Saawariya

If you get the person you love, it is all over. Then love becomes just a habit. Otherwise, it is about being in a constant state of love, of wanting. One should never fall out of love; it’s the madness of love that is fascinating.

Yayyyyy !!!

Yeah, that’s how I had shouted on reading the above lines. I had decided to watch this movie and was in awe of a great company I would have had. I was also happy that no Lara Dutta or Katrina Kaif but a newcomer was welcoming us.
But alas !! :(

It seems the movie is a flop. I was patiently waiting for this one; for the past three weeks have been listening to some of its melodious songs. My favourite was and still is “Jabse tere naina mere naino se”. Ummm.. I heard that the song is picturised with hero in just a towel. No, that’s not the reason why I like the song or wanted to watch this movie.

I have not seen any trailers, not read anything about it and have not allowed anyone to talk about it in front of me. Wanted the whole thing to be a surprise and guess what ?? It indeed surprised me by nose diving in the theatres. Oh buoy, some news just peeped in. I heard the whole movie is in blue/green shades.
:(

I was waiting to be with Saawariya. Never mind, some other time.

Note:- I was away from this blogging world. Many thanks for all your wishes & greetings. Also, have neither replied to your comments on my various posts nor have visited your blogs. Will do it soon. As always bear with my “busy-ness”. ;)

Current song- Jabse Tere Naina Mere Naino Se Laage Re – Shaan

Technorati Tags: Entertainment Sawariya

The Time That was

Yesterday I was feeling very low & suffocated. Don’t know why, but I was terribly missing something. I felt as if something had been drained out of me... I felt some hollowness, emptiness, some void within me. And to avoid that sense of asphyxiation I wanted to be alone with my wandering thoughts.

Generally when it happens I don’t want to be home, I just go out in search of that something which could make me alright in the end. Whether I succeed in getting that ‘something’ or not is a different thing.
I think at some point of time many of us feel like this. It is the need to be with oneself... listen to the inner voice... experience the inner need.

So, I came out, didn’t really know where to go, went to the station & took a train for Ville Parle. Wanted to go to Juhu beach to be with the restless and nervous waves... hitting the shores angrily, letting out all the frustrations… again & again & again. I can spend hours watching them and so much feel at home, in my own comfort zone in doing so.
After getting down at Ville Parle, another bout of loneliness hit me. The area was so familiar to me that I decided to walk down… remembering my wonderful days when I used to commute daily to this place. Walking on the Station road, crossed McDonalds, the SV road and reached the petrol pump and an instant smile came on my face. :)
I knew I had made a right decision to go there.

From there I could see NMIMS and the number of Xerox shops which, for sometime, had become part of my daily life.. And I smiled again !! . :)

As I walked by, I remembered the time I spent there.
For months I had been coming here. The buildings, the road, Mithibai college on the opposite side and the Xerox shops.
For months, more often than not, a single vada paav and a chai at the roadside vendor outside NM was my staple food. Standing on the road, I felt nostalgic about the whole thing.

Then suddenly something happened which made me even happier. A sense of contentment and belonging filled me. जैसे तेज़ भागती हुई ज़िंदगी में पल भर के लिए ठहराव आ गया हो |

I don’t know what I was missing till then, but after reaching that place and remembering my days there, made me happy. :)

There was no need now to go to the beach. Anyhow, took a cab to Juhu beach, spent sometime there but it was all meaningless. Not much to write about. In all these years, it was only my third visit to the place. Everytime I go there thinking that the beach would be cleaner this time but no, it can not be. Though the shops are reduced and they are in a much organized manner within a boundary but the attitude of general public remains the same.

While walking along the shore, away from the crowded place, at every 10 steps I saw people peeing into the see. What a shame. I felt like puking. One day I am going to hit them for sure. GRRRRRR

Had paav-bhaji and kulfi falooda. Oh I remembered Karol Bagh’s Kulfi falooda from Mehre di Hatti ke bajuwali dukaan. :) Slurrrrrrp...

Khair, I didn’t want my beautiful memories and mood to be subdued by all this. Came back home. Smiling. :)))))

Current Song:- I Wanna Hold Your Hand – Beatles

Technorati Tags: Memoirs Mumbai

Book-Cover Tag

Lots of pending works to catch up, have been quite busy. Professionally somehow managing it though a trip to Europe is again on the cards. And on personal front ? Oh well, Diwali shopping tops the pending list. :)
Also, with Indo-Pak series approaching fast, I fully suspect my company’s intentions for planning my tour around that time.
And here in blogosphere.. so many things to write about but just not getting time to really sit and collect my thoughts. Have been invited to write permanent cols in 2 different forums as well.
Somehow managing to put these small posts to keep this blog alive. And one of the ways is to do pending tags (11 to be precise). So I thought to start with them and I must say I loved doing this one. Once again the tagger is none other than Fleiger. Ok without wasting time, the rules first.

Rule (there is only one):

Go to the advanced book search on Amazon, type your first name into the Title field, and post the most interesting/amusing cover that shows up.

Well, here I am going to talk about two books.

First I checked for my name Cuckoo and what I got was the famous but very common book cover “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey. Naah, this is not the “most interesting/amusing” cover I wanted to have. Then I saw another book which looked more interesting/amusing to me. The book is “The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage” by Clifford Stoll.

The Cuckoo's Egg is about tracking down computer criminals. A 75-cent discrepancy in billing for computer time led Stoll, an astrophysicist working as a systems manager at a California laboratory, on a quest that reads with the tension and excitement of a fictional thriller. Painstakingly he tracked down a hacker who was attempting to access American computer networks, in particular those involved with national security, and actually reached into an estimated 30 of the 450 systems he attacked. Initially Stroll waged a lone battle, his employers begrudging him the time spent on his search and several government agencies refused to cooperate. But his diligence paid off and the hacker, who was involved with a spy ring, tracked down the book is a hit & best appreciated by the computer literates.

