Why did Albus Dumbledore have to be gay?

I don't get it...why did the most loved school headmaster have to be gay....I agree that he generally was a happy jolly old man, but gay?!?!? And Ms. Rowling says that there were signs of it throughout her books! I did not see any of them, neither did the countless kids who read them...

Just begun reading the 7th book in the Harry Potter series.... There better be a good enough reason for this twist...

Another point worth mentioning is that the last Harry Potter seems like it was not written by J K Rowling... did not have her signature style and finesse. Some lines almost seem like it was written by a flunkie wannabe writer.... Any Comments from those who have read the book???

The Ugly Fall

Its extremely disconcerting when you have missed a step while climbing stairs or tripped over the road dividers. Mostly one would think of physical harm caused or whether clothes are intact or loss of time (especially for those from Bombay!).

Personally my only concern is the number of eyeballs that I have managed during such an unattractive scene. I have this out of body experience where I can actually visualize my downfall on a busy street and it gives me the jitters. Today was one such day when I made a dash for the Bandra Local and gifted the onlookers a visual treat!! Was trying to skip stairs and the next thing I know I was sprawled on the floor with my stubbed toe! I could actually feel the distance between my eye and the surface of the step shorten within nanoseconds. Just the sheer humiliation of the scene got me to up to my feet in no time. Irony of it all is that, I fled the scene in record time and reached the platform just to miss my train!

Movie review- The Break-Up

Just saw the movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn...movie talks of an average American couple who are living- in and how their domestic issues get out of hand...Both the actors do a decent job and keep the audience occupied...

However the movie ends very abruptly...what I really want to know is whether the scriptwriter intentionally ended the story or had a writers block...

Any budding movie makers have a view on this movie?

Twenty20 Cricket-End of the traditional format as we know it?

The Twenty20 matches are a real treat, with some terrific fielding, tight bowling and batting that is laced with plenty of sixes and boundaries and all of this in under three hours. This new phenomenon seems to suit every viewer and the sponsors are not complaining either. This form is gaining so much popularity, that we even spotted some otherwise reclusive Bollywood wives at the stands.. Hey who does not like some sporting action with filmi masala too!!

In what was the conclusion to the Aussie tour of India, the Indian team clinched the Twenty match in style yesterday and apparently retained their status as world champions in this form of the game. That brings me to the question-Do our boys have the aggression in the regular 50 over matches? Are they physically up to the 50 over matches anymore? Are these victories pure flukes?

Well time will tell, but till then the media will have tonnes of good stuff to talk about Dhoni's Devils!!

Tampered Rickshaw Meters

Mumbaites tend to use public transportation a lot more than people from any other city. Our trains, buses, taxis and auto rickshaws do a decent jobs of getting people from one end of the city to the other.

However over the years I have noticed that auto rides have become expensive. It is common knowledge that auto drivers are tampering the meters so that they tick faster. A rickshaw ride from Khar gymkhana to Bandra Station used to be 1.20-1.30 on the meter about ten years back. One thing I know is that the roads have not expanded, but the same ride now results in the meter reading 1.60-1.80, which strengthens my theory that meters are getting shamelessly tampered with.

The charge for a ride from Khar to Powai on a Sunday morning with minimal traffic would be around Rs.105/- but on one occasion while making the same trip to our Church, we encountered an auto driver who was charging us Rs.140/-.

There is also the theory of MH 02 and MH 03 auto rickshaws where the meter reads differently for the same journey. I have not yet been able to get my brains around it firmly though.

While this is becoming a menace to the regular travelers who have to fight it out everyday, the out of towner will not even know the difference and will be truly taken for a ride.

What do we mean when we say...

Have you noticed the words " Horn OK Please" at the back of trucks? what is that all about?

Ever wondered about the phrase " Believe me you"? It almost sounds grammatically incorrect.

For those of us who travel by buses, you hear the conductor instructing people in marathi by saying " maage chalaa" which literally means "go behind". But since we are inside the bus, I wonder behind whom are we actually going?!!

When you has one too many ice creams, you hear the phrase "Be careful, you could catch a cold"। Why would anyone want to catch a cold and how do you do that anyway?

