This-May

To be very apolitical, May saw the solid outcomes of the April movement. A lot has happened in the month of May… at least for the Nepalese… we got a PM after such a long time… but we got the same old PM… whom many shunned for his avarice. The peace talk was historic… the points agreed on were good… ceasefire, no bandhs, no chakka jams, no disturbance on the movement of food and essential goods. It all brings so much optimism in people's mind. We saw much more historic and truly amazing changes … royal powers were brought down to almost nothing… monarchy had never been so much diminished… the aura of the King never been so challenged. May saw some heartwrenching accidents… and spine-chilling robberies – three robberies in a week. Two banks looted, a house attacked…all daylight robberies in the heart of the capital.

Women's rights got some solid boosting in the HoR – Citizenship by a mother's name and a third reservations in state mechanisms...had been a long longed dream. All Nepalese had some take or the other… yet the euphoria doesn't seem to have seeped everywhere. Is it because we saw some extremely peaceful rallies on the street? Or is it just the heat creeping up our senses - or, has the senses got so creeped, the system's got heated? why are we yet not happy?

Its bad to end up with a question - especially on an issue like this. But i just wish someone had the answers - and i wish that someone to be the ones who take us forward... who are giving us these changes... where are we headed sir, please give direction?

98degreesFarenheit

World Cup Wall chart needs to be sent tomorrow with the probable wins, and i could win a Ferrari... at least it'd feel like i'd just won one...
it's intelligent gambling... we guess who wins... i get it right, i win... nice.
First time i laid my eyes on the schedule.. i chuckled to see Trinidad playing against Sweden... that land of Naipaul... interesting.
Serb&Mont... Togo... Ghana... does seem like some fresh play. Anyways, not a safe bet though... Would the cup go to Brazil? Spain? Argentina? France or stay home - Germany? Whom should i bet on? hmm... ...

Crime and Punishment

I am no one to judge the book by that famous author who can be barely spelled – Fyodor Dostoevsky – hope I'm right at that. However, each time I lend the book to some new enthusiast, it gets returned after a few flips. I had thoroughly enjoyed that book a few years back basking under the winter sun. And each time someone asks me for a nice book or a novel to read I happily offer C&P. how is it? What is it about? Is it good? Looks too fat!? There are the most frequent FAQs I get... And the less frequent ones are how long can I take to read it and I hope it is not too "classic" for me and have you really read it?

After the initial phase is over and I am successful in actually lending the book, it is just a matter of time that it lands safely in its coveted corner unruffled. And I wonder why people find it so uninteresting.

I don't answer most of the FAQs… 'Why don't you read it and then we can talk' I usually say... Because it basically is a murderer's psycho analysis … so subtly and intriguingly dealt… I can't just take in bits and pieces from it to analyze what is it about and who it is about… it is about Raskolnikov, the main character… and the whole story revolves around different other characters in his life and his psychology... and his life in the streets of Russia… and it's wonderful…the psycho analysis…

And I just don't understand why my friends just don't read it… I carry the book back and place it beside Anna Karenina… it's just been more than a year? I smile to myself… just about a year I borrowed Ms Anna? or has it been more…

positive thinking

no more phat phat... plok pak...pok pok... click clang.. and ding dong for all the few people in here...
and those few who miss it... will have to .... just miss it...
positive thinking... and all the vibes that come with it... robin sharma... is definitely a smooth writer... all the everyday tit bits of precious gem he scatters through the pages are beautiful... especially when one is caught in the web of busy-bee life schedule... then, all the small gestures need to be reminded and he does it so well.... positive thinking always is the main part of it... for easy thinking he gives the example of the green lust grass in the mind... no weeds ... no nothing... green lust grass of spring is the positive thinking mind whereon there is a lighthouse which shows you direction and a sumo wrestler which stands for the continuously improvement - kaizen... definetely i heard that word in management... total quality management... but mr. sharma beautifully brings it to everyday use ... to contiuously improve oneself... self development... compare yourself against you as of yesterday and not with others... he says. And that reminds me of one more professor we had.. Mr. Vyas... n e ways, you got the message... the book is a good read... a good mixture of a lot of titbits put together... though individually the lessons may have been brought to you at varied times by all sorts of people... robin puts it collated there and you could easily grab a bite to simplify your life... He has simple, very practical gyan on everyday stuff like from eating live food to thinking good thought and having a good laugh and staying physically fit and reading good books and waking up early and power of the will.
n e other time, i may not have enjoyed it this much... but given the country's situation... the mental weariness... the change in lifestyle... the rush and pressure... robin is definitely a glass of cool spring water on a sunny day... too cliche for a last sentence??... well, just take it.

PS. And ya, it would be a good book to gift someone if you are in that dilema stage of what to buy next for your book or non-book lover whoever... kid or a hubby or dad or grandmom. Its just abt 200 pgs.

phata phat

life is fast paced boss...
n i dont speak for myself... m talking of all the busy souls around ...
if u r in the same pace, u hardly notice them in the same lift... but you cud jus take a pause, zoom out and see the scintillating movements of these tie-suit-briefcased individuals. i start with 'whats the hurry boss?' n end up with a fear of the fast contagion. m already in the soup... waiting for the salt to seep in ...

invisible posts

Posted two posts in a frenzy of the morning on the 21st all on nepal and its brand. Didn't get posted :0!!??? shh0cckss... ... or r they posted under some 'invisible' mode... u never know what new thing comes on this screen, n u r caught unaware of it...

n e ways... bro's got into reed... so everyone's happy happy around the house... ... n,
why is everyone joining the gym from monday... is there something in the air or smth?? .........
life's fun when u enjoy work and people passing by say... i can see the glimmer in your eyes... that feels nice... you feel less tired at the end of the day ... have a goodnight's sleep... wake up with a smile stead of a frown...

... bro smiles as i wait for his book on hand... kingdom under seige... his smile means 'you aren't done with the one you have...n u r prying on mine...'

n i m reminded of that big fat book on the conna gathering dust - ms. karenina, as i fail every attempt on it... a saturday is just not enough and the next weekend, i just have to check out who was crying in the bed room ... so i never get past through the scence where the little girl is lifted on lap by the father while her brother looks on with timid eyes. ... n get reintroduced to the characters every weekend... i have borrowed the book for what like more than a yr now?

back to 77

After that short diversion into thinking of the country... back to the real world... where i enjoy outdoor meals with my family... after a nice day at work... this is real life fully controlled by the short diversion in the previous post. The very practical questions i take in everyday is not what you think of the country? it's like: so what are your other batchmates doing? almost every other person i meet ask me this and i have the number on my fingertips... ... people ask very non-sensical questions and brood about waste-matter... ' why did she say that to me?' ... 'and what could be his salary?' ... or ' what's your age?' .... but there have been very good books in the market these few years, on Nepal ... a few my fren recommends, which he thinks i will never read are - 'State of Nepal' and 'A Kingdom under seige'. But i will read them... and i will make the time for it.

People who have been to Kolkatta and Mumbai say to me... it's a beautiful coutry...
I simply give him a wide smile... he thinks i don't believe him. You go there once and you will know, you haven't been to these hot places... it's an AC dear ... i completely believe him.

People eye the country... because it definitely is a beautiful country... but look at the state.

Went back to country funda again...
But day by day what can i do? Do what i enjoy.. and work my best... and at the end ... Plan for a good friday with frens... because after a tiring week we all deserve it na?
Happy Monday!

point to ponder

Nepal ... a new brand??Nice thought buddy. i don't know who you are.. but it rather intrigued me... so i am taking this up ... why not? very probable possibility... brand is you and me and them... lets say u and me change the brand image... but who gonna change them to this image.. and brand identity... ?? (given it's the best one re)
but we can... doing our own bit... haina ra? Someone inspired me a few weeks back... young people like you should have a strong political thought... but we don't know what politics is do we? we are never taught civic sense, are we? we don't have the feeling that the bridges and road and all the tod-fod done ultimately comes back to us... ... fundamentals is wrong, then what's gonna happen?

all i am left is with questions... so become the answer ... be the change you want to see in the world... that's what mr. gandhi says haina? tara what's the catch? it's a catch 22 situation ke... .... pretty interesting... otherwise there are pretty good leaders ni.... khaita...

thinking by ...

