A little bubble in the maelstrom

Spa!

2012-01-16T20:09:00.000+05:30

This is awesome

2012-01-06T06:40:00.001+05:30

Video!

2011-12-11T17:35:00.003+05:30

I really like the video for this song, so anti-Bollywood.

I want to see this!

2011-12-02T17:04:00.003+05:30

A Dinsey adaptation, so its likely to be watered down, but the trailer looks pretty good.

In twos

2011-11-29T19:30:00.002+05:30

Music. After a looooong time. Feels so good!

Muderous rage - couldn't resist posting this!

2011-11-25T20:52:00.004+05:30

A bit embarrassing, but mindless fun nonetheless!

PS: Chances are that the protagonist is a 'soup boy' in the movie and the rich, convent educated heroine inevitably falls for him, which would explain the song! In real life, such a scenario would indeed inspire kolaveri!! Tamil movies haven't changed at all.

UPDATE - My brother says 'soup boy' is Chennai slang for a jilted lover.

About time!

2011-11-13T19:32:00.003+05:30

I was quite pleased to hear Ministry of External Affairs suggest that a repeat of the Kalam incident will invite retaliatory actions from India. I just hope that India actually does that and its not just posturing. Is an apology enough, though? Apparently, this happened over a month ago, but lets ignore why this is happening with such a time lag, and just be happy that the Indian foreign affairs machine for once grew a spine!

Maybe I need to shut this blog down

2011-10-30T16:56:00.001+05:30

Opened blogger today thinking I'd review the first Tamil movie I've seen in ages - 7am arivu. But the words just wont come. I just dont seem to have it in me anymore.

Awesome kids - The Mini Band

2011-10-09T10:47:00.003+05:30

Lament

2011-04-30T22:11:00.002+05:30

Over the last 2-3 years, life has become more and more mechanical - wake up, plan the day's food, go to work, work, come back, exercise/TV, sleep and up the next day. Weekends are mysteries that zip by before you can unravel them, and holidays zip by so fast. No time to do the things you love, and that includes blogging! Can't wait to retire!!

Yawn!

2011-01-23T18:19:00.005+05:30

To be frank, I went into the screening of Dhobi Ghat mentally prepared to dislike the film given my growing discontent with Aamir's brand of cinema and his aggressive publicity seeking ways. Debutant director Kiran Rao did not give me any reason to feel otherwise. For a movie that is merely 90 minutes long, it sure felt like a never-ending tale. Sadly, Dhobi Ghat is everything I thought it would be - pretentious, over glossy and totally fake! At no point in time do you feel that anyone in this film (except Munna) is even close to being real. Characters never progress beyond their cliches - Aamir's moody artist is an example- and the director's self professed love for Mumbai is never palpable. I agree, Mumbai can be a tough city to like, but its just lazy to show the audience a series of picture perfect shots and assume that it is a glimpse of the city's pounding heart.

Prateik's Munna is the only good thing about the movie. Munna is at some level too urbane and classy, not to mention well-dressed, to be a rat-killing dhobi. But Prateik brings out Munna's desperation and vulnerability so well that it doesn't matter. Maybe acting can be passed on through DNA after all!

Verdict - give it a miss!

Feeling helpless

2010-08-29T12:42:00.001+05:30

Slightly inconvenienced, with restricted mobility. Hate it, and bored out of my skull - its only been 2 days!

Song for the day

2010-07-26T21:12:00.001+05:30

Roadtripper review

2010-05-15T09:08:00.010+05:30

The hubbysaurus and I went on a road trip to the Himalayan country of Bhutan on a trip organised by Roadtripper, a start up. Bhutan is a lovely place, but this review is about the organisers, not the country. To begin with, Roadtripper is a friends and family trip - those of the organisers. So if you are expecting road trip enthusiasts or like-minded people, you need to rethink the idea.

The next important thing is the trip itself - this is supposed to be a driving trip, where you get to drive luxury cars and what not. On our trip, there were 7 cars, including the spare car with all the drivers. Of the other 6, one was driven by the local guide, while another 2 were driven, at all times, by one of the organizers who should have ideally stayed away from the wheel unless there weren't enough people who wanted to drive! The other 2 cars went to two families, of four each, so the rest of us had to take turns at driving the 1 remaining car. Whats more, the organisers kept the newer and better cars to themselves, while we drove the older, more battered cars.

The organisers had little or no clue about the place itself - we were told that the temperature would be warm ("shorts and sleeveless, light jacket if necessary"), and trust me Bhutan is COLD in most places! They also had no clue about the paper work and formalities - we climbed a few hundred feet to the famous Taktsang monastery, only to be refused entry because we didn't have a permit. Needless to say, the organisers didn't bother with the climb! At one point we camped in a dung filled field, and were told that the original plan of camping in scenic spot by the riverside had to be dropped because some construction work had started. They actually pointed out the spot when we drove by later, and this was a power project which looked liked it had been there for at least 6 months. So much for the 'research trip' that the organisers claimed to have undertaken a few months ago!

In short, plan a trip with Roadtripper only if you want to subsidize the organisers' vacations. Or if you are a family member, in which case some poor moron will subsidize yours! Thumbs down!

21k

2010-01-18T18:20:00.004+05:30

I did it! I completed the Mumbai half marathon this Sunday. A whopping 21 kms, and I've never run before. Expected to run about 10km, but surprised myself running close to 13. The hubbysaur and his cousin did the full marathon - 42 kms!!! The Bandra-Worli sea link nearly derailed everyone though - there was no water along the 5.5km stretch and nearly half a km before and after - left a lot of runners dehydrated. In fact, most of the water and refreshments on the way were provided by well meaning Mumbaikars who thronged the street shouting out words of encouragement. Would be nice if some of them didn't stand in the middle of the route to do so, though. All in all, proud of myself, the hubbysaur and near & dear ones who ran yesterday. Cant wait to do it again!

This must be a joke!

2009-10-10T12:45:00.004+05:30

Obama awarded Nobel for Peace! I guess the might of the US is all encompassing. Read this:

What's the authority of a prize that has been awarded to terrorists like Yasser Arafat or Marxist mythologists like Rigoberta Menchu Tum?

