A Mishra Speakth

IPL Madness

2010-03-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

The Indian Premier League - a Twenty Twenty aka "T20" format Cricket tournament has been generating a lot of buzz lately. For the less informed - this is Cricket gone commercial, Cricket gone mod, Cricket gone bonkers!

It is fast paced, colorful, eventful and absolutely entertaining. I, for instance, was skeptical (we purists are - right Cricket fans?) and maintained a healthy distance from the news coverage about the IPL Player Auctions and team layout etc. Well once you have supported India for half your life, it is hard to break into a regional/franchise support mode.

And that is exactly what Mr. Modi & Co are hoping to do with the glitz, advertising and glamor that comes bundled with this format of Cricket. I think the only think that did take the attention away from IPL was the tabloid reports of Aussie captain to be Michael Clarke and Laura Bingle ... yeah Sydney news papers sort of went crazy on that. Wonder if it was the same when observed from other parts of the world?

Anyways, the "for instance I used to be" above should always follow "and now I am" ... so yeah now I am an IPL convert ... ummm sort of. I stayed up one night watching the Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians game (go Sachin!!!) and write one blog entry about it and claim to be an IPL fanatic ... huh?! Who am I kidding? Once a purist always a purist.

...but once a cricket fan, any format of the game is fodder for the idle mind. No matter how busy you are. Gotta go IPL highlights are on.

Ah so sick of it!!!

2010-03-14T19:43:00.003-05:00

I am so sick of it,
don't want to talk about it any more
or about it until I have it
purged from my core
It has been your and my favorite topic
and their too
It is their past time just to let
dig into it with me and you
Oh! I have had it!
It has to stop
Somebody find the darn rest button
or a knife ...and give it a chop!
It is building so much gunk in my brain
that I can feel it clog
look I cannot escape it
not even in a blog.

- Alok Mishra

Running MySQL and Java on your desktop for development

2010-03-14T18:27:00.005-05:00

So you have have a business idea and you have to have a web application that interacts with your clients, helps them place and order and lets you full fill that order, get the payment, ship it and do post processing etc. Where do you start from?

Lets start with the core - your database, because if your business is going to grow you need to be able to be dynamic, scale well and manage information (that is the "I" in "IT") - yeah?

So ... the easiest thing to do is to start by running a Database Server and then write a program in Java, PHP, Python and Ruby to connect to it ... just to understand what it takes to do all that.

I will start with Java in the example below and download XAMPP that will run the DB server for me and help me do PHP stuff later too.

Download XAMPP - It has Apache, Tomcat, MySQL in a single install
- XAMPP Link - http://www.apachefriends.org/

Download MySQL Connector for Java
- MySQL Download - http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
- MySQL Connector J Download - http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/j/

Download Eclipse
- Eclipse - http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Let the fun begin ...tinkering with Linux, Device Drivers and basic circuits with no fear!

2010-02-12T13:51:00.002-06:00

I finally have taken the leap from being curious to being hands-on with stuff I have always wondered about but never had time to do. Installing Linux on my laptop helps me develop device drivers and with those device drivers I want to be able to eventually read and write information into and out of a machine.

And ... you want to be able to do that so you can write fun games which you can play with hacked-USB inputs and control things around the house and monitor stuff.

First things first:
Bought Arduino Duemilanove: http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Duemilanove-Starter-Kit/dp/B001N1EOT8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1266004486&sr=8-5

Installing Ubuntu: TBD

Buying basic parts: TBD

...watch for pictures/updates and notes as I learn more! Write to me if you are interesting in DIY stuff and especially if you happen to know much more than I do ... could use all the help. Let the "Warranty Breaking" begin!!!!

Door Country - May 2008

2008-06-13T07:20:00.006-05:00

Door County - http://www.doorcounty.com/

...it is only 1 hour away from here and a LOT of fun to go to in spring and summer and fall seasons।In the summer we can go Kayaking, camping, hiking and see "Shakespeare in the Woods" which is an open air theatre and so much fun!!!! Since you all will not join me, I took Vaidy, Phani, Ravi and went today and we had a GREAT time.

2008-06-12T21:15:00.006-05:00

A while back, at Wembly (I think) there was this concert that was held after George harrison from the beatles had died. It is on DVD titled "Concert for George" .... and is a must have!

The first part features Pt. Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anouskha Shankar giving tribute with Indian Classical music, something that George Harrison loved .... and the second part features Eric Clapton, Joe Brown, Billy Preston, Paul McCartney playing some of the classics - and if you loved the original this is this version is even better!

Here are some of the videos from the DVD online on youtube.com ...enjoy!!!

Anouskha solo
Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3HqQoLq5c2c

Arpan Anouskha conducting
Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZGmEu_9zkok&feature=related

Sarve Shaam
Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3FDsYDgdIFA&feature=related

Eric Clapton ...3-4 drummer ...a lovely piano and a wonderful orchestra playing this amazing song!!! This is one of the songs from Concert for George
Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FC1EZcrZEIs&feature=related

Hummm a little Gospel-lly but this song features the Late Billy Preston ( the African American Gentleman on the organ/the piano like thing)
Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VvH6fxP5hMo&feature=related

Finally ...this is how the show ended ...on Ukulele - "I'll see you in my dreams" wah!

Youtube Video Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pcphNHjwfGA&feature=related

Here are the lyrics to this heart warming song

"Though the days are long,Twilight sings a song,Of the happiness that used to be;Soon my eyes will close,,Soon I'll find repose,And in dreams you're always near to me.''I'll see you in my dreams,Hold you in my dreams;,Someone took you out of my arms,Still I feel the thrill of your charms!,Lips that once were mine,''Tender eyes that shine,They will light my way tonight,I'll see you in my dreams! "

Hope you enjoyed the videos and the lovely music!

