Salaam Z-listers

Z-listers. No, doesn't sound good at all, considering the brilliance that goes with that term "A-lister". I am referring to bloggers.

There are some under-rated blogs that for one reason or another don't get the kind of attention they deserve. Kinda like real life, isn't it ? Or like movies, I mean come on, do you know honestly remember the names of the other guys in the Lagaan team? Ya, ya, you keep seeing them in other movies in other roles. But honestly, what review talks of the talented lot of Akhilendra Mishra, Dayashankar Pandey, Yashpal Sharma, etc. etc. ?

Or hear it from the man himself, Robert Scoble, who says

Are you worried about the elitism of A list jerks like me?
Then FREAKING LINK TO NEW BLOGGERS THAT WE HAVEN’T HEARD ABOUT YET!!!
That’s how you take down the A list. Link, baby, link! [via CofC]

Then something started here at Mack Collier's blog, the Viral Garden.
To quote him

Here's the deal: In an effort to bring more link-love to those blogs that I feel aren't getting their due, I've created a small list of blogs below that I've linked to. The idea is to create a meme built around giving link-love to the blogs that deserve it, and hopefully turn Technorati's system of using a blog's # of links to determine its 'authority', on its ear."

This was Mack Collier's list
Shotgun Marketing Blog
BrandSizzle
bizsolutionsplus
Customers Rock!
Being Peter Kim

The list made it to India via Reshma Anand at Blogchaat, only she called it the Indi-list. This is her list

Engage Energize Evolve
On borrowed Time
witnwisdumb
Urban Junkie
Diagonally Parked in a parallel universe

The tag has been taken forward by-
Vi - Her post here and her links below
Eenauk
Stuutekeer
Stewart

Witnwisdumb - Post here and his links below
Butter Knives Outcorporated
Pixie Dust

To this, I now add my list
Kusum Rohra
Shruthi Rao
Jason's space
Punds at Full2Faltu
Abodh Aras

Updates:
Punds has carried this forward (thanks Punds!) and here's his list
Anitha Murthy at Thought Raker
Phatichar
Vedam
Windy Skies

Shruthi has carried this forward (thanks Shruthi!) and here is her list
Anitha at Thoughtraker (coincidence or what!)
Usha at Ageless Bonding
Raj at Plus Ultra

Usha at Ageless Bonding takes it forward, here's her list
Chennai Living
The Rational Fool
Mahadevan
Hiphopgrandmom
Hermitchords


So ? what say ? want to spread the link love ?

Technorati tags: India, blogging, Z-list, Indi-list.

The smile and those eyelashes

In a lovely must-read post, that fine man Dilip D'Souza shares his experience on adopting his bundle of joy, little Surabhi.

That October, Surabhi came home to an indulgent elder brother and two star-struck parents. Just as Sahir did when he was born in 1999, she has added new meaning to our lives.

But if it was an unusual feeling then, the truth is that with every day of these last two years, adopting her has seemed steadily less unusual. I mean this in the best possible way. To us, the way Surabhi came to our family seems just as normal and natural as when we had our son Sahir, yet at the same time just as special. If you know what I mean. They are son and daughter, sister and brother, no more but no less and certainly no difference in the way we feel about them: two little beings, each of whom brings us joy in their particular ways, in overflowing measure.

Also posted at Blogbharti.

My book of the year 2006

Posted late, spurred by this post.

A marvelous book by a brilliant author. I loved all 900 pages of it and will keep going back to the "Insets" in the book. I will not be forgetting Sartaj Singh and Ganesh Gaitonde for a long time.

I've not read a single review. By choice really, because I think that the sheer thrilling joy ride this book was to me, takes it beyond any review, at least for me.

Go read. Really, please go read.

Ok, so I'm not such a frequent book reader, thanks to work and hazaar other things. But I do know that a good book can be a great companion. This was the best.

On repeat mode on the player

Speed of Sound - Coldplay.

Perfect. I can't ask for more. Except the video, perhaps.



"Where to, where do I go?
If you never try then you'll never know
How long do I have to climb
Up on the side of this mountain of mine" [>>]

Karo na...pyaar

That's my nominee for movie of the year 2006.

Want to choose yours ? Be my guest. Here is the full Filmfare awards ad (TOI, 3rd Jan 2007, Wed), which contains all the movies released in 2006.



And you thought you'd seen everything in 2006. Did you see these?

- Bajrang – He-Man (Ladies, beware)
- Bheega Badan (ah, those waterfalls, those rivers. Thank you Raj Kapoor)
- Bipasha – The Black Beauty (Bip-who?)
- Chumban – The Kiss (in case you were wondering)
- Ek se mera kya hoga (was he really referring to Pan Paraag?)
- Free Entry (‘No entry’ part 2?)
- Galtiyan – The mistake (Hai, hai mein lut gayi, barbaad ho gayi)
- Haseena – Smart, sexy and dangerous (what more could you ask for?)
- Hot Girl (keep it simple stupid)
- Hot Malaika (it’s getting hot in here)
- Hot Money (international thriller, stock-market scam?)
- Item Girl (a.k.a.Hot Girl the prequel)
- Jaana – let’s fall in love (inspired by K Jo?)
- Kaamwaali (no comment)
- Karo Na….Pyaar (brilliant. My vote for picture of the year)
- Mast Chalak Chhokri (or is this is the Hindi version of Haseena?)
- Men not allowed (Free Entry part 2?)
- Mr 100% - The Real Player (related to Bajrang?)
- Naughty Boy (tease me baby till I lose control)
- No Parking (So we got No entry and No parking..what’s next? No Speeding?)
- Sandwich (no, I can’t even imagine)
- Shaitan ki premika (Revenge of the Ramsays)