My rating: 4.5 / 5
Yes. Yes. Yes. 2 amazing movies in a row!! I love these kinds of hatke movies. Did anybody say its similar to OSO….!! Damn, that would be an insult to this chic flick!!!
Dimple is fabulous. Hrithik is mind blowing (even if its only 3-4 scenes that he comes for) Farhan is amazing. Konkana is great. Isha Sharavani is cute. Rishi Kapoor and Juhi are natural. (Note my order of preference :-D )
Well, the story is simple and entertaining. Farhan and Konkana are wannabe actors. Konkana is desperately waiting for that big break promised to her from one of the industry wallas and agrees to do blink-and-your-gone kinda roles just for him. Farhan comes to Mumbai with big dreams. He meets Konkana at a friend’s place and they hit off instantaneously. Konkana’s heart is broken when she is ditched after the 3-year waiting. She manages to just pass off Farhan’s photos to the producer before leaving and bingo, life takes a completely new twist……..
Luck by chance, Farhan is selected and gets to screen test for a major production house. The movie is very important as its launching yester year super star Dimple’s daughter (Isha) into the hindi film industry. You can imagine the hype surrounding a big launch like that one. Unfortunately, the super star starring opposite her (Hrithik) leaves the film and yes, you guessed it right, our very own Farhan is selected as the lead.
The movie very subtly shows how the big wigs behave and the usual Page 3 masala following it. Farhan happens to attend a party with one of his friends. He sees Dimple there and makes it a point to impress her and get into her good books. Never knowing that it could change his life completely.
And what happens ? Lady luck bestows upon him and bingo, he actually screen tests for Dimple’s daughter’s movie. But obviously, she recognises him and pitches for him to be selected. What luck!!!
The usual gossip, links and break-ups follow, something so typical to movie business. But it’s been really well handled and shown by the director. Definitely not the characteristic run-of-the-mill approach.
Farhan is shown to be cunning, mean and selfish. Well, he had slight negative shades even in Rock On, if you remember….
You really can relate to real characters like this. And that’s what any man is, don’t you think ??
A good lesson to learn after watching the movie - Make it a point to network /and socialise. You never know who or when things might change!! Heheheh.
Farhan doesn’t have powerful screen presence or the making of a super star! But with two classy movies in his piggy bank, Farhan is here to stay. Awesome director, a great singer, a good actor and a nice host…..Wow, ye tho complete package hai mamu!!
Definitely, LuckByChance rocks.
Moview review: LuckByChance
Movie review: Slumdog Millionaire
My Rating: 5/5
Its 2 AM in the morning and I’m writing this at this insane hour. This surely gives you a clue as to how much I might have liked the movie.
There are two schools of thought here. One which considers this as purely a creative output of a team and leavens the movie as is. Another which probably delves deeper into certain aspects and creates an atmosphere of controversy. I primarily fall under the former but somewhere, a part of me is still thinking on the latter lines….
This could mostly be attributed to the already existing opinions publicised by some famous and some infamous people.
A story set with the backdrop of Kaun Banega Corepati or Who wants to be a Millionaire (whatever you wanna call it…) showing the sleazy lives of slum children, showing pure innocent love, showing despair, hope and dreams, showing that side of India which we wouldn’t want seen, showing powerhouse performances…and showcasing powerhouse music.
The movie captures your attention from the word ‘go’. I really couldn’t find a single part of the movie which was unnecessary, boring or mediocre. It’s the story of a boy from the slums and how he earns his million the hard way!! Every question asked in the contest relates back to his life transmuting this to an oscar nominee…
This showcased the dirty side of India, that time and again a movie on India’s poverty always seems to chance the privilege of the hollywood crown, is definitely true. There is no denying that. But then again, for those who’ve seen the movie can relate to it when I say the finale was so beautifully Indian. It wasn’t the poverty nor the money, what captures your attention is the genuine feelings and the love between two people, lost and found.
Cinema and movie making is a creative form of art. It portrays the perception of a person or a team of persons giving visual life to a script of words!!
That’s all you need to take this as and treat it as a movie well made and on a genuinely original script not told before.
Without getting into much ado, all I can say is that I just loved the movie. It touches your heart, it makes you cry, it makes you laugh, it makes you cheer and it makes you sigh!!
Definitely worth all the hype (and perhaps the controversial debates too). I have my fingers crossed for Rahman more so as only that would be an Indian victory. The movie is hollywood, so its status quo there in terms of priding on its win.
Go enjoy it if you haven’t already.
Jai ho!!
Book review: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
My rating: 6/5
Wuthering Heights has been my favourite book since my high school days. We had one chapter of the story in our English syllabus and that got me to read the entire novel. I was unable to let this book down till the last page. The first time I read it, I felt very very uneasy for a few days. I would think of the characters and the relationships all the time and I was even beginning to dream of the English Moores!