2008-05-07T22:20:00.001-05:00

I was bored, the canvas was a mess (I had spray painted on a Tee with the canvas under it) ...and had glue (regular paper glue in a squeeze bottle) ...and lots of paper ...Natl Geographic with the glossy pages and some absorbant-newspaper stuff ...some stiff paper from the MTU Alumni mag etc. I tore pieces of paper into tiny bits and started "seeing" things the more I stuck them on the canvas ... then I would go a little crazy and drip RED from the Acrylic paint tube from a height ....I loved the sensation of the drops on the canvas ...the splat, the drip the run the swirl ...and the more I felt the more I saw and RED wanted something YELLOW by it and Yellow wanted something black by it and there were pictures of Trees or Martian Canals with shadows - I am not sure what but they were in Relief and added some "depth" and then there were faces ... I wanted "humanity" in this sea of abstract - recognizable features, eyes, tibetian eyes ...african american eyes and MTU Alumni magazine had a ton of these and then i found pictures of Queen elizabeth ...in Sepia - like in stamps and it was such a wonderful "tone" to have ...so i added that and sat back .......something did not seem right. I had colours but no features and so i burned candles over it for texture ...the dripping wax created hills and craters and unequal shadows and filled the center and surroundings ....it blended with the swirl of red paint that i had dripped in circular motion on the periphery and then i felt that the wax was too glossy and realized that of all the little patterns ...I loved the diagonal stripes .......so the page with the Great Ships it was. A Lime-Green picture of a sea creature made the swirling expanding strips in the center while the pale stripes of the page of the great ships (it was an ancient map) made the diagonal stripe behind it ....together they "sat over" the rest of the wax, red paint and other layers upon layers of glue, paper and glue and paper and glue .... ofcourse the first and last layer were glue. Stripes were never completely covered in glue, just tips so that they would be partially free ... but my fingers were completely covered with glue and it made working on this progressively harder. I realized in the frenzy I had forgotten to call India, cook for the boys coming to eat, shower, brush and had paint and glue on my carpet and had wiped my fingers over a t-shirt of mine ...It was not just relaxing ...but it "satisfied" a craving. I have 4 blank canvases from years before and I dare not paint on them because I could not get myself to "think" about what I wanted to paint. And yet when I did eventually jump into it ...the canvas satisfied a hunger that was nagging and obsessive. it did not end even after I said to myself "done" .... I took a picture of it and later obessed with the picture for sometime and found that over-exposure with high-fill-light and focal-bw effects just took it one notch higher! I think the end-product is not just the canvas but also Blow-ups of the edited image of the canvas ....

Build your own water fountain!

2007-07-16T23:43:00.001-05:00

Alright 2 words - Feng Shui! Yeah baby! So I got the FS kick and decided to build me a water fountain. Heck who does not love the gentle sound of water trickling down all day along, especially when you gotta go .... haha!

Okay so how do you build your own little water fall? These are things you will need:

1. A submersible water pump, I got mine from Stein's Garden and Gifts store. You can also get them online.
For example: http://www.water2garden.org/little-giant-water-pump/

2. A pipe that will fit into the pump out and is long enough to bring water from the bottom to the top of the vase

3. Rocks of various shapes and sizes. Clean them after you collect them.

4. Water

5. A Vase to hold the pump, the water and rocks

Here's what you do .... fit the pump to the base of the vase. Fit the pipe to the pump pour some water and connect the pump to test if it works. If not go back to the store and go "why why why you sell me bad stuff huh?!"

Anyways, if it works ....empty the water, take the rocks and one-by-one fill the vase with rocks so that you have volume for water to collect on one side and the rocks are on the other side. This will take time and requires patience. In fact this task is an exercise in patience : )

So, take your time, arrange the rocks and when you have them all in place - pour in the water and start the pump. If you have left space for the water to collect then the pump should push water out and it should fall into the remaining volume with that 'waterfall' sound!

Remember ... depending on how dry your home is the water will evaporate faster or slower, but it will evaporate and eventually the level will drop. A brilliant thing ...to NOT do is to let the water level drop below the pump's collection point ....otherwise the darn things tend to burn out! So assuming you DO NOT want the pump to burn out, fill water into the pump.

Oh yeah and if you have plants in the house, 'wick' water out of the fountain! Brilliant!

Recreational Coding and ideas in problem solving ....

2007-07-16T23:12:00.000-05:00

It was after ages that I had sat down to code... code for fun that is!

Coding at work is fun but it is still work. "Recreational Coding", on the other hand, is theraputic and fun. So here is what I was trying to solve:

"On an m x n array, arrange numbers 1 to m x n, or 0 to (m x n - 1) , in a spiral."

For example, a 3 x 3 array (m = n = 3 ) will look like:

1 2 3
8 9 4
7 6 5

There are a variety of ways to solve this, my first attempt involved crazy matrix manipulation and wrapping a linear (1 row) m x n array to the matrix. Well, lets just say when 'm' was not equal to 'n' this one bombed big time ... remember those "Array out of bounds" exceptions. Yeah!

Well anyways, the next time I did what came naturally. I thought about 'walking' around the matrix and instead of thinking about a row-column layout, I though more from a co-ordinate geometry view point.

What emerged was a general rule which went something like this:

Walk 'm' Left
Reduce 'n' by 1
Walk 'n' Down
Reduce 'm' by 1
Walk 'm' Right
Reduce 'n' by 1
Walk 'n' up
Reduce 'm' by 1

So there you have it! With a little bit of pretty printing and some 'spint n shine' - the code was ready. But that was not the end of it ... here is the next question that emerged that I have not been able to answer so far (have not looked in google for any of this yet) ....

....so now we have a solution, can we get this in a more elegant way? I mean instead of walking Left, Down, Right and Up in a spiral can we generate the co-ordinates using 'step' we are at?

More precisely - Is there a function of 'i' which gives us a Row and and a function of 'i' which gives us a value of Col where 'i' ranges from 1 ... m x n ????

For example:
i Row Col
--- ---- ----
1 0 0
2 0 1
3 0 2
4 1 2
5 2 2
6 2 1
7 2 0
8 1 0
9 1 1

Dance into the light ...

2007-04-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

...here is a video that I had made for a friend in 2002 or some era like that.

Days, weeks, months, years later I have removed the cobweb, dusted off the layer of 'stuff' on the video and posted it - yes - on youtube!

I hope it reminds you of better times...

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiRRLgsSVC8

My Grandad!

2007-01-09T23:49:00.000-06:00

Guess what!!! I dug up a picture of him, my Grandpa! ...he was my mom's dad, & passed away in, ummm...1994, I think. We were close and I really miss him a lot, especially since I had not been with Dad's dad.

I saw this picture, on the wall, at their (my Grandpa and Grandma's) house in SBP (Sambalpur Orissa)... oh! when I looked into the glass frame, I could see my reflection on his face. The eyes, the jaws ...I'd even sported a similar hair style when I had longer (read more) hair. It was a proud moment! It was like looking back at my genes, looking back in time and all that good stuff. ah!

It was then that I decided to capture the picture on the wall using my digital camera and well ...here it is!!!

Mr. Aniruddha Mishra [1906-1994]

Wachu do this New Years?

2007-01-09T23:31:00.000-06:00

Wish you all a Happy 2007. Whatchu do? I danced the night away! Hell yeah!

The past New Years in the U.S have literally sucked. New York was okay, Houghton one's were boring and the one's before are hazy due the amount of alcohol involved. Nothing beats dancing the night/morning away! Seriously!

So the party started around 10 ...we had to goto this Desi gathering at a bowling alley. It was time to take some souvenior (spelling?) pics ...here's one with Dharma and Payal. Come to think of it, its funny how it was the 3 of us who stuck around till 6am later after the rest had gone ....

