Positive Thinking for Dummies

The world we live in is so full of negativity that we need to make an extra effort to see the positiveness of our life. Everyone in this world has issues with something or the other. But to "live" life we need to fight those issues rather get bogged down by them. And the fuel for fighting spirit is a positive attitude. If you dont believe you can win, you never will. If you dont believe you can achieve it, you wont. So you see.. positive attitude is the trick to life. Now the question is can positive attitude be developed? Yes it can be. Here are some steps towards that. You may not agree to all of it but some will make sense.. try them out.

1. Think of everyday as your last. Think how would you like to spend it. Think how do you want people to remember you as.

2. Dont be self-centered. The universe doesnt revolve around you. Get over it. Dont brood over everything from a private point of view.. rather have a public point of view. Think about the other people in your life. Care for them. Once the focus shifts to the other person you'll see your life isnt that bad after all.

3. The ultimate mantra.. to all the problems outside ur realm of solution reply.. "So what? F^#$ it" (It's better if you are oriya.. u can simply say "choddi hei gala" :) )

4. Make sorrow relative. The problem with sorrow is that its absolute. Sad people always think "my sorrow is graver than everybody else's". Look deeper. You are sure to find people who are more screwed up than you. Look from their perspective and u'll realize ur situation is much much better.

5. Love thyself. Dont indulge urself in regret and self-damnation. Feel good about urself. Even making love to self helps :).

6. Learn something new everyday. Topic can be anything - movies, politics, sports, even about ur family and friends. Knowledge will open new avenues for you.

7. Remember there are 2 types of problems. a) Which you can do something about. b) Which you cant do anything about. For a) - Dont sit around. Get off ur ass and just do that something. For b) - refer point 3.

8. Remember the happy times. If they have changed to sad times now then it can definitely change back to happy times again. For starters.. look out for the Happy hours of that pub.

9. Dont enjoy the depression. I repeat.. Do NOT enjoy the depression. Its addictive.. after a while u'll start making urself unhappy, just for the sake of it, without any reason. Dev D is not just a movie. Its a psychology lesson.

10. "I used to be indecisive. Now I am not sure". This statement should only be a joke for you. Dont make it ur calling card. Be decisive. Bad decisions may happen but eventually it'll make u experienced enough to make better decisions. Abstaining is NOT an option.

Here are some short stories i have come across over time. Hope you enjoy them as well.

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Heart.

Once there was this guy and his mother living in a small town. A very very beautiful lady came to stay in the twon. And ofcourse the guy fell in love with her on first sight. After many days of wondering he finally mustered up the courage to go up to the girl and confessed his love towards her. The lady asked for his mother's heart in return for her love. So he immediately ran home and put a dagger through his mother's chest and pulled out the heart. He gathered the bloodied piece of muscle and ran back. On the way he stumbled and fell down. The mother's heart immediately asked, "Son.. Are you hurt ?".

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She said.

He heard her say Yes.

Wow.. this is the most beautiful moment of his life. The girl, he loved more than anything else in the world, loves him.. What could be more amazing than this!! He felt he was the luckiest person in the world.. Just think abt it.. the girl was one of his best friends.. she understood him more than anyone else ever had.. he could share anything with the girl.. after all she was the most intelligent, smartest, beautiful girl he had ever known his whole damn life.. This must be what they call Heaven!!

Now everything gonna be gr8.. What an wonderful life he is going to have.. He started planning what he would do when he will meet her.. All the time he was away from her had made him all the more desperate to meet her.. to look into the eyes of the girl who is going to resurrect her from his mental abyss was the first thing on his mind. He started planning on the trips they would make together to those amazing exotic places he always thought about.. how he would lay on the sand with her watching the sun set on the horizon of the blue ocean.. Amazing!! And for the first time in his life he could see himself with the same girl 1,2,5,10.. years .. naah.. all his years down the line.. He thought abt how wonderful it would be to spend his whole life with her.. He could even see himself getting married, having kids.. how he would be spending all those years with his close group of friends and their families!! Damn he saw himself happy :)

Love for that girl had taught him so much.. she always inspired him to be more.. to be better. This is the starting of the most beautiful phase of his life.. which he was sure will last for ever.. His mind played again and again what he would say to her when they talk next.. there is so much to say and so less words to do it with!! How couldn't he see until now that she loved her too!! Bloody fool.. anyways he is going to make up to her for all the lost time.. Tomorrow is a new beginning!

She had said No.

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Love at every sight.

