Postcards from The Grand Canyon

It snowed today

After an interim of almost a week, it snowed today in Rapid City.

Marie Digby - Unfold

I am sorry to be posting too many 'YouTube' videos.. But I couldn't help myself post this one video from the YouTube phenomenon, Marie Digby. This is a song written and sung by her - Unfold.

Lyrics:

what i can remember
is a lot like water
trickling down a page
of the most beautiful colors
i can't quite put my
finger down on the moment
that i became like ... this

you see, I'm the bravest girl
you will ever come to meet
and yet i shrink down to nothing
at the thought of someone
really seeing me
i think my heart is wrapped around
and tangled up in winding weeds

but i don't wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my.. imperfections
even though my feet are trembling
and every word i say comes stumbling
i will bare it all.. watch me unfold
unfold

these hands that i hold
behind my back are
bound and broken by my own doing
and i can't feel
anything, anymore
i need a touch to remind me
I'm still real..

my soul
it's dying to be free
i can't live the rest of my life
so guarded
it's up to me to choose..
what kind of life i lead.

cause i don't wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my.. imperfections
even though my feet are trembling
and every word i say comes stumbling
i will bare it all.. watch me unfold
unfold

i will allow someone to love me
i will allow someone to love me...

love me.. love me...

New York Nagaram

Music composer and singer: A. R. Rahman
Language: Tamil
Movie: Sillendu Oru Kadhal (2006)

Subtitles: English

Also available in Telugu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkFrln6Qlo0
Movie: Nuvvu Nenu Prema (2007)

This song speaks my mind.. Crap!

.....

'Ek shaqs', Abhijeet Sawant

This song brings tears to my eyes. . . .

Ek Shaqs - Lyrics

(ek shaqs raaste mein kahin choot gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha)

woh shaqs jiske kaandhe pe sir rakhe mein soya
seene se lagke jiske kayi baar mein roya
jiski zulfon ke khusboo mein raaton mein khoya
jis jism ki barsaat mein yeh jism bheegoya
(ek din kisi baat pe jab woh rooth gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha)
ek shaqs raaste mein kahin choot gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha

rehta hoon qaid abhi jiski yaadon ke pehare mein
hai labz jiska zinda meri baahon ke ghere mein
jiske khwaabon ko maine neend mein sanjoya
jiske ashqko ko maine apani ankhon pe piroya
(ek din kisi baat pe jab woh rooth gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha)
ek shaqs raaste mein kahin choot gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha

ek shaqs raaste mein kahin choot gaya tha
us haadse ke baad, yeh dil toot gaya tha
ek shaqs raaste mein... raaste mein
Download full song (9.4 MB)

Emmy Rossum

This video, "Slow me down", is from Emmy Rossum's maiden music album, Inside Out (2007). This album, she says, has more of vocal lyrics and has been written and sung by her. She draws inspiration from love, heart-break and nature. Emmy has played lead actress in films like Poseidon and The Phantom of the Opera. She has won the best young actress award for her movie The Phantom of the Opera.

I'm sure this song says it all. Its a lovely song with beautiful lyrics as beautiful as her. Hope u enjoy!

Tumhi dekho naa...

Aankhen teri: missing ur eyes...

Aankhen teri.. kitni hanseen
ke inka aashiq
main ban gaya hoon, mujhko basaale inme tu....

[Courtesy: www.youtube.com]
(c)All rights reserved by www.youtube.com

Far from home: From Hi-Tech City to Rapid City

Sitting at my desk in the graduate room of the Dept. of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the South Dakota Sch. of Mines and Tech., i realize i am far away from home. I just stumble upon all the lovely memories and nostalgia of the past and India. Where has life taken me? To the United States, sure, but my life is in India.

My journey all the way from Hi-Tech City (Hyderabad) to Rapid City was through a sea of cultures and peoples. Since i flew via. Frankfurt, i had the opportunity to step in the land of the mighty Hitler, Germany. The airport was vast, flights were many, time was swift and weather was rainy. The airport was glittering, like an Indian bride. The people were German, Polish, English, American, Asian.. many.. all at one place. The sight was enormous!

My next udai-jahaaz would take me across the Atlantic, over Europa, to the land of aplenty, America. My port of entry was Denver, Colorado. The airport was again mighty, huge, and beautiful with an expressive feeling of engineering excellence. Cleared immigration, customs and off to catch the next flight to Rapid City, my destination! Ufff!! I would be reaching in another few hours!! Feels good! This was the feeling after 20 hours of flying and another 8 hours of lay-over. I finally reached my destination 20 minutes before time. Rapid City was quiet, welcoming me to its beautiful landscape and asking me to forget India, its pollution, population, and people. Rapid City was quiet in its dusky night; it was singing, America, and it was going to keep me with her for 2 years now.

