Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Time Just Flies By....
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Taking A Break...Goa Here I Come
Sunday, November 1, 2009
ISB Interview
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No this post is not about my ISB interview experience. It is about the moments, I spent before the interview. In fact it is about the moment at the Hyd airport, where i was sipping pipping hot Georgia coffee and going thru the notes i had made for the interview. The cool morning weather at Hyd was perfect setting to enjoy morning coffee.
At that instant, I realised instead of enjoying I was fretting over last minute preparations. That very moment a deep sense of calm swept over me. I began relaxing and began enjoying the hot cuppa. I thought- "Jo Hoga dekha jayega"...the interview will be part of my learning experience. Going thru all experiences stated in the blogs, I have noticed that, when a person goes into an interview with negative frame of mind, all the"not-so-good" incidents, big or small, get magnified and are seen with a negative perspective.
Yes, there was some nervousness going into the interview, and my first few warm-up questions were answered rather nervously, but as it progressed i began getting confidence and felt the interview went pretty good.
Always enter an interview - Nervous but also Confident and with Positive frame of mind. That helps in giving your best Shot and believe me the interviewer will also enjoy and empathize with you. I have written this also to serve me as a reminder for all the Interviews that will lay ahead of me in life......
I think we should savour all such moments in life, as they come too few and far in between....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Uttaran- Could The Story Be Any Slower....

The show has become staple diet for many Indian housholds as it falls in a timeband (10:pm-10:30 pm) between 3 reality shows-Bigg Boss, Perfect Bride & Pati, Patni aur Woh. At my place, since i follow the reality shows, I have become a default viewer of it.
The Serial began with a lot of promise, covering struggles and aspirations of poor girl-Iccha but after taking a "time-leap", the story has lost the plot and hence we have the serial makers/writers dragging the story
The Story in a nut shell- 2 girls-Tapasya & Ichcha are friends from child hood. Tapsya -a rich girl, spoilt by her Nani and Ichcha, the servants daughter, who Tapsya's Rich dad treats as a daughter . This is resented by Tapo (i.e. Tapasya), whose mind is constantly poisoned by her grandmother(nani). An alliance (Veer) from a rich family comes for Tapo, but she refuses as she has a "boyfriend". So Tapo's dad fixes the alliance for Hich-ki (i.e. Ichcha). Love blossoms between Iccha and Veer. Tapo starts getting jealous and on the marriage day, nearly slashes her wrists in front of Hichki. Seeing the pain she is causing to her friend, Hichki decides to allow Tapo take her place and sacrifice her love for Veer.
The slowness of the serial can be judged by the fact that the marriage of Tapo/Hichki and Veer realizing and confronting Tapos' dad about the "betrayal", took 6 episodes (and counting, as in the 6th episode, at the end, you have Hichki walking down the steps to confront Veer and u see her walking each step from different angles, adding to the viewers agony).
On so many counts the show is damn sensless-
1. Hich-ki sacrifices her love for a Depressed girl-who wanted to commit suicide. I am not sure, I would want to see my loved one marrying a psycho, but hey thats me....
2. Veer comes to confront Tapo's dad and for 15 mins, he keeps ranting about the "Dhoka" and he keeps repeating how he has got married to another woman. Yes, he does not say he is married to Tapo...
3. Clear height difference between the 2 is not noticed by anyone at the wedding alter....
4. Hate both their nicknames, especially in 1 of the marriage episode where both these girls are crying and saying the names.
The show however tells me one thing about my Mom (a true follower of the show) and that is She has a lot of Patience!!!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
For All The Die-Hard Veggies Who Love Chocolate

The Above piece of info seems to be true. It seems after cocoa beans are harvested they need to be fermented. This means that they are put in an earthen pit near where they are harvested and covered with leaves. In the hot sun they ferment (rot) and then can be shoveled out as mature cocoa beans. Of course during this process lots of insects are present. Doesn't mean it is bad for you....
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wanted :Saw The Movie & Still I Am Alive....
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I have never been a great fan of Salman Khan nor have i liked his films (except for one- Andaaz Apna Apna that too because it had Aamir and the story was an exceptional one. More about AAA in my next post....).
