Eternal Sunshine...

shawshank redemption

2009-11-15T23:31:00.003+05:30

Saw this movie recently - again.

and simply loved it - again.

I think it is among the most brilliant movies ever made. the most intelligent scripts ever written, nearly flawless. It feels like the writer has lived in prison all his life - been institutionalized. The acting is amazing. the dialogues r unforgettable. and above all, it moves you. it takes you along with its ebbs n flows. when Tommy dies, u feel sad. and when Andy gets the better of the warden, u feel jubilant. And it is truly a triumph of the human spirit.

abt eternal sunshine n me.

2009-11-15T23:29:00.001+05:30

For the record, we never broke up. We just had a 20 month vacation. :)

Still.

2008-01-01T14:36:00.000+05:30

the open door
overloooking the afternoon sun
a pair of sandals
basking in the sunshine.. especially after the chilly night
the lonely quadrangle
except for a cleaner doing his midday chore

the Taskbar says Master CV, Class schedules
and the Now Playing list with some new songs

the piano prelude..

o re paakhi, o re paakhi
kaisa yeh tera fasana

dhoonde hain kyu, daari daari
har pal ek naya thikana

These quiet afternoons would be
remembered as much as:

the Jetty
the Tyre Raid
the Man Game Puja
the walk along side the lake to the lecture hall
the 5 min chai n sutta break during Lectures
the noisy discussions that resonate in the square
the Dramatics Cell performances at the Audi
the quad cricket sessions on december afternoons
the Freshers, the Badla, the Jobbers and the GGP

Spoiler Alert!

2007-12-27T19:45:00.000+05:30

I have my doubts.
Doubts about how it could be real and about what is real and what is not. If you somehow convince yourself about the technicalities, 6 doubts remain.
In ascending order of importance:

When he went there for the 2nd time, why did K go there alone?
Why were the attendants at the Call Center wearing veils? Symbolic? Of what?
When did they cut his fingers?
How did he get to the 5th stage?As far as I can remember he only smoked thrice:1st when he went all the way to Africa. 2nd when his friend forced him to. And 3rd in front of the detectives.
How did he dream about Siberia before he enrolled into the program?
How did K not have any withdrawal symptoms when was forced to quit smoking? He was a chain smoker after all!

Gibberish?

Go. Watch "No Smoking"!

PS: Do let me know if you have other doubts.

The Management 'Types' - Part 1

2007-11-07T13:23:00.000+05:30

This one was long overdue, considering that Ive been in this place for over a year now and that this place must be the breeding ground for fellow 'judgemental-types'.( Ariel, Vini u would have simply loved it in here!)

Disclaimers, before I actually go about defining the 'Types'. One, it is not all black and white. A person could, would and should fall into more than one of the Types. I have been pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion to find someone who has been typoed behaving totally differently than expected. But the Type is generally the more dominant in them. Alright, occasionally they might act differently. But dont you dare change their Type because more often than not, the next day they would be back to being their normal selves. Two, I dont hate, loathe, despise any of these Types. I simply judge them.

Ok, here goes:
The 1st one is the Judgemental Type. (Well, have to say it. This is also where I belong) They are the paragons of righteousness. They are the gatekeepers that control the destinies of others around them! or so they think. These 'Little Professors' walk with their heads down and their hands behind their back. They are always thinking. You are constantly under their microscope. They are just waiting to tag you. They are just waiting for you to commit that one big mistake! These are those who you would typically find saying, 'he is a ch!#$', 'he is a freerider', or 'he is a glober'. Well, not all of them are so in-your-face! There are the more subtle ones also. These are more dangerous. You would not realize that they belong to this type. These are typically the analytical ones. One way of tracking them- albeit not a foolproof one- is to see if they have a 99 percentile on their CAT DI and Anat section.

The judgemental types deserve more space as there is lot of diversity among them. Typically at B schools, you learn giving structure to every thing. You learn a lot of models like the BCG model, the Porters 5 forces etc. The judgemental types are the ones that have an inclination for these models. They form their own models based on which they judge. One model I know of is the 'CG' model. This model judges people based on their 'cgpa'. e.g. ' that guy is all crap, but he is a 7 pointer-so he must be a stud!' or 'this one makes sense, but he is a 5 pointer!' Btw, it is not all hunky-dory for this type. Judgement kinda becomes a habit for them. They themselves dont escape their own scanners. Infact they end up judging themselves the most. They put up the best behaviour that their model suggests. But Alas! Their model is not a universal one and they might themselves end up being typoed as a 'Ch%#$' in someone elses model.

Then there are the 'Glob' types. First of all, let me define 'glob' for you. Glob is a B school term for gas, fart etc. These charecters have a penchant for talking. They can 'glob' about absolutely anything under the sun. Now since I have decided on being stereotypical, let me leave no stone unturned. These are the ones that generally take up all the marketing and the behavioural science courses. And they are genuinely good at it. They are the ones asking most questions in the most 'glob' subjects. They end up scoring A pos in Marman, Indian Social Structure and Business Ethics. There are sub types in this type also. The very blatant ones are the ones that open their mouth first and think later. The more subtle ones know something about everything. These are the more difficult ones to catch because they are very confident at whatever they say. But eventually they do get caught. They only have to meet someone more knowledgeable on a particular topic.

There are quite a few types to follow. The 'gyaan' types, the 'always-in-sleep' types, the 'out-to-change-the-system', the 'Fighter' types. But this has already become quite a long post. So I ll save these for next time.

So, till next time.
Chao!

Option Strategies

2007-11-05T00:38:00.000+05:30

just.. for quick reference :)

Covered Call: long stock + short call
Bull Spread: long call + short call further out of the money; stock price to increase within a certain range
Bear Spread: long put + short put further out of the money; stock price to decrease within a certain range
Butterfly: Long call + long call further out of the money and short 2 calls midway between the 2 long calls; stock price to remain constant
Straddle: long put + long call at same strike price; stock price to change drastically
Strangle: long put + long call at a higher strike price

.. am I missing something?
.. coming up next: Option Greeks and Exotic Options

PS: this is to remind me of the times I did nothing!

We are the champions!

2007-09-26T23:12:00.000+05:30

There was nothing between the 2 sides. That ball could have gone anywhere. Luckily for India, it fell in Shreesanth's lap. All of us jumped out of the sofa in anticipation. And so must have everyone all over the country. And then it took a few moments to sink in. World Champions! Albeit T20 World Cup. For once India knows how it feels to be on the winning side of a global competition. We now know how the Australia would have felt in 1999, 2003 and 2007, though that might be a case of diminishing marginal utility. How Pakistan felt in 92 and Sri Lanka in 96.

But does it feel so much more when you r on the other side? Much worse when you are on the losing side than good when you r on the winning side. I can imagine how Misbah-ul-Haq would have felt. That photo on Cricinfo captures it all. Ecstasy for some, despair for the rest. The heartbreak of being so close, yet so far. It might take a life time to get that opportunity again, that shot at the championship. In the life of many players it may never come again. That is the worst part of quadrennial tournaments, and that is also what makes them so special!

The South African Party

2007-09-23T01:34:00.000+05:30

The organizers of the inaugural T20 World cup couldn't have asked for more. Explosive batting, nail biting finishes, 6 sixes in an over, a tied match...and the icing on the cake: an India Pakistan final! Just when ODIs were becoming a tad monotonous, T20 is a welcome respite.

Cricket is a game of a bygone era. Games lasting for 5 days. Players and umpires dressed in white. Run rates-though they have been improving of late- being puny 3 storey buildings of the 70s than the 20 storey scyscrappers of the new millenium. Well dont get me wrong here. I am an avid fan of Test match Cricket. It is the best game that can ever be. Same players adapting to different conditions. WACA being the bounciest track, Kingsmead and Headingley offering the most lateral movement. the swing of Lords and the spin of Eden Gardens or Chepauk. Matches swaying from one team to the other just because some dark clouds suddenly showed up. Shane Warne weaving his web around the batsman. Steve Waugh taking on the deadly duo of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh on a lively Sabina Park track with his best weapon, grit. Glen McGrath's perfection. Virender Sehwag's flair. Saqlain Mushtaq's guile. Inzamam's lazy elegance. Wasimbhai creating magic with leather. Rahul Dravid taking a hit on his ribs so that the next batsman can murder the English bowling attack later. Test matches are the truest test of a sportsman's charecter. There is aggression here, but more subtle than the blatant T20 format. Skill and flair may be the lead actors, but temperament and patience are important supporting actors. Test Match Cricket is and shall always be the game of glorious uncertainities. It would have an audience in every era.

But it's just a part of me saying that. Another part of me belongs to this fast paced, high adreniline times. After a hectic day's work, there's nothing like going to Hard Rock Cafe and enjoying some good music with friends. Or heading out to the movies. I dont have an entire day to spare for Test cricket or even for One day cricket. So for this high action, slam dunk kinda lifestyle, Twenty 20 cricket is an apt reply. It gets over in 3 hrs flat. And every minute of those 3 hrs is pure entertainment. If you look deep it is the same 50 over format with those boring overs between 15 and 40 cropped and the hard hitting power plays retained.

And it is not all hard hitting either. With sporting wickets offering something to the bowlers like the one we've had at Kingsmead during the WC, there is a genuine contest between bat and ball. The batsman have to keep innovating. The bowlers need to think on their feet. And it all happens very fast; one moment you're cruising along, the next your in a deep hole.

This format is here to stay. But while it stays, I hope it doesnt poach into the other formats. T20 can at best be one very well made trailer for a blockbuster movie. And while I hope, I am also eagerly awaiting the Indian Premier T20 league to begin, with matches every week. And I hope it provides the same value for money as has this WC. While that will have to wait a tad longer, I am eagerly awaiting the clash of the subcontinent giants on Monday at the bullring.

Are you watching it too?

River, rocks, tents, Whisky, safari, Bhutan, teen patti, general dabba!

2007-09-08T02:03:00.000+05:30

It was a good trip.

2 days into the trip, I felt as if Id been there forever. And the 7 days that were to follow seemed never ending. There were sunny days, there were cloudy days, there were windy nights, there were murky evenings, there was the full moon and there was the rain... morning, afternoon, evening, night, whenever, always! And it seemed like a cloud burst each time. Then there were pricky track pants, wet towels, K750i with Jim Morrison's 'The End', non-drying shoes and broken slippers... ah! about wet shoes and broken slippers: initially everyone was very concerned about the shoes getting wet and removed them while crossing the river. But, what the heck!! Aren't shoes supposed to get wet on adventure trips... and then kept for drying for the next 4 days! While they are drying, you put ur slippers on and when one of them breaks, the love-hate u feel with each step you take...

The base camp changed constantly. First we were staying in tents with no electricity, along the rocky, wild river. Next we were in cottages amidst green paddy fields. Then we were put up in rooms alongside a lone railway track in the wildlife sanctuary. And we trekked everywhere: on the river bed (twice), amidst lush tea gardens, through the small pathway in the jungle and on the steep hill. The food was simple: Dal, chawal, aloo, parwal, poori with dal for breakfast. And it was uniform: we travelled across North Bengal and the sameness of the food at each place was remarkable. Then there were the Fears: The fear of leaches. The fear of slipping from top of a very steep slope. The fear of falling into the wild river. The fear of the Royal Bengal Tiger making a sudden appearance from the dark.

And then the gang. 9 unknown people and it was as if we were friends for a long time. DumbC, Bluff, teen patti with matches and beedis replacing the money, whisky with Limca and water, tandoor... constant case taking, singing aloud, 'Chaiyya-Chaiyya' on the jeep, discussions: strategy discussions, culture discussions, love discussions, 'on a high by the railway track' discussion, 'on the rocks in the moonlight' discussions, people discussions, undergrad discussions, 'no' discussions, 'UP-Bihar politics in the toilet of a crowded unreserved compartment of the Guwahati-Bangalore express' discussions...

Navy blue and brown

2007-08-22T17:33:00.001+05:30

I just have to have to go to Ladakh sometime. sooner than later. was planning last year, but the timing was wrong, Rohtang pass remains closed in May. this year too it dint work out, the timing was alrite, but i dint have enuf time. and no company!

A friend had just been there. Alone! adore him for that. and he just sent across the pics. they look awesum. better than the pics Id seen before. Ladakh is so colourful; yet there are not many colours, just 2 infact, blue and brown. The sky is blue. not azure, but blue. and the lakes, they are like gigantic mirrors. and in between there is brown. miles of brown. miles of nothingness. rocks, sand, pebbles, all brown!! It's like uve entered a painting, not that of an expert, no skill, no finesse. a kid's painting; just took the tubes and sprayed them across the canvas. got the shades all wrong too.. simple, innocent, naive!