The roads were open, wide and cars. My sub-consious was sleeping, waiting to realize its a false dream, that I'm oceans and miles away from home.. Very far from home..

The next morning showed me Rapid City in all its beauty-- the hills, the roads, the houses.. all were sleeping last evening when I arrived. Tornados were round the weekend, thunderstorms were aplenty-- the weather was changing.. My University welcomed me, greeted me with people, lawns, blue skies, beauty and greenery. The next few days saw me meet my professors, get myself registered and find a place in my Department. Everyone here is so friendly, helpful and kind, to say the least. I don't know what lies ahead of me, but sure i know i am going to miss my family, love, friends, weekends, nights, movies, drives, hugs, kisses, fights, my bike, and more..

I leave my sub-consious dream to connect to Hyderabad, while I move off my room, to make some coffee for myself, and to enter the friday evening and following weekend, promising lots of partying and fun. See you soon, India.

Beete lamhein.. video

[Courtesy: YouTube.com]

kabhi neela neela aasma tha in raaston par
teri ek hansi ke main badle dedoon jahaan bhar
khoya sa rehta main teri aankhon mein raat bhar

teri aaghosh mein din the mere kate
teri baahon mein thi meri raatein kati..
aaj bhi jab wo pal mujhko yaad aate hain
dil se saare ghamon ko bhula jaate hain..

Beete Lamhein

This one is dedicated to YOU.

Dard mein bhi yeh lab muskura jaate hain
Beete lamhein humein jab bhi yaad aate hain

Chand lamhaat ke vaaste hi sahi
Muskura kar mili thi mujhe zindagi
Teri aagosh me din the mere kate
Teri baahon mein, thi mere raatien kati...

Aaj bhi jab woh pal mujhko yaad aate hain
Dil se saare ghamon ko bhoola jate hai
Dard mein bhi yeh lab muskura jaate hai
Beete lamhein humein jab bhi yaad aate hai..

Beete lamhein..

kis kadar tez raftar thi zindagi
kehkahe har taraf thi kushi hi kushi
maine jis din kahi pyar ki baat thi,
rukh gayi thi achanak woh baheti nadi..

aaj bhi jab woh din mujhko yaad ate hai
gusreh lamhe zehan mein ubhar aate hai
Dard mein bhi yeh lab muskura jaate hain
Beete lamhein humein jab bhi yaad aate hain..

Mere kandhein mein sir ko Jukana Tera
Mere seene mein khud ko chupana tera
Aake meri panahon mein shaam-o-seher
Kanch ki tarha woh tut jana tera

Aaj bhi jab woh manzar nazar aate hain
Dil ki viraniyon ko mita jate hain..
Dard mein bhi yeh lab muskura jaate hain
Beete lamhein humein jab bhi yaad aate hain

Beete lamhein..
Dard Mein …..Beete lamhein..

I am going to miss those lovely days and exciting time we had, honey!!
Will miss u.

Get this song now:
Beete Lamhein- The Train (6.0 MB) -- Avg. Rating: 4/5
Beete Lamhein (Lounge Mix) - The Train (7.6 MB) -- Avg. Rating: 4.5/5

Nokia N72- Review

I bought my dark plum color Nokia N72 on May 14, 2007. Since then I have used it for 14hours and 10mins. My earlier phone was the very elegant and a Nokia masterpiece, the 3120. Considering the varied differences in the two models, there is no point comparing the two. So, I straight come to the N72.

The GOODs of N72:

1. Elegant design with metallic and lusterless combination effects (Not effective in black color)
2. Beautiful chrome lining
3. Loud and clear speakers
4. good keypad (people with big fingers may have difficulty)
5. Pretty fast in-menu browsing
6. good 2 Mpixel camera with auto flash
7. Handy in-built voice commands for many applications/profiles/contacts
8. comes with all necessary accessories (music ear phone with answer and mic.; external speaker connection hub with answer and mic., USB cable, 128 MB MMC, Nokia signature thread, screen cleaning cloth)
9. Useful ‘camera, and music player’ dedicated keys
10. No software/OS problems (as reported by many others)

The BADs of the N72:

1. Very loose camera cover/slider
2. Pictures taken from camera not very great

The Nokia N72

It is a real high performance multimedia device. Unlike the earlier Symbian series 6/7 phones, this phone exits applications upon hitting the hang-up button. Especially, if u using the browser, or a game, etc. and want to exit, it works. It doesn’t run in the background and hence saves the RAM. The on-board 20 MB comes handy here.

