It was one of those atypical evenings when I left work at 6 pm and it was raining cats and dogs. I just felt glad that I was leaving for the day. It was one of those days. I always felt that I was running away on those days... not really leaving for the day. Leaving early i.e at 6 p.m. made me feel xtremely guilty : (
The cab arrived while the three of us, who were generally travelling in the same direction, stood watching the rain and commenting on it. Topics are scarce when it is raining like crazy and so one ends up saying the most inane things like "Its raining heavily na?" when it is obvious to all. And everyone agrees or comes up with something even more inane. We all jumped into the cab as if it was going to rush away without us.
Once the cab is on its way, I usually gaze outside or pick up the phone and start chatting instantly. This usually depends on my cab companions. Today my cab companions were two talkative guys who started talking in Hindi and I thought "Ok... lets start dialing.." when I was interrupted.
The bespectacled northie asked me "Is Bangalore always like this? ... in some state of construction which never gets completed?" while pointing to the Metro construction that was underway on MG Road. Being a Bangalorean, I know I am supposed to feel all supportive of Bangalore and yadda yadda yadda but Hello this is so not the Bangalore I fell in lowe with... so I laughed and agreed. I remember the time the Koramangala to Domlur flyover was being constructed and we wud be stuck in the same place for hours. We didn't complain then... why wud we now? While I pondered over bangaloreans apathy, the other bespectacled northie commented "In Noida, things happen so swiftly... I am very shocked at what is happening in Bangalore." More nodding and smiling from my side.
I was dreaming of the Bangalore that was - trees, parks, cool weather, early morning joggers, dew drops on the leaves, loong walks, lazy holidays, cubbon park, bhutta... when the first northie spoke again.
From the pitiable state of the Metro construction, we moved to movies which is one other topic which can be a major ice-breaker. Soon we were discussing the great movies we had watched and the ones that were not worth missing. The rain had become a drizzle by the time we reached CMH road, Indiranagar. Both the northie's got off at Indiranagar after an interesting discussion on how I was able to identify one of the guys as a Bengali (Bengoli).
I think the amit_123 stereotypes given by Krish Ashok is almost too good to be true - except in the case of Bengolis :) I could not tell the first Northie that, could I? I must do a blog post on Bengolis. They are almost true to type as Madrasis or Malayalis... Well, that is an interesting idea for a blog.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Apocalypto
During the course of the conversation on a rainy evening, one of the northies had told me that a movie I mustn't ever miss is the Apocalypto. You must know by now that I usually do not pay heed to most of the advice given to me. Yup, I am kinda stubborn though you wudn't guess it from knowing me. Most ppl are not aware of what I really like. However, the way he insisted piqued my curiosity and I decided that I must check the movie out.
And so it happens that a few days later, we were all set to watch it. After selling the movie like it was nobody's business, now I was worried... suppose it was awful, suppose we got bored, suppose we did not understand it at all, suppose .., suppose... Ufff!!! Lots of ppl assume one is extremely intelligent :P and ask you to either read or watch stuff that is either oh so boring (Yawn!) or is totally over the head (Over Head Transmission) and so you kinda are left with the sad task of going over it or coming up with creative truths (lies) using one's wild imagination.
Anyways, so we started watching it... it starts off pretty slowly with a bunch of tribesmen hunting for an animal in a jungle. The hunt itself is interesting and after they capture the animal (which was probably either a wild boar or an ant-eater) they split the remains amongst themselves. They are happy with the results of the hunt and start dividing the spoils while specifying why X deserves a specific portion of the animal. I was kinda reminded of the Appraisal system in huge organizations. :D You cannot really understand what they are saying but you can kinda figure out as they speak a language that is kinda pre-historic. Lot of pointing, laughing, expressions, etc.
The hunters consist of the head tribesman (an old fella), his son, and few others. As they move towards their settlement, there is a lot of noise and they are all a lot more cautious and wait with bated breath. Suddenly, a bunch of other tribesmen appear - they offer a gift of fish and ask if they can pass - the head gives them permission to use their jungle as a throughfare - and as they move - you wonder if one of them will betray the trust and there is a lot of uncertainity - suddenly you realize that they are not be feared as they seem to be running away frm smthng and almost an entire settlement is moving out - the head tribesman's son (Jaguar Paw) seems disturbed and wonders why an entire settlement is leaving. The head tribesman notices this and as they reach their settlement - pulls him aside for some advice - Tells him that he fears the unknown and that fear is a disease and he must get rid of it before he enters the settlement.
The next day, in the wee hours of the morning, their settlement is brutally attacked. Jaguar paw manages to move his pregnant wife and young son into a pit to ensure their safety and then fights the intruders bravely - all the adults are captured and the children are left behind. The adults (grouped into bunches of 7) are tied to a bamboo pole and are taken to the intruder's settlement. The intruders (Mayans) travel a long way back to their settlement with the adults. On the way, they all notice a young child, who wants them to carry her - they push her away as she is suffering from a disease that has no cure and she predicts doom for them - she says that they will be vanquished by the one they have captured who will convert the day into night and will run with a Jaguar. The Mayans feel uneasy but continue on ahead. The move from known to unknown is shot so well that you feel you are one of the adults tied to the bamboo pole.
The tribesmen reach the Mayans settlement and stare at sickness, death, hunger, ppl covered in white stuff which causes them to spit blood, and at some women who are covered in jewels. The women are sold as slaves and the men are taken to be sacrificed to the Sun God. As Jaguar paw is going to be sacrificed, an eclipse occurs, and the sacrifice is stopped. They are all set free as the Mayans think that the Sun God is satisfied and does not require any more sacrifices. The chief of the intruders is cheesed off that he went through all the trouble of getting them here for nothing and offers the prisoners as target practise for his group.
The last part of the movie simply zips past to a nail-biting finish with Jaguar Paw escaping the Mayans, saving his wife and son(s) and moving on.
If you like thrillers, then this is a must watch. Check it out when you are free and I promise you - you will not regret it. Oh.. and this movie has been directed by Mel Gibson. For the folks who watch movies at home with the clan - there is a fair amt of nudity in the movie. The movie is 'bout tribesmen and settlements and has been handled aesthetically. The nudity does not distract you from the story. To let me know what you think, send me your comments :)
And so it happens that a few days later, we were all set to watch it. After selling the movie like it was nobody's business, now I was worried... suppose it was awful, suppose we got bored, suppose we did not understand it at all, suppose .., suppose... Ufff!!! Lots of ppl assume one is extremely intelligent :P and ask you to either read or watch stuff that is either oh so boring (Yawn!) or is totally over the head (Over Head Transmission) and so you kinda are left with the sad task of going over it or coming up with creative truths (lies) using one's wild imagination.
Anyways, so we started watching it... it starts off pretty slowly with a bunch of tribesmen hunting for an animal in a jungle. The hunt itself is interesting and after they capture the animal (which was probably either a wild boar or an ant-eater) they split the remains amongst themselves. They are happy with the results of the hunt and start dividing the spoils while specifying why X deserves a specific portion of the animal. I was kinda reminded of the Appraisal system in huge organizations. :D You cannot really understand what they are saying but you can kinda figure out as they speak a language that is kinda pre-historic. Lot of pointing, laughing, expressions, etc.
The hunters consist of the head tribesman (an old fella), his son, and few others. As they move towards their settlement, there is a lot of noise and they are all a lot more cautious and wait with bated breath. Suddenly, a bunch of other tribesmen appear - they offer a gift of fish and ask if they can pass - the head gives them permission to use their jungle as a throughfare - and as they move - you wonder if one of them will betray the trust and there is a lot of uncertainity - suddenly you realize that they are not be feared as they seem to be running away frm smthng and almost an entire settlement is moving out - the head tribesman's son (Jaguar Paw) seems disturbed and wonders why an entire settlement is leaving. The head tribesman notices this and as they reach their settlement - pulls him aside for some advice - Tells him that he fears the unknown and that fear is a disease and he must get rid of it before he enters the settlement.
The next day, in the wee hours of the morning, their settlement is brutally attacked. Jaguar paw manages to move his pregnant wife and young son into a pit to ensure their safety and then fights the intruders bravely - all the adults are captured and the children are left behind. The adults (grouped into bunches of 7) are tied to a bamboo pole and are taken to the intruder's settlement. The intruders (Mayans) travel a long way back to their settlement with the adults. On the way, they all notice a young child, who wants them to carry her - they push her away as she is suffering from a disease that has no cure and she predicts doom for them - she says that they will be vanquished by the one they have captured who will convert the day into night and will run with a Jaguar. The Mayans feel uneasy but continue on ahead. The move from known to unknown is shot so well that you feel you are one of the adults tied to the bamboo pole.
The tribesmen reach the Mayans settlement and stare at sickness, death, hunger, ppl covered in white stuff which causes them to spit blood, and at some women who are covered in jewels. The women are sold as slaves and the men are taken to be sacrificed to the Sun God. As Jaguar paw is going to be sacrificed, an eclipse occurs, and the sacrifice is stopped. They are all set free as the Mayans think that the Sun God is satisfied and does not require any more sacrifices. The chief of the intruders is cheesed off that he went through all the trouble of getting them here for nothing and offers the prisoners as target practise for his group.
The last part of the movie simply zips past to a nail-biting finish with Jaguar Paw escaping the Mayans, saving his wife and son(s) and moving on.
If you like thrillers, then this is a must watch. Check it out when you are free and I promise you - you will not regret it. Oh.. and this movie has been directed by Mel Gibson. For the folks who watch movies at home with the clan - there is a fair amt of nudity in the movie. The movie is 'bout tribesmen and settlements and has been handled aesthetically. The nudity does not distract you from the story. To let me know what you think, send me your comments :)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Mysore during Dasara - Day 2
Day 2 dawned bright and sunny only I did not witness it 'cos I woke up at 10:00 am!!! I really wanted to get back to sleep but the Arien was as usual fully charged and ready to begin Day 2. Waanhh :( We planned to visit Chamundi Hills. Last nite, during the palace visit I had seen a "Welcome" sign which seemed to be hanging in mid-air. The wise arien informed me that the lights were actually placed on the way to Chamundi Hills and that we would be seeing it the next day. So we were off after a hot cuppa chai and a cud-have-been-better breakfast :)
We started Day2 with a visit to the St. Philomena's Church which was a gigantic gothic
structure that is entirely made of stone. It was an imposing structure and we looked like ants when we posed with the Church in the background. I gave up trying to get the entire structure in a single snap. We spent some time inside the church and walked along a corridor that had all the patron's names etched on it. It was a hot sunny day and after admiring the structure once more, we decided to move on. I have heard that it was the Wodeyars who were involved in the construction of this new church i.e they were the sponsors not the masons :) It is considered a secular monument. Hmmmm....
