The author of this (non) blog has passed on. He will not be available until further notice.
Edit (09Jul2008): He might be back.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
How fucking cool is this!!
Click on the image below and see the joy (that is joy, btw) on my face. Go to bed thinking "That guy Sandeep surely is cool".
Repeat.
ps: The image is called Sandeep_Cool.jpeg. Just goes to show how cool I am. So does this small typeface. Not font, typeface. You know why.
Repeat.
ps: The image is called Sandeep_Cool.jpeg. Just goes to show how cool I am. So does this small typeface. Not font, typeface. You know why.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The English Summer and other things
Yeah, I know it's been a while. I've been lazy and busy and bored and tired and excited over the past weeks. I'll make some random observations about local weather patterns and some things I did and pass this off as a new post. The primary focus, however, will still be me.
The weather's been as awful as it can be. The "summer" in Scotland (and most of Britain) normally lasts from about late March to late August-early September and is characterized by sporadic sunshine and a max temperature of about 22-23 degrees on the hottest day of the summer. The days are long and bright and there's day light till about 11 pm. The summer time is a time when the people are happy and the beaches are crowded. At least it used to be. Not this year. This year's been the wettest summer on record.
I came here in the last week of March and the BST came into effect the day after I arrived. Amid fears of having lost an hour of my life for ever, I was also happy to arrive in a new city, bright and vibrant, away from the heat of Bangalore. This followed by three weeks of sunshine, long days and cool-yet-not-cold nights. Oh what lovely weather it was!
And then it went downhill all the way, and very fast. The past three months have just been grey and wet and windy and occasional sunshine for about an hour, about five times a month. But apart from synthesizing lesser Vitamin D than you would do in Bangalore, it's not very bad once you get used to it. I've started believing in the old Glaswegian adage of "As long as it's not pouring, it's fine". Weak drizzle and light rain for most parts of the night and day is a common thing. As long as you can walk outside without getting drenched, it's fine. So that's the British summer for you.
The winter begins in a few weeks time. The days will get shorter and colder. And colder. People say it's starts getting dark by 1 in the afternoon and you'll find people using headlights at 4 in the evening! Yeah, that'll be weird.
What's been keeping me occupied since my last post you ask? (I like pretending that a lot of people read my blog and are keen to know the happenings in my glamourous life). Fret not, for I shall tell you. In unwarranted levels of detail.
Well, I went to watch the Formula 1 at Silverstone in July. That was totally awesome and mind blowing. I got to change the tyres on an F1 car and I took more than thrice the time a professional F1 mechanic would take to do it. And I got photos with the pitgirls of BMW. I got to see the Ferrari and the McLaren F1 cars closeup. I also ate some very bad food and lived in a 4-star hotel and brushed my teeth with soap for a day (oddly, soap actually cleans your teeth really well - you should try it some time). I might have spent a month's salary to do all this, but it was all totally worth it.
I went to a football game (Rangers vs. F K Zeta (Champions of Montenegro) if you must know). I'm not big on football, but I totally loved the atmosphere. And with nothing else to watch on TV (it's either this or the Big Brother show (followed by another review show called Big Brother's Little Brother or some other show about Big Brother). I think there is Big Brother channel as well), I am forced to follow the local and international football. It's not too bad after all.
Work's kept the weekdays tied up and sleep, the weekends. Between all this I even tried a bit of swimming and discovered that I still can swim. Like a piece of heavy machinery. It's a bit better now, I splash water only about 5 feet in all directions.
Also in this time, a very good friend of mine found love and his girlfriend found out that she has a very subjective sense of humour. Let us wish them very well on this noble endeavour.
Coming back to me, today I went mountain biking. In pouring rain and disastrous conditions. With total strangers. It was cold, damp, mud in the face, eyes, clothes covered in wet, sticky humus. The visibility was low, I had no gloves on, my hands were numb, we were hungry and we even got lost for a bit in the forest. We were soaked to the bone. It was all worth it.
Let's see how the coming weeks shape up.