Written by Emily Bronte, this book is always compared to Jane Eyre written by her sister. I really do not know why as I just dont seem to see any similarity in them. Wuthering Heights is an absolutely heart wrenching dark love story. You can hate and love the characters at the same time.
The description of the moores and the 2 main houses (Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange) in the story leave a lasting impression on you. The story takes you into different generations and at the end you really feel like you've traversed through time along with the protagonists.
Catherine belongs to the Earnshaw family. Heathcliff, the central protagonist is an orphan brought into the family. Catherine and Heathcliff's relationship, their undisputed love for each other is soo well told, that it takes you to a totally different world altogether. Wuthering Heights is the name of the house they live in. Catherine betrays Heathcliff to marry Edgar from the Linton family for the sake of status and reputation. This breaks Heathcliff. The entire plot revolves around how he jumps back and the emotions within him that drive him to do crazy things. This lasts for the next 2 generations including Catherine's daughter.
The best part of the book is that the Yorkshire lands create a haunting and mystic atmosphere which plays a major role in bringing life to the book. Ever since I read this, I have always dreamed of going to England and the moore lands.
There is no thrill, mystery involved here. Its sheer dark romantic and frightful. The madness of Heathcliff and Catherine is etched out magnificiently. I loved the narrative form of the book and the way the events unfold. The entire story is told by Mrs Dean, Catherine's caretaker to Mr Lockwood who comes to stay at Thrushcross Grange.
There are few character creations that make history. I believe Heathcliff is one of them. Full of flaws and circumstantial cruelty, he demands a place among other famous characters.
This book is classic literature and definitely not worth missing.
...and then there were none!!
*Disclaimer*
This has no reference to any person or animal alive or dead.
Word of caution: Do not read this post if any of the below is true
1. Your name is Meena and / or you are an extremely sentimental person
2. You cannot take things for a joke
3. You are a staunch non-vegetarian
Hi. My name is Meena. I used to live with my sisters in a beautiful home beside a lake. My owner was a bad man. He would come drunk almost every other day and beat up his wife. They had a little daughter who was way too adorable. I could say she was my closest interaction with a human there!
Every day, I would play with my sisters, be well fed and sleep well. Good days. All this came crashing down when slowly my sisters started disappearing. I was the youngest and well protected. When my eldest sister went missing, we all were shell shocked. We searched for her all over the place. Our friend, the owner's daughter also seemed to help us with the searching. But in vain. This continued to happen. We had lot of neighbours for company. They too complained of the same thing in their family. I was growing bigger and fatter, but things only got worse. Then came that one dreaded day!!
One early morning, when I woke up, I saw myself and 10 others like me from different families being taken somewhere in a moving vehicle. Initially we thought it was a picnic. We were being taken out to the town for some sight seeing by our owner. We had heard of the high rise buildings and were enjoying the ride till it lasted. Talking and chatting, cracking jokes. After sometime, we were taken out of the vehicle and into a house like thing. We were stuffed into a small compartment and left their to rot for a long time. This has perhaps been my worst experience till date.
It started getting stuffy, we were suffocating and were bored to death. Every morning, one of us was being removed. I do not know where and for what we were taken for. Rumour started to make the rounds...gruelling and disgusting stories were being told as to what seemed to be happening to the missing ones.
I reminisced the beautiful times of the good old days. Our owner's daughter and my sisters, happily playing near the lake. Tears rolled down my eyes. This was perhaps the first time I missed my mother. I do not have any memories of her as she died before I could start recognising people and things. But somehow today, I was missing her and wished and prayed to god to save me and take to to where my mother was!!
The door opened. We were 2 of us remaining in our room by now. The big man who would come everyday to pull one of us out came in, he looked at both of us with fiery eyes. I was sweating all over by now. His eyes were moving between me and my roommate. I tried to cross my fingers, clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. My worst fear came true that day. He selected me as the next victim!!
I was dragged out. I screamed and made all kind of noises. Tried to hurt, kick and bite him. But he was too strong for me. I looked around desperately for help. I knew no one. All were strangers. I was then taken into a kitchen where more men were waiting. I was placed flat on a table and 2 men stared down at me. I screamed the loudest and with all my gut. One man took out a huge knife like thing and I saw it coming down on me with full gusto.
Blashhhh.......
........ ........... ............ ....... ..................
PS: The story cannot proceed further as the chicken was killed to make a kabab.
Movie review: Ghajini
My rating - 3/5
I watched Aamir’s Ghajini last evening. Nothing great. It was an average masala flick with lots of loop holes. Im really wondering what the whole hype and hoopla was all about. The only movie to have grossed the maximum on its first day of opening in the history of Indian cinema. Naah! Not happening…!
I was debating whether to watch the original Memento first, but gave in to curiosity and lot of peer pressure. I had decided then that I will traverse in the reverse order. If this movie claimed to have taken care of the “mistakes” from the previous one, I wonder what the state of the other Ghajini was!
