Imagini Visual DNA - This is my DNA

Almost everyone seems to be getting their Visual DNA widget so I thought I'd give it a go too. It's a kind of picture questionnaire which is pretty creative and accurate. Here are my results -

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Once you get your Visual DNA results at the site all you have to do is copy the widget code and paste on your blog. Some bloggers who inspired me to check my visual DNA are Starry Nights and Sbk.

So, have you tried Virtual DNA ?

P.S. I have started a Wiki for this blog that allows anyone to edit my posts.

    

Samjhauta Express Blast - Security Issue

Samjhauta Express Blast - Security Issue

This post is a reference to last Sunday's Samjhauta Express blast in which around 68 passengers were killed. The crude bombs were made of kerosene instead of the usual RDX or Ammonium nitrate mixtures.

I thought I''d write a bit about the two times I came up close to the Samjhauta Express.

The 1st time - I was doing a story on the Samjhauta Express for a television channel. The train was brand new and was guarded by Railway policemen armed with rifles. Special seals were broken to enable us to enter and shoot the train. It was clean and had two types of bogies - regular cushioned three tier sleepers and unreserved compartments with wooden benches.

The 2nd Time - One of my friends was going to Pakistan for business so I went to see him off. The Samjhauta Express was leaving from the last platform of the Old Delhi Railway Station. I expected to see lots of security as it was a 'Pakistan' international train but there was not much. The platform was filthy and it smelt real bad. There was pee and puke everywhere. I have never been in a worse smelling place.

No idea if the rusty metal detector at the entrance of the railway station worked. No one walked through it except me and cops were not instructing folks to walk through it either. My friend's bags were not checked as he boarded the train. People kept entering and leaving the train just like they do in regular Indian trains. The TT was walking about inside checking the tickets.

The station was crowded with loads of people who had come to see off their relatives....many were crying. The only good security measure was the police sniffer dogs who were sniffing around for RDX and other contraband. In the Samjhauta Express blasts the terrorists used kerosene which is a common household product. This must have enabled them to get past the Sniffer dogs who are not trained to sniff out kerosene.

When the train pulled out of the station, the travellers to Lahore stood at the Samjhauta Express doors waving madly at their relatives who started running after the train. Nobody locked the doors from outside as is being reported by the foreign media. Maybe the doors got jammed after they were bolted from inside to keep out the cold. The train doors have a different kind of latch, and if you haven't seen it before it can be pretty tough to figure out how to open it. This is the same on all Indian trains.

One thing I must stress about security on trains whether Samjhauta Express or regular Indian trains -

- People should always look around for unclaimed objects and baggage near their seat and report it to the railway police on the train. With lakhs of people visiting a crowded railway station like Old Delhi it is impossible to expect the police to keep an eye on everyone all off the time. The police should do their job properly and we should help ourselves and not stay in a dream world. After all, its the lives of our families and ours which are at stake.

- CCTV Cameras are only a post-tragedy tool to find out who did it. Don't know how it can prevent a bomb blast from happening.

- Can't expect the police to check everyone's bag. They'll whack half the valuable stuff. Plus, it will take too long and cause inconvenience like what's happening at American airports.

- Say your prayers before leaving on any train journey...It helps, truly!

When my friend returned he told me Pakistan was just as bad. He was not aware he had to register himself when he got there and roamed all over Pakistan. When he came back to Lahore to take the train back, the Paki police realized he had not registered and threatened him......what next.....nothing.....he just paid Rs.500 to a 'dalal' (pimp broker) and he was back in India the next day!

Here are some other views from bloggers in India and Pakistan about the Samjhauta Express Blasts and Security - Shirazi, Pradeep, Mavericks, PakZindabad and GatewayPundit.

So, what do you think? Do you have any experiences about the Samjhauta Express?

    

Watching The 2007 Oscars On Television

Watching The 2007 Oscars On Television - 79th Annual Academy Awards

Got up early to catch the 2007 American Oscar Awards aka Academy Awards ceremony on television and started off late to work. I like to predict the winners seconds before the awards are announced and then savour the glory of being right. The worst part is having to listen to the speeches of the winners after they collect the golden statuette. I mean why should someone thank their 'kids' for a professional award or cry when they win?

My only answer is that they must be real drunk or high on contraband!


'Water' the Canadian entry for best foreign film with an Indian storyline did'nt win an Oscar. This was just as I expected as the lead actors - Lisa Ray and John Abraham are both former models with little acting talent.....Check out my Review of Water here.

