October 30, 2008

Destined to lose

Outplayed and stranded,
I stand,
with no branch to cling on.

Choiceless and frustrated,
I watch;
My destiny snatch out
what I loved the most.

I resist,rebel, shout
but my expressions glued within me,
powerless to come out;
And I put on a face
with smile pasted on my lips;
I heard eyes never lie,
But I prove it otherwise.

With no hopes left,
all dreams deserted,
I hope,
I would never hope for anything,
Coz hope was everything for me,
But now it has spared nothing;
A tranquil, soulless body is all
what I've become.

October 17, 2008

The master class

Once in a millennium, we get players who change the way a game is played, but only once in a lifetime you get a player who stands as a definition of the game for one billion people. Even long after his retirement , if I am alive , I would proudly say ," I have seen Sachin Tendulkar play"..

Congratulations to the master whose craftsmanship is unrivaled.





September 4, 2008

The Fifth Horseman

When I knew it was from Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, I knew it would be great, but never expected to be so thrilling. I had read their books on various historic incidents and I have loved them all, their way of narration and style of presentation is something remarkable. It just keeps you glued to their books. So i was sure even in a fictional work , they will be able to sustain their charm, but what I find in "The Fifth Horseman" is just not mere charm, but more power and thrill.

Once you finish reading the book, you would wonder if you read a novel or seen a Hollywood movie or seen a news documentary on a real incident. Its so multifaceted that it would be injustice to term it just another novel. The novel has real life characters Like Mohamed Qaddafi and also alongside fictional characters. The novel was never made into a movie because of the fear that some lunatic organization might try to copy the plot and create havoc. After the novel was published, the French government stopped their nuclear fuel supplies to Libya fearing what was spoken off in the novel would become real. I don't think you would need better examples to know the impact of the novel across the world.

The novel begins with the arrival of a ship to New york port with a nuclear explosive in it. Then its followed by a letter to US president from Libyan chief regarding the nuclear device planted in the New york city and he threatens to annihilate the whole city. The rest of the novel describes how the US government and its investigating agencies find out the nuclear weapon and also its perpetrators. Its not just about finding out the bomb, but the novel explains in detail, the various strategies adopted to find out the menace, the struggle to keep the whole thing as a secret and also sheds light into the diplomacy of the political world and how US consider various political actions in retaliation. The most important aspect of the novel being that it has the ability to thrill you even if you know the whole plot of the novel, thanks to various breathtaking twists and turns that really spices up the reading. For those who love suspense and thrills, this is Bible.

August 31, 2008

Mumbai Diary part-2

The second morning at Vaashi was pleasant. It was almost 8 am when I got up from the bed. I felt I should no longer linger around with my last night thoughts or else am gonna spoil the whole trip. Certain things happen and you cant do anything, so its better not to sob over it or roll your head over such thoughts, might be some sort of escapism, but that morning, somehow I was feeling clear and good within. We planned to move into the city that day, the vehicle had come by around 9.30am and we started our journey to Mumbai city.

All cities are notorious for traffic blocks, but I couldn't believe it was worse to this extend. Every 100 meters or so , we got stuck in the traffic blocks and finally at around 12, we managed to reach our first destination- The Gateway of India. It was a pleasure to see such a big imposing structure at touching distance.Since some maintenance work had been going on, we were not permitted inside, but we could certainly go around it. I could see the pigeons around the place and some kids were feeding them, some people were posing with the pigeons. On the other side of the road, I could see two famous hotels, Hotel Taj Mahal and Hotel Taj Intercontinental.
The architecture of Hotel Taj Mahal was really wonderful reminding me of some ancient palace. We spent some time there taking some snaps. There was a boat service from there to Elephenta caves, another tourist spot, but unfortunately we couldn't visit the place. I was told it required a whole day to visit Elephenta caves.

Next we moved to the Marine Drive. This place was an inevitable part of many Bollywood movies of 70s. The place was jam packed with tourists and no wonder we had so much trouble finding a parking space. We got out of the vehicle and walked around the drive.The scenic beauty was awesome and the view of Malabar Hills from the Marine Drive was breath taking. It appears the whole Mumbai city and its pride is reflected in that long curved strip of land starting from the Marine Drive. We took a number of snaps. I had heard of Mercedes Benz E class running as taxis in Bangalore, but I couldn't believe when I saw a BMW and a LEXUS running as taxi, unfortunately I couldn't trap them in my camera.Almost after half an hour, we left to our next destination- Malabar Hills.

Malabar Hills is one of the very posh areas of Mumbai city, its told even a millionaire would find it very costly to buy a strip of land in this place. We moved into a park the so called- Lover's Park ( I don't remember its actual name). Once, I entered the park, I knew how befitting the name was. Every corner there were atleast a pair of "love birds"( I guess you follow what I mean by that) creating their niche there even with many glaring eyes around them. It was a kind of embarrassment watching them with my parents around me, but again I loved their presence, it was nice to see atleast some people find time for dates in such a busy city, It reminded me of those old romantic movies where these scenes were an inseparable part. By then it was half past one and so we moved to a restaurant for lunch.

Once we finished it ,our next target was Juhu beach. We moved through Worli, Prabhadevi, and Mahalakshmi areas and finally landed at the Juhu beach. It was almost 3 in the evening and thes un was blazing hard and strong, still there were hell lot of people, they must have been celebrating the well awaited weekend. I preferred to take some time playing with the waves, my mom and dad remained as spectators. Soon we moved to our vehicle to Dadar for shopping.