Surprisingly, I think readers of my blog seem to like Surya’s Ghajini more (refer the poll stats). So, now, that’s irony. I now want to watch the other two movies out of curiosity again.
The story line is straightforward and the theme pretty much common. A rich guy falls for a middle class girl next door. The girl is killed and the hero sets out for revenge. The only change there is the guy has short term amnesia and the weird way he sets himself up to remember the killer and finally take revenge. Its an interesting twist to the common base theme, no doubt. But, really, I would have expected an Aamir movie to have been made better.
The things I liked about this movie ?
Aamir’s body – Healthy and mind blowing
Marketing strategy and publicity gimmicks – The MBA guys can surely learn a thing or two here
2 of Rahman’s compositions
Worth watching once if you’re an Aamir fan, haven’t watched the other originals or you have nothing better to do.
Movie review: Forrest Gump
Rating: 6 stars out of 5!
Before I start to write anything at all about the movie, for those of you who haven’t watched it, please stop right here and get yourselves the DVD right away.
Brilliant. Perfect. Cult
The above words pretty much sum up what the movie is all about. My fascination for the movie started almost a decade ago. Each time I watch it, I end up crying at the end. The character of Forrest Gump is the most beautifully sketched one ever till date.
The only other perfect character in recent times has been “The Joker”.
This is the story of Forrest Gump portrayed so perfectly by Tom Hanks. It starts right from the time he’s a young boy till the time of his young boy. The different phases of his life- the first bus journey to school, his friendship with the (in)famous Jenny, his escape from the school bullies, his brush with President Kennedy, friendship with Bubba, adventures with Lieutenant Dan, the ping pong championship, the shrimp business, the famous free running, Jenny’s return, his son Jr Forrest …..a roller coaster of events all pieced together to form one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen so far.
His love for Jenny is so pure and innocent that it makes you cry your heart out for him and in the same breath you cannot stop cursing Jenny enough. Another relationship beautifully shown was with Lieutenant Dan. You surely can draw some inspiration from…
I seriously do not have more words to describe the movie. Watch it to feel it. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it!
Here are some of the scenes (Well, its been a long time since I last watched it) and dialogues from the movie which one just cannot forget.
Forrest and Jenny are walking back home from school. The big bullies of the school come chasing them.
Forrest runs, he runs so wild that the braces on his legs come ripping apart.
Dialogue (Jenny): “Run Forrest, RUN”
Forrest’s mother is on her death bed. She had got the cancer and died on a Tuesday.
“Life is a box of chocolates Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get”
“I love you Jenny”
“You don’t know what love is, Forrest”
“Im not a smart man, but I know what love is”
“Stupid as a Stupid does”
….worth a zillion watches. And that’s all I have to say about that!
The year that was....
My first post for this new year. And yes, its another clichéd one. But I really wanted to pen down those few moments of 2008 that have left a mark ….
Jungle new year celebrations
Amidst the jungles of Satyamangala forests, I beckoned the year, 2008. A fun filled and adventurous party. Thanks to a new gang that formed :)
Next step higher
Job kinda was satisfying and the icing on the cake was my promotion.
A loss
Amit’s grandmother passes away. A sad and painful loss…and a reminder of the losses Ive been through – losing both my grandfathers.
My Best Friend’s wedding
A gala celebration as this was one of the last weddings in my group. Memorable.
Mannat poori
A trip to Dharmastala, Kukke and Udupi with my folks. My parents mannat poori :) I finally performed the kalyanotsava and girija kalyana (Wedding pooja for Lord Balaji and Lord Shiva) with Amit…. a decade old mannat poori
There is still another one to be completed this year!
Birthday and Anniversary
A sweet birthday and a sweeter surprise from my sweetheart! This was followed by a beautiful first year wedding anniversary celebration. The journey thus far has been absolutely fantabulous and a dreamy one at that! Relaxed and rejuvenated at Maldives…I seriously would call it heaven on Earth!
Maruti’s goodbye
Being a typical Cancerian, this had to have a mention in the events of the year. Our famous and loving Maruti 800 saw sun set. Dad sold it with a heavy heart.
(Yes, I can be crazily sentimental about these things…it had served us for 10 yrs….)
More goodbyes and separations…
Two of my very close friends bid adieu as US and UK beckoned them. A last “Rachel” night out (those who’ve seen the episode in Friends where Rachel leaves to Paris, will understand) , tearful farewell et al. Guys, Bangalore rocks…so get you’re ***** here soon!!!
‘Oni’s’ entry
My husband’s fascination and dream come true. We finally buy a jeep - Willys CJ3B (World War II model) and christen it ‘Oni’ (shortened form of Onida – neighbours envy, owners pride)
Jungle trip....again!
This time in our Oni…superb fun and an exciting elephant encounter.
Back ‘home’
I got to live life exactly like it used to be before the wedding (Well, not that it changed too much ) Stayed over at my parents place…err…my place for a good 2 months, thanks to the construction happening at my in-laws place.
