Metamorf

Everything that has a beginning

2006-10-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

...has an End!

Metamorf with some others is breathing it's last few.

Soon, they'd go up in flames, and their ashes would become one with the rest of the online world.

Long live the change.

Technorati tags: end, death, the+end, killing, interment

Enshrine Mediocrity

2006-10-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever taken part in a handwriting competition run by illiterates? Even after knowing that the judges don't like the fact that you know how to write? And that too beautifully?

Even if you know they'd admire a scrawl by a two-year old and render it a masterpiece against yours?

No, there's no doubt about how good your writing is, but would you still go ahead and participate when you know that they don't like to see you winning?

And you ask yourself why?

In Ayn Rand's words, "Enshrine mediocrity—and the shrines are razed."

Reasons are not far away.

Another quote by Ayn Rand goes "Mediocrity doesn't mean average intelligence, it means an average intelligence that resents and envies its betters."

Sorry for the long break. But I was a little caught up watching some Shrines being razed. Boy, mediocrity is in!

Technorati tags: mediocrity, ayn+rand, shrine, politics, envy

Careless Mistake

2006-09-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

You burnt the midnight lamp. You watched your every move. You decided that you will not follow. You decided to lead no one. You peered long into the distance both sides, and then crossed roads. You caressed flowers ever-so-slowly so as to not wake them up. You dreamt cautiously and never told anybody. You made your own rules. You defied gravity. You walked roads people never knew of. You indulged in finesse even at a premium. You knew no limits, and pushed those you knew. You urged the feeble to go against the flow. You day-dreamed of a blissful tomorrow. You enthused the sober, and tamed the wild. You schemed a plan that worked the way you wanted. You made everything to work just as you wanted.

And then, a small mistake. Just one small mistake.

And you realise how small you are.

And your whole life whirlwinds around you in staccato bursts, and reveals a different meaning everytime it goes around. Notes that you never heard before. Notes so alien, that you don't know if they make a cacophony or a symphony.

And then, you settle to believe, that you should take it in your stride. Or maybe, misTake it in your stride?

Technorati tags: carelessness, mistake, hurt, depression

Corporate Cannibalism

2006-09-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Their backbones are supported by high-backed chairs,
They just can't justify the position they weild,
A trooper you are and will always remain,
For these are the people who run the guild.

Their weapons are not steel, and they don't shine,
They don't hurt your flesh, and no red trickles,
They'll still hurt you worse, and make you whine,
For their remarks are stones, and insults sickles.

Each single trooper, yearns climbing up the ladder,
But then each crab watches, and never let's go,
Nobody escapes and the world gets madder,
And the top of the heap watch the premiere of the show.

They cover their faces for they don't want to be known,
And hide behind emails, and wage a war guerilla,
Seven wonders of the world, they would have themselves flown,
But then for nothing, why rake all the moolah?

And then I ponder alone, time and again,
A day should arrive, and render all as equals,
Even if it means losing everything in vain,
Just turn everything to dust and make no sequels.

Technorati tags: corporate, corporate+culture, manager, frontrunner, politics, office+politics

Harry met Sally

2006-09-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

And he finally meets her.

She is the one, he knows.

She doesn't.

Technorati tags: love, confusion, expression, how+to, harry+met+sally

Just around the corner

2006-08-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

He had always expected something around the corner. Something that his fantasies and imagination drew for him to ponder. What would he come across the next corner?

And then around one of them, the innocent corners, he found life. He was overjoyed, but soon the joy faded in intriguing miserable confusion. Where was he? Was he confronting life, indeed?

As he watched jaw-dropped, the apparition drew a sickle, and it was red. But not with rust. The next moment he found himself incapacitated, his arm twisted, his joie de vivre muffled, and life swiped the sickle. His throat sprinkled the last justifications, but he could not explain. He could not explain to himself why life was so unjust.

Something that had been always so incomprehensible—the pain, the agony, the politics, the you-have-to-do-this-for-no-reason-whatsoever, the you-have-to-explain-your-moves gagged him.

"Why do I have to be like everyone in the herd? Why can I not prowl alone?"

His quest continues...

Technorati tags: just+around+the+corner, life, pain, confusion, candid+writing, automatic+writing

Metatoon #5: Your kinda music

2006-07-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Technorati tags: music, metatoon, cartoons, funny, music, internet+humor

A few quick updates

2006-07-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are again! And like always, you too must be having a tough time at your workplaces (I have seen a few speedbreakers, recently). I am so, so glad that we have this place where we can sit together and blabber nonsense for hours, never waiting to ponder whether somebody's listening or not. Anyway, it's more like a relay race out here at Metamorf. And it's because of all the folks that come together to Jam and Rock the place!

We have tried figuring out each others' mailbox sizes, tried scouring flickr to figure out what our names look like and done a zillion other hyper-zealous stuff to unwind.

Srinivas is the one who has consumed his GmailBox the least (12MB! Why did you ever need a Gmail account? :^D) and no points for guessing who consumed the most ;^).

I'll leave it to all of you to decide whose name looks best on flickr.

We had a few quirky polls too, and for those of you who missed the action, we have some amazing results!

POLL RESULT: Out of 58 people, 23 said they'd like to see more Lifehacks on Metamorf, 3 Went in for Podcasts, 8 for ponderables, 9 for MetaToons, and a surprising 15 wanted to talk about relationships.

POLL RESULT: When 66 people were asked how their first love was like, 30 said they couldn't come out of it, 13 said it was just a crush, 8 were ditched by their partners, 9 still wonder what love is, and it worked out for a mere 6 people.

ONGOING POLL: Out of 26, 8 would die for a friend, and a Whopping 18 would watch a friend dying! Let's watch what wins—friendship or practicality.

Technorati tags: quick+updates, polls, flickr, Gmail, poll+results, blogging

Back to Bloggin' Action!

2006-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

The blogs went down. And pretty bad at that.

And slowly, they are springing back to life. The ISPs were pretty fast at pulling the blogs down, but they are (competing with snails at) being slow when it comes to put them back in action again. Even after the go ahead.

I use Airtel, and I got my blog back again today and I didn't have to use a bypass to get to it!

Yipee!

Technorati tags: blogger, blogspot, blog+ban, blog+ban+lifted, ISP+block+blog, blogging

Gametime: Face the Name

2006-07-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, what I actually meant to say was "Add a face to that Name!". Hmmm, that's on a pretty hyper fun-quest, and I just invented this one to figure out what we all would come up with!

How to play the Game?

1. Go to http://flickr.com.

2. Use your first name to search photos.

3. Right click on the first image that you see, and get the URL.

4. Paste the URL in the comments. Add your first name as well! :)

Whoopee!

Technorati tags: flickr, game, fun, photos, name

Add me up!

2006-07-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, are you on ryze, orkut or linkedin?

If so, then we should connect and network!

My orkut scrapbook awaits your scraps. And so does my Ryze page. Then, if you prefer being LinkedIn, look for Amit Deshpande, and add directly by using amitdeshpande at gmail dot com.

For all you people who don't use the aforementioned, add your URL to the comments section of this page. Not only for me, but for all other Metamorfers to be able to reach you! Shoot me an email to say hi, if that works best for you! :^)

Technorati tags: connect, networking, social+networking, social, friends, linkedin, orkut, ryze, blogger

When Sufi meets Jazz

2006-07-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by recordings of the late great Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Brook Martinez founded Brook's Qawwali Party in 2004 as an experiment. What would happen if New York jazz musicians were to play and improvise around the melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan? From this idea, Brook's Qawwali Party was born. BQP consists of fourteen musicians: five horns, three percussionists, guitar, acoustic bass, harmonium and three designated clappers. The exuberant sound of BQP has been enthusiastically welcomed in New York City and across the globe.

Technorati tags: music, nusrat+fateh+ali+khan, sufi, qawwali, allah+hoo, dam+mast+kalandar

Job Hunt: VC++ Developer

2006-07-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

VC++ Developer - BANGALORE

Responsibilities:
Developing products and services that make online computing safer and more secure. Should specialize in or have a strong inclination towards Spyware Technologies, Anti Virus / Spam / Mail Solutions.

Requirements:

Education: Candidate must possess at least a BCA, BE/ B.Tech , MCA, M.Sc (Computer Science) or equivalent.

Skill(s): MFC, VC++, TCP/IP, COM/ DCOM

At least 1 year(s) of working experience in the specified field is required for this position.

Focus on Internet Security issues and any candidate would have to have a understanding of the developments in the field. Candidates familiar with Antispy/Spyware technology, Spam/Mail solutions are preferred.

Please shoot your resumes to amitdeshpande at gmail dot com with the subject SECURUS.

Technorati tags: job, vc++, Internet+Security+job, VC+Jobs, COM+DCOM, job+opening+bangalore

Twist 3

2006-06-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

We had amazing interaction during the time when we played the How many game (you can go back and check it out, and maybe rekindle the fire there).

Yipee! It's game time again. And this one is suggested by Amit Kulkarni, a keen Metamorfer.

It's called the Twist 3.

How to play? Well, the player before you throws 3 words at you, and you use them in a sentence. Paste the sentence in the comments, and add your own three words for the next commenter.

Let's start with 3 words.

important, photos, mean

Technorati tags: games, interesting, funny, humor, humour, play

How to achieve your objectives

2006-06-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

Knowing what you want is important

In the recent past, I have found many people who didn't know where they wanted to go. Also, there were others who exactly knew where they wanted to reach—they had well defined objectives.

At times, only defining the objectives and working towards them is not sufficient. It may also occur to one later, that all the efforts were in vain if things were not well orchestrated.

Reasons for Failure

The two main reasons that are the cause of failure in realizing one's objectives are:

Incorrect Direction

Insufficient Magnitude

When you know where you want to reach, say 'A cyber law expert in the next 4 years', then a wrong direction, like the devoted study of Chemistry is of no use.

If you know the correct direction, but if you are putting in very less effort to achieve your goals, they may not be realized. Not studying hard enough for a "cyber law" examination which will aid you to be an expert in 4 years time (which in actuality turns out to be a six year affair) is unacceptable.

Okay, here we go.

Define Fuzzy goals.

Fuzzy Goals are abstract long term goals. These could be like "I want to make a motion picture in the future" or "I want to be able to communicate with extra-terrestrials".

Be practical in what you intend to do. It depends on an individual's understanding of resources and effort required to realize the fuzzy goals, and what he considers to be practicable. For somebody, making a motion picture may sound viable, but communicating with extra-terrestrials a big no-no.

UnFuzz your Goals one step at a time.

The intention now is to make the Fuzzy Goal much more tangible. You will have to add more detail to what you want to achieve.

Let us UnFuzz the Fuzzy Goal "I want to make a Motion Picture in the future".

Adding details one attribute a time, we have the following list:

a. When: by the end of 2010

b. What: A Musical/Drama/Science Fiction

c. Language: English

d. Budget: Less than INR 100000 (Recorded on MiniDV format, and roping in friends to act.)

e. Target audience: Film festivals for parallel cinema

Setting Intermediate Goals.

Now that you know how your goal for 2010 looks, you know that you will have to be upbeat so as to meet your goal for 2010. For the same, you need to set what we call "Intermediate Goals" or "Rungs". These involve a lot of backtracking from your UnFuzzed Objective. Rungs or Intermediate Goals help you in understanding what you need to do in the period from now to your UnFuzzed Goal.

As an example, between now and 2010, you need to zero-in on a music composer, a script, screen play, a MiniDV Camera, actors, props, sets and much more. Now a music composer will only come into picture when I have a camera, and at least a scene already shot. But before that I need a script.

So, the rungs look like these (be careful to go in the right direction and with enough magnitude):

Script: Mid 2007

Screen Play: Jan 2008

Chart out locations and Investment: from mid 2007, with inputs from Script and Screen Play, but before Dec 2008

Rope in friends as actors: Dec 2008

Buy Camera and begin experimenting: Dec 2008

Begin shooting: Jan 2009

Music Composer: before Jun 2009

Post-production and titling: Dec 2009

Worldwide premiere: Jan 2010

Planning ahead.

