The Wedding spread

It's amazing just how many gifts get spread out at weddings.

I've been asked to sit in a room full of wrapped up presents while the ladies do their dance etc. in another part of the house.

Weddings are awesome!

Foggy morning

Slight fog and lots of cold as I begin packing to leave for agra.

Oh and, finally IT gave me my BB back so atleast the camera works :)

Phone slippers

I have never seen a 'cuter' phone accessory than this slipper attachment.

Cinderall phone jokes flood my mind.

Awesome tag line

Reads: "Joins everything except broken hearts! :)"

Genuine Imitation Life

Recently, one of my relatives walked into a room where us 3 brothers were sitting together, each busy on his own laptop or mobile device.

Jokingly, he referred this belafonte song - Genuine Imitation Life and it has been stuck in my mind ever since:

--
Chameleon changing colors-
while a crocodile cries
People rubbing elbows,
but never touching eyes.
Taking off their masks,
revealing still another guise
Genuine imitation life

People buying happiness and manufactured fun
Everybody doing what everybody's done
People count on people who can only count to one
Genuine imitation life

All the pretty clouds are a lovely shade of black
You find the right direction, someone tears up all the track
People worship crosses, fingers crossed behind their back
Genuine imitation life

Old friends get together but it's solitaire they play
Everybody's rainbow done in different shades of gray
It's a lovely place to visit but I wouldn't want to stay
In a genuine imitation life
Genuine imitation life
---

I am back!

It's been a while since I've posted here.

One of the main reasons was working around the various corp BB restrictions - my primary mode of blogging is banging my thoughts out on my BB.

Hopefully, I can be more frequent now!

The shopper monks

Having given up the world"s pleasures was a given as a monk.
However it seems the lure of designer shoes seems too much for these folks.

I don't blame them, considering how much they walk!

However, I do hear that since the monks get a lot of money as donations, they are literally rolling in money.

The problem with delhi traffic

Can you spot it?

Junk jewellery

I knew women loved shopping for junk jewellery but I never realised just HOW much till I spent 3 hours playing shopping assistant at Janpath.

Security warning of the day!

flyover

First a flyover was made. Then another was attached to it YEARS later.

Finally, a metro link is being built going over both flyovers.

Why the hll can't they put such engineering skills to use in bombay!

Amer Fort

Fabulous sound and light show. Must watch.
Costs 200 rupees, lasts an hour and will give you a great history lesson.

Funnily enough, they talk about the exact same stuff they created controversies over when Jodha Akbar released.

Makes me think it was all a publicity stunt :)

Ah... The torment

Priyanka endorses Nokia. I don't know why they dont have more ads of her.
Apart from this, I do believe that Nokia has BRILLIANT advertising.

Check this post for more. http://meandmycam.blogspot.com/2007/04/music-gets-you-talking.html

Burberry workers protest

Lots of music and anger.

Video once I reach home!

Rules of a ship.

The most hightech audio guide!

At the maritime museum, they hand out these super cool pdas as audio guides.

The port must be very very rich :)

The columbus monument

Dedicated to the famous traveller.

You must recall your history that the king an queen of spain (ferdinand and isabella I think) sponsored columbus's trip to search for india when he accidentally discovered America.

Also, of note, is that the statue was supposed to point to the new world but actually points in the wrong direction :)

Lottery

The spanish are pretty big on lottery.

Many buy tickets on a regular basis and that includes people who r already rich :)

Lottery

The spanish are pretty big on lottery.

Many buy tickets on a regular basis and that includes people who r already rich :)

Arch de triomphe

Barcelona's sad excuse of the really cool french monument.

Its just a waste of time.

You cannot even go on top!

Lunch!

After major meandering inside casa mila - a house designed by gaudi for the Mila family (its awesome and a must visit!) I'm so hungry I could eat spain's entire annual produce. Especially considering my breakfast consisted of 1 cup of coffe and about 5 pieces of "chips"

Got some helpful local advice on where to eat (walk around ull find something) I finally found this place called Tapa Tapa.

Menu in six languages. Courteous staff and even though I'm drinking coke, I get to sit on the bar side! Yeaa!

Excellent place.

Chairs

Replicas of gaudi's nature inspired chairs. Comfortable as hell.

