tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87684057351999973312024-03-13T16:25:22.413+05:30...and a touch of life"There's not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do" --- Bill WattersonBig Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-89083063093854913592009-05-23T19:10:00.004+05:302009-05-23T19:47:52.501+05:30Packing off ...<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Song for the mood: Times like these - Foo Fighters</span><br /><br />I'm moving to a different place tomorrow. It's a few miles away from here, bit closer to my office. I won't be missing the current place much though; never really liked it. Multitude of reasons ... but am looking up as far as the new place is concerned! Of course, what problems characterize the new one, only the next 11 months can tell :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I have packed my bags ... I think I have; the bags look filled ... but I can still see a lot of stuff lying around. Guess I'll just dump it in tomorrow morning. The one thing I really wanted to do was to have a huge sack; I just place it near my desk and slide all the stuff in it ... you see, most of my stuff is never in the cupboard, it just lies around on this teeny-weeny desk and a chair that's beside it. I sometimes wonder if all this stuff is alive because I'm pretty sure it organizes itself! In a messy way, of course, so that innocent humans like yours truly never suspect what's really going on ... but after dumping stuff for so long I'm really starting to see a pattern ... every time I thrust my arm in, into that being, to find something (something, anything) wallah! It just comes into my hand! It's like I pretend I'm reaching for it ... but actually 'it' reaches for me ... spooky! Brrrr ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Well, I'll be packing off between 10:00 - 11:00 tomorrow morning. Leaving behind a lot of scraps of paper, non-disposed wrappers of biscuits and chocolates and a huge stack of plastic bags that I prefer to think I'm leaving as a welcome gift to the next occupant, whoever he or she maybe, I'm also letting go of a much more personally valuable item; this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've been scribbling for nearly 2 years; it's been fun! I've written a lot of personal experiences, some poetry, few jibes at friends along the way, criticisms, vented my anger out at times ... lotsa stuff ... it was all good. Somehow I just don't feel like adding to it anymore ... it's has become like one of the packed bags that I can see next to my desk right now. If I dump even one more item I'll have to sit on the bag so that the zip can be closed ... pretty much the same for this blog too ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Not to say I won't be blogging/scribbling anymore. It will just be a different one, somewhere else. I just hope all the good friends I've made along the way who have taken the time to read this indescribable nonsense that I love to ramble on about will continue reading more indescribable nonsense somewhere else ... wherever it might be :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Until next time ... adios!</span><br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-47470302121958876522009-05-20T18:51:00.004+05:302009-05-20T22:02:40.100+05:30Buses, rains ... leaks ...<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms;">So, it's raining. In Bangalore. Heavy rains mind you. Not the kind where eager but cautious parents dress their kids in thick rain coats and an umbrella so the kids can splash in puddles and use the upturned umbrellas as boats in little gutters ... proper rains, there's even lightning.<br /><br />So if it's raining this heavy, would you get drenched? Of course! Stupid question, moron. Ya, but what if you have a raincoat or an umbrella (or both, you might be the cautious kind) with you while it's raining? Then maybe you won't get drenched but you could still get a lil' wet, right? Strong winds could blow away your umbrella (that is always a funny sight, a complete cracker!) blah blah so there is a still a chance you could get wet. Hmmm ... what if you are traveling in a bus? Could you still get wet? No you can't get wet. You can, however, get drenched.<br /><br />My office bus leaks! From all over the place; the window edges, the roof and the sunroof just point your finger to a part of the bus and it will be leaking. Guaranteed. It leaks so much I have to sit wearing my jerkin, no matter which seat!<br /><br />I dunno if the BMTC (it is a BMTC bus) has given some serious thought to this, but this could be an amazing business idea. Don't fix the leak, just put bath fittings wherever there is a small/big hole. Sell the idea of a shower bus; tubs instead of seats and so on ... it might sell, who knows? Or even better, make sure the water only leaks in and doesn't get out of the bus. That way when it fills up it will looks like a traveling aquarium, what with all the passengers swimming around inside ... put a few dim lights and you're done! Put some plants in one corner and you're better! It will sell like hot idlis! A splendid tourist attraction, only one of its kind. Or maybe not ... I'm sure half the buses that BMTC has leak in the same way.<br /><br />I spotted one of my colleagues when the bus left the office campus yesterday. He was standing under a small shed to escape the rain. I think he saw me too. It was raining, he didn't have an umbrella, but he was ok. I was in a bus and I was soaking wet!<br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-51112270960587618362009-05-18T08:11:00.003+05:302009-05-18T08:39:57.567+05:3050 cars < 1 bus?<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Song for the mood: Second Love - Pain of Salvation</span><br /><br />A car on the road carries on an average 1.2 people. 50 cars worth of passengers can fit into ... wait for it ... 1 bus! A good bus leaves a carbon footprint equivalent to just 4 cars traveling over the same distance. Although these stats are true for Europe, where <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/05/50-cars-or-1-coach.html">this awesome awesome video-ad</a> has been made, I think a similar group of numbers would hold true for large Indian metros like Bangalore and Mumbai among others.<br /><br />I have blogged <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://threechordsoflife.blogspot.com/2009/01/beating-traffic-i-think-we-can.html">on similar lines</a> in the past. Maybe if enough of us mobilize in such a cause we can do something similar here. It wouldn't be trouble free but then there's no free lunch right? ;)<br /><br />De-congesting the cities will go a long way in improving a lot of things. Money saved on just building larger and even larger roads can be directed towards need-of-the-hour issues like public sanitation, restoration of forests, effective waste management etc. Maybe I'm getting a lil' carried away here, but to me it seems very realistic.