Interesting thot i read somewhere

Yes, God is motionless, because there isn't any place where He is not. When a child is sitting in his mother's lap, he can cry for a million things, but he cannot cry for his mother to come. We are all in the lap of the infinite Truth. It is nearer than your own eyelashes. There is no distance between you and It.
--Swami Tejomayananda

Vacation in Lovely Kerala, Karnataka..

A picture is worth a thousand words. While We have this spiritual vacation every year mostly during monsoons and visit various temples, it surely is a de-stresser, with family time,and ofcourse some divinity thrown in :)

Movie updates

Have been doing a spate of movies recently. Chennai is certainly happening in terms of having the right friends group to hang out with. As for the audience, the usual Chennai Movie crowd is very much fun to watch movies with(I mean just the audience) most times the audience laughs at those one lines liners and “really good jokes/lines” that one catches only while watching the second time, or on the net while reading about the movie.

1. One missed call : Apparently this is a Japanese movie remake. I watched a morning show with my dad., I wont go into the details and give the story away, but if you are anything like me and believe “A Pounding heart is good for the circulation”, then watch it. Premise of the movie- one strange ring tone(actually it sounds sweet, when taken out of context-the Ring tone i.e.) which goes into a missed call alert. On picking the voice mail, the victim hears what he/she is saying, perhaps two or three days in the future, and eventually dies horrifically, just as the voice mail hinted. A star cast of almost unknowns, similar to Scream and I know what you did series… would have been nice if they did some more research on the relationship between the ghost and its sibling and why it actually does what it does….
   


2. King fu panda : While it’s a fun animated movie about a FAT panda who goes on to become THE CHOSEN ONE. The voice overs of jack black as the Panda and Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu are simply super. What was actually visually very pleasing was the escape of TAILUNG the villain from the much guareded prison. I was actually rooting for him(shame on me). Voices of Angelina Jolie as Tigress and Jackie Chan as Monkey are simply wasted. While its and all and all positive movie about whats inside that matters, Must admit I watched it twice and enjoyed it both times. Would have been nice if they some more research on say the panda’s relationship with his “Bird” father. They are just too different..The movie has some memorable lines “ Today is a gift, and that’s why its called the present.” “ There are no accidents” These are uttered by the turtle who has the best lines..all in all a truly enjoyable fare.




3. ROCK On A cult movie of sorts if u imagine the Dil Chahta hai genre. Story line goes like this--4 Young individuals who had dreams of forming a rock band. How that doesn’t happen and 10 years hence how their lives have turned.. One of the band members’s wife looks up some old stuff in the attic only to discover her investment banker husband(with their really beautiful house) and very busy urban lifestyle was actually a leading ROCK band singer. How they get together and eventually perform one last time is the crux of the story. The story swings between past and present(which is a bit confusing at times) but the hair styles(long in the past) and short in the present is how you can follow the story..except for Arjun Rampal who looks like some god with his long flowing hair. (I need a moment to gasp) Farhan Akhtar and Prachi Desai(of Kasam Se fame) make a good debut. Farhan has a shower scene which is a must see. Purab Kohli and Luke Kenny were good surprises as I didn’t know they could act. (for example) We do know that in the climax Joe(played by Arjun) will appear and he does and how! If only he could seem more convincing with the guitar. His acting is very mature as the failed musician with a nagging wife, and a son who thinks he is a hero. His unworded expressions of disappointment in the scene where they have to sign the contract without having his song or his GF losing out on the designing was very good.
   
   While Farhan has a well developed body, he might seem to have been dealt a raw deal of cards with his actual voice(he sounds like his father, at his current age I mean), it is surprisingly very good to hear in the rock numbers. Prachi Desai also has done justice to her role without any hamming.(Hope she doesn’t go back to melodramatic Saas bahu type serials) Quite a fast paced narrative, right from the the Dandia Spoof, to the competitor Band who sings some Zahreela Song, till the Sindbad the sailor song in the end(you can catch Farhan’s wife Audhna along with Prachi desai in that song in the audience) it was quite entertaining.. and yes, I watched the movie twice.


4. Other mentionables

• Journey to the centre of the earth(watch it in 3 D if u can) its action packed and a sci fi theme.


• Mamma Mia : if you are an ABBA fan like my family is watch it for sheer nostalgia and to sing along (yes the lyrics display like karaoke) and please don’t watch in Mangalore(the crowd there is Thakela)


• Raaman Thediya Seethai : This one was like my arranged marriage blog..and very well told family entertainer. My favorite was the character Nedumaran(the blind radio jockey) with panache and attitude..well played Pashupathy..


