Thursday 29 November 2012

Life is like this... Tagged!!


So, C. Suresh sir had tagged me a while back and I had promised to revert. This is such a beautiful tag, it brought so many old memories back. Thank you so much for the tag!! You're too kind.

Ok, now the rules-

1.      You are tagged.
2.      You give links to posts that belong to each of the following categories
1)      Your most beautiful post.
2)      Your most popular post
3)      Your most helpful post
4)      Your most controversial post
5)      A post whose success surprised you
6)      A post that you thought did not get the attention it deserved
7)      A post which you are most proud of
3.      You select five bloggers for passing on the tag and inform them about their being tagged.

Here I go then-
1. Yes I am! :-D
2. Links- 
  1. 1) Most beautiful post- Well, I am the judge here so, I'll be partial and give this prize to one of my most "chatty" posts- Cerebral Warts
  2. 2) Most popular post- I guess this one- Angry Birds
  3. 3) Most helpful post- Well, this one is as helpful as I can get- stealing arm rests.
  4. 4) Most controversial post- Oh! Many of my political cartoons are controversial. Here is one- Kasab Dead!
  5. 5) A post whose success surprised me- Sandhi sudha
  6. 6) A post that didn't get the attention it deserved- Haha! My whole abhyudayatoons.blogspot.in blog!
  7. 7) Post which I am proud of- A satire

Now the next step is about tagging others and I am not really good at telling people what to do. Seriously guys! So, if you're reading this and like the tag, consider yourself TAGGED!!

Enjoy!!

Saturday 24 November 2012

Looking sharp when all eyes are on you.

This entry is a part of the Indiblogger contest Shoppers Stop- Perfect Festive Look.


Here is a link to Shoppers Stop- www.shoppersstop.com

A festive look is about looking your best when all the attention is on you. Festivals are about dressing well, having fun and spreading good cheer. We just celebrated Diwali and Christmas and New year's are just round the corner. 

When on Diwali it's about elegant ethnic wear with flowing stoles, New year parties are about western, sharp look. Here is what a traditional Indian festival demands from you (I'll come to Christmas, New year's too, don't worry)

1. Manish Creations- Mens Sherwani
You can never go wrong with a sherwani. A power statement like no other type of clothing. Especially suits the head of family. 
You can shop for it from the following link-
White is recommended as it is a colour for all seasons and very classy.

2. Next comes your Kurta Pyjama which can be worn during and after the pooja.
This one is also from Manish Creations.

3. A good stole will not only enhance your ethnic look, it will complete the whole ensemble. 

            -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------        


Coming to the New year party, I think opting for a good western outfit is the wise choice. Although the site has put up Ensemble set 1 and set 2 which are both nice, here are a few options for those who like to customize their stuff-

1. Shirt
A good formal shirt is the most important part of the ensemble. It's like the blank canvas which supports your whole look. Try not to be experimental with this. I recommend Austin-Reed Mens Full Sleeves Classic Fit Formal Structured Shirt.

2. Trousers
The trousers should be well-fitted and elegant. The flow should not be awkward and colour should be solid. Here is presenting Provogue Mens Flat-Front Formal Trousers.

3. Tie
Well, you can be a bit experimental with the tie. Not too much but you can add more colour to the ensemble through the harmless little tie. Here is what I recommend.
This gift set has it all- tie, handkerchief and cufflinks. Amazing stuff. Here is the link- http://www.shoppersstop.com/cat-Men-Mens-Apparel-Ties-Tie-Rack-London-Mens-Gift-Pack-262.html

4. The Jacket
Now coming to the main event- The jacket. It can make or break your whole ensemble. I recommend this Blackberry piece-

5. Shoes and belt
Most often ignored and yet one of the most important parts of the ensemble are shoes and the belt. I recommend these from Louis Phillippe

The links- 1. Formal leather shoes
                2. Leather Belt

So, this completes the ensemble. Have fun this festive season and as my favourite VJ Anusha says- Remember to keep it classy!!

ABD out!





Write Over the Weekend- "Memories"

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda


Ok Blogadda and all you wonderful people out there, here is a photograph of me getting my birthday bumps on 15 Feb 2012 in the typical hostel way only a hostel resident can understand. The pain lingers for the next day morning and sometimes even more if your friends are overly enthusiastic but the memories remain forever. Now that I am going to be out of hostel in a few days, the photo becomes even more important. 

It all starts with the room-mate waking up the birthday boy, calling all friends to the flag-pole of the hostel. A cake would already be bought and candles would be decorated around it. The birthday boy makes every attempt to save his tushy; from padding the underwear to pleading hemorrhoids, but nothing works. As he begins to blow the candles, people start kicking him left, right and... center! The case is not much helped by the fact that the candles are those magic candles- specially designed to last long. 