<br /><br />Another little thing I'm pumped up about; I'm buying a bicycle! Yes, I'm gonna use it for my everyday commute to office. More on that once I get my bicycle, which should be very very soon!<br /><br />Thanks to <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://www.copenhagenize.com/">Copenhagenize.com</a> for the video. By the way, if you are thinking about getting into bicycling and need a reason to convince you why it's great, do yourself a favor and check that blog :) What the heck! Check it anyway!<br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-72565714768433987862009-04-21T17:40:00.001+05:302009-04-21T17:40:47.517+05:30Fake? Really?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">The Pak probe team that investigated the horrendous episode of a girl, who goes by the name Chand Bibi, reportedly slogged by brutes in the SWAT valley, has termed the entire episode as fake. Yes, it never happened.</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> <br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">The investigating officer has termed the video evidence as a fake, saying he personally visited the place where the purpoted incident took place. While Chand Bibi and her husband have already denied this ever happening, even the people of the area have denied knowledge of any such incident. Read the story </span><b style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><a href="http://newsx.com/story/50567">here</a></b><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> <br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">I'm just wondering as to why this 'officer' also did not claim that the Taliban does not exist in SWAT at all! It is all just imagination, phooey talk!</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> <br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Borrowing some commonsense from an old joke, if somebody put a bomb in your mouth, what will explode first - your face or the bomb? But of course; your ass! <i>Sabse pehle teri gaand fategi</i>.</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> <br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">Does Mr. officer really expect people to believe him? Last I heard his 'government' has sold the land and the citizens of SWAT to the Taliban, who by the way have no intention of giving up their merry ways. How, pray tell me, does he even expect a witness to testify against the beasts who practically control his every breath? This, ignoring the fact, that the 'investigators' are part of the very democratic government (sic) that have sold him, not long ago.<br><br>Unless this Taliban is a new women-friendly organization that we haven't heard of, chances are there are already hundreds of Chand Bibis in that valley. It's a shame that the only thing her own country can afford her is to term her tribulations as fake on top of a spineless investigation. I wish the officer is right. I really hope this incident has never happened to any man or woman or child. But that is only wistful thinking.</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> <br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"> Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-38979279670232660142009-03-16T21:15:00.004+05:302009-03-16T22:12:30.822+05:30Literacy vs Education<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Literacy is basically the ability to read and write, at least in one language. Literacy empowers you to be on the same pedestal as the society in which you live. In a world where information comes mostly through the written medium this is a rather crucial ability for anyone. Being literate is necessary. Being literate is indispensable. Being literate is literally just that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Being literate is not the same as being educated. Education is more of a process than an ability. It's a loop: observe -> learn -> understand -> apply -> observe. Literacy is a tool in this process, at least it is if your choice of education is academic: science, literature, history etc</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">That last sentence is important! Literacy is not the only way to be 'educated'. Suppose you want to be a great fisherman? You can't just read about the different types of fish, you have to go and catch some. You have to know when and where to fish. Suppose you want to be an amazing cook? You have to burn your fingers, burn the food, burn a few utensils, know the difference between ginger and garlic and so on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A politician, no matter how illiterate, is educated in the art of being a politician (manipulator, diplomat, shrewd). A painter, even if he doesn't know the names of colors, can be a great painter if he knows how to use them such that it appeals to observers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">They are not the same, literacy and education. The difference between them is much like the difference between a tool and a process. Literacy will give you the ability to read a book. Education is when you, at least, understand what the author is trying to convey. As an ending note I'll give an example of self-help books, something like 'Learn how to lose weight in 30 days'. What's wrong with the title? Nothing. You can learn how to lose weight in 30 days. You can 'learn' it. When you actually lose weight ... then you'll know it ...</span><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-17435828596396315092009-03-15T18:35:00.005+05:302009-03-15T18:42:26.045+05:30Writer's block ... ?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >What the hell has happened to me? How the hell can I be unable to blog random nonsense anymore?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Does that make me a writer? Hooray ... sheesh ... bah!</span>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-7320358996780164852009-03-09T22:42:00.004+05:302009-03-09T23:07:09.926+05:30Easing traffic on Ring Road<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The Outer Ring Road, for the uninitiated, is literally a ring shaped road that goes right around Bangalore. With the city ever expanding there are now plans to build an outer-outer ring road in addition to the current Outer Ring Road but that is where I'll leave that.