I got my vehicle back from the shop and after pondering the decision for a while, I decided to go watch Quantum of Solace. That's right America, read this and weep - it was released here a whole week before it'll come out in the US. No prominent sites have even reviewed the movie. And you get to read all about it here. Just kidding. No spoilers.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A weird faux pas
While I was with my dad this past weekend, we were watching TV and they were doing a program on a particular holy man. I commented out loud that I didn't care very much for this particular person. For a while no one said anything and I didn't even realize something was wrong. A good five seconds later I hear my dad ask me, "Are you talking about _____?" And I said, "Yes.". He replied, "He is my guruji. Why don't you like him?"
I was totally shocked. This almost never happens in our home since we are all mostly aware of each others' sore spots, and even more so because have so few of them. Almost everyone is fair game to make fun of, including my dad's favorite actor, and all our relatives regardless of which side they come from. Apparently at some point my dad had decided to follow this particular holy man and even though it wasn't hardcore to the point where he got angry it made me suddenly uncomfortable. I managed to do an awkward change of topic. Of course now I can't stop laughing at myself when I think back to that evening.
I was totally shocked. This almost never happens in our home since we are all mostly aware of each others' sore spots, and even more so because have so few of them. Almost everyone is fair game to make fun of, including my dad's favorite actor, and all our relatives regardless of which side they come from. Apparently at some point my dad had decided to follow this particular holy man and even though it wasn't hardcore to the point where he got angry it made me suddenly uncomfortable. I managed to do an awkward change of topic. Of course now I can't stop laughing at myself when I think back to that evening.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Cheeni Kum
Preethi had mentioned this movie to me as a good movie to watch and even without watching I predicted it would be lousy and hence not worthy of my attention. It wasn't lousy, I'll give it that.
The movie gripped me with its narrative. It was well paced at first. Didn't fall into any of the cliches I was expecting. The dialogue was crisp for the most part, economical is another word I'd use for the dialogue. Tabu was bewitching. She's a very beautiful woman and it bothers me when she does these overly artsy roles. I suppose it's better than the running around trees that she used to do earlier in her career, but still, this was a perfect role for her.
Sadly the movie couldn't avoid the biggest trap, the third act. Even as I was watching the beginning of the movie, I felt that if this movie managed to navigate the tricky third act, it would be an amazingly entertaining movie. But it didn't and it isn't. The Paresh Rawal character seems woefully underdeveloped in relation to the others and the whole part about him starving himself was silly. It stretched out the movie and didn't add anything to it other than lip service to tackling the age difference issue.
Another aspect I had a problem with is calling the kid "Sexy". That's not just an adjective they use to describe her, it's basically her nickname in the movie. Now the former would have been creepy but the latter is just ridiculous. Especially when there are heavy dialogues that talk about her. It's laughable to think that someone can talk your emotions and feelings about a kid called Sexy with a straight face. Yeah, I get it. Everyone is so cool that they can joke about a relationship between a 64-year-old man and a 8-year-old girl. So cool that he calls her Sexy, and she pretends to be jealous about his girlfriend and he confides in her. But come on, isn't that exactly why we laughed at Joey Tribbiani when he confides in a Dakota Fanning character and then her bear? Enough with the overly mature kids already. And enough with the faux flirting between them and the adults. It's been done to death and I really hope no one does that in real life and thinks it's cute. Although, I will admit, the scrawny, little, child actress who acted in the movie did a good job and is really cute.
Overall it was a movie worth watching. Just don't tell anyone I said so.
The movie gripped me with its narrative. It was well paced at first. Didn't fall into any of the cliches I was expecting. The dialogue was crisp for the most part, economical is another word I'd use for the dialogue. Tabu was bewitching. She's a very beautiful woman and it bothers me when she does these overly artsy roles. I suppose it's better than the running around trees that she used to do earlier in her career, but still, this was a perfect role for her.
Sadly the movie couldn't avoid the biggest trap, the third act. Even as I was watching the beginning of the movie, I felt that if this movie managed to navigate the tricky third act, it would be an amazingly entertaining movie. But it didn't and it isn't. The Paresh Rawal character seems woefully underdeveloped in relation to the others and the whole part about him starving himself was silly. It stretched out the movie and didn't add anything to it other than lip service to tackling the age difference issue.
Another aspect I had a problem with is calling the kid "Sexy". That's not just an adjective they use to describe her, it's basically her nickname in the movie. Now the former would have been creepy but the latter is just ridiculous. Especially when there are heavy dialogues that talk about her. It's laughable to think that someone can talk your emotions and feelings about a kid called Sexy with a straight face. Yeah, I get it. Everyone is so cool that they can joke about a relationship between a 64-year-old man and a 8-year-old girl. So cool that he calls her Sexy, and she pretends to be jealous about his girlfriend and he confides in her. But come on, isn't that exactly why we laughed at Joey Tribbiani when he confides in a Dakota Fanning character and then her bear? Enough with the overly mature kids already. And enough with the faux flirting between them and the adults. It's been done to death and I really hope no one does that in real life and thinks it's cute. Although, I will admit, the scrawny, little, child actress who acted in the movie did a good job and is really cute.
