Cold November Rain

'Cause nothin' lasts forever...
Even cold November rain
-Guns n Roses

A surprise factor in Pune's onset of winters - the rains! It never rains in November but for the past couple of days, it's been raining quite a bit. Not that anyone is complaining. The weather mostly remains dull throughout the day, but at times very windy & breezy. The kind of weather that makes you go out on long drives in the evening -which is what me and Suvi do these days at night - take a long spin in our car on express ways, windows rolled down, wind blowing and sending cold yet pleasant shiver down your body, with old melodies playing in our juke box, stopping at a tapri for a cuppa steaming coffee....aaah, the kind of refreshing factor you need after a long day at work. :)


That's my Ferrari in the picture :-)

Dating Example for Information Architecture

A very witty way of explaining what Information Architecture is all about. Those who need a copy of this, email me and I will send the source file back.

These are few of my 'essential' things...

Some of the things that I wanna have and someday would have for sure....

1) Tintin Set - Rs. 5000 approx
2) Astrix set - Rs. 10000 approx
3) James Bond entire collection DVD set (had this set in my rack for quite some time - it was borrowed from a friend)
4) Friends entire season DVD set
5) Everybody Loves Raymond entire season DVD set
6) Dilbert CNBC animated series DVD set
7) Dilbert books entire set (have managed to collect around 13-15 titles out of apprx 30 published so far)
8) The main one - Nikon DSLR ( had frozen on D50/D80 but last week Nikon launched their D40 and my determination came tumbling down - now another option to evaluate!) approx Rs. 45000 -50000


Now some of these 'essential' things, I can only acquire if I manage to go onsite and that too US and again, for a longer period say 3 weeks or so coz things are cheaper there. Till something like that happens, would keep on just browsing related product sites and sighing. :P

New Bond rocks!

Caught up with Casino Royale this weekend. There were too many opinions floating around the new Bond and the deviations in this new Bond movie. Too be honest, after seeing the posters of the film, even I didn't like the Bond but Daniel Craig rocks as the new Bond avataar. This Bond is definately different from his predecessors. If Pierce Brosman had flair, smooth talking, charming personality and that misty looks in his eyes to woo ladies around him, this Bond carries that rugged attitiude with him that gives him more mean, no-nonsense looks to him. He would struggle with being witty like his old mates but he perhaps represents a gerne that has risen up the ranks through hard work & struggle to be where they are and that reflects in their overall personality. For this Bond, the current task on which he is focussed on is more important - the rest is all frills - like when the bartender asks him how would he like his Vodka martini, shaken or stirred - he replies he doesn't care a damn..all he wants is his martini!

If those of you who haven't seen the latest edition of this Bond movie, it's a must watch. For a change, even Suvi loved it (she is not much of a Bond/action movie fan)so you can guess it must be good!!! :) :) :)

Why don't you use a phone BCCI?

Found it really amusing that Sharad Pawar telling media after India's 1st loss that BCCI has asked Dilip Venserkar to go to South Africa immediately and convey nation's feelings to the team members. Sir, why don't you just lift the phone and call up the players? Why go all the way to SA to convey the message?

Uuhh..Aaahh (India)..Ouch!

Remember the Oohh..aaah...India campaign by Pepsi? Yeah..the Join the Blue Billion campaign launched a week 10 days before the Champions Trophy. each time the ad came on TV, I used to laugh, not because the ad. execution was a failure but more because of the fact that the illusion that the ad tried to weave in ( with reference to the players being charged up and all), opposite results were happening in the field. India got mauled up in their own backyard, and yet, the ads. kept coming on the air (can understand that factor coz the media manager would have bought bulk spots for the series). That's one of the disadvantages of celebrity advertising - when they fail to perform and I am sure in someway it rubs off on the brand too. In this case, Pepsi wisened up and after India's loss in Champions Cup, launched another TV spot - Fir Ayega India (shows an India Tshirt falling from air but a young kid holds it before it falls down to ground and looks optimistically but with a sad smile to his grandfather)... a face saving act no doubt but I am sure they would have burnt their fingers with their ooh Aaah India campaign. And as we can see, there is no Ooh..Aah India spots on air in the current India-SA series.

Why I love to hate Pune 'traffikars'

I fail to understand why Punekars have this fascination for breaking traffic rules especially jumping signals. In my 3 months stay now, I feel Mumbai traffic was much better disiplined than Pune traffic. Mumbai is known as the city on move - no one has time to stop and talk and yet, people did stop on signals even if there was no cop around. Here in Pune, traffic signals are cconsidered as decorative showpieces or better still, hinderences in road. Mostly people stop only if a cop is around otherwise maximum people prefer to jump the light. I can still discount out jumping light when there is no sense of danger, as in your jumping light is not causing danger to any other vehicle coming in your way but people don't even care for that and that's what blows my fuse - especially when someone comes in my way and I have to slam my brakes.