The weather's been as awful as it can be. The "summer" in Scotland (and most of Britain) normally lasts from about late March to late August-early September and is characterized by sporadic sunshine and a max temperature of about 22-23 degrees on the hottest day of the summer. The days are long and bright and there's day light till about 11 pm. The summer time is a time when the people are happy and the beaches are crowded. At least it used to be. Not this year. This year's been the wettest summer on record.
I came here in the last week of March and the BST came into effect the day after I arrived. Amid fears of having lost an hour of my life for ever, I was also happy to arrive in a new city, bright and vibrant, away from the heat of Bangalore. This followed by three weeks of sunshine, long days and cool-yet-not-cold nights. Oh what lovely weather it was!
And then it went downhill all the way, and very fast. The past three months have just been grey and wet and windy and occasional sunshine for about an hour, about five times a month. But apart from synthesizing lesser Vitamin D than you would do in Bangalore, it's not very bad once you get used to it. I've started believing in the old Glaswegian adage of "As long as it's not pouring, it's fine". Weak drizzle and light rain for most parts of the night and day is a common thing. As long as you can walk outside without getting drenched, it's fine. So that's the British summer for you.
The winter begins in a few weeks time. The days will get shorter and colder. And colder. People say it's starts getting dark by 1 in the afternoon and you'll find people using headlights at 4 in the evening! Yeah, that'll be weird.
What's been keeping me occupied since my last post you ask? (I like pretending that a lot of people read my blog and are keen to know the happenings in my glamourous life). Fret not, for I shall tell you. In unwarranted levels of detail.
Well, I went to watch the Formula 1 at Silverstone in July. That was totally awesome and mind blowing. I got to change the tyres on an F1 car and I took more than thrice the time a professional F1 mechanic would take to do it. And I got photos with the pitgirls of BMW. I got to see the Ferrari and the McLaren F1 cars closeup. I also ate some very bad food and lived in a 4-star hotel and brushed my teeth with soap for a day (oddly, soap actually cleans your teeth really well - you should try it some time). I might have spent a month's salary to do all this, but it was all totally worth it.
I went to a football game (Rangers vs. F K Zeta (Champions of Montenegro) if you must know). I'm not big on football, but I totally loved the atmosphere. And with nothing else to watch on TV (it's either this or the Big Brother show (followed by another review show called Big Brother's Little Brother or some other show about Big Brother). I think there is Big Brother channel as well), I am forced to follow the local and international football. It's not too bad after all.
Work's kept the weekdays tied up and sleep, the weekends. Between all this I even tried a bit of swimming and discovered that I still can swim. Like a piece of heavy machinery. It's a bit better now, I splash water only about 5 feet in all directions.
Also in this time, a very good friend of mine found love and his girlfriend found out that she has a very subjective sense of humour. Let us wish them very well on this noble endeavour.
Coming back to me, today I went mountain biking. In pouring rain and disastrous conditions. With total strangers. It was cold, damp, mud in the face, eyes, clothes covered in wet, sticky humus. The visibility was low, I had no gloves on, my hands were numb, we were hungry and we even got lost for a bit in the forest. We were soaked to the bone. It was all worth it.
Let's see how the coming weeks shape up.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sivaji - The Boss
Ok, if somebody had told me 5 years ago that I would watch a Tamil movie in a theatre, 2 days after it's release, till about 3:30 in the morning, in Scotland then I would have made silly jokes about soil erosion to change the topic because I didn't know where Scotland was. But now I do and the movie I watched was, as the humble title suggests, 'Sivaji - The Boss'. .
The evening began on a very sombre note as the prospect of watching this abomination of a movie, 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom', loomed large. And then it actually happened and I had to watch the lame movie till about 10:30 pm due to reasons beyond my control. I want to rant about how awful this movie was and how I would have rather preferred a swift attack of Diarrhea than watch this movie, but I won't.
Or may be I will.
Set in London, for no apparent reason (it would've sucked the same even if it had been set in Bombay or the Savannah) and revolves around two stupid people, one with a remarkably warped sense of fashion - Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta. The plot also involves Lara Dutta and the Deol guy later on. Even more irritating is Amitabh Bachchan who suddenly and intermittently springs out of nowhere, and all the people in Waterloo Station along with him start gyrating their hips (you'll know what I'm talking about if you watch the song) to the awful 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' song. Now the stupid song is stuck in my head forever cos they play it a zillion times in the movie. The worst part is how they try to put on lame British accents and fail miserably. Lara Dutta who features first as a receptionist in The Ritz, Paris and then a hooker, is probably the only thing that made me watch the screen instead of choking to death on my own vomit. She was hot.
