Paris, je t'aime!!!

Well.. I do love Paris. But, this is about a movie by this name..
This is collection of short stories - all revolving around love and set in Paris. I have enjoyed reading books that are a collection of short stories. But, this is the first time I saw a movie that is a collection of short stories.

Paris, je t'aime (French pronunciation: [paʁi ʒə tɛm]; Paris, I love you) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements (districts). The 22 directors include some of the best in the world: Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.

It is a very nice one. Check it out! For more info, here's the wiki and IMDB

-Bhaskar

A new-found hobby!

I have gotten into a new hobby these days... catching feral cats!

Well... S loves cats.. and I love S... so, by induction, I love cats! But, thats much later. I have had only a passing interest in cats in my childhood. I did not grow up with pets. On a couple of occasions when me or my siblings felt a strong bonding for a cat or a dog, the standard dialogue we would hear was "As such it is so difficult managing you brats. Why one more?".

It seems my grandpa was raising a dog (this is when my dad himself was too small). But when he died suddenly, the dog went crying uncontrollably for a couple of days and he died too. I guess the entire trauma and not to mention, the financial turmoil for the family was too much to handle.

Anyways, the only time we came close to a cat was when one of our many landladies brought a cat home and that delivered a litter of three kittens. But, soon we moved out of that house and that was the end of it.

Now, fast forward to the present - there were two or three cats roaming around in our apartment community. Initially, we thought these were cats owned some folks within the community. But, then one morning I saw four kittens playing with the mom in the backyard. These kittens seemed only a few weeks old. And at slightest sight of humans, they ran away into the woods. We left some milk/food on the porch and initially the mom and later the kittens started feeding on them. Another month or so passed, and there were three or four more kittens!

Then, we called up Animal Control and they added us to the waiting list for a humane trap - that we can use to catch and turn in these undomesticated cats to proper care. We also learned a whole new set of terms like spay, neuter etc.

One week down and we were still waiting on the call to provide us the traps. And I thought I will put some IIT education and engineering mechanics to use. After a couple of failed prototypes, we caught our first cat, Blacky [This pic is from later].

But, S was too sad to see the panicky cat that she decided to set it free. After Blacky went out, it educated all the other cats/kittens and none ever fell into the trap again. And so, I had to design a new trap.

After a few more attempts, we caught a smaller kitten - one from the latest generation of kittens, again a blacky - Blacky jr. He was so young and cute that after a few hours, he let us pet him. We turned him in and set out for the remaining ones.

We caught a few more afterwards - but the females especially are so aggressive that they keep trying for hours together to escape. Thus, a few of them got back into the wild.

One of them - Spotty, a black and white bicolor cat, had got hurt fighting with other cats. Good for him, we caught him and sent him to med attention. We also caught Tabby, a striped cat and sent her to the safe home. Here is Tabby after hours of trying to escape from the room where it was kept overnight. After waking us and our neighbors up, it retired to the box.




And this is Browny sr. He is the smartest of the lot, always cautious and never gets into any risky situation. My guess is that he will be the last man standing.

Around the world.. not really!

Oil spill makes for great photography.. only in UV light though!



Applying UV light to contaminated beaches is also a clever way to spot—and clean up—oil that might otherwise go unnoticed by notoriously flimsy human eyes. You can read more—and see more pictures— here
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The best chases in movies aren't about the explosions and effects: They're about great driving. Per John, these are the ten greatest car stunts or stunt sequences in cinematic history.

Long long ago..

Mathematically speaking, a local minima should not be confused with the absolute or global minima.



Refer here for more Math fundas on Minima and Maxima.

But, that should NOT be confused with the international Minimma!!!

Minimma: MKKK.. The Prologue

MKKK... 1

Weeds!

I'm addicted to Weeds... well, not literally... but the series on 'Showtime'... It is quite a show.. going strong into the Season 6 now... to be aired in Aug '10.

I also love the opening song "Little Boxes" originally sung by Malvina Reynolds and then by various artists during seasons 2 and 3.. Each episode also features some cool music... check them out!

PS: If you have a netflix account, you can see all episodes of Seasons 1 - 4 online

This version by the Individuals


The original by Malvina


More music here...

Where's Ronaldinho?

Quiz time!

Whats common to Zakumi, Shakira, Jabulani and $420 million?
For the answer, read on... ;-)
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Life has been pretty busy, but fun....with quite a few pleasant surprises. But, just the other day, I got a shock from my missus... And I found a video that vividly captures my moment... so, here goes...!


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Well... The answer to the quiz: FIFA World Cup 2010!!