I wanted to visit the Silk Factory and the Sandalwood factory that I believed was located at Mysore. I found, to my chagrin, that the sandalwood factory was actually at Bangalore. Of course, the Arien disagreed. It was a sunday and I was sure it would not be open and so I cancelled that plan.
On the way, we saw the railway museum. It was tooo cute. It looked like a photo op and we surprisingly, took a keen interest in not only photographing all the engines, but also pretending to drive them. The dustbin was also shaped like an engine and so we took quite a few pics. They even had a modified Austin, which was to run on the railway track. Naturally, we were not allowed to sit inside or drive it but it was fun anyways. 
Inside, we also had a look at the Maharani's saloon carriage, which was one of the exhibits. An old old man started describing what we could clearly see and so we decided it was time to kiskofy :D
Oh! Before I forget they had on exhibit, one of those black telephones, which we had during the early eighties, where one had to dial and not press keys - remember?? It made me nostalgic... I remembered how I would come home from school and talk to my friends, separated for barely 10 minutes, for hours and get royally shouted at by mom. She could not understand what I had to say that couldn't either be said tomorrow or could have been discussed 10 mts ago :) My classic excuse was homework which did the trick most times.
Back to here and now. We had lunch at DasaPrakash. It was nice, simple, and reasonable. It took us quite a while to find it though. It almost looked as if it was Mysore's best-kept secret :) Anyways, did you know that Mysore is actually a short form of
Mahishasuranaooru?? Mysore was actually home to the daemon, Mahishasuran, who was killed by the goddess Chamundeshwari. Atop the Chamundi hills is the temple of the goddess and a scary statue of the daemon as well. It is a lovely ride up the hill and the place was surprisingly crowded. We got off the car and saw the huge statue of the daemon and realized that it was not too huge :) Ok... I am exaggerating... its just that after seeing the Cathedral, I was kinda expecting a really huge statue. The statue was broad, defintely taller that an average male and so I guess it was huge.
We also went to the temple inside. It reminded me a lot of the visit to Tirupati. We were pushed and pulled in all directions as we moved closer to the diety and then we were allowed a brief 2 seconds to figure out what the goddess looked like before we were pushed out of the way by some self-appointed queue mover. I was totally cheesed off. On our return, we walked via a chuntu market where they sold so many things that I was almost dizzy. I got myself a lovely Ramar Pattabhishekam picture, a chamundeshwari statue, and a Ganesha statue for my home. Was unable to get a picture of Aanchaneyer but was otherwise thrilled as we walked back to our car. I was getting cranky and tired and so wise arien decided to break for coconut water, and cucumber slices. I forbade myself from worrying 'bout health aspects and hogged on the cucumber slices. :)
On our return from the hill, we came across the beautiful black Nandi,
which was really huge and magnificent to look at. Arien opted for sugarcane juice while I went up to admire the Nandi from close quarters. As I walked down, Arien was busy purchasing cucumber slices yet again. A foreigner was attempting to purchase some pineapple slices. I felt it was extremely adventurous of her. Then came the best part of the incident, the fruit seller tried to sell his pineapple slices at a higher price to the foreigner but the foreigner had picked up some of the local language, Kannada, and told him that she will not pay him Rs. 5 more than the others. As we left, we could hear the fruit seller muttering that it would never do, if these ppl learn our language :)
We returned to Bangalore around 9 pm, dead tired, bone weary, and xtremely sleepy. We had stopped at Kamat's for dinner and so we had no complaints. Tomorrow is a working day.... Groan..... I want my weekend back :(
We started Day2 with a visit to the St. Philomena's Church which was a gigantic gothic
structure that is entirely made of stone. It was an imposing structure and we looked like ants when we posed with the Church in the background. I gave up trying to get the entire structure in a single snap. We spent some time inside the church and walked along a corridor that had all the patron's names etched on it. It was a hot sunny day and after admiring the structure once more, we decided to move on. I have heard that it was the Wodeyars who were involved in the construction of this new church i.e they were the sponsors not the masons :) It is considered a secular monument. Hmmmm....I wanted to visit the Silk Factory and the Sandalwood factory that I believed was located at Mysore. I found, to my chagrin, that the sandalwood factory was actually at Bangalore. Of course, the Arien disagreed. It was a sunday and I was sure it would not be open and so I cancelled that plan.
On the way, we saw the railway museum. It was tooo cute. It looked like a photo op and we surprisingly, took a keen interest in not only photographing all the engines, but also pretending to drive them. The dustbin was also shaped like an engine and so we took quite a few pics. They even had a modified Austin, which was to run on the railway track. Naturally, we were not allowed to sit inside or drive it but it was fun anyways. 
Inside, we also had a look at the Maharani's saloon carriage, which was one of the exhibits. An old old man started describing what we could clearly see and so we decided it was time to kiskofy :DOh! Before I forget they had on exhibit, one of those black telephones, which we had during the early eighties, where one had to dial and not press keys - remember?? It made me nostalgic... I remembered how I would come home from school and talk to my friends, separated for barely 10 minutes, for hours and get royally shouted at by mom. She could not understand what I had to say that couldn't either be said tomorrow or could have been discussed 10 mts ago :) My classic excuse was homework which did the trick most times.
Back to here and now. We had lunch at DasaPrakash. It was nice, simple, and reasonable. It took us quite a while to find it though. It almost looked as if it was Mysore's best-kept secret :) Anyways, did you know that Mysore is actually a short form of
Mahishasuranaooru?? Mysore was actually home to the daemon, Mahishasuran, who was killed by the goddess Chamundeshwari. Atop the Chamundi hills is the temple of the goddess and a scary statue of the daemon as well. It is a lovely ride up the hill and the place was surprisingly crowded. We got off the car and saw the huge statue of the daemon and realized that it was not too huge :) Ok... I am exaggerating... its just that after seeing the Cathedral, I was kinda expecting a really huge statue. The statue was broad, defintely taller that an average male and so I guess it was huge.
We also went to the temple inside. It reminded me a lot of the visit to Tirupati. We were pushed and pulled in all directions as we moved closer to the diety and then we were allowed a brief 2 seconds to figure out what the goddess looked like before we were pushed out of the way by some self-appointed queue mover. I was totally cheesed off. On our return, we walked via a chuntu market where they sold so many things that I was almost dizzy. I got myself a lovely Ramar Pattabhishekam picture, a chamundeshwari statue, and a Ganesha statue for my home. Was unable to get a picture of Aanchaneyer but was otherwise thrilled as we walked back to our car. I was getting cranky and tired and so wise arien decided to break for coconut water, and cucumber slices. I forbade myself from worrying 'bout health aspects and hogged on the cucumber slices. :)On our return from the hill, we came across the beautiful black Nandi,
which was really huge and magnificent to look at. Arien opted for sugarcane juice while I went up to admire the Nandi from close quarters. As I walked down, Arien was busy purchasing cucumber slices yet again. A foreigner was attempting to purchase some pineapple slices. I felt it was extremely adventurous of her. Then came the best part of the incident, the fruit seller tried to sell his pineapple slices at a higher price to the foreigner but the foreigner had picked up some of the local language, Kannada, and told him that she will not pay him Rs. 5 more than the others. As we left, we could hear the fruit seller muttering that it would never do, if these ppl learn our language :)We returned to Bangalore around 9 pm, dead tired, bone weary, and xtremely sleepy. We had stopped at Kamat's for dinner and so we had no complaints. Tomorrow is a working day.... Groan..... I want my weekend back :(
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Mysore during Dasara
Day1:
It was yet another unplanned trip to Mysore. Rather, it was a trip that had been planned for the next weekend but enthued Arien decided that he was too bored to stay at home this weekend and so we were going to Mysore tomorrow. I was totally tempted to say NO. If you are wondering why?? Well.. that is because I am a lazy piscean who prefers to relax (code-word for laze) at home after a tough week of writing highly technical stuff which no one reads and he is an Arien who lowes to travel, work hard, keep busy, etc etc etc. So did we go? Of course, we did. Lazy piscean had promised that she would try to be enthusiastic about sudden trips and so she could not really say No, could she?? Grrr... As usual, Arien decides the time when we would leave for Mysore which is between 4 am and 5 am. Egzactly!!! Well.. we finally leave at 6 am :) No trip to Mysore is complete without a stopover at Kamat and we did that.
Hordes of locals and the two of us spent
Anyways, we started walking towards Brindavan Gardens. It was a looong walk... and it was noon and surprisingly the weather was humid. I felt like I was in Chennai and that surprised me quite a bit. I had not been to the gardens in a really looong time. The garden was renowned for being the location where most film songs, romantic scenes were picturised not so long ago. It looked lovely from outside but on closer inspection we found that it was xtremely dirty :(
It was yet another unplanned trip to Mysore. Rather, it was a trip that had been planned for the next weekend but enthued Arien decided that he was too bored to stay at home this weekend and so we were going to Mysore tomorrow. I was totally tempted to say NO. If you are wondering why?? Well.. that is because I am a lazy piscean who prefers to relax (code-word for laze) at home after a tough week of writing highly technical stuff which no one reads and he is an Arien who lowes to travel, work hard, keep busy, etc etc etc. So did we go? Of course, we did. Lazy piscean had promised that she would try to be enthusiastic about sudden trips and so she could not really say No, could she?? Grrr... As usual, Arien decides the time when we would leave for Mysore which is between 4 am and 5 am. Egzactly!!! Well.. we finally leave at 6 am :) No trip to Mysore is complete without a stopover at Kamat and we did that.
We decided to visit Krishnaraja Sagar Dam. They have a cute little aquarium inside, where the star attraction was a fish that cost forty thousand rupees.