The road to Dadar was chocked with vehicles and we got hung at every traffic junction. I had my digital camera on my hands. At one of the traffic blocks, my eyes came across a small boy, probably around 5 years old. He had a torn shorts and was half clad. It seemed he had worn a cloth of dirt, bathing seems to be an activity he never got engaged in. He was holding a toffee wrapper against his face and it seemed he was peeping though a small hole made on it. When he was just in front of our car, I took a snap of him . He noticed it and soon came close to my window and started thudding it softly. I knew, what he needed, but I didn't have coins at my hand and I wasn't generous enough to hand over the hundred rupee not lying at my pocket.I looked at my mom and she started searching her hand bag for a coin. Finally she got one and she gave it to me, it was a two rupee coin. I just pushed the button and the glass was getting lowered, the eyes of the small kid was glowing with happiness. Suddenly, the lights went green, our car jumped off from stand still,by the time the glass got lowered, our car had moved a considerable distance. Once our car had started moving, I could see the thudding from the kid was becoming harder, he began running, but his legs weren't a match for the vehicle's accelerator, I turned back, I could see him crying, I could see him weeping. The car moved on and my eyes lost him.
I can't recall how I felt,probably I was more a frozen soul out of shock, out of helplessness and out of pain. We moved on , mom and dad went for some shopping, i preferred to remain inert in the car.

Finally we reached the hotel by around 9 pm. I took my dinner. The second day was great except one incident and that spoilt the whole thing. I wasn't worried because I didn't give him any money. I had seen many beggars plead, some of them children and I have turned my face off them without any emotion as if they were some untouchables or crap creatures. What pained me was that I gave him some hope, you don't get anything with a two rupee coin, but may be that two rupee could add to the coins he would have had and get him something to eat. I made him happy and within moments I took him to tears. It was not my fault, but still I ask forgiveness, for I played the negative role in that small painful act of destiny.

August 30, 2008

Mumbai Diary part-1


Its been a long time now that I had been planning a visit to the commercial capital, but one reason or the other always came in as a stumbling block and I could never make it.But this time there was nothing that could foil our plan except the rains in Mumbai that did create a bit of dilemma. But once I knew it wasn't worth a concern, I packed my bags and set out to Mumbai along with my parents for a week long tour with lots of dreams and happiness.

I had heard a hell lot about Mumbai, had seen marine drive and Chowpathi beach in a number of movies. I had heard about the rush in suburban local trains, slums at Dharawi, and ofcourse the Bollywood. The adrenaline was running high once I landed at the Panvel station at 5 in the morning. The eagerness to explore the place was growing steadily within me. I was happy to see the suburban local waiting to shoot out from the platform, I had seen this train only in television, watching it in front of my eyes was an entirely different experience. My dad's friend came to pick us from the station and we moved to our hotel.

We refreshed ourselves, took our breakfasts and were prepared to start our endeavor. Since we were just in after an 18 hour long journey, we preferred to stick ourselves to the shopping areas in and around Vaashi. We moved out to one of the shopping malls that was near to our hotel. The big 4 storeyed structure had an imposing look and it reflected the suburban culture. I entered the mall and it seemed like a very big Colosseum. But I have to admit shopping malls have never fascinated me. Even this one, I felt as another "Forum" or "Spencer's", some pizza huts, posh shopping hubs and a multiplex at the top floor. You can't blame anyone for the high prices for things at the mall, it isn't easy to get a shop for rent in such malls at a cheap rate and also the branded materials are costly( "Costly" being a relative term, what appears costly to me might be cheap to you depending on the financial circumstances). We got into an electronics shop and bought a digital camera. Then we just strolled across the mall; Even though it was a working day, there were enough people in the mall, many beautiful faces, many jankos, wired and coloured hairs.

We had lunch from a neighboring restaurant and then moved to our rooms for an afternoon nap. In the evening, we got out to explore Vaashi and came across some more gigantic shopping malls. We got into "Palm beach Galleria" (I hope I spelled it right). The weekend was just beginning and a large crowd had already built up in the mall. There wasn't a corner at the place that wasn't illuminated, it was all lights and chandeliers. I wonder if the luxury I saw at the mall had been decremented atleast by a pinch and if all malls around do the same , then the city could have easily cut down the 5 hour powercut. But I know, everyone knows, a small number of people can never even think of cutting down their luxuries for the sake of a vast majority. People remain divided physically and mentally.

Finally we returned back to the hotel. My first day was good, but not great. I felt some kind of gloominess growing within me. As I already told, shopping malls never fascinated me. I got out of my room and moved to the terrace.Even though it was night, the city lights shattered the tranquility of darkness.. The palm beach road with its lights appeared as a golden necklace. Not far away, I could see a small tent and a small light, probably a kerosene lamp or a similar crude source of light. I could see a lady with a small baby in her hand and I guess there wer many more people in the tent. I think they were workers who were staying near by. I wonder how they manage to live among these luxuries and posh life. Its not just about fighting to survive, but its about fighting the ego within them, curbing the dreams within them, its about convincing themselves that they would never know what a shopping mall is, what a digicam is, what a plantain fried cake is . They have no other way but to keep struggling for their lives and dream that they would have a better meal tomorrow, nothing more. I moved back to my bed, turned off my lights and closed my eyes, I was making a vague attempt to sleep. This was the day I saw the two extremes of life. At one place, I could see a child yelling at her mom as he was being forced to feed on a piece of some cake; at the other end, at one of the traffic blocks were we were trapped, I could see a small baby lying on the hands of a hardly thirteen year old girl crying for some water or food. I had seen such scenes in television, but this wasn't an emotional drama, thiswas real, witnessing it in front of my eyes is an entirely different experience, a painful one.

August 20, 2008

Deception Point

It was almost after a long period of nine years that I finally opened a book on fiction. Infact, it was my cousin who compelled me to read a novel and I have to say, I made an excellent start with this awesome book. Deception Point (2001) is a scientific thriller written by Dan Brown, the author whose book 'The Davinci Code' had been a sensation. But when I started reading the book, I had no idea about the author's fame or his writing style or presentation, I never considered it worth to keep myself abreast of the hot and happening in the fiction world ( I repent now).

