My life has been special in its own way.. lovely family, great friends, good job and a simple lifestyle. There was nothing extraordinary that I could have shared with the others and the entire world. Being an introvert,I like keeping things to myself without even letting the others feel what all and how much is running through my head and my heart. My life is an open book, at least for the people who know me for I avoid sharing myself completely with anyone, not even with my closed ones. And then, there has always been a very special corner in the garden of my heart where everyday a new dream blossoms and now that corner has started blooming with the beauty and fragrance of those dreams which are utmost special for me. The dreams were many but the most special of all was the one which adorned the center of my little heart.. The dreams of my SKR i.e ‘Sapno ka Rajkumar’. And they were too precious to share with someone.

I could not picture him clearly in my heart, I mean how could I, that wasn’t practically possible but still I had imagined him in my daydreams. It was like i am watching that view from the back where he is holding my hands in his, taking me to an unknown yet fascinating place illuminated by the beaming moonlight. From the much I could understand from that scene was that he was very loving and extremely caring, completely lost in my eyes as if i was the only girl in this world, his girl, and tightening his grip on my arms as if  he did not want me to go anywhere,not even for a second. And I, mesmerized by the charm of his love kept staring in his deep eyes which apparently explained the depth of his love for me. I thoroughly believed that there could not be such a soulful lad on this Earth before I met him.. or if I say ‘heard him‘.

October had just begun. It was a pleasant Sunday morning. I was reading my horoscope in Sunday times. ‘…. and this week some of the Scorpios may even find their love interest’ when my cellphone started playing its soothing ringtone. I had a call.. an unfamiliar call from a familiar number.( There can be many situations which will lead to the same statement,u may imagine anyone of them).

The voice that side was a kind one would love listening to – intense, mischievous yet gentle.

Him: Hello?

Me: Yes? May I know Who is speaking?

Him: I am speaking.

Me: Who ‘I’?

Him: Me.

Me: Whom do you want to talk to?

Him: You.

Me: Me? But i don’t know you.

Him: So what? You will come to know me.

Me: Are you telling me your name or i am keeping the phone.

Him: Keep it if you can.

Such was the confidence in his voice when he said that statement that i just could not keep the phone. After having heard his voice for just few minutes, i was so lost in his voice that i found it hard to press that red button. As if he had compelled me by just saying a few sentences. It took me a lot to disconnect that call. The next day, same time , my phone rang again. Seeing that familiar number,i received that call. It was him,once again. Our conversation began with the same set of question-answer round. I realized i wanted to talk to him. It was really strange on my part that a girl who has always been shy while talking to people, has always been so uncomfortable sharing her thoughts with the others, the same girl had been completely hypnotized by that voice.

He wanted to talk. I was trying to be resistant. But just trying. It was hard to control myself as if some outer force was overpowering all my efforts. And i was giving up. I had not met him. I had not even seen him. I had just heard him. But while talking to him, or rather listening to him, I used to feel as if I have been talking to him since years, I know him since I did not when. I had started losing control over myself. I had stopped making efforts to resist him and was swaying in the direction his words were taking me to. We started talking frequently.. everyday.. many times a day. The duration of our calls was stretching longer. And our conversation.. getting deeper and love- centered. Few days later, it was just him and me… deeply in love with each other.

Him: I don’t want to hear anything.
Me: I am sorry.. Suno toh..
Him: No.. I won’t talk to you.
Me: Achha!! For how long?
5 min? 3 min? 1 min?
Him: Never.
Me: Oooooh… Hmm… Let me see..
(I went closer to him.. stood right in front and placed my hand on his chin.. made him look into my eyes.. deep into my eyes. Few seconds later,we kissed. And all this happened while we were on phone.)

He stepped in my life and I forgot my SKR. May be, because I had already found my SKR in him. Or may be, there was so much of love filled in his words that i was completely fascinated in that different world i was residing in then and did not remember anything. His charm was just dragging me towards him every moment. He used to talk and I kept listening to him in amazement. He kept intensifying my average looks making me feel as I was the most beautiful girl on this Earth. I used to feel his warm touch even miles away from him. I found myself completely immersed in his immeasurable love. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to spend my entire life with him. I longed to take my last breath in his presence. I wanted to forget all those reasons which were stopping me from moving ahead. And I told him.. Everything. My life appeared like a dream. Only dreams could have been so beautiful. I was lost. Completely lost.

Yes. Only dreams appear to be so beautiful. When reality strikes, you get a hard blow on your heart which wakes you up from your deepest slumbers and shows you the bitter truth of life. Same thing happened with me as well. Though our hearts were deeply connected.. they are still connected, our lives will never meet. I have still not met him. I have neither captured a glimpse of him in my heart nor have I felt his warm touch. I know how immensely I have loved him. But I will always be more fortunate for having him than him for having myself for his love is deeper than mine. I have heard people saying that True Love stories never end.. And i truly believe in it. So I am moving on in my life having experienced the most beautiful moments. As they say, Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be glad that it happened. And in my case,it isn’t over.. it will never be over. Wherever You are.. I want you to know that I still Love you. And will keep loving forever.

Hi friends.. hope you liked this post. I am not an author. But I keep making such small attempts. This story is just a small piece of fiction which was running in my heart since a long time and i felt like sharing it with you all when Ankur invited me to write something for his blog. And thanks a lot Bhai for inviting me to your blog as a guest writer. I really feel honored to be here. Love u.

I am writing on very short notice and I got barely good time to think, so I am come-up with an idea to discuss about a very crucial topic that is a dream career.

Dream career here implies that everyone start dreaming about a career in their childhood time and often family members and their friends ask you this question that bache bade ho kar kya banoge On that note I would like to ask, is it really right to answer that question in so early age? When I was a child I changed my dream career every month, sometime I said I wanted to be a Doctor and sometime I used to say I wanted to be a teacher, an actor and a mother ( I was kid yaar)

Finally I had decided to be a business woman in my teenage and wanted to open boutique all over in India, I had even planned that where from I would buy cloths, about facilities to be provided etc., You must all have wondering about successes of my career Btw Life is not certain and what you plan will actually happen is a big question mark. No, I was not able to concentrate on my dream career, I have joined a job when I was doing graduation and after doing a job for last 8 years now I am studying MBA. That what is reality of my life, I was not able to persuade my dream career because of uncertain circumstances and influence of people around me in my family.

To achieve your dream career the most important things are concentration and your will power to do it. I am not a person, who can concentrate on one thing at a time because of my changing mood, Sometime I feel to write and another moment I start reading a novel and then do designing.  Btw I believe that whatever you do should give you happiness and satisfaction and that as a human being we rarely get. So for me dream career is a complicated Question and a question mark in itself. What about you. I wish you all good luck for your dream career and wish you will achieve that path..

Seeya friends and Happy new year in advance.. thanks for bearing my English.. :p

]]> http://blog.ankursays.com/2011/12/following-your-heart/feed/ 4 http://blog.ankursays.com/2011/12/heres-someone-for-you/ http://blog.ankursays.com/2011/12/heres-someone-for-you/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:50:12 +0000 Varun http://blog.ankursays.com/?p=1222 Okay, so this is how it started.

One evening, I was doing some gaming on my mobile. TV was on. And Buzzzz, I had a new message.

Oye, will you be the first guest blogger for my blog =/

I tell you, that wasn’t shocking. =)

Hello Readers, Ankur ke dosto and yes, my dear Spam Bots! I am Varun (if you didn’t alreay notice).

It was really hard to decide about the topic. It had to be good, that’s all I knew. Talking about life, feelings, etc has never been my thing. Fun? Um.. No. That happens with friends around, right? (winks) So, I didn’t had anything to write about. Tech, for a change, I ruled out in the beginning.

BTW, Christmas is over already, any ideas for new year resolutions? Han Han?

Well, I have some things you might wanna do in 2012. Com’on, I have something for everyone!

1. Go to school less often. What, don’t wanna help mumma with some work!? She works so much for you guys. And schools are getting useless anyways.

2. Never follow Point 1.

3. Deactivate your Facebook account. Twitter’s a much better place to hang out. What no?  Seriously!

4. Ahem, this one’s good.  Stop watching those silly TV shows.  Trust me, buy Tata Sky and subscribe to CW. Phir Life hogi jhingalala!

5. Mr. Dad, take some time off  your office to go watch movies and have fun. Please don’t watch ‘Players’ BTW. #AHumbleRequest

6. Try playing lesser games and study more. You are gonna get all the time to play games in college. That’s all we do there! (lol)

7.  Oh, sorry. There’s no 7.
Actually, that’s all I could think of with this sleepy little head of mine.

I need to sign off now; and that just got too much for a guest post. You guys enjoy your Christmas fun.

Have a happy 2012!

Now usually at that hour, I’d prefer doing my work, the way I like doing it the most.. listening to music, something decent and low that soothes my heart and soul. But.. it was perhaps something about yesterday that I did, that made me actually cherish those early night conversations over the usual. After sometime, it was just that dear friend from college, I was chatting with. The usual design talks took a detour and general chit chat was happening when I felt a sudden urge, a need to tell him things in detail. It seemed the perfect thing about that moment. The heart was doing the thinking, mind was processing the thoughts at its ease, and the fingers were playing in sync with the signals of the brain. I was actually typing out my fears, some of my real private moments I had with people I was related with, that, to put it in a decent way. And he was supportive, sweet enough to understand.