• Subramanipuram : very 80's look. 4 young men and how the life they choose innocently exploits them in return. the fun part was the love story entwined, which had all the nuances of say an 80's wooing game. The graphic violence might get your goat, but good effort and not surprisingly a HIT

The Dark Knight...JOKER lines

The Dark Knight has resulted in a whole lot of Jokerisms, and memorable one liners..Why so Serious is a really dark one...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Joker: [to Batman] We really should stop fighting, we'll miss the fireworks!

The Joker: See, I'm not a monster...I'm just ahead of the curve.
The Joker: See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite...and gunpowder...and gasoline! Do you know what all of these things have in common? They're cheap!
[repeated line] The Joker: Wanna know how I got these scars?

Gotham National Bank Manager: The criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor. Respect. Look at you! What do you believe in? What do you believe in!
The Joker: I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger.

The Joker: It's a funny world we live in. Speaking of which, do you know how I got these scars? Batman: No! But I know how you got these!

The Joker: [holding a knife inside Gambol's mouth] Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was....a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife,"Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let’s put a smile on that face!" And..... Why so serious?

The Joker: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules!

[bumps along while driving hijacked truck] The Joker: I like this job - I like it!

The Joker: [to Det. Stephens] Do you wanna know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little... emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?

OK so am on vacation...and will not have as much access to mails..

Long Weekend

Was a lovely extended weekend with family and friends..my folks were in Chennai as we shopped for my brothers new apartment that he is moving into in Bangalore. Right from utensils and kitchen ware in Parrys corner, to T nagar for some more shopping..was fun. Have often indulged in retail therapy..buying someting new for an apartment be it rugs or even bed linen and stuff always just makes me happy..

We went to Besant Nagar beach on 15th August, sat on the beach and just chatted..the four of us after such a long time.. Mom and dad reminisced about us playing on the beach as kids. The raw mango slices, the ice candy and the timeless Sundal..were all sights and sounds of a typical south Indian beach..whether Marina or Besant nagar beach..Then dinner at Murugan idli kadai(where the idlis are a close second to my moms-call me biased if u like)

Meeting old friends and reminiscing about life in Bangalore was Saturday evening ..again at Elliots Beach…

Sunday was sad as my folks drove down to Bangalore. I went off to watch the S Ve Sekar comedy “vaal paiyyan” really cool show. Inspite of the bloopers and goofups in a live show, the fact that the audience was so supportive and actually laughed along sportingly was really endearing…

Agitated Customer of Banks, Financial instituitions, and other Nuisances PART II

I am fed up of these tele-callers..the DO NOT CALL is a SCAM. it does NOT exist. Its just a cover up operation while these tele-marketers are happily just calling...

I have been called consistently by SBI, HDFC and Deutche bank about 4 days in a row at different times, each time my response was DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN.

AM guessing their phone recievers hear selectively. They call again. The next day. By another colleague of theirs. Really pathetic.

Wish we had a forum where compaints could be lodged for companies in India(a bit like the quaint Letters to the Editor) a favorite passtime of my family and close friends, who use the forum to point out shabby roads, bad train/bus services, good Auto drivers etc.. Me ? i just blog...

HOwever, there seems to be link http://www.hellopeter.com/.The website is a forum for customers to lodge complaints and for suppliers or service providers to respond.

The website is run by Peter Cheales, author of the book I Was Your Customer. According to Cheales, if you don't give the customer what he wants, when he wants it and how he wants it, he'll find someone else who will. The link seems more active in South Africa.

Queue benefits all

Have u ever stood in line to say(consider the mall during a weekend) and someone just stands in your personal space over your shoulder ? like hello..its my turn...or the burlesque person who insists on just walking in and showing his garment bag, never mind if you were just in the middle of a transaction...

Now imagine the ATM, the bloke behind is peeping to see "probably" my balance ?? i just dont get it..why would anyone stand so close ?(must be me)

What i like/prefere are those "Dont cross the yellow line" kind of discipline seen usually at immigration counters and probably the only place where it is ever respected..*why annoy the bloke behind the counter and delay your arrival/departure" as the case maybe

Remember those quaint documentaries on Door darshan on "Q Benefits all" ..how true..but guess we really needed that as a "punblic service announcement"

Policies and the Monkey story

Am having one of those classic moments..of the story of the 8 monkeys in a room...

It’s a old one but worth a second read...The story of 8 Monkeys

Put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling.

Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder; all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable.

Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up. Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.

One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious. But undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder. All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly.

He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder. A second original monkey is removed and replaced. The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him.

