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I could not help up put up a quick post …

Doing reports and radio is a part of my being efficient.. and now, I hate to say it that even radio is a rant cause for me.. Radio, well I like it better than my collection since its random and I like the surprise bit.. but it seems that it is a cause for more irritation than pleasure..

There are so many,so many,so many,so many,so many,so many,so many,so many, and so many great songs… and still they have to play… stupid music.. stupid I say because of the lyrics.. Maybe just maybe, I might ignore the lyrics, if the melody was worth listening, but thats if I dont have a choice..

Now we have some stupid song playing on and on like

Ullu da pattha … he is a good looking ullu da pattha..

Ullu da, ullu da, ullu da, pattha
Ullu da, ullu da
Yum ya jag jag-mag jag-mag, ullu, ullu da pattha
Rode da lai dag-mag dag-mag, ullu, ullu da pattha
Yum ya jag jag-mag jag-mag, ullu da pattha
Rode da lai dag-mag dag-mag, ullu da pattha
Ennu maara ya khud nu peetan
Ullu ullu ..
O he’s a goodlooking ullu da pattha
O he’s a goodlooking ullu da pattha
Paun jahan bhi dil America
O he’s a goodlooking ullu da pattha

Where has this gone ? : Tarif karu kya uski, jisne tumhe banaya OR 1942 love story songs..

Then we have :

Inflation, She is a Dayan..  GAWK.. I was like .. WHAT..

And thats just couple of what I turned off….

Oh yeah !! Potty pe baithta hai Nanga (or something similar,  part of that dum maro dum item number : I think Potty and Deepika somehow, does not go well together : even if you say, that the words have deep meaning, it does not cut it.. )

Unche Se Uncha Bandha, Potty Pe Baithe Nanga
Phir Kaahe Ki Society, Saali Kaahe Ka Paakhanda
Bheje Se Kaleje Se, Kalaje Ke Kalaje Se
Mit Jaaye Gham, Maroge To Jeeyoge Dum Maaro Dum

Mai karu to saala character Dheela hai… ( HUH)

Kise hai love se matlab
Yeh yovan santreela hai
Fark padta hai kya baahon mein
Munni hai ya sheela hai
Ishak ke namm pe karte
sabhi ab raas leela hai

(BRRRRRRRRRRR)

And what about . Ishq ka manjan ghise hai piya, Pal pal na maane tinku jia haan tinku jia ( GAWK)

pal pal na maane tinku jiya, haan tinku jiya
ishq ka manjan ghise hai piya
pal pal na maane tinku jiya, haan tinku jiya
ishq ka manjan ghise hai piya

And I dont know what Abi babe is trying to achieve by doing Thain Thain… Thain Thain. Aby Baby, looks like you are also running of of IDEAs.. poor mans Bond..  ????

Teri Baaton Ki Sharaab, Tere Paapon Ke Hisaab
Teri Swiss Bank Account, Gol Gol Mol Count
Teri Gali Gali Yaar Puri Goli Baar Baar
Pehle Yaari Mein Mili, Phir Biki Baar Baar
......

Thayn Thayn Tere Gale Ki Jalan
Thayn Thayn Abhi Hogi Nahin Kam
Thayn Thayn Jo Hai Maal Patthi
Thayn Thayn Woh Hai Mom Batthi
Thayn Thayn Daayein Baayein Mudegi
Thayn Thayn Dishkyaon Udegi
Thayn Thayn .....

And silly jokes by RJ : hello Dimple : so your name is a body part.. so you have a sister called simple… and pimple… GAWK… CRASS ( like Blu says to Nigel  in Rio : NOT COOL)

Today he went : your name is Riaysa, then you have a sister named raagi, and all cereals..

Oh this was the YUCKIEST

So your name is Puja. So do you know Aarti (Puja says : Yes I know Aarti) So do you DO Aarti.. Does she DO you) …. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Come on !!! ( or maybe  I am getting cranky)

Dudes, RADIO is powerful.. Use it well.. you are raping it now.. hahaha

Gosh I miss Jhonsi, Saggi, Priya Ganapathy, Rohit Barker when RJ was fun to listen as well. And they played some great songs… and mind you we still have great songs.. they just get passed over by “popularity” for the aforementioned songs..

