A Crooked Smile

TOAST (Movie Review)

2011-08-01T04:10:00.000+05:30

(English, Drama/Family, 2010)

A sweet charming story about a boy, his love of food, lost of mum, hatred of step-mom and taking early steps to being a cook. It's childish and honest. Beautiful at times and normal other times. A great sunday afternoon at home watch.

3/5

Bekaar Gyan - 84

2011-07-31T05:21:00.000+05:30

"It's not life if you can't live it"

The Joys and Perils of a New Website

2011-07-29T02:42:00.000+05:30

The idea started about 6 months ago when I started visiting different web sites for job hunting and all of the web portals used to have a tab... website ... which had to be left emtpy simply because this wasn't a website. This is a blog. A personal one. I do not mean to share it with people who will only visit it for professional benefits. (NOTE: Popularizing your personal blog is not a professional benefit and not really worth it. Let the idiots come on their own). So a need developed to create my own website. Now being a certified computer engineering I was able to create a mock up site in about a couple of hours. However, all it was, was a mock. Amazingly plain, boring and just plain lack lustre. If you know me, then you know how much I like that 'tadka maarke' wala feel. I need the glam, the glamour and the sparkling entry into world of websites.

Now if at all you have been a regular visitior (why? oh why?) well you should know that I was one of those fellas who used to post daily or at least weekly but over past few months, I've reduced my post per week speed. It's because of studies. Those be damned. It's because I was up to making a site of my own. It's

http://www.rishibaldawa.com

It's my own professional space where I can start putting up my bits of code or at least have a focal point from where on I can move out into my interests, be it photography, chatting, blogging or just plain web surfing.

So I coughed another couple of months of Saturday afternoon programming and came up with a decent site. It looked professional. It was beige. There can't be anything more professional than beige. Now, all I needed was a hosting service. After a couple of hours of googling/binging with a 100-m dash of facebook and twitter interference, I decided upon Ipage.com. They're sasta, sundar and tikaav. The performance is not really that great but I'm going to stick with them for now.

So, I've after 3 months of programming (and saving a bit of money as well) I had a web-site. It had a homepage, a resume, a flickr gallery for my pics and my blog posts. However, a friend quite rightly branded it as a 'sada tamatar'. So I was shocked, dishelved, distraught and disharmonized. May be my then ongoing exams had something to do with it, but I believe most of it was from the website's tamatar-ness. I had gone up in hiding. Even the site just a Homer Simpson Under Construction page. For about 2 months, my website was technically down.

Then came July. I suddenly had just two jobs (I was working at 4 places at one point) so some free time was evident. I could again sleep but why would a computer engineer ever sleep. So I facebooked to eventual boringness. (Google + was still a couple of weeks away and in facts its currently very boring). Then on one fine friday, I realized that I still had the website. I could still make it up. But now, the will to create a brand new one from the base was non-exsistent. I had wasted my movie-loving saturday afternoons on a complete waste and I could never forget that.

I went out to a couple of websites to download open source website templates and there I rediscovered wordpress. Oh, my wordpress! I'm not really talking about the blogging version but the website making version @ wordpress.org. It's a boon. I hadn't realize how much it was being used until today when I could easily pick those websites out. In fact most of your famous websites (other than fb, google ) use wordpress. A lot of high end companies use wordpress. Top end blogs and magazines use wordpress. Why? Because its freaking easy. It's freaking fraking easy.

Can you guess how long it too for me to create this new website? Mind you it's actually two with my portfolio website http://photos.rishibaldawa.com/ for my pics (including my recent Washington DC pics). 15 mins. Go and just have a look at both the sites. You'll be amazed at its look. The content is still in making however, just the look and feel of the site is quite satisfactory. There are still tiny things that I wish to perfect but even this blog's design took me about a year.

At the end of all the process, I now have a professional website (FEAR NOT. I will still blog my musings over here). My pics will be out-sourced to http://photos.rishibaldwa.com so that this thing can handle all of my other idiosyncrasies. The best about this new website is, eventually, I'm going to make it into a one-stop website.

I'll be posting my pics on flickr through it, reading my fb stream and posting back on it, listening to my last fm / spotify / pandora radio, reading all of those blog rolls (I do read your blogs but just too busy with everything, so it's a quick newspaper style read) and even accessing my gmail and itunes. Thanks to HTML 5 and various API's I'll be able to access the world wide web through my own website. Eventually.

As someone once said, 'These are fun times'.

Buying a Kick Ass Camera

2011-07-10T21:06:00.000+05:30

Note: It's part informative and part personal experience blog post with some tips at the end. Hope it helps out anyone looking to buy one.