This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he's not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it. However, he has no idea why he's attacking the new monkey. One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced.

Eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water.

None of them attempt to climb the ladder. All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.

This is how the work culture in many Companies get established

Enough said....

and This Dilbert book is the flavour of the week for now..

So a little tied up and not blogging as much as i wanted to

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Must say that I didn’t go with too many expectations, other than the fact that my mom loved the movie. You see, the two of us are partners in crime and do our movie marathons(watch 3 shows of different movies in the same multiplex, such that even the ushers start recognizing us by the end of the third show). Now we do it in different cities. Mom was gushing about Jaaane Tu... And I was trying to ask her, whether it is like Jab we met ? She said it’s a bit like Dil Chahta Hai, hmm cult movie status.

My verdict ? Super movie. Fresh story line. Nice looking people. Good music. its a 5/5

Its told in a story form by a bunch of friends waiting to receive someone at the airport.The basic premise of the movie. Boy loves girl, Girl loves boy. Only they don’t know it. And everyone around them does. Boy spends a lot of time with girl. Runs when she calls. They are always there for each other. After graduation the girls’ cool parents decide to ask the boy if he would join the “family” he assumed it’s the business. A few funny dialogues and finally the “misunderstanding” is cleared. The boy and girl don’t see each other as anything other than friends (a bit like Kuch kuch..but not as warped). They even decide to find each other a partner. How they do. The gentle nuances of jealousy, and coping with the fact that they are with other people, brings in a whole lo of introspection. Throw in a few friends, lovely parents, a dead father who speaks thro the portrait(Naseeruddin Shah is simply super and endearing) So is Ratna Pathak Shah.

Boy has been informed by his mother that his late father was against any kind of violence, so the boy(who is called Rats, short for Rathore) is brought up very peace loving. He avoids all kinds of conflicts by wit and his charm. The girl Aditi, or Meaaow as she is called due to her love for cats, wants a guy who will fight the bad guys, and defend her..her cool parents Jayant Kriplani and Anuradha Patel all have very cute cameo roles. Her brother, played by Prateik(don’t remember if he calls himself Prateik Patil or Babbar) who hates Jai. Or atleast pretends to. His sibling rivalry, his love for his sister, and her best bud, and how he actually is keen for her wellbeing, and misses her friendship ..it’s very delicately dealt with.

Throw in another cameo by the Khan Brothers Arbaaz and Sohail, was the surpise. Altho I do believe Paresh Rawal was a bit wasted,( cause I thot he might actually be a love interest for Ratna and that didn’t happen..). How the two eventually know that they are meant to be. And How Jai learns his family secret and his mother acknowledges he indeed is a chip off the old block was all really endearing.

Yes ofcourse the boy and girl know they are meant to be much to the delight of the audience. At the end of the scene is a tramp holding a banner which reads” Mr. Godot” I knew I had to google and find out what it was..and here it is(thanks to Yahoo answers)

Who's Mr.GODOT in the movie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na?
As far as I know, Mr. Godot is a character that everyone waits for but doesn't arrive. So who's GODOT in Jaane Tu?
Answer : Mr Godot is used to say "we all wait for someone in our lives; and we are not even aware of who (s)he really is"The use of this term has been done as the movie is an adaptation of "Waiting for Godot" is a play by Samuel Beckett (coz aditi and jai dont know that its each other they really want in life.. i hear a lot of aaahhhs.. :) )

Unquote

More info on : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot

Landlord/House owner travails

Having traveled around as much as I have been and staying in rental accommodations, i have so many tales to tell. Some my own and some from friends in similar positions..

There are landlords who let out their apartments wanting to earn extra money(obviously) or even so that the apartment/house atleast gets looked after. So there are a number of categories to put them into:

