Je suis Apprendre le Français

Ok. Let me tell you in the beginning itself that learning French is not an easy task. Although it shows close similarity with French, but you if listen and try to understand French with your English background then you will totally fail. To learn a language like French, it's a must that you join special classes where you are taught the real and actual pronunciation of the words.
I wanted to learn join some such class after landing in Paris. But things didn’t worked out although I tried a lot. With time I gave up plans to learn French and was managing with simple words like Bon jour and merci, which you have to use atleast 15-20 times in a day.
But later on when I made some friends, I decided to learn French in a different way managing my busy schedule.
So I told my colleagues to teach me some sentences whenever possible. I will learn them. This way I will learn some sentences plus I will get introduced in a quick and easy way to sentence formation and pronunciation of different words. So even if I learn say 30 sentences, then i am introduced to some 30 verbs which is quite enough to make simple sentences and convey your message.
In this my friend Yasmine started helping me to begin with. With time some more names added with Edith, David, Amy started giving inputs from their side. But as is the case, consistency is very much necessary to make something successful. My busy schedule in between time drifted me away from this practise and it is foolish ness to expect it from others when you yoursel are not upto it.
But recently Yasmine realised this gap and tried reinitiating the practise. But i had lost the path totally. She soon realised that all her efforts are going in vain with me failing to recollect simple sentences and words.
So last week she scared me with the fear of taking an exam. This struck me badly since it has been long time I appeared for any exam. I tried to avoid it some or other way but Yasmine is a tough person to deal with. She along with Edith set up an exam for me and scheduled it for today. I was supposed to sit and prepare for exam on week end but as always is the case, fell asleep all the time i opened my written French notes. People normally have Monday blues, but today morning I had Monday black, blue white, yellow, red and all others you can think of. It was not just the fear of exam that was in but the fact that everybody in the group had come to know about my exam. Infact on Friday everybody tried to make me realize that I had an exam on Monday.
Monday morning was no different. I was feeling all the eyes on me. Everybody wished me good luck on the coffee table. Yasmine was not present on the table. I thought , maybe she is not well and not coming or very busy in work and wont get time to take my exam. But later on I realized that the exam is inevitable. Most of the group members had spend some time setting up question paper fo me. Every body had it except for me. So, if not Yasmine, somebody else would have made me take my exam.
I guess you can make out the kind of tension building up on me. Infact , when i went for lunch, the lady at the counter asked me some routine question. But I heard it as if she is asking, “Are you ready for the exam? ”Was I imagining or was it real?
I think then she understood that I am under a big stress so she asked me just move ahead. Even I moved ahead with out trying to understand what she really asked. I guess you also must have been through this situation at some point of the time.
And then it was the time. Professor Yasmine entered my office. She commanded me to keep all the notes away. Put off the monitor. She changed the password so that I can’t login. Gave me the paper and told me what I have to do. Well i guess that was not enough so she told me that you have only 20 mins to solve the paper and half hour as mentioned and made David keep a check on me. I even doubt she had arranged for some cameras in some corners of my office. I tried to search them through the corner of my eyes but couldn’t find any in that tensed situation. One relief given was spelling mistakes were totally allowed, since this was not the exam of my writing skills.
I tried my best to solve the paper and was writing till the last fraction of last second of last minute when yasmine barged into the office and snatched it out of my hands busy writing those last few important words which you remember only in finishing moments.
So, there my paper was gone and I was waiting for results. Did I tell you the options for my fate after the result. I had to score atleast 10 marks out of 20 to avoid any embarrassing situation. If less than 10, then I am vulnerable to any punishment coming my way. And if more than 10 and efforts appreciated then I may get!!! Yes may get some gift for encouragement.

Well the results were out soon and I am posting the corrected paper here.Yes!!!! I scored 18 out of 20. The two examiners came in my office with the result sheet. Check my performance.





If you haven’t understood last few words in my essay on 2nd page end, I will explain. Towards the end, I wrote in the essay that “the paper was very difficult and not at all simple. And I need a coffee now and that is very urgent”. Well thats what I meant to write. What I actually wrote might be different in meaning. But I guess the examiner understood what i wanted to write, because they came with a cup of coffee in their hand for me.
Professor Yasmine and Professor Edith honoured me with these instant gifts.

They also mentioned that since it was totally unexpected result so they were not prepared with the gift today. This is a compensatory gift and you shall get your real gift tomorrow.
So friends, I am done with my exam. I am going to sleep imagining about the possible gift coming my way. The night after exam and result is so calm. I am going it enjoy it after a long long time.

