Celebration time!

Here are the defining moments..
Captured in black and white !

At 10:55:03 AM



At 10:56:09 AM

Let there be a grand mela!
Today's lunch is my treat..
Please assemble at The Taj by 12.30AM
:D

Treat, Treat and More Treats !

In a span of just over a week, yesterday's was the 3rd treat! And it was just y'day that mom told me "Cut down on your chicken menu. You are growing too much these days (sideways, of course)". And I nodded a stupid "Yes" with an equally stupid display of the front top row of dental show-pieces. Planning was quick. To avoid all confusion, I took the initiative and sent out a mail to all the attendees, mentioning the time and venue. Now the point to be noted, is that, I'm not treating :D That privilege goes to Kiron. Here is why he's treating. He just got his US students visa stamped onto the first page of his passport. Boy, he is one happy kid! (His roomies, friends, neighbours were seen jumping up n down with joy - there were some odd sad souls, in and around BTM, but thats a different story, altogether)

Here's the blue print of the plan:
Venue : SSS, Forum
Time : 7.30PM
Agenda : Dinner (veg/non-veg as per wish. NO DRINKS). No movie as well.
Attendees : Every one in the mailing list (plus kiron's cousin (payyanaa) and probably Joe and roomie's)

Now, the word 'plan' has become synonymous to the word 'option'. No different this time. 'Plan' remained a blue print. The culprit ? Follow the conversation below over phone.
Trring Trring.. Trring Trring
Rec: Hello, Sahib Sindh Sultan
Rat : Oh.. Sorry, wrong number

Later, Rat's bulb glows.. oh shh..t , thats not some emperor, that was the name of the hotel, i wanted to call.

Trring Trring.. Trring Trring
Rec: Hello, Sahib Sindh Sultan
Rat : Is it SSS ?
Rec: Yes
Rat: We are a group of 12. Can we have a table at 7.45PM ?
Rec: No sir, the earliest available table is at 10.30PM
Rat: athil neeyum ninte kettiyonum keri thiruvaathira kalicho
Rec: Sorry??!
Rat: Oh, I said, its too late for us. Thanks. Bye

I was still at home, while making this call..
Kk and gang reached Forum, by 7.45
Much b4 that Alex had reached. I had promised, I'll call him up by 7.30 to find him in forum. His mobile, as usual, is running on ZERO currency :D

Finally, when i reached forum, got one BIG dose from KK and friends - in words and in action. Now the next step was to get it again, from Alex. Called him up. Here came the words. Spotted him. Luckily, no action. Just words, and contraction of the facial muscles from him :D

Kiron called up and said, they are on the way, and will reach in 15 minutes. He too got a dose from KK.

Now since SSS is full, the venue was quickly shifted to Coconut Grove, near Jyothi Nivas College. Alex's face now turned all-red. a prick of a needle, and forum would turn red. He said, I'm not coming. I have an appointment at 10PM. (Prayer meeting, what else)

To console him, we took him to Transit, and finished off some delicacies at a few counters. I paid, expecting a refund from Kiron. Too high expectations :((
Packed Alex and sent him off.
And rest of us left for your destination.

Finally in Coconut Grove by 8.45PM.
10 ppl - KK, Nalesh, Sand, Joe, Rat, Gasper, Jose, cousin, Bijoy, Kiron
A long table..
First 5 on one side, the next 5 on the other.
KK and Kiron sat facing each other.

Kiron, half the time, had his jaws dropped, not able to decipher where all the dishes vanished to. KK, on the other side, was restless and always occupied. There was a space crunch on that side of the table. In the mean time, Bijoy's plate disappeared too.. No idea, who ate that...

Having ordered and tasted all kinds of 2-legged, 4-legged, and no-legged species available in the menu, we took a look at the clock. Its already 2 hours since we stepped into this building. Other tables saw ppl coming and going, but we were still glued to the seats.