Down the stairs she comes. It's that time of the day again. I stand perplexed and stupefied as always and watch her carry herself graciously down those marble stairs. Each step of hers resounds in my heart. How can she be so beautiful? The merciful lord has indeed spent all his beauty in creating this masterpiece.

I see her waving her hands for a taxi, her white silken dress glazing the marble floor. Her gentle movements make me want to watch her for an eternity.

I am speechless yet again. I have time and again mustered enough strength to talk to her. Ask her name, ask if she is already engaged with someone, and ask her if would ever go out with me. I always rehearse and prepare my questions but as soon as she appears before me I freeze in time. She passes like a breeze and all I can do is to stare at her mesmerized each day.

I think she would have noticed me by now. I have been standing, waiting for her each day from a long time now. I guess she is aware of my presence. Just the other day I saw her smile at me. I was speechless. I am still trying to decipher what that smile meant. Has she acknowledged my presence, my fondness, my love for her?

On the other hand I don't think she has ever noticed me. She knows she is beautiful, she must be used to people staring at her, I am just another face in the crowd for her.

Or maybe she is stonehearted just like my exterior. Who cares about a love struck and stone carved sculpture anyways.

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Note:- This is not a story per se. But its really intriguing.

The Telephone.

When I was just as far as I could walk
From here to-day,
There was an hour
All still
When leaning with my head against a flower
I heard you talk.
Don't say I didn't, for I heard you say--
You spoke from that flower on the window sill-
Do you remember what it was you said?

First tell me what it was you thought you heard.

Having found the flower and driven a bee away,
I leaned my head
And holding by the stalk,
I listened and I thought I caught the word--
What was it? Did you call me by my name?
Or did you say--
Someone said "Come" -- I heard it as I bowed.

I may have thought as much, but not aloud.

Well, so I came.

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The Pearl of love.

A young prince in northern India meets and falls in love with "a young maiden of indescribable beauty and delightfulness". The couple marries and spend little more than a year together before dying from a venomous sting in the garden. The prince spends two days and nights in mourning as his servants worried. He emerged and ordered the servants to place his wife’s body in a coffin of silver and lead. The coffin was placed within a second made of precious, scented woods wrought in gold. The second coffin was laid in an alabaster sarcophagus inlaid with precious stones. The Prince then announces that he planned to construct a vast monument to commemorate his beloved; he named the monument the Pearl of Love. The people agree to support him in the endeavor.

Years follow as the Prince constructs the monument. He built a vast pavilion surrounded by a dome, pinnacles and copulas. He placed the sarcophagus in the center of the pavilion and reviewed his work. He was not pleased.

More years follow as the Prince learns more construction techniques. Entire structures are torn down and removed. Alterations are made then reversed in favor of original designs. The sight of the Pearl awes visitors from around the world. The Prince would often "stand there and look at the vista, deeply moved and yet not fully satisfied". He decides that the sarcophagus would be better accentuated if he had the pavilion removed.

More time passes before the Prince decides that the Pearl is nearly complete. The Prince takes a small retinue to survey the final alterations and discovered that only one thing marred the Pearl’s perfection. Only one thing had remained unchanged since construction began.

The Prince pointed to his wife’s sarcophagus and commanded: "Take that thing away".

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The Lottery.

In a small village of about 300 people, the locals are in a strange and nervous mood on 27 June. Children gather up stones as the adult townsfolk assemble for their annual event "The Lottery", that in the local tradition has been practiced to ensure a good harvest. In the first round of the lottery, the head of each family draws a small slip of paper; Bill Hutchinson gets the slip with the black spot, meaning that his family has been chosen. In the next round, each Hutchinson family member draws a slip, and Bill's wife Tessie gets the marked slip. In keeping with tradition, which has been abandoned by most other neighboring communities, Tessie is then calmly stoned to death by everyone present as a sacrifice.

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The End.

God said, "Cancel Program GENESIS". And the universe ceased to exist.

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The Crap that is Commercialism

Recently I saw the so-called revamped version of "Mile sur mera tumhara". Yeah I should have stopped myself before hitting that play button. But too late now. Trust bollywood to destroy an amazing symbol of our national integrity. Where is that pureness, the earthiness or soothing melody!! Its all crap, crap and more crap. Shah Rukh doing mitwa.. Aamir singing to the tune kya bolti tu.. what the f!@# is going on!!!