So after listening to reviews of Salman's new movie- Wanted-Dead or Alive, i had to catch the same. After finding a friend (Joshua Karthik) who had not watched the film, me and my partner in crime set out in search of a theatre which was running the film 5 weeks after it's release.
On our way to one of the multiplexes to check whether they were airing the movie, we saw a theatre in Kurla, which had a larger than life Poster of the movie. The theatre turned out to be the "infamous" Kamran, Kalpana and Kings. The smallest of the 3 screens, Kings was the one which was airing the film and as luck would have it, we were just in time for the show. Considering the ticket prices (30&40 Rs.) we took the more expensive ones, thinking the seats would be "better", if not the best.
Hugging our laptops(we had gone to see the movie after work), we entered the theatre. The first thing that hit us was the weird smell (later on we realised it was smell of paan stains & tobacco that had adorned the cinema house walls). We nearly stumbled to our seats, as the place was dark and the floors were made of wooden planks, unevenly joined together. Needless to say we were surrounded by the rickshaw drivers, vegetable vendors and labourers who had come to see their "Sallu bhai".
We were seated in one of the front rows, as we were the "priviledged" ones who could afford a Rs. 40 ticket and watch the screen from a close distance as the print was clearly an old one with audio problems. But seeing Salman's cool "i-give-a -damn" attitude and the action sequences all was forgotten.
Yes the film does have its' moments (especially action ones), but repetitive (over-the-top) dialogues, a 90s-style villain, and dance sequences having no continuity with the script makes the movie an average film. But i guess, Salman's fans will have nothing to hear of it. For them he is a "Demi-God", who can do no wrong. I believe he achieved this Demi-god status after his film-Tere Naam, where-in he portrays a person, jilted in Love (clearly mirroring his real life and the lives of millions of youth in India).
Anyways the movie-Wanted is strictly for Salman's fans, who are thrilled by his Cool "Bad Boy" image. (Was this how people used to feel about James Dean, I will never know...). For me the experience and not the movie, was immensly enjoyable
Last heard, Salman's fans eagerly await the release of Most Wanted- a sequel, which is being planned. I guess we can wait & see if his acting improves by then....
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ad Placement
Thursday, October 15, 2009
We Are The Same Everywhere...
In his blog, Seth Godin, has pointed out the following 12 points/traits that are commonly seen in Cable news shows in the US-
- Focus on the urgent instead of the important.
- Vivid emotions and the visuals that go with them as a selector for what's important.
- Emphasis on noise over thoughtful analysis.
- Unwillingness to reverse course and change one's mind.
- Xenophobic and jingoistic reactions (fear of outsiders).
- Defense of the status quo encouraged by an audience self-selected to be uniform.
- Things become important merely because others have decided they are important.
- Top down messaging encourages an echo chamber (agree with this edict or change the channel).
- Ill-informed about history and this particular issue.
- Confusing opinion with the truth.
- Revising facts to fit a point of view.
- Unwillingness to review past mistakes in light of history and use those to do better next time.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wake Up Anil...
While pulling my friend's leg, she said, " You always make me feel that I am not good at anything." Ouch!!!!
Cross my heart, I never meant to hurt anyone. The only thing i can say is that This was my wake up call....
Thankfully, I have not lost her friendship because of my foolishness !!!!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Himesh To Celebrate Release of 500th Song
His 500th Song- Man Ka Radio....lyrics of which go like-
Mann Ka Radio Bajne De Zara
Gum Ko Bhool Kar Jee Le Tu Zara
Station Koi Naya Tune Kar Le Zara
Fultoo Attitude De De Tu Zara
I wonder which music director would like to have his 500th song with lyrics like these. By the way the video of song is quite similar to Savage Garden video-"I Want You"
Monday, September 14, 2009
Mhd. Ali Road
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It is the month of Ramzan and if you are in Mumbai during that time, you must visit Md. Ali Road to savour all the treats.
Even if you are not able to eat all the food stuff on display, it is a visual treat!!!! Different colour halwas, firnis, nan-kathais share space with mouth watering kebabs and rotis(Indian Bread).
