Welcome Back CREED

"One Last Breath", "My Sacrifice", "Arms Wide Open", "Whats This Life For" ... are still loved and widely played song of Creed, the American Rock Band. Now the great news is that the band has formally and officially reunited after 5 years since their split in 2004. And Creed is coming up with their new album called Full Circle towards the end of this month. Fabulous news for all Creed fans, including me. Quoting the Rolling Stone magazine,

The reconciliation began last December when Stapp reached out to Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti. They agreed to meet up at the Hard Rock Hotel in Florida before Stapp sang the “National Anthem” at the Champs Sports Bowl. “I was nervous, but also excited because I knew Mark would bring nothing but positivity,” says Stapp. “We exchanged family pictures and within 20 minutes we were jamming on acoustic guitars and talking about new songs.” They soon met up with drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall, who left Creed in 2000 but is returning for the new album and tour. “At that meeting we were collectively saying, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry if I hurt you or my choices did anything to cause you any pain. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for you and I hope you can forgive me. It’s all part of the process of reflection and not looking back at the six months out of 10 years that were trying.”

Now after the reunion of Creed, only time will tell the fate of band Alter Bridge, which was formed after the split of Creed by three members of Creed excluding lead vocalist Scott Stapp. Awaiting some great numbers by Creed as they offered in their previous three albums. Hail to Thee !!!

Rat Vs. Squirrel

Inglorious Basterds - the new offering from Quentin Tarantino. Loved the movie so much that ended up watching it twice in theater. Awesome script and direction. Brad Pit was good, but I liked the acting of Colonel Hans Landa most. Among all, the analogy between rats and squirrel with reference to Jews and Germans were the best.

“Unless some fool is stupid enough to try and handle a live one, rats don’t make it a practice of biting human beings. Rats were the cause of the bubonic plague, but that was some time ago…I propose to you any disease a rat could spread, a squirrel could equally carry. Yet I assume you don’t share the same animosity with squirrels that you do with rats…yet, they are both rodents, are they not? And except for the fact that one has a bit bushy tail, while the other has a long repugnant tail of rodent skin, they even look rather alike.”

As it can be implied from this analogy that it was the hatred for Jews which united Germans (Nazis) most rather than the feeling of belonging to the same nation. The same still applies even 65 years after the reign of Hitler, and the evils the world is facing.

No Fire Crackers Please

being a non-vegetarian and raising voice for the fellow animals
may be a case of being hypocrite, but I denounced fire crackers 4 years ago
!!! Please Say NO to Fire Crackers !!!

Happy Diwali

Wishing All Readers A Happy and Prosperous Diwali

Best Wishes,

saurav / jitu / haloi

To send this eCard & more, visit http://www.123greetings.com/

Say NO to Fire Crackers

Goa via Ganapatipule

No plan... no discussion. Me & my friend decided to have a break from our f**ked up routine life and started for Goa. We would have a halt in Ganapatipule, a beautiful beach in Konkan Maharashtra and then head for Goa. So, packed up a few pairs of clothes, filled up gas to the brim and started on the early morning of 30th Sep. We started through NH4, then a part through state highways and some parts through NH17. After 340km of awesome scenic drive, reached Ganapatipule. The beach is too good, without much crowd, but with a rough sea. Stayed for a night in the MTDC resort there and started for Goa on the morning of 1st Oct. Panjim is almost 260 km from Ganapatipule through NH17. I should say NH17 and Rainy season... a beautiful combination. The whole drive was so calm and peaceful along the green shades. I realized that heaven is a place on earth. Reached Goa by late afternoon. Checked into a resort. Visited the nearby beaches. Beach was mostly occupied by desi and almost no firangs. Next day, went for churches in Old Goa. It was raining cats and dogs the whole day and spoiled almost the whole day. Never experienced such rains in my life time. Wet & Dry can never co-exist. But when rain and dry-day coalesce, it makes a devastating combination. Enjoyed Goa trance and house in one of the beach side pub till late night. Visited Arambol Beach, a beach around 60km from Panjim next day and finally headed for home. The drive back to Pune via Aamboli Ghat was a memorable one. With fogs and rains making visibility ~ zero, it was an amazing drive. All in all it was a good vacation, a nice break from the daily routine and some amazing experiences. 4 days nicely qualified for a memorable vacation.

It Is Time

Of the 24 hours in a day, if I am not working... if I am not sleeping... then either I am watching TV or listening to Music. And, I love watching the TV advertisements. These days, I am a fan of the Hindustan Times ads. Hilarious, but with a message in all the flicks. Most of these sequences of ads truly reflect today's India.

