We should applaud the staff at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. As per information from guests, they were very helpful, kept calm and did their best to keep guests safe. There is no contact with The Oberoi Hotel. They are still speculating on the number of hostages. I'm sure the staff there are doing their very best.

Are our politicians prepared to handle this? Why are all of them making their way to Bombay? Do they have what it takes to unite an anxious country? Do they know what it means to be Indian? I hope they do.
I think the Indian Army, Navy, RAF, Marine commandos, Bombay police and all other security forces are doing a fantastic job. It takes a lot of courage to put your life on the line for your job. Earlier today, it was worrying watching the police walking around with bulletproof vests and morning walkers standing right outside the Taj watching the situation unfold. Another matter of concern was the fact that the CM of Maharashtra didn't seem to comprehend how dangerous things were. He made a statement that everything was under control. It wasn't then and it still isn't, but security forces are surrounding the buildings.
There has been some talk about negotiations, but I think they are just having talks. They should just take the terrorists down.
Heard from Shalu earlier. She and Arch and their families are safe. Arch lives next door to the Taj.

I was shocked this morning when I woke up to the news that Bombay had been attacked by terrorists. It is so hard to believe that the city where I was born and grew up in was so vulnerable to these attacks. Terrorists attacked the Taj Mahal Palace HOtel, The Oberoi, The Trident, Nariman HOuse, Metro Cinemas and VT Station. This crisis which began at 10pm last night is still in progress. These attacks seems to be so organised and well-coordinated. How did they do it? HOw did they know where to go?

Nostalgia brings back peer pressure. Looking back on friends who have come and gone, I tend to remember all the good things, all the things I miss about them and how much fun it would be to hang out again. Then reality steps in. Your chance comes along and you realise that while losing a friend is painful, it can be the best thing that ever happened to you. A blessing in disguise! All I felt, recently, at a get-together, was relief! Isn't that wonderful!
Then I realised why:
1. I am at peace with myself. I am not involved in the backstabbing and politics. I don't have to worry that everyone else's life is so boring, that they are going to interfere in mine.
2. I don't have to go for every single party. The only reason I wanted to go was to hang out with my friends and I know I can do that at anytime. I am not missing out on anything, except for alcohol and late nights. I have tequilla at home, and ever-ready guinea pigs, who are more than willing to try out my new concoctions.
3. I used to wonder what everyone is doing, are they having fun, am I missed. Thanks to Facebook, I actually have the answers to all my questions. :). I know I am definitely having fun. I don't do the same things every weekend-Zara/Distil/ Leather Bar, followed by Pasha, ending at 601. Yawn!
4. I don't have to hang out with rude individuals, just because they are a part of the group. I enjoy the company of the people I do hang out with and that makes the difference. There has to be more to friendship than partying every night and getting drunk.
5. Without the extra stress, I am a nicer person.

I am glad I went for dinner. It was a moment of clarity I needed. Sometimes it is better to have no friends than to have the wrong friends. I call this spring cleaning. I AM FREE!

Aren't the police supposed to protect citizens? Isn't it their duty to protect the weak who are unable to protect themselves? How does a police officer excuse himself from doing his duty, when he stands by watching a boy being beaten to a pulp? That is exactly what happened yesterday at The Ambedkar Government Law College, one of the oldest government colleges in the country. The agitation began between the Dalit and Non Dalit students because of a poster. Media crews had footage of a young law student being thrashed by atleast 5 other students, with lathis, while the cops stood hardly 5 feet away watching the entire episode calmly, doing nothing to stop it. The poor boy lying on the ground, covered in blood, couldn't defend himself.

It is a known fact that, in this country, lawyers and cops don't get along. It is also a fact that law students can be thugs. So was it a personal grudge? The Madras High Court immediately said that the media should use discretion while broadcasting the violent footage. What a joke! The Chief Minister did not fire the police commisioner, only tranferred him because he is a permanent employee. The comissioner wasn't there so you can't really blame him for the behavior of the junior officers. However, every single officer who, stood outside the gates of the college, watching events unfold, should be fired. They are a disgrace to the uniform they wear and should be punished appropriately for their misconduct. Instead of asking for discretion, the High Court should have issued arrest warrants for the police and for the students who were beating each other up. The police, who are so worried about the morals of the citizens of Tamil Nadu, don't seem to have any of their own.

I wanted to add to this post, although it has nothing to do with what I wrote below, but it is something I want to remember... Barrack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States and the first African American president. I was working with one eye and both my ears on the T.V. as I watched this historical election take place. Congrats Obama!

Some people get stuck in the past. Its difficult for them to let go and move on. They talk about their past, blame their past and keep doing the same things over and over again. You make mistakes in life, but aren't you supposed to learn from them? When you repeat the same behavior several times over, it becomes an ingrained habit. Habits are difficult to change. If that habit works for you, why would you want to change it. The excuses you use to explain the behavior then become just that-EXCUSES! When is it time to start taking responsibility for your life? For your behavior? For the choices that you made? For the lives that you ruined along the way?