Funny pictures

I am yet again posting bunch of pictures that is quite funny indeed.

I think it was meant to be "All requirements under one roof" !


And the latest and greatest sound system the guy could ever get his hands on !


And India's answer to StarBucks :-))


Interesting advertisement. Look with intent: Toilet * Cum bath LOL


Guess the guy got a wee bit carried away post Lord of the rings (ColdRings) and the rest - less said the better !

Betcha you don't want to visit this place - no matter how you feel about yourself. Wonder what these guys think before they come up with such names !


And the point to note is the supposed "Coke and Fanta" dring. LMAO can't believe they still have the board there. For 10 bucks, cheap "coke" :-))

And the hero !

Well actually there is a place called "Kambam" in South India. Incidentally, Wikipedia also has the city as "Cumbum" LOL. The city information is "here".

Travel from faux pas to instant glory.

Back from a small break. I had been silently flipping through several affairs and I was beginning to generalize on an issue and contrary to Vox Populi - Commit a sin, bask in the glory and money follows you then. Reason for me to think about this liner is barely how 'stuff works' these days around the world. I mean look at all the terrorists, the wrong doers they have had their share of resounding success stories. Have'nt they?

I mean look at the 5000 crore scam in Siachen belt, the most treacherous and difficult battlefield in the entire phase of the earth, a 10,000 crore scam in Bihar, the child molester R. Kelly, rapist Tyson, the druggist Snoop Dawg, 50 cents, cheppo ministers of the state, the crook Salman, the poacher Pataudi and son, indiscreet land ownership, Dacoit turned minister, passport scam Monica Bedi, the terrorist Sanjay Dutt and many more such people inculpable of their crimes live a very 'satisfying' life or may be well to do life. Interestingly money seemed to have followed these people big time. Now what would have been the case if you as a common man shop lifted a 100 INR or 10 dollar worth stuff from a store? Mabbe you would be say sent to the county prison. How different are the afore mentioned folks from a common man? Thy look different because thy don't have the ability to mask the rules. The rich echelon folks always have a law for them. And what we see in terms of 'judgement' is just a show down.

More so we forget all that and make a big hoopla out of the situation by 'hero worshiping' each one of these characters despite knowing for the fact that they have done something wrong which cannot be accepted by the society! And at the end of the day, these criminals in their own best come out with statements that they are "Law abiding and trust the judiciary". Is'nt this a joke?

Is'nt the very existence of all these human beings kinda weird? Is'nt the law makers and law in itself a joke? I mean deep down the heart heart we all know a bad person yet we root him because he is a celeb? May be I am troubled so much by these insignificant acts but not sure if this should matter at all. But frankly what do you think about this?

Long live the Freedom. Long live ...

To start off again after the personal 'feel good' milestone, I could not have chosen a day better. Also, the fall out was not for long. I thank you guys for those nice messages. Appreciate it much.

Well then without digressing much, today, August 15th 2007, 60th year of "Free and liberated" India. I have been meaning to write a line to start with but for some reason I had the block when I wanted to pour down my thoughts. Something was stopping me. Anyway, I kept looking around and listening to the passionate speech and patriotic sequences. I thought "What did it mean to the common man", is it another political stunt that everyone were trying to pull out to save their dear vote banks, I don't know. But on a personal note, I was a bit happy for some reason. The reason I am in a free country to express my feeling. An intrinsic feeling and it sums up I think.

Read the article "here" to see how much we should be grateful to this country as long as we live.

On the hindsight, to have survived 60 long years in itself should mean a lot to the people in India. Definitely. From no where up into high way of development and growth with the sheer load of people to carry along and run at the speed we want her to be termed "transforming" economy, I think it is no mean achievement. We have done good thus far. But is there anything more we want and what does this 60th year of Independence mean to a person like me. I mean I know being free is in a way god given that I get to say what I want (without crossing the line), do what I want, be what I am, wear what I want, cuss what I want, go to places and eventually when the immigration officer asks "Were are you coming sir" and when I say "India", he reacts differently and it is easy after that. What more should the country has in it to offer to me? So what moves the Indian elephant? 1/3rd of the nation is still struggling to realize its dreams, its destiny. India still has about 22 percent of its population below the poverty line and has a long way to go to become a developed country.It’s the hope that matters. A hope for a modern India, a shining India.

So many things have happened through from being a bonded slave losing its confidence to even sustain to a growing economy. We should be proud of an independent land where we can thump our heart with pride and say "I belong here". Having started out as an impoverished country, plagued by feudalism, illiteracy, food import dependence, communal violence resulting in Partition and a total lack of industrialization and infrastructure. The last few years have added more meaning to the 60 years of freedom. How much we have improved from increasing our national reserve from 1.5 billion dollars to 240 billion dollars, how much of development amidst the ever increasing population, how much of corruption amidst development, how much of hassles amidst growth and how much of peace inspite of the growing hatred elsewhere. Also, today India is on the way of becoming the fourth largest market in the world, has a comfortable foreign exchange reserve, has developed advanced technology in space, nuclear energy and information technology sectors and is sought after as a strategic partner by major powers. It has managed to sustain its democracy - one of the few in the decolonized world - federal structure, commitment to secularism and an apolitical armed force.This is what I am willing to see more as a citizen of this land.