With that, adding to my already extrovertish mood, I came across this really, really beautiful song from A.R. Rahman Musical. The lyrics were penned down by Javed Akhtar, I guess. Here’s a glimpse -

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

60 seconds.. This, just a minute clip.. but the magic it left behind on me, my heart and my mind, only grew with time. For one, it has one of world’s best music director in its making.. second, it brought back memories from my past, few from my near past, rushing back from the deepest lockers of my heart, flashing before my eyes in an endless loop. That began happening every time I looked away or blinked. Amy Jackson might have been a British model, but every expression of hers in that song, resembled of a someone I had given up on thinking about for long. The video was left to play on loop. With that done, every passing minute, I was slipping a step deeper in that flurry memory lane of mine. This only added to the misery of my friend, or so I thought. My chat IMs were getting more frequent, faster and desperate. There I was, not just writing my deepest of cravings and feelings, but sharing them with someone very real. Not worrying about what he must be thinking of me, how he must be judging me.. all I wanted at that moment was to get it all out and tell someone how much I felt for her, how deep within me I still feel for her. What she meant for me back then, what she still means to me. I was telling that to him, but I felt as if a part of mine was speaking it back to me. As if every bit in me was trying to remind me how pretty she looked when she used to smile that way. And for the first time since we talked (not long back), I felt jealous of him.. the person who has her. But then the very next moment it hit me what I was saying. And it dawned on me how irritating I must have been for that friend I was chatting with.

I felt sorry, I must have been very irritating and very frustrating, really! To get all that from an otherwise conserved person, I can very well imagine how I must have felt. But he was sweet, sweet enough to have said it didn’t irritate him.. and that I didn’t actually get on his nerves with my messages popping out on his screen every few seconds. He added, he actually could understand what I was feeling. I really did feel sorry though, for he had to be a part of one of my unusual mood swings, but he didn’t mind. In fact he did try to cheer me up, change topics, I contributed too. Didn’t help much, to be honest. Heart, as you put it, can make you do wonderful things sometimes.. rest of the times, it just gets crazier!

P.S. For all those who were thinking they would see no more of me before New Year’s eve, sorry to break the bubble.. but it must have taken you by a surprise, right? Also, I am sorry I may or may not be there to share my version of the year this time. Why? I don’t know, I just don’t feel like. But then, I did say ‘may or may not’. Let’s just leave it to time. BUT.. there’ll be few surprise posts for your new year, as compensation. That’d my way of saying sorry. Till then, keep smiling, keep rocking and happy holidays! Gracias!

Though my love for music has been mostly about following the top 40, there are some tracks that have settled on my mind and heart as much as any person dear to me. And since music has mostly been a companion when I feel lonely, or sad.. or angry sometimes, the two songs I am sharing belong to the same one genre.

1. Ke Bin Tere – Aggar

A good song, with soft music and nice lyrics. Mithoon’s voice takes care of the magic it leaves behind. This song gives me the pep my life has been needing for the past 4 years. Does drive me down some crazy memory lanes, but I never regret listening to this song. It’s flawless.

2. Laree Choote – Ek Chalis Ki Last Local

I remember how I crazy I went after listening to this song for the first time back when I was in Kota. Lyrics are what have always mattered to me, they always have. I listened to this song straight for 2 weeks on loop.

Day 8 – three movies

I will be naming the three movies that have some place in my life. You might not like them. You might not be very fond of watching them. It doesn’t really matter to me. I am gonna be the same regardless of what you think of me, and so are my choices. And please, try judging me on the basis of these.. you are heading the wrong path

1. Kal Ho Naa Ho

This movie has been my all-time favorite. Aman is an all-time idol. I adore him for his values, for the way he thinks. Some of his thoughts and values, I’d like to implement in my real life.

2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

While everyone else will pick apart with how Taani couldn’t recognize her husband Suri, I see a simple and caring husband who does everything in his reach to see his love smile. When a man can be as desperate as him, that he wouldn’t even think twice before killing a part of himself and being a totally different person for a woman.. he truly loves her. Also, this is the movie which triggered my obsession of Anushka Sharma.

3. Baghban

A decent flick. My parents love it a lot. So I guess I have grown some sort of attachment with this movie. Every time some channel is showing this one, I will pause and would call my dad and my grandma to watch it with me.

Day 7 – four books

To be honest, I don’t read as many books now compared to the havoc I created reading books some two years ago. But here are my top 4 books that I will suggest everyone reading this post. PS – I did not take me much time to figure them out and I am sorry, but most of the books I read are of Indian authors

1. Goosebumps – This novel series always has been spooky and got the creeps outta me. Oh, that reminds me.. I forgot to add them on my shopping list =)

2. The 3 Mistakes of My Life – Chetan Bhagat was one of my favorite authors for years since I was a kid. And this book of his, is the one I liked the most of all the four he has written.

3. I too had a Love Story – A book that brings the relations in them to life. Ravinder Singh has really put into this one. I am still not sure if it’s based on real life incidents, but the happenings do sound realistic.

4. Where rainbows end – I haven’t read Cecelia’s P.S. I love you yet, but this book is a masterpiece! It’s really written in the usual novel language, but in the form of transcripts and dialogues. It’s a sweet and lovely addition to my collection.

Day 6 – five foods

I will just get through this and tell you the five foods that I’ll prefer eating than dying.. just to say.

1. Masala Patties – Oh, how I miss Kota’s Masala Patties. They are the best thing that ever happened to my stomach in years! =/

2. Paneer ki Sabzi – I remember I used to love that, I still like it. It stands out them all.

3. Maggi – It’s more than just an addiction lately. I can’t help not wanting it every evening.

4. Bread omelette – The one my Mum used to make with omelette all over the bread. Mmm..

5. Veg Cheese Sandwich – I know it’s not much of healthy food. But I like them.

Now don’t you start saying things about my diets and things, I know most of what I eat ain’t healthy but it keeps my stomach happy.

Day 6 – six places

I don’t know where to begin with. There are a number of places I want to go. As a child, I would dream and make plans on visiting them someday. Some of them included family, others were with friends and dates. Hmm, okay, I didn’t say that. No, I didn’t.

1. I want to go to Mumbai

City of my dreams - Mumbai

It’s not much of a secret. I wanted to go to Mumbai ever since I was a kid. They have a different living style over there – the thought that always fascinated me. Grant my one wish of visiting any place on earth, and it will be Mumbai!

2. I want to go to Manhattan, New York

The most beautiful city on earth - Manhattan, New York

The most beautiful city on earth I would say. I really wanna be there once and it must snow then!

3. I want to go to Phuket, Thailand

Peace and serenity - Phuket, Thailand

I had always wanted to go to a beach. No, not with a date. This small island on the coast of Thailand, will be THE one!

4. I want to go to Cape Town

Beautiful - ain't she? - Cape Town

No, Africa ain’t just deserts and camels. It has this place I would love to visit at least once in my lifetime.

5. I want to go to The Iguazu Waterfalls

Heralded most beautiful of all waterfalls - The Iguazu Falls

The most beautiful of all the waterfalls on earth. Don’t believe? Google it or watch it on Youtube.

6. I want to go to Dubai

The structural bonanza - Dubai

Dubai, I guess should be a dream place for every Civil Engineer. It’s got so many structural inspirations.. I can spend my entire life over there and not get bored of that place.

Day 4 – seven wants

Some people want everything. Others want lesser things. Few of them want nothing. I am not sure which category I fall in, but I ‘want’ stuff, and that ‘stuff’ that I want… I want ‘em like a beast!

1. I want to have a super power; yes, a special power! Like Superman, right! But I want a different super power. One even Superman didn’t have. I want to be the master of space and time. Just like Hiro Nakamuro, in HEROES. There are a lot of things I wanna change with my past, and I don’t give a damn about butterfly effects that may follow! I just want to do that!

2. I want a good wardrobe; there are lots of books and clothes I got that are no where to be placed. But I think I can do without it for another few years, I don’t really NEED it.. but I want it!

3. I want to design and decorate my own house; I do, and perhaps the whole locality I live in. I want things to be my way, to be in my reach when I need them. A socket here, a ventilator there. I want everything to be exactly the way I am comfortable with. And oh, I am already designing the home I’ll live in someday in my head. No, you don’t even get to choose which color curtains to put in my room! Grr..

4. I want a huge LCD screen on the wall in my loo; Why? I get bored! =/

5. I want a Pokémon; a real one, and a pokéball as well. Umm, Jirachi would do.. or even Torchic. Yeah, I like baby pokémon. Dratini?

6. I want to write script for an Indian TV show; they really need fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective to start with. Enough of Saas-Bahu dramas. Cartoons on CN suck big deal these days and I am left with absolutely nothing to watch!

7. I want to go back to being 14 and stay that way for the rest of my life; No, I am not telling why I want that. It’s no ‘secrets‘ thread!

Day 3 – eight fears

Who likes talking about their fears? Or thinking about them for that matter? I don’t. And I am definitely not an exception with that one! As much as I know how I am gonna regret starting to write this one, there are friends who have been wanting to read this since my last post. I am talking about you, yes! Stop pestering me on IMs. Cool, now you are dancing! BAH!

1. I fear letting down my family; They have expectations, most of which I have failed to match with in my recent past. That makes it worse. In everything I do, I want to do.. that fear persists. You may say I am being highly conscious, I will say I am just making sure I don’t knowingly (or unknowingly), do something that would hurt them.

2. I fear losing the people I love; Now when I say that I don’t actually mean losing them, I get uneasy when they spend more time with other people than they do with me. I behave and act in a highly possessive manner and that gets them irritated, most of them. I know I will lose one of them one day for that thing I do. I like being pampered. I like being with them. And I like letting them know that I will love them more than anyone will ever do. I know it’s not good at my part, but I am honest when I say that I love to be the reason they smile, the reason for their laugh and their joy. Anyone else does that, I feel terrible.. and lonely. But I am trying, trying not to be that person anymore.

3. I fear forgetting the real me; Lately there’s been a lot of stuff I added to my ‘now-working-on’ list and surprisingly I have been working on them in actual. Now it turns out (as other’s say), I have started drifting away from people I have been close to. People who care for me.. who love me. I do assure them of being the same person I was years ago, but I know I haven’t been the same really. But that’s that, I am still the person who loves them and wants to be with them. I just believe it’s high time I start working on the dreams I built with them over the years.

