the tag of A2Z

Mooched this from tys's place:

A. Attached or Single? Attached.

B. Best Friend? Can't pick one :)

C. Cake or pie? Cake.

D. Drink of choice? Coffee / Wine. If alcoholic, then Jack Daniels. (Wine is NOT alcoholic)

E. Essential item you use every day? my charm ;)

F. Favorite color? Green / Black.

G. Gummy bears or worms? no to both.

H. Hometown? Kerala.

I. Favorite indulgence? Anything to do with anything which have an engine and can run :)

J. January or July? Both.

K. Kids & their names? One - goes by the name --xh--. (incidentally, he is the owner of this blog too)

L. Life isn’t complete without? the ups and downs.

M. Marriage date? April 23rd

N. Number of Siblings? One.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples.

P. Phobias? mildly claustrophobic.

Q. Quotes? lot of them to choose from.

R. Reasons to smile?almost anything :)

S. Season? Rain.Rain.Rain - and more rain.

T. Tag 3 people: please come forward

U. Unknown fact about me? I can apprate. No kidding.

V. Vegetable? yes.

W. Worst habit? ask my friends/better half :)

X. X-ray you've had? Left knee

Y. Your favorite food? Chakkapuzukku.

Z. Zodiac sign? Libra

Q&A

silverlining tagged me and herz my take on it...

1)What is your occupation?

I Play around with computers... ;)

2)What colour are your socks now?

Black

3)What are you listening to now?

Bob Marley

4)What was the last thing you ate? 

Masala Dosa

5)Can you drive a stick shift? 

Yes.

6)Last person you spoke to on phone?

My brother

7)Do you like the person who sent you this?

Yup, though havn't met her :)

8)How old are you today? 

Age? thatz just a mathematical function... 

9)What is your favourite sport to watch on TV?

F1. 

10)What are your favourite drinks?

Coffee.

11)Have you ever dyed your hair?

yup

12)Favourite food?

dont ask this Q to one who is pursuing his PhD in gastronemics... :P

13)Last movie watched?

The Art of war (and slep when the movie was half way :P - the last movie i fully watched is Cassanova)

14)Favourite day of the year?

All the days.

15)How do you vent out your anger?

mostly by having a good verbal showdown inside my head. 

16)Favourite toy as a child? 

automobiles

17)Favourite season?

Rain and cold.

18)Do you want your friends to email you?

what a Q? of course...

19)When was the last time you cried?

dont remember... but not in this year. 

20)What is on the floor of your closet?

newspaper

21)Who is the friend you have had the longest?

J and S - they r my friends from my Pre KG. 

22)What did you do last night?

Played NFS-MW (Need For Speed-Most Wanted), read a malayalam noval and of course, slept. 

23)What are you most afraid of?

loosing my freewill and freedom. 

24)Plain,cheese or spicy hamburger?

depends on the mood :)

25)Favourite dog breed? 

Bulldog (coz i love Spike the bulldog ;) )

26)Favorite day of the week? 

All days.

27)How many states have you lived in? 

two

28)Diamond or pearl? 

Either of them (not to use, but to give gift)

29)What is your wish for this new year?

grant me the strength to remain happy :)

30)New year resolutions?

Nothing

i want to resume blogging - i really want. but I dont feel like writing anything... I do read most of the blogs, but I dont comment on many - please bear with me.. will soon start spamming ur pages...

(on a sidenote, met with Tys, Madhumitha,Ziah and Vivek - and had a superb time - and forgot to click snaps... duh!)

The New Year Meme

Thanks Pratsie, for this meme:

1. Looking back on 2008, what might your theme song have been?

Gasolina... just for the foot tapping beats. the last year was  a heady mix for me, and so this song. and yeah, the song is 'gasolina', which runs in my vein ;)

2. If 2008 was a movie, who would play you?

I Me Myself

3. What was your greatest gift of 2008?

Happy days

4. What is your New Year Resolution or, what are you committing to this year?

No New Year resolution for me...

5. If January could be represented by one song, what would it be?

till now, oo January from a malayalam movie Big B (adaptation of the english movie Four Brothers) (again, not for the lyrics or meaning, but for teh celebration mood.