Then out of curiosity, I searched for “Koyal”, Hindi version of Cuckoo. And wow ! What I got was a very interesting book again.

The book is “Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet” by Kashmira Sheth.

The story is about a dark skinned 16 years old girl Jeeta and her life in a small apartment in Mumbai. She is well-developed as a strong, independent teenager looking to find her own way of reconciling her dreams and the expectations of her family. She grows up with the conflict between old beliefs and customs and the modern world.
Jeeta, after having watched the family go through countless interviews with prospective grooms, doesn't want to have her husband selected for her. There is a certain boy who holds her interest, but her friendship with him remains a secret from her family. With the support of her best friend from school, Jeeta discovers that there are many more open doors for her than she suspected.

I guess both the books must be good reads. I have noted them down, will definitely read them. *Sigh* Sigma will know why I did that.

Now, the most interesting part of tags. (Mischievous smile)
It is time to tag people. The list is as follows.

1. Ajeya – I am sure your name will have many books. Come back from your vacation & do this. No hurries.
2. Ashutosh – After that serious post of yours, here’s something light to write about. Make this your next post. Let us see what your name brings us.
3. Adi/Deepti – Oh I can’t separate you two. Anyone or both of you can do this tag. Pretty easy and both of you are going to get plenty of book covers. I am hoping that you get both the names on one single cover. :)
4. Beast – I know of your very high interest in book reading. ;) Don’t worry your name search on Amazon has nothing to do with your reading habit.
5. Hpy – This is going to be fun for you. Search for your real name on Amazon & publish the book cover. That’s it. ;)
6. Pijush – I know you are going to enjoy this tag. If in doubt, ask me how to go about it.
7. Sigma – Oh your real name will sure bring the best book covers. Go ahead.

And anyone who wants to have the pleasure of seeing their names on book covers, I throw the tag open though I know names like Alpine, Aditi, Alok, Abhi, Craver, KT, Priyank will fetch good results.
Never mind, one more tag on books is on the way.. Go figure... :)

Note:- You can read Tag Etiquettes here.

Current song- Empty Hands – Karsh Kale
Technorati Tags: Books Tags

Award Time

Ok, time for some award now. I have been awarded the 'Schmooze Award". This one came as a surprise from NM, a new reader on my blog. NM mostly writes sweet little things about her day to day life which includes her son. :)

This is what she says about Cuckoo’s blog “A recent discovery but I find her posts amusing and interesting at the same time.”.
Thank you NM, I never expected getting this award from a newcomer to my blog. Thanks for believing in me & believing that my posts are worth this award. *Cuckoo bows down*

About the award :- "This award is “for blogger who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

Oh well, if this is the criteria then I think the award has come to the right blog. ;) (This is called brag mouthing) *wink* *wink*
What do you say ? (Mischievous smile)

As is the tradition with this award "Give it as you get it", I have to pass it on to some other bloggers. And this is where I always feel the pain of selecting only a few. There are so many who could get this award. However, I’ve tried to select the blogs on the basis of their diversity & restrict myself to only 6, strictly keeping the criteria in mind. Here is my list of awardees.
Note- All these bloggers (except David) found me first & then I started going to their blogs. In David's case I found him & then chain of all the Indian bloggers started to flock to his blog.

1. Unmukt – A Hindi blog owner who is always recognizing new Hindi blogs & promoting Hindi through his own blogs. A blog worth visiting if you can read Hindi.
2. David – You and the award criteria are synonyms. Nothing more to say. Have a good day !
3. RK – Again, a perfect fit as per the criteria. If you don’t remember I had written my first guest post on his blog for Independence Day.
4. Prashanth – He is one of the bloggers always on the search of new good ones and he himself is owner of a fabulous travel blog.
5. Manasi – I was quite surprised when first time she came to my blog. And gosh! Since last 3 months I have been following hers. Even though I am quite a good cook myself (brag mouthing again), hers is the only food blog I visit & enjoy. After all, I want to win someone’s stomach... err heart. ;) Hey Manasi, I tried your gujju dish Sukhdi.. came out quite well.
6. Lalitha – Last but not the least. She always comments on my blog when I don’t expect her and I don’t remember since when it is happening. A selfless blogger, full of life. Her blog reflects the same. Do I need to say more ?

So, enjoy folks ! Have a nice weekend and as per the tradition, pass it on to some deserving ones.
Current song- Soniye, Soniye, Tu He Tu He Meri Manzil – KK, Sunidhi Chauhan
Technorati Tags: Awards Blogosphere

A, B and C

Who was he to me ? Nobody. I had never seen him, never heard him or never really had chatted with him in true sense.
He doesn’t know how I look like or how I sound or for that matter any personal detail of me. He knew my birthday was round the corner, kept asking for it. It came & went but I never told him. I knew he could get all the info from somebody else but he did not.

First time when he came to my blog, he wrote a lengthy comment on one of my posts. To be honest, I could not fully understand the link between his comment and the post; wondered what he was trying to convey, never paid any heed to him.
Then our first meeting happened on a common friend A’s blog which apparently turned out to be the battle ground of our digital war.