Hordes of locals and the two of us spentmore than an hour gaping at all the fishes and the celebrity fish in particular. I have never spent so much time in an Aquarium before and I was informed by the wise Arien that the Bangalore one was a lot better. The celebrity fish looked like a villain in a hindi movie. It had an eye that looked akin to a glass eye and stared you down.
There were lotsa other fishes too. We, now have appr. zillion snaps of fishes, most of whom I
cannot recognize or name :(
Anyways, we started walking towards Brindavan Gardens. It was a looong walk... and it was noon and surprisingly the weather was humid. I felt like I was in Chennai and that surprised me quite a bit. I had not been to the gardens in a really looong time. The garden was renowned for being the location where most film songs, romantic scenes were picturised not so long ago. It looked lovely from outside but on closer inspection we found that it was xtremely dirty :( The flowers were in full bloom 
and looked very pretty and the waterfalls looked nice too. I recalled that they had the musical fountain at 7 pm. We were roaming around the place at 1 pm and soon it just got too hot and I got too cranky. Also, around the same time, we figured out that all hotels at Mysore and Srirangapatna were fully booked and that we may not have a place to stay the night. Yuppp... However, that did not deter us from taking quite a few snaps of the place that was. We also realized that everybody comes to enjoy the water fountain later in the evening and you cannot see the dirt at that time :) Well... not sure if that was nice to know or not... hehehehehe :)
It must cost a lot to maintain the Brindavan Gardens the way it is - I mean the flowers looked so lovely and colourful... I am just wondering about the number of people who have to work to make the Brindavan Garden look good... and while there is always scope for improvement... it is a great effort in itself. Anyways, I soon lost interest in the Gardens and wanted to know where we were going to stay, if we planned to stay on. A sudden cancellation by some person was a lucky break for us. We decided to check-in, have lunch and then plan our next outing. After a not-so-bad lunch, we were tempted to take a nap but did not do so. Instead we decided to check out the amusement park, GRS. There was some half-day offer kinda thing and so we decided that it may be worth the look. I was totally tired and did not want to go on the thrilling water rides and opted for the slow water rides. Managed to get completely drenched in the wave pool. As if that was not enuf, it suddenly started raining and did not abate for almost half an hour :( If it weren't for the fact that I was totally drenched, I would have found it funny :P Anyways, we decided enough was enough and headed back to the hotel. A quick shower and a hot cuppa chai later, we were ready to check out the Mysore palace.
The time was almost 8:15 pm and the whole place was lit up and it looked so lovely. All roads that lead to the palace were lit up and so we followed them to see the palace. There was a Carnatic concert going on at the same time which is that small corner which is lit up slightly differently. I have heard that for the entire navarathri, various artists would come and perform for each day. I was pretty impressed though I was unable to recognise the singer. The crowd was not unruly and we were able to move around without worrying if we would lose each other. We were late and we did not have too much time as they planned to close the place to visitors in less than 30 mts and so we walked around as if we were going to miss the bus - we did not have time to gape, stare in awe, or comment on the beauty as we were worried.... 
However, we did the entire round and left before they started closing the place for visitors. It took a while to sink in. We stared in awe as we moved out. Security was at an all-time high and for the first time I worried about bombs. I mean bombs are usually placed at places where there are huge crowds... Time to stop worrying 'bout stuff like that and concentrate on something else... Dinner?? Yeah!!
and looked very pretty and the waterfalls looked nice too. I recalled that they had the musical fountain at 7 pm. We were roaming around the place at 1 pm and soon it just got too hot and I got too cranky. Also, around the same time, we figured out that all hotels at Mysore and Srirangapatna were fully booked and that we may not have a place to stay the night. Yuppp... However, that did not deter us from taking quite a few snaps of the place that was. We also realized that everybody comes to enjoy the water fountain later in the evening and you cannot see the dirt at that time :) Well... not sure if that was nice to know or not... hehehehehe :)
It must cost a lot to maintain the Brindavan Gardens the way it is - I mean the flowers looked so lovely and colourful... I am just wondering about the number of people who have to work to make the Brindavan Garden look good... and while there is always scope for improvement... it is a great effort in itself. Anyways, I soon lost interest in the Gardens and wanted to know where we were going to stay, if we planned to stay on. A sudden cancellation by some person was a lucky break for us. We decided to check-in, have lunch and then plan our next outing. After a not-so-bad lunch, we were tempted to take a nap but did not do so. Instead we decided to check out the amusement park, GRS. There was some half-day offer kinda thing and so we decided that it may be worth the look. I was totally tired and did not want to go on the thrilling water rides and opted for the slow water rides. Managed to get completely drenched in the wave pool. As if that was not enuf, it suddenly started raining and did not abate for almost half an hour :( If it weren't for the fact that I was totally drenched, I would have found it funny :P Anyways, we decided enough was enough and headed back to the hotel. A quick shower and a hot cuppa chai later, we were ready to check out the Mysore palace.
The time was almost 8:15 pm and the whole place was lit up and it looked so lovely. All roads that lead to the palace were lit up and so we followed them to see the palace. There was a Carnatic concert going on at the same time which is that small corner which is lit up slightly differently. I have heard that for the entire navarathri, various artists would come and perform for each day. I was pretty impressed though I was unable to recognise the singer. The crowd was not unruly and we were able to move around without worrying if we would lose each other. We were late and we did not have too much time as they planned to close the place to visitors in less than 30 mts and so we walked around as if we were going to miss the bus - we did not have time to gape, stare in awe, or comment on the beauty as we were worried.... 
However, we did the entire round and left before they started closing the place for visitors. It took a while to sink in. We stared in awe as we moved out. Security was at an all-time high and for the first time I worried about bombs. I mean bombs are usually placed at places where there are huge crowds... Time to stop worrying 'bout stuff like that and concentrate on something else... Dinner?? Yeah!! We decided to have dinner at a popular place, Parkland Hotel. It was the worst experience ever. We waited till we almost dropped off and when the dishes finally reached our table, it was stone cold. I am not exaggerating. We managed to gulp down the food as we were not really sure how long he would take to bring it back and we were totally sleepy. I was trying very hard to keep my eyes open. The theme at Parkland was good and drinks were being served at an amazingly fast pace and since we had not ordered any drinks.. I guess they forgot about us. Well, never mind.. we were ready to go back. We quickly paid and left for the hotel. When we reached the hotel, we realized it was almost 11 pm. That was end of Day1. Zzzzzzz... Arien starts snoring ... Hehehehe :D
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wonder La
It was going to be one of my classic lazy sundays when I get up late, have breakfast at lunch
time, and watch re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S or a romantic comedy which I would have seen a zillion times already. Well, that was not to be. Usually, I am extremely cranky when my classic lazy sunday is tampered with but I decided to go with the flow for the first time when the plan was to go to Wonder La. I have been crazy 'bout amusement parks and scary rides for a loooong looong time now and have been to Wonder La thrice already with office junta. This was the first time we were going to an amusement park by oursleves in a really looong time.. Shocking :(
time, and watch re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S or a romantic comedy which I would have seen a zillion times already. Well, that was not to be. Usually, I am extremely cranky when my classic lazy sunday is tampered with but I decided to go with the flow for the first time when the plan was to go to Wonder La. I have been crazy 'bout amusement parks and scary rides for a loooong looong time now and have been to Wonder La thrice already with office junta. This was the first time we were going to an amusement park by oursleves in a really looong time.. Shocking :(Anyways, we started the day by having breakfast at Adigas (a popular eatery for vegetarians) - which has the fastest service, hugest crowds, tastiest food at the most reasonable prices. It had been our family haunt on sundays before we moved to far far and away. I usually opt for take away, also known as Parcel, because finding a chair or a table is quite impossible at Adigas. Anyways, I was coming here after a loong time and I totally relished the experience and did not do my snob act at standing and gulping down my idli vada :P We left in about 20 mts, a record almost, considering that if you had visited Shanti Sagar, you may leave in an hour if not longer :D
It was a sunny day and I felt that we would be roasted and cooked by the time it would be evening but surprisingly it was not that hot. We paid for the tickets and went in. I was intent on not missing the rides that I had missed earlier because of the shocking crowds.
Regarding the rides, the Maverick is one helluva ride. It actually does an amazing number of somersaults, back-flips, and you spend a lot of time upside-down! You are asked to remove loose change which you have kept in your pocket, spectacles, chains that may fall off etc etc. Dupattas are of course a No-No. The Sky Wheel, which is the giant wheel atop a tower allows you to have a nice view of the entire landscape of Wonder La.
It was a sunny day and I felt that we would be roasted and cooked by the time it would be evening but surprisingly it was not that hot. We paid for the tickets and went in. I was intent on not missing the rides that I had missed earlier because of the shocking crowds.
Regarding the rides, the Maverick is one helluva ride. It actually does an amazing number of somersaults, back-flips, and you spend a lot of time upside-down! You are asked to remove loose change which you have kept in your pocket, spectacles, chains that may fall off etc etc. Dupattas are of course a No-No. The Sky Wheel, which is the giant wheel atop a tower allows you to have a nice view of the entire landscape of Wonder La.
Thankfully, it does not go at top speed.
The Pirate Ship, formerly known as Columbus, is more like a pendulum.
The Water rides are altogether too amazing. I had never ventured near the water rides previously and so this was my first time. I was completely terrified and did not go on more than a few rides. Twister was nice and fast and I was real terrified and so closed my eyes towards the end and almost drowned - ok ok I was exaggerating - I got some water up my nose. The Water Pendulum almost gave me a heart attack as I thought we may end up toppling over and the rush is simbly fantastic. The wave pool and the lazy pool are nice if you just want to laze in the water. The artificial waves are generated once an hour or so and ppl throng the wave pool when it is time.
They have a new attraction, Friendly Fish, which was a beeg hit among kids. They were so excited that I had to check it out. If you have ever been to Sringeri, where one feeds puffed rice to the fish on the banks of the river... well this attraction is identical except that the fish at Sringeri are dark blue or green in colour while here they are in lovely shades of yellow and orange.
