Maleficent -- A Movie Review -- VII

After a loong loong time, a movie review. Well, it has been all but impossible to watch a full movie for almost a year. Kuku used to bawl the moment I decided to watch anything on TV. The Arien was exempt. Now, I can watch a bit of the movie while he is eating his dinner and listening and watching to his Rhymes. That is such a life-changer for me. Yesterday, after the disastrous G K Vale episode, the Arien settled down to watch Maleficent and I decided to watch it with him. Kuku was very co-operative which was a blessing but we still saw it in two sittings.. Yaaa... thats normal for us.

Anyway, the movie is about a lovely fairy known as Maleficent who befriends a human, Stefan. As they grow up together, and spend a lot of time together, both fall in love with each other, or so Maleficent thinks. They even share what Stefan calls the true love's kiss. Stefan is very ambitious and wants to become king and in this pursuit ignores Maleficent. Maleficent, meanwhile, takes care of her moor and wonders at his behavior.

Image Courtesy: http://www.thedailypedia.com/2014/06/10-enchanted-lessons-from-maleficent-warning-may-contain-spoilers/

When the King is hurt while trying to attack the moor by Maleficent, he wants someone to avenge him. Stefan takes this up and decides to meet Maleficent, supposedly to warn her of the King's motives. He drugs her and tries to kill her but is unable to do so. He finally chops off her lovely black wings and takes it to the King as proof of her death. The king names Stefan as his successor and marries off his daughter to Stefan. Maleficent, meanwhile, is shocked that Stefan would chop her wings off to become King and names herself Queen of the moors. Then, she hears that a baby girl, Aurora, has been born to Stefan and the Queen and she goes to the party uninvited and curses the baby girl.

Image Courtesy: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/133510

How Aurora survives the curse, what happens to Stefan forms the rest of the story. The story was quite predictable and as a result a bit boring. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is just ok.There is a moment when you think - "Aahh -- The END" but the movie goes on. You expect a twist but nothing vaguely resembling a twist occurs. I understand it is a children's movie but a lot of other movies are really good. This does not make the cut. 

Family Potraits -- Our G K Vale Nightmare -- A Rant --VI

Nowadays, when you visit any tourist spot, apart from the fact that the vast majority of the population is also there - you now see a profusion of cameras. Almost everyone is shooting pics - either from a camera on their mobile or from a 5D Mark III. The Arien is an amateur photographer and enjoys the entire process of taking snaps - the perfect light, the amazing shot, the twist in the pic, the shadow, etc etc.

While we have great snaps of each of us individually, we wanted to have one of all three of us. So, we decided that the three of us should have a well-shot snap. We decided to go to a studio and get it done the old fashioned way. We did not do proper research on the G K Vale studio but went with brand image and the family portrait displayed near the entrance. BIG MISTAKE!

Firstly, getting all of us (kuku, his parents, and his grandparents) together was an achievement. We managed that. Secondly, we all were a bit worried 'bout lil kuku's reaction but he behaved very well for most part. After 40 mts, kuku was fed up and threw a tantrum. But, that was nothing compared to the reaction that the Arien had when we saw our snaps.

The photographer was shooting non-stop - sometimes when we were looking away. Apart from a few standard poses and a prop to place Kuku on - he shot as if the goal was to shoot more than 50 snaps in less than 30 mts. The Arien, was shocked at the callous way we were being photographed. A set of 10 pics where one grandparent was standing stiffly to attention and looked like he had been added into the photo using photoshop was a very glaring goof. The Arien felt that that was unacceptable. You know that snap is useless so you immediately make the change. So, either the photographer did not see the pic or did not care. Both are shocking. Glasses produce glare because of the extra studio lights - he caught a few but some existed in the ones we chose. He said he would fix it - it did not get fixed even in the final copy that was printed. In some of the snaps, the rest of us appear a bit blurred because the focus is on one person only. I would like to believe that that was an effect and it could have been one if it was lil Kuku who was the object of the focus, and he was not. The Arien also discussed the format being used - which he said was not the best when you want to edit the picture later. All this was accepted in very bad grace.

We were left with a very bad taste after that experience with G K Vale. I doubt I will ever contact them again. Do not get fooled by the snaps you see on their display wall or behind the payment area.  Those snaps have clearly been taken by professionals. By professionals, I do not mean the  photographers whom they have employed now. There are a few very local studio type displays on the wall to the right of the payment area and I think those are the portrait shots taken by the photographers in the branch. Unfortunate experience and expensive at that.