Not wanting any further delay, Kiron 'ordered' for the bill. Sand had serious doubts whether the printer inventories (read paper and ink) would be sufficient to print out such a huge bill.. Heard the printer making sound for more than 45 seconds.. Finally, what resembled a roll of toilet paper was brought in a basket in front of Kiron.
He was later carried home in Sand's car.

Tail:
1. Sho and Jins cudn't turn up. Coz it was raining in that part of the world. A phone conversation:
Jins: Da, I wont be able to come. Its raining.
Rat: Oh.. thats bad
Jins: Yes, I feel desperate.. to miss a treat in SSS
Rat: Dont be soo down.. Dont worry, treat is not in SSS. No tables available
Jins: Oh, is it ?!! Then no worries :D
2. Alex, towards the end of the Transit eatings: My anger is subsided, now i'm cool
:-S
3. Bill amount can be known by sending personal mail to Kiron :-)

A News and its Responses

Kiron gets student Visa to US.
He'll leave for US on Aug12, 2006

Reactions(thru SMS):
1. Soo - Yeah.. Thats really nice news.. Glad 4him :)
2. Mridul - Great news! (this comes from the bottom of his heart) ;-)
3. KK - Great!!nammude bhaagyam. (same here) :D
4. Jins - Enthoru santhosham!

Later, thru mail:
5. Kiron(himself!) - Bangaloreans can celebrate freedom for the next two years
6. Dipu(who is now in US) - Njan India-yilekku innale flight kayari...

In summary, there are at least 10 happy souls (happy for wat??!!) in India,
and a rejuvenating group of 4 ppl in the US (packing their bags?)

All said and done, kiron cant wait to treat us..
So this weekend will see yet another treat !
Thank you kiron (podaa pattee)
:D

Who to Sue ?

My blog hits are coming down.
Am I not blogging actively these days ?

Yes I am !

Then, why this sudden drop in hits?

Here is the culprit !

So who to sue ?
What can be done ?
KK suggested this

Donno how that works, but somehow it works !

Luckily, my ISP is a good one. No issues to me so far :)

A Birthday Gift

Think of a birthday gift...
Okay, its for a girl.. of your age..
Now think..

Teddy bear ? Archies card ? Leather wallet ?
Ho gaya ?
Okay, here is what i gave as b'day gift to S.
A movie !
Doesnt sound any special ?
Now consider that she hasnt been to a movie since
landing in Bangalore. In fact, if you put it in terms of
number of years, it will run into 8 LONG years !
So its special..

Saturday, July16, 2k6:
Alex was also with us. (After all, S is his cousin, before
she is my friend) :-)
He wasnt keen on watching a Hindi Movie.. But he was ok
with Krrish and Fanaa. But both S and I had watched these
movies. So we zeroed into Phir Hera Pheri.
Its an okay kinda movie.. At times you feel, the lead actors
(especially Paresh Rawal) is doing it a lil bit tooo much!
Overacting has always been Akshay Kumar's trademark.
And acting has never found an entry into Suniel Shetty's
dictionary. Add to this some lacklustre dubbing, and you will
feel like kicking the director Neeraj Vora (who does a cameo
in the movie, sitting in a bus beside Akshay Kumar and talking
over his mobile)
But on top of all this mis-fits, there are some tickling comedy
sequels. The climax is typical of a Priyadarshan film.
Note that Neeraj Vora has assisted Priyan in some of his prev
movies as writer. Hence such an inheritance is not unexpected.
You can find utter chaos, with ppl running after each other, for
one reason or the other. But the 'circus' climax is good.

The film seemed to have ended rather abruptly - with the viewers
left guessing, whether the heroes lived happily thereafter or not.
Or is it an attempt to put the foundation stone for yet another sequel?

