A picture says more than..

.. a thousand words, they say. :-) And I couldn't have said it in any better way.

The picture below aptly summarizes my state of mind right now. Things are moving as planned. With many old tasks coming to a successful closure (small setbacks here and there are best ignored) and new tasks to look forward to, life is indeed smiling.



Next on Agenda: Enjoy a relaxed vacation. I am flying home on Saturday. However with the amount of shopping that I plan to do in the one week that I am there, I am not quite sure how relaxing it will turn out to be. Anyways, lets see how it goes. Before I sign off, here's wishing you all a very Happy and fun filled Deepawali!!

Travelogue - GOA - Day1

Note: This blog started about 5 months back and is still a work in progress. :-) Thanks mainly to the lazyness of Rachna's and mine. Finally we have been able to write about day 1 of our trip - an amazing & unforgettable trip to a beautiful idyllic place that too in the company of a few best of friends - nothing can beat this for sure. We had a wonderful 4 day stay in Goa and will try to recount some tales to tell. Considering that it took us 5 months to write about Day 1.. Ahem.. I guess you can expect the remaining details soon. ;-)

The idea:

Ashwani: The day Ashi popped the idea of this trip; I was not sure if I will be able to materialize it but then came the power pack gal, Rachna in all her always nodding mode. So these 2 gr8 souls were in no mood of dropping the idea.... I thought who will save them if the coconuts would drop on them in Goan streets? Who will save them from the ugly headed, heavy mustached fatso? So my superman spirit arose and I booked the tickets!!

Ashma: Since returning from US, I was getting restless to go on a trip and meet up with my friends. I had always wanted to go to Goa but not during those crowded New Year season so April seemed like the best ‘off-season’ time to go there. And if you get to go there with a couple of your best friends, nothing can top that experience. So as soon as I had this idea, I sent a mail to them to gauge their restlessness level and I was not disappointed ;-). A few declined due to conflicting priorities but then a few agreed. As per expectation Rachna was the first one IN (she is another ghumakkad) and Ashwani was caught between his desire to meet us and his protective instinct to save us from those ‘ugly headed, heavy mustached fatso’. The moment we learnt about this chink in his armor, we just kept on pounding till he agreed.. :-D

Rachna: Goa …we made a million plan to visit this place and screwed it million and one times but this time I was in no mood to give it up half way. One fine day when I was on a “knowledge Sharing plan “at Aarhus (Denmark…another sweet placeJ)), Ashma poped the idea of this trip…n I was like “me in…me in” (by this time I was already travelling a lot, bitten by travel bug) …we got a lot of “me in “messages which boosted our morale further. As the chain mail went on growing we realized only two of us (Ash n me) had confirmed. Ashwani was like “tu aa ja waapis phir dekhte hai…finally after a lot of brain washing n wooing Ashwani gave in…he is not a tough guy u see…we are tougher ;).As we saw it…it would be ashma’s last “Single Status” trip (BTW she is getting married this year…I wish her wid all good things in life n even more for his counterpart…u see “he” deserves more.)Ashwani n I was determined to make it memorable for her. We planned to do all sort of wild things….ppl hold on. Don’t let ur imagination flyJ).I had started collecting paraphernalia for our trip.

The beginning:

Ashwani: I had not met Rachna after her return from Denmark, so our ‘bharat milap’ happened in the flight only. We kept talking till the eternity of the sky.... it stopped only with our plane’s landing in the Goan airport ... Till this time the old aged bingo gazed us if we had given her the severe headache?? Did we Rachho? Rachho u seriously talk too loud yaar :)
During flight I poured all the philosophies on Rachho and she was drowned till waist when we landed in goa :) We found the Goan airport beautiful..its wooden work gave it a more sophisticated look compared to other airports. It is small and beautiful!!

Ashma: For a change my day started pretty early and ended early too. :-) To catch the 4 pm flight from the airport, I left office at 12. (Yes u read correctly, its 12 and its PM not AM.. I do leave office at noon sometimes) Since my house is on the way from my office to airport, I went home first, did some last minute packing, grabbed a bite and hopped into a ric. In between all these things, I took out time to call my family and friends to let them know that I was starting and will call once I reach Goa. On my way to airport, I realized I forgot to take my DL (now since we had plans to rent 2 wheelers there, absence of a DL could have been a major setback). I called Ashwani and asked him not to forget his DL and also ask Rachna to get hers. Ok once this call was made, I relaxed. Reached airport on time and since the flight was also on schedule, I boarded the plane on time too. :) This was my first kingfisher flight and I had a nice experience. Being the couch potato that I am, I loved the TV of course. Watched the movie 'Superstar', found it a good time pass, have to watch it again since i was unable to see till the end: - Blr-Goa flight just takes 45 mins!! :-D Landed on time, Rachna’s uncle had come to pick me up from airport, went to their house and had lovely snacks and tea there. So I was happily eating and chatting, and chatting and eating, waiting for these 2 to land.

