Neil Boy

Happy Fifth Birthday!!

2010-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

OOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF… OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF….

That’s the CPR my blog badly needs. My first post after a whopping 258 days!!! That shows how busy or rather, how lazy I have been!

Not too sure what has kept me away from my blog for such a long time but then I hope I would be regular going forward.

Anyways, my blog celebrated it’s fifth birthday on the 14th of Sep and I incidentally turned 31 the same day. And like I have been telling everyone, it’s no longer a “happy” birthday; it’s just another birthday!

This time around I got a Nexus One phone (thanks to the wifey & dad) and also got myself inked (see photo).

More posts to follow. Hopefully!!!

Holmes, Reinvented!

2010-01-24T16:31:00.008-05:00

One of the very few things, or rather the only thing that can be done for entertainment in this boring little city of Stamford is watching movies (that's what I realized from my stay here so far) and that's precisely what a colleague and me did during the first weekend of mine here.

A home-theater kind of an environment (96-seater auditorium), a screen which was slightly bigger than the one at home, a handful of people and we were all set to watch SHERLOCK HOLMES. We were welcomed into the auditorium with some dirty looks from a teenaged couple, seated right at the back (you know for what!), to ensure that we didn't plonk ourselves right next to them. Thankfully, we were intelligent enough to understand that and made ourselves comfortable right in the middle of the auditorium and also ensured that we didn't turn around to look at them till the end. We got to watch trailers of almost 10 new releases before the movie began; probably they were waiting for a few more people to come in at the last moment but that wasn't to happen.

The movie, directed by Guy Ritchie (more popularly, the ex-husband of Madonna), is basically Sherlock Holmes reinvented which might actually make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle turn in his grave and definitely will not go down well with the purists but what the heck, it is damn entertaining!!! With his reckless attitude, he may not be the refined Holmes of Doyle's conjuring, but this feisty re-imagining or rather, re-imaging is impressive I must say. He is no suave (a la James Bond) but definitely a man of action; does some bone-crunching and gets his hand dirty, literally. He has a rough energy; is clumsy to the core but his intellectual prowess, observation powers, deductive reasoning and forensic skills are very much intact. And he still is Doyle's super-sleuth, a brainy and more importantly, a brawny Sherlock Holmes!!!

Robert Downey Jr. in the title role is a delight to watch. His mannerisms and body language suit the role to the T and re-establishes the fact that he is one of the best in the business. Jude Law, as Dr. Watson, is a perfect match to Downey and the crackling chemistry between them is definitely the highlight of the movie!!!

And with the ending hinting at the arrival of Holmes' arch-rival Prof. Moriarty, the sequel should be worth waiting for.

Elementary, my dear Watson!!!

My first trip to the US of A

2010-01-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

Jan 15, 2010 – 6pm (Bangalore): Left home to take the Jet Airways 10.40pm flight (9W466) to Chennai, with the moist-eyed Sappu seeing me off. The food articles I was carrying were heavier than my clothes and occupied most of the space in my baggage. I had lots of khakras, maggi noodles, biscuits, some snack items like bhujia, moong dal, puris/nippats, pickle and some powders to be mixed with rice. Not too sure if I was going for a picnic or an official trip!!

Jan 15, 2010 – 11pm (Chennai): Reached Chennai in approx half hour. It took me an hour to reach the Bangalore airport from home and another one hour for all the other formalities (boarding card, security check etc). A sandwich and a brownie for dinner in the flight at 11.15pm; I never say no to food be it any time of the day!!!

Jan 15, 2010 – 11.15pm (Chennai): In queue for the Immigration formalities. I had approx 100 people in front of me (guess entire Chennai was headed to the US!!); no proper queue; total mess and chaos reigned supreme.

Jan 16, 2010 – 12.15am (Chennai): Somehow managed to wade through the sea of humanity to finish the immigration stuff and then it was time to fight away sleep and wait for the flight which was scheduled to depart at 1.35am!!

Jan 16, 2010 – 1.35am (Chennai): Departure of Jet Airways flight 9W226 to New York via Brussels. A quick call to Sappu (who was still awake) to confirm that I was on the right flight (she was scared that I might get lost and take a wrong flight to Nigeria!!!).

Jan 16, 2010 – 2am (Chennai): We were welcomed onboard with a towel dipped in cold water (not too sure what it’s called) and a welcome drink - a canned bottle of lemon juice. And then it was time for dinner, or was it breakfast? Whatever, it was food and I had to eat. Rice with some subzi, a bowl of curds and a dessert (a vanilla cake with chocolate topping I think). And forgot to mention, we were offered alcohol as well and I had 2 large vodkas with sprite (Sappu would be proud of me!!!).

Jan 16, 2010 – 2.30am (Chennai): After dinner, the lights were switched off and it was time for a nap. However, the inflight entertainment had so many options that I considered skipping sleep and watching all the movies (there were the English ones like Informant, Inglourious Bastards apart from some classics; hindi included Wanted, Kaminey, Love Aaj Kal, apart from lots of others); approx 50 odd movies that I could choose from!!! But wiseness prevailed and I decided to go to sleep!!

Jan 16, 2010 – 6am (god knows where): The lights were switched on and we were given hot towels this time and a fruit juice to get us ready for breakfast (when will you wake me up like that Sappu?). It was time for breakfast (croissant, fruits, dosa with chutney and tea). I quickly freshened up and came back to ensure that I don’t miss it!! After breakfast, decided to watch Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards. 10 minutes into the movie and I decided to switch to a hindi one primarily because it did not have subtitles. I watched Kaminey for the second time. I didn’t need subtitles because it was in hindi!!

Jan 16, 2010 - 8am (Brussels): After completing 10 hours in the air (my longest ever), I reached Brussels. And just when the plane was landing, the guy sitting next to me decided to throw up (not on me, thank god!!). He used up the vomit bags of almost all the other passengers and I was scared that the crew would run out of stock. Thankfully, he was finished with the ordeal before we got off the plane. It was 2 deg C and freezing like hell in Brussels. But the most painful part was the security check that we had to undergo at the Brussels airport.

Jan 16, 2010 – 9.30am (Brussels): After almost an hour and a half in the queue, I felt Chennai was better. We had to remove our jackets, shoes, belts (thankfully not trousers)!! The security officer who was checking me tried to locate the non-existent explosives / bombs and almost got his hand close to my private parts (unfortunately it was a guy). Once he was convinced that I was clean, I was let go to catch my connecting flight to New York!!

