Weirdo!!!!!

I am tagged. It's not the first time. But it's the first time am replying to it. Weird, isn't it? Yes and so is this post about. Letting the weirdo in you out of the bag. (And a better way to break my blogging hiatus.)

So what's the tag about -

• Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So, here are Seven Wonders Weirds of Me -

1. I tend to read newspapers and magazines from the last page (unless it’s a one pager).

2. If I fancy a particular song, I will listen to it non stop until it wears off my mind (or any another song catches my attention).

3. Though I am a left-hander, I bat and bowl right ( but play it all wrong).

4.I have a habit of giving pet names to my friends (or rather spoiling their names).

5. I ask too many questions (and expect answers to them!!!).

6. My famous weirdo, I abhor curd without even tasting it ever (Infact, how about a ban on it).

7.I cant even think of seven weird facts about me!!!!!!!!!!!! (Ya this qualifies to be a weirdo ).

 

Now it's your turn to let it go :

Kunal
Nirav
Hem
Namitoj
Hiren
Atul
Deep

weird,
Neo.

Happy Diwali

It's diwali time again. But its so different from the last time.
Never imagined!!!!

Here's wishing all my readers, friends and family a very Happy Diwali and a very very prosperous New Year ahead.

Kick the darkness until it bleeds Light!!!!!!!

cold,
Neo.

P A R T I N G

Parting is painful, to say the least.
Words, its seems, are getting paralyzed by this emotion.

Meanwhile, I will just borrow these and get solace from them:
The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

separating,
Neo

Vision Twenty20? - Yes Y Not!!!

Honestly speaking posting, I was not a supporter of Twenty20, the new short format of cricket. It’s natural to have resistance to change. Probably, the “purist” in me was not ready to accept the change. When the game changed last time – from 5 day looong format to One Day – am sure there must be disbelievers. I can now feel their resistance then. But One Days are now as traditional as the Tests.

I started in to the Twenty20 World Cup Tournament as a disbeliever in the format. Mostly thinking, the game has unfairly tilted towards the batsman. But as the series have progressed, I have to admit that my views have changed. We had matches where bowlers have done a fine job and were instrumental in winning the match. The batsman is now under pressure to perform a feat of fours and sixes and a strike rate of 100 is just average. The bowlers tend to be at the receiving end in this blitz striking of ball but then even one dot ball turns the game.

Finally, it’s not about bowlers or batsmen as much as it is about the format. I have really warmed up to the format. The most appealing part of the format is the huge unpredictability which it comes with. Cricket, I think so, is one of the few sports which has historically involved in it a great deal of uncertainty – which is a trademark glory of Cricket. How many times we have heard commentators uttering trite words – “The game is not over till the last bowl is bowled”. Twenty20 has made the game extremely fickle, making it swing either ways and in the event makes it one of the most entertaining to watch.

More than the format, it was the need to innovate the game of cricket. Times are always changing and more importantly; change is the order of new time. Test Cricket, the purest and premier form of the game, is archaic. One-days too have lost their charm mainly because of a day long match, many times resulting in one sided contest. The boredom of sluggish middle overs was another major turnoff. With other sports offering an entertaining and short 3 hours to the very time strapped youngsters, Cricket needed a surgery to become trim and lean. After all, we are a “2-Minute” generation.

I have my frustrations too. But they are not on the format. I want to shout when India takes a wicket, pump up the volume and celebrate with the team; instead I am forced to face a disconnected ad which just makes me feel like making a ball of the telecaster and bash him with my bat. (I think so) The poor guy has his reason. The telecasters now have 40 overs to beam instead of 100. This is a perfect yorker on their ad sales and don’t want to miss the minutest minute to bombard you with ads.

Will Twenty20 become the order of the day by burying Fifty50? I won’t go against the Gods by predicting. Meanwhile, Cricket has become something which it never was - Fast, Exciting and Entertaining.

Converted,
Neo

Miss-ing You!!

Restaurants' yell "The food's here but where's the taste"
The beach squalls "The sand's here but names have erased"
New Beauty cries "I have lost my charm"
Hand mourns "There's none in my arm"
Cellphone squawks "I don’t ring much"
My friends say "Solitude is such"
24 Karat whines "I have lost my shine"
Methinks I have lost a part of mine
The winds which blow Westward
Your name, it seems, they have whispered
Sky's bright but am all blue
The least I say is "I Miss You"

lonely,
Neo

Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag Review: RGV ki (r)Aag

I am a movie buff who loves to watch movies and discuss the art of cinema. Till date, I have written reviews for movies which have moved me. This time too, it’s not going to be any different. Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag is indeed a moving film - It moved me out of the movie hall within 90 minutes. Flat.

