vindaloo

Just finished watching Oliver Stone's "Alexander". I must say it is a mediocre attempt to capture the greatness of a truly great individual. The acting was atrocious to say the least, the only convincing character was that of Angelina Joile playing his mother....and OK i know that homosexualtiy prevailed in greek culture, but is that all that is to Alexanders story. Ther are better made movies over smaller men, and Stone's attempt at Nixon(the movie) was a far better one... I know it sounds a little lame especially since I watched the movie a year after its release(guess I'm too lazy to go to the theatre......) but if you havent seen the movie..dont agonise over it....
Like Old Ptolemy said "Oliver Stone You suck..."

And Mr Armstrong does it again..I'm Happy that he is retiring..this means I'll never have to follow the Tour de France again. Theres something in the name Armstrong, the two I know of are pioneers in their fields..If the first Armstrongs conquests on the moon made him famous the other Armstrongs conquests on earth make it seem like he is an alien from the moon.


Testicular cancer = $100,000+
Goal of the Lance Armstrong Foundation = $5,000,000
Sales-to-date of L.A.F. Yellow Bracelets = $50,000,000!

SEVEN TOUR DE FRANCE WINS = PRICELESS

And from one Discovery Team to another.
Shuttle Discovery Blasts Into Orbit off into space..may it achieve the same success that Lance's Team discovery achieved.

Labels: Sports

Here are the pics of a few friends of mine...Thanks to them..for..

For the many parties we had, with all those item videos. For the many intellectually stimulating discussions we had which would have put Einstein, Socrates, Freud and Newton at discomfort. For those carpet cleaners that we tried on unsucessfully. For the many hindi movies we watched together with those nasty remarks that were more interesting than the movies themselves. For all the stuff I consumed in the name of Food.




These are my Best friends whom I left back in India
For all those movies that you accompanied me to and spend time with me. For all those weddings we I for and needed a partner to dance with. For all the times I needed someone to talk to. For boring me with your talks. For those long evening walks with those interesting personal discussions. For tolerating those choir practice jokes. Forsupporting me when everyone else was against me. For coming to see me off when I was leaving India.




The RYM Gang
For all the parties that we organised and had together. For all the picnics we went for. For all the work that we did together. For all the work that you did to make my job as president so easy. For all the jokes that we shared. For tolerating my practical jokes on whoever I tried them on. For listening to me and following the direction I had taken. For your support and ideas in helping me to decide and organize stuff. For your company every sunday for those 2 to 3 hours. For all the Chai and nashta we had.

Guys from Terna
For all that volleyball we played. For all the usal pao and vada sambhar that we ate. Fr all those chais at sandeep. For all those suttas we had at Sandeep. For company during the harrowing train journey. For all the cricket and Badminton that we played. For all those nights we spent singing in the bar. For the xerox copies from chembur. For those sportec and Resonances. For carrying me when I at Horizon. For tolerating me at Mood I. For making me Mr Terna. For helping me through my KTs. For all those labs. For the music that you introduced me to.

Thanks you guys. Thanks once again.

Just finished watching the Movie City of God..(Cidade De Deus) Brazilian movie with english subtitles..Nice movie.. Its supposedly a true story, narrated by A Photographer called Rodriguez...but all throughout the movie he is called rocket...
The only thing amusing in the movie was the names that all the actors had..I was not sure whether the actual meaning of the names was Lost in Translation...There was this one guy called "naive"..I'm sure as hell that it means something else in Portuguese cause he didnt look naive at all.

The movie is very violent, but then it is the story of gangs in a ghetto in Rio De Janeiro..the City of God as they call it. It paints a drastically different picture of Rio compared to the ones I've seen before on postcards and in the movies..(Blame it on rio)...

One of the scenes I like is before the war starts(war between the two gangs..), how all the gangsters get together and recite the Our Father...ironical and blasphemical....But it suits the tone of the movie very well....Called the city of God..the movie does make the city seem like its the one that God had forsaken....

All in all a good movie I must say...but not for the faint hearted as some of the shooting scenes are ghastly....

James Doohan, the actor best known as Star Trek's Scotty, has died at 85.

Sad news for all star trek fans...
Though Im more of a star wars guy....
my condolences to all you fellow nerds/geeks

His last wish, his agent announced last night, was for his ashes to be fired into space.
The Canadian-born actor played Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer on the Starship Enterprise, in the TV series for just over three years from 1966.

Like Kirk said "Why dont I have a saber"..