Since may and till June of 28th, I was busy working 3 jobs and more than 50 hours a week. Almost felt like I was in a Indian IT tech company but something good came out of it. A whole lotta dough. You konw the green version. The best part, I'm earning in dollars so I'm earning a hell lot. I'll brag more about it later but after 6 months of savings I finally managed to save enough to buy a Digital SLR camera otherwise know as the kick-ass variety of camera.

Why? Well, I have been taking pics for a long time. I've got a very pics heavy facebook account, a decent flickr account (link) and there's some more not so good ones on picasa. All have been taken by my Kannan Deux aka Canon IXUS 95 IS (Duex because I had a IXUS 80 before this one which got stolen on a Mumbai Local Train in a very intriguing fashion). On my last trip to San Francisco (link), the weather was awful and there was a Tsunami warning. However I braved myself and went to take some pics out there. The only problem, The pics came out awful. I had to do massive editing and that took me a month or so. The outcome wasn't how I wanted to show San Francisco but it was a decent approach.

The lead me to a stern conclusion that I need a better camera to work with. I was getting serious about something eventually. I decided to toy even more with my camera; now with an intent and I came out with following conclusion about point and shoot. Amazingly, comfortable and light weight. Auto mode brilliant but if you want to customize to your needs, the camera performance degrades a lot. A LOT! I had to heavily depend on editing which kind of sucks big time.

Anyways, I came to a conclusion that if one is serious about photography, they need a dslr because that gives more control in the hand of the photographer but loads of problem lie.

Firstly, I've never even touched one so had to know how it work before even thinking about it. I did get a good idea from Life Hacker. Its detailed and quite easy to understand. (link)

Secondly, as any true Indian, I wanted to milk-out the best feature for the money I wanted to spend. Some of them were good LCD screen because I like to view my pics a lot to get a perfect shot. I need a good viewfinder because I wear specs and they come in between while taking pics esp in a small view finder. I also wanted a good zoom because I'm a lot into landscape photography and close-up portraits. I also wanted a non-flash auto mode so that if I give it to my non-dslr friends they can still take good pics (and hopefully give it back in my hands soon). The best sites for that is dpreview (link). They really are highly efficient in what they do but the problems start here after...

How do I compare pics. At first, I started just watching and reading reviews from loads of sites. Most of it went bounce of my head (may be coz I didn't know much about DSLR photography). Then after 2-3 weeks I came to a site called snapsort (link) and found it quite interesting. It gives a genuine comparison on which camera has what and how superior a particular feature is it. It's a great start-up. I hope they bifurcate into more electronics (and electronics wonly. I do not wish to see them compare two non-stick fry pans).

Then was the issue of buying one. I wanted to buy anything too expensive but if it fits my needs, going overboard wasn't an issue. I decided on 3 options. Nikon 3100 , Canon Rebel t3i and Canon Rebel T2i. I wanted to buy a canon because I've been using them from the start and I'm used to their interface however D3100 had a lot better good reviews vs cost ratio. So I decided, to look for any good offers on any of the cameras and as soon as I find one, grab it asap. The sites I checked were deals2buy.com , groupon, ebay, amazon and lastly google shopping. Ebay has a lot of decent options but ebay requires a paypal account which means one more place to give in your monetary details which is a risque business ever since hackers have taken over the net. Amazon gives lesser deals but good ones. The only problem, most of deals are coupled with stuff I don't really want. I didn't want a memory card reader nor a tripod or extra battery but no good offers. So you get a lot of extra crap that you won't use when you buy a cam on Amazon or you get almost nothing (not even a camera case). I came across a photographer in buffalo and he gave me a good tip. Go to websites of shops and check for offers. Online shops have loads of offers and you can even chose to pick up from one of their shops which means, you can buy a camera online and have it the same day without any hassle (and no shipping charges + less taxes). I did exactly that. Bought a Nikon D3100 camera, 33-55 VR lens, camera case (it's awesome), 8 GB memory card, 55 - 200 VR lens (it's awesomer) for 850 bucks. Not a bad price in my books.

The whole experience of buy a camera was quite frustrating. Mostly because there are a lot of conflicting reports online. Weeding out the wrongs from the rights is tough. There's even reports of online websites being paid to undermine competing cameras. Shame! anyways, choosing a camera has become tough esp when you are very specific in what you need. I'd say keep the quality the first choice, the cost second and rest after that. I did mine it this way. I'm not sure if I'll be sticking with the camera and I have 14 days to find its worth. Lets see. Wish me luck.

Nikon D3100 review: Kick ass. Something are still hard to figure out but within a couple of days, I've picked up a lot and clicked some really cool shots. (will post a link over here soon). 33-55 lens is good but 55-200 lens is just what I needed. Creating the focus point from LCD is a bummer but otherwise pretty good. It's hand, light weight, balanced. I've done very little editing in past few days. The pics are just that good.

