The man outside the toilet

There is a portly man who stands in the narrow passage that leads to the men's room of the pub i frequent.

He salutes everyone who goes to relieve himself, opens the door for them. He expects a tip maybe, but no one gives him anything. But i gave him an obscene amount of money today.

Certainly not out of largesse, but for the reason that i wonder what would be his motivation - to stand there each evening and do it over and over again, probably for a salary that is perhaps one twentieth of the average patron's bill.

If he can do that crap job with a smile, so can i do mine. Because of him, i don't hate my job anymore. I must count my blessings for what i am able to take home each month, and what i can spend in that pub....

For the loudest laugh in days

Stephen Pastis is at it again.... he outdoes it himself over and over

Here, enjoy it for yourself

Pearls Before Swine rocks !!

And I thought I had seen it all..

Late night TV these days usuall consists of downright hilarious Teleshopping ads peddling anything from slimming tablets, fancy kitchen implements or gemstones (the K'Ekta Kapur variety) promising untold fortunes.

But what turned up in an ad on my Facebook home page takes the cake - it sells 'Luxury Mangalsutras'!! Didn't know that these to came in the Bentley / Rolls Royce version !! But what takes the cake is the name of the website peddling them, it's called www.stylevati.com - now that takes full marks for ingenuity from me...

Here's a reproduction of the ad - see it for yourself

Luxury Mangalsutra

At Stylevati.com, our philosophy is simple, offer high-class glamorous Mangalsutra designs and jewelry at outstanding prices.

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(by the way, Google Chrome advises against visiting the site as it appears to host malware... so browse at your own risk)

Two Damn Cool Movie Intros

Two of my favourite movies have their intro set to two of my favourite songs.

Gone In 60 Seconds - Flower by Moby

Dangerous Minds - Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio featuring LV

By the way, is it a coincidence that Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer of both films?

The Wait and the Waitlisted

These two images were taken during the course of my train travels across the country. The first, was taken at Kanpur station on a winter night where these two gentlemen patiently waited for their train to take them back to their village.



The other one was taken at Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh. As my Bombay bound train halted for a brief while, wait-listed passengers pleaded with the TTE for a berth just to able to spend the New Year with their families.



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Image Details: The Wait
Camera: Sony DSC-P41
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 1.3 sec
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: ISO 100

Image Details: The Wait
Camera: Sony DSC-P41
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 1 sec
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: ISO 320

Travel

Station platforms on a cold evening
The smell of chai and bread omelette...

Cheap paperbacks at a bus stand
Conductors screaming at the top of their voices...

Rum and coke in shady bars with red and green light bulbs
Thick cigarette smoke hanging in the air...

Butter chicken and naan at the highway dhaba
Truckers' tales, Country Liquor on a charpoy...

Side lower berth during monsoon days
Pearls of water dripping from the window bars...

Mountain air burning my nostrils
The sun rising over the snowy peaks...