Ok. The T-Mobile service gurus. are Gods.

Do you know what they've come up with? Do you have any idea how brilliant this is?

They have a CALL BACK system while you're on hold! It tells you how long you have before you speak to a representative, then gives you an option to be called back when its your turn in line. You don't lose your place or anything. It takes the number you wish to be called back at, gives you an approximate time span, and you are free to do what you want.

NOW THAT'S INNOVATION! Pure Genius!

My IIFA High Point

Anil Kapoor was asked which actors he would want to see in the Bollywood remake of Brokeback Mountain.....

He said Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan!

Oye Mr. India, are you trying to tell us something?

In a quest for answers....

In search of solitude ...

A love of magnitude....

Greater than salvation itself...

This is Rabba Mere Rabba

Enjoy...

As selfish, materialistic and practical as we may be at times, we always need a few moments to stop and think, and re-align our purpose. Be thankful for what we have, be grateful for all that we've been given. And exercise our capability to help those who are in need.

Xinu sent me a touching e-mail about her friend, Shabbi Khan, which spoke of a son's battle to help his mother, Farhana, who is suffering from a critical form of leukaemia. They have racked up high flying medical expenses, and authorities refuse to perform the critical bone marrow transplant, until and unless funds are provided upfront. Please check out the website that he created for this purpose, at www.mymomhascancer.com. You can donate via PayPal, or participate in any which way you can. It will only take a few minutes of your time, and please give generously to this cause, in the form of funds or prayers.

Gham ka mausam guzarta nahin
Zakhm yaadon ka bharta nahin
Raat parbat hai kat ti nahin
Din hai dariya utarta nahin
Main akela na reh paoonga
Door tak raat hi raat hai
Zindagi ek alag cheez hai
Zinda rehna alag baat hai

Umr kaise guzar paayegi
Ek pal jab guzarta nahin

Immortal lyrics by Rahat Indori, from the song
"Haan judaai se darta hai dil",
Kareeb - OST

If you haven't heard this track in a while or ever, listen to it. One of the select
songs by Kumar Sanu that have long-lasting appeal - like "Tere Dar Par
Sanam" and the songs of Saajan and Aashiqui.

A little bit of trivia

In English-speaking countries, the most common surname is what you expect: Smith. But the most common surname in the world is Chang, with a total of more than 80 million! And the most common first name in the world? Mohammed!

Its movies like THIS that represent the true coming of age of Bollywood. The crisp, clean, slick look of Kabul Express is hot! Do check that trailer out. Arshad Warsi is a legend!

Hole-y Crap!

Krrish has more plot holes than Liz Taylor has divorce petitions. Crush on Krrish? More like crushed by Krrish. Its such a kiddie movie, it shouldve been called Creche!

I'm not usually so headstrong about movie-based opinions, but "what a load of crap that was". Like, are you serious? Another horrific wastage of a brilliant actor. I'm not even going to bother opining on the same.

Whenever I feel that Bollywood is progressing by leaps and bounds, a movie like this comes up and turns the clock back to zero. Ugh! An absolute insult to human intelligence, coupled with a glorious collection of every possible Bollywood movie cliche imaginable. Talk about devastating the hype.

You know what I can't wait for? "Aap Ka Suroor" live! Yay! Oh my god! (Relax, i'm kidding). Anyhow, I'm sure that along with the audience, there will be a significantly amount of unearthly presences. Wanna know why?

Hoorah for my peeps at MindShare!!

My god. Krishh is all over Singapore! He's like the country's national mascot!

Btw, Dinner at RL was tres magnifique - loved the wine. And I am quite inspired by Cloud Gate, Anish Kapoor's shiny design in the middle of Chicago, which I parallel with The Gates in Central Park for city-art and creativity.

I'm done trotting around, and would like to sleep in my own bed now. Awaiting my return to the East Coast!

When in school, we often learn about the hand-in-hand relationship between distance and time. But can distance ever be a function of time? The parallel universe concept, of your past running side-by-side with the present in sync, with the separation of penetrable wormholes, is something that has been explored by many a book/film (Timeline, Sliding Doors).

But, what's interesting is the way "Lakehouse" blends it into a heartfelt love story, and effortlessly capturing an emotion that is rather rare in modern cinema: sheer helplessness.