Tips:

Don't stick to just one camera. Have features in minds and find cameras that have them.
A lot of good cameras come with cool deals. Keep looking for them.
Don't buy from a store, online stores and websites usually have better deals
But use these stores to test out cameras before buy them. Make sure you're comfortable with it before you buy it.
DSLRs are not that comfortable but after testing a couple of times, I picked up most of the features very easily.
Don't tell the shop that you're there just to test. They probably won't help you out.
Do check out snapsort.
If you're serious about photography, subscribe to a couple of top photography blogs or fb pages. The posts are usually short, easy to understand and to the point.
When buying at amazon / ebay please keep a check on the seller ratings and reviews.
Check what's the last day to return the camera. If you're not comfortable with it till this time, best to just give it back and live for another day with another camera.(If only girlfriends came with such return policy, life would be so much good)
Lastly, have fun with it.

Bekaar Gyan - 83

2011-07-06T07:22:00.000+05:30

"There's something money can't buy,

There's something love can't persuade,

There's something a will can mend

and the rest are controlled by women"

The Mechanic (Movie Review)

2011-06-30T08:39:00.001+05:30

(English, Action/Thriller, 2011)

Its Jason Statham meets James Bond in a Rambo style. Full of action and explosions and people deing every 10-15 mins. Pumped with adrelanine. Don't bother thinking while watching this. Just remember to turn up the volume and turn off the lights.

3.5/5

part of 5 Seconds Review...

A Trip to San Francisco

2011-06-24T08:51:00.002+05:30

This was actually meant to be posted about a million light years ago... however... I forgot...

so here are the pics from my trip to San Francisco...

The First Pic of the San Fran

I went during the only week when it rained heavily in San Francisco... Bummer!

All the boats were shelved

Purrrr...

Candies... Loads and Loads of it...

Alcatraz..

Golden Gate Bridge at a Distance...

Sea Lions... very common at the pier

A Pier destroyed by the earthquake...

I call em Alien Trees

The most famous of all Piers

Thunder and Lightning

Highway 101.. First Highway of America

AmTrack... Best way to travel along the silicon valley after a car

In Front of you... The Giants Stadium...

This is the Bridge that come up in all pics and isn't golden gate

Abstract Art.. plenty in SFO

Plenty of Sea Gulls as well

Port Station where all the ships come and park

One of the Piers

A diff view of Pier 39

Rain Rain go away.. but it didn't

Tram Cables Lines

Free Flying

Golden Gate State Park

Golden Gate Bridge.. The foggy version

The Broccoli Tree

Yaha Dil bhi designer milta hai...

Graffiti a part of the City and well accepted in SFO

The City Hall

Now who's gonna bring a chess set without the board

Before...

and After ...

San Francisco doesn't believe in straight roads... they love the sine waves shtyle..

Thre's ton of street artist vying for your money... be cautions of them

Bye Bye SFO!!!

Bekaar Gyan - 82

2011-06-12T13:01:00.002+05:30

"Being drunk doesn't give you the right to be irresponsible
and being irresponsible doesn't give you the right to be drunk"

Do I Love You (A Short Story)

2011-06-08T11:05:00.000+05:30

In a place that’s too far to me now, a door was being opened. Not as dramatically as you want to think.

Reena: Hey Maniac! What’s up with the rat poison in your hand? Found some new friends?

Rakesh looks into Reena’s eyes with cold stunned and slightly scared stare.

Rakesh: No. [He paused for the enormity of what he was about to say ] I want to kill myself.

[Reena was shocked. She knew things has gone sour but never imagined that this day would ever show its ugly face. She has already lost all that she ever had and now, she could lose all that she ever loved. ]

Reena: [in a disgustedly worried tone] WHAT? Why are you doing this?

[She knew the answer but she had to ask]

Rakesh: Because all is lost, all is gone, all that I ever wanted you to have is … is… I just want to die. I don’t deserve this life, I don’t deserve this love, I’ve ruined it all and I’m the only one to blame.

[As much as Reena wanted to deny, all of it was true but so what. They loved each other. They both knew the risks and now they both has to face the consequences. Both, not just him but both, Reena thought]

Reena: So you will kill yourself? And leave me all alone? What will you gain from this? What will I profit from this?

Rakesh: Me! I will get nothing but peace. You! You still have a chance at everything. You’re young. Your parents might take you back, get you married to someone of your type, someone who can keep you happy. Someone who’s not me.

Reena: [Now sickened at the thought of another man touching her] HOW DARE YOU! How dare you think of such things? Who are you to decide who keeps me happy? Who are you to plan my fate? I made the decision. We made the choice. We accepted this as our destiny COME WHAT MAY! And if you’re such a chivalrous person, why didn’t you drink that already? Waiting to put on a show for me? A finale?

