No. 34

Like most people, when I'm bored while in a bus or basically just sitting around, I use my cell phone to play random games or listen to songs on my iPod. Once, I got bored with the games and didn't have my iPod, so I was just going through the apps installed on my phone and realized that I had this really cool app- Aldiko Book Reader. I had forgotten all about it after it's installation, telling myself that I had no patience to read a book on a cell phone. Well, on this fateful day, I found a book that I had downloaded from the internet- Arthur Conan Doyle's Round the Red Lamp and started reading it for want of anything better to do and found myself hooked from page 1!

It's an amazing book really, took me back to my school days where we would read (or be forced to read, rather!), English from the early part of the twentieth century. There are words used in the book which we would know the meaning of, but rarely use on a daily basis. I'm a huge fan of Dan Brown, David Baldacci, and other such similar thriller writers, and had gotten used to a fairly straightforward way of writing, so Arthur Conan Doyle was completely different... But in an enjoyable way. There are no twists or edge of the seat suspense, but a classic is always a classic!

So I find myself these days reading a few older books, yes, on my cell phone. It's wonderful how technology helps discover something you love! Right now, I skip all the games on my phone and directly open the book reader app and start reading Jack London's Call of the Wild when I'm bored.

For those interested classics can be downloaded legally and for free on- www.gutenberg.org

"Why this Kolaveri, kolaveri di?", sings my Maharashtrian friend who has no idea what it means. I did not know either what the word 'Kolaveri' meant, before I looked it up on the net, but the song has gone so viral that it has gotten every alternate person I meet humming it. For every 99 people that love the song there is that 1 person that hates it. I am, unfortunately, that 'one' person. 

Now, being 'one of a kind' is special but the amount of bashing that I've received over the past few weeks for hating the song is compelling me to write this post. What's wrong with hating a song? It doesn't mean that I'm anti Tamilian or I'm too 'uppity' to enjoy a very colloquial kind of a song! I know that I shouldn't be judging it by it's lyrical quality, but it just doesn't sound pleasant to my ears so I HATE it! 

I feel that someone should be able to like or hate something without others getting too judgmental about it. Come on guys, it is a democracy after all! Let us respect each other's opinions and not get into heated arguments every time one's views are different from the other's :).

Hot air balloon

Sailing through the cotton clouds

Watching how raindrops are made

Sunlight streaming in my face

Golden yellow heat 

But I yearn for no shade.

In the abode of the stars and the rainbow

I drift mindlessly on a breezy afternoon..

No honking of the cars, no trilling of the phone

Yes, of course, I am in a hot air balloon!

I see nothing but vast landscapes

I hear nothing but the gushing wind

I feel nothing but the slanting sun rays

I taste nothing but the freedom to think!

Though I'm as alone as a pearl

in an oyster

I feel a connection, an unearthly bond

With every living being in this world

This is how it must feel like to be God!

Picture Courtesy: Google

Dusk

She peered out of the dusty window. The sun was still a rusty orange. A couple more hours till he returned. She touched her face lightly where he had struck her, the pain made her wince. It was not the physicality of the pain that hurt her. She had travelled too far for that. Her spirit that once soared as high as the brightly coloured kites on a beautiful afternoon was now soaked with desolation and misery. There seemed to be no end in sight. She made a feeble attempt at pushing out the thoughts that had taken over her mind. Thoughts that had replaced emotion, practicality and reason. She visualized a world where she could smile, a world where she could hold her head up, a world where her tormentor did not exist... Yes, she wanted to die.


At the corner of the room, there suddenly was a movement. Her daughter, all of two years had woken up from her nap. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked at her mother. The older woman shook out of her reverie. Life was never a bed of roses. Dawn was never far away from the black night. She realized that the spark still alive in her daughter's eyes must never be extinguished. For her daughter, she must live.

Forgotten city

Once remembered, now forgotten

Lies buried an ancient civilization.