Ok, now for something about the leading Oscar winners -

Forest Whittaker won the award for Best Actor - Yes, he is a negro who deserved the award unlike Halle Berry and Denzel Washington who won in 2001. His facial expressions were excellent as he played the character of Idi Amin.

Helen Mirren took the Oscar award of Best Actress - It was expected that she'd win it and she was good as the Queen, so why not ?

'The Departed' won the Oscar for best film and best director award for Martin Scorsese - Its great Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar as his films are quite awesome.

Jennifer Hudson - the Americal Idol finalist won the Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as a gospel singer.

Funny Point of the Evening - The host Ellen Degenerous vacuuming the carpet where some Hollywood actresses in long evening gowns were seated. It was fun to see them pull their dresses closer to avoid the embarassment of their clothes being sucked into the vacuum.

Former US presidential candidate Al Gore's documentary about Global Warming won the Oscar in its category. Al Gore and some of his friends tried to promote the 79th Oscars as 'green' awards with some stars like Leonardo 'Titanic' Decaprio arriving in environmentaly friendly vehicles. Made no sense to me......

So, did you catch the Oscar awards ?

Tags - Oscars Oscar Awards

    

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey - World Cup

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

Here is a picture of the 2007 Indian cricket team jersey recently released by sportswear company Nike. I went shopping in Connaught Place and spotted the team uniform in one of the Nike stores. Did'nt look that inspiring...Pretty boring and ordinary actually! The PHL hockey jerseys of Chennai Veerans designed by Adidas are much cooler !


After interviewing the cricket team for 6 months, Nike came up with this new kit. This jersey is 15 percent lighter than previous uniforms and is capable of keeping body temperatures down to a comfortable level. The material does not stick to the skin after sweating.

The Indian team will wear the same cricket jerseys to the 2007 cricket world cup beginning in March except the position of the logos will be different because of ICC Rules.

So, what do you think about the new Indian cricket team uniform ?

Here are some helpful links -


2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

    

Google Adwords Representative - Online Test

Google Adwords Representative - Online Test

Over the past 8 months, Google has been holding tests to hire Google Adsense Representatives for its offices in Gurgaon, near New Delhi. Recently, a placement consultant called me about this test. She told me that they are paying real well at 'Google standards' ...blah blah and swayed me into taking the test. The job involves editing and proofreading the Google Adsense ads displayed by Google. Tired of my low paying media job and the lack of work, I thought I'd give it a try. I landed at the local cyber cafe where the test was being held with identification proof as asked. Nobody asked me for my ID and I started off with the test. Here is what the Google Adwords Representative test included -


Part 1 - was a multiple choice online test that involved correction of grammar and spelling. It comprised of 40 questions and had to be completed in one hours. Questions were about -

- the use of 'which' and 'than'
- the use of 'who' and 'whom'
- arranging parts of sentences in the right order.
- arranging sentences in the right order to make a paragraph
- comprehension - where you had to answer questions about given nonsensical paragraphs.

I completed this in around 30 minutes.

Part 2 - involved writing two 250 words paragraphs in an hour. The topics I got were -

- Describe a characteristic feature of your generation.
- A negative quality of your home town.

I completed this in around 1 hour ten minutes. I really had no idea that it would take this long, but the keyboard at the cyber cafe was at the level of my chin and just could not be moved lower ! Plus, I was given a real low chair. Ha Ha.

No idea if I will get the job as a Google Adwords Representative. They haven't called me as yet. None of the people I know who took the test ever got called for the interview either. Wonder, if they are actually hiring people or holding the tests as a legal requirement ? 6 months seems a pretty long time to hire a few staff !

Hope this post helps folks who have planned on taking the online test. Does anyone have any idea about this Google Adwords Representative job ?

    

My 1st Century - 100 Blog Posts

100 Blog Posts Of Meowlife.blogpot.com

Today I completed 100 blog posts by writing this one.


Here's an interesting rhyme I found on the internet -

100 Is a Lot

100 dogs, 100 cats,
100 heads for 100 hats.
100 women, 100 men,
100's more than 5 or 10.
100 buttons, 100 coats,
100 sails for 100 boats.
100 cookies, 100 cakes
100 kids with bellyaches!
100 shoes, 100 socks,
100 keys for 100 locks.
100 puddles mighty dirty,
100's even more than 30.
100 daughters, 100 sons,
100 franks on 100 buns.
100 trees, 100 plants,
100 picnics, 100 ants!
100 is a lot to count,
100 is a LARGE AMOUNT!
100 kisses, 100 hugs,
100 bats, 100 bugs.
100 bees, 100 birds,
This poem has 100 words!