So if you stay in Bangalore or are visiting and if you are crazy 'bout amusement parks and crazy rides then WonderLa is a must visit for ya :)
The Water rides are altogether too amazing. I had never ventured near the water rides previously and so this was my first time. I was completely terrified and did not go on more than a few rides. Twister was nice and fast and I was real terrified and so closed my eyes towards the end and almost drowned - ok ok I was exaggerating - I got some water up my nose. The Water Pendulum almost gave me a heart attack as I thought we may end up toppling over and the rush is simbly fantastic. The wave pool and the lazy pool are nice if you just want to laze in the water. The artificial waves are generated once an hour or so and ppl throng the wave pool when it is time.
They have a new attraction, Friendly Fish, which was a beeg hit among kids. They were so excited that I had to check it out. If you have ever been to Sringeri, where one feeds puffed rice to the fish on the banks of the river... well this attraction is identical except that the fish at Sringeri are dark blue or green in colour while here they are in lovely shades of yellow and orange. So if you stay in Bangalore or are visiting and if you are crazy 'bout amusement parks and crazy rides then WonderLa is a must visit for ya :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Killoo Ki Kahani - Episode 638 (Part1)
Kalyani felt ready to scream in frustration. Life was so damn unfair. Why was Devika so mean? Why did she have to wake up so late? Why? Why? Why?? She could feel her face going red as angry tears welled up in her eyes. She walked slowly back to her cube. There was no time for research, she may just have to use her imagination to get the damn script ready. If Devika liked it, she was safe else her dream would jes remain a dream. Nobody would take on someone who had been fired by Devika. Bloody Devika. Bloody Bloody Bloody. Oh ho!! As if by saying bloody a million times, would turn things around, a small voice interrupted.
In a fit of temper, she threw all the papers strewn on her desk into the dustbin. Immediately she realized that the details of the earlier episode was in one of those papers. Aathera Karanukku Budhhi Mattu - she could almost hear her mom say that. She picked up the papers and started reading to know what was currently going on Killoo's life.
The original script was:
Killoo was a bubbly, enthusiatic, funny, naughty girl who lives in a small village, aptly titled, Chottapoor. She has the unique trait of being the only educated girl in her village and while her parents worry 'bout her marriage, she wants to go to the city for higher studies. Her wish is to complete her studies, do some job wob, and then come back to the Gaon (village) and become a teacher. It was supposed to be a simple love story.
However, the falling TRPs of the serial made the script writer come up with some amazing changes to the script.
The updated script was:
Killoo arrives at her aunt's house in Mumbai and is thrown into a family mega drama. Her uncle is having an affair with his secretary. Her aunt is one of those devotional women who spends a lot of her time in the puja room. She has two cousins, Rema and Govind. Govind is an arrogant college senior who will graduate in a few months. Rema is a fresher in an All Girls college and she hates her cousin, our Killoo. The gardener has a sinister expression and keeps talking 'bout Bhooths (ghosts) and black magic. Killoo's uncle has a sister who also lives in the same house, called Parvathi. Parvathi's husband died many years ago and rumour has it that she murdered her husband. She is generally bitingly sarcastic to the maid, cook, and other servants. She tends to treat Killoo as one of them and does not have a single kind word for Killoo. In fact, she asks Killoo to start working to pay for her accomodation. Killoo joins a Call Center.
Kalyani is ready to scream!! The script writer had lifted ideas from existing soaps, serials and she was now expected to fill in and complete it? Grrrr... Now what??!! She picks up the phone and asks Ramu kaka to get her a nice hot cuppa chai so she can think. She starts to imagine herself as Killoo. The bholi bhaali Killoo, who is attending college in the morning and working at a call center in the evenings. Hmmmm.. Why not introduce a lowe angle at the call center? Let it start with conflict and then move to Lowee... Aiyoooo that is already done! Grrr... Ramu
Kaakaa - where are you?? I need the chai now.... Brain refuses to work :(
In a fit of temper, she threw all the papers strewn on her desk into the dustbin. Immediately she realized that the details of the earlier episode was in one of those papers. Aathera Karanukku Budhhi Mattu - she could almost hear her mom say that. She picked up the papers and started reading to know what was currently going on Killoo's life.
The original script was:
Killoo was a bubbly, enthusiatic, funny, naughty girl who lives in a small village, aptly titled, Chottapoor. She has the unique trait of being the only educated girl in her village and while her parents worry 'bout her marriage, she wants to go to the city for higher studies. Her wish is to complete her studies, do some job wob, and then come back to the Gaon (village) and become a teacher. It was supposed to be a simple love story.
However, the falling TRPs of the serial made the script writer come up with some amazing changes to the script.
The updated script was:
Killoo arrives at her aunt's house in Mumbai and is thrown into a family mega drama. Her uncle is having an affair with his secretary. Her aunt is one of those devotional women who spends a lot of her time in the puja room. She has two cousins, Rema and Govind. Govind is an arrogant college senior who will graduate in a few months. Rema is a fresher in an All Girls college and she hates her cousin, our Killoo. The gardener has a sinister expression and keeps talking 'bout Bhooths (ghosts) and black magic. Killoo's uncle has a sister who also lives in the same house, called Parvathi. Parvathi's husband died many years ago and rumour has it that she murdered her husband. She is generally bitingly sarcastic to the maid, cook, and other servants. She tends to treat Killoo as one of them and does not have a single kind word for Killoo. In fact, she asks Killoo to start working to pay for her accomodation. Killoo joins a Call Center.
Kalyani is ready to scream!! The script writer had lifted ideas from existing soaps, serials and she was now expected to fill in and complete it? Grrrr... Now what??!! She picks up the phone and asks Ramu kaka to get her a nice hot cuppa chai so she can think. She starts to imagine herself as Killoo. The bholi bhaali Killoo, who is attending college in the morning and working at a call center in the evenings. Hmmmm.. Why not introduce a lowe angle at the call center? Let it start with conflict and then move to Lowee... Aiyoooo that is already done! Grrr... Ramu
Kaakaa - where are you?? I need the chai now.... Brain refuses to work :(
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Killoo Ki Kahani - Episode 638
... And the winner of the Year's Best Script Writer award is .... (Total Silence) ... Kalyani. Everybody starts clapping and cheering her. Her manager, Devika, was actually smiling... that was a change. Kalyani prepared to get on the dias to receive her award. She checked to see if she had her impromptu speech ready, and tried to recall whom all she must thank. All was indeed well, her cue card was in her hand, hidden in the folds of her duppatta and she stepped on the first step. Suddenly, her cute, sweet niece, Shreya, appeared near the first step and started shouting something. Kalyani was unable to understand what Shreya was trying to say because of all the clapping and cheering . She tried to pull Shreya closer without attempting to carry her as she did not want her new red chiffon salwar kameez to get rumpled. Shreya screamed "Wake up Kalyani chithi - Paatee is coming with a stick." She smiled - maybe Shreya was going slightly mad at the thought of all the fame and popularity that she, Kalyani, would be bringing to their family. It was enough to make her go mad so I guess it was understandable - must talk to Kalpana though. Hmmm...
Thwaack!! Ouuchhh!! What was that? Oh no... her mom was near the dias, with a stick and wearing one of her old nighties ... Oh noo.. How does amma always know how to convert one of her best moments into one of the most embarrassing moments? Everybody was now staring at her not awe-struck but in shock. Grrr....
Thwaacck! Thwaacckk!! Oouuccccchhh... Kalyani woke up in a hurry almost falling out of her bed, shouted "Amma... cudn't you jes wait till I came home? You have managed to embarrass me and yourself by beating me with a stick on National Television ". Kalyani stared at her mother's furious expression and then at herself and realized that she was having one of her "2-real-2-be-a-dream" dream and that she was going to be very very laate. She rushed to the bathroom, pushing Shreya out of the way. She could hear her mother screaming at her door as she started brushing her teeth. Damn Damn Damn ... the dream was 2-2-real. Grrr...
In an hour's time, Kalyani was ready to leave. She decided not to have breakfast as she did not want to eat Idlis, which was invariably the breakfast today and her mother would not tolerate any comments on the breakfast after the disaster in the morning. She sneaked out of the house while her mother was feeding Shreya. Poor Shreya, at that age, you really could not escape the Idli. Hehehehe - She remembered how even at that age, she would not eat idlis and was branded stubborn. Well.. Well.. Well.. aaj kal ke bachhe - No rebelling spirit... Hmmm.. Well, Kalpana was not too rebellious anyways. She was the miss goody goody who was now Mrs goody goody. hehehehe.. I am too nasty. But really, looking back, she did her engineering as appa wanted her to, married the Iyer boy whom amma selected and now she was re-joining work after a solid break of 5 years. I sometimes feel like shaking her. Because of her, I always end up as a nay sayer, a breaker of rules, and stubborn .. Grrr.. Uffo... Did I have to give my bike for servicing yesterday of all days? Now, I have to wait for the auto guys to show some mercy on me. Aiyooooo.
Finally, walked into the Shrushti Telefilms office. She had on her best close-up smile. She was going to be the Best Script Writer, na?? Aaaj Mein ooper, aasma neeche... Aaaj mein aagey, Zamana hai peechey... lalalalala lalala laaa.... was the song her mind was singing when she heard a shrill "KALYANIIIII!!! You are laaate again." Uffo that was Devika. She will kill me - better ditch the handbag and act as if I have been here for more than 2 hours. Damn Damn Damn Damn... no one in sight. Ok... will handle this with trademark nonchalance.
Kalyani: Good Morning Devika, I know you are going to ask me how is today's episode coming along and I have the bestest News for you.
Devika: Oh really?? I am all ears.
Kalyani: I plan to bring Abilaash, Killoo's long lost brother, back into the picture. The episode begins with his entry and depicts how he is welcomed back into the family and ends with his leaving. Howzthat??
Devika: Oh really?? Have you forgotten that the actor who played Abilaash broke his contract and joined Bhavani Telefilms? Are you doing this on purpose? Do you want me to fire you? You really cannot be that stoopid, can you? I am going out with a client now. I want the script for today's episode at my desk in an hour. When I come back, if the script is either not at my desk or is not to my liking, you can leave. Do not bother leaving your home address as I do not plan to pay you for the work done this month. Am I clear?
Kalyani: Of course.
So what did Kalyani write? Did she get fired? Wait for the next update ;P
Thwaack!! Ouuchhh!! What was that? Oh no... her mom was near the dias, with a stick and wearing one of her old nighties ... Oh noo.. How does amma always know how to convert one of her best moments into one of the most embarrassing moments? Everybody was now staring at her not awe-struck but in shock. Grrr....
