Is Chetan Bhagat the New Shah Rukh Khan? -- Rant

Hahahaha :D Are you wondering if:

• Chetan Bhagat (CB) has been signed on by Yash Raj films
• CB has become buddies-nahin-family with Karan Johar
• CB has started a on-off relationship with Farah Khan by slapping Shirish Kunder
• CB has a six-pack
• CB had botox so he cannot ever frown and even when he does - it looks comical
• CB's illegal ramp has been mowed down now
• CB has a surrogate kid called Abram

 NO NO NO!

Well, there was a time, when I watched a lot of TV (before Kuku, of course) and at that time irrespective of the channel, when it was time for advertisements, I found myself staring at Shah Rukh Khan. If it was not Fair and Handsome, it was Lux, Lux Cozy, Navarathan cool Tail (Yupp, that is the spelling), etc etc etc. After Amitabh Bacchan, an actor I used to admire a lot before he joined the  overexposed list, it is Shah Rukh. Amitabh appears for Maggi, Cadbury's, Navaratan Cool Tail, ICICI, etc etc etc. I found myself admiring the Heroes of an earlier era who would not be caught dead appearing for these advertisements. Of course, some of them died penniless as well :(

Chetan Bhagat now has the dubious distinction of joining the overexposed group with Shaadi.com, Blender's Pride, etc. Seeing him on TV advertisement after advertisement, had everyone at home going "Whaaat??" The senior Arien even asked "Who is that?" Well, so, if Shah Rukh was the next Amitabh, Chetan is the next Shah Rukh!  

Gone Girl -- Movie Review

This was the first movie we watched in only two sittings. I am not sure if I should thank Kuku or the movie director for that. Kuku, because he did not cry and throw tantrums while we watched the movie and the director for making a movie that was quite gripping. Ok, before I start, I am a big fan of Ben Affleck. I have usually found something to like irrespective of his role or the movie. Glad to get that out - Ok, now to the review: **Spoilers Ahead **

Amy

The movie starts on the day of the fifth wedding anniversary of a couple (Ben and Rosamund) and you feel that Ben (Nick) is not too happy or interested in celebrating the accomplishment from the way he is chatting with his twin sister (Margo). He is called home by his wife (Amy). He reaches home to find the house empty. He wonders if this is something new that Amy has planned and starts searching for her. He is surprised she is not at home but does not seem too upset until he reaches the front room where the glass top of the table has been shattered and the table is upside down. He fears that she has been kidnapped and calls the police. 

Amy Image Courtesy:  www.hitfix.com

The Police

The detective (Rhonda) and her partner (James) ask questions, check the scene of crime, walk around the house, and find an envelope marked Clue 1, in Amy's handwriting. Nick mentions that that is part of the anniversary and they usually have a treasure hunt. Each clue results in an unfolding of the scene and you wonder what is going on as a red undergarment that does not belong to Amy is found in Nick's office. Nick is quite surprised and tries to solve the clues ahead of the police as he is worried. And then, Amy's parents arrive and you are hit with some information that Nick obviously is not aware of, some he is aware of but did not think important enough to share with the police which makes them wonder what else he is hiding.

The Detectives Image Courtesy: www.collider.com

Nick Proposes to Amy

The movie keeps slipping from the past to the present as you see a charming Nick propose to Amy amidst a bunch of journalists. You wonder how a couple that were so much in love could become so indifferent in 5 years - you wonder if it was all an act or  if it was marriage that killed their love.

The Proposal Image Courtesy: www.soundonsight.org

As the media frenzy builds, Nick tries to keep it normal and attempts to do all the normal things with disastrous results. Nick's oddest behaviors were actually the most natural and not so curiously, they were the ones that stayed in my mind: Nick, Margo, and Amy's parents are attending a press conference called by Amy's parents. At the conference, Nick comes across as wooden and does not say "I love my wife, I miss her.." etc but asks folks to speak out if they have any information about Amy. Amy's parents nail it by doing all the right things on camera. Nick is ready to leave but Margo asks him to stay. Then, Nick is asked to pose with one of the banners that has Amy's picture. He stands close to the banner while a cameraman asks him to smile and he does.

