Jai Obama kee

So the world rejoices as a black gets sworn in as the president of US. Almost everyone, what the hell - EVERYONE has an opinion.

So i decided to go around ask what people have to say about this historic (or not) event. This is what they said when i told them that a Black American named Barrack Obama was the new President of America:

Babu (my milkman): Obama...Wohee jo kal raat ko mere ghar ke aage pada hua tha? Bahut peeta hai saala ....

Bhavna (My grocer): Arre UMREECA mein bahut paisa hai. Waise uska naam Obama hai kya? Black bole to .. ?

Om (My car washer): ummm ... Saab aap aaj paise de doge kya ?

Kishte (the guard): Acha hai saab. Wo kaala hai so it will 'HAILP US'.

Now for some hypothetical individuals:

Putin: Let see ... (that's actually what he said)

MF Hussain: If i paint Obama - what color do i choose? hmmm ... I guess just one would do. And what should i call it. Ms. Roy - any ideas?

Barkha Dutt: The whole world is rejoicing. But look at the state of the muslims. Does NDTV not care any more? Stop showing Obama - show me instead.

Harish Mehta (stockbrocker): Saala poora market ka watt laga hua hai. yeh Satyam wale bhi na.

(.. on repeating the question...)

Harish: What... Barrack Obama..? Which portfolio? Up hai? Kitna?

Paris Hilton: oooooo .....

Elvis Presley (from his grave): You aint nothing but a hound dog ...

Manmohan Singh: This is in fact a greatest day of my, i mean, our lives. This time America will truly support me, i mean us, in our effort to steal, i mean create, a wonderful environment. Thankfully for a change the papers seem to have lost focus on the fact that i'm bunking the Republic day parade.

Finally, ASATYAM King - Ramalinga Raju: .................. I want another lawyer.

Monthly Roundup

Time for my Monthly Roundup (Dec 08 + Jan 09):

Movies:

I am Legend

Very scary concept - but surely a nice movie to watch. A little creepy - what if it comes true. But i was hoping it will stay away from Resident Evil kinda concept.

Taken

Mind Blowing. Probably cause the sad name made me think it'll be a loser movie. Great speed throughout the movie. CIA the hero once again !






Yes Man

Jim Carey is getting into a habit of doing loser-turned-hero acts. Very predictable and just about manageable as a movie.

Burn after Reading

I'm surprised how Hollywood can make money from such an intelligent humor flick. I doubt it many an Indian will get the humor. It's too subtle - but hats off to Brad Pitt - his character is lovable and irritating at the same time.

Wall E

Disney + Pixar - that should settle it. Absolutely mind blowing. A keeper !





Resident Evil - Degeneration

This is Animation - sheer brilliance of it. It seems its pulled off by some US based design agency - fantastic work. Story is a bit off - too much larger than life, but hey - its all fiction.




Music:

Scott Stapp - The Great Divide

When Scott says CREED IS SCOTT STAPP - you must argue. Mark's absence was so apparent. But the music is crisp - cant say that about the entire album though. Surround Me and Sublime are the tracks to put into your iPod. Scott's voice is still the same - beautiful. Lots of people didn't like Creed and dont like Scott - but hey what can i say - i'm a true fan.  (Try it out here for FREE)

ACDC - Black Ice

Disappointing  to say the least. I was expecting better from this sincere classic rock band. That's the problem when you set the performance bar at that level ! Runaway train was what caught my fancy upfront. I'll be hearing more of the album to comment better.

It's time...

There's a fine line between patience and weakness. And more often than not this line somehow disappears amidst political debates and heated discussions on the tele.

Mumbai was not attacked. Our integrity was. The audacity of these terrorists was to show us that we aren't patient - we are weak.

It's time to take ACTION. Here are the next set of steps I feel should be taken:

- The 3 chiefs get together. They sit down over a glass of whiskey and decide the time has come to take over. The Army chief declares emergency. Declares a military coup. All politicians are placed under house arrest. This means at 'gun point'.

- The Air Chief plans out a strategy for a early morning air strike at all training and military establishments in Pakistan. 2 squadrons of SU 30s are immediately deployed at Amritsar or Udhampur. The idea is not to kill civilians - its to cripple Pakistan.

- The naval chief pulls in the best commandos and a team of war ships that prepare for a full frontal attack across Pakistan territory with Surface to Surface mssiles if Pakis try to do something smart.

I have 2 dogs. They play with me - often hurt me while playing. But at some point i need to slap them and remind them who's the boss. It's not to hurt or kill them - the slap is to put things into perspective. Its to drive home a point.

Congress has a real task in front of them. Their doctrine prevents them from taking a strong stand and fghting back. Their vote bank will vanish if they dont !

Youth of this country - its time...

Amazing is the key word

Another very interesting trip by Guy; this time on an aircraft carrier - boy this fellow is cool !

Lap it up here

Another very interesting site - beware - you might end up wasting a lot of time here.

The thought behind 'Working from Home'

It's a bold concept and has many perspectives - some of which dont necessarily make sense to everyone.

After a 4 month haul of trying to work from home, i've come to a conclusion - you can work from home if you have a predefined set of work that requires a predefined number of hours. If you are in a profession that dramatically changes every minute and demands extreme attention and focus - then working from home is absolutely not an option.

Pros:

- Time seems to be your best friend. You can get up when you like, shower or not and decide when you want to break for tea.
- you can sleep in the afternoon and work late nights - maximize productivity.
- Take out time outs for a walk, a stroll in the garden or just a few songs on VH1 - it's all worth it

Cons:

- Too many distractions. They are just too many !
- Ability to interact with others. Since you are alone at home - you lose out on valuable collaboration through interaction with colleagues.
- 'Going to work' feeling. You don't feel you're going to work, ergo you are left with a strange feeling of emptiness at the end of the day. Since you never left the house. It takes some getting used to.
- Invasion into private space. You will have professional and private battle lines crossing into each other. This means you're child or dog will start wailing the moment that important call from the boss comes in.

This is truly a personal choice and the support of colleagues and friends plays a vital role.