• A Man trying to cross a railway crossing even when the stop signal is active. A common sight in most of the railway crossings. It is time to use your head... it is time.
• A roadside tea vendor rebuking a young child who works in his tea stall... It is time to stop child labour... it is time.
• A political party worker trying to touch the feet of the leader of his party, another common thing in India. People touching the feet of Amma .. Jayalalitha. Holy Shit... It is time to stop stooping so low... it is time.
• A man trying to peep into another person's newspaper while traveling in bus. It is time to get your own copy... it is time.
• Four friends looking at the Bandra-Worli sea link, and one of them comments that similar structure but double in size was made in China in just 3 years. It is time to stop being cynical... it is time
• A TV news channel reporter asking the wife of a man, how is she feeling on the death of her husband who died of spurious medicine. A reflection of the sorry state of Indian media. It is time for better journalism... it is time.
• Three man inside a lift. One of them felt like sneezing, and seeing that another among them wore a mask immediately. I was myself witness to such non sense some weeks back when swine flu was very active. It is time to stop panicking... it is time.
• Two friends in a restaurant. One of them kept on staring at a couple infront of them, who were romantically enjoying their conversation over food. Now, I felt ashamed at this, because I myself sometimes stare at couples doing PDA (Public Display of Affection), or at gorgeous females in malls, multiplexes, pubs. So I will say, It is time to open my mind... it is time.

Videos can be watched at the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/hindustantimes?v=app_2392950137

iRock - XXIV

Went for the Independence Rock - XXIV, Pune finals. It was a real kick ass gig. 4 bands performed in the finals... Khiladi, Workshop, Abraxas and Pitch Black Symphony. Abraxas swayed away the crowd with their melodic heavy metal. Khiladi was good, Workshop was okay type. I personally supported Pitch Black Symphony, but Abraxas was the winner. After a long time, got to see such a nice gig. The chicks around added to the mood of the evening. It was a very soothing feeling to see the rock and metal scene of Pune.

A Winy Indian Curry ...

Chicken or Mutton... I try this recipe quite often and so thought I'll share it in my blog for any readers to try it. I call it Winy Indian Curry...

Ingredients:

• 500 Gms. Chicken or Mutton.
• 2 Tablespoon Red Wine
• 1 Teaspoon of yogurt or curd.
  
• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 medium size onions.
• 4-5 green chillies
  
• 10-12 pieces of peeled garlic
• Fresh Coriander Leaves
• Bay leaves, Indian Garam Masala, Indian chicken/mutton masala

Procedure:

1. Mix 1 onion, half of a tomato, 2-3 green chillies, 5-6 peeled garlic and coriander leaves in a grinder and grid it till it forms a fine paste.
2. Take 500 Gms of properly cleaned chicken or mutton, put it in the pressure cooker with one or two cups of water (depends how much curry you want). Add a teaspoon oil, little salt, little turmeric powder to the water. Cook it till the meat is almost tender. Don't over cook.
3. Once the meat is cooked, extract the pieces in a flat plate and preserve the water in a bowl.
4. Now add 2 table spoons of red wine to the meat, marinate well with chicken/mutton masala. Put the wine marinated meat in the freezer for 30 minutes.
5. Take one tablespoon oil in a kadai or a deep frying pan; fry a few bay leaves, mustard seeds. Put finely cut onion, chillies, and the peeled garlics and fry till it turns brown.
   
6. Add the mix from step 1 till the mixture forms a fine paste.
   
7. Now put the marinated meat into the kadai/frying pan and mix well. Add one teaspoon yogurt/curd and fry till the meat turns brownish. Add garam masala
   
8. Add the water (from step 3), and cook for 10 mins in low flame.
   
9. Check if the meat is tender else continue with step 8.
10. Yummy, winy chicken/mutton curry is ready with a little tangy taste. Serve with rice.

A Brand New Himesh

I remember someone telling that, our own Himesh, the Nasal or Oooooo Khajoor singer has done some surgical modification to his vocal cord. Now, his latest song ... Man Ka Radio has actually made me believe it. Got to hear it in TV and actually I found the song different from his earlier offerings. There is almost zero nasal part in this song. See it here ...