Nick Poster Smile Image Courtesy: http://blogs.indiewire.com/

He allows another lady to take a selfie with him which also lands up in the hands of the media.  You are wondering at Nick's odd behavior as the media frenzy builds.

As the mystery unravels, you go from thinking "Whoa- Nick is in deep shit" to "Douchebag Nick" to "Wow Nick" and to finally "Oh man, Nick". Ben is perfect. He hits all the right notes. Maybe the  experience with the media during his romance with Jennifer Lopez (daubed Bennifer, at that time) helped. Ben is simply fantastic as Nick Dunne, a gentleman first, charming, lazy, and totally lovable.  

Margo chatting with Nick on their Anniversary

The supporting cast was actually pretty good. I liked Margo (Carrie Coon), a lot. She came across as a natural. She is a typical sister, protective and at times, hitting him on his face with the truth, and always supportive. There are times, when their closeness is also twisted out of context, as part of the media circus, another form of manipulation and it was handled well.

The detective and her partner also do a good job. The male partner is unsympathetic towards Nick while the detective is not as quick to judge which creates some tension between them. The lawyer, whom Nick Dunn, hires is also perfect for his part.

This is a movie about manipulation: of another person, of each other, of the media, of the police, the list goes on. Amy is fantastic as a master manipulator and Nick is not far behind. I liked the movie. The Arien felt that it dragged a bit. I only felt that you can manipulate some people most of the time, most people some of the time but not all the people all the time. Of course, people become master manipulators with practice. There are some scenes which cannot be watched with the family or with children and so I advise viewing with discretion.

Resolutions for 2015

So, I typed the title and stared at the screen for a long time. I mean, I have a number things I want for this year. But, I want to make a list of only those ones that I will close before the end of this year. And that was becoming a tough list to create. I have a history of coming up with resolutions and not really keeping them and so for a change, I want to do things differently :)

Sometimes a resolution with specifics or measures makes it achievable quite as long as I am motivated to do it. For instance, lose 5 kilos before the end of the year. Lose 5 kilos in 3 months - It is possible. But, can I do it? Bottom line, as always, these resolutions boil down to me.

So, instead of coming up with a bunch of resolutions that are easy to make and break - I decided to come up with a list of achievable resolutions for 2015. And since, according to research, 80% of the people who came up with resolutions tend to break all or most of their resolutions before the end of January, I have decided to come up with my list at the end of the month. Here goes:

• Walk for about 30 minutes - 5 days in a week if not every day. 
• Eat sensibly to lose 5 Kilos in 5 months time.
• Blog once a week or post 4-5 blogposts a month.
• Read 1 book a month - re-reading an old book is also allowed as long as I read it again completely.
• Try 1 new thing every month - something I have not attempted in the past.
• Take 1 trip per quarter for the change of scene that it gives you - it need not be a big trip - a weekend away or even a single day outing is also fine as long as you are not in your home.
• Start going for driving lessons and drive your car to office before the year ends.

As you can see, none of them are very challenging and should be achievable soon. Well, lets see. It all depends on me. I wonder if I should tack this on my laptop - something which I stare at everyday so I remember them and do something. All the Best to me.

Maze Runner - Movie Review

Finally, a movie review. After Maleficent, I got to watch Maze Runner this week. Kuku was ok for a bit. When he started to throw a tantrum,  I was able to put him to sleep. And so, we were able to watch the movie without too many breaks :)

Image Courtesy: http://screenrant.com/maze-runner-trailer/

The movie started off very well - a guy is in a lift kinda thing which is traveling at a very fast pace in the upward direction - he is awake and is trying to get out but is not able to and finally loses consciousness. The lift stops and the top part opens and he sees that he is being watched by a whole bunch of people (guys mostly). He is unable to remember anything and is being led to the leader. He seems curious and has a million questions and finds the people (boys and young men) strangely accepting of the situation they are in. The movie manages to sustain a level of suspense and we are as eager as the new guy (greenie or newbie) to know the answers.