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The Ring Road is definitely the most plied on road in Bangalore, especially by buses and trucks and their heavier cousins. Many large IT parks are also alongside the ring road. The amount of traffic is truly unbearable at times (most of the time) with section of a couple of kilometers taking up to half-n-hour, especially near those signals which are close to these IT parks.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">There have been a lot of talks of making the ring road 'signal free' (a mini Autobahn?) by converting all current signal crossings into underpasses and so on. Certain work has even begun in this respect for e.g.: a new underpass opened just today morning just ahead of Banaswadi in the direction of Hebbal.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">There is one more thing I observed today morning, which I personally found to be a neat little piece of work. It is the making of a small cut in the side of the road to accommodate a bus-stop, in such a way that when a bus stops it doesn't hold up traffic behind it.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SbVRAehJMvI/AAAAAAAAAkw/VssR9Uezfw0/s1600-h/bus_stop.PNG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SbVRAehJMvI/AAAAAAAAAkw/VssR9Uezfw0/s320/bus_stop.PNG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311240404187296498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">As you can see from the awesome image above (it's a 2 min job in ms paint, so thanks) the part in gray shown the bus stop. This means that when the bus halts for public to get in and out, there is no traffic held up. This means there is no lane-cutting or spillover of traffic into adjoining lanes. Once the bus has to start moving again it can seamlessly join the main traffic. The bus stops are especially a concern on ring road since most of them are just ahead of traffic signals. I'm optimistic about this little design helping out in making the traffic a lot smoother.</span><br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-5270375624353611012009-02-02T08:31:00.002+05:302009-02-02T08:39:40.050+05:30Ludicrous!<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Pawan Shetty, the youth who tried defending women from the Wanar Sena attack in Mangalore, has been threatened. </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/man-who-fought-mangalore-pub-attackers-threatened/84235-3-1.html">Here</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> is the article.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">With all the <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082037">27 angry monkeys released on bail</a> there's no saying what they'll do. I hope Pawan doesn't have to pay a price for doing the only right thing in that entire fiasco.</span><br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-50877860705050359082009-01-31T12:38:00.005+05:302009-01-31T14:20:23.312+05:30Are you enjoying the ride yet?<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Ok, so this post was intended for lashing out at past week's Mangalore pub fiasco, in continuation of my question to </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://threechordsoflife.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-question-for-moral-brigadier.html">mr. moral brigadier</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I'm not going to do so.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">In one sentence, I believe it was all purely political and with the elections drawing close these incidents will happen more, peak during the elections, and dormancy will prevail for the next 4 years ... in the fifth year it will start again.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">In the aftermath of the incident, mr. moral brigadier has downplayed the hooliganism of his monkeys, the NCW pointed fingers at irresponsibility of the girls who got beaten up (bummer?) then retracted and blamed it on the pub security even demanding cancellation of that pub's license, Ashok Gehlot has opined for an end to mall and pub culture saying that he is against boys-n-girls holding hands in malls (would you prefer boys-n-boys sir?), Yeddyurappa has ruled out action against Ram Sena saying he wants to wait and watch (???), Ramadoss has in all glory and authority stated that pubs are detrimental to Indian culture and society and an end should be brought to the nuisance ... let me stop here, the list is endless and meaningless.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Boy, are we being taken for a ride or what? Ram Sena, Maharastra Navnirman Sena, Shiv Sena, Hoysala Sena, Anand Sena, Saxena oops! sorry, no Saxena but ... its like a friggin' virus! I even have the unwanted privilege of knowing a guy back in Mumbai who proudly speaks about his MNS membership and how his 'ideals' are valued in this 'struggle'. There are thousands rather millions like him across our country; disillusioned with their state in life - due to unemployment, poverty, big list - and they are easy targets for these self-proclaimed leaders who use the anger of these millions to achieve whatever they want. These creeps can get them to do just about anything , why pubs, they could get them to even vandalize schools and colleges, breakdown hospitals, libraries, museums ... its not just their blind faith in their leader that makes them do these things. This vandalism makes them feel power-drunk, authoritative and dominant; for that brief period they feel important ... you can't reason with such a man. Any talk of morality, society, conscience, values is alien to him ... in his opinion he has gained nothing from those things, the society in question has rejected him long ago, whereas here he is suddenly a part of a peer-group that is willing to accept him for all his hooliganism. All he has to do is break and destroy more than the other guy ... I find all this extremely disturbing.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">There are a large number of voices asking for a ban on these Senas. It won't work that way. It's like the phrase 'War on Terror'. You can't fight terror, you can only fight a person. Finishing him doesn't kill the ideology. We have to look beyond the who and come to the why in these cases. Why is it so easy to mislead them? You know the answer ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">In no way am I saying that those b******s should not be punished. They have to face the law and they should get the treatment that their crime deserves. We are not fuckin pushovers! We need to twist their arm before they can hear us speak. But let's speak to them ... let's not brush this issue under the mat like shoe dust.