Holidays

My algos exam, supposed to be on Dec 3rd, got cancelled. So, my hols are gonna start from today. I have holidays till the 7th of Jan … So thats like almost 5 weeks of lazing around, cooking, reading my fave novels, a trip to Las Vegas ( mostly and maybe a trip to LA), visit to my cousins’ place, a beautiful Christmas and new year. I just cant wait.. 3 Sems, with hols in between n summer holidays of 3 months.. California just cudnt have gotten any better !!

Btw, my prof agreed to pay atleast half my fees and monthly stipend today (thats like a total of $6000) . I’m feeling really lucky today !

Thanksgiving.

[Written after a night out. So will need strong imagination on your part or some editing from my side !!]

Edit : I just came across this strip and it kinda looked apt here. Trust me, grad life isnt that bad It doesnt fit into my blog layout and you probably should see only the image.

thanks·giv·ing (thngks-gvng)
n.

A celebration of being thankful for what one has and the bounty of the previous year.

So, what have I been thankful for over the last one year? Apart from the usual : my family, my friends and their support, without which I wouldnt have been here in US, doing what I am doing now, I am thankful this year for

1) Dec 11-12, 2005 :- ” Life is filled with so many exciting twists and turns. Hop off the straight and narrow whenever you can and take the winding paths. Experience the exhilaration of the view from the edge. Because the moments spent there, that take your breath away, are what make you feel truly alive.” — Copyright © 2000 Stacey Charter .

Certain moments take your breath away. Certain decisions you know would change your whole life. One of those moments that would forever remain etched in my memories.

2) Dec 3, 2005 – Dec 30, 2005 :- Placed in TCS and Kritikal Solutions. I am thankful to Gaurav Somani for me getting into Kritikal . Its a long story.

Casino Royale : Review

[No Spoilers whatsoever ] Rating :

I saw the fans’ show at 12 in the midnight. ‘Golden Eye’ was the first bond movie I watched when I was a kid, and have been a huge fan since, thanks to my dad, who has all the dvds at home.

Casino Royale will probably be the biggest surprise of the year and manages to be the ‘best hand’. MGM has probably taken a huge gamble with this Bond flick and it sure has paid off. Its a movie worth watching for the successful reinvention of Bond. It strips away the high tech gadgetry to focus more on the plot and action packed sequences. Mind you, there is no Q in this movie and except for the a first aid kit in his car, Bond doesnt have any high-tech ‘pen bombs’, ‘remote controlled invisible cars’ and so on, which have become so cliched over the past decade or so in the bond movies, aptly made fun of in Austin Powers.

The title sequence is one of the highlights of all Bond movies and this one is no different. The bond introduction in black and white, where he makes his first kill and earns the 00 status, and the title sequence made me have goose bumps. This reboot potrays Bond in a more Agent-XXX look, than the stylish, elegant Bond that we have got so used to. When asked if he wants the martini Shaken or stirred? He replies with a “Does it look like I give a damn?” … Daniel Craig, matches this role to a T with his one-liners, with the best one being the one with Eva Green (I dont want to spoil the fun by quoting it here )

This movie perhaps falls into the same genre as Bourne, with intrigue, suspense being the core elements of the movie. Be in for tons of surprises and get ready for the spin of your life with very good plotline interweaved by action packed sequences (without any CGI in them ), mind blowing cars, Eva Green at her best and a high stakes Poker game. This bond movie made from the first ever Ian Fleming book is flat-out one of the best Bond movies ever, in tune with the times it has been shot in. A mug of popcorn, a large coke and a badass bond totally were worth my $20 !

[I dont want to write more and end up giving spoilers. Just go watch the movie !!]

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

[Beer : $4 .. A Vodka bottle : $20 .. A perfect party with friends : Priceless !]

My perfect weekend … At 3 in the morning, on the edge of a cliff, with the ocean water almost there .. just a dive away , high on vodka shots n beer ( Well.. the count would be something like 4 vodka shots large, 3 beer and a vodka with margarita if I remember right) .. gazing at the stars and the ships far away, ‘almost’ everything perfect in life.. carefree of all the worries, in bliss .. singing to my heart content … mumbling incoherent words .. discussing some of the coolest fundae of love and life .. having probably the bash of my life…

Love u California !

and this is my normal weekday .. Researching :-S

www.phdcomics.com check this site.. its damn hilarious !

[~Update~]

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, it is better that I drink all this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.  ~ www