[Dharma, Payal, Alok - posing]

....first, the dancing started at the alley. Desi dhinchak stuff.

[Mukund and Kumud leading the way]

... then we moved to PI, the local 'posh' club. They play techno there, as opposed to Hip Hop at the other place and it got wild after a while. Napkins flying, Yeager-Bombs flowing, Booty Shakin', Girl-on-Bar-Top-Falling, Bathroom-with-long-drunk-lines kinda wild!!!

The mayhem lasted until 6am when we drove back with Aatif blaring on our car stereo....hummm. "Jaage hain, sooye nahi"

[Payal (cutie), Me (crazy), Dharma (suave)]

Rocky - The Original!!!!

2006-12-20T23:52:00.000-06:00

I just remember'd how COOL my doggie 'Rocky' is ...last summer I was home and it was so much fun to see him. He'd roll in the mud (we are a wee bit scratchy) and then come home carrying the filth all over, while looking with those innocent "whaddi-do?" eyes!

So one afternoon, while he was lazing in the air-conditioned room I went all paparazzi on him and clicked a few snaps ...

"excuse me?"

Rigoletto

2006-12-17T01:28:00.000-06:00

...oh the Christmas traffic was nuts!!!

Tried to park at the mall today and while I zig-zagged through the rows of cars looking for an empty spot, my ears has wrestled my attention to a magical tone that filled my heart with emotions and conjured it...

NPR (National Public Radio) was playing Guiseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, live from the Metropolitian theatre in New York.

Ah! It was worth the wait for the empty parking spot ....just driving around, listening to the emotions in those voices. Bravo!

A Must Watch Classic ...

2006-12-17T00:14:00.000-06:00

"Inherit the Monkey" was on PBS and boy is this on par with "12 Angry Men" and similar classics! Spencer Tracy and Fredric March star in this charged and powerful court-room drama that centers on an argument on the legality of evolution. It is a must see, especially if you love the classics ....

"Inherit the Wind
Saturday, December 16, 10:00pm
CHANNEL 28
(WPT)
Spencer Tracy and Fredric March in Stanley Kramer's version of the
Broadway hit about 1925's celebrated Scopes “monkey trial” in Tennessee. Gene
Kelly, Florence Eldridge. Cates: Dick York. Rachel: Donna Anderson. Judge: Harry
Morgan." - source PBS.org

A.R and Guru ...

2006-12-10T15:17:00.000-06:00

...phew! Musically it has been a comeback time for Hindi music in my listening collection.

Guru:
It was the day I reached Rochester for T.G break that Ajay called to make me listen to "Jaage Hain" (Chitra and A.R) ... it was eerie listening to a 'dhun' that you immediately love, especially when it is so scratchy and almost inaudible over a mobile phone connection (unlike land line phones where it was quite close to being Tape quality sound). So, anyways ...Ajay is like "Mishra, you have to listen to this ...I think you will like it". I did.

Infact, the next 3 days I was entirely wrapped up in just this one song. I found the mp3 online and played it over and over again ...each time some suttle nuance in the song would amaze me some more and I'd miss it while listening to it. I know it sounds obssesive but that is how it is with me and things I love ...I have to 'drink' it to the full, enjoy it in every last cell in my being until I am satisfied with it. How can you not?! Especially when it is A.R good ....

Jaage Hain:
...this song, this new gem from him is so unique. I love it when he (A.r) sings because of the high notes he can hit; then add someone with a soft touch (i.e Chitra) and something as unique is a song as the Madras Choir and you have something like 'Jaage hain'. Wait! I missed Gulzaar. His lyrics are what really make the song soul stirring ....yes it is that good! Soul Stirring ...

I cannot even remember the number of times I have wanted to utter, "Jaage hain der tak humey, kuch der soney do ...thodi si raat aur hai subah to hone do". The fact that Gulzaar gets the emotions right is what makes this song special.

It really hits you when you hear A.R go sky high with "aadhey adhoorey khwab jo, poorey naa hooo sakey" ....oh man! I am getting goose bumps just imaging how it is sung!!! This is to be heard and not written ....

Here is Guru at MusicIndiaOnline.com
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/hindi_bollywood/s/movie_name.8846

Check out:
1. "Jaage hain"
2. "Ay Hairathe"
3. and then "Bin Tere"

Oh! I could write on and on about the other songs, including "Ay Hairathe" which is now my playing fav along with Bin Tere.... the introduction to the former is just mind blowing. I mean, it literally is mind blowing because I had a friend listen to it and we could not get the song out of our heads!

The first minute or so of the song will take you somewhere else ... just like Roja's songs did. There is a slight hum, the harmonica plays that haunting tune in a muted phase when on the next pass A.R turns it up with some beats to go with it ...and then chorus joins in with "dum tara dum tara jashn jashn" which is followed by more of that haunting harmonica dhun in the background....I just had to play it for myself once. It was that captivating.

Well, after fiddling on a keyboard for about 5 mins, I got the keys for the introlude and it sounded close to the song when played as "Soft Violin" ...aah! It is done!

So this is where I have been, lost in A.R's music for the past few weeks. Obsessed, transfixed, mesmerized, haunted and so happy!

"Dum tara dum tara jashn jashn ..."

Links:

Interesting article on A.R, http://www.time.com/time/columnist/corliss/article/0,9565,1013198-1,00.html
Wiki on A.R, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._R._Rahman
Wiki on Gulzar, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulzar
Guru review, http://entertainment.oneindia.in/movies/bollywood/music/reviews/guru-221106.html

Painting Parul-KB's living room ...

2006-12-10T13:59:00.000-06:00

...ThanksGiving weekend 2006 was all about painting Kamlesh and Parul's living room. They have a quaint little suburban house in Rochester, MN ...and ever since the moved in there, I have heard them talk about how much they wanted to paint the living room before they put anything on the walls.

Such was their passion for getting it right that they refused to move on and do anything to the place until it was painted. It was also going nowhere because they could not make up their mind on what color to paint it ... phew! I am glad they finally did that and once they did it was all about getting it right.

We started with the front walls of the living room, at about 8ish on Thurday night and did half the wall ....wooooo not a great idea. Apparently we were not supposed to paint in the dark and not supposed to finish both the coats of paint at the same time on just half the wall .... I kinda got the hang of it later though and really took a liking to the roller with the long handle (okay no Gay jokes here!). But seriously, it was all so zen! Roll paint on and up and some off and down and merge.

Its All About the Zen Feeling:
I also realized that vaccuming, cleaning or some mindless physical labour brought about a very zen like feeling .... I get very focussed and into what I am doing. The details matter then and it is all about being one with the tool for example, to roll paint on in one steady stroke from top to the bottom until you see a steady finish, with no ridges or boundaries.