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We are far too quiet, and that we includes me. We are resilient, but maybe not by choice. We are resourceful, but maybe because we are forced to be so. We are far too quiet ...</span><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-12522209187440091982009-01-29T21:22:00.003+05:302009-01-29T21:27:42.086+05:30One question for the Moral Brigadier<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Mr. Pramod 'Ram Sene' Muthalik, I have just one question for you ...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Have you not gotten paid or have you not gotten laid?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">More on this over the weekend ...</span>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-69228926812270109482009-01-10T12:48:00.007+05:302009-01-11T11:49:06.467+05:30Beating the traffic ... I think WE can<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I travel to and from office by the bus service that my company offers for its employees. Its a tie up that IBM has with the BMTC, so I travel in normal BMTC buses, no private A/C luxury bus and blah. The agonies of a more-than-six-feet-tall person in a BMTC bus seat are out of the scope of this post ... sadly ... but anyway, let's carry on.<br /><br />I stay near the HAL Airport and my office is in Nagawara, near Hebbal. Via Outer Ring Road this is a distance of roughly 18 km. I usually board the 9:40am bus which is office rush hour on this route. It takes me an hour or more to reach office. It takes me pretty much an hour or more when returning back late in the evening. That means my travel speed is a little less than 18 kmph, very close to the <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=average+traffic+speed+in+Bangalore+and+other+major+cities+in+India.&btnG=Search&meta=">average traffic speed in Bangalore and other major cities in India.</a><br /><br />I'll put it simply - I hate losing so much time per day crammed in a bus, which as I have said before are not the least comfortable for me or even for many others. My friends have suggested that I should buy a bike, which means I can leave at my own time in the morning, beating the rush hour. The other plus is also that I can zip through the city's inner roads and lanes without having to make the longer journey via Outer Ring Road, which as the name suggests is actually a road that runs 'outside' they city in a big circle. I am actually going to buy a bike (as soon as I learn to drive it, I confess I can't drive a bike, shame on me!) because presently it makes a lot of sense to me to do so, for a lot of reasons including (but not limited to) the traffic woes I have just illustrated :)<br /><br />Having said that, I came across <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/das-125207-bangalore-traffic-solutions-bangaloretrafficsolution-travel-places-nature-ppt-powerpoint/">this presentation</a> a few days ago. Check it out it's totally worth the time. I have to say I agree with what the author has said in that presentation: 'Efficient Public Transport' is the best way to curb 'our' traffic woes. Its really very simple.<br /><ul><li>The bus that I travel in accomodates roughly 40-45 people. Buses on other routes carry upto even 60-65 and all this where you definitely have a seat, no standing journey, no shoving no pushing no nothing.</li><li>9 times out of 10 any car/bike I see on the road is carrying, yes you are right, ONE person. There is very little carpooling. Imagine taking all those people from their cars and putting them in one bus ... 40 cars off the road for the price of 1 brand new bus!</li></ul><br />BUS 1 CARS-N-BIKES 0<br /><br /><ul><li>Buses give a mileage of ... 4-5? km per litre of diesel. Multiply that with 50, which is the average number of passengers and you get 250 person-kmpl.</li><li>Even a really efficient car will give you a mileage of 14-15 kmpl in the city, tops. Even with carpooling you have 4 * 15 = 60 person-kmpl. Bikes are trickier! A mileage of 40-45 kmpl will go down drastically if you have a constant pillion rider. So it roughly comes to the same for bikes also, is my guess.</li></ul><br />BUS 2 CARS-N-BIKES 0<br /><br />There are so many added advantages of a well developed public transport system. Fuel emissions will go down by tonnes! No choc-a-bloc traffic, so no rush hour (for all ladies, you will never miss your favorite TV serial). Buses are also much safer to travel in. A well developed system of this kind will save you time and reduce frustration caused by traffic.<br /><br />Okay okay, there are some flipsydes to it, not the least being that you can't travel as comfortably as you can in a car. Another is your time-table will be run by the BMTC and not you. Having your own transportation also means that you are more flexible with your travel route ... dinner on the way back from work ... drop in for a beer someplace ... movie with girlfriend :) ... just go for a drive! ... blah blah<br /><br />But the way I see it, there is no style or comfort left when you are stuck for an hour in traffic going from 0-10 on the speedometer. You lose time, get frustrated and seriously bored! Sure, maybe travelling in a bus reorganizes your time-table and weekend plans but if you save more than an hour everyday it might not be a bad idea to come home first on a Friday evening (early! since the roads were ... clear ... imagine) then set out on your cars n bikes. No one hangs out every night! I could personally do with saving an hour everyday ... I could practice my guitar, maybe read more or maybe even hunt for a girlfriend ;) ... lol!<br /><br />We can't just keep crying about the traffic and finally blaming the government (culprits!) for everything, because that won't change anything. Its a small adjustment that will go a long way in making cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and others congestion free, greener and quieter. Its our city, our country ... not the government's.<br /><br />I conclude with the following: I can't beat the traffic ... but WE can ... cheesy but true :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Addition: Sunday Jan 11</span><br />Check out this really cool <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://bangalorekaapi.blogspot.com/2009/01/strike.html">cycling initiative in Bangalore</a>. We need more of these ... we need to adapt, there is just no other solution ... and there is no harm in adapting, frankly :)<br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-7640407200062096912008-12-29T11:54:00.005+05:302008-12-30T13:00:44.813+05:30Edenbee<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Found this website just random surfing <a style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);" href="http://www.edenbee.com/">http://www.edenbee.com/</a></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >It's a good concept, a social network with an environmental theme. As a profile you are asked to complete a Lifestyle questionnaire which then outputs how 'Environment Friendly' you are :) You can even calculate your Carbon Footprint by taking into account your usage/consumption of various resources and so on.