Back....

You can’t revive a blog whenever you want to. It either happens or it doesn’t. And right now, I am having one of those moments when you have stuff to say and you think it would be great if you could post a.k.a. vomit it on to your blog. I know it’s been ages since I last posted, but I haven’t been that busy really. Life has been interesting in the past year and a half or so when I’ve been away from the blog. So that means the only reason I haven’t posted is b’coz I am a lazy bum. We all are lazy bums, no? Now that I am home with almost nothing to do and I have stuff to say, I think it’s a good time to bring the blog back to life.


So you drag yourself out of bed at 5 am hoping to see New Zealand like 380/8 and you switch on the TV and you see 410/4 and you realise the difference between dreams and reality is as wide as it can ever be. There has been some criticism of Sehwag’s captaincy when it comes to field placements and bowling changes. It’s unfair to the guy, b’coz he never uses his brain when he bats and he cant be expected to use it when he fields. And when Yuvraj drops a dolly and someone as boring as Franklin hits 52 and a number of edges go thru the slip and gully region, its not really Sehwag’s fault. The real blame should be on Dhoni and Dhoni alone because if he was playing, things may have been different. The best part of the day’s cricket (if you are a sadist) is watching Charu Sharma and Arun Lal discuss the day’s play after stumps. I pity them. Poor guys have no clue what is happening and they are expected to discuss it for I think, like an hour, or maybe more. It’s like Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh discussing Salsa and Tango. Watching it for like 5 minutes proved to be too much for me, and I am glad someone invented the remote control and I am glad we have other TV Channels.


I finished the book ‘You are here’. It’s a funny name for a book. You are here. I’m sure the sequel will be called ‘You are there’ or ‘You have moved’ or better still ‘You are now here’. The author’s name is Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan. Seriously, that is the name. From the name, it sounds like she is either a Kathak danseuse or the author of some research paper titled ‘The study of the effects of algae on water purity in Lake Chihuamuhua’. I just realised that the book title “You are here” has 10 letters and the authors name has 22 letters. The book has Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan on all the pages. I do hope she has a shorter version of that name in real life. Imagine saying “Are you okay, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan?” or “Would you like coffee or tea, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan?” or hearing “Hello, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan here”. But seriously, what’s in a name? I just found it funny that a book called You Are Here would have Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan on all its pages.The book is cool. It is not about all the women liberation and all the feminist gasbag talk. The best part about the book is that it is honest. There are parts of it I can identify with and a lot of it makes sense to me. Now if I can identify with something, it really must be something no? It’s not autobiographical or anything of that sort, and it’s not some story that goes on and on and ultimately ends, sometimes very abruptly. I used to read her blog once upon a time, back in the days when I would religiously read everything in my Google reader, and the book is just an extension of her blog. Her blog is a great read, and the book although a toned down and fictionalised version, is also easy reading. It does get boring at times, but then everything does. Happy I finished the book. It’s one of the few books I have started and finished lately. The same goes for movies. I have never been a movie person. I start to watch a movie at home and I always end up not finishing it either because something more interesting comes up, or its gets so boring that I have to make something more interesting to please come up. The only movies I finish are ones that are watched in the movie hall.


I saw this band called Faridkot on Channel V Launchpad and I loved them. Check them out, the lead singer Inderpreet Singh is cool ...


P.S. As I type this, Arun Lal and Charu Sharma are back on TV. What happened to superheroes? Paging for Superman or Batman or Spiderman, someone needs to be rescued guys... help!!

I am not the only one who needs reminders!

I signed up for an email reminder from National Geographic Channel which meant i would get an email in my inbox that would remind me to watch an episode about the hijacking of IC 814 and the hostage drama in Kandahar in the NGC series on Combating Terror. The programme was to be aired at 9.00 am and the repeat show was scheduled to be shown at 3.00 pm. The reminder email arrived in my inbox at 4.37 pm.

Sweet.

By the way, I watched the programme.

Did i do something wrong?

