In a long time, I have never spent an evening like the way I did last Friday. In a cozy restaurant, typical of a romantic dinner setting in a Maniratnam movie, four hot girls and one pregnant lady spoiled the quiet dinner for a few lonely firangi guests and a couple of couples that had chosen to dine in that star diner that day. Thankfully I was one of the girls and not one of the other guests :)
This place we had chosen was about 2 minute drive from where I live. So the friends came over for a quick chai and chitchat. We did consider ditching the dinner for some in-house order in party, but we decided against, because we did not want any husband to enter his home and ruin the gals-indulgence.
The restaurant had lovely décor, amazing ambience (for us), and scrumptious slices of pizza, delicious desserts and mediocre main course. However the highlight of the evening was not the food per se, but the never ending entertainer in the form of S speaking three different dialects of Tamil that R did not get a word of, and yet laughed. I think I was too awestruck to even laugh, J was crying from the laughing and as Sh did not want to upset her make up, she held herself from laughing and crying. Holding that thought, was that the highlight or was it the “P” language that S, Sh and J spoke like that was their mother tongue leaving R and I in the dark? Am not quite sure. Or was it really the pizza that the pregnant lady had for starters, main course one and main course two? Or was it all the giggles of the happy girls that drove the rest of the guests away?
But in the end it was truly one of the nicest evenings gals!
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, July 09, 2010
A mid week afternoon in Bombay
My laptop had gone bust for a week – yeeah!
Though I almost lost a part of my functional arm, I quickly realized it was a blessing indeed. I spent the day exploring Bombay- something that I could not do in the last couple of months.
Stepping out armed with the camera, some cash and an umbrella I walked for about half a mile. I saw a deserted bus stand. Though I have crossed this way just about a million times I have never stopped to wonder who took buses from this depot and to where. Now I did. I walked in and quickly realized to my dismay that all the numbers and destination details were written in Hindi or was it Marathi?
hmmpphh…. Disappointed I kept walking and spotted a bus that had a couple of people inside. Hesitatingly I asked the woman on a window seat where the bus was going. Well I was gonna board irrespective of where it was gonna go. But it would be sheepish to ask for a ticket to the conductor to wherever the bus was going. She said ‘Bandra’and I boarded the bus. So now armed with this piece of information, I asked the conductor if the last stop was Bandra, and he said ‘Bandra Depot’ in the most stern and practiced voice.
I settled in a comfortable window seat, took out my camera for some shots of Bombay. Before I could click a handful, Mr. Rain arrived to include a drizzle in the landscape of Bombay. In about 1.5 hours after multiple rounds of waxing and waning of crowd, the bus cruised into the depot. After 15 minutes of auto ride, I was in Bandstand.:) It is a beach, well technically, but nothing like the beaches that I have been to so far, as there is no sand on the shoreline here. The shore is dotted with many rock forms and couples in love alike :). I thought who would be here on a mid-week afternoon? What was I thinking? After all, there are all these schools and colleges that work at that time and the young teenagers escape the boring class rooms to a more enchanting bandstand….
Thankfully there is a Barista (and also a café coffee day) facing the sea for those like me and I sipped on my lychee frappe drink taking in the view of the Arabian Sea until my hubby joined me after work!
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Ladies - do you agree?
This is a thought that I have been meaning to pen down for a long long time. Today I had another trigger. So here I go.
There is a growing certain kind of women- the kind that’s not too hung up on coy, demure and small feet.
So what has been the best present you have got from your husband/fiancé? Responses have changed from expensive sarees, gorgeous necklaces, chocolate covered strawberries (well, one can never really resist those), surprise romantic trips to the more empowering ones. By empowering ones, I mean the ones that give you ‘wings to fly’ (in one of my friends’ own words). Like a GPS for the direction challenged wife, support to pursue a hobby or a profession for wives that weren’t exactly headed that way, new gym gears to keep up the motivation etc. Well you get the drift?
Well, I do agree that one needs to go silly and crazy and indulge once in a while. You would be considered boring otherwise ;) After all, no one gifts their girl friend a GPS on their third date, whereas chocolate and strawberries would be in. However in long standing relationships, IMHO, the need to feel empowered outweighs the need to feel pampered.
