Contd...

The print ads (created by Tangy) for Folio:

IMKC

Course: Intergrated Marketing Communications
Groupies: Nim-nim, Condy, Tangy, Somu, Prithvi and me
Assignment: Imagine an innovative consumer durable and create an ad campaign for it
Innovative Product: A foldable TV... portable, can be folded from 10 inches to 60 inches
Brand name: Folio

Angels and Demons

Rating: ** (I am lost)

I had heard a lot about this book... but when Mr. Young and Restless (Y n R) recommended it, my curiosity got the better of me.

Everyone (around 10 people) who saw me reading it made the same remark; "It is better than Da Vinci Code".
I had no high expectations from this book and I did like Da Vinci Code.

There is one problem with writers like Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, Jeffery Archer, Sidney Sheldon, P.G Wodehouse, Ayn Rand. They write about the same things in most of their books. I know what to expect beforehand.

For example, the characters in 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'Fountain Head' are similar.

Coming back to A&D, it is like Da Vinci Code with added thrills, excitement, twists and turns. The book went on for 569 pages... even 450 pages would have sufficed. I did not find it special or better in anyway.

I do not think I will be reading another book by Mr. Brown.

Ooh.. Aah... Ouch

I am aware of every muscle in my body... be it in my shoulders, feet, hands... Yep, apart from swimming 15 laps per day, I have joined Salsa classes... just a basic 6 days beginners' course.
I can sleep till late tom... no classes or deadlines... Hurray!!!
Of course, with my hang out buddy gone... I will catch up on sleep, movies and books.

For me

Sunny: Hi. Given the options, which one would you opt for: a bouquet of roses or one single rose? Please mention the color also (yellow/red/pink)
Me: Umm... a single rose... red... why?
Sunny: Will let you know in a short moment... kindly wait



Just received this rose from Sunny and I am flattered.
(PS: Thats a photograph clicked by Sunny)

Like any "typical girl", the gesture wasn't enough, I wanted to hear the sweet talk.

Me: Why the rose? I mean... why ME?
Sunny: I just wanted to present something special
Me: But, why?
Sunny: I feared that question. It was simply out of feelings
Me: What feelings?
Sunny: u r one person on my messenger whose th 1st one whom i share my thoughts with (1st hand)( or have started sharing with) ..after the realisation that u understand and do reciprocate to people
Me: Hmmm

Some gestures are so sweet, so innocent and yet they can make someone's day....

Just try doing something out-of-the-ordinary for someone... trust me, the other person's joy is infectious...

First do it for your friends and then do it someone you barely know...
sometimes, giving brings more happiness than receiving

Look who is here!!!

An uninvited guest at the 1st floor of the girls' hostel. He kept following all of us... and yep, he did have a gala time... with all of us exclaiming

"so cute... come here, baby... stop licking my feet... oh, you are so thin, you want some biscuits? Come, follow me, I will take you downstairs... no, no, not inside the room..."

Whose the guy???

Him: Whose the guy?
Me: Which guy?
Him: C'mon... you have been mentioning him in your posts
Me: But, koi nahi hai. I was talking in general
Him: Tell me, tell me, tell me

For the record, there is no "mystery guy"; as of yet...
But if and when there is someone, I promise my blog will be the first to know

Movies I have watched recently

Rating:

*: Crap.... utter crap
**: I am lost
***: Value for money
****: Fabulous... amazing... abso-fucking-lutely watchable

1)


***
Nice movie, good effort. Unique plot (by Bollywood standards).
Arshad Warsi is a laugh riot, as always. Thankfully, John does not have a lot of dialogues... He has zero talent.
I loved the end where the villain realizes he has been betrayed. He spent his entire life in believing something and that was a gimmick. Politics never fails to amuse me.

2)

****
Some movies are forgettable once they end... others linger on your mind... some scenes, some lines, some characters keep coming back. Babel is one such movie... containing around 6 (I think) stories which are in some way inter-connected, it is a good watch. The intellectually-challenged should avoid it, though.

3)

*
Semi-porn. It stars Madonna and is exactly like 'Basic Instinct'. Please avoid, at all costs.









4)
**
I had high expectations from this movie... after all, Page 3 is one of my favorites. I was sorely disappointed. Such good actors are wasted in the movie. There are no twists and turns or any revelations.
The portrayal of stark reality in Page 3 and Corporate was what grabbed my attention, but that is not the case here.
The lead actor Kunal Khemu is hot... (yep, the long hair again)

Books I have read recently

Rating:

*: Avoid
**: At your own risk
***: Value for money
****: Incredible

1)

**

I cannot read 2 books of the same author at a stretch since the similar plot and writing style bores me. I read P.G Wodehouse once in a blue moon. This is one of his typical books... nothing unique about it.


