My first new cellophone...finally !!!

I recently got a new cell phone for myself after much pestering from friends and family. So in comes the Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone and out goes the good for mostly nothing Sony Ericsson (referred to as SE henceforth) T610. Initially I was in favor of buying the SE (again!) W580i Walkman phone. But I gave the Nokia brand an edge over SE although I liked the W580i more. Both phones have similar features like a 240*320 screen, a decent camera (2MP), are music oriented, look sleek and stylish, are priced around 10k, and that’s more or less the features I need in a phone. Here’s why I chose 5310 over W580i…

1. Money. The 5310 cost me at least 1k less.
2. Memory. The 5310 has a 1GB card while the W580i comes with 512MB.
3. Slider. W580i is a slider phone which is a strict no-no for me.
4. Width. The 5310 I suppose is the sleekest Nokia phone available in the market and is definitely a lot thinner than the SE.
5. Brand. Nokia is to phones what Maruti Suzuki is to cars. Just like you might chose a Swift over a similar priced and similar features Getz, same way I chose a Nokia over a SE.
6. Experience. It tells me a blind man can use a Nokia phone coz we are so used to it. An SE on the other hand takes eons to get used to (it took me a few months to figure out how to insert numbers while messaging with the T610, and that too by accident).
7. Looks. The Nokia certainly has an edge in this department and the black and red edition looks simply stunning.
8. Music. The Nokia has pretty hopeless speakers but sounds real good with the headphones. I won’t say it’s better than the SE though. The Walkman tag on the SE is enough proof of its sound quality. I suppose that’s the only department where the SE beats the Nokia hands on.

But the Nokia does have its share of negatives too…

1. A super slow-mo camera with no flash. If you’re looking to click a few quick pics, just forget about it coz it takes almost 15 secs to recover from the “shock” of clicking a picture. The picture quality is good only when there’s enough light around.
2. Screen brightness and contrast not adjustable. My daddy dear has a Nokia 6300 which has a more vibrant display with the same resolution and colors as the 5310, and when I compared the two, my heart almost sank. But I’m getting used to it now.
3. No search for music. You have to scroll all the way to the song you want to listen to.
4. No cover provided like the Nokia 6300 making the body (screen in particular) prone to scratches.
5. FM radio reception is as good as when you’re sitting in a bunker even when you’re out in the open.

And few positives…

1. Great sound through earphones. I’ve almost stopped listening to my iPod since I got the 5310 and that’s how good it is. The standard Nokia earphones supplied with the phone are simply hopeless. I tried listening to the music with my iPod earphones and the result was pretty encouraging. I’ve since given away the Nokia earphones to someone who can put it to better use.
2. Fast enough interface. Files stored on the memory can be accessed quickly even when it’s almost full.
3. Looks real cool and stylish in your hand, partly due to the red and black color scheme and mostly due to the real sleek body. I got an all black edition though.
4. Has a decent battery life even though some of my friends said otherwise.

So its 4 positives and 5 negatives. But believe me it’s not that bad. I’ve grown really fond of the phone over time and it’s probably the best phone that you can get for 9k, period.

The LP560-4...i'd sell myself to be with you just once...

Another post courtesy of TopGear...Girish Karkera reviews The Lamborrrgeeeeniiiii Gallardo LP560-4...It makes you sit up and damn yourself for having driven everything non-glorious all your life.





There are always heated discussions in the office when it comes to dividing the world. You could divide them as man and woman, or rich and poor, or intelligent and stupid or more ridiculous bits like those who have had sex and those who haven’t or those who have seen the snow and those who haven’t.
So can a man who is rich, intelligent, has had sex (preferably with a woman) and seen snow light up a cigar and declare that he has seen it all? Apparently not.
Because the world is further divided into those who have driven Lamborghini and those who haven’t. And for those who haven’t can’t really blame those who have if they are too distracted from the time they set their hands on the steering wheel to the next morning when the trace ends with a cup of hot coffee.

