Appu's Lines

The War in Orkut

2007-07-04T23:18:00.000+05:30

One day, my cell buzzed:
me : "Yeah, dude"
R : "Beat ya, 148 to 138"
me : "shit"

Three months ago, when R told me about Orkut, and meeting old friends that you had in your school / college/ previous offices, i brushed it aside. "what cyber crap" was what my mind told me.
And then one day in one of my relative's house, i saw Orky's face, and i fell in. Yep. I got myself invited to orkut, and then it all began.

The number displayed within the evil bracket triggered a turf war, and amazingly the people involved took it up with religious frenzy. Who had the most number of friends? Whose network was the biggest?

It is a show off world, i agree, but then... this was stretching it a little bit too much.

Me was new to orkut, and dint know the loopholes, but hours of R&D into it has made me smarter than the creater of orkut.

It became a daily phenomena. The first thing when we reach office is:
" Yeah , i know. Wait for tonight. I have 20 people lined up to accept my invite"

"Oui. Do you really know that guy. How? thats foul, you cant do it"

"Okay, lets race to 170"

It was fun, but after sometime, it kind of became a cult.

Our battle turned out into a full fledged war. People joined in. Support poured in. "Hey, i know this guy. will add him in to you"

As it stormed on, the edge of competitiveness began to be tested. Integrity was questioned. Speed was appreciated. Support was rewarded.

and i thought...

Welcome to the real marketplace....

Alive and kicking....

2007-05-27T00:28:00.000+05:30

Alive and kicking...

After an eventful quarter, i am back onto blogging.Had somethings to set right, and had to do that without wasting it.
Have you all been good kids when i was not there?
That i get to see in my fave blogs..
Pretty good attritions in my absence.. medocuk has migrated to word press and so have others who have been close to me in this blog world.
But some have stayed by the keel as the ship sunk... rishi, sammy (soumyadeep) etc... all of them sticking with the good old blogspot...
Anyways, this blog entry is to tell you all that i am back and i am back to rock..
Will be visiting your site soon, i mean in a matter of hours.
WAIT... for the apocalypse has begun
:))))

Appu's Brahmasutras - A Collection

2007-01-02T18:29:00.000+05:30

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a flat tyre.
The darkest hours come just before dawn. So if you are going to steal your neighbors milk and paper, thats the time to do it.
Sex is like air. It only becomes important if you are not getting any.
Dont aspire to be irreplaceable. If you are cant be replaced, you cant be promoted.
Remember, no one is listening till you fart.
Never forget that you are unique, like everyone else.
Never test the depth of water with both feet.
If you think nobody cares whether you are dead or alive, try missing a couple of card payments.
If at first you dont succeed, avoid skydiving.
Give a man a fish, he will eat for one day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit all day long in his boat and drink Beer.
Have you lent anyone 20 bucks, and havent seen him after that? Probably its worth it.
If you are telling the truth, you dont have to remember anything.
Somedays we are the flies, somedays we are the windscreens.
Dont worry, it only seems kinky for the first time.
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it into half and put it back into your pocket.
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
There are two theories about how to win an argument with a woman, neither one works.
Generally speaking, you arent speaking much if your lipsare moving.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Experience is something you dont get until just after you get it.
When we are born, we are naked, wet, hungry and we get smacked on the arse. from there on, life gets worse.
The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed.

Here I am....

2006-11-29T12:20:00.000+05:30

Okay ladies and gents. My brief vanvaas has come to the end. And for all those who were wondering why I had vanished into thin air, i am obliged to give concrete reasons, and as you read on, you will understand and appreciate the circumstances underwhich i had to disappear.

They sent boss on a training session on "How to improve productivity and Employee motivation". Sounded like a very good idea, and the fact that he would not be around for a good half a month was an overjoying event. We celebrated. Liqour flowed. Alas! all good things must come to an end. The 15 days passed like the blink of the eye, and then what. Voila! there he stood in the corridor, and beckoned for me. Okay, so i go over to his cabin. He flips open his laptop with the elan and confidence that comes with being armed with cosmic gyaan. I braced myself for a lecture. It dint come. He smiles, i smile back, and give a general shit of how were things. He then comes to the point. "Appu, i think there is a lot more potential to you than what you are doing here". Wow! Would have handed him the Nobel Prize right then for that discovery. But the felicitations apart, there came the news. "What about a change in the role".... "Whats it going to be" I ask.
He turns around in an Al Pacino 'The Recruit' style, and says "I am putting you in charge of a bigger area of responsibility". Had seen this coming for some time, what with the attrition, i was sure he would start shovelling most of the work into my basket. "Need time to think". His motivation training took over, and after about half an hour of trying to get me to think about the larger picture, the organisational demands and the potential match between me and the role, i come out exhausted to take a smoke break. I come back, and say, "Heck, ok", i took it up. In the next week i travelled non stop everynight between two states getting myself introduced to the new crowd as the man in charge.

So thats what has been with me, but I shall not let anything interfere with my nefarious blogging activities. No, I shall not, so help me God.

What been happening around when i was busy with the Penetration percentages, the market share and the volume increments.

~ A US weapons lab has trained Bees (yeah, the honey ones) to sniff out bombs. I mean, WOW. So the next time i swat a bee, i turn around to see if there are any feds panickingly radioing in to their base camp "Officer Down, repeat Office down". This they say is very critical to their homeland security. So when an american kid runs into his house with a bee sting what will he say, "See Ma, Aint this police brutality?" But that also makes me think, whats next, a camera on the cockroach? not a bad idea, considering its accesibility. Or bombing dragonflies

~ Hey, did you know that ahead of the Cricket World cup, all the teams have signed up for free match practices. Yes, you guessed it right. They have signed up for series with India. The latest one is South Africa, and the Indians are giving them pretty good practice. It goes by a match to match agenda. The last match was a practice session to enable Justin Kemp to hone up and perfect his Sixer hitting pull and hook shots. It was also a practical session to teach the South Africans how not to ball.

~ Did you guys check out todays front page of Econimic Times (Yeah, i started reading it after the motivation gyaan). It shows the head honcho of some company and the Rajastan cheif minister greeting each other, and well, with a peck on the lips. Wonder what the fundamentalists are going to say to that...