Transcript of a online chat conversation with Jayesh

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Jayesh (3/9/2007 11:26:15 AM): jackson bab

Me (3/9/2007 11:26:22 AM): Hi Jayesh
Me (3/9/2007 11:26:24 AM): How are you
Me(3/9/2007 11:26:27 AM): How is work
Me(3/9/2007 11:26:30 AM): How is your job
Me (3/9/2007 11:26:40 AM): How is your life
Me (3/9/2007 11:26:44 AM): How is Pune
Me (3/9/2007 11:26:50 AM): How is everyne at home
Me (3/9/2007 11:27:17 AM): How are things
Me (3/9/2007 11:27:24 AM): How are your colleagues at work

Jayesh has signed out. (3/9/2007 11:27 AM)

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P.S. I am normally not so curious

No, i'm not one of those guys..

I met this doctor from AIIMS who is in Goa for a Physicians Conference and we got chatting as the bus rattled along to Panaji.

Originally from Manipur, Doc and I had lots to chat about. We spoke about football and Goa and medicine and the power of the internet and the conflicts in North East India and then....

Doc - So what do you do?

Me - I write software

Doc - (giving me that omniscient look) So you are a software engineer?

Me - (hesitantly) uhmmmmmm.... yeah..

And then we were back to normal conversation till he had to get off at the Goa Medical College.

And then the thought process started. Why do i hate to admit i am a software engineer? Being categorised as a software engineer is only fair. By qualification, i am a computer engineer (i checked the degree certificate and thats what it says) and by occupation, i write software. By passion, i am a lot many things which should matter and which one day will. But for now, getting back to the point, I am not a typical software engineer! The kind you will bump into in Bangalore or Pune or wherever. I am not one of those guys. I hate the banality, sounds so cliche. Thankfully, I dont have to wear a tie or even formal clothes to work. I wear jeans. I dont oil my hair. I dont dream about debugging errors (its been a long time since i have had such a dream, or nightmare), and i dont discuss the nitty-gritties of coding with friends after work. Coding is fun, and very interesting. But, its not what i live for!

I am a sore thumb, I stick out. Maybe i should ask the doc if there is a cure. But then, he is a nephrologist.

Just not good enough reasons!

When you want to convince me to do something(like play chess or follow a philosophy or whatever), dont use any of the following arguments.

• You must do it because everyone else is doing it. I think 'If you wanna go nowhere follow the crowd'.
• You must do it because its a tradition, and the older folks do it. You know, your parents and the grandparents and such like. As far as i know, our ancestors were also cannibals.
• You must do it because X (who is successful and rich) does it or did it or recommends doing it. Super duper crap.

I dont buy them at all. Just not good enough reasons.

Me - Simplified!!!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Why do i blog?

Good question.

A politically correct answer to the question will be 'to vent what's within me and express myself and yada-yada-yada-sada-batat-wada' in typical beauty-pageant-contestant's-future-plans style.

An honest answer would be 'i have no idea'.

Frankly, my blog is not me. Its just a part of me, and very importantly, a very small part of me.
This blog will never be able to capture me wholly no matter how hard i try to fit into its confines!

There are so many issues that are close to my heart that i do not blog about. Why? No clue! There is so much being said everywhere and i dont think i want to add to the confusion with my half a cent worth opinions. Maybe i am a lazy bum or maybe i am a boring nerd who has nothing new to say or whatever.

A lot of the recent posts here have been written motivated purely by the lack of posting i do and my determination to get over my inertia of regular posting. Like what i am writing now. Or this or this !

And it surprises me when someone like Bombay Addict thinks my blog is worth a read and the same gets picked up and i see me listed here!

I ought to take this more seriously! I will! Now let me figure out from when!

CONFESSION - I am addicted to blog reading though. I subscribe to 80 blogs and i can tell you the number is increasing. Having been fed portions of glam tales and success stories by mainstream commercial media, it surprises me that stories of failure and rejection and defeat are not told as much so reality tales like this , in the commercial media this time, are what i find a big turn-on. That explains my addiction to blogs. Deep down, i am a pragmatist and a realist. I read because honest opinions and experiences are fascinating.