There were some good moments and at some level you are wondering if this movie is like the hunger games trilogy and are excited. But, somehow the movie manages to fall flat. The ending with the twist is so passe` and a person who could not be there - is. Either editing was missed or the shot should have been handled or taken differently. Also, it is quite clear that there will be a sequel to this movie - maybe more than one.

I wanted to check if this movie was based on a book as I missed the initial part, and I found that Yes it was part of a series, written by James Dashner. He has two sequels and 2 prequels to this book. Well, I plan to catch up with the books. I usually like the books better than the movie - most of the time. Well, lets see.

Barbeque Nation - Restuarant review

This was not a milestone anniversary - its not even the anniversary after Kuku was born - its just another anniversary that comes every year. I cannot even remember what we did last year, we probably visited my MIL and showed kuku off.

This year, we had lunch at BBN. This is not the first time I am visiting BBN but it has been so long since I last visited that I had forgotten all 'bout it. The Arien had had this restaurant on his Christmas wishlist but it did not happen. So, we somehow made this happen for our Anniversary. Apart from the OhmyGod! food, the visit gave me a post - Hurrah! Another first - my first restaurant review for this year.

Some things to note if you have not been there before: BBN is not a place for vegetarians who do not prefer restaurants where both veg and non-veg is cooked and served. Its also not a place if you do not like barbeques or grilled starters. Its also not a place for a person on a diet.

If the above points do not apply to you (I put off my diet for the meal), its decent fare. The service was good. The vegetarian starters consisted of: Paneer, Bhindi, Stuffed Litchi (very different), Soya (Nice), Mushroom (So-so), and Potato Wedges. Paneer, Bhindi, and Potato are staples and they were as ok as can be. There was a seafood festival going on and so the Arien enjoyed his starters - Squid, Prawns, Fish.. I was quite busy with Kuku to pay attention. The Arien ordered French Fries for Kuku which came unsalted but Kuku managed to have 2 (amazing).

By the time, I had tasted a bit of each of the starters, I was feeling kinda stuffed. And, then the Arien asked me to get some of the main course while he held Kuku. My memory had gone with the last of the starters, I think :P I opted to have a bit of the Kashmiri Pulav (Kuku seems to like Basmati rice a lot) and Schezwan noodles. I did not want to have any rotis. Kuku was stuffed too.. he refused to take any more. They had a decent dessert section as well - but we dropped it to try the Kulfi. I wanted to know what the fuss about the Kulfi was. I chose the mango Kulfi with mango crush - overdid the mango bit but it was ok. The Arien chose the kesar pista Kulfi which was chopped into slices and had nuts, roohafza et al. I was feeling quite stuffed after the meal and it was ob. I had kissed my diet goodbye not for this meal but for an entire week :(

The Arien really enjoyed the food, Kuku was better than usual, and just when we were ready to leave, some of the serving staff decided to dance for Remo Fernandez's goan songs. The songs are infectious but the dancing was totally so-so. Kuku was zapped at the music and stared at the dance unblinkingly. And then we were off for the visit. When we returned home it was 8. All three of us were tired out of our senses but it would be 12 before I slept. Kuku took a while to get sleeping and so I could not fall asleep earlier. Inspite of that, it was way better than last year.

First Ride on the Phatphatiya

Kuku took his first ride on the Phatphatiya on Sunday. I thought the hassle of taking the car and finding a place to park it would be an issue and so I suggested going by bike. Also, Kuku has not taken a ride on the bike and so I thought it would be fun. Hahahahahaha :D

Getting onto the phatphatiya was a breeze earlier but getting onto one with Kuku in my arms was an entirely different thing. And the joke, he refused to recognize the Arien, who was wearing his helmet and wailed shrill-ly until the Arien took off the helmet. After Kuku could see who it was, it still took a while to calm him down. Anyway, I got on and took him. It was obvious it was all new. Kuku wanted to continue wailing as the breeze hit his face full-force. Thankfully, he saw a cow grazing on garbage and he went 'MAAA' and no - it is not what you think. Kuku was not calling the cow his mom or his mom a cow but was actually imitating the sound that the cow makes.

