Please queue up.

You may think that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but believe me, it takes only a trip to your regional passport office, to think otherwise, and count your blessings, however miserable you may consider your life to be.
Early-morning, a bleary-eyed you, make your way to the scheduled place, and find to your dismay, a sea of humans who have beat you to waking up in the morning, and can be seen milling around, all looking equally grumpy and sleepy.
Fighting an urge to dispel the frown that has slowly spread on your face, you try to plunge into the queue, saving yourslef from sharp elbows, and even sharper tempers of people who are awaiting their turn.
you can hear people whispering in your ears how they can get your passport issued / re-issued with just some extra money.
Blah.
Touts.
Fighting off their whispered advances, you weave your way through the crowd; after that last burst of energy, a good three hours later, you make your way to the blessed counter to take your token from an oily-looking babu.
just when you think that you can finally join the alarmingly-long line outside, post-collecting the token that is, the oily-looking babu looks you over (shudder), gives an orange-grin, and utters the dreaded words, "Problem."
Your face takes on that ashen look; and after hearing his monologue about rules, lawas, and the like, you make your way back glumly; your work undone.
That's what happened to me.
And no, I can't help the scowl.

Who says life is fair?

An endless wait.
My life right now can be summed up in these three words.
Endless calls to various agents(read passport, visa, property dealers) are only doing two things:
a) Alarmingly up my escalating phone bills
b) Make me frown / grimace / sigh in exasperation
Patience is in severely short supply.
Family folks' / colleagues / friends' / well-wishers' words of encouragement are doing nothing to cheer gloomy me.
Add to that, the weather isn't doing much to dispel the lack of cheer all around.
Getting up when the entire world is cosy in their warm quilts is another sob story.
Aaaaaaarg!

Happy Birthday Lars Ulrich

Despite standing a lil' over 5ft 7 in, this avid scuba diver is known more for the waves he makes on stage, thrashing on stage as a drummer par excellence.

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Metallica's lead drummer, Lars Ulrich, as he celebrates his birthday today.

Dude, you rock big time.

Happy Birthday.

Keep drumming.

A foggy experience

It seems to be the hottest news since the focus shifted from a certain pouty Hollywood actress, in India with her equally famous hubby, and offspring from all over the world.

Delhi is severely handicapped because of the fog that seems to have got everyone in a fever.

The traffic in the city,famous for its snail-pace, just became slower, thanks to the mist and the fog that has gripped the city.

Fights and trains are affected badly.

Sample this: you miss the piping hot parathas that await you on the breakfast table, just so that you can watch that amply-rounded middle, and more importantly, so that you don't miss your scheduled flight.

An hour later, an empty-stomached you reached your destination - the airport, that surprise surprise looks a wee bit too isolated.

A frown on your face, you steer yourself, baggage in tow, to the counter of your preferred airlines.

A red-lipped, kohl-ed PYT looks up at you, trying to manage her face into a practised smile.

After mouthing the customary salutation, she looks at her brightl-painted talons, and utters the dreaded words, "Your flight is delayed by 4 hours."

You barely hear her apologies for the inconvenience caused, brush past the gentleman who has been peering anxiously from over your shoulder, and collapse on the ice-cold bench nearby. (Cussing words optional)

Frowning, you see the scene around you. Several people are in the same bad mood that you are in.

A young mother is trying to smooth her four-year old son's hair, while at the same time,rocks the infant in her arms.

A couple of girls are sipping coffee and looking all around themselves.

A bored-looking businessman is trying to decided whether to read the financial paper in his hand, or work upon his laptop.

An anxious looking young man keeps checking his expensive-looking wristwatch (probably a Rado).

Another is trying to amuse himself with his phone.

After taking in the entire scene, you manage a weak smile, and decide that a nap is just upyour street.

Now if only you had consumed those parathas...

The week that was

It's been a hellluva week for me.
Long hours, bleary-eyed me has made it through the loooong week...
But I'm not complaining.
I only wish The Prestige would have released this weekend to add some cheer.
Glad for the three-day break through.
God knows I need to put my feet up and let my hair down.
Whew!

Osama dead?

