Vintage Goa...

Check these stunning pics of Goa... still trying to find the general period...

Temple at Veling

View of the Mandovi, probably from the place where the Adil Shah palace (old Secreteriat) stands now

View of Mala Fountainhas, with the Patto Bridge in the distance.. check the road snaking out towards Old Goa

No caption needed! Early 50s.

View from the Panaji Church!

Creativity

Yes, a Jimmy Choo, for 900 :) Tito's Lane, Baga.

Earthquake in Pune?

Earthquake in Pune.. did you feel it?

And no silly, of course I didn't... I am in Goa... remember?

SRK? Who?

All the billions of dollars and sophisticated spy satellites and HUMINT later, the Americans still cannot find the answer to a simple question - Who is SRK? Apparently it took airport immigration officials two hours to find that out, after the Indian goverment and Yale University officials intervened in yet another shameful (for the Americans) episode of the King Khan being detained for questioning on arrival on a private jet for a function at Yale, where he was an invited guest and speaker.

I would add a simple step 1 to their investigation process - "Look up on www.google.com". Would save the Americans millions of dollars to spend on searching for folks who do not show up at their immigration counters. Like a certain Mr Hafeez. Oops, we need to ask the Americans to read the newspapers too! THAT would save another ten million!

Quote For The Day

Got this beautiful picture from a friend..

Caturday

Ice Magic

I have blogged about this place before, and this current post is a little late, but I came across this photo on my cell and couldn't resist it...

Amazing place, Ice Magic, in Kolhapur.. hundreds of beautiful ice cream sundaes... some of the presentations really very pretty... and great service! If you get a chance, do check it out... pretty easy to locate from the main bus stand/railway station.

Gorgeous Nerul

Something about old houses that just cannot be matched by all the luxuries of the new!

Ritz Classic... Always!

The gorgeous crab dry fry and mussels rava fry.. what is life without some real sea food at the Ritz Classic?

Change

Been in Goa for the last 36 hours.. and it's been very different!

Came here for work, and spent most of the days in our office, in some serious discussions. Got time to go to Benaulim and gorge on great food at the shack, but all while, discussing social networking, BI and AI with the customer! With work being the focus, family was missing... and with most cousins from Goa out on a pre-scheduled tour, it seemed pretty empty! Hardly spent a couple of hours in Nerul, have missed waking up to the crows and the sound of the poder.

Oh, and yes, maybe I am wrong, but with a change in government, Goa did seem a lot cleaner! On the streets too!

Of course, some things never change! Did start the day with bhaji pav from Bhonsales. Had some great crab dry fry and mussels rava fry at Ritz. Plus a lot of other sea food at beachside shacks. The sun was hiding, but the hot humid weather was the same. The breeze, the coconut trees.

But sometimes, without people, everything is meaningless!

Hopefully, with the remaining 22 odd hours, that will change to come extent! Baga, here I come!

The Taj Experience

Some amazing shark fin crab meat soup... tastes as awesome as it looks!

And my personal favourite, the Chinese "flower bud" tea! You have to see it "flower" to believe it!

Google Street View

A friend of mine recently moved to a new city, and shared with me street view pictures of the locality. Intrigued, I checked it out myself, and it was truly a stunning experience. Not just the overall layout, I could literally zoom to my friend's windows, check out the footpath tiles, and the detailed markings on the roads! In one view, I could even make out the makes and models of cars of neighbours, and in one case, even a couple talking to each other outside their garage!

Some areas even have live webcam feeds.

What next? 24x7 web based monitoring?

How far will technology go, and what will be the concept of individual privacy, 5-10 years from now?

Barbeque Delight

The "in-dash" BBQ with lava stones in my renovated kitchen is inspiring some serious grilling!

Mischief

Have You Ever...

Enjoyed peas pulav
Parked by the roadside, climbed into the backseat of your car, and just sat there in peace, watching the world go by, oblivious to you
Gone for long drives on the highway, to get quality time with your car and your inner voice
Shared a cookie and some iced coffee
Played antakshari, singing the most crazy songs in the most crooked voice, and yet had a great time
Walked into a busy restaurant, just to use the loo
Spent a morning at an anathashram
Done nothing a whole day, and yet had the best time of your life
Gotten up at 400 am to go and have coffee
Changed in the back seat of a moving car in broad daylight
Had piping hot tea while letting the waves lap your feet at the beach

Impact

Sometimes, it's not how long you know a person or how much time you spend together... the biggest impact sometimes comes from people you have had a chance encounter with, a fleeting shared moment. Imagine the six billion people on the planet, their lives virtual lines that crisscross in space and time, and then, in a magical moment, two of those billions of connections being made every second ignite, and make a difference to each other. Be on the lookout for those special moments, because it really is like expecting to find the needle in the haystack.. and when you do find it, don't let it go waste. Very few people are lucky enough to get a second chance at life.