Just spoke to a friend of mine in London. THe bombings though not major have pretty much achieved what they set out to do. THe fear has set in. This is what the fundamentalists thrive on. FEAR...an excellent method of rule and supression...Fear is what made americans believe in Dubya and the nonsense he propagated...Fear I believe is the one if not the only reason that the senate agreed to a lunatic. Fear can do big things and make people do crazy things..
What these terrorists are doing is not Jihad...these killings are not being done in the name of religion but rather I believe to satisfy some egocentric maniacs craving for thrill..the thrill which he could not get inspite of marrying 4 women and begetting a large number of children from them...the thrill that could not be gotten from wealth derived from oil....
Put one power harebrain dictator who models white underwear behind bars and another screwball zealot emerges...
And the world goes on...We have survived so many dictators and demented fruitcakes, I think we can definitely survive these illiterate zealots .
We are survivors and no matter what religion or race tries to put an end to us we will come through and survive...
I Just hope the Bobbies nail these asinine bigots, maybe a good old fashion hanging would be in order in front of the Tower of London.

Take that you turbaned freaks...
Like Georgie Brush says "I'll get you with your bottoms up"

Have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day On the fly?
When you ask How are you? Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time To call and say,"Hi"

You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

The National Awards, which were announced on Wednesday, raised quite a few eyebrows. Infact I almost popped my eys out of their socket(scary sight to see I guess). Saif Ali Khan is this years best actor..You must be kidding me..Hum Tum was an OK movie and Saif Ali khan acted probably his best in it. Now Im not saying that the movies bad or that his acting is bad..but Arnold Shivajinagar acts equally well in the Terminator when he says I'll Be Back..(I hope they dont make Saif a chief minister in India..) Well winning anything in India requires some sort of influence and having ones mother on the board definitely helps. And these are the guys that make movies and criticise the babudom in India.

Other winners include Page 3...OK I could live with that, Raincoat..nice movie..both ash and ajay are god..plus nice ending..Veer Zaara(someone please hold my hand before I slit my throat) money matters especially in India..and its always good to play on indo pak sentiment(for a good review of Veer Zaara go here).

I found solace in the fact that benegal won an award for Bose...Hes like Clint Eastwood from India..the only difference being that other Hollywood directors give Clint strong competition whereas Shyam is light years ahead of most indian directors.

The National awards to me are like awarding knighthood..of late since there arent any true heroes left gather up a bunch of not so big losers and Knight them.

Like Bacchan says "Who the hell is Saif?"

I thought maybe a better description of my tribe was called for so here it is:

Bombay Katlics

Thou shalt drink. Thou shalt jive'

If there were commandments requiring you to be a 'Katlic', these would be the first two. 'What to do, men?'

I always find myself facing people who exclaim "you don't drink! What kind of Katlic are you?' (As though the Pope decreed it.)

Then as if the answer to the next question would redeem me, they hastily ask, 'Do you jive?' An affirmative nod saves my soul and I am admitted back into the fold.

By religion we are Roman Catholic, because we are governed by the Church in Rome, not because we have dual passports.

By culture, we're Katlic, or Mack' as people refer to us after they've known us for two sentences. How can anyone miss the 'What men?' (Where the 'men' comes free with every sentence quite oblivious to the fact that you're woman) Or other phonetic jewels like 'tree' (for three), 'aahks' (for ask), 'doll' (for dhal), 'dat' (for that), Or 'faader/mudder' (for>father/mother) that I would like to believe is some dialect of German. But nein, it's trademark 'Mack' talk

(Of the several theories that float around, one say Mack is a derivative of 'makka-pau' (bread and butter) because, supposedly, that's what Katlics eat!!!

The drinking of course, we're sure of. "Michael daru peekay danga karta ha" from Majboor tells a small part of the story. We drink at Holy Communion parties, Christenings, at other festivals too. We drink on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays.......You get the picture. And of course we drink at those crazy carnivals called Katlic weddings. Where you dress up, quaff wine, slip on confetti, stomp at the Wedding march, get sozzled, eat potato chops, vindaloo, sorpotel, pork roast, do the mandatory birdie dance, throw the bouquet and finally wake up the neighbours with off-key renditions of 'He's a jolly good fellow' as you zig-zag home!!!!

Katlics like to sing. Where there's a Mack gathering, not counting funerals, there's a sing-song session. 'My Bonnie lies over the ocean', When the saints go marching in' and the quintessential Annie's song. No Mack party is complete without a guitar and at least one sloshed uncle who will be dragged home by the toes!!!!

Katlics mourn with the same passion. Wearing black at funerals and for months after, and fasting with fervour at Good Friday. But as December knocks on their doors, you'll find Crawford Market besieged by Katlics from Maim (for Mahim) to Marine Lines, taking home so much lace you are not quite sure whether it's for the curtains or the dresses!!!

At Christmas, Katlics eat guava cheese and cake and drink (more) wine, go to midnight mass at 8 p.m. Then in 27 degrees centigrade heat, they wear jackets to Willingdon or Catholic Gym and jive the night away.