With my mother currently in Assam, an insurgency-ridden state, it is but natural for me to read anything because of which the state is in the news.

Imagine my surprise when I read that Osama bin Laden had been hunted and killed in the state.

Disbelief writ large on my face, I read further.

Apparently a 10-feet tall jumbo also shared its name with the most dreaded and hunted-for man on the face of this earth.

The namesake pachyderm, known for terrorizing the people of Assam for over two years, was killed yesterday in a tea plantation.

Whether it was the same elephant that had caused so many people to live in constant fear, is not completely sure, but the Assam local assembly, which had ordered the killing, is in the line of fire definitely, with several conservationists and animal welfare activists bitterly criticizing the killing.

With India being home to almost half of the dwindling Asian elephant population in the world, this issue will certainly not go down well.

Watch this space for more news.

It happens only in Delhi

In typical Delhi fashion, several youth yesterday at a “happening” discotheque in the city, decided that enough was enough, and they just had to liven up stuff at the large gathering.
So loud, cussing words and oh hell! blows were duly exchanged. Next followed some more colorful vocabulary, introduction of a couple of mean-looking knives, and in the flash of a second, there was blood on the dance floor.
Within a matter of minutes, several well-dressed, so called "elite" people had become thirsty for each other's blood, in an extremely savage manner.
Sleepy-looking policemen made an entry on the scene, muttering loudly, wielding their lathis.
And all the people who had come out for a night of dancing and fun, were hastily asked to make their way to their respective homes. Or risked being dragged for a long, cold night at the nearest lock-up.
Loud, beer-bellied people exchanged scowls, and started off on their “Do-you-know-who-I-am” jazz.
It was a painful sight to see people running helter-skelter, looking out for friends who seemed to have been left behind in the crowd, or worse, embroiled in the fight.
My friends and I also beat a hasty retreat to the 24-hour-open-food-joint run by the Indian Railways.
Bleary-eyed, when we all finally returned to our respective homes, we just had one thought – why do some people have to spoil everyone’s fun.
And I have seen that such stuff usually happen in the capital city of our country.
What a shame!

New UN Secretary-General

Like many other Indians, I too was disappointed that Shashi Tharoor would not be the next UN General-Secretary after Kofi Annan.
The eighth UN Secretary-General will now be South Korean Ban Ki-moon.
Though already sworn-in today, the septuagenarian diplomat will only assume his new responsibility on January 1, 2007, when Kofi Annan steps down.
Good luck to him.

The Big Fat Indian Wedding

There are officially, a lot of “knotty” people out there.

While the rest of India puts freezing toes into hot-as-toast quilts, Delhi(and many other places) are gearing up for a long season of weddings.

I heard that this Monday, Delhi alone, had over 36,000 weddings. Whew!

Not to be left behind , yesterday had quite a few thousand lined up too.

Threading our way through traffic last night, it didn’t help us at al that there were several thousands of people on the road, bravely bearing the bitter cold, out to attend some wedding or the other.

A column in the national daily, perhaps because of lack of other newsy articles, reported how poor, “overworked,” politicos had an average of 12 weddings to attend every other night.

Sample this hypothetical situ: Secretary of a politician at a press meet, “Sir had to attend Mr. so-and-so’s brother-in-law’s son’s wedding last night. He is dog tired after all that revelry. So kindly excuse his political gaffes / howlers today.”
Wow!

So last night, on our way back from West Delhi (where we had gone to see a house for best friend who is to get married next month), we saw loads of Delhiite baraatis, out in all their gaudy finery, bejeweled hands raised in typical marriage dance style, swaying to the loud tunes that the local bands belted out.

Grooms sat on pretty white mares. Most looked unmistakably forlorn (was it because of the cold or the fact that they were abandoning their single status for a lifetime of in-laws, groceries, kids? lol)

Kids looked as if they were having the time of their lives, dancing, prancing, yelling gleefully, some so enthused that they were shrieking like banshees.
Despite the car windows rolled up, we could scarcely hear a word of what we were spouting; the deafening cymbals drowning any attempt at conversation with their deafening sound.

Is that what they call music?