Rachna: The day started on a rather eventful note. I had bought “Ghagara and Choli” from my jaipur trip for the two of us (Ashma and me). We planned to use them in Goa. Since the choli was a cloth piece I took Ashma’s measure on phone and gave it the tailor here to get them stitched. I was supposed to get it a day before our actual travel. It did not happen and the lady tailor asked me to come on the “eventful day” but fate had other plans #@%%%%^^&&&... On the fine “Eventful day”, lady tailor gave me back the cloth piece .Lucky for her I was in my best mood and spirits, I came out using all the slang’s that I knew till date(include the ones I learnt here in Delhi)…***^^^^$$$$###%%%%@@.I am still cursing her ….. Some more@@@@$$$%%%^^7, (I am a content girl nowJ).we had flight at 4:45 PM.I left office early but Sameer insisted on dropping me till 12-22(Bus stop) so that we could have a plate of magi on our way. So our gang headed towards the “XANSA” office ke saamne wala magi ka stall. When we were still digging over magi…I got a call from Ashwani that we had to board flight on this day not the other. Finally caught up wid Ashwani and we boarded the flight and poured in our philosophies…talked, talked and kept talking more.2 and half hour passed away glee fully. Once out of plane we were in a quaint, warm panaji airport. It was the first time I liked wooden furnishing. Followed next was Bade papa’s place….

The first sight:

Ashwani: When we were moving to Rachna's uncle's residence, I was waiting to give Ashi surprise. My eyes were searching her when reached in the apartments. But before I could locate her, she had already seen me. Her voice was similar as i listened on phone but now more lively :)
Wht followed, Hugging, laughing, smiles, greetings..... It was like a meeting of 2 beggars who used to beg together on the same platform and the other beggar moved to some other station accidentally and finally returned back after missing it too much. Who said I am the beggar? I am talking abt u two :)

Ashma: At her house, Rachna’s aunt asked me if I would like to go down to the play area in their apartment complex. Since I could see a lot of beautiful kids playing there, I said Ok. After a while, I got an official call and while I was on it, I saw a cab approaching and these 2 morons jumped out of it. I was so happy; I started shouting their names forgetting that I was still on phone and the person on the other line actually got scared as to what happened. I happily informed him that I was in Goa to enjoy my vacation and that sweet fellow disconnected the phone telling me to ‘Have fun!’ Rachna and Ashwani were so surprised (and happy) to see me, u would have wondered if they were actually expecting me there. It seems Ashwani (in yet another of his flop ideas) had planned that Rachna will tell me that he missed his flight and now would be coming to Goa the next day. As if I would have believed that (rolling my eyes). I was meeting Ashwani after a gap of nearly 2.5 years but it was like we had never been apart. After that,… hmmm.. Ashwani has already given a damn accurate description of how those 2 greeted me. ;-)

Rachna: On our way to Bade papa’s place Ashwani’s devious mind cooked up another plan. To surprise Ashma I was to go in alone to bade papa’s house and inform Ashma about Ashwani sudden business engagement and that he could not be there for vacation. Since we all were meeting after a long time, we were all longing to see each other but yet again ash surprised us all. She was at park taking a stroll(two nonstop chatterboxes I mean bade mummy and Ashma were busy chattingJ).she saw us even before we could see her. Good SENDA MALL GIRDHARI (Ashwani I will let u know this secret) .Once there all sweet things followed….hugging, patting, muaahhs, laughter followed.

The Knights of night:

Ashwani: It was a night which was being waited for, by all.... for months! Though me the only boy between these 2 khatarnaak gulz but then they never let me feel this fact. They had higher adrenaline than me.. always ready for the adventure...We stayed in the Sea-coin hotel, near colva beach..it was one of the coolest place I have seen.. good food.. very good music. After dumping luggage in rooms...we ran to beach as police was chasing us... I stopped Ashi, otherwise she would have crossed the whole Arabian Sea and would have reached Dubai, the way she ran to sea :) Then played holi with the mud what we missed this year... No don't blame...it was Rachna again :) Then after return at room, on Ashi’s recommendation watched “The Greatest game ever”, it was a good movie about golf. I slept around 4 in morning but these 2 girls didn’t keep their mouth shut…..ohhh I am still dozing up ..!!

Ashma: After dumping our bags into our hotel rooms, we changed and ran straight to the beach. We had become kids again and we played in water for a long time. Ashwani being from Rajasthan went pretty mad looking at the sea. I and Rachna, being from Orissa and hence more aware of the existence of a water body called sea, had to be on alert. ;-) We were happily frolicking in the sea water, enjoying the ‘knight in shining armour’ persona of Ashwani. You see the arrival of a gang of men brought out this facet of his persona. After doing time-pass in the beach, we went back to our rooms. After freshening up, we were out again into the streets. This time straight to the CCD (Café coffee day for people who are from Mars) outlet near by. We sat there for couple of hours, talking about nothing and everything over steaming hot coffee. Some quick photo session followed under the bright lights of CCD. Then we went back to out hotel rooms,, saw movies till the wee hours of the morning. Ashwani got all sleepy eyed at around 4 and went to sleep while I and Rachna happily continued our chattering. :-) At around 6.30 we went to Ashwani’s room, woke him up (bechara he just got about 2 hrs sleep :-D ) and went for morning walk to the beach. And this is how we started day 2 in Goa.