The LP560-4 is not just a newer Coupe; it’s almost an all-new car. Its faster, more manageable, more refined, more comfortable… well, those last three are relatively speaking. But who cares? It’s noisy, its loud, it’s in your face. It’s a Lambo!!!

Honestly, when driving the LP, the environment is the last thing on your mind. In a way it’s good that Lamborghini takes responsibility for the eco part. Lets you enjoy the more surreal experience of being engulfed in the car, seeing everything blur past you, except every second person on the street rooted to the ground, the kid with his hands on his ears and a wide grin on his face.

Take a look at the interiors. It’s a smasher. Yes, there’s no such word. But what the hell, there’s no such car either.

Now there are cars which are supremely more comfortable, but the LP560-4 treads the thin line between comfortable and sporty (uncomfortable). It’s nothing short of gymnastics getting in and out of the car. Insides are dominated by the huge seats and…err…that’s about it. There’s very little room for anything else. A small storage space behind the seats but nothing much of quantity can you keep there. Books, maybe. But whoever heard of Lambo owners carrying books in their cars?

Like most of its predecessors, the LP560-4 is true to the Lambo spirit. It still evokes childish glee every time you see it. You still want to touch it. You still want to take a chance and flick it around a corner. But only this time there's a better chance you will be alive to tell the story of catching the car by its tail and bringing it in line again. The new Gallardo has matured. The bull may be quiet but the nostrils are still flaring. Don’t let your guard down.

(Just in case you wanted to know what the complicated nomenclature means...
The LP560-4 gets an all-new engine with a total of 560 power strokes (approx. 552bhp). Also, this a mid-engined car (Longitudinale Posteriore) and power goes to all four wheels (4). That should explain it all.)

Why a Lambo is a Lambo afterall...

I was out in the market one evening to get the latest issue of Overdrive. Just as I was flipping through the magazine’s pages after paying for it, this strange looking green colored “3000 bhp issue” of TopGear lying on the stands caught my attention. Being a fan of Jeremy Clarkson already, I couldn’t resist shelling out another 60 bucks for this issue which promised Veyron vs. Koenigsegg and Ferrari vs. Lambo shootouts apart from a road test of the Gallardo LP 560-4.



While exploring the psychology behind two of Italy’s great car makers Ferrari and Lamborghini, I came across some very interesting “expressions” by the writer Michael Harvey concerning Lambo’s heritage. I present here a few excerpts from this article. Talking about the contrast between the two companies, the writer has to say…

Racing provides the contrast. Ferrari has to race. Because racing ties Ferrari history together, the company takes its heritage more seriously than most.

Lamborghini on the other hand are impelled not to race. Lamborghini, you see, don’t measure itself. There is only one absolute about Lambo, which is the mantra to be ‘the most politically incorrect car company in the world’. Lambo’s cars aren’t really about performance, not in the measurable sense of ability to corner or steer faster than the others. They are about sensation and drama. Lambos exist to make a fuss. And if the fuss - noise, rumble, visual drama, acceleration- adds to the weight and detracts from the ability to function as a sports car, then so be it.

Lamborghini’s participation in power boating makes more sense than it would for them to enter F1, because the boats are more brutal, and the people who surround them more a bunch of playboys than technocrats. The ‘sport’ to which Lambo attaches itself is bullfighting. Something to with the noble, the brave, the (that word again) dramatic.

Lamborghini’s brand message remains determinedly at odds with any visible attempt to make the world a better place, other than for the car’s owner. A supercar anyway has to leave you, in a good way, all shook up, and that’s Lambo’s simple message.


Text courtesy: BBC TopGear Vol.3 Issue 10 July 2008

When i gave it back to the thhullas !!!! muhauhahahaaa.....

This happens to right be up there on my "happiest moments of my life" list...