Back ‘home’ again
Felt wonderful getting back to “our” little den again. The cleaning, re-organising and re-furnishing was more fun this time around.
Birth of the Cook
This is definitely dedicated to my mother. I surprised her and even myself when I actually started to cook. A few dishes here and there and ta-da, a surprise packet. I finally learnt cooking! Its not rocket science but then for someone who didn’t even know how to make tea, I’ve surely come a long way….
The year for sure has been an eventful one. Just hoping for another wonderful 2009….cheers!
Travelogue
This was long long pending. I love travel and have been going around quite a bit for the past couple of years or so. Ive already posted some of my travel experiences previously.
The title, Travelogue may not be completely appropriate for the stuff I would be writing. Do not expect me to provide you with the best set itenary here...I will try to nevertheless; but then this will be more of what I did, places visited and some interesting trivia.
Movie Reviews
I am a total movie buff and I watch pretty much all genres of films. So, I've decided to start off writing about my own useless take on movies...be it Hindi, English, Kannada, Tamil or Telugu (Well, thats pretty much the languages I know / understand).
Selecting the first movie review I wanted to write about wasnt all that tough. But then, you cannot consider it totally a review as such as its an old one and one of my favourites. "Forrest Gump..."
So guys, watch space to savour the different chocos that life..err..movies have to offer....!
Book reviews
Finally, ive decided to share my views and thoughts on all the books I read / have read.
Being a true book lover, Ive finally managed to get back to reading books, definitely not at the pace I used to read once upon a time. Nevertheless, its a start Ive made all over again.
I was a bit undecided till now as to whether I needed to start off a new blog for the reviews alone. But then, considering the person I am, I decided to keep it simple and plain. One blog, different avatars! (read categories by the way :) )
I will religiously post all links of my book reviews in this page so it consists of a consolidated list at any given point in time.
Next, coming to that one book for which I want to write my first review...Well, it was an extremely difficult task to assay from such a large list. But Ive finally zeroed in on one - Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte).
Ive read this book atleast 4-5 times right from school. And every time I read it, it makes a mark on me that lasts for quite a while. So, watch out for it soon :)
20 Seconds to Green....
She had a beautiful face. Just like any other girl of her age would. Her height, weight and physical appearance looked like she would probably be below 10 years of age. But for her eyes. They coxed a very different feeling in you. I would never imagine a 10 year old if I were to see just her eyes….
I couldn’t help but stare at her. She had a slim lean body. Her eyes were very intense. But there was something very sad about it. It looked like she was completely shattered. Yet, at the same time, it seemed she had a burning desire for something!
I wondered what her name was, where and how she lived. She for one, was in deft of dancing, dancing like there was no tomorrow. She was dancing for everyone to watch her, for them to give her some money. No one would be able to gauge for what or where the money would go. Perhaps toddy for the drinking father, or medicine for an ailing mother, or to some bigger group misusing these desolate children or perhaps just food for the day.
The agility with which she seemed to flex her body reminded me of a video that I watched on youtube sometime back where one guy does the so called ‘Robo’ dance in some American dance competition. This little girl seemed to match just as much talent if not more. She seemed to mix acrobats with dancing steps and all possible gimmicks to attract the slightest possible attention. If given proper care and support, she could perhaps win us a medal at the Olympics! If only she got noticed that is.
She smiled now and then; she looked intensely at anyone who showed some interest in her, perhaps with the hope that they would give something. My obsequious looks sure did turn some heads around too. I was feeling extremely guilty for no reason and my mind seemed to go blank. The tenacious grip on the steering wheels didn’t help either.
Suddenly, she turned and our eyes met. The feeling was very uneasy. I quickly turned away but was able to watch her with the corner of my eye. I knew she was walking and inching closer towards my car. I was getting restless and I clutched the steering even further. I didn’t want to ignore her. I wanted to help but definitely not with money.
I wondered how one should react to situations like this. There are lots of people who come begging for alms. I, more often than not, end up giving away a few rupees. However, this seemed different. My heart felt heavy and my mind seemed rigid. This girl and her eyes! They seemed to have a haunting effect on me.
I desperately watched the signal time ticking away. The Ad board above showed a very happy picture of a father and daughter. I don’t remember the ad now, perhaps it was about some insurance policy. That increased the vacuum feeling even further. I wanted to know her full life story and consciously I knew it would have more events than mine.
20 seconds and the traffic signal turned green. I hit the accelerator and sped away, leaving her to try her luck again another time, another place……
Adios Amigos Dada…………
The Maharaja of Bengal retired on a wonderful note. An amazing victory for the team and a good test series for him as an individual. To all those who may not like him, two hoots!! One thing’s certain – You can hate him or you can love him. You just cannot ignore him. That’s Dada for you!
Ive been an ardent fan of Saurav ever since he made an impact on the field . I hardly even knew what cricket really was at the time when he made his debut way back in the ’90s. What perhaps stands out is his debut at Lords and the magnificent century he scored. I was so bored of hearing Sachin’s name always. Every second person loved Sachin. I was itching for someone in the Indian team who was not Sachin yet had the flair to be one. The answer was Saurav Chandidas Ganguly.