...ofcourse one also has to wait until the paint dries before one can tell if there were any major misses or not. The shadows on wet paint can cause an illusion of boundaries, and fixing these can ruin a good paint run.

When we did get the place finished it looked fabulous, althought I wish we did it in summer for better lighting and airing ...the place still smelled of ammonia and the paint, but overall it was a job well done.

Looks like we picked up a new skill!

Packers Game and a dinner ...

2006-12-10T13:13:00.000-06:00

...it was so unlike other fall Sundays! KB had bought 2 tickets to the Packers game (think we were playing Arizona), and was hell bent upon making sure I got up much much earlier than I would on this holiest of sleeping days. Grrr.

Waking up early on a Lazy Sunday:
So it was after quite a bit of cribbing that I woke up (But not befor I told him to get face paint from WalMart and stole another 10-15mins of sleep) ...and cribbed again about how I had to goto a stupid football game. Aaaah, I always do that - but once you have me there with a couple of pints - its a different story! And it was.

Waking up with coffee is not the same as with beer:
By kickoff time, KB and I were in the stadium after tailgating for a bit ....the few odd beers and Yeager bombs were waking me up but this was different than a coffee wake up - oh so not the same. With coffee it is more like your brain wakes up and you are thinking, working, doing stuff until it wears off and your head hurts ....whereas waking up with y'bombs and beer wakes up just the primal part of your brain, in my case the football loving hunting-gathering 'me gonna kick you ass' part - "yeah!" is all this guy knows ...YEAH!

So here we were ... buzzed and way up on the LAST freaking stand (60s something) inside Lambeau stadium. It was such a long climb that I thought I will need another beer to maintain the buzz, at which point that brain part I told you about earlier yelled "YEAH!". It was quite sunny for a fall day in Green Bay and the F16s had just boomed past indicating the game was about to begin ...this is when I noticed my new to be friends, sitting right in front of us.

Goras, Goris and "Banjo":
We, KB and I, debated for the longest time if the chicks in front were married to the dudes they were sitting with or not ...so I decided to find out. The idea was to let the "primal" brain take over do the talking, this required that sportsman-like finess and the face paint and beers helped! By Half-time I was already working into the plan, should obscenities in Hindi/Punjabi at every play "benc*", "teri ma di" and other such words which would also end with an emphatic "hell yeah" - for some familiarity.

There it was! A bunch of "foreigners" yelling some cool-sounding obscenities, after each play, was too much for the girls, especially something as catchy as "beeeeenchhhhhooood", they fell right into the trap and turned around to ask us what "benjoooo" meant!

Now that we had them where we wanted them, I wanted to have them join me in saying it as well. Haha. It was fun hearing them say it and then I'd go "no no, go - 'o-Ben-chooo' ", and put extra emphasis on the "ben" or even change how I said it each time, just to mess with them. Looked like the had fun 'cause they kept saying it and then others joined in. Our section of Lambeau sounded so desi .....hell yeahs!

It was fun overall, but we never did find out if they were married or not - I mean who cares ... I got some Green Bay natives to swear in Punjabi at a Packer game ...."YEAH!" That's what it is all about! Hey, I even got the guys saying "Banjo! Bannnjooo", eventually gora guys with try out new things if the goris think it is cool ...seriously, try it!

Dinner:
Anyways, there was a dinner after that at Gurdish's ...and boy was I still in "HELL YEAH" phase ...hard to turn off the adrenaline pump once its on! *grin* Lets just say, my primal friend made an ass out of me ...aaaaah it was all in good fun. yeah!

Me!

2006-12-10T13:09:00.000-06:00

I am always curious about the face when reading their text ...

Just in case you are (curious) - here I am!

[Taken by Kamlesh Bhatia in Rochester, MN - 2006]

Bob Sinclair's Videos and Who's the kid?!

2006-12-10T12:36:00.000-06:00

Who is Bob Sinclair?
I don't know but I found his music on youtube, the very first song I heard was "Love generation" - it has a very catchy tune with a wonderful video about this little kid travelling around the world in a day on his bike.... great message and all that - end of story yeah? ...

There's More
So the other day, I discover another of Bob Sinclair's videos under interesting circumstances. Now, since I do not want to distract you with that story I will not mention it ...but it did prove that I was learning about this artist not via some promo, but via youtube videos where people had used his music as a background (humm).

Anyhoo ... I searched for this new song (atleast new to me, who know how long its been out there until I learn't about it just then) ...and found that it is a remix with the famous 80s slogan "Everybody Dance now". This song, i.e. Sinclair's version, is called "Rock this party" and features Elephant Man with his 'island' accent ...not bad eh?!

"yeah!", I thought, "this is pretty cool ... a new video to dance to."

The Observation
Well not quite, you see, at this point I saw the video and realized it was 'different' ...it featured the same kid as in his previous videos (oh, did I tell you I'd seen another video of this and don't remember what it is called now?!) ...and looks like Sinclair's made this video a kid's version of a hip-hop video.

Who's The Kid?
Quite cute & all that, but I could not help but wonder who this kid was and why Sinclair was using him in the videos so much? Are these a series of videos that string together into a movie? Does Bob Sinclair's video director/casting person have a 'n-video' contract with the kid's agent/parents - (with an Indian Accent) "Yes sir! He will do a total of 5 videos for Mister Sinclair. Very Good (desi head nod)" ?

What's going on here?

Okay, I also wondered if Bob Sinclair is his dad! I mean think about it ...you have a song, you want to make a music video ...why not get your kid famous?! yeah!

Anyways, see for yourself ....

Bob Sinclair's Videos On YouTube.com:
1. Love Generation

2. World Hold On

3. Rock This Party

About Time I Protest

2006-10-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

I had been meaning to do this ... let the videos talk!!!

"Tere kin baaton ka mai karoun yakeen, mujhe saccahyee se lag raha hai dar"

"Tere waadon par lut gaye jahan, ab sirf waade reh gaye hain"

"Deshat ki kami nahi eis jahan mein, aao hum bhi shaamil ho jain eis jashn mein"

Relax, Dim the Light, Grab That Scotch, Turn on the Night ...

2006-10-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Of late, it has been long hours at the desk and the only solace is the 10pm-midnight music session that helps lay the day down gently. This post aims to build this very mood and at the least, it would provide me with a ready link to go through my list when you or I so choose to!

So relax, dim the light, grab that scotch and turn on the night.