One fine day me and my friend JK were on our way to some company in Noida sector 63 for a presentation. As it was raining, i took out my car and gave our bikes some rest.

As we neared the office, there was some waterlogging on the two lane road such that one lane was immersed in water while the other lane was a little drier. Now this police jeep that seemed to be in no hurry was crawling right in front of us in the dry lane. I couldnt overtake him as the other lane was all muddy and watery. I was a little apprehensive about honking behind the jeep at first. But i was getting late. So after some coaxing from my friend JK, i honked a little honk. As expected, the thulla driver refused to acknowledge my honk. So i honked once more. This time too he didnt care to budge.
And then came the moment of reckoning. I dont know what crossed my mind. I decided to overtake the thulla jeep from the wrong side i.e. the watery one. Now as i overtook the jeep, i realized it was an old style open jeep with no side doors and when i made this daring overtaking maneauvre, i splashed the muddy water all over the thulla in the jeep.
OOPS i said and FUCK said JK. We thought we had made the most foolish mistake of our lives and the thulla is obviously going to take his revenge in some way. I waved my hand at the thulla instinctively as if to say sorry and this was not intentional. And you know what, the thulla actually waved back at us as if to say he undertood it was not deliberate. I slowed down my car as a precaution against further damage before completing the overtaking.

Doode, we just laughed our hearts out after that. I even checked my rear view mirror a few times to make sure the thullas weren't following to take revenge. In the end, the incident passed off peacefully. But what a day it was. I guess the thulla would never ever drive that slow in a dry lane lest he wants to get soaked up again...

Gimme a break...

Turn radio on…Pehli nazar mein kaisa jaadu kar diya...NEXT...bas deewangi deewangi deewangi hai...NEXT...masha allah masha allah...NEXT...aankhon mein teri ajab si...NEXT...tum si hi din hota hai...NEXT...mauja hi mauja...NEXT...race saanson ki...NEXT…teri aankhen bhul bhulaiyya…SHUT THE FUCK UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP...Turn radio OFF !!!

This is how my day begins...I’m fed up of these Delhi radio stations...it’s as if they have this vendetta against me. The more I want to get away from these Om Shanti Om, Saawariya, Race, and Jab We Met songs the more they keep coming back at me. It’s as if they’re trying to mock me in my face for being a lover of good old Hindi songs. What’s wrong with these bloody a-holes? What the fuck are they out to prove? Are they trying to create some sort of world record by playing the same shitty songs over and over and over again? What happened to those good old Lucky Ali, Silk Route, KK and Euphoria songs that we listened to when we were in school? What about the DDLJ, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na, Khamoshi songs that we so loved...??? I have nothing against these new songs but doesn’t listening to them at least a million times a day really piss you off??? Gimme a break for god’s sake...i mean, these guys must be having a database of a few thousand songs available at the click of a button. But all they have to play these dhichak dhichak songs all day long. Can’t they just setup a nice random playlist of old and new songs, shuffle it up and let everyone enjoy???

I had this thought in mind...

• Don’t the music companies feel that since songs from their albums are played all day long on radio, it would hurt the sales of their CDs??
• Or is it that the radio stations get paid by the music companies to play their songs all through day so that people listen to them and depending on their like or dislike go on and buy the CD??

Well I have no idea how all this works…but in the end what matters to me is that I have completely stopped listening to radio now and the iPod is my only source of auditory pleasure.

The Republic of Michael Phelps !!!!

Beijing 2008 has been witness to some amazing feats of sporting excellence that one can only dream of. The Chinese, after displaying their engineering prowess in setting up what is being hailed as the most spectacular Olympics ever, seem all set to top the medals tally as well. But had it not been for some super humans, the event might have not been as lip-smacking as they are now...

Consider these facts...

