1O DAY YOU CHALLENGE #9 2 SONGS

well, gotta admit, the 10 DAY CHALLENGE has really lost its lustre. what is the reason you ask? well, in my point of view, it has to do with the decrease in the size of the posts as the days go on. after a point of time, the posts come down to a mere 2 or 3 lines. and there isn't really much you can do in 3 lines of text.

in fact, i happened to type the above para just to add size to the text. the lack of interest will be seen from the fact that i happened to type this post directly on BLOGGER and not in MS WORD like i normally do. and i didn't proof read this as well. so in case you find any mistakes, pls bear with me. B)

2 SONGS

#1 HEY SOUL SISTER-TRAIN

scintillating music, simple lyrics. best piece of music i've listened to in a while.

#2 MADAI THIRANDU- NIZHALGAL

One of ilayaraja's best pieces. but a forgettable video. i recommend switching off your monitor and then listening to the song :D

until next time,

adios!

10 DAY YOU CHALLENGE #8- 3 MOVIES

Nearing the end of this challenge, I just realized how easy the topics are becoming. I mean, 4 books, 3 movies but 10 secrets?! Wth :O

Anyways, here is a line up of my 3 favourite movies.

1. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
starring Will Smith as Chris Gardener, this movie was all about a man’s struggle to break even. Aided by brilliant screenplay and soulful acting. Certainly will remain on the top of my list for a long time to come.

2. MARLEY AND ME
goofy, hilarious and sentimentally touching all at the same time, this was one dog movie that really touched a chord.

3. ANBE SIVAM
whether or not this was an original movie, we would never know but what the cast happened to give us was a movie steeped in human emotions with a sensible climax. Brilliant acting from Kamal Hassan.

Until next time,

Adios!

10 DAY YOU CHALLENGE #7- 4 BOOKS

I don’t know if it was because of my parents or because I was an only child that I happened to read a lot of books. Reading is something I enjoy so give me a book and that would be the last you would see of me till I finish the book. Such is the vigour with which I involve myself into it. :D

Btw, don’t confuse reading with studying. the latter doesn’t really amuse me as much. ;D

Anyways, here’s my list.

4 BOOKS

1. ANGELS AND DEMONS- Dan Brown

This best seller from Dan Brown was a whole new experience for me. A brilliant mix of fact and fiction, this book had everything I could ask for. Science, symbology, suspense, romance and that 3-letter-word-that-should-not-be-named (:D). Robert Langdon, or rather Dan Brown had me spell bound and I ended up reading all of his books after that. But nothing could match the master piece that was ANGELS AND DEMONS. Definitely one of my favourites.

2. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS- Khaled Hosseini

I wasn’t expecting much from this book when I happened to pick it up and to be very frank, i knew nothing about this book except for the fact that it was written by the man who authored THE KITE RUNNER, an international best seller. I should add here that I hadn’t actually read THE KITE RUNNER before picking up this book, just heard that it was very popular. But omfg, what a book it was! A myriad of human emotions set in war torn Afghanistan, the author had me spell bound. Definitely a MUST READ.

3. 2 STATES- Chetan Bhagat

Not really being the lover boy type, this was also a book I had put much thought into before buying. But man, was it totally worth every rupee I paid for it. When I went through the cover/back page, I knew I had to buy this book.

Love marriages around the world are simple:

Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. They get married.

In India, there are a few more steps:

Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy.

Girl’s family has to love boy. Boy’s family has to love girl.

Girl’s family has to love boy’s family. Boy’s family has to love girl’s family.

Girl and boy still love each ther. They get married.

Simple language, amazing flow and adorable characters made this book a NEVER POSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN one.

4. THE KITE RUNNER- Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini. Again. Man, this guy is a MASTER. He knows just how to capture human emotions and play around it. Set predominantly in war torn Afghanistan, this book talks about the relationship between two boys who grow up in Afghanistan. Circumstances, The Taliban and the unrest that ensues separates them. How the main characters meet again is handled brilliantly. Saying anything more would be taking too much out of the suspense element. I definitely put this down as a MUST READ.

That’s my top 4 books. But in all fairness, had I written this post about a year back, the HARRY POTTER series would have definitely been right up there on that list. But unfortunately, am a grown man now(B) :D). And Ms. Rowling, though I hugely enjoyed them, they still don’t make it into the top 4.

Until next time,

ADIOS!

10 DAY YOU CHALLENGE #6- 5 FOODS

5 foods. Now this should be easy considering my love for food. :D

But to restrict it to just 5 is cruel! But wth, only 5 it will be.

5 FOODS

1. pani puri. I am a pani puri-holic big time and I make it a point to have pani puri in every city I happen to set foot upon. :D the top 3 cities to have pani puris you ask? well that will have to be:

1.kolkata

2.jaipur

3.chennai

2. briyani/birayani/biriyani/however else the damned word is spelt (as long as it tastes good, I don’t care about the name or the spelling :D) from KARIM MESS.