Again

2009-09-26T16:44:00.002+05:30

A new job, and along with it come new expectations, pressures, people, practices, timings. It is always tough to move out of a comfort zone, but its never good to get too comfortable. Hopefully, things should work out well. As we all know, the world can be a different place in a few months.

Listening to Wake Up Sid!'s soundtrack - Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have created a breezy, flirty soundtrack. Easy listening, but not in the league of say, Taare Zameen Par or Johnny Gaddar. Besides, it has this very 'inspired' feel to it that makes me go 'hmmm'.

Finally!

2009-08-25T12:47:00.008+05:30

Picture courtesy the official website.

I am thinking about work, even though I am off all responsibilities for this week. If I persist in this vein, its going to lead to nowhere good.

On that note, let me talk about a movie that the hubbysaur and I thoroughly enjoyed watching - Kaminey. I can't remember the last movie I saw where my favourite (and possibly the best) scene in the movie had none of the lead actors in it. Two crazy guys encircle each other with guns in their hands, enacting an eerie mock shootout, but only one of them is truly crazy, the other is merely pretending to be- I was literally at the edge of my seat with my heart thudding!

The movie boasts several non-regulars - the hero (Shahid Kapoor as Guddu) is dressed up as a giant condom in his introductory sequence, the heroine is a manipulative woman (Priyanka Chopra as Sweety) who cons her boyfriend into marriage, and the other hero (Kapoor again as Charlie) is in a borderline-homoerotic relationship with his best friend!

The plot is fairly mainstream - politicos, drug kingpins, police, and other irregulars with the main leads caught in the crossfire. Vishal Bharadwaj (Maqbool, Omkara) dips liberally into Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino but adds a completely Bollywood flavour and sensibility to the plot. Shahid could have been better, but shows promise. Priyanka is great - as if she knows she's landed the role of a lifetime and has really sunk her teeth into it.

But what really makes this movie tick is the sheer brilliance of most of the supporting cast. Special mention goes to Mikhail (Chandan Roy Sanyal) , a guy so off his rocker that he's mesmerizing. Others, such as the hilarious Bengali brothers (Mikhail's actually) and Bhope Bhau (Sweety's brother) are wonderful as well. Everybody else (Bhope's goons, Tashi the drug trafficker, the crooked cops, the wily child) also adds on to make this movie a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Bharadwaj could have done away with the songs, though. Much as I like Dhan Te Nan, it does break the momentum of the movie!

Verdict - Finally, a movie that lives up to the reviews!

Hilarious

2009-08-19T09:37:00.002+05:30

The Quick Gun Murugan soundtrack is hilarious!

Such is life!

2009-08-12T08:55:00.002+05:30

Henry Blodget interviews Elliot Spitzer, the man who famously destroyed the former's Wall Street career before going on destroying his own in a prostitution scandal.

Girl Power!

2009-07-19T21:18:00.004+05:30

(Warning - Spoiler ahead!)

Watched Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (part of the Grindhouse double feature with Robert Rodriguez), and for some absurd reason, was really tickled by it. Maybe it was because the pervert (Kurt Russel, playing creepy to the hilt) who commits 'vehicular homicide' (i.e. stalks and kills young, attractive women) gets his ass whipped by a gang of badass girls! Great fun - Zoe Bell was such a scream!

I'm happy

2009-07-03T10:27:00.001+05:30

That's all :).

Alice in Wonderland

2009-06-24T21:45:00.003+05:30

SOme stills from Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Love the pictures, but Johnny Depp is so not the Mad Hatter!

Bill killed himself

2009-06-12T18:16:00.003+05:30

David Carradine was found dead in a Bangkok hotel. Sadly, Bill did not die because of the 5-point-palm-heart-exploding-technique. RIP.

This is how politicians abuse taxpayer money

2009-06-11T17:14:00.003+05:30

This is really absurd. Make an ailing ex-MP's wife a Minister of State so that the old man can get free medical care?! As if they are distributing their ancestral wealth instead of taxpayer money! When most of the country cannot even afford proper medical care, why should we pay for a politician who has probably lined his arteries with the fat of the land? If Pranab wanted to help Munshi, he should have paid the hospital bill himself! Its appalling, the way the so called 'clean' PM has also agreed to this. He is just as corrupt as the rest!

Fabulous

2009-06-04T09:46:00.004+05:30

The new Star Trek movie is great. Review soon.

Kamala Das - RIP

2009-06-01T18:26:00.001+05:30

Until I found you,
I wrote verse, drew pictures,
And, went out with friends
For walks…
Now that I love you,
Curled like an old mongrel
My life lies, content,
In you...

I never understood that emotion when I first read these lines. When I did, I appreciated them even more.

Hubble flies again

2009-05-20T11:48:00.003+05:30

The Hubble space telescope is flying alone again, after its fifth and final repair. Hope the Hubble lasts for as long as possible, and continues to dazzles us with its brilliant glimpses into the universe! Sampler:

Places

2009-05-19T16:52:00.003+05:30

I've always wanted to travel, and the hubbysaurus has made it possible to travel more often. He loves travelling as much (if not more), and we've been to some nice places including Goa, Kerala, Thailand and Singapore. I will try and post some pictures and experiences later. Still, Peru remains on top of my wish list - if markets continue to improve, maybe next year! In the meantime, a spa vacation sounds like a good idea, don't you think?

Look what's happening to me

2009-05-14T09:43:00.004+05:30

I seem to be able to find no time to do some thing that I used to really enjoy - I don't blog, I hardly listen to music, I don't read books at the same pace and definitely not with the same excitement levels, and worst of all, I think about work all the time. Damn it, I have turned into a workaholic!

