....gambling addict that is!
Yes! Me! Gambling! i tell you how the world can change quickly. (One fine day its all good, life is great and then BAM!! you don't even know what hit you and life is pear shaped and ur going down a hill without brakes on a rickety vehicle to certain gloom and doom till things go boom.....only this time not in Dexter's lab)
So how u ask. Ah!! cher ami.....just like that i say!
It all started with a rather innocuous trip to Leeds for a day. (Don't ask why...i think i just needed to get out...) So then here i was walking around in leeds chilling (quite literally), shopping in the market, walking the city and u know other general touristy stuff. Then i watched the derby at a local pub. Which was rather fun...and then...well yeah that's where the aforementioned BAM! happens (even though the aforementioned BAM! is relating to something else entirely, but the basic principal is the same...)Well, i basically had nothing else to do. Really! I had time till 9 in the evening. It was 3. So then what does one do? So i said "what the hell, lets visit casino"....(No really...those were the precise words i said... Aloud.... To myself... I tend to do that when nobody is around. I find myself to be a good listener. The only problem is that people tend to be around more often than i think...and then ofcourse they think i'm weird)
So i go to casino, register and all that and get chips worth 25 pounds. To a novice gambler, that is a lot of chips! trust me. U feel like ur gonna win before u even start. Why? bcos u have like 50 chips!! (each chip is half a pound) So then i start, tentatively at roulette. and voila! I win! And i win again! and again! till i think..."Shit! this stuff is simple. how do idots manage to lose money!!" (And i realise later that, that sort of thinking is precisely why people lose money!! We'll get to that in a bit)
So then finally i leave at around 9 having made a cart load compared to the 25 i started with! (Not a real cart load. And cart load in my terms which would technically be anything more than 25, but here it really was more than 25...but lets stay off numbers.....ooh what the fuck..it was 120! I know!!) So then, i think..."Lets try this more often. That way no part time work!! (Refer to previous post about how part time work sucks etc etc) So then i play! again! the next day! And?? BAM!! just like that i lose 30 pounds! so....moral of the story.....get a life....don gamble. U will lose! There aren't so many successful casinos bcos people win.....the house always wins! (And no not ur house....so don't bet ur house....u will lose it) So do something more constructive....like sleep, or read, or write a blog....
But if u look at it....i did make over 100 and lose 30 over the 2 days...so technically, i am still in the positive....so i can still...No No! must stop. Should not gamble! (Frustrated hitting of head against wall and holding onto something to stop legs from walking back to casino!) no no no no!!!!
"Can i have chips for 40 pounds please??" And it begins....again....
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
à tout le monde.....à tous mes amis....
.....ou est le soleil? i mean really? where is the sun? I haven't seen it in like....oooh there it is....Just as i Say i haven't seen it in ages. It's so nice and bright. the advantages of having an east facing room i tell you and it's .....Oh come on!! It's gone again??
Such is life in the land of the queen. I heard somewhere recently that Britain used to be called the "Kingdom on which the sun never set", but it's actually the "Kingdom where the sun never rises". True True....
Anyways.....
So the first para has nothing to do with the title of the blog...After writing the title the first phrase (Ou est le soleil...for those with short term memory loss) came to mind. It was made famous by Lance Armstrong on the Tour de france on a particularly rainy day. So i though...hey!! why not crap about it hanh?? And there were words...(Not particularly making sense, but words nevertheless...)
So whats the post about anyway? Nothing in particular i must admit....just a random title for a random post on a blog full of random thoughts....got a nice ring to it, don't it?
incidentally it also a song by Megadeth. Which brings me to comment on the fact that I am out of songs. Really! I am tired of my current collection. Well not tired. I still enjoy them a lot, but I need some new stuff. I have been adding songs little by little, title by title, over the years, but it's time for "a step change" (in management lingo. See ma i am studying!!). I need to add like a new artist, or album, or genre. I have a whole lot of genres already, but am still far from having a lot of really good music out there.
The best part of the sources of my music has been that they have rarely been conventional. A lot of my better songs have been collected after hearing them on the OST of a movie or series or some such! I tell you...the amount of time i have spent after watching a movie trying to figure out what a particular song is and dloading it! I have actually sat thru credits at cinemas to read the song title or artist. Sometimes, I have tried to memorise the lyrics to come back and then google it! Scavenger hunt at a whole new level i tell you!