The only issue is that the streets are overflowing with people around dinner time, as the Muslims break their fast after sunset. Many roadside eateries are set-up and this congests the place further. The best time to visit the road would be around 11:30-12 am, but dont be surprised if you still encounter the crowds!!!!
After feasting on the kebabs dont forget to have the most delicious Halwas and firnis from Suleiman Mithaiwala (The outlet is the most media savy of them all. Since the outlet is a little away from the road, lot of celebs along with media come and feast on sweets in this outlet and this gets covered in the city news channels and news paper supplements)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
How To Be Interesting
I have never met him but i regularly and religiously follow his blog. In his blog he has given a few tips on How To Be An Interesting Person, which i will share with you below-
1. Take at least one picture everyday. Post it to flickr- This he says makes us notice things and share our experiences with people
2. Start a blog. Write at least one sentence every week.
3. Keep a scrapbook
4. Every week, read a magazine you’ve never read before
5. Once a month interview someone for 20 minutes, work out how to make them interesting. Podcast it.
6. Collect Something
7. Once a week sit in a coffee-shop or cafe for an hour and listen to other people’s conversations. Take notes. Blog about it. (Do this very very Carefully!!!)
8.Every month write 50 words about one piece of visual art, one piece of writing, one piece of music and one piece of film or TV. Do other art forms if you can. Blog about it.9. Make/Create something
10. Read
I am totally impressed by his thoughts and no doubt I will try & follow a few, if not all his principles...
Gmail Outage
In fact, once every month, my official email id is down due to server maintenance. So couple of learnings we can draw from this incident-
1. The furore also tells us that Companies have raised the bar in Customer service and customer expectations. Anything sub-par will lead to complaints from the consumers.
2. For a company to admit and apologise for a small goof-up (Gmail was down for 90 minutes only), speaks volumes of the company and how they treat their consumers
3. Many people were not aware about the outage. But due to services like Twitter and blogs the same became an event of epic proportions. Clear Warning to All- Dont Ignore Digital Media
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Worrying...
However, true this may be I think the essence of life today is thinking negative or worrying, which pushes us to do our best. Worry serves as a Productive Function. Worry leads to constructive action, such as taking steps to resolve the issue that is concerning you. We strive or put in an effort to get good marks in an exam because we worry we may fail, we worry about our future health so we exercise and eat right, we worry about our appraisals in company and this pushes us to perform better etc. Hope you see the point.
However, worry too needs to be done in moderation or else you could be paralysed to the point of "Inaction".
Monday, August 31, 2009
Of What Use Will This Be???
Thursday, August 20, 2009
When The Whole World Zigs....

An interesting turn of events took place this week, when Reliance ADA group began a print advertising campaign targetting Reliance Industries. This is surprising as well as interesting because it first time accusations have been published so blatantly in form of advertising. What is also astonishing is that the matter is sub-judice and yet one of the aggrieved parties has been so vocal in media.
A refreshing change from the time when industrialists or celebs involved in court cases used to say, "No comments as this matter is Sub judice"....
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Champions' Comeback
Is it to Prove a Point that they "Still Have It"? If yes then, who are they trying to prove the point to- Themselves or The World? I guess we will have to wait for their biographies for the answer
Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Alain Prost, Muhammed Ali, Magic Johnson have all been bitten by this bug. Michael Schumacher,40, too seems to be infected by the same virus. Only a few like Jordan and Prost have been able to make a successful comeback, adding more silverware to the ones already there in their cupboards, while others have had to bite the Dust!!!
Personally, if I were in their shoes, I would like to leave things at a High and pursue other interests. After all you have just ONE life to live and there are many things to do...
Cool Wedding Entry

A couple, Jill and Kevin Heinz (hence JK), who decided, mostly due to the wishes of the bride, to dance not at the wedding reception, but into the wedding ceremony, has had the YouTube video version go viral(1 million views +). The couple and wedding party boogied their way down the aisle on their wedding day. Besides Jill and Kevin Heinz, the entire wedding party was encouraged to dance down the aisle, all in their own style. One groomsman even walked down the aisle on his hands.
Jill and Kevin Heinz have also appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning, America, as a result of dancing down the aisle.