Rakesh: [in a voice that felt too soothing for comfort] I tried. But couldn’t.

Reena: WHY NOT?

Rakesh: because I just couldn’t figure one thing.

Reena: [now almost in tears] and what is THAT?

Rakesh: [looked deep into Reena’s eyes, sensed her every breath… felt her skin even though they were afar] Why do I love you so much?

*****

Divya: What’s up dumbo? Why are you so lost? Thinking about your problems again, eh?

Dipen: Na, Just wondering something.

Divya: What? Tell Me.

Dipen: Do you love me?

Divya: Hmmm! Haven’t given it a thought yet.

Dipen: Well, now would be a good time. Right?

Divya: Well, yeah but what if I give it a thought and I figure out that it’s now what you want.

Dipen: How do you know what I want?

Divya: So you’re not hoping that I’m madly in love with you?

Dipen: I would prefer to answer that once you’ve answered my question.

Divya: Oh REALLY! I’m sorry to say but my answer actually depends on what you would have answered.

Dipen: So shall we call it a tie, then?

*****

Reena: WHAT! What do you mean?

Rakesh: When I see this bottle, this poison. I see the end, I see the life that I’ve lived and all I remember are the ones I’ve loved and all my memories have you in them.

Reena: I don’t understand.

Rakesh: Neither do I. I want to die for you but you’re the reason I can’t.

Reena: I …. I… [speechless]

*****

Divya: Can’t you decide on a thing?

Dipen: If I do decide, won’t you still make me change my decision if it’s not to your liking,

Divya: Ofcourse. It’s my duty to keep a dumbo like you safe from the your own stupidity.

Dipen: and why is that?

Divya: Because… Because… [speechless]

*****

Reena: I don’t know how to say this.

Rakesh: Say what?

Reena: How to say how much you love me. You’ve spent every single day calling me on my phone. Changing your whole career path just so that we can spend some time. When still we didn’t have time, you quit yours. Left your high paying job just so that at the end of the night when I get back home, we’re together. You’re a live-in husband just because of the love you have me. You didn’t lose it all; you just decided I was better. If you can’t understand this, then who can? I don’t care for the future, if you’re not in it. No one has and ever will sacrifice as much as you have for me. Now you make me wonder, do I love you enough?

*****

Divya: Because, you’re hopeless. You’re unimaginably arrogant. You can’t pick a tie but call yourself a fashion icon. You can’t dance but call you’re self a break dancer. You have no ability, no capability, no talent and no aptitude. All you have is you. No one else can even stand you. And then you dare to ask me if I love you? NO I DON’T! I pity you. You are a lonely bastard and I felt sorry for you. That was the only reason I ever even decided to be around you. You know nothing about women. Heck you know nothing about humanity. You’re an imbecile and filth. You do not deserve a life and you do not deserve to be loved. . If it was up to me decide you’re faith, I’d hand you a poison and watch you drink it.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

2011-06-05T03:10:00.000+05:30

part of 5 Seconds Review.

(English, Romance/Sci-fi, 2010)

A riveting and engrossing movie about a man who wants to love and a whole lot of super-powers trying their best to break this free will. A feel good movie with enough thrills and spills to keep you enjoying for the whole time. Must watch it a couple of times.

4.5/5

I'm coming (Me and KC - 7)

2011-06-02T09:01:00.001+05:30

KC calls me up...

Me: Hey, something important?

KC: You busy?

Me: In the middle of the afternoon during my internship... you know make or break of my future life...

KC: And what about ME, MISTER?

Me: What about you?

KC: AAAGGGHHHHHHH

[When a girl goes AAAGGGHHHHHHH, you're in deep s*** ]

Me: Sorry, I'm just busy with all my jobs and research and other stuff. Sometimes I lose track of everything.

KC: So?

Me: What? What do u mean by so?

KC: I miss you

Me: I miss you too, but this stupid work keeps me away from you and everything nice that is you....

KC: What if I give you an irresistible incentive, would you come then?

[my brain thinks, things are about to go a whole lot 'rated A']

Me: like?

KC: [in a very deep sexy slow voice] Oh, I dunno but I know it involves dripping chocolate sauce, some strawberries and to top it all up... ummmmmmmm

[she has some ummm-ing skills]

Me: in the Kitchen? [Not a second of pause... ] I'm coming...

[Truth be told, she had me a chocolate sauce, my imagination did rest of the convincing. And when I came, there she was as she promised with chocolate sauce and strawberries ]

Links to older posts:

And the even better Walkie Talkie Series:

Me and Walkie Talkie - The series

Is Facebook for Adults?

