tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164495162024-03-13T19:15:35.938-04:00The Prism.. Vinodh NatarajanJust being Myself.. Just Expressing My thoughtsVinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-92058246860845302322009-07-07T14:56:00.001-04:002009-07-12T00:23:25.009-04:00Kambakkht Ishq :: movie review :: CatastropheThis movie is embossed with stars and wannabe stars. We have Akshay ( Viraj Shergill ), Kareena Kapoor (Simrita Rai), Aftab Shivdasani (Lucky), Amrita Arora ( Kamini) and a slew of cameos from bit part players. The movie is a loose translation/dub of Pammal K Sambandam ( the tamil Kamal Haasan blockbuster) released in 2002. There are elements that have been retained from that movie and parts that have been ignored/modified/fabricated in the hindi version.<br /><br />The movie has most of its shots in Universal Studios. You have to commend the producers/directors on this one, someone from their team visited Universal and made most of their movie from the shows that occur there on a daily basis. So for anyone that has visited Universal Studios before, "Kambakkht Ishq" is a cheap recreation.. make it poor recreation of the same stunts with Akshay leading the stunts.<br /><br />My first thought upon 40% into the movie was, i hope Kamal Haasan does not watch this movie, he might just jump off a cliff and i dear hope he doesnt have a rope nearby because he might hang himself... what a waste of money, time and human labor this movie is. Akshay who is at best an excuse for an actor pulls in a horrible job in this one. Thankfully i dont expect too much acting from Akshay and even with that expectation this one is a dud. I almost felt sorry for Kareena, because she has some great talent and potential, but she is wasted and her role neither sticks nor stinks and for that she should be happy. If you come out of the other end of the movie with a shrug of the shoulder reaction for your part, then you have done well.<br /><br />How you can take such a good, funny concept and turn it into a disaster baffles me. Briefly, Viraj, is a stuntman and does doubles for prominent Hollywood actors. He is a womanizer and is adept at handling relationships without getting trapped into commitments. He finds out that his brother 'Lucky' , against his wishes, falls in the love trap and marries his girlfriend Kamini. Simrita, a close friend of Kamini, lives with her aunt Dolly ( Kirron Kher) and her seperated sister, does not believe in marriage and/or men. Fueled by her perception of her father's role in her parents' relationship freeze, she has grown to disavow men. Against SImrita's wishes kamini marries Lucky.<br /><br />Simrita tries to convince Kamini that Lucky only needs sexual relationship from her and her views will be proved right if Kamini agrees to abstain from a physical relation with Lucky to see if he still loves her. With the help of 'lover boy' Viraj, Lucky tries to woo Kamini but fails everytime with Simrita at the heart of the thwarting. Simrita, quizzically, takes the opportunity to take shots at stuntman and their inability to become the men. Simrita who is a wannabe surgeon is on the cusp of becoming one with her fulfillment of her assistance in surgeries. An unfortunate event leads to Viraj getting injured and he ends being a patient of Simrita. Viraj refuese to take treatment from Simrita, but eventually she performs the surgery. Upon completion of the surgery and examination of Viraj's XRay Simrita realizes that she left her watch "in" Viraj's body and stitched it up.<br /><br />Viraj, post-surgery, is able to listen to a Hindu-marriage mantra every once in a while. I have a big beef here, it is shown in the movie that the 'mantar' emnates when he is asleep and when he is peeing in his toilet. I think in the quest to be irritating and funny they took advantage of the accepting Hindu religion, i am not sure the censor board should have allowed the scene, certainly it generated lot more yeeew than wows . To sum up this scene was disgusting to say the least, not even in the zipcode of funny.<br /><br />Simrita, realising that she had made a mistake, a career-busting one at that, tries to appease and form a friendly relation with Viraj with the idea of getting him back on the operating table, to remove the watch without viraj's knowledge. Simrita, goes to all extremes and even responds favorably - albeit fakely - when she acts attracted to Viraj's love. Viraj proposes and finds out the real reason Simrita was after him. What other events transpire for them to gettogether forms the conclusion.<br /><br />There are scenes where Slyvester Stallone comes in, i really donno why... and Denise Richards who acts in the same movie as Viraj performs (as stuntman) has some scense as well. I still am at a loss as to why there were so many super imposed images in the movie to make it look like Viraj was in the middle of a Hollywood superstars. I do not get it. I also do not get why this movie is shot in the US, this movie would have attracted the audience if it were made in India, the scenes would not look so plastic too.<br /><br />Akshay Kumar is who he is, 2 or 3 times a year he will have funny movies released, they may run, they may not, but you can guarantee there wont be much of an effort or attempt to explore new vistas of roles or stories. Another charred, horrible feather to his illustrious cap of bust movies.<br /><br />I hope Bollywood doesnt embarass itself with too many other clunkers like this one. DO yourself a favor and do not watch this movie, your Rs 200 can be used in other useful ways or if you have to spend that 200 eat a pizza or goto a theme park. There are better things to do than endure this debacle of a movie.<br /><br />Grade : F -- as in Failure...<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Refreshingly, this was a prequel and it worked well for me and as I watched the movie, I thought no one needs to have watched the previous versions to understand this movie.<br /><br />Its very nice to see the reports that audiences are hitting the theatres, despite the movie already being online for the past one month, I decided not to watch the movie online for 2 reasons, one I thought the audio quality wouldn’t be that good and I was not too much into this series.<br /><br />Now to the movie itself, the creators of this movie have asked the audience a simple favor, don’t reason… just appreciate. The bloodline of the movie, is a select few “mutants” that have some supreme powers due to anomalies in their genes, these mutants while appear human, are not and they each have their own abnormality, and generally these abnormalities are some sort of supremely gifted ability. One mutant has the ability to fly and climb walls, while another has the ability to create a shackle, while one other mutant has giant metal claws and there is one with invisibility. Most of these mutants want to gel with normal humans, while some don’t, but for the most part they are being ignored and even mistreated. Some creative-minded humans want to use their special power for their own purpose.<br /><br />Hugh Jackman plays the Wolverine/Logan, Liev Screiber plays Victor (Logan’s brother), Danny Huston (Stryker) is colonel, Lynn Collins (Logan’s girlfriend Kayla), Taylor Kitsch (Gambit) with one unique “energy generating” gift. The movie is centered on Logan, a brief interlude of how Logan teams up with his brother and their few battles along the way. Not everyone is fond of a mutant and they are at fault with the law, they are even jailed. Stryker, a colonel, who realizes the unique gifts of these mutants, is in the process of forming a special unit to combat evil forces entices Logan and Victor to join him in his endeavors. Logan and Victor join Stryker for their own purpose, one good and one to realize his real power. Logan soon falls out of line with Stryker and his ways of hurting people in the name of helping them, particularly when it costs lives, Logan walks out on Stryker but Victor stays on in the team.<br /><br />Logan, carries on and leads a seemingly normal life with his girlfriend Kayla. But, even though he leaves Stryker, Stryker shows up in Logan’s life. Logan refuses to talk to Stryker, who warns that one-by-one his former team members are being killed and wiped out. Logan ignores Stryker and carries on his life, when its interrupted by Victor who is on a rampage to decimate Stryker’s former team. Victor is shown to end Kayla’a life, much to the ire of Logan. Logan, whose special mutant gift is to have natural claws pop-up from his knuckles, seethes in anger and finds Stryker. Stryker reveals that Victor had a falling out with him and that’s the reason for his anger. Logan teams up with Stryker to add some special metal to his body to make him indestructible. Logan cedes to Stryker’s research ideas with the hope of becoming powerful enough to eviscerate Victor.<br /><br />Stryker has other plans and instructs his researchers to make Logan indestructible and erase his memory, so he loses his vengeful nature and stays under his command, Logan realizes Stryker’s intentions and escapes Stryker’s research island once he is made indestructible. Logan (now Wolverine) goes on a search of his other former team members with the hope of finding some clues and even warning them of Victor. Wolverine then learns about Gambit, who apparently knew where Styker’s island was and escaped from there. Wolverine was back on the hunt for Stryker as he had learned that Victor was in company with Stryker and they two were still working together. With the help of Gambit, Wolverine reaches the secret island where he confronts Stryker.