Well, would you agree?
There is a growing certain kind of women- the kind that’s not too hung up on coy, demure and small feet.
So what has been the best present you have got from your husband/fiancé? Responses have changed from expensive sarees, gorgeous necklaces, chocolate covered strawberries (well, one can never really resist those), surprise romantic trips to the more empowering ones. By empowering ones, I mean the ones that give you ‘wings to fly’ (in one of my friends’ own words). Like a GPS for the direction challenged wife, support to pursue a hobby or a profession for wives that weren’t exactly headed that way, new gym gears to keep up the motivation etc. Well you get the drift?
Well, I do agree that one needs to go silly and crazy and indulge once in a while. You would be considered boring otherwise ;) After all, no one gifts their girl friend a GPS on their third date, whereas chocolate and strawberries would be in. However in long standing relationships, IMHO, the need to feel empowered outweighs the need to feel pampered.
Well, would you agree?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A fresco painting
Apparently this is a popular subject for many paintings in the 15th century times. It shows the mythological giant man carrying a child across the river. It was his job as summoned by the elderly people of the town in his pursuit of reaching God. He was a 12 feet tall man that wanted to work for the most powerful being in the world. After spending many years with the Satan, he realized that God was more powerful than Satan and started his quest to see God.
As he was a Giant man, he helped people cross the river by carrying them on his shoulders. Anyways, as you might have guessed, carrying this kid made him so physically exhausting and the river turned unusually violent lending the child to reveal himself as the infant Jesus.
Hence he got the St. Christ(opher- meaning carrier).
Anyway apart from the mythology apart, this painting is done in the fresco technique by the famous fresco master Domenico Ghirlandaio. In this technique, pigments are mixed with water and applied to the fresh plaster made on the wall. As the plaster sets, the chemical reaction makes the plaster become part of the wall. Also, since the painting can only be done on the fresh plaster, the artist has to divide his painting into sections and plan to finish each section in one sitting. This division can usually be made out on a close up view. Fresco paintings have to be transported along with the wall that it was painted on.
Did you notice a flaw in the painting?
Look at his legs above and below water. May be in the mythological books, light does not refract on the surface of water ;)
As he was a Giant man, he helped people cross the river by carrying them on his shoulders. Anyways, as you might have guessed, carrying this kid made him so physically exhausting and the river turned unusually violent lending the child to reveal himself as the infant Jesus.
Hence he got the St. Christ(opher- meaning carrier).
Anyway apart from the mythology apart, this painting is done in the fresco technique by the famous fresco master Domenico Ghirlandaio. In this technique, pigments are mixed with water and applied to the fresh plaster made on the wall. As the plaster sets, the chemical reaction makes the plaster become part of the wall. Also, since the painting can only be done on the fresh plaster, the artist has to divide his painting into sections and plan to finish each section in one sitting. This division can usually be made out on a close up view. Fresco paintings have to be transported along with the wall that it was painted on.
Did you notice a flaw in the painting?
Look at his legs above and below water. May be in the mythological books, light does not refract on the surface of water ;)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Dagon primordial couple
It is a couple carved out off a monolithic rock – the man and the woman symbolizing equality and complementing each other. The figurines look very alike except for obvious physical differences of the sexes. The woman holds a baby in her back symbolizing her role in the society as the pro creator while the man holds a quiver on his back denoting his role as the provider and protector. In this culture, the equality of sexes was important and hence the figures are even made to look the same height. Another distinct feature is the degree of bilateral symmetry making them each a part of the whole bringing about the integrated and harmonious union of man and wife.
Also the couple is seen sitting on a stool which has legs indicating their ancestors as a way to acknowledging the importance in making them who they are. The interpretation of this piece speaks a lot about the culture and society in that day and age in Africa.
Also the couple is seen sitting on a stool which has legs indicating their ancestors as a way to acknowledging the importance in making them who they are. The interpretation of this piece speaks a lot about the culture and society in that day and age in Africa.
