Hospitals and health check ups

While it has been recommended that after a certain age one must go for regular health check ups, this is one thing i have been putting off for a while. in an attempt to exhaust the remaining vacation/leave for the year(else same gets lapsed) had decided to invest some time on health check ups..

The Apollo at Greams road, Chennai is certainly state of the art and has almost an intimidating look feel about it..right from the reception/when the application forms are updated to the the various counters where the relevant health checks are done, it seemed to be quite professional but at the same time not very "patient" friendly.

One of the things that really  caught my eye was the number of health conscious people, as more and more corporates pay for their employees' annual  health check up.  There were all kinds of patients, and what was interesting was the influx of Bangladeshi health tourism.(infact Apollo even had some of their boards in Bangla, add to that the industry of small bengali eateries outside on Greams road)

People of all kinds, young, old, children either coming in for themselves or for visiting loved ones. What was really touching was that hospitals and health problems usually bring the family together. For example the elderly gent who was helping this elderly woman(his wife) as they walked in together for their check ups, or the father with the daughter (child, about 8 years), who seems to be squinting and needed glasses..the tension and relief on the faces of worried family members, was heart rending.  As for me, i know I was putting up a brave front, altho am quite a wuss when it comes to Doctors and needles, i was sure as hell glad my mother accompanied me. (bless her)

Now for the hospital..

What was good :

1. Infrastructure : Facilities, the seating area, toilets/drinking water area etc was quite neat and didn't have the "old hospital" phenol plus Dettol odour. quite pleasant in fact.
2. Right from the various tests, and meeting various doctors it was quite an experience. As more and more tests were completed i could only heave a sigh of relief that i will soon find out, albeit two days later what the results were.
3. The doctors in particular had impeccable manners. (why am i impressed? well its because have seen my share of crabby doctors who seriously need a lesson, on at least handling the patients fears, patiently) even While reading out the results(which were normal, FYI), there was always some good advise say for  example on how to address some of these stress related issues..by working out and eating healthy etc..very impressive. 

What could be corrected by Apollo

1. An example, when they know they will have time say for only 100 forms that day, why release more forms ? i had to come in almost 3 days in a row for completing the entire check up..
2. Some of the staff while being friendly there are also others who are totally uncaring for your fears, or the reason the patient is there(its only a health test no less, but doesn't mean they treat patients like cattle herd) 
3. Its very important to manage patient(customer) expectations here. Why not tell me in advance that this can take 2-3 days for just testing ? 
4. There is no briefing in the beginning as to how the tests are done, what comes after what and so on..its like a treasure hunt. Finish one, go to counter number 4, who will in turn as you to go to counter 5 after the test and so on and so forth. 
5. Counter no 9 was the worst, the one with the Gynaec department. Couldn't the staff be more trained especially while handling women patients who are there for some "obvious" reasons.  I saw my file being forgotten by this dunce of a lady staff, who was busy gossiping with some other fellow staff. Am sure my blood pressure must have shot up just looking at the way the in adept staff was handling patients. NO first come first serve, it seemed they had their own "illogical logic"

Lets just say, its not enough if they wear sarees and dress up like the Trident Hilton hotel staff itself, but the service was less than desirable, and didn't seem like value for money. 

Happy new year

This year on new years eve we went for a Tamil comedy play by "Crazy mohan" and then dinner at Saravanna Bhavan. We reached home by 23:00 hours and ushered in the new year at home. As my Bro was in Bombay, we wished each other at the stroke of midnight....well it was not very different from other nights..except for the fireworks...

While i have never been in the habit of making new years resolutions, this year it timed well with my annual health check up. So the focus of the year is health.

• Eating healthier
• Exercising
• Relax more
• Spend time with family
• Lesser time on the COMP/PC/LAoptop(my eyes have been suffering)

Well that kinda sums it up..Will review in 3 months to see where i am on this ..