I guess even the Bard, William Shakespeare, would think twice before saying again, “If music be the food of love, play on..”

Needless to say, my ears hurt till late last night.

And earaches suck big time.

Owwwwwww

And to think I have to attend quite a few nuptials in the coming few months.
Thank God for the awesome food they serve there, though.

Quite a saving grace. Burp.

And now, Dictionary.com's 2006 Word of the Year: call for entries

Trotting on the heels of Merriam-Webster's search for(and selection of) Word of the Year 2006(the winner was truthiness), Dictionary.com, the free online dictionary search website, is also calling everyone to cast their votes for the 2006 Word of the Year.

Cast your vote here.

I've already cast mine.

Polls open till tomorrow.

Results will be announced on December 18, 2006.

A 12-year old association hits the dust.

Celebrated duo, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, nicknamed The Indian Express, have officially called their 12-year old association quits.

The ace pair, which has won multiple Grand Slams, added another feather to their caps after winning the Asian Games Gold in the tennis doubles at Doha yesterday.

But instead of uncorking the champagne and waxing eloquent about each other after the tournament, they preferred to wash each other’s dirty linen in public, and have sworn not to team up again on the marquee.

Though stories of their drifting apart had been doing the rounds for quite some time now, the duo officially called-off their partnership yesterday. As if there weren't enough bad things in the world. Sigh.

If I had my way, I would get the two guys to unwind with each other at a chic lounge, and talk it over.

After all, they look better dueling it out with opponents on lush-green tennis courts than with each other, don’t they?

Most popular websites

In a survey conducted recently, the results of which were declared, the following are the most popular websites. See which ones you already frequent, and check out the ones you haven't till now, like I did.

1. Apple Movie Trailers: Apple's official Quicktime Movie Trailer page with the newest and preview release trailers.

2. Blogger: weblog publishing system owned by Google since 2003.

3. Craiglist: centralized network of online urban communities, featuring free classified advertisements and forums sorted by various topics.

4. Drudge Report: popular U.S.-based news website run by Matt Drudge. The site consists primarily of links to stories from the US and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and various current events as well as links to many popular columnists.

5. Factcheck: monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major US political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

6. Flickr: photo sharing website and web services suite, and an online community platform.

7. HowStuffWorks: website dedicated to explaining the way many things work.

8. Lifehacker: advertising-supported weblog about life hacks and software; covers Microsoft Windows, Mac and Linux programs as well as time-saving tips and tricks.

9. Museum of Modern Art: provides information on current and upcoming art, film and media, and online exhibitions.

10. Netflix: largest online DVD rental service, offering flat rate rental-by-mail to customers in the United States.

11. National Public Radio: internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming.

12. Rotten Tomatoes: reviews and previews of movies, videos, DVDs, and video games from print, online, and broadcast critics.

13. Shopzilla: buy the best products at the lowest prices by using Shopzilla, the shopping search engine with smart price comparison and intelligent professional reviews.

14. The Onion: America’s most loved parody newspaper, published weekly in print and online.

15. Technorati: searches weblogs by keyword and for links. Also provides news from general news services and blogs.

16. Television Without Pity: website that provides detailed recaps of certain television dramas and reality TV shows, often by mocking them, as well as forums in which members can discuss a myriad of television related topics.

17. The Smoking Gun: large collection of public documents on crimes, celebrities, politicians, and the FBI.

18. Internet Movie Database: online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel.

19. Zappos.com: the Web’s most popular shoe store.

Edvard Munch and The Scream

Was slightly taken aback today when I opened the Google home page.
A tormented limp figure, hands tightly clasping ears, stared up at me ominously, looking as if it were just about to come out with a blood-curdling scream / howl.
Visibly shaken by the image, I set about to figure out the reason behind the wailing figure.
Turns out, today is Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch’s birthday. Now I am no connoisseur of art, so kindly ignore my “howler.” The picture is one of his most famous, aptly named, The Scream. Though I was aware of a painting by that name, I had never seen it before; hence my surprise and why-in-the-world-did-Google-keep-this-image-more-than-a-month-after-Halloween bewilderment.
Turn to the Google homepage to see it for yourself.
Or if it is after December 11 that you see this post, then see it right here.