Amayyyzinggg Match

MI - DC ended up being an absolutely stunner... and full of action. Chasing a lower than expected source, MI faltered against some tremendous bowling by Dale Steyn (3 for 11 in 4, including a wicket maiden), before Rohit Sharma took up the cudgels and guided MI to victory at the last ball, helped by a lucky decision in his favour on the penultimate ball.

Earlier, MI's captain Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel protested and cribbed and forced the umpires to refer to the third umpire a shocking decision - a clear bowled out against Sangakkara that was given not out, believing the ball had been kicked off the wicky's pads. While the decision was reversed, it was pure drama for five mins. Sangakkara also proved to be a non-sport, he should have walked out on seeing the replays!

Was a nail biting finish, a great match, and a lot of entertainment... everything the IPL stands for!

Klisma

Recently started working on another pretty innovative product by Persistent, now spun off as a separate company... Klisma. Do visit http://www.klisma.in/ for a peek at the "shopping experiences" Klisma offers (and it gets even more fun when teamed up with eMee)... and yes, welcome aboard!

Movie Review: Housefull 2

Forget the dire predictions and the stinging reviews in the papers... if you are looking for some wholesome entertainment, crackling humour, a lot of eye candy for both the male and the female eyes, and some pretty decently executed Dabangg action, look no further! Housefull 2 is running housefull, and it is no surprise why. If it weren't for the tight space, audiences would be literally rolling on the floor with laughter. I, on my part, couldn't stop the tears flowing and my stomach aching with laughter, thoroughly enjoying every bit... the slapstick, the pretty well thought of dialogues, the complications...

The story revolves around two brothers - one jayaz, one najayaz, and their attempts to net the richest son in law for their daughters. One con leads to another, and on it goes, until half the Bollywood industry finds itself in one huge mansion.

John Abraham and Akshay Kumar are hot candy, and work extremely well with each other, their chemistry and sense of comic timing impeccable. Ritesh is great too, Shreyas is OK (doesn't have as much to do as the others). In the girls, Asin looks smoking hot (surprisingly, I liked her!), Zarine, Jacqueline and Shazahn light up the screen for the boys. Rishi and Randheer, Ranjeet (his cameo is a lot of fun), Mithun and Boman (wasted, though) also put on a great show, and Johnny Lever puts in one of his best outings to date.

The sound track is loud, the songs forgettable, but don't really get in the way of the entertainment. The plot is fun, outlandish though it is, and pretty believable. Some of the scenes will make you clutch your stomach in pain with laughter... the encounter with the croc and the python, the "train" behind Mithun towards the end. The dialogues are refreshing too, and pretty "innovative". The fights, Dabangg-style, are pretty fun too.

At 2.5 hours, one of the longer movies recently, but come on, no complaints man! Bring it on!

Dada 2 - 0

Pune Warriors continued their IPL 5 campaign in style, smashing KXIP by 30 runs in their second league match, this one played at the spanking new Sahara Stadium in Pune...

Once again, Dada showed why he was India's best captain... his shrewd fielding placements and bowling changes ensuring the KXIP batsmen never settled into a rhythm chasing 166.

Pune also got an amazing stadium, very worthy of hosting international encounters, and the setting looked amazing, the expressway close by, the rolling hills in the distance... and the full crowd, in Warriors blue...

An amazing night, and I can't wait to be there soon!

Dada, Yet Again

Pune beat Mumbai in their inaugural match in Mumbai today, a huge upset at the start from the team that finished at the bottom of the table last year, against a team widely believed to be in the reckoning for the top slot. And leading from the front was none other than their stand-in skipper, Dada (while Yuvi recuperates from his cancer)

A great start from a ragtag team with a lot to prove!

Next game - at Pune's very own Sahara stadium tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see how things play out...