Aside from the wedding party, no one else knew of the arrangement. The audience can be seen laughing it up and smiling, however, so they obviously appreciated the JK Wedding entrance dance.
View The Dance Video Here. Url-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
This viral video has helped rapper Chris Brown re-deem himself after the Rihaana assault incident. The song released a year back is now one of the top 10 downloads in I-tunes....
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Agnipath- The Poem
ho ghane ho bhale,
Ek Patra chhah bhi mang mat, mang mat, mang mat,
Agnipath, Agnipath Agnipath;
Tu na thamega kabhi tu na mudega kabhi tu na rukega kabhi,
Kar shapath, Kar shapath, Kar shapath,
Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath.
Ye Mahan Drushya hain,
Chal raha Manushya hain,
Ashru, Sweth, Rakta se Latpat Latpat Latpat..
Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath.
My favourite poem during school days basically because it was very easy to rote and put the 10 marks assigned to elocution in your pocket.
I am very bad when it comes to interpreting poetry or appreciating poetry. But the last few lines of the poem are very powerful & moving.
Friday, April 3, 2009
AP Syndrome....
Basically I am a very humorous guy- you could say a Jolly Good Fella. However while cracking jokes on others I sometimes get carried away and start cracking some mean jokes. The poor person on whose expense the jokes are cracked has no other option but to laugh at them otherwise they risk being called a "Spoil Sport".
Sometimes this rudeness gets triggered as a defence mechanism. A Way to protect my Ego. At that point of time, jovial humour goes out of the window to be replaced by scathing remarks. According to the friend who coined the term, I have lost hundreds of potential friends due to this.....
I think I developed this syndrome because no one censured me when I was very young. Being a Saint, when I was a Kid, everyone ignored my "small" misgivings.
Now the world does not know what it can do with this L'Enfant Terrible ....
One More Weekend Has Arrived....
As part of Teach India campaign, I used to teach kids on Saturdays. That was the time I used to really look forward to. But alas, that too has come to a temporary stop due to Exams + Summer vacations.
In order to make better use of my time over the weekend, I have decided to do the following-
1. Take Guitar Classes
2. Spend Some quality time with Family (Take my parents out for dinner or a movie.)
3. Drag friends to movies which I can't watch with my family...
Hopefully, I will start utilizing the time I get over the weekend much more fruitfully.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Best Birthday Wishes I Have Ever Recieved...

Thank You, Payal.
There are times in my life, when i have searched for words to express my true sentiments. Most of the time, I have succeeded in my quest, but there are just few times that i have failed. Today is one of those days, where I have failed to find the exact words. So I hope the above 2 letters would suffice.....

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Quotes By Advertising Greats!!!!
"The Hell I will, I'll give them away"
-Leo Burnett opened his agency during the depression, his friends sneered and said that he'd be selling apples on the streetcorners in six months. Every Leo Burnett office, to this day keeps apples on the reception
"Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read"
-David Ogilvy
"In advertising, sex sells. But only if you're selling sex."
-Jef I. Richards
"An advertising agency is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent commission."
-Fred Allen
"There is no such thing as a Mass Mind. The Mass Audience is made up of individuals, and good advertising is written always from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone. "
-Fairfax Cone
"If your advertising goes unnoticed, everything else is academic. "
-William Bernbach
"Creativity is an advertising agency's most valuable asset, because it is the rarest."
- Jef I. Richards
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sorry Indian Woman...But It Seems Politicians Blame You For Attack On Our Culture!!!!
When M.A. Naqvi protests about TV coverage of 26/11, he complains about women who wear lipstick. R. Patil bans Mumbai's beer bars not because of the alcohol served but because he objects to the women dancers. When Ram Sene attacked the Mangalore Pub, it was to stop women from drinking alcohol.
To protect Indian culture, women are banned from wearing Jeans in college campuses(Reason cited is this will stop Eve teasing....)
When the Sangh parivar banned Fire, it is because the film shows two women in a lesbian relationship. Nobody objects to the homosexual subject discussed in Kal Ho Na Ho or Dostaana.
If one goes through the cases cited above, one would feel that Women are a root cause for all our social problems.