Its time for Ciesta

After three days holiday everybody is back to work? Well not sure if they are really back to work, but at least to the working place. Actually not all people could make it to office today. There is some kind of strike with bus. Only option left then is personal vehicle or another route via train (RER) and then climbing the mountain.
So, those who possess cars are here and some others, like me who either were not aware of this strike or those used to climbing hill again like me (I fall in both categories) are here.
Its a sunny day.
Sun makes Europeans cheerful, it being a rare view here.
And if they have good food for lunch then they are very happy.
A good lunch and then a lazy walk to the nearby lake take up most of the working hours.
Now this sun has a charismatic effect.
It slowly starts making the screen in front of you go blur as you start reading a scientific article on it.
Very soon you realize that you are trying to read the same line for last fifteen minutes. Few minutes later even this sense starts fading out and you start struggling to concentrate on screen.
Its then more sensible to accept that you fall for ciesta and enjoy those few minutes of quick nap. And if at such a moment sunlight is directly falling at you, you are the luckiest person.
I did not realized when I fall for it and lost my conscious.
Then something strikes in mind and I felt not following the ethics of work place.
With too much efforts I come out of that charm.
My colleague sitting table next advices in his Frenchish English to continue it making me realize it is a holy act.
This was a very favorable situation and I did not tried to argue on the issue.
Both of us sink into the holy Ciesta.
20 minutes later, with a fresh mind and a cup of hot tea, now I am ready to post this on my many days untouched blog.
Enjoy the Sun when its cool.

Khichadi !!!!

So, we had a situation here today night. After a break of 2 days at weekend, everybody was lazy to cook and was looking at each other with ray of hope that somebody will take initiative. After many attempts of pushing ball in each others court, finally I guess Vijay lost the interest in the game and decided to make this memorable Khichadi. Now, if you are thinking that Khichadi was something out of the world and in next few lines I am going to give you tips on how to make this khichadi, then you are wrong. The khichadi was no doubt good, but a regular one of Vijay's one of specialties.
What made me write this post are the activities we had to take up after the khichadi was ready to eat.Because of our involvement in the game I discussed above, it was around 10.30 by the time Khichadi was ready. With our empty stomachs and empty plates we gathered around the pressure cooker and were awaiting the moment when it will be opened.But we were compelled to take an unexpected break when Vijay helplessly declared that the cooker is not opening. We all initially tried making fun of him saying empty stomach has made him crazy. But soon realized that he was right. We tried all simple tricks known to each of us but in vain. Then we tried different techniques which came in our scientific minds, but again with no result. Finally Vijay and Sreekanth seriously tried opening the lid the way you can see in this video.

I could record only one minute of their sincere efforts which in the end turn positive. Finally the lid opened and we had a glance at khichadi. That was I guess one of the moment memorable moment. Check for yourself.

Dawn Brancheau

Dawn Brancheau
Do you know this name? NO!!
Well till few minutes back, even I wasn't aware.
These two news piece introduced it to me, but I guess its very late. You may follow the links to know why.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Whale-kills-trainer-as-horrified-spectators-watch/articleshow/5614106.cms

and

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/02/25/2010-02-25_she_lived_her_dream_at_seaworld.html





Yes the story is very sad. But I want to point out one thing here. No matter what you do, you can never understand animal nature. You may be Dawn Brancheau or Steve Irwin, you can't get them. Do not try to mold them as per you wish and need. They are animals and that is how they live. Stay away, let them live and live yourself.

So, just stop interfering their lives under the name of animal love, study, science, care, protection and yes money and business. They don't need our any kind of help.
Let them live their life and let nature decide their fate. Doesn't matter if tigers vanish after few years but let nature decide it. Doesn't matter if Dolphins become a rare species. You don't kill it.

Buzz!!!

A quick post!!

I see the signs of hurricane coming our way!!

Its name is buzz!!

Think you heard about it. must be.
Now, you see a word buzz just below inbox in gmail.
That is some new addition to gmail.
I am not sure how useful it is.
Was trying to explore it with Dr. P.
Well, haven't come across any benefits yet except that it has given me a new way to advertise me.
I have started with my blog link.

Let me think of some more ways to make use of it, till then guys

Keep buzzing!!!

Update: Buzz would add lots and lots of emails to your inbox. I mean it updates Buzz, but it also sends you an email!!
If 20 people buzz you that adds 20 new mails to your inbox!!And most of them wouldn't be serious work. I might not like it. But I am also wondering if I will receive one mail sent for each comment for each buzz or only one mail for say one buzz irrespective of how many people commented for that one buzz!!!
Confusing you!!
Quite possible since even I am myself confused.
So, lets buzz and get confused!!