@ Jakarta

I came to Jakarta (Indonesia) for an official task. Except for the hectic work schedules, I loved the place, and the overall feeling of being here. Two things which made me kept wondering are Indonesia's currency and the sky-scrappers. Here everything you pay in terms of thousands. 6,000 as the minimum taxi fare... 35,000 for a juice and so on. Downtown Jakarta is full of high rises and are in the shape of 50 - 60 floors. Jakarta is clean, but traffic is as congested as back home. Food is too yummy. I tried English, Chinese, Maxican and even Indian food here and liked the food too much. Roads are ruled by Toyota. Many cars of Indian roads like swift, estilo, innova are also seen here. Local people are very polite and hospitable. Cute pretty ladies are an extra charm of the places. Even though Indonesia is an Islamic nation, but frequency of working girls at restaurant, offices and hotels will be far more than India. It was nice to be in here for my overseas assignment. I experienced Mercedes Benz for the 1st time in life and also got the experience of getting evacuated from a high rise for earthquake.

Law of Conservation of Money

I believe in the law of conservation of money. It states...

Money can neither be created, nor be destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another.

By money, I don't necessarily mean the monetary system prevalent in the economy, rather the power of buying. A simple thought in all the different scenarios of day to day life actually says that such a law exists (I might be thinking out of the box !!!). For instance, we get salary, we spend that in buying something. So, the money actually got converted into the form which we bought. I buy a burger, eat it. So, money got transformed to the pleasure of eating, then to the nutrients (if any) which the burger contained. I buy a T-Shirt, wear it. Money got converted to a T-Shirt which gives us pleasure and comfort. So, actually money was never destroyed or created in the process. It got converted from one form to another. So, the rule of thumb is, no one should run behind creating money. Because, money can never be created. We should try to convert it from one form to another. And conversion process always follow the rule of L.H.S=R.H.S. If, this rule is forcibly violated, its bound to face the consequences. Think about Abdul Karim Telgi. He violated the rule and at the end of the day he is doomed.

The Week

It's almost a week now. Life is almost back to normalcy, but yet to be normal. Less crowds in the roads, lesser vehicles. An unknown fear. They say its in the air, in the door handles, the the breathes of every other people. H1N1 took away the ambiance of the whole city for a complete week and the scar is still green. The fear is still reigning in the minds. A sudden outbreak of the epidemic stopped us all. A microscopic entity showed us our real helplessness. But, we fought and we will triumph. Some says its bio-terrorism, some says its the misdeed of those filthy experiments by developed nations... and other says its a order of the nature, a few other says.. its kalyug. Indeed an ill fated memory for all the puneites. But, life moves on. H1N1 Ki Maa Ki Aankh... yes... that's the spirit.

The Lady Cobra

Tan Dole Mera Man Dole - a classic oldies from the 1954 movie Nagin. Sung by Lata Mangeshkar and music directed by Hemant Kumar. The song has a snake charmer's tune in the back ground. The instrument is a Pungi or Bin. I got to hear a cover of the tune of this song a few months back in a local cafe. Just imagine a heavy, thrash version of this traditional tune, totally done by guitar. Decibel, an Indian Metal/Thrash Metal Band from New Delhi had performed this in the Launch Pad of Channel [V] in 2007. One of my friends recently pointed me to the links in the web for this splendid job, which I believe will confuse even a snake.

Watch it here:



more


The Original One:

another rocking one...

Pehli Baar Mohabbat by Mohit Chauhan (OST - Kaminey). A nice song with a soft rock genre.

Here It is :

from Led Zeppelin to Kailash Kher

Music not only makes the singer(s) famous but places as well; specially, when the song is based on a particular place. Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir must have carried the name of the paradise on earth to people who did not know such a place exist in the world. Ofcourse, Kashmir is already famous for the dispute between India & Pakistan which makes it famous for the wrong reasons. Just heard a song from our own Indian singer Kailash Kher's new album Kailasa Chaandan Mein. Its called Bheeg Gaya Mera Mann (Cherrapunjee). Its a nice song with a Sufi genre. Now, many people in our country itself won't know what is Cherrapunjee ? Cherrapunjee is the wettest place in the planet earth. Its a place 60 KM from Shillong (my birth place) and that's why it make me more enthusiastic about it. I am sure many people will do some Google to know what Cherrapunjee means [ if they don't know already :-( ] after listening this song. That's the power of music. The lyrics of the song is awesome too !!!

Listen & Sing Along...

