Bold "Pre" Dict-ions

13 hours 13 minutes post 13 days in the new year 2011 and 18 months post mr.k's last blog, here is another attempt to ink the web with randomness ..still suffering from "bloggers block" - a state where mr.k finds himself constantly, a state that can only be described in dave mathews words "So much to say, So much to say" but "i say hell is my closet and i am stuck inside" *
but one's got to start somewhere and hope it leads anywhere but nowhere, so here i start again with some bold "Pre" Dict-ions on what would happen in 2011

1. Apple will get bored of innovating products that change the world!! and change themselves to the 'big blue' firm and only talk innovation but won't do
2.Mr.Pawar will use all his Powers and magic to ensure Onion prices fall and with that the housing loan interest rates
3. RGV will finally make a movie which will run for more than a week in theatres
4. China will start issuing stapled visas for anyone visiting from Mars/Venus and ofcourse USA (after all China Sovereign Investments own most of the US Govt Securities)
5. Dippy will try erasing the tattoo on her and after multiple attempts end up erasing only the 'R'.
6. The Global Economy will actually re-Cover
7. Brangelina Home will give China and India a serious run for the money for the most populated state !!
8. Indian Politicians will take a vow to end Corruption !! and keep their word !!
9. ------ has 50 states will confuse people. will need expert advice to decide between USA and India
10. World Cup 2011 . India vs Pakistan Final. India need 1 run to win, 1 ball to go, 1 wkt in hand, Zak facing Akhtar. Crowd Roaring...Taufell extends his arm to his right.. somewhere in an unknown city called "Dubai" in a house which cannot be located "D Company" is laughing his way to riches..
11. the most popular asset that will be traded would be SNDS (Social Networks Default Swaps). you could trade on the number of folks signing up on every new Social Network site that is popping up every hour.
12. mr.k will start something new!!

around the world..

1.some people are hoping that some people will understand (hope springs eternal)

2.some people still continue to be unpredictable ..(perhaps they like to be )

3.some people are trying too hard to be nice and friendly (keep trying)

4.some people are uncomfortable with certain things (nothing has changed unfortunately on this one. hopefully it will)

5.some people always have something picky to say ( get used to them)

6.some people are understanding how important the "right breathing technique is" ( and its a good thing to understand)

7. some people are having their hands full on multiple things ( prioritzation is key )

8. some people are not sure where they are heading (compass not showing any direction for now)

9. some people always do something stupid (and keep wondering how many lifelines)

10. some people are changing (change is happiness)

disclaimer: if you are one of the some people for any of the points above, it is purely coincidental and not intentional

blogging again..

yes! 10 months since the last post, mr.k has ended his hibernation..it was tough to end it, as it was extremely difficult to find a topic to blog about..so the attempt here is to give a reader a bit of everything thats caught mr.k's eye since the last post..