~ We are going to sell chicken to the Aliens. Yeps. KFC has invested bones and meats of money to get their brand visible from space, its the only one to be seen from space. The only thing that bothers me is if the guy who owns the Saravana Bhavan chain of restaurants in Chennai reads about this. He might just open a branch serving idli dosa on the moon.

So thats it from me for sometime. You guys have fun. :))

Too Much Work

2006-11-17T13:51:00.000+05:30

BUT WILL BE BACK IN 3-4 DAYS

Of Sarees and Acts

2006-10-28T14:51:00.000+05:30

Ok, after the trainlag kinda died out, i started thinking what to write on next. There seems to be a problem of the plenty (a title that i lifted from Artnavy, you should check that post out)

~ These days there seem to be an unprecedented flurry activity around saree making. Seems like product innovation is the mantra. Now, just to give u a perspective, there is this road in T Nagar - Chennai which is the hub of all saree sales in India. There are like about 10 major multi storeyed stores selling about every type of garments and vying for the same customer who walks down the road. The saree business is to these guys what F1 is to the motorracers. What makes it more unique is how these guys try to catch the attention of the unvary customers. Some examples:

- Reversible saree: Okay, this is one saree but when worn in four different ways can be four different sarees. Okay figure:

Mami 1 : Ayyo, wat a luvly pattu (Silk) saree.

Mami 2 : Mmm, lovely illa? 30 thoujand rupeez.

Mami 1 : That day you wearing the maganta one. That was also nice.

Mami 2 : Aama, my sun-in-laa, irrukkane Varadharajan, gifted it me.Four silk sarees he bought for me.

Mami 1 : (Going green) Lucky you. My son magesh does not even bother.

Mami 3 : Enna, Kousalya Mami, this is the four side reversible saree from RmKV dhaane. I wanted to buy one, aana did not like the design.

Mami 1 : *gulp*

Mami 2 : Oho... this is the matter aaaa....

- Pocket Saree: (Warning: Ladies, Will sound your typical MCP, pls continue reading if you can control your BP, if not skip this for some great news for the Indian Woman)

These are the latest one to do the rounds. Sarees with pockets. Originally desgined for housing mobiles, the ladies have staretd adapting to this latest innovation. Now they carry their entire makeup kit in that pocket, and since the pallu kinda hides it, the better for them. Well, as a member of the masculinity, i was proud of such a thing. They werent happy with picking up the jeans and t shirts and shirts and suits from us. They werent happy with waxing, they got a razor made for them. Now that they cant go any further without starting to grow a beard, they started copying our stuff onto theirs, and the pocket saree is just the beginning. So, whats next? A pant type saree: the frills of a saree sewed on to a pair of trousers, so that they can wear it like a pant, but will look like a saree....phew...

- The Saree of the Ring : Apparently this saree is so soft and thin that it can pass through a ring. And when folded they can fit into a match box. So , atleast now, husbands can be spared the burden of carrying suitcase after suitcase of heavy Kancheepuram saree. Imagine.

She : Honey, Have you taken my luggage?

He : Ya sweetheart, your pink and red sarees are in my right pocket, and your green and blue sarees are in my left pockets.

She : Cho Chweet, what about my maroon crepe one and my light cream chiffon.

He : No worry, sweetie, on in my shirt pocket and the other is in my wallet. S

he : You are the best. What about the rest of my stuff. He : Oh, I have put them in three suitcases.
Ladies : Are you reaching down for your chappals, or out for any object that can be treated as a weapon, I told you not read it. Read on for the good news.

~ The first arrest under the Domestic Violence Act has happened in Chennai. A guy has been arrested for beating his wife. Ok, did you know of this act. Nopes, i dint. But i did some research, and well, my heart kinda skipped a beat. Now we all know that the authorities are a tad soft towards the fairer sex (though in Chennai the term fairer would not hold any value, every girl here is as dark as the winter nights...Okay Okay...exagerration, but cant play down the fact too, can i?). DV has become the perfect household weapon.

He : Sorry re, office mein kaam hai, i will have to come late.

She : Okay, see you in Jail then.

He : Awww shit...

He : sweetheart, get me a coffee. I am very

She : Why dont you go wash the vessels, then the clothes. Ya, the kid needs a diaper change. He : What are you gonna do?

She : None of your business.

He : Okay, guess i will go to the hotel and have dinner

She : Ok, there is a short cut to the police station from the hotel, take that, i will be waiting there.Dont be long, heard the inspector is pretty short tempered

He : Awww Shit....

So, the perfect weapon for them. I want to meet all those males who signed off on this bill.

A day In the Indian Train

2006-10-25T18:56:00.000+05:30

An urgent trip to Bangalore landed me in the second class seater and also an opportunity to meet the average indian train traveller. That the three seater was comfortable only for two people was coupled with the fact that for a collossal rearside like mine required half of the seat did not help my seat mates. Well, that was their problem i reckoned, and pushed myself farther in.
And when the magazine supply ran out, I did what i always do. Nothing but staring, and i started to notice the various types of people. And with my tremendous experience in psychological profiling, here are the kinds of travellers.

The first of the kind are the Flaunters, the guys who were supposed to be in showbiz but couldnt make it.These are the things that they showoff:

Mobiles : Come on, camera mobiles are dime a dozen nowadays, but these gentlemen would take their mobiles out with a flourish and keep peddling and pressing. And if the group is two or more, then it is an exchange mela.

"Hey,do you have any good tones, send them thru bluetooth"

And if the other guy doesnt have that, then he is given a look reserved for the vermins.

Highend reading material : Imagine, one guy in front of me was reading Stephen Hawkings " A Brief History of Time", and i thought ok. I noticed after sometime that the number of pages read have come down. Oh! sir did u start reading the book from the middle. Who are you trying to impress?

IPods : Walkmen seem to have taken a complete makeover with the new Ipods, and there were this gang of young folk who moved back and forth with that flat thing hanging from their "dilly dallying to the music" neck.

The second are the Consumers: They buy everything that comes in the way. Its like the guys in the pantry car have been subcontracted to this person. Any point of time, there is atleast one vendor standing along with this guy.