Meish Goldish

    

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions

The 2007 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to start in less than a month and before it gets underway, I thought I'd make some predictions on the matches and which team will finally lift the cup. Here are the groups -

Group A - Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Netherlands (Holland)

Group B - Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bermuda

Group C - New Zealand, England, Kenya and Canada

Group D - Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Ireland

Each team will play one match within their group and the top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 8 stage. There are 24 matches in this stage. My predictions about the teams that will reach the Super 8 stage of the 2007 cricket world cup are -

Group A - South Africa and Australia

Group B - India and Sri Lanka

Group C - New Zealand and England

Group D - West Indies and Pakistan

In the Super 8 stage, each team will have to play 6 matches against the teams that reached the Super 8 stage from other groups. They don't have to play the team from their own group. Here too there are 24 matches. The top four teams will reach the semi finals. My predictions about the teams which will be in the semi finals of the cricket world cup are -

1. South Africa
2. India/Australia
3. New Zealand ( will get through after narrowly defeating the hosts West Indies)
4. West Indies

Semi Finals will be between -

South Africa and West Indies - won by South Africa

India and New Zealand - won by India

Finals will be between South Africa and India - either can win since they have good teams and hav'nt won the World Cup for a long time. My heart says India will win but my brain says South Africa. My final prediction for the Cricket World Cup - India !

So, who do you think will win ?


Here are some helpful links -

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

    

Free Tickets To Cricket World Cup

Free Tickets To Cricket World Cup

Like all Indians who wish to watch a world cup match I too am looking for a free world cup deal. Have heard that ticket sales for the 2007 cricket world cup which start on March 5th and go on till 28 April are still quite low.

The Caribbean is a great place to vacation, the only problem is that it is very expensive especially for cricket fans from the subcontinent. The prices of everything - tickets, hotels and travel are in US dollars. Visa charges itself are around US $100 (INR $4,600 approx) and its a very long process as you have to get different visa for each of the 9 islands.

Bed and breakfasts are the cheapest place to stay in the Caribbean costing between $25 -35 per night. Two star hotels are available from $35 onwards. Three stars start from $75 while the lowest price for a four star is $125. Forget about five star hotels. Cottage style vacation rental properties charge around $200 per night and is most affordable if you are travelling with a group.

Prices of West Indies world cup cricket tickets for warm-up matches start from $10. Group stage matches cost$15 to $90 while tickets for super 8 stage cost between $25 - $100. Matches where India is playing are more costly. A ticket for the final of the cricket world cup costs between $100 - $500. The later you wait to buy the ticket the more you will end up having to pay.

Official travel agents for the West Indies cricket world cup in India are Bharat Army Travel, SOTC Sports Abroad, Pyramid Travels in Mumbai; Air Cruise Travels and Friends Group Travels in Delhi; and Sportzvillage in Bangalore. Air Cruise has cricket world cup packages to the Caribbean ranging from 7 days to 20 days while Friends group is offering three cruise packages of 8, 15 and 20 days in April. The packages cost between 1,20,000 to 4,08,000 rupees for a single person depending on the amount of days, accomodation and matches you choose to go for. This cost includes economy air tickets, twin sharing rooms, meals, entertainment, cruise, match tickets and airport transfers in the Carribean islands. I really want to book myself on one of these cricket packages but I have no one to go with....how depressing ! Am too scared to go alone.

As for free tickets to the Cricket World Cup................

Yes, I am still looking for that Jadoo ka Jupp in my packet of Kurkura namkeens. Hutch also has a contest and Hero Honda is offering a prize of free world cup tickets on the purchase of a Hero Honda bike. I suppose after some time other sponsors like Indian Oil and LG may start offering free tickets to the cricket world cup, let's see if we get lucky ! If not, I can still watch the game on Set Max.

What about you ?

Here are some helpful links -

2007 Indian Cricket Team Jersey

2007 Cricket World Cup Predictions and Speculation

The Venus, Stadiums and Teams for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Travel packages to the West indies, tickets and free contests for the 2007 world cup.

    

Premier Hockey League - PHL in India

Premier Hockey League (PHL) India

I thought I'd write something about India's national game of hockey for a change. The Premier Hockey League was started three years ago with new rules to make hockey popular in the country. I did'nt watch many matches in the first season of 2005 when it was held at an empty stadium in Hyderabad. However, last year I watched most of the matches and all three finals. The matches were shown live and the stadium in Chandigarh from was packed with cheering spectators.