The blog owner A was away from blogosphere & was not responding to comments made by us and this guy B had started getting impatient. I won’t describe the incident but I found B’s comments about A very rubbish. After some days A came back from hiatus and apologized to me [C] on B’s behalf. At that time, I had even lectured A for having friends like B. And then A told me [C] the other side of B. Apparently, I came to know that those two guys (A & B) are very close friends and hence, understood the reason behind that type of arguments. Oh well, it is permitted between two friends. ;)

Nevertheless, I didn’t have a good first impression of B. To me, he was a person who could pickup a fight with anyone without any reasons.
Anyhow, B started frequenting my blog, I gave a couple of courtesy visits to his & then we two became regular at each other’s blog. In next three months I gradually realized that B was not as bad as I had thought initially... in fact, he was better than many of us. My views about him had changed significantly.

In the recent times when I was going through a low, I can proudly say that B was the only person who stood by me in real sense, stood like a rock fighting with others for me and always cheering me up. He stood for the moral values his parents had instilled in him.

Why did he do so ? I had never asked him for anything. He could have also, like many others, kept mum and just been a watcher from a distance. But no. He took all the brunt & abuses upon himself. And I, very well know what he would have done had he really got a chance to act further.

B, I very well remember what you narrated about your father once; but B, I also know now that it is difficult for you not to jump off the train following those miscreants. :)

Today, no words can describe how much regards and respect I have for B or what I think of him.

Just one word, I can not say anymore.

Thanks.

For people who are still struggling to get the A, B, C of this post.

A = A dear common friend
B = The protagonist of this post
C = Cuckoo

Current song- Another Brick in The Wall – Pink Floyd
Technorati Tags: Friendship Human Behaviour

Shakti

No ! Don’t Leave Me Alone

No ! You cannot go like this. You can not leave me alone ! How could you do this to me ? Is it so easy for you ? Was our bond so weak ?
Is it over ? Over within months ? No, not for me. I so much loved you, cared for you.… from bottom of my heart. You knew it, right ? Then ? Then what happened ? Tell me, what wrong have I done ? Tell me why you left me all of a sudden, why you kept mum ? You know, your absolute silence nearly killed me.

You, my dark & handsome mate.. my very own. You were different from others and that's why I chose you.. not paying heed to how others tried to attract me. I was so much fascinated by your darker than average skin colour. The glow, the radiance on your face always brightened me up. I even loved your occasional anger… your nakhraa’s.

We were in perfect harmony with each other... Oh, how can I forget those moments of intimacy when we together used to create magic ? There was no stopping once we got going. We so loved being with each other.
After that magical experience with you, it is very hard to even think of something else. If you wanted to go, could you not go amicably ?

I am yet to recover from the utter shock you gave me that day.

Obituary – This is a notification of untimely demise of my dear lovable optical mouse a few days back. May his soul rest in peace. I guess the mourning was quite long and this was the emotion I was going through.

Note - Thank you all for waiting, withstanding and writing me mails and messages. Won’t be able to reply to all of you individually. Thanks for all your concerns. I am alive & kicking.

And I am listening to one of my favourite songs. Oh I just love this oldie. So intense.

Current song- Lag Ja Gale Ki Fir Ye Haseen Raat Ho Na Ho – Lata Mangeshkar
Technorati Tags: Humour Digital

Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day and long time back I had promised Ozlady that I’ll make a post on this very day on the subject. So, while why I was absent from blogging world can wait, this post can not.

Today the bloggers around the web would unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the ENVIRONMENT. Over fourteen thousand blogs, with over twelve million readers, publishing and promoting a better future for our environment - a better future for everyone.

As I am typing this post, I don’t have any idea as what topic I should choose to write about, for, I believe in doing things than to broach about. But as promised, I also wanted to spread the word. There are so many things that we can do in our daily life to save our environment. Should I write about the usage of plastic bags or should I write about the spoiling of the mountains by leaving all the non biodegradable things there. Should I opine about switching off all unused electrical appliances; encouraging paperless work, usage of solar energy, cleaning of rivers or deforestation? I think each one of them needs a post.. definitely not now but some other day.

First, a plain direct question. Are we doing our part to help out the environment ?
Well, as an internet user, blogger, or even as a common man, there are a lot of things we can do to help the environment without going out of our way, spending more time & money or changing our lifestyles.

Since one of the stated goals of Blog Action Day is to ‘get people thinking, discussing, questioning and talking about the environment’, I thought it might be a good idea to make a list of a few things and leave it open for readers to add on instead of me writing a big post. Of course, on a later date I’ll take each one of the topics I mentioned above and try to write about them.

So the million dollar question is:

‘How can we, as bloggers be involved in saving the environment ?’

Well, first thought that came to my mind was “Is a blogger different from a common man ?’ Not really.. Surely there are a few things specific to bloggers but I would rather say that a blogger can do a lot more than a common man.
Without getting into all the nitty-gritties, here’s my small list of small things which can become big if applied. You all can add to it.

1. Get energy efficient monitor and other gadgets that can help the environment, save energy, save money. Get rid of your 20 year old appliance that emits carbon dioxide and consumes more on your energy bill.
2. Turn off your computer, other peripherals/appliances and lights when not in use. I always do it and also I was away from blogging world for quite sometime, hence saved a lot of energy for all. :-)
3. Try as much as possible to let the natural light come in. It comes free !! If possible, keep your computer near a window.
4. Last but not the least. If you are short on the topics to blog on, don’t browse the net. Go out of the house (after turning off the comp, lights etc.). You’ll find plenty of topics, feel rejuvenated & hence blog more efficiently. ;)

I am not only sure but know there’s a lot more we can do. You all can add to this list. I’ll update the post after compiling the whole list.

Now don't tell me that you're lazy to do even the things mentioned above. I can only say “Get started RIGHT NOW”.

Current Song:- Breaking the Habit – Linkin Park
Technorati Tags: Blogosphere Digital Environment Issues

Little Girl

I know a pretty little girl
precious like a pearl
Who has a little curl
and sets hearts a-whirl.

