Books I Could Write...

Based on my limited experiences, here are title of books that I think I wish to write:

1. Farewell Emails - Some Sweet, Some Caustic, and Mostly the Stupid (Volumes I - X)

2. Things to do When I Become a CEO

3. Things I Thought I Would do When I Became a CEO

4. "I Let My Wife Pick the Curtains" - A Survival Guide

5. 101 Ways to Motivate Motivated People

6. 1001 Excel Sheets to Make You Appear Smarter (but do not really add any value)

7. "My TV, My Remote" - Why You Never Keep the TV in the Bedroom

8. "In the Beginning, There Was Food"

9. "NO I WILL NOT STAND IN A QUEUE, I am an Indian"

10. 10001 Excuses to Give Your Wife When Asked if You Love Her More or Cricket

11. "In-laws!! I Love You!"

12. Tourism by Food

I might never write books on these, but I do promise (you can wrinkle your brow in concern) that I will blog, text, tweet, FB status update, give unsolicited advice, or anything else I can on these issues in the future... :)

My Favorite Eating Experiences...

I love food... and the whole experience that goes with enjoying it. This got me thinking of what my favorite experiences have been and what I would recommend others to definitely try. So here is a list of them. Of course, these are limited by my experience and personal taste. Delhi figures predominantly because, well, it is the best place to eat in India! (a pity Delhi people are stuck on Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, and Kadhai Paneer). Anyways... here goes...

1. "Walk and eat" experience: Roast corn or peanuts on a cold Delhi night. The feeling of that hot corn/peanut in your cold hands, the crispness of the air, makes for a beautiful experience!

2. "Idli Vada Sambhar": Dwaraka in Kochi... the aroma of that soft idli and crispy dipped in that big bowl of not-too-spicy sambhar is a true god's meal in God's Own Country!! Although I last ate there 7 years ago.

3. "Idli Chutney": A small idli shop outside Kadur railway station. It has the freshest of the hot idlis soaked in an impossibly yummy chutney!! There is a huge difference between idli sambhar and idli chutney. Hence separate categories.

4. "Paranthas": Paranthewali galli in Delhi. Paranthas stuffed with every possible yummy filling in those narrow lanes filled with a thousand beautiful aromas... and served with much love!!

5. "Kababs": Way ahead of kababs served hot and fresh in Mohammad Ali road during Ramzaan... its a non-veg food lover's delight overall!! But the kababs, are awesome, the juiciness, the spices, the tenderness, the aromas, the environment, and of course, the love with which it is served!!! Part of a much larger experience...

6. "Kababs": Lucknow's "Tunde waale Kababs" make it compulsory to have two entries for kababs!! Their taste is undefinable... just that in your mouth, they orchestrate the most beautiful music!!!

7. "Chaat": The chaatwaala next to the UPSC building in Delhi. Reach early, be careful how spicy you want the chaat, try everything, and if you are early in the winters, try out the best gulab jaamun you can sink your teeth into!!

8. "Matre waali Chaat": Meerut, possibly the best overall city for chaats!! This chaat is served hot and very spicy with a kulcha to cut out the spiciness. Not for the faint of the tongue!! You won't be able to stop eating, the taste will linger four hours, and the memory, mouth-wateringly forever!!

9. "Chowmein": Roadside Matador Vans in Delhi. This very Indian noodles, full of all sorts of things you don't want to know about cooked over a fast flame and served very hot is best served by those converted Matador Vans serving all around Delhi. Not sure if there are any left.

10. "Raan": ITC Maurya Sheraton, Delhi. A succulent delightful whole leg of lamb... eating it is an experience and a mission rolled into one!! Lots of very hungry foodie friends needed!!

11. Mango Shake: Haji Ali, Mumbai. The place is famous for it, and rightly so (unlike most Mumbai places which are more hype than reality). Tick mango shake topped with large chunks of mango in the hot and humid Mumbai summers!!

