Alrighty, I haven't written anything since Sunday..Why is that ? Um I was super busy on Monday at work..Damn, half the office is on leave for the holidays...Tuesday I came in on time and was super anxious to relax and watch some TV and have a proper dinner...Okay Wednesday was a real easy day by means of work...Half the office had left early anywhere between 11 to 1 in the afternoon trying to get to their families for the impending Thanksgiving dinner today! I heard on the news that yesterday, Nov 25, 2004 was the biggest commuter day in the US since 9/11/2001....Airports, train stations and freeways were all packed thereby....
I spent most of the day on the phone haggling with super irritating customer service reps trying to get my menial chores which were pending since ever to be done with...Thereafter, for the first time I left the office at 4:30 and hopped from one to shop to another to check out the pre-Thanksgiving sales...Viola not many discounted rates were being offered but tomorrow 5:30 am to 12 noon will be the big boom time....Okay I really don't know who and why came up with this crazy idea of the day after Thanksgiving sales that too starting at 5:30 in the morning...C'mmon folks what is the hurry really ? Why not starting at 9 am ? If its a question of busting the doors and who gets there first we can all still shoot for 10 am why the need to get up so early...Well maybe 'coz thats so early for me and regular for most Americans....I know so many people who sleep at 10 every night and get up at 4:30 and get to work before 6 everyday for no specific reason...Companies don't demand that people be at work before 8 then why the hell this aversion to the very enchanting early morning sleep ?
Anyways, in the last 2 years I never had the need or determination to participate in this yearly post Thanksgiving sale...This year while I am setting up a home base and have recently acquired some purchasing power I might as well make use of this maddenning sales event! Well the prices are damn cheap sometimes going down by more than 50%..Last year a friend of mine went to Best Buy at 8 in the morning and he saw people stamping, running over each other to get the last best deals...My friend was able to buy a digital camera priced at 300 for $150..Awesome...Okay I have to be all guns ready to do this tomorrow....So tonight I need to research everything online and get the discount rates as published in the newspaper to know which shop to go in order to purchase what! But yo tomorrow is a working day, ya its sad but what can I say! Anyways, I could always shop from 6-9 and then head to work! Well I better get working to organize my shopping spree....
Last nite was such a drag....I got tired visiting all those stores to check out prices, then saw some TV and finally ended up watching Veer Zarra at midnight...Okay I went thru the movie fine but I can't really say that I liked it..Its too mushy mushy and stupid for my liking! An intelligent Air Force officer gets emotinal and decides to spend his entire life in the prison so that his girlfriend and her fiance live a peaceful life, this on the promise of a deceitful fiance in the first place..Its hard to digest that both the lovers get through their lives in total ignorance that the other person is alive and living a painful and secluded life for him/her....Why do directors make such movies ?
On that note, I recently saw a trailer of this new upcoming Robert De Niro movie "Hide & Seek" ...Its a horrifying and chilling tale of a man finding out that his 9 year old daughter has found a new way of dealing with her mother's death...She either has an imaginary friend Charlie or she herself is the very violent Charlie..I saw this spine chilling trailer last weekend when I went to see Bridget Jones Diary II and immediately I was thinking why do they make such movies ? What is the purpose ? Its not that I get frightened easily..I have seen a bunch of horror movies..My real concern is that how does this effect the society and our psyche....Especially the kids..Granted that this movie will definitely be rated adult but what about the young movie actors and actresses...Doesn't it affect them ? Why do writers write such scripts and parents allow their kids to star in such movies ? I wonder how I would've reacted? Being a 9 year old I would have been horrified going through painful make believe scenes about murder, rape, etc...Why give your a child such a wild and possibly hurtful experience ?
No wonder domestic violence is on the rise and its such horrifying tales of human drama that affect the kids, their parents and the whole society in some hidden way at some point in time....Why not make more happy movies ? Give people true entertainment...A reason to forget the problems in their lives and enjoy something for 2 hours...Alright now I am being opinionated to the point of no return....
Lemme get started on my big bang for the money shopping race tomorrow and wish you guys a very Happy Thanksgiving! This year I had no turkey and no family around me but I had a restful day and yes I am thankful to God for giving me so many reasons to be happy!
On Bride & Prejudice & Gurinder Chadha
Disclaimer: This is more of an elongated comment to a post Balle Balle, Amritsar to LA (Bride and Prejudice) on Deepak's blog than an original post. For background, please read his post first !