She jumps barefoot in the puddle
and likes very much to cuddle.
Who stops at the sight of a daisy
and always acts like a crazy.

Makes paper planes & tries to fly
full of inquisitives why why why.
There she sat strong and calm,
silently staring at the body & its palm.

Faking the smile, hiding the pain
Off to routine there she goes again.

Current song- Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Ghazab – Kishore & Asha
Technorati Tags: Poetry

Expectations Unfulfilled

Off late there have been some strong arguments on my blog on some of my recent posts. Some of you have gladly adorned me with adjectives gifts like being dumb, partial and what not.
Some of you have even accused me of not visiting your blogs in last 1 week or of not making my visits more than a weekly affair. There is much more to it, will write some other time. Come on, grow up & give me a break !! I have already told you the no. of blogs I visit. I try my best to be there on your blogs when there is a new post.
Even if I am not commenting, I read your posts through reader. How can you expect me to mark my daily attendance on your blogs even when there is no new post ? I am a human not a machine and please remember, it is NOT an obligation that I HAVE to comply with. I am working, studying, juggling with so many other things and once again I reiterate - blogging is NOT my first priority.

I am pained when people take some of my posts personally. I fail to understand why only a few, very few of you have problems in comprehending my posts or comments ? Why do you misinterpret me ?
To me, all of us are human beings first and then anything else. I’ll be the last person to distinguish people on the basis of religion, caste, race, colour etc. then why do you bestow your frustrations and angers, whatever be the reason, on me ? If you can’t understand what a witty smiley is for, then probably the problem is at your end, not mine.
A request again.. if you don’t understand my posts or don’t like my crap writings, please refrain yourself from coming here & commenting. And I don’t think I can be more blunt than this.

On one hand my blog is the only Indian blog to have continuously featured in first 50 of World Aussiejourno's Weekly Blog Awards since its inception and on the other hand I am being misinterpreted by my own people readers. It hurts, it really hurts.

I am ashamed of myself for having such readers on my blog.

P.S.- I’ll try to finish off replying to ALL the comments by the end of this weekend.
Thank you and have fun.

Current song- Gata Rahe Mera Dil – Instrumental
Technorati Tags: General Blogosphere

How Do You Ensure to Reply Them Back ?

You create a blog. You start writing posts.
People come, read and sometimes leave comments.
You reply to those comments. Slowly your posts increase in number and so do your readers and their comments. Some readers go through your archived posts and comment on them as well.

You add one or two more blogs under your belt; also start writing for some community blogs.
Now the question is, how do you keep track of all the comments or how do you ensure that you reply to all those comments coming from different sources to your different posts ?

Well for me, on an average I get approximately (ok, minimum) 12-15 comments per day including comments on my archived posts. At times, it is very difficult to reply to all of them (Oh, I wish I could say just a ‘thank you’). Do I loose track of unreplied comments ? No.

My five point procedure is as follows:-

. I have comments linked to my mail-id, so I get an intimation about a new comment’s arrival on my ‘xyz’ post.
. I have also used filters to segregate them blog-wise and from other normal mails coming to my inbox.
. I normally pick up one post (starting from the latest one) and if possible, reply to all the comments in sequence.
. If time permits, proceed to another post/blog.
. I don’t delete those comment-mails till I reply them.

I would like to know how do you handle this ? Do you cater to comments on daily basis or get them accumulated and reply over the weekend ? Do you leave some comments unreplied ?

I know of a blogger friend who uses comment moderation for this purpose. What’s your take ?

I am trying to know the best method to use.
Thanks.
Current Song:- Piya Tose Naina Lage Re, Jane Kya Ho Ab Aage Re – Lata Mangeshkar
Technorati Tags: Blogosphere General Comments

Twenty20 World Cup

So India won. Won because they simply refused to lose.
There's something about M S Dhoni …I think Dhoni is the first fully grown-up skipper we've had in decades. Cool headed and aggressive. Oh, when I said that while watching the match yesterday, I was told those two adjectives don’t go together. I defy.

Oh well, I am not here to analyze the match. Many people have done that.

To me this match will remain memorable for more than one reason. Some of them besides the general ones are:-

0. Someone I know skipped his exam to watch the finals.
1. Brothers Pathan (Yusuf & Irfan) playing for the country in a World Cup final. Before them only 2 sets of brothers have played together in international matches. Brothers Chappell (Ian & Greg) and brothers Waugh (Steve & Mark).
2. A scene of celebration where an older brother carried his younger brother on his back.
3. Last over of the match. It sure had much more capabilities of causing heart-attacks than the last over of India-Australia match. With Misbah-ul-Haq, at strike, Pakistan had full chances of taking away the cup; yet he, who had made it possible till then, played a “cute” lappu shot to Shreesanth at fine leg. Highest levels of tension do kill our capability of thinking coolly.
4. Dhoni’s reasoning why he gave the final over to J Sharma. His words are sure going to make the difference in Indian Cricket sphere.. to his experienced seniors, to his young team-mates. "Bhajji wasn't sure, he wasn't getting his yorkers 100% right. I thought I'd give the over to a bowler who wanted to make a mark at the international level. It really didn't matter to me if we didn't win, because we'd given it our best."
5. Dhoni giving away his shirt to a young fan and helping him wear it.

Now the reason for writing this post... The difference in giving thanks by the two captains.

Where Indian captain Dhoni was all praise and full of confidence for his young and talented side..
Some of his dialogues..