1. The strict vegetarian one : One who does not allow non vegetarians to even see the house. Some are as strict that they don’t even want tenants who eat non veg outside. AM guessing the problem must be that they might use the Toilets or something.
2. The elderly gentleman/lady : Children in USA. Having a house in a nice place. Ready to let out to young couples and or families so that they get the income, the house is taken care of and they usually are helpful. Some of these landlords are very picky and intrusive. “why did u move the bed, we heard the sound” “why did u leave the light on “ “Why didn’t draw the pump for water” etc etc. So yes they can get very nosy about everything.
3. The greedy one : This one is constantly on the look out for “better prospects” and makes up excuses that his daughter or niece or someone or the other is returning back. Actually he is fibbing. He has been informed he can rent the place for a higher value and that’s why the build up of lies. They usually target the singletons.
4. The “no bachelors/singleton” ones : One of the landlords actually mentioned that bachelors leave the house dirty and at times single girls bring in “boyfriends” and other neighbours complain. (*wonder if the neighbours just have so much time that they only need to know who is coming/going out of the tenants house*)
5. The AS_IS basis apartments : There are those who want to let out their dingy and dirty apartments, without even so much as a white wash. Why bother ? and these are those who are even refusing to compromise on the rent .Like hello. Its not that much of a shortage of supply u know. I saw this place on the main road in Bangalore. The Apartment was stinky, dirty, and the walls had not seen even whitewash in a long while, add to that poor wood work. Landlord even had his cupboards there with his own stuff(wonder why) He wanted 20,000 for it and didn’t want to compromise. Then there was another in Chennai. He sent his agent. The apartment was fine and well furnished. It just had too much woodwork making it dark with dark granite floors. What looked bad were the toilets. And yes, they were reluctant to even change toilet seats, or remove any of the messy clutter they had put in.
6. Then there are the first timers ; Will buy a house/apartment. Obviously spend a lot of money on the purchase and the furniture and expect highway robbery prices for it. The house is done up to “attract” a certain kind of clientele - read Corporate leases. Most corporates pay anything and can pay huge deposits. But these guys will refuse to do something as basic as adding a soap dish for the bathroom, or a towel rack. So, how many “highly placed” officials who actually “entertain” will be able to use such bathrooms one wonders. Gets overtly familiar. And still at times tries to use the old fashioned method of landlords ” whatever changes you want you can do it yourself” yeah right. The tenant can change the mirrors in the bathroom, add Hooks, add shelves and god knows what(“as per individual needs they say”.)They know we don’t take it back when we leave, but the excuse is, do whatever changes you want yourself. Will call up incessantly regarding payments when its actually paid by the company and I am only living there. Will turn up un-announced and talk about leakages that some down stair neighbours complained about etc etc. One wonders if they can take a crash course on handling their corporate tenants, since after all just letting out an apartment that too for a VERY high market value, one does tend to feel a little gypped. So yes, they have the money, but no class. The apartment belies it.
7. The Garish interiors and still house proud one : Have seen number of apartments where there are *groan* POP(Plaster of Paris) ceilings-same as in restaurants. Garish pink colours for the living room, flourescent green for the bedrooms, and lemon for the bathrooms. Very “what were you thinking* kind of interiors but the dude thinks with this he will surely snare so many tenants. Different strokes for different folks, I do decide to give this a miss.
8. Builder Apartments : These are one of the best. Sicne I have had experiences of the builder doing up the place very well and does indeed fulfill whatever the tenant wants. Very very comfortable dealing with such people. The only challenge one has is that they return the deposit in cash! Like hello…..and that needs quite a bit of careful handling.
9. The perfect LandLord : In my case was the land lady for my apartment I Kolkata. She was non-interfering as she stayed in Bangalore. I have never even seen her. But she had her team of house repair guys etc, who would handle the few nitty-gritty of a “just moved in” apartment. Her Chinese contractor, to her friend who understood why toilets needs Soap Dish rack, or Towel rack, mirrors, or even why the door needed a double lock, it was very well handled. I think she kindof ruined it for me, in a way that I am now expecting similar perfection from other landlords as well.

One thing I know for sure is, if I were to rent out my own place, I know what category I would rather fall into..

So who is the actual Target Audience ?

Have seen some advertisements recently on the telly and wonder to myself..who are they actually targeting ?

• Wheel advt : The one with the Paseena Roko Andolan or some such. Which incidentally has a disclaimer which says its only for creative expression and such an organization doesn’t exist. Ofcourse it doesn’t. The advt is just too annoying. There are bunch of stereotype women with searchlight bindis and pale sarees putting husbands in jail because their wives are sweating while washing clothes. They finally get dumbfounded by a wife (with an excessive fan in the background) who looks cool because her husband has bought Wheel something washing powder. .WOT?
• The Clinic Family Sachet : A Family of three. Husband wife and daughter in a bus. A bunch of school boys are getting down at the stop. While the mother grabs one of the boys and tries to keep him with them, to add to the number 4 in their family of 3. Why ? The clinic sachet is now in a family pack of 4. This advt also has a disclaimer that it was not meant to hurt any sentiment. Now really!
• The Pears advt : When the little girl runs as soon as she wakes up to see her mothers face(who uses Pears) The kid says, “its my exam today, and your face is lucky for me” Whatever happened to good old fashioned STUDYING during exams? And why involve kids into superstitions?
• The Big Bazaar Clothes advt : C’mon Dhoni, what’s with the “Kapdon se hee Pehchaan hotee hai” or similar tag line…Wot ?

