Under siege ..

As the haunting images of terrified people and cold blooded murderers still float in my mind, I wonder what is happening to the world.

Mumbai is one city with which I have had hate-love relationship. A place which I never came to like since my childhood, had become one of my dream cities lately (It still is!!). As I grew up, my small townish mind understood its vicissitudes and started to respect the city even more. Especially South Mumbai with its historical monuments and serene surroundings (the coloba shore line near the Gateway) are my favorite places. I remember we had made fun of the Taj by visiting Louis Vuitton shop and commenting on the exorbitant (but of course !!) display of clothes. It is a city which I have loved to like despite it being super fast, crowded, cluttered, congested and what not. Because, it is a city which lets everyone their own hero, in their own way. It is a city which taught me that life gives everyone their share of chances. 

Well, I don't have any intention of romanticizing the city and its people and their resilience. I am still horrified. I know some place does not become really unsafe and unsuitable for survival because of such incidents. But I hate the fact that the big shots who supposedly make the calls, are asking people to show their spirits and resilience. If there is someone who needs to show their spirits, its the damned terrorists, who instead of studying at a university preparing for their final exams are on a rampage out there. And those who are brain washing and training these young, impressionable minds need to learn about resilience more than anyone else in the world. 

Oh, I know I sound hopelessly idealistic and childish, but I still believe in the better side of people. I know life will be normal in a few days as if nothing happened, because in the end the show has to go on and all that stuff, but that does not mean that we should be taken for granted. It's saddening that Mumbai's janta has been taken for granted time and ever again. Will this never end? Does it ring a bell that though others (read the authorities) are responsible for our security, they are being made a fool out of, by being caught off-guard? Last time it was the trains, this time the sea route, what next? 

These are questions from a person who values life. I can imagine how a normal mumbaikar who has to face all this must be feeling.

I wish the authorities a 'get well soon' and 'get into action' . I also wish Mumbai a quick recovery. It's a city of dreams and it will remain so. 

Birthday bumps !!

For missy every birthday brings with it a feeling of anxiety, excitement, butterflies in the tummy and a lot of introspection. I write down one page about what I want to do, what I should do (and never act upon it !! :D)

Every birthday brings with it lots of unforgettable moments. I love the fact that so many people love me in spite of the obvious flaws. Its a great feeling.

Every birthday I also cry over lost innocence. Growing up does that to you, me thinks. The complexity of life, its so many layers and the ever lasting quest to understand, simplify them, sometimes makes you loose the childish charm about things. In the words of J. K. Rowling, 

'Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.'

hmmmm...

Oh well, birthdays are not only about such philosophical talk. I have gifted myself 2 great books, Eldest and Brisingr (by Christopher Paolini), considering that the reading habit is getting constricted in unknown (oh really!!) technical (I will definitely spare you the details) corridors !! 

This birthday is different in a way, as it will stay on for 3 days !! :D 

yea, considering the time difference, my birthday started according to Singapore time and will end according to US time. In a way, pretty hard on a person who is missing home!!

This birthday is also different on the celebrations front. The routine hang out with friends or my share of surprises is not there. Instead I will be working and finishing off some project reports. May be this one will go down as the quietest birthday in ages!! A good time to introspect (again!).

I wish myself happy growing up!! I hope the innocence within never fades, gets covered with layers of adultery. I wish that the child within never grows up (peter panish but still!!)

~nightflier :)

24 calling !!!

friend : so what's new ?

me: (thinking really hard!!! may be I can tell her that I bought some hummus yesterday..) ohh... saw my first snowfall yesterday :) :) (all smiles..its really difficult to come up with original and true replies these days..read life is so morose!!) It was a different feeling. Aisa laga jaise waqt theher gaya hai. I had a big smile carved on my tiny face! :) :)

friend: wow..good that you are enjoying!!

me: .....

Back to reality. I am enjoying. But the frequency instead of being in the supersonic range is in negative range. sigh..

So I decided its that time of the year when I make new plans and resolutions. I will be 24 soon. So my plan is to do/accomplish 25 crazy things I have not dared till date, by my next birthday. Quite an expectation from oneself to live upto. I desperately want the silver jubilee year to be spectacular. And as a testimony of my efforts to have fun (bah!!) I will keep this space updated. 

Anyways now I am going back to state space analysis (sounds so cool !! :D). 