Kuku was not interested in sitting in front i.e on the front seat or actually the petrol tank of the bike, at all. He was not comfortable riding pillion with me but of the two, he was ok with the latter. In fact, after the Polio drops session, after we reached our parking lot, I tried to move him to the front seat and he screamed - again, the Arien had to remove the helmet and calm him down. (I guess he thought the Arien was an alien from the way he screamed.) He was ok but not really comfortable - more like - I will put up with this for a few seconds and then I will wail. And then, finally, a small smile to say - Oh OK - when it ended.

The ride as such was fun because it was for a short distance. It was awkward for me as well. I mean, I dunno how zillions of women do this. I was terrified that I would lose my balance and fall down - probably on Kuku. I was terrified that the Arien would lose balance and we would all plonk down. I was actually glad it was over. I think so was Kuku :)

Pulse Polio Program -- Why does your baby need it?

I guess most folks know this but I didn't. When some family members called to let me know that the Pulse Polio program was going on last year, I listened but did not bother to go get Kuku vaccinated at the government health centers. I thought, we have already taken the polio injection for Kuku - so why stand in a queue with zillion other people to get it? My SIL called and told me how it was very important and that even if I have missed one, I should take care to get it done when it was being done again. I was confused but did not want Kuku to suffer because I took the decision not to.

This year, the Pulse Polio program happened on Sunday19th January. Again, the same family members called and informed me and we wondered where we could get it done. I was told that I could visit the nearest railway station, government school, etc. to get it for Kuku. We started out for the railway station and were told that there were people waiting near the nearby temple or a bit further - who were volunteers for the program and they could give the drops for Kuku. We did not see anyone near the temple and so we decided to keep going when we saw a banner for the Polio drops. I was apprehensive of the queue, the crowds, etc. as I imagined a zillion people before us but there was no one! We went in, got it done, Kuku had a mark on his little finger to indicate he had taken the drops, and we were back home before you could say Pulse Polio :D

I came home and wanted to read up and I found this article very helpful:

http://www.babycenter.in/a1011663/the-polio-vaccine-drops-or-injection

Now, I know why we must take these drops and will go for every one of these sessions. If you missed it, do not worry. The next one is scheduled for next month. Keep an eye out for the advertisements in the newspapers. I will also post a reminder.

Eureka!!

So, the other day I was cribbing to the Arien about how the number of blog posts per year seems to be going down steadily in my blog. In fact, I mentioned that it may reach zero soon. I must have sounded really upset because the Arien offered to share his pics and play the role of a guest blogger in times of need.

Yesterday, I shared one of his latest pictures for my Wordless Wednesdays post. The pics I share are usually always taken by him and so its not such a big deal but still -  that was enough to make me go - Eureka!!! At least, my blog will not be starved of posts in the eventuality that I (in spite of resolutions) forget to write/post.

Oh and Happy Sankranthi - Happy Pongal Folks! Have a nice one :)

Wordless Wednesdays -- Urban Landscape

Hair Spa - Whoo laa laa!

After gazillion salon visits, I finally went in for a Hair Spa. I love my hair, irrespective of its length, but after years of coloring, it was really important that my hair got pampered and I finally opted for it today.

I don't really know what I was expecting but it was def not what happened :) Guys, this post is going to hit your BORING button so move on to some other blog post. Gals, let me know if I got ripped off.

It started with a hair wash - well, my hair was in need of a wash so I have no complaints on that. And then application of a mask for more than 45 mts. And then leaving the mask on for an hour or so (more than an hour as I foolishly asked for a pedi as well*). After that a wash off and a light blow dry.

I dunno what I thought it would be like. Maybe I was expecting a massage (the guys get an amazing head massage from their barbers) and maybe I thought my hair would look even better than before. It was softer, silkier - yes and I looked absolutely gorgeous (I love my hair and when it looks good - I think I look gorgeous :P) but my hair was still breaking easily which was ignored by the lady who handled my hair.   