And this is the count i had of one of the gentlemen:

6 Teas

2 Tomato Soups

3 Soft drinks

5 rounds of vadas and Bajjis

1 round Masala Dosa

1 round bread omlette

1 packet of Lays

1 Packet orange

1 Childrens Joke Book

1 Famous facts of the world book

1 Easy to learn science book

1 Automatic reacharge torch

1 Set of 10 pens

The third of the Kind are the Rebels. They bend the rules, and go by the out of ordinary. I classified them as three types

- I dont need the bloody seat. No matter they have reserved seats, they keep tanding at the door.

- Frequent trips to the loo for a smoke. Smoking on a train is punishable, but hell, the train loos are not on the train, are they?

- The Hopping Robins: They need to get on and off at every station, and they just do it for the heck of it.

The fourth : The Dalals : These are the guys who curse when the mobile network is not in reach, and each time the train slows down, or is coming to a station, their cellfones are glues to their ears.

Mobile fone with camera : Rs 5000

Train Ticket to Bangalore : Rs 200

Irritation when the darned network is not available : Priceless

The fifth are the Frequent Travellers : Their suitcase contains everything for their daily survival. They change into a lungi the minute the train leaves the station. They then eat, brush, and pull out a quilt kind of thing and put it on the berth for them to sleep on. Then they pull out an air pillow blow into it. They then take a pillow cover, insert the blown pillow into it, and place it in the corner. The next item to come out is a bed sheet. They then remove their shirts and in a banian slip under the bed sheet. It would just be a matter of seconds they are snoring away to glory. Morning would find them dutifully next to the wash, brushing and shaving. I wanted to find out whether they bathe on train, but the bathroom doors are opaque. :))

Well that about it I think. Pls feel free to add more.

Bagged by the Cube Tag

2006-10-17T16:55:00.000+05:30

This is my second tag in as many weeks. And this one by Artnavy. Enjoyed doing the tag, and here it is:

3 Smells I love:
1. Smell of the rasam that M makes.(South indian soup types, can be had with rice, or just drunk...check out wikipedia for more.)
2. Fresh Jasmine.
3. Smell of the Filter coffee that mom makes.

3 Smells I hate:
1. Smell of a freshly painted room
2. When the garbage truck passes by....yuck yuck.
3. Railway Coach toilets. eeeesshhhh...

3 Jobs that I have had in my life:
1. Selling Medical diagnostics
2. Selling Emergency Lamps
3. Selling personal loans and cards ...see i have been in sales all my life.

3 Movies that I could watch over and over:(Three not enough)
1. Good, Bad and Ugly
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Pirates of the Carribbean I
4. Kill Bill (Both volumes)

3 Fond memories:
1. The first time i asked M out for a date, and almost ruined it and looked like an idiot.
2. The first time I saw my son, all bundled up and pink and red all over. tiny guy he was.
3. The day i got my first salary and blew it the same day. Had to borrow and give dad.

3 Jobs I would love to have:
1. DJ at a pub (free beer could be a reason)
2. Historian and Archealogist: I love history and old places so much my friends say i live in the past.
3. Author

3 Things I like to do:
1. Watch movies and more movies.
2. Go on a drive with M.
3. Round up close friends and drink ourselves silly.

3 Of my favorite foods:
1. Dal Tadka and steamed rice (Mmmm..i would die for it)
2. Garlic Bread spiced up.
3. Scrambled Egg

3 Places I would like to be right now:
1. Sydney
2. All over Italy
3. Home

3 Things that make me cry:
1. When friends turn villains
2. Sentimental movies ( Yes, my eyes have a wet corner when there is a scene, though i try to hide it in front of M)
3. Donno, i guess only two reasons.

I Tag Educatedunemployed, Sanjay , the Rebel and Abaniko.

2006-10-14T16:29:00.000+05:30

After my last blog, my life really took an exciting turn. It all began thus:

Reached office in the morning looking forward to a boring day. And sure it was. By the time it was evening, I was like one of them POWs in Bridge over River Kwai. Was praying for liberation from this boredom when the mobile buzzed.

Pumpkin “Champ, beer”
Me : “ Okay”.

Its been a while since I saw him. So I shut down my system, picked my car keys and left. It was what I guessed would be a 20 minute drive to his place. I could hear the car purr with happiness when I gave the throttle. She lurched forward, and there I was humming away, singing like a robin, the sunfilm protecting me from the wild heat out there. The speedo was on an uphill, I noticed a 90 kmph. Laughed. Funny, I don’t feel the speed, gave it a little more. This road was an empty four kilometre stretch, and I use this to speed test my car. And then it happened.

They sprang from nowhere. Jeeeezzz. Two cops in whites and khakis with a gun in their hands, trying to stop me. What are cops upto now? Daylight robbery? At 95, I braked She held well, meaning I dint fly off the road. I could smell the fear of the cops. They were trying to stop me, at the same time, getting ready to jump for their lives if I was not showing any signs of slowing down. Well, the responsible citizen that I am, I stopped. One of them came to my window, I rolled down the window, and asked him the problem.

He gave me a very disappointing news. “Saaar…you were driving at 85”. Gawd. 85. that’s all? There has to be a mistake. I asked him to reconfirm the speed. He though I was telling him I was driving slower than that. Nuts, he showed me the speed gun, the same thing that they pointed at me when they were holding onto their lives and stopping me. Yes it said 85. Nice.

So I ask him, what next. He said anything above 70, its 1000 bucks fine. Man, I gave him a smile. I told him that I was getting late for a very important strategic meeting. And well, he said, fine, 400 will do. My right eyebrow rose, minutely. Okay, so we are open to negotiation. I said I am not carrying cash. Was about to ask whether he would accept a credit card, then thought the better of it. Why complicate a simple situation. So I keep this poker face and say, really I don’t have any cash. Picked my mobile and called JM Me: “Dude, got picked by the police”
JM “About time you took a licence.”
I gave him the bad news
“Sorry machan, not for me not having a license, this ones for speeding.”
There was a mumble on the other side, but one does not ask the other party to repeat expletives, do they? Okay, JM says “where are you” and I say “Somewhere near a club” doesn’t help. So I get down and ask the cops, “whats this place name” Blank Stare. Okay, used tamil, got a reply, and told this to JM. He said, “Hang on there, I am on my way”. I told he was my bestest friend and all that but realised the beep noise on the phone.
I go to the cop and say “Saar, meeting. Time. Late” he says “Saaar, it eez 1000 rupee fine. We say you pay 400 rupee.” I thanked him again for the discount, seems they also have the diwali season to get more motorists buy their fines. Anyways, while I was standing there contemplating on what to do, I see they are at the jump-in-middle-of-road-and-catch-people act again. This time a big car was caught. Hmmm, big fish. Chauffer-driven. I was guessing this guy would get away in a minute. No. It took him a complete 10 minute cycle to get away. 9 minutes for the guy to tell who he was, and who he knew, which minister was his which relative, and 1 minute for the cop to recheck his documents, find an unnecessary one missing, and double the fine. I could see the smoke out of this man’s ears. The other two were laughing.