"I'd like to thank my young team, which has been amazing. No one expected us to win, and now we deserve a big celebration."
“I don’t have bowlers to match the experiences of Bret Lee or Shane Watson, still they did not let us down”.
“Ravi, last evening when I read in Cricinfo that Aussies are your favourites for this semi-final, I thought let us prove you wrong”.

On the other hand Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik’s first two sentences were ..

“First of all I want to say something over here. I want to thank you back home Pakistan and where the Muslim lives all over the world.”

I fully understand that Islamic sentiments are thoroughly stuffed in their mindsets but heyy.. be careful dude !! Not all the Muslims ! Don’t ever say that. The Indian team had two Muslims playing for the country and they were just as happy as any other Indian Muslim all over the world at India’s victory. Don’t ever think all the Muslims in the world are supporting you. I hope you know that there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, and probably more Muslims praying for India than for Pakistan.

Have you ever thought how that statement of yours might have hurt the feelings of Danish Kaneria, your Hindu team-mate ? And what about that Hindu chap in team Pakistan’s uniform on the ground (I am not aware of his credentials) who continuously prayed by folding hands for your team’s victory ? Yes, the same man who did somersault after you defeated New Zealand in semis.

Mr. Malik, please note that in my country we often admire people for what they have achieved and not for which religion they belong to. Even a fellow Muslim, named Shah Rukh Khan hugged his countrymen and not you guys.

So, don’t bring your religion above the game. The Indian team has players from all the four major religions of the country, yet they played as Indians, not as Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

For now, Bye-Bye, Tata, fir milenge.

Current Song:- Chak De, Chak de India - Sukhvinder Singh
Technorati Tags: India Sports Cricket

Interviewing Peter

It is interview time again but with a little difference. The interviewer is Cuckoo and Interviewee is Peter, a recently retired Swedish living in Paris whose blog is an amazing place to see the real beauty of Paris. Even if you can not go there, you can see Paris through his lens and expressive detailed description of the place. I always end up comparing his descriptions with what I saw in Paris.
Since it would have been a bit off topic for him to publish this interview on his blog, we decided to publish it here on my blog. A few things before I start interviewing him.

This is the ninth interview being published in the series of interviews. Harpreet and Pravin are taking time to publish theirs. That will make it eleven.

Rest all are anxiously, curiously, nervously and happily waiting for their questions to be delivered. Keep waiting patiently, these days I am not able to take out much time to dig into your blogs. Some of the interviews are half-done. Thank you so much for putting up with me. :-)

Now the interview..

Cuckoo - Bonjour Peter, comment allez-vous ? Oh, Je vais très bien, merci beaucoup. Aujourd'hui je suis heureux de vous voir ici. Thank you for joining us here, please have a seat. Can I fix you a drink whilst I introduce you to my pet Tiger ? Why Tiger ? Oh well, he always accompanies me and is always hungry. No, he doesn't understand you but it would be nice if you be just a little careful.
Also, you have to remain seated calmly without questioning my questions or no. of questions. C'est d'accord avec vous ?
OK, so Peter, there are going to be five main questions with some sub-questions. Being a gentleman that you are, you are expected to be as detailed as possible. Shall we start now, bonny lad ? Deep breaths now –

Peter- Hello Cuckoo, hello Tiger. Thank you Cuckoo for taking my interview, what a lovely chance I got to sit near you. Hmm.. You have a beautiful bo...

Tiger growls..

Oh sorry sorry, but Cuckoo you said this wild cat doesn’t understand anything ? Then ?

Cuckoo- Gosh ! You are so much excited !! Well, he doesn’t understand spoken language but he can very well judge your body language. Let me start the interview before it gets into something else. OK, Q1 for you. You have started blogging very recently, only six months have passed. What was your main purpose of coming into the field of blogging ? Were you scared of boredom in your retired life ? Has blogging brought any positive changes in you ? How do you manage so many posts on daily basis? Are you always out on the road?

Peter- Actually I got a contact with an old friend after many years of any news. She (yes it’s a “she”), a blogger incited me to give it a try, especially as she thought I would have the time. This happened just around my retirement, early this year. I was actually not at all worried about boredom, had so many ideas of how to spend my days, including doing “nothing”, but I thought why not give it a try. What was the next question? ... OK.…

Blogging has made me more curious, has taught me to look at things with different eyes. I’m also learning a lot from other blogs and take great pleasure in the comments part. My still alive curiosity makes me interested in not only seeing a nice picture; I wish also to understand something behind the picture, so sometimes I have some more or less intelligent questions. Often, not always, there are answers given. …and your next question was about how I manage to find the time for an almost daily blogging?

Actually, I try to make a break during weekends now, as many others. It’s true that certain days are more or less 90% blogging days (sometimes you also have to eat something). These are the days, when I go out “hunting”, to take pictures, to find something interesting, for myself and hopefully for some others.
Other days, I just use what I may have in reserve. You know, to have Paris as a major subject makes things rather easy when it comes to finding something to say or show! On the other hand, so much has already been said about Paris by so many ….When I’m “on the road”, I use my feet – and sometimes a bike, the metro, the bus or the tram. For me it’s a pure pleasure to stroll around in Paris. When I was still working, had family obligations etc. there was not so much time to explore. Now and then I stop at a bar terrace for a glass of red wine or a coffee. Those are nice moments!…

I’m talking too much! Your next question?

Cuckoo- Thank you, that was quite an elaborate answer. I hope it has nothing to do with my Tiger. Are you scared of him? No, that’s good. Yeah, try to smile a little more. I am pretty sure you have made many blogger friends because of your this activity and have met some of them. I saw their pictures in one of the posts. How are they different from your real friends or are they the same ? Do you think meeting in person is necessary to give it more meaning ? For example do you think meeting me in real would bring some more changes to your views about me ?