1. hard not to start with the absolutely ridiculous statements by mr.bush and ms.rice..both of them have been recently quoted saying the global food crunch is due to better diet patterns in india and china..mercifully usa is electing a new president end of the year..and yes its quite ironic to see that "the most stupid quote on Rice" has been made someone whose name has "rice" on it
2. since we talked about the upcoming presidency stakes in usa earlier - it would also be important to point out how ugly the fight has been between the democrat candidates. its no holds barred - punch and counter punch..don't know who would be the last man(woman) standing, but it sure makes for interesting "race"
3. and obviously this year - different kind of races are going to be held in beijing - talking about olympic games coming up in the next few months. its already attracted enough publicity with the tibetan protesters disrupting the torch relay to catch the attention of many
4. among the attention of many, no one more significant than the chinese authorities. for first time in sometime, china is holding talks with the Dalai Lama to discuss "autonomy for tibet"..it does look like china is facing the heat.
5. hot, hot, hotter - we aren't talking about any woman here. we are talking about the increasing temperatures and the global warming thats happening around us. for everyone, when you get time - do grab a dvd of oscar winning "an inconvenient truth" by nobel winner al.gore. quite insightful
6. from insightful to "In-Sight-Full". none other than the king-khan. from chak-de to paanchi pass to endorsements every 1 hour to item numbers to the big-daddy of all - IPL. He sure is keeping his fans - santoosht and connecting people.
7. ipl - what is it?. simple - indian Provocation league. in here, its all too simple. a billionaire actress hires a millionaire cricketer who provokes another millionaire cricketer who in-turn slaps him and the guy who provoked starts crying provoking million people to call for action ...and the story goes on..and its quite interesting to note that sreesanth vs bhajji was also wadia vs ambani :)..whats with people named modi..they always seem to be associated with some provocation or other..
8. ipl - indian premier league. they do play cricket to earn their millions and to an extent some of the cricket played has been exciting and yielded surprising results. the finals could very well be "rajasthan vs mohali"..would that not be a huge contest. the surprising royals with "hollywood" warne against the punjab da puttar - yuvraj..it would be a huge match - a royal match..
9. the other yuvraj is also setting himself up for leading the nation..he has been everywhere and quietly stepping up to the throne, and his sister who has an aura about her thats just so intriguing isn't far behind..she visits her father's killer to make peace with violence. interesting/very interesting..no wonder the kids mother was in the time influential people list
10. one list leads to another..mr.k's list of interesting movies..first - jodhaa akbar - a decent movie that one can watch purely for Hrithik Roshan. he is just a "class act". another movie that is "not to be missed" is "the prestige" - absolutely gripping movie about two magicians obsessed with their obsessions..totally compulsive watching the ultra-suave and ultra-talented Hugh Jackman..but the movie of the year was the absolutely simple yet brilliant "jab we met"..little did shahid know that kareena was talking about her meeting saif.."the here becoming zero"
11. and the heroine becoming size zero, well yes ms.kapoor's ultra stylish new power yoga driven look that has become the talk of the entertainment industry..alas her "tashan" hasn't got everyone on her side..
12. and how many zeroes is worth the mansion mr.mukesh ambani is building in mumbai..plenty since its gonna cost him 2 billion..quite interestingly, our PM mr.singh made a remark about how the rich indians are living a lifestyle that is not reflecting the state of india..seems to me that he doesn't have too many listeners..probably talking in italian would have helped.

13. got married, changed jobs, living happy..and tomorrow its "thank god its monday" , so lets stop blogging and get to work before a pink-slip stares down on us..

on happenings - normal and normal not..

it has been nearly 2 months ( that is nearly half a quarter ) since mr.k had something to say here, and fortunately or unfortunately for you, ( totally based on your perspective ) some ir-relevant happenings come under scrutiny here.

thought about the happenings of the last two months in, around and everywhere in the world and decided to categorize them in to the normal and the not-so normal. so here we go.

1. the firm has now spun-off and officially it would be two by mid 07.
- it has got most people interested and in-"{some cases" nervous, now that is normal.
- there are people who would have to be part of this new entity, who want to stay back -
now that is not so normal.
- and there are someothers who want to go the other way - normal? not so normal?. or
maybe it is just personal ;P
2. a 3 year old kid of a bigshot in a reputed software firm is kidnapped.
- the parents are distraught and want less media intrusion and media responds in the way
it does "irresponsibly" - normal
- the boy comes back, the parents are happy, the police are thanked and the media doesn't
have a clue as to what transpired ?. not so normal "investigative journalism"
3. britney spears divorces kevin federline (i belive she texted "oops, i did it again" to him to tell that)
- two babies in two years and then irreconcilable differences :)...dare to think of how many
federlines if they were not having any differences :)..really "not so normal" behavior
- hey, the heartbroken kev is now threatening britney that she could have " i had a paris"
moment...now thats so "normal". yes ms.spears you did do it again..and again..and again..:D
4. share music. listen to music. enjoy music
- when you share music with others and they listen and have a good time, its such a beautiful
thing, music does bring a sense of serenity. its a normal thing
- but when it is sharing music that is equivalent to a strange cosmic activity, it is quite 'not so
normal' but this is just 'not so normal' but NICE. very NICE
5. sporting headlines
- the "money grabbing models" who pretend as "cricketers" got thrashed by proteas and
punter pummelled the poms to submission on the first day of the most expected test series
that we have to say "its not just normal, but boring". so much for close contests.
- thorpedo retired at 24. chelsea lose a uefa cup match (barcelona is crying foul) - strange