4. I fear dying before I achieve my goals; People will tell me to be optimistic and think positive, I know. But I can not ‘not-fear’ this aspect of my life. I have no idea when or where my life comes to it’s end and everything I did to achieve my dreams and goals turns zero and equals to null. That doesn’t affect my work however. I will always give each work of mine the sweet time it requires. Also, I have certain fantasies in my bucket list that I would love to live, at least once during my life.

5. I fear people who know me less over complete strangers; In fact I feel more comfortable talking to strangers than people I know, people who don’t know me good enough. This is because, chances are I’ll never see them again. And I can say things I want to say, keep the things I don’t wanna say. They aren’t going to pester me to ‘tell them the whole thing’. They can only judge me on the basis of what I am, then and there. On the other hand, people around, who care shit about me and what I do, are the ones I fear. For they are gonna say anything, and just about ANYTHING that crosses their sick minds to people I love. People who love me. They hurt them. I hate them!

6. I fear losing my phone; and I mean, any phone that I have. It is one way I connect with many people. People, who are an important part of my life. People, without talking to whom my day is obsolete and incomplete.

7. I fear I don’t have a stomach inside me; I am not kidding! Seriously! I eat a lot.. like A LOT! And it still doesn’t reflect anywhere on my body. So at times I fear my food pipe’s directly connected to my intestines and everything I take in, gets out as it is =/

8. I fear my laptop will explode someday; It has already started giving me signals.. alarming temperatures, ‘fcuked up‘ Windows notifications and shutting down abruptly every now and then. I need a new laptop already!

Day 2 – nine loves

First of all, for people who think this post is gonna be all about my crushes and relationships and family.. I hate to break the bubble, there’s not much of that. I know, the minute most people hear the word ‘Love’ they go gaga thinking about their crushes, about those moments they think they fell for that someone at those first glances; The latest ring or dress their boyfriend got them, their childhood ‘best’ pals and few of them will even say they are in ‘love’ with their favorite movie stars. My take? You have gone brainsick at some point in your life, if you think you are one of the latter! Yes, we do love people, we even ‘fall in love’ with them, more than once sometimes. But I feel love is not just about that. About loving people. You love yourself. You even ‘love’ things that you do. You ‘love’ music.. some selected genre or artist maybe. You ‘love’ them. And I say that because they help you with self-realization. They help you connect with yourself. They please you. Those ‘loves’ make every breath of yours count, and they make your life worth living for.

1. my sister; I know I haven’t been a good brother in years, but I am making up for that. I really am. For it’s always her smile, that gets me smiling; Her laugh, that makes me happy; Her love, that peps up my life and makes me wanna go achieve all my dreams in life.

2. my Mumma; and that’s not because she gave me birth, but because she has always paved the path for me to become the person of my dreams.. OUR dreams. And she might not be with me at times, but I know it’s just because she wants me to stand on my two feet and be the man, responsible for his own stuff.

3.  my family; for bearing with all my wrongs and cherishing with me all those joyous moments of my life. Among them, I always feel safe, and loved, of course. Just knowing that one of them will always be with me every time I need someone, makes me happy and satisfied with everything I do.

4.  the people close to my heart; and when I say that, I know that they know that I am talking about them. I keep saying it to them. We share(d) moments that for sure will be treasured until eternity, if not cherished all of them. In fact, I end my conversations with most of them with a ‘I love you’.

5.  my sleep; I do. I find answers to most of my life’s mysteries (read ‘miseries’) when I am asleep. Though many of those answers are gone when I wake up but I like to know I had them once. And that one thought suffices enough to get me through any long, tiring day that follows.

6.  the sky; I can keep looking at it for hours and not get bored of doing that. It soothes my eyes. However, I never exactly know what they are keeping looking for out there. No, definitely not aliens! Also it calms my soul and gives me peace.. the night sky, for most of it.

7. soft music; It lets me walk in and out of my world whenever I want to, whenever I need to. All I have to do is put on my earplugs, close my eyes and lie down on bed and I will forget all my fears and anxieties for the next hour or so.

8. writing; I know you must be thinking I can’t really claim to do that because I haven’t been writing for a while, but it’s just that I feel comfortable penning down my feelings. I believe it’s more effective an influence and lasts longer.

9.  my mobile; There! I said it! And I mean it! It helps me connect with the people I love and those who are at far away places. My mobile and I share memories, most of which are really worth savoring. I never delete any of my messages. I always have a backup log.

Those right above, are my nine loves. See you tomorrow.

Honestly, I am not confident if this challenge will keep me writing stuff for ten straight days. 10 days is a lot of time. Also considering I have never written anything unless I really wanted to, I fear it’s going to end up with me giving up on it, or acting negligent, OR, I may even shut down my blog and hide somewhere for I don’t like to lose. That was absurd, I know, and totally random, yes. But I need this. I do realize now what my life has been missing for not writing the things that are required to be done. So I need to force myself into writing. And this challenge seems just the right thing for the moment.

Day 1 – ten secrets

Oh man, I am so gonna regret this! WTH was he THINKING? The person who came up with this challenge? 10 SECRETS! Bah!

1. You suck! No? OK, fine. I am completely dishonest at times. That’s something I do when I don’t feel safe telling the truth. And as much as I hate to say that but it happens more often with people in my real life than those online. No, not with the people close to my heart. I can’t lie to them. They’ll know when I do.

2. I don’t like family functions. Not that I hate them, I just think I got better stuff to do. Scooby Doo? WTH am I supposed to do among people who are 20 years older than me and talk stuff like business deals, stocks & shares and increasing expenses by their children. Duh-huh, I am not gonna start spending less just because you pick up that topic every time you walk into me.

3. I don’t like people waking me up in the morning. You do that, you make yourself worthy of my wrath. It’s as simple as that.

4. It’s been years since I have had a best friend. I have good friends. Ones I am really close with. But I miss something of some sort, something I had in my relations few years ago. Few of them will disagree with that, but I know it’s true. And that feeling of emptiness, of not having that ‘something’, someone, endures in my mind for most part.

5. There are things I might not react to at first. I will act as if they don’t matter to me, but the truth is, they do. When people ask me if I am happy with my college, I tell them yes, I couldn’t have been happier. Reality, I hate myself for not working harder in those two years and for not getting the college I promised one of my best friends back then.

6. I am pretty over-possessive when it comes to the people I love. And that feeling amplifies with time. I start judging and interpreting every single thing that happens to them. Everything they say and do, collects in my mind, which keeps processing those thoughts all day long. I can’t help not caring. I act protective, and don’t want them to get hurt. Most of the times, however, not letting anyone else hurt them, I end up hurting them myself.

7. Personally, I can’t stand people who keep whining… for attention most of them. Rest are useless chumps. Everyone deals with unexpected things in life. I don’t post facebook statuses to garner “Awww. I am sorry”s or tweets screaming for attention. The closest I ever get is angsty updates that either get deleted within hours or turn into good conversations. Also I ‘secretly’ pity people who try to be what they are not. They amuse me, really do. Honestly, I would like to know what makes them think that if they are not happy with the way they are, they will be happier being someone else. A copy, will always remain a copy. An original, will always be an original (#TalksLikeTVD). You try being what you are not, you will as well lose the only real identity you have.

8. I’m not a non-believer of God. I say I am but I am not. I just hate Him. ‘Hate’ is a strong word I know. And I hate Him. I have my reasons. And no, I don’t pray. I just leave Him messages before I sleep, telling Him how much I hate him for everything He has put me through. I don’t blame Him for the mistakes I commit. I just blame Him for the things He is responsible for in my life. It’s because people say it is Him who is responsible for them and that things like those can’t happen without His consent. So I am being my natural self holding a grudge against Him.

9. I don’t know if this is the inner child in me wanting to be different and unique, but my last name has always kind of bugged me. I never use my full name anywhere, unless it is mandatory. I think it’s too much of a common name – and that coming from someone named Supriya!

10. I am super-duper lazy. Yeah, that’s not much of a secret but you know… I am getting lazy to think of my secret no. 10 right now, so I guess I will just pass. No? Oh come’on! You know there is no limits to my laziness. I am so lazy I won’t even run if my a$$ was on fire. Ha, but I guess neither would you! Wouldn’t you just sit and rub it off the ground?

I am sorry I went overboard with our relation, it wasn’t meant to go that way. I am sorry I got carried away.. with it’s emotions, love and serenity. With you life seemed so perfectly perfect that I just didn’t want to give it up, ever. All I wanted was every bit of love that you got. I wanted other’s share of it too. You must think I was selfish. When all I was doing was being stupid. I made our lives so obscure to deal with. I made it so small to comfort in. You and me, that was it. What I thought and I always knew but never realized, never wanted to realize was that it could never happen. You and me, it could never be that way. Life would never be the way we could be happy, together. Life ain’t programmed to keep everyone forever happy. I wish it did. And I know you’d wish the same. But I don’t know why it always has to be the harsh way. I hate myself for bringing tears to your eyes, rolling them down those sweet lil’ cheeks of yours.. the same I used to kiss each time. But there’s no other way out, none that I know of.. can think of. None that I can see. I wish I could create a world of our own. Far from our fantasy land, a real world. I would never ever hurt you then. All I will do then is love you.

You, I want you to know something. You are the most beautiful thing that has ever occurred to me. Now at this point, there is no way I can imagine how my past years would have been had you not been there with me. I don’t even wanna give it a try! With you I felt joy, I felt content and happiness. I discovered love, it’s beauty far and beyond. Fair or not, it never mattered. You were always the pretty lil’ princess with a lost shoe for me. I would have never ever let anyone hurt you. But now I realize, that sooner or later it will be me, hurting you. And it hurts to know that. That pain, of hurting you, echoes inside the emptiness of my head, killing each part in my body. It feels, that I have you and still you aren’t there with me. I can feel you, but still can not touch you. I can hear you saying it to me, but I can’t see you in front of me. I wish this was a dream. A dream I would soon wake up to.