For a hard core critic like me, what would something ever please me? nah. I am one of those patriotic citizens who keeps pushing and wanting a change and raising the bar for satisfaction which would result in more development. What stands as a benefit to other countries when they developed was that they were less populous then and even now. Whereas we have a billion mouths to feed and the mouth will definitely bite the hand that feeds ! I am one of them. I bite and say my views so that I get to dream, a modest dream. I dream of India as a country in another 20 years having great, prominent leaders - efficient and educated ones leading us to more successes and safe future, more educated they are better they would serve, more and better scientific funding whilst paving way for solution centric improvement, more protection to the citizens in whatever form wherever they are, more R&D capability which will stop us from depending on other countries for anything, more security to young girls, women and children from the wrong doers, able, smart police & army to protect the law from being mauled by the rich people & able ruling body, killing the corruption, doing away casteism and we finally do away poverty and people stop thinking about their existence with the "free food" and finally improve the standard of living of everyone around.

This is not an impossible dream. We can very well do it. When we would be celebrating 80 years free existence, I will revisit this blog note, if I exist and have the same thinking ability, to see how much of my dreams were fulfilled and how much I contributed to this. This is the bottom line why we got the freedom 60 years back. To everyone who participated and lived through the harrowing circumstances, good or bad whoever they fought, however and whatever means they took, we definitely should make this possible coz we owe them this much atleast.

In that high note am humbled to see India at 60 and young, and wish you all a Happy Independence day and wishing that the freedom lasts for more positive developments and god bless all.

Here's dedicating a few videos close to my heart on this day:

1) National Anthem by several popular musicians and champions in their field of work.



2) Inspirational video.

And the moment - my 100th note !

I casually checked the blog note and it is strange and bizarre. This is my 100th note and cannot believe I had so many topics and so much patience to hold on and keep coming back day after day, week after week, month after month. Knowing me it sure is a "WOW" moment. Remarkable indeed. No not as a writer, but you all, who are a bunch of few precious readers generous enough to write in a word either commending or passively agreeing. Either vociferously feeling free to pass on your thoughts which were against my school of thought or scowling me for what I wrote.

Thanks so much to you guys and take a bow.

Now to the pop quiz, which of the centenarians in recent past - Anil Kumble or Yours Truly, is truly exciting and completely entertaining?

Hint: Word starts with "M" ends with "E" and no other alphabets in the middle !

Ristorante Immortale

Top left to right -> Master, Lady Cook.

Bottom left to right -> "Senior" waiter, "Vain Head" waiter, "Rookie" waiter.

"Ristorante Immortale" is depicted as being poised on everywhere and nowhere, between heaven and hell. It is the restaurant that has few staffs that never serve and never sleep. This is a depiction of a place which never closes but never really opens; a microcosm of self-deception and unfulfilled ambitions. And to top it is a silent and masked theatrics performance where the actors wear giant, sometimes sinister masks! A deserted restaurant as this is a scene for a tragic as well as comic allegory of the peculiarities of human existence.

They engage us with the tragic-comic aspects of provincial life through the inconsequential daily routine in an unsuccessful restaurant. In spite of the noticeable lack of patrons, a grumpy cook, a suave maitre de(French word in English means Master) and three clumsy waiters go about their business steeped in the ludicrous rituals of trivia. The slightly over-sized masks delineate character through expression and these are carried over into body language by the five strong cast of accomplished physical actors. This is a tragic tale of hopes gone awry mitigated by an endearing comedy of middle-class manners. Each of the characters in turn comes face to face with his own alter ego as unfulfilled longings are revealed.

All human life is in here, from the vain head waiter who examines his reflection in the silver tray to the aging senior waiter whose arthritic hips mean he can no longer quite keep up, from the grumpy fat lady as the chief chef to the 'rookie' intern who is aiming to make it big. Daily the untiring staff makes all preparations; daily opens its doors for the much awaited customers. No one come any day every day. The thick fat cook, who lives like an ambassador to another world, is depicted as being always behind the door hatch in the kitchen. In a world, in which the life turns only around itself, a fantastic labyrinth of relations, fears and desires develops. The restaurant is the fate of each particular person there, their dream, their memory and eventually the bond between the folks that work there which forces the fat cook and the rest of the jug heads to search for the old man who leaves the restaurant finally one day realizing he had lost everything working in the restaurant. The interesting facet of the play was how the old man gives way to his memories of him as a youngster on the stage when he first came to the restaurant and how easily he got the place in order so soon. And I remember only one visitor, his love, come in once to leave because his heart made him not to flirt with the customer and there he kissed bye to his love life. Fantastic portrayal.

In a nut shell, this play staying just the right side of fey and enjoyable for all the family, the show is deceptively simple but is based on great skill and terrific observational comedy. Like a waiter in a really good restaurant, it is eager to please. And it does leave you satisfied, if not necessarily hungry for more.

Why can't I vs You shouldn't

Ever wondered what it is like when a girl like a boy and vice versa. The rosy picture that life is good and every folly that the other guy did would not bother you much and you somehow seemed to have increased your bar for patience limit. You start singing love bites. You can't breathe when you think about her, you can't speak when you talk about her. First to start when you see a girl that fits your bill you cease to think normal, those adrenaline rush, the heart beating faster than it should, the sleep, the food. Ah ! the dreamy ones.

Oh ho... Wait a minute. Falling in love is no longer fun. These are so so good on paper or on a stage to make your knees go weak and that you feel liberated. The scientists in the contemporary world just seemed to have made an astounding finding - "Falling in love can damage health". Reason - love triggers a range of physical reactions in the body that can seriously damage health.