mostly random

a long weekend almost always leads to randomness of most things, particularly thoughts/views. here is randomness itemized

a.there is so much sameness in all tv channels that it doesn't matter which one you are watching at any moment. "same story, different people"
b.remix of music, remake of movies and now re-birth of gandhian values as "gandhigiri". rehashing is so very "in" our times
c.if there ever was a survey on what urban india lacks most. it would not surprise to see "humility, respect and regard, patience" figure out prominently
d.ash is so made up, her interviews are such a drag.sush is showing her age, don't know if "zindagi rocks" but she does.
e.does it make you a better if you are valued more or does it make you nicer if you value something more.essentials have always been valueless. think water
f.it is good to be a good listener, it is good to be nice and kind to people, it is not good to be a good listener and also nice and kind to people. if you are, you just end up being a 1-800-whatever.worse it is toll-free
g.dipika padukone redefines beauty. all hail the queen
h.another lady chairwoman bites the dust. google about computer make HP's problems.how many times in the history have we seen that women power might not be right power. from cleopatra to carly, many have succumbed to femme fatale.many will. men, oh poor men, when will you learn
i.why do human beings crave for whats others. there is enough in this universe to make everyone happy. malcom nash did not win noble for nothing. "game theory, game on"
j.umrao jaan, jaan-e-mann, dhoom-2-big releases all but none bigger than DON. if promos are anything to go by, as Don himself says "it is impossible to catch Don"


ps: did a spellcheck and totally impressed with the new blogger beta spell check. google rulz

what were you thinking mr.johar

have an honest confession to make. mr. K was waiting for KANK. was quite intrigued by the publicity and bollywood opening up to extra marital affairs and all that. added to it was the fact that SRK was in the movie and mr.K believed that SRK would finally silence the talk about big B and make the canvas his own. mr.K had read bad reviews of the movie but was still looking forward to seeing the new dharma productions magnum opus

after watching (okay guys, i typed tolerating) the movie through the whole length of it, i have to admit, it is my favorite pick right now - not for the oscars, but for one of the worst horrors in indian cinema history.

1. srk - looked old..was in a spiteful mood throughout the movie..his character Dev (is he worth having such a name after this performance) was soul-less and brain-less.. what was srk thinking, when he signed up for this movie
2. big B - don't think he needs to do such roles to make more money..wasn't funny at all mr.AB
3. preity zinta - is no more pretty and has no more zing..tried too hard to show she is a (pretty) gal..what a waste
4. rani - less said the better..
5. ab baby - extremely matured performance, the only positive in the movie..stands tall and stands out tall for his acting
6. karan johar - with the story he has scripted, it is quite easy to understand why he is a queer..
7. the story - such a flawed concept..no one really understands why srk and rani are not happy with their partners..

after seeing the movie, have to confess that the reviews were rather generous..if you are totally pissed with someone and you want them to have a good evening - gift them tickets to this movie..if you have plenty of time on your hands, stay away from KANK..

~alvida

after "three" days

its not a movie title - its just the number of days that has passed till the 2006 edition of the soccer world cup was kicked off in Munich. so after 72 hours, these are some of the thoughts that are refusing to die..

1. whats the bigger worry in german camp now.."is it their young defence, who look like who can leak a goal like a new born baby anytime" or "the supposed clash between the inspirational ballack and the once inspirational klinsmann..hopefully for germany's sake, this doesn't turn out to be like chappell-ganguly spat"..
2. germany can score..and bring on ballack and they can score at will..
3. england played like true englishman - dull, dour and dumb..their post match interviews were also in-sync with their english spirit..whine whine and whine more..
4. argentina play football like vienna orchestra...with their genius riquelme conducting the orchestra and the rest playing to his tunes perfectly..imagine what would happen when messi steps in to spotlight..
5. "Go oranje"..thats my "uno" team for the world cup...they dominated their possession but their attack lacked bite and let me down..mr.k is chewing his nails and worried if oranje can beat ivory coast and argentina..
6. portugal played well..score sheet does not justify their talent..they can go deep in to this tournament..but don't expect them to win.
7. good job by the carribbean team..at least they are better than their cricketing brothers..