Jan 16, 2010 – 10.10am (Brussels): Now it was time for the second leg of my journey, from Brussels to New York. And to my horror, the ‘vomit-man’ was sitting next to me again. I began my prayers!! It was time for welcoming us onboard again with hot towels this time and lemon juice. I was anxiously waiting to see what I would be given for breakfast or was it lunch? Whatever. Unfortunately, no food came and I thought of reading this time around instead of watching a movie. I picked up Chetan Bhagat’s latest and continued from where I left.

Jan 16, 2010 – 12pm (not too sure where): It was time for lunch and we were served one chapathi, malai kofta, peas subzi, fried rice and curds. I was tempted to tell my neighbour to refrain from having food but couldn’t muster up courage (even he had paid for the tickets, I couldn’t ask him to skip food!!). We were served alcohol as well but I wasn’t too keen because the vodka that I had a few hours back would last me a month. And oh yes, I watched Salman Khan’s “Wanted” (one of the biggest blockbusters of 2009) to keep me company while having food! He still cannot act for nuts even after being in the industry for such a long time!!! And it was time for another movie after I was done with ‘never’ Wanted. I ended up watching a movie called ‘Frantic’ starring Harrison Ford. Now you might think why I watched this English movie without subtitles. The reason is that all Harrison Ford movies have similar plots (his family is kidnapped and he sets out in their search; think Firewall, Air Force One, Patriot Games and so on & so forth). And fyi, in this movie it’s his wife who is kidnapped!!!

Jan 16, 2010 – 11pm (closer to NY): A chocostick ice-cream at the fag end of the flight to ensure a sweet ending to our journey. How I love ice creams!!! I noticed that my neighbour didn’t take the ice cream and wanted to ask him if I could take it on his behalf. But I suddenly remembered what happened just before the flight landed in Brussels and kept my mouth shut!!

Jan 16, 2010 – 12.40pm (New York): Landed at the JFK International Airport in New York, safe and sound. Once again, gave a quick call to Sappu to confirm that I had indeed landed in US!!

2 States - The story of my marriage as well!!

2010-01-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Just happened to read the latest Chetan Bhagat bestseller. This is supposedly his best work till date and that’s what I feel as well. Five Point Someone was a good start and was followed by One Night @ The Call Centre which was quite fine (not in the league of his first one though). I haven’t read Three Mistakes Of My Life as it neither excited me nor did it get good reviews. In line with the tradition of his novels beginning with a numeric, the current one is titled 2 States – The Story Of My Marriage and is a sequel to his first novel.

It is the story about a couple coming from two different states of India, who face hardships in convincing their parents and persuading them to get married. The novel is a fiction, but is said to be inspired from the real story of Chetan and his wife who are from Delhi and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

To begin with, I expected the novel to reflect a bit of my personal life which it obviously did and I wasn’t disappointed. Am sure those who have had intercaste / interstate marriages would definitely be able to relate to most of the events / circumstances depicted in the novel. Most of them seem true and believable and obviously, some part is fictional. It’s definitely not a literary classic and am sure Chetan himself wouldn’t term it that way. It is predictable with a wafer thin story of boy meeting girl, overcoming all obstacles and finally getting married (a la our movies) but the narration is what makes all the difference. And more importantly, you are able to connect with it.

Sapna was the first one to finish the novel and I remember how she laughed her heart out when Chetan describes Tamilians (Tamil Brahmins to be precise); their appearance (not all of them are dark, look at me Sapna!), food habits (probably all of them like curd rice, yours truly included), mannerisms etc etc. She definitely enjoyed reading the novel and had a nice time at the cost of my TamBrahm community! Well, some of the detailing were a bit over-the-top and exaggerated I should say but that’s what you probably call “artistic license”!

I, for my part, thoroughly enjoyed reading the description of “Punjabi families”; their loud talking ways, their food habits (paneer, ghee, butter!!) et al. However, I would definitely say that Marwaris (that’s what Sapna is) are probably a sober lot (their “sweet” eating habits notwithstanding!) compared to the Punjabis. I definitely wouldn’t forget my first trip to Rajasthan post-wedding where I was given a Kingly treatment by all her relatives; they literally fell over each other to make sure that the ‘kunwar-sa’ was taken care of well. Since I wasn’t used to such a kind of treatment, it was a little embarrassing initially. But then, am used to it nowadays and have started enjoying it as well.

Another ritual that literally gives me nightmares even now is ‘touching the feet’ of the elders. Not that I don’t want to do it but then it’s quite difficult to figure out whose feet I should be touching and whose not. I remember an instance in Rajasthan wherein there was an elderly lady (Sapna’s relative) who came up to me and I touched her feet. She moved away and I thought probably she doesn’t quite like me and so, didn’t want to bless me. But then to my shock I got to know that she was Sapna’s niece (and so theoretically I shouldn’t have touched her feet though she was older). Phew!!

One thing that Sapna keeps complaining about is that even after 3 years of marriage, I still find it difficult to figure out the names of her relatives and how exactly they are related to her. I just have a handful of relatives and Sapna has done a pretty good job of knowing who is who but the same is not the case with me. I just hope I figure this out by our 25th wedding anniversary!!!

We didn’t have to struggle as much as the couple in the novel to convince our parents for our marriage (touch wood). That was because not just Sapna but my in-laws were also floored by my charm and agreed instantly to me becoming their son-in-law (Sapna wouldn’t agree though!!).

But what I really liked about the novel were certain simple yet subtle points which the author makes; like when he says that South Indians can be great no. 2 people in an organization but are found wanting when it comes to taking up the no. 1 job; that he hopes that such intercaste / interstate marriages would help in uniting India (now you know the reason for me marrying Sapna!!!).

A nice breezy read is what I would say. Pick it up when you don’t feel like reading some heavy duty stuff!!!

Lagaan

2010-01-07T06:49:00.000-05:00

My blog resembles a movie review site nowadays!!!

Anyways, now on to another one of my favorite movies - LAGAAN. Ended up watching this sometime last week (have lost count of the number of times I have seen this). “Nothing is Impossible” should have been the tagline of the movie instead of “Once Upon A Time In India”. A wonderful movie which celebrates the “triumph of the underdog” like no other movie does.

One of the best kept secrets about the movie till the time of its release was that it was about cricket. Though it was common knowledge that it was a period film, set in the pre-Independence era, everyone assumed that the movie would be about the Indian freedom struggle. And with a title like Lagaan (tax), you would be excused for assuming that. Though the poster of the movie showed 11 guys standing next to each other, who would have guessed that cricket was its backdrop? Not me for sure!!

Once the movie released, it took this cricket-crazy nation by surprise & awe and went on to become one of the biggest grossers of all time and received an Oscar nomination as well. With a running time of 224 mins, many might not have the patience to sit through this. But definitely not me. I still enjoy everytime I get to watch this! I wouldn’t call this a “sports” movie but a typical bollywood fare with the right mixture of drama, music, emotions, thrills etc etc.

