Inspired by a mail I got yesterday: :P
BBC: 1st March, 2003
Rawalpindi express derailed by act of God
- 11 dead, {fubar}
- 140 million injured
Millions advance Diwali celebrations
In a completely unrelated incident, 1 billion people celebrated the festival of Diwali, which signifies the victory of good over evil, almost 8 months earlier this year, today. Pundits believe that a divine surge of cosmic energy had changed the planetary positions, shifting the Hindu calendar. The surge is believed to have originated in the Southern Hemisphere, which is strange, since God has always loved the Northern Hemisphere more for some reason.....{ever observed that?}
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Have you ever wanted to send someone a greeting card and never could really find the words you wanted in any of the greeting cards that infest the internet?
It has happened with me quite many times. But that is not what confounds me. What vexes me more is that there are some people who are able to find the most precise message on a card from one of the more obscure greeting card sites, as if these greeting cards were waiting to be found by them.
Now, Sukanya and I, the other day, were talking about something. About friendship and and about different adages about friendship were really true and all. Quite an interesting conversation. The very next day, there is a card in my inbox, talking about the same values that we had talked about the day before!
Now, either I am a Hallmark person, in which case I seriously need to head for the mountains, although there are no mountains in Singapore; or Sukanya has a secret tie-up with some online greeting card makers [quite possible, given that many of her articles are online] in which case, a select few people are going to get cards as they want them to be as well; and lastly, and quite incredulously, it just might be that people don't look for cards, cards look for people, and they don't want to be sent by just anyone to just about anyone.
Hmmm...seems like a good story for an animated movie about greeting cards. Disney, Pixar, are you listening?
It has happened with me quite many times. But that is not what confounds me. What vexes me more is that there are some people who are able to find the most precise message on a card from one of the more obscure greeting card sites, as if these greeting cards were waiting to be found by them.
Now, Sukanya and I, the other day, were talking about something. About friendship and and about different adages about friendship were really true and all. Quite an interesting conversation. The very next day, there is a card in my inbox, talking about the same values that we had talked about the day before!
Now, either I am a Hallmark person, in which case I seriously need to head for the mountains, although there are no mountains in Singapore; or Sukanya has a secret tie-up with some online greeting card makers [quite possible, given that many of her articles are online] in which case, a select few people are going to get cards as they want them to be as well; and lastly, and quite incredulously, it just might be that people don't look for cards, cards look for people, and they don't want to be sent by just anyone to just about anyone.
Hmmm...seems like a good story for an animated movie about greeting cards. Disney, Pixar, are you listening?
Monday, March 03, 2003
There have to be bastards to spoil everything, right? Look at this.
I quote:
"Unfortunately in our country, we are being guided by chauvinist type of ideas. Today, you cannot criticise any major Bengali leader, you can't say a word against, say, Subhas Chandra Bose. You can't criticise any Akali leader, you can't criticise any major Marathi leader in Maharashtra."
Now, all those who feel that Netaji was a Bengali leader, raise your hands. All those who think that ViDaSa was a Marathi leader, raise your hands.
How plainly vulgar can people be? Nehru wasn't a Kashmiri Brahmin leader. He was a national leader. Gandhi wasn't a Gujarati Bania leader. He was the "father of the nation". Netaji's army was not called Azad Bengal Sena, it was called Azad Hind Sena. Savarkar's organisation in London was not called Marathi House, it was called India House.
This Bipan talks as if Savarkar begged for clemency as his sentence was being read out. Savarkar was given clemency after 16 years in Andaman. Why would Savarkar beg for clemency after 16 years in Andaman? He didn't. The British offered to release him because he made life hell for them there, constantly campaigning against unjust treatment to prisoners, against proselytisation by Muslim guards. Also the idea was to clip his wings and make him tell his followers that armed aggression was not the right way. Savarkar accepted the clemency for two reasons, he wasn't being really catalytic in Andaman, and he had realised the futility of individual terrorism. But he still thought that organised armed revolt could effectively throw the British out, which is why Netaji considered him as his guru and the leader of the Hindus, not Gandhi.
Savarkar had realised that his survival was essential because there was no one left alive who could and would champion the cause of Hindutva on a political level. All major revolutionaries had been killed off by the British and the statue of complacency, Gandhi, had been instated as the leader of the masses.