The movie sucks. Do something better like jerking off or reading a book or contributing to the national GDP instead of watching it. Actually, watching the movie contributes to the national GDP, but whatever. Just don't watch it. Play with your dog or watch Cartoon Network.
So after the movie, as we were coming out, we saw that there was another show of 'Sivaji - The Boss'. It was a no-brainer. We bought the tickets and rushed off to get something to eat. (Pizza Hut - We charge absurdly high prices for mediocre pizzas, world over.)
Now, the director of the movie Shankar, (incidentally I have watched one more of his movies - Anniyan) is being very honest and straight forward when he says in an interview that not all movies need not convey messages, they can also convey emotions. But with 'Sivaji - The Boss', he says, he scores on both these key points - by conveying emotions and messages too. How cool is that!
If you didn't get any messages, you're slow and deserve to watch 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'. Alternatively, you can check with your mobile operator too.
So, Rajni (in and as Sivaji) is this ubercool Systems Software Architect, from the US, who comes down to India with his hard earned fortunes totalling to about 250 crores INR. Being the benevolent, kind-hearted and the visionary type that he is, he decides to start engineering colleges, medical colleges and hospitals for everyone with 'no capitation fees'. Little does he know about the things that await him. The pestilence of bribery, the red tapism that plagues the bureaucracy, the apathy of the government servant and his total lack of interest in the welfare of the people and the state. The social and economical imbalance, the erosion of morality and culture. He feels helpless. While he mulls over these critical aspects and how they are tearing up the very fabric of society, he dances with a few models, mostly of North-East Indian origin.
Like any other person caught in this vicious cycle of greed and avarice, he gives in - for the sake of brighter prospects for the country and it's people. He bribes every person in the ladder of hierarchy with wine and women, to get the papers signed and the permits cleared. Although this tears him up in the inside, he knows he must do it, for the greater good. Along the way he comes to the painful realization that this will never end. He cannot get out of this trap. He wonders why is he given this raw deal, even when he trying to do good to the country. He feels cornered. Is there no justice, he wonders.
As he wonders this, he also develops love and admiration for one, 'Tamilchchelvi'. (Laugh now fools, wait till you see her dance in the bikini and the blonde wig. Then see who's laughing.) He expresses his love for her by dancing to catchy English phrases (repeated quickly and in varying levels of volume) in bright costumes wearing multicoloured wigs. True love could never have been portrayed more correctly. Vivek proves his relevance to the plot as a sidekick through his witty banters, colloquialisms, cheeky remarks and contemporary humour. Shriya, as 'Tamilchchelvi' keeps you drooling throughout the movie.
As the movie continues, we learn how CPR combined with defibrillators can save lives even if you have been electrocuted, with potentially several thousand volts of alternating current. This later turns out to be the crux of the story line, as it unfolds. Also in acknowledgment to this fact we have a quick and relevant dance sequence, again in flamboyant and bright costumes (Designed by Manish Malhotra and another homosexual friend) that are very typical of US returned software professionals and simple Brahmin girls with BA in Tamil literature.
He also says 'Cool!' after every meaningful scene as a reminder to us that he is from the US. Like when after a boy's life is saved after being revived from an electric shock which potentially could have charred any other human to plant fertilizer.
The fast paced movie keeps you hooked on to it, your thoughts never wandering - except when you wonder how spectacular it would be if Tamilchchelvi took off that shirt and danced only in the bikini underneath instead of killing you slowly like that. But soon you are gripped by the strong storyline again. The action sequences are mind blowing. Surely none other than Rajni Superstar can pull off these stunts. It would be stupid and remarkably lame and an insult to your intelligence and knowledge of Physics (however minuscule it might be) too see somebody else perform them. Only Rajni Superstar can deliver these stunts with such panache. Everyone knows it. And that is why you should watch the movie. Cool!