Wonderful performances from Aamir Khan & team (including the Brit actors), neat screenplay, amazing music by AR Rehman, nice choreography and above all, excellent direction by Ashutosh Gowariker puts Lagaan on the “bollywood-movies-not-to-be-missed” list.

It was called the “perfect” hindi movie when it was released. Not too sure about that but then I just love watching it everytime it’s on TV!!

PS – You can look up imdb.com or wikipedia for more info on the movie.

Shawshank Redemption

2009-12-08T05:41:00.000-05:00

I watched this movie for the fourth time probably last Sunday and how much I loved it yet again!!! Another movie I would never ever get bored of and definitely, one of my all time favorites. A simple yet wonderful story about HOPE!!!

HOPE – One word that drives all of us and gives us reason to live. We push ourselves through our mundane lives in the hope of achieving / finding something that we dream of. In the words of this movie’s protagonist – “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”!!!

Superlative performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.

A must watch if you haven’t!!!

The God of Cricket

2009-11-19T05:22:00.000-05:00

The Little Master
The Master Blaster
The Run-machine
Bradman of modern era
Grandpa of Indian cricket

And the list goes on!!!

There is nothing new that I can write about this man. The man who has been a constant & consistent reason for joy for millions of Indians over the last 20 years, the man who probably has all the batting records under his belt, the man who is a treat to watch when on song, the man who silences his critics whenever they point fingers at him, the man known as the GOD of CRICKET!!!

20 years and still going strong!!! Lara (test average proves) may have been better and Ponting may break his records (test cricket atleast), but either way, without a shadow of doubt, the greatest icon to have ever played the game and a demigod indeed in an absolutely cricket crazy nation!!!

SACHIN TENDULKAR!!!

A Sober Birthday

2009-09-19T08:39:00.000-04:00

30 years ago, on the 14th of Sep 1979, a tiny one weighing 3kgs was born in a government hospital in a small town called Lalgudi in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu. This kid spent the next eight years of his life in Delhi and eventually settled down in Bangalore in the year 1987.........

What next? You can catch the rest of the story when I release my autobiography!

Well, the birthday celebration this year was a very simple and sober affair. I had taken a day off to spend time at home. Sappu cooked some of my favourite dishes including onion sambhar, aloo curry and a special dal payasam to celebrate the occasion. And after the sumptuous feast, it was time for a nice afternoon nap. Evening time was spent shopping and then eating dosas at parents place. And just when I thought it was all over, there landed Mamta & Mithun with a yummy cake (at 11pm). It was time for some wine & cake to round off what was a simple yet special day!

Thanks a lot to all the people who messaged & called in to wish me and thanks to Sappu for keeping it simple.

PS – My blog also celebrated its fourth birthday and I hope there are many more to follow!!!

Why God?!! Why me???

2009-09-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

That's what Joey says on his 30th birthday!!!

And no prizes for guessing why I came up with that now. Well... am spending the last few hours in my twenties as I pen this down :-(

And does it feel different to be 30? I shall answer that tomorrow!!!

Why God?!! Why?!! We had a deal!! Let the others grow old! Not me!!

OUR First Car :-)

2009-08-12T12:17:00.001-04:00

And there it is. Our first car!!! The one I bought last sat (Aug 8th). An electric-red Hyundai Getz. Do we love the colour or what??? A BRIGHT contrast in comparison to the earlier one. Sappu always wanted Getz to be her first car and here it is.

Just for you!!!

My First Car!!

2009-08-12T12:02:00.000-04:00

There it is. My first car!!! The one I bought in 2005. A forest green Hyundai Santro Xing. It was a pre-owned one but still my first and I absolutely loved it!!! A lot of wonderful memories are attached with it.

Anyways, it was time to part with it and I sold it last Saturday (Aug 8th) with a heavy heart... a very very heavy heart :-)

Miss you!!!

Boyz Meet!!!

2009-08-06T12:50:00.000-04:00

Aug 2nd (Sun) - It was THE night, the big night, the night of reckoning, the night that all of us were waiting for with bated breath. That was the hot topic of discussion and our conversations revolved around that. It was the night when Rakhi Sawant was going to choose her life partner!!!

Oops!!! Just got carried away...

I was to blog about the BOYZ get-together that happened on the 2nd. It was one of those ‘once in a blue-moon’ kind of occasions when all the six of us (of course with our spouses) made it to PJ’s house for a wine + dinner get-together. GP & Nanz were the first ones to make it followed by yours truly and Sappu. Then it was our ‘Gym’ Corbett man, Chiins, followed by Shaatz & Dia. Barry & Ranji were the chief guests for the evening (they were the last ones to arrive!!!). Of course, the centre of attraction and the cynosure of all eyes was obviously our little Changu who posed tirelessly with all of us while Chiins was busy clicking away with his new camera!!!

Our discussions involved the usual stuff - Chiins and his wedding / car buying plans, Changu’s activities, current job scenario, our next trip, the latest kannada movies, reality shows, our favourite topic of real estate and of course, Rakhi Sawant and her antics!!! While Sappu and me were found wanting when it came to Rakhi Sawant's reality show discussion, GP seemed to be in full form and totally updated much to our astonishment!!! All this while Changu kept Rachu busy most of the time with his on & off naps & cries.

And last but not the least, thanks to PJ for the wonderful wine that we had and thanks to Rachu (or should I say Shanti Sagar!!!) for the tasty pav bhajis & the ‘rockstar’ biriyani!!!

And finally hoping we have such get-togethers more often.

Ciao for now.

PS – More on our Singapore / Malaysia trip in my next post.

RIP MJ

2009-07-19T12:38:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a little late in coming but here it is nevertheless. A tribute to one of the greatest showmen of our times, the King of Pop (and controversies as well), Michael Jackson!!!

Lots has been said and written about this legend that I might not have anything new but then am sure all of us carry those wonderful sweet memories of him. I can vividly recall the moment wherein I would try a ‘moonwalk’ a la MJ or his signature 'Aaaooohh' after watching one of his videos on TV. Pretty nostalgic stuff!!

The only album of his that I ever possessed was ‘BAD’. Remember dad just randomly picking up the cassette when it was released. And I literally went bonkers listening to the songs. And I should admit that it was BAD that got me listening to pop music. Not that am a big fan of English music now but then whatever interest I have currently is thanks to him and his music.

Watching some of his earlier concerts being aired on History channel today made me realize that the world has definitely lost a great performer and a showman. And I haven’t really seen people shouting, crying and even fainting during a performance (probably am ignorant but am happy that way)..