Talking about the book , its nothing less than a Hollywood suspense thriller with every frame detailed explicitly well, had this been made into a movie. The book just keeps you glued to it and no wonder, I finished those 546 pages in a matter of two days. The novel begins with the campaign heat for the Presidential election in the United States. The characters of the two candidates are presented in a very detailed manner. Their attitudes are very well portrayed in every word they speak and every thought they undergo. The story moves on explaining the relationship between the protagonist Rachael Sexton and her father and how she becomes a part of one of the greatest discoveries made by NASA. As the story proceeds, she and her friends come to know that what appears to be fine at the surface is something appalling underneath. That very knowledge could even threaten her survival and that is what channels the flow of the story from that point-the Deception point. Then we have wonderful set of twists and turns perfectly placed and their isn't a nerve that is not shaken.

The novel very well depicts the diplomatic rapports between various people and positions in US and portrays the cold blooded nature of certain people for whom their ambition and greed lies above any values or ethics. It also depicts how pride can be used to justify murders. Anyway it was a great 48 hours of pure pleasure and entertainment. What I liked the most was the pain the author took in explaining each and every technical aspect or method used in the novel with surgical dexterity You wouldn't believe me when I say the whole novel is a collection of events that took place within just 3 days, but that stirred a whole nation. I would recommend this book a must read for those who love scientific thrillers.

August 15, 2008

You MUST see this

I have been unhappy or infact irritated sitting home all the time. No work to do since my course is over and again weeks left before I get into my job. Its all about eating sleeping and chatting and the eventless routine just continues every day But never again, I will complain for this, I feel I am lucky; I HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT, A PLACE TO SLEEP.
If you have ever complained about anything in your life, LOOK AT THE PICTURES BELOW AND YOU WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN.








There was one more photograph in my email, but I really don't have the guts even to look at it. Its so horrific, I hope no human being ever would have to face such a brutal reality .
Courtesy: email from Jyotsna P Kadayaprath


August 14, 2008

Impressive Interview Questions and Answers

Question 1:
You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night,
it's raining heavily,
When, suddenly you pass by a bus stop,
And You see three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
An old friend who once saved your life.
The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to,
Knowing very well that there could only be One passenger in your car?
This is a moral/ethical dilemma
That was once actually used as part of a job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;
* Or You could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to! Pay him back.
* However, You may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.
Guess what was his answer?

He simply answered:
'I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital.
I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.'

Sometimes,
We gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations.
Never forget to 'Think Outside of the Box.'



Question 2:
What will you do if I run away with your sister?'

The candidate who was selected answered,
'I will not get a better match for my sister than you, sir'



Question 3:
Interviewer (to a student girl candidate)
- What if one morning you woke up & found that you were pregnant.

Girl:
- I will be very excited and take an off,
To celebrate with my husband.
Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed it well.
Why I should think it in the wrong way,
She said later when asked



Question 4:
Interviewer: He ordered a cup of coffee for the candidate.
Coffee arrived kept before the candidate,
Then, he asked what is before you?

Candidate:
Instantly replied 'Tea'.
He got selected.
You know how and why did he say 'TEA' when he knows very well that coffee was kept before.

(Answer: The question was 'What is before you (U - alphabet)
Reply was 'TEA' ( T - alphabet)
Alphabet 'T' was before Alphabet 'U'



Question 5:
The interviewer asked to the candidate,
'This is your last question of the interview. Please tell me the exact position of the centre of this table where you have kept your files.'

Candidate confidently put one of his finger at some point at the table and told that this was the central point at the table.
Interviewer asked how did you get to know that this being the central point of this table. Then, he answers quickly,
Sir, you are not likely to ask any more question,
As it was the last question that you promised to ask.....
And hence, he was selected
As because of his quick-wittedness.

This is What Interviewer expects from the Interviewee.

August 13, 2008

The Dark Knight


When a fantasy concept offers more than just what it is meant to be, that is when a good movie is born. When the same concept portrays a reality, you call it a fine movie. The Dark Knight happens to be in the next level, the one which requires a definition. Its a superb treat to the eye, not because of the technical acrobatics or flashy costumes, but because of the stupendous performances from everyone in the crew. You don't see too many movies where a villain stands above a hero not only in power, but in performance too.

Christian Bale is known as one of the greatest performers of this generation, but Heath Ledger surpasses him this time. The Joker is just not a joke, but it makes a joke of the hypocrite side of our society. He doesn't have any special powers, but he exploits the evilness of the society and at times become far more powerful than the hero. This is where the movie scores its points. The movie clearly denotes that a superhero who can fly, hit or do any gimmicks cannot save a society unless and otherwise the society itself wants it to be saved. Finally the movie ends with a clear message to the people on how we bury the evil side of the society and put in a bright mask that speaks only of goodness and creates a feeling that everything is fine underneath. Unquestionably, the best movie of this year and it stands as one among the best in its genre.



August 11, 2008

Something useful

There are almost ten million blogs across the globe. There is not a single field or domain on which there is no blog. But the problem is a blog that might be useful to you might be very few out of these millions and its very hard to surf and find one of that kind, a blog which is in someway useful to us. But I can say I am lucky to find one, I am talking about working online, This blog's name itself tells its purpose,"Something useful". It gives you tips on various online schemes and mind you the blog is just not confined to that. He also talks about various scams sites and also how to deal with scams. Also he mentions about various games. The blog has another category that mentions about various sites worth joining. Also the look of the site is worth mentioning. The ads are well arranged and so it looks neat. It has simple design and the navigation in the site is also very easy. So just have a look at the site and your visit will not be wasted

The Irony

Author:Sooraj T


Chapter 1

I was driving back from office. It was my last day at work. I had resigned my job. My mind was entangled in the happenings over the last few days.
“Was it only a few days?” I wondered.

“Why should a child be punished for his parent’s mistakes? Is that fair?” I thought to myself, or maybe I was asking the almighty.

I had promised Sheela to be back soon. I floored the accelerator. I looked at my watch. I should reach there in 20 min.

August 9, 2008

The foreseen concluded

To read from the beginning, click here

"George.. , its time for dinner", a soft voice called me from the back.

The foreseen part-6


To read from the beginning,
click here


"Do you think we will sit here, listen to this bullshit and let you go?",The inspector asked.
"I have explained five times, I can explain again", I was almost in tears.