2011-05-27T20:23:00.003+05:30

In the past week there was a huge aproar over the slight possiblity that facbook would allow under-teens (otherwise known as rascals who can't be called rascals) to create an account on facebook. However calm and sensibility prevailed when Zuky (yeah, I call him that. I'm lazy to not type his full name but type a longer explanation about why I didn't type his full name) said that would not happening in the near future(fact: Antonym of near future is not distant past).

But away from this hoplahoop (and my digressions) remains a important question that hasn't been asked yet.

Is Facebook Really For Adults?

It's an integral part of our lives. We use it at home (duh!), at work (even if its NSFW) and anywhere in between thanks to m.facebook.com (a darn nifty site in my view). So should we use it? Is it worth it? Are we worth it? and lastly and importantly, should we be allowed to use it?

Should we use it? Hell Yeah! There ain't no site that dig that place. (Don't bother understanding this sentence). The best way to answer would be as follows, "Yes. Because I can?"

Is it worth it? Hell Yeah! I have been away from a large number of my friends for a year now but I still know something about them. It's useless when the guy is right next to you but when people are a bit too far and not reachable by phone all the time, facebook is the best option. Facebook chat and message have been too important for me in the past year or so. Heck, it's more essential in my life than gtalk and yahoo messenger (yes, that old thing that used to be cool but not isn't). Also, being a computer engineer (and soon to be a scientist) being online a lot helps me stay in touch with the latest non-sense and improve my typing speed a lot.

Are we worth it? May be! The technology is man-made but not everyone can get used to it. For eg people post in Hindi and if someone can't read it, you just ignore it half way. Again, the ethics and ethos for web are not well defined. Neither is the web-identity. These things are important because its a whole different world out there where the past is always a google search away and rarely gets hidden. So screw up once and the world will know it for sure (Read: Those Friday Nights!!!).

and Lastly,
Should adults use facbook? No freakin Way.

Why you ask! well simply because we have outgrown out simplicity and now are spammin our own friends with a lot of garbage. Does the funny video really needs to be shared. Or that important news. Not really. If it was important, they would figure it out on their own but they didn't. Sharing is good but too much sharing makes the shared content less valuable (aka Sona bana Khilona) and at the same time makes the other guy lazy. He'll just depend on you for all his info. Congratualtions, you just turned your friend into a Leech! (Aren'y you delighted?)

And that's just sharing. What about those bloggers/colouminst/photographers/taggers and other ers. All starting a fan base using your friends. Really? If your content was good enough, you shouldn't need such backhand tactics. (Tactics may not be called backhand if you just want these content to be shared with your pals wonly. In that case use fb notes and spam your pals that way).

In conclusion, I have proabably left you more confused that clear but that's why we have conclusion. What I meant to say (or mess around to create a longer post) was that we still haven't learnt how to use facebook. There are minor things like security, availability, connectivity (I'm not talkin in computer sense but in human relations) and there are big things like over sharing, spamming, getting hacked and spreading the love to mates and even bigger things which I can't point out properly in a couple of words. The younger generation is actually better at handling such matters than us (largely because they're growing along with this) and hence they're better at facebooking that us. Even though we were the generation that made facebook and zuky that rich but lets face it, we got lost somewhere between those constant changes to interface and security laws.

(Yes, that was not really a conclusion but more of a blabber but you read that anyways and now you're reading this - another blabber.)

Do comment your confusion/anger/disgust/time-waste-management attributes below...

SHOR IN THE CITY

2011-05-23T09:17:00.001+05:30

part of 5 seconds Reviews @ 5 seconds Reviews

(Hinglish, Drama/Comedy, 2011)

A great watch obviously made by accident. Its true beauty lies in its frankness and situational comedy. A whole of good acting, dark comedy, background music and cinematography compensate for those few misses. Just a single scene went too overboard but rest was sublime, crafted and even the predictable was enjoyable. Watch it once for sure.

4.5/5

That FOS moment (Me and KC -6)

2011-05-20T03:46:00.000+05:30

KC: Okay. Five Questions. Ready?

Me: Sure.

KC: What do you think of me?

Me: Smart, sophisticated, intelligent, cute, beautiful, ama...

KC: Yah, whatever. Thanks. [gives a fake smile and moves on. OUCH!] Next question, Why do you walk so fast?

Me: Because life's too short and I don't want to waste it walking from A to B.

KC: [mouth wide open and then a really long] Oookkkaaayyyy. Moving on, why do you give people advices?

Me: Goes well with my name!

KC: Hmmm. [I was surprised that she didn't pull my leg on this] Next, Why do you not have a favourite team in any sports?

Me: You need a heart for that and someone else already took mine.

KC: [smiles! chicks love the mushy stuff.] So what's our future?

[Damn. Trick question!]

Me: I do not know. When I'm with you, you're awesomeness distracts me from thinking about the future. When I'm without you, its your memories that keeps me busy. You make me live in the present, forget the past and never worry about the future.