50 years down the line, as the country faces terrorism, casteism and other problems, there are lessons that might be learnt from Savarkar as yet. That is why he is a role model. Gandhi supported the caste system, Savarkar was all for its demolition, as was Ambedkar. But I guess Gandhi and Nehru did not want to give up their uberstatus in the Indian social circles.
Arun Shourie has ripped this Bipan Chandra apart, albiet on a different topic, here. It's in his own backyard, history books. Arun Shourie is the man! Too bad the righties in the house are constricting his freewheeling liberalisation ideas.
I quote:
"Unfortunately in our country, we are being guided by chauvinist type of ideas. Today, you cannot criticise any major Bengali leader, you can't say a word against, say, Subhas Chandra Bose. You can't criticise any Akali leader, you can't criticise any major Marathi leader in Maharashtra."
Now, all those who feel that Netaji was a Bengali leader, raise your hands. All those who think that ViDaSa was a Marathi leader, raise your hands.
How plainly vulgar can people be? Nehru wasn't a Kashmiri Brahmin leader. He was a national leader. Gandhi wasn't a Gujarati Bania leader. He was the "father of the nation". Netaji's army was not called Azad Bengal Sena, it was called Azad Hind Sena. Savarkar's organisation in London was not called Marathi House, it was called India House.
This Bipan talks as if Savarkar begged for clemency as his sentence was being read out. Savarkar was given clemency after 16 years in Andaman. Why would Savarkar beg for clemency after 16 years in Andaman? He didn't. The British offered to release him because he made life hell for them there, constantly campaigning against unjust treatment to prisoners, against proselytisation by Muslim guards. Also the idea was to clip his wings and make him tell his followers that armed aggression was not the right way. Savarkar accepted the clemency for two reasons, he wasn't being really catalytic in Andaman, and he had realised the futility of individual terrorism. But he still thought that organised armed revolt could effectively throw the British out, which is why Netaji considered him as his guru and the leader of the Hindus, not Gandhi.
Savarkar had realised that his survival was essential because there was no one left alive who could and would champion the cause of Hindutva on a political level. All major revolutionaries had been killed off by the British and the statue of complacency, Gandhi, had been instated as the leader of the masses.
50 years down the line, as the country faces terrorism, casteism and other problems, there are lessons that might be learnt from Savarkar as yet. That is why he is a role model. Gandhi supported the caste system, Savarkar was all for its demolition, as was Ambedkar. But I guess Gandhi and Nehru did not want to give up their uberstatus in the Indian social circles.
Arun Shourie has ripped this Bipan Chandra apart, albiet on a different topic, here. It's in his own backyard, history books. Arun Shourie is the man! Too bad the righties in the house are constricting his freewheeling liberalisation ideas.
retro Ravina goes contra Cricket
This is not good. Beautiful women who don't follow cricket is like having a canine friend who does not like to play frisbee.
OK, I agree with Ravina, that Kargil is more important that cricket, but cricket is not a substitute for Kargil, it is a distraction. It becomes an obsession because it is so entertaining. On the other hand, reading about the deaths of soldiers whose hands are tied by the Defence Ministry is nothing short of depressing.
Onkar: Ravina, there are only two ways of waking the people to the seriousness of Kashmir.
Ravina: What are those, Onkar?
Onkar: Ah, my feet hurt. I must have walked too much today.
Ravina: Oh, don't worry, I'll malish your feet. But pray, please tell me what are those two ways.
Onkar:
Ravina: Are you telling me that we can either frighten them or shame them into being serious? Is that really ok?
Onkar: Ravina, you don't understand. People are basically stupid and need to be told what to do.
Ravina: Are yaar, lekin that isn't democracy.
Onkar: What is democracy? The freedom to choose. Let's reduce the number of choices to give people. Let them make a choice from a list of choices that we estimate to have the same utility.
Ravina: That's a smart idea, Onkar. People will feel happy that they are getting to make choices, but all the important choices will be made by us.
Onkar: Now you are getting the hang of it, Ravina. Oh yeah, work on the sole and the heel, ah, just wonderful..life is good.
This is not good. Beautiful women who don't follow cricket is like having a canine friend who does not like to play frisbee.