There was something in him that struck me instantaneously. I hardly bother about the technicalities of cricket, infact I still do not understand how you judge an LBW. Still, I felt something strong that made him stand out, way above the rest….
People have lots of opinion about him. Well, who doesn’t? You may call him arrogant, I term it attitude!!
I’ve enjoyed the shorter version of the game and given Ganguly’s been most dominant in that, I just couldn’t stop loving him. Frankly, I’ve never found support in any circle. It would either be groups of Sachin fans or Dravid fans. I would stand out all the time for being Saurav’s fan and that too in Bangalore. I never really cared. Well, I had the rest of West Bengal for support surely :)
Saurav has always managed to do things his own way. India’s most successful captain and answer to aggression, passion and pure elegance. Be it the lofty sixes or his off side strokes or his captaining skills, he always stood out. And I always loved it.
All through, I’ve linked incidents and circumstances in my life with something to do with Dada. Here are a few ;-)
1997-98: This was perhaps Dada’s best year. Winning every other man of the match award. Winning matches for India; not just with his batting, but with the ball too. This was also the year where I topped my state level exams and also found my soul mate.
Tch Tch!
2000: Ganguly becomes the captain of the Indian Cricket team. I succeed in my entrance exams and land a medical and an engineering seat in two of Bangalore’s top colleges.
Ahem!
2004: Ganguly got the Padma Shri and I was one of the toppers for my branch with two jobs in hand.
Bliss!
2006: Ganguly makes one of the most dramatic comebacks ever. I, who was on the verge of boredom received a promotion and change in role @ my workplace.
Duh!
Ganguly’s saga will continue in some form or the other for years to come. A touching finale and my only reason to watch cricket! He surely will be missed.
Saurav Dada, you will always rock!!!
One day in a life time...
6:00 AM: Gloomy, lazy, snooze the alarm
“Get up now”
6:30 AM: Gloomy, lazy, stop the alarm
“Get up now”
7:15 AM: Glob, Burp, hurry, running like crazy
“Run, Run, Run”
8:10 AM: Gloomy, lazy, stare at the monitor
“Yawn’
9:10 AM: Horror, sadness, joy, News reading
“Want to become a social worker.”
10:10 AM: Smile, check time, smile, check time
“When will the meeting end?”
11:10 AM: Gloomy, lazy, do some work
“Hungry kya?”
12:30 PM: Famished, famished, famished
“Lunch time is here”
2:00 PM: Games, entertainment news, some soothing music
“La la la…tar ara...”
3:30 PM: Sleepy, lazy, do some work
“Another 1.5 hrs still?”
5:00 PM: Happy, happy, smiling, done for the day
“What plans for the evening?”
6:15 PM: Happy, happy smiling
“What’s there to eat?”
7:15 PM: Surfing, chatting, mailing
“If only they don’t block these at office too…”
9:15 PM: Sleepy, smiling, sleepy
“Finally, your home sweetheart!”
10:00 PM: Eat, drink, sleeeepy
“Lets go to bed please…”
12:00 midnight Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC - ESPIALIDOCIOUS
It felt very strange to be sleeping and yet not asleep. It was not my room. The bed was hard and I had refused to use the available pillow. The previous occupants had probably slept with their mouth open. I tried hard to sleep but thoughts kept coming back to me. It felt like I would wake up tomorrow to an entirely new world…life changed drastically. There seemed to be some sort of anxiety. I looked around and saw my mother sleeping peacefully. I kissed her and took another dupatta next to her to cover my pillow.
This still didn’t seem to get me my sleep back. I was getting to worry now. My mind and heart seemed to be having tiffs within. I checked the alarm piece, it was 2 AM in the morning and I had been tossing and turning for the past 2.5 hrs.
I heard familiar voices outside. I had a dream of being taken to a room very similar to the one I was at present. I had the most wonderful face smiling down at me and it didn’t matter where I was, what I did, where I slept, what I ate or what I drank!
The next thing I know, my mom is vigorously waking me up. I checked the alarm piece and it showed 5 AM. Wha? The anxious journey was actually just going to begin…..
Looking at the mirror, I wondered if it was the same me. I looked different, very different. Things were moving way too quickly. It seemed like yesterday when I was a small girl riding my bicycle to school. I could very vividly recollect all the wonderful moments of my tuition classes. That was where I had met him. It had all begun there. Friendship, love, life ...all had a new beginning. We shared a very different and wonderful relationship. We would never meet, never talk in public, yet we knew exactly what was happening every second of our life. Thanks to some 18,000 secs/day that was religiously spent on the phone (wink!).