And well, about the controversies, let’s keep it aside.

Adieu MJ. Peace of mind was probably one thing which you didn’t quite get during the last few years of your life and now I pray for your soul to rest in peace…

Your music will always live forever!!!

PS - Sappu was surprised after reading this and asked me to moonwalk. Well, I almost got my feet entangled and fell off!!!

Image Courtesy - Google Images

Birthday Fortnight!!!

2009-06-15T07:24:00.000-04:00

The birthday fortnight is finally over (phew - sigh of relief!!!)...

It all starts with mom's birthday (May 27), then dad's (Jun 1), then Sappu's (Jun 8), Gai's (Jun 11) and finally ends with mom-in-law's (Jun 12)...

All your sympathies accepted... Thanks!!!

Fedex it is... Finally...

2009-06-07T14:06:00.000-04:00

“Kitni shiddat se tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai… Ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai…
Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, to saari kayanath tumhe usse milane ki koshish me lag jaati hai...
Aaj aap sabne milke mujhe meri chahat se milaya… Thank you very much... and I feel like I am the King of the World!!!”

These probably would have been the words used by Federer when he held aloft the French Open cup today!!! And yeah, those who didn’t quite understand the dialogues (from the movie Om Shanti Om), the following is the gist:

“If you have the willpower within you, if you have a really strong desire to achieve something, then the entire universe comes together to help you in obtaining that desire.”

And how does this fit into our today’s discussion??? Well… am sure we are aware of Federer’s “will power” and his “strong desire” to win the French Open… And when we talk about the “entire universe” coming together, it basically refers to Kohlschreibaer, Gonzalez and the losing finalist Soderling who defeated Djokovic, Murray and King Nadal respectively to ensure that it was a smooth sail for Fedex...

Fedex produced a near flawless display today to defeat Soderling (10th time in a row!!!) in straight sets and in the process picked up his first French Open title!!! And hats off to Soderling who took the defeat in his stride and accepted that Federer thoroughly deserved the cup…

14 Grand Slam Titles (equaling Sampras’ record) and only the 6th man ever to win all the four grand slams, Fedex is definitely right up there as one of the best ever…

And the tears rolling down his cheeks when the Swiss National Anthem was being played was a sight to behold!!!

Bon Jour!!!

Image courtesy - IBNLIVE.COM (REUTERS)

PM's Team (Cont'd)...

2009-05-28T03:52:00.000-04:00

The PM seems to have read my earlier blog (PM’s team – May 22) and seems to have inducted the people whom I had mentioned – Shashi Tharoor, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Dayanidhi Maran to name a few.

There are 33 Cabinet Ministers and 45 Ministers of State (MOS), decided after 4 days of intense negotiations / bargaining. The 78-strong (very very strong!!!) Council of Ministers includes 59 from Congress and 19 from five allies: 7 each from DMK and Trinamool Congress, 3 from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and 1 each from Muslim League and National Conference (NC).

Former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh (of “Terror Tourism” fame post Mumbai blasts) also finds a place in the cabinet as also does the old war-horse, Farooq Abdullah (NC Leader, J&K).

4 ministers from Karnataka find a place in the council (Cabinet - SM Krishna, Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily and MOS – Muniyappa). This is touted as Congress’ attempt to strengthen the party in Karnataka (after the trouncing it received in Assembly and LS polls). I think this is more of Caste Politics since all these 4 guys represent different castes and is an obvious attempt to woo the respective voters!!!

The grand old man has managed to get 7 DMK ministers in the council (3 cabinet berths - Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja, MK Azhagiri) and 4 MOS. Talk about Regionalism in politics!!! Sadly his daughter missed out on a ministerial berth (she apparently decided “to opt out” from the cabinet and made way for her brother and cousin). Sacrifice at its best!!!

The average age of the PM’s team is pegged at 57 years with the oldest member being SM Krishna (77 years) and the youngest one being Agatha Sangma, daughter of PA Sangma (27 years).

All that matters finally is the performance and let’s hope with a stable govt and a decent team by his side, the PM is able to give us all something that we have been hoping for a long time – GOOD GOVERNANCE!!!

FYI (Sappu wanted to know!) - Difference between Cabinet Minister, MOS and MOS (Independent Charge):
Union Cabinet Minister – Senior minister in-charge of a ministry. A Cabinet minister may also hold additional charges of other Ministries, where no other Cabinet minister is appointed.
Minister of State (MOS) - Junior minister with an overseeing Cabinet Minister, usually tasked with a specific responsibility in that ministry. For instance, an MOS in the Finance Ministry may only handle Taxation.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) - With no overseeing Union Cabinet Minister for that portfolio.

Simply put, while a MOS has the opportunity to make money in lakhs in INR only, a cabinet minister can do the same in crores in different international currencies!!!

Courtesy – CNN IBN, Indian Express, Yahoo

PS - Looks like our new minister for External Affairs his hands full with the Gurudwara Shootout in Vienna, Racial attack on Indians in Australia and the bomb blasts in Pak keeping him occupied!!!

I'm Loving It!!!

2009-05-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

Well... Am not endorsing Big Mac nor did I visit them recently... The words just reflect what I feel every time I listen to the songs from the tamil movie "Vaaranam Aayiram"... The movie directed by Gowtham Menon (Minnale, Kaakha Kaakha, Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu etc) stars Surya and has music by Harris Jayaraj... And in my opinion this is one of the best albums to have come out in the last 2-3 years...

6 months & 50-60 listenings (for want of better word) later, why do I feel that way... just read on:

This album is an eclectic mix of 7 songs and touches different genres and is the kinds which you would love to listen to on a rainy evening with a hot cuppa tea & some bajjis!!! It has a couple of amazing melodies, a typical "kuthu" song, a nice fusion number...

Two songs which stand out in this album as far as am concerned are "Nenjukkul Peiydhidum Maamazhai" and "Mundhinam Paarthene"...

"Nenjukkul", in Hari Haran’s honey-coated voices, oozes melody right from the word go... The guitar strings in the beginning are just amazing (am trying to learn that) and then Hari Haran takes over... "Nillendru nee sonnal, en kaalum nagaradhe; nee soodum poovellam oru podhum udhiradhe; Kaadhal ennai ketkavillai; kaettal adhu kaadhal illai"... just love these lines... What a song!!!

"Mundhinam", set in the 70s in the movie, has a retro feel to it... It starts off with Surya's voice with a sort of love-message… Naresh Iyer and Prashanthini are just fabulous in this number... The sax interludes are amazing... Sheer magic I should say!!!

"Oh Shanti Shanti" (Sappu's favourite) is a spin-off from "Nenjukkul" and is a foot-tapping number... SPB Charan certainly shows that he is a chip of the old block (a big fat old block in that!!!)...