Thoughts of a guest blogger

This is a guest post, courtesy one of my BEST Friend.. :-)

I just had a look at the right bottom of my laptop screen. Oh it's 15 minutes past 12 in the night. But why its bothering me. Clock is ticking and time is running. I even don't know what I am missing. But yes, definitely I know that I am missing something.

I guess I am not happy with what I am doing currently, but at the same time there are so many factors that wants me to continue this dragging. Why we surrender so easily to the things ? And always tend to follow the gen formula for success.

If you are at on site be there, and keep earning 40times, so called $$$ Factor. You can be happy every month end, seeing your growing bank balance (Indian terms) and new album(visit a new place) in your picasaweb, drive great car.

If you are at offshore or not satisfied, you can actually go for MBA. Its a combo world and Engineering degree + MBA is a fast seller these days.

If you are not of these type you can choose to do nothing and like Mumbai railway stations, you will reach the destination without the effort. You can become a manager, then other roles and finally C-Level.

But have you ever given a thought what exactly you want to do and are these things really helping you get there ? 5 Years towards the past and you can see that being a PM, used to be a big and prestigious thing. And now ?? If you have spent a specified amount of time in the Industry you are a PM. Do you really want to be in that category ??

Are you sure doing MBA will help you with, what you want to do ? I guess no, you will be in the hands of similar kind of leaders and will be part of supply chain. There is a demand of Business Analyst, pick up any MBA any stream and put them there. And since you need money at month end you will accept it and continue doing the same. You will do what your manager wants you to do. Then Why MBA ?? Kabhi Socha hai ??

That was related to the so called success formulas, coming back to the factors that are impairing our decision capabilities.

1) Being a guy/girl from middle class, Risk appetite is very less. We can't afford to loose what we have to gain what we want. It need balls to risk things and support your decisions.

2) You are not alone, your family always has a say in your decisions . The decisions which are not theirs also, but which someone has convinced them on evening tea somewhere. We need to understand now that there is a lot of different between the era of our parents and us. We should take our decisions ourselves and should convince our elders that we are doing correct things.

3) Peer pressure, we generally gets carried away by this factor. We never look at the larger picture in life. We see whats happening currently and respond to those calls without even thinking if we needed that or not. If one of out peer is quiting and joining a different firm and earning more. We have to do the same it hardly matters if we will get to do something we really want to. If some colleague is going to on site, we also want to go and have similar sort of (so called) fun. Doesn't even matter if we get to work in same tech/business domain.

I am getting the shutdown signals from my brain cause need to get up early tomorrow. MONDAY Blues.. Just final words, Do not get carried away with the things. Look around, keep watching.

World is Flat and we are players in that flat world. But idea of Flat world is given by some C-level employee. It is possible that this Flat world is sucked by some Black hole in near future, at that time you will have very less options.

Watch out and do things you really like to do. Pay for your mistakes, don't spend a dime for others.

My Love is..

Your love is... by ChibiMarronchan
Your name is...
Your kiss is...	delicious
Your hugs are...	to die for
Your eyes...	twinkle in the moonlight
Your touch is...	heart warming
Your smell is...	refreshing
Your smile is...	hypnotising
Your love is...	unique

19 Questions

This one was long overdue.. tagged again by Amu and with a comment that goes ‘Ashma you should do this tag’. I had to do it of course.. :-)

1. What could be the 1 wish you will ask if a genie comes in front of you?
A: Ensure that I, my family and friends remain as happy as ever. But since happiness is determined by our own attitude so I'll ask him to grant us that attitude.

2. What could be the 1 period you would want to go in a time machine?
A: I am a hopeless romantic (when it comes to others.. somehow I don’t believe in it when I am the person involved) so I would like to go to the GWTW era. 18^th century world inhabited by dukes and duchesses.. :-)

3. What will be the 1 question you will ask if you happen to meet the captain of a UFO?
A: Can you understand what I am saying?

4. What will be the 1 thing you would do if you are to go invisible for 1 minute?
A: Nothing much can be done in that small a time. So maybe I will get myself picked up in a lucky draw with the prize being a full expense paid trip around the world. I will throw in some cash and gift vouchers into the kitty too.

5. What will be the 1 thing you do if you have 1 crore rupees rite now?
A: After confirming that it’s mine to take, first I will call up my friends and family to tell about it and then spend some part and invest some.. buy a house, etc.

6. Who will be the 1 person with whom you would love to live life long, apart from your Parents, Partner, Bro or Sis ?
A: My husband but I guess he will come under ‘Partner’. So other choice I have are my friends but choosing one person out of so many dear friends is difficult.. I need all of them.

