350 not out!!!

350 posts and on.... skiing into 2009 :-)

Happy New Year, folks!!

Y.O.S.E.M.I.T.E.

I luv U S10 :-)

Pics from the Land of Angels..

The One With The Boobies

Some good old F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Enjoy!!!
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Chandler accidentally walks in on Rachel after a shower and sees her breasts, leading to a series of shower peepings. Phoebe's new psychiatrist boyfriend, Roger, depresses and angers everyone. Joey finds out his dad has been having an affair with Ronni, a pet mortician, for six years; he insists his dad either break it off or confess, but it turns out his mom already knew--and didn't want it to stop.


The one where they said....
Ross: Wha... what were you doing seeing her boobies?
Chandler: It was an accident. Not like I was across the street with a telescope and a box of donuts.
Chandler: You know, I don't know why you're so embarrassed. They were very nice boobies.
Rachel: Nice? They were nice? I mean, that's it? I mean, mittens are nice.
Chandler: Okay... rock... hard place... me.

Ross: All right, all right. We're all adults here. There's only one way to resolve this. Since you saw her boobies, I think you're gonna have to show her your pee-pee.
Chandler: You know, I don't see that happening?
Rachel: C'mon, he's right. Tit for tat.
Chandler: Well, I'm not showing you my tat.


.............

.....


Mr. Tribbiani: You're gonna keep an eye on us?
Joey: That's right, mister! And I don't care how old you are, as long as you're under my roof you're gonna live by my rules. And that means no sleeping with your girlfriend.
Ronni: Wow, he's strict.

Chandler: C'mon, I'll show you to my room. That sounds so weird when it's not followed by, "No thanks, it's late."

Chandler: Hey, Kicky! What are you doing?
Joey: Just trying to get comfortable. I can't sleep in my underwear.
Chandler: Well you're gonna.


Joey: I've been thinking, ya know, about how I'm always seeing girls on top of girls?
Chandler: Are they end to end, or tall like pancakes?

Chandler: Hey, you're not him. You're you. When they were all over you to go into your father's pipe-fitting business, did you cave?
Joey: No.
Chandler: No. You decided to go into the out-of-work actor business. Now that wasn't easy, but you did it! And I'd like to believe that when the right woman comes along, you will have the courage and the guts to say, "No thanks, I'm married."

http://www.friends-tv.org/zz113.html

Quiz time..

Once there was a mid-wife
that lead a boring life!

1. What profession does this person belong to:
scientist one day, weatherman the other
milkman one day, mechanic the other!







Answer: A farmer!
2. Which of the following jobs is the best job and which is the worst?
a. Mid-wife
b. Elephant caretaker
c. Farmer
d. Investment banker (in NY.. should I be even more specific? ok, ex-Lehman)




Answer: Worst job is the one that you are not inspired to do, best job the one that inspires you!!

Bay area in the movies...

You can see a lot of San Francisco in this song...Adiyae Kolluthe.. from Vaaranam Aayiram... the new Surya Sameera starrer.

But, I dont plan on watching the movie... no great reviews...

Moments of Truth.. Vol 2

Pics from my beloved Nikon S10!

Moments of Truth.. Vol 1

Hey Girl, Is he everything you wanted in a man?

You know I gave you the world; You had me in the palm of your hand. So why your love went away - I just can't seem to understand. Thought it was me and you, baby - Me and you until the end, But I guess I was wrong.

Don't wanna think about it; Don't wanna talk about it - I'm just so sick about it; I can't believe it's ending this way. (I'm) Just so confused about it - Feeling the blues about it. I just can't do without ya! Tell me, is this fair?

Is (thi) the way it's really going down? Is this how we say goodbye? Shoulda known better when you came around - That you were gonna make me cry. It's breaking my heart to watch you run around; Cause I know that you're living a lie. But that's ok, baby, cause in time you will find (out that) What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.

Now Girl, I remember everything that you claimed - You said that you were moving on now - Maybe I should do the same. The funny thing about that is.. I was ready to give you my name - Thought it was me and you baby. And now, it's all just a shame - That I guess I was wrong.

Don't wanna think about it; Don't wanna talk about it - I'm just so sick about it; I can't believe it's ending this way. (I'm) Just so confused about it - Feeling the blues about it. I just can't do without ya! Tell me, is this fair?

You spend your nights alone And he never comes home. And everytime you call him, all you get is a busy tone. I heard you found out that he's doing to you what you did to me - Ain't that the way it goes - When you cheated, girl, My heart bleeded, girl. So it go without saying that should let the feeling hurt - Just a classic case scenario (and) Tale as old as time. Girl, you got what you deserved. And now you want somebody To cure the lonely nights. You wish you had somebody That could come and make it right. But girl, I ain't somebody - I'm out of sympathy. See...

What goes around comes back around. I thought I told ya!!

Great song - Justin Timberlake!! Thanks to you and lyrics mode...

... (Three Dots)

If rich get poorer, what will happen to the poor?

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Chidambaram has asked the Indian companies to keep their prices lower.. and to not cut back their production...

I need to read the whole story, but... how will that work??

Indian economy is in a much better shape than the rest of the world.. but still...

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US economy, as almost all capitalist economies, are built around consumer spending...