25 here I come!!!

cheers,

nightflier!

simply awesome !!

I just had the "n"th look at the trailer of "dev d"!!!

Its based on the timeless classic for Indian film directors, DEVDAS, by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Anurag Kashyap just amazes me. The promo looks so interesting. There are so many perspectives and ways to look at things and this man has given "the loser love ridden guy" such a cool look. The styling of the movie looks totally European. Choice of Abhay Deol as the lead again puts him in the "my new heroes who dare to be different and try something new" league. Bravo!!

Actually I don't have to be so overwhelmed. Someone who has been associated with quality stuff like Black Friday and Aamir, ought to be outstanding and different.

Take a look at the promo here. And tell me how you found the lyrics, specially 'emotional atyachaar' :)

Another simply amazing movie to look forward to is Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. Its already released in UK and getting good reviews. It is already on my must watch list!!

Looks like a good treat. Plus Rab ne bana di jodi and Ghajni (both look pretty ok) promos also out, I will be on a roll!! 

Yay!!

Stumped !

Its all over the place and all out. 

Kumble has retired and Ganguly is looking forward to it.

Soon it will be Sachin and Dravid. :(

Well, retirement is not so bad. But have you ever seen god retire ?

These people are like these big idols!! Agreed they are humans, they are not there to amuse or entertain us only!! Its sad.

It's sadder because, Indian (I would love to say the rest of the world too !!) fan following is mourning :( :( 

I have grown up with these heros in my house. Of course, my brother's heros. With missy so self involved, I would hardly care. But I still remember when every guy in my brother's friend circle wanted to be a spinner after Kumble came around. I just found (and still find) the spectacled and "engineer" (gives him a nerdy persona) part cute though!! 

Then came Dravid. They called him the wall. He was (now no more, after he married that doctor chic from my hometown!! how could he do that to me??) so cute (again!). He was considered the most technical player till date. His strokes were like..perfect!! And he was cold like steel in any situation!! And the looks (again!)

sigh..

I don't even know and remember  how many records these guys broke, how many matches they won us, how many centuries they scored, how many wickets they took, but I know one thing they were revered and will be forever!!

If I changed my religion and started following cricket, will you guys stay back a bit longer??

Its never too late you see, I already have my basics ready. There are so many people who still need real heros like you. Consider my suggestion (I don't need to add a "puhleeeeez", right?)

P.S. I personally don't have any opinion or much knowledge about cricket. I have grown up with cricket fanatics and have picked my bits and pieces from them. But I can feel the void forming inside me too. You don't really have to know/follow something to feel these things. I feel empathic with the cricketing community and fans! :( :(

join the bandwagon

If you are an aspiring MBA/MS candidate, then this post is for you.

Specially if in the country of 'Yes we can - Obama' and more specially if you are Indian, then you have hit the right spot, oops URL.

New term is approaching and application season has started. When the graduate admission office is busy sorting out stuff and deciding on whom to admit to their elite club, here are some tips for starry eyed aspirants.

1. This whole process is very exhaustive. Specially if you don't have any close friends/peers giving you company, cursing the courier people, understanding the essence of going through this ordeal, then there are very bright chances of 'you getting frustrated'. So have loads of patience. Start meditation to avoid catastrophic situations!

2. Start your application process as early as possible. Always remember the invaluable lesson of logic and practicality, 'First come first served'. This improves your chances of getting admitted with a handsome aid (financial of course, you weirdo :P) by your side. 

This does not, at all, mean that the ones who apply around the threshold don't get through. Most of the applicants lie in that region. But as a victim of that attitude I would advice to be smart by starting early.

3. Keep all the paperwork like recos, transcripts, sops and financial docs ready. This adds to the smartness quotient on your part. Remember we are trying to reduce stress, strain and assorted relatives. 

4. Unlike in India, here people do not have entrances except for the GMAT/GRE (I call them the GATE PASS, as they are nothing more than that, but the scores are crucial, no matter). So once you have the initial score ready, start your research immediately. Focus is required for any kind of post graduation. I would seriously stress on being serious about stuff. What you do after coming here, I mean focus or not focus is totally your choice. But for the application part show focus and dedication. The energy and national currency converted in US dollars (which is in comma right now) one invests in this process should not be wasted according to me.

5. Professional help is not so mandatory for the recos and sops, if you are focused enough on what you want to do. But if you are not sure, then I would suggest that you join one of them. It will help you get a point of view on what you want/should do, at least.