Parliament restoration...
Equal opportunity to women re...
I will make you an offer you can't refuse, re .... Mario Puzo... thought for the day (TKP)...
and it was rocking yesterday.... presentation in a professional setting is rocking man.... out of the world... very different than the classroom claustrophobia.... it's good man!
and i was thinking about... brand ... brand... brand... who says branding is dead! where do they live? jupiter? pluto?

update

even the title seems like it is from some mundane workplace... the workplace is fine.. terrific actually... n it's been ages... i kno...
a few updates:
feeling: down.. with cough n cold... at this time of yr?! exactly! that's my point
reading: the monk who sold his ferrari... robin sharma... half way thru'...borrowed from a fren'...
work: as everything as ever... no time... all work...
other than work? : very little... tiny... actually nil...
family: minimum interaction... bro's got his I20 so all da best for him!
frens: sms... tel calls and bump into road kinda keep in touch... making new ones at work... from all diff kinda planets...
eat: tara's black tea in the morn'... tara's black tea in the afternoon... quick bite in the morn'... lunch, the only eaty thing... i don't kno what i have been doing at dinner time with half eye closed... guess i have been eating!

n e ways, the fact that i m here does prove that, m not so down as i sound up there.... trying to jive up though... consciously...

bak-bak-powk-powk

Can't just stare from your windows and spray water from the terrace,
come and join the revolution... say re those who come in bulks of thousands on the road...
and that made me thinking what am i going to cant when i go on the streets... do the evolution?
It's Vid's b'day tomorrow.... whoever's forgotten or was about to forget, pls take note.... it could be a curfew, so no rush, you can take all your time selecting a card or calling her up...

Talking about curfew, it heightens your sense of stagnancy and staleness...
It's true that friends have gone abroad and they got married and have kids... so much happening...but somehow, moving to and fro had given the perception that smthings happening in my life too... but curfew seems to prove halt, in a physical sense too making it more than literal... you are in front of the TV for 3hrs and stare at a book for the next 2... scrabble some letters up for next 1hr and smash on the keyboard for the 2.

ColdPlay was good on the storytellers...clock...scientist... Fix You...

You should know it's time for you to hit the power button on the remote when you start understanding the hindi songs and can differentiate one song from the next or/and find songs without one of these words: pyar, mohabaat, deewana and dil... ... or a permutation and combination of these: hawaa, saanse, dhadkan and ishq....

N e ways, here's a few lines to chuckle at....
undelivered thanks to: http://www.bitoffun.com

Work in the 00's

Top Ten Signs You Work in the 00's:

10.You lecture the neighborhood kids selling lemonade on ways to improve their process.

9. You get all excited when it's Saturday because you can wear sweats to work.

8. You refer to the tomatoes growing in your garden as "deliverables".

7. You find you really need PowerPoint to explain what you do for a living.

6. You normally eat out of vending machines and at the best restaurant in town in the same week.

5. You think that "progressing an action plan" and "calendarizing a project" are acceptable English phrases.

4. You know the people at the airport hotels better than your next-door neighbors.

3. You ask your friends to "think out of the box" when making plans for Friday night.

2. You think Einstein would have been more effective if he had put his ideas into a matrix. And the number one sign you work in the 'Nineties:

1. You think a "half day" means leaving at 5 o'clock (even if you work at home).

And, a few 1-liners:

So you're a feminist. Isn't that cute.

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to ME.

Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult.

If You Can Read This, The Bitch Fell Off... [Seen On The Back Of A Biker's Vest]

If You Can Read This, Please Flip Me Back Over... [Seen Upside Down,On A Land Rover]

Cat: The Other White Meat.

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

Eat Right, Exercise, Die Anyway.

This Would Be Really Funny If It Weren't Happening To Me.

The Earth Is Full - Go Home. Peta - People Eating Tasty Animals. Illiterate? Write For Help. Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them. If You Can't Dazzle Them With Brilliance, Riddle Them With Bullets. Body By Nautilus; Brain By Mattel. I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather...Not screaming and yelling, like the passengers in his car. Out of my mind...Back in five minutes Damned if I do, damned if I don't...so damnit I will! Accountants don't die they just lose there balance. Laugh alone and the world thinks you're an idiot

ripples

Life goes on like-normal today... no curfew on the streets for a change... you can walk around and just ramble on the street, enter a cafe and sip a bottle of coke, under the sun as if it's BAU... ... ...
the streets are the same. the cafe is the same, and the multinational-multi-billion-dollar -company produces the same coke... ...
all that is different, is my mind which come in different moods and different temparaments everytime i visit the store....

once, i come with a friend beside,
next time, I, alone,
once when the wind blows east,
and other to skip a storm,
today after curfew i come to you,
tomorrow to relish a day unknown.

Being political and holding a polis opinion seems to be the new trend around the corner esp with Rang de.... a big hit... and all that movement in the country. What does the youth think about all this thing? what do they want? how would they want to shape the country, that will be theirs to live in the next genre? are they for, whatevers going around? why are they so eager to leave everything and go on to some foreign land? why they refuse to hold an opinion on this? why are they scared to come upfront? ....... scared? first, let them hold an opnion beh.

who will ask them these? who will answer theirs in return?
are these just incessant blabbers or a point to discuss on?
m i being too serious on this? or do I just shrug it off?

leave it off.
so, the mouse has grown fatter and healthier by the day. The other day my dad sneaked up to the corner to check out on a few old magazines... Wooo!! did he get startled to see a mouse jump out...

quotai-quote

I had a mood to go through a few happiness quotes...

I like this one -

If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time. - Edith Wharton

Thank god someone said this. I can work on one of them - i already have the other.... what was it?
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. - Albert Schweitzer

I have always revered John Milton, though i have not read any of his works... great chap..so i hear...
The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven. - John Milton

I have no idea who she is... but kya deep baat hai...
It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis. - Margaret Bonnano.

Happiness, it seems to me, consists of two things: first, in being where you belong, and second -- and best -- in comfortably going through everyday life, that is, having had a good night's sleep and not being hurt by new shoes. - Theodor Fontane

Goodnite.

I am awake

It's the middle of the night. I wake up with a start from a nightmare. I remember the name of a few gods and ask them to dispel whatever bad i saw. Though i am an atheist at other times, or so i claim to be, I have the strong urge to pray to a few images that come to my mind. Because I'd do anything to cool myself down at these times, and dispel my nightmares of any consequences they might bring. And when I am more sane, I go back to the night and remember a saying. I think it was Dr. Radhakrishnan. He said, if there is no god, man(you) should create one. I always loved the saying. But at these times, I can actually feel it inside my head, as I create my own gods.

I remember quite a variety of them- Narasimha, Hanumana or Lord Krishna - as I am taught to do from my childhood whenever I have a nightmare. And so I do. But I still need a human voice or a human touch to solace me.

There is utter silence outside and a dog bark incessantly across my room. My senses become suddenly alert as I remember - Oh, man, there is a curfew outside. As I think this, a chopper flies quite low with a loud noise, hovers over a few points and flies south.

I then realize, I startled up from one nightmare to live in the next - which of the gods should I pray to now? I would do anything to dispel this one too.

'evening

There is little time and lot to do...
so what does a planner do?
plan as to make it "as effective and "as efficient as possible""
and the financer calculates and the poet looks for an ideal spot...
the consultant looks for the 'right person on the right job'...
the marketer scribbles for the click on the punch line...
but WE just keep looking for some more time...
a few more minutes under the quilt before sun dawn...
one more smile around the corner...
few more sips of coffee...
a few minutes more with friends...
one more kathi roll...
one more banana lassi... ;)
and one more joke...
so, definitely i enjoyed yesterday evening like n e thing...
though all we did was eat and chat...

Phloot!!

Click, Clack,
Click, Clack,
Click, Clack...
rings the hall with the on and off of the ballpoint pens on so many hands.
Click, Clack, Click, Clack... one of the refills in one of the pens in the hall is constantly being pushed in and out. The others join in.. Click, Clack, Click, Clack, click, Clack.

The speaker doesn't hear it. He is a thin bespectacled man with neatly combed hair, slightly graying at the corners, speaking in a low soft voice. He holds an old model of a Sheaffer pen - 1960s, the kinds you don't find the in the market these days. This, he points at the last row of kurta clad girls and beckons them to join Rama in the first few empty seats. The girls stick to their chairs at first but slowly bring up their thin bodies in crisp churridars and shuffle to the first row directly under the man's nose.

Silence. Click, Clack. He speaks something, "............................". Silence. Click, Clack.. click, clack.
Phloot!! goes the bubble gum. Silence. Someone has blown out a bubble gum and it makes an unintentional loud Phloot!! And this time he hears it. And the hall goes silent. And the ball pens go silent too. "Who was it?" he questions in a louder voice. Blank faces stare back at him.
After a few awkard moments of silence, he resumes his talk, "............................................" and the ball pens start again, click, clack, click, clack, click, clack ... ...

ors-crash

So, CRASH won the Oscars!
I definitely thought it was a good movie...
but Oscars?

excuse me?