Not just somebody... but everybody in the US economy need to be spending... But how are they planning to increase the consumer confidence when the incomes are falling and the credit is in a crunch??

History is made!

One thing is for sure tonight... history had been made!

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America, will also be the first black president in this country. USA has voted to give him a landslide victory - 338 to 144 and counting...

For sure, this is just the beginning.. there is plenty of work to be done to get this country back into a state of economic, social and political greatness.. a lot of evils and bad practices need to be undone.. but, I believe we have made a start.

Overall, what we need is a sense of reality and a stand for greatness - to believe in the greatness of everyone, not just of a particular skin color or personal alignment. (After all, one cannot have all round greatness when even one section is denied that, can we?)

US has a lot of racists. And I have to admit.. I am racist too... I have stereotypes in my mind... I may not say it out loud.. like that jingoistic racist I met the other day who claimed 'Indians suck'... I have no idea why he said that.. (and yeah, we do suck a lot of things.. you mean you dont?!) and I am not bothered to find out.. But, like I said, I have my prejudices too... but I make a conscious effort to overcome... As I believe, a lot of us folks are making that effort - no matter where we are or where we come from.... And, we have enough problems facing us to make us forget and overcome all these differences and prejudices. So, to a better world..

When I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago.. I saw a lot of things... and noticed a few... there were a lot more blacks there than I ever saw in NY or even Detroit... but, they were a cheerful lot. I dont know if it was the joy of having a leader like Obama in their midst and making history... But I did sense a clear aura of happiness.

That is the vision I had when I saw Obama's speech tonight on the TV aired from Grant Park, Chicago. A president firmly grounded in the realities and challenges of the times... and at the same time, someone who believed in the greatness in us.. And someone who can call upon that superlative performance from everyone.

Yes we can!!!

Obama Vs. McCain - If the World could vote

McCain vs. Obama - 2008 World Election

If ever there could have been one, here is how the "Results" will look!!!!!


It's a voting poll for the next US president in which anyone in the world can vote. It was created by a few young people in Iceland, it's independent, and without agenda. Only one vote is allowed per computer. So far there are votes from 200 countries.

And there were only two countries that would have elected McCain... Imagine that!!
This is as of Oct 31, 2008 2pm Pacific Time..

Cast your vote now and see the latest!!
http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com

Happy Diwali!!

Many a word been said before
of this team - heroes (and heroines) galore!
pain is temporary and victory forever
all champions of a worthy endeavor!!

Thank you TEAM Asha!!!!

I am pretty sure I would not have attempted to run a marathon in my lifetime, much less finish a half-marathon.. if not for you guys.

But more than anything else, you are part of a cause that is close to my heart...

When we can light the hope in an underprivileged child.. When we can fire the stove in that kitchen for the years to come... When we can ignite the quest for knowledge in the world.... We have won. Happy Diwali, folks!! This has been one of my most memorable Diwali.

May you all go forth and multiply!!

Bhaskar

I am a Half-marathoner!!

Yipppeee!!! I ran the Silicon Valley Half-Marathon today.

Words can't describe the feeling... One of body (leg) pain but high spirits!! I finished the 13.1 miles in 3hr 31m 7s 8ms...

I am happy that something I did was worthy of measuring at the milliseconds scale.. !! But, more than that, I am so happy to have finished it... After all, how many have run a half-marathon.. and of them, how many have run for a cause as worthy as Asha's?

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm!! I can say that as a reason for me to cross the finish line today.

More pics to follow.. Watch this space!



Cross-posted on my running blog

India in much better shape - Thanks Dr. Y. V. Reddy

"It is time to send a bouquet of roses to Dr. Y. V. Reddy. A really large one." says Ajit Dayal. Ajit is a Director at Quantum Advisors Pvt Ltd.

Here he continues...
It is time to send a bouquet of roses to Dr. Y. V. Reddy. A really large one.
As a gesture of "Thank You" from all of us for keeping India afloat at a time when the world is reeling under the weight of a scary global financial crises.

Dr. Reddy retired as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on September 5th, 2008 but his acts - and actions - while at the helm of the RBI has, in my opinion, saved India from a total meltdown. The meltdown that we are witnessing in the US and Europe and in countries like Iceland which got carried away with access to low-cost easy money.

Dr. Reddy’s caution was typified by the old-fashioned suits that central bankers wear. His old-cut and boring grey and dark suits were reminiscent of a visit to the house of a disapproving uncle. An uncle who always wanted to know why the child’s hands were dirty and the clothes stained with mud.

The never-ready Dr. Reddy was constantly criticised for not allowing India to dance with the winds of change that had overtaken the global financial markets. The policies of the RBI were often at loggerheads with what the new-age economists wanted. Free markets - they urged - free up banking - free up everything.

....
....
....
India has been witness to many crises in the past. And some pretty big ones after we began on our own economic reforms in 1991.

There was the Tequila crisis when Mexico went bust in 1994.

There was the Asian Crisis when the magical Asian Tigers went bust in 1997.

There was the LTCM collapse which led to South Korea and Russia going bust in 1998.

In each of these crises, the central bankers of these countries had set themselves up for the fall. They had allowed the companies and banks under their jurisdiction to borrow excessively and rely on foreign capital. While the world was greedy and no one priced risk correctly, all these countries enjoyed boom years. When risk got re-priced – as is being done now – and capital was in short supply, all the Salsa dancers and Tigers sunk into disaster.