6. Once you start applying, enjoy your time. Because, once you come here, life would be totally different. Your peer group, life style will change drastically. So get ready for the change by having a blast. This is based on my optimistic observation that, if you apply to 7 schools, you get through minimum 2, with 80% chances of actually landing here! :)

There are many personal experiences, I would like to share. Maybe sometime later. Do take care of steps 1-3. 

Life's is much better if you come here with a clear and focused mindset. 

All the best!

nightflier :)

Dil vil pyaar vyaar !!

Love is in the air. I know its not the holy month of February, all you love gurus and valentine suckers !!

Its in the air, because I sense so. (Again, its not about me. Better clarify. Spare me your oooh's and aah's :D)

So, when I see people around me (hush..hush..) in the 'ooooh..so sweet' (flutters eyelashes) thing called love, I ask myself, what is love, baby???

I secretly know I do not know the exact answer though I love so many people in my life :). But then when I do not know perfectly about something, I make it a point to know the things not associated with that something. Like, I do not know about the game of baseball. But I seriously know that its not like cricket, though people run amock in a field for a single ball (!!!) like mad and you score runs and get caught, etc, etc. Now, you got the point ?

Anyways, coming back to ishq vishq and all that matters, my take on what is not love.

Love is not something which makes you miserable. Where you cry over a stupid thing someone said, for hours. Then the other person broods over it and then the chain reaction. Phew. If someone says something stupid to me, I tell him/her how stupid it was. It did not make sense. And end the stupidity there. I mean crying over such things wastes a lot of energy, unless it is something very serious, like 'hey, you are such a jerk, to love Shahrukh khan.' Its self invited war in such cases !!! 

So number 1, love does not make you miserable. Miserable to emotions, circumstances, stupid mistakes.

Love is not about 'me' or 'you'. It's a lot more about 'US'. Not the country yaar, the 'we' part. The togetherness part :) Me and you put a lot of pressure on the 'love' quotient. The 'we' part helps love grow in a free manner :)

(disclaimer: I did watch 'u, me aur hum', liked it in bits and pieces, but these are my views!!)

The fall in love is not just a phrase. It symbolises the ultimate rise. This applies to every relation according to me. Again stressing that things are supposed to make you happy. There has to be a sense of belonging, caring and bonding. The rise is just felt in the right way then. It is such a high I tell you!! Not better than dancing all night to bollywood tunes though!

Love is not a do or die dependency. The dependency is more mutual. But it does not hamper any one's lives. I mean 'main tumhare bina nahi jee sakta/sakti' stuff is too hyperbolish and filmy. Even you know that, each of us can live without each one of us. It's the way god designed our genes, that makes us a social animal. Not much of our fault, you see.

I do not know how KJ and yash chopra movies work (I am a sucker for this mush though!!) when they say love is friendship and love is not just friendship, but I would ultimately like to believe that  love has companionship. How boring it would be otherwise to watch all this mush alone?

Love is not just girl-boy. It can be between anyone. Brother-sister, father-son, professor-student (the respectful love, don't raise those eyebrows), girlfriends (girls who are "friends"), boys who are friends (!!), your dog and me (ohh..do I miss bruno?? :() I find the 'love actually' (great movie!!) type of love definition appealing. 

Love really is not bound by cast,creed and religion. For the conservatives, I can love anyone. Come on' its love we are talking about. Its a natural and pure feeling. If only we could filter our feelings that way!!

Love does not necessarily metamorphosise into a successful relationship/wedding. Some 'love' stories are good as just stories. Love and relationships have really different dynamics. Love relates you to someone, but vice versa can not be true always. Like a boy and girl though really great as friends can sometimes not hit it off that well, if they were betrothed. So specially teenagers and people my age (I am not so old, you see) should chillax. Love happens and so do relationships. You just have to take it easy.

Lastly, though love brings along some anxiety and possessiveness, it's not desperation. I can not think of how to explain this point. :-/

My love fundas are not coming out of my ever exhaustive brain anymore. I know a lot though :D

I just blogged because had this unbearable urge to write something down and got up out of my slumber, to jot this down.

The thoughts could have been more coherent and synchronised, but this was an urge after all !! :)

One last thing once again, Love actually is all around :)

nightflier!

P.S. Not being in 'love' in the v-day fashion also entitles you to write you views ;)