Other than the fact that everyone seems to take the "issue" in the movie, rather comfortably - i guess that can be covered well by the fact that everyone reads Dostoevsky and other unconventional literature that was ahead of its time - and it is supposed to be 2006, where people have come to terms with so much more - but that does still appear to be a minor directorial overlook.

Also, the scene where Sandra meets Keanu at her birthday party, couldve been handled with a little more finesse. It was brushed away like lint on your best suit. But the scene where they dance in the courtyard, and hold each other, was carried out, astoundingly well.

Although they did cheezify the ending, to make it more of a chick flick than it deserved to be, Lakehouse strikes a reverberating chord. All in all, plotholes and issues aside, Lakehouse is a movie that really makes you wish that Time Travel was possible, and generating that emotion in the audience is creditworthy. How will it do at the box office? Time will tell.

Moreover, The Break-Up - LOVED the ending. That's probably the best part of the flick - in an overall broken-up screenplay, with a lot of patchwork.

In other news, lot of globe-trotting cuz of work this week. may not be able to write. but will update you all soon.

Peace out, world!

I was asked yesterday by a Tisch-graduate friend of mine to name a scene that really made me think of death in a more palatable and pleasant way, other than the usually morose and morbid approach used by film-makers.

After much thought, the only one that I could tell her about was the pre-closing scene of "City of Angels", when Meg Ryan dies, riding on her bicycle, arms outstretched. She looks so happy, so pleasant, like she's embracing God, embracing the inevitable. Beyond the Roquefort that the rest of the movie was, that scene was pure cinematic magic.

In other news, she is such a doll! That was her at the IIFAs in Dubai! And check out King Khan's youthful glory here. Wow! Did anyone ever think that this mustached-soccer boy will turn the world into a tizzy someday.

Life comes full circle. It really does.

The best Craigslist ad EVER!

I KNOW AM A BAD FIT FOR YOUR COMPANY ..........I AM NOT A MORON

---

Reply to: res-171648454@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-06-14, 7:57PM EDT


BUT I HAVE DREAM, THAT I WILL FIND ONE EMPLOYER WHERE THAT IS NOT TRUE

EMAIL FOR A RESUME




HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! Somebody hire this guy NOW!

Finding some strange things in Home Depot, these days? Hmm, I'm thinking of making the switch from Ikea ;-).

Also, how hot is Laila Rouass? From Channel [V] to BBC's Footballer's Wives! Its the Moroccan-Indian parentage! Wow, I love fusion kids.

According to Wiki, "She came into the news in 2005 when an Arab Sheikh apparently offered her a million pounds for a dinner date, an offer that she refused". What? Was it a million pounds of squashed beetroot? That's hard cash, woman! Jeez, beauty and brains is not just a tough combo to find. Its an impossible one!

Kudos to mah home boy, Shafquat, grandson of the legendary Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, and after creating musical magic with his classical-rock band, Fuzon, he comes out with a phenomenal song, Mitwa, in the OST of Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

Although the music is by the Unity-in-Diversity trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Mitwa has so much of Fuzon-ic influence that its startling.

Esp. after Atif Aslam (Lamhay,Aadat), Rahat (Mann ki Lagan, Jiya Dhadak), Amir Jamal (Kaho na Kaho - didnt' wanna add this, but *sigh*) and Ali Azmat (Garaj Baras), its nice to see the Pakinvasion of Bollywood, with one of the few singers of true Classical quality. This boy's gonna go places!

Words create lies. Pain can be trusted!

Catch that, and you're golden.

Thanks for all the props on Yaad. It was a rather heartfelt track. Fueled by a lot of variegated emotions from many incidents involving many different souls over the last few months. But it all comes together, in the end.

Recommended Listening: Kenny G's version of the Simon-Garfunkel hit, Sound of Silence. Don't miss the background/intro-resemblance to the opening of Ae Mere Humsafar from QSQT.

Ever since that posting about the eternal, "Aap Ki Yaad", I took it upon myself to come up with a version, a tribute, if you will.

The melody came to me on the plane back from Houston.

This is Yaad.

There is also a different pace version with a breakbeat here.

The lyrics of Makhdoom Mohiuddin, in one of Muzaffar Ali's (the man who gave us Umrao Jaan) classics, Gaman (1979), are timeless. Here's the lyrics of the track, which was used by Ahmed Jahanzeb for his track, Aap Ki Yaad, as well.