Balder Bomans in Action for the Chandigarh Dynamos (Green Jersey)

I was supporting Chandigarh Dynamos mainly because I thought one of the foreign players on the team - Balder Bomans of Holland was real cute ! He also played well. Too bad, then when my team lost in the best of three finals. The only thing that ruined the Premier Hockey League last year was the chest thumping, walking off the field histrionics by Dhanraj Pillay of the Maratha Warriors. Really, what a sore loser !

This year there is only one division or tier. The seven teams - Chandigarh Dynamos, Maratha Warriors, Sher-e-Jalandhar, Bangalore Lions, Chennai Veerans, Orissa Steelers and Hyderabad Sultans play 2 matches each against each other in the league. I haven't caught many matches as most of them are not live - even the final is scheduled to be played through tape on ESPN. There is no zing or rush like last year. Half the matches were held at a stadium in Bangalore which was completely empty and bored me stiff. The remaining matches are being held in Chandigarh where atleast some crowd has turned up to watch and cheer.

My favorite team - Chandigarh Dynamos is way back in the PHL standings and has very little chance to catch up. There is a live match on Friday, maybe they'll play Balder Bomans in his new hairstyle. Of the two teams leading the PHL standings with 14 points each, I think Sher-e-Jallandhar stand a better chance to win the PHL championship than Orissa Steelers. Maybe Chandigarh Dynamos will play better in the home matches. The team is so unlucky - players keep getting injured. Best of luck guys !

Have you ever watched Premier League Hockey - PHL matches ?

    

Risk and Water - Movie Reviews

Here is the movie reviews of two movies - Risk and Water.

Risk - 6/10 - starring Randeep Hooda (Sushmita's ex), Tanushree Datta and Seema Biswas. Risk is a movie about an honest clever cop who risks powerful folks and goes about killing gangsters. The story is loosely based on the gory life of Daya Nayak the encounter specialist cop. The actors are well cast in the film and Randeep Hooda does a very good job ! Vinod Khanna plays Khalid, a Don, whose look and getup, I thought resembled Vijay Mallya the liquor baron. A good action movie with lots of bloodshed if you are tired of the mushiness surrounding Valentines Day.

Water - 8/10 - starring John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. This movie was not allowed to be shot in India by the then BJP govenment and was banned from being released. I basically wanted to see it because of John Abraham - and he was looking as sexy as usual...this time in a kurta and dhoti.

'Water' is based in the 1930's era when Gandhiji's and Raja Ramohan Roy's views about widow remarriage had become popular. I though it was quite a historic Gandhigiri kind of film - could be released especially as it is in line with Indian 'tradition' - as Lisa Ray who plays Kalyani the widow commits suicide instead of marrying Narayan, a Gandhian played by John Abraham.

Parallel is the story of Chuhiya, an eight year old kid widow who is forced into prostitution by the old widow who owns the ashram. In the end, Seema Biswas, another widow in the ashram runs off with the kid and shoves her in with John Abraham in Gandhiji's train.

The story of Water was good. Subtitles were in English so I could understand certain shlokas which were in Sanskrit. The art film kind of cinematography and direction by Deepa Mehta was quite good. Heard the movie was shot in Sri Lanka and it shows because the Ganga River is dirty and does not have such thick greenery and palm trees around it.

Quite a good drama, the film 'Water' is worthy of winning an Oscar for which it is nominated in the Best Foreign Film Section as a Canadian entry.

About the widow issue - It's quite true that widows are sent away by their families. However, many want to go as their own wish. I've seen them begging outside temples in Mathura and Vrindavan, sad sight, most of them are Bengalis. Most of the widows are really old. I haven't seen any child widows though I've heard about child marriages happening in the villages.

Well that ends my movie reviews on Water and Risk. Did you see these movies ?

    

Oprah Winfrey In India

Oprah Winfrey In India

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." - Oprah Winfrey

Heard recently through various media that US TV anchor Oprah Winfrey will be coming to New Delhi for some charity work. Currently with a fortune of 1 billion US dollars, Oprah is worth more than one of India's biggest companies - Infosys Technologies.

There was a time I never used to miss an episode of the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' - that was around 7-6 years ago. The shows used to give some great advice, celebrity interviews, recipes and fashion tips. I clearly remember the show about 'safety of women' where a foreign cop was giving advice on how to protect yourself if a stranger attacks you. He said, "never let him take you to another place."

