Arbit Scratchpad

This is a disturbing piece of fiction that I wrote recently. It is supposed to be in the genre of dark humour. It has certain bizarre and intended uses of violence. Do read it and give in your views, but note you have been warned. Alibi

Nice article I was reading about frugal travel in Paris ( Needs registration I guess ) - More travelogues from The New York Times . European destinations here ... PHOTO SOURCE : NYTIMES Also a fellow Bangalore blogger and chef and owner of a food joint called 'Shiok' - read his stories of travel and exciting food from Singapore.

Finally felt 'exercise' should get an entry into the dictionary of my life. Started voluntary exercises for the first time ever in my life ;-). Started going to the gym at office, since past one week - approx losing 150 kcal per day (atleast thats what those hulky machines tell me) . . . PHOTO SOURCE : Google + gymcareaustralia Hope to shed some flab as excessive weights can cause hypertension and diabetes etc etc as I am well aware and as the doctor has been repeatedly threatening. It also releases certain good chemicals and I was feeling much better than on all those other days when I used to be sitting all day in front of the Dell Black Box and not doing any form of physical exertion ... Wish me luck ;-)

Was watching the movie ' Pyaasa ' by Guru Dutt on Doordarshan today ... A brilliant movie which focuses on the society's indifference towards a poet played by Guru Dutt himself. He is reduced to penury by certain circumstances after his brothers throw him out of his house. Its only after he is mistaken to be dead that his poems are published and he becomes a sensation. He actually has survived and escapes a suicide attempt. Later he is put into an asylum for claiming that he is the poet whose poems have now become famous. Then everyone first avoids him as they will have to share the profits from the published works. Then everyone starts claiming that he is the true poet and they are his friends and relatives so that they can now share the riches. Though sometimes appearing fatalistic the movie, has songs and sequences replete with theme of the exploitation of women and the rampant poverty in our country. PHOTO SOURCE : REDIFF.COM The songs are marvelous, and Waheeda Rehman...

Some excerpts: Is it a fallout, a sort of appendage, of globalization that was critical in rescuing our economy in the early 90s – I don't deny the kind of economic progress and better standards of living it has brought in, but the baggage which comes with anything external is here to stay. The money has come along with the consumerist, lascivious culture glorified in the western society. Earlier it was less of everything from sense pleasures to money to celebrations, but now more is in – excesses in everything is the order of the day. There are a lot of positive aspects in the western society, the fastidious nature, the punctuality, the industrious and reasoning mentality and the cleanliness; but we seem to have copied in all the wrong things. Read the essay Ad Nauseam

Disputed world champion and the highest ELO rated chess player Gary Kasparov quit chess - the genius ended his career after winning the Linares 2005 chess competition recently. The main contender in recent times against Anand; had a row with the one of the two major chess governing bodies worldwide, FIDE. I was a great fan of his... We had been on an outbound with our team of 90 project members to Shakti hill resorts recently. Good spot with lots of greenery. We had games, teambuilding sessions etc etc and good food ...

How the Jharkhand fiasco was initiated and the behind the scene operations .... For that matter, the manner in which constitutional norms where thrown to the winds, and all ethics and rules subverted, the PM was busy in the budget and not even aware of what the Italian lady and her cronies and syncophants are up to. The country seems to be largely run by the whims and desires of an italian waitress and au pair combo, Sonia Gandhi, the next Indira Gandhi duplicate on the block. She acts, as if she doesnt get into any of this, is so innocent and doesnt know anything - but because of these recent elections, the actual dark side of this scorpion-like venomous personality is out (is she from the Mafia family background or undergone training for some nasty tricks at some Mafia training camp, I sometimes think). Haryana (read Bhajan Lal's statement?He has sworn to topple Hooda within a few months), Goa, Bihar and Jharkhand all in a mess for Congress. Did the docile PM know who initiated t...