Home Calling...

The excitement is palpable and the joy overwhelming whenever I make a trip home...This time around it was no different judging by the occassion and the duration of stay...One week is precisely what I had got and that seemed to be an eternity given that I hardly get that many dayz off...part and parcel of every IT guy's miserable life I guess...!!

A trip which we (Me and Bro) had planned sometime back and since we had only a weeks time, had to forego most part of 'Durga Pujo' to be able to make it for the more grand 'Lakkhi Pujo' at home. Lotz of friends and relatives visiting during that time and Mom would not have spared me had I not stayed back for that although she was ok with me for delaying my visit at the expense of skipping 'Durga Pujo' at Kaku's place.

Reached Bhubaneswar in the early hours of 'Dashami'. As usual Dad had come to receive us and I got an opportunity to drive the very car I had learnt my driving...Got a flashback of my early driving dayz ...We reached home pretty soon and Mom was waiting at the gate...She was ecstatic and had already prepared food for us since we wanted to have food at home...'Luchi aar Aloo Kopi Bhaja' is what we had agreed for and which is precisely what she had prepared...Mouth watering stuff especially if itz cooked by Mom...!!

Itz only on rare occassions that all four of us are at home and so the whole family reunion was something everyone was looking forward to...We ate and then talked for a while but then I was too tired and slept off...!!

Woke up in the morning late and it was 'Bijoya Dashami'...time to convey ur 'Pranam' to elders and give your blessings to younger ones but since I had very few people around me who were younger...so it was mostly Take and less of Give !! :-)

The most important part of 'Bijoya' apart from visiting relatives is the food that you get...All kinds of sweets and delicacies to gorge on and we had a grand time...!!
Spent part of the evening in 'Thakur Dekha' as well...although we cudn't cover all the places as it was already too late but i did enjoy the late night drive around the city...

People out here enjoy every bit of life and everything they do doesn't always have a 'Purpose' tag attached to it which in other words means that they are very forthcoming and helpful by nature...so different from the cosmo life in Bangalore...Maybe my upbringing in a non-metro has something to do with it but I do cherish the simple way of living here.

The next 2 days went in catching up wid school friends and general preparation for 'Lakkhi Pujo' at home.Itz quite strange how some bonds never change and you always feel as if it was only yesterday that you had met up.That is exactly the feeling you get when you meet wid ur school friendz ('Chaddi Buddies' as we call them) even after a long time...Cudn't catch up wid many though as most of them were either busy wid their jobs elsewhere or were pursuing higher studies abroad...and only a few had made it home for 'Dusshera' and considering the fact dat I was meeting some of them after a gap of almost 4 yrs it seemed much like gud old school dayz again.

Topics for discussion were aplomb wid the most important subject being 'Whoz getting married and to whom?'...Just cudn't imagine how time flew and we had to part...Professional life has itz own demands and though we wanted to spend more time together it just wasn't possible although we did make a resolution to meet up again sometime in the near future...But all of us knew how difficult it would be...We were just hoping against hope...

Had mixed feelings when I came back home but it did give me a sense of belongingness I had for this place...A feeling which can never be described...

Back home though Mom was a li'l worried about our attachment to laptops and the fact that we were puttin in quality office time even when we were on a holiday...Although Dad has a slight craze for gadgets, Mom never fancied such stuff and was annoyed by this small 'creature' distancing her from spending quality time with her sons.

"Ei jodi shob shomoye dujone boshe laptop-e office-er kaaj korbe tahole chhutti keno niyecho" [If both of you are going to do official work from home on ur laptops then why have u taken holidays]...is wht she would blabber all along.
And we cudn't help but feel guilty at times for not listening to her...!!

The Pujo at home went well and now I had started counting my dayz ..."Do I really have to get back to that fast-track life where my job takes centerstage and everything else takes a backseat?"...thatz just one question among several others which crossed my mind. But you can't just shy away from the realities of life can u and although my heart din't want to go, my mind had already started shifting gears fuel-ed by the hope that I will be back soon for my Bro's marriage in Jan.

Time to pack up and I had to fill my luggage with lotz of sweets among others because you just can't return from home without them and this time I was catering to special requests...Cudn't imagine life again without 'Parota - Kasha Mangsho' and 'Payesh' and the 'Macher Jhaal' ofcourse.

Wish I could take you everywhere I go Mom...!!

Lotz of nostalgia too attached with this trip and probably my
tryst with them will soon reflect in my albums in Orkut and Picasa soon...Check out for those !!!

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Bhool Bhulaiyya...Crazy and Uncanny Stuff !!

Bear with me guyz for am writing a review after perhaps quite a long time...Actually ventured out to watch a bollywood movie in theatre after a while and that too when people around convinced me that it wont be as bad as the recent Priyadarshan releases as it is supposedly a remake of a critically acclaimed Malayalam movie...so we could bank upon the plot a bit.


Guyz the movie basically bores you for most of the first half with some light-hearted moments thrown in here and there...but they are seemingly common Priyadarshan gimmicks which you mite have come to expect from his style of movie-making...The scenario livens up though with the entry of Akshay Kumar towards the end of first half and it is his performance and the late surge of Vidya Balan which holds the movie together and tightens the loosely held plot a bit.