Surrounded by the water so aquamarine blue

Unseen by most, glanced by a few

A golden yellow fish darts in and out

of a mammoth building once sitting proud

atop the streets of a bustling city

Drowned by water and then by history..

Cruel are the hands of fate,

though the angry floods did abate.

Death pervaded in its awakening,

No hope left for any living being.

And so she lies this ancient civilization,

Craving to be found, this proud nation!

She yearns to tell all her story

of people from her land and all their glory.

Her wish is again in the dreaded grasp of fate

Sighing, her moment she anticipates....

Picture Courtesy: Google

Post no. 29

Today I read in the newspaper that Yuvraj Singh was battling a lung tumour and that was the reason for his recent dip in form. I had given up following cricket a long time back and wasn't even aware of Yuvi's bad run of late.. Glad to know that he's all right and will be joining the team soon.. What intrigued me more than the story though was the heading of the article. It read- "After 3 month battle with cancer,Yuvi  learns it's tumour".  Now any medico and many laymen would know that lung cancer is a kind of tumour.. Another leading website claimed that a 'lymphoma' was diagnosed which could have been 'malignant'! Again, lymphomas are malignant tumours! Sheesh... You would have thought they would have done better research before publishing those articles!!

Random thoughts on a random Sunday

Aaaahhh... So I finally got a Sunday off from work.. And some time to spend on the internet..


 Usually thoughts run through my mind at a gentle pace, like the non existent Mumbai breeze. But today they are running at such a frightening speed that I had to jot them down. To maintain my sanity. To kill my boredom. To update my blog. So you must have guessed that the third reason was the most important one? Well you're right. There's a lot of pressure that goes into maintaining an Indiblogger rank.. So here goes...


Thought No. 1: I should own a private flat in Mumbai. With air-conditioning, to save myself from mosquitoes and sunstrokes (which curiously enough are fully possible in Mumbai even during the winter).


No.2: I want to make a living out of reading books, not medical ones, though. Or better still, I want to marry the owner of a bookstore.


No. 3: I want to have Vada Pav or street chaat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


No. 4: They should consider banning people from working after 5pm. Seriously. I don't know who 'they' are, though.


No. 5: 'They' should also open a Mafia Wars de-addiction centre. Fully cured from this addiction, I have suffered an acute relapse again.


No. 6: I am not feeling hypoglycemic (hungry, in medical terms) today. Yes, I do think in medical terminology.


No.7: People who own flats in Mumbai, kindly use curtains. I'm not interested in seeing you scratch your butt, or have a bath, or... the possibilities are endless... I DON'T WANT to witness your private moments, but I still CAN. Get what I mean?


No. 8: I am missing Bangalore, Mummy, Mummy's food, my soft, soft, bed....


No. 9: Thoughts are still racing through my head and my typing speed cannot keep up...


Racing thoughts... Am I suffering from an acute episode of Mania? There I go, with the medical terminology again.. And you must be bored, reading utter nonsense. Well, I did warn you, this post was just to update my blog! Kindly look elsewhere to satisfy your reading urges. :)

Born free

Why do you choose to be teary eyed?
The shadows of your pain,
The bolts of your anger,
Only exist in the recesses of your mind.
Are we really born free
When we attach to these shackles,
Imprisoned to a society 
That cares not for our battles...
Battles that defy reason,
Battles that cause suffering,
Sometimes physical and sometimes mental,
Arduous, torturous, never relenting.


Look around you,
At the butterfly that flies where it wants,
And the bird that sings a thousand songs,
Or the gushing stream at the crack of dawn..
They are not bound by an unseen boundary
And hence we should ask ourselves,
As humans, are we really born free?