These days I try something new. When I am turning right and I see that someone is casually passing my way, I slightly slow down, and delibrately turn my car towards that vehicle (mostly 2 wheelers) to give the impression that I am about to knock that vehicle down, often unnerving the driver. Suvi always scolds me for doing that but I get cheap thrills out of it when I watch the other person shaking on his vehicle.

And yes, if you happen to be in Pune and hear the choicest North Indian abuses (Ma-behen types) being hurled around, chances are I might be around. That's my favorite pastime to vent off my frustration on people who break rules like that. Roll down my window and dish out authentic Punjabi/North Indian abuses in full blast - somehting which perhaps typical Punekars might have not come across in their marathi coated dialect.

I think I need to cool myself down while driving or would burn myself out with anger. Time to join Shri Shri Ravishankar's Art of Living I think :)

show off :D

It has turned quite cold at night n early mornings ...nothing like delhi thand of course...but after nealry 4 yrs in sweaty Mumbai...even standing in front of fridge is chilling enuff :-)))) ..officially ysday the temp dipped to 12.0 c at night.

Rakhi Sawant...

...wins the Chamelion (Read: Politician) of the year award.

Sample this: She gangs up with Kashmira on Bigg Boss to bitch about everyone and then walks inside the Confession Room and utters Kashmira's name for eviction coz according to her Kashmira bitches a lot!!!!

This daily soap is too much. If are tired of the usual masaledaar news channels, sugary soaps and the usual birds and the bees stuff on Discovery, then tune into Sony's Big Boss. You will love to see how these Page 3 glam poster boys n gals feel insecure, always wear a facade and come out with their actual self. If madhur Bhandarkar would be watching this soap, he won't be feeling amused. After all, he did reveal it all couple of moons back.

and the bitch(ing) of the year award goes to....

Kashmira Shah. (clap clap clap clap)

Man..you should see how she bitches about her colleagues in Big Boss. She just continuously goes on bitching, forming groups and bitching..bitching and more bitching. I have never seen anyone bitch so much, why, she makes the bitch roaming in my streets look like a goat. One F&%$#ng bitch she is ...too much!

A trip to Sinhgad Fort

Last weekend went to explore Sinhgad Fort which is situated around 40 kms away from my place. The drive to the placed was awesome. Felt as if I was driving in garwal hills - the road zig zaaged in the hills. On top of it, the weather was sexy- it was drizzling all along and as we reached on the top, it was turning to be bit cold also. There is not much of fort left now but the view is awesome from the top. You get to see Panshet, Khadakwasla and Varasgaon dams and Torana fort also. The view of entire Pune city looks beautiful. After a small trek, we had a scrumptious lunch of pithala-bhakri, kanda bhaji & salted buttermilk.

The best time to visit the place is right after rains or during winters. Have bookmarked few more interesting places which I intend to visit in coming few weeks.

Big Baaas

When I was in UK, at times I used to watch the Big Brother show that used to come in a late night slot. The Indian version of the show is known as Big Boss. I used to feel amused on how a pathetic & sick show like that could become such a hit in UK. The participants, most of the time I felt didn't have any focus in life, were confused and felt more like losers. The show used to be uncensored and many a times you could even get glimpses of people walking around naked in the house, making love or swearing like anyhting. My only thought was...what glues viewers to their telly? What do they find interesting in knowing the 'actual' shades of character of other people (in UK they used to take normal people for the show & not celebrities) whom in all probabilities they would never bump into also. I concluded with the thought that these people (viewers) who have made the show such a success probably had nothing more to do in life than stick in front of TV and watch a stupid show like that.


One week now, even I am on that stupid list of people who have been glued to TV to watch Big Boss. :(

More about it in later posts.

Finally the famed Pune winter

Winters has started setting in this part of the world. After more than 3 years in dry & sweating Mumbai weather, any form of 'thand' is a welcome change for me. It's early winters now and you can get to see the typical Punekars (I won't use 'iites') out in mornings/evenings in their sweaters/jackets mumbling.."brrrr it's cold"..! me & Suvi find it amusing and are loving the weather to the hilt. The place where i live - bavdhan - is a mini hillstation in itself. It's situated in bavdhan Valley and I am told that the temperature dips to around 5-6 at nights in December in that area. Already we are experiencing it. Haven't switched on the fan for ages. Blankets resurfaced couple of weeks back.

On the -ve side of the winters, I start getting the pangs of munching many times in the day. Blame it on the winters!

But over all... I am lovin' it! ....parapppppaaappaaaaaa.

Back in changed avataar

The political scenario in US has changed...
The weather in Pune has changed...
Web 1.0 has changed....
Puneet - my friend - has changed geographies...
I have changed my job...
And again changed it...

Random Musings has changed.

Back in a new avtaaar...and a new chaddi... Presenting the all new Random Musings V 2.0

Ok..got access to blogging...

Will be back with regular blogging soon...