I don’t know if I am doing the right thing. It just, it will lessen the amount I feel bad for being with you, later on. I am sorry I was so busy loving you, cherishing the love from you that I didn’t realize it wasn’t meant for me. And that you would never be able to love anyone again. That we would never be able to love anyone again. How easy it was for you to get me to promise that I will move on if I ever find someone else I like. Damn I couldn’t even get you to promise me that. If, by any means, there’ll ever be a wish that someone could grant me, then it will be, that you find someone, someone who’s better, someone more deserving, and definitely more luckier than me. I wish you’d find him soon because I know he will worth it having you in his life. And he will never ever gonna let you miss me.. miss loving me. I do love you!

So, finally we meet again! I know it’s been long, really long. And I am sorry. I have been struggling with stuff of my own. The year has been tough, and hard.. and bad. For one, I couldn’t live it up to mine or anyone’s expectations. I didn’t even try! Late, lazy mornings; an year without breakfast; skipping up on lectures at will; attending useless, boring meetings; dodging glares from unwanted, ugly people always on lookout for a prey; activities, that once meant recreation and have now gone rogue and outta control; a bad, bad writer’s block; issues with God, and family, and almost everyone who’s around; few screwed up relations; broken and unkept promises, being the cause of numerous tears that rolled down numerous pretty faces of those who love me; that’s what 2010 has been for me, mostly. Of course that’s not all of it! Like that one streak of silver lining peeping through the dark, black clouds that they couldn’t stop (and never would); I too have had my own precious and cherished memories from the year that’s now slowly but steadily ticking away. I can’t obviously write them all, here in this post. Some feelings cannot be put into words, while some are better when kept within the safe boundaries of your heart and brain.

Dee’s wedding; the time I had always feared to face and the time I realized I don’t anymore. There was nothing I could have done, nothing better I could have done. That was how it was supposed to be. How much I have wanted to be the only living person to love my sister(s), see that no one else can love them any more than I do. That was when I realized how stupid I had been all this while. Yes, I didn’t want her to go; because I thought going then would mean she’s leaving me behind. Pulling me out of her life. It’s now I realize what a jerk I had been!

When I bumped into a long-lost bestest friend; the time I had a zillion questions thumping my brain, all devastated to crackle my skull and burst open my head, and one of them actually did, “HOW ARE YOU!?” When what actually I meant to ask was, “How is it that your eyes still look so beautiful?” And then, “When did you come back?” No, I meant to ask, “Can I touch your face? It’s so shiny and white, and as innocent as pure pearl..” And the last one, before something (someone) abruptly took her away from me, again, “What have you been doing?” Ahhh, again. No. “I was such a jerk to have let you go. I am sorry. Can we be together again?” If only it were the right ones that popped outta my head.

Birthday 2k10; the time worth savoring. My first (and might be the last) birthday at college, I couldn’t have asked for more! Few punches, no beatings, no a$$ kickings or bumpies, my face and clothes all spared the fate of a trash can crumpled to its misery.. Man! THAT was a dream birthday I’d so long wished for! It’s always been fun to watch someone else get the beatings after you have had your share; but someone else having your share too, yeah, that was delightful! And to the person, who made my day, whom I never got a chance to hug (I’m sorry), or thank, I would have never known what I would have been missing had you not been there in my life. Thanks for walking into my room (and my life), and make sure you always close the door behind, for I am never let you gonna go!

A relation born so special, with a person so dear; the time I would wanna remember for ages and generations, and centuries to come! That one call, that one conversation, I never thought we would walk this far to a place, from where there’s no coming back. Not that I care, as long as I have you.. and that’s for eternity, I know. Thanking would not be enough, but I know you will understand. You always do. I don’t know how. I love you!

That’s more of it. My complete 2010. Also there are others I wanna thank, people I met, and whom I didn’t. For it was because of you both that my year was like it was. A person here, or a person there could have meant something else entirely. I couldn’t have missed upon any of the good times I had; so thank you all! And to those, whom I hurt, in any way, unknowingly that is, I am sorry. I really am. For the rest, yes I hurt you willingly! And no, I am not sorry for that. You should have known the reason I did so. If not, you should have searched for one; still didn’t get it, should have asked me. It wouldn’t have bothered me, for you are none of my concerns for the rest of the year. Yeah! You are lucky bi$h, I don’t carry my grudges into the next year. You have a chance to start afresh. WE have a chance.. Happy New Year!

Period.

]]> http://blog.ankursays.com/2010/12/2010-the-ends-not-near-its-here/feed/ 13 http://blog.ankursays.com/2010/04/sometimes/ http://blog.ankursays.com/2010/04/sometimes/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:00:24 +0000 Ankur http://blog.ankursays.com/?p=491

Sometimes, here in this world… you feel as if you are left all alone, far away… You look around to see if anyone’s around, anyone… someone…. Someone you know… Someone you want to know… But there’s no one around, no one to care, no one who cares… That’s the time you need friends, that’s when you make friends!

When leaving for my college, I was sad. Desperate I was, to begin my college life… but that feeling of parting with friends was painful… It hurt, it still does.  But at least, now I have, whom I would call, the best of friends. Before I came here in JUIT, I doubted if I would make friends, I doubted if I could still make friends. But here I got, undoubtedly the best, and perhaps for the first time, love beyond my expectations. Once again, life taught me, it’s better not to have expectations of anyone, about anything. Life never occurs the way you want it to be. There were times, when I needed my friends in my life, I wanted them to be there for me, and I wanted to be with them… But they weren’t. And now, when I wanted to be alone, when I wanted to stay away from all relations, everything, then I meet people with whom I can share everything and anything… with whom I can be the real me. But I don’t want this, really I don’t. Life has somehow been unfair. Each time I had loved someone from the core, each time I got spiritually attached to a person I have lost them outta my life. I am tired of it now. I’m left with no power whatsoever within, to bear another parting, seeing yet another person walking out of my life for no mistake of mine. It hurts. It would be good if I maintain a distance from the very beginning.. I don’t want to get addicted to someone; I don’t want someone to get addicted to me. When things never turn up as you want them to, I believed this was the only option I’m left with.  I tried keeping to it. But at times I just can’t resist.. I feel I can’t keep a distance from them, but I do.. Somehow I convince myself. But the next moment I forget about it. It doesn’t bother me when people don’t share their feelings with me, but when a friend doesn’t, it does bother, a lot. That’s when I forget that it’s been me, who had been maintaining distance and not them. And that’s when it hurts again, and it’s more than the pain of losing a friend. Atleast there you know, there’s nothing you can do to get them back.. But here, you’ll have that “if only I knew” feeling, which makes you feel worse. Had a friend who one day, out of the blue, blurted out things on my face, which of course weren’t that good to hear, and when I came back to senses an hour later, I realized I had lost her.. After another hour passed, it dawned on me she never was my friend. Yes, if she would have been, she wouldn’t have left like this.. for no reason at all.. That’s another good thing about college. You learn to live and survive in the real world. Not all here who come forward as your friends are truly your friends.. I don’t think I need to explain this part. All of you must be having a good experience with this. Period.

Times come, and go.. Times, both good.. and bad. But they leave things behind.. things, like our memories.. memories, when we were happy, and when we were sad..

The world is all set to bid goodbye to the year 2009 (some of them already did it though, not all humans inherit regions lying in same time zone, remember?). Sigh, 2K9.. the year, not everyone survived (This post is a tribute to all those souls).. The year, not everyone lived the way they wanted to.. Some did, others didn’t. Most of the times, you ended up doing things you never wanted to.. and things ended up like, you never wanted them to. But it’s not that, always you regretted those things happening to you. You did enjoy it, atleast once! The year 2009, must be special, must have got something special for each one of us. For me, too, the year 2K9 had been a year with kaleidoscopic emotions, feelings good and bad.. changes both wanted and unwanted.. achievements, those that I deserved and others that I didn’t.. failures (always undesirable!).. friends, I feel lucky to have and will always do.

The start of the year was hectic enough. IIT-JEE, AIEEE, BITSAT, what not! Not that I was one of the studious types, whom you will always find surrounded by books with names and authors you never heard of! But then, the ones not lying in that group are the ones who have to struggle, right? Struggle to get through the syllabus once, or twice (or maybe thrice and more.. varies from person to person, the density however decreases as we go up!). Add to it your parents’ never ending hushes and pushes “Bas kuch din aur beta, mann lagakar padho”, “kuch mahino ki mehnat, aur fir masti hi masti”, “vanvaas toh kaat liya, raavan maarna baaki hai bas” and thousands like that, GOD! 3 Months of reckless studying, and certain constraints and clauses landed me in Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat (JUIT, Waknaghat in short). College, I would say, is not quite different than schools. What creates the difference is opportunity. You’ll get opportunities in  abundance there. Opportunity to know your worth, your skills and prove it before the world. Opportunity to be what you longed to be, opportunity to live life the special way, you wanted to always. You’re no longer a sibling, you get to go on your own. (P.S. Some still don’t!) You feel like you once again entered the phase of your life you once passed through, long ago, when you were a kiddo.. and you just joined school. You don’t know anyone, you won’t have the same friends you once had with you. You got to make some new. Befriend, trust, help, love and get loved. Seems like life’s revolving around in a circle. You do things, you once did when you just joined your school. But it’s different this time. You’re a bit.. grown up. I won’t go into the details here. Let teen/college tv soaps do their work

The year had been sort of ‘torturous‘ I would say. Making new relations, keeping them safe and happy, hurting few, ignoring others completely! But then that’s how it has to be. You try to balance stuff and yourself get dis-balanced. Hard it is to be happy, harder it is to keep others happy. I made new friends, many of them.. and I love to have them, be with them. Then there are some whom I met after quite some time, 2 years and plus.. that’s the duration. There were things I did, things I had always wished to do.. the magazine for instance.. and the robotics workshop. There were things that kept me away from some relations, that kept me from caring and loving them. I believe they will forgive me, and that we will be more closer the coming year, than we were. I’m sorry.