A bad bad radio day for me …. #FAIL

I think I am really getting ancient.. sigh… !!

I was going to spend time with a soul friend…

Everything was ready, my backpack was ready, my book and music added, my checklist ticked, alarm set and ticket “assumed”.

Typically before any journey, I have this muted excitement which sends thrills of anticipation of discovering new bits and pieces or revisiting old bits and pieces when one travels..

Being up early in the morning, I was ready an hour early. My train to Coimbatore was at 8:00 AM. With lot of love and kindness, my mother-in-law and Rocks decided to drop me off.

We reached the railway station and I was in the frame of mind to hop on and get into my drifting space of travelopia.

I took out the ticket to check the train number and GUESS WHAT !! my train had already left for Coimbatore at 6:15. All the while I was referring to the return ticket.. GAH !! I was ashamed when the enquiry guy looked at me as if I was stupid to enquire about a train which already left..

For the first time in my life I MISSED MY TRAIN. Rocks was boiling and slowly fuming.. I did not know what to say… Well what do you say ?

Its no use bemoaning the fact that you have missed the train. I just smiled and laughed it away. When I called my friend, she also laughed out loud.. and well I was happier to hear her laugh and my world was better again..

By now Rocky also swallowed his ire and patiently started driving back murmuring under his breath that I could cancel my ticket..

I was keeping my pleasant attitude about this and did not point out until later that one cannot cancel the ticket once the train has left. Ha ha !! But he was only trying to be a man and help me out so I smiled again.

Its no use cursing yourself.. well then I thought to myself… I think I will end up chilling at home which was also fine.

Then suddenly I thought of trying the bus and fortunately, there was only one counter open and Rocks patiently waited till I found one lone old man chewing on tobacco half asleep.. blearily asking me where I wanted to go..

I said Coimbatore and he did say that there was a bus at 12:30 PM. I was thrilled. He suddenly woke up and skipped and crossed the road. I skipped behind him to go to another counter which was also the only one open and got myself a ticket to Coimbatore.

Rocky drove us back home and on the way back we had some freshly made dosas under a huge tree.. and generally enjoyed ourselves… mother in law was very encouraging about the situation and though I was embarrassed… I was feeling better that I would be going on that trip anyway.. and it was about a few hours late.. well all was well.

Rocky kindly dropped me and saw me off from the bus station at 1:00 PM, this time making sure that I left with the bus and not without. Typically IST wise, the said time and the actual time differed. No surprise there..

The bus was comfortable and since I had Seat no 1, I was pretty glad that I could have a wide view of the drive and what was in front of me..

Well the bus started with some nice Tamizh songs. Which was fine. They are pretty cool with fancy DVD with some MP3 CDs ready to be played for the traveler’s hearing pleasure.

Suddenly I was jerked by a song which sound like TITANIC many a times in the lyrics.. It was funny to say the least but I was bright and happy.. so it did not matter.

We stopped at the Bharat Petroleum Eating joint after Krishnagiri. And it was late afternoon. After a quick bite and an empty bladder, the bus started onwards. The handyman very enthusiastically, took out a 5 in 1 DVD and switched on the DVD.

And on came RAJANIKANT with his different expressions and that sultry look of his chewing on his trademark ciggie.

There were some mythological characters, Rajani in modern clothes and role and Rajani in a villager role. As the movie unfolded, I was zapped, sitting in silence, trying to focus on the nature passing by but forced to watch the movie and got caught up in the story which was totally ludicrous to say the least but totally entertaining..

I watched disbelievingly at Rajani making an entrance on a motorcycle with smoke billowing behind him chewing on his ciggie trying to block a truck on the highway at night.