Movie Review: Descendents

Set in the beautiful islands of Hawaii, with its pristine beaches and alluring highlands, The Descendants is a roller coaster of emotions for Matt (George Clooney in possibly the most amazing role of his career) an ever-busy husband and disconnected father of two girls, the younger Scottie (Amara Miller) and the 17 year old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley, in another amazingly portrayed character).

While he struggles with the terrible news that she will never recover from the coma, and the decision to pull her off the ventilator, he also has to learn to take care of his "spoilt" daughters, with their profusion of F words and middle fingers, the news that his wife was cheating on him and was about to divorce him and the imminent sale of his family's heritage land he has been entrusted with.

He finds an unlikely partner in his daughter, and her boy friend, as they travel across Hawaii to find and confront his wife's lover. Dad bonds with daughters, and slowly but surely, the knot grows tighter.

The ending is simply brilliant, and for all the tears that will well up in your eyes throughout the 2 hours, you end the movie with happiness and hope...

A beautiful movie that cannot be missed!

Movie Review: Blood Money

A young MBA (Kunal Kemmu without the h) leaves Mumbai for Cape Town with his newly wedded wife (Amrita Puri), and joins Trinity Diamonds in search of the big South African dream... gaadi, bungla, diamonds... before realizing that success comes at a price. Trinity is into everything else... dealing with the mafia, gun running for terrorists, and killing innocents, in the name of business. Is it too late, or can he still change his life and bring his boss to justice?

A very average film, with below average performances from an ordinary cast, a forgettable sound track, and nothing else to go for it...

Avoidable.

SBI

Spent 45 min at SBI the other day, in Aundh, waiting to get my PPF contribution accepted (31st, remember? :))

A few learnings/observations... although I am not sure SBI PRO is really tracking my blog :)

There's a pretty good single window service - all your needs get taken care of in one place (for most transactions involving cash). But the coupon dispensing machine was tucked away in a corner, was difficult to operate, with the result that customers first approached the desks, then approached another couple of people, before they got their coupon. Something that ICICI or Idea handle much better in their offices by having a peon or security guard be on the lookout for customers, and then help him get a coupon quickly.

The desks worked at a very slow pace, the pipeline backing up. The number of the customers cleared obviously not part of the KPI, there was no incentive to process them faster.

PPF is still offline... much faster when you give a cheque. Giving cash meant you couldnt use the dedicated PPF counter, and had to stand in line. Could have been a lot more efficient by allowing the dedicated PPF counter, which was mostly free, accept cash too!

Online PPF is now enabled - but you need to have an SBI savings account. Again, very unnecessary.

But I need to agree too - it's seen a huge transformation in the last 10 years I have been going there (always for the PPF, at the end of the year). Some pretty helpful staff actually!

Movie Review: Kahaani

Scene one. A test lab and a killer gas. Scene two. The Kolkata metro. A man desperately searching for a knapsack. Too late to stop an attack that kills dozens on the train.

Two years later, a visibly pregnant woman Vidya (Vidya Balan) lands in Kolkata from London, and directly takes a cab to the police station, to file a missing person's report. Her husband, Arnab Basu, is missing, failing to call her or connect with her after spending two weeks at the National Data Center as a software engineer, on assignment from London. As the station's helpful cop Rana digs deeper with Vidya into Arnab's disappearance, things get really murky... the hotel, the NDC, the school he studied in, they all refuse having any knowledge of Arnab. He has simply disappeared. What is also interesting is that he resembles a man wanted by the IB for the metro attack.

Where is Arnab? What is his connection to the metro attack? The story builds up beautifully, adding twists and turns at a rapid pace until it slows down and starts to disappoint in the second half... until suddenly, in a flash, the brilliance of the plot hits you.

Vidya is brilliant, Rana is faithful, and the rest of the cast also do a great job. Kolkata is repeatedly featured as in a documentary, giving a glimpse into the culture and lifestyle of this great city. The slight overdose of Kali ma can get to you, as will Vidya's "for the award" performance, but overall, Kahaani grips you and enthralls you.

A good thriller!

Ivan and Julia

Just got a call from Ivan and Julia... from the Taj Mahal in Agra. After their accident last Sunday, they had called me when they reached Pune on Monday. From Agra, they head to Delhi, Manali, and then to Nepal, to spend a few months there before making further plans.

What a life, I envy them!

eMee at The Smart Manager

I recently wrote an article for The Smart Manager, which appeared in the Mar-Apr 2012 issue. Here's a link to the scanned original article. The full article is also reproduced in text on my Musings blog.