Oh…they were in a good mood, so I made my move.

“Saar..meeting…urgent…time…late…” they look at me, go to their big boss, whisper something, and then one comes. “Okay okay, 100 rupees”. I was happy, they were extending the New Year discount to me in Diwali. I was sad also, cos I dint have that money. I said “I don’t have 100 rupees, 50 rupees, yes.” The guy gave me the If-you-don’t-even-have-100rupees-then-why-are-you-driving-this-car look, and shook his head in a move of resignation. I gave him the only 50 buck note and he waved me goodbye and bon voyage, hell, even accompanied me to the car, which gave me the creeps cos just like my office, my car is also paperless. But heaved a sigh of relief when he just passed me and to the tea shop for a well deserved break.

And I sped away to reach pumpkin in time for his 7th beer.

2006-10-10T14:22:00.000+05:30

The last week was pretty uneventful, well, so I kind of contented myself in reading other blogs. My writing though was limited to dropping irrelevant incoherent comments on some very nice blogs. Its just His Grace that I have not been murdered.

- The creature had quit liqour once again, so it was not going to do any good asking him for company. This time around he is pretty serious and claims to have clocked about a week without that elixir. Which was fine with me till he ruined a perfectly nice party that my boss was about to give when he came down.

Boss :" Appu, where do we go?".

I have a good history of making the most of such entycing offers to get inebriated at the company's expense. Coupled with a hard and long day filled with reviews and questions that almost made me kill him, I opened my mouth to tell him the name of the most expensive watering hole, when the creature said, "Sir I dont drink". While boss was taking his time to come to terms with this comment, I just saw two hours of priceless liqour go down the drain. Cos there were five of us, and two of them just dont drink, and now the creature has stopped drinking. That leaves me and boss, and well, its never a pleasure for a drunkard to guzzle down gallons of beer, when there are three guys with fruit punches in their hands and the idea of punching the daylight out of us in their heads. So we just had a morose dinner over a glass of plain mineral water, which had me just staring murderously at the creature most of the time. I think he did not get the message and I might just have to chop his head off next time.

- Warning: For all those ladies who have decided Daniel Craig is a looker, skip this bullet. I saw the trailer of Casino Royale, the new bond flick. I guess Ian Fleming would be doing multiple somersaults in his grave for choosing this new chap as 007. Its never been the same after Sean Connery, but Pierce Brosnan did a decent job.This guy seems so unpromising, and for a minute I just mistook him for some fancy villains that this series has had. There is this scene where this guy comes out of the sea in his undies. Well, guess the director wanted a male Halle Barry kinda effect. Anyways scene looked like a Jockey ad. If one goes thru wikipedia, one would sympathise with the writer as it says there are two websites saying he should not be the next bond. While this post will not go into the micro economics of a 15 mil pound contract to a look alike of a cross between an african rhesus monkey and an albino zebra, it would just want to make a statement that the charisma of Bond and the speacial effects/Fancy vehicles/ Bond girls have an inverse corelation.

- Read Jeffrey Archer's Cat o'Nine Tales. An inexpeditious collection of nine confused stories. Took me about 2 hours back to back, but ended up with a feeling that he doted on his prison times so much that I think we should send him back. Should give him some serious thinking time. There is this story of a guy who wanted to kill his wife cos she wanted divorce. He takes her to a place in Russia where he makes his wife drink tap water knowing it would give her a fatal disease, (why Russia? Jeff, come off it, the cold war is been over ages and i am sure you guys in England havent heard of the great plague.) but does not know that it is infectious and he also dies in the bargain. What a sad ending to a story with sad opening and sleepy. All that prison time must have actually got to his head, and he has come out with so many ideas how to make money without paying tax. There are atleast three stories where people try to beat the taxman. Now I know what he will be in Her Majesty's Prisons for next. Oh, and well, there was this story of a guy trying to smuggle contraband into England by hiding them in his truck's diesel tank. Well Jeff, if you think that is an ingenious english idea, i think I should arrange a meeting between you and the truckwallahs over here. They would give you better ideas, cos every now and then they get caught smuggling spirit in places you never knew existed on a truck.

- Prez Bush finally got some excitement in his life when North Korea tested its nuclear weapon yday. His life was kind of a lull after they caught Saddam. He said "United States condemns this test". Well, the US of A has condemned bin laden too, but he living his retired life peacefully with some mountain goats. Apparently this was not the first time N Korea tried to give a warning to the US. On July the 4th, the US independance day, N Korea test fired 7 missiles. Well, Mr Bush mistook them for fireworks in celebration. And then sometime later, N Korea said " We have nuclear weapons". Mr Bush laughed and went back to playing solitaire. Guess that did not leave much option for N Korea, did it?

So thats how my week has gone in till now. catch ya'all later.

Leader and Movie that I am

2006-10-06T13:12:00.000+05:30

Was browsing through Perspective Inc's blog when i saw this quiz.

Thought what the heck, and took a 18 questioner. Lo and Behold!!! these are the results.

What leader Am I??

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

What Classic Movie am I?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Not bad, huh.

