Van Chitgough- The Art of Life

sabi's nick reads 'the last office clean-up'. jolt of nostalgia. that apartment brings back such fond memories of conversations and company that people kill for.

dad is back from australia tomorrow and i can't wait to hear of the update. australia, btw, seems to be an important destination for me at the moment. shikul is leaving for a minimum of 3 years to australia to pursue her MBA and probably work for a bit post that. :( going to miss her.
got a message from ck (i think when he was just about to board:)), the boy must be in singapore now and settling down. mental reminder to give him a call. shifting into my new apartment tomorrow , YAY!. major excitement and the grandoise dreams of how it will be the coolest pad this side of the equator begin. im thinking of a 'caveman' theme for my room- like flintstone posters and ancient hunter-gatherer type paintings on the walls. oh and this is hilarious, have been to atleast 3 major home stores in delhi and noone has heard of a lava lamp. that is very wierd. either noone in this city has taste (oh boy i know im going to get some reactions both ways on that one) or im calling it by the wrong name. been also reading some very interesting blog postings on delhi vs. mumbai recently. wont go into that cos ive been down that road much too often in the past year.
faraz, i got a few more tracks from guano apes btw, not as good but maybe they'll grow on me. something stupid obviously also possessed me to get the top 50 US billboard tracks of july 06. the last time i divert from the hip-hop/r&b and progressive rock charts. either my musical tastes are radically different or 'popular' music is just based on garish videos and 15 minute fame for starlets that can't sing. but then thats american consumerism for you. in my opinion though, any country developing at a rapid pace can follow suit just as india has a danger of doing. the sustainability and prolongedness of a style,fad,news item,individual,entertainment piece can be measured with a 3rd grade student's scale. dangerous developments or the cost we pay for rapid fire lives? ive got my answer.
on other news, i read pleasingly recently from the ibef newsletter:

The Mittal-Arcelor merger triumph comes on the heels of the announcement that four Indian companies - HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys Technologies and Satyam Computer Services - have been included in the new global index introduced by Standard and Poor's, indicating that, where it counts, India matters. India's telecom is getting a toast too. In a report this week, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Bharti Airtel Ltd. among the top 10 best performing companies in the world. Bharti was ahead of such global giants like Motorola (ranked 11), Google (ranked 13), Microsoft (ranked 37), Hewlett Packard (ranked 44) and Oracle (ranked 51). The companies were ranked on four criteria - return of equity, revenue growth, shareholder return (given equal weight) and total revenue (which was weighted).

sitting up and taking notice of the Indian juggernaut is something of the past in my opinion. the step forward clearly lies in getting some of our base strengths in place. Infrastructure, rural education and sustainable development would be the areas of focus. i know my main man vj is majorly interested in the latter. Some business models need to be discussed next time we meet:)

work has been taking me fairly late into the night these last couple of days. coming home past midnight (due to conference calls with the US) allowed me to get an eerie sence of the 'other' side where for thousands of young people like myself- the day was just beginning. am talking the ever blossoming call center activity here in gurgaon (delhi). been reading a lot of articles in local newspapers and magazines on how these youngsters are enjoying the lifestyle of comparitive riches with an educational background that doesn't deny them of a comfortable lifestyle. fair enough. where the article doesnt shed too much light is in the areas of growth, leadership, future career aspirations and the like. for people interested in this particular industry, the mckinsey quarterly has a series of interviews with heads of operations in companies like DPWN DHL and DELL on aspects of attrition, talent development and the coinciding financial implications. also, must read for the month is 'the world is flat' by TR. much advice pertaining to that piece of literature has come my way as well.

oh and its rishabh's bday today. happy bday bro. i think the man of wisdom :) turns 22 today. good luck for the coming year.

jnc must be going on at the moment, undoubtedly the conference of the @ india calender year. 2 years ago- it was my last. has it really been that long?

hahahahaha and quote of the day comes from the funniest man on the planet - jay leno:

I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, "I'd like some fries."
The girl at the counter said, "Would you like some fries with that?"