Though being a Katlic may be more about cultural togetherness then going to mass every Sunday, we religiously fulfill the requirements. To be a really good Katlic., you must go inside the church. They have a name for people who don't............'outstanding Katlics'.

If you are a Katlic, you subscribe to the 'Examiner' where Katlic girls search for Katlic boys with 'sober' habits and own accommodation.

Good Katlics go to confessions. When we were kids, we knelt in the dark confessional and sincerely asked for forgiveness. The sins were standard:'I beat my sister' and 'I told lies in school'. Of course when we grew up we either stopped going or confessed to only the simple sins and hope God would get the others telepathically. We didn't want to give old Father Andrew a minor heart attack. Besides, by then our idea of what constituted a 'sin' had changed.

Katlic girls anoint themselves after every four-letter word and shall go to confession the morning after their wedding night.

Katlic boys are in a different league altogether. They simply play hockey or football till they die.!!!

Received this mail from a friend that stereotypes Goan catholics..
but to my amazement I met 95% of the criteria..well cant kill myself for being so Goan
Here are some points on the checklist..
You are a goan catholic If

* You and your girlfriend are "friendly"
* You've never had a grandmother, you've always had a Nana; The same goes for Dada
* Bastard is baashturd And baashturd is always preceeded by bleddie
* And if the DJ doesn't play the "masala" he's a bleddie baashturd and u feel like jhaaping or clipping him (Masala means songs starting with Glayan sankli sonya chi..and ending with Ya Ya mayem yo..)
* The first thing you ask another catholic is "Which Parish?"
* And you are a Mayhim boy or a Banruh girl
* Every sentence you say ends with "men"
* Women are "chicks" and men are "buggers"
* It's okay if you skipped your best friend's birthday, but Sunday 9 o'clock mass - "Have to go men, to meet da chicks and da buggers!"
* You utter 9 Fu*&s for every 3 words
* You know at least one person in Vasai, Borivali I.C. colony and Orlem, each
* You know 13 Savio's and 7 Seans. (Shawns)
* You've been living in Bombay all your life, but you're actually from Goa
* You'll skip the India vs Pakistan cricket match but not the Christmas dance
* You love going to the local "fete" to watch the parish king and queen contest
* When you disagree you say "balls"
* You can't play cricket to save your life, but you rock at football
* You don't like Remo too much, but if a non-catholic doesn't like him, you'll kick his arse for it
* Your Hindi is a little better than Michael Jackson's
* You claim you can't speak Konkani, but in reality, you can use it to win the Nobel Prize for literature
* Christmas is not happy, it's merry
* Suits are black, dark blue and grey. Only.
* Sunday is chicken/prawn curry day
* Your freezer is filled with last years Sorpotel, which if u heat and eat with pao no, its damn tashty man!
* When you order pav bhaji, you eat more pav than bhaji
* You hate mangies and vice-versa
* Both Goans and mangies hate east-indians a little
* You didn't watch Sholay but you've seen "Sound of Music", "Benhur", "Passion of Christ", "Ten Commandments" in a theatre.
* You think Mel Gibson is such a nice man.
* And Last but not the least your father thinks He is Portuguese even though he can barely grunt one or two Portuguese words.

Just spent a very pleasant evening listening to Coldplay..and some of it actually watching coldplay perform live..no not at Live8 but at MTV(for once MTV was actually playing some music.). Fantastic band I must say...has trace of Floyd I have to say in their music and Lyrics...
I am a little late joining the Coldplay bandwagon..but after I heard a bunch of songs I went out and bought their CD (Rush of blood to my feet), and am sorry to say so but I downloaded X & Y. I had a blast listening to ROBTMF(Im sure you can figure out what the acronym stands for..) some of the songs were really cool...like "In My Place", "Clocks", "The Scientist", "Green Eyes".
Nice to hear a younger band play sensible music..I thought bands like these were lost after th early 90s. Its an amazing variety in music from the piano in "The Scientist" to the guitar work in "God put a Smile upon your face" it is amazing. They are proving that they are not the run of the mill rock n rollers..but then thats the kind of music I like..they remind me a bit of like a fusion between Radiohead and Verve.
In the words of Coldplay
"To my surprise
And my delight
I saw a sunrise
I saw a sunlight."