August 7, 2008

Hydroxycut

In the present world, one is most concerned about his/her health and its always beneficial if you have someone who helps you to know about latest medicines and products available that can help to get your health problems out of the way. One day while I was surfing through the internet, I came across a detailed report on hydroxycut and believe me, it was mind blowing. You cannot get a better analysis on a fat burner than this. This report gave a complete detailed analysis on various ingredients of Hydroxycut , its working as a fat burner. The report just didn't end there, it also mentioned about the top five fat burner pills available in the market.Again, it just didn't end there, the feature of each of these pills were explained in detail.Also along with it , its actual price and the price at which it could be bought through internet was also mentioned . What attracted me the most was there wasn't any promises that this report made, it just presented the facts and the choice is all yours to make on which one to choose.

The foreseen part-5

To read from the beginning, click here

I didn't feel the psychiatrist completely believed me, but he did show patience to hear me. He told me to take it lightly and not to think about the dream the whole time. He wanted me to report to him everytime I had such a dream and if any related incident. Most importantly, he advised me not to panic if any incidents similar to my dream take place. He told me that I can't do anything about the happening and its better I don't try anything stupid. I nodded to whatever he said not because I believed whatever he told, but I hated to hear the word "freak" again. The same evening, I got home and decided to go to Trenton next morning to meet my cousins. I needed a change. I decided to go to sleep early, bid good night to my parents and sister and got to my bed. I felt relieved then coz I had no fever and that meant no dream business.

Nirmalraja's web blog

I have to say I am quite happy to see a blog that's perfectly clean and neat and its contents well arranged. What differentiates it from other blogs is its sheer look. There is no flash gimmicks, no graphical acrobatics, no ad stuffs and no irritating stuffs. Moreover it doesn't have a blog roll that just flows on and on , it has limited but quality outgoing links, but still manages to have a page rank 4. Now talking about the content, its one of the very good blogs in terms of content. It covers almost all current affairs and its really nice too see one present a matter at his own perspective. The blog is well maintained and the content regularly updated. I have given a lot of introduction, but didn't tell you about the blog am talking. This is Nirmalraja's web blog that I am talking about . I can assure you this blog is worth more than just a single look, do go through its articles and I am sure, you will feel that you have seen one among the best in business.As he correctly puts forth in his words, About my blog, he lives in his blog

August 6, 2008

The foreseen part-4

To read from the beginning, click here

"George .. George", The nurse called me softly.
"How is the boy?",I felt I was out from a long sleep, but I certainly remember what had happened.
"Oh he is fine, he just had minor injuries, no fractures or internal injuries;So you can relax now",the nurse replied.
"Where is Jack",I enquired.

August 5, 2008

The foreseen part-3

To read from the beginning, click here

(unedited version)
"And what did you do?",Jack asked me.
"What could I do, it was really an awkward situation, I can't explain how I felt, the doctor was angry at me", I replied.
"What about the lift",Jack was eager to know.

August 4, 2008

The foreseen part-2

To read from the beginning, click here

"
"Whats your name buddy?", I heard an older voice outside the room.
"Steve Mack", this came from a gentleman who voiced young.
"Where are you taking me too",the old voice uttered.
"To the fifth floor sir",the reply was polite from the gentleman.
Now I can see both of them passing by, there was a old man seated on a wheel chair and he was pushed through by a stout handsome young man.
The old man in the wheel chair and Steve got into the lift, the lift doors close; above the door, on the wall, I can read the number in blue colour, it says "10".
"


August 1, 2008

The foreseen part-1

"
"Dad, I had a dream yesterday"
"What was it?"
"Hmmm, I don't exactly remember, but I am sure, it wasn't a good one"
"Leave it man, its just a dream, walk peacefully"
" Yeah its a dream, but.. hmmm"
"Now what???"

One eyed mother (Forwarded mail)

My mother had only one eye,

I hated her as I was ashamed of her

She was a cook in the school cafeteria where I studied.


One day, when I saw still in a primary class,

She came to visit me to see for herself that I was all right.

I was very upset, how dare she do this to me?

After that incident I ignored her & looked on her

Only with hateful eyes….

The next day, a fellow-student told me,

"oohhh, your mother has only one eye!"

At that moment, I wanted to crawl under the floor

And that my mother would be out of my life completely.

The next day I went to meet her & to tell here:

" because of you I am the joke at school,

Why don't you die and go away!?

But, she did not respond….

I wasn't thinking and did not know what I was saying,

I was very angry.

I could not imagine

How she would react to my remarks.

And, I left town.


I studied relentlessly and obtained a scholarship

to continue my studies abroad.

In fact, I completed my studies, got married, bought a house and set up my family.

I lived a happy and a peaceful life.


One day, my mother comes to visit me.

It has been many years since she had disappeared,

She had never met here grand-children.

She remained at the doorstep

While my children were making fun of her

I shouted at her: " How date you come all the way here and frighten my kids?!

With a calm voice she responded:

"I apologize, I am at the wrong address."

And she disappeared.


One day, I received an invitation from my hometown school to attend a reunion under the " close family ties " topic

I lied to my wife and made her believe that

I was traveling for business.

After the reunion I stopped by the house

where I grew up

The neighbours informed me that

my mother had passed away.

I did not shed even one drop of tear!!!


The neighbor handed me a letter

that my mother had left for me

"My Dear son, I always thought of you."

I regret having visited you abroad

And frightened your kids

…I was very pleased when I heard that

you would come to attend the reunion

…The only thing was that I could not get up

from my bed to come and see you….

… I am broken-hearted that I brought

shame to you on numerous occasions…

Did you know that when you were a baby

you had an accident and lost your one eye?...

and, as any other mother would,

I would not let you grow up with only one eye….

So. I gave you my eye……..

I was very proud and happy to know that my son would be able to see the world with my eye

with all my love…

…Your mother….

Courtesy-Salma





July 31, 2008

3 blogs I love

Hello guys this is a post I would like to use to get you know about three wonderful blogs I have seen around.