6. What do you wish for your body in 2009?

More flexibility, stamina, faster reflexes and of course, more health.

7. Name one new thing you would love to try in the New Year.

Only One? Bungee Jumping (a random pick from the list of things I wanna do)

8. What do you long for 2009 to bring?

More Happy days

9. If that happened, how would you feel?

Happy

10. Where would you love to vacation in 2009 if money were no object?

A road trip across everywhere and nowhere...

11. What would you like the theme of 2009 to be?

Happy days

12. If 2009 was a book, and the title was 5 words or less, what might the title be?

A Celebration called Life

Saw this ad and man - this IS the bike I want... move away R1s and Busas and Blades, I need you, the Duke...

KTM Duke - Funny bloopers R us

tags.. tags...

this tag is from Cess, and herez my answers...

1. Who are you? 

   --xh--

2. Are we friends? 

   blog pals now. 

3. Something I have and YOU want? 

   hm.. sunny days? 

4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.

   hm.. sunflower.. coz u love sun so much...

5. Describe me in one word.

   nice

6. What was your first impression of me?

   Nikon, Food, Wine - I am gng to enjoy her blogs...

7. Do you still think that way about me now?

   yeah

8. What reminds you of me?

   nothing in particular...

9. If you could give me anything what would it be?

   More sun? 

10.How well do you know me?

   Not Much...

11.How do you see me in the future?

   see as in? do u plan to come in my dreams? :P 

12.Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't

   hm.. ok, lemme try - whatz the tattoo you are having? 

13. Are you going to post this in your blog and see what I say about you?

yeah, you are  reading it in my blog :) 

I am not tagging any one, but will be great if you will do it @ the comments section... and yeah, I ment you. 

The second tag is frm Monica - The Tagaddiction. 

Bikes, cars, Bus, lorry - anything that have got an engine - Automobiles are an integral part of my life

Books _ i love reading and I love collecting books... 

Music - I listen to songs almost all the time I am awake - and I listen to anything - from classical (bach / carnatic) to EDM. 

Cooking - my roomamate is a living testimoney that I can cook edible food... poor guy - dunno when he will file a suit to stop me from making him my guinea pig ;) 

Google, Blogs, My Camera, Chocolates, Coffee, twitter, friends - my addiction list goes on adn on... 

Thanks for the tags, Cess and Monika :-D 

Itz tag Time

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by them.

[I don’t dislike any, so I’m not replacing any question]

 

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by.

[I was tagged by Aarthi]

 

Continue this game by sending it to other people.

 

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?

hm.. will bounce back and carry on with my life.

 

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

only one? that is so unfair :P

 

3. Why do you blog?

I blog coz i love to blog.

 

4. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

Nope. (She is committed ;P )

 

5. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?

Being loved by someone whom you love.

 

6. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?

Till I get bored.

 

7. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?

I will wish her all teh best and will be happy that she found teh one for her :)

 

8. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?

Child Labor

 

9. What takes you down the fastest?

Whatever it may, i make sure it dont makes me keep there for long :P

 

10. What resurrects you the fastest?

Myself

 

11. What’s your fear?

No fears. The moment you give in to your fear, you lose the battle.

 

12. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

Dont know her personally. Feels she is some one nice and it is always a treat to read her blogs...

 

13. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?

Dose it matter?

 

14. What’s the purpose of such Tags?

To know the author better...

 

15. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously whom will you pick?

That is not a situation I would like to be in.

 

16. Would you give all in a relationship?

Nope.

 

17. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?

Forgive, but forget not.

 

18. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?

Currently, single.

 

19. Who/what inspired you to start blogging?

I was always keen on blogging, and started it when I found that company have given me access/

20. Tag 6 people.

I am tagging only three - Winnepoohie, pratz and Cess.

Questions...

I was bloghopping as usual, reading and commenting, making most of a lazy Monday morning, and then I saw the post by Crystal

 

She have given a set of Questions and asked for the answers - and I love the set of questions.

 

I liked them so much that I just had to share them with you,

so here you go with the questions and my answers. 

 

Do answer them, either @ the comment section or at your blog (if you do it at your blog, leave a link), I would love to know your answers...