The class room so bright, he would sit with his back to the wall, facing me on the other side. Adrenaline rush each time our eyes met, followed by more stares until our friends started to feel the heat ;-)
The golden years of PU and engineering are still very fresh in my mind. Fun, laughter and just plain time-pass. My TASK group was really born there. The crazy days consisting of this-is-the-last-time trips aplenty, mind blowing night outs, long walks and constant talks…
I was jolted out of my thoughts by my Dad. He looked half his age and more so like my elder brother. We hugged for a brief instance and I let the tears just flow. Mommy appeared ever so busy and tensed. I had to pull her and pinch her cheeks. She cried with excitement and she cried. My tears hadn’t stopped flowing by the way.
My jingo-bang TASK came along (with me, the T already present for once). I looked at them and realised that almost a decade had passed since we’d met and the spark that first got us together was still very much visible. It was a big change coming for me and for all of us after today. I wondered if that would actually tame and sober me down….. (….truth is, it hasn’t and probably never will….).
My attire did not let me move around normally and there were too many people giving me way too many instructions. I was racing to complete tens of transactions per minute. Surprisingly my accuracy was 0.00001 percent.
Everyone around seemed to be very happy!. And what did I feel ?? I was happy. I was very happy. I was glad. I was anxious. I was nervous. I was confident. I was sad. I was excited. I was scared. I was not “I”. It struck me then…would I remain to be myself? Would I continue to be “me” after this day?
I had never lived away from Mom and Dad. I had never taken care of anybody other than myself. I had never shared a wardrobe. I had never shared a blanket. I had never shared a room!!! Surely, I knew it would be different. I love change, but this?!?
Amidst all the thought process that was going on within, lightning flashes of photography was in progress. If only they could capture my thoughts too, I wondered…
Cranking hard, the same wonderful face was sneaking up to the room to catch a glimpse of me. I pushed aside everything and walked straight up to the entrance. All my anxiety, all my fears and all the nervousness that was prevalent thus far, magically disappeared. I had found my soul mate, I had found my friend, I had found myself!
I now, just waited for the almost whimsical love story to complete for yet another new beginning.
My wedding, the most memorable event of my life last year.
Its still the same “me” and its still the same “us”. Thank you God. Thank you All.
Another whimsical one year just completed…..
Parii…lle-de-France!!
7 months since my trip to Paris and I still cant get over it!!
I hit gold and got lucky, I should say. Life was full of uncertainties at one stage and this happened - I flew to the city of love. Life could not have got better! Arc de Triomphe!!!
I visited my uncle there and stayed for 10 whole days. What did I visit on my first day there? Well, I visited the cemetery…aha, before you can think I went to pay my condolences to someone, let me tell you. It was the cemetery of Père Lachaise where some great people like Oscar Wilde, Rossini and hold your breath JIM MORRISON! have been buried. I but naturally visited the last one…cause it’s the Mojo Rising ;-)
Champs-Elysees!! It’s called the la plus belle avenue du monde, meaning the most beautiful avenue in the world. True to its name, it sure was a treat. Walking down the street got my hormones working overtime. A new kinda kick to see a “Vespa” , overwhelming to see the picture of “Taj Mahal” in one of the showrooms, a high buzz on a single glass of champagne (that too shared between two)….Life was everything but ordinary there!!
Shopping was done mainly on the streets and in small souvenir shops. Galleries Lafayette was an amazing experience but just to watch the others shop. I was somewhat proud to see the face of Aishwarya Rai on the L’Oreal counters in one of Paris’ biggest shopping arena.
I did full justice to the Da Vince Code and got to pose for a photo near the so called “holy grail”. Muse de Louvre was massive. They say it takes months for someone to see the entire museum. I spent just an hour inside and more than 2 hours outside the museum. For obvious reasons, the only things I saw there were – the “Mona Lisa” , Madonna of the Rocks, Venus de Milo and a couple of Michael Angelo sculptures.
Pyramids and fountains, French fries (called just fries there by the way) in one hand and boyfriend in the other, would I care to look at paintings?!
I’ve never fussed about visiting any religious monument. Be it temple, a mosque or a church. So, why would I miss out on seeing one of the world’s oldest and beautiful churches – Notre Dame. I should mention that Basilique du Sacre Ceur in Montmartre was a beautiful church as well. We had to climb up the steps of a small hill to get to the church. Each platform had someone performing something….dancing, singing, a comedy show…
Having mentioned about museums, churches, streets et al, I have to talk about the most visited monument in Paris – Eiffel Tower!! I prefer to call it “My baby” (wink!)
Contrary to the popular saying, “First impression is the last impression”, my first impression of the tower was not very good. I was extremely bored to stand in such a long queue to go to the top. Too many people and somehow it did not match up to what I imagined it to be…I had had a peak from my plane window when I was landing in Paris and that had set off way too many expectations. But, when I got there on the top, and had a view of the city, it was breath taking!!
I had always wondered why they named a metal structure a lovers destination….I had my doubts cleared that day!