<br /><br />Stryker reveals that their research project was not Wolverine but the agent XI who is grown with all the singular gifts gathered from other agents and was decided to overpower even the indestructible Wolverine. Wolverine also learns that he was always monitored by Kayla, who operated as a spy, he is crushed to hear that and swears never ever to believe anyone in life again, Kayla reveals Stryker has her sister as captive and that’s why she worked for Stryker, but her love for Wolverine was true. Wolverine then goes on a rampage and how he confronts agent XI and Stryker forms the end of the story.<br /><br />Since this is a prequel, they end the movie with the scene that would make sense for the original “X-Men” movie and that is “Wolverine” losing his memory. <br /><br />This movie was well done and I think it really helped that my expectations were so so low after some of the whispers I had heard about this movie being an absolute dud. I ended up having a pretty good evening watching this movie, while its not a path breaking or even awe-inspiring flavor like ‘The Dark Knight’, its entertaining and worth your money. There are certain movies you have no business watching in a theatre, then there are some where you have to watch in a theatre if you decide to watch it, I would put this movie in that category. If you watch it, watch it in a cinema, its worth your money.<br /><br />Good Movie, well done. Grade: B-.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Life, as we know seemed to have more sense, there wasn’t one incident political or social that could create a domino effect with the force to shake the big green tree at the PM’s office let alone their job safety.<br /><br />Life, as we know has changed a lot, everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, doesn’t matter if its good or bad, as long as they got on NDTV or AajTak and get their gibberish on a loop they have achieved their purpose in life.<br /><br />As time rolled on, the denizens of our nation have gotten an incredible itch and rage to make “it”. While it has often resulted in producing some wonderful visionaries at the head of some key public and private divisions and companies, it has also created avenues for the not so good folks to expand their roots across the fabric of our country.<br /><br />When the drafters of the Indian constitution decided to have a cup of tea and talk about the laws and regulations, I am not sure they would have spent much time on the validity of a multi party system, they wouldn’t have deemed it as a luxury, it was a basic right. I for one am too young and too jaded to look up when multi parties started to get prominence in India but certainly not many folks would have expected the instability that would portend from such a luxury.<br /><br />Over the last several elections in India, if there is one thing that we have come to realize its that the local parties in almost every state have become the king makers of the government in the centre. While we can all sit down and argue till we turn blue in the face arguing about the vagaries and riches of national and regional parties, we cannot be revisionist, we are bounded by the fact that everyone has the power to head a party and they have a voice. While at a fundamental level this is what countries strive for when they fought for freedom, what we have in our hands by virtue of the multi party system is a complicated mess, a conglomerate of spices and sweets that just aint cutting it for the dinner.<br /><br />We cant say multi-party system and local parties are not worth their salt, that would be counter to what we want to achieve as a free nation, but let us drool on the following stat<br /><br />From 1989 to 2004, there have been 7 general elections<br /><br /> 89, 91, 92, 96, 98, 99, 04<br /><br />Digest that!!! Now we are a nation of close to billion people, the cost for each general election is gargantuan, the election process consumes so much airtime, resources, money, causes added noise pollution, traffic, goons to knock your door in the name of vote canvassing, its practical stalking every time…<br /><br />We all need so many things out of our elected officials. All I ask would be stability and limits. Term limits is a necessity, it ensures that there is no one hawk politician running a party and having a dynasty and it also offers opportunities for others, we have various examples at both state and national level where the same candidate keeps getting elected, beyond a point some things grow stale, its true with ideas too. Term limits is a must have. Similarly, if coalition governments are formed the party lending support should assure they will not hold the country siege for every petty issue by threatening to withdraw support.<br /><br />If there was a law that says all government reigns will be for 5 years and if a coalition government is formed, the supporting party cannot withdraw support and even if they do that will not trigger elections. If supporting parties have a fall out then they can show their disagreements by not supporting for laws, I am tired of repeat elections every 2 years and every street corner party triggering elections by withdrawing support. This does not bode well to the government that is in power or the people whose tax mney go down the drain with each election.<br /><br />Just imagine the 7 elections between 1989 and 2004, when, there should have been 4. That’s 3 more elections for a nation with 1 billion people, just calculate the cost that entails on the country, so many useful things could have been done with that tax money.<br /><br />Whether you vote for BJP or Congress or 3rd Front, all we should ask from the winner is that govern judiciously, respect other parties, serve the people and all we should ask the losers is to accept defeat graciously, be a constructive critic and server the best interests of the country, the people you represent and then your party.<br /><br />Good luck to Advani, Singh and Mayawati, may the best candidate win and lead us to better and sane times ahead. Most world economies piggy back on the American economy and with the stutter that has happened to the US the effects of it are slowly and surely hitting us in India, here's hoping for a clear cut winner this summer and sane and stable government for the next 5 years. Jai Hind !!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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I have earned it though; I went to work early by 2 hours, got some time off by an hour and have been in this imposing place for quite a while. I watched the sun show its wrath for a while and then its beautiful crimson red twilight, a little over 3 hours have passed and unfortunately there were no mobile restrooms or any other respite for us in the lines. Sweat had poured through my once combed hair – and politely can now only be called a shabby mess – I was drenched in my own sweat, on my forehead and neck, some spheres of sweat running down my neck and spine. My hanky could only help me so much as its now a wet wipe, I realized I cannot beat the sun and just better enjoy the tan.<br /><br />It is easy for a guy like me with normal complexion to enjoy a free tan in the sun as I got not much to lose. For a brief moment I wanted to own the local chat just off the building we were trying to enter. They were having some special business and the astute minded dude reeled in some of the cooler stuff including dahi vada, nimbhu pani, butter milk. The wait was almost over, as I saw a hoard of high profile policemen walking past us. I could see they were important as they didn’t care much for us in the lines and whether were standing in line or someone was jumping in. A couple of more ambassadors file past us and we were sure some action was happening. Realizing all the hubbub the local constable showed up after a tea break of 4 hours and slapped his lathi-sticks on the ground, a way of letting us know who was in control of the scene.<br /><br />Then a loud clunking sound, the iron gates were opening, the last time I felt this happy was when I was going to see my first and last ever first day-first show at a cinema. A sense of accomplishment washed the faces of quite a few folks standing in those lines. I quickly surveyed the line and I could easily understand 4 languages and recognize that 7 of them were being spoken at the same time. Then a big Matador white van pulled very close to the gates, a pretty young woman with a very resplendent smile disembarked, quickly a few folks around me recognized her as the local news reporter of a popular channel, she had a couple of cameramen with her and she headed right to us. She dressed up her eyebrows, checked whether the mirror was showing an acceptable image then went to her black purse and rubbed some waxy item on her pursed lips.