 

The most powerful force in life?
Self Confidence 

The greatest asset?
The belief that I can do it

The most powerful channel of communication?
Open talk

The most important thing in life?
Freedom

The greatest joy?
Being happy

The worst thing to be without?
a free mind

The greatest loss?
self esteem

The most worthless emotion?
Guilt

The most effective sleeping pill?
a worry free mind

The most satisfying work?
any work as long as you are happy doing it

The greatest problem to overcome?
lack of self confidence

The best attire?
Constructive ego

The most crippling disease?
Destructive Ego

The most dangerous pariah?
Blind Envy

The two most powerful words?
I can

And the greatest attitude?
I.

 

 

Google says it...

I saw this meme in many blogs, and today, where you google "your name + needs" and list the first 10 results. 

i was googling as usual for some stuff and suddenly, I got the idea to goole for "Anoop needs", and here is what I got - and teh result did surprize me - for, the 10th item was actually about me, written by one of my best friend, in his blog, long time back... *wide grin*
so here is what Google think I needs

1) Anoop needs to make drawings that are more complete

hm..now it is a known secret that my sketching talent leaves a lot to be desired.. and now Google have officially proclaimed it :P
(btw - here is one of the last sketches I did, about 4-5 years back. Plan to start sketching again, and some day, I may feed you forcefully with my merciless massacre of lines and curves) 

2) Anoop needs to turn 7 more or gain 162 more Vampire points to reach the next level 

now now, I have never been much of a Facebook fan, but I did play the Vampire game some time back.. Never knew Google kept a close tab on me.. Big brother is watching.... 

3) Anoop needs help in expr. essing his ideas mor. e clearl 

hm, i do think at times, i need the help. Good old Google uncle knows what I need... :) anybody there want to volunteer? 

 4) Goshhh, Anoop needs some kind of contract for singing 

It is very hard to keep your secret life secret - I tell you. Googleman knows how Good I sing and says I need a contract.. hear hear...  

5) Anoop needs to ... 

ok, now, are you playing some kind of a game? this is what I asked you, Mr.Google. And I need an answer.  

6) It sounds as if Anoop needs to wait for one process to finish before starting the next 

my oh my - can you be more wrong. I think I am the king of multitasking :P 

7) I very much doubt Anoop needs all this publicity 

yeah, so true.. you, out there - please turn off that spot light on me... man, my hand aches after signing all these autographs... google knows whatz best for me.. ;)  

8) looks like anoop needs more and more votes, he is still at 4th place 

now, isn't this sweet. this one is really about me. before I started blogging here, I used to blog @ yahoo. Once yahoo selected 10 best blogs across the whole yahoo 360 and conducted a voting to see which will come as the best blog. My blog was in the list, and when the voting was over, I got 4th :-D  

9) Susan, a developer in California, learns that her colleague Anoop needs to build Susan's software component at the Indian development lab 

Now, this is very close to reality.... very very close :-D 

10) Anoop needs to turn 4 more or gain 91 more Slayer points to reach the next level. 

then vampire, now slayer... hm... the eye sees it all.... 
 

I dont tag anyone, other than cess, who is automatically tagged... If anyone finds it interesting, feel free to take it up :-D

 

A date with books

Harini tagged me and man, this is a tag I love to do :-D

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

my parents encouraged me to read - they used to get me boks from Prabath book house - it was not a conventional book store, but a big red bus. they used to have stories translated from russian. I used to read a lot of them and then i joined the library at my dads village when i was in school. I always liked ot read, and i grew up listening tales of indian mythology from my grandma and reading russian flok tales from the books. 

It was my friends shyam who introduced me to English litereture. I started reading english books when i was doing 1st year Pre-University. And I started with Hardy boys :-D 

What are some books you read as a child?

Lot of flok tales from russia, malayalam novels and short stories. I used to look at Mirror and Misha - two russian magazines - Our library used to get them and my dad used to bring them home. Though I could not read and understand them, I used to look and imagine the life there. 

What is your favourite genre?

Anything other than sweet-sticky-mushy romance. 

Do you have a favourite novel?

A lot, and I have said about them many times in my blog. 