There is a phrase in hindi called "दीवारों के भी कान होते है". Loosely translated in english it means " that walls too have ears" and hence one must speak softly lest you let out some secrets. Well that still does not make much sense to me.

Selling Denims

Notice how denim adverts position their brands these days? Check out the latest Levis ad for their skinny fits... The campaign is called ‘Stuck On You’ and promotes a line of jeans that are so tight they appear like they’ve been painted on you.Do we really want clothes that seem like body paint??
Or the idea that denims are to be worn by anorexic men and women....I speak for all healthy (read--plump) women when I say, jeans are my birth right and I shall wear it!
Its a wonder how the Levis store has not yet been vandalized ever since the Stuck on You campaign has been displayed in the stores across the city. Maybe Kangana Ranaut is a hot favorite with the moral police!!

Customization

Marketing gurus keep talking about meeting the consumers needs. So much so that each customer must be treated differently...they say its the era of customization!!

But some incidents takes the concept to a new level... For instance on our way back from church, we would notice a beggar making pit stops near every vehicle.... However what we did not notice was, that he too had noticed us every Sunday morning.. Couple of weeks later the same beggar comes around in front of Badigar Uncle's car with whom we traveled and instead of the same sales pitch, he stretched out his hand, gestured to us and said " God will bless you"!!

Page 3 everywhere

Browse through the pages of leading dailies and all you read about are, starlets purchasing swanky apartments (emphasis on buying the entire floor!) in upmarket neighborhood...or about some famous Hollywood couple who are in town and their daily agendas. With the recent victory at the Twenty20, much has been written about the team's nocturnal activities too!News like these really get a lot of eyeballs. The idea of news reporting has changed and the the people running these newspapers have the general public eating out of their hands by printing high quality trash.

Do we hear about seemingly real issues like the pathetic conditions of roads in the same upmarket neighborhood? Not much coverage is given to inconvenience faced by the residents of the locality that was turned upside down with the arrival of Hollywood biggies. And lets not forget that there are other sporting events apart from cricket.

Will the real issues please stand out?

Cashing in on Marathi

We live in Mumbai and manage a bit of marathi every now and then. But how many of us are well versed with reading the instructions on forms given in government offices that are actually in pure marathi. I did learn to read and write elementary level Marathi in school, but this form was a total bouncer. When you want to get these forms filled at such government offices, you would inevitably struggle to understand the instructions and then after having given up, try and look around for help. But what do you know... there is a good Samaritan who willing to help you fill the form, but, for a minimal fee of Rs. 10/-.

Ever wondered who these helping hands really are? Maybe the government is seriously finding alternative sources of income... think about it...

Beanbags anyone?

Thought I'd take a break from noticing stuff peculiar to train journeys and write up about something else. I have always come across this sign on walls of run down buildings - Beanbag , Contact 24xyz423.

I never gave it that much of thought, but when there were too many beanbags on sale across the city, I decided to investigate the situation. That did not go too far though as I was informed that there were in fact people who had beanbags to sell!!

Have you or anyone you know purchased such a beanbag?!!? If yes please do write in.

Whats your style quotient?

I am not that into fitness, but the second class was really working every muscle in my body. Within a few months of train traveling I decided it might do me some good by cutting the first class train pass. Now the first class travelers are a different lot altogether.
Have you noticed the elderly ladies discreetly sizing up the chattering college kids? Unfortunately their silent sneers go unnoticed by the youngsters who are busy recounting what they saw on the latest episode of Boston Legal on Star World. Or when a tall woman gets into the compartment unawares of the eyes that are following her ( your eyes included!!). Cell phones pretty much decides for you where you stand in the cool quotient chart. An N series can get you approving looks and then there are folks like me who still carry the 3310! I for one tend to notice whats the latest in clothing and footwear while on the train... a few tips here and there don't hurt anybody!
Whats most interesting is to listen to women talking about office politics, whose earning more than them, which girl in college has her way with the guys and the list never ends... And in all of these conversations, you have to pick out which are the fake phirangi accents!!