Wordless Wednesdays -- Before Dussera Holidays

Kuku in Ethnic Wear

Kuku's Latest Tantrum

Today, when I came home I found Kuku was saying something to his Dad, over and over again. As I edged closer, I thought he was saying "No Kool" which meant "No School" but he was actually saying "Go to Kool" meaning he wanted to go to school. I stared at him in shock.

The Dussera holidays began on September 30th and go on till 12th October. Its been barely a week since school has been closed for the holidays and it looks like he is already bored. When I told him school was closed, he started shouting that he wanted to go to school and threw a major tantrum.

The whole of June and July was spent in trying to get him to school while he cried, kicked, screamed, and shouted "Amma Amma". August was actually better and he was kinda settled in by September. I was worried that he would enjoy his holidays too much and not want to go to school but this was absolutely shocking to me. I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

I asked him if he was bored and he said "Yes"! I think I must plan some activities so he is engaged in the morning :)  Has that happened to you?
 

Theme Change

After a year, I finally changed to the all-green nature theme of this blog, which I changed on a whim. But, I now like it. The easy familiarity of my earlier theme is missing but I like this. I am thinking of setting a new trend of short, shorter, and shortest posts this month. This post is only about the theme change. Let me know if you like it. Did you like the previous one? Comments are welcome :)

Daily Post Resolution for October -- Wish me Luck!

Seeing the number of posts that I have published this year made me cringe! I realized it was time for a blog post resolution. Yes, I am renewing the daily post challenge for the month of October. The last time I tried it was when Kuku was turning 1. I managed 17 posts out of the 31 days. Hoping to do better this year! Wish me luck!

Introducing Books to Kuku -- a fun experience

I love books and so I always hoped that Kuku would love it as much as well. However, he barely showed interest during his play school phase. While browsing at a book store, last year, I purchased "The Hungry Caterpillar". He really loved listening to the story and wanted us to read the book often. That was how we started with books for Kuku. I chose some of the common fairy tales like '3 Little Pigs', 'Goldilocks and the 3 bears', and 'Puss in Boots'. He liked Goldilocks and wanted to listen to it again but was not that interested in the other stories. 

 

Kuku started school in June. As part of his weekly schedule, the school gives the students a library book every week. Parents are supposed to read to the children as often as possible during the week. Kuku enjoys us reading to him and so even if we are bored by the re-reading, we try to re-create the enthusiasm with which we read the story for the first time. Surprisingly, I read a number of books written by Indian authors which Kuku enjoyed. These books are published by Pratham Books. While some books had an instant connection, he did not want us to read the others a second time. 

These Pratham books he really enjoyed:

• Where is my Bat?
• See you tomorrow
• Drip Drop Drip

Pratham web-site shares a couple of activities after you read the book. Some were a bit advanced for Kuku but I liked having access to the same so I could try them out when he was a bit older.

 Of the fairy tales, he enjoyed these two books: 

• The Magic Porridge Pot
• Chicken Licken 

He did not want to hear Cinderalla again or the Moon and the Cap story. Well, at least, its a beginning. What books do you read to your kid(s)? What kind of stories do they prefer? Leave your responses in a comment. 

Pink -- Movie Review

Two movies at the theater in the same month.. am I dreaming? Well, it happened. A friend at office came up with the plan and off we went. I thought it was a 1 hour movie but it was longer as most Hindi movies are.

The movie begins very well-You see 3 gals (Meenal, Falak, and Andrea) in a taxi, returning home from a party or some event, late at night. The mood is very tense, the girls are worried, and a bit terrified. The scene shifts to another vehicle, a car, 2 guys are worrying about one of the guys who seems badly hurt and bleeding. The hurt guy is more angry than hurt. Slowly, the events unfold and there is no misstep anywhere. The first half goes as expected - rather, as if a real incident was taking place n that was a relief.

Amitabh with his mask

Amitabh's introduction was actually funny thanks to his anti-pollution mask and various eccentricities. When you observe him watching Meenal at the park, you wonder if he is the villain for an insane moment. The movie introduces a number of stereotypes: independent working women, north eastern women, the neighbor who can easily think the worst about you, the policeman who asks Meenal to think before filing a case at the station, etc etc. None of them struck a false note.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hitmoviedialogues.in/2016/08/watch-pink-movie-official-trailer.html

The second half was a bit slow though it had a number of punches to throw. It was a courtroom saga

Andrea, Meenal, and Falak

that made several note-worthy points but felt a bit slow. Somehow I felt that the verdict could swing either way. While the points were note-worthy, I did not think legally they could have won the battle. But, again maybe that is how it works sometimes. A point that raised a lot of claps was about a woman's choice to say No. A very valid point but legally how could it be proved?