<br /><br />She was now ready, and the shocking question was asked ‘How do you feel’ Dude: ‘Great, we have never been a part of something like this before’ Her: ‘You Sir, what do you expect; Dude2: ‘Hopefully they catch my face on camera, I have waited 4 hours’ Her: ‘And you’ Me: ‘Well, for one I hope they are all honest and don’t take this personally, we want answers and this is the first time a forum like this has been provided’ Her: ‘ There you have it folks, we are about to witness this event live in another 45 minutes, keep your remote away and your eyeballs on the channel that has the exclusive rights to a path breaking event’.<br /><br />We were all ushered in, first we passed the metal detectors and then a pair of suspecting and vicious, rabid looking hounds. We were then asked to empty our pockets, our wallet, our shoes and after everything was fine we were let through the gates. The first 500 got in, quite a big arena for an event like this. I selected a spot not too off the centre or the byline but definitely a little off the imposing 5 foot speakers. As I sat down, a neatly dressed young chap spoke “You all know this will be a live event, but, in order to prevent any misuse or abuse, please write down your input and we will parse and allow based on content’. Great I thought, this was supposed to be unfettered, unfiltered and already we have a red tape. I wrote mine and gave it to the chap. He finished ‘ we will have 10% of these tonight, so don’t take it personally if you are just here to witness the event, I am sure though, your grandkids will be proud of you... when you tell them’. Great, I don’t even have a kid and this young chap is telling me how to please my grandkid.<br /><br />Suddenly the AC started working in the arena, I was like ‘Oh Finally !!’ then I realized the host just walked in and that’s why. We awaited for a few more golden moments with all types of ringtones blaring our ears, finally everyone had the courtesy to switch them off. And in walked in the 3 guests L.K.Advani, ManMohan Singh and Mayawati. Suddenly, everyone rose to their feat and shouted their beloved leaders names, I was standing too and wondering the momentous nature of the event. We all finally were tired enough after the applause to sit down, the 3 guests thanked everyone profusely.<br /><br />The host spoke first ‘Good Evening everyone, this event is the first ever in India, for the first time in history we have the 3 main contenders of the general election at the same podium. An event like this was not imaginable as far back as 5 years, but thanks to the power of the internet, the thirst for answers, the movement to be heard and ask questions, the election commission of India and ofcourse the Supreme Court which weighed in favorably we are about to hold this event. I first want to thank our Prime Minister Mr Singh and the two main contenders Shri Advaniji and Madam Mayawati for taking some time off their busy campaign schedule to answer a few questions for us. As you all are aware, mails went out from our TV station to randomly select this audience and thank you by the way for being here, without you nothing is possible, we ask that you check your partisanship at the door and ask constructive questions to the candidates’<br /><br />‘Each question will be asked by me, we have selected 50 of them from your written questions and we will get to as many as possible. There will be a 10 minute break after the first hour of questioning and then the final 90 minutes. Among the 500 submitted, we have selected a wide range of them, covering important topics like economy, inflation, cost of living, rural living, farmer’s plight, banks, security, tax increases, transport and infrastructure. We ask that you not applaud in the middle and save it for the very end of the session’.<br /><br />First question, and from our random process it goes to Ms Mayawati, ‘What steps are you proposing to combat the job losses in the tech and manufacturing industry’.<br /><br />Ms Mayawati clears her throat ‘ I believe that education is a must for every American kid, we should have a diploma to complete with the Indians who are invested in earning higher degrees’.<br /><br />Mr Singh ' Namaskar... i believe that the Russians have the right to decide what they want... '<br /><br />Mr Advani ' Jai Hind... The IMF money is going to the wrong countries, we have to get it in the right hands'<br /><br />Second question: The inflation rate is currently said to be 0.2%, however when you only consider the items that other countries account for and the basics that a common man needs.. the costs of items are high.. how do u plan to control them'<br /><br />Mr Singh ' I donno, we are in talks to outsource more so that should help'<br /><br />Mr Advani ' By partnering with like minded countries... we can solve all ills'<br /><br />Ms Mayawati ' If we are to combat obesity we have to make some tough choices'<br /><br />I was like “Whoa !! what the hell was that… ” then a thud I fell down from my couch and hit my head hard on the coffee table. I woke up dreary eyed, then I realized a rerun of ‘KingKong’ was on HBO, I had fallen asleep. I realized there was no event where we can ask the 3 main candidates competing in the general election, that was all UTOPIA, that was all too ideal, what the hell was I thinking. By the way wasn’t I watching ManUtd-Liverpool... when did I even sleep?.. Oh, well, the only bummer about that utopian world I was in… I could have just stayed there 10 more minutes to hear what they wanted to say about the Indian economy, jobs, inflation, rising cost of living… now I can only hope to be in that dream world again, as we know the real Indian politicians would not let these forums happen to them ever…. or answer the questions that people have in their minds.. thats way too ideal for them... UTOPIA imbibe me again please...<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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From the moment he woke up today ‘April 1 2009’ he mumbled under his breath ‘History won’t repeat’, they wont get to me, they cant get to me, I am not going to be fooled by anything that happens today. <br /><br />Manish hits the shower, gets out of bath and to the breakfast table he goes, his wife Mini had prepared a calorie conscious breakfast, as he munched it and had the orange juice, his wife muttered ‘Don’t forget, there is a whole list of items that you need to get, my parents are coming this weekend’, Manish half-acknowledged it with a dismissive nod of his head giving the impression that CNN was more interesting right now.<br /><br />Sonal, his 8 year old daughter, suddenly recalled, ‘arey mei tho bool gayi daddy’… ‘Your manager called when you were in the shower, he asked you to come in 1 hour earlier today, as there is an important meeting’. Manish queried ‘He wants me in by 8’ Sonal ‘that’s what he said’ Manish ‘great.. why don’t you tell me this when its 8:15, I got 20 minutes to get to work now’.<br /><br />Manish hit the pedal on his brand new Hyundai Santro and without much regard for the traffic lights he sped through, finally on reaching the work location, he realizes his manager is not in, feeling weird he settled into his cube and awaited his manager. About 15 minutes into the waiting ordeal his manager walks in, ‘Oh great, Manish… you are in already.. I wanted to call you …’ ‘You are welcome Boss, Sonal told me you called’.. ‘Oh I didn’t call your home, I actually forgot… anyways’. The manager went on ‘Well, I have some news for you, you are going to pad up some new roles, we are giving you a promotion for the great work you did last year’ Manish ‘thanks Boss, that’s great news, I will work hard and prove you right’. Boss ‘I am sure you will Manish, you will be getting a hefty bonus as well.. so have fun young man’.<br /><br />Manish walked out of the boss’s office with a smile as wide as the Sahara, unable to bottle his enthusiasm, he felt compelled to talk to everyone who he encountered on his way to the cube, everyone but Kajal his teammate who he doesn’t converse with after a falling out in one of their prior team meetings. Finally, when enough people knew about his promotion it was ‘Party… pretty please… time’. A slew of his colleagues – who didn’t need much of an excuse to have a free slice of pizza, pasta and a masala chai at the nearest joint – were treated to some high calorie, high cost stuff. When the restaurateur rang up the bill, Manish heard a pop inside of him, he assumed a couple of his arteries just burst. Treating 35 folks to a mildly costly joint would do that to you. He slid his credit card, card didn’t go through – invalid card. Manish was stunned, he was sure there were enough funds and the card was valid, he had paid the bills online last night.. then, he remembered, the plastic he was holding in his hand had an expired date, he cursed himself…. ‘I should have cut this into two, the active card is at home.. it should have been Sonal who did this, she was playing with my wallet’. Feeling embarrassed, he pulled over his closest friend and explained the situation, his friend obliged and paid the bill.<br /><br />Manish, was happy, but that didn’t mean his buddy was going to keep this all quiet, his buddy dispensed to the ‘munching colleagues’… ‘Don’t ever go out with him on a treat guys. He made me pay for it!!’. It was of course a friendly ribbing and jabbing, Manish felt compelled to explain his situation and apologized, the friends will have none of it and until their masala chais went through their digestive tracts, they were not interested in moving their butts off the chairs or the topic off discussion.