Really! It feels like there is no wood at all and is made of a soft comfortable material but its not. Its all wood.

Incredible.

The moon at noon?

Have u ever seen the moon at noon?

Can you spot it in this picture amongst the clouds?

Enjoy :)

View from Park Guell

One of the higher points in barca. Awesome view

Sorry about the crappy BB camera

How much tissue can someone use?

Apparently a LOT!

These are the tissues used by my friend for just drinking coffee.

No wonder we are running out of trees!

The most ill designed cup

At Cafe Zurich, major barca landmark.

The cup is so terribly ill designed that the cup handle (for lack of a better word) is too tiny for even my pinky to fit in.

Which means u gotta wait for your coffee to get reasonably cold before u can drink it.

You just can't hold it from the handle!

The Magic Fountain

On the base of Montjuic, this is a musical fountain which moves to the tune of music (obviously) - most of which is english actually and not spanish.

It operates only on the weekends - Friday to Sunday. 

If you are in Barcelona, this is a definite place to go. I shot a video too. Will upload once its up on YouTube.

BTW, this black and white effect is a complete fluke. My BB camera got royally confused because the fountain had varied lighting and changing colors so I suppose it gave up trying to figure it out and spat out b/w instead. But I really like it this way. Don't you?

Olives II

Olives

Its interesting that a major departmental store (caprabo) sells olives in open jars akin to a flea market.

Dev D. D for…

Have you ever been in a joke narration where there has been tons of build-up and you eagerly await the punch line so you can laugh your ass off and say "hell yeah!"

But the punch line never comes?

That's almost exactly what Dev D. is like.
Except that there is no build up and the joke stretches for around 3 hours by the end of which you are so irritated that you feel like hitting the people sitting in the audience, beginning with yourself.

So incase you don't know, the movie is a modern interpretation of Devdas (hence Dev D.) and attempts to showcase the movie by tying it in with the issues in our "modern day" world of pre marital sex, drug abuse, MMS scandal and a rich kid running over people with his BMW.

Firstly, before my eyes see red again and I lose all control of my temper at the sheer absurdness, pointlessness and stupidity of the film, I must say Abhay Deol acts brilliantly and portrays his role rather well - something I have come to expect after such movies as Oye lucky, Ek chaalis ki last local and socha na tha.

The movie begins with a young dev being a pain in the ass and his father shouting at him.

Dev calls his mom and dad by their first names - a funny but idiotic attempt at portraying him as unconventional and rebellious. Still, it is cutely bearable in way – I think mostly because of the actor.

He gets shipped to London where he grows up chatting with his childhood sweet heart via the web and of course love/lust blossoms.

Dev is shown (to begin with) a guy who is rebellious and doesn't indulge in the molly coddling of stuff that people (usually older) don't want discussed openly.
He wants to fuck, instead of "indulging in the physical act of making love"
He is direct, to the extent of being rude about what he wants, when he wants and how he wants it.
From casually asking his girl "do you touch yourself?" To asking her to send naked pictures of her, and uttering lines like "main aa raha hoon" instead of its obvious english version, Dev D. then, stands for Dev Dude.

And just for a moment, you start thinking that maybe the fresh take is that the movie shows Dev as the guy who takes no prisoners, is direct and blatant and doesn't give a shit about what the world in general or people within ear shot in particular think or perceive.

Cut to his India visit where he meets his childhood sweet heart and the next 20 mintues in the movie are spent showcasing their inability to find some private space to "do it"

Yeah, TWENTY minutes.

Finally that chapter closes when due to a misunderstanding, they have a fight and Paaro marries some other rich guy because Dev D in his Dude style asks her to go to hell.

Had the movie from here taken on a role where Dev moves on and continues his sex cigarettes and whiskey lifestyle, it would’ve probably been a fun and realistic take in today's world. But no.

From here the movie tries to mimic the older dev das with dev missing paaro and taking to heavy drinking and hooker induced sleep.
Paaro meanwhile moves on forgets dev and lives a happy life.

Dev finds a particular hooker Chanda who is a firang girl depicting the DPS MMS scandal victim. He takes a liking to her and a small friendship blossoms but he still loves Paaro.

He pays the pimp to let Chanda go.
Meanwhile, he runs over 7 people in his BMW.