Posted by chitgo at 6/30/2006 11:43:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

sidp, this one is specially for you. goodbye spain. les bleus are through. nostradamus was obviously talking about something a bit more important than soccer. is that blasphemy?

Posted by chitgo at 6/28/2006 03:15:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

rest my head in your arms
my every tear inducing a wince
desperate for your touch
many years it seems since.

staring at the cieling
unforgiving in white
to be still
is to drive darkness into the night.

the drone that is life
wrestles the dreams of my child
of flying men in steel armour
never letting them harm her.

destined for bigger things
many fall by the wayside
for who can tell
what her imagination held.

never knew what it meant to me
shunned by a smirk
cackle, chuckle.
irony has its revenge
for life has come full circle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-dC 27/06/2006

Posted by chitgo at 6/27/2006 11:00:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

some time back while in the beautiful land of the swissness, i wrote about the wonderful feeling that is - domestication. basics of managing the everyday humdrums gave me a childish pleasure and feeling of adulthood, oxymoronic as that sounds. im not going to fool anyone by saying i indulged in any of that in the first step outside of the security blanket of home - i.e bombay.

flash forward some months. just finalized the deed for my new apartment, had my first day of work outside an @ and UN environment and realized - theres something to be said about settling down. now i know some of you are laughing right now thinking
a) dC and settle down? sure. thats like saying the pope has converted to cannibalism.
b) you're kidding? how boring, how mundane, how downright UGH.
c) no way am i ever going to let that happen to me.

yeah well, trust me it isnt that bad, in fact it quite rules. maybe its premature but after a whirlwind life of the past 5 years with an insane amount of travel, pressure and self imposed discipline of unheard proportions, globe trotting and 'life-changing', im glad ive gotten down to a structure and changing one of the lives i most neglected the most - my own.
its true.
so last night was spent watching england being saved from utter humiliation by the south american fighters. beckham to the rescue although one has to wonder, what the hell are they going to do against the next big guns?
many condolensces btw to abhi..., the dutch put up a good fight mate.
the evening was also spent watching 3 kickass delhi bands rock up the house in a newly opened TC of gurgaon. levitikus, menwhopause (good name huh?) and the always brilliant zero served up a killer dose of mixed covers and originals. righteous and a lot of head banging....
first day of work was also completed with dutiful precision. as imagined it provides for some food for thought and anticipation of things to come. the day was also peppered excited conversations with dad who is en route to australia. can't wait to hear about that trip...
more later. im off to play mortal kombat on the network with vasu who is itching for a thrashing....

Posted by chitgo at 6/26/2006 09:13:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Sam wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table. He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed.

Sam looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table. "Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping. Love You!"

So he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table, eating. Sam asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door."
Confused, Sam asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect a big quarrel with her!"

His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off, you said, "Lady leave me alone! I'm married!"


Moral:
Self-induced hangover -- $100.00

Broken furniture -- $2,000.00

Breakfast -- $10.00

Saying The Right Thing While Drunk- PRICELESS……

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
any coincidence in character to our own beloved sam gurjer is purely intentional:)

Posted by chitgo at 6/23/2006 01:45:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