I just have to go there!

Information

2007-08-14T14:31:00.000+05:30

If you know things that others dont, dark things, bad things, things that are twisted and gnarled, you have value. You have the greens and you have the power. Why else do you think the investment banks are so powerful. If I tell you that the oil industry is what it is today because a few investment banks want it to be so, it would sound incredible. They are the Barbarians at the Gate, guarding your destiny of corporate existence. And you thought it was all about how innovative your firm's strategy is!

Information flows very slowly. And as it flows further downstream, it loses value. The earlier you capture it, the richer you are. By the time you and I go long based on the information available in the public domain, those smart people there are selling the same assets and raking in all the moolah!

So the bottomline is: You dont need capital. You dont need foresight. You dont need to have that elusive business idea that would create wealth for you or thousands of people around you. All you need to be is smart to read between the lines or to have the right contacts.

Sepia and Chai, early morning.

2007-08-01T14:54:00.000+05:30

After a night out completing the BizVal project, I was only too tired and sleepy to accompany fellow wingies to the roadside 'tapri' for an early morning session of chai, 'Gugni' and 'bakar'. However, I reluctantly agreed and I am glad I did.

0530 in Calcutta is more the 0630 in Bombay. Being out so early after such a long time actually made me a bit nostalgic. The whiff of fresh morning air, the tinge of humidity in the air and the pale blue of the sky were reminiscent of those summer days of lining up at the first sight of dawn at the cycle shop for the best cycle, the one that had 14 painted on it OR of waking up early on 1st day of vacations, which also coincided with the South Indian New Year and making a morning trip to the temple with friends.

The subsidized chai was refreshing accompanied with some typical B school glob. Gugni with 'Anda pav' lived up to its expectation of being one of the most edible dishes in and around campus. The hordes of tapris, the numerous cyclists and cycle rickshaw pullers, the Ambassadors lined up at the taxi stand and the blue KMC buses zooming past at the DH road made an ideal setting for the creative mind. What ensued was an impromptu photo shoot, of experimentation with light, with angles, with still and moving objects and with 'Sepia' and 'Black and White'.

Then the slow walk back and much awaited sleep, not before uploading some of the pics on your orkut profile.

No decision is absolutely rational!

2007-08-01T14:19:00.000+05:30

His lectures started getting monotonous. It seemed that there was a pattern to all his analyses. The discussions seemed too black and white and predictable. While at the start, one would dare not miss any of his classes, now the numbers were dwindling and class participation was dropping exponentially. The word was that D, considered one of the profs here, was too rigid with his point of view.

But it all changed today. Today's was easily his best case discussion. Not many would agree with me though, because most of them were dozing away towards utopia. For them, I would really reiterate what one B here, who has a penchant for Quotable Quotes once said, "you are sleeping over your career, Mister!" B has enough substance to form the subject of one long post. But more on him later. BTW, D himself is well known for his 'Hall of Fame' dialogues, though they all sounded like cliches to me, until now. But some of his quotes today were vintage. "No decision is absolutely rational", ''Better work with known devils, than dark horses" and "skill is acquired, competence is applied' to name a few. His take that if you want to ignore power and politics in corporations and not be part of the rat race, better join an NGO although a bit radical, made a lot of sense; Politics exit in organizations, infact it exists in every walk of life. That cases are not to have solutions only discussions shows that there is certain flexibilty to his rigidity.

.. and one more

2007-06-25T15:33:00.001+05:30

7. The brave and the beautiful men beside me
were running into the guns... it was
glorious, if glory is a magnificent and
raptured exaltation.
It was what love would be like,
if love was a sin
It was what music would be,
if music could kill you

quotable Quotes

2007-06-25T15:18:00.000+05:30

1. If u have to ask the question,
u have no right to the answer
2. the real trick in life is to want nothing
and to suceed in getting it
3. A lot of stuff in the world
wasnt really that bad,
until someone tried to change it
4. Wisdom is just cleverness,
with all the guts kicked out of it
I'd be clever than wise, any day
5. No man is as cool as he looks
6. Every city in the world,
has a village in its heart

Semi Finals again

2007-04-24T12:09:00.000+05:30

Its the World Cup semi-final time again.. for some reason the semi finals have almost always been more thrilling affairs than the finals.. over the years WC semi finals have seen some of the most unforgettable matches.

I have vague memories of India losing the 1987 Reliance cup semis to England, when Sunny Gavaskar, who played so well against New Zealand, got out early. However, I distinctly remember the 1992 WC semis despite India not being a part of it. I remember this new team playing so well through out the tournament and some dreaded rule getting the better of them in the Semis.. at one moment it was 22 to get off 13 balls, at the other it was 22 off 1! I dont remember the other Semis though but it is the '92 finals that I still remember, where I had supported Pakistan and won a bet of Rs 2 with my Grandpa.

The next 4 years saw me become a blind Indian cricket fan, like any Indian kid of that age. I had witnessed the wonder kid Sachin Tendulkar develop into the Superstar. I cherished Indian wins on flat Indian tracks and condoned their impotency abroad. Before the 1996 World Cup, while experts talked about South Africa and Australia being the strongest contenders, I was silently confident about India's chances. So the league game loss to Australia at Wankhede was itself a heartbreak, let alone the semi finals.

The semi finals against Sri Lanka is firmly etched into my memory. India's nemisis from Kotla, Jayasuriya out in the 1st over, Aravinda D'silva exuding class at every shot, Roshan Mahanama dehydrating, Sachin and Manjrekar making the chase look easy, Sachin getting stumped around his stumps by D'Silva, devils emerging suddenly from the Eden Gardens pitch, India's meek surrender and Vinod Kambli leaving the field in tears. The other semis I remember too. West Indies were cruising along. Then suddenly that magician Warne does one of his most famous acts, mesmerizing the West Indies.

1999 semis again had no India, owing to that despicable performance at Leister. But the semis were memorable nonetheless. Requiring 9 runs off the last over, Klusener slammed 2 boundaries off Fleming though extra cover. Needing 1 run off 3 balls, Alan Donald gettng stranded in the middle of the wicket must be one of the most haunting glimpses of One Day Cricket. In the other semis, Pakistan, the best team in the tournament by a margin eased past New Zealand, only to flatter to deceive in the finals

Well. 2003 was one edition where there weren't many surprises in the semis. Let us hope that the Semis this time live up to their reputation.

comely

2007-04-19T12:08:00.000+05:30

stayin at home after a long time.. a snapshot of how things shud b.. playin the part of a good son.. visiting relatives with parents, running errands for mom and home to office and back without wandering elsewher..
.. and then there is this animal in shackles and in hibernation!

India Blues

2007-04-05T15:45:00.000+05:30

And like everything, even good 'teams' have to die.
Aint no sympathy when they say goodbye.

It has been the end of an era. The present Indian team had shown symptoms of a terminal illness for some time. The heartbreaking WC exit was just the death knell. However, despite all the anguish, it has to be said: this was possibly the best Indian team ever. Better than Wadekar's team that won in England and West Indies and better than Kapil's devils.

With the seeds sown in 2000 when Ganguly was made captain and John Wright the coach, it showed initial signs of greatness in 2001 by taking on Steve Waugh's bullies by their horns and taming them. The golden era of the Blues came in 2003, when they ended the World Cup as runners up, squared the series Down Under and defeated Pakistan on their home turf. Some of the best test wins overseas were scripted during their time: Headingley in 2002, Adelaide, Multan and Lahore in 2003, Jamaica and Johenasburg 2006 to name a few.

This team treaded on the brink of greatess so often. It is sad that they would always be remembered not for what they have achieved, but for what they could have.

Updates..

2007-04-05T13:48:00.000+05:30

..more thn a yr of blogging... have come full circle - was on a Mirosoft project then, so I am now. btw.. the facility here is awesome.. pretty similar to, infact better than, Infy.

newez.. back in bbay for almost 3 weeks and after 9 months.. n nothings changed... this city just accepts me as its own. Infact only after a week did I realize abt the change in surroundings.. Waiting in a bus stop-it suddenly struck me tht this is no longer the dirty and crowded Behala Bypass, but the clean n plush Linking Road.

All the lost sleep at the End Terms and the Placements was regained in the 1st 2 weeks here, thru circumventing Dad's 'timetable' and too-busy-to-meet-up Friends.

BEST bus rides would always be the same, wont they. Took the 259 recently n down memory lane. Same old Indian Oil, n same old Bangur Nagar. Only in beween, the traffic clogged Malad Link Road near Lonkhandwala which had huge inchoate concrete strucures staring down its throat is now free flowing and is looked upon by expensive restaurants and lavish malls. India shining or not, Bombay is definitely iridescent.

And the 3rd term grades are out. My Joka grade ride has been a proper sine wave so far. Obtained a decent CG in Term1 only to be setback by all the Indian Social Structure and Behavioral Sciences Glob of Term2. Term 3 saw me claw it back a bit and I hope to end Term 4 at 90 degrees. Took me 1 yr of B Schooling to figure out tht Globing is not my cup of tea. HR n Mkting go out of the window. Fin is still goin strong, and Ops has suddenly made a special appearance.

Signing off
Ritz

Early days.. late daze..

2007-03-16T06:34:00.000+05:30

one year gone.. from Freshers to Jobbers..
parties simbly rock at Jokaland..
the clock on my lappy says 0637..
one vodka, Gawd knows ho many beer and this fuckin headache!!
all I ve gotta say is:
Aankh khuli to mid term aa gaya..
saath me danda laaya
pehle Finaac ch&*a.. fir Stats ch&*a..
BS ne bhi, maa ki le li
Doston ne RG ki, kauwo ne bhi na chodi!
Jokawalo, kya bataein, apne dil ki dastaanein

cheero.. n good nite
Ritz, signing off..
Jet lagged and drunk at IIM, Joka.

PS: the expletives-in-rhyme above are excerpts of the song, 'Early Days' by JBS BaroC

Shuffle

2007-02-27T01:59:00.000+05:30

A huge compilation
of ur all time favorites
from a mosaic of genres

Sambora plays his closing lead..
a few moments of suspense
and the 'tabla' prelude
of Ghulam Ali's classical composotion begins

Romeo + Juliet

2007-02-22T19:55:00.000+05:30

Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
and I bet,
and u exploded in the heart
oh, I fget the movie song
When r u gonna realize its just that the time was wrong, Juliet

- Mark Knopfler

Wonder

2007-02-16T15:31:00.000+05:30

it is an amazing product
that small, sleek silver piece of work
can take you to places
memories, dreams,
pictures of yellow, of blue and of grey

u hear every sound, crystal
a monophonic melody emancipates
a thousand harmonies from 20hz to 20 khz

thanx to Mr Jobs
and the dear friend who gifted me this marvel

rock bottom

2007-02-16T15:00:00.000+05:30

which is worse,
deep pain or abyss

the pain of not getting that which was so close to you,
OR the void that follows after achieving all that u wanted

the anguish of ambiguity, of feeling that there is still a chance,
of that roller coaster ride, that free fall from the acme of ecstasy to the nadir of deep anguish,
OR the drift along the same horizontal line into the deep black chasm of desperation

Before Sunset

2007-02-14T20:08:00.000+05:30

"I get obsessed with little things.. May be I am crazy.. When I was a little girl, my mom told me that I was always late to school.. One day she followed me to see why.. I was looking at chestnuts falling from the tree.. rolling on the sidewalk or ants crossing the road. The way a leaf cast its shadow on the tree trunk.. little things..." -Celine

loved the ending the most. It doesnt end rather

Silsile

2007-02-07T23:24:00.000+05:30

ek puraana mausam lauta, yaad bhari purvahi bhi
aisa to kam hi hota hain, woh bhi ho tanhai bhi
-Gulzarsaab

Guru- A Review

2007-01-26T14:54:00.000+05:30

Guru is one of the most awaited releases of the year. It has a star studded line up comprising Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, AR Rahman and Gulzar. It is only normal for the audience to expect a masterpiece. But Guru flatters to deceive.

The story is the weakest link of the film. Guru is a biopic on the life of Dhirubhai. Movies spanning generations tend to be longer as it takes more time to tell a long story involving different charecters at different times and establish rapport between them. Sadly, Guru does neither. Its 150 minute running time sees it explore too many avenues and do justice to none. The movie starts in 1951, where Guru moves to Turkey. But what he did in Turkey, except dance with a raunchy looking Mallika Sherawat, we never get to know. You suddenly realize that he has earned enough money and acumen to set up his own business in India. And in 30 minutes flat he establishes a business empire. What, how, when? Dont know except that there is one Manik DasGupta (Mithun Chakraborty), a newspaper editor, whose articles lionize Guru and one Mr Contractor, a corporate who is the hurdle that Guru surmounts in his race for supremacy. Post Intermission, enter reporter Shyam Saxena (R Madhavan) who exposes Guru's shady acts. We suddenly realize that Gurubhai's empire has been built on the basis of fraud and corruption. We also realize that old friend DasGupta is now the biggest foe. When he gets tried for the corruption, Guru makes a seemingly heartfelt speech about how all he wanted to do was plain business and how the government and the bureaucracy, through tons of duties, licences and taxes left him with no choice but to swindle and bribe. But alas. The audience doesnt empathize because they are wondering: where on earth did the government come from, we thought that bloke DasGupta is the villian!