"So, howz office" he asks me...
"ya, so so", i say.
"Enjoying?" he questions in a monotone
"Hmmm... ", I brood, which he takes a yes.

So, after much thought I left the book "A way in the world", quater way through. It was good. But, I had to take too many pauses, which disturbed its flow. I have started a new one by the same author - "A house for Mr. Biswas" and at the same time, out of curiosity I brought home "The Great Gatsby" and am flipping through it. So my reading is at a snail's speed these days - one page a day - that too if i have any energy left at the end of the day.

So, Shristy is the same old Shristy. She gives me the same smile she had three years ago, with the same twinkle in her eyes. And we are comfortable working with each other. It's like, thank god she's there and work's fun. I sure couldn't have handled one more stranger to de-strangify.

Underground

And there was more.

The questions had no sign of finishing up. The exam had started two hours before and the questions kept coming in, one after other. And she kept answering them one after other. She did not have time to think how long it took to answer the questions. All she had in mind was one minute=one complete question - and she did not want any incomplete ones. The black Dell with an slanted 'E' stared back at her with radio buttons all over.

'Continue' she clicked and waited for the page to load. The false ceilings gave the room a claustrophobic feel. The tubelights made it cold. The black monitors seemed professional and the whole atomosphere was serious.

She hardly remembered the farewell party she had a week ago, the glasses of wine she'd drink, the stubs of ciggis she'd put out.

She had forgotton that she would be celebrating her niece's b'day party that evening with a bunch of people she'd hardly met. And she had forgotten that she would be embarrased at her absent mindedness when everyone brought out neat parcels of colored gifts for the girl and she would be empty handed. At the moment all she thought of was the next question and the next minute.

That evening the niece waited for her aunt. The cake waited for the aunt. And the rest of the guests waited for her aunt. Even Tiger, the black Alsatian waited for the aunt. But the aunt was somewhere in the undergrounds, among insulated wires, biting her nails, waiting for the next question and praying for the next minute.

dozed by dose

Life is good :)
Just don't be too sensitive ...
block away the human sorrows of ROW...
and life is good.
Think about urself... just you...
and your goodness, your virtues and your interests...
and life is good.
You are happy.
You are successful and you get all the benefits...
life is good.
You smile and you dance...
you drink and you dine...
life is good.
a blue cruise...
a silver spoon...
an orange moon...
and life is good.
Good food...
Praise and laud...
twist and turn ...
and life is good.
With all the sorrows in the world,
with all the tears and cries,
with the pain and the sighs,
thank god, life is still good.

Mouse-licated

And i sniffed the familiar greenies. They had dried up. I sniffed them - one, two and three on her palms - all dried up from the same pod. I like them fresh and juicy. I ate a dozen the other day, I can still taste the juice. I ate one by one until i could eat no longer. And she game me some milk - it seemed stale, it had already turned into the jelly like thing that makes me sleep. However, I ate it because I liked it - it is my own color. I like all things my own color.

I then thought for a fitful sleep- a nice siesta. So, I started cleaning myself - I had hardly given two licks - and up I was airlifted. I hate it when people do that- all of a sudden. They pick me up by one palm and place me on the other as if I was one of those freaking battery run toys. I hate it when their hands are cold and want to yank off their fingers when they are wet.
She had two guests today and I was turned into a decorative piece - some said my eyes were pink, isn't that cute, and the other liked my tail - because they hadn't any? I could see she was all proud of me- all fattened up after last week's cheese treat on my b'day. Ya, I get a cheese treat on the ninth of each month. I can't tell her I was born on the sixth. She got me a month later on the ninth. So it is, the ninth.

I find it so irritating - it's sixth why should it be the ninth? I tried telling her by several techniques. I squeaked six times everytime she came in the room - she patted me - thought she'd got the message. But the 6th passed off with the normal meal and their comes cheese on the ninth. I came up with different schemes. The green peas she got for me - i arranged them in groups of six and waited for her to come and she and make my point - but i nibbled them at last when she hadn't the eyes to see it. Sometimes I wonder if she actually can see those peas she feeds me because her eyes are twenty times the size of it. Maybe she just feels them and tosses them around.

I did a few more things before i gave up - I jogged to and from the room six times had a long pause and did it again. Once, i circled her six times. I even tried giving her a lite bite six times. But she's as dumb as me. Think, i will have to at last learn the alphabets and the numbers.Oh god!such a dumb thing to do.

I gave up finally - and just wait for the ninth to get my treat. But i still think in my free time, the way to tell her of the sixth. Once, I got a crazy thought to shave my whiskers to leave just six on my cheeks - but on second thought, what if i got a rash? i had no after shaves around.... these days, i just ramble on how to get some after shaves... the father's? the brother's? should i pop-in in one of the stores? which brand again? so complicated... old spice?denim?... uff! why so many brands...

a dose of ramble

i don't chat often... i don't like the idea of words appearing on screen...talking to an inanimate monitor....
if my great great grandmom wud have seen me laughing at a monitor... she'd straight away head me to the mentals.... if they had n e in those days...
n e ways, Radhakrishnan starts his bk - Religion and Culture with ...The world has been shrinking at an increasing pace with the advance of communications and technology... and i talked with my fren half way across the globe as if she were beside me through this inanimate screen... and i was thrilled by the presence of her.. and it brought back good memories and we chuckled with the he he and ha ha typed all over...
and people fall in love with their web cams on .... and the voice chat thing....all these make face to face an old fashioned community... but i am one of the old fashioned ones... nothing beats the f2f thing....
one of my frens... actually two of my frens whose b'days just went by this jan... got a little cross... no cards.. u didn't wish me she said....
i don't like e-cards, i said... especially finding the right one... sending n e of them at random is irrelevant.... the process of choosing a good one is irritating.... you need to be lucky... n for me who is totally unfatalistic or is it infatalistic?...i don't have the patience...
and with all the customizing we talk in marketing... i jus wonder how much of it i get as a customer...
so there is this trend i find pretty interesting ... customizing reminds me of this....
the kathmandu market is all for one piece thing for a change... i got a gift for my friend... i wanted a ditto a few days later for another of my friends... and the lady at the counter says... no, we only make one piece.. that makes them special...wow!
and i bought a kurta piece... found it damaged... i want the ditto piece ... just exchanged for a good one.... no, says the bald man among the colorful dozen kurta pieces... they just come in one pieces, they are special.... in a rage, i felt like 'to hell with special... could some one pls bring the mass production back...'
but as soon as i thought of it ... i took back my thoughts... suddenly i remembered the chinese goods' inundation... how can n e one forget that... we are still trying to gasp for some air under it.

which one

You are...
the place you work in...
the bike you ride...
the brand of jeans you wear...
the place you live in...
the music you listen to...
the book you read...
the cell you use...
the contacts you got...
the friends you keep...
the places you go...
the words you speak...
minus these... and what you got? clones?
who was it that ever mentioned branding's on the wane?

Lost under Ground

The generator and the water pump make the background music of hummmmmmmmmmmmm........... all the while......
Two souls pore over the black computer, the white phone and the Naipaul. On regular intervals the three activities are interchanged to make it the least boring. On a sunny day, of the 20 tubelights in the hall, 6 are put on... this is the irony. It is cold.. thus, hot air blows in from an electric machine. The honks and ponks of the vehicles plying on the road, are heard overhead.. very different from a normal experience of down below on the streets... it is up on the streets. 15 empty seats face different directions as they are left as-it-is after the last meeting... on two cushioned chairs, the blank faces try to do something... they just don't know what... one of them check the corner of the computer screen to read 4:30 aloud... the other check her wrist watch to say 'one more hour', as if to confirm. At the end of the day, they are as blank as they started off with. Thank god mobile phones work.

check out

Seems like everything is down....
Shristy's mood is off....
the workload is off....
The room lights are off...
will catch you later...
'coz don't think this will be posted...
the blogger thing seems off too in the office too...

knock knock

Click. Dial..Dial..Dial..(Punch some numbers)
Milan is on the fone (all suited booted.. with a tie)
"Film herira??"
"..........." (i don't kno the other side ...may b der was nobody... may b he was acting ... may b it was his brother... may b it was his dog... or may b it was his gf)
"disturb bhayo ho?"
"............."
"la ta ma rakchu.."
Click.