~PurpleMist

Of Magnolia Crescents and Watercress

I have never considered myself to be a 'girly' kind of a girl. And have been trying my best to become more beauty conscious. So what better place to start than a walk in chemist store? I first headed over to the shampoo section. And what a mind boggling selection of items there was! Was I supposed to choose a shampoo for daily care which had 'Thyme and Juniper' or was I to go for one that contained 'Amla Pearl Complex'? And there was another product which claimed to solve all my hair problems because it contained 'Micro Moisture Serum and Fibre Actives'. And so... I finally settled on buying one that had 'Magnolia Crescents and Watercress' (Partly because it was blue in colour, but mainly because the free earrings offered with it were prettier than the ones offered with 'Rosemary and Sage'). 


Now i was feeling really good about myself, having made one of the toughest decisions of my life. Next on my list was a face wash. Nowadays we see many advertisements on TV with some products claiming to make you fairer and cleaner and what not.. I had already decided that I would purchase one that claimed (on TV) that it would remove 99% of my skin impurities. But when I reached the face wash section the exotic plants started working their black magic on me again.. So.. 'Citron and Honey'? 'Aloe Vera and Cucumber'? My poor brain was working feverishly overtime now and for some reason that I still can't comprehend, I dropped a 'Purifying Neem' face wash into the shopping basket.


And the battle wasn't over yet. The deodorant base was yet to be covered. Now don't we all love the way they describe the various scents at the back of the can? There was one that urged me to 'add a little Samba into my life' and another that had 'cool, fresh and spicy notes' and yet another that claimed to 'turn heads,make you smile and carry an air of sophistication'. By this time my warbled brain commanded my hands to pick one of the canisters I don't even remember which!


Whew! Now that an ordeal was over, I stepped out of the air-conditioned store and into the Mumbai heat, and a thought came to mind... What if there really were products to keep my skin oil free, my hair tangle free and my body odour free in this horrible Mumbai weather? Now that would be really hard to ignore!

Revolution 2020- A review

I've gotten into this dangerous habit of buying books at the airport each time I travel by flight. Last month that was a total of 4 times and have spent a considerable amount of my hard earned money on fiction. So now I'm crossing my fingers hoping that it was a worthwhile investment. :)

There's something about a Chetan Bhagat novel that you can't just ignore. Is it the hype surrounding India's most talked about author? I bought Revolution 2020 more out of curiosity than anything else. The book is written in typical Bhagat style with the usual doses of struggles, failures, IITs and human relationships that make his books tick. The premise is simple- Two young men in Varanasi who fall hard for the same girl. One wants to change the world and the other wants to make a lot of money. So whom will she choose? A rather cute love story, but the editing could have been crisper with the middle third of the book especially, which drags on endlessly with the protagonist and his endless attempts at trying to win over his lady love.  Plus, I wish the author had done away with cliches about girls being difficult to understand, something he writes about in every book! 

Though the narrative gets tiresome at places, it's a good book overall. Not the best of Chetan's works (personally I rate his first book, Five Point Someone the highest) but it's not the worst either. I recommend it as a one time read. And if you're a Chetan Bhagat hater, then my advice is to avoid the book completely instead of complaining later about his writing style. So, all in all, it's a book for the Chetan fans or one for those who prefer to stay neutral on a touchy subject... Like me!!

My rating : 3/5

First Tag :)

Thanks to Arpitha, I'm doing my first tag. Here goes-

1) Which is your favorite "Lays" flavor? (Yes its the Frito Lays chips I am asking about)

Hmm.. Tough one to answer. I used to love American Cream and onion but right now, I'd go with Caribbean Hot 'n' Sweet Chilli.

2) Which is the one place you would love to go but have not been there as yet?

I love travelling.. Would love to go deep sea diving in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

3) Which is the one color you hate?

Shocking fluorescent pink and mustard yellow. Sorry can't pick one out of the two!

4) Given an option to rescue a wooden log or a wooden plank which one would you rescue?

The answer that came out at the top of mind was- wooden log. Don't ask me why!

5) Why did you rescue whichever you rescued?

Oh, so you did ask! Sorry, no idea.

6) Dogs or cats?