New years day was ofcourse spent smsing/chatting with loved ones, and visits to the temples. Was a good start I might add...

Dentists and the like...

Ever notice how dentists drag on a process over three or four sittings ? My mother recently had a searing pain in her wisdom tooth and after checking with JUST DIAL(or ASk me services) we came across a local dentist near my place(off St. Marys road) We walked in and the dentist suggested extraction or Root canal treatment. We decided on Root CANAL(RC) .

The treatment started. My mother from what i know her is very brave and has a high threshold of pain, but at that moment i could hear her whimpering..i ran in to see what was the problem and see that the dentist was consoling her saying it will hurt a little..like WHAT! i knew something was not right. When we left the dentist it was still hurting all the way home..

My mom came home only to whimper and decide to sleep..i couldnt take it. have seen her go thro RC even earlier and it never hurt her like this..

First of all i don't know if it should hurt as much, and second of all, the dentists response(altho she seemed empathetic)  seemed like a response i couldn't deal with.  Any dental treatment these days shouldn't/doesn't hurt. They have their share of numbing injections and the like, so whats the excuse.. 

I called the number on the card again and this time the head dentist answered. He asked us to come back to the dispensary to look at the tooth again. We went back and thankfully he re-did the RC and this time with NO pain. 

yes yes, it does take 3 sittings or so(including the cap) but it surely didn't hurt thereafter.

All I can say is, don't just bear the pain if the dentist says its normal. Cause it isn't! And it only proves that the earlier dentist didn't know their job that well..

List of Books that will never be written

1. Aamir Khan “ Names for your pet dogs and other attention seeking exercises” Foreword by all the BIGG BOSS losers.
2. Pakistan on “How to Get along  with neighbours and other fun stuff”. A Foreword by China
3. Raj Thakarey on “ How to apply vanishing cream and just vanish during a crisis” a Foreword by Balasaheb.
4. M. Karunanidhi “Nepotism and Polygamy be banned” A foreword by the Maran Brothers
5. Rajnikanth “ How to avoid procrastination and join Politics ” a Foreword by Vijaykanth and Chiranjeevi
6. Sonia Gandhi “Turning a blind eye to Christian conversions” A foreword by RSS
7. Mallika Sherwat “Lessons in dressing up and acting “ Foreword by Mallaika Arora, Namitha, and Rakhi Sawant
8. Shahrukh Khan “Make up tricks to look like Michael Jackson” A foreword by Michael Jackson
9. Salman Khan on “Drive safe and be friendly at parties” a Foreword by Puru Rajkumar, Navjoth Sidhu
10. Rekha on “How to age gracefully” with a foreword from the over made up Vyjanthimala Bali
11. Achutanandan on “How to say the right thing at the right place and time” Foreword by R R Patil and Sarah Palin
12. Sarah Palin on “Spend wisely, save Wisely” a foreword by American Auto Makers
13. Maharashtra Police "How to be prepared for any situation" a foreword by Netas who keep them busy for personal errands
14. Media on " How to report news that affects only the RICH" a foreword by all the newspapers that did not report attacks on Assam, or Chennai floods during the MUMBAI Terror reporting.
15. Music Director Pritam " Make your own Music, Copying is a Shame" a foreword by Bappi Lahiri and Anu Mallick
16. Pakistan on "Caught Red handed? How to blame it on the DOG, and other strategies" Foreword by Afghanistan and China

Political Bloopers, Gaffes, Quotes and more Stupidity

Thot of collating a small collection of some of the stupidest things said/done by our politicians

• Robbery is common.
  o Original: Daketi to hota rahta hai.
  o Laloo Yadav Answering to the issue of railway security" ("Laloo girds up for his big day", The Hindu, July 06, 2004. URL accessed on 2006-05-08.)
  
  
• "We must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose." Indira Gandhi.
  