Whatever...
Well, the Friday night movie was followed by a Saturday noon treat
by S at Hotel Imperial. Again, the three of us. Had never stuffed so much
of items into my lil tummy of late :-S

Post lunch, had a meeting with the MD of Ittina Properties..
Quite a crowd of owners had gathered. Had a heated discussion.
(Not much on this... coz firstly, its out of context, and 2ndly, its
confidential)
=> what the hell
:D

Over Over

Travelogue - Horsley Hills

How was this MUA different from the rest of the MUA trips ?
Men On a Mission!
Yes, exactly..
The previous trips were "famous" for the lacklustre planning,
and endless cancellations (of tickets, of ppl, of the trip altogether!!)

Not that this trip was totally planned, well organised and all that.
Some proof of our "planning" taking nose dive..
1. The trip was supposed to be a 2-day trip. In the end it was just 1-day
2. It was planned for four. But we had a last minute addition to the headcount.

So what was/is the mission ?
To complete 1000Km in the tripmeter of KK's brand new wagonR in 4 weeks.
We are almost there, just a few 10's of km's will take us there :)

Now, into the trip..
Planned details are here


Not much of deviation from the plans.
Except that we started at 8.30, instead of the planned 7AM.
Den and I reached KK's place at 7.10 to see KK standing topless, in a
lungi.
And KK informed "I called up Sho at 6. He replied.. KK... Isnt it enuff
if we leave at 8?" Hence a quick rescheduling of the start time.

That extra time was effectively used to make a Y! Msngr call to Geo.
Geo cudnt handle the flurry of goals from this side (v r 5 !) and he hung up
not before saying "Great times of india"
(In fact it was Geo who called up and not us. That adds to his frustration)
:D

Having had a NICE start, all were in good mood.
KK in the driving seat, Jose in the front seat, Sho,Rat,Den in the back seat.
Off we go!
180km was covered with not much of confusion/wrong-route.
Thanks to the wikipedia printout which I had.
But Den was not content with the info we had..
Nor with the sign boards.. He would go on telling "Lets ask n confirm"
Well, its good to get a confirmation.
But if you find a board, right in front of you saying "This way 5km to
Horsley Hills", would you really wanna ask someone and confirm?
:-)
Not just this, when the car was traversing thru deserted roads, not a single
civilized being in site (not even a cow), Den would cry out, "Hey, lets ask
somebody if we r on the right path"
When treated with some nice words by KK, Den's cry stopped :D

Landed at Horsley Hills at 1PM (Camera EXIF data says 12.59PM)
Straight into restaurant (not much of option here. There is just one!)
Post lunch(2PM), enquired at the reception about the availability of rooms.
"All rooms are ful sir"
Wow! What a relief. We can pack back today itself :-)
Got first hand details about places to visit, from the reception.
1. Joo (wat?? Joo. Sorry?? JOO, sir. Oh, ok, Zoo!!Got it)
2. Governor's Bunglow
3. View Point
4. Microwave Tower ( Uh? Is that a tourist spot??? )

Rat: Is it all in a 3-4 km range, close to each other?
Recptn: Its all in walkable distance, sir
Rat: :-S
Jose: Very well, v can start back at 3PM!
KK : Hmm.. Lets plan for 4PM. If v can finish off within that time, well n gud.

Zoo was good for nothing. But the scenic beauty of the surroundings was gud.
Sho was busy taking "orkut" photos :-)
Keep checking his profile for these pics..
KK, in his own trademark fashion, did some superb(?) poses
Jose did some monkey tricks and substituted Geo in a reasonably gud manner.
There was one funny incident inside the zoo.
I guess it was Jose's shirt color, 2 monkeys came screaming towards Jose.
Jose tried our age old combat trick - namely, RUN AS FAST AS U CAN.
Seeing that its of no use, he adopted the 11th trick.
He turned back at the 2 monkeys, and screamed out louder than them.
The monkeys seemed impressed, and left the place !

Wandered around the places, and took some awesome photos..
The breeze atop the hill was so soothing.
So was the downhill view.