<br /><br />As the chit-chat was proceeding, the cell rang, it was the manager, ‘Manish, come here to my office immediately, we have a problem’. Manish and friends wrapped up their session at the restaurant and Manish headed straight to the boss’s office. Sweat pouring all over his body from the midday sun, he was a ragged appearance when he walked in to meet the manager, his face blue with embarrassment with the credit card incident and with the manager now assembling him in. His boss ‘Manish, we have a problem… I believe we have to put your promotion on hold’ Manish felt a huge thud, like the ceiling just dropped on his head, the day’s events were happening too fast.<br /><br />Boss: We have a sexual harassment complaint against you and we can’t promote you with that pending.<br /><br />Manish: Sexual Harassment Complaint against me?<br /><br />Boss: Yes !! by your teammate Kajal.<br /><br />Manish: Stunned by the gravity of the accusation and the implication to his work, reputation and career ‘That’s preposterous!! I have never misbehaved with anyone in this office’<br /><br />Boss: ‘We take this seriously and until we find the truth you are on suspension, leave your id card here’.<br /><br />Manish, realizing he has been framed by Kajal, left the office in stunned silence, he didn’t have the guts to look up and see what his just returned colleagues were doing, he took a look at Kajal as he passed her aisle, cursed her loud, he made a big racket and the whole office was eyeing Manish, feeling embarrassed he headed straight to the exit.<br /><br />Back home, Manish got a hold of Sonal and slapped her twice ‘ Stop playing with my wallet, if you ever come near my stuff again I will starve your for 5 days and why did you lie to me today morning that my boss called‘. Sonal was crushed with tears swelling in her eyes, she was too afraid to look her daddy in the eye, she ran to her room. Mini, looked at her husband perplexed, in their 10 years of marriage she had never seen him lose his cool, leave alone slap their only daughter. Filled with anger Mini left the room without speaking a word to tend to their sobbing child. Manish felt awful, he had let the anger get the better part of him, he was not ready to tell Mini all the events of the day, so in a way he liked being alone. He wanted everything to be a prank, his daughter, his wallet, his boss, the complaint…. It was April 1 afterall… he felt awful, when suddenly a splash of water hit his face, ‘Wakeup, its 730 and your boss just called, he wants you in early for a meeting’… dazed and confused he realized it was all just a dream. He will take this dream over the April pranks and the pranks over the reality. He hugged and kissed the two women that mattered to him and got ready for a busy April Fool’s day.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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I walked across the living room, retrieved the newspaper and switched on CNN. The coffee was brewing, I love the early morning coffee smell, something about that caffeine spreading across the living room and violating the defenses of your nostril that’s as captivating as anything that early in the morning. <br /><br />As the dog days of the economy continue to drag down any positive vibe that we seem to procreate, I was preparing myself for another bumpy news day. I was pleasantly surprised, there was an uptick in the DOW Jones and the NASDAQ, the Asian markets were amping it up and there was not a scent of domestic violence report, for one day the news was all good. How often does that happen, as I browse through the pages I get a weird feeling, there was rarely any ad on the paper, for a fleeting moment it felt great, I mean how cool was it to go pages at a time without those annoying ads. But then it didn’t take much longer to realize that this was part of a bigger issue, the ad companies are cutting into the money they expend on the print media.<br /><br />The online websites and the gazillion blog and classifies sites have taken over some real chunk out of the print media armor. Advertisers no longer need to put in ads that will be viewed by a few thousand folks, they now can advertise on some of the popular sites for millions of potential customers. The shopping and ad market is right now delivered to our laptops. The print media is paying the price for it, with every new generation there is something new that is ushered in, the bullock carts were overtaken by buses and trains as a medium of transport which was in turn overtaken by your motorbikes and cars. Change is the only constant. And the decade of reckoning comes for any aging medium or product that has outlived its purpose.<br /><br />The newspaper industry is at that crossroad, they are running against time, they are running against a goliath named technology that fits this generation’s denizens; they are in the final stages of becoming outdated. As I read through my newspaper, I saw an article that reported over 208 print medium – mostly newspaper – companies have shutdown since January 2008. That’s a staggering number. Unfortunately for the newspapers there is no comeback, we are in the here and now generation, we want the news in picture and audio the millisecond after it happens not the morning after. I remember the days when ‘The Hindu’ ran a late edition to print scores from the West Indies-India series, so we have a little more updated information. I remember the days when the third one day international of the India-Pakistan cricket series in Toronto would have started and we only had the late edition score from the second one international. Fascinating, of how we were waiting for that newspaper, there literally used to be a tug of war between my brother and I and who got to read the newspaper first.<br /><br />I remember when I got our first color TV, my grandmother told us about the days when the radio ruled the roast, when All India Radio was the goliath until the TV came. She was mildly surprised when we got the news the day of the event. While the newspaper has been able to brush back the power of the TV and Radio it doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to online reports and blogs. In the battle with TV and radio, there was only so much that a newscast can read to you, ultimately you have to explore the paper for the details, they only reported the top stories, but there is no such luck, with a trillion bloggers at their keyboards every minute, unfortunately this time there is no way out for the print media.<br /><br />What do we stand to lose and what do we stand to gain, for a start there will be the hundreds of thousands of trees that will be saved from the big old axe, there will be less trash to dump into the ocean, there will also be some bigger losses, like the investigative stories, the on field reporters, the journalists that travel everywhere to report a minute story. Try as best as we can, the bloggers cant duplicate a journalist, we react to news and deliver opinions, we still need the AP and Reuters to print something online for us to opinionate. The reality is that many newspaper companies are going bankrupt, what will happen to investigative journalism, will the newspapers go online only and still fund the reporters, what lies ahead is fascinating and intriguing.<br /><br />When they stopped production of the 1 paise coin, many nostalgic folks were perturbed, the pervious generation will attest to it, but something integral, that was part of their lives will now be gone, most young kids nowadays will be shocked to learn of a 1 paise coin, that’s what will become of the newspaper and some of our generation folks who still have a soft corner for the medium, will feel the loss. Lets just hope that though the newspapers are dying that creativity, honesty and information continues to inundate us in other forms.<br /><br />As I sip through my coffee and get ready to leave for work, I think for a moment whether I am holding a soon to be relic in my hands, something whose last days are fast approaching, maybe I should find a cabinet to store a few of these to show the future generation, there was this before the online medium. This was how we got the news, this was how we were informed, this print medium is the grand daddy of information distribution, this print medium taught us, educated us and made us better. Unfortunately that day is approaching faster than we all are anticipating or hoping.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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All that appealed to me, where the 3 make shift stumps we came up with either by drawing them on a wall or by unraveling a thick broom and planting them on a soil bank, we had improvised every possible means to come up with stumps, another favorite was any home that had vertical beams in its gates. I wouldn’t call myself a hopeless nomad, but my father figured it out that I need to be reigned in, it was time to put some culture, some science, some discipline and time managements and efficiency in me. But he was careful about it, he didn’t approach me and say “Son, pack the stumps and bats, get the books rolling, or come over here let me teach accounting and ledgers or here let me teach you the nuances of a budget”. <br /><br />He simply came over and said, “did you check out what Kapil Dev had to say”, I was curious, pre-Sachin, he was my favorite cricketer. I figured there will be something in it that makes sense to me. I don’t remember the contents of it, but I remember not regretting reading the article. My dad continued “Look, the newspaper is a cool thing. It has something interesting and useful for all ages and keeps you informed. It could be trivial or huge… it could tell you what’s going on in Delhi or your next street. I don’t want you to read everything, but read the sports section, you will be hooked onto this thing soon.” I didn’t think ‘Whatever Dad’… but I did think ‘I am not sure this will work’. But it did and I haven’t stopped thanking my dad for getting me hooked on the newspaper.