Keep a tab on what's happening today and how it can influence your future goals. The influence could be positive or negative. For example, if you are contemplating going to music classes, you already know that it aligns to one of your future goals.

You can save some money by composing your own music for your project. Also, at the music class you may also find somebody keen on jamming with you for your movie as well, as it may mean a good break for him.

Another example would be keeping track of locations for the movie project—some waterfalls dry up in summer, so it may mean scheduling the scene well in advance or have contingency plans (like having 5-10 people pouring water from buckets to recreate the waterfall, or a huge pipe emptying a water tanker).

This should set you up for success, and help you in achieving your goals.

Good Luck!!!

Technorati tags: lifehacks, productivity, tricks, hacks, GTD, getting+things+done

Meshing with the truth

2006-06-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

She rode on the horse of her memories to seep into the horizon. Far, far away, she saw a speck that never grew in size. She yearned to see the smile on the speck's face. She imagined the sweat trickling from his brow and evaporating before it could hit the ground. She wanted to cull all the drops in the cusp of her fragile hands, her fingers outstretched and meshing with the truth. The truth that was dark, stark and permanent. He was not. He was gone. She was not. She remained.

A new introduction to Metamorf, this is an Express Post. An Express Post is one that would include breaking news, some literati, some great website in some corner of the web, some amazing recipe, or anything that is worthy of a mention or a post.

The Express Post usually would deviate from the regular posting styles at Metamorf. It's like a "quickie". The difference it'd have from regular posts is that it's a smaller post sans images (but has the Express Post header ), but some quick, perky (maybe even semi-daily) content that doesn't fit elsewhere. This is a move to keep Metamorf fresher, and a fast-track way to involve you in the choicest ponderings.

Technorati tags: meshing, truth, literature, mailbox, semi-daily, express+post

Survey - You've Got Gmail!

2006-06-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, Many of you have a Gmail account by now. Gmail is almost on the verge to become a verb like Google. I have myself used "Gmail it to me!" many a times.

When Gmail started out, they gave out a GB of space that we all almost used up, and then they started out with giving us a mailbox that was ever-increasing in size.

Okay, Here's the question:

How much of your Gmail Mailbox have you already consumed?

Tip: Log on to gmail. Scroll Down to the end of the page. There you'll know how much space you're using. Add a comment to this post.

Technorati tags: gmail, google, email, mailbox, mailbox+size, mailbox+space+consumption

Being yourself

2006-06-09T04:26:00.000-07:00

There are times when you just can't be yourself. There was this guy who wanted to be sad yesterday. He just wanted to be. He had many a reasons to tell himself:

"Hey! You can't pretend you are not a normal guy. You too have problems. Many, for that matter! Look at yourself. Now, is that not a fake smile? Now, pull that mask away, will you?"

And he exactly wanted to do the way he had planned. He didn't want to have dinner, but had to give some good company to somebody. "Hell No! Why should I give you good company? I am sick of it! Now, make way! Lemme outta here!"

But he couldn't say all that. And what a lovely host he was. That clenched jaw drew more lines on his face than the permanent laugh lines that he had.

"I am Bad. I hurt people. I will stare at you till every bone in your body rattles with fear." He was thinking.

"Excuse me, Sir. Did Something happen today?" The waiter appeared inquisitive, "You don't have that smile today?"

"Yeah. I am in a not-so-good mood today. Thank you for asking." He snapped, and boy, how polite a snap it was!

Finishing early, his gaze almost bore a hole through the plate and palate of his guest.

"Any problems?" his guest asked.

"Ah, well! What's life without any of them?" He grinned, "Nothing much, was thinking of the match!"

Yeah, A match. It can burn. Cause a fire. And leave ruins behind.

"Thank you, Sir!", the waiter appeared yet again at the exit. "Please come back tomorrow with your smile, sir!"

"Uh, Yeah..." The stoneface didn't even change.

"Promise?" The innocent question in those eyes almost made him cry. "Sir?"

"Yeah..." He stammered. "Promise."

"The world doesn't like you this way." The guest said.

"I just can't..." He looked at the long road ahead "I just can't be myself."

Technorati tags: life, introspection, feelings, thoughts, restaurant, responsibility

Lifehacks to wake up early

2006-06-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

There are more than one ways to wake up early in the morning. Some people hack their sleep, and some people manipulate their metabolism.

As a kid, when I had to wake up to study for exams, I made sure I drank enough water before going to sleep. Soon, in a weeks time, one can decide how much water will ring the bell at what time. Don't try this if you have wet-morning history.

Just before going to sleep, one of my friends used to talk to himself, and say "4 O' Clock! 4 O' Clock!". I don't know if self hypnotism works for all, but this guy used to wake up.

Nowadays, owing to late working hours, I use what I like to call the triple-alarm-hack. Suppose I want to wake up at 5:30 am. I set an alarm at 5:20, then 5:25 and a third one at 5:30. So when the alarm goes off at 5:20 (and My inner self talks to me and says, "Hey, you need some sleep, you went to bed pretty late yesterday."), and then irritates me a couple of times again, I am pretty well up and ready-to-go!

Well, well... What hacks do you folks use to wake up early?

Technorati tags: lifehacks, lifehack, wakeup, sleep, hacking, morning

Wandering thirst

2006-05-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

Tu Haqueeqat hai, Main sirf ek Ehsaas hoon
Tu Samandar hai, Main bhatkee hui pyaas hoon

The closest in English:

You are the fact, I am a mere feeling,
You are the sea, I am the wandering thirst.

Technorati tags: shayari, poetry, urdu, emotion, memories, thoughts, solitude, expression

Many happy returns

2006-05-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

May 24, 2005

A chap in his mid-twenties, walks in sweltering heat, and contemplates the huge move he has made. Was it worth the pain? Would it do any good? He looked for a companion to share, and found a void, and a maze within.

He scrambles over strewn vegetables from a greengrocer's den, and stumbles across a cyber cafe. His fingers trembled and eyes scanned for a scrollbar. CyberCafe. Internet. The Web.

Three long hours and perspiring towards dehydration, he didn't even curse the Cafe owner for the bad condition of the Air Conditioner. Instead, he thanked him.

He found himself in the secluded warmth of a cubicle. He found the computer. It was bliss. He tapped on, and scanned across. He just watched the computer. There was this mystical flickering glow in her face.

He had ideas running around in his head. And she showed him promise to make them happen. And then, Metamorf was born.

May 24, 2006

Metamorf has taken baby-steps and learnt to mimic "a small step for man, a giant leap for mankind(and womankind :^) )". One full year of fun, frolic, emotion, politics, science and growing up.

Wait and watch while Metamorf starts running around and dropping names. The doctor's shots seem to have nitro-powered Metamorf, and it'll soon appear that it's on steroids. It'll eventually begin to speak up much more than the usual "gaga googoo".

"Awwwlelele... Bacche! Watch 'em Uncles and Aunties. They ale shayin' Happy Birthday!"

"Oye, I said Uncles and Aunties. Hey, will you leave 'er alone! Aunt Helda will get angry if you keep pulling at her... Ooops! No...erm I didn't see a thing!"

Well, Kiddo's growin' up. For sure.

Okay, We are having a blast and we want you to have one too! Here's how:

Don't forget to use the Promocode: AK75 when the hosting company asks for one. That's what will get you the amazing 75 bucks off!

Technorati tags: birthday, happy, nostaglia, remembering, happy+birthday, the+day, hosting, discount

There isn't a door

2006-05-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

He was made to love her. She made him so.
He fought back none at all, and flowed with the current,
dismissed the past and let the future go,
but unlikely again, He took the present

He took the present, and he looked in her eyes,
and "Will you marry me?" was the question to her,
She declined the present, and talked of the future,
"The design's like that, and we can't be together."

Broken, as he was, he picked pieces of his self,
shuffled as a deck, looking at her in vain,
His knotted eyebrows killed the spring in his eyes,
Tasting the tears that he swallowed with pain

She was the one, who showed him the way,
pulled him like a magnet, made him love from the core,
Now she pulled the shades, and ripped the walls naked,
and tells him with a snicker "There isn't a door!"

Technorati tags: amour, poetry, pain, love, betrayal, thoughts

Hang your quote

2006-05-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

There must be some quote that keeps you going — some quote that you actually live by. I too have some spontaneous quotations which keep me ticking.

For one, I love this one:

"Dream like you'll live forever. Live like you'll die tomorrow."

And, another one that goes:

"You should always push your limits, because if you never fail, you will never succeed."

There definitely will be something out there that inspires you to achieve, love and enjoy life.

If there's something that is an intrinsic part of how you live life, hang it here.

Go ahead, Hang your quote in the comments area.

Technorati tags: quotes, quotations, inspiration, thoughts, life, lifehacks

Heartfelt

2006-05-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

This post comes with a thank you note for all the lovely guys at CSSRemix, tom.ma ScreenBlog and CSSMania for featuring Metamorf on their sites. And also a big thank you to all the Metamorfers for the ever-flowing love to help Metamorf stand apart as a kick-ass place on the web!

Talking of Love, we have two questions of the moment:

How many times did you fall in love?

If you think you love two people at the same time, how do you decide which one?
(Considering that the one you choose, will be the one you will lead your life with.)

Technorati tags: CSS, cssremix, screenblog, cssmania, new+look, thanks, love, revamp, love, ponderable, relationships

Metamorf Reboots

2006-05-02T02:34:00.000-07:00

Change is inevitable. So here we are! With an All new remixed version of Metamorf.

What happened behind the scenes?

We understand Metamorfers and their need to read content in a slick urban reading environment. And we wanted to give you just that! We banged our heads for more than a week to get things right for Metamorf.

Code Chef and I worked and reworked the site through Information restructuring, streamlining the interaction, working on adding the colors of the season to the brand refresh to make it a supercool plunge for Metamorfers (read: We love you lots! You guys rock Metamorf!).

Whats New?

You click on the post title to get to the post detail page, with Comments and all the glitz.

The post title links to the permanent link(permalink) of the post.

You can click on the '# Comments' on each post to read and post comments without the need to go to the detail page.

The 'Fresh Juice' section has the recent posts, and the 'Old Wine' is the Archives section

The 'About the Juicewallah' section tells you about the guy who squeezes da lemons. To ask him for a date, you can mail him at the email address provided (He loves dates and is overdated at the moment. Check the dates before you ask him).

What else?

This redesign marks the Birthmonth of Metamorf (Somebody suggested a Metameet for all Metamorfers--Good idea!). Any Birthday suggestions, ideas, raves? Send them in! We are listenin'!

This redesign was also in time to be listed amongst the Slickest designs in the Reboot world.

What can you do?

Send us your love by rating Metamorf at CSSReboot. Here.

Technorati tags: CSS, reboot, CSSReboot, redesign, new+look, revamp, change

Great times ahead

2006-04-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Any guesses? Why do you think it's going to be great for me? Why is it going to be great for you?

(Looks like the shortest post at metamorf.)

Technorati tags: great, fun, future, the+time+to+come, enjoy, Whats+new, change

Doctor's Love Kills

2006-04-14T02:13:00.000-07:00

(This post has an exclusive vocal interview with a police officer, read on!)

The doctor left. The door closed. And then, the action began.
Many of us got emails from our HR departments, and many security teams across Bangalore ushered their fellow men to reach their homes safely.
For me, like many of you, it started when married men started calling their working wives and asking them how and where they were.

"Are you safe? I...I... heard..."
A voice crackled at the other end, but it sure was relieving.
"Thank...God...I was like... I am coming, I'll be there at the earliest...don't worry dear!"

Another voice received a phone call nearby.
"Yeah, yeah...Is it? They are breaking windshields? Oh why? Ah yes, I will get going right away."