The original song is put to music beautifully by Jaidev. What's curious about it, is that the song goes percussion less for nearly two minutes, before the rhythm and instrumentation begin. Lilting vocals by Chaya Ganguli, in an offbeat movie featuring Smita Patil.

aap kii yaad aatii rahii raat bhar
chashm\-e\-nam muskuraatii rahii raat bhar
aap kii yaad aatii rahii ...

baa.Nsurii kii suriilii suhaanii sadaa
yaad banabanake aatii rahii raat bhar ...

yaad kii chaa.Nd dil me.n utaratii rahii
chaa.Ndanii Dagamagaatii rahii raat bhar ...

koii diivaanaa galiyo.n me.n phirataa rahaa
koii aavaaz aatii rahii raat bhar ...

Also, the song Seene Mein Jalan, which brought Suresh Wadkar into the limelight was from Gaman as well.

Life works in such mysterious ways. Suffice it to say just that much.

Sometimes I feel that every thought, every emotion, every little, maybe even indistinct, sentiment, is pre-destined, pre-charted and plays a role in the eternal screenplay of life. Leave it to us to either be wary, or be intimidated by the remnant unpredictability of it all.

Ok. Explain me this.

How is one expected to work... when they work, right next door, to the World HeadQuarters of THIS.


That's the picture of the office across the hall from us. *Sigh*. Need I say more?

Brideshead Revisited

Ahmed Jahanzeb. An un'sung' genius, who hasn't received his due, but one of the most brilliant Pakistani composers and singers out there.

Listen to "aap ki yaad" and "kaho ek din".

Song of the Day: Lucky Man (The Verve) OST-The Girl Next Door

Wierdest Headlines in the news today, post-Zarqawi-assassination.

Houston Chronicle: We Got Him!

What a savagely strange outlook the Fourth Estate of the Free World has? Almost scary at times.

But in an interview that I was listening to on the radio, on the way to the airport, with the father of Nick Berg, who is now running for Senate, he claimed that he didn't believe Zarqawi was killed in this particular raid, nor did he believe that Zarqawi was the one that killed his son. The murkier this tale gets, the more one loses faith in the concept of democrazy.

In other news, the Dallas Mavericks rule!

I love creative. I would love to do something more creative.

(1) Deciding what to use in the title montage for Friends, during the "four claps".
(2) Coming up with neat Google homepage imagery

On another note, gonna be out of town for a while, so in case im not around to tell you this, knock yourself out this weekend. we don't have too many (enough) in a lifetime. go wild. and remember. there's just a little re-arrangement between Santa and Satan ;-)

06/06/06

Its an Ominous day, people. So whether you're repenting your sins, or "celebrating a decade of sinfulness ;-)", be bold, be brave and be out there.

Its the day of the beast.

Be beastly.

Salma pe dil aa gaya....

Oh my god.. Oh ... my ... god ... I just saw ... Salma Hayek ... Like within 2 feet of breathing distance .... I can't get over this.

Ok, here's the story. My marketing team and I were out scouting an event venue for a corporate book launch for our Investments division in October, and we went to the Peter White Studios. Gotta admit, this place is phenomenally beautiful - do check out pics. Its completely white, very raw and artsy, and has the best view of Downtown and the Hudson.

Anyhow, we were talking, and the co-ordinator was saying that they're having a celebrity shoot that was just wrapping up. And then ... there she was. Like a fresh batch of sunlight. She walks out in a black tank top, and beige capris, and Ray Bans. Walked slowly right by us, towards the elevator, which her entourage was holding open for her. Oh my god. We were all absolutely speechless for a collective minute or so. And I broke the silence with the only words I could fathom. "Wow".

I love New York City.

Lyricize This...

Lyrically speaking. There are love songs. There are hate songs. There are retarded songs. And then there are those songs that shake you up, make you shiver and curl up in bed, thinking.

I've come across very few songs like this in life, that have a mystic messaging. Makes you wonder as to what the thought process must have been like to create something like this, and also, the influencing substance, but that's secondary.

Take 'Hotel California', which tries to create this scary image of a highway hotel where you hear sounds at night, with deceased guests walking around, probably from a time that was (1969?), the fact that the singer has entered the hotel, but can never leave, and of course, the horrifying scene where they're sitting around a dinner table trying to "stab the beast with their steely knives". Chilling.

'Stan' by Eminem has a similar impact, but is a very well contemplated song, with clear cut messaging about a deranged and obsessive fan, going over the edge, quite literally.