• If Michael Phelps was a nation by himself, he would currently be ranked no.5 on the medals tally. His haul if 8 golds is bettered only by China, US, GBR and Germany. Phelps overall tally of medals is the same as India in its 108 years of participation at the Olympics, although he can safely claim to have won more golds than India. And is it even worth mentioning here that he won 7 of his 8 golds with WR times (one with OR) considering that he already has 32 to his name and he's still 23?

• Usain 'The Lightning' Bolt won the most watched event of the Olympics with a WR time of 9.69 sec. He was seen glancing back about 15m from the finish line and then arrogantly thumping his chest before smashing his own WR and his competitors' dreams. Video footage showed he had an untied shoelace which could have probably messed up his run. Imagine him not looking back just before the finish and sticking out his neck at the finish line. Who knows the WR time might have been chopped off by another tenth of a second. Who knows...

• 41 year old Dara Torres, mother of a 2 year old, competed in her 5th Olympics and even more amazingly has won at least one medal at each of the five. She competed for the 1st time in Los Angeles,1984 when i was not even born. This woman of steel has won silver medals in all of three events she competed in at Beijing at times even beating some kids less than half her age.

• Rafael Nadal just added another feather to his already fluffy cap by winning the gold medal and in the process becoming the first top 5 ranked player ever to win at the Olympics. He also succeeds the illustrious Roger Federer as the world no.1 after holding the no.2 position for 158 weeks.

• Abhinav Bindra became the 1st ever Indian individual Olympic gold medallist by winning the 10m Air Rifle event and also winning a gold medal for India after 28 years.

I listed here events that i closely followed. There might surely be other feats being achieved that i don't know of much as they are not as highly publicized by the media as these. The Olympics are not over yet. Who knows the Indian boxers bring home more glory as they all look in supreme form. One thing's for sure though. The limits to human endurance as displayed by these athletes are simply mind-boggling and they sure inspire a lot of other sportspersons to go for that little extra that makes one not just a winner, but a great one.

Babel

This Friday, it so happened that my mommy dear decided to use my excellent (and free of cost) chauffeur services to go for rakhi shopping. Having already well spent the first half of the day lazing around and eating and sleeping, i thought it would be nice to get some fresh air as well. So off we were to the nearby Sec-34 market. As we reached there, the mad rush of last minute rakhi buyers like my mommy dear made me really panic. So for my own well being i decided to stay back and wait in the car instead of having my toes crushed by some fat lady's heels.

I switched on the radio after some time. Frankly speaking, there weren't enough good looking ladies around who would have kept my senses on alert. So radio seemed to be the only way to kill time. I switched channels a few times in the hope of getting some nice song. Alas...that was not to be. All i got was an idea of the extent of commercialization radio (FM in particular) had gone through over the years. For some 2 minutes i switched channels and all i got was commercials, commercials and commercials. No music, no RJ, plain and simple advertising. Everything from watches to apparel, cars, apartments, mobile phones, life time prepaid connections, laptops, credit cards, bank loans and what not was on sale!!! I put my cellphone near the speaker and started recording. Listen to the sample...




Finally, i decided enough was enough and i should get back to what i was doing earlier- Star Gazing !!!


PS: Another post on Delhi's FM radio channels is on the way soon...

Independence!!!! Part two…

I was watching MTV this afternoon and suddenly this strange looking music video started playing. I thought the music sounded a bit familiar as if I had heard it sometime somewhere but couldn’t recall. I kept listening for a few seconds. And then it dawned upon me… the realization that this bunch of “rock stars” with drums and guitars was actually playing the national anthem. I mean how worse it could get than this crappy rendition of the piece of poetry that we stood up to in pride every time it was played. These bunch of a-holes actually ripped apart the heart and soul of the anthem and the emotions attached to it by shamelessly singing it like a Led Zeppelin song. Oh what has this world come down to…what we are subjected to in the name of liberalization and freedom of expression…who gave these freaks the right to dishonor the national anthem and play it on TV too…I got the answer after it ended…proudly sponsored by Nokia N-Series and MTV...I’m speechless!!!