[Touchdown! Bowled! Gooooooaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!]

KC: awwww! [and a smile that was bigger than that.] Okay now my turn. Ask me?

Me: What do you think of me?

[and without waiting a second she said...]

KC: You're so Full Of Shit! Get real! You're lines don't work on me Mr.

[Felt like a monkey with a dunce cap. Ahh! Our first FOS moment.]

My Bright Star

2011-05-10T17:25:00.002+05:30

My Bright Star, originally uploaded by RishiB.

Bekaar Gyan - 81

2011-05-08T22:48:00.000+05:30

"Eventually, Everything's incorrect"

The City Hall in Gold and Glory

2011-05-07T18:54:00.002+05:30

The City Hall in Gold and Glory, originally uploaded by RishiB.

And thy shall be a lone walker

2011-05-07T18:52:00.002+05:30

And thy shall be a lone walker, originally uploaded by RishiB.

An Ode to Smelly Cat

2011-05-04T06:51:00.000+05:30

It was the best of hours, and the worst of hours. A ferocious beast tired her best to bash into my house but our door put a valiant effort. It took an hour for the beast to leave the corridor but not before she left us a souvenir. A very smelly one...

and so I remembered the smelly cat... felt to commemorate a post for the song of cacophony and dis-harmony. The song is the smelly cat itself. Here's the song in its various lives.

And just in case you were curious...

Dil toh Bacha hai Ji

2011-04-30T04:04:00.004+05:30

NOTE: Play this song while reading this post. Trust me. I wrote this one while listening, hope it plays the same effect on you as well...

I was walking down the road, all alone with only my misery as my mistress ...

...when I looked up and there was the girl of my dreams...

A God's creation. None could hide her beauty. She looked sultry and elegant at the same time. My every heart beat was matching her every step. Even, though she was a bit far from me, I knew she would smell of heaven. And how far would we both be in a couple of steps. As we came closer, I could sense the future. A future in which there was nobody else but me and this gorgeous creation of nature. This is why we love God. This is why we love.

A couple steps from sharing out first looks, I steadied my glaze, spruced up my smile, even wanted to change my dress but she will love me not for my dress but for me being me and for the love I have for her. And then, she noticed my glaze. She could sense my love. She turned to me. Looked at me and just kept looking. I knew it then and there, this is it. Time to take her away.

I stopped to step closer, to take her hand but she didn't. She just walked away! [eyes wide open, heart dropped down, felt my pants going down as well but luckily, I wore a belt]. I kept looking for her, visible less and less every second, every heart beat. Until, she was gone. For ever, with any chance of happiness I would ever have.

And once again, I was walking down the road, all alone with only my misery as my mistress ...

...when I looked up and there was the girl of my dreams...

Kya kare, Dil Toh Bachha hai Ji!!!

Bekaar Gyaan - 80

2011-04-27T06:51:00.000+05:30

"It's better to have glass full than half-empty"

Being You (Me and KC - 5)

2011-04-20T08:48:00.001+05:30

Me and KC were chatting after a long time...
(edit: long is an understatement ) (edit2: acc. to KC the word understatement is also an understatement.. aka... its a freaking big deal)

KC: So... what have you been upto?

Me: Nothing. Same old same old... still getting rejected by every other...

KC: YOU BITCH!

Me: Whaa?

KC: Going behind my back and asking gals out. Good that they still reject you. Your over-optimism will kill you one fine day.

Me: Not gals! I've given up on that long time back. Tech Companies are the in thing for me.

KC: Internship?

Me: Let's just say, applying for internship is one of my hobbies now.

KC: And what has been the outcome of your favourite hobby?

Me: Well, everyday I wake up to sweet sound of my mobile warning of the rejected emails that I'll be reading as soon as I get up! That's also my hobby now.

KC: what?

Me: Reading rejection mails.

KC: My Poor Guy!!!

[and I kid you not but one of my cheeks was pulled... biggest turn off ever! Dil ke armaan aansoon mein beh gaye]

Me: Stop that [but she didn't for another few seconds which felt like a million light years] (edit: KC has brought it to my notice that light years is a unit of distance and that I'm an proven Idiot)

Me: Just wish for me.

[she closed her eyes, smiled and ...]

KC: done!

Me: What? What done?

KC: I wished for you?

[and then comes in one more reject email... Irony mocks me]

Me: I don't think its working ... [I tried to show her the email]

KC: chuck that... I didn't wish for you to get that stupid job...

Me: then? more screw ups?

KC: I wished that when you get your pay, you get it not because you knew something or you were good at anything...

Me: Sweet! [as I said before.. Irony mocks me... should have just stayed quite but she smiled back and said...]

KC: I wished that someday you get paid for being you!

