Shrek Forever After

After waiting for a week I found company to watch this flick... I managed to do it today. I had been looking for the torrent all week but they were all fake.

It is once of the few movies whose sequels are as great as the original one.

Shrek is a class apart... better than any animated movie. And the inclusion of fairy tale characters like Rumpelstintskin, Pied Piper etc is fun.

Loved this one... anyone have links for the torrent?

Julie and Julia

Wow.... what a fab movie. I picked up the DVD... it was at 50% in Crossword. I won't tell you the story... just go watch it... without expectations.

Ok... ok... I will let out some part of the story... you can always google it.

Julia is a woman of the 70s who shifted to Paris with her hubby. She was bored and learned to cook French cuisine. And then with a friend published a book on french cooking for American housewives. It had to be dumbed down a bit. The book was an instant hit... she was even on a cooking show on TV.

In another world and time Julie is a government employee but a good cook. She decides to cook ALL the recipes (524) in Julia's book and blog about it in 365 days. There are ups and downs... and ends with her writing a book after the year is over.

A damn good movie... Meryl Streep voice and accent is so French (I am obviously not a good judge of it... but it sounds genuine). She is an amazing actress... and the only one in her age bracket and even among younger ones starring in fantastic roles.

Its strange... Bollywood actors cannot even fake American accents even in Hollywood (Ash in Pink Panther)... anyone remember Abhishek in Delhi 6?

Karaoke

One of the most useful gifts from KC is a pouch where I can put my Ipod and strap it on my arm during jogging. I remember putting the phone in my pocket while jogging in Gurgaon to listen to music. I was always afraid it would fall out.

Of course... the Ipod from my sis has been the MOST useful gift.

Anyway... when I return home from the gym I am still listening to music and the sing along begins in the lift itself. There is something naughty about doing IT in the lift... I mean singing and nothing else... or maybe I do mean something else too.

The best part is karaoking at home. I bray at the top of my voice... and the music is so loud I cannot hear myself... which is good 'coz I am a HORRIBLE singer. You will never hear me hum aloud.

In TAPMI the Music com organized an event for bathroom singers. The senie organizer was a friend- APC and he forced me to go on stage. I was unprepared and can never remember lyrics. I had 2 false starts where I burst laughing on stage itself... Me and SING??? In front of an audience?? Really? I finally managed to sing 1-2 stanzas of 'Chura liya hain tumne"... n then 'Words' which was my fav teenage love song. I was crazy about Ronan Keating... now I wonder why.

The audience didn't let me forget the incident for a month.

I don't understand music... don't like to complicate it. But there is one album which never fails to amaze me... Dev D (I know.. I know... I have raved enough about it... but hear/read me out). You have to close your eyes and listen to 'Ek Hulchul Si' or 'Pardesi'. I wonder how the musician composed it... how did he blend so many melodies and sounds to make this? I don't think any other Bollywood music comes close to this. It is the most complicated melody I have heard... and thats why I can watch the movie over and over and over again. I can picture Abhay Deol or Kalki or Mahi Gill while listening. The dance troupe- Twilight players in Pardesi are out of this world. They should have won the best choreography award and not that stupid person for 'Twist'. People have such bad taste.

I am blue

I never worry about colors. Unlike people with dark skin I don't have to co-ordinate colors. Anything goes...

I love experimenting with nail paint colors... blood red, black, blue, green, purple, orange, yellow... the funkier the better.

My regular parlour didn't stock any funky colors earlier. I started bringing my own nail paints for manicure and pedicure. The parlour added black to their collection since I like it best.... then they added green... and today they had beautiful shades... pinks, purple, shiny black, blue... etc. I was touched that they remembered to stock my colors. Good service is so rare these days.

Its a pity men don't have too many choices when it comes to colors. It is a brave man who wears orange, pink, yellow etc. I have been trying to get KC to wear pink but it hasn't worked.

Anyways... The Mangalore accident is so unfortunate. The Minister rushed to hand over his resignation taking moral responsibility for it. Instead of finding the reason for accident, preventing such mishaps in future, giving adequate compensation to the aggrieved families... he is scampering away like a rat. Is that what the government should do? Run away in times of crisis instead of standing strong?

Work Life Balance

"She then goes to drop her daughter to the bus stand at 7.30 am and is usually in office by 9.30 am. Since Nishita gets home by 5.30 pm George makes it a point to be home by 6.30 pm"

--- Cover story on Shubha George, COO, South East Asia of the media agency MEC

in India Today Woman May 2010

How many men/women do you know who work from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm? I don't know any. Why? Why do companies think they own us? I am surprised when people message or call me after 8 pm... what can I accomplish after 8 pm? Nothing. Is it possible for a human being to work more than 8-9 hours in a day? Nope...