Nowadays, when I happen to catch the 'The Oprah Show' while switching channels, I always find Oprah Winfrey trying to sell something useless which is usually pretty expensive. And yes, she doles out free samples to her audience. This can range from books, to makeup, food items, clothes and whatever else. She is always promoting the businesses of her friends that come on the show - like Gayle, Andre, Dr.Phil, the skinny dinosaur like negro woman..........list goes on. Most of the time her guests give wrong impractical advice that's 'unbelievably' irritating ! Even Oprah is a nuisance when she keeps pretending that she has suffered through every single malady that is being discussed. Maybe she is trying to connect with her audience, but it seems so fake !


One of the recent episodes of "The Oprah Show' which I saw was the one in which she interviewed Miss Fake herself - Bollywood actress Ms Aishwarya Rai. Here's a pic of Oprah looking cute in a pink saree and green shirt - really, what a combination !

I also saw the Oprah Show where Meg Ryan came to the slums in Jehangirpuri through an NGO called CARE to promote the 'girl child' issue. Meg Ryan was wearing a garland/tilak and bikharis (beggars) were running after her for 'bakshish'. Maybe, Meg Ryan is one of those good natured Americans who can't bear to see people suffering and decided to contribute to a 'cause', but the situation in India is quite different.

Those who usually run after foreigners begging and making strange faces are usually professional beggars. This means that they each own begging territory or work for a begging and robbery gang. They may also pedal drugs and engage in child prostitution. They pop their bones and roll up their eyes to look handicapped. Some may even cut off a limb to look more realistic. Some hire or kidnap children to gain sympathy that earn international currency. Ever wondered how an old skinny woman could have five kids that looked around 3 years old ?

The people who are really poor are too ashamed to beg or ask anyone for anything. They work hard as labor to earn their daily bread. Most Indians know this 'beggary trick' very well and don't give any cash though we may give food and other stuff to the children that is of no use to the begging gang.

Most NGO's are another scam. All they do is write reports, update websites, sending press releases and fundraising. The money raised is never given to those who really need it but goes in paying for foreign trips of the socialite who heads the NGO. When foreigners come visiting, the NGO's collect servants, employees and relatives to display as orphans, widows etc. for the cameras and get more cash. Foreigners can't understand the language, so they are none the wiser. Many friends who work for top NGO's tell me that this is what happens in office.

When I see innocent foreigners like Oprah Winfrey and Meg Ryan visiting India to 'help the poor', I just pray they use their charity money wisely. I'd hate for it to go to waste when there are so many people who can benefit.

Well, Oprah Winfrey when are you coming over to India, you are always welcome !!

    

Meerut - Weekend Trip In The Countryside

Weekend Trip in Meerut

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.”

This weekend I went on a trip to the lush green fields in the Meerut area of Uttar Pradesh. I had planned this trip for weeks and dreamt of lying in the dappled shade of a mango tree doing my knitting. However, providence had something else planned. From morning to evening there were rains and icy cold winds. Determined to make the most of my short vacation, I ventured out in the fields to explore.

The yellow mustard flowers waved to me from every field. The soft grass and clover patches were wet with drops of rain. Little birds were dancing in pools of water while the hawks were sitting huddled together in tall leafless trees. The sound of a continuous drizzle and fragrance of the soil made me feel completely at peace. I stretched a plastic bag on the grass and sat down to take in this view. The nearby canal was filled with ripples caused by the splashes of a million raindrops. Not a soul was in sight as village folk cuddled up in their warm brick homes to escape the biting cold winds.

This scene reminded me of a book I recently read - 'A Painted House' by John Grisham. 'A Painted House' is a welcome change from the lawyer kind of books that John Grisham usually writes. It is a peaceful Tom Sawyer kind of story about farm life in the early 50's. 'A Painted House' tells about the complexities of life as seen through the eyes of Luke Chandler, seven year old boy who lives on a cotton farm in rural Arkansas, USA. The Chandlers have never had enough money to paint their house but in the end paint it even though they loose their entire cotton crop due to rains. The book is basically about the dreams of a farm kid who is tired of picking cotton and wishes to be rich and live in a painted house.

Walking through the squashy mud in Meerut district in the midst of the tall stalks of sugarcane, vegetable fields, mango and orange trees I thought of the simple joys of farming. How it must feel - to wake up every morning and head to the fields for work? Far away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi, the idea of growing and eating your own vegetables seemed real cool !