"Adiye Kolluthe", sung by Benny Dayal and Krish, consists of heavy bursts of synthesized music... Shruti Hassan lends her voice as well to this song... Decent voice, nothing out of the world though… Reminds you of Vasundara Das actually!!!

"Yethi Yethi" and "Ava Enna" are nice "timepass" songs, if I may call that... Ava enna is the kuthu song I was referring to earlier... Both make for pleasant hearing...

Special mention needs to be made about "Annal Mele" sung by Sudha Raghunathan. This is a listener's delight (quite like Vaseegara from Minnale sung by Bombay Jayashree)... I didn't quite like it initially but the song slowly starts growing on you... There is a gentle sorrow and a haunting-kind of a feeling when you listen to this... Sudha Raghunathan sings in a way only she can... Out of the world!!!

Harris Jayaraj has often been accused of being repetitive in his albums... This one’s no different though... But still hats off to him for this amazing collection!!!

Well done RCB!!!

2009-05-26T03:29:00.000-04:00

Its finally curtains for IPL Season 2 and DC were crowned champions, a deserving one at that I should say!!! The action now moves to the T-20 World Cup in England from Jun 5 and I must say India is well placed to defend their crown...

Coming to the IPL, what a fantastic performance from the Hyderabad team... From being the last placed team in season 1 to the champs in this edition, their hardwork, determination and confidence alongwith some wonderful captaincy by Gilly ensured that they took home the cup this time… Though they didn't really dominate over the other teams during the tournament, they held their nerves during some crucial moments (incl the finals) and came up triumphs… Hats off to them!!!

And the challengers from Bangalore!!! What do I say??? From being the favorite whipping boys of the other teams last year to the runners-up this year, they have definitely come a long way… Though they started off pretty slowly, they climbed up the rankings steadily (esp after ‘Jumbo’ took over the captaincy) and though they played well in the finals, they were not good enough for DC on that day… Mr. Mallya will surely be proud of his team and hopefully, would be providing free supply of beer for one year to all the team-members… And probably he would be ruing the fact that he could have saved $1.5M (that he spent on KP) for obvious reasons… Well done boys!!!

And finally, this year’s finals would have given some hope to KKR & MI who are now tipped to reach the finals of season 3 with KKR the favorites to win the cup!!!

Ciao!!!

PM's Team

2009-05-22T10:47:00.000-04:00

Nothing to do with the IPL (which seems to be the flavor of the season… check out Sappu’s latest post if you have any doubts!!!)

Just finished watching the swearing-in ceremony of the 19 ministers alongwith Dr. M Singh… Well… same old faces again (most of them atleast) – PC, Pranab Mukherjee, Kamal Nath, AK Anthony, Sharad Pawar, Jaipal Reddy… New Additions - Didi (Mamata Bannerjee), Veerappa Moily, SM Krishna (getting his due finally!!!)… Expected ones – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vayalar Ravi, Ambica Soni, Sushil K Shinde, Kapil Sibal, Murli Deora… and some unknown faces – CP Joshi, BK Handique, Meira Kumar, Anand Sharma…

This is round one of the swearing-in ceremony and the next round is going to be on Tuesday after the final discussions/agreement with the DMK… Hope Mr. Singh plays tough and doesn’t give in to such blackmail politics by the grand old man (Mr. Karunanidhi on a wheelchair these days)… Looks like he wants a cabinet post for everyone in his family – right from his son/daughter to the cook/watchman of his house!!!

Now coming to the point… Where have all the young guns gone??? Congress claims that it is the only party which is grooming youngsters but where are they in the cabinet?? All part of political gimmickry I guess… just to garner votes… Rahul Gandhi was tipped to be in the cabinet (guess he would not settle for anything less than the PM post!!!)… I would have loved to see someone like Shashi Tharoor (not exactly a young gun though) taking up MEA… I thought Dayanidhi Maran was really good as the IT Minister earlier (until some dirty politics by the grand old man did him in and he was relieved of his post)… And this time around, though Congress wants him, DMK is not too keen to field him (that’s politics for you in India!!!)… Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot… Where are they???

Two dozen more ministers are expected to be sworn-in on Tuesday apart from the MOS and junior ministers… As mentioned earlier, I hope we have lots of young faces in that atleast… And as the name suggests, hopefully junior ministers are really juniors!!!

Ciao for now…

PS – DD 77/2 in 10 overs (my money’s on them)… Hopefully Sehwag & Co pull it off against DC!!!

Updates in the last 10 days!!!

2009-03-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Updates in the last 10 days:
1) Struggling to upload entries in the system
2) India beat NZ comprehensively in the 1st test (struggling in the 2nd one though)...
3) SA beat Aus by an innings in the 3rd test (but lost the series)...
4) IPL-2 to happen in SA (its like having the EPL in India!!!)
5) The world's cheapest car launched...
6) During my haircut session last week, the hair stylist suggested I start dyeing my hair!!!
7) And finally, last but not the least, am updating my blog after a loooooooooooong time (and hopefully will be more regular going forward)...

Birthday Time!!!

2008-09-16T20:20:00.000-04:00

It was that time of the year again... the time when it's rubbed in that you are a year older... guess birthdays are no longer fun... definitely not when you are about to touch 30 soon...

It was a pretty simple celebration this time around... Sappu had arranged for a cake which I cut at 12am with her strumming "Happy Birthday" on the guitar in the background!!! the Boyz (PJ, Rach & Sharath) came home as well at midnight to wish me... also went for a sumptous South Indian lunch to Karavalli... then, it was time for blessings from parents & in-laws in the evening...

And last but not the least, I got a phone & a guitar from Sappu...

3 years ago I started this blog on my birthday and am quite happy that I have been able to pen down or rather "blog" down some of the most memorable & interesting moments of my life (though the frequency of posts seems to be coming down with every passing year)...

Hopefully, I shall be more regular in future!!!

Realisations...

2008-09-16T15:17:00.000-04:00

Finally... This post sees the light of the day after being in draft mode for a long time...

Am back after a loooooooooooooong hiatus... 'lil older, 'lil fatter and much wiser than before!!!

1) Managing office is easier than managing home
2) Weekdays are more relaxing than weekends
3) Cooking is anyday better than driving thro' traffic!!!
4) Cutting onions is easier than grating coconut!!!

Anyone in disagreement??? (not you Sappu)

Celebration Time!!!

2007-12-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

Just felt like yesterday but it's an year now... What am I talking about??? Our wedding of course!!!

Have managed to stay with Sappu for an year now and there are many more to go... Boy.. only I know how I managed that!!! (hope Sappu's not reading this!!!)...