While I have serious misgivings about Chadha's potrayal of modern India and Indian families in both her films - Bend it like Beckham & Bride & Prejudice, I think the new movie "Bride & Prejudice" does bring something to the table..It brings the very Indian Bollywood in the limelight and Miramax to Indian cinema in the future...Wudn't it be great if we could bring $$$$ and pounds to Bollywood from renowned production houses rather than the Dawood Ibrahims (an underworld don in India) of the world and churn out movies for the world audiences...Just like European hits like Amelie, My big fat greek wedding, Run Lola Run, etc. the global movie-goer would be able to enjoy desi hits like Golmaal, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Company, Hera Pheri and what not!
I seriously think that in any business venture a wrong direction is better than no direction..Hence, while Chadha has faltered on many aspects there are some angles worth appreciation...For instance, an original and well presented concept is family and peer pressure which affects all of us notwithstanding if we come from a middle class Indian family or a filthy rich American or British family..(Think Darcy's Mom having serious apprehensions about her son Darcy falling in love with an Indian girl who does not belong to a rich and famous family)
Thats all with my 2 cents on Bride & Prejudice..
p.s. Deepak :: U must see the British versions of Jane Austen's novels...Sense & Sensibility with Hugh Grant & Emma Thompson and Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth are absolutely beautiful movies....Austen was really not as bad as u think of her...Maybe it was your boring professor after all...Things would have been different if your literature teacher in your teen years were perhaps a youthful and inspiring woman :)
While I have serious misgivings about Chadha's potrayal of modern India and Indian families in both her films - Bend it like Beckham & Bride & Prejudice, I think the new movie "Bride & Prejudice" does bring something to the table..It brings the very Indian Bollywood in the limelight and Miramax to Indian cinema in the future...Wudn't it be great if we could bring $$$$ and pounds to Bollywood from renowned production houses rather than the Dawood Ibrahims (an underworld don in India) of the world and churn out movies for the world audiences...Just like European hits like Amelie, My big fat greek wedding, Run Lola Run, etc. the global movie-goer would be able to enjoy desi hits like Golmaal, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Company, Hera Pheri and what not!
I seriously think that in any business venture a wrong direction is better than no direction..Hence, while Chadha has faltered on many aspects there are some angles worth appreciation...For instance, an original and well presented concept is family and peer pressure which affects all of us notwithstanding if we come from a middle class Indian family or a filthy rich American or British family..(Think Darcy's Mom having serious apprehensions about her son Darcy falling in love with an Indian girl who does not belong to a rich and famous family)
Thats all with my 2 cents on Bride & Prejudice..
p.s. Deepak :: U must see the British versions of Jane Austen's novels...Sense & Sensibility with Hugh Grant & Emma Thompson and Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth are absolutely beautiful movies....Austen was really not as bad as u think of her...Maybe it was your boring professor after all...Things would have been different if your literature teacher in your teen years were perhaps a youthful and inspiring woman :)
Get A Life - I
Well whats been happenning with me ? Nothing much! Its not very difficult to fall into the monotonous rhythm of home-office-home day in and out, is it ? Its been just 2 months since I started working and I am already on the verge of being called a workaholic. I have been at work on several occasions past 8 pm and once I even had the absolutely hilarious fortune of getting locked in the office at 10:30 pm. That incident really jolted the blues out of me...New motto to be followed very seriously :: Get a Life!
Ala Upasana, so far the start has been pretty bad...Well if you've been in sunny San Diego for 2 months and haven't yet taken a dip in the ocean I would say pretty much your life sucks, thats to say my life sucks....In a genuine effort to revitalize my energetic self, the new game plan is to maintain a healthy work life balance....No more late nights at the office! More athletics, fun activities, exercise and yes no skipping meals either...
So once I decided it was high time to shake my lazy bones, which was about 2 days back..I still haven't gotten far....Friday was okay..A relaxed work day, an elongated pool session with colleagues, a good survey of the Pacific Beach area and to top of the day some great Mexican tacos and a superb Margarita! Not bad for starters at all...
Okay but Friday was Friday....Saturday morning got off to a late start...Gotta catch up on my beauty sleep on the weekends :) Did a very boring yet much delayed task of paying bills online..Done with that for a month....Then I tried to motivate myself a lot to head down to a sports bar where my co- Stan Alums were all piled up to root for the Cardinals in the 107th Big Game...But I guess it wasn't worth it...My gut feeling and lazy bones made the right decision...The Cardinals chickened out and the Bears now have their 3rd straight win over us in the Big Game since 2002...Really poor performance...But we may come back with a vengeance next year...