[after some of the worst days, finally managed to muster an honest smile... I had more feelings but no way to express them... somethings just hit you hard for reasons you can't comprehend]

Me: Point Taken! :)

(edit: You need all those "worse" days just so that a moment like this can make up for all of it in an instant... that's life!)

Why every FRIENDS character is gay ...

2011-04-17T08:30:00.002+05:30

This post was inspired from a unknown tweet: Pick your favourite Gay Icon <URL> and don't kill me for this!.

In the interest of not going too much off-topic, let me not splatter grotesque words and get on with this one.

Chandler Bing(wiki)(youtube)

Could he BE any more gay? I'd be surprised if he wasn't. His surname is same as a search engine. He likes to give hugs and cries and does funny dances and can't throw or catch a ball. Don't tell me that he married a woman and so he ain't gay because she's not really known for her womanly traits and many men marry women just to get rid of the peer and parental pressure. (and boy does he have some parental pressure!)

Monica Geller(wiki)(youtube)

Okay. That's a typical dominatrix (Hot ones) and the cleanliness freak and good with design and food. and lets get it straight (pun not intended), she married a chandler. If that's not gay, what is?

PS: 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 (seven)

Phoebe Buffay(wiki)(youtube)

We all know what all artists are? and she's just that tad more eccentric to prove my point. Have you ever heard of a heterosexual woman giving birth to triplets and composing smelly cat. Ya you can throw the married argument but then again, you can't.

Ross Geller(wiki)(youtube)

You did hear his piano and bag-pipe composition? Dude collects rocks and has a rock polisher. He got mugged by a teen girl. He made science boy. And he showed his true colours, when he joined the ugly naked guy. There was a reason, the episode ended over there and I bet there's a X-rated movie somewhere with the truth. And guy takes 10 years to nail a chick and he's not just a homo, he turned his first wife a lesbian as well.

Rachel Green(wiki)(youtube)

Oh, this will hurt a lot of men, but truth must be told. A hot chick like that, can she ever be a hetero. And how many fashion industry personnels do you know are hetero. Besides, she's never had a stable hetero-relationship. and now you know why. PS: When I say Rachel and Kiss, what comes to mind? My point exactly. Didn't get it. Think Rachel Phoebe Kiss and you'll get it.

Joey Tribbiani(wiki)(youtube)

He's the hidden closet gay. The guy is in denial. Trying to sleep with a million women just to prove to himself that he's not, but then again, is he? He lived with chandler, some things probably rubbed off. and lastly, the guy's an unsuccessful actor. That's typical gay.

so, are you convince that they are gay? I probably haven't convinced you to the fullest but sure I did but a shadow of a doubt. and now you're thinking if they are or not (and probably will come with better reasons)

And that's how my friends, stereotyping beings. Humans are the best classifiers and we like to classify people based on their jobs, attitudes, aptitudes, lifestyles, choices, behaviours etc. but the question that remains is why?

even though, the answer to that is important, a more important thing to do is to let go of it. Let men be men and give freedom, choice and individuality a chance. Its none of your buisness who's whom and more importantly, why.

I'm not someone who's comfortable around homosexuals, but that doesn't mean that I get a restraining order against them. Its my fault that I can't get along a choice a human made. If this was aloud then some other folks who are banned from around me would be all exams, my old professors, guidance counsellors and a half of the world. Instead, I'd give my discomfort some discomfort and try being an acquaintance at the very least if not better.

As a friend said,

"They're different but so is everyone else."

University at Buffalo - A Review

2011-04-15T06:29:00.000+05:30

This blog post has taken a long long long time. Why you may ask? Simble Reason. I've been busy with freakin studies. (and yes, they are freaking) but that's a different blog post all together. (The times I've said that and not written about it later is simbly amazing).

This post is more of a reply to the 10 mails I get every day about University at Buffalo. So, to cut short the repeated sentences that I write, I've decided to blog about it and just mail future correspondents to this. (Good way to increase blog traffic too.. eh? )

Please not that these are my views and my views only and these views are valid as of now but in the future years, the truth may deviate. I will not be updating my post, nor will I make effort to correct my accuracy. I've written this post because I'm short of time and I don't want to waste any more time on this topic. Also, I'm talking more about this from a Computer Science and Engg. Department perspective than a general one.

I'm gonna keep it simple, short and to the point. I may garnish it a bit in the future but chances are rare.

University at Buffalo

An overview
A beautiful looking university undergoing major construction for major infrastructure improvements. Still quite a beauty. Divided into 3 campus. North campus is the heart and soul and forever crowded during daytime. South campus is peaceful and spacious. There's a dowtown campus but haven't been there.