The doc says the ups and downs of romance cause a range of physical reactions like dilation of eyes, sweating of palms and increase in heart rate. It also leads to high secretion of the hormone adrenaline and that harms the body.

The Daily Mail quoted Martin Cowie, a professor at Imperial College in London, saying that stress related illnesses at work arose from near-identical physical phenomena.

He added that the inability to acknowledge the effects of emotion on our health makes things worse.

"If people are suffering from emotional problems, they need to acknowledge the effect on their health. There is a feeling that talking about emotions somehow makes you weak, but there is a real link between emotions and health".

So if ever you again feel light on your knees and liberated whilst singing Liz Phair's "Why Can't I" number you should remember this - Love byte thrills to end in hurt, in true sense. They said it. Not me.

P.S - This is just not a generalization rather an attempt to link the feeling with the medicine which may or may not be true. So I divulge my thought before I get swatted by Smarty !

Welcome to Andromeda.

Oh well I did not come with that wishful, fanciful name. This was the play of the yester years stage performer. The synopsis of the play is about a paraplegic tries to cajole a nurse into giving him a fatal injection which will put him to sleep, forever. This is a play played by a male and a female nurse. Very draining experience to even see such a heavy intense story worked out by the two in a nice way and subtle expressions. By far the best of the plays in 5 days. Reason - the characters definitely needed to remove their regular lifestyle and get into the character which was demanding. Also, since the action on the stage is minimal it makes it equally difficult and challenge for all the artistes involved. For that matter the day 2 play - To the death of my own family, was an equally demanding role and it being a mono act even more stress and pressure to do well to captivate the audience. Actor from New York, US Farah Bala infact did a great job this time as well apart from her performance in New York.

Coming back to the play - Welcome to Andromeda, a classical play was a playwright of the disabled. The playwright, Ron Whyte was a Quadriplegic and was was born with physical disabilities and both legs were later amputated. Eventually, Ron Whyte, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in New Haven on Wednesday. He was 47 years old. Many of Mr. Whyte's plays dealt with the disabled.

[Information got from the tributes they played before the play started. ]

Knowing the information also meant that the person enacting the role on the stage was a person who suffered downward paralysis and housed serious problems in his body. So this was an equal emotional drain as well. As it is the play ended up being a portrayal of the complexities in a relationship between a quadriplegic and his nurse. The story revolves around this guy and the nurse on his 25th birthday when his mother goes to the shop in the heart of the city to buy him a few things that might interest him for his birthday. So promptly the nurse is more or less a "baby sitter" sort of a role instead of being a full timer as for as he is concerned.

How they start off being strangers to each other - one trying to impose on another, to how they start talking each other through, become buddies and share a drink with a few impressive music selection, to how the guy asks his buddy to do away with her shyness and asks her to show her bosom, to how liberated the lady becomes, to how she talks her way about being doing the job currently. Somewhere in the middle the guy asks the nurse to kill him coz he feels he has had lot of suffering and death to him still seemed a distant future and how overbearing it is for him being a cripple and how his mother seemed to become so obsessed with him. And finally how he manages to make the nurse to inject a wrong injection which eventually relieves his soul from him.

Fantastic portrayal. Not sure if the original playwright performer, Ron Whyte, would have been even better than the performer today on stage. They got a stunning standing ovation and both were so emotionally drained out for enacting about 75 minutes was no mean achievement indeed.

In the end, I am mighty satisfied at the investment I have had made. These plays are definitely worth a watch and I promised myself more of these. Morrow is another day with interesting plays I am looking forward to - The attempted Assassination of Salman Rushdie & The killing time.

Who art thou'?

An excerpt of an interesting article I read today "Professionalism = more than just doing your job". Makes an Interesting read.

I don't like to shop. Clothes shopping, grocery shopping, car shopping; it doesn't matter -- I don't like it. I want to get in, get what I want (fast), and get out. A recent shopping experience, however, was a pleasant surprise.

This experience showcased customer service at its best, and at its most simple. Once again I was reminded that great service isn't about grand acts, it is about common courtesy, artfully delivered.

While on vacation in Chicago, I needed to buy a pair of casual shoes (I had forgotten mine). I found myself in a store called the Walking Company. A friend once told me it was a good store. It was crowded, so I almost left. But one of the salespeople made eye contact with me. It wasn't the kind of eye contact that said, "Oh no, another customer." Instead, it was eye contact that said, "I'll be right with you." It was good eye contact.

So I browsed around for a few minutes and found a pair of shoes I liked. Sure enough, the salesperson came up and said, "Sorry about the wait, let's get you some shoes." I showed her the pair I wanted and asked to try size 10. She said, "Let's measure your foot just to make sure." I know I wear size 10, but her whole demeanour showed that she wanted to make sure I got the right shoes.

She measured my foot and said, "Size 10 is right, but you have a very 'Rubenesque' foot. The type of shoe you've selected won't be the most comfortable for you. I think this other style would feel much better."

Being the sceptic that I am, I looked at the price of her suggested shoes to see how much she was upselling me. Same price. Hmm. With nothing to lose, I tried on the style she suggested, and they were extremely comfortable. I must admit: they are the most comfortable pair of casual shoes I've ever owned.

As I paid for the shoes, the salesperson continued to wow me. She said, "If you ever buy a pair of shoes somewhere else be sure to tell the salesperson that the arches in your foot have fallen a little, and you need shoes with some arch support -- like these."

When I get good service like this, I want to keep it going. I asked her if there is a Walking Company in Orlando, where I live. "Absolutely, it's at the Millennium Mall." Since then I've bought two pairs of dress shoes at the Orlando Walking Company, again with great service. I can't imagine buying shoes anywhere else. And I've sent plenty of friends there.