1.Amyoops- this is one of the unique because it focuses on a very simple topic, but yet captures every bit of it in a very wonderful manner, a must read for those who love fun and enjoy every bit of life. Especially the photographs, they are mind blowing.

2.The Red Devilz- Are you a Man U fan?, then this is the best choice for you; the hardcore red of the blog tells you how much he loves football and the club. You can get all wallpapers on Man U , fixtures, and whatever you wanna know about your team. I just love the way he covers all news about Man U and puts it over there, this one is worth more than a look.

3.Acoustic guitar player- Are you a music lover,? well, who doesn't love music. This is a blog all about guitars, different notes, notations and whatever resource you would need on the above subject. I am attracted to this blog because of its sheer simplicity and his true commitment to get his readers to know about guitars and also his eagerness to know what his reader expects from his blog.Hats off man for this wonderful blog.

So
I would love to suggest these three sites for "abr" blog awards

July 30, 2008

More than a mere pursuit


Thomas Jefferson had mentioned about the liberty to live and the pursuit for happiness in the declaration of independence, probably he envisaged there could only be pursuit to happiness and no real happiness as itself. I prefer to disagree coz I do feel the happiness out of satisfaction( it might seem to be a strange derivation) of watching one of the most,in fact the best beautiful movie I have ever seen, "The pursuit of Happyness".

Will Smith inacts the role of protagonist Chris Gardner who finds it hard to survive and the movie revolves around his endeavor to find a better life for him and his son. The best out of Will Smith has come in this movie and his performance just steals the show.I would rate it as the best movie I have seen till date along with Schindler's List and Equilibrium, but the movie differs from these in almost all aspects. The movie is not a sci-fi, there is no technical gimmicks,this isn't a high profile suspense thriller,it scores coz this is a story of man and his fights with destiny to exist, to carve out a niche for him and his son. The movie is splendid because it isn't a movie, its pure unadulterated life that has been successfully portrayed and presented. It has a slight similarity with Schindler's List due to the fact that the movie is based on a true person and incidents and you have no way other than to stand and applaud, the man's determination and the onscreen incarnation of the same by Will Smith. A treat to eyes, a treat to heart and it reminds us, the elements of a "Born with silver spoon " generation that life isn't the same for all.A whole hearted thanks to all behind the movie for having made such a wonderful masterpiece and I feel privileged to have watched it.

Trivia:
The real Chris Gardner appears as the man who walks past Chris and Christopher at the end of the movie.

Pricesexposed.net

Its been quite frequent that you hear about diet pills in various TV shows and tele shopping. Many of them offer you products and guarantee you satisfaction and reduction in prices, but these are matters of credibility. This is where Pricesexposed.net stands tall, it doesn't make any promises and stuff, it gives you true and factual information about a diet pill product, and provide you with opportunity to buy it online at a low cost.It gives a description about a product, its customer satisfaction rating followed by the price at which its available at internet. Its not just a mere acrobatics of words that this site provides, but in fact it carries out an in depth analysis of the products and then provides the information to the people.Its one of the most highly trusted websites working in this field and so there is no reason, why you won't check this out. So all you people trying or running out there for kicking off you fat, try this site and get the most efficient and best diet pillsproducts.

July 28, 2008

The Machinist


Christian Bale has been one of my favourite actors since I saw his "cult" movie "Equilibrium". I could follow his acting skills by his performance in "The Prestige"(2006), but his dedication to give the utmost perfection to his characters was what I could know from his movie "The machinist". As a spectator, there is a high chance that you would get in a dilemma after watching the movie, the dilemma is which among the two happens to be the best, is it his acting in the movie or his dedication to the character.

The movie is a psycho thriller that glues you to your seats, coz of the powerful screenplay, the movie is backed with and the intriguing performance by Christian Bale. He cut down his weight by 28 kilograms to transform his physique to what his character had demanded, this is more than a proof for his dedication. As far as his acting goes, you need to watch the movie as he presents the mentally disturbed and insomniac protagonist in the most perfect manner one can ever imagine. The only negative factor might turn out to be the pace of the movie that appears a bit slow, but this happens to be the right pace to express the whole story in a powerful manner. A perfect ten for the performance, screen play and direction of this movie. This movie would surely be loved by everyone who love psycho thrillers.

July 25, 2008

Stephen concluded

To read from beginning, click here

Sundays have never moved off easy for Gracy. She would be busy at kitchen the whole day coz that is the day when she would put herself in preparing new and wonderful dishes for her children. This Sunday wasn't different too,It had been continuously raining for past two weeks and the terrace had been quite slippery, but George and Stephen loved to be at the terrace. Gracy was there with them, but she just left to kitchen for setting up the breakfast. Stephen had other plans rather than playing. He had decided to finish himself off that morning and this was the best opportunity. He moved to the edge of the terrace, he looked at George and said," Good bye brother".

July 24, 2008

Stephen part-4

To read from beginning, click here

The winds from the west were getting severe, summer had gone past and now it was time for rains. As Gracy had promised, she gifted a cute little baby to Stephen and it was a boy. Stephen still remembers the day when a small thing wrapped in white was given to his dad by the nurse. The baby hadn't even opened its eyes. Stephen had touched its hands and looked at his father," His hands are so tiny, how can he ever manage to eat". David had just smiled at him.

July 22, 2008

Hancock


Will Smith has always had the charisma that has led his movies into box office rockers, probably many a time, his presence merely outplays the screen play and direction and in case of Hancock, I am sure, this is the only factor that has turned the movie into a super hit.

The way the movie began, was awesome and I was expecting a hell lot in the later stages, but it seemed the director didn't have much to do with his super hero as he was too powerful that the movie even lacked a competitive villain . The movie started with the spotlight into the miserable life of a hated superhero, it started so realistically good and seemed to be moving well, but all of a sudden, the movie twists into a new dimension (I still dont understand what was the need) that really bored a hell lot. Overall,Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman were awesome, Will Smith did entertain the audience, but what could have been a superb movie died off in an awful manner. The screen play lacked the flow and also lacked the ability to sustain the hopes that was generated in the initial scenes . I would suggest you watch the first 55 minutes and move off the theater, this would have a better effect than watching the whole movie.

