TV- REALITY BITES AND FICTION SUCKS!!

Read an entertainment headline today, Rakhi Sawant, after her tremendous success in ‘Rakhi ka Swayamvar’ is now going to be on ‘Pati, Patni Aur Woh’, another reality show. I almost doubled over, mostly with frustration, I think.
Tell me guys, do people really want to watch Rakhi Sawant on prime time TV, in a main character role? I cannot and will not digest this. Is the viewership so good for them to announce another show with her in a lead role? Is my mind so twisted that it cannot fathom this? The swayamvar ads were all over the place.Even those of us not following the show knew about it. Ask any child about swayamvar, and she/he will know because of Rakhi, not because of Sita.
Rakhi Sawant has gone up the ladder, from an item girl tag, she now has the tag of a REALITY STAR! I can now accept Shilpa Shetty’s leap to fame with Big Boss a little more easily. Can we not see the downward graph of our quality on TV?
Shilpa Shetty - > Rakhi Sawant -> What next?(Bobby Darling??Dont know who that is?Lucky You!!) Are we not going really wrong somewhere?

I am not saying we should start watching Ramayan. But we definitely are in dire need of sensible TV. We have such intelligent people in the industry and in the audience. I do not want to believe that shows like this is what ‘aam junta’ wants! The cycle has to end sometime, somewhere. Either the producers have to take a risk and not just go by ratings OR the audience, for the lack of anything else, instead of watching this, should turn the TV off, and turn the radio on!
Don’t we remember in the early 80s and part of 90s we had some terrible movies? Before that we had some masterpieces, and again, after that we have had a lot of directors, ready to risk making good movies. Am not referring to some low budget, no light, no make up actors showing us what bad things happen in the world today. I am talking about a Dil Chahta Hai, an Omkara and a Jab We Met, which made loads of money too..When there are good creative people ready to take a risk on a good script with confidence, producers will be ready to plunge too and vice versa.

We need that kind of revolution on TV. Some simple measures…
1)Lets not copy what is happening out in the west. Lets be original guys. Indians, through history, have been forerunners in so many things. Let’s try to get back there.
2)We need laughter on TV. Not cheap slapstick, but real good humor. I am sure our writers can think harder!
3)And please, oh please, let kids be kids! Don’t slap on makeup on them and ask them to say things, which I think, my granny used to say ! Remember Kachi Dhoop? Amol Palekar ji, where are you?We need more serials from the likes of you.

Everything Online..Just click your worries away!!

Isnt the internet the best?I mean it was one of the best inventions ever..I know I cannot do without the phone or electricity, but after that,its got to be the net!! Add to it networking websites and blogs, and the sky becomes the limit. For hard core indian movie buffs like me, i can never tire of hearing about what my favourite stars are upto. And now we have them actually blogging and telling us what is going on with them. When you read Aamir's or Amitji's blog, you actually feel like you know them personally.

Do you remember when we were growing up and all we had were videos to be rented out from a library(Could not imagine buying one every time!!)? We used to be so excited to go rent a movie to watch. I would trudge along with my dad and brother to the little video library at the corner of the road and spend an hour looking through the list of movies written down by the library guy. This would lead to frustration since we would have no idea on the movie, the review etc.

It is quite awesome now..the digital age. Just go online , look through lists of movies, read their reviews and then make a fair decision on which you want to watch. There are plenty of websites out there which let you buy movies and rent DVDs.Then there are some which let you watch them online. But do remember not all of them are legal. So if you are someone who wants to erase piracy AND want to watch a good quality movie, then you have fewer choices. If you are looking for great desi movies including the age old classics like Gol Maal, Chupke Chupke or serious stuff like Pakeezah, there is one great website available and that is MoovieShoovie. This offers very good picture quality , a fantastic collection of movies and is legal! You want just a trailer or a song of your favourite movie?No problem.That's possible too..

I for one am hooked!!

Therapy thy name girlfriends....