I am was an ardent RGV fan because of this style of movie making. The self proclaimed maverick has more than impressed me in the past with his movies. But of lately, he is on a different high which is more than evident in the movie’s self indulgent title. From the title to the promos and trailers, the movie perfectly fits a b-grade category. And watching the movie confirms the category.

Given the classic Sholay, any one would make atleast a watchable film if he copies frame to frame. Such is the charm of the original. RGV deserves to be punished for carrying out a "Cinematic Rape" of the original Sholay. Just a quick read on the reviews will make a strong case against RGV for a rigorous punishment.

But unlike other reviews, I would like to highlight the "'highs" (pun intented) of the movie:

• The movie tests your endurance. It teaches to you be patient and increases you torture bearing capacity
• The movie boosts sales of the likes of Anacins and Crocins
• The movie cures Insomnia
• The movie teaches you to enjoy sadistic pleasures of life
• The movie helps you value the original Sholay more than ever before
• The movie will might ground RGV

Ending Note: This movie doesn’t even deserve to be written about. But I am earning my karma by saving someone's hard-earned money and rescuing him from an extreme mental distress.

Zonked,
Neo

The Man who moved a Mountain.....Literally!!!

No! It’s not an idiom for someone who toiled through the day and slogged in the night to achieve success. But about a man who actually moved a mountain!!!!!!

Outlook covers the story of Dasrath Manjhi, who single handedly cut a road through the huge mass of rock - massive 360 feet long, 25 feet high and 30 feet wide rock.

Every morning, for 22 long years, a frail, diminutive man, barefoot and clad in a loin cloth, would trudge two kilometres to a hillock of solid rock and chip away at it with a hammer and chisel.

Of course, the first question to hit our minds is why does he have to do that?

Dasrath eked out a living as a farm hand, toiling in the fields of local landlords on bare subsistence wages. One day, in the early '60s, his wife Phaguni fell ill and Dasrath set off with her to the nearest hospital. She died on the way. If only there was no hill blocking the road to the town, Dasrath would have made it to the hospital in time, and perhaps his wife's life would have been saved.

The villagers of Gelau, where Dasrath lived, had to take a circuitous route and travel 19 km to Wazirganj, the nearest district town with a hospital.

Dasarth - challenged by Nature and given his humble background – could have resigned to his fate. But the irony fate is; Dasrath decided to create history by changing the geography of his land. Armed with a mere chisel and hammer, Dasarth decided to cut a road through the huge mass of rock.

After 22 years - from 1962 to 1984 - of toil, Dasrath paved the way. The once long route of 19 KMs was now reduced to bare minimum of 6 Kms. The road stands as a memorial for her wife and an example of grit, determination and a will to make the world a bit better.

Dasrath Manjhi was building a memorial to his wife Phaguni Devi—one that won't ever find a place in hallowed global must-visit lists, but can well be passed down from this generation to the next as a monument of love. A poor man's Taj, literally. Not for its aesthetics, but for the way it symbolises the human spirit's capacity to endure, its indomitability.

So true, that these stories, probably will, never find a place in history. This post is a tribute to the man - Dasrath Manjhi (1934-2007) – who stood against all odds rocks.

Invigorated,
Neo

India: Young @ 60

A time has come to celebrate our Independence. But unlike every other 15th of August, this marks a milestone. It’s a date when India turns 60. 60 years of remarkable journey, to say the least. After all, how do you describe a journey from a country being called as a land of snake charmers to a nation which houses the world's largest democracy.

The general debate might hang on the point that our nation is now a sixty year old grumpy uncle and its time to sum up the life lived. But I beg to differ. While most of us are tagged as Senior Citizens at 60, it doesn’t even remotely apply to countries. Just the thought that my dad is older than the country he leaves in; intrigues as well as amuses me to no extent. I think the age of a country is best measured in decades or better in centuries. In those terms, a 6 decades old country is a child who has learned to express himself in a chaotic world, which has had enough of baby steps and is now ready to take giant strides. India is a young and "a raring to go" nation like never before in its ancient history.