Peter- I have actually met only a few, some French colleagues. We had a very nice day together and will hopefully meet again! Somehow, I believe you can already guess the personality from what you read and see from people’s blogs, but you can of course also get some good – or bad – surprises, which is part of the charm and is a risk worth taking!

I would be happy to meet a lot of bloggers and I always repeat that whoever visits Paris must not forget to contact me – champagne will be offered! I have also established direct email contact with a few bloggers and have done some chatting. …About meeting you? Now we met, didn’t we, too briefly of course and with this cat around! As an understatement I can tell you that I’m not disappointed! BTW, What are you doing after this interview? (Sorry, don’t record this!)

Cuckoo- Shhhh… the interview is still on !! And don’t forget that Tiger is my bodyguard as well. He has just had a bucketful of Rum and now waiting for some nice food if you know what I mean. My dear Tiger, you be here near me and keep an eye on this gentleman. Anyway, that was a wonderful answer. Coming onto the third question, tell us something about your pre-retirement life in Sweden.
Peter- It’s so far away…You know, I moved to France some 33 years ago. Actually, I spent most of my adult life in France. I was in southern France for a year already in 1968-69 and met my future wife. The poor girl was brave enough to move from Provence to a much colder Sweden. When I found a job opportunity some five years later, we were both happy to move southwards! Of course I like my native country, but I believe I now prefer the continental life style.

Cuckoo- You are doing very well Peter. Oh, is it because of the Tiger ? No no, he won't do any harm to you if you keep answering my questions. Peter, I understand that you have children and grand children (Oh that beautiful Paloma and all...), but we never hear anything about a partner in your life? Are you hiding somebody from us ? About your grand daughter Paloma.. how often do you meet her ? Doesn't she ask questions when you keep clicking photos all the time ? Does your family know about your habit ? How do they take it ?

Peter- You said the tiger is ALWAYS hungry?...OK, I will try to answer.
Well, I can understand that you may ask this question about the absence of a partner. Actually, there is no partner as I lost my wife some six years ago. Unfortunately I’m not ”hiding” anybody – at least for the moment! In the meantime, I’m happy to have my two now adult children and their partners living quite close. You referred to Paloma – a “bird” like you. Yes she is clearly a charming little lady and I have somehow made her a “star” on my blog. She is now close to five and has got a little brother, Mattias, who just had his first birthday. So far, she is not too aware about her “stardom”, but now and then she has seen herself on my blog – together with her parents. She may not yet quite have understood everything about blogging, but she has at least understood that some other people know about her and her activities. I wonder when she will start her own blog and maybe tell some odd stories about this “old man”?

Cuckoo- Oh Peter, I am sorry to hear about your wife. And I appreciate how wonderfully you have adapted to life after her loss. Let me pep you up a little bit. First tell me about your first love-kiss. How & when it happened ? How old were you ? What exactly you felt at that time ? Don't be shy. Come on ! Tell us all about it. Also can you please tell us one of the most memorable time spent with your beautiful wife ?
Peter- My first love-kiss, I remember it very well! I was so much in love with a neighbour and class-mate when I was seven! Once I managed to kiss her, but there were some witnesses and soon “everybody” knew that “Peter has kissed X”. I think she was embarrassed, so that was the first and only kiss with that young lady. :-( But I will never forget that kiss; it was strongly felt – at least by me!

With my wife, maybe I can here also refer to a “first kiss”, which took place at a very romantic place, on the famous “Pont d’Avignon”. I met her in France during a traineeship. For sure, I will never forget that one! It led somehow to more than 30 years of more kisses etc.

Cuckoo- Wow ! That was THE answer ! Pont d’Avignon is quite a romantic place; I too wish to go there at least once. Thank you Peter for patiently answering the questions. I am pleased to say, as expected, you have passed with flying colours, now for goodness sake, stop shivering.. Interview is over ! I am going to take the Tiger away.

Peter- Thanks for this! The questions were not too nasty and the cat behaved well! Quite nice cat by the way!

Current song- Je t'attends - Axel Red

Passing the Sentence Game #3

Ok, as you would have noticed I am a bit occupied these days so not really getting into a mood of writing a full-fledged post. Also, it’s high time that I have played my favourite game here. So, here I am with the game #3. This time I am making it 25 sentences long but with a difference.

Heyyy, read the rules first before jumping off to the comment section !! They are slightly modified. And this time let us try to make it a story full of Humour.
Let us see how 25 different sentences written by different bloggers across the globe weave a story. As before, I’m going to write the first sentence and I invite you all to contribute the next sentence, in sequence. The sentence is passed onto the next blogger. Just leave your sentence as a comment, and I’ll keep updating this post to show you the flow of the story. Believe me it’s lots & lots of fun !

I want to see how long it takes to complete the task, so please don’t be reticent.

Rules of the game :

1. You can participate only twice in this game with the condition that between your two sentences there should be 5 valid sentences and no anonymous commenter please. I am dead scared of them ! Bhoooot...
2. The story has to finish in stipulated no. of sentences only (25 in this case). So choose your sentence carefully as to go with the flow.
3. If you write more than one sentence, I’ll take only the first one and the story will move from there.
4. Sentences can be as long or short as you wish them to be, use lots of comma & semi colons but the moment you use ‘?’ ‘.’ or ‘!’ your sentence is over. Please refer to Game #2.

So, here goes my first sentence. Let us see who the next one is. Please remember we are trying to make a FUNNY WITTY story.

When a private eye is called to investigate a murder, you know that it’s important, ah very important to keep an eye on that private eye, more so if he has two left feet and the brain of a dodo!

