Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Finally here's something men are good at !

It is amazing. The number of unique ways in which we men can annoy women. Though we all swear it's not intentional. Whatever the reason, we have a unique and sometimes gleeful way of irritating the ones we love most. Read on for a closer look(it's not my original content) at the 10 most annoying things we do when living with the fairer (and, hopefully, more understanding) sex. So here we go, from Number 10 to Numero Uno:

Number 10

We leave a wake of empty containers
While we have no problem taking out our trash, we will go to almost superhuman lengths to avoid having to fill them up in the first place. We'll pour water into near-empty shampoo bottles to maximize whatever's left; we'll leave behind a thimbleful of milk in the carton instead of throwing it out. Heck, we'll even leave a toilet paper roll with one square remaining and wipe with our shirts if we have to. So long as there's just a teeny, tiny bit left, we won't be the ones responsible for disposing of it and, more importantly, buying a replacement.

Number 9

We splash the mirror when we brush our teeth
Let's face it: We're territorial creatures at best. If it were socially acceptable, we'd pee on all of our possessions just to scare away other men (maybe not on our supply of beer, but you get the idea). Therefore, leaving behind a little white glob of toothpaste after we've brushed is just our way of marking our territory. It says, "I've been here and I'm cavity-free."

Number 8

We leave hair in the sink after shaving
While we might like the result of a clean, smooth face, all men hate the actual process of shaving. It's time-consuming, painful and a miserable way to start the day. Therefore, as a sign of protest, we elect to leave our pesky little beard trimmings in the sink to show 'em who's boss. Women might hate it, but it's our way of celebrating victory in the battle against unwanted follicles.

Number 7

We use 10 drinking glasses a day instead of one
When asked about his habit of taking baths, Winston Churchill once replied, "Why stand when you could sit?". The same rationale applies to the use of multiple glasses. Why use the same dirty, germ-ridden glass time after time when you could enjoy a crisp, sanitized one whenever you like? Not only is it healthier, but using different glasses for every drink helps us calculate if we've consumed our recommended eight daily doses of water. Besides, what fun is there in having possessions if you never use them?

Number 6

We pee on the toilet seat
Granted, this is one of our least pardonable offenses, but it wouldn't have to be if women simply left the toilet seat up in the first place. Ladies claim that it's good etiquette to leave the seat down, but the opposite is actually true. Consider this: Since women need to sit down to relieve themselves, it's easy for them to bring the seat down with them in one fluid motion. We men, on the other hand, have to bend down, lift the seat, begin peeing, and then bend down again to return the seat when we're done. We go to the washroom to pee, not to perform calisthenics.

Number 5

We litter the ground with laundry
"A place for everything and everything in its place," they say. Well, that's a nice idea, but who has the time? It's far more fun to throw our clothes here and there as if a bomb went off in our closet. Not only is it faster to treat the floor like a giant laundry basket, but we can amuse ourselves for hours afterwards as we dodge and deke our fallen clothes while moving from room to room.

Number 4

We don't do housework
When it comes to home repairs and renovations, men are king. We're unequalled in our ability to fix basement steps, patch up aluminum siding and build spice racks. When it comes to cleaning, however, we're lowly paupers without the faintest inclination to pitch in. We'll lift our feet if we have to, and we'll even move the odd piece of heavy furniture, but our contribution ends there. Hey, if God had wanted us to sweep and dust, he would have given us feathers instead of fingers.

Number 3

We burp & fart indiscriminately
Scientists and academics often comment upon what a shame it is that we use only 10% of our brains. For most men, the same reasoning applies to our sphincters and throats. Like any other part of our body, these muscles need to be kept in shape. And there's simply no better way of doing it than burping the alphabet or heating up a "Dutch Oven" under the sheets. Women needn't be disgusted by our behavior. In fact, they should be flattered that we're comfortable enough around them to risk sharting ourselves. At the end of the day, isn't that what love is all about?

Number 2

We develop a martyr complex when we get sick
When women get sick, they take the appropriate medicine and bivouac themselves in bed with a hot compress and a good book. When men get sick we go into a Shakespearian death throe, certain we're on the verge of sputtering out our last breath. We collapse wherever is convenient, be it on the bed or on the front lawn, and mutter, moan and groan until we've scared off every living creature (and turned on every male dog) in a six-mile radius. It's not subtle, but more often than not it gets us the attention we crave.

Number 1

We channel surf rapidly (and seemingly aimlessly)
As King of the Castle, we consider it our right to rule the remote control with an iron fist. For women, that means having to watch an endless parade of sports highlights, monster movies and home renovation shows. Making matters worse is the lightning-fast speeds at which we flip through the channels -- so fast as to trigger epileptic seizures seven households away. Hey, it's not our fault there are 501 channels.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Guru... *****


A couple friends went to see 'GURU' and recommended it highly. So last Saturday, I decided to go watch it with a few friends. After the movie, I only have praises for the actors, the movie and the director. But above all, it is the subject of the movie which is eye-opening. Not to break the suspense for those who haven't watched it yet, the movie deals with how an honest common man makes it big and then embraces dishonesty as a way of business. It might sound like a bogus subject and something hundreds of movies have dealt with in the past. People coming out of the movie had all kinds of comments to make... "He was wrong" , "They just portrayed corruption as a part of business", "Why does he get away with it all when he was corrupt?"... and the like.