first of all, someone shoot ronan keating. if he does another cover of some fantastic song of the past i'm going to gag and amass great sums of wealth from worldwide sources to have him surgically incapable of any bodily movement or action. IRIS?? he wanted to redo iris? fake, untalented loser....
ok now that thats out of my system.
moving onto ugliness in sport. i think one of the biggest reasons the world is rejoicing over croatia's defeat is not just that they play the ugliest game of football known to mankind but that we would be rid of their checkered jerseys for posterity. now im no fashion expert but those things are an eyesore. before u start judging me here, please understand that most football matches happen at 2am here and i'm semi drowsy/falling asleep especially with countries like these on display. seriously, they should switch to rugby considering the amount of pushing, shoving and hand balls they execute with idiotic precision.
ok, what else? its funny how the wierdest things make you miss your friends. the most recent of which was while watching nelly furtado's new video- 'maneater'. rob, this one had me thinking of you and had me smiling to myself. i think you know why as well. miss you tremendously.
otherwise brazil and japan was a great match...i loved the initial scare the samba boys got in the first half and was pleased with their replies. although one has to admit that if it wasnt for the shit japanese goal keeper, it could have been closer. ronaldo's return to the goal scoring table was decent , yet a far cry from his earlier days. argentina is still the team of the tournament for me.
meeting old friends at cafe morrisson was a blast last week. i have a feeling its going to become a new haunt and fast. good music, good food and an ambience much too common yet comfortable in the pubs of delhi.
distance is difficult. i was fooling myself if i thought technology and hard work would come together as a saviour of sorts. much strength and maturity needs to be mustered, tiring and exhausting it is.
the apartment gets whitewashed as we speak, a new abode, a new direction. anew.
oh and its not time for needs and wants. for the music lover readers to this blog, please put in top 5 songs that you're currently listening to. if ronan keating features on the list, I don't know you anymore. And im serious. slight musical drought at the moment...

Posted by chitgo at 6/23/2006 01:07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

oh and yesterday marked exactly one month since my return to india. time flies huh.
but..
i wish it would fly
just a little faster
for the steps i take
and the words i say
still pale in comparison
to when you're around.
miss you. a lot.

Posted by chitgo at 6/21/2006 02:54:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

so i wanted to post this last night but was too sleepy to do so.
i am now officially a once again die-hard fan of english football. i have to honestly admit i didn't follow the premierships or various leagues in that much detail last few years but boy am i going to do so now.
watching j. cole, lampard, rooney and gerrard along with freddie ljungberg had me jumping around reminiscent of sachin's batting or federer's volleys. thats when it becomes sport for me! undoubtedly england's best performance so far and ironically it turned out to be a draw (mainly because of shit defending in dead ball positions)..irrespective england is going to annihilate equador on its way to further big boy clashes! oh boy oh boy (rubbing hands with glee)
(although sidp is arguring with me online at this very moment that england's finishing is still pathetic. hmmmmmm...)
besides that...big news is that me and my home boy vasu just signed the deed for our newly rented apartment in gurgaon. V-28/15A DLF Phase III. its a nice large place with 2 balconies, a terrace to ourselves and enough place for some pretty neat indoor cricket (atleast till we get some decent furniture in there:)you'll are welcome to visit ofcourse....
on other news, im still down with the sickness, hoping for full recovery soon. am also looking forward to a real humdinger which abhi must be smacking his lips (and quivering in his boots as well i might add) with holland taking on the maestros argentina.

Posted by chitgo at 6/21/2006 02:39:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta both found the net to catapult Switzerland to the top of their World Cup group with a 2-0 victory against Togo in Dortmund.

with an early goal of absolute brilliance by my main man frei , the land of the embarassingly prosperous (and my second home) is on top of the table....
well done boys. although they were playing the minnows togo, im sure south korea is going to get dealt a heavy blow by the swissness.
hell yeah! the excitement builds....
germany vs. equador today as well and im sure gio is getting set for another madhouse evening in Quito. I hope for his sake that the germans dont win..cos otherwise he might get the living hell beaten out of him in some rowdy bar....good luck bro i hope the spanish you've learnt represents your equadorian side;)

Posted by chitgo at 6/20/2006 12:34:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