Happy :)

Yeahhhhh.........

Anthony Yeh has won MTV Roadies 4.

Now, if only Carol Gracias can win Bigg Boss and Gonzales beats Federer tomorrow i will be triple happy :))

Also, if New Zealand or England beat Australia in atleast one match in the tri-series down under, just one match, pleeeeeeeeeese, i will be ecstatic :)

A couple of new blogs for me

Have begun two new blogs lately

the first one will have a music video with lyrics from Contemporary Christian Music artists and i will post one song per day (LINK)

the other is more of a collaborative effort with others to chronicle the sporting achievements of Goans in the international arena (LINK)

I am an Internet Moron

When i was in the 3rd standard, i would religiously read 2 newspapers a day. Both were local dailies, Navhind Times and O' Heraldo. As i got on i began reading upto 6 or more newspapers a day, 3 of which were bought at home and the others were caught up with in the college library. Gomantak Times, Hindustan Times, The Times Of India, Indian Express, Mid-day and the Asian Age were the favourites. I was interested in whats going on around me and i made it my business to catch up on stuff. When I had stuff to research for academic projects, i would pour through books for hours in Panjim's Central Library (View building picture) Part of the fun was locating the information. The effort and time involved in locating the information was directly proportional to the obscurity of the subject to be researched. Accidentally stumbling over a book of your interest was another highlight. I remember reading cricket books for hours when i had to be completing my biology assignment.

I devoured every thing i got. And i relished it. Whatever came my way.

Now, in the internet age, i devour only what i want. With the internet, i dont devour everything i get because its impossible to absorb it all. The internet is like having a 14 course buffet for lunch and dinner, every single day. And if you are someone who hasn't experienced a 3-course meal your whole life, and a blind gobbler of whatever is put in your plate, the choices can be stupefying. The importance and value of the food is lost because it is so freely available. We have so much choice unlike a decade ago when we had no option but to eat whats in our plate.

Now its simple and available at the click of a button about two feet away from my bed. I can read the local dailies of not just Goa but every country in the world. Which is why i believe i am becoming an Internet Moron. I learn, research and know only what i want to learn, research and know. I am not sure if it augurs well for me.

Christmas all the way

Merry Christmas...
Teri Christmas...
Sabki Christmas...

if ..... if only we could focus on the reason behind it all !!!!

the Thali chronicles!!

Ok. I admit it. I cant even finish eating a proper thali.

Every time I tried to finish a thali in the past, i failed. I always told myself that i had eaten something prior to the meal which is why i could not finish it. I dont think that was true, but soothing my bruised ego (when all others at the table gobble everything and you cannot finish half of whats poured in your plate) is important. Excuses, nonetheless, but still, i have always nurtured hope in my heart and dreams in my head of finishing a thali someday.

Yesterday i was confident. I had a cup of tea in the afternoon at around 3.00 which was my lunch and ice cream at about 8.00 in the evening(not exactly dessert). We were at this place called Navtara in the heart of Panjim and hunger was at its peak. We were there at about 10.30 in the evening(night maybe) and inspite of the conditions being so conducive to finishing my first ever thali, i could not.

I guess its just not my meal. For those of you have no idea what a thali is, well, its a meal that never ends. Its got little portions of vegetables, curd, rice, pickles, and what have you and it just is really hard to finish if you are me. The little portions look like copious amounts to me(maybe only to me). There is no fixed procedure or plan of attack, and i thank God, the thali originated in India. I cannot even begin to imagine the intricacies that would have defined the proper eating method if the thali was a British dish. If you are new to the thali, it can be mighty confusing, i tell you. Here is what a typical North Indian thali looks like.

One thing i learnt yesterday. If a little dal accidentally falls into your curd bowl, you dont worry. You consume both, the dal and the curd, anyway. The logic behind the reasoning is that the dal and the curd will get mixed in your stomach after you have had it, so whats the big deal if its gets mixed before?