His father dies (he was ill anyway) and Dev literally becomes a beggar for about 2 mins in the film.

Suddenly, a car rams into a wall missing him by several feet but this becomes the life altering moment. He seeks out Chanda and they try to start a life together which is shown by her giving him a sponge bath and later taking him to the police station for his daily hajiri- (he is out on bail in the BMW case)

The pointlessness of the movie is beyond words.

Infact the movie should’ve been called Paaro because her character is the one that is different, she is no longer in love with Dev, marries an equally rich man and lives happily.

So what's so new about the movie? Nothing, unless you count the several ingenious ways they have invented to completely screw up what could’ve been a great movie.

What perplexes me even more is how is it that the other movie reviews I've read have been very positive - did they show a different movie at the premier? I don't know.

If I could have it my way, I would gather up all the people who made this film, their families, distant relatives, offsprings, suspected offsprings and anyone having even a single gene common with any of them.

I would then shoot each of them several times so that never again can they mess up the human gene pool and subject us to such criminally terrible movies.

Dev D. D for… Disaster.

Nerdy as hell

 

Just very very ashamed that I actually got this joke and LOL’d my ass off.

For you..

Since I am studying all this math and I think I’m so awesome at set theory, here is a message for my high school sweet heart :)

copyright xkcd

Luck By Chance

A few months ago, I went to dinner with this really great friend of mine. We have been friends since our college days (although we went to different ones)

She is smart and funny and charming, kinda pretty too ;) loves sports and will tell you more about cars than Autocar ever could and can put most guys to shame when it comes to discussing women. She is just very very cool.

So the obvious question (and some common friends have asked me this) was why is she not my girlfriend? Well, mostly because I already had a great one before I met her. But suppose I didn’t. what about then?

After college though, we lost touch and went about our lives and got super busy. However, with my new found “time” I have been busy seeking out long lost friends (thanks FB, orkut, LinkedIn) and luck by chance (c’mon I had to use this SOMEWHERE!), I ran into her.

We started chatting and it was like time had never passed. Like we were right back in college lamenting how little pocket money we received and bitching about some common friends (you know who you are and you know you deserve it!)

It was during this meeting that I found out the answer to my question. Why even though she had every single attribute a guy could ever want, why nothing could’ve happened.

It was because during all our the times we spent with each other, there was not one moment where it all just came together.

Even though all the signs and ingredients were there, put together, it just wasn’t clicking.

The sum was less than the parts.

Which is almost exactly how I would put the one line summation of Luck By Chance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the film. Infact, the parts are positively brilliant - but put together, they just doesn’t click.

Farhan does an absolutely excellent portrayal of a struggling actor who is charming and cunning at once and wants to succeed and believes in making his own luck.

You can’t help but like him even though sometimes he can be an a***ole (a line that also apparently describes me as I was told only yesterday).

Rishi Kapoor proves why he is so awesome with his excellent depiction of a “jolly” (sorry no other word quite sums it up this well) producer who is in there to show that “bollywood is one big family” angle – replete with his funny and pretty trophy wife played by Juhi

Dimple amply demos the “yesteryear superstar heroine now launching her daughter” complete with tantrums and nauseating involvement with everything in the movie.

The dialogues are really sharp and randomly funny. Funnier are the one liner’s that Farhan delivers while flirting with the starlet daughter.

Sample some classics -

Rishi Kapoor describing Dimple - “she is a crocodile in a chiffon sari”

And - talking to his script writer who is trying to turn a negative character into a positive character because the actor throws tantrums: -

“Oye institute, main yeh film Film Festival ke liye nahin bana raha”

The movie touches all aspects of the Indian film industry – from the dignified and muted potrayal of the casting couch to the insecurities of a big star who is threatened by a successful young comer. The new role of corporates investing into movies and “trying to change the culture” is also beautifully weaved in.

More intelligently connected is the way Farhan (or Vikram) goes around literally making his own luck, getting his own break and how the attitude of people around him changes once he lands the big role.

From the aunty who stops being caustic about him living in her house (he is from Delhi – like SRK?) to the childhood friend and fellow struggling actor who turns visibly bitter about Farhan’s success.

However, somehow, the bits and pieces don’t come together to give you the entertainer that was OSO nor is it as thought provoking or introspective as a Page 3.