<br /><br />What started as a fetish for sports columns soon became a monster. I realized soon enough that they ain’t writing about cricket everyday. I slowly browsed other sections and soon enough I used it as a daily morsel for my information craving.<br /><br />This was all perfect timing, by the time I became an avid fan of the newspaper, I was hooked on the politics section and the coming election. I knew my state’s political parties, their symbols, their partners, their achievements, their letdowns and their history. I even knew who was running for office in the 5 closest constituencies, I was absorbed and knee deep in the vagaries of that election. I was prepared.<br /><br />As the Election Day approached the heightened tenor of partisan attacks and political wringing were beginning to nauseate me. I started to imagine, what it would be to be an operative, guys who organize the stuff for their leaders, don’t they ever get numb by the process. There was quite a bit of improvisation mixed in along the way, your favorite filmy numbers would be manipulated to sing in the praises of the candidates, when it wasn’t boring or causing a headache it was entertaining and funny.<br /><br />Election day, it was as if I was taking a finals exam, I had an unease and tension about me, though about a month prior I had finalized on the candidate I was voting for, I had now started rooting for the candidate, the person symbolized a hope I had for the next 5 years, the hope of realizing the policies that were promised over the last 5 months, the ones that appealed to me and the ones that I related to and even yearned for. The moment of reckoning came, I exercised the power that I had, I voted, I am now part of the process that’s going to elect the candidate for the highest office.<br /><br />Along came the results, the candidate I had voted for lost, but his party won the overall majority. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not, I didn’t vote based on which party he was in, but what my research of the candidate, the convictions and the promises that were made by the individual. I was not sure now, that despite his party winning the overall election, my constituency was going to be helped much. So I felt a little weird. <br /><br />The next morning, back to my old saddle, the sofa and the corner of the sofa that I liked, the newspaper back in my hand and a strong cup of coffee, I was in my comfort zone. I took a moment to think of the journey I had been on, it was like a roller coaster, from not knowing much about politics or caring about the government to researching on candidates I hadn’t known and furthering that effort and participating in a cause that made sense. <br /><br />As exciting as it was to be part of the process, I soon realized nothing much changed around me over the next several months, the streets were the same, the potholes were still there, there was still that ugly unfenced statue in the middle of a 6 road intersection, there was still that rusty taste in my water, that same frequency or lack of local buses, the same level of crime and burglary. There was still that wine shop in front of that temple, there was still the same old city. The election that took me on a ride of hope let me down on its results. We the people of my constituency were still the same and we faced the same issues. Lack of governance or lack of caring by my elected officials had left my home district as ugly as it ever was….<br /><br />I didn’t know what exactly we could do anymore, they say the people have the power to change things and that change is by voting for change. I am not sure I saw those symptoms in my district or my state or my country. My vote was just another number that the voting officials counted and reported. Those tins of papers not only held millions of my countrymen’s choice but also their hope, not only did they held their anger towards indifference but also their quest for change and now along with so many other generations of folks my vote stood there… united with others in it’s despair, pain, longing. My vote now is a piece of paper that will be shredded or fed to the cows. It is as important as that piece of rust on that garbage can in my street.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Is it down to perception, is it interpretation, is it down to your own courteous attitude, is it your conscience, is it your patience or a personal score card you have that says your can commit 5 wrongs for every 10 rights that you do in life…<br /><br />Is it crazy to think about such stuff.. I mean do people who bend the rules really think about what they did, say there’s a 20 head count line at a local post office with a min 5 minute processing time per customer, what if your manager walks in, are you obligated to let him cut into your line? If you do let him cut in, is it because you are afraid of him or is it because you like him, is it fair on the hefty number of people standing behind your for the last several minutes.. Does your manager thank his good luck or does he take a minute to feel sorry for the guys he cut infront of, does he feel sorry he put you in such a spot..<br /><br />I think the simplest answer is that, people who cut in don’t give a rat’s rear.. if they did they wont even think twice about standing in the order they walked into the place. It’s a sad truth, it’s a world of not what you know, but, who you know. At work you can see people who kiss up to the management get the right assignment over someone who talks sense. It happens all the time. I think the only people who think about this is those who are caught in the middle. A guy who always follows the rules doesn’t even notice that a guy cut infront of him, infact he wont care one bit, the guy who cuts in doesn’t care one bit either. It’s the people who follow the rules reluctantly and immediately that get tempted when someone bends it that feel wronged.<br /><br />They go, “well, that’s what I wanted to do.. but look at him.. he did that… I cant believe the others didn’t notice it..” This is a trivial example. I chuckled today, when I overheard a couple of guys talk this… Dude1.. “Hey did you pay the registration tax for the car” Dude2 “yeah” Dude 1 “How much?” Dude 2 “X” Dude1 “I hope you understated the value of the purchase” Dude2” No, why ?” Dude1”to pay lower taxes.. I did it.. everyone does it” Dude2 “Not me, I wanna sleep well” Dude1 “You are hopeless man”. Crazy right?.. well, for most its not that crazy. A guy who not only understated his car value to pay lesser taxes, mentions to the other guy what an idiot he was for following the rules. The world has turned pale my friends, you can see it everywhere, there’s no place that’s not vulnerable to rule-bending… I fall in the middle group, you know someone who hates when others break the rules or bend the rules but don’t have the guts or the heart to do it myself.<br /><br />Once a rental car company forgot to charge me for an insurance package I used, it was quite a lot of money for someone like me who lives paycheck to paycheck, I thought for 10 seconds and told them they charged me less. I felt good for about 2 minutes, not good forever because I didn’t tell them immediately.. I thought about “not telling” them… but I did after wrestling with myself. I got a big thank you… that’s it… but how many people do that, what if the cash register guy gives 50 bucks extra, does everyone of you return it. What if they charge you only once for 2 cartons of milk do you go back and pay ? I don’t claim I do it often or everytime… but these are situations that fascinate me.<br /><br />Then there’s the whole big bad ballgame of politics that people play at work, fudging resumes, fudging tax breaks and misstating information to get more money back. No place is beyond limit for these people, infact I personally know a few friends who invented “teams that they managed” offshore to get quicker green card processing in the US. How crazy is that? Well, not real crazy is they are always used to cutting infront of lines, or stealing parking spots or fudging account information. When you start fudging a little , you just don’t stop. And the crazy part both of those guys are getting their residency approved next week….<br /><br />At times I laugh at my inability to be like them, at times I cant believe I stick to the rules while others bend it without issues and laugh at us for being incapable to do the same, at times I feel like a moron… the only thing I have going at those times? I get a good night’s sleep, because I can getup in the morning and say, I didn’t cheat a single person till yesterday.. I have a clear conscience..