Check this out: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3891472. Are these guys for real? I guess it is the aliens who should formulate guidelines for how they should evacuate their spaceships if they abduct any politician by mistake ;-)

So finally, it is death penalty for Kasab! My joy at this verdict was short-lived when I read that it might be years before he is actually executed :-(

I didn't find it amusing that the people of Kasab's native place in Pakistan were hoping that he will be declared not guilty. They have to be particularly naive or stupid or insanely optimistic if they really hoped so.

The newspapers have already started polling as to whether he should be hanged or not. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, a killer of so many people should not be kept alive in life imprisonment on taxpayers' money. I, for one, refuse to spend even a single rupee for his food and upkeep. And he is unlikely to suffer for any of his actions during those long years if he believes that he is going to heaven finally. So Capital punishment seems good - public hanging looks even better.

On the other hand, why give him such an easy death? Let him rot in the cell somewhere while the world and life passes him by. At least we will be delaying his entry into the heaven by a few years while he stews on earth.

Let's see what happens on 6th May.

If there is one thing common between all the "oh-God-it's-the-end-of-the-world" movies, it is that the protagonist is estranged from his family. So I was taken aback to find a wife and teenager son in tow with the protagonist in "Polar Storm". "At least this one has his home front in order" - I guess I said it a bit too soon because in a moment the wife complained to her husband that it is precisely his workaholic nature that makes their son think that he does not love him. A few scenes later the son refused to look at his dad as he sent them to safety while himself heading for work. And then a long-estranged granddad, nothing less than a General, crawled out of the woodwork to help his son save the world.

When I heard the US Prez declare that all their submarines have been rendered useless by the magnetic storms, a word popped into my mind "Russia". And sure enough, it was Russians to the rescue to join the Americans in saving the mankind from extinction. I cried tears of joy at this reel life unity.

Needless to say, I watched this movie till the end despite these cliches. I am still trying to figure out just why some of us love these Armageddon movies when the threat seems more real than imaginary these days? :-(

The other day I came across a Chinese movie while surfing the channels. I think it was Shaolin Soccer but I am not sure. There was one scene in which the protagonist goes looking for some woman. He ends up at the bakery she used to work for. The owner there tells him that she was sacked sometime back. When he asks why she says that the lady, who was once famous for her sweet breads - was turning out salty breads since past few days. On hearing this, our hero imagines the lady kneading the dough at her work table and crying as she misses him. He realizes that it were her tears falling into the dough that were making the bread salty!

I am not sure if this was supposed to be something romantic but my stomach fairly churned at the thought of someone's tears mixing with the dough of my bread. Eeeeewwwww!

Sparrow Shelters

If you have been missing the playful little birdies in your garden or on your window sills, check this site out: http://www.sparrowshelter.org/

I went to 3 photo exhibitions in the city yesterday evening.

One captured places and faces in what appeared to be the Northeastern region of India - loads of greenery and vast landscape, something which has been disappearing at an alarming rate in the cities.

The second had aerial snaps of important places in Maharashtra - such as temples, rivers and forts. Overall it was fun to see these places from such a unique angle but sadly it also captured the slums that have encroached illegally around many :-(

The last exhibition featured photos of flora and fauna at different places in Maharashtra. I remember standing still in front of 2 photos that captured a solitary tree against the evening sky. Spellbinding, I say!

Needless to say, these exhibitions reminded me once again of the promise that I have made myself years ago - to wander along across the country capturing its landscape and people. There is no question of 'if", but of "when".

With this salve applied generously to my city-born and city-torn soul, I plunge into another crazy week till I am able to say again "Thank God It's Friday"! :-)

Have a good week ahead folks!

So far so good. We managed to hold on our own against the South Africans. I get to live for another day! But I must say that as long as Jacques Kallis was on the field I was apprehensive about our chances.

Looking at the Aussies' play - at least till before the last over - I hope and pray that we don't run into them. If that happens, pacemaker will be a good investment for me because I am sure my heart will not stand the strain. ;-) Speaking of this match, can someone please ask the Pakistani wicketkeeper to keep his mouth shut? He was shouting all the time and I am still wondering why no Aussie player reacted to it.

These days I have been finding it increasingly harder to figure out what the ad is all about before it ends. A case in point is the Spice mobile ad. I had to watch it thrice before I could figure out why the husband asks his angry wife to brain him with their digicam and still I am not sure I have understood the ad properly.

The next one that brings my blood close to boiling point is the Maazaa one in which the husband is so fond of mangoes that he practically stays on it. I mean, c'mon guys, banality does have its limit, doesn't it?

The lesser said about the new Zatak ad, the better! :-(

But I like the Reliance wireless ad in which they give up the newborn pups for adoption. Max Bupa health insurance ad is also nicely done. Of course, such good ads are becoming an exception rather than a rule these days :-(

I am sickeningly superstitious about this, I know. I am even afraid to be happy about India's win over Afghanistan (I wouldn't call it an easy win as we lost 3 wickets to the minnows). My heart was in my mouth when Dhoni hit 2 sixes in the end as I kept on imagining someone just at the boundary ready to take the catch!

And today we are playing against the South Africans! I hope we win and if we do, I hope I survive to watch that. At this rate, I am going to die of cardiac before the T20 WC is over :-(

Well, all the best to the team!

The Hollow - by Nora Roberts

I must confess, it was like walking in on a movie after about a third of it is over. You grope in the dark for some time before you can find your chair and the storyline! But the fault was entirely mine as I picked up this book not knowing that it is the 2nd one in the Sign of Seven Trilogy.

So it took me some time to understand who Hawkins, Hester Deale and Giles Dent are. Somewhere along the way I fugured just who in the hell is Twisse (Pun absolutely intended!). It all starts with 3 boys - Cal, Gage and Fox - who decide to celebrate their 10th birthday near an ancient pagan stone in the woods. Thanks to a blood ritual that they carry out, they unleash an ancient demon, Twisse, who starts plaguing their little village for 7 days, in the 7th month, every 7 years!

It turns out that the boys are the descendants of one Giles Dent, a Guardian who had imprisoned the demon in the stone in the 1st place. In this 2nd novel, they are joined by 3 ladies (do I need to mention that they are gorgeous?) - Cybil, Quinn and Layla - who are descendants of Twisse but are equally determined to send him back thttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4092021796219037880o where he has come from.

An entertaining read if you remember to read the novels in their proper order, which I of course didn't. There is no reason for me to go back to the first novel of the series - Blood Brothers. So I have asked the attendant at the library to find out if they have the last one - The Pagan Stone.