Movie Review: Agent Vinod

An Indian Jason Bourne is born.

Vinod (Saif) is a RAW agent who darts from one corner of the world to another, working together with a Pakistani spy (Kareena), to prevent a dirty bomb from being detonated in India, part of a grand plan of the powerful Zeus group to make windfall profits from incited religious strife and war. If you have ever read and loved a Ludlum thriller, you will enjoy AV. The action is fast paced, the number of sub-plots mind boggling, the locations spectacular. From Afghanistan to London to Somalia to Pakistan to Morocco to Russia, the movie takes you to some exotic locations as AV chases the dreaded suitcase and the trigger. Some of the action sequences are wonderfully executed, especially the crashes. There are some innovative ideas, some humour too. Saif is the perfect action hero, sauve and sexy. Kareena looks gorgeous.

And after almost three hours, when the credits start rolling, hold your seats... because the Pungi song at the very end is worth the wait!

Unlike many of the critics in the press slamming the movie for being too Hollywood-like, I loved the movie for the effort put in, and the results. It's entertainment, and that's what I pay for. Watch it with an uncluttered mind, stop questioning every twist in the tale, and it will be a good day out!

Dedication :)

Woh dekhne mein kaisi seedhi-saadi lagti
Hai bolti ki woh toh kuch nahi samajhati
Andar se kitni tez hai
Kabhi ajeeb si, kabhi haseen lagti
Kabhi kisi kitaab ka hai scene lagti
Philosophy ka craze hai
Ho.. Kehti hai yeh ik phase hai

Ivan & Julia

Coming back from Kolhapur to Pune today, we came across this really cute couple on a heavily loaded Royal Enfield bullet, riding at 100 kmph. I slowed down to "cover" them for a few km, but the pace was too slow for me, so we went ahead. At the toll plaza, they overtook us again...

So it went for a few kms, until suddenly, to my horror, I saw them in my rear view mirror as they wobbled, lost control, and then crashed onto the tarmac...

Thankfully, while they were in the fast lane, the road was empty, giving them enough time to get up and get clear off the road onto the median. We stopped, reversed back the few hundred meters, and got down to help.

The next 2 hours were a wonderful experience of the warmth of small town India. Dozens of locals came over to help. We stopepd traffic, pushed the heavy bike to the side of the road. Another guy in a Skoda going the other way to Kolhapur stopped and got his first aid kit. A local called for a tempo, and after loading all their luggage into the Endy, and the bike onto the tempo, we took them to Satara, around 20 km away. The local emergency hospital attended to them, dressed them, and took good care of them. The doctor gave them a clean chit, and charged a pittance. The Maharaja Palace offered them a luxury suite, even though they had no money to pay for the advance. The tempo walla charged a minimal 600 for over 25 km of hauling (and going back the same distance!), and was helpful enough to find us the hospital, the Enfield workshop, and the hotel.

Finally, after 2 hours, with their bike safely parked in the hotel parking (the workshow was closed today, being a Sunday), their medical needs taken care of, and they safely ensconsed in the hotel room, we bid them Dasvidaniya (Ivan and Julia were Russians, two cute almost-teens, on the way from Goa to the Himalayas!), and continued on our journey, happy at having helped, and proud to be Indian!

When It Matters

After a disastrous summer in England and Australia, and another shocking defeat to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, India turned up the heat in the league encounter against Pakistan, smashing their way to victory chasing 330, with 6 wickets and more than 2 overs to spare.

After losing Gambhir for nought right at the beginning, Sachin and Kohli, and then Kohli and Rohit, ensured India never fell behind in the run chase. Kohli went on to make a career best 180 something...

Dhoni, fittingly, hit the winning boundary.

As a forwarded SMS said, Pakistan has a secret book of 5 ways to beat India. But they forget we come from the land of Kamasutra, we know 691 ways to screw them! :)

100 of 100

Finally, the moment has come.. Sachin becomes the only person in cricketing history to score 100 internationatiol 100s.. .51 in Tests and 49 in One dayers..