I'm not a pet person. But I guess dogs would be better, especially the cute little thing in the Vodafone ads.

7) Which is the one gadget which you would like to own which you don't already have?

Definitely the Amazon Kindle. And my birthday is on April 20th. (Hint, hint;))

A second chance

Welcoming thoughts flooded his mind

Thoughts of a yesterday lost in time.

A song once forgotten 

A soulful rendition

reminding him of a place divine.

A place that boasted of a thousand suns

The brilliant light that blinded him at once.

A magical memory

A sweet tranquility

They all came back, quickening his pulse.

Wasted had he, a love so pure

The reason being, he was quite not sure

A squandered chance

At a perfect romance

And so he stood in a heavy downpour.

Wondrous though are the works of fate,
Setting right a grave mistake

A folly of youth

A declaration of the truth

And so they hug in a tight embrace.

Open letter to Mumbaikars

Dear Mumbaikar,

At the outset, I would like to make it clear that I love your city. I have stayed here for a little over 5 months and I have enjoyed myself a lot. I like the way the taxi drivers in your city charge according to the meters. I like it that an average Mumbaikar will go out of his/her way to make a South Indian like me feel at home in your wonderful city. I love the shopping malls, the beaches, the festivities during Ganesh Chaturthi and your vada pavs. But I would like to clarify a few things about the land south of the Vindhyas.

South India comprises of 4 states and each state has its own official language. I can't believe that after 12 years of formal schooling you do not know which language belongs to which state. First of all, it is Kannada, not 'Kannad' just like it is Marathi and not 'Marath'. And no, Telugu and Kannada are not the same, so, one CANNOT be used as a synonym for the other. 

All South Indians do not know all 4 languages. Chennai is NOT the same as Bangalore and therefore, Royal Challengers Bangalore SHOULD NOT be confused with Chennai SuperKings. 

It also goes without saying that all South Indians DO NOT speak with a Mallu accent..

I would also like to add that you should try Masala Dosas in a South Indian city before you order for it in any restaurant in Mumbai. (But having said that I do appreciate that our food is available in your city, so no offence meant here!)

Yours truly,

Stereotyped South Indian in Mumbai.

PS: I promise not to label Maharashtrians as North Indians ;)

PPS: I am trying to learn Marathi. Please give me some more time :)

PPPS: Mumbai Indians will be my second favourite team after RCB.

Miss Supercilious

Her long hair danced behind her back as she walked down the corridors of the hospital, her gait, almost regal. She stood next to her colleague, and almost barked out orders her voice dripping with disdain. Not that she was senior to him in any way but that would be what a regular bystander would assume. Her face masked not an iota of arrogance that she exuded, her chin up, her aquiline nose giving her a royal look. She was not popular for everyone knew of her vain personality, and even talked about it behind her back. But being narcissistic as she was, she didn't have the slightest idea. To her, the world was her playground and the people, her players. It mattered not what others thought as long as they did as they were told. She wasn't unattractive going by her looks, but her sheer haughtiness served as deterrent to the fragile male egos not used to being bossed around...

Yes she was who she was and rather proud of it too.

~Purple Mist

PS:  This description is based on someone I know in real life.

PPS : There was a conscious effort on my part to use all the synonyms of arrogance. Couldn't help it but the person who inspired me to write this post had to be described this way, she's something of a conceited bitch! :)

Home

A place to express my feelings

A meal to appeal my senses

A garden to lovingly tend

A corner to curl up and read my book

A bed to retire after a long day

A nap that washes away my fatigue

A house that is a part of me too

Home, what am I doing without you?

A happiness that touches the roof

A smile that always lingers

A hug that conveys a thousand meanings

A kiss for undying support

A mother to wipe away my tears

A father to look up to

A brother to lift my mood when I'm down

Home, what am i doing without you?

~Purple Mist

Wanderer

  

Wandering through a forest haunted

I listen to the crackling leaves

Hoping that a spirit like minded

will emerge from the trees.