Aristotle with a Bust of Homer
The king of Spain commissioned Rembrandt to paint “a philosopher”. This generic commission left Rembrandt with a great deal of freedom to choose his subject. His end product was an oil-canvas painting showing three subjects connected by a deep philosophical thread.
Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of all times is seen standing with his right hand placed on a bust of Homer and his left hand on his hip touching the heavy gold chain that he is wearing. The interesting aspect of the painting is the third character in the painting, Alexander the Great seen hanging in the form of a pendant from his gold chain.
In the Iliad, Homer explains the many rules of the game of life, the decisions and their consequences in practical life scenarios. Aristotle, the teacher and a contemporary of Alexander gifted him a copy of Iliad that became one of his prized possessions. With these seemingly fragile connections, one of the interpretations of the paintings is that Aristotle by placing his dominant (right) hand on Homer and by placing his inferior (left) hand on the golden chain symbolizes the nobility of Iliad and its teachings in comparison to the smallness of power and wealth of Alexander and his invincible kingdom.
While the intent of the artist can never be proved, and part of the plan was probably leaving the painting for possible interpretations, I found this interpretation very profound and insightful.
Time and again, I am touched by the wisdom that history has left for us.
Aristotle, the greatest philosopher of all times is seen standing with his right hand placed on a bust of Homer and his left hand on his hip touching the heavy gold chain that he is wearing. The interesting aspect of the painting is the third character in the painting, Alexander the Great seen hanging in the form of a pendant from his gold chain.
In the Iliad, Homer explains the many rules of the game of life, the decisions and their consequences in practical life scenarios. Aristotle, the teacher and a contemporary of Alexander gifted him a copy of Iliad that became one of his prized possessions. With these seemingly fragile connections, one of the interpretations of the paintings is that Aristotle by placing his dominant (right) hand on Homer and by placing his inferior (left) hand on the golden chain symbolizes the nobility of Iliad and its teachings in comparison to the smallness of power and wealth of Alexander and his invincible kingdom.
While the intent of the artist can never be proved, and part of the plan was probably leaving the painting for possible interpretations, I found this interpretation very profound and insightful.
Time and again, I am touched by the wisdom that history has left for us.
MET
Finally fighting the inertia and the cold, we went to the Metropolitan museum of art, New York today. It hosts magnificent pieces of arts from across the globe bringing bold histories to the new york city.
Some of the exhibits really picked my interest – it brought my artistic perspective to the fore ;)
More blogs to come on this topic.
Some of the exhibits really picked my interest – it brought my artistic perspective to the fore ;)
More blogs to come on this topic.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
It was one awesome game –NJ Nets vs Detroit Pistons.
Pistons has never been a team that I especially liked, because I don’t think I have the patience to appreciate defense. I need fast breaks, big dunks and brilliant play setting to sustain my attention – and Pistons’ extremely defensive tactics is so boring to the average follower in me.
Here I go to this Nets game almost certain I will end up on the losing side, given the lead up Pistons have had in the season. And the fact that Iverson is playing debut kind of hyped the expectations for Pistons’ fans. By the way, I always hated Iverson- I hated the entire Nuggets team, anyways that’s another story. Billups was only guy that I kind of looked forwarded to in the Pistons team and I am disappointed with the trade.
By the time we reached the stadium, it was almost the end of first quarter – Score read 14-23 Pistons. Well, I did not expect anything better, so I attended to my grumbling tummy first. Pet ka pooja !
First quarter ended at an embarrassing 14-27 at home. My photo pursuits followed suit – the game was simply too one-sided. But I guess we brought some luck with us in the form of Boone. Second quarter was very valuable with Nets scoring 25 against 15 from Pistons. Half ended at a more respectable 5 point deficit to Nets.
In the third period, Devon Harris brought a new level to the game scoring a whooping 19 points against a pretty solid defense. Iverson was quiet with only two field goals. Harris always impressed me from his Mavericks’ days – trading for Kidd wasn’t bad at all for the Nets. Digressing, Kidd was pretty wrong footed in Dallas in the last season. At the end of the third quarter Nets were 72-70.