Now, let's look at what this salesperson did that made this a great shopping experience. I'll analyse the details in a moment, but one word sums up her style -- professional. This lady was a professional in every sense of the word. Her skills would apply anywhere, as applicable in a bank, hospital, theme park, or law office as they are in a shoe store.

Here are four universal traits of a professional in any job position:

1. Professionals are responsive: When I entered the store, the salesperson made immediate eye contact with me. It was sincere eye contact that said she cared that I was there. And as soon as she was finished with her customer she came right over to help me and apologised for the wait.

The store was busy. But I noticed that everyone was being helped. The salespeople had mastered the art of handling more than one customer at a time while making each customer feel like he/she was the only one. None of the salespeople looked frantic, just responsive.

2. Professionals are knowledgeable: This salesperson knew about shoes. On the other hand, I know very little about shoes. Seeing that this was the case, she took charge of the situation and made sure that I was getting shoes that were right for me. I benefited from her knowledge.

There is an art to sharing knowledge, I admit. Some customers may say, "I know what I want. Just get it for me." By briefly talking to me, however, she realised she could make a recommendation for me, that I was flexible. Professionals read the situation and adapt to the personality and needs of the customer.

Of course, all of this means knowing your product. Professionals are constantly learning about their products and their customers. The only way that the Walking Company salesperson could steer me to the right pair of shoes was by knowing shoes and feet. Professionals know their stuff.

3. Professionals care about what they do: My Walking Company salesperson could have easily brought me the pair of shoes I originally asked for. But she wasn't selling shoes -- she was selling the right shoes. That's the difference. Professionals aren't happy just selling a product. They want it to be the right product for the customer.

4. Professionals teach you something: I left the Walking Company knowing more than when I walked in. I now know to ask for extra arch support in my shoes. Not a big deal, but I will always remember that advice.

Think of some of your best service experiences: the waiter who made the perfect recommendation, the computer helpdesk that gave you a tip on how to make an application more effective, or the clothing store employee who helped you coordinate colours.

In most cases of outstanding service, the employee left you more knowledgeable than when he/she found you. The new information might not change your life (though it could), but it does make your life a tad better.

Conclusion: Professional behaviours are simple. What's not simple is the consistent application of them. Being a true professional takes thought and effort. But, once you are truly professional you can go just about anywhere.

The skills are universal, and they are rare. True professionals stand out from the crowd and grow rewarding and satisfying careers. And the customers of the world know when one is at work.

Dennis Snow is the president of Snow & Associates, Inc. He worked with the Walt Disney World Company for 20 years and now consults with organisations around the world helping them achieve their customer service goals. He is the author of the book, Unleashing Excellence -- The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service.

Weekend pictures to think.

I was hurriedly trying to finish up on a few errands, then I chanced upon a bunch of pictures which I just thought that may be a good way to kill time by thinking about these. So here you go.

Picture - 1

Women run in a high-heel race in Moscow, Saturday, July 28, 2007. Some 110 women competed in the race wearing high-heeled shoes with a required minimum height of 9 cm (3.5 inches) for a prize of 100 000 rubles (about US$ 4000).

Women run in high heels ! Crazy but wonder how easy it is to run this fast :)



Picture - 2

A seven legged lamb is pictured on its farm at Methven near Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Veterinarian Steve Williams said he believed a misprint in embryo formation had resulted in the lamb being born polydactyl, with many legs, a condition that occurs once in several million sheep.

Cannot really believe how this lamb will eventually look like when it starts walking. I guess it would be a really bully in it's clan. All lambs run in 4 legs and this guy would catch up with them using six legs and as he overtakes mabbe would show the finger err.. the leg [:)]


Picture - 3

People wait in line to visit an upside-down house built at the Centre of Education and Promotion of the Region in the village of Szymbark, northern Poland July 31, 2007. The upside-down house created by Daniel Czapiewski is supposed to describe the times of the former communist era and the present times in which we live. REUTERS/Peter Andrews (POLAND)

So funny this but. Very intriguing. Wonder what they would say to their kids - "Go to the ceiling in the basement to get a few things to fit in the basement in the ceiling" LOL


Picture - 4

Michelle Duggar, left, is surrounded by her children and husband Jim Bob, top left, while she holds her newborn daughter, Jennifer Danielle, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 in Rogers, Ark. Jennifer Danielle was born at 10:01 a.m., weighed 8 lbs 8 oz, was 21 inches long, and is the 17th child born to Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar.

Bob and Michelle - Take a bow for all the perseverance and dog headed dedication for being doing the same stuff with "results" in mind for about this long. Guess the guy had so much time in hands or mabbe was it more like the doctor's prescription for the ailing patient - One time before lunch and two times after dinner :-)



Picture - 5

Manuel Uribe, tipping the scales at 560 kilograms (1,234 pounds) and seen here at his home in 2006, will be listed as the world's fattest man by the Guinness Book of Records, while a loss of 200 kilos (440 pounds) may make him the man who lost the most weight.

Truly gross ! ewwww !


Picture - 6

Bao Xishun (R), 56, a 2.36-metre (7 feet, 9 inches) tall herdsman listed by the Guinness World Records as the tallest living man, and his wife Xia Shujuan, 29, 1.68 metres (5 ft., 5 inches) tall, leave after a news conference in Baotou in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region July 13, 2007. The world's tallest man, whose search for a bride covered the world, ended up marrying a woman from his hometown nearly half his age and more than two feet shorter, Chinese media reported. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA)

Mabbe for his height and her height there is one thing they can do to please each other without much difficulty [:D]. On a serious note, the guy is REALLY tall.