Anyway, of late though I am watching more series online (All hail high speed broadband!!) I still don't have ideas for any new music.
the other thing on my mind has been dum dum dum...dumda dum dumda dum!! Darth Vader!! But that deserves a whole new post....so I shall write sometime soon!
Till then....ok tata bbye!
Such is life in the land of the queen. I heard somewhere recently that Britain used to be called the "Kingdom on which the sun never set", but it's actually the "Kingdom where the sun never rises". True True....
Anyways.....
So the first para has nothing to do with the title of the blog...After writing the title the first phrase (Ou est le soleil...for those with short term memory loss) came to mind. It was made famous by Lance Armstrong on the Tour de france on a particularly rainy day. So i though...hey!! why not crap about it hanh?? And there were words...(Not particularly making sense, but words nevertheless...)
So whats the post about anyway? Nothing in particular i must admit....just a random title for a random post on a blog full of random thoughts....got a nice ring to it, don't it?
incidentally it also a song by Megadeth. Which brings me to comment on the fact that I am out of songs. Really! I am tired of my current collection. Well not tired. I still enjoy them a lot, but I need some new stuff. I have been adding songs little by little, title by title, over the years, but it's time for "a step change" (in management lingo. See ma i am studying!!). I need to add like a new artist, or album, or genre. I have a whole lot of genres already, but am still far from having a lot of really good music out there.
The best part of the sources of my music has been that they have rarely been conventional. A lot of my better songs have been collected after hearing them on the OST of a movie or series or some such! I tell you...the amount of time i have spent after watching a movie trying to figure out what a particular song is and dloading it! I have actually sat thru credits at cinemas to read the song title or artist. Sometimes, I have tried to memorise the lyrics to come back and then google it! Scavenger hunt at a whole new level i tell you!
Anyway, of late though I am watching more series online (All hail high speed broadband!!) I still don't have ideas for any new music.
the other thing on my mind has been dum dum dum...dumda dum dumda dum!! Darth Vader!! But that deserves a whole new post....so I shall write sometime soon!
Till then....ok tata bbye!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Wherever I may roam...
....I still land back where i started....may be it has something to do with the fact that the world is round and all that...(Damn you Copernicus and Galileo!!)
Any..who....
so then I made an early morning visit to a racecourse!! Fancy right! i mean only the rich and loaded guys with nothing better to do go to racecourses right? (And to play golf..i never got the point of the game..its slow, boring and well...it's not really a game is it??) but guess what, yours truly, did just that! Before you get any ideas (of asking me for a loan...) it was to look for a job....albeit part-time. The travails of a student these days i tell you. Part time work is the only thing that can help me survive, and sometimes you have to travel at 9:30 in the morning for that! (I'll cover the pains of having to work while studying in a later post...for now...lets stay on topic...)
So then, i leave to get to this place that's just 15 mins away by train...piece of cake right? Wrong! the damn trains are shut for the day. I mean seriously, i don't make this shit up. Things actually seem to be going wrong like its a documentary on Murphy's life. (Sometimes i feel i am in this reality show with Murphy looking over and putting me through various situations to prove his theory...freaky!) So what choice do I have, but to catch the bus. Credit to the service here that they have a "Rail Replacement" service! So it's not half as bad...right? Wrong again! the bus doesn't go all the way. He drops us off near a railway station and you have to catch the train for the last 2 stops. (And as if to make some sort of morbid point, he drops me off near a jail....hmmm) So then i take a train and voila!! i'm there! (Hugs, claps and high fives all around!!)
The racecourse itself isn't too great...it's ok. the lack of horses was a major factor in giving that impression i think...
So then i'll be working at this place, so lets see how that pans out in the long term...
And talking bout travelling....i've been trying (trying being the key word here...you'll see why soon nuf) to do a europe trip. I'd be quiet the loser if i didn't inspite of being in Europe..(not that i am not one already...but hey....a guy can hope right!) But it's just so damn difficult....expensive more precisely! Actually the whole Schengen thing is the pain....i don't so much mind the costs. Apping for a Schengen is like getting a damn job! the only thing they don have is a job interview.