OK, I agree with Ravina, that Kargil is more important that cricket, but cricket is not a substitute for Kargil, it is a distraction. It becomes an obsession because it is so entertaining. On the other hand, reading about the deaths of soldiers whose hands are tied by the Defence Ministry is nothing short of depressing.
Onkar: Ravina, there are only two ways of waking the people to the seriousness of Kashmir.
Ravina: What are those, Onkar?
Onkar: Ah, my feet hurt. I must have walked too much today.
Ravina: Oh, don't worry, I'll malish your feet. But pray, please tell me what are those two ways.
Onkar:
Oh yeah, that feels good. They are physical and psychological. In the physical way, you let the terrorists come and kill a few civilians here and there. It worked perfectly for the Americans. Now every American knows more about Afghanistan and Arabia than they know about their silly forefathers who got kicked out of Europe and plundered the Native Americans to extinction.
The psychological way requires the government to go on an information flood. Host talk shows with Kargil veterans, the families of soldiers who saced their lives for the country and other people who will bring the reality of Kashmir to the everyday home.
Ravina: Are you telling me that we can either frighten them or shame them into being serious? Is that really ok?
Onkar: Ravina, you don't understand. People are basically stupid and need to be told what to do.
Ravina: Are yaar, lekin that isn't democracy.
Onkar: What is democracy? The freedom to choose. Let's reduce the number of choices to give people. Let them make a choice from a list of choices that we estimate to have the same utility.
Ravina: That's a smart idea, Onkar. People will feel happy that they are getting to make choices, but all the important choices will be made by us.
Onkar: Now you are getting the hang of it, Ravina. Oh yeah, work on the sole and the heel, ah, just wonderful..life is good.
Total cricket
Being both a football and cricket fan when it comes to non-club play, I remember reading a lot about Holland's total football in 1972. Of course I read about it sometime recently.
Now, as Holland is playing cricket as well, the extension has applied. They way they played cricket today was just too good. When you agree to play Australia on a bad pitch, when you get the best batting line up in the world out for 204 runs, and when you say "We have loved every minute of the tournament and I hope we've showed the world we can play. You don't learn anything by sitting in the pavilion.", you are reviving something that the uncouth Australians and the rowdy Pakistanis removed from cricket decades ago. Gentlemanliness.
Pakistan and Holland will both not qualify for the Super Sixes, but I am sure a Dutch cricket fan is more proud of his team than a Paki cricket fan is of his. Especially after his hopes have been raised by Akhtar's bravado about putting a certain Indian batsman in his place. Here, I follow an ancient Jewish tradition of not referring to God by name. :)
Shalom.
Being both a football and cricket fan when it comes to non-club play, I remember reading a lot about Holland's total football in 1972. Of course I read about it sometime recently.
Now, as Holland is playing cricket as well, the extension has applied. They way they played cricket today was just too good. When you agree to play Australia on a bad pitch, when you get the best batting line up in the world out for 204 runs, and when you say "We have loved every minute of the tournament and I hope we've showed the world we can play. You don't learn anything by sitting in the pavilion.", you are reviving something that the uncouth Australians and the rowdy Pakistanis removed from cricket decades ago. Gentlemanliness.
Pakistan and Holland will both not qualify for the Super Sixes, but I am sure a Dutch cricket fan is more proud of his team than a Paki cricket fan is of his. Especially after his hopes have been raised by Akhtar's bravado about putting a certain Indian batsman in his place. Here, I follow an ancient Jewish tradition of not referring to God by name. :)
Shalom.
Sunday, March 02, 2003
Pirelli Calendar 2003
Now, I am not a fashion hound, but I never miss the juice if I can. Surfing on MSN.com.sg, I found Pirelli's calendar [MSN has the exclusive rights for online distribution, by the way, not even www.pirelli.com can put the photos on their site] 2003, and there were many things that interested me.
Take a good long look at the guy in this pic. His name is Ajay, Ajay Lamas. Now, I am not sure if this guy has anything Indian in his veins, but I kept clicking more, and this is what i find. The dude in this pic is called Ganesh, Tomasino Ganesh. And I am like, whoa, what is this? When did so many Indians emigrate to Italy that they have kids who are 20 something now?