Whole offices drained away like tea down the strainer. And many tea leaves like me remained, wondering whether to complete the task at hand or to scurry for refuge. And then, maybe the holes got bigger, or the tea leaves got mightier, but they too drained to their teacups.

I was a pillion to another tea leaf, when I traveled with him to near my home. On the way, the road glistened. It glistened with beautiful circular pieces of glass. And next to these mirages, stood the four-wheelers whose windshields had embraced the tar on the road. Distorted vehicles, broken glass from supermarkets, shutters down and scampering people were all over the place.

"Hey doctor, did you ever want this to happen?"

It went on smoothly till it was a little dark, and then I heard a rumble. It was not outside. It was inside. Hunger!

I walked to the nearby shops and found them closed; I walked to the far away shops and they were closed too. The whole place was sprinkled with the police. I walked still more and saw nothing but the sodium bulb glow and regular intervals. Under one, I saw a man lying in a never ending reverie, clutching the lamp post. In the drunken stupor, he repeated "Daaktaravaru!" and salivated profusely. I don't know if he really loved doctor so much, or was paid for the day to love him.

A thought crossed my mind. What if you don't get anything to eat? All instant noodles stock at home is over too.

Then I started walking in the opposite direction and walked towards the array of shops where I smelt fresh bakery products from a shut down bakery. A few people flanked the place, which meant, something, at least stealthily, was being supplied to people.

One of them even asked me, "Kya hona saab?".
"Kya hai? Kya hua?" I pretended I was surprised by his question. I pretended not hungry.
"Daaru hona kya saab, Daaru?" His eyes twinkled and mine flamed.
"Abey, kuch khaane koh milega toh bol... Daaru kyaa boltaa hai?"
"Nahee saab, Khaane koh toh kuch nahee milega, kahin pe bhi nahee. Daaru hona toh bolo!"

And then the whole picture started making sense. In the miasma, I had missed out on people shoving bottles in their trousers, under the shirts and in their pockets.

My soul quivered at the thought. Nobody cared whether they ate or not. But I did.

Maybe the mobile phone in my hand appeared to the security guard as a stone, and he hurried down to me with alert ears and eyes like a faithful dog.

"What?" he snarled.
"Something to eat?" I pointed at TGIF with dim orange lights inside and Bombay post.
"No sir", he realized it was not a stone, "You'll get nothing—all closed". I could see the wagging tail.

I kept walking and called a friend. He was about to leave his office to get home. I first asked him to come to my place, 'coz getting to his place would take him ages. And then, I asked him to search in their cafeteria and get any leftovers—Anything.

I walked beyond the huge buildings. I took a small left turn where I struck gold. I found a half open bakery and another departmental store.

I ran to the store and asked for eight packs of instant cook noodles, a huge orange drink, two packs of salt biscuits and two of chocolate chip cookies.

Then I went into the bakery. An elderly man was asking the baker.
"Do you have something I can eat?"
The baker gestured with open hands, "This all is edible!" There was a huge array of pastries, and a whole lot of confectionary.
"No, not sweet. I have a sugar problem. Anything salty? Patties?"
"Sorry sir, no patties."
"Arrey bhai, if somebody departs, does it mean we all should as well?"

Wondering what the old man will have for dinner, I walked back to my house, a bit slower and calmer this time. I saw other scavengers eyeing the polythene bag that I was carrying. Their eyes glowed. Somebody found it, we too will.

"Excuse me. Where did you get that?" He stood in front of me, eyeing the bag.
"It's closing soon. After Manipal building, turn left. Look for a faint glow opposite a medical store. There." He didn't wait for me to complete. The slippers were already flapping faster than his heartbeats.

"Hey Doc, wassup?"

On the second day, I saw almost every four-wheeler that hit the road carrying a photocopy stuck to its windshield. It must be the photocopy of the photocopy of a photocopy. It was a black patch—that's all.

Nobody knew if it was the love for the black patch that resembled the Doctor or the fear of seeing the windshield turning to beautiful circular pieces of glass—the patch was everywhere.

_________

Doctor's Demise: The Aftermath (UT Officer talks to Metamorf)
(4.09MB | Mp3)
(listen to the interview by clicking the blue play button, or download the file)

An Under Trainee police officer spoke to us in an exclusive interview with metamorf and said:

"One more thing was that the Reserve Police men(at the spot) were not ready to use their tear gas weapons, so we (trainees, freshers) had to take the gun (from them), we had to fire ourselves. Though we were freshers, we had no experience of firing, we had just been taught about how to use that...tear-gas gun."

Other excerpts from the Interview:

"Actually the procedure is that the trainees should not be given... crowd control where live action is going on..."

"In our case, the veterans were literally standing behind...We were asking them at least give your cane shields and body protector, so that we can go ahead and do the thing. They were not even ready to give their equipment nor they themselves were coming ahead to fight the mob."

_________

"May your soul rest in peace...And may we rest in peace, as well?"

Technorati tags: bangalore, police, interview, rajkumar, doctor, riots, metamorf

Hell's Kitchen

2006-04-12T02:19:00.000-07:00

Hell's Kitchen (1.2 MB | Mp3)
(Like always, click the blue button)

This is folks, my first online rap,
some of you may think this is all crap,
I'll tell you why I changed mah style,
will you sit still and listen for a while

A long time back and a mood romantic,
and I found a CD in the dusty attic,
A snapshot of time is what I found,
and sent it to a pal, in the states home-bound

She said hay' hay listen up buddy,
I think your voice-voice is rap-ready,
A style that suits suits your voice,
is qawaali and yapping and lot of white noise

So here mah people is my rap online,
and the feelin' I think is divine,
No more crooning love songs fella,
for I've begun lovin' the kitchen of the hella'

Technorati tags: music, podcast, rap, emotion, mixed, gangsta, hip-hop

Past Forward

2006-04-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sometime in our past, almost everyone of us fell for someone. A fleeting glance made someone crave, and a whiff of parfum mesmerized someone far away. Almost everyone fell.

Like most of you, I must admit—I did. Some silhouette cast its shadows on the cobwebs of my mind. Wiping out the clutter and opening doors of varied perceptions.

I was at my creative best. I acted, drew, sung, mixed, crooned, awed, dreamt. And I dreamt some more.

Well, a few days ago, while fighting scorpions in my attic, I found something. Something that worked as a Time Machine. 'Coz it took me back to the time when any kingdom I ever dreamt of was ruled by me. A CD that was labeled XFiles2. I found an array of sound files, most of them mp3s.

And then, I came across a snapshot of my life. One which I had captured in words and music.

A snapshot of my Life (1.5 MB | Mp3)
(Hit the blue play button, or click the link to download the file!)
(For the purists, this was just an experiment. And yes, I take full responsibility of the Gaussian noise.)

Did you ever travel back in the time machine?

Technorati tags: music, podcast, nostalgia, emotion, mixed, waveforms, time machine

Closed Encounters

2006-03-29T00:47:00.000-08:00

All work and no blog make Amit a mull boy. Mulling I have been, since a long time. Why do some people seem like I have known them for ages? And why are there still some people I could never break the ice with? There is mysticism in the way we just miss each other every time. I sign in and the other signs out.

A fraction of a second—that’s all.

A number far away is forever engaged, because every time I tried, the other was trying to call mine and it was engaged too.

I climb up the stairs to get to my abode and as soon as I lock the door, I hear behind me stilettos clobbering all their way to fading nothingness.

And the time arrived. Not the time. A time.

“What’s your name?” Oh, you have asked it—haven’t you? In the stairs? No lights. 10.00 pm. As if she can see you.
“Sorry?” She waited.

Say Egjhaaktly, in true Javed Jaffstyle! No. Not that! Ask her again!
“What’s your good name?”
What prejudice! Why should it always be good? Why don’t you ask her rotten name?
“***ita”
What? Am I hearing things?
“***ita?” Maybe it’s just so many hours in front of the screen. But I am not seeing things—I am hearing them!
“Yeah, ***ita!”
Oh! It really is that!
“I am Amit!”
Give her that Twinkling molars grin.
Don’t!
No worries, she can’t see—it’s so dark.
Don’t.
Go on Mahn!
Don’t you dare!
* Flash! *
“Oh!” she fumbled as if she remembered something, “Hi!”

Customary—like the way I dropped a piece of nickel in the aluminum bowl in the morning. Bland—like a bite of daily lunch and the first bite tasting like the last. Monotonous—like the evening bubblegum that you started chewing for breakfast.

I don’t remember hearing

“Cut! Cut! Pack up! Waah Sir! What a shot! Aap Toh Chha Gaye!”,

But I did find myself typing frantically at the keyboard and Ustad’s voice making my hallucinations come true. What melody! What composition! Wonderful!

Can you guess the name above? I bet you can't do that in a million years!
And, well, can you guess who is the Ustad I am referring to? That's an easy one for music lovers.

In a moment of frenzy, I pick up my phone, thumb the keypad, and put it to the ear.
Beeeeeeep beeeeeeep beeeeeeep. Engaged—forever.

Technorati tags: encounter, Flash, engagement, Book, conversations, names, dialogue

Flash Book and Names

2006-03-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

To all the SuperFolks at getting together and talking about the size of their footwear when they were behind the curtains, here's a thumbs up! Thanks for de-lurking after a long time and sharing your views about the facelift. Your feedback will ensure making metamorf one of the most loved places on the Internet.

Good that you are in the open now. It's okay, we are all the same. No need to hide your stuff and pretend to be shy. Oh C'mon!

Okay, Two things, again:

1. Free Flash Book. I am giving out free copies of my long lost Flash Book that never made it to print. I found it again. Yay!

When Flash was still in the 5th version, Flash 5 - Kick Start was born. And before it could make it to print, they rolled out MX. Then a hard disk crashed somewhere and a CD got lost. And then, after a long time the book was found dormant in a CD. Here it is. Go ahead, grab a copy today!
Actual Writeup from the download site.

2. What's in your name? What does your name mean? Go ahead and tell us what your name is and what it means. Maybe somebody could use the meaning to recall your name.

Technorati tags: design, Flash, Free, Book, Free Flash Book, names, meaning

MetaMakeover

2006-03-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Call it 2.0, or powdering the MetaNose, or a BIG (read: some quick hacks) update... A few changes are happening at metamorf lately. Tell us what you'd like to see more of. Tell us what you have liked so far.

You can tip us with ideas that you'd like to discuss at MetaMorf.

Okay, two things in addition to the above:

1. What do you think of the editor? (This is a Johari Window implementation and will help Amit understand the real essence of metamorf.)

2. Stop lurking, start de-lurking (come out of the closet, I promise I'll not bite. See, I'll remove the dentures!) and say Hello in the comments area. Tell us a little about yourself.

We can see your shoes under the curtain. Come out fella!

Technorati tags: facelift, makeover, new-look, 2.0, interesting, features

Get your Headphones

2006-03-12T05:02:00.000-08:00

All right folks! I am here, and I am podcasting.

Tell me why! — The First MetaCast
(click on that small blue play button)

Now, I don't know a reason why I am doing this. Well, in simpler terms, talking online. I never get a chance to speak to anybody offline as much. So why should I be talkin' online?

Well, to tell you the real reason, a few of my friends (yeah, some of you folks out there) wanted me to start talking online.

"Hey man! You should start podcastin'!"

They never could cook up a good reason to tell me why. They just said "Well, Just because, you should go out, and speak to the guys at metamorf."

So you tell me, why should I? Why do you want me to podcast? Yeah go on, tell me why. I am listening.

Disclaimer:

Yes, Don't tell me that I sound weird. Actually, before beginning to record my metaCast, I thought I will have a shot or two of the Supertonic Deethrovomprover (Deep Throat, Voice Improver) that's endorsed by Britney's pears (I am bad at names, I have a feeling it's Britney Spears—I dunno!).