So why do you want to go to (insert country here)? Why should we let you go? What do you bring to the country? How long were you in the last country? What was your reason for leaving? Why did the chicken cross the schengen border? Why did the pope cross the road? What's that? because he crosses everything...hahah true true!!
Anyway...seriously....it's so much easier if ur born in like france or italy or spain or so on and so forth! You can literally decide on friday to go to another country! While i have to plan a bloody month in advance! I mean most days i don't know what i'm doing later the same day and you're asking me to plan a month in advance? If I could do that I wouldn't be here doing what I'm doing now, would i? (I know u need a little background to understand that....but i'm in no mood...so those who do..good for you...those who don't...well not like u care anyway..)
So that remains a pipe dream now....though to my credit i seem to have made a sort of plan that just needs a minor fleshing out! (Woo hoo!! More back slapping and high fives!! this is turning into a rather happy post n'est ce pas?)
right....so then let's see how all that pans out....till then...we will wait..we will see...we will hope. Why? Because without hope we don't have anything. (Or some such....don quite remember the dialogue...it's from the Matrix!)
Any..who....
so then I made an early morning visit to a racecourse!! Fancy right! i mean only the rich and loaded guys with nothing better to do go to racecourses right? (And to play golf..i never got the point of the game..its slow, boring and well...it's not really a game is it??) but guess what, yours truly, did just that! Before you get any ideas (of asking me for a loan...) it was to look for a job....albeit part-time. The travails of a student these days i tell you. Part time work is the only thing that can help me survive, and sometimes you have to travel at 9:30 in the morning for that! (I'll cover the pains of having to work while studying in a later post...for now...lets stay on topic...)
So then, i leave to get to this place that's just 15 mins away by train...piece of cake right? Wrong! the damn trains are shut for the day. I mean seriously, i don't make this shit up. Things actually seem to be going wrong like its a documentary on Murphy's life. (Sometimes i feel i am in this reality show with Murphy looking over and putting me through various situations to prove his theory...freaky!) So what choice do I have, but to catch the bus. Credit to the service here that they have a "Rail Replacement" service! So it's not half as bad...right? Wrong again! the bus doesn't go all the way. He drops us off near a railway station and you have to catch the train for the last 2 stops. (And as if to make some sort of morbid point, he drops me off near a jail....hmmm) So then i take a train and voila!! i'm there! (Hugs, claps and high fives all around!!)
The racecourse itself isn't too great...it's ok. the lack of horses was a major factor in giving that impression i think...
So then i'll be working at this place, so lets see how that pans out in the long term...
And talking bout travelling....i've been trying (trying being the key word here...you'll see why soon nuf) to do a europe trip. I'd be quiet the loser if i didn't inspite of being in Europe..(not that i am not one already...but hey....a guy can hope right!) But it's just so damn difficult....expensive more precisely! Actually the whole Schengen thing is the pain....i don't so much mind the costs. Apping for a Schengen is like getting a damn job! the only thing they don have is a job interview.
So why do you want to go to (insert country here)? Why should we let you go? What do you bring to the country? How long were you in the last country? What was your reason for leaving? Why did the chicken cross the schengen border? Why did the pope cross the road? What's that? because he crosses everything...hahah true true!!
Anyway...seriously....it's so much easier if ur born in like france or italy or spain or so on and so forth! You can literally decide on friday to go to another country! While i have to plan a bloody month in advance! I mean most days i don't know what i'm doing later the same day and you're asking me to plan a month in advance? If I could do that I wouldn't be here doing what I'm doing now, would i? (I know u need a little background to understand that....but i'm in no mood...so those who do..good for you...those who don't...well not like u care anyway..)
So that remains a pipe dream now....though to my credit i seem to have made a sort of plan that just needs a minor fleshing out! (Woo hoo!! More back slapping and high fives!! this is turning into a rather happy post n'est ce pas?)
right....so then let's see how all that pans out....till then...we will wait..we will see...we will hope. Why? Because without hope we don't have anything. (Or some such....don quite remember the dialogue...it's from the Matrix!)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Of things that work.....and things that don't...
decisions....decisions...decisions.......
you know that feeling.....when you have to make a tough decision, a difficult one, an important one....and you just know what to do. You know what's right...you know where you want to go with this....you know things will just work out......
more often than not....that feeling is wrong. You WILL make the wrong decision. You WILL screw up.....and life will go to hell...