I frequently use the in-built voice-command system. Unlike previous phones, where u had to record/save voice tags, in N72, the voice-tag is auto-made when u enter a contact or a profile name. So, u can say “General” to change profile, “Home” to call home, or say “Bluetooth” to activate/deactivate Bluetooth.

The camera is just about good. There are lots of shooting options like portrait, landscape, night, sport, etc. (Sony Ericsson phones with Cybershot™ score more here) The way u view pictures in the gallery is different and better than the previous versions (7610, 6681, 6680, 6600, etc..). You can slideshow with music of your choice and the display quality is excellent. The images look best at 50% zoom.

Close up in overcast conditions

Music player is new and different. The music player sports a new media information box which displays the ‘album art/ photo’ like in the Microsoft® Media Player 10 onwards, at bottom right. The song must carry the information, though. The sound quality is pretty good.

Still picture in good light

At first look, the keypad looked difficult. But when I used it, it was amazing. The keys have the very intricate design (little elevation at top and bottom of every key) that makes a little touch on the right button enough to effect. The keypad lighting is uniform and the dedicated camera button stands out among all buttons.

The camera slider is too loose and the camera gets activated if the cover slides during taking the phone out from the pocket. The camera pictures could have been better. One would expect more from a 2 Mpixel camera. Flash is handy, though not very powerful (Sony Ericsson phones’ flash is better and brighter). N72 is Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 enabled, meaning faster data transfers. The old problem of the incoming Bluetooth message being stored to phone memory is still there. Only files smaller than 15-16 MB can be transferred via Bluetooth.

At first look, the N72 is enticing. I just loved it the moment it was removed from its case and the salesman held it in his hand! I knew from that moment – I own it. It’s the N series and it surely is a fresh feel to the Nokia phones. The chrome lining and silver lining around the 5-way key, loudspeaker and switch-off button add the special look. My experience with this phone has been very good. My ratings:

Value for money: 10/10
Looks: 9/10
Mulitmedia features: 8/10
Personalization features: 8/10
Software supports: 9/10
Camera/Video: 7/10
Office features: 8/10

This phone is an absolute value for money. It has all the features a modern-day phone freak would want. Just buy a 2GB MMC and get going with the N72. Feel New, Hear New, See New!

Good luck!

You can also see this review and more on N72 at: http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Nokia_N72-126647-1.html

Linkin Park- "What I've done" Video

This one is the song from the Linkin Park's new album, Minutes to midnight.
Courtesy: www.youtube.com

Much better day!

Hello all.. After yesterday's sad day, today was much better and peaceful. I again feel the goodness around me, which was lost for quite some days. I am again myself!

[Photo courtesy: eatstuff.blogspot.com]

Listless to mention, my yesterday was far depressing than today. I always just wonder, if these changes in life, mood and attitude was part of nature, or a certain mindset! Just need to give a more serious thought on that, or maybe just forget and carry on..

Bad day

Today was a really bad and depressing day. Though it was overcast and rainy, bringing the heat down of this summer, it was a bad day for me. I don't know why it was bad, but it was bad.

I couldn't get what i wanted to, today. It was sad, unavoidable. But there must be some proper explanation from nature for what happened today! I don't even know why i'm writing this! Probably to reject all my negativity, and to sleep peacefully. What crap am i writing??! WTF!!

Anyway, I hope to have a nice day tomorrow, a 'nicer' day. Let's see..

living for whom?

WHOM DO WE LIVE FOR?
Thought of it? Ever?

real life

Living.. started living..
not knowing of this world
came here-- follow rules
living on..

where is life?
who is calling?
where to go?
want love-- to be loved..
life for whom?
living for whom?

why uncodified darkness>>
with dress of bright princess
take in arms and fly high>>
drop u down and break ur neck..

living for whom.. where the **** is life?
leaving all border cordoned..
amidst suffering and displeasure
disguised in fate and luck
we are here sent with-- life package

survive or die
clear map or get shot
what's aim? know anyone?
know?
know?
no?

living for whom, whom?

Life Blues 2: Where's the color?

Hi there! Well.... my life's blues continue.. My holi wasn't as colorful as i had thought it would be. In fact, it was colorful in a different way! Unlike every year, this year, i didn't play holi... :( Well, i'm not sad about it. I'm happy, rather, as i played with colors by painting. I was privileged to design a cover for my father's upcoming 8th publication: "Traditional Knowledge in Contemporary Societies". The cover looked somewhat like this:

But life continues to be dull, uncharismatic, not happening and more pain in the a**. I am right now at the crossroads of my academic career.. God knows what will happen.. No, i should know what will happen.. but kya karen, truth is- no one knows what will happen.