Later in the day, I went to visit the Church of Lady of Grace in the nearby town of Sardhana. I heard that lots of miracles happen here and people get what they want, so I lit some candles outside. Inside the church, there were many people including backpacking tourists taking shelter from the rains. This church in Sardhana was built in 1822 by a Muslim queen - Begum Samru who later converted to Christianity. It is a government protected monument. I wanted to go see some other places too but they were too far away in Meerut Cantonment and it was too cold.

An hour later, I went to the market to look for a fake version of Salman Khan's bracelet but could'nt spot one with the right color. Small towns are the only place where this sort of stuff is available. I had bought one the last time I was here and tied it around my cat's neck which he lost a few days later.

Just before going back to Delhi, I collected some fertile mud from the fields of Meerut for my potted plants back home. It ended up being real heavy. Three hours and a punctured tyre later, I was back in Delhi with great memories of a tranquil countryside break.

Do you like visiting the countryside ?

    

Fake Profiles On Orkut

Fake Profiles On Orkut

Today, lots of people are facing the problem of 'pranksters' creating fake profiles on the social networking site Orkut. First, lets take a look at some of the incidents -

Case 1 - Delhi - An air-hostess working for Kingfisher Airlines asked a city court for help in filing a case against Orkut after a vulgar profile was posted by someone. The fake profile had a pic of her in her work uniform and her neighbors' telephone number listed for 'friendship'. Her neighbors were flooded with pesky calls leading to a lot of embarassment.

Case 2 - Delhi - The family of a school girl started recieving obscene phone calls and visits from strangers after a prankster created a lewd fake profile on Orkut and listed the girls phone number and email address.

Case 3 - Mumbai - A 20 year old economics student at Mumbai University recieved hundreds of raunchy phone calls after someone posted a fake profile of hers on Orkut. She later compained to Cyber Crime Cell in Mumbai.

Case 4 - Mumbai - A guy who owns a boutique in Mulund faced a lot of humiliation after a fake profile on Orkut listed him as a 'porn seller' mentioning his phone number and home address for good deals.

So, who are these 'pranksters' who create fake profiles on social networking sites?

Well, these so called 'pranksters' are not unknown strangers living in a far off country but some of the people most closest to you. They usually include classmates, college friends, ex boyfriends/girlfriends, neighbors, colleagues, relatives, family or business rivals. You usually trust them enough to give them your phone number and address which is how your vital information gets listed in fake profiles.

Why do they create fake profiles on social networking sites ?

The main reason is jealousy due to different reasons - either you are more popular in school or office, make more money, are better looking or are more attractive to the opposite sex. Another reason is to get back at you for something they think you are to blame - like them getting yelled at by the boss, teacher, family member or close friend. Some psychos do it after you reject them. A very few of them do it as a 'prank' or joke - these people usually confess or stop immediately after they see you getting hurt.

So, what do you do if it happens to you ?

First decide what you want - Do you want it to stop quietly, do you want to make some cash sueing the social networking site or are you just looking for some publicity ?

If you want it to stop quietly, first guess who the 'prankster' is. It will usually be someone you know and once trusted. Watch their reactions and the language used to describe you and you will be able to guess who it is. Tell that person to stop and threaten him/her with legal action/media publicity. However, if that person seems like a psycho then don't contact them.

If they admit it and still decide not to withdraw the fake profile then report them as bogus to the social networking website like Orkut. You can also search throught the list of communities on Orkut for one that 'hates fake profiles'. Write a complaint listing the url of your profile and the bogus profile and gets others also to report the 'prankster' as bogus.

If the fake profile is not withdrawn and the obscene phone calls continue you will have to take legal action as is available in your country.

In India, you have to file a case with the Cyber Crime Cell of the police department in your city. Section 67 of the Information Technology Act of 2000 deals with Cyber Crime. Some folks file cases with the Economic Offences Wing. Don't send a complaint by email but go there in person. As an email is not signed by you no action can be taken by the cops. In many cases those who are arrested are found to be known to the victim's family and are let off after some counselling. Usually the victims drop the case as no one wants to prosecute a 'friend' ?

Those who are looking for publicity should send complaints to the National Commision for Women followed by email and fax press releases to the bureau chief's of all newspaper and television companies.

If you are looking to sue Orkut for cash or revenge in India, the process will take a real long time. However, if you are lucky you may win a settlement like Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello who sued Orkut for a fake profiles posted by a pranksters.