Thwaacck! Thwaacckk!! Oouuccccchhh... Kalyani woke up in a hurry almost falling out of her bed, shouted "Amma... cudn't you jes wait till I came home? You have managed to embarrass me and yourself by beating me with a stick on National Television ". Kalyani stared at her mother's furious expression and then at herself and realized that she was having one of her "2-real-2-be-a-dream" dream and that she was going to be very very laate. She rushed to the bathroom, pushing Shreya out of the way. She could hear her mother screaming at her door as she started brushing her teeth. Damn Damn Damn ... the dream was 2-2-real. Grrr...
In an hour's time, Kalyani was ready to leave. She decided not to have breakfast as she did not want to eat Idlis, which was invariably the breakfast today and her mother would not tolerate any comments on the breakfast after the disaster in the morning. She sneaked out of the house while her mother was feeding Shreya. Poor Shreya, at that age, you really could not escape the Idli. Hehehehe - She remembered how even at that age, she would not eat idlis and was branded stubborn. Well.. Well.. Well.. aaj kal ke bachhe - No rebelling spirit... Hmmm.. Well, Kalpana was not too rebellious anyways. She was the miss goody goody who was now Mrs goody goody. hehehehe.. I am too nasty. But really, looking back, she did her engineering as appa wanted her to, married the Iyer boy whom amma selected and now she was re-joining work after a solid break of 5 years. I sometimes feel like shaking her. Because of her, I always end up as a nay sayer, a breaker of rules, and stubborn .. Grrr.. Uffo... Did I have to give my bike for servicing yesterday of all days? Now, I have to wait for the auto guys to show some mercy on me. Aiyooooo.
Finally, walked into the Shrushti Telefilms office. She had on her best close-up smile. She was going to be the Best Script Writer, na?? Aaaj Mein ooper, aasma neeche... Aaaj mein aagey, Zamana hai peechey... lalalalala lalala laaa.... was the song her mind was singing when she heard a shrill "KALYANIIIII!!! You are laaate again." Uffo that was Devika. She will kill me - better ditch the handbag and act as if I have been here for more than 2 hours. Damn Damn Damn Damn... no one in sight. Ok... will handle this with trademark nonchalance.
Kalyani: Good Morning Devika, I know you are going to ask me how is today's episode coming along and I have the bestest News for you.
Devika: Oh really?? I am all ears.
Kalyani: I plan to bring Abilaash, Killoo's long lost brother, back into the picture. The episode begins with his entry and depicts how he is welcomed back into the family and ends with his leaving. Howzthat??
Devika: Oh really?? Have you forgotten that the actor who played Abilaash broke his contract and joined Bhavani Telefilms? Are you doing this on purpose? Do you want me to fire you? You really cannot be that stoopid, can you? I am going out with a client now. I want the script for today's episode at my desk in an hour. When I come back, if the script is either not at my desk or is not to my liking, you can leave. Do not bother leaving your home address as I do not plan to pay you for the work done this month. Am I clear?
Kalyani: Of course.
So what did Kalyani write? Did she get fired? Wait for the next update ;P
ಹಾಗೆ ಸುಮ್ನೆ - Just like that
Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of your life?
When I was in XII, we had to repeat the Chemistry exam as the question paper had been leaked i.e, someone had sold the question papers to a particular town in remote Tamil nadu. Most of us thought that that was xtremely unfair. For me, it was more so, because I disliked chemistry. I also believed that I had given my best shot for the exam. That paper was never corrected, so we will never know. Anyways, I actually hated organic most with all those benzene equations and now I would be forced to actually prepare. At that time, I was also a follower of a philosophical movement headed by a Guruji and fast gaining acceptance. When faced with the Repeat Chemistry exam, I really could not accept that this was actually good for me. I mean HOW?? While everyone around me made peace with it, I could not or rather would not. I was actually tempted to not write the exam. Yes.. I actually thought that God should take care of it.
Realizing that I could easily drop out of the entire philosophical movement one of the followers wanted to have a talk with me. I went with an open mind. He asked one of the students to get only the cap of a kinley bottle. I tried to keep my skepticism aside as I really needed an answer. When the student returned with the cap, the follower asked me "What do you think is the purpose of this cap?" I had a frown on my face as I said "To ensure that no impurities get into the bottle." He claimed that my answer was fantastic. I had a really nasty expression on my face. Then he asked "Does the cap know what its purpose in life is?" I was the cocky kid now, n I said "Of course not." before anybody had the chance to answer. I was waiting for his "Fantastic" so I could leave.
He had on a serious expression and said "Just like a cap that is created by man is not aware of its purpose but the man who created it, is aware, God created you and is aware of the purpose of your life.... " I interrupted as I felt everone knows this much "So we jes wait to get enlightened or do we go hunting for this purpose?" I actually wanted to say "A cap cannot ask this question - I can, so the analogy really sucks" but because quite a few ppl had gathered and I did not want to embarrass the follower, so I did not share my views on his analogy. He replied "Do you realize that you have asked the toughest question that can be asked by a person? Are you aware that everyone wants an answer to that question? Also, did you know that nobody asks this question when everything goes as per their plan? The moment things do not go as per their plan - we ask God why he is unfair... or what is the purpose of my life? In your life, repeating the exam is unfair and so you ask this now. When you completed the Chemistry exam well, did you ask Why is God unfair?"
I had no reply. In fact, I felt what he said was right. I was very accepting of their philosophy when everything was going well... Hmmm - I wondered if I was shallow. It was a looong Moment. While I thought 'bout this - the follower said his goodbyes and left.
I wrote the exam and scored an excellent score in Chemistry as well as in all the other exams. I did not wonder 'bout God's fairness, then. Of course, there were quite a few moments in my life since then when I wondered why God was unfair or what is the purpose of my life. So have I figured it out? Nope.. I have no clue... Do you??
When I was in XII, we had to repeat the Chemistry exam as the question paper had been leaked i.e, someone had sold the question papers to a particular town in remote Tamil nadu. Most of us thought that that was xtremely unfair. For me, it was more so, because I disliked chemistry. I also believed that I had given my best shot for the exam. That paper was never corrected, so we will never know. Anyways, I actually hated organic most with all those benzene equations and now I would be forced to actually prepare. At that time, I was also a follower of a philosophical movement headed by a Guruji and fast gaining acceptance. When faced with the Repeat Chemistry exam, I really could not accept that this was actually good for me. I mean HOW?? While everyone around me made peace with it, I could not or rather would not. I was actually tempted to not write the exam. Yes.. I actually thought that God should take care of it.
Realizing that I could easily drop out of the entire philosophical movement one of the followers wanted to have a talk with me. I went with an open mind. He asked one of the students to get only the cap of a kinley bottle. I tried to keep my skepticism aside as I really needed an answer. When the student returned with the cap, the follower asked me "What do you think is the purpose of this cap?" I had a frown on my face as I said "To ensure that no impurities get into the bottle." He claimed that my answer was fantastic. I had a really nasty expression on my face. Then he asked "Does the cap know what its purpose in life is?" I was the cocky kid now, n I said "Of course not." before anybody had the chance to answer. I was waiting for his "Fantastic" so I could leave.
He had on a serious expression and said "Just like a cap that is created by man is not aware of its purpose but the man who created it, is aware, God created you and is aware of the purpose of your life.... " I interrupted as I felt everone knows this much "So we jes wait to get enlightened or do we go hunting for this purpose?" I actually wanted to say "A cap cannot ask this question - I can, so the analogy really sucks" but because quite a few ppl had gathered and I did not want to embarrass the follower, so I did not share my views on his analogy. He replied "Do you realize that you have asked the toughest question that can be asked by a person? Are you aware that everyone wants an answer to that question? Also, did you know that nobody asks this question when everything goes as per their plan? The moment things do not go as per their plan - we ask God why he is unfair... or what is the purpose of my life? In your life, repeating the exam is unfair and so you ask this now. When you completed the Chemistry exam well, did you ask Why is God unfair?"
I had no reply. In fact, I felt what he said was right. I was very accepting of their philosophy when everything was going well... Hmmm - I wondered if I was shallow. It was a looong Moment. While I thought 'bout this - the follower said his goodbyes and left.
I wrote the exam and scored an excellent score in Chemistry as well as in all the other exams. I did not wonder 'bout God's fairness, then. Of course, there were quite a few moments in my life since then when I wondered why God was unfair or what is the purpose of my life. So have I figured it out? Nope.. I have no clue... Do you??
Friday, August 1, 2008
Coorg - Weekend Getaway - Day 2
After a visit to the famous Raja's seat, known for the commanding and amazing mist filled (err.. was it fog filled??... Hmmm.. does it matter??) view of the city, a ride in the cute toy train 
in the rain, a totally amazing Day1 came to an end.
We realized that we were yet to reach the HomeStay. I was totally thrilled that we had managed to pack so many sights in a single day. We reached the Homestay and were welcomed by the very hospitable home owner and her talkative daughter. We did not want to appear like ravenous gluttons and I am glad that inspite of hogging on sumptious roti - subji dinner - they did not think so. In fact, they felt that we were eating very less (hehehehehe :) for once!!). After a refreshing sleep at the Homestay inspite of there being no power all night, either we were too tired or too sleepy, we were all set to go white water rafting in the not-so-white waters on Day2. The plan was to wake up at 6 and be at Dubare by 8 am.
Day2:
We woke up at 8 and had an amazingly heavy breakfast of a Coorg delicacy known as Paapittu.
in the rain, a totally amazing Day1 came to an end.We realized that we were yet to reach the HomeStay. I was totally thrilled that we had managed to pack so many sights in a single day. We reached the Homestay and were welcomed by the very hospitable home owner and her talkative daughter. We did not want to appear like ravenous gluttons and I am glad that inspite of hogging on sumptious roti - subji dinner - they did not think so. In fact, they felt that we were eating very less (hehehehehe :) for once!!). After a refreshing sleep at the Homestay inspite of there being no power all night, either we were too tired or too sleepy, we were all set to go white water rafting in the not-so-white waters on Day2. The plan was to wake up at 6 and be at Dubare by 8 am.