Sometimes i feel, being a debonair is better- no worries, no problems, only fun! But one cannot continue to be like this forever.. One has to get serious some time or the other. Incorrect! Look at DJs. They are cool, real debonair! They do what they love to do.. They needn't be seriously breaking their head managing recommendation letters from their professors. Rather, they bang their heads to something more jive, rocking and alive- music! And what's more-- you get fu***n paid for playing music and bringing many morons alive on the so called 'dance floor'! Life!

Well, not everyone can become a DJ. So that's the world's irony. And also my life's tragedy. 'Tragedy' would be too heavy a word; call it my life's 'misfortune'. But, it's not always wise to keep cursing your life. So what if you cannot become a DJ, become a dumb-headed-hysterical a****le! Life rocks! Surely.

Blank

I am just blank. I am lost. I'm lost don't know where... just lost. Life just became as blank and BLACK as my blog's background template! And just about right in time before the festival of colors! Black is the color! Crap!

Anyways, happy and colorful HOLI to all you colorful people out there.. and i hope i can make my monochrome holi a little colorful. Good luck and best wishes to all...

Life Blues

Life is full of ups and downs, they say. I am facing it now. I’ll come to the point right away. It has not been a very comfortable journey all these 21 years of my existence. I realized that I am fickle and it can be best explained from the fact that I am right now writing this for my blog, while I should’ve been preparing the draft for the letter of recommendation I need in order to apply to universities in the US, March 1 being the last date for one of them. Life is pathetically boring.

Love's day, folks!

Hey people! It's that time of the year when the celebration of LOVE is in full swing. Its the season of love, and love takes precedence over all other events this time 'round. Happy Valentine's Day to all- to the married, to the cupid-struck, to the amateurs, to the kids and also to the singles.

Love has no limits, no bar and no par. Love can just happen, can be emotional, physical, and also just friendly. Love need not be expressed, it speaks for itself. But this is the right time to express your love to 'the one'. Let this season of love bring lots of love and peace to all. Let's celebrate the most mysterious, enigmatic and charming emotion man shares with nature: love.

Cheers to the spirit of true love!

HAPPY 58th REPUBLIC DAY

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY, INDIA.

It feels really happy and gives a sense of patriotism on this day, when India became a Republic, 58 years ago. Watching the Republic Day Parade, live from New Delhi, it felt really refreshing and rejuvenating. The various cultural and patriotic programmes were very colorful and pleasing to the eyes. I'm sure, the chief guest, Hon'ble President of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Putin, must have enjoyed it the most. The parade gave a glimpse of the various cultural and geographical diversity India has. The parade showed the different military and defence power we have, the different dance forms in India, the different sates of India and their cultures, and very colorful dances by the school children from Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, etc.

It also made me feel proud to be born in the Land of Temples, Orissa, the cultural and historical heritage of which is unparalleled in the evolution of any land. I could feel the smell of my land and the belongingness to my home. It is absolutely refreshing and a matter of pride that we belong to this state and this nation. I wish my land, Orissa, advances by leaps and bounds and so does my country. And it goes without saying, that whatever we do, must be a contribution to the very cause of the progress of our nation.

JAI HIND!

My Golden Miss

May my Golden Miss glitter tonight. May she be loved by all. May she unleash the beauty and warmth of her smile and engulf the world. May my Golden Miss be loved, cared and pampered by all. May the light of good, faith, wisdom and love shower on her and keep her protected and cared. May hatred and darkness never prevail on my Golden Miss. May she have the best of everything life has to offer.

I wish my Golden Miss remains the way she is and keeps the spirit of nature's solidarity alive and remain as beautiful as ever. Wish that the Almighty takes away her tears and give her all the love and affection she deserves. I wish to see my Golden Miss in all her glory and shine above all mortals in this world.

May your heart live as beautifully and gracefully as ever and continue to fill love in my heart and bring smiles to all the lovely people around you. Love u, my Golden Miss.

Magical New Year 2007

I wish this new year brings lot of good luck, happiness and love to all mankind. Hope to see a more peaceful, joyous and magical world with good people. Hope this year is the year of no-wars, no-tension, no-nuclear weapons, no-conflicts, no-disaster and no-destruction. This year began on a very sad note with lots of people dying in a ferry-capsize in Indonesia, and lots of casualties in Iraq following execution of Saddam. I hope the trend doesn't continue and hope to see a peaceful world this year. May good sense prevail and magic spin happiness all over mankind. Have a magical year ahead!