what to watch out for
azzuris...can they put their match fixing scandal behind them and gel together..mr.k has long been an admirer of the azzuris, ever since the "divine ponytail" dazzled in the 90 and 94 editions..lady luck has not been kind to the boyz from the "shoe shaped land" but this could be the year..after all when they last won the world cup in 1982, some of their key players like rossi were banned for match fixing..if totti can play as well as he does when entertains the crowds of rome, the italians have it in them to win the world cup..

so after three days, i am not complaining, two of the my four favorites - dutch and argentina have won and the two remaining - italy and spain look strong..

forza italia..go oranje..viva argentina..exult espana..

footnote - did roger federer blew his chance to win all four..:(..

Cuban,Precious..

one of the blogs that Mr.K frequents is www.blogmaverick.com. this particular blogger has a curious mix of writings on digital media and nba, an extremely odd mix some would say. at first glance, it would look like some "maverick"s ranting..but keep reading and you get fascinated. more so once you realize that the blogger goes by the name "mark cuban",the billionaire owner of Dallas Mavericks and HDNet - the guy who made so much money during digital boom of the late 90's. his mode of travel - my friends - a cool personal boeing that would give mr.president some food for thought..

an interesting thing that happened last week was a blog post by cuban..cuban has always been someone, who is shamelessly forthright. never one to hide this thoughts and a strong believer of the "land of liberty's first amendment". in the post, cuban let rip his thoughts on the way nba playoffs officiating works..the gist of it was that nba was being too socialistic trying to reward a lot of people and ending up screwing up the system. what happened after this post was more interesting..

a) the powers that be in nba fined cuban 200,000$ dollars for his blog comments..
b) the officials then went far too soft on the mavs's next two games against the spurs and the mavs find themselves one win in their homecourt short of western conference finals..

this was one killer corporate strategy, wasnt it - rant and sound like a whiner but float seeds of doubt on your opponents - lose the battle, but win the war..sun tzu would have been proud of our maverick..come across like an idiot, boot yourself a bill of 200,000$ and end up winning 10 million dollars for each game win cause the officals are afraid to piss you off now..the most striking thing about this is the medium used - "blog". dare i say friends, do we have a new media that has the potential to rival media houses..people like cuban are taking it to the next level, so don't stay behind - get yourself a nice drink and setup yourselves in blogspot and blogaway ;)..

<>

the other unrelated part of this blog now deals with one of the most endearing and at the same time, most hated character in the history of english fiction " gollum smeagol"..the embodiment of "multiple personality disorder, bipolar, schizophrenic, twin faced .." there is a lot out there to know about gollum's story and his love for "his precious"..but what does provoke some thought is "He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter - LOTR". makes mr.K wonder if all of us did have a "gollum inside their smeagol".. a gollum that is created by desire, attachment and wants..we all have our "precious" and we all have our "we needs it, we needs our precious, we hates it, we hates thieves" times..

the precious is laughing and making a fool of us..find a hobbit soon to destroy it..:)

ps: have added a wonderful blog in the more blogs section. - it is run by a pal and ex employee of the firm..way to go labnol - labnol.blogspot.com

whats eating "suri"s mom

yes, ladies and gentleman, this question has been on Mr.K's for sometime now. If you are lost, we are talking about Ms.Katie Holmes.

Pictured to the right is the very beautiful Ms.Holmes before she met tom cruise. Here is an extremely talented actress, who has achieved considerable success in tv serials and had a breakthrough commercial hit in "Batman Begins". She is in her mid twenties, a career that is on the upside and finds herself as "the lady i love" of this universe's bonafide most successful superstar - Tom Cruise. Everything looks just as rosy as her cheeks - or is It?