Day2:
We woke up at 8 and had an amazingly heavy breakfast of a Coorg delicacy known as Paapittu.
We drove all day and had a delicious dinner, why were we still hungry?? Anyways...the Paapittu was served with a tomato onion gravy which was simply too delicious. I barely managed to resist licking my fingers ;P We left finally towards Dubare. I was wearing my peach salwar and suddenly wondered if they would let me go rafting in my salwar :( Well, I needn't have worried, it was oookay and we did not go rafting till 11:30 am. We sat around waiting, listening to the instructor telling us "You should have come at 8 am" and whiling away our time, hoping we would be next and finally the moment arrived. We were given smelly life jackets and helmets which we were helped into and given instructions that lasted for arnd the same time. We were then asked to get on the raft with our paddles. 3 ppl joined us who were from Orange County. An old man with lotsa attitude, his wife, and their daughter. So we set sail with two instructors giving us instructions, explaining some rules, and generally bugging us. After I came to know that the water was more than 23 feet deep, I decided to pay more attention to what the intructor was telling us.
The first rapid was nice, not too scary but we were totally drenched. I totally lowed it - not surprising considering I am a water sign :) Anyways the other rapids were scarier and it was one helluva experience. Our trip went way off the budget b'cos of the rafting but we lowed it so much that I was real glad that we did it. We rafted or is it rowed 8 kms -I got badly tanned as a side effect. We were treated to nice hot tea at a road-side stall after we landed and we were then transported back to Dubare. We happily drove back to the Homestay, had a refresing bath, ate lunch and left Coorg.
The drive back seemed looong - we tried a different scenic route and got lost :) I was very tempted to move to the back seat and fall asleep but the dazed zombie look in his eyes made that thought disappear almost instantly. Plus, he was making these bizarre remarks 'bout wanting to place match sticks in his eyes to ensure that they do not automatically swing shut while we were driving :O Lack of sleep sure does tell :)
It was one helluva vacation and we totally lowed every bit of it including the scary ride at the end.
The first rapid was nice, not too scary but we were totally drenched. I totally lowed it - not surprising considering I am a water sign :) Anyways the other rapids were scarier and it was one helluva experience. Our trip went way off the budget b'cos of the rafting but we lowed it so much that I was real glad that we did it. We rafted or is it rowed 8 kms -I got badly tanned as a side effect. We were treated to nice hot tea at a road-side stall after we landed and we were then transported back to Dubare. We happily drove back to the Homestay, had a refresing bath, ate lunch and left Coorg.
The drive back seemed looong - we tried a different scenic route and got lost :) I was very tempted to move to the back seat and fall asleep but the dazed zombie look in his eyes made that thought disappear almost instantly. Plus, he was making these bizarre remarks 'bout wanting to place match sticks in his eyes to ensure that they do not automatically swing shut while we were driving :O Lack of sleep sure does tell :)It was one helluva vacation and we totally lowed every bit of it including the scary ride at the end.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Coorg - Weekend Getaway - Day1
A weekend trip ... a Surprise... Yeaaahh... no nice clothes ... Have to get up early... 4 am.. is he kidding?.. Grrr... were the thoughts that I had when I came to know that we were going to Coorg over the weekend. This was Friday nite, 9 pm. We left at 6 am on Saturday. We had our fight shortly thereafter which almost led to the cancellation of the trip :) I say almost because we turned back n drove towards home for 10 mts - both of us totally angry - and burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole fight somewhere after 5 mts. Ya.. we are like that.. Anyways we reached Kamat Lokaruchi arnd 8. This inspite of the parking disaster we had when we left, and our short fight - I felt we had made good time. 
A heavy breakfast later, that consisted of the famous conical shaped idlies, maddur vada, regular vada, dosa, and two amazingly hot cuppas of tea and coffee - I would say we were in a wonderful mood :). It has always been the case that after moving so far away from Bangalore, you always end up meeting ppl whom you would not have met while they were right next to your cubicle. When we were returning from Bandipur, our last trip, we met Subash and Nisha. This time we met Ranga (Sriranga Nadiger) and his wife. This time the service at Kamat was slow and we did not get a table for a very loong time and then after finishing our breakfast, they took a loong time to get the bill and so I felt that we may have lost the good time that we made. Anyways we continued on our way to RanganaThittu, where we were to change routes. The drive was good and not as boring as I thought it would be. We were listening to songs from the movie Kaakha Kaakha , which is one of my favorites and happily singing (er.. braying)along. As we neared the destination, we decided to visit all the spots before we reached the Home Stay.
The first place we visited was the Tibetan Monastry near Kushalnagar. On the left is a picture of the arch taken from a distance. The whole place was serene, strangely beautiful, and begged to be photographed. The weather was simply lovely, it would rain for sometime, stop abruptly, drizzle again and the whole place looked so green and lovely. This snap was taken when it stopped raining for a bit. I wanted to shop for gifts for kids but did not get gifts for his nephew and so abandoned the gift giving plan. You always get gifts for gals, a pair of ear-rings, a brooch, knick-knacks, anything. For guys... you just don't get anything. Sad fact of life.
Inside the monastry there are three huge statues which are gold plated and you are instantly rendered speechless in awe. The statue in the middle is the Buddha, the statue on the left is Guru Rinpoche (I think..) and the statue on the right is Budda Amitayus.
The low benches placed in front are used by the monks for prayer and we are asked not to touch them. Not that we were planning to. The walls are all painted in bright red and green colours and it is very difficult to understand the story that they are depicting. I did wish we had a guide. There are huge bells that are tolled when all the monks are summoned for prayer... or maybe lunch... :) Time for lunch... we decided to have a bite at a local restuarant and keep going. I had been to Coorg before but I had not visited the Tibetan Monastry or the Golden temple. We had been to Irruppu falls and seen some tea estates. This was a very different trip and I was totally enjoying it. 
Our next stop was at Nisarga Dhaama. It almost reminded me of RanganaThittu. There was a lovely hanging bridge near the entrance, as you can see from the picture. It was raining again and I ran to get the umbrella. The rain had made the cauvery swell up and it was a sight to see. There were tree houses and cute benches that were now wet because of the rain. There were quite a few swings. There was really nothing much to see and the path was wet and it was steadily drizzling and so we decided to get going.
The next plan was to go to the Elephant Camp to Dubare. It was now pouring and we decided to go for a boat ride to the camp. As soon as we reached the other side, we realized that we were not sure if we have locked the car or not... we worried and worried and worried... and it was the most gruelling 1 hour of our life. We were soaking wet too.. to add to our miseries.. Finally, when we reached the car, we found out that we had locked it after all. Grrr... Walked into the Dubare Hotel which only offered Tea, Omlette, and Fried Rice. Had bitter, totally burnt chai, and an omlette which had uncooked, small onion chunks. We come in contact with a nondescript lean man who is having fried rice :) and come to know that there is water rafting at Dubare. In fact, in the exact same place where we had the boat ride. The hitch was that we were supposed to arrive at 8 am - I laughed out loud. We were yet to reach Madikeri and he had been driving the entire day.. but the look in his eyes stopped me from voicing my thoughts... and so we went on to the Home Stay - totally relishing the experince of Day 1 of our short vacation.
A heavy breakfast later, that consisted of the famous conical shaped idlies, maddur vada, regular vada, dosa, and two amazingly hot cuppas of tea and coffee - I would say we were in a wonderful mood :). It has always been the case that after moving so far away from Bangalore, you always end up meeting ppl whom you would not have met while they were right next to your cubicle. When we were returning from Bandipur, our last trip, we met Subash and Nisha. This time we met Ranga (Sriranga Nadiger) and his wife. This time the service at Kamat was slow and we did not get a table for a very loong time and then after finishing our breakfast, they took a loong time to get the bill and so I felt that we may have lost the good time that we made. Anyways we continued on our way to RanganaThittu, where we were to change routes. The drive was good and not as boring as I thought it would be. We were listening to songs from the movie Kaakha Kaakha , which is one of my favorites and happily singing (er.. braying)along. As we neared the destination, we decided to visit all the spots before we reached the Home Stay.
The first place we visited was the Tibetan Monastry near Kushalnagar. On the left is a picture of the arch taken from a distance. The whole place was serene, strangely beautiful, and begged to be photographed. The weather was simply lovely, it would rain for sometime, stop abruptly, drizzle again and the whole place looked so green and lovely. This snap was taken when it stopped raining for a bit. I wanted to shop for gifts for kids but did not get gifts for his nephew and so abandoned the gift giving plan. You always get gifts for gals, a pair of ear-rings, a brooch, knick-knacks, anything. For guys... you just don't get anything. Sad fact of life.
Inside the monastry there are three huge statues which are gold plated and you are instantly rendered speechless in awe. The statue in the middle is the Buddha, the statue on the left is Guru Rinpoche (I think..) and the statue on the right is Budda Amitayus.
The low benches placed in front are used by the monks for prayer and we are asked not to touch them. Not that we were planning to. The walls are all painted in bright red and green colours and it is very difficult to understand the story that they are depicting. I did wish we had a guide. There are huge bells that are tolled when all the monks are summoned for prayer... or maybe lunch... :) Time for lunch... we decided to have a bite at a local restuarant and keep going. I had been to Coorg before but I had not visited the Tibetan Monastry or the Golden temple. We had been to Irruppu falls and seen some tea estates. This was a very different trip and I was totally enjoying it. Our next stop was at Nisarga Dhaama. It almost reminded me of RanganaThittu. There was a lovely hanging bridge near the entrance, as you can see from the picture. It was raining again and I ran to get the umbrella. The rain had made the cauvery swell up and it was a sight to see. There were tree houses and cute benches that were now wet because of the rain. There were quite a few swings. There was really nothing much to see and the path was wet and it was steadily drizzling and so we decided to get going.
