It's Vivek

Skoda Yeti

2010-11-16T23:00:00.001+05:30

The quirky crossover was launched today, retailing at ~16 - ~18 lakhs. I like.

Sony MHC-GZR5D Mini Hi-Fi

2010-11-14T21:02:00.000+05:30

Shanu's b'day gift for me.

P.S. - Nobody delivers bass like Sony.

Diwali weekend

2010-11-09T22:10:00.008+05:30

The lure of lucre had me at the office on Diwali Friday. Returned home by the time night had fallen & was witness to Diwali celebrations in full swing. Of late, B'lore seems to have embraced the North/East Indian Diwali celebration style .... that of making the most noise. And so there were people exploding 'aloo' bombs big enough to make car alarms go off & people stopping traffic by placing Chinese 'launcher' cracker boxes in the middle of the road.

Anyway, got home, lit up some diyas around the house. Priya had thoughtfully purchased some girly Diwali stuff & the sisters had a whale of a time burning it all up. The 2 had been planning on buying cellphones since the last couple of months & today was deemed d-day! So off it was to the dealer's.

Priya had made up her mind regarding the ....

.... Nokia X3 & that's what she bought. Shanu though, was another story. Having gone in with the Nokia C3 in mind, it took a bit of convincing to make her agree to the ....

.... Samsung Corby. It is a big moment when a middle class Indian lets go of his obsesion with Nokias & decides to try out another cellphone brand & I could feel history being made as the payment changed hands.

Came home & spent the next few hours growing increasingly engrossed with the nifty little touchscreen. Must say I'm quite impressed, even though it's got no Amoled or Android.

The rest of the weekend .... it rained. It was as if the Gods had decided to halt the downpour only for Diwali day & following it, the quota was released in full force. The rains this year have been sickening. I'm sick & tired of having to look at the same overcast sky for days on end. And the icing on the cake was when the waters took out my Walkman. Clearly, the rains this year have not been kind to moi.

2010-11-03T22:49:00.000+05:30

This project is beginning to suck.

Bugatti Veyron

2010-10-28T23:26:00.000+05:30

VeeDub has taken the plunge & launched the 16 cr Veyron in India today. Now to see who coughs up the cash on the 1st one! Are we back to the age of the maharajas?

Dell Inspiron Mini 10

2010-10-28T23:18:00.000+05:30

Arrived today. My 1st experience of ordering online.

Same or better specs than my ~3 year old Compaq at ~half the price. Looking forward to getting familiar with Windows 7.

Recovery

2010-10-25T22:58:00.002+05:30

I thought he was going down with Encore & had lost it with Relapse.

But boy he's back with a bang with this one! The rapping & rhymes on Not Afraid; Love The Way You Lie & No Love are outstanding! Can't stop listening.

Blogger's block

2010-10-05T18:54:00.000+05:30

Will take some to get back in form.

A Bridge Too Far

2010-09-15T20:13:00.001+05:30

Interesting perspective on an Allied operation that did not go as planned.

Tere Bin Laden

2010-09-12T03:03:00.000+05:30

Good little effort. My expectations were higher because of the reviews.

Salt

2010-09-10T01:48:00.000+05:30

Full of twists & turns. Very engrossing.

Indian GP

2010-09-08T22:47:00.003+05:30

30th October, 2011. The schedule was released today.

Must say this has come sooner than I expected.

Udaan

2010-09-04T20:09:00.003+05:30

There are a few movies which strike a chord somewhere deep down inside of you. An emotion is touched, one which you yourself didn't know existed.

Watching this one brought so many memories flooding back. Especially since it is set in my dear old hometown. The language, the experiences of coming out of boyhood into young adulthood ... so much that you can connect to. And so any memories that I didn't even know I had left so far behind.

kahaani khatam hai, ya shuruaat hone ko hai....
subah nayi hai ye, ya phir raat hone ko hai...
aane wala waqt dega panaahein...
ya phir se milenge do raahein...
khabar kya....kya pata....

Lovely movie with amazing performances. And has the music to go with it. There is hope for Hindi films yet.

Jeepers Creepers 2

2010-09-03T23:06:00.000+05:30

Watching a horror film with a girl is a different experience altogether. Very enjoyable.

iPod Nano 2010

2010-09-02T20:31:00.002+05:30

I've never been an Apple fan. But this year's changes to it's Pod lineup are impressive. Especially the Nano which becomes true to it's name by losing the clickwheel & getting operations confined to just a small touchscreen. Very cool.

Just when one thinks they can't improve 'em further, Apple goes ahead & does just that.

The Expendables

2010-09-01T23:58:00.000+05:30

Mind blowingly entertaining!

Suzuki Slingshot

2010-08-25T18:42:00.002+05:30

Another idiotic product from Suzuki India after killing off the unappealing Heat. Quirky alloys with an even quirkier console treatment. And the absence of a disk brake is confounding.

2011 Ford Explorer

2010-07-26T22:42:00.002+05:30

The Explorer was one of the reasons why I got hooked on to SUVs back in the early 90s .... & the latest edition is yet another example of the big brute SUV executed to perfection. Love it!

Wildcraft

2010-07-25T21:22:00.004+05:30

My 1st Wildcraft. Okay it's not in this color, but this is the closest representation I could get .... @495/- it's not a bad deal.