Blue

2009-04-25T11:24:00.001+05:30

I need books

2009-04-20T17:52:00.000+05:30

Came across the BBC Top 100 books in the UK (2003). I’ve read only 45 :(.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien (Read)
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (Read)
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (Read)
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (Read)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling (Read)
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (Read)
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell (Read)
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë (Read)
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë (Read)
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (Read)
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (Read)
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens (Read)
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (Read)
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell (Read)
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling (Read)
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling (Read)
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling (Read)
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck (Read)
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (Read)
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez (Read)
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens (Read)
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (Read)
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert (Read)
40. Emma, Jane Austen (Read)
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald (Read)
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas (Read)
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh (Read)
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell (Read)
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell (Read)
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Read)
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden (Read)
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (Read)
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough (Read)
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (Read)
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding (Read)
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind (Read)
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce (Read)
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy (Read)
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (Read)
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac (Read)
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo (Read)
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho (Read)
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer (Read)
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (Read)
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie (Read)

A unique experience

2009-04-14T14:12:00.004+05:30

I am not too fond of Carnatic music - I've always assumed that it is too staid, rigid, and to top it all, usually sung in a language that I don't understand. Being a music and lyrics person, I've always been baffled by the lyrics (or lack thereof) in this ancient art form. So, I went to watch Margazhi Raagam - a movie that was simply a 2-hour Carnatic concert (by Bombay Jayshree and T.M. Krishna) - simply out of curiosity.

To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I 'd heard Bombay Jayshree before, and it was lovely watching her sing- the sight of those straining vocal chords is still fresh in my memory. T.M. Krishna, on the other hand, was a revelation! If Jayshree was Gilmour - perfect, serious, and solemn, Krishna was Freddie Mercury - vibrant, joyful, a rock star. I enjoyed every moment of his performance - the audible gasps of appreciation for his musicians, the self satisfied sighs of approval for his own performance - this man was having a blast and it showed! I would have never thought that a Carnatic musician could be so mesmerizing!

That said, I still cant relate to Carnatic music like I do to rock, primarily because the lyrics still baffle me. I need to be able to connect to the song, and while Carnatic can be comforting, it is still only vaguely so. Ju, sing me some good lyrics, will you?

Song for the day

2009-03-04T09:12:00.001+05:30

Ban the monkey virus!

2009-03-03T13:39:00.005+05:30

Scientists have now found a way to infect monkeys with HIV so that they can test anti-HIV vaccines on them. Reminds me of this movie where monkeys are taught to operate flight simulators while they are exposed to extreme radiation. Reality can be worse than life. Killing animals is one thing, but is human life so valuable that other life forms have to be tortured so that we can have a better place to live in?

Nice strategy

2009-02-27T16:18:00.001+05:30

This is hilarious. So is Amit's reaction - At least some relief will come.

Public memory

2009-02-26T17:46:00.004+05:30

NDTV's attempt to silence a lone blogge r has united bloggers against the channel and Ms. Dutt. The blogosphere is buzzing with protests, and bloggers much more prolific and worthy than I have written extensively about it. I'd just like to ask one thing - how long before we forget this Mr. Kunte The same time it took us to forget 26/11, or the train blasts before that, or the Satyam scandal? The thing with public memory is that it is very short lived. Sooner or later, the rest of us will return to our normal lives. What happens to the ones who were actually affected by the issue?

Dev D

2009-02-25T11:36:00.003+05:30

Been listening to Delhi 6 and Dev D a lot these days. Amit Trivedi is fantastic. Current favourite:

Rahman makes a killing at the Oscars

2009-02-23T17:27:00.006+05:30

AR Rahman has made India proud with not one, but 2 Oscars. Resul Pookutty also won himself a golden man. A great day for the global Indian indeed. As for the movie [Slumdog Millionaire], itself one word - overrrated!

Anush, you are right. Here's the man -

Heard after a long time!

2009-02-20T15:44:00.000+05:30

Song in my head

2009-02-19T08:46:00.003+05:30

Words are flying out like
Endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
Are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
Dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
Restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as
They make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life
Are ringing through my open ears
Exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
Shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world

Whoa boa!

2009-02-05T09:46:00.004+05:30

Scientists have found fossils of 45-foot giant snakes in Colombia, and aptly named the species Titanoboa cerrejonensis. To provide some perspective, the average python measures about 20 feet in length. The Titan boa also weighed a whopping 1.25 tonnes, while the average anaconda weighs about 200 kg. Monster snake indeed!

Pomegranate Phone

2009-01-30T17:54:00.004+05:30

If ...

2009-01-30T16:06:00.003+05:30

... you turn the clock back and make it go away
... you could give something back when you really want it
... you were forced to receive something that you really want to throw away
... you couldn't just accept whatever life threw at you
... you couldn't just let it be

................. would you?

World weary

2009-01-30T09:22:00.000+05:30

Sometimes it gets difficult to muster enough enthusiasm to just get through the day. Where's Jimbo when I need him?

Tell me why

2009-01-08T09:23:00.002+05:30

If every crime has a motive, then every confession has a bigger one. What prompted Raju to confess?

Raju is no gentleman

2009-01-07T16:18:00.008+05:30

Satyam's Chairman Ramalinga Raju has put India to shame by admitting to what may well be the largest corporate scandal to hit Dalal street so far. Takes the gleam off the Indian Shining phenomenon, doesn't it? The regulators better come down hard on the promoters, (the auditors and the guys who awarded Satyam for corporate governance as well!) else we might see foreign investments fleeing the country.

Haapy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T12:41:00.003+05:30

New hopes, thoughts and aspirations, and oh yeah, resolutions! Here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

2008-12-24T14:08:00.011+05:30

Lucky! Lucky Oye! is the first Hindi film after Johnny Gaddar that I enjoyed so much. Oye Lucky is more 'indie' when compared to the slick Bollywood feel of Johnny G, but I would rate it equally high, if not higher. This is a movie with so many layers that I feel I'll have to watch it again to get all of it.

Lucky (Abhay Deol, wonderful) is a compulsive thief! You and I might reach for some cheese or chocolate when we get stressed, Lucky thieves indiscriminately. He thieves even when not stressed, with scant regard as to whether it is an expensive car or a petty flower pot. In a potent back story, a dysfunctional home headed by a miserly father (Paresh Rawal), and a burgeoning puppy love bring out the consummate thief in Lucky. Lucky grows up to be a thieving phenomenon under the protection of Gogi Arora (Paresh Rawal again), pursues a love interest (Neetu Chandra) and is pushed over the edge by the conniving Dr. Handa (Paresh Rawal, yet again). Lucky then becomes a liability for Gogi, which brings the police out in full force against him.

