For the worse..

The past year hasn't been easy. I was back in India in April and by now, I have already asked myself several times as to how good an idea it was. To strive and to have educated myself to be ahead of the curve.

The future seems more bleak. Corruption, rapes and Climatic changes seem to be staring in your face with no remorse. The wrong are seen as right and the right - they just watch. Assholes are bosses and sycophants follow on. Our government seems more shameless than ever, but no country on earth can claim to be clean anyway. People are more pretentious these days than they are plain stupid. Noone has a healthy life anymore.

5 years ago, if someone had asked me "whats up?", I would have a list of things to talk about, none of them concerning my employment. But today, working 6 days a week, I have nothing else but to say that work is hectic and how I have no time for anything else. My body screams for rest on Sundays. I haven't played any physical sport in the last one year nor have I blogged.

I don't know if growing up has made me bitter or the world has indeed morphed so rapidly into an ugly monster. What I do know is that I am bitter and I am no longer the same guy who posted on this blog almost 7-8 years ago. I want to be, but I am unable to type anything but complaints. I truly hope to god that this is a phase that will pass.

The Return

Moving back to India after almost 2 years in Africa. Having access to cinema halls once more, look forward to more active reviews and blogging in general. Muhahaha. See you you soon!

Proof of a truly global economy

A region that has grown real fast in the past centuries due to colonies feeding the economies more than resources available within the region itself, viz. Europe, is now coming to terms with reality. Financial markets come crashing down showing a gloomy picture of the future. Hence now, they think that they'll eat lesser chocolate in the coming years.

Reduced demand means a drop in global Cocoa prices. This means that International Trade Houses which work on a small margin are forced to reduce prices being given to cooperatives and in effect, farmers.

Sawadogo Adama, a farmer in Mid-Westen Cote d'Ivoire, Africa, will not make as much money on his 2 hectare plantation as he would have, if Italy had done a good job in managing it's economy. And that, is a true proof of how much our lives are interlinked in an international global economy.

The Crorepati

It was a dream come true. A man from rural Bihar. With a Broken roof. A Salary of 120 Dollars a month. Knows the all the right answers. Despite his poverty, he had the time to go through all the general awareness questions, a luxury few others of his class can afford. His family smiled through all questions before the answers were announced, probably quite confident in his ability.

Truly, a Slumdog Millionaire story. The audience wanted it and KBC wanted TRPs. That's why it is indeed a fantastic coincidence that Sushil Kumar won 5 crores, and KBC probably had the highest viewings of this season. A win win situation. Almost too good to be true. No?

PS: conspiracy theories are so much fun.

Thorns to Competition

No really. I saw this ad in the Sony Entertainment Channel (British/African) broadcast in this part of the world.

I don't know what's scarier: the unbreakable confidence in his ability to lead business students to their doom, or the choice of his business wear.

Stage 2

It's surreal. This is the moment my parents have secretly been conspiring towards for the last 10 years. All those days as a 15 year old, ogling at school girls walking around and giggling at 'inter-school fests', all those dinners pulling my Reddy friend's legs about the thousand of hectares of Mango plantation dowries, all those endless discussions of 'love marriage vs arranged marriage' by a bunch of guys who hadn't managed to get a girlfriend.. all that has built up to this. It is true. Lalbadshah has finally agreed to bow down at The Altar.

In 17 days, I shall be a married man (Inshallah). And I do know, that these 17 days will be filled with people walking up to me, with a knowing look on their face and a wry smile asking 'So, how does it feel?'. It's sometimes odd. What exactly do they expect me to say? A congratulation can be answered to in simple words. But complex questions like these, in my opinion, should be reserved for one's doctor, or a shrink if you please. For everyone else, it's like a 'What's up?' for a very specific target audience. All you can give in response is a wide grin and a reminder to try and make it for the wedding.

These and many other profound thoughts, such as stage flower arrangements, occupy my mind as my life hurtles towards a new dimension. I can only be glad to have found the right companion to attempt to solve all such riddles of the universe with.

See you folks soon!