And here is a something, for the person with whom I share the most beautiful relation in this world. You know it’s you. Thanks, for being there for me at times when I needed someone to hug me, kiss me, take away all my sorrows, and pains. You taught me things, that I’ll never forget. The moments I spent with you, this year, will always cherish in my heart. I Love You!

2009, an year of ups and downs. An year of mixed emotions. Emotions bole toh..
Frustration, Hushes, Recklessness, Exams, Tension, Results, Dissapointment, More Results, More Dissapointment, Anger, Frustration, Period.
College, Freedom, Fresh Start, New Friends, Ugly Teachers, Pretty Seniors, Football, Exams, Results, Party, Happy, Magazine, F**k, Robotics Workshop, Yippie, More Exams, Results, Vacations.

Things don’t always end up the way you want them to, but I’m happy my year 2009, ends here on a good note. Before signing off, I wanna share some lines of William Arthur Wards. Here they are:

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

Happy New Year 2K10

So friends, signing of is me, Ankur, in my last post of 2K9, in the last minute of 2K9, I wish you all a very happy 2010. Good Luck, Cheers.

3 Idiots - A must watch!

Pants down and palms up! Give a high five! 3 Idiots is not a film, it’s one complete college life that goes whoooosh like a roller coaster before your eyes, guaranteeing tons and tons of rollicking laughter. A must-watch entertainer for all the campus students, 3 Idiots is a commendable tale of friends, and friendship that’ll last down your memory lane, for years to come. It is nonetheless like a kid that never tires of entertaining you.

Though an adaption of Chetan’s famous Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots has nothing much that could be related with it. Unlike Hello, the movie completely butchered Chetan’s work, this is just the opposite, probably even better. In fact it seems, in the case of 3 Idiots, the film makers have had a healthy competition with the author. With every passing sequence we see the efforts have gone higher and higher to make the film more interesting.

After the few initial sequences, the film is narrated in a non-linear pattern by Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan), the first idiot. He is brought together with the second idiot Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) by Chatur Ramalingam, who apparently wants to clear the score with the three idiots. Thanks to Chatur Ramalingam’s obsession to prove that he is the winner, the two idiots reunite with the third one- Ranchoddas Laxmandas Chanchad (Aamir Khan).

The charm lies in it’s unconditional friendship and heart-touching songs with their beautiful lyrics. 3 Idiots is something that will get you crying and at the very same moment, making you laugh like anything. Salt water is a good conductor of electricity. Everyone’s read it, but Rancho (Aamir Khan) applied it on his ‘pissed-off’ senior to escape getting ragged on his very first day of the Imperial Engineering College. An Edison-in-the-making, he believes in striving for excellence rather than success, which, in fact, is the core message of the film. The song “Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh” is something that describes him the best. Infact the same was used as a background score throughout the movie, and it definitely was awesome! But my personal favorite is “Jaane Nahi Denge Tujhe”. The song plus it’s timing in the movie, leaves you with nothing but tears. It’s something just awesome! The types only one who lived/lives his life for friends would understand, feel and appreciate. Another one that gets you dissolved in it’s beauty is “Give Me Some Sunshine”. It comes on a tragic note though, but is something worth listening.

Despite the foibles, ‘3 Idiots’ makes for an enjoyable watch, thanks to the bonhomie cracked up on screen by Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman. Aamir’s Rancho is a bouncy, fidgety genius with a golden heart. The 44-year-old actor almost passes off as a 22-year-old collegian, bringing out in his character the juvenile buoyancy and vivacity few actors of his age can. Madhavan and Sharman give ample support from the flanks, but a word of praise needs to be reserved for Sharman who shines equally in dramatic as well as funny scenes. Kareena, sadly, has been relegated to a corner but makes her presence felt in a few well-enacted sequences, but it’s Boman Irani who comes up with the best performance in the ensemble with his brilliant portrayal of an eccentric professor. His jawline protruded, his brows pursed, his gait ungainly, his speech lisped, Irani is every bit the vile and virulent Virus he’s supposed to be.

Concluding, 3 Idiots has everything one could easily relate with his or her college life. Seniors, ragging, ugly professors, pissed off students, cool nicks, rum, rustications, suicides, love.. everlasting friends. It is a perfecto to watch with friends this Christmas. Aal izz well, Cheers!

Avatar (2009)

When a film brashly asserts that it will change moviemaking forever, one feels the urge to either take its “king of the world” arrogance down a notch or hail it as the masterpiece it claims to be.

Hey friends, no I won’t be the one posting the review of Avatar today, we got a guest writer to share her thoughts and review. Please welcome my U-Dee

After taking his audiences in a world oozing with water everywhere in Oscar winning movie  Titanic, James Cameron has proved it yet another time that ‘Imagination has no limits’ and He could be called the King of Imagination. James Cameron’s 3-D “Avatar” has all the smack of a Film Not To Miss, a movie whose effects are clearly revolutionary, a spectacle that millions will find adventure in. But it nevertheless feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a truly alive film.

“Avatar” takes place in the year 2154 on the faraway moon of Pandora, where, befitting its mythological name, the ills of human life have been released. The Earth depleted, humans have arrived to mine an elusive mineral, wryly dubbed Unobtainium and they could go to any limits to achieve their aim, even if it is killing all the inhabitants of that planet. They develop ultra modern weapons, robots, explosives, spies and ‘Avatars’ for entering and destroying Pandora.

The Resources Developmental Administration, a kind of military contractor, is running the operation. At the top of the chain of command is the CEO-like Carter Selfridge, who’s hellbent on showing quarterly profits for shareholders. His muscle and head of security is the rock-jawed Col. Miles Quaritch, who curses Pandora’s inhabitants (the Navi) as savages and considers the place worse than hell.

In fact, it’s a paradise. In Pandora, Cameron has fashioned a sensual, neon-colored, dreamlike world of lush jungle, gargantuan trees and floating mountains. Its splendor is easily the most wondrous aspect of “Avatar.”

Cameron, like the deep sea diver that he is (his only films since 1997′s “Titanic” have been underwater documentaries), lets his camera peer with fascination at the glow-in-the-dark plant life, the six-legged horses and – especially beautiful, the nighttime frog-like creatures that, when touched, open a bright white sail and spiral into the air.

It’s this sense of discovery in Pandora, in the wizardry of the filmmaking, that makes “Avatar” often thrilling.

Our main character is Jake Sully, a brawny former Marine who lost the power of his legs in battle on Earth. His scientist twin brother has just died and Sully, having a matching genome, is invited to replace him in a mission to Pandora.

He joins a small group of scientists led by Dr. Grace Augustine who are attempting to learn more about the Na’vi by conducting field studies and doing a bit of undercover science. They’ve created avatars of themselves to go about Pandora as a living, breathing Navi, while their human bodies lie dormant in a sort of tanning bed (they return to them when their avatars sleep).

The Navi are a 10-foot-tall species with translucent, aqua-colored skin, 3-fingered hands and smooth, lean torsos. They have long, neat dreadlocks for hair and wide, feline foreheads. The smart freckles on their brow faintly light up like tiny constellations.

With beady headdresses and skimpy sashes, the Navi are clearly meant to evoke Native Americans, as well as similarly exploited tribes of South America and Africa. They pray over slain animals and feel at one with nature. Their tails (oh, yes, they also have tails) even connect like nature’s USB port  to things like mystical willow branches, horse manes or the hair of pterodactyl-like birds.

It’s no coincidence that the Navi chief Eyukan is played by the Cherokee actor Wes Studi, whose credits include “Dances with Wolves,” perhaps the film most thematically akin to “Avatar.”

“Avatar”, which Cameron wrote as well as directed, is essentially a fairy tale that imagines a more favorable outcome for the oppressed fighting against the technology and might of Western Civilization. Sully, who quickly takes to life as a Navi, begins to feel his allegiances blurred.

Though he has promised Quaritch to spy on the Navi (their home lies atop an Unobtainium deposit), he begins to appreciate their ways. He also falls for Neytiri, the Navi princess and the one who introduces him to the tribe.

Many Navi are suspicious of Sully  ”a demon in a fake body” but they eventually embrace him. They accept him as a leader, even though he occasionally goes limp and vacant when his human body isn’t connected.

The inevitable battle has overt shades of current wars. Quaritch, drinking coffee during a bombing with a cavalier callousness like Robert Duvall in “Apocalypse Now,” drops phrases like “pre-emptive strike,” “fight terror with terror” and even “shock and awe,” a term apparently destined to survive for centuries in the lexicon.

These historical and contemporary overtones bring the otherworldly “Avatar” down to Earth and down to cliche. The message of environmentalism and of (literal) tree-hugging resonates, but such a plainly just cause also saps “Avatar” of drama and complexity.

Avatar is a movie of coming generation.The director actually takes your breath away with the ultimate beauty of Pandora, surprisingly shown in flora and fauna.The landscapes,the flying mountains,the animals which are more dangerous than the Dinosaurs, the shining insects and plants, and every single thing that is shown in the movie is just amazing.This movie not only gives you a treat to watch all these out-of-the-world scenes, but,it even contains a meaningful and believable story within it which you can connect easily with. This movie also provides you with an idea that how developed our world would be in the coming years,where taking an X-Ray report would be a just-a-minute task.

Therefore, if you really want to visit that breathtaking world of Pandora and you are wanting a movie which is ‘zara hatke’, then Avatar is a movie for you.

Anvita Dutt did the lyrics, while Salim and Sulaiman Merchant did their job well as Music Director.

