CosmoLogical reloaded...

This is a new experiment that am up to…I am actually typing this on word as of now…and thanks to Google’s plug-in ,I can publish this stuff directly to blogspot. Obviously I will have to be logged on to internet.  And these are wonders of the so called cutting edge technology.

Now back to the actual stuff, I am reading this compilation these days. It’s called Juggling Act and the author obviously is Jug Suraiya, TOI fame. I had picked it up from Pune crossword before I left for Saudi. And believe me; I had to search extensively to find a copy. Not sure if it’s the popularity of the book or the mock demand that the publishers have created. But I sure hope it’s the prior of the reasons. Because I find it an amazing read. I have only gone through some 20 odd pages as of now…but I am sure to finish it up soon enough. Actually I am deliberately slowing down my reading pace in a hope that I will have it for me till my stay here.

Okay now the article in the aforementioned book that’s the inspiration for this post. It is titled Cosmo Logical and contrary to the title is not about the cosmos, but about the Indian version of the internationally acclaimed women’s magazine Cosmopolitan. The female fraternity in India seems to be an avid fan of the subscription. I keep wondering what‘s so enticing about it and Mr. Suraiya enlightens me with just the same. I am afraid can’t quote the whole article here, but some excerpts which really tickled me…..I quote ….
“Cosmopolitan – or Cosmo as it is popularly known – is dedicated to the proposition that all men are born free – and it’s up to women to change this undesirable state of affairs.” Another one …
“A post-feminist guide to cohabitational consumerism, Cosmo features educative articles on how to get your man, how to hold him (half-nelson, arm-lock, etc.) and how to trade in your old model for a newer , top-of-the-line version with minimum of fuss ” and another one…
“A unique feature of Cosmo is its quizzes which help you rate yourself in the cosmic battle of the sexes”.

Then he goes a step forward and devices a cosmo style quiz of his own with a series of questions, which I think my female friends will be fully aware of. Not that I endorse the writers view but then he does have a point. The whole article is a beautiful satire on the “Liberated Urban Female - LUF” as the writer puts it, psyche of the contemporary fairer sex. I am sure I haven’t made any great friends (as if I have any before) out of the opposite sex by highlighting this article, but I hope the pun is understood in its right spirit.







     

my harley davidson....

Was just listening to this song by AC/DC , called Harley Davidson . It starts with the whorrring sound of a Harley engine...and that sound just tore through my heart and mind...I miss my Bird, yes my ThunderBird. Instantly I was into a time warp back to my days in India when I was rolling on my very own. I could just feel the enormous power of the monster of a machine under my command waiting to be unleashed.
Those long drives to Kaashid and Murud and Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar and GP pule are still fresh as yesterday in my mind.Not that it has been years since I have done them but it almost seems that way. How myself and rathore used to plan about them for weeks in advance , not the actual preparation for the trips but Just the excitement of making one. We invariably ended up with unplanned trips which ultimately used to turn up all gooddy good for us. The excitement of touching 100KPH on the bird ...and then breaking my own record of speed again and again. the
velvet smooth road down from Mahabaleshwar till Pune , the seaside drive from Alibagh till Murud, The curling roads to the fort at Ganpatipule...and the untouched beach that we discovered on the way back from the fort. They all seem like random flashes of an amazing experience.
A little too dramatic I guess, but then out here in this place, imagination is all that i have at my disposable. With nothing much to do apart from breaking my head against my workstation almost intermittently all day, these sparks are my rare moments of excitement.
Yes, I am getting bored here!!

let there be Rock...

Music is my life, now how cliche is this line. Hundreds of people keep repeating this line over and over again, at various forums small and large. But then music is something which touches every single person in various different ways.

The whole connection perhaps ,between music and the being ,lies in the inherent rhythm of the universe. So much for philosophy and science. For me music is something that gives me immense pleasure. And then i am not just an amateur listener so to say, who would listen to any and everything that comes across once ears. I have some very specific and almost weird (as most of the people say) tastes in music. I am a major Rock and Metal freak and I equally appreciate the indian classical music.how weird is that??

I think the weirdness in my music tastes is got something to do with my parental roots. My dad is a very good classical singer and in addition posses an immense knowledge of the art. I have been brought up listening to Kumar Gandharv's and Pandit Ravishankar's, marathi natya sangeet and the likes. Rock n roll stands out as an obvious abbretion in this otherwise sublime picture. But then like any adoloscent I am not supposed to like what my parents like, so it was that I took to Rock. I still very clearly remember the day I brought my first cassette of rock music, On a day Like today -- Bryan Adams.Today I can almost laugh at the thought of calling Bryan Adams as Rock music. But that s where I started and to this day Bryan Adams remains one of my favorite singers. From Bryan Adams to Mettalica to Rage Against the Machine to Iron Maiden and what not, I have come quiet a long way. Life catches up, and the music of my childhood has lately started to attract me. So much so that I actually sit and ask my dad about it.And to see the happines in his eyes when he tells me about his greatest passion is a real joy.
I was not supposed to write all this, I had started writing this piece to introduce my newest passion in music AC/DC, yes the 70's and 80's big time Rock n Roll band.I have never heard them before, but on the sake of reputation I picked up a DVD of close to 40 videos songs candidly named the home videos. And yes they are too good. So in the words of AC/DC "let there be Rock...."

salaam walekum....!!

Ages literally since my last post, but its better late than never.Well there was one prime reason behind the long absence..and will be writing about that at length here. As i had mentioned somewhere in my prior posts, that I was supposed to be heading for an overseas assignment, so it happened...and am sitting here in Dammam , somewhere in Saudi Arabia. I am still trying to locate this place on the map of Saudi. I hope am able to mark my bearings before I leave, though it seems an unlikely possibility. Its over a couple of months now since I have been here. There are hell lot of things to write, but then by some strange stroke of luck, blogspot isn't accessible from my clients network. So I never could log on until now. I finally purchased my priced possession a lappie....which i had been craving for so long.Although had bought it almost a month back, managed the internet connection at home just a week back. And today was just going through my own and rathore s blogs , and i just felt the itch to post something. Well I just hope that the itch just stays there...and i keep punching things. It s possibly the only creative thing that i wud be doing here in my stay at Saudi Arabia. About that and more....later.