Flightplan

Flightplan rocks.
Actually, we went with the intention of watching "Harry Potter & GOF" (which also rocks!), but it was sold out & had to settle for this.. but it turned out alright !
Jodie Foster is so so good! She has to be one of the best around... Thinking about the movie afterwards makes you realize how superlatively convincing her performance was. I thought the role required varied levels of complexity, in terms of emotions.. and she pulled it off with amazing perfection. Wow!
The movie's plot is also very "different" *non-cliched please*... manages to grip you throughout...
Not a waste of 6.5 pounds I'd say!

...just kidding! 6.5 pounds is wayyy too expensive for any movie!!
But I'd definitely pay it to watch "King Kong", which by the way is now atop of the list of my must watch movies this season. The promos look jaw-dropping to say the least !!

Currently Listening to: Nothing...feeling sleepy!

The British Escapades - Part 3

First things first... How can people walk around in mini skirts & designerwear at -3 degrees??
I mean.. come on.. its MINUS THREE DEGREES!! Not that I mind looking at them ;), but still, it seemed crazy for someone like me who has come from a place where the coldest winter would probably mean 6 degrees ,with people fully wrapped up...
But things are certainly different here in England.. after a couple o' days, I realised that at this time of the year, 6 degrees is a luxury.
The wierdest thing is that the sun in fully out on most afternoons...but it is still so goddamn cold that sometimes it makes u wonder if this is some other planet!

Anyways..the roads & the "motorways" (read: highways) here, as I mentioned before are quite superb!
Drivers are usually sensible (atleast wherever I've been) & the whole traffic system works out very well indeed.. In fact, there are very few traffic lights around! ( I hear that things are a touch different in London though... gotta see that later)
It is pure bliss to drive around the countryside.. especially on a sunny afternoon... and esssspecially if you have a Audi convertible with its top down... (like the guy who drove past us!!) *sigh*... but hey! Camry is no slouch, i'll tell ya...

There's this huuge mall in the town centre, probably 5-6 times bigger than the biggest mall in bangalore.. (garuda, right?) Great place to hang out.. but most stores close down before 8 pm... (except on a saturday)... Clothes are quite expensive, but people here spend like crazy on fashion! Almost 70% of the mall is made up of fashion stores (and 70% of those are exclusively for women! Now I know where all the "women" jokes came from..)

There's this other city called "Reading" (pronounced "Reding") closeby where clothes are super cheap! Its about 20 minutes by train... That reminds me... public transport is very very good.. I was pleasantly "shocked" to see a train arrive & depart perfectly on time!

The only downside is walking around the city in freezing cold! They're saying this winter would become much colder as days go by! :(

But hey, if people can walk in mini skirts, then with 3 layers on me, I should survive, right?

Currently Listening to: Garam Masala: Kiss Me Baby (Remix)

The British Escapades - Part 2

Sunday, November 20, 2005

* Shift to UK Time*


12:20 PM : Landing at Heathrow... Its freakin' cold !!!


12:50 PM : Check out...
Someone's supposed to be here tp pick me up rite?... ahh... I see my name on a placard.. There's a man in a full suit waiting for me !! Is it for me or for NRN?..... Nope... the name on the placard is mine ! Turns out he's a chauffeur !! well, a chauffeur??!! goooood

1:20 PM : Cruising at 80MPH in a Skoda Superb!! Gosh, the roads are good here..
2:00 PM : Reached Basingstoke ( a suburb about 45 miles from london)
2:30 PM : Checked out the apartment!! Its terrific...


4:00 PM : Ventured out into the town centre with roomie.. damn! its cold out here...
4:30 PM : Sunset!!! (What the .... ??)
located a huuge shopping mall...loafed around for a couple of hours..
6:45 PM : Dinner (read: pizza)
8:00 PM : Jetlag sets in... crash..

Currently Listnening to: Pink Floyd - Sorrow

The British Escapades - Part 1

Saturday, November 19, 2005 - supposed to leave to UK next morning at 3AM

9:00 AM : Woke up !
10:30 AM : To National Market with Asoki for some last minute DVD shopping.
12:30 PM : Mom & bro arrive.. lunch..
2:30 PM : Live Cricket on TV, Ind vs SA :)
3:30 PM : Still watching cricket...
4:00 PM : Started packing.. after mom mercilessly turned off the TV
5:00 PM : K arrives to help me with packing... a bit of flirting behind mom's back :D
7:30 PM : Turn the TV on to watch the match...feel something hit the back of my head.
8:00 PM : Almost done packing... hmm, that was quick.. Dad arrives.
8:30 PM: Coffee with K.... last one this year :(
10:00 PM: Dinner..
11:00 PM : Trying to sleep..