But that's just a part of what this movie is about. Oye Lucky is a remarkably insightful account of one man's attempt to live life on his own terms, amidst class divisions and power struggles. Abhay Deol's Lucky is an affable young man, the kind you cant resist letting into your home even though he might steal from it. Yet, he is the outsider, the one you might invite home for dinner, but never let him into your inner circle! Deol does a wonderful job as Lucky - I cant think of any other actor who could have been more perfect for the part. I loved the use of Paresh Rawal in the movie, each of his avatars push Lucky further along the road to damnation! Neetu Chandra is a breath of fresh air after the glam dolls we are used to seeing in Hindi movies. Special mention must go to director Dibanker Banerjee - he has created a movie that is poignant and insightful, but at the same time absurdly funny.

Verdict: I want to watch it again!

PS: Saw Wall-E and loved it, especially the first half! Saw Madagascar 2 and hated it!!

Praise and criticism

2008-12-08T17:32:00.007+05:30

Barkha Dutt defends herself in this piece! An analysis:

Not once, were we asked by anyone in authority, to switch our cameras off, or withhold images. When we did so, it was entirely our own assessment that perhaps it was safest to do so. - If that was the case, why did they resort to blanking out news channels (including NDTV) in Mumbai? Btw, didn't we hear her describe 'a secret alley behind the Oberoi' through which people were being rescued? Did she think that these terrorists were so brain dead so as to not be able to guess where this was? Or that they would cools their heels in the lobby of the Taj even as she and her colleagues let it be known that several VIPs were hiding in the Chambers? Great self censorship, I must say!

Allegations that I or any of my colleagues across the industry shoved a microphone in the faces of any waiting relative, are untrue in the extreme. - Maybe she was polished enough not to force a mike into someone's face, but she was dragging people around to make sure they were in the right camera angle. And several of her colleagues did actually thrust mikes into faces!

On this one point, I would concede that perhaps, this was a balance we lost and needed to redress earlier on during the coverage. But, mostly our attention was on the hotels, because they were the sites of the live encounters, and not because of some deliberate socio-economic prejudice. - Hear, hear, she concedes a point! Actually, what she meant was that CST wouldn't have such high TRPs!

But it is important to understand that in the absence of any instructions on site and in the absence of any such framework we broke NO rules. - This really gets my goat! She didn't break any rules, but if she had drawn a line for herself, we wouldn't be having those facebook communities!

When asked in an interview on NDTV, what struck him watching the events unfold on television, Narayan Murthy, said it was the "finest piece of TV journalism in a decade." - I have great regard for Mr. Murthy for having put India on the global map, but with all due respect - who died and made him the expert on media coverage? What Ms Dutt really means is - "I have big rich people praising me, why would I bother about what the regular Joe/Jane says?.

I believe that criticism is what helps us evolve and reinvent ourselves. But when malice and rumour are regarded as feedback, there can be no constructive dialogue. - Right, the common man has nothing better to do than malign her. Does she ever stop to think why her and no one else? Srinivasan Jain belongs to the same channel, it would help if she could learn some basics of journalism from him!

But in journalism, we know that, praise and criticism are twins that travel together. And we welcome both and try and listen to both carefully. - Does she really? The whole article does nothing but defend her stance - we broke no rules, the people wanted to talk, XYZ thanked me, ABC praised me. Grow up Ms Dutt. And shut the h$#% up!

Happy Birthday, Jimbo

2008-12-08T10:40:00.000+05:30

Small change

2008-12-03T18:13:00.001+05:30

If you were disgusted by the media as they turned the most horrific attacks on Mumbai into a nightmare and hindered rescue operations, please sign this petition!

Over?

2008-11-29T22:54:00.001+05:30

Not quite, for Mumbai will take a really long time to recover from this one!

Unbelievable

2008-11-28T18:08:00.003+05:30

Are these guys out of their minds? Why would the NSG want to continue conducting rescue operations in full view of a media that only wants to sensationalize the issue? Even my mum knows that TV feeds could be watched by anybody who is assisting these terrorists and help them stay one step ahead of the commandos! The mobile networks are also helping I suppose. What a disaster, we are looking at a seemingly never ending crisis!

And the ordeal continues...

2008-11-27T18:55:00.001+05:30

Close to 24 hours and there seems no signs of resolution in either the Taj or the Oberoi. Hope this ends soon!

Living in a nightmare

2008-11-27T15:00:00.003+05:30

I was watching 'The Siege' on TV just a few days ago, and today I feel as if I'm living in it. The city is paralyzed, the armed forces have imposed a curfew in South Bombay and everybody is panicking! G was at the Taj till about 8 last evening, and fortunately, we decided to head home at 9 instead of going to Colaba for dinner. The recent events at Nariman Point are worse than anything we could have imagined. Top cops have been killed including Hemant Karkare, the head of the Anti Terrorism Squad, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte. Tourist and business locations, including the beloved Leopold cafe, the heritage Taj property and the Oberoi, where most of the financial community passes by every single day, have been targeted.

And the media is having a field day, creating as much sensation as possible. It was really heart wrenching to hear a distraught witness plead with the anchor of an English news channel, asking him to flash on screen that innocents were stuck inside the Oberoi and they needed help. And all that the anchor was bothered about was the body count!

As usual, government officials are mumbling their way through this (Milind Deora seemed coherent, I'll grant him that!), and nobody is offering any reassurances. Much has been said about the legendary resilience of Mumbai and how the city is in shock, but the fact remains that this is no ordinary terrorist attack. Mumbai is under attack and we need a better response than this!

Oh no

2008-11-26T12:40:00.002+05:30

Rumours are afloat that Bruce Wayne will be killed off today in a new comic titled "Batman RIP". Boo, I say, Boo Hoo!