Our 1st trip home

2010-07-04T22:12:00.002+05:30

Got up at the crack of dawn or maybe even before that. Going home has an excitement all by itself. Had packed up late into last night, but there were still a few things to stuff into our respective strolleys. Achieved this with some difficulty & we were off .... dragging our strolleys to the bus stop at 6 in the morning.

Caught the Vayu Vajra as planned with our usual choice of seats, Shanu clearly stumped by the huge luggage racks on the Volvo. Hero Honda's adverts hyping up the Commonwealth Games baton relay were all over FM but Shanu was more taken up with the Nokia E63 being operated by the guy seated in front of us.

Reached the airport well in time & got my choice of seats, but no window for me this time cause Shanu was all keyed up for her 1st flight. Minor confusion at the security check & I was concerned about how Shanu would fare, but she got through coolly enough. Spent some time browsing through BIAL's retail section .... the only thing impressive, apart from the jacked up prices, was the smell wafting out from the CookieMan store.

For a change SG529 was dot on time .... & we were taken by surprise. Takeoff was smooth & Shanu was all agog about how fast the Boeing had risen after takeoff. Come to think of it, I was too! The usual ear-popping & nausea accompanied the landing at Kolkata.

Petrol prices had been raised 2 days ago & the Kolkatan taxi unions were doing what they do best ... striking. Had to shell out a hefty 600 bucks to get us to the train station .... would have cost me ~200 normally. This is the 2nd time I've been ripped off in Kolkata because of a strike/agitation. Bloody communists .... they have caused irreparable damage to this city & it's work culture over the course of their uninterrupted reign during the last >30 years. It's evident the moment you step off the plane & into the humid air of NSC Bose 'International'. From the terminal building to the state of the taxis to the litter on the streets to the dilapitated state of the buildings .... it screams of the prevailing lackadaisical attitude & babu culture prevalent in this city. What a comedown it is from spiffy Bangalore!

As is evident from my rant above, my attitude towards the East is undergoing massive flux. Anyway, was foresighted enough to have booked tix on 2 trains out of Howrah ... one can't take chances when there's a lady accompanying you. The railways have stopped running trains on the KGP-TATA stretch at night ever since the Maoists derailed the Jnaneshwari a few days back. The administration chooses to play safe instead of crushing challenges to state authority with an iron hand .... frustrating stuff!

Was thankful once the HWH-RNC intercity moved out of the station leaving behind the mass of humanity on the platforms .... things were really starting to bug me now. But the journey brought some relief. For starters, the driver kept up a fantastic pace as we zoomed past CCU's burbs. World Cup fever was in the air & one could see huge Argentinian & Brazilian (no others) flags hung vertically from the tallest buildings in several villages flashing past.

Reached KGP on time. The train was maintaining an impressive pace. Half an hour later, near the WB-JH border, the train slowed down to a crawl & blew a long blast from the horns. Looking out the right side of the compartment, one could see that we were passing the site of the Jnaneshwari wreck. There were 2 smashed locos by the side of the track with clothes strewn around near the drivers's cabin of the one in front. The locos were probably pulling the goods train that had smashed into the derailed Jnaneshwari, several of whose mangled passenger coaches were visible. Not a pleasant sight.

Reached JSR without further ado. Jolly had arrived 2 days back & was at the station. It was good to see them .... I think it's the 1st time I've come home in the middle of the year just for the heck of it. Should be doing this more often.

Next day was Sunday, & all of us trooped off to the church. Beldih seems so quaint in comparison to Bethel A.G. And Cyril Peters' sermon had the small town charm of it's own. The message of increasing women's empowerment in today's society & the consequent breakdown in the social & familial structure struck a chord inside me somewhere, even though we've all been conditioned to think that it's the best thing that could have happened for women since ages. Went off to the graveyard to visit Mom's grave .... it all seems so strange now, the spot is not even recognizable from the time the burial took place.

Next up was a visit to our favorite dosa vendor behind the ol' school. But he wasn't there. Dad says he's shut shop & gone off somewhere since long. With Swami's son having packed up & left for TN after his father's demise & Jaichand appearing to have thrown in the towel, the only vestige of the great Northern Town dosa is the stuff served up by Chhotu, Jaichand's erstwhile helper, who runs his own thela now. Dad says it isn't half as good. If Jaichand doesn't return soon, it would mean the end of a favorite childhood snack for hundreds, if not thousands of peaople. Sad. It was off to Anand next, but I never liked the dosas there.

Monday was spent playing with Chhotu who's lost almost all vision, thanks to cataract. Vini & Papa came over for dinner. Went off to B.S. City on Tuesday & returned on Wednesday with Shanu following on Thursday. It's a smaller city than I had imagined & pretty sleepy, especially with the electricity remainig on the blink for a majority of the time I was there.

Come Friday, it was time to board the TATA-YPR. Got space opposite an elderly Bengali couple who turned out to be pretty interesting timepass. The Uncle somehow brought up the topic of women's lib & had remarkably similar views to last Sunday's church sermon! I somehow don't recollect too much from this journey.

Reached BLR Sunday morning. Got off at K. R. Puram in the hope of saving on auto fare, but got ripped off nonetheless. It had been a nice trip home.

Home ...

2010-06-25T22:30:00.001+05:30

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

Our 1st trip home. Looking forward to it.

Bugatti in India

2010-06-23T22:05:00.000+05:30

The above grab from the Bugatti website shows that India is now a part of the global dealer network.

The retail comes to ~16 crores, making it the most expensive car ever to have sold in this country. It's nothing short of historic.

