SNS / FNS ???

Social Networking Sites (SNS) when arrived, came across as a great source to hangout with your buddies on the web space. With a series applications buzzing in the Networking slot, these sites are becoming the coolest, trendiest and amazing sources to connect with your dearies. These sites paving way to daily or weekend hangouts on the virtual web space complement our fast pace routines and break-neck schedules that we hung ourselves onto. It's simply great to have your buzzing folk fraternity to hangout with you and keep you updated about the fraternity meets and tweets.

The fad of SNS hit off well with the Indian community round the globe like their fellow tweety counterparts mapped across the planet. But sensing the excitement of an average Big Fat Indian Family, SNS was a kind of boon to locate your long lost bhai & bhabhi, jiji & jijaaji, chachaji & chachiji, phuphajji, buaji, etc. etc. etc. the list is endless. GOSH!!! Unlike the westerners, who merely acknowledge their kins or shoo them off declining any kind of 'add me requests', Indians are more prone to get jammed in the family network on this web space. This is what exactly turning SNS into FNS (Family Networking Sites). With your siblings and cousins tresspassing into your friend-list spaces and jamming in wall-to-wall posts commenting on family occassions & their Khule-aam opinions like "Twinkle bua looking funny doing those bhangra-ballet sequence" and "Puneet chachu looking pretty dumped in his weekend family trip to Mahabaleshwar with his only wife"... arghhhhhh... Only wife??? What do you mean by that? Apart from these scrapy siblings, there is a batch of chachu's and mamu's eyeing your profiles, to fix you up virtually with your folks "hmmm kuch toh baat hai..." Ufff...

And if this is not all, there are your bade bujurg lining up to join you on the SNS. For them, the last name does the trick. If you have your last name on your profile, boss tab toh aap phass gaye. They look for the communities of the family last names and knock you down with their 'add-me requests'. Hell... and how can you decline their request which reads, "Hello beta, this is your Binny mausi here... good to join you." And what next, you accept their request and they enter your list of buddies :( Once they join you, its like meeting one and all of your long lost kins across boundaries raining in. Alas you have an unlicensed and unwanted family tree application loaded in your profile. Probably one of the deadliest weapon on your applications list. While you enter the zone of SNS for 'nurturing' your social life looking forward to entertaining tweets, happening wall posts, casual scraps or netblogs, your kins follow suit like 'one big happy joint family' there too with no chance to keep you hep & pepped up on your SNS profiling space while you still keep praying -

"Give Me some sunshine

Give Me some space

Give Me another chance

I wanna grow up once again."

How much public is personal tweeting?

With the on-going trend of posting oneself apparently on the web, privacy settings on Social Networking Sites (SNS) may take a nap. Everytime you open your home page on an SNS, you get a list of notifications about 'X' is out for a bash, 'Y' is pissed off with the routine schedules, 'Z' is healing his broken heart yet again. Besides those minute-to-minute detailing with a potful of comments toss you further to a 'Like it' or 'Report abuse' dilemma. Ufff... Boss, does it really matter to the world what you are upto?

Your profile which is already laden with numerous applications exhibiting your talent studded persona already gives you that coveted edgy level, screaming 'I m what I am'... But again you bring in those status messages, wall posts and tweets to redefine your statement which changes every moment... And you make it sure your friends and followers know the new thing you are in. This surely gets you that fraction seconds of fame in your tweeting fraternity but yet again its "NOW HERE, tomorrow NOWHERE syndrome". It the same you but with a confused mind, an even confused attitude, a super confusing status message and a 'ohh not again' response on part of your folks.

At times these tweeting changes do deck up your profile with wow-something-new-&-interesting factor for fortnightly followers. It makes them feel like back after a long unposting spree. Well, kind of a feel good factor. It urges them to contribute on there part to the 'tweetfolk culture' and jingle a bit here and bit there for still being part of the 'tweetery club'... These are the Happy Hours or rather Happy Minutes!