Success has different interpretations, and my friends will agree. The fact is undisputed that India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Also, no one can deny that the potential remains far from being realized.

But for today let us bask in the glory of our great Nation that we admire and adore immeasurably.

It’s been 60 years of life and freedom since we redeemed our pledge. And now we stand on a place in time where we are poised, all over again, for a tryst with destiny.

Saluting,
Neo

101 Not Out !!!!!!!!!

After beating around the nineties for quite some time, I finally raise my keyboard with a sense of pride. I know it has been a slow and unsteady century but only if I could control my thoughts.

It has been a long journey. A journey which started out of fascination and exploration - has now acquired a purpose. And while I was alone to start out, people have gathered to have a look at my trail.

Today, while I celebrate, I also mourn for the 999 or more so thoughts which didn’t see the light of the day. Probably they didn’t voice themselves or I turned a deaf ear. But this milestone demands that I give them their space. So while am enjoying the thoughts which are obscure, dark and deep; I have decided to go miles before I sleep.

The celebrations which started few posts back end tomorrow.

Partying,
Neo
And ya you must have guessed by now - I have an enchantment with odd numbers.

Happy Birthday

My friend, today as you turn over one more chapter in your life; I have some hopes, instead of wishes, for you.

Today, put all your pessimism, complexes out of the window. For a change, look yourself in to the mirror and admire the way you are and not what you or others aspire you to be. Today, accept yourself and be proud of the fact that you are different. Love yourself today like you would love your sweetheart. Today, let your mind think you are the best given the capabilities and conditions. We all amount to something; however great it is, but none of us are everything. And who knows better than you that “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.”

I know, my hope for you, is a tall order but I am sure you will be able to do justice to yourself - today and in the years to come.Enjoy your day today - it’s your day after all. Have a blast.

May the future be worthy of your dreams.

Wishing by hoping,
Neo

3999

3,999! A figure which makes me proud. 3,999 is a landmark of sorts; especially when you have visitors taking off from round the world and at times landing with a weird query. For many the landing is perfect, while others face a crash landing!!!! I think its time we think of alternatives. This explains why I don’t see any correlation between visitors and comments. The crashed ones don’t wait and rest and the few who spend time are the ones who connect. This will probably clam a jolly friend of mine who feels a bit challenged.

Nevertheless, It’s celebration time at My Space (no I am not going to link my blog!!!!) which is not going to end soon. The turn of the century is just a post away.

Celebrating,
Neo

Three Books…....

Thanks to my recently acquired weird reading habits, I have somehow managed to complete reading three books in about the same time. All three of them belong to different genre. While one is about the story of a phenomenon called Google, the other two are kind of memoirs.

The Google Story is a story detailing the spectacular rise of Google as a company. It entails from the first meeting of its cofounders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as Ph.D. candidates at Stanford to their company's latest projects like building a genetic database and creating a virtual library. I've always been fascinated by Google's success. Its immense rise at the time of the dot com crash makes you wonder how these guys pulled it off. And this book does answer that question. The book gives fascinating insights to the company such as all of its employees have to spend 20% of their company time, or one day per week, working on any project they want or from the vibrant young culture with minimum managerial intervention. The book talks about various other offerings apart from search such as news, print and email and how some of them were conceived as a result of 20% rule. If you haven't read anything about one of today's most influential companies, I would surely recommend this book.

The second book is from Sudha Murthy (Infosys Foundation Trustee and wife of Infosys Technologies Chairman N R Narayana Murthy) titled Wise and Other Wise – A Salute to Life. I didn’t know about Sudha until I read her article on how she met Murthy and her seed contribution of Rs.10, 000 which paved way for Infosys. My respect for her grew twofold when I happen to read on how she managed to get her first job in a male dominated profile at Telco (now Tata Motors). Now you know my motivation behind picking up this book. Sudha Murty shares her experiences she has gained both as a teacher and as a social worker in form of short stories. Filled with humor and homespun wisdom, this book gives a vivid account of Sudha's work and her philosophy.

All the stories in this book are based on real-life experiences. The author has only changed the names and added some narration. Sometimes, simple people, who have had fewer opportunities, have taught her many lessons. In many of her stories, the characters have a situation with which they react differently - Wise and otherWise. I liked the language used by Sudha; it’s very simple and cut off from esoteric words and convoluted sentences. All in all a good read.

