Time pass...Tag!

1. What time did you get up this morning?

Embarrassing question. 9am. Now that was an early start. I usually wake up not before 10! Sorry! Early to bed and all aint my forte!

2. How do you like your steak?

Dont like steak.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Wait a sec, hmm, ah yes, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

4. What is your favorite TV show?

Dont have much to see on tele! All crappy stuff. But generally speaking, Prison Break, South Park and right now Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Okay, I know this is a trick question! If I dont say India, I wont be a patriot!

India of course but would love to visit UK someday.

6. What did you have for breakfast?

Rice and daal with potato chips cooked by mom. Love it! On holidays its usually bread n butter with a boiled egg.

7. What is your favourite cuisine?

Indian if cooked well. Else, Chinese.

8. What foods do you dislike?

All things supposedly essential for the body, like carrots, fish etc. Yea, I'm a Bengali and I hate fish!

9. Favourite Place to Eat?

Depends really.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?

I like to be driven by others. Say by a bus driver or a train driver!

12. What are your favourite clothes?

Jeans and tees.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?

UK, France, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the list goes on...

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

1/2 full usually, but hey sometimes 1/2 empty helps as well.

15. Where would you want to retire?

When I've become a successful doctor.

16. Favorite time of day?

Evening

17. Where were you born?

Now why would anyone even care! Unless you are preparing my horoscope!

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?

Cricket, tennis, football.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?

Lets see...dunno!

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?

Cmon next question plz!

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?

I hope this questionnaire has better things lined up.

22. Bird watcher?

Isnt everyone?

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Night is when the fun begins!

24. Do you have any pets?

Am already a pet!

25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?

Yeah! I screwed up my Ziehl Neelsen stain today!

26. What did you want to be when you were little?

An engineer

27. What is your best childhood memory?

Toyzzzzz!

28. Are you a cat or dog person?

I like woof more than meow.

29. Are you married?

Married to what? To my books, my PC? Yeah of course!

30. Always wear your seat belt?

Booooo!!!

31. Been in a car accident?

No but been witness to some horrific ones, unfortunately.

32. Any pet peeves?

Thats personal! I revolt!

33. Favourite Pizza Toppings?

Cheese of course!

34. Favourite Flower?

Rose

35. Favourite ice cream?

Cornetto

36. Favourite fast food restaurant?

McDonald

37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?

Hell lemme take it for the first time!

38. From whom did you get your last email?

A bot who tried to sell me ewwy enlargement stuff. (Sorry, the question was like that!)

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

Tough one, lets see...eZone, PlanetM, Music World. Or even better Amazon.com

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?

Not that I can recall.

41. Happy with your job?

Get me one first!

42. Broccoli?

Where's the bathroom?

43. What was your favorite vacation?

Rajasthan

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?

Friends

45. What are you listening to right now?

Stupid clicks of the mouse

46. What is your favorite color?

On my Bravia, green. Otherwise blue.

47. How many tattoos do you have?

One on my duodenum, which says "Frak", but you'd have to dissect my tummy to see that one.

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?

We'll see

49. In What time did you finish this quiz?

"In" what time? That'd be like 30-45 mins. Thats coz I was tweeting as well!

And "At" what time? Well, right now its around 2 am.

50. Coffee Drinker?

Is that a trick question?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dark times lie ahead!

These were the scenes at around 3 in the afternoon here today.

A very special moment!

Image via WikipediaSo right now the time is 12:34pm, and I'm assuming 56 seconds. And the date is 7/8/09 (or 7/8/9).

So that means - 123456789 are totally in sequence! This is a rare moment in history and will never come again!

Didnt want to let such a moment pass without "capturing" it.

Fuel emission cuts...is it really possible in India?

Image via WikipediaReducing fuel emissions in India is turning out to be more difficult than previously assumed, by not just the government but the entire administration! I'm specifically talking of Kolkata here which has experienced a drastic reduction in air pollution today, thanks to the ban of vehicles more than 15 years old plying in the city, as claimed by some of the leading newspapers.

Troubling also is the fact that various political parties right from the ruling leftists to the opposition have expressed their support towards the cause of the affected auto and bus drivers. There is of course valid reasons in them lending their support. They are fighting for the working class (now you might call this genuine concern or mere vote bank politics). Maybe the government should have been more proactive in implementing the ban of vehicles more than 15 years old months ago, but instead it chose to play the waiting game, something which I'm quite sure its regretting right now. Of course trying to implement the ban now, its facing stiff protests all over.

The fact remains, no matter what promises the government makes to the international community with respect to emission cuts, its not gonna hold true unless some serious grass root level remedial mechanism is set in place. At the moment a deep rooted grudge developing within all factions of the working class against the government. The public is angry about the absence of public transport on the roads, and the bus, taxi and auto drivers are obviously angry about losing their livelihood.

Even Delhi's LPG transformation wasnt without protests. However it was tactfully handled and now Delhi's a cleaner and greener city than Kolkata. I sincerely hope an amicable solution is worked out between the government and the fuming unions. No one's gaining from this irritating deadlock.

Of malls and recession...

Image via WikipediaMost of us in India have gotten used to shopping malls by now. The mall phenomenon kicked off quite late in this country, the first full fledged malls becoming popular only by 1999-2000.

The thing about malls is that you get everything under one roof, and you have the proper ambience to do so. Now whenever you visit a mall, you see hundreds of people taking a nice cat walk around the showrooms. And some daring to enter a few.

Okay, so here's the thing. How many of them are "actual buyers"? In other words, how many of them are NOT window shoppers? The answer and I'm sure you'll agree with me here, very few.

Malls these days have turned out to be some cool place to hang around with friends (not that I'm complaining). But I seriously wonder what the showroom owners have to say about this issue. I mean seriously, how many people do you see leaving a mall with bag full of goodies?

This is a report by MSN India back in July, 2008: Retails quit Mumbai malls over low sales

Now of course, the recent recession hasnt helped for sure. Footfall in malls have dropped significantly over the past few months. More links here:

• Recession Effect: No Buzz in Shopping Malls

• Malls register fewer footfalls Recession Effect

• Slowdown effect: stores pull out of high-end malls

Again, access is a huge issue. How many malls cater to the masses? Most malls are located in the poshest areas of a city and there's absolutely very little what I'd call penetration into the deeper areas of the country. Here's a report from The Telegraph about Book Stores in Kolkata: The city is set for a bookstore boom, but are there enough takers?

Also, there's an interesting report, again in The Telegraph, which talks about footfalls increasing only in times of mega bonanza and offers like that. Understandable I guess. Here's the link to that report: Retailers struggle to foot mall bill as footfalls drop and sales dip

Well, the thing is until the recession has passed I dont think the situation will improve. But malls are here to stay thats for sure.

Got a new Octane!

Mum and dad's marriage anniversary today and it was I who got a gift! :D