7. What is that 1 song which you always hum, without even sensing that you are humming it?
A: Keeps on changing actually. I would listen to one song some day and it will remain in my head for days on end.

8. What is that 1 mannerism in you which can be easily noticed by others?
A: I guess my inability to stand still.

9. What will be the 1 thing which you would want to take with you to your grave?
A: No grave.. I will be cremated. :-D Anyways I will have to take something which will go there.. so maybe my good Karma, leaving behind the bad ones ;-)

10. What is that 1 habit of yours, which you are trying hard to get rid off?
A: My laziness.

11. Who is that 1 person who deserves a tight slap from you rite now?
A: I can think of no one right now.

12. What is that 1 food item you will not say NO, anytime when offered?
A: Daal chawal

13. Who will be that 1 dead famous personality, whom you would want to come back alive?
A: Right now Heath Ledger comes to mind.. (have recently seen The Dark Knight and he is very good in it)

14. Who is that 1 teacher, you would not forget anytime in your life?
A: If I have to choose one, it will be Karthik sir – He used to be my tuition sir when I was a small kid.

15. Who is that 1 friend, whom you are missing so much rite now?
A: Many – Amu, Vivek, Rachna, Ashwani – none of them are in bangalore. They are still here for me, so it’s not actually missing but I wish they were here with me.

16. What is that 1 thing you would do if you knew your death date?
A: I will make plans to enjoy my life till that day arrives and spend the whole of my last day with family and friends.

17. What is that 1 thing which you are planning to dispose for a long time and hasn’t done it yet?
A: My laziness again.

18. Who will be that 1 famous personality, with whom you would badly want to date?
A: It would be either Mel Gibson or Hugh Jackman.

19. Who is that 1 person with whom you are madly in crush rite now?
A: Right now - No one. I did see the movie Sixteen Candle couple of months back and the hero in there ‘Michael Schoeffling’ is Cuteeeeeeeeee.. :-)

Good things are being said about you..

......well almost ;-) How Sweet Are You?
	You are Sweet and Sour. On the sweetness scale you are right in the middle- just like sweet and sour sauce! You have moments of true sweetness, but you also have moments of sourness. You can be helpful and nice or you can be grumpy and lazy- it just depends on what day it is. Either way, you are still a terrific person and pretty normal and your friends trust you and are totally used to your mood swings!

Which Sholay Character Are You?
	You are Jai. You are the person of great intuition. The best part of your personality is that you will go to any extent to help others without harming others, though you will not show it. You are the man of courage. Though a very serious person, you are protective about others. You always make the right decisions.

What Animal Were You In Your Past Life?
	You were unicorn. You were mysterious and noble. You have fairytale traits, and other people can only dream in envy. Your nature is completely impossible to decipher and behind all that, you know that you shine bright, for only the luckiest people get the chance to know you.

What one word embodies you?
	I am the embodiment of Beauty. You are a person that views the world as this magical place, finding beauty in almost everything. You find beauty in the most simple and fundamental things, as well as in more complex things such as people. You're not one to look for beauty, you just see it. You understand things for what they are, and expect nothing more.
Got the link through Amu's blog. Here it is:-> Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Zodiac et al.

Hmm.. Sagi overrides Leo.. I've gotta give it a thought!!

Another tag.. again by Amu

1. Last movie you saw in a theatre?
The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian.

2. What book are you reading?
Blink

3. Favourite board game?
Would Playing cards count?? :-) If not this, then Ludo or Monopoly.

4. Favourite magazine?
Anything actually. As a kid, I used to love ‘Nandan’ :-)

5. Favourite smell?
Estee Lauder – Pleasures

6. Favourite sound?
I like the faint sound of a ringing bell (temple sortta), the splattering sound that rain makes, etc. Hmm.. in love with Michael Buble's voice at the moment.

7. Worst feeling ever?
Pity

8. What is the first thing you think when you wake up?
Too sleepy to actually think anything so early in the morning but the first thought I have is to see if I can sleep for few more minutes.. J

9. Favourite fast food place?
I luv food. Any place is fine as long as the food is good. Hmm.. I do love the veg burgers at McD. :-D

10. Future child's name?
Itne aage ki planning nahi ki hein.. though I would definitely like to have his/her name begin with ‘A’. I like the name ‘Arjun’ (thought of it for the first time when heard Sachin named his son this.. :-).. )

11. Finish this sentence “if i had a lot of money i'd..."
find ways of spending it.. beginning with a world tour..

12. Do you drive fast?
Yes. Got speeding tickets to proof that.. :-(

13. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Nope

14. Storm cool or scary?
Cool!!!!

15. What was your first car?
Hyundai Elantra

16. Favourite drink?
Fresh lime

17. Finish this sentence "if i had the time i would?"
See all the places that I can (if I had all-the-money coupled with all-the-time I had), watch all the movies in my ‘to-see’ list

18. Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
I can have it in small quantities. I don’t like preparation where broccoli adds the main flavour.