22 years ago Doordarshan created a simple but truly heart-touching rendition of the spirit that is India. It represented all aspects of "Indianism".. from sports to movies to TV to the common man. It illustrated how the country of such variations can come together to create such an amazing picture. It was perfect. But the advent of commercialism and ofcourse Bollywood destroyed the very fabric of that song by stooping as low as to create a remix. Its twice as long as the original, has more than enough of the stars but the whole thing just stinks. Its not a song for India.. its for patronizing the bollywood.

That brings me to commercialism. Its everywhere. Sports, movies, events, politics and worst of all religion. Every thing is bought and sold. English premier league, IPL and the greatest spectacle - Politics. People, nationalism, culture, even rationalism are sold and bought by the politiicans. Whether its Mumbai being played around by the Thackreys or Islamic beliefs by Al-qaeeda and co. The people in charge are always on the look out to make profit.. nothing else. They dont give a damn about the city or a person's belief. Thackrey wont give a damn for Mumbai till his vote bank is safe; Laden will continue killing innocents around the world to garner more financing. Even the so-called leader of the world USA wont stop war-mongering until it controls all oil reserves of the world.

But this is all large scale. Are we, the common people, unscathed from it? No way. In our own small insignficant way.. we buy and sell. We trade friendship, love, relations, career and what not. And the worst part is.. most of the time we are not even aware of it. We tend to calculate profit vs loss of each and every, tangible or non-tangible action that we take. Its in our DNA now. Once upon a time they said Vatican is the scrooge of the world. Then they said its the British. Then it was Hitler. Then America. But everytime their was a counteracting force. Now its the common man. From where will the salvation come?

Kali sitting on the gold crown of Parikshit must be smiling.

2009 in movies

Here is my list of the Top ten movies of 2009
The list is strictly alphabetical and not by rank.

Hindi

3 Idiots

Superbly entertaining movie. Even though the characters were inspired from a book, the movie presented them in a fresh new way. And ofcourse the funniest speech ever in movies. Aamir khan proves again that he can really pull off everything.

Ajab prem ki ghazab kahani

Reminded me of Andaz Apna Apna. Thats reason enough.

Delhi-6

A preachy ending notwithstanding, a very nicely made movie. The movie makes all the more sense when viewed from "outside". Also the director's ploy of drawing parallels to Ramayan was a nice touch. And genda phool.

Dev D

Quite simply the best Devdas version ever. There is a certain sadistic pleasure in self-destruction and it was never depicted better. The music is awesome; the cinematography, especially the stoned parts, was excellent. A landmark hindi movie. The Yash Chopra's candyfloss franchise(with the universe conspiring to unite the lovers) will never understand the true concept of love - In the real world.. love fails, you despair and the world doesnt give a damn.

Kaminey

An ode to Quentin Tarantino, this movie is a classic. Amazing performances, great music and superbly directed. Vishal Bharadwaj is the director to look out for (remember.. Maqbool and Omkara?).

Love aaj kal

The most gheesa-peeta story presented in a refreshingly new way. The 70's love story was certainly the best part of the movie. And Harleen a.k.a. Giselle Monteiro.

Quick gun murugun

Clint Eastwood meets Rajnikanth meets MGR. Amazing dialogues and a well-crafted screenplay. Watch it, I say.

Rocket Singh

A movie that believes (atleast in hindsight) that honesty and integrity are still relevant. The movie or the protagonist maybe a bit hypocrite in following their own advise but it still manages to get the message across. Ranbir Kapoor proves he has talent after all.

English

(500) Days of Summer

The movie starts with the disclaimer - "Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely accidental ... Especially you, Jenny Beckman ... Bitch." And.. you know this movie is different. The narrator begins with the announcement that this is not a love story. And it definitely isn't one. Of course they meet. Of course they fall for each other. Of course there are problems. It sounds cliché but what's remarkable about 500 Days is how the film explores new ways to tell the story. Its a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why.

Avatar

It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's amazing imagination and his expertise for details. Splendid visuals. Mind-blowing special effects. Forget all the crap about racism, nature-worship, white-american-saves-the-day and all that controversy. Enjoy the grandeur of Pandora.

District 9

Its the most exciting science fiction movie to come along in ages; Aliens who are a million times better than those of the brainless Transformers. The documentary-style structure of the movie makes it all the more compelling. By referencing to racism, xenophobia and South Africa's history of apartheid, the movie makes you think of the inherent fear in "humanity" for other races and species.

