Lately, I have been voyeuristically visiting trustfeed on MS to check what all is happening. Imagine if celebs too were part of a trusted circle... How will their trustfeed look?

A sample! :)

Nehru gifted a ‘hug’ to Lady Mountbatten

Lord Mountbatten gifted a ‘cactus’ to Nehru

SRK gifted ‘I’m your fan’ to himself

Vijay Mallaya gifted ‘Bangles’ to Rahul Dravid

Munna has trusted Gandhi

Shane Warne has written a review – ‘My IPL success story’

Manmohan Singh gifted ‘elegant hat’ to Sonia Gandhi

Amitabh Bachchan gifted ‘I’m your fan’ to Abhishek

Rakhi Sawant has uploaded photo(s)

Shobhaa De has written diary posts

Rajeev Khandelwal gifted ‘Long time no see’ to Ekta Kapoor

Karan Johar gifted ‘Box Office’ to Ram Gopal Varma

Hillary has trusted Obama

Aamir Khan has trusted himself

Karan Johar gifted ‘Miss you’ to Kajol

Nadeem Shravan gifted ‘another inspiring Arabic tune’ to Pritam

Ranbir Kapoor gifted ‘Will you marry me’ to Deepika Padukone

Shahid Kapoor gifted ‘Thank You’ to Saif Ali Khan

Preity gifted a ‘hug’ to Yuvraj, Jayawardhane, Shuan Marsh, Sree Santh, Irfan, …….

BCCI has trusted Lalit Modi

Lalit Modi has trusted BCCI

Hrithik gifted ‘Same Pinch’ to Harman Baweja

Chetan Bhagat has written a diary post – “Three mistakes of my life – ‘Five point someone’, ‘One night @ a call centre’ and ‘Three mistakes of my life’”

Himesh has written a review on ‘Karzzzz’

Himesh gifted a ‘cap’ to Sonu Niigaam

Adnan Sami gifted ‘Lift’ to Rahet Fateh Ali Khan

Madhubala has uploaded photo(s)

Let me know what your celeb trustfeed says!

Life goes on with wishes unfulfilled.

You wish for the stars. You get a small corner on the mighty Earth.

You wish for eternal happiness. You resign yourself to the vicissitudes of Life.

In this huge huge world, there are a few fortunate ones, who actually wish for something and get it in return.

They plead. They sulk. They demand. They threaten.... But no one listens...

Suddenly, out of the blue sky, lands an angel who holds out all that he has and says -

"Hey! This is what you had been wishing all the while? Take it, I just brought it for you with ALL I had!!"

It takes a LOT to just give away all you had for someone. To be so selfless. To make the other person happy.

If you have been just wondering what I was talking about, let me just put it in pure simple words:

~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
FE just got his PRIVATE JET he had been wishing all the while.

And the angel who just gave away ALL his 30 K points to get him is...
ROHITTHEBEST !!
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

Lets give a standing ovation to the generous and magnanimous guy with a huge huge heart!!!

And yes, congrats FE...:) Now, you owe Rohit more than just a virtual hug. We will wait for the actual pic to be uploaded here. :))

CHEEEEEEEEEERS!!!!!!

I was about to wear my favourite T-shirt over my favourite Jeans when my favourite wife came yelling to me: "STOP!! STOP!!! STOP!!!!".

I wondered what was wrong until she opened her mouth again.
"Don't you remember you wore the same pair to Mrs and Mr. Sharma's last party?"
Did I? And even if I did, did that disqualify me from wearing it again? Wasn't the party at sharmas long time back?  

Let me accept it. I am completely at a loss when deciding what to wear. Forget about 'matching matching', I am not even able to decide whether anything is old enough to be discarded. My normal process of getting ready takes a maximum of 15 minutes. Most of the time, wifey dear decides for me and for my own sake, I let her do it. It is safer to wear a brown shirt over a black pair of trousers if your wife says so.  

I have analyzed my situation and found that:

1. I have a liking for anything which catches my eye on a particular day. I may wear grey on a day I am feeling gloomy or yellow when I am feeling ecstatic. I just pick up. Just like that.

2. I hate buttoning and unbuttoning. Thats why I love T-shirts. They can be just put on without a thought in a jiffy and taken off in a jiffy too.

3. Colours and design together influence my choice. I am not at all for plain shirts without checks or stripes. It makes me feel like I am wearing a uniform.

4. I sometimes wear a few clothes just because I am told I look great in it. Why does it happen that when I wear something to attract attention, it goes unnoticed? Also, when I just wear something without thinking, I am told I am looking great in it?