Cost of Living
Most of International students live off-campus (Under-grads have to live on-campus for a year). Cost of rent usually varies between 230 - 300 based on where you stay and the conditions of the amenities. 250 is a good average.
You will require heating during the winter and it should cost you at max 100 bucks during winter and 20 bucks the rest of the year.
Food will cost another 200 bucks at max.
So total living cost comes around $500 during summer and $600 during winters. Very cheap compared to a lot of other universities.

The people

One of the most friendly. There are bad apples but most are good. Its not Mumbai where you can roam around freely in the dark, but be in a group and you should be fine (unless your groupie is a robber).

The weather
Unpredictable as hell. Its snows for 4-5 months. Windy on most of the days. I've already had two broken umbrellas because of it. The winters are awful and testing but the summers are equally wonderful.

The City of Buffalo
It has some great places with last call at 4 AM while the earliest diner opening at 4.30 AM. Unless you have a car, you wont enjoy most of the city and things are quite a far and travelling through the bus can be a bit of hassle. With car, a fun place to roam around. Without a car, prepared to be bored.

On Campus Jobs
There are plenty of jobs in campus and dining centers. People usually later upgrade to IT, Libraries and other ventures. Under-grads and PHDs get a lot of good jobs. Masters student aren't that lucky mostly because they spend very less time here. Most of the jobs here are basic pay ($7.25 per hr) but the cooler the job sounds, the more pay you will get. TA/RA is again mostly for the PhDs but I've seen some non-Phds getting it. They're called genuine geniuses.

Off Campus Jobs
Its illegal. And there not really much of incentive to do it.

Computer and Science Dept.
Its good. Not MIT but no Chindi Chor University as well. It has extensive research going on in Artificial Intelligence, Forensic Science and efforts are on for some research in Distributed Systems and Mobile Development. I haven't been exposed to all a lot of the professors but from the ones I've been exposed to, most of them have been useful to me some way or other.

The Course
Its good on a general scale but some of the requirements are restrictive and the instability in course listing makes it hard to plan. There are a lot of new faculty members coming but on a general scale, the professors are good. The courses that they teach is usually heavily based on their own research, so they have deep knowledge about it. Understanding the accent is the biggest problem of the whole course but its something that you'll get used to.

Internship Opportunities
Buffalo isn't really a technical hub so chances near-by are far stretched. So most of those who get it, go to California or New York City. Not everyone gets it. Its more about your resume and your merits than anything else. If you are good enough, you will get your internship. Also, seen some folks getting in by flukes so there is hope for rest of ya'll.

Job Opportunities
UB used to be very famous (once!) but had been dropping ranks for a long time and now is resurging back for good. So, getting jobs but just the university name and status isn't really a truth (or even worth dreaming). There are two job fairs, one in Spring and one in Fall. The Fall one is big. Gets some big companies. Still, your best hope of a job is by applying online to the companies.

The students
Its more of a Indo-Chinese Department than an American one. Filled with Chinese and Indians to the crust. Few Americans dabble here and there. Most of the students do have a brain and know how to use it. Your mates are helpful but
wont do your assignments for you (or let you copy theirs).

What most Indian CSE Masters Students do...
They come in the Fall. Then take 3 courses along with the mandatory CSE 501. Next semester 4 courses and then 2 in the next fall. (you can take 2 courses in the Summer and complete MS in a yr but most don't go for it). Almost everyone completes their masters project in the last semester and take a mandatory seminar course in the first two semester.

Should you pick it
I dont know and never will. Its your life. So grow a pair and decide on your life.

C U DER!!!

The Peach Song - Simpsons

2011-04-12T06:46:00.001+05:30

I rarely put anything thats not mine but nowadays I rarely put anything on this blog,

besides, this one is just the kind of thing that I like.

It's the peach song from The Simpson (season 22) Episode: The Simpsina. I haven't found a video yet, but hope to get one soon...

Anyways, lets get on with a peachy of a song, shall we...

Oh, the year’s first peach . Is a juicy peach . And he sings a happy tune
And the year’s second peach . Is a grouchy peach . More like a prune
Now the year’s third peach . Is a God-fearin’ peach . Does what the Good Book tells him
And the year’s fourth peach . Is a moldy peach . Shame on the man that sells him
Now the year’s fifth peach . Is a fuzzy peach . Its kisses are quite ticklish
And the year’s sixth peach . Is a brining peach . It tastes so fine and picklish
And the year’s seventh peach . Is a learned peach . It’s workin’ on a novel
But the year’s eighth peach . Is a real proud peach . You’ll never see it grovel
Oh, the year’s ninth peach . Is a tough old peach . But he’ll make a hearty stew
And the year’s tenth peach . Is a rotten peach . Take a whiff – P.U.!

PS: if you do not know, this song is about peaches. Yes, the fruit. Why? Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you... (don't ask me why? Even if ... Hope you get the hint).

NOTE: Any Additions are welcomed....