I got to become Alice in Wonderland an entire day. I haven’t visited the Disney World in the U.S of A and was awe struck with the sheer color and joy that Euro Disney had to offer. Pretty little children, colorful atmosphere and a world of disney characters you have grown up reading. If I can recollect correctly, I had my mouth open for the first half an hour or so….
I had never seen snow in my life until the day we went to Chamonix. It’s a small place bordering France and overlooks Switzerland. We drove non-stop for 9 hours from Paris to Chamonix and the fact that Im here writing about it is sheer luck and by God’s grace. That drive was a marathon and the most frightening one at that. At one point, everyone in the car (driver included) had dozed off and we realized we had gone a few kms just like that!! The next morning I woke up to a panoramic view of the snow capped French Alps. Apart from playing in the snow with one just one hand (yeah, we were so ill-prepared that 4 of us had to share one pair of gloves in turns), I also went to this place called Mer-du-Glance. It’s an ice mountain which had many different structures carved out.
All said and done, it’s truly a pleasure just walking around the city, taking the metro and chilling! I have this in my list of places to be “visited again” ,“visited again and again” , “visited again and again and again”……….
Incomplete....
I was digging up some old books of mine and found something interesting. Its a story that I had started long back but never cared to finish. Here's the excerpt..
“Make it fast! We need to catch the early bus today.” I realized my decibel frequency was beyond human hearing range. Sarah, my friend, would have almost gone deaf! She hurriedly drank the glass of milk kept on the table. We were late for the class again.
“Sorry David”, we chirped in, almost resonating. David, our teacher maintained his composure and resumed from where he had stopped. He was a man of great principles. It had been almost a month since we had joined. Our friends at the class told us that not a single day had the class started late. Well, we could never aver the fact…we had never arrived early. Not tomorrow, I thought, almost aloud that Sarah nodded in agreement. Both of us knew the real reason and I gave her a smarmy smile….
Anybody care to give a whacky/ wild/ weird/ interesting ending ?!?
Me in the Lion City!!
I don’t blog very often and when I do have something to write about, Im always quite busy with other things.
Now, a month after visiting Singapore, I’ve tried to put down on paper my experience of the entire sojourn right from the planning…
Matter of fact, I was never part of this trip. It just happened and Im so glad for that. I was really thinking of giving my parents a special gift for their wedding anniversary, now that I’d put almost two and a half years of work! They had never been outside of India and the best that could fit in my budget was Singapore.
I think it actually starts from here. The fact that it’s really affordable and you tend to get a decent package if you plan in advance itself is a welcome note to the place.
Thanks to A who did all the running around and info collecting. Thanks to A again for having pushed me to include myself in the plan of action!! Well, what started out to be a surprise gift for my parents eventually became a treat for me as well :-)
The beginning was getting my parents to have their passports done! After what seemed like eternity, they finally managed to complete the forms. It had been lying at home for more than a month!! The next was to keep this whole thing a secret until everything was planned out and ready. Unfortunately, I needed to get their signatures on the visa form and had to let the cat out early….nevertheless, a surprise it sure was!!
As the day was nearing, the excitement was building up. Mom was all ready with her salwars (considering the fact that she wears sarees more often than not). Dad was still hunting for a nice pair of shorts (Well, I have to mention…thanks to A again for having lent his fav shorts). Somehow, for me I was a bit lost…I was really worried about having included myself for this and having taken upon me to make sure my parents enjoyed...(Now I really know how they have been feeling all these years through)
It was a 3-night 4 day trip. As the flight landed and I could see "Singapore Changi Airport" in bold, I seemed to slowly but gradually lose the initial inhibitions. It was amazing to get a feel of an airport so huge and clean...really that’s the second best part of the trip.
We stayed at the Grand Central in Orchard road. Well, that place looked lovely with wonderful decorations for Christmas and New Year having started quite early. We did have some frightening moments at the start of the trip though. A tour guide was supposed to pick us up and drop us to the hotel. He was there at the right spot, on time and waiting for us, no doubt, but, once we handed him the money, I got a little worried. After all, it was the first time in a new place. He asked us to wait and went to get the car. ‘Thud, Thud’, I could feel my heart beating in my mouth when I saw the car swivel and go out. But then, after a few minutes, he was back from the other side…damn the one-ways, I thought!!
But from then on it was a smooth sail. We spent like an entire day roaming around on the streets of Orchard road and Little India. Phew! I walked like crazy that day, almost having got blisters on my feet!! The city tour and Sentosa Island on the second day was real good fun. The third day was even better…the surprise packet being Jurong bird park. We had never expected it to be so nice, thought it would be just another bird park, with all birds caged. We were so wrong!!
The final day was perhaps the best part of the trip. We were completely on our own, moving around in MRT - Mass Rapid Transit (Get the metro project going in namma bengalooru, please!!). It just didn’t seem difficult to get the tickets, get onto the train and get off at the right station. The system is so easy, straight forward and passenger friendly. We visited the Sentosa Island again and spent a lot of time in the beach there…rejuvenating I must say!