Then he starts beating up people right and left and the fight scenes goes on and on.. Rajani with his white shirt and pant and him beating up some 10 -20 people without his white shirt getting dirty. WoW !!

Then while Rajani is fighting for his life.. in the fight scenes, we have Sheeba ( the somewhat known and forgotten Bollywood heroine) shouting.. “ippdi” !!! ” Sooper ” Soober man” And mimicking her arms boxing the air.. “adi adi ” “Sooper.. ” Then she throws him a flying kiss and Rajni in the middle of the fight, has the time to look sexily at her and take out his distinctively pink tongue and looking at the camera and lapping the flying kiss up like a puppy.. and then goes back to beating up the goons… I was like GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH and that was supposed to be a hot moment…. GROSSSS !!!! I was having a quiet stomach ache laughing my head off. Oh and lets not forget some 2-3 song and dance routine with him in his white dress and shoes and lots of extras jiggling around with Sheeba and then some more fight scenes.. which made no sense…

To continue and make this short, Rajani gets killed and he floats around in heaven with three guys, one of whom is Chitragupt the divine bookkeeper of karmic accounts or whatever.

Cut to Rajani doing his role as a village bumpkin and prancing around with a village belle. They sing and dance and Rajani gets beaten up by his uncle by a whip and gets poisoned for his property. Then we see the floating Rajani with his heavenly companions waiting for the village bumpkin counterpart to die. Once he dies, this modern Rajani gets transferred to the village bumkin’s body and then he proceeds to do some impossible things like beating up his uncle and aunty with whips, wearing modern dresses and still romancing the village belle. Then he comes to town and somehow gets found by Sheeba and he romances her too.. at the same time.. with the village belle.

And I am not saying anything about the 10 odd songs in the movies which sometimes is close to pornography by their very movements.. and no I am not shocked.. just an observation. At one time, I noticed Rajani just stiffly moving his body while the females falling and touching him all over… to make a dance… GAH !!!

I was also somewhat disturbed by the scene where Rajani does not only beat up his evil uncle with a whip but also his aunt. So well as per the movies, its ok to beat up a woman with a whip and so what.. if she was evil.. That is good punishment..

Well anyway, I will not be surprised if the public ( the mango people) believe this to be true and had a justification in beating the women up in the household..

My head was not making sense at all.. yet I was forced to watch it.. I tried and close my eyes but it did no good.. The driver had pulled a screen down half of the front window so that the passengers do not have a view of the outside and can ONLY watch the movie and clap their hands when Rajani does the beating up or cheer when something happens.. which makes them happy.

Anyway, the movie goes on and on… and many impossible feats later which defy science and gravity, he is left with the two heroines. Then one of the heavenly companions whisper in his ear. He whispers back in two of the heroine’s ears and they both get to maul Rajani at the end and he has a satisfied smile on his face.. This Chinese Whisper session is the climax of the film and I get to see the credits..

I sigh in relief.. but no my pain knew no end… my torture was beginning.

DVD 2 – The tamizh version of our bollywood remake Ghar Jamai. – suffice it to say that it did its work on having my ears and hair stand at my end.. the script defies everything in the name of films..

By the time this movie ended, I am going bonkers.. and just when I think I can breathe, Than tha naaaaaann !!! up comes yet another movie..

And to top it all, everytime some dialouge comes up, the driver repeats the dialogue along with Rajani.. I did not know what to do.. I was I think ready to puke on the drivers head.. or whack him with something.. I had SOOSOOSOSO lost it..

I had to vent it out. I called Rocks up and swore and cursed about the torture and after seeing my wild and mad behavior and hearing the words torture couple of times.. the driver instructs the handyman to switch off the movie.. ( Rocks on the other side was laughing his head off)

BLISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS !!!

But the next hour is full of loud radio music.. which I was ok with and also sang along with some popular Tamil songs.

I am also embarrassed by losing my temper.. and cursing so badly.. which I usually refrain.. but the human mind can only take so much..