Ode to a little princess

She rushes back from school
Her excited face no one can fool
She heads straight for her mom’s cozy lap
Chatters endlessly, doesn't want a nap.

The mother bestows upon her a doting smile
As she hurriedly updates that last file
Before she can set the table for two
With a spread that would make her daughter coo.

Mysorepak, Murruku, rasam, sambhar, chutney and rice
Make the pony-tailed girl grin and get up in a trice
Gleefully she flings her satchel, makes her way to the table
The idyllic setting is akin to many a happy family fable.

“Oh oh,” between mouthfuls, the lass pipes up in good cheer
Pointing at the laptop which is sitting near
The mother needs no second hint and smiles
Starting to go through her e-mails, of which there are piles.

She then comes to the parts that her daughter would like to study
Sent by her mother’s friend, who is now like a close buddy
With sparkling eyes and a beam, the girl toils through the words
Exclaiming, laughing, sounding like the chirping of a lot many birds.

After the twenty-minute-something happy lunch and reading session
It’s time for the girl to read up on her exam lesson
Thoughts of dance, e-mails, and blogs banished, she studies, her head low
Waiting for the next day’s lunch when she would have a repeat show.

(Dedicated to dear Mahithi. Good luck for your exams, sweetie. Do well. And make your Mummy proud)

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening - Robert Frost

The poem below by Robert Frost is a personal favorite. I guess most people identify strongly with its concluding four lines. It is said that even Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was partial to this ode, so much so that he always kept a copy on his desk, and saw it first thing in the morning.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

Merriam-Webster's 2006 Word of the Year

The verdict is finally out.
Merriam-Webster’s, which had asked everyone to submit their nominations for the Word of the Year 2006, have announced the clear winner.
The # 1 Word of the Year for 2006 is truthiness (noun)
Meanings:
a) "Truth that comes from the gut, not books" (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005)
b) "The quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true" (American Dialect Society, January 2006)
The others words that made it to the top ten list were (in order):
2. Google
3. Decider
4. War
5. Insurgent
6. Terrorism
7. Vendetta
8. Sectarian
9. Quagmire
10. Corruption

FYI:
The word that I had nominated made its presence felt worldwide as also made it to the # 10 spot on the list.

A woman's poem

A friend forwarded this to me some minutes ago; my hands were itching to post this poem here.
So here it is:

A Woman's Poem

He didn't like the curry
And he didn't like my cake.
He said my biscuits were too hard...
Not like his mother used to make.

I didn't prepare the coffee right
He didn't like the stew,
I didn't mend his socks
The way his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer
I was looking for a clue.
Isn’t there anything I could do
To match his mothers shoe

Then I smiled as I saw light
One thing I could definitely do
I turned around and slapped him tight...

Like his mother used to!!!!!

Who says it's a dog's life?

As if there weren't enough stories about a certain blonde hotel heiress “callously” trading-in her fave chihuahua, Tinkerbell (no relation to the namesake fairy from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan) for a smaller one, Bambi, here comes another mutt out for its fifteen seconds(or make that 8 mm film) of fame.

The Scottish terrier in question is no ordinary pooch, but the First Dog, no less. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Barney, the much adored (and petted) pet of U.S. President, George W. Bush.

If the applause has died down, let me reiterate that this canine has now officially joined the likes of dogs (pardon the lowly word) owned by celebs (read Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Gwen Stefani, Hillary Duff, Sienna Miller, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mischa Barton, Scarlett Johannson, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and Joss Stone). Whew! No small feat this. Read the complete article on celeb dogs here.

Coming back to Barney, who has his own blog (boww, oops, I meant wow), and who has been featured with his equally famous sister, Miss Beazley (no, no, not the awful cook from Archie Comics) in many films made by the White House Staff, is back with his latest film, Barney's Holiday Extravaganza.

From playing with golf balls and horseshoes, to hob-nobbing with the who’s-who of the world, to being the center of attraction at the White House annual Christmas parties, this doggie sure has all the fun.

Wuff wuff!