I would have been the last of the group to finish(We were 11 including little Azrael). Honestly, i was lagging behind, so i gave up midway. If i was gonna wrestle with my plate, it would be a long, tough and time-consuming duel, and i thought finishing last would be silly when you have 5 Australians in the gang who have done a better job with the thali than you have.

I think i wasted a lot of time in thinking what to eat. I mean the array of choices you have is mindboggling, and deciding what curry and vegetable dish i must dip my pieces of roti in took a lot of time. I know its a lame excuse.

Maybe i might give it another shot sometime not so soon.

Dealing with female homosapiens - Ten guidelines

Is it fair for guys to just walk by without even looking at the pretty little girl on the street or wherever, and thereby portray indifference - ignore the existence of someone with a higher BMQ (beauty and make-up quotient)? A similiar question albeit in a different vein. Is it fair to not read the mind of your client/boss and deliver exactly what he/she needs?

The answer to both questions - A resounding NO

Here are 10 guidelines to deal with the female homosapiens (BMQ level is irrelevant) .

1) If she is spotted at a public place, acknowledge her presence by looking at her for the exact amount of time thats appropriate without ignoring or staring (between 2775.06 to 6225.94 milliseconds).

2) If she makes conversation with you, you must feign interest in what she is saying. Agree with all she says, even if she believes the alien in Koi Mil Gaya is hotter than Preity Zinta. If she hates cricket, you better hate it too.

3) When she talks, listen. Because there is a possibility and a very strong one, that she might ask you a question related to the topic. Remember the chastising you got from teachers in school when they posed you questions in the middle of lectures you would sleep through and your subsequent fumbling for answers. The consequences of loss of interest in this case can be far worse.

4) If she decides to subject you to one of her monotonous monologues on topics close to her heart but far from yours, make sure you interject with sounds that convey your approval. Something like "ya" and "oh" and "oh yeah". Just make sure its does not sound like you are constipated or you are at some dirty thing that cannot be mentioned here.

5) If she asks you for your opinion about her blog, tell her she writes great. Her language and her mastery on topics of international significance are admirable. If she puts pictures of herself on her blog, tell her she looks wow in them.

6) If she asks you to write her a testimonial on Orkut, tell her you would love to but you cant because your 'write testimonial' option was deleted by Orkut administrators when you wrote a testimonial for a friend in which you implied Orkut Büyükkökten was mentally retarded.

7) If she is walking, just make sure you clear everything out of her way, to properly conform to the International Institute of Chivalry Standards. That includes opening doors, windows or whatever. Also, make sure you let her walk ahead of you and still hop in the way regularly to clear the path for her whenever she encounters an obstacle whether its a table or a pebble.

8) If she is out at a meal, you must pay. I insist that you must pay. The reason men work is because they can then have the privilege of picking up the tab. So i repeat again, you must pay.

9) If she calls you in the middle of the night, and asks you if you were sleeping, say NO. Tell her you were preparing breakfast or watching Star Plus. Your choice. Chances are good that she will be okay with both.

10) If she asks you to go shopping with her, tell her you would love to come with her to carry the bags and pay for things when she runs out of cash and all, but you cannot because you are having severe constipation problems. Chances are bright she will look for someone else to help her with the bags.

Guys, if you do not adhere to the guidelines, remember this. She has plenty of guy friends to choose from. Indian dating sites have 776 guys for every girl. Whoever said the sex ratio was 976 females per 1000 males was a dreamer. Besides, she has a blog where she discusses the latest parties she went to with regular pictures of her and she has an Orkut account with 6 testimonials that vouch for her hotness and smartness and the complete package she resembles.

As Bill Gates said, "Life is not fair, get on with it." Bill learnt it the hard way perhaps.


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P.S.
By the way, guys, take this with a pinch of salt.
And girls, uh-oh, ahemmm... burrrpp... take this with a bucket of salt.

"Hows U" scrap on Orkut kills one

"Hows U" -> It is the worst possible scrap you can get on Orkut. I get it too.

So you reply "i'm doing good".

And then to get back at the person who sent that 5 letter scrap that wasted your 300 seconds, you write on his/her scrapbook "Hows u doin?"

