Guess who (or what) is back...!

Many cups of tea have been savored between this and the last entry of this blog. Cynics have even started wondering whether this blog has flat-lined. People who used to swear by the quality of content provided on this site, now have only vague and misty memories about it. There was a time when... well, you get the idea. Simply put, it has been quite sometime since there has been an entry on this blog. Mea culpa!
So without further doo-doo here is the straight version of this week's (month's?) puzzle.
Does that make the Cryptic version, which is coming up soon, gay? Something to think about, no?

More.

At the outset, let me apologize for MIA last week. To make it up to you, here is a set that gave me great joy in making (even though, I am not too happy with the clues)! As you can see from the time of my posting, the better part of the weekend was spent on coming up with this set.
Hope you like it!
Oh, by the way, this week's puzzle does not have a theme as such.

So loo shuns!

Here are the solutions to the cryptic clues.

"~=" represents an anagram/jumble.
"==" represents synonym (approximate)

Note, it arcs carelessly like a sword! (8)*
Note = MI + IT + ARCS, ~= SCIMITAR = kind of sword.

One less person of Spanish origin is an unwanted extra undergrowth. (7)*
Spanish origin = HISPANIC - I (one less) = HSPANIC ~= SPINACH = extra undergrowth (secondary meaning).

Trivial currency cannot buy this sweater! (8)
Trivial = MERE, currency = CASH, CASHMERE

Ha, kick out hundred trousers! (5)
HA, KICK - C (out hundred) = KHAKI

Aquatic plant around the eastern branch of mathematics. (7)
ALG {E. BR.} A

Decapitated citizen is in a peaceful state of mind. (3)
CITIZEN - CITI (head removed) = ZEN

Snake, tangled around a traffic deadlock sleeps in these. (7)~
ASP == snake, a traffic deadlock == A JAM, P{A JAM}AS

A variant is out! (6)*
is out == Not in. A VARIANT - IN ~= AVATAR (a variant).

The "Great Charter" is a fishing vessel without gravity! (9)*
The Great Charter == MAGNA CARTA - G (gravity) ~= CATAMARAN == fishing vessel

Endless chain of a hot beverage. (4)
CHAI (you know me...!)

Maybe, it is the destiny of a thousand kites. (6)
M KITES ~= KISMET == destiny

Strangely, his age is for a man's lighthearted entertainment. (6)
HIS AGE ~= GEISHA == man's lighthearted entertainment

A precept. (5)
precept == SUTRA

Market strange teetotallers asleep in bar. (6)
teetotallers == AA, asleep == Z, BA {Z AA} R == market

Chant in adamant rage! (6)
ada(MANT RA)ge => MANTRA == chant

It hung, go make it work zealously! (4, 2)~
hung go ~= GUNG HO == work zealously (close enough, I guess...)

Fifty thousand go backwards around you, a media person. (5)
L(fifty) GO M (thousand) around U (you)=> MOGUL

Dull aggregate of Chinese food items. (3, 3)
DIM SUM

Music for salvation! (7)
NIRVANA

Greg's wife is the divine law. (6)
DHARMA

Mark a strange consequence. (5)
MARK A ~= KARMA == consequence

A tree potted by a bison, perhaps. (6)
A BISON ~= BONSAI == potted tree

Good badge of rank is an aphrodisiac! (7)*
G(ood) ENSIGN (badge of rank) ~= GINSENG == aphrodisiac

An ascetic is a highly talented child without the Public Relations Dept. (4)~*
highly talented child == PRODIGY - PRD ~= YOGI == ascetic

Two vehicles flank a band of travellers. (7)
CAR{A}VAN == band of travellers

Not seen in Chinese energy! (3)
CHINESE - SEEN (not seen) == CHI

As promised, here is a list of people who solved most or all of the puzzle(s) and guessed the theme (not in any particular order):
Charbee, Pappu, Laddu, Durbha, Nandana, Sumi, Chinni, Vera, Nambu.

Thanks for all the feedback, people! Mucho appreciato.
Now, what I need from everyone is a bunch of ideas for the next theme. Please contribute and make this easier on me.

Come on in and get your fix!

The (few) people have spoken! They need my puzzles to keep the wheels of their life from falling off, it seems. Please visit this page and read the comments I posted there before you dial yourself into the matrix. So here we go again.
http://ekcupt.googlepages.com/guess

Cryptic...

For starters, here is something interesting...!
If there is any kind of response, I will keep this as a regular feature. If not, atleast I tried, huh?
Please be honest with your effort... or not!
So here goes.
http://ekcupt.googlepages.com/Movies.html

Blogging redux!

Another one of my attempts at blogging...!
Lets see how long this one lasts. *sniff sniff*, I smell exasperation in the air....