Pyaar Impossible

Alisha has full-on attitude and is a complete punk. Anushka Manchanda gives it the voice, which is full of that required zest. Salim Merchant pitches in along with the chorus to give this song that extra edge. Dominique Cerejo’s smooth vocals along with husky Vishal Dadlani talk about lovely things which are possible, but at the end it says Pyaar Impossible. It’s a lovely romantic number sure to top your list. You And Me has a feel similar to preceding tracks but talks about two people, completely different, yet one longs for the other. Neha Bhasin and Benny Dayal soul-soothing voice combo makes it a treat for  ears. Starting off as a full-on rock track, 10 On 10 reeks with attitude. Mahua Kamat and Anushka Manchanda are perfect to get that across. The lyrics of the song are cool, hep and perfect for a prom night. It will soon become every hot chick’s anthem and every guy wanting his dream girl to be right there! Naresh Kamat is the sole male voice in this female dominated song. Rishika Sawant sings Ek Thi Ladki with an element of simplicity and a story-telling mode. The composition has innocence to it just like reflected in nursery rhymes. It should be played with the credits of the movie rolling at the start.

The soundtrack is very much suited to the theme of the movie with each song reflecting how different the girl is from the boy in the question. The makers do get some catchy and fun-filled compositions across without treading the conventional route. Brilliant!

My Picks: 10 on 10, Pyaar Impossible, Alisha

Verdict: Pyaar with this album is very much Possible!

Contest: The @PriyankaChopra and #PyaarImpossible contest tinyurl.com/yfx5fmo by TeamPriyanka. Your chance to win 50 autographed PI music CDs! (via @ankursays)

well, I am lying here

1. “You tend to act ‘touchy‘ at times.” (whatever you mean by that)
2. “Your sense of humor is kind of bad.” (Grr.. your english is ‘kind of worst’!)
3. “Your idea of style is not clear.” (Your ideas and your style, both are never clear!)
4. “You don’t have long hair (which will suit you better)” (You don’t play with dolls and wear short skirts, will suit you better!)
5. “You don’t talk and tell your feeling (Feelings are to be felt, not to be told.. and I don’t talk, I RAAWWRRR!)
6. “You dont tell me things, that hurts ur poor friend(me)make ur friends feel special by telling them things first” (Aww! Come stay in boy’s hostel *hides*)
7. “You wear short shirt, t-shirts” (I can’t help if I have legs that are an inch extra long than they should be)
8. “You dont talk to people outside your circle” (As if you even know my circle, or wait.. I guess, we boys dont let you know if we even talk to someone else other than you. You better be thankful for this )
9. “You never laugh loudly with whole heart like HA HA HA.. with big mouth open” (I brush my teeth daily, if that’s what you wanna see -.-)
10. “You never say let’s all go for trekking” (Haha, I never refuse to go if anyone asks me for it)
11. “You bore at times” (That’s when you get on my nerves, Grr..)
12. “You never say I look beautiful” (I dun lie!)

P.S. : Lol, alright, don’t take it as a flaming, just that, I feel lucky to have a friend in you, who can say me anything and whom I can say anything.. Thanks for the ‘space’. Love u!

Do comment,  you will be put on the waitlist if invites get over.

I recently checked my orkut profile and found a new bubble over it (this is the indication of  “New Orkut” on my profile ). I know that orkut is experimenting many things on “New orkut” but i think it follows the facebook.

How to check if your orkut friends have new orkut features?

The bubble shown in below screen shot is the indication of New Orkut user.

Do you need New Orkut invites ?

I have very limited invites so i can’t gave it to every body and neither I fairly decide whom to choose and whom to reject. So i decided to choose from persons who tweet this post with hashtag “ #ankursays”.

Tweet This to get New Orkut invites

Get new orkut invites blog.ankursays.com/268 (via @ankursays)

Note:

1.If you can’t tweet then comment in this post to claim your invites. I’ll select you from random.org selections.

2. If you have spare invites the please donate it to the persons here.

Update:

Confirmed Invitees:

• Varun Dhawan
• SUjIt(kArAn)
• Chinmay Nighoskar
• karT!K
• Jay…Thespian
• puneet
• @dî<>Amit
• Priit

Waitlist:

• ————

Note: I arranged many more invites and you need to Comment/Tweet to get new Orkut invites

Please add me on orkut to receive the invites.

orkut.co.in/Main #Profile.aspx?uid=8962532124587683368

(orkut only allows to send the invites to friends)

This is one such movie Indian cinema has never seen. A Clear winner of Aladin, is its SFX. Blood and sweat has been put over it and it really shows. Not at any point it looks overdone. What complements the movie more is its perfect casting and characterisation. Each and every actor is cast so well that you can never imagine anyone else playing any character. Ritesh is so perfect as a loser Aladin. While Jaquline is endearing as Jasmine. Amitabh Bachchan is extremely likeable and does not make you remind his similar role of Bhootnaath.

Sanju baba is clearly show stopper. As a bad guy, Ringmaster he is oh, so perfect. Cinematography is the thing to watch out for. Huge sets and excellent use of the fort city – Jaisalmer is eye pleasing. Sujoy’s direction is good, but at some points movie loses a little bit. Screenplay becomes less engaging. But given the novelty value, and at short running time of 132 minutes, the movie is full on joyride.

It takes out child from within you. Child who want to dance to peppy tunes of Vishal Shekhar. Music sounds better while watching it on screen. Cause all are situational songs.

All in all, its a must watch movie for some serious and honest effort of putting up age old fable on to the screen.

Rating: 3.5/5 for Aladin !!! Don’t Miss it!!

LONDON DREAMS :

It took so much time to grow on me. Seriously. It has never happened to me for Shankar-Ehsan-Loy ‘s compositions. Though mad mad Mann ko Ati Bhavey became my favorite since the first promo. Other songs made me re-listen to it before I could believe that these are ‘actually’ SEL compositions. Some days back, Barson Yaaron was stuck in mind with its ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ bit. Also the bit ‘…duniya teri mehmaan hai’ is just so addictive.

Next addiction is Tapkey Masti - with fabulous lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, the track is so fun. And the current line stuck with me is ‘Aa zamaane aa….Aazmaane aa…‘ from Khaanabadosh. A sound similar to RDB’s Paathshala, still the track stands on its own. While Yaari Bina reminds me of ‘yaari hai imaan’ – I would love to see how it shapes up on screen. Shola Shola reminds of ‘disco’ beats.

As ‘SEL’ is giving so much inspirational tracks throughout this year, here comes another Khwab Jo this time around with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Shankar gets me goosebumps with his trademark classical raagas. Our college Movie Club [that is me! ] showed it in Auditorium last weekend, but then the print sucked! So, I just can’t wait to see this one song on screen. Just because of last two minutes of the track. It sounds really awesome.

I was expecting something identical with Rock On soundtrack. Cause the storyline seems similar. But for this one, the desi fusion has worked quite in fun way. Making it enjoyable.

My Rating : 4 / 5 stars

My Picks : Khwab Jo, Mann Ko Ati Bhavey, Khanabadosh, Tapkey Masti, Barson Yaaron [oh, almost all ]

1. Download and Install style file

First of all, you will need to download a style I’ve created and load it into Photoshop.

1. Download Photoshop style here. (Right-click -> Save as)
2. For Photoshop CS2 users, put this style file into “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Presets\Styles”Photoshop of other versions, put the file inside Presets\Styles

2. Load style Call up your Style Dialog box in Photoshop Windows -> Styles Notice a small arrow button on the top right corner. Click on it and select Load Styles from the drop down Find web20 from the list and click Load. If you don’t find web20, try close Photoshop, re-open it repeat Step 1. Click on the arrow button again and select Large List from drop down Your result should look something similar to the image on the right.

3. The six Web 2.0 Logos

Here’s six Web 2.0 Logos -  MyBlogLog, Imified, mixd, skype, Linked In and Go2Web20. The style you’ve just installed is going to reveal how to draw them. I’ll go through “mixd” logo, the rest are just reusing the same technique.

4. How to draw

The reason I use Style here is because once they are saved in to a .asl file (the file you downloaded) they are convenient to apply. Let’s go about drawing some of these logos.

Drawing mixd Logo

Initial observation, mixd logo consist of

1. “mixd” text
2. rounded rectangular
3. small dot
4. smaller dot

We will roughly draw them out in Photoshop, each elements in a different layer as illustrated in the image below.

5. Conclusion

If you look into the Blending Options of each style, you will noticed that most Web 2.0 logos are matter of playing with gradients, strokes with the combination of the right fonts. This may not the “exact” way how these guys had done their logo, but its at least a way to achieve it. I’m not encouraging you to fake their style and redraw your logo, but try understand it and hopefully you can come out with a nice sleek Web 2.0 logo. I love putting my designs in Style (.asl), I can reuse them whenever I want.

So after Terabytes of reviews and thoughts about A R Rahman’s first post-Oscar soundtrack… [oops, did I forget to put TM in Oscar?? =P] I finally declare that I am liking the soundtrack of BLUE gradually. Yes it sounds little odd cause most of the reviews / thoughts I’ve read, are boasting about the music. But I was dizzy when the promos started to pour in. Music did not sound quite ‘Rahman’ish. But after getting the soundtrack on my Ipod, I am liking it with each listening.

Chiggy Wiggy : The song I was desperately waiting for. (I love Kylie Minogue hopelessly =P) So definitely this would be drooling experience to see her in a Hindi movie. First portion of track is obviously superb with silly silly words and singing of Kylie. But when I heard the Sonu part for the first time, I was annoyed! Maybe cause he disturbed me and distracted me from Kylie. And the typical words, Heeriye, Jaaniye, Soniye were let down. But after some more listening I actually loving the portion much more than Kylie’s portion. The way Sonu starts his ‘antara‘ is so so much fun. And the line ‘chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy chig chig‘ got me stuck!!

Aaj Dil : What it reminds me of are two things : Daud and Baywatch! Baywatch just for the piano pieces mixed in compositions. And the singing is so much like ‘O bhaware‘ from Daud in First part of the song, which picks up immediately and whoa!! Shreya sprinkles her magical new voice. She overshadows Sukhvinder completely. Shreya here reminds me of Jism, when she stunned everyone who loved sweet singer of Devdas. In a same fashion of Jism, this song too ends up with giggles of Shreya. Love it!! Perfect for a beach outing.

