It has good people. It has nice climate. It virtually has NO traffic. It has peace. But it lacks the thing I want the most ... my family. And thats what I matters the most.

I don't have slightest idea why am I writing this. Nearer the day of departure comes, more I feel the pain of staying away home... Probably this will just ease the pain a bit.

I can drive :-)

This had been dragging on and on for a long time. But finally, it's done. I can now drive on my own in state of Michigan.

I can't live.... With or without you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

I've always liked this song by U2 since I heard it for the first time. But these days it sounds even more touchy... Feels as if it is speaking my heart out. It is something I want to say out loud to someone but I myself have closed all the windows and shut all the doors

Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

With or without you
With or without you
I cant live With or without you

My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose

My Acer Aspire 5052N is no more...

I am not sure how much worse this month is going to be...

My trusted friend of sixteen months, my laptop is dead. And none other than my carelessness is to be blamed for it. After all it was me who did not think once before biking in rain with my back pack on....

I could have lost all of my research work. I could have lost my music collection which was built with fair amount of efforts. Above all could have lost some of the memories I had treasured. Thanks to few good friends who recovered it.

But the fact remains that I have no laptop now. That means I will be cut from the cyber world for 16 hours a day. No more online movies, no more nonsense downloads. Worst of all... no more chatting with friends. i am finding it impossible to imagine life without it.

स्वर टिपेचा

I could not find lyrics of this song in Devnagari. So I just transliterated them. I am posting just in case anyone else needs it.

स्वर टिपेचा आज वेचा रे उद्या फुटणार काचा
जायचे जातील पाहू सोहळा उरतील त्यांचा

विस्मरुया आज सारे रंग ज्वाळेचा चितेच्या
चुंबनचा रंग प्राशू लाज ओल्या रक्तिम्याचा

देहही नव्हता तपस्वी जीवही नव्हता कलंदर
झोपताना फक्त कुरवाळून घ्याव्या विद्धटाचा

संगतीला दोन हिरवे हात घेऊन चाललो मी
थाटण्या संसार ग्रिष्माच्या शिरेवर पावसाचा

-संदीप खरे
The song is written by Sandeep Khare.

I am not sure if the lyrics are correct. I did not even understand meaning of the song fully. Feel free to let me know for any suggestions/comments.

P.S. I am not sure if this is a copyright violation. If it is then please let me know and I will take this post off my blog.

Tornadooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I was practicing for my driving test, a friend of mine instructing me. I was taking a left turn entering a parking lot. And I saw it. From my left a wall of dust was fast approaching me. It was hardly 50 yards away. I had just entered the parking lot when it devoured us. The whole world around me went dark and dusty. I was unable to see. Only thing I realized was that I was in the wrong lane and could be heading directly toward any car coming out of the lot. I just got glimpses of a vacant space and I parked.

The dust cloud passed us in less than a minute. Everything was clear now and I could see broken branches of trees frantically flying with the wind. It was raining insanely. Everyone else in the lot were equally shocked as us, hurrying toward their cars. We decided to switch places so that my friend can take control of the steering wheel. And I opened the door to get out of the car. Oh boy..... the door was just banged open by the wind. I was feeling the push of wind. By the time I entered from he other door of the car I had realized, this was no ordinary hail storm I had seen so far. And then we heard the sirens ranting. It was confirmed ... this was a tornado...

We took the shortest possible road to my home. Nothing really happened after that. the tornado passed as quickly as it came. It did scared us a bit. But the experience was thrilling. Next time, I want to be ready with my camera.

?

Its still Thursday. Each passing day feels like a year. This week is turning out to be pretty turbulent. A lot of things have happened. My entire life has changed upside down. I have taken few painful decisions. I have no idea whether what I did was good or bad. Neither do I want to pass any judgment.Only time will tell...

I did what I did because I had to. Mostly I did not have any choice than accepting what fate had to offer. In some cases, I did have choices but I decided to ignore them. I have no idea what am I going to do now. I often used to say this to a very good friend of mine that my life is like a sinking ship and I am its captain who can't do anything but watch it sink and despair. I have no idea where am I going... or what am I doing...

Intimations of Immortality

From Intimations of Immortality

what though the radiance which was once so bright
be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find-
Strength in what remains behind

- William Wordsworth

Women

You may know them for 20 years but still they continue to puzzle you. And stand in front of you as complete strangers...