Beneath the storm gathering clouds

A whispering voice threw out a challenge

wanting a resolve far more than an ounce, 

what cowards softly refer to as courage..

I ran blindly through the dense thicket

Searching in vain for an unknown saviour

The life in me drains out bit by bit

And in a flash, there lies the answer!

Foolish was I to underestimate my strength

For the darkness to be quelled till eternity

There is just one, just one such friend

who will save my life and that is none but ME.

~Purple Mist

Life of a medico

All medicos who can relate with this say aye!

Changes on facebook

Just logged into Facebook and saw so many changes. There's a column at the right hand side that lets you track everything that's going on in everyone's life, like a score update. Next thing we know, there will be a second-by-second update about- Twwhbh wyfwvt' has just farted... 'Hgdv Yfdcf' visited a porn site... Come on.. Life isn't so interesting to make each and every detail public! Yes, Facebook lets us connect with long lost friends and let's us have fun and share a few bits of our life with the people that matter. But Mark Zuckerberg has taken things too far this time. We don't want to know when a school friend sneezed or when a colleague at work took a Crocin for his headache. Do we make that clear, Mr. Zuckerberg?

Misty eyes

A smile like the sunrise

A walk like a tiptoeing doe

A word best unspoken

Not that you'll ever know.

Like a stormy night

on the sands of the sea

Like a candle in the gloom

A flickering hope does flee.

Like the winding twilight

on the day of the full moon

I await your presence

but I know it's too soon.

Like the stars that twinkle

on a cloudless night

I make a quiet vow

not to let you know this time.

Like the silence of the woods

is your response to me

Like the misty eyes of solitude

I await the end of infinity.

The other day  I was chatting with a close friend and she mentioned that I tend to 'hate' a lot of things. I thought about it, and boy, is she right! My 'hates' could fill a whole book 3 inches thick! Here are a few items that would definitely make it into that book..

Heights, cockroaches, shallow people, people who speak like loudspeakers in public areas, people who drink, people who smoke, Non Veg food, bedbugs, night calls, senior residents at my hospital, cheats, people who cheat on their partners, Anatomy as a subject in first year of MBBS, Microbiology, arrogant surgeons, the smell of sandalwood, Mumbai's masala dosas, Bengaluru's traffic, a few professors from my MBBS days, most professors from my PG days, dominating people, headaches, fevers, coughs, colds, diarrhoeas, Sunday and holiday calls, blood donation drives (as a donor pricker only, not otherwise), people who assume their Sundays are more important than yours, loud music and drums of processions, crowds, crackers during Diwali, Shahrukh movies, Salman movies, rap music, Kevin Pietersen, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen, reality TV, MTV Roadies, the smell of sewage, abortions....

Whew!! Did you really read all of this ?! Hope you don't hate me for this post;)

~Purple Mist

Dreams and Destiny

I have been in Mumbai for more than 5 months now, well past the homesickness stage. It's the time when I can now think clearly if this was what I wanted to be and more importantly if this was the place in which I wanted to be.. The answer is still uncertain, if this was an MCQ question, I would have certainly marked the option 'none of the above!' But life ain't so simple and there is never a vague option, but always a regretted decision!

When I was a kid, whenever people asked me what I wanted to be, I always said, "Doctor!" And the wise elders would nod their heads in appreciation. But deep inside I knew... Medical Science had never held my fascination. I wanted to be.. A scientist discovering new alternatives to petroleum and plastic! A librarian surrounded by books! An environmentalist saving the world! A Nobel prize winner! But then I became...

A doctor.

Yes, I am in a field which I had no interest in, but somehow have gotten used to the vagaries of medical life. I do not claim to be the most passionate doctor around, but I know I'm a good one. Do I regret my decision ? Some times.. No, many times. I am pretty sure you haven't met too many doctors who regret being who they are or what they do. But the species in point does exist, for I am a shining example.