And like has been the trend in recent times, with his century, India lost the match

Anyway, hope Sachin will be a different person now, with the pressure lifted off his chest, and with India playing mostly in the sub continent for the next year or so, good days should be ahead! Till he reached 199...

eMee on Business Standard

Increasingly, firms are adopting social networking platforms for engaging employees and also giving them tools to engage with the entire organisation. Take the case of Pune-based Persistent Systems. The firm developed eMee, an employee engagement platform specifically developed for small & medium enterprises and large enterprises with a distributed workforce. The aim of the platform, available to all its 6,600 employees, was to nurture two-way communication.
"Our portal is now accessible on a wider platform. It has only helped in collaboration. We have seen our attrition rate fall by 350 basis points since the platform was launched," said Siddhesh Bhobe, Associate VP.

Full article at http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/using-social-media-to-bondstaff/467398/

Movie Review: London Paris New York

Two young people meet at London airport, one waiting for her flight delayed to next morning, the other just arrived from India, eager to chart the unexplored. They decide to spend the time together, checking out the city, and fall in love. The long distance relationship is never going to work out, but when the boy promises to visit NY soon, the girl sees hope. Weeks and months go by, the guy never shows up. But fate brings them together again in Paris, when the girl comes on a student exchange programme. Sparks fly, but the night ends in disaster and tears. When they meet the third time in NY, will their love triump, or is it too late?

The movie is fast, the dialogues natural, the cityscapes beautifully used, the songs grow on you, and the story, though nothing unusual or different, is well executed. Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari are perfect in their roles, very lovable, very believable.

Some very nice scenes... out and out the winner, is the scene in the church where Ali sings to Aditi, and Aditi dances, free of inhibitions, a lovely, sweet and sexy solo performance that will make you fall in love with her. Ali's scene with her father is also beautifully different. The climax between Ali and Aditi, when he confronts her, and abuses and insults her in frustration, is so well executed!

Overall a beautiful movie!

eMee at CIOL

As a product and a platform, eMee transforms a mundane task into something visually appealing with a gaming interface, which makes it interesting to interact with, says Persistent's Manjiri Ranade.

http://www.ciol.com/Enterprise/EC-Services/Interviews/eMee-is-a-customizable-social-site/160993/0/

Tow Away

Reona suffered a breakdown last Saturday night, just when we were on the way to catch a movie. The gear box booch gave way, rendering the gear shift useless. Ford RSA responded by sending a tow truck, served by Navbharat Crane Service. Absolutely professional. The truck was squeaky clean, the driver and his assistant absolutely well mannered and efficient. Reona was gently winched into the flat bed, and taken to the service center at Planet Ford, no money asked.

And best part was, Monday morning at 830 am, I got a call from the service center - and the car was ready!

Some pics...

Congress Routed

The Indian voter has once again shown the door to the corrupt and the incompetent. From UP to Punjab to Goa, the Congress has been routed, the Rahul "magic" fizzling in the face of corruption and scams. Dynastic politics, with as many as 4 Alemaos contesting from Goa (all lost!) and 8-10 other family members getting tickets, has been firmly rejected with the BJP led by Parrikar storming to power. The young Akhilesh has proved to be the dark horse for the SP, leading them to a huge victory in UP, Mayavati's giant elephant statues having only served to alienate her from the very people who had reposed faith in her. Meanwhile, in Punjab the SAD-BJP combine has done the unthinkable, retaining power for the first time in 40+ years...

Interesting days ahead...

Quote For The Day

Sometimes a man can meet his destiny on the road he took to avoid it. Unknown.  

No Vote For Kejriwal

Another big slip by Team Anna... Kejriwal skipped voting to go to Goa :) Missed voting in the morning, went to the airport, then came back on reports of scathing media reports, only to find that his name was not even in the voters list!

Practice what you preach, Team Anna!

No Kidding!

If you are an Indian-origin parent in Norway, make sure you do not feed your kids by hand, or let them sleep in your bed...accordingly to Norwegian authorities, this is reason enough to take your kids away from you and put them in state care.

Wonder if they will take my cat away too?

Breaking news: The Indian government's diplomatic blitz has triumphed, and the babies will now be handed over to their uncle in India

Online Banking

With a change in my "active" phone number, I thought it was also necessary to update my contact number for my various credit cards. Was a pretty interesting exercise...

With HSBC, all it took was a quick phone call to their customer care center, they asked basic questions like my mother's maiden name, and birthday, and updated the phone number.