OK. So much for the basic plot. What about relationships? Mani Ratnam is very adept at handling relationships (watch Mouna Raagam and Alai Payuthey). In the start, there seems to be a very good chemistry developing between Guru and Sujata (Aishwarya). The subtlety of Ratnam is evident. But again, looks like his confusion took its toll and not enough time is given for their affiliation to develop. Also, the kind of relationship that Guru shares with DasGupta or his confidant Motabhai, we never get to know. Hence, when Motabhai and Guru interact after the former attempts a suicide, we dont feel for them as the bonding was never established. The love story between R Madhavan and Vidya Balan albeit looking good, was uncalled for and deviates from the basic plot. Many of the songs are ill timed and break the flow of the film. Abhishek singing to Rehman's voice is comical.

The performaces are allright. Aishwarya Rai as Sujata is very believable. Looks like she has lost a few pounds for the charecter. Mithunda as Manik dasGupta gives a strong performance. Madhavan as Shyam Saxena does justice to a small role, although at some points he lacks the punch that the role required. Vidya Balan does a good cameo. Finally, Abhishek as Gurubhai is good in parts. His performance until Guru gets paralysed is credible. But he is unable to carry off the most difficult part of the role, post paralysis. Also, his imitation of Amitabh every now and then is a let-down.

Rahman's music and background score are haunting. Tere Bina, Ae Hairathe and Jaage would be counted among his better compositions. Gulzar's lyrics are profound. You can't but hum the words of "Jaage" when you leave the hall.

Overall, Guru disappoints on many fronts. Hopefully Ratnam's next, 'Lajjo' with Aamir Khan would be better.

Winds of change..

2007-01-12T14:40:00.000+05:30

I hear them, do you?
someones becoming a Fighter!

..beedi..

2006-12-26T04:47:00.000+05:30

being 2 beer, 2 vodkas, joints n suttas high n dancing on 'beedi jalayle' with a firang was an out-of-this-world experience!!

Merry Christmas all!.. :)

this time.. at the Bullring!

2006-12-17T16:19:00.000+05:30

it is good to see Dada show the way with determination, yet again..
it is good to see the Immaculate Seam frm the 'new bloke of God's own Country' ..
..and wreck havoc in the opposition cordon..
it is good to see the Man with the magic wand use his powers sensibly..
it is gr8 to see someone frm the tail apply himself..
it is gr8 to see someone among us giving them a taste of their medicine!
it is gr8 to see India tame Wanderers..
..3 yrs after they tamed Adelaide, Headingley, Multan and Rawalpindi..

2 kism ke log..

2006-12-12T16:47:00.000+05:30

There are 2 types of people here.. the Chillers and the Fighters... a day before an Exam, they are both at the same level.
The Chiller takes it easy.. sleep his entire quota of 7hrs.. looks at previous years question papers and is content with preparing them well.. speaks to seniors about the difficult Qs and if the senior says that he dint do it last time, the Chiller himself wont do it.. there is no change in his expression.. before or after the exam..
The Fighter, obviously, fights.. the Tension within is palpable.. hes got this "sucker look" manifest on his face (if u know what i mean :)).. he ll sleep late, wake up early.. prepare extra questions.. get hold of notes hook or by crook and more importantly Read them!! Google if required.. and do the most difficult derivations.. there is this spring in his stride before exams...u can hear the 'Thud' of the Fighter outside ur room!
And what does the Fighter gain.. he scores an impressive 7.5 as his CGPA, while our Chiller here gets a 'Cool' 6.4.. :)

gyan..

2006-12-06T01:56:00.000+05:30

'Everything is Maya, except the feeling of completion at the ejaculation of semen,
and since this feeling itself is so transient, it shows how ephemeral the whole world is'
- not me...

songs..

2006-12-03T23:18:00.000+05:30

Do u have songs from the past..
songs that epitomize a phase close to ur heart..
songs when u hear suddenly make u feel like before..
and again.. u only get glimpses of that feeling..
one moment it is ther.. n the other.. theres nothin..
then u try listening to the song over n over again..
but theres nothin...
u see what i mean!

Time Tables

2006-11-24T14:02:00.000+05:30

Here I am..
thinking abt end terms, abt grades
abt the schedule that should be followed
over the next 2 weeks..

yet there is someone else..
over a 1000 miles away..
thinking abt another schedule..
the one that schould be followed
over the next 40 years.

This time that year..

2006-11-20T01:12:00.000+05:30

night, long, cold, hazy
still some hope of warmth..
empty resto, almost
pizzas, cups of coffee-bitter but likable
the forlorn six string in the background..
very few fingerprints on the frets..
'hazaar' complex conversations..
concealing the simple story..
glances, anticipating looks,
eyes saying something, meaning nothing
walks, to and fro..
nagging questions, unconvincing answers
the point and the uneasy silence
the long cold ride back, alone

unforgettable..

2006-11-11T01:33:00.000+05:30

In the end.. I wud ve given just abt anything to just get out of the process.. the stipend didnt matter.. neither did the company or the project!!!

the last 3 days were the most demanding ones of my life.. and the life of every IIMCian who got placed late in day 1 or still waiting for day 2!! not that the firms that come at this time are bad or anything.. the whose who of marketing n IT come... offering decent stipends n work et al.. its all abt peer pressure.. abt seeing ppl getting placed left rite n center.. n u not even given a chance.. no short lists.. no interviews.. no nothin!! u report at 730 in the morning.. n then keep on checking shortlists after shortlists to see whether ur name is there or not!! and finally, u get 1 interview call.. n u gotta wait till 730 in the evening to get done with the interview.. u dont convert it.. u get back to ur room.. n the realization dawns upon u that tomorrow wud just be like today!!

Finally, however, u do get placed.. n when u do.. that day becomes the most memorable one of ur life!! its relief... its freedom!! n to commemorate the situation.. the ritual is just as distinctive!! the entire batch gathers at the Placement block.. the PlaceReps read the list of ppl who have got placed in that round.. u sign the official OOPS register (thats Out of Placements).. amidst the deafening sound of 300 odd ppl clapping for u!!!

n next day.. its not done.. by now ur in love with the process.. so u the need to give something back.. u volunteer.. u fetch, track, feed n help out ur batchmates who r not already placed!!n ensure that the process is just as smooth for them as it was for u!!

unforgettable!!

Cliches..

2006-11-08T23:13:00.000+05:30

1. Good Interviews dont necessarily translate to successful ones
2. Somethings r just not meant to be
3. The more you want something, less likely u ll get it
4. The less u want something, more likely u get
5. Today was just another yesterday..

baawra mann

2006-11-03T13:12:00.000+05:30

Baawre se is jaha mein
baawra ek saath ho..
is sayani bheed mein
bas haatho mein tera haath ho..
baawri si dhun ho koi
baawra ek raag ho..
baawre se pair chahe, baawre tarano ke
baawre se bol par thirakna...

baawra mann dekhne laga ek sapna..

-Shantanu Moitra

sajni

2006-10-31T01:11:00.000+05:30

e sajni re.. e sajni re e sajni..
piya gailan kalkatva e sajni..
piya gailan kalkatva e sajni..
gaudva mein joota naikhe sarva pe chatva..
gaudva mein joota naikhe sarva pe chatva e sajni..
kaise chalan rehatva e sajni
kaise chalan rehatva e sajni

-Hazaaroon Khwaishein Aisi

diversity n beyond..

2006-10-30T12:54:00.000+05:30

k.. really hardpressed for time.. 2 papers today.. 1 gone.. 1 to go in 2 hrs time.. n 2 chapters still left to study... still have gotta record this..

learning essentially took a new meaning today morn (330am to be precise...love to hilite the time!!! ) Sociology had 13 chapters to study (read: 250 odd pages of material in some wierd dialect of english!!).. n yesterday nite was the 1st time almost the entire batch had opened the book.. not feasible to do the entire thing.. so what u do... u record!

As they say.. at B schools.. the diverse backgnd of students helps.. and as we have it.. there is also stud of sociology here.. he gave a crash course in a hostel room to 3-4 students.. 1 guy records the entire thing on his cell phone.. n floats it across to the batch.. so less mortals like me dont have to read all the erudite material.. instead just listen to the complete n abridged material.. take notes.. n give the paper next day!!!

trophy of Champions.. truly!

2006-10-27T22:27:00.000+05:30

Off late, where One Day cricket has been reduced to mockery on dust bowls, where the team batting first scores 350 and still feels insecure, where batsmen have looked more like Roger Federers with the wrong racquet, where u wud ask ur kid to take up hockey (considering its our national sport!) than be a fast bowler... the Champion's trophy has actually been a revelation. Suddenly, 215 seems defendable, the batsmen have been made to work hard and the men have been seperated from the boys. Its been great to see the talents of Mkhaya Ntini, Jermane Lawson, Umar Gul and Harbhajan Singh get a level playi g field. Where, for ages the ball seemed to rarely get waist high, suddenly it is bouncing ans seaming and doing all sorts of things!

But, alas, each time u switch on the TV set, all you see is empty stands.. When the quality of cricket seems to be at its best, the audience seem to have disappeared. Blame the administrators for that! Empty stands in India is rare.. but when u do the blunder of scheduling all the matches in just 4 stadiums, what else can you expect! May be BCCI has got enough money out of TV screening rights.

Anyways, back to the cricket. So does India stand a chance of beating the Australians at Mohali on Saturday. sawry.. their bowlings too good n this time, they have a 12th player.. the pitch!!

Long time no post..

2006-10-17T23:26:00.000+05:30

k.. its almost been a month since I last wrote something.. n lots have happened this month.. we r done wid r 1st term here.. had been to bombay after that.. now im back.. n the tasks in hand ve almost doubled.. mid terms approachin in a coupla weeks time.. n summer placements immediately after that.. k. lets take up each one by one..

firstly.. 1st term over.. so Im 1/6 of an MBA.. n since there is so much obsession with Stats here and the need to get answers correct till the 4th decimal place.. I shud rather say that Im 0.1667 of an MBA now... n wud u believe it.. in like. 3 weeks time i wud be 1/4th.. oh sorry.. 0.2500 of an MBA!! time flies here.. that too at v=C!! ;)

then..Good ol' Bombay.. caught up wid friends.. all ve kinda moved on... but good to see that nothin has changed much... the same old conversations.. the same old hangouts.. ate a lot.. Maa ke haath ka bana khana..good ol idli.. sambhar.. dosa.. payasam.. Mom tried her best to make for all the weight Ive lost in the last 3 months! n did a bit of shoppin for diwali n bday.. this time Dad did all the shoppin for me.. felt like a "bacha" again..

..back in campus.. into more serious things.. have attended like a 100 PPTs(Pre Placement Talks ie:)).. got into thinkin mould.. an MBA opens a whole lot of oppurtunities for u.. I m in a fix.. shud it be Fin... Consults or Marketing!! its a gr8 dilemma to have.. in Consults.. the jobs look very interesting.. the only glitch is that u never settle at one place.. it is one job where the amt of travel is proportional to ur age.. I-Banks seem good too.. but again.. the lifestyle is too TOO hectic!! an Analyst's job is like 24*7*365 ..but the money is also crazy!! ppl retire at 35 it seems!! n finally Mkting.. the kinda firms that comin r the best.. n wud u believe it they only get a late slot 1 or slot 2!! selling soaps in rural Bihar does excite me.. but guess. its better said than done.. (or was it something else??)

n finally.. did something ive longed to do since I was in the 8th std.. or was it 6th!!! Playin cricket wid the leather ball. The pads.. the helmets.. the gloves.. have always been a thrill. had been for the cricket team selections for the XL meet.. figured out that im not bad et all!! even gotta compliment frm the captain. Lets see how it works out. As they ve always said.. theres nothin better than the real thing!!

tick tick..