Barring the intial hiccups the movie presents a great combo of suspense, thrill and humour which makes it atleast a once-watchable. It explores a topic which hasnt been touched by most bollywood movie makers...the sub-conscious mind and split-personality disorders...although you can find a lot of hollywood stuff on the same subject. But it is quite unique the way a subject as serious as this is handled and the movie-maker has successfully blended it with humour.

The "Vidya Balan" factor definitely counts and her acting towards the climax at times will give you a hair-raising and chilling experience. The comic ensemble of Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav and Akshay Kumar blend well but I guess much was left wanting from Shiny Ahuja. One thing this movie does is give you a deep insight into the psyche of the "Possessed Indian Woman".

It also brings forth a common myth that the personality representing the sub-conscious is sometimes mistaken to be the spirit possessing the person. Comparable to other Priyadarshan hitz "Hera Pheri", "Hungama" and "Malamaal Weekly". And maybe it will make you start humming to the haunting tune of "Aami Je Tomar...." !!

Go watch it for a different experience altogether...Although if you find the subject interesting enough check out a movie called "Identity" starring John Cusack. Itz a jem of a movie on multiple personality disorder. Another movie of note on the same subject would be "Secret Window" starring Johny Depp.

On the animation front "Ratatouille" and "Surf's Up" both score well enough. And for a breath-taking gizmo act check out "Transformers".

Heard a lot about "Johny Gaddar" and "Manorama Six Feet Under" too...Will have to check it out soon...!!!

T20 ...Game of the Future ??

I guess the T20 World Cup euphoria must have died down by now and people have started realising that the 1983 win and the 2007 T20 win are worlds apart and comparing them would be foolhardy and a sheer waste of time.

Agreed that T20 is a game of the future and given the football like adrenalin rush it gives, this version of the game is here to stay...Not only is money in there for the business houses but it also to an extent popularises the game in lesser known orbits where folks wont waste an entire day watching the game or for that matter playing. But have we ever pondered over the larger threat it holds to the longer verison (the 50-50 one)....Going by the makings of it I wouldnt rule out a stage when we have more T20 matches than ODIs...Yes it kills the sport (read makes it more presentable to the masses) but isnt everyone really interested in the money and sheer entertainment rather than quality. We will have players tailor-made for this format in future. We will have separate teams for T20, ODI and Tests...the most popular being the T20 one.

But imagine a career wasted playing just T20 and never ever being given an opportunity to play a Test or an ODI. What you are trying to do is branding players and ruining their careers. A career in T20 will last as long as you fire and can die a sudden death and going by how cruel the sport can be you can be rest assured that you wont get many lifelines.

If Kerry Packer revolutionised One-day cricket with his D/N matches and coloured clothing I guess T20 will do much more than that...Come to think of it - Coloured clothing is a neccessity for D/N matches but since they became so popular we now see them being used for the Day matches as well (defies logic but makes it attractive and enhances viewership which is what finally matters) . Rules were bent to accomodate uncertainity and excitement which will happen again with the advent of T20...One of them being the famous "Free Hit". I guess we are some distance away from a "Bowl Out" in an ODI...that would be outrageous though.

I am not patronising nor criticising T20 ...my only concern is the threat it holds for the future and what it can do to change the face of One-Day cricket. Test Cricket I guess will be limited to routine tours and we may never ever see a World Test Championship again.

Quoting Shahid Afridi - "You can expect a T20 World Cup every 2 years though !!"

Any Aquarians Listening...??

Donno why am I writing this...May be someone somewhere influenced me to do some research on Zodiacs and Compatibility Scores and I found it interesting enough...Although I don't believe much in the Compatibility one but the Zodiac traits are intriguing...Have a look Aquarians...

Aquarians basically possess strong and attractive personalities. They fall into two principle types: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist, sometimes hiding the considerable depths of their character under a cloak of frivolity.

Both types are strong willed and forceful in their different ways and have strong convictions, though as they seek truth above all things, they are usually honest enough to change their opinions, however firmly held, if evidence comes to light which persuades them that they have been mistaken. They have a breadth of vision that brings diverse factors into a whole, and can see both sides of an argument without shilly-shallying as to which side to take. Consequently they are unprejudiced and tolerant of other points of view. This is because they can see the validity of the argument, even if they do not accept it themselves.

Keywords : Unique, humanitarian, independent, idealistic, inventive
Most Likeable traits : Friendly, People-oriented, Outgoing
Lucky Numbers : 1 and 7 (Wow that makes my birthdate)

Compatibility Scores :
Most compatible with : Aquarius, Libra, Gemini
Can be good with : Aries, Sagittarius, Leo
A 50-50 chance with : Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer
Doubtful with : Taurus,Virgo,Capricorn

Aquarians form their own opinions, disregarding and perhaps even disdaining the orthodox. They stand by what they believe with almost Taurean stubbornness, the one unchangeable aspect of this sign. They are open-minded but once they make a decision, their mind (at least on that subject) closes.
People born under this sign are always looking for something new and exciting. They avoid routine and anything else that may lead to boredom. Aquarians are outgoing and find friends to share their adventures easily.
An Aquarius will always follow his or her dreams. They don't like to feel they're in limiting situations and will avoid people (and jobs) that make them feel that way. Aquarians tend to avoid hard work and will fulfill their potential best working with ideas (and teams of people to implement them).

Fun Fact : The Man behind the "Thoery of Evolution" was an Aquarian !!

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