But, during those crises, India was still a relatively closed economy. Our total trade with the free world was less than 10% of GDP for a long time. Today it is over 25% of GDP. India is now a more open economy.

The RBI has allowed Indian individuals to invest overseas; they have allowed us to use Indian credit cards anywhere in the world; they have allowed Indian companies to buy companies overseas.

The uncle has had no problem letting the child play in the mud – but he has first used a stick to ensure that the mud is not quicksand.

But that did not make our finance companies happy. Like the finance companies monitored by Mr. Gordon Brown during his tenure, our “Made in India” finance companies wanted India to have access to any and all capital. The colour of money is green, they said, why should the RBI care where it came from.

Thank god, the RBI did care.

Thank god, Dr. Reddy did care.

Unlike the central bankers in Iceland, who must have been so enthralled by that classic line from "Gone with the Wind": "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn"

The top 3 banks in Iceland borrowed US$ 60 billion from the global financial markets. The value of their liabilities is 12x the size of Iceland’s GDP. Their foreign currency reserves are only US$ 3.7 billion.

Now the top 3 banks in Iceland are bust.

And so is Iceland.

It is seeking US$ 8 billion from the IMF, Russia, and some Nordic countries.

If Dr. Reddy had not done what central bankers are supposed to do – the Indian banks would have all been in an Icelandic mess.

To read his full report, click here

Chicago in a Bean!!

Chicago is a spectacular city...
Here are some sights from this awesome place...

My Chicago Marathon....

Finally, I did run the Chicago marathon... though I had no chance of finishing it with my ITB/knee pain. Still... I did run for running. And it was great!

I just wanted to do some 10 miles so I can meet my target mileage as I am preparing to run the SV Half marathon in 2 weeks. I was in a decently good shape for someone who has not run much (on land, though I have been running in the water/pool) for the last couple of months. So, I thought I will let my shoe hit the road. And anyway, I was ready to get out (of the marathon) as and when needed.

So, I reached the start line on Oct 12, 2008 at 8am local time. There was a huge crowd - of course, about 45,000 runners had registered. I started in the last few corrals - with the group with the pace of 5hr 45 min. I used the ITB band on my right knee, but unfortunately only one was in stock at the store the other day and I did not have the band for my left knee.

After about a mile, my right knee felt ok, but my left one started to pain. So, I stopped, stretched and restarted. Likewise it went on for about five miles, then I had to walk to complete the rest of the course. I just took one mile at a time. I completed (almost) 12 miles (19.some kms) and then, I stopped.

Well.. I am happy to have done my first 12 miles... my first marathon experience and that I did it at the Chicago Marathon. Nobody can take that away from me.. I have tasted blood and "I will be back"!!!

Here are some times.. subtract 20mins to account for the time my corral actually crossed the start line...



The crowd support was just amazing... almost a million must have been there on the streets cheering us - of which two were my mom and dad :-)

And of course, there have been so many of you who have made the journey to the start line so worth it - you who believed in my cause and supported me with your enthu, time, and money. You coaches, mentors - especially Chakri, Gar'G'i, buddies - especially Reena, Ramya... And the entire Asha family - You Rock!


Cross-posted on my running blog

His story of greed?

I just finished watching the movie/documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"... and I cannot but feel that history is repeating again... multiple fold...

Enron was not the result of misplaced ambition fueled by greed.. It was the embodiment of misplaced ambition fueled by greed.

Though I am sure not everyone who worked there (some 20000 employees) knew what was happening, I am absolutely sure 10% of them - at the least - knew about the wrong, unethical practices. And the remaining 90% would have had some inkling.. some sense of "things are not right here". After all, these were some very smart people.

And then, there was this bunch load of guys who went along with these fraudsters... all those analysts at investment banks, bankers from JP Morgan, Merill Lynch, Citibank, CSFB... the whole lot... the legal firms... Arthur Anderson, of course (the oldest accounting firm in the country that disappeared after Enron collapse)... THEY JUST JOINED IN THE FUN and made their bucks, as long as it lasted.

And now this mortgage crisis in tens of thousand times bigger a scale....History repeats... There is a whole army of crooks... and then some... who, in any sane mind, would have known - had they just stepped back for a moment... But they did not.... the stock market did not.... And now we have companies biting the dust....

Makes me think - that this whole economy is being fueled by this greed. Capitalism sounds like an euphemism. The air seems grained with this whole misplaced sense of accomplishment...

And I, a member of this economy, am an integral part of this corporate greed. And at the disadvantageous end of it... No golden parachutes... or silver... forget it - not even a parachute.... When will it be my turn to bite the dust?
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I see this guy who comes to my office in a Porsche 911... well.. I am sure he is not the only one... But when the company is in a bad shape... this guy comes around in a minimum $80,000 car...

Should I commend him for making his bucks before the market/company got hit... Or should I commend him for coming to work even after he made his money??!

Doggy...

I brought home my first doggy... well, doggy-like.... it is my new vacuum cleaner, Roomba. It is a robot.. it is small and round and circles my legs... I need to train it to go charge itself, but it does a pretty good job of cleaning the floors. And it is fun!
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My parents are here.. Time to learn some new recipes... And visit some new places... going to Chicago next weekend. Should be fun...