Actually, this was one called Deethrovomprover powerSqueeze (and I didn't see), and I took two spoonfulls instead of two drops. My vocal chords clanged and my eyes rolled for quite a while.

My doc says, it'll be all right in some time, but my voice may modulate without reason at times. The rolling eyes also stopped in the morning, but in the wrong directions. I need to get them fixed. So much for podcastin'!

Lesson learnt: No Pears powerSqueeze can do any good.

Technorati tags: podcast, talking, culture, funny, interesting, britney

Home made aliens

2006-03-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

I recall a time when I was at a Fashion Design School (I'd better be killed for not naming it, than face a names-dropping retribution) campus. Making it a point to indulge in sartorial excellence, I decked in my best Armani and Gucci lookalikes, including the glitzy mother-of-pearl cufflinks. When I was there at the campus, I discovered that I stood out of the crowd. Before you start imagining why, I should admit that I was actually the odd one out.

I was the only one in a formal attire there, like a scarecrow in a huge field of naked harvest. They were all in frayed denim, show-all-those-protrusions teeny-weeny itsy-bitsy nothingness, and tatters that I couldn't comprehend.

Thinking about it again, I felt I did leave an impression on people. Maybe more than what would have been possible if everybody turned up in the all-slick-eat-that-brick look. Well, heads did turn.

Now, look at what I have found today. History will repeat(Oh, yes, I am looking forward to it!)

In the years to come, I will make heads turn again (you got it wrong again!).
_____________

2057 A.D.: At a party, I walk in and make heads turn. Some stop, some drop their jaws, some wince, some watch in awe. A perfect unadulterated(in the literary sense) human!
_____________

You go on and get those subdermally implanted protrusions (as if what you already had wasn't enough?). I will wait.

Technorati tags: weird, jobs, culture, funny, interesting, history

All in the game

2006-02-28T06:58:00.000-08:00

When you have a "I Hate My Job" day, try this. On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson. Be very sure you get this brand.

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable pajamas and sit in your favorite chair, carefully open the package and remove the thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken. Now the fun part begins - Take out the literature and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement, "Every rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested."

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, "I am so thankful that I do not work for quality control at Johnson and Johnson."

Now, have a nice day and remember, there is always someone else with a job that is worse than yours.

All right, now, if you are very (like very, very, very) bored, try peeping into the Monk's Mind. It's an amazing game, and you'll have a great time!

Tell us (be honest fella), do you like what you do? Or do you do what you like?

Technorati tags: howto, jobs, humor, funny, games, jokes

Be positive

2006-02-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hopping around my small blogosphere, I found a good article on positive thinking that Monica has harvested from some farm on the web.

The article is good, and really helps push limits at keeping a halcyon and positive temperament. The in-a-capsule formula to being positive is:

• Look for positive people to associate with.
• Look for one more interesting idea.
• Find one more concept important to you.
• With every friend, explain a new idea you've just learned.
• Ask questions.
• With yourself, keep a list of your goals, positive thoughts and actions.
• Remember, you are what you think, you feel what you want

The last point is the ace that you should sneak up your sleeve, so that it's a winning game time and again, even with a new deck of circumstances every day.

Technorati tags: howto, lifehacks, productivity, social, lifehack, motivation, healing

Lifehacks for recalling names

2006-02-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

We meet people everywhere. We meet them at malls, movie halls, subways, parties, consortiums and almost every other place you can think of (even the restrooms, yes).

And if you are one of those who keep meeting many people because of your interest or profession, it is very likely that you do not recollect names of people that seem to know you very well.

In a later post, we will learn about hacks to memorize (and never forget, yipee!) names. In this post, however, we will try to understand ways in which you can extract the name of a person, who has confronted you at a social gathering and has struck a conversation with you.

I came up with an easy list of actions to help to get his name out, without letting him know you don't recall. This may or may not work depending on how lucky you can get.

Here is the list:

1. Act stable. Don't let the person know you don't recall. A sudden flush of expressions, or that blank stare, can give it away. Act as if you have known him for ages.

2. Ask-the-emailaddress hack. After a small discussion about how each one of you have been, pop out a piece of paper or notebook and a pen, or a PDA, or a cellphone—whatever you fancy. Ask him, "Hey, gimme your email address, y'know it's good to stay in touch!". If he says, amit at deshpande dot com, or meetjohn at yahoo dot co dot uk, you are lucky. If he says something else, go on to step 3.

3. Probe your mind for the initials. He says apd at metempsychose dot net or pk at underived dot net, and you know that this person's name has the initials apd or pk or whatever he tells you. Now try figuring out if that rings a bell. Just think "a... a... a...". Amit should pop.

If you need to concentrate take a break to powder your nose, or to rush to the restroom (let's hope you don't meet another Mr. Noname there!) and think hard and loud. "d... d... d... deshpande!". You got it again. If it's too hard to get it, don't worry. Step 4 will tell you an alternative hack.

4. Introduction hack. If you are at a party, introduce Mr. Noname to somebody whom you already know, like Ms. Isha, and say,

"This is Isha!", and smile and talk something to Isha, like , "How have you been?".

Now sit(stand) back and watch. Isha will definitely tell you how she has been. And then she will realise that She doesn't know Noname's name. She may ask, "What's your good name?" or "Hey, I didn't get your name!"

Here you need to listen (LOL, that was obvious, if you are not a sack of stones) and Bingo! He says, "The name's Bond, James Bond!"

5. Business card hack. This works if you are at a bar, or a park, where you don't know many people. So, the Introduction hack will not work. To use the Business Card hack, ask him "Hey, where are you working now? Can I have your business card?". Considering you came to this world with your share of luck, he will pull out one. Read the name.

6. I-am-bad-at-names hack. If you couldn't get the name so far, your last resort should be to admit it. Tell him you are very bad with names. Or that you have partial memory lapses, and tomorrow you will recall his name, but not now. Ask for the name.

That's easy. No?

Aryabhatta once said "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet."

Well, was it Shakespeare by any chance? Whatever... What's in a name?

Technorati tags: howto, lifehacks, productivity, communication, memory, social, lifehack, business

Improve your conversations

2006-02-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

I was talking (chatting actually) to a friend over meebo (check it out, it's amazing). I was pondering about what can be added to MetaMorf to make it a much more exciting experience for you (yes you reading this).

I thought about adding more dialogue with you. Dialogue that's relevent to each one of us. Our lives. I thought about howtos, recipes, sharing stuff, lifehacks and stuff from all you guys out there. I want to improve our conversation and make MetaMorf a richer community.

To begin with I found a partial list of tips to improve conversations from Dave:

1. Whether you are religious or not, tell yourself that God is speaking to you through the other person.

2. Imagine yourself in a game with the following rule: "Whoever talks first loses."

And I added more to it:

3. Add trust by looking the person in the eye. You may want to decide how much you do it depending on what relationship the person has with you. Don't make your boss feel barbecued.

4. Let your body do the talking. Hello... Whats with the pelvic movements? I didn't(please sit down!) mean that!

Use gestures and expressions to add impact. Say "It was so high that..." with raised eyebrows and "Just a small bug..." with a holding-a-pin gesture.

5. Listen.

6. React when listening. This is helpful when you want to let the person know whether you agree or not. Nod, or cross your eyebrows periodically.

7. Stroke your chin or beard to *show* that you are pondering. (This holds good for business discussions)

Now, Do you have ideas that improve the quality of your conversations? If so, please take a moment and share it with other MetaMorfers. Yes, you!

Thanks to you all for adding to the list on improving conversations. Keep commenting and adding till we have enough and I will republish the list with all the points. This is productive collaboration. Or should I say, collaborative productivity? Good goin' Folks!

Technorati tags: howto, lifehacks, productivity, communication

Paint my Love

2006-02-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

This post may not last long. After writing, I decided this is going to be just a temporary fizzle.

I thought I'd not get a chance to push a post at all on this warm day. Yes, as they say, love is in the air.

Some have looked forward to this day to flaunt their significant others, and some to hold their head high for the pride of treading it solo.

I have tripped many a times, and stood up and dusted my posterier everytime. Now the journey has become so precocious that I hardly trip.

Earlier people pointed at my greased, frayed denim, and questioned "Where have you been? Who did that to you?".

I weathered them umpteen times. I took bites of wax apples. I liked art that was already sold. I took roads already travelled.

Now, I sit in a high-backed chair, keying silently with all my pride. I seldom wear denim. I indulge in speckless sartorial excellence. I hate all apples. Real or wax. I make my own art, so I don't have to buy. I make my own roads, and invite people to cruise.

I choose. I.

I am independent, the architect of my own destiny.

I choose my crime, and I choose my partners.

Truth is much more enticing than a dreamy valentines day.
Are you one of those who doesn't require a crutch because you can't cope with reality alone?

iPodiquette

2006-02-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Update: PK has shared amazing information about Phone etiquette.

For all those who get turned on by gadgets and gizmoes(or is it gizmos?) and the slick iPod in particular, this one's for you. MetaMorf is witnessing the coinage of a new term called iPODiquette.

iPodiquette = iPod + etiquette

If you can manage the iPod-induced hearing problems, you will still see eyebrows being raised at office spaces for your obsession with your prized possesion.

Some "watch-your-stepisms"(coinage again, the mint is on steroids) from USATODAY:

• Let others know you're putting your iPod on to concentrate on work -- that it's your "no distraction" time, (etiquette consultant Hilka) Klinkenberg said.

• If a worker approaches you, take earbuds out of both ears. Even if your iPod is off, having an earphone in even one ear is still disrespectful, (etiquette consultant R.R.) Smith said.

• Absolutely no singing, head bopping or banging -- or bringing the iPod to meetings, she added.

Folks, are you listening? ;)

law of nature

2006-02-08T03:22:00.000-08:00

He knew that the days ahead would be difficult. There were questions to be faced and a plan of action to be prepared. He knew that he should think about it. He knew also that he would not think, because everything was clear to him already, because the plan had been set long ago, and because he wanted to laugh.

He did not laugh as his eyes stopped in awareness of the earth around him. His face was like a law of nature -- a thing one could not question, alter or implore. It had high cheekbones over gaunt, hollow cheeks; gray eyes, cold and steady; a contemptuous mouth, shut tight, the mouth of an executioner or a saint.

— FountainHead, Ayn Rand

Billed!

2006-02-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

I recently learnt that Bill Gates, the world's richest man, said the tax office in the US has to store his financial data on a special computer because his fortune is so vast.

Thinking about this at the local tea-stall, I come across yet another website that blew me away.

It was too much in one day, learning about the world's richest man, who can scare the hell out of number-crunching machines, just by pulling out some dollar bills out of his pocket. Whew! And that he is dead? Yikes!

I just crumpled the tabloid and with a spinning head and clenched fists, sat there.

"Saab, Kya hua saab?" the Chaiwallah asked with surprise.
"Kuch nahee Billu, ek mast adrak chaai dena yaar, saala headache pain horela hai!"

metatoon #4-Monkey business

2006-01-31T00:53:00.000-08:00

So much in common

2006-01-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

"What happened?"

"Erm...Nothing..."

"Heyy, Don't just don't do that... tell me."

"Awww... Please let go..."

"But you were almost so close... you told me it was Love at First Sight, No?"

"Yeah... It was ... I fell for her the first time I saw her... she was the girl of my dreams"

"You keep telling me about the kind of life you'd spend with her...Whatever happened suddenly? What killed the romance? And you had so much in common..."

"Yes, She was just my wavelength..."

"...And she had an amazing sense of humor...like you"

"Intellectual too! That turned me on always!"

"I don't understand, you liked music, she liked music, you liked art, so did she, you liked joking..."

"and she liked joking, I liked fast bikes, she liked fast bikes..."

"then what was the prob (*cough*)"

"I liked girls, and she liked girls"

" *cough* *gulp* "

Turn me on!

2006-01-20T04:12:00.000-08:00

EDIT: Ah well, This post helped me find the rapper in myself.