2)
***

This book is by the columnist Art Buchwald. It is a collection of his columns before and after 9/11.







3)


***

Yep, read the book again... not bad, not bad at all.










4)

***
Contains 3 plays: Larins saab, Mira, 9 Jakhoo Hill by Gurucharan Das. Good ones.






5)


****
I have read this book earlier, but when I saw A1 reading it... I was tempted. A funny book. It is about a couple who decide to skip Christmas and blow up the money saved on a cruise.
There is a movie based on it "Christmas with the Kranks". Trying to find the CD.

Will & Grace

(Jack, Will, Grace, Karen)

I adore Will & Grace. The characters are all such losers, you can't help but feel sorry for them.

Jack: He is gay and looks the part... funny, insensitive, self centered... he is a nightmare. He has no job, is over-confident, a hit in the gay community, superficial...

Karen: Is rich, beautiful, bitchy, insensitive, superficial... lives for money, even married for money... She works as an assistant for Grace since that gives her something to do (not that she does anything in the office)... she is another nightmare... gets along with Jack very well...

Will: I love love love this guy... cynical, sarcastic, controlling freak of a lawyer... he complements Grace completely... is so so so cute, but he is gay... yep, Will is gay... thats the twist... Jack and Grace are his best friends

Grace: Skinny, hysterical, not-so-goodlooking architect... is 31 and single. She met Will in college and they have been best friends since... Karen's social contacts keep her firm afloat. Grace is a total loser and thats why anyone can identify with her.

I watched the first 8 episodes of last night.... and Will looks so so so so so cute with long hair (yep, I have a weakness for guys with long hair)

Pity call

A pity call to my bro... he is preparing for IIT-JEE and I wanted to share stories about how great my life is after placements... Bechara had his practicals exams and being the elder and mature one, I thought it is my duty to harass him and make him feel worse.

Me: how were your practical exams? Must have been hectic
Him: I had chemistry exam... mam gave me a salt and then told me what it is. I just copied the test from the book.. all the students did that
Me: You didn't perform the test?
Him: Why do I need to perform the test when I know which salt it is
Me: how was physics? Mommy told me you were tensed about it
Him: Well, I didn't study the experiment on diode... I don't have it for IIT-JEE course and thats what I got for exams
Me: Shit.. then, how did you manage?
Him: I told Sir I didn't know. He told me what to write.
Me: What about readings?
Him: He gave me some old readings and I wrote those down
Me: Wow... Reminds me of my 12th std. How was physical education?
Him: Arre, mom had written my journal. She wrote that I play basket-ball.
(My bro knows bb as well as I know Japanese... which means "nil")
Me: Then?
Him: Examiner asked me to throw a shot or something. I didn't understand what he meant. But he was nice and let me go.
Me: What about viva?
Him: We had a project in physics... nobody actually does it, we just buy it.
Me: You "buy" completed projects?
Him: Ya, ya... We have better things to do... even the examiners know that. So, they were asking the current price of the projects. Apparently, they have become cheaper.
Me: In my school, the teachers stopped coming after first terms. They knew we all take tuitions. If we wanted to attend class, we had to come very early... else there would be no seats and we would have to go back home. There were so many students in one class.
Him: Thats nothing... there are 1500 students in my class. Every time we have exams, the other schools declare holidays to accommodate students from our school.
Me: So, what plans for tom?
Him: I have farewell party in school... we had to pay for our own farewell party
Me: If guys didn't want the party, you could have refused. After all, they can't force 1500 students.
Him: Party is an excuse, the money will be used to pay the examiners.
Me: Maybe I am in the wrong profession... teaching pays much better. And since most of the money will be black, I won't have to pay taxes also
(I learned this in 'Direct Taxation' course... yep, the course that I am expecting to flunk)

What shambles our education system is in...

but...

Yes, the party is fun.... but...
Yes, he is a great guy.... but...
Yes, I am happy.... but...
Yes, things couldn't get better.... but...
Yes, I am happy to leave.... but...
Yes, I feel great, well almost.... but...
Yes, it is a beautiful night.... but...
Yes, you are sweet.... but...
Yes, the movie is great.... but...
Yes, I believe in destiny.... but...
Yes, I guess I am thinking too much.... but...
Yes, life is perfect.... but...
Yes, I love you.... but...