Financial Tsunami

After the Lehman meltdown, the financial tsunami is threatening various parts of the globe... But more so, in the American corners...

At a very high level, beyond the Geo-stationary satellites ;-), I think this is the effect of osmotic pressure in a 'flat world'. When things (prices/wages) are not in equilibrium, but are maintained artificially in a steady state and trying to retain the differences as they stand.... the pressure differences can and will lead to more such tsunamis. (The pressure on the firms to perform and generate ever greater profits, in this case...)

The best way to escape the impact of the Tsunami is by staying afloat... or mobile - that's what I think I will be doing, though by my own preference.. Work in US for a while.. then, move to Asia.. then, the Europe and so on!

Anyways.. I came across this nice article that explains all the jargon behind the Lehman collapse and how these guys lost their own game. Check this out....Losing your own game

If you thought that was a bit too technical, here is another 'simple worded' version... Worst Crisis since the 30's; With no end yet in sight (Thanks Jam!)


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Investment analyst and entrepreneur Dr. Marc Faber concluded his monthly bulletin (June 2008) with the Following:


''The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China . If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India .

If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala . If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany . If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I've been doing my part.'

(Thanks Neeraj for sending this!)

Force, Freedom and French Fries...

This is in response to my friend, Jam's post about the recently back-in-force Kashmir agitations..

I choose the 'simple yet straight-forward' reasoning.. "anything that is forced will give away, sooner or later.... ".. And after a point, people just forget the good things... they only have the lingering bad taste of 'force'.

Even though my (our) ego would not agree so easily, we should give away J&K to its own people. After all, every sane individual has a right to self-determination. And if that is what they (the entire state) wants, let them have it. (Well, the truth is that we did not deal with things the past 20 years - so, we are responsible if Kashmiri public opinion turned against India)

Ten days of curfew straight out.. what a waste!! There is so much of money spent on Siachen and in maintaining 'law & order' in J&K.. not to forget the huge amounts of military presence and resources burnt every day.

All in all, let us not waste our energy, prode, fervor, armed forces, resources and money on people that are thankless...

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To quote Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar of Swaminomics fame, "India has sought integration with Kashmir, not colonial rule. But Kashmiris nevertheless demand azaadi. And ruling over those who resent it so strongly for so long is quasi-colonialism, regardless of our intentions.

We promised Kashmiris a plebiscite six decades ago. Let us hold one now, and give them three choices: independence, union with Pakistan, and union with India. Almost certainly the Valley will opt for independence. Jammu will opt to stay with India, and probably Ladakh too. Let Kashmiris decide the outcome, not the politicians and armies of India and Pakistan."

Set them free, if they really want - let them win their way back to being Indians.

Bhaskar

PS: Read the rest of Swami's article here

PPS: Read the Vir Sanghvi's article too to understand how Kashmir is taking advantage of its special status and over the rest of India.

PPPS: Oh.. the french fries? do you remember how US forcefully changed the name of french fries to freedom fries?? well.. that has nothin' to do with the topic... anyway... I just added the fries 'cos it seemed to get the zing into the title ;-)

Bolt from the Yellow and Green!

This guy Usain was just another guy from Jamaica... and then, he was spotted as a blip in the global radar early this year.. when he ran the 100m in 9.72sec at the Reebok Grand Prix.

Until just over a year ago, Bolt had not run in a senior 100 metres race. A few days earlier at Beijing, Bolt set the world record in 100m - running it in a 'more gas to burn' 9.69sec. (You could see this guy celebrating some 15m from the finish line).

And then, yesterday, he broke the world record in 200m sprint as well.

Watch him run the 200m in 19.30sec!!!!


Here is his 'zero to hero' story, in the words of the Sports Illustrated.... "On a sweltering August night 12 years ago, Michael Johnson lashed the 200-meter world record to his back and seemed to drag it deep into the future. He ran 19.32 seconds, so fast that young men accepted that they would not see the record broken again in their lifetimes.

Usain Bolt was 9 years old on that night, growing up tall and skinny -- "I was tall when I was little,'' says Bolt -- in Trelawny Parish on the north shore of Jamaica, an hour's drive from the vacation resorts of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. He loved to play cricket with his friends, and if he was talented, he was also a little lazy.

But one afternoon two years later, he ran too fast at a school field day and found himself on the track team, because Jamaica will compel a sprinter to sprint. Somewhere a clock began ticking, counting down the life of Johnson's record, unseen and unknown, but inexorable.

At the age of 12, Bolt ran 52 seconds flat for 400 meters on a grass track in Manchester, Jamaica. He won the world junior 400-meter title at age 16, beating athletes who were four years older. He was impossibly precocious. "We knew what was coming,'' said Bert Cameron, a Jamaican national coach who was also the 400-meter world champion in 1983.

On Wednesday night in the Olympic Stadium called the Bird's Nest, Bolt ran 19.30 seconds to take down Johnson's world record. (In 1996 Johnson broke the previous record by .34.) Four days after celebrating 15 meters from the finish while winning the 100-meter gold medal in a world record 9.69 seconds, Bolt tore all the way through the line -- even dipping his chest slightly -- to win his second gold medal. He became the eighth man in history to complete the Olympic 100/200 double and the first to do it with two world records; not since Don Quarrie (also a Jamaican) in 1976 has one man simultaneously held both sprint records."