The next plan was to go to the Elephant Camp to Dubare. It was now pouring and we decided to go for a boat ride to the camp. As soon as we reached the other side, we realized that we were not sure if we have locked the car or not... we worried and worried and worried... and it was the most gruelling 1 hour of our life. We were soaking wet too.. to add to our miseries.. Finally, when we reached the car, we found out that we had locked it after all. Grrr... Walked into the Dubare Hotel which only offered Tea, Omlette, and Fried Rice. Had bitter, totally burnt chai, and an omlette which had uncooked, small onion chunks. We come in contact with a nondescript lean man who is having fried rice :) and come to know that there is water rafting at Dubare. In fact, in the exact same place where we had the boat ride. The hitch was that we were supposed to arrive at 8 am - I laughed out loud. We were yet to reach Madikeri and he had been driving the entire day.. but the look in his eyes stopped me from voicing my thoughts... and so we went on to the Home Stay - totally relishing the experince of Day 1 of our short vacation.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Sweet Home Alabama
Its been a while since I blogged... and also a while since I caught a particularly good movie. Iron Man was oooook and the only person I wanted to continue watching was Pepper Pots in her awesome high heels. Iron Man stood no chance with cute pepper pots in the scene. The fact that I cannot for the life of me balance myself on a pair of lovely heels for longer than an hour a day maybe one of the reasons why I was staring awe-struck!
I also caught Prince Caspian - and before you ask - the cute gal has grown up and you really really miss her. The movie was another not so great movie. The first of the Narnia Chronicles was so nice that I was real glad that we caught it. The second version did not come up anywhere close either to the imagination level or the interesting quotient that was set by the first.
It was another thursday evening... I usually strike lucky on thursday evenings. Work had been boring and I was reading Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason - the last few pages. It ceased to be funny sometime in between - maybe the similarities were no longer humorous or maybe I did not connect or associate with waiting for Darcy to make up his mind.. Anyways.. so I turn to TV hoping against hope that they (the TV folks - who else) would air a scary movie.
The first scene that I am watching is this scene where Reese Witherspoon is being taken to a Jewellery store and is being proposed to by a good looking guy. I was very sure this was not a scary movie... as Reese's expression was a telling one. She clearly was not ready yet and then she goes on ahead and I am thinking... oh gaaaahh... this is one of those arbid romantic movies and as usual I am at the end of it... Grrrr.. I am waiting for the credits to roll while I continue to read the book.. and suddenly the book ends... Oh no!
I look up at the TV and I see a lady reacting to the ring that Reese has chosen and almost shrieking "You are engaged" and flashbulbs explode while Reese is trying to tear her hand away from a witch-like lady. I think this may be interesting and decide not to surf for a while. The next scene is, not strictly in order, a gal frend calling Reese and complaining 'bout being informed 'bout her engagement alongwith million other readers of the daily newspaper and asking her if they can meet up. Reese sez that she is off to Alabama. The reaction of the gal frend intrigued me.. I thought it best to wait and watch.. Maybe she was off to stay with his parents in the town and it may be a story on how a city gal tries to manage in a quaint town a la Paris Hilton and Nicole.
It wasn't and Thank God for that. The movie is a feel good, romantic comedy that is worth a watch. Its not a movie guys would usually like and so do not drag your poor boy friend or husband to this movie. Catch up with a bunch of senti gals and you may enjoy the movie. It is more like a Mills n Boons kinda movie but with two good looking guys (Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas), a not-so-shy Reese Witherspoon, a coon dog named Bear, and their parents (yup!)
Having said all that, there are many places where the movie could have been better and not stuck to stereotypes. Making Patrick Dempsey behave like a total wimp when he was anyway not going to get the gal seemed unnecessary. The guy accepts that she lied 'bout her roots, her phony surname -Carmichael, the fact that she was married to her childhood sweetheart at the time of his proposal to her which she accepts, and also for leaving him at the altar. I agree I was rooting for the husband who tried so hard to be unlikeable, a spoilsport by refusing to sign the divorce papers but the boyfriend was simply too forgiving.
Actually, almost everybody was extremely forgiving.. which was a bit hard for me to take. Considering how unforgiving I can be when my husband does not support me in an argument, or when my in-laws make an offhand remark on my cooking, or when my Dad decides to plan a family trip to visit his relatives without letting me know... I mean I have a huge list... so you can understand why so many ppl forgiving Reese took me by surprise. However, I am aware that sm ppl can be surprisingly forgiving, and this is usually within families. However, everybody in your peer group at your hometown - Really?? I thought that was taking forgiveness to a totally new level - almost creating a new religion. :)
Having said all that and maybe inspite of all that, I enjoyed the movie. So catch it when you call gal frends home... it may be a nice surprise treat.
I also caught Prince Caspian - and before you ask - the cute gal has grown up and you really really miss her. The movie was another not so great movie. The first of the Narnia Chronicles was so nice that I was real glad that we caught it. The second version did not come up anywhere close either to the imagination level or the interesting quotient that was set by the first.
It was another thursday evening... I usually strike lucky on thursday evenings. Work had been boring and I was reading Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason - the last few pages. It ceased to be funny sometime in between - maybe the similarities were no longer humorous or maybe I did not connect or associate with waiting for Darcy to make up his mind.. Anyways.. so I turn to TV hoping against hope that they (the TV folks - who else) would air a scary movie.
The first scene that I am watching is this scene where Reese Witherspoon is being taken to a Jewellery store and is being proposed to by a good looking guy. I was very sure this was not a scary movie... as Reese's expression was a telling one. She clearly was not ready yet and then she goes on ahead and I am thinking... oh gaaaahh... this is one of those arbid romantic movies and as usual I am at the end of it... Grrrr.. I am waiting for the credits to roll while I continue to read the book.. and suddenly the book ends... Oh no!
I look up at the TV and I see a lady reacting to the ring that Reese has chosen and almost shrieking "You are engaged" and flashbulbs explode while Reese is trying to tear her hand away from a witch-like lady. I think this may be interesting and decide not to surf for a while. The next scene is, not strictly in order, a gal frend calling Reese and complaining 'bout being informed 'bout her engagement alongwith million other readers of the daily newspaper and asking her if they can meet up. Reese sez that she is off to Alabama. The reaction of the gal frend intrigued me.. I thought it best to wait and watch.. Maybe she was off to stay with his parents in the town and it may be a story on how a city gal tries to manage in a quaint town a la Paris Hilton and Nicole.
It wasn't and Thank God for that. The movie is a feel good, romantic comedy that is worth a watch. Its not a movie guys would usually like and so do not drag your poor boy friend or husband to this movie. Catch up with a bunch of senti gals and you may enjoy the movie. It is more like a Mills n Boons kinda movie but with two good looking guys (Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas), a not-so-shy Reese Witherspoon, a coon dog named Bear, and their parents (yup!)
Having said all that, there are many places where the movie could have been better and not stuck to stereotypes. Making Patrick Dempsey behave like a total wimp when he was anyway not going to get the gal seemed unnecessary. The guy accepts that she lied 'bout her roots, her phony surname -Carmichael, the fact that she was married to her childhood sweetheart at the time of his proposal to her which she accepts, and also for leaving him at the altar. I agree I was rooting for the husband who tried so hard to be unlikeable, a spoilsport by refusing to sign the divorce papers but the boyfriend was simply too forgiving.
Actually, almost everybody was extremely forgiving.. which was a bit hard for me to take. Considering how unforgiving I can be when my husband does not support me in an argument, or when my in-laws make an offhand remark on my cooking, or when my Dad decides to plan a family trip to visit his relatives without letting me know... I mean I have a huge list... so you can understand why so many ppl forgiving Reese took me by surprise. However, I am aware that sm ppl can be surprisingly forgiving, and this is usually within families. However, everybody in your peer group at your hometown - Really?? I thought that was taking forgiveness to a totally new level - almost creating a new religion. :)
Having said all that and maybe inspite of all that, I enjoyed the movie. So catch it when you call gal frends home... it may be a nice surprise treat.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
F.R.I.E.N.D.S
No no no... this is not about the amazingly funny, popular, unmissable sitcom that is still being shown in India. Nope not at all. Having said that, I must tell you that I have watched re-run after re-run and would be really happy if they all came back for one more season. I do know ppl think I am quite balmy 'bout the sitcom and U really have to face a kicking, fighting, and screaming me, if you attempt to change the channel. It is usually better to go out for a walk and hope that when you come back the program is no longer being telecast. Thats what most ppl at home do :)
Anyways, this is about my friends in college. We have had funny moments, angry moments, sad moments - in fact, I would classify those four years as a perfect script for a soap. I mean we had showdowns, breakdowns, screamdowns, and what nots. I still feel those were the best years of my life as yet, though at that time, I doubt I thought as much.
We were a gang of five gals who initially started out as part of a bigger gang and then slowly moved out to form our own. We were not really alike or very different either. Maybe the one thing that was common was that we each had quirks, eccentricities and hence were quite understanding of each other. During the course of 4 years, we changed a lot. We all started out as good gals and that did not change much :) Ok Ok.. thts not really true but not too far from the truth either.
I am still not sure how we became friends - I still recall, I was rooming with Usha Kumari. Srivi was rooming with RD and Indu was rooming with Sabitha. Indu and RD were from the same school in Chennai. Binu and Jhunmun were roomies who were adjacent to RD and Srivi... I think.
We spent most of our free time together. We went for movies screened in the Audi together -caught up with each other in the common room after classes - bunked classes and went to Ceeri Bakery - acted as alarm clocks for each other - splooshed exams together - cribbed together -had hot coffee at Connaught place at 10 pm on wintery nites - watched Fash P and other cultural events sitting side-by-side - gossiped a lot - learnt Kathak - did the crossword - completed each other's sentences - ate up Indu's Rava Laddus (which her mom n grandmom lovingly made for her) - fought like crazy ppl - supported each other - travelled together to Delhi, stayed at Binu's uncle's place - shopped like mad and then returned to Chennai; Srivi had to travel further to Salem - conveyed whtever Srivi wanted to Ramchander Bhaiyya in Hindi - got ragged separately but ragged juniors together (until Meenakshi Raman and Meera Bannerjee caught us :P) - took hazaar snaps together - we even attended some classes together... I think (EG, workshop, the other was some Bio course whose name I cannot recall, Prob stats, CPM-I, and maybe others) - teased each other over our crushes and gatecalls - wiped tears when the "amazing romance" went awry - had late nite maggi, and hot amazing chai (which promptly sent me to sleep - no logic) - worked at Akshay Co-op to wile away time and earn money (wht hpnd to all tht money?) and studied, of course.
