the traveller

Bipasha Basu...

2012-02-12T22:53:00.001+05:30

Has started looking nice for a change Strange ha.

Today...

2012-02-11T14:27:00.001+05:30

Arjun Learnt the F-word ;). Am I proud? Well...

Audi :)

2012-02-10T22:58:00.001+05:30

Inception - movie review

2012-01-22T19:09:00.001+05:30

Watching Inception. It's one amazing movie. May be I am not understanding it or may be I am, it is based on weird thing like dreaming.

I have thought a lot on dreams and thr weird dreams I get sometimes that I am a gangster and running from other chaps in similar profession and of course winning against them.

Very odd people coming for help, the ones I haven't seen, met or spoken to in years. Almost a Don movie running through. These dreams have come quite a few times.

So I have always been intrigued by dreams as such. Some of my friends think that dreams are B&W. I dont think so as I can remember the colours in my dream. My violet car with black windows when I was playing Michael Corleone. The steel of guns, robbers in one of my childhood dreams wearing a weird blue trousers and pink t-shirts. No hair, or may be they were masked.

Anyways, the concept of the movie is very good, dream within a dream and then again another one and how it affects the subconscious.

Controlling the dream is again a very simple scenario, you can actually script your dream to move in a direction, sometimes you can control it to nth degree.

They have taken this to the next level, pretty well done. Leonardo de Caprio is an actor who has changed completely. Compared to Titanic where he was ok to now in the Departed, Catch me if you can, Blood Diamond, the Aviator and now Inception. The guy is fantastic.

Would want to watch it once more, may be in Hindi this time to ensure that I didn't miss anything :).

And I finished the the review without reveling the story :).

I think

2012-01-20T20:13:00.001+05:30

I think I should start a different blog, I dont write much here ;).

Choosing 'the' camera

2012-01-16T22:23:00.001+05:30

Has to be a d700. That's the one.

And lenses?
Nikon 50mm 1.4d
Nikon 35 70 2.8d - push pull ( used )
Nikon 80 200 2.8d ( new ) - the 'new' is in the name. Does not mean new.

Lets see.

Rajni.

2012-01-15T13:58:00.001+05:30

Rajnikant knows the two people............

Who shakes there hands on NOKIA phones at start-up.

Some images

2012-01-14T23:01:00.004+05:30

Deep analysis

2012-01-08T11:54:00.001+05:30

Almost looks like things are falling in place. That's deep :).

Elevated Earth

2011-11-12T04:15:00.002+05:30

It's strange that when every night you sleep, you don't realize that the earth rises in elevation. Bacause if you wake up pre-dawn, before the earth has returned to its level, you wake up in the sky.

Clouds passing through you, ambling right ahead. Everything just merges into one another, a little more. It's hazy, boundary less. Lights diffusing and not shining.

Everything seems to be fused with each other. A little more.

The buildings merging into the sky and background. The lights like lanterns glowing with a smoky haze.

It's a very spiritual feeling that you feel more part of the world than ever.

Tall trees rising and then disappearing somewhere at the top. It's more mysterious almost like you are closer to the vast universe compared to the cozy comfort of the familier earth.

It's all very beautiful and mysteriously calming.

Generation gap

2011-09-28T20:50:00.001+05:30

Was talking to two of my friends who wanted to send me some photos. And both of them told me the same thing - "but you are not on Facebook, not even on Orkut how do we send you our photos".

Very valid point indeed but I don't get it. I mean people used to share photos even before Facebook.

:), may be I am just getting old. Generation gap between me and my friends.

Reading

2011-09-07T09:44:00.001+05:30

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Again.

The Blind Side - the movie

2011-08-07T10:39:00.001+05:30

Was watching this again yesterday. Ita about a white family adopting a black boy and the boy becoming a great player in American football.

Now I am not a big believer in America or it's football. Nor am I much interested in blank-white tension. We have enough issues of our own, but the movie is fantastic. I think it was very mature in it's own way. The overall portrayal of a mother-son relationship, and in American social conditions.

The other thing I loved was the occupation of the "dad". I think owning 85 taco Bella and fast-food chana is amazing. And it's steady money, and a lot of it too :).

The confidence and security the entire family in that movie show comes out very naturally to the actors. This is amazing quality of actors, being into their character. Unlike a Shah-rukh Khan who is always himself no matter what the movie :).

So all in all, I liked what I saw in the movie.

Is Chess a racist game??

2011-08-06T21:35:00.001+05:30

Ever wondered in carrom, why is white a 20 pointer and black a 10 without being a rare entity???

And why in Chess, whites always start.