Anywho...on that positive note....lets start a brand new post!!
It's been a while....life's been a bitch (as usual)....and lotsa things have happened. (Some better than others)
A new country, a new city, a new school and a new phase in life....
some of it is working....i mean a new country and city part. Its nice...different, challenging, exciting and all that goes with having a brand new experience. You njoy it. You relish it. you have craved it for so long, that you don't know what to do now that you have it.....(It's almost like when the dog chases the car, but what is it going to do when it catches it?? I mean really?? I think i read that example somewhere by the way...not mine originally. Or was it a movie....damn i'm getting old!)
I like the exploring part. yr 2011 is the "Year of travel". I have vowed...no decided...no convinced myself...to travel! I mean where ever...london, birmingham, leeds, switzerland....goa for crying out loud!! but travel i will....(If only i could find a sugar mama to fund all this by the way!) But it is something i will do. I always wanted to do that. See the world, see new places, new cultures, meet new people...well not really new ppl, cos ppl are overrated..(more on that later)...but yeah travel in general!
The studies aren't half bad either. Not exactly what i expected, but hey....screw that...i'll make what i can of it...rest can wait....
I love the high speed broadband!! fast downloads...and i can actually watch streaming content without having to wait for stuff to buffer!! woo hoo!! but i still prefer dloading for hd content. I love the fact that i can watch football matches at reasonable times. No more staying up at 3 in the morning for champs league!!
then there's the things that don't....the course, the people, the god damn weather!! Without going into too many details...on the course....i got much more than i bargained for...in a bad way! (I could write a whole blog on why....so we shall leave that for now...) People...man i miss the grp back home! ppl are honestly waaaaay overrated and invariable full of themselves and not even worth their weight in cheap stone!!! and u never know what side of them u'll see...a bit like the weather here..u never know when the sun will suddenly disappear and u'll get swept off by 80kmph winds!! (And not swept off ur feet in a nice way either!!) i guess the weather is what gets ppl also going ditsy!
but hey! it all is part of how it works out eventually....so i guess thats how the cookie crumbles, thats how the cards fall and other smart metaphors and so on and so forth because afterall...shit happens and life goes on!
you know that feeling.....when you have to make a tough decision, a difficult one, an important one....and you just know what to do. You know what's right...you know where you want to go with this....you know things will just work out......
more often than not....that feeling is wrong. You WILL make the wrong decision. You WILL screw up.....and life will go to hell...
Anywho...on that positive note....lets start a brand new post!!
It's been a while....life's been a bitch (as usual)....and lotsa things have happened. (Some better than others)
A new country, a new city, a new school and a new phase in life....
some of it is working....i mean a new country and city part. Its nice...different, challenging, exciting and all that goes with having a brand new experience. You njoy it. You relish it. you have craved it for so long, that you don't know what to do now that you have it.....(It's almost like when the dog chases the car, but what is it going to do when it catches it?? I mean really?? I think i read that example somewhere by the way...not mine originally. Or was it a movie....damn i'm getting old!)
I like the exploring part. yr 2011 is the "Year of travel". I have vowed...no decided...no convinced myself...to travel! I mean where ever...london, birmingham, leeds, switzerland....goa for crying out loud!! but travel i will....(If only i could find a sugar mama to fund all this by the way!) But it is something i will do. I always wanted to do that. See the world, see new places, new cultures, meet new people...well not really new ppl, cos ppl are overrated..(more on that later)...but yeah travel in general!
The studies aren't half bad either. Not exactly what i expected, but hey....screw that...i'll make what i can of it...rest can wait....