2006-09-27T13:22:00.001+05:30

when u ve slogged like an ass for 3 months.. sleepin at half past 4.. n the alarm waking u up at 9.. u feel awkward when suddenly there is nothin to do.. u cant sleep peacefully.. n that thought of something impending is always there.. u feel guilty when u surf the net or write blogs or watch a movie.. the feeling that there is something still to be done.. that ppl around must b doin something constructive.. something worthwhile.. that time is precious.. time is money.. n there is always something better to spend it on than something absolutely unnecessary like writing blogs!!

Tale of 2 cities..

2006-09-27T12:06:00.000+05:30

Bombay roadside delicacies were taken for granted.. the pav bhajis, the onion Rava sada, the Masala Pav, ragda Pattis!!.. din realize how much I missed them until we went to this place here called 'Bombay' Shiv Sagar.. n the food was authentic Bambaiyya... the Pav bhaji tasted just like the Trushna Pav bhaji Stallwala makes it.. n Masala Dosa seamed straight out of some Udipi hotel at Vile Parle station.. one thing missing frm the cuisine... in case u havent already noticed.. was 'Vada Pav'.. never missed the "Mumbai Burger" so much.. infact one friend here even has a business plan to set up a Vada Pav stall in campus sometime...

newez.. culcutta is not bad after all.. I always wanted to experience the life here.. the howdah bridge shown in movies.. the extremely crowded streets.. the trams sleep walking amidst all the chaos.. the red decorative buildings..the 'AliPores' n the Saranis... the slew of Ambassador cabs clad in chrome yellow.. the "matki" chais...the Chowmeen!!! the citys got a life of its own.. n the people here r as passionate as u get anywhere..they r passionate abt Mithunda.. abt Uttamda.. abt Football.. (the maidans here generally have 2 goal posts.. unlike the brown strips amidst the green that u wud find in b'bay.. and any street kid wud play better football than u do!!)..abt Mishti Dohi n Rosgulla... n abt Durga Puja!!! oh man DP is as big as it gets.. I can feel it even before the festival sets off.. ppl r already in vacation mould.. unlike Bombay.. where work goes on as always during Ganpati n Diwali.. this place just comes to a standstill.. working is sin during DP!!! am gonna miss DP this time around.. but next yr this time.. u cant move my butt frm this place!!

and Calcutta is a Metro after all.. the huge office buildings.. the fly overs n the wide roads wid vehicles plying in the same direction on both sides.. the nite life.. the expensive restaurants.. the huge malls..with food courts n multiplexes.. the Elgin Roads n the Park Streets.. they r all there..

kudos to the 2 most happening metros of this country!!

FRIENDS

2006-09-25T01:24:00.000+05:30

Have been watching too much FRIENDS off late..started off wid "the Pilot"..n have seen 21 episodes in a weeks time.. that is 3 per day!!..
k..they say u can relate to the charecters there.. so I did.. I know Monica.. she reminds me so much of a friend.. Feeb's nother friend of mine.. n if she red this post.. she ll definitely know that it is her im talkin abt.. while ppl like Joey n all that.. i think Chandler's cool!!
k..bring on no. 22!!! :)

An Essay on Indian Economic History 1

2006-09-11T20:35:00.000+05:30

.. plans r there to start a business/economy related blog soon.. infact have started one.. but the link doesnt seem to be working.. wud look into it after the exams mayb.. however.. cudnt resist the temptation of writing this essay.. wud b my 1st post on the new site..

k.. here goes..

An Essay on Indian Economic History 1

the blogs finally started..
Check out this Essay n more @
Krossborder@blogspot.com..

Omkara..

2006-09-08T01:54:00.000+05:30

Everything fell in place for Langda.. Fortune seems to favour the Devious these days..
..And the entire plot hinged on Kesu's mobile fone.. had he not dropped it.. the Tragedy of Omkara would have been averted!

Newez..
'Beedi Jalaile Jigar se Piya..
Jigar ma badi aag hain!'
Hats off Gulzarsaab!!

quarter life crisis??

2006-08-27T04:32:00.000+05:30

ur pictures then were BlacknWhite..
now Greys shown its ugly face..
then u spoke n did as u like,
now u measure every stride..

then u were moved by small things..
now u move only when drunk..
then cricket was life..
now u wonder why??

hehe..

2006-08-27T04:11:00.000+05:30

doesnt this sound more like a personal diary.. why am i tellin so much abt myself to the entire world..

well.. thats the advantage of not being a lady, n a beautiful one.... U get ur personal space.. :)

Riteshes..

2006-08-13T23:25:00.000+05:30

never met so many Riteshes together..
here, there is a RiteshC, a RiteshG, a RiteshS, a RiteshU and a RiteshV.
and considering that Ritesh is not that common a name.. one cud infer that the name brings intelligence with it!.. so just in case, u want ur kid to be intelligent, name him Ritesh..:)

n.. btw.. we are together doing a project!!

Kolkata Times.. World War

2006-08-09T00:38:00.000+05:30

Kolkata Times, Dated August 8, 2006

long time..

have been here for a month and a half now.. survived the hectic life, the loadsa notes n books to read, the quizzes in between, the sporadic xtracurrics, one mid term and a world war!!!

whats this world war thing..lemme tell u.. iimcians r just crazy abt it.. they say.. that in these 2 yrs the one thing u ll remember most is the World War.. n so far I agree.. it takes competition to the next level!!! Mid terms got over on Friday.. heaved a sigh of relief.. after weeks of long hrs of studies, we wud finally get well deserved rest, n all above sleep over the weekend.. Did I say Sleep!!!!:D:D:D.. wat was in store for us...was totally unbelieveable!!

k.. gettin to the nitty gritties a bit.. world war is a fight between the 3 hostels here.. OH(Old Hostel), WH (White Hostel)n NH (New Hostel)!! only the 1st yr junta in each participates.. each hostel has a theme.. n a leader.. the events r like raids, tyre raids, skits, march past, makin n puttin up banners, decoratin ur hostel as per ur theme, loads n loads of slogans, expletives, runnin arnd, filth etc etc!! and guess it goes without saying that it is a 24 hr thing.. the raids etc can take place anytime.. so literally.. no sleep for 2 days.. except those half n hrs naps in between...

firstly..for puttin up banners. u ve to compete with other hostels for vantage positions across the campus.. the positions r open frm 0200hrs on the 1st nite.. n get occupied by 0203 hrs.. well the judges come to check at 0530 hrs.. so ur supposed to hold fort for abt 3 n half hrs.. welll thats easier said than done.. i was there at the entrance of another hostel holdin 2 ropes tied to the pillars, a la jesus christ for 3n 1/2 hrs, amidst all the rain!!! :D..

the raids.. theres this fortress in each hostel.. it cud b the quadrangle or a terrace.. which u r supposed to guard.. round the clock (we raided other hostels at 0330hrs and 0445hrs)!!!..other teams cud raid anytime.. they come n make formations.. shout slogans.. typically 1234, ki G#$d Maar etc.. (theres no sharmo haya.. the girls join in too!!! strategically its better when they shout.. they have more shrill in their voice )..the slogans r as innovative as they get..(there r points for that also!!).. urs truly also made his humble contributions.. and it is all done very professionally..:).. theres a seperate gaali team, a strategy team, a surveillance team etc etc..n amidst all this.. ur supposed to maintain ur distance..dont get physical!!

then.. ther is the baap of all.. the tyre raid!! n its not some small tyre.. its a tractor tyre weighing 300 kgs!! each hostel has to dig up a pit, put the tyre in and close the pit again turn by turn.. the other hostel then has to dig it out!! n while doing that.. absolutely anything can fall on u.. dirty water, tamatar, anda.. sambhar, dal, all type of sabzees..chicken curee.. all of which r upto a week old!! u have 3 teams working down.. the digging team, the supply chain and the tarpolin team.. I was part of the tarpolin.. the job was to hold a huge tarpolin above the diggers.. so that the filth above doesnt fall on them.. the secret while doin this for abt 3-4hrs is.. DONT SMELL YOURSELF!!! n btw..we dd it in record time..2hrs 29 mns!!! it was a perfect example of teamwork n coordination! for 2 and half hrs.. r opponents weer smiling.. shouting all kindsa bad things at us.. but then when we removed the cover.. they were all dumbfounded!!

on the last day.. u need to decorate ur hostel as per the theme.. n do a march past... our theme was knights templar.. n during the march past.. our leader actually sat on a horse!!!

well.. u ll b thinkin what crap.. then u ve to be here to feel it, believe it.. I mean whats at stake.. why do u have to stand all nite just holding a rope.. or why to give ur everything to just get a tyre out amidst all the shit!! well then there is something.. theres this sense of belonging.. of a team..a sense of pride!! ur tired n demotivativated.. n see ppl around.. n the kind of effort they r putting... thats enuf to get it all back!! 2 days.. day in n day out.. u do the most menial jobs.. for ur hostel!!! the kind of comraderie that develops after that is just amazing!!! u strech urself, both physically n mentally beyond the stretch of every imagination!! u just sit outside a hostel, waiting in anticipation for another hostel to raid!! at 3 in the morning!!

newez.. I cudnt last the entire stretch..beyond a pt.. ur body says no!! i fell asleep sunday at abt 5pm.. n woke up only at 9am the next day!!! :D

until the next edition..
this is Ritz.. signing off..

blah..

2006-08-03T23:10:00.000+05:30

.. 4 gone.. 1 more to go..
it is so difficult to resist the temptation of surfing the net.. writing a blog..

it is so unfair on Economics.. just because it was placed last in the list of exams.. it doesnt get the attention it deserves.. Stats n Finaac take away all the glory.. ppl just heave a sigh of relief.. just tha the 2 dreaded ones r over.. doesnt matter whether they were good or bad.. never think abt ur sunk costs..:)..

newez.. Eco is the silent assasin.. the understated, undermined underdog.. it wud quietly be the last man standing.. n strike back on Judgement Day!

..the race..

2006-08-01T13:08:00.000+05:30

the 1st question that creeps into ur head in this place is : Do I belong?
u r in the midst of brilliance.. everyone around is an achiever.. everyones come here after cracking agruably the toughest post grad exam in the world.. it doesnt help being mediocre here.. it doesnt help being a jack of all trades.. u have masters here in all trades ur a jack in... u ll find atleast a 100 profiles in the batch that r better than urs.. someones a JEE top 100, another has represented the his state at some national level event.. be it swimming, cricket, elocution, quizzes.. u name it..

then.. the grind starts.. its not abt how good u are.. its abt being better than the next person.. ur talkin statistics at totally new levels.. and an absolutely novel concept called finance..subjects that ur supposed to master in 2 months time..everyones got his or her own way of making sense of things.. so b careful.. whn u try to clarify doubts.. u mite end up even more confused!..

and..it doesnt help when u ve screwed up ur 1st 2 quizzes.. ur classmates r already 4-5 percent points ahead..n ur already playing "catching up" .. as it is very rare that most of them wud screw up! nothin is absoute.. the concept that if it is tough for u, it is tough for everyone doesnt apply.. while ur in a paper.. u feel.. this is like impossible.. n u go out only to realize the buzz is abt how simple it was! ppl r good at lateral thinking.. infact they r experts at it!

and finally.. everyones ready to put in efforts.. call it SuperEfforts!.. u slog the entire day.. and at 3 am, u feel that uve done a good job... only to realize that lights r on all around u n ppl r slogging their butts even harder!!

so it gives u confidence when u do ur 1st mid term paper well..(or atleast think uve done well..:).. ive got used to expecting something n getting something absolutely different..literally n otherwise..).. u get a feeling that ur one of them.. that ur thinking is not all that wrong.. that ur also there somewhere.. that u belong..

ek akela..

2006-07-29T13:30:00.000+05:30

..in umr se labmi sadko ko,
manzil pe pohuchte dekha nahin..
bas daudti firti rehti hain,
humne to teherte dekha nahin...
is ajnabi se shehar mein..
..jaana pehchana dhoondta hain, dhoondta hain..
- Gulzar

..economy of war..

2006-07-26T04:21:00.002+05:30

well before i go off to sleep.. one more intersting thing that i learnt today..

the economies of war.. well.. interesting to note that war is actually good for industrial production.. the demand for all kinds of goods shoots up..industries flourish during war.. most of the indegenous industries ere came up during the 1st ww..

and post war.. is a slump period.. end of ww led to the great depression.. doesnt it look logical now.. war ends.. the industries realize that they ve overproduced.. suddenly there is a drop in demand.. prices plummet.. industries stop producing.. ppl r suddenly out of jobs.. ther is an excess of goods.. but still no one to consume..

more on this later.. :)

good nite..

(gonna face a tough time tomorrow.. lecture at 930.. then a case to read.. so cant sleep during the brk either!!)

personal notes.