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >There are some really active threads on various topics. A stark difference from other social networking sites and this one, IMO, is that though the number of users on edenbee is just a few thousand, it is a big bunch of similar thinking people so there is a lot of synergy.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >If you join in, send me a shout out! My profile is <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://www.edenbee.com/users/bigfoot">http://www.edenbee.com/users/bigfoot</a></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Ciao!</span><br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-50140319492641222522008-12-02T10:47:00.003+05:302008-12-02T12:23:11.025+05:30Political crap<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A politician giving condolences: <span style="font-style: italic;">"If it had not been Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have glanced that way"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >A politician respecting a martyr's family: <span style="font-style: italic;">"It is Sandeep's family and that is why we went. A soldier's father should have had the sense to understand that"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >For anyone not already aware of this, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/if-it-wasnt-slain-nsgs-house-even-dogs-wouldnt-visit/79504-3-1.html">PLEASE read this.</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> In fact he has further said that </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Election_Story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20080074922&type=News">he won't apologize</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >This 'politician' is a Chief Minister ...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >For the record, I feel Mr. Unnikrishnan is a proud father and he was not ready to take any crap from Mr. Kerala CM. Way to go Sir! We are proud of your son and we are proud of you!</span></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-11120762159601144212008-11-29T22:21:00.009+05:302008-12-03T16:28:26.983+05:30The Fourth Estate?<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;">"<span style="font-style: italic;">To get latest updates on Mumbai Terror attack, SMS ... </span>" is for me the one line that sums up the state of the Fourth Estate; the media, newspapers ... our 'messengers from around the world'. A broad (make that extremely broad) perspective of looking at the media's handling of <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://newsx.com/tag/mumbai-terror-attack">whatever has happened in the past 60 hours</a> might seem like they were just doing their job; in the face of severe competition amongst themselves and blah. But, personally I think, there is line that just shouldn't be crossed.<br /><br />"We have just heard a loud explosion! We have just heard an explosion! On second thought it was maybe just a loud gun-shot ... there was a gun-shot ... yes there was a gun-shot!" Next - running with the cameraman ... reaching the police barricade ... grabbing hold of a policeman ... "Sir what was that? Was it an explosion?" Policeman doesn't say a word ... pester him ... pester him more ... "Please move back". Moving back ... refocusing the camera ... "As you can see we have confirmed that there was indeed ... something! And as you can see we have been alerted to expect more!" There was something? Bird-crap maybe? Not that it will matter or make a difference, but I have lost any ounce of respect that I had for Barkha Dutt. What are you, a sooth-sayer?<br /><br />"As you can see there is a big building behind me with fire at the top. These pictures exclusively on channel ... to know more of what is going to happen stay with us!" So now they know beforehand what is 'going to' happen? Of course they do! They have the experts don't they? "Sir if you could stop chewing the cap off that pen and talk some bullshit. Goddamit, we are paying you for that! W are out of sensational pics of buildings on fire at the moment. No no, stop cleaning your nose, the camera is on you now ..."<br /><br />"Just a moment sir! Just a moment! We will continue our discussion but first I am going to immediately go back to our reporter xyz who has some breaking news! xyz can you hear me? Can you hear me? Speak to me man!" Half the screen shows the expert still shuffling papers, the other half is now with the 'ground-zero' reporter. "What just happened xyz?" ... static ... "Yes! Yes! As you can see (we can?) something major seems to have happened here! Some people are coming this way, some are going that way so clearly ... there are a lot of people. We don't want to speculate but ... something is going on ... or someone is going somewhere ... back to you!"<br /><br />"Yes indeed a ground breaking revelation from our on-field reporter there! Bringing you all the latest happenings from the zone!"<br /><br />Why does the media treat us as fools? Why is it that every news channel seems like an Ekta Kapoor serial instead of giving serious hard news? Major Sandip Unnikrishnan, a 31 year old, laid down his life trying to protect his comrade at the Nariman House while leading from the front. A person who, when he could have saved his own life, chose to go back in the face of terrorist fire to save his comrade. "Are you surprised that he chose to lead from the front?" is definitely not something to be questioned about him when interviewing his friends and family! Its' shameful!<br /><br />Every single channel was reporting its own fake figures before and after the entire operation was completed. For example <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.google.co.in/search?q=%22upwards+of+60+young+men+entered+Mumbai+in+small+inflatable+boats+on+Wednesday+night%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">upwards of 60 young men entered Mumbai in small inflatable boats on Wednesday night</a> was a popular figure at many places. Even before the security forces allowed Mr Ratan Tata to survey the damage at the Taj Hotel, all channels were already reporting the number of dead bodies at that place along with the amount that 'will' be required to restore the entire hotel.