Even now, I was not too hopeful; I thought the experience of Wallace and the grit of Iverson will see Pistons through. Adding to that Yi Jianlain and VC were going to get fouled out. But Boone’s dunk in the last quarter put Nets in a big lead – 87-79 – from which there was no looking back.
A fine piece of a come-back game, Harris’ career best -38 points, ending a 7-0 losing streak against Pistons – it was a great game for the New Jersey Nets.
Go Nets!!
Here I go to this Nets game almost certain I will end up on the losing side, given the lead up Pistons have had in the season. And the fact that Iverson is playing debut kind of hyped the expectations for Pistons’ fans. By the way, I always hated Iverson- I hated the entire Nuggets team, anyways that’s another story. Billups was only guy that I kind of looked forwarded to in the Pistons team and I am disappointed with the trade.
By the time we reached the stadium, it was almost the end of first quarter – Score read 14-23 Pistons. Well, I did not expect anything better, so I attended to my grumbling tummy first. Pet ka pooja !
First quarter ended at an embarrassing 14-27 at home. My photo pursuits followed suit – the game was simply too one-sided. But I guess we brought some luck with us in the form of Boone. Second quarter was very valuable with Nets scoring 25 against 15 from Pistons. Half ended at a more respectable 5 point deficit to Nets.
In the third period, Devon Harris brought a new level to the game scoring a whooping 19 points against a pretty solid defense. Iverson was quiet with only two field goals. Harris always impressed me from his Mavericks’ days – trading for Kidd wasn’t bad at all for the Nets. Digressing, Kidd was pretty wrong footed in Dallas in the last season. At the end of the third quarter Nets were 72-70.
Even now, I was not too hopeful; I thought the experience of Wallace and the grit of Iverson will see Pistons through. Adding to that Yi Jianlain and VC were going to get fouled out. But Boone’s dunk in the last quarter put Nets in a big lead – 87-79 – from which there was no looking back.
A fine piece of a come-back game, Harris’ career best -38 points, ending a 7-0 losing streak against Pistons – it was a great game for the New Jersey Nets.
Go Nets!!
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Ice Hockey !!
Hockey is not one of the games that I have followed with much intensity, however when you are offered free tickets to watch NJ Devils, it is hard to say no :)
Trust me, hockey is a game that absolutely needs to be watched only from the stadium and only from seats like we had – a $250 valued ones just behind the ice. With a brilliant panoramic view, close enough to see the puck and the angled shots that toss and turn it, I watched an entire game of ice hockey for the first time.
Devils had lost some key players for the game including Brian Rolston, Bobby Holik and Martin Brodeur- the goal tender. Brodeur is seven wins short of creating history with most career wins. Anyways, that kind of put the match in an interesting position against the much lower ranked Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first period, the devils were very slow and they really seemed to miss the key players in setting up the plays. Lightning clearly came on top 1-0 at the end of the first period.
The second period was luckier for us- David Clarkson finally gave the important break through, with a shot that was deflected in. Immediately following that, Elias did not miss the power-play opportunity for another goal and the second period ended 2-1 in NJ’s favor. Unfortunately our seats were closer to the NJ’s goal in the first period and there was no action.
Ten minutes in to the third period, Devils were still up and looked good for the victory. However Tampa Bay was really good on the offense and tied the game. Now the stadium was erupt with fervor, NJ’s game suddenly seemed to shift to the next gear and soon Jay put us 3-2. Now the passion in the stadium was awesome; shouting at the top of the lungs, the atmosphere truly came alive. This is one of the best things of watching a game at the stadium as against the comforts of the home on HDTV :)
Understandably, at 3-2 Devils went on the defensive and yet managed to foul and give a power-play. And this time Tampa made no mistake and the period ended tied at 3-3. No shots were goaled in the overtime by either team and the game proceeded to shootout. What more can you ask for when you spend time and energy (and no money ;-)) to go watch a match in the stadium? Absolutely thrilled at this time.
Lightning went into the shoot out first – and goaled :(
Devils went in and missed :( :(
Lightning’s second shot was brilliantly defended by the replacement goalie Kevin Weeks.
Again the arena exploded in joy
Devils completed the second shot real smart
Score tied 1-1
Lightning took the third shot and missed again – hooorayyyyyyyyyy!