Some random thoughts

- Cloudy skies have delayed the launch of NASA's space shuttle, Discovery. The shuttle, scheduled to carry the seven-member crew (including our very own Sunita Williams) on the night of December 7, 2006, will now be launched on December 9, 2006, at 8:47 p.m.

- Best friend’s engagement tomorrow night. I am all set to shine, shimmer, dazzle, swirl.

- My plans of watching Hugh Jackman this Sunday in The Prestige have all been dashed; the movie’s not released in the country today. (Sob). There go all my plans of watching Batman and Wolverine zap each other. Two other movies have released though:

1. The Guardian: I’m loath to shell out 160 bucks to watch Demi Moore’s toy boy, Ashton Kutcher, and a USCG rescue swimmer, Kevin Costner, the latter who I'd rather see in roles as Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (remember Bryan Adam’s Everything I do, I do it for you) or as Whitney Houton's protector in The Bodyguard.

2. The saccharine sweet Baabul: Do I even need to answer this one?

- Now had it been Mumble, the adorable tap-dancing penguin in Happy Feet, I wouldn’t have thought twice before getting tickets.

- So this Sunday, what will it be?
In one word – Shopping!

Happy me!

He was the Lizard King. He could do anything

Despite his death 25 years ago, Jim Morrison, a.k.a. The Lizard King / Mr. Mojo Risin, the enigmatic front man of The Doors is still remembered for his bristling energy, “spontaneous” stage shows, and for belting out unforgettable numbers like Hello, I Love You, Touch Me, Strange Days, L.A. Woman, Morrison Hotel, and that cult position number 1 chartbuster, Light My Fire.

On his birthday today, the enigmatic, improvising Morrison would have been proud to see that he lives on, in the minds of his fans, who saw him beyond his troubled years, bohemian lifestyle, stormy affairs, penchant for heroin (an overdose of which caused his death on that fateful third day in July, 1971).

They saw the man for who he was—the man who broke new ground in rock music, with his surrealistic lyrics and sonorous baritone, crooning his way through the tensions of that time.

See the video for Light My Fire here:

Soul Sisters

There are people who read the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and books by that famous Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho. Their stories are simple, tug at your hearts, discuss hopes, dreams, and lives of people like you and me. A potpourri of experiences, feelings, and personal stories land on your reading table, some of them bearing more than a close resemblance to what you feel or go through.

You read about people who communicate eloquently with each other, though they may not have even met. However, that spirit of easy camaraderie and sorority is unmistakable.

This is a real-life story about a woman whom I have never met, yet share a distinctive solidarity with her. I know that today, deep down in her tummy, she has a countless butterflies. the reason - her daughter has a dance performance lined up for the evening. Likewise, despite the 2020 km distance between her and me, she knows that I am supremely excited about my best friend’s engagement tomorrow, but at the same time, anxious that my fave aunt who’s been injured in a hit-and-run case by a devil of a car-driver, convalesce soon.

To my friend sitting in a different city, looking at the clock anxiously, and to my other soul sisters in the country and beyond, this is a little vote of thanks. It’s not just shopping, watching movies together, stuffing ourselves with pani-puris, giggling endlessly, eyeing that cute guy yonder, or talking nineteen-to-the-dozen, that we have in common. It's about hanging in there come what may.

Thanks for being there.

May your tribe abound.

In memoriam: James Kim, CNET Senior Editor, 1971 - 2006

Korean-American technology analyst, James Kim, the Senior Editor of CNET, was found dead yesterday. What started as a journey for this family of four from Portland (Oregon) to San Francisco (California), turned into a tragic ordeal.
The Kims started for their trip on November 25, 2006, but got stuck in snow in their Saab station wagon. They resorted to burning the car tires when it ran out of gas. On December 2, Jim left his wife, Kati, along with daughters, 4-year old Penelope, and 6-month old Sabine, to look for help. He never returned.
Frostbitten Kati and her daughters were rescued on December 4, 2006; however, the same was not the case for 35-year old James, whose body was found yesterday. He had died of hypothermia and frostbite.
Despite the so-called reliable online mapping applications like Yahoo Maps, Google Earth, TopoZone, Windows Live Local, it is paradoxical that James, a technology expert himself, who used online mapping frequently, had to meet his death in such a way.
Just shows that there are limitations to most things in this world.
RIP, James.
My deepest sympathy to his family.
May God give them courage in this hour of overwhelming grief.