Another weekend in Jersey. The frequency with which I visit Jersey I ought to buy a house here, but then I dont own a house in Pennsylvania as well so I think I am better of staying with friends and family..the food's free and so are the drinks(thats family...nothing's free with friends..if there's no pecuniary damage then its purely corporeal or phrenic). The weekend started of with a friends birthday party..I love to watch other people crib about getting older on their birthdays..The party went on till about 3 AM in the morning..the party was good..the usual drinking followed by the songs..The following day or whatever was left of it after I woke up at 4 didnt seemed like a lost battle. But we summoned up all the strength we had and stepped outside the house for a walk in the park (literally)..we went to the Sayreville park (we symbolizing my cousin Cedric his wife Linda, his two cute twins Ellie and Chelsea and off course me.) We did the 2 mile walk around the park.
But the best thing that happened was they were having a live musical performed at the park..Free entertainment put up by the local youth..was entertaining especially after a 1.5 hr game of tennis. The evening sky with its pastel colours just added to the ambience.
I must say that this was definitely a more relaxing way to spend the weekend.
As the fat lady said "Galvant to your hearts content, tomorrows gonna be just another manic Monday..then dont wish it was sunday cause todays your funday."

An interesting blog..
nice postcards....take a Peek

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

See how u relate to the Internet Today

Went over to Boston for the weekend..actually to a place called Lowell which is on the outskirts of Boston. Was a harrowing drive as I drove through the night while my friend slept peacefully besides me..I have become one of these expert night drivers that drives all night to make it to the destination by early morning..I thank the coffee companies for their due support...
We got there early in the morning and woke up the other guys as well( If I suffer you suffer too)..had breakfast and set out to Cambridge my probable alma mater..only that I never got accepted because I never applied..(my stratergy to avoid rejection..Dont apply!).

We wandered bout the streets looking for Reese Witherspoon corners with Illegal Blonds..saw the river and yearned to have boats..clicked some snaps in front of the buildings just to remind me of my inferior educational status.

The fun started in the evening when we started the Barbecue cookout. As usual the lighting if the fire was left to me..probably cause I have prior experience in lighting all kinds of Fires..
but sadly in this case the recipient was not the fairer sex but a dark coal which proved to be a fierce adversary and would not succumb to the beatings of Lighter fluid that I gave it. Finally success and I got the Fire started (not that I ever doubted my capabilities.). We cooked chicken breasts and a bunch of wieners on the fire...popped open our Becks and had a nice time with Pink floyd in the background and the occasional firework sparkle in the sky..

For independence day we tried touring the streets of Boston but to our disadvantage got caught in various traffic snarls, largely due to the crowds thronging for firework spectacle at night..Fortunately for me and Arun we got to see quiet a few displays of Fireworks on the way back as I drove like a madman trying to get home before the break of dawn..

Well as the Bostonians say "I need some Irish Coffee"...

Been there done that.....
Was at the Live 8 concert today...The only place I can imagine so much crowd is the proverbial kumbh ka mela.
Oh what a day...Bon Jovi started of my day with Livin on a prayer..and then Dave made it better...Will Smith was absolutely great and the crowd went wild when he sang the title song of Prince of Belair..of course he was bound to get a rousing ovation...being a native of phila...
The best show though was Linkin Park...Oh wait a minute it got even better when Jay-Z joined them on stage....made my 5 hour standing worthwhile...

The return back home did ruin my mood though..SEPTA screwed up the train timetables..First I was literally hanging in between compartments...Ohh instant nostalgia of my days on those Virar fasts...the train was so jam packed that they had to leave half the people at the station..then to make matters worst..our train stopped 1 station before the one i wanted to get of at and the next train came after 1 hr and 40 minutes..caughta nice nap on the floor of the station..again nostalgia took me back to my days at Terna and sleeping on the platform waiting for the first train...
Now am finally home and have missed watching Pink Floyd perform...I love Floyd..

As I always say.."Wish I were There.."

live8 philly

Was reading about the Imrana case on TOI. It seems extremely ridiculous how the religious clergy in her village have passed a Fatwa on her and banned her from staying with her husband, and all this because she was raped by her father-in-law. So whats next her husband marries again his father rapes the new bride again and then the new bride has got to go away too...
The most ridiculous part of the story was that initially the muslim clerics were insisting she marry the father in law..and make her husband her son...so now if the grandfather rapes her she becomes the father in laws mother...incest at its best...
No Im not trying to mkae fun of the situation but trying to prove how archaic muslim laws look and make people feel silly in todays world..No matter what religion you belong to you must see the stupidity of the clerics who mustered up all their 2 mg of grey matter to come up with the decision.
So my understanding from this is that the culprit is the person getting raped not the rapist.
Not that Im some kind of religious guru or holier than thou saint but how can one not see the plight this poor lady is in.
muslim hindu christian or aethist..if you rape someone you should be thrown behind bars and treated likewise..

Justice in this case truly would be to marry her husband to Lorena Bobbit who could then do the needful to the husband and his father..shame on the mother in law also for letting all this happen and keeping mum..
If this fatwa does go through it would really be a slap in the face for India.

I may seem like a mad man ranting..but truly I have no compassion for a person taking advantage of a womens modesty..

burn the sonofab*&#$....