Hanging onto promises and songs of yesterday
Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s Mtv was still all about the music and played music videos 90% of the time. Among the original programming that the dudes at the tv station had was ‘MTV Unplugged’ and I used to be a huge fan of the concept.
This one is back from 90-91 when Poison were at their finest form. Here’s Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.
A boat cruise on the beautiful Thekkady lake is usually a treasonable memory for tourists in Kerala’s Idukki district. But the experience turned into one of despair and mourning as a boat carrying an estimated 75 tourists and boat crew went down, killing many. None of the passengers was known to be wearing a life jacket.
By 8pm, a tv news channel were informed that 23 bodies were recovered and that they expected many more to be located. From one of the sites I was able to get a non-confirmed status update.
No: Passengers about 76 (People from Maharashtra, Bangalore , Tamil Nadu And Kerala, Few number of foreigners too). Current Death Toll : 32 (2 Foreigners – 2 children, 18 woman) & (2 from Mumbai & 2 from Tamil Nadu). Rescued : About 40 (Few in Critical Situation Rushed in to near by Hospitals).
About 10 are considered to be missing. My heart goes out to the unfortunate ones & their families.
Another long day at the office. 10:30 am till 9:50 pm. I reached home by 10:45 pm.
It’s getting a little too stressful and hectic. Things are a little too muddled and overall we need to improve a lot of parameters. The client escalations are piling up. My department went through a sea change and since I had 3 team leaders taking up 3 training batches recently, I keep getting questioned on each and every goof up that they did during that time. It’s a pain in the ass.
I’m not able to spend the kind of time that I should be spending with the 7 new members of my team. I need to do that but I am not allowed to because of the 100s of reports, email replies, presentations, meetings, con calls, phone calls and all such bullshit that accompanies a work in a company like this. The only thing that is missing is the pay! Fucked as I am, let’s put it like this : the pay is a tea shop compared to the work pressure, which is a fucking tower the size of the Burj hotel!
I know I’ve been going on about the money aspect and not getting hikes in my blog and some might say that money isn’t everything. And I agree; money isn’t everything! But I have a point there – this phrase “money isn’t everything” is usually uttered by someone higher up who does make a lot of money! And as some would say “true; money isn’t everything! It’s the only thing!”
Goodnite folks!
Are scented candles too….you know, feminine?
I recently was given a couple of scented candles, that’s made by a big interior decoration company, as complimentary gifts. They smell…so nice. I want to light one up as I drift off to sleep or perhaps keep one in the toilet to, I dunno, give it a nice fragrance. And I’ve wanted to get these little thingys ever since I first saw them in movie or the tv.
But is it too girly? I’m afraid that after this will I start to have tendencies to wax my legs and do pedicure! Guys who read this, do you use scented candles or would you like to use them? I think they’re nice.
Something weird about me when I sleep. Even when I’m alone in this small 3 bedroom apartment, I have to lock my bedroom door before I can go to sleep. I just can’t close my eyes and fall asleep if the door is open. Even if I’m dead tired or drunk, I have to get up and lock the door before it’s ‘safe’ for me to sleep.
Now you are probably wondering just why is it that I do that. Blame it on my love for horror movies! If there’s no light beyong my room, I keep imagining that a creature like a zombie or a vampire is about to rush in and attack me. There’s no doubt about it, I’m pretty sure that there’s one hiding in the dark and waiting to ambush me. When I get up to go the loo, which is outside of my room, they are polite and will wait but once I am in my room, their ready to attack.
The zombies & scray creatures from the movies have been replaced by some others from my love of sci-fi. Instead, I imagine that I’m going to be attacked by a Borg (Star Trek) or a Reaver (Firefly) and more recently a Wraith (Stargate: Atlantis) is going to pounce on me. They travelled, all the way through space and time just to get to me.
I made some popcorn today evening. Well, if you can call it ‘make’! A colleague at work, who lives near the office, came back to the office in the evening with a big plastic box filled with popcorn. He was the one to introduce me to Act II popcorn.
So today, I bought these small sachets of this stuff worth Rs.5 each. All you have to do is get a deep pan, cut open the sachets, pour the kernels (seeds or whatever they are dipped in some kinda slimy paste) into the pan and start to heat it.
I used an aluminum lid to cover the pan, just leaving a little space open for the steam to come out off and soon could hear the ‘ping, ping’ as the popping corn hit & bounced off the lid. In just a few minutes, I had a big bowlful of the stuff and had something to eat while I watched tv.
Caramel “macchiato” originally uploaded by chasingbirds.
I’m gonna try to post a photo from flickr every Sunday morning based around the theme of coffee. Sundays are for coffee and delicious coffee deserves a photo.