Wall posts and Tweets do pep up your profile and boosts your mental immune systems on an SNS wherein you need to showcase your 'Kewl Image'. But at times a lot of postings may confuse your folks about your multi-tasking talent leaving them no option than to post blank comments with Emoticons - :) / :P / ;) /:D / :- ...... They mean a lot and often pose as 'relief mechanisms' to save one from constant tweet bombarding by your sweet folks.

These minute postings also at times blend your personal and professional images with a dash of schizophrenic personality traits (Opps!!) With all your directors, boses and colleagues going tweet, tweet, tweet forming a virtual 'Net' of Company web board meet in this networking space, wonder how each one would react to one another's social profiling.

The prime reason for me to start blogging was to actually get back to the casual writing I did for my college mags. After doing my Masters in English Literature - a two years 'penance' in literary theories and criticism, I personally felt my vocab getting too heavy. But it was great dodging with theories and ideologies from the early Victorian era to more comtemporary world literature. After bloating happily amidst the fictionary phase of university life, I felt interested next in Journalistic writing which seemed more practical. This again was another phase of testing my writing skills - getting factual and report sensative! After an year's stint at the Somaiya Institute of Journalism and Mass communications, I joined a Children's magazine dealing with a variety of features. This was yet another phase of my writng potential where I dealt with topics for children. Never thought I would get back to child psychology yet again after studying it as a favoured option at my undergraduate level. Thus from literary notes to journalistic facts to a sneak peak into kiddie talents, I was going places with my 'Art of Writing'! Discovering one's niche (in this case about writing) is vital to one's stability and this is what prompted me to get back to my casual self blogging about what I actually am. My casual writing is an intricate part of my personality which I pledge to henceforth retain.

Breakfasts from around the world
(Art. from Bombay Times, 24th feb. 2010)

It's true that Indians are considered the most eligible tourists across the globe thanks to our zest for travel and our growing spending powers. However, sitting right here in Mumbai, a traveller's delight of local cuisines from various parts of the world can make for an interesting start to the day. All you need to do so is eat an authentic international meal or give it a twist by Indianising it by substituting some ingredients to make for a innovative international breakfast. Read on, this one's bound to tickle your palate.

JAPAN

Let's start with Japan - Land of the Rising sun. Traditional Japanese breakfast is based on rice, seafood and fermented foods, which do not differ substantially from dishes eaten at other meals in Japanese cuisines. An exception is Natto (a type of fermented soybeans), which is most popularly eaten for breakfast. A typical Japanese restaurant breakfast presentation would be Miso soup, rice with Nori or other garnishes, Natto, rice porridge, grilled fish, raw egg and pickled vegetables.

SPAIN

The entire cuisine is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround this beautiful country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to an array of unique cuisines with literally thousands of recipes and flavours. These meals are also renowned for their health benefits and fresh ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, Spanish cuisine is actually less spicy in comparison to its North American counterpart, Mexican cuisine. A simple breakfast here includes Churros (warm fritters) with hot chocolate for dipping.

TURKEY

Take a keen notes of the Turkish words, which sound like Hindi words with a twing. A typical Turkish breakfast consists of Cheese (Beyaz Peynir, Kasar, etc.), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, recel (jam or marmalade; a preserve of whole fruits) and honey usually consumed on top of Kaymak. Spicy Turkish sausage (Sucuk), Pastirma, Borek, Simit, Pogaca and even soups can be taken as a morning meal in Turkey. Perhaps more so than traditional breads such as Pide, a French style crusty white loaf which is widely consumed. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called Menemen, which is prepared with roasted tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, black tea is served at breakfast. Roadside eateries are a visual delight with its traditional glassware and wooden chairs.

SRI LANKA

This one's similar to Indian breakfast, naturally due its geographical proximity to India. The Singhalese traditional breakfast usually includes fresh (hot) bread, roti, pittu (rice or maniputti), string hoppers, hoppers, milk, rice, appam, or green gram. These are eaten with curry (meat or vegetable), sambol (coconut, maldive fish or seeni-onion fried with chilli and sugar) or with jaggery and plantains. Sri Lankans also have a traditional soup-like drink called Kanda. A typical everyday breakfast can simply consist of 'brother bread' with butter, and cheese or jam, plantain banana and tea.