To catch the rest of the story.... click here!

The Indian Conundrum

Thanks to Rajeev for this poem on Olympics and the Indian Conundrum

The Indian Conundrum

E pluribus unum
That ought to be OUR motto say some.
A billion plus people we are,
Yet we have but one Olympic star.

Brimming with pride we get excited,
Make oaths and promises unrequited.
Every four years repeated, it is a disease,
A swear, a promise then back into deep freeze.

A committee will certainly be formed,
Of which a sub-committee will deform.
Money apportioned will surely go astray,
Ah! Satyameva Jayate.

Easy fix we have, on cricket let's put the blame,
In Europe, isn't soccer just the same?
They make Olympic gold in spite or despite it,
While we lay blame, shake our heads and sit.

Infrastructure will come once perceptions change,
When sports and academics are in the same range…
Your young ones, when inspired by your running feat,
Out of one will rise many with glory replete.

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A saying goes that you have to be the change, not just want it...by running you inspire and when you inspire your bring change...so keep at it - in our own small way we do what we have to.

Rajeev

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cross-posted on my running blog

Gold dream....!!

India wins its first Gold medal in an individual event at the Olympics....!!!!

Finally, after 60 years of her existence, Abhinav Bindra won her the first gold in 10 metres air rifle event in the ongoing Beijing olympics. Read more...

Been a long wait... Still, its a great achievement by this young lad.. Time to shine!!!


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I am gonna kill my downstairs' neighbor... His snores are keeping me awake.... Anyways, I took some time to blog.... Pray for me guys...

High Fidelity

I saw this John Cusack movie a couple of days ago.... It was highly recommended by a like-minded friend... And it did live up to the name...

Its a movie on the music scene... romance in the times of Bruce Springsteen... If you appreciate music (new-age) or appreciate those that appreciate music, you should definitely watch the movie... (If you know it all, stay away... ;-) I have been exposed to quite some music through my colleagues and friends... I enjoyed the peek into the vast sonic world....

And I found a post that echoed some of my after-thoughts.... And he has penned it long and interesting... So, here you are...
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From this other blog

When I first saw the film High Fidelity I knew of the book and I knew it was about music, but I didn't know what it was actually about. I spent much of the preceeding day singing the chorus from The Kids From Fame song under my breath 'High Fidelity ... high ... ha ... high .. ha ha .. high high ... ' (I do this sometimes when I'm working up to see a film - Jane Campion's masterpiece was reduced to 'La, la, la, la Piano, Piano ...'). But once it was over it went straight into my all time top five films about people like me.

I immediately went out and read the book, loved everything about it despite being incredibly difficult to follow at times because the film characters were in my head and some of them are wildly different on the printed page. Then somewhere along the line the two experiences merged and I imagined that some of the scenes from the book had actually been in the film and vice-versa. Marie De Salle didn't sing at Championship Vinyl in the film any more than that version of Sarah Kendrew appeared in the novel. So buying the DVD the day it came out was something of a culture shock as the gates of filmic reality came crashing down.

As always, DVD solidifies all the reasons I loved the film at the cinema but also offers the chance to see all the details that I'd missed then. So we come to the top five list of things I missed when seeing High Fidelity at the cinema and which make me love the film even more. In ascending order ...

Number five ... lip liner. In the scene were Rob gets Laura to admit to a full 9% chance that they could get back together, I spend a lot of the scene looking at Laura's lips and the fragments of liner at the edges. In a film which is filled with unrealistic elements it feels like a moment of realism. I'm not sure if it's a mistake or a really attentive make up artist creating character details. If it is the latter it ties into comfortably into the speech with Rob gives at the end of the film about how he's sick of fantasy women and he wants to settle for the realism. Laura doesn't have perfect make up and that's why he loves her.

Number four. It's the editing, or rather the editing of the to-camera narration. If all this was edited into chronological order it would make less sense than 21 Grams. Taking the Marie De Salle incident, having found out Laura hasn't slept with Ray, he turns to the camera and says 'I feel good ... I feel great ... I feel like a new man ... I feel so much better in fact ... that I go straight out ... and sleep with Marie De Salle.' Cut to a post coital De Salle, and Rob pointing to camera from the bed 'How could this have happened you ask?' He's giving a voice over straight to camera like someone relating a story around a camp fire or over a beer in the past tense while the action is happening. He's telling the story to us while its happening to him, showing us what happened. It should be confusing but it really works. It's an unbelievably trixy thing to be doing in a Touchstone film and one of the early signs that mainstream film was wising up to the indie ethic.

Number three ... it's about film. Actually it's about anything that people have an obsession about. It's equally about stamp collecting, football and trainspotting. When I saw the movie, I thought I was getting bums rush because I didn't understand many of the music references. Then I tried substituting them for film references and realized that I was in the same bracket of these people. There aren't many regular people who can make a stab at putting Woody Allen's films in order by year, or the films which John Cusack and his mate Jeremy Priven haven't been in together (of which High Fidelity is one). It's about storing useless facts about nothing them looking down on people who don't know this stuff.