2006-07-26T03:58:00.000+05:30

I think i need to note this down.. ( for personal ref.). something that has become an inherent part of my life.. that is.. sleepin (or not sleepin rather) at 4 am.. it is a total transformation of timings.. of lifestyle.. of being jetlagged w/o going anywhere.. i can actually wish dad good morning!

newez.. mid terms approaching next week.. so have to put in this xtra bit.. for the last 3-4 hrs... ive been studyin Indian Economic and Political History.. have taken a liking to this subject off late.. I actually forgo the more attractive option of takin International Geopolitics.. for IEPH post mid term.. think i am curious to know the other side.. as in.. the history behind the economic decisions post independance.. the very decisions that we often tend to criticize.. as they failed to deliver..

however.. presently the subject deals more with the economics of the british rule in india.. whn u sit n analyse.. u cant help but think abt the hardships the ppl of this country have faced.. the absolute destitution n abject poverty that our forefathers ve lived in.. abt how this country was once rich.. n wealth was drained out of here.. newez.. which country am i talkin abt.. it wasnt even a country then.. the very concept of an Indian state came because of this absolute poverty that the raj had caused!

guess im running the risk of gettin too philosophical.. guess sleep is taking its toll.. lemme rather go to bed..:)

some images...

2006-07-23T22:39:00.000+05:30

the lake.. one of them rather..

from the audi..

the audi..

the most serene IIM..

a coupla things.. mayb more.

2006-07-15T19:38:00.000+05:30

just tried my hand at a different backgrnd colour.. only to realize that a friend of mine already has it on her blogsite.. still i let it be...cos this ones almost there..

kinda happy.. cos i found all my all time favorite bon jovi albums on the lan here.. these days, keep the faith, dest anywhere.. i have them all in one!! and also one boyband song.. which brought back some old memories..the lan heres kewl..

Strangers in the nite.. the lyrics r so happy.. then why does the song have such a foreboding feel to it.. the violins make it just too sombre.. may b it felt different at that time..:)

Economics seems such a subtle science (it is a science!:)).. it states the obvious.. that the Marginal Utility is aways diminishing..eg: when u eat.. the 1st bite gives u so much more satisfaction than say the 2nd, 4th 10th etc.. but then the chances r that if u dont take it seriously.. u forget the obvious during the exam!!

Mr Bhogle says: ".. that there will be dark days, when u start to doubt urself.... and on those days u must say.. I belong!.... and that if i am good enuf to have got it, i must be good.."
2 things abt him.. hes got an amazing sense of humour.. n hes Inspiring!

about a month ago..

2006-07-14T22:50:00.000+05:30

heavy inside,
something missing.

lying,
on a rock,
in the river..
trying to feel good.

lookin at,
the stars above..
trying to remember,
why they touched me
some years ago.

Power

2006-07-13T12:12:00.000+05:30

this concept just continues to amaze me.. each time i read more about it or see some thing related, i discover a new layer..

imagine.. a world, where every thing u do is under surveilence.. every step u take is being watched..u r privacy has been taken.. ur actions restricted... ur not allowed to speak, to express opinion, to eat, to go places, to do anything without their consent.. forget doing things.. imagine that even your thought has been pervaded!!

now u wud say how can that be done.. u wud say that they can take everything frm u ..they can torture u.. trash u.. for days, months, years together.. u mite eventually given in.. they ll take everything that urs... but there is that inch, which is always urs.. that thing called self..which belongs to u.. and u alone..

well my friend.. it can be done.. what if this very concept is flawed.. ur concept abt urself is based on certain principles.. ur origin, ur history, ur bringing up, ur interactions with the environment...

what if.. these principles themselves have been manipulated with.. what if one fine day u figure out that ur history itself is made up... every channel of information, of knowledge that u have.. has been maneuvered by them.. everything u know abt ur heroes, great leaders, freedom fighters, scientists, discoveries.. was actually false..made up.. ur concept of truth goes for a toss..

u express urself through words.. what if the words themselves cease to exist.. what if ur dictionary becomes shorter every year.. and eventually every feeling u have is expressed in terms of just good and bad..

everything in ur life is controlled.. ur constantly reminded of ur short comings.. u live in ignorance... ur basic reasoning has been stymied.. u cant think.. u r afraid.. or made afraid.. about things that can harm u.. hit u.. kill u.. destroy u.. do things to u, u cant even think of!! things that r not in ur control..

its Fear.. the fear of the unknown.. that they operate on it... they control it.. they build it.. feed it.. nurture it.. constantly.. relentlessly.. and then ur at their mercy.. their slaves..

This.. is the concept of Power.. in its most unrelenting, absolute sense.. it doesnt belong to a person or time.. it is perpetual.. timeless.. it is the Power to control that part of u that u urself dont know or have ever imagined.. this, my friend, is the Sign of Inevitability!!

..boondein..

2006-07-12T15:03:00.000+05:30

dressed to kill in green..
water pockets all around..
birds screeching over.. almost deafening..
the dambur cutting thru.. wet n shining.. almost out of place..

2 doors, wide open..
the breeze passing thru..
the chill in the air..
the haze outside.
the cutting chai..
the scent so fresh..

the beat.. its tempo changing now n then..
takes me back.. distant memories..
this place is new..
the season makes it familiar...

the 3rd law..

2006-07-12T12:40:00.000+05:30

1st they said.. every action has anequal and opposite reaction..
now they say.. every debit has an equal and opposite credit..

walk of life

2006-07-10T00:21:00.000+05:30

hes got flair.. hes got talent.. hes a joy to all those watchin him.. hes considered 1 of the best ever.. .. but his graph is on a downward curve now.. and this is his last chance into eternity....hes been there, done that..may b it comes too easy to him.. mayb he doesnt want it very much.. so, when evrything is almost goin his way.. he does the unthinkable.. and he ll regret those last few agonizing moments for life... those 10 mins..of what cud have been.. will haunt him.. forever!!!

hes modest.. no one notices him.. just does his job... the understated, unsung hero.. he is the cornerstone, the foundation on which his comrades build.. hes perseverence.. hes the wall.. the wall that shields every attack of the enemy.. the wall that tirelessly kills every attempt of the foes best men to impregnate.. hes jsut desperate for it.. hes felt the pain before..he knows its importance.. and the joy that will follow..so he fights on.. peerlessly..unabated.. and finally.. he, who was little known to evryone till yesterday, is the cynosure.. he walks the pedastal.. the greatest walk of his life.. the walk that he wud cherish.. forever!!

..the first week..

2006-07-01T04:47:00.000+05:30

k..slightly drunk now.. so this thing might just not go as i may have liked it too..its 430 am here..n have half an hr to go before i go off to sleep..

newez.. the 1st week here has been just an out of theworld experience.. to give u a glimpse of it..

consider this.. 9:30pm.. theres this thing called tutorials that start.. Maths tuts 1st.. go on for abt 2 hrs.. towards the end.. the tutor asks us to wait in class as the next thing is gonna start.. the finac tuts.. for the next 2 hrs.. and just when we r done wid all the accounting n stuff.. the next tuts starts at 1:30.. gos on till 3.. n finally when u r droppin dead n feel that sleep is the only thing u can do next.. the tutor announces that the SAC is gonnatake over...

now i ll tell u what the SAC is..ie the students apec commitee.. the only link betrween the teachers n students... comprising all students of the 2nd year.. its no less than the "Party" in 1984.. its no less that the Nazis.. for one whole week we ve all lived under their influence.. n life is as good as hell here.. u cant laugh... cant say a word against them..(there is an anti cog squad running in every place..).. and they have an influence on what u wear.. what u speak n what u wear as well!!

newez.. comin back to the point.. their session starts at 330 am!! (its am goddamit!!) and these guys start screwin our happiness.. they come up wid a list of all the things that we did wrong on that day!!.. while eating. while sleeping.. while inclass!! etc etc..

the session finally ends at 500am!! and this is not just an exception.. it has become a norm.. for the past one week.. sleepin at 5!! n then wake up at 9 sharp!! attend classes all day.. n in between complete the tons of assignments that have been given by the tutors!!

and then again at 930pm.. the tuts start!! whoever said that life at IIMC is chill!!:)

..new beginnngs

2006-07-01T04:45:00.000+05:30

landed up in cal yesterday.. the IIMC campus is cool.. and it is huge.. havent explored all of it as it as yet.. but one things sure.. other than humans.. snakes, lizards, bugs (a 100 different species) study management here.. :)..

firstly just in case u guys feel like callin me.. my new no. is 9830520615..

k.. otherwise.. got a glimpse of the city yesterday.. its reminded me a bit of the Bombay in the 1950 movies.. old constructions, trams, heritage buses..(i bet these will go to the museums one day...

i wont bore u guys wid the description of my room et all.. all ill say its small and wud get stuffy during the summers.. the hostel is a maze.. will take some time gettin used to.. there is one canteen thats open on normal hrs.. one 24* 7 canteen (where we do the case studies etc.). n one more store that is open till 3 am..

lifes day n nite here.. just spoke to the seniors.. 3-4hrs of sleep is a norm.. there r tons of things to do.. Finaac (thats financial accounting) and stats r gonna be real pains in the a@#.. and there r many clubs to join.. the consulting club.. the fin club.. and u just cant get in direct.. theres gonna be a a screening process for that too!!! :)..obviously when there 300 ppl competing for 15 slots!! :p

more abt it later..chala guys..

this is Ritz..
signing off frm cal!!

PS: sad that Czech is out..
now it is Argentina all the way!!!!

the Rapid..

2006-06-15T14:03:00.000+05:30

I n 6 others in the raft.. our last day at the camp.. this time it was gonna b the most difficult rafting experience.. 4+ it seems.. was gettin all kinda wierd feelings..

k.. so we head off.. im 2nd, rightside.. after a few small rapids.. the big one arrives.. our instructor shouts.. forward team, hard!!! I lunge forward n try to row hard.. suddenly the raft tilts.. I hang on hard to the rope on the side..but to no avail.. the Rapid twists my hand n takes me wid it.. for a split sec.. I see just water on all sides.. green water.. pushin me down wid all its might.. (think i was under the raft..)..I turn all upside down.. my paddles gone.. nothin to hold on too.. then suddenly, as if it wants to gimme some much needed respite, the rapid steadies a bit..:).. I manage to see around.. no sign of our raft.. Gaddus also fallen wid me.. hes asks me not to panic.. I try my best..

..suddenly.. the river turns wild again.. the next big wave arrives n takes me down wid it.. dont panic.. dont panic!! how can i not panic, when water enters ur nostrils.. ur wind pipe.. and u desperately try to breathe but u cant!! im choked.. and then one more..and im like..ok..good bye!!

and suddenly we see a raft.. comin close to us.. and the tiny girl there pulls us up.. we r finally transfered to our raft.. my feelin is okie guys ive had enuf of it.. but there r some 5-6 equally dangerous rapids to go!!!! so.. I give each of them my best shot.. after all my life depends on it!!!!

..raftin et all..

2006-06-02T19:07:00.000+05:30

headed for delhi-dehradun-hrishikesh-campin etc..-mossurie-delhi..
hope the trip is fun..

..123..

2006-05-28T00:38:00.001+05:30

some friends of old..
but many new things..

then we were 10
just one car among ,
now were 4,
with 2 cars n 2 at home..

then we kept 'hisab' of our samosa pavs,
now we dont care for dinners @ Salt nPeppas..

but even now, we do that 6o clock 9oclock thing!!
as they say.. some things never change

just drifting..

2006-05-27T11:04:00.000+05:30

up at 6
off to jog
on my bike..

paint some,
play some
sleep the rest..

bored
playin the same tunes,
paintin the same blues..
dreamin the same dreams..

...

2006-05-18T13:18:00.000+05:30

i dont think it sunk in until I saw the road that goes frm under the flyover to Hinjewadi chk as my bus turned away frm it...

epilogue..

2006-05-08T19:49:00.000+05:30

hey Ritz, u must be on a roll..
with so many gone and just 4 to go..
u come out of shadows.. uve broken the rules..
uve done things which u never thought u wud..

that 1st time when u had it neat..
with li'l sprite, nothing else cud beat..
then u rode ur machine on a high
let both hands go.. and learnt to fly..

uve felt happy, uve felt the pain..
the day it just din cease to rain..
the day u knew it wasnt u..
and next time it was dejavu..

and that day in the movie hall..
when time just stopped..
u got the call..
hey Ritz, dont u see it all..
last 3 yrs.. uve had a ball!!

yes dude.. its been a ride..
Ive laughed a bit.. a bit i ve cried..
I ve also felt emptiness inside..
but above all..the "thing" i ve learnt
is to take things in my stride..

quote

2006-05-08T14:37:00.000+05:30

"I hate purity. I hate goodness. I dont want any virtue to exist anywhere."
- Winston Smith, 1984.

brkfast party..