Where do you usually read?

I read at almost any place. If I am at home, I love lounging on my beanbag. I have the habit carrying the book I am currently reading with me when I go anywhere so that if I have to wait, I can read and pass time. 

When do you usually read?

Any free time I can get

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Nope. I kind of like to read one at a time. 

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

Nope. I ain't a advocate of descrimination :P 

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

Buy them most fo the time, borrow them once in a while - but I borrow from those who I am really comfortabel with, and I lend to those whom I am really comfy with.
 

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?

Yes, I keep them. I want to ahve a library of my own :-D

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?

Yes, i think so. but only thing is, now I dont see much russian folk tales and the books I used ot read as kids.  I would suggest Kerala, Bengali and Russian children's Literature

What are you reading now?

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?

Yes. I start doing it eitehr wehn I read some reviews and like the book, or when I am almost ready for next visit to book store. But I always not necesserily goes by that list. 

What books would you like to reread?

The list changes. Now on the top are - Kalam by MT Vasudevan Nair (Malayalam), My Childhood by Maxim Gorky and Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra.

Who are your favourite authors?

from Ayn rand to Grisham, From PG Wodehouse to Fritjof Capra, from Mt Vasudevan Nair to Shivarama Karanth, from Vijay Tendulkar to sadath Hasan manto, From Kafka to Khalid hosseini, the list goes on and on. 

i tag..

Preetz, Veenzie, Winnipoohi, Tia, Prats, Tys and Cess - u r always tagged. I would love to tag Busy_writer too, but she is alredy tagged. 

ps: If any of you read bengali literature, could you please ping me on my mail id? I am trying to get the name of some books I read during my school days, but i am not able to pinpoint them. Any help will be really appreciated. 

whatz on ur desk, doc?

Got this tag from Sameera - This is how my desktop looks today. I keep changing my desktop picture frequently, and as you might have guesed, i use ONLY automobile pictures as my desktop background.

A bit about the bike - this is Ducati Hypermotard 1100S - the bike which right now tops my wish list. The wallpaper is downloaded from official Ducati site.
Now now, who all out there dare to bare (their desktop :P )

Thus spoke the wise

I love quotes. At times when I have feelt I have no power left in me to fight, I have come across words so powerful that the very next moment I was back with full energy, trying to achieve what I thought I am not going to do.

Tia tagged me recently with a "list-5-of-ur-fav-quotes" tag. This is something I love to do, and here goes my favorite quotes.

1) “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” From Old man And the Sea by Hemingway

2)"I stand at the end of no tradition.I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one"From The Fountainhead by AynRand

3)" I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine" From Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

4) "I have what I have given" - Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

5) "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" - Godfather by Mario Puzo


There are many more quotes which are near ot my heart from all these books, but I have limited myself by choosing one from each book. The next in this list will be Jonathan Livingston Seagull,Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Tao of Physics, Fathers and sons, The Prophet... the list goes on...

I tag WinniPoohie, Sameera, meghz, Preetz and ~nm. And cess, u r always tagged ;-)

Tag of Books

Winne the poohi tagged me, and man, I love this tag.

The Rules are as follows:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you really love (and strikethrough the ones you hate!).
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (have read some, but not complete works - nt much of a shakespeare fan here.)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


My score is: 43/100 or shall i say, 43.5/100 since I have read many of Shakespeare? though exactly my kind of list, I had fun doing it. Now, who all are going to take it up?
Prasanth, Gazal, Pratz, Suma,Joy, Tia - game for it?

(I could not find a shortcut to underline in blogger, and too lazy to go to the code and do it... I like almost all the books I have read in this list)

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Now playing: Harold Faltermeyer - Top Gun Anthem via FoxyTunes

Hall of fame - Lit.Charat.

Whew, i finished this post at last. When I saw it @ Prats page, i wanted to flick it, and man, btw the crazy schedule, i had to keep track of this post (a very rare thing forme to do - really sit down and write a blog)
So here is my personal hall of fame...

Howard Roark
I came across him when i was going through a time of doubt and confusion, and he made a lot of sense to me. Though I won’t say that he changed my life, i can never deny the impressions he had in shaping me. The sure foot youth with blazing orange hair, who decided to design his own destiny, he showed me there is nothing a man cannot achieve if he believes in it.