Back to base, packed, started the return trip.
Had slight drizzles on the way back.
Took a different route and saved a few 30 odd km's.
But the road was such a mess.
It was a typical 3D motion, that the wagonR had to take..
X-axis (left-right), Y-axis(fwd-rvrse) and Z-axis(gutters)
So big was the pot-holes, that I guess, avoiding the pot-holes might have
saved us a few km's!

KK n Jose took turns behind the wheels.
Even as the Sony Xplod was playing in full volume, Jose and Sho and Rat
chipped in with some typical numbers in between.

Back to base camp aka KK's house at around 8PM.
Den n me got back home by 10.30PM

You might have already seen pics from KK's Cam
Here are pics from Rat's Cam
Of course, with captions :D

Tail:
1. As is the norm (take max pics), we took close to 350 photos in 2 cams
2. Sho dint let us know Jins' absence. He postulated a new law, hereafter ShoLaw "If 2 questions have the same answer, whatsoever be the questions,
the answer shall be 'Kayar' "
3. One of Den's numerous ideas came when we were travelling thru wastelands.
"We'll buy a farmland here, and come here once in a while for drinking"
Brilliant idea!!
4. Nice sound system, nice car, but it has a gear slip. KK has noted it.
5. There was no Common Fund!! All expenses were paid by me :((
Hope I get it all back :-O
Update as on July13: Have not yet got a penny back :(((

Dollar-hit !!

I forgot again..
In fact I dint forget..
I copied the MUA blog into my black mem stick.
I kept it at home and took along with me the white one.
Oh my bad.....

To console myself, here's a funny thing that happened today morning.
Breaking a month-long no-van, on-bike policy, I got into the company van today.
Got the seat right beside the door.
A girl was sitting in the window seat.. Busy, chatting over the phone.
A new kid i guess, never seen her in this van.
Pink color short salwar, fair complexion.
(Dint get a chance to take a snapshot of her face, was too shy to look) ;-)

5 mins into the journey and she hung up the phone.
She had a friendly(?) stare at me - Did she say "Y the hell r u sittin here, there r plenty of vacant seats elsewhere".
She said "Would you please close the door?"
I, being a generous and service-oriented smart handsome (ok ok... cut those last two words), got up and tried to bang it close. But then, the door was latchd to the floor, and I get back on to the seat and conveyed the good news to my seat-partner..
She seemed not happy. Did she say "What kind of a guy are you? Cant you do this much when a girl asks for a help? Y cant you bend your back and release that latch?"
Well, she got back onto the phone, and dint speak a word to me after that.
At times i wonder how can ppl speak on mobile for such a long stretch.
I mean, I never use my mobile for making a call, unless its an SOS call.
(Ppl who know me will second me on this) ;-)
They'll go one step further and add, "But you fill up our inboxes with your 100sms quota!"

Y do i digress so much ?
So there she is, talking over the phone..
Was she really talking... or just listening? Coz i dont rcollect anything that she said..
Even while she was talking, she was making some gestures, as if she is toooo cold,
as if she is shivering..
as if she has a headache..
I cared not!
In the mean time, the van came to a stop at a signal.
The good samaritan in me got up and unlocked the latch.

But madam was still on phone.
Later when she learned, the door is closed, wonder what went thru her mind
"The hand of God ? Whirlwind came and closed the door ?"
I bet, she saw me closing the door.
We were sitting RIGHT in front of the door, you see !

By now, all here uneasy gestures vanished..
And while the van negotiated turns, there seemed to be some closure of the physical
and geometrical separation between us :-S
I also felt she was turning to her sides a lil too much (to catch a glimpse of me?)
(Is it for real, or an illusion generated by my filthy(?!) mind?)
[Guys, I dont need an answer for this question , okay? So forget this while you comment]
:D

At the end of the journey, she got down at my office. So she is a colleague of mine!
Later met her at the canteen also..