Verna Transform

2010-06-23T21:03:00.002+05:30

I quite liked the looks of the Verna. But Hyundai has come out with this new facelift today. Looks like a mod job gone wrong.

World One, Mumbai

2010-06-21T20:39:00.001+05:30

The world's tallest residential tower is supposed to come up in Mumbai by 2012. Nice.

Good ol' Indo Pak

2010-06-20T11:38:00.000+05:30

Saturday's Asia Cup match between India & Pakistan took one back to the old times. When 270 was considered a very good score in ODIs. And when there used to be a lot of needle on the ground.

Over the years, I think, as India has grown economically stronger & more confident, the players of the cricket team have reflected this in their attitude. While in the 1996 World Cup, Aamer Sohail could flail his bat at Venky while chasing a 'huge' 280ish score in Bangalore with nary a response from the gentle vegetarian, this time it was the Pakis getting it nice and good from the Indians. Good to see .... even though some of the 'action' from the Indians had me squirming.

And the icing on the cake was the penultimate ball victory, courtesy a huge sixer from Bhajji. The perfect way to spend a Saturday evening.

Ferronda

2010-06-18T23:32:00.002+05:30

Guy who lives in the opposite house drives a black 2010 Honda City.

Maintains it well & had my respect because he had kept it so wonderfully stock .... that is, until this morning when I saw the yellow Scuderia Ferrari sticker under the right indicator. Why can't people stop being wannabes & just let things be?

2010-06-17T13:30:00.001+05:30

Fantastic weather today. Blue skies with a hint of Cirrus & a wonderfully cool breeze. Bangalore weather at it's best.

XBox 360 with Kinect

2010-06-15T18:40:00.005+05:30

MicroSoft is at it again .... this time they've been inspired by the Nintedo Wii & try to go one up on them by releasing the Kinect .... a motion sensing device which does not require anything to be held by the gamer.

They've also gone ahead & slimmed down the 360 console - a la PS3.

2010 FIFA World Cup

2010-06-11T18:03:00.000+05:30

Begins today.

2011 Suzuki Swift

2010-06-10T23:04:00.002+05:30

The 1st pictures were released today. Looks like a pretty good design evolution. Let's see when Maruti brings this into India.

Suzuki GSXR 1000 & Bandit 1250S

2010-06-10T22:45:00.005+05:30

Suzuki launched the 2010 Gixxer ...

... & the 2010 Bandit ...

in India today. At 14 & 9.5 lakhs respectively, the retail on them isn't exactly cheap, but then these are the absolute top of the line models from Suzuki.

The Monsoon arrives

2010-06-10T22:42:00.004+05:30

Gulmohurs are in full bloom even as the Monsoon settles in over Bangalore.

Kamaz is here

2010-06-09T12:17:00.003+05:30

Daddy's favorite Russian truck, Kamaz has launched production in India.

iPhone 4

2010-06-08T19:09:00.005+05:30

Was released yesterday. Somehow, in contrast to the earlier iterations, I like this one.

P.S. - they should really change those icons now.

Weather's faaan

2010-06-07T20:05:00.000+05:30

It has been an unusually hot summer for Bangalore this year with temperatures touching the late 30s & the sun beating down harsh whenever one steps outside.

But there has been a change since the last week or so. It's pleasant during the day & a cool breeze blows during the evenings .... in short, the Bangy weather we all know & love. Maybe it's the coming of the monsoon .... hope it stays this way for sometime.

SprtRd - the 5th service

2010-06-05T21:23:00.001+05:30

The 2nd last free service. Fab job unlike last time. Running like maska now.

Needless to say, I am lovin it!

Nano turns Gujarati

2010-06-02T21:32:00.001+05:30

The Nano's dedicated plant at Sanand was inaugurated today. It's been a long journey from Singur.

Super Veloce

2010-06-01T12:31:00.001+05:30

Lamborghini has launched the Super Veloce at 3.6 crores ex-showroom Delhi.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2010-05-30T03:44:00.001+05:30

Long drawn but with awesome SFX. And 'New Divide' is such an apt theme.

No more Megan

2010-05-27T21:54:00.001+05:30

One of the Transformers' biggest USPs, Megan Fox ....

.... will not be seen in part 3 of the series.

Replacing her will be ....

.... Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Hmmm ....

Nissan Micra

2010-05-26T21:51:00.001+05:30

Nissan officially launched the Micra in India today, with deliveries beginning in June. Nice car.

2010-05-26T15:50:00.000+05:30

1 year to the minute since Mom left us behind.

30 years of Pac-Man

2010-05-21T21:24:00.002+05:30

.... and Google commemorates with a live game on it's home page, complete with sound fx!

England are T20 champs

2010-05-17T21:17:00.002+05:30

Completely contrary to expectations, the Poms managed to dominate their old foes, the Aussies to lift the 2010 T20 World Cup.

It is the 1st win for England in an ICC tournament since the concept of World Cups began in 1975. One has to feel good for them.

Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler

2010-05-12T20:06:00.003+05:30

Honda finally updates the Unicorn's looks & launches it as the CB Unicorn Dazzler.

A looker this bike is ... especially the Black. I like.

2010 Mitsubishi Outlander

2010-05-11T23:33:00.000+05:30

The new shark nosed update was launched yesterday.

Discover 150

2010-05-10T21:08:00.001+05:30

Bajaj launches yet another variant.