Inglourious Basterds

Now this is how history should have been. You can cringe about the fact that it is not; but doesnt matter.. this movie is not made by History channel. Its made by one of the best directors ever .. Quentin Tarantino. Starting with western cowboy music to black-n-white discovery footage to an almost fetishist admiration of Soshanaa.. this movie breaks all rules. Apart from Pulp Fiction (also by QT) no movie has such delightful passages of long stretched out dialogues. Its not about what its about.. rather its about how its about it!! A Tarantino film resists categorization. “Inglourious Basterds” is no more about war than “Pulp Fiction” is about — what the hell was it about? Of course nothing in the movie is possible, except that it’s so bloody entertaining. He’s a master at bringing performances as far as they can go toward iconographic exaggeration.

Invictus

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul" These lines fit no other personality like it fits Nelson Mandela. Its amazing to notice how many things could have wrong in this kind of a movie and how nothing of it ever goes wrong. Yeah its not exactly a documentary on Mandela's life, rather its just an episode. His personal forgiveness of white South Africa was the beacon that illuminated that nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, one of the very few examples in history of people who really had much to forgive, and forgave it. Compared to that, does it really matter that an underdog Springbok team, all white with one exception, won the World Cup in rugby in the first year of Mandela's rule? For Mandela it certainly did.

Paranormal Activity

In the year of billion dollar movie, came this movie made with a single hand-held camera. It is an ingenious little horror film, so well made it's truly scary.It illustrates that silence and waiting can be more entertaining than frantic fast-cutting and berserk CGI. For extended periods here, nothing at all is happening, and believe me, you won't be bored.

The Hangover

It is a funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny. Most of the dialogue is funny almost line by line. How in the hell do you wake up in a $4,200-a-night suite with a tiger, a chicken, a crying baby, a missing tooth and a belly button pierced for a diamond dangle? And when you give your parking check to the doorman, why does he bring around a police car? And where is the fourth guy? Here is a movie that deserves every letter of its R rating. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, especially after you throw up. BTW... there is never an explanation for the chicken.

Up

Pixar is great in making animated movies that somehow feel more realistic and sensible than most of the so called live action movies. Considering Pixar's standard this movie is good and enjoyable in most parts as expected. But what makes this movie really stand out is the initial small love story. Its amazing how much can be communicated with some slides of silent characters. Watch out for the first 15 mins.

Up in the air

"Ladki ka chakkar, Baabu bhaiya.. Ladki ka chakkar". Ever felt that you have thrown away a better life for a more successful life? Guess thats most of us. But have you gone to the extent of really liking the sad life more than your happy life? Sounds impossible. But sadly its not. We have an amazing tendency of accepting things and making that our comfort zone. And its all OK. Its my life.. I'll live the hell out of it anyway I like. And then comes the girl. She changes everything.. makes you want more out of life.. and so you risk it all.. but is she really her or pretending to be her? Find out from the movie. P.S. - This isnt a traditional kind of review. And maybe I made it sound like a sad movie. So, for the records, its a very funny and entertaining movie.

Watchmen

Did Superman ever cry for his lost planet? Have Batman felt guilty about breaking bones of a thug? Was Spiderman ever happy in his "normal" life? Watchmen is a movie about super-heros who, you realize soon enough, are not so super-heroic without the mask after all. It doesnt have the characters I mentioned above for copyright reasons.. but thats not the point. This movie could have been about any super hero and still relevant ( well... as relevant as a super hero movie can be). And it has one of the best super villians ever.. one who never even appeared on screen or delivered any dialogue.. Richard Nixon .. thats right .. the ex-president of US. They can very well make a sequel with George W Bush.

P.S. - Its strange how many movies say they are about something but are really about something else. Like Avatar says its about environment and anti-war but its really about visuals and special effects. But it was still very good. Sadly not Paa - A movie which pretends to be about a 13 year old but its really about promoting Abhishek Bachchan. Compare that to Taare Zammen Par and the differences gnaws at you. The most disappointing movie of the year. Just think... how much they could have achieved if only they had given Amitabh Bachchan a full role to work on!!

P.P.S. - I feel sad that the Top ten hindi movies list doesnt even have 10 movies.

2010 and The Redemption

Guys... here we are again after a long time.. "Hope" this continues this time...

Note: If you dont want to recieve this blog please drop me a mail saying so and you will be spared from the mailing list. This blog is posted to all original invitees by default.

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2010 and The Redemption

So the new year is here. I sometimes dont understand the fuss about every "new year." It comes every year right?? Like clockwork. Whats the big deal!! But then again what would happen if the year wont change? How are we supposed to get over things of the "last year"?? :)

2009 was, in more than one way, quite an year for all of us. (If you think it wasnt significant.. good for you!!) Many things happened and many more things didnt happen last year. It was good for some of us and for some.. lets just say we are glad its over. But come to think of it. Has anything really changed except for the last 2 digits at the bottom-right corner of this screen??? Do you really feel things will change only because the year has?? Someone said, "Nothing is more depressing than optimism" and this blog seems to follow the stupid quote. So lets not harp at the gone year. Think about what comes next.