Well, this is an amazing image that I got from somewhere (I don't remember where I got this from, courtesy my awesome memory) but I am just using it for pushing this post of mine. No chauvinism whatsoever.

Some time back, we talked about stuff that turned us off. Well, there are things that lace us up with that extra aviation fuel. There's stuff that gives us that mind-boggling adrenaline rush. Yeah, we are talking about stuff that gets us going.

Now, last time I told you what turns me off before you did. This time it's your turn. You tell me what turns you on, and you will soon know what's on my side(Making a list of 100 items is going to take a helluva time, no?).

By the way, this week was an amazing mix of bathos and surprises. More to come on that soon.

What turns people off?

2006-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

It's not always that things go on according to the script. Many a times, there are incongruencies. There are situations which you may not feel at home with. We all wake up in different beds, tread different roads, and reach different destinations time and again. But still, one thing that is inevitable is the change.

There are so many things that do not align to the way we want them to be.

Here are a few things that really turn me off (and maybe you too?):

Arguments with prejudice.

People blowing their own teeny-weeny horns, when they know you have a huge surround-sound system with a 2000W Output!

Uncle-generation (or the ones who couldn't keep up with the pace) dismissing newer but bright ideas and facts, at times even due to ignorance.

Workplace politics

Workplace taunts

Workplace Uncles (there's no reason why they are there, but to make you wonder how much dumber and older you should be to get to that chair—nice rhyme)

People passing 'making a paper airplane' as 'fabricating the world lightest microlight aircraft system' and feeling great about it.

People who say a song is 'crap', but do not understand that different people may have different tastes. (How can a song be crap? It's your taste that's not aligned to the song's genre.)

People who don't know that every latest haute couture may not suit them.

Dishonest people/Liars

*Stab* Make that *Stab* buffalo-munching-on-grass sound while eating again. *Stab* *Stab*

There are more that I will add as I recall them. We will soon talk about what turns us on. But till then, do tell us what makes you go konk!

Chat snippets

2006-01-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

She: hamain to lagta hai ki pichle janam main tum teacher the
He: Haahahaa
She: waise tum har baat main philosophy kyon dhoondhte rehte ho?
He: Philosophy dhoondta nahee rehtaa hoon..
He: it is always there...
He: people do not see it...
He: Everything happens for a reason...
She: Accha
He: and if you are conscious enough to manipulate the reason, from which many things are born, you can control your destiny

He: sachhai ko samajhnaa zaroori hai..
He: baad me pachtaane se koi faayeda naheee hogaa..
She: haan woh to sab theek hai
He: Waqt kisikiliye nahee ruktaa...
He: Aaaj Main hoon...
He: Tumhe samajh rahaa hoon..
He: samajhaa rahaa hoon...
She: yaa
He: kal main nahee rahoonga..
She: ham bhi thoda thoda samajh rahe hain
He: Waqt bhi aisaa hi hai..
He: Aaaj agar kisi aur ko pasand hai isliye tumne apane bageeche mein phoolon ki jagah cactus ugaaye...
He: toh kal tumhe khushboo nahee milegi..
He: sirf dard milega..
He: Toh... Aaj agar tumhaarii pasand yeh kehti hain ki tumhe apane bageeche mein phool dekhne hain...
He: Toh tum cactus kyun lagaaogee?

He: There are people who are not turned on my monetary gains, or material desires...These are the ones who crave for excellence, compete with themselves and always try pushing their limits
He: These people would go on relentlessly without fuel
He: Because I see a pattern... that proximity without gray matter gets the applause at the end of the day...
He: It's the people who report killing several rats in a day... who get noticed
He: and others who'd kill a Lion once in a week, and not advertise it...
He: nobody pats their backs... not EVERYBODY is an exhibitionist

Metatoon #3: Slow+Steady

2006-01-07T03:45:00.000-08:00

Die Hard

2006-01-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

A suicide note along with a wallet was discovered from his pocket.

It was a one-liner, "My studies have not being going well, so I am committing suicide."

What's takes more courage — Life or Ending Life?

Hello 2006!

2005-12-31T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, here's wishing you all a very happy new year in advance. This new year's eve we all get one more second to blow our trumpets.

The best way to prevent hangovers is to NOT drink. If you still HAVE to, you may want to stay sober longer and enjoy the late hours.

All right, all right! I have a few resolutions for this new year too:

• First, I want to take writing seriously.

• Then, I want to replace some of the compliments that I get. Like, for instance, I want to change "You are in perfect shape, and round's a shape!" to "Hell, you were sick or something?" In short, do something about the bulge.

• Do more Art, yes, and help it talk more business.

• Google(or if a better search engine comes up by then) for somebody who'll wake me up in the mornings(no, it's not an alarm clock!) and put me to sleep at nights(not lullaby-machines or sleepills) and help me cook scrumptious delicacies. Maybe, I will wait till Google comes up with a http://google.com/matchmaker.

Okay, it's resolution time and the (time + 1 second) to rock! Tell us about what's in store for 2k6!

Tea-totaller

2005-12-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's what I am! Ah well, If you aren't already indulging in tea, you should. Some of us like tea, and many of us are tea-addicts, so most of us will be glad to know that tea is good (in fact, very very good!).

I remember gulping in litres of tea during my college projects, and at all odd hours, and maybe that's what kept me going!

Well well, for those who want to sip more, here goes:

Tests at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, suggest that tea, and particularly green tea, may improve your memory and slow the onset of Alzheimer's.

A previous study in Chicago of people prone to tension headaches found that caffeine alone gave as much pain relief as ibuprofen. And a team in Illinois have found that polyphenols in black tea stop plaque forming on your teeth, and reduce the level of cavity-forming acids. Green Tea combats cancer, protects your heart and also helps stop strokes.

"Chai" means to take apart or demolish in Chinese. When painted with a circle on old buildings and houses around Beijing, this character indicates areas marked for renovation and urban improvement. To some, the ubiquitous "chai" means progress.

Also, in Hebrew, Chai means Life!

Ego

2005-12-26T01:12:00.000-08:00

"We are poisoned by the superstition of the ego. We cannot know what will be right or wrong in a selfless society, nor what we'll feel, nor in what manner. We must destroy the ego first. That is why the mind is so unreliable. We must not think. We must believe."

Part 2, Chapter 13, pg. 365, The Fountainhead — Ayn Rand

Santa and Banta

2005-12-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

...wish all metamorfers a Merry X-Mas!

Best Blond Joke

2005-12-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Best Blond Joke!

Holy Shite! This is Hilarious!!!

Social Rape

2005-12-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

She was raped. And then brutally killed. What if she was NOT killed?

We had a volatile discussion yesterday. Some said it was in a way good that she is no more. Some felt there's more to human life than what society thinks of it.

If you were her husband, how would you react?

And what if you were the victim — raped and NOT killed?

Do you care for wagging tongues or your loved ones?

Ancient G-String

2005-12-15T03:56:00.000-08:00

The India fashion week fever hasn't yet subsided, and neither have hormonally-charged-kiddos forgotten the Kaanta Lagaa Video(where the G-String was first shown to our nation—a cultural hypocrite).

Well, Let's go back a little. Erm... Not little. Well, let's go back a Lot! Say, 3rd Century AD.

Divers exploring a river near a former Roman Empire fort and settlement in Britain have found a piece of pottery that depicts the backside of a rather buff gladiator wielding a whip and wearing nothing but a G-string, according to British researchers.

The image represents the first known depiction of a gladiator in such revealing attire. It adds to the evidence that ancient Romans viewed gladiators not only as fearless warriors, but also as sex symbols.

Hmm... History was taking a nap maybe, before it could repeat itself.

Bengaluru

2005-12-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

Whattu issu thissu?
Suchu a guddu nameuu screwedu upuu!
Nothing will ever again get bangalored. It will have to be bangalurud.

Why are we sounding like a bhishon-bhaalo bengali metro?
We are back, not with a bang anymore, but with a beng!
What will Bangaloreans be called henceforth?
Bengaluruvasis? Bengalurueans? Bengalis?

Whattu the heckuu, thissu is sheeru dumbnessu!
I didn't like the change. Did you?

Patience: A dripping tale

2005-12-06T00:42:00.000-08:00

We always joke about heights. Like Adoption being the heights of laziness, any many more that cannot make it to this post rated 'Parental Guidance'!

Well, well, we do have a real life example of patience personified!

John Mainstone, a professor at the University of Queensland, won the 2005 Ig Nobel prize in physics for an experiment in which a blob of congealed black tar has been dripping through a funnel at a rate of about one drop every nine years!

Professor Maidstone said he was elated to win the prize for the slow drip, which he shared with his late colleague, Thomas Parnell, who started the experiment in 1927 and, sadly, died after the second drop. "Obviously, I've seen a lot more now that we are into the ninth drop," said Professor Maidstone.

MadeStone, eh?

Word Stuck?

2005-11-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

We all have a habit of uttering a few words or ishtyle utterances of our own. I have heard people do that as well! These words are an intrinsic (intrinsick?) part of our personalities, and are inseparable from the real us.

It so happens that a person grows from one signature style to another, from one word to another, from one wardrobe to another.

A few words or utterances that can I can call my trademark are:

waysht
waysht maanoos
third class (at times, Mahaa third class!)
dhakkan aadmi
Mandaakinigiri (Mandaakini: old Bollywood Actress)
Cleopatragiri (a derivative of Mandaakinigiri)
thirdclassgiri
chyawanprash ke ad(trying to be an advertisement to sell something that no one intends to buy)

A few words or utterances that can I have heard from others are:
Hajjaam
Bhadang
itumm

Is there a word/group of words that you can call your own? Share it with 'em!

;) Go ahead! Be a Waysht Maanoos!

Was Gandhi a hypocrite?

2005-11-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

Fifty-two years ago, on Jan. 30, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. Godse believed that the Mahatma, or great soul, was responsible for the 1947 partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Godse and his friend Narayan Apte were hanged. His brother Gopal and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the conspiracy. Gopal Godse remained in jail for 18 years and now, at 80, lives with his wife in a small apartment in Pune. He is still proud of his role in the murder.

Time talked to him, and he answered with fury:
TIME: Why did you want to kill Gandhi?
Godse: Gandhi was a hypocrite. Even after the massacre of the Hindus by the Muslims, he was happy. The more the massacres of the Hindus, the taller his flag of secularism.

The truth is out there, we just need to find it!

EDIT:
The wonderful link pointed to by Amit Kulkarni is an interesting read.

Remembering Nehru

2005-11-13T23:44:00.000-08:00

A glimpse at the calendar tells you how important Chacha was. As long as we don't have children, we are one of them. So, here we recall the sacrifices of some great hands who helped pinch our way to independence.

Lord Mountbatten decided not to stay here long — good for him. We join Mrs. M in the hearty(*ouch*) laugh!

Horny Bacteria

2005-11-12T04:57:00.000-08:00

In a very rare find, scientists in Lucknow have unearthed a 65-million year old fossil of two tiny members of the bacteria family having sex. The team of geologists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, found the species in Pudwar near Jabalpur while on a routine sample collection trip.

Hahaha! More Crap. Less News! The sign of changing Times! Is it time to change from the Times?

Hear no Evil

2005-11-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

We hear so many things around us daily. Some make sense to us, some are completely bizarre utterances from different people.

Some things I hear around me Now!

"And what happens in the daytime, you ask..."

"Are you sure?"

"...and what is the rate difference?"

"why don't we check it out on the mobile?"

"this is the emergency helpline number!"

"yeah...*Maniacal Laughter* "

"Yeah... you told Rajesh that's why it's activated"

"It's a little hotch-potch...na?"

What do you hear around? Are you hear? Erm... I mean ...here?

b2b means...

2005-11-09T04:48:00.000-08:00

... NOT business to business, but

Back to Bangalore!