Bollywood comes out of the closet

2008-11-23T22:16:00.008+05:30

People, get ready for the future coming out of Karan Johar!! For Tarun Mansukhani's Dostana preps you for just that, going where no Bollywood film has gone before. Not boldly though, the leading men of Dostana are just pretending to be gay, which seems to give them every right to behave like retards. This is the third Bollywood movie that critics seemed to like, which led me to believe that the movie would at least not bore me (Bachna Ae Haseeno and Rock On!! being the other two). But G and I could barely contain our yawns by the interval.

Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan, who desperately needs a shave) and Kunal (John Abraham, a sad convert to the Salman Khan school of fitness) are forced to play gay to find an apartment in Miami. Who would've thought that getting an apartment in the US would be tough these days, what with plunging real estate prices and all! But that would not serve the director's purpose, so we have these red-blooded, lady killing studs who pretend to be gay to share a condo with pretty girl Neha (a stunning Priyanka Chopra). Needless to say, both gays, oops guys, fall in love with Neha, who displays real bad taste by falling for her ugly boss (Bobby Deol). Much ado and a forced kiss later, all is well that ends well. Thank God for small mercies.

Bachchan is rather fearless here - he plays the effeminate man with surprising ease; Chopra is adequate. John Abraham lets his butt do the acting instead! The songs are peppy and fun, though John Abraham should stay away from dancing - he reminded me of Sunny Deol stomping around in Yaara O Yaara! Kiron Kher was over the top, but still managed to steal a laugh in the hilarious Maa da laadla sequence. Still, it was tough sitting past the interval. The self-referential nods to earlier Karan Johar films were irritating, at best! Did I mention that Johar should be coming out soon?

Verdict: Watch if it plays on TV.

PS: Watched Quantum Of Solace and liked it. Though I couldn't help feeling that Bond was turning out to be a lot like Batman with all the vengeance and guilt. Loved the action, thought I realised what inspired it when I watched The Bourne Ultimatum a few days later. Still, liked it better than the Die Another Day kind of disasters that came out of the Bond stable!

Remembering Alanis

2008-11-19T09:09:00.000+05:30

Dry spell

2008-11-17T20:49:00.001+05:30

I just cant bring myself to blog these days. Maybe its just as well, and the world will be a better place for it :).

Dev D

2008-11-09T12:02:00.003+05:30

Ju sent me this:

Dev D is a modern take on Sharat Chandra's classic Devdas directed by Anurag Kashyap, starring Abhay Deol. The idea of Devdas (Dev D here) potrayed as a self-destructive loser sounds very interesting. I haven't seen any of Kashyap's movies so far - though I did want to see No Smoking - I think I'd be keen to catch this one. Abhay Deol is turning to be a very interesting actor - loved Manorama Six Feet Under. Glad to see that he's not taking the Sunny-Bobby route!

Chandrayaan

2008-10-22T17:12:00.003+05:30

India can now say hello to the man on the moon through their own phone lines. ISRO has successfully launched Chandrayaan, its first indigenous unmanned mission to the moon. Plans to send people to the moon in a another couple of years are on. One small step for ISRO, a giant leap for India? Bravo!

What the $@#% do these people think they are doing?

2008-10-21T20:12:00.004+05:30

This is beyond disgusting. I quote from the PanIIT 2008 site-

The theme for the spouses' track in this year's PANIIT is "Sampoorna" - programs meant for the complete woman, who is able to perfectly balance her personal, professional and public personality. With this in mind we have a galaxy of presenters and performers who are bound to enlighten the IIT spouses.

And who should represent this 'galaxy' better than Hemamalini - A professional dancer, a top-notch film actress, a successful home-maker, now devoting time to charitable and social ventures, she has lived life on her own terms, and remained 'beautiful' in terms of outlook and attitude over the years. She epitomizes the Complete Woman.

There is more - a tour to arts & crafts villages, dance academy and - hold your breath - shopping trips! The message is loud and clear, isn't it? Granted, most IIT alumni might be male, but the "Especially for spouses" programme takes home the trophy for the most male chauvinistic ever. And IITians (at least the ones who are organizing it, or are participating without a murmur of dissent) are now firmly etched in my mind as the most stupid tribe of intellectuals ever, Bill Gates' attendance at their events be damned!

Revelation

2008-10-20T14:10:00.004+05:30

... of the non religious kind. I mean, of the kind you get when you are non religious. Discrimination is the last thing you'd expect though. And of all places...! Anyway, another first - experienced discrimination on the basis of belief, or lack thereof! Its sheer coincidence that I am currently reading Richard Dawkins. What did the hubbysaurus say - why bother about things that don't affect you personally?

PS: Heard this nugget of 'wisdom' - "atheism is something that people do to seem cool". I wonder what Dawkins would say to that?

And so it begins

2008-10-10T16:51:00.003+05:30

Infosys, the bellweather Indian IT Services firm cut its earnings outlook for the year citing uncertain demand conditions. In my last post, I talked about the possibility of dark days for Indian IT. And Infosys' guidance of negative growth for the next quarter seems to signal the beginning of just that. IIP numbers also signalled ominous trends for other sections in the economy. The world as we know it could very different by the time the global economy revives.

Happenings

2008-10-09T10:08:00.004+05:30

The Karthik Rajaram shocker has laid one fact bare - no one is immune from what's happening in the current financial crisis. Sure, one could always argue that he might have been mentally unstable, which is why he killed his hapless family as well. But it makes me wonder if we are likely to see more opting for this route out of financial ruin. Indians may be less immune to the economic downturn that currently believed - lifestyles have changed since the last downturn in 2000-2001.

The average young urban professional has a much more expensive lifestyle and much less savings than ever before. Add to this the huge EMIs on houses and leveraged investments in the stock market, and we are looking a potential disaster in the making. The software sector has been feeling the heat for the last 2-3 quarters already, and the next 2-3 could well be dark days for the industry. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. Brace yourselves, and stay strong!

On another note, here's a sure shot way of guaranteeing economic aid - grow a particularly nasty and resilient brand of terrorism and all those dumb western nations will form a group and continue to support you economically. Bangladesh, sub-Saharan Africa, are you listening? Starvation and death doesn't move the west anymore, except maybe aging rockstars!