12. "Lemon Ana": Munchees, Anjuna, Goa. Lemon and coriander and ice and (I think) sugar... best drink ever to beat tiredness, sadness, thirst, or anything else that needs fixing! Happiest drink ever!! (Yes, happier than Tequila too)

13. Strawberry and cream: Panchgani, Maharashtra. Fresh season strawberries in fresh creamy creamy cream!! Indulgence at its best!!

14. Chicken "Cafreal": Florentine, Goa. This very Goan of dishes, spicy, large pieces of chicken eaten with the local 'pao'. A delight for all senses!! Don't miss it if you are in Goa!!

15. Shark "Ambotik": Martin's Corner, Goa. Better know for its crab, I prefer this joint for the shark 'ambotik', a spicy shark curry best eaten with rice!!

16. "Biriyani": Hyderabad. You take your pick either its from Hyderabad House, Bawarchi, Paradise, or wherever... (personally, I prefer Bawarchi). Mix in salan to add spice or rayata to cut it. For me, Hyderabadi biriyani is about the flavor of the rice, not the meat!!

17. "Falooda": Lucknow, Agra. For those who think falooda is just an accompaniment for kulfi, you never had falooda in Lucknow or Agra. The sweet silkiness and wonderful flavors!! While there, you might also want to try out 'rabdi' and 'imerti'.

18. "Peda": Mirapur, UP. Move aside Mathura, Rajastha, Dharwad, or any other place that claims to have the 'world's best peda'!! In the small town of Mirapur, north or Merrut in in UP, there is a small shop with no name in a small lane that you know about only if you have ever gone there. Its the most divine piece of sweet that I have ever consumed!! No comparison. No match. If I had to pick one thing to eat anytime of the day, this would be it! BEAUTY!!

19. Maggi: Uttaranchal. Our simple household maggi has a unique taste... maybe its the water, maybe the vessel, don't know what it is. But on a cold (and better, rainy) day in the mountains amongst the abode of the gods and one of the most beautiful places in the world, that simple maggi is elevated to greatness.

20. "Bante-waala soda/ nimbu-paani": Anywhere where you get them. Remember that soda bottle with the marble as a cap? I love it when that marble is popped and that soda is mixed with the masala and lime juice!! On a dry hot day, its a total god-send!!

21. "Gol-gappas": Chikamagalur, Karnataka. As this whole blog is about eating experiences, none match up to this one. They were not the best gol-gappas in the world. Just onions and peas stupped into the puris with mildly spicy water (and for some weird reason a touch of camphor). But I had awesome, hungry friends all ready to prove a point who can eat the most. 50 - 60 - 100... at Rs. 0.25 for 1, it was very affordable for engineering students, us poorest of the poor!!

The Movie Destroyers...

I love going to the movies... and not just for the popcorn... For me, watching a good movie in the theater is one of the most satisfying experiences in life. But as is the case with all good things, there is always something that will try to ruin it for you... in this case, pesky people! (again, not counting bad popcorn)

These 'pesky people', who for some reason have decided to ruin your movie watching experience, can be classified into the following classes:

1. The "unPunctuals" - Never on time, and for some reason, never know their seat number. They will trample on your toes (and mostly not ever care), bump into you, kick your seat, ask your YOUR seat number, how long since the movie started, and has the famous song/scene come and gone yet, etc... you know the type I am talking about!!

2. The "ilovemyPhones" - Its understandable... there are people in this world who are too busy to switch off their phones for two hours. Like the girl during Inception who just had to discuss the tiny scratch under Tina's latest handbag's buckle... or young boy who could not wait another 50 minutes for The Prince of Persia to finish before discussing the new girl who joined college the day before, or the businessman who decided that 40 minutes into The Dark Knight was the best time to discuss the rates of PVC pipes. And of course, there are those who are on the phone guiding the ones who were late to their seats.

3. The "beenheredoneThats" - Of course... you watched the movie just yesterday and know everything that is about to happen before it does. Congratulations Nostro!! Now shut up and stop ruining the movie for me!!!