Image Courtesy:  http://hamaraphotos.com/bollywood/scoops/have-been-a-victim-of-eve-teasing-taapsee-pannu.html

Meenal

Most of the scenes were totally believable: When Meenal is threatened over phone, she retaliates in anger but then runs home after looking all around, terrified; When Falak's boyfriend asks her why she went with others and adds that Meenal would do this but why did you?; When the lawyer asks Meenal why does she live with 3 other girls instead of staying at her parent's place (When her parents live in the same city) and tries to insinuate that she was probably a sex-worker;When the men say that girls from good families do not drink or go with somebody whom they just met, and so many other gems.  

Image Courtesy: http://www.trendinfo.in/pink-movie-box-office-collection-7056.html

A serious movie but a good one. The movie ends with showing us what really happened that night which was one of the best parts of the movie. Liked it for some of the points made. Good to watch once.

Happy Bhaag Jayegi -- Movie Review

After a long time, managed to catch a movie at the theater. After Kuku came into my life, it has been

Daman Singh Bagga dancing

impossible for me to catch a movie in the theater and so I try not to miss any opportunity when it does come my way. The managers go on a trip to the US for two weeks, every year, and most folks enjoy the short break that that brings but this year we went for a movie. Felt like a school or college kid bunking school or college (Not that I did it - I had a miss goody-two-shoes reputation).

Happy Arriving in Amritsar at Bilal's house

I had read some of the reviews and was not expecting much from the movie but it was nice.

Beautiful Diana Penty, dependable Jimmy Shergil, Handsome Abhay Deol (you always want to see more of him), a charming Ali Fazal, Piyush Sharma as the comic element, a lovely Momal Sheikh looking very snooty but vulnerable, and a simple love story with India-Pakistan as the backdrop. It could have been amazing but not so. Dropping the section
Wah Wah because the movie did not have any Wah Wah moments. It was a light and fluffy experience.

Image Courtesy: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/happy-bhag-jayegi-movie-review-abhay-deol-diana-penty-star-rating-2984719/

Wah

• Momal Sheikh initial hysterical reaction made me cringe but her snooty, aristocratic expressions and her vulnerability was nicely captured using subtle looks and simple scenes. A small role, but she was impressive.
• Jimmy as the guy who is left at the altar was genuinely funny as Daman Singh Bagga, the main villain.  
• Abhay, who is a joy irrespective of his role, was adequate. 
• Ali Fazal, as the boy friend, Guddu, had a charming simplicity that lent a nice touch.  

Bah

• Happy's character is not well fleshed out. Why do all the men fall for her? Diana seems too sophisticated to be a typical punjabi kudi. Its a stretch to imagine her making aloo parathas for her boyfriend. I can imagine Kangana adding the necessary zing to the same character.
• Kanwaljeet's performance was a bit over-the-top. He is a very good actor and deserves a decent role.

Zoya walking up to Bilal's car

The performances were not fantastic, the movie was just ok but you wanted very much to like them and were hoping something will come up that will make you laugh - but no. The producer of the film is Anand L Rai, who directed Tanu weds Manu - you can see the numerous similarities in the movie and while Kangana was superb, Diana is just about ok.

Catch it at home on a lazy weekend and you won't mind it. For a change, after seeing intense movies or movies that make me sad, this felt ok.

Breakfast at Koshy's and Yet AnotherVisit to Cubbon Park, Bala Bhavan

Yes, I am back, again :) After a long time, we decided to visit Cubbon Park (Bala Bhavan) with Kuku. We were out of the house by 8:40 which is an achievement by itself and we actually reached Bala Bhavan ~9 am. It was at that time that we noticed the board that mentioned that Bala Bhavan opens at 10:30.  We walked outside Bala Bhavan in and around Cubbon Park. Kuku chased squirrels and crows and thoroughly enjoyed himself. Around 10, we decided to have breakfast and while we debated where to go, we opted to go to Koshy's.

Koshy's was as unchanged as ever. We opted for bread and eggs breakfast. Kuku ate most of his omelette and we packed the rest because he usually eats the rest an hour or so later. The Arien ate light too but the bill was not light :D The Arien mentioned that we should have eaten Idli-Vada instead! Bleeh!