so, first of all, long overdue news on the confirmation and formalization of my intended next steps. For the uneducated - I am joining Calibrated Groupas a business analyst on the 3rd of july in a job that Im very much looking forward to. It means a relocation to Gurgaon (atleast for the weekdays) wherein which I shall be shifting in with an old buddy and neighbourhood friend (vasu) to indulge in the skulduggery that goes along with the exciting activities of private equity and the like.on other news, football fever has been fanatical with my favorite teams doing their best to lose but somehow coming out on top (im talking england, brazil here)...thank god for that.am currently thoroughly enjoying reading shantaram which I have heard wonderful rumours of a movie conversion. IMDB doesnt offer too much information but lets keep our fingers crossed.just received a barrage of emails from dhanur on some follow ups which are god only knows how late:) regarding the IC scholarship and the report presented at IPM. brought back some memories of the insanity of those 9 months... seems like so so far away...
switzerland is playing today, i hope they can pull off a win and get on the goal scoring statistics....
if there's one thing that i've been enjoying doing back in india is consuming voraciously the plethora of information displayed in our newspapers. now i agree that most of the newspapers in delhi shouldn't really have the honor of calling themselves that considering the drivel and non-sense they throw up like yesterday's paparazzi discards; but nonetheless. Sunday reading has been phenomenal fun and it's been a far cry from 20 minuten which most of the time I couldn't understand and even if I did- i know most of it was also about inane news that only the really jobless could muster up the courage to read.
neha sent me an awesome ronalidinho t-shirt which I shall sport in the next brazil match bang in the middle of loud punju bar ; along with 4 beautiful sketches of panoramic views of paris. they shall be framed and consequently adorned on the walls of the new gurgaon flat. im also very excited because i learnt how to make a home made lava lamp using everyday kitchen items. don't you love educational tv? (hint: it involves ink, water, vegetable oil and some salt)
on slightly unfortunate news, as a result of my new job starting in july i wont be able to go down to karachi to chair @ in pakistan's national conference. quite a bummer but im hoping I can be around for the next natco this fantastic country organizes. the dream lives on.
anyways, thats enough random information for you guys. shouldn't you all be working anyway? over and out. 10-4.

Posted by chitgo at 6/19/2006 02:18:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

so I took a fairly elementary career quiz (randomly surfing not soul searching i promise) from the princeton review. and here's what it threw up:

Your Interest Color is Green
People with green Interests like job responsibilities and occupations that involve persuasion, sales, promotions, and group or personal contact. People with green Interests enjoy activities that include: motivating, mediating, selling, influencing, consensus building, persuading, delegating authority, entertaining, and lobbying. These Interests often lead to work in marketing, advertising, training, therapy, consulting, teaching, law, and public relations.

Your usual style is red
People with red styles prefer to perform their job responsibilities in a manner that is action-oriented and practical. They prefer to work where things happen quickly and results are seen immediately. People with red styles tend to be straightforward, assertive, logical, personable, authoritative, friendly, direct, and resourceful, and usually thrive in a self-structured, high-pressured, hierarchical, production-oriented, competitive environment.

Most interestingly, it mentions that I would make a very good art dealer, coach and political aide (apart from the obvious investment banker and venture capitalist ofcourse:)) am looking forward to seeing how the next extended stint as a business analyst goes....

someone remind me about this post 10 years down the line...would make for an interesting read.

Posted by chitgo at 6/15/2006 01:14:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

i really like this particular song. it's got a haunting melancholic feel to it.
as i heard the lyrics more intently i realized it would have been something id relate to even more when i was in school......
irrespective, as you psychoanalyze i urge you to get it and have a listen...(especially my 'whattasong' homies- rob, bee, aalekh, dhanur, pani, surya and the others....you know who you are.

How can you say your life is empty
So late in the day
Why would you stay another second
Now your sight got in the way
A combination
Of love and aggression
Another second lived

Don't paint the silence black now save me
Don't leave it a day
You got a right to stand or die so maybe
You take chances all the same
Pain comes in stages
If we dont make it
Nothing changes

Now the violence sleeps inside
Abandoned feeling for just a piece of mind
It's the reason why your teething side frustrates me

Now the violence sleeps inside
Abandoned feeling for just a piece of mind
It's the reason why your teething side irates me

Dont leave me to pick up on your questions
Not even a day
It's alright to finish up your sentence
You talk all the same
Pain comes in stages if we don't make it
Nothing changes

Now the violence sleeps inside
Abandoned feeling for just a piece of mind
It's the reason why your teething side frustrates me

Now the violence sleeps inside
Abandoned feeling for just a piece of mind
It's the reason why your teething side irates me

Posted by chitgo at 6/15/2006 01:44:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

pictures below range from carter road to the sports bar..........