By the end of it all, I was zonked out.. and eagerly counting kms on the board till I reached Coimbatore.. 140, 67, 35, 28, … it blurred and I started staring into space and just thinking nothing.. so much was I lost that I did not realize, we had come to my stop… if my friend would not have seen me, or I would not have spied her, I would have moved on to god knows which destination.. and ended up screwing my day royally.

But thanks to all good things that make life easy, my friend called me down and we finally reached her place..

It took me a cup of tea and a good bath to wind down.. and start my weekend…

GAHHH GAAHHH and double GAHHHHHHH !!!!! to crazy movies !!!

I must say that we have to upgrade to headphones connected to the bus TV which allows us to watch or ignore a movie and journey in peace..

Or maybe I should invest in some noise reduction headphones.. the next time I take a bus..

So well, I am fresh and rejuvenated to start another week and looking forward to the usual stuff that happens in a week and another travel.. coming up this time some family time in the forest..

So hopefully you had a lovely weekend.. Have a great week ahead.. It’s a wonderful Tuesday today..

Ode to the man himself.. :

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you
I’d give to you a day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I’d sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high
Sunshine almost always

@John Denver

Ok so today I fired my cook. It is so good to do things for oneself.. So I am free free free of having someone wake me up early morning

Of thinking and planning on what to have everyday.. Food is joy and really does not need so much planning. Sigh.. Or maybe I am crazy

She was good for my parents.. and well it became uncomfortable when she started to take me or granted. just because I dont believe in fighting with her everyday for  missing her work twice a week and coming late when I really need her to come early..

I really bless that soul who helped me when I needed her..

But I am glad I am back on my own… Rocky’s cooking and my cooking.. more time to experiment. .We really bonded over who gets to make whats new.. hahahah !!! I love sharing my recipes with Rocks as well..

Ummmm… freedom.. and yeah.. its nice to be on our own..

But I am not devauling her services. Am glad I got her when I did.. Bless her..

But yeah.. sunshine..

Sometimes its ok to ponder a little by oneself before one goes searching through the junta for answers.

Today for example, Radio Indigo had this question to ask the public.

What will you do if you lose your job ?

Well firstly I think that the whole environment is so unpredictable with all the great news circling around the IT industry, its really very insensitive to ask that question.

And you should have heard the answers which went something like :

I will backpack across country.

I will take my camera and go to the wild.

I will go to Vegas and spend all my money.

I am too important to my company to lose my job.

Either we have really dumb junta or someone up there thinks that its great to lose jobs. Or they really are young people think is having a job is a lark.. and losing it is even more so..

Hello People !! Wake up and smell the coffee …

You got to be more conscientious about others and yourself when something so sensitive is being asked. Also I think it matters how one asks the question.

I liked one answer : I would spend my time with voluntary organizations serving the society the best I can till things settle. ( or to that effect)

The redeeming factor was that after these answers, someone who thought like me.. countered the given answers..

If we don’t have the money to feed ourselves.. what will we do traipsing cross country.. Sigh..

I would think that we should have the media encouraging the junta in finding new ways of using our time. Encourage counsellors to come and talk about the after effects of such an event and how to cope. We have such a powerful medium which could help us. Why not use it to our benefit .. .

Come off it RADIO INDIGO, don’t take this upcoming situation so loosely.

Laughingly asking.. hahaha h!! what will do you if you lose your job.. and all that blah..  Sometimes some sobriety is needed with situations which has the possibility of altering families and relationships and oneself.

Believe me I have been there.. and its not PRETTY.

The emotional trauma is tremendous.. and then if one is supporting a family, the whole family is at a risk of disintegrating.

Radio :  We need to talk more about how to proactively counter this and huddle together to support each other or form groups to take into account of what we could do..

Its in our power and if we plan this, we could somehow just manage to plough through.

On a different note, I was watching this video of musk oxens and wolf and was very impressed at what we could learn from the wild..  I thought.. it was a good example to cope with loss and not to give up..