Sometimes dreams don't come true, destiny does.

There's a reason..

There's a reason...

Why a crisp green leaf

has to turn yellow.

A reason why, a firefly

cannot see it's tomorrow.

There's a reason..

Why a poor man sleeps

without a roof over his head

A reason why, the cloudy sky

awaits a rainy day instead.

There's a reason..

Why the birdie sings

as he begins his day

A reason why, a mere goodbye

sends a tear drop on it's way

.

There's a reason..

Why the mighty wind

throws close all the doors.

A reason why, this heart of mine

can never fully be yours.

Post no. 9

I read two completely different books than I usually read and hence found it pertinent enough to review them on my blog :) 

Srividya Natarajan's No onions, nor garlic is a humorous take on the caste issues in India with Chennai City being the background. The book is loud and hilarious from page one. Though the book almost exclusively uses casteism and untouchability to entice emotions from its' characters, it's the writing style that ultimately wins in eliciting the laughs. I found that the Brahmin/Non Brahmin war taken a little bit too far- all the villainous characters are conspicuously from the so called 'higher' caste. I can understand what the author is trying to portray- that the whole concept of higher and lower castes is a farce, but she somehow succeeds in making Hinduism as a whole look like one too. I read another review of the same book where the reviewer mentions that an uninformed reader might draw wrong conclusions about Brahmins in general, and I tend to agree. Still, if you are willing to ignore the obvious and instead focus only on the humour, it is definitely an enjoyable read. I only hope that the author refrains from using a similar theme in her next novel, for I prefer to enjoy humour without having to feel uncomfortable. My rating: 3.5/5

The other book that I read during the week- Oliver's Story by Erich Segal. I would like to state at the outset, that I am no fan of romantic novels. I have never read a Mills and Boon and I probably never will. It's just that.. they all seem so sugar coated and superficial. I did manage to read Oliver's Story till the end and let me say this.. I have never been as impressed with a love story ever before! There is a certain touch of sadness associated with the lead character, Oliver Barrett and his journey to find the happiness that he lost after the death of his wife, Jenny. It's certainly the most romantic story that I have ever read. The ending was perfect; and the hopeless romantic in me could not have hoped for a better ending. Segal is also a master in subtle humour. I am almost certain that I will never read Erich Segal's Love Story which is a prequel to this book (maintaining my tradition of not wasting time on soppy love sagas) but hats off to Mr. Erich Segal, your Oliver's Story is a work of art! My rating: 4/5

Musings

There's a steady stream

twinkling in the sun..

A sword, a beam

Crashing so you succumb..

Would there be

A finished tune,

When the night is done?

I do believe

that destiny holds

that key, that fire,

to vanquish the thousand demons,

But where are they? I ask..

Before the dawn breaks,

before the swan takes

it's first flight,

Will there be a new morn?

And before my time on earth is up..

Will there be a new song?

Love..

I don't know why they call it heartbreak. It feels like every other part of my body is broken too..

Chloe Woodward.

Have you ever been in love? Well what a stupid question, you say, for who hasn't? It is a feeling that builds up within you, taking over your life. you stop thinking clearly, forget what the sane people around you are saying- this won't work! Why will it not work, you ask and soldier on, with all the hope in the world that that person who made you feel that way, that person you want to spend your life with, will somehow come to his senses and will tell you that he too feels the same way...

Then one day you realize, that it was not meant to be, and with your heart shattered into a million pieces and ground to dust you realize that your life can never be the same again.. And you don't want to go back to being normal, being the daughter, the sister, the friend that everyone knew you as.. You are a different person now, and view every other obstacle in your life as being there only for you..

But love isn't supposed to make you feel that way, for you are forever comparing yourself to the lucky ones who have managed to snare 'that' person and wonder why are you the unlucky one who could not have that one person that you cared so much about?

