Back's front or back's back

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Does your back face behind or front?
If it faces back then there is no way anyone can conspire behind one's back because your back faces them.
If your back faces front then the term backwards wouldn’t make sense coz you would still be moving in towards the front.
Some people even tell me that they eat anything that moves with its back faces the sun. Now that’s putting me into a bigger quandary.
I am a little conphused about this whole issue.
Come on people help me out here.

A-HA Feeling of freedom

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I’ve got the Freedom
To do what I want.
After a long hiatus
Am back to where I belong.
Reading all your blogs
Brings a happy smile.
I want to start blogging
But first lemme finish coding ;)

La di da di dum..

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GAAAAAAAAAA I have been bitten by the bug. A virus which not only ties your hands together but also twists your thoughts. I have the dreaded Writer’s Block. Or so I would like to believe. It’s not as if I have a dearth of topics. It’s just that my thoughts are so volatile that no sooner do they reach the transmitting end of my brain from its inner recesses poof! They just vaporize into thin air. Have any of you faced this? You think of something to write on but as soon as you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard words refuse to come out. Your brain fights with itself with a mounting amount of frustration but uh-huh no use. Its inner recesses have closed their consultation window for the day, Dhanyavaad! I have even tried to taunt it by keeping an empty word document in front of my eyes but to no avail.

What I tried next was the classic cure for a writer’s block, ready for any idea:

I kept in front of me a blank sheet of paper, a pen with its cap screwed on the wrong side poised to scribble, a packet of Lay’s chips with its edge ripped open and chips tumbling out at a comfortable angle to the left hand, a bottle of water uncapped ready to quench any sign of thirst.

Cut to one hour later

The sheet of paper was not blank anymore. There were a lot of doodles on it the most prominent being my favourite

The cap of the pen looked like it had been through a sugarcane juice making machine.
The packet of chips was empty and the whole area was strewn with crumbs.
The bottle of water was half empty as if waiting for that final touchdown thirst.
And me….well I was blissfully asleep :)

Eating habits of Namma Bengalooru

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What is it with Bengalooru navaru and eating? At any given point in time at least 1/4 of the population are eating out I think. I have listed down all the different variations available in terms of concepts and not just on the menu.

Sagar - where masala dosa meets udupi style gobi manchurian. Changed the landscape of Bangalore. Road sense is made better with these landmarks.
Café – what has been adopted from the French is the “eat out” style. Sorry, no seats available. Fast preparation and consumption of food is the norm.
Juice center - Under upgradation. Exotic fruits are becoming the USP.
Lassi bar – After meal filler place. Kulfis and milk shakes are added attractions
Dessert bar - extra cheese, extra cream, extra sin food
Coffee bar – its all about attitude dude…nothing to do with coffee
Tea bar – exotic pale versions of my favourite brew are served here. Get me Amma’s strong Red Label + Tetley combo anytime!
Lounge bar - thot one goes there for a snooze, but then pictures of afghani ambience complete with hookahs has put a dent to my happiness
Bar and Restaurant – most deals are struck here over whisky soda and pakoda
Restaurant – phamily place. papa orders, mama looks smug and kids cant contain their excitement at being asked their choice
Chinese restaurant – where revolutionary dishes are served which were never heard of in China
Pubs – dimly lit place where madira drinkers don’t want others to notice them and dance floor hoggers get to jive without worrying about the audience
Chaat gaadi – the pollution and dust mixed with the masalas give an added taste to the bhel puris and masala puris which are gobbled in quick succession
Military hotels - aam non veggie junta style, egg trays are not kept discrete and sometimes nor are the meat pieces
Dance bars - ?

Think of anymore? Feel free to pass on the gyaan.

Dawn of a new set of 366 days

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A hot cuppa chai

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Today was one the rare days that I managed to coax my self to get up early and come in by 9 to office. (Ok not entirely. There is one person am indebted to for this.) This is a feat which has many pitfalls. Some metaphorical and some literal. It starts off with having just 20 minutes to devote to morning ablutions most of which is done in a fast forward mode because of two reasons.

One: am late. Two: am VERY late. It also entails putting on some moisturizer and accessories simultaneously though if asked to repeat the feat at a later point of time would only fetch one a scowl. One would also probably never see a repeat performance, of putting on a dress and combing hair at the same time, either. ‘Why can’t I get up 10 minutes early?’ is a pretty valid question and everyone who knows the ‘morning person’ in me has shot it at me at one time or another. I cannot explain enough to them that the satisfaction of a full nights sleep is in those very last 10 minutes of it. The luxury of ‘five-more-minutes’ is unparalleled in this world. It works wonders for one’s day-long demeanor. Sometimes it also quickly manifests itself into a wonderful dream. Ok, alright, this is not a post to rant about sleep (ohhh so dear!). Somewhere before my exposition on sleep began I did mention that there were certain pitfalls in coming in to office early. The foremost one is the lack of nourishment. There is no time to get rid of my hunger. For breakfast silly! Reach the bus stop and the van is just about to leave. Jump in and right-ho to the driver who just glares back at me since am an ‘id ka chaand’. Even got threatened to be thrown out of the van once since the driver dint recognize me and I dint recognize the term ‘bus pass’. Then starts the literal pitfall. We are taken through one big pot hole which has roads at some places along the way. It’s a constant challenge thrown at me. I defy the verdict and try to sleep through the whole roller coaster ride. Today I even managed to keep my eyes closed the whole way except for two very special spots. And this also only to prevent myself landing in the lap of the guy sitting next to me. After all this I come in to office and find that what I had endured for has got postponed anyway. AAARRGGH I need my hot cuppa chai to get over this crisis. Catch u later!