Just thinking :)

- Posted from phone

Knowing more

2011-08-06T18:59:00.001+05:30

If you know what your problems are, at times it's tougher compared to if you do not know them.

Life is funny :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Facebook and I - 3

2011-04-06T23:05:00.001+05:30

I think facebook has made communication more frequent and more meaningless.

Spot Me!!!

2011-03-29T22:46:00.000+05:30

Testing the new mobile blogger

2011-03-24T13:49:00.001+05:30

Love is "also" a four-letter word !!!

2011-03-11T22:24:00.002+05:30

Arjun is learning to read. Nitya is starting him on three letter words. I will teach him the four-letter words ;)

How to eat a pizza!!!

2011-02-19T19:00:00.001+05:30

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Packing and Moving

2011-02-12T13:58:00.002+05:30

Packing and moving has been a steady and constant part of our lives in the past 7-8 years of marriage. And even before that I have been changing cities, houses constantly as long as I remember.

Things have changed in this industry, it was very different when we moved from Barkhedi to Shahpura. That was when I was 9. I still remember the use of "bori" and new-papers as packing materials. Most of the packing was done by us and loading and moving part was taken care of by professionals with trucks. Unloading as well, but no unpacking (as the term evolved).

Second big movement was from Bhopal to Raipur. Again the same thing. I remember the evening we reached Raipur and our stuff was still in transit, we slept on a coir with bed sheets and quilts provided by landlords who used to live on ground floor of the house where we occupied the first floor. That was I guess the most stable time I remember till date as a grown up. We went to Raipur when I was 11-12 and were there for 7 years living in the same house.

The third movement I distinctly remember was in 1994 when we moved back from Raipur to Bhopal. It was very similar, you do packing, someone will do loading, moving and unloading. Unpacking will be done by you again. You are tired as you packed all stuff and came all the way and then you start unpacking again :). God, that would be physically and psychologically draining, but what was the option. I remember though that this time, as suggested by Devaria uncle, we let the movers get the TV also, still not sure if it will reach in one piece :), but it did and Baba called Devaria uncle to tell him that. To us, it was an achievement, getting a TV across 700 kms. Unheard of.

My move from Bhopal to Ujjain was relatively simpler as it was just my clothes etc. This was all pre-car era and so we travelled in train reaching Ujjain where my enginnering college was starting on 17th Aug 1995. What a day that was and what an amazing start of the fantastic 4 years of my life. While in Ujjain, I shifted once in those 4 years from Manda mawshi's house to Kaku's. From Free Ganj to city. From Sri Ganga to Bhagat ji and from Jain sev to Ratlami sev, from Dewas gate to Bhola Guru.. I can continue for even :). Yes, all these things are important. A huge difference in way of life in the same small town of Ujjain.

After college, moving back to Indore to think about work for some time. Soon, it was Mumbai calling.

Drove all te way sometime in 99. Started with Kandivali Lokhand and from one building to another in a matter of a month. All this was simple, living with friends, only belongings were clothes and suitcases.

Alica Nagar was an experience, four of us started there and not a day in first 6 months when there was no one else in that flat. Someone new to Mumbai who did not have place to live. It wa a party and everyone was invited.

Then a move from Kandivali E to Vashi with Harshu and Vahini. It was another fantastic six months before it became difficult and tiring to travel from Vashi to Andheri E everyday. So moved back with friends to Andheri E. We used to watch a lot of movies.

Mumbai to Delhi was another big change again. People I didnt know, nice flat and good money. Made good friends, but then came back in 9 months to get married. Back to Mumbai, started with living in Andheri E. Known place, office nearby. Good one bed house but one rainy season on returning from London, found the house flooded. Another move came as I wanted to re-live the Vashi experience a few years back.

Koper khairane is still a small town place in Mumbai. We packed our stuff and we moved. They unnloaded and unpacked. When Arjun was born, this is the house we got the first car. We were not very pleased with the place as it was far away from office, so moving back to Mumbai was inevitable.

Hyderabad came as a surprise and relief. This was the first time we used Agarwal Packers and movers. They move everything in cardboard boxes - along with the car, well almost everything. Trained packers who made packing and moving from an art to industry and efficiency. They knew how to pack everything you have, do not think looking at the items and thinking.. Now how do I pack this? I think it was creative.

It was boring and interesting to watch these people work. They packed, moved and unpacked as well. Efficient and nice. No work of art, but following set rules. Creativity lost.

6 months in Hyderabad was fantastic time spent. Back to Mulund W. And then in a year to Powai. This started a stable time, well, relatively. We lived in same house for around 2 years before moving to our own apartment in Powai. That was almost like end of movements. We completed a good one year in our house when Bangalore came knocking :).