Bobcard was even easier - they didn't ask anything at all, just my credit card number, and updated the number :)

IndusInd was slightly more complicated - as part of the verification, they wanted to know the date of billing, the last amount paid, or the last three transactions - the exact amounts. Only after I digged out that information did they go ahead and change the phone number.

The most interesting, and not surprisingly, frustrating, was ICICI Bank. It took me all of 45 mins, talking to 4 different customer care associates, countless journeys through the extensive IVR menus, and yet, at the end of it all, I was no closer to getting my number changed. Their systems didn' recognize my CVV code, their systems would not allow me to generate an online pin, no matter what option we all tried, and without the online pin, there was no way to change the number. Finally, the exasperated customer care executive offered to get a pin sent to me by courier - expected to be delivered in 8-10 days, after which, hopefully, I will able to use it to get my number changed.

Kohli King

Staring down the barrel at the end of a disastrous summer, India finally got their act together in an unbelievable batting performance, chasing down a 321 run target in just 36.4 overs, well inside the 40 overs they needed to win in to get a bonus point and stay in the hunt for a berth in the tri-series final. With Sachin and Sehwag giving a good, brisk start, Kohli and Gautam steadied the innings until Gautam departed, bringing Raina to the crease. Suddenly, Kohli cut loose, smashing boundary after boundary, and tearing into the Lankans, especially Malinga who conceded over 12.52 runs an over, to take India to safety. Kohli amassed 133 not out in just 86 balls, with 16 4s and 2 6s.

India now await the result of the final league game, and require Australia to beat Sri Lanka, to ensure a place in the best of 3 finals.

English Babu Desi Menus

Joke For The Day

A class 6 boy proposes to a class 10 girl.

Boy: I love you.
Gal: Stupid I'm elder than you.
Boy: I'm madly in love with you.
Gal: Get lost
Boy: Didi plzz...plzzz didi....

LOL LOL

Movie Review: Ek Deewana Tha

OK, this one, frankly, is a mixed bag. The acting by the leads is very amateurish, the story predictable and flat, the dialogue kiddish, and overall, the movie needed a lot more polish.

However, it has its moments. Amy Jackson sizzles (although her complexion changes as often as the twists in the tale), exuding a certain sexiness and innocence that's perfect for the role. The treatment of the story is very interesting. The use of Malyalam in the soundtrack and the dialogues adds tremendously to the atmosphere and the entertainment. The soundtrack isn't too bad, Hosanna being the best. And the locales in Goa and Kerela are beautiful!

The second half could have been snipped by another 15-20 mins, and if the leads could have got their act together, this could have been a pretty sweet movie!
 

Movie Review: The Son Of No One

When the cast has Al Pacino, the movie interests me. When the story involves cops and murders, it excites me. But when I fall asleep while watching a movie, it's mostly a sign that the pace is woefully inadequate, the thrill missing, and the movie a no-no.

Avoid.

Movie Review: The Woman In Black

Harry Potter goes to a remote English villa and gets scared on seeing a woman in black. Some kids get killed, the dog barks ominously, and the arm chair rocks by itself. Crows fly, some bodies are discovered in the marsh. Against movies like Paranormal Activity, and even our own Ragini MMS, leave alone the Rings, TWIB is a damp squib. The end is predictable. Harry Potter without his powers sucks.

Maybe I was just uninterested.

Either way, not recommended from my side.

Flipkart.com

Another wonderful example of customer service and customer focus.

All started with me needing to buy a book, which wasn't avaialble at Crossword. Decided to take a chance with Amazon, and quickly regretted it. First, it kept telling me my email was already registered, asked me questions like the last 4 digits of the CC I used in my earlier purchases to retreive my password saying it couldn't identify me only with my email, and after advising me to visit the customer care link for further help, took me right back to the CC number question. Finally, in desperation, I registered with my alternate email ID. Then it took me all my patience and intelligence to search for what I wanted, chose between the myriad options that came up, and check out my order - only to be told that the particular book I chose wasn't open for delivery to an Indian address.

I gave up, and on a hunch (actually, I love their ads, and that's what drove me to them!), visited flipkart.com.

Found the book in 10 seconds. Gave my delivery address, used Netbanking to make payment, and I was done! It took me all of 120 seconds. No faltu waste of time on registration. Smartly, flipkart registered me behind the scenes, and sent me a welcome mail with my initial temporary password. Simply stunningly beautiful.

Just 2 days later, I had the package delivered at home. SMS and email notification. Plain, simple and superbly efficient.