4. The "willCurserers" - Any action thriller will have a bunch who will 'f***', 'd***', 's***', 'OMG! OMG!' on every and any scene. Even the credits. After some time, its gets too much to tolerate.

5. The "dialougeRepeaters" - Mostly in comedies... any punch line, and these people will have to repeat the whole thing before setting on a very very loud and distracting laugh! Please... we are not stupid here... we got what they said the first time around!!

6. Parents: Parents who think that in a movie theater, they are excused from parenting responsibilities. Let the children shout, make noise, cry for popcorn (hey!!), or a thousand things that children do... and should do. But parents, please keep them quite!! And if the baby is crying, please take it outside. Its noisy and dark in here... and cold.

7. The "familyPlanners" - GET A ROOM!!! I swear there was this couple next to me during the movie "Race" who, if the movie had gone on for another 30 minutes, would have been celebrating the birth of their child 9-10 months later!! They just might have.. I dont want to think about it!!!

8. The "Comparers" - There are those who will compare the movie/actor/story to another. I once heard a particularly bright group of girls discuss if Shah Rukh Khan would be better as Joker than Heath Ledger!!! AAARGHHH!!!!!!

9. The "Talkers" - They talk because of cannot shut up. And they will discuss everything, from the number of peas eaten in the afternoon to the latest boy/girl their parents set them up with for a prospective marriage!!

If you are one of these, please try to understand, for most people, movie watching is a happy experience. Please dont spoil it for them!! And for god's sake!!! Switch off that damn phone!!

The farewell email...

For the last 4-5 months, I (or at least my mailbox) have had the misfortune of receiving enough farewell emails to create a 10 volume book titled "Farewell Emails - Some Sweet, Some Caustic, and Mostly the Stupid - Part I". Total bestseller material!!

Anyways, seeing all those emails, I tried to write the big-momma of all farewell emails. Please note, any resemblance to YOUR farewell email is only because of your lack of imagination and oversensitive and 'touchy-feely' nature!! That and copy paste functions on your laptop.

Here goes...

Hey all you people I don't know but want to bid this painfully irritating farewell to,

As most of you know (most likely from the subject line of this email only), today is my last day our wonderful organization. Never mind that you overheard me bitching in the toilet about the boss and latest MIS brainwave excreted by some overzealous MBA - Jack, Jill, you ass kissers!! But honestly, barring the daily 25 percent of office time I spent cribbing about everything office, I have had a wonderful time! I learnt so much! ;) Made so many new friends, who I might wish on Facebook on their birthday next year. Not to forget the growth, in kilos and inches from all the pizzas at the wonderful team outings during office hours - team building rocks!!!

Let me take this opportunity to tell you, in a manner very inappropriate for a formal email, how much I love you. Yes you all... especially Rapunzel, you are DA BOMB!!! And of course, all you other cartoons, Shrek, Tom, Jerry, Rumpelstiltskin, Pinocchio. And last but not the least, special mention, my 'buddy', Micky Mouse... what would I have done if you did not tell me where the toilet was!! Thank you all so much... I love you!!! Mwaaah!!!!

These past 7 months, where I found the time to add 117 of you on Facebook and fall in love with, have been the best of my file. These were the best moments of my life that I will never forget and will cherish forever. Forget my marriage, college graduation, nephew's first birthday, and parents' 25th wedding anniversary. Its all about these seven month here... right now!!

And finally, to all my mentors, guides, bosses, manager, who have tried to work me to death in these seven months, I owe you so much. How can I ever pay the 'gurudakshina' for all the yelling, intimidating emails, appraisal-related hints to improve my sucking-up skills, and the late nights in office to prepare a PPT to celebrate the birth of five puppies to the CEO's pomeranian Augustine Brutus Julius IIIrd. Such cutie pies!!! Kootchie koo !!! Kootchie koo !!!

