Dream Girl

He first saw her just after she wore her helmet and started the ignition of her bike. Something of her caught his attention. It was her long flowing tresses. He wanted to get a glimpse of the lovely face. Yes...lovely face. He was sure that she definitely had a lovely face, her tresses complimenting her.

He was seconds late, she had her helmet on, was about to speed off, her wavy hair gleaming in the sun, soft and silky, he wanted to feel it. What was happening? He was attracted to her. An impulse told him that he should not let go of her. He wanted to know her. It was all happening in a jiffy. He had to decide his next move quickly. But she was already leaving the place.

He knew!! He knew he had to follow her. Off he went, started his vehicle and sped. He spotted her riding few yards away. He decided to follow her. She had a perfect height and was slim. He was dreaming about such a woman all these days. He was observing her as she sped ahead of him, her faded jeans, her shoes....He just wanted a glimpse of her.

He did not know how long he had to follow her, but he decided he wont quit unless he saw her. He continued to follow her for a while. She slowed down her vehicle, he noticed it was the traffic signal. It was noon and the roads were virtually empty due to the sultriness and the heat. He squeezed his way so that he could stand beside her. The digital clock at the signal showed 148 seconds more.

His mind was racing fast, should he initiate a conversation? Should he continue to follow her? He could not take his eyes off her flowing hair. He wanted to feel the softness of her tresses, forget himself!!

To his luck, she took off the helmet and when he saw her, he was awe-struck.............

For he saw a perfect and neatly maintained goatee.

Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

I read Gayathri's latest post on "Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara". She had linked the video too. I did comment on her post, but I want to shun it more and vent out my anger some more. So this post!

That was the first time I was seeing the video. A couple of my friends told me about it, I wanted to watch the new version. But didn't find the time to tune into Zoom and wait for it. But I am glad that I didn't take that trouble, because its just not worth it!!

I recall how much I loved that song "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" on National Integration, I still tune in to DD just to watch this song. It makes you feel good, feel good about the country, the essence is purely patriotism. The actors in that song was just like a common man, who truly represents India. The simplicity of the song; its a legacy in itself. The new one doesn't stand anywhere near the old humble and sweet song.

The new one lasts for 16 odd minutes, the tune is different, the ordering of the languages are different, few languages are dropped!!. And more than that, it seems to sell Bollywood more than anything else. Its packaged to promote celebrities, their spouse and their kids. Yesudas and his son, Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amitabh and family, Dr L Subramaniam and his family.........

Are we not fed up of seeing Mr Amitabh and is son and daughter-in-law in almost all commercials? We see them in his video too. And the 3 Khans - out of which Salman must be mentioned. He features with a vest; thankfully he was not shirtless.

And Deepika Padukone; what was she wearing??? Was she advertising toilet soap? What did Karan Johar, Shiamak Dhavar, Ranbir Kapoor do for national unity and integration?

They wanted to sell Bollywood, why take such novel and pure thing and use it for their selfish needs? Do we have to look up to them to feel patriotic and derive inspiration? A plastic Sonu Nigam; expressionless ; expect to arouse a patriotic emotion? Shahid Kapoor as rockstar!!!

Is 21st century India only about movies and those all empty film stars? Where is the common man who truly represents India? Where is the culture we are proud of? We get to see a couple of sports personalities at the end; 1 minute or so of that 16 minutes song; otherwise its only actors and actresses!! Where are the real heroes? Where is Dr. Kalam? Where is Ratan Tata? Where is E Sreedharan? Where are the commandos who fought during 26/11? Where are the real folk artists who breathe and live art? Show Nano!! Show Chandrayaan mission!! Our achievements!! where was it all?

It was really disgusting to see talented artists like ARR and others participating in this purely commercialised venture. With all glam no substance, all jazzed up and no life!!

Reel life heroes are NOT Real life heroes!!

Its disgusting! Insult to the older legacy. MILE SUR MERA TUMHARA......they have mucked up the whole intent!!
Very very sad, doesn't deserve even a mention.

The Chinese Lucky Tag

:-) Anything 'Chinese' raises eyebrows huh. I read Antarman's post out of curiosity; it was a tag. She had done it beautifully. I was tagged, so taking it up.