Huffs and Puffs

2006-10-04T19:40:00.000+05:30

"itanaa lanbaa kash lo yaaro,

dam nikal jaaye

jindagee sulagaao yaaro,

gam nikal jaaye"

I was thinking of my smoking career when i was on a post lunch session with my stick.
Funny, I realised that this thin white papergirl has been my friend for the last so many years. Seen me thru shit and shine, thru tears and triumphs.
It all began as an obsession with the macho nature I thought she gave to my dad, who is my first and best role model. I still remember the plastering I got when he realised i bummed a fag off his pack.
Well, there was no turning back after that.
I got into her friendship part time during my 11th and 12th, and then full time. By the time I was out of my grad, I had pretty much got fixated on which brand I puffed on, and which one I will if I get more pocket money. So much for brand loyalty.She was a steady companion during my exam times. Burning up herself, when I was burning my midnight oil. She was great, cool and never gave up on me. Its a mutual understanding.
Beginning of the month when my dad used to replenish my empty pockets, we used kings, then it came down to Wills (The navy cut gave it a glamour, but i still enjoy her sometimes)then to gold flake, (Yeah, the small ones), and during those poverty ridden monthends she used to grace my life in the form of plain scissors. Over time, she was with me in many forms, and many brands, from Cigars to hookkahs to beedis, she never stopped from relaxing me in whatever manifestation.
During my PG in pondy, it was me, her and the music of the waves crashing in an infinite war with earth. Darkness, with only the moon casting its refelctions on the sea, i saw a lot of meaning in her rising smoke.
Today, its just a routine. The shopwalaah opposite my home keeps a pack ready when i am leaving for office, and one when i come back. Its a silent gesture, a wave of a hand or a glance. And there she is, beautiful in her pack, in a plastic cover, wearing a golden dress. But most of the fun with her is also lost.
It used to be a thrill smoking secretly, an affair hidden from all the world. Now its out in open. A marriage solemnised by my first offer letter.
Its an association that i have grown to be fond of. Its death, only with mine.
My day never starts without her and never ends either, and as she withers into the powdery ash, I remind myself of the futility of materialistic endeavours.
Not that I will change, but she makes me feel it.

Can I Come back to Life....

2006-09-30T11:30:00.000+05:30

Where were you when I was burned and broken,
While the days slipped by from my window watching.
Where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless,
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me.
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words,
Dying to believe in what you heard

I was staring straight into the shining sun

Lost in thought

and lost in time
While the seeds of life

and the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow
While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight . . . into the shining sun

Happy Birthday, Nightingale.

2006-09-29T11:53:00.000+05:30

Lata Mangeshkar
Sept 28, 1929 -

We are proud.....
Thanks for the unforgettable melodies....

1969 - Padma Bhushan
1974 - Recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung the maximum number of songs in the world
1980 - Presented key of the city of Georgetown, Guyana, South America
1980 - Honorary Citizenship of The Republic of Suriname, South America
1985 - June 9, declared as Asia Day in honour of her arrival in Toronto, Canada
1987 - Honorary Citizenship of USA in Houston, Texas
1989 - Dada Saheb Phalke Award
1990 - Honorary Doctorate (Literature) By University of Pune, India
1990 - Raja-Lakshmi Award by Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai
1996 - Videocon Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
1997 - Rajiv Gandhi Award
1998 - Lux Zee Cine Lifetime Achievement Award
1999 - NTR Award
1999 - Padma Vibhushan
2000 - Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA in London
2000 - Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar by the Chaturang Pratishthan
2001 - Bharat Ratna
2001 - Noorjehan Award (First Reciepient)
2001 - Maharashtra Ratna (First Reciepient)
2002 - Felicitation By CII (For Contribution to Music & the Film Industry)
2002 - Hakim Khan Sur Award (For National Integration by Maharana Mewar Foundation)

Award Courtesy : Wikipedia

Film Fare Awards:
1958 - Aaja Re Pardesi [MADHUMATI]
1962 - Kahi Deep Jale Kahi Dil [BEES SAAL BAAD]
1965 - Tumhi Mere Mandir Tumhi Meri Pooja [KHANDAAN]
1969 - Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage [JEENE KI RAAH]
1993 : Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
1993 : Filmfare felicitated by the Maharashra Government for completion of 50 years.
1994 : Filmfare Special Award ( Didi Tera Devar Deewana -HAHK)

National Awards:
1972 - Parichay - Best Female Playback Singer.
1975 - Kora Kagaz - Best Female Playback Singer.
1990 - Lekin - Best Female Playback Singer.

Maharashtra State Awards:
1966 - Sadhi Mansa - Best Playback Singer.
1967 - Jait Re Jait - Best Playback Singer.

Bengal Film Journalist's Association Award

1964 - Woh Kaun Thi - Best Female Playback Singer.
1967 - Milan - Best Female Playback Singer.
1968 - Raja Aur Rank - Best Female Playback Singer.
1969 - Saraswati Chandra - Best Female Playback Singer.
1970 - Do Raaste - Best Female Playback Singer.
1971 - Tere Mere Sapne - Best Female Playback Singer.
1973 - Marjina Abdulla (Bengali) - Best Female Playback Singer.
1973 - Abhimaan - Best Female Playback Singer.
1975 - Kora Kagaz - Best Female Playback Singer.
1981 - Ek Duje Ke Liye - Best Female Playback Singer.
1985 - Ram Teri Ganga Maili - Best Female Playback Singer

Courtesy : Gaurav

Photo Courtesy : Tribune.

Filmography : IMDB. Trust me, its a big list closing onto about a thousand movies.

I Miss.....

2006-09-28T12:33:00.000+05:30

I Miss the songs i used to sing in the bathroom, Now it thinking whats gonna come to me on face in office
I Miss the hiss of butter on the tawa, now its the beep of the oven.
I Miss the smell of virgin rain on burnt land, now its the room freshner in office.
I Miss the taste of tap water, now its either kinley or bisleri.
I Miss the sweat trickle down my back in sun, now its shouting at the electrician if the airconditioning goes down a couple of points
I Miss the sea breeze, its now the fan or a/c blow.
I Miss kick starting my bike, now its turning the key and the engine starts.
I Miss poems i used to write, now its mails, mails and more mails and presentations.
I Miss the books i used to read, now its the DVDs.
I Miss sitting on the dining table to have dinner, now its in the hall so that i dont miss a scene
I Miss going on long romantic walks, now its the 'romantic' drive, dont know whether i should hold her hand or the gear shaft or the steering wheel.
I Miss the long hours on Yahoo Messenger, now its a curt phone call.
I Miss the visits to friends houses and eating what their moms prepared, now its a get together where we order from outside so that we are spared of the wives' cooking.
I Miss the endless cups of coffee and mindless chat, now its the walk upto the vending machine and smile (not even say) a hi to someone who passes.
I Miss standing at the train door and stare at earth being whisked away, now its seeing those puffs of clouds from a small hole 30K ft above sea level.
I Miss counting the number of telephone poles from a train door, its just a time to catch up with sleep.
I Miss cricket with friends, now its the cricket on the mobile.
I Miss waiting for the bus to take me to college, now just run down to the car and zoom to office, cos i am invariably late to office everyday.
I Miss playing rummy till we fall asleep, now its freecell or solitaire gaurding from the boss' eyes
I Miss the warmt when she hugs me while driving the bike, now she sits next to me and we discuss investments and future
I Miss the simple little things that was my life., but now its all the big things that are so small compared what it was.