Shawn retires

2010-05-08T15:07:00.004+05:30

I remember the time it started. Around end 1992, the Gulf War & cricket World Cup had just got over & had brought along with them, to newly liberalised India, this wonder of new technology called Cable TV. Yes, now we had more than 1 channel to watch & they showed programs that people actually wanted to see. And Dad, the proud lover of technology that he was, & is, was the 1st in the building to get a connection.

So coming back to the topic, there was this show which used to air once a week (I forget which day) on Prime Sports at 2:30 in the afternoon. And every boy in the colony used to be a big fan. India had taken a liking to WWE (incidentally, till today it is the most watched sport in India after Cricket, believe it!). And among the crop of stars who stood out (like Papa Shango, the Undertaker, the Model, El Matador, Razor Ramon, the Hitman, Macho Man, Ultimate Warrior, the Mountie - so many of them) was this young guy who looked like Akshay Kumar - that is how Jolly & me referred to him.

Cocky, arrogant, full of attitude & having controversial (for that time) words like 'sexy' in his intro song, his name was Shawn Michaels. Incidentally, this was soon after he had turned heel - & he played heel to perfection - after putting Marty Jennety though a glass partition when the Rockers split. We were just getting to know the intricacies of this new sport & Shawn easily stood out with his fast, athletic brand of fighting & of course, Sweet Chin Music - one of the best finishers ever.

As time went by, his persona became even more twisted, which was perplexing to kids like me, since we were all so fond of him & wanted him to be the good guy. Soon, Hunter arrived on the scene & Nitro started telecasting in India on the TNT movie channel (where did that vanish?) & the Monday Night Wars were on in full swing. His teaming up with Hunter & Chyna to form DX & his constant haranguing of Bret Hart made me hate him, because Bret was the ultimate face in wrestling at that time.

DX's chop became so famous that little kids like Deepu would execute it after taking wickets in a cricket match, while their parents were watching! And DX's trademark line was forever imprinted in my mind when Nilesh Charhate, while coming out after having answered yet another disastrous exam paper in 1999, said the following to the person who asked him how it had been - 'I have 2 words for you - Suck it!'. The Montreal Screw Job established one of wrestling's biggest betrayals & Shawn as one of the industry's biggest stars.

Then came the end of Nitro, and nWo's invasion storyline - & I was somehow overjoyed to see Shawn joining Diesel's gang. Things moved on to the Rock era. Shawn & company were pushed to the sidelines a bit, but were never really out of the spotlight. However Hunter (now HHH) was coming into his own & DX evolved into 'Evolution' as Shawn took off on a break.

Things continued, & I lost touch with WWE - but just for a while. Cena's domination put all the young guys into the forefront - & stars like Orton, Edge & Christian increasingly caught the fans' fancy. Shawn soldiered on, but was increasingly beginning to look out of place. Which is why when on March 29th, he finally announced his retirement - for good - I was both sad & happy. Sad that he would be gone, but happy that he decided to do this when he did.

I've grown up from a kid to a married man watching him & his antics. It's been a long time & it's been a memorable journey. Which is why I'd like to thank Shawn - for having been part of the memories of my growing up years - & for being what he was - the show stopper.

Kasab to hang

2010-05-07T13:59:00.000+05:30

The sentence was delivered yesterday.

Rescue Dawn

2010-05-01T03:35:00.001+05:30

Drags. Felt like I'd seen it all before.

Releasing this summer ....

2010-04-30T14:01:00.002+05:30

The A-Team: The movie version of one of my favorite-est TV shows.

The Expendables: Just the star cast is enough to make this one of the most awaited movies ever! Oh and they left out Scwarzenegger & Willis from the poster.

Whazzat?

2010-04-29T14:16:00.000+05:30

O
MG
WTF
STFU
PWNED

Spotted the above eye chart at the Devi Eye Hospital on the way to work. An optician with a wicked sense of humour?

Chennai are the 2010 Super Kings

2010-04-26T14:57:00.002+05:30

After losing the finals in 2008 and the semi finals in 2009, the IPL's most consisitent side finally bagged the cup this year. It has been the toughest year for them, requiring them to win their last league game to reach the semis - which they duly did thanks to Dhoni's 17 runs in the last over.

Opposite them, were the Mumbai Indians - in awesome form through the tournament with their youngsters (the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary & Shikhar Dhawan) showing sparkling talent, complemented by a good showing from their experienced hands & overseas acquisitions (Malinga, Fernando, Duminy, Sachin, Zaheer, Harbhajan & Pollard). It seemed that everything had finally come together for what has always been the IPL's strongest team on paper.

But then there is the issue of luck. Or captain's luck.

On the one hand was Dhoni - somebody made captain of a T20 side in a World Cup where none of the 'seniors' wanted to put in an appearance. And he went on to win it for the country - part of the reason behind the present day hype for T20. Ever since, he has consolidated his position as one of India's best cricket captains ever in the Test & ODI arenas.

On the other hand - there was Sachin. Great player, legend, God of Indian cricket - but with rotten captain's luck. Sort of like Ganguly's captain's luck in tournament finals - his team could never seem to win!

So while Mumbai Indians were ramming their way through in the league stage of the IPL, there was always this feeling that come crunch time .... something would go wrong. And that is how it transpired. Even though Sachin played with stitches for a torn webbing sustaned 2 days previously, it was not enough. It was a heartbreaking end to one of the best campaigns ever seen in the IPL.