We walked back to Bala Bhavan and all of us went on the Toy Train. There was a big crowd but we had fun. Kuku insisted on going on most slides except the really dirty ones, He kinda feels that the slide is his thing and he would prefer if no one joined him but lots of kids do and so he gets a bit cranky which goes away after he slides down for the first time. There is a huge smile of pure happiness with a bit of fear as he slides down which is very lovely to watch, He has to do this over n over n over n over again. By which time we both are bored and want to get home :)

It was a nice, lazy morning. Kuku fell asleep on the way back. So, instead of visiting relatives, we went straight home and tried to get some sleep as well.

Ex Machina -- Movie Review

I think I am making up for missing most of the movies released in 2015 by watching them this year :) This is the second movie I am catching and WOW! Ex Machina has been listed as #1 in most of the top 15 Hollywood movies for 2015 and I agree 100%. While it is essentially a sci-fi film, it is also emotional, thrilling, and unexpected.

Caleb and Nathan

The movie begins when a developer, Caleb, working for BlueBook (an Internet Search Engine company) wins a week long stay at the CEO's estate. The CEO, Nathan, is a child prodigy who started writing code at 13. When Caleb is dropped off at the estate, he is not sure what to expect. Nathan is not quite what he expects. He is given a key card which allows him access to certain areas in the house. The house also is a research facility and Caleb is taken totally by surprise when Nathan asks him to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) that seems very detailed and not standard. 

Image Courtesy: http://thecreativefoxden.com/2015/05/19/movie-review-ex-machina/

Caleb signs it but is not too happy. That changes when Caleb realizes that Nathan has built a female

Ava

robot with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Caleb has to test if she exhibits true AI or is simulating human emotion - a test known as a Turing Test. The female robot is Ava. The interactions between Ava and Caleb are recorded and watched by Nathan except when there is a power cut. The conversations between Nathan and Caleb are not that of an employer with an employee or one between friends but weirdly personal. Nathan ribs Caleb about his quotable quotes and Caleb tries to fit in and comes across confused, curious, and very natural.

Image Courtesy: http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2015/06/movie-analysis-ex-machina-themes.html

Nathan and Kyoko

Nathan's maid or girl friend, Kyoko, has very little to say or is mute but after appearing suddenly, she is there for the rest of the movie. She performs a choreographed and well-synchronized disco routine with Nathan and it is obvious from the way they dance that they have done this often. 

Image Courtesy: http://www.cinemast.net/ex-machina-movie-review/

I was trying to get ahead of the story and guess where it might go and I was surprised every time. The movie does not employ too many twists but each twist was crisp and later you realized that that was the only way to go. The ending was so unexpected that it stayed with me for a long time. It was not an ending I could accept but it was actually perfect. There is a fair amount of nudity and while it can distract, I doubt it was used for that purpose in the movie. However, because of that, I would not advise you to watch the movie at home with children, family etc. Watch it when you can and let me know what you think. If you have already seen it, let me know what you think.  

     

Burger King Visit -- Restaurant Review

CheesyItalianFries--Too Tangy

It was a day for completing a lot of necessary Bank work and so I left early from office. The Arien promised to pick me up from office and he did. After the boring work was completed, we found out it was too late for lunch and so we decided to walk into Burger King. This was our second visit but I really liked the options. Both of us were very hungry and went overboard. The Arien ordered the mutton whopper while I chose the regular veg whopper. We also ordered the Hi-fries (I chose cheesy Italian Fries) and the thick mango shake with it.

The burger buns were fresh and the size was definitely bigger than McD's usual. When McDs came to India first, their burgers were huge too though that has changed over the years. The cheesy Italian fries was a bit too tangy for me. Also, the whopper has pickled cucumber which adds a tangy taste and so it all became too much for both of us. The Mango shake was absolutely amazing - we ordered one between us and so it was manageable. It was very very tasty.


The Arien felt guilty about having an outing without Kuku. If Kuku had been part of this trip, we would have been two hassled parents running after him. This time, we ate together (that almost never happens), we had a bit of conversation (i.e we actually spoke to each other not announced stuff in the vicinity of each other), even joked a bit. I called this our time-out :P

Funky Monkey -- Kuku has fun

Kuku has been spending a lot of time watching YouTube videos of kids playing in these indoor play Centers. We started him on Rhymes and suddenly he was watching these kids videos (Videos of kids made by parents such as Toy Reviews, family play time etc) and now he refuses to let us guide him to the videos which we want him to watch, So, he pretty much watches any video he likes. Anyway, while watching the play center ones, I wondered if we had any in the city for a toddler and I chose Funky Monkey. Its quite close to my Aunt's place where we usually congregate for Pongal/Sankranti and my cousin was visiting with his 12 year old daughter. The age group was supposedly 0-12 years and so I thought my niece would like it but she is a grown-up twelve and did not want to enter the place. So, only Kuku had the most fun on that day.