<br /><br />It’s painful to be an incapable rule bender… but then not.. it feels far better to be a reluctant rule follower and am a proud one at that…<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Football</div>Vinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-33417796510008948322009-02-26T00:51:00.003-05:002009-02-26T00:54:22.587-05:00Movie Review "The International" : the suspense, the concept & the scare...“The International” is a movie that brings into visuals what we have heard/theorized/surmised and yeah feared. The great part is the ending is a concoction of realism and cinematic realism. It’s an “only in a movie” emotion with a “that makes sense” emotion. There are solid performances from Clive Owen (Louis Salinger, an Interpol detective) and Brian O’Byrne (the hired contract killer). The others have chipped in well at various points of the movie.<br /><br />The movie starts with a cold killing of Louis’ Interpol partner after a meeting with an insider. This insider happens to be a key cog of a mega bank IBBC. The IBBC is the focus of the Interpol investigation, with suspicions centering on the true intentions, ideals and asset managements of the bank. The Interpol with its nosy detective Louis Salinger tries to pry open the veil of the bank, that seems to be no different than the corner Credit Union bank down the street. <br /><br />As the movie rolls on, events unfold that seemed to cast the IBBC bank in less than flattering company, in terms of their association and their involvement and intentions in events that are momentous and mostly dangerous. Louis and his superior Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) seem to be on an impossible pursuit. Armed with truck loads of money, assets that stretch across the continents, contacts that range from the local lieutenant to the Italian presidential hopeful, the banks tentacles seem to ensnarl almost anyone that it comes across. The director tries well to depict the bank as a well run mafia organization only globally more influential and well funded.<br /><br />The movie has its share of stereotypical events, incidents that make the hunter become the hunted, as agent Salinger comes to the realization he might be fighting a hopeless cause. Agent Salinger tries his best to follow the trail and pickup any bits of information that he can get his hand on, but as pressure to curtail his investigation increases Salinger does some unconventional things to get more evidence. I think the highlight of the movie is the contract killer of the IBBC doing his psychotic acts and being very suave in getting away from them, only to finally become the hunted by the IBBC. The scene that ensues with Salinger trying to protect the contract killer he came to arrest from the IBBC is well executed.<br /><br />Though Salinger loses his fight to get anything out of the contract killer, with the help of his buddies in the NYPD, he tracks down the killer’s contact and he is lead on the trail of IBBC’s chairman Jonas Skarssen. How Salinger confronts Skarssen and what ensues is the rest of the movie. What I liked about the movie is that they have played on the fears of the common man, “Can we really trust anyone?”. While there are holes in some of the theories in the movie, the whole product as such is palatable. Ever since Matrix resonated with the audience with its array of fear instigating concepts and its overall idea of the helplessness of our existence, movies of such ilk have tried to recreate fear to the best they can.<br /><br />The International, has a good theory, but I am afraid it doesn’t do enough to scare you, it doesn’t do enough to make you think “you know what… that’s out of the box”. Too often you come across good concepts not treated well, while I wont call this movie as a bad effort, I do think that it’s a bad end product. The climax highlights the helplessness, even for agent Salinger, where he only ends up with the satisfaction of shooting down the messenger of IBBC and not the IBBC itself. I liked that ending, only I have a problem with how this could have been handled better. The audience could have been scared a little bit better, a solid effort but an average end result for “The International”. I would give a D+ and recommend waiting for the movie to be on the “tele” or “blockbuster”.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Football</div>Vinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-73674562542283394092009-02-24T02:17:00.001-05:002009-02-24T02:21:46.213-05:00Delhi 6 : Movie review : Funny Smart and.. the "S" wordRecently i have developed a crush for Hindi movies. No not because they are splendid, not because they are well directed, not because they are well executed or acted or choreographed... none.. they are just visually scrumptious, oozing with clarity. I have never seen another set of language movies made in India that are this visually palatable. I just dont mean the Yash Chopra/Karan Johar big name headliner, even the second tier guys seem to present a visually catchy treat.<br /><br />Delhi 6 had that and more. The visuals were great, at some points well beyond great. I am absolutely certain that when you come away from this movie, you will feel that at certain points u were with the characters as much as watching them. Abhishek Bachan has done a decent job, i really dig his coolers it suits his 2 day old stubble pretty much to a T and am sure the ladies will like that. The movie really doesnt have a heroine, Sonam kapoor is the closest to it, she has done an ok job overall. She has handled the juggling of a middle class girl trying to become an Indian idol quite ok. There's some cool acting by Rishi Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman, Deepak Dobriyal and Vijay Raaz as the inspector -- a true tribute to him is the fact that i overheard couple of guys swearing at his like he was a real cop -- the others filled in and were ok.<br /><br />Overall, the movie is a devent entertainer. It has its highs and lows. The first half seems to be the director's favorite as more effort seems to have been distilled in it than the second half. The story hinges on a grandson (AB as Roshan ) taking his ailing grannie (Waheeda) back to India after his parents -- who had eloped and married -- had settled in US. If it seems a little dramatic that an american born kid will just leave his life, pack up and take his granny to her village.. well it is Indian cinema after all, so hang with them there. The movie goes on to depict the typical challenges and funny incidents that Roshan faces in the dirtbowl Delhi 6.<br /><br />The movie's first half beats the second half hands down because the movie goes from funny, smart and at hilarious in the first half to preaching, sterotypical and down right wierd in the second half. The story follows Roshan's various encounters and smartly uses the 'kala bhandar' the now infamous 'Monkey man' spoof from yesteryear delhi lore. The Kala Bhandar (Monkey man) seems to run amok among the residents and due to circumstances that are purely manufactured Roshan ends up the center of everyone's irk and ire.<br /><br />My problem with this movie is its sterotyping the unity or lack therof between Muslims and Hindus. A locality that seems to be in harmony with some Muslims even praying to Lord Hanuman seems to unravel like a pack of cards with the arrival of a Hindu swami. The typical idea of Hindus inciting political speeches and talks of uprooting Mosques and replacing them with temples is a clear dig at what has happened in the past, but so is the portrayed typical response from the Muslim community. From being calm and composed to depicting them as losing control and inciting violence, setting Hindu trees on fire and taking up arsonry and weapons and shooting Roshan, its all a little typical portrayal of the Hindu-Muslim dynamic. Look i am not here to judge what went on, i went to a movie to have some light hearted fun and for a movie that started with beautiful incidents and little pockets of suavity to one that preaches how people should live.<br /><br />Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but the story that went on in the second half is not a derivative of what happened in the first half. One of the reasons the whole message doesnt seem to be relayed well is that the whole issue was sterotyped from the inciting that apparently is done by one religion to the violent resoponse associated with the other. I think for this movie, we could have not used that, for this movie we could have been taken somewhere else, a place where there was a little fun and may be a lot more sense. For that alone i recommend you stay home and wait for the CDs or online links to arrive in thier mailboxes. My rating would be D+<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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I feel very sorry for him, lets scan what is about to confront the new US president in the coming days… a couple of wars going nowhere, an enemy dispersed, strong and diverse, an economy that’s in the maddest of all tailspins, a health care system that reeks with stale ideals, an education system that’s been downgraded, a housing market that’s looking like a mazy abyss than a green pasture with an azure embellishment and a disgruntled group of denizens desperate for some good news and ready to be waken from the nightmare of endless negative missives in the name of news reports.