Work, work and work is all that I have done since last 3 weeks. New job is no cake walk after all :). A lot has been happening around me, around the world, in cyberspace, in blogger space but I have not been able to catch up on anything. Not even sleep.

Here's a small list. Varun's e-News follows:

Bengalooru:
I have no clue about the happenings in my city and the worst part is I know nothing about republic day sale and deals in my city :(

Sports:
Tennis: It is the Australian Open that I am not able to follow. I am sorry Ana. It is Ana Ivanovic I am referring to :). I am sure by the time I would finally get an opportunity to watch the open, no-more-a-sensation Sania would be nowhere to be seen!
Cricket: I am missing Australia's battle to retain the numero-uno position.

Movies:
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was the last movie that I have watched in a theatre :(.
I have heard/read a lot about Slum Dog Millionaire. I'll try and catch it over the long weekend. ARR nominated for Oscars was not a surprise but being nominated for 4 awards was! Is ARR's music so good? I somehow didn't like the songs as much as I have liked ARR's other songs. Give me 'Dil Se' any day. Is Oscar turning out to be Obama's key to India?
Is Billu Barber a movie about Item songs?

International:
Black is Beautiful! First Hamilton, now Obama, Who's next?
Did Obama take his oath twice? I watched only the first one.

Television:
What is Anandi (Balika Vadhu) up to these days? I am missing watching that sweet girl on TV.
I have not been able to watch Roadies :(

Culture and Tradition:
There was Sankranti that flew past as quickly as it came. I wanted to come up with a 'How-to' post on that day illustrating the method of preparing cute moulds from melted sugar. I have all the pictures and that post is on my to-do list. I'll definitely come up with it as soon as possible. Belated Sankranti wishes to all readers :)

Business:
Recession, Satyam, Ramlinga Raju! I think its better I keep out of all these depressing issues.

Money:
It is that time of the year in India when all of us have to submit our investment proofs to save tax. Trust me this 3 letter word can give anyone sleepless nights. I am glad I finally got time to make some good investments.

Technology:
Microsoft launched a new operating system Windows Ultimate 7.0. I downloaded the beta version on the day it was launched. So far so good! Touch wood! :) It is better than Vista in terms of performance and working fine.

Music:
Dilli 6 is different and good.
Visuals of Billu Barber is better than its soundtrack.

Blogging:
I read few posts but haven't left my comments anywhere. Sorry for that! I'll catch up on all your old posts and will make sure I drop in my two cents.

National:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will undergo a heart bypass surgery today. Even though he is just a puppet PM, he is a good man. I wish him speedy recovery and good health.

Personal:
I am going to Mantralayam today to spend the long weekend (Pilgrimage). It is going to be a family outing. I will be attending two weddings next week. One in Mysore and the other in Calcutta (Best Friend's Wedding). I'm looking forward to having great time everywhere.

Until next time...

It is the first day of yet another year for all of us. The word 'first', never fails to amaze me. I always liked first day's of anything. Be it

• First day of school after after a holiday break.
  
• First day in a new class.
• First day in a new city.
• First day in a new organization.
  
• First snow.
• First rains.
• First day of a training or
• First day of a new year.

It is on these days I somehow feel great from within. I suddenly feel like putting a little extra effort in everything I do. I am not sure what exactly these first days bring in me but I always feel first days are the trailers of the things to follow. If we put a little effort and make sure that the trailer goes alright, the movie to follow is definitely going to be a blockbuster.

I was looking for a picture to include in my post when I found the following image. It more or less sums up what I wanted to convey.

Here's wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2009. May all your first-day first-shows run to jam packed houses and may all your movies be a blockbuster. May the coming year be a great one for all of you and be as crackling as the fireworks in the video below. I had witnessed this spectacle with my own eyes last year but thanks to technology I did not miss it this year as well :)