1. Circa 1930s, this song by Charles King featuring Anita Page is called "you were mean't for me" - great if you are a romantic and sometimes secretly wish you lived in a simpler time.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSlxBu-43gY

2. BVSC or the Buena Vista Social Club introduced me to a music as soulful as any! Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez and his cubano friends weave a web of magic with words and the rhythm is so latin. Here Irahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo sing a ditty called "Silencio" ....
it sounds like a lullaby and is also quite romantic if you can step.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE1ijoIxMo0

3. "Out of my mind" was such a youtube find! John Mayer has recently been working on some great stuff and you can find them under "John Mayer Trio" in youtube.

With the addition of drummer and a bass player it seems like John's getter a whole lot bluesy ... and sounds good too!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qla13aWrNP4

4. Hey! Remember that car ad you loved and wished what tune it was???? I know what it is! Its called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Wonderful world" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ...and that tune you love is played on none other than the Ukulele ....

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0TQ8lM5tdE

[If you know how to play the uke then the chords are real simple, check them out there http://www.alligatorboogaloo.com/uke/tabs/020811.html ]

5. Loreena McKennitt had a beautiful version of "Green Sleeves" which I miss. This is a traditional English Folk Song ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensleeves ) that is a popular theme in many Irish/English themed TV shows - once again you might recognize the tune ....

I do have to warn you - Loreena's version, with the full bass on, and a wee bit o' rain outside will give you the goose-bumps!

Here is a short clip from Amazon.com: GreenSleeves Audio

6. Emiliana Torrini in Gollum's song ... how can I miss that?

"we are lost, we can never go home" echo the bitter thoughts of the charecter Gollum. I sometimes hum these lyrics with similar emotion when I am at work knowing that the sun has set and I have lost another evening ....funny ain't it?

Gollum's Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70kgBzO31Ac

Here another song by the love Emiliana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hqsVREyxI

7. ...and finally, nothing beats listening to Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits before you call it a night. I believe I have been listening to "Brothers in Arms" and "Romeo and Juliet" and other favs from the "On the night" CD for about ....ummm ...10 years or more every other night - if not more.

...why don't you try it once? Trust me, that guitar soothes the soul.

Brothers in Arms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y77HC9BeC0E
Romeo and Juliet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3n2wXEFeLI
(This is the live - "On the Night" version, don't miss the Sax in this)

Thanks again to the miracle of Broadband and youtube ! What a time to be in.

A Fair To Remember

2006-09-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

It was a lazy Saturday noon when we set off for Minneapolis but not before we stopped by the neighbourhood lemonade stall and consumed a good $2 worth of the stuff. KB was once again in the driving seat with Parul by his side, while Nandy and I were assigned seats 2A and 2B. I had loaded the disc changer with music I thought would interest my company, some Abeeda Parveen, some Foo Fighters and some DMB ...

The ride was interesting for its conversation as the music died after a brief gusto. We were engrossed in interesting arguments, that might not have been so important after all ...'cause I cannot remember them. Anyhow, we got there (I'll skip the parking details and supress the memory of our walk there) ...and it was huge!

The crowd had gathered for what it wanted and there was plenty of it! Preztels, Corn Dogs, Turkey Legs, Horses on display, Rides ...and more people.

We walked in the crowd dazed by the sensory overload ...the sights, sounds and the smells of a fair were all there. Nandy kept getting lost in the crowd while trying to navigate the crowd through his viewfinder, but his Green shirt and the height made it easier for us to separate him from the flood headed our way.

We ate some smoke corn, I had a Turkey leg and there were many clicks of their cameras ... they were kind enough to send me some. Enjoy!

The Genius of Roberto Benigni

2006-09-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

Remember that fast talking Italian from Life is Beautiful ? Well that was Roberto Benigni and what you saw was him in a serious movie ....actually he is know for his comedies. The best that I remember was 'El Monstro' or 'The Monster' ...so I looked here and there and what I could find on youtube was a clip from another movie called 'Night on Earth'.

It is not El Monstro but his performance does prove my point. Check it out.

There are 2 clips:
1.

Eye of the Storm

2006-09-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

...do I discriminate? I think I do without knowing it but how do I know if I am? Does it matter what race or eye color we have when we talk to others? do we 'pick' our friends? I don't know the answers to these but the following video by Jane Elliot do throw some light on the issue.

In 1968 she ran an experiment in her classroom where she brought the kids to the eye of the storm. She divided the students based on their eye-color and told one group that they were superior to the other and vicea versa. This had an interesting effect on the students .... to find out more check out this video

High School Football?

2006-09-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

High School Football?! Yes! I know it is pathetic but I am watching High School Football like the most (?) of Green Bay ... Ashwabenon vs Bay Port. I cannot help it! Watching the Packers is like betting on your fav wounded horse ... you are just setting up yourself for more disappointment while holding on to that last glimmer of hope for that fantastic turnaround.

...atleast this will not end up in heart break.

Serendipty the movie

2006-09-02T01:08:00.000-05:00

David Gray's "January Rain", Kate Bekinsale's wry smile, Nick Drake's "Moonlight Kiss", the seredipitous meeting of two romantics and the 'sleepless in seattle'-ish belief in destiny made this movie an instant favourite.... and every time I watch it, the hopeless romantic in me is mesmerized as a 5-yr old would be after the magic trick.

This time when I watched it, I had to look for/read the obituary that Dean (John Cusack's friend) wrote him. Luckily google and imdb came through again! Here it is....

Jonathan Tager's Obituary by his friend Dean from Serendipity the movie [Source: imdb ]

"Johnathan Trager, prominent television producer for ESPN, died last night from complications of losing his soul mate and his fiancee. He was 35 years old. Soft-spoken and obsessive, Trager never looked the part of a hopeless romantic. But, in the final days of his life, he revealed an unknown side of his psyche. This hidden quasi-Jungian persona surfaced during the Agatha Christie-like pursuit of his long reputed soul mate, a woman whom he only spent a few precious hours with. Sadly, the protracted search ended late Saturday night in complete and utter failure. Yet even in certain defeat, the courageous Trager secretly clung to the belief that life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. Uh-uh. But rather, its a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan. Asked about the loss of his dear friend, Dean Kansky, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and executive editor of the New York Times, described Jonathan as a changed man in the last days of his life. "Things were clearer for him," Kansky noted. Ultimately Johnathan concluded that if we are to live life in harmony with the universe, we must all possess a powerful faith in what the ancients used to call "fatum", what we currently refer to as destiny"

89.3 WPNE FM

2006-08-26T15:57:00.000-05:00

89.3 WPNE FM is National Public Radio, my favourite radio station when driving. You see, there are times when my car is where I need to be, parked and humming - and yet I don't have the heart to turn it off because I am lost. Lost in the narrator's voice and words, eloquently describing their subject. These 'audio' articles, are piecemeal - short enough to hold my inconstant attention and yet they pack a healthy dose of information, humour and entertainment!