They charge ~500 for 90 minutes and either the mother or father or a sibling must accompany small kid(s) into the play center or arena. That person must wear socks or buy socks from their counter. It was pretty crowded as a birthday party was going on as well. Kuku, of course, did not want to play on anything specific to his age. He wanted to go down the huge slide and he did so a gazillion times and sometimes in reverse i.e he turned around and sat looking to see if anyone else was coming after him. The Arien was fed up and completely exhausted at the end of 30 minutes :) We had another 60 minutes to go :( I cleverly opted out of going into the play arena with Kuku. It was fun for Kuku though. He was very happy.

We stopped for a snack at 'The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf". We ordered the usual stuff. All of them were good but their omelet was really good. The Arien said that we should have ordered that for Kuku instead of letting him feast on blueberry cake which though he loves he does not handle too well. We plan to do this again next month. Lets hope its not like our other plans :)

Wazir -- Movie review

First movie in a cinema theatre, after a really long time (Uttama Villain does not count, considering we watched the movie from the Exit steps while Kuku watched his Rhymes on the Arien's phone). It was a team activity and we were catching the morning show - the 10.10 one. I wanted to laugh but I also wanted to make it. It was decided that we would catch the movie at a mall which is quite close to my place. What happened that morning: Kuku on tantrum mode, sent him very late to his playschool and was at the receiving end from his teacher, no service road entry from my house to the theatre, no right turn at the theatre entrance, and no change for the Auto. With so many obstacles working against me, it was indeed a total surprise for me that I made it before time. I was at the Theatre at 10 am :D Now, for the story of Wazir.

A movie that had Farhan Akthar and Amitabh Bachchan had to be good. I had not read the reviews yet and so I had no idea what the story was all about. Well, it starts with the story of Danish (Farhan) and Ruhana (Aditi) - their marriage, their love, their child. A snap decision made by Danish results in the separation between him and Ruhana. And around that time, he meets Omkarnath Dhar (Amitabh), a chess enthusiast and an unlikely friendship builds between them. The friendship helps heal the rift between Danish and Ruhana. It also leads to Wazir.

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/wazir-review-a-revenge-saga-that-is-not-angry-but-devious/story-ZsKd1IQBRluKxwxFan8INK.html

The love story of Danish and Ruhana was edited well and in a few well-shot scenes, the love that they shared was there for the audience to see. The scenes between Amitabh and Farhan are entertaining with Shatranj or chess-specific metaphors thrown in. Not too many to bore the audience and so it was ok. The entrance of Wazir (Neil Nithin Mukesh) added a chill to the story. John Abraham was in yet another cameo. I almost suspected him to be the villain but he was not :)

Image Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/wazir-review-a-revenge-saga-that-is-not-angry-but-devious/story-ZsKd1IQBRluKxwxFan8INK.html

I think we were waiting for some obscure twist but the movie was not trying to be clever - it was pretty straight forward. But, there was something missing in the movie. Maybe the editing was too slick for some scenes and too lax for the others. The pace was jumpy.

The last explanation video was not needed I feel. It assumes that the audience would not be clever enough (a way of saying they were stupid, in fact) unless smne actually spoke during the scene to say: "I did this and then I did that and then..." followed by the actual shot of the action. One of the two would have been sufficient.

Image Courtesy: http://www.bollywoodmania.co.in/2016/01/review-wazir-is-gripping-thriller-with.html

The movie was jes ok though it had all the trappings of a good thriller and whodunit but somehow the story meandered and did not do a good job. Ok to watch once. Aditi looked lovely and Neil looked venomous. 

Happy New Year 2016!

A very very Happy New Year to you all :D

January has proved to be quite hectic - a number of outings, get-togethers, lunches, etc. - so unlike 2015 that I am very late in posting about those happenings. After a lot of thinking, I have decided to back-post all the January posts so do not be surprised if you suddenly see a lot of posts for January after seeing nothing all month.

Have a nice day and nice year!!