• Indian Railways is the responsibility of Lord Vishwakarma. So is the safety of passengers... It is His duty, not mine. I have been forced to don His mantle.
  o Laloo Prasad Yadav Reacting to increasing number of train mishaps, Patna ("Boarding a train? Pray to God", The Times of India, July 02, 2004)
  
• In response to the Sethusamudam controversy, Karunanidhi questioned the existence of Hindu god Rama. He asked
  “ Some say there was a person over 17 lakh years ago. His name was Rama. Do not touch the bridge (Ramar Sethu) constructed by him. Who is this Rama? From which engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof for this?[17] ”
  
• I work so much. If I don't get all the comforts, I will turn mad.
  Laloo Prasad Yadav Responding to the criticism of his adversaries that he always travelled in a salon. (July 3, 2004 The Times of India)
  
• A few years back, as the Louisiana legislature was arguing a bill to prevent flooding, state Rep. Sherman Copelin Jr. said, "This is the most important bill of the session. . . . I have not read the bill."
  
• Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel once justified a plan to kill hundreds of wolves by saying, "You just can't let nature run wild."
  
• "I would never approach a small-breasted woman." -- President Clinton, denying that he had sexually harassed Kathleen Willey
  
  
• "I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman." – Schwarzenegger
  
  
• "I think incest can be handled as a family matter within the family." -- Jay Dickey Jr., U.S. representative from Arkansas
  
  
• "I have said that I'm not running and I'm having a great time being pres — being a first-term senator." —Hilary Clinton on her presidential ambitions
  
  
• "I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'" --Sarah Palin, as quoted by former City Council Member Nick Carney, after he raised objections about the $50,000 she spent renovating the mayor's office without approval of the city council
  
  

Retirement age in politics?

Ever thought about how come only OLDER/retired politicos are running a country that has 500 million youth under the age of 25? Who can forget photos and video clips of our aged politicians being caught, yawning, sleeping/dozing in meetings, or stumbling/falling and being helped to even walk…

It is common knowledge that our tax money is used not only for Z category security for them, but also for sending them and their family overseas for medical treatment ?? WT**.

Do politicians have no retirement age? Why?

1. Uttaranchal’s Narain Dutt Tiwari no longer appears to be able to cope with the rigours of the job. There were tales galore in government circles about how the septuagenarian finds it hard to keep awake during official meetings, and how his attention span has shrunk so much that he forgets the names of his aides, a la former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Ram Prakash Gupta.

Some time ago senior central government officers attending a meeting presided over by Tiwari were aghast to find the CM dozing off in mid-sentence.

2. Underlining the need for changing the image of the "ugly Indian politician", senior BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday said one way of making this possible was by encouraging more young people to join politics.

"I tell my fellow politicians, particularly those belonging to my own party, that it is our duty to erase this image of the 'ugly Indian politician'....it is necessary for the best and the brightest among the youth to join politics and serve the nation," Advani said.

He was speaking at a seminar on "National Values Crisis and its Redressal" organised by the Foundation for Restoration of National Values.

The 81-year-old leader cited Transparency International's annual reports where India ranks high in the corruption index and the United Nations report in which India ranks low in the Human Development Index. He held responsible the lack of professionalism among politicians as the reason for this state of affairs.

3. In Tamil Nadu M.K. Stalin is the youthful face of the DMK, the leader of the youth wing, who recently became a grandfather! But then, there’s no contradiction here because by the standards of Indian politics, Stalin at 53 is a young man … look at the any political party and it the same story, the men and women leading India’s march in the 21st century are all getting on in the years.

These old warriors are the ones who are taking decisions that will decide the fate of young India. If sometimes, we bemoan the slow pace of reforms …the archaic nature of politics in this country please remember that the people who still define policy here grew up in another age and by the looks of things there is no room for the younger lot yet. (Excerpt from http://www.myindiareport.in/2007/11/19/old-politicians-move-over/)

4. Assam: Gogoi turns 74, contemplates retirement : On the occasion of his 74th birthday, Assam CM Tarun Gogoi, in a statement said that he is under intense pressure from his family to retire from politics. He believes the younger generation has great potential and should join politics.. KUDOS!