Till we stop running and stand to the economic storm…

Movie Details

Aamir Khan – Sanjay Singhania
Asin Thottumkal – Kalpana
Jiah Khan – Sunita
Pradeep Rawat – Ghajini
Riyaz Khan – Fawwaz

Music – A.R. Rahman
Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran
Editing - Anthony Gonsalvez
Running time - 181 mins
Country - India
Language - Hindi

Review

This is the third remake of the story, the original being Memento and the second version being the Tamil version of Ghajini. The movie revolves round a character who has Anterograde Amnesia or Short Term Memory loss.  In this version, a rich businessman sees his fiancee being murdered in front of him and as a result of this trauma during the murder which he sees in front of his eyes,  his whole and sole aim is to take revenge inspite of suffering from short term memory loss. The movie is all about how the character goes about his revenge.

Where the movie wins (without any comparison to Ghajini predecessor)

The movie wins in Aamir Khan’s portrayal of his character. He is intense in his anger and in the role of a helpless victim. He goes through the different shades of characterization with beautiful overlaps and it definitely shows what focused insane anger can do and at the same time, it switches off in an instant when the memory switches off. And bringing forth that repeated intensity in his portrayal of the character was done with great aplomb.  His helplessness and innocence as a character rediscovering himself is as new as a newborn infant and the nuances are very well blended. The interplay of emotions between extreme rage, helplessness and total unknowing in a matter of seconds is beautiful.

Loved the two songs, Behka ye Behka and the desert picturisation.

The other two were waste of time.

The movie also brings forth a very touching love story where you are satisfied with how it unfolds. Asin did a good job of lightening up the scene with her presence. It was humorous and soothing and one could actually understand why the actual character would fall in love with her.

Editing and Cinematography wins hands down.

Where the movie loses

When there is such a powerful characterization, the supporting roles could not do justice to his emotions.  The first letdown was naming the reason for  spending so much emotion on a character called Ghajini.  The Tamil title Ghajini according to one web resource has been derived from the fact of Sultan Mehmud Ghazni’s continuos zeal of attacking in late 990′s on an Indian north-west region and not giving up attitude which could explain the root of the concept and the progression of the character.

And even if a character was built with the name Ghajini, the actor could not do justice to the personality of the name and the character it brings to mind. And there the movie falls a little flat.

The second letdown was unnecessary dialogues which were mouthed by the negative role. If you keep throwing “short term memory loss” after every few minutes of speaking a sentence, it does make it powerful as it could have been if it would have been mouthed at specific points in the movie.  Whenever this character demeaned the main role, the audience actually burst out laughing. I dont know if this was the objective of the director/writer. To me, his presence should have been worked on to make more powerful and more impressionable.. someone who would deserve that emotion of hate and revenge.

The third letdown was have the fight scene drawn out too long and making it a tiny bit unrealistic.

The last letdown was the climax. I liked the Tamil movie’s climax as it seemed like a natural progression. Sometimes its wise not to interfere with the director’s cut and add in some lengthy course of sweetened climax when the movie demands a natural flow of bringing the concept to a close.  It did not explain how the character suddenly could turn from a raging murderer to someone so docile and how he could get away from the law. In that respect, the Tamil version gives a natural conclusion and leaves the audiences with a sigh of realism.

Movie as a whole

As a package, its a worthwhile watch. The starting is quick and the middle lags a lot while it picks up the pace after intermission. There are lot of loopholes which a smart audience can pick up and actually mock when it could have been handled better.. much better.

I am really interested in watching Memento now since the actual story is so gripping.

If you have watched the Tamil version, you might be disappointed with the Hindi one. So leave your comparisons outside the theater and just go watch for Aamir Khan. Rest is all a blur..

Hope you all have a great New Year. I have a feeling that this year is going to be good..

Why is it that we are choosing to become workaholics ?

Is it so difficult to balance homelife and work ?

Its becoming alarmingly the reason for physical burnout and family dissensions. 

Where is the intelligent self which usually is good at adding 2 plus 2.. 