Picture - 7

He Pingping (R), 19, a 0.73 metres (2 feet, 5 inches) man, adjusts his suit as he shakes hands with Bao Xishun (L), 56, a 2.36-metre (7 feet, 9 inches) herdsman listed by the Guinness World Records as the tallest living man, in Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region July 13, 2007. He is applying for the Guinness World Record as the world's shortest man,local media reported. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA)

On a serious note, the guy is REALLY short. I wonder why? The tallest and the shortest come from the same country. You smell something cooking here?




Picture - 8

This is the scene of the collapsed 35W bridge over the Mississippi River Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007, in Minneapolis.

Sad event that happened. All on a sudden they say. Really sad. The difference now between India and the US would be on how soon the find out the reason and the help the govt extends. Cannot believe we are a "Transforming" economy.




Picture - 9

Oscar, a hospice cat at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I., waits outside a patient's room, Monday, July 23, 2007. Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

They say, save the best for the end. The guy here is so shrewd that he can predict whoz gonna die when in a hospital. I sure want him here so that I can go rich besides there is no dearth for a quack in India so a 11 million + 1 is not going to hurt anyone. However, I am a doc until Oscar is with me and does the manipulations right :-)



That's all folks. Have a good weekend and peace to your tiring minds and take it easy.

The drama unfolds..

Oh this time of the year I am really really looking forward to the theatrics and the dramatics's. The local interests for plays or theatrics have not died down any bit anytime. Just goes to show when I say it is the third edition since it was launched in 2005 and The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Festival brings a range of acclaimed plays from abroad and from different parts of India to Chennai. This time around it is going to be over eleven days in August, a variety of professional and amateur theatre groups will stage plays that belong to different genres. This time we have eight plays and a mix of groups from Germany, the United States, Sri Lanka and Indian groups from Manipur, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

I am quite excited and did my home work and lined up my ducks for all the shows already. I am really looking forward to a few shows already for this season. I might end up watching To the Death of my Own Family, Butter and Mashed Banana, a Srilankan group, Checkpoint - Three Strangely Normal, a German group, Ristorante Immortale, Black with ‘Equal’ , Andromeda, The Attempted Assassination of Salman Rushdie & Killing Time and finally Immigrants which is the week after this.

The synopsis of the show is also written alongside the play and I hope these come out well.

Until then in a high spirit, Weekends here I come !

Oh! The Prison

I was thinking about several Bombay blast that happened on 1993, a good 14 years back, and the star studded action and the eventual decisions that encapsulated the drama put me more confused and dreamy thinking about the Jails and the life sentences.

We had an actor convicted for his connection to the Bombay Blasts that killed about 800 people. He was convicted for six years of jail imprisonment - rigorous one. And I wonder what rigorous would mean in a jail? However, this actor ensured that there were no dramatic moments by making a big hue and cry. What made me think a little about the jail conditions available for the common man in India - that is poor men? Appalling and disturbing to even think about them. There was a news, a sympathetic one that too - No fan, no bed sheet, common toilets. I don't think so. The jail would have a separate one for the stars even inside the jail and what made me think is the little amenities that the culprits get when in the jail and how would this ever make a change in their attitude? Through out the world there are organizations that say death sentencing should be stopped and more life sentencing should be the decision. But hey, what have we done to improve the life and the thought process for a crime doer in the prison during his stay there? No improvements in anything what so ever. A criminal enters a prison to live there and eventually leaves the prison as a criminal.

If Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton survived a day in the prisons which are available in India then I take my defeat here. The conditions there are so appalling and we expect more life imprisonments. I can't believe this. Compare the prison life style in the US. I will be dog headed and will definitely compare with a better country every small issue. That is the only way we can grow. The county prison ensures that the prisoners actually get everything that the commoners get outside the prison. Change in food menu for a week, gym, work part job, separate cell, the basic amenity. Again, they have their own problems to face with and solve. Do a direct comparison to what we have here. The convict shares his cell with 8 (sometimes) because the jails are getting over loaded these days. And to top it they sleep in concrete slabs, common toilets - which I reckon would not be hygienic and taken care of, no fans for the hot hot seasons, just one woolen bed spread which you use to cover yourself during the harsh winters, a cheap quality slipper to walk around and finally wade through mosquitoes and what not.

How do you expect the guy in these conditions to even survive and then come out with a changed mind and thought? I don't expect him to change one bit. Rather he is going to be out there to do more crimes and be on the hide out, may be on the ironical flip side, he might not want to commit a crime to be stuck in the shit hole - prison for long again ! A straight forward thinking would mean that so much of change has to happen and more money should be spent on developing this state of affairs as well. Improve the bedding arrangements, lights, life inside the prison, make an attempt to alter the thinking of the prisoner so that he does not think that raping, molesting, killing, kidnapping someone is not the way you live your life henceforth.

We become quite emotional when we see the Stars get a common toilet or no bed sheet or no fan situation. I was a bit stirred. But it was not because he was a star. My heart told my brain, "A person who has lived well and rich should never ever get into a situation as bad as that where survival is the toughest" not that they come from a different world all together but it is the life style that hurts. And sadly, that is how the prisons and other life styles are. I empathize the poor who would get accommodated together to make room for a star, if any change has to happen it should now. Jail life is a shady life with no one wanting to dip their hands in the gutter of a mess; so with the skirmish between prison life or life sentence, I would take the life sentence any day coz I die today to live else where not in this world where as in the prison I would die everyday to live ! Or is the prison condition so appalling because of our population? I don't know but I am mighty sad to think about life there. It is a three different world out in this part of the woods it seemed - Rich, Poor and the Prison.