5. Remember A-Chutanandan? The CM of kerala who can barely walk on his own ? Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who turned 85 last month, was caught napping on three occasions while he was briefing the media after the weekly cabinet meeting here Wednesday. Achuthanandan dozed off thrice while reading out the cabinet decisions during the press briefing.
On two occasions his personal assistant came on to the dias and Achuthanandan woke up and once again started reading his notes.

Achuthanandan was woken up from his slumber for the third time when a journalist asked him a question.
Sensing that he had been caught napping, Achuthanandan said: “I am stopping in between (my speech) so that all of you can write properly.”

Really ?? How funny.

6) Interesting link with pictures(well not just Indian)
http://webpoori.blogspot.com/2008/04/top-sleepy-politicians-of-world.html

7) And another one on a similar note

http://greatbong.net/2005/04/26/old-age-and-the-politician/

RIch politicos, fast cars, lavish weddings and TV Tamasha

So, who is financing our politicians ?

A) Mayawati all poised to be the new PM ??: After the recent disclosure that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has assets worth Rs. 52 crore (Rs. 520 million), a leftist politician was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying, on conditions of anonymity, that this sum represented only a small fraction of her total wealth. What is noteworthy about the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader's transformation from humble beginnings into an extremely rich person is the short period in which she achieved this feat. It has been calculated that her wealth increased by 400 per cent in the last three years.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/court-issues-notice-to-mayawati-in-income-tax-case_10033724.html

HOW ??? AND WHOSE MONEY IS THIS ???

b) As for Raj Takeray, how does he afford an AUDI ?

Raj as a MNS chief , is also a moonlighting businessman, dabbling in real estate. He now has considerable stakes in construction companies in Maharashtra and Dubai.

Anyone remember the Ramesh Kini Case??
Kini's landlord, Laxmikant Shah, was trying to get Kini out of the flat. He (Shah) happened to be a close friend of Raj Thackeray. One evening, Ramesh Kini was found dead in a cinema theatre in Pune. His wife told the police that her husband was regularly threatened by Shah, Raj Thackeray and another Sena man called Ashutosh Rane. She said Ramesh had left home saying he was going to the Shiv Sena office. The next thing she knew was that he was found dead in Pune. Raj was questioned by the CID while Shah and Rane were arrested. Soon, Saamna growled a warning from Shiv Sena to the government and the CM addressed the assembly saying that Raj was innocent. The status of the case - Verdict by an additional sessions court in 2002 - Shah and his son were acquitted for want of evidence.

Many believe the turning point in Raj's career as a Shiv Sainik was the Ramesh Kini murder of 1996, in which Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena leader and key Raj aide Ashutosh Rane was a co-accused. Raj was exonerated by the CBI and never charged and Rane was discharged in 2002 for want of evidence. But the whispers of a scandal had done damage. The man found dead in a Pune cinema hall, after all, was a middle-class Maharashtrian.

Kohinoor and other land sale scams : The 4.9 acre Kohinoor Mill No. 3 was on auctioned at Rs. 421 crores to a joint venture floated by the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, Unmesh, and other Shiv Sena leaders.

The tenders for the mill were opened in the afternoon, according to National Textile Corporation (NTC) sources. Mr. Joshi's Kohinoor Projects Company along with Matoshree Realtors Private Limited, of which Sena leader Raj Thackeray is a director, bid for the Mill land financed by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), according to Rajan Shirodkar of Matoshree Realtors. Their venture, Kohinoor Consolidated Transport Network (CTN) Limited, with a bid of Rs. 421 crores, was the highest bidder.

Is anyone asking WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM ???