A Very Stupid & Dumb Point of View!!!! It does not say much about our culture....
My All-Time Favourite Songs
-By Dionne Warwick
The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now,
And wondering what dress to wear, now,
I say a little prayer for you
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.
run for the bus, dear,
While riding I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you.
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time,
I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.
My darling believe me,
For me there is no one
But you.
Dilemma lyrics
-Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland
I.. love you, and I.. need you
Nelly I.. love you, I do.. neeeeed you - but
No matter what I do, all I think about is you
Even when I'm with my boo, know you know I'm crazy over you
No matter what I do, all I think about is you
Even when I'm with my boo, y'know I'm crazy over you
Check it, check it, check it, uhh
I met this chick and she just moved right up the block from me
And uhh, she got the hots for me the finest thing my hood done seen
But oh no, oh no, she gotta a man
and a son, doh'ohhh, but that's okay
Cause I, wait for my cue and just listen, play my position
Like a shortstop, pick up e'rything mami hittin
And in no time.. (no time) I..
I plan to make this wah-one mi-i-ne.. and that's for sure
Cause I, I never been the type to, break up a happy home
But uh, there's somethin bout baby girl I just can't leave alone
So tell me ma what's it gonna be? She said
(You don't know what you mean to me)
check it, check it, check it, uhh
I see a lot and you look and I never say a word
I know how niggaz start actin trippin out here about they girls
And there's no way-ayy-hey, Nelly gon' fight over
no day-hey-ame.. as you can see
But I, I like your steez, your style, your whole demeanor
The way you come through and holla and swoop me in his 2-seater
Now that's gangstah-ah-ahhh..
And I got special ways to thank yah-ah-ahhh.. don't you forget it
But uh, it ain't that easy for you to pack and leave him
But uh, you and dirty got ties for different reasons
I respect that and right before I turn to leave, she said
Sing it for me K
.. love you, and I.. need you
Nelly I.. love you, I do.. (c'mon girl)
And it's more than you'll.. ever know
But.. it's fo'sho
You can always count on my love
Foreveeeeer more, yeahh-yeahh..
[Nelly]
East coast, I know you shakin right
Down South, I know you bouncin right
West coast, I know you walkom right, cause
Midwest, I see you swingin right
(You don't know what you mean to me)
East coast, I know you shakin right
Down South, I know you bouncin right
West coast, I know you walkin right, cause
Midwest, I see you swing it right
(You don't know what you mean to me)
East coast, you still shakin right
Down South, I see you bouncin right
West coast, I know you walkin right, cause
Midwest, I see you swingin right
(You don't know what you mean to me)
East coast, I know you shakin right
Down South, I know you bouncin right
West coast, I know you walkin right
Midwest, I see you swing it right
(You don't know what you mean to me)
East coast, you still shakin right
Down South, I see you bouncin right
West coast, I know you walkin right, cause
Midwest, I see you swingin right
(You don't know what you mean to me)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Chanakya's Quotes
Came Across Some quotes from Chanakya- an Indian strategist, politician and writer (350 BC-275 BC). These are still relevant in today's times
"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."
"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. ! It will destroy you."
"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
"The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
"Whores don't live in company of poor men, citizens never support a weak company and birds don't build nests on a tree that doesn't bear fruits."
"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
"A man is great by deeds, not by birth."
"Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."
"Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."
"Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."
The Story Behind The Blog Name....
The 3 songs which came to my head at that point of time were- Kambakth Ishq(from Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya), Chori Chori (from Chal Mere Bhai) and Ek Pal Ka Jeena (from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai). I performed the first 2 songs in my own style and imitated the steps of both the actor & actress on which the songs got picturised. Since then I have not looked back. Performing those 2 songs has brought so much joy to my friends and colleagues that even if I wanted to stop, I couldn't. They may be laughing at me, but atleast they are laughing.... The strangest bit is i have never conciously practiced the steps, it came to me naturally.
Now-a-days there is lot of pressure to perform something new, but I still manage to get away showing the same old dance steps.
Taking Kambakth from Kambakth Ishq and Chor from Chori Chori voila, you get the Blog's Name...