Overall it was a movie worth watching. Just don't tell anyone I said so.
The couple on the bus
Before I write about Cheeni Kum, a quick word about the couple that was on the sleeper bus. Like I described, the bus had a layout like that of an Indian train. So there ended up being four people sleeping in a small enclosed area. So if there were to be a couple in there, like we did, it's hard to miss any parts of the conversation that take place. It's not so much what they were talking about that was interesting as the whole manner of the conversation. This seemed to be a young couple, neither of them seemed over 30, and I'd bet that guy wasn't older than 27 and the girl over 25. With such a young couple, it was very incongruous to hear her side of the conversation peppered with మీరు and ఏమండీ - basically referring to her husband in the respectful plural form.
I figured that most marriages are love marriages these days and, even otherwise, that people held liberal views like the partners in a marriage are equal. So it was refreshing to see this rather old-fashioned couple and for that matter this shy Telugu girl who asked her husband to do everything for her, like grab her a snack. Their berths were both on the same side of the cabin, one upper and one lower, and they asked me to switch berths with them so they they could both sleep on the same level (and presumably talk). I refused since I liked my lower berth. The fourth guy in the cabin gladly agreed and the couple disappeared into the upper half of the cabin for the rest of the night.
I figured that most marriages are love marriages these days and, even otherwise, that people held liberal views like the partners in a marriage are equal. So it was refreshing to see this rather old-fashioned couple and for that matter this shy Telugu girl who asked her husband to do everything for her, like grab her a snack. Their berths were both on the same side of the cabin, one upper and one lower, and they asked me to switch berths with them so they they could both sleep on the same level (and presumably talk). I refused since I liked my lower berth. The fourth guy in the cabin gladly agreed and the couple disappeared into the upper half of the cabin for the rest of the night.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Completing the trifecta - India wins!
The trifecta is my personal one. UT beat Baylor on Sat. Colts beat the Steelers on Sun. And now on Monday, India beat Australia in the fourth test match, winning the series 2-0 and hence reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. A good sports weekend.
Beating Australia is always nice. Getting back the trophy was even better. After all the acrimony of last season, it was nice to get a relatively less controversial win. Gambhir's suspension, trading accusations of playing too defensively were about as bad as it got. Kumble and Ganguly leave the team after great careers. I'll miss Ganguly more, probably because he's such a colorful figure. As for Kumble, I'll always remember that match saving knock in Bangalore almost a decade ago when he partnered up with Srinath and won the game for India. Good players both of them. But I'm eager to see the new faces and see how they perform. I would have liked Ganguly for the England series that's coming up but I guess it'll be a farewell series for Dravid, if he gets picked up in the first place.
Dhoni continues his magical touch by winning both the test matches he's captained. He's the Barack Obama of Indian cricket now. Not enough experience but firing up everyone's imagination. And now he's at the helm of a young and hungry team. Fascinating days ahead.
Beating Australia is always nice. Getting back the trophy was even better. After all the acrimony of last season, it was nice to get a relatively less controversial win. Gambhir's suspension, trading accusations of playing too defensively were about as bad as it got. Kumble and Ganguly leave the team after great careers. I'll miss Ganguly more, probably because he's such a colorful figure. As for Kumble, I'll always remember that match saving knock in Bangalore almost a decade ago when he partnered up with Srinath and won the game for India. Good players both of them. But I'm eager to see the new faces and see how they perform. I would have liked Ganguly for the England series that's coming up but I guess it'll be a farewell series for Dravid, if he gets picked up in the first place.
Dhoni continues his magical touch by winning both the test matches he's captained. He's the Barack Obama of Indian cricket now. Not enough experience but firing up everyone's imagination. And now he's at the helm of a young and hungry team. Fascinating days ahead.
The sleeper bus
There's a new beast on the road, it's the sleeper bus. I tried it out for my journey back from Hyderabad and it was fantastic.
But first, let me bring up the APSRTC bus. Now I don't just want to pile on the State-run bus just because the fashionable thing to do is beat up on all things government run. On my trip to Hyderabad, it was the second time I got on an APSRTC bus, and unless I'm strapped for cash, it would be the last. The bus picks you up a bit far away from the ticketing office. The last time, the bus company provided transport by means of an auto. This time the guy just pointed in the direction. I was pissed, but also I was concerned since I was pretty sick and I knew I couldn't walk all that way. I asked him to provide an auto and he said, "The auto will charge Rs. 10, just pay him." That did it mostly. And the bus journey itself was quite uncomfortable with all the rattling, clearly a sign of the bus being old. The walls of the bus were creaking too, which caused me to have nightmares where the top of the bus collapsed and as I lay there dying, being a structural engineer, I was explaining the mechanics of the bus failure with my last breaths. The final nail in the coffin was the movie they showed on the bus - Raja Hindustani. You're finished APSRTC, bye bye.