C) Karunanidhi and the Marans : Sources said Karunanidhi is peeved with the Marans and the Sun Group for being critical about the state Government and Dayanidhi’s successor in the Telecom Ministry, A Raja, who is embroiled in a multi-crore spectrum allocation controversy. The visual and print media owned by Sun Group had alleged that Raja went against a TRAI order on auctioning all spectrum.

Anyone questioning how come relatives and friends/associates of Ministers are the ones having access to start news channels, sattelite TV network, and so on ? for more details on the "family tree" and some light into the nepotism http://www.arasiyaltalk.com/CategoryView,category,DMK.aspx

d) J Jayalalitha : AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa was preparing a 'dossier' on the 'wrongdoings' of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's family which she plans to place it before the people during the next Lok Sabha polls. In a statement, she appealed to those who had information and documentation on the 'wrongdoings' of Karunanidhi's family to give it to her to help her in preparing the dossier.She accused the family of 'consolidating its fortunes for the next ten generations at a time when people are burdened by 'unprecedented' inflation and farming activities have touched the 'nadir.' She also accused the Centre of aiding the family and said 'it (Centre) is so preoccupied with its own survival that it could not care less about what its allies are doing''.

What is she on about ? no one has forgotten the lavish wedding she held for her "foster son's" marriage nor the televised raid on her Shoe and saree collection
http://www.4to40.com/recordbook/index.asp?id=254&category=human

So where did the money come from and who is counting ??? Is the Income Tax department even watching over our politicians ?

Mad dogs and Martyrs

Bad enough we lose one of our brave NSG commandos to the terrorists, worse is having politicos making their “condolences” a very public affair. Its like some Page 3 Party. Every politico giving sound bytes to popular news channels. Ensuring they have an entourage of new reporters, security personnel, sniffer dogs, other sychophants. WHY ? All this just to SEE and be SEEN as the first ones to offer LIP service. Nothing More, Nothing Less.

"He served the country well," said the father of slain NSG Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in a choked voice while his mother caressed the face of her only son who died fighting the militants in Mumbai. The poignant moment when every Indian’s heart went out to his grieving mother sat next to the body touching the cold forehead of her son and seemed reluctant to leave him while his grief-stricken father K Unnikrishnan looked on.

Who is Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan?

Shaheed Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was serving the Indian army in the cream of the crop National Security Guard and was assigned to the Special Action Group (SAG) of NSG on January 2007. This 31 year old brave man was born in Cheruvannur - Kozhikode district, Kerala on March 17, 1977 from where his family migrated to Bangalore and was settled there. Major Sandeep was the only son of retired ISRO officer Mr. K. Unnikrishnan and Mrs. Dhanalakshmi,

“Major Unnikrishnan rescued an injured commando before he was hit,” Director-General of NSG J.K. Dutt said after he announced ‘mission accomplished’ at the Taj and quoted the slain major as telling his crack team, “Do not come up, I will handle them.” Excerpts from http://www.orkutheroes.com/majorsandeep/

Now the politicos and their Tamasha : Faced with criticism for delay in showing respect to slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Sunday called on the soldier's family members, but a depressed father of Sandeep declined to accept his condolences.

The chief minister asked “Is there a rule that the chief ministers of Kerala and Karnataka should be there at the same time? After a pause, the chief minister went on to say “If it had not been Sandeep’s house, not even a dog would have glanced that way.”
Then Mr. CM, please respond why were police sniffer dogs sent into the house when security personnel came there ahead of your visit to perform their duties.

PLEASE resign if you cannot apologise. You can’t even walk on your own, how are you even a leader? At first we had scant respect, now we have our contempt.

Yes it is true we wouldn’t have even known about Major Sandeep if it wasn’t for Operation Black Tornado or his martyrdom. He would have been just another nameless/faceless soldier many of whom we don’t even hear of as they lose their lives protecting our borders.

We can’t bring back their son. The least we can do is to show some mercy and allow the family to grieve in private.