The stadium was all up and waiting for the victory shot from Jamie Langenbrunner and the pressure was enough to keep the Mike Smith, their Goalie fumbling.
So there it goes, a superb game ended in a brilliant shootout !!
Wow what a match it was!!
To top it all, the $250 seats come with free food and free beer !! – ha ha ha
Trust me, hockey is a game that absolutely needs to be watched only from the stadium and only from seats like we had – a $250 valued ones just behind the ice. With a brilliant panoramic view, close enough to see the puck and the angled shots that toss and turn it, I watched an entire game of ice hockey for the first time.
Devils had lost some key players for the game including Brian Rolston, Bobby Holik and Martin Brodeur- the goal tender. Brodeur is seven wins short of creating history with most career wins. Anyways, that kind of put the match in an interesting position against the much lower ranked Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first period, the devils were very slow and they really seemed to miss the key players in setting up the plays. Lightning clearly came on top 1-0 at the end of the first period.
The second period was luckier for us- David Clarkson finally gave the important break through, with a shot that was deflected in. Immediately following that, Elias did not miss the power-play opportunity for another goal and the second period ended 2-1 in NJ’s favor. Unfortunately our seats were closer to the NJ’s goal in the first period and there was no action.
Ten minutes in to the third period, Devils were still up and looked good for the victory. However Tampa Bay was really good on the offense and tied the game. Now the stadium was erupt with fervor, NJ’s game suddenly seemed to shift to the next gear and soon Jay put us 3-2. Now the passion in the stadium was awesome; shouting at the top of the lungs, the atmosphere truly came alive. This is one of the best things of watching a game at the stadium as against the comforts of the home on HDTV :)
Understandably, at 3-2 Devils went on the defensive and yet managed to foul and give a power-play. And this time Tampa made no mistake and the period ended tied at 3-3. No shots were goaled in the overtime by either team and the game proceeded to shootout. What more can you ask for when you spend time and energy (and no money ;-)) to go watch a match in the stadium? Absolutely thrilled at this time.
Lightning went into the shoot out first – and goaled :(
Devils went in and missed :( :(
Lightning’s second shot was brilliantly defended by the replacement goalie Kevin Weeks.
Again the arena exploded in joy
Devils completed the second shot real smart
Score tied 1-1
Lightning took the third shot and missed again – hooorayyyyyyyyyy!
The stadium was all up and waiting for the victory shot from Jamie Langenbrunner and the pressure was enough to keep the Mike Smith, their Goalie fumbling.
So there it goes, a superb game ended in a brilliant shootout !!
Wow what a match it was!!
To top it all, the $250 seats come with free food and free beer !! – ha ha ha
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saroja - a review
Saroja was a very different foray into cinema making in Kollywood industry. A pretty serious plot made incredibly funny by the lead quadruplet – a slightly more responsible S.P.Charan and Vaibhav playing brothers; Siva and Premji Amaran chipping in with remarkable humor. Venkat Prabhu has turned a fleshless story line into a captivating and amusing 180 minute show.
The seemingly disconnected parts were brought together by the end of a racy first half. Apparently this method of storytelling was worked out successfully by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Inarittu in Oscar winning Babel. Some of the escape sequences of the second half seemed unnecessary and repetitive; but even with its flaws the movie in all was quite a entertainer after Tiruvilayadal in 2007. For one liners lifted from many movies including Vijay’s “Evlovo Pannittom, idhu pannamattoma” and Rajini’s “I was helpless; I was kaarnered” the cinema-hall erupted with laughter. There were way too many funny one-liners that the movie probably merits to be viewed many many times.
Even with the hilarity spread all over the movie, for the faint-hearted it did provide a elevated g-factor of six-flag rides. Thrill and suspense is maintained till the end – but I only wished I knew that all ends well, so that I could have relished the witty scenes even better.