July 1, 2008

Stephen part-3

To read from beginning, click here


The unexpected always paralyses human thoughts and actions, only its tenure varies from person to person. Gracy was melting in front of a simple, but an unanswerable question, but she pulled herself up and replied, "No my dear, who told you these things, you are our very own son and how can you be an orphan then". She grabbed him closer to her and hugged him. She was probably in tears, and Stephen felt guilty for putting in such a question. She kissed him on forehead and asked him to lie down. She covered him with his blanket, switched off the lights and moved off. Stephen's doubt was cleared, he hoped not to entertain any such thoughts in future.

June 30, 2008

From "List" to person


Today is special for me on account of many reasons. First of all, today at 11 am ,nearly after 8 years, I began reading an English novel ( I don't understand why I had this hatred of novels that alienated me from fictional works). But more important was that today, I saw the best movie I have seen till date, "Schindler's List", a 184 minute long epic. Each moment, each frame of the movie was powerful enough to captivate one's mind and I wasn't an exception. I had felt Speilberg magic with "Saving private ryan", but this experience is beyond words.

Set on the background of NAZI invasion of Poland during Second World War, the story moves through the life of a German businessman and his efforts to save Jews in Poland from the holocaust. Technical aspect of the movie deserves a perfect 10, the movie keeps its flow throughout and the screenplay is powerful which is very well supported by excellent performance on screen. Its a perfect movie by my standards and I wonder why it remains 6th in IMDB ratings when it should be holding the top position.

After watching the movie, I just went through various reviews and different perspectives about the movie and was stunned to know it was a movie based on a real person. That's when I went through various articles about that person and came to know about Oskar Schindler who spent all his money to save 1100 Jews from death and created a new generation of so called "Schindler Jews". He was an unsuccessful businessman, but a philanthropist and his life is an example of how a business minded person transforms into a philanthropist. The movie perfectly portrays Schindler's character and is a tribute to lacs of Jews who had been killed in various concentration camps and also to the man who turned out to be a Saviour of 1000s of Jews in Poland who were rescued from the holocaust. The movie is a treat to eyes that deserves to be recorded in our hearts forever.

June 27, 2008

Last page from college

The epic of 3years, 9 months and 16 days was to end today and I was sure, it wouldn't be easy for any one of us to take it for granted. I was to enter my campus, probably for the last time, as a student and so I wanted to reach college in time , but it never happened and I entered when the clock ticked 11. Certain things never change. Most of my classmates were present at the corridor and were chitchatting. I think this is the only art we learnt during past four years and no much other technical skills. I had gained mastery over it and soon I too got into the groove.

We shared those olds thoughts, the pet names that we had for each other and in between , took some time to complete the procedure to procure the conduct certificate. The time was running out, it wasn't anything new, 4 years had run away and I never knew. Finally it was 5 in the evening, it was drizzling, most of my friends had gone by then, some of them to hostels, some of them straight back to their homes. I was sitting in the corridor, with none nearby, loneliness was slowly creeping in when one of my classmates called me. She was on her way back to hostel and she would be vacating the hostel tomorrow. She was the first person I met in the college four years back, we had a lot of memorable moments, probably there wasn't a single day in these four years when I hadn't teased her, she liked it too; we were very good friends. She looked at me and spoke in a trembling voice," da I am go..."; she burst into tears, I have never seen her cry like this, atleast I couldn't watch someone crying like this. I pulled out my handkerchief from my back pocket and gave it to her, I didn't look at her face. I put in rather an emotionless face, she wiped off her tears, but it didn't seem to stop; I shook hands with her, I preferred not to look at her face, she was gripping my hand tight, I pulled it off and waved my hands at her signaling her to go. I performed the whole act rather emotionless, she was still weeping. She knows, from tomorrow , there is none to mock her like I did and for me , there's none like her who would tolerate my severe, at times cruel teasing. She moved away and I could see she was still weeping while she was climbing the steps back to her hostel; probably she would be doing it for the last time.

It was raining, raining hard and strong within me and I felt my eyes were getting diluted, I was finding it hard to take in. By then one of my classmates was present near me, He knew I was starting to break off and he spoke, " centi adikellada patti"( dont be emotional). Soon he snatched my handkerchief and the rest is anyone's guess.I was talking to him as well as myself," The inevitable has just happened, it happens in everyone's life. My cousin always say, nowadays, once you are out of college it doesn't mean your friends are all parted off, you will all meet together probably at your work place, I am sure that will happen with us too". I was consoling me and my friend, but both knew it might be a mere consolation, but hoped it would turn into a reality. Soon I moved off from my campus, I didn't look back this time, I wanted too, but... It was a long journey back to home. it was drizzling through out while I was in the bus. Rain drops trickled from the window grill of the bus and I kept staring at them. Our moments have passed like trickling drops one by one, and we watched them go silently. Finally when the last drop trickled down into the memory lane today, I feel I am still not completely wet. I loved my college, I loved my friends, wanted to be there, but the rain has stopped. I have no other way, but get ready to feel the new season.

-Varun Krishna

June 15, 2008

Stephen part-2

To read from beginning, click here

A prejudiced mind's perspective happens to be half blinded, Stephen was concerned with knowing why his mom is interested in eating out his nerves all the time, he thought her love for him was degrading with every moment passing by, his immaturity pampered his thoughts well supported by his wildest imagination. He was busy finding reasons to prove that she never loved him, and to his rescue, he soon got the most powerful reason. One day while playing at his backyard, the ball bounced and went flying to the neighbour's yard, he silently, slipped into the neighbour's compound, took the ball and was about to get back, but the conevrsation in the house stopped him, his neighbour was talking about Stephen's family. He preferred hearing them and soon a shock wave screwed his nerves, he found himself sinking, he ran back to his home, he was no longer in the mood of playing.