A few months previously, Orkut was considered the safest online social networking site because it allowed members to register only through invitation. This meant that it was easy to trace created profiles to the folks who sent out the invitation. If you invited yourself to create a fake profile it could be easily found out. However, after October 2006, Orkut allowed people to sign up for a free account without an invitation. This has resulted in people making unlimited fake profiles with different email addresses and data. Maybe Orkut just wanted to increase its hits and revenue but the way I see it people have become more wary of social networking and stay away.

I am a member of Orkut with my real name and also have a fake profile called Cyberkitty. Neither are obscene !

Do you use social networking sites like Orkut ? Have you created fake profiles ?

    

Dateless on Valentines's Day

Dateless On Valentines Day

Like almost every Valentines Day of my life, this February 14 th too seems to be heading towards a dateless evening ! How depressing !

"I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon". ~Author Unknown

When I look through the shop windows at the Valentines Day cards and gifts on display, I can't help but wish someone would buy me some of the stuff on sale - even a plastic rose would do. Things look so pretty and pink, I feel like buying them for myself. However, I stop myself coz I heard somewhere that if you do, then you are jinxed to buy them for yourself all your life !

My last non dateless Valentines' Day was in college when I went to see the movie 'While You Were Sleeping' with a friend. Though I go on dates the rest of the year, I always find myself dateless on Valentines Day.

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." - Robert Frost

So, what do I do on Valentines' Day ?

1. Sit at home watching romantic movies on StarMovies, HBO, Hallmark and the other movie channels. Usually they always play mushy flicks like You've Got Mail, When Harry Meets Sally, Serendipity, Love Actually or While You were Sleeping for lonely souls! Watching them makes me feel that there is someone perfect out there and that destiny will finally bring us together - and we'll be married for happily ever after ! Ooh what lovely dreams.

2. Buying and eating stuff like sweets, ice creams, chips and cakes which take me back to my childhood and give a bit of childish joy.

3. Doing a facial and having a long bath.

4. I always leave office early pretending I have to get ready for a Valentines' Day dinner date !

5. Valentine's Day usually ends with me chatting on the net with strangers or other dateless friends. We usually talk about the mindless advertising and marketing gimmicks of card and gift companies like Hallmark and Archies that promote Valentines Day and cause depression.


Valentines Day is tough for singles but I bet it really sucks bigtime if you have a boyfriend or husband and still don't do anything special on Valentines Day. The world and internet is full of people who hate Valentine's Day. Valentines Day haters are usually folks who are scared to ask someone out, busy with their work, refused a date, loners, computer nerds or people who think they are too ugly !

The day after Valentine's Day -

Well, I make up stories about the fun Valentines' Day movie and dinner date I had with a 'friend'. My friends also tell me stories of the roses they bought 'someone', 'a fiancee' and the telephone calls they made to 'long distance lovers' !! Later on, I find out from the office chowkidar (guard) that they were working really late in office. Really, what is the world coming to ??

So, what are you planning for Valentines Day ?

    

7th Harry Potter Book - Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - the 7th Harry Potter Book

Recently heard in the news that the 7th installment of the Harry Potter Books - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be out on July 21st of this year. Strange name for a kid's book, but then Harry Potter and his friends live in a strange world - and so does JK Rowling.

So, what does 'Deathly Hallows' mean ?

'Hallows' is something to do with a holy relic and 'deathly' means macabre or corpselike, so I suppose 'Deathly Hallows' means a gruesome end to a holy relic ??

Though I am not a big Harry Potter fan, I have read all the 6 previous installments - Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince. I had bought five of the books as a gift to a kid relative and later downloaded all 6 through Warez for a read. The publicity surrounding the Harry Potter books was too much for me to contain my curiosity.

I don't find the Harry Potter books as great as the reviews say they are. I actually find them a bit spooky and weird - something no kid should be reading before bedtime. In fact, even I ended up with a few nightmares after reading them.

When I was a kid, I loved books by Enid Blyton and Richmal Crompton. They made me laugh for hours. Even today, I sometimes pick up a copy of 'Five Find Outers' or 'William' from the local library or download it from the internet for a great laugh. The best things about these boks was the positivity they reveal. When I read a Harry Potter book, all I get is a feeling of negativity and gloom. So depressing.