Ms.Holmes seemed so much in love and exhibited an exuberance in her expression of love for her man, which has not been seen on Hollywood for ages. Don't believe me?. Check out the picture at the top left.

They looked like "Americas's ( Oops ) even Europe's and APAC's sweethearts". Even Oprah's Sofa was not spared Tom's antics.

But what's this -a very pregnant Ms.Holmes looking like - she needs a better shoulder than Tom's to cry.

every news magazine and news channel have had something to say about TomKate (Not Tomcat - you nerds ), but the picture reveals more than any journalist can.

1) Is she just a pawn in the whole scientology gimmick - just forced in to a relatioship with Mr.Cruise to bear a child for Scientology cult

2) Do you even believe that Tom could be the father of the kid - considering his mysterious divorce from Nicole Kidman and his preference for "Brokeback Mountain" ranches :)

3) Is she doped - drugged - brainwashed to keep giving a dazed smile and look to the cameras.

whatever it is, it surely isn't sitting pretty on Mr.K. It is quite depressing to see this "TomKat" and maybe it is time we sold some purple silicone wrist bands with the words "please help me save katie"..

Okay - got to check on "Brangelina" now..Adios

Paint It Yellow..

a.k.a "rang de basanti.."...if you are wondering what is"PIY" ?. It was supposed to be the title of the english version - but i think as Rakesh Omprakash Mehra transformed to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, he dropped the idea of making it bi-lingual ( Or should i say tri-lingual, cause there was enough Punjabi thrown in to it).

The movie, that has sparked an "Awakening" in Box-Office, if not in the minds of Indian youth. The movie that has its fair share of controversies - from the defense ministry raising objections to certain parts of the story to animal rights activists demanding certain "Objectionable Content" to be removed..the movie which has even had captured the imagination of "Special Interest Goings" :) (SIG) of "The Firm" ( Disclaimer - to be taken in Right Spirit and With Right Spirit ) and now the movie has made an appearance in your "sun,moon,coffee and chatter" blog..


As Mr.Mehra waits and waltzes for "Generation to Awake", this blog gives its thought on the movie..

RanDom thoughts on Blog - I
i) technically brilliant movie..excellent cinematography..some of the shots in the movie are just simply stunning...the shot of the MIG flying high over the 4 protagonists in the green field was wonderfully executed..
ii)Mr.Mehra needs to be commended on experimenting on the style of direction and editing..the narration of the "story of present" with the "faces from the past" calls for the "Best Director" award - period. Calls for a look from "the guys who present oscars" also IMHO. Remember the dialogue in the movie where DJ says the problem with Us Indians is "we keep fighting about the past and future that we are left ****ing in the moment" was an awesome one and have to say it is good to see that the director did not fall in to that trap at least with his narrative style.
iii)the story was weak..lacked the punch the tag line of the movie..

RanDom thoughts on Blog - II
i) it was good to see that actors not named Aamir Khan were able to hold their own against him and do a creditable job..
ii) everybody says that Siddharth was the best in the movie..i might be in the minority but i thought he was lousy..have to say he can't emote, can't act and what was that stupid squealing voice of his..the only thing he did in the movie was smoke, smoke and smoke more..
iii) Sharman joshi was excellent..Kunal and the Phirang actress ( daughter of the last governor of Hong Kong ) were also very good...whats wrong with Om Puri?.. Atul Kulkarni's role was not good enough to allow himself to be as good as he can be...
iv) Soha Ali Khan suited the part..she looked cute..and wonderful dressing sense...she left a job in wall street to pursue acting - damn maybe thats why they said "Generation Awakens"...
v) aamir was aamir...
vi) honorable mention has to be made of Waheeda Rahman, Anupam Kher and Madhavan..without them the movie would not have been complete...

RanDom thoughts on Blog - III
i) the lounge they showed in the movie was awesome...if anyone knows where it is, please do let Mr.K know
ii)not sure if anyone gave it enough ears..but if you see it again, listen to the music on the FM radio when Siddharth and Aamir reach the former's house..it's one of the best Saxophone gig you would ever hear..A.R.Rehman is a genius..no two ways about it..
iii) the music is so A.R.Rehmanish..it grows on you like wine and women :)..Mr.PG might not agree with it..