So, it all started when one of my friends decided to move to another country. Over a few drinkies, as most conversations go, we started talking about taking a trip before she left..And for once even after the intoxication left us, we continued to plan it. After a lot of emails, FBing, phone calls, Bangkok was decided as the destination. 5 of us, Raks, Ashu, Jo, Div and me started off to to the airport in this big van on the 3rd of July. The excitement had begun and so had the giggles. .. Checked in the baggage, cleared thru immigration, well almost!! 4 of us did and turned around to see Jo still waiting. After 5 minutes we realised she couldnt get thru immigration cos she was a US citizen and hadnt gotten her registration done yet..After all the begging and pleading, which didnt work, poor Jo had to get her luggage and head back home...
But on the bright side, she attacked the problem bright and early the next morning and joined us at Bangkok the next day..
It was an amazing time that we all had...We shopped till we thought we dropped, but wonder of wonders, we didnt and instead got ready to party..3 days/3 nights in a row...So thats what we did..shopping, eating, partying,more shopping, more partying.. We had our good friend, Suds, who played the host to a 'T' and took us to the best places in town.
Girls, taking time away with your girlfriends, I think is an absolute necessity for good health. We are happy, so we are in a good mood. And when we are in a good mood, everyone else is happy too. So highly recommend this!!

A vacation that wasnt...

For those of you who have actually wondered why I havent blogged ( i know it is a measly few who have), I was too shocked and ashamed of myself to relate my last few days' occurrence..Anyways here goes...

We had this beautiful vacation to Phuket planned..My hubby,my son ,my brother, my SIL and their lil baby girl...2 days before the trip, we realised my passport has expired!! Me, the 'phoren' returned!! I haven't kept track of my passport ! I was too stunned to believe. We got to work and gathered all our papers, got a gazetted officer to sign some documents at 11 in the night. Monday morning, bright and early, we were there at the passport office to file for passport renewal through the 'tatkal scheme'..Expecting a day or 2 at the most for processing, I was left shocked again..After all it is 'loads of power' resting with the 'small people'..They would not so much as look at it. In fact, I knew my chances were slim when the applicant before me, a 70 year old man had got all his papers, with originals, except for his telephone bill. He had brought only a photocopy. He was pleading saying that he stayed too far and needed to come back in a bus. I know its difficult to break rules but to impolitely ask that old man to leave is the pits..
And to top it there were 2 days off for the passport office that week. Why, u ask? Mahavir Jayanti and Good Friday..Really, these guys must work for only a handful of days in a year!!
So instead of getting my passport in 1-3 days according to the expensive tatkal scheme, I get it in 11 days..More money spent but more time taken too...

Anyways, with my blessings, the rest of the family went on the trip...And had a reasonably ok time..And after the first day or so, I had a great time too (though I am not telling them that..I am still trying to play on their guilt for something interesting in return..)

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Guys, go to:: Jaago re! - One Billion Votes 

25 Random things about myself...

I hardly ever get tagged, so when my friend , Raksha did, during her post of '25 Random things about herself', I did not want to let it pass. It took time to get inspired enough to write the same about me..Can I really come up with 25??Lets see...

1)I used to be chilled out, but recently have been bordering on Type A behaviour..Dont know how or why the transition happened..Tho, I am constantly working towards getting back to being chilled out..

2)I get inspired by women who seem to have it all figured out!!

3)I want to backpack around the world...Hopefully there is a permanent remedy for my 'motion sickness' soon:-(

4)I apparently drank 1/2 a bottle of kerosene when i was less than a year old..That could explain the extreme motion sickness..

5)I took my walker at the age of 1 ,saw the open door and scooted.Went to a friend's house, till everyone panicked and finally found me. That was the day, we knew i was not going to be a home body...

6)My longest telephone conversation was 7.5 hours, non-stop..Ha..and people thought I was the quiet one!!

7)That conversation must have done it..Now, if I talk for more than 15 minutes on the phone, I get a pain in my neck..

8)My dad was the most intelligent and the most chilled out person I have known...

9)For a party of mine, he filled coconuts with beer and passed it around to my friends..Of course we were all above 18..I didnt know any dad who could do that..

10)I will never forget the look of pride on his face when both of us saw my 12th results..It was all worth it...

11)I hate secrets..

12)I hate MCPs..

13)I cant believe I am still in Number 12!!

14)I love that my son is such a free spirit and so smart..Though, these are the very reasons, I lose my temper very easily with him..He can be quite a smart *!@

15)I am still waiting for my perfect job...

16)I love my family, but I cant do without my girlfriends..

17)I don't like confrontations of any kind..

18)I love sitcoms..I need an episode of 'Friends' before my sleep..

19)I find it difficult to relate to people when they say they don't read novels of any kind.. I feel the desperate need to convince them to try ..Getting into an author's amazing imagination, is something everyone needs to try..

20)I am convinced I was a nomad in my previous birth since every couple of years I feel I need to relocate...

21)I always dream of going 'back to school' again...

22)I need to be kept busy or I can drive myself and the others up the wall..

23)I need some time everyday to do my yoga and pranayam..