Tralaalaaaaaaaa... *DrumRoll!*

It feels great! After several hours of deceptive telephonic conversations, several hours spent in convincing people why I need to be here, and several sacrifices, both small and big, I am Back!

The Migr8 mode has come a full circle, and I am glad to be back to the pavillion.

Knee deep in work and painfully overloaded(read: shitting bricks), I will soon look for newer roads to tread, more adventures to immerse in, more minds to probe, and more idlis to eat, more to learn.

No more a part of the crowd of people who lead lonely lives, but alone in companionship, I find a new myself everytime.

Twist in the Tale

2005-10-28T01:50:00.000-07:00

Yet another community craft! This time it is called Twist in the Tale(or, well, tail?). So, How do we do it? Well, every one will keep adding characters and storyline to something that goes...

He walked along the shores, where the water was trying its best to reach him. Whether it was to embrace him or swallow him, he did not know. Raghu, as his friends liked to call him, was called so because Raghunandanam was quite complex. This did not make Raghu simple... He remained complex, complicated and inexplicable. All this evening, he had been thinking of...

Add to the above but leave it open for the next person to add! Add more mystery, add humor, add surprise...keep the story on!

Go Ahead, be your favorite Author!

Better than Cure

2005-10-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

Mr. Murthy (all resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental) seems to have taken "Prevention is better than cure!" too seriously.

Saurav is our source for amazing pics like these and more. No idea where he gets all these.

Any Guesses for Mr. Murthy's first name? ;)

Experiment and Share

2005-10-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

What would happen if everybody followed? What if all innovations ceased to exist? What if there were no discoveries...no inventions? No breakthroughs, and nobody to challenge them? What if Newton never told the world that gravity existed? We would never have thought of journey through space, or devise the marslander.

Just because the early Church shared with the world that the earth was flat, should we blindly follow? Should Galileos amongst us not rise to the cause of being unconventional and share? The world would have been full of crippled minds and bodies if Galileo never shared his notes about the Earth being round.

If you were ever abducted by an alien from another world, would you not tell your friends to watch out? Would you let them continue to believe that there are no aliens?

Why is Dialogue important?

One: "The Earth is flat!"
Two: "Hmmm... Yeah I Know!"
Galileo: "Earth... Flat? Are you guys crazy? It's round...like a ball!"
One: "Errm...Is it? I need to listen to your side of the story..."
Two: "Let's talk over coffee! This sounds interesting..."

Here, Galileo contradicted One and Two by a different perspective. One and Two always thought they were correct. They would never have known whether their perspective of looking at things was correct. They were lucky to get an instant verbal feedback from Galileo and later pore over his notepad at the Coffee House.

If Galileo would have kept the knowledge and his perspective just to himself, he just prevented the world from going through a massive change in thought process, and impeded a lot of other things that were set into motion by him.

One should not be afraid of the consequences, but take complete responsibility of the actions. I should not be afraid of telling you what I feel, as long as you don't try to go ahead and tell me that I should feel exactly like you. I should respect your views, as you will have different perspectives.

But would it make any sense for one to live in his own world, with not a single care about what others opine?

Would you never write if there was so much to read? Maybe you could make a point.
Would you never speak if there was so much to listen to? Maybe you could be a voice.
Would you never love if there were so many who loved? Maybe you could make it warmer.

Anybody can descend a mountain. It's the ascent that needs a rebel.

How many ???

2005-10-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is the How Many game, and this is how we play:

The person before you has asked How many ??? You'll answer their question in the comments as well as ask the next person a How many ??? question. The next person answers their question, and asks another, etc.....

Easy enough, right?

How many times do you have tea in a day?

CabAge

2005-09-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking we are talking of vegetables, think beyond. We are talking of the new age, the age of the cab, the Cab-age. A view from my office tells me how indispensable is the new age, and how dependent are we on the culture that's setting in.

I take an office cab to commute to work daily morning. Some days are just a 'Hi!' and complete silence, while others are muffled in conversation, on how really crazy are the guys on FM to think of such mind-boggingly hilarious promos and laugh-a-minutes.

The FM decides what the mood of the short 20-minute travel will be. Somebody irked by ill-natured humor tells us how old this joke was and how his grampa had sent this to him when he was still a grandkid. Another is urged to tell us what Raaga does the latest hip-hop song playing on the box belong to. Whether it is Shivaranjini or Malhaar is one battle, and whether I want to know all this knowledge or not is another.

I have had my own Cabventures, which were not very ambitious in nature but definitely required a rock-solid determination. I have scampered into the cab when the posterior of the cab had a space inversely proportional to product of space I require in cab and the persistence and pretence of a fellow colleague to lounge and listen to the FM with closed eyes. Maybe this, he thinks impedes any dialogue and discussion, and allows him to continue the posture.

Once I have made my way to the 1ft X 1ft space and cramped my morning muscles there, the FM plays a shampoo advertisement and a male voice says

"What a wonderful fragrance... You are mesmerising."

when my eyes meet my neighbour's and she's almost blushing at the coincidence. I soon realized that her hair appeared wet, and they did exude a wonderful fragrance. I took a deep breath to figure out whether the fragrance was indeed mesmerising. What I inhaled, transported me to my college days, and in a fraction of a second I was choking at the remnants of a broken beaker with ammonia spilt all over. I came back to the present choking, just to realize that somebody's digestive system had decided to mesmerise me. Every gasp after that was other-worldly.

Another experience was when a woman(old?) pretending as a girl was spilling with make up, and puckered her lips, and the FM played an AXE ad which defined the theory of relativity as

"If you sit on a stove for a minute, it feels like many hours...But if you kiss a girl for many hours it feels like only a minute!"

I did not look up to lock eyes with her again throughout the way to office.

Yet another, was when all were talking of what kind of music each one liked and related to something or the other on the radio channel. When my turn came, I didn't have to wait for the channel to play my kind of music. I heard a few scratches on vinyl from the speaker, and I said
"That's it...That's my type of music!.."
and I was nodding my head to the beats and swaying my hands as if I was scratching the vinyl. Within a few beats the song (which was an advert) metamorphosed into a graphic expression of family planning and the use of contraceptives and the importance of getting sterilized. I could not scratch any more, the tempo just went down with raised eyebrows and giggling faces.

When you have immersed yourself in the Cab-age, tell me what you like in the main course! Any Cabventures on your side?

Katrina's Beauty

2005-09-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

Katrina, and all hurricanes are named mostly after females. The reasons could be arising from the fact that some women are dangerously beautiful and others beautifully dangerous.

Saurav, a keen metamorfer has sent us these images via email. Kudos, these are fantastic, Saurav!

Shake yer Booty!

2005-09-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

Scratch it up!

Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique originated by Grand Wizard Theodore, an early hip hop DJ from New York (AMG). The technique is designed to accentuate the work of the DJ by creating an assortment of sounds through the rhythmical manipulation of a vinyl record, and has spread from hip hop culture to a number of other musical forms. Within hip hop culture, scratching is still of great importance in determining the skill of a DJ, and a number of competitions are held across the globe in which DJs battle one another in displays of great virtuosity.

Bingo Baby Babe (amazing Scratches)

Sweet Life

Downtempo (or DownTempo) is a laid-back electronic music style often intended more for listening and socializing than dancing, though some releases are unmistakably produced for the dance floor. Often the names lounge music or chill out are used to refer to songs demonstrative of the genre, but those names also refer to other styles of music, and downtempo encompasses a wider variety of styles than those terms alone would indicate.

Coast to coast

Granados: Spanish Dance n. 2
A beautiful instrumental piece: Very Loungish

I like to listen to Lounge, Fusion, Sufi and Good Remixes.
The Artists I like, in no particular order, are:

Prem Joshua (right now a top fave)
Mynta (the ever-changing group)
Shankar Mahadevan (for vocal fluctuations)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (A true legend)
Karsh Kale
The Buddha Bar Artists
and many more...

What about you? Who and What do you like?

Kauntest

2005-09-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the first question is:

What movie is that?

and the second question is:

Who all are the cast?

metatoon #2

2005-09-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

Twin Towers

2005-09-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Sagar Kulkarni has sent in amazing pictures of views from his window. What we can see above is a glimpse of the searchlights which are placed where the Twin Towers once reigned. For those who like to see the Portrait version, here it is:

Thank you

2005-09-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

I felt I wanted to thank all who were in one way or more helped me become what I am today, directly or indirectly, consciously or subconsciously. I wanted to thank them for helping me pushing my limits, encouraging me at all times, and providing good competetion and friction to fight back and emerge. I wanted to thank them was helping me discover more than what was my share, for letting me sneak into their psyche, for allowing me to advise and introspect, for letting me reinvent myself umpteen times.

Mom - For telling me what perseverance and persistence means
Atul(my Bro) - for irritating me towards perfection
Pittya - for teaching me how to adapt to situations
Lambya - for being a real good thought-cycle partner - Miss the discussions!
Dhanu - for letting me know how much I can mean to someone

Kedar - For bringing out the linguist in me
Santosh - For being a wonderful mentee and making me proud
Divya - For being the most wonderful bouncing board for me
Sasmeeta - Kiddin' yeah?
Amit Singhjee - For helping me understand the difference between man and human
Vibhay - For letting me understand when NOT to jump to conclusions
Anusuya - For trusting me so much
Gunjan - like minds repel?
Shashwat - like minds rebel!
Rahul - Patience...
Ashu - For asking me the same questions that I once faced myself, and letting me answer them.
Seenu - For being timeless and infinite

Thank somebody if you want to from the bottom of your heart, and don't delay...

Damsels in Distress

2005-09-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

This one is for each one of you out there who cannot curb the animal within themselves. The Anusuya in the following conversation could be you, your acquaintance, your relative, your wife and anybody whose well being matters to you.

Why, why do we have to live a life fighting all sorts of fears?

You are either the hunter or the hunted. But the question is,

Why Hunt?

Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:27:46 AM): hey buddy... there is this guy called Manoj
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:28:23 AM): he is probably my dad's age.... i met him in one of these grocery stores
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:28:53 AM): and u know wht... this a&#hole keeps hitting on me
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:29:21 AM): i did'nt know this...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:29:31 AM): oh...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:29:49 AM): i was looking for a job... and he knew a lot of contacts
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:29:58 AM): okay...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:30:04 AM): and infact he was the one who came with the offer
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:30:14 AM): and i said ok.. i'll give a try
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:30:26 AM): hmmmm... then?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:30:27 AM): i got the job but had visa probs
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:30:47 AM): and then he called up once... casually
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:31:00 AM): All right
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:31:50 AM): he started talking and suddenly the movie topic came up and he started asking abt a couple of movies
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:32:12 AM): like if i've seen disclosure, basic instinct and stuff
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:32:24 AM): and i said yes.. i've seen all of them
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:32:56 AM): hmm...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:32:58 AM): and this idiot was like "so do u like such sex based movies.. oh i am very fond of them"
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:33:33 AM): i lied to him saying i have another phone coming and hung up the phone
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:33:47 AM): i just kept avoiding him
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:33:56 AM): When was this?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:34:11 AM): 2 and half years back
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:34:25 AM): and then he disappeared
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:34:38 AM): You met him in your vicinity?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:35:45 AM): on sunday... i met him again in one of the kannada functions
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:36:23 AM): he took my phone number...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:36:31 AM): well i met him in a grocery store
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:36:38 AM): okay
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:36:53 AM): he took your phone number...again?
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:36:56 AM): when was this?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:37:08 AM): he came to know that my hubby will be out of town..
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:37:25 AM): my hubby was talking to him and might have probably told him
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:37:45 AM): he came to me and asked who wud be with me..
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:38:04 AM): i replied plainly... my son
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:39:13 AM): and then he goes.. u know wht if i am in ur area i'll just drop by to ur place
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:39:18 AM): i freaked uot
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:39:21 AM): out
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:39:28 AM): yes
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:40:37 AM): and he asked if i'll be home all day.. i said yeah.. but i take my son out to parks and story time and stuff
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:41:03 AM): i don't know why wud he want and come andsee me... a&#hole
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:41:08 AM): and today he calls up
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:41:16 AM): thank heavens i have a caller id
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:41:44 AM): calls up and sez what?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:41:57 AM): i did'nt pick up the phone
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:42:05 AM): and he did'nt leave a message
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:42:09 AM): 1 min
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:42:20 AM): hmm..
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:44:25 AM): but i am soooooooo mad at this idiot.. he is sooo old
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:44:34 AM): i am like his daughter
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:44:44 AM): he's got a wife, a son and a daughter
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:45:20 AM): i was tellin my hubby all theese things
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:45:36 AM): It's bad...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:45:39 AM): i know
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:45:52 AM): his intentions are clear Counsellor
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:46:06 AM): Next time you see him...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:46:10 AM): Call him Uncle...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:46:16 AM): and ask him How is his wife..
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:46:28 AM): always ask him how his wife is
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:46:59 AM): my hubby was sooooooo mad... he was swearing
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:47:16 AM): and my prob is i cannot tell anybody to f*** off
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:47:50 AM): I know you...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:47:56 AM): yes, you cannot...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:48:07 AM): i just don't know how to do it
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:50:09 AM): yeah.. true
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:50:17 AM): i get soooo mad and disturbed and scared
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:50:19 AM): cool down...cool down...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:50:27 AM): i don't him to land up here
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:50:44 AM): Can you sense how mad I am?
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:50:50 AM): he will not...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:50:53 AM): don't worry
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:51:18 AM): If he does... just call up his wife and ask her...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:51:24 AM): how come you did not come?
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:51:34 AM): Your hubby has come alone here...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:52:05 AM): first i am going to make sure... he does not show up
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:53:56 AM): a&#hole a&amp;amp;amp;#hole #@$%$%%#$^&
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:55:00 AM): cool cool
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:55:09 AM): when i was in 7th std and incident occured adn i drove the guy out
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:56:18 AM): Who?
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:56:20 AM): When?
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:56:25 AM): i wish i cud just tell people to shut up right on their face
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:56:45 AM): i just cannot... i don't how to be rude
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:56:51 AM): probably i shud learn
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:57:04 AM): this guy was a doctor and i used to call him uncle
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:57:29 AM): okay...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:57:31 AM): and
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:58:01 AM): he had a daughter
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:58:08 AM): okay...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:58:11 AM): he wud visit occassionally
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:58:18 AM): and i never doubted anything
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:58:39 AM): and
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:59:02 AM): one fine day he came when i had jsut returned from school ... my mom was not home yet
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:59:27 AM): this guy comes and i talk as ussual and told him mom wud be here soon
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 10:59:42 AM): okay
Anusuya (9/9/2005 10:59:46 AM): and then he suddenly asked do u know wht are blue films
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:00:33 AM): i freaked out... and acted as though i had no idea wht he was talking abt and said no i don't know
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:01:01 AM): and then he said hey i've got books for Sumati(his daughter) .. wud u like to see them...
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:01:45 AM): and
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:01:47 AM): he got a couple of books and he showed me a coloring book.. i said it's nice and gave it back to him
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:02:30 AM): Okay...
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:02:37 AM): and then he opened another book and goes "have u seen such pics" it was a porno book
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:02:48 AM): omg
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:03:24 AM): i don't know wht got into me... i said "hey why don't u show this to Sumati.. she might enjoy it better
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:03:46 AM): fantastic
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:03:51 AM): and i told him to leave right then and told him never to come home when i was alone
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:04:00 AM): this guy was sorry sorry and stuff
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:04:36 AM): and i threatened him to tell aparna aunty(his wife)
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:04:49 AM): he left immediately with a sorry
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:05:26 AM): and shmeless creature... he happened to meet my mom on the way and came back with her for a cup of coffee
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:05:42 AM): i pulled my mom inside and told her everything
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:06:04 AM): before my mom cud react... he just left saying he is getting late
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:07:10 AM): hummm
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:07:20 AM): it's quite disturbing
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:07:36 AM): u know wht... even when i told himm to get lost.. i was not very aggressive
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:07:40 AM): you must have flashedback to this incident
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:07:53 AM): he had not expected that
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:08:15 AM): it is disturbing
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:08:16 AM): He must have tried that on many a youngsters earlier
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:10:00 AM): my hubby said not to pick this guys phone at all..
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:10:08 AM): why even get into anything
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:10:32 AM): he'll call a couple of times and finally give up
The Counsellor (9/9/2005 11:10:56 AM): yes
Anusuya (9/9/2005 11:10:58 AM): i fel like throwing up...

When will things change?

What's in your Pocket-Survey!

2005-09-07T02:52:00.000-07:00

Found this on the net somewhere...Looks like a blog survey.
Copy this and paste it as a comment and add your answers! We wanna know! :D

1. What is your favourite colour?

Black, after that gray, then white. Maroon, and shades of Blue come next.

2. Tell me about a talent or skill you possess, which I've not yet witnessed or discovered.

I can make people laugh. *poke*

3. What was your favourite subject in school? (I think this means primarily elementary school, when you were a child, but if you had a favourite subject in secondary or university you can tell me about that, too!)

I loved English. And to some extent Geography, and Biology ;)
Then at college I liked Computer Gfx/Multimedia and Operations Research

4. What is one place to which you've never been, but you'd like to visit, someday? (Locally or abroad)

Australia. And the Louvre, Paris.

5. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Depends on what I am going to do...Hahaha

6. Are you left-handed or right-handed?

Right.
7. Did astronauts really land on the moon, or was it all a hoax?

It was a hoax.
8. What's in your pocket? Or Wallet? Or Purse? (Or if there's nothing in your pocket at present, what sorts of things are most often in your pockets?)
* Some form of plastic money
* An old diary that I use as a bizcard holder. Some people mistake it for a wallet, and it is ages and ages old. It has cracks!
* Some old bills and ATM reciepts.
* On a weekday and in office, my Swipe-card
* Money. Keys. Cellphone

9. In 10 years, you see yourself... (Finish that any way you desire.)

looking back at where I was. I want to do a lot of things, but let's hope for the best. I want to exhibit and begin dealing in my Art. Start a Hotel. Be a design exponent. Cut a Lounge Album.

10. There's a power outage, and you don't have a generator. This means no electronics - no computer, no telly, no videos, no stereo and no electric heat or electric kettle - what do you do to keep warm, content and entertained?

I will shuttle between painting, Novels and Bed. Hmmm... Anybody game for the warm part?

11. What's one thing you cannot bring yourself to eat?

Pundi Palya (a very pungent vegetable my granny, and similar generation Ex people like)

metatoon #1

2005-09-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Beginning today, metamorfers will see a new branch for entertainment. It's called the metatoon!
Thanks a ton to the stripcreator! So toon in Folks! And leave your comments! Tell us what you would want to see at metamorf!

Petty Talk

2005-09-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

I was telling a friend that if I ever think of getting a pet for myself, it's definitely going to be a couple of speckled padlopers. Long ago, I had seen them at a female friends' place, where they were referred to as Singapore Tortoise. They are immersive pieces of biology that can have you engaged for hours together.

Then my friend revealed that he would like to cherish a dog as a pet. I was beginning to think that dog, doggie and pet are so synonymous. And "My pet is a Dog!" is becoming so much clichéd than ever before.

Before, I could think more about pets and clichés, my friend started speaking.

"I have always loved dogs. And you know, the next very understanding being is the cow. I remember the time when I was rebuked for some felony of mine, and I would flee from home, and go and sit in the cowshed, speaking to my cow. Caressing it, talking to it, and complaining. Complaining about what I loved doing, and enjoyed, and the others despise. I used to cry, and the cow would do the same. Its patience and motionlessness subtracted all my agony. It crippled the complainer in me. It made me stable, more patient and more all-observing.

Then, there was Raja, my wonderful dog. I used to flee from home when punished, and a bewildered Raja would follow me. It would follow me to where my legs couldn't take any more, where I would succumb to the dust, in the shade of an old tree. He would try to keep pace, and would always snuggle up to me when I collapsed. Every single time I shoved it away, slapped across its face, and directed the lava of my angered vent towards Raja. It suffered every atrocity, every fit of anger with a perseverance that was infinite. With dropped ears, and moist eyes, and a tail tucked in its hind legs, it came back to me recursively. Every time it came back, it came back with a hope that I will be mellow again, without fearing whether this another attempt would result in a slap across its muzzle. Eventually, I would cool down and hug it close.

I learnt perseverance from Raja. A pet for me would be a dog. Now you know..."

With this he came back from the flashback, and the haze disappeared from his eyes, as they focussed at me and his mind synchronised with the present.

I was moved, but I would still have a couple of speckled padlopers.

What kind of pet would you (or do you) have?

Friends

2005-09-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

What are friends for?

They are people, of all sorts. Of different shapes, sizes who come with different versions of their Intelellectual capacities.
They are people who are close to you, to your self, to what you call your alter ego.

Why do you need them?

To listen to you when you are in need. To talk to them about how low you feel when you hit the bottom of the emotional pit.

But does that happen always?

No, not at all times. Not when they are smaller in emotional capacity and in intellectual comprehension. Not when they cannot see, what you draw out of immense pain and trauma. Not when they cease to understand your language. Not when your emotional vocabulary is much more comprehensive when compared to theirs, and they do not understand your articulations.

Crowded Solitude

When people yearn to learn from you, more than what you would ever expect to learn from them, it becomes a pain, and an unbearable one at that. When you have scoured them inside out, and have exhausted every emotion and every moment that seemed to have existed, you cannot take it any more.

When you meet somebody in the quest to learn something that will belittle you, your knowledge, your triumph, your fight, your hunger and your self, then you find what you already have in you, but nobody knew. Nobody knew because you never advertised. And you never advertised because you never felt it was big enough for advertisement.

Continued Pretention

I have friends, really good friends. And they are the elixir of my life.

What do you think?
Do other metamorfers think at all?

New Office!

2005-08-30T02:15:00.000-07:00

The Main Facade

Servers

Walkway

Urbane Lounge Lighting

Elevator Matrix

McDonald Duck!

The New Office is Slick! Simply Rawks!
What d'ya think of that?

The Night of Illuminati

2005-08-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

After reading a Chapter of the Angels and Demons, and being exhausted both mentally and physically after the long walk back home after dinner, I finally decided to surrender to Hypnos

I don't know when Morpheus came over and took control, but he was not very successful, as all I could see was some cardinal burning alive from the episode of the novel. I was there when a shady Illuminatus burnt the cardinal alive, just as he had promised to the media and the world.

It started getting hot, and I realised I was profusely sweating.

"He must be feeling really badly scorched!" I thought.

I wanted to get out of this place and then I heard the crackling of the fire, as clearly as the I could hear the popping blisters on the cardinals toes and posterior.

This was when Morpheus admitted his failure and left me awake. It was hot alright, and I was sweating profusely. Then I realised I was awake and mopping my forehead. I still heard some commotion.

If it was a dream, and there was no real cardinal burning alive, why was I hearing things? I turned around to see a glow like I had never seen. A glow like I had imagined, and it was flickering, huge, and orange. It looked like a bonfire, only it looked like it was 20 feet high! I started all mental permutations and combinations of what could be beyond my dusty windows.

I finally decided this was happening, and I donned a shirt and wore my sandals and was out on the road. They all were there. The glow was illuminating the road to the end. Through my hazy eyes I looked at the source, which was like an oxy-acetylene lamp mounted on a pole, and gave out an orange glow instead of a blue one.

A thick cable burnt away to glory with spine chilling fireworks, and kept an audience of around 20 awe-struck, while others looked on from their distant rooftops. The effect was captivating, and I started contemplating what all should I carry with me if my rented house decides to get consumed.