One such recent article, for example, talked about antibiotics - yes I know it sounds boring, but when described using a garden as a metaphor it took on a whole new meaning. It was not just some person rattling on about 'not taking too many' or 'missing your course of antibiotics', rather it was a tastefully done article which introduced its audience to a world they often do not consider when taking these drugs.

Words, as usual, fail me when I describe this. I'd rather leave you a link to it.

Check it out here: "Sick of Getting Sick? Embrace Your Inner Bacteria!"

The Garnet Cricket Gang ...

2006-08-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

...thanks to Samved for this pic : )

After watching cricket at MAKI apartments in Garnet, Houghton MI. Those were the times when one could walk into this complex and variety of personalities. Someone always subscribed to a cricket package and we'd then watch it over here. The interesting part was, one could find anything in one of these 'host' apts - for example - when I sat down in the first empty spot I could find ... I found an old daal-chawal smeared plate and a spoon - nudged in the crannies of the sofa. Someone had just forgotten it there after lunch/dinner ...

Independence Day at the Office ....

2006-08-20T17:37:00.000-05:00

[The Office Potluck - Celebrating India's Independence Day]

...so the much talked about 'pot luck' at Ashland Ave office did finally happen! The idea had come about after someone (i.e. Aloke Nandy) wondered - 'what if everyone in the office wore Indian clothes on the 15th' (for a more authentic feel, add his bangla accent to the thought)...

..so one thing led to another and a group formed around this central idea and after initial discussions this 'organizing comittee' decided that it would be a lot more effective if we have folks cook food rather than just collect money from everyone at the office any buy it. This turned out to be a remarkable decision as the variety made all the difference!

[The Starters Table]

There were about 67 different food items along with a table where 'fresh' lassi was whipped up on demand. The lines were getting bigger by the minute ...and some folks even retorted to the 'this is a good logistical problem' line and eventually solved it too. The Indians in the room were actually hawking and selling the products they'd cooked and the Americans seemed to enjoy the food and the attention immensely!

[ The 'lassi' makers ]

When it was all over, the event had lasted for 3-4 hours and every one got to eat atleast a couple of helpings if not more ....boy was it slow after that! The entire building seemed so quiet and everyone seemed to be resigned to their seats, except for some who made a few rounds to the coffee machine....

[Part of the Committe - Nandy, Me, Payal, Gurdish]

Dell Recalls Batteries!!!

2006-08-15T08:22:00.000-05:00

Finally - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5649820

...too bad I cannot use my Dell as a room-heater anymore in the winters. What a lemon!

India's Independence Day - How to make a flag!

2006-08-15T08:01:00.000-05:00

[Flag folks: Aloke, Payal, Diana, Gurdish and Me]

Happy Independence Day!!! August 15th is here and with that we ring in the celebrations ...I will be celebrating it at our office with a pot-luck lunch where all our co-workers are invited.

The best part was the prep work ...the emails, the invites, the cooking and ofcourse the flag making!!! We wanted to have a flag that would inspire the Indians around, and since we could not buy it - I was a little sceptical about making one since 'painting' it on a cloth was kinda best left to the professionals.

Humm... when in doubt, walk to Walmart!

We did and after examining a range of house paints, some lame car spray paints, some acrylic stuff and some oils - we caught a glimpse of some cool looking 'cloth' peices(I'll give Diana the credit for that) ...you know in the PERFECT saffron, white and green shades. They were in rolls where their width was about 4ft and length was all wrapped around ... we got a foot of length cut for each (so we had 3 peices 4 ft x 1ft) but before we got it - what really sealed the deal was the 'iron based glue'.

[Drawing the 'Chakra']

...go figure we cannot 'stitch' clothes to save our lives. So our best option was some crazy-glue (messy) or something better....which was exactly what this thing was. It is a roll of 'sticky' tape like stuff with paper on it ...you set the paper end up on the base cloth and you iron it. Then you remove the paper, put the other cloth on top and iron the two together! Viola!

We freakin' had a flag! Our eyes lit up when the three joined to form the familiar 'Tirangaa' ...it was a poignant moment, when we all looked at the 'flag' in awe. It did not have the 'chakra' yet but it still inspired us! One can only imagine how much it has inspired others over the ages ....

[The Finished Product]

...ok the funnier moments came when we started arguing about the 'chakra' and its significance ...one of the 'unnamed' person suggested it was actually the 'charkhaa' (like the one Gandhiji used to make cotton threads) and not the chakra ...correct but that was in the earlier congress flag. Right?

Okay more research on the flag coming up ....

The Spring 2006 Blizzard -

2006-08-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some captures from my balcony of the 2006 blizzard ...no audio again but you should get an idea about how strong the winds were. There was a lot of snow blowin' around and it was accumulating fast. To make matters worse, the shovel crew of our apartment had IQs lesser than the windchill ... as they cleaned the road but made sure that the snow they 'cleared' piled in a steady bank right infront of our garages!!! So by the evening if you tried to pull ur car out of the garage - like I did ... you hit a snow bank as you drove out - after that you either drove back and above it or your car just balanced in mid air with the snow bank under it.

The Videos:

Here is the first clip

Here is the second clip

Why not embed them here? 'cause they might slow the page down ...

Drive Home - Remember the snow?

2006-08-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

Hey, I dug up this video for the blog. It was taken this spring in De Pere Wisconsin ...


...driving home [Freedom 1 mile]

Fun with ASCII art ...

2006-08-04T23:25:00.000-05:00

...when you have a few simple tools handy.

I thought I'd embark on building a 'Text to ASCII' java main but then a little bit of googling led me to this ASCII Generator: http://www.network-science.de/ascii/ ...here you can convert simple text to ASCII art, but for some real fun there is a Java app you can download and run ....it is called JavaE!

It can be downloaded here: http://www.jave.de/download/download.html

So what can it do? Check out a few of the conversions ....

KB ASCII'd

Herez a couple of friends ASCII'd

Sooraj Ganguly ki chuddi utri ...

2006-08-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

It happens in MTV's Fully Faltoo.

Watch as Sooraj Ganguly and team take on the Balwan Khan and team in Kabbadi ....

"I stoo-dor" - Norm McDonald complains!

2006-08-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

...so Norm McDonald speaks against the Union, in the movie Deuce Bigelow - have you seen it?

If not check out the google video clip below. Anyways, Norm - the veteran 'Male Gigolo' Union worker - has had enough of the new rules (find out what they are for yourself), and in this scene he is complaining about them.

Norm is funny as a disgruntled union worker. When I first saw this clip I just heard the Scottish (not Irish as correctly pointed out by Gigohead ) accent and though it was quite funny, but when I realized what he was saying - it became funnier on a whole different level!!!