The seemingly disconnected parts were brought together by the end of a racy first half. Apparently this method of storytelling was worked out successfully by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Inarittu in Oscar winning Babel. Some of the escape sequences of the second half seemed unnecessary and repetitive; but even with its flaws the movie in all was quite a entertainer after Tiruvilayadal in 2007. For one liners lifted from many movies including Vijay’s “Evlovo Pannittom, idhu pannamattoma” and Rajini’s “I was helpless; I was kaarnered” the cinema-hall erupted with laughter. There were way too many funny one-liners that the movie probably merits to be viewed many many times.
Even with the hilarity spread all over the movie, for the faint-hearted it did provide a elevated g-factor of six-flag rides. Thrill and suspense is maintained till the end – but I only wished I knew that all ends well, so that I could have relished the witty scenes even better.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Little Murray !
Even as the point system stripped Roger off his number one spot, he retained his reign over the US Open with fifth consecutive title this year defeating Andy Murray on Sep 8th 2008 for his 13th Grand Slam title. The highest by any given player is 14 when six years back on the same day at Flushing Meadows, Pete Sampras won the last grand slam title. Hopefully Roger has more to go !
I was always of the opinion that his reactions after a grand slam victory was so down to earth and matter of fact. It was like, yes “another victory I am happy” !! However yesterday even against Murray, the victory seemed to taste so sweet. Another example of how sweeter your achievements are after repeated failures.
With that said, Murray’s game for a 21 year old was extremely mature, spirited and professional. Like all good things, when Roger’s era comes to an end, I would like Murray to replace his throne- I really see both potential and want in his game. Unlike Nadal, I like Murray’s game for his serve and volley shots, for his grace and alacrity on the field. He is a true fast-court player and might face big challenges in French Open, just like Fed or Sampras- but he has the age and willingness to learn and adapt. Again unlike Djokovic’s, I like Murray’s spirit when he was still playing with high energy and enthusiasm even with a knee injury against a match-pointed Federer.
At last I will be ready for Roger to ebb away (only after a couple more grand slam titles – French too!) when Murray will wax into a another saga :)
I was always of the opinion that his reactions after a grand slam victory was so down to earth and matter of fact. It was like, yes “another victory I am happy” !! However yesterday even against Murray, the victory seemed to taste so sweet. Another example of how sweeter your achievements are after repeated failures.
With that said, Murray’s game for a 21 year old was extremely mature, spirited and professional. Like all good things, when Roger’s era comes to an end, I would like Murray to replace his throne- I really see both potential and want in his game. Unlike Nadal, I like Murray’s game for his serve and volley shots, for his grace and alacrity on the field. He is a true fast-court player and might face big challenges in French Open, just like Fed or Sampras- but he has the age and willingness to learn and adapt. Again unlike Djokovic’s, I like Murray’s spirit when he was still playing with high energy and enthusiasm even with a knee injury against a match-pointed Federer.
At last I will be ready for Roger to ebb away (only after a couple more grand slam titles – French too!) when Murray will wax into a another saga :)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wow wii !
Wii is a gaming console that has redefined the concept of video game in recent times. In fact it is not meant for the traditional game enthusiasts, but for people who disliked the aloofness and phoniness of the video games that are often played with a Jockey. Wii revolutionizes the idea of sports in front of a TV with a group of friends laughing excitedly, as against the typical video game of those days that make the player a moron. The most popular game is Tennis which is played by a remote which u use as a racket. No buttons to play with. The sensor senses the torque and acceleration to detect the direction and speed of your racket and accordingly hits the tennis ball.
After a year of playing awesome wii tennis, which to be honest used to cause quite some soreness on my upper arm (well, I am that fit !!), the hubby got me a Wii-Fit yesterday. This is true gym material. You can run like a maniac on the floor (holding the remote) and the wii system will keep track of your vital statistics. It is a great addition to the gaming console. I fancy losing all my extra pounds in front of the TV! There are some fun components like heading the soccer ball, skiing and ski jump. There are good aerobic exercises in basic run and wielding the waist twisting disc. The board that comes with the wii-fit is the brain behind the system in that it calculates the change in center of gravity as your move on it and this information is used to calculate your balance and posture. It is not to be run on like the tread mill. My favoirite is the Yoga and because it calculates the CG and shows it on the screen along with a target area where your CG should ideally lie, it is very useful in doing Yoga the right way. I am sure if used regularly, it can be a great addendum to your fitness routine.