I love the high speed broadband!! fast downloads...and i can actually watch streaming content without having to wait for stuff to buffer!! woo hoo!! but i still prefer dloading for hd content. I love the fact that i can watch football matches at reasonable times. No more staying up at 3 in the morning for champs league!!
then there's the things that don't....the course, the people, the god damn weather!! Without going into too many details...on the course....i got much more than i bargained for...in a bad way! (I could write a whole blog on why....so we shall leave that for now...) People...man i miss the grp back home! ppl are honestly waaaaay overrated and invariable full of themselves and not even worth their weight in cheap stone!!! and u never know what side of them u'll see...a bit like the weather here..u never know when the sun will suddenly disappear and u'll get swept off by 80kmph winds!! (And not swept off ur feet in a nice way either!!) i guess the weather is what gets ppl also going ditsy!
but hey! it all is part of how it works out eventually....so i guess thats how the cookie crumbles, thats how the cards fall and other smart metaphors and so on and so forth because afterall...shit happens and life goes on!
Monday, March 9, 2009
At 12:01 in the morning??
Here I am on Tuesday morning writing a blog post…just gives you an insight into how totally bored with life and completely jobless I am. Seriously….who writes a blog at 12:01 in the morning?? Then again…who admits to writing a blog at 12:01 in the morning? Either way it makes me quiet the loser….but hey…things could be worse! (Not really, atleast I can’t think how they could be worse…but for the benefit of this blog and my ego we shall assume that they could be.)
Just finished watching Crash….the movie from ages back which I never watched. It was really good actually. Never expected it to be anything beyond ordinary or interesting, but it was really good. I could have done a lot of other more interesting things with my time, (Once again, we assume that this is true) but chose instead to watch the movie from my ever increasing list of downloaded movies. 105 I have in total right now….of which there are a few I haven’t even watched. Crash was one of those and boy am I glad I watched that today! Makes me feel a lot better…don’t ask me why. Today was yet another day when I fell asleep in the cab, and had a real power nap! So though I am seriously short of quality sleep of late, I feel fresh as morning dew right now! (That’s morning dew…not mountain dew…its not a spelling mistake!) Which is not a good thing actually seeing as I need to be awake in like 7 hrs from now to get back to work!
Work’s been quiet good lately, (rather surprisingly!) with interesting stuff happening and things kinda beginning to fall into place on a number of fronts. There are still some major stuff to be sorted for me, but as a general rule things are going fine. My channel is finally launching this Sunday! Woo hoo! Can’t wait to see it on air..(and get it out of the system!) But with the month being March, life gets a bit hectic as well. You know taxes and stuff! Boy I wish I could pay somebody to just do that stuff. As in not even ask me or tell me or consult me or whatever! I’ll pay you…you handle it! If I don’t hear the word taxes again..it’ll be too soon!
Yeah well…that’s about it for now…nothing else really. Except that it’s a holiday this Wednesday for Holi..so yeah mid week holiday! Makes the week so much more interesting!
Just finished watching Crash….the movie from ages back which I never watched. It was really good actually. Never expected it to be anything beyond ordinary or interesting, but it was really good. I could have done a lot of other more interesting things with my time, (Once again, we assume that this is true) but chose instead to watch the movie from my ever increasing list of downloaded movies. 105 I have in total right now….of which there are a few I haven’t even watched. Crash was one of those and boy am I glad I watched that today! Makes me feel a lot better…don’t ask me why. Today was yet another day when I fell asleep in the cab, and had a real power nap! So though I am seriously short of quality sleep of late, I feel fresh as morning dew right now! (That’s morning dew…not mountain dew…its not a spelling mistake!) Which is not a good thing actually seeing as I need to be awake in like 7 hrs from now to get back to work!
Work’s been quiet good lately, (rather surprisingly!) with interesting stuff happening and things kinda beginning to fall into place on a number of fronts. There are still some major stuff to be sorted for me, but as a general rule things are going fine. My channel is finally launching this Sunday! Woo hoo! Can’t wait to see it on air..(and get it out of the system!) But with the month being March, life gets a bit hectic as well. You know taxes and stuff! Boy I wish I could pay somebody to just do that stuff. As in not even ask me or tell me or consult me or whatever! I’ll pay you…you handle it! If I don’t hear the word taxes again..it’ll be too soon!
Yeah well…that’s about it for now…nothing else really. Except that it’s a holiday this Wednesday for Holi..so yeah mid week holiday! Makes the week so much more interesting!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Gloom and Doom...and things go Boom!