Anyway, back to where this post started…why I decided not to attend the flag hoisting ceremony today (apart from the fact that I’m too lazy). Several thoughts come to my mind. What exactly does patriotism mean to me? Is it just the singing of the national anthem once a year while the Tricolor is being unfurled on Independence Day? Is that all I have to do show to everyone that I really am an Indian? To be honest, I don’t think so… even if I didn’t do it; I feel more of an Indian than at least those people in my society who stood in their balconies looking at the Tricolor being hoisted. I could hear someone requesting those guys to at least come to the park for a while rather than witnessing the event from the grandstand. But alas, his plea fell on deaf ears. They did come down though, as soon as the samosas and jalebis were being given out. So I guess I’m better than them in some ways at least by not being …you know… again… I’m speechless…

But what exactly does being an Indian mean to me…is it not helping an accident victim lying on the road who’s crying for help and no one’s interested in getting him to a hospital? Is it not helping an old man cross the road in the heavy traffic? Is not helping with campaigns like Teach India to help every poor child get at least basic education? Can’t it just be helping your mom with her household work for a Sunday to get some load off her mind a bit? Can’t it just be remembering the martyrs of the Independence movement by bowing your head every time you pass the India Gate? Is it not helping keep your country clean by not throwing a wrapper on the road every time you empty a pack of kurkure while driving? Is it not co-operating with the security agencies when they frisk you outside every shopping mall and Cineplex for own safety? Is it not wishing everyone Happy Independence Day by sms at least and not by some silly thing like orkut?

I mean…I could go on and on and on…but what’s the point? I know my reasoning is not flawless and not many of you would agree with me. Mommy told me I have already been branded a traitor to the nation by some of the auntyjis in my society for not coming to the celebration. It’s absolutely none of my concerns of course that those very auntyjis brought along their 20 or so visiting relatives to get their hands on the free Mango Frooty and samosas…
And as so often, it happens again, I’m speechless…

Independence!!!! Part one…

(Note: I decided to split this post in 2 parts coz it was getting a bit too long)


For all you patriots out there, this might come as shocking news. This morning Mother India woke up to celebrate its 61st birthday. But in slight contrast to my countrymen’s zeal to celebrate the occasion, I decided not wake to up at all. I thought wouldn’t it be nice to reclaim my own azaadi too?? My life has been more or less clutched in the same old routine for the past one year or so, or since I got a job, to be precise. The routine looks somewhat like this...


1. Wake up at 7
2. Go to gym
3. Come back by 8
4. Read newspaper
5. Bathe and have breakfast by 9
6. Leave for office (and hope to reach there on time, considering the pain in the arse Delhi traffic has been of late)
7. Work
8. Come back home by 8.30
9. Have dinner
10. Watch some silly program on TV
11. Chat for a while
12. Watch a movie or two
13. Go to sleep
14. Repeat from step 1...


So, as I was saying, I decided to reclaim my azaadi on this auspicious day. Hence I made a slight change to this routine. I simply eliminated the 1st step. Mind you, I said “eliminate”, not “delay”. As my parents went outside to celebrate with other people in the society at around 9, I decided to give the flag hoisting ceremony a miss this time. Mommy dear did her part by not disturbing me at all and letting me R.I.P. Of course she did the mandatory “beta uth jana thodi der mein apne aap” part, but I knew she didn’t mean it, being the caring and loving mother she is. But as it turned out, I took her word a little too seriously and the thodi der she wanted me to wake up in, became the time she came back home (1PM for those of you who care!!!). And shameless as I am, instead of listening to her glass shattering screams (ohhh how people change in a course of just 4 hours!!!) I freshened up and sat down to write this post straight away.

Now some of you would obviously be cursing me for showing this disrespect to the motherland (and my biological mother too) by not watching the Tricolor being hoisted. If you do care to listen to my reasoning for doing so, keep reading…