Gloom time

2008-09-30T09:32:00.003+05:30

A blood bath in the markets, so keep it together folks! This storm too shall blow over!

Just finished Hari Kunzru's "Transmission". Gripping read. I'll try and review it when I get the time. Reading Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" at present and loving it!

Today

2008-09-23T08:42:00.000+05:30

Sometimes the toughest thing to do is to not say anything!

Rock On!!

2008-09-17T08:40:00.011+05:30

All of us have been conditioned to believe that people have to be passionate, follow a dream, else life is nothing but a compromise. Great men were passionate - Vincent Van Gogh, Jim Morrison, Fox Mulder. If you are working 9 to 5, then it is assumed that your life is a compromise. If you don't go bungee jumping, don't party every weekend, or watch movies on weekdays, you have become old and jaded. Or so we are led to believe. Rock On!! works on similar premises - if you don't become a rock star, your life is not worth living. The fabulous house, the loving wife, the BMW don't offer an iota of comfort if you are not a rock star. Or at least, a pale imitation of one.

So there we were, G and I, being cool on a weekday evening, wasting our precious time on Rock On!!, a movie that is filled with one cliche after another! Director Abhishek Kapoor (such a perfect filmy name) doesn't even attempt to use something so banal as intelligence. Why try realism, when pseudo realism will do? Why bother at all, when Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have done all the hard work for him? Never mind if your cast can barely act, the music is great and all they have to do is swagger around and look cool.

When will Bollywood learn the difference between an investment banker and a wealth manager? Did you know that a selfish moron who can't appreciate what his wife is trying to do to make him happy will get a blinding flash of clarity at a passing comment from some third person? Could I get my hands on the teleporter that Arjun Rampal used to navigate Bombay traffic and land up at the right spot before a 5 minute song ends? Mr. Kapoor, too many short cuts may make your job easy, but attention to detail never hurt a movie. See Johnny Gaddar if you want to know what I mean!

Verdict: Pretentious, shallow and a total waste of time.

PS: Shahana Goswami and Purab Kohli deserved better. Two bright spots in an otherwise dull movie.

PPS: The end credits say "Don't download the music, buy the CD". I downloaded, then bought and regretted the purchase. Dudes, if you want us to buy, then the least you can do is give us better sound quality on the CD!

On that note, here's Nickelback:

Child-free zones

2008-09-02T11:27:00.004+05:30

A couple of weeks ago, I went out to have dinner with some people my husband knows. I was the last to arrive at this chic SoBo (South Bombay) joint and was surprised to find them sitting outside the restaurant. My eyebrows went up in the air when I was told that we had a child in the group, who would not be allowed inside. Is this India? - was my first reaction. But when I went home and thought about it, it didn't seem like too weird an idea. How many times have you been to a public place where kids are running berserk, even as their parents smile indulgently at their misbehaviour? More often than not, people (self included) don't mind because of the social conditioning. This Times of India article on child free zones in the country offers some interesting perspectives.

I don't know if I agree to the idea of child free zones, but people could ensure that their children do not create trouble in public places. My Indian friend who lives in Tokyo once told me that the only children in Japan who run amok are Indian; the local children are supposedly very well mannered. Maybe its just the way we bring up our children.

Much ado...

2008-08-29T13:55:00.003+05:30

This post has ruffled a few feathers. I have great affection for both the kids in question, having seen them grow up from wee little ones. At any rate, there was no intent to make anything an issue, just like the time I posted this. If I can be proud about something, then I can be alarmed by something else.

Shameful

2008-08-26T17:35:00.004+05:30

The Guardian is running a poll on whether Margaret Thatcher should be given a state funeral when she dies! The poor woman is alive for Chrissake!

Voted!!

2008-08-20T18:28:00.003+05:30

Got my first vote in the Asiamoney Polls. Yipee!

What a life!

2008-08-20T10:44:00.001+05:30

Sometimes there's nothing to be done about it but grin and bear! Or grimace!

I'm male?

2008-08-08T17:48:00.002+05:30

Says this gender calculator,which is based on browsing history. Here are the results:

Likelihood of you being FEMALE is 1%
Likelihood of you being MALE is 99%

Apparently, sites like Oanda, Bloomberg, Reuters, and NASDAQ are highly male! Talk about gender stereotypes!

The first Bollywood rock track

2008-08-05T08:31:00.010+05:30

For the last 2 weeks, I have been testing the hubbysaurus' patience by playing the same album over and over again. I'm talking about the soundtrack of Farhan Akhtar's debut 'Rock On!'. When I heard that Akhtar was making a movie about a rock band, my reaction was 'oh no, not again'. I mean, how many Hindi movies have we had where the hero/heroine is a 'rock star' who belts out standard Bollywood fare. Even Himesh Reshammiya was a 'rock star' for Chrissake. So I just wrote it off. Till I caught 'Pichle Saat Dinon Mein' on TV- a neat little rock number that kindled my interest. I downloaded the album online and loved it. Bought the CD a couple of days later and have been listening to it ever since!

Rock On! is a great effort by trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy (more on their music here and here). Even though it is watered down to suit Bollywood, the soundtrack is true to the spirit of rock. Ehsaan goes wild with his guitar, there are some great chords in this set. I love 'Zehreeley', a rocking number that one can freely headbang to. But the award of best track goes to 'Sinbad the Sailor' - a lovely, peppy number that gets me charged up every time I listen to it. Heck, most of the songs in the album do that to me, but 'Sinbad the Sailor' is my favourite.

The primary drawback to this album (other than the bad sound quality on the CD) is Javed Akhtar's lyrics. While Javed Akhtar (Farhan's father) is supposed to have written some of the best Hindi/Urdu lyrics in Bollywood, he is no rock lyricst! Give him a headbanger like 'Zehreelay' and what do you get? - some silly stuff about snakes, and all things being kaalay, neelay, peelay. The other tracks are uneven at best, 'Pichle Saat Dinon Mein' talks about sunglasses and match passes - give me a break! He is better in the slow paced ballads 'Phir Dekhiye' and 'Ye Tumari Meri Baatein'. The only saving grace is 'Sinbad the Sailor', a sweet number about following one's dreams, no matter what comes in the way. 'Socha Hai', with its wide eyed exuberance, is not bad either.