Both of us managed to take almost 10 days off for our anniversary celebrations (sounds like some Rajyotsava Celebrations, doesn't it???)... On the big day (Dec 1), went to Dakshin (Windsor Manor) for some amazing south indian lunch... Dinner, at Citrus (Leela Palace), consisted of light Italian stuff and some chocolate pastry!!!

On 2nd, met some friends for breakfast at Frescos and went to mom's place for lunch... After a nice meal, we were treated to some wonderful gifts... A necklace & salwar set for Sappu and a watch & a shirt for your's truly!!! Evening was spent shopping for both of us...

On 3rd morning, we left home at around 7.30am for our short vacation to Vythiri (Wayanad).. It was a 6 hour drive (around 300 kms)... We returned back on 5th (Wednesday) night after a nice, relaxing and a wonderful break not to mention the sumptous food and the ayurvedic massage that we had...

The rest of the week was spent lazing at home and watching the boring cricket match between India & Pak at Blore (at home, not on the ground though)... Back to the regular grind of work from 10th :(

Overall a wonderful week and a memorable first anniversary celebrations!!

Some pics from our trip:

Surprise Surprise!!!

2007-10-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

Seems like ages since I even had a "dekko" at my blog... well, just that I have been totally busy with either work or home... every weekend I think of updating the blog but then my laziness thinks otherwise!!!

To share a piece of info with you all, my blog completed two years of its existence on Sep 14th (which incidentally happens to be my birthday also)... and what happened this year on the big day???

Well.... SURPRISE!!! SURPRISE!!! Sappu had a big surprise planned... Travel to some "secret" destination... I was strictly instructed by Sappu to take off on the 14th and 15th... No other details provided... I did as instructed (no questions asked!!!)... We left b'lore on the 12th night and until we reached the B'lore Railway Station, I had no inkling of the place we were travelling to!!!

Once in the station, I realised that we were off to Cochin and wondered what would we do in Cochin, of all the places??? On the 13th, we went around Cochin (museums, palaces... just the usual)... Sappu had arranged for a special b'day cake and I cut the same at the stroke of midnight... That was just wonderful!!!

The next day we set off to the Railway Station and I thought that was the end of the journey... We had come all the way to Cochin to cut my b'day cake!!!!! But then, Sappu had other plans in mind... We boarded the train to Alleppey and that's when I realised that we were going to spend the day in the backwaters!!!

It was drizzling the whole time we were in the houseboat and that made the stay even more romantic and wonderful!!! Was just hoping that the trip doesn't end at all, but then :(

As for the rest of the story, I would let the photos do the talkin!!!

Dating Anniversary!!!

2007-07-25T06:42:00.000-04:00

Its our second anniversary today... second "dating" anniversary... the same day, two years ago, we started seeing each other... that was the beginning... the beginning of our journey together... journey seeking companionship, love, happiness (well... too melodramatic... not my cup of tea!!!)...

Anyways, for more on this subject, kindly visit www.clueless-desires.blogspot.com - Sappu's blogspot... I composed the post for her!!!

Some Updates...

2007-04-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

It seems like ages since I updated my blog... hmmm... just that I have been totally held up after marriage, playing my "husband" part to perfection that am not getting time to update my blog (Sappu, you agree right???)...

Actually both of us have been completely held up doing up our new house that we hardly have time right now for other things... except for our trips that is... So far we have managed to go for trips once a month... it started off with our honeymoon trip to Thailand in Dec, then it was Trichy/Tanjore again in Dec, then Rajasthan in Jan-Feb, Goa in March and Munnar last week... This is one thing which both of us want to keep doing... try and take off once a month if possible...

Well... that's it for now... Will leave you with some snaps from our trips... Yenjoy!!!

Munnar - April '07

2007-04-11T14:53:00.000-04:00

(Rajamalai Hills, the abode of wild goats)

(A view from the place where we stayed)

(A view from Rajamalai)

Munnar, with its breathtaking scenery, lush tea gardens and beautiful flora, can rightfully be called "God's own country"... This was my third visit and am sure there would be many more in the future... A perfect 3 day weekend getaway...

Goa - March '07

2007-04-11T14:22:00.000-04:00

(Baga Beach)

(Sappu in Calangute Beach)

Well... Goa is one place I would love to go again and again... its the perfect place to laze around... and that's what we did for 3 days!!!

Rajasthan - Jan '07

2007-04-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

(Meharangarh Fort in Jodhpur)

(Ride on Michael Jackson, the camel in Jaisalmer)

(In front of the Royal Durbar, Bikaner Fort)

The purposes of this visit:

1) Trip to Jodhpur, Jaisalmer (esp the camel ride) and Bikaner.

2) Attend Sappu's cousin's wedding and meet her relatives.

3) Thanks-giving at Sappu's family deity temple.

Trichy / Tanjore - Dec '06

2007-04-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

(Brihadeeswara Temple in Tanjore)

(Family Deity Temple)

This was a three-in-one purpose trip... One was to show my native place Lalgudi to Sappu, visit Brihadeeswara Temple in Tanjore and finally thanks-giving at our family deity temple.

Thailand - Dec '06

2007-04-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

(This photo was taken in the cruise on our way to Phi Phi Islands)

(This photo was taken in Phuket)

(This photo was taken in the Golden Buddha Temple in Bangkok)

The purpose of this visit - well.... ahem.. Honeymoon, what else...

IT'S ALL OVER (I meant the wedding!!!)

2006-12-19T17:19:00.000-05:00

Final Countdown!!!

2006-11-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

With less than a day to go for the big event, am a bundle of nerves and at the same time, totally excited with all the happenings around me!!!

Its totally difficult to put my thoughts into words & what exactly am going through... but one thing is for sure, it is absolutely exciting no doubt and am enjoying every bit of attention that am getting... I know am the king for the next few days and am definitely being treated as one!!!

Well, I cannot meet my "queen" right now (law enforcement agencies at work!!!)... and am looking forward to seeing her tomorrow in her full bridal attire...

I would be out of action (on the blog front) for the next one month approx... after wedding we are off to Phuket & Bangkok (Thailand) for our honeymoon... looking forward to a bit of relaxation after the hectic time currently...

That's it for now... Got to go and get some things ready...
Ciao
Sunil...

The Secret is out!!!

2006-10-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

The secret is out on Friday the 13th!!!

Well.... nothing scary here... just that when I started this blog, I was asked why the name "Neilboy" and I had said that it was a small secret....

And the 'lil secret is that the nick-name "Neilboy" was given by Sappu (not difficult to guess am sure!!!)

;-)

PS: The above collage of my photos was done by her (it is difficult to bear with one Sunil... and you have four-in-one here!!!!)