Anyways, the afternoon progressed smoothly as I guzzled on spicy Rasam, a South Indian recipe courtesy my roommate while we watched the much entrancing Entrapment....Wow Catherina Zeta Jones is one heck of a babe in this flick....Much to my surprise the Satur - day then went spiraling down towards a no lifer as I planned to catch the new Hugh Grant movie Bridget Jones II - The Edge of Reason...I must say I love Studio Canal and most British movies...They are definitely a bit different from the regular Hollywood movies...Much more original, earthy and a feel of more reality and less glamour....Love Actually, Sense & Sensibility, oh I love them all....Bridget Jones II was definitely not a disappointment but yes it was not as refreshing as the part I and yes Hugh Grant has much less footage...Also in an attempt to potray Bridget as a plumpy ageing spinster, the director has gone over board and at times Bridget just looks plain old and ugly..Hey I have nothing against fat women, in fact I am quite plump myself but c'mmon its a movie if not super beautiful let Rene look at least decently good...
If that wasn't enough, a friend of mine handed me a copy of the new Indo-British movie by Gurinder Chadha (of Bend it like Beckham fame)...The movie is adapted from Jane Austen's novel and is available in English as Bride & Prejudice and in Hindi as Balle Balle Amritsar to LA... And you won't believe that after getting back home from watching Bridget Jones, I decided what the heck lemme see this one too...I started with the Hindi version because you know the dialogues and jokes are at time more hilarious in the original language....Wo its funny and yes Martin Henderson is one handsome hunk as Will Darcy in the movie....Ms. World Aishwarya Rai looks sparky and thankfully not so much glamorous as the fiesty Lalita...All in all its a good movie but I wish the director would not have tried to pack in everything in one movie..Its too much you know....First she packed up the movie with some extraneous songs, then in a bad attempt to show crossing of cultures - the Indian Amritsar to the American LA ala Beverly Hills she packs in everything from elephants to Baywatch, an over dose of Indian dance and Mexican bands....
To my surprise, the English version of the movie is not only different in terms of the language but there are many scenes which are different or cut in the Hindi version....And if you think I am nuts to see the same movie twice on the same day..I most certainly am not!! I just checked that out in a jiffy you know some scenes here and there to catch a glimpse of adorable Martin Henderson and hear his real voice....
The movies Bridget Jones and Bride & Prejudice always remind me of the typical ups and downs of real life love stories and yes the colorful on screen marriages brought back some nostalgia..How many weddings of close friends and cousins back home in India have I already missed and will continue to in the near future as I live seven seas away in the US of A.... Its so sad to miss them, weddings are always fun especially if the one getting married is close to you...
ALL in ALL, what a life...a Movies Super Saturday, another weekend almost down the drain...One good deed of the day..yu hu I am hereby posting after ages on my blog..Better & hopefully sunny days are yet to come and Get A Life is still motto of the year!
Ala Upasana, so far the start has been pretty bad...Well if you've been in sunny San Diego for 2 months and haven't yet taken a dip in the ocean I would say pretty much your life sucks, thats to say my life sucks....In a genuine effort to revitalize my energetic self, the new game plan is to maintain a healthy work life balance....No more late nights at the office! More athletics, fun activities, exercise and yes no skipping meals either...
So once I decided it was high time to shake my lazy bones, which was about 2 days back..I still haven't gotten far....Friday was okay..A relaxed work day, an elongated pool session with colleagues, a good survey of the Pacific Beach area and to top of the day some great Mexican tacos and a superb Margarita! Not bad for starters at all...
Okay but Friday was Friday....Saturday morning got off to a late start...Gotta catch up on my beauty sleep on the weekends :) Did a very boring yet much delayed task of paying bills online..Done with that for a month....Then I tried to motivate myself a lot to head down to a sports bar where my co- Stan Alums were all piled up to root for the Cardinals in the 107th Big Game...But I guess it wasn't worth it...My gut feeling and lazy bones made the right decision...The Cardinals chickened out and the Bears now have their 3rd straight win over us in the Big Game since 2002...Really poor performance...But we may come back with a vengeance next year...
Anyways, the afternoon progressed smoothly as I guzzled on spicy Rasam, a South Indian recipe courtesy my roommate while we watched the much entrancing Entrapment....Wow Catherina Zeta Jones is one heck of a babe in this flick....Much to my surprise the Satur - day then went spiraling down towards a no lifer as I planned to catch the new Hugh Grant movie Bridget Jones II - The Edge of Reason...I must say I love Studio Canal and most British movies...They are definitely a bit different from the regular Hollywood movies...Much more original, earthy and a feel of more reality and less glamour....Love Actually, Sense & Sensibility, oh I love them all....Bridget Jones II was definitely not a disappointment but yes it was not as refreshing as the part I and yes Hugh Grant has much less footage...Also in an attempt to potray Bridget as a plumpy ageing spinster, the director has gone over board and at times Bridget just looks plain old and ugly..Hey I have nothing against fat women, in fact I am quite plump myself but c'mmon its a movie if not super beautiful let Rene look at least decently good...