Weekend...

It was a good weekend. Drove down to Pondicherry with my dad. The east coast road is indeed a pleasure to drive in. The wind blowing, the clean roads and the greenery with the blue grey Bay of Bengal on one side..it was such a pleasure. Listening to some Dasavatharam cd. By now the driver knows I love the Mukunda Mukunda song and puts it on repeat mode. We packed a lunch of idli, and other snacks. Meditation at the Aurobindo ashram, followed by lunch in the park. The hot sun wouldn’t allow us to actually step out the promenade. So many tourists. The thing about Pondicherry is that there are about 4 parallel lanes after the “canal” which is the only remnant of what looks remotely French. The architecture, the buildings with the pale shades of yellow/White, or Grey/Blue are very European in nature.(French I am told). Tiled lanes, and lanes with names that begin as Rue de La Marine, Rue Manapulla Vinayaga Coil..very quaint. Some cafes claiming to have authentic French Cuisine..well will try that another time..

Last weekend was walking in the green lanes in Besant Nagar while returning from an errand..The greenery on both sides especially along the Theosophical Society of India is very serene with different shades of green trees dotted on both sides..surely worth a walk on a lazy Sunday afternoon…

Ofcourse watched some telly. My favorite Shows are back, Army Wives and Gossip Girl on Zee Cafe..tra la la :D Was a bit of a challenge to keep my dad interested in it tho..

Did some intense reading. U guessed it Dilberts How to work on vague Objectives..seriously funny..

Same brand, different levels of services

Have experienced some very poor and obvious inconsistency in services between one franchisee to another, while same may be true even of various Branches of banks, hotels, services, there are very few who actually get the formula of consistency right..

So who has it wrong :

1. Kaya Skin clinic. Their Bandra branch is one of the best. The Bangalore one comes a close second. The worse one is the Kolkata Alipur branch. Reason? Well the Kolkata branch does even have the latest phone numbers of their Bangalore counterparts. Let’s admit Kaya is not a cheap service. If they cannot get their around to having a customer data base such that their customers can indeed avail of services in any city(as they claim), then they indeed have got it wrong. Alternatively there needs to be a system such that transfers of customers etc are well noted/and actioned. If you want to be frustrated with the innate lack of response/action/or understanding of a problem even on emails, just send an email on info@kayaclinic.com. The service in Bandra one was quite good. I did have a few issues which I had expressed and it got immediately addressed in Bandra. The Bangalore one was all rite. But the Kolkata one had some inexperienced people, who handled some of the delicate services, the noise; loud chatter etc was just not like any Kaya Clinic. One wonders if Marico even have a check to ensure uniform service levels across the country.
2. Lakme Salon : What started as a niche service with the Lakme Salon in Churchgate, Mumbai has now become a mushrooming easily accessible Salon in every city . So what’s going wrong ? Inconsistency in services. Yes they get the green shaded interiors right. They have the use of products down correct. But the staffs from one location to the other are very differently trained. Example the one in Borivli, Mumbai used to be one of the very best, but now with people changing the service is very So-SO. One of the worst ones is LAKME in 12th Main Indira Nagar, Bangalore. The Franchisee is a retired teacher who walks around with an air of knowledge that she doesn’t have. What does one need at a Salon ? Perhaps a head stylist/or supervisor who knows her job-and at least looks like she uses her own products. Someone with crow black hair dye, and dishing out advise like “I think you need to go darker(on hair color)” when the trend was to go lighter at that time, was really disappointing. Bad enough it’s crowded, worse is having people with no frame of reference on good service. Having complained about this earlier recd ZERO feedback from LAKME. Disappointing.
3. AYUSH : These are the Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Sala venture with Unilever, Yes the Kerala massages(Abhyangams) and good. The one in Indira Nagar Bangalore was very professional. Very good service.(yes, the same one next to Dravids house J. Have found the service even better at Egmore, Chennai. The one which got it bad ? Besant Nagar branch. They don’t even know how to address a complaint. The Egmore one gives a discount of 10% if you are a regular. But if u visit the Besant Nagar one, they won’t offer the same discount. Why ? Because they are separate franchisees. Secondly The Besant Nagar one had some serious comment written by me in the feedback only to NEVER hear from them. How sad. Seems like they are suffering from too much business.
4. Kiah Diamond Jewelry : Am not much of an expert. But these are a bit cheaper than the over priced Nakshatra(I guess we are paying for the advt. to be done by the Ex Ms. World, but then the Ex Ms. Universe is selling branch Kiah..Hmmm) Kiah in Bangalore was one of the best. They allowed one to buy on installments(now this is quite interesting for buying a small bauble, which one might be able to pay over period of time). Not THAT stressful on the pocket and the vanity and pride of owning a diamond pays for itself. Kiah in Bangalore(Commercial Street) actually has some cleaning services as well, which is quite convenient since the product is high maintenance. The worse one was in Kolkata in South City Mall. On Saturday as I was walking around the Mall, I just walked in. There was no other customer. I almost felt like Julia Roberts when she walks into a high end store. First of the staff have a demeanor about them like “you cannot afford to buy this. Why bother getting up to serve this customer” all of them were sitting around, and seemed pretty over staffed. I looked around and felt a little uncomfortable as they couldn’t answer any of my questions on whether they had polishing/cleaning services or if they had any installment based plans. They were clueless and didn’t even want to ask any other branch like Bangalore whose example I had given I realized, this differs from store to store. Have left behind a seriously caustic moment and wanted a response back. Haven’t heard from them till date..
   