+gOOd+ definitely

+Coffee is good+Good movies are good+A nice warm evening by the fireside is good+A call from a faraway fren is good+Tomorrow's plan for a foursome game is good+Dream of a nice future is good+Planning with a new found fren is good+Seeing someone close, happily married off is good+Hot hot bread butter and honey is good+Finding constellations on the upturned bowl above is good+Good laugh on a stupid joke is good+Enjoying a wholesome party is good+Shopping for the right things in the right places is definetly good+Having lots a cash in hand more often than not is always good, though rarely blessed with+A 360 degree view from nagarkot top or swayambhu top or dharahara top is good+reading a thriller by the lampshade in the middle of the night is good, especially when the xams near+getting good grades without studying is good+checking a word in the dictionary and finding it as you guessed is good+reading chekhov, gorky, dosteyvsky(hope i got the spellling right) is good+ discovering a good book without a reco is good+walking under the warm sun without a worry in the world is good (very rare again)+freak out parties are good+a long nice speedy bike ride all uphill is good+comfortable shoes that are also nice looking is good+an all purpose hairstyle is good+long lasting mushy soft chocoalates are good (wonder who makes these)+getting a good and honest feedback is good+frens who can digest ur nonsensical jokes are good+frens who can get irritated with you is good+all the conflict you get everyday bickering with your siblings is good+The all commanding dad to keep u in track is good+Philosophizing irritatingly on every thing to bore you to eternity is good... everything is good... and the best thing is 'this' positive and optimistic attitude which makes every small thing in life and matter seem good, wish i had it more often... have a very good day i!i! Bestest of all.

happy

She went to the last aisle in the store.. and took the smaller bottle from the row. It said - "Happynez-UnlimiteD... take two teaspoonful twice a day"
Sita had been totally frustrated with everything around her - her marriage had been a total disgust.. she had flunked her MS and lost all hopes of getting a DV.
So she had come to the store for the all-purpose, full of controversy - Happiness Potion. She wanted to smile :) and make merry like all others. And she least cared about the side effects at this moment.
She paid at the counter and smiled as she slipped the little bottle into her purse... she could already feel the effect.. she wanted to dance.

Follow me

You don't know how you met me
You don't know why,
You can't turn around and say good-bye
All you know is when I'm with you I make you free
And swim through your veins like a fish in the sea
I'm singing

Follow me,
and Everything is alright
I'll be the one to tuck you in at night
And if you want to leave
I can guarantee
You won't find nobody else like me
- Follow Me (Uncle Kracker)


:-)

look alike

No, that is not my dog, and no, that is not my mouse... but the mouse looks similar...nah??

day to day

And I looked out the window. And saw many more mice at the speed of sound... they had weird foot for sure and they made a lot of noise... competing against each other.

The traffic outside was deafening... so i locked up the windows.

The mouse was hungry. He had this strong craving for green fresh delicious juicy peas. It had been days he tasted one. All he now were weird brown chanas that were filling ya, but nothing like juicy peas.

"I skipped breakfast today - it was tasteless - some old bread and milk."
Then, all i did was wait. It was hours before I had my lunch... and for god's sake it was the same old bread and milk. I hesitated but nimbled on - i knew dinner time was far far away and so it was. Rest of day was more than peaceful... it was boring. I slept for like 8 hours before she came... and it was all fun. I was climbing up and down whatever came my way. Had the most exciting time...wild and free.

I was late to get back today... extremely tired... all i could do to the mouse was let it open. Hope he didn't mind it.

EC-cENTRIC

eC-CENTrIC?
e-CEntric?

sOME oNE aGAIN cALLED mE eCCENtRIC tOdAY.
tHE dEFINATION oF eCCENTriCiTY hAS sOMEHOw cHANGED fOR mE oVeR tHE yEArS.
wHO cAREs, aNYwAY?

ings...

Copy pasting...
Time wasting...
Everyday fasting...
Swearing...tearing and wearing...
In the name of god fearing...
are all continuous tense of the respective verbs...

Cool headed

The mature brain consumes some 20% of the energy used by the body.

Such heavy energy usage generates large quantities of heat, which must be continually removed to prevent brain damage.

blah blah 2

Its black, i say.
Not totally... you can't say it's black.. greyish probably..darker greyish is a better description.
It's black...just the lights playing that's all.
This is black..that is not as black..can't you see...it's different.
Black is black whatever shade it is...
My point is it's not black.
What?

And i can hear the pressure cooker whistle in the kitchen across the street. It's weird... it's almost normal... Nepal Bandh.

And i can see the stars at night when there is no horns and honks all day... still the mist hangs over the smoky streets...tyres could be burnt afar if not right here.

Oh- i wake up in the morning - the street is so silent. i think - it is a bandh day - it hits my head - so - i ask myself - rest today - am i so lucky - i ponder - why not - computer is fun - a little work wouldn't harm anyways.

I am all sleepy and drowsy. She was out 'ol day. All i had was a few licks of the milk there was in the pot. I loved the peas she brought in last nite. They were juicy and green. I took a pod from her hand and ate it all. Then she brought out another and i ate it too. Yet she got out another and i was already full. So, i took it from her and hid it behind my bed.. then she took out another and i didn't know what to do... so i hid it too...

I remember the load shedding... the chat after so long .....
I remember the tea ... and the hot cup ...
I remember the morning crow ... and the three pigeons...
the smokes and the puffs...
the evening stroll with the hood over my head...
the empty streets and the loud voices...
the chocoalate that was too sweet and
the water so cold

starting february

Starting february it's the same old life...
just a few things change here and there for me... how about you?
I am off my temp job...back to berojgar again..
Starting feb, will be a year older... doubt if any wiser...
Feb is cold... feb is white... feb is chill...
Feb is marriages.. and more marriages... some getting married off...some getting in
Feb is 28 ... feb is 29.
Starting february the college ends..
step into the irrelevantly named the "real world"
Some old ties loose off... i doubt if any new ones come in...
Starting feb it's the same old day...
let's hope it's a brand new day...
there's no immunity... there's no guarantee.

blah blah

there's no use getting philosophical ... there's no use getting poetical... there's no use getting emotional... there's no point in reading literature and understanding art...
at the end of the day none of it feeds you.
Whose philosophy is this? i don't know.

Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful

'We cannot live on the human level without ideas.
Upon them depends what we do.
Living is nothing more or less than doing one thing instead of another'
(A quote in Small is Beautiful)

As i rush out the main gate, and cross the busy street below, the first morning chill hit my head,
and i remember i have forgotten my topi upstairs.

I put on Frank Sinatra on the laptop and realize for how brief a moment that is, when the phones ring incessantly from the moment i step in at 9 - I de-mute it at 5, and i realize it's time for me to go home.

With pockets in my hand and my bag across my chest, i walk past the typical Nepali street ... Puspa tailors, Om arts, Ghadi, Chasma and mobile repair centre, Ashis ko bhojanalaya...

I stand below the towering NTC building at Jawalakhel with the mini-football field on my left and stare at the evening crowd for a brief moment - and realize I am lost in the multitude.

This is my hometown... with one million more population than ten years back ... i don't know the my grocer, i don't know the name of the newspaperman who hands over the TKP to me every morning, i buy vegetables from a different person each day, i see different faces on the street below each evening.

Some can keep friends. Some just make them?

I come back to EF Schumacher and turn to my bookmark: The Proper Use of Land... i read aloud the chapter to myself and realize how different my voice sounds. I want to check with someone and there's no one around.

I watch football and jubiliant players running all over the field after an amazing goal. And i think - why do i care?

I wake up at 2 midnight and realize there is a curfew outside only due to absence of the vehicles plying ... otherwise who would stop the dogs barking... who would stop the television screaming...

The whole political atmosphere gives a halt to your brain and mind.... now what? it asks me.... where to? It is when I can see no further... and get no answer to my future... i question myself - Do i sound like a pessimist?

I flip on the RC to watch BBC and end up with the Donkey Show on CNN. Is it good marketing or do we just ramble? Wander. Do this and that. Go left and right. Sit here, change our mind and sit there. The purpose?

I stare up the night sky as usual. It is clear at its best. I identify the Orion and the a cluster of stars - the sapta rishis - and realize how i have forgotten them all.
All of them.

The brain 'forgets' to protect itself in case of extreme torture, i read Ludlum. And try to remember the last time i took so much time to read a page turner.