The storylines are confusing and there is a lot of unneccessary drama - like a TV soap. Infact, I found the movies of the first four Harry Potter books more interesting. The movie script cut off the boring parts and made the pieces of the story fit in better. For example, Hermione's time travel scene in the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I'd say the best Harry Potter book is the Prisoner of Azkaban and the worst is the Half Blood Prince. Dumbledore's continuous speeches, pensieve sessions and the 'I'll tell you later not now' dialogue seemed to stretch on forever.

So, what's my prediction for the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' book ?

Well, continuing from the previous books, Harry Potter is looking to destroy four horcruxes that contain parts of the soul of his nemesis - Lord Voldemort. Only when all horcruxes are snuffed out can there be peace in the world. Here is my speculation - Harry Potter finds out that he is 'one' of the horcruxes and the only way to finish off Lord Voldemort is to zap himself. As he prepares to make this horrible decision....something good happens and he is saved. After all, this is a kids' book so it can't really have a bad ending now, can it !

I'd say Deathly Hallows will have some kind of a Christian religious meaning - maybe Dumbledore as God and Harry Potter as Jesus who saves the world!

So, what do you think ?

Click Here To Edit This Post Through My Wiki

    

Bhagam Bhag - Movie Review

Review of the movie Bhagam Bhag - this weekend I saw just one movie and this is what I thought of it.

Bhagam Bhag - 3/10 - (meaning - running around) This is a brainless film - no idea what the director was thinking, most probably he was not ! Bhagam Bhag was supposed to be a comedy but it sure wasn't funny. At best, I managed a wry smile.

Bhagam Bhag is about a drama company that goes to do a play in London. Paresh Rawal is the director of the play while Bunty (Akshay Kumar) and Babla (Govinda) are the actors. When the heroine of the play walks out, the director says that whoever finds a new heroine gets to act as the hero. While looking for a new heroine, Bunti and Bubla come into contact with a drug lord who thinks they are looking for 'heroin' - therein starts the confusion which continues throughout the movie.

Lara Dutta plays the role of the suicidal heroine whom they find for the play. Arbaaz Khan is her fake husband who gets murdered. Jackie Shroff is the UK cop who murders Arbaaz Khan. Rajpal Yadav is a taxi driver.

The script of Bhagam Bhag was awful - none of the characters seemed to have a bit of common sense and the story was full of holes and unaswered questions. Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal were painfully repetitive. Akshay Kumar's jokes about him 'cutting the roles of fellow actors' just proves he is not ashamed of doing so in real life. Seems like he 'cut' Govinda's role too ! The person who did the best job was Rajpal Yadav! Most irritating - Shakti Kapoor. Songs though, were catchy numbers.

Did you watch this movie ?

    

My Favourites Tag

Have been tagged by Whiskypriest whose blog is at indiatimes.com. I know it's a very long tag, but hey, I am always game to answer a few questions. Makes me feel like one of those celebrities who answer questionnaires on the pages of glossy magazines.

Everyone who reads this post and wishes to do the tag is tagged ! If you have already done it, let me know !

10 FAVORITES

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Samosas

Favorite Month: February

Favorite Song: Angels

Favorite Movie: Someone Like You

Favorite Sport: Formula One with Schumi !

Favorite Season: Spring

Favorite Day Of the week: Friday !!!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Pista

Favorite Time of Day: 9.00 pm

8 CURRENTS

Current Mood: thoughtful

Current Taste: namkeen

Current Clothes: office wear

Current Desktop: black screen

Current Toenail Color: glitter

Current Time: 8.50 pm.

Current Surroundings: home

Current Thoughts: waiting for KBC to start on TV

6 FIRSTS

First Best Friend: sister

First Screen Name: cyberkitty

First Pet: Fluffy

First Piercing: ears

First Album: Dangerous - Michael Jackson

First Movie: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

6 LASTS

Last Cigarette: last year

Last Drink: last week

Last Car Ride: six months ago

Last Movie Seen: Bhagam Bhag

Last Phone Call: internet company

Last Book Read: A Painted House - John Grisham

Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes

Have You Ever Been Arrested: No

Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes

Have You Ever Lied: Yes

Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Yes

5 THINGS Thing

You're Wearing: office wear

Thing You've Done Today: worked and worked

Thing You Can Hear Right Now: television

Thing You Can't Live Without: water

Thing You Do When You're Bored: knit

4PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY

1. home

2. office

3. that’s all

4. that’s all

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO

1. god

2. sister

3. that’s it

2 CHOICES

1. Black or White: white

2. Hot or Cold: hot

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

Invent a potion for immortality