Paris Travelling

For a person, who comes from a city like Pune, any kind of public transportation is good, if not fantastic or superb. Pune, is a place where you do not see a bus if you wait less than one hour at bus stop, a place where you spend more on autorickshaw than on any intercity travel like Pune-Bombay, a place where shared rickshaw means trying to share a 4 person vehicle among minimum 10 if you are lucky, a place where you might faint if ought to spend half an hour on railway platform. Pune is a place where people prefer personal vehicle to travel from corner to corner of city and avoid public vehicles for above said reasons. It has the maximum number of vehicles 25 lakhs (including 2 and wheelers), not just in India but in whole of Asia, or may be in the world.
So, for a person, who come out after receiving such a rigorous training and has attained such expertise in travelling in adverse condition and carry lot of patience to wait to transportation, anything even slightly better is great. I have actually left using these public transports so many years back that if a situation arise where I am compelled to use it, I prefer to walk or start thinking of a friend’s home nearby whose vehicle I can borrow. If such a public transport phobic person arrives at a place like Paris which is known to have not good but very good public transportation, imagine his situation.
When I came to Paris, in not time I was introduced to public transportation. The Paris airport Charles de Gaulle is quite far from the Paris city. There are two ways to reach your destination from airport. First, if somebody comes to pick you up. This normally doesn’t happen. The people here are very smart. They very well know that airport is very far away and it makes one spend lot of Euros from their pocket. So they sophisticatedly plan to move out of city for just that one day and make you get introduced to public transport. Well, I don’t blame them because even I realised that it is a bit heavy burden on pocket as well as time. Just to share with you, I learnt this lesson quickly and in fact implemented on it when one of my friend Mr. V was arriving in Paris a month later. So, just a tip, don’t get surprised, if your host from Paris has to coincidentally move out of city the same day you arrive.
Anyway, coming back to the topic, I had to take train to reach the place where I stay. Although my host had given me all the instructions, still you get apprehensive when in a new land with no knowledge of language. But I must say, it went down rather smoothly with me taking right train to reach the destination without asking a single person a single question.



The trains which commute in the city and the outskirts are known as RER (Réseau Express Régional, meaning Regional Express Network).


Now, from my experience, do not try to ask about RER with your English pronunciation. R here is pronounced in way different manner and it might take as good as 5 minutes for a Frenchman to realise that you are asking about RER station. You might end up leaving 2 trains in the mean time. So, either learn French or search yourself. I use both the methods as per my calibre.




I found RER a rather convenient option because of its frequency and its coverage area. It offers you a good option to reach from one corner to another of Paris in least possible time. Most of time, it’s not crowded, and so you get good seat and chance to get quick nap. This makes you freshen up by the time you reach destination.

Moreover RER stations are very well connected to other transportation facilities that make commutation even better. Having praised RER so much, I must point out one negative aspect of it. To my surprise, I was introduced to strikes in different unions in RER within the first week of arrival. Yes, RER strikes are quite common and people here are very much used to it. But, Unlike Indian strikers, these people do care about passengers at the same time and in spite of strike you see RER running on rail. In such situations the frequency decreases, crowd increases and then it sometimes remind me the very old days I spent in Pune bus.



But thanks to these strikes, I was introduced to another powerful transportation medium that is bus. Bus transportation is equally good and help many people commute daily. The buses are well maintained with air conditioning facilities. The bus stops are normally small in size. One of the walls would have the daily timing for all the buses stopping there, the maps that these buses follow and a digital clock showing real time and the timing of next expected bus. I was surprised when I saw a bus arriving at the bus stop at sharp time. Till then, I had a feeling that following timing might be a case for trains, but for bus, impossible. I saw it happening here.



Other than this, Paris also has a web of metro trains which run with in the city. There is a very complex web including RERs and metro. One might get totally lost realizing its vastness, but thanks to the information available at every corner that even a newbie with no French language base can roam around easily.


I am not yet done because still one more mode of transport is left to talk about. They are the Trams. One must take Tram at least once in Paris. I found Trams as the most sophisticated mode of transport among all four talked about above. I do not want to compare this Tram with the one running in Kolkota. I can think of only similarity in two and that is the name “ Tram”.
Having said that all these transportation modes are very well interconnected, one questions arises, “how are the modes to use these modes are maintained?”. Even that is very smooth. You can either buy one ticket that you can use on all these modes, or on selected ones. Or you can buy a monthly Novigo pass to move around anywhere, anyway, any number of times. Just want to share, the protocol I was thinking about to exist Pune buses to reduce arguments between conductor and passengers on money matters, I actually see it here existing. So, I wasn’t thinking impossible.

With all these transportation facilities, I doubt anybody would think or need private taxis for their service. But just for information, they do exist here, but hardly seen running on the streets.


It’s getting too long, but I cannot end the post without the mention of TGV, Eurostar and the internal cycle system in Paris. To mention in one liner, TGV is intercity mode of transport that has engine running fastest in the world.

You can take Eurostar to travel to Belgium or to England via undersea Eurotunnel.



You can take bicycle parked on the streets with the help of Novigo pass and ride around for very cheap.
I am not writing much about them since I haven’t used them yet.
Now I am left in awe when I see people here sometimes complaining about the bad status of transportation and compare it with one in Germany. This on one side makes me anxious to visit Germany to experience one the best transportations in world but it also makes me nervous when I realise that I finally have to travel on the old roots of my hometown.