The End (hopefully)

MuA - Horsley Hills : Gallery

With Captions:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=4yg26n7.68fa4qk3&Uy=ghjm5o&Ux=1

This is KK's cam pics.
Rat's cam pics will follow..
Blog will also appear soon..

"I" - Tagged by Amarula!

I am thinking about ---- what to eat for lunch (its 12.52PM IST - lunch time!!)

I said------------------- Once a Friend, Always a Friend

I want------------------- to cover all shopping malls in Bangalore in ONE day, on MY bike

I miss------------------- my Sharp Mobile, my blue denim jeans pant, and my bike keys (lost all of 'em) :((

I wish------------------- There were more weekends than weekdays

I hear------------------- Jagjit Singh - Tum Itna jo muskura rahe ho

I wonder---------------- when will Sowji,Dipu and Lee come back (they r in US, onsite)

I regret----------------- not having made tons of friends during my school days

I am-------------------- Rat !

I dance----------------- on-stage, and only on-stage

I sing------------------- whenever I get a chance. Mostly Hindi or Malayalam. At times, English too!

I cry-------------------- VERY rarely. The last time, my eyes got wet was when I lost my brother's gift - my Sharp MObile :(

I am--------------------- (helloooo... I've answered this already) LOL

I make with my hands--- Eatable things, more often that not edible !

I write------------------- these days, I only seem to type. When did i pick up a pen to write something???

I confuse---------------- My boss and team-mate

I need------------------- to get my UPS repaired. Its fused ! And I've connected my home PC direct from the mains.. Risky!

I should----------------- smile more often

I start------------------ my bike with my right thumb

I finish----------------- my daily 100-free sms quota very easily. And at times, have to do some sms-management !!

Lunch team-mate came.
I'm the go..
Tag to be done by Lee,Geo,Soo

A misbehaving Mem Stick

:-(

All the MUA-Horsley Hills are in the stick.
The blog too!

Oh my stick..
My sweet mem stick..
Y dont you tick ?
Need a kick ?

Have to do Amarula's tag !

MUA Returns!!

I mean.. err.. since its the era of sequels.. as in..
Superman returns..
Krrish..
BI-2
MI-3

In this context, the subject has a relevance, hasnt it ?

BTW, coming to the main topic:
MUA has comeback in a big fashion.
Considering the rising petrol prices, and also considering the fuel efficiency that we get in a diesel powered vehicle, we have decided to employ a petrol vehicle for our future trips. Towards this, KK has promptly collected some bucks from a neighboring tree (??) and bought a petrol car.

So much, about the history of the tour vehicle.
Here is the agenda and details for the Trip
Venue : Horsely Hills (There is nothing there to see.. so what?! )
Voyagers: KK, Jose, Rat, Sho
Machine : wagonR (black. KK will drive. No more comments on this)
Distance : 165km (The distance quoted is from some point to some other point. Nobody knows where this "some point" is.. But everybody is illitererate about this "some other point") :-S
Start : Saturday July 8, 0700hrs
Back : Saturday July 8, 2200hrs
Gadgets: Sony explode, Reebok shoe (sorry, no pump 2.0), Sony cam, Canon cam and 2 push-machines (lol)

Aim: To cover 1000km in quick time (KK has a bet with the service agent - First service is 1month/1000km whichever happens first. I'll bring the car here much before that for service)
Driver: Considering the aim below, I shall take up the responsiblity

Over n out
Rat

Krrish! (Dont miss that extra r ! )

When you go for a movie with a neutral mind, you sure gonna like it.
When you go for a movie with absolutely no good hope (after having heard all those comments from your friends, and having read all those rediff/TOI reviews), you will enjoy the movie (of course, given the reviewer has a loose nut on his right hemisphere)

Krrish!
Ever since they announced the movie, I've wondered "Do we really need that extra r?"