Posted by chitgo at 6/13/2006 11:59:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

don't you just love it when things do live up to the hype? naysayers will always say dont speak too soon and 'nazar lag jayegi' (non hindi speakers get in touch with me for the meaning) and stuff like that.
but the plan, the excitement and the nostalgia came together in a magical congruence that even the gods would have been proud of.

mumbai is as i remembered it. although its been just about a year since i saw her last, the city was as vibrant, fast paced, inviting and beautiful as ever. i spent my time enjoying the very same thrills of yesteryears with my bro sam....from visiting the old haunts that were our partners in midnight chats and lazy (hardly) sundays to knocking down on the poison of choice. the pictures say it all.
crepe station was classy as ever whilst bandra looked in the best shape ive seen it in. merlin's was a heady addition with this karaoke pub taking the spot of an ever favorite not just jazz by the bay.heck we even brought in sam's bday that way:) happy bday bro...am so glad i could be there with you to celebrate.

although the shoulders i walked besides weren't with me this past weekend, know that you were there in my thoughts. NP, KS, DG, AK, AD, PC - missed you. you need to make a visit down there as part of your itinerary some time soon. armed only with the power of nostalgia and a positiviy towards the future....she will embrace you with open arms.

totos doesnt play the music anymore. although that doesnt take away from the quality of the experience. the deadly combination of the 'pops and baaaaeeeeers still rules. the waiters recognized an old face and enquired with due dilligence on my whereabouts. i loved the contemptous smiles i received on reciting the destinations. nothing in their opinion could really match up to the garage.at that point of time, i could not agree more.

mochas was as mochas is. bustling, noisy, hookas and chocolate. redefining coffee conversations - the ultimate in cooleth.
that was the year i grew up..and made the best damn friends along the way.

i got scared when i saw the exterior facelift of gokuls as i entered. luckily it was just a facade. The sheer simplicity of its inner walls reminded me those lesser aware moments of rowdyness...the best celebrations of battles won hard, the initiation and new beginnings, the clinking of masquerading beer glasses in numbered groups- much too large for your capacity, yet you found a way to fit us in. gokuls always understood the importance of togetherness in times of sheer happiness.

the sports bar at phoenix mills was another reminder of just how cool and fun we were, we are :) england is on its way and i still maintain federer is the best that ever walked the courts....a sporting weekend of epic proportions , and who better to spend it with then raw energy mr gurjer himself. pure , unadulterated bliss.

the last night was dedicated to the chilled out evenings at the marine plaza. the ever so familiar dessert buffet with the view of the queen's necklace, surrounded by those not unlike me...reflecting back at a day gone by....

oh and btw, for the first time in my 6 year history of cell phone usage, i got mine stolen in mumbai- maybe she wanted to remind me not to get complacent and always keep guard:))

and now im back. fresh yet exhausted. ambition + 1, optimistic +1. thank you mumbai. you are by far the most powerful city in the world. within you lies the epicenter of our country's magnificence, her economic prowess and her delicate beauty. the sheer awesomeness echoes from the streets of dadar to the skill in your taxi driving. they say you need to clean your act up. but only cos they fear that you redefine rebellion everyday - never failing, never wincing, never.
i will taste you once again. and as i departed i heard your mocking whisper "there's always room for one more"

you temptress.

Posted by chitgo at 6/13/2006 11:32:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

so.
friday the 9th is here. one of the best planned (more like most advanced) trips shall be underway in 6 hours from now. bombay is preparing for the return of its beloved son.
dhanur recently updated his blog after about 2 years with a insightful post on modern day perceptions on countries and the delusional nature of the same. a must read for the likes of bee and naaz who are/have lived there for a considerable period of time.

ck has got his blog going and he is 3 weeks away from singapore. good on him. more news that he would be sharing his apartment with another homie. so now ive got a place to stay in singy:) good getting updated homie. i trust you're going to have a great time.

accha then what else? india drew the first test match with the west indies in a nail biter. screw the nail biting. we should have won. Blah. the point really is about bad selection for a dry turning pitch and the fact that we should have declared 10 overs earlier on day 4. ok, im not going to whine. there are always learning points so im going to hope we come back and take what is rightfully ours in the remaining matches - the series.