CAMBODIA

In Cambodia , rice congee (babaw) is widely eaten for breakfast. Plain congee is typically eaten with salted eggs, pickled vegetables, or dried fish. Chicken congee, and seafood congee are also commonly eaten. Cambodians also enjoy rice served with sliced pork or chicken with pickled vegetables or a noodle dish (usually a noodle soup called Khtieau).

AUSTRALIA

The typical breakfast of Australians strongly resembles breakfast in many Western countries. Owing to the warm weather in some parts of Australia, breakfast is generally light but in the colder regions porridge or meals similar to the full English breakfast may be consumed. The light breakfast commonly consists of cereals, toast (with a spread) and fruit. A heavier cooked breakfast often includes fried bacon, egg, mushroom, baked beans, sausages, tomatoes, toast with spread. Drinks taken at breakfast include tea, coffee, flavoured milk or juice. A popular breakfast food in Australia is Vegemite, a black, salty spread similar to Marmite, applied to toast or bread.

SWEDEN

Swedish cuisine, like that of the other Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Finland), was traditionally simple. Fish (particularly herring), meat and potatoes played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam; pancakes, lutfisk, and Smorgasbord, or lavish buffet. Akvavit is a popular alcoholic distilled beverage, and the drinking of snaps is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry crisp bread has developed into several contemporary variants. Breakfast many times includes Filmjolk (sour-milk yogurt) with muesli and banana slices.

Harishchandrachi factory (2010)

In the midst of the Sena-MNS Marathi drama, director Paresh Mokashi's Academy nominated film 'Harishchandrachi Factory' was a breather in apt sense.

Based on the making of the first Indian film 'Raja Harishchandra' by the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke referred as the Father of Indian cinema, the film explicitly brings out the passion of the man who pioneered the art of motion pictures in India.

Right from the start, the script gels well with the period of early 20th century India with the portrayal of a maverick man Dadasaheb Phalke jumping from one business to another, finally setting up one of the largest industry of films in the nation with his sole passion of making motion pictures.

The lead actor Nandu Madhav who plays the character of Phalke, aptly brings out the passion of the legend in true sense with his dialogue delivery and performance. He epitomises Dadasaheb Phalke on the screen with his sincere act. The sheer modesty and learning appetite of Dadasaheb was portrayed amazingly with the fine nuances with his commendable act. The immediate Phalke kutumb - his wife Saraswati (Vibhavari Deshpande), his elder son Babarai (Ambarish Deshpannde) and younger son (Mohit Gokhale) has justified the eventful era with equal grace. The rest of the crew consists of numerous Marathi stage actors along with the foreign artists who play their parts with great consistency. The depiction of the age of industrial revolution was displayed in glimpses with the excellent portrayals of the Mumbai trams, tent theatres and various modes of entertainment for young and the adults alike.

All in all, portraying a legend in a mere span of 96 minutes which is actually a tough job is presented like a hilarious and pleasant ride. The climax grasps the audience with sheer pride for the man who enlightened the screen with his photogenic ideology. At the end of the movie, there was just one emotion I felt - to give a standing ovation to the Man who pioneered the Indian film industry and to whom we owe the magic called Cinema decked up with his utter dedication and vision.

It's been a long time I have visited my own blog.... As work and stuff kept me busy with things else than blogging, (not like they are not keeping me busy now) it's time I continue publishing matter on my blog... I wouldn't surely get a hang of it in just a few days, but I would definitely make sure I don't hang up my blog for this long...

hello every1 !!!

finally m putting in some opening words to my blog. Frankly speaking m not at all a tech-savvy person. But now that its sort of the latest trend of expressing oneself on a public dias, i thought chalo why not give it a try...