Now folks, the stage is all yours. Loosen the reins of your imagination and create the magic.

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So, the story begins like this.

1. When a private eye is called to investigate a murder, you know that it’s important, ah very important to keep an eye on that private eye, more so if he has two left feet and the brain of a dodo! from Cuckoo.

Peter, looks like you were waiting for me to post something, eh ? :) Here is the next sentence from Peter.
2. The name of this one, Herlock Sholmes, made me even more suspicious about his abilities.

Next sentence is from a new reader of this blog. Welcome abroad Mrs. Mittal !! :P Keep coming.
3. However having heard of his past successes and his 'Karamchand-brain' made me hire him anyways.

Excellent, Maverick !! You are a gem in this game.
4. The huge successes in the past like catching a thief who stole a bunch of shampoo sachets from a locked house and in the hurry dropped his bag with his ID were a proof of his ability.

5. All doubts were gone once it was known that Herlock Sholmes was not coming alone..... he was coming with his master.... "Chemical Ali"... The mastermind who unveiled the "Bermuda Triangle Mystery" and many of "Nostradamus's unexplained prophecies " from Ashish.

Sam introduces another character to the story.
6. And now come around the big climax, when one comes to know that Byomkesh
hanky-panky would also be turning up to do the investigation at the behest of the superintendent of police, Mr. Laugh-at-me-not!!

Seventh sentence came from a very old blogger buddy of mine.. Sameer.
7. Sholmes, I learnt, was a man who now liked to work alone, having successfully solved the Whatson shampoo case, and he addressed me "what, son?" rather too frequently to my liking, and Chemical Ali was a chemically acerbic man, if you know what I mean.

Oh la la !! Aditi misplaced the body !! Is the story going on right track of humour ??
8. The case successfully baffled all the detectives that showed up, as the body suddenly went missing, maybe it too was afraid of its fate at their hands.

As always, Beast tries to drag poor Cuckoo in the plot. Beast, can’t you think beyond Cuckoo ?
9. But the case was not all that complicated anymore, as the detective had found an important piece of evidence; the link to Cuckoo's blog at the scene of the crime, making her the prime suspect in the murder case; but unfortunately no one knew of her true identity; all they had was a pink cartoon linking her to the movie "Hum Tum" which the detectives' will now have to watch to look for clues.

Next sentence came from Mayank, a non-blogger.
10. Ignoring the other two detectives, Herlock Sholmes, eating his favourite fruit banana went into a king sized bathroom... his association with shampoo cases always drives him to bathrooms.. and suddenly there was a wild shriek... I ran towards the bathroom knocking down the other two detectives on the floor... oh the floor was littered with banana peels... damn!

So, 10 sentences are gone and detectives are still biting the floor. Oooops...

11. Sholmes heard the trademark, "Zoinks!!" as he discovered that Shaggy, Scooby and the gang until now had been secretly following him, since the missing body belonged to none other than... the Abominable Snowman!! From Craver.

12. Trrrinnngggg..... the phone rang in the other room, Sholmes picks up the receiver.. he hears a song in a female voice singing... "hum tum ek kamare mein band ho aur body kho jaaayeee "; Sholmes keeps listening till the call drops with a grin on his face as his suspicion towards Cuckoo grows stronger.... but then gulping another banana mumbles who might be the missing body? Vaidya, a non-blogger tries to bring in suspense by making Sholmes listen to a romantic duet on the phone !

Now the challenge for all of us to carry on further.

A request to all of you. Please keep the sentences in flow, read the previous few comments before writing your own, keep them simple to let the next person understand it.

Next sentence comes from Kalyan.
13. Now Byomkesh hanky-panky comes to the rescue, he brings one strong evidence to the people, saying he was indeed asked by a girl for a huge sum of money to help her drag out something wrapped in a jute bag out of the dickey of her car last rainy night and they found out one toy of a cartoon character at the spot, so they know have some evidence against cuckoo, who just have to be found out...

I have all sympathies with dear Cuckoo. :-)

Wow ! Craver has given the story a nice twist. Looks like Sholmes is a girl.
14. Super sleuth Byomkesh mutters "doppelganger" under his breath as he shakes hands with Herlock Sholmes, noticing the tiny, soft hands small shoulders, and (sniff) curiously enough, a feint smell of perfume... and didn't he just see Sholmes a minute ago, headed in the other direction?

Who’s the next speaker ? If you have not read the rules then you are missing something. What ?? Well, you can contribute twice here. :-)

15. Trying to avoid Byomkesh's piercing questioning eyes, Sholmes lowered the cap to cover his(her) eyes, pulled up his(her) loose pantaloons and peeled yet another banana.. gosh how many bananas a day.. and moved again towards his(her) favourite place of investigation.. bathroooooom! Came from Rohit, a non-blogger I guess. Rohit, if you have a blog, please leave your URL here.

16. Sitting on a commode thinking, Herlock Sholmes tried to focus… somehow bathrooms or washrooms are always a perfect place to find a clue and many times he succeeded also and in the bargain charged many gift hampers of bathroom kit as his fees; and thus he became the main source of bathroom supplies for the entire neighbourhood; and so the shops selling bathroom accessories have become his enemies… he doesn’t care as long as he gets his quota of bathroom supplies. From Abhijit. Now I have 4 Abhijit’s coming to my blog. Which one are you ?

Priyank has tried to take the story ahead.
17. 'You shit and stink, I sit and think' was Herlock's motto, and while she scratched her head in the washroom, ByomKESH (who was even more interested in shampoos for obvious reasons) was getting increasingly suspicious about Herlock, after all she was pretending to be a guy, she knew the house well and she was acting too funny to be a detective.... could Cuckoo have killed Herlock, disposed the body under a banana tree and come back pretending to be a detective ?