And you also wonder will you have the same feelings for someone else ever again, or is it a total waste of time trying to move on when you are stuck with the feeling that you can't, when you have tried for over two years and you have failed, time and time again..

Book review: The Vault of Shiva

The Vault of Shiva
by Andy McDermott
Hachette India
Rs. 299

Hmmm... Here I am reviewing yet another thriller novel. I must admit though, that the title of the book caught my eye rather than the author/ book itself. I had always wanted to read a thriller based on Hindu mythology so I started reading the book with sky high expectations.. The book started off interestingly enough with a group of mercenaries pulling off a rather impossible heist, one that involves Michelangelo's David. And that is just one of the priceless artifacts that have been stolen around the world. 'What' the purpose of the robberies is, and 'Who' the person behind it is, were revealed even before I had finished reading half the book and I was left wondering with 'Why' I was still reading it. Not to be overly critical, but a reader does expect twists and turns of some kind but with all the suspense thrown out so early, the rest of the book seems to be a total drag, to be honest.

Plus, the other major disappointment was obviously in the handling of the Hindu connection. The West never tires of stereotyping India and this book is another such example (What kind of a name is Madirakshi Dagdu?!) The saving grace was of course our protagonists Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase, or maybe I'm just a sucker for a husband-wife crime solving duo!

My rating: 2.5/5 (Being a little generous here!)

A Book Review

                                       Spartan Gold

Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood
Penguin Books
Rs. 299

It seems like there is a whole truckload of thrillers written these days based on ancient mysteries, mythical treasures and the modern day treasure hunters. Spartan Gold is another such offering. 

Remi and Sam Fargo are a husband-wife duo who chance upon a German U-Boat from the Second World War and it happens to contain an extremely rare bottle of wine from..hold your breath..Napoleon's Lost Cellar! 

A French conqueror, a Greek treasure, a Persian Invader, two German U-Boats, one Ukranian Mafia-Pin, his Russian go-to man and our two American adventurers..Whew!! That sounds mind boggling already! But a promising first hundred pages drag on and on to a rather predictable conclusion, and you are left with the feeling of being let down. Especially being a book on a treasure hunt, one would expect some clever clue solving. Cussler and Blackwood let down their fans on this front with hardly any pages devoted to it. Still, it's a somewhat interesting read mainly because of the friendly spousal banter between our protagonists and the innovative ways in which they get themselves out of trouble.

My rating: 3/5

(Read it once)

Tangali Tandeya- My (first) attempt at a translation

Have you ever tried a translation of an Indian song into English? If you try a direct word to word translation, the chance are, it ends up sounding very weird and meaningless in English, and sometimes very silly.I like tweaking with the translation a little so at the end of it all, it makes sense and at the same time retains the original meaning. Here's a video and translation of the Kannada song, Tangali Tandeya from the movie, Love Guru. I don't claim to be perfect so all suggestions for changes are welcome. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojNVwnwi0y0&feature=related

Tangaali tandeya nanna baalali..
Sangaathi aaguva savi ganasali
Did you bring a cool breeze into my life..
.. In the sweet dream where you are mine?

Tangaali tandeya nanna baalali
Sangaathi aaguva savi ganasali
Kai jaari hodeya
Nanna preethiya
Mannalli hootheya
Nagutha, nagutha
Did you bring a cool breeze into my life..
..In the sweet dream where you are mine?
Did you slip away from my grasp?
Did you bury my love..
..in the sand..
..laughing all the while?

Kunthu ninna kaala kelage
Naa hoovu hididantha galige
Ningeke nanna preethi
gotthe aagade hoythu
Eshtondu saari naa manasanu terede ninmundhe
Ondondu saarinu ariyade eke nee hode?
Ohhh...
There were many times that I knelt at your feet,
With a bouquet of flowers in my hand
But why did you never understand
that I was trying to tell you that I love you
There were many times that I opened my heart to you
But every time you walked away without like you never understood..


