Calvin and Adda

Sometime last week I read this Calvin-Hobbes cartoon strip.. (It was originally published on 13th June, 1989). As all of the others, even this one strikes you with its innocence and the Calvin-attitude..

And this cartoon reminds me of my nephew. One day he was observing an ant very closely, then came to my sis and said:

Adda: Amma, ants very bad. (Mom, ants are very bad.)

My Sis: enduku? (Why?)

Adda: enduku ante adi kinda padinavi ani thintundi. (Because it eats whats fallen on the floor.)

Talking about him, these days he is adamant that he has grown up... The other day I was at their place and was leaving for office and the following conversation took place with him:

Me: Adda, AnniMama office ki velali. (Adda, I have to go to Office).

Adda: Adda kuda office velutadu. (Adda will also go to work).

Me: Adda office enduku veltadu? akada emi undadu. (Why will Adda go for work? There won't be anything there.)

Adda: akada ki velthe, dabbulu istaru. apudu adda bathathu konukuntadu. (When I go there, they will give me money. With that, Adda will buy Chocolates.)

By now, you would already have understood that he has his own style of speaking and also has his own language. He calls Chocolates as bathathu, Aeroplane as Bui

And so bui bathathu refers to the toffees provided in the plane.

appa is water, eeya eeyo refers to Eat Street on Necklace Road, aamaks is IMAX, chental is Central, baggal is Burger, fench fies is French Fries and chauch is Sauce.

Chikkadpally, according to him, isn't an area but just a particular shop - THE shop where he once bought his toy car. Once my Mom and Dad took him to a shop in Chikkadpally to buy him a toy train, but he was stubborn that he would only buy his toys from Chikkadpally (his toy shop). So they took him to that particular shop and he was very happy about it. Then first thing he asked the shop-keeper after going in was:

Adda: Chayya chayya antunde... aa ku unda? (Do you have the train that says Chayya Chayya?)

This was because his old toy train which had broken down would sing "Chal chayya chayya " song when switched on.

There are a couple of very sweet videos of him which I will soon link to this post. Anyone would love them.

Seedi Baath.. No Bakwaas

Here is an interesting observation... If you have been watching the IPL matches from the start you would definitely have seen the Sprite Ad in which one guy is seen selecting tall, hefty body-builders to defeat the opposition and then our dear SRK comes in and says, "Then what are these for?" and the camera zooms in on the KKR team (including Dada)... And then comes the tagline "Seedi Baath.. No Bakwaas". Pretty bold statement to make at the start of a new season especially after a very bad first season. But as the season progressed and KKR outdid all other teams to secure their place at the very bottom, the fellows at Sprite soon took a leaf out of their own book and cut-short all the Bakwaas in the Ad and now just run "Sprite... Seedi Baath.. No Bakwaas".. Now, this is what is called "Improvisation".. Besides, they have now gone back to "ladki ko patana" waala ads - having realised that "opposition ko harana" isn't something KKR can really do... just a wrong choice of Partners, mate..

With the stunning defeats that KKR has been involved in, came the rumours that SRK isn't making any money and so might soon put up the team for auction...That's definitely not true.. How can I be so sure?? Simple... Because he is SRK.. He is simply one of the best businessman in the country and would do everything possible to ensure he comes out on top (in terms of money, and maybe brand-building).. He is the kind of guy who would run naked around the cricket ground if that is what would attract people to watch the KKR lose. (Okay, I'm sure to make a lot of enemies among the girls now.) Actually, don't get me wrong. All I wanted to say is that he has just gone sleeveless in this season's KKR anthem.. There is still a long way to go (bare-chested as in OSO, into shorts as in Chak de! and only then the naked run down the pitch) before we can conclude that SRK has not been making money... But with the kind of craze and following he has, I'm sure bare-chested is enough to make him the most profitable owner for this season of IPL.

Talking about team anthems, RR, RCB, KXIP have also come up with their respective team anthems...

the RR's again, just like the KKR's, lost their theme... the guy who selected the theme probably thought IPL is some sort of a Rajasthani folk dance... that's all there seemed to be all throughout, Shilpa in a traditional outfit (okay, not that any any outfit could be stictched in that little cloth, but it was still a lot when it comes to our Bollywood heroines)... The only one single striking frame would be the one which shows the stunning Shilpa in an air-hostess' outfit with a private jet with RR written on it in the background... but the bottomline, if Shilpa doesn't strip (of that little) and you don't focus on the cricketers (mainly Warne), who do you except to watch that video? And coming to the audio... what difference would it make with Shilpa in the video.