5. I don't have specific clothes for specific occasions. Except perhaps a pair of dhoti and kurta which I wear at some traditional weddings or festivals. Other than that, I can wear anything, anytime anywhere.. Have I already told you that four times over? Maybe!

6. When it comes to winter clothing, I prefer jackets over pullovers. Although I am told long polo necks suit me, I care a damn. Winter makes me happy too. It allows me to wear clothes several times over as you have them camaflouged with warm clothes. Also, it hides the paunch.  

I am not at all a fashion conscious person. I don't even know how to tie a knot in a tie though I have learnt several times over. As a result, I keep in my wardrobe with knots already in place and put it around my neck as an executor would put a noose around a convict.   

 I mostly thrive on clothes gifted to me by others. Everytime I wear them, it reminds me of the person who gifted it to me. I never really spend too much of time deciding what to buy. I do have some favourite outlets in Noida and Delhi though.  


All this brings us to a universal question: Do we dress to look good or feel good?
(Why do I already hear answers like: It all DEPENDS. ? This 'depend' word is so much misused I must tell you..Anyways! I am all ears..Tell me..)

Like any other Indian, I love watching movies... And I know you too do!

On my last post, I came up with a crossword based on bollywood movies...I expected a better response but anyways, some of you did show some interest and participated. Thanks a ton for that!

I shall be posting another one today:) And it will be something different than last time and a little tougher too!

If you wanna participate, keep Watching this space!

Rules: All entries sent within 12 hours of posting are eligible!

Winners will be decided by who else than ME! And I shall give reasons too. But timing of entry isnt a decider this time.
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OKAY!! Here it is:) Pretty simple rules. Everyone would agree that a Bollywood movie is about Dialogues, Songs, Characters, Actors, Movies and much more!

So, these are categories: Dialogues, Songs, Characters, Actors, Movies

What you need to do: You just need to form a correct chain for each.

For example, your first answer maybe: D1-S7-C9-A8-M2
Which would mean all these (Dialogues, Songs, Characters, Actors, Movies) are logically connected and therefore form a  complete correct chain.

Marks awarded (1 each) only for a COMPLETE chain. So, if you miss a song/dialogue/actor/anything..
.or put an incorrect one in between, you get ZERO for that.
Come on! Accept the challenge!! Its pretty simple and easy.  READY??

Mandatory: Answers ONLY on M2M please.

All the best!!


Dialogues
D1 Mere paas maa hai!
D2 Mere paas naa toh baap dada ki daulat hai aur naa hi ek phhoti kaudi
D3 Pushpa, I hate tears!
D4 Mogambo khush hua!
D5 Tera kya hoga kaaliyaa?
D6 Aajkal bathroom knock karke aane ka zamana nahin raha!
D7 Yakeen nahin hota, kal tak aap lagti thi chalees saal ki aurat jo….
D8 Bade bade shehron mein chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain!
D9 T-O to, D-O do, toh G-O goo kyun nahin??
D10 Raja ko gham manaane ke liye kiraaye ke rone waalon ki zaroorat nahin hogi Chinoy seth
 
Songs
S1 Bada natkhat hai re Krishna kanhaiyya
S2 Kahe tose sajna
S3 Kaate nahin katate din ye raat
S4 Koi haseena jab rootth jaati hai toh..
S5 Keh doon tumhe, ya chup rahoon
S6 Ghar aaja pardesi tera meet bulaye re
S7 Kaaton se kheench ke ye aanchal
S8 Aye meri zohra zabeen
S9 Abke sajan saawan mein
S10 Gapoochi gapoochi gham gham
 
Characters
C1 Ravi
C2 Prem
C3 Anand babu
C4 Vijay
C5 Gabbar
C6 Raj
C7 Mogambo
C8 Raju
C9 Raja
C10 Parimal Tripathi
 
Actors
A1 Amrish Puri
A2 SRK
A3 Rajesh Khanna
A4 Salman Khan
A5 Rajkumar
A6 Amitabh Bachchan
A7 Dev Anand
A8 Dharmendra
A9 Amjad Khan
A10 Sashi Kapoor
 
 
Movies
M1 Deewaar
M2 Sholay
M3 Amar Prem
M4 Chupke Chupke
M5 Maine pyar kiya
M6 Guide
M7 Mr. India
M8 DDLJ
M9 Waqt
M10 Trishul
 

Another timepass! A filmy crossword contest... How many can you get right? The crossword has some well known and hit movies from past and present.