<br /><br />Nothing will change. Tomorrow the media will cash in on another incident. Everyone of us will watch ... some will believe, some will debate, some will mock and ridicule, others like me will choose to write and vent out their ire. But nothing will bring any change to the Fourth Estate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Addition (30 Nov '08):</span><br />News channels have been harping all day long calling this tragedy as India's 9/11. Firstly, I am not a really big fan of reducing such tragedies to catchy dates like 7/7 and 9/11 and blah. But now I feel ashamed of the media. Don't you guys know the proper date? And even that totally leaves out the relevant fact, that this attack on India was fundamentally different than the 9/11 tragedy that happened in the US. Is it a sin to recognize this as an Indian tragedy? What are the chances they even start calling this 'India's equivalent of Pakistan's J W Marriot tragedy' some time later? Aren't there any morals left in you? Why don't you pick some action movie thriller and sensationalize that???<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Addition (3 Dec '08):</span><br />Putting up a few links of blogs/petitions sharing my view that I have expressed here.<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://christybharath.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/twin-horrors-strike-mumbai-terrorists-and-tv-journalists/">Twin horrors strike Mumbai: Terrorists and TV journalists</a><br />... thanks Manjunath<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://smallchange.in/">Small Change</a> - a petition to the High Court against the insensitive and irresponsible portrayal done by the media<br />... thanks Srinidhi<br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-27601799977733089072008-11-27T18:10:00.005+05:302008-11-27T18:48:36.422+05:30We are not pushovers ...<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms;">Some time back I read a <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://jayanthr.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/enough-is-enough/">post by Jayanth on his blog</a>, which I found very intriguing, not just for the reality that he has very well pointed out but for the theme/jist of what he has written. I just didn't have enough clarity to write something that I too felt about these issues, all this while. However, today's <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://newsx.com/tag/mumbai-terror-attack">attack on Mumbai</a> somehow prompts me to write this: We Indians are not pushovers ... you'll have to do way more than that to scare us you bastards!<br /><br />Ok, this post might in the end turn out to be a condemnation of whatever has happened. It might turn out to be a gut-wrenching terrorism abuse session. Maybe a salutory message to the martyrs, maybe condolences for the deceased, maybe all of this or none at all ... what I do intend to write is about the pride I feel about our security forces not letting those fools kick our ass around and dictate terms to us. As I am writing this, a large part of the threat has been negated.<br /><br />Our security forces don't get enough credit, in my honest opinion. One of our country's immediate neighbours in the north (you know which one) has bomb attacks in the numbers in which we burst crackers in diwali; that doesn't happen here. Sure, there is gonna be endless criticism of the kind of 'how come they weren't patrolling the Gateway? The terrorists came in through there so easily' ... we have 7517 km coastline ... yes, maybe they were caught napping but with that big an attack region we are always vulnerable. 11 places were taken hostage at the same time, as of now, only two are left one of which is undergoing a clean-up operation.<br /><br />Its a thing of pride that we didn't rollover and let them bone us for fun. With the number of foreign nationals involved this could have spiralled into an international issue with peace keeping forces in the end having to supply food packets to the hostages and the terrorists for God only knows how long ...<br /><br />For the extreme critic, my friend, shit happens. It's a part of life. It <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks">has happened in US</a>, <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings">it has happened in UK</a>, it happened here. Ok. Lets move on.<br /><br />I am still not clear enough on what to write. So I'll end by saying this, "Celebrate the martyr! Honor his honor and be proud of his sacrifice!"<br /><br />Jai Hind!<br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-3870821631864887982008-11-04T16:56:00.003+05:302008-11-04T16:59:36.704+05:30too soon?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Song for the mood: Where do fallen angels go? - Aerosmith</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">I needed one word</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">just one ... alone</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">missing piece for a puzzle</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">lost note in a tune</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">Searched high searched low</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">morning to high noon</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">left it when the sun set, maybe</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;">I gave up too soon?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">... its not yet complete ... although I can't or couldn't think of much else. Will try to finish it some other time :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Leave your comments anyways ... </span>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-83321458461336820342008-11-02T21:52:00.006+05:302008-11-02T22:10:39.395+05:30Our new television<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Song for the mood: Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin</span><br /><br />Gooth bought a new TV. I am not gonna say anything more except, have a look at the pics ...<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5-yCpsI/AAAAAAAAAg8/jjF9XE_ETsU/s1600-h/IMG_4600.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5-yCpsI/AAAAAAAAAg8/jjF9XE_ETsU/s320/IMG_4600.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264099831059752642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5plooZI/AAAAAAAAAg0/1QbFT9dNhi0/s1600-h/IMG_4594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5plooZI/AAAAAAAAAg0/1QbFT9dNhi0/s320/IMG_4594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264099825370571154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5ZE1bKI/AAAAAAAAAgs/Pxk8snRj9vw/s1600-h/IMG_4593.