Watched The Aviator yesterday. It was released here the day after they announced that this film got 11 oscar nominations. So I anticipated a huge turnout for the first show and went there 3 hours in advance. But I was wrong. Not only did I get the tickets comfortably, I even got the seat I wanted :) (And the hall was almost empty!! )

The movie was well-made. I liked it a lot. I had read about Howard Hughes earlier on and I had a picture in my mind of him as this driven, crazy millionaire guy. This movie however, brought those facets of this man much better than I had imagined and in a much more sensitive way. And throughout the movie, the director maintains this unflinching focus on the protagonist, relegating everything else to the background. Leornado Di Caprio has done an awesome job and has come a long way as an actor. Cate Blanchett has given a wonderful performance as Kate Hepburn.

On the whole, this film has the grandeur and the sensitivity to make it a classic in its own right.

Whatta ride!!

I was at the Global village in Dubai, the day before yesterday. Went with my folks and man, the place was TOTALLY ROCKING!!

There were abt 40 odd countries participating and each of them had their uniquely(and magnificiently) designed pavilions where they showcase their goods and culture. I couldnt visit all of them but some of favs were the Iranian and the Czech Republic pavilion. The Iranian pavlion had some excellent stone-carved handicrafts, but what i liked best was the live performance of this Iranian music troupe. I along with my parents walk into the centre of the pavilion (the pavilion being arranged in a unique concentric design) and we see this group of four taking the stage. 2 guys were playing Korg, one guy was on percussion( bongo like instrument) and one guy on the guitar. And then they began...and I was hypnotised. The guitarist was AMAZING!!! I've never in my 25 years heard such amazing guitaring....the strings were moving so fast...his fingers were floating in effortless motion....a masterpiece..and Iranian music has found itself yet another ardent fan.

And to top it all, since all pavilions had to have their local people manning the stalls, I got to see beautiful women from abt 20 different countries... :))

After the pavilion visit, we headed to the amusement rides. I was feeling particularly adventurous so decided to try the dare-devil rides. Man were they OSSUM!!! Adrenaline rush to the MAX! Couldn't try quite a few rides though cos the queues for some of these rides were unbelievable.

I definitely need more time in Dubai...there's just too much out here to see and explore.

17 days simply ain't enough.

Well I did it. It was kinda irritating to see a couple running into the sea...I promised myself that I'd change the template someday..so here it is- my brand new, navy blue(i think),eye-friendly, subtle polka dot design based template...I'm lovin' it!

As with all code, there seems to be some bug with the HTML script for this template. Somehow, my blogs dont appear right on top and I have to scroll all the way to the bottom. So calling fellow bretheren blessed with the knowledge of HTML (or is it DHTML ?) to help me out here...would appreciate it (cos that's all i can do :) )

Been here in Dubai a little over a week now. If progress were a place on earth, it would be in Dubai. I somehow still find it hard to believe the breakneck pace at which Dubai has been flourishing. Whats more astonishing is that, the pace has been maintained for more than a decade and there seems to be no signs of slowing down.


While the city has been moving ahead furiously, I've been chilling here for the past week ( the weather is kinda cold here). Been stuffing myself with food and more food (havent gained a kilo yet though :( ),teaching my sister algebra and exploring Dubai.

Been reading The Penguin History of the World by JM Roberts. Bought this book last week at Abu Dhabi Duty Free while on transit. This book elaborates upon world history from the ancient civilisations until 9/11 and upto present day and serves to satisfy my longstanding to read and own a book which details the entire world history. Hope to finish this book over a long period of time.

Got placed...(atlast!) with the Gillette Company (Yeah, they make razor blades too ;) ). Moi will be working with International Operations. ( sounds good, i know...it ALWAYS sounds good :) )

Placements are looking very good this year, and there's no doubt about that across B-school campuses in India. At NITIE, its been outta this world!(well a few jobs ARE out of the country).

This week would, for all practical purposes, be my last at NITIE.

Like most mortals, I too have the urge to recap my time spent here at this college.

Unlike most mortals, I would like bring out moments and incidents that are unusual and capture the spirit of my life here and hence....lets hear it for...

Top 10 TRIVIA of MY LIFE at NITIE

#1 The first person I talked to in our batch when I joined NITIE - Vijay Singh, ma former neighbour and currently placed with IBM.

#2 I nearly got kicked out of college due to attendance shortage. It was for DataComm. Back then i was naive and didnt know that only 3 bunks are allowed for a 2 credit course. Fortunately, Prof had mercy and so I could write this blog today.

#3 I must have drank atleast 300 million tonnes of soft drinks at NITIE. Coke send me a certificate of appreciation recently, for being the single largest contributor to their revenues in the last 2 years. ( I hear Pepsi is planning to name their next drink after me)

#4 In continuation to the previous trivia..I'm the reason Bhaskar introduced soft drinks in our mess :)

#5 Without Pizza I would not have survived...Pizza Hut, Smokin Joes, and the company of Neel, Dikshit and an unwilling Ron take credit for it.

#6 I'm NOT creative. period!

#7 I'm also very modest. :p

#8 My first "paper" was on Globalisation for a contest at IIT-B. I had partnered with Samoj. The results were not upto the mark ( meaning our paper never got selected). That was the beginning of the end as far as paper writing for me was concerned.

#9 My ad for prerana (our b-school fest) got published in a national newspaper and magazine.( No more free creatives now...will charge fees...rates are negotiable).

and finally #10:

There was only one thing in NITIE that always gave me a high( literally!) and that was time spend on top of the water tank on the terrace of the tallest building in NITIE ( and perhaps one of the tallest points in in Powai by virtue of it being on a hill)...the MDP Hostel. I can never forget the AMAZING view I used to get from there, especially Hiranandani, and particularly of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport ( I could actually see planes touching down on the runway!!). Damn! i'll miss the place.