Tsunami Birthday

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A strong breeze
A strong waft of salty water
Bright lights in the distance
Sparks at the corn cart closer still
Popcorn popping a few feet away
Dim lights at the “Molaga Bajji” carts
Fringes of hair on one’s forehead moving around
Dresses flapping gently in the breeze
Waves lapping up at the shore
Blissful calm yet it’s the high tide
Twilight in full swing, beautiful
Darkness rapidly descending but not in anyone’s heart
Exotic cloud formations in the sky
Families near the water’s edge
A whole lot of people getting their feet wet
Some fearful, pulling back their loved ones
Others venturing farther into the inviting sea
Groups of friends lazing around on the sands talking
Couples cozily stuck to each other walking along the water’s edge
Singles stuck to their mobile phones walking a little away from the water
Peals of laughter erupting around
Children running around in gay abandon
Some playing run and catch
Others getting reprimanded for not “behaving” themselves
Some dancing merrily at the edge of the water
Some more getting a bit more adventurous
Some clinging to an adult’s hand
Others just running away from waves
Everyone happy
Everyone celebrating life

Is this the same sea which gulped so many people a year back?
Is this the same monster which destroyed so much of life?
Tough to believe given today's sight...but a hard fact of life for many

At the Marina Beach, Chennai on 25 Dec 2005 :

A hot butta in one’s hand
A warm hand on one’s shoulder
A gentle smiling face in front of one’s eyes
A great conversation at one’s disposal
A wonderful companion in one’s life

On the first anniversary of the deadly Tsunami :

Sadness and tears for those who are not with us
Courage for those who defied the sea
Love for those who lost their kin
Cheer for those who live on
Success for those who strive to stand up again

Huh....who am I??

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Your Career Type: Enterprising

You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable. Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas. You would make an excellent: Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director City Manager - Judge - Lawyer Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

What's Your Ideal Career?

Blog vs Talk

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Lets say there are two close friends. Both of them blog...a lot. Blog's like their dairy. Now both of them keep commenting on each other's blogs too. Comment, reply and so on in a loop. Would these people have anything to talk (as in using their mouths) about when they meet?
Whereas consider this situation vice versa..there are two close friends. They talk (yak-yak) a lot. And as is obvious in a verbal conversation there are comments and replies in a loop. These people I am sure could blog about the same thing and get away with it. Wot say?

(Siri speedily posts this "thing", packs her bags and runs home in a bid to get away from the brickbats being hurled towards her by fellow bloggers)

Of terrible tuesday, gruesome crime and we the people

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What prompts a crime? Is it the victim or just the criminal’s mind or both? This is the question that always comes to my mind when I come across any crime especially dealing with assault, rape, murder and many such of the same ilk.
It was the very same question which came to my mind when I first heard the news about HP BPO's employee Pratibha Krishnamoorthy Shrikanth. In my tormented mind I imagined her fear as the sick guy committed the heinous crime. I read about the police’s reaction to it. But my question is “Will checking the background of all cab drivers prevent this”? Nobody is born with an evil mind. It’s developed over a certain period of time or it’s developed in one weak moment. I am also a bit skeptical about the background check itself. There are ways and means known to many about by-passing laws. It’s a universal truth and let’s acknowledge it. We did our bit of living room discussion on the subject when one of us raised the point that sending security guards with every cabbie might be a good idea. But my skeptical mind raised another question “How will you trust the security guard? On what basis?” We have heard of criminal incidents involving security guards as the main culprits. Whom do we trust? What about cases of mugging in broad daylight? Withdrawing money from an ATM or bank doesnt feel secure anymore. What can one do in such a situation where you have an assault weapon in your face and nobody around who will help? How do we change this situation of perpetually being in terror? And they talk about cross border terrorism all the time! I for one don’t feel very safe anymore about moving around alone in Bangalore. I have been in Bangalore for the past 17 years and never before did I shirk from walking back home from a bus stop 10 minutes away from home at 9:45 in the night. Now I will. I will become an obsessive compulsive over-the-shoulder looker. Our society is leading women towards a pepper spray and karate revolution. And it’s not only women. What about men who get mugged at knife point. Safety is fast becoming a myth in Bangalore.
I know there are a lot of questions and it’s an open ended debate. But it’s a debate that has to be discussed and a solution to be reached soon. Like Narayana Murthy said in discussion with Bill Gates and Prannoy Roy on NDTV, Indians are great at debating endlessly but we need to arrive at decisions faster (This quote is of course not verbatim. It’s just a quick gist). This need is of a greater consequence today. So let’s rally together and try to pool in our ideas. Let the solution to the growing problem of safety come from us, people!