   So who’s got it right ?

1. Saravanna Bhavan : Say what you want, this chain has got it right. The service, the timeliness, and the taste is the same whether irrespective of which branch one goes to.
   Canara Bank : Yes the humble Canara Bank, who are now going in for an image makeover. The service is the same, whether it was in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, or Dahisar, Mumbai, or Kilpauk, Chennai. No frills, just plain vanilla service. That’s all rite as long as one can expect consistency.
2. Shoppers Stop : Same service. Almost similar merchandise. You wouldn’t really know if you were in Hyderabad, or in Chennai, Kolkata Bangalore or in Kandivli, Mumbai. Other than Size of some of the stores, most of layout is the same. Why the citizen card works in any branch. Its cool.
3. INOX and PVR : Again they have got it right. Consistency. Irrespective of the city. The online booking of tickets, the screens, and the popcorn-it’s just uniform.
4. Café Coffee day/ Barista : Menu, Decor, and services irrespective of city. It’s the same, Ok I would also grudgingly add Mc Donald’s for consistency. Décor, service, menu, and layout is usually the same from city to city/branch to branch.

Travails of finding a good driver

Chennai is booming. Right from my travails of real estate to finding a maid, well now the latest challenge has been finding a decent driver. What do I mean by decent ? well one who probably would misuse the petrol. Like my friend said his car was used by his driver with an L board to give driving lessons in Mandaveli..since it was a MH registration the car was easily recognized and reported to my friend. Whew.

I know a friend whose dad needs a driver who can help him to get in and out of a car, and drivers are getting pricey even for such tasks..its a bit of a shame.

What started as a wage of a steep INR 5000 for a driver n Chennai is now gaining huge proportions. They need INR 5000 plus a bata(tips) of INR 20 per day..plus late staying,and conveyance if he is staying far..You’ve got to be kidding even I don’t get such benefits at work!

The IT boom has led to more call taxis and more drivers for the shift pickup and drop. I even called up an agency who said that they didn’t have anything in my budget. So INR 5000 which was biting, is considered LOW!

Like hello. Considering one used to pay 4000-4500 in Bangalore and Kolkata(which is a cheaper city) upto april this year..I am quite lucky to have found some very honest and good drivers in these two cities. Knowing my folks they are very friendly and caring towards the drivers. Both my drivers were given mobile phones while I was leaving..but that is after one sets a good working relationship.

Now, in Chennai I have to call up driver services on an hourly basis..so that atleast I can get dropped to work in my car and my father can go out shopping or to the temple as the need may be. Evenings i usually go home with a friend. Since am, an early bird to work, and somehow get agitated if anyone or anything delays me while going to work..

The idea is to get a driver only by contacts or thro people you know. Everytime it looks like the goal post is near, one realizes that the driver needs more salary or is not ok with the timing etc..If anyone knows a decent driver who is ready to work 6 days, please let me know.

As for why I dont drive ? well first of all i dont like it..second of all, am all stressed out at the idea..and thirdly am not good at this..thot i need not add to the bad jokes on women drivers and just prove these guys right!

Travails of finding and keeping good Domestic Help

One of the things most Indian working women will agree is that there is a dire need of good domestic help. Granted there is the vaccum cleaners and the washing machines, but think about it, who has the time or the inclination..

My mother for example belongs to the old school of thot that the more housework you do around the house, the better shape one is in, she perhaps is right. So I used to do this complete sweeping and swabbing of the house over the weekends, and do the entire weeks laundry over the weekend..whew how exhausting..so on Monday morning when one is swapping stories of “what did u do in the weekend” I used to only have my very exhausting stry of housecleaning and laundry to share..