The rest of the plot shows how the polity gets the better of him. And how Sivaji fights them through sheer grit and determination that only one born in the Tamil soil possesses. And wins. And then loses again. And then wins one final time again, with a sudden and unexpected twist in the story which no one ever expected. It leaves you flabbergasted and simultaneously appreciative of the sheer genius of Sivaji. 'I could've have never imagined that was possible and could've never ever thought of that myself' you find yourself saying to yourself. Ultimately conveying the message the the good always wins over the evil. Even though the matter of deciding good and evil is actually very subjective and really depends on whose perspective you are looking from and whose well being are you concerned with.
Cool!
Edit: I forgot to add this - The BoSS in 'Sivaji - The Boss' is for Bachelor of Social Service.
Cool!
The evening began on a very sombre note as the prospect of watching this abomination of a movie, 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom', loomed large. And then it actually happened and I had to watch the lame movie till about 10:30 pm due to reasons beyond my control. I want to rant about how awful this movie was and how I would have rather preferred a swift attack of Diarrhea than watch this movie, but I won't.
Or may be I will.
Set in London, for no apparent reason (it would've sucked the same even if it had been set in Bombay or the Savannah) and revolves around two stupid people, one with a remarkably warped sense of fashion - Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta. The plot also involves Lara Dutta and the Deol guy later on. Even more irritating is Amitabh Bachchan who suddenly and intermittently springs out of nowhere, and all the people in Waterloo Station along with him start gyrating their hips (you'll know what I'm talking about if you watch the song) to the awful 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' song. Now the stupid song is stuck in my head forever cos they play it a zillion times in the movie. The worst part is how they try to put on lame British accents and fail miserably. Lara Dutta who features first as a receptionist in The Ritz, Paris and then a hooker, is probably the only thing that made me watch the screen instead of choking to death on my own vomit. She was hot.
The movie sucks. Do something better like jerking off or reading a book or contributing to the national GDP instead of watching it. Actually, watching the movie contributes to the national GDP, but whatever. Just don't watch it. Play with your dog or watch Cartoon Network.
So after the movie, as we were coming out, we saw that there was another show of 'Sivaji - The Boss'. It was a no-brainer. We bought the tickets and rushed off to get something to eat. (Pizza Hut - We charge absurdly high prices for mediocre pizzas, world over.)
Now, the director of the movie Shankar, (incidentally I have watched one more of his movies - Anniyan) is being very honest and straight forward when he says in an interview that not all movies need not convey messages, they can also convey emotions. But with 'Sivaji - The Boss', he says, he scores on both these key points - by conveying emotions and messages too. How cool is that!
If you didn't get any messages, you're slow and deserve to watch 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'. Alternatively, you can check with your mobile operator too.
So, Rajni (in and as Sivaji) is this ubercool Systems Software Architect, from the US, who comes down to India with his hard earned fortunes totalling to about 250 crores INR. Being the benevolent, kind-hearted and the visionary type that he is, he decides to start engineering colleges, medical colleges and hospitals for everyone with 'no capitation fees'. Little does he know about the things that await him. The pestilence of bribery, the red tapism that plagues the bureaucracy, the apathy of the government servant and his total lack of interest in the welfare of the people and the state. The social and economical imbalance, the erosion of morality and culture. He feels helpless. While he mulls over these critical aspects and how they are tearing up the very fabric of society, he dances with a few models, mostly of North-East Indian origin.
Like any other person caught in this vicious cycle of greed and avarice, he gives in - for the sake of brighter prospects for the country and it's people. He bribes every person in the ladder of hierarchy with wine and women, to get the papers signed and the permits cleared. Although this tears him up in the inside, he knows he must do it, for the greater good. Along the way he comes to the painful realization that this will never end. He cannot get out of this trap. He wonders why is he given this raw deal, even when he trying to do good to the country. He feels cornered. Is there no justice, he wonders.
As he wonders this, he also develops love and admiration for one, 'Tamilchchelvi'. (Laugh now fools, wait till you see her dance in the bikini and the blonde wig. Then see who's laughing.) He expresses his love for her by dancing to catchy English phrases (repeated quickly and in varying levels of volume) in bright costumes wearing multicoloured wigs. True love could never have been portrayed more correctly. Vivek proves his relevance to the plot as a sidekick through his witty banters, colloquialisms, cheeky remarks and contemporary humour. Shriya, as 'Tamilchchelvi' keeps you drooling throughout the movie.