24)I always thought I would be an ideal wife..No possessiveness and nagging was always my motto..Till of course I got married..What can I say..Maybe its in the XX chromosome..

25)I admire myself for the fact that I can graciously accept when I am in the wrong and will try my best to fix it..

Progress??Really??

I am all for new initiatives. The latest I read was 'Bring SMILY RIDE in Bangalore traffic'. I am mighty impressed. The action plan seems simple enough:
1)Just follow the rules and Lane discipline ALWAYS. NEVER EVER violate traffic Rules.
2)Keep smiling at Signals..No arguments, NO shouting, NO Honking and DONOT provoke others to violate.
3)Just display (Show off) to others that you are a strict follower of traffic rules by tying RED and YELLOW (TWO ribbons..just to differentiate if some one has habit of tying ribbon for prosperity etc.,) RIBBON to your vehicle in prominent place..(Say side mirror on Cars, Bikes or buses) and ENROLL minimum TEN people in your life to participate in this MOVEMENT. And each of them will Enroll TEN Others and the chain goes on.

Everytime someone in the car starts cribbing about the traffic or honking, I try and remind them about the 3 principles to follow. But you know, sometimes it really becomes difficult!! I was sitting happily in my 7th floor apt sipping my morning coffee, lazing. Just happened to peep out of the window and this is what I saw:

Can you believe this is not Majestic? It is Sarjapur Road/ORR intersection! Make way for flyovers and underpasses..Make way for progress. And while that is going on, expect quite a lot of jams along the way!!And dont forget, keep smiling:-)

Anyways Cheers to Ananth and the 'Bring Smily Ride in Bangalore Traffic'. Read http://www.ryze.com/posttopic.php?topicid=1014040&confid=366 for more...

Some Valentine's love for our planet?

1)Buy a potted plant of red roses instead of a vase of red roses. Go to a nearby nursery and pick up one. These last longer and are environmentally friendly..

2)Make your own chocolate instead of buying from outside for a change. Here is a simple recipe:
Sugar-1 cup
milk powder-1 cup
butter - 3/4 cup
cocoa powder - 3/4 cup

Make sugar syrup.
Add the butter and stir till it blends with the syrup.
Whip the Cocoa powder and milk powder together.
Add this to the butter and sugar mix.
Keep stirring till it becomes thick.
Grease a plate. Pour the mixture into it.
After it cools, cut into pieces and refrigerate.
Add nuts like cashews if you like.

3)Make valentine cards with handmade paper or buy the ones made out of handmade paper.

4)The best gift: name a star after your loved one, buy a piece of the rain forest, make a donation in their name, etc.
For naming a star go to: http://www.nameastarlive.com/?src=google/

To buy a piece of rainforest go to: http://www.adoption.co.uk/rainforest/

For more interesting tips on Saving our planet:
http://liveearth.org/2009/02/save-a-little-love-for-the-planet-on-valentines-day/

And to continue....Tips on 'How to Go Green'

1. Read about environmental issues
2. Use public transport whenever possible. Use car pooling.
3. Turn off lights and fans, air conditioners and heaters when not being used. Whenever we use electricity, we help put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off lights, the television, and the computer when you are through with them, you can help a lot.
4. Bike, Bus, and Walk
You can save energy by sometimes taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking. Cars cause a lot of pollution.
5. Talk to Your Family and Friends
Talk with your family and friends about climate change. Let them know what you've learned.
6. Trees for LIFE! Plant Trees
Planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air.
7. Preserve the green areas around your house and locality . Preserve greenery around your house locality, work and schools.
8. Recycle : Recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers. When you recycle, you send less trash to the landfill and you help save natural resources, like trees, oil, and elements such as aluminium.
9. Buy and use appliances which consume less energy: some appliances, vehicles instruments and machines are especially designed so that they consume less energy than normal. Choose these when purchasing or making your choices.
10. Use products again and recycle them.
11. Use solar energy whenever possible for example through solar cookers, dry your clothes in the natural sun rather than through a dryer.
12. Handwash clothes whenever possible rather than using a washing machine or dishwasher.
13. Save fresh water it is precious.
14. Recycle water and use it for appropriate purposes. Use kitchen water to water your plants etc.

Taken From "http://healthy-india.org/saveearth3.asp"

Go green....