As I bid farewell and come towards the end of what is turning out the be the longest email I have written in these sexy seven months here, I cannot hold back the one tear rolling down my eye on to the key board (sniff sniff..... ). I remember all those two hour coffee breaks, the morning and evening gossip sessions, all those lovely, complex, and baseless Excel sheets I filled! Honestly, I struggled with the decision of leaving all you lovely people for a much higher paying, foreign posting, satisfying job that I am going to. It is the hardest decision of my life... even more than deciding what to order on our last team dinner (with DRINKS!!) :D.

In the end, all good things much come to an end. And this is the end of my journey with you all. Wish me the best of luck as I stride out to meet uncertainty and hope in my new job. Wait for at least three months before sending me your CV... hahahaha...

Love, hugs, kisses, tears, and forever yours,

Courage - The Cowardly Dog

How perspective changes after marriage

One weekend at home, I was discussing with my wife what cushions we should get for our new divan (well... old double mattress cut into two piled one over the other). And it then struck me, I was discussing CUSHIONS!!! How things change after marriage... here are a few things that came to my mind immediately then... I am sure this requires further elaboration!! Soon maybe... the missus willing ...

1. 11 p.m. is late
2. A big group of girls is noisy
3. The occasional Karan Johar movie is watchable
4. Two glasses of wine is enough for the night
5. Cushion covers matter
6. Cushions matter
7. Cheese is not healthy
8. Family functions are enjoyable
9. It not cool to watch FTV... even for the clothes...
10. Weekends are not for lazing around

What Am I? old poem

What Am I?

Rejoicing a life of illusion,
I thought myself to be something;
One who was different, great,
I was to myself in this living.

Bound for highest highs,
Despite all the lowering lows;
An enchanting personage,
Meant for honour and bows.

But so long only can last,
A life of self deceit and aggrandisement;
Taking away my rosy glasses,
Truth endows me with disappointment.

Life once made me proud,
With all its believed greatness and gaiety;
Comes to me as worthless,
For me I now feel, not sorrow but pity.

Await the Tide... another old poem...

Await the Tide

It was a glorious voyage, Joyous, beautiful and happy; In the long miles of age, To the star of destiny. This life as my vessel, I sailed the sea of time; To knowledge’s dwell, And thoughts fine. The calm of childhood, Far away from me, blew; Youth with a change of mood, Set my course, strange and new. Stranded on the sands of failure, Of the beach I so desired to avoid; My soul readies the sails for the future, Looking within, as I await the tide.

My Journey... a poem...

A poem I just found... something I had written around 10 years ago...

O God, where might you be now,

When in my memories you I remember?

To you with folded hands, lowest bow,

Seek guidance through life’s meander.

O Friend, where now do you dwell,

That my eyes fail your sight?

I want for me you to tell,

That my path is safe and right.

O Brother, do you hear my voice,

Across the lands, over mountains high?

I am ready and made my choice,

Pack my bags, the journey is nigh.

O Love, to you a question I now ask,

As I set out, will to stride;

Will you for me, do one small task,

Take my hand, in this journey of life?

"Beta, listen to us... we have lived longer..."

As an Indian child, you hear these words from the day you are born... till however long your parents are around to tell them to you.

And it applies to everything in your life... food, clothes, TV shows, best cricketer, the underwear suited best to you, haircut, lack of haircut, people you want to be friendly with, people you don't want to be friendly with... and of course the biggest one... who you marry!

Marriage... the biggest of all the biggest challenge in the life of any free thinking liberal Indian (there is a reason our numbers are dwindling!!) My salute of those who have managed to fight it... even if you may not have survived, at least you fought...

Here is the thing... parents educate their children, give them the best of facilities, provide all possible opportunities, and feel proud when they become independent; "O Ji, khud ke pairon pe khada ho gaya hai... MNC vich kaam karta hai... dollar salary!!" And then...

WHAM!!!

"Bacche, its time for your marriage... 'we know this boy/girl... meet her...' 'milne mein kya problem hai...' 'shaadi karne ko thodi keh rahe hain...' 'our families go way back...' 'remember, its the families that get married...' 'we have seen her/him since they were little... perfect match for you' "

Well... lets see the merit of the above comments:

1. 'we know this boy/girl... meet her...': I know enough boys/girls too... does not mean I want to marry each of them. And did you ask me if I already like someone?