The journey back was much better. Last time I had a burst tire and got to work at 2pm. This time I made it with time to spare. The bus is laid out like a train compartment with two levels of berths. You can't really sit in them, only sleep. But if your journey is an overnight one, like mine was, this is perfect. You get a pillow and a blanket, and a bedsheet on the berth. You get your own TV screen like on an airplane and as far as I could tell, they were playing movies for a long time, on two different channels! I watched "Cheeni Kum" (more on that later). With your personal headset, you don't get a lot of interference from others. Of course, the rest was similar - they stopped for dinner, they gave out a water bottle to each person. After the dinner stop (I didn't eat) I got under my blanket and passed out till Pune!
The ticket price is a little high, but if you're an infrequent traveller and want to travel comfortably, this is the way to go. Much cheaper than a flight and much more clearn and hygenic than a train. Aah, I'm falling asleep just thinking of the bus again!!
But first, let me bring up the APSRTC bus. Now I don't just want to pile on the State-run bus just because the fashionable thing to do is beat up on all things government run. On my trip to Hyderabad, it was the second time I got on an APSRTC bus, and unless I'm strapped for cash, it would be the last. The bus picks you up a bit far away from the ticketing office. The last time, the bus company provided transport by means of an auto. This time the guy just pointed in the direction. I was pissed, but also I was concerned since I was pretty sick and I knew I couldn't walk all that way. I asked him to provide an auto and he said, "The auto will charge Rs. 10, just pay him." That did it mostly. And the bus journey itself was quite uncomfortable with all the rattling, clearly a sign of the bus being old. The walls of the bus were creaking too, which caused me to have nightmares where the top of the bus collapsed and as I lay there dying, being a structural engineer, I was explaining the mechanics of the bus failure with my last breaths. The final nail in the coffin was the movie they showed on the bus - Raja Hindustani. You're finished APSRTC, bye bye.
The journey back was much better. Last time I had a burst tire and got to work at 2pm. This time I made it with time to spare. The bus is laid out like a train compartment with two levels of berths. You can't really sit in them, only sleep. But if your journey is an overnight one, like mine was, this is perfect. You get a pillow and a blanket, and a bedsheet on the berth. You get your own TV screen like on an airplane and as far as I could tell, they were playing movies for a long time, on two different channels! I watched "Cheeni Kum" (more on that later). With your personal headset, you don't get a lot of interference from others. Of course, the rest was similar - they stopped for dinner, they gave out a water bottle to each person. After the dinner stop (I didn't eat) I got under my blanket and passed out till Pune!
The ticket price is a little high, but if you're an infrequent traveller and want to travel comfortably, this is the way to go. Much cheaper than a flight and much more clearn and hygenic than a train. Aah, I'm falling asleep just thinking of the bus again!!
Dad's magic
While in the hospital with dad, we were watching TV and the ad for Five Star Fruit and Nut comes on. I've always loved Five Star and I had been planning to try out this new avatar of the candy bar for a while. So when I saw this ad I announced, "That looks cool, I want to try this."
Dad responded in his usual style of showing off, "I can have this bar brought over to our place."
I said, "That's OK dad, I can just pick it up on our way back home."
"No", he insisted, "I won't call anyone, it'll just come to our house. Magic!"
Now I was really intrigued. Dad always used to do this when we were younger, where he'd promise the sky, and usually delivered. But what was always wonderful was when he did something magical. As an adult, I can reason out how he managed those, but the kid in me will always be tickled by these things.
Eventually he just gave in and said that he'd already purchased the bars knowing I might want to try them out when I visited. And after we went home, the first thing he did after we woke up the next day was go to the fridge and bring me the candy bar.
The bar itself wasn't great - Five Star is still a superb item and I love fruits and nuts, but the two just don't go together. But it was nice to see that dad still had his magical touch with him.
Dad responded in his usual style of showing off, "I can have this bar brought over to our place."
I said, "That's OK dad, I can just pick it up on our way back home."
"No", he insisted, "I won't call anyone, it'll just come to our house. Magic!"
Now I was really intrigued. Dad always used to do this when we were younger, where he'd promise the sky, and usually delivered. But what was always wonderful was when he did something magical. As an adult, I can reason out how he managed those, but the kid in me will always be tickled by these things.
Eventually he just gave in and said that he'd already purchased the bars knowing I might want to try them out when I visited. And after we went home, the first thing he did after we woke up the next day was go to the fridge and bring me the candy bar.
The bar itself wasn't great - Five Star is still a superb item and I love fruits and nuts, but the two just don't go together. But it was nice to see that dad still had his magical touch with him.
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