Teekhi teekhi nakuli si boondein
Behke behke se baadal uneende
Geet gaati hawa mein
Gungunaati ghataa mein
Bheeg gaya mera mann

Ho mastiyon ke ghoont pee
Shokiyon mein tair jaa
Ishq ki galiyon mein aa
In palon mein ther jaa
Rab ka hai yeh aaina
Shakla haan isko dikha
Zindagi gudh daud hai
Do ghadi le le mazaa

Chamke chamke yeh jharno ke dhaare
Pal mein malmal se padti fuhaare
Ped hai manchale se
Patte hai chulbule se
Bheeg gaya mera mann

Dagmagaati chandni
Has rahi hai josh mein
Aur patange gaa rahe
Raag maal kos mein
Banke naache behaaya
Besharam pagli hawa
Zindagi milke gale
Has rahi de de dua
Barse barse re ambar ka paani
Jisko pee pee ke dharti deewani
Khil khilane lagi hai
Muskurane lagi hai
Bheeg gaya mera mann

a wish then, a reality now

15 - 16 years ago, when I was in school, I had just seen computers in TV or in magazines. My school didn't have computer as it was a luxury item then and only rich schools had it. But I had collected a lot of information about computer, how does it work, its components ... blah blah. Those days, when I used to write class notes or do home work, I imagined what if I have a computer and I just type in the question and it gives me the answer. But, as per information I collected, I knew that it was not possible. Computer could do only something which you instruct it to do. But, a decade after, this hypothesis no longer is valid. Now computer can do anything. Ask it anything, it will answer. I just recollected these things, because today I had to check if 437 is a prime number for one of my work items. I was too lazy to write a program or a script to do it. So, I typed into google "Is 437 a Prime Number ?" And, yes I was presented with a handful of results. One of them correctly states 437 is not a prime number. 19 multiplied by 23 yields 437. I stared at my workstation and with a sigh said... Wish you were there then !!! Writing notes would have been real fun...

Like Something the Lord Made...

It's one of those movies which pass such a strong message that you kept on thinking about the plot of the movie again and again. Something the Lord Made , a movie about the legendary black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "Blue Baby doctor" who pioneered modern heart surgery.

The movie tells about being wild and ambitious and having the guts to do things against the conventional way. It again tells about loving your work, not caring much about the recognition. At the end of the journey, nothing can stop one's work getting recognized. How, a young guy, educated just past the high school, without attending any school of medicine, with his determination, dedication, aspirations and love of his work became one of the pioneers in modern heart surgery. The excellent skills, ideas which this guy possessed and how he struggled the then war of body color, and the way he excelled, it can only be said as Like Something the Lord Made...


Read more Here.

Legally Gay

So, it took almost 62 years for independent India to give equality status to homosexuals. Delhi High Court verdict for legalizing homosexuals and repulsion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was a positive move taken by otherwise hypocrite Indian law makers. Kudos to that. However, only time will tell how many more years it takes for completely getting away with the social stigma attached with homosexuality.

I was not aware about the exact meaning of Section 377 of IPC till a few days ago. I was taken aback by knowing what it actually states.

Section 377. Unnatural offences

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.

So, under this section, oral, anal and even digital penetration among consensual adult heterosexuals is prohibited. Because its against the order of nature ? What a crap !!! Anyways, finally our lawmakers woke up and repelled 377. Its better late than never.

Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha ...

Now that's what I call the magic of Mohit's voice. One of my favorite singers... And, his latest offering is Tune Jo Na Kaha from OST of New York.



Sing Along...

Ummm hmm umm hmm
Ummm hmm umm hmm

Tune jo na kaha
Mein woh sunta raha
Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha

Tune jo na kaha
Mein woh sunta raha
Khamakha Bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha

Jaane kiski humein lag gayi hai nazar
Is Shehar mein Na apna tikana raha
Koi chaht se na ab apni chalta raha

Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha
Dard phele se hai jyaaada
Khud se phir yeh vaada
Khamosh Nazrein Rahein Bezubaan

Abb Na pehli si baatein hai
Bolo to Lab thartharatein hai
Raaz yeh dil ka na ho baiyan
Hoga na ab asar humpe nahin
Hum safar mein to hai Humsafar hai nahi

Door jaata raha Paas aata raha
Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha

Aaya woh phir Nazar aise
Baat chidne lagi phir se
Aankhon mein chubhta kal ka dhuan

Haal tera na humsa hai
Is khushi mein kyon gumsa hai
Basne laga kyon phir woh jahan
Woh jahan dur jis se gaye the nikal
Phir se aankhon mein karti hai jaise pehal

Lambha beeta hua ,Dil Dukhata raha
Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha

Tune jo na kaha
Mein woh sunta raha
Khamakha bewajah Khwaab Bunta raha

Jaane kiski humein lag gayi hai nazar
Is Shehar mein Na apna tikana raha
Koi chahat se abb apni chalta raha

Bhuj gai Aag thi Daag Jalta raha......