Nice house, nice place. All good. Wanted to stay here and buy this house from landlord before he informed that he is moving back.

9 months and we are moving again and part of move started today, it will finish this weekend.

I dont think life is unstable causing us to move every now and then. I think instability is within. The desire to throw yourself in a whirlpool and then then making things stable again and then again destabilizing.

I think moves are important. Every move brings along with it opportunities, challenges, adjustments and new perspectives.

I will like to keep moving, travelling every few years. I think we grow and mature as we move. Its like reading a book. You dont stop at one.

A lot of stability brings rigidness and closed-mindedness. When you do not want to look at a new perspective but just missing what you had. Its not forward-looking but frustrating.

If I can, I will keep moving. Dragging people along :). Always!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Taj at Coonoor!!!

2010-12-27T20:58:00.002+05:30

Taj at Coonoor is part of a priory built 150 years along with this church.

Beautiful place, a fireplace in each of the cottages.

This is one must visit destination.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

I like

2010-11-20T16:47:00.001+05:30

Bread!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Facebook and I - part 2

2010-10-29T13:01:00.001+05:30

I have finally uninstalled facebook from my mobile :)

Worth posting it on facebook. Huh ;)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Arjun... :)

2010-10-19T19:32:00.002+05:30

In all his glory

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Facebook and I

2010-10-18T22:42:00.003+05:30

I have a Facebook account for quite some time now and I have (not) been using it for all that long as well. Earlier I thought its more for youger crowd and probably i have just outgrown it. But I see a lot of people who are my generation, friends, some people I used to work with and are quite older to me, do seem to use it with ease. So, this argument does not hold good.

Well, now I know that I am not the most open people there are in terms of sharing personal life. Very few people working with me have visited my home and a even fewer number whose house I went to. So, then I though may be its the people who are on facebook and as they are ranging from friends to just plain people I have known once or know through a friend etc which is causing me to share stuff online. But then I realized that I am happy with those people reading my blog and have no such issues there, sharinh what I want to put it down. The blog is not written for others, its my brain-dump which i keep putting on these pages. So - this surely is not an issue as well.

Then I thought about it.. it looks like there is a basic weirdness about facebook and that is that its about other people all the time. I am eating here, I have a smart crack.. its all about sharing it with people for the people. Very less is intented as a brain-dump etc which you are ok with even if noone reads it.

Its the whole idea about thinking about what I should tell others and puttin it down is a big turn-off for me. I am happy to share some information about myself here and there, but I am comfortable with it being on a need-to-know basis. If someone needs to know, will just call up the person and tell him/her rather than publishing to the world.

This does not mean, facebook is crap - the advantage is that you can find a long lost friend, who otherwise you would never get in touch with - now, its ok if thats the case, nothing stops because i cant get in touch with this person who I have never spoken to for past say 11 yrs - but its, in Goscinny's language "Justforkix". :)

Dusssara - Today is special

2010-10-17T20:59:00.001+05:30

Why???

Because I cooked all tthree meals today. Nice kuskara in morning, dum aloo pubjabi and jira fried rice in afternoon and light and nice jira ke tadka wali khichadi :-)

Dum aloo punjabi - receipe

2010-10-17T17:36:00.003+05:30

Made this. Came very well. Simple way -

Ingrediants -
1. Baby potatos
2. Garlic - 2 cloves
3. Tomatos - 2
4. Onion - 2 medium size
5. Chillies - 2-3
6. Garam masala, salt, haldi, amchoor powder, jira
7. Ginger - small piece
8. 2 cups of dahi

Method -
1. Peel off potatoes, dont boil them.
2. Put holes in aloo with fork.
3. Put oil in frying pan and fry the potatoes till they are pink-brown.
4. Whisk the dahi and keep aside
5. Put tomato, onion, green chillies, garlic and ginger in mixie and make into a coarse/fine paste.
6. Put some oil in frying pan and put some jira in it.
7. Now put the paste in pan and let it be for around 10 mins till its nicely fried
8. Then, put haldi, dhania powder, amchoor powder and let it fry for 5 mins.
9. Move the pan away from gas so that it can cool a bit. Keep it away from flame for around a minute, and then put dahi
10. Put it back on flame for 2 mins and then add aloo.
11. Add a spoon of garam masala and salt to taste
12. Let it simmer for around 5 mins.
13. Add water, milk if gravy is too thick.
14. Add coriender, cut green chilly and garlic to garnish.

Enjoy :)