18. But but but.. who talked about the missing body in first place.. Byomkesh remembered it was a lady on the other end of that mysterious phone call... is it all a goof up or a prank played on all of them.. he looked at the date in calendar and jumped in joy.. yesss it is a prank ! From Dragon.

Now looking at the ‘overwhelming’ response the story received this time, I revert back to 20 sentences. The no. was increased mainly for those readers who had complained about being allowed to participate only once.
So, now only two sentences left. Let us see who those two funny ones are to bring the story to a humerous end. Come on guys, let us wrap it off.

19. It was the Fool's day!...and as an experienced detective, it's nothing new for him, but the 3rd time he became 'fool' on this particular day,1st April, ALSO the 3rd anniversary of his glorious run! from Sag_Nik.

The last sentence came from Pyare Mohan.
20. That is when Byomkesh started jumping up and down in the bath tub splashing water, knowing that he was about to solve the case when he felt the coldness of steel behind his ear and a click...
he froze sweating in fear, his heart stopping to beat....
His heart had stopped beating for sometime, and his body slipped away revealing the cold steel and the object that clicked, was just a new swiveling designer tap which had a trigger to let off the water from the tap...

Sorry, I was not near my computer for last 2-3 days, down with severe conjunctivitis and fever. So, could not see what's happening on this front. I don't think we can call it a perfect end. But I am glad that somehow it ended !! Phew !

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Current song- Livin La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Technorati Tags: Passing the Sentence

The Weak Link of Insecureness

Yesterday when I read a post on Black’s blog, it made me mull over many things, above all was the insecure mind of Indian males. Albeit this could happen anywhere in the world but the Indian male is surely insecure. The insecurity which slowly takes away the life from our lives. Why Indian males ? Because so far I have not come across to proximity with any non-Indian male.

The Indian male has no qualms over having a good, close female friend (other than his girl/wife/partner) in his life. He does not mind any other girl to be close to him, enjoys the richness and reciprocates the same warmth.

But when the scenario is reversed, it is a hard thing to digest.
He can not tolerate his own girl/wife/partner to be close to some other male.
If she is, then it haunts, his life becomes miserable, he makes her life the same.. tries to guard her and her activities. In short, the shroud of mistrust starts to develop. The crack in their relationship starts to show up. Somewhere deep down in his heart, he starts feeling insecure.

Here, I am not talking about just a casual Hi/Hello friend of opposite gender but somebody with whom we have and want to share some deep secrets and thoughts of our lives and who is very dear to us.

Why do you think we Indians always address every other male than the father of a child as his ‘mama’ = (maternal uncle) ? Why we make that man a brother of the mother ? The insecurity that hovers over male dominated society forces to do that.

I don’t say this phenomenon is not present in girls. It is very much part of their life as well but to a limit. Why ?? Because when someone comes to a girl's life, she tends to go away from her present male friends. I think the girls know that this would/could create problems later and this is what is expected of her.

I am wondering what happens to the friendship between a guy and a girl after one of them gets a steady partner, especially the girl. I wonder if I can tell my man tomorrow, that I have a male friend with whom I share some secrets and beautiful moments and would like to continue the same. No, I am not talking about having sex with my friend but a sacred & cherished friendship.

Will my man take it in his stride ? What would be his reaction ? He is certainly not going to like it. Will he then allow me to remain friends with that male friend of mine ? The chances of getting a NO are almost certain. If you argue, you’d probably get a reply like “When I am there why do you need another male friend ?”.

So, I, as an individual, will not be allowed to retain my (male) friends once I have committed to a relationship. What if I want to forever cherish the old friendship ? Does that mean I should build my relationship with this guy without any commitment or should I not tell my guy about my existing male friend ?
But I also firmly believe that trust, honesty and integrity set the foundations for any long relationship to flourish... be it marriage or otherwise.

Can’t say I am confused because I know what I am expected to do but at the same time I would like to emphasis that whatever happens in life... my special friend is going to be an integral part of me. I am NOT going to part with him.

Again.., can I do it ?

Current song- Sab Kuch Kaisa Acha Acha Lagta Tha – Ghulam Ali
Technorati Tags: Feminism Society Human Behaviour Human Relations

Between the Words..

Good.. Close... Something more... Yet not Best...
Attraction… Spark… Craziness… Madness…
Confusion... Confession... Passion… Submission...
Wait... Restlessness... Fights... Desktop...
More fights... more waits... more restlessness...
Desires... Frustrations... Vicious circle…
Hai to Hai... Logic defies...

Stubborn... Headline... Impatient...
Phonecalls... XXII-VIII-MMVII... Closeness...
98 minutes 7 seconds... 138... Addiction...
Feelings... Pleased... Thrilled… Smile... Nasha...
Wildness… Lingering thoughts… Unconditional Smile…
Hai to Hai... Logic defies...

10 long days... 10 short days...
Intuition… Concern… Indecision… Dilemma...
Wait… Anxiety… Silence...
Confession… Honesty… Forgiveness ??
Once again ??
ANYONE ??
Once again Logic defies...

Void... Blank... Speechless... Silence...

Somewhere between these words were lost the sanctity, the innocence, the simplicity, the genuineness and hell lot of other things. Shock, tears, pain, hurt, agony are too small to describe the state.
Somewhere somehow something was inevitable. Smile please.

Period.

Over and Out. Or is there something still left ??

Note :- This also happens to be my 100^th post. Celebration time. Smile please.

Current Song:- Tujhse Naraaz Nahi Zindagi, Hairaan Hu Main – Anoop Ghoshal
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