2006-05-08T12:18:00.000+05:30

k.. we ve been to parties before.. to discs, to pubs, to the best restaurant in town..they generally happened at nite.. we left at 10.. returned at 3-4 etc.. but this one was different..

this time..we defied all norms.. we had an early morning party.. we all woke up at 7:30am on a Sunday morning!!!.. and we reached Le Meridien for the Breakfast spread at 930am.. and we were already late! newez.. it was a good one.. the idea was to eat lite the previous nite.. n not have lunch at all..and gobble everything that was available.. after all 400/- is pretty expensive for a breakfast..

k.. we started off with fruits+ juices.. then.. cakes, croissants, doughnuts.. followed by.. Baked beans on toast.. and.. Toast with jams(there were 3) and butter.. then.. Paratha + idli sambar.. then pancakes and waffles topped wid whipped cream and honey.. and strawberry milkshake and finally.. to top it all up wid a huge cup of strong filter coffee!!!

and it took me 2 hrs of football to digest all of this!!

rains and blogs..

2006-05-05T17:31:00.000+05:30

some days it pours cats n dogs..
and some days it just stops..

LDAP..

2006-05-05T15:43:00.000+05:30

Hi friends,

My journey with Planet Pluto comes to an end today.
I am overwhelmed. The last 2 and 1/2 yrs of my professional life have been an enriching experience. I dont know where to start... Ok here goes..

Its been a prevelige working here. My job, succinctly put, has been to double click.
I have realized how important the "Double Click" is. The lives of a 100 million people depends on my efficient double clicking. And I have become quite proficient at it. Infact, you could call me an SME in Double clicking. Every time I double click, I cant help get this feeling that I am the Savior of this Planet and that those 'Alien Viruses' would wreck havoc in our lives if I dont do my job properly!

What I would terribly miss is those team meetings, those really didactic discourses that the Erudite Managers gave about the latest technology or issues resolved in, well, Double Clicking! And I am really indebted to the really intellectual presentations that my colleagues made in these team meetings which gave me an indepth understanding about the innovations that they have come up with in Double Clicking. Also the importance of filling up and maintaining XL sheets cannot be undermined and they are the most important tool the manager has which keeps him updated about the number of hours that his resourses have spent in double clicking and how can his effort be reduced.

I have also mastered many other arts.
The first thing that comes to mind is the art of using the Keyboard. I am so cognizant with 100s of Windows commands, that I cant help, but look down upon those less preveliged people who use the mouse.

I am now also a master at recognizing machine coffee by taste. I can differentiate between Nescafe, Bru, Lipton and Real Cafe. I am a master at Long time Canteen discussions. These discussions could vary from the colour of the shoes of that dame from IHL who was wearing a black shirt day before yesterday to the hairdo that Aamir khan had in that movie he took 4 yrs to make and evenually flopped.

I would like to thank all my colleagues and friends, who, through their spontaneous jokes and idiosyncracies made me feel better in those difficult and critical times of virus Broad Test Passes in the labs. I would like to thank my managers. The managers in my project have to be among the best in the world. Even in the most desperate times, they left no stone unturned in convincing that omnipresent not-so-enlightened-all time-cribbing-fool that the work he does is more important than that of Mr Steve Balmer! Infact, these managers have been the inspiration in my life. They are 'the' reason that made me chose this profession that I am finally venturing into. I am infact really indebted to one particular manager that I had, Mr A, who taught me how to enter office at 2, complete the entire work assigned in that day, leave at 6 and in between that, find half an hour to drowse off on my desk!

Well. My seniors asked me to make this motivating for the juniors and it has been the most honest, holehearted and candid effort from my side to do just that.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Ritz

P.S. : Out of Mediocrity, finally!

Pulp..

2006-05-05T14:42:00.000+05:30

PULP (pulp) n.
1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass or matter.
2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter
and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.

okie.. im a Tarentino fan.. but that doesnt mean
I understand his movies.. eg. saw Pulp Fiction twice..
but still the movie dint make much sense to me..mayb
its gat too many jargons that only "cap in the
Ass Bad MotherFuckers" can understand..
may b the movie just runs too deep, and has got hundred layers
of "Fuckin" subtlety, that a Jack Ass like me cant dig into..
or may be it actually dint mean a shit..

but.. one things guarenteed.. the movie's damn entertaining..
and like all other Tarantino movies.. it is cold and gory!!

to quote a few:
Butch: So we cool?
Marsellus: Yeah, we cool. Two things. Don't tell nobody about this. This shit is between me, you, and Mr. Soon-To-Be-Living-The-Rest-of-His-Short-Ass-Life-In-Agonizing-Pain Rapist here. It ain't nobody else's business. Two: you leave town tonight, right now. And when you're gone, you stay gone, or you be gone. You lost all your L.A. privileges. Deal?
Butch: Deal.
Marsellus: Get your ass out of here.

and:
Jules: There's a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. I been sayin' that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before you popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd.

if u wanna pick up more.. pls visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/quotes
anyways if it made sense to any of u.. pls lemme know..

..aye saala..

2006-05-05T12:15:00.000+05:30

..hui subah.. main jal gaya..
suraj ko main.. nighal gaya.
..
woh loha tha..pighal gaya,
sitare me.. badal gaya....

Kill Bill-2

2006-05-03T18:07:00.000+05:30

Revenge is a dish best served cold... and this is -273 C!!!

Picture This:

Elle Driver:[to Budd, whos bitten by a black mamba on his face..]The venom of a black mamba can kill a human in four hours, if, say, bitten on the ankle or the thumb. However, a bite to the face or torso can bring death from paralysis within 20 minutes. Now, you should listen to this, 'cause this concerns you. The amount of venom that can be delivered from a single bite can be gargantuan. You know, I've always liked that word..."gargantuan"... so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence. If not treated quickly with antivenom, 10 to 15 milligrams can be fatal to human beings. However, the black mamba can deliver as much as 100 to 400 milligrams of venom from a single bite.

or this:
Bill: Once upon a time in China, some believe, around the year one double-aught three, head priest of the White Lotus Clan, Pai Mei, was walking down the road, contemplating whatever it is that a man of Pai Mei's infinite power contemplates - which is another way of saying "who knows?" - when a Shaolin monk appeared, traveling in the opposite direction. As the monk and the priest crossed paths, Pai Mei, in a practically unfathomable display of generosity, gave the monk the slightest of nods. The nod was not returned. Now was it the intention of the Shaolin monk to insult Pai Mei? Or did he just fail to see the generous social gesture? The motives of the monk remain unknown. What is known, are the consequences. The next morning Pai Mei appeared at the Shaolin Temple and demanded of the Temple's head abbot that he offer Pai Mei his neck to repay the insult. The Abbot at first tried to console Pai Mei, only to find Pai Mei was inconsolable. So began the massacre of the Shaolin Temple and all sixty of the monks inside at the fists of the White Lotus. And so began the legend of Pai Mei's five-point-palm-exploding-heart technique.

The Bride: And what, pray tell, is the five-point-palm-exploding-heart technique?

Bill: Quite simply, the deadliest blow in all of martial arts. He hits you with his fingertips at five different pressure points on your body. And then he lets you walk away. But after you've taken five steps, your heart explodes inside your body, and you fall to the floor, dead.

or this:
Bill: [dying] How do I look?
The Bride: You look ready...

this i think is the best:
Elle Driver: [to Budd, as he is dying] Now in these last agonizing minutes of life you have left, let me answer the question you asked earlier more thoroughly. Right at this moment, the biggest "R" I feel is Regret. Regret that maybe the greatest warrior I have ever known, met her end at the hands of a bushwhackin, scrub, alky piece of shit like you. That woman deserved better.

my mind scribbles..

2006-04-26T12:50:00.000+05:30

I am such a voracious writer.. just wrote my previous blog 15 mins back.. I feel I write so much.. but still I write less.. by writing too much.. I am just scared taht the quality wud go down.. but then, what the heck.. who am I writing for, why shud the quality matter.. I want to be a Steven Spielberg, who churns out a masterpiece each time he goes onscreen.. but then.. I am not.. I am a Ram Gopal Varma.. who is just so obsessed with making films.. that 1 out of every 5 films he makes is a blockbuster!

k.. talking abt Ram Gopal Varma.. I love one thing abt him..that is the way he conceives a charecter, builds it, loves it and then just kills it!! this is a norm in all his masterpieces.. I take so long to think abt a line.. abt that sentence that just fits so well...I build it, love it... and then at times when I have to kill it.. I just cant.. Letting go is easier said than done!! that is why I admire Howard Roark!! He and Gail Wynand are essentially 2 sides of the same coin.. they had similar childhoods.. think alike.. only that Wynand is not as strong.. he cant take the pain of people taking away what he loves.. so he just became one among them.. infact the worst of them..
Roark just let it be!!

run..

2006-04-26T12:01:00.000+05:30

There are times,
when my bike becomes me..
my Engine burns,
my Alloys scream,
I become Ritz+ 180!

I know no fear,
I run fast,
but still so slow..
I feel the need,
the Need for Speed..
I feel the need of the 6th gear!

.. Movie Review- No Man's Land

2006-04-25T18:33:00.000+05:30

okie.. I just cant stop myself telling u the story of this movie.. I ll make it as short as possible..

.. there is the Bosnian border and there is the Serbian border.. and there is some 500 metres of land between the 2.. No Man's Land(NML)... (wud just like to add that the Serbs n Bosnains cant look each other in the eye..they d rather kill each other..)..

okie.. heres how it goes.. A Bosnain soldier somehow gets stranded in NML(I wont xplain how.. because I ve promised to keep it short..:)).. with the corpses of quite a few of his comrades around him... a Serbian soldier soon joins him..(Pls dont ask how!!! :D).. with one more serb.. who incidently gets killed by the Bosnian... so the Serbian soldier now has the Bosnian soldier and a few corpses for company..(one Serb and abt 10 Bosnain)...

and yeah.. before I forget... before the 1st Serb dies.. they (the 2 serbs that is..:)..) perform this amazing act of vengeance... they place a Bouncing mine under one of the dead Bosnain Corpses.. now what is a Bouncing mine.. it is this amazing invention of mankind that kinda bamboozles its victim..(imagine the victim not only dies, but hes also bamboozled!!!).. it doesnt blow when he steps on it.. but when he steps off it!!!! so now do u see the ingenuity of the 2 serbians?... When the Bosnain rescue team comes to pick up these corpses.. they wud all blow off!!! (I just wonder how cud they manage to hate each other so much!!! they were just one country some time back!!! ok I dont have to..)..

..and so the 2 men still alive find out ways and means to get out of NML... only to find out that the dead Bosnian over the Bouncing Mine is not actually dead... and that the Bosnian who is alive and not over the bouncing mine will not leave No Mans Land without his compatriot over the bouncing mine!!! and he wont let the Serb either..

..so.. now u see.. why the Aamir Khan blockbuster which talked abt the triumph of Human Spirit dint win the Oscars in 2001!!!

..just a thought..

2006-04-24T12:25:00.000+05:30

..parents love u, but dont understand u...
..friends understand u, but dont love u..

...when time just stopped....

2006-04-12T00:50:00.000+05:30

Its 12th April 2006..12 am approx.. I am here.. at ESquare... watching Being Cyrus.. my cell rings... kinda irritated... pick up.. "hullo..".."abey tera no bol...Cal ka results aa gaya!!" thats Sushant for u..(btw.. hes been my lucky mascot thruout this IIM roller coaster!!)...I get up frm my seat..and hear a slight murmur of the crowd in the background.."abey saale"(im kinda thinkin shud I give it.. or shud I rush to the nearest Cyber.. Im like what the heck.. ) I give him my no. and DOB....

...and the next few seconds seem like forever... Im shivering here.. look at Bakli beside me.. hes smilin in tension himself!!a million thoughts goin thru my mind..Infact they were so many that I cant recollect any... U cud say that I went blank!! and ... Sush says.."o shit.. I opened the wrong link!!..wait a sec.."..I am like..U mite b my lucky mascot and all that.. but s@#$w u maan!!! (just kiddin dude..:-)).."okie.. DOB bol...tera no. yaad hain merko.."..and wait again!!!...

.. and then...after almost eternity...the voice speaks.."abey saale..(hes so cool abt it!!! dont u see.. my life depends on it!!!)..Congrats..u have been selected for PGDM and PGDCM!!!".. and I drop dead!!!!!!!

...

2006-04-11T14:20:00.000+05:30

the pattern of love is so similar to the pattern of insanity!!

..vacuum..