Finally, I think a prison is a deadly pit with poisonous snakes and an experience would cripple a person for his life by taking away the life from you in front of you, hearsay/differences in the opinions when he comes out of the prison is sufficient to tear his existence and importantly with the self confidence bellied, for me, a criminal will remain a criminal throughout the life !

Few lighter moments

Was chancing across a few interesting pictures and thought I will fix it for a lighter moment.

LOL - Funny


Hahaha... can't see you grow soon !
Oh the darn Texans !




Manager's speech before getting drunk!

Hahaha...
Phew ! Lucky guy.

Ever since I was born, this has been in my mind.

Oh yea.

Lesson to all girls. Animals are no joke LOL.

LOL - Way funny.
Dedicated to Vidya !

Oh yea! Know what you are talking?

One more !

There he goes again.. LMAO.



And remembering PS :-]
My-my... Poor guy LOL.

Whacha thinking!

Cute guy !


Welcome to India !!!!


Welcome to an Arab Country/Muslim Country!


Long live budda!!!
The guy is unbelievable LOL..

Horny Elephant(Bachelor) - Who does not like women?

Oh! Are you an Idiot or an Ignorant or a Hypocrite?

Every time I read news about our politicians and ministerial representatives being moral police and holding strong to the cliché “Treat-women-with-respect” adage, it pisses me off beyond control even more. This time around, they have banned two ads - Lux Cozy Underwear and Amul Macho Underwear. Why? They call this inappropriate and both have been prohibited for transmission or retransmission on all broadcasting platforms with immediate effect. Now, who are we kidding? The expressive lady in the ad did what is the obvious and that the underwear was durable enough to stand the tests!! Here we are talking about a straight forward ad which has nothing to do with anyone. Rather it is quite funny the way it is depicted but hello, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is jobless and they got to clamor at something every once in a while to show their presence.

Why is any form of expression pertaining to sex considered appalling by the viewers in the country? Why is it that parents just don’t want to talk about sex to their children?

The government first banned a channel – AXN (when they showed The World's Sexiest Advertisements), then FTV and now these petty ad works. Wait a minute if you are so protective about the so called “women”, then why is it that the most gory, hurting and shameful incidents happen to your women folk in the country? Why is it that a teenaged girl from a reputed public school becomes pregnant of six months as a result of her sexual relationship with a friend of class XI? Why is it that a 10 year old was eve teased by 20+ year old youngsters and inspite of being run over by the car, why is it that no action was taken against these perpetrators until the media intervened? And umpteen number of disturbing news. Bottom line – Educate people and do what it takes to spread the word – Sex Education. Unless that happens the urge to hump anything and everything that moves is going to continue. The general inquisitive looks will turn to lengthy stares at the obvious in all girls will continue. Wait a minute there is a flip side to it, more information describing the anatomy might mislead the kids. Heck! Who are we kidding? No one is a saint and if the kids know the information and the repercussion of doing a particular act least they can do is to be informed and know how to protect them. It is all about PROTECTION and being SAFE to know when you are being sexually attacked. End of story. I think these sums up our idiocy to the core when it comes to educating the citizens.

It is for this reason that we are still thousands of miles away from the actual civilization (barring the Middle East communities). When the CBSE wanted to introduce sex education in their curricula, there were out bursts from the teaching fraternity that it was a bit uneasy subject. Hello! What is so funny and being ashamed about? It is nothing but telling the kids that they are growing old and there is going to be some kind of metamorphosis, and few things that everyone should know so that they atleast know what “Molestation” is or atleast when someone tries to do something like that. And that is why teachers should be well qualified too. Education should matter from now on for every position. Unless we are educated, we just cannot talk issues openly. Every body knows this as well! When there was a “Vibrating Condom” released to the market, there was an immediate outcry. Why? It is a sex toy and so the hippocratic ministers in-charge, felt they would be used for a wrong cause. Hello! What the hell is wrong with that pea sized brain of these people? Every developed country has a sex toy store and I feel it is most right to have them as well. Besides what is the big deal! Hippocratic society we live in is the reason for such a wasted life. We continue to rot.

What we do wonderfully by shunning away from these topics is:

1. Create unawareness among the children growing up and not letting them know what organs are “responsible” for “what” and how to be aware of sex.
2. Continue to cocoon the kids in a “mystic and hippocratic” society that “know less about sex information” is best for me.
3. Not being open to future and the forth coming generation pass on the wand of ignorance and hypocrisy to theirs doing nothing good to anyone.
4. Putting the growing kids in a spot by not preparing them to sense a sexual assault. They are as able as a newly born gazelle when the sexual predators target them.

We are living in a society where we still cry foul if we talk about condoms, sex toys and finally sex. End result is out there in black and blue as an outcome of our ignoramus life we have led so far – India ranks 2^nd in world population and 3^rd in HIV cases. The guys and gals just are equally clueless when it comes to sex for their first time after marriage. Strangely so, sex is LEGALLY allowed only after marriages. And when someone film star talks about women/men losing virginity before marriages, then it hits the headlines for a tangential reason. A PIL – Public Litigation is issued when the lady spoke bold! Yea back to them point even before they know each other the newly wed soon become parents for 2 and they still DON’T know how to please their partner and this is the end of their sex lives and their adventure (forceful) starts in public transportations where they get to express their enormous sexual feeling on other passengers! Sad story this is ONLY because of keeping every one in the dark when it comes to sharing the obvious. This only leads to ignorance and ignorance is never bliss, I tell you.