Thousands of images formed in my mind today. The brain is so small and fickle, it can't click on more than just a few to retrieve them... Is it so small? It is... a little more than a kilo?

for dreamers...rather day dreamers

"If you have built castles in the air,
your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them."
-Henry David Thoreau

Why is my blog turning into Get-your-daily-free-quote-here kinda thing?
Anyways...who cares!i!

just ramble

Its been a long time i have been regular... i deleted my old blog to create this new one...to be regular... so i am here again with full vigor to be regular... because... loyalty is the most crucial thing a marketer would not want to miss... it takes 10 times as much to gain a new customer than to keep an old one... customers and employees should be the focus of every organization... they are the reasons why the orgs exist...so goes for me...you are the reason...words in here have any value...this is basic crap basically in a more base way...
n e ways...my short term job feels more shorter. one, because the winter days are themselves shorter which is a stupid reason. Two, of one month, it's the 15th day... and according to some theory, the name of which i forgot, the pace of work is highest during the last few days, as the deadline approaches...
...The best thing is what you like.
... If you don't like it, it is crap.
I took one of those management tests yesterday because someone thought i was a people person... the test also proved i am not very much so... (this part is out of context... btw, what is, i wonder?!i!i!)

chill out..r u kidd'g me

Work life means....
very little time for blog...
very little time for family...
almost free lunch...
lots of work... and work...
may Bee that's Y it is a work l!fe....!!
Don't tell me i am stuck for a lifetime in here...
NE ways..signing off with one of my fav quotes...by John Mill -
"...better Socrates unsatisfied than a Pig satisfied"

rhyme-less

i read somewhere today, the words
orange,
purple,
and silver has no rhyming words in the english dictionary.

a true ramble

Stupidity has no boundary, no length, no breadth.
But you and i do. Things are different.

One of my all time favorite quotes, which i use rightly and very often - "Let the dogs bark". Any use?

Majboori ka naam? ____________
TINSTAFL? __________________
Character: Gollum, Movie? ___________
TLOTR, Abb for a movie, which? ____________
What is a Hawthrone effect? ________________
A book on Europeans, We __________________?
K2K is Keyboard to Keyboard
G2G is Government to Government
P2P is People to People
H2H is ___________________?
Ctrl+B is for Bold Text, Ctrl+J is for Justify, Ctrl+R is for Right align, Ctrl+E is for___________?
Supernova is a _________________?
Every breath you take, every move you make, eye will bee ___________?
If i take a bus to Lagankhel from the right side of my house and i reach the left side of my house i will be wasting ________________ ?
Stupidity is _____________?

What do i say to a person who constantly peeps at the computer screen either out of curiosity or to indefinitely irritate me? How do i know his purpose?

since all my readers are familiar with the script...

snerf 6: sretcarahc
setaudarg egelloc :ecalp
erom dna pihsdneirf: enil yrots
attaklok, mtk : gnittes
enon: rohtua yb kb suoiverp
enon: eetnaraug
enon: tnemtsevni
nwonknu: htgnel
8<: sretcarahc fo .on
?rehsilbup a em dnif enoyna nac
div uoy rof eno gnikool saw i, hcuo
); hguoht gnitpmet ooT. enilyrots ru gnikat ton m, yrrow t'nod,

brand-eat

As a potential marketer, I was thinking how one can go about marketing a particular Chinese brand in the market, and i thought this could work,

"We will make you understand what's written on your heater? ...(radio, player, battery, pen, torch, door lock, pencil, TV set, computer, speaker, telephone set, watch, wall clock, water bottle, wind chime, poster, discs, discmans, walkman, MP3 player, digital camera, jeans, back pocket, front pocket, shoes, socks, wardrobe, table, thermos, cornflakes, book cover, medicine, chocoalate wrapper, chewing gum stick, motorbike, cap, muffler, sweater tag, helmet, pen refill, broom stick, refrigerator, gas stove, jam, butter and honey) and especially your remote control" ... any place they haven't been? Think.

inconsequential indefinite discussions on indiscriminate decisionless derivatives

Privacy is such a sensitive issue. It is so sense-see-irritative which comes to picture only when it is practically disturbed. I write a blog here and there are a few brothers doing to and fro in the background and it just reminds me how i was well off with my old and creaking laptop.

So i am back after a long backdrop of events. When some certain crucial things change in life like one's timings and when you eat and sleep and where you breath and who you meet and what you ride and what you drink, it takes some time for people like me to be back in shape. I think that sums up the reason for my absence and my little presence in the responsive comment section. Anyways, now that everyone is all with dhum dhadhas going up and good on blogging with the fullest josh i think it's difficult to attract the very few anon comments that i could barely manage to keep with my little blogging and lot of letting them be.

But when one is in a mood such that i am in now which very few people understand and more people try to interpret, all that is in front of me and around me actually irritates and gets on my nerves. I have my cell switched off and my mind fully set on this piece of monitor that is also bugging me constantly. Is this just a mental state that everyone stumble upon once in a while or do I need to xplain it a little further to make it more legible to the illegitimate few??

get lost.

My little sense which has practically become nonesense by now, like Milan's silliness in the unsillily silly world or smth like that, tells me that my unnecessary and inconsequential indiscriminate discussion on decisionless topics may actually conducively help me in effectively losing the only few readers i have on this site which are here for elusive and inoffensively illiterate purposes.

What? Have i gone nuts or something?

Is this the effect of my recent noticeably different lifestyle that has come over me? or the change in my food habits? or is it my mouse that is growing bigger each day and has taken more and more of my room space? a mouse? how big can it grow to take room space?
space? it is virtually space less- volume less and weight less - it feels like a piece of cotton that has a few claws...

ja'os

Walking fast, past too many people... all strange faces and all strange perfumes all mingled together... i look amongst the crowd for a familiar face. But i don't find you.

tie-tall-less

I would have been the last person to write on this topic. And people who know me personally - deep and close would be, i believe quite shocked to find me writing on it.

But I sometimes wonder into the topic too - more often than not when i am in a PMS or an incontrollably, biologically oriented depressed and senti mood (m not sure whether this level of confession is safe on a public display page - but given its limited readership that too, for quite different purposes, i feel quite safe)

However, it is important that these kinds of topic are discussed by us. Our parents and those " " kind of people take these questions up and i have seen them argue on it for hours. This is a cliche question already, that only 'thought to be happy' and non lovables ask each other. But what's the point? Consumer Behavior is the main thing. Each one of mortals on earth should be given special courses on it. Consumer behavior - that's the thing! Wots wrong with me today? By the way, what's the question?

But let's look into the matter more closely, Are marriages really made in heaven?

Get lost! get some sleep. Am i talking to myself, but zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

in-complete II (contd...)

The other end went dead.
"Hello" Nisha hushed into the mouthpiece.
There was nobody there. And the sudden silence after the telephone ring made the night even quieter. She put down the receiver and waited for something to happen. These moments came rare, when she had nothing to do. No assignments. No engagements. No phone calls. No messages. No chats. No chores. No exams. All she had to do is go to bed, wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow. She is not excited. She doesn't care. She doesn't want tomorrow. She wants today. Tomorrow could change her life. "One day," she thinks, "one moment, one sentence and one person. And a life time. How can a life time depend on one talk? one instance? one click? how can it be decided tomorrow?"

The silence of the night makes her shiver more. She decides on a bar of chocoalate to treat her hunger. She stealthes to the door, creak opens it. She thinks, she heard her dad get disturbed, and shuts it close. But she's hungry. She opens it again. And shuts it on second thought. She opens and shuts close.

She opens the monitor of her computer. "The person seems to be offline...". He could be back in an hour or two. Will she wait? Why would she wait? The hunger, the chill, the offline - the wait - all at once get on her nerves. And she is sad.

You don't need a saree exactly but it would suit the occassion. She remembers her mom in the room that morning. What difference does it make? A saree, a kurta, a suit? It's the wrong person afterall. Moments flashback and lost in thought, she puts off the tubelight and slips under the quilt. She is alone - she realizes again, and she needs a tight hug. Warm. Soft. Tight. She needs a smile. A hand she can hold. What else?

All she knows is tomorrow will be different. She needs today. She also knows that in this wait, alone, her eyelids will get heavy, she is tired and she will fall asleep. And she would wake up tomorrow. She also knows that even if she does not fall asleep and forces herself up. Even if she is on the computer for a few more hours, even when the milk goes cold, and the rain stops, even though it seems endless, like everyday, tomorrow - is inevitable. The night will pass. And the sun will shine. Like always. Like everyday.