Fiqrana: Rahman !! It has Rahman written all over it. Its a Yuva part 2 song. But a step ahead of it, just listen it LOUDER. Close your eyes and you can feel yourself standing at a cliff !! Or as @thebollywoodfan once tweeted, a perfect song to play in your car on a long ride at 2am !! The best part of the song is the techno portion – Hoon Junoon Sukooon Main Shararaaaa…. WOW!!! But still I want more from it. I wanted this song to be sung by A R Rahman himself. [and I think he will open up his next 'Jai Ho' concert with this song, Damn sure!!] [and thank God, Farhan Akhtar denied offer to sing this song]  Also loved lyrics of the song.

Bhoola Tujhe [Mere Khuda] : My most favorite track !! A Guitar string track. And soothing voice of Rashid Ali. What else one need when Rahman composes a track for his beloved ‘Khuda‘!! Though the lyrics [by Rajat Arora] are tricky, I loved them. Such a soulful track.

Blue Theme : Punjabi??? Oh no not again….but hey its Rahman. So i must watch out for this.  And man!! the song is Bombastic!! The sound ‘Ba–loooo‘ makes it simply unique.

Rehnuma : A let down track for me. It sound so so much identical to the Bond series songs. No doubt Shreya sings it like never before. And sound is so Mysterious [which I usually love, remember 'Aaj ki raat' from Don] But the song fails to hold my attention even after numerous listenings. Lets see how it comes up on screen [did anyone said 'Scorching Hotttt !! =P]

Yaar Mila Tha : Udit Narayan+Rahman. A combination which guarantee some refreshing and fun outing. This song features very limited sound of music. A funky tribal touch and Udit doing hip-hop’ish’ act with Madhushree… Fun.

Overall, its a highly commercialized Rahman this time. But even with that tag, he lives up to expectations. This album surely will not end up in his own league of Best soundtracks ever, but still BLUE is commercial at its best.

My Picks : Bhoola Tujhe, Chiggy Wiggy & Fiqrana .

No worries though, Aamir’s movies always release in that month (atleast the blockbusters do!).

Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.

Wake Up Sid, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some remote corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.

Actually, Wake Up Sid is a slice of life film. It’s not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can’t help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes Wake Up Sid most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who’s mastered the craft at such a young age.

Verdict? Wake Up Sid mirrors those ears with flourish. This one’s a simple story that strikes a chord instantly. Strongly recommended!

Wake Up Sid tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid (Ranbir Kapoor), a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid’s world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.

Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi (Namit Das) and Laxmi (Shikha Talsania), very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita (Supriya Pathak) and takes his father Ram Mehra (Anupam Kher) and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend.

Aisha Bannerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma), an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid’s on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha’s first friend in the city.

As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.

Let’s not compare Wake Up Sid with anything you’ve watched before. Not Dil Chahta Hai. Not Lakshya either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.

The first hour, right till the intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid’s world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It’s only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could’ve done with some trimming in this hour.

Ayan Mukerji packs in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is superb. Prior to that Konkona’s birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) is melodious. Anil Mehta’s cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogues are just right.

There’s no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in WWake Up Sid, he proves that he’s amongst the best in the business today. No one could’ve portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that’s for sure. This is an award-worthy performance.

Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she’s so effortless. Here’s another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn’t get any scope.

On the whole, Wake Up Sid is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday. Its distributors (UTV) have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros [instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints], which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I have reached home and it’s been a really really tough day as such. Really, I shouldn’t plan anything or in any case be excited about something. It never works! Like it didn’t work this time as well.

September 25th, 2009. The day I ordered my New Dell Studio 15. I was so so happy seeing the configuration I had customized for myself. Wanna have a look?!

Item	Description	Quantity
001	Dell NEW Studio 15 Laptop	1
1	1 Year Complete Cover Accidental Damage Protection	1
2	# Year 1 Standard POW	1
3	1 Year Telephone Technical Support (9am To 6pm, Monday – Friday)	1
4	Regional Support Within Asia Pacific Countries For Laptops	1
5	1 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis	1
6	# Yr 1 Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis	1
7	Microsoft(R) Works Include Microsoft(R) Office Home & Student 60 Days Trial Pre-	1
8	Microsoft(R) Works CD Kit	1
9	McAfee(R) Security Center(TM) (24 Months)	1
10	McAfee(R) Security Center(TM) – CD Kit	1
11	Dell(TM) PC-Restore	1
12	Integrated Fast Ethernet 10/100/1000	1
13	34mm ExpressCard Slot, (DOES NOT SUPPORT PC CARDS)	1
14	BASE,NBK,STUDIO,1555	1
15	Country Info Mod (INDIA)	1
16	Dell(TM) Chat	1
17	Dell(TM) Dock Software	1
18	Power Cord (India)	1
19	Microsoft(R) Windows Live TM	1
20	Noise Isolation Ear Buds	1
21	512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570	1
22	90W Primary AC Adapter	1
23	Intel(R) WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card	1
24	Intel Centrino 2 Core Duo Processor Label	1
25	Dell’s Terms and Conditions apply	1
26	Laptop Batteries Carry 1 Year Warranty Only From Invoice Date	1
27	Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 32 bit SP1 Edition (English)	1
28	Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 32 bit SP1(English/Hindi) DVD Media	1
29	System Driver DVD Kit	1
30	Added performance for entertainment and movie making. Features the new 3D Aero	1
31	graphics interface. Includes Windows Media Centre functionality,	1
32	Movie Maker, advanced photo features and DVD authoring. 2GB+ RAM recommended.	1
33	PC Restore will occupy some HDD capacity.	1
34	The capacity varies with preloaded material and operating environment.	1
35	Vista QFE OS (Home Premium SP1)	1
36	Microsoft(R) Windows Vista(R) Premium Experience Label	1
37	System Driver Mod	1
38	User Guide (English)	1
39	Dell(TM) Connect Software	1
40	Dell(TM) Support Center	1
41	Slot Load 8X DVD + /-RW Drive with DVD + R double layer write capability	1
42	Cyberlink PowerDVD Software media kit	1
43	Roxio Creator 10	1
44	PowerDVD Software	1
45	IMR Chain Link Palm rest	1
46	6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery	1
47	Discount is only valid if the corresponding upgraded item is selected above.	1
48	Limited time promotional offer only. No further discounts apply.	1
49	Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)	1
50	Studio-NB Handling & Insurance Charges /Express Premium	1
51	Express Delivery	1
52	Studio-NB Handling & Insurance Charges	1
53	Inspiron/Studio Laptop Delivery Charges(India)	1
54	Integrated Stereo Sound with Subwoofer	1
55	Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module	1
56	Belkin Simple Backpack 15.6′ Pitch Black / Soft Gray (Jetset Red)	1
57	Shipment Box without Carrying Case	1
58	Chainlink Black with Black U-Trim	1
59	15.6 ” 720p WLED (1366×768) Display with TrueLife(TM) and Built-in 2.0MP Web Cam	1
60	Sensible Vision FastAccess Facial Recognition Software	1
61	Facial Recognition	1
62	Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Cam	1
63	Camera Software	1
64	500GB SATA Hard Drive	1
65	Dell(TM) Laser Mouse	1
66	Dell(TM) Keyboard with Touchpad (English)	1
67	4GB Dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM	1
68	Dell Online Backup 2GB	1
69	#MOD,SW,DTSV,OL,1.1	1
70	#MOD, SW, DTSV, OL, 2GB-free	1
71	To activate your online backup account, go to Start, Programs, Datasafe Online	1
72	# NFO, RYLTY, DTSV, OL	1
73	Dell Remote Access, free basic service	1
74	MOD,SW,DRMTA,1.0?	1

Exciting na?! Well, I couldn’t sleep for the next 5 days. If I did, I dreamt of me sitting before my lappy, playing with it.. or having it on my lap while lying on bed, and what not! Finally October 3rd, 2009 it showed my Laptop had been dispatched by the local courier (they call BlueDart their local courier! O_o). I wanted to come home then, as I had three day holidays, but my parents made me stay back and asked me to come no before Diwali holidays. The next day they called up to inform that ‘my’ laptop had reached home and that it’s working fine! Sigh, days appeared to pass like ages plus the exam stress (kind of that you get when you come to know you got mid-sems the next day!). Alas, somehow managed a decent performance and hurried back home the same day (see previous post).

Then I did something that I will regret for the next one month – asked them for the laptop. Alright, here is, how it looked :

Aww, felt like hugging it, hiding it in my arms and kissing it.. er, no not the last part. It might spoil it’s polish ^_^

So I carefully kept the laptop at one side and enthusiastically studied the rest of the kit – CDs & DVDs, Laser Mouse, Noise isolation earbuds and my 15.6′ Backpack. The Backpack is quite smooth and gives a velvet touch. CDs/DVDs include – Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 32 bit SP1 DVD, Dell Webcam Central Software, McAfee SecurityCenter, Cyberlink PowerDVD Dx 8.2 Software for Windows XP and Windows Vista and Cyberlink PowerDVD DX 8.3 Software for Windows 7, FastAccess Facial Recognition Software and Microsoft Works 9.

And at last when I opened my Laptop, this is what I see:

P.S. For those who didn’t notice, it’s LCD is b0rked. =(

Ok, I was late though, went shopping to Shimla (with my gang) which was totally unplanned. (Shimla, FYI, is in the opposite direction to my home from my college!) It took me more than 3 hours to return back from where I started (i.e. displacement equals zero). But I am glad I went. For I got to buy Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States! Yes, India’s best-selling English author’s fourth novel – the story of ‘his’ marriage. I desperately wanted a copy ever since 8th of October, the day when it was released. So, my journey back home wasn’t that boring, what it could have been had I not gone shopping

One thing I like about Chetan’s books is his writing style. The way he converts thoughts into words with such an ease is simply awesome! 2 States is a story connecting two people, belonging to different states, who are deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, their parents don’t agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the two have a tough battle in front. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but much harder to convince.

