All you readers (2 for sure + 2 more anonymous i guess), sorry for being away for a bit. ok a long bit. Everyone is entitled to sabbatical. Mika was on one. So its back to the writing.
Since Nov. 21st tons of things have happened. Rather than writing on a specific topic ill lets this one meander around the events that took place recently.
1) The terror attacks on Mumbai
It was horrible to say the least. These were places that we have been to. CST - its a place where i was gonna arrive at the next day of the terror attack at around 930pm (same time as the attacks) or so. Obviously i cancelled the trip. TAJ - perfect place for a dinner or a coffee. LEOPOLD - frequently visited by college goers - tourists etc. OBEROI - again possible place for dinner or coffee. NARIMAN HOUSE - No chances of visiting that place. The 3 days of the attacks - we were glued to our television sets. Watching updates - live coverage. I personally think TIMES NOW had the best coverage on TV. There was a raging debate here on weather the news channels should be allowed to cover such an event live? My opinion is yes, they should be. I'm totally against those news channels (like aaj tak / star news etc.) who dramatise the whole event. Making it look like a movie or something. Pathetic. There was an instance where one news reporter refused to follow guidelines of the police (to move backwards) and lay down on the ground until he was forcefully moved back. Grow up guys. More than a month gone. Pakistan hasn't done a thing about it. Will they ever. I really doubt it. It will need India to go on and conduct some military operations at certain specified targets (terrorist camps). Does that mean WAR. Probably yes. But I'm not an advocate of WAR. WAR will have unnecessary civilian casualties on both sides. India is trying hard to resolve things diplomatically but i don't see it getting anywhere so far. Hard lesson to be learnt. Never give up terrorists. Giving up Masood Azhar was a blunder. IC814 hijack to Kandahar episode. Ask yourselves, would Israel have done the same, would US have done the same. My answer is NO.
2) Movies Galore
I saw lots of movies while on a sabbatical - some on DVD and some in the theatre. On DVD were - Bank job - neat flick. Tropic thunder - a bit funny but got boring after a while. Dark Knight - Ah, wish id seen this in the theatre but however wasn't as good as most pointed it out to be. In the theatre- Rab ne bana di jodi - typical Yash chopra release, romance, excitement, SRK, good music. I loved this movie. Most didn't. The songs were awesome. My kids loved it too. (more for the songs i guess). Haurey Haurey (instead of Haule Haule) as Shreya puts it will be entrenched in my (and my whole family's) mind forever. Thumbs up for Anushka Sharma. Last night i also caught up with Ghajini. Nicely done. Action flick. Perfectly marketed. Rs. 200 Crs. in 14 days is BIG money. So does that mean the movie was so good or the marketing was the key. Lessons to be learnt for other film makers.
3) The SATYAM Fiasco
Just when you thought that the retail investors had lost enough money in the share markets, Raju Ramalinga confesses to a fraud of Rs. 7700 crs. That's a big amount. Today there is an article in the papers that talks about how this confession may not be the real truth. Tons of theories but not the right place to discuss. Thank god I don't own any shares of this company. Approx Rs. 225 per share on dec 25th or so is now just 8 rs. In 2 days of the disclosure the stock crashed 80% on day one and 80% on day two. I'm dead sure that there is more to this fiasco than what has just been disclosed so far. I'm lucky that I don't hold a single Satyam share. I sympathise with the share holders who may have lost all their savings. Some gamblers feel its the right time to buy some share, albeit at the risk of losing all of it. My advise - KEEP AWAY.
4) SULA wines + Little Italy
It seems that I've been frequenting this place more than necessary. As Annoy puts it, i'm visiting this place more than her blog. This is a must visit place when in Nasik. There are a lot of people who actually come down from Bombay just to spend the weekend at the vineyards. I'm one of the lucky few to live in the vicinity. Our house is just bout 15 minutes away from the vineyards. The newly launched Sula Viognier is a must try for all. I'm sure Vishy (Vishant) who recently visited with Priyanka and family would vouch for it. What say Vishy. The food at Little Italy has been awesome to say the least. Now this i shall leave it to my readers to figure out - does the food taste good because its good or anything feels good after a couple of glasses of wine.
I'll be a bit filmy here and conclude with
"Hum hai rahi pyar ke, Phir milenge, Chalte chalte."