Sappu

2006-10-04T05:50:00.000-04:00

Am writing this blog with a gun pointing towards my head...

Hmmm... who's the one with the gun??? Well... who else but Sappu.... Sappu who???? My fiance Sapna (I didn't know how to get the "dash" above the letter "e" in fiance)....

Now you might ask.. why a gun???

Well.... she has dedicated a post in her blog for me... and well... err... do I need to say more????

On a serious note, I have been wanting to do it for quite sometime now but then have been postponing the same due to some reason or the other... guess.. now is the time to do it..

I have always believed in love at first sight.... but with Sappu it was totally different... there was absolute hatred when we first met each other in the cab at GECIS (total filmy style!!!!)... let me tell you one thing... she absolutely hated me... hated me to the core!!!! and why did she hate me.... she was under the impression that I was a guy with loads of attitude (how untrue!!!!)....

Honestly, it is very difficult to describe her.... let me borrow a few words from her blog to describe her better... "Practical Punctual Perfectionist with a Pinch of Temperament".... It took me quite sometime to understand the real meaning of that statement... and that is Sappu for you!!!!

And we are poles apart.... she loves coffee and I like tea... I love sweets and she hates it.... I like Rajinikanth and she hates him (!!!)... I like quiet evenings and she loves partying.... I am damn lazy and she is always the over enthusiast.... I am the movie buff (can watch any movie) and she is only into Aamir Khan movies... I am the good-looking one and she is...... I am the one intelligent and she is..... (am definitely gonna get beaten!!!!).... the list just goes on...

Well... jokes apart.... how time has flown by... it has been a wonderful one year since I started seeing her and I look forward to spending my entire life with her....

First Anniversary!!!

2006-09-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Sep 14 this year signifies the first anniversary of my blog journey (keep going dude!!!)... Incidentally, it also happened to be my birthday.... And this year's birthday was all the more special.... any guesses why??????

Well, it was my last birthday as a bachelor :-( [Sappu is gonna kill me if she sees this!!!]....

And this year, the surprise came in the form of a dinner party arranged by Sappu... and this happened at Ramanas, a nice cosy North Indian restaurant on Cunningham Road... when Sappu and me reached the place at 8 pm, I was shocked to see my parents, Gai, Mamta (Sappu's sis), friends (GP, Rayaru, Chinu, Barry, Aaps, Divs & Shiva) waiting for us.... It was absolutely wonderful and all these people made the rest of the evening memorable...

There was a delicious Chocolate Truffle cake (the one you see above), some nice gifts and of course, a fabulous dinner to round things off.... The icing on the cake was.... well.... the drive back home with Sappu after dropping Mamta at office....

A birthday made memorable by Sappu.... and made special by all the people who came in and surprised me!!!!

Good show Sappu (and expecting more of such things in future!!!!!)

PS - Watch out for more on Sappu in my next post...

Mere "Sapno" Ki Rani

2006-07-19T04:48:00.000-04:00

Am back!!! Brimming and grinning as you would have seen in my earlier post (if not, kindly go back & have a look)... Well, I have every reason to...

Got engaged on the 9th of July.... And here go the details...

Her namez Sapna...
Works for an equity research company...
Met her when I was in GE...
Know her for an year now...
The W-Day is Dec 1, 2006...

And does it feel different to be engaged??? Yes, it does.... and I guess u need to be engaged to understand that!!!!!

Engaged!!!

2006-07-19T04:29:00.000-04:00

Madras Eye!!!

2006-06-12T13:37:00.000-04:00

Conjunctivitis a.k.a madras eye, reminds me of my school days, like most others... Think I was in the 4th or 5th standard when I got madras eye and being the dedicated student that I was (!!!), went to school with it.... and was asked to wear coolers to prevent the infection from spreading... Man, did I feel like a cool dude or what!!!! and was the talk of the class (thought it was for my looks with the coolers on but actually it was due to my eye!!!)... I also managed to spread the virus to some of my classmates and of course, to all the folks at home... hmmm... Nice to reminisce those wonderful school days, isn't it?

Wondering why am talking about madras eye all of a sudden??? well... am currently suffering from that...
or rather, currently enjoying my madras eye... allowed me to stay at home for couple of days and avoid work!!! (hope my boss doesn't read this blog)...
(and am wearing coolers in the above photo to prevent the same from spreading to others!!!!!)

And btw, why is it called Madras eye??? any answers???

My Grandma :-(

2006-06-12T12:07:00.000-04:00

One soul who would never get angry, never lose her cool, who loved all of us, was sweet to everyone and one who has been very influential in my life --- my grandma (mom's mom)...

We lost her on the 26th of May this year...

May her soul rest in peace...

Miss you grandma :-(

Back in Action (with additional luggage!!!)

2006-05-06T14:24:00.000-04:00

Here I am... back in action after my minor surgery.... nose intact.... but with an additional layer of muscle in my midriff (just got pampered with lotsa care & goodies!!!!!).....

haven't indulged in physical activity for over a month now...... wondering how to remove the additional layer without much effort..... oh god, can't you give me a secret mantra, after uttering which, the extra flab is just gonna vanish (ooohhh... that would mean loads of money.... lotsa people would want the same.... chance to become the richest man in the world..... no more work (the best part)...... currently visualize myself travelling across the globe & spending money on all things lavish!!!!!)

hmmm..... well.... meanwhile, lemme get back to my exercise regimen :-(

ciao....

PS - The photos published in my blog need not represent my current physical appearance!!!

Am off!!!

2006-04-06T08:36:00.000-04:00

Oooooooooofffffffff..... another quarter-end has gone by..... another period of hectic activity over..... not too sure why we have these quarters and months......

this time, after this hectic season, am off.... off to chennai.... definitely not to chill though (chill, in chennai?????)....

a minor operation... endoscopic sinus surgery (sounds hep, doesn't it!!!!).... to cure me of my sinusitis problem..... hope to return with my nose intact.....

ciao....

My new hairdo!!!

2006-02-28T07:58:00.000-05:00

My new "spiked-hair" look!!!!!! Any comments?????

Silence before the storm!!!

2006-01-18T07:45:00.000-05:00

This is what I call "Silence before the Storm"..... no news for a long time..... no posts since Nov '05.... well, just that there was no work-life balance.... only work-work balance..... the new year has been kind to me though..... work's not all that hectic right now..... so, watch this blog for more posts!!!!!

Wah Taj!!!

2005-11-26T09:50:00.000-05:00

WAH TAJ!!!
For those of you thinking that am endorsing a famous tea brand..... wait maadi..... that was a summary of my visit to the Taj Mahal (a little sarcastic though, if you happened to catch it).....