Full marks to Dhoni though - his aura just continues to expand. And this seems to be the correct result keeping in mind that the World T20 - the one that began it all - comes up in a few days time. Dhoni will once again be leading the side with many of the men he commanded in the Super Kings.

Well done & best of luck to Dhoni & his men then - bring it home again, guys!

I be baker

2010-04-25T18:48:00.001+05:30

Thanks to Betty Crocker & the Microwave, I 'baked' my 1st cake today. And it came out super .... couldn't believe it myself!

Sahara Pune Warriors

2010-04-24T19:05:00.000+05:30

The logo & name of the newest IPL franchise were revealed today. Looks good.

The Hurt Locker

2010-04-24T02:30:00.002+05:30

It's like a long train of bomb disposals; shootouts & suspense. Which is what the director probably wanted to convey.

Brings home the reality & tragedy of war in a mind-numbingly non subtle way.

Wagon R 2010

2010-04-23T14:24:00.001+05:30

Maruti screws up the current JDM Wagon R's front & launches it as the all new 2010 model for India. Everything else looks pretty good. And the ABS+Airbags version is priced for fantastic VFM.

This might well be the 1st car I end up owning.

Tata Magic Iris

2010-04-23T14:19:00.001+05:30

Tata launches the radical looking Iris. It's supposed to be the autorickshaw killer. Interesting.

What now?

2010-04-20T23:56:00.004+05:30

The 1st day after 12th of March, when I come back home from work & there isn't a T20 match in progress.

Anyway, the league stage is over. The 4 semi finalists were finalised by the 2nd last league game & Kolkata still had a mathematical chance of making it to the last 4 in the very last game. Yes, this year's IPL has been the most competitive ever.

So here's the final standings before the semis ....

Mumbai Indians are the odds on favorites to win the title this year. They have dominated like no other team in the competition.

Chargers had a fantastic comeback after losing their way during the mid stage. Winning their last 5 games in a row & storming to 2nd place is some feat.

Chennai struggled more than they ever have, but made it to their 3rd consecutive semis appearance.

Bangalore began very well, but floundered later on. Managed a place in the top 4 by the skin of their teeth.

Delhi flattered to deceive. A strong team with weak performances. They don't have my sympathy.

Kolkata had their best showing ever, but messed up during crucial games far too often.

Rajasthan .... well, the 2008 fairytale is well & truly over. And with Warne having played out his last season, things will only get worse.

And finally Punjab .... they really blew it this year .... big time.

Samsung CE 103 VD

2010-04-18T19:05:00.004+05:30

Wanted the black one, but opted for this since there already is an abundance of black colored 'white goods' at home. This is one common home gadget I am not at all familiar with. That's about to change now.

Prince

2010-04-18T08:06:00.002+05:30

Manages to hold your interest .... be it throught the songs or the stunts or how over the top every second scene or script twist seems to be. Dunno why it has been so badly panned by the critics though.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC W310

2010-04-17T23:15:00.001+05:30

Never really fancied a digital camera, what with the N73 delivering 3.2 megapixels of wonderful spur-of-the-moment pictures. But Shanu had been on the lookout for one since long.

I'd thought of going for Sony's S series of cameras, but this one was far sleeker & came with better features at a not so significant price difference. And Shanu wanted to this to be her purchase anyway, so went for it.

Heat!

2010-04-12T14:58:00.000+05:30

I'm sweating inside the office! Definitely the warmest I've ever experienced in Bangalore.

SprtRd - the 4th service

2010-04-10T23:41:00.002+05:30

I had my doubts when I saw Venkatesan at the service bay instead of the sales office. "Saar, 2 people resigned .... I have been moved into service now" .... oh well, just get my bike serviced & have a look at the squeaks from the brakes while you are at it.

Came home. The promised SMS informing me of service completion by 2 PM did not come. Nor did it come at 3. At 4, decided to march off to the dealership myself.

SprtRd was standing ready & polished. "Why didn't you send the SMS?", I ask at the payment counter .... "we were jusssst about to" comes the reply.

Riding back, something seems amiss. Take off to Reliance Fresh for the weekly shopping .... & it slowly becomes apparent .... something is jamming the rear wheel. It isn't freewheeling.

Off to the mechanic .... he diagnoses it as a chain too tight. Adjusts it pretty quickly. All seems well.

NOT the usual bike service that I am used to.

Ducati Multistrada

2010-04-08T12:38:00.000+05:30

.... at the office parking lot!

Scything through ...

2010-04-07T10:27:00.002+05:30

Moments come, which come but rarely when driving in Bangalore traffic, when we pass a signal just before it turns red, when a gap appears in the next lane just when you need it, when there is just enough space on the right of the fast lane to allow one to overtake a long line of cars & get to the front of the column, and when the soul of a driver, long suppressed, finds utterance.

Today was such a day, when nothing could stop my advance & when all potential obstacles just seemed to melt away as I approached them.

Amazing, it made me happy enough to want to make a blog post about it!

Easter worries

2010-04-04T21:34:00.002+05:30

Today is Easter. And it was probably the most excited I've ever been on this day.

Shanu called Daddy on the way to church in the morning to wish him. I was in a foul mood because of having had to wake up early. And because of the back pain I'd picked up playing cricket during the team outing. And because the church is so far.

Any way, church over, we come back home. Shanu lays out lunch & I'm just about to dig in when Jolly calls - Dad's mobile is not reachable. Since the last 1 hour. And no one's picking up the land line. Hmmm, this don't sound good.