His room-mate and best friends are also not spared. Do not ask me who started this tradition... but yes, they are also chased down and beaten black and blue.

Now, the cake cutting ceremony begins where the guy is painted with cake. His face becomes a canvas and all artists try their hand at it. Then he is taken to the hosepipe tap in the lawn and bathed. Some special candidates get to dance too with their underwear being the ransom. After the torture, it's time for some good ol' gossip and loud laughter. In the end, they all walk back to their respective rooms and the birthday boy heads to the bathroom with a bucket in his hand at 1 in the night.


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Innovative Indians

Just hang in there, Kasab

Idea inspired by tweet from @stupidosaur

Stupidosaur (@Stupidosaur) tweeted at 2:32 PM on Wed, Nov 21, 2012:
"Hang in there!" sometimes means the opposite of what it usually means #Kasab
(https://twitter.com/Stupidosaur/status/271176717543034880)

Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

Friday 2 November 2012

The Bankster- By Ravi Subramanian: Book Review

Firstly a hearty "thank-you" to the blogadda team for giving me this opportunity to review this book by Ravi Subramanian. I received the author signed copy in great condition!! Delighted!! You guys are doing a great job.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!

Coming to the novel, I think Ravi Subramanian has beautifully intertwined three separate stories of crime, deceit, hope, struggle and triumph to create this gripping read. The novel is "un-put-down-able" right from the start till the very end. The plot is intelligent and thick, it gets complex as it progresses and has all the ingredients of a suspense thriller. Financial crime is the epicenter of the whole plot quite naturally as the author himself is a banker. He has dedicated the novel however not to the bankers but to banksters. "Bankster"- the word being a portmanteau of two words "banker" and "gangster".

A brief glimpse at the back cover tells us that the story revolves in three worlds- one of a CIA secret agent purchasing arms and playing with fire as he protects national secrets which are more like skeletons in the closet; second one is the story of Mr. Krishna who is waging a lone moral battle against forces whose motives he himself doesn't quite understand. The third one is the central plot which involves Greater Boston Global Bank i.e. GB2 bank, its employees and the crime saga within. It also tells how a certain Mr. Karan Punjabi investigates the crime and finds the deep-rooted corruption chains in the bank and their horrible extent. The only drawback of reading about Karan Punjabi is that you tend to establish him as the protagonist of the novel and start expecting his arrival since the very beginning. What should be kept in mind is that this is one of those plots where the only protagonist is the story. Karan enters the scene only when half of the story is already over. All characters have been well-thought out and all nuances have been taken care of. That's why I think the book will appeal to the thinking reader who reads only to find holes in the plot. That is not to say that the writing is perfect. There is a sense of hurry towards the end to solve all mysteries and tie all loose ends which was, in my view, necessary to close down such a complex plot and I think it only adds to the beauty of the novel as there are no loose threads left unattended.

There is liberal use of Hindi words and Hindified English which brings out the characters to life as most of them are Indian. The book is divided into several small chapters which makes it easier to read although sometimes it might get frustrating as the author moves on to another story while leaving one right in mid-air. A curious reader like myself would have to resist the urge to break continuity, flip through a few pages quickly only to find out what happens next. Fighting that urge is basically the fun in reading a suspense thriller and the author completely succeeds in doing that. Speaking of language, I do think there was a scope of improvement in that area but, keeping in mind the sense and sensibilities of a suspense thriller readership, shorter sentences and smaller discourses *are* in fact the demand of the times. The language is kept simple and lucid.

Cover design and artwork is mesmerizing. The city skyline in the backdrop of a gangster with a gun in one hand and suitcase in another sort of idolizes the bankster. No wonder the darker characters in the story have been well-sketched and likable. It would be unfair to mention the names of the dark horses as it would give the story away. Yes, you will be kept guessing right till the end!

Other characters too are complex and nuanced. Grey shades of jealousy, bitterness are seen in even the good characters which makes the story real. Karan Punjabi is introduced with a twist in the narrative without mentioning his name. His entry is almost like one of those in a Bollywood movie with the camera following the hero's back as he makes his way in the playground ie the bank. Coming to think of it, the book has all the ingredients to be made into a movie. Hope someone is listening.

One thing that I learned from the novel is that they have a CCD "Cafe Coffee Day" in Vienna!!

So, to conclude, my ratings for the book-
Plot- 4/5
Language- 3/5
Thrill quotient- 3/5
Suspense quotient- 2.9/5 (I could sort of predict the ending)

Happy reading!!

And if you want to contact the author after reading the book, here are a few links-