Farhan Akhtar has sung most of the tracks himself, and he's not too bad. He is like Jon Bon Jovi - he can sing alright, but I can't decide if he's good at it or not. The guy on 'Zehreelay' is pretty good.

Verdict - Great effort, love it!

PS: Love the way Arjun Rampal looks in the poster!

Why is it called "The Dark Knight"?

2008-07-28T09:43:00.016+05:30

This movie should be called "The Joker - the rise of the most sinister villain ever seen on film". He is so dark that Batman (Christian Bale) seems a pale shade of grey in comparison! Heath Ledger's Joker is the consummate anarchist, creating chaos just so that he can revel in it, cackling with glee as the morally uptight Batman struggles to prevent disaster after disaster. The Joker casts such a powerful and menacing shadow over The Dark Knight that its easy to overlook the central theme of the movie - how far can a man go up against evil before he either gets tainted by it or loses his humanity in an attempt to persevere?

In The Dark Knight, Nolan's vision of Batman expands into a struggle of man versus vigilante as Bruce Wayne tries to grapple with an alter ego that is increasingly taking over his life. As old flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall) puts it, Wayne needs Batman more than Gotham does. At some level, Wayne realises that, which explains his misguided attempts at giving Gotham a legitimate hero. But even as Batman resists the The Joker's temptation to cross the line, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhardt), Batman's candidate for Gotham's hero succumbs to the same. In other words, Dent's humanity makes him cross over to the dark side, even as Batman's own is compromised by his refusal to respond to similar emotions.

A lot of the movie's underlying message gets eclipsed by an electric Heath Ledger, whose interpretation of the Joker is beyond all glowing descriptions. Unlike (a highly overrated) Jack Nicholson's buffoon, this Joker is by no means a cardboard villain. He is the kind of guy who shoves grenades into mouths and rigs up bombs inside stomachs. To top it all, he is totally insane. One of my favourite Joker moments is when he tells Batman, "you make me complete" - a great spin on the cheesy Jerry Maguire dialogue played to extremely interesting effect. Absolutely perfect!

The Dark Knight leaves some dramatic opening cues for the next Batman movie - TwoFace, a grittier (and possible more embittered) Batman, and a potentially more interesting female lead. I'll leave you with my favourite lines from the movie:

"Do I really look like a man with a plan, Harvey? I don't have a plan. The mob has plans, the cops have plans. You know what I am, Harvey? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. I just *do* things. I'm a wrench in the gears. I *hate* plans. Yours, theirs, everyone's. Maroni has plans. Gordon has plans. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I am not a schemer. I show schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. So when I say that what happened to you and your girlfriend wasn't personal, you know I'm telling the truth!"

Verdict: I want to watch it again, and again!

Rant

2008-07-25T19:57:00.002+05:30

Stuck in office on my birthday, waiting! Its all that I seem to be doing these days!!!

Fascists in the family

2008-07-25T19:02:00.006+05:30

Today, my 12-year old cousin called me a "Brahmin betrayer". Now, this raises several interesting questions:
a) Who, or what, is a Brahmin?
b) What then is the definition of a Brahmin betrayer?
c) Why is a 12-year old so infused with caste related sentiments?
d) What gives a 12-year old the spunk to talk to a grown up like this?
e) Should this kid be talking about such things in the first place?
f) Where does he get such ideas from - a balanced, informed source, or some fundamentalist news letter ? (yes, there is such a thing as a Brahmin fundamentalist newsletter!)
g) How does his family feel about this?

And, in a separate conversation, I asked my 14-year old cousin (first cousin to the aforementioned 12-year old) if there was any local news in Bangalore about suspects in today's bombings. Pat came his reply, "Muslims!".

Well, potential fascists at any rate.

What did I get?

2008-07-25T08:34:00.002+05:30

The complete Calvin and Hobbes collection that I have been lusting after for a while now! Hooray for the hubbysaurus!

Mulder and Scully will be back tomorrow

2008-07-24T12:11:00.003+05:30

The new X-Files movie "I want to believe" will be out tomorrow. I am one of those who are fervently praying that it wont destroy the special memories that we carry inside our heads of one of the best TV series ever. Meanwhile, Salon has a great story on Scully. Now, now guys, be good and do one on Mulder as well. Please?

!

2008-07-24T10:16:00.000+05:30

Anybody but me, anywhere but here, anytime but now...

Comfort

2008-07-23T09:42:00.003+05:30

I'm sick of the routine, sick of the rat race, sick of meeting deadlines and expectations. Morrison offers me comfort with similar sentiments:

I'm sick of dour faces
Staring at me from the TV tower,
I want roses in my garden bower; dig?
Royal babies, rubies must now replace
Aborted strangers in the mud.

That, and the hubbysaurus' habit of waiting for me to disappear into my office building before he takes off!

Been meaning to review Rocky Balboa and Kungfu Panda. Will do that sometime soon.

Mahaboring

2008-07-10T15:34:00.006+05:30

Or Mahastupid, or Mahasilly. Call it whatever, but Ekta Kapoor is determined to destroy one of India's most beloved epics, one that still inspires numerous interpretations. I missed the over hyped first episode (glad that I missed the oily Aryan Vaid as Duryodhan, Puneet Issar must be preparing to roll in his grave!), but had the misfortune to catch the second one.

Episode 2 (the Bhishma story) is true blue Balaji soap opera. Extreme closeups that illuminate every single pore and wrinkle on the woman playing Ganga, a really weird guy playing King Shantanu, horrid special effects, extremely clunky dialogue and worse delivery of the same, weird Greek costumes ... I could go on and on. Even more unbearable is Makarand Padalkar as Ved Vyasa - his constant interruptions are terribly irritating! The amazing thing is that all 7 kids are thrown into the Ganges in one single episode - I thought that each one would get a whole episode!!

Verdict: Stay miles away!