Try calling him about 10-15 times. The same result each time. Call up Bunty, maybe he can go & have a look. He doesn't pick up. Call up Anurag, he doesn't pick up either. Am beginning to get worried now. Anyway, decide to continue with lunch. Tasty, from Shanu, as usual.

5 minutes later Anurag calls up & apologises, he was having lunch it seems. Ask him to go & check out the house. He says he will. I am somehow not assured. Soon, Papa calls up - asks when was the last time we talked to Dad - give him the details - he says he'll go & check out the house with Vinni. I'm beginning to pray silently now.

Half an hour later, Z Fi calls - she sounds really worried. From what she says, the entire relatives network from Tata to Patna to Bombay is abuzz. God! Dad, what are you upto? I'm sitting on the bed sick with worry. Try to calm myself down. Think of alternatives - go down some if-then-else lines of thought. Think of looking up the flights out of Bangalore to Kolkata today.

Jolly calls up numerous times - no luck whatsoever. It's been about 4 hours now. Papa & Vinni couldn't find anything at home.

Around 4:30 in the evening, Shanu's been trying Dad's mobile for 10 minutes - suddenly a new message - the number is busy - some relief - didn't get through, but at least it's not out of reach anymore! In another couple of minutes she gets through - can hear Dad's voice - he'd gone off to Chandil on a test ride of his friend's new Tata Safari and hence was out of the network area for all this while. Relief all around.

Call everyone else - most already know. Call up Vinni after dinner to get all the juice from her first hand. Poor girl & Papa went to the house, to the neighbour's house, the government hospital & were just about to go to the Police when contact was established. The especially intense summer heat made her sick by evening. Thank God for people like her. The feeling of helplessness one gets sitting here so far away from the scene of action is just too overwhelming. Call up Y Fi in Bombay - she's scolded Dad like in anything. Just goes to show the bonds between them.

All's well that ends well then. But it sure was scary. Happy Easter!

The 800 ... going ... going ....

2010-04-01T19:20:00.000+05:30

Maruti stops retailing the 800 in 13 cities where the BS4 emission norms come into effect from today.

The beginning of the end for the car that put middle class India on 4 wheels.

Holiday drought

2010-04-01T14:20:00.002+05:30

Tomorrow, 2nd April, is a holiday for Good Friday. The next scheduled holiday is on the 2nd of September for Janmashtami ..... a straight 5 months without a single day's off from work!

IPL 2010 - halfway

2010-03-31T13:05:00.002+05:30

Mumbai have been the surprise for me.

Bangalore continue last year's strong form.

Rajasthan started off slow, but are improving.

Delhi play as usual - somewhat consistently.

Deccan have dissapointed after a good start.

Kolkata are better than they were ever, which is still not good enough.

Chennai have been surprisingly bad.

Punjab just don't seem to be in it.

LCH flies!

2010-03-30T23:13:00.003+05:30

The LCH gets airborne for the 1st time ever. And it's a looker.

I'm already imagining a convoy of these along with the Dhruv WSIs. What a sight that would be!

Total Mall

2010-03-20T22:28:00.000+05:30

... used to be my hangout during 2008 - early 2009. Being so close to the office, we'd drop in ever so often for a burger, shopping or just plain timepass. Then, the recession kicked in, the team was downsized & I had to leave the cosy confines of M4.

And before I realized it, it had been 10 months since I had last stepped into the place. Till today, that is, when Shanu came up with the idea of a visit to the nearest McDonald's. Reached there around 6:30 in the evening. And I was not prepared for the changes.

The roads & general infrastructure outside have improved from their previous state of perennial construction & reconstruction. Good. But inside, it's a different story. The luxury store from where I'd got my G-Shock has long gone. Replaced by three different discount readymade stores. All pretty downmarket. Huge contrast.

The ground floor MusicWorld is gone too. A horde of trinket & cheap jewellery stalls have taken it's place. Not very appealing. The CCD outlet still manages good business, but is crowded out from view by icecream parlours & ladies bag stalls. Plus, there's a stall advertising spoken English courses & another selling roach poison! The Reebok showroom lies empty & desolate. And no sign of the Levi's outlet which used to be there near the lifts.

There's a new John Players store ... but that's about the only positive. All in all, a pretty huge trade down for the mall's image. But I guess they've got to do what they've got to do. Footfalls were probably never enough to support those stores in the first place.

Had my Chicken Maharaja Mac & moved out. Things have changed pretty fast.

Videocon d2h

2010-03-20T12:22:00.002+05:30

Jai ho Joy Bhaiya!

Personally, I was happy with cable, but Shanu thinks the world of this thing. So it's fine.

There was a minor flutter when I couldn't find MAX under Sports or Entertainment. Finally turned up under Movies! Yeah I forgot, they show movies when the IPL isn't on.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2010-03-19T23:29:00.000+05:30

Entertaining comicbook adventure.

2012

2010-03-15T23:59:00.000+05:30

Far too many coincidences. Okay otherwise.

IPL 2010 is go

2010-03-12T19:58:00.001+05:30

Wake up at 6. This being a Friday is another initiative. Leave for office by 8:15 am. Swipe in at quarter to 9.

Rajesh has been dropped hints all week, courtesy Nilanjan, that no one's gonna be around by 6 on Friday evening. It's a light load day & passes quickly enough.

Shalini has her 'supplementary' driving test. She passes. Very happy.