Arsenal were not the best team for most of the 90 minutes last night but they still came out winners in the end. Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone was the hero as the Gunners secured an untypically scrappy victory at Fulham. The Italian made stunning one-handed saves from two Andrew Johnson headers and also parried Zoltan Gera’s drive.
Arsenal won it when Cesc Fabregas clipped a pass for Robin van Persie to take a touch and fire home. Roy Hodgson’s side will wonder how they failed to take anything from the game as they dominated for long periods, but the difference between the two teams was Mannone, the 21-year-old from Desio, making only his 3rd Premiership start. From the start Fulham were the better team but Mannone, keeping his place in the side with Manuel Almunia still struggling with a virus, enjoyed the performance of his career.
Released on July 21st Burn, Burn is the 7th album put out by Our Lady Peace. It’s too long a time between albums (4 years) and it’s also the first album not to have involved collaboration with an outside producer, having instead been produced by band vocalist Raine Maida. The one that I have is the deluxe version with 2 extra songs.
Ok so the cd stars off nicely with the first single All You Did Was Save My Life. It’s a mid-tempo song with Maida singing, in a lower tone, about gratitude. Dreamland features some good drumming by Jeremy Taggart. Lyrically it’s about working hard & struggling and dreaming about better times when things are going good for you (In this dreamland the kids are alright, And the sky is blue.. ).
Monkey Brains sounds a lot like Brit pop except for the chorus part. The song’s foundation is set by the tandem rhythm section of Duncan Coutts’ bass work and Taggart’s drum. Towards the end the song’s time signature changes drastically; extremely experimental for the band. The End Is Where We Begin is up next, another mid-tempo track about taking more chances and not giving up. A little atmospheric feeling (reminds me of a cold, autumn night) haunts Escape Artist, helped no doubt by the keyboards.
Refuge is a semi-ballad and probably the weakest song on the album. Never Get Over You, the second single, is the song about a breakup and the feeling of loss after that. The song was praised by Billboard as being a ‘killer ballad’. White Flags compares a relationship fight with the state of the world and it’s wars (And this whole world is gone crazy, God’s gone a little lazy). Signs Of Life is another intimate & personal struggles song.
Paper Moon is one of my favs of this album, calm laments of aging in the guise of a wonderful song. Steve Mazur’s guitars shine on this one. Bonus track #1 is Time Bomb, about being stuck in a rut of life. While bonus track #2 is the very different The Right Stuff, which I humbly state, should be a single. It’s a great track and very cool. Overall I like this album better than the previous one, Healthy In Paranoid Times, but I sure hope they don’t take 4 years before the next one.
Seems like most comedic actors dreams come true. Or atleast it is in the case of actor Seth Rogen.
The star of hits like Knocked Up, Pineapple Express & Superbad, Rogen has written for and voiced a character in the season premier of the 21st Simpsons season. Rogen considers this to be an honour and calls it the fulfillment of a dream.
The 27 year old Canadian comic plays a trainer assigned to get Homer Simpson in superhero shape to play Everyman, a hero created by Comic Book Guy and played by the rotund couch potato. I bet this causes some funny moments because Homer has had trysts as a superhero before and it’s hilarious.
But why ‘Everyman’? I thought the obvious name for him would have been Doughnut Man!
This looks so cool but I don’t want it to be another BSG!
I was walking home from the bus stop. It was a 10 to 9 pm and quite dark. Certain areas of the streets are mostly covered in darkness. A few cars & bikes quickly make their way back to where they want to go – no doubt some people rushing home from the day at the office and wanting to get back in time for dinner. Some people may be on their way to dinner or a movie.
I was lost in my own world, walking on by, when I suddenly saw him. A man hiding in the shadows near a post, most of his being enveloped in a cloak of black. What are his intentions? Can you trust a fellow who hides himself in the dark?
I steeled myself, not sure if the man was hostile or drunk or high or had an infectious disease. I clutched my bag closer to myself and even clenched my fist; ready to strike a telling blow if it came to that. But I was mistaken!
The poor bastard was down on his luck. He was a soul, bittered by the harsh realities of life and having tasted way too much dejection & failure. He wasn’t sure what his next move should be. He was contemplating ending his life. The look of despair that passed over his face as I walked on by was depressing to say the least. The world has beaten him and he has no place to run off too.
Is this the end for him?
The 1st Affair:
A married man was having an affair with his secretary. One day they went her place and made love all afternoon. Exhausted, they fell asleep and woke up at 8 PM.
The man hurriedly dressed and told his lover to take his shoes outside and rub them in the grass and dirt. He put on his shoes and drove home.
“Where have you been?” his wife demanded.
“I can’t lie to you,” he replied, “I’m having an affair with my secretary. We had sex all afternoon.”
“You lying bastard! You’ve been playing golf!”