19. If you could dye you hair,which colour would it be?
Burgundy – I am actually thinking abt it right now.. :-)

20. Name the different cities /town you have lived in?

Brajrajnagar, Rourkela, Bangalore, Greensboro (NC, USA)

21. Favourite sports watch?
I like ‘Fossils’ – not sure if it comes under the sportswatch category.. I have a ‘Fasttrack’ that’s quite cool.

22. One nice thing about the person who sent you this?
My best friend – that makes her pretty nice i think.. ;-D

23. Whats under your bed?
My suitcase which is filled with some of my clothes that I no longer feel like wearing.

24. Would you like to be reborn as yourself?
Yes. However I would love to have the independence that guys have.

25. Morning person or night owl?
Night owl..

26. Over easy,or sunny side up?
I don’t eat eggs but if I had I would have liked sunny side up. :-D

27. Favourite place to relax?
On the bed or on a sofa watching TV

28. Favourite pie?
Chocolate

8 things - Tagged by Amu

8 things I am passionate about...

• Movies.
• Books.
• Travelling.
• Food. :-)
• My friends and family.
• My independence.
• Moon, Rain and Sea – I just love them and have always been attracted to them. My friends say that since my origins are from Rajasthan, I get mad when I see water... ;-) Not sure of the attraction to moon.. hmm.. maybe coz i was born after midnight.. :-D
• My work

8 things I want to do before I die...

• Go for a world tour. Even if I can’t go for a world tour, I am sure I will never get ‘moksha’ if I die without seeing Paris. :-(
• Have a large movie collection. I have already started work on this.. :-)
• Have a library (this time of books of course :-) ) of my own.
• Drive my own M&M Scorpio
• Own a beach front house
• Make exercise a part of my daily routine.
• Write a book which at least some one buys.
• Be stinking rich.. ;-)

8 things I say often…

• Cool
• Good hein
• Moron
• Aur batao? / Aur kya?
• Great!
• Sure
• No probs
• Yes, tell me..

8 books I last read

• 100 years of solitude
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• A thousand splendid suns
• It’s not about the bike
• Katie
• The collected short stories of Roald Dahl.
• Eleven Minutes
• Blink (reading currently)

8 songs I could listen to over and over again...

• Save the last dance for me
• Jab koi baat bigad jaaye
• Nothings gonna change
• Sway with me
• Can’t take my eyes off you
• Zara Zara
• When you say nothing at all
• Everything I do

Phew!!!! very very difficult to come up with that list.. choosing just 8 from sooooooo many was a colossal task. :-)

4 people I think should do this tag...
Ashwani, Rashmi, Chitra and if you want it, it’s yours.

The ball is rolling

Took a big step today - one that will hopefully make my future even better than my present. (Ok.. I will agree, it comes nowhere near the BIG giant leap that I took last month but then lets talk about it some other time)

I have set the ball rolling before I have time to think & rethink my decision and then have the luxury to back out. Let’s pray that I finally come out of my ‘Lazzy gurl’ mode (as M called me recently :-)..) and start preparing for the road ahead.

Oh how I need all the luck that I can get my hands on now!!

Here is a girl

I got it as a forward a pretty long time back. Have got it again & again many a times after that. Couldn't help myself from sharing it here. I guess guys also have similar apprehenstions as well as expectations about marriage as we girls do. And guess this sums it up in a neat way. What you want, at the end of the day, is understanding and love from your better half.

As most of you might know, this is an old post which has been dissected. crtiticized and hailed like anything.. :)

Here is a girl,

who is as much educated as you are;

who is earning almost as much as you do;

one, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;

one, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements;

one, who has lived with and loved her parents and brothers and sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

one, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name;

one, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen;

one, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a naukraani, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her, and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding or if she learns faster than you;

one, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace, too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise;

one, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

one, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

one, who just wants one thing from you - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding and love.

Are you man enough to give it to her?

Jodhaa Akbar

Disclaimer: The review contains some spoilers. Don't read this if you are very interested in watching the movie and are looking forward to it.

Had gone to see this movie with some expectations. Expectations were quite a few from the mega budget movie with a wonderful actor – Hrithik playing the lead and an oscar-nominated director – Ashutosh Gowarikar at its helm. I had also braced myself for reality aka disappointment so as to get the expectations in check. :) To add to that, I am not an Aishwaryaa Rai fan. None the less I went to see the movie expecting a beautiful love story. I was ready to disregard any historical errors that crop up. As the name suggested, it was to be a love story between a guy and a girl – Akbar and Jodhaa, who just happened to be emperor of India and a rajput princess respectively. And that’s what Mr.AG had been promising us - a love story and not a history lesson. At the very beginning, the movie claims this too – i.e., it’s a love story between two individuals to the point of even playing down the importance (and the controversy - this is another matter that our highly intolerant mentality still made an issue out of it) around the queen’s name.