Warning: I am not feeling sleepy; slept for 3 hours in the evening; so to kill time; the tag here. Skip it if its boring!

8 TV shows/News Channels I like to watch

I am no TV freak, now that not many nice stuffs are shown on TV. I tend to watch TLC a lot. Yet, let me try....

1. Nigella Bites on Discovery TLC : I just love the way she describes the food; so sensuous.

2. The Week That Wasn't on CNN-IBN : Rib-tickling humor by Cyrus Broacha and Kunal Vijaykar

3. Super Swank on Discovery TLC : Show on over the top luxury where money is no barrier and every whim is indulged

4. The Foodie on Times Now : Kunal Vijayka's indulgence in food makes you crave for it right away!

5. Passport to Great Weekends on TLC : Travel show by Samantha Brown. I so envy her!!

6. No Reservations on TLC : Anthony Bourdain has really no reservations in where he goes and what he eats!

Hmm...pretty much done

8 Places to eat and dine : Few eateries that I loved and would want to go back for the food, the ambiance....

1. The Cheesecake Factory in Farmer's Market, LA
2. Saravana Bhavan, Chennai
3. Millers 49 Steak House, Bangalore
4. Taqueria Canonita - Mexican restaurant beside the Grand Canal in The Venetian, Las Vegas
5. Kabab Studio, Bangalore
6. Riverwalk Tandoor, Singapore
7. Thea Mediterranean , San Jose, CA
8. Fern Hill Palace, Ooty

8 Things I look forward to

This is getting difficult. Let me se....Hmmm......

1. Feeling sleepy so that I can hit the bed
2. A great week ahead
3. Meeting a couple of my friends.
4. Bit of travelling
5. Buying Nikon D40........................................Gautam, get ready!!! :-P
6. Getting a tattoo...........................................Might be difficult :-(
7. Some breather at work
8. Pick up few books.................Its some time since I read something!!

8 Things that happened yesterday

Its mostly work!! Might be boring.

1. My team mate and a good friend commented on my outfit and accessories....(As usual)
2. Bid farewell to one of my team mates. It was his last working day. Gifted him a lovely watch
3. Went out for lunch. Ate alright!
4. Interviewed a couple of candidates for openings at work. Phew!! finally selected 1 after rejecting quite few :-S
5. Gave some gyan to a friend on his love relationship :-D
6. Finished a product design specification document after dragging it for a long long time....Yiepppie!!!
7. Didn't cook food at home, was lazy :-D
8. Paid my cellphone bill :-D

8 Things I love about Winter

Ooooooh...winters...I love them!

1. Layers of clothing
2. Only Jeans and no Salwars for me :-P
3. Snugging inside the thick blanket and waking up late
4. Hot cup of coffee
5. The fog and the mist
6. Monkey caps
7. No heat, dust and grime
8. Shivering!!

8 Things on my Wish list

Hmmm....oh my!! its turning out difficult. Should I be philosophical or just casual?

1. To pursue photography. I want to be half as good as my friend Gautam. Hope I learn fast!!
2. To study further...But lazy that I am, I don't know!!
3. To visit as many countries as possible in my life time and with my financial position...its too ambitious!! But yeah a wish is a wish!!
4. Learn a foreign language - Spanish? French?
5. Try to be shrewd and rough...Can I?? Oh God!!
6. Learn to manage my finance well....at least decent enough
7. A Tattoo!!!! Get a tattoo...but it might be difficult
8. A BMW :-D

8 Things I am Passionate About

1. Reading
2. Photography
3. Music
4. Blogging
5. Sleeping....zzzzzzzzzzzz........
6. Learning new things
7. Animals
8. Maintain silence and calm

8 Words/Phrases I often use

1. Yeah right!!
2. Fine!
3. What the heck!!
4. For what joy?
5. Dear me!!
6. Classic!!
7. Oh!
8. Tata!

8 Things I learnt from the past

1. Never be dependent
2. Go by your rules
3. Be answerable to yourself and your conscience.
4. Never expect, it only hurts.
5. Be assertive.
6. Work smart
7. Everything has a reason to occur
8. Its OK if you don't do good to others, but don't do anything bad

8 Places I would like to visit

Let me name the countries :-D

1. Italy
2. Egypt
3. Morocco
4. Peru
5. Greece
6. France
7. Mauritius
8. Brunei

Anyone game??