I leave at 5:30 on the dot. Traffic is light on the way home. Buy a couple of 'Feast's to celebrate. And am in just before the inauguration.

Kick back. Relax. Shanu rues the upcoming 45 days of non stop T20. But I don't .... not one bit. Heh heh.

The opening ceremony is a damp squib. I mean, who wants to watch UB40, Abba Revival & Lionel Ritchie in this day & age? Lalit Modi might have managed a package deal on the cheap for them.

Kolkata take on Deccan in the opener. The last team of 2009 vs the champions. And Kolkata win! SRK is mercifully missing from the screen for the duration of the match. A good win for KKR nonetheless. I'm somehow inclined to back them for this year.

saved

2010-03-11T19:40:00.004+05:30

Speeding down the back road near Silk Board junction. A kid, looking left, starts crossing the road .... from the left. About 5 metres ahead of where I am.

The guy standing near the tea stall understands the situation, whirls around to see what happens. Not that there's anything he can do. The kid is still oblivious.

The rear brake is pressed hard. The wheel locks .... the first screech ensues .... the kid whirls around, his eyes widen. The bike starts skidding to the right. I squeeze the front brake lever harder while upshifting quickly.

The kid has halted by now. I'm about a meter from him .... but I've managed to point the bike away from him. The kid stands frozen. I realize it's gonna be okay as I almost come to a standstill. He's saved by a couple of feet.

It all happens in a couple of seconds. I rev into 2nd & ride away.

@ the office

2010-03-09T14:39:00.002+05:30

Arun Balakrishnan is a dead ringer for Siju Thomas who was with me back in college. The way he talks, his gait, the physique .... everything matches. Maybe the one above instantiates every new individual from one of several basic templates.

Meanwhile, The dumb asses in charge of blocking 'unwanted' websites at the office have zealously managed to block every cricket related site on the web. But iplt20.com remains accessible in all it's glory, with just 3 days to go for the start of the 2010 season. Maybe they look for the word 'cricket' in the URL.

And finally, as one friend leaves, another fills in .... Div joins the company a few weeks after Sittu's departure.

>70

2010-03-06T22:13:00.001+05:30

71.5 kilos! A gain of 3 kilos in less than 3 months. And the 1st time I have crossed the 70 mark.

Time to go easy on Shalini's cooking.

Back to the 90s

2010-03-06T22:00:00.002+05:30

nWo re-forms as 'The Band' on TNA with Hulk, Bischoff, Nash, Hall & Waltman. It brings back a lot of memories of the Monday Night Wars. What a time that was! However, it remain to be seen if Impact can give Raw a run for it's money. McMahon won't stay still, that's for sure.

And coming to McMahon, he has brought back Bret Hart to the ring. It was great, just great, to see my fav wrestler back in the squared circle & I hope he continues for some time.

Just points to the fact that the present lot of wrestlers just don't have the appeal or the mic skills like the ones in the 90s used to have. Probably that's the reason why they keep going back to the old gimmics.

Avatar

2010-03-05T23:16:00.000+05:30

One word - Awesome!

Another Indian in F1

2010-03-04T18:59:00.001+05:30

Karun Chandhok becomes the second Indian in F1 after signing up with HRT F1. Cool!

3rd March

2010-03-03T22:23:00.004+05:30

Vini's b'day & the ol' home town's too. Me misses.

Ford Figo

2010-03-02T19:43:00.002+05:30

Launched at 3.5 onwards for the petrol & 4.5 onwards for the diesels. Undercuts the Polo & Swift by thousands if not more. The fully loaded diesel with ABS & 2 airbags comes in at 5.5, a price point at which the Polo diesel starts.

Impressive Ford, very impressive. Tata, Hyundai & Maruti must be a worried lot.

Public Enemies

2010-03-02T02:07:00.001+05:30

Fantastic. The story, the performances, the direction, the authenticity, the score ..... so very well put together.

Kaminey

2010-03-01T11:10:00.001+05:30

Definitely NOT the vanilla Bollywood film. It's dark & takes time to grow on you.

Vishal Bhardwaj is coming along really well.

Holi

2010-03-01T09:16:00.000+05:30

Terminator Salvation

2010-02-28T23:14:00.001+05:30

Liked it. Especially the action sequences & T-800s return.

The Pulsars

2010-02-27T17:05:00.004+05:30

With Bajaj's flagship biking brand in the midst of some rapid morphing in terms of features, upgrades & models, I thought I'd take a snapshot for keepsakes. Sort of like what they do in case of databases before a release. So here goes ....

First up is the lightest entrant in the lineup, ...

... the 135 LS. Said to possess 15bhp on a dry weight of 120 kilos, it's got a power-to-weight ratio better than some 150s currently in the market. No wonder it's been a hot seller since the launch.

Then, the original, ....

.... the 150. Now sporting clip-ons in UG IV guise.

The 180 soldiers on ....

.... with a miniscule price difference from the 150. The all black styling which this model spawned has now spread all over the Indian biking scene. So much so, that the 135 LS was launched with the 'conventional' silver engine to differentiate it from the clutter.

The 200 is dead.

The 220 ...

.... now comes sans fuel injection but with an 'F' attached to the monicker, at an unbelievable ~80k on road price. Launched in August 2009, being billed as the 'Fastest Indian' with a whacky ad to back it up, I haven't seen too many of these on the road.

And the newest member of the pack ...

... the 220 'S' for StreetFighter. Evrything from the 220 'F' bar the projectors. Looks killer.