I hate this "but" in my life.... always the doubts, never the surety.... Why is it impossible for me to be certain, to believe completely?

Why the fear? Why the uncertainty?

Entreprenuers: Born or made?

For a class assignment, we had to meet an entrepreneur (not a business person) and interview him/her. We met Mr. Harish Maben who runs a restaurant which caters to the NRI students at Manipal. What is different about this restaurant is that, all the recipes are unique and customized. They are not Indianised.

Meeting him was inspiring. He has been working since he was in school (11th std). There were times when his businesses failed, friends betrayed him, his family did not believe in him... but he did not give up. He followed his instinct and today he is successful... happy... contended.

We spent 2 sessions discussing whether entrepreneurs can be made. Our Prof is convinced that they can be made, thats why we study the course 'Entrepreneurship Management'... Initially, I was confused... but after interacting with Mr. Maben, I think otherwise.

Nobody can teach you how to come up with business ideas, the instinct cannot be developed.
People either have it or they don't.
Training can only teach you how to run a business which is what B-schools do.

Entrepreneurs are passionate about what they do, nobody can develop passion... They need to be perseverant, failures are not always avoidable...
You have to believe in the idea to follow it through thick and thin.
Nobody can teach you belief... it comes from within.

Entrepreneurs do not work for money, they make money to fund their ideas...

For them:

Money is a means, not an end

"But"

We had a party tonight... it was good, but... yeah, there is always a but. I am waiting for the day when there is no "but". What am I talking about? You won't understand...
Everything is fine... but... but... this damn "but".

Itihaas

I read the book "Three English Plays" by Gurucharan Das. The first play is titled "Larins Sahib". It is set in 1846 while the third play is "9 Jakhoo Hill" set in 1962. Jakhoo Hill is a scenic hill in Shimla. I had to skip the second play since it went whoosshh over my head.

I just got thinking:

The characters in the book were a part of history, when things were happening in India... at the time of the British, of Nehru, wars. I just realized that when I grow old, I will not have exciting stories to narrate to my grandchildren. What will I tell them... that USA bombed Iraq while India watched? There was a time when India was a part of the action... now it is not. I know I am sounding callous... I don't want wars... I want to be a part of the era of British or partition or even Nehru. I know it sounds exciting, but people have not forgotten the pain they went through.

I want to be a part of history... When the history textbooks will be re-written (hopefully) to include the major events of the current years, I want to feel proud of myself because I was a part of those events.

But here I am, pursuing MBA (just like any other 23 year old) and trying to earn money.

I love you today, more than yesterday, less than tomorrow

This is one of my fav love quotes.

Happy Valentine's Day

I have been discreetly observing whether people have any plans for today... and guess what, most of them are down playing it.. pretending like they don't care. Sure, sure... the media tells us a different story and the marketing efforts made by the card companies are commendable.

We all dream of receiving at least one rose on this day... maybe a love letter too (oh, c'mon... admit it... nothing could make you happier).

I went to the flower and card shops sometime back (we will get to why I was there, later)... and it was crowded... packed... guys and girls buying bouquets, cards, gifts etc... Not everyone has turned cynical.

Coming back to my plans for Valentine's... yep, I had been making preparations, can't say what it is... but, it has been done and mailed across. That person does not read my blog, so the secret is safe.
The other plan was to gift my friends roses... just did that and they were pleasantly surprised. I owed A1 a bamboo shoot (yeah, yeah... she is a little crazy), so finally gifted it to her.
Just called my dad (he freaks out every time I call him at midnight... when will he get used to it?)... Mom and bro are fast asleep (as usual)... and now they will call me early in the morning as a revenge...

I had planned to watch romantic movies all day today, but there is a major ppt tom... so, any further implementation of the plans will have to wait.

Salaam-e-ishq

I can describe the movie in 2 words: "Utter crap".

There is nothing unique about the story (or should I say 'stories'). The only different thing is that there are 6 stories running simultaneously (like in the movie "Crash"). Don't get your hopes high, the first half is a hotch-potch... and second half is too senti to digest. None of the stories have anything "new" to offer.

I am not going to narrate the story... this is one movie you will not regret missing...

Thank god, I did not watch it in a theater... would have walked out of it.

Dionysia 2007

Event: Dionysia
It is the intra-college play competition organized by Arts and Aesthetics Forum. Dionysus is a greek god of theatre, hence the name.