Favorite Dialogue:
"I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand at the end of no tradition. I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one."

John Galt
The striker, the inventor, the one who is not ready to adjust or compromise for others... the ultimate hero is many counts; he showed mass of people may not always be right. He showed there is no point in being intimidated by the majority, and what is more important is to stand up if you think what you do is right, even if the whole world thinks it is not so.

Favorite Dialogue:
I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of
another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.

Francisco d'Anconia
Francisco Domingo Carlos Andres Sebastian d'Anconia - the multitalented young genius... who made one of the best cover to mask his true intention... he is the genius of a character - if ever I get a chance to live as a character, I will choose him.

Favorite Dialogue:
The paragraph where he speaks about money and refuting the argument that money is the root of all evil.

Jeeves
Ah, Reginald Jeeves - what do I tell about you, the best 'gentleman's personal gentleman' ever took birth? I like him so much that I named one of my bikes after him... He have saved me from many a moody days, and with his fine and subtle wit and brainy ideas.

Santiago
The old man who taught me that man cannot be defeated, but destroyed. The one who showed me what persistence is all about. The one who said men never give up. He is certainly among top 10 in my hall of fame.


Ari Ben Canaan
The six feet and three inches tall hard rock of a man. The one who braved the difficulties and did what many thought cannot be done. he became the mould for the rough, unpolished and courageous hero in my mind when I read the book first time.

Don Vito Corleone
The Godfather - no one have made me feel the power of the word Power like Don Corleone. The dialogue “I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." is enough to send the waves of power he wields through the skulls and the way he controlled his empire is nothing but a grand game of chess which is worth the prize for best game ever played. .

Sherlock Holms
The imperfectly perfect sleuth... the cocaine snuffing genius. I read his stories when i was a kid and fell in love with his observation and deduction power.

The Jackal
One of the best assassins - it is a treat to read his ways - the subdued violence, the cat and mouse game, and the climax where a perfect plan gets thwarted by a most unpredictable moment... He is one hero who is an anti hero and an anti hero, who is heroic in proportions.


Calvin
The ultimate brat, the adorable pocket bomb. He and his partner in crime – Hobbs, is one package which can send your blues and mood swings to moon. Perhaps my ever favorite cartoon character, he never fails to lit up my face when I read or reread his strips.

the Flickr Mosaic

I nicked it from selah.

the rules are:

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

2. Using only the first page of results, and pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food? right now?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your user name?

and the resultant mosaic is:



Why don't u guys join the fun? take it up - it will be fun to see the mosaic...

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Now playing: Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door
via FoxyTunes

And Quiet Flows the Don

Itz been long time since i have put any update on my life here. it feels strange considering the fact that i stated blogging about me and my life... the main thing why you don't see any updates here was I was being lazy and then there was nothing happening in my life.. it was just flowing, no changes, no new faces, no new outings... well, no that is not true.. there where incidents I cherish, incidents i love to share, but i was too lazy to pen down them...

This weekend was a lazy one. i didn't even get out on whole Sunday... tried reading Snapshots by Shoba De, but could not finish it.. man, I know thousands of better way to waste my 250 rs. Never thought it will be this bad...

I have a tag left out - the book tag, and I was contemplating on doing it. I have been tagged by Preetz and by Ceedy, and today Emaan the Kewl too tagged me with it, which actually made me to the tag.

For this tag, I'm supposed to Pick up the nearest book. Go to page 123. Find the fifth sentence.Post the next three sentences.Then tag five people, and acknowledge the person who tagged you.

The nearest book I have here is 'The Unbearable lightness of being' by Milan Kundera, and here goes the 6th, 7th and 8th sentences from page 123.


"They sought out the company of friends, colleagues, students, and strangers, and enjoyed sitting, drinking, and chatting with them. They took frequent excursions to the Alps. Franz would bend over, the girl hopped onto his back, and off he ran through the meadows, declaiming at the top of his voice a long German poem his mother had taught him as a child."

I am lazy and I am not tagging the next five people...

meme of quirks (or are they?)