Life

2008-07-09T08:55:00.003+05:30

The hubbysaurus keeps ruminating on how everybody seems to be stopping to smell the roses. Everybody but us, that is. I can't help but agree - everyday is a race against the clock. Sometimes, it feels as if life is passing right by my window, while I am stuck at my work desk. More so when the hubbysaurus is out of town.

Why I got off Facebook

2008-07-02T09:01:00.006+05:30

After ignoring multiple invites, I signed up at Facebook a few months ago out of sheer curiosity. Most of my friends were raving about it (Except one, who said "whats a facebook?". Smart guy!), and I didn't see any harm in checking it out. But after a couple of months of being poked, super-poked and walled, I have had enough. For all its merits, Facebook failed to excite any interest.

What really got my goat was the fact that I couldn't shake off that nagging feeling that every time I added an application, a small bit of my privacy was being eroded. After a few applications, I started to resist adding applications, which in turn took away all the fun from being on Facebook. Plus, I really couldn't stand the clutter - why tell me what someone I barely know did to/with someone I haven't even heard of ? So last week, I concluded that Facebook was not for me. And I got off!

You will be missed...

2008-06-30T11:53:00.003+05:30

Saraswati Rajan a.k.a. Pappa patti (1923-2008).

Teacher, master cook, force feeding expert,
Confounder of all logic, the one to fall back against everybody else,
Secreter of Charlie perfumes, lover of Lakme foundation, collector of key chains,
Beloved aunt, grandmother and great grandmother.

We will miss you so much.

How things change

2008-06-20T16:43:00.002+05:30

"One hardly need add that the Paumacariya is filled with references to Jaina places of pilgrimage, stories about Jaina monks, and Jaina homilies and legends. Furthermore, since the Jainas consider themselves rationalists—unlike the Hindus, who, according to them, are given to exorbitant and often bloodthirsty fancies and rituals—they systematically avoid episodes involving miraculous births (Rama and his brothers are born in the normal way), blood sacrifices, and the like. They even rationalize the conception of Ravana as the Ten-headed Demon. When he was born, his mother was given a necklace of nine gems, which she put around his neck. She saw his face reflected in them ninefold and so called him Dasamukha, or the Ten-faced One. The monkeys too are not monkeys but a clan of celestials (vidyadharas ) actually related to Ravana and his family through their great grandfathers. They have monkeys as emblems on their flags: hence the name Vanaras or "monkeys."

- A.K. Ramanujan in Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation

Funny, that last thing I would have thought about Jains I have met in Mumbai is that they are rationalists. I recall discussing with a long lost friend that Jainism and Buddhism were the Renaissance in Hinduism. Its weird that they have evolved into something , and in some instances, something so militant. If you don't get what I mean, take a walk down Chowpatty one of these days!

Have you seen this?

2008-06-20T15:23:00.001+05:30

Ridiculous!

Why need a stunt when you have a great product?...

2008-06-19T09:11:00.002+05:30

... is the question I want to ask Mozilla. Alright, I did download Firefox 3 on the set day, but that was because I was eager to experience the highly anticipated new version. Which is probably the primary reason why most of the 8 million odd other people did as well. Firefox didnt need this publicity stunt to get people to download v3. More so since their site almost crashed with the number for download requests. Anyway, just waiting for my favourite add-ons to get updated.

Sexy veggie my foot!

2008-06-19T08:39:00.004+05:30

Does anything about this man suggest any connections whatsoever with the word 'sexy'?

AB has been voted 'Asia's most sexy veggie'. Is he the only veggie in Asia or what? If you want to know what a sexy veggie really looks like, look below.

Hmph

2008-06-18T08:15:00.000+05:30

Somethings are just not worth it! And some...

Weary

2008-06-17T16:42:00.004+05:30

Song in my head:

Who I wanna be today

2008-06-11T08:09:00.002+05:30

Yay

2008-06-10T11:36:00.001+05:30

My first ever client vote - Yay! The problem is repeating it every quarter. Bless me!

Friday

2008-06-06T09:40:00.004+05:30

The best day of the week. Even more so if its has begun to rain and the skies are a lovely gray. The cool breeze is such a relief after the sultry days of summer. And to top it all, the hubbisaurus returns tonight. Happy :).

Why, oh why?

2008-06-02T09:18:00.009+05:30

Is Harrison Ford's age the issue in the movie? I am not sure, but clearly George Lucas and Steven Spielberg seem to think so. That Ford is still capable of doing his own stunts at an age (60? 70?) where most leading men would have to huff and puff to get running seems to have made no impact on these two. Worse still, they seem to have had little faith in Ford's ability to recreate the Indiana Jones magic well enough to pull in the crowds. So we get repeated reminders of Indy's advanced years, more Henry than Indy, a diminutive Marlon Brando wannabe, and one big mess of a movie. Well, maybe not that big.

The movie is great wherever they let Ford get into full blown Indiana Jones mode - Indy might be old, but he can still kick some bad ass! Unfortunately, that is kept to a minimum. The feisty Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, who has wisely resisted the many charms of Botox), whom we first saw out-drinking Nepali men under the table, offers no resistance to falling for a cheapskate who (supposedly) ditched her at the altar. Worse, we get a green-behind-the-ears Shia LaBeouf trying to out swagger the great man himself. Which is a pity, since Ford and Allen by themselves would have made the movie more watchable. Honourable mention goes to Cate Blanchett as the deranged Russian psychic Irina Spalko, she looks like she had great fun playing to the gallery.

I had nearly had a heart attack in the scene where LaBeouf attempts to try on Indy's fedora, only to have its rightful owner snatch it away at the last moment. Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, its a pity that Lucas and Speilberg didn't remember that!

Compromise

2008-06-02T08:49:00.002+05:30

Some things are difficult to accept, no matter what the reasoning. Even if you try and adjust, it stares at you in the face because in reality, it is a compromise.

Sometimes...

2008-05-30T19:10:00.002+05:30

... you feel like you are always swimming against the tide. Need a break, but can't say it!

Addition

2008-05-26T13:43:00.001+05:30

Oh, we now have a gleaming black car. Neat :)