But, one of the most fierce-on-your-psyche songs I've heard in decades, is Jeremy by Pearl Jam. What comes across as traditional rock, blows you away lyrically, especially with the major-to-minor shift in the lead chorus. I've reproduced the lyrics below - and do listen to this song if you ever get a chance.

"Jeremy"

at home
drawing pictures
of mountain tops
with him on top
lemon yellow sun
arms raised in a V
dead lay in pools of maroon below

daddy didn't give attention
to the fact that mommy didn't care
king jeremy the wicked
ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

clearly I remember
pickin' on the boy
seemed a harmless little fuck
but we unleashed a lion
gnashed his teeth
and bit the recess lady's breast

how could I forget
he hit me with a surprise left
my jaw left hurtin
dropped wide open
just like the day
like the day I heard

daddy didn't give affection
and the boy was something mommy wouldn't wear
king Jeremy the wicked
ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today
try to forget this...
try to erase this...
from the blackboard.

- The inimitable and eternal Pearl Jam

--


In other news, I met with old friends from Penn last week, and revisited the music of what I consider to be, one of the most prolific collegiate American A Capella groups, UPenn's Off The Beat. They've been around since '86, and they're absolutely phenomenal, and really come out with that much-necessiated 'wow-is-that-just-vocals?' factor in their music.

Check out these samples from their tracks over the years, covers of Evanescence, Seether and Alicia Keys.

Lethal stuff.

A little something that is going to make someone Ang Lee-er.

do UTians pUT oUT? jUsT a thoUghT

Daym! My fingers hurt with all those Shifts and Ctrl-Bs. But, here's a note from a fellow blogger at UT-Austin.

"Most of the billboards around the UT campus feature alcohol and/or scantily-clad women. But one austere black-on-white billboard on Guadelupe has intrigued me as I drive past it on my way home from work:

{first 10-digit prime found in the consecutive digits of e}.com

If you find the aforementioned prime (I, personally, was surprised at how far out in the decimal expansion of e one has to go to find it), and visit the corresponding website, you are greeted with a second puzzle:

f(1 )=7182818284
f(2 )=8182845904
f(3 )=8747135266
f(4 )=7427466391
f(5 )=__________

and you’re told to visit a second website, using “Bobsyouruncle” as a Username and the value of f(5 ) as a password.

When you get there, you’re greeted with an offer to submit your resumé … to Google.

"One thing we learned while building Google is that it’s easier to find what you’re looking for if it comes looking for you. What we’re looking for are the best engineers in the world. And here you are.

As you can imagine, we get many, many resumes every day, so we developed this little process to increase the signal to noise ratio. … You’ll find links to more information about our efforts below, but before you get immersed in machine learning and genetic algorithms, please send your resume to us at …"

Now that’s a sexy advertising campaign.
"

Amen!

In other news, tired of hearing that India's still considered a third world country, I HAVE to ask .. where le fugue is the Second World??

As part of my 141-part series, "Kallus say the darndest things", here's a re-enactment of a conversation I overheard on the bus today:

The scene is, Tired Overworked White Male trying to get some sleep, while typical oversized, can-quell-small-villages-with-her-assets type Kallu woman is not doing much to keep the racket of her banshee-wailing-hellishly-annoying-type young devilchild, down (you can see how much I adore children).

Eventually, and I mean after a serious 30 minutes of this tyrrany, White Male gets majorly p.o.ed and yells "Can you get her to stop, for f***'s sake".

To which, in inimitable Kallu style, woman retorts, "You don't be using that kinda f***ing language around my child".

Entire bus breaks down in peals of laughter.

Ah, kallus. Can't live with em, can't live without .... nah! who am I kidding. I'm in Jersey. Gotta live with 'em.

Overheard on the V Train

Man1: So, Jeff was taking in on a DWI charge.
Man2: What's DWI?
Man1: Oh you know, Drunk While Intoxicated.

Drunk While Intoxicated. Interesting. BTW, it is key to mention here that the two men were apparent brokebackers. You know the kind. The ones adept at the Hand-Lick Maneuver (immortalized by that Ang Lee movie).

The Sheikh and his 'Joe Camel'

Smoking laws now call for 21 and over to buy tobacco, instead of 18 and over. Why don't these people just leave them smokers alone? Amazing that the pro-smoking faction couldn't really give a hockey puck as to these laws, and continues to grow in epic proportions and feed the tobacco giants into a multi-billion dollar industry, looks like tobacco is the nouveau oil?