And the book came packaged beautifully (they even had an option of getting it gift wrapped - which I did not opt for).

Flipkart.com, you have a fan!

The Yokos Make Their Debut

Samara has logged ~35K and I was eager to get rid of my stock 245 MRFs and get some new rubber, and the proposed Rajmachi trip on 11th March provided just the excuse I was looking for. Based on the encouragement and guidance, and a great deal brokered by my TBHPian friends, I got her a set of sexy 255/65 R16 Yoko Geolanders from Prabhat Tires (opp the Pune Corporation building) - got a hefty discount, free alignment/balancing, and a set of comfort pillows, as the package. Great guy at the shop too - Sairaj - had a nice conversation with me about what exactly we do to "Live to Drive"!

Some pics to oggle at...

eMee in the Financial Express

IT companies pep-up appraisal process – Financial Express

TBHP Drive to Pavana Dam

Finally, after many false starts, I managed to attend one of the TBHP meets, a long drive to Pavana Dam. We kicked off from Paud Road under the Chandni Chowk flyover at 830. Caught up with folks at Talegaon, and with other folks from Mumbai at Kamshet, before proceeding to the dam. Once there, it was time for some pohe-patties, and lots of photos with the beauties. Then back to Sunny Da Dhaba for lunch (and beer), and then back home.

It was amazing meeting so many people with a shared passion and a sense of camaraderie and belonging. There were 12 cars, 5 SUVs, and 2 bikes, and around 40 crazy car lovers.

Here are some pics from the amazing event!

The cars start lining up opposite Paud Road CCD at 830 am

Red and Black

Crowd of enthusiastic TBHPians check out Samara while Sanam looks on with pride

"Doc" in his awesome Bullet

The meet generated a lot of interest among onlookers

Bhoberao Singham

The Big Boys

Finally, it's time for Sunny Da Dhaaba and some good lunch!

The Beauties

...with the Beasts

Pavana Dam

Movie Review: Jerry Maguire

One of those iconic movies you always hear about, but somehow never get down to watching... finally got a chance to catch JM on Star Movies last night...

Very inspirational movie, for anyone who's going through a mid life crises, a tough time personally or professionally... and a must see movie for all those enterpreneurs and leaders striking out on their own...

Jerry Maguire is a very successful, living-it-large agent for sports stars, when one fateful day, he is dumped from his firm, leaving him with nowhere to go. With every big client choosing to stay with the firm and his rival, Jerry is left with just one struggling American football player as his client, and one colleague from his old firm who leaves her join to join him, inspired by one of his parting memos. They fall in love, get married, and struggle through all the ups and downs life throws at them, including a painful breakup, until one day, it all falls in place and life is beautiful again.

Tom Cruise has always been an attractive guy, but in Jerry Maguire, he pulls in a stunning performance displaying a wonderful range of emotions from cocky to confident to devastated to determined to defeated, from being in love to losing love, from being a lover boy to a loving father.  Rene Z is pretty, and vulnerable and strong at the same time..

Overall, a very touching movie, and highly recommended if you have been stupid enough like me not to see it yet...

Movie Review: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

A happy-go-lucky hairdresser meets a "perfectly average" out-of-work architect on Christmas eve in Vegas, they share a drink, and when they wake up in the morning, a la Hangover, they realize they have gotten married. Waiting for the marriage annulment two weeks later, they end up spending some special moments together, and fall in love...

Yes, there is a twist, if you may call it that...

But that's not what you should watch the movie for. Watch it for some great chemistry between Imraan and Kareena, who puts in yet another stirling performance, a repeat of her character in Jab We Met. She looks great, and makes you fall in love with her. Imraan is also good, reminding you of his character in Jaane Tu. They share some very memorable scenes - the scene in which she gifts him a camera, the scene in which she says he is allowed to disturb her at night, the scene in which she say thanks to him for her birthday...

Kareena's grandmom is played by this really cute lady, and you will love the scene in which she scolds Imraan. Absolutely brilliant :) Boman is completely wasted though, which is sad.

The soundtrack is the type that grows on you over time... the songs fit perfectly, and add tremendously to the movie. The Konkani para in Aunty Ji brought a big smile.

Overall, an enjoyable movie... and with the exception of a couple of unnecessary references to sex, a good family option.

The World This Week

Army Chief loses age battle against the government, gets a rap from the SC - +1 to that!