Number two, the track listing of the Marie De Salle album. Pause your DVD as Rob places the disc in his hifi and glory at the woman's musical range.

(1) Baby I Love Your Way [which is a given because its in the film and she sings it really well.]
(2) Patsy Cline Times Two [which later in the film she refers to as Eartha Kitt Times Two. But I'm not nitpicking in that way. There there is the rest ...]

(3) Ghostbusters
(4) Beat It
(5) Baby Got Back
(6) 911 Is A Joke
(7) I Will Survive
(8) Mmm Bop
(9) My Heart Will Go On
(10) You Can't Have It
(11) The Time Is Now

Now who wouldn't want to see her version of some of those songs. Such range. Is the joke that if she can make Peter Frampton sound good, Hanson are a walk in the park? These tracks were picked for a reason but since the DVD lacks a commentary we'll never know whose joke it was. And now for ...

... number one in the top five and the deleted scene which is the point of this new series of articles.

High Fidelity: Records For Sale

It's one of the great scenes in the book and was shocked when I read it because they hadn't included it in the film. Rob is invited around to an expensive house where a rich woman bent on revenge tries to castrate her husband musically by selling his singles collection off for peanuts. When Rob starts to delve in he realizes it's a collectors dream, a hundred items which he thought he would never see in his life. Rare pressings on original labels, that kind of thing. To buy or not to buy. It's about honour amongst collectors (even if they're shits) and fits in with one of the book's themes about how music has little to do with what you are its who you are.

So it was a revelation to see it on the dvd and its just the lovely funny thing which really does the book pages justice. It even has the well known face of Beverly D'Angelo as the scorned woman. And when you see it the first time you wonder why it wasn't included in the film - it would be one of the scenes people would be talking about when they left the cinema or years later at the pub because its one of those stories any collector has about the one that got away.

There problem is its four minutes long and to include it in the film would have slowed it to a standstill at just the wrong moment - I think it should gave gone in just after Joan Cusack calls him a 'fucking asshole'. And that would be wrong because the transition from that to Rob's revelations about why Laura broke up with him are perfect. Also it doesn't feel like the rest of the film, which takes place in roughly the one neighbourhood and for the tone of the film it's important to maintain that mood. Also it doesn't make any sense - right the way through we hear that Rob has no money and suddenly he can pull £1100 out to buy the singles - it's a capital investment but were are you getting it from? Laura's loan? Isn't that spent already?

All of which said it does have a delicious ending. He talks D'Angelo into selling him an Otis Reading for $50. She asks him if he saw The Sex Pistols (original pressing of God Save The Queen). He says he did. 'It's free ...' She says and we cut away. We never find out how scrupulous Rob actually is ... What would you do?

Pat comes the reply!

If you have been following the US presidential nominations... you might have know about the McCain campaign using the picture of Paris Hilton in an Ad - to showcase that Obama is a celebrity and that celebrities cannot run a nation... in this case, the world's only superpower (well!)

Well... that was a poorly executed campaign ad... And as with all bad marketing, this also backfired...

check out this awesomely funny retort from Paris on the 'world's oldest celebrity'!!!
If not anything, she has a great PR guy!!

"Meet you at the debate, bitches!!!"

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

SF Marathon

Some 'public' pics from the SF Marathon this Sunday, Aug 3, 2008. I did not run.. I just went to cheer my friends that did!





And for those that think I missed their picture, here is yours as a group!!! ;-)



Cross-posted on my running blog

Explosive Growth?

While the economists in India have been predicting year over year growth rate of 8-10%, the past few days we have been seeing an explosive growth rate in a totally different dimension. I am talking of the series of bomb explosions first in Bangalore and now at Ahmedabad. I mean, what the hell is happening?

It is a wake-up call to the police and intelligence bureaus in the country. Enough of the pot-bellied, uniform-trotting facade. It is time to realize that 'security' in the country is a joke. Should we allow the country to dissipate into the state of Pakistan or Israel? ... Where everyday is greeted with an explosion at some part of the country... and communal forces tearing the country apart like a pack of rogue dogs shredding a piece of shirt apart?

Also read, "Security in India is a joke"

Wanted?

Man... this is one hell of a movie... well... ok... another hell of a movie.... I 'L'oved this one.... Angelina is as fingerlickin' great as ever... and the photography and direction are just amazing... Jim is pretty good fit for the role too...

On the whole.. an awesome... 'must watch in the theatre' movie....

Like my friend was saying... "We should watch this movie in 3D!!!!"

The Pick-up Game!

It has now become a common occurrence... Every time we go shopping at one of the nearby Indian or any supermarket, one or another Indian couple with a big smile on the guy's face and a glib pick-up line approaches us..!