IN Bangalore I did the entire work myself..it was something enjoyed. Then in Kolkata, I started getting used to having a weekend maid. Bless her. She would do everything like a little genie..and even sample my experimental and at times slightly bizarre cooking. Yes this is the same lady I had rescued from being exploited by the neighbours who used to cheat her of her wages. The other blessing in Kolkata was the IFB Laundromat for all my rugs and bedcovers etc to be laundered. Super service.

Then in Chennai. Well it seems like a bit of a challenge to find good help. IN fact on the day I was moving in my furniture the maid from the house above said she was available for work. The wage range was 1000! In a city like Chennai that’s a bit steep..since I was aware that my friends were paying say 500-800 for about 1-2 hours of work.

What happens is, if there is some new resident-imagine this - aggressive housewives, overweight, well manicured hands, spends time in the afternoon shopping, and hasn’t done a day of work in her life(at home or professionally) and will just overnight set the trend of highly maid domestic help service in a building premise..

So I have this maid…who stands and does a perfunctory sweeping action with the broom, most of the time is standing to see what I am doing. My dad asked her if she wanted anything…and realized she was just gaping for no reason..whew.Then there is the swabbing of floors, where she decides to generously pour out the LIZOL..i even asked her would u do this at your home ? so, why do I put up with this ? cause maybe I don’t have the energy or the inclination to be working like a beaver even when I get home..

Yes I am a bit miffed at this. Cause here I am struggling to have a clean home after getting back from work only to pay thro my nose..seems like my salary increases are just to pay off maids and drivers…as for drivers ? well that’s another thing

SO what all are necessary when one moves to a new city/location

For me one of the things that really helps is the JUST DIAL or the ask me services. I am a fan. Right from getting the phone number of the electricity department(to complain regarding power cuts) to local home delivery restaurants, its just what a new comer in a city/location needs

• Some of the immediate requirements if you are any thing of a TV buff like me would be a cable connection. Am tired of these set top box cable mafias and not being able to use the set top box when u move..so have on the suggestion of a friend taken on TATA SKY and must say I am indeed very happy. Its very convenient to pay, to order and even the setting up was very professional.
• Internet. Here TATA INDICOm is one of the worst. They just couldn’t care to even respond other than their auto message with the refernce number after which there is ZERO follow up. Airtel just makes it too pricey saying there aren’t enough customers in the builing. What next-do we have to start selling actively to neighbours and residents ? Looks like that’s the idea. So this time its BSNL which might just work out.
• Salons/Spas. Again if u are anything as indulgent as I am, this is a must have J Its how I spend the rest of my weekends, relaxing. Thankfully found one in the next lane..so am quite happy with their clean décor and sanitized environment.
• Ofcourse details on services of drivers and maid etc also availed thro Just dial.
• The most difficult is Gas connection. Now if I have to change my ration card to every city I am transferred to, how is that even possible ? this is another racket wherein if one needs a Gas connection it ONLY with the GAS stove(they make their money on the very substandard GAS Stove that one needs to pay for with the gas connection. Thank god for friends who can spare a gas cylinder. Only hoping more and more apartments start initiating piped gas. Would be so much better for constant transferring people like myself.
• Oh yes and details of nearby departmental stores and veggie markets..
  
  Its surely a good trend that more and more businesses are giving their contact details to services like just dial/ask me services so its easier tot get info on an SMS or an email. The flip side, one starts getting random messages from some “Abdullah massage wallah with 12 massages”, or from some “Panorama Biryani Place” just because I had asked for details of spa and or eating places…
  
  
  

The Happening.

Watched this with the office team on friday at Sathyam.

Premise of the movie : suddenly everything comes to a standstill and leads to mass suicides and incoherent behaviour. The suicide scenes were really terrifying.

There is a science teacher Mark Wahlberg and his estranged(maybe even slightly deranged) wife their friend and his daughter who are evacuating and moving to another city…on the way the figure out what was construed to be a terrorist attack is not one actually.

This happens due to chemical reactions between plants and trees and grass(and yes things green) like they are protesting about something or so. And this happens to large gathering and large groups. While the hero figures out that they need to break into smaller groups this works, hmmmm. There are a lot of subtle messages about nurturing trees(perhaps a save the world, make it green message) , one of the characters actually talks to plants. Taking cue the hero talks too..only to a plastic plant.

The end where they get into the strange house and a strange woman, whose house’s acoustics actually supports hearing the underground to the house opposite which was built for slaves, the relevance of which was kinda lost on me

There are various theories on the net on what the story means..some bizarre and some about life and how we are always afraid of something and running away from it….