Though Chetan clearly stated in it’s disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, but I doubt the statement. And the book also made me doubt the level of fiction in his first book, “Five Point Someone”. In other words, 2 States seems to be a sequel of his earlier work – Five Point Someone. But with a totally new story in a totally different environment.

Though I reached home at quarter past midnight, after travelling more than 12 hours in bus, I just couldn’t Zzz before I finished reading the book. And I was glad I did. Because soon the ugliest truth of my life was to be unveiled before my eyes. And I don’t think, I don’t know rather.. if I would have wanted to read anything the following day.

P.S. The book is a must read for all those in love, all who are planning to fall in love and those who want to know what’s love.

Seeya.

Mixero is clearly one of the best ever apps built for twitter. This isn’t just another twitter application, Mixero is what you get when you understand what a twitter user wants, when you analyze the requirements of everyday twitter users like you and me. It is this insight by the developers of Mixero that has helped them build this beauty!

1. Groups

To start with, Mixero supports groups. With every twitter user in the race to follow every other twitterer, groups come in handy to separate the ones that really matter to you.

2. Channels

Channels are nothing but saved searches. Create a channel with your desired keywords and you are good to track tweets you are interested in.

3. Active List

Once you become a pro at using Mixero, you would find that you have a lot of groups and channels to follow. Active List’s come into the picture here. Depending on your mood, you can have a set of groups, users and channels in the active list all at the same time. After that, you would only be seeing updates from twitterers in your Active List, helping you concentrate on what you are most interested in at that moment.

4. Context

As you dive further into Mixero, you would realize that having an Active List isn’t enough! You would want more than one Active List and this is where Contexts come into the picture. Create new Contexts with your set of Active Lists to go into each one of them. This way, you can quickly change between your various Active Lists.

5. Filters

You can filter any user or group’s timeline with keywords of your choice. So, one fine day you decide you would only talk to those twitterers who tweet about your favourite football club, just enter the clubs name in your filter and start your conversation with the right fellas!

6. URLs + Autocompletion + Smart Preview + UI

Mixero provides an option to shorten URLs as you type them into the update field. You can set your preferred URL shortening service in the settings page. You can also see the original URL by hovering your mouse over a short URL.

You must have come across some twitter applications with autocomplete before. But Mixero has one of the most unobtrusive autocomplete window! It’s so convenient to use as well as not use that option!

Easily preview pictures from TwitPic and Flickr. Preview frames from Youtube videos as well.

The Mixero panels are resizeable and you can create any number of panels of any size displaying any channel, group, contact or active list.

7. A Miracle

Stop worrying about losing all the Groups, Active Lists, Contexts, Channels etc. Everything can be synchronized, which means you’ll never have to create those groups all over again in case you change your PC or use the application at two different locations (work + home).

8. Coming Soon

Knowing that Mixero would soon be coming out with an iPhone application that supports almost all the features of the desktop application, I’m jealous of all you iPhone owners (how I wish I had an iPhone!)

As a parting shot I would say this

If there is an app you would use and say WOW, it’s Mixero.

Quickie

• Create groups and never miss out on your favourite twitterers
• Channels to help you track keywords on twitter
• Active Lists to view only selected groups,channels or contact
• Context helps you view the desired Active List
• Filters help you filter your timeline for words specified by you
• Shorten URL and view Long URLs
• Preview TwitPic, Flickr and YouTube
• Create as many panels and of any size you wish

Mixero Says

The new generation Twitter client for people who value their time and are tired of information noise.

Web

• Mixero – Reducing the noise
• Blog
• Download Mixero

Follow

• @mixero – The new generation Twitter client for people who value their time and are tired of information noise.

Mixero Beta Invite

• Invite code “twi5” valid for our first 500 readers

Chetan’s “The 3 Mistakes of My Life”..  A book that was long anticipated before it’s release. The best-selling Indian novelist brings on another installment in showcasing the everyday life of some of the most common, unassuming and innoticeable people of India. Though titled 3 Mistakes of my Life, it has nothing to do with Chetan Bhagat’s life in itself. Anyway, its something fictional, but an entertainer in all!

The plot is pretty simple, 3 average students: Govind, Ish and Omi, having a hard time living, think of entrepreneurship. In middle come an entire big hoard of people, problems and pressures. Its about how they react, solve and live with those problems. Just like in his older books, he chose a batch of people who truly represent a good proportion of urban India. This book is picturised in the older and slightly lesser developed part of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

After reading the book, I kind of felt that it had just one major objective. Making the Indian youth vigilant and aware of some of the biggest problems that plague its society. The list of problems could be very long, but well, WordPress’s tinyMCE editor does have a bullet/numbering functionality for some reason, right? Feel free to scroll down and continue reading the rest of the review. I just wanted to point out that Chetan covered the following problems in his book…

1. Expensive Education
2. Lack of development in smaller towns
3. Conservative mentality
4. Extremism in politics
5. Sick politicians
6. Religious extremism
7. Bias towards agnostics and atheists
8. Poverty amongst the brighter lower-middle class youth
9. Extreme competition in entrance exams for college admissions
10. Success is hard to get
11. Offbeat ideas receive suppression
12. Lack of sports education/infra-structure in schools, etc.
13. Completely study oriented schools
14. Small-scale businesses are extremely risky
15. Advanced coaching for exams is expensive so only the upper-middle class receive that
16. Drift between religions, castes, etc
17. Conservative mentality of parents
18. Hypocrisy among public, politicians, and everyone alike
19. Lack of awareness, foresight and ideas due to lack of quality education
20. Smaller schools lack funds and money in everything, just bigger school students get everything
21. Bad quality contraceptive devices that don’t allow Indians to get bold early
22. Heavy mugger-friendly curriculum
23. Monotonous books, pathetic teachers, result oriented study
24. Lack of scientific temper
25. Students prejudiced about certain subjects and losing interest
26. People just want to earn, and passion for anything is dead
27. Prodigies and talented folks are mostly unrecognized and all that dies away as unharnessed potential
28. Expensive international air tickets, nice food and even good reference material
29. Stereotyped mentality of 99% of parents …. I had enough of it and I guess you did too. Just know that it had many more of it…

Oh well, I could go along all my life just covering the problems Chetan Bhagat put on those measly souls. But then, he makes a point clear. Indians live with many of these, even most of the readers do. The story was just a nicer way of illustrating the most extreme faces of these problems. In some places, the book does seem a little cliched with a few situations seeming too obvious in the setting. Like there is this bloke named Ish, who is a talented cricketer who didn’t go anywhere thanks to his involvement with cricket. So well, it was too obvious that his parents, especially his stereotypically grumpy Indian Dad always taunting against his failures, sometimes, simply for the heck of it! And simply for the heck of covering many of these problems, Bhagat creates or sets up certain scenarios a tad too forcefully… He even chose the best possible time-span to set the story in. Between 1999-2002, India faced the worst of all. Worst of riots, the worst of earthquakes and there were a hoard of problems especially in the part of India he spotlighted on. So well, the book in the end seems a little more than a detailed study of these problems… The book did go pretty much on the over-board side, especially in the ending. Seriously speaking, it did feel like a wonderful plot to a hindi movie with Chetan Bhagat trying to keep the book as riveting as possible.

But then, I did find the book an entertainer. Story and setting did slack off at places, but the writing style simply caught my mind. Several one-liners, witty metaphoric comparisons and unique usage of words with examples plucked from lives of all of us living in the sub-continent did have me bowing down at the same time munching at the food for thought he provided. A few things that he wrote in the book were such that, we might always have it in our mind, but then never have we ever managed to phrase that situation out into a clever statement… At times, he feels just so right. But then at times, it feels that parts of this book were just Chetan speaking out to the public and having his opinion read. And the pricing of the book makes it affordable for even those people documented in the book and even piracy-proof!

There are lofty many things that make Chetan Bhagat a wonderful writer targeting Indian youth. His writing isn’t the same as fantasy writers, who spend a large portion of their publications just explaining the jargon and commodities that they imagined, and neither is it like those philosophical but anecdotal ones like say Sudha Murthy… It just feels almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Me, and many others who are a part of the growing India. The way he managed to put the un-phrased thoughts sitting in the minds of many of us is something that brings me to no surprise to have his third book soaring for success. I would be waiting to read more from him… I wish he updated his so-called blog more often!

Price: Rs. 95/- although ask for discounts in leading book stores.

PS – The book doesn’t have as much of cricket or the fanatic kind of cricket you might assume after looking at the cover, which does look pretty neat.

Sop, leaving all my under construction websites/forums behind, I started my ‘quest’ (it wasn’t less than that!) for some nice, simple theme for the blog. After testing more than ~100 themes from smashingmagazine and googling 300 more, finally I found this theme : Dilectio featured on SmashingMagazine.

Although a 3-column theme, but found it better than many others I saw. Just what I needed, something  “simple, beautiful and user-friendly”. After spending whole of my evening customizing it, finally I came up with what you see on here.. phew!!

Also featured on Smashing Magazine was a bonus wallpaper, which I used as a background image for the blog, (ofcourse I customized it!).

So, after perishing about 150mb of my monthly bandwidth, I feel I got the right, desired layout. Still working on the plugins and sidebar though, but atleast I can tell everyone.. I started blogging!

]]> http://blog.ankursays.com/2009/07/welcome-afresh-thats-my-first-post/feed/ 2 http://blog.ankursays.com/2008/12/happy-birthday-ankur/ http://blog.ankursays.com/2008/12/happy-birthday-ankur/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:07:22 +0000 NiSh http://blog.ankursays.com/?p=4 Wish you a Very Happy Birthday dearest Ankur

A Black Forest cake specially for you! (Yes, I’ve already taken my part ;p)

I hope you like your new domain, AnkurSays.com and the blog that I’ve pre-installed for you. You can change the theme later on as per your choice. I’ve just set everything up for you

Others who wish to leave their Birthday Wishes, may comment as well as register/subscribe here.

Thanks.