Let me tell you what happened the last time.. Me and my friend (roomie) were at India Cash & Carry buying some stuff.. our bi-weekly routine. This guy with his wife approached us (the wife seemed pretty young and enthusiastic.. she must be new at this game! ;-) And as soon as he opened his mouth, I knew what was coming "Hi.. you resemble one of my friends..."!!!!
Mez: yeah?!?!? [##$%^%*&*&^($#]
Hiz: Hi.. I am Rakesh [holding out his hand]..
Mez took one look at his face and another at her face... I did not want to disappoint the eager look in her's :P.. "Hi.. I am Bhaskar"
I think I saw a glow in her face ;-)
Hiz: Bashar? nice name....
Mez: [#@^#&*^**()@ ]... [nice name, it seems....at least pronounce my name properly!!!!]
Hiz: Where do you work?
Mez: [thinking to myself..."in the road-side gas station here"] blah blah blah...
Hiz: yada yada yada yada
Mez: blah blah blah blah
Hiz: yada yada..... can I have your phone number?
Mez: [thinking again... haan, aagayaa naaa... tu Amway/Quixtar waloon] [translated as... 'yeah, there you go... ya Amway/Quixtar guys']
I give them my cell number. And internally, I am laughing out aloud.... 'cos I have already become a member of this Quixtar thingy... (for a totally different reason... I will tell ya some other time!!)
More blah blahs and yada yadas... and we part amicably...

I go home and promptly, the next day evening, I get a call from this guy.... But, I did not pick up his call.... why? 'Cos I don't pick calls from guys who cannot pronounce my name right...!

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Question of the day: How do you differentiate between cabbage and lettuce??!

Redwoods and the Pacific

Me and a couple of my friends recently went to the Muir Woods National Park and some beaches around - Muir beach and Stinson beach. It was good (but not so good on my knees. I need to check with a doctor now :( )

The thing about redwoods is that they grow really straight and tall. And their barks look like somebody twisted the whole tree. Also, we noticed an inverted 'V' hole on almost all trees. Any idea why redwoods are the way they are?

The big apple and its charms..

I gotta say this - New York is dirty, at least most parts of the regular city.

I got to see the big apple this time like never before - Up close and personal. For one, I stayed there for almost 10 days. For another, I commuted like any other NewYorker - in the subways and NJ transits. For one more, I saw the NY of the wee hours (May be I should add that I did not get to visit the SOHO as I had planned earlier).

Our Jersey city office by the Hudson was great. It had a spectacular view of Manhattan and there were ample light reflecting from the waters. Central park was great too - got to explore some more parts of it this time. But, the surrounding areas or the areas leading to it were pretty dirty. Some of these areas had garbage and dirt piled up in the mornings - I guess they were waiting for the garbage trucks to pick them up. Others like the Harrison station along the NJ transit route looked downright ugly (I thought it was an un-used station since my trains did not stop there. Later on, one of the trains did and I was shocked!)

If you walk around the regular city at a time when the regular guys are not around, you will get to see a lot more dirt and folks that live in the dirt. But, I think - what is amazing is that the city is so old and yet, has moulded itself with the times. Like the numerous subways/trains developed and connecting almost every part of this humongous city.

Many people over the decades must have thought like Annie Hall in the Woody Allen movie by the same name - Annie: "What's so great about New York? I mean, it's a dying city...". But, the charm of the big apple probably lies in its undying spirit - that it has thrived beyond its age. With and without its WTCs.

And it is so different and levelling.. you see executives (well, may be not the top honchos) wearing blazers traveling in the transits/subways.
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The NJ transits are another animal altogether. Once I got onto a train only to know that it was not going to stop at my station. What worse, the first stop in that train was an hour ahead, much after the station I was to get down. Another time, I got into the wrong train because my train was late and this train came to my platform (also late by itself) at the time it was supposed to come. (They don't even mention the destination on the sides of some trains) [Lessons - you gotta carry a schedule with you and find out the exact time of the train you need to catch - after looking at the stops listed on the schedule for each train. And confirm with the ticket checkers/staff before you board, especially if the train is delayed]
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On the subject of Annie Hall and Woody Allen,

this is what he says about California!
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen): I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light.

And here is a classic dialogue from the movie:

Alvy Singer :[addressing the camera] There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this - I'm paraphrasing - um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.

My first above-5 miler...!

Yesterday, I ran my first 7-miler! (well, almost seven miles ;-)

I knew I had a target of 7 miles as a part of my training here. But, just the previous week (as I had wrote earlier), I had this bad knee pain and I had to stop at 3 miles. So, I was quite unsure. I did do some cycling over the week. And I did ice my knee multiple times.. like, wrapping a frozen water bottle around the different sides of my knee and then, once the area goes numb, I rub the area (it seems, the cold helps control the inflammation and the friction improves the blood flow)

So, I reach the Oracle trail (near Foster City) at 7am on the Saturday and it was a great cloudy day. The temperature must have been in the late 70s or early 80s and there was no wind - just the ideal day for a long run. I was all happy and excited (I was excited already - I woke at 6am and ate a protein snack bar!).

And I started my run comfortably with my jerkin on. Reach 1.5 miler and I was getting really warmed up.. rather hot and I left my jerkin at the water station. I then reached the 3 miler and had a couple of gulps of Gatarode and I could feel a li'l pain in the knee area. But, I was happy because I had already crossed my previous limit!

I was also happy because I was only 0.5 miles from the turn-back point!! Man, these small joys... So, I reached the 3.5 miles, kissed the line and was on my way back.. and the pains started getting bigger - not so much as to stop my run, but still it was getting to me. But the view was nice and scenery was good and of course, the weather was great, so I kept on. Oracle trail or Bay trail, as it is also called, I think runs all the way to the bay.