The fireworks ended with a soft pop, and thankfully a lot before the audience went blind.
Was I alone?
No, I could hear the muffled voices, coughing and some choked. It was just that the luminous fog still hung around my eyes. It was 1:48 PM by my cell phone, and I decided to go back to sleep. I knew power will be out for another couple of hours.

The only things I remember after that is the slight whirring of the AirCooler indicating the power was back, and my alarm blaring in the morning.

"Good Morning. Hope you liked the fireworks arranged at little after midnight, and the stench of the burnt rubber cable."

"Thanks a lot. I am Enlightened!"

Life is a Fizzy Drink

2005-08-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's what life is!

You either are too excited to finish it before the fizz goes away, or try and relish every drop that travels starting at your throat through the infinitely intertwined intestines, only to realise, that in the process of enjoying it for a longer time, the fizz no longer exists.

The drink is now flat. Monotonous.

You pretend to enjoy it, and always reply "Great!" to the question you dread most:

"How's Life?"

And when your catchphrase for life is "Been there. Done that!", you hear people telling you what you did as a 4^th Grader.

"You know the letter that comes after A?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's something new that has come up... ever heard of B?"

"B?" It has never been any wierder than this for you.

"Yeah, B. Add another two E's and the letter N! Voila... you have BEEN!"

"BEEN?"

"How's that for a mind-blowing word? You can use it in combination with other words to make a sentence or a Catchphrase! Erm... I thought you knew something about this?"

You are torn between the desire to tear apart your tranquil self and be an exhibitionist demonstrating what you know, screaming at the top of your voice

"Hey you! You Half-wit moron! How about 'Been there. Done That.'!!!???"

or to succumb to the ignorant atrocities of those who are possessed. Possessed with the thought that they possess something that you don't and it's their birthright to educate you about what they always felt you didn't know!

The world is about mediocrity advertising at PrimeTime. People no longer are influenced by PrimeTime... They love the advertisements.

What you can concoct with you cerebral capacity is nothing if you cannot advertise, or you haven't done it yet if you feel you still are on your way to enlightenment, or it's disgusting for you to be an exhibitionist.

"Power is knowing that you can, but you don't" is extinct.

"Power is knowing that the other can, so strangle him." is in.

Try guzzling it down before somebody comes and tells you,

"Hey, that's a Fizzy Drink! Catch a glimpse if you haven't seen one yet!"

Hmm... It tastes Good. Let's see how long the Fizz lasts!

Different Views

2005-08-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

I sent people copies of That Sunday. I got responses, some verbal, some over phone at 64kbps, and others in the form of Anonymous comments.

One friend (who wanted to remain anonymous when I told him I want to discuss his view in the open) was very inquisitive about the whole incident.

After office on our way home, he asked me,
"Haan... Now tell me...from the beginning... What all happened?".

I told him the story all over again, and he absorbed every bit like a sponge.

"You must have been shocked?" he pondered.

"Yes...It was bizarre"

"Hmm...What if you would have let her stay at your place?"

"But it was not required...and it was not a solution to the problem"

"The security and the Police was the best to take care of her"

I had never expected him to show so much concern. It was, if nothing else, a little too surprising, knowing the kind of person he is. And then it dawned on me, and it was correctly complemented with his next expression.

"How was she like? Was she good looking?"

Giving out a subconscious sigh, I went on,
"The face was very innocent, troubled, why, the face when you have lost your way and somebody close to you... It was disturbed."

Justifying his mental schemes with the Come'on-this-is-what-would-be-on-anybody's-mind laughter, he asked,

"Was she fair?... or erm... well..." he was as cautious as one would be while diffusing a bomb. One wrong wire, and everything could be in a mess.

"Why does it make a difference?"

"She had already decided that this is the way things could turn, she was ready for anything assuming she had to bargain something for a refuge...I mean... look from the Point-of-View of a general human being... Why would she ask you, of all the people?"

I faked a smile, trying to make sure the bomb doesn't go off.

"Ah, well..." I raised my eyebrows sarcastically.

"Sorry Amit, I didn't mean it that way. I meant look at it like how the world sees it."

"Why does it have to be an effort NOT to follow? Why can't we NOT belong to a particular mass psychology. Just because the world thinks in a particular fashion, why should you do the same?"

I wished he had seen the face. But, would he really have seen the face at all? Would he not ignore the lamenting face completely?

It's not his mistake. Is he wrong? No.
He is just a personification of the social psychology. He is just a representative.
The difference is that he is just one of the rare few who have an opinion, and honestly admit it. It needs guts to express what he did. Unlike others, who would have been dormant volcanoes, erupting just after a whole village built their houses at its foot.

How if, for a change, each had a mind of their own?

That Sunday

2005-08-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time at the cyber-cafe near my place. I like the place, as it has an ambience of a den. Calling mummy online was quite an exercise. Calling her up on the landline, to helping her figure out where the Yahoo! Messenger icon was on the destop, to telling her somebody's Yahoo ID and password loud enough to encourage everyone in the cafe try a hand at logging in -- It was quite some effort.

And at the end of the conversation, she tells me to hang on for some time as she had to cook lunch for granny! Whew!
She logged on, spattered some emoticons on the other side, and gradually went on to make some Dal for granny! Uh-gain?

She came over, after quite some time, threw some generic pleasantries and she logged off after some time.

It was 4 hours already, and nearing 4 pm, when I walked out of the den. The heat was on, and I was blinded by the outside light. I must not have walked even half a kilometre that, it started drizzling. As feeble as a creeper's fresh tendril, it was a catalyst to the irritation caused by the soaring temperature and the humidity. I don't know if my mental tantrums reached the weather department or to the big-Shower Department, but it started raining heavily, as strong as the hold of the roots of an 100 year old sycamore tree.

Everybody was scampering around, for a roof, for a shelter for a refuge. I found a tree large enough, with enough leaves so that I have enough time before all the leaves are wet, and the rain begins its attempt to reach me.

There was a village girl (or do I say woman?) standing under the next tree, with a kid. Her cheeks were wet, and when I realised, I understood it was not because of the rain, but something else. She looked tired, and a little shaken.

She preened at me from between the leaves of the tree, and I looked at my surroundings, as I was never used to something like this. I pretended, I was not caught looking at her, and trying to figure out why everything did not look allright.

I looked at the Dhobi and looked at the security guard standing next to his hatch. I was lost in watching the droplets dripping from the roof of his small outfit, when I heard a rustle behind me, and the place was much warmer suddenly.

A cursory glance scanned the tree where I had seen the girl in orange, but she was gone. No. It was almost a shock. She was standing next to me now, and the rustle had come from the crumpled dry leaves on the ground.

She said "Saahab, tumhaara kamaraa kahaan hai?"
I fumbled for words, scavenging my mind to see if I had come across any situation like this before, and the answer was no.
"Woh... Woh... Door hai thoda!"
"Aaj main aapke saath reh loon?"
I couldn't say anything. I just gestured, with one open hand in interrogation, and trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Subah Chali Jaaoongi!"
I gestured in a similar fashion again, but managed a few words this time.
"Main akela rehta hoon... Chota ghar hai!... Koi Bangla nahee hai!"

The spattering rain became worse, and I got goosebumps on my skin. Only, I was not sure what had caused these--The rain, the irritating heat, or the utterances of the village girl.

The Dhobi's shed looked inviting in the blinding rain, and I ran in to get there, after some incomprehesible curses at the invisible raingod up in the sky. In the shed, I found a security guard. Before I could concoct something, the girl followed me there, and involuntarily I looked at the security guard and the girl, and again at the security guard. I don't know how, but I was able to pass the message that the security guard was the sole responsible for getting the girl a shelter.

"She has lost her way", said the guard, "and doesn't remember the address of the place she was to get work at... and she has lost her other child somewhere...".

I suddenly recalled how I used to call my friends and tell them "This place is hell!" or "I feel lonely" or "The heat is killing!".

I saw my pains vanishing, I saw them turning to zilch, disappearing into thin air, when the silent lament of the girl (or should I say, patience personified) strangled me to feel what nature had always wanted me to feel.

Involuntarily I said, "Drop her at the Central Office!", where they could reach her easily.
Getting the police in loop was not tough, and the girl and her child are in safe hands now.
By now, the rain was almost gone, as if it had arrived with a purpose, with a reason, with a design.

The sky cleared, and also some cobwebs in my mind. The design is perfect.

Back to Mental Square One(almost!)...

2005-07-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

Days are not tough to pass anymore. The Boredom has eased out of my schedule, or atleast taking a nap somewhere. Went to Kaka's place on this Saturday, and hit back home. The Batata Vadas were scrumptuous, and Vibhay (the other Marathi guy from SapeStart) loved 'em!

Sunday was slated for the laundry, but was taken over by a fervour to watch a movie. I figured out a simple formula...
"The chances of someone liking a movie, is directly proportional to the amount of money spent in procuring the tickets!"
Obviously, we ended up liking the movie.

We had some time (around 2.5 hours) before the movie where we spent a good chunk munching pizzas at Debonair's. Walked around the blinks(special effect laden shops, which sell a molehill at a mountain's price), where I grabbed a decent shirt, and an khadi kurta caught Vibhay's eye.

Sarkar, a RGV take on the Godfather, was a real good one in recent times. Good cinematography turns me on, and this one was like 8 or 9 on 10! The opening scene with a mix-match of multiple lenses to create an massive impression of the fortress was mind boggling. It had a dizzying effect and was a never-before in Indian Cinema.

Hope my Bangalore-switch works out fine!

Bored and alone

2005-06-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

Bored... very very bored. It can only get better at being boring.
Bereft of all emotions, all desires, I keep ticking. I feel like a gear in the huge, unwanted machinery, which pretends that it is doing something exceptional, something other-worldly, devoid of any sort of emotional lubrication.
I feel like a robot, away from home, sans all inclinations towards companionship. The telephone has become my channel to the other world. Time and again, weak signals and hot/throbbing ear-drums tell me how vulnerable I am-- How vulnerable is my family, out of my view, out of my care, my vigil.

Falling in love with inanimate things was something I would have never imagined myself doing. Yes, I love my AirCooler. I love the taps. I love my kitchen and how it smells when I manufacture something edible.

"huh?"

Migr8 Mode

2005-05-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

Leaving Bangalore and coming to Gurgaon has been quite a heady decision. No idea what way it goes. Reaching Nizammudin on the 3rd of May and reaching Gurgaon on the 5th. On the 3rd night at Kaka's place, there was a power cut, which gave me a sneak preview of what was in store for me in days to come. It has been a Mega Solitude since the time I came to Gurgaon. It's a place of distances, and one would do real good with possession of a car.

Good I found an Art Gallery near my place, where I can hang out on sabbaticals. Food comes at a premium and is nowhere as accessible as it was in Bangalore. The air is hot, and the temperature soaring. More water trickles down my forehead than I can consume in a day. Most dust settles in on things, than I can clean up in a day's time.

The kitchen is in place with a gas stove and all the essential paraphernalia. The Makaanmaalik is a real kewl guy who got me a big Almirah, where I can now stuff my goodies.

I got a Diwan made according to my design and taste, and Sarfaraz and Arif (two off-the-road carpenter brothers) did a real fabulous job out of it. I simply love it. Then I did a little tweak to the interiors with a couple of setees and a glass tepoy. The one thing that's killing is the pink color of walls. Maybe when I have a few of my paintings on the walls, it could change the look drastically. The indoor cooler's neutral gray blends in with the urban design and hip color coordination I am aiming at.

The Art gallery (curated by Shobha, and called Quill and Canvas) hosts and array of mid-segment work from time to time. Last time it was Partho Chatterjee. Great works and queer shaped frames. It also hosts an array of Hussain Lithos, which are around a tag of 15K and look like a good investment. Maybe next year (if I finally buy one this year) it would be around 30-35K.

All what I can say is, Let's wait for things to fall in place!