Despite great performances by every single actor in the movie and some great songs, great dialogues, and superb direction, the movie just doesn’t quite work.

Infact, it oscillates between trying to decide whether to be dark or funny about the film industry and ends up being a grey (ok light grey) sarcastic caricature that will leave you confused about your feelings for the movie.

The sum then, is less than the parts.

So should you watch it?

You CAN watch it for Farhan and Rishi kapoor if you have absolutely nothing else to do on the weekend.

However, if you have a life altering situation (like say.. you are feeling lazy) and you miss the movie, don’t fret.

Raaz II – The Return of Horror

There are some things that just aren't done.

No matter how good it tastes, a Frenchman will never accept that anything from Napa is any good. And god forbid you gift him one, he will break the bottle on your head. That is, if you are lucky.

Ask a German what his favorite car is, and you will never hear the answer as a Ford or a Chevrolet. Because Detroit sucks at making anything that can go further than 5 miles on a tank full of gas - and I don't mean in a giant tank sort of way where you can sit pretty in the knowledge that if the traffic is bad, you could just driver over them.

If you ever get late for meeting a Japanese the chances are you will see a contorted painful expression which will make you wallow in self pity for being around 1.296 seconds late.

On the contrary, in Spain if you turn up for a 11pm party at 12, you will still have around 2 hrs to kill before the host shows up.

Being on time just isn't done.

In India however, we have no such issues. We are as frequently late as we are on time.

German cars are so overpriced that you can buy several houses for the price of 1. So we love Chevy and ford.

We really can't tell the difference between Napa and Bordeaux and we don't care.

In India, sab chalta hai.

Except, when you talk about horror movies.

We just don't make good ones. Directors, actors and audiences run away from any that actually get released and if you look at the stuff we have churned out so far, you wouldn't blame them one bit.

Who can forget the psyche altering rubbish churned out by the Ramsey brothers - the stalwarts of Bollywood Horror. Movies of such abject stupidity as “Do Gaj Zameen Ke Neeche”, “Shaitani Ilaaka” Puraana Mandir or… I could go on but the bottom line is, we just don’t know how to make a proper horror flick which is without the gore and funny makeup. We are awesome at doing song and dance sequences while jumping off buildings holding an umbrella, but when it comes to the horror genre, we suck. Horribly.

Which brings me to Raaz II – The Mystery Continues.

With a reasonably big budget and a star cast which is respectably A list, Raaz II is perhaps the first A grade India horror flick.

The story is the same old formula about a spirit possessing a pretty girl (a model no less!) who has a boyfriend who doesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits. In fact, his disbelief is so complete and bordering on the idiotic that he actually has his own TV show talking about the superstitions going on in the country.

Cut to an angry arrogant painter who paints the future but only about Kangana and the story revolves around of course how they beat the spirit that possesses her. And yes, true to the stereotype, the painter roams around with the Bhagvad Gita in his pocket.

As performances go, Kangna has proved my theory that the only roles she can do remarkably well are those where she has to be hysterical and crazy – bordering on the psychotic. Which she does with aplomb.

Adhyayaya..yaya..yaya..n (or however else its spelled) is a terrible actor. Completely botching up simple scenes like asking Kangana to go back to sleep while he is sleepy.

The dialogue writer needs to be shot in the head – twice.

I cannot believe someone was paid to come up with lines like:

Kangana to Adhyayan, explaining her slit wrist in the hospital -

K – “Tum sochte ho ye maine khud kiya hai? Tum jaante ho main apne aap se kitna pyaar karti hoon!”

On second thought, also shoot whoever approved this line’s use.

The story then meanders its way to various parties and scary scenes to reach the climax which seems inspired from The Ring – complete with black and white effects and a well for you to drown into. Ofcourse, our hero wins in the end and good triumphs over evil.

Sounds nothing new does it? It's not.

So then is this movie the Napa to a Frenchman and a Ford to a German?

No. Not even slightly. Infact, what it is, is excellent.

You see, despite the dialogue writer who should be shot (twice. remember.) and Adhyayan who cant act and parts and scenes inspired from a multitude of Hollywood films, the direction and camerawork is from a different planet. And its exceptional.

The story is superb, the plot is gripping and scenes will really make you pull that Red Lounge blanket up to your eyes.