The version we watched in chennai was a VERY poor one. IT had MIKES in the scene..such poor edition only caused our interest to be diminished from the movie while the whole theatre laughed everytime the mike showed up..it almost became comical. It being an M Night Syamalan movie I thot this would be kind of clue and there would be some deeper meaning a la Sixth. Quite disappointing.

Dasavatharam review

Watched Dasavatharam along with my family in Mumbai at Growel Kandivli. Good thing was tickets were easily available, bad news small crowd so not much whistling etc during the “punch” dialogue/scenes etc.

As a family we are grudging Kamal Fans, meaning, his personal life and image that at times overrides our views on him as an actor. I haven’t seen too many of his movies, but the recent past have liked him in the roles that seem slightly more believable and closer to truth. Such as Panchatantram, Vettaiyaddu Villaiyaddu, even Pammal K Samandam, and ofcourse his old one Michael Madan kamarajan. Who can forget Kameshwara and his Tirpu dialogues-iconic movie that took the Talayalam(Pallakad Tamil Malayalam) dialect that we spoke to an audience. Anyway, so I am no gushing Kamal fan, just a viewer and here are my thots on Dasavatharam…

From the beginning I kind of thot it would be related to the mythology and modern day avatars..Not that far from my expectation. Story starts with 12th Century Chozha kingdom. The King is Shaivete(worshipper of Shiva) and is doing away with the IDOL of Vishnu in the temple which the Vaishnavites who look on haplessly. Kamal as Rangarajan Nambi fights with the kings men, is tortured and tied to “stake” and thereon drowned along with the idol. The Sets and the grandeur itself will take your breath away.

The next scene is modern day NASA(I think) or some American lab wherein BIO Chemicals are being researched for chemical warfare. Corrupt scientists want to “sell” this to other nations. Our hero, escapes with the vial and the chase begins. SO many twists, turns and super chases. We also have a few miraculous escapes like hero jumping off a cliff, bridge etc and still falling on a truck, laundry clothes etc etc..Who is chasing him ? An ex CIA who has moved to the dark side..Yes he has been employed to find the vial.

Throw in Malika Sherawat. The comment that she is in the movie for any other reason that she is in other movies is un called for. In fact she is slim trim and really looks like she could kill with some KILL BILL moves. The dialogue where they are looking at her as an interpreter and the Indian scientist says” She’s a pro” and Christian Fletcher(the CIA Kamal character) says” That ok. But can she speak English” was thankfully lost on the audience!

Kamal plays a number of roles right from Balaram Naidu(the Telugu government officer), the posture, the way he speaks /stands is very very authentic. Rangarajan Nambi looked really good-like he could kill for god and what he stood for..

Krishnaveni Patti talks like most of our paatties, cuss words like Brahmahatti, kattelaporavaney, etc actually make her so endearing..the voice tone just sounds like an old woman. Brilliant.
My own favorite was Vincent Boovaragan, while I could figure out if the dialect was Malayalam, I was informed its very Tuticorin Tirunelveli coastal dialect..he was my hero. Whatta guy.

The Last scene wherein Krishnaveni Patti laments her lost son with the dead Vincent Boovaragan on her lap, sends gooseflesh. So touching.

Govind the central protagonist scientist etc, could have avoided the road kill kind of wig he is wearing in the beginning of the movie. Why ? Kamal looks so much better if he looked like himself(say in the last song)

The Tall Character Khali(am yet to know what his role was) other than some more screen time for Kamal. Or the Sardar character who actually resembled Gulshan Grover. And the Narasahi Shengen character didn’t look like Kamal, but why was he in the movie other than just announcing TSUNAMEEEEEE.

Fletchers make up at times resembled Jay Leno. Bush was a super effort for someone like Kamal who bears no resemblance to someone like bush..simply super.

Asin, well she should FIRE her dubbing artist. The screechy perumaley could have shattered glass. Acting wise, she has made an earnest effort as an agraharam girl.

TSUNAMI ?oh my god..how did they even shoot this scene ? it was super..Yes I have seen movies like water world etc, but at the point of sounding a bit condescending, I didn’t expect a tamil movie to actually try and capture something like this in its magnitude with the complexity of characters..simply a marvel.

As for Chaos theory and Butterfly effect(which I must confess I had not heard of, until I read the review) this blog link summarises it well.

http://ram002.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/06/sdasavatharam.htm
http://movies.sulekha.com/tamil/dasavatharam/reviews/57904.htm