So…………..its been a while since the last post…2 and a half weeks almost. I’ve actually lost track of the number of things that have happened during that time. Not like I’ve been rocking the party scene or some such…but just generally….life has just flown by!!
No seriously…it couldn’t have been more obvious than the trip back home today. I get off work, get into a cab and…BAM!....in 5 mins I am faaaaaaaast asleep! The next thing I know, the cabby is telling me, “Saab! Abhi right lena hai ya left?” I was like, what? We just took off dude…don’t tell me you don’t know the way!! And then I realized I was right outside the colony road and the dude did have a valid question. (It was also kinda freaky that he knew the way uptil there without directions since I live in some remote corner that most cabbies, especially from lower parel, have never heard of. Or maybe I gave him directions I don’t remember…like that other time when….never mind) So anyway, here we are having driven for about 80 mins and all I was awake for was the first 5! Boy, was I exhausted!
Its been like that for almost a month and half now! I’ve been tired, exhausted, beat, burnt out…whatever you want to call it. And I don’t know why! I think its mental more than physical! I’m mentally just not there….or here…or anywhere for that matter! I need a vacation…a break..for a month or so! (Since, that’s not going to happen, I’d settle for a week!) The batteries are seriously low on fluid and as Steve Slater would say…”I’m running on fumes!!” (That’s F1 for the uninitiated..) Work too has been slow. Not that I don’t have work…its just been slow! I’ve managed to finish off stuff, but without quiet being there! You know that feeling when you know you’ve done something but could have done so much better if only you were feeling better?? That!
But I did have some fun in the meantime as well…..all was not gloom and doom..(when things go BOOM!..in Dexter’s laaaaaaaaaab!!! I loved that song!)
I did manage to finish 2 books…both good, interesting ones. But somehow I think I haven’t really found a truly amazing book of late inspite of my Crosswords sojourns. You know the Da Vince Code, Pelican Brief types. They’ve all been ok. Not too bad..not too good. I miss the days when I could sit and read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews and think, “Wow! Good Book!” You eventually grow out of them and expect more and then realize there are not too may excellent writers out there. There are a few good ones, but no great ones. It’s all too commercial I think. Authors don’t give themselves time to write a truly good book. They are too caught up with deadlines, not unlike lesser mortals like us (or me atleast!) Makes you wonder what the conversation between a writer and his agent would be like…
Writer: Look, I need more time to finish this book. Writing a book is a long and painstaking process! I need to find the right characters, right situation, right plot and the right ending. I can’t just throw some people together and make a story!
Agent: Yeah I know that and I totally understand. But we have promised the publishers Saturday, and today’s already Wednesday…so we need to work towards…..
Writer: The publishers can go to hell…all I care about is my book. If it’s not ready it’s not ready. Tell them that!
Agent: Hm…oh. Ok. But that would mean that you would have to forfeit 80% of the balance on the book…
Writer: Ok then. How does this sound? 5 people on a deserted island, a murderer is on the loose, one of the girls is really hot and finally her boyfriend is the murderer.
Agent: Can this be done by Friday?
Writer: I’ll give it to you on Thursday..
Agent: Great!
Then the writer makes a million bucks and the cover of his book says, “The number one bestseller”, “Absolute page-turner” etc, etc. He walks away with a 7 figure earning, the agent gets his 20% and losers like me pay 300 bucks for it!
Anyway with that self de-grading thought I’d close the blog for today. My ear is slammed shut and I can’t hear a thing. Need to go get that looked at. So see you, tata, bbye and adios!
No seriously…it couldn’t have been more obvious than the trip back home today. I get off work, get into a cab and…BAM!....in 5 mins I am faaaaaaaast asleep! The next thing I know, the cabby is telling me, “Saab! Abhi right lena hai ya left?” I was like, what? We just took off dude…don’t tell me you don’t know the way!! And then I realized I was right outside the colony road and the dude did have a valid question. (It was also kinda freaky that he knew the way uptil there without directions since I live in some remote corner that most cabbies, especially from lower parel, have never heard of. Or maybe I gave him directions I don’t remember…like that other time when….never mind) So anyway, here we are having driven for about 80 mins and all I was awake for was the first 5! Boy, was I exhausted!