As the plane landed in Bangalore after 4 full days in the Lion City, you wouldn’t have seen a happier person get off :-). All in all, it was a much needed break and Im glad I went. Thanks for everything ‘A’ :-) :-) :-)
Its 24 hours too less...
One simple question – How many hours are there in a day?
One simple answer – 24 hours
Ok. Now, what was that, you ask me? Let me explain….
I’ve been giving this some thought. What exactly do we or let me be more specific; what exactly do I do in 24 hours? Let me start the cycle with the most wonderful and natural physiological process SLEEP….
7-8 hours of sleep
1-2 hours of daily routines
1-2 hours of traveling time
9-10 hours at office
1-2 hours of living to eat (that’s me , cause of late I’ve developed an un profound fantasy towards eating…absolutely anything from Idly, Dosa to someone’s head!!)
Well, if you take the extreme values here, I seem to have completed the 24 hour cycle without absolutely doing anything - the cream being won by office, where I actually do nothing!!!
Seriously, that’s it?!?! Its seems pretty clichéd to say so, but would it have been different if it was say perhaps 36 or 48 hours ? Hmm…..I don’t think so. The time above would have increased proportionately.
We manage to squeeze in time for family, friends, parties, entertainment within the pre-defined style or routine of normal life. Where then do we have time for ourselves, where then do we have time to live a life that we want, where then do we do something which we love doing (I’m excluding those who love their work from this category). But somehow, this is all the time that anybody has got or gets in life, be it Einstein, Bill Gates or Dr Devi Shetty.
How do we then manage time effectively so that we do not lose out on fun but at the same time achieve something or do something that we want to?
I, for instance, want to learn many forms of dancing, I love theatre, I want to put my humanity instincts to some use, I want to travel to a lot of places, I want to write a book , I want to…hmmm “I want to” a lot of things. Is this all possible? Dictionary has the word impossible but I remember a teacher in high school telling me there is nothing like that!!
Yeah, all it takes is will power, determination and some smart thinking to do them all. But then, not everyone is a genius. Its takes that something extra to get right there!!
Having said all that, I ask myself, have I at least had time for family and friends alike ? Hmm…no, not exactly. Where then does all the time go??? You spend time with family; you have some distant family (distant in terms of blood relations but close in terms of your personal relations) complaining. You spend time with friends, you have another set of them complaining….You spend time with maternal grand parents, you have the paternal ones complaining. True, you cant do everything , but it is still important to keep people close to you, “close” to you literally. In fact, a few minutes back, I got a call from my Uncle who told me “atleast call me once in a while…its been a long time since I even heard your voice”.
Sometimes, you don’t intend to hurt a person , unknowingly though, you land up doing just that. Why ? “I just don’t seem to have enough time really” is the only possible excuse you could genuinely have.
I tried to do some research on how to spend time more effectively. I did hit upon some interesting/weird findings, one of them being Polyphasic sleep; reduce the number of hours of sleep and instead use that to do that something more in life -here
To know the value of one year - Ask the student who failed their final.
To know the value of one month - ask the mother of a premature baby.
To know the value of one week - ask the editor of a weekly magazine.
To know the value of one day - ask the wager earner with six children.
To know the value of one hour - ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To know the value of one minute - ask the person who missed the plane.
To know the value of one second - ask the person who survived the accident.
To know the value of one millisecond - ask the Olympic silver medalist.
- John Maxwell
Im a Nurturer!!
| Thats me, the site says... |
The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excell at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. |
Just like that...
It’s a dull day. Life’s a routine. There is hardly anything happening for another few months. And I just realized there isn’t a single holiday till the 15th of Aug. Oh! damn the corporate world!!
Life has been really exciting for me for the past few months or so. Things have settled down. I’m not so much into football, but this time, yes; call it enlightenment or just plain peer pressure, I have enjoyed the game. And I sure believe its “Joga Bonito”.
I didn’t particularly have a favourite team, but I sure did feel bad for Argentina’s loss and I surely did miss Messi ;-). I didn’t watch the match yesterday, but happy that Italy won and also sad that I wont get to see the German coach, Klinsmann again!! The good news is that I finally joined Salsa with my fiancée (happy J ). The first two classes have been fun and I’m so looking for the weekend! Other than that, it’s been pretty much usual.
I have been leaving office right on time these days. Ha! I don’t like working late or overtime….it doesn’t pay to be hardworking. It pays to be street smart. I’ve learnt it the hard way in these two years of my working experience. Well, there are 6 different kinds of people.
- Those who stay back late cause they have work
- Those who stay back late to study or research
- Those who stay back late( doing nothing), just to impress their managers.
- Those who stay back late cause they have nothing else to do outside (their social life sucks basically)
- Those who stay back late cause they enjoy the company in office (chatting, playing et al)
- Those who do not stay back late
I fall under the last (primarily) and first (secondary) sections.
Incidentally, I came across this article posted in office and found it a good read. Check it out