The movie is genuinely scary in parts and is thrilling and exciting in its entirety.

Emraan Hashmi is just incredible. His acting is both intense and measured and to the point. None of the onscreen kissing business and no longer do you feel that he walks around thinking he is gods gift to womankind. He is smooth and carries his role off with ease.

The music is catchy and haunting at once and except for one song, the others are really not that out of place.

The movie doesn’t rely on past make up tricks of sticking painted vegetables on people’s faces and dirty yucky funny moving “Shaitaan” trying to kill. It relies on effects, anticipation and surprise and in that alone, we must give a presidential pardon to the script writer.

What this movie is, then, is that rare Ford that can make a German smile – a Mustang. It has its quirks and its kinks and its not perfect but its entertaining as hell and will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 2hrs 45 minutes.

This movie is to our horror genre what Barack Obama is to the United States of America.

A movie inspiring hope and instilling in us - the "Yes We Can" of making horror movies!

Go watch! It is full paisa vasool!

Sign of marriage

How do you know a couple have been married for a long time?

When the cushions leave the sofas and hit the streets!

Here we are!

At our hotel - Mowgli's Den.

VERY nice cottages for about 3400 bucks a night including all 4 meals (yeah, I eat 4 times a day!)

The rooms a squeaky clean and have a nice BIG bathroom too!

The best part though is that airtel has a cell tower around 200 mts from here so I have FULL network and hence data connection in the cottage! Yippee!

Oh and no vodafone signal - take that!

Past maharashtra border

Surprisingly, no toll.

Considering that the road is not that great, just as well.

On way from nagpur

And we are off!

Although slight scare abt the luggage as ours were the last 4 pieces.

Yes, despite the priority tag from Jet.

Here's to spotting some tigers!

Facebook Rant for The Day

I've been a bit too busy to bash up facebook recently but here are two awesome gems I noticed today morning while posting a simple comment on my friends (admittedly ridiculous) self portrait

and

while reading a news story.

1. Apparently facebook looks into the future and can tell what I am going to post TOMORROW (check the photo!)

2. For all those advocates of "facebook is about real people and people always use their real info to identify themselves etc."

I have 2 words for you - Facebook Connect.

FC is a service by facebook that ANY website owner can use (for free no less) to link up their website with facebook database.

So if you want to comment on the site, just login with your facebook ID and comment.
Simple enough right, but here is what i found on the FC website describing this service:

"Trusted Authentication
Users can connect their Facebook account with any partner Web site using our simplified and trusted authentication. Whether at login, or anywhere else a developer would like to add social context, the user can authenticate and connect their account in a trusted environment. The user will have total control of the permissions granted.

Real Identity
Facebook users represent themselves with their real names and real identities. With Facebook Connect, users can bring their real identity information with them wherever they go on the Web, including: basic profile information, profile picture, name, friends, photos, events, groups, and more."

Say hello to a world of phished facebook accounts and messed up online lives.

BTW - google has this same service recently but they are using their usual "beta" shroud to shy away from all responsibility.

The recipe for success?

Ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will

Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name.
        - Fort Minor, Remember The Name

What an awesome wedding!

Not sure how I came across this blog but here is a totally cool couple who got married in a totally awesome and nerdy way :)

To all my tech friends, you will know you have the girl of your dreams when she says YES to a wedding like this.

May this be the litmus test.

http://www.cabel.name/2008/10/on-wedding-design.html

What to do when there is an Asteroid Alert.

 

Click on the photo above to read the full comic.

This is freaking hilarious!

Google Tracks The Flu

I don't know if I am seeing more Flu stories just because I got the Flu and am therefore noticing much more or if there is suddenly a spurt in Flu related activity but the latest is that even Google is now tracking the Flu.
Well, in the US anyway - with their FluTrends page.

You can access it here

And if you are wondering about my Why I am seeing more of Flu theory - try this simple experiment. On your way back from work or college or wherever, tell yourself you are going to spot color red (or whatever color you want). Suddenly you will notice it everywhere.

This has to do with the automatic filtering by our brain. But that is a topic for another post - automatic filtering and assumptions!

Firefox Issue - Solved

I filed a bug yesterday with deviant art about my post below and their super helpful team got back to me today morning.

The issue was quite simply that browser's get messed up with embedded color profiles.