If that wasn't enough, a friend of mine handed me a copy of the new Indo-British movie by Gurinder Chadha (of Bend it like Beckham fame)...The movie is adapted from Jane Austen's novel and is available in English as Bride & Prejudice and in Hindi as Balle Balle Amritsar to LA... And you won't believe that after getting back home from watching Bridget Jones, I decided what the heck lemme see this one too...I started with the Hindi version because you know the dialogues and jokes are at time more hilarious in the original language....Wo its funny and yes Martin Henderson is one handsome hunk as Will Darcy in the movie....Ms. World Aishwarya Rai looks sparky and thankfully not so much glamorous as the fiesty Lalita...All in all its a good movie but I wish the director would not have tried to pack in everything in one movie..Its too much you know....First she packed up the movie with some extraneous songs, then in a bad attempt to show crossing of cultures - the Indian Amritsar to the American LA ala Beverly Hills she packs in everything from elephants to Baywatch, an over dose of Indian dance and Mexican bands....
To my surprise, the English version of the movie is not only different in terms of the language but there are many scenes which are different or cut in the Hindi version....And if you think I am nuts to see the same movie twice on the same day..I most certainly am not!! I just checked that out in a jiffy you know some scenes here and there to catch a glimpse of adorable Martin Henderson and hear his real voice....
The movies Bridget Jones and Bride & Prejudice always remind me of the typical ups and downs of real life love stories and yes the colorful on screen marriages brought back some nostalgia..How many weddings of close friends and cousins back home in India have I already missed and will continue to in the near future as I live seven seas away in the US of A.... Its so sad to miss them, weddings are always fun especially if the one getting married is close to you...
ALL in ALL, what a life...a Movies Super Saturday, another weekend almost down the drain...One good deed of the day..yu hu I am hereby posting after ages on my blog..Better & hopefully sunny days are yet to come and Get A Life is still motto of the year!
Okay Kanpur guys under heat again ?!
Ok now what is with these Kanpur guys...Grow up u guys..when will u leave ur petty narrow minded style of functioning.....Eve Teasing is legally a part of sexual harrasment and you can be sued for it...
Find below a link to a real life incident that took place recently at IIT Kanpur and the resulting aftermath...
The interesting aspect is that after atypical political fumblings, student protests and what not all in all the fact of the matter "guy teasing female basket ball player" was completely laid to rest while all else was wilfully debated and discussed!
http://sonrisa-meaning-smile.blogspot.com/2004/10/iitk-guys.html
Find below a link to a real life incident that took place recently at IIT Kanpur and the resulting aftermath...
The interesting aspect is that after atypical political fumblings, student protests and what not all in all the fact of the matter "guy teasing female basket ball player" was completely laid to rest while all else was wilfully debated and discussed!
http://sonrisa-meaning-smile.blogspot.com/2004/10/iitk-guys.html
What is wrong with Kanpuriyas?
While the world is full of larger problems and important issues like the US elections, bomb blasts in Tel Aviv, Larry Ellison marching ahead with Oracle's hostile bid for Peoplesoft, ethnic riots in China, Vijay Singh breaking records on the PGA tour, India trying to save face in the last Cricket Test match against Australia on home ground.......
....the people of Kanpur apparently have nothing better to do than create chaos and disrupt the shooting of a new Hindi flick "Bunty Aur Babli" that was being shot in their city. Again I am making a gross generalization but its very amusing to read headlines such as these:
Bunty aur Babli creates chaos in Kanpur!
Abhishek, Rani escape mob frenzy in Kanpur
Kanpur shoot turns nightmare for Abhishek and Rani Mukherji
More than the movie stars Rani and Abhishek, I pity the poor director and producer. After reading through these articles it seems like that their shooting plans were scrapped for no real fault of theirs. In this time and age, people just getting berserk on seeing movie stars is crazy and plain stupid... C'mmon people these movie stars are also normal human beings, they have not fallen from the moon or something....Get on with your life!
....the people of Kanpur apparently have nothing better to do than create chaos and disrupt the shooting of a new Hindi flick "Bunty Aur Babli" that was being shot in their city. Again I am making a gross generalization but its very amusing to read headlines such as these:
Bunty aur Babli creates chaos in Kanpur!
Abhishek, Rani escape mob frenzy in Kanpur
Kanpur shoot turns nightmare for Abhishek and Rani Mukherji
More than the movie stars Rani and Abhishek, I pity the poor director and producer. After reading through these articles it seems like that their shooting plans were scrapped for no real fault of theirs. In this time and age, people just getting berserk on seeing movie stars is crazy and plain stupid... C'mmon people these movie stars are also normal human beings, they have not fallen from the moon or something....Get on with your life!
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