Sunday, November 20, 2005

2:00 AM : Woke up...
3:50 AM : Reached airport...surprise, surprise!!...K is here....so sweeeet :-*
Oh.. I'm so gonna miss her :(
4:45 AM : Baggage checked in.. *me not showing any nervousness of a first timer. .ahem !*
5:30 AM : Goodbyes... will miss'em all..
6:30 AM : Check in.... well! whaddaya know... N R N (Infy Chief) is also on the same filght.
Feel like talking to him... nah.. he's already surrounded by people..



6:45 AM : Settled in.. darn!... its the middle seat.
7:00 AM : Take off from Bangalore.
8:00 AM : 38000 feet above ground!! God bless British Airways... 18 channel TV to keep me occupied



Eat... sleep... watch TV..chat with the american next to me..check out the airhostesses...look out of the window..
*Repeat for the next 10 hours... *

Currently listening to: Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina - Jal jal ke dhuan

One Fine Day

Aaahhhh... Finally.. the gloom that had covered the city from the past 2 months seems to have gone...
Its been all blue from the past couple of days... and I mean spotless, clean, sparkling blue!!
Y'know, the feeling of walking out on to the balcony in the morning to be greeted by the bluuue sky is really something...
Add to it the perfect mixture of warm sunlight & a chilly breeze.... and you have a perfect day in store.
Well.. unless you have to go to work, that is.

Currently Listening to: Garam Masala: Kiss Me Baby (Remix)

Quote...Unqoute

"England, the conquerors of Australia, have been beaten by Pakistan, the conquerors of themselves."
by Andrew Miller after Pakistan's stunning 22 run victory at Multan

Interesting...

Currently Listening to: Bombay - Bombay Theme

Top Ten Traffic Howlers

Top Ten Traffic Howlers (in bangalore)

Foreword: I ride on a bike..and I wear a helmet.

10.Getting stuck behind an autorickshaw running on LPG (yuck!)
9. Some Smartass (usually autodriver) blocking the road just enough so that you cannot take the free left turn.
8. Freaks on Yamahas without silencers (at 1 AM!.... aaarghh)
7. A spike haired stud(?) with a girl on the backseat, honking like crazy at 500 vehicles in front of him in the middle of a traffic jam!!
6. Driving on Bannergatta Road
5. Autodrivers going at 10kmph on an empty road hunting for customers... and hence making you miss the green.(aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh)
4. Auto & Car drivers who yawningly start their engines 5 seconds after the light's turned green.
3. Getting stuck behind a garbage truck on a narrow road(eeewwwyyyyuccckkkk!!)
2. Rain
1. A woman driving a car within a 50 Metre radius around you. (well, in most cases :)!!)

P.S: Driving on Hosur Road is not included since it qualifies under "Unsuspicious Suicide Methods".

Currently Listening to: Edwyn Collins - A Girl like you

Back to College

It was more of a co-incidence that I was in mysore the same weekend as our annual college fest.
Its been almost a year since I visited the college... Boy! a lot of things seem to have changed.. or is it just my perception??
For starters, its freshly painted & looks appealing...A lot of new signboards, directions, maps and what not... are also on offer.
..didn't get a chance to go to the golden jubilee complex since it was late in the evening...that was bit of a bummer..

Anyways, the evening was mostly made up of group dance events & a really dull "Mr & Ms Technieks" (gaawd! and I thought it couldn't get worse than our times)... The dances were atleast tolerable... (as usual, the girls hostel troupe drew the loudest catcalls!) and almost all of 'em had 3 tracks in common - "Aasihq Banaya Aapne Remix, Garam Masala Remix & and a Tamil track from Anniyan" !! It was like 2000/2001 all over again when every group dance was "Kambakth Ishq" and every solo was "Ek pal ka jeena"...
I dunno if its just me, but why do I always get the impression that the quality of.. er.. babes(!) is getting better every time I visit the college!!???? Maybe its just the regular Grass-greener-on-the-other-side situation...or maybe not??

Anyway, visiting college certainly does bring back so many many good memories...But unfortunately, it also re-iterates the fact that I'm not there anymore...Somehow, that 19 year old refuses to leave me completely...even after 2 years...ditto for the compulsive habit of relating most day-to-day stuff with college days..

Later, I also hung out with some old friends, which was quite nice since I hadn't seen most of them since graduating...had a very enjoyable dinner with them...chewing on those good ol' times.. and debating on who's made the most money in these years.. annnd of course discussing the women in our lives(duh!!)...
Aah.. that reminds me, I'm yet to see a girl whose curly locks would match those of THAT first semester girl (who, BTW is a senior now!)...

See...I told ya... these habits.. tchh tchh..

Currently Listening to: Amrutadhare - Nee Amrutadhare

Hung Up

Madonna is back... and with a bang.. check out the latest single "Hung Up" here. It is a rocking disco track with a retro touch to it... Should set the dance floors on fire...
The album "Confessions on a dance floor" (Whoa!) hits the stores on 15 nov...

You can never write her off... :)

Time goes by.... so slowly...
Time goes by.... so slowly...

(Its got me totally hooked!!!!)

Currently Listening to: Madonna - Hung Up :)