And beyond 4.5 miles, I had to stop running and start walking because the pain was considerable and I was afraid I will make it worse. But, I saw that the pain subsided as I was walking (this was contrary to last week - when the pain increased and remained even after I stopped running) So, I started running again at 5 miles. I took a few small breaks in between my runs (either walk instead of run or run slower) and I managed to finish the 7 miles in (approx.) 2 hours.

I am happy for my first six/seven miler.. this is at least 2 miles more than what I had run in a single shot earlier! :-)

Cross-posted on my Sun Runs blog
Check it out here

Omar and the Niagara!

And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted - "Open then the Door!
You know how little time we have to stay,
And once departed, may return no more."

Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,
And that after a TO-MORROW stare,
A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness cries
"Fools! your reward is neither Here nor There!"

That is Omar Khayyam for ya...

But time comes to a standstill at the Niagara... Majestic, as it is - where does all the water go?!

Here are some pics (and some Patel shots!; no! not the typical staring into the camera ones)..






Don't you feel like jumping into the water and stoping the flow....??

For the full album, check this link!

A Visit to NY

Sun Runs and Baby Steps!!

I started a new blog today... Sun Runs!!! It is going to be my chronicle for the next few months as I train with Team Asha for the Chicago/Silicon Valley Marathon.

Follow me there....!

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Here is my first post on Sun Runs.. {cross-posted here}
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In the world of Iron Men (refer Iron Man Triathlon), I am just a toddler taking my baby steps... and I just want to chronicle my first steps and my experiences as I train for the Marathon!!

I am sure I have not run 26.2miles in my entire lifetime put together so far. I am now going to run it in a single day... and multiple times over as I practise the next few months. And with my coaches and mentors @ Team Asha, I am pretty sure I am in good hands!!

So, here is to Iron Men and Women of the world(read coach Char's blog!!) and the toddlers!!! :-)

The Well-Read!!

I "Read" @ Stanford!!! ;-) :P

Off-beat Math & A Short Story

12 + 144 + 20 + (3 * 4^(1/2))) / 7) + (5 * 11) = 9^2 +0

If you are not gifted enough to decipher these simple codes, I will give you a clue: It is a poem!! Now, try looking at it from that angle...

...and if you are still having trouble with the poem, here you go:

A Dozen, a Gross and a Score,
plus three times the square root of four,
divided by seven,
plus five times eleven,
equals nine squared and not a bit more.

!! ;-)
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10**12 Microphones = 1 Megaphone
10**6 bicycles = 2 megacycles

2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds

1/2 lavatory = 1 demijohn

10**-6 fish = 1 microfiche

1 unit of suspense in a mystery novel = 1 whod unit

10 millipedes = 1 centipede

5 holocausts = 1 Pentacost

10 monologues = 5 dialogues = 1 decalogue

8 nickles = 2 paradigms
2 snake eyes = 1 paradise
2 wharves = 1 paradox

1 milli-Helen (of Troy) = amount of face that can launch one ship
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In a literature class, the students were given an assignment to write a short story involving all the important ingredients - nobility, emotion, sex, religion and mystery. One student allegedly handed in the following story:
"My god!" cried the duchess. "I'm pregnant. Who did it?"
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Thanks Venky (MP)!

Team Asha & Asha for Education

TEAM ASHA is a premier endurance sports program that trains people for half and full marathons. Team Asha gives one the chance to discover not only the magical benefits of running but also the supreme joy of affecting the life of a child with every progressive step.

Since 2000, they have trained more than 750 marathoners from different walks of life. 99% of them successfully completed a full or a half marathon. Train. Run. Educate.

Asha for Education is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of under-privileged children. Of the 68 Asha chapters worldwide, three are right here in the San Francisco Bay Area: Asha Berkeley, Asha Stanford and Asha Silicon Valley.

Over the years, Asha has succeeded in touching the lives of thousands of children through its various educational initiatives and projects. Although the primary focus is on education, Asha also addresses issues affecting human life such as health care, environmental concerns and women's issues. Asha will continue to evolve in keeping with the needs of the hour and the needs of our country (India).

Asha for education is run by a diverse group of committed volunteers who take personal interest in researching and identifying worthy projects in India. We mobilize the needed funds and also work closely with the projects right from inception to realization.
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My grandmom used to say "Whenever you get a chance to share your knowledge or better still, help somebody learn - do that. That is the best gift you can give to not just him but his entire family. And it is equivalent to feeding 100 hungry persons." I think Asha embodies that spirit.

One of my school friends, who later went on to BITS Pilani and then to Univ of Wisconsin - Madison for her MS - she was one such volunteers who came back to India and was handling some of their educational initiatives in South India. (I am trying to reach her.. Lets see if I can find out what she is upto now.)

That is how I had heard about Asha. And now, in the bay area, I heard of Asha again and I took this opportunity to be a drop in the ocean. I am a part of Team Asha 2008 - training for the Silicon Valley marathon and also championing the cause of educating the under-privileged in India.

I have no idea how I am going to run 26.2 miles.. I have zilch idea how I am going to raise 2400 odd dollars for the cause. But, I am doing it. Whatever support you can give in showing the way to a kid in India - please let me know.