The 2nd Affair:
A woman was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband opening the front door. “Hurry,” she said, “stand in the corner.”
She rubbed baby oil all over him, then dusted him with talcum powder.
“Don’t move until I tell you,” she said. “Pretend you’re a statue.”
“What’s this?” the husband inquired as he entered the room.
“Oh it’s a statue.” she replied. “The Smith’s bought one and I liked it so much I got one for us, too.”
No more was said, not even when they went to bed.
Around 2 AM the husband got up, went to the kitchen and returned with a sandwich and a beer.
“Here,” he said to the statue, “have this. I stood like that for two days at the Smith’s and nobody offered me a damned thing.”
The 3rd Affair:
A man walked into a cafe, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
“Certainly, Sir, that’ll be one cent.”
“One Cent?” the man thought.
He glanced at the menu and asked, “How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?”
“A nickel,” the barman replied.
“A nickel?” exclaimed the man. “Where’s the guy who owns this place?”
The bartender replied, “Upstairs, with my wife.”
The man asked, “What’s he doing upstairs with your wife?”
The bartender replied,
“The same thing I’m doing to his business down here.”
The 4th Affair:
Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.
He looked up and said weakly, “I have something I must confess.”
“There’s no need to,” his wife replied.
“No,” he insisted, “I want to die in peace. I slept with your sister, your best friend, her best friend, and your mother!”
“I know, I know,” she replied. “Now just rest and let the poison work.”
Our clients have given us an offer that is usually reserved only for their direct employees. They have in house schemes to provide Blackberry handsets at much lower costs. For example, the Blackberry Curve series is usually sold to customers in the range of Rs.22,500. Employees at my company can get the same at the cost of Rs.9900!
A reduction of Rs.12,600 just like that! This is the kind of opportunity that you don’t want to miss. I’m not going to take one now as there are more pressing needs, even if it’s at this rate, but come November 1st, I will be in a position to easily afford one easily and I get one of my materialistic wishes come true. I’ve been wanting a Curve ever since they first came out and now I have a chance.
So come November – you shall me mine. Oh yes, you shall be mine!
I’m really into looking out for nice apartments on Youtube. This ‘hobby’ of mine started when I got involved with a construction company that specializes in apartment buildings here in my hometown (I have 3 of my former trainees working there in different roles) and I send them the links for ideas to send to the architects.
Also this ‘hobby’ of mine is about daydreaming – of what kind of a place that I would like to live in. Vancouver, beautiful gorgeous Vancouver, is a prime favourite and I would really like to live there. Harmless wishful thinking I guess, but I really love nice & cozy apartment designs like this one in trendy Yaletown area.
The season opener is on October 3 (against the New York Rangers) but GM Bryan Murray isn’t done tinkering with his squad. Most of the reason is due to the long drawn out drama concerning Dany Heatley’s request for a trade and his final movement to the San Jose Sharks.
Murray could have decisions to make on defencemen Christoph Schubert and Alex Picard. Centre Chris Kelly has to step it up. Prospects Peter Regin, Erik Karlsson and Matt Carkner are pushing for jobs, but our GM can’t afford to keep everybody and stay under the $56.7-million (all terms US) salary cap. Senators D Jared Cowen, Ottawa’s top pick in June’s draft, suited up against the Bolts and was returned to Spokane of the WHL following the game.
If Murray is selling or trading, the current free agents I would like to have on the team are Darryl Sydor (d), Michael Peca (c) & Manny Malhotra (c). These could be valuable assets if we’re fighting for playoff spots or well into the playoffs.
As Meleah wanted to see them so badly, here they are! This event took place about 2 Tuesdays back but like a lot of things at our office, the results get announced quite late. 8th September was Dress Your Boss Day!
This was an HR initiative – “Decorate Your Boss’s Workspace and Decorate Your Boss” Day. My team had started work on it by 8 am! By 10 am I was in and they started working on me. I decided to be a sport and indulged them as they really wanted to win the prize. And we won the contest. Yay Training Team! Here are some pics.
I had a bad case of the stomach cramps this evening. I had been sweating a lot this day and not drinking enough water. My salt intake is also on the decrease and therefore I’m not sure if I’m able to manage. I’ve had these cramps once in a while and each time I notice that I wouldn’t have drunk enough water for a day or two.
The problem with getting the cramps is that sometimes you are in a difficult position and in public and hence are not comfortable to show the pain in public. I was trying to get into a van this evening on the way home when I got mine. It’s worse then when you get a cramp in the leg, and so I had to get out and walk for a few minutes and then get a bottle of water. I drank atleast a half bottle and then waited for a bit while walking about.
I then alerted the Admin team and asked to be put in a different cab as the one I was due to go in had already left. 5 more minutes later I was in a car and headed on my way home, the cramp having eased but still on my mind.