I don't like to take breaks at work... I'd rather come on time and leave on time instead of sauntering in late... taking long breaks and then pretending to work late hours. Nobody is fooled.

Another smart tactic companies employ is scheduling events on Sunday... It saves one day of work... How are employees expected to be enthusiastic about work on Monday if they have spent the weekend with colleagues... even if it is in Goa or abroad. What about time with family?

Whats the point of working and earning so much if you cannot spend quality time with family everyday... and indulge in hobbies?

I know of this person whose b'day it was. He wanted to rush home early ... actually on time... but the Boss and colleagues would not. They wanted to party with them... dragged him for dinner along. He waited patiently checking his watch after few minutes. Finally, he managed to get out of it. I am sure his wife gave him hell.

Socialising after work is an evil of corporate life. It may or may not accomplish anything... but is considered to be necessary. I hate this part and avoid it as much as possible. I can't wake up early if I sleep late and tired.

Whatever happened to 'Early to bed, early to rise... makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise'?

Quarantine

This is a collection of gay short stories. Its crap... none of the stories mean anything... utter bull shit.

Why don't I write a book? It will definitely be better than this... maybe something like lesbian short stories... nobody has done that yet.

To Kill A Mocking Bird

Finally... I read it. I have been meaning to for years. Hmm... where do I begin? It was nothing I expected it to be. The book is about a lawyer's attempt to do the right thing... defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. And yet... the book is through the eyes of his children... their thoughts, perceptions, how they are affected by their father's involvement in the situation, how the father is trying to keep it all together and bring them up single handedly.

A good book... worth a read once.

At some level... I was disappointed. I felt the hype is more than the content.

Weekend Trip

I had a hectic week... travelling to Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Bhayender etc. By Saturday morning I was so exhausted I could not move and called in sick at work.

In the evening KC and I headed to Bandra for a change of scene. I refused to drive and we hailed a cab. On the way KC expressed the wish for sausages.

I will have to digress a little here.... As a kid I read about sausages in Enid Blyton and could only imagine what they taste like. The most vivid description was in the book called '20 years under the bed' about a kid called Dennis. I first tasted sausages in Goa and then in USA. I tried cooking the frozen sausages available in the market but they sucked. The only 2 places in Mumbai which serve sausages (that I know of) are Potpourri and Mocha. The ones in Mocha come in a slightly sweet sauce as a side order costing 30 bucks. KC and I have ordered 3 plates in one session. The ones in Potpourri cost around 150 bucks and are served with onion sauce and mashed potatoes.

Anyway... coming back... I googled Potpourri in Bandra. There is one outlet on Turner road. The search began. We circled the area twice without success. Finally we realized the outlet has been replaced by Lemon Grass.

After spending time in Bandstand we headed to Kareem's for dinner. But KC changed his mind... we ended up at Open Affair on Carter Road. I was reluctant to try a place I have not heard about and googled reviews. Yep... I do take it too far... I was googling reviews while KC was ordering. We ordered a Pahadi kabab which were soft, juicy and yum. The reviews had described it hard. Main course was Risotto. These days I cannot bring up Italian food in front of KC.. he has been scarred in B'glore by 2 Italian meals back to back. Risotto is short grained rice served with a sauce... cheese sauce in this case. The food was good and total value for money.

I was happy to be back home by 10 pm and sipping a glass of wine while watching 2 and a half men season 1.

Everytime we are in Bandra I get this greedy longing. KC recognizes the look too well. The beautiful, expensive flats near the sea (not necessarily overlooking it) make me yearn for one. Ok... ok... I know Bandra is crowded... the traffic sucks and living there would be as much hell as heaven... and yet... what's the point of being in Mumbai if I am not near the sea. Mumbai is about the sea... not the suburbs. But... this is the only city in India where the divide between haves and have nots is gigantic. I can imagine living in the poshest areas of any other city- B'glore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Hyderabad, A'bad... but not in Mumbai. And thats why I am bugged of it. It constantly makes me feel poor.

Risotto is a dish I will try next weekend... once my gas connection is restored. Anyone here with good recipes?

Alone... no more

I drove 108 km yesterday... Mulund to Vashi to Nerul to Bhayender to Mulund. And I still had energy to drive to Chembur and back for dinner.

When I am alone... I don't find the energy or inclination to do anything.

It's a wonderful after life

I have been looking forward to this one... Gurinder Chadha does make good masala films... quite watchable.

IAWL is about the search for a groom by a Punjabi mother for her fat daughter. I liked the subject... the pressure on a girl for marriage is an experience every daughter goes through. The twist in the movie is that... Shabana Azmi (the mother) tends to kill the people who reject/say mean things about her daughter. The first half is funny and enjoyable... the 2nd half drags with un-necessary scenes of exorcism and Bollywood style love story.

All in all... enjoyable.