SiteAdvisor: banish spam, spyware, adware altogether

Half the time, nasty spam lands up on my computer, catching me unawares, and causing me to:

a) Shake my fist angrily at the monitor
b) Mutter a swear word(or two)
c) Grit my teeth
d) Roll my eyes(and not in amusement)
e) All the above.

Which is why, I became smarter and installed McAfee’s user-friendly security browser, SiteAdvisor, which supports both IE and Firefox.

Besides keeping your PC / laptop safe from spyware, adware, viruses, online scams, it also gives you color ratings for any sites that you choose to visit or search (on Google, Yahoo, or MSN) as green (safe), yellow(suspicious), or red(avoidable). Also, you come to find out pretty fast if that credible-looking site and it's extending that free iPod / Xbox / Zune / mobile phone / Playstation 3, has some element of truth in ti, or plain balderdash. Read more about it here.

Believe me, it's worth it. And it downloads pretty fast too (just took me 30 seconds).

Ohhh, and did I mention that it’s free?

Go on, try it.

Nine things I hate in people

Afraid I haven't written the ones below. Though they could be as true for me as they would be for you. I came across them today, while I was going through some old e-mails. Worth a one-time-read.

I smiled while reading them, in spite of myself.

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time...I know where my watch is dude, where the hell is yours?

2. People who are willing to move around to search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually(sounds like a lot of people I know).

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?(Suggested: one looong practised withering look)

4. When people say "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it?

5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?" No Loser, I paid Rs.150 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor and / or the popcorn and nachos.

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8. When people say "life is short". What the hell?? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here, smartypants?

Get nagged

Don’t we all have some things that we should be doing, but thanks to our selective amnesia / indifference / plain sloth, we just don’t get down to doing them.
For instance, I know I should be keeping my place tidy, and not as if some tornado has recently ripped it. But when my OCD best friend is away, I just let the room be.
Needless to say, when she returns, she is anything but impressed.
In the same vein is another word: EXERCISE.
Aaaaargh…WhatdidyoujustsayOhmyGodyoudon’tmeanitdoyou?
Now, that’s my usual reaction when someone mentions the dreaded “E” word.
Then there is the usual refrain (from big bro, parents, friends, big bro particularly, he of the Converse-brand-fetish) if I mention that I need to buy those nth pair of to-die-for sandals or that sixth black bag.
So it was pretty nice when I came across this website, called HassleMe, a UK site, which promises to nag you for any reminder you may want, and as frequently as you want.
I have already set a couple of thingies that I want to get nagged for, on a daily basis. I love its tag line, “ Because sometimes in life, you just need to be nagged…”
There are a couple of other websites too that caught my attention.
One of them is called mySociety, a charitable volunteering project which aims to spread awareness about how the Internet can improve their lives. They also support and improve launch projects. Sign up as a volunteer here.
The third website is called PledgeBank, a psychological bet, which is geared to make people carry out their pledges, together with several others. For instance, suppose a user wants to kick smoking; he could start a pledge, encouraging others to sign up for the same. The site updates all subscribers if the pledge fails to attract enough subscribers(Sigh), or if (happy happy) attracts others to do the same, and if the target is met.
You could sign up for e-mails when people make pledges from your local area / country.
Or start your own pledge here.