Its been like that for almost a month and half now! I’ve been tired, exhausted, beat, burnt out…whatever you want to call it. And I don’t know why! I think its mental more than physical! I’m mentally just not there….or here…or anywhere for that matter! I need a vacation…a break..for a month or so! (Since, that’s not going to happen, I’d settle for a week!) The batteries are seriously low on fluid and as Steve Slater would say…”I’m running on fumes!!” (That’s F1 for the uninitiated..) Work too has been slow. Not that I don’t have work…its just been slow! I’ve managed to finish off stuff, but without quiet being there! You know that feeling when you know you’ve done something but could have done so much better if only you were feeling better?? That!
But I did have some fun in the meantime as well…..all was not gloom and doom..(when things go BOOM!..in Dexter’s laaaaaaaaaab!!! I loved that song!)
I did manage to finish 2 books…both good, interesting ones. But somehow I think I haven’t really found a truly amazing book of late inspite of my Crosswords sojourns. You know the Da Vince Code, Pelican Brief types. They’ve all been ok. Not too bad..not too good. I miss the days when I could sit and read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews and think, “Wow! Good Book!” You eventually grow out of them and expect more and then realize there are not too may excellent writers out there. There are a few good ones, but no great ones. It’s all too commercial I think. Authors don’t give themselves time to write a truly good book. They are too caught up with deadlines, not unlike lesser mortals like us (or me atleast!) Makes you wonder what the conversation between a writer and his agent would be like…
Writer: Look, I need more time to finish this book. Writing a book is a long and painstaking process! I need to find the right characters, right situation, right plot and the right ending. I can’t just throw some people together and make a story!
Agent: Yeah I know that and I totally understand. But we have promised the publishers Saturday, and today’s already Wednesday…so we need to work towards…..
Writer: The publishers can go to hell…all I care about is my book. If it’s not ready it’s not ready. Tell them that!
Agent: Hm…oh. Ok. But that would mean that you would have to forfeit 80% of the balance on the book…
Writer: Ok then. How does this sound? 5 people on a deserted island, a murderer is on the loose, one of the girls is really hot and finally her boyfriend is the murderer.
Agent: Can this be done by Friday?
Writer: I’ll give it to you on Thursday..
Agent: Great!
Then the writer makes a million bucks and the cover of his book says, “The number one bestseller”, “Absolute page-turner” etc, etc. He walks away with a 7 figure earning, the agent gets his 20% and losers like me pay 300 bucks for it!
Anyway with that self de-grading thought I’d close the blog for today. My ear is slammed shut and I can’t hear a thing. Need to go get that looked at. So see you, tata, bbye and adios!
Monday, February 2, 2009
In sickness and in health.....
T’was a bad week this. It really was! I was sick for most of it, which meant that I didn’t really get out and do much. Still managed to get my sorry ass into office from Wednesday to Friday though, (Albeit for only half the day!)….but hey! Atleast I made the effort!
Rather sad though that I can’t say the same about my gymming. I went regularly from Dec 28 to about Jan 20, after which due to a combination of long work hours and hence general exhaustion and sickness (as well as a generous dose of laziness) I have not seen the inside of the gym I paid a bomb for in a long time! (12 days to be precise!!) Rather sad considering that it was my new year’s resolution and such. (Apparently, gym membership increases and gyms also see highest turnout for the first few months every year. Then the turnout steadily dwindles till the next Jan where the pattern repeats!! It’s a fact! Gyms make a killing on the New Year’s resolution hype!! I’m a living example!) Anyways…I’m hoping to make it to the gym before end of day today. (I’m contemplating the actions even as I write these words. You see I need to get up, change, pack my gym bag, drive all the way to the gym, gym, drive back…..man I’m so bored!!) Where there’s a will, there’s a way!! Let’s see if that works!