Data + Information on RBD

this section - modeled on CNN's Truth+Rumours Section

i)RBD is become such a craze that "The Firm"s branding contest even had an entry called "Rang De Basanti" ---"Banque De Associate N Groups"...but most likely it will not win the award as not many people speak/understand French in "The Firm". ( Forget French, Even English is suffering the same fate..)
ii)Mr. SBR, plays only RBD in his car stereo..if you wan't respite you can listen to Abida Parveen's Sufi songs...guess it goes with Territory ( No PUN(jab) intended )
iii)If "Rang" and vibrancy is the theme of india these days...the new coffee shop in "The City" - Mocha is in line with this theme..it is full of rang..rang and more rang..you can try the world's best coffee there - called JBM ( Jamaican Blue Mountain for all Ignorant Cofeeholics )..

But Mr.Mehra, why "Paint it Yellow" is my question...

"The Big Three" Missed Out

Life just is not fair sometimes...Most awards are not fair all the time... How else would you explain "the big three - Mr.KVSB, Mr.IF (Damn, his initials must have been the most worshipped in computer programming) and Mr.K" not finding a mention in the 2005 Web Blog awards.

have always believed most of the awards are farce..this just vindicates my belief..talking of awards the oscar nominations are out..guess "Brokeback Mountain" will win many. SRK must be disappointed about Paheli missing out. Dunno what on the earth made this as the Indian entry, when a movie like Page3 could have been sent - it probably had a better chance ( Should i say a far better chance of being nominated ) - the simple reason being - this is the year of "Queers". Go take a look at all the nominations and Page 3 had its fair share of "Queers" in it.

Anyways lets wrap this blog with the top 10 happenings since last time we met in the blog world( No specific order of {Ir}relevance )
1) Big news to Bloggers - KVSB is now a married man. Get ready to read a lot of cooking recipes in his blog :)
2) SBR is hooked - PG gets his 50 K only next year. Still not sure if "The Bet" has been lost.
3) Roger Federer wins another Slam. (Well thats like saying the sun rises in the east ) - Martina Hingis wins a Slam (well our man Hesh helped her )
4) India were on the verge of a famous victory against Pakistan at Karachi after the first 10 overs - only to have victory snatched in the next 3 days ( i know there are a lot of people who are saying if only it was a 20/20 game). GOD save a team who cannot win after making the opposition 39/6 in a green top - tell you what, there is no point having an "aussie" coach. We need players from Oz - Dizzy, Lehmaan, Blewet, Elliot, Kasper and Martyn would be more beneficial to us than Chappell.
5)In papers - Son betrays Father and forms government with opposing party - It happens only in India. ( Truth - Son and Father are making a mockery of Indian Political System)
6)Mr K is still busy with work on weekdays and getting his house done on weekends.
7) Hero Honda "Saregamapa" has become a farce. They kicked out Himani and the finalists - Vineet and Debojit ( Good singers ) are nowhere as good as Himani is.
8) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are having a baby. Jennifer Aniston is fuming and about to pen a "tell all" book - What a prospect. The star of "Friends" talks about "Enemy" :). More interesting fact - Jennifer and Gwyneth Paltrow supposedly spend endless hours on phone talking Mr.Pitt. Must be more interesting to tap their phone than Mr.Amar Singh
9) The capsule lift in "The Firm" malfunctioned not just once but twice. There is an interesting pattern. It fell only one floor both times. Tell you guys - these are all "Sinister Days". The interesting study of its "Fall Pattern" was obviously done by Mr. INF
10) When some one asks you what you doing - don't ever reply " Iam inhaling O2 and exhaling Co2" or its variant "i am breathing" or "iam taking breath". Though you are actually stating a fact, it is considered to be "rude","sarcastic","cold". If you were attempting to be humorous with such a reply - then you need to take a serious look at yourself. you could be in the running for "The Razzy Awards For the Most Original Stupid Humor" Award.

As they say "Anything starts with an award must end with an award - just like this blog".