2. 'milne mein kya problem hai...' (what is the harm in meeting?): Well the simple problem is, sometime down the line, I educated myself that young girls/boys are not show pieces to pick out. Besides, I don't want to get into another argument with you as to why I do not want to marry the person who you have already picked out for me. You taught me to not look at the negative in people... remember?

3. 'shaadi karne ko thodi keh rahe hain...' (we are not asking you to marry her now): Ya right!! The moment I say "I like her/him" you will be calling up to find out the finger size, waist, bust, shoulder, leg measurements... and start planning your shopping visits to 1000 cities in over a 100 countries for 1,000,000 things that you need to buy. 999,893 of those are things I can do without.

4. 'our families go way back...': So? If they are such good people and you like them so much, invite them for dinner! Why get me married to their child???

5. 'remember, its the families that get married...': Oh really? So after marriage you wont mind of my spouse's family was in my house all the time demanding things of me? Or if we spent each of the festivals together? If I invite my 100 separate in-laws to all your functions, birthdays, watch the match on your new imported big screen TV? Oh and just of curiosity, you guys are not planning to sleep with my spouse's family I hope... just confirming... since you too are now "married"!!

6. 'we have seen her/him since they were little... perfect match for you': So tell me, you have been following his/her progress at each step since you first saw them in diapers? And for that matter, did YOU tell your parents everything you did when you were young? So no... you do not know that person well enough. And you do not even know me well enough, I grew an identity of my own you know! So, you are really not in a position to say who is a perfect match for who.

This is not everything... but it gives a good idea of what Indian kids go through... and these are the ones who agree to an arranged marriage!! God forbid, you do that one sin that makes you the worst child ever... you find a life partner for yourself... "chee chee... naak katwa di" (yuck... destroyed our reputation). But for that, another blog... another time... soon.

P.S. I personally have nothing against an arranged marriage. It has as much of a possibility of working as a love marriage. I do not like the way the way its done.

Also, I have tried to keep this as gender neutral as possible. My apologies if I slipped somewhere.

The Murder of the TV...

I love watching TV... however, off late its getting more and more painful to enjoy the fruit of Mr. Baird's efforts. And here is list of top 10 reasons:

1. F.R.I.E.N.D.S.: Don't know why they keep showing that noise. Wasn't it enough that it went on for 10 painful seasons, that now they have to torture us with reruns on every English channel???

2. Genelia D'Souza Ads: Any ad with her in it!! Its unbelievable how irritating she is in ads despite being a real cutie otherwise.

3. Fairness Ads: They just highlight, bold, put in double-quotes, and double underline the fact that we are a racist, slave of the white-skin people. Shallow too.

4. Cell Phone Ads (only the new lesser know ones): The stupidity of these ads is just unbelievable!! How they were not banned for insensitivity and condemned for lack of any decent imagination is beyond me. And they have some of the biggest stars in them...

5. IPL Commentary: While not an IPL fan, I don't really mind if its on TV and may watch it from time to time. What I cannot tolerate is that commentary!!! Stupid stupid stupid!! And even more stupidity... and then some more stupidity.. and stupider... and stupidest.. and stupidestest ... (you get the idea)

6. Breaking News: Do you really care if they found the police commissioner's lost dog? REALLY!?!?!?!?!

7. Reality TV Shows (specifically the music channels and all those sing dance shows): Why do we want to see stupid young boys and girls act all grown up and bitch about each other? Or old stars tell jobless youth and kids with overambitious parents why they are so wonderful, great, etc. etc... just before kicking them off the show.

8. Baby Ads: Please don't show the babys' bottoms!! Come on people... what is wrong with you!! That baby will grow up one day and the world would have seen its butt!!!

9. Deodorant Ads: I agree that their semi-pornographic nature will appeal to the testosterone charged adolescent young boys, but is it TV material? At least show them after 10 p.m.