8 Things I currently need/want

Nothing really!! :-)

PS : I am not tagging anyone. Anyone interested can take this up :-)

Why is it a not a teethbrush?

I was net-hopping when I came across this statement - "Toothbrush was invented in Kentucky. If it was invented in any other place, they would have named teethbrush"

I did get a chuckle out of this. Now...here...my curiosity...Sometimes it doesn't listen to me. And I become a slave of my inquisitive mind. Immediately, the curiosity in me took me under control and I involuntarily surrendered to my thought process, digging on the Internet for a possible relation between Kentucky and Toothbrush.

First, I began searching on who invented the toothbrush. I got information on how twigs, miswak, roots etc were being used. The Chinese invented the modern toothbrush in 1400s, the first mass-production of toothbrush in England in 1700s. Then I came across a snippet about first US patent for toothbrush was awarded to H.N Wadsworth in 1857.

So there I thought I got a lead. I checked if Wadsworth belonged to Kentucky, no leads. I did read some interesting funny thoughts about why its called a toothbrush and not a teethbrush even though we have teeth.
Few ideas were like "The person who invented it had just one tooth". "People were so unhygienic in older times that they had just one tooth left over or mostly toothless"....and so on.

I still didn't get an idea as to why Kentucky. There were similar statements that I came across on the Internet but this time replaced with Arkansas and then one more with Tennessee. Check the below link.

http://www.drug3k.com/forum/Dental/Why-do-they-call-it-a-toothbrush-if-we-have-many-teeth-7240.htm

"Toothbrush was invented in Arkansas. If it was invented in any other place, they would have named teethbrush"

"Toothbrush was invented in Tennessee. If it was invented in any other place, they would have named teethbrush"

"Toothbrush was invented down south. If it was invented in any other place, they would have named teethbrush"

Now what is common between Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee? My curious nature just could not stop and there I go Google Maps.
I see all these states are in south-east of USA. So those statements were actually a mockery of the intelligence of the people down south? I don't know!!

Whatever....after probing..I got the right answer, and here I am putting it in simple words.

The word is made up of two nouns - "tooth" and "brush"; thus its an compound noun; but the two words are written together. The first word "tooth" describes the second word "brush" and it gives a character to the second word.

The first word "tooth" thus acts as an adjective and becomes an "attribute noun". As it acts as an adjective, it follows the

* rule of NOT PLURALIZING ADJECTIVES.
* Gives importance to the TYPE of element its relating to rather than "NUMBER".

E.g . shoe rack, footrest, toothpaste, nail enamel, hairbrush......


Tell me I am not crazy :-|

Artfully Lethargic

OK, I am getting nostalgic. I guess 'nostalgic' is too exaggerated a word; because 'those' days I am talking about were just 3 weeks back.

Yeah....just about 3 weeks back, I spent my entire 8 hours at work in meetings, discussions and technical presentations. Presentations are hectic, discussions are interesting but meetings....hmmm...I am not a fan of them. Especially when the meetings are just a monopoly when only one talks and everyone else......snoozes.............Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

Restless that I am, I very soon get bored of meetings or for that matter; anything where I have to sit and be passive. I don't know what is wrong with me that I cant sit at one place for more than 10 minutes. There was no need at school as my teachers always made the topic interesting. College was a different league; got bored very easily; restlessness started then.

But I didn't want myself to sleep or feel lethargic. I didn't want to day dream; I wanted to keep myself occupied with something else effective. I have been carrying that legacy while at work too. I started DOODLING. Well, this one requires concentration!! at a different level.

My favorite environment in Yahoo Chat is Doodles. Few of the doodles have transformed into nice paintings. I doodle while on the phone. Give me a paper and a pen, and I can doodle while tapping my keyboard :-P

I started the same during office meetings. My notepad has more doodles than important information. I was caught off-guard a couple of times when my manager asked me to jot down minutes of meeting. But I would never give up my favorite activity. :-); for it helps a person's memory significantly :-D

So start DOODLING people and improve your memory!!