Movie Review: A Good Year

What’s common among A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator, Cinderella Man, and The Insider?
Russell Crowe, I bet you said that in a trice.
So when I heard that this Oscar winner had come in a new flick, I was bound to watch it.
However, A Good Year, was somewhat a damp squib, accustomed as I am to Russell Crowe’s superlative acting.
The movie, based on a book by the same name by Peter Mayle, does have its moments though, to be fair. Crowe does a neat job as the sassy investment broker, Max Skinner, who dons flannel pyjamas instead of his usual Saville Row suits, and goes gallivanting around France—a far cry from London, where his career lies, along with best friend, Charlie (played by Tom Hollander: Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice), and the sharp as nails Indo-Brit assistant, Gemma, played by Archie Panjabi(remember Jess’s sister in Bend It Like Beckham?)
Max receives word that his Uncle Henry, played delightfully by Albert Finney(Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Twelve), is dead, and has left him his chateau as also his prized vineyard.
The cool-as-a-cucumber Max sets out for France, to sell the chateu and vineyard to the highest bidder. But what is intended to be a weekend retreat turns awry. As they say, where there is a will, there are relatives, and a Californian girl turns up at the château, claiming to be Henry’s daughter.
Max remains unruffled though; but yes, he, a man who didn’t believe in taking vacations and weekends off work, finds himself into the intoxicating grapes, stress-free environment, also finding his childhood love in the form of the now stunning Marion Cotillard.
There are also several snapshots with young Max (played by Freddie Highmore: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) shares screen space with his uncle—Max remembers all the incidents, touched by pangs of regret that he did not have time for the uncle who taught him some of the most important lessons of his life, including the line that he often used in his own office, back in London, “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”
Find out what happens next in this light, airy romance, which engages you with its stunning countryside stills, musical French words, and a lot of info about the famous wines that land up in that exclusive restaurant’s wine cellar.
Added suggestion—buy a lot of popcorn during the movie. You’ll need it. It’s slightly slow at places.

She's packed her bags for outer space

Move over Serena and Venus Williams.

Another lady who shares your surname is going to be scaling new heights..literally!
And she’s two decades older than you, let me add.

And as Savage Garden crooned, she has packed her bags for outer space(To the Moon and back).

Sunita Williams, the 41-year Indian-American woman astronaut, who has been handpicked for NASA’s Discovery Space Shuttle crew, will embark on the 12-day mission, this Thursday, December 7, 2006, at 2135 hours IST.

The launch, the third for this year, is going to be the first night-time launch for NASA. Sunita Williams is in esteemed company, a venerated club, what with only 6 out of NASA’s 157 spacewalkers having been women. She will also perform three grueling spacewalks. For someone who lived underwater for 9 days as part of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations(NEEMO), this must be smooth sailing.

This is NASA’s fourth launch since that fateful February in 2003, when Space Shuttle Columbia (with our very own Kalpana Chawla) disintegrated into the atmosphere, killing all 7 crew-members.

A huge thumbs-up to Sunita Williams.

Attagirl!

FYI - ATM PIN Reversal

In these times where you can be waylaid by unsavory characters, it pays to exercise some presence of mind.

I received this from a classmate, where she claimed that if one were forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, one can notify the police by entering one’s PIN in reverse.

So if your PIN is 1234, you should enter the digits 4321.

The ATM recognizes that the PIN you typed in is the reverse of the original.

The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.

I don't know how much time the police will take to reach you, but it sure looks like a step in the right direction.

This information was recently broadcast on TV, and stated that it is seldom used because people don't know it exists.

World AIDS Day - December 1

Started in 1988, December 1 is globally marked as World AIDS Day.
This year’s theme is Stop AIDS; Keep the Promise - Accountability
In a country where close to 5 million people are living with HIV, India has to go several thousand miles to check this epidemic.
Poverty, illiteracy, and poor health (though not necessarily in that order) further worsen the situation.
Ignorance and prejudice are two main reasons why many cases go unreported and unchecked.
The social stigma associated with AIDS is enormous.
In such an existing state of affairs, it is slightly consoling to see that quite a few volunteers are doing their bit to publicize facts about AIDS, and dispel myths.
Across the country(and beyond), many organizations, notably UNAIDS, World AIDS Day, Avert , International AIDS Society (IAS), etc are holding series of programs, AIDS awareness sessions, voluntary blood donation camps, seminars on HIV / AIDS prevention, care and counseling.
In Delhi too, I was pleasantly surprised to see people wearing red ribbons—the global symbol expressing solidarity with HIV+ people.
Makes me note that there are quite a few people out there who are willing to extend their commitment and support to those afflicted with AIDS.