Prizes for early bird winners (Paul, I can hold contests too :P).

1-Down:  The Factory caught fire on attempting its remake
2-Across:  'Curse' revisited. Last year's potboiler.
3-Down:  Saifu's mummy di train, Twinkle di pappa di gaddi
4-Across:  In 'Dino's' secrets discovered by Johnny's babe
4-Down:  Veeru asks wifey to paint the town saffron
5-Down:  Hand cuffed to superstardom
6-Across:  The Bat-tle of the peasants wins an oscar..almost
7-Across:  Sunny gets a Dingy debut
7-Down:  Richard Gere didn't take her to roof tops at least.
8-Down:  MD and AK-47 in a violent love story
9-Across:  Mr perfectionist got waxed for a song!
10-Across:  Bharat Kumar's poignant story without being 'loud'
11-Down:  RGV got her down to basic necessities
12-Down:  Bhikhu gets promoted as a cop 
13-Across:  Psycho troubling my wifey
13-Down:  B & W classic. Laxmikant Pyarelal's first hit music.
14-Across:  Long before RGV got her down to basic necessities

Every morning, pick up the newspaper and read stories of 'BEFORE' and 'AFTER'.

How Mrs Chimki was 108 kgs and a resigned to life housewife until she joined 'Chandana Saaf Suthra' fitness centre to lose 40 kgs in 4 months and now wears mini skirts of her teenaged daughter.

How Ramkhilawan was a small town chap with no grades until he joined a 'Fast Track' English coaching institute and now works in a 'coal centre'(Doc alias sudipto33's copyright) and earns '5 figure' salary.

Watch our movies too. We see reels and reels of troubled life of underdogs. But their hard work and transformation is showed through 5-10 minutes of clippings where they are shown sweating and panting and suddenly the biceps pop up and confidence goes up. Aren't we trying to sell dreams at the price of peanuts?

So, in a way, we all are doped with enough hope that things will change and miracles will happen.

Life BEFORE and AFTER...

But how true are these claims? Even a caterpillar which ultimately becomes a butterfly goes through a long metamorphosis. Have we lost patience to go through that? Are we so depressed with Life BEFORE and so euphoric with (the idea of) Life AFTER that we don't want to enjoy the life in between?

Come March in India and certain things start disappearing while others start appearing..There are certain key observations I have made. Please add yours too...

Qui(l)t: Time to call quits for the quilts. Ditto for woollen clothes and jackets. Moth balls in place, they disappear into the trunks, beddings whatever. No more cosily lying huddled in the rajaai sipping chai and reading morning newspaper. Bad.

Exams: Almost everyone I contact today, says its exam time. Guess EMERGENCY is declared and fundamental rights of the people are scrapped. When I ask further, they clarify its their kids actually who have the exams going on. The board exams are worse. Parents are more nervous than what they where, when they were on verge of becoming parents. I need not mention the poor kids.

Budget: Come Feb end, the budget arrives and almost whole nation looks for its own nuggets in the huge pudding. More often than not the pudding plays to the taste buds. This year too, we had another please all budget.

Holi:Remember Gabbar Singh in Sholay? Come March and everybody starts asking "Holi kab hai??? Kab hai Holi??" Okay, for those who don't know yet, Holi this year is officially on 21st (Friday) so I guess everyone will have a loooong weekend and have enough time to rejoin office on Monday minus 'gulabi aankhein' and 'range huye haath' !:)

Appraisal: I don't know about others, but for me, the appraisal month is April and almost everyone is heard saying to the other - "If they don't increase my salary enough, I am gone! I already have 4-5 offers in my kitty". Wish we too were like the IPL players who were auctioned at exorbitant prices. But seems no one is interested.

Fans, ACs, Coolers, Deodrants, Ice creams, cold shower, soft drinks et al: Okay, since the winter accessories are gone, the summer ones are on. ACs and Coolers will wait till May/June but rest have already started appearing with the monthly groceries.

What else? Have your say!

Was in timepass mood...:)

This is a promotional ad series for MS diaries...

Excuse the poor audio quality....I had a bad mic :P

For many people, Bihar is synonymous with hell. And if you say rural Bihar, you are asked - "Oh!does life exist there?".
The answer is: Yes, it sure does.
For someone like me, who has spent the majority of his life in the state, anything and everything that is possible is acceptable. In other words, there is no shock value for me when you utter the word: BIHAR. For the last 10-12 years, I have been involved in my own quests for livelihood, everyday struggle and family bonding. I have stayed in cities like Bangalore (Karnataka), Trivandrum (Kerala) and now Noida (a part of NCR).