Another case of that of Hemant Karkare the ATS chief: His widow was offered 1 crore in compensation by Narendara Modi(WTF??). She refused to accept it. A Slap on his face and all politicos who think they can get away with such public announcements. India is no mood for lip service from Politicians.

Fool us once, Shame on you! Fool us twice, Shame on us. We just dont seem to learn and continue to vote for the "lesser of two evils" in any political campaign.

Mumbai Terror Attacks

My initial reactions to smses from friends and family to check the new channels was one of bewilderment. What was it ? another bombing ? More middle class lives lost ? which means some mundane speeches from useless politicos, some sops thrown in say INR 10000, or less as compensation for “victims” it just doesn’t make sense…

After 9/11 can we remember ANY such incident in the USA ? NO! Because there was a complete crack down on terror. Yes its more annoying to strip to the minimum at airports when we are being checked in the USA, but hey at least we know we are safe.

It dawned upon me. that once again we are a city victimised and helpless. Yes now that this news also affects westerners is the only reason it warrants such attention. Imagine a bomb blast in Agartala, or even rain storms in Chennai,(70 lives lost) nope, no coverage

When our own countrymen and politicians don’t care about the people its that much easier to strike terror. We are vulnerable. I don’t feel safe in my country. My own city.

Our own media is like a bunch of vultures waiting to feast on such news. Sometimes one wonders if these are the eyes thro which the terrorists can see and watch our every counter move ?

A few points

1> IN fact I had no faith that our portly Policemen could actually take on terrorists. They look like who have all their lives(bar a few) lived on hafta/ and other money. Paunchy and totally out of shape. They should be suspended till they get into shape.

2> Bravehearts like Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar are all victims of POOR infrastructure. We are responsible for their death. Did you see what gear Karakare had while going to to combat the terrorists ? He had no chance. IT hardly seemed like a bullet proof vest. Our police seemed to be fumbling at the CST scene. They had no chance. Set up against AK 47s and what have yous?

3> Untill the army was called in, I had no faith that we could get through this. Not affiliated to any region.location./politico. They are agile, and very task oriented. NO time to give sound bites to TV. . Kudos you guys. May your tribe increase. And as one of the news channels

4> As for Maharashtra Napun**k Sena, where are you now ? oh son of soil ?? why cant your activists come up to assist the police ? At the most you will call a bandh after all this is over. Shame!

5> Why couldn’t we just take the help of the ISRAEL govt ? they are any way adept at handling such situation.

6) Atleast NDTV and TIMES did some of the “better” reporting. Not the best, just some of the better ones, in comparison to tabloid television like India TV, AAJ TAk with their ridiculous voice modulations etc…Just give us the news. Not YOUR personal views. Be sensitive to the victims, Don’t harass them for interviews. Have a heart!

How can we counter terrorism?

1) Arrange for Baggage scanners at Hotels/Sniffer dogs at all times.

2) Same arrangement at large junction railway stations across the country .National and local. AT ALL TIMES. Not just a week before some holiday

3) Introduce Military training compulsory for the youth. Perhaps with Israel/or USA. Men and women alike. In situations like this, we need every head count we can have

4) Better infrastructure to our police men. Better equipped with guns and ammunition. None of those pathetic WWII pistols please. Its like we are setting them up as targets for terrorists, who are better equipped. Can we blame citizens deciding to take up arms ? its because we are NOT convinced we can be saved by our own POLICE FORCE!

5) Fitter policemen. Fire the out of shape, panchy ones. Get them to be watchmen at buildings instead. Even the Private Security firms have better security officers,

6) Mock drills and test simulations for Police and citizens in schools, colleges, cinema halls etc so that we know how to deal with such a situation.

7) Guard our waters. One boat hijacked in Gujarat and we are unaware of it ? Now thats the boat they use to come to gateway of India. What kind of coast guards are there ?

8) We are such an IT savvy country. Use hackers to hack into satelline phone networks of these terrorists.

Be alert at all times. Give us faith in our Police and Army that indeed we are Safe.

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