(Please continue if you like)

crazy

"i like you"
"i do too"

now, we got a situation.

check it out

no time to post n e thing today. got to do a resubmission thing on a report. mean time, y don't u check out this article in The NewYorker... it's a nice read.

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/books/articles/051226crbo_books

early morn ktm

so i got up pretty early looking for a cyber again... missed my own 9 to 7 dial up by cinches...
i peeped through the painted panes of my regular one and left it with a screwed face when i saw all the keyboards stacked up in a pile... "repair?? most probably."

n i bought some fresh potatoes just out of the brown dusty sack by my grocer...

thamel was fun yesterday i remembered as i walked back home in the biting chill... we sang funny floyd numbers in chorus all the way... n e ways, the whole melodrama after i got home was too refreshing yaar...

so, what 'appened is my tinnie twinnie mouse was not in his usual Meizan carton box.. n i was frantic and toppled my already disheaveled room upside down in the torch light aided search.
i sent an SOS to my two bros ... n all three of us were disheaveling our own rooms now... under the bed... behind the wardrobes... under the quilts n behind curtains were the normal place in the search operation...

n every shoe in the rack got toppled n every bk from the case.. n all my junk for once got my friendly dust-beating... my pen cup... the drawers... n basket n the bins.. n all the socks n the gloves... n all coat pockets - to no avail...

so i was almost in tears after a haf hr search...

n i was there .. on the floor.. beside tinnie twinnie's box... swearing this n dat... n my bro looking at me with his new sweater on... confused n lost...

n at the very moment of suspense n climax.... ... the mouse shivered....

and under those disheavelled blankets we found it!
alive...

the waiting

i am waiting for my Life...
... to be mine
Foolish?

passing by, i had this thought... where have you been all day?

walking down.. strolling around...
the evening crowd.. the push and the shouts...
brimming footpaths... dazzling lights...
houses, traffic, the people around...all in a disarray...
moods gone haywire... maths all crazy...
too much walk... the foot is heated... starts aching... can't sit down... finally i do.. and it's a cold seat... and i stand up.. to step in a puddle.
ciggi? can someone?no.

"... lighter..lighter..." the footpath vendor shouts in the semi-light of reflected flourescent tube under the Newroad gate, "..lighter with torch... twenty rupees, twenty rupees.."
no one gives a damn... why would they when 30 other vendors, big and small, men and women, children and child...all shout at the same decibel level... except some are little hoarser...some are high treble... some a little bass... cumulated... they are the loud evening noise around dharahara... with deep fried fish and boiled egg on the big black flat tawa of kanchhi to give the typical aroma around Mugling. Mugling reminds me of fish too... fresh fish and fried fish and fish on stick and ropes. Mugling reminds me of dal bhat in Thakali ko bhojanalaya.

the street under my window are all packed around this time too. As evening sets, the white glaring flourescent tubes at least 10 in each boutique light up one by one. As i snuggle in bed with some muse, evening prayer bells join the incessant traffic horns from different directions. Evening aarati reminds me of Dashain. It is the only time aarati is an in-house matter. Other days it is a friendly neighbourhood chime. The white light at ground level bring in scores of people out of their shell. Most of them come out bored of their wives and kids. Of their incessant talks, squabbles, complaints and demands. Or, else just to spend their evening as usual with a hot cup of tea and a circle of friends, and inconsequential discussions on politics, aishwarya rai and helpless nepalese.

The wives are different - they realize at six, dinner needs cooking. So they head towards bagmati ko evening bazaar for fresh red tomatoes straight from kalimati, and jyapu ko saag in a kharpan. The cucumbers are out of season, so are guavas... can't see them anywhere. The children are the ones in dire dilemma. Homeworks due tomorrow in one hand, and induplicable wrestling and cartoon on the other.. it's the toughest time to decide. So, most of them end with bad handwriting in front of the screaming TV screen. They are twice disturbed - one by the biting cold they pay for being in the drawing room or papa's room or the widely known TV room... and the other by the irritating punctuations of mom's scolding. He finds it a background score by now... like a commercial break. And like them, the little boy happily waits for it to end to get back to the cricket scores...
Merry Christmas!!

cyber space

am in a cyber at the moment. all stations occupied when i got here... waited 8 minutes for a gamer to log off. there are still 12 year old kids all around me playing quake with virtual machine-guns and bombs that go off at the strike of a letter.
inter station competition is quite enjoyable it seems....
a hindi song plays loud n clear behind my back...'u're the 1 for me...' it goes....
all other more than 20 surfers don't exist for me....
i am in one corner of the room, walls ahead and to the left of me... i feel claustrophobic already. can some one give me some space? room to breathe?

in-complete

And she stared at the monitor for a long long time after the last bb. The screen read any message you send may not be received by the other end. The person seems to be offline. After a three hour long conversation on the screen, he had to leave suddenly after a call from home, and he leaves. All of a sudden this silence on the screen is strange to Nisha. She looks around her room, stunned to be back. The milk by the telephone has gone cold. There is a heavy downpour outside. The slanting rain drops have moistened her bed. The loud noise made by the constant battering of rain drops on tin roofs is deafening. The curtains are ruffled of the constant wind. A sharp cold gust blows through the open windows. She feels the pang of cold on her bare arms. She hasn’t got a jacket on. She is hungry. And she feels alone.

It’s 1 at night. Her parents have long ago gone to bed.

Nisha shuts off the monitor and walks away from the computer. She sips the milk, stung by its coldness. The phone rings and she picks it up on the first ring. “Hello” her voice is softened by the surrounding silence...

Pls continue if you feel like.

blank

"You have every right to be yourself" read one of the favorite quotes on my fren's list. How nice, I thought. How right.

Some, great idea

A few years ago, i landed on a book below the letter "C" - cleminshaw. The writer was Suzanne Cleminshaw. Every time i think, i am sure the name will not come to me again - it's so complicated. But some how it has been in my mind.

The bright orange colored book was titled - The Great Ideas.
1st thing, i read about the author - nominated for some prize - "not won any", hit my mind.
2nd, as i usually do - flip to the last page where the due date of library books are stamped. Too many dates? recent ones? renew Rs anywhere? crowded? all these show the popularity, the frequency, the rush on the book. I don't know if anyone else check these - i do it every time -though it isn't the major criteria. WOM is a superb way to pick out a book.
3rd, I read the first page. This is very important to me, at least. If not the first sentence, i need a few more pages to intrigue me - inform me - excite me or chuckle me.

Anyways, three days down, i was done with the book. All satisfied and beaming - i was ready to spread the WOM. Alas! there are a few bibliophiles around... ... this corner at least.

Years later, I was happy to get in the same mood again. Great Ideas is back. Thank god. BTW, when did it ever leave?

a year ago..

How come none of us heard the camera click? Where is all the courtesy of saying "cheeeeeeeeee..... these "eee"z look like teeth to me already...does it, to you too? or is it only me being visually disoriented from excessive junk food?

food! food. this reminds me, someone could be hungry today from a monday " ..... " .. fast converting to compulsive disorder?? until?

Well behaved women rarely make history

I came across this phrase in an issue of the Time magazine a few months back.
"Well behaved women rarely make history".
And I, then and there sat brooding of all the well behaved women who HAD made a history and of all the ill behaved women who had ALSO made a mark.
In fact i tried to remember ALL women who ever made history.

Whatever, the phrase seemed to stick with me for a long time especially since one of my friends needed unwanted inspiration on some indiscriminate topic.

Well Behaved MEN rarely make history - how does it sound?
Forget it! i don't believe in 'ist' theories.

Espresso

Since we having lot of these-these days, thought a little insight wudn't harm... got this from wikipedia btw... too lazy to churn out something for the day. Coffee. Kofi and more kafi...

Starts here:
(Caffè) espresso (Italian) is a strong, flavorful coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans.

Espresso appears dark brown with a red/brown-colored foam on top, and it is served in small portions.

Espresso differs from drip-brewed coffee with its thick, concentrated consistency and robust flavor. Due to its potency, straight espresso (served without sweetener or milk, analogous to black coffee) is considered by some to be an acquired taste, and it is served in small amounts called shots in the United States. Many coffee aficionados order their "single" or "double" (one or two shots in a ceramic cup) with a glass of cold water to clear the palate. Because espresso reacts quickly to oxygen, it should be consumed immediately after brewing.

This is interesting:

Espresso is considered the default coffee in Southern Europe, notably Italy, Portugal and France. Ordering a coffee (un caffè in Italian) means ordering an espresso; this confuses foreigners in Italy and Italians abroad alike. What is considered plain coffee in the United States is normally not brewed in Italy.