My visit to the Taj in Oct '05 wasn't my first..... it was probably my 3rd or 4th.... but the first in almost 20 years.... and I hardly remember anything about my earlier visits..... so, more or less counts like a first.....

Not to mention, I was quite excited about the whole thing..... like anyone is..... but but but..... it just turned out to be an anti-climax..... totally..... an experience worth forgotten..... hmmm, let me try and relive those moments.....

The roads first..... roads, what roads?????? Bannerghatta Road, which was recently rated as one of the worst roads in India, would definitely rate higher..... the roads just don't suit the place which is, definitely, the biggest tourist attraction in the country.....

Ok.. time to move on... when we made up our mind and decided to pardon Agra for the roads, our vehicle met with an accident which was entirely because of the mistake of a local moron with no driving skills (am not defending our driver..... thats the fact)..... and the moron blaming us for the accident and getting into fisticuffs with our driver...... well, that was a sight to behold..... hmmm, lets put it aside as a freak incident.....

Being the biggest tourist spots in India, I did expect to see lot of people, but not soooooooooooooooooo many..... well, it was so damn crowded... so damn crowded (sigh!!!).....

Slowly all the excitement started fading away and we were just half as enthusiastic..... What next???? the frisking that took place at the security gate..... mobile phones are not allowed to be taken inside, which is definitely good, but then there is not one announcement regarding the same..... we got to know that only at the security gate..... and then there was a mad rush to deposit the phones in some tiny counter nearby..... with just one person collecting and returning the phones..... phew..... heights of torture..... we were totally exhausted by then..... and the attitude of the policemen at the gate is something to be seen to be believed..... rude and abusive to the core..... hurling abuses at the tourists and snatching away snacks and filling up their pockets.... aarghh.....

And there it was, finally, the Taj Mahal standing in front of us in all its magnificent splendour and glory, enchanting the visitors with its grandeur (oops, getting too dramatic)..... just wanted to say that it was good..... but could have been better... definitely.....

And finally, I wouldn't be surprised if the Taj doesn't make it to the list of the 7 Wonders of the World when a fresh list is released next year (not that I don't want it to make it, but then.....) and this inspite of the gorgeous Ash posing in front of the Taj and asking all of us to vote for it!!!!!

This happens only in India!!!

2005-11-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well... Do I need to say more? The title says it all....
(Photo taken at the Taj Mahal.... More on my trip to the Taj coming up.....)

Am back!!!

2005-10-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

am back!!!

back from my holiday..... back from my well-deserved break..... back from my wonderful trip..... back from the relaxed 8 days that I had..... back to work..... back to the work pressure..... back to tension..... back to the late sittings..... back to month-ends/weekends/year-ends..... back to..... well..... lots of other things......

check out the snaps of my trip at the below link..... there are 445 in all.....

am in mumbai right now...... attending some training programme...... but most importantly taking calls, logging in and working most of the time...... could have very well stayed in bangalore.....

ciao till am back again.....

DELHI
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/album?.dir=f8f9&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/my_photos

NAINITAL
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/album?.dir=ba02&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/my_photos

HARIDWAR
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/album?.dir=a1b5&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/my_photos

AGRA
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/album?.dir=f758&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/my_photos

JAIPUR
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/album?.dir=d169&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sunil_sundru/my_photos

CA Student

2005-09-30T09:45:00.000-04:00

This has been one hell of a week, what with quarter-end and so many deals to finish that I hardly found time to write... I realised that thousands of my fans would be waiting for some exciting article (just shut up!!!!!).... When I was about to give up, thinkin' that this isnt my cup of tea, I received an SMS which read something like this -

"In ancient times people used 2 go 2 d himalayas 4 "katthore tapasya" (penance), sacrificed all "mohmaya" & were completely away frm "parivar". Nowadays they take up CA"...

Though it did tickle my funny nerves (is there anything like that??) or rather, my funny bones initially, slowly it transported me back in time..... those years which I wouldnt forget at all..... It brought back memories of those nightmarish days when we would have to slog for 3 months at a stretch once every 6 months for 3 years.....

(hmmm... this sentence could form a good question for CAT, isnt it? Imagine a question going like "if a person studies for 3 months continuously once every 6 months for 3 years, what is the probability that he would remain sane?)... hmmm... that explains my state of mind, doesnt it??? ha ha ha, damn funny!!!

Not too sure if I am exaggerating things a bit too much... but I guess that was the truth..... and am sure my other CA friends would vouch for that.... I used to get sooooo disappointed in school & college if I didnt get the %age that I expected..... until I started doing my CA when I realised that all that matters here is passing!!!!!

The most difficult or rather, the most challenging thing 'bout taking up CA is doing articleship (which is as good as full-fledged working) and studying those fat books given by the Institute.... a balancing act for short..... Man, god knows how I managed that..... Thats when I realised that if I can, then anyone can.....

This is not some CA-glorification stuff but just re-living those days when we actually did "tapasya" and had to leave all "mohmaya" and our "parivar"..... But at the end of it all, it did seem worth it (not too sure if it still does!!!!!)

FAQs

2005-09-21T06:27:00.001-04:00

Ever since I started this blog, I have been flooded with messages and mails from people who would like to know more about me and also from some publishers who want me to.... (well, let me stop here).....

Actually let me just do what I set out to...... answer some FAQs from my friends.

1) Why Neil Boy???
Well... a lil secret.... would let that question go by.....

2) Why the "jhatang" colour???
I have seen lots of blogs which have a dark background..... not my type..... I just wanted something bright and colourful.....(now you know, why I like Govinda!!!)....

3) Why start a blog on my birthday???
Public toilets are inaugurated by political leaders on their birthdays.... so, why not my blog on my birthday (what a comparison)......

4) Why is a blog needed in the first place???
Initially wasnt convinced with the whole idea of a blog... but realised that its more like a diary wherein you can put down your thoughts and ideas (whether it makes sense or not...and am sure most of the times it wouldnt).... no one is forced to read it..... its basically to take me away from work for sometime.....

PS - The photo has nothing to do with the article..... uploaded it just like that.....

Neil Boy celebrates his birthday

2005-09-15T05:30:00.000-04:00

"Neil boy celebrates his birthday on Sep 14"

I know this sounds like a page 3 headline..... but who cares..... after all it was my birthday..... I might sound a little narcissist as well..... what the heck..... when its your birthday, you are the centre of attraction..... u better be!!!

Check this photo out..... that's "Sunil with a dash of cream"..... sounds like some coffee flavour, doesnt it?
This is a nice intro photo for my blog..... atleast for those who havent seen me..... the cream covers most part of my face..... and makes me look colourful (or does it!!!)