It could be that the hubby is impressed with my workout routine that he decided to add a extra little nice something to it, or it could just be his last effort to keep me off the couch !
After a year of playing awesome wii tennis, which to be honest used to cause quite some soreness on my upper arm (well, I am that fit !!), the hubby got me a Wii-Fit yesterday. This is true gym material. You can run like a maniac on the floor (holding the remote) and the wii system will keep track of your vital statistics. It is a great addition to the gaming console. I fancy losing all my extra pounds in front of the TV! There are some fun components like heading the soccer ball, skiing and ski jump. There are good aerobic exercises in basic run and wielding the waist twisting disc. The board that comes with the wii-fit is the brain behind the system in that it calculates the change in center of gravity as your move on it and this information is used to calculate your balance and posture. It is not to be run on like the tread mill. My favoirite is the Yoga and because it calculates the CG and shows it on the screen along with a target area where your CG should ideally lie, it is very useful in doing Yoga the right way. I am sure if used regularly, it can be a great addendum to your fitness routine.
It could be that the hubby is impressed with my workout routine that he decided to add a extra little nice something to it, or it could just be his last effort to keep me off the couch !
Monday, June 16, 2008
Dasavatharam
It seemed like a movie put together on an impulse. Kamal has tried to connect very disparate incidents in history into a thread that is so fragile. In the process, he has also allegedly twisted the history. While most of history cannot be proved, I believe it is best left alone especially if the twist endangers the harmony of the contemporary peaceful community.
Also his advertisement of atheism leaves the audience in a very bitter taste. I don't understand why he has to thrust his personal ideology in such a influential media movie after movie. The characterization of "Brahmins" is very flawed - purely taking advantage of a very tolerant community to create some unpleasant comedy in the screenplay. It is very silly of him to show himself as a perfectionist hero and the rest of the people as lesser mortals. The 10-role-play seemed very thrust upon and unnatural to the plot; adding a lot of unnecessary floss to an already non-existing story line. The "Telugu" Kamal (he can speak Telugu in 5 languages!!) creates some lighter moments, but the rest of the Kamal's facial make up adds to the let down.
The Japanese style fight scenes are a novel effort, but the alacrity was definitely missing when two sixty-year old Kamals dash on the screen. Not any like the martial arts shot that he has tried to emulate. Even the camera work of creating a Tsunami is below par and the artificiality is evident. However it did bring back the depressing memory of 26th Dec 2004. In all a over hyped movie is let down by every department of the movie.
Also his advertisement of atheism leaves the audience in a very bitter taste. I don't understand why he has to thrust his personal ideology in such a influential media movie after movie. The characterization of "Brahmins" is very flawed - purely taking advantage of a very tolerant community to create some unpleasant comedy in the screenplay. It is very silly of him to show himself as a perfectionist hero and the rest of the people as lesser mortals. The 10-role-play seemed very thrust upon and unnatural to the plot; adding a lot of unnecessary floss to an already non-existing story line. The "Telugu" Kamal (he can speak Telugu in 5 languages!!) creates some lighter moments, but the rest of the Kamal's facial make up adds to the let down.
The Japanese style fight scenes are a novel effort, but the alacrity was definitely missing when two sixty-year old Kamals dash on the screen. Not any like the martial arts shot that he has tried to emulate. Even the camera work of creating a Tsunami is below par and the artificiality is evident. However it did bring back the depressing memory of 26th Dec 2004. In all a over hyped movie is let down by every department of the movie.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Pretty Woman
- Vivian: You're late.
- Edward: You're stunning.
- Vivian: [grinning] You're forgiven.
- Vivian: The stores are not nice to people — I don't like it.
- Edward: Stores are never nice to people. They're nice to credit cards.
"Pretty Woman" was a surprise hit with us. It is a simple Cinderella story of a hooker and the man in the white horse that sweeps off her feat. Some of the conversations truly portray the power and shallowness of wealth in a very sarcastic way. I could appreciate Edward's need for company more than anything.