After college, after "We will be friends forever", most of us moved to different cities, countries - I moved to Bangalore. RD was in Mumbai, in Ghatkoper, I recall. Inds and Bines were in Chennai. I think Srivi was in Chennai or Bangalore. Not too sure. With all that, I am happy to say that I managed to make it for RD's wedding as well as Indu's wedding. I think I also made it to Indu's bro's wedding. I could not make it to Srivi's wedding though I had purchased a lovely golden tinged yellow salwar for the occassion. Srivi made it to my wedding - she came with her hubby and kid - and made my day!
Now, ten years later, I am in touch with three of them, sporadically. One fine day, RD contacted me out of the blue, when I was with HP. Her husband had joined HP and they managed to search for and find me in the Employee directory. I took down her address and phone number and lost the book - now I am not even sure if she is in Bangalore. Indu is in the states - she has two kids - she visits infrequently and I have not seen her in a while. Srivi, I met at my wedding - we call each other on our b'days (we are two days apart) - I am yet to catch up with her - she is busy with her lovely daughter. Bines is in Chennai - she cud not make it to my wedding - we call each other infrequently. Thanks to Gtalk and Orkut - there are more ways to keep in touch... but one must make the time to do so.
Here's to Friends - old, new, fat, lean, sweet, sarcy, no-nonsense, frivolous, and all other types -Happy Friendships to you :D
Anyways, this is about my friends in college. We have had funny moments, angry moments, sad moments - in fact, I would classify those four years as a perfect script for a soap. I mean we had showdowns, breakdowns, screamdowns, and what nots. I still feel those were the best years of my life as yet, though at that time, I doubt I thought as much.
We were a gang of five gals who initially started out as part of a bigger gang and then slowly moved out to form our own. We were not really alike or very different either. Maybe the one thing that was common was that we each had quirks, eccentricities and hence were quite understanding of each other. During the course of 4 years, we changed a lot. We all started out as good gals and that did not change much :) Ok Ok.. thts not really true but not too far from the truth either.
I am still not sure how we became friends - I still recall, I was rooming with Usha Kumari. Srivi was rooming with RD and Indu was rooming with Sabitha. Indu and RD were from the same school in Chennai. Binu and Jhunmun were roomies who were adjacent to RD and Srivi... I think.
We spent most of our free time together. We went for movies screened in the Audi together -caught up with each other in the common room after classes - bunked classes and went to Ceeri Bakery - acted as alarm clocks for each other - splooshed exams together - cribbed together -had hot coffee at Connaught place at 10 pm on wintery nites - watched Fash P and other cultural events sitting side-by-side - gossiped a lot - learnt Kathak - did the crossword - completed each other's sentences - ate up Indu's Rava Laddus (which her mom n grandmom lovingly made for her) - fought like crazy ppl - supported each other - travelled together to Delhi, stayed at Binu's uncle's place - shopped like mad and then returned to Chennai; Srivi had to travel further to Salem - conveyed whtever Srivi wanted to Ramchander Bhaiyya in Hindi - got ragged separately but ragged juniors together (until Meenakshi Raman and Meera Bannerjee caught us :P) - took hazaar snaps together - we even attended some classes together... I think (EG, workshop, the other was some Bio course whose name I cannot recall, Prob stats, CPM-I, and maybe others) - teased each other over our crushes and gatecalls - wiped tears when the "amazing romance" went awry - had late nite maggi, and hot amazing chai (which promptly sent me to sleep - no logic) - worked at Akshay Co-op to wile away time and earn money (wht hpnd to all tht money?) and studied, of course.
After college, after "We will be friends forever", most of us moved to different cities, countries - I moved to Bangalore. RD was in Mumbai, in Ghatkoper, I recall. Inds and Bines were in Chennai. I think Srivi was in Chennai or Bangalore. Not too sure. With all that, I am happy to say that I managed to make it for RD's wedding as well as Indu's wedding. I think I also made it to Indu's bro's wedding. I could not make it to Srivi's wedding though I had purchased a lovely golden tinged yellow salwar for the occassion. Srivi made it to my wedding - she came with her hubby and kid - and made my day!
Now, ten years later, I am in touch with three of them, sporadically. One fine day, RD contacted me out of the blue, when I was with HP. Her husband had joined HP and they managed to search for and find me in the Employee directory. I took down her address and phone number and lost the book - now I am not even sure if she is in Bangalore. Indu is in the states - she has two kids - she visits infrequently and I have not seen her in a while. Srivi, I met at my wedding - we call each other on our b'days (we are two days apart) - I am yet to catch up with her - she is busy with her lovely daughter. Bines is in Chennai - she cud not make it to my wedding - we call each other infrequently. Thanks to Gtalk and Orkut - there are more ways to keep in touch... but one must make the time to do so.
Here's to Friends - old, new, fat, lean, sweet, sarcy, no-nonsense, frivolous, and all other types -Happy Friendships to you :D
Friday, April 25, 2008
When a Stranger Calls
It was a boring thursday evening... I had the house all to myself. I wanted to finish reading Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones Diary - hilarious - but I was too hungry. Decided to fix smthng for myself so I could multi-task as in eat n read (Wht did you think?). TV can be a beeg bore what with seeing SRK on almost every channel courtesy - IPL, Kya Aap Paanchvi.., the Krazzy 4 item number, i10 ads, dish tv ads, airtel ads - Oh gawd! Lotsa ppl told me that SRK looked like MJ in OSO item number Darde Disco.. I really cud not make the connection but with the red shirt, holster type weird shoulder accessories and a teeny pony tail - he does look like Michael Jackson - all bones and very un-guy like... Hmmm I almost got distracted from my movie review!
So it was a boring thursday evening... oh you already know that... So I start channel surfing - why? - to see wht movies are playing and ended up seeing a lot of SRK (I told ya) - and suddenly I am looking at the beginning of a scary movie... decide to forget all n make myself comfy... Fridays are when they screen scary movies but I am not complaining. Once in a way the Gods can be Krazzy 4 me. There is something known as the Gore Instinct, which actually has nothing to do with Al Gore, that indicates one's abilities in accurately identifying type of movie (thriller, horror, gory, et al) I think I have it and have honed it to sooper levels and so even though I don't know the name of the movie, I know it is scary.
It starts like a normal teenage movie with a cute looking gal, Jill Johnson (Camilla Bell), who has been grounded (no phone, no car) because she ran up an amazingly huge cellphone bill. She also has to take up baby-sitting to repay her folks. The baby-sitting assignment is at a fantastically architected house which looks like a perfect place to shoot a scary movie. The couple, whose kids Jill is baby-sitting, are on their way to a dinner and are planning to follow it up with a movie. They plan on coming back only by midnight. They show her around the house before they leave and tell her not to disturb the kids who are asleep. They also provide her with a list of phone numbers that she could call, which includes funnily enough - 911. The house has motion sensor lighting which adds to the thrill and a black cat a la Salem from Sabrina the Witch series. The only other person in the house is the maid who will leave in a while.
The best part of this movie was that it did not proceed as expected. The total number of dialogues that the man on the phone utters are 3. There is very little blood and gore in the movie - probably b'cos it is PG-13. In most thriller, scary movies, one tries to jump ahead of the situation and come up with some amazing guesses on who the killer is. For instance the killer maybe:
So it was a boring thursday evening... oh you already know that... So I start channel surfing - why? - to see wht movies are playing and ended up seeing a lot of SRK (I told ya) - and suddenly I am looking at the beginning of a scary movie... decide to forget all n make myself comfy... Fridays are when they screen scary movies but I am not complaining. Once in a way the Gods can be Krazzy 4 me. There is something known as the Gore Instinct, which actually has nothing to do with Al Gore, that indicates one's abilities in accurately identifying type of movie (thriller, horror, gory, et al) I think I have it and have honed it to sooper levels and so even though I don't know the name of the movie, I know it is scary.
It starts like a normal teenage movie with a cute looking gal, Jill Johnson (Camilla Bell), who has been grounded (no phone, no car) because she ran up an amazingly huge cellphone bill. She also has to take up baby-sitting to repay her folks. The baby-sitting assignment is at a fantastically architected house which looks like a perfect place to shoot a scary movie. The couple, whose kids Jill is baby-sitting, are on their way to a dinner and are planning to follow it up with a movie. They plan on coming back only by midnight. They show her around the house before they leave and tell her not to disturb the kids who are asleep. They also provide her with a list of phone numbers that she could call, which includes funnily enough - 911. The house has motion sensor lighting which adds to the thrill and a black cat a la Salem from Sabrina the Witch series. The only other person in the house is the maid who will leave in a while.
The best part of this movie was that it did not proceed as expected. The total number of dialogues that the man on the phone utters are 3. There is very little blood and gore in the movie - probably b'cos it is PG-13. In most thriller, scary movies, one tries to jump ahead of the situation and come up with some amazing guesses on who the killer is. For instance the killer maybe:
- Her dad, who wants to kill her so the insurance would pay for the cell phone bill,
- The father of the children, who wants to kill the children as he is one of those serial killers who kill kids
- Jill's boyfriend, who wants to scare her because he wants her to feel bad but the plan turns bad and he ends up killing people,
- Tiffany, who kissed Jill's boyfriend, who wants to kill her because she wants the boyfriend for herself,
- The maid, who wants to kill the children because she wants to marry the father of the children or maybe wants to kill Jill so she can marry Jill's father ,
- The son in the guest house whom no one sees, who wants to kill the kids because his father no longer cares for him and spends a lot of time with his new wife and kids.
- Etc etc...
Only in this movie - that whole guessing game does not work... the killer is some other guy whom we do not meet until the last 20 mts. And just so the guy who played the role does not feel too bad, they have almost a 5mt close-up shot of him and his scar, near the end of the movie. You spend the entire 5 mts wondering if you know the guy, did he have a blink-miss role which you missed but it wasn't. I think the scar was added to his left cheek, in the last minute, to differentiate the murderer from the other male characters who are also seen only for 5 mts.
I enjoyed the movie for exactly these reasons. Also, the ending was very apt... I have grown tired of seeing the villain, bruised, broken, almost dead, but ready to scare you one last time... the ending was handled quite differently and well. Catch it for a non-bloody, scary movie that is maybe not the scariest you have seen but definitely a must-see.
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