Maybe I need a few more sessions. Or maybe I need to escape from these folks who try to sell you these Spas. Any comments? Did I get ripped off?


* In most salons, the same person handles most of the requests from a single client. Unless one of her usuals come in and she hands you off for a bit, it is the same person. So, by default, everything is likely to get delayed. And if you are on the clock, like I am, with an impatient hubby and a cranky toddler at home, every delay becomes a big issue. 

2014 - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2014 flew past - of course, some parts not so fast and some too fast. Whatever I wanted going fast went too slow and what I wanted handled well, went badly and so obviously I do not love 2014. But, 2014 had a few good moments as well.

The Good - What went well

• Kuku calling me 'Amma'
• Kuku sitting up suddenly and clapping his hands - happened during a vacation and not at home
• Kuku standing up without support and taking a few careful steps before he carefully plonks down
• Kuku turning 1 year old
• Getting a few hours away from Kuku to visit office, visit the parlour, and generally take a break 

The Bad - What could have gone well but didn't

• Striving for work-life balance in my chaos-filled life
• Keeping my cool when I listen to advice on how I should bring up my son or manage my time and also when I receive gyan on how ppl managed their kids with no support blah de blah
• Following a Diet
• Managing Kuku when he throws a temper tantrum or during his incessant wailings

The Ugly - Something which did not work at all

• Cooking
• Managing my time 
• Working with Nannies 

Anyway, I am glad 2014 is over. Kuku begins his terrible 2s (they begin after his first Birthday itseems) and I have to get better organized at handling my time and the lil fella. Hoping for the Best. Good Bye 2014 and Hullo 2015.

Merry Christmas Folks -- a bit late tho

The Arien was thrilled that Kuku, who was now a year old, could actually enjoy Christmas and the decorations. Well, yes and no.

Day 1 (Dec 22), Kuku wanted to play with all the decorations which was not allowed. He made his pouty face and tried coaxing a few fake tears so we would allow him to play with the decorations. That didn't work. Next he cried real loudly. That also did not work. Then, he threw a huge tantrum and decorations were not done that day!

The decorations looked bright and pretty and its not surprising that Kuku wanted to play with it but they also had a lot of glittery stuff which stuck to our hands. Kuku usually puts his fingers in his mouth and so this was def off-limits :)

Day 2 (Dec 23), When Kuku was napping, the Arien completed most of it. Kuku had forgotten all about it by then and was approaching the new day with no clear ideas and so it was easy for us to get going.
Also, the Arien had left each decoration with a hook kinda thing and so all he had to do was put it up - still it left him very tired. By the time Kuku woke up from his nap, the Arien was ready to go on his :D


Day 3 (Dec 24), The lights were keeping Kuku excited. He pointed at it, babbled something, and actually laughed at the twinkling lights. He enjoyed the lights, the star, and the Christmas tree. The Arien gave him a lil sticker to keep him occupied which worked for a bit.

The Arien had planned to create the crib on Day 3 but he was so
tired after putting up all the decorations - he hunted for the crib we had made last year and fixed it, so it looked new. 

I was sick for most part of the week and coughing up a storm. I had almost no sleep thanks to the cough and no voice. I was not really looking forward to Christmas.

But, this year, Christmas was ok. Not filled with too many expectations and or plans-made for us not made by us-which meant I was not too stressed. But, to compensate, I was sick which killed the experience anyway.

After a lot of thought I decided not to wear a new dress when visiting with Kuku. I am always so worried that Kuku will wipe his mouth on me or decide to spit up on my dress which results in my going crazy. It adds so much pressure and stress that its honestly not at all worth it. So, this Christmas, I had a new dress (unlike last year) but I chose not to wear it to spare myself. I had no issues when Kuku wiped his mouth on me at all. I am so glad I took this decision. I was able to relax and enjoy myself.

Hmpf! - Shortest post of this year

Well, I thought I would make December a month to remember for my blogging escapades but it never took off. I was too busy during the first two weeks of December. When I actually wanted to write, I received some news that froze my heart. So, Hmpf! expresses very well how I feel this month.