I have many of my educated friends – liberal ones who strongly feel this move was worthless and baseless. There are a few who still feel living in the cocooned up life by not talking about sex to their family is the best way to it. I feel in the end the onus is left to us on how you want to have a “real” educated life and the boon and bane nomenclature is best described by us. In the end, are we Idiots not to talk about sex and yet be top ranked with HIV cases and preemptive abortions and child abuse? I don’t know if we speak openly about issues such as these would classify as a truly educated and responsible citizen. I don’t know.

In the end, who am I, Dudleybouy – Am I an idiot, an ignorant or a hypocrite?

P.S:

Some information which might look like I have contrived is echoed by a news article “Here”. Which only means the feeling is right :-]

My virgin effort on mixing my favorite series and Coldplay - Ashes 2005.

Oh here is my favorite song, my favorite team - Aussies PLUS one of the fantastic series ever to be played - Ashes 2005. And here is the run up for the series from my favorite site - Wiki. I liked Coldplay's Fix You - from X&Y, which would be the background music.

History behind the game - Ashes is a cricket match which is more of a pride at stake which the Aussies and the poms put on the game when they play. England v Australia is the oldest continuous international cricket fixture, dating back to the first meeting at Melbourne in March 1877. Fantastic ain't it?

A few pictures from the infamous series ever played, which critics hailed as one of the all time best. England regained the Ashes by beating Aussies 2-1 with a match draw.

(a) The Ashes - As big as palm !


(b) England celebrate the series - Fantastic to see the coverage live. What a match !

(c) Flintoff's hundred moment.


(d) When England had 4 runs to regain the Ashes.

(e) Clouds impregnated with lots of rain at TrentBridge.


And finally, the video I mixed. I am still in awe whenever I see it.

Pass me the new culture, Dudleybouy!

Being in Madras, a remotely cosmo city when I left India and to see what it is now after a while is heartening. Things seem to have reversed as is the case in all major metros in the country. For instance, I was in a restaurant, a calm one at that outside the city about say 50 KM's mark for my dinner and I for once felt I was truly in a cosmopolitan city. The table behind me was reserved by folks from Middle east, a big family that, the table to my left was by a few over-the-hill aged Americans and a table in front of me was occupied by a "single" American and in a far off place an North Indian family. Now, maybe the place I went is a very posh kinda expensive one but heck this was not it was a few years ago. Interesting, if this was one thing, the walk in the mainstay city was another story. Every time you would easily see a young blonde walking past with her mobile phone in her hands, or couple of laid back folks from Europe doing the road stunts trying to run from one side of the road to another, or go to a ice cream joint, viola, foreigners again trying to soak in the ambiance whilst rummaging the joint to eventually settle down near a corner over looking the road spot. And then slowly take out their laptops and start playing with that with a frequent giggle. Oh! then you always got the Generation Y kids as well making their mark.

And I slowly take in all these changes and smile deep down at the transformation not just by the inflow of international citizens but also how much things seem to have changed within the country as well. Cool sneakers, cool gadgets, cool fashion statements and the exposure these young men and women get will definitely make them a good competition at the highest level .. Man, I love this all changes which has been eluding the city.

Interesting to say that this would not have been possible if not for the market doing well in the IT front which is aiding ALL other fields of interests indirectly in a big way. A statistics taken across the world would show that Indians are the optimistic ones when it comes to being consumers of any goods/products or with their life. Why? Because of the surplus money they have right now. People feel taxed at work, take a 3-4 days off to fly to Thailand for a body massage and a good vacation, flying to Singapore/Malaysia for a vacation WITH the family when the kids have a summer break, if no time to go to any other country they spend good sizable bucks on being "metro sexual" and that is the new age gender classification and men are not scared to accept that classification, or honey moon to exotic places and finally when they have a feeling of been there done it all, they go to Africa to see the other part of life where people struggle to make two ends meet (Not to say everyone in India are better off, but the statistics is based of the folks in the echelon unit of the society). Brands are no longer a strange word in this new culture. Louis Vuitton to Prada to Puma to Ego to Hugo Boss to Tagheur to eat outs to hang out options to what not. The country is now in a metamorphosis trying to grapple and hug all the brands & all the newer things which is a common in a "Developed" country and passing on a new flavor of life to the new age Generation X and Y Indians. Oh! plus the plush jobs and greater brands settling in India makes it that much more an interesting place to work.

Now to do a counter comparison, not many family in the US actually fly out to any other country for a vacation, perhaps the country has so much to offer to them. That is a different story but this comparison in itself is sufficient to just see how the culture has changed thus far. An air ticket is about 30 grands to Singapore and a family of 4 would be spending about a 0.1 million rupees for the air ticket alone which works to about 2000-3000 $. And that is a lot of money and not all get to do that abroad (may be within the country too, but things are changing and numbers are increasing). The term "Chauffeur" is a derogatory term in the Europe these days and we borrowed that and we use it to good effect that all corporates get pampered with a "Chauffeur" driven car. Where is this luxury any where else in the world? I would say NO WHERE else but India. That is what makes it an interesting proposition. Got bucks, learn to live like a real king sized life and get be grounded by this new economy driven by the youngsters and an intricate society values (shock and awe). Live in partners are not a strange awe word no more. Playing with multiple boyfriends or girlfriends now is an art which all the kids have mastered, work hard and spoil yourself and finally shout loud - One life mate. Live it king size. This is the new age Indian attitude - the new age culture.