Idea is to NOT embed it.

And sincei  just moved to CS4, I didnt realise that the profiles were embedded by default, and I need to uncheck everytime I don't want it.

Pain!

Oh well, atleast it now WORKS! :)

STRANGE Firefox Issue

When I edit some of my photos in photoshop and upload them to my deviantart gallery, firefox seems to be having a serious issue rendering the images properly...

Look at the screen shots of the SAME webpage in both Firefox 3.03 and Safari.

See how the colors in firefox are completely faded but are fine in Safari?

I've tried everything - from embedding RGB profiles into the photo to increasing saturation for it to look better on FF (which is a terrible idea in general

 btw and was more for the sake of science) but nothing seems to work.

And this is not the only image - it happens on other photo too! But there is no pattern.

It doesnt happen on ALL the photos. And on those that it does, they arent really from the same batch or anything so I am really at a loss to know why this is so.

See for yourself - original page here and my screenshots are below

What to do when you have the Flu?

By now you know I have been struggling rather furiously with the Flu.

Sitting inside my quilt with the fan switched off - I'm the butt of jokes of such originality as "Look at him! he is the Kung FLU Panda"

yes - it helps THEM that my cold ensures my equally witty reply of "get the *&^% out of my room" comes out like "get the cough cough cough cough cough cough - breathe " x3

As with most of my problems - I turned to the internet to see what were some of the solutions the world offered for Flu

And interestingly enough with all the technology at our disposal, we still really have no clear idea of what the hell to do with the Flu.

1. We are still suggesting chicken broth or chicken soup as the number one cure.

2. Most suggest - stay this way for a week - it will cure itself. (These people have most likely NEVER had the flu - which could mean that they are aliens. HA!)

3. Others have suggested (including my friend from the Czech republic) to drink 1 bottle of Czech Brandy.
I guess the concept of the remedy is to get the Flu virus so inebriated that it forgets what it's supposed to do and steps out of your body to clear its head(s?)
Ofcourse it could also be that 1 bottle will keep you drunk for a week - enough time for the Flu to pass.
Basically the same as #2 but atleast you are more comfortable because you are passed out!

4. Some say that you should NEVER try to cure the fever as that stops further formation of the virus and gets the body to make more antibodies.

Finally though, After much research I came across this product called the Sambucol.

It is a unique extract from Black Elderberry. And the way it works on the virus is not by killing it - but by ensuring it doesn't replicate.

A virus cannot reproduce on it's own and needs a healthy cell to do so.
To break open the healthy cell, it has these spikes. What Sambucol does is it blunts the spikes, so a virus cannot pair with a healthy cell and basically sits around doing nothing.

Apparently, it has a 93% success rate of curing the diseased in about 2 days. That sounds so good to me right now I could cry.

Caution - If you happen to be in Europe and find these shrubs, dont just pluck and eat them. They are apparently poisonous and need to be treated before being edible.

Well, I still don't have a cure in my hand but atleast now I feel better that science is atleast working on it seriously - rather than just looking for extra terrestrial life and sending probes to Mars.

After all, if an Alien Ambassador came over and caught the Flu and instead of a quick fix we told him, oh to cure this, you just gotta wait a while, it might make us look galactically stupid.

The Speech - See the Video

Obama's Victory Speech Video
If you don't wanna read the whole speech below - here is the video in surprisingly good quality on BBC.

I saw it full screen on my 24" monitor without pixellation.

Yeah, you need decent broadband for it.

Obama Wins

I have mixed feelings now that Obama has actually won.
To be sure - I was totally behind him - even to the extent of taking the pains to put it on facbeook!
But as they say - if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.

Is he just an awesome orator and the product of a brilliant PR/campaign machine?
Or is he genuinely going to pursue what he promised everyone - Change We Need.
After all - hitler too was a brilliant orator and a charismatic leader.

Here is how I see it:

He has taken the high road in many potentially advantageous positions. He has spoken honestly and throughout his campaign, his actions have been consistent with his messaging.

Whether it was sticking to his reverend friend, or calling and apologizing to the 2 muslim women who weren't allowed to stand behind him, or whether it was Sarah Palin's daughter's teen pregnancy where he said:

“I think people’s families are off limits.  People’s children areespecially off limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It hasno relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as a governor or her potentialperformance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people toback off these kinds of stories.”