Tag Tag

2006-09-26T17:19:00.000+05:30

I got tagged by EU, and so as a responsible member of the 'sphere, i am discharging my duty, though at the outset it looks as though i am gonna have fun. Ask me why, well, its pretty slick to blog from office during monthend with your monitor in the direct visual range of your boss. But hell, thats the thrill.

EU asks me to write 8 things about myself, and the monumental failure that i am with listing, heres a herculean try:

1. I love driving, and i can keep doing that for hours. But i just dont know anything about the insides of a car, and have this feeling that it will break down, so i dont attempt long journeys alone.
2. I am technically and fundamentally a very lazy person. I can just laze around doing absolutely nothing for hours. Oooh, i would just love to be left lying aroung with some good food, and good movies.
3. I am the single biggest fan of Clint Eastwood, and i just love the dirty harry stuff that he pulled on the screen. I also like the cool way he flicks his gun in those cowboy movies. He is the proud recipient of the "Icon of Appu's Life".
4. I am a pretty tolerant guy, and will keep u in good humor until you do something so ridiculous that makes u dumber than buffalo poop.
5. I love afternoon siestas, and this is a corollary to #2.
6. I am very very bad at making lists, and my mind has come to a block right now, and i am thinking very hard to clear the next two points.
7. I am a gadgets guy , and of lifestyle goods. Have picked up quite a few of them and keep staring at the rest thinking when to buy.
8. I hate discussions and discussions on how to improve business when that time could be used to improve business.

EUs second commandment was to tag six others.

So let me try:I Tag : Rishi; Milli; Green Satya;Varsha;Soumyadip;Adi

Rules:
1. Name the person who tagged you.
2. 8 things about you.
3. Tag 6 people.

Whats today?

2006-09-20T16:55:00.000+05:30

Today is Mysorepak Day. M calls me up and asks me to pick up a kilo. Its her favorite sweet. That apart, Whats with these days man.

The trend i believe started with the Valentines Day, where jobless students used this one day as a platform for blasting off their affairs. others to proclaim their undying love. With some political organisation hell bent on stopping this "westernisation of Indian Culture" starting to go on a rampage against celebration of this day, it popularity increased, and so did the business of gift and card companies like Archies and Hallmark.

Ok, it just dint stop there. It was mother's days turn next. Advertisements galore in every media possible. "Its mother's day, gift her with our cards and show her how much you love". Hell, if i dont gift my mom that day, does it mean i love her any less? These ads were so ridiculous, i dint gift my mom, and she never asked anyways. Mothers dont, do they?

Apparently it made great business sense, and they tried to replicate it with Fathers Day, which i am given to learn was not that big a hit. Dad's dont care for these days, they are way too busy to fund their children to celebrating all these days, was my reason for this day's failure.

Friendship day was the next block buster. Huge advertisments and the works. It worked. Got to do with these kids at schools and colleges (being the innocent [?] targets) trying to make sense of their life,what with the kind of education system we have (Thats a different topic, so someother day, someother blog). Again millions flowed. This time it was friendship bands that were a clear winner over cards and gifts. Even now i laugh at the sight of these adoloscents moving around flaunting the flourescent rubber bands around their wrists. If you dint get any, you dont have friends. How pathetic.

Ok, i can live with that.What I cant live with is the list of days this month:

19th : Laundry day ( So, people will pull out all their clothes and give it to their launders, or should i go and hug/kiss the guy who does my laundry. Help)
19th : International Talk Like a Pirate Day : Okay, think i will call up Johny Depp for advice, he does is so well, eh, mate??
20th : Student Day (So are we gonna close our schools and colleges today, and party??)
21st : Ice Cream Cone day : (No comments, i am gonna lit a diya in front of a cone and pray tonight as a tribute to all the bites that its kins get.)
23rd : Chocolate Day : Go, get Fat
24th : Fishing Day (wait, i am just typing a mail to my boss for approval to go fishing)
Okay, 24th also happens to be Kiss Day. ummmmppphhhssssooooohhhhh..... May i take the liberty to show my affection to every female on this planet??!! (Looks like cops are gonna have their hands full on 24th.
24th is also a Good Neighbor Day. So what to do to my neighbor who steal my newspaper everyday, plays old tamil songs at top volume at night, and keeps knocking at my door for sugar and salt?? Will law allow me to kill him today??!!??
29th is Pumpkin Day: Okay so i know whats gonna be for dinner that night. M, pls, spare me.
30th: Ask a Stupid Question Day. Okay when have we asked any intelligent question? Fine, fine, u all dont shout. Why a day for stupid questions, beats me. If there is any day for stupid answers, then it would be President Bush Day (my apologies, Mr Pres, i just couldnt help it).

Next month:

2nd : Name your car day. Hey, i thought the Hyundai guys already named my car. Okay. Fine. Here are my suggestions. From 2nd october onwards, my car will be called 'Dhanno', JMs will be called 'Paro', the creatures rust rod will called 'Vicky', FJ's scooty will be called 'Ceasar'.MN has decided to call her car "Subbulakshmi".

See, now you understand.Now that all the calender days are taken, I am looking at what day we can call "Appu's Day". Comeon, if you can celebrate International Battery Day, we can have one day for ourselves. Awaiting suggestions.

Its raining......