The RCB's were not far off in the race for the worst team anthem either... I didn't understand a word of their anthem nor what the video tried to convey.. let me take a guess.. I think they were singing "We will win.. we will win.. Bengalooru"... But with the video, someone made a real mess of it... I think that "someone" thought IPL was for Quidditch matches, not cricket... because the video starts off with cricketers rising into the air (without broomsticks), just the way Souls were shown to be rising in some of the old Bollywood movies.. but unlike the KKR anthem, the RCB's got their theme right... they understood from the start that it's not their players but their cheerleaders who hold a chance of attracting crowds (if at all).. so they focussed entirely on cheerleaders and boy, didn't they get that spot-on... the cheerleaders are totally "HOT".. I'm sure they could make more money by selling CDs of their anthem (video obviously, the audio would hardly be intelligible) than by selling tickets to the IPL matches.. but if only... if only the cheerleaders would travel more towards the south and play from Chennai, the Superkings would drop less catches and hold a chance of winning this IPL..

The KXIP, in comparision, were the only one who made a decent anthem and tried to convey a message in clear layman language... The video clearly shows that Yuvraj and his boys play cricket and there will be some big shots to watch for in the game... Apart from that, Preity would always be cheering them from the stands.. See, a straight-forward video conveying a smiple message.. No loud statements boasting about "defeating the opposition" and stuff... afterall, the KXIP is like a cat on the wall, even after half the season is completed they are still not sure which side they would jump...

Coming to the DC's team anthem... do they have an antem?? do they need one in the first place?? I guess not... and anyway, they have just so totally disappointed me this season.. last season, they made it clear right from the word "GO" that were not in any mood to challenge the others... but this season, they are sitting on the wall with the KXIPs not knowing which side they would jump to.. sorry, which side they would fall on... because when it comes to the DCs, other teams lose or win against them and send them to the top or bottom of the charts... and I HATE SUCH SUSPENSE...

That's it for now.. if I carry on any further, I am pretty sure I would be sued by all the Wadias, Mallyas and Ram Reddys of India.. And not to forget the Khan and half the Bollywood('s strippers) backing him...

Longest break from my blog..

This has been the longest time I have been away from my blog... Infact, April was the first month in which I haven't written even one post. :( I thought I would start the month by writing on my birthday but I have been kept so busy that I couldn't find any time the whole month. OKAY... Seedi Baath.. No Bakwaas... I did have loads of work last month and had a reason to justify myself, but to be honest I was just plain LAZY and used an excuse for my procrastination... That said, here I am... (finally) and with my sister's and nephew's birthdays just a week away I am sure to write atleast one more post this month (maybe a post dedicated solely to my nephew).. But for now, "Seedi baath.. No Bakwaas" is coming next..

13B and after

13B - nice movie. Probably one of the few good horror movies (not only Indian-made) and decently scary. Tears come to my eyes atleast once for every movie I watch, however I cried many times while watching 13B - maybe I couldn't stand the emotion. Infact, I glanced over my shoulder quite a few times too in the theatre, to make sure nobody was behind me. But that was just being ME than anything to do with the movie. I had gone for the second-show (10.30pm to 1.15am) yesterday and this was partially the reason why I found the movie so scary. Another reason is that during the interval I told the story of "Shutter" to my friends. I (and so do many others) regard Shutter as one of the best horror movies ever made and the movie gives me goosebumps every time I even think of it - but this makes for an entirely new story which I shall publish sometime later.

For now, after the movie I went to the parking lot to get my car. I was still a little scared but not too much. And soon I was out on the road - the long, straight road that I loved, especially in the nights. It was one of the straights that helped me heavily set my fastest times.

But this time, I was alone in the car and I was scared. I kept glancing into the rear-view mirror to see if there was "someone" in the rear seat. I was scared to even play the radio as it was (0130 am, you should understand if you have watched the movie). But I decided to play music at high volume hoping that would distract me a bit. But it didn't work and I cursed myself for having trained myself not to get distracted by music. Infact, I used to study with loud music playing in my room and I could sleep like a log in the class even with all the noise. But yesterday night, I regretted it all. My concentration hadn't shifted 'one inch' from the "someone" sitting in the rear seat. I tried even harder - I tried singing along but this turned out to be a bigger failure. Having never concentrated on music, I didn't know even one word.

There was a little traffic on the road and never before had I felt so happy to see traffic. Infact, I was even happy to see a traffic constable. :)

Then I thought I would use SPEED to my help. Once I cross a certain speed limit, my concentration on the road increases heavily. So, I tried speeding upto 90 but this turned out to be worse as, with all the glancings into the rear-view mirror I was losing control of the car. I needed to act quick.