The Usual Suspects


One hour and fifteen minutes have passed since I saw the movie, "The Usual Suspects", but still I can feel some part of me resisting to accept the outstanding climax the movie provides, how can one ever plot such a sensational, mind blowing story.

An American thriller of 1995, directed by Bryan Singer , has its plot howering around five criminals who are intially detained as suspects for a truck robbery. The story is infact the first hand narration of a person who was the lone survivor of a bomb explosion in a boat. 27 persons have been killed and the lone survivor is forced to narrate the whole story and the plot from the beginning. I am forced to stop my diclosure of story here since it can seriously hamper your viewing pleasure.

I have to admit that initially I found it hard to keep up with the pace of the movie, but soon I was glued to my seat and it was pure 1 hour and 41 minute entertainer. All the actors have shown sincerity to their roles and especially, Kevin Spacey was brilliant. I would suggest you to watch the movie and I bet it will be a sensational treat to the eyes. There is no surprise why, the movie stands at 20th position in IMDB's top 250 movies ever made in Hollywood.

June 13, 2008

Stephen part-1

To read from the beginning, click here

All aren't lucky when it comes to the state of being loved, but he was very lucky, probably the luckiest. Gracy was as soft as a feather to him and David never ever had a raised eyebrow at him. Too much love at times creates a spoilt brat and here too, the situation wasn't different. Stephen was getting too much pampered, his naughtiness was, exceeding all limits, but Gracy and David preferred silence, their silence was his license.

June 12, 2008

Stephen

The winds from the west had always been soothing and cool. Its not the first time they brought rains along with them. The coolness of wind, the freshness of rain, the smell of earth , all coordinated to give a wonderful feel of the nature whenever they came . This day was no different. It was a beautiful day and the light showers sprinkled freshness into its charm and beauty. None could ever be sad given such bliss of nature to feel and live on, but sadness filled the air at one home.

Gracy and David were still not out of it, how could they ever be; it was like nurturing a small plant , see it grow well and one day, all of a sudden, you see it crushed by nature. Stephen wasn't just like a plant, he was their life, their dreams , he was their son. Days have passed since he left them, but they could still see him running on the corridors, scratching the walls with his half broken scale, shouting and howling songs of Linkin park. Memories of Stephen still rule their days and nights, he was still a child when he died, but it seemed God needed him badly.

Sweetest memories hurt the most when life flips 180 degrees. She still recalls the day when Stephen was handed over to them. He was a small baby ,4 months old wrapped in small cloth of white, with half opened eyes and looking anxiously at everything around. Gracy and David didn't have a child even after seven years of marriage and thats when they decided to adopt a child.

Stephen made their days and nights, Gracy always had him in her hands, her hands were his cradle, probably Gracy and David were looking for a reason to live and now, the reason was looking at them with eyes brimming with love and innocence. Stephen was growing in the world of love, care and compassion. With every day, Gracy and David were getting closer to him.

Gracy's eyes were filling up with tears, she remembers the moment when he looked into her eyes, and for the first time whispered, "Maa..", the words that every mother loves to hear. Her eyes were wet on that day too, but now the reason is different. She can no longer hear that call, she can no longer hear that voice.

To continue click here

June 5, 2008

Sin (concluded)

To read from the beginning, click here

.....................................................................................

Rahul was handsome and it was the first time I was seeing him, but probably at the wrong occasion. He must have seen me holding Riya's hand, luckily she just pulled her hand out at the right time.
"Would you mind if I join you", he looked at us and asked with a straight face.

Sin (continued)

To read from the beginning, click here

.....................................................................................

"TRRRRIIiiiinnnnggg", I always hated this bloody barking of my alarm clock, but I had no choice other than to wake up. It was already 7 in the morning. Its too intimidating to get up in the morning and move to office after two days of joyous weekend. This weekend was extremely good, a lot of partying, outing with friends and ofcourse Riya did miss me a lot; the frequency of her miss calls were just a bit thicker than a thin line. Even I was eager to meet her, I too missed her a lot.

June 4, 2008

Sin

This is a story made out of pure imagination and any compatibility with anyone's life or true incident is nothing but coincidence and any hard feelings coz of it is deeply regretted.


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Its been five years now that I have entered into my professional career, to be specific my job, a hectic and horrible life at times, but somehow I have managed to exist through tough times. Now this is my second switch to a new firm, probably once you are in this field, your commitment is just on your career and money, commitment to the firm comes next. Its been almost a month now that I have joined this new firm. Its really awesome, the environment is cool and friendly, out here, I don't feel the choking irritability of working all the time.

June 1, 2008

The expert opinion (for paid review posting bloggers)

Its been almost a week now that the issue of crack down by Google on sponsored posts publishers and advertisers has created much a hurricane,so I thought I must consult an expert regarding this so that he could elaborately explain on the issue.Down here I am posting his reply, I hope it will help all you bloggers who are still perplexed over the issue.

There are 2 issues -
1. Taken by people on moral ground. ..
the purpose of a blog is to give views without any external influence, it can be biased based on your outlook or experiences,when money is involved to write blogs for a product/service, the blog cannot be trusted.Now here is a cycle, You will get payed by sponsors for writing blogs based on your ranking, You get blog viewership based on your views and peoples trust on you
once people know that you blog for money. people stop trusting you or visiting ur blog your ranking falls and advertisers are not interested in asking you to blog for them. If you do not very openly disclose that this is sponsored blog, you are cheating the viewers the moment you declare that , people wont be interested. There are legal sanctions which require disclosures to be in place.

2. page ranking issue...
if Google fears that the advent of such blogging will result in incorrect page ranking, and this affects their credibility, they may want to take action, they would also look to kill 2 birds with single stone; Stop this blog for money trend as well as save the effort that goes into modifying their algorithm to accommodate for these blog based links. I am not commenting on what Google did was right or wrong.They are not directly attacking any sites which has links , they are attacking a particular problem which affects the credibility of their patented page rank system.