And then the resulting scrap is not an answer that ends the formalities normally reserved for formal parties/gatherings/weddings among 50+ year olds with big reputations and even bigger paunches. Its a question again.
"Hows things n all?"

It gets to you. Things are good. I am good too :) . Osama Bin Laden is good. So is George Bush. Our doodhwala is good. And so are all his cows. The Indian cricket team is good too. Seriously. To summarise briefly, things are good and all are good. So things and all are good. Hope you got it. So you reply, as lucidly as you possibly can, fearing any extra words may create more questions in his/her inquisitive mind (you wonder whether your not asking any questions would imply that you are impolite, but you expect the other person to get the cue that you are busy at the moment)
"Good."

The next thing that happens - Another scrap. No problem. Another scrap question. Big problem. What question
"Great. Hows work"

So u reply
"I died. Came back alive for a brief moment just to tell you that i am dead and i will no longer be answering any more questions. Sorry. No condolence scraps. I warn you. If there are any, i will haunt you all your life, and worse still i will delete your Orkut account. Bye."

Dinesh Karthik - Great going!!

India has just won their first ever 20-20 match. Dinesh Karthik has been adjudged the man of the match for scoring a 28-ball 31, with the other contenders for the award being Zaheer Khan who equaled the record for the best economy rate for a 4-over spell in 20-20 Cricket, Virender Sehwag with a 29-ball knock of 34 and Dinesh Mongia with a 38-ball knock of 45 runs.

Dinesh Karthik deserves the award. Being thrusted into a batting lineup as a specialist batsman over other more accomplished batsmen, with bouncy pitches and the South African quicks for company, is not really the kind of introduction a wicketkeeper would hope for. Add to that, the weight of expectations to deliver runs. Add to that, the pressure to succeed in a team of fringe players all competing to impress a whimsical coach hellbent on needless experimentation. All vying to book a place in a dismembered side.

Karthik has stood up to the challenge admirably. He has no qualms of throwing himself around on the outfield and firing throws back to the centre from the outfield. He has walked out to bat when India were 17/3 and 38/3 in the two ODIs he has been involved in on the current tour so far. On both occasions he has fought. Fought hard. And come up with knocks of 14 from 23 balls and 17 from 38 balls. They haven't been match winning knocks, but they are a testimony to the fight in his belly. Playing at a time when Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the numero uno wicketkeeper, can be demoralising for an aspiring wicketkeeper batsman, because displacing Dhoni from the top pedestal is no easy task.

Karthik has shown resolve and application seen only among an elite few on the current tour. Lets hope others pick up the cues. Lets also hope he bats at No 5 and gets some good knocks. Knocks that will hit those who show lack of application at the crease pretty hard. Knocks that will motivate the others to pull up their socks and get down to business.

Lets also hope the rain gods dont intervene. Hope Greg Chappell wont intervene much either with some experimental move yet again. Makhaya Ntini, you too, please dont intervene, and tell the others in your team too.


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The guys at CricInfo are giving us the inside news of why Sehwag was dropped from the vice captain's post. They also are the experts on the Ganguly recall. I have a strong feeling they have been watching some saas-bahu serials or taking tips from Ekta Kapoor on how to sustain interest in dead and lost causes.

Take a chill pill! As a fan, I care a diddlysquat for who has the vice captaincy and who is in the playing eleven as long as India wins. Its only when the team is going through a bad patch that imaginative theories about dressing room conspiracies are ideated.

These theories will go to the garbage pin once India starts winning.

As John Wright quotes a South African administrator in Indian Summers, 'In India when you do well in cricket, they name a street after you. And when you dont do well, they will chase you down the same street." Ask Mohammad Kaif!

The message is clear - WIN AND ALL THE GARBLE WILL CEASE!

Rate My Life - Results

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8.3
Mind:	7.9
Body:	8.2
Spirit:	8.3
Friends/Family:	5.3
Love:	5.7
Finance:	6.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

This was taken today - 1st Dec, 2006.