3 Idiots

I finally saw 3 Idiots. After reading so many reviews about the movie by some renowned reviewers and listening comments of close by friends, the movie had become an important issue and I was dying to watch this movie. So, the one chance I got to see the movie, I grabbed it.
So much has already been written the movie that it virtually leaves nothing to write. But among these, only one review was “jara hatke”. (http://shobhaade.blogspot.com/2010/01/so-who-is-idiot-huh.html). And I totally agree with the initial lines. “Okay. I saw it. And liked it. Liked. Not loved.”
Why?
I can give many reasons for that.
One foremost reason, may be, I had too high expectations. But of course one must keep high expectations with a movie that earns 300 crores in just 10 days!
Now I will point out what I didn’t liked and what I did.

The name itself is not correct. There were no 3 idiots. The movie was all about one idiot. Right from beginning to the end, there was only one, Aamir Khan.

The ragging session was bit absurd. Only one senior in charge and rarely any other senior in view! Looked like juniors were doing their own ragging sessions as if it was an assignment. Do you remember any senior fellow actually looking at the James bond act of Chatur. I guess nobody. I found it less of ragging session but more of mental asylum scene.



Making juniors remove all their cloth is I guess the favorite ragging method known to the Bollywood director. We saw the same in Munnabhai MBBS. And I know the director of 2 movies is the same person.

Giving shocking treatment to senior to avoid ragging was interesting to watch. But showing the use of same trick in the end was totally unnecessary and I guess it was boasting idea on kids and young guys.

Zip, unzip to define machine might be acceptable in case of a student, but if a faculty repeating the same act in front of whole class is not. I feel the faculty still is a respectable person in India and doesn't do such acts in class. At least I haven't seen it.

I am still looking for a college, institute where any student directly approaches the Dean, Director, Principal just to ask the date of convocation so that his father could book the tickets in time. He should have contacted the office. Poor guy would have lived few more days and completed his project.

Suicide definitely has become a center point of the movie. Talk about 3 suicides (if I haven't missed any else). I guess only Sharman Joshi's mental situation was understandable to take decision of attempting suicide. Rest two, I guess were unnecessary.

Instead of himself trying and giving surprise to “Joy” with his completed project, Rancho should have been shown helping the guy doing his project in some or the other way. If the guy had so much self respect that he committed suicide just because Virus said he won’t graduate and showed no interest in his project, then I guess he would have discouraged more knowing that a junior without much prior knowledge about project could easily finish his project which he failed. I guess he would then have committed suicide in a worse manner then what he did.



I wonder when these people will stop showing Professor, Principal as an eccentric guy.

I am yet to see a Principal who gives introductory lecture in hostel.

I wonder how Virus must be making use of time he spends in loo, when he tries to use the short span of seven and half minutes of nap for doing unnecessary work. Also, I am yet to come across a professor who shaves in his office. Aren't all these eccentric things shown unnecessarily?



The scene between Madhavan and Parikshit Sahani was a repeat of scene from Lage Raho Munnabhai between Jimmy Shergil and again Parikshit Sahani.

The runaway bride was again a copy of Dil Hai ki Manta Nahi. It did fit well there but definitely not here.



I was thinking what they tried to tell by making guys remove their pants every now and then, anywhere. I just hope I don't witness any such act in real life.

I didn't expected the effect of “All is Well” shown in Delivery scene in Aamir Khan's movie. That was the worst of all above points and brought the movie down to normal level from the perfectionist Aamir Khan's standard.

Ranchoddas Chanchad( Is it a right name), is a Gujrati (as Karina Kapoor mentioned) who has pushtaini jamin and haweli in Simla!!!

Is it possible to just drag computer and take it near the pingpong table without any wiring issue. Was it all wireless? I spend nearly an hour arranging the wiring if I wish to shift my computer from one corner to another in the same room.

I guess I can continue with some more points. But instead now I will put some (actually very few as compared to above list) points that make movie worth watching.

The movie has a better story as now a day’s seen in many movies.

The movie is well made and keeps you watching.

It doesn’t lose the grip.

No issues about acting skills. Although movie is all about Aamir Khan, still Sharman Joshi, Madhavan, Karina Kapoor and others have done well in their less important roles.

Most appealing part of the movie was the shooting in Ladakh. That was the welcome treat for the eyes and I tried to store every scene in my mind. Ladakh is beautiful.

Rancho teaching how to teach. A very good point made in a very short time.

I cannot think of any other point in support of the movie at the moment. It definitely is not a movie that should break all the records and earn so heavily as it is doing but it definitely is worth watching once. Moreover the message is very loud and clear if understood well:

Follow your Heart and pursue your dreams