These are the rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you…Ceedy
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours...
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them…
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged..
here goes teh quirks...

1) When my computer slows down, I scold her and call her gaalis... Sme times, I even beat my home pc...yeah yeah - case of domestic violence, i know :P
2) I talk to my bike when I ride.
3) I keep forgetting things... and can forget anything at the drop of the hat. This hv landed me in sopu quieta lot of times.
4) Like connecting unrelated ideas and concepts to create a funny situation. Sometimes results in atrocious PJ's which even surprises me sometimes. (picked straight from Ceedy - this is something I share with him)
5) I usually never talk whn I take the first bite of the food - I let myslef seduced by the taste buds.
6) I have to have at lest some junk jwellery on me all teh time... chains, rings, bracelets... chances ar ethat you will never find me without some thing or otehr on me :-D

now, itz my turn to tag - I tag Preetz and Ashu :-D

(Totally adidicted to Jaane Tu Mera Kiya Hai, Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi and lazy lamhe and Azhiyilae from Dhoom Dham - amazing songs... Ada is also not at all bad... )

one more meme

Got tagged by sandhya a while back, and this is my take on the tag...
10 THINGS I MISS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW:
Ride: yes, I miss riding out... the way I see it, it will take me some more time (at least 1 more month) to be on road for some good rides
crush: long time, no crush and of late, no dates too.. man, whatz hapening to me :(
a juicy, tender beef steak: Any one game for Lazzio or tiffany for lunch?
college days: will that carefree days ever return?
My bro: would have nice if he was around :)
i think thatz it - cant think of anything i miss NOW... I am happy as the way life is :)

10 things i want to achieve within a decade:
( i did a meme earlier abt 50 thinsg I want to do - i am picking 10 from the list, in no particular order)
01. Ride to Leh on Bullet.
02. Self modify a Contessa to produce over 1000 bhp power and win drag races.
03. Learn professional photography.
04. Learn to bake.
05. Cook and server a moonlight dinner for my future wife .
06. Make my dad and mom feel like King and Queen.
07. Visit Utah Salt Flats.
08. Do bartending at a party.
09. Race with my future kids.
10. Make my children study without ever letting them know the pressure to perform and get high grades.
now it is my turn to tag, and I tag
Preetz
Shanu (dude, itz time for u to update ur blog)
Meenu
~nm
Suma
Aner
Wildflower
ps: my short trip to kerala was awsome.. thanks for all the wishes...

the fiver u never knew...

Got tagge by macadamia, and boy, it really came at the right time. having a hectic schedule which kind of kept me off from writing anything, and at times like this, i really like to do the tags :-D
the rules of the tag - I have to share five things which I have never sahred with you my blogreaders before.
hm.. it got me thinking for a while... and here is my list:
1) I read fast and I can read for long time without losing concentration... many times, I finish books at one go. when i read, i may not even realise even if teh world collapse (ok, taht is an exxageration, but you can sure come to my room, yell at me and go back, and i wont even realise you came to my room)
2) I sketch at times. I dont think I have posted any of teh sketches I made coz I stopped sketching almost 5 years back. but now I plan to do it again, and I made a sketch of sophia, and she says she can recognise it is she.
3) I mix right and left a lot... I never get confused whn i ride, but whn i give directions, or talk, I get both confused.
4) spiders are soo yuck... can stand any oterh instects, but spider - no, never.
5) I tasted Lassi for teh first time in my life almost a month beofre. Till then, belive it or not, I have never tasted it. yes, it do tastes good.
hm.. now itz my time to tag, and I tag
Preetz
Veenize
Shruti
Ms.Taggart
Prasanth
Go and spread.. muhuhaaa...