And here are the results of one i took on Mar 30, 2006.

I say not much has changed, or has it?

The MLM Marketing onslaught !!

I received a phone call this Tuesday from some person who said he wanted to meet me. He said he got my number from another friend. I was not too keen, but I agreed to see him for 10 minutes outside my house. When he came, he insisted we go in and talk, to which I told him, bluntly indeed, that its not possible. He then said he wanted to spend half an hour with me, to explain his 'business project', and he wanted to meet me at my house because that would, in his own words 'minimize distractions'. I gave him a date and time.

I met him today. I had an idea what to expect. I was hoping it would be something different. It was not. I did not know I would be dead right. Throughout the course of conversation, he kept buying time by talking of issues that were in no way relevant to the matter or his 'business project'.

These network marketeers need to rework their strategy. Its become so predictable. And pathetic. I have a feeling they have a reference book, from where they are taught how to entice people into their 'business project'. The lessons in the book go somewhat like what follows.

Suppose you want to convince Mr A.

1) Try to talk about uncertainty. Talk of 9/11. And of stress and heart disease being so common in this hectic world. Tell A thats its always better to have a big bank balance, because you never know what can happen. People die tragic deaths, some die to disease and some to plain bad fortune. If A is not convinced, talk about the risk to A's loved ones. Conclude that money is the key. You need to have it.

(The way they put it, you begin to think, money can actually buy a few more years to live as well)

2) Talk bullshit. Frequently say terms like 'profit', 'net profit', 'passive income', 'millionaires'. Do some rough calculations very fast and arrive at a figure like 3 lakhs a month. Tell A this is the average he/she can earn in 1/2/3/5 years depending on the efforts and time that A wants to invest in the 'business project'. This should make A interested. If he/she is not interested at this point, you have almost lost the battle.

3) Dont tell the name of the company or any details of the business project till the last minute. Never give it out even if pressurised. Thats the key. If A presses for details, tell him/her to read some books and some tapes to get a clearer picture. information about the company and revelation of details of the project are directly proportional to the desire and gullibility of A. The more greedy and convinced A seems, the more details are shared.

4) Remember to explain a few key things
a) All you need is a dream. No experience and no qualifications.
b) Passive income -> Bole toh "no kaam, only income. Aur aaraam".
c) Flexible timing

5) If A says he/she is not interested, tell him/her at first even you were in the same boat. You took 1 year to get convinced. Maybe more. Maybe less. Just make sure you convince A that he/she can delay as long as he/she joins. Talk about the 3 month trial offer and how there is nothing to lose. Talk of more books and more tapes and more conferences and more meetings that are "LIFE-CHANGING". Give some imaginative story of a person B who makes X lakhs a months and B is the same age as A and in the same profession too :))

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How did I stave off the onslaught?

I wanted to be as polite as I can be. I must confess I was point-blank in my disapproval, which is not very characteristic of me. I usually beat around the bush for a while, expecting the other person to pick up the cues. That did not happen this time around.

I told him I have no time. He was not convinced, and when into details of how each one can make time. Reason one did not work the way I expected. Unable to get my point across, I went to the second reason, the-i-suck-at-convincing-people reason. So I dont expect to make much headway in his 'business project' because people do not buy my side of the story. Wrong shot, again. After hearing him out, I took him head-on. I told him I know about his Corporation and I read all about it here.

That put him off track. He was stumped(thankfully). He was not finished yet. He wanted some references. I told him I have none. He insisted and it was quiet for about 2 minutes, when I realised its better to give some references and do away with this because he would not leave without them. So I fiddled with my phone and I gave him two numbers (sorry Rodley, sorry Maria).

He left. After 45 mins and 2 scribbled pages of my notebook, I had staved it off. Phew!

Balcao gossip and the need for more people to join in

Why are neighbours so curious?