As the movie continues, we learn how CPR combined with defibrillators can save lives even if you have been electrocuted, with potentially several thousand volts of alternating current. This later turns out to be the crux of the story line, as it unfolds. Also in acknowledgment to this fact we have a quick and relevant dance sequence, again in flamboyant and bright costumes (Designed by Manish Malhotra and another homosexual friend) that are very typical of US returned software professionals and simple Brahmin girls with BA in Tamil literature.
He also says 'Cool!' after every meaningful scene as a reminder to us that he is from the US. Like when after a boy's life is saved after being revived from an electric shock which potentially could have charred any other human to plant fertilizer.
The fast paced movie keeps you hooked on to it, your thoughts never wandering - except when you wonder how spectacular it would be if Tamilchchelvi took off that shirt and danced only in the bikini underneath instead of killing you slowly like that. But soon you are gripped by the strong storyline again. The action sequences are mind blowing. Surely none other than Rajni Superstar can pull off these stunts. It would be stupid and remarkably lame and an insult to your intelligence and knowledge of Physics (however minuscule it might be) too see somebody else perform them. Only Rajni Superstar can deliver these stunts with such panache. Everyone knows it. And that is why you should watch the movie. Cool!
The rest of the plot shows how the polity gets the better of him. And how Sivaji fights them through sheer grit and determination that only one born in the Tamil soil possesses. And wins. And then loses again. And then wins one final time again, with a sudden and unexpected twist in the story which no one ever expected. It leaves you flabbergasted and simultaneously appreciative of the sheer genius of Sivaji. 'I could've have never imagined that was possible and could've never ever thought of that myself' you find yourself saying to yourself. Ultimately conveying the message the the good always wins over the evil. Even though the matter of deciding good and evil is actually very subjective and really depends on whose perspective you are looking from and whose well being are you concerned with.
Cool!
Edit: I forgot to add this - The BoSS in 'Sivaji - The Boss' is for Bachelor of Social Service.
Cool!
Friday, June 15, 2007
This is how it all began
In keeping with the zeitgeist, after having gone public with my love life, I now present to you two of my photos, ages 6 months and 2 years respectively, for no apparent reason.
My scintillating lovelife.
Edit: On public demand (namely 3 people) I have decided to reinstate the post about my scintillating love life sans the comments (2 Nos, from one Ms Rao and one Mr Sharma).
I also would like to apologize to any and every person, mouse pad and plastic water cup whose religious beliefs might have been questioned during this troubled time.
Friday, May 18, 2007
1 am (5:30 am IST)
Bored.
Things I like here:
I saw a guy painting one of these. It is very professionally done. They use Scotch tape and all. But only spray cans. Bloody brilliant.
I've finally booked tickets for Silverstone. Spent quite a bit too, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
I'm coming home for a week in two weeks. Cannot wait. I think I have also put on weight.
1:14am. (5:44 IST)
Things I like here:
- Weather. It rains all the time, but if the sun's out it's brilliant.
- No Pollution.
- Beer. Carling, Carlsberg, Cobra, Fosters, Guinness - many many more.
- Wine. I've started like Port a lot.
- Taxis. I love the way they look.
- Buildings. If they are building a new one over an old building, they keep the outside as it is and build the new one in the same design. This takes longer and costs more. But they say it gives the city it's identity.
- Pubs. Every street, lane, by lane has one. Every street corner will have one.
- Cooking. I'm starting to enjoy it.
- Monty Python DVDs: Fuckin' A!
- Graffiti. There is a graffiti wall near where I stay. Some of the spray paintings on the wall are stunning.
I saw a guy painting one of these. It is very professionally done. They use Scotch tape and all. But only spray cans. Bloody brilliant.
I've finally booked tickets for Silverstone. Spent quite a bit too, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
I'm coming home for a week in two weeks. Cannot wait. I think I have also put on weight.
1:14am. (5:44 IST)
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