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5ZE1bKI/AAAAAAAAAgs/Pxk8snRj9vw/s320/IMG_4593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264099820938030242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5LAAR5I/AAAAAAAAAgk/DyyG7LNMdNE/s1600-h/IMG_4597.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5LAAR5I/AAAAAAAAAgk/DyyG7LNMdNE/s320/IMG_4597.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264099817159673746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5HQg3pI/AAAAAAAAAgc/4DGwj8n4-54/s1600-h/IMG_4596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQ3W5HQg3pI/AAAAAAAAAgc/4DGwj8n4-54/s320/IMG_4596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264099816155176594" border="0" /></a>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-40926618198300304102008-10-28T10:24:00.002+05:302008-10-28T10:31:08.406+05:30Topical Anchors - User participation experiment<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">An acquaintance of mine, Aditya, from college, is conducting a very cool experiment on Topical Anchors. You can check out an </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://someoneandanyone.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/topical-anchors/">extended post on the same on Mandar's blog</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">For those of you who would wanna go straight to the experiment page and participate, </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://164.164.104.168/%7Eaditya/register.php">here's that link</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I would urge you to go ahead and take part, it is a very cool experiment and would give Aditya a fine set of answers on which to base his further studies on the same topic. It is only till the end of this month I suppose. On a off note, I went for the 100 questions long review! Hee haw!</span><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-39403450264765097842008-10-26T00:40:00.002+05:302008-10-26T00:48:27.141+05:30Its electric!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQNv98X_5hI/AAAAAAAAAgI/isLlxDMEpww/s1600-h/IMG_4546_mod.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q0a9Xi5HpAI/SQNv98X_5hI/AAAAAAAAAgI/isLlxDMEpww/s320/IMG_4546_mod.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261171899668358674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Song for the mood: Coming Back To Life - Pink Floyd</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I finally bought what I wanted to for a very long time! An electric guitar! \m/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Its a Samick AV3 Greg Bennett Avion. You can read a few </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Samick/AV3+Greg+Bennett+Avion/10/1">reviews here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Eric Clapton, here I come!</span>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-45002788929421459552008-10-12T19:05:00.003+05:302008-10-12T20:16:54.478+05:30A Wednesday<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Song for the mood: I am Awake - Qi Mono</span><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">"I am just the stupid common man ..."</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">cannot be said in a more poignant way than Naseeruddin Shah's character says in the movie 'A Wednesday'. However a common man must the character have been in the story, Naseeruddin Shah is no common actor, and this is no run-of-the-mill fantasy drama. This is brutal honesty which is just too rare on celluloid.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">To summarize the movie, it portrays a day in the life of a city being held at ransom by a man, Naseeruddin Shah, wanting the handover of four terrorists. Oblivious to the populace, the man claims to the police to have planted 4 bombs in busy locations of the city which he will blow up killing thousands of innocent people, if those four terrorists are not handed over to him by the end of the day. To prove to the commissioner, played by Anupam Kher, that he is not kidding he leads them to a bomb planted right under their noses, in the police station itself. The day then unfolds with the police trying to trace this 'mastermind' in vain but finally having to succumb to his demands and handover the four terrorists. What happens after the terrorists are handed over is something worth spending the 2 hours that the movie spans.</span><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">"What do you do when a cockroach enters your home? You kill it. That is exactly what I am doing. These cockroaches have entered my house and made it dirty. I am just cleaning my house today ..."</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> If the idea of a common man out to get revenge for his friends and family does not make you even blink, watch 'A Wednesday'. Its not gonna make your eyes pop out because that is not what the movie is about. This movie will make you think and that is hard to expect and much harder to deliver. </span><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">"My wife calls me every one hour to ask if I have eaten, if I am feeling well, if the travel has been all right ... she is infact calling to check if I am alive"</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> Not all that fantastic really. Its quite true, quite honest. How many bomb blasts have we seen in recent times? How many innocent people have died in those dastardly acts committed by misled morons, be it Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore or any city of India? How many times have we had to just pick up our lives and get on with it? Imagine for a moment what would happen if one of us decides "enough is enough" and you have the premise of this movie.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Watch it. That's all I am going to say.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">My picks from the movie:</span><br /><ul style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><li>Naseeruddin Shah. What an actor! I have new respect for you sir. He is no doubt our finest.</li><li>The story. Very realistically set even if the main thread is a bit fantastic. Someone please make Johars and Ekta Kapoors watch this movie and then ask them to stop making whatever trash it is that they are.</li><li>The conversation between Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah in the climax of the movie. The common man explains his side to the commissioner of the police. Anupam Kher turns in a really fine role himself.</li></ul><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Will end with an excerpt from the same conversation.</span><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">"I am not able to understand you or your demands. They are strange."