What most people don't realize is that we all do that. It's a way of life. I am in no way trying to justify bribery or corruption but I do believe that if you have to grow in a country like India, you have to carve your own path. And with pure honesty, with all due respect to honest people, you can't. Guru (Abhishek Bachchan's character in the movie, turned a small company into one of India's largest. He bribed people on his way up. He cheated where he had to. But in the end, wasn't it good for the economy? Wasn't it good for the 3 million shareholders of his company? He had to bribe because he believed his company could provide better polyester than foreign companies. He cheated and produced more quantity than he was allowed to because he had the capacity to do that and doesn't it take the burden of paying foreign companies for the same goods you can manufacture yourself out of the picture?

I could debate that for 8 million years with most people disagreeing with me. Most people saying it's your integrity you have left in the end. But money my friends, is a part of how much respect you get. Getting to the top and staying there involves much more than the truth. And if you gotta make it big, do it like Guru

I used to hate Abhishek Bachchan, and I wasn't particularly enamored with Aishwarya Rai either. But seeing them act in this movie the way they did, Big B, your son is almost there. Go watch the movie people, Rang De Basanti couldn't do anything for our nation, this just might!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Refreshed memories...



I downloaded this picture from somewhere a few days ago. And everytime I look at it, it reminds me fo some forgotten memory. Every single time. Look at it for a few seconds and see if you feel the same way and its something to do with this picture, or is it just me being my crazy self again... leave a comment if it does remind you of something...

I love going away...


... but I love coming home so much more...

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

A Lot And Nothing



Hey people, not much to say this week. I have a horrible stye on my left eye. Plus work is stressful. But I just wanted to let you know that my best friend, Malvika, started a blog. Visit her page if you like poetry by budding poets. She's almost a pro. Last year she won the "Outstanding Achievement in Poetry" award from the International Library of Poetry and Poetry.com

Here's the link to her blog : A Lot And Nothing

Thursday, January 4, 2007

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year everybody :)

Every year I make a few new year's resolutions. And every year I break them before 31st January. The resolutions I make every year are a little too hard to follow. Like last year I decided to start saving money, I failed miserably. Or the year before that, I decided to stop lusting after all those electronic toys available at Sharper Image/ Circuit City. As expected, I couldn't live up to that either. But it's going to be different this year.

2007 is here. And this year, there are three different reasons that somehow relate to each other, and these reasons helped me make a resolution for 2007.

I read a news article on Google this morning. The British meteorological department say it's going to be the warmest year the world has ever seen. Incidentally, I also watched Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' last weekend. Even though he screwed up an otherwise brilliant eye opening documentary by adding his political tidbits to it, it was very informative, even scary. Global warming is really an inconvenient truth. And the third, I saw two guys at work saving empty coke cans. The reason being? They don't have recycling bins for cans at my workplace. Even if they did, I could've cared less till now. But these guys (Ben Northrop and Brian Rupert) take these tins home and put them in recycle bins. I think that's the least one can do to help our environment. And that is my new year's resolution. I am going to recycle all those cans. Also, I'll start keeping a mug at work. Not for coffee, but to save the 6 thermo col glasses I use at work everyday to drink water.

We cannot stop driving to prevent air pollution. We cannot live in darkness to save fossil fuels or to conserve energy. But this is something we can do. Recycle.

Sunday, December 31, 2006

22 years in 2 suitcases

Fast cars and hot women... that is how I pictured US in my thoughts. Excited, enthusiastic, ecstatic... that's how I felt when I got my F1 visa. Overwhelming feelings of elation and sadness coexisting in my mind at the airport. I had done it. Bachelors, GRE, Visa... The time had come for me to say goodbye. Goodbye to everything, every place, and everybody I had ever known. Most people I know seem unable to pack stuff for a weekend vacation in 2 suitcases. I had packed 22 years in them! That was around 3 years ago.

In the last 3 years I've struggled to get where I am today. Not that I am very successful or anything, but I have all that I wanted. A fast car and I've had my share of women. Some not so hot though.

But at the same time during these last three years, I have missed home, I have cried, and I have missed home even more. I have questioned my decision to pack 22 years in 2 suitcases(I just like the sound of that line too much, plus its totally original.) But I could've gone back. I was here by choice. Anyway, the question that bothers me all the time is, Do I want to go back? Go back home. Go back to where my heart is (or for that matter, was). Personally, I don't want to go back for good. But why? Is it for the money, is it for a better lifestyle here, or is it just that I have forgotten who I was. Forgotten my roots as they say. I think, and I think some more. And, I've done that over and over again for as long as I have been here.

Finally, I have realized why I like US more. It's because daily life is so simple here. It's easy. No standing in lines to pay the bills. No power cuts, ever. No fighting with the sabji-wala. No bribing the police to look for thieves who broke into your own house. These are just few random examples that came to mind when I started thinking. These small things go a long way in shaping your lifestyle. I love India. And maybe it is a great country. But I don't think I agree with it totally. Mera Bharat Mahaan has lost its meaning. A country cannot be great if it cannot provide its citizens with the basic necessities required for survival. I don't mean to blame anyone here. Not politicians, nor the citizens. Leaving India and coming here, running away from all that disqualifies me from judging anyone.

I have no idea how much sense it all makes. But that's my 2 cents. I wanted to say it, so I said it. While, you're here and reading this, leave a comment on how you feel about it. Or if you think i am wrong, say it.