Ninage anisillavenu?
Ninagagi bandonu naanu
Ee nanna kanna bhaashe 
Ode illa neeneke?
Ee gaali kaanalla, anubhava ondu sullalla
Ee preethi heegeke, heLade thiliyode illa
Ee ee daariya munna
Kaledu kunthe na ninna
Ohhh....
 Have you never felt that...
...I'm here only for you?
Why did you never read,
the language (of love) in my eyes?
This breeze cannot be seen,but it's experience is not a lie
Why does love have to be like this, cannot be understood without expressing it..

On this, this path,
I lie waiting for you to come..


Tangaali tandeya nanna baalali
Sangaathi aaguva savi ganasali
Did you bring a cool breeze into my life..
..In the sweet dream where you are mine?

Tangaali tandeya nanna baalali
Sangaathi aaguva savi ganasali
Kai jaari hodeya 
Nanna preethiya
Mannalli hootheya
Nagutha nagutha
Did you bring a cool breeze into my life..
..In the sweet dream where you are mine?
Did you slip away from my grasp?
Did you bury my love..
..in the sand..
..laughing all the while?

My bucket list

• Meet Brett Lee.
• Marry Brett Lee!!
• Visit Switzerland and learn how to ski on the Alps.
• Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef.
•  Have a child before I turn 30 and adopt another one before I'm 35.
• Watch a live cricket World Cup/ 20-20 match.
• Watch a live Federer vs. Nadal match.
• Redecorate our current house in Bangalore for my parents.
• Make enough money to be able to donate to all the causes I care for.
• Own a library.
• Own a bookstore!
• Get 3 stars and attain every achievement possible on Angry Birds :)
• Write a bestselling thriller novel.
• Win the Nobel prize for Medicine.
• Plant at least 10 trees a year.
• Fund a girl child's education.
• Make all Bangaloreans learn Kannada. (Totally impossible, I know.)
• Read a Kannada novel.
• Go on a Europe tour, visiting all the places mentioned in the DaVinci Code and follow the Path of Illumination described in Angels and Demons :)
• Meet JK Rowling.
• Meet Dan Brown.
• Win a prize in a photography competition.
• Send my parents for a vacation in Kenya and Switzerland.
• Own an Amazon Kindle.
• Put on weight :)
• Straighten my hair permanently.
• My honeymoon destination: Manali and Rohtang Pass.
• Own the best laptop with all the latest features.
• Play with dolphins.

And finally... To die saving the life of the one I love :):)

Post no. 2

A few funny status updates that I found on Twitter and Facebook over the last few days-

"Roses are red and violets are blue. We have no mutual friends, so who the hell are you?"

"After the whitewash, the boys can hardly wait for another coat of distemper."

"Team India's motto this English tour: Pick an English batsman and try to match his first innings score!"

"England beat India 4-0. Dravid beat England"

 "The Indian Cricket Team should thank Anna Hazare for diverting the attention away from their performance."

"I miss those days when I would type 'Anna' and Google would suggest 'Kournikova'.."

"If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con', then the opposite of progress would be... Congress"



Disclaimer: I didn't come up with any of the above, just felt like sharing the funny ones.

And I'm back to...

... Angry Birding!

Well, after leaving for Mumbai 4 months ago, I hadn’t been able to try my skills at busting those annoying green pigs, marmosets and what not.. But the first thing I did after coming back to Bangalore was to update the game on my iPod, or rather, my brother’s iPod (which he rarely uses) and BAM!!! I’m back to my favourite pastime, and boy, doesn’t it feel great each time I score 3 stars and find a hidden melon or papaya… It’s all about those tropical shakes baby!!!

I first heard about this addictive game a few months back and immediately downloaded the free version on my (brother's) iPod and i was hooked! Almost immediately got the paid version and haven't looked back since. The game is supposed to be based on physics and geometry and stuff like that but to me it's common sense. I suggest this game to all for many hours of pure, unadulterated fun!