So it's a whole family of models now. Who'd have thunk it when they launched it?

Luck

2010-02-26T23:11:00.000+05:30

One gets good Hindi film DVD rips on the net these days. It's an interesting film, but the editing could have been crisper.

The ODI Double Ton

2010-02-25T11:43:00.005+05:30

24th Feb, 2010. India vs South Africa day-night ODI on at Gwalior. 2nd match of the series with India already 1 up. The Indians had started well & Sachin is playing like he used to in the early 90s, at a strike rate close to 130. Nilanjan keeps pinging updates from time to time over the communicator .... Sachin 50, Sachin 100, Sachin 150. I'm busy working on stored procedures for the Friday deadline.

Evening around 5:30ish. I glance at the score. India have crossed 300. In the 40th over. Sachin is on 184. I ask Nilanjan about the world record. He replies, "194, aaj mil jayega guru". That's it. I leave the cubicle & walk over to where Nilanjan, Vijendra, Cyril & Srini are bunched together. All cricket sites are blocked, they're following the score on ChannelW, which is slow in updates as usual.

By now, there's a buzz in the office. No one's working, everyone's following the score. Soon enough, Sachin crosses Saeed Anwar's 13 year old record .... it's like a load of every self-respecting Indian's chest. Complete strangers handshake congratulations across cubicles .... such is the power of cricket & stature of Tendulkar in India. The wait for the double ton begins.

The internet connections are choked. People get on the phone home. I call Daddy. Yes, he's watching. Dhoni is going ballistic, hogging the strike & dealing in boundaries .... the ball-by-ball reads something like this 644.46. The score is close to 380. Sachin is reportedly suffering from cramps. Only 7 balls to go. Dhoni takes a single of the last ball of the 49th over. There's a collective 'awwww' in the cubicle.

He finally gets strike after yet another Dhoni boundary & with 4 balls to go. Hits a single & gets it. Handshakes all around. Somebody asks his manager, "so where's the party?". Dhoni blasts another & takes the score to 401/3. Who wins the match is only academic now. Indians have got what they've been yearning for all this while.

And as the commentator says, "no one deserves this more than Sachin". The Indian, the cricketer, the legend.

The Israelis at it again

2010-02-25T11:40:00.001+05:30

Another MOSSAD hit goes down just as planned .... the Arabs are left floundering .... the world wonders in awe.

How often & how well have the Israelis managed such covert operations against enemies of the state. Makes one wonder why we can't mete out similar treatment to our friends in the Land of the Pure.

VW Polo

2010-02-24T12:42:00.002+05:30

It's out in India!

Launched at prices starting at 4.35 lakhs for the 1.2 petrol & 5.35 lakhs for the 1.4 diesel, it's a very attractive option in it's range. If Hyundai doesn't come up with a diesel for the i10 & GM doesn't release the diesel Beat soon, this will be my car before the year comes to an end.

Big Trucks @ the Auto Expo

2010-02-22T01:11:00.005+05:30

Had been meaning to post this ever since the Auto Expo this last January.

All the home grown movers & shakers in the Indian CV space had something or the other to show .... ranging from upgraded Eicher models to all new platforms such as those from Mahindra Navistar.

Starting with AMW ....

.... who seem to be continuing with their Chinese supplied cabs.

Ashok Leyland launched the very good looking ....

.... 'U truck' platform, which was a bit of a surprise given how lethargic this company has traditionally been.

Eicher, post the Volvo takeover & name change, released the upgraded series of trucks....

.... christened 'VE', after the initials of the promoters, I guess.

Then, the big one, Mahindra Navistar's ....

.... brutish looking 'MN' series of trucks.

And, saving the best for last, in what was regarded the best CV display of the Auto Expo, Tata unleashed the entire range of the very capable Prima series ....

.... in all it's glory. Saw one in the flesh back at JSR, which is where they're made, & they look just wow!

The waves of change sweeping though Indian transportation finally touch the CV sector. Indian highways are gonna look very different a few years from now. The sooner the better.

Acid Factory

2010-02-21T01:51:00.002+05:30

Typical Sanjay Gupta attention to details - guns, cars, stunts & clothing. And I wasn't aware of the original either, so it was rather interesting.

VW New Beetle RSi

2010-02-20T21:50:00.000+05:30

My 1st scale model. A more than 5 year old item on the 1-day-I-will list.

It's a 1:32 scale diecast metal collectible manufactured by Kinsmart. Comes with pullback motor action, spoiler, and opening doors.

My Name is Khan

2010-02-19T23:09:00.000+05:30

Mind numbingly boring. Replete with cliches & utterly predictable. Thank God I didn't spend on multiplex tickets.

MiG 29K

2010-02-19T12:15:00.002+05:30

The Navy inducted it's most modern fighters today. The 29s might be a design from the 70s, but still manage to look good.

So now, as I was reading somewhere, we have a strange situation wherein there aren't enough Sea Harriers to man the Viraat, while we do have the MiGs to man the VikramAditya which itself isn't close to setting sail before 2012. The wonders of Indian defence procurement.

Ghost Rider

2010-02-08T02:34:00.002+05:30

Had been meaning to see this one since long. Finally sat down to it at Shanu's persistence. Very entertaining & Eva looks stunning.

Holy Communion ...

2010-02-07T22:42:00.001+05:30

.... at Bethel A G. A 1st in Bangalore. I'm getting there.