federer vs. nadal final. man i hope that happens, if so, its going to be brutal. cant live without sport. could do with playing some and getting in shape ofcourse. but thats a different story.

sethi meri beti is in bombay as well so it looks like the 2 delhiites will be rocking like a couple of frogs in a sock down in the beauty that is mumbai. just got a message from my gangster buddy vj that he has made his most recent trip from jaipur to mumbai as well:) so much happiness and many reunions are around the corner.

anyways, more news when i return from bombay now. till then. peace out, take a chill pill and have a great weekend...
news about next steps you ask? patience mon ami. patience. it's all happening.

Posted by chitgo at 6/09/2006 11:40:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

21 overs left to bowl in the day.
4 wickets to get.
sehwag has just bamboozled bravo.
its all happening.
god give me strength.

Posted by chitgo at 6/07/2006 01:45:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

are you in a 9-5/9-6/9-7/9-9 job?
are you busy completing projects till late nights and wondering where the damn weekend went?
would you sell your soul for a 48 hour holiday?
would you buy back your soul and sell it again for a chance to just achieve the ultimate in modern day nirvana....'chill'?

if so. close this blog and close this page right now. the coming lines are more horrific than anything you could possibly dare fathom.

welcome to dhruv chitgopekar's decadence. DcD as scientists are calling it nowadays.

the day starts at 12. and thats on a day i feel like seeing what the morning rays look like...the days i really feel like it. the day shifts into a magnificently laid out brunch of delicious indian food that would make other random delicacies seem like starters at a cheap chinese restaurant.
choices of the day then include - should i take a shower? hmmm (for the sake of preservation i often do go with this option. also not to let any of you guys think im filthy. lazy-yes. slobby - yes. unkempt ?- never. please remember i did just come back from switzerland).
continuing with the choices - hmmm i wonder what to watch on television. reruns of the episodes of the OC Ive already watched with neha?? the french open? highlights of the previous day's play in the india-west indies test match?? watch muralitharan rip apart the england batting ? oprah? (yes i do like oprah and no smart alec comments invited here either....something interesting on national geographic /discovery channel (ruled out due to the possibility of it consisting of anything semi-educational), one of gazillion shows that provide the historical perspective and build up to the world cup? watch the miami heat destroy the detroit pistons?

once that choice is made (and it usually drifts to some sport) i allow myself to snuggle up infront of the beautiful box, spread my legs out and enter a catatonic state that people can only call the bold and the beautiful daze (the laymans term for the very famous scientific discovery of the progressive diminishing of mental capacities during the viewing of continuous and inane channel changes)

ok, once that first major choice is made. the difficulties of life then enter into - hmmmmm. should i take a nap? should i go and eat something else? should i just walk aimlessly around?? should i figure out which new video game purchase is most dire in terms of necessity?

this can take hours. you think its easy to chill out to such an extreme? the mind drifts in and out of the dreamy state before i realize that the evening is upon us. so what next? hmmm, i wonder if i should have a glass of beer or pour myself some old monk and knock of a few over intelligent (hardly) conversations with my main man trent who is on his way to bangalooorooooooo for a year?
should i call pani who is on her way to singapore? or should i enter into a detailed discussion on the obvious merits of the louvre and eiffel tower with neha? ...should i bug sethi while he is at work auditing and consulting the hell out of some mid-sized business or should i send out random emails to shikul who could kill me if I dared mention my upmost respect for himesh reshamiya one more time.

the evening progresses in a lull as I go and shoot some hoops and return to my heavenly abode in order to converse with my divine parents on the seemingly homogenous nature of switzerland along with mulling over pictures from trips to geneva and amsterdam in back to back weekends.

then, its time to go online for the night has just begun. am greeted with smileys and hearts from the domination squad spread across the globe. from columbia to london, from paris to prague. i am blessed. so blessed.