2006-09-19T18:50:00.000+05:30

Its raining, and as it does when it rains down here in Chennai, it just lasts for about half an hour. So i expected it to stop, but it dint. God watered his Chennai garden close to about an hour. For a city that never sees rain, its drainage system is like the marriage kancheepuram saree. Always there, but never used. There are a lot of things that i love to do during rain (Ahhh... a list, finally, hope i meet up with better success than the last blog)

- Drive : With the swishy sound of the viper as the background, with the windows rolled up, music system shut off, i can hear myself think. I can keep driving like this for hours. (now you know why chennai traffic is what it is). If i am in a slightly naughty mood, then god save the poor pedestrians, they get a murky bath free of cost
- Eat Mirchi Bajji : this hot AP savoury is made from real green chilli hollowed out stuffed with something and deep fried in oil. (that explains my weight). Eat mirchi bajji with a cup of black coffee in front of a window seeing the rain is trust me, very groovy
- Whiskey : If its there, then it beats the first two options. A good peg on the rocks, (albeit with mirchi bajji as side dish) in the same bajji place is a great combo. Two or more such pegs and i get to my next fave action
- Get wet: I never heeded my mom's warning about catching a cold, fever and other ailments that are associated with getting wet, and used to freak when it rained. Just get wet, feel the water drop splashon your face, run down your cheeks is what i feel a heavenly feeling. I never did catch a cold though. So Mom, you are wrong!!!
- Sleep: With God almightly airconditining the room, what else, but take a cosy blanket, get covered from head to toe and go zzzzzz. - Make paper boats: Funny and childish, but i still do it sometimes. Make the paperboats. Name them titanic or USS Lousiana and send them into the sea of rainwater that ponds up in front of my house. and then throw a stone on them and have a sadistic patriotic feeling. I dont recollect naming any of them vikrant or viraat, cos i always used to throw a stone and sink my ships and you cant sink your own country's ships, can you?
- Light a matchstick and throw it into the water and watch the flame go off. I used to just love the way it used to go off. Gave me the kicks. Talk of troubled childhood.

OK, now that i have told you guys what i do, let me go and do them. :))

On lists and Preferences

2006-09-18T17:33:00.000+05:30

This list thing is doing the rounds on the'sphere. There are lists of blogs one read, wish lists, lovelists, hatelists etc etc. I thought of not missing the bus, so I did what writers of my type do most, copy. I started thinking about what list do I make. And so I began a rather painful journey of listing :

- List of foods i like. Clear winner was Dal Fry at #1, but what came at #2. Three contenders bitterly fighting for that spot. Would it be Coconut Rice or Paav Bhaji or BisibeleBath? Okay, so i went to writing #3 (procastrination being an embedded skill in my system), but then again the same. Would Veg Pulao be at #3, then I thought of Idiappam and that was also luringly delicious.

Nah!! this list was not doing me any good, so let me try someother list.

- List of movies I like. Again, Godfather clinched the top spot, but #2? Donno!! First blood was as easily good as The Patriot as was the Gladiator. I really like Pirates of the Caribbean PI too, but could i place it at the second position?
Hmmm...lot of work for my nonexistant brain, i am gonna skip the object (Boy! was that easy)

- List of books that I Like : Since i am not a bookworm, this was a little more easy. #1 was Papillon, #2 was da Vinci Code #3 was well, mmm, donno. I couldnt sort among Grisham, Sheldon, et al. (I told you i dont read so much)
This list will look pretty much meaningless waste of time.

- List of things I wish for : when i asked myself, the answers came in just as fast when we ask a restaurant waiter about the menu. There were so many and so forceful, i couldnt even decide which was #1. Was it a full expense paid getaway to the caribbean or would it be a genie who would give me anything that i want. Would be a ferrari or a porsche. If wishes were horses....

The best part of this list was that i just closed my eyes and it just kept coming, good relaxation but not addressing the issue at hand, lemme see , is there anything else?

- List of things i hate about people most : Well, this was relatively easy. #1 was when people on cellphones try to tell the guy at the other end that they were in an elevator and since the network was bad, it just wouldnt get thru. I get pretty irritated when people do that. Man, either u finish the call and get in or tell them you will call back and get in. Here too, i had trouble at #2. Was it the habit of picking their noses in public that irritated me the most or biting their fingernails as if they were watching a Hitchcock movie. Dont know, couldnt say : Both seemed equally disgusting.

My absolute failure at arriving at any meaningful list just compounded my envy of all those who could put theirs and hence I scrapped the entire project. Never again shall i make a list of anything. I shall take it as it comes. But when someone asks me whether i will have coffee or tea, (or add a coke to the offering to make it more complex), i will have to take the call. What will that be based on? my mood at that time or my preference of one over the other? Maybe i am like this: diorganised and pretty disoriented. But one thing i noticed in this entire process was that things that were at #1 were pretty much undisputed, what came at the next positions was a matter of contention. So it is with life. What comes first has no competition, and prioritisation according to me starts from #2 onwards.

Life's Good

2006-09-13T14:51:00.000+05:30

Hmm .. this week is looking good.

- I finaly set my new house in order, and M is pretty pleased with my 'responsible actions'
- Won two nonconsequential arguments with her. (she lets me win the small skirmishes and takes the war for herself)
- My numbers are looking good, so good that i am singing in the bathroom, while normally keep thinking of what to do to get the numbers up
- My birthday is around the corner, and i am busy thinking what to buy for myself.(eeesh, u narcissist, but guess its okay to indulge in oneself once a year. M wouldnt agree though. she is of the opinion that i indulge everyday:))
- Changed my place in office and let MN get tortured by a jurassic creature with prehistoric comments.Also in the deal got to switch of the light above me without irritating the creature's eyes.The creature as you see, cannot secrete tears and so has to constantly lob some or the other lubricant into its eyes.
- Getting to see a lot of movies as cable is not working at home, so no serials. :)) (I am sure i will not get tonites dinner for this blog)
- My car's second service is over and its started giving good mileage, so no more heartburns when i enter the fuel station
- Sent the creature, MN and JM to have lunch with boss. Hoping their brains woud fry out by the time they come out.Hope some sauce is used when frying. :))
- Got boss to ask MN to stay back in office late last night when she wanted to leave urgently for home. Shee...I cannot forget the looks in her eyes. Did that to JM also, but i dint want a mutiny on my hands, so let them off. The creature though stayed back, as it had nothing better to do. :))
- Just got saved from burning down my house cos of an experiment i tried with my new oven. God i will never learn it, though M has taken to it as duck to water. will never know how to set the weight for an aloo curry.
- Have crossed 25 blogs and 75 on the statcounter. (Not bad appu, given that i started it only 5 days back.:)). Made some awesome blog friends.

Not bad at all. (patting myself on the back). Life's good.