So with these things on my mind, I started watching the movie. The first thing that struck me was the thought that Mr.AB is back again (don't know why he needs to have some input in everything now a days - either he or his voice is present in 99% of the movies and commercials.. ok.. I know thats a bit of an exaggaration but he ought to make himself a little scarce). Okay if we leave him aside, the movie starts & we find ourselves in the middle of a battlefield. Kind of expected in a period movie. What was not expected is the way the scene was shot. It was funny to the point of being downright kiddish. I somehow don't know how you can shoot a battle scene with no strategical thinking to it, where ppl are just running towards each other to embrace or maybe to do the chest-thumping hi-5's a la paes-bhupathi. At least that's how it seemed to me. So we see a teen Akbar being groomed by a prosaic bairam khan. The next thing we know, Akbar has grown into an ever-so-handsome Hrithik, who quickly but very effectively makes it clear that he is the boss. The scene also establishes the presence of an ethical mind.

The movie than criss-crosses between the life of the emperor and the rajput princess. Aishwaryaa looks beautiful in the part but that's why she is there in the first place. :) The princess is betrothed to a rajput prince(I will never understand why they make such characters so ugly looking.. maybe they dot want the girl to get tempted to stay and not leave the poor guy), whose father breaks off the engagement. The plot, with a slow pace and loads of unwanted scenes, webs together the marriage of politics between the two. And now starts the movie that Mr.AG had been promising us and took a really looooong time to come to. The journey that Akbar and Jodhaa make together has been conveyed well. The loathing/fear(on Jodhaa's part) and curiosity(on Akbar's part) gets gradually transformed into mutual respect -to- attraction -to- trust -to- love. And the direction of these scenes are brilliant. You can feel their feelings for each other change and gradually evolve into a deep bond. There are a lot of unforgettable and beautiful scenes in the movie:
- The scene where Akbar sees the face of his new bride for the first time. Hrithik is just amazing in this scene with his expressions showing us everything he is supposed to be feeling. I have fallen in love with him all over again. :D
- The scene where Jodhaa puts her two demands to Akbar in order to agree for the marriage. I somehow thought she expected him to refuse and I loved her reaction when he indeed agrees.
- The sequence where she prepares food for her husband and is asked to taste the food first to ensure that its not poisoned. I loved Hrithik's expressions in this scene. It's like 'oh. comeon let me eat first.. i would prefer that I die rather than her if it is indeed poisoned'. You can see his anxiety in there.
- The immediate sequence where he asks that he will eat from the same plate that jodhaa had used.
- All the small scenes taking place when 'jashn-e-bahara' song was playing. Especially liked the one where Akbar is trying hard to 'listen-to' his dai-maa's lecture :)
- The scene where Akbar asks his gaurds to throw his evil cousin from the terrace is also good. It shows us his anger and capability to be cruel if need be.
- The sword practice where Akbar is showing off his toned body well aware that Jodhaa is watching.. ;-)
- The sword-fight sequence between Jodhaa and Akbar when he is in Amer to take her back with him. It reminded me of 'The Mask of Zorro' :)
- The scene just before this is also good. The verbal fight that they have when they are in their chamber.
- Liked the scene where Jodhaa writes her hubby's name and he confesses on being illiterate.
- The fight in the end between Akbar and his brother-in-law, a straight rip-off from troy. It was good none the less.

Even though there are some really beautiful scenes in the movie, the presence of the n+1 unwanted, poorly scripted and acted scenes just make it unbearable. If I start jotting down the ridiculous scenes in the movie, it will take me quite a few days and LOADS of words, so I am gonna just leave it out. If the movie had remained true to its name, it would have made a gr8 romantic movie. But Mr.AG seemed undecided whether he wants to make a romantic movie or a historical one. In the end, he ends up making neither. There were so many scenes that could have been so easily deleted thus giving respite to the viewers too. At a length of some 3hr 20 min, it was tooooo long. All the more heightened due to the weak screenplay and flow of the plot. I was actually waiting for the interval to come (it was all too late coming 120 min after the start) and then for the movie to end.

Hrithik as usual was brilliant. This man has done all sorts of roles and convinced me in each of them that there is no one else who could have played it better. It is near impossible to see anyone else in the role of Akbar other than Hrithik. So here I am all over in love again. The scenes between Hrithik and Aishwarya are brilliant and I would give most part of that credit to Hrithik's performance. Aishwaryaa looked beautiful and is good in many scenes but also her insipid self in few others. Thank god she redeems herself in many scenes and thank you AG for giving her as less dialogs as possible. Rest of the actors are plain and simple 'bad'. None of the other supporting actors, with the exception of Sonu Sood (i didn't recognize him :-) ), make an impression, actually they make a bad impression. Kulbhashan Kharbanda was the worst I think - he looked so spineless for a king. Loved Raja Murad - his was a guest appearance, can't actually count him as a supporting actor. He has a lovely voice, you can't help noticing it.

The music is very good. A R Rehman just keeps on vending out beautiful musical notes. I specially loved the 'Jashn-e-bahara' song. Even 'Mann mohana', 'In lamho', 'Azeem-o-shaan' and 'Khawja' have good soulful music. The music is very romantic and meets/(exceeds?) the expectation from AR Rehman when it comes to Romance.