rapid fire tag

Preetz over Here I am tagged me. here is my quick take on the 30 questions...
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
A. American Gangster. Liked the movie.
2. What book are you reading?
A. Snow by Orhan Pamuk
3. Favorite board game?
A. Chess - like to play it.
4. Favorite magazine?
A. Was Auto India, then changed to AutoCar India, Now slowly changing back to Auto India.
5. Favorite smells?
A. Fresh smell of earth after the first rain, smell fo Coffee flowers and Jasmine, and smell of petrol.
6. Favorite sounds?
A. Sweet music of the classic single - the Royal Enfiled Bullet ( I like almost all notes played by exhaust pipes - the mighty V8, the smoking 2-stroker...)
7. Worst feeling in the world?
A. Self-pity. Agree with you Preetz, here.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
A. Thank you God. One more day to enjoy. :-D
9. Favorite fast food place?
A. Dont have favourite place - but among all we have, my pick is Subway.
10. Future child’s name?
A. No, not so soon.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?”
A. have all the bikes and cars I want.
12. Do you drive fast?
A. Yea, but only when I get a open highway without traffic. insdie city, I am not a fast rider..
13. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
A. Nope.
14. Storms - cool or scary?
A. Cool
15. What was your first car?
A. I dont have a car yet, but our family car is a beauty - 1984 model Ambassidor.
16. Favorite drink?
A. Water. (was coffee, but now strictly off coffee)
17. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
A. I always have time, so there is no 'IF'.
18. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
A. yes.
19. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
A. off-white streaks.
20. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
A. really?.
21. Favorite sports to watch?
A. F1 and any motorsports. After motorsports, itz football,voleyball and golf.
22. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
A. Preetz - a rocking, kewl friend whoz fun to have around.
23. What’s under your bed?
A. Floor :P
24. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
A. Yup, sure.
25. Morning person, or night owl?
A. Mix of both - sleep late and gets up early.
26. Over easy, or sunny side up?
A. Sunny side up
27. Favorite place to relax?
A. My bean bag, as of now.
28. Favorite pie?
A. Apple pie.
29. Favorite ice cream flavor?
A. Anything :-D I LOVE ice creams...
30. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
A. Not tagging anyone... too lazy. from next time, i will start tagging..

A-2-Z

I am taking this tag from Aneri, but I modified it a bit - i am listing words which comes to my mind when i hear the letter... so here goes my 24 carrot of wisdom :P
Get ready to get bored.
A - Automobiles... I am passionate about them,
B - BHP (break horse power) the more, the better :-D (no wonder I am a sucker for old Muscle cars... )
C - Cars. Do i need to explain?
D - Dusk and Dawn. love watching them...
E - Eat. A big time foodie here :-D
F - Ferrari. Food. Fire arms.
G - Gardening- I love it. Google.
H - Home. nothing like it.. :-)
I - Internet.
J - Job. Not exactly a workholic, but I love my job.
K - Kite. Love running Kites...
L - Lemonade. Lamborgini.
M - Michael Schumacher. The god of speed.
N - Nature. not a tree hugger, but a nature lover.
O - Off roads. Love trail riding.
P - Photoshop.
Q - Quick fix.
R - Royal Enfield. Romantic. Well, not really, but in a certain way.
S - Speed. Only @ deserted roads; not in traffic.
T - Torque. Tea.
U - Unicorn (not the mythical creature, but Jeevs, my Honda Unicorn)
V - Values. I have my own set of values I live by.
W - Wine.
X - Xenon head lights, X windows.
Y - You (you-know-who-you-are ;-) ), Yahoo.
Z - Zero

Things I love about me

When i finished reading this tag @ aneri_masi's page, i let a sigh of relief coz i was not tagged, but that relief as short lived.. :P

This is one of the most challenging tags I am doing - challenging coz it is tough for me to single out just 5 things i love about me. Being the egomaniac I am, i love just anything and every thing about me.

Here is my go on five things I love, picked up in randomly.
1) I like the way I cook and keep my home. You can drop in any time, and it will be tough to say that itz a bachelors pad.
2) I like the way I ride - not too aggressive, but ready to pounce when needed. Kind of restrained violence.
3) I like the positive attitude I keep. It is very rare to see me in a downcast mood. I believe in the philosophy of rubber ball - the hard we throw the ball to the ground, the hard it bounces back.
4) I am game for anything new and advent ours. I am kind of perfect partner in crime ;-D
5) I am a bit crazy - friends who know me will vouch for that. And i like it that way - Dont try to put me in a box, and I am happy with you :-D
I am not tagging any one - too lazy, if any one want to pick it up, feel free to do so. I will really be glad :-D