10. Bad Cartoons: Whatever happened to the great cartoons of my childhood? Now all you see are Japanese cartoons with story lines to beat any of the crappy soap-operas (or F.R.I.E.N.D.S.). Too much mushy love and all that stuff. Too much good and bad... right or wrong. Whatever happened to violence and thrashing that your parents cannot stop you from watching??

I am leaving out all soap operas because they ... because they... well just because!! They suck!!

O.K. now... I am off to watch one of the few genuine entertainments on TV... Tele Shopping shows!!! Let me at those crystals, bracelets, exercising machine, slimming options, fattening options... and length augmenters....

Food ooohhhh foooddd!!!!

I am a passionate person. Passionate about cricket, movies, Goa, my wife (of course!), and about a million other things. But most of all I am passionate about food! Nothing thrills me more than food (sorry to the Missus). And good food. Lots of variety of good food! Yummy, tasty, delicious, slurpy, mouth-watering food!! Beautiful, gorgeous, hot and sexy, orgiastic food!!! You get the idea... :)

It was in the time during my post graduation days in Goa that I really started to fall in love with food. Here were two years when I had a wide variety of eating choices and just enough money to go try them all out. And try them all I did! And fell head over heels in love!!!

Food is never about the quantity, or fulfilling hunger... its a desire! An adventure... each aroma a beautiful invite to that adventure... each new flavor taking you to a place you have never been before... and each bite, a thrill!

I am not a critic.. or a major connoisseur of food. I don't even claim to have a highly developed palate. I just believe that a well made dish is great food. Even a well set bowl of curd is a great dish. I enjoy the simplicity of a home made meal and the complexity of a fine dining restaurant. I enjoy eating from the road-side 'gaadi' or the fancy 5-star. Good food is good food. Does not matter how much or how little you have to pay for it. It is always worth it. A beautiful experience...

Food! Love it, cherish it, nurture it, care for it, caress it, feel it... it will always make you happy! I would know... :)

The Balloon man!!!

On my way back from a movie theater today, I crossed a balloon seller... there he was, a 50 something year old pulling along a large helium tank, old dirty clothes, and a hopeful eye on everyone passing by. This was not the first time I saw him and this will not be the last one.

I have never bought a balloon from him, because I considered it a waste of money. This after I just spent Rs. 200 on a movie ticket and another Rs. 250 for popcorn and coke. The balloon costs Rs. 10.

Each time I see him I wonder how much he must earn. Is it enough for him to feed his family? Does he have a family? How far does he travel to sell these balloons? Where does he stay? And many more such questions that my relative economic comfort gives me the luxury of.

And then wonder how much of what I spent on the movie would be enough for the balloon man's monthly expenses. And how much would my spending Rs. 10 help him. What can I do to help him out? Can I alone make a difference in his life?

At the same time I wonder about my last weekend's expenditure. The expense on the latest whim. Why can't I lead a simpler life? Why whatever I earn is only just enough?

I don't have the answer to all these questions. And what worries me more is that these questions only come to my mind when I see the balloon man. Maybe next time I will stop and ask these to him. Maybe he will have all the answers.

Are photographs destroying all the fun...

On a recent visit to Rajasthan, I clicked around 583 photographs over 3 days. Removing the blurred ones, that left me with ONLY 492!!! ONLY!!!

As I looked back at some of those photographs, I realized that I saw a lot less on the trip than I photographed. This got me thinking, "Did my desire.. no no.. my need, to click so many pics actually destroy my trip?" I may hate admitting it to myself, but that just might be the case. And so this blog... yes, photographs do tend to destroy a lot of the fun.

Take your own last new year party for example. How many pics were clicked in those 4-5 hours on either side of 0000 hrs.? I would say enough!! Usually 0000 hrs is the time you kiss your wife a very happy new year and hug your friends. Now, its a moment that JUST HAS TO BE photographed. Why? Will you even see those photographs after February? I doubt.