I am back

Hiya... I am back... the laptop is back... and I keep expecting it to start acting up again.

It was a hectic day...I travelled from Mulund to Kalyan to Bhiwandi to Kalyan to Thane to Vikhroli.

KC was sweet enough to get me some wine and even rub my feet. Sigh!!! Pure bliss.

What have I been upto? The usual.. work and stuff. Nothing has changed except:

• I met with an accident 'coz I followed the traffic rules. The light turned green, I had to turn right, another car cut across and turned right. The light turned yellow... I slowed a little... it turned red... I stopped. The car behind hit me. WTF!!! The driver argued that I stopped suddenly.. which is insane. I got penalized for stopping at the traffic light??? The traffic policemen didn't bother to check out what the commotion is about and asked us to go to the police station. The driver pretended his car needed to be repaired... didn't come along to the police station. The cops sent a hawaldar to bring the driver along but predictably, he had run off. We decided to leave too. The cops were deliberately making us wait. I'd rather bear the 1500 bucks of repair than wait for hours without a solution. KC said; "What a fuck all day" and yet it didn't seem so bad... I mean I could think of worst days. What a strange life... an accident is the least of my troubles
• The laptop was gone for 15 torturous days. I managed to catch up on my reading but missed the internet sorely. I didn't feel like blogging on the official laptop or through the phone. It doesn't feel the same.
• The cook was 30% through cooking the dinner when the gas cylinder got over. She urged me to borrow one from the neighbour (she cooks in their house). I refused. I was surprised she even suggested. I am on "Hi hello" terms with the neighbour and borrowing something seemed strange. The cook was surprised... I asked her to pack the half cooked food and take it home while we ordered take out. The cylinder lasted me 9 months... which is great.
• I wish cricket matches would end... I was so happy when India lost thinking KC would lose interest... but that has not happened. He watches the match late into the night while I am asleep
• I just got the news that in one of the contests I have been named best ASM for Modern trade. My team members are in the top 5 in India. It all sounds great... but like Heidi Klum says in Project Runway; "In fashion, one day you are in and the next day you are out"... sales is like that... targets happen ... you are the Boss... they don't... you are a loser.
• I just discovered that the neighbour below is totally paranoid. On Sunday morning the maid and I decide to clean the bedroom balcony while KC is snoring away. She pours water and starts sweeping. A neighbour calls on the intercom asking me to stop throwing water in the balcony. Her clothes are drying out and the water is ruining them. I politely tell her that the balcony is getting washed and it cannot be cleaned without water. After the cleaning is done... I receive another call from another neighbour complaining about the water. I offer her apologies and decide to call neighbours before cleaning the house. Today morning I receive a call from the same neighbour (1st one) asking me to stop throwing water. I tell her nobody is throwing water.. maybe it is the AC. She does not believe me. I ask her to come home and check it for herself. Watching KC sleep in the bedroom would surely freak her out (he has not shaved in days). She hangs up. I am expecting another call tomorrow at 7 am.

Thats all for now.

Secrets about me

Some things you would know about me only if you have been my room-mate

• I sleep with soft toys. I think it started in college... yes, it is supposed to start when in school and end in college but... we are talking about me. Expect the unexpected. I gave up the habit in Rajkot 'coz it was not possible to carry a soft toy while travelling. Now I sleep with the dolphin I picked up in Australia... and KC is always trying to damage it. Men are just so destructive
• I am particular about how things are arranged. Shifting the face wash in the shelf for shampoo will un-nerve me... I am quite organized. Thankfully KC is not too particular and manages not to mess up my stuff
• In my room I can sleep only on the left side. It started off coz of convenience. The lights are on the left side but now it is a habit.

Thats about it.. there is nothing else weird about me.

The laptop is not yet back... I so so so regret buying Lenovo. I think I will head to mouthshut.com, write a scathing review and save others from the mistake.

KC and I bought an AC this weekend. It was harrowing... so many brands, such a tight budget, so many prices. I have survived Gurgaon summers and was prepared to survive Mumbai as well without an AC... but it is too hot. The outlets have good EMI schemes... no interest. That is so convenient. I might buy a new laptop after a few months. Anyone here who wants to buy my current one?

The installation of the AC was a nightmare... the pipes with the AC were too short, the guys charged me 3500 for installation+cost of pipes. What a scam. Which house comes with space for AC? How can companies provide such short pipes and there is no 3 pin plug or batteries for the remote. I almost regretted buying the AC.

Kasab's trial is over. Intially I was sceptical about it. Isn't it better to just hang these terrorists instead of an expensive farce of a trial? USA did it to Saddam... and got away with it. They even leaked the video of his hanging which was a shame. But now I am proud. Which other country can boast of a fair trial to even the terrorist? A true democracy.

But then again, how many common, normal Indians boast of a fair trial?