Have been hearing, facing and meeting people who have been affected by this so called lack of work-life balance.. 

Its disturbing to see the effects of this aspect. 

Where are we going from here ??

Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress

If your work life and personal life are out of balance, your stress may be running high. Here’s how to reclaim control.

Finding work-life balance in today’s frenetically paced world is no simple task.

Spend more time at work than at home, and you miss out on a rewarding personal life. Then again, when you face challenges in your personal life, such as caring for an aging parent or coping with marital problems, concentrating on your job can be difficult.

Whether the problem is too much focus on work or too little, when your work life and your personal life feel out of balance, stress — along with its harmful effects — is the result.

The good news is that you can take control of your work-life balance — and give yourself the time to do the things that are most important to you. The first step is to recognize how the world of work has changed. Then you can evaluate your relationship to work and apply some specific strategies for striking a healthier balance.

How work invades your personal life

There was a time when employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight- to nine-hour days. The boundaries between work and home were fairly clear then. But the world has changed and, unfortunately, the boundaries have blurred for many workers. Here’s why :  Read More

On Dark Knight

Well, I must say after the great feedback.. I really had some gala expectations.. but then well it really sucked.. 

• I must say that the joker part was overdone.. it was like a modern day thriller flick.. 
• The essence of Batman was diminished.. to certain extent. 
• It was wierd to see Batman talk in an abnormally husky way.. ( Rocky staunchly maintains that it is a part of his disguise. ) 
• From my comic knowledge, Batman never loved Harvey Dent’s girlfriend.. Correct me if I am wrong.. 
• Joker did not have his face cut up and went on and on about asking people and then telling his victims how his face got cut and all that crap. 
• He is a villain with immaculate make up of a Joker to enhance the character and a villanious mind used via humor.. what a combo.. !! Nothing of that sort came forward in the movie.. 
• The costume underwent a change.. 

Also, after watching Batman Returns the other day, I was all the more certain they had done something horrible with the new movie. 

The old movie had all the plot of making the movie watchable again and again.. it had everything. Even the costume was an original.. with the yellow belt and the logo.

Either I am old fashioned or I have to rethink my way of looking at comics made into movies.. 

I can understand manipulating a book.. where words could be interpreted and played upon the way the director sees fit. But a comic book is visuall.. how can one go wrong… ???

Well I should not be surprised.. If Sholay and DON were so badly remade… why not Batman… hahahah !!! 

Google Chrome

Ola Google… !!! its a pleasure seeing this minimalistic explorer.. 

If you already havent, and you like minimalistic browsing.. do check out google chrome… It rocks.. 

Read the book too.. its cool.. 

I was just surfing the channels and thought of pausing in Salman Khan’s show. Well more than half channels are trying to show one reality show after the other, I thought this would be another show.

And well I think I liked what I saw. Forget it being a reality show. The comfort level that Salman shows his audience is very nice. I caught Aamir and his nephew at that show.

The format of the show is pretty cool and its all about guessing. So I could say that it appeals to the masses that way. I like watching that show.

So well all the best to you Salman and keep on guessing.. its good to see you on the screen again.

Talking of Bollywood, I dont recognise half the people who are starring in the movies. Where are the stars ? Where are the good old days when we could watch a movie because a star was in it.. and one would know that the movie would do well.. just because of that presence.

Ahhhh.. the last but not the least thought..

The song in Istanbul movie..

Bull its impossible.. bull its possible.. bull bull bull … BULLSHIT..

THAT IS HINDI SONG LYRICS for you. What utter crap !!

I understand Hindi rock songs.. I also can to certain extent.. tolerate the song.. Zaara Zaara touch me.. from Race..

But this one takes the cake..

Oh for the days of golden melody and lyrics..

Well I guess I am a soul of the past..  !!

And if you’re dead, please get to a hospital…

Well, it is free…

Falling should be planned…

How do you do?

Ahem !!!

In the meantime I leave you with some Dire Straits music..

(PS: I love this bit in your blog Blues.. am adapting it.. )