If people are willing to work and not make money by seeking alms and change in attitude of the people over respecting people for who and what they are and finally respecting the dignity of labor then I think this is the best place to be eventually. But mind you that is bloody, mighty big IF.

Pass this new culture to me dudleybouy !!

Bon Aprees Midi.

Book Review - Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie

This is one a very quick read through books and the history of the book since it was published is that it was on the New York's Best sellers list for about 4 years and now it is up for grabs and I think it is all worth the money. I liked the way the author has written this book and how well, as a reader, you tend to agree passively to what the old professor says about life, about death and everything else we did in our life. Fantastic was one word but I had a big lump to swallow coz I did not know how to react to death and that too people who are close to a person. The author does that part of intertwining the reader to that of a character in the book. I felt so good and so lost when I read the book that I had been like the guy, Mitch who comes to his old prof. I had been hunting for the lost gold like a mad man, working late and hard and took life very seriously until this year which is when I packed my bags to come out of US. But that apart, I never had a good teacher like this person Morrie which made me feel even worse.

When I was in my high school, I had a math teacher in high school who gave to eating and chit chatting when for real he had to teach us, I had an English teacher who used to called "Fish" - a "Piss" and thought "Atom Bombs" which people burst during the festive season will produce "Fission reaction" and that we should not burst anymore, I had a physics teacher who never used to teach, he used to live by taking crap and monkey pranks and eventually devoted most of his time on taking private tutorials to make most money and finally a biology teacher who hated men and loved women and he made that point so explicit in the class to an extend that he would tell the us that the class was to be held in another place and would take the girls to another class and the love bites start there. So all this sort of made me reminisce and rue the fact that I did not have a thoughtful teacher like Morrie through out my school days to colleges days.

The book is a good eye opener and should be about 7 $ in the US and the same paper back would cost us about 200 bucks in India. A neat casual read with occasional points to ponder will flush your system when you are done.

I will give it a 4 star on 5. Here is a review for this book - Review link.

Oh the SSSS stamp !

Ever wondered you see a strip scene on Television is not as exciting as it is when seen in real life say a public place? That is how the situation is these days when a South Asian flies to any developed country particularly to the UK. When I transited through London from the USA this year on April 06th 2007, the lady with sweet smiles at the customer counter issued me a ticket and had a quick look at me to check if I was a browny, asian accent, long hairs, goatie and quickly checked on her database for "Terrorist- look-alikes" and viola we got a match ! She then stamps SSSS - Selected for Secondary Security Screening. How much I love this stamp?

This invariably happens to all the flights bound UK coz they fear psychologically the South Asians and every Asian traveling in the British Airways would have a story to say ! Now what does SSSS stand for and why am I losing my sleep over it? This means you are a suspect, a potential terrorist, a person with suicidal tendencies (like I have been trying one since age 7!), who could take the whole plane down in a blaze of glory. A few passengers are randomly hand picked for this effort and I was the chosen one this time.

What follows is a completely dehumanising experience. One officer takes away your passport, another your hand baggage, the third looks at your personal belongings and the fourth takes you with him. A special machine that you pass through blows air from head to toe, in search of banned material. Your belt, shoes, wallet, chains, laptop are removed and tested for unwanted material. Even a beep would subject you to further humiliation. Then a chemical is anointed and blotched on litmus paper and the guy slowly opens the hand bag. The fear that the bag would blow up anytime. Then the guy holds the litmus paper in the corner for a while and the color remains unchanged would only give him positive vibes to proceed further more on each and every other stuff. Then finally the most awaited - public strip search. This happens in front of every other passenger while others pass by giving suspicious/sympathetic glances. Your bags are zipped out and returned with everything hanging out. My only companions fellow Asian travelers.

By the time the ordeal is over, I feel my bile rising. I'm returning home after a long and successful trip, but the smile is gone. My feet carried my body and pride to an isolated place. I felt violated, mutilated and molested. As I wear my belt, tuck my shirt in and wear the shoes, I feel like a streetwalker, being bedded against my will. These are the new-age security measures but I look at them with increasing suspicion. Why only the Asians, all the time? I understand where the fear is . Thanks to the same complexioned terrorists who are doing no good to the people here. Welcome to the New Age Air Travel Procedures !

Come to talk about security paranoia, there were very many other close to harassment issues and I am not really against them primarily because that is the only way they can check 'who is who' but make the check a common thing for all the people that travel. Don't hold Asians alone and suggest married Indian Women to either remove their (Thalli) Magal Sutra else a personal check and that is no way to treat a legal travel passenger. Perhaps that is one reason why I don't feel much interested these days thinking about traveling to developed country. Not that I was striped every time but my pride is much above than everything. We would be tolerant to this strip search until there is some peace around and people don't walk around with guns or bombs. That is the present state of the world these days. Imagine doing this to a BLACK AMERICAN? He/She would bring the whole world down.

Since Asians - Mostly seem to be docile and law abiding we take it by the chin but the damage is already been done by the same colored terrorists. We have to go through this procedure and should you ever be "Hand picked" for a glorious procedure like this, remember the saying - "When rape is inevitable, lay back and enjoy".