Take the last team dinner/reunion that you had. Its a time to talk to people. A time to enjoy and remember old times. So, did you carry old pics to the dinner to help the talk and remember old times? I don't think so. What you did do was take your digital camera and click another 200 photos of stupid poses by people, food, and random decorative items in the restaurant which is your attempt at creative photography. You put them on Facebook, get a 100 comments, and then its just one more of your albums.

And what did you do to get all those pics? You asked people to get together in those uncomfortable group pics where no one knows exactly which of the gazillion cameras should they look into, using funny hats, balloons, cocktail glasses, wine glasses, shoes, bottles, candles, flowers, or anything else that will make us look like fools which we just do not want to. And not to forget, the most displeasing of them all, food photographs!! I mean, do you have to really stop a person from eating his beautiful plate of food just because you want to take a photograph of it? From all food lovers to all photographers, don't make us wait for our food!! Please don't!!

At the end of the day, I feel that we are so focussed on creating good "Facebook" or "perfect picture" moments that we forget to enjoy all the wonderful moments just happen. Click photos, lots of them, to remember the wonderful moments. Don't plan moments to take those photos.

Smokers! You murderous cult!!!

Don't get me wrong. I totally respect the right of all smokers to kill themselves.

That said, who gave them the right to kill us with all the passive smoking? There is no logic that justifies it. Of course the beloved statement is, "Passive smoking is more harmful that active smoking, so start smoking man!!" Really!!! What, has all that smoking turned your brain into a charred mess? Smokers, please stop using that statement. Its just stupid to say.

Now coming to the topic of freedom to smoke. I for one am a big advocate of freedom to make my own decisions, good ones and bad ones. Smokers, for you smoking may be a good or bad decision, its up to you. I respect that. But please realize, you need to respect the decisions of others to not smoke. Smoke, smoke all you want. Just not in front of others. Don't smoke in restaurants, in front of the main entrance to a building, on a bus stop, in a cricket stadium, and in parks. Don't say but we already can't smoke in most of those places. Smokers will smoke anywhere they can find oxygen.

Another thing that bugs me about smokers is their callousness. I mean, don't you see the person who started coughing the moment you lit up? Don't you see the pregnant lady, the family with little children, they girl jogging, the old couple next to you, or even the young romantic couple next to you? They are all disturbed by your actions! And they are all probably suffering. And yes, it is your fault.

Smokers, a few truths you may or may not know:

1. No matter what you say, you are addicted.

2. Smoking is a weakness, you may need it for whatever reasons, for calming your nerves, enjoy that drink a bit more, bond with the others, or for starting your bowel movements in the morning.

3. No matter how many mints you have or how much deodorant you use, you always stink of cigarette. And anyone with a decent nose can tell you, its one of the more disgusting stink that you can come across.

4. You really don't look "cool" smoking a cigarette. No matter how many smoke rings you can make.

Now, moving on to the law... I believe instead of making areas where people cannot smoke, it makes it easier for everyone if laws were made about places one can smoke. That way, I, as a non-smoker, have no business being somewhere marked for smoking, do I? Of course, that is assuming smokers are law abiding citizens, which I am sorry to say, they are not.

I have no illusions about ours becoming an Utopian society. But just try, next time you feel like lighting a cigarette, look around and think.

Why blog?

Well, as a good friend of mine will say, why not? Or as some others hope, maybe my writing will stop my talking. :) Lets see, only time will tell.

But why do I want to write? Because I have so much to say. About everything. All the time. And I feel that this is a better way to express myself than the public bursts of anger. Also, I hope this will improve my writing.

Also, for a person with such strong opinion on things (Departed was a nonsense movie, Aishwarya Rai B. is no actress, Delhi for most part is not a city fit to live in, and so on) this is a safer way to express myself. At most all one can do is post a nasty comment at the end.

This blog will feature all my controversial thoughts and there will be no mincing of words. Feedback will always be welcome. And I respect your right to say what you have to.

This just might be fun!!! :)