I would like to think that if you are not into photography much, you may still like what they do here but if you are looking for great professional snaps - AVOID GK VALE. End of Rant! 

Did you know? -- V

 Yesterday, while playing a rhyme for lil Kuku, I was quite surprised to note that the rhyme and an old Hindi song had the same beginning. The rhyme was 'Three blind mice' and the song was 'Haai re Haai Neendh nahi aaye'. The song has been composed by music duo 'Lakshmikant Pyarelal' and it has been sung by Rafi and Lata for the film Humjoli. Shocker! Did you know this?

10 Common Misconceptions about Working From Home and the Truth - IV

Working from Home is not a new concept. When it was introduced, and you casually stated that you were working from home - the response varied from - "You lucky DOG, you...", raised eyebrows, "WHAAAT?", "Are you pregnant?" followed by a pointed glance at your tummy. Yes, those were the days when to ask for WFH - you had to be pregnant or suffering from an illness. It was generally frowned upon. It was fodder for office gossip mills and served as an ice-breaker when you have no idea what to say to your grouchy mentor.

Some companies and some managers are quite open and do not have issues with WFH as long as the option is used but not abused. Some managers have an issue with WFH. Some companies do not believe in WFH. Irrespective of company or manager policy, the following misconceptions still exist when you say you are working from home:

• You are probably outside having fun with friends partying and not really working
• You are at home, watching TV and not really working - and its variations
• You are incommunicado because you are working from home
• You do not want to be part of the team
• You work fewer hours by logging in late and logging off early
• Your life is so easy
• You love WFH so much that you will not be able to resume working from Office -like ever
• You must be saving a helluva lot of money by cutting out commute costs and child care
• You have so much freedom
• You do not have dress smartly

Well, honestly, I wish that was the truth. Except for the third bullet, I wish WFH had so many perks. The truth, as we all know, is quite different.

While not hurrying to catch the office cab or bus, or driving in the insane traffic gives you an opportunity to sit back and put your feet up, work-wise nothing changes. You still have the same  deadlines. You are probably working fewer regular hours but longer hours to meet your deadlines. You have to fight off distractions that can drive you crazy. And no, its not a given that you are saving loads of money, if at all. Your life is NOT easy. PERIOD. And while you probably are working in some outfit that you will refuse to be caught dead in - it  does not mean you never ever have to dress smartly. And Freedom from what? If you did not have the freedom in office environment, you are not going to get the freedom at home. And seriously, do folks who work out of office reach a point where they never ever want to work from office? I guess that would be more true of work rather than the location.

While googling this topic, I found that my write-up was no pure genius on my part and lots of folks have various opinions about it. I specially liked the article which deals with the yahoo memo and the slideshow discussing the misconceptions and the truth:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/opinions/2013/23831/eight-misconceptions-about-working-from-home-illustrated-slide-show

Read it when you have the time and share your views on the new oldest trend in town :) And yes, I had my revenge - a long post :P

Items I would never leave home without -- III

From the time lil Kuku entered our lives, my backpack has all but disappeared from my life. Whether I am visiting relatives or having dinner at a restaurant or traveling out of town, I carry the following essentials in the baby bag:

• Diapers (Min: 3 to handle multiple emergencies)
• Wet wipes
• Change of outfits (1 onesie, 1 t-shirt and shorts combo, additional shorts) 
• Face napkins (3+ for wiping drool, food, nose and a few to spare)
• Socks (2 pairs)
• Wrap (1: You never know when it suddenly turns cold)
• Water (His sippy mug filled)
• Food (cutlery and extras in case of accidents)
• Plastic sheet (Also known as the Rubber sheet)
• General Wiping cloth (Old Dhothi cut into strips)
• Hand Sanitizer

Of course, another bag filled with his current favorite toys and a few old ones. They do not fit in his baby bag :(

II Blog Post of the Year -- and a Resolution

Woke up today morning feeling very guilty. For once, the guilt was not 'bout lil kuku-what I may have missed doing or what I did wrong etc. but actually 'bout my blog. It has been ages since this blog even featured in my thoughts - awake or otherwise. That fact was quite disconcerting and added to my guilt. So, my new  resolution is to write a post every single day, this October. Of course, I realized belatedly that I have already missed 1st October. Well, a person has gotta start when a person has got to start.

A friend of mine did this for a whole year - 1 post everyday. I am sure I can manage 1 post every day for one month. (I hope!) Firstly, these daily posts will be smaller and unlike my other posts (Stop it! I can hear the audible sigh of relief - How dare?!! I will resume writing those loong posts now :P) And secondly, I will need all your comments to get me going so do not hesitate to drop me a line on my various posts.

