Sleepless in LA

So, what if you have a King size bed in a luxurious suite in a hotel in downtown, if you can't sleep. Its been two days in LA and I hadn't had good sleep. In the last week, I hardly slept 4 hrs a day. Initially, it was the packing, then the journey and now the jet lag. I have tried it all - watched South Park, Friends, spoke to my friends, read Tintin, had a bath, ate to full capacity, surfed the internet, and adjusted the room temperature a 100 times. Why the hell I am not feeling sleepy?
And now I am writing the blog. Why don't I understand that I have to reach office by 7:30 in the morning. :(
I will now count the sheep as suggested by Mr. Bean in one of his episodes. :D
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Heated Economy

A few minutes back reports of 11% inflation broke. It has broken all records for the past 13 years. The markets have crashed. Its a pity that the ones who would be affected the most (BPL families) don't have enough means to bear this.

What is inflation?

• % change in the CPI(consumer price index) over the last year.
• compares the price levels of current year with the previous year.
• can be either "cost push" or "demand pull".
• In India, the figures published are for wholesale CPI( the CPI basket consists of only some products). The actual inflation is around 3 times, according to some analysts.
• The worst effect is that the value of money decreases as the inflation increases.
  

Lets hope that RBI and the Government will take some quick steps to control inflation.

Some trivia:

• Highest inflation - Zimbabwe 11000%
• Seychelles and Barbados actually have negative inflation.
• In US, the inflation currently is around 4.2%
• In India, the current inflation rate is 11%, highest in last 13 years.
  

Titbits

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Lamborghini Diablo for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (literally)
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Called in sick when you were not ill(many times :D )
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath (showers do count)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer (I do right now)
49. Visited all 50 states/every county
50. Loved your job
51. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country(I have the pics too)
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud.
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Been arrested
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so wasted you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Written your own role playing game
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person/Member of Parliament
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge/Q E II Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (all the time)
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Pet a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart?
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Been a DJ
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Dyed your hair
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Pet a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch (nobody's taught me anything about photography or playing guitar)
185. Bunked school.
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Been bald.
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Fought with your neighbor.
198: Abused your Boss.
199: Played a prank at someone.
200: Built your own PC from parts.

Baz Luhrmann - Sunscreen song

This song is really very beautiful. It was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997. The most popular version was released in 1999 as a music single by Baz Luhrmann. If you wanna listen to this song on you tube,click here.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there
for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.)

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there
for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.)

ब्लॉग हिन्दी में

मैं हिन्दी में भी वेब पर लिख सकता हूँ । मैं हिन्दी में भी पोस्ट करता रहूँगा । यह बहुत ही मस्त है । क्या आपको ऐसा लग रहा है की मैं डिस्कवरी चैनल पर कमेंट्री करने जा रहा हूँ। ऐसा नहीं है। मैं तो ऐसे ही हिन्दी में लिखने का प्रयास कर रहा था।

TGIF (Thank God its Friday) :D

Thursday is coming to an end. Though I had some plans for the weekend with Saurabh and other friends, but I think he will arrive on Saturday. Lets hope for a pleasant weather on the weekend.

Have a couple of things lined up for Friday. Have to finish off early and leave. :D. Comes Friday and I miss the FDLS (first day last show) with Madhura or a mid night buffet with her and Sid.

It started drizzling here today, wanna go for a long drive. I remember the last time I did this was when I was in college. Have to go to Prashant's house, not a long drive though, but yes in Bangalore even a short FBT( fetch bread trip) will take at least half an hour.

Will write reviews for some movies I watched this week - Jerry Maguire, Spirited Away(Japan, animated), Gone baby gone, 10,000 BC, Perfume - The story of a murderer
Yes, I watch hell lot of movies. :D

First Public Blog

So, finally I started blogging publicly. Yes, I don't have anything better to do. Its not the first time I am blogging. I have been blogging for some time now, but that blog is private and serves as a diary for me.

Why I started blogging?

• To kill time.
  
• Its kinda kewl.
• To shun my laziness to type.
• Gives me an opportunity to kick someone's ass. :D
• Document my thoughts and share them with you.
  

BTW, I don't give a fudge whether you write comments or not. :D

Why should you visit my blog?

• Because its MY blog.
  
• Its kinda kewl.
• There are some good widgets you can use. ( I will keep adding new.)
• I swear (by you) to write some "meaningful" posts.

Read my blogs if you

• have nothing else to do.
• are kewl (Is this a cliche?).
• want to kill time.
• are "really" interested.