Zakumi is the official mascot for the 2010 World Cup, an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA" (the international abbreviation for South Africa) and the term kumi, which means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.

The official song of the 2010 World Cup "Waka Waka" is performed by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa, and is sung in both English and Spanish. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa.

The match ball for the 2010 World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, is named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu.

The total prize money on offer for the tournament is $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million and so on..

$9 million – Round of 16
$18 million – Quarter-finals
$20 million – Semi-finals
$24 million – Runners up
$30 million – Winners

Source: wiki

Unchained Melody

Saw the movie 'Ghost' starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore.. Pretty funny movie and romantic too..

Just love the song by the Righteous Brothers.

Oh my love my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh wait for me wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me

Oh my love my darling
I've hungered hungered for your touch
A long lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

See me at Colombo!

Oh.. did I tell you?

The next time you go to the Colombo airport, you may find me and the missus promoting one of the restaurants (bars) there!!

We were requested to pose for a photo Ad while we were waiting for our return flight from Colombo... :-)

Pictures from our SL trip

General 'Stuff'

If "All Indians are my brothers and sisters", what about Americans and folks from the rest of the world?!!
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“Kites,” the adventure film from Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, took in almost $1 million during the weekend to become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.

The film, introduced in 207 theaters, had sales of $958,673, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e-mail.

For more news check here


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The worse is not over yet.. or so it seems...

"Yes, the eurozone crisis of PIIGS [Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain] is a primary cause of that—even Jean-Claude Trichet agrees with my assertion back in February that the E.U. may be facing a double-dip. But more than a few small European economies may be at stake. The recent problems faced by Greece are only the tip of a sovereign-debt iceberg in many advanced economies (and a smaller number of emerging markets). Bond-market vigilantes roiling Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Iceland have pushed government bond yields higher and forced Germany, France, and the IMF to step in with an unprecedented array of rescue measures. But outside the eurozone, the United Kingdom, and yes, eventually Japan and the United States, will all face the same music eventually if fiscal policy remains on its current unsustainable path."

For more, read here
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From the same link above...

"One of the great ironies of the age, as I mentioned in Crisis Economics, is that fact that while the U.S. proved to be the catalyst for the global financial crisis, it has also benefited from the fact that the crisis is denominated in U.S. dollars. No end to that reality is in sight, no matter how infuriating it proves to Chinese and other emerging-market policymakers."
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It is tragic - the accident involving the Air India flight from Dubai to Mangalore.



In case you had not heard, check on the tragedy here

World War IV?

Will the great recession lead to World War IV?
by Michael Lind

Michael Lind is policy director of the Economic Growth Program at the New America Foundation and author of "The American Way of Strategy."

".. As the oversold promise of free-market globalization fades, countries large and small may turn increasingly toward state capitalism. At home, this would mean permanent state support of troubled industries like banking and the automobile industries, which all of the major industrial countries have bailed out. In trade, this would mean a retreat from global trade areas toward regional blocs and bilateral deals. Examples include agreements between energy-hungry governments like those of China and Japan and the state-owned oil or natural gas companies of Saudi Arabia and Russia. In a world of diplomatic rivalries among great powers to win contracts with state-owned corporations, the distinctions between geoeconomics and geopolitics would erode, with potentially dangerous consequences. Direct war between great powers seems unlikely, but if the Cold War was World War III, then a cold World War IV resembling Orwell’s shifting coalitions of Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania in 1984 is all too easy to imagine.

These trends are clear but the transatlantic establishment refuses to confront them. Instead, elites on both sides of the Atlantic hope that the great recession will turn out to have been merely a particularly nasty business cycle downturn. They pray that soon we can return to something like the illusory prosperity of the late 1990s and 2000s without having to engage in any radical rethinking or reform. Our political and opinion leaders think they are leading us back home. They haven’t noticed, or refuse to admit, that what used to be home is now a large, smoking crater. "

Pretty interesting article.. Read the full article here

Stingy...

Am I so stingy in expressing myself....??

Sorry guys n gals.... just been busy... but I will see you seen!

Indian Speed Dating Event in the Bay Area!

Sorry ladies... I'm 'taken' already... you just were not lucky enough! Anyways, I wish you the best!! ;-)
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Are you a single from an Indian Origin and looking for your perfect Matrimonial Partner? Attend this Grand Indian Matrimonial Speed Dating Event and Meet several singles like you who will be there for the same reason as you are.

When: Sunday, May 2nd 2010

Where: Radisson Hotel, 1471 N 4th St, San Jose, CA, 95112 Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Admission Criteria: Male: 27 to 38

Female: 25 to 37

Fee: $45 ($35 if you enter this special promotion code: kingm )

Dress Code: Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so.

Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses, ethnic dress!

Not permitted for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, T-shirts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, jeans, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear, and baseball hats.

Hurry!! Seats are very limited. Don’t miss this opportunity.
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Well, I'm not going to give the organizers free publicity... But, if you are interested, leave me a comment along with your email address and I'll send you the website ;-)

And if you want it that way, I will not reveal your comment either :-)

Raavan and Lankapuri

Sri Lanka is beautiful. After a long time, peace seems to be returning to the country and hopefully, tourism will also be back to its glorious days. When I visited Sri Lanka recently, I was enthralled by the natural beauty of the place. They have some great beaches too. [I dont have the pictures with me right now; will post soon as wifey gets my camera back] We spent time at Colombo, Kandy and Bentota (Beruwala) -western and south western parts of the country.



I was also intrigued by what I had heard earlier in different versions of Ramayan - the references to Lanka and Raavan, the king that abducted Sita. Though I did get to spend much time in researching about this before or during my visit, I looked up some sites after. I also saw quite a few artistic references to Ramayana - like the jataayu-like birds and craft.

According to the Ramayana, king Rāvana brought Sita Devi from India in a “Pushpaka Vimana” which is widely known in Sri Lanka as the “Dandu Monara Yanthranaya”, or Large Peacock Machine in Sinhala.

Ashok Vatika was a garden in Lanka, the Kingdom of demon king, Ravana, as mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and Hindu epic, Ramayana of Valmiki, and all subsequent versions. It was the location, where Sita, the wife of Rama was held captive by Ravana, after her abduction, also because she refused to stay in Ravana's palace, and preferred to stay under the Ashoka tree, hence the name. It was here that Ravana's wife Mandodari came to meet her and also where Hanuman met her for the first time, and identified himself with the finger ring of Rama.

Its present day location is believed to be the Hakgala Botanical Garden, the area is known as Seetha Eliya, close to the resort city of Nuwara Eliya. [Nuwara Eliya is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka]. The Gardens is situated at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms, has Sita Pokuna, a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle, where Sita was supposedly held captive, the 'Sita Amman Temple' is located here. Other connected site is a spot where Sita bathed in a stream at Sita Eliya, called Sita Jharna.

You can read more interesting accounts here. Dont miss the video too!

Time Traveler?

Reopening of the South Fork Bridge after flood in Nov. 1940. 1941

The above photo was taken in 1940. Some people say the hipster-looking fellow with the sunglasses on the right side of the photo is a time traveler because his hair, shades, clothing, and camera didn't exist at the time.

Forgetomori says 'he is not'... you decide!!

Reception pics!

Just back in the US after my wedding and reception and celebrations and....
lo! I have 24 comments on my blog to be moderated... and 22 of them are spam... why is my blog so popular to the spammers??!

Well, guys.. Whiel I am still recovering from all that stuff, here are some pics from the reception... well, these are not my reception pics... I am only an ordinary Indian, u c..... and I need my privacy... but this is of the Indian tennis star and the Pak cricket star... ;-)

Modern-day Spy Story

From the moment Mahmoud al-Mabhouh stepped off a plane in Dubai on Jan. 20, his killers—probably from Israel’s Mossad—had him in their sights. Al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas official who had arrived from Damascus allegedly to arrange an arms shipment to Gaza, perished hours later in his room at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel, electrocuted and strangled by the seven men who were waiting for him after a day following him around Dubai. The assassins covered their tracks well. They flew in from Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Zurich on forged passports. They wore disguises. They switched hotels multiple times. They carried cell phones but never called each other directly.

But they were being watched, and now the video of their exploits is available online.
To read other great spy stories, check here (Newsweek)

Whats going on?

Heya! guys

Whats going on in the world? Well... too many things, I guess.
Same with me... way too many stufff.... Anyways...

Did I tell ya guys that quite a few of my friends all over have started on their own... It is exciting to know they are taking charge and doing all the things that matter to them and more!! Inspiring!!!!

Here is a small list of their ventures/companies...

Trefis.com

MyZingo

BerrySki

ClickIndia

Pristine Careers

WOTD - MOSH !

Word of the Day - Moshing

Moshing or Moshpitting or slamming refers to the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push and/or slam into each other. Moshing is frequently accompanied by stage diving, crowd surfing, mic swinging, instrument smashing, and headbanging. It is most commonly associated with concerts featuring more aggressive genres, such as punk and heavy metal..

For more, read here

Meet me Halfway!

Another song I loved.....