I so wished someone was with me. Then struck the brainwave - I could call someone. This was sure to distract me. Although I was firmly against talking on the phone while driving, I decided to make an exception for once. And anyway I could keep the phone on loudspeaker - so not much harm done. So I called one of my closest friends, who I was sure wouldn't be asleep then. I was so happy when she said "Hi" but her voice was very low. So, I told her I was driving and that the call was on loudspeaker. But she cut the call. I tried twice more and same response, she murmered something and cut the call. Then I got a message from her asking me to message her what the matter was. Then it dawned on me. I had tried to call a GIRL. No one else would be dumb enough to ask someone who said he was driving to message her.

But I had succeeded, finally. My thoughts shifted to girls and then the next obvious stop was - my Blog. I decided to write a post on the blog (which is the one, you are currently reading) and all my thoughts shifted over to the blog instead of the "someone" sitting in the rear seat. And I wasn't scared as much anymore. Soon I reached home.

Once I got to the lift, I didn't dare to open it. (If you have seen 13B, you would understand why.) But the staircase was even darker. Besides, I am terribly lazy to climb 3 storeys. So I took the lift instead. I pressed 3 and was so happy to find it move. The lift climbed to first floor and continued on towards second floor. Midway, I suddenly found dried blood on the part of the floor facing the lift. NO. It was just pan which some idiot had spit. The lift continued on to third floor and I kept ringing the bell till my dad opened the door. Never was I so glad to see my family.

I quickly changed and went into my parent's bedroom and told my mom, even I would sleep in their room for the night. She asked me which movie I had gone for and I replied, "13B, it's a horror movie." She simply said, "I can see that."

SHIT, what a coward I'm. I still don't know why exactly I was so scared yesterday night. Even now, I'm writing this post at 9pm and am not scared to go back home alone. It was just between 1-3am of 09-Mar-09.

Why do people blog?

This is one question I have asked myself quite a few times. The reason why I used to ask this question was not to gain an insight into the common man's thinking, but to peep inside my own Beautiful Mind.

I have come across many blogs, in the first post of which the author confesses to being "a lazy ass and a big procrastinator" but promises to write atleast one post per month. And then he starts thinking of topics to write on. After about 6 months, he finally finds the topic - An apology for not having written for 6 months. Knowing myself only too well, I was sure I would never be able to stick to the 1 post per month promise.

But looking back, I am amazed to see that I have averaged over 6 posts per month. And how did I manage that. This is precisely the question I have always asked myself and which I try to answer here.

1. I talk a lot. And when I'm not talking to someone, I'm talking to myself. But I'm always talking. So everytime a thought strikes me, a conversation continues in my mind which I later publish to my blog. My blog itself is only like a conversation I'm having with my Inspiron.

2. Everyone needs a patient ear and so do I. But while patient listeners are hard to come across in real life, all computers by default are so (except, ofcourse, if you are using Vista which would keep throwing pop-ups at your face). With a blog, I can talk all I want until I feel I have made my point and no one would interfere. After that, its upto the reader to either read all that I want to say or put it aside and go to sleep - and I care not either way.

3. Theme: I don't have a theme to my blog. People write about their bikes, books, music or what-not. But I chose the most generic of all themes - Beautiful Mind, as in, thoughts. And since, one will never cease to think I'm never out of topics to blog on. (Just like the current scenario. If I'm out of topics to blog on, I can write on why people blog and next time, I can write on why people can't find topics to blog on.)

4. I always get carried away whenever I come across something new and so it happened with the blog. I just wanted to write, but not for one instant did I wait to ask "who would want to hear my opinions and what would they want to hear?" This was one reason why I never did stop myself from writing something and I'm still undecided on whether this is the right approach or not. Afterall, I have a blog now but only 7 regular readers after 7 months.

5. Maintaining a blog is highly time-consuming. Lucky me, I was alien to this "fact" while I started out blogging and now I know it's one of the biggest misconceptions about blogs.

6. Another important reason could be my new-found passion for blogging. I wasn't always interested in writing but from the time I created this blog, I have wanted to publish something new every day.

While these reasons possibly explain the consistency with which I have been writing, they still do not answer the more fundamental question - Why do people blog? Why does Aamir Khan reveal everything first on his blog and not through the media - who can do it faster and wider. Why, if I can find an answer to the question "Why?", would I want to come back and blog about it?