I have no idea why they are so interested in what's going on in their neighbour, Mr/Ms ABC's life. ABC does not even bother to glance in their direction if he/she were to pass them by, but their interest in ABC never diminishes. If they had to put their curiosity and interest in the right place and in the right things, perhaps, they would have helped the cause of science with some pathbreaking discovery or invention. They would have ranked up there with Einstein and Newton and Edison. But alas! while Einstein focussed on relativity and Newton on gravity, their focus is gibberish. Anyways, much to the chagrin of ABC, and probably loss to science and mankind, their specialised area of interest and study is ABC's life and works. Dont lose heart, you can be the topic of their interest too. You only have to live in their neighbourhood! Thats all it takes to arouse their attention.

Would any of you be interested in sharing the responsibilities of neighbours ? Read on for more details

COMPANY PROFILE

Goa has a tradition of 'Balcao' gossipping. The Balcao is the front porch in most Goan houses with cemented seats where neighbours congregate in the evening to discuss news and views and reviews on whats happening in the 'vaddo'(ward or street) and world. Conversation varies from Saddam Hussein to the present government and Salazar to the antics of the neighbouring wench who has been inviting the 'poder' (the man who sells bread house to house on his cycle) over for a cup of tea every morning as soon as he finishes with his rounds and hubby dearest has left for work and so on. Local affairs are discussed in more detail. World and national and state issues rank a very poor second when compared to local chinwag.

Speculations are rife, and rumours abound everywhere. Hearsay attains a lot of prominence. No one sees anything wrong in propagating a complete falsehood just for the sake of extra spice. Stories have all the elements, emotions and twists of TV soap operas. When the church bells toll at 7 in the evening, all move to their homes for Angelus, so the session is abandoned for the day to be resumed tomorrow, but not with everyone going home entertained, wisened and happy.

In recent times, Balcao gabfests do not occur with the same frequency and enthusiasm as maybe 10 years earlier. Not because of disinterest, but more because of lack of time. Most people have jobs to attend to, and children to look after. Those lucky enough, and devoid of other chores, happily engage and practice their story telling and listening skills. On the panel of these rather comprehensive discussion board (gossip balcao) are some distinguished and elderly ladies, and a few younger ones being groomed to take on the mantle of head panelists once the older ones fade away.

To keep up the tradition there is a need of young people (ideally female) to carry on the responsibities of balcao gossipping.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

You need to have the following

1) Time - Lots of it. More than that, you should not have hobbies or interests that you can devote your extra time too. This way, the gossipping balcao group will not feel threatened that you may want to jump to something else sometime later as attrition sets in.

2) Curiosity - You must be born with it. Importantly, you must be curious about people, relationships, work and issues relevant to the topics of discussion, and strive to keep topics hotter and in vogue. Each time you unearth something, it will be your responsibility to organise a gabfest.

3) Garrulous - You must be blessed with the gift of the gab, demonstrating both flattery to induce people to part with their secrets and a scheming and conniving mind. It is tricky, but whoever said practice makes a man/woman perfect, was right and practice is what will help you get it right.

4) Imaginative - A fertile mind, exploring always the possibility of adding spice to make a hot topic even hotter and lip-smacking. Your ingenuity must be top notch if you aspire to become a head panelist someday.

Any takers?

KTC -> Believe it or not

This is again about the Kadamba Transport Corporation shuttle buses and their stupefying conundrums.

->When there are passengers in the queue, there is no bus.

->When there is a bus, there are no passengers in the queue.

->When there are about 100 passengers in the queue to Panaji, and none in the Margao queue, the only bus present goes to Margao.

->When there are about 100 passengers in the queue to Margao, and none in the Panaji queue, the only bus present goes to Panaji.

->When there are passengers and buses both present, (sometimes and rarely there are times when) there are no drivers.

First breakdown .. boy!! am i excited or what?

Today was D-day.

After travelling to Vasco from Panaji and back daily for close to 4 months now, i had the experience of my first bus breakdown. After watching other buses conk out midway through the journey, today was our day. It was imminent.

Word of appreciation for the guys at KTC - we were in the new bus in 20 minutes of the breakdown.

Previous posts on KTC
1) My Chronicles with KTC - 1
2) Synchronised Sleeping