Court in the US rules Orcas Whales cannot sue Water World against Section something something about slavery, because the Section applies to humans, and whales are not humans. Smart!

15 year old Chennai student stabs teacher to death because she complained about his performance in a subject to his dad... is this what we as parents are encouraging by exposing our kids to violence on TV and films? Or is it just a stray, crazy incident? Is the world getting crazier, or are we just finding out because of too much exposure to TV and media?

Brrrrrr

Pune shivering at 4.6 degrees, apparently the coldest in decades... and just 0.2 more than Jammu Thursday morning :)

No wonder my cat wanted to get inside my sheets!

Goa

A friend's in Goa... messaging me to make me jealous.. and it's working.. I just close my eyes, and I can smell the salty Goan air, I can feel the sea breeze, I can see the streets, the fields, the sun going down.. I can taste the mussels...

I am going crazy...

I wanna be in Goa :(

Movie Review: Straw Dogs

When a Hollywood writer and his sexy young wife move to her old family cottage in a small American town, all they want is solitude, while he scripts his movie on the battle of Stalingrad. Little do they know that their own lives will be eerily similar to the Russians who were under siege in their own city... but will they be able to hold out?

The movie starts with a gentle pace, but the underlying tensions build, slowly but surely. When their cat is found killed, hanging in their closet, the gloves are off, and the movie hurtles towards the shocking climax.

Kate Bosworth is steaming hot (no wonder she sweats so much!)

Not a bad thriller.

Movie Review: The Double

When a US Senator is found with his throat slashed in a dark alley, the CIA fears the return of a dreaded Soviet assassin, leader of a feared gang of seven, and now long assumed to be dead. They call back retired agent Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), who life's mission was to track and hunt down the Soviets, and team him up with the rookie FBI detective Ben Geary (Topher Grace), who's been a long time "admirer and fan" of Paul and his nemesis. Who is this mystery assassin, why is Paul insisting he is dead, and does Geary's hunch about him have any truth?

The action and story are decent, and will entertain you, but it's not a nail biter.

(And yes, for Castle fans, watch out for Stana Katic in a short appearance!)

Movie Review: Texas Killing Fields

A Texas County is rocked by a series of teen girl murders, and two detectives must give their all to stop the murderers before yet another victim falls prey. The story is nothing remarkable, but the pace is good, the drama decent, and the cinematography and screenplay make for an interesting watch.

Might look even better in theatres, I caught it on DVD.

Movie Review: Journey 2 The Mysterious Island

A teenager and his hunky stepfather hire a rickety helicopter with an old pilot and his sexy daughter (the gorgeous Vanessa Hudgens) in search for an mysterious island indicated to the teenager in a coded message by his long-lost grandfather, and end up crashing in paradise... a fantasy land of miniature elephants, giant bees and lizards, and the lost city of Atlantis. But the island is sinking, and the gang of 4 and the grand father must quickly find the rumoured centuries old submarine, and get it powered up using the powerful electric eels haunting the waters, to escape before they are consigned to the ocean.

Now, all that might sound very kiddish to you, and yes it is. But you will love the superb 3D visualizations (a movie I highly recommend to be seen in 3D), and while the kids lap up the fun, the dads can enjoy their own fantasy land with the super sexy Hudgens.

Good weekend entertainment.

Brave Catty :)

18 Year Old Hottie

Madhosh turns 18 next week, and has the looks, the skin and the figure to give every Sheila and Chikni Chameli a run for their money!

Lobster Treat

Surprise, surprise, this delicious butter garlic lobster was not in Goa, but very much in Amchi Pune at the Rahul restaurant in Aundh!

Goa Darshan

"Guy" on the beach at Little Vagator :)

Baywatch meets Bondi Rescue at Baga

"Spotted" at the beach

Just loved the setting at J&A at Arpora, and this couple looked so beautiful, finishing off a late dinner

A beautiful cup of frothy capuccino at J&A was a perfect way to end the day

High above the earth you fly, like a bird in the sky

Comfy Catties!

Catrina keeps a sleepy watch over my head, as I watch Penny in The Big Bang Theory

This cat was waiting for her fishy meal at the resort on the hill overlooking Little Vagator. By the way, who belled the cat?

Another spoilt kitty, this one in the manager's cabin at J&A in Arpora

Snuggled and cosy, Catrina takes a nap