<br /><br />"My reasons and my demands are strange, are they? Why? If they kill two hundred like me its ok but if I kill just four of them it's strange for you? But it isn't your mistake. It is after all what you are taught to expect from us isn't it? Live like a common man, bear it all like a common man ... and die like a common man"</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">This is no common movie ... period.</span><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-70538749760114033192008-09-24T16:51:00.001+05:302008-09-26T09:15:48.639+05:30One of those days<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Ever felt too bored, like on a sleepless summer night?<br />Can't think clear, just don't feel right?<br />The hands of the clock have caught your gaze?<br />This, today, is like one of those days...<br /><br />You're sitting idle, but you got a lot to do<br />but you're fed up of the work, and work hates you too?<br />Your coffee's gone cold, it was the tenth? anyways,<br />This, today, is like one of those days...<br /><br />Its time for lunch, but even eating's a pain<br />Is that rice or some uncooked grain?<br />for company all you have is the spoon on your tray<br />This, today, is like one of those days...<br /><br />There's still a lot to do, and not much time!<br />But who gives a damn when you're losing your mind?<br />Every hour now feels like a hundred Mondays<br />This, today, is like one of those days...<br /><br />Now you start to talk! But only let out a sigh<br />Every other sound is like the buzzing of a fly<br />your sanity and you have just parted ways...<br />This, today, is like one of those days...<br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-37243376805091425112008-09-21T08:53:00.005+05:302008-09-21T09:01:12.122+05:30Long walk home<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Walked from Brigade Road to HAL Airport yesterday night after dinner. </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); font-style: italic;" href="http://in.maps.yahoo.com/#?lat=12.9629903&lon=77.6366043&z=4&addr=Brigade%20Road%2C%20Bangalore%20to%20HAL%20Airport%2C%20Bangalore">Yahoo Maps says that's a bit more than 8 km</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">.<br /><br />We hadn't planned it really, just got bored of waiting for the bus.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Speaking of which, 'tis pretty difficult to get transportation after 9:30pm in Bengaluru, or at least in some parts of the city, if I have to sound logical :P</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Good Morning!</span></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-77125522057391610212008-09-16T11:10:00.007+05:302008-09-16T11:59:01.429+05:30RIP Richard Wright<a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-style: italic;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7617363.stm"><blockquote>Richard Wright, founder, keyboardist and pianist for Pink Floyd passed away on 15th September, 2008 of cancer.</blockquote></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Richard Wright was an influential musician. His richly textured keyboard playing was a big part of the psychedelic/progressive sound of Pink Floyd. Not one to hog all the limelight, he was the pivotal rhythm man among the fab four.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >It's just shocking. Here I was hoping for a Pink Floyd reunion.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >God knows, maybe the heavens need to be psyched up!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Rest in Peace Richard. You'll be missed.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Quoting from '</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_and_Them">Us and Them</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >' from the album '</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_side_of_the_moon">Dark Side of the Moon</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >', one of his compositions.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Down and out<br />It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.<br />With, without.<br />And who'll deny its what the fighting's all about?<br />Out of the way, its a busy day<br />I've got things on my mind.<br />For the want of the price of tea and a slice<br />The old man died</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7617363.stm"></a>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-81154044779921351272008-09-01T15:47:00.004+05:302008-09-01T16:09:40.235+05:30The most of this month ...<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Song for the mood: Avengi Ja Nahin - Rabbi</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">What have I heard most in the past month, stuff, from people, in general ...</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">1. Such a short hair-cut! Tirupati?</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">2. Bangalore roads suck!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">3. Dude, you've lost weight ... enough ... how much do you want to lose?</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">4. Tirupati?</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">5. No work in office ...</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">5. Dude, you've put on a bit. Join a gym or something ...</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">6. Bangalore traffic sucks!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">7. Are you following Amir Khan style? (in reference to Amir's Ghajini style)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">8. Too much work in office ...</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">9. We should go somewhere on the weekend :-P</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Yes, such is life ...</span>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768405735199997331.post-32696126579869932522008-08-31T08:42:00.004+05:302008-09-01T12:39:58.640+05:30Lady drivers<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Song for the mood: Livin' lovin' maid - Led Zeppelin</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">So, there's this lady driving a Qualis. When she's about to join the main road from the service lane, she takes her hand off the wheel, looks up (to God) and joins both her hands to mutter a small prayer. All this while the car is cruising along a busy Outer Ring Road at past 6:00 in the evening.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Lady, I only hope you were praying for everyone else on the road at that time.</span><br /><br /></div>Big Foothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882607711450769941noreply@blogger.com