View this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=516518296346950904&q=norm+snl

Now, read the dialogue below and view it again:

Norm's Lines:

"....Ya'll know me. My name is McManess. I jined this unian some twanty odd yars argo ...for two reasons ...to have intercarson-exchange-for-cash ...number two ...to pratect me rights as a manher.

Boot three yars ago, when this 'uanian' ... told we manhers that we were to stop having intercars-exchange with yanderagegirs - I strangly disagrrred ...but I did nat stand oup. I'm ashamed to say. I stoo-dor . ....And then 3 months later this 'uanian' told we manhers that we were to wash our private yeryarears butween kusthamas! ....h'our private yeryears!

...Once again. I'm ashamed to repart to you gentleman .... I stoo-dor!!!

But now sir ...wa'am I to say to my yeightyerol'bhayyy ... when he comes to me and he says 'Daddy Daddy what's tha' ting .....hangin' off of yourrrr Heeeee Pooosaaayyy ?'

How am I ter tell him sir????"

(crowd shouts, claps - friend asks Deuce to Clap too ...Deuce joins in - apparently confused)

uanian - Union
intercarson-exchange-for-cash - intercourse,exchange for cash
manher - man whore
yanderagegirs - Underage-girls
I stood-doun - I Stood Down ...G points out in her comment "I did not stand up, I stood down"
private yeryears - areas
yeightyerol'bhayyy - Eight year old boy
Heeeee Posaay - 'He pu-ssy'
Kusthumus - Customers (not Christmas - thanks G)

Note: Updated after corrections from Ginohead and G. Thanks guys .... I had to watch it again and it still is funny....

Nostalgia ...

2006-08-03T00:46:00.000-05:00

Up at the Keewenaw where US 41 starts ....

The windy keewenaw ...

...graduation time at MTU, look sharp!!!

"Heights" in Spring ... MTU Housing

For the devotees ....

2006-08-03T00:11:00.000-05:00

"Kaliaa"

The living room ...

2006-08-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

...this is my 'nook', my hide-out at the end of a long working day:

Looking out at the balcony

Of speeches, broadcasting and heros ...

2006-08-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

Broadcast journalism became an interesting topic after I saw George Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck". In his second motion picture as a director, Mr. Clooney highlights the importance of journalism and broadcast media in educating the public, epecially in times when fear and confusion are used to herd the masses.

Today, we live in a time when fear is used to shape our policies and instead of presenting the various dimensions to these real-life issues, broadcast journalism has turned into pedestrian entertainment with 'instant' satellite videos and 'on-the-scene' live-reports. Ofcourse these are precisely choreographed to create rather than to report the news.

It is precisely what Ed Murrow, the protagonist in Good Night and Good Luck, so passionately talked and warned about in his 1958 speech at the RTNDA Convention speech in Chicago, here is a quote from that speech:

"...We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late"

Too late! Today's televison programming in general, PBS being an outstanding exception, mocks our intelligence and has become a commercialized vehicle for shamelessly propagating brand names & phoney icons. Mr. Murrows words from that speech, it appears, have had little impact on today's programming.

In anycase, I was captivated by the movie, Mr. Murrow's mettle and this speech ...listen to the way he delivers it, listen to words and for context use today's media. About 50 years since the speech ...has the world of broadcast journalism gone to the dogs? Are we less informed or mis-informed ? How do we change our programming so that it inspires us everyday to grow ?

I started out by turning off my cable subscription and switching to a PBS diet.

Here is the video: video clip of the conference speech
David Strathairn delivers a captivating performance as Ed Murrow in this segment as he does in the rest of the film.

[1] Ed Murrow - Wikipedia

[2] Good Night And Good Luck - YouTube clip

Simply Bhubaneswar!!!

2006-07-31T20:10:00.000-05:00

Bhubaneswar City in Orissa (India) is where I grew up ... the sights and sounds that were so dear to me then appeared in glimpses while I visited it after 8 years. The new city has expanded beyond my wildest imagination, the voices are more alien than familiar and the sights were crowed with the hustle and bustle of a major metropolitian city.

It still remains a city of Temples and you can always catch a dreamy-eyed-kid wandering through the bylanes ... I for one was mesmerized by the greenery that still surrounds it, and love 'youtubing' the city. Presented below are videos of our front yard and links to videos on youtube.com that really bring the city to you. Enjoy!

[Sorry! My digicam did not capture sound]

Youtube Links:

Film Society's "Inscreen International Film Festival": This appears to be shot near 'Old Town', near Lingaraj Mandir and Bindusagar ... ask someone from the city about the 'abhada' (parasaad rice and dalma) that you get there!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Azdqy5raY0

"The last day of college": An awesome video of the real life of students there, no script just the 'bhasa' ....one can hear a mix of khanti 'Oriya' and 'Hindi' ....my fav quote from this clip is "Sunil bhai...Sunil bhai ...thoda hasiye"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEwCt5WyCAU

"Why?"

2006-07-31T18:07:00.000-05:00

This is cute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9OAuO5mDQw

"Aap .... kuch lenge?"

2006-07-31T08:38:00.000-05:00

...India's ex-PM Shri Atal Vihari Vajpayee sharing an interesting moment with, I believe, Mrs. Musharraf (wife of the Pakistani President).

Their expressions are 'interesting' ... let's see if your comments (read: Captions) can make 'em more interesting?

Solar Power + Laundry

2006-07-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

"PHYSORG" reports on " The world's Solar-Powered largest laundry" ...humm, nevermind that the Indians already have had these for ages!!!

They are called "dhobi-ghats " ...check 'em out.

Its that Murali again ...

2006-07-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

...if only India can get an all-weather spinner like him. Don't get me wrong ...Kumble is good but he needs support from the other end and a favourable pitch. Murali on the other hand is simply dangerous!

Murali Destroys S.A

He is not a bad batsman either:

The Karate Kid ...

2006-07-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

A long long time ago, I used to be a 'karate-ka' ... training, teaching, competitions - you name it. That was before I pulled a hamstring and stopped training. Seems like so long ago ...or was it?

Here are some pics I dug up ... (check out the curls):

And now ....

Limeade + Ginger

2006-07-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

...hey guess what? Limeade with lots of Ginger squeezed into it (plus some sugar to taste) is unbelievable!!!

Tonight's dinner ...

2006-07-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

...is (drum roll) ~ "chinguri masala" a.k.a Prawn Curry.... Okay this is not from tonight but it was dinner sometime ago:

Recipe:
Prawn
Ginger-garlic paste
Tomato paste
Onions
Basil leaves

...all you gotta do is cook 'em together. Easy enough, eh? Okay so you might have to fry the prawn a little bit with the onions, add the ginger-garlic n' tomato paste and finally garnish with some chopped ginger and basil. Viola!