And this good:

A similar alternative, an espresso mixed with hot water, is known as caffè americano. The phrase 'American Coffee' (spoken in English) is widely understood. It is rarely ordered by Italians.

Espresso is also the foundation for other drinks, such as lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and mochas.

A key component in the flavor of espresso is crema, a golden foam composed of emulsified oils, proteins, and sugars, which floats on the surface of the espresso itself.

Espresso is frequently mispronounced/mis-spelled as expresso in the UK and US.

Ha..Ha...

The term espresso refers to the brewing method and combines all 3 meanings of the word express.

1.a coffee made expressly for one person,

2.with the flavours expressed from coffee grounds under pressure and

3.a coffee made at express speed

Express Espresso huh?

Threesome Us

Shootout

11 people were shot dead in a rampant fire by a psycho army man at Nagarkot. In refute to this, there is a Bandh in the valley today. How safe are we in our own country, our own city, our own neighbourhood? What if tomorrow the army standing below my house, in the street each night drinks one more shot of his daily vodka, and goes out of his mind? I could be history the next day. I would be the headlines. One more bandh in my name? Is that it? One more bandh? Am I worth one more bandh? One more protest in the street with tires ablaze?

I first heard of rampant shoots at US schools, killing tens of their fellow classmates. I still remember blaming English movies for them. Blaming them for showing violent actions on screen. Blaming the US system on easily accessible guns and arms. I was in school then, and the news half way around the world had only informative value. The affective component was too little for me to give more than an expression of surprise on my face for a few seconds. I forget it too soon.

More incidents came after that. More school shootouts. More CNN coverage on it. More songs dedicated to them. Annual memoirs on the day. That was it. Now, shoot outs hold special meaning to the Nepalese at least after the royal massacre. They bring about memories that are sad and bad. Memories that shock us, keep us yet bewildered after years. It is still hard for some us to digest it, to take in the fact that the whole royal family so prominent, so loved and so admired by the people was finished without any trace in the most unassuming way. The people were proud of this one family. This one royal thing that none other had. We were proud of the King, proud of the Queen, the Princess who was beautiful, the Prince who started taking things seriously. Like top actors and actresses in Bollywood and Hollywood, the stories of royalty was a social talk of the town. Businessmen, servicemen, college students, school children, housewives, among friends, among families, good or bad, we all talked of the royal family in reverence. Some just commented on them, some were proud of some kind of association with them, some related incidents of their encounter, some boldly revealed the interesting facts he had come about and others were just eager listeners. One night of shooting and they were all gone. Today, it is too sad a topic to be brought about in social gatherings. We have even stopped wondering of the probable culprit.

Today, this incident at Nagarkot reminds of this and more shootings. One crazy gunman and 11 lives lost. 11 families affected. 11 dead bodies to cremate. 11 times 13 days of full mourning. Mothers lost for some. Brothers never coming back home. Fathers. Sisters. Wives. Sons. It is so close to home, empathizing comes naturally. It could be me, you, my family and your family next day or the next hour. Craziness has no date, no time, no boundary, no mind – where do I shoot, when do I shoot, whom do I shoot, how many do I shoot? Psycho. Crazy. They have no brain. All they do is pull the trigger – for a long long time. And the next thing you realize is a sea of blood like you have never seen before. What is the solution? Who has the answers? Where do we go? Fight? Be scared? Tremble? Burn tires on the road? Whom do we turn to? Shout? Be frustrated? Laugh at it like it never happened? Ignore it? Carry on with my college assignment because it is not me and my family?

You know it's exam time...when...

Exam time!
Music is sweeter. Sleep has never been more peaceful. You study the tiniest ant wandering around for philosophy. Browsing endlessly seems the new OCD you have developed. You want to call all your out-of-contact frens. I tend to like all short stories i found tedious before. Any movie is a good movie. Even sensational news items on Aaj Tak and Star News you hear while passing by seem utmost important. I forget to feed my mouse. Even kitchen chores don't seem dull. Irritating parent's squabbles are enjoyable. You send long inconsequential long e-mails. You have the sudden urge to clean your room - spic n span- to the last corner. You start anticipating for the days "after my exams are over... will do this... will do that".
When you remember all the important things you have been postponing... and they seem pretty urgernt...you know your final exams are tomorrow.

guest column- by genius brother

I have a guest tonight, Ladies n Gentlemen presenting my self proclaimed genius brother!! with a big hand please welcome...
PS. Don't take his word on anything... it's all a blabber he can't spit out any place else...

guest column- by genius brother

this is going to be the most valuable post in this entire series of blogs- in fact, this blog is a very silly idea - dont you think - you do?? yes! that is good! you don't?? you are very silly!! the reason is this- haha what did you expect a serious reason- haha you will get it- now the reason is that - hehe what a let down- oki oki- the reason is that - first calculate the time and money you spend on writing this desperate attempt at creativity- now- why dont you simply admit it that you are all a lot of silly uncreative people- uncreative i mean not bodily- dont mis-take it- i mean there are somethings you can do and some you cant why not accept it and move ahead you bunch of losers!! now yes- the time you spend typing- some people actually type offline and post it afterwards- which my sister doesnt which is plain waste of telephone service emergency time- what is that?? you didnt know?? very silly indeed!! you did?? haha nothing such as that exists!! so - yes why not spend that time which is more- creative? no- not the word i was looking for - but it will do- creative as in mentally- you got it? good - i mean you can be physically creative but not- you get it?? yes oki now my sister wants me to stop this gibberish and let her type - so this supremely unjust acts robs you - of the opportunity to read on the finest of mankind's exteriontology- what is that?? you dont know?? pathetic!! you do?? haha impossible- doesnt exist!! so just get lost you gullible bunch of boors - go and polish your shoes instead!!

--if the gunners were a soccer team they would be called Assnals --

quake

The geography specialists say that a strong earthquake could hit Kathmandu anytime now. They predicted it - within 6 yrs. and that's coming to an end i think.
They say, it's going to be so deadly - Kathmandu will liquidate - move like water. It's like something that was in Kashmir and Pakistan area, and Afganistan. And we have little hope for here as the houses are all weakly made and of concrete cement basically.
It would be quite unfortunate to lose so much of such a nice city. I shouldn't be mourning before anything actually happens. But I am amazed at the foresight scientist can have these days. The tsunami was forecasted i hear. And i am worried about the lack of alertness of the Nepalese government on this issue. When are they ever going to wake up to these realities that if god forbid such a quake does take place, what are they going to do about such a huge mess that is going to be created? And what about all the people?
Do we hate politicians because they take up humane issues so less often?

3 hrs

Got final exam from the 14th. Can't believe I watched two movies today. As good as it gets. I watched it for the third time today. Jack Nicholsan and Helen Hunt. Seemed like I had forgotten the movie.

As I planned to finish up my case studies on the PC, there's my brother with Green Street Hooligans. Elijah Wood is so different from Lord of the Rings. But it's a nicely made movie. Gets pretty real.

Only about a week back I watched Crash. I loved the movie. It's like puzzles put together.

warm words

viticulture - cultivation of grapes
vertigo. think.serendipity.ramble.pluck.twaak!...blog.slut.transcendental empiricism.orange.

40% of the body heat goes off from the top of one's head. A cap is that important in staying warm.
Warmth.
A warm hand. A warm heater by your side. Mother's touch. The warm tea cup. Lunch. Warmth of a sunbask. A warm overused TV set. A warm look?
Warm water on a cold day. Warm water on a hot day. Slipping into a warm quilt of someone else. A warm smile?
Warm colors: orange, brown... stuffy warm. AC warm. Warm blood. A warm Boot. A warm bath. A warm animal body. Mouse. Dog. A warm kiss?
A warm hug. Warm sensation after a drink. A warm headache. Nervous warmth. A warm evening sky. A warm bonfire. Warm bhaktapur milk. Warmth of your own room. A warm face.
A warm seat. A warm handshake. A warm pocket. Pair of warm shoes. Warmth under the pillow. Warm hair in the sun. Warm jacket. Snuggly warm. Crouched warm. Warm air from the mouth as you warm your hand. A warm electric bulb after you plug it off. A warm hand. A warm slap. Warm sensation after you get spanked. A warm hot water bag. Sick man's warm. Feverish warm. Sweaty warm. Indifferent warm? A warm hand on the back. A warm massage. Warm Vicks during cold. Warm ointments. A warm welcome. A warm goodbye.

blue moon

Because of you
I forgot the smart ways to lie
Because of you
I'm running out of reasons to cry
- Shakira (Underneath your clothes)

How does it feel to be romantic?
Is it stupid? No, it isn't. It's healthy I suppose.
Is it tiring? I find it tiring. It draws out the energy.
How would Howard Roark react?
How would Raskolnikov feel romantic?
How about Yossarian?
Where and how do people find those words - all mushy - when they are romantic?
Is it just Hindi movies, Hollywood, love songs that fuel the romantic conversations that people have? What chances does a laymen have to be originally romantic without borrowing one of the dialogues or a song lyric?