All the Best to me!! Oh ya, Happy Gandhi Jayanthi to all. Bye now! Talk to you tomorrow.

First Post of 2014 -- all 'bout lil kuku

Slowest start to the New Year in terms of blogging... but its a start. Lil kuku is now ~ 5.5 months and allows me some breathing space.. not much but a little. I have started working - from home. While he is angry that I spend more time with the box (my laptop), he ensures that he gets my attention by wailing :)

Time sure flies.. he was a tiny tot that cried all the time and now he is a slightly bigger tot who observes things and wants to put everything in his mouth. If he does not get anything to put into his mouth, he will chew on his fingers till they are full of drool. And then, he will want to reach for my  hand or dress. His dad and uncle shy away from his affections during this time. His grandpa and self  accept the inevitable. If its not his drool-filled fingers, it will be his spit-up, or his loo and I think drool is definitely better than the rest :D All the above are followed by his stock-in-trade gummy smile that the anger within you melts away. (Not at all times, though)

He gets frightened by the noise that the pressure cooker or mixer make. Ironically, his piercing wails  are louder and more shrill than the sound that either the cooker or mixer make :)

I have not stepped out much and yesterday was baby and mommy's day out - we visited the mall where kuku stared at all the people, the lights, the colors, the noise and everything. It was fun.

First post of 2014 -- Yeah!!

5 Statements U do not mention in front of a new momma

There are a number of things that can make a new momma smile. There are more number of things that can make the new momma cry or get really angry. Here are some gems that must not be uttered in front of a new momma. Note: These are not added based on personal experience ;)

• Why does the baby have a weird-shaped head/ alien-like head? (Fact: Most babies born naturally do not have well-rounded heads that you see in advertisements. )
• When are you due? (Unless you know for sure that the lady in question has not yet delivered, do not ask this.)
• Have you fed the baby? Why is the baby crying? (A new momma spends almost all her waking hours feeding the baby and she is likely to lose it when everyone she meets ask the same question. Fact: Babies cry for a number of reasons)
• Whoa. How many kilos did you put on? (Fact: Most new momma(s) will not look like Lara Dutta and will take a while to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight. Any reminders are actually not welcome)
• X's baby is so cute. (This kinda implies that this baby is not cute which is kinda rude.)

Feel free to share the statements that bugged you or even the ones you uttered making another new momma cry.

Thanks Dew, for your comment on the statements that bugged you :)

• Why are you looking so tired??[ All new moms dont look like they just got ready for a party. Most, for example people like me, never manage sleep time at all...Meaning even a wink of sleep during the night]
• Why is your baby crying all the time??[ Well, tell me why if you know for sure ]
• Are you pregnant? [ At the airport when I was holding an infant and still trying to lose some weight, the airline staff asked me!!!]
• Whatever happened to your long thick and beautiful plaited hair style?? [ Well... there is just no time for worries like this anymore..]
• You must have taken some care of your face... Look at all the pigmentation marks..[ Just may be.. just may be I had a tough pregnancy time and face care seemed the last priority. So why bother reminding me that I should have, could have..I just didn't. Simple!!]

Wordless Wednesday - Lil Kuku our bundle of joy

11 days old

Wordless Wednesdays - 5 Year completion bouquet from my org

... It's a Boy!

We welcomed our bundle of joy, a baby boy, on October 17th this year. Life as we knew it, does not exist anymore. Sleep-deprivation is the order of the day. TV, books, newspaper, and other forms of entertainment have been pushed so far that they barely exist for us. Food, the stuff I like, has been removed from my diet. The Arien, at least, gets to enjoy food from outside. Are we complaining? Yeah... But, would we wish it otherwise - NO WAY!

To new learnings, new beginnings, and an exciting experience.

The Arien is Back!

Yes.. the Arien has relocated back to Bangalore. After an amazing amount of weekend travel between Hyderabad and Bangalore and continuous cribbing about how much he misses Bangalore (not me, mind you!), the Arien had his first big real smile as he called me on Skype and informed me of his imminent move, a while ago.

Me? I had a goofy grin pasted on my face for a loong time. In fact, I did not pick a fight with him for quite some time and refused to disagree with any of his plans (however much I secretly disagreed with them). After he came back, the niceness got a bit boring and I went back to my usual self :D

Ohh.. and before I forget: This is my 251st post on blogger :D Cheers to me!!

Wordless Wednesdays -- Visit to Maidenahalli after a looong time