3.french fries from Mc D, Chocolate chip cookies from SUBWAY and plain DAIRY MILK chocolates..

4. popcorn chicken from KFC and tangri kabab from HOTEL DECCAN that me and my brother love to visit every now and then. ;)

5. water melon juice from anywhere in the world and banana lassi from a shop near the railway station in pune.

I also must add that the food I had on ramzan at my friend’s place was simply superb as well. The flavours of the briyani/birayani/biriyani/however else the damned word is spelt(oh, there I go again! :D), fish, chicken and a sweet they served after that still linger in my mouth. Thanks for the food irfan. :D

But whatever said and done, nothing beats the food mom makes. Be it a 5 star hotel, 3 star hotel, HSB, fast food joint, roadside dhaba or anything else, nothing beats the food mom conjures up at home sweet home. The recipe u ask? Its just the right amount of sugar, spice and everything nice. ;)

Until next time,

ADIOS!

10 DAY YOU CHALLENGE- #5- 6 PLACES

Sorry for the delay guys, just been busy breaking my back over assignments in college.

To be frank, another reason this post has taken so long to get uploaded is because its been going through several stages of editing. One thing I’ve realized over the years Is that Blogging is a lot like cooking. Be it salt or sugar, the food would taste good only if it is used properly. Its the same with blogging, you overdo the humor element and you end up destroying the readability of the post.

So Ms.P, I’ve heeded to your request/order(:P) and I’ve done up a serious(albeit, my style) version of the post. Read on. :D

6 PLACES

1. Theni, for its pleasant weather and scenic locales.

2. Spain, for the scuba diving, the ‘jumping off the airplane’, the ‘bull race’ and everything else they happened to show on ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. B) :P

3. Greece, for my immense interest and love for greek mythology and architecture.

4. Seychelles. Again for the water. Well you cant really keep a Piscean away from water can you. :D

5. South Africa. For its adventure sports and wildlife parks. For a wannabe wildlife photographer, south Africa is paradise!

6. Mount Everest’s peak. Just to find out what it is like to be ON TOP OF THE WORLD. As to whether I would take a plane to get there or go trekking risking my life is something I might wanna consider. :D

Until next time though,

ADIOS!

10 DAY YOU CHALLENGE- #4- 7 WANTS

*SPOILER ALERT* lots of surprises and OMG! Moments in store

Read on. :D

7 WANTS

1. TWINS! B) agreed, it is a strange WANT. But I’ve always been fascinated by twins. So that would be WANT #1.

2. To move out of sowcarpet. Ya ya I will miss the pani puris and cheese puff from here but I’d rather prefer a civilized and clean living space than the chat shops.

3. I’ve always wanted to have special powers. a mutant perhaps. Like those in the Xmen series. My favourite mutant? Hmm, it will have to be a fight between wolverine, nightcrawler and magneto. Cool powers I say. :D

4. To own a HARLEY DAVIDSON.

5. To be able to comment on blogs without having to go to through the WORD VERIFICATION procedure. :P

6. To be able to buy branded items at reasonable prices. :P

7. To die a happy man, loved by all, family and friends and respected by the society.

7 wants. Agreed, there are more. But I’ll keep it down to just 7 here.

Until next time,

Adios!

POST #100

Yup, not bluffing. I just checked, this truly is post #100!

And it also happens to fall on our INDEPENDENCE DAY. What a lucky coincidence. So what do I write about in this post? Should I keep it simple, just mention about this being post #100 and sign out or do I write about something else. Well something else it is.

Read on.

15^th august. A day we hoist flags, distribute sweets and watch new movies on tv. A day we celebrate to commemorate our independence from british rule(ya ya, you can find the exact words on Wikipedia. I know it by heart, I was helping out my 2 yr old cousin with his assignment at playschool a couple of days back. Note the point, PLAYSCHOOL! :O) But one thing that irks me is that everyone keeps complaining about india not being independent yet from corruption. Guys take some time to think over it. We don’t vote, the few of us who vote don’t care after our fingers have been marked and the rest try to discourage the few ppl who do care and try to contribute. So tell me, isn’t this all our fault? Don’t blame the politicians, we only have ourselves to blame. Try stopping at red lights, try to not get yourself out of a sticky situation by bribing, try not to buy yourself an engineering or medical seat, try paying your taxes properly and most important of all, learn to accept your mistakes. Only then will we have an independent nation.

Talk less. Work more.

Well as for me, india is the best. so what song do i post here? vande matram? jana gana mana? no no, i decided on something different. composed and sung by the maestro and performed by the man who immortalised red shirts, yellow pants and the concept of milking a cow on screen. here it is! :D

JAI HIND!