Talking of will though, Federer seems to have lost all will to even try and beat Rafa. He seems content to take him to 5 sets and then just play out the fifth for the heck of it. I can understand his frustration….I really can! Rafa’s good. He’s bordering on excellent, for crying out loud! But Federer, the master of all that panache, charisma, beauty and sauveness that is tennis, should really be making more of the Nadal matches. He seems almost scared to beat Rafa at times. His play lacks confidence and finality about it. He seems content just keeping the ball in play or trying some outrageous winner. All he needs to do is stick to what he does best; confidently belt the ball to the bylines with pinpoint precision and the rest will follow. But the Nadal is a different cookie altogether! “The man from Mallorca” as the call him, has a knack of returning the best of shots and you really need to have something special to beat him. And Federer has it. He just doesn’t know it. Rafa is having a purple patch when he is at the peak of his prowess and the game doesn’t have another player like him. Federer as a consequence is suffering from having to adapt to the “new” game that Rafa plays. Plus he is left handed making a lot of tough Federer forehands look simple to return. I’m sure in time Federer will sort him out, but the question is simply…will it be soon enough?
While on Tennis, nice to see Sania Mirza win her first grand slam alongside Bhupati. They deserved to win by all means and a convincing trouncing of Ram/Dechy will definitely inspire confidence for the pair. I really do feel Mirza is more suited to mixed doubles with a proven net player like Bhupati because she has the powerful groundstrokes to trouble even the men in mixed doubles! Hope this is the first of many!
Right then….I still have a lot to say about 3 books I have read over the last week, my victory over the Barclay’s Card Priority Circle Membership guys (Woo! Hoo!), my switch from Airtel to Vodaphone and some other stuff. But for now, I’m tired, exhausted and really need to get some sleep before tomorrow considering that it is already past midnight! Whew! So catchya ltr..alligator!
Rather sad though that I can’t say the same about my gymming. I went regularly from Dec 28 to about Jan 20, after which due to a combination of long work hours and hence general exhaustion and sickness (as well as a generous dose of laziness) I have not seen the inside of the gym I paid a bomb for in a long time! (12 days to be precise!!) Rather sad considering that it was my new year’s resolution and such. (Apparently, gym membership increases and gyms also see highest turnout for the first few months every year. Then the turnout steadily dwindles till the next Jan where the pattern repeats!! It’s a fact! Gyms make a killing on the New Year’s resolution hype!! I’m a living example!) Anyways…I’m hoping to make it to the gym before end of day today. (I’m contemplating the actions even as I write these words. You see I need to get up, change, pack my gym bag, drive all the way to the gym, gym, drive back…..man I’m so bored!!) Where there’s a will, there’s a way!! Let’s see if that works!
Talking of will though, Federer seems to have lost all will to even try and beat Rafa. He seems content to take him to 5 sets and then just play out the fifth for the heck of it. I can understand his frustration….I really can! Rafa’s good. He’s bordering on excellent, for crying out loud! But Federer, the master of all that panache, charisma, beauty and sauveness that is tennis, should really be making more of the Nadal matches. He seems almost scared to beat Rafa at times. His play lacks confidence and finality about it. He seems content just keeping the ball in play or trying some outrageous winner. All he needs to do is stick to what he does best; confidently belt the ball to the bylines with pinpoint precision and the rest will follow. But the Nadal is a different cookie altogether! “The man from Mallorca” as the call him, has a knack of returning the best of shots and you really need to have something special to beat him. And Federer has it. He just doesn’t know it. Rafa is having a purple patch when he is at the peak of his prowess and the game doesn’t have another player like him. Federer as a consequence is suffering from having to adapt to the “new” game that Rafa plays. Plus he is left handed making a lot of tough Federer forehands look simple to return. I’m sure in time Federer will sort him out, but the question is simply…will it be soon enough?
While on Tennis, nice to see Sania Mirza win her first grand slam alongside Bhupati. They deserved to win by all means and a convincing trouncing of Ram/Dechy will definitely inspire confidence for the pair. I really do feel Mirza is more suited to mixed doubles with a proven net player like Bhupati because she has the powerful groundstrokes to trouble even the men in mixed doubles! Hope this is the first of many!
Right then….I still have a lot to say about 3 books I have read over the last week, my victory over the Barclay’s Card Priority Circle Membership guys (Woo! Hoo!), my switch from Airtel to Vodaphone and some other stuff. But for now, I’m tired, exhausted and really need to get some sleep before tomorrow considering that it is already past midnight! Whew! So catchya ltr..alligator!
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