2010 thats what. Somehow it seems different. Here.. try this.. "Twenty-Ten". Sounds different. Somehow sounds good. Has quite a zing to it. (Is "zing" even a word?? Doesnt matter... the word has quite a zing to it :) ). Last year saw the arrival of "Change" and "Yes We Can" people. This is about Obama btw. Everyone thought wow this gonna be good.. but as most things of 2009, he over-promised and under-delivered. But the new year needs optimism (not pessimism or even realism). So lets talk about the most hope-filled movie ever made. One of the greatest movies of all time.

The Shawshank Redemption.

Now thats a movie to watch. Its long, slow without any action or babes. But it's superbly entertaining, interesting and above all "liberating". Most movies offer us vicarious experiences and quick, superficial emotions. "Shawshank" slows down and looks. It uses the narrator's calm, observant voice to include us in the story of men behind bars. It is deeper than most films; about continuity in a lifetime, based on friendship and hope. Let me not go into the details. If you have watched the movie you know what I am talking about. If you haven't. Just watch it.

Its said "Life is a prison, we are Red, Andy is our redeemer". Thats true.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers —
That perches in the soul —
And sings the tune without the words —
And never stops — at all —
And sweetest — in the Gale — is heard —
And sore must be the storm —
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm —

* Emily Dickinson

So dont loose Hope is the moral of the story,
Jisne seekha life main kabhi bhi na jukna..
Hot seat pe milega bhaiyaa umeed se dugna!!

* Amitabh Bachchan

Test blog

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Episode 4:Money

Some philosopher sometime said "Money is like a mirror to our culture. What we see tells us who we are."
It has also been said by somebody that "Money today has become like sex was to previous generations. It's damn hard, in fact nearly impossible, to think about money honestly. It has an immense influence on everything we do. Yet few people are able to acknowledge the power of money."
I really dont know what it is and what its not but money actually usually gives me a bad feeling,i mean the lack of it makes me feel helpless and also it has somehow got the power of making me feel the taste of fear;)
But then I somehow also have this feeling that having lots of money can be like a drug. It can make you feel powerful and giddy. It can convince you that everything's going to be okay..
It can make us unjustifiably feel that we're better and more important than we really are.
When money can make you feel humble, then I think it's really useful. But then if it fattens your ego, which it often does, then we really need to look out.Dont you feel so?

But then money is full of wonders.It is greatness, it is power, it is beauty. Money is about love and relationships. It has a magic to bring people together as well as tear them apart. But then whatever said and done you just can't escape money. If you run from it, it will chase you and catch you.

Hey i think now i have become a philosopher myself so let me stop my philosophy and talk something of sense...
But then actually the above is something i have really felt with time...but yes one good thing also is that money is something that we have not let get into our relationship,into our friendship except for one or small instances which can be easily ignored... :)

U know how money can be described for us??
Money is something that none of us had in pocket but that never let us stop enjoying ourselves...
Money is something that took us to Cuttack to get the same for Tushar and in the end he landed with having nothing back..
Money is something that made us sit and think how to get that,a day before our exams so that we can enjoy our party(hey it was our economics/enterpreneurship paper friends so that explains ;))
Money is something that made us eat dahi-bara aludam together when we had no other go...
Money is something that never stopped you people having ur cigs/fag though you wouldnt have had ur lunch and dinners... :(
Money is something that we never felt embarrased to ask each other and never returning it but that still making us much closer.. :)
Money is something that we dint have, so asked Raja to get some veg in the rain though he had no itention of eating but then we need to have that pulav..
Money is something that made us sit at home and play cards and watch movies..
Money is something that brought all of you to my home for studies but then we hardly actually ever did that:)
Money is something which made us study a lil for the campus interview(atleast me)..
Money is something that Baba felt to be his birth right and would be with him forever and spent like there's no tomorrow and has never saved..(well that adds to some of us too,the not saving part)..
Money is something that made Sharma avoid calls from home...
Money is something that made Nihar go home...

And then Money is something that is put in so much of distance amidst us that our hearts donot meet together even...
and Money is also something that is also a major reason that is making me lose the treasure ,one of the most important person of my life...
and Money is something that us helping us keep apart from love of our life...
thats all is Money and Money only..... :( :) :(