We are constantly hearing about Global Warming and how people are disposing so much unhealthy waste. But when I saw the number of NGOs who are working for the environment related causes, I was very thrilled and touched that there are so many initiatives by people to do something and make a difference. Even though the numbers are relatively small, I think that in itself is very encouraging.
And then there are the schools who are teaching the kids about environment protection which I find truly amazing. Like in the school my son goes to, the kids have been taught that plastic is bad. So my son always insists that I do not get the grocery bags from the stores and carry my own cloth one. He was only 6 when he learnt this! As another initiative, they were taught about how to help prevent wasting water. These are such simple steps, but I do appreciate the school for taking them.

The other day, I overheard this conversation between my husband and son,

Son: Dad, I wish I could take one of these stray dogs, get him the injections he needs, so then I can take care of it.
Dad: Very thoughtful of you sweetie, but there are hundreds of them. We can't help them all.
Son: But dad there are hundreds of us too!!
-Came the reply!!

We were so impressed . If we could nurture these thoughts, they will definitely grow up being more aware of noble causes like the environment or something that is socially relevant and close to their heart. According to me, just having this thought is a baby step. And so it is in our power to make sure we instill these thoughts and not let them simmer down.

A lot of times, we ourselves lose steam over some of our desires (I can't say passion, cos if it was passion, I would not be just writing my thoughts about the environment, I would be writing about what I have done for it. ) to help make the world a better place. These days, I believe, a lot of us have this desire. No, really! I honestly do not remember my mom or dad talking about 'protecting the environment'. They were smart individuals but this was not on their mind at all. Maybe it is a very human attitude where we need the doctor when we are ill or we pray to God when we need him. So till proof of the environment going kaput came, no one really cared. Coming back to where I was, when we have a noble desire like this, what do most of us do?Discuss it with family and friends, who at that moment in time may not have a social cause or an environment related issue a priority on their to do lists. So out come negative opinions and poof goes our steam.

So lets take baby steps and try to bring to life these noble thoughts we have. It could be as simple as planting a tree or placing some garbage cans in the street we live or something more socially relevant like, teaching a poor child. They say even good deeds are not unselfish. Even if this is true, and we are going to do it so we can feel good about it later, so what?In fact can't that be enough reason for us to do it?We all strive in jobs and homes so as to feel good at the end of the day anyway,right?
If I have managed to pique even a little interest , then do visit http://www.karnataka.com/ngos/environment.html and try to find your calling:-)
P.S: This is for people living in Karnataka as the link implies...

Deciding on a primary school - Is it more a strategy to plan life?

I have a couple of close friends, who according to me are leading mirror lives..( They don't know each other too well)The common factor that is me, gets to be a sound board many a time,not that I am complaining!!
Both of them have returned from the US in the last year and a half. Both had their 4 and 5 year olds attending great schools out there. But when they got back to the city that gave them 'their' education, they are confused.What school do I put my child in? Should he/she go to a state board?Or a CBSE? Or an ICSE? How are the board results for the school in the last few years? How well are the extra curricular activities planned? Do they have space for sports? If they do have these, then are they really concentrating on the academics enough for them to compete with the 'traditional schools' ?

Did our parents really think this much before getting us into a school? I would think most did not. It was a very easy solution then.Look around the community you live in, amongst the schools available, consider the best and the most affordable option.

No longer though, it would seem. I guess the competition is much higher. The affordability is much higher too. Everyone wants better and better for their kids. This friend of mine went above and beyond the traditional methods of zeroing in on her daughter's school.She took a whole day off and spent it with, no not the teachers or the parents, but the kids!! She spoke to many of them, asked them a list of questions she had carefully prepared.She came out well informed, completely convinced that this was it,this was where her daughter should go!! I was very impressed with the drive and the energy she has shown in figuring out, maybe the most important phase in her daughter's life..

I think most of us want a lot more achievements out of our kids. Sometimes, this can be looked at, with a cynical eye .We can say we should not push our kids. But then again, haven't a lot of achievers out there , been through vigorous tests and competitions?Doesn't that in some way prepare you to be a leader? As long as we figure out where we draw our lines and how thick or thin we draw them, it is alright. At the end of it we are all doing it with the best of intentions. Cos isn't that all we have ? Good intentions and no guarantees ??

Girls Nite In..

And what fun it was!! 11 of us, some pizzas, popcorn, some drinkies And no husbands or kids..Loads of laughs..thats what it was this Friday night. We played some games and chatted. This was one cold winter night none of us will forget for a long time..
Why do we forget to do this more often? We know it is absolutely therapeutic, all the laughs and giggles are obviously good for the heart.. I for one hope there has been enough motivation to keep this up..
Way to go girlfriends!!