Overall the movie is too long and boring. There are many not-to-be-missed scenes but then it would be better if you wait for the DVD to come out and watch the movie after fast forwarding the many other useless scenes. After putting 3.30 hrs into this movie, I came out feeling disappointed and a bit angry too. Angry coz the movie could have been so much better and made a name as a classic romantic movie. It already has some very brilliant sequences to boost of. I might see the movie again but I am gonna wait for the DVD release. :)

A human shadow

What Kind of a Shadow are you?

You are a human shadow. If a loved one needs you, you are always right at his or her heels! Your deep social connection with human beings produces your qualities of genuine caring and charisma. However, at times you are naive to the true nature of your loved ones. Remember that humans' gift of free will does not always lead them in wise directions. But your essence of love and friendship represent the other precious gifts of humanity. Overall you are a strikingly valuable and innocent being who has a lot to give.

Take this quiz!

How is it that..

- ….. Life is looking better and worse at the same time.
- ….. I am ecstatic about the way forward as well as skeptic about it.
- ….. I want to get more responsibilities and I feel bad(somehow not serving enough) if I don’t get them. However when I do get more responsibilities, I am afraid of failing and not fulfilling expectations.
- ….. I like what I am working on but at times I hate it like anything. (I guess this is a universal phenomena in the world of IT professionals.. :-))
- ….. Every time I get hurt, it’s always followed by guilt that I must have done something which led to all this hurt. I hate feeling so guilty and when I vent out my guilt, people think I am trying to feel great by being humble, guilty (?) and that makes me feel more guilty. :-( Maybe I do just that. And now that I am writing it, maybe I am trying to be 'greater' still.
- ….. I want to get in a better shape (literally), get up early, exercise, etc but I also feel like sleeping that extra hour, minutes, seconds whenever I can.
- ….. I show what I feel and wish I was more in control of my expressions. At the same time, I wish I never loose this facet of my persona.
- ….. I expect less from others (I hope so) and even then sometimes I feel let down. However even after trying my best I am failing expectations of some people.
- ….. I am a selfish hard-core Arian but I also care about others and try to put myself in their shoes.
- ….. Life is indeed contradictions or is it contradictions that constitute life?

Hmmm.. Maybe it’s just me!!!!

My best friend's wedding - I

My best friend, Amu just got married, on 20th Jan to be precise. I had been looking forward to her marriage since the day I learnt she has given her concurrence to marry K*. K is a really nice and sweet guy who will give his 100% to keep her happy. Someone who will pamper her with his love and care plus give her a breathing space. (Though I agree I had my reservations about him when I first heard about it.. I was like.. "Come on you can get a better guy".. u know the kind of feeling u have for your best friend as if no one is good enough for him/her.. :)..)

*(Sidenote#1 - When talking about him with her and between us friends, we call him 'K'.. :-D)

So I had been busy with my own set of preparations for the D-day.. (arre I am one of the bride’s best friend, I gotta look great too.. ;-) and that means hard work!!

So I started with something like..

"It’s my best friend's marriage, what do I wear??". I couldn't just wear a salwar suit.. that is something you were in every other function/event.
"Should I get a lahenga?" - Naah,.. wouldn't be worth the cost. I will wear it to one marriage and then what!!
"I will get a sari!!" - Yup. That's what I will get a good sari. Ok.. one decision made.. Pheeew!! :-p

Then I started hunting for a sari. Went to loads of shops here in Bangalore and finally zeroed in on a beautiful mustard yellow colored sari. Since it was a day-time marriage ceremony, I didn't want to get a dark, bright sari which will make people run for anti-glare specs!! Since this was the first time I bought a sari for myself, I happily called up everyone I know to tell them about this. :) While I was happily telling my aunt* about my recent purchase, she says "Ok.. you got the sari.. good.. hope you know you have to accessorize it". I (rolling my eyes) was like "What's that????". And then I got a list of things I had to give my complete attention to, from buying bangles, necklace, earrings, bindi to sandals. Per her, it should either be matching or contrast based on how the blouse is? (matching vs contrast)!!

*(Sidenote#2 - My aunt = my bua aka my father's sister.. she is just 8 years elder to me and more like a sister-cum-friend-cum-activity partner-cum-stress buster-cum-secret keeper and the role is same vice-versa)

I started again on my shopping expedition.. everyone who knows me and I mean EVERYONE (I am not just talking about my friends and family here but also my colleagues, ppl whom I met in the bus while commuting to office, etc) , now knows about my recent shopping experiences. With help from my friends, I was able to accomplish this task. Special thanks here should go to Chitra, my friend who is a localite & who loves shopping as much as I do. She took me to this really amazing bangle shop, Bhawani Kangan, located in Jayanagar, B'lore. Hey if you like beautiful, colorful bangles, you are gonna love this shop. :-)

Next thing on the 'To-do' list was my tickets to and from Bbsr. Since I didn't have the luxury of taking more than a day off, I decided to fly. (Thank God, Amu decided to marry on a Sunday, a weekday would have led to downright fight with my PM. I just took 2 weeks off during diwali. :) ).