Well, more about the calendar now. I had seen Pirelli's calendar for the last year, and trust me, it wasn't babes clinging to hunks. It was dark, mysterious and a trifle scary, if I may. Kinda empowered the women, I think. See for yourself here. That was last years calendar. This year, Pirelli is back to nudes, nudes, nudes. The fashion world just cannot keep away from flashing skin, I guess. There are 26 photos this year, but MSN.com.sg posted only 12 of them, for obvious reasons. MSN.co.uk also has only 12 photos. Pirelli releases their calendars in London every year, but the British cannot seem to stomach nudity, eh? Ah, but the Italians aren't averse to nudity, are they? So, I go to MSN.co.it, and click on Calendario Pirelli 2003, and there is a topless Yamila Diaz Rahi on the frontpage of the calendar. So also do MSN.de and MSN.fr
OK, so some photos were indeed in bad taste. I mean, I was like ugh, this shouldn't be on a fashion calendar.
Now, I had been bunching all Europeans together as a people till not in the recent past, you know, firangs et al....but now it seems that the British and everything they have touched has developed this hypocritical outlook. I mean, MSN.co.uk has censored the images, so has MSN.com.sg. MSN.com and MSN.co.in don't even talk about it. Maybe these people are afraid that a dozen or so nude photos of models most people gawk at anyway [don't tell me you weren't gawking at Heidi Klum in Spin City] are going to make people in their country lose their morality or something. Or maybe it's just that Singaporean and British people just don't know what fashion is, and American and Indian people either don't want to know or have their own ideas about it. I can forgive the Americans and the Indians for trying to break new ground and all, [if that's the case] but the British and the Singaporeans have no excuse. And they are talking about promoting Singapore as a centre for artistic development. Tsk tsk...
PS: Observe anything thing, the guys aren't nude. Thankfully.
Now, I am not a fashion hound, but I never miss the juice if I can. Surfing on MSN.com.sg, I found Pirelli's calendar [MSN has the exclusive rights for online distribution, by the way, not even www.pirelli.com can put the photos on their site] 2003, and there were many things that interested me.
Take a good long look at the guy in this pic. His name is Ajay, Ajay Lamas. Now, I am not sure if this guy has anything Indian in his veins, but I kept clicking more, and this is what i find. The dude in this pic is called Ganesh, Tomasino Ganesh. And I am like, whoa, what is this? When did so many Indians emigrate to Italy that they have kids who are 20 something now?
Well, more about the calendar now. I had seen Pirelli's calendar for the last year, and trust me, it wasn't babes clinging to hunks. It was dark, mysterious and a trifle scary, if I may. Kinda empowered the women, I think. See for yourself here. That was last years calendar. This year, Pirelli is back to nudes, nudes, nudes. The fashion world just cannot keep away from flashing skin, I guess. There are 26 photos this year, but MSN.com.sg posted only 12 of them, for obvious reasons. MSN.co.uk also has only 12 photos. Pirelli releases their calendars in London every year, but the British cannot seem to stomach nudity, eh? Ah, but the Italians aren't averse to nudity, are they? So, I go to MSN.co.it, and click on Calendario Pirelli 2003, and there is a topless Yamila Diaz Rahi on the frontpage of the calendar. So also do MSN.de and MSN.fr
OK, so some photos were indeed in bad taste. I mean, I was like ugh, this shouldn't be on a fashion calendar.
Now, I had been bunching all Europeans together as a people till not in the recent past, you know, firangs et al....but now it seems that the British and everything they have touched has developed this hypocritical outlook. I mean, MSN.co.uk has censored the images, so has MSN.com.sg. MSN.com and MSN.co.in don't even talk about it. Maybe these people are afraid that a dozen or so nude photos of models most people gawk at anyway [don't tell me you weren't gawking at Heidi Klum in Spin City] are going to make people in their country lose their morality or something. Or maybe it's just that Singaporean and British people just don't know what fashion is, and American and Indian people either don't want to know or have their own ideas about it. I can forgive the Americans and the Indians for trying to break new ground and all, [if that's the case] but the British and the Singaporeans have no excuse. And they are talking about promoting Singapore as a centre for artistic development. Tsk tsk...
PS: Observe anything thing, the guys aren't nude. Thankfully.
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