<br /><br />Welcome President Obama, no pressure there… we re considerate…. once you are done fixing everything that everyone has drawn up in their list, you can cure melanoma, achieve the drug for immortality without aging and find a world where everyone sits on their fanny and makes a million bucks a day.<br /><br />I think among the million bytes of digits that scanned the globe as the US election run-up ratcheted one question stuck that was asked by a reported struck a chord in me … “ Senators Obama and McCain, do you for even a minute think, do I want to win and inherit this mess” .. Ofcourse they said the right answers but the kind of mess they are inheriting is unfathomable, really historical and deadly in its cocktail of complication and consequences.<br /><br />The most famous rallying cry “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country” galvanized then Americans, Obama is no stranger to catch phrases, he apparently is an eloquent talker, but walking the walk and talking the talk are two different things. The economy rightfully has taken center stage and is sucking all the resources into working in this issue, but there are 100 other ones that are as scary as the economy, not the least of which is the security threats.<br /><br />How do you not feel obligated to help the President Obama in every single way, he is trying to patch and fix on the go one of the most epic financial collapses a once-a-lifetime – hopefully – event for us. Now, this issue is not isolated to US or even Europe, the way every economy in the globe is structured we are mostly a house of cards, every single failure has a cascade effect, be it a bank going kaput or a insurance company going broke or a car manufacture going insolvent. Sometime I do feel angry, I mean a few thousand ineligible borrowers have rocked everyone’s boat and we are all swimming or trying to anyway upstream. Its time to hold hands and help each other out. The stimulus package will be a nightmare – any final version that gets approved – because of the burden its going to impose on coming generations, but there is no choice.<br /><br />The mark of a true fighter is when his wound is exposed and his salt is down, are we gonna stand up and do something about this or not. I like every other Joe Smith, do want certain assurances of how these gargantuan bailout money is being spent. I need assurances, checks, double-checks, reports, status, insight and every damn nickel accounted for. But, lets also get smart. Lets not eat out if we don’t have to, lets not buy every single ipod that comes on the market, lets save some money and spend smartly. Don’t switch off your AC or heater but do switch off your TV. Take the public transport, donate to charity than going on a ski trip. Keep your resumes current, stay sharp and focused. Watch your leaders, whether what they say is what they do, watch yourself and your family and finally realize.<br /><br />It didn’t take one bad decision to lead us to this rut, it took a series of hidden debacles to get here, it took turning a blind eye when a sore spot is spotted, so there is no silver bullet. No one decision can create the 2 plus million jobs last year or the ones that are gonna be lost this year. But we each can have a personal motto, spend wisely, be prepared and do your part to stimulate the economy. Every one wants to be part of the party but not everyone likes to clean up the dishes, you may not have wrecked every thing but lets be part of a solution. Support President Obama in his trials, his hits and misses, we need call him out if he proposes something unworkable. But lets also be reasonable, the man is under the spot like no other for the reason he inhibited something, not procreated, so lets cut him some slack and remain hopeful and work hard.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Football</div>Vinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-70692092151109229602009-01-22T20:00:00.001-05:002009-01-26T16:06:10.878-05:00The accent.. big deal"Its a big deal... if they dont get what you say... you are really not saying anything... if you dont talk American accent.. you are not one among them..." one of my buddies chimed in as part of an avalanche of rigmarole that i was inundated with when i let a few people know that i was traveling to the land of dreams. I even imbibed a few of their insightful ideas, ideals and definitions of what it is that i need to survive in a land where i cant claim to be a citizen. We have all gone through this one, when traveling to a different country -- well, my fellow Indians will acknowledge it happens to them when they cross state borders in the Indian countryside -- we are inundated with a bunch of outdated concerns that ends up unsettling us.<br /><br />One of the things that we are always in a race with is where does our accent stack up compared to the land that we are traveling to. People are psyched about accent and for good reason, they are worried what would happen if they mispronounce something... it might be something subtle, it might be something common but what are the repurcussions of the adressed not understanding us.<br /><br />This becomes more of a frightful scenario if we are going to a different country for some extended periods of time to work, there we are forced into a situation where we are obligated to both understand the foreigners and make them understand what we are spouting. Each has its own variety and severity of difficulty in its execution. I think the biggest flaw that anyone can commit -- and this from experience -- is that we try to speak a non-native language like its one, we try to think its just our back of the hand and we can flip it on whenever we suppose and it will work just fine.<br /><br />Unforntunately we often find out that its not the case, in most cases we are even humbled a bit by how our most basic pronounciations are incongruent and even grating to someone who has never listened to our vocals before. With a bit of humiliation and a stomach full of humble pie we try to ape them.. we in lieu of a'pe try aa'pp'e .. in lieu hel'loo' try whazz'upp'... like oil and water, like black and white somethings just arent meant to mix. We are what we are and whoever we maybe... an American cant speak like a Srilankan, an Indian cant speak like a French.. we all have our own styles and sometime styles align but they never are parallel....<br /><br />I found that the perfect equilibrium after quite a few humble pies, i realized a) i cant talk like a man who was born there talks and b) it would be better if i talk slowly so people have a chance.<br /><br />Most people never realise that they have an accent, its like snoring.. almost everyone does it but they cant know it, the accent is very similar. Its not a shame to have an accent, but if we do a few things right we can all be communicate better. Ultimately its the content not the style, but a little effort to be presentable is required and really its alright to have an accent. We would be robotic without it. Imagine for a moment what would a world sound like when everyone talks the same wavelength, my i can think of quite a few professions that will be thrown to the attic... be proud of what you are... and accent should be the least of your concerns.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Football</div>Vinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-85410154060000109962009-01-05T22:18:00.001-05:002009-01-05T22:21:55.984-05:00Zooming out of Gloom... hopefullyWhen 2008 was about to roll in, the numerology department was working overtime... the significance of the total 2+0+0+8 had them in a dizzy... its a great year or so they said... 12 months later... don't we all think 2008 as one of the most dramatic, impact-ful, draining, eye-opening, gut-wrenching times of most living beings' lifetime.. from the economy that was in a tailspin and the violence that wouldn't stop around the world and the melting glaciers and the deficit in most countries' budget and the increase in hunger deaths and the loss of jobs and the rise in crimes and the .... too many bad headlines...<br /><br />10 years from now - when, hopefully we are out of this crisis - we will recall 2008 as the year that had too many bad headlines, the year that doomed many a savings account, the year where we started saving on fast food, electricity, gas and anything that can be saved... History will equate 2008 with 1931 the most comparable and deadly ogre of a cousin.... the great depression... History will by then have all things we did wrong in 19 titles on newsstands, of what we should learn, what we missed and how to avoid... and someone will make money on it too... <br /><br />Human race... we are funny... we commit the mistake , we avoid the reactions, we sidestep the repercussions until it hits us in the face, we smart from it because we have no other choice, some try and stand up, like water off a duck's back we march on and commit the next series of blunders...<br /><br />2008 was not all that bad... in fact 2008 was the ugly bill for all the sins of 2001 to 2007, the sins also called as failed policies, missed warning signs and general lack of concern for the future... 2008 was the ugly product of all that was wrong in the previous years... 2008 was needed, it was important the human race gets hit on the face with reality.... its a splash of cold water...