Within the urban setup, where everything seems to be working like a well choreographed dance sequence, a slight variation causes people to go berserk often bordering on acute depression. Take away the cellphones, and people start wondering if they have gone deaf. Take away the Television sets, PCs, laptops and Internet connections, and people start believing that they have been deprived of their fundamental rights.

When I knew that I was supposed to be in rural heartland of northern Bihar for a week, for a wedding in the family (my wife's brother to be precise!) for a week or so, I started visualising how it would it be. I have been there earlier for smaller durations. But this time, the ocassion was a wedding as I said and I would be in my sasuraal with all the pamperings that a daamaad ji gets in north Indian households.

It was all that and much more! The life in villages is so lethargic at times that you start wondering whether life would indeed be the same for the rest of your life. But that is just a slice of it. If you forget all the trappings of the urban lifestyle, life in a village is an idyllic setup where the lush green fields invite you to breathe openly without any concern for air pollution. Dense mangroves, cattles grazing in the fields, topless kids roaming around a dirty pond, young ladies gaudily dressed up with the ghoonghat pulled upto their noses, smell of cow dung as you move across the by lanes....the panoramic view is as fascinating as designs in a kaleidoscope.

Just as small towns try to keep pace with what is happening in metros, villages try to keep pace with whatever is happening in towns. I noticed a strange urge to act urban in people. The mobile phones have penetrated every breath and corner. The billboards of the leading cellphone companies were also visible there. SRK stood in a paddy field proclaiming Re 1 per local call for Airtel, while Bipasha Basu dressed skimpily for Reliance Mobile attracted ogles from men cycling down the narrow lanes.

The highlights of my visit were of course the wedding I attended and the royal treatment I received as a daamaad ji. The giggles of the women in the household, the guffaws of the haughty men who talked endlessly about anything and everything, the game of cards that went on and on and on, the kumbhkarnisation of my daily routine (read sleep, sleep and sleep).

But I would specially remember a 65 old loyal servant of the family called Krishna. Krishna would massage me everyday with a bowl full of mustard oil and talk incessesantly about his penurious state, his youngest daughter waiting to be married, how my late father-in-law helped him settle his debts, how we were like rajahs and he a simple human being. My heart just went out to him. As I left, I handed over a 100 rupee note to him and saw a glitter in his old eyes. It was just a token of appreciation and thanks - I told him. I asked him not to worry, things would be fine. He smiled.

I have returned to my 'normal' lifestyle now.
Act 1.. scene 2.. Take 10...Lights, camera, action...
Did someone say - 'Cut it?'

The whole idea of romance is so so romantic that humour takes a back seat soon. After a bit of faux pas, the lovers kiss and roll in the hay. Flowers bloom, music plays in the background, the couple dance together...And yeah, romance is in the air! Thats why you have so many romantic comedies where the comic element is kept subtle so that romance doesn't go out of the air. A 'Runaway bride' or 'Notting Hill' or for that matter even Meg Ryan's famous fake orgasm scene in 'When Harry met Sally', the romantic movies are remembered for the smiles they bring to our faces when we recall them. 

In O' Henry's 'The gift of the magi', while we smiled, the couple were desparate to get each other the best possible gifts. Many couples while going down the memory lane recall anecdotes which at the time of happening sounded like the biggest tragedies in their lives. But today, they laugh their hearts out at how foolish they were when it all happened.

Many people rate having a sense of humour among the traits they look for in their prospective partners. While some take desparate measures to be funny to their partners, others just happen to be that. They don't need to overgrow a funny bone. The idea of a person being funny or not funny totally depends on choice and taste. I once asked a female friend why she was dating a guy who had a deadpan expression all the time and hardly smiled. She said that she just needs to look at him to smile. Sadist!

But why is it so that the smile goes down and frowns appear as the couple start living together? Or they don't? I hear many vehemently denying this and saying that their partners still manage to make them smile, including my female friend above. What do you say? Does knowing everything about your partner soon takes the steam out of the romance? Does familiarity start breeding contempt ? Why two people who swear to live by each other start fighting like sworn enemies?

Don't let this Valentine's day be just one off day of sending some sweet SMSes and whispering a forced 'I love you... too..'. Climb up your attic or just pull a chair and peep into the closet above, to dig past the heap of bundle that has been lying there for long. You may rediscover your valentine...