"I once had a sweetheart, but now i have none. He's gone and he's left me to weep and to moan. He's gone and he's left me, but contented I'll be, for I'll get another one, better than he!"

My eyes fell on these words as the book slowly slipped off from my brother's hands as he went into a slumber . The cover read Alice Munro - The Progress of Love. The words are referred to as some song the mother sang to she and Beryl. Page 9.

Remembering Sara

I remember reading "A Little Princess" when I was 12.
I re-read it a few months back.
I have always remembered the book since i first read it. It had completely caputured me.
I read it a second time a few months back, and it did the same.

In my opinion it is a Children's book, written for adults. Sara is one of the most beautiful characters i have come across. Her voice and innocence, and all that goodness intrigues me like anything.

(A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1905. Less than 200 pages)

B.. Zzzz... as a Bee

All day: Had a few bites here and there. A few nimbles there and here.


11 am: "Yathartha"
12 am: "Karythemix"
12:30 pm: "Five"


1 pm: "11/11". Haku Patasi remixed was how we looked at the presentation. Three girls with black choloz with red borders. - "Bhaktapur in 17 mins", musical bhaktapur . Hope the others had fun watching it as much as we had fun showing it. First time, can't say how the movie was - good or bad - from the consumer's side. I kinda have a hint feeling how company overlook their simplest points on their brands.

2 pm: In prep of presentation.

4 pm: Two girls in the middle of NewRoad - without a care in the world, frantically in search of a warm cum warm-looking jacket for a 6 footer.


8 pm: Face to face with the other side of the world. Presentations.

11 pm: Trying desperately to stay awake with rum balls beside.

2 am: Fast asleep with sudden jolts of open eyes on thought of tomorrowz semi-prepared presentation.

4 am: Here I am...

Wish me luck! We need to atleast be at this presentation with something, if not wholly rock it.

I shall

All of us plan. Plan about today. The next hour. The next day. The next week, month... We all have plans for our future. We donot tell. We donot write. But it is just there in our mind... like a thin layer..plans. Some of us call it vision. Some the dreams. Some of us just want it... will it... or shall it.
I plan ... I plan to read James Joyce someday. But today i am busy.
I plan to visit my grandmom for a whole day and listen to her, be with her. But this week I can't make it. Nor the next.
I plan to surprise my long lost friends from school someday. But the time is not right today. It's too sunny or too cold.
I plan to buy my mom a nice, cute dog that she will love to feed each day. Today I don't just have enough money.
I dream of writing a book, making a documentary. I can't do it now.
I will buy the most khatara laptop in town. And listen to the most gorgeous music in a sophisticated system. Where? when? how?
I will lose my extra fabs and look beautiful like so many other girls. I don't want it just right now. I like the way I am.
I will buy my best friend the most beautiful gift for her wedding. I can't think of any, it's too overwhelming.
I want to travel. Travel so far and wide. I can't think how.
I shall read. And I will read all that I have always wanted to. Now, I just don't have the time. I am too busy.
I will do all these and I will still plan. Whatever i do, wherever i am, i will dream. Dream away for the next day, week and year. Maybe that is the only way to expect tomorrow, and live this day.

Veg matter

Meta perceptions: the ideas we have about other’s ideas about us. Some think about this. Some are haunted by it. And the rest don’t care I suppose.

Talking about vegetarianism is difficult for me because I am far from being a vegetarian. However, what leads me to write this are my friends who are. I have different kinds of “only veg” friends ranging from no tomatoes, no garlic to only fish and egg vegetarians. What is green about fish and egg, I wonder.

It is difficult to explain to my vegetarian friend what is so great about eating other animals, and taking other lives as she puts it. I counter by saying – it’s not animals dear, neither have we taken any lives. They are meat; one, and we rear them so that we eat them. It’s like planting green vegetables in your kitchen garden, only to pluck them later.

It’s odd talking to her about meat and fish. It rings in my head: She doesn’t know the taste of meat. You must find me odd; she says sometimes, that I don’t eat any of those stuff you really relish. I ask her: Can you imagine a person who thinks eating apple and bananas and potatoes is sin? I raise my eyebrows and give a smile, wondering what she thinks of me? Metaperceptions.

Being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian boils down to issues like ethnicity, caste and creed, or religion. It’s more about that rather than ones own belief or an individualistic stand. The majority is “born” a vegetarian or a meat and fish kind.

However recent trends have seen shifts toward the vegetarian kind giving it the benefit of being healthier and pure. However, it is difficult living as a vegetarian in a society where every house you go to has either meat or egg to offer as the side dish. This is drawn from my one year of experience as a vesgetarian, which I should not deny I enjoyed except the too frequent squabbles at each family gathering in or outside my own home.

Non-vegetarians among their vegetarian kins are scorned in their extreme extent as untouchables and vegetarians are looked with awe among their meat and fish eating pals. I always wonder why?

It is still difficult in more meat-eating families like Newars, and vegetarian families like the Marwaris, to accept the other eating habit in their daily menus.

However, among friends it is always enjoyable having diverse culture and a mix of thoughts, opinions and culture. I have savored many meals of vegetarian diet, and happily been introduced to the other side of happy eating. It is a pretty delicious idea for those stuck to the hard and fast meat kind to try such palate pleasure once in while.

(article drawn from personal experience)

Six girls and Two bikes

I had the title as "six girls and two scooters", when i heard two of them shouting at the same time "oye! scooter ho yo?!?"

Six girls ... three years back remind me of ...
six girls and two bikes.
bumps on the bagmati bridge.
Jaggu's pizza.
Janvi's grins.
Long lectures.
Internals. Internals and more internals.
Canteen.
Parties.
Dances. Wine.
Bhogate sadeko...
Momo at Snehacha's place.
Soni's purple lehenga...
B'day parties...
Bakery... Sumai... chaats and samosas
Uncuttable cakes ... at downtown...
gate bandh at 6:30..ha ha that was fun...
hetauda...sauraha... and alcoa...:)
Nagarkot - sunrise and the chill.
People wori pari - soni ko dai and jaggu ko bhai,
phone calls, phone calls and more phone calls.
stupid squabbles in the class, the punching sessions... wow!
Jaggu's punctuality... soni's otherwise...
Cold morning wait for Safa tempo! uff....chiiiso!
Movies and more movies.
Haku. Kale. Brownie and Kelly. what was the other? Angel!
Presentations, deadlines and scoldings.
Grades. Results and convocation!
What you say? That was fun eh!?

Lost in paradise

Home. College. Friends.
Food. Jeans. Assignments.
Up. down. Stairs and more stairs.
Open eyes. Intact ears. Moving limbs.
Digestion's fine. Heartbeat normal.
Pulse 78. Temperature 98 degree F.
Normal. Everything's normal.
Yet lost.
Lost in Paradise?

emanon

I found out that my little mouse likes milk.
It's nice to know someone's favorite and to give it to them.
It so nice to see someone else happy. It's one of the best pleasures in life.
The other one is stand and stare, in the words of Robert Frost?
I have been trying to find his poem which goes - What is life if you don't have time to stand and stare...

Questions

Is it important to enjoy small moments in life - everyday. Or, is it more important to achieve greater results in a lifetime.
Is it important what others think of you and how they take you? Or, is it more important how you feel about yourself?
Is it true that people try to become what they are not, and what they seem they reallya are not?
Is it true that our sense organs are not to be depended on for realism and the only realistic thing we can be sure of is logic?
Is it true that too much familiarity breeds contempt?
Is it true that we avoid the ultimate truth of our lives - death- each day?
Is it true that liberalization of each state is vital for its economic development?
Is it true that blue reminds people of cold and red of hot?
Is it true that all young girls are scared of marriage, at least nervours about it?

Who knows the answers?
Where shall i look?

When is it due?
Whom shall i ask?

Is this important?
Any use?
Black cat in a dark room? Does it bring gingerbread?
What use it then, surely. How true.