Our team name: Nautanki Re-Incorporated
Play name: Silent Cries
Play theme: Child sexual abuse

Promotions (not made by me):









Yep, those are my eyes... my very first modeling assignment.

We did not win, even though I think we deserved to. It is strange how we become blind to the faults/deformities of people/things we are remotely attached to. I was a part of the play and I think it was the best. Anyway, the best team won...

I had the greatest time participating...

• Using P as my punching bag (literally)... thankfully, he didn't retaliate.
• Cracking dirty jokes on the dialogues of AS
• Practising lines with hubby dearest
• Spending time and getting to know people whose existence I was only aware of
• The whole process was smooth... no flying tempers and no conflicts
• Fun photoshoots
• Realizing that acting isn't easy

Some of the dumb/funny lines formulated by M (Don't worry, didn't use them in the play)

• Empathy, sympathy... I want just your pati
• Tarikh pe tarikh pe tarikh (Sunny Deol style)... but no justice

People didn't believe it when we told them that around 50% of Indian children have been abused at some point of their lives. I know so many girls who have gone through CSA. Nobody talks about it, obviously. It isn't something a person is proud of... but something someone would just want to forget.

Buzzy-bee

I may not be able to post that often (from 1-3 posts/day to 1 post/2 days)... since I am busy with the following:

• Mid-theme egg-jams on Friday and Saturday
• End theme egg-jam on Sunday
• Marketing Strategy game everyday: Have to submit decisions by 6 pm, results are out by 8 pm and rest of the time is for their analysis
• Dionysia: Inter-section play competition on Sunday
  
• Update: Official magazine of TAPMI
• Swimming: everyday
• Preparation for V-day
  

Whew!!! I didn't think life could get busy after placements... but I like it that way.

Taaliya

Situation: In class... since it is the last class for the day, everyone is restless

Prof: Why don't t-shirts have pockets??? You (pointing at me)

Me: Me, Sir? Umm... umm... 'coz jeans have pockets?
(applause by class)

Prof: Correct.

S: Sir, then why do shirts have pockets?

Prof: Good question
(loud applause by class)

Y: Maybe 'coz that is formal wear and pockets are needed to hold pens and stuff. Sir, am I correct?

Prof: Yes, you are
(louder applause)

Yeah, taaliya keep us awake in class and we clap whenever we can and even when we don't need to.

Lengths people go to...

How far would you go to get what you want? We read about ethics, values and morals everyday. Yes, being ethical is difficult... but, being unethical is more difficult. I mean, who wants to go through the trouble of lying and cheating; and then being worried about getting caught... upar se, one lie leads to another one.
The easier option is to polish the truth... like, a white lie... the middle path. That is what most people do with their resumes... blow up any small achievement...

This is what I came across in a resume few days back:

"Convener of *event name* 2006"
This event does not have/need a convener. The person is only a part of the committee which organizes the event

"Co-editor of *magazine name*"
I am a part of the magazine and there is no editor, leave alone co-editor

"Co-editor of *magazine name*"
Again, there is no "editor"

The lengths that people can go to... even when it is unnecessary.

What a perfectly beautiful Sunday morning!!!

My new, colorful, pretty wallet

Tax-cracks

This is what happens when you join a course called "Direct Taxation" which deals with income tax:

Tax Philosophy:

'Death kills you once, tax kills a little every year'

Ideal Package:

Me: 7 lakhs - white money
3 lakhs - black money
CA: 3 lakhs - white money
7 lakhs - black money

Ideal CA:

'How much tax do you want to pay???'

14th k kya plan hai???

R: Hi. Toh Madam, 14th ka kya plan hai?

Me: Exams will get over on 14th March and then it is freedom

R: Arre, march nahi... 14th Feb

Me: 14th Feb??? I will probably have classes... kyun, 14th ko kya hai?

R: Hey bhagwan... it is Valentine's Day

Me: Ohmygod!!! It completely slipped from my mind.


I started thinking about all the Valentine's days till now... and realized that I have never ever gifted anything to anyone on Valentine's except, maybe a rose... not because I am not romantic or anything... I am pretty good with words and can charm/sweet talk anyone I want to... but... I guess I didn't find someone who would understand the sentiments... Anyway, when you hang out with your loved one everyday, you don't need Valentine's to celebrate your love. Guess, thats why I never bothered with gifts.

But this year, it is going to be different... Nope, I am not revealing anything before the V-Day.