Courtesy
Sooraj T
Technical leader

May 31, 2008

Between Dominance and Existence

"Whenever someone exerts his supremacy beyond tolerance, the people looks for an alternative"; its a law that has existed since ages.Whether it is politics, cine field, science or internet, the law holds true.

People were furious with their search engines, they wanted more information at their hands,the players of the industry were incompetent and also ruthless, people were looking for an alternative, a Saviour who could serve their bellies with information that was valid and timely. Thats when Lary Page and Sergey Brin took the task and Google hit the scenes. Since then it has been a success story,all headlines and news papers, magazines and other media hailed Google ,not only for their efficient search engine, but because of their business ethics and user friendliness. I am sure Page and Brin knows it better than anyone. They were the ones who has shown the path of innovation to overcome competition rather than force or power. Infact Google has proven it a hell lot of times.

The result is visible, its the best search engine, also it provides a bunch of extremely good utilities.So why is Google popular?, the answer is anybody's guess. They stand with people and work for the people. But now that statement is being shaded. The latest modification of page rank algorithm has put almost 100,000 bloggers in agony, reason being the tussle between Google and Payperpost metaphorically between an elephant and an ant. Not only Payperpost ,they seem to be cracking down all publishers and advertisers who seem to be a part of what they call,"illegal link marketing".

Google is no more true to what it is known for. Infact it has transformed like every big frim does, it is the super power of internet, so when it raises eyebrows on small players of the game,naturally the spectators line up with the big gun. Maybe this would be the same fate that Payperpost suffers. Its not grown enough to challenge Google, so finally Google would emerge victorious. But as all big firms are, arrogance and domination decided the result here,but that always triggers the downfall too.

Google has grown far enough to find methods to avoid illegal manipulation of page rank by paid link posts. If they had taken any of such measures,people would have embraced it with pleasure. But what have they done, cut down the ranks of Payperpost publishers and advertisers to 0. So people would naturally move out of Payperpost( unquestionably , page rank still rules the bloggosphere) and stick with Google, not because of love with Google, but because of losing out of world's best search engine's result page. The patronism out of love and respect and out of fear stands at extremities.This page rank modification is alleged to be a step taken by Google inorder to avoid any risk to their Adsense scheme( I wonder how far that is true).

None expected 2 graduates from Stanford university to rock the world with their innovation.History can repeat,maybe there can be another such innovation that could root out the pioneer itself. But the order of the day is that Google is no longer an angel now. It has started to use its power and its assured of victory,but not to forget victory out of force doesnt remain forever. Once its dominance would be started to be hated by people, they would look for a new alternative, then their will be a new Saviour,it will take over the world and Google might face what many giants faced by Google's arrival.Probably Google is in its early stages of taking the path of dictatorship,its still loved by people including me.But it would be disheartening if it gets out in terrifying people and the babies of internet and exerts tyranny in the community.

Let Google never forget that "Whenever arrogance decide your decision , Nature rallies against you".

-Varun Krishna, a true patron of Google who feels the firm is triggering a catastrophic transformation to the antonym of its motto ("DO NO EVIL").

May 30, 2008

Google, is it right??

Google is considered as one of the angels of Internet and even I don't have a different voice. Its one of the most hailed and elite branded firms which holds customer service,satisfaction and innovation upfront better than any other firm.

But now it seems a bit of transformation is taking place, its not that they are becoming completely profit oriented, but now I feel they happen to lacking a bit of transparency in some of their services.

Google Adsense

Google Adsense is one of the very best methods to earn money if you have a very good website or blog.But the problem is your site has to be too good if you are to actually gain benefit from it. I mean to say the minimum payout is 100$. Now even if you have a very good website,only very few would be checking out the ads placed on your blog and you cant be guaranteed to reach your payout limit so easily. So actually what happens, Google keeps the money till it reaches the limit and then pays it to you. My friend had joined Adsense almost two years back and he has earned 27$, so what does that mean. Millions of such people might have earned such an amount and Google keeps it without paying any interest.Infact Google would be earning millions of dollars from such balances. There is nothing bad with Google earning money, but it is certainly bad that they are still not reducing limit or atleast giving an option for lesser limit. So what they are actually doing is making branded websites and stuff more richer,the individual websites will probably need to work a hell lot better. I have seen many switch on to BIDVERTISER and other sites which has a payout of $10, atleast people doesnt have to wait for so long.Also I have heard many countries have been removed from the list of affiliate earning( especially Asian countries). I dont think thats the right way to do it. Another big flaw being even if someone randomly clicks on the ads in your sites and creates problems,you are out of the game and you Adsense account is blocked for ever. They have a feature of filing appeals which is a mere mockery. I wonder why are they keeping such a feature when there is no provision for reactivating an account. If you are saying that you have tracker software and stuff,believe me that cannot always stop the menace. Its high time Google must reconsider their Adsense policies.

Page rank

Its been a while now I have seen people, especially bloggers run madly for link exchange, the reason: to get a handsome page rank. That has crept up many new sites,but fortunately Google has strongly acted upon such forged or cooked up links for just rank sake, But has been it been completely successful, well I really doubt it. You can see a hell lot of links to other blogs from each blog and that itself shows the desperation of a blogger. What is more disheartening is Google has decided to drop the page ranks of those blogs who has got sponsored reviews on their blogs, especially the one having a tag "Sponsored by..". I wonder what must be the cause, because it doesnt or infact will not hamper any legal violations or user privacy. If some one terms it spamming, I really dont find any logic since a blog doesnt force you to visit it,its a pull technology; I think users would better judge it a spam or not. Anyways such sponsored reviews are far better than the flashy ads and stuff . I would like to know if Google would drop ranks of the sites who put on sponsored ads from Adsense, if not ,I think it should not do this with sponsored reviews too.

Its a known fact that Google is a leader in web world, but it doesnt mean it has the monopoly over it.Internet is much an open environment and once Google would start forcing its terms, It would surely meet with the fate of many giants who had tried these tricks earlier. I am sure Google would consider this and stick to its motto "DO NO EVIL".