He fired people when they tried to take the dirty road by calling Clinton a "Monster"
And many many more such incidents.

He has accepted his mistakes and learnt from them.

The honest and infact honorable campaign that he has run needs to be aplauded and replicated.
He has basically given everyone hope. And that is incredible.

Will he be good for India? Will he be bad?
The honest answer that no one will give you is - no one really knows.
We will just have to wait and watch.

However, if he is every bit as incredible as his speeches and his campaign conduct - then quite honestly, he really WILL be the change we all need.

Not just for America but politics itself and politicians themselves.

I can only hope and wish that our very own upcoming elections will give us Indian's someone who will give us the Change that WE know we NEED.

Amen to that.

Obama's Acceptance Speech

This is Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

Compare this with George Bush's for 2004 here:

This Victory Belongs To You

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

To all my friends about to get married...

Suddenly - marriage is in the air.

Many of my friends and acquaintances are in this frenzy of tying the knot. Some infact, with each other. From now till feb next year, I know 11 people getting married. yeah, that's about 3 a month or one every ten days.

BTW - what is it with people JUST about to get married? Why is that the first question they ask you is - when are YOU getting married?

I get it that you are excited and happy but does it mean that you have to:

1. Spend hours talking to me about how this is PERFECT for me?

2. Tell me how all my habits will need to change after I get married (which is what confuses me about 1. how the hell is that perfect?)

This does not apply to you 3 getting married in December - thankfully, you are the exception that proves the rule!

So ANYWAY - what comes after marriage? (no, after honeymoon)

Babies! And on that, I have some excellent advice that I came across.
You can see simple pictures depicting profound techniques here.

If you like this, you can buy the book here.

And yes, you are welcome.

And no, I wasn't reading up on baby care - just came across this.

Yeah, think about the stuff I DON'T post on the blog.

Where in the world? Is very cool!

If you have a picasaweb account, goto the new "explore" page and play the "where in the world" game.

It will give you a map and a photo and you have to guess where in the world is that picture taken.

You get points depending on how close your guess is and google will tell you how far off you were.

Interesting as hell! Also - addictive.

The photos are now online!

I have been practically flooded with requests for seeing my recent holiday snaps - from both people I know, and those that I do not (well, not outside of the virtual world anyway!)

On the right you will find all the "selected" pictures from my recent holiday.

I am not done with adding captions to all pictures yet so bear with me :)

And incase you are wondering, they are selected because the original lot was just too big.

If you need hi-res of any particular image for your wallpaper or whatever, let me know and I will send you one :)

Yeah - I am THAT nice ;)

This is a test

Moving everything over to the Mac is certainly turning out to be slightly trickier than I thought.

I am yet to see ONE software which is FREE and is as good as Windows Live Writer.

I cannot believe the piece of junk floating around disguised as "good blogging software"

Right now, posting from a google designed widget. This is even more idiotic because I cannot add simple things like - PHOTOS!
I have to add that manually from the web interface.

C'mon Eric Schmidt! You are on the Apple board for godssake! This is the best you can do?

Stop thinking about being the "CTO of America" if Barack wins and start focusing on Google - your software for Mac is terrible.

Steve, fire his ass.

How to become a supermodel.

No, this is not one of those things you read about in fashion mags or watch TV shows (most notably, the most hopeless - America's next top model)

You don't need diets or yoga or pilates. You just need your neighborhood geek who is a pro photoshopper (one way to tell if he is an expert is if you let him take pictures of you and they end up on the internet stuck on a body you do not have - but want to)

Everything is fixable - your dark circles, face marks, love handles (btw, why are they named this?) and ofcourse the rest of your body can be increased or decreased to a "size" and "shape" you prefer.
And here's the kicker - it takes about 10 minutes to do it.

For the skeptics amongst you - watch the video below and apologize for ever doubting me :)

Oh and btw - if you are a guy, never ever learn photoshop. Run far far away from the merest mention of the term because if you do end up learning it, for the rest of your life, you will never be able to look at hot women pictures the same way.

Here is what you will be thinking when you look at them -
hot figure - liquify filter
smooth skin - surface blur, airbrush
sparkling eyes - dodge, contrast and more