Few of my doodle collections











Yahoo Chat Doodle

My Name is BOND.....

How many of you are happy with your name? Would I get a decent count? Hmmmm.....I guess not many. I have always felt my mom could have named me with something "nice".

And this "nice" is what one likes...for some weird reason. You really don't know, but you have few favorites and wished you had this name.

There are reasons for people to feel embarrassed about their names. Awkward names....I had this classmate in my engineering whose name was "ANAL shah". Poor Anal....:-P

There are few names which lifts your spirits. A boy from my school had this name - "Bright Joy". Wow!! how much more optimism do you need? I also know a guy whose name is "Happy Mon(mone in Malayalam) and his brother "Nice Mon" :-D Such names brings happiness.

There are few other gender independent names. You cant figure out if it belongs to a guy or a girl. "Apoorva", "Kiran", "Vachan". It puts both parties in embarrassment. "Hello Mr Apoorva, how may I help you? " - only to hear a female's voice!!!

And yes!! I have come across people who have 3-4 names. But why?

Hey Sid, please send me your resume.
Sid, you have sent someone else' by name Rajesh!
But its my resume, my official name is Rajesh.
OK, what other names do you have?
My friends call me Ranjit, my official name is Rajesh, my mom calls me Siddharth and my colleagues at work call me Sid.......

Umppphhhhhh!!!!

What do you think about these names - "Min-Y", "Pin-I-Pai", "Ben-Hsu", "Khoa"........these are all South East Asian names. You would die trying to pronounce then correctly; without offending the owner of these names.

Awwww....the surnames. Surnames originate from caste, family names, native towns. People from southern part of India generally have initials instead of surnames. Most of them do. The initials are generally the first letter of father's name. While filling in promotion report for Bright Joy, one of my teachers gave him tough time asking him awkward questions as to why he didn't have an initial. He was fruitlessly trying to explain that his father's name was "Joy"!! But to no avail.

And few surnames are rather best forgotten. No "Godse" would want to name his son "Nathuram". Or how about a "Mittal" in your surname. You would be constantly tired of denying that you don't relate to Laxmi Mittal in any ways. But you do end up feeling good about being asked if you relate to Ambani or Mittal or Mahindra!!

Few of them would want to name their kids after celebrities, so a remote village in southern India would have girls named as "Aishwarya Rai" and a boy would be named "Amitabh Bachan"

Talking of celebrities, why do they end up naming their kids as weird as possible? "Apple"?....Next what? "Cucumber"?

My name is a two syllable word. Many people ask me "That's it?" Huh!! Yes, that is it. Did it end before it began? Not my problem, ask my mom. I was called by various names, before she had her way. Ladies have the final say. But my surname is so long that it crosses the character limit in visa application forms :-(

It is a concatenation of my father's and my grandfather's name. I was cross verified at JFK Airport as my surname was chopped off by that computer which generated my E-Ticket. It was scary to be cross verified; I was already late for the flight!!

Few people call me BONDS. Here is the story behind it. We friends went to a bowling alley. Each one was trying to help the guy feed the names so that we could start playing. My friends were so excited that each one spelled out my name and what the guy who was typing understood was BONDY.

BONDY became BONDS. Few of my friends call me BONDS.

My name is BOND :-)

Macro Madness

I got some breather today after a devilish week that went by, including weekend. I had to slog myself out; so much so that I didn't realize when Pongal came and went by, when the solar eclipse happened. :-(

I took a break from my work for few minutes yesterday; wanted to do something else. So as usual, I started clicking things around at home. Here they are.

Macro shots with no flash and low light :-)

Blushing Bridegroom


Wanted to see how this would turn up having the lens so close to the object. Pretty satisfactory!!


Looks like a Jewelery advertisement :-D


Shells colored in pink


Where is Micky Mouse?


To keep things in place.....a glittery clip :-)


One cent has never been this beautiful :-) This was with flash on; the shadow is the spoiler :-(
Fire is so beautiful...lest you are away!!