A Tribute

2006-09-11T17:51:00.000+05:30

My 25th, and what best way than to dedicate it as a tribute to the thousands who died on 9/11. We pray for the lives lost that day and for all those who lost their loved ones. We know how it feels like, we go through it everyday.

The entire world stood still during those couple of hours, unbeleivably looking at the second plane hit. Thats when America declared its war on terror. And that was 5 years ago, and now it has become a farce, an excuse for America to secure its interests in various parts of the world.
Iraq became a disaster, which is on the brink of civil war, another vietnam for Uncle Sam.

And what has happened? They were unable to find those mysterious "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and the "Chemical weapons".
Nor were they able to get the society into order. So many deaths on a daily basis.
Why Iraq?? Jay Leno once said, Bush wanted to call it "Operation Iraqi Liberation", but dint because it's abbreviation turned out to be OIL.
Mr Osama is still at large, and "planning" many more attacks, one that was foiled in London.
An innocent man was killed on TV because he looked like a terrorist.
A plane lands with military jets because the passengers spoke in Arabic.
Infiltration is still on at LOC.
My best bet: 9/11 was one off. Nothing that scale has been replicated. The terrorist bug is just kept alive by a bushman to remain in power.

2006-09-08T20:04:00.000+05:30

somthin like an out of office, am off to delhi to meet up with the big bosses. so signing out of the 'sphere for sometime. you guys have a nice time and a great weekend .... *sigh* (and all the typical noises associated with jealousy and sighing)

2006-09-07T14:18:00.000+05:30

We decided to freak out yesterday evening, me and M. I took her to one our favorite restaurants. The qualifier being good food, music, and not much traffic around us. It was a long time since we went out alone, so we were pretty engrossed with our careless whispers about the past and the future (the usual romantics) when three people occupied the table behind us.
Now we wouldnt care about who sat behind or ahead of us but for what happened next. These two gentlemen and the lady ordered their drinks and started their conversation. It was mostly goofy gyaan being bounced back and forth about the plight of the indian farmers, and the poor quality of seeds they buy and the loans that the banks give them(or perhaps dont). Their volume was directly proportional to the number of pegs that were guzzled, so I deduced that gentleman 1 to be the President of World Bank, Gentleman 2 should be the chairman of NABARD and the lady should be the head of FCI. half an hour later another lady whom I presumed must be the Research Head of Monsanto joined in making the gyaan ball bounce faster than ever.

When their volume was kind of getting into our conversation, I decided to do something about it. was a couple of pegs down (thats another story, will tell later) myself. Normally i would ahem...politely get up and ask them if they mind talking in slower tones than getting worked up on the DNA structure of a reused rice seed in Chattisgarh, but given my situation, i was in a more naughty mood.

I remembered that there was a built in remote in my swank little mobile M had presented to me on our
anniversaty. Decided to use it for the first time on the TV that was playing just in front of this educated crowd. Strange how a couple of RCs can jog your memory,isnt it. They were playing some part of the hockey world cup ( I bet india would have lost out, dint bother to check it out anyways). On the press of a button the channel changed, and no one noticed. I shot a couple of discreet galnces to check if someone noticed. This lady near the buffet was piling up her plate with the dessert. God was that her hand or a conveyor belt? Another man was looking at the biriyani unable to decide whether to load it or not.

well, anyways, my crime was unnoticed. And i decided to carry on with my experiment, happy that i had something pretty useful as that in my cell.

The sexist freak that I am, i changed the channel to FTV, and well, just the luck for the jolly odd crowd behind me, they were showing someones summer collection of lingerie, or was it swin wear? Hell, i never could differentiate between both of them anyways. in nutshell, we could see lot of tall white meat walking about the ramp with a couple of kerchiefs loosely nailed to them. Reaction: the men shut up immediately. (See what i mean, i am not the only pervert out there) and the ladies were aghast. Such a decent hotel!! they would be thinking. i guess a good half a minute must have past for them to sink it in that they were watching something that puberts do in the darkness of the night at home when parents are asleep. (Its a free world, man). And then one of the ladies (who i thought would faint of the embarassment) shouted for the waiter, who came running expecting an order for a repeat.

The poor chap was scroned upon and asked to change the channel immediately. My mood was anyways naughty, so the minute the guy turned to change the channel i called him. He had to attend to me, giving the gang behind somemore time to enjoy nature's beauty. I asked for the cheque, and this guy went back to change the channel. I pressed the power off button on the remote and it switched off the exact same moment the guy touched the TV. must have been pretty disturbing for him, considering that he had the real remote in his apron pocket.

Anyways, after this incident the presidents and chairpersons were relatively quiet and how much ever they tried, they could not get back the enthu of the talk. Thats what happens when you remind the average human male of curves and figures. So i signed the cheque and walked out after sometime feeling like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 2. :))

2006-09-06T17:56:00.000+05:30

Reality is an illusion created by the lack of alcohol

- Sir Johny Walker

Death of a daredevil

2006-09-05T13:48:00.000+05:30

I first saw the news of Steve's death on CNN, and then read it on Sammy's blog. Was so busy with my work, that I kept this blog in the oven for sometime..

His shows on Animal Planet were unforgettable, so was his passion to unravell nature's beauty to mankind. His daredevil on camera antics caught the attention and love of his viewers. His death is a blow, and we will all miss him and his show. Hope there is someone who will take the good work forward.

Makes me wonder how many people are there who die doing the job that they love the most. The irony of life is that we dont get a job that we love, and we dont love the job that we love. And thats precisely mankind's predicament of sorts. I am jealous of these people who are in the jobs of their passion. There is another steve that i know, and he was with us in Rishikesh where we had gone rapid rafting. This man, also from australia, has devoted his life to rapids, and knows rapids of almost all across the world. He keeps moving from country to country, guiding tourists , and making their holidays unforgettable. Now, had i told my dad that i wanted to eke a life out of river rafting, or exploring nature, i would have got the above the spectacle glare.

There seems to be a critical mismatch between our ambitions, our passion and our reality. What happens when passion becomes an ambition? Thats when we get the Steve Irwins of the world. But our generation has got attuned to becoming doctors, engineers or government servants, more to be stable in life than to enjoy the irregularites and unpredictiveness. We need to love what we do, or do what we love. We generally get caught in the middle, and ripped apart.