Author: manuscrypts

  • Half Way Through

    Its wednesday and we are half way through the working week……i like wednesdays, they are like the top of the hill, ur next steps are all going to be downwards to the weekend…..i got an interesting phrase from the book i am reading, “cultural commuter”…i think the best way to explain it would be the older gen and mayb some new gen indians living in america…..they have an american kind of lifestyle in their professional life by day…in terms of their interaction with people etc..and at night, when they are back at home, they listen to indian music, have indian food, and talk in their mother tongue etc….nice terminology, huh?? rough day today too, so am too tired to write anymore, so will go to
    manuscrypt trivia
    in the 1500’sHouses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all thedogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.Hence the saying “dirt poor.”

  • Baths & Status Updates

    if life were an execution software, thats the button i would like to press now….its been such a tiring day and too full of happenings…. the only good thing that happened was a good fwd i got, so i am gonna paste it here and get the hell out of here….btw , i started reading the book i got yesterday, seems to be good, but 5 pages out of 314 dont tell the entire story, No i am not a slow reader, there were 14 pages of intro..hehe, anyways heres the good fwd i promised….
    It was the first day at a school in America and a new student named Ramesh Reddy, the son of an Indian restaurateur, entered the fourth grade.The teacher said, “Let’s begin by reviewing some American history. Who said “Give me Liberty, or give me Death?”She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Ramesh Reddy, who had his hand up.”Patrick Henry, 1775.””Very good! Who said ‘Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth’”?Again, no response except from the young Indian : “Abraham Lincoln, 1863.”,said Reddy.The teacher snapped at the class, “Class, you should be ashamed. Reddy, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do.”She heard a loud whisper: “Screw the Mexicans.” assuming Reddy was a Mexican.”Who said that?” the teacher demanded.Reddy put his hand up. “Jim Bowie, 1836.”At that point, a student in the back said, “I’m gonna puke.”The teacher glares and asks “All right! Now, who said that?”Again, Reddy says, “George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.”Now furious, another student yells, “Oh yeah? Suck this!”Reddy jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, “Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!”Now with almost a mob hysteria someone said, “You little ****. If you say anything else, I’ll kill you.”Reddy frantically yells at the top of his voice, “Gary Condit to Chandra Levy 2001.”The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, “Oh ****, we’re in BIG trouble!”Reddy said, “Saddam Hussein 2003.”and now for more info on life in 1500’s, here is
    manuscrypts trivia
    Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children-last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

  • Raw Hatred

    i had to express my feelings about monday mornings, hence the title…another lil quote comes to mind, forgot where i heard it, ” i love mornings, but i wish they came later in the day”….was an okay weekend, went shopping , there was a sale at ‘weekender’,and saw ‘little nicky’ on star…. loved the movie; anybody, any ideas where i can get the soundtrack….it rocks… plus, the special appearance by ozzie was cool….. adam sandler has given a wonderful performance, total timepass movie…
    Registered on an online scrabble site, easy interface, but, if in India,connectivity is a lil issue….i have finally got the book i ordered on rediff…”india Unbound” by Gurcharan Das, will intro you guys to it in tomorrow’s post…Have included a new lil thingie down below, on the right, its a deathclock, check it out, but i claim no responsibility for feelings of euphoria, desperation, depression etc…hehe
    i read patrix’ blog today, check it out, its worth a read….i liked the hinduism post, so am including a line on hindutva, which i think i picked up from ‘the return of the aryans’, had written down a lot of stuff from that book, will have to trace it now… its written by bhagwan s gidwani, the same guy who scripted the tv serial “the sword of tipu sultan”…..nyways this is what it says abt hindutva “Hinduism is a law of life, not a dogma, its aim is not to create a creed, but a character; and its goal is to achieve perfection through varied spiritual knowledge which rejects nothing and yet refines everything through continuous testing…..”
    from today on, i am gonna post interesting facts about the times in 1500’s in
    manuscrypts trivia
    Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

  • Life etc……

    Not very sure, what i should write about, but first things first, i have to thank Mr.Saltwater Blues, coz he sparked a nostalgic wave in me, about goa, so was looking at some old stuff, and suddenly rediscovered a lot of things that i thought were lost.so thanks buddy!!I think , i will debate a lil more on my post a couple of days back, coz i got some good response from sapna. ..what i still would like to ask is that, was human nature always so “yeh dil maange more”? i think it has been an acquisition of the last 3-4 generations.. and havent the machines intended to make life easier for us, made life too easy, to the point that we become self reliant isolated beings,with no social interaction till we drain ourselves out? Reminds me of an old saying about life “forget the potholes, enjoy the journey”, arent we more of trying to acquire stuff that will fix the potholes now, rather than enjoying the journey?thats enough food for thought, have a great weekend people, and have a great vacation, michelle, you, you lucky thing!! 😉 before i go, this one’s for babita, something that mark twain said about India “the sole country under the sun, that is endowed with imperishable interest, the one land all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined” Cheers India!!and for anyone anywhere with that unexplainable ache in the heart
    manuscrypt of the day
    i hear the countless voices of the human heart
    Flying unseen,From the dim past to the dim unblossomed future.
    Hear, within my own breast,the fluttering of the homeless bird, which,
    In company with countless others,
    Flies day and night,Through light and darkness,
    From shore to shore unknown.
    The void of the universe is resounding with the music of wings:
    ‘Not here, not here, somewhere far beyond.’
    Rabindranath Tagore, A Flight of Swans
    STOP PRESS
    Check this out….go to google, type “weapons of mass destruction”, and hit the “I am feeling lucky” button (instead of search)Now, READ THE ERROR MESSAGES VERY CAREFULLY and hey, congrats Andy (the wonder years), u r on rediffblogs mainpage..woohooo

  • Goan Rhapsody

    First up, I have changed my music list,chucked out some old faves in the list, and list only current and hot… its way too similar to Saltwater Blues. (check out his site, its definitely worth your time)..He is from Goa, and so is Michelle!! thats where i was for a couple of years, when i was doing my MBA..its all what they say in the ads and more, the place, that is…hehe….The lifestyle is so so cool, they refuse to be hustled and bustled and enjoy life….thats what i love most about the place, and the beaches, and the time i spent there with new found friends….i did get a lil culture shock in the beginning, but that wasnt coz of Goa,but coz of the crowd in my institute, i wasnt used to any culture outside Kerala’s….i guess what bonded me to Goa was that it was so similar in appearance and climate to my homestate….and the view from my window, that of the mandovi flowing lazily….its been almost 2 years since i left goa, but i still miss it so badly….soon as i can get the cash and the time, at one place and time :-), i’ll b there….i miss the beaches, i miss the ferry rides, i miss the mandovi, i miss the movies at ashok and samrat in panjim, the late night rides to Dona Paula, and most of all, i miss my life there….Not in the mood for any serious talk today, i am feeling too nostalgic,will go home early and look at old albums…
    manuscrypts quote of the day
    “I am not a complete idiot, some parts are missing” – Navin, a guy on one of my egroups