The third book is amusingly titled “How to Placate an Angry Naga”. While someone might rubbish it off as another “How to do…” self help books, but wait. This one is actually about life in the civil services. I might have never discovered this book until I read the review. I have always been fascinated by Civil Services but never quite got any insight. So I thought this book might just quench my thirst. As I went through the introductions and initial chapters, I was quite disappointed. I expected the authors to tell a story but instead they have just noted down experiences they have had at different stages of their career.

The book gives a peek in to a civil servant’s life with some very interesting topics about transfers, handling seniors & entertaining juniors and managing huge events such as the kumbh mela ( and that’s where the title come from!). I particularly liked the last chapter where authors categorize officers in three slots. One kind of officer who has high regards for his ethics and will not compromise at any level. Another kind being the practical one, who is indifferent to the system, but has his integrity intact. And lastly, the compromising one who crave for power. You might not find this book entertaining but it surely is interesting.

3 different books. 3 different stories.

“Read”y for more,
Neo

The Pursuit of Happyness Review: There’s a Y instead of an I

I happen to see the poster in the newspaper about the release of this movie. First, I passed it off to be another so called inspired from true story but really no substance in it. But, after many a word of mouth, I happen to see this lovely, touching and of course inspiring movie – The Pursuit of Happyness.

The movie revolves around Chris Gardner’s personal struggle of establishing himself as a stockbroker while managing fatherhood and homelessness. The movie is beautifully made with some moving scenes like the times when Chris doesn’t have a place to stay or when he’s given the offer for a job he wanted badly. The movie is about a wholehearted attempt to reach the goals with rising every time you fall until you attain it – what we call Perseverance; Chris knows it as a way of life!!! The way the story is narrated in “Parts” is also interesting. This is a superb performance from Will Smith which will make you identify with the crisis he is going through. The character of Chris is really heartwarming – there’s no anger in him even after his lost childhood and wants his son to get what he never got. The dialogue between Chris and his son is very inspiring – especially when he tells his son about being determined on what to get in life and just go after it.

Though, sometimes the “Real Story" is a bit hard to believe - particularly the character of Chris. You would want the character to be more real and eventually how it matures. But sadly that’s not focused.

Ending Note: Chris goes in the pursuit of happiness and finally finds it with a job. But is it about linking your happiness to an event? So what’s stopping you from being happy? As Leo Tolstoy said: “If you want to be Happy. Be.” That’s the reason happiness is spelt with an I and not a Y. Cause the answers to the Y lies with the I.

happy,
Neo

My Say...........

All our agitations, our criticism,our complains, our discomfort, our opinions boil down to this.....
A Vote which will speak for myself.A Vote which makes me part of the system and hence enables me to change it.

My Vote.....My Voice

empowered,
Neo.

also want to announce my photoblog at http://viralshah.photoblog.com/

New Beauty in my Life

I have been longing for her for quite some time. And finally, after a long wait, she is mine. We got engaged on 23rd of Dec,2006 and finally got married on 25th Jan,2007.

Here's a pic of both of us together..............





But as she is more good looking than I am, it would be worthwhile to view her alone.


vrooming,
Neo

21kms = 3.5 hrs

proud,
Neo

Few Lines for the Year gone by and New

2006

A year of Eternal Hope and Moments of Despair

A year of Elusive Luck and Unexpected Fortunes

A year of Grabbed Opportunities and Missed Chances

A year of Modest Victories and Infinite Defeats

A year of New Beginnings and Abrupt Endings

A year of Self Control and Indulgence

A year of Endeavor and Indolence

A year of Grand Celebrations and Quiet Affairs

A year of Love and the struggle to Understand it

A year of Ups and Downs

A year which was one Helluva Ride

A year so Mirroring Life!

A year which I wish I could Hold On to

But The Oracle spoke "Every Beginning Has an End"

So I bid 2006 a Hearty Good Bye.

Cause deep down I know,"Every End is a precursor to a New Beginning."

With Optimism of Tomorrow

With Freshness of a Spring Flower

With Patience of a Tortoise

With Enthusiasm of a Child

With Courage of a Thorn in the Dessert

With Persistence of a Wave against a Cliff

2007 Here I Come!!!!!!!!

excited,
Neo