2006-04-06T16:23:00.000+05:30

hi there.. Im staring at u..
cos ive got nothin else to do..

just waiting for that next big thing in life..
believe me..this can agonize...

just scrolling thru the taskbars in vain..
what pains most.. is the lack of pain..

..scanning every now and then...
..thru the forums at Pagalguy..
looking for "Results Declared"..
..wud it b C, K or MDI..

or wud He play His game again..
..the thing that He just loves to do..
then u wud see me here this June..
saying "..Im still here to stare at u!!"

the same fundu weekend of old...

2006-04-03T13:34:00.000+05:30

11:30am

..am finally free..well n trully.. done with all my interviews.. the last one got over on friday... and I returned back to Pune to catch up with some old friends.. who were comin over...

..the same old routine followed... 11o clock.. entry into the disk.. booze n groove gallore.. n 1 and 1/2 vodkas, 1 tequila shot and 2 pints of beer later... was on a high. n still managed to ride the bike straight!!! (guess my friend sitting behind wud vouch for taht..).. abt 1:30am odd.. entry into Comesum..the only place open till late nite... some coffee + biryani.. n lotsa amazing crappy discussions on a high... n some songs with table as tabla.. the waiter intervening evry 5 mins.. the most pleasant surprise.. 1 pal joins in directly from bbay @ abt 2 in the nite... serving coffee for all of us!!! the good ol' times were back... almost..:-)

abt 2.45 left for home.. the ride back was just too good..the stretch from University circle to Bremens.. riding at 115kmph... and that "outtatheworld" dizziness.. n the race with fellow bikers!!!

newez.. woke up 10 am next day..cricket,breakfast, cricket, lunch, cricket, chai,cricket... played n faught n competed the hell outta ourselves..those li'l challenges.. exploiting small weaknesses.. coming out with new ideas..plotting to get someone out..fighting ur way out of difficult situations.. n all of that!!! .... dinner @ Little Italy's.. fundu place.. nice ambience..(only that had to b slightly subdued!!).. scotch.. wine..etiquittes..(in Chomus words..usko dalo bho mein!!!:-) some authentic Italian food.. pizza.. pastas.. lazzania.. n the ice creams...

with 1 and half days of absolute GMasti.. sunday was reserved for rest..sleepin..reading.. cookin a bit.. eating at home..sleepin.. catching that late evening movie.. i just love these lazy drowzy sundays...

..monday morn.. back to work..

the next note..

2006-03-29T15:23:00.000+05:30

feels gr8 to have started playin the guitar again...

..Love...

2006-03-29T10:45:00.000+05:30

I was waiting for her.. but she came in... I dint ask her to.. still she did.. mayb she felt that I was lonely.. or maybe she herself was.. may be he didnt care for her any longer... whatever the reason.. she came in.. she held my hand.. longer than anyone else I remember ever held.. and so tight as if she was never gonna let go... she put her head on my shoulder...she needed me...I knew she did... she was afraid may b...and I was there....the way she looked at me... I shud have shown her the mirror...

.. and then... he came back... or rather she went to him... I wud have never realized that this was it... until I felt this pain... it was like a thousand sledgehammers beating down my heart... the problem is that she never felt it!!!

on the verge of...

2006-03-27T14:23:00.000+05:30

hullo... well..guess this is gonna be a rather long post... at this point.. I am just organizing my thoughts..:-).............k.....almost done..... :-D

an Idle Mind is a Devil's Workshop, but for me, an Idle mind is a Blogger's workshop..:-). I am suddenly feeling this idleness. Lot has happened in the last few months.. almost transformed me.. its been very hectic..but I must say that its been a pleasant experience.. just goin flashback.. almost managed to crack CAT.. gotta few GD PI calls.. so have been busy preparing for them...(busy is an under statement.. for the last couple o months...I ve been eating,sleeping,bathing,running,working,pissing,screwing GDPIs!!!).... got to interact wid lotsa amazing ppl.. and got a sneak peak into their way of thinking!! also.. have been goin to each n evry scrap of newspaper that comes my way... Budget 06, Railway Budget, Economic Survey, Nuclear Deal, Bush Visit, the Bihar Fiasco, WTO ministrerial meet, Kyoto Protocol, Arcelor bid, Godra riots, Indian Economy, Bureaucracy, Services, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Labour Laws, Physical Infrastructure, Social Infrastructure.. etc etc. u name it.. n i can give u a review on it!!!!

and the time table too has been amazin.. wake up 6:45(u think thats late?? see when I slept..:-)) read newspapers OR Rush for interview..9:30 office.. 615 leave office..7 pm GD class.. 3-4 real noisy(read competitive) discussions.. with some really good ppl... u had to make an effort to just get into the discussion.. let alone making a good pt..:-) so it kinda made me pull my socks up.. and today wake me up at 3 in the morning and tell me taht there is a GD... I wud b up for it!!! :-D... 10pm go home.. eat..11pm.. u start gettin sleepy.. so have a cup of tea/coffee late nite.. some small discussions wid roomies..(it was an excellent atmosphere at home.. with 3 of us preparing..) 11:30 then back to the newspapers..and ur old textbooks and India Today.. and Frontline and Business World and !!!! 0130 or 0200 sleep...

and then attending the real thing.. Gd Pis.. the GD wud b over at the blink of an eye.. and the wait before the PI can be excruciating(my turn wud always b 6th or 7th!! ).. ppl comin out.. n givin details abt what they r askin.. then ppl around u start revising their Maths formulas.. their current affairs.. their Fin ka fundas.. Man...u always have that thing in ur belly!!! n then.. just before ur turn.. just focus a bit.. forget everything that exists around u.. quarentine urself..:-).. and then the entire world just wud come to a halt when they say "Ritesh.. pls come in" .. n then in 2 mins.. ur in there..speakin abt urself..

newez...now that I am done with almost all my Gd PIs... I have the time to think..what do I wanna do...immediately in life.. and in the long run... now wait a bit.. am I jumping the guns a bit too soon.. but..what the heck!!..I think the probability of converting atleast 1 out of the 7 calls that I have is pretty large..so.. lemme jump the guns for atleast a while..:-D.. so what do I wanna do... first things first..

I wanna put my papers down in mid May... and take a break.. go on a long trip... I wanna catch a glimpse of this beautiful country of mine (or so they say..:-))... go to some far off place... far off place like Ladakh..or the North East... and I wanna go there with some new friends...and some old friends...
okie.. then.. I wanna go to some nice Institute.. to pursue my MBA.. (Cal or Kozhikode preferably..).. learn new things...make new friends.. go places ( literally and otherwise).. and live the next 2 yrs of my life.. king size...:-)...and MBA wud be the 1st course in life that I wud have taken by choice...I think I wanna do this... the pedagogy etc.. is different there.. u have various interactive sessions.. Case studies.. analyses.. sleepin late in nite.. late nite maggies... then diggin into ur books even later at nite.. and in the morn..u realize that ur hit by assignments...

Enuf of jumping the gun! what if no institute finds me worthy.. (however low the probability.. it is probable rite..)... then I get back to my thinking process immediately after I gave CAT.. that I have given it my all.. the last 2 yrs I ve devoted all my time to this... its been my 2nd love. theres nothin more I can give... if I succeed its gr8.. but if I dont.. its ok.. may b im not destined for it.. that its abt time I did justice to my job.. that I ve taken for granted for so long now!! but whatever the result. This was my Last Attempt at CAT!!! (I know its easier said than done:)

Ritz

Sachins Undisputed Greatness

2006-03-22T14:58:00.000+05:30

It really saddens me whenever India loses a Test Match... All the discussions, planning, strategies... down the drain...

Well today India lost against England...at Mumbai.. and there are many reasons for it...(analysis of the reasons for defeat is not what I plan to discuss here.. that can come some other time..) one of them is that...may be the team was too arrogant by playing just 5 batsman.. and 1 of them was 'the' Sachin Tendulkar...

His repetitive failures..(as per his usual standards that is..) ..cant help us think that he is now a shadow of himself..that he is no longer the great player that he was.. that may be it is time to bid the great man adieu... I agree to all of this.. that may be it is time

But what irks me most is when ppl start doubting his greatness... when they say that we remember Dravid winning matches for India..(I am talking test matches here..).. but there is not one innings of Sachin's that we remember... I am like.. what the Fuck!!!

Well.. for once.. let me rid myself of this emotional quotient... considering the great fan of Sachin's that I am... and put the analysing cap on...

the 1st mistake that people make is they take the number of victories as a yardstick to measure the greatness of a player... Well.. here we are talking about individual greatness... how can number of victories be a yardstick to measure that... number of victories gives the greatness of teams.. and not individuals..

Individuals alone can never win Test Matches. It is always either a team performance or atleast 3 individuals playing out of their skins.. Citing some Individual performances the are generally considered great...
1st is Brian Lara's 'so called' match winning performance of 153* at Bridgetown in 1999 against Australia chasing 308.. this innings was great no doubt.. but analysts generally forget that Courtney Walsh had a splendid spell of 5/39 in Australia's 2nd innings restricting them to 146.
2nd is Rahul Dravid's performance at Adelaide when he scored a match winning 233.. but again he had VVS Laxman scoring 148 and Ajit Agarkar bowling out of his skins, taking 6/41 to restrict Australia to 196.
3. VVS Laxman scoring 281 at Eden Gardens after following on..also had Dravid scoring 181 and Harbhajan taking 6/73..
so my point here is proved that though these are innings that stand out.. there were other equally important performances involved.

Well my 2nd point is this: what makes people remember the innings stated above is the sheer desperation that these innings involved.. WI were 238 odd for 8.. India were 80/4 in Adelaide and were following on in Eden Gardens.. these are innings that come once in a lifetime and that Sachin has never been involved in such sensational innings cannot devoid him of his greatness.

The greatness of Sachin lies in the fact that the many occasions where he has won matches for India (again not single handedly..there were other good performances involved..) have not led to desperate situations..that he has done it absolutely effortlessly and without much hue and cry.. and this very effortlessness makes people forget these innings..

Citing a few examples here:(all are match winning performances)
1. his excellent 155* off 191 balls on a detoriorating 3rd Day track in Chennai in 1999 when Warne was turning the ball square..
2. his attacking 193 on a seaming track at Leeds in 2001 which was based on the solid foundation laid by Rahul Dravid.
3. his match winning 126 against Australia at Chennai in 2001 which helped India seal a famous series win.
4. his 194* at Multan where India took the lead.
5. his counter attacking 55* off 83 balls in Mumbai on a track that was nothing less than pathetic.
6. His 117 in Port of Spain in 2001 where India won the match narrowly and took the lead.
Thus my second point proved.

My 3rd point: Going back to the statement I made before that greatness of a player cannot be judged by the number of matches won. And these is even more true in Tendulkar's case. Most of his brilliant innings have come in a test match that was either drawn or lost.

Let us all agree that in the 90s when Sachin was at his peak, Team India was in doldrums. Sachin, time and again, performed splendidly with the bat. but alas, there were no support performances from anyone else in the team. Again giving examples to support this fact.

1. The 1st innings that comes to mind.. and we all remember this very sadly.. is the brilliant 136 in chennai against Pakistan in 1999.. chasing 271 to win.. India were 76/5 at a stage.. and Sachin with Mongia managed to get India close to victory...and that too when he was suffering from severe back spasms... well that India fell short by 12 runs in the end and that the last 3 wickets fell in a hurry... should not take any credit away from the greatness of the innings... this for me is the greatest innings of the great man.. alas..for a lost cause.
2. 114 on a bouncy Perth track, where all there other famous Indian batsman had single digit scores.. this was the innings where he 1st showed glimpses of greatness..
3. his excellent 116 on a bouncy Melbourne track.. where again the likes of Ganguly and Dravid underperformed..
4. The 169 at Cape Town in 1996.. his partnership with Mohd Azharuddin..where they blasted 250 odd runs in 2 sessions..
there are many more innings... his 155 at Bloemfontain in 2003, his 122 at Edgbaston in 1996.. well all of these innings were for a losing cause... the reason for these losses was not that Sachin performed..but that there were no backup performances from other players.. the batting line up was fragile and the bowling was crap to say the least.. so lets not blame Tendulkar for these and lets give him due credit...

May be Tendulkar today is past his peak... he still shows sparks of brilliance.. but they are sporadic... so let us support him in this sombre hour... and give him a respectful exit... and at the same time, feel priveliged that we witnessed the entire career of one of the best batsmen, cricket has ever produced...

@ God's Own IIM

2006-03-21T13:59:00.000+05:30

(written on 27th feb '06)

Hullo ppl..
One more week.. one more interview gone..
This time it was IIM K..