As expected, Edward falls for the infectiously enthusiastic Vivian.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
It is not that I have been toiling for any significant step up in my life or personality that had kept my blogging at bay for so long. It is just that I have not had the drive and zeal to sit in front of my lappie for such a long time.
This being my first post in the New Year, officially, Happy new year!!
Have you had the opportunity to see a tiny little baby with in hours of her birth? I did! Yeah! My sister-in-law delivered a baby girl. Her little face was so full of innocence and peace. We have all heard about poetic associations of fresh flowers and new borns. But when I saw the baby, I thought it stood no parallel. Though I wanted to hold the tiny little thing, I was so scared that I might actually hurt her. Fingers so frail, eyes always shut; it must be hard for the baby to leave the protected fortress of her mother’s womb for the world. If there is anything called purity in this world, it is the virtue in a new born baby.
This virtue in all of us is adulterated with passage of time in hope of larger ego, higher prestige, greed in terms of money and respect and blown out self-image. If and only, when one is able to contain these false impressions about self, can the virtue last a lifetime, otherwise the comparison between a baby and a flower will reign as both lose sheen and succumb to their real lives!
This being my first post in the New Year, officially, Happy new year!!
Have you had the opportunity to see a tiny little baby with in hours of her birth? I did! Yeah! My sister-in-law delivered a baby girl. Her little face was so full of innocence and peace. We have all heard about poetic associations of fresh flowers and new borns. But when I saw the baby, I thought it stood no parallel. Though I wanted to hold the tiny little thing, I was so scared that I might actually hurt her. Fingers so frail, eyes always shut; it must be hard for the baby to leave the protected fortress of her mother’s womb for the world. If there is anything called purity in this world, it is the virtue in a new born baby.
This virtue in all of us is adulterated with passage of time in hope of larger ego, higher prestige, greed in terms of money and respect and blown out self-image. If and only, when one is able to contain these false impressions about self, can the virtue last a lifetime, otherwise the comparison between a baby and a flower will reign as both lose sheen and succumb to their real lives!
Monday, July 31, 2006
As usual a late read!
Well, if you have not read Da Vinci Code and you plan to read it, don’t scroll any further!
It was a book of incredible controversies woven into a gripping story. The idea of unearthing startling facts via an absorbing story is definitely appreciated. Whether you believe or not, is really out of the question, yet the narration riddled with codes, and conundrums really kept me tied to the book. I am not a voracious reader and I can’t read anything unless it keeps me rapt and this one definitely did. The unexpected twists and turns towards the end – the unbecoming of the Knight, the unpretentious talk of Fache with Sofia (in London) which was totally misconstrued, the depiction of Teacher-Remy relationship – each of these tightened the rivet the book had on the reader.
Robert Langdon the obvious hero did not impress me – Fache did especially because of the twists that later unraveled and revealed him. For such a nice storytelling, I really wished there was a more concrete finish. However the fact that it was left to your imagination, I think made the story linger longer and trouble you longer. It just won’t go away.
Angels & Demons – the first of the to-be-trilogy is on my table, however my friends suggested that reading them back-to-back is not a good idea, because they are so similar ones. Let me see!
It was a book of incredible controversies woven into a gripping story. The idea of unearthing startling facts via an absorbing story is definitely appreciated. Whether you believe or not, is really out of the question, yet the narration riddled with codes, and conundrums really kept me tied to the book. I am not a voracious reader and I can’t read anything unless it keeps me rapt and this one definitely did. The unexpected twists and turns towards the end – the unbecoming of the Knight, the unpretentious talk of Fache with Sofia (in London) which was totally misconstrued, the depiction of Teacher-Remy relationship – each of these tightened the rivet the book had on the reader.
Robert Langdon the obvious hero did not impress me – Fache did especially because of the twists that later unraveled and revealed him. For such a nice storytelling, I really wished there was a more concrete finish. However the fact that it was left to your imagination, I think made the story linger longer and trouble you longer. It just won’t go away.
Angels & Demons – the first of the to-be-trilogy is on my table, however my friends suggested that reading them back-to-back is not a good idea, because they are so similar ones. Let me see!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
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