once again , the next day then offers opportunities to make a movie watching bonanza of choice. this weekend 'the inside man' was on offer. a very very slick and enjoyable spike lee flick with to-be-expected brilliance from denzel washington. some of the dialogues are to die for and you guys will not believe what soundtrack it starts with. for my indians out there - just watch the movie. you'll love it. for everyone else, watch it and ill tell you the significance behind it.

other days are spent wondering what sort of positive humanitarian effect i can have. sunday was rewarding as i got to see my local chapter running a brilliant opening conference to their quarterly projects and programs. ambitious as always- the drive is still there. heck- its even better...i was impressed. dutifully impressed.

lunch at the andra bhavan. for those of you guys who think that mcdonalds is fast food, you need a check up from the neck up. situated in the centre of town in the ministry of the state of andhra pradesh is the most ultimate in dining experiences. 10 men, armed with all you can eat buffets in their very hands rotating around a 20 metre circumference feeding you in a frenzy that would make the NYSE look like a kindergarden stroll. for the delhiites - a must visit. for the internationals heading into the country at some point, remind me to take you there.

ahhhhh another wonderful weekend of decadence and relaxation. much deserved and much appreciated. it wont last long and i suspect it wont be missed too much. i cant say that the mind is idle for good company surrounds me in every shape and form. in every relationship. lucky is me.

so now, its past midnight. i am once again left with choices. head back downstairs with the prayer of india making a semblance of a comeback against the windies? or ruffle through my asterix collection and find another rib tickler? open up my storehouse of switzerland pictures and enter room number nostalgia or get a listen of 'atif' (the new sensational rock band that vasu was kind enough to give to me). hmmm maybe i could go online and check out the pub fest (10 indian bands touring some of the best pubs and clubs in delhi playing their guts out-the capital has finally arrived it seems)

chatting with anna as she fills me in on the genevans. i do miss those guys. the robster must be busy, the clock is winding down. and i still havent heard from ck on his adventures in algeria. gosh that boy is a globetrotter. pp is thinking of visiting me - cos he likes the idea of decadence and im 4 days away from sam (bombay here i come) along with 7 days away from KS who arrives for the glorious new chapter .....

gosh this has descended into randomness. however, peace is not random. peace is the feeling of righteousness. happiness is the feeling of living in the moment and carpe diem - all in one big life sized pie that you've got to take a bite out of cos to live is a dish best served piping hot.

on a closing note, some exciting news is on the horizon.....i am certainly waiting with anticipation.
Et maintenant quoi, Dhruv?

Posted by chitgo at 6/05/2006 12:33:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

so how many people are hardcore asterix fans out there? remember the tall , thin and extremely hilarious adventures of asterix the gaul? blessed are my parents for having complemented my trashy introduction to archie with these brilliant pieces of literature. i still remember the excitement with which I used to add to my asterix collection with my dads every international visit and return. These comics were my partners in pure witty humour and exposure to medieval europe like you could not imagine...written almost 4 decades ago, i was amazed at how they still invoke riotous laughter as i read them today..

so:) now cutting to this evening, I am rummaging through my old books (from way back in grade school) and stumble upon my stack of asterix and obelix...there are over 30 of them (I believe I have every one of them ever published)..and what do I see?

man oh man oh man...you would not see someone grab a comic book with more delight than I did. Asterix has to travel to 'helvetica' to get a special flower from the mountains in order to cure the sickness of a roman soldier. As you can imagine, the stereotypes are all there..from fondue parties to a description of the mountains; from jokes about the cleanliness fettish to yodelling; from sardonic (yet awestruck) jibes at the punctuality factor to a portion on the swiss secretive banking system (heck the name of the guy who owned the bank was zurix:)) can my swiss buddies just imagine how much fun i was having? alright, the best part was actually when asterix has to go to geneva..he stumbles into a huge conference room where an assembly of chieftans is discussing ways of partnering with the romans....i still have a moronic smile on my face....
for those of you who are asterix fans but havent read this particular one- get it! now!. for those of you who aren't asterix fans at all- what have you been doing with your life?

forever swindian guys, forever swindian.

Posted by chitgo at 6/02/2006 12:32:00 AM | Permalink | Comments