<br /><br />No one needs a million dollar home, no one needs a 4 bedroom home, no one needs 3 cars, no one needs 2 cellphones... but almost everyone wants them all and thats how we ended up with 2008... if we only keep paying the interest on a loan the primary never disappears, if we only look 2 days ahead in our life, the deadlines in the next week never shows up early, if we remain short sighted with a head bigger than the stomach we all only deserve 2008...<br /><br />No one knows which one policy will take us out of this rut and deliver us to the next one... we are all as excited as can be... for what did we get from 2008 that we cant let go off ... other than a pile of bills, a rack of empty headache bottles, a few broken glasses that bore the brunt of our anger as the stock indexes went for a swim-dive.... its a fallacy to expect one policy to be the silver bullet a series of policies are necessary ..<br /><br />As individuals we need to step up and distinguish our needs from our wants... in times like these we don't need what we want... we should want what we need... the more we realize the difference and cater to our needs... the better we are all off... <br /><br />Can 2009 be as bad as 2008, well who knows... but every individual can command what happens with them, as more individuals get smart... with a concerted effort to keep ourselves better prepared we will sail through it... and we can even live to describe it to the next generation... of how we learnt WANT, NEED, GREED, PURPOSE and PERSPECTIVE from the year 2008.... Happy New Year<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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I got myself and myself will take care of thee.<br /><br />Well, of course at times when I do look at couples they do stir me up a bit, I scold myself “what the hell are u doing u moron, go get a partner”! Then, I drink some cool-aid.. “Really?? You really think that’s a good idea”.. Well, these are super interesting debates that my conscience goes through and that alone told me its time to look out and find a suitable partner.<br /><br />So, jokingly I start a topic with my mom on my weekly calls to my parents. My mom “u know?? Ur cousin she’s having her baby next week, your uncle n aunt are gonnab grandparents”. What an opening for me! “mom, what’s the age difference between you and uncle”.. Mom “ couple” .. “Mom, u mean, you are as old as him, yet you are years away from being a grand parent?” Mom “ ha-ha, nice try I think you got time”.<br /><br />Well, I was still zoomed in on this whole idea, “ there’s a time for everything and it is now”. What if my mom says “later!! buddy”, I thought maybe I should start the mental process you know, what exact qualities will make me comfortable to choose them(?) as my partner and soul-mate for life.<br /><br />I am a fanatic as far as current affairs and equally fanatic about sports. Now, most guys can claim that, I think it’s a “guy’s syndrome”. Well, I do spend the better part of the daylight in front of my computer and do stuffs that are not always productive, so I think I am ripe to be updated from where the next sports tourney is happening to what Tony Blair said to Sky news.<br /><br />Well, those at-least are common among people not guys alone, but I do take more pro-western or pro-american stands. From singing “God Bless America” to understanding the civics of the American fabric I think I have modeled myself into a pro-west individual. Naturally, I am interested in areas that concern the everyday American. When I scan through the list that I find intriguing, it includes the issues of abortion, gay marriage and immigration.<br /><br />I tend to like people who assimilate with the surrounding, I firmly believe I do and I completely expect the same from my other half. What is a tricky area though is the issue of Gay Marriage, it does seem funny why a straight guy would consider the area of homosexuals an intriguing concept, well, I don’t like discrimination and abhor discrimination of any form – based on sex, color or sexuality – I cant stand people who discriminate others.<br /><br />Among my fellow Indian folks who come here, the one thing I find exasperating and even down right filthy.. is their disdain for African-American race. Indian immigrants stamp these people as notorious, bad criminals. I have lot more black friends than Caucasian and I love them for what they are. This looks silly, but I find this among many Indians, they just don’t respect the black people. I hate that.<br /><br />Then comes my sports fetish, I just can’t miss games or not watch captivating events, I mean I love baseball for the way the game is. I for some reason love baseball more than cricket. I have always been a soccer fanatic, so my interests are varied and deep, I expect this interest in my partner, as that would really give us a comfort level.<br /><br />Then the concept of religion, I think I myself have a very complex attitude towards religion. I view religion as more of a guide, a set of rules so to speak to suggest and cultivate good thoughts and actions. Nothing more. I don’t think I get too fanatical about religion, but I am proud of my heritage and when someone attacks my base I get riled.<br /><br />So I paused, I am a religion-loving conservative that doesn’t always go to temples or believe GOD is a person and I also support homosexuals and believe they have the right to marriage. I am captivated by sports as much as by women and love to ogle. Well, honestly I donn’o how guys stop ogling once they are married. That alone is an achievement.<br /><br />I do find the level of interest I have for some areas in life -- that others consider mundane or unimportant – to be a lot important to me. As much as I am an Indian I am also an American and I have habits and actions that are a healthy cocktail that I love drinking and being me everytime.<br /><br />I hardly imagine I can be as rigid with some of these aspects I think I always will be, if in fact I have any thoughts of being in a married life. I guess - my mom was right - I have lot of time. I guess, there is a reason guys are single at my age and continue to be until tour parents decide “its time”. Playfully or not I am not going to ask my mom and dad that question again, for what is a simple concept “marriage” involves complex issues that am not yet willing to explore.<br /><br />Right now, I think maybe never. Viva la single life.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Football</div>Vinodh Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065542236104736999noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16449516.post-1143492246397906612006-03-27T15:34:00.000-05:002006-03-28T09:23:29.670-05:00Sports Lesson: Destiny DefinedYo.. i ridicule myself and try to address my soul often times.. the subject is the fetish i have for Sports and the orgy of time i spend analysing pre..during..post game situations and matches. I think millions of guys would attest to this syndrome, the quasi-athlete as we like to believe we are, the ones who hit that ball over the fence or scores a bunch of field goals or throws 8 Touch downs. <br /><br />Believe me, there is nothing more than a good night sleep laced with some dreams about how you won the championship for your club or country and how New York Times or ESPN screams you just overtook Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson for on-field immortals. I mean without battling an eye, guys would sign up to a dream with them scoring the winning goal than them scoring a different kind with Beyonce Knowles or Jen Anniston.<br /><br />There is something about sports that makes men go senseless.. go angry.. become inconsolable and lose thyself in the mania. Its precisely a feeling, that transports you to Utopia.. to 3rd base.. sports is more than life.. believe me, i have read about men taking lives for these sports.<br /><br />I always thought i spend way too much time on these things, but often i learn something from them.. where else can you have a practical display of what it takes to win?.. Hardwork.. Team Work.. Sacrifice.. Blood.. Spine and Salt. Thats why men love sports, it typifies what they understand life to be, a spirited battle of wits.. nuts and bolts with a cohesive team that faces pressure and outperforms thy expectations.<br /><br />Once in a while, you learn some invaluable nuggets.. some gems.. heres one i learned when one coach was asked.. "your team was not supposed to win, how did you motivate them?" <br /><br />the answer:<br /><br />destiny is not chance.. its choice<br />destiny is not what you are given in life.. its what you take out of life<br />destiny is not luck.. it is hardwork..<br />destiny is not for also rans.. it is for those who ran hard<br /><br /><br />now.. if those statements are not truer abt life (not only sports) i donno what else is.. believe me, instead of the fetish in lining up to therapists and temples if we listen to these men who motivate people to work hard, you will not only learn about life and what moves people but also start implementing it..<br /><br />Sports teaches one more than a game, it teaches one thy life and makes them learn about thyself!!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Google.com
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Right Wing
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