The essay that got me in....

CAREER AND/OR FAMILY
The true choice that haunts every urban woman of today, including me is this, Career or family? Of course, I am not talking about the cool single woman here. It sounds simple enough to those who have solved the puzzle successfully but I believe, we, urban women, can be categorized into 3 groups:
The career woman
The family woman
The 'sitting on the fence' woman
The career woman is the one who gets back to work the day her maternity leave ends. Of course she has her moments when she feels like throwing in the towel, the day the maid decides to take off. But overall the ambition drives her and with some misses and a lot of stress she manages to steer on ahead.
The family woman is the most contented lot, according to me. She has been raised with the idea that one day she will be married and she will have a family who she will have to tend to and look after. Of course she has her own set of stress but nowhere is there confusion or the thought to 'throw in the towel'. She needs her occasional 'me' time and she is rejuvenated.
Then comes the third, which sadly I am a part of. According to me, majority of us fall into this category. We have tasted what it is to be home with the little one and tasted how it is to have the financial independence. There is the joy of the 'first time he/she did this'. But then there is also the constant craving to do something and to achieve something. There is a lot of restlessness and very little mind rest.
This is the difficult situation I have had to deal with for sometime, the choice I have had to make. The first 4 years of motherhood was a conscious decision to stay clear of confusion. But who can suppress long standing ambitions for long? It had to rear its head sometime and so it did. I decided I had to go back to a job.
The first issue here was child care. Who was going to take care of my son in my absence? I interviewed a few nannies. It took sometime to find the one I was most comfortable with. The next step was to train her. I had given myself a couple of months to start work so that I could be sure of her capability. I was very proud of all the planning I was doing.
Then finally I started work. It was all great for sometime. I started interacting with people in my field after a long time. I was talking about things which didn't comprise of the words 'diapers', 'playtime' ,'nap time' ,etc. But like I said before, once you taste what it is like to stay home with your little one, it is very difficult to let someone else do that while you sit at your desk. All the planning could not save me from my own guilt. So I quit and was back home again.
The grass always being greener on the other side, within no time the previous restlessness set in again. I read an article in the BBC news columns which said that 'According to a survey, working women with children are significantly happier than stay-at-home mothers, regardless of how many hours they work. ' I truly endorse this.
This time though, before the job hunting process, I decided that a full time technical job was not going to be a solution for me. It was not going to give me the work-life balance I needed. So the process involved in finding a job had to be different. I spoke to recruiters, got a list of job sites which posted freelancing, part-time and telecommuting work. I read a lot of articles including the “6 Tips for On-Ramp Moms Returning to Work” (Collamer,1).This was a very interesting site and provided the information I needed. Initially the results of my searches were disheartening. But slowly and steadily I realized that these terms were still at a very latent stage in India. Of course there would be articles published, saying that companies were looking for women who wanted to rejoin workforce after a long hiatus. But I could not see any real proof of this. I came across “Luring women back into work” where apparently a Swiss bank had come up with a pretty clever way of getting women back into the workforce “(2). Why could not companies based in India be coming up with ideas like this? All I was seeing were postings where it would clearly say 'Work from Home-- Degree not required'. How can I, a Masters graduate, put it all aside and apply for a post like this?
Then out of the blue I stumbled upon "http://www.academia-research.com". I read it and then re-read it. I looked for possible loopholes since by this time all my hopes of finding the perfect job,were lost. But there were none. I told myself not to get too excited. I just went ahead and applied. How liberated I felt! Amidst all the inner restlessness I might have just found my own Right Job.
Thats whats life is all about isn't it? First we grow up looking for The Best Friend. When that search ends, we start looking for Mr. Right. Then before we know it, its all there but we have started to look out for the Right Job. Well, I hope this is it.

Double Cheers for Myself today...

For a lot of us, the word 'freelance writing' seems to be associated with a dream job..something that will enable us to be home for the family and bring home the pocket money for ourselves. Yipee!! Finally I can say I am part of that world. I am now officially a 'writer' for a popular website. So Cheers to me:-)
Seems like I am becoming a big fan of George Carlin..My dear friend sent me a mail with some of his quotable quotes..This impressed me the most..
"You BECOME 21, TURN 30,PUSH 40,REACH 50 AND MAKE IT TO 60!!THEN HIT 70 And GET INTO 80.."
What a day for me to read this, the day I TURN 36!! Actually I don't feel a day beyond 21..So I shall change all that and say "I BECOME 36 today" ...And Cheers to me for that too:-)