No mishaps reaching the place this time.. it was in bbay itself.. just one irony.. .. the interview was at Dadar Catering college..and I cudnt find anything to eat..:-p...newez..reached much before time...(my dad's fnda that I gotta keep some buffer..just in case.. only that the buffer this time turned out as 45 mins..) not that i was bored.. saw this fundu cute si kudi there..;-)... smart.. with tonnes of certis etc... and that too she s a fresher.. :-D...(hoping to see her again..:-))

newez.. getting back on track... we were taken to our GD room.. there were just 2 ppl on the panel...(abt them later..).. the GD was short this time..10 mins..we were given a paragraph...Advertising..playing on the customers sentiments.. infuencing them, shaping attitudes, unethically blah blah... that advertising is "legalised lying!!"... k.. discussed abt advertising/ selling being important...however.. advertising helps only in the short term..that the brand needs to have strong fundas..and that clean advertising is ok...and that we need to take care abt the sentiments of the people as well... and finally that we need to draw a line where the ads become unethical...so overall decent GD.. was a bit noisy tho...

ok..now the PI..I was the 6th in the panel..ppl were generally having cool PIs...not much stress..and finally my turn came..btw..wrt the panel.. there was this Cool Dude..in IIMK Tshirt..abt 35.. herd taht hes a maths ka baap!!!... call him CD...and there was this Beautiful Lady... in saree.. abt 30 mayb... call here L... and then there was R..Ritz..:-)

ok.. here it goes..

R: good morning sir, madam...
CD: so u r Ritesh.. what does Ritesh mean...
R: (oh man..not again!! ).. Ritesh is the King of Truth!!!!!!!!!!(hehehehehe)...
CD: so ur the king of truth??
R: err..Well no sir.. I think I wud call myself ethical.. as in if I feel that somethings not right.. I wont do it...(hehhehhehe again..)
L: ok.. so however important it is for u..u wont do it...
R:yes..I wont..
L: tell me..how many ppl r there who r both honest n successful...
R: well..(smiling..as if I had been waiting for this)..MrNR Narayana Murthy is a classic example..
L: I can tell you of so many successful ppl who r dishonest... can u survive in mgmt with being honest??
R: I think I can..
L: so..u would be honest even if it wud cost ur being successful??
R: yes m'aam.. if I were to be successful thru wrong means..i think it wud weigh on my conscience.. always.. but if I am honest..Id atleast know that I ve given it my best shot.. (funde...blah blah...see Jaan Im so innocent..:-D)
CD: ok Ritesh what is Quality to you?
R: well..Quality..for me..is how satisfied the customer is... for eg.. I am a part of WinSe...blah...
CD: dont u think u were lucky to have got 5 calls.. ur %ile is quite low..
R: (smiled...dont get into this...its dejavu..:-))..
CD: so..whats ur score in maths.. 93.. thats pretty low...so ur not great at maths?
R: yes sir.. I wud say...I m ok...
CD:k..tell me what is GP...
R: can I write it down?
CD: yes..
R: a,ar,ar2 etc..r is common ratio..
CD: whats the sum of infinite GP..
R: a+ ar+ar2..:-)
CD: derive it..
R: (what the F$%^).. ok S= a+ad+ad2+.. so..Sd= ad+ad2+ad3+....S-Sd = a... all other terms get cancelled.. so S = a/(1-d)..:-D
CD: (impressed I guess..)..ok...so uve herd abt WTO
R: yes World trade org..
CD: they had their meeting off late..where was it..
R: Hong kong...
CD:ok.. there was something abt GATS in that..what is that..
R: General agreement of Trade in Services..
CD: so.. what abt it..
R: more H1B visas..more ppl working in US.. give n take... India also needs to open up some services...blah blah
CD: do u need Trade Unions in the IT industry?
R:no..we re satisfied.. we have HR.. etc..
CD: the main selling point of indias software industry is cheap labour... so what if say tomorrow.. Sri lanka gives cheaper labour..
R: companies like Infy rely on predictability...very strong processes built over the years.. difficult to emulate..etc etc..
CD: ok..I m done..madam ur turn..
R: (okie im ready..:-))..
L: so..tell me something about the Indian judicial system?
R:(ma kasam..bomb!!thinkin thinkin..)wat abt it??
L: anything...that comes to ur mind..
R:(ok..) America has a jury system...
L: tell me abt India...
R:ya...so India doesnt have a jury system..:-D.. and the decision is totally dependant on the judge.. and he is not an untouchable.. as in..the politicians n criminals..neone with power..can easily influence his decision.. so this needs to change...
L: ok.. how many houses r there in Indias parliament..
R: 2..Lok sabha n Rajya sabha..
L: whats the diff?
R: Lok sabha has elected reps of teh ppl..n Rajya sabha consists of prominent personalities..etc.
L: R u sure..
R: yes..
L: so..whats the role of teh Vice President..
R: head of teh Rajya Sabha..speaker..
L: r u sure??
R: yes..
L: ok..I give u one min...(I look at her with concentration..:-)..she s kinda stuck..she smiles..I smile back..ankho hi ankho mein ishara!!:-D)...err.. I give u 1 min... talk abt any prominent Indian personality..
R: (think..then smile..who else..) Sachin Tendulkar.. made his debut... 1989.. mainstay in Indias battnig order..played many match winning knocks...however..what I like abt him..is that inspite of him being teh best batsman of his era..he has not let success get on to his head.he is still very down to earth!!!..
L: ok..(fida hain bhai!!!! khali thodi badi hain!!!:-D)
CD: ok..Ritesh.. wish u all the best..:-)
R: thank you..

n leave..
.. so I think overall.. definitely better than the WIMWI interview..

Regds,
Ritz

The IIMA Experience

2006-03-21T13:46:00.000+05:30

(written on 20th Feb '06)

Hi all...

my experience at the Worldclass Institute of Management in Western India

a bit long.. so dividing into 2 parts...both parts in the same mail.. u cud also read the more interesting part 2 first..

Part 1: before the PI
firstly before reaching ahmedabad.. seemed like nothin cud go rite... used fevikwik instead of fevistick to stick my fotu on the form... that created a big oily patch on it (imagine IIMA form with a patch!!)!!!..as if this wasnt enuf.. then I nearly missed the train.. got stuck in traffic..seemed like God had programmed all the signal lites to go Red just as my cab reached there!!! and He also instructed the Rickshaw fellas to block my road in case the lights were green!!!:-D..just abt managed to reached the station!! (JIT ka funda!!!).. caught train reched ahd at nite..

okie.. flash forward to next morn... enterd IIMA campus at 8:30... and boy.. the love story started.. the red bricks.. the huge structures..the vast grounds... it felt like.. man.. this is it!!! btw.. the guys there aint any different from any of us.. in shorts..n tshirts.. njoyin their sundays.. and gawking at us scapegoats.. :-).. and there r beautiful girls too.. (saw just one.. )

..I had paid the auto wala... n the peon called us inside...n within no time.. 3 profs came out.. n called out our names.. and we were in the GD rooms...
there were 10 of us.. infact 9.. 1 guy was absent!!!.. i was 6th... it was a case study.. some mens retail outlet ka problems... etc... I was the 1st one to speak...n then this (bushwagon piece of shit) guy sitting opposite to me.. cut me!!! I said pls lemme complete... but by then it was too late.... I recovered however.. made quite a number of strikes.. for the kamat ppl..hope some were 5 raised to 5..:-)..

ws pretty relaxed after that.. my interview was 6th... ppl were all tensed arnd.. asking ppl comin out what they r asking... just overherd one guy telling that he was asked the industrail uses of gold silver platinum!!! I moved away.. took a walk in the campus... the huge khandars.. the open grounds again... had an infy ka guy for company...

Part 2: the Big Thing
okie.. now for the big thing... I had written music, painting, movies as my hobbies.. so was expecting Qs on that.. and some work Qs and some basic etrx.. wat is transistor, Flip flops, logic gates etc.. and guess what i get??

I go in.. its a big room.. and 3 ppl sitting on the other side of a big table!!! 1 had just one eye..The one eyed assasin..OEA.. the second one looked innocous like apna Ramu Kaka... but when he opened his mouth..got to know he was much more than that...call him RK...then there was this 3 rd soft spoken middle aged guy.. who looked sagacious!! call him S...
and the bechara Innocent guy...thats me... I :-D

okie...so this is how it goes..

RK: ..so what does ur mean.. (taking my certis n stuff)
I: err.. dunno sir..blah blah..(gave some absolutely crappy ans...soem king of processes etc..if someone knows the meaning pls lemme know..its a Gujju name.. so may b.. the familys new roomie mite know:-)))
OEA: so tell me something abt urself.
I: Born n brot up in bbay... closed knit south indian fly.. blah blah.. disciplined..dedicated.. teamwork etc...
OEA: so ur n ETRX engineer..(and the great IIMA massacre begins..:-)).. u must know DSP... Tell me how do u seperate a single signal from a Scrambled one...
I: err.. (shit i din prepare DSP)..if the signals r serialised u can use a demultiplexer..n route them through different channels
OEA: what if they r not!!!
I: use a filter..if u know the frequency... u can filter it out...
OEA: How?
I: The filter has a certain pass band.. and if that matches the freq of ur signal.. the other frequencies get attenuated..
OEA: How?
I: u multiply the freq of ur filter with the freq of the signal..
OEA: How?
I: err.. Sorry sir I dont know..(some one pls lemme know??)
S: So ur ve participated in Maths olympiad... so tell abt it mathematically..
I: U convert to frequency domain and multiply the 2 equations..
OEA: How
I: Fourier Transform ka formula...explain. u get a func in freq when u integrate in Time domain..
S: Ok.. so how do u do it geometrically..
I: I drew waveforms..explained harmonics etc.. then drew a graph of its frequency response..etc
S: ok.. so what is that "j" out there
I: It is the imaginary term.
S: Imaginary.. what is taht?
I: (blurted)-1..
S: what??
I: Sorry.. root of -1
S: Why is that imaginary?
I: err..
S: u have done this right??
I: Long time sir... (hoping that he d get to something more logical...)
S:u must have done the concepts sometime.. u dont remember? why is it required?
I: no.. may b to calculate the phase..
RK: What is this paper? (it was a chemical paper.. my dad's office ka journal.. it had my name on it for winning a drawing competition..and it also had many chemical stuff!!!)
I: Its got my name.. (showed him)..
RK: This is very interesting.. u must have read it rite..
I: (o shit man..now im screwed!!!) NO!!!!
RK: Its got this beautiful thing here.. a football.. what r these shapes on it.
I: (after seeing).. hexagons n pentagons...
RK: So can u have all hexagons or all pentagons?
I: err... Dont know sir.. mayb it depends on the surface area.. it needs to be a multiple of 4 pi r 2..
RK: So it can have all hexagons??
I: sorry sir.. I dont know
RK:ok.. tell me.. what is the melting point for nitrogen..
I: I dont know..
RK: I know.. its written here..
I: err..
RK: whats the range..
I: err...
S: the magnitude?? -ve or positive??
I: err.. It must be negative.. Nitrogen is gaseous at normal temperature..
RK: so what is it.. -20..
I: sorry sir.. I dont know..
RK: how is it liquefied.
I: under pressure.. it is condensed..etc..
RK: ok..what is liquefied nitrogen used for..
I: err.. LNG is used as fuels in reactors...
RK: LNG and Liquefied Nitro.. are they the same..
I: (Oops).. No sire.. LNG is liquefied Natural gas..
RK: Good..(he actually told good!!) where is it found..
I: Bombay high..
RK: What is the policy for extracion of natural gases..
I: i dunno..
RK again..Dunno
I: dunno.
OEA: So what r ur work responsibilities..
I: (sigh.. of relief..:-))... blah..blah..Software Test Engineer.. bugs etc..
OEA: So...what happens when a bug crops up?
I: A code defect.. or some functionality doesnt function properly..
OEA:No.. what happens when a bug crops up??
I: Ok.. the manager sees the bug.. he gives his comments.. passes it on to the dev n test leads... they look at the cost of fixing it.. blah blah..
OEA: ok.. (looks at S.. he indicates that hes done with his screwing..S seems bored by now..shakes his head!!)
RK: Ok ritesh here r ur certificates..
I:(o shit man.. its over.. what was it..all dumbfound!!) Thank u sir..
RK: ( giving the newspaper..) this was a very dangerous thing..
I: smile..:-) (andar se to shola bhadak raha the!!!)
S: Have a chocolate..
I: thank u sire...
I take one n leave!!!

Oh man.. never faced anything like this.. DSP.. Liquefied nitrogen.. Football.. no work Ex.. no infy.. no current affairs.. no budget.. all prep.. down the drain!!!

thats abt it..thanx for reading patiently..

Ritz..