Dude what does my T-shirt say???

2006-07-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

Dude! What does my T-shirt say ....

A song ...

2006-07-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

...this is my first attempt at song writing. Guess the rhythm!

"The spin song" - By Alok Mishra.... "on a muggy, uneventful summer's day"
(Yes! Song writers must include the circumstances in which they
penned it all, right next to the name. I hereby MAKE IT MANDATORY)

DOWN and out,
you stare about
and wonder where-it-all begaann(chorus:began)
Was it me or desstiny
or just luck in an empty tin-can.(chorus: can)
PICK up the peices
and walk along...
dazed like the
pro'verbial Deer (chorus: dear)
Starering right,
at the Headlights bright
you can't tell if the end is near (chorus: here!)
SO you try to think,
but nothings on
just the static in your head
'cause all the channels r gone (chorus:comeon)
no MTV, no BBC
not even lousy FOX is on (Chorus: gone?)

[CHORUS]
Spin Spin Spin
Spin around your world
liveit up alone 'cause
no-ones concern'd

Sink Sink Sink
Sink like a rolling rock
cast away from the
rest of the block

Turn Turn Turn
Turn your world around
'cause upside down
is trendy now

Down down down
Down you go
with every little step
you die a little you-know

YEAHr, its about
the 'crash' we-call
L-I-F-E LIFE (chorus: LIFE!)
NOW a disaster
that just happened
in a brilliant
flash of light(chorus:Bright!)
IT stunned the Deer
and got us here
between the
empty pages n'
iderars burning bright(chorus:Alright!)
SO we drink a few
write some more
as they both come in groups
of TWOoo and FOUR (chorus:Some more!)
AND when its all done
the residue
is a lousy song about life
and empty bottles on the Floor (chorus: Encore!)

[CHORUS]

Spin Spin Spin
Spin around your world
liveit up alone 'cause
no-ones concern'd

Sink Sink Sink
Sink like a rolling rock
cast away from the
rest of the block

Turn Turn Turn
Turn your world arrrrround
'cause upside down
is trendy now

Down down down
Down you go
with every little step
you die a little you know

Paintings ...

2006-07-30T18:58:00.000-05:00

...on my wall. I did not buy 'em but the paints that fill them. Here they are:

An abstraction of my living room ...

Frame it and it looks a lot different ... I struggled with this one for a while, tried to get a 'rocky face' to look right ...humm.

'Runner' was done on a lazy afternoon ...

Off of the Natl Georaphic this is a charcoal of a 'Saki Monkey' or 'Pithecia pithecia' ....

[Here's some pictures of them: http://www.guyana.org/Guyana_Photo_Gallery/animals/Saki%20Monkey.jpg

Picture time ...

2006-07-30T18:54:00.000-05:00

The post hiatus post

2006-07-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

...back! Hey while I was gone 'youtube' got popular ... IMHO more popular than Google Video.

Is it because their motto is 'Broadcast yourself' ? Why aren't Google's top 100 list and Yahoo's videos as popular? or are they? Well Alexa.com proves me wrong ("video.google.com" is 3rd while "youtube.com" is 16th) ...so while I got your attention (or not) here are my latest picks:

Here's how to beat the Crane Game, cool video brought to you by 'Braniac'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JejiJ-RgLVc

"I'm her daddy"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8044267431246992656&q=i%27m+her+daddy

The 'mor-tor' and 'Ishq kameena' remix : If this ain't gonna make you shake it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1lelQBJv6s

Caption this!

2006-04-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

A brief history of online video-dances ....

2006-04-02T20:16:00.000-05:00

Over the past few months we have been entertained by Google Video, youtube and other sources with video clips that range from popular to obscure, main stream TV programming to webcam madness...

...I think it started with the 'Numa Numa' dances and along the way there have been some fun videos. Check them out and see if it gets you moving ....

Here's the list :

"Numa Numa" - The Asian Guys are the best. Watch the skinny guy in the back. Funny!

"Jump on it" - from Fresh Prince of Bellaire....

"Sardar in UK Pop-Idol" - Press Play. Cluless Sardar in UK pop idol, he grinds, he raps, he even does the worm but he can't sing.

"Mor Tor" - 'Chutney' music by Rikki Jai, check dem gals em movin. This video is in Bhojpuri and if you turn up the base it is like 'Rang Barse' Y2k style.

"Peanut Butter Jelly Time" - Bryan tries to cheer Peter up in Family Guy

"Dayal Baba" - Bangla 'Jatra' on mainstage. Jatra is the name for street shows in the rural areas of east india (Bengal and Orissa).

"Indians dancing" - I dare not describe this. Check out the ladies in their latest swim-suit!!! Desi Guys .... you might want to avoid some of the moves these du's make.

"Elaine Dancing" - Elaine from Seinfeild ... She kicks, she bucks ... she scares!

"Asian Dude Dancing" - Watch the asian dude dance to some Bollywood music. See ALWAYS keep your camera handy.

It is iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

2006-04-02T19:12:00.000-05:00

The Blind Kung Fu Master

Bobby Lee on Mad TV is absolutely insane. You wish you had a friend who would be half as crazy as this guy is ...just watch the clips below they are from a the Blind Kung Fu master skit, anyone who has seen a Kung Fu movie will immediately recognize the stereot. blind master, but this time he is in America ...out to 'protect' the weak and the helpless... almost! You see he has one small problem and no one seems to help him with that ....

[Thanks to friends on YouTube.com]

The Blind Kung Fu Master -

The Lenovo tapes

2006-04-01T14:23:00.000-06:00

Watch some cool, but fake videos of laptops that fly, shade and project holographic images ....

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/the-lenovo-tapes

Video of the Day

2006-04-01T14:07:00.000-06:00

[OS - Office Safe]

...there was one about a cat and a chipmunk fighting, then there was one about a fat dude trying to photo copy his behind until he 'cracked' the copier but the best one so far would be the "Dayal Baba Dance" (D.B's got da moves ....)

Yakshameesh

2006-04-01T13:39:00.000-06:00

I put up blog ....u like? Chenkuii !!!

"Mishrabola" was requested/demanded by Mr. Agaf Dargoslav. So here you go .....

"Mishra" == Alok Mishra i.e. the Blogger, du' with a lot of time,
"bola" == as in "said" in Hindi, otherwise known as "Indian" ..as in "do you speak Indian?". Yes, the Blogger speaks the language ....

Where am I? Green Bay Wisconsin
What do I do? Code, goof, workout, goof, write, code, yak ...yak...
Why this blogspot? Hard to share hyperlinks over phone.
Huh? Yeah! That's what I thought...