Tuesday, April 10, 2012
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
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.
Monday, April 09, 2012
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!
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!
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!
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!
Friday, April 06, 2012
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...
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...
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
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!
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!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
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.
A very average film, with below average performances from an ordinary cast, a forgettable sound track, and nothing else to go for it...
Avoidable.
Friday, March 30, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
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!
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!
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!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
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
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!
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! :)
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! :)
Saturday, March 17, 2012
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...
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...
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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/
"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/
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