And when I was thrown the same question, I had the right (?) answer..
Its based on vaastu (what my mind said was numerology. But there was some data xfer error, and a corrupt data was thrown out thru the mouth. Blame it on the n/w)

Went for the movie with N (having confirmed that OPT folks are DAMN NOT interested in the movie). Well, going for a movie with a gal (and only a gal) is a dream-come-true..
Another true-to-life dream that i had was to ride a bike, with a gal as pillion..
Well, we dream high, and when we get it full hands, we scream high !
(and that rhymed, dint it ? YES IT DID!)

Having booked the ticket, when the ticket status was "FEW" (thats very close to "SOLD OUT"), and seeing the seat number N-6 and N-7, I was sure, its gonna be a head-turner... As in, Watching a tennis match, sitting right beside the net
(I was wondering , when did i last watch a tennis match in this fashion...)
:-S
But then, it was some 3rd or 4th row, from the BACK! Yeah - from the back!
Then i realised, it was some ticket which got cancelled and landed up into my hands..


Even while getting seated, I told N "See, the movie is gonna be stupid and the only watchable things are the songs and the stunts". She nodded, yes I've read the reviews :(

When it comes to reviews, one striking statement that still remains somewhere in my cache is "Never before was a superhero projected in such an ugly fashion with the camera focusing on his nipples". If I had seen that reviewer at the door, right after the movie, that was going to be his end. As my friend says.. "Ppl see only those things , that they wish to see"
:D (no more comments on the reviewer)
;-)

In some other stupid review, I read "As they say, there is only one man who can save the earth. And its Krrish!". To some extent its true, but you will FIRMLY disagree, after watching the film.
Mr Krrish had no such intention, you see :-)

The film started in a school, and ends in a village.
In between, the camera rolls in Singapore for some songs and stunts, and also for the climax.

Also seen in between are Naseerudin Shah, Duryodhan (what was his name?), Rekha (she would be the same 'daadi' in Krrrrrrish - thats Krrish part3) , Preity Zinta, Sharat Saxena and Hrithik (??)

But it all goes well, except for some stupid Bollywood melodramas and flashbacks...
But as long as you have it at the back of your mind, that you r watching a hindi movie, its fine.
Well, during the ring-recovery fight scene, for a moment, you may wonder "Is this a Hindi movie, that i've got the ticket for ?"
Too good are the fights

And the camera work is magnificient..
It would have been tough for Santhosh Thundiyil to fly after Hrithik, between the trucks!
But whatever the Chinese (or is it Japanese) stunt master says, he has to do !!



Tail :
1. The banner of Yash Raj Films was shown in PVR during the titles. A blunder ?!
2. As always, names are masked to protect piracy, i mean.. privacy
3. For 100 bucks of petrol, my bike did a 111km - thats 62kmpl mileage! YIpppeee
4. ok.. agreed, point 3 has got nothing to do with this topic.. Over n Out

A bigger Tail (added lately..):
The ticket booking episode was not all simple and groovy as it sounded in the disco above. It was outright scary, and witty, all the same. So here is lil Rat, at the counter to do an advance booking for the evening show...
Rat: Krrish evening show - 2 tickets
Guy: 615
Rat: Sorry ??!!
Guy: Sir, Six Fifteeen
Rat: What ?!!!! :O
Guy: Sir, Six-One-Five
Rat: Ok (and jumped out of the queue)

Called up N, and asked - Are you sure, we have to go for the movie today ?
While i was talking over the phone, the overhead TV screen which has the movie listings showed : Krrish 10.45AM, 3PM, 6.15PM, 10PM
Bulb, tube, CFL all glows the same time.. Quickly hung up and got back into the queue.
Booked the tickets and paid the bucks and left the counter - not before giving a "friendly" stare to that stupid counterboy. When I said "gimme 2 tickets" , why the heck should he tell me the time of the show, when I expected him to tell the ticket fare :-S

In the end, who was stupid - me or the counterboy?
:-S