So once I tied all the loose ends here, I started calling up ppl again to extol and bore them with this info. In between all these talks I realized, in my excitement to buy things for myself, I haven't bought a gift for her. :-(.

Choosing a gift for someone is a HUGE responsibility. And if the person turns out to be your best friend, the task gets even harder. And to top it all, if it’s her marriage.. well you can imagine the Herculean effort that one has to put in. She is tying the knot and I am the one having anxiety attacks on what gift to get for her and the ‘would be’. For quite a few weeks before the D-day, I have been channeling all my thoughts, concentration & effort on this task. If you have interacted with me (through mails, messenger, phone, and face-2-face) during this period, I am sure you already know about this. ;-). After listening to suggestions from a lot of folks and inputs from some friends, I finally got her a wedding gift*. Hope she likes it. She did say something about liking it.

*(Sidenote#3 - While booking flight tickets to bbsr, it did occur to me that I could save up the fare and give her a big gift but then my being there is a better gift.. what say?? ;-p

This was all that I had to put in while preparing for my best friend's wedding.. more on the actual wedding ceremony and post-wedding updates coming soon!!

A promise fulfilled

So Mr. Ratan Tata has delivered on the promise he made some years back (4 years from what I read in newspapers) to us Indians. With the unveiling of 'Tata Nano' on Jan 10,2008 at AutoExpo,2008, he has handed over the 'people's car' to the common people. With a price tag of Rs 1 lakh, its the world's least expensive 4 wheeler. The moment I heard about its launch, I wanted to write a few lines related to it. Not about the car but about the man.

We will have to reserve our judgement on the 'Nano' till the time its ready to drive onto the Indian roads. There are still many miles to go on that. The price which will flare up after including all the taxes that needs to be paid. Everyone has concerns over the safety and fuel emission standards of the car. There are also concerns on the impact of large scale buying of this car on our already poor infrastructure. But lets keep it for others to divulge/discuss/dissect on.

This post is the only way I could think of to salute the man behind the Nano, a man who saw a small family's plight, made a promise to himself and the nation and then had the courage & vision to fulfill it against all sorts of challenges (rising cost, ridicule from his peers and sundry, and loads of technical/financial challenges which I am sure I can't even comprehend).

Whatever happens to Nano, Mr. Tata, you simply rock!!

Tata's Nano

What being "Me" entails..

Flicked it from Amu's blog.. (By now, you must know I love these things.. ;-).. )

What Ashma Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

20 Questions -- Tagged by Amu

Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?

Friends/family, Positive outlook and a viewpoint (along with a willingness to change if it’s wrong)

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?

Thank you for making my life beautiful.

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 (i am making it 4) blog buddies you would take with you?

Amu – She is my best friend and has impacted my life (in a very positive way) more than she knows. Will have her for all the whacky, non-sense, intelligent, funny discussions that we have.
Ashwani – For all the philosophical discussions that he initiates.

Rashmi – For all the fun that we have together. (along with the fights ;-)..)

Vivekanand – For all the laughter that he provides.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

Paris – I have always dreamt of having a cozy/romantic dinner in any of the open air Parisian café/ restaurants and waltzing through the streets of Paris at night.

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?

OMG. Lots of dreams. Maybe that one dream would be ‘a situation where all my dreams come true’. All I want is everything :)

6.Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

I miss by grandfather a lot and I regret not being able to share my joys and achievements (small though they are) with him. I am sure he would have been excited, happy and proud.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My independence

8. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?

My first reaction would be to take it, next one to try and find the owner and the last one to submit it to the police dept.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?

I would like to think that I would but I don’t think I will.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.

Amu – an invaluable friend, intelligent person, witty companion and I love her.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?

His understanding & friendship.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?

People who say something in front and something very different behind you.

13. What is your ambition?
Be stinking rich ;-). Lead a happy and exciting life.

14. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?

A person who is wishing bad for someone else. Not the people who say just for the heck of it and don’t really mean it. But people who really mean for something bad to happen to the other person.

15. Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?

This Christmas is over. Christmas will come again next year. Abhi itni dur ke plans nahi banaye hein.

16. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?

I would have requested God for giving me the pleasure of my grandfather’s company for a few more years.

17. Are you a shopaholic or no?

I am an impulsive shopper. Though I think I am not a shopaholic as I am always within my means.

18. What is your stress buster?
Talking to my friends. They are my stress busters (and some times stress creators too.. ;-)

19. It would be 2008 in a few days, do you have a new year’s resolution?

Yes. The universal, most common and vague one. Will try and loose some weight. :-)

20. (My question) What’s one thing in yourself that you would like to change?

My moodiness. I do /don’t do things based on my current mood and sometimes it's pretty abrupt.

And now it's my turn... huhahahahaha.. :-) I would like to tag the following-

Ashwani, Chitra, Rashmi and Vivek.